USA > Indiana > White County > A standard history of White County Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. I > Part 47
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At the September term the case of John C. Hughes was put at issue and set for trial on the 16th day of May, 1866. Turpie being confined to his bed by sickness and unable to try the case, he sent for me and employed me to represent him in the trial. I was at that time young and had not as yet established a reputation as a lawyer, and of course, with the formidable array of counsel employed by the defense, the members of the drainage company were frightened, as they had depended upon Turpie's experience and ability to win the case for them. How- ever, Turpie told them that I was competent and had the essential brass to manage the case properly, and on his assurance that he would be responsible for any mistakes in the trial, the company reluctantly accepted my services. The defense was represented by Ellis Hughes as local counsel and Judge Samuel A. Huff and Hon. John Pettit of the LaFayette bar.
At the outset the Court sustained a demurrer to the complaint, filed by Judge Turpie. I took leave to amend and spent the entire night in my office preparing an amended complaint. I set out the entire drain- age act, and the amended complaint was held good by the court.
The case was at issue, and on the 16th of May, 1866, a jury was empaneled composed of John Dunlop, Abram Snyder, Wm. P. Mont- gomery, Ira Chenoweth, Valentine Bates, James E. Montgomery, John H. Carr, James Barnes, John Matthews, Wm. J. Bishop and Daniel Dale, Sr. After hearing the testimony of a great number of witnesses and a lengthy argument of counsel the jury retired to arrive at a verdict. As this was the first suit brought in White County to collect a drainage assessment, the people were excited and interested. It was considered a test of the drainage laws, and the courtroom was filled with spectators during the entire trial. Uncle Peter Price, who was scarcely ever seen in the courtroom, was present throughout. He was greatly interested, being an enthusiastic ditch man, and exhibited as much joy over the verdict as if he had been one of the plaintiffs, when on the 19th of May, 1866, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the drainage company for the amount of the assessment.
The case against Large was tried with the same result. It was appealed to the Supreme Court and reversed upon a technical error, when Large compromised with the company and paid his assessment and part of the costs.
Vol. I -27
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It is a surprising fact that the judge, D. P. Vinton, the attorneys, Samuel A. Huff, John Pettit, Ellis Hughes and David Turpie, every member of the jury, the defendants, and all the plantiffs that I remem- ber, are all dead, and that I am the only surviving participant in that somewhat memorable trial.
FORGOTTEN TOWNS WHICH ONCE DOTTED THE WHITE COUNTY MAP
Were any adult citizen of White County asked to give the names of the towns platted and located within the boundaries of the county he would name over the towns with which he is familiar and say "that is all." His credulity would be overtaxed if told there was not a person living who could from memory give the names or location of all the towns that exist or have existed in this county. The modern "boomer" has his prototype in our first settler who laid out towns which he con- fidently expected to immortalize his name and enrich his purse.
As appropriate to this history we subjoin a list of a few of these town plats with a brief account of their histories.
New Hartford-The oldest of these towns is New Hartford, which was laid out in due form by Abel Line on January 20, 1837, about two and one-half miles east of Monon. This was quite a pretentious village, for in addition to its seventy lots it had a public square, which was forever dedicated to the public. This was doubtless intended to answer the purpose of the Roman Forum, but of this we have not so much as a tradition.
Wyoming is next in chronological order and was laid out on the west bank of the Tippecanoe River one-half mile south of the Pulaski County line, on February 24, 1837, by Crystal D. W. Scott, a New Light minister, many of whose descendants still reside in White County. It contained sixty-four lots and was described as "handsomely situated on the bank of the Tippecanoe river, where the Rochester and Monticello road crosses said river." It was further said to be surrounded by a rich agricultural country and was no doubt a good place in which to live. But one lot in this town was ever sold by Mr. Scott.
New Lancaster-On October 13, 1837, David Lambert laid out a town called New Lancaster, about a half mile south of Lowe's bridge, on the west bank of the Tippecanoe River. It is now and doubtless was at that time a beautiful location. The town consisted of eight blocks divided into sixty-two lots, but it was stillborn. Mr. Lambert's location availed him nothing, for not a single lot in New Lancaster was ever transferred by its founder.
