USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 19
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brewery stands on Whitley street, and both escaped and were never re-captured.
During the winter of 1843 and 1844, Minshaw, a Pottawattamie, died at the vil- lage in section 23, and on the spot where is now Korts' garden. He was set upright on the ground, with a blanket over his drooping head, and beside him was placed his bow and arrow and a dish. Around him was built a pole pen perhaps eight by ten feet, where his body was left to rot and did rot down and the pen with it. After George Helms bought the place he warned the widow several times to take the bones away, but she would not, until Helms subjected the skull to great indignity, when Komota, the medicine man, gave Helms one dollar to bury the bones. The Whitley county In- dians never buried their dead in the ground until white people taught them to do so; the practice first began at "Seek's Village."
John Wauwaessa became enraged at Chestee's daughter on section 20, Columbia township, and tried to kill her. This time at the knoll southeast of the home on Pea- body's farm, on the road running north and south. His brother, Bill Wauwaessa, and others interfered, and she fled to the swamp. In the fall at the paying of the annuities, be- tween Huntington and Roanoke, he finally struck her on the head with a club and killed her. He was never arrested, and stayed at the village, section 17, until the Indians were removed.
Bambookoo was a bad Pattawattamie, who did kill Chino, and who once tried to kill Turkey and before the latter's daughter had been killed by John Turkey, but we cannot learn the facts. Mrs. Chino offered fifty dollars to any one who would kill
Bambookoo. After Chino's murder, Mo- zette Squawbuck lived with Chino's squaw at section 17. He was old, but a good hunter and provided well for her. He too was a Pottawattamie. In the spring of 1845, Mrs. Chino and Mozette were mak- ing sugar near Eberhard's schoolhouse. Mozette was helping her lug the sugar home one bright warm day in March, and he became lazy and laid down along the trail and fell asleep. Bambookoo came along, but having no knife himself slipped Mozette's from his pocket and tried to get a hold of his tongue to cut it off. Mozette awoke, regained his knife, and killed Bam- bookoo, stabbing him eighteen times in the breast. Mozette was not hurt at all. His squaw. Mrs. Chino, paid him fifty dollars.
There is an old tradition of quite an amount of silver being buried by Chino on the north half of the southwest quarter of section 17, now owned by S. T. Mosher. Chino's wife tried to find it.
Out of curiosity Mr. John R. Anderson twice attended when the Miami Indians were paid their annuity. The place of pay- ment was in the thick woods about a mile east of Huntington. The government pay- master was there with the money. He had erected a small stockade, or rather a pole pen, and had a guard of several persons about him. Indians came in squads or by families, and received their cash. There was nothing striking about this. There was, however, a regular train of traders with a stock of groceries, dry goods, trinkets, notions, and not a very scarcity of whiskey. There were also ponies and horses. All with the result that the bulk of the money paid the Indians was not taken away with
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them. John Wauwaessa received three hun- dred and fifty dollars, perhaps not all his own, and paid two hundred of it for a pony that did not live over winter.
The Pottawattamies were always anx- ious to marry Miamis, that they might share in these annual payments.
The Squaw Buck trail from Whitley county to Leesburgh Prairie, where also the settlers went for corn and other sup- plies, is here described. Beginning at Lees- burg, it ran southeast past "Bone Prairie." crossing the Tippecanoe river between the town of Oswego and the lake, thence south, skirting the west side of Round lake, thence southeast, nearly touching the south end of Barbee lake, thence south to nearly the pres- ent Columbia City and Warsaw road, strik-
ing Whitley county at Haydens Lake and nearly following the said road eastward to within a half mile of present Larwill, at the McNagny farm. section 4, thence angling to the southeast across the east half of sec- tion 4, on lands now owned by Thompsons and James B. Kaler, then to the northwest quarter of section IO, across the lands now owned by the Patterson brothers, thence southeast through section 10 and II, cross- ing the creek near the west line of section 13. land now owned by John R. Anderson. thence nearly east through sections 17 and 18 and part of 16, Columbia township, to Beaver Reserve, thence southeast to the Is- land. From the Island another trail ran northeastwardly, until it struck Turtle's trail and on to (Kekionga) Fort Wayne.
TELEPHONES.
THE MIDLAND TELEPHONE COMPANY.
BY S. P. KALER.
