Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County : embellished by nearly six hundred engravings--portraits of pioneer settlers, prominent citizens, business, official and professional--ancient and modern views, etc.; nine-tenth's of a century of solid local history--pioneer incidents, interesting events--industrial, commercial, financial and educational progress, biographies, etc., Part 11

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Ohio > Summit County > Akron > Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County : embellished by nearly six hundred engravings--portraits of pioneer settlers, prominent citizens, business, official and professional--ancient and modern views, etc.; nine-tenth's of a century of solid local history--pioneer incidents, interesting events--industrial, commercial, financial and educational progress, biographies, etc. > Part 11

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AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

TAMES MATHEWS, born in Wash- ington County, N. Y.,, April 23, 1803; in boyhood removing with his parents to Vermont; educated in common schools and bred a cabinet inaker and ornamental painter; in 1839 came to Akron, and engaged in manufacturing grain shovels, in 1841 engaging in grocery business, until 1849 when he became secretary and manager of the Summit Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and on the winding up of the business of that company, a few years later, becoming the agent of several of the leading fire insurance companies of the country, and of the Mutual Life of New York, for which he secured a very large clientage in Akron and vicinity, the policies written by him aggregating over $12,000,000. Mr. Mathews possessed both public spirit and private enterprise, as witness the fine block on Howard street bearing his name; was a member of Akron Town Council in 1843; member of first Board of Education in 1847, and the first Mayor of Akron, under city charter, 1865-1866. Mr. Mathews was married to Miss Agnes Grant, of Wells River, Vt., in January, 1833, who died in Akron in April, 1870, leaving three children-George H., who died

HENRY PURDY.

H ENRY PURDY,-son of Solomon Purdy, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, September 30, 1815, removing to Springfield township, with parents,

JAMES MATHEWS.

in December 1873, Henry G. and Charles H., now of New York. Mr. Mathews was again married, to Mrs. Isabella (Howard) Tayler, a native of Middlebury, ( Akron, Sixth Ward ), who now resides in California, Mr. Mathews dying December 25, 1883. aged 80 years, 8 months and 2 days.

when 13 years of age; educated in Putnam Academy in Zanesville and Randolph Academy. In 1837 became associated with his father in the manufacture of stoneware at the center of Springfield. In 1852 Mr. Purdy was elected County Recorder on the Whig ticket, and re-elected in 1855 on the Republican ticket, hold- ing the office six years; was member of Council in 1857; Mayor of Akron in 1860-1861, 1873-1874; and Justice of the Peace for Portage Township, with the exception of a single terin, from 1868 till his resignation, by reason of failing health, February 12, 1888. February 2, 1837, Mr. Purdy was married to Miss Diantha C. Clark, daughter of Barber Clark, of Franklin Mills, (now Kent). Mr. and Mrs. Purdy, who have continuously resided in Akron since April, 1853, have three children-Mills B. (City Clerk 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872 and 1876) born June 27, 1839; Mary C., (now Mrs. J. A. Boynton, of Sala- manca, N. Y.) born July 10, 1841; and Melissa C. (now Mrs. S. K. Zwisler, Akron) born November 29, 1847.

THERE WERE "CROOKS" IN THOSE DAYS.

CHAPTER III.

EARLY CROOKEDNESS-CONFIDENCE GAMES, "KEG" MONEY, ETC .- UNSAVORY REPUTATION-THE "GORE"-Y BATTLE GROUND-BITTER POST-OFFICE CON- TROVERSY-CRIMINATION AND RECRIMINATION-SCANDALOUS CHURCH SQUABBLES-DECADENCE OF MIDDLEBURY AND THE SOUTH END-DESPISED "CASCADE" IN THE ASCENDENCY -- THE "WHIRLIGIG OF TIME BRINGS ALL THINGS EVEN," ETC., ETC.

EARLY CROOKEDNESS.

N those early days, the Ohio, Mississippi, and other western riv- I ers and lakes, and the cities and villages contiguous thereto, were swarming with, and infested by, gamblers, counterfeiters and thieves; and on the opening of the Ohio Canal, as a channel for trade and travel, not only the passenger boats navigating its waters, but the thriving towns that immediately sprang into existence along its entire line, were soon thoroughly infested by the several classes of "sports" and "crooks" alluded to, with branch resorts at many of the "centers" and "corners" of adjacent townships.

