USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Early reminiscences of Indianapolis, with short biographical sketches of its early citizens, and a few of the prominent business men of the present day > Part 12
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155
Isaac N. Phipps.
When he first came here, and for many years after, it was customary for merchants to keep whisky for their customers, and all that wished to could drink without money and without price. An empty whisky barrel was set up on end in front of the counter, with a hole in the upper head for the drain- age of the glasses. On this barrel was set a half gallon bot- tle filled with whisky, a bowl of maple sugar, and a pitcher of water, and often in winter a tumbler of ground ginger ; this was intended as an invitation to all who came into the store to help themselves, regardless whether they purchased or not. In these country stores could be found anything, from a log-chain to a cambrie needle, from a grubbing-hoe to to a silk shawl, from a sack of coffee to a barrel of whisky. How different from those splendid, fashionable establishments, the New York Store, the Trade Palace, the Bee Hive, the Farmers' Store, and many others ; how the fancy clerks of these fashionable marts of merchandise would giggle and laugh was it possible for old Jim McCoy to visit his old " stamping ground " again and stumble into one of these stores and tell them their " bottles wanted filling up," or that he wished an ounce of indigo, a quarter of a pound of madder, or that the "old 'oman wanted to know if they were gwine to have any more Leghorn bonnets with two crowns, as her and the oldest gal wanted one."
It was customary for the merchants, in those days, to bring bonnets in this way, take the back part of one and sew it to the odd crown, and make a second bonnet.
Mr. Phipps has lived to see this great change in the man- ner of doing business in Indianapolis, in his own as well as other branches of business. He has raised a large and re- spectable family of children. Two of his sons and a son-in- law are engaged in the jewelry business. Another son-in-law, P. G. C. Hunt, is a prominent dentist ; another is a merchant, and yet another is a prominent lawyer.
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Early Reminiscences.
Mr. P. has long since retired from active business, and seems content to attend to his little suburban farm, and worship ac- cording to the dictates of his own conscience.
ALFRED HARRISON.
This gentleman made his first appearance in this place in the month of June, 1823, as clerk for John Conner, in his country store. He was from one of the Whitewater towns.
He was for several years a well known and successful mer- chant, and is at this time engaged in banking, in connection with his son-in-law, John C. S. Harrison, Esq.
Mr. Harrison is opposed to any innovations upon the primi- tive customs that prevailed at the time he first arrived in this place ; to illustrate-he seems to be in favor of the old fash- ioned way of going to mill, i. e., by placing a stone in one end of the bag and the grain in the other.
I understand he opposes the introduction of organs and other instruments into church music; he also is opposed to the renting of pews or seats in the house of God. He favors separating the male from the female portion of the congrega- tion, i. c., the goats from the lambs.
He is a kind of negative man in many things, especially in banking, and primitive in nearly all things. It seems, by some fortuitous circumstance, that he has been placed two or three generations behind the time he should have been upon these mundane shores.
ROBERT CULBERTSON
Was from Georgetown, Kentucky, and became a citizen of In- dianapolis in the year 1823. He was a great beau and gallant of the young ladies, and a general favorite with them; he wore a wig, and had managed to keep it a profound secret from the female portion of the village.
He was a clever, whole-souled kind of a man, liberal to a
157
James Sulgrove.
fault, and would stop at neither labor nor expense to accom- modate a friend or display his gallantry.
He had invited the elder sister of the writer (now Mrs. S. H. Patterson, of Jeffersonville) and another young lady to take a ride in his carriage to the plumb orchard at the old Delaware village of Bruettstown, about twelve miles north on White River ; the writer, as usual, was on hand a horse-back. On the return from the orchard the horse he was driving stopped, or balked, in the middle of the river at Broad Rip- ple, and could not be induced to move. Mr. Culbertson step- ped out of the carriage on a large stone that stood close by, and while flourishing his whip to strike the horse knocked his hat, and with it his wig, into the swift water at his feet; with an oath he exclaimed that his "hat, head, wig and all were gone ;" he jumped into the water, and with difficulty recov- ered it and placed it on his head dripping wet; he got on my horse and left me with the balky one to get out as best I could, which in due time, and by the help of a passer-by, I did. He was a very sensitive man, and so deeply was he mor- tified that I could not induce him to get in the carriage again that evening. Soon after this occurred he left the country.