Montgomery-Three days later, on October 16, 1837, the Town of Montgomery was laid out on the east bank of the Tippecanoe River (no more definite description is given) by Joseph Smith, Benjamin Grant and William G. Sheley. This was doubtless a rival of New Lancaster, which was born and died three days prior, but its sixty-four lots and a public square 276 feet on each side shared the fate of its older rival, and Montgomery does not live even in memory.
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Castleton-On February 28, 1838, one Cyrus B. Garlinghouse became firmly convinced that a sand dune about a mile east of the present Town of Idaville would some day become a great city. Possessed with this idea he laid out a town of forty-eight lots and called it Castleton. This was twenty-two years before the railroad was built, and all of the above named towns were laid out before the Indians were taken to the far west.
Fayette-On March 18, 1856, Harris Shaw laid out a town about midway between Wolcott and Seafield and gave it the name of Fayette. Four years later the railroad passed through this embryo metropolis, and tradition has it that one day a flat car stopped, loaded the town and removed it to Wolcott, leaving its sixty-four lots without an inhabitant.
Clermont-Princeton Township was well represented in the "town boom" business, and on April 2, 1860, about four months after the opening of the railroad, Clermont was laid out by Christopher Hardy about one-half mile east of Wolcott and on the north side of the railroad. Mr. Hardy was quite modest and platted but twenty-four lots, but his little town of Clermont was swallowed up by the Town of Wolcott.
Kiousville-On the 25th day of November, 1856, John Kious platted the town of Kiousville located about one mile north of Brookston. It included a part of four sections and comprised about 200 lots, being the largest number of lots contained in any town at its birth. But its size did not avail, and it went the way of all the earth. Hic jacet.
These are not deserted villages. They simply failed to materialize, and the hopes of their founders were blasted from causes over which they had no control. It is interesting to notice that the earliest of these towns were all laid out on a natural water course, for at that time it was not expected the railroads would so soon penetrate so far to the west- ward. Of the expectations of their founders we know nothing but can readily surmise that they had in view the development of the water power on the advent of the railroad but not one of these towns was benefited by either.
The above list includes only towns actually platted and appearing of record. Besides these were a number of postoffices, some of which were abandoned far back in the past and others only since the advent of free rural delivery. Among them were Flowerville, Badger, Dern, Forney, Rankin and others.
LOG CABINS
The following article from the Idaville Observer of December 5, 1913, is a reminder of life fifty years ago:
In the country north of Idaville you will still find a few reminders of the pioneer life of a three-quarter of a century ago scattered among the comfortable homes with which the country is being fast filled.
Just a few miles north of town stands an old log house with a huge brick fire place and chimney arising at the end of the building. The house is built of hewn logs, laid up cob house style and is in a good state
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of preservation. It is a mute reminder of the days when building material, other than logs, was well nigh impossible to get. The building of a home in those days was a simple affair compared with the erection of even the most common of the houses of today. The man with an ax and a grove of timber could soon put up a shelter to protect himself from the cold and storm and wild animals. The trees were cut down with the ax, cut the proper length, the sides slabbed and notched at the ends, all ready for the walls. When the walls were up the same ax was used to split puncheons for the floors and doors, and shakes for the roof. With a mud fire place and a stick chimney the settler was ready to face all the vicissitudes of the seasons.
Just a short distance further on stands another log cabin that has passed its days of usefulness as a shelter for man and is now used to house stock. There is yet a third cabin in this neighborhood whose roof has decayed and fallen in, leaving only the walls, built of sturdy logs, standing. In its day this last cabin was the center of the life of the community.
When these cabins were built the surrounding country was practically a vast wilderness teeming with the wild life of that day, for the settlers were few and far between. The lands that are now yielding so richly of grain were swampy sloughs with no outlet. In winter and spring they were veritable lakes which dried up under the summer sun. The groves of today were but scrubby bushes, which with the rank wild grasses made admirable hiding places for the deer, prairie wolves, foxes and timid wild fowl. Night after night the wolves would gather around the scattered homes and make the darkness hideous with their howling. Roads were few and far between. What few there were wound their way around on the high places to avoid the sloughs. Fences there were none, save around the fields of grain.
Fifty years of toil and work have changed all of that. Great open ditches with mile after mile of tile have drained the swamps and where the water-fowl once nested and reared their young there are great fields of corn. Droves of cattle graze where the wild deer fed and hogs are fattened where the prairie wolves howled their requiem over the passing of the wild.
