USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 29
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met Dominic Siefert along the road. Seifert had just sold a horse and had put the money in his pocket, but the troopers kindly relieved him of the burden. Before reaching St. Marys they appeared to have passed over into Dearborn county, since they are next heard of at New Alsace.
On Sunday ten of Morgan's men appeared at the home of George Dudley. about three miles west of St. Peters, and asked to be fed. While Mrs. Dudley was preparing something for them to eat they visited the barn to look at Mr. Dudley's horses, but he had heard of their coming and had hidden 'his horses in the woods. Not getting any horses, they satisfied themselves by taking three shirts off the line in the yard. After eating the meal prepared for them by Mrs. Dudley, the maranders went to the farm of Frank Rosfelt. in the same township and took a couple of horses. They continued on east, and on the other side of New Trenton met the omnibus going up the Miami hill and compelled all of the passengers to hand over their money and val- uables. One man from Brookville. Albert Cooper, escaped some way or other, while the others were relieved of their money, and hid in an oats field near the road. The omnibus company lost twelve horses.
It was expected that Brookville would be attacked by Morgan and consequently every effort was made to defend the town. Colonel Claypool, brought to Brookville on Sunday the Fayette Minute Men and the Ashland Home Guards, numbering, alto- gether, about one hundred and fifty men. The mounted troops remained in Brookville until Thursday morning and carried away with them the heartfelt wishes of every member of this community for the soldierly bearing and gentlemanly deportment which characterized the whole troop during their stay. As an evidence of the manner in which they were treated by our citizens. the following resolution was unanimously passed by them just previous to their departure:
"Resolved. That the heartfelt thanks of the Fayette Minute Men and the Ashland Home Guards be hereby tendered to the citizens of Brookville, for their generous hos- pitality and kindness during the time that said companies have been quartered in their midst, and that this resolution be published in the Democrat and Defender "
DRAFTS.
As the war advanced it became increasingly difficult to fill the quota of the county and toward the latter part of the war it was filled with consid- erable difficulty. Drafts and the offer of bounties became necessary to meet the demands of the state authorities. On October 6, 1862, a draft assignment was made to Fayette county as follows: Connersville township, six; Orange township, one ; Harrison township, five ; Posey township, twenty-seven ; Water- loo township, eighteen; Fairview township, thirteen.
With the exception of a very few the quota of Fayette county was com- posed of volunteers. The county, with a total militia enrollment in Sep- tember, 1862, of one thousand six hundred and eighty-one men, had sent to the field five hundred and sixty men. requiring the following month the small draft of seventy.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.
SUFFERING AND ANGUISH.
A detailed story of the part Fayette county took in this conflict will never be told; it is one of those events which cannot be pictured. As far as a recital of the battles and marches of the various regiments containing Fay- ette county men is concerned, that is a mere matter of official record. But no pen will ever trace the story of the suffering and anguish experienced by the women and children who were left behind; that account was indelibly stamped on their hearts and minds and most of it never even found vocal expression, and certainly none of it ever found its way into the official records. The county officials and groups of citizens in a private capacity ministered to the material wants of those dependent upon the soldiers in the field, but they did not have the power to assuage their grief or offer compensation for the loss of a father, son or husband. And thus a vital part of the Civil War history of Fayette county must be dismissed as being of such a character that the chronicler cannot record it.
RELIEF AND BOUNTIES.
The material assistance rendered the dependent families during the progress of the war is a matter of official record. The county funds for this purpose during the entire war were in charge of James Elliott, who was designated as the "county agent." He distributed a total of $64,366.37 for the relief of soldiers' families, and an additional amount of $9,201.45 for other purposes of a charitable nature. This total of $73,567.82 repre- sented only a part of the money expended in behalf of the dependent families. The various townships voted funds to the amount of $190,664, part of which was for relief and part in the shape of bounties offered for enlistments. In the latter case the amount, that is, the bounty money, was sufficient to take care of the family during the absence of the father, husband or son at the front. Before the end of the war the total bounty-state, county and town- ship-paid the individual recruit amounted to five hundred dollars. The county itself paid bounties totaling $190,764.
