USA > Indiana > The Indiana gazetteer, or topographical dictionary of the State of Indiana, 1849 > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31
117
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
of the State to hold "any office under the United States." In order to ensure success, the contemplated proceedings were at first kept secret, the negotiations were not pro- tracted, and the offence, whatever it may have been, was wholly inadvertent on the part of the Governor. He was, however, much mortified when he learned that his conduct had been called in question. He threw his commission into the fire, and left it to his enemies, as he called them, to sustain their charges. The subject came up before the Legislature, whether the Governor had not vacated his office, and thereby devolved it on the Lieut. Governor, by acting as Commissioner of the United States. The Legislature, however, appreciating the mo- tives of the Governor, declined any action in the pre- mises, and the Lieut. Governor, Christopher Harrison, immediately resigned his office. At the August election they were competitors, but Mr. Jennings received 9,168 votes out of 11,256, the whole number given.
From the year 1816 until 1819, there was much immi- gration to the State, health generally prevailed, produce bore good prices, and there was every appearance of general prosperity. The best mechanics generally re- ceived from $1.50 to $2.00 per day, and common labor- ers about half that amount. The prices of flour along the Ohio river were frequently as high as seven and eight dollars a barrel; corn sold from thirty to fifty cents per bushel, and bacon at from ten to fifteen cents per pound.
The price of the United States land, at this period, was two dollars an acre, of which one-fourth was to be paid in hand, and the balance in three equal annual in- stalments, and a year of grace after the last instalment became due, was allowed before a forfeiture was exacted. If paid at the end of the four years, interest was exacted so that about two dollars an acre was then required. Lands, about this time, rose rapidly in price, so that vast quantities were purchased of the government by paying only the entrance money, or the first fifty cents an acre. About the year 1818, Congress commenced passing laws to relieve against forfeitures, requiring interest, however,
118
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
to be added for the delay, and in 1819-20, similar laws were passed.
In IS19, the banking system of the west began to be seriously convulsed. During the war, the General Go- vernment borrowed money occasionally from the Banks of Ohio, and used their paper at all times. The payment of the army in the west, and the purchases of provisions and clothing for it, required a large circulation, which, as specie payments were suspended in all the States south of New England, was readily furnished. This held out a strong temptation to establish Banks on a fictitious capital, which was done to a considerable extent, and was not corrected until the restoration of specie pay- ments, which was first hastened and then sustained by the branches of the Bank of the United States.
During the war, manufactures had been commenced in the eastern and middle States, which employed much of the capital and industry that had previously been engaged in commerce. This state of things created a demand for the produce of the west, until the change of times, soon after the peace, and the large importations of foreign goods induced many of the manufacturers to relinquish the business for a time, and engage again in commerce, or emigrate west. The prices of produce were, how- ever, kept near the previous rates until after 1819.
The debt to the United States, for public lands, having become altogether beyond the control of legislation, by its large amount, by the numbers from whom it was due, and the impossibility of paying it, the subject came up . before Congress in 1821. The plan adopted was as favorable to the citizens of the west as, under the cir- cumstances, could have been expected. All interest, which then amounted to about one-third of the whole debt, was released; lands entered, and on which part payments had been made, were allowed to be relin- quished, and the amount advanced applied to pay in full for other lands; and all lands thereafter were to be sold for cash in hand; but lest it should be thought that the improvement of the country would be retarded by sales
-
119
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
for cash, instead of on credit, the price of lands was re- duced from two dollars to one dollar twenty-five cents per acre. The immediate effect, however, was to reduce the value of lands already purchased and owned by indi- viduals, in about the same proportion; for the large amount of valuable lands then thrown into market by the Government, would have done this without any re- duction of price, and still more was it calculated to do so, when only three-fifths of the former prices were re- quired.
