USA > Indiana > Porter County > History of Porter County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests > Part 30
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In the summer of 1898 William Sloan, a farmer in Boone town- ship was annoyed by some persons carrying away bords from a bridge he had built. over a small stream on a road leading to his farm. On Sunday night, July 24, 1898, he armed himself with a shot gun and stood guard over the bridge. About nine o'clock Albert Sely came alone, and according to Sloan's statement, took one of the boards from
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the floor of the bridge and started to take it away. Sloan fired and the entire charge struck Seeley in the legs, wounding him so severely that for a time it was thought the amputation of hoth limbs would be necessary. Two hours after the shooting, Sheriff Green was notified. In company with Deputy Billings drove to Sloan's and placed him under arrest. He was kept in jail until Seely's recovery was assured, and on October 19, 1898, was fined fifty dollars and costs.
Just a year from the day of Sloan's trial, Carl Baum, of Morgan township, shot at William Johnson four times, three of the shots tak- ing effect, but not in any vital part. Baum was arrested and confined in jail to await results. Prosecutor Sutton and his deputy, Frank P. Jones went out the next day and took Johnson's statement. Johnson recovered and Baum got off with a light jail sentence. Subsequently he made another attempt upon Johnson's life and was sent to the pen- itentiary.
About five o'clock on the morning of April 24, 1903, Truman Beam, the son of a farmer in Morgan township, entered his father's room and informed him that Martha Lawrence, their housekeeper was dead. It seems that the younger members of the family were absent from home. Truman and his father ocenpied rooms on the ground floor, and Miss Laurence slept up stairs. The son said that he called her, and not receiving any reply, went to her room to awaken her. He found her dressed, with the exception of her shoes and stockings, lying upon the bed dead, though her body was yet warm. The elder Beam, who could not hear very well, and for this reason did not hear his son eall the girl, summoned the neighbors and marks of violence were noticed. Truman was arrested on circumstantial evidenee, and after two trials, in both of which the jury disagreed, he was dismissed. In the trial it developed that the girl was a victim of epilepsy, and many believe that death came during one of her fits, the marks of violence having been inflicted by herself during her struggles.
November 13, 1906, was pay-day on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad. Some of the men employed on the west section at
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Valparaiso, celebrate the event by taking a few drinks. Not long afterward, Frank Caresto, an Italian, quarreled with Guy Hinkle over lifting a hand car from the track. The foreman separated them, but they soon got together again and resumed the quarrel. Again they were separated, hnt about half an hour before noon Caresto, who had managed to get hold of a pistol, shot aud killed Hinkle. The Italian fled, pursued by a crowd of people who had hastily assembled upon hearing the shot. He was found cowering in a ditch near the Nickel Plate tracks by officer Arnold. By this time the crowd was furious over the cold blooded murder. Cries of "Lynch him!" "Give him the rope!" etc., were heard on all sides, but the officers succeeded in land- ing him in jail. In January, 1907, Caresto was tried for manslaughter and given an indeterminate sentence of from two to twenty-one years in the penitentiary. Under this form of sentence, the pardoning board has power to release a convict at any time after the minimum time named in the sentence has been served.
In August, 1910, Alvin Johnson went to board with Jacob Walter, who kept a hotel at Kouts. It was not long until the new boarder began to show marked attention to Mrs. Walter, and was ordered by her husband to leave the premises. The matter was finally adjusted so that Johnson remained at the hotel, and again he began paying court to the landlady. A little after five o'clock on the morning of December 16, 1910, Walter fired both barrels of his shotgun at Jolm- son, the full charge taking effect. Johnson lived but a short time after the shooting. Walter was tried for murder in January 1911, but es- tablished the theory of self defense and was acquitted.
