USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2 > Part 10
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to market, sitting on his load, and sold it for a dollar and a half a cord. Other good me- chanics went chopping wood in the country for thirty-seven and a half cents a cord. One of these was the late A. H. Ernst, Esq. The writer would have done the same, but no chance offered. There was no money, and people even going to market resorted to barter. A cabinet-maker, for instance, would want two pounds of butter, amounting to twenty-five or thirty cents. With- out a penny in his pocket, he would take his basket, go to the market, find a farmer that had some, take two pounds, and give him a table, bedstead, or even a bureau, agreeing to take the rest out in truck, as he would call it, when he should want it. This could not be done by carpenters and masons. They would go into the country and build ovens or spring-houses, and repair buildings, taking their pay when the work was done. Our merchants being unable or un- willing to bring on fresh supplies of dry goods and groceries, these ran up to enormous prices ; coffee was seventy-five cents, and common coarse brown sugar thirty-seven and one-half cents a pound. Rye coffee, sweetened with molasses, was found a poor substitute; and we suffered considerably for want of our customary break- fast.
"Public meetings were held to consider what was to be done. At one of these Mr. Blake, an attorney, had expressed a fear that our wives and children would starve. Mr. Gazlay, the next speaker, also an attorney, said: 'Brother Blake is afraid our families will starve. I have but one child, and don't fear it will starve; Brother Blake has none, and I am sure it won't starve.' Country produce of all kinds was never so low before nor since; but the difficulty lay in getting money to pay even these low prices. Flour was three dollars a barrel, corn twelve and one-half cents a bushel, beef six and one-fourth cents a pound, pork in quarters from the wagons three cents a pound, eggs fiye cents a dozen, and chickens four cents apiece. A prominent and truthful citizen now living relates that, being then a young man and living in the country, he brought to the Lower Market two dozen chick- ens. After standing there most of the forenoon a man offered him fifty cents a dozen if he would carry them to the Mill creek bridge. He accepted the offer and actually carried them the whole distance on his back. If any imagine that the people need not have feared starving when provisions were so cheap, they are like the Queen of France during the Revolution, who said, when
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the people of Paris were actually starving, that she did not see why there need be such a clamor about bread when 'a good-sized loaf may be got at the baker's for five sons.'
. "Finally it was found that money of some kind must be had. This induced some individ- nals to issue tickets, or little due-bills, on their own credit. They were sometimes as low as six and one-fourth cents. Of these bankers, John H. Piatt and Mr. Leathers, of Covington, were the chief. This currency had different values, according to people's estimate of the sol- vency . of the individuals. The corporation had issued tickets before this. In making contracts it had to be agreed what kind of money was to be received; so much in 'Corporation,' or so much in 'Piatt,' or so much in 'Leathers.' Some- times .contracts would call for 'bankable money.' By this was meant the notes of those few banks that had not already broken. If any specie was seen it was generally 'cut money,' or half-dollars cut into five triangular pieces, each passing for twelve and one-half cents.
"Such was the scarcity of money that many who had purchased property and paid large amounts on it were willing to give up the money already paid to be released from paying the remainder. Real estate had indeed fallen; a prominent citizen now among us had purchased a lot of ground, near our present gas works, for sixteen thousand dollars, paying half down in cash. He offered to give up all the money paid if the owner would release him; but he would not. Houses and stores, with bills on them offering them 'for rent,' were everywhere seen, and rents were low." ( Cincinnati Past and Present.)
Many others besides those mentioned by Mr. Warren were affected by this crash. Judge Burnet had taken a very active part in both man- ufacturing and financial institutions of the city. . He was one of the original stockholders of the Miami Exporting Company and held a large amount of the stock. He was one of the pro- prietors of the iron foundry, of the sugar re- finery and of the woolen factory. All these con- cerns went to the wall. His losses as a result. of these misfortunes swept away the accumu- lations of his life's work at the bar, more than $80,000. All that was left to him were several lots of land in the town and the outskirts, of no great value at the time which however subse- quently revived and increased his fortune. His residence at Third and Vine streets was finally swallowed up. It was this property which the
writers of "Cincinnati in 1826" suggested a> a proper tract to be taken by the city for public buildings. The whole square was offered to the city for $25,000 and very many of the most prominent citizens, including both Judge Burnet and Dr. Drake, favored its purchase for that purpose. Well may Mansfield say "the total want of sagacity as well as economy manifested by city corporations was in this instance most. strikingly exhibited." The Judge finally turned over to the Bank of the United States this most beautiful piece of property in payment of his (lebt.
