USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of the city of Cleveland: its settlement, rise and progress, 1796-1896 > Part 39
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4% The story is told that Edwards wrote out his summons in this original form: " In the name of God, amen. Take Notice that We, Rodolphus Edwards, a Justice of the Peace by the Grace of the Almighty, do hereby Summons you to appear before Us, under dread of Dire penalties and Severe tribulations."
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competent to judge: "Of the majority of the men who, in Cuyahoga County, have sat upon this lesser bench, there is no reason to feel otherwise than proud. They have, with few exceptions, administered the duties of their office with discretion and ability. Many of them have filled other positions of trust with fidelity and signal integrity. All of them have been the people's choice, and the people have rarely erred." +9
An event of importance to Cleveland was the passage, on May 19, 1886, of a law for the creation of a board of elections, and the organization of that board, on June 5th. The following gentlemen were the first members: James Barnett, President ; William W. Armstrong, J. H. Schneider, and Herman Weber. William J. Glea- son was elected Secretary.50 The board was created for the purpose of carrying out, in this section, the provis- ions of the ballot laws of Ohio. These laws placed the control of all caucuses MAYOR GEO. W. GARDNER. and elections under State supervision, and in a large measure eliminated the abuses which had crept into the conduct of elections. The board has charge of all elections in Cleveland and in Cuyahoga County. There are at present 174 voting precincts in the city and 31 in the townships. There are 1,230 election
49 " The Justices and their Courts," by W. R. Rose. -- " The Bench and Bar of Cleveland," p. 59.
50 The board has had but few changes in membership, in the ten years of its existence. Those who have served, or are in service at present, in addition to the members above named, are John F. Weh, Victor Gutzweiler, W. M. Bayne, Percy W. Rice, Hugh Buckley, Jr., Carl Claussen, Samuel Etzensperger, and Edward C. Kenney. Secretary Gleason was succeeded by Charles P. Salen, who served from 1890 to 1894, and who, in turn, was succeeded by L. J. Rowbottom, whose term expires in 1898.
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officers in the city and townships. The total expenses of the board in 1895, were $48,987.31, but, in view of re- sults, the people seem satisfied that even this large sum was not a losing investment.
The early days of 1887-witnessed the beginning of a se- ries of events, connected with the criminal history of Cleveland, that attracted widespread attention, and were attended by results of a tragical nature. On the night of January 29th, burglars entered the fur store of Benedict & Reudy, and carried away goods to the value of several thousand dollars. The city police were enabled to trace the stolen property to the town of Bedford, and from thence to Allegheny City, Pa. The police of the city last named discovered and arrested one of the robbers, Harry McMun, or James Kennedy, and notified Cleve- land of that fact. They were not able to find the goods, which disappeared, and have never been heard from since.
On February 3rd, Capt. Henry Hoehn, of the Cleveland force, went to Allegheny after the prisoner. He was to have been accompanied by Detective Jacob J. Lohrer, who had obtained the necessary requisition papers; but at the last moment Lohrer was detained, because of an- other case in Cleveland, and Detective William H. Hulli- gan was sent in his stead.
The officers left Allegheny City for home, on the mid- night train of February 5th, with the prisoner in their custody. At three o'clock in the morning, while the train was standing at the station in Ravenna, O., they were attacked suddenly by three armed men, who shot Captain Hoehn in the leg and arm, and struck Detective Hulligan with an iron coupling-pin, fracturing his skull. The brave Hoehn fought desperately, but was finally overcome, while the unconscious Hulligan was dragged outside the car, his keys taken from him, and the brace- lets that bound him to the prisoner unlocked. The pris- oner and his rescuers disappeared in the darkness.
The wounded officers were brought to Cleveland. Hul-
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. ligan died on February 8th, while Hoehn eventually re- covered.51
The Cleveland police worked, as never before, for the apprehension of the ruffians who had made this murder- ous assault upon two of their number. Rewards were offered by the City of Cleveland, the county of Cuyahoga, the township of Ravenna, and the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railway Company. On June 27th, three men, John Coughlin, James Robinson, and Charles Morgan - better known as " Blinky " Morgan - were arrested by Sheriff Lynch, of Alpena, Mich., after a desperate struggle, in which the sheriff received a shot in the leg, from which he afterward died. All three were identified by Captain Hoehn, as belonging to the assaulting party. They were brought to Cleveland on July Ist, and taken to Ravenna for trial. On November 2nd, Morgan was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hanged, which sentence was carried into execution in Columbus, at the Penitentiary, in the following March.53
51 Henry Hoehn was born in Bavaria, and came to the United States when fourteen years of age. He served in the Union Army during the Rebellion, making an excellent record, and was mustered out of service in August, 1865. On May 1, 1866, he was appointed a patrolman on the Cleveland police force, and advanced steadily in the line of promotion, be- coming a captain in 1877. On July 1, 1893, he was appointed to the office of Superintendent of Police, to succeed Jacob W. Schmitt, resigned. In accordance with his own request, Superintendent Hoehn was retired, in July, 1896. Lieutenant George E. Corner was appointed to the vacancy ..
