USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 36
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The Citizens State Bank of Hazelton was organized in May, 1903, and reorganized and rechartered in December, 1910. The first capital stock was $25,000, and the first officers were: Josiah Kightly, president; Lawrence Wheeler, vice-president; Charles L. Howard, cashier; Frank L. Steelman, assistant cashier. The present officers are : H. M. Arthur, president; Aaron Trippet, Sr., vice-president; F. L. Steelman, cashier; Chas. W. McFetridge, assistant cashier. The present capital is $40,000, the surplus and undivided profits, $24,000, and the deposits, $150,000. The bank building was erected in 1913 and cost the sum of $6,000.
MT. OLYMPUS SCHOOL BUILDING, WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER XXXI.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
This township was named after the first president of the United States and is located in the northeastern part of the county. Originally covered with dense timber, the land today is very rough and broken. However, the soil is productive, especially in the bottom lands. White and Patoka rivers, Yellow, Engine, Pond, Goose, Sand branch and other tributaries afford ex- cellent drainage. The township is bounded on the north by Pike county and White river, east by Pike county, south by Center and Patoka, and west by White river and township. Another descriptive location is by portions of township I south, range 9, township I south, range 10, and township I north, rạnge IO.
The Decker brothers, Joseph, Jacob and Luke, first came to this town- ship in 1800 and built a ferry across White river at a point where Buena Vista stood. In the May term, 1813, the Gibson county commissioners' court ordered a road opened from Decker's ferry to Severns' ferry on the Patoka river, this being the first one opened by this court.
One of the next settlers was Nathaniel West, also in 1800. Then came Abraham Decker from Kentucky, Robert Falls, W. G. Collins, Mrs. Betsey Milburn, Thomas Gardner of South Carolina, Thomas Sullivan of Ireland, John Stookey and John I. Neely. The first sermons in the township were preached by Joseph Milburn, a Baptist minister, and the first church was built on military donation No. 77, the building made of logs and without any floor. The first resident physician of Washington township was Dr. Joseph Davidson; Richard Garner was the first blacksmith, and the first justices, in order, were William Phillips. Jonathan Gulick, Robert Kirk and John Gulick. The first death was of a man named McCoy, who died on a keel-boat. The first postoffice in the township was established at Buena Vista and was called "West Buena Vista." John Cunningham was postmaster. Other offices were located at Kirksville, later Wheeling, and one between Hazelton and Petersburg in Pike county, but all have been abandoned. John Claypool opened a store at Decker's ferry in 1816. and this was the first in the town- ship.
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Until 1824 the territory of what is now Washington township formed a part of White River township. In August of the latter year the board of county commissioners laid off the boundaries of Washington township and organized the same. Again, in 1837, the boundaries were enlarged by add- ing a part of White River township to it.
The manufacturing in this township has been very light. Lucian Dunn- ing had a wagon factory in 1870, and there were several small mills, quarries and various trades.
The population of this township in 1910 was one thousand five hundred and forty-six, it having lost, as it is found that in 1900 it had a population of one thousand nine hundred and four. There are no towns or villages in this township.
An amusing incident of early days here will be found in the following lines : "William Phillips was the township's first justice of the peace. Jack Chambers, a local preacher, had rendered service to the people of the town- ship, as spiritual adviser, for which he was to have been paid in coon skins and other peltry, each subscriber agreeing to pay in so many skins. His parishioners, as he thought, were slow to pay him, and he brought suit before Esquire Phillips on his subscription list against all, and had service on each and every delinquent to appear and answer to the demands of the plaintiff, Jack Chambers. Pursuant to notice, court had convened, the parties, plain- tiff and defendants were present, the plaintiff claiming satisfaction by means of judgment on his subscription paper, when one Mulholland, who was acting as agent or attorney for the defendants, walked into court loaded down with the stipulated furs and skins, and, to the surprise of the holy man, made tender of them in full satisfaction of the plaintiff's claims. The case ended in a general laugh, and pleasantness prevailed, all being satisfied with the prac- tical joke."
