USA > Michigan > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Michigan > Part 47
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A TERRIBLE R. R. DRAMA.
The terrible calamity of October 10, 1879, by which 15 persons were killed and 27 injured, absorbed public attention throughout the day to the exclusion of every other consideration. Hundreds gathered to witness the taking out of the dead and the rescning of the injured in the early morning. As soon as the last of the wounded was removed, the wrecking car and a large force of men were set to work to clear the track of the debris of the wreck. As explained in the report in our second edition and reproduced on another page, several of the dead were not recovered nntil after the wreck had been partially removed by the steam derrick.
The force with which the two trains came together was absolute- ly terrific. The west-bound train, the Pacific express, was run- ning rapidly to make up lost time, with a down-grade in its favor. Its momentum conld not have been less than 40 miles an hour. So great was the force with which the two locomotives struck that the ponderous machines were literally torn to pieces. The two huge boilers were pitched against the north side of the cut and lay to- gether up the acclivity. They were hurled clear of trucks and drive wheels, and were even stripped of their sheet-iron jackets and of the appartenances to which they were attached. The cabs were shivered to atoms and levers and bolts of steel lay broken and bent and scattered about the road-bed.
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Between the engines and Wagner sleepers, of which there were seven in the express train, there were four ordinary passenger coaches. When the passenger engine struck the freight and stopped, the intervening passenger cars could not resist the heavy, swiftly moving sleepers, and two of them were crushed like egg shells. The third bulged out of the train, so to speak. and was thrown part way up the bank, while the fourth, next the sleepers, remained to a great extent intact, so far as the body of the car was concerned. Under this car were the trucks of the two crushed coaches packed as closely from end to end as possible. The heavy frame work or sills of the destroyed cars were shoved one above the other like a plane their full length, and this was what brought death and injury to the inmates. With the quickness of thought car was shoved into car, crushing the rows of seats as they tele- scoped as if they had been paper, and dashing and tearing out the life of fifteen human beings.
The verdict of the coroner's jury censured principally Evander T. Colwell, the yard-master at Jackson Junction ; secondly, Joseph Sawyer, switchman, and Robert R. Jones, engineer of the switch engine, both of whom were acting under the orders of the yard- master, knowing that he had made mistakes before, and that they were running a risk this time. The verdict further suggested cer- tain additional safeguards to be adopted by the company about the Jackson grounds.
The close of this awful tragedy partook somewhat of a romantic character. A meeting of the survivors, quartered at the Hurd House, was held in one of the parlors on the night of Nov. 27, 1879. A series of resolutions were adopted, in which their thanks to the representatives of the M. C. R. R. Co., for their untiring efforts to alleviate their sufferings, were expressed. The second resolution referred directly to the medical faculty of Jackson, and to the devotion of Messrs. Ledyard, Brown and Conductor Ladd of the M. C. R. R. The third resolution tendered sincere thanks to Mrs. Dr. North, Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Hurd, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel B. Mettler, and Miss Kate Hurd.
The fourth resolution dealt with the courtesies and attentions re- ceived from Mayor Mabley and the citizens of Jackson.
The testimonial resolutions were beautifully written up, with the names of the deceased as well as the survivors subscribed, and the framed document presented to the Hurd House, as a memento of the terrible catastrophe, Dec. 10, 1879.
A ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.
Some time in 1858, Patrick Cody left his home, his wife and child, to seek a fortune in the wide, wide world. He battled with fate from place to place, and at last, discouraged in his own land, set sail for a foreign clime, and from that time was lost to his friends. The weary years went slowly by in which hope and fear alternately possessed the minds of the waiting wife and daughter.
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Spring came and went, summers and autumns and winters passed, and yet no tidings from the absent husband and father ; but the hearts of those who hoped and longed were sick with watching and waiting. Cody was dead ! The silence had been long and deep, and the wife, believing herself a widow, married Mr. Iloklen some- time in 1872, and resided on John Street, Jackson. The child, who had now grown to be a fair and handsome maid, was wooed and won by Edward Deelan, a conductor on the M. C. R. R., who now resides at Marshall.
