USA > Kentucky > Franklin County > The history of Franklin County, Ky. > Part 12
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ligious services. The numbers who were present have been variously estimated at from three to five thousand persons."
The remains of Governor James T. Morchead were brought to Frankfort and placed in a vault January 5th, 1855. A committee of citizens from Frankfort met the committee from Covington at Louisville and under charge of the two committees the remains were brought to Frankfort. The re- mains were followed by a large number of citizens from the depot to the cemetery. The burial was with a great deal of ceremony on June 13th. General John M. Harlan was chief marshal. Many out of town people were present. James T. Morehead was born in Bullitt county May 24th, 1797. He was educated in the village schools and Transylvania Univer- sity, studied law with John J. Crittenden; was elected Lieu- tenant Governor in 1832; upon the death of Governor Breathitt in 1834 he became Ex-officio Governor. After his term expired he resumed the practice of law in Frankfort. In 1837 he was elected to represent Franklin county in the Ken- tucky Legislature. He was United States Senator from Ken- tucky in 1841 to 1847. He was an excellent speaker and con- servative statesman. His general information was extensive and varied. His library, embracing the largest collection then known of works relating to the history of Kentucky, was pur- chased by the Young Men's Mercantile Association of Cincin- nati, O.
The granddaughter of Governor Morehead presented a splendid oil portrait of him to the Kentucky Historical So- ciety. This portrait is said to have been made by Jonett. If it was not made by him, it was evidently the work of some other skilled artist.
In 1855 Henry Innis Morris was elceted Sheriff of the county and he was re-elected in 1856.
A. W. Macklin & Co. did a large and lucrative business as pork packers at Frankfort. During the season of 1853-4 they slaughtered 10,042 hogs; during the season of 1854-5 they killed 10,311; in 1855-6 they killed 13,833. The largest number slaughtered in any one day was 804.
In the year 1856 the Rev. J. M. Lancaster was in charge
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of the Catholic Church at Frankfort; the Rev. John Theobald was in charge of the Baptist Church; the Rev. J. P. Saffold was in charge of the Presbyterian; the Rev. J. M. Bonnell of the Methodist; the Rev. J. N. Norton of the Episcopal, and Rev. P. S. Fall was in charge of the Christian Church.
Judge J. C. Herndon, County Judge of Franklin County, died at his residence in the city of Frankfort on the 18th day of March, 1856, at the age of 47 years. He was an industrious lawyer of considerable ability. For a time he had been a deputy in the County Clerk's office and had held a like position in the Circuit Clerk's office. He was at one time assistant clerk of the House of Representatives, and at another time he held a like position in the State Senate. He was the first man who ever held the position of County Judge of Franklin County, and he was serving his second term in that position at the time of his death.
At the special election held to fill the vacancy of County Judge, Mr. Reuben Brown was elected. He defeated Judge Lysander Hord by 78 votes. James Monroe was elected County Attorney at the same election.
The first bond issue of Franklin County was authorized by act of the Legislature approved March 10th, 1856, by which act the Judge of the Franklin County Court was authorized to issue bonds not to exceed two thousand dollars, to pay off the outstanding debts.
In the year 1857 Thomas M. Green was the editor of The Commonwealth, published at Frankfort, and S. I. M. Major was the editor of the Frankfort Yoeman. The political con- troversy became so bitter between them that Col. Green sent Col. Major a note dated at Frankfort, May 30th, in which he said: "I wish to know what place outside of the State a note from me will reach you." In answer to which Col. Major said he would be in Jeffersonville, Ind., on Monday, June 1st, at 8 o'clock p. m., at which time Thomas Buford, as the repre- sentative of Col. Green was there with a challenge for a duel. Col. Major selected Mr. John O. Bullock as his representative, and it was left to him to fix the time, terms and place of meet- ing. IIe fixed the time June 11th; place, the State of Vir-
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ginia at or near the mouth of the Big Sandy river; weapons were to be the ordinary rifle known as the Kentucky or West- ern rifle carrying a ball not larger than sixty to the pound, the barrel of the gun not to exceed 38 inches in length; distance, ninety yards. Col. Green refused to accept the terms and the duel was never fought. During this year Jacob Harrod Hol- man died at his residence in Frankfort. He had been public printer for many years. At one time he was editor of the Commentator, and later he was the editor of the "Spirit of '76" and the "Kentuckian," all of which were published in Frank- fort. In the year 1819 Holman fought a duel with Francis Waring, a practical duelist and a brother of the noted John U. Waring, who killed Samuel Q. Richardson in 1835. On the 4th of July, 1819, Francis Waring struck Holman's dog with a saber and killed it, following which a rough and tumble fight ensued, and out of which resulted the duel. Dr. Joe Roberts was the bearer of the challenge. William P. Greenup, son of Governor Greenup, acted as the personal friend of Holman They met on the farm of Waring's brother-in-law, Rev. Silas Noel, about one mile and a half from Frankfort, and about one mile from where the original difficulty took place. At the first fire Waring fell shot through the heart. Holman also fell at the same time pierced through his hips, and from the effects of which he was a cripple for life.