There was a stone quarry near the Patoka river, where stone had been taken out and sent by flat-boat down the river from Kirksville, now known as Wheeling. This place at one time was quite a business center, having a large flouring-mill, stores, blacksmith shops, postoffice, etc. It is situated on section 19, on the northeast branch of the Patoka river. It was located too far from the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad to help it much, and so close as to materially injure its chances for success. Its flouring-mill was burned in time, and from its loss and railroad influences the town has gone to ruin and decay, nothing of note remaining to mark the spot where once much business was transacted.
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GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
BUENA VISTA.
This little, old hamlet is in the northern part of the township on the west bank of White river, on military donation land No. 2. It was platted in 1848 and prospered for six years, having four business houses that carried excellent stocks; two packing houses, one saw-mill, a hotel, blacksmith shop, wagon shop, two doctors, one saloon, one church and one school house. When the railroad was built, Hazelton, a station on that line of railroad. drew the most of the business from it and left it to die for want of support. There its site stands on the sands of White river. Nothing of importance is there today.
This township is a triangular shaped, though rough edged, territory, the northeastern point of one of the most irregular counties in all Indiana.
CHAPTER XXXII.
WABASH TOWNSHIP.
In the extreme southwestern portion of Gibson county is found Wabash township, named from the famous, historic river whose waters wash its entire north and western borders. There are two series of elevations, com- monly known as the "Upper Hills" and "Lower Hills"; there are also in different parts of this township Indian mounds. The scenery in this town- ship in many places is indeed charming. In the early days, in the mid- summer months, when the waters were low, numerous herds of deer and other animals were attracted hither to feed and the Indians also sought this locality as among the excellent hunting grounds of the Wabash valley. Dur- ing: the years between 1800 and 1815 a few of the half-breed trappers from the post at Vincennes resorted to the streams and bayous of this section to set their beaver traps, which animals then abounded in large numbers. Wabash was originally covered with a dense forest, consisting of the several kinds of elm, maple, oak, poplar, linden, walnut, hickory, pecan, wild cherry and other varieties of forest growth. The farms and clearings made hard toil on the part of the early pioneer.
There is a large bayou extending diagonally across the township from northeast to southwest. This forms a basin for the surplus waters of the Wabash river and has its source in that river. There are also several small lakes or rather ponds here, among which are Goose, Fish, Foot's, Grassy, Brushy, Grindle and Otter Pond. The larger bayou passing through the township is known as the "Big Bayou."
ORGANIZATION.
Wabash township was formed by the wishes of the inhabitants as set forth in a petition and presented to the county commissioners at their Novem- ber term, 1838. Prior to that date it formed a part of Montgomery town- ship. The first election of the new township was held at the house of Joshua Jordon, on the first Monday of April, 1839. The election was for the pur- pose of electing two justices of the peace. The first settler here was Daniel
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Williams and family, consisting of wife and nine children. He located here in the summer of 1813 on a portion of the farm which afterwards was owned by Moses Lamar. Williams was from North Carolina originally, but moved to Tennessee, and from there to Gibson county. After arriving here he cleared a small tract of land and built him a small pole shanty. The locality being infested with Buffalo gnats, which were troublesome, as well as dangerous to what little live stock he owned, he therefore, after remaining here a few months, decided to pull up and leave for unknown parts.
Th second settlers to arrive were James Barnett and family, who came in the autumn of 1815. They were Kentuckians. He built the second log house. It was an improvement over the first cabin, as it possessed a clap- board door and clay-and-stick chimney. The next settlers were John Thomp- son and A. J. Cooper and their families. John Thompson was possessed of more than ordinary enterprise and of some intelligence. He was a justice of the peace while Wabash formd a part of Montgomery township, and was the first justice in the territory now embraced in what is Wabash township. Among other early pioneers were Jacob Carabaugh, R. Jordon, James Crowley, J. Tweedle and Thomas Barnett. The first farm to be really well improved was made by Jordon. Young Lamar was one of the prominent early settlers and near his residence was erected a very small log school house, generally styled as the Lamar school house. It was there William Cash taught the first school in Wabash township to about twenty of the children of the settlement. The first preacher to visit this section was Rev. Peter Sals- man, who preached at the house of Mr. Lamar in 1820, and occasionally after that in the school house.
