USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical sketches and reminiscences of Madison county, Indiana : a detailed history of the early events of the pioneer settlement of the county, and many of the happenings of recent years, as well as a complete history of each township, to which is added numerous incidents of a pleasant nature, in the way of reminiscences, and laughable occurrences > Part 34
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KILLED BY A HORSE.
James Bright, a young man about twenty-four years of age, residing at Elwood, was, on Monday, the 12th of Octo- ber, 1884, killed at a point a few miles west of that place on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. He was approaching the crossing, when a train came along, and he got out of his buggy to hold the horse, when it took fright and reared, striking him on the head with its hoof, and then in some manner losing control of his feet, the animal fell upon him. Ilis skull was crushed, and the injuries he received caused instant death.
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Mr. Bright was an exemplary young man, and the tragical occurrence was very much lamented. The remains were buried on the following Wednesday.
ACCIDENTAL DEATII.
On Wednesday, the 28th of February, 1885, John East- born, a young man residing two miles north of Elwood, was the victim of a fatal accident. He was engaged in chopping down a tree, which fell upon him. One of the limbs struck him on the right side of the head, producing a fracture of the skull, from which he died. No one was with him at the time and little was known of the occurrence. Coroner Wm. A. Hunt was notified, and he held an inquest, being assisted by Dr. Daniel Sigler, who made a post-mortem examination, which resulted in a verdict of accidental death in accordance with the above facts. Mr. Eastborn was an industrious, hard- working boy, and the main support of a widowed mother, whom he left in needy circumstances.
SUICIDE OF A YOUNG LADY.
In the month of March, 1887, a very sad suicide took place at the residence of John Griffee, a farmer living five miles west of Elwood, whereby his sixteen-year-old daughter took her own life by swallowing a dose of " Rough on Rats." She had gone to Rigdon to purchase a box of this compound, and on returning home ate a part of it, and then told her mother what she had donc. A physician was summoned, but not until the poison had taken such effect that she was beyond the reach of medical aid. She was a handsome and intelligent girl. Her parents and friends were very much grieved over the sad occurrence.
AN OLD CITIZEN KILLS HIMSELF ACCIDENTALLY.
Anderson Brannock was an old and highly-respected citi- zen who lived in Pipe Creek township for many years. On the 4th of April, 1882. while carelessly handling a pistol, it was discharged, killing him instantly. He was in his house hunting for a button to sew on his pants and while examining a box in which there were several articles he espied an old revolver that had been lying there for some time. He made a light remark that it had been there long enough and ought to be disposed of in some way, as it was considered worthless. While handling the weapon it was discharged,
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the bullet taking effect in his abdomen. His wife and a ser- vant girl were in the house at the time. They heard the dis- charge of the pistol and ran to his relief. The alarm was given to the neighbors and physicians were sent for, but the wound was of such a nature that no relief could be of any service to him, and he died the same evening.
Michael Ryan, Coroner of Madison county, was sum- moned, and on the 15th of April held an inquest and returned a verdict of accidental death in accordance with the above facts.
SUICIDE OF WILLIAM SILVY.
William Silvy, a farmer residing near Dundee in Pipe Creek township, committed suicide by hanging himself on the 22nd of September, 1885. He tied a rope around the rafters in an outhouse near his residence and without ceremony swung himself into eternity. He had been troubled with rheumatism for many years and the disease had crippled him to such an extent that he had to require the constant use of crutches. It was through despondency on account of his bad health that caused him to take his life. He was a prosperous farmer in that part of the county before the disease fastened itself upon him and had accumulated considerable. wealth, much of which he spent in the way of doctor bills and medi- cine. Dr. William A. Hunt, Coroner of the county, was called and investigated the case and rendered a verdict of death by suicide.
KILLED BY A L. E. & W. RAILWAY TRAIN.
On Wednesday, the 25th of December, 1889, John Kemp. residing one-half mile west of Elwood, was run over by a Lake Erie and Western Railroad train and instantly killed. He had been to Elwood and had started home down the track ; he was in an inebriated condition, and it seems that he did not notice the approaching train, and when near a crossing he was struck by the locomotive, and his body, just above the hips, was cut almost in twain. He was an unmarried man, about 30 years old, and resided with a brother, who took charge of his remains, after the inquest by the Coroner. They were interred in the neighborhood.