The contest between the Democratic party and the Amer- ican Whig or Know-Nothing party in 1857 was one of the warmest ever held in the State. The center of the political contest was at Frankfort. The two parties were evenly divided in Franklin County, there being only one vote difference in the race for State Treasurer. The contest in Frankfort was ex- cecdingly bitter, rioting commenced in a short time after the polls were opened and continued throughout the day. The Americans undertook to prevent the Irish from voting. . 1 mob gathered around the polls and when an Irishman came up to vote some one would call out, "move him," and immedi- ately a shower of rocks, sticks, brick-bats and bottles would strike him. It was almost worth an Irishman's life for him to undertake to vote without some one, native born, with him.
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The first fight of the day was when an Irishman by the name of Griffen came up to the court house to vote. When he got within about forty feet of the polls, a bully stationed there for the purpose of assaulting any one who was not American born, made an assault on him. A mob immediately gathered around them. Griffen's brother came to his assistance and when in the act of shooting, some member of the mob struck him in the head and seriously wounded him. The Griffens were rescued from the mob by Col. Lewis E. Harvie and other Democrats, who beat the mob back. Col. Harvie used his walking stick very freely and in return received several wounds, none of which were serious. Later in the day a German came to the polls, and some one called out "move him," and he moved without further invitation, but not quick enough to pre- vent him from being struck in the head with a rock by some member of the mob, and from the effect of which he came near dying. That afternoon, Judge Thomas B. Monroc, at that time United States District Judge, took an Irishman with him to the polls and when he started to vote, some member of the mob called out "move him." The Judge immediately drew a large knife, and, facing the mob, he brandished his knife and denounced the Americans as a mob and a set of bullies, and said that he would like to see any one prevent the Irishman from voting. The American party was badly defeated in Kentucky. Thomas M. Green, editor of the Commonwealth, in giving excuses for the defeat said: "The fact is that in this race we have had the whole power of the patronage of the Fed- eral Government, the Roman Catholics, the Dutch and Irish, and the whole gang of those mercenary wretches who fight for those who are able to pay best and as might have been expected, we have been defeated by them."
The Bridgeport Female Institute was incorporated in 1858, John Mayhall, James Terry, Benjamin Exum, S. R. Hieronymus and Andrew Neat were the incorporators. For several years this was a very prosperous school and it did a great deal of good in that section of the county.