The years 1820, 1S21, and 1822, were attended with more general and fatal sickness than has ever been expe- rienced, either before or since, in the west. Palestine, on the East Fork of White river, then the seat of justice of Lawrence county, was nearly depopulated ; Vevay, Jeffersonville, Vincennes, and many other towns, lost nearly one-eighth of their inhabitants the first year, and probably one-fourth in the three years; and during that time, in most neighborhoods, there were but few persons who escaped without one or more severe attacks of fever. The prevailing diseases were bilious and intermitting fevers, the former, in many cases, differing very little from the yellow fever of New Orleans. The tendency of so much sickness was not to produce neglect or un- kindness towards the suffering; but though all business was, in a great measure, suspended, no general serious- ness prevailed. On the contrary, there was much appa- rent levity, such as is rarely witnessed in the chambers of death and at the grave. When the sickness first commenced, those who drank spirits mostly escaped, and it was a matter of frequent boasting among them, that they " kept above fever heat." But they were soon after attacked much more severely than others, and their taunts were then returned with interest. The ague, though of- ten a serious matter to the parties concerned, is usually a subject of merriment to others. Some were charged with being "too lazy to shake;" others were said to have " the slows," or the "spring fever lasted the whole
120
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
year," and as medicine often had very little effect, mirth was perhaps the best substitute.
About the same time, the western Banks had all failed, and there was no longer any circulating medium. Even cut silver, which was, in general, an attempted division of a dollar into five quarters, disappeared. There were few Bank failures more discreditable than that of the Bank of Vincennes, which had become the State Bank of Indiana, with branches at Corydon, Vevay and Brook- ville. A large amount of the paper became entirely worthless in the hands of the holders, and the General Government never obtained but a small portion of about $200,000 of its deposits for lands sold. The paper of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, at Madison, was ulti- mately redeemed, after passing, at depreciated rates, for several years.
From 1820 to 1824, the prices of produce were only from a third to a fourth of what they had previously been, except where extensive new settlements created temporary demands. All real property fell in much the same, and town property in even a greater proportion.
The state of things brought about by the reduction of the price of public lands, by several unhealthy seasons, the failure of immigration to the country, and the total derangement of the currency, rendered it almost impos- sible to sell property or to pay debts, and was very dis- couraging to all the efforts of the industrious and enter- prising. There was, no doubt, much wrong feeling and wrong principle that led to the relief laws, and other efforts to prevent the collection of debts; yet when pro- perty to large amounts was sacrificed for costs merely, as was often the case, even the creditors derived no benefit. It was for the interest of creditors, generally, not less than of debtors, that the latter should not be ruined needlessly, and that as many of the former as possible, should receive at least a part of their dues. About this time, the following circumstances occurred: A farm of 200 acres had been sold for $4,000, of which
.
.
121
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
$3,000 was paid in hand, and a mortgage given on the property for the $1,000. This sum not being paid, the mortgaged premises were taken and sold to the original owner for less than half the sum due, and he afterwards proceeded to collect the balance, with costs, of the mort- gagor. The land would, at any time for the last twenty years, have sold at from $30 to $60 an acre. There were many even still harder cases which called, at least, for such provisions in relation to the sale of real property as would be best, on the whole, for all creditors and all debtors. The state of public opinion may well be imagined, from the fact that many of those who had so managed the Banks that they became a fraud on community, still retained, to a considerable extent, the respect of their fellow citizens.
By the Census of the State in 1820, the population then amounted to 147,178. From that time there was very little increase for more than three years; but when, by industry and economy, the people had accommodated themselves to what they thought hard times, courage and good feeling returned, and there appeared to be no longer any special cause for complaint.
Gov. Jennings having been chosen to the office of Go- vernor two terms, or six years, being all that the Consti- tution allows, he was elected to Congress in August, 1822, and shortly after resigned the office of Governor for the small balance of the term. He continued in Congress until 1831, when, unfortunately, the habit of intemperance had so grown on him that his capacity for usefulness was very much impaired. His death followed soon after, but he retained to the last the ardent friend- ship of large numbers of his fellow citizens.
