USA > Ohio > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Ohio : her people, industries and institutions > Part 23
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a set of ladies who really started a world-wide reform and builded far better than they knew. Their names are: Mrs. P. E. Morehouse, Miss M. A. Love, Mrs. William Stevens, Mrs. O. Grubbs, Mrs. J. Vandeman, Mrs. H. P. Cherry, Mrs. J. B. Priddy. Mrs. Allen Heagler, Mrs. M. Blakemore, Mrs. A. E. Silcott, Mrs. E. Millikan, Mrs. E. Blakemore, Mrs. William Smith, Mrs. P. T. Light. Mrs. H. L. Hadley, Mrs. B. Ogle. Mrs. F. Nitterhouse, Mrs. D. McLean, Mrs. Allen Heagler, Mrs. G. Carpenter, Mrs. M. V. Ustick, Mrs. George Dahl, Mrs. M. Gardner, Miss Kate Foster, Mrs. Colonel May- nard, Mrs. A. C. Hirst, Mrs. Dr. Dennis, Mrs. Dr. Coffman, Miss Bell Stuckey, Miss L. Millikan, Miss Emma Wilcox, Miss Ustick, Miss A. E. Robinson, Miss Julia Wood, Miss Anna Cherry. Mrs. S. Lydy, Miss Brightie Ogle, Mrs. Barnett, Mrs. Farmer, Mrs. H. P. Ustick, Mrs. J. Hopkins, Mrs. C. L. Getz, Mrs. T. Gardner, Mrs. William Gordon, Miss A. Kephart.
Temperance was the all-absorbing theme around the Christmas board that year in Washington C. H. It was talked in the house and on the street corners by every citizen. It was the theme at the churches at prayer meet- ings. At a meeting held at the Methodist church the following appeal was framed and submitted by Mrs. M. G. Carpenter. It read as follows :
APPEAL.
"Knowing, as you do, the fearful effects of intoxicating liquors, we, the women of Washington, after earnest prayer and deliberation, have decided to appeal to you to desist from this ruinous traffic, that our husbands, brothers, and especially our sons, be no longer exposed to this terrible tempta- tion, and that we may no longer see them led into those paths which go down to sin and bring both body and soul to destruction. We appeal to the better instincts of your own hearts in the name of desolated homes, blasted hopes, ruined lives, widowed hearts, for the honor of our community, for our happiness, for our good name as a town ; in the name of God who will judge you as well as ourselves; for the sake of your own souls, which are to be saved or lost, we beg, we implore you, to cleanse yourselves from the heinous sin and place yourselves in the ranks of those who strive to elevate and ennoble themselves and their fellowmen: and to this we ask you to pledge yourselves."
Armed with this "Appeal," about forty women passed down the center aisle of the church, thence to the street which took them to the various saloons and drug stores of the town. There were three drug stores selling liquor and eleven drinking saloons. As the ladies went forth on an untried, unheard-of
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mission, they naturally went with trembling and some fear and timidity. The men of the congregation remained at the church all day in prayer and the bells tolled, while the women marched bravely along to do what they thought duty. Entering a drug store first, they sang and prayed and then read the appeal to the dealer. This novel procession caused much excitement on the streets. The work was thoroughly done and no den escaped a visit. They sought out the back rooms and basements and went with the plea : "We pray you to stop this." "We mean you no hurt!" "We beg you to desist !" In tears the wives and mothers plead for their cause.
The live-long day they marched from place to place, not stopping for their dinner, till five o'clock, and all this time without accomplishing the ob- ject of their mission among the saloons and drug stores. In each case they left the place with the words firmly spoken : "We will call again."
Saturday morning, December 27th, again they went forth after an hour of prayer at the church. Every few moments the tolling bell told of an- other fervent prayer having just been offered by the men at the church. This was the first day for a real contest. The first place called at the doors had been locked against them, so the ladies knelt in the snow upon the icy pave- ment and plead for divine influence upon the hearts of the saloon keepers, and there held their first real prayer meetings on the streets. It has been said that God and the angels took notice of that little band of Christian workers and heard their pleadings. The result of the day's campaign was reported at the mass-meeting in the evening. It was learned that two druggists had agreed to never again sell to a person without the written prescription of a doctor. The following day-Sabbath-was indeed a red-letter day in the churches and there the ladies were braced up to continue the work so well commenced. Monday they again set forth to conquer. By this time the volunteers had increased to one hundred ladies. That was a memorable day in Washington C. H. It was the day when occurred the first real surrender ever made by a liquor dealer of his stock of liquors, of every kind and variety, to the women in answer to prayer and entreaty, and by them poured into. the streets. Nearly a thousand men, women and children, witnessed this. strange sight-the mingling of beer, wine and whisky, as they filled the gut- ters and were drank up by the earth and snow-covered pavements, while the bells were loudly ringing, men and boys shouting. and women singing and praying to God, who had given them the victory.
The work reached its highest pitch on the fourth day, when visitors were in from country and side towns in every direction. Another public surrender,
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and another public destruction of liquors, that of a much larger stock than the previous day, amidst more enthusiasm and excitement.
Friday, January 2, 1874, one week from the beginning, the secretary reported at the meeting held at the church that every liquor dealer in the town had unconditionally surrendered, some having shipped their liquors back to wholesale houses, others pouring them in the gutters, and the drug- gists having signed the druggists' pledge.
At first men had wondered, scoffed and laughed, then criticized, then respected and finally yielded. Pledges were generally circulated and within a few days more than one thousand persons had put down their names to stich pledges. Every physician in the place had agreed to not sell to any- one without first the doctor had examined his patient and that unless he deemed it necessary to administer liquor he would not do so. Real estate men and property holders also signed agreeing to not lease buildings for saloons.
