USA > Ohio > Trumbull County > Warren > Early settlement of Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio > Part 2
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The southeasterly part being the most densely inhabited, generally carried the election of a representative favorable to the Youngstown interest, until in 1809, as mentioned below. The Warren people were therefore compelled to appoint and support " lobby members" to attend to their interests at Chillicothe, which was no little bill of expense, besides the vexation .*
STRIFE FOR COUNTY SEAT.
Until the year 1809 aliens were permitted to vote at elections. . There were many such in the southeast part of Trumbull, and with their aid elections were carried. It was found after the election in 1809, that the representative and commissioner favorable to Youngstown were elected, but if the votes of aliens should be thrown out, the representative, Thomas G. Jones, and commissioner favorable to Warren would be elected. The elec- tion was contested.
In the September previous, the writer, then a little over 23 years of age, had been elected a Justice of the Peace. His com- mission hardly dry, he and William Chidester, of Canfield, were selected as the Justices to take the testimony ; the first day in Hubbard, next in Youngstown and last in Poland. The aliens were mostly Irishmen and were greatly excited ; 1st. because they considered the proceeding as striking at their liberties ; and 2d, as a party measure. Daniel Shehy made a flaming speech at Hubbard an hour and a half long. The Justices had to force him to silence.
Homer Hine was for the respondents ;
J. S. Edwards for the contestants.
Many of those summoned to give testimony refused to testify, until about to be arrested and sent to jail-then they agreed to
*In the struggle about county seats E. Root, John Kinsman and others wanted a county seat on the east line of the Reserve. Elias Tracy wanted it on the cor- ners of Morgan, Rome, Lenox and New Lyme, or all New Lyme, No. 9, 3d range- his town.
13
CONTEST FOR COUNTY SEAT.
and did give their testimony. About one hundred depositions were taken.
The next day, in Youngstown, about the same course was at- tempted by the witnesses, but the Justices compelled the business to proceed, and took something more than another hundred de- positions.
The next day after, at Poland, the same course was again attempted ; but the Justices put Shehy under keepers during the day and progressed with their business. They had a very bois- terous time of it.
They took in all some four hundred depositions, which, upon trial turned the election in favor of Warren.
A contract was soon after entered into for the building of a Court-House and Jail. This ended the contest about the county seat. It was extremely bitter while it lasted-some five years- whole townships giving their vote on one side or the other with- out a dissenting vote.
REMINISCENCES OF BENJAMIN LANE.
WARREN IN 1799-THE FIRST SETTLERS.
[EXTRACT FROM A WARREN NEWSPAPER.]-(DATE NOT KNOWN.)
"For the following reminiscences of the first settlement in this county, we are indebted to Mr. Benjamin Lane, who still resides on the same spot which his father bought in the year 1799, and who lived in the first house built in this county-as bounded at present.
The first white man who purchased land in this township, for actual settlement, was the late Hon. Ephraim Quinby, (Note 1) who bought the land on both sides of the river, on which this town now stands, and also the land still owned, and occupied by his son, Hon. Samuel Quinby.
Mr. Quinby arrived here, early in the spring of 1799, probably in the latter part of March, accompanied by Mr. William Fenton and wife, and William Carlton, and his sister Peggy Carlton .- (Note 2.)
The first house built in the township stood on the south side of the river, and on the east side of the road, just opposite Mr. Lane's present residence.
This log-house was built by Mr. John Young, (the proprietor of Youngstown, Mahoning Co.) in the spring of the year 1798.
He then owned the land where Youngstown now stands, but owned no land in this township, and he came here to raise corn, there being about twenty acres of land (once owned by the late Judge Freeman) which had been cleared by the Indians, probably very many years before, as the stumps of trees had all rotted out.
15
FIRST HOUSE.
There were also some sixty acres on the south side of the river which had been cleared, part of which now belongs to the Fus- selman farm, and part to Mr. Benjamin Lane's home farm.
Several other pieces of the Mahoning bottom land in this vicinity, between this place and the Salt Springs, had been cleared amounting in all, to several hundred acres. Mr. Young planted some seventeen or eighteen acres of the land on this side of the river, in corn, occupying the house afore-mentioned, until the crop was gathered, stored it in the house until snow fell in the winter, when he hauled it to Youngstown.
Mr. Henry Lane purchased two hundred and fifteen acres, fifty-five acres of which, lay on the north side of the river, and now belongs to Mr. Charles Smith. The balance, one hundred and sixty acres on the south side of the river, belongs to Mr. Benjamin Lane, and upon which he has lived since the first purchase.
