USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnston County, Indiana. From the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 21
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to the manufacture of wagons and farm implements; and again the old poliey of hiring the eonviets was resorted to; for in the latter year, 1871, the Southwestern Car Company was organized, and every prisoner capable of taking a part in the work of ear-building was leased out. This did very well until the panie of 1873, when the company suffered irretrievable losses; and previous to its final down-fall in 1876 the warden withdrew convict labor a second time, leaving the prisoners to enjoy a luxurious idleness around the prison which themselves helped to raise.
In later years the State Prison South has gained some notoriety from the desperate eliaraeter of some of its inmates. During the eivil war a eonviet named Harding mutilated in a most horrible manner and ultimately killed one of the jailors named Tesley. In 1874, two prisoners named Kennedy and Applegate, possessing themselves of some arms, and joined by two other convicts named Port and Stanley, made a break for freedom, swept past the guard, Chamberlain, and gained the fields. Chamberlain went in pursuit but had not gone very far when Kennedy turned on his pursuer, fired and killed him instantly. Subsequently three of the prisoners were captured alive and one of them paid the penalty of death, while Kennedy, the murderer of Chamberlain, failing committal for inurder, was sent back to his old eell to spend the remainder of his life. Bill Rodifer, better known as "The Hoosier Jaek Sheppard," effeeted his eseape in 1875, in the very presenee of a large guard, but was recaptured and has sinee been kept in irons.
This establishment, owing to former mismanagement, has fallen very muel behind, finaneially, and has asked for and received an appropriation of $20,000 to meet its expenses, while the contrary is the ease at the Michigan City prison.
THE STATE PRISON NORTH.
In 1859 the first steps toward the ereetion of a prison in the northern part of the State were taken, and by an aet of the Legis- lature approved March 5, this year, authority was given to eonstrnet prison buildings at some point north of the National road. For this purpose $50,000 were appropriated, and a large number of conviets from the Jeffersonville prison were transported northward to Michigan City, which was just selected as the location for the new penitentiary. The work was soon entered upon, and continued to meet with additions and improvements down to a very recent period. So late as 1875 the Legislature appropriated $20,000
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toward the construction of new cells, and in other directions also the work of improvement has been going on. The system of government and discipline is similar to that enforced at the Jeffer- sonville prison; and, strange to say, by its economical working has not only met the expenses of the administration, but very recently had amassed over $11,000 in excess of current expenses, from its annual savings. This is due almost entirely to the continnal employment of the convicts in the manufacture of cigars and chairs, and in their great prison industry, cooperage. It differs widely from the Southern, insomuch as its sanitary condition has been above the average of similar institutions. The strictness of its silent system is better enforced. The petty revolutions of its inmates have been very few and insignificant, and the number of punishments inflicted comparatively small. From whatever point this northern prison may be looked at, it will bear a very favorable comparison with the largest and best administered of like establish- ments throughout the world, and cannot fail to bring high credit to its Board of Directors and its able warden.
FEMALE PRISON AND REFORMATORY.
The prison reform agitation which in this State attained telling proportions in 1869, caused a Legislative measure to be brought forward, which would have a tendency to ameliorate the condition of female convicts. Gov. Baker recommended it to the General Assembly, and the members of that body showed their appreciation of the Governor's philanthropie desire by conferring upon the bill the authority of a statute; and further, appropriated $50,000 to aid in carrying out the objects of the act. The main provisions con- tained in the bill may be set forth in the following extracts from the proclamation of the Governor:
" Whenever said institution shall have been proclaimed to be open for the reception of girls in the reformatory department thereof, it shall be lawful for said Board of Managers to receive them into their eare and management, and the said reformatory department, girls under the age of 15 years who may be committed to their custody, in either of the following modes, to-wit:
"1. When committed by any judge of a Circuit or Common Pleas Court, either in term time or in vacation, on complaint and due proof by the parent or guardian that by reason of hier incorrig- ible or vieions condnet she has rendered her control beyond the power of such parent or guardian, and made it manifestly requisite
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that from regard to the future welfare of such infant. and for the protection of society, she should be placed under such guardianship.
