Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 123

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149

USA > Ohio > Butler County > Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio > Part 123

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).

After Governor Bebb's removal to Winnebago county, Illinois, to reside, and to give his attention to rural pursuits, there occurred an incident in his career that was so extraordinary as to

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place him under the charge of having com- mitted murder. It was occasioned by a party of serenaders, calling at his home on account of the marriage of his son Michael, in the spring of 1857. The serenaders be- came so riotous in their behavior that Gov- ernor Bebb, after requesting them to leave the premises, and upon their refusal to do so, fired upon the party and killed one Lem- uel Clemens and wounded several others. The circumstances of the homicide were in- vestigated at his demand, and after the hear- ing of the testimony he was without argu- ment discharged. His old-time friend and political associate, Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, hearing of his trouble, went to Illinois and volunteered his services to defend Governor Bebb from the charge of murder should he be indicted under the law for it. However, the action of the court at the preliminary hearing, in discharging him, rendered Cor- win's services unnecessary.

The Rockford ( Illinois) Republican of May 28, 1857, gives the following report of the case: Governor Bebb addressed a letter to three justices of the peace for the county in which he resided saying:

"The body of Lemuel Clemens having been removed into Ogle county, and in- terred, withont an inquiry or any other public examination of the circumstances at- tending his death having been had in Win- nebago county, wherein the facts occurred, I feel that it is due to the cause of public justice, and to the feelings of a law-abiding people, as well as to myself, that a judicial investigation should take place at as early a day as circumstances will permit."

A time and place were appointed and the persons engaged in the riot at Mr. Bebb's house and Mr. Bebb's son and hired man

were subpoenaed. One of the rioters, Tyron J. Brackett, testified that he, with Clemens (who was killed) and others, had been engaged in serenading Bebb's house. The instruments of music were guns, bells and tin horns. Several volleys were fired with the guns; the firing continued for at least half an hour, when Bebb, with his son and hired man, appeared in front of his house and fired twice from a double-barreled shot gun. It was in the testimony of those engaged in the row that they had meditated it for some time. The report of Edward Bebb's testimony gives the whole story, and is as follows :

"Edward Bebb testified that he was the son of Governor Bebb, and resided with his father, in the town of Seward, in this county ; that on Monday his brother Michael Bebb returned from the East, with his wife, and that on Tuesday Brackett, the witness, came to his father's to get some wheat, and asked him if Michael had got home, and whether he had brought a wife with him; witness said he had returned with a wife. Brackett soon after left without taking the wheat. That night, quarter past ten o'clock, he retired to bed; the family had previously retired or were retiring at the time. Law- rence McDonald, who lived in the family, retired at the same time of witness; witness had been asleep, how long he can not tell, and was waked up by cheering of persons around the house; heard two cheers and then a volley of guns; bells were rung and pans beaten, and all kind of noises were then made. Witness then got up and went to the chamber window south, and looked out and saw a large number of persons near the house, with guns and other things. Soon after another volley was fired toward the

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house, the guns elevated at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and pointed toward the chamber window. In the morning, wit- ness picked up about forty wads, which lay along against the side of the house, where they had fallen down. Here the witness produced the wads; witness also produced a plat of the house, premises, garden, trees, position of persons, etc., etc. Witness tes- tified that when the blaze of fire came out of the guns he could see the company quite plainly. After three or four volleys, witness dressed, and took a paper of shot which he had got previously for shooting pigeons, loaded a double-barreled gun, and went down with Lawrence McDonald. He met his father in the hall, who said to witness, 'Let me have the gun-you are excited. I am the master of the house, let me go out.' His father then opened the door. The mob had then fired the fifth volley; each volley there would be five or more discharges, and then a few fires after. When Governor Bebb went out, he requested the persons to leave his premises-told them to be gone, and not insult and alarm his family. They did not leave or move; they were then stand- ing a few rods south of the house, on lower ground than where Governor Bebb stood. He then discharged one barrel of the gun, and a large number of the party then fled, ringing their bells as they went; some three or four still remaining. As soon as the first gun was fired, some one cried out, 'Pop goes the weasel.' 'God, that is just what we expected-come on, boys.' Father then retired backwards, and the persons ad- vanced toward him. He then said, 'Be- gone or you will be hurt,' and soon after discharged the other barrel. The witness here explained from the plat, showing how