The first house built within the corporate limits of Warren, and the second in the township, was built in the spring of 1799, by Hon. Ephraim Quinby, and stood upon the west side of Main street, on, or near where the post-office now stands. The next house built, was also by Mr. Quinby, in the fall of 1799 ; and was on the corner of Main and South streets, near where the C. & M. R. R. Depot now stands. This was of logs, partially hewn. One room, about ten feet square, was used as a jail for several years. (Note 3.)
The hewed log-house which still stands on the east side of the road, opposite Mr. Lane's house, was built in the summer of the year 1800, and adjoined the house first built. In April 1799, Mr. Henry Lane, accompanied by his son John, and Mr. Edward Jones, came ; Mr. Henry Lane purchased his land, then returned to Washington Co., Pa., his son John, and Mr. Jones remained here, and planted corn, (about five acres,) on the bottom land which now forms a part of Mr. Benjamin Lane's home-farm.
The corn land was not fenced in, because there were no ani- mals except deer, to disturb it, and they troubled it but little.
In October of the same year, Mr. Henry Lane returned, and this time his son Benjamin came with him.
16
FIRST WHITE CHILD.
Mr. Lane brought one hundred small apple trees, tied in two bundles, and strapped on the horse. Benjamin Lane (then a boy of fourteen years) riding the horse, and sitting between the bundles of apple trees. These trees were immediately planted, and some of them are still living, thrifty bearing trees.
About the 10th of December, Mr. Lane and his two sons returned to Pennsylvania, leaving Mr. Jones and his wife in the house.
The next April, Mr. Lane returned with his family, consisting of his wife, the two sons before mentioned, and another (Asa) and two daughters, Catherine (now Mrs. John Tait, who still lives in Lordstown,) and Anne, who married Samuel Phillips, and died some eight years since, in Austintown, Mahoning Co. Mr. Asa Lane returned to Pennsylvania about the year 1820, and died there.
Before the return of Mr. Lane, in the spring of 1800, Mr. Jones had built a house on the farm, now owned by Mr. Isaac Daily, on the west side of the river, and removed there with his wife.
There was born of Mrs. Jones, in February, 1800, the first white child in this county. This was a girl, who married with William Dutchin, about the year 1820, and died some twenty years since. Mrs. Jones, the mother, is still living in Austin- town, Mahoning Co. (Note 4.)
In the summer of the same year, 1799, Captain John Leavitt and Ebenezer King, (who with Ebenezer Sheldon, first bought this township from the Connecticut Land Company) came, and brought with them Mr. Wil'm Crooks, with his wife. (Note .)
Messrs King. and Leavitt returned to Connecticut in the fall Crooks and wife remaining.
Before their return, they built a log-house, cleared some eighteen acres of land, and sowed it with wheat, on what is now called the Murburger farm, two miles west of this place.
This wheat was the first raised in the county, our informant being one of the reapers ; in July 1800.
17
FIRST MURDER.
In June, 1800, Mr. Leavitt (called Esquire John) returned with his family, consisting of his wife, four sons, and three daughters.
All of these are now dead, except one of the sons, Hon. Hum- phrey Leavitt, of Steubenville, O.
During the year 1800, about twenty families came in, and set- tled in this township ; built houses, and made clearings. One, Mr. John Adgate with his family, settled in Howland, where his grand-son, Mr. Adgate, now lives. Salt was very scarce, very difficult to get, and sold for $16 per bushel. At the Salt Springs, in Weathersfield, in July 1800, Joseph McMahon and two other men were engaged in making salt.
The Indians were numerous in the vicinity at that time, and some fifteen or twenty of them who had been at Youngtown and purchased some whiskey, came to the Salt Springs with their squaws and pappooses, and had a drunken spree, in which McMahon and the two white men joined. In the course of the spree, they got into a row, and the Indians drove the white men off.
The whites came to this place, and the next day returned, accompanied by eight or ten other men, among whom were Mr. Ephraim Quinby, Messrs. Benjamin, John, and Asa Lane, John Bently, Richard Story, and Jonathan Church, and others armed with rifles. When they reached Salt Springs, they found the Indians encamped there. McMahon went up to the chief, whose name was Tuscarawa George, a man of immense size (who boast- ed that he had killed 112 white men,) and spoke to him in the Indian language. The Indian sprang to his feet, seized his tom- ahawk which stuck in a tree at his side, and struck at Mr. McMahon, who dodged the blow, at the same time presenting his rifle, fired and killed the Indian.