"2. When such infant lias been committed by such judge, as aforesaid, upon complaint by any eitizen, and due proof of such complaint that such infant is a proper subject of the guardianship of such institution in consequence of her vagrancy or incorrigible or vicious conduct, and that from the moral depravity or other- wise of hier parent or guardian in whose custody she may be, such parent or guardian is incapable or unwilling to exercise the proper care or discipline over such incorrigible or vicious infant.
"3. When such infant has been committed by such judge as aforesaid, on complaint and due proof thereof by the township trustee of the township where such infant resides, that such infant is destitute of a suitable home and of adequate means of obtaining an honest living, or that she is in danger of being brought up to lead an idle and immoral life."
In addition to these articles of the bill, a formal section of instruction to the wardens of State prisons was embodied in the act, causing such wardens to report the number of all the female convicts under their charge and prepare to have them transferred to the female reformatory immediately after it was declared to be ready for their reception. After the passage of the act the Governor appointed a Board of Managers, and these gentlemen, securing the services of Isaac Hodgson, caused him to draft a plan of the proposed institution, and further, on his recommendation, asked the people for an appropriation of another $50.000, which the Legislature granted in February, 1873. The work of construc- tion was then entered upon and carried out so steadily, that on the 6th of September, 1873, the building was declared ready for the reception of its future inmates. Gov. Baker lost no time in proclaiming this fact, and October 4 he caused the wardens of the State prisons to be instructed to transfer all the female convicts in their custody to the new institution which may be said to rest on the advanced intelligence of the age. It is now called the " Indiana Reformatory Institution for Women and Girls."
This building is located immediately north of the deaf and dumb asylum, near the arsenal, at Indianapolis. It is a three- story briek structure in the French style, and shows a frontage of 174 feet, comprising a main building, with lateral and transverse wings. In front of the central portion is the residenee of the superintendent and his associate reformatory officers, while in the
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rear is the engine honse, with all the ways and means for heating the buildings. Enlargements, additions and improvements are still in progress. There is also a school and library in the main building, which are sources of vast good.
October 31, 1879, there were 66 conviets in the " penal " depart- ment and 147 in the "girls' reformatory " department. The "ticket-of-leave " system has been adopted, with entire satisfaction, and the conduet of the institution appears to be up with the times.
INDIANA HOUSE OF REFUGE.
In 1867 the Legislature appropriated $50.000 to aid in the formation of an institution to be entitled a house for the correction and reformation of juvenile defenders, and vested with full powers in a Board of Control, the members of which were to be appointed by the Governor, and with the advice and consent of the Senate. This Board assembled at the Governor's house at Indianapolis, April 3, 1867, and elected Charles F. Coffin, as president, and visited Chicago, so that a visit to the reform school there might lead to a fuller knowledge and guide their future proceedings. The House of Refuge at Cincinnati, and the Ohio State Reform school were also visited with this design; and after full consider- ation of the varied governments of these institutions, the Board resolved to adopt the method known as the "family " system, which divides the inmates into fraternal bodies, or small elasses, each elass having a separate honse, house father and family offices, -all under the control of a general superintendent. The system being adopted, the question of a suitable location next presented itself, and proximity to a large eity being considered rather detrimental to the welfare of such an institution, Gov. Baker selected the site three-fourths of a mile south of Plainfield, and about fourteen miles from Indianapolis, which, in view of its eligibility and convenience, was fully eoncnrred in by the Board of Control. Therefore, a farm of 225 acres, elaiming a fertile soil and a most picturesque situation, and possessing streams of running water, was purchased, and on a plateau in its center a site for the proposed house of refuge was fixed.