Nor was this the full extent of the aid extended to those who needed help. Not only did every church have an organization which actively assisted in this charitable work among the needy at home, but there were scores of other organizations working along the same line. The soldiers in the field were the recipients of food, clothing and other comforts from their loved
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ones at home. The farmers in the various townships donated wood and food to the cause. A notice in the newspapers on October 22, 1863, gives the information that two hundred and fifty cords of wood had been donated for needy families. Other references in the newspaper files note donations of wood from time to time. On one day the farmers of Waterloo township alone contributed seventeen loads of wood; on another occasion forty loads were credited to the Lockhart neighborhood, and other townships and separate com- munities. contributed in proportion. Connersville township reported donations of fifty-two loads of wood at one time. The largest number of loads at any one time was reported at one hundred, that number being contributed in December, 1864.
THE END OF THE WAR.
The long struggle finally came to an end with the fall of Richmond in April, 1865, and when the news was received in Connersville it was made the cause of great rejoicing. The Times, in commenting on the receipt of the news that the capital of the Southern Confederacy had fallen, had the following to say in its issue of April 13:
Such scenes never have and probably never will occur again in Connersville as were witnessed last Monday. The fall of Richmond was celebrated here in a measure, but then the cup of joy was not yet full, and the surrender of Lee and his army remained to assure our people of the final triumph of the glorious old Army of the Potomac, and to make "assurance doubly sure" that the Rebellion had received its death blow. Early on Monday morning the glad news of that great event was borne us on the telegraph wires, and our pen cannot portray the joy with which our citizens received the news that the army which for four years had given the Rebellion all its vitality, was among the things of the past. Demoralized, battered and broken it had been. but onr fondest hopes were consummated when the bleeding renmant of the Army of Northern Virginia laid down its arms at the feet of that glorious hero, U. S. Grant. Upon the receipt of the news the first notes of rejoicing rang forth from the church hells, which had the day before called their congregations to peaceful worship; to these chimes were soon added those of the court house bell and all other bells, both large and small, in the town, and the clamor had reached its climax when guns and anvils joined in the chorus. The stores were closed, every-day avocations were abandoned instantly. and soon the whole population of the city were jambed into Monroe street. Then who can describe the scene that followed and continued far into the night? Not a countenance but bore a smile. Shouts upon shouts rent the air amid the shaking of hands and frantic embraces. The people were wild with joy. Col. Nelson Trusler arrived from Indianapolis in the evening, and in response to the call of his fellow- citizens made a short speech, which aptly illustrated the condition of the people. He said that he left Indianapolis that morning because everybody was drunk, and he wanted to go to some place where he could find sober folks; they captured aud detained him awhile at Cambridge City, but there he found the citizens drunker than they were at Indianapolis.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Last Sunday was a glorious epoch, and if it were not a day for which all other days were made, yet it was a day for generations, and our children will hereafter bold it in grateful remembrance so long as the nation shall survive.
ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
An account of the news of the assassination of President Lincoln was given to the people of Connersville and Fayette county in the Times with its issue of April 10, 1865. It must have been an occasion of impressive moment to judge by what the editor has to say :
Ceremonies appropriate of the funeral of the President of the United States were held in all the churches of Connersville that are regularly opened for worship, yester- day. The stillness and solemnity of the Sabbath prevails throughout the town. The business houses were closed the entire day, and upon all were the emblems of mourn- ing. The court house and many of the private residences were also draped in mourning. Such a scene was never before witnessed in Connersville.
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
Fayette county did not have a company in the Spanish-American War, but a number of young men from the county, mostly from Connersville, enlisted in companies recruited in other counties in the state. An examina- tion of the official roster of the five regiments raised by the state for service in this war shows the following with their residence given as Connersville : Edward L. Cooley, Frank R. Dinger, Charles E. Payne and Harry Wregg, all of Company A, One Hundred and Fifty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, mustered in on June 16, 1898, and mustered out on November 4, 1898; Clinton Crago, Jacob Godar, Joe Morford and Thomas J. Wolfe, of Company D, same regiment ; Basil Middleton, Will Glisson, Harry H. Hall, Charles S. Hoffner, George Holder, Will Myers, George A. Plummer and Ernest L. Ragan, of Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; George W. Eshelman, Henry A. Hosey, Charles 'Williams, Jr., and John F. Hunt, Second United States Volunteers, Engineer Corps ; and Aquilla B. Hatton and Clement D. Rowe, Fourteenth United States Signal Corps.
The only enlisted man from Fayette county to rise above the rank of a private was Harry Hall. He was appointed corporal on October 1, 1898. The records show that Basil Middleton was mustered in as a musician with the Rushville company. All the others were privates.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.
MISCELLANEOUS NAVAL AND MILITARY NOTES.
