USA > Indiana > Knox County > Vincennes > Historical sketches of Old Vincennes, founded in 1732 : its institutions and churches, embracing collateral incidents and biographical sketches of many persons and events connected therewith > Part 15
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The Second National Bank of Vincennes was organized in August, 1893, its officers being Allen Tindolph, Presi- dent; George W. Donaldson, Cashier; W. J. Freeman, Assistant Cashier. Capital, $100,000. On the death of the President, George W. Donaldson succeeded to that office. The present officers are: President, George W. Donaldson ; Cashier, W. J. Freeman; Assistant Cashier, J. T .. Boyd; Bookkeeper, J. F. Hall.
In 1859 a bank was organized under the title of The New York Stock Bank, with Samuel Bayard, President ; J. F. Bayard, Cashier. This was about the time the free bank craze was beginning to affect Indiana people, soon after which "yellow dog banks" became as thick as black- berries in June ; when "counterfeit detectives" were in use as much as a day book with a business firm, to tell them "where they were at," in the financial world, each day. The officers of this institution, reading the signs of the times correctly, being honorable gentlemen and not willing
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to be classed with the "wild cat" institutions, hastened to wind up its affairs, having been operative less than two years.
To give the present generation an idea of the character of these institutions, the writer will give a bit of his expe- rience with them. He had a nice little pony he had bought for his son, which became so fat, saucy and gay that, for fear of broken bones to set, he concluded to sell it. Farmer P. came along about this time. He wished to buy just such an animal and a bargain was struck. He took the animal, and the writer took currency in full for same. Not having to use the "shinplasters" until the next day, the writer was somewhat surprised to find a goodly part of them uncurrent with the merchants. I happened not to see Mr. P. that day. When I saw him afterwards, I called his attention to the worthless bills ; but, "Oh !" said he, "they were good the day I paid you." I could not swear they were not current at that time, and so I had to pocket the loss. A more in- famous law to defraud the people was never enacted than the Indiana Free Banking Law. Unele Sam stepped in pretty soon and saved the people from general bankruptcy with a national law.
The foregoing have been all the banks of issue organized in this city. There were other private banks, one conducted by R. J. McKenney, called MeKenney's Deposit Bank, and one other, the Vincennes German Bank, established by J. L. Bayard and Henry Knirhm, in 1869, and which was succeeded by the First National Bank in 1871, J. L. Bayard becoming Cashier of the latter bank.
W. F. Pidgeon and W. H. H. Terrell opened and started the Bank of Vincennes about 1S60, but did little if any
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business, and soon closed it. About that time George R. Swallow and a Mr. Black opened a bank in Judah's row, on Second, between Main and Busseron streets. Its busi- ness was insignificant and soon closed. Swallow is now president of a bank in Denver, Col.
And there was once a deposit bank located here, when and by whom no record exists to tell. The writer has a bill or note, of the denomination of ten dollars, bearing the superscription : "The Wabash Insurance Company will pay to bearer ten dollars, on demand, for that amount re- ceived on deposit. Vincennes. .18 .. " Vignette, centrally ; at top of note, the three graces; on the right hand end the portrait of Jefferson ; on the left end, Receipt -Deposit. No signature or date. This may have been the issue of the milling company.
The three national banks of Vincennes, noted in the fore- going statement, are all sound, and doing a large legitimate banking business; and the character and standing of the officers give a sure guarantee of their permanency and pros- perity in the future. 1
BOARD OF TRADE.
Although it has been the author's aim to deal with mat- ters pertaining mainly to transactions and persons of the early part of the nineteenth century, and those incident- ally connected therewith, yet so important an institution of modern times as the Board of Trade must not be slighted, since it is the bone and sinew of young Vincennes.
The Vincennes Board of Trade was organized in 1883, when N. F. Dalton was elected President, Edward Watson Vice-President, George M. Ockford Secretary, L. A. Wise
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Assistant Secretary and Joseph L. Bayard Treasurer. The Board of Directors were J. H. Rabb, G. Weinstein, P. E. MeCarty, E. M. Thompson and E. H. Smith. A constitu- tion and by-laws having been adopted, the fee of admission was placed at $5 for certificate and monthly dues at 25 cents, the membership being unlimited.
