USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Past and present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 40
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acterized by a depth of feeling as pronounced as the humor in most of his other work.
Of plays Mr. Ade has produced "The County Chairman." "The College Widow," "The Bad Samaritan," "Father and the Boys," "Artie."
He wrote the librettos for the comic operas "The Sultan of Sulu," "Peggy from Paris," and "The Fair Co-ed." the last originally written for the Harlequin Club of Purdue University.
George Ade's connection with Tippecanoe county has never been serious- ly interrupted, and last June it was more firmly connected by his being nomi- nated by the alumni for the position on the board of trustees of Purdue University, which nomination was confirmed by Governor Marshall July 1, 1909.
At this point it would not seem an unpardonable impertinence to claim a Lafayette affiliation with Booth Tarkington.
Mr. Tarkington finished the sophomore year at Purdue University in 1801. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and through the con- nection of university and fraternity there was established a friendship with George Ade and the MeCutcheon brothers which has made Tarkington almost a Tippecanoe county adopted son at least.
Morgan Bates came to Lafayette in 1896 to assume editorial charge of the Evening Call. Before coming to Lafayette. he had lived in Michigan and Chicago, and had engaged both in literary work and publishing in both places. While Mr. Bates was living in Lafayette. F. Hopkinson Smith was brought to Lafayette to deliver a lecture in the Young Men's Christian Association course. Mr. Bates was asked to introduce Mr. Smith, and in so doing. he made such a remarkable presentation speech touching upon Mr. Smith's mani- fold gifts as artist, architect, author and lecturer in a manner so appropriate, eloquent and brief that Mr. Smith declared that never in his whole experience had he been introduced with such a remarkably suitable speech. This speech laid the foundation for a close friendship between the two men which ended only with Mr. Bates' death. Under the encouragement of Mr. Smith Mr. Bates published, in 1901, a story of ante-bellum days, entitled "Martin Brook."
Mr. Bates was the husband of Clara Doty Bates, well known as a writer of children's stories.
Leroy Armstrong came to Lafayette in 1899 from Ladoga. He took a position as editor of the Morning Journal. Mr. Armstrong was a newspaper man of extensive experience. After a consolidation of the Journal Company with the Burt-Terry Company and a consequent change of the politics of the Journal from Democratic to Republican persuasion, Mr. Armstrong, with
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others. started the Democrat, which discontinued in 1905. and Mr. Armstrong went to Salt Lake City. where he now resides. While in Lafayette, Mr. Armstrong wrote and published. "The Outlaws," a story of early days, whose scene is laid in Lafayette, and whose events have much to do with the build- ing of the Wabash and Erie canal.
Charleton Andrews' connection with Lafayette was established in 1905. At that time, he came to Lafayette to teach literature in the Lafayette high school. He continued in the Lafayette high school for one term, leaving Lafayette in 1906 to take a position in the State College of Washington, at Pullman, Washington. Mr. Andrews, before engaging in teaching. had been a reader for the Bobbs-Merrill Publishing Company and a reviewer of books and dramatic performances for the Indianapolis Sentinel and News. He published in 1903 a romance of old France, which he called. "\ Parfait Gentil Knight," A. C. McClurg & Company.
Mrs. Eliza Dana Weigle has been a resident of Lafayette since the time of her marriage to Mr. Charles Weigle. Mrs. Weigle has written verse, some of which has been collected in a brochure entitled, "In an Old Time Garden," issued by the Woodruff Print, West Brandon, Vermont.
Mr. J. Walter Scott came to Lafayette from Oxford, Indiana. Mr. Scott was a business man and his time and energies were given to his busi- ness affairs. Nevertheless he found time to write a novel, entitled "Anita, or The Specter of a Snow Storm," which was published by G. W. Dilling- ham. New York, 1891.
Mr. Septimius Vater was for many years connected with the Journal and Evening Call. He has written much during that time outside his news- paper work. Notable, are his contributions to the history of Ouiatenon and his "Centennial History of Tippecanoe County and Lafayette," in 1876.
Miss Jeannie Mackenzie, daughter of Rev. R. Mackenzie, pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Lafayette in the late seventies and recently of the Rutgers Presbyterian church, of New York, has been a contributor to periodical literature.
D. W. Anderson is another who has contributed to the literary garner of Tippecanoe county. Mr. Anderson's whole life has been spent in this com- munity. His life work has been that of a teacher and his book, "Oliver and His Friends," issued by the Inland Publishing Company, is a book for children.