The early physician who resided here was Dr. Jesse Fuget. A murder was committed at a dance, or a "frolic," as then called, at the home of Pres- ley Garret, where William Lance, a guest, killed one Watson. The murderer was convicted and sent to the penitentiary for nine years.
One of the best improvements in the township years ago was the build- ing of a bridge across the Big Bayou, near the dividing line between the farm of John W. Robb and William J. Jordon. This bridge was long known in the western part of the county as the "Red Bridge," so called for its coat of red paint. This was well built and was covered its entire length.
If it were not for the floods of the Wabash, this township would be the garden spot of the whole county, for its soil is like that of the Nile itself. But from early days there have been from two to six floods annually, and this kept the actual improvement back many decades. But in later years differ-
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ent methods have come to obtain and much of the swampy land has been tile drained and, with proper care and a fair season (not too many rains), the township produces a hundred bushels of grain per acre.
In 1910 the township had a population of nine hundred and fifty-one, somewhat of a decrease from the census of 1900. The schools and churches are mentioned in the chapters on such subjects. There are no towns and villages within Wabash township. Much of the trading is done at Owensville.
O.M. Welborn
BIOGRAPHICAL
HON .. OSCAR M. WELBORN.
In the largest and best sense of the term, Judge Oscar M. Welborn is distinctively one of the notable men of his day and generation, and as such his life record is entitled to a conspicuous place in the annals of his county and state. As a citizen he has been public-spirited and enterprising. As a friend and neighbor he has combined the qualities of head and heart that have won confidence and commanded respect. As an attorney who has a compre- hensive grasp upon the philosophy of jurisprudence he is easily the peer of his professional brethren of the Indiana bar, while as a judge of the circuit court he discharged his duties with signal ability, conscientious care and in such a manner as to win the universal commendation of all who had business in his court. It is scarcely less than supererogation in outlining the leading facts in his life to refer to him as a lawyer in the ordinary phraseology which meets requirement when dealing with the average member of the legal pro- fession. He has indeed been much more than eminently successful in his legal career, as indicated by his splendid record at the bar and his long reten- tion on the bench of his judicial circuit. He is a master of his profession, a leader among men distinguished for the high order of their legal ability and his eminent attainments and ripe judgment make him an authority in all mat- ters involving a sound knowledge of jurisprudence, achieving success in the courts at an age when most young men are just entering upon the formative period of their lives. Wearing the judicial ermine with becoming dignity and bringing to every case submitted to him a clearness of perception and ready power of analysis characteristic of the learned jurist, his name and work for years earned him recognition as one of the distinguished citizens in a com- munity noted for the high order of its talent.
Oscar M. Welborn is the fourth son of Samuel Parsons and Mary (Waters) Welborn and was born and reared on a farm near Owensville, Indiana. In close touch with nature and amid the bracing air and whole-
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some influence of a rural life, the future lawyer and jurist spent his youth and young manhood. His early experience on the farm tended to develop a healthful physique, and while engaged in the labor of the fields he learned to place a correct value upon honest toil, besides laying broad and deep the foundation for his future course of action. He received his elementary edu- cation in the public schools of Owensville and Princeton, and then, having decided to make the practice of law his life work, he took the law course at the University of Ohio. After completing his legal studies, Mr. Welborn returned to Princeton and at once entered upon the active practice of his pro- fession, in which he rapidly forged to the front and early earned recognition as a capable lawyer. Though he efficiently discharged the duties of some minor official positions, Judge Welborn's public career really began when, on March 15, 1873, Governor Thomas A. Hendricks appointed him judge of the eleventh judicial circuit to fill a vacancy created by the abolishment of the court of common pleas. Judge Welborn came to the bench well qualified for his exacting duties and responsibilities, and from the beginning his judicial career was characterized by such a profound knowledge of the law and an earnest and conscientious desire to apply it impartially that he was not long in gaining the respect and confidence of the attorneys and litigants and earning for himself an honorable reputation among the leading jurists of the state. From the first his labors were very arduous, as many important cases were tried in his court, not a few coming before him by change of venue, in addition