By resolution of the General Assembly in 1858 the Pub- lie Printer was directed to publish in the front part of the acts
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the names of the State officials. That record shows that the following Franklin County citizens were in office: Charles S. Morehead, Governor; Mason Brown, Secretary of State; T. P. Atticus Bibb, Assistant Secretary of State ; James Harlan, Attor- ney General; Thomas S. Page, Auditor; James R. Watson, As- sistant Auditor; James H. Garrard, Treasurer; Andrew McKin- ley, Register; John M. Harlan, Adjutant General; Albert G. Cammack, Quartermaster General; A. W. Valandingham, State Librarian; A. G. Hodges and John B. Major, Public Printers; J. H. Johnson and Samuel C. Sayre, Assistant Clerks of the House, and Patrick U. Major was Commonwealth's Attorney for the district. Out of the sixteen State officers named by the Public Printer, thirteen of them were citizens of Franklin County. About 50 per cent of the men who have been Gov- ernor of Kentucky have been citizens of Frankfort; some of them before and some after their terms of office. Prior to 1860, perhaps 80 per cent of the State officials were citizens and voters of Franklin County. To such an extent did the poli- ticians of Frankfort dominate and control the politics of the State that it became a difficult matter for a man out in the State to be elected to an office, if Frankfort opposed his election. This state of affairs naturally aroused jealousy and engendered a feeling of bitterness against Frankfort. So acute did this feeling become that the people throughout the State, and espe- cially the politicians, commenced accusing Frankfort of being the source of all their woes, political and otherwise. An article from the Louisville Democrat of March 4th, 1859, gives some idea of the feeling which had been worked up against Frank- fort. The article reads: "The City of Frankfort, the Capital of the renowned Commonwealth of Kentucky, the abiding place of the famous or rather the infamous Hindoo Clique- the abode of political deviltry in general-the nursery of in- trigue and corruption-in short the most God forsaken town that has escaped the hands of the destroying angel since the days of Sodom and Gomorrah-is down, is done for, has fallen, broke, smashed and assigned. For years the political tricksters have ruled the city with a rod of iron, and applied the lash with an unsparing hand upon all who would not lick the foot that
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kicked them. In power, they have ground to the dust an honest and unpurchasable handful of Democrats who have maintained their integrity through long and trying years of oppression. They have used the credit of the city, for the pro- motion of their own unhallowed ends, for the perpetuation of power in their own infamous hands; but now the day of recon- ing is come for lo,
"The desolater desolate, The Victor overthrown, The arbiter of others' fate A beggar for his own.'
"Frankfort has failed-her magnificent hotel, constructed on the credit of the city at a cost of $70,000-her extensive gas works, producing in the eloquent language of Judge Mckee V 'more stink and less light' than any other works of the kind in the world; her excellent water privileges-all have been mort- gaged to Col. Hodges to prevent their immediate sale for the liquidation of bills contracted by the Clique, and to atone for the extravagance and folly of her selfish leaders. We sym- pathize with many of our friends in Frankfort, who may have big hearts and imperishable Democracy burning in their bosoms, may they survive the misfortune that threatens the city of their abode, and see the day when they shall bask in the sunlight of social and political freedom, as for the Clique, the devil has a mortgage upon them and the only wonder is, that he has not foreclosed it long since." This extreme feeling against Frankfort culminated in a joint resolution, appoint- ing a committee of five from the House and three from the Senate to inquire into the expediency of removing the seat of government to Louisville or some other place. The Frankfort people have always been ready to fight each other on any and all propositions except that of Capital removal; on that one question they have always been a unit, and they have at all times been able to secure enough help out in the State to pre- vent the removal. Henry Clay made a strong and bitter fight against Frankfort and the Frankfort people never forgave him,
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and for half a century after his death, the Frankfort people have had no love for Lexington. George D. Prentice, the bril- liant editor of the Louisville Journal, made a strong effort in 1843 to remove the Capital to Louisville. The controversy between him and Senator Rodes Garth from' Whitley county, over the removal question, was the greatest sensational event of that session of the Legislature. Mr. Prentice said in his paper: "It is understood that this functionary (Senator Garth) has sent home for a clean shirt, and actually made arrange- ments with a servant for the washing of his pocket handker- chief. It is said, not the half, was told by our correspondent concerning this disgusting object." In response, Senator Garth said, on the floor of the Senate: "I pronounce that pub- lication as slanderous and utterly false-a lie from beginning to end, sir. What do honorable Senators on this floor think of this dirty villian charging that I have hired a servant to wash my handkerchief, leaving the impression to go forth to the world that honorable Senators wash their own handkerchiefs, such a sooty, black-hearted calumniator disgraces and would disgrace the veriest brothel in our land and sink into infamy even a negro quarter, and, sir, we are now called upon to re- move the seat of government to Louisville, the residence of this infamous journalist who detests virtue, abhors integrity and honor, and who endeavors to reduce reputable Senators and Representatives of the State of Kentucky to his own level of degradation and infamy. Slander, detraction and billings- gate is the proper food his appetite craves and desires to feast upon."
Harry I. Todd was elected Sheriff in 1859; James C. Cole- man was elected Coroner; James W. Tate, School Commis- sioner; James Allen, Jailer, and D. W. Lindsey, City Attorney of the City of Frankfort. Peter Jett contested the election of William F. Parrent as Assessor. The contest board was com- posed of John M. Harlan, George W. Guinn and W. E. Ash- more. They decided the contest in favor of Parrent.