RUN OVER BY A PAN HANDLE TRAIN.
Robert Montgomery, of Pipe Creek township, was run over by a train on the Pan Handle Railroad, near Elwood, on
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the 10th of June, 1876, and had one arm cut off and was other- wise badly bruised and mangled.
He was in an intoxicated condition and had sat down upon the track. Dr. Stanley W. Edwins, of Frankton, was summoned and attended his wounds, amputating the wounded member. He recovered from the effects of his injuries.
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
Newton Ilouse has for many years run a flouring mill at Elwood. On the morning of January 4, 1887, about 7 o'clock, the boilers under this mill exploded with terrific force, killing Joseph Redd and Dell Lyst, and severely injuring other persons in the neighborhood whose escape was miracu- lous. On the Monday evening before the explosion Dell Lyst. the engineer, when shutting down, drew part of the water from the boiler, intending the next morning to clean it out. On the following morning, however, he came late to his work. Joseph Redd. the miller, having got there before he did put a fire in the furnace which had been burning quite a while under the boiler, he not knowing the state of the water. When the engineer reached the place and the pumps were tested they were found frozen. The two men set to work to thaw out the valves, and the moment they were placed in run- ning order and the cold stream of water was turned in, a ter- rible explosion occurred. Both men were killed instantly. Joseph Redd received a dozen or more internal injuries, any one of which would have proven fatal. The entire skin of his face was burned off, and he could only be recognized by the clothing he wore. His right arm was crushed to the shoulder and both his legs were broken. He was a man of 39 years of age, and left a widow and two children. The re- mains of Dell Lyst, the engineer, were mutilated almost be- yond recognition, and were found in the boiler room a few feet distant from the pump, where he and Redd stood at the time the explosion occurred. The back part of his head was crushed, and there were scarcely two bones left in his body that were not broken. He was about twenty-six years of age and left a widow and one child.
George Redd, another person who worked in the mill, was discovered a few moments after the explosion under a pile of brick and mortar and was rescued, being terribly hurt and frightened almost out of his senses. He finally recovered from the effects of the shock.
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The victims of the explosion were buried at Elwood, and their funerals were attended by nearly all the population of the city. Services were held in the "rink," as the church was not large enough to hold the throng.
The mill was a complete wreck. The boiler house was entirely blown away and some of the foundation stones were removed from their position. One section of the boiler weigh- ing nearly 200 pounds was thrown a distance of about two squares through the town and came down through the roof of a blacksmith shop. Another piece quite as large was thrown in an opposite direction for a considerable distance and was found near the church. Another portion of the boiler was carried to a great distance and found near the residence of Mr. William Clymer, at the Pan Handle depot. Fragments of the building were found upon stores and houses in the locality. A section of pipe that was in a wall some twenty feet from the surface of the ground was blown out, and was found some distance away from the building. A piece of the boiler-head struck the brick residence of Dr. Daniel Sigler, north of the mill, and cut a hole in the wall ; another piece passed through a window of the same residence striking a stove and breaking it. The concussion produced by the explosion broke nearly all the glass in Sigler's residence and badly cracked the north wall of his building.
The mill was built in first-class style and cost about $17,000. Its destruction was a severe blow to Mr. House financially, from the effects of which he has not recovered to this day, although he rebuilt the mill upon a more economic basis. This was one of the most disastrous occurrences that ever transpired in Madison county.
FATAL SHOOTING AFFRAY.
Among the many sad affairs that have occurred in Madi- son county none caused more excitement or general regret than the shooting of Dayton Warfield by Ella Overshiner at Elwood on the 29th of July, 1887.
Young Overshiner is the son of highly respected par- ents, and this happening was a very severe blow to them, although upon a trial in the Circuit Court the defendant was acquitted on the ground of self defense.
