USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Sketches of prominent citizens of 1876 : with a few of the pioneers of the city and county who have passed away > Part 10
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His house was the scene of many practical jokes, many of which have been referred to in other places in this work; and sometimes the joke turned upon him, as in this case :
He had a customer who lived in Urbana, Ohio, a painter by trade. This man had managed to get into Mr. Landis' debt for solids and liquids to the amount of about ten dollars ; he wished to return home for the purpose of seeing friends and raising the wherewith to liquidate that for which he had already liquored. In order to raise the ways and means he proposed to Mr. Landis that if he would furnish him ten dollars more he would leave in pledge for the whole amount of indebtedness his box of tools, including his diamond used for cutting glass, all of which were very valuable. This proposition Mr. Landis readily acceded to, as it would secure what was already due. The honest painter brought the box, neatly packed and nailed, with two brushes on the outside. Mr. Landis advanced the money, and in a few days the painter was enjoying the society of kindred and friends.
Some weeks after a well known citizen, Willis A. Reed, wanted to use some sash-tools that could not be had in the stores, and knowing that this man had had them, got permission of Mr. Landis to open the box and use them. When the box was opened a few copies of the Indianapolis Gazette came first in view, and then about a half bushel of as fine a specimen of White river corn as could be found in the settle- ment, but no painter's tools.
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Mr. Landis afterward met him in Cincinnati and charged him with the trick. He again turned the joke on him by denying his identity, and saying Mr. Landis was mistaken in the man.
Mr. Landis has held many lucrative and responsible offices within the gift of the people of the county-such as sheriff and collector, county treasurer, etc., and enjoyed the confidence of the masses to a consid- erable extent ; and, indeed, on several occasions has had a fortune within his grasp had he looked more to money than to what was just and right ; in fact, he never learned to use the adverb which Webster defines to mean denial. I have known him, while county treasurer, to advance the taxes of his friends, and those that were unable to pay, to save their property from sale, and, consequently, additional costs, which would come into his pocket. How unlike the officers of the present day. Sheriffs then could not build a four-story block on the fees of a single term.
The writer was for several years employed as a clerk in his store, and has known him to let the poor have goods when he certainly must have known they were unable, or would be, to pay for them. The con- sequence is he has yet to continue to labor, and does so as much as he did forty-seven years ago; and while many have accumulated wealth by grinding and oppressing the poor, Jake Landis has ever been their friend, and has carried out the injunction of the Bible more by practice than by profession or precept, "Remember the poor."
Mr. Landis died on the 20th of December, 1874. His wife survived him about two years. On the first of July preceding his death he and his wife celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage, or their golden wedding.
LUKE WALPOLE AND FAMILY.
The father of the late Thomas D. and Robert L. Walpole was from Zanesville, Ohio. He had descended the Muskingum and Ohio rivers to the mouth of the Wabash, and then ascended that stream and White river to this place in a keel-boat, arriving here in the summer of 1822.
His family consisted of fourteen persons, himself and wife, four sons, and six daughters, a nephew and colored servant, Belle; in addition to his family and household furniture he brought on this boat a stock of goods.
He first lived on the northwest corner of the State House square, in
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a house built by Isaac Wilson, and referred to in another sketch, in a. cabin, near which he had his store.
Mr. Walpole having several daughters in the heyday of life, caused a considerable sensation with the young bucks of the settlement. It was these young ladies Tom Johnson called on and requested to see their "purranner."
The old gentleman was a small, spare-made man, not weighing over one hundred pounds apothecaries' weight, if that ; he dressed in the old English style, short pants, long stockings, and silver shoe buckles, and a coat to suit this style of dress. The old lady was not any taller than her liege lord, but was considerably larger, and would weigh at least two hundred and fifty pounds avoirdupois ; their joint weight would not be more than that of two ordinary persons, but it was so unequally divided that it would attract attention and sometimes draw forth a jocu- lar comment when they would take their usual evening walk to- gether.
The old gentleman enjoyed a joke, even should it be at his own ex- pense ; his friends often twitted him with the disparity in size between himself and wife; he replied, that in selecting a wife he was like he was in buying goods, that when he found a good article he wanted a plenty of it.