I saw him in New Orleans in the year 1840, some fifteen years after this incident, and he referred to it with tears in his eyes as being the ruin of him, and causing him to become dissipated. This incident shows what trivial circumstances sometimes seals a person's destiny for life.
JAMES SULGROVE
Was one of the early settlers of Decatur Township, having come from Montgomery County, Ohio, and settled there in the year 1822.
After living in the country for seven or eight years, he and a younger brother, Joseph, engaged with Christopher Kellum to learn the saddle and harness making business. After hav-
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Early Reminiscences.
ing finished their trade they commenced business jointly on their own account, and were for several years the leading sad- dlers of the city, and were very successful. After that Jo- seph left the firm and engaged in farming, and at this time is one of the best farmers of the county. James continued to carry on the business of their trade, and has been longer in the same business than any person of the city, and has now the largest saddlery and harness hardware establishment in the State.
James Sulgrove is the father of Berry R. Sulgrove, who is, perhaps, as well and favorably known as any man in the State, and respected for his profound learning and native talent, as well as for his great generosity and kindness of heart.
Berry was educated at Bethany College, Virginia, while that institution was under the presidency of Alexander Camp- bell. He there graduated with the highest honors.
He was for many years the leading and political editor of the "Indianapolis Journal," and during the long career of that popular paper he was numbered among its ablest writers.
It has been our fortune to know Berry from his earliest boyhood, and we have yet to hear a harsh or unkind word spoken of him.
NICHOLAS MCCARTY.
After writing the name above, I have to lay down my pen to think of language befitting to give the reader an idea of the many good qualities and characteristics of this man.
He was many years a prominent and popular merchant of this place, and during that time did the largest business of any person in it. He became a citizen in the fall of 1823, and early manifested a deep interest in the place and all its citizens, especially the young men, many of whom he assisted and started in business.
Mr. McCarty was never known to oppress any person he
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Nicholas McCarty.
thought was honest and intended to act so with him, and dur- ing his whole career (thirty-one years) he enjoyed the con- fidence of the people at large and the respect of his neigh- bors as much as any person of the county.
He was my friendly adviser from my boyhood to the time of his death, and never did I have cause of regret, unless it was when I did not heed it; and often do I think of his friendly salutation when we met, " how do you do, Johnny?" Although I never had occasion to ask pecuniary aid of him, I had that which was more valuable, his friendship and ad- vice. He was a plain, unassuming, practical, common-sense man, with as warm and generous a heart as ever beat in the bosom of a human being; no duplicity or deceit was found there.
In 1852 he was the Whig candidate for Governor of the State, and the last one that party ever ran. Although beaten by Joseph A. Wright, he made a very energetic and vigorous canvass, and kept his honorable opponent quite busy to an- swer some of his plain, off-hand and sensible specches in de- fense ef his party and its measures. His efforts had been almost uniformly successful, but in this he was doomed to defeat.
Mr. McCarty died in May, 1854, beloved by his family, re- spected by his neighbors, and well satisfied with the fortunes he had experienced in life. He left a son bearing his name, who is still a resident of this city, and two or three daugh- ters, one of whom is the wife of the Rev. Doctor Day, pastor of the First Baptist Church, and another the wife of John C. S. Harrison, a prominent banker.
Reader, when you pass the grave of Nicholas McCarty, you can truthfully say, there lies "an honest man, the noblest work of God."
" Like dews of morning, he was given To shine on earth, then rise to heaven."
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Early Reminiscenses.
DAVID WILLIAMS,
Or Cousin David, as he was familiarly called by all, young and old, when he first came to this place, which was soon after Mr. McCarty, who was his cousin, was chief clerk in Mr. Me- Carty's store for several years, and in the absence of the pro- prietor was the Major Domo of the establishment. After be- ing with Mr. MeCarty several years he became a partner in merchandising and appeared to prosper during the entire time of this partnership.
In after years he had other partners, but I do not think he was so successful. He has several connections by marriage still living in this city. He and the late John Wilkins mar- ried sisters and were brothers-in-law of the Rev. John and Andrew Brouse.