Another book by a teacher is "Literary Appreciations, Little Life Stor- ies," by Amanda Jane Smiley, a book of biography. criticism and apprecia- tion of American and English authors with extracts from other works. The book was published at Lafayette in 1908.
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A translator who should be mentioned in this article is Father Bona- venture Hammer, assistant priest at St. Boniface Roman Catholic church, who translated Ben Hur into German. This translation has been very pop- ular and had an extensive sale.
Several works of a special character have been published by various authors of Tippecanoe county. Among these may be mentioned the "History of St. John's Parish from 1837 to 1887." by Mrs. Jane C. Harvey-a neat little book of one hundred and ten pages.
Gen. James R. Carnahan collaborated with James A. Barnes and Thomas H. B. MeCain in writing the "History of the Eighty-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry."
Serg. B. F. Magee published the "History of the Fortieth Regiment." written in collaboration with the Rev. W. R. Jewell, of Danville, Ill.
Col. G. R. Stormont, commandant of the Soldiers' Home, and John J. Hight wrote a history of the Fifty-eighth Regiment, published at Prince- ton, Indiana.
Among the books relating to the war of the Rebellion, published by Tippecanoe county authors, is a little work by Major Alfred Gaddis, of the Third Indiana Cavalry, entitled "Three Years of Army Life," published in 1896 by the Lafayette Morning Journal Company.
John Levering was author of a book of the genealogy of the Levering family.
Alva O. Reser has been a voluminous writer. He has contributed articles on various subjects to various publications, and to the book of the Indiana Fish and Game Commissioners' Report, and to the History of the Tippecanoe Monument, of which book he was also the editor.
Text books as such are outside the province of this article, and thus are eliminated many professional and technical books of a high order of merit issuing from Purdue University; but from Purdue have come also works which should be mentioned in this connection.
"The History of the English Constitution," by Dr. Thomas F. Moran. is within the scope of this article, and should be mentioned here.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE.
Lafayette, the metropolis and only city within the bounds of Tippe- canoe county, derived its name from General Lafayette, who assisted Gen- eral Washington in securing American independence in the days of the Revolutionary war. It is situated at almost the exact geographical center of the county, the main city being on the east bank of the Wabash river. It is the seat of justice and the court house stands at forty degrees and twenty-five minutes north latitude and nine degrees, forty-seven minutes west from Washington, District of Columbia. It is now eighty-three years old. having been platted in the month of May, 1826, Robert Johnson, a hotel-keeper of Crawfordsville. Indiana, executing the survey for the founder of the place. William Digby, who had but recently purchased the land from the government, at the Crawfordsville land office, his tract being a part of the south fraction of the southeast quarter of section 20, township 23 north, range 4 west. When Johnson surveyed the town it was thickly covered with hazel brush, plum bushes, grape vines and large forest trees, all of which made it a difficult task to survey. The lines of the plat were run on May 25th, and three days thereafter Mr. Digby sold to Samuel Sargent for the sum of two hundred and forty dollars, reserving a small part for ferry purposes. twenty acres northeast adjoining the platting. Subsequently, he sold that to Sargent for sixty dollars. Wishing to enlist the co-opera- tion and have the business influence of others, Mr. Sargent sold five-eighths of all the odd numbered lots to leading men of Crawfordsville-Isaac C. Elston, John Wilson and Jonathan W. Powers-for the sum of one hundred and thirty dollars. These men left no stone unturned to advertise the new town on the banks of the Wabash, and soon speculators and home-seekers became convinced that it was to become more than an ordinary "paper town" and invested here.
It should be remembered that this city was platted just before the act of organizing the county went into effect. and immediately after the county organization was perfected. because of the eligibility of the place for a county seat. and the proposed donations of land and capital by the proprietors and others. the commissioners, appointed by the legislature, selected Lafayette "as the future seat of justice of Tippecanoe county." Messrs. Elston, Wil-
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son, Powers and the representatives of Samuel Sargent's estate donated all the even numbered lots in the platting and gave a ten-thousand-dollar bond as a guarantee of perfect title and complete conveyance ; this was executed May 4, 1826.