Of the fourteen persons that constituted Mr. Walpole's family when he first came to this place, but two are living; Mrs. Elizabeth Col- erick, who lives in Fort Wayne, and the colored woman, Belle, the elder daughter, Miss Ann, was the first wife of Obed Foote, Esq. She died many years since, leaving one child that bears the father's name, and now lives in Paris, Illinois ; the third daughter was the wife of Wm. Quarles, an eminent and early lawyer of this place, who died in the winter of 1849, and although twenty years have elapsed since his death, she yet mourns his loss as if of but a few days-a rare thing in women ; Miss Mary, the fourth, died some three or four years since ; Miss Eliz- abeth, the fifth, is the present wife of the Hon. David Colerick, of Fort Wayne; the sixth daughter, named, I think, Margaret, died a few years after they came to this place ; Edward, the oldest son, went south about the year 1824, and there remained. He at one time was very wealthy, but I understand he lost the most of it before his death, which occurred several years since.
Thomas D. Walpole, the second son, and at present remembered by most of the citizens of this city, was a most extraordinary man.
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With nothing more than a common English education, he studied law with his brother-in-law, Wm. Quarles, Esq. Mr. Quarles informed me that before he had half finished his studies he went to Greenfield, Han- cock county, and there commenced the practice. He at once became popular as a man and quite successful as a lawyer. He has often told me that he would never let a judge try a case when he could get a Hancock county jury. "Then," said he, "I cared not who was the opposing counsel." He was State Senator from the counties of Han- cock and Madison several years, also, Representative from Hancock .. Indeed, in those counties he was invincible before the people.
In 1840 he was an ardent and enthusiastic Whig, and rendered great service to the Whig party, and contributed largely to the success of General Harrison. It was during this canvass that Tom gave to the- Democratic party their emblem, which they have claimed ever since,. the chicken cock, or rooster. George Patterson, then editing the Dem- ocratic paper, wrote, just before the August election of that year, to Joseph Chapman, of Greenfield, that the Democratic party would be beat, and that there was no hope, but, said he, "Crow, Chapman, crow." By some means Tom got possession of the letter, and exposed it. A year or two subsequent to this circumstance Messrs. George and Page Chapman became proprietors and editors of the Democratic paper and placed a rooster at the head of their paper, and from this circum- stance it was generally supposed that they were the persons to whom the letter was addressed and the original crowers ; but such is not the case. It is to Tom Walpole the Democratic party is indebted for the emblem of the rooster.
Tom was a great wag, and many were the pranks he played upon his friends as well as enemies. During the Mexican war he procured a blank colonel's commission by some means from the War Department at Washington. This he caused to be filled up with the name of Joseph Chapman, of Hancock county (the same Chapman referred to above), with instructions to raise a regiment of volunteers and proceed direct to the seat of war in Mexico. This he caused to be mailed to "Colonel Joseph Chapman, Greenfield, Indiana." Immediately on receipt of this, Mr. Chapman mounted his horse (there were no railroads then) and came to Indianapolis and direct to Governor Whitcomb for instructions how to proceed. After the Governor had examined the commission and instructions, he remarked to Mr. Chapman that he thought he was the victim of a playful hoax. "Yes," said Mr. Chapman, "it is that
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LUKE WALPOLE AND FAMILY.
Tom Walpole. Can I ever get rid of that fellow? He has dogged me since he first got hold of that crowing letter."
Nor was Mr. Chapman the only one that had received a commission in this way. Colonel Ninevah Berry, of Anderson, also received one with similar instructions.
Colonel Berry, I understand, at once established recruiting head- quarters, with the United States flag unfurled, and drum and fife con- stantly playing at the door, and had actually received some volunteers, and did not find out the joke until it was discovered by Chapman. Were I to attempt to give half the jokes and pranks of Tom, it would fill this volume.
He was a man of great native ability, a fine speaker, and set out in life with an ambition and determination worthy of a brilliant career and sequel. He had plucked the flower, but threw it withered at his feet.
Tom was my early school-mate and ever my personal friend, and in this sketch I have endeavored to do him, as well as his father's family, justice ; if I have failed it is an error of my head, and not of my heart.
