USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 44
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poor expense for the year did not amount to over $255. In 1838 it was decided by the commissioners that a poor farm should be bought and an asylum erected on it. The idea was that the work of the paupers might be utilized on the farm and enough produce raised to help pay expenses. And it is strange that this idea held so long, for when the present hos- pital for the insane was located on its present site, much against the wishes of very many farseeing citizens who even then looked on the subject of drainage, etc., they were met with the cry of those interested in selling the apples. Said they "Here is a great big farm on which the inmates of the asylum can raise enough produce to pay for all expenses." And one en- thusiastic individual went around saying, "Just look at that apple orchard and think of the apples we can sell from that alone." And strange to say, there were many people who ought to have been gifted with more com- mon sense, who really believed it. It would be amusing to figure out ex- actly how much produce has been sold from the side of the hospital for the insane.
Reverting to the poor house, in January, 1839, the county paid $1,800 to the Fairchild brothers for sixty acres of land lying just south of Me- chanicsville. Judge William Olmstead was appointed to have the building erected for the use of the poor.
After the building was erected it was let for $70 per year to Elijah and Samuel H. Prince, who agreed to keep all poor sent to them for $2 per week each. This plan did not work well so in 1840 the farm was sold to William Onyett at the same price for which it was bought by the county. In 1843 steps were again taken to build a poor house and Wil- liard Carpenter leased to the county for five years, twenty acres of ground, near Hull's Hill which was a short distance up the old canal. His price was $250 per year and he agreed to build a substantial frame house to cost not less than $500. A man named Gould put in a claim for $25 for keep- ing Mrs. Plumer, a pauper and the commissioners protested against the allowance because of an account which had been improperly made. There was quite a violent discussion and a Mr. Kennerley claimed that Mr. Wil- lard Carpenter was interested in this pitiful amount because Gould's tavern was rented from Mr. Carpenter. It seems that even in those days a little nasty spirit which existed always, but fortunately to a small extent, was rife in Evansville. It was soon shown that Mr. Carpenter had nothing to do with the matter at all and at the next meeting the contract was made with him for the land in question. In 1844 William Onyett, who still owed a part of the purchase money for the original poor farm, resold it to the county. Mr. Carpenter protested against this but it did no good. He had been keeping the poor under an iron-clad agreement for $15 per year. But the board surrendered his land and employed George Bates to keep them at $1,200. He served for several years and finally was killed by an insane inmate who struck him in the head with an axe. This sys- tem of farming-out was always unsuccessful, although commissioners did
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everything in their power to have them cared for, but the low price pre- vented the proper attention being given them.
In 1840 still another attempt was made and a farm near the city was purchased for $1,600. The city limits extended entirely around it. Edward Andrews was appointed superintendent in 1853, the county undertaking to furnish all provisions for the poor and for his family and he was to be allowed $200 per year for extra expenses and nurses in case of sickness. The next superintendent received $500 per year for extra expenses and the plan was kept up for about ten years but soon after the beginning of the war there was such an increase in the number of poor, that the old system of contracting with the lowest bidder was again begun. Patrick Garvey agreed to keep all of the poor no matter how many, for $2,490 per year. A large brick building was built but the number constantly in- creased as did the cost. I have said somewhere in this work, that many soldiers who entered the army did so under the spur of excitement, and there are cases where young men who should have taken care of their aged parents, who had cared for them, enlisted, knowing that these same old parents would have to go to the poor house to spend the remaining years of their life. Some people may call that "patriotism" but I do not, and no man who would desert his parents who had cared for him, could ever make what I would consider a first-class soldier. His brain would not be right.
The cost, however, continued to increase and in 1875 it cost the county about $30,000. In 1882 the commissioners bought the Hornby farm of 160 acres in Center township and the old farm was let out in lots and sold by Alvah Johnson, who received for it, $35,000. Many readers will re- member the old poor house which stood near the old Catholic graveyard. It is all built up now and as stated, is in the city limits. The new poor house is a beautiful building which cost about $53,000. It is large enough to serve for some time to come.
