USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part One > Part 45
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The newspaper of to-day has a great mis- sion-the dissemination of truthful news. In this it should be untrammeled and fearless. The reading public will find its own deductions and in the long run will not be greatly in error. There is a great army of men and women in the newspaper field to-day. They are bright, high-minded and patriotic. They are most se- verely tasked in their work, but it is the interest of the whole country. They exert a great in- fluence for good, and the world needs them all.
A good editor of a newspaper, like a wise publisher of books, must know his material. His articles must have real merit and permanent worth. The publisher who looks only for the "Big Seller," the book of the hour, will soon find his cellar filled with plates not worth as much as their room. But the far-sighted and clear-headed publisher will build up his list out
of books that have permanent value, and that will abide. Such men as Frank H. Scott (pres- ident of the Century Company), Henry Holt, George H. Putnam, George H. Mifflin, Frank H. Dodd, George Harvey (of Harper & Broth- ers), S. S. McClure and Charles Scribner, have built up great and influential houses by long years of careful work, selecting only the purest and the best.
In like manner have the great newspapers of the world become influential. Their editors have rejected thousands of articles and items because they possessed neither news nor truth, and because they had not the right moral trend. In their columns have gone, instead, articles of abiding merit, the sketch of a great man or noble woman, or the first appearance of a "Thanatopsis" or of an "Annabel Lee." To these columns the reader goes for the news of the world, confident he will find it.
Good journalism shows scholarship and in- dependence, putting aside, with ever-increasing emphasis, the vulgar, slovenly written and scan- dal-bearing article of the sensational newspaper. Good journalism "stands for dignity, intelli- gence, cleanliness, good manners and sound na- tional, civic and domestic life."
CHAPTER XX
THREE USEFUL LIVES
Hon. Calvin S. Brice-Dr. Samuel A. Baxter-Benjamin C. Faurot.
HON. CALVIN S. BRICE.
One of the leading promoters of our earlier railroads was the late Calvin Stewart Brice, who for many years was identified with Lima's growth and interests, maintaining a home and legal residence in Lima until his death. For many years Mr. Brice was prominent in the na- tion as a lawyer, railroad manager and political leader. He was born at Denmark, Ohio, on September 17, 1845. His father, William Kirk- patrick Brice, was a Presbyterian minister, and his mother was a woman of much intellectual force and charm of character. The family re- moved in 1848 to Columbus Grove in Putnam County, Ohio, and there Calvin spent his boy- hood to the age of 13 under the home care of his mother and the scholarly instruction of his father. He then entered the preparatory acad- emy of Miami University at Oxford, Ohio. His studies were interrupted in 1861 by the Civil War, when he enlisted in Captain Dodd's uni- versity company, and was stationed at Camp Jackson at the State capital. In the fall he re- turned to college only to enlist again the next year in what later became Company A, 86th Chio Volunteer Infantry, of which Prof. R. W. McFarland, of Miami University, one of the most noted mathematicians in the United States was captain. He spent the summer of 1862 campaigning in West Virginia and then return- edl to Miami to be graduated in June, 1863. He then came to Lima, Ohio, taught for some months in the public schools and was employed in the auditor's office of Allen County. In
July, 1864, he again returned to the war at the head of a company recruited by himself with a commission as captain of Company E, 180th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served in Vir- ginia, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas un- ti: the end of the war, and for meritorious ser- vice was appointed lieutenant colonel, but was not mustered in. In the tall of 1865 Mr. Brice went to Ann Arbor, where he attended lecturers in the law school of the University of Michigan. The next year he was admitted to practice at the bar and in the United States courts, forming at once a partnership with James Irvine at Lima, Ohio, and for a dozen years pursued his profession here with success. His high char- acter, ability and devotion to the interests of his .clients made him deservedly one of the fore- most lawyers in the State.
Meanwhile he became intensely interested in railroad affairs and at last transferred his ac- tivities from his profession to that important business. His first railroad connection was with the legal department of the old Lake Erie & Louisville road. He became a stockholder in that road (now known as the Lake Erie & Western) and played a leading part in its de- velopment, next undertaking the great "Nickel Plate" enterprise, which he carried through suc- cessfully. This made him a man of wealth and a figure of national importance and interest. He was thereafter prominently connected with nu- merous other railroads and was for years one of the most active and efficient factors in the rail- road development of the Southern States.
