USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the. > Part 42
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This block stands immediately west of and adjoining the Robinson & Lovett building on the north side of the public square. 31
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
After the burning of the court house in 1880 it was used for some time for a court house, until the present edifice was ready for use in 1885.
This was the second serious accident that happened dur- ing the construction of this building, Andrew Thomas having fallen off the walls, an account of which is given elsewhere.
UNFORTUNATE RATIFICATION MEETING.
On the 11th of July, 1868, the Hons. James M. Dickson and William C. Fleming, who were then giants in Madison county politics in the Democratic fold, returned from the city of New York bringing with them the news that Hon. Horatio Seymour had been placed in nomination by the Democratic party for the office of I'resident of the United States. It was then agreed by the central committee of Madison county that a grand ratification meeting should be held that afternoon in the court house yard. Jacob Hubbard was then a young and sprightly man full of vim and vigor and a Democrat all the way through. He headed a party consisting of himself, Will- iam McKahan, Milton M. Harriman, T. J. Fleming and others, whose names the writer does not now remember, who procured a small cannon that was in the possession of John P. Barnes, which had been kept by him for several years for such occa- sions. It was planted in the court house yard pointing directly to the north-west. After music by the martial band and other ceremonies had been gone through with, the firing of the cannon commenced under the direction of McKahan who held the cartridges, which were made of powder and put up in red flannel bags. Milton Harriman acted as " thumber " and Jacob Hubbard as " rammer." After several shots had been fired the cannon became quite warm from not having been thoroughly swabbed, a spark of fire was left in the breech. Hubbard had placed the cartridge in the gun and had the rammer in his left hand and the cartridge well pushed in when the cannon became so hot that it burned Harriman's hand. He removed it from the touch hole, thus allowing the air to enter, and the charge immediately exploded, blowing off the end of Harriman's thumb and tearing off Hubbard's arm nearly to the elbow. The rammer which he held in his hand was literally blown into pieces. His flesh was torn and the bones in his arm were crushed in a most frightful manner. Ile was blown a distance of nearly twenty feet, falling limp and helpless. The bystanders, thinking that he was dead,
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
picked him up. He soon rallied and was taken to his residence on West Eighth street, and Dr. Cullen was called and imme- diately responded. In consultation with Dr. G. F. Chitten- den and other physicians, it was decided that an amputation of the arm was necessary and therefore it was taken off at the elbow.
Among the by-standers who received slight injuries was Samuel Cridge, a farmer who lived about three miles south of Anderson. He was severely burnt about the face and came near losing the sight of one eye. H. C. Ryan, who is now a prominent attorney, was then a mere boy standing by and re- ceived slight injuries on the head.
The entreaties of Hubbard to the physicians and others who took him to his house will ring in the ears of those who heard him as long as they live. He begged for them to kill him and asked them to knock him in the head and stop his misery. After being taken to his home and anæsthetics had been given to him, he soon recovered from the shock and sat up like a brave soldier and had his arm amputated without the least emotion or signs of pain.
But while this was a very sad occurrence to Mr. Hub- bard, to some extent it was modified by the action of the Dem- ocratic party in the next campaign. In the year 1870 he was placed in nomination for the high and responsible office of County Recorder. He was elected and afterwards re-elected in 1874, and filled the office to the satisfaction of the people for a period of eight years. Mr. Hubbard, while in office, was one of the most accommodating and genial men that ever held that place, and he retired with the undivided good wishes and respect of the people of Madison county regardless of politics. Mr. Hubbard is yet a resident of Anderson ; he has always lived well and never was miserly. He has enjoyed the comforts of life and has a competency in the way of money and property to last him during his declining years and will leave to his family a sufficiency. Mr. Hubbard has been pleasantly spoken of in different places in these pages.
The ratification meeting at the court house on the evening of this occurrence was addressed by Colonel W. R. Pierse, William C. Fleming, J. M. Dickson, James W. Sansberry, of Anderson, and IIon. Alfred Kilgore, of Muncie, Indiana. The accident put a damper on the enthusiasm of the meeting and it was adjourned at an early hour.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
A CASE OF BODY SNATCHING.
