USA > Indiana > Howard County > History of Howard County, Indiana, Vol I > Part 25
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and after a silence for a time so impressive, after the spirituality of their worship is considered, one of their speakers arose and made a short and impressive address. The ceremony of shaking hands took place and the assemblage dispersed. A majority of the citi- zens of this town will support Mr. Van Buren for President, and I was greatly amused during my visit to see Whigs and Democrats making common cause in argument against the supporters of Mr. Van Buren. I, being a Cass Democrat, and the union being so much unlike anything I had ever seen before, I took very little part in politics during my visit. I was pleased to learn that the Cass men would stand firm, Mr. Van Buren's nomination to the contrary, notwithstanding. In this place there is already a division of the Sons of Temperance, and a Masonic lodge."
TRADING CENTERS.
Burlington, on the west, was a trading point sustaining large commercial relations with New London, and thus Howard county. Logansport, Lafayette and Cincinnati were trading centers for the population of the county also. New London became an important live stock market.
In December, 1848, the Pioneer admonishes merchants of Cin- cinnati, Madison, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Delphi, Logansport and Peru that it was to their interest to advertise in the columns of the Pioneer to extend their trade. E. M. Weaver, of Lafayette, be- came a continuous and heavy advertiser.
Richard and Zimri Nixon were pioneer merchants in New London. Hubbard & Moss operated a cabinet ware room. Thomas Lightfoot and Clinton Gray conducted a gun and blacksmith shop. William Gifford devoted his efforts to blacksmithing. J. Lamb & Thompson having completed their large and spacious store room,
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
advertised a large stock of summer goods, expressly for the mar- ket, and stated that they desired to buy one hundred head of year- lings and two year old cattle, for which part goods and part cash would be paid. At the "Old Stand," the Nixons advertised that they had every article to be found in a country store, all of which they were selling low for cash and country produce. A. C. Black & Company, conducting a boot and shoe shop, informed the public : "We will try to accomodate, both in working our own leather, or working the leather of our customers. We expect to keep a small lot of shoes and boots on hand the coming fall, which we intend to sell cheap for cash." T. J. Faulkner, a leading citizen, became the successor of Barritt & Company, a firm which comprised J. J. Barritt, C. O. Fry and Patrick Costlow. Merchant & Blackburn were merchant tailors, but later. J. B. Merchant bought out his partner, T. Blackburn. Peak & Schooley did cabinet work. The Cincinnati store at E. Whitson's old stand entered the market for four hundred deer skins, and one thousand fur skins, one thousand bushels of wheat, four hundred pounds of butter, four hundred pounds of flax seed and two hundred dozen of eggs. This establish- ment was conducted by H. G. Robertson & Company. Rees & Com- pany were owners of the Philadelphia store opposite the Black Horse tavern. A. S. Ellis was also a merchant tailor. J. W. Jefferies owned the Farmers' store. L. Brackney opened a black- smith shop after the death of William Gifford. There was quite a commercial stir in New London when a market was opened in the town and advertisement made for five thousand bushels of ashes, field or house ashes, at five cents a pound, which were to be utilized in an ashery. Lindley & Whin sold stoves, tin ware and stone ware. In 1849 Rees & Company paid seventy-five cents a bushel for wheat.
Moses Cromwell affected a competition by starting a store at his grist and saw mill, established upon the Wild Cat creek, midway
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between Kokomo and New London. Cromwell was a character- istic Kentuckian, and figures interestingly in the pioneer history of New London and the early courts of the county. In the milling enterprise he had associated with him his brother, James Cromwell. Finally Adam Harvey, a pioneer blacksmith of the county, estab- lished a shop at the Cromwell mill. Harvey had driven through from Ohio with an ox team, which he later traded to a resident of Eastern Howard for his blacksmith tools.
In June, 1849, the London hotel was opened in New London at the corner of Mill and Church streets by E. Whitson, a landlord described as possessing suavity of manner, courtesy, hospitality, being jolly and also good-looking. His stables were large and well filled with hay, oats and corn, while his house was airy and well furnished with everything to make the traveler feel at home, and his table furnished forth with everything necessary to make glad the heart of man. What was known as the Black Horse tavern in the early days of New London was conducted by James Harbett.