The first telephone service in Whitley county was in November, 1880, by the Mid- land Telephone Company, a branch of the Bell Telephone Company. At this time, the Bell company controlled patents which gave it a complete monopoly of the business. Toll offices were established at Larwill and Columbia City, the line ran from Fort Wayne to Warsaw, and is the same line now owned by the Central Union Telephone Company.
On the first of January, 1881, an ex- change was installed in Dr. Mitten's office, in Columbia City, and $48 a year was
charged for the rental of a telephone in- strument, with toll of twenty-five cents for a message to Larwill and larger amounts to other towns. Our people at first patron- ized it quite liberally, but as the novelty wore off, the excessive rental became a burden. and the subscribers dropped off until the exchange was scarcely self-supporting. The legislature of Indiana, in January, 1885, limited the right of a telephone company to charge not exceeding $36 a year, and soon after this law went into effect the company withdrew its exchange and local service. but maintained a toll line by which our people
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could communicate with the outside world, and this was maintained until the Central Union Company, successor to the Midland, effected an arrangement with the Farmers' Mutual Company. The legislature of 1889 repealed this act, but the Midland did not take advantage of it here or in other towns of about the same size from which it had been driven.
WHITLEY COUNTY TELEPHONE COMPANY.
The Whitley County Telephone Com- pany, as the successor of the Home Tele- phone Company of Columbia City, had its inception from a desire of the incorporators to enjoy the benefits of telephone service rather than with the idea of making it a distinct business. A few local gentlemen, in the latter part of the year 1895. de- termined to run a few lines connecting their homes and places of business. Upon in- vestigation, it was found that this plan was impractical without a central switchboard. It was then determined to establish a small exchange, and it was figured that $1.500 would supply the working capital. But in order to meet any possible demand there might be for telephone service, it was de- cided to incorporate with an authorized capital stock of $3.000. Articles of incor- poration were filed with the secretary of state on the toth day of February. 1896. and on the 12th day of February, the city council granted the new company a franchise to operate in Columbia City. The incor- porators were S. J. Peabody. A. N. Adams, G. A. Pontius, W. H. Magley, G. W. North, A. H. Foust and J. A. Ruch. The officers were: . 1. 1. Adams, president : W. H.
Magley, secretary; A. H. Foust, treasurer; and J. A. Ruch, superintendent.
At this time there were but few ex- changes in northern Indiana outside of the large cities where the Bell company con- tinued to operate. There was a small ex- change at Bluffton and one at Plymouth, before the home company was ready to give service. The switchboards and instruments used at the time were rather clumsy efforts to get around the Bell patents. The Bell company was claiming to have a patent on the principle of the transmission of sound by means of an electric current, which. if well founded, made every user of any other instrument guilty of infringement. It was not a business that appealed strongly to the investor, but the local incorporators were willing to take the chances. The Bell claim was subsequently held to be unfounded by the courts, and from that time the business grew by leaps and bounds.
The $3.000 which the incorporators at first thought to be sufficient to meet the fu- ture growth of the business, was soon found to be insufficient, and on the 26th of May, 1896. the company was authorized to in- crease its capital stock to $10,000. On the first of June, 1896, it began giving service to about seventy subscribers with a switch- board of one hundred "drops." This was soon found to be inadequate to meet the demand, and an additional board of two hun- dred drops was installed. The central office was in the Rhodes' building, and the entire business was at first looked after by Mr. Ruch, the superintendent, and his wife. Soon after opening for business, the com- pany constructed toll lines to South Whit- ley. Churubusco and Etna.
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The new capital stock of $10,000 was soon used up, and on the 7th of June, 1901, the secretary of state authorized an increase to $25,000. About this time a demand for farm telephone service sprang up, and to meet this demand and to rebuild the Colum- bia City exchange, required the full author- ized capital.
In 1900, an exchange had been estab- lished at South Whitley, and in order to take over the properties of the home company and the South Whitley company, the Whit- ley County Telephone Company was, on the 8th of October, 1903, incorporated with a capital stock of $100,000. The incorpora- tors were the principal stockholders of both companies, and all the property and con- tracts of both companies were assigned to the new company. The directors of the Whitley county company were S. J. Pea- body, A. A. Adams, G. A. Pontius, F. H. Foust, W. F. McLallen, T. R. Marshall, J. E. Remington, Robert Wiener and A. H. Krieg. With an ample capital and a large demand for telephone service, the company has had a phenomenal growth. Exchanges have been established at Larwill, Etna and Laud, and all the exchanges of the company are connected and free service is given be- tween exchanges. At this writing (August I, 1906) the company has in actual service 1,447 telephones, representing an approxi- mate investment of $100,000. Twenty-two young ladies are employed at the different exchanges as operators. W. H. Magley is the manager of all of the company's proper- ties. The business rate at Columbia City is $24 per year, and at South Whitley $18 per year. The residence, farm and village rate is $12 per year.