to which he was also frequently called to other districts to sit on cases in which large interests were involved. So far as known, his rulings in all cases were eminently satisfactory and impartial and his decisions so in ac- cordance with law and practice that everybody interested was thoroughly satisfied with his course. As a judge he more than met the expectations of his friends and the public and so discharged the duties of the office as to receive the hearty approval and warm commendation of the bar in his own and other circuits without regard to party. He brought to the bench the dignity becoming a high position, and in the line of duty was industrious, careful and singularly painstaking. which, combined with his sterling hon- esty and fearlessness of purpose, made him one of the most popular and efficient men ever called to preside over the court in this circuit. It is but just to say, and greatly to his credit, that no political prejudice or party zeal was ever allowed to deflect his mind from its own convictions, and while dis- charging his official functions personal ties and friendships, as well as his own interests and opinions, were lost sight of in his conscientious efforts to
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GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
render equal and exact justice to those whose affairs were adjudicated in his court. His opinions and decisions were always lucid, unstrained and vigor- ous, his statements full and comprehensive, and his analysis and interpreta- tion of the law logical and complete. That Judge Welborn's course on the bench met with the full approval of his constituents was attested by the fact that he was re-elected to succeed himself time and again until he was finally compelled to decline election to this office, thus serving a period of thirty-six years and seven months, a record without parallel in the state of Indiana, and probably in the United States. The eleventh judicial circuit over which Judge Welborn presided for so long a period was originally organized in 1873, and was composed of the counties of Gibson, Dubois and Pike. The Legislature of 1895 changed the circuit, which after that year was made up of the counties of Gibson and Posey, which formed the eleventh judicial cir- suit, after the retirement of Judge Welborn and until 1913.
At a meeting of the bar of the circuit court of Pike county, hield on April 5, 1895, the meeting having been called to take leave of its long-time judge, who had been assigned to the new circuit, the following memorial was unanimously adopted and ordered spread of record on the order book of that court :
"The members of the bar of Pike county who have long cherished an affectionate respect for the Honorable Oscar M. Welborn, who has been the judge of this court since May, 1873, desire to bear testimony to his great learning, legal acumen and probity as judge. While enforcing obedience, he has yet been merciful to the transgressor and sought his reformation, and in the decision of controversies between individuals he has been painstaking in the highest degree and his decisions have been learned, impartial and accur- ate far beyond the usual incumbent of the judicial office. To the members of the bar, especially those beginning the practice, he has been instructor and advisor and helped with his ready learning to solve difficulties and intricacies else insurmountable and while dispensing inflexible justice. has been genial and kindly.
"Therefore, in testimony of his courtesy and kindness as well as his labor and learning, we express in this manner our deep regret at the sunder- ing of existing relations and hope that his future associations will be as pleasant as the past and as profitable to the new jurisdiction he assumes."
On the conclusion of his long and faithful service as jurist. and by way of commemorating his retirement from the bench. the members of the Prince-
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GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ton bar arranged a reception and banquet complimentary to Judge Welborn, and which was held at the Masonic Temple at Princeton on the evening of October 8, 1909. Between fifty and sixty members of the Vincennes, Peters- burg, Evansville and Mount Vernon bar associations were present and par- ticipated in the exercises of the evening. On this occasion Thomas R. Pax- ton, who was toastmaster, said in part :
"This is the first and only time when the bar of Gibson county has given a dinner in honor of one of its members- the occasion is unique and re- markable. This dinner calls attention to, and celebrates, the unique and re- markable record of a Gibson county lawyer who was appointed as judge by Governor Thomas A. Hendricks in 1873.
"Since his appointment, continuously to the present time, this Gibson county lawyer has faithfully discharged the numerous and onerous duties of a judge of the circuit court with signal ability, and with conscientious care, and with unflagging diligence, and with great learning and legal acumen, and with good, sound judgment, and without fear, and without favor. For thirty-six years he has worn the judicial robes with grace and dignity; and moreover, gentlemen, he has kept the judicial ermine clean, unsoiled and un- tarnished.
