History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 94

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1104

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VINCENNES THE CAPITAL

By act of Congress, passed May 7, 1800, the Territory of Indiana was formed and the capital established at Vincennes. William Henry Harri- son of Virginia was appointed first Governor.

The old court established under military rule was abolished and Henry Vanderburgh, William Clark and John Griffin appointed judges. On the 12th day of January, 1801, they met and pub- lished seven wise laws and three resolutions. Court was held for a few years in a house rented for that purpose at Second and Broadway streets. In 1809 a court house was erected at Fourth and Buntin streets, where court was held until 1832. A new court house was then erected on the square where now stands the present fine stone "Temple of Justice," erected in 1873 at a cost of half a million dollars. The first Revised Statutes of In- diana were published at Vincennes in 1807. These laws were revised by John Rice Jones and John Johnson.

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Governor Harrison, on becoming a resident of Vincennes, began to provide himself with a home. A splendid brick mansion was erected in the northern part of the city in 1804. It was for many years the finest residence west of the Alle- ghenies. It was soon surrounded with other fine residences and Vincennes became a place of im- portance. The old Harrison house is still stand- ing.

In 1806 the Territorial Legislature, in pursuance of an act of Congress, passed a law incorporating the Vincennes University. Congress had donated a township of land for the benefit of such an in- stitution and the university was located at Vin- cennes with William Henry Harrison as first pres- ident of the board of trustees. Later the State unlawfully seized the lands of the university and appropriated them to its own use. The Legisla- ture of 1917, however, made final restitution of $120,000.00 in final settlement of the university's claim, which had been fought out in the highest court of the land and successively presented to several Legislatures.

During these years when the Territory was be- ing established emigrants had been arriving in great numbers. The Indians became so angry with the encroachments that in 1810 there were many outbreaks and many people were massacred. A meeting was held at Vincennes to try to placate the chiefs, but they were obdurate and they were in an excellent mood to assist the British in the war of 1812. Harrison met them under Tecumseh at Tippecanoe and defeated them before war was declared, but after peace was made with England the Indians gave little trouble in Indiana.

In February the Legislature, which had previ- ously met in a frame house on Main street be- tween Second and Third and which is still stand- ing on North Third street, met at Corydon and declared Corydon as the new Capital. The last Territorial Legislature met at Corydon in 1815 and adopted a memorial to Congress praying for Statehood. In June. 1916, the first Constitutional Convention met at Corydon and adopted the first Constitution for the State of Indiana.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF KNOX COUNTY.

Knox county, which has been appropriately called the "Mother of Counties," was established in 1790 by Secretary Winthrop Sargent. The name of Knox was given in honor of General Henry Knox, then Secretary of War. The terri- tory of the county at this time included all of the States of Indiana and Michigan and a part of Illinois. Before the end of the year 1798, Wayne county was formed with Detroit as the county seat, and comprised a greater part of Michigan and a part of Indiana. By act of Congress in

1800 the territory embraced in these two States was divided into two separate and distinct terri- tories with Vincennes as the seat of one and Wil- liam Henry Harrison as its governor. In the year 1802 Clark and Randolph counties were formed, and in 1805 Dearborn county was created. At a still later date in the same year Michigan and Illinois were made separate territories. At that date there were only four counties in Indiana Territory-Knox, Clark, Dearborn and Harrison. Knox county embraced nearly half the territory now constituting Indiana. During the year 1810 Jefferson and Franklin counties were established and in 1813 Gibson and Warrick were established. Sullivan was added in 1817 and Greene in 1820, which reduced Knox county to its present limits.

LATER DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTY.

After the removal of the capital of the State from Vincennes to Corydon, the old post began to lose some of her glamour as the first city of Indiana. The most valuable lands adjacent there- to had been entered and this attraction was fast being removed from prospective settlers. The State university was established at Bloomington and the lands of Vincennes University were seized by the State and sold. Many of her most enter- prising citizens left for more adventurous fields. Among these were William Prince, General Gib- son and General Evans. The whole State under- went many physical changes. Forests were cleared away and roads were built. New towns sprang up everywhere as the population rapidly increased.

Among the foremost men of the county at that time were Nathaniel Ewing, Francis Vigo, Ben- jamin Parke, Henry Vanderburgh and John Law. The latter was the first historian of note of In- diana. To him we are indebted for many of the facts of Revolutionary times. Through his per- sonal acquaintance with Colonel Vigo he was en- abled to write a vivid story of the capture of Vincennes by Clark. He served with distinction as Prosecuting Attorney, Legislator, Judge and Congressman. He died in 1873.

