Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 60

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006

USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I > Part 60

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).

Eastman Johnson, James H. Beard and other eminent artists have affirmed that Ward has passed beyond Story, Ball, Thomp- son and all other rivals, and is now without a peer as a sculptor. He is unquestionably the greatest artist that this country has yet pro- duced. Numerous commissions for forty, sixty, and a hundred thousand dollars now await his execution.

THE AD WHITE SLAVE-RESCUE CASE.

Mechanicsburg in the days of the Underground Railroad was one of the regular depots for the fleeing fugitives from slavery. Her people were noted for their abhorrence of the institution, and never failed to give such shelter and protection. In 1857, when "the Fugitive Slave Law" was in operation, an attempt was made by the United States authorities to seize a slave (one Ad White), who had found a home with a farmer in the vicinity of the village. The circumstances we copy from Beer's " History of Clark County."

Ad White, a fugitive from Kentucky bear- ing the surname of his master, made his way to the place of rest for the oppressed, and, thinking he was far enough away, had qui- etly settled down to work on the farm of Udney Hyde, near Mechanicsburg. His master had tracked him to the farm of Hyde, and obtained a warrant for his arrest at the United States Court in Cincinnati. Ben Churchill, with eight others, undertook his capture. Ad was at that time a powerful man, able and willing to whip his weight in wildcats, if necessary, and had expressed his determination never to return to slavery alive. Churchill & Co. had been advised of this, and made their approaches to Hyde's house cautiously, informing some persons in Mechanicsburg of their business, and suggesting to ther ': go out and see the fun, which invitation was promptly ac- cepted. Ad slept in the loft of Hyde's house, to which access could only be obtained by means of a ladder, and one person only at a tinic.

Here he had provided himself with such articles of defence as a rifle, a double-bar- relled shotgun, revolver, knife and axe, and had the steady nerve and skill to use them successfully if circumstances forced him to. Churchill and party arrived at Hyde's and found the game in his retreat. They parleyed with him for some time, coaxed him to come down, ordered old man Hyde to go up and bring him out, deputized the men who fol- lowed them to go up, but all declined, telling them that five men ought to be able to take one. White finally proposed, in order to re- lieve Hyde of danger of compromise, if the five marshals would lay aside their arms and permit him to go into an adjoining field, and they could then overpower him, he would make no further resistance; but so long as they persisted in their advantage he would remain where he was, and kill the first man who attempted to enter the loft.

Deputy-Marshal Elliott, of Cincinnati, was the first and only one to attempt to enter where White was, and as his body passed

385

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

above the floor of the loft he held a shotgun before him, perhaps to protect himself, but particularly to scare White. But White was not to be scared that way. He meant what he said when he warned them to let him alone, and, quiek as thought, the sharp crack of a rifle rang out on the air, and Elli- ott dropped to the floor, not killed, but saved by his gun, the ball having struck the bar- rel, and thus prevented another tragedy in the slavehunter's path. This was the only effort inade to dislodge White, and after consultation they left for Urbana, going thenee to Cincinnati. The gentlemen who had followed them out to Hyde's rallied them considerably on their failure, and in all proba- bility were not very choice in their English to express their opinions of " slave-hunters."

Chagrined and mortified by their failure, and smarting under the sharp railleries of the bystanders, Churchill and Elliott made their report to the court at Cincinnati, and made oath that Azro L. Mann, Charles Taylor, David Tullis and Udney Hyde had interfered and prevented the capture of the negro

White, and refused to assist when called upon. Warrants were issued for their arrest, and a posse of fourteen, headed by Churchill and Elliott, went to Mechanicsburg and took them in custody. The men were prominent in the community, and their arrest created intense excitement.

Parties followed the marshals, expecting them to go to Urbana to board the cars for Cincinnati, but they left the main road, striking through the country, their actions creating additional excitement, causing suspi- cion of abduction. A party went at once to Urbana and obtained from Judge S. V. Baldwin a writ of habeas corpus, com- manding the marshals to bring their prisoners and show by what authority they were held. John Clark, Jr., then sheriff of Champaign county, summoned a posse and started in pursuit, overtaking the marshals with their prisoners just across the county line, at Ca- tawba, when the two parties dined together. In the meantime Judge Ichabod Corwin and HIon. J. C. Brand went to Springfield with a copy of the writ, and started Sheriff John E. Layton, of Clark county, and his deputy to intercept them at South Charleston. They reached there just as the marshals passed through, and overtook them half a mile be- yond the town.