In 1820, Commissioners were appointed by the State to select the four sections of land donated by Congress as a site for the permanent Seat of Government, and the spot where Indianapolis now stands was chosen. Until that year, there were no settlements of whites within fifty miles of the place. The next year, the town was laid out, the name of Indianapolis was given to it, a part 9
122
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
of the lots were sold at prices varying from $500 down to $30, and a sale was made of the Congress lands in the vicinity. Most of these sold at the minimum price, but a few tracts near town sold at three, four and five dollars an acre.
At the election of 1822, William Hendricks, who had been a member of Congress for the six previous years, was elected Governor without opposition, he having re- ceived 18,340 votes. He continued in office until Feb- ruary, 1825, when he resigned, having been elected to the Senate of the United States, to succeed Waller Tay- lor, whose term then expired. He was re-elected to the same office in 1831.
Gov. Hendricks was, for many years, by far the most popular man in the State. He had been its sole Repre- sentative in Congress for six years, elected on each occa- sion by large majorities, and no member of that body probably, was more attentive to the interests of the State he represented, or more industrious in arranging all the private or local business intrusted to him. He left no letter unanswered, no public office or document did he fail to visit or examine on request; with personal man- ners very engaging, he long retained his popularity; but it sunk at last from his indecision in politics, and the sus- picion that selfish objects had obtained controlling influ- ence over him.
For the first five years, the Legislature consisted of a Senate of ten, and a House of Representatives of twenty- nine members. At the apportionment of 1821, the for- mer was increased to sixteen and the latter to forty-three. The sessions of the Legislature, at Corydon, usually lasted about six weeks, the pay of the members was two dollars a day; there were no general party divisions in community, and though many matters of policy and legislation were warmly and even obstinately contested, they very seldom excited any permanent ill feeling. Those who had been in earnest opposition one day, were fre- quently found soon after contending for the same object. Private and local acts of legislation were not so common
123
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
as they have since been ; yet even then, they often inter- fered with other important business, for it was very rare that subjects of general interest could array in their sup- port the warm feelings which private interests frequently called forth. A State Road, or a Divorce Bill, of conse- quence only to a few constituents, and by its being a bad precedent, often contributed to decide the most important measures that came before the Legislature. The ques- tion whether the Seat of Justice of Wayne county should be at Salisbury or Centreville, which was warmly contested from 1817 to 1822, elected Senators of the United States, formed new counties, and decided much of the important legislation of the State for several years. While this subject was pending, the advocates of every exciting measure would "go round," as they said, " and scare up the Wayne county delegation." One of them, who most heartily disliked Divorce Bills, was occa- sionally induced, "for a consideration," to vote in their favor, though he usually contrived, before the bill was through with, either by absence on the final vote, or by changing his own vote at that time, to undo the mischief he had previously helped forward.
The negligence with which private legislation was at- tended, and the corruption to which it led, may be illus- trated by the following circumstances: About the year ISIS, a husband obtained a divorce from his wife on an affidavit that she had been seen in bed with another man, and covered with the bed clothes. It afterwards appeared that she had been held there by violence, in order that a partial statement of the facts might be made. A few years later, a Senator submitted a petition for a divorce, on the ground that the wife had borne a colored child, and as he stated that there was no doubt of the fact, a bill granting the divorce passed without objection to its third reading. Before its final passage, however, the Senator rose and said that there was another fact not yet stated, which possibly ought to have some influence, and this was, that both husband and wife were colored per- sons. This, of course, put an end to the bill, as it had
124
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
been prepared merely to show the absurdity of ex parte proceedings in private legislation.