32 The tragedy of which the above was the culmination, was perhaps the greatest in the criminal line that has formed a part of the record of Cuya- hoga County. Other leading crimes and executions have been as follows: James Parks, hanged June 1, 1855, for the murder of William Beatson; John W. Hughes, hanged February 9, 1866, for the murder of Tamzen Parsons; Alexander McConnell, executed August 10, 1866, for the killing of Mrs. William Colvin; Lewis Davis, hanged February 4, 1869, for the killing of David P. Skinner; John Cooper, hanged April 25, 1872, for the murder of a colored man named Swing; Stephen Hood, hanged April 20, 1874, for the killing of Green Hood; William Adin, hanged June 22, 1876, for the murder of his wife, his stepdaughter, and Mrs. George L. Benton; Charles R. McGill, hanged February 13, 1879, for the killing of Mary Kelley. This was the last legal hanging ever witnessed in Cuya- hoga County, the law being so changed that all executions in Ohio should occur within the walls of the State Penitentiary, at Columbus.
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Coughlin and Robinson were also tried and found guilty, but a new trial was granted, and as the evidence was not considered sufficient for further steps, both were set free.
The Cleveland Board of Industry and Improvement, must be counted among the active forces which have been at work, in recent years, to keep Cleveland up to the level of her great opportunities. In 1887, the so-called "Federal plan," for the bettering of Cleveland's form of municipal government, was under serious consideration, and several meetings in support thereof were held in the rooms of the Board of Trade. Out of this grew a propos- al to form a Committee of One Hundred, composed of business men eminent in commercial, manufacturing and mercantile pursuits, who should discuss, investigate and aid all possible measures advanced for the city's general. good. An organization was accordingly formed under the above name, the first officers of which were as fol- lows : President, James Barnett ; Vice-President, Thomas Axworthy; Secretary, X. X. Crum; Treasurer, Charles H. Bulkley. Work of an effective character was commenced, and much was done and published showing the outside world what Cleveland had to offer to money, industry, or inventive genius seeking a location. The summary of plan and purpose has been thus tersely stated:53 " Other places were offering inducements of all kinds, to gain new enterprises, and the call for an organization here to take up similar work met with a ready response. A systematic plan of action was outlined, and correspondence taken up with the promoters of various new enterprises, as well as concerns already in operation that were looking to en- largement of their operation's, through more advantageous locations. The new body accomplished a great deal in this way." The eventual merging of its work into a greater organization, the Chamber of Commerce, will be noted at a later point.
53 " Annual Report of the Trade and Commerce of Cleveland," 1892, p. 164.
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Engineering skill and a wise use of the public money again demonstrated to the world, in 1888,- as down by Superior street it had been shown a decade previous, - that Cleveland could secure all the advantages to be de- rived from the Cuyahoga Valley and, at the same time, be relieved from the necessity of descending into it, in order to cross from one section of the city to the other. The East Side and the West Side had been united by a great viaduct, and steps were not long after taken to con- nect the important and growing South Side with them both. On March 3, 1879, James M. Curtiss, who repre- sented the section last named in the City Council, intro- duced a resolution directing the city engineer to " report the most feasible plan of improving the communication between the South Side and the central part of the city." This resolution was adopted, but little or nothing seems to have been done about it at the time, as the city had not yet been fully persuaded that the stone bridge at Supe- rior street was a paying investment.