At the same time, Story also fired, killing another Indian, called Spotted John ; the bullet passing through the body of John, breaking the arm of one pappoose, the leg of another, which was in the arms of a squaw, and just touching the neck of the squaw, and raising a blister.
18
NOTES BY MR. CASE.
The whites in this vicinity, were greatly alarmed, for fear the Indians would make reprisals, and for about two weeks, they all barricaded themselves within Mr. Quinby's house every night, but they were not attacked.
The day after the affray, Mr. McMahon was arrested, taken to Pittsburg, and confined in Jail for some weeks, until some time in August, when he was brought back to Youngstown, tried, and acquitted on the ground of self-defence. McMahon immediately left this part of the country, with his family, and returned to his former home in Pennsylvania.
Story left before he could be taken, and was not afterward ar- rested." (Note 6.)
NOTES BY LEONARD CASE, SEN.
On Benjamin Lane's statements above quoted, in relation to matters that happened about the year 1800, made from memory only ; as he had never taken notes in writing, they are of course subject to many allowances. He does not mean to contradict any other person, but merely to state matters as they remain in his recollection. His statements from hearsay, are generally from the relation of some one or more, who were present at the time stated.
Note 1. Richard Storer was the neighbor of Ephraim Quinby, in Wash- ington co. Pa. for several years before 1799.
They came together to the Reserve in the fall of 1798, and purchased land. Quinby, the whole of lot 28 in Warren, and perhaps more ; Storer, the south half of lot 35 (the Fusselman place.) In the Spring of 1799, they came to their respective places, bringing hands with them, and each commenced improvements, and putting in crops, corn, &c.
In April, Storer erected his cabin where the Fusselman buildings are. Quinby had a small building on the bank at the Mill-dam, a little way north- west from the residence of Judge Austin.
Will Fenton and wife, &c. lived in it. He built the house part of the log house and Jail (Jeremiah Brooks occupied the same after 1807.) Adjoining the same, were the hewn logs of a house, raised and covered in 1799, and finished in the spring of 1800. John Shaffer, carpenter.
19
KILLING OF THE INDIANS.
Soon after April 1799, Henry Lane Sr., his son John, and step-son Ed- ward Jones, and Meshach Case went to view the country. Lane purchased their home farm ; and left his son John, with Jones, to raise corn.
On that farm, was the cabin spoken of in Lane's statement.
M. Case returned without purchasing then ; but he came out again in August, and purchased the south half of lot 42, 198 acres ; cleared some two acres, and erected a cabin-nothing more than a shell and cover-and returned to his home in Washington Co. Pa., in the last days of September.
Note 2. When Quinby returned in the spring of 1799, there came out with him the Carlton's, viz. : Francis the father ; sons, William, John and Peter, a boy ; and daughter Margaret.
He purchased from Quinby, a part of lot 28-afterwards owned by Gen- eral Perkins,
Note 3. In the winter following 1799, E. Quinby removed Mrs. Quinby, Nancy, Samuel, Abrilla, and perhaps William.
Storer had removed Mrs. Storer and three children not long before-it was after the fall of 1799.
Mrs Stevens had two children born, near the crossing of the river, below Youngstown, before April, 1800. She said she had resided there three years, before seeing the face of a white woman.
Note 4 Query : Why did not Benjamin Lane state that about the time his father removed out in the spring of 1800, the family of M. Case came along the same road ? and that next came Henry Lane, Jr., and his wife Elsie, Charles Daily and wife and family, Isaac Daily and wife and family, and John Daily, wife and child-all from the same neighborhood !
Note 5. It is hardly necessary to correct the statement about the pur chase of land by Eb. King and John Leavitt, in 1799. King and Leavitt were members of the Connecticut Land Company, and were the original owners of land, in common in drafts Nos. 8, 9, 10, and 11, made in 1798., These drafts were made on $51,612.92 stock, which drew 78,497 acres of land, among which was the township of Warren. Leavitt and King had their lands by partition deeds, out of the land drawn. (See Trumbull County Records and Drafts of Connecticut Land Co., Recorder's Office, Warren, Book D., 114, 136, 123-1801, April, etc.)
Note 6. About the killing of the Indians at the Salt Springs in the latter part (about the 30th, Sunday was the 27th) of July, 1800, the writer hesi- tates to say much, as he has seen several accounts of that transaction, which differ materially from each other, as well as from the account given by Benjamin Lane.
But as the writer saw part, and heard more from those who were present, he will give a short statement of the transaction as he recollects it.