The vast railroad interests of Mr. Brice did
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not prevent him from entering other fields of investment and development, or from the enjoy- ment of social relations. At Lima, he organized and managed the gas light company ; re-organ- ized and assumed a controlling interest in the First National Bank of Lima, which institution has ever since ranked as one of the most sub- stantial in Ohio. Mr. Brice was also identified with the Chase National Bank of New York, and a leading spirit and director of the Southern Trust Company.
His scholarship and interest in education made him a trustee of his alma mater, Miami University, and his generosity, coupled with his love for that grand old school, caused him to contribute largely to its needs, and "Brice Hall," named in his honor, arose upon the beau- tiful campus of the university. He was vice- President of the Ohio Society in New York, and of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, of which Greek-letter society he remained an honored member till his death. He was also an active member of the Manhattan, Lotos, Athletic, and other leading clubs of New York City.
During Li Hung Chang's visit to the United States he spent his time asking questions-all kinds of questions. He found in Calvin S. Brice a man who could answer a larger percent- age of his questions than anybody else. In fact, Senator Brice was probably the best informed man, not only in a general way, but as to par- ticular localities, of any man in the country. Even places that he had never visited he had in- formed himself about. Li Hung Chang took a great fancy to Senator Brice and sought his company on every possible occasion. Being im- pressed with the railroad development of this country, he sought to interest Senator Brice and did so, the result being that the Senator started out to organize a syndicate to be composed of 50 persons, each of whom should subscribe $5,- 000 for the purposes of a preliminary survey for a railroad in China. The Senator did not crowd the subscription question nor did he al- lot places in the syndicate until after many times the number of men to form the syndicate had indicated a desire to join. It probably repre- sented the most wealth of any syndicate that was ever organized in this or any other country, em-
bracing a number of London and Paris bankers as well as the leading financial interests of this country. In a word, it was a syndicate exactly to his liking and choosing. Its formation gave him as great pleasure as any one thing of the later years of his life and its prompt carrying into completion was prevented first by the death of Senator Brice and later by the death of Li Hung Chang. In the proposition he had Li Hung Chang's endorsement and hearty support and had both lived there would have been no halting in the early completion of this great en- terprise in China. At the time of his death he had quite fully matured plans for a seaboard out-let for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, diverging at Bluffton over the Northen Ohio, via Akron and Youngstown to the East.
Mr. Brice was an earnest Democrat in poli- tics and for many years was conspicuous and influential in the councils of his party. In 1888 he was a delegate at large from Ohio to the Democratic National Convention and as chair- man of the campaign committee conducted the campaign of that year and in 1889 was elected chairman of the Democratic National Commit- tee. His prominence in politics made Mr. Brice the logical choice of his party and he was elect- ed United States Senator from Ohio for the term 1891-97. In that office he exerted excep- tional influence among his associates. He served on important committees, and was a member of the "steering committee" of his party in the Senate. His business experience, penetrating quality of mind and cautious and conservative though optimistic temperament made his judgment highly prized and his ad- vice sought.
Mr. Brice was married in 1869 to Catherine Olivia Meily, a woman of fine intellectual gifts and much charm in social leadership. He died at New York on December 15, 1898, leaving five children-three sons and two daughters.
Mr. Brice commenced life a poor boy, with only a sound constitution, an active, incisive mind, and genuine brand of American grit. He knew the value of an education, and he obtained it. He was not an orator, but no man ever put more common sense or business energy in a five-minute talk; and in 30 minutes at a meet-
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Samuel ADay the
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ing of railroad directors he would transact busi- ness involving the expenditure of millions. He never failed to answer a letter and to answer it promptly-punctuality and directness were rules of his life. When the writer, of this sketch once asked him to aid a young man in the South who was struggling to a legal competency, but one question was asked, "Is he honest ?". Upon receiving a strong affirmative answer, Mr. Brice turned to his stenographer, and in one sentence directed work for the young man which gave him a legal prominence which he enjoys to-day.