he knew the rioters advanced upon his father. At the second fire, all fled but one. Witness thought he saw one fall, and went forward and found a man upon the ground, with a bell near him; he had fallen upon his face; witness turned him upon his back, and he breathed two or three times and ex- pired. Witness then went to the house of Alfred A. Copeland, the nearest neighbor, who soon returned with witness; Governor Bebb had got a light and was by the body; none of them could recognize him; he was wounded about the mouth. Brackett, Den- nis, Wood and others came, and denied that they had been in the company who had been firing. A wagon was soon got out, and the body placed in it, to be carried to the house of Mr. Brewster. The space of time be- tween the discharge of the two barrels was a short minute or a long half minute. There was but one kind of shot, they were all like those here produced. Here the witness pro- duced the paper of fine shot out of which he had loaded the gun; witness also stated that the morning after the riot one of the shade trees, near the house showed that it had received three heavy cuts from an axe, and that the axe was found near stuck in the ground."

Governor Bebb stated that the language used by the serenaders was most vile, and that he called to them at the top of his voice to leave his premises, or they would be hurt, before he fired the first barrel, which fire, it was ascertained, had slightly wounded five persons. After the first fire, he re- treated toward his house, from which he had advanced some rods, hard pressed by four men, and repeatedly attempted to fire, pulling the wrong trigger, but happened to think that he had discharged the barrel cor-

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responding to that trigger, he tried the other one, successfully, when the foremost of the party fell, the shot having shattered his mouth and dislocated his neck.

ISAAC ANDERSON.

Isaac Anderson was born in the county of Donegal, Ireland, September 16, 1758. At the age of sixteen he determined to seek his fortune in America. He sailed from Donegal, in the north of Ireland, and landed at Philadelphia in the early part of the year 1774. Several of his brothers and sisters had come to America some years previous, and settled in Virginia, where many of their descendants are yet residing. Mr. Anderson stopped in Pennsylvania until the spring of 1776, when the war with Great Britain com- menced. and he entered the service in Colonel Morgan's rifle regiment. The first active service in which Mr. Anderson engaged was at Bemis Heights, between the American army under General Gates, and the British army under General Burgoyne. Colonel Morgan's regiment was detached to observe the movements of the enemy and to harass them as they advanced. The battle was long and bloody and a dozen times in the day the result was doubtful. Darkness terminated the battle, and the Americans withdrew.

Isaac Anderson was also present at the surrender of the British army under General Burgoyne at Saratoga, which took place Oc- tober 16, 1777. In December. 1777. during the time the British occupied Philadelphia. and while congress held their sessions at Yorktown. the regiment to which Mr. An- derson belonged was out on a scouting expe- dition, when. on the roth of the month, they fell in with a British regiment on a similar service. A skirmish ensued. during which

Mr. Anderson was severely wounded by a musket ball, which passed in at one cheek and out the opposite side, carrying away some of his teeth and a part of his jaw bone. The wound injured the sight of one of his eyes, and made a scar which he carried through life. Mr. Anderson was supposed to be dead and was left on the field. In the morning the British found him and carried him to the hospital, where he finally recov- ered.

The British, after leaving Philadelphia, followed by General Washington, fought a severe battle on June 28, 1778, at Mon- mouth Court-house. Mr. Anderson often stated during his life time, that in this bat- tle he discharged his rifle with aim thirty- two times. In November, 1788, Isaac An- derson was married to Euphemia Moore- head. eldest daughter of Fergus Moore- head. who had also been a soldier in the Revolution. Eleven children resulted from this union. ten of them reaching mature age. Fergus Anderson, the second son, was born in Cincinnati, June 14, 1797. He be- came prominent in Butler county as associ- ate judge. president of the board of trustees of Miami University, representative to the Ohio general assembly and president of the Butler County Agricultural Society.

In 1791 Isaac Anderson was offered a position as commander of a company fitting out against the Indians in the Northwest, under the command of General St. Clair, but being previously engaged by the Hol- land Land Company to make surveys in western Pennsylvania, declined. He was ready in mathematics, and especially so in surveying, for which he had a natural gift. In the winter of 1795-6 he, with his family, emigrated to the West, settling in Cincin-

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nati, then a small village of log cabins, in- cluding about fifty rough, unfinished frame houses with stone chimneys.

In 1801 the United States first offered for sale the lands west of the Great Miami. Mr. Anderson remembered the beautiful rich bottoms of the Miami, which he had previously seen when on his way to Detroit as a captive by the Indians, and resolved to make a purchase. He accordingly purchased a section of land above the mouth of Indian creek, in Ross township, on which he com- menced a clearing, and in 1812 removed with his family from Cincinnati and settled on the farm, where he remained until his death, on December 18, 1839. His remains were interred in the Venice cemetery, Ross township, Butler county, Ohio. The follow- ing is the inscription on his monument : .