At the time the commissioners bought the Hornby farm they purchased a tract from S. C. Scantlin for $4,000 near the north-east limits of the city and spent $10,000 for a hospital for the treatment of contagious dis- eases. Prior to this time about $20,000 had been spent in establishing an asylum for orphan children. Warren Bonnel was the first superintendent at $800 per year. The city furnished all the provisions and Dr. J. C. Min- ton rendered professional services to the sick at the annual salary of $575. It is unfortunate that there have been at various times, tales of scandal in connection with what was known as the smallpox hospital. If there was a basis for these claims it grew out of practical politics and is one more instance of the fact that wherever the slimy hand of politics is placed, graft is almost sure to follow. It will be a God's blessing if the day will ever come to Evansville and Vanderburg County when men will be elected to offices for their manhood and not for their political belief.
CHAPTER XXVI.
POULTRY AND PET STOCK ASSOCIATION-THE HUMANE SOCIETY. EVANSVILLE POULTRY AND PET STOCK ASSOCIATION.
For many long years there were few people in Evansville who believed in fine poultry and pigeons. This was the fact with almost every portion of the United States, for it is only within the last thirty years that any great steps have been taken along the line of breeding fine poultry. Some twenty years ago a little band of fanciers got together and gave their first poultry show in the old Keen building which stood on the corner of Main and Second, where the Good Clothes Shop now stands. It was a small affair as regards the number of entries, yet the quality of the stock was first-class and a judge from Indianapolis was brought here to decide on the merits of the same. It is astonishing to see what interest the public took in this first simple show and yet if one stops to think, there is hardly a man or woman in Evansville who has not at some time in his or her life, wanted to raise chickens or pigeons. People came to that show who hardly knew one variety from another and were perfectly astonished at the prices at which some of the specimens were held. The show was a complete suc- cess and the next year another was given. It was at the time when the poultry fever was beginning to crop out all over the United States. At this show a trio of Langshans were shown, for which the owner, a well- known business man, now dead, paid $150 and the expressage from New Hampshire. When told of this price many of the visitors simply laughed and considered it a great lie, but they have since had an opportunity to change their minds as to the value of really fine bred poultry and the va- rious articles from papers all over the United States, commenting on the sale of six chickens for $10,000 to a foreign lady, opened their eyes still further. There are some ignorant people still here today, who imagine that no chicken is worth more than 50 or 75 cents and no pigeon worth more than 10 or 15 cents and I have at times told various people of re- ceiving as high as $75 for one Fantail pigeon, only to have them laugh in my face, but it is a fact that I have not only sold one but several and have sold numberless pairs of these birds at $50 per pair. This is only to show the strides in the breeding of pure animals or birds.
And by the way, there were dogs shown at that time when $10 was considered a high price for any kind of a dog. There are now plenty $10,000 dogs all over the country. Quite a number of hunting dogs have
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been sent out of this town at $250 each. It is a well-known fact that Mr. Charles Hartmetz refused $1,500 for his setter dog, Oakley Hill, and was then wired from Boston to put a price on him, which he refused to do. He could easily have gotten $2,500 for the dog but preferred to keep him.
Reverting again to the old poultry show which was here when the first prominent poultry and pet stock organization was formed. Many of the old members have passed away. Mr. Guy Ashley, who has been so long with the Lahr Bacon Company, was a prominent breeder of poultry in those days, as was also the late Milton C. Brandon, Charles Marsh, Prof. Tinker and many others. The Weiss brothers were only boys then, but born fanciers and it is to their incessant work that recent poultry and pet stock shows have been given. Financially they have not been successes and this is the case with almost every organization of the kind in America, but they are not gotten up to make money. It was only a few years ago that Chicago gave one of the grandest shows in the entire west at which even prize cats were shown and I saw many brought to the Coliseum, whose owners would not even allow their housemaids to handle their pets. They would step out of their carriages carrying the cats carefully on. little cushions and put them in the pens themselves. After that the maid was made to stand by the pen all day and not allow anyone to pet the oc- cupant. Some of these cats were valued at $1,000 each. The show was an enormous success and the vast building was continually crowded, yet after the premiums and the great expenses were paid, there was nothing left over. The last show given there was not a financial success. This was the case with the last show given by the Evansville Fanciers at Evans hall, yet it was well patronized and awakened quite an interest in fine stock which was all that the projectors of the show wished. There were some beautiful dogs shown there. The first prize in the collie class went to Mr. Frank Schwegeman of the Peoples' Savings Bank. Just after the show the association was disbanded, but there is a movement now on foot to re- organize and the chances are that another show much larger than any pre- vious attempt will be given early in the spring. It is strange how the breeding of a lot of fine stock will give a place notoriety. Nobody ever heard of Flat Rock, Indiana, until Sid Conger began breeding Plymouth Rocks and I know personally of case after case that has been given to me by reliable men, in which they stated that in speaking of Evansville, In- diana, a man would say, "Let's see, where is that? Oh yes, that is where that old fellow raises those white Fantail pigeons. I know now where it is."
