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 39
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Mr. Hyde then drew the lessons of the life of the deceased :
" Mr. Sinker was a marked example of industry. There was not a
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busier man in the city. He was a man who loved to work. 'Not sloth- ful in business ; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,' was one of his favor- ite quotations from the Bible.
" He was also a man of earnest purpose. This pushed him on his work and through it against all obstacles. There was a resolution and courage in the man that led him to take hold of the heaviest end in a lift and strike at the hardest part of the task. This made him a leader among working men. His spirit was contagious and inspired others to follow after him.
" Mr. Sinker was the most generous man I have ever known. The selfish world would say he was generous to a fault. There was no limit to his liberality but his ability to give. It was more than meat and drink to him to bestow blessings on the needy. No cause of benevo- lence appealed to him in vain so long as he had the means to help. The charm of Mr. Sinker's expressions of love was their thorough sin- cerity.
" We should not do justice to the commanding trait of his charac- ter, his love, if we did not allude to his affection for children. There are hundreds of children in this city who will think of the kind words and the gifts of Mr. Sinker. How many children in our households had learned to expect his hands to go into his pocket for some token of love for them. Eternity alone can tell in how many young hearts his noble example has sown the seeds of immortal life. Mr. Sinker was a man of the purest integrity. He was as near perfection in his inten- tions as any man I ever knew. No chances of gain could tempt him to dishonesty. As a business man he meant to do right. He believed his religion should be carried into his daily life."
The speaker eloquently spoke of the religious character of Mr. Sinker, his trust in God, his natural and humble piety and the catholicity of his spirit, closing with the following paragraph :
"Our faith follows the spirit of our brother to his blessed home in heaven, and while we gaze upward our hearts breathe out the prayer, 'Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.' Could those sealed lips speak they would say, 'Weep not for me ; pre- pare to meet me in a better world.' They would say to the young-to. all-' Religion is a glorious reality ; you need its support. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near.'.
"With a smile, in his sickness, he told his partner in business: ‘The passage of scripture that comes to my mind makes me comfortable.' His. last counsel to his daughter was: 'Be good, love the Savior ; this is
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ALFRED T. SINKER.
the true road to happiness.' My brethren, I pray that his mantle of love and piety may fall upon us. May we all be redeemed by grace and at length join the departed in the song of unending joy around the throne of God in heaven."
ALFRED T. SINKER,
Son and successor of Edward T. Sinker, whose funeral obsequies and memoirs precede this sketch, was born at Howarden, a town on the Dee, bordering on England, in Wales, on the 11th of May, 1846.
On the 16th of February, 1849, his father, the late Edward T. Sin- ker, sailed from Liverpool on the Oneca, with his family, consisting of Alfred, his mother, and an older brother, for the United States of America. The voyage was a perilous one. They were driven by con- trary winds on the Spanish coast, and narrowly escaped shipwreck. After experiencing numerous gales and rough seas, and seeing some of their fellow passengers buried in the sea, they finally, on the 22d of March, reached the Island of Jamaica, where they were becalmed for three days; then continuing their voyage, they reached New Orleans. on the IIth of April. After a few days rest, Mr. Sinker, being unable to reconcile the institution of slavery with his ideas of right and justice, determined to come further north. He accordingly took passage on the- steamer New World for Cincinnati, but on account of the prevalence of cholera at that place, he returned to Madison, Indiana, which place he reached on the Ist of May. On the 4th his oldest son, Freddy, died of a disease he had contracted in the West Indies.
The following fall' he visited Indianapolis, and at once decided to make it his future home. He accordingly brought his family here No- vember 4, 1849, and proceeded to establish the Western Machine. Works, in which business he continued until the time of his death.
During a period of more than twenty years the subject of this sketch spent his time alternately at school and in working in the various de- partments of his father's establishment, and thus gained a general know- ledge of the entire business.
He was admitted into the High School in 1857, and to the North Western Christian University in 1860, remaining there until the com- mencement of the war. In 1861 he served a short time under General Fremont, as a member of an Ohio battery. Returning home, he en- tered Liber College, and in the fall of 1863 joined the Army of the Cumberland, as assistant quartermaster, remained until May Ist, . 1864,
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when he left to attend college in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he studied banking, higher mathematics, commercial law, and general bus- iness principles.