In attempting to serve the writ, Layton was assaulted by Elliott with a slung-shot, furiously and brutally beaten to the ground, receiving injuries from which he never fully recovered. Layton's deputy, Compton, was shot at several times, but escaped unhurt, and when he saw his superior stricken down and helpless, he went to him and permitted the marshals to resume their journey. Sher- iff Clack and his party came up soon after, and Sheriff Layton was borne back to South Charleston in a dying condition, it was sup- posed, but a powerful constitution withstood the tremendous shock, although his health was never fully restored.

The assault on Sheriff Layton was at once telegraphed to Springfield and other points, causing intense excitement and arousing great indignation. Parties were organized and the capture of the marshals undertaken in ear- nest. Their traek now lay through Greene county. Sheriff Lewis was telegraphed for, and joined the party. On the following morning, near the village of Lumberton, in Greene county, the State officers, headed by Sheriff Lewis, overtook the marshals, who surrendered without resistance. The_pris- oners were taken to Urbana, before Judge Baldwin, and released, as no one appeared to show why they were arrested, or should be detained.

The United States marshals were all ar- rested at Springfield, on their way to Urbana, for assault with intent to kill, and, being un- able to furnish security, were lodged in jail over night. James S. Christie was justice of the peace at the time, and issued the war- rants for the arrest of the marshals; the ex- citement was so great that the examination was held in the old court-house, which proved too small for the crowd. Mr. Christie was one of those who were obliged to attend at Cincinnati. The marshals again returned to Cincinnati and procured warrants for the arrest of the four persons released upon habeas corpus, together with a large number of the citizens of Mechaniesburg, Urbana, Springfield and Xenia, who participated in the capture of the marshals.

In Champaign county the feeling against the enforcement of this feature of the fugi- tive slave law had become so intense that the officers serving the warrants were in danger of violence. Ministers of the gospel and many of the best and most responsible citi- zens of Urbana said to Judge Baldwin, Judge Corwin, Judge Brand and Sheriff Clark, on the day of arrest: "If you do not want to go, say the word, and we will protect you," feeling that the conflict was inevitable, and might as well be precipitated at that time. These men, however, counselled moderation, and were ready and willing to suffer the in- convenience, expense and harassment of prosecution for the sake of testing this fea- ture of the slave-driver's law, and also in hope and belief that it would make it more odious, and secure its early repeal or change.

The cases of Udney Hyde and Hon. J. C. Brand were selected as test cases representing the two features-that of Hyde for refusing to assist in the arrest of a fugitive slave, and that of Brand for interference with a United States officer in the discharge of duty. The district attorney was assisted by able counsel, and the most eminent lawyers of the State were seeured to conduct the defence, when, after a long and stormy trial, the jury failed to make a verdict. The contest had now lasted nearly or quite a year, and all par- ties were becoming tired of it. The patriot- ism actuating both sides, though being of a different character and order, was entirely exhausted, and the glory to be obtained

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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

would now be left for others yet to follow. The Kentucky gentleman who had stirred up all this racket in his effort to get possession of his $1,000 in human flesh and blood now stepped to the front and proposed to settle the trouble if he could have $1,000 for his Ad White, and the costs in all the cases paid. This proposition was readily acceded to, the money paid, and the cases all nolled by Dis- trict Attorney Matthews. The deed of Ad White was made in regular form by his Ken- tucky owner, and now forms one of the curi- ous and interesting features of the probate court records for Champaign county.

Thus ended one of the great conflicts in the enforcement of the fugitive slave law, which did much towards crystallizing public sentiment against the extension of slavery. These scenes transpired in 1857, and nearly all the prominent actors have passed away. Ad White was notified of his freedom, and at once returned to Mechanics- burg, where, in 1881, he was still residing, borne down by hard work and age, but ever cherishing the memory of those who gave him shelter and protection when fleeing from oppression and seeking freedom.

MECHANICSBURG is on the C. C. C. & I. R. R., about twenty-seven miles west of Columbus. Here are located the Central Ohio Fair grounds, said to be the finest in the State, nature having furnished a grand natural amphitheatre facing the fine tract of land used for this purpose. Newspaper : News, Republican, Hiram Brown, publisher. Churches : 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Methodist Protestant, 1 Catholic, 2 Colored Methodist Episcopal, 1 Colored Baptist. Bank : Farmers', R. D. Williams, president, Thomas Davis, cashier.