Mr. Brice never forgot a friend, and in this may be seen the main element of his success. He had no time or desire to punish an enemy, if he had one. When urged not to recognize a man who had vigorously opposed him in a po- litical convention, Mr. Brice replied, "Life is too short," and the gentleman was accorded the same courtesy as any other man in the conven- tion. He had the power of self-control to a re- markable degree, and when he turned from his office to his home, or his friends, business care was put aside, and there environed by the love of family, in his palatial home, he was delighted by the grace of culture, and the beauty of art, and there his friends were also welcome. Well may the language of Antony applied to the noble Brutus, be applied to him :--
His life was gentle; and the elements So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, "This was a man !"
DR. SAMUEL A. BAXTER.
When the wild mob in Paris was rushing on its way to overthrow the Bastile and the Palace of the Tuileries, an old man with silvery hair appeared in the street, and with uncovered head called for silence. The leader of the mob at once recognized him, and called to his men, "Halt! Sixty years of pure life is about to ad- dress you. It is De La Ure; halt ! and listen." The mob halted and listened-then returned quietly to their homes, influenced by one known to be the friend of all humanity.
The long and eventful life of Dr. Baxter, filled with sweet charity and unselfish devotion
to his friends and his home city, his high moral standing and business integrity, might well cause him to be called the "De La Ure" of Lima, and the one man who could influence the masses to do right under very trying and excited con- ditions.
Born, and largely educated, in Lima, all his life a lover of his city and its people, no one claims a higher place in the hearts of the people. Called again and again to posts of influence and trust, he was never found wanting. When the city had a business crisis, or a great financial success, Dr. Baxter was always called on to aid in tiding over the one, and in expressing the general good will of the other.
Blest with a wise father and a devoted moth- er, plans were early matured for his medical ed- ucation. He was graduated from the Cincinnati Medical College in 1863, and began practice in the army under a commission direct from Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War. He was commissioned by John Brough, Governor of Ohio, to the 18th Ohio Volunteer Infantry com- manded by General Charles Grosvenor, a per- sonal friend of Dr. Baxter from his youth. Later he served both as assistant and acting medical director of the Department of Georgia under Gen. James B. Steedman.
After the war, Dr. Baxter began the active practice of medicine in Lima. It was hard work for a time. But fortune came to him in disguise. He was made health officer, and was put in charge of all small-pox cases during the terrible scourage in Lima. He nursed the sick, and buried the dead with his own hands. Small- pox then had greater terror than the bubonic plague has now. So successfully did he per- form his loathsome work that, upon the passing of the scourage, he found himself overwhelmed with business in Lima and for a radius of 50 miles about the city. He was called in counsel to adjoining towns, and was made surgeon for a number of railways. This success was soon followed by one as brilliant, but in another line -that of the financier. He became interested in great enterprises, was secretary of the origi- nal gas company, then entered the banking busi- ness, establishing the City Bank of Lima for a long time one of the most successful financial concerns of the Northwest ; was president of the
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First National Bank, which institution he made substantial in every way. He managed the ar- tificial and built the natural gas plants; was very influential in building the street car line; pro- moted and sold the Indiana & Ohio gas pipe- line and secured the building of the car works, then consolidating these works with The Lima Locomotive & Machine Company, still one of the greatest of Lima's industries. The Lake Erie & Western shops, the Chicago & Erie and the Ohio Southern railroads were each secured for Lima through his aid and enthusiasm. But other fields of usefulness also commanded his time and money : the Young Men's Christian Association and Lima College, institutions of great credit to the city were greatly aided by him. Every church built in Lima in the last 40 years has been aided by his generosity. Dur- ing his long business career he formed strong alliances in Bradford, England, Boston, New York, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Chi- cago.
He has served the State as trustee of the State asylums for the insane at Dayton and at Toledo and in many other ways. The people of Lima elected him mayor of the city and would repeat it at any time they could get his consent to be a candidate.