Akron and other points within the present limits of Summit County, were by no means excepted from the general rule, but, on the contrary, the large number of locks here, and the peculiar for- mation of the country, particularly down the valley, northward from Akron, afforded especial facilities for the successful operations of the fraternity, and for the effective concealment of their nefarious occupation, their gambling and counterfeiting implements, and their stolen plunder.

At the date of my arrival in town, (1835) the average honest stranger was filled with astonishment at the large number of finely- dressed, ruffle-shirted, plug-hatted, kid-gloved, lavishly-bejewelled, and apparently wealthy sojourners at the various hotels. To the writer, though, the genus was very familiar, the several preceding months having been spent in New Orleans, Louisville and Cincin- nati, and on the steamers plying between those points, with brief calls at Natchez, Vicksburg, Memphis, and other blackleg-infested towns upon those great thoroughfares-the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Indeed, so flagrant had become the operations and outrages of this class of scoundrels, that about this time the honest people of Vicksburg, after giving the gamblers proper warning to leave that place, arose in their might and summarily hung half a dozen or more to the lamp posts and shade trees of the city, creating the most intense excitement among all classes, and a decided panic among tha fraternity throughout the entire South and West.

Besides the numerous raids that were made among the pioneer farmers of the vicinity, by those early "crooks" and shovers of the "queer," for predatory purposes, and for the purchase of horses, cattle, sheep and other property with bogus coin or spurious paper, there was in Akron and other business centers of the gang, a set of confidence operators, who got in their work something in this wise :

An unsophisticated farmer would be inveigled into some back room, and "confidentially" shown a number of genuine American or Spanish silver dollars, with the statement that they were bogus,

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

but so cleverly executed that they could never be detected, and that if he would buy 500 or 1,000 of them, to operate with among his neighbors, he might have them for 10 or 20 cents on the dollar. If the cupidity of the ruralist. should over-balance his discretion, and he should "tumble to the racket," he would be shown sev- eral small kegs, said to contain 500 or 1,000 each of the bogus coin, so arranged that by taking out a plug in one end, he could see the glittering metal of a genuine silver dollar inside, and be assured that if, on getting home and counting it, he did not find the full num- ber there, the dealer would make it all right the next time he came to town.

Having duly paid over his $50 or $100 in good money, and having with due secrecy deposited the keg selected under the straw in the wagon, the "honest" yeoman would depart for home, to find, on examining his treasure, that, with the exception of the genuine dollar seen through the hole in the end, his precious keg contained the regulation weight of scrap-iron, only.

Generally the victim would quietly swallow his disappoint- ment and shame, and never be heard of again; but now and then one would return to seek redress, only to be told by the operator, if found, that he had never seen him before, or to be informed by his lawyer that his own hands were too badly soiled in the transac- tion to enable him to proceed against his confederate in crime.

The game was by no means confined to Akron, or the neigh- borhood of the canal, as witness the following item from the Western Courier, of Ravenna, under date of September 15, 1836:

"Several attempts have been made lately, to defraud in the way of what is called keg money speculations ; obtaining money and property on a promise to deliver a keg or box of money, of large amount, and ' just as good as genuine.' The keg or box supposed to contain the money, and perhaps having some on the surface, is usually delivered in some dark place, and is then, if of any value, wrested or stolen from the owner by ruffians before he gets home with it. Many such cases have formerly occurred in this county, in Geauga and Cuyahoga, and several lately-the last one in Newburg. But the people are learning to expose them, and the head ones have to abscond from the officers of the law."

Similar transactions in paper "money" were also often nego- tiated, genuine bills being exhibited and represented as coun- terfeit, and duly placed in a package, under the eye of the purchaser, to be adroitly exchanged for a similar looking package of wrapping paper, cut to proper size, while the purchase money was being counted out and examined.

Still another mode of procedure was for a couple of sharpers to purchase a horse from some rustic, to be paid for in non-detect- able counterfeit money, at a nominal price, the exchange to be made after dark, in some neighboring thicket, and after the transfer had been duly made, and the horse led off by one of the sharpers, other confederates would rush in, under the guise of officers, and pretend to arrest the remaining two, but finally let them off on their handing over all their loose change; and thus the victim would not only be done out of his horse and the pre- tended counterfeit money he had received in exchange for hin, but also of whatever good money he might happen to have about him at the time.