This institution has done, and is doing, a good work for the city, and has added to its population and wealth more than all the other influences and agencies combined, and its power increases as time passes by. At its foundation it had many difficulties to contend with, as it was something new and an innovation for the old mossbacks of the city. They could not see in advance from where the benefits were to be reaped for the outlay of their money and labor. They were not willing to "cast bread upon the waters" of trade, trusting to Providence and zeal of the workers for a re- turn therefor. But patience, zeal and labor, with intelli- gent foresight and faith were theirs, and the rewards fol- lowed in due season. The days of their adversity has passed, and they have set the ball of prosperity rolling at greater speed than ever before, as the many late industries added to the general business of the city will attest. Where there was one industry twenty years ago, a dozen or more dot the outskirts of the city, and it is almost daily inquired of by corporations and capitalists who desire good locations for investments for their money. This organization has developed a boom unknown during the past of the city, and if all the citizens will put their shoulders to the wheel, while it is at high tide, it will "lead to fortune and suc- cess."
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The present membership exceeds two hundred, with weekly accessions, under the leadership of its intelligent and energetic officers.
The following are the present able and progressive offi- cers : President, Edward Watson ; Vice-President, Anton Simon; Treasurer, Joseph L. Bayard; Secretary, H. T. Willis, and Assistant Secretary, H. J. Foulks.
EPIDEMICS.
The history of Vincennes would not be complete without recording something of the epidemies that have visited it during its one hundred and seventy years of existence, during which time some episodes occurred that embraced ludicrous as well as serious phases. Some histories of Vin- cennes tell of a traditional epidemic occurring in the eighteenth century in this village, but it will be seen, in another part of these sketches, that that epidemic occurred at Juchereau's Fort, at the mouth of the Ohio river. While we know nothing but what tradition tells us, of a first epi- demic occurring here, those of subsequent years are re- corded in the history of the times.
THE EPIDEMIC OF 1820.
Not many of the present generation of citizens, prob- ably, have ever heard of this terrible scourge from sickness during the earlier history of this town. In 1820 an epi- demic occurred here, as related by the old settlers, that almost depopulated the village. During the summer months a fatal disease prevailed, resembling yellow fever, and the strong presumption is that this disease was the
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yellow malady. This fever had often prevailed further north, and its presence in the town at the time was not very surprising. During the early times communication be- tween the Old Post and New Orleans was much more fre- quent than now, and, as yellow fever existed in the latter city during the summer months, it was not an uncommon occurrence for the germs to be introduced in the North. It was only necessary that favorable conditions should exist for its propagation in the Valley of the Wabash, and, at this time, such conditions existed at Vincennes. The season was exceedingly dry, the river low, and the waters about the town were stagnant, the home of the mosquito. Recent discoveries, especially those brought out by experi- ments in Cuba, where yellow fever was for many years a common disease, owing to the transmission of its cause through one species of mosquito, stegomyia fasciata, will explain the nature and virulence of the fever which marked this epidemic. If only one case had been introduced here from the far South, where this species of mosquito was propagated, in stagnant pools of water surrounding the town, the disease could and would be readily communi- cated to the inhabitants. The writer doubts not that the disease, so fatal here in the summer of 1820, was yellow fever. This mosquito is represented as darker in color than the less virulent ones, its notes are lower in the scale of sound, and it is these fellows with the basso voice, es- pecially, whose serenades we should object to. The trans- mission of malarial disease by the mosquito was established many years ago by Italian physicians at Rome, where ma- larial diseases often exist to an alarming extent.
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The year in question the river got so low that the grass grew in great luxuriance far out from the shores, and the opinion prevailed that this was the cause of the virulent fever, and the city authorities had this grass mowed, ex- pecting it to float away with the current, but, on the con- trary, it remained where cut, decayed, and became the hot- bed of malaria and the breeder of the mosquito. It hav- ing been frequently demonstrated that malaria is often in- troduced into the human system by the bite of this insect, it was not to be wondered at that fevers prevailed alarm- ingly at Vincennes at that period. The numerons fatalities attending this scourge gave the town a notoriously bad reputation, and emigrants from the East, seeking homes in the far West, "passed by on the other side," leaving the sick city for other good Samaritans to lend it a helping hand, and lift it to its feet again. That day long since went by. Having learned that the best of water underlies the city, and that it could be easily and cheaply reached through driven wells, a water absolutely free from con- tamination of malarial and typhoid germs, at a depth of twenty-five feet, and having had the country adjacent thor- oughly drained and placed in cultivation, Vincennes now stands in health superior to many and inferior to no city of its size in the West.