Jos. McMahon and wife, and perhaps three children, had been about
20
MCMAHON'S STATEMENT.
Warren in 1797 and 1798, and perhaps earlier, among the Indians, and but little if any better than they. In 1799 he had erected a small house near the southwest corner post of Howland, at the south end of the Goose Pond, which he left in the spring of 1800, and went to the Salt Springs.
He had taken about four acres of bottom land from Storer, at the south end of the bottom, to raise corn, and in the spring of 1800 planted it.
In July, a party of Indians encamped about sixty rods up the Salt Spring run ravine, at an old camping ground. The ravine was thick with brush. The camp ground was open, except some large trees.
The Indians got whiskey, and had a general drunken revel, in which McMahon and some other whites joined. The whiskey of the Indians having been exhausted, the whites were not satisfied, but sent to Quinby's at War- ren, and obtained a small further supply.
The Indians suspected this, but the whites denied it, and would not let the Indians have any.
On, say Tuesday, McMahon left, and went to Storer's to tend his corn. Soon after he had left, the Indians began to tease his wife-wanted her to serve as squaw-and finally threatened to kill her and her children.
On Thursday the wife, taking one child in her arms, and leading the others, went to Storer's, where her husband was, stayed over night, and he went back with her and the children in the morning. (The writer, after much reflection, is in some doubt whether Mrs. McMahon stayed that night at Storer's, or whether he for some cause had started for home at the Springs, and met his wife on the road-an old road long since abandoned- near south line of Lot No. 41. At all events, they, McMahon and his wife, were at the Springs next forenoon, had a conversation with the Indians, and supposed the difficulties all settled satisfactorily at that time. At least such was the statement at the time, as well by others present as by McMahon and his wife. Joseph and John Filles were present, who afterwards stayed at my father's cabin three days immediately after the killing of the Indians.) He had a talk with the Indians of the camp, and apparently settled the matter.
They agreed to be peaceable, and he returned to tend his corn at Storer's. Soon after he had left, the Indians began again to threaten the woman and children, and it was said, an Indian struck one of the children with the handle of his tomahawk.
Matters went from bad to worse, until on Saturday afternoon, the wife again took the children, and started for Storer's. She met her husband on the way, a short distance from Storer's, opposite my father's farm. They returned to Storer's, and remained there Saturday night, telling over and nursing their grievances.
21
THE NEGOTIATION.
On Sunday morning, the 27th, McMahon went up along the river, among the settlers, told over his side of the story, and begged for aid to go with him, and make a permanent settlement of the difficulty.
Most of the young and middle-aged men whom he met went with him. He got together about thirteen men and two boys. (Among them were Henry Lane, Jr., Ephraim Quinby, John Lane, Asa Lane, Richard Storer, Will Carleton, William Fenton, Charles Dailey, John Bentley, Jonathan Church, Benjamin Lane, McMahon, of course, and others whom I do not recollect. The two lads were Thomas Fenton and Peter Carlton, about ten or eleven years old, perhaps older.)
In those days it was customary for every man to carry his gun, and the party had each a gun, except the boys.
The writer saw the company passing his father's house, about ten o'clock, on their way to the Springs. As the story was related at the time, they passed along in a jovial manner, engaged in miscellaneous conversation, . until they reached the run at the Salt Springs, below the camp.
There Mr. Quinby, who in those times was generally looked up to as a kind of leader, called a halt. It was agreed that he should go up to the camp, and see what the difficulty was, and return and let them know. The others all stopped. He passed on to the camp. There the Indians lay lolling about. Among them were Captain George, a Tuscarawa, who spoke English, and John Winslow, a Seneca, called "Spotted John," because he was part white.
He inquired of Captain George, what was the difficulty between him and McMahon, and his family. George answered : "Oh, Joe damn fool! The Indians don't want to hurt him or his family. They (the whites) drank up all the Indian's whisky, and then wouldn't let the Indians have any of theirs. They were a little mad, but don't care any more about it. They (Mr. McMahon and family) may come back and live as long as they like; the Indians won't hurt them." Mr. Quinby returned to his comrades, expecting to find them where he had left them.
But, in the meantime, they had sauntered up the path in the ravine, along the run, and when Mr. Quinby met them, were just emerging from the ravine and coming up the bank.
On meeting Quinby, all halted, except McMahon. He strode on and the boys followed him. As he passed, Quinby said, " Stop, Joe," but he did not heed it.
The others listened to the relation by Quinby, of what had passed at the camp between him and the Indians.