This seems absurd, but it is an actual fact, so that with the other so- cieties which have a firm hold in the city, I think I can predict that the Evansville Poultry and Pet Stock Association will be on hand each year with a fine display and that their shows will be well attended not only by our own citizens, but by the many in the country who find it so easy now to reach Evansville over the various traction lines. There is a great deal
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of fine poultry as I stated in another part of this book, in the country back of here. Nothing pleases a farmer more than to bring in some of his fowls and win over the "city fellows."
THE HUMANE SOCIETY.
The society at present most particularly in the limelight is the Evans- ville Humane society and such is the effective work that is being done by it, that there is hardly a morning that the newspapers do not contain some account of their arrests. This society was organized many years ago with that excellent worker, Dr. A. M. Owen, at its head. For many years it did effective work but owing to the lax laws against cruelty, which were simply a disgrace to the state of Indiana and which are based on English laws a century old, brutal people began to find that it was a very easy mat- ter for them to escape punishment for their crimes. The presidency fell into the hands of a man whose bad health made him incapable and who lacked that aggressive fighting spirit which is necessary, when for instance a brutal driver must be called down, and the curse of politics as usual, put in as humane officer, a man who was as absolutely unfit for this posi- tion as could possibly be found. In fact, if the whole police force had been culled with a fine tooth comb, a worse selection could not have been made. But it was politics to put this man in and one of the best men in this city, Sergeant Muth, was turned down to make room for him. Things went from bad to worse. The streets were filled with lazy negroes driving all sorts of lame and sick animals to old broken down wagons, until traveling men in front of the hotels, began to ask what kind of a place Evansville was that such teams were allowed on the street. Horses were overloaded and publicly beaten. They were jerked and thrown from their feet on the brick streets and no one raised a hand and the Humane society became the laughing stock of the public. Finally through the efforts of two or three big-hearted women, a change was made. A meeting was called, the old board wiped out and a new one put in. At once members began to flock to the standard and a prompt and vigorous prosecution of all of- fenders was begun. The society obtained the services of Mr. Fred Heuke, a brave and fearless man, who has the happy faculty of saying exactly what he means and then backing it up. In his work he has been most ably assisted by Honorable Phil C. Gould, police judge to whom the thanks of every humane person in the city of Evansville are due. He has filled this position as no other man has ever filled it before. And I say this decidedly. No fairy stories go with Judge Gould. He hears the evidence and being a lover of animals himself and a fine judge of horse flesh, he is competent to decide promptly on questions which come up before him.