TO the memory of ISAAC ANDERSON,

Who departed this life on the 18th December, A. D. 1839, aged eighty-one years, three months and two days.

The deceased was a native of Ireland, a soldier of the American Revolution and the Indian wars succeeding it, one of the early settlers of Cincin- nati, and since A. D. 1812 a citizen of Butler county, Ohio.

Below is reproduced the journal kept by Lieutenant Isaac Anderson while a member of Colonel Archibald Lochry's unfortunate expedition in 1781. The journal will be found interesting and useful to many read- ers : besides it settles beyond all controversy what is sometimes disputed, that the en- gagement between Colonel Lochry's com- mand with the Indians, with renegade whites as allies, took place on the Ohio river, ten miles below the mouth of the Great Miami river. August 24, 1781.

In July, 1781, General George Rogers Clark solicited Colonel Archibald Lochry and Captain Robert Orr, who held a cap- tain's commission in the militia of West- moreland county. Pennsylvania, to raise a company of infantry and a troop of horse to join his expedition against the Indians of the Northwest. The request was com- plied with on August 1, 1781, at Colonel Carnahan's block house, eleven miles west of Hannastown, the seat of justice of West- moreland county, it having been established there in 1773; the town was destroyed by the Indians in 1782.

Captains Thomas Stokey and Samuel Shannon each had command of a company of rangers, and Captain Campbell a com- pany of horsemen. After arriving at Fort Henry (Wheeling) it was ascertained that Clark had gone twelve miles down the Ohio river. Colonel Lochry prepared a number of boats for his men and horses, which occu- pied about ten days, and then proceeded to join General Clark, who had in the mean- time fell down the river to the mouth of the Kenawha, where he had promised to await the arrival of Colonel Lochry. At this time Colonel Lochry's provisions and forage were nearly exhausted. Under these trying cir- cumstances he detailed Captain Samuel Shannon and four men who with a small boat were instructed to overtake Clark's army, for the purpose of securing needed supplies, Lieutenant Isaac Anderson being left in command of Captain Shannon's com- pany. Captain Shannon with his party had proceeded but a few miles down the river, when it was captured by the Indians, who thereby also obtained possession of a letter to General Clark giving the condition of Lochry's troops.

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Colonel Lochry, somewhat disheartened by the condition of affairs confronting him. proceeded down the river to a point now known as Lochry's creek, ten miles below the mouth of the Great Miami river. Here, on August 24, 1781, the boats were ordered to land on the Indian side, to cook provi- sions and cut grass for the horses, when they were fired upon by a large body of In- dians. The men took to their boats, expect- ing to cross the river, when they were again fired upon by another party of Indians in canoes, and in the fight that ensued Colonel Lochry's entire force was captured. The Indians massacred Colonel Lochry and sev- eral others after they were made prisoners.

The journal comprises all the trans- actions of each day during the entire period covering his enlistment, captivity by the Indians, his treatment by the British commandants at Detroit and Montreal, Canada, his escape by scaling the pickets and making his way through many perils, back to Westmoreland county, from whence he had enlisted about a year before.

JOURNAL OF LIEUT. ISAAC ANDERSON.

August 1, 1781 .- We met at Colonel Carna- han's block house, eleven miles west of Hannas- town, Pennsylvania, to organize a body of men to join General George Rogers Clark's expedition against the Indians of the Northwest ..

3d .- Rendezvoused at said place; marched under command of Colonel Archibald Lochry to Maracle's mill, about eighty-three in number.

4th .- Cross Youghiogheny river.

5th .- Marched to Devou's ferry.

6th .- To Raccoon settlement, to Captain Han- son's.

8th .- To Fort Henry (Wheeling), by way of Pittsburgh; arriving there, General Clark had gone twelve miles down the river, and leaving us some provisions.

6th .- Colonel Lochry sent a quartermaster and officer of the Horse after him, which over-

took him at Middle Island, and returned. They started with all our foot troops on seven boats, and our horses by land to Grave creek.

13th .- Moved down to Fishing creek. We took up Lieutenant Baker and sixteen men, deserting from General Clark, and went that day to the middle of Long Reach, where we stayed that night.