Another citizen who suffered at the same time was Martin Baum, one of the most prominent of the German citizens: Baum had been born at Haguenau, July 15, 1761, and had arrived in Cincinnati at a very carly date. He was one of the founders and in fact the principal figure in the Miami Exporting Company and also the Cincinnati Manufacturing Company, the sugar refinery, the iron foundry and the steam flour mill. He had been mayor of the city in 1807 and 1812 and had been most active in the found- ing of the Lancaster School and subsequently the Cincinnati College, the first Public Library, the Western Museum, the Literary Society, the Society for the Promotion of Agriculture in the West and of the Apollonian Society. He was at this time supposed to be the wealthiest and most respected citizen in the town and occupied the position of president of the Cincinnati Branch of the United States Bank. Hle built a fine house on Pike street which he subsequently was obliged to give up to the United States Bank to pay his debt. Here he had laid out the beautiful ornamental garden and vineyard which after- wards, when the property came into the hands of Nicholas Longworth, who purchased it from the bank, were among the sights of the city. Baum died at Cincinnati December 14, 1831, having according to Mansfield saved from the despised and weed-covered Deer creek valley enough for a handsome estate. What Judge Burnet was to the legal profession and Dr. Drake to that of medicine, Martin Baum may be said to have been to the business comiminity in the early days.
Other sufferers in the general collapse were Dr. Drake, General Harrison, General Findlay and Oliver M. Spencer.
Drake, as a result of his unfortunate contiec- tion with the bank, suffered serions loss. In the spirit of economy he had taken up his residence at the foot of the hills at a place hie called
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"Mount Poverty." This was a log cabin 16 feet square lined with pine boards and winged with a kitchen and bed-room, all one story high and covered with plank. It was on the slope of the Hill, between what is now Sycamore and Broad- way continued just above Liberty street. This hill was then covered with woods and separated from the town by nearly a mile of open space. The cabin was on the top of a ridge enveloped by green trees and rank weeds and, although 15 minutes' ride from his office in town, could not for the exuberant foliage be seen from any point in the plain below. ( Mansfield's Drake, p. 136; Memories, p. 172.)
A controversy with the United States Bank was inaugurated by an act of the Legislature, which provided that the branches should pay a levy of $50,000 cach if they should still be in business after September 15, 1819. The author- ities who were about to collect the tax were enjoined by the United States Circuit Court from proceeding with the collection and a copy of the petition for injunction was served by the Cincinnati agent upon the State auditor. No copy of the writ of injunction was served with the papers. The State officials concluded that there had been no technical service of the in- junction and the writ for collection was turned over to John L. Harper and by him, in company with Messrs. J. McCollister and T. Orr, served upon the officials of the bank. His instructions were if the payment were refused that he was to take the amount from the vaults if he could do so without force, but if opposed he was to present the facts to a magistrate. He entered the bank September 17th, made the demand, which was refused, and thereupon took from the moneys of the bank $98,000. This resulted in a proceeding for contempt. Harper and his as- sociates were arrested and imprisoned and the money was returned. The Supreme Court in 1824 affirmed the decree of the court below dis- allowing the payment of the tax. The State gave up any attempt to collect the money, but an attempt was made by the Legislature to secure a change in the Constitution of the United States removing such matters from the jurisdic- tion of the Federal courts. In the course of this discussion the Ohio Legislature passed a resolution endorsing the so-called "Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions" of 1798 and 1800 and as- serting the right of the State to tax the banks and protesting against the doctrine that the po- litical rights of the sovereign States can be passed upon by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Nullification as is apparent did not begin in South Carolina.
THE CITY'S FIRST YEARS.