The third son of the family, Robert L. Walpole, died some years since, an old bachelor. In his early life he had followed merchandizing, with but little success, and after that studied law and practiced with suc- cess, at least so far as the accumulation of property was concerned. His ability as a lawyer consisted in his ever watching the mistakes of the opposing counsel, the quirks and turns of law, and any advantage that might be thrown in his way. These are my own opinions, and I think the most of the present bar of Indianapolis will sustain me in them.
John, the fourth son, and last of the family that I notice, was a young man of more than ordinary promise. When quite young he went to Fort Wayne ande there finished the study of law that he had commenced in this place with his brother-in-law, William Quarles, and then commenced with a fine prospect of success in the profession, but was stricken down by death quite young, before his early promise had ripened, and ere he had reached the meridian of life.
As a family, there was none ever lived in Indianapolis that was more respected, nor none that ever came to the place that created at the time such a sensation as the Walpoles. They had brought a large, old- fashioned sideboard, which was boxed up in such a way as might be readily taken for a piano. The late Calvin Fletcher, knowing the great curiosity of the people, especially the young men, to know everything pertaining to the new comers, and seeing an opportunity to have some fun, informed the young men that they certainly had a piano, as there
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was no other kind of furniture that would require a box of that shape. All the young men were quick to call on the young ladies, and tried to get a peep at the instrument ; none, however, made their business known except farmer Tom Johnson, who had never "seed a purran- ner." The great verdancy on the part of the young bucks caused the young ladies a great deal of merriment, and they gave each a fancy name, a few only of which I now remember: Oyster Tongs, Tallow Face, Mutton Head, Simon Shears and Sleepy Hollow; the latter was named (like all original names) by circumstances. He had called to spend the evening, or may be to look at and hear the "purranner," and went to sleep, and they gave him the name above indicated. There are but two of the persons above named that are living. Tallow Face is a prominent citizen of the city; Mutton Head lives in the suburbs.
Mr. Walpole's family were connections of the Hon. Thomas Ewing, of Ohio.
ISAAC N. PHIPPS
Came to this place in June, 1823, and was connected with Conner and Tyner in merchandizing. He was for many years one of the prominent merchants of the place. Mr. Phipps is well acquainted with the early history of this place and very near all the old settlers.
When he first came here, and for many years after, it was customary for merchants to keep whisky for their customers, and all that wished to could drink without money and without price. An empty whisky barrel was set up on end in front of the counter, with a hole in the upper head for the drainage of the glasses. On this barrel was set a half gallon bottle filled with whisky, a bowl of maple sugar, and a pitcher of water, and often in winter a tumbler of ground ginger; this was intended as an invitation to all who came into the store to help them- selves, regardless whether they purchased or not. In these country stores could be found anything, from a log-chain to a cambric needle, from a grubbing-hoe to a silk shawl, from a sack of coffee to a barrel of whisky. How different from those splendid, fashionable establish- ments, the New York Store, the Trade Palace, the Bee Hive, the Farmers' Store, and many others; how the fancy clerks of these fash- ionable marts of merchandise would giggle and laugh were it possible for old Jim McCoy to visit his old "stamping ground " again and stumble into one of these stores and tell them their "bottles wanted filling up," or that he wished an ounce of indigo, a quarter of a pound of madder, or that the "old 'oman wanted to know if they were gwine
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JAMES SULGROVE.
to have any more Leghorn bonnets with two crowns, as her and the oldest gal wanted one."
It was customary for the merchants, in those days, to bring bonnets in this way, take the back part of one and sew it to the odd crown, and make a second bonnet.
Mr. Phipps has lived to see this great change in the manner of doing business in Indianapolis, in his own as well as other branches of busi- ness. He has raised a large and respectable family of children. Two of his sons and a son-in-law are engaged in the jewelry business. Another son-in-law, P. G. C. Hunt, is a prominent dentist ; another is a merchant, and yet another is a prominent lawyer.
Mr. Phipps has long since retired from active business, and seems content to attend to his little suburban farm, and worship according to the dictates of his own conscience.
JAMES SULGROVE.