15th .- To the Three Islands, where we found Major Creacraft waiting on us with a horse boat. He, with his guard, six men, started that night after General Clark.

16th .- Colonel Lochry detached Captain Shannon, with seven men and letter, after Gen- eral Clark; and we moved that day to the Little Kanawha, with all our horses on board the boat.

17th .- Two men went out to hunt, who never returned to us. We moved that day to Buffalo Island.

18th .- To Cat Fish Island.

19th .- To Bare Banks.

20th .- We met with two of Shannon's men, who told us they had put to shore to cook, below the mouth of the Scioto river, where Shannon sent them and a sergeant went out to hunt. When they had got about half a mile in the woods, they heard a number of guns fire, which they supposed to be Indians firing on the rest of the party, and they immediately took up the river; but unfortunately, the sergeant's knife dropped on the ground, and it ran directly through his foot, and he died of the wound, in a few minutes. We sailed all that night.

21st .- We moved to the Two islands.

22d .- To the Sassafras Bottom.

23d .- Went all day and all night.

24th .- Colonel Lochry ordered the boats to land on the Indian shore, about ten miles below the mouth of the Great Miami river, to cook pro- visions and cut some grass for the horses, when we were fired on by a party of Indians from the bank. We took to our boats, expecting to cross the river, and were fired on by another party in a number of canoes, and soon we became a prey to them. They killed the colonel and a number more, after they were taken prisoners. The num- ber of ours killed was about forty. They marched us that night about eight miles up the river and encamped.

Return of the men killed and taken, August 24, 1781, upon the Ohio river, under the command of Colonel Lochry: Killed-Colonel Lochry, Cap- tain Campbell, Ensigns Ralph, Maxwell and Ca- hell. Taken prisoners-Major Creacraft, Adjutant

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Guthree, Second Adjutant M. Wallace; Captains Tho. Stokely, Samuel Craig, John Scott and Mil- ler Baker; Ensign Hunter.

Privates killed and taken prisoners in Captain Stokely's company: Killed - Hugh Gallaher, Isaac Patton, Douglass, Pheasana, Young, Gibson, Smith, Stratton, Bailey and John Barns. Prison- ers-John Trimble, William Mars, John Seace, Michael Miller, Robert Wallson, John Allenton, Richard Fleman, James Cain, Patrick Murphy, Abraham Anderson, Michael Hare.

Captain Campbell's company: Killed-Wil- liam Husk, Robert Wilson, James Dunseth, Wil- liam Washington. Prisoners - Keany Quinley, Ezekiel Lewis, William Allison, James McRight and Jonathan Mckinley.

Captain Orr's company: Killed-John Fur- syth, William Cain, Adam Erwin, Peter McLinn, Archibald Ensign, John Black, John Stewart, Joseph Crawford. Prisoners-Adam Owry, Sam- uel Lefaver, John Hunter, Joseph Ervin, Mans. Kile, Hugh Sterr and Hugh Moor.

Captain Shannon's company: Killed-Eben- ezer Burris. Prisoners-Solomon Aikins, John Lever, Josias Fisher, George Hill, John Porter and John Smith.

Lieutenant Baker's company: Killed-D. Al- linger, George Butcher, John Row, Peter Barick- man, Jonas Peters and Josias Brooks. Prisoners -John Calt, Val. Laurence, Jacob Laurence, Chris. Tast, Charles Whium, William Roark, Wil- liam Franks, Abraham Highley and George Mason. Lieutenant Isaac Anderson's company: Killed-Samuel Evans, Sr., Zenas Hardin, Matthew Lamb, John Millikin, John Com. Prisoners- James McFenson, William Marshall, Denis Mc- Carty, Peter Conley and John Ferrel.

Taken prisoners in Major Creacraft's com- pany-Thomas James, Thomas Adkson, John Stakehouse, William Clarke, Elihu Risely, Alex- ander Burns.

Forty-eight privates and twelve officers taken; five officers and thirty-six privates killed.

25th .- We marched eight miles up the Miami river and encamped.

27th .- The party that took us was joined by one hundred white men under the command of Captain Thompson, and three hundred Indians under the command of Captain McKee.

28th .- The whole of the Indians and whites went down against the settlements of Kentucky, excepting a sergeant and eighteen men, which were left there. We lay there until the 15th of September.

Sept. 15, 1781 .- We started toward the Shawnee towns on our way to Detroit.

19th .- Arrived at Chillicothe, where the In- dians took all the prisoners from Captain Thomp- son, excepting six of us. We lay there until the 26th.