Fayette county's only naval officer, Lient .- Commander Hilary Williams, is now executive officer aboard the "New Hampshire," one of the navy's largest fighting ships. Lient .- Commander Williams, the son of Ambrose Williams and wife, was born and reared near Harrisburg and received all of his elementary education in this county. He was appointed to the Naval Academy at Annapolis in the spring of 1893, and was graduated from that noted institution at the beginning of the Spanish-American war. During the time that the United States fleets and the ships of Spain were contesting for supremacy upon the high seas, Williams, then a midshipman, was assigned to duty aboard the historic "Oregon," which made a record-breaking cruise around Cape Horn. He was in the battle of Santiago on board the "Iowa." This naval officer's younger brother, Major Arthur Williams, of the United States army, received an appointment to West Point in 1897 and was gradu- ated from that celebrated institution four years later. He is now stationed at San Francisco as a member of the United States Engineering Corps.
Edward Berling is a Connersville boy who is now in the United States navy. He enlisted at Indianapolis, January 29, 1916, and after serving a short time at Great Lakes, Illinois, was assigned to the battleship "Okla- homa." He has received several promotions and is in line to occupy still higher positions.
In February, 1916, Russell T. Wagner, of Connersville, enlisted in the service of the United States navy and served the usual apprenticeship at Great Lakes, Illinois. He remained there until May 21 and then was assigned to the battleship "Florida."
The most recent enlistment in the navy from Connersville was that of Earl Gwinnup who enlisted in January, 1917. He is now at Great Lakes, Illinois, receiving his preliminary training.
It is not known how many of the young men of Fayette county have served for various periods of service in the navy, but one of the most prom- inent of the number is D. E. Trusler, now editor of the Connersville Daily Eraminer. He was in the navy from 1905 to 1909 and during that time visited every port of any importance in the world, crossing the equator no less than twenty-eight times. He was first stationed on the "Charleston" and later on the "West Virginia."
The only Fayette county boy to invade Mexico with General Pershing in 1916 was Charles J. Drescher, of Connersville. He enlisted on January
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5, 1914, at Atlanta, Georgia, and became attached to Troop D, Eleventh Cavalry, of the regular army. He enlisted as a private and on November 1, 1916, was promoted to corporal.
Another Connersville boy who is a member of the regular army is Alvin H. Hall. He enlisted on June 5, 1916, and on August 5, 1916, was sent to Ft. Bliss, Texas. He is now stationed at that point and is a member of Troop B, Seventeenth Cavalry.
William N. Ochiltree was one of the young men of Connersville to go to the Mexican border with Company I, in the summer of 1916. Upon reaching the border he was promoted to first orderly and was promoted from time to time until he became supply sergeant.
Albert Kuhlman, of Connersville, enlisted in the regular army in February, 1915, and at the present time is stationed at Honolulu.
Will K. Henry is a Connersville boy serving in the United States army in the Philippine Islands.
Major Edward Chrisman, son of Jesse Chrisman and wife, was appointed to West Point Academy in 1884 and graduated in 1888. After graduation he was stationed at Omaha, Nebraska, for a short time and then spent one year in the torpedo school at Willets Point near Brooklyn. When war was declared between the United States and Spain, he entered the army as a first lieutenant, finally being promoted to captain. He was in the memorable siege of San Juan Hill and has seen service in the Philippine Islands. He is now stationed in the canal zone, in Panama.
A Connersville boy who has made an enviable record in the regular army is Basil Middleton, now instructor at Culver Military Academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War he enlisted with Company H, One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a . bugler. During the Mexican activity of 1916 he served as captain, and adjutant of the First Regiment, Indiana National Guard, stationed along the Llano Grande river. He is an expert rifleman and has won many honors on account of his excellent markmanship.
MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.
1
There are two organizations in the county which are based on wars in which the United States has engaged. One is the Daughters of the American Revolution and the other the Grand Army of the Republic. There was for- merly an organization of the Sons of Veterans in Connersville, but it has ceased its existence as an active organization.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIAN.A.
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
Connersville Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, was organ- ized on April 10, 1909, with the following charter members: Flora Cald- well Broaddus, Mrs. Sophia Alice Chitwood, Cornelia Disney Conwell, Annie Disney Conwell, Lillian Chambers, Margaret I. Dickson, Mrs. Sarah Eliza- beth Garver, Mrs. Irene Pepper Johnson, Mrs. Isabel Morrison Kensler, Mrs. Mary Susan Pepper and Sophia Ethel Pepper. The first officers were as follows: Regent, Mrs. Tracy B. Johnson ; vice-regent, Miss Cornelia Con- well; recording secretary, Miss Margaret T. Dickson; registrar, Mrs. P. H. Kensler ; treasurer, Mrs. E. V. Hawkins; historian, Flora Broaddus; chap- lain, Mrs. Mary Pepper.