It was generally agreed, after a time, that the new line of elevated communication was a necessity, and steps were taken to make Mr. Curtiss's suggestion effective. In 1883, a resolution was passed by the City Council, di- recting that the question of an "elevated roadway" should be submitted to popular vote, at the spring elec- tion. It was carried, by a majority of some six hundred. A little later, the City Council recommended the passage of a law appropriating one million dollars for the purpose of carrying this verdict into effect. Such law was passed with little trouble, and the matter then lay quiet, with the exception of discussion as to routes, until July, 1885, when the City Council declared in favor of the construc- tion of a bridge from near the junction of Ohio street with Hill street on the East Side, to Jennings avenue on the South Side, the same to be carried in a straight line. An ordinance embodying this decision was passed on Decem- ber 14, 1885, contracts were let, and the work commenced early in 1886. Ground for the Abbey Street Viaduct was
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broken on April 26th, and for the main, or Central, on May 5th. On December 11, 1888, the great new struc- ture, that hung so lightly and gracefully across the wide valley, and so far above the Cuyahoga River, was publicly opened and dedicated to the public use. A long proces- sion of militia and other troops escorted carriages filled with city officials and prominent citizens across the struc- ture, moving by way of the three viaducts in the order named, Superior, Abbey, and the Central. When Jen- nings avenue was reached, the soldiers were drawn up in line, and at the very entrance of the Central bridge the procession halted, and Zenas King, president of the King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company, in behalf of him- self and the other contractors engaged in the construc- tion of the work, made a formal speech, transferring to Mayor B. D. Babcock the completed structure. When Mr. King had completed his remarks, the mayor said: "Citizens of Cleveland, in behalf of two hundred and fifty thousand people, I accept this bridge and dedicate it to the use of the people."
The procession then moved over to the City Hall, and passed in review before the mayor, and other officials and guests. In the evening, the event was further commemo- rated, by a grand banquet at the Hollenden House, where fully one hundred and twenty-five of the most prominent men of the city sat down. Mayor B. D. Babcock presided, and addresses, in response to appropriate toasts, were made by Walter P. Rice, city engineer; F. C. McMillin ; Mayor Blake, of Canton; M. M. Hobart, James M. Curtiss, W. R. Rose, H. M. Claflen, W. E. Sherwood, John Eisen- mann, C. G. Force, and B. F. Morse. The following figures as to this great structure, may be of interest in this connection : Cost, $675,574; length of the floor of the Cuyahoga portion, 2,838 feet; height above city base of levels at river, 99 feet 2 inches; above river at ordinary stages, 101 feet; height above Nickel Plate railroad tracks, 33 feet; length of draw span, 239 feet; width of roadway, 40 feet; sidewalks, 8 feet; Walworth Run por-
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tion, 1,092 feet long; height above city base of levels, 105 feet 6 inches; width of roadway, 40 feet.
Another event directly connected with municipal Cleve- land, but of a far less pleasing character than the opening of this great thoroughfare, occurred in the fall of the same year - 1888. This was the defalcation and flight of Thomas Axworthy, city treasurer. The public record of Cleve- land has been comparatively so clean, and malfeasance in office so rare, that this occurrence startled the people as few things could have done, the more especially as Mr. Axworthy had been a trusted and honored citizen for years, of the greatest popularity with all classes. He left Cleveland on September 28th, and after he had been absent some days, rumors began to circulate that all was not as it should be, in connection with the city treasury. On October 24th, the startling news was published that the treasurer had become a defaulter, in the sum of a half million dollars, had carried bodily away in his flight two hundred thousand dollars, and had sought refuge in a for- eign land. It was shown, later, that he had gone to Eng- land, taking with him a portion of the missing funds. Andrew Squire, as attorney for the treasurer's bondsmen, followed him as soon as possible, and opened negotiations that ended in Axworthy turning over $160,000, and pos- session of all of his property in this city, for the purpose of making good the city's loss.
The misappropriated funds belonged to the city in its municipal capacity, and to the Board of Education, the city treasurer acting in the same capacity for the school de- partment. Neither the city nor the board eventually lost anything, except the use of the money while the case was in litigation. The actual shortage was found to be some- thing over $440,000. In addition to the money turned over to Mr. Squire, as above mentioned, Axworthy's property in Cleveland was found to be good for about $155,000. This left some $125,000, which the treasurer's bondsmen made good. During his official life as treas- urer, he had given some six bonds, with different bonds-
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men, and the shortage was divided among them. These gentlemen were Selah Chamberlain, T. P. Handy, James F. Clark, J. H. Wade, H. B. Payne, W. J. Gordon, and John Tod.