A short time before Christmas, 1910, Edward Davidson came to Valparaiso to visit his sister, Mrs. Dudley, whose husband ran a res- taurant on North Washington street. Davidson, who was about twenty-one years of age, found employment in the restaurant and soon formed the acquaintance of several young men about town. On the morning of Decouber 20, his body was found near the tracks of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway, and indication of foul
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play were observed. In his verdict Coroner Carson decided that "the deceased came to his death by violence inflicted upon the head which fractured and crushed the skull, by divers persons, among whom from the evidence submitted were Michael Curtin and others." Michael Curtin, Robert Fleming and Roy Sowards were arrested, tried at Crown Point and acquitted. Later Curtin filed a suit for $15,000 damages against the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, ou the grounds that the watchman of that company at the Napoleon street erossing, where Davidson's body was found, had testified falsely against him before the grand jury. This ease never came to trial: The three young men left Valparaiso, but later eame back, when they were threat- ened with lynching and departed hurriedly never to return to Porter county.
One of the most mysterious murders ever committed within the county was that of Wayne Hale, who was lured from his home near the Wheeler bridge on the night of August 29, 1905, and killed. An Italian who had boarded with Hale, and with whom he had quarreled, was suspected, but he could not be found. Mrs. Hale was arrested on the charge of being accessory before the fact, but after being taken into custody was released on bail. Sufficient evidence could not be obtained to sustain the charge against her, and on April 11, 1906, she was dis- charged. Subsequently a suit of clothes was found, which it was thought might throw some light upon the murder. In one of the pockets was found a memorandum book bearing the name of a Chicago man. He was arrested and did not deny the ownership of the book, but claimed that he had lost it, and that he knew the man who had found it. Ile claimed to know that three men were implicated in the murder of Ilale, two of them were hired to do the deed, but no arrests were ever made
Great excitement prevailed in Valparaiso on September 23, 1893, when it was learned that an attempt had been made to rob the safe in the old college building-the office of the Northern Indiana Normal school. The would-be robbers were Frank and Claire Robinson, of Versailles, Indiana. They entered the office about three o'clock m the
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afternoon, when the only ocenpants were Miss Kate Corboy and Miss Emma Jones. To frighten the young women a shot was fired by one of the Robinsons. This shot was heard by J. H. Arnold, the mail carrier in that district, who ran to the office. Some 500 students and a number of other persons joined in the pursuit, but the robbers were well armed and for a time held their pursuers back. Nathan O. Howe, a peach peddler, left his team standing in the street, borrowed a Win- chester rifle from one of his acquaintances, and took part in the chase. About a mile east of the city he overtook the fugutives and ordered them to surrender. They replied by firing their revolvers at Howe, who returned the fire, killing Frank Robinson at the first shot. Claire was then wounded in the hand and gave himself up. Ilowe was the hero of the occasion. ITis load of peaches was taken down town, where they were sold at auction, C. J. Kern acting as auctioneer. Some of the baskets brought as high a figure as ten dollars, and the entire load netted Mr. Howe about $350. One of the purchasers was W. J. Lightcap, whose wife planted the seeds from the peaches. Only one tree grew to maturity and it bore its first erop in 1898. Mr. Lighteap brought some of the fruit down town and distributed it among his friends, thus reviving interest in the exciting incident of five years before.
In 1897 a pair of clever counterfeiters were "run to earth" in Porter county. Ilenry A. W. Brown, a photographer of more than ordinary ability, made photographs of one, two and five dollar bills, and from the negatives made plates for printing the money. His accomplice was Theodore Hanson, son of John Hanson, a farmer living about a mile and a half north of the city. Major Thomas B. Carter, chief of the Indianapolis division of the United States secret service, and Thomas J. Porter, in charge of the Chicago office, learning that, counterfeit bills were in circulation in Lake, Porter and Laporte counties, placed detec- tives on the trail. It was a difficult case and some time passed before a elue was found that led to Brown's studio on College Hill, in Valparaiso. Here they found plates for a ten dollar silver certificate almost com- pleted. Following the clue farther. the detectives found in a small out-
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house on the Hanson farm the other plates, a small press, paper, inks, ete., for turning out the counterfeit bills. Brown and Hanson were convicted and sentenced to serve five years in the penitentiary at Colum- bus, Ohio.
