USA > Indiana > Biographical and historical sketches of early Indiana > Part 17
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in the affairs of that county, and seldom or never visited its capital. He was entitled to the name, by reason of his public services and private liberality, and to take it from him after it had been bestowed was an insult not to be forgotten.
There is an elevation on the bank of White river, at Colum- bus, probably one hundred feet high, which is known as "Tip- ton's Mound." In early times it was called "Tipton's Knoll," and the street leading to it was named Tipton street, but now " Knoll " has been changed to " Mound," and Tipton street to Third street. General Tipton's name may be stricken from the map of Columbus, but his donation to Bartholomew county will stand as a memento of his public spirit and private munificence. It was he, also, who donated to the State the beautiful Battle Ground of Tippecanoe. (See journal of constitutional conven- tion. )
In a recent history of the Miami Indians, by Thad. Butler, Esq., it was stated that Samuel McClure, of Marion, was pres- ent at the Indian treaty of 1826. Desiring to know the facts in the case I addressed Mr. McClure a letter, and received the following reply :
" MARION, IND., April 10, 1882.
" WILLIAM W. WOOLLEN, EsQ. : Dear Sir-Yours of the 7th inst. at hand and contents noted, and in answer I will say that Mr. Butler got his statement a little wrong when he said that I was at the treaty of the Miami Indians in 1826. I was at the payment which occurred in November, 1826, and my recollec- tion is that General Tipton and Martin M. Ray were there and made the payment at that time. I was but a boy, about nine- teen years old, and they were strangers to me. My father, Samuel McClure, came to Wabash in January, 1827, and set- tled at the spring where the treaty was made. and lived in the cabins built for that purpose.
"I knew General Tipton, but was not intimate with him. Knew him to be a shrewd, smart and very decided man ; posi- tive in having his orders obeyed, and he made a good agent for the government and also for the Indians. I was at every pay- ment he made the Indians.
"General Tipton lived in the fort at Fort Wayne when I came to the State, but in the fall of 1827, or in the spring of
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1828, he moved from Fort Wayne to the mouth of Eel river, on the east side of the Wabash, and lived in a two-story hewed log house built by a man named Chamberlin, who moved from there to Rochester, or where Rochester now is. I think it was before Logansport was laid off. The General bought lands on the same side of the river and made quite a nice improvement, and lived there until his death. Yours very respectfully, " SAMUEL MCCLURE."
Oliver H. Smith, in his " Early Indiana Trials and Sketches," thus speaks of General Tipton :
" He was about the medium height, well set, short face, round head, low, wrinkled forehead, sunken gray eyes, stern countenance, good chest, stiff sandy hair standing erect from his forehead. He was not what is called an eloquent debater, still he was plain and strong as a speaker. He saw the ques- tion clearly, and marched directly at it without rhetorical flour- ishes. He was a strong, if not an eloquent debater, and was always formidable upon the subject he had in charge, and he seldom or never interfered with the business of others beyond a silent vote."
General Tipton was about five feet eight inches high, was slightly though compactly built, and weighed about 140 pounds. He was muscular and strong for one of his weight, and in man- ner he was quick and active. His stern features and sharp eyes denoted a man born to command and to see that his commands were obeyed. He had unconquerable will, and when deter- mined upon a line of policy he moved forward with all the en- ergy of his nature to execute it. He always took the lead, and others followed as a matter of course. A leading citizen of Fort Wayne said that Fort Wayne owed more to General Tip- ton in his day than to any other man. The same is true of Lo- gansport, the city in which he died. Indiana, however. owes him more than any of her cities, for he did as much to free her from Indian depredations and to render her people secure in their homes as any other man of his time.
OLIVER HAMPTON SMITH.
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OLIVER HAMPTON SMITH, Congressman and Senator, was born October 23, 1794, on Smith's Island, near Trenton, New Jersey. He came very near being drowned when a boy, hav- ing taken the cramp while swimming. In his "Early Indiana Trials and Sketches," he thus describes this incident :
" The breathing ceased, the pressure on my lungs was pain- ful, my head rolled over on the gravelly bottom, my mind was clear as my eyes closed on a bright sun. I fell, as it were, into a sound sleep. Some thirty minutes afterward I felt very sick, the water was running from my mouth, and my eyes seemed to open involuntarily. There stood Isaac Fox bending over me. When I was drowning he ran down to the bank of the river, learned where I went down, floated over me, and saw me lying quietly on the bottom. I had been there near ten minutes. He dived down and brought me up, and took me, unconscious, to a tavern just by, and rolled and rubbed me into life. As I opened my eyes he cried aloud for joy."