THE CHURUBUSCO COMPANY.
The Churubusco Company, or rather the Geiger Company, first began operations at Churubusco in the fall of 1900. It was owned, built and operated by William A. Geiger and his son Virgil, and is still owned and operated by them and has a large pat- ronage. The Whitley County Company has run four wires to Churubusco and has an exchange arrangement by which the Geiger Company gives its patrons the service of the Whitley County Company and the Whitley County Company's patrons have free service over the Geiger lines. A like exchange has been effected by the Whitley County Company with the Wilmot Com- pany, giving service to many patrons in the north-west part of the county. The Geiger company has over 600 instruments in use and its service extends into Noble and Allen counties.
THE LUTHER COMPANY.
A company was organized at Luther, on the Whitley and Huntington county line, in 1902. It is properly a Huntington county local company, and is not connected with our companies and has less than half a dozen subscribers in Whitley county.
THE FARMERS' MUTUAL TELEPHONE COM- PANY.
A large number of the farmers of Whit- ley county met at Tuttle's Opera House, in Columbia City, August 25, 1903, and or- ganized by electing L. W. Dunfee tempo- rary president, and Robert R. Scott tem-
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porary secretary. It was determined to build a telephone system by popular sub- scription, for the purpose of giving the farmers communication with each other and with the towns. The capital stock was put at 1,000 shares of $25 each, and 150 of the shares were sold at the first meeting.
On September 8th, the company met for permanent organization, adopted rules, reg- ulations and by-laws and elected a board of seven directors, as follows : Robert R. Scott, Henry Norris, Charles R. Banks, John C. Pentz, Irvin J. Krider, Frank Briggs and Lewis W. Dunfee. Scott was elected president, Dunfee and Stoner vice presidents, and John C. Pentz secretary and treasurer.
Work began in November, by planting the first pole just south of the Nickel Plate Railroad at the town of Raber. A line was quickly built to Laud and an exchange was installed at that place March 16, 1904, with fifty patrons, all that could be accommo- dated, while double that number were wait- ing for service. A line was then run from Laud through South Whitley to Lar- will, and an exchange put in Larwill in June. The South Whitley exchange was installed September 1, 1904.
A franchise was granted the company to enter Columbia City October 1, 1904. and lines and cables were quickly built and the first farmers' phone in Columbia City was installed in democratic headquarters, on the evening of the presidential election, 1904, and gave the news, which, of course, was not satisfactory. Reference here is made to the news, and not to the tele- phone service. The connection was made by way of the South Whitley exchange, or over the line to South Whitley.
The following day an exchange was in- stalled in Columbia City, and on the same day the Central Union Company abandoned their toll office in Columbia City and con- nected their toll line into the Farmers' Mu- tual exchange. It was the policy of this company, from its inception, to abolish all toll service within the county. This had already been done by the Whitley County Company, and since November 1, 1904, all service is free within the county and to many patrons outside ; except regular phone rental which is uniformly $1.00 a month to residences and $2.00 a month to business houses.
The Farmers' Mutual Company in- creased its capital stock to $100,000 at its annual meeting September, 1904.
It had, November 20, 1906, 1,152 phones in operation in all parts of the county, except that it has but two in Smith township. Four hundred and five of these are operated from the Columbia City ex- change. The present officers are Albert Bush, president ; William H. Carter, secre- tary; John C. Pentz, superintendent of con- struction : Charles R. Banks, treasurer. Robert R. Scott has charge of the business as general manager. There are now over 3.150 telephones in actual use in Whitley county.
Our people can sit in home or office and converse with any one of more than three- quarters of the homes and places of business in the county and the number of phones is rapidly increasing. If it is desired to send sad intelligence or good tidings to any part of the county, if the exact place cannot be reached, at least a near neighbor can, and our people are practically at home with each other at all times.