Gone are the sturdy men and women of those pioneer days. Stout hearted, strong willed, they faced the rough life of those days, and laid the foundation of the better life of today. Forgotten by nearly all they builded better than they knew. The seeds of civilization they planted have multiplied more than a hundred fold.
But not all the hard work is done as yet,-for there is room for as great a development in the future as in the past.
A LADY'S RECOLLECTIONS OF WHITE COUNTY'S EARLY OFFICIARY
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Mrs. Georgiana Reynolds, who with her son William M. Reynolds, lives on a farm east of Monticello, is the oldest native resident of Union Township now living (August, 1915). She first saw the light January
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1, 1837, in a little temporary abode on lot 10 in the original plat of the Town of Monticello, where five years later her father, William Sill, built the two-story residence which still stands on that site. It is on the west side of Bluff Street three doors north of Broadway and is one of the oldest landmarks in the city.
Mr. Sill was White County's first clerk, first auditor and first recorder, all of which offices he held at the same time. His son, Robert W. Sill, was sheriff at the time of the Dayton-Cantwell murder trial in 1850 and made the arrest of the indicted men. The old jail having been burned, they were kept in shackles for a time in one of the upper rooms of the house here mentioned. This old house at 110 North Bluff Street, besides being the domicile of White County's officiary, often sheltered temporarily the judges of the court, non-resident members of the bar, and even more distinguished guests from the state capital and elsewhere.
THE OLD SILL HOMESTEAD, 110 NORTH BLUFF STREET (The porch is a recent addition)
Among them Mrs. Reynolds especially remembers Hons. Henry S. Lane and Schuyler Colfax, who found shelter under that hospitable roof dur- ing some of their political campaigns. Her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Sill, thus acquired a wide celebrity as hostess of White County's quasi-execu- tive mansion.
Mrs. Reynolds is the last survivor of William Sill's family of two sons and three daughters. Her sisters were Mrs. Miranda J. Reynolds, wife of James C. Reynolds; and Mrs. Sarah Van Voorst, wife of Sylvanus Van Voorst. Her brothers were Robert W. Sill and Milton M. Sill.
Being a daughter of the first clerk, auditor and recorder, and a sister of one of the early sheriffs, she has some vivid recollections of White County's early officialdom. 'Among them is an incident that happened at the old jail on Illinois Street near Marion Street, then "out on the commons." She was commissioned by her brother, the sheriff, as cup bearer to the prisoners in the jail, and when he carried their meals
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to them she went along to carry the coffee. One morning when Sheriff Bob opened the jail to give two prisoners their breakfast they knocked him down, and rushing out past the little coffee carrier, escaped across the meadows. Her brother, who had only been temporarily stunned, rose up and gave chase, and being very lithe of limb and fleet of foot, he overtook the fugitives and lone-handed led them back to jail.
Another exploit which gave this young sheriff considerable renown in his day was the capture of a notorious horsethief known as "Riz" Beauchamp. He was regarded as a dangerous man and had sent word to Sheriff Sill that he would kill him if he ever attempted to arrest him. Bob learned that Beauchamp was up in Jasper County prowling around in the vicinity of a camp-meeting then in progress near Rensselaer. He provided himself with a lasso and went on his trail. He found him in a group of men on the outskirts of the camp ground, and taking some local officers with him, he slipped up behind him, threw the noose over him and jerked him down on his back. Giving the rope to one of his helpers, he completed his conquest by closing in on his man and putting him in handcuffs. During this process, however, "Riz" fired a bullet at him which barely missed his knee and gave Bob a trophy of the encounter in the shape of a bullet-riddled trousers leg.
Indians were still numerous here in Mrs. Reynolds' childhood. Though they were not much feared by the settlers of that day, she was always panic-stricken at the sight of their dogs, which she says were "the ugliest beasts that ever walked." Mr. Sill was a merchant as well as a county official, and his store was located a few doors south of the present State Bank of Monticello. He had a brisk trade with the Indians, accepting their coonskins and other furry pelts in exchange for goods and shipping them to Philadelphia. The Indians were very friendly and often invited him to visit their wigwams, which dotted the river banks between here and Norway. Their hospitality could not be refused, but their cuisine was not exactly the kind that prevailed at the Sill mansion on Bluff Street, and his visits were therefore confined mostly to the hours between meals. His wariness was born of the follow- ing experience : One day, with his son Milton, he accepted an invitation to dinner at an Indian camp near town, beguiled by the appetizing stories he had heard of corn pone. With an expectant appetite he watched the preparations for dinner, and when he saw the squaw chef wash her hands carefully before proceeding to prepare the pone he in- wardly remarked upon the cleanliness of these aboriginal daughters of the forest. But when he saw her mix the dough in the same water in which she had washed her hands his romantic thoughts came down to earth again and he lost his appetite for corn pone.