THE CHOLERA.
Although a model city for health, owing to aseptic soil, pure water, sweet air and healthy topographical condi- tions, yet like all other towns, it may have visitations of contagious diseases, as its citizens fully realized in the summer of 1850, when cholera invaded the borough, with
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great fatality. From the fact that this awful scourge had prevailed in the United States in 1832, and at the time did not affect this town, the people here were lulled into the belief that Vincennes was proof against its invasion. Peo- ple generally, in fact the medical profession, were ignorant of the cause of the disease, it being before bacteriology had been perfected, so far as to enable the microscopist to iso- late the germ, and physicians understood the way it was propagated. When the first cases occurred here, the wise ones of the town ridiculed the idea of cholera being the disease, and the public arose as one man in denying its ex- istence and inveighing against the physicians who had made what was termed "such a foolish declaration." For- tunately, or unfortunately, as some may view the matter, the writer of this was the first one to diagnose the disease and proclaim the true nature of it, and, on account of this bold declaration, his scalp rested uneasily on his head for some time. He was ostracised, and threats were freely made against this medical interloper, who was paralyzing all kinds of business by his wild assertions concerning the nature of the first cases. The writer regrets to state that but one other physician of the borough, Doctor John R. Mantel, coincided with him in his diagnosis, although he extended an urgent invitation to a number of the older members of his profession to visit his patients and investi- gate the matter for themselves. The foremost citizen of the borough, at that time, was a very intelligent, but self- willed gentleman, who, in addition to being President of the borough, was President of the then incipient Ohio & Mississippi Railway Company, President of the Wabash Navigation Company, and President of the Knox County
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Live Stock Insurance Company. Of course this gentleman was an influential man in town, and his dictum was held as law and gospel, from which no appeal could be taken. He stated that the disease, which had been pronounced Asiatic cholera, was nothing more than cholera morbus, such as he had seen in his native New England, and he forthwith proceeded to lecture the young disciple of Esculapius, and vehemently remonstrated with him for giving out false alarms, to the great detriment of the borough's commercial and general interests. The young physician was obdurate, and boldly stood his ground, and, after a warm discussion, the Judge and Chief Magistrate of the town departed, with a very bad opinion of, and a good slice of ill will for, the youthful doctor of medicine. The latter was com- pelled to endure the gibes and slurs of many of his fellow- citizens as best he could, and, as he was then comparatively a stranger here, he found his daily pathway not a bed of roses, nor were the thorns lacking. But he felt that this state of things could not, and it did not, endure long, as cholera is no respecter of persons, and the high and the low who came into immediate contact with the dread scourge had to take chances alike in attempting to cope with its ma- lignancy. Some days following the outbreak of the disease in the family of Mr. J. D. Watjen (the father.of our worthy fellow-townsman, H. J. Watjen, who can vouch for the truth of the main facts presented), by its introduc- tion through an emigrant from Germany, a young married man named Whitney, from the East, had been installed here as an expert in insurance matters by the President of the Live Stock Insurance Company. This young man, the protege of the chief executive of the company, sought to
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make himself particularly obnoxious to the young physi- cian who had been so bold as to pronounce the disease cholera. The offices of the latter and those of the insurance company were not far apart, in the old Judah Row, on Second street. As the elerk passed the door of the doctor on his way to his office, he would, occasionally, stop at his own door, and, placing his hands to his mouth sidewise, halloo derisively, in stentorian tones, "How's the chol- era ?". then dart in, laughing at what he thought was a cap- ital joke at the doctor's expense. Poor, misguided, unfor- tunate man ! He then little dreamed of what was in store for himself. In less than two weeks from that time he complained of not feeling well, and, going immediately home, sent for his doctor, G. G. Shumard, a very intelli- gent gentleman, but one who had a deadly horror of chol- era. He at once diagnosed the case as one of cholera, went to his office for some medicine, and, upon his return to the home of the young elerk, calling his wife to the door (fearing to go in), gave her the medicine and then, after a few directions, given hurriedly, left the young man to his fate. Ere the shades of night had enfolded mother earth in her mantle of darkness, he, too, was numbered among the victims of the terri- ble scourge. A little time after this Doctor Shumard ealled at the writer's office and asked to be permitted to lie in the student's bed, for that day, as he did not wish any one to know his whereabouts, "For," he remarked, "every case of cholera I hear of brings on me symptoms of the disease. What shall I do?" The writer answered that there were but two things to do, in his estimation, to wit: either leave for a healthier region, which, if he did, would ruin his
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medical reputation, or stay and take his chances with the balance of his profession, which, if he did, would cause his death, so great was his fear. He chose the former horn of the dilemma, and immediately departed, and remained away until cold weather had set in, when he returned, set- tled up his affairs and went back to his former home in the State of Ohio. As before stated, this gentleman, not- withstanding his fear of cholera, was a good physician and surgeon, and subsequently became Captain Marcy's sur- geon and geologist in his Western exploring expedition in the United States service in the early fifties. He after- ward became the Surgeon-General of the Ohio Volunteer Militia, and lost his life during the Civil War.