A brief mention of some of the events of the period is all that is possible in a history of a community of such great size. The newspaper press in the early days made great pretensions, particularly in the editorial departments, but as a matter of fact so far as local news was con- cerned none of the papers were as satisfactory as the most insignificant county paper of the present day. Columns were given to the narra- tion of foreign affairs and to the discussion of national politics. A great fire in New York or Lexington, Kentucky, would be exploited to the extent of half a column because it was easy to copy this matter from other newspapers, but there would be half a dozen issues of the paper without a single item of local consequence. In the advertising columns would be frequent no- tices of matters that seemed of public interest and at times notices of important meetings or elections might be found in some obscure corner of the editorial page, but the most diligent search fails to disclose in many cases the simplest men- tion of events known to be of great importance in the history of the city. Even after Mr. Ham- monds's paper became a daily under the name of the Gazette, the news columns if anything were more meagre than before. The principal reason for the existence of newspapers was politics and any news not of a political nature was regarded as of little consequence.
During the year 1819 but few events of seri- ous importance are chronicled in the paper. In the early part of the year we read of the launch- ing of three steamers, the "Vulcan," the "Ten- nessee" and the "Missouri," which occurred March 30th.
Public expectation was aroused by the rumor of an intended visit from President Monroe, who was traveling through the West. He was ten- dered a reception and preparations were made for an oration by the newly elected mayor, Isaac G. Burnet. The committee of the Council in charge included some of the most distinguished citizens of the time: Jacob Burnet, Ethan Stone, James Findlay, Jesse Hunt, Nicholas Longworth, William Corry, Samuel W. Davies and Isaac Hough. Unfortunately at the last moment President Monroe was obliged to omit Cincin- nati from his itinerary and the great oration prepared for the occasion was never delivered.
Gen. James Miller, however, one of the heroes
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of the War of 1812, already referred to, visited the city on his way to "Arkansaw Territory," of which he had been appointed Governor. . A public dinner, at which General Findlay pre- sided, was tendered him at Washington Hall on Front near Main street and a public ball at the Cincinnati Hotel followed.
The paper for this year was filled with refer- ences to the financial stringency of the time. Added to the general depreciation of the bank paper came that of the corporation notes. Every effort was made to keep up the paper to as high a price as possible and advertisements offering to take Piatt's notes, corporation notes, Miami notes at par to be exchanged for goods were frequent. The city paper suffered not only from a general depreciation but from a mismanage- ment of the affairs of the city treasury and on December 11, 1819, five of the councilmen, P. A. Sprigman, Oliver Lovell, William Oliver, Rich- ard L. Coleman and John Tuttle addressed a letter to Jacob Wheeler, the city treasurer, ask- ing that for the purpose of restoring the credit of the city paper and in the interest of har- mony he should resign his position. Wheeler a little later retorted by addressing a letter to the same five councilmen asking that in the same interest of harmony these five gentlemen should resign. As a result of this controversy, Rev. Joshua L. Wilson, pastor of the Presby- terian Church, acted as city treasurer for a short time.
Several public meetings of the citizens were 'held during the year. One held at the "Circus" on October 4, 1819, which was presided over by Samuel Q. Richardson with Joseph S. Benham acting as secretary, passed resolutions denounc- ing the banks and particularly the Branch Bank. James W. Gazlay was endorsed for Senator in preference to W. H. Harrison, who it was charged was a director of the last named bank. This naturally brought forth a long letter from Harrison denying the fact of his connection with the bank and insisting that his principal occupation was that of farmer and dairyman. In the election for State Senator which followed Harrison and Gazlay received an equal number of votes in the city, 605, but the former was more successful in the county, his vote being 1,528 to 1,180 for liis opponent. This election hinged entirely on the matter of the United States Bank.
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Another public meeting, held at the Court House on December 15, 1819, was presided over by Ethan Stone with Daniel Roe acting as secre-
tary. At this meeting it was resolved that slavery should not be permitted in any State thereafter to be admitted into the Union. Tlie committee on resolutions comprised Ethan Stone, Daniel Roc, Bellamy Storer, Nathan Guilford and Micajah T. Williams. At subsequent meetings a committee on correspondence was selected, which in addition to the citizens already men- tioned included Judge Burnet, Lot Pugh, O. M. Spencer, F. A. Blake and William Burke.