In November, of this year, in strict obedience to the wishes of his parents, Mr. Sinker declined a flattering appointment in the British navy. He came home and took charge of the Western Machine Works, where he continued until the 18th of August, 1867, when he established the American Saw Works. A month later he was married to Miss Coates, of Mansfield, Ohio.
By hard work and unlimited advertising Mr. Sinker soon secured an enviable reputation for the excellence of his saws, which found a ready sale from New York to the Rocky Mountains.
In 1868 he found it necessary to buy out his partner, and in doing so involved himself to the amount of $30,000. This was a fearful responsibility for a man only twenty-two years of age. It was often predicted that his failure was inevitable. But he possessed in a high degree his father's indomitable pluck, his hope and Christian fortitude. His father bade him "work hard and look up, for all things will work together for good." He did work unceasingly, and advertised lav- ishly, and success was the result. He continued to work without dis- couragement, and full of hope. On the death of his father, Mr. Davis, his father's partner, desired him to join him in the machine business. Pleased with this proposition, he sold out his saw works, paid his $30, 000 indebtedness, and had considerable left. The next day after the sale he accepted Mr. Davis's proposition and went into the "Western Machine Works." Having expressed a preference for an incorporated company to Mr. Davis, they, on the 17th of June, 1871, organized under the laws of the State as "Sinker, Davis & Co.," with a capital of $200,000. The board of directors is composed of Alfred T. Sinker, Hon. Thomas Davis, of Omaha, a capitalist and a man of ability and untiring energy, Benjamin P. Hetherington, a practical machinist of considerable note, and Samuel Stephens, widely known as one of the best boiler makers in the country. Their business is the manufacturing of portable and stationary steam engines, boilers, circular saw mills and general machinery. Their trade extends from Rhode Island to Califor- nia, and from Minnesota to Mexico. Mr. Sinker thinks that if anything is worth doing at all it is worth doing well. Hence he puts his whole force and energy into anything he undertakes. He is an early riser, only sleeping from five to seven hours out of the twenty-four, with steady, temperate habits, and consequently healthy. He is a member
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PHILLIP REICHWINE.
of the Plymouth Congregational church, Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, and of the Choral Union. Mr. Sinker has one child, a son, Eddie Coates Sinker, born on the 13th of March, 1871, but a few days before the death of his grandfather. He was baptised on the 5th of April, 1876, by Henry Ward Beecher, in Brooklyn, New York. Although Mr. Sinker is only in his thirty-first year, he has attained an enviable position as a first-class business man, and has inherited his father's characteristics for honesty, probity and fair dealing.
PHILLIP REICHWINE.
Among our prosperous and successful German citizens will be found the one whose name heads this sketch, having carved and worked out his own fortune. Phillip Reichwine was born in Mezingen Urach, King- dom of Wurtemberg, Germany. On the 25th of July, 1852, he landed with his parents in New York. He then went to Ellensville, Ulster county, New York, where he remained until March, 1854, at which time he came to Indianapolis. He first obtained employment with General Elliott, at the American Hotel, opposite the Union Depot, on Louisiana street, and remained with him until 1857. He then worked at the German Turner Hall, at the corner of Kentucky avenue and Ten- nessee street. Subsequently he worked for E. Beck, at Crystal Palace, on the north side of Washington street, between Meridian and Illinois streets. In 1859 he went to St. Louis, and remained one year. He returned and worked for Matthew Emmenegger at the Union Hall, opposite the Court House, on Washington street, until 1863.
In 1864 he was married to Miss Antonetta Emmenegger, daughter of his former employer. He then engaged with Martin Hug at his saloon on Washington street, where he remained until the death of Mr. Hug. In 1868 he started in business on his own account in the place that had been kept by Mr. Wenger, on the northwest corner of Market and Noble streets. Here he remained until June, 1876. In the mean- time he built the fine block on the southwest corner of Market and Noble streets, known as " Reichwine's Hall," where he now keeps one of the most popular establishments in the city. He was elected M. N. G. A. of the United Ancient Order of Druids, at Cincinnati, in 1875, and installed in Philadelphia in 1876, to serve until 1878. Mr. Reich- wine possesses social and agreeable qualities calculated to make him popular with all with whom he has intercourse. Hence his great pros- perity and success in business. Being now just in the prime of life he
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bids fair for many years of usefulness to his fellow men, and of happi- ness to his family. Mr. Reichwine's father, John P. Reichwine, resides with him, his mother having died in 1870.
