USA > Indiana > Public men of Indiana : a political history from 1860 to 1890, v. 1 > Part 13
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a century a teacher in its public schools. Among Colonel O'Brien's army comrades who were promi- nent and worthy citizens of the county were Major Cyrus J. McCole, Captain Malilon H. Floyd and Henry M. Caylor, who is at this writing still in active life. Following the close of his four years of army service he engaged in business and indus- trial pursuits, was in his youthful days a cooper by trade and followed from that occupation to that of a lumber manufacturer and dealer and con- structed many residences and business houses in his home town, and served his county as a member of the Indiana Legislature, was State Department Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic when it contained 16,000 men.
William Conner was among the first of the early settlers of that county and owned large bodies of land, on part of which the City of Noblesville now stands. A short time before his death he disposed of his land by conveyances to his widow and chil- dren, giving part of it to his children "by an Indian woman of the Delaware tribe," as appears by an ancient deed in the county recorder's office. His nephew, William W. Conner, was one of the organizers of the Republican party and a dele- gate to the Chicago Convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for President in 1860 and was credited with being the first of Indiana's delegates going to his support. He was a prominent leader of that party for many years and was elected clerk of the Circuit Court, his term expiring in 1863, when he was succeeded in office by the writer's
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uncle, John Trissal, who was elected while serving in the 75th Indiana Regiment. Conner engaged in the milling business for a number of years and while so engaged was in 1871 elected to the legis- lature as an Independent and became a supporter of Horace Greeley for President and Thomas A. Hendricks for governor in 1872 and was appointed Adjutant General of the State by Governor Hen- dricks. In 1876 he became prominent among the leaders of the "Greenback" party, but in after years returned to the Republican fold. His son, John C. Conner, was captain of a company of the 63d Indiana Regiment and at the close of the war, upon the accession of Andrew Johnson to the pres- idency, became one of his supporters, making many public speeches to popularize his policies, and while so engaged received a commission as an offi- cer in the regular army and was assigned to duty in a military district in which the State of Texas and the cities of Sherman and Dallas are located. In these reconstruction days the leaders and par- ticipants in rebellion had not yet received amnesty and were ineligible to seats in congress and Cap- tain Conner seeing a possible opportunity of becoming a congressman planned a campaign to that end by so vehemently denouncing acts of congress and the course of some of his superior officers that he was courtmartialed and as a conse- quence was nominated and elected to congress by the few old Texans who were allowed to vote. His election took place while he was in military con- finement and he got. the distinction of being the
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only Democratic "Carpetbagger" who was elected to congress. His admission to his seat was opposed by General Ben Butler and others of the radical faction in congress, but he was finally admitted, and upon being admitted under a claim of high privilege was recognized by the speaker and allowed ten minutes in which to defend his right to his seat, and greatly surprised the members by his deliberate and vigorous denunciation of Butler, whom he characterized as being better suited for an end man in a burlesque show than a seat in con- gress, when Butler in his characteristic manner, in the slang of the day, said "Shoo fly, don't bodder me," and they later became close friends. He served two terms and died soon after the elose of his second term. One of his strong supporters was Colonel Silas Hare, a native of Noblesville, who had gone to Texas in an early day and served four years as colonel of a Confederate regiment. Cap- tain Conner as congressman secured the appoint- ment of his son, Luther Hare as a cadet to West Point, from whence he graduated and became an officer of high rank in the regular army, while his father, Colonel Silas Hare, succeeded Conner in congress and was long a prominent member of that body.
Jonathan W. Evans or "Will" Evans, as he was usually called, a graduate of Bethany College, was an able lawyer of the Hamilton County bar who excelled all others in oratorical advocacy.
Thomas J. Kane, an able lawyer, held the record as the one of the longest and most conspicuous in
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continuous practice of all its members, with the possible exception of Joel Stafford, who had began the practice in 1859 and left it to join the army where he served two years, and then resumed the practice and continued actively in it for more than sixty years, and meanwhile was prosecuting attor- ney and a number of times performed legislative duties.