The best evidence of Mr. Williams' strict integrity and honesty was, that he had the entire confidence of his friend and cousin, Nicholas McCarty, to have which, in his day, was a " carte blanche." He survived his friend but a short time, having died several years since.
HIRAM BROWN.
During his residence of thirty years in and adjoining this city, there was no man more generally or favorably known than he. He was the fourth lawyer to make this place his home, having come here in November, 1823. He was a na- tive of Brownsville, Pennsylvania ; his father was the propri- etor of that town, hence its name.
At an early day he came to Lebanon, Ohio, and entered the law office of that distinguished lawyer and statesman, the late Thomas Corwin. Mr. Brown proved himself a worthy stu- dent of his talented preceptor, and soon occupied a high posi- tion in this judicial circuit as a lawyer, and from the day he first came to this city up to the time of his death was never without clients in abundance, especially in criminal cases. No
161
George Taffe, Sr.
man, in his day, in the State, ranked higher as a criminal law- yer than Hiram Brown. There are many of our old citizens who will remember his defense of Major John Jamison in a case where a woman was the prosecuting witness.
In wit and repartee he was unequalled in the State, and was never vanquished in a war of words.
Mr. Brown has a son and several daughters residents of the city. One of his daughters is the wife of that well known lawyer, Albert G. Porter; another the wife of Jas. C. Yohn ; and a third is the wife of Samuel Delzell.
GEORGE TAFFE, SR.
This worthy farmer was among the early settlers of Marion County. He improved and owned the farm now belonging to Calvin Fletcher, Jr., about one and a half miles from the do- nation line, on the Pendleton Pike. He was, during his life, as well known in this city as any farmer in the county, and one whose word was considered his bond. He was the father of the present Marshal of this city, George Taffe, and his brother, Hannibal Taffe, the well known and efficient police- man, who does his duty without any unnecessary show of au- thority and blustering, common to officials of small caliber.
The grandfather of these two last named gentlemen, and father of the former also, lived here in an early day. He had been a revolutionary soldier, and took great pride in talking of and recounting the scenes of his early years and the days that tried men's patriotism.
There also lived in Mr. Taffe's immediate neighborhood an old man named North, who claimed that he, too, had been a revolutionary soldier. The two old men whose heads had been whitened by the frosts of three score and ten winters, were from the same part of North Carolina.
Mr. Taffe charged that North was a tory and gave aid and comfort to the royalists and enemies of the country. This
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Early Reminiscences.
North denied ; but Mr. Taffe's opinions were founded upon personal knowledge and observation, and could not be changed.
At that time there lived in this county ten or twelve of the old patriots of the revolution of '76, and who always headed the procession at the celebration of the anniversary of our natal independence; but whenever Mr. North undertook to take a place with them Mr. Taffe would drive him out, even should it require physical force to do so ; nor would he allow North to sit down and eat with them at the same time, but after they were done dinner he would hunt up North and see that he got his rations.
Those scenes were sure to occur on every public occasion n which the revolutionary soldiers took part, so long as both of these old men lived and were able to attend them. They are, no doubt, fresh in the minds of those citizens who were living here during the first decade of the settlement of this city.
DAVID MALLORY.
This half-breed " American citizen of African descent," come to this place at an early day, about the year 1824. He was from that part of the " settlement " known as Brook- ville, Franklin County, which furnished this place with more great men than any other locality at that day.
Mr. Mallory was a broad-shouldered, square-built, muscu- lar man, about five feet ten inches in height ; his complexion was copper or saddle-color; with a large, bushy head, the compound of hair and wool standing on end; a very large mouth-when open might be taken for a Pennsylvania hillside barn door ; to see nothing but his head you would be reminded of Dan Rice's grizzly or Rocky Mountain bear.
He was a very good-natured man, except when irritated. It was asserted by Tom Johnson that he heard him laugh at the distance of one mile. He was possessed of a large
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David Mallory.
fund of anecdotes, which he related with great gusto and self- satisfaction, and was never at a loss for listeners. He enjoyed to a high degree the confidence and respect of his colored fel- low citizens, and was often referred to by them to settle points of honor, or other disputes that might arise in their inter- course with each other. He was always ready to give his friends good advice; they were generally more disposed to follow his practice and example than his precepts.