The next movement was to decide upon a plan, which ultimately met the approval of the Governor. It favored the erection of one principal building, one house for a reading-room and hospital, two large mechanical shops and eight family houses. Jannary 1, 1868
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three family houses and work-shop were completed; in 1869 the main building, and one additional family house were added; but previous to this, in August, 1867, a Mr. Frank P. Ainsworth and his wife were appointed by the Board, superintendent and matron respectively, and temporary quarters placed at their disposal. In 1869 they of course removed to the new building. This is 64 by 128 fect, and three stories high. In its basement are kitchen, laundry and vegetable cellar. The first floor is devoted to offices, visitors' room, house father and family dining-room and store- rooms. The general superintendent's private apartments, private offices and five dormitories for officers occupy the second floor; while the third floor is given up to the assistant superintendent's apartment, library, chapel and hospital.
The family houses are similar in style, forming rectangular build- ings 36 by 58 feet. The basement of each contains a furnace room, a store-room and a large wash-room, which is converted into a play-room during inclement weather. On the first floor of each of these buildings are two rooms for the house father and his family, and a school-room, which is also convertible into a sitting- room for the boys. On the third floor is a family dormitory, a clothes-room and a room for the " elder brother," who ranks next to the house father. And since the reception of the first boy, from Hendricks county, January 23, 1868, the house plan has proved equally convenient, even as the management has proved efficient.
Other buildings have since been erected.
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THE LOG CABIN.
After arriving and selecting a suitable location, the next thing to do was to build a log cabin, a description of which may be in- teresting to many of our younger readers, as in some sections these old-time structures are no more to be seen. Trees of uniform size were chosen and eut into logs of the desired length, generally 12 to 15 feet, and hauled to the spot selected for the future dwelling. On an appointed day the few neighbors who were available would assemble and have a "house-raising." Each end of every log was saddled and notched so that they would lie as close down as possi- ble; the next day the proprietor would proceed to "chink and daub " the cabin, to keep out the rain, wind and cold. The house had to be re-daubed every fall, as the rains of the intervening time would wash out a great part of the mortar. The usual height of the house was seven or eight feet. The gables were formed by shortening the logs gradually at each end of the building near the top. The roof was made by laying very straight small logs or stout poles suitable distances apart, generally about two and a half feet from gable to gable, and on these poles were laid the "elapboards " after the manner of shingling, showing about two and a half feet to the weather. These elapboards were fastened to their place by " weight-poles," corresponding in place with the joists just described, and these again were held in their place by "runs " or " knees," which were chunks of wood about 18 or 20 inches long fitted be- tween them near the ends. Clapboards were made from the nicest oaks in the vicinity, by chopping or sawing them into four-foot blocks and riving these with a frow, which was a simple blade fixed at right angles to its handle. This was driven into the blocks of wood by a mallet. As the frow was wrenched down through the wood, the latter was turned alternately over from side to side, one end being held by a forked piece of timber.
The chimney of the Western pioneer's cabin was made by leaving in the original building a large open place in one wall, or by cut- ting one after the structure was up, and by building on the out- side, from the ground up, a stone column, or a column of sticks and
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mud, the sticks being laid up cob-house fashion. The fire-place thus made was often large enough to receive fire-wood six to eight feet long. Sometimes this wood, especially the " back-log," would he nearly as large as a saw-log. The more rapidly the pioneer could burn up the wood in his vicinity the sooner he had his little farm cleared and ready for cultivation. For a window, a piece about two feet long was cut out of one of the wall logs, and the hole closed sometimes by glass, but generally with greased paper. Even greased deer-hide was sometimes used. A doorway was cut through one of the walls, if a saw was to be had; otherwise the door would be left by shortened logs in the original building. The door was made by pinming clapboards to two or three wood bars, and was hung upon wooden hinges. A wooden latch, with catch, then finished the door, and the latch was raised by any one on the outside by pulling a leather string. For security at night this latch-string was drawn in; but for friends and neighbors, and even strangers, the " latch-string was always hanging out," as a welcome. In the interior, over the fire-place would be a shelf, called " the mantel," on which stood the candlestick or lamp, some cooking and table-ware, possibly an old elock, and other artieles; in the fire- place would be the erane, sometimes of iron, sometimes of wood - on it the pots were hung for cooking; over the door, in forked cleats, hung the ever trustful rifle and powder-horn; in one corner stood the larger bed for the "old folks," and under it the trundle-bed for the children; in another stood the old-fashioned spinning-wheel, with a smaller one by its side; in another the heavy table, the only table, of course, there was in the house; in the remaining corner was a rude cupboard holding the table-ware, which consisted of a few cups and saucers and blue-edged plates, standing singly on their edges against the back, to make the display of table furniture more conspicuous; while around the room were scattered a few splint- bottomed or Windsor chairs and two or three stools.