By this and similar devices were the unwary pioneers of the rural districts "taken in and done for," while from the lack of information, now so rapidly and so generally transmitted through

EARLY CHURCH IMBROGLIOS.

the mails, the railroads, the telegraph and the newspapers, whole droves of horses, cattle, sheep, and even hogs, could be gathered up and paid for wholly in counterfeit money, and safely driven out of the country, before the sellers would discover the fraud that had been practiced upon them.

And yet, notwithstanding such was the early status of Akron, as well as many other enterprising business points along the line of the canal, and notwithstanding good friends with whom I was visiting in the northern part of Portage County, in the early Spring of 1835, advised me, in my search for a location for permanent set- tlement, by all means to avoid Akron and Cascade, I found, on coming here, later in the season, that the great majority of the people were honest, industrious and enterprising, and that its unsavory reputation was wholly due to a comparatively small minority of local crooks, and the large contingent of transient sharpers continually moving from point to point, along the line of the canal as above noted.

That this vicinity was, however, for many years the general rendezvous and headquarters of one of the most extensive gangs of counterfeiters in the entire country, admits of not a doubt. The reputed leader of this gang, together with several of his most important subordinates, were permanently located within the limits of what is now Summit County, some of whom sought and obtained positions of public trust and honor, the more effectually to cover up their true characters, and their nefarious operations.

To the chief of this gang, and his prominent lieutenants, with an inkling of their operations, their successes, reverses, arrests, trials, imprisonments, etc., one or more chapters of this work will be devoted, as well as one, or more, to the measures that were finally taken to rid the village and county of local sharps and trav- eling blacklegs and thieves.

The bitterness existing between the inhabitants of the north and south villages has already been alluded to, in the "guide board war" spoken of in the first chapter, and otherwise. It will be impossible, of course, in the prescribed limit of this work to relate all the acts of hostility, overt and covert, manifested; but one or two episodes, illustrative of that feeling, somewhat in detail, may not be amiss.

The two villages were divided by a wedge-shaped strip of unplatted land, called the "gore," embracing the territory between Quarry street on the north and Center street on the south. On this unplatted strip the earlier churches-the Congregational the Methodist and the Baptist, were originally erected, not only because their respective sites were generously donated by Gen. Perkins, but more particularly, perhaps, because the adherents of the several denominations, residing in either section, were unwill- ing to worship, on Sunday, in houses located within the boundaries of the rival village they so heartily, and perhaps religiously, hated through the week. 1

This feeling was so strong that when, in 1836, the majority of the trustees of the Baptist Church decided to face the new church edifice they were then about to build (on the site of the present fine German Reformed brick structure) towards South Akron, instead of towards the West, as had been done by both the Congregationalists and Methodists, (the Congregational Church

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

then stood on the present Court House grounds), several contrib)- utors to the building fund, living north of the "gore," withdrew their subscriptions, and a few even severed their connection with the society in consequence of such action; the facing of the church in that direction being considered an advantage in favor of South Akron.

This animosity became intensified as the work progressed, and by the time the structure was completed had culminated in a most bitter controversy between certain prominent members, trustees, building committee, pastor, etc., in which charges and counter- charges of falsehood, dishonesty, malice, etc., were freely bandied, resulting in the calling of a church council on the 6th day of October, 1837, at which Rev. Levi Tucker, of Cleveland, presided as Moderator, and by which it was

" Resolved, That brother Dodge has not been labored with according to gospel discipline; that brother Dodge's conduct has rendered him unworthy of a place in a Christian church, and that he ought not to be recognized as a member until he make satisfaction to the church; that brother Crane (the pastor) did not act judiciously ; believing, however, that his press of duties ought in this case to be admitted in extenuation ; that Elder Austin (a retired minister) has acted injudiciously, and the church had better grant him a letter of dismission and a recommendation to any other sister church; that the course of brother Alvin Austin has been incautious and wanting in pru- dence; and that this Council earnestly recommend to each individual in any way concerned in the late difficulties, to make very strenuous efforts to promote the peace of the church, and zealously engage in the cause of our dear Redeemer."

Notwithstanding these dissensions the church was duly dedi- cated October 26, 1837, Elder Tucker preaching the dedicatory sermon. But neither that solemn proceeding, nor the action of the Council, were productive of any perceptible mollifying influence, as is evidenced by some six or seven columns of crimination and re-crimination published in the several issues of the American Balance, from December 7, 1837, to January, 4, 1838, in which the names of Rev. Eber Crane, (pastor and building agent) Alvin Austin, H. K. Smith, Smith Burton, Richard Howe, J. Rockwell, R. K. DuBois, S. R. Brackett, Erastus Torrey, Nathan B. Dodge, Miner Spicer, Warren H. Smith, Justus Gale, Joseph Cole, David Allen, Jesse Allen, Jacob Brown and Nathan S. Jones, were some- what promisicuously mingled.