The husband of Mrs. Reynolds, to whom she was married October 29, 1854, was Mr. Calvin Reynolds, and he came from Somerset, Ohio. He died in the year 1872 during an epidemic of cerebro-spinal meningitis which ravaged this locality during that year. He was taken sick while watching at the bedside of a neighbor and died the next day, so rapid was the work of that memorable scourge. All the children of this union,
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six in number, are still living: Ebenezer, William M., Levi and Embree Reynolds, Mrs. Minnie Detwiler and Mrs. Mary Gladden.
The only bearer of the family name of William Sill now living in this county is Mr. Charles Sill, mail carrier on Rural Route 5, Monti- cello, Indiana. His wife, Mrs. Jessie Mullendore-Sill, is also a descend- ant from sterling old settler stock, being a daughter of Mr. Francis M. Mullendore, who was at one time deputy sheriff of White County and who enjoyed the respect and confidence of his generation.
JOSHUA GRIM'S JOKE
Joshua Grim, notwithstanding his name, was a man who loved a joke. He was a butcher by trade and lived here when Monticello was young. He was a brother-in-law of Rowland Hughes, Monticello's pioneer merchant prince (commonly known as "Pap" Hughes), but for some reason he imagined that "Pap" did not consider him a very valuable addition to the family and that he was a little "uppish" in his bearing toward him. For this reason Grim was always pleased when anything occurred to ruffle his brother-in-law's dignity and was ready at all times to contribute his mite to the ruffling process. He was inwardly tickled when he heard that "Pap" had been swiped of $100 by investing in a worthless patent right, and it was music to his ear to hear him "cuss" traveling patent right vendors and tell what he would do to the next one that darkened his door. "Pap" had a great com- mand of expletives, and when in full eruption it was an education to stand around and listen to him.
One day Grim had a visit from a stranger who wanted to sell him the county right for a patent farm gate. Grim declined to invest and was about to allow the fellow to depart, when a diabolical thought struck him.
"There's a man named Hughes over there," said he, "who might want it. He buys about everything that comes around." The stranger thanked him and started for the Hughes store.
"Hold on a bit," called Grim. "Now Mr. Hughes is very peculiar. He'll refuse you at first and may pretend to get mad and even order you out of his store, but that's all bluff. If you stand your ground and spunk up to him he'll take a fancy to you and maybe buy two or three counties before you get through with him."
The stranger accepted the pointer thankfully and started off again. Grim watched him till he entered the store and then made a bee line for the scene himself, taking up a position on the sidewalk just outside the door, where he could enjoy the entertainment. He heard the stranger following his directions to the letter, and he heard his predictions ful- filled on "Pap's" part also, except that he failed to mellow down. The sound of voices inside grew from a murmur to a roar, and finally the stranger emerged unceremoniously from the door, pursued by "Pap" with flashing eyes and an uplifted chair. As the patent right man
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passed Grim he cast a reproachful glance at him but did not take time to stop.
A JAIL BREAKER WITH CHURCH-GOING TENDENCIES
Capt. B. F. Price, whose father was the first actual settler in Union Township, recalls an incident connected with White County's first jail, the humor of which "touched the funny bone" of his boyhood nature and has stuck in his memory ever since.
The jail was located on North Illinois Street near Marion Street, and as there were no houses around it nearer than the New School Pres- byterian Church the view from behind the bars commanded quite a large scope of commons. A man named Smallwood Thompson was incarcer- ated in the jail for stealing five coonskins from Rowland Hughes. One Sunday morning just as the church bell was ringing Thompson was caught in the act of breaking jail. When his plans were foiled he seemed easily reconciled to his fate and was disposed to think it a good joke that he had come so near regaining his liberty in broad daylight.
"Why Smallwood," somebody remarked, "if you'd only waited till night you'd have got out."
"Yes," he answered, "but I saw the people going to church and thought I'd get out in time to go too."