Cleveland has been enriched, at various times, by the magnificent benefactions of her wealthy men, and the deeds of Leonard Case, J. H. Wade, John D. Rockefeller, W. J. Gordon, Amasa Stone, and others have been men- tioned, from time to time, in these pages. In 1889, another name was added to this growing list, when John Hunting- ton " established a permanent fund, to be known as the " John Huntington Benevolent Trust." On March 8th, Mr. Huntington invited a number of gentlemen, among whom were the proposed custodians of this trust, to his residence, where he made a formal statement as to his purpose. As trustees, he had chosen Edwin R. Perkins, John V. Painter, Samuel E. Williamson, Charles W. Bingham, John H. Lowman, Henry C. Ranney, and James D. Cleveland. In their hands he placed the sum of $200,000, the income of which was to be divided among some nineteen public institutions, of a charitable or educa- tional character, by him named.
Yet another donation for public uses was received in 1890, when Horace Kelley, a member of the well-known pioneer family of that name, who was born in the city in 1819, left a bequest of $500,000, for the founding of a na- tional gallery of arts.
Cleveland was the favored witness, in 1889, of a gather- ing out of which has grown one of the most useful and influential of the younger church organizations of the
54 John Huntington was born in Preston, England, on March 8th, 1832. He came to America in 1854, and made Cleveland his home; carried on a roofing business; became interested in oil in the early days; became a stockholder in the Standard Oil Company, and made a great fortune. He also interested himself in local political affairs at an early date, entered the City Council, where he remained for years, and was connected with the inception and carrying out of many of Cleveland's most important public works. He was always a firm believer in the city's future. Mr. Huntington died on January 10th, 1893, in London, England.
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world. On May 14th of that year, there gathered in the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, on Willson avenue, representatives from various young people's societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church, for the purpose of tak- ing such steps as might bring them all into closer and more harmonious relations. The result was that these societies were merged into one new organization,- the Ep- worth League,-the object of which was declared to be the promotion of "intelligent and loyal piety in the young members and friends of the church, to aid them in the attainment of purity of heart, and in constant growth in
CENTRAL METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH * IN 1889.
grace, and to train them in works of mercy and help."55
A very important change in Cleveland's form of mu- nicipal government went into effect in the early days of 1891. It was the substitution of the so-called " Federal plan " for the irregular and somewhat disjointed system that had prevailed before. The power that had been scat- tered among various officials, commissions and boards was concentrated into the hands of two bodies -the legisla- tive or City Council, and the executive or Board of Con- trol. The change was the result of much discussion and long-continued agitation, on the part of the people, and
# On the site of this church the present handsome Epworth Memorial church was erected in 1893.
55 "Epworth League Workers," by Jacob Embury Price, p. 30.
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through the public press. So far, the new system seems to have proven itself a great improvement upon the old.
The law 56 which authorized this change was passed by the Ohio Legislature, in March, 1891, and elections under its provisions were held in the April following. Con- densed into a brief space, it provided as follows : The legislative power and authority to be vested in a council, to consist of twenty members, to be elected by districts, each of whom should serve for two years. All ordi- nances, resolutions or orders to be submitted to the mayor for approval, and in case of disapproval, the measure could be passed over his veto, by a two-thirds vote. A police
BIRTHPLACE OF THE EPWORTH LEAGUE.
force, a fire force, and a health department to be estab- lished and maintained. The executive power to be lodged in the hands of the mayor and heads of depart- ments here named: A mayor, treasurer, police judge, prosecuting attorney, and clerk of the police court to be chosen by the people at the regular elections. The fol- lowing departments to be created: Public works, police, fire, accounts, law, and charities and correction. Each was to'be in charge of a director, appointed by the mayor, on con- firmation by the City Council, for a term ending with that
56 This act was entitled: " A Bill to provide a more efficient Government for the Cities of the Second Grade of the First Class." Passed March 16, 1891 .- Ohio Laws, Vol. 88, p. 105.
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of the mayor appointing. The mayor to receive a salary of six thousand dollars per annum; the director of law five thousand dollars, and each of the other directors four thousand. Each member of the City Council was to receive five dollars for attendance upon each regular meeting. The mayor and heads of departments to have seats in the Council, with the right to take part in its delib- erations, but not to vote. The duties of the mayor and heads of departments were clearly defined. A Board of Control was created, consisting of the mayor and the heads of departments above named, to meet at least twice each week. A supplementary law, passed April 10, 1891, provided that in case of disability or absence of the mayor, the duties of his office should devolve upon the heads of departments in the order named : Law, public works, police, fire, accounts, and charities and correction.