Nothing happened for a few years to interrupt the peaceful re- lations of the two families, until a letter put in an appearance at the Marshall postoffice bearing the post-mark of that far-off country, Australia, addressed to Mary Cody, the maiden name of Mrs. Deelan. She received it, gazed at it, broke the seal, and began to read. It proved to be from the American consul, stat- ing that Patrick Cody had died in that far-away land, possessed of a large fortune, and in his will had bequeathed to his daughter Mary $75,000 in gold. Deelan soon sailed for Australia to claim the fortune of his wife. A strange coincidence in this bit of ro- mance is the fact that Patrick Cody and Wm. Holden both died on the same day. Mr. Holden died here in March, 1875, and his remains were taken to Marshall for interment. Cody, in the des- peration of his circumstances, did not halt to bid adieu to his wife and little one, but rushed forward to the distant land where fort- une waited on his labors, and remained alone, to be a blessing or a curse to those who were to inherit it.
TIIE INDIAN'S CAPTIVE.
To follow the wanderings of Wm. Filley from Connecticut to California is beyond the domain of history. His coming to Michi- gan and subsequent abduction by the Indians are events which pertain properly to the subject, and therefore claim a place in these pages. It appears that in August, 1837, the boy was in charge of Mary Mount, while his mother was in Massachusetts. Ammi Filley, the father of the lost child, was then in Michigan, living only a short distance from the dwelling of the Mount family. The particulars regarding the abduction, as related in a work pub- lished by J. Z. Bullard, are full and precise.
He states that " Ammi Filley removed from Hartford county, Conn., in 1833, to the oak openings of Michigan, and located with his family in the township of Jacksonburgh, then a wilder- ness. Although surrounded by bands of Indians, he entertained no fear, as all seemed friendly. It was on Aug. 3, 1837, that William Filley, then a child about five years old, went to a swamp near by with a hired girl named Mary Mount to gather berries. The swamp was between the house of Mr. Filley and that of Mr. Mount, the father of the girl. After picking berries for some time, the boy expressed a wish to go home, whereupon the girl led him to the trail, and pointed out the way to her father's house,
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which was in sight, not doubting that the little fellow would reaeli it in safety. After completing her supply of berries she returned, and found to her astonishment that the boy was not there; neither had he been at his parents' house. An alarm was immediately given, the neighbors turned out in search, but after weeks of un- tiring efforts, they failed to find the boy. Every pond and stream was dragged and examined, and every rod of ground scrutinized to an extent of more than 20 miles round. Notice of the event was given through the press, and large rewards offered for the dis- covery of the child, living or dead. Gold and silver were offered to the Indians in large sums, but all proved unavailing. Fears were entertained that the Indians were not pleased with the way the pale-faces plowed up their burying grounds, and that in the wilds of some inhospitable region, where foot of white man had never trod, the boy had fallen a sacrifice to the vengeance of some infuriated savage. No discovery could the father make and no tidings learn.
Returning in sorrow to his family, all were heartbroken, as the last ray of hope was extinguished. The parents gave up their first-born child as forever lost. If the shaft of death had smitten down their boy, and they had passed through the funeral solen- nities, time would have mitigated their grief; but the painful suspense, the awful uncertainty that hung over his fate, was an abid- ing sorrow which time would not soften. The mournful event, with its aggravating circumstances, was a corroding eanker on the comforts of the family, causing the fatal disease which seized the Christian mother, as she went down in sorrow to an untimely grave.
Subsequent to the death of his wife, Mr. Filley visited Connec- tieut, the place of his nativity. While there a boy had been found in the possession of a party of Indians in the city of Albany, N.Y. The circumstances being made known to the authorities, the migrating party was arrested, and all measures taken to compel them to disclose the means by which they came into possession of the child. They were alternately flattered and threatened; bnt no disclosure could be obtained; and they seemed determined to submit to any punishment rather than make any communication by which the child's paternity could be ascertained. The Indians were discharged, and the child placed in the orphan asylum. He was subsequently sent to Mr. Filley's friends. He could tell of being at Green Bay, and of riding on a steamboat. He accompa- nied the Indians in their wanderings, and was used as a mendi- cant to supply himself with clothes, and the wandering party with food. In the summer they made their peregrinations back and forth through Michigan and New York, sometimes visiting Con- necticut. In the winter they usually quartered themselves in wig- wams in the vicinity of some village and lived on game. He remembered living near Detroit, Catskill, Hudson and Hillsdale. During summer and winter he traveled barefoot, suffering from the extremes of heat and cold, and at all times from hunger and
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fatigue. The kindness of his Indian sister, who, like a second Pocahontas, took unwearied pains to mitigate his sufferings, made his captivity more endurable.