Dayton Warfield. the victim, was a resident of Tipton county and made his home with his brother there, he being a single man, and about thirty years of age. On the afternoon
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of the day of the tragedy, he had hauled a load of wheat to Elwood, and was detained until a late hour at the railway unloading the grain. His brother, Edward, had also come to town on business, and the two met about 10 o'clock. It was proposed by one of them and assented to by the other that they should go to a restaurant to take a meal before starting upon their journey home. They entered a place kept by Walter Beach on South Anderson street, and ordered a lunch. This was served to them and placed upon the counter. The elder of the brothers then took a pitcher and started in quest of some water. When he returned to the eating saloon he missed a piece of sausage from the table and asked his brother what had become of it. The latter replied by directing attention to three young men who were in the room, and remarked that they had taken it. The matter was reported to the proprietor who advanced towards them, and found the missing sausage on the counter near where they stood. He then ordered them from the room, a request which they immediately complied with, and went out upon the street. The three young men
referred to were Ella Overshiner, Ernest Brenner and Charles DeHorrity, being chums and close friends, about the same age, and full of mischief. and from all accounts ready to engage in any sort of amusement. When the Warfields had eaten their lunch, they also went out upon the street when they noticed Ella Overshiner sitting or standing by a box, and asked him whether he wanted to have any more difficulty about the mat- ter, Overshiner replied that he was not seeking trouble. From words they passed to blows, Warfield struck Overshiner a powerful blow, so hard as to turn Overshiner partly around. Overshiner, however, recovered himself, and running back- wards a few steps, warned his assailants to stand back. Over- shiner then drew a revolver and fired at him, but the ball did not take effect, and Warfield ran back into the restaurant. At this juncture Dayton Warfield bore down upon young Over- shiner striking him in the forehead with a piece of board or barrel stave, severely wounding him. Overshiner recovered himself and as he did so he fired his revolver again, but not hitting his antagonist he fired another shot the ball from which took effect in the body of Dayton Warfield. The young man staggered into the restaurant, and walked into be dining room, where he fell upon the floor declaring that he was killed. Dr. Daniel Sigler was summoned, but before he could reach
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the side of the wounded man he was beyond medical aid. IIe breathed his last at 11 o'clock that night.
As soon as young Overshiner had fired the fatal shot he went down the street in a frenzied condition. He was at once overtaken by friends who took him to his father's home where he was taken in charge until the Coroner held an inquest over the remains of the deceased. In the meantime Overshiner had secured the services of the law firm of Ballard & Goodykoontz. to defend him. When the Coroner's inquest was concluded Marshal Wagner, of Elwood, brought Overshiner to Ander- son, where he was placed in custody of the Sheriff. He was greatly excited, and suffered much mental agamy and severe nervous strain. Overshiner was admitted to bail, which was readily furnished, and he was held to await the action of the Grand Jury. An indictment was returned against him, and at the following term of the Madison Circuit Court he was placed on trial. He was defended by Ballard & Goodykoontz and also by the Hon. James W. Sansberry, Sr.
Mr. Sansberry was an intimate friend of the father of the defendant and believing conscientiously that the boy was not guilty of the crime of murder with which he was charged. volunteered his services in his defense. In his argument be- fore the jury he made the ablest address of his life. This was his last speech before the Anderson bar. Ile crowned the evening of his life with the glory of having made one of the most eloquent appeals that was ever listened to in an Anderson court. JIe spoke for three hours without cessation, and held the court, jury and spectators spellbound by the eloquent words that fell from his lips. He displayed much feeling, and it was evident that his whole heart and soul were wrapped up in the cause. Many tears were shed by the lady spectators and others who listened to this address, and after the jury took the case they were out but a short time, when a verdict of acquittal was rendered.
The Prosecuting Attorney was J. F. Neal, assisted by Colonel Milton S. Robinson and other able counsel. Colonel Robinson made a vigorous effort in this case, but could not bring about a conviction. Messrs. Goodykoontz and Ballard also acquitted themselves admirably. Mr. Ballard, who had but recently removed from Elwood to Anderson, and was. therefore, but little known to the people of the city, made a Very able address which pushed him f ! ! t in the estimation of the people. and was the me
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him a large and lucrative law practice, which he retains to this day.
A BOILER EXPLOSION.