Mr. Sulgrove was born near Germantown, Montgomery county, Ohio, on the 5th of October, 1805. He came to Marion county with his father, John Sulgrove, in 1823. In 1824 he apprenticed himself to Christopher Kellum to learn the saddle and harness making business. In 1826 he married ; shortly afterwards Mr. Kellum died, and Mr. Sul- grove became proprietor of the business, which was situated on East Washington street.
Mr. Sulgrove's younger brother Joseph learned the trade with him. They afterwards became partners, and the business was conducted many years in the name and firm of J. & J. Sulgrove. In 1835 they moved their shop to the southeast corner of Washington and Meridian streets, where they did business for several years. In the meantime William Sulgrove became a partner.
In 1850 Mr. Sulgrove bought property on the north side of Wash- ington, between Meridian and Illinois streets, and in connection with the saddle and harness business added that of the hardware and trim- ming pertaining to his business. In 1868 he removed to South Mer- idian street, and did a wholesale business only.
His last place of business was on South Illinois street. Mr. Sul- grove lived many years on West Maryland, second lot from Tennessee, and adjoining where the chamber of commerce now stands. He joined the Campbellite, or Christian Church, in 1835, and served as a deacon in the church for several years. He served as a member of the Council
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for the fifth ward for several years, and on the school board, and fre- quently as inspector of elections.
Mr. Sulgrove was a Democrat up to about the time the Republican party was formed in 1854. He then joined that party. He was a mem- ber of the city, county, and State central committees. He was for many years a director of the branch of the old State Bank of Indiana, and a stockholder and director of the Citizens' Bank. He never asked for or held any office of profit. Mr. Sulgrove's first wife having died, he mar- ried the second time in 1865.
Mr. Sulgrove had ten children, all by his first wife, eight boys and two girls, all living and married, but one, and all have children. At his funeral were over seventy-five of his immediate descendants, child- ren and grand children.
In all the relations of life Mr. Sulgrove performed his duties well. As husband, father, brother, friend and Christian, he lived up to all the requirements. With him, as with nearly all the old citizens, I was inti- mately acquainted.
BERRY R. SULGROVE
Was born in Indianapolis, on the 16th of March, 1828, and was the old- est child of the late James Sulgrove.
He was first sent to school at the age of five years, to Miss Clarissa Ellick, who kept in the old Baptist church, on the corner of Meridian and Maryland streets. Berry received the rudiments of his education in the different private schools of the place ( we had no public schools then), taught by Miss Ellick, Miss Kise, Josephus Cicero Worrell, Mr. Hill, Mr. Newell and Gilman Marston, who was afterwards a member of Congress from New Hampshire, a general in the civil war, and then Governor of Montana territory, where he yet resides.
In 1839 Mr. Sulgrove went to school to James S. Kemper, who kept in the old county Seminary, on University square. Here he continued five years. He then worked in his father's shop, at the harness and sad- dle making business. This was in 1844, when Henry Clay and James K. Polk were the candidates for the Presidency. Although Berry's father and relatives were strong Democrats, Berry was a strong Whig, and although a mere boy, was sufficient in political argument for any of them. About this time it first became known that he was a boy of no ordinary mind. When he worked for his father he was entrusted with the finest work in the shop. He worked as a journeyman for William Ecket a short time.
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BERRY R. SULGROVE.
In August, 1847, he entered Bethany College, West Virginia, then under the Presidency of Alexander Campbell. His principal studies in ·college were reviewing what he had learned with Kemper during the five years he was under his tutorage; so he was enabled to graduate in one year. There were five departments in the college, and a first and second honor was given him in each over all ; he was " first honor man" of the college-took the whole five, the first time it had ever been done in that institution. He was compelled to make his graduating speech in Greek. Berry says it would have bewildered Demosthenes to under- stand it fully.
In 1848 he began the study of law with the late Oliver H. Smith and Simon Yandes. After three years he formed a partnership with John Caven, afterwards and now mayor of the. city, who had studied at the same time and place with him, and they practiced together until the last of the winter of 1854-5, when he took charge of the editorial department of the Journal with John D. Defrees. Although Mr. Sul- grove had never had entire editorial control of a paper until he engaged on the Journal, yet he had written considerably for the press. As far back as 1848 he contributed to the Locomotive, under the name of "Timothy Tugmutton." These articles first called attention toward him as a writer of no ordinary ability.