Captain Wm. Marvin, father of Mrs. Filley, with whom the boy was then staying, received a letter from Congressman A. F. Col- lins, dated Ifillsdale, N. Y., Feb. 13, 1845, in which the writer declares his belief in the fact that the child in question was the son of a white man living at Copake, and not that of Mr. Filley. Abel F. Fitch, who took a deep interest in the matter, prosecuted inquiries, with a result favorable to the opinions expressed by Mr. Collins.
Twenty years passed by when, in October, 1866, a letter was received at the Jackson postoffice, bearing the signature, "Will- iam Willey," and the superscription "Coldwarer, Branch Co., Mich., Sept. 28." In it the postmaster was requested to inform the writer where a man named Willey lived. This epistle was treated lightly by the official, but later, while conversing with Hon. Daniel B. Hibbard, he referred to the strange letter received, searched for it, found it, and again excitement ran high. Further inquiries and searches resulted in the appearance of the lost boy at Jackson, Oct. 19, 1866. IIe was readily recognized by many of his friends, while others withheld their opinions regarding his identity. He is still in the State, but seldom visits his friends. Untamed and untamable, he follows the dictates of his will, maintains a semi- barbarous bearing, and takes an especial pride in claiming the friendship of the red friends of his years of captivity.
MURDERS.
In 1847 a Mr. Barker, in Leoni township, was killed by his son, Wm. Barker. The latter escaped south through the woods, and has never been heard from since. His father died within half an hour after the fatal blow.
In 1868 Marion Dodge and Miss Augusta Hardy were married. Both resided in the township of Blackman. In July, 1869, Mrs. Dodge refused to live with her husband, and sought refuge in her father's house. Here she dwelt in comparative peace until Jan. 5, 1870, when she met her husband, and responded to his earnest entreaties to return, by a terrible negative. Dodge, upon hearing a final answer to his final appeal, drew a revolver, and firing at her repeatedly, inflicted many ghastly wounds. The would-be uxori- cide then hurried to dispatch himself, using a revolver, a butcher- knife and poison. Too well he succeeded in his last effort; so that his death occurred 45 minutes after the committal of the rash act. Mrs. Dodge was placed under the care of Dr. G. Chittock and ulti- mately recovered.
The great sensation of June, 1870, was the trial of Pulaski Har- rington, for the murder of William Maloney, in the township of Blackman, March 21, 1870. The address of Judge Higby to the jury was a magnificent resume of the facts and law connected with
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the case. But the finding of the jury "not guilty," was too lenient, though evidently popular.
Lucius Westbrook, the supposed murderer of Mathew Kennedy, of Henrietta, in August, 1870, was brought before the magistrate of Jackson in June, 1876, and charged with the crime.
The trial of Howard H. Gridley for the murder of one Williams resulted in a finding of the jury holding the defendant guilty of manslaughter. Judge Higby fined him $200, to be paid within 10 days. This important trial was concluded in Jannary, 1871, and the sentence was favorably received.
The murder of Warren Northrop, by his sister, Jan. 19, 1871, created intense excitement in Grass Lake, where the unfortunate man was favorably known.
In March, 1871, the body of a child was found near Trail street bridge; but no clue whatever could be obtained regarding the infanticide.
The attempted shooting of Michael Noon by Wm. MeCurdy; April 2, 1871, was as comical as it was inexplicable. McCurdy filled an old musket with buckshot, iron bolts, and slugs, then banged at the iron head of Noon, but failing to inflict a wound, laid down his musket and offered himself a prisoner.
The shooting of Hammond, of Grass Lake, by Wm. Loker, of the same town, occurred March 12, 1872. Hammond and Loker dwelt in the same house, and were living on very friendly terms. At an early honr the former left the house without creating any noise, but on returning Loker was awakened, when, believing he had to deal with a burglar, he fired, and the bullet entered the breast of his friend, who died immediately. The scene that fol- lowed baffles every description. Friends looked on the corpse of him they loved, and among the truest mourners was the un- intentional amicide.
A case of infanticide was reported Jan. 28, 1876. The body of a babe two and three-fourths pounds in weight was found imbedded in ice in the channel of the river, northeast of the J. L. & S. R. R.