Senator Ralph K. Kane was associated with his father, Thomas J. Kane, in the later years of the latter's life, succeeding Theodore P. Davis, who was for many years his father's associate in the practice. The firm of Kane & Davis was exten- sively known as composed of able lawyers and had an extensive practice. Davis was a native of the county, got a start in his legal education in the law office of Moss and Trissal. He was elected judge of the Appellate Court of the State as a Democrat in 1892, was an able and industrious member of it and became prominent also as a member of the Indianapolis bar after his term as appellate judge expired. Paul Gray Davis, prominent in Demo- cratic polities in Indianapolis, is his son.
Richard Ross Stephenson, of the Hamilton County bar, was one of the best educated and ablest of its members, was a graduate of Ann Arbor Law School and at the end of a term of service in the Union army became a student in the law office of General Moss and for a time was his partner and then became associated as a partner of Jonathan W. Evans, the firm having an extensive practice. In 1868 he was elected a member of the Indiana
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legislature and among other events at the session of 1869 got a short leave of absence to get married to Lucy Shaw, a graduate of Oxford College, a woman of high literary and other accomplishments, a sister of Dr. Albert Shaw, editor of the Review of Reviews. He introduced at that session and urged the passage of a measure placing county offi- cers on specific salaries in place of compensating them by the much abused fee system. The meas- ure met with such opposition by the county offi- cials that it was defeated at that session, but later a similar measure became a law. The officials of his county attempted to defeat him for re-election because of this salary bill, but he accepted the issue and at the Republican primary election got almost the unanimous vote of his party and was elected without opposition and served in the session of 1871, and on returning founded the Ledger news- paper, first called the Commercial, that is still one of the enterprises of the county. He continued in the law practice while editing it and was later nomi- nated and elected circuit judge and so ably did he perform his judicial duties that he was often called to other circuits to preside as special judge in important cases. The contest over the will of United States Senator Joseph E. McDonald was one of the great cases tried in his court in which he was called upon to decide many intricate questions, particularly questions relating to the admissibility of evidence bearing upon the subject of the testa- tor's intention, and his decisions were all affirmed by the Supreme Court as they were in most other cases where appeals were taken.
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Associated with him in the law practice after his term as judge expired was Walter R. Fertig, who like him was a native of the county, and is now probably the oldest living resident member of the bar continuing in active practice. Mr. Fertig had the advantages of a complete college course at Butler University before its name was changed from that of the North Western Christian Uni- versity and after traveling abroad and getting the benefits of observations in other parts of the world, settled down to his life work in the county of his birth, where he enjoys the highest esteem of his fel- low citizens as well as that of the many lawyers and judges of the State who know him.
Robert Graham, a native of Butler County, Pennsylvania, a brother of Dr. William B. Gra- ham, a prominent surgeon of the Civil War, resid- ing at Noblesville, studied and began the law practice in the office of James and William O'Brien and became a member of that firm and followed it in practice for a number of years; was elected State Senator in 1880 and served in the sessions of 1881 and 1883 that were noted for the great number of able senators they composed. He was in line for higher political honors that he justly deserved when he decided to change his residence to Cripple Creek, Colorado. He was a great admirer of and was greatly admired by Governor Albert G. Porter, Walter Q. Gresham, Thomas A. Hendricks and other of the great men whose names adorn the annals of the State.
Joseph R. Gray was prominent in the leadership
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of the Republican party of Hamilton County for many years and was held in high esteem by all of its citizens. He held the offices of County Audi- tor and Clerk of the Circuit Court and was de- feated by only one vote in a race for the Republi- can nomination for congress by Godlove S. Orth, who was defeated at the election by Judge Thomas B. Ward, the Democratic nominec.
Augustus F. Shirts of that county commenced the law practice several years after arriving at the age of maturity and was noted for his industry and energy in the practice that he kept up continuously during his long life. His son, George Shirts, was favored with the higher educational advantages not available to his father and was an able and active practitioner for many years. He was a member of a legislative commission that codified and classified the corporation laws of the State and the author of a text book on the law of negligence.