General Zachary Taylor was among the noted men who resided at Vincennes in the early days. His daughter born at this place afterwards be- came the wife of Jefferson Davis. A large boul- der in the woods served as a trysting place for the youthful lovers when Miss Taylor was visiting friends at the old post. Mr. Jeremiah Donovan, a friend of the lovers, afterward removed the boulder to the yard of his home at Sixth and Busseron streets. Afterwards the place was pur- chased by the late John FI. Rabb and is now the home of the Hon. James Wade Emison, and the old boulder still remains in the same place where it was placed by Mr. Donovan years ago.

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The first city charter for Vincennes was grant- ed by the Legislature in 1831. The old charter remained in effect until 1856 when the city of Vincennes was incorporated under the State laws. John Moore was elected the first mayor. The first bank was incorporated in 1834. Subsequent- ly it became the old "State Bank of Indiana," with four branches in different parts of Indiana. It was soon wrecked by bad management. As early as 1807 a theater was opened in Vincennes by John R. Jones. The first play presented was entitled "Drowning Men Catch at Straws." A singular and sad coincidence in connection with the event was the fact that a man was drowned in the Wabash on the day of the initial performance.

Through the efforts of the distinguished Gen- eral W. Johnson the first Masonic lodge of the State was organized at Vincennes in 1806. The first business was transacted when John Gibson, F. C., was raised to the degree of a Master Mason. A galaxy of great names might be mentioned in connection with its organization. Henry Dubois, John Decker, Elihu Stout, the founder of the Vincennes Sun, Colonel Joseph H. Davies, Thomas Randolph, Colonel Isaac White, Colonel Thomas H. Blake and Alexander Buckner, both later mem- bers of Congress, and Walter Taylor, elected by the first session of the Legislature as United States Senator, are only a few.

The old Ohio & Mississippi Railroad was built in 1859. For many years it had its principal offices at Vincennes. The Wabash was extensive- ly navigated by flat boats and this was a conve- nient point for exchange of cargoes.

Vincennes being the oldest city in the State and for many years the most important settle- ment in the Northwest Territory, many impor- tant events of history have been passed over in this short sketch. Perhaps no western settlement abounds with more tales of romance and adven- ture than Old Vincennes. No early settlement portrays more vividly the joys and hardships of pioneer life. This has made her famous in song and story. The later history of the city is one of com- mercialism and politics. It has grown to a thriv- ing city of twenty thousand inhabitants, surround- ed by rich farming lands under which are found coal and oil. Factories have sprung up to increase the industry of the city. The history of the last fifty years would mostly disclose facts common to nearly every county of the State, so with our limited space we will pass it by.

POLITICAL RETROSPECT.

Knox county has always been Democratic. From the time Vincennes became a city in 1856 until the last city election of 1913 she has not had any but a Democratic mayor. The year previous the

whole Democratic county ticket went down in de- feat in a fight against a coalition between the Republicans and Progressives, and in 1913 a Re- publican mayor was elected by a small margin. The Democrats came back in 1914, however, and elected the full county ticket by a good majority, and we are proud to write in the beginning that Knox county is still Democratic.

There seems to be no record from which can be obtained the exact date of the first organiza- tion of the party in the county. From the files of the Western Sun it appears that a committee met in 1832 and elected Daniel Langdon as chair- man of the Democratic-Republican party. A ticket was placed in the field and elected. There seems to have been little political activity from that time until the campaign of 1840 when Wil- liam Henry Harrison was a candidate on the Whig ticket. The only organization then main- tained was township Democratic associations, and these existed for the benefit of the National or- ganization. There seems to have been some con- nection between these several organizations, but if they had a head it does not appear by the files of the Sun. The probabilities are, however, that there was a central organization, but that its do- ings were not published. It is interesting to note that the Sun advertised printed ballots at $3.00 per thousand to be had by the workers for use in the coming election. The result of that elec- tion was also printed and it showed that in nearly every township "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," got two-thirds of the votes polled.