He kept a shop in Judge Stevens' row on the south side of Washington, about midway between Pennsylvania and Dela- ware streets, where he shaved his customers with very dull razors in day time, and low white men with very keen cards at night; and often the passer by late at night would hear his sonorous voice demanding "Tom " to ante, as he had put up last, or that it was his deal, or that he was entitled to the last shuffle, or, if any one should refer to Hoyle, offer to bet a V that Hoyle said nothing about poker in his work on games ; or if a dispute should arise as to where and when draw poker originated, he was willing to bet that it was at the mouth of White River, Arkansas, it originated, and that Bowie first in- troduced it as well as the Bowie Knife hand. This was a new hand to the worthy barber, and he said he did not care about learning it. While playing he kept his money in his mouth, it held just twenty dollars in silver ; his usual " bluff" was a mouthful, which he emptied from his mouth on to the table.
A citizen returning home late one night heard loud and boisterous talking in the shop of Mr. Mallory ; supposing the usual game of poker or seven up was going on, stopped to see if he could recognize any of the voices.
It turned out to be a one-armed Italian organ-grinder and the proprietor disputing about the nativity of Christopher Columbus. The organ grinder asserted that Columbus was a native of Virginny, born and raised in old Richmond, for he knew him well.
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Early Reminiscences.
The shaver was astonished at the Italian's ignorance ; for although he was not personally acquainted with Columbus, he had read and "herne" a great deal about him; he was certainly born and raised in Liverpool. How the dis- pute was settled we have no means of knowing, but are in- clined to the opinion that Mr. Mallory would have backed his judgment to any amount at his command.
In justice to this tonsorial artist, I must add that he was not the only citizen of Indianapolis that cut deep and shaved clean at that day. Some used financial razors that cut both ways, and after one or two operations were performed upon the same person they would hardly be worth shaving afterwards.
Mr. Mallory claimed that his wife had descended from the true native American (Indian) race, and did not like the at- tention of the " niggers," and said his daughters should not associate with them, but were for the society of T. J. and other white gentlemen of his acquaintance.
He has closed his game and handed in his checks several years since, but he is well represented, both in appearance and practice, by his only son, who rejoices in the name of David Mallory, Jun.
"For wheresoever the carcass is there will the Eagles (buzzards) be gathered togeth- er."
INCIDENTS OF 1823-24-25-26.
In the year 1823 the people began to look forward to the time when the barrier that cut them off from the balance of of the "world and the rest of mankind " would be removed ; the mails began to arrive semi-monthly ; the Centerville mail was carried on horseback by a lame fiddler named " Amos Dilly ;" his arrival was looked forward to with rather more interest than the others, and was generally celebrated by a dance, as he furnished the music. The Brookville, or "set- tlement mail," was carried by Samuel Frazier, now a promi-
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Incidents of 1823-24-25-26.
nent temperance lecturer. The Madison or Berry's Trace mail was carried by an old man named Metcalf; he was more famil- iarly known as " Old Madcap." These mail carriers frequently had to swim all the streams on their respective routes, and were often several days behind time in consequence of high waters ; the mails were often damaged by water. I have fre- quently seen Mr. Henderson, our worthy Postmaster, spread- ing them out in the sun for the purpose of drying.
In the spring of 1824 the murder of the Indians eight miles east of Pendleton, in Madison County, occurred. They were encamped on the bank of a small stream for the purpose of hunting and trapping. Four men and a boy went to their camp pretending to be hunting horses, but for no other pur- pose really than to kill and rob them. The names of the mur- derers were Harper, Hudson, Sawyer and Bridges and his son, a boy about eighteen years of age. Harper made his escape with the whole of the booty acquired. Hudson and the others were arrested, tried and three hung.
Hudson was first tried, in the fall of 1824, and sentenced to be hung in January. He managed to escape a short time before the day of his execution, and lay in the woods and got his feet frozen so badly that he was unable to travel, and in this condition he was retaken, and hung on the day appointed by the court.
The other three were tried at the spring term of the court and sentenced to be hanged in June, 1825. The writer had obtained the consent of a young man to ride behind him on the same horse to witness the execution, as he did.