About this time, that is, during the earlier stages of this epidemie, when doubting Thomases ornamented every block corner, a man by the name of Lempk, who lived on Hart street, and who had nursed the old German emi- grant who died with the disease at the Watjen resi- dence, on Water street, in a brick house opposite the Ameri- can hotel (now La Plante House), was taken ill. He was an Odd Fellow, and Noble Grand John Caldwell called to his aid an eminent French physician, Doctor John Batty, then residing at Vincennes, who at once pronounced the disease to be cholera. And then what did that cholera mor- bns president and some of the maligners of the young doc- tor do? They incontinently fled east to the springs and elsewhere, and remained away until "the frost was on the pumpkin, and the fodder was in the shock," fearing to face the music of Old Vincennes sooner. This is but a brief and softened sketch of a phase or two of the cholera epidemic, as many langhable and tragic scenes enacted during
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that period are worthy of record. Of all the men who abused the young physician who had boldly stood his ground and pronounced the disease to be cholera, and who had tried to make life unpleasant for him in the borough, but one had the manliness and courage to make amends to him for the wrong inflicted ; that was none other than the noble gentleman, William J. Heberd, Sr., who came to him and said in a frank, honorable manner: "Doctor, I had said I would never employ you for injuring, as I conceived you were doing, the business of our town. I find that I was wrong, and, as a slight way of repairing the wrong in- flicted, I now ask you to become hereafter my family physi- cian." He kept his word, and the writer was his family physician up to the day when he fell a corpse in Peck's drug store, years afterward.
In conclusion of the subject of epidemics, the writer will say that it is best for doctors to meet them squarely and fearlessly and do their full duty, and they will be the bet- ter prepared to combat them, trusting in an allwise Provi- denee to reënforce their skill and energy. In thus meet- ing them they will be better equipped to achieve a victory over them. With the advanced knowledge of bacteriology and its application in the eure of diseases, the physician of today is more competent to stay the ravages of disease than ever before.
Chapter XI.
MISCELLANEOUS, CONTINUED-THE PASTIME CLUB HOUSE.
A MONG the old buildings of pretentious character, erected nearly three-quarters of a century ago, situ- ated on Second street, between Busseron and Broad- way, is the old Ellis mansion, constructed of sandstone and brick, with massive stone columns supporting the roof of the vestibule, the floor and steps of which are of like material, the product of a quarry situated some distance above the city on the banks of the Wabash river. Another old building, of like character, now nearly, if not wholly, hidden from view by the buildings erected in front of it, is the building of the Vincennes branch of the old State Bank of Indiana, whose pillars were razed, following the sale of the property, and worked into stepping stones, which may yet be seen in many parts of the city. The old Ellis mansion is fittingly occupied by the Pastime Club, a social soeicty organized December 4, 1885, and incorporated De- cember 23, 1889. The charter members numbered fifty, who were among the leading citizens. The first officers were : Robert B. Jessup, President; Mason J. Niblack, Vice-President; H. J. Foulks, Secretary; E. J. Julian, Treasurer; Board of Directors: C. B. Kessinger, P. M. O'Donnell, E. P. Busse, R. B. Jessup, Jr., and H. J. Foulks. The club has prospered and enjoys an enviable reputation. The society offers pleasant social opportuni-
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ties through the latest papers and magazines, innocent games at cards, billiards and music, to its members; and invited guests, both at home and from abroad, have spent most delightful "past times" there.