A very disastrous and fatal boiler explosion occurred at Elwood on the 16th of November, 1894, by which the power house of the electric light and street railway plant was blown to atoms, caused by the bursting of one of the large boilers in the engine house. Thomas Clark, the night engineer, was in the building at the time and was so seriously injured that he died two hours after the occurrence. Frank McDaniel, the only other person in the building at the time, escaped with slight injuries. Part of the boiler was blown a distance of two squares away. The building was entirely demolished, being blown down to the foundation walls. A number of street cars that were in the building were badly broken and damaged in such a manner as to be almost a total loss. The damage to the property amounted to nearly $20,000. Nearly the entire population of Elwood was soon gathered at the scene of the disaster, and all that men could do to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded was done. James M. Over- shiner, Ollie Frazier, J. H. DeHority, Henry C. Calloway and many others of the leading business men and financiers of Elwood were stockholders in the enterprise and immediately set about to secure temporary quarters for the operation of the plant, and in a very short time the street railway and the electric plant were in full operation. The building was im- mediately rebuilt. and, phoenix-like, this enterprise grew from its ashes and is now one of the best of its kind in Madison county, and is a monument to the financial nerve and energy of the founders.
This plant was again destroyed by a natural gas explosion. and again rebuilt.
GAS EXPLOSION.
On the morning of February 12th, 1895. the smoke and debris of Calvin Hendrick's house in Anderson, wrecked by a natural gas explosion, had hardly been cleared away when the news of another terrible catastrophe of the same nature. at Elwood, was received. The handsome new building known as the Heck block was wrecked and destroyed by a gas explo- sion on that day and other property in the same neighborhood badly shaken up, windows knocked out and doors blown off their hinges, making altogether a sorry picture. This block
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was used as a city building. The explosion took place at & o'clock. There were three men injured and several thousand dollars' worth of property destroyed. It was a two-story building with business rooms on the first floor, the second be- ing occupied by the city offices. The gas had accumulated under the floor of the room occupied by the Elwood Trust Company.
A Mr. Telbs and Mr. Graham and an employee of the name of Miller were in the room at the time of the accident. Miller's right leg was broken in three places and he was otherwise seriously injured. The other two men were only slightly bruised.
The explosion wrecked the adjoining room occupied as a grocery, the glass plate was knocked out and other serious damage sustained. Fire broke out immediately but was quick- ly extinguished by the fire department, which was soon upon the scene of the disaster.
The loss upon the building at the time was estimated to be $2,000 and the damage to the stock of goods amounted to much more, but was covered by insurance.
The cause of the explosion was supposed to have been a leak in the street main, running in front of the building, the gas having followed the service pipe into the cellar of the house and was ignited from a light in the room, or from the stove.
Mr. Heck immediately rebuilt the structure, which is much more handsome and commodious than the former one.
KILLED BY A TRAIN.
On the night of July 21. 1881, Joseph Halpin, of Pipe Creek township, was run over and instantly killed by the north-bound passenger train that passes Anderson at midnight for Chicago. He had been away that day and late at night started home, which was near the place where be met his death. He had sat down on the railroad to rest and had fallen asleep, from the effects of too much alcohol, in which he had been freely indulging, when the train came thundering along at a high rate of speed and knocked him into eternity. The engineer said he saw some black object on the rail, but not in time to stop. The night was very dark and it was hard to distinguish an object on the track at any distance. The acci- dent occurred about two miles south of Elwood. Halpin was mangled past all recognition. The Coroner held an inquest
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as a matter of form and returned a verdict in accordance with the facts. Joseph Halpin was a man well liked by his fellow- men, and had but one fault, that was his love for ardent spir- its. At the time of his sudden taking off he was well advanced in years, and had for a long while lived in the neigh- borhood where it happened.
SHOOTING OF CARROL PARSONS.
On Sunday, May 16, 1886, an old feud which existed between Carrol Parsons and William Wright, of Elwood, culmi- nated in a " shooting match," in which Parsons was shot by Mr. Wright. Young Parsons was apparently the aggressor. On the evening above named Parsons met Wright on the street, but Mr. Wright was not inclined to enter into a fight or quar- rel. However, he was followed and threatened, and he was then compelled to shoot in self-defense. The affair took place in front of Jenner's restaurant. The ball entered Parsons' head under the right eye and came out immediately in front of the left ear. Ile was carried home, and Dr. Sigler was summoned and dressed the wound.
Wright surrendered himself to Marshal Bucy, who imme- diately took him in custody to await the result of Parsons' injury. He was admitted to bail in the sum of $1,000 and released from custody. The young man finally recovered.