Industries and Employees .- P. W. Alden & Co., wood building-material, 5 hands ; Packham Crimping Company, tinners' tools, 10; Stuart & Nickle, flan- nels, etc., 13; S. S. Staley, flour, feed, and lumber, 4; W. C. Downey & Co., grain-drills, 150; The Packham Crimper Company, stove-pipe crimpers, 5; The Hastings Paper Company, straw-paper, 46 .- State Report 1886. Population in 1880, 1,522. School census in 1886, 428 ; Frank S. Fuson, superintendent.

ST. PARIS, fifty miles west of Columbus, is on the C. St. L. & P. R. R., in the centre of a fine agricultural community. Newspaper : Era-Dispatch, Inde- pendent, John E. Walker, editor and publisher. Churches : 1 Methodist Epis- copal, 1 Baptist, 1 Evangelical Lutheran, 1 Lutheran, 1 Universalist, 1 Reformed, and 1 Catholic.

Industries .- Creameries, carriage factories, planing- and grist-mills, etc. Pop- ulation in 1880, 1,100. School census in 1886, 372; George W. Miller, super- intendent.

NORTH LEWISBURG, about thirty-five miles northwest of Columbus, at the intersection of Champaign, Logan, and Union counties, on the N. Y. P. & O. R. R., is surrounded by a rich farming country, special attention being given to stock raising. Newspaper : Tri-County Free Press, Republican, Kelly Mount, editor. Churches : 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 African Methodist Episcopal, 1 Protestant Methodist, 1 Catholic, and 1 Friends. Bank of North Lewisburg, S. Clark, president, J. C. Thompson, cashier. Population in 1880, 936. School census in 1886, 314; Joseph Swisher, superintendent.

WOODSTOCK had, in 1880, 383, and MUTUAL 189 inhabitants.

COUNTIES.

CLARK.

CLARK COUNTY was formed March 1, 1817, from Champaign, Madison and Greene, and named in honor of Gen. George Rogers Clark. The first settlement was at Chribb's Station, in the forks of Mad river, in the spring of 1796. The inhabi- tants of Moorefield, Pleasant, Madison, German and Pike are principally of Virginia extraction ; Mad river, of New Jersey ; Harmony, of New England, and English ; and Greene, of Pennsylvania origin. This county is very fertile and highly eulti- vated, and well watered by Mad river, Buck and Beaver creeks and their tribu- taries, which furnish a large amount of water power. Its area is 300 square miles. In 1885 the acres cultivated were 108,953 ; in pasture, 38,601 ; woodland, 26,931 ; lying waste, 2,238; produced in wheat, 363,668; corn, 1,870,152 ; tobacco, 106,400 pounds ; flax, 117,580; wool, 248,549. School census 1886, 15,050 ; teachers, 226. It has 113 miles of railroad.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1840.

1880.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1840.

1880.

Bethel,

2,033

3,131

Moorefield,

1,073

1,345

German,

1,667

2,100

Pike,

1,437

1,758

Greene,

1,059

1,524

Pleasant,

1,092

1,581

Harmony,

1,645

1,846

Springfield,

4,443

24,455

Madison,

1,115

2,396

Mad River,

1,339

1,812

Population in 1820 was 9,553; in 1840, 16,882; 1860, 25,300 ; 1880, 41,948, of whom 29,336 were Ohio-born.

The old Indian town of Piqua, the ancient Piqua of the Shawnees, and the birth- place of TECUMSEH, was situated on the north side of Mad river, about five miles west of Springfield, and occupied the site on which a small town called West Boston was later built. The principal part of Piqua stood upon a plain, rising fifteen or twenty feet above the river. At the period of its destruction, it was quite populous. There was a rude log-hut within its limits, surrounded by pickets. The town was never after rebuilt. Its inhabitants removed to the Great Miami river, and erected another town, which they called Piqua. The account appended of its destruction by Gen. George Rogers Clark was published in Bradford's "Notes on Kentucky :"

On the 2d of August, 1780, Gen. Clark took up the line of march from where Cin- cinnati now stands, for the Indian towns. The line of march was as follows :- the first division, commanded by Clark, took the front position ; the centre was occupied by artil- fery, military stores and baggage ; the second, commanded by Col. Logan, was placed in the

rear. The men were ordered to march in four lines, at about forty yards distance from each other, and a line of flankers on each side, about the same distance from the right and left line. There was also a front and a rear guard, who only kept in sight of the main army. In order to prevent confusion, in case of an attack of the enemy, on the

387

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CLARK COUNTY.

march of the army, a general order was is- sued, that in the event of an attack in front, the front was to stand fast, and the two right lines to wheel to the right, and the two left hand lines to the left, and form a complete line, while the artillery was to advance for- wards to the centre of the line. In case of an attack on either of the flanks or side lines, these lines were to stand fast, and likewise the artillery, while the opposite lines wheeled and formed on the two extremes of those lines. In the event of an attack being made on the rear, similar order was to be observed as in an attack in front.