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THE OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WHITLEY COUNTY.
BY R. II. MARING.
At different times during the last thirty years, there have been efforts made to form an Old Settlers' organization in Whitley county, and a number of old settlers' picnics have been held and always attended by large crowds of people ; but it was not until the autumn of 1904 that anything like a successful effort was made to organize a per- manent Old Settlers' Association and His- torical Society. A meeting for the purpose of forming such an organization was called to meet at Loon Lake, on Saturday, Sep- tember 17, 1904, and the meeting was a success in every sense of the word and was attended by a great crowd of people. A permanent organization was effected. and Judge Joseph W. Adair was chosen presi- dent and Samuel P. Kaler. secretary and his- torian. The second annual meeting of the society was held at the court house and on the court house lawn, in. Columbia City. on Thursday, August 17, 1905, and was attended by one of the largest crowds of people ever seen in Columbia City. Hon. John W. Baker was chosen president. R. H. Maring, secretary, and S. P. Kaler, historian. Judge Otis L. Ballou, of La- Grange, delivered the oration of the day.
A registration of all persons who had lived in the county for thirty years or longer. was taken, which revealed that Mrs. Mary Gould, of Smith township, who was born in Maryland, on January 30, 1814, was the oldest person in the county to register, and William Leslie, of Cleveland township, who
had lived in the county continuously since 1831, was the person having the longest residence in the county, while Mrs. Rosanna Krider was the oldest person to register who had been born in Whitley county. Mrs. Krider was born in Smith township. Sep- tember 15, 1834.
John R. Anderson, of Richland town- ship, was presented with a gold headed cane, for being the oldest tax payer in the county, he having the distinction of being a continuous tax payer since the county was organized in 1838. and never being delinquent.
At a meeting of the officers of the as- sociation, September 30, 1905. it was voted to fix the third Thursday in August, in each year. as the date for holding the annual Old Settlers' reunion, and at a later meeting it was voted to hold the reunion for 1906 at Columbia City.
The meeting was accordingly held on Thursday, August 16, 1906, and again brought a great crowd of people to Columbia City. An interesting feature of the meeting was the presence of Kil-so-quah. the noted Indian squaw, ninety-six years old, and her son. Anthony Revarre. ( White Loon) of near Roanoke. Ind. The Indians were brought to Columbia City, in the morning. by S. J. Peabody, in his large automobile, and were returned in the evening by Fred Welshimer, also in an automobile. Judge Lemuel W. Royse, of Warsaw, delivered the oration of the day, and Dr. John W. Morr.
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of Albion, and Hon. Clarence C. Gilhams, of LaGrange, democratic and republican candi- dates for congress, respectively, in the twelfth district, were also present and ad- dressed the crowd.
A registration revealed the fact that Mrs. Mary Gould, of Smith township, who was ninety-two years, six months and six- teen days old, was the oldest person to register, but as she had taken the prize last year, the prize this year, a silver loving cup, was awarded to the next oldest person to register, which proved to be James Davis, of Richland township, who was ninety-one years, five months and twenty-eight days old.
The second prize, a large Bible, was awarded to the person who had lived the longest in Whitley county and this proved to be Mrs. Jane Hull, of Smith township, who had lived in the county since January 22, 1836, and was eighty-five years, seven months and twenty-four days old.
The secretary reported that there had been eighty-five deaths of old settlers since the meeting one year ago, and a suitable memorial was adopted.
The association elected the following officers for the next year: President, Henry McLallen secretary, Melvin Blain; treas- urer, James Wasburn; historian, S. P. Kaler.
Previous to this organization, a number of Old Settlers' meetings had been held in the county, mention of which may be made of the one held in Columbia City in the au- tumn of 1877; the one in Troy township, in September, 1881, and the one at Blue Lake, in 1896.
At the laying of the corner stone of the court house in Columbia city, on September
21, 1888, a committee of Old Settlers had charge of a part of the exercises of the day. The committee was composed of the following well known citizens, nearly all of whom are now dead :
James S. Collins, Benjamin F. Thomp- son, Joseph Welker, Leonard S. Maring, Jacob Nickey, Christian H. Creager. Isaac Hartsock, Martin Bechtel, Joseph Douglas and Solomon Miller.
At the Old Settlers' meeting at Loon Lake, in 1904, Judge Joseph W. Adair spoke as follows :
JUDGE ADAIR'S ADDRESS.