Had it not been for the opportune presence and daring of young Isaac Fox this sketch would never have been written.
Young Smith commenced attending school when he was six years old, in a building near his home. He went to this school off and on until 1813, when, on account of the death of his father, he left home and went out into the world to seek his fortune. He visited New York, and then went to Pennsylvania, where for a time he worked in a woolen mill. On reaching his ma- jority he received $1,500 from his father's estate, which he in- vested in an enterprise that proved' to be unfortunate. On
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closing it out the only thing he had to show for his patrimony was a Canadian pony, upon which he rode to his brother Thom- as's. He remained there a short time and then started West. On his arrival at Pittsburg he engaged as captain of a coal boat bound for Louisville, Kentucky. The boat had another lashed to it, and during the trip down the river the captain discovered that the consort of his boat was about to strike a snag. He knew if she did she would sink and take down with her the one upon which he stood. He met the exigency with promptitude. Seizing an ax he cut the rope which bound the vessels together, and in a moment afterward the fated boat struck the snag and sank to the bottom. This incident illustrates Mr. Smith's judg- ment and promptitude.
In 1817 Mr. Smith came to Indiana. He first settled at Rising Sun, but in a short time he removed to Lawrenceburg and com- menced the study of law. In March, 1820, he was personally examined by Miles C. Eggleston, then Judge of the Third Ju- dicial Circuit, and licensed to practice law. Soon after this he removed to Versailles, in Ripley county, and opened an office, but, not liking the location, in a few months he removed to Con- nersville, where he lived until 1839, at which time he became a citizen of Indianapolis. At Connersville Mr. Smith, notwith- standing the strong competition, soon obtained a large practice. He came in contact with the lawyers of Brookville and Law- renceburg, as well as those at his home, but his ability was such that he was able to earn and maintain a position among them equal to the best.
In August, 1822, Mr. Smith was elected to the Legislature from Fayette county. On his way to Corydon, then the capital of the State, he stopped over night at Madison and had his horse taken to the stable by General Milton Stapp, and on the organization of the House, when the county of Jefferson was called. the " flaxen-headed hostler " stepped forward and took the oath of office. General Joe Lane, afterwards famous as a warrior and statesman, was also a member, as were Dennis Pen- nington, Isaac Howk, John Dumont, William A. Bullock, and others whose names have come down to the present day. Mr. Smith was made chairman of the Judiciary Committee, an im- portant position, and one which is usually given to the ablest
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lawyer in the body. It is, therefore, evident that his profes- sional reputation was at that early day well established. In 1824 Governor Hendricks appointed Mr. Smith prosecutor of the Third Judicial Circuit. It was while he held this office that Hudson, Sawyer, Bridge, sr., and Bridge, jr., were indicted and tried for the killing of a party of friendly Indians near Pen- dleton, in Madison county. In an address delivered before the Marion County Agricultural Society, Mr. Smith thus speaks of this trial :
" I was circuit prosecuting attorney at the time of the trials at the falls of Fall creek, where Pendleton now stands. Four of the prisoners were convicted of murder, and three of them hung, for killing Indians. The court was held in a double log cabin, the grand jury sat upon a log in the woods, and the foreman signed the bills of indictment, which I had prepared, upon his knee; there was not a petit juror that had shoes on-all wore moccasins, and were belted around the waist, and carried side knives used by the hunters."
In 1826 Mr. Smith became a candidate for Congress against Hon. John Test, who had represented the district for three full terms. The district comprised one-third of the State, and ex- tended along its eastern border from the Ohio river to the Mich- igan line. Mr. Smith traversed the district from one end to the other, and spoke to the people whenever and wherever he could get an audience. He made a trip, under great difficulties, to Fort Wayne, and when the election came off he received just ten votes in Allen county. Allen county then, as now, voted pretty much one way. But the other counties of the district did better by Mr. Smith, for he was elected by over 1,500 ma- jority. Mr. Smith served with distinction in Congress. His speech on the appropriation to build the Cumberland road was the ablest argument in its favor made in the House. He was attentive and industrious in his public duties. When his term expired he returned to the practice of the law and to the culti- vation of his lands.