A most brutal and outrageous case of body snatching took place on the 14th of January, 1876, when the body of Mrs. Abner Brothers was removed from the Whetstone cemetery about three miles south of Anderson.
Mrs. Brothers was a very highly respected lady, good- looking, and had a host of friends. She had been married but a short time when she was seized with sickness from which she died. Her remains were interred in the Whetstone cemetery, but were allowed to remain there but a few days when the ghouls, in the most horrible manner, resurrected her body for the purpose of dissection.
It is supposed, however, that they were mistaken as to the person whose body they intended to take, as it was after- wards ascertained from evidence, brought out in the examina- tion that the resurrectionists were in search of the body of a = a pauper who had died about this time. The pauper had been buried in that cemetery by Samuel Myers, township trustee.
When the news of the dastardly act became known, great indignation seized the citizens and a great deal of talk about lynching the guilty party was indulged in, but the sober judg- ment of the people prevailed and no violence was resorted to.
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The facts as elicited on an investigation of the case were Tre about as follows : On the evening of the exhumation, Tunis Jis Whetstone and John Stewart were returning home from a dance on the Fall Creek Turnpike near where the Whetstone -- > ne burying ground is located. The attention of these parties, in in approaching the cemetery, was at first attracted by noticing two men with two horses and a buggy hitched to the fence_ ze.
It They also detected an offensive odor pervading the air. IO
of was a beautiful moon-light night and save the barking off of
dogs, everything was oppressively quiet. The suspicions off the young men became aroused. When they neared the fence C' they were horrified at beholding the nude corpse of a woman which had been taken from the grave, about twenty feet away_ The young men immediately went to the residence of Dr. Railsback, which was about ten rods north. They awakened him and told him what had been done and requested him to keep watch on the movements of the two men in the cemetery 1 Railsback showed a timidity about leaving the house and locked it securely and then peeped out of the windows.
Meanwhile the young men had departed to give the alarm
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
to the neighbors. About this time the horses became scared and broke loose from their hitching place. They ran at a rapid rate down the road to a bridge and bounded off from it on to the ice. One of the horses fell and was badly bruised while two of the wheels of the buggy had several spokes broken out. Notwithstanding this mishap they were brought back to the cemetery by the unknown persons and the corpse was thrown into the buggy and driven toward Anderson at a frightful speed before any person could prevent it. Why these persons did not have the courage at once to arrest the offending par- ties has always been a mystery to the public and can only be accounted for on the ground of timidity if not downright cow- ardice.
On the following morning a thorough investigation was commenced by Henry McDaniel, a brother-in-law of Mr. Brothers, and other citizens of Anderson, who became deeply interested in the case. It was certain that the body which had been taken was that of Mrs. Abner Brothers, who had died a few days previously at the residence of her husband, in the neighborhood. Mr. Brothers watched tenderly over his wife in her last illness and shortly after her death had left the county for a few days to do some work for Mr. Miles Webb, a timber- man and tie contractor who at that time lived in Anderson.
By examination of the grave and the grounds surrounding it, it was ascertained that the coffin had been broken open at the head and a halter strap placed around under the arms of the corpse which was then drawn to the surface. From the grave, her body had been drawn across the frozen ground to the buggy and the greater portion of the skin had been torn off of her anatomy, leaving it in a most horrible state and un- sightly to behold. The tracks made by the buggy were traced as far north as the corner of Tenth and Main streets in Ander- son ; thence west to an empty house in Stilwell Park where it was thought the corpse was taken out and packed for ship- ment. Upon further investigation, it was ascertained to a certainty that the horses and buggy belonged to Dr. Zimri Hockett and that they were used for this purpose on that oc- casion. Suspicion pointed to a medical student under Dr. Hockett, who was at that time attending medical lectures at Indianapolis and who had only a few days previously taken the body of Joshua Moore, an old negro, from the Epperly grave-yard west of Anderson.