The Indian murders on Fall Creek, thirty miles north- east of Indianapolis, which took place in March, 1824, excited much alarm, for a time, in all the new settle- ments of the central parts of the State, and many fami- lies removed altogether from fear of an Indian war. The circumstances, as far as they could be ascertained, were as follows: An Indian family of the Shawanese tribe, consisting of three men, three women, two half grown girls and two young boys, had spent the winter in hunting and trapping on Fall creek and White river, and had collected so large a quantity of skins and furs as to excite the cupidity of some of the whites in the vicinity. A man of the name of Harper, in order to create ill feeling towards the Indians, took the horses of his neigh- bors and concealed them in the woods, and then accused the Indians of stealing them. He collected together a party, seven in all, Bridges, father and son, Sawyer, father and son, Hudson, and to excite them still more, made them nearly drunk, and then persuaded them to join with him in killing the whole family. For this pur- pose, they first went to the Indian camps and asked the three men to assist them in hunting stray cattle. The Indians consented readily ; but when the whole party had gone a short distance, two of them were shot down on a signal from Harper, but the third was only slightly wounded, and being a fleet runner, he escaped, though all who had not previously discharged their guns, fired at him as he ran. The party of whites then returned to the Indian camps and butchered all the women and chil- dren, mutilating them in such a way as they thought would induce the belief that other Indians had commit- ted the murder. This was supposed to be the case at first ; but the guilty parties soon after proceeded to di- vide the property of the murdered persons among them- selves, and this brought out all the facts. They were then arrested and committed to jail, but by the assist- ance of friends were enabled to escape. All, however,
125
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
were recaptured but Harper, who, it was afterwards as- certained, travelled over eighty miles on foot, in twenty- four hours, and he finally escaped, and nothing worthy of reliance has ever been heard of him since. Two of the party, - and young Sawyer, were admitted as evidence against the others, and were not tried; but Hudson, a very stupid man, and the least guilty of the party, was tried and convicted, and executed in the fall, and Bridges and Sawyer in the spring following. Young Bridges, only sixteen years of age, was also convicted and sentenced to be executed; but much sympathy had been excited for him, and so generally was it supposed that he would be pardoned, that no preparations were made for his execution. This did not suit Gov. Ray, (who being President of the Senate, had become acting Governor in February, 1825, on the resignation of Gov. Hendricks,) and by his directions the grave and coffin were prepared, and the young convict brought out as if for execution. The acting Governor then, clothed in uniform and with a sword in his hand, appeared on a stage that had been erected, and in a long speech, resem- bling those he usually made in his electioneering tours, announced the pardon. A similar ceremony, in pardon- ing another person, was performed soon after in Frank- lin county.
In 1825, the Seat of Government was removed from Corydon to Indianapolis. Though the distance was only 125 miles, such was the state of the roads that it required about ten days to perform the journey in a wagon. Specimens of bad roads that it is thought cannot well " be beat," may still be found at some seasons of the year; but the veterans of those days, unless their memo- ries deceive them, have seen and experienced more of the depth and width of mud holes, than can well be con- ceived in this " degenerate age." The writer of this ar- ticle, on two occasions, after hours of weary travel, found himself, very unwillingly, at his starting place in the morning, and his good friends, the present Post-mas- ter at Indianapolis and the Auditor of State, after a
126
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
day's travel, as they thought, towards Cincinnati, paused in wonder at evening, at their own town, which at first they supposed was some unknown settlement in the wil- derness. A respectable citizen of Ohio having traversed this State about that time, was asked, on his return home, about his travels, and whether he had been pretty much through the State. He said he could not tell with cer- tainty, but he thought he had been pretty nearly through in some places.
At the election for Governor, in 1825, the candidates were James B. Ray and Isaac Blackford, when the for- mer received 13,040, and the latter 10,418 votes.
The net amount collected for taxes in 1824, was $36,010 74, of which five-eighths were from the tax on lands, the other three-eighths from a poll tax. The ave- rage revenue of the State, for the ensuing seven years, did not exceed that of 1824, for so moderate was the expenditure that, as the amount of taxable property in- creased, the rates of taxation were reduced. There were about three millions of acres from which the land tax of 1824 was collected.