W. A. Sprong, the attorney, was an eye-witness to the shooting and did much to quiet the parties and to prevent further bloodshed. Wright appeared for trial, and on a hear- ing was acquitted.
FIRE AT THE PLATE GLASS WORKS.
On the night of June 25, 1891, the large Plate Glass Works at Elwood caught fire and came near being destroyed. At one time the flames looked very threatening to the people of Elwood, and the means of combatting them being very lim- ited, the city authorities telegraphed to Logansport, Kokomo and Anderson for help. The Anderson department responded promptly. The switch engine was placed at their disposal, and two flat cars and two box cars were secured. The hose- wagon, horses, ladders and truck were soon loaded. About five hundred people collected at the depot to see them off. and one hundred and fifty, including the police, newspaper report - ers and others, boarded the train. The trip to Elwood was accomplished in a very short time. The fire was still burning
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when the Anderson department arrived, but it was practically under control. Logansport had sent her fire engine, and Ko- komo two hose carts, but none of the apparatus was needed. The damage to the plant was estimated to be about $60,000. The portions of the building destroyed were the casting hall and the furnace room. the former building being probably three hundred feet long. The plant was only partially insured. After the Anderson department had gallantly assisted in subduing the flames they were invited to a restaurant, where at midnight a banquet was served. Mr. George Hogle, for- merly of Anderson, acted as host. Mr. George Tate, one of the principal owners of the glass factory, became paymaster for the bill. The Elwood people were very grateful to their sister cities, who had nobly responded to their call for aid. and treated them in royal style. The destroyed portions of the glass factory were immediately rebuilt upon a larger and more substantial scale. The plant is now one of the largest in the United States, being one of Elwood's principal industries.
BURNING OF A STORE.
On the 1st of February, 1890. the town of Elwood was thrown into a state of excitement by a destructive fire, that culminated in the arrest of Abraham and Simon Sklute, two Hungarian Jews, in whose store the fire originated. A short time after the fire had been subdued, a mob gathered around the boarding house occupied by Miss Piper, where the Jews were stopping, and threatened to lynch them. The excite- ment was finally subdued by the counsel and advice of cooler heads. It was openly alleged by some in the crowd that the Sklutes had played the part of incendiaries for the purpose of burning their stock of goods and thereby reaping the benefit to be derived from collecting the insurance. The feeling be- came so strong against them that they were taken before 'Squire Ward L. Roach, and charged with arson. They stood a preliminary trial, the result of which was that their case was sent to the Circuit Court and their bond was fixed at $800 each. This they failed to give and were taken to Ander- son by Deputy Sheriff Moore and lodged in jail. The Jews claimed that they knew nothing of the fire until they were awakened by some one about 4 o'clock ; that they had left the store about half-past 9 o'clock the evening before and had not been there afterwards. The only evidence given against them was by an old man, who testified that he saw two men who
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resembled the suspected parties go to the store about 1 o'clock in the morning, which allegation they declared to be false in every part, so far as they were concerned. Simon Sklute was the owner of the stock, and the other was in his employ. George M. Ballard was employed by the defendants to take charge of their case in the Circuit Court, and on the 28th of February, before an impartial jury, they were acquitted of the accusation. This fire caused considerable excitement at Elwood at the time and, even although the defendants were acquit- ted, many citizens could not be led to believe that they were not guilty.
A MYSTERIOUS MURDER.
One of the most foul and dastardly murders ever com- mitted in Madison county was done at Elwood on the 8th of July, 1894, in which William Foust was killed. The murder was, for some time afterwards, a complete mystery, baffling the skill of officers and detectives, who immediately set to work to ferret out the crime. Sheriff John Starr, of Madison county, and his deputy, Zachariah Dean, of Elwood, put in much of their time on the case, but a considerable period elapsed before any light was thrown on the subject that would tend toward the capture and conviction of the guilty party. Sheriff Starr took into his confidence Amos Coburn, the Chief of Police of Anderson, and Madison Moore, ex-Deputy Sheriff of Madison county, now a detective for the Pan Handle Rail- way system. On the 6th of February, 1895, Captain Coburn. Sheriff Starr, his son, James Starr, and Detective Moore went to Elwood and were successful to a certain extent in ferreting out the guilty ones and obtained evidence that pointed to the perpetrators of the deed.
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