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In December, 1836, he was a candidate for the United States Senate. His competitors were Noah Noble, William Hen- dricks and Ratliff Boon. On the first ballot he ran behind
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both Governor Noble and Governor Hendricks, but on the eighth he took the lead, and on the ninth was elected. The second night after the election he reached his home, and the next morning started to Cincinnati with a drove of hogs. But I will let him tell the story :
" Late in the evening I reached Henrie's Mansion House, in Cincinnati, covered with mud. There were many inquiries about the result of our senatorial election ; I was asked if there had been an election. 'Which is elected, Hendricks or Noble?' ' Neither.' 'Who, then, can it be?' ' I am elected.' 'You ! What is your name?'. 'Oliver H. Smith.' 'You elected a United States Senator ! I never heard of you before.'"
In the Senate Mr. Smith was chairman of the Committee on Public Lands. He took great pride in the place, and filled it with distinguished ability.
In 1839, while holding the office of Senator, Mr. Smith re- moved to Indianapolis, and afterward resided there while he lived. He had a large law practice in the Federal courts as well as in the State courts, and when not in Washington attend- ing to his public duties he was industriously engaged in his profession.
In 1842 Mr. Smith was a candidate for re-election to the Sen- ate, but was defeated by Edward A. Hannegan. In March, 1843, his senatorial services terminated, and he came back to his home. Soon after this he turned his attention to railroads, and Indianapolis is mainly indebted to him for the building of the Indianapolis and Bellefontaine road, now known as the Bee Line. He was at different times president of two railroads, and he directed their affairs with the same energy and intelligence that he displayed in everything he undertook.
In 1857, having measurably abandoned the law, and his rail- road enterprises being, in a manner, suspended, he commenced writing a series of sketches for the Indianapolis Journal on early times in Indiana. They attracted much attention. and the next year the publishing house of Moore, Wilstach. Keys & Co., of Cincinnati, brought them out in book form. The book is valuable as a record of early Indiana times, containing as it
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does many historical incidents which otherwise would have been forgotten. Had its extraneous matter been omitted, and the author confined himself to sketching Indiana men and their ac- tions, the book, while not so bulky, would have been of more value than it is. There is a good deal of genuine humor in it, and its matter otherwise is interesting, but its style is not that of a practiced writer. It is, however, a most valuable contri- bution to the history of the times of which it treats, and will live while the State exists. As a sample of its style I copy the following from a sketch entitled, "Early Condition of In- diana : "
"At the time I came into the State, in March, 1817, there was not a railroad in the United States, nor a canal west of the Al- legheny mountains. The telegraph had not been discovered, fire was struck by the flint and steel-the falling sparks were caught in 'punk' taken from the knots of the hickory tree. There was not a foot of turnpike road in the State, and plank roads had never been heard of. The girdled standing trees covered the cultivated fields, the shovel plow the only cultiva- tor ; no roads west of Whitewater; not a bridge in the State ; the traveling all done on horseback, the husband mounted be- fore on the saddle, with from one to three of the youngest chil- dren in his arms-the wife, with a spread-cover reaching to the tail of the horse, seated behind, with the balance of the children unable to walk, in her lap. We young gentlemen retained the luxury of a single horse : not a carriage nor buggy in all the country. After some years Mr. Lovejoy brought a buggy with- out a top to Connersville, from New England. I borrowed it to ride to Wayne county, but I gave up the buggy and took my horse for fear the people would think me proud and it would injure my election to Congress."