Every community that has been settled for half a century or more is likely to have certain mysterious events connected with its history, and in this respect Porter county is no exception to the rule. In 1872 the remains of a man were found hanging to a tree a short distance southwest of Valparaiso. There was nothing upon the body by which it could be identified, and whether the man committed suicide or was the victim of foul play has never been determined.
For two days in the fall of 1877, the waters of Lake Michigan were troubled by a severe storm. After the storm a man named Crawford was gathering driftwood along the shore, near the line between the town- ships of Pine and Westchester, when he discovered the body of a young woman that had evidently been washed ashore. There was a bruise upon the head and a gash in the neck that indicated violence, Init the coroner's jury returned a verdict of death by drowning. When found the body was naked except for the shoes and stockings. The shoes were of stylish make, indicating that the wearer belonged in good, society, but, although the incident was widely advertised, the body was never identified.
In the winter of 1896 some persons, while passing through a piece of timber about two miles north of Valparaiso, came upon a enriously constructed hut. Four trees formed the corners and between these were small poles, wrapped with hay and straw, set on end and bound together with barbed wire. The roof was of heavy sheet iron. There was also a barbed wire fence around the hut, with two entrances. The one door was provided with two loeks-one on the inside and the other on the outside. An account of the strange hut was published in the Fal- paraiso Messenger, stating that officers from Valparaiso went out to investigate the "find." Inside the building were some long benches.
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an ax, a lantern, some books, magazines and newspapers, but who built. it or occupied it, was never ascertained. It is still a mystery.
In September, 1900, three skeletons-supposed to be those of a man, woman and child, judging by their size -- were found near a fishing camp in the sandhills north of Porter. Around the wrist of the largest skeleton was a leather thong, in fairly good condition, which led Pro- fessor Stultz and George F. Batteiger to believe they were the bones of Indians, and that at some time in the remote past there had been an Indian burying ground in the vicinity.
There is hardly a city of 5,000 population or more in the country but what has its haunted house. In May, 1893, the Valparaiso Sun pub- lished a story of Valparaiso's "ghost house" that reads like a chapter from the Arabian Nights. According to this story, the house was oe- cupied many years ago by John Marsh, a prominent lawyer and wid- ower. Although Mr. Marsh had the reputation of being liberal and charitable, on one occasion he refused ahs to a woman, because of her impudence. The woman started to leave, but at the door turned and said: I curse you to the seventh generation. Misfortune will follow you and yours to the ends of the earth." Upon this Marsh directed his coachman, or man of all work, to conduct the woman from the prem- ises. The coachman took hold of her arm and Jed her to the gate, when she turned on him with the fury of a tigress and said: "And curses on you, too. Before another month you will be dead."
Now comes the strangest part of the story. Marsh and his man laughed at the curse, but about two weeks later the latter was kicked in the head by one of the horses and killed. Marsh soon after lost an important case, involving the title to property in Cincinnati, Ohio, worth several hundred thousand dollars. His daughter, nineteen years old, died of diphtheria some two mouths after the curse was nttered. The woman to whom he was betrothed jilted him. Ilis seventeen year old son was expelled from college, and upon being upbraided by his father committed suicide, after which Marsh lived the life of a recluse for several years, finally dying in a lunatic asylum in Chicago. After he va-
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cated the house where the curse had been pronounced against him, no tenant would occupy it for more than a few weeks at a time, and the building was finally razed to the ground. The writer was unable to find any one who remembers Mr. Marsh, but several old settlers recall an old house on East Main street, near the city limits, about which uncanny stories were told when they were children. This may have been thees house onee occupied by the unfortunate lawyer.