The society adopted a rule which is striking terror to the hearts of people who never have been touched before. Their new move is in the shape of what is known as "The endless chain." A lady joins the so-
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ciety and then takes membership tickets and honorary membership tickets to her friends. Each of these friends goes in turn to her friends and the tickets have been so rapidly distributed that there are now 3,000 out in the city of Evansville. On these tickets are the telephone numbers to which all cases can be reported and each lady who holds one is expected. to report at once, any case of cruelty that comes under her observation. It can be easily seen that with all these eyes on offenders, they have a hard road to travel. Another thing, the men are down town in their stores and offices but the women are where they can see all abuses and that is what makes them so effective. Still another idea is being most successfully worked. If a grocer's, butcher's or any other kind of a horse is driven up to a lady's house and she sees that it is half starved and abused by the driver, she generally mentions the fact one time, then if the same abused animal appears at her door again, she simply pays her bill, if she is buy- ing on credit, or pays the boy for the goods, if they come C. O. D. and then she quietly changes her patronage to another store. There are hun- dreds of merchants who wonder what has become of a part of their trade and when they read this they will know where it has gone and that with this system growing as rapidly as it is, it will be but a short time until the man who sends out a poor abused horse or mule, will find that it does not pay him to send out anything. He may still sell goods over the counter to his immediate neighbors, but that will be about the whole extent of his trade, for it is a well-known fact that when a woman sets her heart on carrying out a certain idea, she very rarely fails. Personally I would rather have the help of ten good women in humane work than that of 100 of the best men in the city, for the reason that the men would forget all about it but the women do not. At present the council has notified the city attorney to get up a new ordinance which will cover cruelty cases and it is to be hoped that he will find time to attend to the matter.
Since the above was written Mr. Adolph Metzer has gotten through an ordinance which is the best in this country today. Appeals for copies of it are being received from every quarter of the country and it will no doubt be adopted in many cities.
CHAPTER XXVII.
HOW EACH TOWNSHIP WAS STARTED- THE SMALL EARLY SETTLEMENTS- INFLUX OF ENGLISH AND GERMAN FARMERS-HOW EACH SETTLEMENT HAD ITS CHURCH-POOR AND HAPHAZARD FARMING-THE FLIGHT OF THE SQUATTERS-THE ADVENT OF HIGH-CLASS FARMING THE PRODUCTIVE SOIL BACK OF EVANSVILLE -INCREASE IN VALUES.
THE TOWNSHIPS.
SCOTT TOWNSHIP.
Scott township was organized August 13, 1821, consisting of its pres- ent territory and three tiers of sections off the north side of Center town- ship. It had formerly been a part of Armstrong township. It is bounded on the north by Gibson County, on the east by Warrick County, on the south by Center township, on the west by German and Armstrong town- ships. Abundant harvests are secured from this stretch of country, al- though the soil is not as rich as that of the surrounding counties. Long before any one can remember, there have been marks of civilization in this county.
Almost the first inhabitants of this township were Jesse McGary and John Withrow. They lived near the Gibson County line. Jesse McGary was a brother of Hugh McGary, of whom so much has been spoken. He was the author of a tragedy, the first one ever offered for sale in this county. Kenneth Compton was also among these pioneer neighbors. His descendants are among some of the best people here.
The majority of the pioneers of this township were sturdy English farmers, who came from across the sea to cast their lots in life in the wilderness of Indiana. In the summer of 1818 John Ingle, an Englishman, settled in Scott township near the present Inglefield. He was a farmer of sterling character, quiet habits and was much loved by all. His popularity was such that it may be said, he was without an enemy. About the next to follow were Mr. Edward and Spencer Maidlow, who settled in the same neighborhood. They were model farmers, neat and thrifty and in every respect, good citizens. Edward Maidlow attained local prominence as a man of affairs, and was called to serve many places of trust and profit.
Another prominent family in Scott township was Saunders Hornbrook and wife, who was a lady in every sense of the word, with superior mental attainments and well fitted to bring about a betterment of social conditions
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of the pioneer settlers. Mr. Hornbrook built the first cotton gin in this part of the country. Buildings were soon erected around his home and gave it the appearance of a small village. Cotton was brought in from miles around and he soon established a store, in order to supply the needs of his neighbors. He accumulated a great deal of wealth, owning at one time, about 2,000 acres of land in Scott township.
About a mile north of Inglefield was a clearing which is now the Ritchey homestead, on the Princeton road. This road was a public high- way and was lined with heavy forests and underbrush on both sides. A few years later a blacksmith shop was established, the first blacksmith shop in the township.