Considerable evidence was obtained and the fact sub-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
stantiated that he was the guilty party, as he boarded, on the night in question, the 6:15 train from Indianapolis. He got off at Anderson with a large trunk, which he called for two hours later at the baggage room. Between 9 and 10 o'clock that night he called at the residence of Samuel Myers, the trustee of Anderson township, and inquired where a man of the name of Taylor, a pauper, was buried, and remarked that they needed subjects badly at the college in Indianapolis. Mr. Myers informed him that he did not know where Taylor was buried, but that he thought that he was in some ceme- tery south of town. It was found that Taylor had been buried in the same cemetery as Mrs. Brothers, and the two graves were only a few feet apart. Suspicion pointed to the student as being one of the resurrectionists, and some parties in the neighborhood of the cemetery swore to his identity at the time.
The body of Mrs. Brothers was recovered by her friends, brought back to Anderson from the Indianapolis college and re-interred. Marshal Neal Daugherty, of Anderson, took great interest in the case and went to Indianapolis on the fol- lowing Tuesday for the purpose of placing the guilty party under arrest; but some one who was supposed to have been connected with the college and who also knew the City Mar- shal, informed him in time so that he could make his escape.
The fact that the horses and buggy of Dr. Hockett fig- ured in this case caused considerable ill-feeling and talk against him for some time, and they even went so far as to charge the Doctor with being connected therewith, but he made a statement of the facts which thoroughly exonerated him from any connection with the affair. He stated that the young man had called at his residence on the night in ques- tion and after a brief talk, in reply to a question by the Doc- tor as to how the college was prospering, he informed the Doctor that they had no subjects that winter, but that the faculty had made arrangements to buy them, but had failed so far in procuring any, and the Doctor supposed that the parties had gone to his stable without his knowledge or consent and had taken his horse and buggy and proceeded to the cemetery for the purpose of exhuming the body and had hauled it to town, as stated, and that he had no knowledge whatever of these ghouls except what suspicion they had thrown around them by calling at his house on the evening named.
The excitement that prevailed at the time will long be
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
remembered by the older citizens of Anderson and vicinity. For many months after this no person was buried in the com- munity whose grave was not carefully guarded for a sufficient length of time after the interment.
Abner Brothers, husband of this unfortunate woman, is now living and is a citizen of the State of Arkansas. He makes frequent visits to Anderson to see his old acquaintances and friends. He is a hard-working, industrious man and well respected in the community.
The supposed guilty party for a long time made his presence scarce in this locality, but as soon as the excitement died away he returned to Anderson. He has abandoned the practice of medicine, and is now living a quiet and secluded life near the site where this ghastly occurrence took place.
GORED TO DEATH.
Martin Edlin was a negro who was for several years in The employ of the Hon. Charles L. Henry on his farm, and = also did chores for him at his residence. He was one of the Imany colored people who came north in the year 1880, in what was widely known as the "exodus." Ile hailed from the State of North Carolina.
One Sunday morning in March, 1886, in company with Mr. Edward Jarrett, a young man in the employ of Mr. I. Henry, they went to the farm, which was west of Anderson, where Shadeland is now situated, to attend to some stock. -Among other animals on the farm was a Jersey bull. Edlin I ed the bull into the barn-yard and was holding him by a Chain. Jarrett led a similar one out and had turned it loose. "The two men were engaged in a conversation when suddenly the at nimal which Martin led became infuriated, and turned on him, lifting him on his horns and carrying him a distance of twelve Or fifteen feet, and then dashed him against a board fence. The animal then made a rush for him and pinned him against the fence before he could get upon his feet. Jarrett went to Edlin's rescue and succeeded, with the aid of a club, in re- lieving him. Several boys were present and all except Jarrett became scared and retreated. Edlin received an ugly wound in the breast above the heart where one of the horns of the brute had entered, breaking three ribs and entering the left lung, from the effects of which he died in a day or two.
Edlin was a model negro and was very industrious. He
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was very obliging to his employer, whose high esteem and confidence he enjoyed.
A SHOCKING DEATH.
On the 10th of December, 1894, as Edward J. Lester, a workman in the National Tin-plate factory, was on his way to his day's labor, while crossing the bridge over White river, on the Pan Handle road, he was caught and almost instantly killed by the local passenger train that is made up at Logans- port and runs to Richmond, passing Anderson at 7:35 a. m.