During the year 1877 Daniel Lincoln and family, together with his son-in-law, Martin Eckert and family, came to Leslie from Gratiot county. The two families had, for a larger portion of the time, lived together, the former supported chiefly by his pension as a soldier, and the latter working at his trade of painter. Lat- terly they had lived on Franklin street. Rumor several times as- serted that the men did not dwell in that peace and love which kinsmen should, and it has been said that "arguments" were offre- quent occurrence, although their demeanor in public, at least, so far as we can learn, had always been friendly. Eckert was in the habit of drinking liquor, and when under its influence was very obstinate, though seldom seeking a quarrel. Lincoln seems to be a man of ungovernable temper, hesitating at nothing when under control of passion. During Christmas Eckert drank pretty freely, but was not, at the time of going home, in a very drunken
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condition-he at least knowing what he was doing and saying. Upon entering the house he found all the family at home ; took up his child, a babe, and commenced playing with it, finally letting it fall to the floor. Mrs. Eckert picked the child up and started to obtain some water, remarking that she thought the child's head was bruised by coming in contact with a corner of a handsled and she would bathe it. Eckert said that it did not, and Lincoln con- tradicted him, the assertion and denial being given two or three times. Finally Lincoln picked up a stick of stove wood, about 18 inches long and two inches thick, Eckert jumping to his feet and throwing up the rocking chair on which he had been sit- ting, as a defense. Lincoln caught hold of the chair with one hand, forcing it down toward the floor, and at the same time struck Eckert on the head with the stick. The latter fell beneath the blow, and Lincoln then jumped astride of the prostrate man, tell- ing him to "behave himself," to which Eckert replied that he " had not been doing anything." Quite a scuffle occurred, Lin- coln getting Eckert's thumb in his mouth and biting it savagely. Members of the family tried to separate the men, failing in which E. E. Shaw, a neighbor, was summoned. The latter went over and separated the men. Accounts differ somewhat, but it is said that Eckert, upon regaining his feet, struck Lincoln in the face with his clenched fist. Lincoln again picked up the stick of wood and struck Eckert upon the head, the blow being sufficient to knock the latter against the wall. The two men again clenched and renewed the fight, Eckert finally breaking loose and obtain- ing possession of the club, which had been dropped. Those pres- ent are in some doubt as to whether Eckert struck Lincoln with the club or not; some of them asserting that he did, while others are equally positive that he did not. Shaw again parted the men, whereupon Lincoln remarked that Eckert "must not attempt to hit me with a chair." Shaw then returned home, accompanied by Eckert, and while at Shaw's the wounded thumb was dressed. Eckert stayed at Shaw's but a few moments, and then returned home. Almost immediately upon entering the house he went to his room and laid down upon the bed, remarking that he " felt bad." Lincoln's son, a boy of 17, went into the room, sat down on the bed and conversed with Eckert, but noticing that the replies were growing more feeble, the boy started after a physician. Dr. C. C. Wheeler was called and found Eckert rapidly sinking. Dr. J. J. Woodworth was also called, but in spite of the efforts of the physicians Eckert expired that evening.
The murder of Deborah Green was perpetrated Jan. 22, 1878, at her dwelling in the township of Liberty. The murdered woman was discovered on the 23d by Mr. Palmer, who reported the mat- ter. A coroner's jury was summoned, an inquest was held, and a verdict given that the deceased woman was murdered by a per- son or persons unknown. Subsequently Ezra B. Walworth was placed under arrest, was examined before Justice Hunt in April, 1878, and held for trial in the Circuit Court. This trial began
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April 18, and terminated on the 27th. The jury disagreed, and the case continued to the September term, 1878, when a nolle prosequi was entered by James A. Parkinson, Prosecuting Attor- ney, and Walworth was discharged.
Counsel for the people, James A. Parkinson, Prosecuting At- torney, assisted by W. K. Gibson. The counsel for the defend- ant comprised V. V. B. Marwin, John D. Conely and Col. A. Clement.