Instances of heroism and self-sacrifice are comparatively rare in modern times, but on November 19, 1889, a humble citizen of Porter county did a deed that should long perpetuate his memory. Murray Beach was engaged in digging a well in the rear of his house, near the Grand Trunk station, and on the date above mentioned had reached a depth of some twenty-five or thirty feet. While Mr. Beach and his helpers were at dinner the well filled with choke damp. After dinner ·Beach went down in the well to resume work, but soon began to feel a dizziness and told the men to draw him out. When about ten feet fron the bottom, he was overcome by the carbonie acid gas, lost his hold on the rope and fell. Seeing that he was unconseious and unable to co- operate with those above, John C. Sharp volunteered to go to his reseuc. The men lowered him into the well, where he fastened Mr. Beach to the bucket and then got on himself. With the extra weight, the men above were not able to raise the bucket very fast, Mr. Sharp was overcome by the noxious gas and fell a distance of some fifteen feet. The others, afraid to enter the well, succeeded in bringing him to the surface with grappling hooks, when it was found that his neck had been broken by the fall. Murray Beach's life was saved, but at the sacrifice of John Sharp's. "Greater love than this hath no man-that he will lay down his life for his friend."
CHAPTER XV
STATISTICAL REVIEW
COMMODORE PORTER-SEAL OF PORTER CIRCUIT COURT-OLD MAP OF 1810- - LIST OF COUNTY OFFICERS FROM 1836 To 1910 -PRESIDENTIAL VOTE, 1836-1910 - GROWTHI OF POPULATION - TABLES SHOWING VALUATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY - A LARGE MORTGAGE - CONCLUSION.
Porter county, Indiana, is the only county of that name in the United States. David Dixon Porter, for whom it was named, was a commodore in the War of 1812. Later he was promoted to rear-admiral, then admiral, reaching the highest rank in the United States. Ilis son, Admiral David Porter, served with distinction in the navy in the Civil war and was nearly caught in a trap by a sudden fall of the Red river in Louisiana, in connection with General Banks' ill-fated expedition in 1864. The Essex, the ship commanded by Commodore Porter in the War of 1812, is represented upon the seal of the Porter county circuit court. Commodore David Porter's wife was the author of the song be- ginning "Thou hast wounded the spirit that loved thee."
At the time Indiana was admitted to the Union as a state in 1816 not much was known of the region now embraced within the limits of Porter county. An old map, printed about 1810, shows Lake Michigan near the center of the state-about where Elkhart and St. Joseph counties are now located-instead of at the northwest corner, and on a level prairie near the present city of Valparaiso is shown a mountain. Many of the names of streams, etc., have been changed since that time,
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and the course of the Kankakee river as shown on the map would indi- cate that it was prepared from incorrect data, probably largely a matter of tradition and conjecture.
The county was created by the act of January 28, 1836, and the first county officers were elected that year. Following is a list of the officers who have served in the various positions since the county was organized, together with the year in which they were elected.
Clerks-George W. Turner, 1836; John C. Ball, 1842; William W. Jones, 1850; Obadiah Dunham, 1854; E. J. Jones, 1858; S. W. Smith, 1868; R. P. Wells, 1870; John Felton, 1878; James R. Drapier, 1882: Edward C. O'Neill, 1890; Edmund L. Wilson, 1894; Charles S. Pierce, 1902; Gustaf E. Bornholt, 1910.
Auditors-George W. Turner, appointed in 1841 and for a time dis- charged the duties of both clerk and auditor; Philander A. Paine, elected in' 1841 and resigned; Ellis E. Campbell, appointed in 1843; Ruel Starr, 1843, served for a short time only; S. W. Smith, 1844; Reasou Bell, 1858; Z. B. Field, 1866; Reason Bell, 1870; William E. Brown, 1878; Jolm W. Elam, 1886; Melvin J. Stinehfield, 1894; Stephen P. Corboy, 1902; Cornelius A. Blachly, 1910.