In 1850 he wrote sketches of the constitutional convention for the same paper. He then wrote the articles for the Hoosier City, a small paper published by the boys connected with the Journal; from that time until he took charge, contributed regularly for the Journal. When he first went on the Journal he did the work that now requires several hands-writing leaders, news items, locals, reports of meetings, copy- ing telegraph news from the old style. He was the first in the city to report meetings, lectures and such proceedings at night for the next morning paper, and the first to attempt anything like verbatim speeches. Berry tells me he frequently worked nineteen hours out of the twenty- four. He did this the first time at the old settlers' meeting on Calvin Fletcher's place on Virginia avenue, in the summer of 1856, making a full page report for the next morning's paper. He then bought Ovid Butler's stock in the Journal, the Defreese, and later, several other shares, so that he had a majority of the shares. He sold out in 1863, intending to go to Europe, but the war and other matters prevented, and he continued as editor of the Journal at a salary of sixteen hun- dred dollars per annum. In 1864 he accompanied Morton and McDon- ald in their joint canvass for Governor, and reported for the Journal; in
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the following winter was Morton's private secretary until the close of the Legislature.
The summer of 1865 he spent mostly fishing and hunting, and in the fall went with Governor Morton to Europe, passed a few days in London, thence to Paris, and Geneva in Switzerland, where Governor Morton left him.
He then went through Italy to Rome, where he remained five months. He visited Naples, Pompeii, Vesuvius, then to Egypt; was a week in Cairo, and returned by way of Leghorn, Geneva, Marseilles and Lyons to Paris, saw the World's Fair building; then to Boulogne, where he had a severe attack of Asiatic cholera. He then went to London and other places in England, and came home in the latter part of the winter of 1866-7. He then took charge of the editorial depart- ment of the Journal during the time the editor, Hon. H. C. Newcomb, was in the Legislature, and wrote for it as leading writer for some time, and nearly all the time since. With the exception of one or two short intervals he has been connected with the Journal nearly twenty-five years. He began with the News at the start and has been on it ever since, now nearly seven years. He generally has from one to two col- umns in the two papers each day.
In addition to the city press above alluded to, Mr. Sulgrove also wrote for the Daily Mirror, occasionally for the Saturday Herald ; was leading writer for the Iron World, of Pittsburg, for some months ; wrote leading articles for the Inter-Ocean, Chicago, also the Terre Haute Ex- press and Terre Haute Mail. For several years was the Indiana edi- tor of the Cincinnati Gazette, and attended to the Indiana exchange news. In 1871 wrote for the Cincinnati Commercial. It will at once be seen that Mr. Sulgrove's career as a journalist has been wide and varied, and to say that he stands in the front ground as such would be supererogation.
Mr. Sulgrove was married in 1853 to Miss Mary M. Jameson, sister of Dr. P. H. Jameson, L. H. Jameson and County Commissioner Alex- ander Jameson. He has had three children, two boys living and one dead.
NICHOLAS MCCARTY.
After writing the name above, I have to lay down my pen to think of language befitting to give the reader an idea of the many good quali- ties and characteristics of this man.
He was many years a prominent and popular merchant of this place,
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INCIDENTS OF 1823-24-25-26.
and during that time did the largest business of any person in it. He became a citizen in the fall of 1823, and early manifested a deep inter- est in the place and all its citizens, especially the young men, many of whom he assisted and started in business.
Mr. McCarty was never known to oppress any person he thought was honest, and intended to act so with him, and during his whole ca- reer (thirty-one years) he enjoyed the confidence of the people at large and the respect of his neighbors as much as any person of the county.
He was my friendly adviser from my boyhood to the time of his death, and never did I have cause of regret, unless it was when I did not heed it; and often do I think of his friendly salutation when we met, " How do you do, Johnny ?" Although I never had occasion to ask pecuniary aid of him, I had that which was more valuable, his friendship and advice. He was a plain, unassuming, practical common- sense man, with as warm and generous a heart as ever beat in the bosom of a human being ; no duplicity or deceit was found there.
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