Mr. Smith died on Saturday, March 19, 1859. On the Mon- day following, the Indianapolis bar met in the Court-house to take action upon his death. Governor David Wallace presided. and Simon Yandes, Esq., acted as secretary. Governor Ham- mond, Jonathan W. Gordon and Hugh O'Neal were appointed a committee on resolutions, and reported a series, in which the private worth and public service of the deceased were recounted
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and extolled. Speeches were made by Mr. Yandes, John L. Ketcham, Hugh O'Neal and Governor Wallace. The speech of the last gentleman was particularly able and discriminating. In it he said :
" He had no envy in his composition. He never tried to crush others. His egotism had been sometimes spoken of dur- ing his life, but it was the simplest egotism the world ever saw. He never assailed another, or tried to pull him down that he might raise himself. Detraction he was never guilty of. He was ambitious, but his ambition was to surpass you, not to ruin you. He would give you all the merit you deserved, and often more, and then claim that he excelled you. This was the ex- tent of this feature of his character."
The meeting appointed Governor Willard, Lieutenant-Gov- ernor Hammond, R. L. Walpole, Albert G. Porter, John L. Ketcham, John Coburn, Robert B. Duncan and Governor Wal- lace Mr. Smith's pall-bearers, and Simon Yandes, Esq., to pre- pare a eulogy on his life and character. It adjourned to meet at the house of Governor Willard, from whence the members proceeded in a body to the residence of Mr. Smith to attend his funeral.
On the 29th of March Governor Wallace asked the Marion Circuit Court to have the resolutions adopted at the bar meeting spread upon its records. He accompanied the request with a few remarks, after which Simon Yandes, Esq., delivered a very appreciative and eloquent eulogy upon the life and character of the deceased. Mr. Yandes had long been his friend, and for many years was his law partner, and was, probably, better qualified to bring out the prominent and salient points in his character than any other man. In this address he said :
" It is said he was ambitious. It is true he was ambitious of excellence, and this was his greatest merit. He may have been but too ambitious of success, and it is perhaps but fair to ad- mit that is a fault of our profession, especially among its lead- ers. It does not become me to pass upon a measure of intellect. or the comparative rank of a man so distinguished as he was. No man in the State more filled the public eye ; and, indeed, it
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may be said that his senatorial and other services gave him a reputation that was national. He and our lamented Marshall had this trait of greatness in common : they rose with the occa- sion, and always seemed to have a force in reserve. He was of great and varied ability, prompt alike for the debates of the Sen- ate or the bar ; in the argument of fact or law, and of all classes of cases, he intuitively fastened upon the leading and governing points."
Previous to making the order to have the proceedings of the bar meeting spread upon the records, Judge Majors said :
"As a lawyer Mr. Smith was ever true to the interest of his client. In the prosecution of his cases in court he displayed much zeal and earnestness. He was generally well prepared and ready for trial, and if unsuccessful, from inadvertence or oversight, it was a very rare occurrence. He was an honorable opponent, and very liberal in his practice, yet very capable and sometimes ready to seize upon the weakness or oversight of an adversary. Mr. Smith's career at the bar was a successful one. He well merits the tribute paid to his memory by his brethren of the bar. The court takes great pleasure in directing that the resolutions be spread upon the record."
Mr. Smith was a jovial man, of a happy disposition, and he loved to make others happy, hence he would say things which, taken from their surroundings, would appear the height of ego- tism. He was an irrepressible talker ; would talk to any one and every one he met. A gentleman who knew him well, and who was also acquainted with Judge Story, says Mr. Smith, in this respect, more nearly resembled that distinguished jurist than any one he ever knew. One day a boarder at a hotel kept by a Mr. Sloan (who was a good liver and had a rubicund face) complained, in Mr. Smith's presence, of the fare he had at his hotel, when Mr. Smith remarked, " What better could you ex- pect? Sloan eats all the good things himself; there is nothing left for his boarders." One day a friend said to him that he was too much given to self-praise, when, with a twinkle of the eye, he replied, " Why not praise one's self? A man can praise himself more in a minute than his friends will in a year." The
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reader should bear in mind Mr. Smith's wit and disposition to be facetious, else he will form a wrong idea of his character.
He had vanity, but, according to Governor Wallace, it was the simplest the world ever saw-it harmed no one.
Mr. Smith's disposition was such that he made the best of everything. He never grieved over things that could not be prevented, and when they came upon him he bore them with fortitude aad soon forgot them.