The first election under this "Federal plan" occurred in the April succeeding its passage (1891), and resulted in the choice of William G. Rose for mayor. His selections for heads of departments were as follows: Law, Edward S. Meyer ; public works, R. R. Herrick ; fire service, George W. Gardner; 57 police, John W. Gibbons; accounts, F. C. Bangs; charities and correction, David Morison. William W. Armstrong was elected city treasurer, How- ard H. Burgess, city clerk; C. A. Davidson became presi- dent of the City Council, Albert Straus, vice-president; and the members of that body were as follows: E. E. Beeman, B. W. Jackson, P. J. McKenney, P. C. O'Brien, J. C. Farnfield, J. K. Bole, C. A. Davidson, A. J. Michael, Albert Straus, Walter I. Thompson, D. O. Caswell, E. C. Angell, John Skyrm, M. J. Herbert, Michael Riley, M. C. Malloy, John Wilhelm, W. A. Spilker, Jos. J. Ptak, and Fred. M. Glessen.
The Western Reserve Historical Society took a new
57 When the newly-created Board of Control held its first session, it con- tained an unusual amount of municipal experience, having no less than three ex-mayors among its members-W. G. Rose, R. R. Herrick, and George W. Gardner.
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lease of life, and gave renewed pledges for permanent use- fulness by its reorganization and incorporation, in 1892. As has been previously shown, it was first organized as a branch of the Cleveland Library Association (now Case Library), under amendments to the constitution of that association, which permitted such branches to be formed. In the year above named it was thought best that the Historical Society should be organized with a separate charter, and such step was accordingly taken, in March, 1892. The incorporators were Henry C. Ranney, D. W. Manchester, Amos Townsend, William Bingham, Charles C. Baldwin, David C. Baldwin, Percy W. Rice, James D. Cleveland, and A. T. Brewer.58 It was declared that the purpose for which the corporation had been formed was not for profit, but to "discover, collect and preserve what- ever relates to the history, biography, genealogy and an- tiquities of Ohio and the West, and of the people dwelling therein, including the physical history and condition of the State; to maintain a museum and library, and to ex- tend knowledge upon the subjects mentioned by literary meetings, by publications, and by other proper means."
A movement was set on foot for the raising of funds, with which to purchase for the society the building for- merly occupied by the Society for Savings, on the Public Square, of which the Historical Society was for years a tenant. So earnest was the work of those in charge, and so generous the response, that in April, 1892, the transfer was made, for the sum of $40,000, and the organization found itself in an adequate and well-located home of its own. Its range of usefulness has continually widened, and new accessions are being made constantly to its store-house of treasures. In the latter part of 1895, and in the early days of 1896, the exigencies of the occasion seemed to make it the part of wisdom to seek a new home. Steps were accordingly taken looking toward the
58 A complete history of this reorganization may be found in the society's publications, Tract No. 85, entitled "Charter and Reorganization of the Society, 1891-92."
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sale of the society's property on the Public Square for the use of the proposed Chamber of Commerce building, and the finding of a new home in East Cleveland, in the vicin- ity of Wade Park.
It would be difficult to name an institution within the limits of Cleveland that deserves a more generous support than the Western Reserve Historical Society. Its useful- ness is apparent. A summary of its treasures has recent- ly been made by a gentleman 59 whose enthusiasm is begot- ten of knowledge, and whom I am permitted to quote here: "In cooperation with the managers of Case Li- brary, the Western Reserve Historical Society has col- lected books and pamphlets along many special lines, which cannot now be duplicated in the other libraries. It already has about 10,000 volumes of bound books, and more than 10,000 pamphlets and magazines of great his- torical value, besides more than 1,000 bound volumes of newspapers, in which both the local and general history of the country is kept within reach of historians and in- vestigators. Its collection of maps also, numbering more than 1,000, is not to be excelled anywhere in the West. Many of these are of the townships of the Western Re- serve, made by the original surveyors, and which cannot be duplicated. These are often of untold value to attor- neys in settling early titles to land. The Society has also a large collection of autographs of early statesmen, while its collection of genealogical literature is one of the largest in the country. This is consulted constantly, by an increasing circle of patrons desirous of knowing their early family history. The museum proper is of the very greatest interest and value. To it belong the last memorials of President Garfield. On its walls are pre- served a large number of portraits of the pioneers and most distinguished men of Cleveland, and of the Western Reserve. To it belongs Colonel Whittlesey's remarkable collection of relics of the early copper miners in the Lake Superior region, together with various large collections of
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