Though nearly, if not quite, all of the belligerents in this wordy warfare have passed away, and though the society, in another loca- 'tion, has for many years maintained more than an average stand- ing in usefulness and numbers, among the many similar benefi- cent institutions of our goodly city, it is questionable whether the deleterious influences of those early contentions, among really good men, have not been felt, in a greater or less degree, through all the intervening half century.

The Methodist Society, also, got into a similar tangle, mainly through sectional jealousies, regarding the building .of their first house of worship, about the same time; certain of the members connected with the raising of funds and erecting and furnishing the building, accusing each other of gross irregularities. This bitter feeling, though not ventilated through the public press, con- tinued for several years, and finally, when the building was destroyed by fire, on the morning of March 17, 1841, each party accused the other of having set the building on fire, though the

"UPPER" VERSUS "LOWER" TOWN.

origin of the fire was, doubtless, purely accidental. The original Congregational society was also twice rent asunder, and finally annihilated, by unhappy dissensions, which will be fully set forth in a subsequent chapter.

BITTER POSTOFFICE WAR.

Up to 1837, a full year after both the rival villages of North and South Akron, had been consolidated by Legislative enactment into the corporate "Town of Akron," and though by this time much the larger portion of the business of the town was done north of the "gore," when it was sought to remove the postoffice from the upper to the lower town, a struggle ensued, which in point of bitterness, renders the partisan and personal squabbles of modern office seekers the very extreme of mildness and cor- diality.

Some three or four years prior to that time, Akron's first post- master, Wolsey Wells, Esq., having left the place, had been succeeded by Mr. Lewis Humiston, keeper of the Clark tavern, the office being located in a small building immediately east of the hotel, on Exchange street, the late Arad Kent officiating as his. deputy.

As Mr. Humiston was about to leave the town, it became necessary to secure the appointment of his successor. There were, of course, a number of applicants for the place, and among the rest, the late Judge Constant Bryan, and another lawyer by the name of Harvey H. Johnson, both Democrats and both northenders. Who the southern candidates were, is not now remembered, but the contest was so bitter that the appointment hung fire for some time, Postmaster General Amos Kendall finally intimating that unless the two factions reconciled their differences he would discontinue the office.

In this emergency, after a conference with that gentleman, the southenders gave in their adhesion to Mr. Johnson, and he, consequently, received the appointment some time in June, 1837; it being aftewards vigorously claimed that the withdrawal of their opposition to him by the southenders, was upon the distinct under- standing that, if appointed, he would not remove the office northi of the "gore."

For several months after the appointment of Mr. Johnson, the Akron postoffice continued to "do business at the old stand," on Exchange street, much to the delight of the southenders, and very greatly to the disagruntlement of the northenders, who were not backward in expressing their feeling to Mr. Johnson, both verbally and through the press.

At length, some time in December, 1837, the confiding south- enders one morning suddenly awoke to the disagreeable and astounding fact, that the office had not only been removed, but that, not stopping to rest, for even a single moment, upon the " gore," it had gone " clean down " to their hated rival, "Cascade," . into the building then owned by the late Col. Lewis P. Buckley, on the site of our present splendid postoffice structure.

This high-handed act of "perfidy" and "treason" immediately called down the direst anathemas of the southenders upon the devoted head of the offending postmaster, the arraignment of whom, written by the late Jedediah D. Commins, and signed by

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

that gentleman and the late Judge Samuel A. Wheeler and Gen. Philo Chamberlin, as published in the American Balance, commences as follows:

"The doctrine that a public servant is bound to resign when he finds himself unable, or unwilling, to perform the duties of an office in the manner he had pledged himself to those who were the active cause of his appoint- ment, has been long sanctified by the republicans of this country, and acted on by every high-minded inan, when he found himself so circumstanced."

After nearly a column of high sounding platitudes-"violation of solemn pledges," "plighted faith," "stung by the viper we had nour- ished in our bosoms," "stab in the dark," "forfeited honor," "want of gratitude," "gentlemanly feeling," "moral restraint," etc .- the man- ifesto concludes with several affidavits to the effect that the affiants had, at divers times and places, heard Mr. Johnson say that if he should receive the appointment, he would not remove the office north of the " gore," or stone quarry.