For the first thirty years and more, the streets running north and south were known by the names of various states, as for example: Second street, Wabash; Third street, Ohio; Fourth street, Illinois; Fifth street, Mississippi; Sixth street, Missouri: Seventh street, East: Eighth street, Wall: Ninth street, Kentucky.
LAFAYETTE'S APPEARANCE IN 1826-27.
Sanford Cox, once a resident of Lafayette, and a well known and very accurate historical writer, once pictured the place as he saw it from 1826 to 1833 :
"If I were called upon by a lithographer for an original sketch of the town of Lafayette and its suburbs, as it was when I first saw it. I would in the first place draw the Wabash river, on a proper scale, give its exact curve and meanderings, with a ferry flat, skiff, canoe, two pirogues and a keel-boat. moored along the eastern bank. near the foot of Main street. I next would sketch three or four rude cabins scattered along on the bank of the river from Main street to the foot of Ferry street. One of these cabins would contain Smith's store and postoffice-William Smith, the store- keeper, also being the second postmaster. Another of these cabins would be Digby's grocery; another Kelsey & Bishop's justice office; the other Richard M. Johnson's hotel."
Mr. Cox also states that Solomon Hamer conducted a "grocery"-a liquor store-and in front of the place he conducted, underneath a number of sugar maple trees, might have daily been seen a few idle men, pitching quoits, hopping, jumping, wrestling and running foot races. The hindmost man in all these sports had to pay for the liquor drank upon the occasion, or take a sound drubbing, which was frequently administered in those days for even a trivial provocation. Bruised faces and blackened eyes were fre- quently seen.
Bainbridge & Foster's store was at the foot of Main street ; John McCor- mick's little one-story frame store was on the corner of Main and Wabash (now Second) streets, where the old veteran and his two sons, Perry and James, soll goods; Joseph S. Hanna's two-story frame store-house had a front painted white. with perpendicular stripes in dark green, and faced on
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Main street. Avers grocery was kept in a log cabin; William Heaton kept a store in a frame building ; Seneca and Cyrus Ball had a store in a small frame structure on Main and Ohio ( Third) streets; Hill & Holloway had another small stock. On the corner opposite Ball's store was the noted story and a half log tavern of Robert Johnson, who had surveyed the original plat of Lafayette. He was a very genial, happy and highly popular land- lord with an amiable, good calculating wife for a landlady. Their family consisted chiefly of daughters. Daniel Bugher's residence and office was a hewed-log house on the corner of Columbia and Wabash ( Second ) streets. John McCormick had a small, but neat residence at the foot of Columbia street. Sample's tan-yard was situated over a branch, in the country, and was surrounded by a big forest of very large trees; Samuel Hoover had a one- story frame dwelling on Main street. north of the center of the public square. where later he erected his two-story brick block. Then there was the old brick court house ; and William S. Trimble's tan-yard, south of the public square. On the southwest corner of the square Joseph H. Martin had a small frame store, where Jacob Walker and Andrew Kennedy were clerks: on the south side of Main street, a few doors east of the square, Dr. James Davis' resi- dence and office ; next came John and AAlbert Bartholomew's small one-story frame store. Matthias S. Scudder carried on the furniture business on a lot opposite where later stood the Lahr House. A hundred yards north of Scudder's, almost hidden by hazel and plum bushes, was Jesse Stansbury's log cabin: Isaac Edwards on the hill, on Columbia street ( his back yard lay east of his rude dwelling, over the bog) : Matthias Peterson's tan-yard was at the foot of the hill.
South and to the east of the Stansbury place was a pond, which in wet seasons covered many acres, and was called Lake Stansbury.
Lafayette had its first telegraph communication in 1849, on the com- pletion of the canal to Vincennes. This line run by way of AAttica and Terre Haute to Evansville. R. E. Bryant was the first operator at Lafayette and had charge of the entire line.
For the first churches, the reader is referred to general chapters on these subjects ; also see railroads and canals for early-day means of trans- portation. The newspaper press also forms a separate chapter of this work. as does the lodge history of the city and county.
From a very early date, on account of this city being the head of navi- gation on the Wabash, and which fact made it the leading city of the north- ern part of the state, Lafayette was called "The Star City."
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Speaking of the early days of Lafayette, Historian Sanford Cox, once a resident of the city, remarks :
"More than a year after the town was laid out, while some of the set- tlers of the Wabash were attending court at Crawfordsville, a wag jeeringly laughed and inquired 'How does "Layflat," or "Laught-at" come on? I have a mind to take a bacon rind and go up there and grease the little thing and then let the next dog that comes along eat it up.' The Wabasher did not deign to reply to this impudence, but turned off with as much independence as if to say Crawfordsville was then a mere kitchen to Lafayette."