FIRST FIRE, FIRST BURGLARY AND FIRST HOMICIDE IN INDIANAPOLIS.
It is a fact that should not be overlooked, and one worthy of note, that for the first fifteen years after the settlement of Indianapolis we had neither fire engines nor police officers, and during that entire time there was but one fire, one burglary, and one homicide.
The fire was that of Carter's tavern, in January, 1825, and did its work very effectually, burning down the entire building, leaving many members of the Legislature without a place to lay their heads.
The burglary was that of Jacob Landis's grocery, by an old man named Redman and his son-in-law, Warner. Suspicion pointed to them, and a search warrant was issued to Sheriff Russell to search their house. The missing articles were all found there, with the exception of a bolt of brown sheeting. The sheriff had noticed that Mrs. Warner was much larger in front and more rotund in person than she was but a few days before, and suspicioned that there was "something more than meal " concealed there, and asked for an examination. She was very indignant that a gentleman should wish to examine a lady in her condition ; but the sheriff could not be put off ; he had seen too many women in that situation, and never knew one to assume so large proportions in so short a time. The examination disclosed the missing goods. The burglars were promptly tried, convicted and sent to the penitentiary for several years.
The homicide was the drowning of William McPherson by Michael Van Blaricum, on the 8th of May, 1833.
It had been known for some time that Van Blaricum entertained no. very good feelings toward McPherson, and had, on several occasions, manifested a disposition to ridicule and make sport of him.
McPherson was employed by William H. Wernwag as a clerk and time-keeper, while the White river bridge was being built. Van Blari- cum was going to cross from the east to the west side of the river in a canoe, and McPherson requested the privilege of crossing with him, which was granted. Van Blaricum had some augers in his hand which he fastened to the bow of the canoe with the rope used for fastening the boat, observing at the same time that he intended to drown McPher-
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GEORGE C. HARDING.
son. When about the middle of the river he turned the canoe over, and when in the water grappled McPherson ; they sank together, and McPherson never rose until brought out a corpse.
At the coroner's inquest finger marks were found on the throat of McPherson, which the examining physician said were made before life was extinct. Van Blaricum was tried for manslaughter, convicted and sent to the penitentiary for a few years.
Although he had said he would drown McPherson, and did, there were none who believed that he intended to do so, but only to scare him, and went farther than he intended ; indeed he told the writer so himself after he had paid the penalty of his crime, and could have no inducement to lie. The jury must have been of the same opinion, hence the verdict, which was for a shorter time than the burglars, above spoken of, and less than a person would now be sent for the larceny of a ten dollar watch.
GEORGE C. HARDING.
When I come to write of such a man as Mr. Harding, who is him- self a ready writer and wields a trenchant pen, I then distrust my own competency for the task I have undertaken. To say that he is one of the most able writers connected with the newspaper profession is but saying what the fifty thousand readers of the Saturday Herald already know. He is considered one of the best paragraphists of the day, the peer of the late George D. Prentice, of the Louisville Journal, whose reputation in that line of literature was world-wide. Mr. Harding does not write merely for profit but to please as well as to gratify a natural taste of his own, and on this principle his paper is conducted. He writes so the reader can comprehend him at once without re reading the article. His articles are characterized by clearness and force. He is now in the prime of manhood, with bright prospects of reaching a brilliant terminus.
He is of a quick and warm temperament, quick to detect and resent an insult, and just as ready to forget and forgive when due reparation is made. On the other hand, if he finds himself wrong he loses no time to make the amende honorable. Ardent and devoted in his friendships, he will go any length to favor those whom he thinks worthy.
George C. Harding was born at Knoxville, Tennessee, on the 29th of August, 1829. He removed with his father's family to Edgar county, Illinois, when he was but eight years old. He tells me that in the suc- ceeding ten years he took thirty quarts of quinine.