In the meantime they had risen from the ravine into plain open view of the camp, some twelve or fifteen rods distant, with only an occasional
22
THE FIGHT.
larger tree between them ; and while Quinby was relating what the Indians had said, Joe McMahon and the two boys had got to the camp.
Captain George was sitting on the root of rather a large tree, leaning his body against the body of the tree, when McMahon approached him. The other Indians, some five or six, and several squaws and papooses, were lolling around the camp.
McMahon said to George-" Are you for peace or war? Yesterday you had your men, now I have got mine." A tomahawk was sticking in the body of the tree, immediately above the head of George. He sprang to his feet, seized the tomahawk, and was in the act of swinging it, as if to sink it into Joe's head, when Joe, being too near to shoot, jumping backward, brought his rifle to bear, and instantly shot George in the breast. The blood spirted nearly to McMahon. McMahon cried out, " Shoot ! shoot !" to the men standing in open view, without anything to screen them.
At the same instant the Indians jumped up, caught their rifles, treed, and aimed at the whites. Of course the whites brought their rifles to bear, Storer among the rest. Several of their guns were snapped, but missed fire. The morning had been drizzling with rain and the guns were damp. Storer saw John Winslow, (Spotted John,) aiming, as he supposed, at him, and without further reflection, threw his rifle into position, (it was an ex- cellent rifle and always in good order,) and fired.
At the same moment, Winslow's squaw was endeavoring to screen herself and papooses behind the same tree with Winslow, and was directly behind him.
Winslow's hips were all of him that was exposed. Storer's ball passed through them, and passing on, broke a boy's arm, passed under the cords of the neck of his girl, and grazed the throat of his squaw.
. The two boys, Fenton and Carleton, who were forward with McMahon, seeing him shoot George, fled for home. The sound of the second gun added to their speed.
They ran without halting, three and a half miles to Davison's, and reached there so overdone that for sometime they were unable to tell what had happened. They could only say "shoot," and then stop for breath. At the camp, after the shooting, of course all was confusion, among the whites, as well as the Indians.
The whites left the scene of action at rather a quick pace.
The writer saw the party on their return between one and two o'clock, P. M. The Indians, it was said, dug slight holes, covered the dead with dirt and leaves, and all, except the squaw with her wounded children, fled for the woods, expecting the whites would be after and murder them. They took a path to Newton Falls, and there encamped.
23
. MCMAHON ARRESTED.
They were afraid to hunt. The wounded squaw took her two wounded children in her arms, and started for the place of James Hillman, an old Indian trader who lived near Youngstown-a distance of nine miles-where she arrived, it was estimated, in an hour and a half.
None of the whites who went with McMahon had any expectation of serious difficulty.
Some of them said, afterwards, that they thought while going there, they discovered evil intentions in McMahon. Others thought differently.
The men who went with him went as peacemakers, and had no thought of violence to the Indians.
There was not attached to them any blame, or even want of discretion. As evidence of the opinions of those acquainted with the affair at the time, Quinby was elected a member of the first General Assembly under the Con- stitution, in March, 1803; Henry Lane, Jr., has since been a member of the General Assembly several times, and many others of that party have held stations of trust and confidence. There was no moral turpitude attached to any one else than McMahon.
The party, as was stated, returned in some haste to the settlement. Soon afterwards, they put McMahon under arrest.
He was placed under guard, and taken to Pittsburgh, as the nearest place where a prisoner could be kept.
Some of the inhabitants, who had not been engaged in the transaction, thought that Storer ought to be arrested also. The gathering was at his house, on what is now the Fusselman place.
He quietly observed what was going on around him. He concluded from what he saw and heard, that he too might perhaps be arrested and put on trial, and on reflection, believing that would be inconvenient he, about four o'clock in the afternoon, walked into his cabin, put on his hat, took down his rifle from its place on the hooks, and quietly walked off before them all, saying he must go to look for his cows, and went west to the woods. (His reflections were, as I afterwards heard him say-at that time we had no organized government on the Reserve. The jurisdiction had been ceded to the United States, but this was not known then among ordinary people at Warren-Storer said he knew he had done nothing criminal. He had gone to the Salt Springs with the intent, only and entirely, of settling a difficulty. He suddenly found himself in imminent and instant danger of being shot, without any possible means of escape. He had shot to save his own life. If he submited to be taken and tried, he had no knowledge of what law he was to be tried by, or by whom he was to be tried. Under these circumstances he deemed himself justified, in protecting his own life, by absenting himself from the power of those who sought to call him
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