"His term of service exceeds by two years that of the great John Mar- shall, as chief justice of the supreme court of the United States. Truly it is a remarkable record; it is also a very honorable record, one that a young man may laudably covet and strive to attain. Seldom is a man permitted to devote so many years to honorable public service. The influences of such a life are far-reaching and abiding; they roll from soul to soul, and still go on forever. 'Progress in society and civilization is due in large measure to such good influences. We cannot overestimate the value of our inheritance from the past, from the noble, the great and the true, who still rule us from their arms.'
"The city of Princeton is proud that one of its citizens has attained such distinction. For nothing confers such honor and glory upon a city as high- minded, noble men. And the Gibson county bar is proud that the reputation of one of its members as a learned and just judge extends far and wide."
A number of letters of regret were received from prominent members of the southern Indiana bar, who were not able to be present on this occa- sion, and from which the following excerpts relative to the life and character of Judge Welborn are quoted :
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GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
Alexander Gilchrist, of Evansville: "It would be a high privilege to join with my brethren of the Gibson county bar in this testimonial to Judge Welborn, who for more than a generation has been a good judge, a great judge, a fearless judge. A potent force for righteousness. Lawbreakers will now breathe more freely, but all good men must deplore the ending of his noble judicial career."
E. B. Richardson, of Petersburg: "He has been an honor to the dis- tricts in which he has presided as judge, and he retires from his long services with a record of ability and faithfulness that will last for all time."
Arthur H. Taylor, of Petersburg: "Let me assure you that I think it fitting upon Judge Welborn's retirement from his high office that this public recognition of his services to the bench and bar of this circuit be shown in the manner contemplated. I have had the honor of many years' practice in his courts and ever found him large-minded, unselfish, just and, above all, the honest, fearless arbitrator. He worthily upheld the dignity and admin- istered the high trust reposed in him with justness and impartiality. In the performance of his duties he proceeded along lines, as I have heard himself express, 'That there were no small cases. Every trial is a contest between principles, which has for its object the discovery of truth and the adminis- tration of justice,' and I know that the love of justice is the strongest element in this character of exceptional symmetry and strength. The example of his career may well be taken as a model by those who follow him in the high office he so long and worthily held."
From the many newspaper comments at the time, the following lines are quoted :
The New Harmony Times, Friday, March 8, 1907: "Judge Welborn's occupancy of the bench has been long and honorable, and it is a career whose history if written would reflect a tireless industry and an intensely earnest desire to uphold the majesty of the law and administer without fear or favor the justice that an enlightened people demand.
"The period that Judge Welborn has served the people of this judicial district has been crowded with official duties which would have tried the endurance of men less resolute. During his career he has been called upon to preside over cases when a right or wrong decision meant a step forward or a march to the rear; he has sat upon the bench when his personal safety was a matter of deep concern to his friends, yet through the years that marked his judicial course his purpose to mete out justice as his trained and educated mind divined it has never faltered and his occupancy of the bench
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has left the people that he served a rich heritage in decisions rightfully given; decisions that have stood for all that was good and clean and uplifting."
The Louisville Courier-Journal, October, 1909: "In the speeches made at the banquet frequent references were made to Judge Welborn as an 'able and just judge' and as a 'model citizen.' It may well be believed that he was worthy of such high tributes. Few judges, subject to popular favor, which is often uncertain and shifting, are able to win election after election and to continue in service with the unimpaired confidence of the bar and their con- stituents for a period of thirty-six years. In that length of time a circuit judge tries thousands of actions at law and passes sentence in thousands of criminal prosecutions. It is a position where a man in the fulfillment of his duties necessarily must make enemies. Litigants often are bitter in their prejudices and disposed to resent decisions unfavorable to their contentions. Men convicted of criminal offenses have no 'good opinion of the law,' and no great love for the court officers charged with the law's execution.
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