Francis M. Housholder, a native of Darke County, Ohio, became a resident of Noblesville in 1870. He had served a term of enlistment as a Union soldier and took up the law as a profession after a course of reading in the office of Thomas J. Kane. He was elected as prosecuting attorney for the counties of Hamilton and Madison on the Democratic tieket and served as postmaster of Noblesville during the first term of President Cleveland.
Walter N. Evans was clerk of the Circuit Court from 1883 to 1887 and had the honor of being the only Democrat who ever held that office.
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Major William A. Wainwright was a soldier and citizen of the county whose name and memory deserve the highest tribute. On the first call for troops in 1861 he was the first to enlist in the three months' service in the 6th Indiana Regiment and participated in the first battles of the war, and at the end of his three months' service immediately again enlisted and served until the war closed, be- coming major of his regiment. At the close of hostilities he was assigned to a special military ser- vice in Texas. Upon the expiration of that term of service he returned to Noblesville and was for many years engaged in mercantile business and then compiled and completed a full abstract of titles to the lands of that county. This abstract enterprise became the foundation for the Wain- wright Trust Company, a strong financial institu- tion of the county. He also equipped his fine farm that borders the east side of White River and over- looks the City of Noblesville with modern farm conveniences and magnificent farm buildings, the pride of the county as it was of its owner, where he and his excellent wife, the sister of Mrs. Colonel William O'Brien, for the many years of his life hos- pitably entertained their legions of friends. Their son, Lucius M. Wainwright, was the first boy graduate of the Noblesville High School and has been prominent as a business man of Indianapolis for many years, and is the father of Colonel Guy Wainwright of the celebrated Rainbow Division, that went overseas and gained militant fame in the World War, who in soldierly bearing and manners
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is a facsimile of his illustrious grandfather, Wil- liam A. Wainwright.
John D. Evans served as major of the 39th Indiana Regiment from the beginning until the end of the war and was elected Auditor of State in 1868. James L. Evans, as previously mentioned, served two terms in congress.
The long and useful career of General David Moss was rounded out by his election as circuit judge in 1884 and he died soon after his judicial term closed.
Hiram Hines, who grew up in frontier sur- roundings and lived the life of a pioneer with the hardships incident thereto, was twenty-one years of age when he enlisted in 1861 as a private sol- dier of the 57th Indiana Regiment, having as his comrades many farmer boys of Jackson Township in Hamilton County. This regiment saw active service from the time it crossed the Ohio River in 1861 until it was mustered out in 1865, and was in many battles in all of which Hiram participated. He kept a diary of every day's events and recorded the location of his regiment and what it did from its organization until it was discharged from the ser- vice.
At the close of his army service he resumed work as a farmer and followed that occupation until his election as County Auditor in 1880 and at the end of his official service again took his position in in- dustrial pursuits in which he continued until his death in the year 1913. He took an active interest in the growth and beauty of Noblesville, and the
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beautiful park that environs its southeastern boun- dary was acquired by him and preserved as an intended donation to that city. He took great interest in the cause of education and was gratified and rewarded for his zeal in that cause by observ- ing the educational progress of his sons. His son, Linneas became one of the State's most prominent educators, twice elected on the Republican ticket as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and at this writing is President of the Indiana State Normal School. Fred E. is now judge of the Hamilton Circuit Court.
John S. Coyner was long a prominent and high- ly respected citizen of Hamilton County, a Civil War soldier and graduate of DePauw University, having high attainments as an engineer and sur- veyor and was county surveyor.
William Neal, of Cicero, in Hamilton County, commanded a company of the 39th Indiana Regi- ment in the Civil War; at its close he took up the study of law and was for many years an honored member of the bar of the county. His son, John F. Neal, was first prosecuting attorney and then became circuit judge.
Earl S. Stone, Jr., began his law studies in the office of his father, was a great student and reader of ancient history, was engaged in school teaching when the Civil War began, and enlisted as a pri- vate soldier in the 75th Indiana Regiment and was with it at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. where he received an injury from a shell bursting over his head but remained with his regiment until the
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war ended. The injury he received from the burst- ing shell later resulted in such a severe mental affliction that his mind only retained a recollection of events of the ancient history he had read and he lingered for many years under the delusion that he was the commander of a battalion of Roman soldiers.