In this manner the army moved on with- out encountering anything worthy of notice until they arrived at Chillicothe (situated on the little Miami river, in Greene county), about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, on the 6th day of August. They found the town not only abandoned, but most of the houses burnt down and burning, having been set on fire that morning. The army encamped on the ground that night, and on the following day cut down several hundred acres of corn ; and about 4 o'clock in the evening took up their line of march for the Piqua towns, which were about twelve miles from Chillicothe (in Clark county). They had not marched more than a mile from Chillicothe, before there came on a very heavy rain, with thunder and lightning and considerable wind. Without tents or any other shelter from the rain, which fell in torrents, the men were as wet as if they had been plunged into the river, nor had they it in their power to keep their guns dry. It was nearly dark before the rain ceased, when they were ordered to encamp in a hol- low square, with the baggage and horses in the centre, and as soon as fires could be made, to dry their clothes, etc. They were ordered to examine their guns, and, to be sure they were in good order, to discharge them in the following manner. One company was to fire, and time given to reload, when a company at the most remote part of the camp from that which had fired was to dis- charge theirs, and so on alternately, until all the guns were fired. On the morning of the 8th, the army marched by sunrise, and having a level, open way, arrived in sight of Piqua, situated on the west side of the Mad river, about 2 o'clock P. M. The Indian road from Chillicothe to Piqua, which the army followed, crossed the Mad river about a quarter of a mile below the town, and as soon as the advanced guard crossed into a prairie of high weeds, they were attacked by the In- dians, who had concealed themselves in the weeds. The ground on which this attack, as well as the manner in which it was done, left no doubt but that a general engagement was intended. Col. Logan was therefore ordered, with about four hundred men, to file off to the right, and march up the river on the east side, and to continue to the upper end of the town, so as to prevent the Indians from escaping in that direction, while the re- mainder of the men, under Cols. Lynn, Floyd and Harrod, were ordered to cross the river

and encompass the town on the west side, while Gen. Clark, with the troops under Col. Slaughter, and such as were attached to the artillery, marched directly towards the town. The prairie in which the Indians were con- cealed, who commenced the attack, was only about two hundred yards across to the tim- bered land, and the division of the army des- tined to encompass the town on the west side found it necessary to cross the prairie, to avoid the fire of a concealed enemy. The Indians evinced great military skill and judg- ment, and to prevent the western division from executing the duties assigned them, they made a powerful effort to turn their left wing. This was discovered by Floyd and Lynn, and to prevent being outflanked, ex- tended the line of battle west, more than a mile from the town, and which continued warmly contested on both sides until about 5 o'clock, when the Indians disappeared everywhere unperceived, except a few in the town. The field piece, which had been en- tirely useless before, was now brought to bear upon the houses, when a few shots dislodged the Indians which were in them.

A nephew of Gen. Clark, who had been many years a prisoner among the Indians, and who attempted to come to the whites just before the close of the action, was supposed to be an Indian, and received a mortal wound ; but he lived several hours after he arrived among them.

The morning after the battle a Frenchman, who had been taken by the Indians a short time before, on the Wabash, and who had stolen away from them during the action, was found in the loft of one of the Indian cabins. He gave the information, that the Indians did not expect that the Kentuckians would reach their town on that day, and if they did not, it was their intention to have attacked them in the night, in their camp, with the tomahawk and knife, and not to fire a gun. They had intended to have made an attack the night before, but were prevented by the rain, and also the vigilance evinced by the Kentuckians, in firing off their guns and re- loading them, the reasons for which they com- prehended, when they heard the firing. Another circumstance showed that the In- dians were disappointed in the time of their arriving ; they had not dined. When the men got into the town, they found a con- siderable quantity of provisions ready cooked, in large kettles and other vessels, almost un- touched. The loss on each side was about equal-each having about 20 killed.