The Friends in New London in the early history of the village exerted a leading influence in religious, educational and intellectual affairs. The "meeting house" was the chief center of public life. This structure in its day was one of the most notable buildings in the county. It was large and commodious, and constructed with special reference to the demands of the worshipers of that religion. The edifice was provided with a curtain partition by means of which the men and women could hold their separate meetings in absolute secrecy. When religious services were in progress the men sat upon one side of the church, wearing their hats, and the women occupied the other side of the church, wearing their bonnets. When prayer was offered the congregation arose, but remained covered and turned their backs upon the preacher. The latter never re- ceived a salary, but if he needed aught, was always cared for by his
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parishioners. The Friends of New London in an early day dressed in the William Penn style, the men conspicuous with their broad brimmed hats and collarless coats. Upon the occasion of the mid- week meeting, invariably held at II o'clock each Wednesday morn- ing, the housewife laid aside the dish pan and the man quit the harvest field to go to devotions, which lasted an hour.
Consequent upon its religious life, and its advanced stand upon moral and intellectual matters, New London was a storm center of the slavery question. The Pioneer, an able paper, published in this promising village, stood square-toed for the free soil principles. It was edited by an able, courageous and well educated man, who made the influence of his paper widely felt.
With the Friend the fugitive slave law was an "ungodly law," He felt that he was under no moral obligation to enforce it, or as- sist in its execution. In fact, he felt that his religious duty was to oppose it, might and main, so long as he did not fall within its toils.
EXPERIENCE OF THOMAS RICH.
A case typical of the feelings of the Friends of New London is presented in the experience of Thomas Rich, father of Levi P. Rich, former councilman of Kokomo. Mr. Rich, the older, lived east of New London, and on his way to church one Sunday morn- ing in October, 1856, passed the home of Thomas Roberts, a well known colored man of New London, and received certain mysterious signs which he well understood. He directed his family and hired man to proceed to church, and himself remained behind to learn of the negro what he wanted. He explained that he had seven run-away slaves upon his hands and he was at a loss to know what to do with them. Mr. Rich told him to care for them care- fully, and to discreetly let it be known that he purposed to con- duct them to the Deer creek settlement, presumably in Ervin town-
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ship. The negro settlement in that locality was known by that name at that time. However, it was secretly arranged that while Roberts was upon his way to the Howard county settlement, he should switch off from the usual route and approach the residence of Mr. Rich with his fugitives, which he did.
Mr. Rich had informed his son, Levi, and hired man, to have his team hitched up by 8 o'clock, with everything in good condition, the curtain covering of the wagon tightly drawn and the sideboards on, as well as the wagon bed well filled with straw. All this was accomplished, the seven men secreted in the straw, and, by night, Mr. Rich, the elder, drove the fugitives through to Deer creek, Grant county. Later slave owners in hunt of the escaped negroes, made their appearance in New London and were guided to the Deer creek settlement in Howard county and everybody there was hon- estly in ignorance of the slaves they were seeking, and finally the slave hunters gave up the contest, little suspecting the actual truth.
With the history of Central Indiana there was not a more active and intelligently conducted under ground railroad station than that which was to be found at New London.
It was in 1871 that Mr. Rich, walking upon the streets of Ft. Wayne as a stranger, was approached by a negro, with a grin spreading from ear to ear. Mr. Rich was always abrupt and to the point and in response to repeated inquiries from the colored man it developed that the negro talking to him was one of the seven "darkies" that Rich had hauled into Grant county. The negro told him that all seven had made their way to Canada, where they re- mained until the outbreak of the Civil war, when five of their num- ber shouldered arms against their old masters.
EXCITING TIMES.
One of the most exciting times in the political history of New London was when Kentucky slave owners attempted the arrest of a
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
colored woman and her two children. A few years before the woman had been a slave in Kentucky, but, coming to New London, children had been born to her. By the law, the children were slaves, as well as herself. After several years' absence from slavery in Kentucky the owners of the woman came after her, claiming her children. The demand presented in New London awakened the wildest excitement, and roused to a pitch of fury the abolitionist sentiment which was then in the ascendency.