In this same neighborhood lived Jerry Wyatt, a grand old man, with sterling qualities of heart that endeared him to all. Much of his life was spent here and he was permitted to fill out four score and ten before death took him away. A young man in this neighborhood for many years a farm laborer, and always welcome at every home, was William Warren, who afterward moved to Evansville and for years served as assessor of Pigeon township. His descendants have taken a conspicuous part in the later development of the county.
One of the earliest Germans in this township was Frederick Staser, who lived in Union township for quite a time and then moved to the well known Staser homestead. This thrifty German was very prominent among the pioneer settlers of his day. He had two sons, John C. and Conrad, who were men with great business ability, who accumulated great wealth, the estate of John C. being worth at least $150,000.
Among the other settlers of Scott township were Mark, Joseph and Richard Wheeler, David Powell, Hiram Nelson, the Hilliards, Samuel Miller, Arnold Henning, Every Cook and John McCann.
The first mill in the township was erected by Richard Browning, about 1832. The settlers before this, went to the old Negley mill on Pigeon creek. In speaking of the Browning mill, Mr. Sansom said, "I assisted in getting out the timbers for the Browning mill-a tread mill at first. I remember very well the day we first attempted to run that mill. All things being ready, we thought we would grind our grist. The grain. was put in the hopper, the team started, the mill went around, but not the smallest particle of meal made its appearance. We were puzzled. After trying in vain to discover the reason why, we acknowledged ourselves beat and Mr. Browning concluded to send for George Linxweiler, who was then or had been in charge of the Negley water mill, and let him, if possible, un- ravel the mystery. In a few hours Mr. Linxweiler put in an appearance. Imagine our amazement when he looked at the arrangement and quietly informed us, in German, that we had been trying to grind flour by the run- ning the mill backward. A more foolish, stupid-looking lot of lads prob- ably never existed than that set of mill hands for a little while, when con- vinced of our mistake."
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The first town laid out in Scott township was Sanderville. The plat covered over 160 acres and a public square of 266 feet was provided. A number of houses, a store, a blacksmith shop and other little conveniences were started there and a postoffice was established. After a few years this little settlement was abandoned and the people all moved to a more promising locality. The little town of Inglefield, on the E. & T. H. R. R., is on the site of the ancient Sanderville.
Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists were among the first denomina- tions in the pioneer country. The house of John Ingle was an early preaching place for all the faiths. The Methodist Episcopal church was the one that became the most firmly rooted. A short time after the preach- ers began to travel through the country, a log cabin was built and con- secrated to God. Rev. Wheeler and Robert Parrett were the first preach- ers. Centenary Methodist Episcopal church, near Inglefield, was built in 1867 at the cost of about $1,800. Noble's Chapel, near the township bor- der, was built in 1860 at a cost of about $1,000. The German Lutheran church was organized about a half century ago, at the village of Darm- stadt and a frame house of worship was erected. The congregation grew so large, that a new edifice was erected, which is handsome and commodious.
CENTER TOWNSHIP.
Center township was organized September 6, 1843. It is bounded on the north by Scott township, on the east by Warrick county, on the south by Knight and Pigeon townships and on the west by Perry and German townships. If properly cultivated, it is very productive, although the soil is thin, and the surface very hilly. A part of the township is called the "Blue Grass country," taking the name from the stream which runs through there. The township formerly was covered with heavy timber.
In the spring of 1808 James Anthony discovered what he considered a good mill seat and, believing in the early and rapid settlement of the coun- try, went to Vincennes and made the first entry of land in the township. The mill was not built until 1814 and whether or not he took up his resi- dence here at an earlier date cannot be determined. Among the first set- tlers of this township were: John Sharer, Matthias Whetstone, George Linxweiler, Absalom Vann and Nathan Young. John Sharer was a good citizen and for some time was a magistrate, and in the later years of his life a part owner of the Negley grist mill. The house of Matthias Whet- stone was used as a tavern and public house. George Linxweiler came to the settlement in 1811 and remained for a long time, and gained the re- spect of all who knew him. Thomas Skelhorn settled near Pigeon creek a few years later and soon afterwards came Jonathan Goss. This place was known as the Skelhorn hill for many a long year.
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