Then Cox goes on to narrate: "Next I would draw a picture of the first story of the old brick court house, which stood where the present one stands, and it was surrounded by a cluster of large stumps, for the public square was originally covered with a large body of timber. I would draw the scaffolding as still standing and Major Ferguson and his workmen lay- ing brick : while in the back yard I would draw Tommy Collins. a jovial old Irishman, grubbing up a large stump on the public square, where the first jail was built, near the spot where the old market-house later stood. South of the square, on the corner of Columbia and Ohio streets, then gen- erally called Ford & Walker's corner, I would place Joseph H. Martin's little frame store-house, with Jacob Walker and Andrew Kennedy standing behind the counter. as clerks."
EARLY MEN AND EVENTS IN LAFAYETTE.
Among the doctors whose names are unknown to most of the present- day people of this city were pioneer characters. Doctors Yurt, Ingersoll, Jennings, Jewett, O'Farrell, Wayburn, Chestnut, McFarland, Hall and Cowdry.
Among the early landlords of Lafayette were Tom Wood. John Lahr, Jack Burgess, of City Hotel; Rezin Jones, of Jones Hotel, at Third and South streets; James Griffin and wife "Peg," well known ; Captain Knight. of the Knight House, southwest corner of Sixth and Ferry streets.
During the decade between 1850 and 1860, the sheriff of Tippecanoe county hung three prisoners at one execution.
Among early well known justices of the peace were Esquire Graham and Esquire Allen ; also Esquire Brawley.
On the city council there was a man in the fifties who was known as the "Watch-dog of the City Treasury"-he was Frank Duffy, whose widow still lives on South street.
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Among the musical characters well known in their day, but who have long since been numbered with the deceased of the city, were McClearon, a famous fiddler at dances: Hank Herrington, a banjo player : Irish Jimmy. another famous violinist.
Leading warehouses in the fifties were the Rose and the Rogers, both situated on the canal. Rogers was at the foot of Ferry street, and Rose at the foot of South street.
George Ten Eyck collected toll on the Wabash & Erie canal at this point, at or near Main street.
Captain Fountain operated a lime and rock boat between here and Delphi.
The two mills of the fifties were on the canal. as was a paper mill and woolen factory. There were also two large soap factories on the old canal; two still-houses-one operated by Hollobird, who was very successful in his special line.
These industries have long since been abandoned, except the Sclmaible soap factory. These plants were all run by water from the canal.
Among the fighting characters of early-day Lafayette were "Queen's Baby," English Tom and One-Armed Clark, who fought with crutches.
William R. Fowler, whose memoranda shows most of the above items, had the distinction of putting off "right-side-up with care" the first piece of baggage ever put off at Lafayette from the first through train of cars.
In the early fifties, John T. Huff drove a horse called Liza-Jane, and when Huff got on a "toot" it is said that he frequently drove this old animal through the court house for the amusement of the county officials.
The early trains into Lafayette were run by "a wireless telegraph sys- tem"-that is to say they were operated without a telegraph line, as such con- veniences had not yet been provided for the road. Five minutes allowance was made for the watches and clocks and when that time had passed the train went on, and when they met the other train one had to back up to a station to pass. A flagman was sent ahead where curves were to be passed. The cars, both passenger and freight, were always coupled with three links, as safety appliances were not invented for a score of years after that day.
The north end of the railroad was in operation two years ahead of the southern division of the Monon system. as now known. The two lines were united in 1854.
The first prisoner in this county was a female. There being no jail at that date, the woman was allowed to run at large during the day and at night was guarded by male citizens, detailed by the sheriff to sit up and
(27)
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watch her. They were allowed fifty cents a night for their official services, and the frugal authorities permitted only one guard at a time.
The first jail was built of square oak timbers, two stories high, and stood southeast of the public square. Its cost was, according to the record made, two hundred and sixty dollars.
The entire county and state revenue in 1827 was two hundred and twenty-seven dollars and ninety-seven cents, but by 1856 had risen to be one hundred thousand and one hundred and eighty-three dollars and twenty- nine cents.