MONTICELLO'S FIRST MEAT MARKET
There are few of Monticello's pioneer buildings still standing, but some of her oldest buildings have incidents connected with their history which make them interesting.
One structure which is much older than it looks is the little shoe shop which stands on Broadway between the O'Connor Block and the Law Building. It has occupied many sites. It was built in 1851 by Liberty M. Burns and Amer S. McElhoes and was the home of Monti- cello's first meat market. The members of the firm of Burns & McElhoes were fresh from Pennsylvania and full of thrift, though limited in means. They recognized the value of a central location for the meat business, but having no ground of their own on the public square they adopted the bold expedient of building their meat shop in the courthouse yard. A new brick courthouse had just been erected, and in the minds of these enterprising meat vendors the smell of blood and beefsteaks was all that was needed to complete the sanctity of the judicial plaza. At that time the sessions of the Commissioners' Court were few and far between, and the young squatters, selecting a time when the board had just adjourned, planted their meat shop in the southeast corner of the courthouse grounds and were selling steaks there before the county fathers were aware of their bold pre-emption of the public domain. The house was small and easily moved, but it remained there long enough to build up a trade which followed the firm when they finally had to seek another site.
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APPRAISEMENT OF WHITE COUNTY FOR 1915
The following is an abstract of the assessment of the property in White County for the year 1915 :
Prairie Township
$ 1,878,790
Big Creek Township
964,020
Union Township
1,142,140
Monon Township
1,215,210
Liberty Township
759,490
Jackson Township
914,660
Princeton Township
1,340,000
West Point Township
1,353,770
Cass Township
576,060
Honey Creek Township
728,610
Round Grove Township
946,780
Monticello Corporation
1,382,430
Brookston Corporation
363,870
Reynolds Corporation
163,460
Burnettsville Corporation
186,420
Monon Corporation
425,330
Wolcott Corporation
357,910
Chalmers Corporation
264,670
Total
$14,963,620
To which add for corporations about.
1,600,000
Making a grand total of.
$16,563,620
This is for purposes of taxation. The true value of taxables in the county will approximate $40,000,000, less the amount claimed by mort- gage exemptions.
THE HARDSHIPS OF A SHERIFF'S LIFE IN THE MUSKRAT DAYS
Elisha Warden, the veteran house mover, was one of the early resi- dents of Norway, having come there with his parents in 1836, when less than a year old. In his boyhood days Norway gave promise of great com- mercial importance, being for years the center of industrial activity for a large scope of territory on account of its water power. It was here that the Tippecanoe was first harnessed, and though its dam has been swept away its site for power purposes is still one of the finest on the river.
One of the earliest industries of Norway was conducted by Mr. Warden's father, Elisha Warden, Sr. He manufactured peck and half- bushel measures made of bent wood, and his products supplied the market almost exclusively in White and adjoining counties. A Norwegian named Helver, who had a turning lathe, manufactured wooden bowls and other kitchen utensils. Mr. Warden ran a huckster wagon, which was the
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HISTORY OF WHITE COUNTY
vehicle of distribution both for his own products and Mr. Helver's wood- enware, and on his return home from a trip his wagon was usually loaded with farm and garden truck taken in exchange for their handi- work.
Elisha Warden, Sr., was elected sheriff of White County, in the early '40s, and his son relates an incident of his official career which illustrates the stress of a sheriff's life and incidentally recalls the early topography of our now beautiful county.
Sheriff Warden had a warrant for a man named Dirth, who was wanted for some misdemeanor and was said to be in hiding in the country not far from Monticello. He mounted his horse and went in pursuit of him. The soft and marshy nature of this region in those days made it easy to trace a fugitive by his footprints, and he soon struck a trail which promised to lead him to the object of his search. Toward evening he discovered his man, but in a most tantalizing position. He was perched on a muskrat house far out in a marsh. How he got there was a puzzle then and ever afterward to Sheriff Warden, but he reasoned that where one man could go another could follow, and he plunged his horse into the marsh in a bee line for the muskrat house. He was soon hopelessly mired and stuck fast in the swamp. The man on the muskrat house apparently was not armed. Neither did he seem to be alarmed, and in fact did not need to be. He was evidently in no danger of arrest, and he simply sat and grinned at the sheriff's plight. He even began to toss pleasantries at him across the water and to give him sarcastic advice about how to run a sheriff's office. At last he called out :
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