A short time ago, Dr. Baxter retired from the banking business, and formed a partnership with his sons, under the name of Samuel A. Baxter & Sons, for the purpose of developing his properties in the West, and for handling oth- er extensive interests.
Dr. Baxter is a man of rare intellectual force, history being his favorite study. He has long been recognized as the leading historian not only of Lima, but of the county. To his untiring labors as a chronologist and as a col- lector of the facts of history, this work is large- ly due, and to him as a benefactor of the community the people owe an enduring monu- ment.
Samuel A. Baxter is a friend worth having. No man has ever exhibited the sweet amenities of life in a higher degree than he. So warm- hearted and generous-he has drawn men to him and held them through life with "looks of steel." To him charity is a word of sweet and
familiar sound. No snow ever fell too deep, no northern blast ever pierced too sharply to stay his helping hand. When old earth is wrapped in the icy bounds of the Frost King-and God's poor are suffering most-then Dr. Baxter's charity is most freely bestowed. In all the good work he has done, he was only regarded by himself as a plain individual in the general econ- omy. With him charity began at home, where, surrounded by a sweet and companionable wife and happy children, he was more than a lord, but his charity did not end there. He took too broad a view of life to be selfish-he lived and still lives for all humanity. When his career is ended, truly may it be said that, "Were all for whom he has done a kind act to bring but a blossom to his grave, he would sleep beneath a wilderness of flowers." -C. C. M.
ESTIMATE OF DR. BAXTER BY REV. I. J. SWANSON.
The eminence of Dr. S. A. Baxter, in the city of Lima and the county of Allen, is con- ceded by all.
His place in public confidence, esteem and honor, is secure. It has been won by a life of unsullied business integrity, of identification with commercial, educational and philanthropic interests, and of devotion to the public good.
It is interesting to trace the factors in the making of such a career-"Blood will tell," and while aristocracy of rank is unknown amongst us, the aristocracy of culture, character and abil- ity will always have our respect.
The Baxters of Virginia and the Carolinas, from whom he decended, are of the fine old Es- glish stock of colonial days, and have contribut- ed names to their country's history, distin- guished in the professions and in political life. Doubtless Dr. Baxter owes to his honored an- cestors his talent for public service, and his deep sense of obligation to further the common good.
Successful in his own affairs, he has watched over and contributed to the develop- ment of Lima from a country town to a busy, thriving and growing city. As physician, bank- er, promoter of industries and organizer of im- portant commercial interests, his life has been
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! one of untiring industry, business sagacity and unquestioned uprightness.
Philanthropic movements have found in him a stanch supporter. The hospital, churches, and charitable societies, generally, have had his help. The poor in him have found a friend. The extent of his benevolent contributions will probably never be known, for "he has not sound- ed a trumpet before him."
The educational interests of the city have had in him an enthusiastic supporter and a sound counselor. He served for years on the board of Lima College, which is at last emerg- ing into a place of great usefulness and promise, under the competent and energetic leadership of that distinguished educator, President C. C. Miller.
A minor matter, and yet one that has en- deared Dr. Baxter to thousands, is the hospi- tality which has marked "Baxter Place." Its beautiful grounds have witnessd many public gatherings, high school reunions, sacred con- certs on Sunday afternoons, or, perchance, a re- ception to a Governor or other public officials, in which cases the spacious residence was also the scene of a hospitality which kept alive the fine old traditions of the courtly South. On such occasions and, indeed, throughout his en- tire career, the winning, gracious and cultured personality of Mrs. Baxter (loved in all rela- tionships, though modest and retiring as the violet ) contributed to their success.
Such a life is a valuable asset of any com- munity. To young men of ambition, industry and ability, it is an incentive to seek a career that will serve not selfish interests alone, but by integrity of conduct and promotion of the pub- lic good, to lead their age a little higher on Hu- manity's upward path, which at last shall be crowned with the light of a perfect civilization.
BENJAMIN C. FAUROT
Was born in New York State, October 13, 1829, and died September 7, 1904.