The negro woman and her children were arrested and brought before a civil magistrate. The underground railway clans were in readiness for aught which consummated their undertakings. One of the children escaped by changing clothes with another colored child, and while the mother was attempting to cross the creek upon a foot log she was seized upon by Moses Cromwell, a radical Ken- tuckian and pro-slavery man, and a well known pioneer of the county. While he pulled upon one side of the slave. Richard Nixon, the typical Friend of the village, tugged away at the other arm. Cromwell was raw-boned, athletic and noted as a scrapper, but the eyes of the "Quaker" flashed and he dared Cromwell to walk over to his side of the log. Finally Cromwell desisted and gave up the negro woman to Nixon's grasp, and went away. The jus- tice of the peace, before whom was the case for the recovery of the woman and children, said that under the law, although an opponent of slavery himself and a hater of it, he was powerless. He set the trial for a future date, and in the meantime the entire colored family was spirited away to Canada.
It was natural that the Free Soil principles should have an as- cendancy in New London, but it was some time before they tri- umphed completely.
The columns of the Pioneer, the free soil paper of the county, abounded in the campaign designations of the time. Loco Foco,
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and Barn Burners were repeatedly used as terms designating the political peculiarities of the day.
In November, 1848, the result of the elections in Howard county were announced in the columns of the Pioneer. They were as follows: Cass, 355, Taylor, 275, Van Buren, 152.
In 1849 the campaign in the county waxed hot. For the legislature Thomas S. Shepard, a notable pioneer, was the nominee of the Democrats, while C. D. Murray, espoused the cause of the Whigs. Each candidate was at great pains to explain precisely to the electorate his position upon the "burning issue of the hour," the slave question.
Joseph E. MeDonald was a candidate for congress the next year and spoke in New London in July, 1849. A state election was held in that year upon the first Monday in August.
New London at that time was operating under an apprentice law of the state, which bore not a few analogies to bondage. A curious advertisement is preserved in the columns of the Pioneer of July 4, 1849 :
"ONE CENT REWARD."
"Ran away-from the subscriber, living about two miles east of Burlington, in Howard county, Indiana. a bound girl, by the name of Margaret Blaney. Said Margaret left my residence on the 9th of June, without any due cause or provocation ; she is about fourteen years of age, of rather dark complexion, and dark colored hair. I hereby offer the above reward-with no thanks-to any person returning her to me; and also forewarn all persons from trusting, or harboring her, or incurring any expense whatever by her, on my account, for I will not be accountable to any. June 13, 1849. Absolom Hollingsworth."
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
The first paper printed in Howard county was "The Pioneer", published at New London, Wednesday of each week. Dr. Moses R. Wickersham was editor and founder of the publication, which had its office in the Haworth building. The name of Pioneer was an appropriate one.
The Pioneer, first in the newspaper field, consisted of four pages, five columns to the page, with a very attractive and tasteful dress, the type being of a size suitable for readers of all ages. The paper was well printed, and copies in existence sixty years after the date of the establishment of the Pioneer look as bright and fresh as if just from the press.
With the sixteenth issue R. A. Mills and A. Wickersham be- came the printers of the paper which maintained the excellence of its typographical appearance. The subscription of the Pioneer was one dollar and fifty cents a year in advance. Its advertising rate was seventy-five cents a square, twelve lines to the square, for a single insertion, a discount being given for three insertions. the rate for which was one dollar, twenty cents being added for each subsequent insertion. No advertisement less than a square was con- sidered.
The Pioneer had now become ambitious for foreign subscribers and in January, 1849, announces V. B. Palmer as the authorized agent of the publication for the cities of New York, Philadelphia and Boston.
So far as known the first issue of the Pioneer is not now in existence. The third paper printed was July 26, 1848. In this number Dr. Wickersham issues his prospectus, which no doubt, in the hurry of issuing the preceeding numbers of the paper, he had not had leisure to prepare. Editor Wickersham announced to his readers that, "The publication of the Pioneer was commenced without a single subscriber, confidently believing that a liberal and discern-
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ing public would sustain us in the enterprise. We now have posi- tive assurances that we were not mistaken. Already our list has run up into the hundreds and daily increasing. All parties have taken a lively interest in sustaining a paper published in their own county, for which they have our hearty thanks. Our only ambition is to furnish a good, moral, family newspaper, such as all may re- ceive into their families without a fear of finding anything in its columns that will have the slighest tendency to inculcate into the minds of the young sentiments of immoral tendency. All the selec- tions will be made from exchanges occupying a high moral posi- tion in society, having for their object the improvement of the mind, together with a summary of all the news of the day."