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In 1845 he engaged with Judge Conard, of the Wabash Courier, Terre Haute, to learn the printing business. In 1847, and during the Mexican war, he enlisted in the Second regiment of dragoons of the regular army, but was discharged at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, on account of sickness. He worked on the Prairie Beacon, established by his father, at Paris, Illinois. In 1855 he was half proprietor and editor of the Courier, at Charleston, Illinois, which was the first paper in the United States to hoist the name of John C. Fremont for President. He afterwards published in the same town a paper called the Ledger, which had a wide circulation, mostly on credit. After selling the Ledger office he went to Cincinnati, where he did his first city work as local editor of the Commercial. He then enlisted in the Twenty-first Indiana regiment, and was promoted to a lieutenancy. In 1864 he resigned, and worked on the New Orleans Times, which was just started. He then came north and worked on the Indianapolis Journal as city editor. Afterward he took a similar position on the Herald (now Sentinel ). He then formed a connection with Marshall G. Henry for the publica- tion of the Weekly Mirror, afterwards converted into a daily. He then sold his interest in the Mirror in consequence of disagreement with the partners. He then worked on the Cincinnati Enquirer, Louisville Ledger, and St. Louis Democrat. From the latter position he was dis- charged for writing a letter to the Chicago Times with some news in relation to the small pox prevailing in St. Louis. He then came to Indianapolis and established the Herald, and, as he says, came to stay.
Just before the rebellion he was employed as assistant editor of the Daily Telegraph, at Houston, Texas, and says he left in something of a hurry, in consequence of having opinions of his own in regard to the approaching war. His connection was also severed with the New Or- leans Times in consequence of some criticisms of General N. P. Banks's administration of affairs on the Gulf. He was once expelled from the Kentucky House of Representatives for criticisms on the action of the members; but was still harbored in the Senate by Senator Lovell H. Rousseau defending him.
It will be readily seen that Mr. Harding has taken an independent course, without regard to consequences, and as a fearless and independ- ent writer has few equals. He will expose corruption, whether in the brothel or the church, the cottage or the palace.
Mr. Harding is about six feet in height, with a strong, symmetrical frame, a keen black eye, dark hair, slightly tinged with silver grey.
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SAMUEL N. BANNISTER.
HON. DILLARD RICKETTS
Has been a citizen of Indianapolis since 1867, although he has been well known to our prominent citizens for many years. He is a native of Kentucky, born in Clarke county, but lived some time in Henry county previous to his coming to Madison, his first residence in Indiana.
He was for several years a successful merchant of Edinburg, and while residing there represented Johnson county in the State Senate. He was for several years extensively engaged in the purchase and pack- ing of pork at Jeffersonville, and did a larger business in that way than any other person in the State at that time.
Several years since he was selected president of the Jeffersonville & Indianapolis Railroad Company, and at a time its stock was scarcely worth ten cents on the dollar. During his presidency it gradually ad- vanced in value until it is now at a large premium, although the company had purchased the Madison & Indianapolis railroad and built lateral branches of their own road-one from Columbus to Cambridge City, another from Jeffersonville to New Albany.
Mr. Ricketts and Samuel H. Patterson, of Jeffersonville, as the rep- resentatives of the railroad, were active in procuring the building of the railroad bridge across the Ohio river at the southern terminus of their road, and to them Indiana and the country is mostly indebted for unit- ing New York with New Orleans by one continuous and unbroken chain of railroad communication through our State.
Mr. Ricketts has ever been an active and energetic man, contributing largely to the great prosperity of the State. He possesses a frank and manly bearing and a dignified kindness calculated to win upon those that he is thrown in contact with.
His estimable lady is the second daughter of the Hon. David W. Daily of Clarke county, who for many years represented that county in the State Senate. We remember him as one of the firm friends of the administration of General Jackson during his Presidency. Mrs. Rick- etts has two brothers well-known to our citizens: The first, Harry Daily, son-in-law of the late Judge Morrison. The second brother, Thomas Daily, married a Miss Walsh of Edinburg, Indiana.