He was the son of a farmer and he worked on his father's farm in Marion County, Ohio, till he was 21 years old. When 24 years of age he was a hard working teamster in Kenton
-this was the time the Pennsylvania Railroad was projected through this part of the State. Lima, Findlay and Kenton were asked what in- ducements they could make to secure the road and, to the great advantage of Lima and Allen County, the great Pennsylvania Railroad was built through Lima. This fact induced Mr. Faurot to leave Kenton and come to Lima. He engaged in the livery business, starting in a barn situated in the rear of the Hume property on South Elizabeth street, between Market and Spring streets. For 10 years he continued in this business and during the war turned his knowledge of horses to good account, selling large consignments of horses and mules to the government and in this way laying the founda- tion of his large fortune. In 1865 he was one of the incorporators of the National Deposit Bank, afterwards called the Allen County Bank.
At the time of the suspension of J. Cooke & Company, in 1873, Mr. Faurot was on the way to California. Realizing that this meant a mon- etary panic, he telegraphed to Lima for intelli- gence in regard to his bank. He was summoned home, where he found depositors crowding the doors. When the creditors saw Mr. Faurot's determination to carry the bank through the storm, even if he had to mortgage all he pos- sessed, the panic subsided.
At one time Mr. Faurot cultivated 700 acres of land in and about Lima, much of which was later laid out in town lots which became very valuable. In 1882 Mr. Faurot built the Opera House which bears his name, and when com- pleted it bore the distinction of being one of the finest west of the Alleghany Mountains. Mr. Faurot at this time established the Lima Na- tional Bank, which formerly was the Allen County Bank; acquired the ownership of the city's first street railway-then a horse-car line -and secured the exclusive control of the Lima Strawboard Company which was an enormous money maker. He was the president of the Strawboard Association of the United States. In 1885, after Findlay had found the great Olio gas field, Mr. Faurot brought drillers to Lima, and in sinking a well on the papermill property, in the hope of discovering gas, the initial oil-well of the Lima field was drilled in. It was not a great success in itself but it was the
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pioneer stake in an industry that has produced millions for Allen County and Northwestern Ohio.
After years of success, Mr. Faurot conceived the idea of becoming a railroad builder, and this marked the beginning of his long and dis- astrous financial reverses. He sold the straw- board works for $600,000 and began the con- struction of what is now the Columbus & Lake Michigan Railway, which, after years of litiga- tion, he saw, before his death in operation be- tween Lima and Defiance. He acquired a land concession in Mexico which placed in his hands the fertile Palomas tract of 2,700,000 acres with a liberal contract from the Mexican gov- ernment for its colonization. He projected the Deming, Sierra Madre & Pacific Railroad which started in New Mexico, was to traverse the Palomas region, tap the mineral richness of the Chihuahua country and then reach tide- water to the west at Guamas. Before any of these gigantic enterprises were matured and be- fore any of his hopes were realized, Mr. Faurot became enmeshed in endless litigation from which he never fully escaped, though he fought a gallant fight. With financial losses, came the loss of his wife and afterwards his daughter Carrie. He saw all his wealth slip through his fingers-the Lima street railway system, the Lima Electric Light Company, the Faurot Block and the land about the city. For 10 years he endeavored to reestablish himself as a finan- cial power, but it was not to be. He has three brothers living-George Faurot, of Lima, Ar-
thur Faurot, of Michigan and Gideon Faurot; also one daughter-Mrs. Lillie Moore-Lau- ferswiler, of Columbus, Ohio; and one adopted daughter-Mrs. Charles F. Donze, of Lima.
Benjamin C. Faurot in the prime of his vigor and manhood was an heroic figure. To Lima he was not merely an aid but a benefactor. Much of his energy, determination and grit have been woven into the growth, development and prosperity of Lima. He could foresee with the eye of the seer the city's needs in the future. He planned and executed the scheme to establish a more commodious and a more beautiful resting place for the city's dead, and the result is seen in beautiful Woodlawn. The extensive park system which Lima will fully en- joy is a result of his plans and designs made, many years before financial reverses came upon him. Mr. Faurot was ever ready and willing to give his time and means for the advancement of the churches of the city, as well as the regular business interests. His charity was well known, and when the good of Lima was at stake he could always be relied upon. Lima needed stalwart men more in the days of his victories than now.
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