Editor Wickersham was true to his promise. A finely ed- ucated man for his day, and a constant reader, his literary taste was discriminating and nice. The third issue of the Pioneer con- tains articles relative to "Cruelty to Animals," "Children Should be Kind," "Power of Mother's Name," "A Boy Adopted by a Wolf," "Temperance," "He Has Enemies," "Speak no Ill." A serial story is started, taken from the Connecticut Fountain, written by Mason Hodges, and entitled, "A Tale of Our Village." By S. C. Merri- gate. Chapter I-The Cotter's Saturday night. Chapter II-The Grog Seller's Saturday night. Each issue of the Pioneer invari- ably contained one or two poems.
Before the fifties information of the leading news events of Europe was brought by steamers arriving from foreign ports. The Pioneer of July 26, 1848, contains a clipping from the Cincinnati Gazette. It details the arrival of the steamship Niagara. There had been a terrible conflict in Paris with a terrific loss of life. The Lombard army in Austria had been defeated. The Chartist move- ment had started in Spain and there were revolutionary movements in Ireland. The foreign service of the Pioneer was complete and regular.
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
"Three thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven emigrants ar- lines. There was no publication of bloody crimes and the details of the evil things of life, nor did the charge lie against editor Wick- ersham that he prompted by suggestion the consummation of the deeds published. His news service was careful, and even a casualty was dismissed with a few lines of which the following excerpt is a good example. Sad Casualty-A young man by the name of Miller, near Rossville, Clinton county, Indiana, was thrown from his horse last Sunday and died in a few hours.
"Pure cold water has been obtained at Charleston, South Carolina, at the depth of sixty feet from the surface by means of an artesian well.
Three thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven emigrants ar- rived in New York in one day from Europe. They are of the better class, many of them having considerable property, which is in specie."
Editor Wickersham had his share of troubles. In the fourth issue of his paper he states that, "From the crowd of business last week, we were unable to get the Pioneer out. Having taken a fresh start we shall try to issue the paper regularly hence forward." Imagine an explanation of this character in a metropolitan daily. The readers are also told in this issue that, "The editor left home for the Buffalo convention on Wednesday of last week, hence the scarcity of editorial matter in this week's issue."
But editor Wickersham was not justly to be held to an account too strict. His subscriptions were not all in cash. He had said in his paper, "For the accommodation of farmers we will take all kinds of produce that will command a market either here or abroad."
The Pioneer was established to promulgate the Free Soil prin- ciples. The fourth issue contained a lengthy report of the state con- vention at Indianapolis, and the fifth issue was delayed beyond its
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usual day of publication to present the proceedings of the Buffalo convention, spoken of as a "great movement of the people." Editor Wickersham explains that, "Its length excludes much matter that was designed for this paper, but knowing the anxiety of our readers to see the action of the convention, we thought proper to delay the publication of the paper until the whole could be placed before the public. If we find space we may publish some of the speeches hereafter."
The result of the elections throughout the state also appear in this issue. In the fourth number of the Pioneer, the readers had been told. "We have not yet received the official returns of the election, but learn, however, that Blakemore, the Whig candidate for representative of Cass and Howard counties, is elected by twenty- nine majority. The Whig ticket is full in Cass and the Whig ticket in Howard, with the exception of assessor, is elected. In Clinton, we learn J. Hill, Democrat, is elected representative. Report says the Free Soil candidate received more than one hundred votes."
THE FREE SOIL SUPPORTERS.
The Free Soil supporters began a vigorous campaign. The Free Soil central committee, comprising John Thompson, I. R. Pheanas, John M. Henderson and Josiah Lamb, called a meeting of free territory friends at New London, Monday morning at 10 o'clock, August 28, 1848, to ratify the nominations of the Buffalo conven- tion. Judge J. W. Wright, of Logansport, and Samuel A. Huff, of Lafayette, were the principal speakers.