We meet to-day to live over again some of the days of the past, and though many of us are near the dead line of the psalmist's reckoning, we say, "Come, grow old with me : the best of the days are'yet to be."
We are joined by bright and dutiful sons, beautiful and loving daughters, but all these who come with their good cheer and all their wealth of affection to bid us good speed and happiness as we near the end of our race, can only renew our grief for those who have gone before.
There is one common, wholesome cry springing eternal in the human soul, "Re- member me." The most careless soldier, in his weary march, feels the road shorter and better and his load lighter, when he thinks of a home some place where he is remembered. Amid the din and roar of the great battle brave soldiers are asking : Is mother praying for me to-day? Is wife appealing to the great White Throne to spare mle? Is the dear girl I parted with at her cottage home with no word, but a sigh, still
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waiting for my return? When this struggle lias ended, when this roar of battle has ceased, when the evening shadows fall. and I amı left on this bloody field, will they miss me? When men and women talk of wars and battles, will they speak of me as one who loved his country and gave all he had to save it? This is all the reward that the good soldier asks or ever expects of men, and hopes that the God of battles will overturn and overturn, till he whose right it is shall rule and give rest to his soul.
Men of high commercial instinct will plan and plan, squeeze and squeeze, wreck and wreck, and bring to nought all opposi- tion, and rob the thoughtless and improv- ident, that they may be remembered in the endowment of colleges or the erection of a stone library : and, as helpful as their gifts may seem, we cannot resist the conviction that it is unwarranted flattery to call such a man a thief. The widow with her mite will live longer than the man with his name etched on a granite slab.
The "Prisoner for Debt," described by our dear poet, will live longer than the man and his one hundred and sixty millions.
"What has the gray haired prisoner done? Has murder stained his hands with human gore? Not so, crime is a fouler one, God made the old man poor."
As we look into your faces to-day, we read the hope that you are kindly remem- *bered now and will not be forgotten when you go to that land of the unfailing river and the unsetting sun.
In the busy strife of life, we sometimes
forget to think of friends separated, but are never willing to confess that we have for- gotten them. We have unbounded sympa- thy for any human being who can return to his old home and hear all the people say : "We have forgotten you." Perhaps you have all read the beautiful story of Rip Van Winkle, and some of you have seen the master artist represent him on the stage. After twenty years, he returns to his native village to learn that no man, woman or child remembered him, nor his dog Snyder. When Jefferson exclaims in deep pathos, "Are we so soon forgot?" the audience must break forth in tears as it beholds the true picture of human sadness and disappoint- ment. This world has many Rip Van Winkles in it and some, perhaps, deserve no better fate.
Your committee requested that this ad- dress be in writing and largely historical. This was the first time that I had ever been accused of being a historian and I believe it will be the last time. But, a few things I have learned and will tell them to you in a very few words.
Whitley county was named in honor of the great and brave Col. Whitley, of Ken- tucky, who fell at the battle of the Thames, in Canada, in 1812. Peace to his brave soul and may the sons of little Whitley ever emulate his honor and patriotism.
We belonged to Old Allen county from 1824 to 1837-thirteen years-when the good county of Huntington took charge of us and nursed us till the first day of April. 1838, when we began business for ourselves. Richard Baughan was appointed first sheriff. by Governor Wallace, and ordered to give notice and designate suitable places for hold-
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ing election ; he gave notice for election to be held in four places in the county. One was at the house of Louis Kinsey, now in Cleve- land township: one at the house of Andrew Compton, now in Richland township; one at the house of Richard Baughan, now in Thorncreek township; and one at the house of John M. Moore, now in Union township.
The tally sheet of this election was never filed with the clerk, but there were not more than sixty votes cast. There being no organized townships, for the election of clerk, recorder, associate judge and com- missioners. Sheriff Baughan gave notice of another election, to fill these offices, by post- ing on trees along Indian trails and on cabin doors, of an election to be held at the house of Calvin Alexander, near what we now call "Beech Chapel." in Thorncreek town- ship. Fifteen persons met, selected and unanimously elected Abraham Cuppy, clerk and recorder: Jacob A. Vanhouten and Benjamin F. Martin, associate judges : Otho W. Gandy, Nathaniel Gradeless and Joseph Parrett, county commissioners.
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