In 1826, a treaty was held on the upper Wabash with the Miami and Pottawatamie Indians, at which Gov. Cass, Gen. Tipton and Gov. Ray were the Commissioners on the part of the United States. The latter solicited the appointment; but knowing the difficulties in which a similar case had involved Gov. Jennings, he requested that no commission, but only a mere letter of authority, should be sent him. The land purchased on this occa- sion consisted of ten miles in width, on the north line of the State, and the small tract lying between the Wabash and Eel rivers, the former of the Pottawatamies, and the latter of the Miamies. At the instance of Gov. Ray, a donation to the State of Indiana, of one section for every mile, was obtained from the Indians for the con- struction of a road from Lake Michigan to the Ohio river.
The question of the forfeiture of the office of Gover- nor by his accepting an appointment under the United
127
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
States, again came up before the Legislature; but after several days of warm discussion, it terminated as before, in their evading it. The Michigan Road, which, by the treaty, was to terminate at "some convenient point on the Ohio river," to be fixed by the Legislature, was, from that time for several years, a bone of contention, and the object of much bargain and intrigue; for the citizens of every town, from the Miami to the Wabash, could see the convenience of its terminating as they wished it. Madison was finally selected, but by a circuitous route, so that parts of the road have never been much travelled, and as in other cases of public works, there was much waste in disposing of the lands and in applying the proceeds.
There were no permanent party divisions in the State until the Presidential election in IS28, when the friends of Mr. Adams and Gen. Jackson were warmly arrayed against each other; but even then the line was not drawn at the Governor's election that year. James B. Ray, who belonged to neither and to both parties, received 15,141 votes, Dr. Canby, an ardent friend of Gen. Jack- son, received 12,315 votes, and H. H. Moore, a friend of Mr. Adams, received 10,904 votes. About this period, steady industry and economy had paid off most of the individual debt of the country ; the commencement of the National Road in the State again turned the attention of emigrants towards it, and pork, flour and other import- ant products of the country, were once more in demand at fair prices. From 1826 until 1834, there was a con- stant though not rapid improvement in prices, which in- duced increased industry and enterprise.
Of the political incidents during the last term of Gov. Ray, none attracted much attention but his attempt to remodel the Supreme Court of the State, for personal objects.
In 1830, the second term of the Judges expired. Their official and private characters were entirely unexception- able, and such was the confidence of the public in them, that if they had been re-nominated by the Governor, no Senator would have ventured to vote against their con-
128
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
firmation. Except a similar occurrence since, no other Governor of the State, except the two referred to, has ever made Judicial appointments which would not bear a rigid scrutiny. In fact, it has seemed to gratify them, when occasion presented, to show their approval of merit, in selecting even from personal and political op- ponents for Judicial offices.
The incumbents of the Supreme Court had refused to exercise any influence in an election for Senator of the United States, which was soon after to take place, and therefore two of them, Judges Scott and Holman, were unceremoniously passed over. The Senate, at first, re- jected the nominees, not for any thing personal against them, but they finally yielded, as the Governor gave them no other option. His motives were, however, so apparent, that all popularity which he had previously possessed, from that time gradually disappeared, and he who always had had " troops of friends," had no longer any advocate. Gov. Ray was, however, at one time, a brilliant speaker; he occasionally suggested some very happy thoughts, and among many wild schemes there were some which were calculated to promote the inte- rests of the State; and he never retained malice even against those he esteemed as his bitter enemies.
The population of the State in 1830, was 343,031.
In 1831, although the friends of Gen. Jackson had a majority in the State, the parties were not fully arrayed against each other at the election of Governor, for Noah, Noble received 17,959 votes, James G. Read 15,16S, and Milton Stapp, 4,422 votes, the former and the latter be- ing of the same political party. At the election in 1834, Messrs. Noble and Read were again opposing candidates, but the former received 27,676, and the latter 19,994 votes.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.