But in the next campaign under the leadership of John Rice Jones and later James J. Mayes and others the party came hack and was organized on a firmer basis. In 1856 George E. Greene, Sr., purchased the Courant and Patriot, a newspaper, the outgrowth of the old Western Sun and Ad- vertiser and renewed its publication under the name of the Western Sun. Those were stirring days. The public conscience was seething with slavery and abolitionism. Stephen A. Douglas and Lincoln soon after met in their series of fa- mous debates. Party spirit ran high. Greene himself assumed control of the organization. The Democrats had in a way been successful, having since the successful campaign of Franklin Pierce elected most of the candidates of their political faith. But politics had up to that time been large- ly personal and some Whigs were successful. In 1860 Greene and his friends organized the party and made a party fight. Greene himself was elected chairman. The Democrats succeeded in electing almost their entire ticket. A notable ex- ception was Cyrus M. Allen for Representative. But James Reynolds was elected sheriff and this meant much to the Democrats of Knox county.

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James Reynolds was one of the most popular men of his time. He was elected four times as sheriff and twice as treasurer of the county. He did much to hold the party together from the pe- riod of about 1860 to 1880 and to keep it in the van of success.

The following is a list of the successive county chairmen since 1860: George E. Greene, Sr., 1860-64; John Baker, 1864-68, A. T. Whittlesby, 1868-72; A. J. Thomas, 1872-76; W. B. Robinson, 1876-80, James M. Shouse, 1880-84; P. R. Mc- Carthy, 1884-88; James Emison, 1888-90; R. E. Purcell, 1890-94; Gerard Reiter, 1894-96; A. M. Yelton, 1896-1900; William Pennington, 1900-04; W. H. Vollmer, 1904-10; R. M. Robinson, 1910-14; Thomas Robertson, present incumbent. Jasper McCormick is at present vice-chairman; Edward Acker, secretary, and Henry Yunghans, treasurer.

From 1860 until 1912, when the Republicans made a clean sweep and elected every candidate to office, the only Republicans elected were, in 1886, clerk, sheriff, recorder, treasurer, surveyor, coroner, two commissioners; in 1890, auditor; in 1894, treasurer, representative, one commissioner: in 1898, sheriff; in 1904, representative and two commissioners. The circuit bench was never oc- cupied by a Republican until after the election of 1912, except for one short term of a few weeks when James C. Denney was appointed in 1864.

Among the great Democrats who have served in the capacity of judge in this county might be named Isaac Blackford, who afterward became judge of the supreme court and reported its first decisions, March, 1815, to March, 1816; William Prince, February, 1817, to April, 1818; John Law, 1830-31 and 1844-50; General W. Johnson, 1831- 32; William E. Niblack, 1854-57; Newton F. Mal- lott, 1871-88; George W. Shaw, 1888-1900; O. H. Cobb, 1900 to 1912. John Baker also was judge from 1865 to 1870.

In the State Legislature Knox county Demo- crats have always been prominent. Among the early Democratic speakers of the House were Isaac Blackford, first session; General W. John- son, seventh session; Robert M. Evans, tenth ses- sion. Recently Mason J. Niblack served three consecutive terms as speaker. The first session of the Legislature elected Walter Taylor, a Vin- cennes man, as one of the first United States Senators from Indiana. Knox county has fur- nished to the supreme bench the following Demo- crats: John Johnston, 1816-17; Isaac Blackford, 1817-53; Charles Dewey, 1836-47; William E. Ni- black, 1876-88.

Five citizens of Knox county have been elected to Congress from this district. Their name is legion who have been elected from other districts

who once lived here. John Ewing served in the Lower House from 1833-35 and from 1837 to 1839. From 1857 to 1861 Judge William E. Niblack was a member of Congress from this district, and again from 1865 to 1875. Judge Niblack was born in Dubois county in 1823, but when quite a young man moved to Dover Ilill in Martin county. For several terms he represented Martin county in the Legislature, both in the House and Senate. In 1854 he was appointed judge of this Judicial Circuit; and in 1858 while still on the bench he was elected to Congress to fill out the unexpired term of James Lockhart. He took up his residence at. Vincennes about 1859 and for seven terms he rep- resented this district in Congress. He was elect- ed as a member of the Supreme Court of Indiana in 1876 and again in 1882, and wore the judicial ermine with becoming grace and dignity, his de- cisions always being sound and logical.