These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true-hearted people. They were strangers to mock modesty, and the traveler, seeking lodgings for the night, or desirous of spending a few days in the community, if willing to accept the rude offering, was always welcome, although how they were disposed of at night the reader might not easily imagine; for, as described, a single room was made
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to answer for kitchen, dining-room, sitting-room, bed-room and parlor, and many families consisted of six or eight members.
SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS.
The bed was very often made by fixing a post in the floor about six feet from one wall and four feet from the adjoining wall, and fastening a stick to this post about two feet above the floor, on each of two sides, so that the other end of each of the two sticks could be fastened in the opposite wall; clapboards were laid aeross these, and thus the bed was made complete. Guests were given this bed, while the family disposed of themselves in another corner of the room, or in the "loft." When several guests were on hand at once, they were sometimes kept over night in the following man- ner: when bed-time came the men were requested to step out of doors while the women spread out a broad bed upon the mid-floor, and put themselves to bed in the center; the signal was given and the men eame in, and each husband took his place in bed next his own wife, and the single mien outside beyond them again. They were generally so crowded that they had to lie " spoon " fashion, and when any one wished to turn over he would say "Spoon," and the whole company of sleepers would turn over at once. This was the only way they could all keep in bed.
COOKING.
To witness the various processes of cooking in those days would alike surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cooking stores and ranges came into use. Kettles were hung over the large fire, suspended with pot-hooks, iron or wooden, on the erane, or on poles, one end of which would rest upon a chair. The long- handled frying-pan was used for cooking meat. It was either held over the blaze by hand or set down upon coals drawn out upon the hearth. This pan was also used for baking pan-cakes, also ealled "flap-jacks," "batter-cakes," etc. A better article for this, however, was the east-iron spider or Dutch skillet. The best thing for baking bread those days, and possibly even yet in these latter days, was the flat-bottomed bake kettle. ot greater depth, with closely fitting cast- iron cover, and commonly known as the " Dutch-oven." With coals over and under it, bread and biscuit would quickly and nicely
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bake. Turkey and spare-ribs were sometimes roasted before the fire, suspended by a string, a dish being placed underneath to catch the drippings.
Hominy and samp were very much used. The hominy, however, was generally hulled corn - boiled corn from which the hull, or bran, had been taken by hot lye; hence sometimes called "lye hominy." True hominy and samp were made of pounded corn. A popular method of making this, as well as real meal for bread, was to cut out or burn a large hole in the top of a huge stump, in the shape of a mortar, and pounding the corn in this by a maul or beetle suspended on the end of a swing pole, like a well-sweep. This and the well-sweep consisted of a pole 20 to 30 feet long, fixed in an up- right fork, so that it could be worked "teeter " fashion. It was a rapid and simple way of drawing water. When the samp was suffi- ciently pounded it was taken out, the bran floated off, and the deli- cious grain boiled like rice.
The chief articles of diet in early days were corn bread, hominy or samp, venison, pork, honey, beans, pumpkin ( dried pumpkin for more than half the year), turkey, prairie chicken, squirrel and some other game, with a few additional vegetables a portion of the year. Wheat bread, tea, coffee and fruit were luxuries not to be indulged in except on special occasions, as when visitors were present.
WOMEN'S WORK.
Besides cooking in the manner described, the women had many other arduous duties to perform, one of the chief of which was spinning. The "big wheel " was used for spinning yarn, and the " little wheel" for spinning flax. These stringed instruments fur- nished the principal music of the family, and were operated by our mothers and grandmothers with great skill, attained without pecu- niary expense and with far less practice than is necessary for the girls of our period to acquire a skillful use of their costly and elegant instruments. But those wheels, indispensable a few years ago, are all now superseded by the mighty factories which overspread the country, furnishing cloth of all kinds at an expense ten times less than would be incurred now by the old system.