The inquest on the body of William Rumsey, who was shot by Charles A. Dorriell in Tompkins March 14, 1879, was held by Coroner Cook. The court room was densely packed with inter- ested spectators, mostly from the vicinity where the tragedy occurred. Dorriell occupied a seat beside his counsel with his wife, father, and other relatives and friends. Sheriff Terry was sworn and testified that he was at Rumsey's house after the shoot- ing took place. He had a conversation with Miss Leslie, during which she stated to him that after she arrived at the house she went to the door and asked for admittance but was refused by Dorriell. Rumsey then said that he would shoot Dorriell. J. M. Marvin testified that he was a consin of the deceased. He saw him on the day of his death, about noon, at his (witness's) place. Rumsey said nothing about Dorriell. He asked witness if he had a revolver and he replied in the negative. Rumsey then said he would get one and left. There being no more testimony in the case, Mr. Conely made an eloquent appeal to the jury in behalf of his client, claiming that he shot Rumsey in self defense, and asked for a verdict accordingly. Prosecuting Attorney Haire read the law in such cases to the jury and submitted the matter without arguing the merits of the case. The jury then retired in charge of Sheriff Terry, and after an absence of only a few moments, re- turned with the following verdict : "The jurors upon their oath . do find that the said William Rumsey, on the 14th day of March, 1879, at the township of Tompkins, came to his death by means of a gun-shot wound; that the gun by which said wound was in- flicted was at the time of said wound in the hands of one Charles Dorriell. And the jurors aforesaid do further find that said wound was inflicted by said Charles Dorriell in self defense."
DROWNED.
Early in the spring of 1855, one of the most deplorable cases of drowning recorded in the annals of this county occurred. Wor- ter Thompson, a young man then, walked to an island in Goose lake for the purpose of collecting some bark, the tea of which was thought to be a specific against rheumatism- a complaint causing him much trouble. In returning, and within a half mile of his house, he fell through the ice, and battled with his grave for some time. His screams were heard by his young wife, who rushed to the rescue. He ealled ont to her to keep away, but she, heedless of danger, went forward to save her husband, broke through the
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treacherous ice, and both found a watery grave. Their bodies were found together immediately after, and both were interred. The devotion of this wife and mother, though carried to excess, is yet a living example of faithful loves, and must forever hold a place in the romance of early settlement.
The drowning of Deacon Stearns, his son, and Geo. Huntley in Gillett's lake, Leoni, May 28, 1870; the disaster on the Michigan Central, wherein one man was killed and 15 wounded, and the death of Trenburgher, resulting from being run over by a train, completed a list of accidents sufficient for one day.
Luther Barnard was drowned in Silbee's lake May 30, 1871.
The drowning of a Prussian named William Fluggi in the mill- pond, June 5, 1871, was another of those sad events which cast a gloom over the district.
The drowning of Edward Johnson and.Louis J. Kreuth occurred Aug. 3, 1873, in the mill-pond, near the city park.
The drowning of Charles H. Finch and Thomas Keelan in Crispel lake, Liberty township, Dec. 28, 1873, was another of those terri- ble catastrophes which strike a community with awe and bring sorrow and trouble to the homestead.
The drowning of George and Frank Ferris, sons of Caleb Ferris, in March, 1875, was one of those sad events that usually bring woe to households and sorrow to a community. A triple death would have to be recorded had not a man named Wallace Ferguson plunged into the limited but deep pond, and rescued Fred Ferris, a cousin of the deceased brothers,
Charles Smith, an employe in Gotham's bakery, was drowned Sept. 12, 1875, in the mill-pond near the railroad bridge. The fact that the coroner's jury found a verdict of accidental drowning cannot quite dispel the idea of suicide; for he deliberately left the boat of his hunting companions, got on the F. W. R. R. bridge, and in two minutes afterward was drowned in 10 feet of water just north of the bridge.
The accidental drowning of Bernard Keenan in the pond, near the railroad bridge, July 8, 1875, caused a feeling of gloom to spread over the city, and brought grief into the household of his widowed mother.
The drowning of Edward C. Acker in the mill-pond created a profound sensation throughout the city. Coroner Gunder held an inquisition on the body, and the jury concluded that the deceased was drowned by making a misstep while crossing the Fort Wayne R. R. bridge, Nov. 1, 1875.
In April, 1877, a youth named James Cross was reported miss- ing. His body was subsequently found in the river below the dam.
RUN OVER BY THE CARS.
The death of Mr. Nicholas McQuillan occurred March 1, 1871. Crossing the track at Cooper street, he failed to perceive the
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