There was an act of the General Assembly in 1859 which authorized the Governor to cause a pavement to be laid on the
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east side of the (old) Capitol square, the work not to exceed in cost the sum of $800.
The Franklin County members of the House of Represen- tatives from 1850 to 1860 were Lysander Hord, 1850; Andrew Monroe, 1851-53; John M. Hewitt, 1855-57; Thomas N. Lind- sey, 1858-59; John Rodman, 1859-60.
John C. Harrison was sent to the Frankfort station by the Methodist Episcopal Conference in 1857, and the Rev. Joseph Rand in 1859.
There were 180 deaths in Franklin County in the year 1859. During the same year there were 275 children born; there were 51 marriages; the death rate was 1.42; the popula- tion of the county in that year was 12,715.
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CHAPTER XI.
From 1860 to 1870.
In the year 1860 William H. Sneed was elected County Attorney, Harry I. Todd was re-elected Sheriff, Henry R. Miller, Jailer, and R. Gillispie, School Commissioner.
In 1861 Franklin Chinn was elected County Judge, to fill out the unexpired term of John M. Harlan, who resigned on May 4th. Judge Chinn defeated Robert H. King, candidate on the union ticket by only three votes.
During the year a great many barbecues were given in different sections of the county and many speeches were made on behalf of the union sympathizers, who were using extra- ordinary efforts to prevent the State from withdrawing from the union. On July 27th one of the largest of these barbecues was held at Julian's woods on the Louisville road. The people of Franklin and the surrounding counties formed a procession on Montgomery (now known as Main) street, reaching from the Capital Hotel to Hon. John J. Crittenden's residence, many citizens were in carriages, some were on horse back, but the great mass of the people were on foot. They marched to Julian's woods, where public addresses were made by a number of the best speakers in the State. Several thousand people were present and great excitement prevailed. Richard C. An- derson, the union candidate for Representative, was elected to represent the county. Brigadier General Robert Anderson, of the United States Army, "The hero of Fort Sumpter," was a cousin of Richard C. Anderson. On September the 6th, Gen- eral Anderson visited Frankfort. There was a public reception at the Capital Hotel in his honor. The people of Frankfort were profuse in the social attentions paid to him during his stay.
The preachers located in Frankfort at this time were: J. M. Lancaster, of the Catholic Church; John Theobald, of the Old School Baptist; J. E. Spillman, of the Presbyterian; T. C. McKee, of the Baptist; William McD. Abbott, of the Methodist;
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J. N. Norton, of the Episcopal, and W. T. Moore, of the Christian Church.
Judge P. U. Major, who was the Democratic candidate for re-election to the office of Commonwealth Attorney, at the August election, 1862, withdrew from the race, the day before the election and John L. Scott, the union candidate, was elected. W. R. Franklin was elected Circuit Clerk, Jacob Swigert, County Judge; W. A. Sneed, County Attorney; A. R. Rennick, County Clerk; J. A. Crittenden, Sheriff; Harry B. Miller, Jailer; Wm. F. Parrent, Assessor; Joseph H. Bailey, Surveyor, and John Whitehead, Coronor. In a short time after the election W. H. Sneed resigned as County Attorney to accept the position of Lieutenant in the Volunteer Infantry. and Engene P. Moore was elected to fill out the unexpired term.
Francis, a slave, was charged, in 1860, with the offense of trying to poison the family of Hiram Berry. Several mem- bers of the family came near dying. She was tried in July of that year, and found guilty. The judgment of the court was, "It is adjudged that the defendant be taken to the jail of this county and there safely kept until the 7th day of September next, on which day between sunrise and sunset the Sheriff of this county shall hang her by the neck until she be dead." The judgment was executed at the time stated.
Gov. Robt. P. Letcher died at his home in Frankfort, January 27, 1861. The Legislature adjourned and went in a body from the State House to his late residence. The pro- cession to the cemetery included members of the Legislature, the State Officials, Judges of the Court of Appeals, and a large number of citizens and strangers. It was preceded by the Frankfort Brass Band. Robt. P. Letcher was a native of Gar- rard County. He served seven years as Representative of Garrard in the Kentucky Legislature and ten years in Congress. IIe was elected Governor in 1840 and after that he became a citizen of Frankfort. He was defeated for Congress in the Ashland District, by John C. Breckinridge in 1853.