James D. Williams was probably one of the most picturesque men ever produced by Knox county. He always wore blue homespun and from this was nicknamed "Blue Jeans." Even when he was elected to Congress he persisted in wearing them at all times. Less than one term in Con- gress won for him the Governorship of Indiana, and it came about in a singular way. He made an attack on an appropriation bill on the floor of the House because it carried with it quite a large sum for cloak room expenses, including lemonade and porters and numerous pages and many things which are supposed to be necessary to the rich, but luxuries for the poor. Representative Foster of Ohio replied to his remarks in a scathing speech referring to his blue jeans in a derisive manner. The boys back home took up the fight and nom- inated "Blue Jeans" Williams for Governor. He was overwhelmingly elected. Strange to relate, Representative Foster that same year ran for Governor of Ohio and that very speech deriding the Indiana Congressman and his blue jeans de- feated him at the election. James D. Williams served five terms in the House of Representatives and two in the State Senate. He resigned his first term in the National Congress to run for Governor. He was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention at Baltimore in 1872. He died in 1880.

Thomas R. Cobb was elected to the State Sen- ate in 1858. He was the Democratic candidate for elector in 1868. He was president of the In- diana State Convention in 1876. He was a dele- gate to the National Convention at St. Louis which nominated Tilden and Hendricks in 1876. He was elected as a member of Congress in 1877 and served until 1887. He was born in Lawrence county in 1828 and took up the practice of law in

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Vincennes in 1867 and died at the same place in 1892.

William Allen Cullop, a resident of Vincennes, is the present representative in Congress from the Second Congressional District. He was born in Knox county March 28, 1853. Graduate of Hanover College, 1878. He was elected prose- cuting attorney in 1883 and served two terms. He was a member of the Indiana Legislature in 1891-93. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1892, 1896 and 1900. In 1900 he was a candidate for elector on the Demo- cratic ticket. He was elected to the 61st, 62d, 63d and 64th Congresses. He is a lawyer and a leg- islator of signal ability and the rank and file of Knox county are proud of his Democracy.

The following have been elected to the State House of Representatives since 1858: Isaac N. Eastham, 1858-60; W. E. Niblack, 1860-64; John B. Patterson, 1864-66; O. F. Baker, 1866-68; James D. Williams, 1868-70, who had previously been elected in 1843, 1847, 1851 and 1856; H. S. Cauthorn, 1870-74; Charles E. Crane, 1874-76; F. W. Veihe, 1876-78; H. S. Cauthorn, 1878-82; S. W. Williams, 1882-84; James D. Williams, 1884-86; Mason J. Niblack, 1886-92; William A. Cullop, 1892-94; Basil Gaither, Republican, 1894-96; Mait- land Claycomb, 1896-1900; Dr. J. L. Reeve, 1900- 04; Basil Gaither, Republican, 1904-06; James Garrard, 1906-10, who was floor leader during his second term; W. S. Racy, 1910-12; E. I. Gilmore, Republican, 1912-14; A. J. Westfall, 1914.

Senators-James D. Williams, 1859-66; William Turner, 1866-70; James D. Williams, 1870-74; Henry K. Wilson, 1874-78; Frederick W. Veihe, 1878-82; J. Ernest, 1882-86; W. W. Berry, 1886- 90; Royal E. Purcell, 1898-02; M. M. McDowell, 1906-10; D. Frank Culbertson, 1914.

In the election of 1912 the Republicans swept the county. But in 1914 the Democrats came back with almost their old-time majority and elected D. Frank Culbertson State Senator; A. J. Westfall, Representative; M. J. Niblack, Joint Representa- tive; J. W. Kimmel, Prosecuting Attorney; John Wolfe, Sheriff; Walter Kensler, Clerk; Joseph I. Meuntzer, Auditor; Louis Langdon, Recorder; George Buckalew, Assessor; Dr. S. L. Carson, Coroner; Win Reel, Surveyor, and Leslie Morgan and Alf. Brocksmith, County Commissioners. Harmony is the watchword and every Democrat feels that he has a say in the policies of his party. They feel sure that their old majority can be main- tained.

NEWSPAPERS.