SAMUEL N. 'BANNISTER.
Mr. Bannister is a native of Maryland, born at Baltimore, in 1832. When quite young he went to Cincinnati, where he was raised and edu-
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cated. In 1857 he came to Indianapolis. In September, 1861, he vol- unteered in the 26th Indiana regiment, and served four years in the army.
On the 23d of September, 1860, he was married to Miss Mary A., daughter of the Rev. S. H. Lucas, who was treasurer of Randolph county eight years.
In October, 1873, he engaged in the newspaper business as business manager of the Saturday Herald, where he is yet engaged. Mr. Ban- nister is rather below the medium size, but what he lacks in stature he makes up in activity, being a quick business man, and always found at the post of duty. He is of a very mild temper, except sometimes on Saturdays, when the irrepressible newsboy is clamoring for the Satur- day Herald; he then has to assume a more austere course for the time being. The Saturday Herald is now one of the most prosperous papers of the State, and in this respect the paper speaks for itself.
NOAH SINKS
Was born in the State of Ohio in 1801 and removed to Marion county in 1823 and settled on what is known as the Sellers farm, near the mouth of Eagle creek. Afterward he removed to the southwestern part of the county and there resided one or two years before his death, which occurred on the 13th of March, 1877. The writer has known him personally since he first came to the county. He was rather eccentric in dress and manner.
The Journal says of him : " He will be remembered by his old ac- quaintances as a man of wiry frame, of great endurance, energetic, ever ready to assist his neighbors, a man of positive convictions and an hon- est man."
We may hold our old pioneer neighbors in pleasant remembrance, but we can never appreciate their life work. One by one they pass away, while the rushing tide of men pass on unmindful of their worth. Only a few remain who have been citizens of the county as long as Mr. Sinks. One point in his character was, he valued his word above price ; no consideration would induce him to forfeit it.
JOHN HEIM.
Among the early German citizens of Indianapolis was the person whose name stands at the head of this sketch. He was born at Vetten-
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JOHN STUMPH.
burg, Germany, in 1807. He came to Indianapolis in October, 1834, and engaged in the butchering business, and is now the oldest resident butcher of the city.
The first victim to Mr. Heim's knife was furnished by the writer for fifty cents, being a calf that would now readily command eight dollars. For many years Mr. Heim was known only as " Dutch John," and there are some of the old citizens who know no other name for him up to this time. By industry he has become quite wealthy, owning the property in the point between East Washington street and the Michigan road, also a fine farm. He has retired from business. Since the death of his wife his daughter has been his housekeeper. One of his sons lives on his farm.
FREDERICK WILLIAM RASENER
Was born in the city of Minden, kingdom of Prussia, on the IIth of February, 1824. He came to the United States with his father's family and settled in Hancock county, Indiana, 1836. In 1840 he came to Indianapolis and worked for different persons as a laborer.
In 1852 he was married to Miss Caroline Mavert, by whom he has seven children living and one dead. He has been for several years en- gaged in the family grocery business on East Washington street, near the junction of Washington street and Michigan avenue.
Mr. Rasener has, by industry and strict attention to business, been enabled to accumulate considerable property ; owning a fine business as well as private property. He is now doing business in connection with his son, the firm being F. W. Rasener & Son.
JOHN STUMPH
Was born in the Grand Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, on the 23d of June, 1830, and came to the United States, landing at Baltimore, in 1850, thence to Indianapolis the same year. He has been a large contractor for grading and improving the streets of the city, and many of our thoroughfares owe their improvement to him.
He was married in 1853 to Miss Christina Fifer, of this city, by whom he has several children. He is now engaged in the liquor busi- ness on South Delaware street, near Mozart Hall. He resides near the corner of Washington street and Arsenal avenue, where, with his pleas- ant family, by whom he is surrounded, he is well prepared to enjoy his beautiful home.
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THOMAS ASKINS.
Mr. Askins was a native of Pennsylvania. From the latter State he moved to Hamilton county, Ohio, thence to Marion county, in 1828, and settled on an unimproved piece of land in Warren township, six miles east of Indianapolis, of which he made a fine farm, now owned by his youngest son, Franklin.
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