Just before going on the bridge he was met by Michael Ryan, who warned him to look out for the passenger train as it was due and liable to be along at any moment. Lester walked on and had reached the middle of the covered part of the bridge when the train came thundering on the north end of the trestle work. He got down on the side of the track and out of the way of the train ; the engine and baggage car had passed when he raised his head, doubtless supposing that the entire train had passed, and the steps of the second coach struck him on the head at the base of the skull, crushing it in a most shocking manner. The train was stopped and the unfortunate man was taken up and brought to the Pan Handle passenger depot, where his injuries were examined by Dr. J. F. Fattic, who at once pronounced them fatal. Lester was removed in Sells' ambulance to the home of his brother-in- law, William Fairless, a glass blower, at 105 West Seventh street, where he lingered until 10:45 o'clock, when his life went out.
The deceased was single, 26 years of age, and came here from England. He worked in the box factory in North Anderson until work was begun on the tin plate factory, when he accepted employment there.
INSTANTLY KILLED.
On the 16th of June, 1854, the quietude of the little town of Anderson was disturbed by the news flying from mouth to mouth that a man had been killed near the depot of the Cincinnati & Chicago Railway. The people hastened from all directions to the locality where the accident hap- pened and learned that Howell J. Beaman, a workman on Atherton's warehouse, had fallen from the building and was instantly killed.
The Anderson Standard, of June 23, 1854, says : " How-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ell J. Beaman while working on Atherton's warehouse near the railroad, in the north part of the town, fell from the build- ing, fracturing his skull and sustaining other injuries from which he died almost instantly.
" Beaman was a young married man, leaving a wife and one child. He was universally liked by the community, and his was one of the largest attended funerals that ever occurred in the county."
The reader may imagine what excitement and deep sor- row would follow such an occurrence in a small town like Anderson was in 1854. Then people were nearer to each other than they are in these days of " hustle and bustle." If a man in Anderson at that time was sick his neighbors stood beside his bed and ministered to his wants until his last breath was gone, and all turned out to see that he had a decent burial.
A sudden death like Mr. Beaman's, of course, was more serious, and caused a shock to the whole community, and was talked of for months and years afterward. Many people yet live in Anderson who remember this accident, and were per- sonally acquainted with Beaman.
The building from which be fell was what is now the Wellington Schalk & Co.'s flouring mills, on the Pan Handle Railroad, opposite the old station at the crossing of Main and Fifth streets. It was built by Willis G. Atherton in 1854 for a grain house, and was used for that purpose for many years, when it was remodeled and built for a flouring mill.
Several accidents have taken place in connection with this building. By the bursting of a mill-stone in 1876, Mr. Schalk, one of the owners of the mill, was killed.
BURNED TO DEATH.
A terrible accident resulting in the death of a little child occurred in Anderson on the 14th of February, 1878. A child of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Seibert, living in the south part of the city, near the terminus of the Midland Railroad, was burned to death. The mother had been called to the home of an old neighbor who had just died. The little lad who was burned to death, was a bright boy of five years of age, although a mute, and was left alone in the house. During the absence of the mother, the child obtained an oil can filled with kero- sene, and spilled some of it on his clothing while playing. There was a hot fire in the stove from which his clothing be-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
came ignited, and he was so seriously burned that before relief could be had he died. His screams attracted the attention of the neighbors, who rushed to his rescue and found the child enveloped in a wreath of flames. The burning raiment was stripped off as soon as possible, but not in time to avert a fatal result. Jesse Seibert, the father, was well known in Ander- son. He was engaged in digging wells, and also worked as a day laborer. ·
A FATAL ACCIDENT.
On the 21st of February, 1891, Charlie, the six-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chappel, was cut to pieces while play- ing around an engine at the C., W. & M. round house. The little fellow had wandered away from his home on West Ninth street about 10 o'clock and went to the round house to play.
J. J. Richardson, the colored " hostler " in charge of the place, had climbed into an engine, which had just come in from a run, and was backing it into the yard to knock the fire out. The little fellow, unnoticed by Richardson, had climbed upon the brakebeam just before the engine started.