S. N. Hodges, a prominent attorney of Franklin County, was charged in 1862 with the killing of F. Perry, which tragedy
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occurred on the court house steps in the city of Frankfort. At the trial the proof was conclusive that Hodges acted in self-de- fense and the jury returned a verdict of "not guilty." One of the darkest periods in the history of Franklin County was that during the years 1861-4, when the dark clouds of Civil War had settled over the county. Not only were the people of the county disturbed and unsettled, but almost every family in the county had to give up one or more members of the family, to one side or the other, and in many instances brothers were divided; one casting his lot with the South and the other with the North. There were sixty-three men from Franklin in the Confederate Cavalry and one hundred and fifty-two in the Fed- eray; one hundred and fifteen in the Confederate Infantry, and eighty-three in the Federal. That is, there were one hundred and seventy-eight volunteers on the Confederate side, and two hundred and thirty-five on the Federal side. In addition to these 413 there were as many as seven commissioned officers ranking higher than First Lieutenant on the Confederate side, to-wit: Thos. B. Monroe, and Ben Monroe, Majors; Preston B. Scott and John O. Scott, Surgeons; B. J. Monroe, T. B. Monroe and W. D. Acton, Captains. On the Federal side there were nineteen commissioned officers ranking higher than First Lieutenant, to-wit: D. W. Lindsey, Colonel in 22nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, and afterwards Inspector General of Ken- tucky; George Monroe was Lieutenant Colonel in the same regiment ; Orlando Brown, Jr., enlisted as a private, he was pro- mnoted to Adjutant, then Major and afterwards to Lieutenant Colonel; Joseph W. Roberts went from private to Major, and then became Adjutant of his regiment; John B. Campbell en- listed as a private, was promoted to Corporal, and then Sergeant Major; Thomas L. Crittenden was Major General; Geo. W. Monroe was Brig. General ; James R. Page and John G. Keenon each held the commission of Major; John M. Bacon was Lieu- tenant Colonel, and in the Spanish American war became Brig. General; Robert H. King, Lieutenant Colonel. Those who held the commission of Captain were William W. Bacon, Frank A. Estop, William K. Gray, Jacob Swigert, Daniel Gar- rard, Henry J. Sheets, Lewis Finnell and Albert G. Bacon.
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Captain Daniel Garrard and Captain Albert G. Bacon were killed in battle. In the life of Gen. Forrest, page 32, is this statement in reference to the death of Captain Albert (. Bacon, who was killed on the 28th of December, 1861, "Be- vond Sacramento the Union officers succeeded in rallying a squadron of the fugitives and turned upon their pursuers in a desperate and bloody combat, hand to hand. Forrest, still in advance, found himself confronted by this determined de- tachment of the Union Cavalry, and at such headlong speed was he running towards them, that before he could check his horse he was in their midst engaged in a desperate fight for his life. The Confederate, Captain Merriwether, close at his heels fell, instantly dead, from a pistol shot through the brain. Assaulted from all sides Forrest's skillful left hand stood him in good need. Before they could strike him down a quick thrust from his saber brought Captain Bacon down mortally wounded."
Out of the 115 Volunteer Infantry from Franklin County, who cast their lot with the Southern Confederacy, there were only 36 of them who ever returned to their homes, the others having been killed upon the battle field or died in prison. The 36 who returned, had 52 scars made by Federal bullets during their four years service. To tell of all the heroic deeds and gallant conduct, of all the privations, toils and suf- fering borne with Spartan-like fortitude by the men from Franklin County, who fought, some for the north and some for the south ; to tell of the different actions in which they took part, of the blood which was shed, of the lives which were sacrificed, would extend this work beyond its present scope. A single instance from each side is given, merely to illustrate the fact that brave men went out from Franklin County, upon each side of that great struggle.
In that memorable charge made by Breckenridge at Mur- freesboro, on the 2nd day of January, 1863, where the courage and endurance of men were tested to the extreme, R. K. Wood- son, Jr., of the 2nd Ky. Reg. Hanson's Brigade, though only a private in the ranks, displayed that desperate courage which was the charteristic of the Franklin County soldiers. Three
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color bearers were successively killed, when the third one fell, Woodson seized the flag and while bearing it in advance of his comrades, he gave his life for the cause which he thought was just.
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