Another event which properly belongs under the head of amusements seemed of sufficient im- portance to entitle it to be mentioned in the general news columns of the day. This was the arrival of the elephant "Columbus," accompanied by a dromedary and jaguar, who held court on Fifth street opposite the Upper Market house near the Museum. "The room is large and no danger need be apprehended from the animals." Not to be outdone by the elephant, the sea ser- pent came to town in 1820 in the shape of a painting by "that inimitable artist Reuben Mol- thrope." His snakeship took up his quarters at Mr. Page's Museum of Fine Arts on Market street a few doors above the Hill market.
On the 16th of August ( 1819) occurred what was regarded as the severest storm of thunder and lightning that had yet visited the city. Two men were killed by the lightning. This aroused a long discussion as to proper safeguards against this danger, as a result of which it seemed to be concluded that feather beds were indispensable adjuncts to the household. The establishment of a stage between Dayton and Cincinnati, whichi took place in May, 1819, was greeted with en- thusiasm. The stage left every Friday morning, passed through Hamilton and Middletown and arrived at Dayton on Saturday evening. It ar- rived in Cincinnati on its return on Thursdays. In April of this year some vandals attempted to wreck a quantity of the apparatus preserved in the Cincinnati College. No reason for this at- tempted outrage is given.
In 1819 Independence Day was celebrated with much enthusiasm. Mrs. Belinda Groshon showed great genius at a performance of "Isa- bella." An interesting feature of the entertain- ment was an illuminated painting of the recent engagement of the "Constitution" and the "Java." On the same day the first throw of water conveyed from the small reservoir on the hillside through log pipes was made at the south- cast corner of Sycamore and Fifth streets. The following day the Cincinnati Guards met at the Olympian circus enclosure on Sixth street and
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marched to Dr. Wilson's church. William Corry acted as reader and Bellamy Storer as orator. The dinner was held at the City Hotel. The mayor and aldermen dined the Light In- fantry at Christ Walker's at four in the after- noon while eight hundred mechanics marched from Greenleaf's Hotel to the Stone Meeting House where they were addressed by J. Barfoot Smith. (Address of John D. Caldwell, July 4, 1874; Cincinnati Pioneer, No. IV, p. 7.)
The topics nearest the minds of the citizens are indicated by the toasts drank at the various banquets. At the celebration of the Cincinnati Guards held on July 5th. General Findlay offered the toast "A Speedy Circulation to Real Money ;" that of N. G. Pendleton was "The Cincinnati Woolen Manufactury ;- Blanket Coats for Dan- dies ;" Philip Yost offered the toast quoted else- where, "The Cincinnati Theatre,-May It Not Like the Walls of Jericho Fall at the Sound of Joshua's Horn!" At the Hussars' celebration on the same day one of the toasts was "Negro Slavery,-May It No Longer Stain Our Na- tional Character !"
The financial stringency of 1819 was the oc- casion of complaints in the newspapers against the extravagance of the citizens who attended the public balls. Eight of these we are told oc- curred annually and were attended on an aver- age by 70 persons of each sex ; "seventy gentle- men therefore must incur at the hotel an expense of six dollars cach, which will give for assem- bries $3,360.00. $10.00 per annum for additional clothing for each lady and gentleman will give $2,240.00, a total of $5,600.00."
The celebrations of Independence Day were continued throughout this period. In 1820 there was a trial of fire engines and an oration by William M. Worthington at the First Presby- terian Church and a mechanics' procession which was addressed by A. Jocelyn in Dodson's Olym- pian circus enclosure at the corner of Sixth and Walnut. The following year 31 mechanics' and college societies marched in a procession to the same meeting house, where Nathaniel G. Pendle- ton delivered an oration and J. B. Smith read the Declaration of Independence. The same meet- ing house was the scene of a meeting in 1822. William Greene, later Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode Island, was the orator and Benjamin M. Piatt, the reader. Francis Carr acted as mar- shal, assisted by Colonel Borden. The proces- sion included 31 mechanics' societies, judges, college officers and teachers of Sabbath schools. Captain McFarland commanded the infantry,
Captain James the Cincinnati Guards and Capt. William Barr, the Abaelino Society. At College Hall there were addresses by G. W. Burnet, Jacob Wykoff Piatt and C. S. Ramsey for the Erophoebic and Philomath societies. A projected parade of school teachers to Cutter's woods had to be abandoned on account of the weather and the exercises were held in church, where an ode by "Horace in Cincinnati" was read.