The present officers are: E. J. Julian, President; Ger- ard Reiter, Vice-President; W. J. Freeman, Secretary ; H. V. Somes, Treasurer, and Guy MeJimsey, Sergeant- at-Arms. The membership of the club is limited to 150.
THE FORTNIGHTLY CLUB.
This is strictly a ladies' literary association, and was organized at the residence of Mrs. Helen B. Bayard, No- vember 11, 1881. The membership was limited to fifty originally, but subsequently was increased to sixty. The first officers were: President, Mrs. Helen B. Bayard ; Secretary, Mrs. Alice J. Clark. Other members present at the organization were: Mrs. Ellen Gould, Miss Lloyd Allen, Mrs. E. A. Bryan, Miss Ray Berry, Miss Sabra Cather, Mrs. Ruth Davenport, Miss Katharine McElvaine, Miss Clara DeWolf, Miss Anna DeWolf, Miss Ida Lusk, Mrs. John Steven Horton, Mrs. Reuben G. Moore, Miss Albertine Moore and Mrs. William Glover. The society was incorporated by the following members, June 23, 1901: Mrs. Helen B. Bayard, Miss Katharine McElvaine, Miss Clara DeWolf, Miss Alice J. Clark, Miss Ida Lusk, Mrs. J. S. Horton, Mrs. R. G. Moore and Miss Albertine Moore. The present officers are: President, Mrs. M. A. Bosworth; Vice-President, Mrs. Alexander; Secretary, Mrs. Albert Shepard ; Treasurer, Mrs. Charles Bierhaus; Executive Committee: Miss Lusk, Mrs. Doctor Man- chester, Mrs. H. B. Bayard, Miss MeElvaine and Mrs. M. A. Bosworth.
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COLUMBIA READING CLUB.
The St. Francis Xavier Reading Club, a branch of the National Columbia Reading Club, whose headquarters are in New York City, is a literary society, and was organ- ized in January, 1890, at the residence of Mrs. Helen Burk Bayard, with the following officers : President, Mrs. William Berry ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Helen B. Bayard ; Directors, Mrs. J. B. La Plante, Miss Katharine Green and Miss Anna Flynn. This society contained orig- inally eighteen active members. Subsequent to its organ- ization it combined with its labors benevolent work and has recently undertaken the noble labor of building a los- pital for general use in this city. Through the indefatigable efforts of its members and the aid of the public their funds for the hospital have gone beyond the thousand dollar mark. Their idea in assuming this herculean task of love and mercy was to honor and perpetuate the memories of Gen- eral George Rogers Clark, who, through his strategy, skill and indomitable will secured the great Northwest to the Union from the British Government, and Father Pierre Gibault, who rendered General Clark invaluable services in giving him information and winning over the French inhabitants to the American cause. Each one of these dis- tinguished and noble patriots deserve imperishable monu- ments erected to their memory in this city.
Through the vicissitudes of time this society's numbers have fallen to fourteen. The present officers are: Presi- dent, Mrs. J. B. La Plante; Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Clementine Weisert : Directors, Mrs. Schuyler Beard, Mrs. John D. LaCroix and Mrs. Helen B. Bayard.
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PALACE CLUB.
The Palace Club was organized March 1, 1897, with a list of sixty-one subscribers, when the following officers were chosen: President, A. G. Meisa ; Vice-President, H. G. C. Pomil ; Secretary, F. W. Tweitmeyer ; Treasurer, E. H. Frigge: Sergeant-at-Arms, H. J. Piel. The char- acter of this institution is social and literary, and offers a pleasant retreat for young gentlemen when not engaged in business. Its reading room is supplied with journals and magazines, current literature, and a piano for exer- cise in musical compositions. Other rooms are fitted up for billiards and lighter games, for amusement to while away idle hours, and for rest to the mind after weary hours of absorbing, wearing toil, battling with the problems of life. This association has proven a success, as its influence has been elevating in its tendency and character, and leads to the higher walks of life.
The club is domiciled in a pleasant, commodious build- ing, on the corner of Hart and Second streets, and ac- cessible to all parts of the city by the street railway. The present officers are as follows: President, C. F. Scheid ; Vice-President, II. G. Miller ; Secretary, H. F. Hoffman : Treasurer, J. L. Baker ; Sergeant-at-Arms, W. C. Techner ; Directors, Ed. II. Frigge, L. E. Thuis, H. N. Reller. Present membership, forty-four.
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