Recorders-Cyrus Spurlock, 1836; George W. Salisbury, appointed in 1839 to fill the vaeaney caused by the removal of Cyrus Spurlock; Obadiah Dunham, 1850; Edna L. Whitcomb, 1854; Thomas Jewell, 1858; HIenry Stoddard, 1866; Thomas C. Shepard, 1874; William C. Wells; 1878; Joshua B. Bissell, 1886; Thomas II. Patrick, 1890; Anton R. Gus- tafson, 1894; William Gates, 1902; Harrison M. Castle, 1906, and re- elected in 1910.
. Treasurers-William Walker, 1836; Thomas A. E. Campbell, 1838; George W. Salisbury, appointed in 1839 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. Campbell; Jolm W. Wright, 1810; Thomas A. F. Campbell, 1842; Elias Axe, 1841; E. Campbell, 1846; John Ball, 1850; William Wilson, 1852; O. I. Skinner, 1854; Warren Dunning, 1858; S. W. Smith, 1862; F. F. B. Coffin, 1870; J. W. Felton, 1874; J. W. Crum- packer, 1878; William Freeman, 1882; Cyrus Axe, 1886; Allen W.
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HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
Reynolds, 1990, John Ritter, 1894; Henry F. Black, 1898; Henry B. Kenny, 19( '; Lycurgus II. Coplin, 1906; Bernhardt II. Urbahns, 1910. Sheriff's Benjamin Saylor, appointed by Governor Noble in 1836; George C', clected in 1836; Charles G. Merrick, 1838; John W. Wright, appointed in 1843 to complete the inexpired term of Mer- rick; Moses Trim, 1844; Richard W. JJones, 18446; Vincent Thomas, 1850; Thomas G. Lytle, 1852; Thomas B. Cole, 1856; Stephen L. Bartholo- mew, 1860; Henry Binnamon, 1864; Robert Jones, 1872; James Ma- lone, 1876; Charles W. Diekover, 1880; Elias N. Thomas, 1884; Shel- don P. Herrick, 1888; Joseph Sego, 1890; Heber Stoddard, 1892; Charles F. Green, 1896; Charles F. LaCount, 1900; Lewis M. Green, 1904; Clayton A. Wood, 1908. re-elected in 1910.
Coroners-The records regarding this office prior to 1880 are in a ' state of confusion, hence it is practically impossible to secure a correct list. Since 1880 the office has been filled as follows: W. C. Paramore, 1880; Andrew P. Letherman, 1882; IIayes C. Coates, 1888; Frederick G. Ketchum, 1894; Joseph C. Carson, 1900; Loren E. Lewis, 1910.
Surveyors-The statement regarding the office of coroner also ap- plies to that of surveyor. An authentic list of the surveyors prior to 1880 could not be made up and it is therefore omitted. Billa Stod- dard was elected surveyer in 1880, but did not qualify and Henry Ran- kin was appointed. The list since then is as follows: Henry Rankin, 1882; Armanis F. Knotts, 1886; Albert II. Cleveland, 1888; Henry Rankin, 1890; Thomas II. Carver, 1894; Henry Rankin, 1898; Al- fred R. Putnam, 1904; Guy F. Stinehfield, 1906. Mr. Stinchfield still holds the office in 1912, having been twice re-elected.