The Piqua town was built in the manner of the French villages. It extended along the margin of the river for more than three miles ; the houses, in many places, were more than twenty poles apart. Col. Logan, there- fore, in order to surround the town on the east, as was his orders, marched fully three miles, while the Indians turned their whole force against those on the opposite side of the town ; and Logan's party never saw an Indian during the whole action. The action was so severe a short time before the close,

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CLARK COUNTY.

that Simon Girty, a white man, who had joined the Indians, and who was made a chief among the Mingoes, drew off three hundred of his men, declaring to them, it was folly in the extreme to continue the ac- tion against men who acted so much like madmen, as Gen. Clark's men, for they rushed in the extreme of danger, with a seeming disregard of the consequences. This opinion of Girty, and the withdrawal of the three hundred Mingoes, so disconcerted the rest, that the whole body soon after dis- persed.

It is a maxim among the Indians never to encounter a fool or a madman (in which terms they include a desperate man), for they say, with a man who has not sense enough to take a prudent care of his own life, the life of his antagonist is in much greater danger than with a prudent man.

It was estimated that at the two Indian towns, Chillicothe and Piqua, more than five hundred acres of corn were destroyed, as well as every species of eatable vegetables. In consequence of this, the Indians were ob- liged, for the support of their women and children, to employ their whole time in hunt-

ing, which gave quiet to Kentucky for a con- siderable time.

The day after the battle, the 9th, was oc- cupied in cutting down the growing corn, and destroying the cabins and fort, etc., and col- lecting horses. On the 10th of August, the army began their march homeward, and en- camped in Chillicothe that night, and on the 11th, cut a field of corn, which had been left for the benefit of the men and horses, on their return. At the mouth of the Licking, the army dispersed, and each individual made his best way home.

Thus ended a campaign, in which most of the men had no other provisions for twenty- five days, than six quarts of Indian corn each, except the green corn and vegetables found at the Indian towns, and one gill of salt; and yet not a single complaint was heard to es- cape the lips of a solitary individual. All appeared to be impressed with the belief, that if this army should be defeated, that few would be able to escape, and that the Indians then would fall on the defenceless women and children in Kentucky, and destroy the whole. From this view of the subject, every man was determined to conquer or die.

The late Abraham Thomas, of Miami county, was in this campaign against Piqua. His reminiscences, published in 1839, in the Troy Times, give some interesting facts omitted in the preceding. It also differs in some respects from the other, and is probably the most accurate :

In the summer of 1780 Gen. Clark was getting up an expedition, with the object of destroying some Indian villages on Mad river. One division of the expedition, under Col. Logan, was to approach the Ohio by the way of Licking river ; the other, to which I was attached, ascended the Ohio from the falls in boats, with provisions and a six-pound can- non. The plan of the expedition was for the two divisions to meet at a point in the In- dian country, opposite the mouth of Licking, and thence march in a body to the interior. In descending the Ohio Daniel Boone and myself acted as spies on the Kentucky side of the river, and a large party, on the Indian side, was on the same duty ; the latter were surprised by the Indians, and several killed and wounded. It was then a toilsome task to get the boats up the river, under constant ex- pectation of attacks from the savages, and we were much rejoiced in making our destination. Before the boats crossed over to the Indian side Boone and myself were taken into the foremost boat and landed above a small cut in the bank, opposite the mouth of Licking. We were desired to spy through the woods for Indian signs. I was much younger than Boone, ran up the bank in great glee, and cut into a becch tree with my tomahawk, which I verily believe was the first tree cut into by a white man on the present site of Cincinnati: We were soon joined by other rangers, and hunted over the other bottom ; the forest everywhere was thick set with heavy beech and scattering underbrush of spice-wood and

pawpaw. We started several deer, but see- ing no signs of Indians returned to the land- ing. By this time the men had all landed, and were busy in cutting timber for stock- ades and cabins. The division, under Col. Logan, shortly crossed over from the mouth of Licking, and after erecting a stockade, fort and cabin for a small garrison and stores the army started for Mad river. Our way lay over the uplands of an untracked, primi- tive forest, through which, with great labor, we cut and bridged a road for the accommoda- tion of our pack horses and cannon. My duty, in the march, was to spy some two miles in advance of the main body. Our progress was slow, but the weather was pleas- ant, the country abounded in game ; and we saw no Indians that I recollect until we ap- proached the waters of the Mad river. În the campaigns of these days none but the officers thought of tents-each man had to provide for his own comfort. Our meat was cooked upon sticks set up before the fire ; our beds were sought upon the ground, and he was the most fortunate man that could gather small branches, leaves and bark to shield him from the ground, in moist places. After the lapse of so many years it is difficult to recollect the details or dates, so as to mark the precise time or duration of our move- ments. But in gaining the open country of Mad river we came in sight of the Indian villages. We had been kept all the night before on the march, and pushed rapidly towards the points of attack, and surprised

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 60

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 1006

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006