26th .- We marched to Loramie's creek.

27th .- Over the carrying place to the Au- glaize.

28th .- To the Sandy village. 29th .- Continued our march.

30th .- Marched all day through swampy

ground.

Oct. 4, 1781 .- Captain Thompson marched for Detroit and lay at the foot of the Rapids all night.

9th .- Got to Stoney Point, half way from De- troit from the mouth of Maumee river.

10th .- Got to the Spring Well, four miles from Detroit.

11th .- Taken into Detroit, and given up to Major Aaron Sculyler Depastor, who confined us to the citadel.

13th .- Got into good quarters and were well used, with clothing, and liberty of going where we pleased around the town, until the 4th of No- vember.

Nov. 4, 1781 .- Went on board the sloop "Fe- licity," bound for Niagara.

5th .- Lay at anchor in Put-in-Bay.

6th .- Likewise.

7th .- Set sail, with wind fair.

8th .- Wind ahead.

9th .- Sprung the mast by distress of weather. 10th .- Very stormy weather; lower our sails.

11th .- Put in at Presquerile Bay.

12th .- Lay in said harbor.

13th .- Sailed to Fort Erie.

14th .- Went in bateaux to Fort Slusher, one mile above Niagara Falls.

15th .- Went over the carrying place to

Niagara Fort, and put on board the "Seneca." 16th .- Set sail for Carlton Island.

17th .- Wind ahead and blew very hard.

18th .- Arrived at said place.

19th .- Put in the guard house at same place.

20th .- Started in bateaux for Montreal.

21st .- Continued on our journey.

22d .- Lay at Oswegochee.

23d .- Crossed the Longsoo.

24th .- Arrived at Quata Delack.

25th .- Crossed the Cascades, to the Isle of

Peru.

26th .- Was beat by a wind upon Shagader island.

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27th .- Crossed Shagader river and went to Caughnawga, an Indian village, and crossed the River St. Lawrence, with much difficulty, and lay at Tasheen all night.

28th .- Drew provisions, and were insulted by drunken Indians; went down to Montreal, and were delivered to General Spike, who put us in close confinement.

29th .- Removal to the long house in St. Man Parish, and remained there until May 26th, 1782.

May 26th, 1782 .- Scaled the pickets about two o'clock in the day time, and crossed the river at Longgail Church, and got into the woods im- mediately, and steered for Soonel river; crossed it that night and went into a Frenchman's barn, and killed two lambs and took two horses, and rode all night to daybreak; then we made a halt- skinned and barbecued the lambs.

27th .- Started with our horses, got them about five miles, when we were obliged to turn them out of hand, upon account of swampy ground, and steered an east course all day, and came to the River Masque; crossed it on a raft; marched about two miles after dark, and en- camped.

28th .- Marched about daybreak. Had gone about one mile, when we heard the drums beat the reveille from a block house on said river. We steered that day southeast, expecting to strike Heason's road, but found it not. We encamped that night on a very high mountain.

29th .- Found a large quantity of snow on said mountain. Crossed the River Masisquo, and another mountain, and encamped.

30th .- Crossed three mountains, and en- camped.

31st .- Came to a level country, and crossed four creeks; one very difficult to cross, that empty into Lake Umphrameacocke. We were obliged to camp on bad ground that night, and our pro- visions were gone.

June 1, 1782 .- Our provisions being gone, we were obliged to kill our dog and eat him; lost our compass, but Providence favored us with clear weather that day and part of the next. We steered our old course southeast, and encamped.

2d .- Struck a branch of Pesumsuck river, and kept down it, and in the evening made a raft, ex- pecting to go by water, but was disappointed by driftwood. We encamped in the forks of said river all night.

3d .- Kept our old course, and struck an east branch of said river. We kept down it by reason

of dark weather; we encamped that night on dead running water.

4th .- Made two rafts and never got any service of them by reason of rapid running water, and kept our old course that day, and encamped.

5th .- Made two more rafts and got no service of them by reason of falls. We continued down said river a south course. Our provisions and moccasins were gone. We roasted some toads for supper that night, and almost poisoned our- selves; cut one pair of leggins to make more moc- casins, and encamped.

6th .- Continued our march, and struck the settlement of Cohorse, on said river, that evening, at one Smith's. We came down to the Connecticut that night, and crossed below the forks, where we staid all night.

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Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, Part 123

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1149

Author: Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and others
Publication date: 1905
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1149