John S. Conklin, a prominent pioneer resident of Westfield, was the father of three sons, who served in the Civil War. Joseph, the elder, fell in battle; Anthony M., at its close, was for many years edi- tor of the Hamilton County Register, the Republi- can organ of the county, but later identified him- self with the Democratic party and was for a time on the reportorial staff of the Indianapolis Senti- nel. William H. also identified himself with the Democratic party in 1876 and was long credited with casting the only Democratic ballot that was counted at Westfield.
The Republicans of that precinct later became divided on the temperance question; this division resulted in the Prohibitionists being allowed to sit on election boards and the consequent counting of all ballots as they had been cast. No voter of that precinct would admit that he was a Democrat but when the presidential election of 1884 was held fifty ballots were found to have been cast for Democratic candidates and about forty of the num- ber casting them came forward, each claiming to have cast the one Democratic vote at preceding elections and a number of them were applicants for the Westfield postoffice, but the office was
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given to Colonel William H .. Conklin, who was not an applicant for it. He was for many years en- gaged in mercantile business at Westfield and highly respected by all of his fellow citizens.
The western part of Hamilton County was pop- ulated by many Quakers from North Carolina.
Westfield was known for many years as a station on what was termed the underground road that fugitive slaves from Southern States traveled on their way to Canada, and as a place where they would be protected, and many white men who were not slaves left North Carolina to escape persecu- tions because of their opposition to slavery and set- tled in that vicinity. Among these was George W. Vestal, who became a resident at the beginning of the Civil War and maintained his status as a good Republican until the nomination of Horace Gree- ley for President, and being a great admirer of that great character, became one of his supporters. As a consequence of that act he was upbraided by his former political associates and suffered almost as many indignities and insults as had been heaped upon him in North Carolina by slave-owners, but this mistreatment only confirmed him in his politi- cal views and he became a pronounced Democrat and his sons were educated in that political school.
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His son, Meade, named in honor of the distin- guished Union general, was elected as judge of the Hamilton Circuit Court, the only Democrat who ever held that office, and he also became an officer in the World War. Of his services as a soldier and his high character as a citizen many pages could be
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written in praise, but as he belongs to a younger generation than those selected for this volume his record is reserved for use in a second volume as is that of William Edward Longley and a number of other high class citizens of both political parties.
Aaron Cox, whose early political status may be inferred from the fact that he named one of his sons Millard F., in honor of Millard Fillmore, the last Whig President, was long a resident of Ham- ilton County residing in the western part of the county. He became a supporter of the policies of Andrew Johnson and was appointed postmaster at Noblesville in 1867. Political intolerance pre- vailed to an unreasonable degree during that period and one who would hold an office under An- drew Johnson was suspected of being an enemy of his country. Capturing Rebel flags as trophies of war was much talked about by returning soldiers, and some patriots who had remained at home and did not know what such a flag looked like suspected that every Democrat had one concealed somewhere about his premises. In 1868 an American flag on which was printed the names, Seymour and Blair, was being waived by a nine-year-old boy in front of the postoffice. One of the home patriots to qual- ify himself to become a candidate for sheriff at the next ensuing primary election courageously wrest- ed the flag from the nine-year-old boy and declared it was a "Rebel flag" that he had captured. The incident created a riot for a few minutes. Whether the captor got the nomination for sheriff is not re- membered but the nine-year-old boy, Charles E.
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Cox, later became an able judge of the Supreme Court of the State. His elder brother, Jabez T. .Cox, was a Union soldier and was for twelve years judge of the Miami circuit, and Millard Fill- more Cox was for four years judge of the Marion County Criminal Court, and was for a time chief editorial writer on the Indianapolis Sentinel and was the author of "The Legionaires," a romance of Morgan's Civil War raid in Indiana.
With sincere reverence to the memories and virtues of the departed and greetings to the living who have been written about in this volume, it is closed in the hope of a blessed immortality of all.
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