In war, civil government, politics, law, educa- tion and letters, Vincennes was not a lesser pio- neer than in journalism. The first newspaper in

the Northwest Territory was the Western Sun, established one hundred and ten years ago. Its founder was Elihu Stout, grandfather of Henry S. Cauthorn, previously mentioned. He came here in 1803 from Frankfort, Ky., where he had been working on the Kentucky Gazette as a practical printer. The first issue was printed on the Fourth of July, 1804, nearly a year having been required in which to transport on pack horses the material necessary for the publication. From its first is- sue the paper was published regularly every week for nearly two years, when a destructive fire swept away every vestige of the office. A new outfit was procured and the resurrected paper was again published on July 4, 1807. The name, which was originally the Indiana Gazette, was changed to the Western Sun. George C. Smoot became a partner in the concern on August 1, 1807, but retired on November 17 of the same year, his interest being purchased by James Jennings, who retired on December 23, 1808. In 1817 the name of the paper was changed to Western Sun and Gen- eral Advertiser. In October, 1819, John Washburn became a partner, and retired September 20, 1820. On January 19, 1839, Henry Stout became a part- ner and the paper was published under the name of E. Stout & Son. Elihu Stout remained at the head of the enterprise until November, 1845, when he was appointed postmaster, and sold the paper to John Rice Jones. Mr. Jones sold a half interest to his brother and the firm continued its publica- tion until 1848 or 1849 when it failed for want of support and John Rice Jones went to Washington to accept a government position. On his return from the National Capital he started Jones' Vin- cennes Sentinel. This paper after a brief and un- profitable career suspended and was followed by the Vincennes Indiana Patriot, published by James J. Mayes. The Patriot was established in 1853, shortly before L. & M. A. McClaughrety had launched the Courant, and in October of the same year both papers passed into the hands of the last named firm, and were consolidated as the Cou- rant and Patriot. The paper bitterly opposed the doctrine of Know-Nothingism and strongly advo- cated Buchanan's candidacy for the presidency. In 1856 this paper passed into the hands of George E. Greene, Sr., who renewed the old name of Western Sun and continued its publication until his death in 1870. Reuben C. Kise then took charge and in 1871 took into partnership Andrew J. Thomas. Mr. Kise died in 1873 and Alfred Patton acquired his half from the heirs and the firm became known as A. J. Thomas & Co. Royal E. Purcell, the present owner, bought the paper on November 1, 1876, when it was a semi-weekly and began its publication as a daily. The paper is the Democratic organ of the county and is ably

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edited. The old files of the Western Sun, printed while Elihu Stout was editor, were sold by the late Henry Cauthorn several years ago to the State for $1,000 per volume, and today are an important part of the historical collections to be found in the Indiana Library at Indianapolis.

Other publications were "The News of the Day," established in 1854 and successively edited by William H. Jackson and James G. Huchinson. It was a Know-Nothing paper and was in three years supplanted by the Gazette, founded by R. Y. Caddington which was later published by G. R. Harvey, James A. Mason and Milton P. Ghee. In 1859 it became the property of H. M. Smith and M. P. Ghee, who ably conducted it until 1861 when William N. Denney became its owner and con- tinued its publication until 1862. Dr. H. M. Smith and Colonel C. M. Allen became its owners, but soon disposed of it to Charles I. Williams who re- tained Colonel Allen as editor. It later came into the hands of John M. Griffin whose editorial ca- reer was so stormy that he seldom went on the street but that some one wanted to "lick the editor."

In 1862 the Old Post Union was founded by J. G. Caddington, but it survived only a few years when it was absorbed by the Vincennes Times, a Republican paper. In 1873 General Laz. Noble became associated with its management, and wrought a decided improvement in the editorial page. It was later sold to James J. Mayes, John Mallet and Alfred Crotts. The paper was in a few years suspended and Mr. Crotts bought in the material and still conducts a job printing office at the old stand.

The Vincennes Commercial, the leading Repub- lican paper, was established in 1877 by Spillard Fletcher Horrall, Albion Horrall and Nelson Hor- rall under the name of S. F. Horrall & Sons. In 1881 the paper was sold to a stock company of which John C. Adams was the manager. In 1882 he was succeeded by Thomas H. Adams who had procured a majority of the stock and who still edits the paper.

Two German newspapers have been published in Vincennes, both Democratic. The first was es-

tablished in 1876 by Louis and Henry Rosenthal (the latter now editor of the Evansville Demo- krat) and was called the Volksblatt. Several years later L. A. Meyer established the Vincennes Post. Two years after its beginning the type was changed to English instead of German and Wii- liam Pennington was made its editor. It proved a losing investment and Mr. Meyer sold it to George M. Cook, who changed its name to the Vincennes Capital. In 1902 he sold it to Frank W. Curtis, Perry G. Greene and J. Ralph DuKate, the present owners. It has been a Republican paper since George M. Cook became its owner.

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History of the Indiana democracy, 1816-1916, Part 94

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Stoll, John B., 1843-1926
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : Indiana Democratic Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1104