The membership of the chapter has shown a commendable growth since its organization and now has fifty-nine active members on its roll. They follow : Mrs. Laura Jane Backous, Ethelyn May Backous, Isabel Ball, Rachel Blanche Hall, Josephine Barrows, Mrs. Ruth Hull Barrows, Mrs. Bessie Mer- rell Bird, Mrs. Lillian Wilson Beck, Mrs. Sophia Alice Chitwood, Cornelia Disney Conwell, Annie Disney Conwell, Mrs. Eleanor McCann Carlisle, Mrs. Rebecca L. Chrisman, Margaret I. Dickson, Mrs. Caroline Barrows Dixon, Mrs. Beulah Hamilton Frazee, Essie May Frazee, Mrs. Alice Green Gray, Mrs. Margaret Pratt Hawkins, Mrs. Rozzie Lair Hull, Mrs. Elizabeth New- kirk Houghton, Mrs. Mabel Sanders Hart, Mary Helen Huston, Mrs. Jessie Olive Hayes, Mrs. Gladys Lockhart Hassler, Mrs. Irene Pepper Johnson, Mrs. Isabelle Morrison Kensler, Mrs. Anna Sinks Kehl, Inez Lockhart, Mrs. Emma Sanders McFarlan, Mrs. Ella Hughes McFarlan,. Mrs. Madge Kensler McKen- nan, Mrs. Adella McGrew Michener, Mrs. Adelia McGee McIntosh, Mrs. Mary E. Murphy, Jessie Murphy, Mrs. Fanny H. Nevin, Mrs. Estella Norris Ochiltree, Sophia Ethel Pepper, Mrs. Pearl Sanders Page, Mrs. Fanny Tay- lor Sanders, Mrs. Lulu Trusler Silvey, Mrs. Mary Helen Walden and Mrs. Mabel Buckley Zehrung. Three of the active members are also life members. namely : Mrs. Isabel Morrison Kensler, Mrs. Margaret Pratt Hawkins and Mrs. Adelia McGee McIntosh.
The non-resident members include the following: Mrs. May Sinks Crane, Cincinnati, Ohio; Harriet Day, Laurel, Indiana; Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Garver, Huntington. . Park, .. California;, Elizabeth Johnson, Indianapolis, Indiana: Ada Belle Jacques, Des Moines, Iowa; Mrs. Ruth Merrell Jackson, Highland Park, Chicago; Mrs. Kate Limpus, Laurel, Indiana ; Mrs. Genevieve
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Beck Middleton, Culver, Indiana; Mrs. Anna Conwell McElhinny, Ames Hill, West Brattleboro, Vermont; Etha Anna Wright, Toledo, Ohio.
Since the organization of the local chapter it has lost only two by death : Mrs. Martha Anna Brumfiel, died July 5, 1913; Mrs. Mary Susan Pepper, died December 31, 1915.
The chapter has made an effort to locate the graves of all the Revolu- tionary War soldiers who are buried in the county, and thus far has located ten : Jonathan Davis (1760-1845), Springersville cemetery; James Hamer, Union cemetery ; Daniel Bloomhart (died in 1837), Jonathan Gillian ( 1758- 1833), James Justice (1742-1832), Nicholas Keemar (died in 1828) and James Pierce, Orange township cemetery; Amos Milner (died in 1851), Mt. Garrison cemetery; Robert Groves (died in 1855) and Samuel Isles (died in 1855), Fairview cemetery.
The chapter has presented a flag to the public library of the city and a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence to each of the five school buildings in the city. On April Io of each year the chapter gives three prizes to the pupils of the eighth grade for the best essay on a Revolutionary sub- ject. It has contributed to the Southern Industrial Institution, and to the purchase of Turkey Run. As a Centennial Memorial it selected a site for a boulder on which will be inscribed "To the Defenders of Our Country."
The officers for the year 1916-1917 are as follow: Regent, Mrs. C. C. Hull; vice-regent, Mrs. Scott Michener; recording secretary, Mrs. Fanny Nevin : registrar, Mrs. P. H. Kensler ; treasurer, Mrs. J. E. Page : historian, Mrs. W. F. L. Sanders ; chaplain, Mrs. A. L. Chrisman.