The first hotel was conducted by Richard Johnson, corner of Ferry and Second streets. It was opened for the general public, May 8, 1827. It was called the "City Hotel," and was also allowed to sell liquors. A part of the rooms were converted into court rooms when court was in session, and for this use the landlord received from the county the sum of one dollar per term. He evidently wanted to sell liquor to the "bar" when they were not practic- ing.
AN EARLY PROHIBITION ELECTION.
In the Lafayette newspapers appeared the following election notice in March, 1847: "Let there be a fair and full expression of public will on the liquor license question. Let every voter who wants to see Drunkards, Pau- pers and Conviet Manufacturers succeed according to law, at the expense of wife's tears, and her children cry for bread, vote to license the liquor traffic."
In 1840 the following appeared in the columns of the Free-Press, of La- fayette :
"One cent a pound will be given in goods for a few tons of single tow, delivered at the Lafayette paper mills.
"(Signed)
THOMAS & YANDES."
SHIPMENTS BY WATER.
The following is a list of shipments from Lafayette, by river and canal boats, in one week in the month of October, 1845:
Wheat, thirty-three thousand eight hundred and forty-two bushels; bar- rels of flour, one thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine ; bushels of corn, nine hundred and sixty-three; oats, one hundred and ninety; pounds of general merchandise, six thousand five hundred and sixty-two; ginseng, six hundred and seventy-two pounds ; dried hides, three thousand five hundred and forty- eight : tobacco. six thousand five hundred and thirty-six pounds ; boxes soap.
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fourteen; pounds of furniture, three thousand seven hundred and eighty; barrels of whisky, fourteen; other merchandise, four thousand five hundred pounds ; castings, four thousand three hundred pounds ; sole leather, six thous- and four hundred pounds; white fish, six thousand two hundred and eighty pounds; cheese, two thousand seven hundred and thirty-five pounds ; staves and headings, thirty thousand pounds; clocks, one hundred and fifty-five; lumber, thirteen thousand feet; timber, two thousand feet; cord wood, two hundred and twenty-four cords.
The following advertising card was standing in the columns of the Journal-Free Press during the years 1845-46:
"-1845 FULLY INSURED 1845 .- "GRIFFITH'S WESTERN LINE.
"On the Erie Canal (N. Y.) in connection with New York and Troy line of barges on the Hudson river and Sears & Griffith's & Thomas Richmond & Company's steam and sail vessels on the Lakes; also Ludlow, Babcock & Brownlee on the Wabash & Erie Canal at Lafayette.
"Are fully prepared with necessary means to carry property to any of the eastern markets, or goods to any of the eastern ports, including New York, Boston, Albany and Troy. We carry as cheaply as any other line-goods at all times shall be received and shipped and contracts made with our agents will be carried out."
HENRY WARD BEECHER HERE.
The first Presbyterian church was a small brick building still standing, at the southwest corner of South and Fourth streets, and in this modest church building, on more than one occasion, Henry Ward Beecher ( the great American pulpit orator, later of Plymouth Congregational church) drove overland from Indianapolis, where he was then pastor, and preached to the handful of faithful Presbyterians in Lafayette.
The old iron fence that at one time surrounded the second Tippecanoe court house, was finally taken down and is now doing good service as a fence to enclose the northwest corner of Greenbush cemetery.
The first persons to be locked in the county jail that used to stand west of the second court house were two or three boys who had been about the newly constructed jail and one noon, as the workmen were about to go for their dinner, they locked them in the jail for fun, but the boys took the matter
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very seriously, as is related by Doctor Pifer, now so aged and well known among the citizens of Lafayette. Notwithstanding his more than seventy years he is pleased to review those childhood days-life's happiest hours.
PRICES IN 1841.
The local newspapers quote prices in 1841 at Lafayette as follows : Beef, three cents; pork, two cents; lard, five cents; butter, eight cents ; cheese, ten cents : eggs, five cents ; potatoes, twenty-two cents ; hams, six cents ; shoulders, five cents ; flour, three dollars per barrel; wheat, fifty-six cents ; oats, twelve cents ; corn, twelve cents ; flax, fifty-six cents ; maple sugar, eight cents ; New Orleans sugar, ten cents; coffee, twenty cents.
INCORPORATION OF LAFAYETTE.
The city of Lafayette, in 1853, was incorporated under the general laws then in force for the incorporation of cities, approved June 18. 1852.
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