The loom was not less necessary than the wheel, though they were not needed in so great numbers. Not every house had a loom -
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one loom had a capacity for the needs of several families. Settlers having succeeded, in spite of the wolves, in raising sheep, com- menced the manufacture of woolen cloth; wool was carded and inade into rolls by hand cards, and the rolls were spun on the " big wheel." We still occasionally find in the houses of old set- tlers a wheel of this kind, sometimes used for spinning and twisting stocking yarn. They are turned with the hand, and with such velocity that it will run itself while the nimble worker, by her back- ward step, draws out and twists her thread nearly the whole length of the cabin. A common article woven on the loom was linsey, or linsey-woolsey, the chain being linen and the filling woolen. The cloth was used for dresses for the women and girls. Nearly all the " clothes worn by the men were also home-made; rarely was a farmer or his son seen in a coat made of any other. If, occasionally, a young man appeared in a suit of "boughten " clothes, he was sus- pected of having gotten it for a particular occasion, which occurs in the life of nearly every young man.
DRESS AND MANNERS.
The dress, habits, etc., of a people throw so much light upon their conditions and limitations that, in order better to show the circumstances surrounding the people of the State, we will give a short exposition of the manner of life of our Western people at dif- ferent epochs. The Indians themselves are credited by Charlevoix with being " very laborious,"- raising poultry, spinning the wool of the buffalo, and manufacturing garments therefrom. These must have been, however, more than usually favorable representatives of their race.
"The working and voyaging dress of the French masses," says Reynolds, " was simple and primitive. The French were like the lilies of the valley [the Old Ranger was not always exact in his quota- tions],- they neither spun nor wove any of their clothing, but pur- chased it from the merchants. The white blanket coat, known as the capot, was the universal and eternal coat for the winter with the masses. A cape was made of it that could be raised over the head in cold weather.
"In the house, and in good weather, it hung behind, a cape to the blanket coat. The reason that I know these coats so well is that
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I have worn many in my youth, and a working man never wore a better garment. Dressed deer-skins and blue cloth were worn commonly in the winter for pantaloons. The blue handkerchief and the deer-skin moccasins covered the head and feet generally of the French Creoles. In 1800 scarcely a man thought himself clothed unless he had a belt tied round his blanket coat, and on one side was hung the dressed skin of a pole-cat, filled with tobacco, pipe, flint and steel. On the other side was fastened, under the belt, the butcher knife. A Creole in this dress felt like Tam O'Shanter filled with usquebaugh -he could face the devil. Checked calico shirts were then common, but in winter flannel was frequently worn. In the summer the laboring men and the voyageurs often took their shirts off in hard work and hot weather, and turned out the naked back to the air and sun."
"Among the Americans," he adds, " home-made wool hats were the common wear. Fur hats were not common, and scarcely a boot was seen. The covering of the feet in winter was chiefly moccasins made of deer-skins and shoe-packs of tanned leather. Some wore shoes, but not common in very early times. In the summer the greater portion of the young people, male and female, and many of the old, went barefoot. The substantial and universal outside wear was the blue linsey hunting shirt. This is an excel- lent garment, and I have never felt so happy and healthy since I laid it off. It is made of wide sleeves, open before, with ample size so as the envelop the body almost twice around. Sometimes it had a large cape, which answers well to save the shoulders from the rain. A belt is mostly used to keep the garment close around the person, and, nevertheless, there is nothing tight about it to hamper the body. It is often fringed, and at times the fringe is composed of red, and other gay colors. The belt, frequently, is sewed to the hunting shirt. The vest was mostly made of striped linsey. The colors were made often with alum, copperas and madder, boiled with the bark of trees, in such a manner and proportions as the old ladies prescribed. The pantaloons of the masses were generally made of deer-skin and linsey. Coarse blue cloth was sometimes made into pantaloons.
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