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
Connersville Post No. 126, Grand Army of the Republic, was instituted on January 9, 1883, in accordance with the charter granted on December 20, 1882. The installation ceremonies were in charge of P. C. Iliff, O. D. Webster, Adjutant Pixell and Quartermaster-Sergeant Campbell, of Rích- mond, Indiana. Of the original thirty-six charter members only twelve are now living. Their names are Justin K. Proctor, William N. Young, James M. Waldrip, George S. Johnson, Joseph S. Hoover, Samuel Kirkham, John Payne, Harvey Smith, Lycurgus L. Cooley, James S. Scott, George F. Stew- art and John H. Whiteford. The deceased charter members are William J. Jewiss, Frank W. Reynolds, S. W. Johnson, Robert Utter, John A. Dunn, William Cotton, Thomas J. Clark, Noah Lyons, Homer B. Woodcock, Wil-
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.
liam G. Plummer, Thomas M. Little, Gabriel Drescher, Samuel H. Van Kooton, Dr. Samuel N. Hamilton, John W. Ross, A. E. Barrows, Thomas Shaw, Barton S. Barker, D. B. Ball, Dr. Vincent H. Gregg, Jacob Kribs, Newton Perkins and Adolph Segrist.
This is the only post which has ever been established in the county and has had a total membership of about three hundred during its entire career. The membership at any one time has not reached this number. Since its organization it has held regular meetings. At first they were held weekly, but for several years the post has met only twice each month. The hall, which is over the First National Bank, is furnished by the county commis- sioners. It should be mentioned in this connection that the county com- missioners are authorized by law not only to pay for the rental of the hall, but also to allow fifty dollars for the burial expenses of each old soldier. In 1916 the appropriation for the hall was one hundred and fifty dollars, while seven hundred dollars was appropriated for the burial of old soldiers. There are now two soldiers of the county in the National Soldiers Home at Dayton, Ohio, but none in either the National Home at Marion, Indiana, or the State Soldiers Home at Lafayette. The best estimate of the present num- ber of Civil War veterans in the county places the number at one hundred and twelve, of whom thirty-seven are now members of the post.
OFFICERS OF THE POST.
The first officers of the post were as follow: John A. Dunn, post com- mander ; W. G. Plummer, senior vice-commander; Capt. George S. Johnson, junior vice-commander ; W. N. Young, officer of the day ; S. H. Van Kooton, officer of the guard; John W. Ross, quartermaster; J. M. Waldrip, sergeant ; T. M. Little, chaplain; W. J. Jewiss, adjutant ; T. J. Clark, sergeant-major ; Robert Utter, quartermaster-sergeant. In connection with the foregoing Comrades Woodcock and Reynolds were appointed as an administrative com- mittee.
The officers for the year 1917 are as follow: George Williams, post commander; Elbert DeHaven, senior vice-commander; Oscar Caswell, junior vice-commander ; William T. Murray, adjutant; George F. Stewart, quarter- master; Justin K. Proctor, sergeant; John Whiteford, chaplain; Lycurgus L. Cooley, officer of the day; Frank Mason, officer of the guard; Peter Cline, sergeant-major; A. Y. Neff, quartermaster-sergeant.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA.
SONS OF VETERANS.
Davis Camp No. 4, Sons of Veterans, was instituted at Connersville on March 7, 1884, by Col. J. E. Edmondson, assisted by the members of the Connersville Post. The camp was organized. with nineteen members and named in honor of Lieut. A. M. Davis, who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh and afterwards died from the effects of the wound. About 1906 the order was revived, Camp Frank L .. Johnson being instituted and at one time having a membership of seventy-five, but after two or three years the camp died because its members were too busy to keep up regular meetings.
It is interesting to note that there are at the present time nearly three hun- dred men in Fayette county eligible to membership.
CHAPTER XI.
THE BENCH AND THE BAR.
Moses is credited with being the first lawyer in history and since the days when he compiled the first code the legal profession has been con- sidered one of the most highly honored professions. As long as men persist in violating the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, so long will there be need of lawyers; and accordingly every community finds it necessary to have lawyers in its midst.
Fayette county was hardly more than organized when the first lawyer made his appearance. Somewhere in the embryonic village of Connersville, William W. Wick hung out his shingle in 1819 and he appears to have had the field to himself until Oliver H. Smith appeared on the scene in the spring of the following year. From that day down to the present time the lawyer has been an intimate part of the life of the county, and, as far as is known, all of the lawyers of the county have been residents of the county seat. No other town has been of a sufficient size to attract a lawyer.
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