Indiana has produced few men who will be so long remem- bered as Mr. Smith. As a lawyer he ranked among the very first in the State, as a politician he had great influence, and as a statesman he maintained a very high standing while in the Sen- ate of the United States. He was also an active promoter of railroads, and his book containing sketches of early Indiana will live when his other works are forgotten. He himself says :
" These sketches will live and be read by thousands when the author and his subjects shall sleep together in the silent tomb."
Mr. Smith is in his tomb. Most of the men he mentioned have gone the way of all the earth, but his book still lives, and is more highly prized as the years roll on. It is the only record we have of the men and times of which it treats, and will be read with more interest fifty years from now than it is to-day.
Mr. Smith was five feet ten inches high, and weighed about 180 pounds. He was broad-chested-was large from the waist up. The lower part of his body was correspondingly smaller than the upper, and, when he was subjected to great physical exercise it was too weak to bear him up. Often, when fatigued by travel and compelled to speak, he would address the people sitting. His eyes were dark, his hair was black and stood up upon his head. He had large, shaggy eyebrows, and the gen- eral outline of his features denoted energy, pluck and endurance. His place is in the front rank of the great men of Indiana.
ALBERT S. WHITE.
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AMONG the most scholarly men who have attained eminence in the politics of Indiana was Albert S. White. His writings were copiously embellished with classical allusions, and his speeches were rich in references and quotations from the most noted thinkers and publicists of the world.
Albert S. White was born in Blooming Grove, New York, October 24, 1803. He graduated from Union College, New York, in 1822, having for a classmate the Hon. William H. Seward, one of the most eminent men of his time. Mr. White studied law at Newburg, New York, and in 1825 was licensed to practice his profession. Soon after this he emigrated to In- diana and located at Rushville. After practicing law a year or so in that town, he removed to Paoli, where he remained but a short time, and then took up his abode in Lafayette. This was in March, 1829, and from that time until his death, Lafayette, and its near neighbor, Stockwell, was his home.
During the session of 1828-29 Mr. White reported the pro- ceedings of the Indiana Legislature for the Indianapolis Four- nal, the first work of the kind done in the State. He did it thoroughly and well, as the files of the paper will attest. In 1830 and 1831 he was the assistant clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives, and from 1832 to 1835 he was its clerk. During these years of service in the House he was brought in close contact with the leading men of the State, a circumstance which was of great benefit to him in his future political career. In 1833 he was a candidate for Congress against Edward A. Hannegan, and was defeated. He had neither the brilliancy nor eloquence of Hannegan, but he was the superior of that er-
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ratic man in education, culture, and in most of the qualities which go to make up the successful man. Four years after this he was elected to Congress from his district, defeating Nathan Jackson by a majority twice as large as the latter's vote. The year before he was on the Whig electoral ticket, and in the electoral college cast his vote for William Henry Harrison.
On the expiration of the senatorial term of General John Tip- ton, in 1839, Mr. White was chosen to succeed him. A pro- tracted struggle took place over this election, the candidates being Governor Noble, Colonel Thomas H. Blake and Mr. White. It was not until the thirty-sixth ballot was reached that an election took place ; on that ballot Mr. White received a ma- jority of the votes. He was then a young man, but his training had been such as to acquaint him with public business, and when he took his seat in the Senate he was no novice in the duties of the place. He actively opposed the annexation of Texas, as he did every measure which was calculated to extend the area of slavery. He was of a conservative temperament, and usually voted with the moderate men of his party, but he was conscien- tiously an anti-slavery man, and always acted with those who strove to confine slavery to the territory it then polluted. He was active in securing grants of land to aid in the extension of the Wabash and Erie canal, and it was largely by his influence that such grants were obtained.
On the expiration of his senatorial term in 1845, Mr. White resumed the practice of the law, but in a short time he aban- doned it and entered actively into the business of railroading. He was president of the Indianapolis and Lafayette railroad from its organization until 1856, and during three years of the time was also at the head of the Wabash and Western railway. He performed the duties of these places with ability, and to the satisfaction of the public and the roads.
In 1860, when the country had need of its strongest and most experienced men, Mr. White was again called into the public service. He was elected to Congress from his district, and hav- ing had experience both in the House and the Senate, he at once took high rank as a member. He was made chairman of a select committee raised to consider the question of compensa- ted emancipation. Mr. White reported a bill appropriating
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