Independence Day of the following year is notable for the fact that in the evening Edwin Forrest appeared at the Globe Theatre as "Jaf- fier" in the play of "Venice Preserved." General Harrison presided and Gen. Samuel Findlay de- livered the oration at the meeting in the chapel of the Cincinnati College on July 4, 1824. Eleven hundred and four white and 208 black children of the Sabbath schools took part in the proces- sion.
One of the incidents of this period of distress was the riot brought about by the failure of the Miami Exporting Company's bank, which oc- curred in 1820. A large number of depositors together with their friends formed a procession in the upper part of the town and marched down Main street. A number of drays were pressed into service to add dignity to the occasion. One carried a black coffin on which was painted in large letters "Miami Bank No More." The bank building, which was on Front street near Sycamore, had been surrounded by a detachment of militia to protect it and its contents from violence. The procession marched to Front street without any attempt being made to stop or divert it, but when it reached the mayor's office, which was at the southeast corner of Front and Main streets, the city executive, Isaac . G. Burnet, who was unable to walk or stand without crutches, made his way to the head of the column and there read the riot act to the multitude and called upon them to disperse. A great majority of the participants had no law- less intention and had engaged in the demon- stration from thoughtlessness, but this action of the mayor fortunately brought them to their senses in time and the mob at once dispersed without committing any 'act of violence.
Other incidents of this year was a town meet- ing held in February with relation to the notes of Piatt's bank, which passed under the name of "Piatt's shinplasters."
At a meeting held at the "Cirens" on Sixth street on July 10, 1820, it was resolved that the paper of no bank that did not pay its face in specie would be received. John Scudder, Jr.,
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presided at this meeting and Daniel Roe acted as secretary.
To the hard times was attributed the large number of burglaries which took place in the city in the spring of this year, as well as an in- cendiary attempt on Piatt's bank, which fortu- nately was discovered before any serious dam- age resulted.
Another event worth noting during this year was the first celebration of St. Patrick's Day, which took place of course on March 17th, at White's Tavern on Lower Market street .. A large number of toasts glowing with patriotic feeling for both America and Ireland and breath- ing defiance to the hated English and Orange- men were drank. Among the principal partici- pants in this affair was Dr. Moorhead, then smarting under the attack by Dr. Drake in which the latter had incautiously referred to the fact that Moorhead was an Irishiman, as if a matter of reproach; at least so Moorhead regarded the reference.
A change in the character of the circulating medium of the city took place in this year. At a meeting held at Christopher Walker's in De- ember, it was resolved that copper coins should be introduced into the city to take the place of the many tickets that were in circulation and provisions were made for procuring a proper supply of this token money.
The first commencement of the Cincinnati Col- lege was held this year. The honorary degree of Master of Arts was conferred on William HI. Harrison, Joshua L. Wilson and James Kemper.
. The principal subject of discussion during the 'spring of the year 1821 was the matter of the establishment of the Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum which had been incorporated by an act of January 22nd of that year. The chartering of such an institution had been recom- mended by Governor Ethan Allen Brown, who was himself a citizen of Cincinnati, upon the suggestion of Dr. Drake. The purpose of the institution was to unite all the charitable funds in its behalf and the Medical College of Ohio, which was incorporated in February, was prac- tically affiliated with it. Strangely enough the matter was a subject of violent discussion and the principal contests in the spring election of 1821 hinged on this matter of the hospital, which by the way was usually referred to as the "Lunatic Asylum." In this election the friends of the hospital won, electing Benjamin Hopkins, Benjamin Mason and Francis Carr as township
trustees over Henry Bechtle, William Disney and R. L. Coleman. Shortly afterwards one of the out-lots, a tract of four acres, was obtained and here upon the site of the present Cincinnati Ilos- pital a building was begun which was completed in 1823.
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