In the issue of August 30, 1848, editor Wickersham announces a change in the conduct of the Pioneer, prompted by the political campaign, then pending. Editorially the Pioneer said: "The Pioneer being the only paper published in Howard county and as
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
many of our Democratic and Whig friends gave us efficient aid in our rather hazardous enterprise, we must cordially open the columns of the little sheet to them for the advocacy of the claims of their respective candidates for the presidency and vice-presidency. For this purpose we will set aside a liberal portion of the paper, freely giving them exclusive control over their several departments, re- serving the right to exclude any matter of a personal or scurrulous character. We do not however, apprehend the least difficulty on that score, knowing both the gentlemen to be men who would dis- dain to stoop to a conflict of that kind. C. D. Murray, Esq., of Ko- komo, will speak in behalf of the Whig party and will advocate the claims of General Z. Taylor and M. Fillmore.
"Dr. J. J. Barritt, of New London, will advocate the election of Gen. L. Cass and WV. O. Butler. Politically the Pioneer will no longer occupy a negative position. The editor will hereafter pre- sent and earnestly advocate the claims of Martin Van Buren, of New York, and Charles Francis Adams, of Massachusetts, for the offices of President and Vice-President of the United States. How- ever humble our efforts may be in the conflict we know our duty and will dare to do it."
In separate columns of the same paper thereafter the claims of the three contending political parties were presented. That the plan did not work without friction is evident in the eighth issue of the Pioneer. The complaint is made that, " Colonel C. D. Murray has occupied a large portion or today's paper, rather more, per- haps, than he will claim in the future. Dr. J. J. Barritt has not oc- cupied full share in consequence of it."
The Whig editor of the Pioneer added spice to the political contest by objecting to the speech of a colored gentleman, delivered at Kokomo, the week before upon slavery. The Whig editor de- clared that when the colored speaker departed from a legitimate
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discussion of the condition of his people in slavery and took upon himself the office of a Van Buren elector, and told the free, white people of the state how to vote, the Whig editor is in the objective.
In the issue of Saturday, September 30, 1848, the swords of the opposing editors strike fire. The Pioneer during September and October appeared upon Saturday, instead of Wednesday. It was impossible that the three editors, in the same paper, should discuss such exciting issues without a clash, which was inevitable and which came.
The issue of Wednesday, November 15, 1848, announced that ยท the election was over and that from reports Brigadier General Taylor had been elected President.
From this time on editor Wickersham is in sole editorial con- trol of the paper. In December, 1848, the editor starts a "Youth's Department" with success, which consists of enigmas, short original articles, selections and scientific questions.
In the issue of the Pioneer of the date of January 3. 1849, there is printed in the lead column of the first page the counting house almanac for the year 1849, and in the second column a poem on the new year.
The issue of January 17, 1849, shows that the advertising habit had been acquired by the public, page three of this issue being almost solid nonpareil advertisement.
The issue of Wednesday, June 6, 1849, contains a detailed re- port of the Howard county Democratic convention, of which Dr. J. H. Kern, of Alto, father of Hon. John W. Kern, now of Indian- apolis, was president. This issue also enumerates seven deadly sins, which are: Refusing to take a newspaper. Taking a newspaper and refusing to pay for it. Not advertising. Getting married with- out sending in the wedding cake. Making the printing office a loafing place. Reading manuscripts in the hands of the compos-
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
itor. Sending an abusive and threatening letter to the editor. For the first and second offenses the editor declared that he extended no absolution. The fourth he said was unpardonable. For the balance dispensation could only be received by an especial bull from the ag- grieved party.
Wednesday, May 30, 1849, the Pioneer nails to its mast head, "Independent in All Things, Neutral in Nothing."
Wednesday, July 4, 1849, the Pioneer opens its columns "to all parties in politics until after the election."
In this month the common school question began to absorb the chief interest of the residents of Howard county and editor Wickersham devoted the larger part of his issue of July 18, 1849, to a publication of the provisions of the new school law.
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