He was jostled off, and the engine passed over him, cut- ting off both legs and one arm. The little fellow was taken to his home, but died about fifteen minutes later.
This little lad was a general favorite among not only his playmates, but was the joy of the neighborhood. Charles Chappel is one of Anderson's most respected citizens and the killing of his little son was universally regretted by the whole community. It will be a long while before this sad event will disappear from the memories of those near and dear to this unfortunate child.
SHOOTING OF MARTIN COUGHLIN.
In the issue of March 31, 1864, the Anderson Standard announces the killing of a boy in Anderson, as follows : " ()n Wednesday of last week, a party of soldiers were amusing themselves by shooting at a target east of the Ross House, and while doing so, a boy twelve years of age. the son of Daniel Coughlin, was struck by a misdirected ball. The missile entered the hip, and lodged in the stomach, causing death in about thirty-six hours.
" The soldier who fired the unlucky shot was a member of the Nineteenth Indiana regiment, and departed with his com- pany the next day. While we are satisfied that the loss of the
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
boy's life was due to an accident, it was a reckless disregard of law to permit shooting within the corporate limits."
Martin Coughlin, the boy, was a son of Daniel Coughlin, an old resident of Anderson, and a brother of Miss Mamie Coughlin, who is now matron of the asylum for the deaf and dumb at Indianapolis.
About the time he was killed, an older brother named Dennis Coughlin, who was in the army, was killed by the acci- dental discharge of a pistol in the hands of a comrade.
The soldiers were shooting from the old Ross House corner, at Tenth and Main streets, their aim being eastward. The boy killed was engaged in playing on the hill side, near the Catholic church. The fatal ball struck some object and glanced in that direction with the results above stated.
KILLING OF FRANK ARMSTRONG.
One of the most distressing accidents that ever befell a citizen of Madison county, occurred to Frank Armstrong, on the 19th day of October. 1886, at Noblesville. He was a young man about twenty-one years of age, the son of Nathan Armstrong, who own sand operates the planing mill on North Meridian street, in Anderson. He had been learning telegra- phy from the station agent, Mr. C. B. Cooper, with the ex- pectation of entering the service of the Midland Railroad as operator in one of the offices on the line of that road.
On the morning of his death he took the train to Nobles- ville to visit some friends, and while there held communica- tion with the Anderson office over the telegraph wire. After the train returning to Anderson had been made up and the passengers taken on board, it was run back in the yards about a square west of the depot, and the engine cut loose from the train to do some switching. While this was going on, Henry Dunham, of Anderson, stood on the depot platform and held a conversation with young Armstrong, who was in the office at the time. Dunham waited until the train came past, which was running at an easy rate, and got on board. After running about two squares the train stopped to unload some freight. The train was composed of an engine, tender, two freight cars and one passenger coach. As it passed the depot young Armstrong attempted to jump on the passenger car, but miss- ing his footing, fell and was dragged from the platform to the track, the rear car passing over his left leg just above the knee and the right leg above the ankle. None of the train-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
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men were conscious of the accident until they arrived at Anderson, and there found a telegram awaiting them in re- gard to the sad occurrence. An engine and a passenger coach, with the wounded boy's father and brother Walter on board, was at once started back to Noblesville, the scene of the accident. In the meantime, Dr. Chittenden, who was at Indianapolis on business, was telegraphed for and met them at Noblesville. Immediately after the accident young Arm- strong was taken to the residence of a friend near by. Dr. Gray and other physicians of Noblesville were summoned to his aid but could do nothing to alleviate his sufferings. He gradually grew worse until about 2:45 p. m., when he died. He was past all human aid before Dr. Chittenden or his father and brother reached his bedside. The remains were brought to Anderson in the evening and kept until the follow- ing Friday, when they were followed to the grave by a large concourse of friends. The deceased was one of the best known young men in Anderson, was of a very quiet, ge- nial disposition, and was loved and respected by the com- munity at large. If he had an enemy in the world it is not known to the writers, as he was of a disposition never to give offense to anyone. This accident was the severest blow that the father and mother have experienced in their long and use- ful lives.
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