It was generally understood that, in consequence of the age of young Bridges (he being a mere boy), and the fact that he had been induced to engage in the crime by his father and Sawyer, who was his uncle, Governor Ray would pardon him.
Up to ten o'clock of the day of execution neither the Gov- enor nor a pardon had arrived. The three criminals were
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Early Reminiscences.
taken from the palisade prison to the place of execution, about two hundred yards above the Falls of Fall Creek, on the west side ; a wagon was drawn up on the side of the hill with the wheels on planks, so they would move easy and quickly, a post was placed on the side of the hill just above the wagon; to this post the wagon was fastened by a rope, so that when the rope was cut the wagon would run down the hill without aid. The two old men were placed in the tail of the wagon, the ropes adjusted, the white caps drawn over their faces, and at a given signal the rope was cut and the wagon quickly run from under the unfortunate men. Sawyer broke his arms loose that were pinioned behind ; he caught the rope by which he was hanging and raised himself about eighteen inches ; the sheriff (Corry) quickly caught him by the ankles, gave a sud- den jerk, which brought the body down, and he died without another struggle.
After they had hung about thirty minutes they were taken down and placed in their coffins at the foot of the gallows. The young man, who had witnessed the scene, was then placed in the wagon (which had been re-adjusted on the hillside) with the intention of waiting until the last moment for Governor Ray or a pardon. He had not been in this situation long be- fore the Governor made his appearance (which created a shout from all present) on a large "fancy grey " horse. He rode directly up to the gallows, where the young man was seated on a rough coffin in the wagon. The Governor handed the reins of the bridle to a bystander, commanding the prisoner to stand up: "Sir," said the Governor, "do you know in whose presence you stand ?" being answered in the negative, the Governor continued : "There are but two powers known to the law that can save you from hanging by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead ; one is the great God of the Uni- verse, the other is J. Brown Ray, Governor of the State of Indiana ; the latter stands before you (handing the young man
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Incidents of 1823-24-25-26.
the written pardon), you are pardoned." The Governor re- ceived the thanks of all present for this act of clemency.
The whole scene was witnessed by about twenty Indians, said to be relatives of those murdered. They seemed well satisfied that the death of their friends had been avenged, and it restored confidence throughout the " new purchase " that there was no danger to be apprehended from the Indians in consequence of this murder.
In the fall of 1824 the court house was approaching com- pletion ready for the legislature, which was to convene in this place for the first time, on the first Monday in January, 1825, The seat of government had been fixed by law to remain at Corydon. Until 1825 the Legislature had convened on the first Monday in December of each year; the members had become very much dissatisfied with the treatment they had received at the hands of the citizens of Corydon and deter- mined to get the seat of government from there one year earlier. In the Legislature that expired in the winter of 1824, a resolution was introduced and passed that "when the Leg- islature adjourn it would meet at Indianapolis on the first Monday in January, 1825."
In the fall of 1824 the State offices were removed to In- dianapolis. It brought several good and permanent citizens -Samuel Merrill, as Treasurer of State, Dr. Wm. H. Lilly, as Auditor-the time of the Secretary of State expired that winter and he did not remove his family-John Douglass, as State Printer, also came that fall.
At the appointed time the Legislature met, but the fondest hopes of the people were not realized ; neither the advantages nor pleasure they had looked forward to with so much anxiety were experienced :
" But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, its bloom is shed. Or like the snow falls in the river, A moment white, then melts forever.
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Early Reminiscences.
Or like the borealis' race, That flit ere you can point their place. Or like the rainbow's lovely form, Evanishing amid the storm."
The members of the Legislature were huddled together, six generally in a cabin, and paid from two to three dollars per week board.
Among the prominent members of this session of the Legis- lature were John Ewing, of Knox, Daniel Gross, of Spencer, Samuel Chambers, of Orange, Benjamin Irwin, of Bartholo- mew, Milton Stapp, of Jefferson, Calvin Fletcher, of Marion and Hamilton, George Boon, of Sullivan, John H. Thompson, of Clark.
The members came on horseback; their horses were kept by the farmers, who were anxious to have them at from fifty to seventy-five cents per week. For many years after the Legislature first met here all debts were made payable at the close of the next session, as more money was distributed among the people at that than any other time of the year.
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