Commissioners-Benjamin Spencer, Noah Fowts and John Seford, 1836; J. Y. Wright, 1837; James Walton, Jonathan Griffin and John Jones, I> >; Joshma Hobart and John II. Whistler, 1839; Reason Bell, 1840; Jesse Morgan and John Dinwiddie, 18441; Russell Dorr and Na- thaniel Sorryer, 1842; Thomas 1. Field, appointed by the probate court in 1813 to fill the unexpired form of Colonel Whistler; Richard W. Jones and Samuel Olinger, 1814; Isaac Morgan and John Din-
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widdie, 1846 . Walker Met ool and Azariah Freeman, 1848; Ruel Starr, Asa Cobb and A'cxander Chambers, 1850; Ira Cornell, 1852; H. E. Woodruff and Jonn Hardesty, 1854; Asa Cobb, 1856; William Wil- liams, 1856; Eli I. Lansing, 1858; S. P. Robbins, A. B. Price and Wil- Ham Stoddard, 1862; Edward C. Osborn, 1864; T. B. Cole, and A. B. Price, 1866; A. V. Bartholomew and S. P. Robbins, 1868; Andrew J. Har- rison, 1874; L. P. Scott, 1876; Frederick Burstrom, Nicholas Pickrell and I. P. Scott, 1880; (It was this board of commissioners that ordered the erection of the present court-honse. All three were re-elected in 1882.) James E. Carson, 1884; Jacob Link, 1886; James E. Carson and James S. Fulton, 1888; James S. Fultou and Jacob Link, 1890; Jantes E. Carson and Peter J. Lindahl, 1892; Lee G. Howell and James S. Ful- ton, 1894; James S. Fulton and Peter JJ. Lindahl, 1896; Hans Born- holt and Frank Quick. 1898; John Bornholt and Charles W. Benton, .1900; Charles W. Benton and Frank Quick, 1902; Hail Bates and Charles A. Anderson, 1901; Andrew Bickel and Hail Bates, 1906; Amos B. Lantz, Andrew Bickel and Charles A. Anderson, 1908; Amos B. Lantz and C. A. Anderson, 1910.
Under the first constitution of Indiana, which was adopted and ra- tified by the people in 1816, representatives to the state legislature were elected annually. When Porter county was organized in 1836 it ineluded the present county of Lake and was attached to Newton county to form a representative district. The constitution of 1850 provides for the election of representatives biennially. Therefore, the following list shows the election of a representative every year for fifteen years after the organization of the county, and one every two years from that time until 1910. This list is complete with the excep- tion of a few instances where the records were missing or defective. . These exceptions are noted.
Representatives-Benjamin MeCarthy, 1836; Jeremiah Hamell, 1837; (No report for 1838 and 1839.) Seneca Ball, 1810 (the district was now composed of Porter and Lake counties) ; Lewis Warriner, 1841 ; Adam S. Campbell, 1842; Alexander McDonald, 1819; Samuel I. Anthony, 1844;
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Alexander McDonald, 1845; Harwy E. Woodruff, 1846; Alexander McDonald, 1847; Benjamin Spencer, 1848; Lewis Warriner, 1849; Wil- liam II. Harrison, 1850. Under the new constitution Porter county was made a separate distriet aol Gideon Brecount was elected the first representative under that constitution. He was followed by Ar- tillus V. Bartholomew, 1852; Andrew B. Pierce, 1854; related in 1856.) (No record for 1858.) Robert A. Cameron, 1860; Levi A. Cass, 1862; Firmin Church, 1864; JJohn F. MeCarthy, 1865 (record not elear as to why this elcetion occurred) ; Gilbert A. Pierce, 1866; William II. Calk- ins, 1868; re-elected in 1870; Theophilus Crumpacker, 1872; twice-re- cleeted; S. S. Skinner, 1878; re-elected in 1880; Marquis L. MeClelland, 1882; re-elceted in 1884; Nelson Barnard, 1886; re-elected in 1858; Clem- ent J. Kern, 1890; George C. Gregg, 1892; re-elected in 1894; Leigh G. Furness, 1896; re-elected in 1898; Elwood E. Small, 1900; re-elected in 1902; John N. Patton, 1904; Gustave II. Greiger, representing the coun- ties of Porter and Laporte, 1906; re-elected in 190S and again in 1910.
When the county was first established it was made part of a sena- torial district composed of Laporte, Porter, Newton, White and Pu- laski counties. In 1842 the district was changed to consist of the coun- ties of Porter, Lake and Laport . A new district was formed in 1859, embracing Porter, Lake and Jasper counties, and in 1863 the county of Newton was added. This arrangement lasted until 1871, when Lake and Porter were constituted a senatorial distriet. Porter county has been represented in the state senate by the following :
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