To this severe castigation, Mr. Johnson, after a few prelim- inary observations, gets back at the gentlemen whose signatures are thereto attached as follows:

"As your communication was intended to affect the public mind, not only in our own vicinity, but at a distance, it is proper that I should premise by informing the public by what and by whom my private as well as my public character has been wantonly assailed. Is it not true of one of your number, that he has succeeded, to his entire satisfaction, in failing two or three times in the State of New York, and from the wreck has been able to establish two most splendid wholesale and retail stores in Ohio? In regard to another, is it not true that there is a letter in town which asks if a note of some $30 or $40, can be collected, which was given before he absconded from the town of E., in Vermont ?"

After much more similar verbiage, reflecting upon the honesty and credibility of his assailants, Postmaster Johnson continues as follows: "I will only add that where the parties to this transaction and the circumstances are known, I do not deprecate the righteous decision of a virtuous community-your allegations and affidavits to the contrary, notwithstanding."

The editor of the Balance having declined to publish anything further on the subject, in a 16-page pamphlet, now in possession of the writer, Messrs. Commins, Wheeler and Chamberlin, in a lengthy rejoinder, including affidavits from Ferdinand Durand, C. P. McDonald, Dr. Dana D. Evans, Asa Field, Jonathan Myers, George Howe, Joshua Catlin, Silas,Anson, E. M. Chamberlin, Miner Spicer and Arad Kent, in opening, say: "In regard to what you are pleased to say about ourselves, it may be proper to remark that it does not become us to speak of our own standing in this com- munity, but whatever it may be, we have too much self-respect to notice your abusive epithets and innuendoes, further than to say, if our characters need defense from such vituperation, they are no longer worth our care." And further on they clinch the matter against the offending P. M., thus: "But it requires not the gift of prophecy to foretell that when your hair shall have been whitened by the frosts of a few more winters, as you walk among mankind, and they shall hereafter see you moving alone in the midst of society, with the brand of 'forfeited faith' burnt deep in your fore- head, you will regret, in the bitterness of your soul, the course you have taken in relation to this whole matter."

DISSENSIONS HAPPILY ENDED.

But the fact remains that the Akron Postoffice was removed to "Cascade" just 54 years ago, and that, as water-then the most potent.factor in the growth and maintenance of towns and cities- would run down hill, instead of up, the preponderance of business and industry were largely in its favor. Commins, Chamberlin and others of the original business men of the South End, had to suc- cumb to the inevitable, and a few years later removed their own business operations north of the "gore;" though the decadence in the volume and value of water power, and the rapidly increasing use of steam, as a propelling agent, has, in these latter days, again brought to Ancient Akron, south of the "gore" and in fact to said "gore" itself, as well as to the ancient burgh of Middlebury, a high degree of business enterprise and prosperity, thus wonderfully demonstrating the truth of the old adage that "the whirligig of time makes all things even," while the offending postmaster was elected Mayor of Akron in 1842 and 1843, afterwards went to Con- gress from the Ashland District, and was subsequently U. S. Land Commissioner, in Minnesota, where he still resides.

The office was, a few years later, removed still further "down town," and after several changes of location, was finally established in "Gothic Block," a view of which is here given, where it remained until removed to its present location, in 1871, as elsewhere stated.

-.... ..

SUMMIT BEACON JOB PRINTING.

ETNA INSURANCE CO.

BOOK STORE. DRUG STORE.

HARTFORD INS. CO.

BEEBE & FLKINS.

POST-OFFICE.

Gothic Block, erected by Ex-Mayor James Mathews, on present site of J. Koch & Co's Clothing Store .- From photo by George W. Manley, 1861.

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

CHAPTER IV.

THE BOOM AND THE COLLAPSE-POETRY VERSUS FACT-SPECULATION RAM- PANT-WONDERFUL ENHANCEMENT OF VALUES, AND STILL MORE WONDER- FUL DECLINE-THE MORUS MULTICAULIS CRAZE-IMMENSE FORTUNES THAT DIDN'T MATERIALIZE-THE PANIC OF 1837-HARD TIMES. AS WAS HARD TIMES-THE SHIN-PLASTER ERA-DECIDEDLY A MIXED CURRENCY-THE "TRUCK AND DICKER" SYSTEM, ETC., ETC."

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Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905 Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department
Number of Pages: 1228