The Cincinnati Commercial sent a reporter to the place and he gave to his paper the next day a long account of the crusade. Among other para- graphs is this: "I reached Washington C. H. at noon, January 20th, and seeking a beer garden in the vicinity, found the owner in a state of terrible nervousness, as the ladies had spent the forenoon in front of his place. He evidently regarded me as a spy, but I made him understand that I was only a journalist. The saloon man in broken language, German-American, said, 'Dem vimens dey set up a shob on me. I got no vitnesses. But you don't bin a bitual drunkard, eh? No, you don't look like him : vell come in, come in. Vat you want, beer or vine? I dell you dem vimins is shust awful. Py shinks dey puild a house right in the street, and stay mit a man all day a singin, and oder voolishness. But dey don't git in here once agin, already.' "
The crusaders kept up their activities in the county and city for many weeks. At the men's prayer meeting held in the church ( the stores all being closed for the one hour) February 9, 1874, there was a great throng from side towns and the rural districts. A messenger came rushing in, stating that the German saloon keeper who had been hanging out under advice of counsel, and who had been annoyed for two weeks by the 'tabernacle' (the rough shack erected on a vacant lot next to his place by the ladies, who watched and praved and sang there day and night), had surrendered his beer garden. The ladies who had not been legally enjoined from so doing, marched to his place and presented themselves. The proprietor announced : "You gomes so many I guits. I will never sell any more beer or whisky."
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The ladies then marched back to the church, while the bells rang out merrily on the frosty air.
Wednesday, February IIth, at a mass-meeting at the Presbyterian church, one Sullivan came in and publicly pledged himself to "quit forever" the liquor business. A general rejoicing and thanksgiving followed the sur- render of the "last man."
But saloons again made their appearance. The issue became a political one. The state was aroused and the constitutional amendment was all the talk for years. By 1880 Washington C. H. had more saloons than ever before, but the seed had been sowed and was bound, like Truth crushed to the earth, to rise again. The Woman's Christian Temperance Unions sprang up everywhere and at this time are still a great power.
COUNTERFEITING.
In the early days of Fayette county, when banks were scarce and little money was in circulation, much counterfeiting was done, both in coin and paper. The Funks, Redmonds and Curry were ringleaders in this outlawry. Jake Funk and Curry were experts in passing bad notes. Large quantities of this money was brought by these men from Kentucky and circulated here. The celebrated Funk fight was a direct result of one of these transactions.
As illustrative of their deviltry, it is related that on one occasion Jake Funk went to Indiana and bought one hundred and fifty head of cattle, paid for them mostly in counterfeit money, and ordered them delivered to him at a point remote from the road he had taken. When they arrived he, with several assistants, took charge of them and drove them in a circuitous route toward home. In the course of two or three days, as he was proceeding slowly and without further fear, he was suddenly startled by the appearance of six horsemen, with drawn revolvers aimed at his breast. Although well armed, resistance was both useless and dangerous; therefore, with a bland smile, he said, "Gentlemen, I guess I had better surrender." The officer showed his authority, upon which Funk asked permission to go forward and tell his comrades that he could not accompany them any farther; but, well knowing his desperate character, the sheriff refused and ordered him to re- ยท turn immediately with them.
At this time Funk had a pocket-book filled with counterfeit bank notes and also some good money, and, from previous experience, well knowing that at his preliminary examination before a justice of the peace an expert would be on hand, he tried hard to think of a means of getting rid of the
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bad notes. He finally hit upon a plan. He conversed freely and gaily with his captors, diverting them with anecdotes, and gradually so engrossing their attention that they seemed to forget that he was a prisoner. But upon arriv- ing in sight of the justice's office and seeing a great crowd collected there, in a sudden paroxysm of anger Funk declared that it was a d-d shame and outrage for an innocent man to be arrested, with no evidence of his guilt, and at the same moment flourishing his heavy cattle whip he threw it as far ahead of him as possible and with the same motion jerked out his pocket book of bogus money and hurled it into the bushes so dexterously that he was not perceived. Arriving at the magistrate's, he was searched and all his money submitted to the scrutiny of an expert. It was, of course, found to be good. The sheriff and justice now vied with each other in making reparation for the injury done. The magistrate insisted on keeping him over night, to which he finally acceded; but after supper, complaining of sickness, he carelessly sauntered toward the spot near which he had thrown his pocketbook, found it, returned to his room and slept with it in his pocket and next morning rejoined his comrades in safety.
Their headquarters, for a time at least, were at the house of Curry. One Blaylock also figured conspicuously in the counterfeiting of coin.
From a period extending perhaps from 1806 until 1822 counterfeiting was largely carried on by such desperadoes as the Funks, Redmonds and William Curry, men who defied all law and boasted that they did pass counterfeit money. Many abortive attempts were made to arrest them and break up the game. Funk was finally arrested and sent to Kentucky, tried and acquitted. Brokaw was arrested and sent to the penitentiary in 1820. Curry was also sent the following year for fifteen years. Curry had many friends among the more desperate classes and many threats of rescue were made. One Sabbath, just at the close of services, in Blooming- burg, a messenger arrived with the intelligence that an attempt was to be made to take Curry from the jail. The majority of the congregation rushed out of the house and started for Washington C. H. to foil this move. But no violent demonstrations were made and they returned. Also when the sheriff made preparations to transfer him from the county jail to the peni- tentiary at Columbus a desperate effort was made to rescue him .. The night before the day fixed upon to transfer him his wife was admitted to the cell and in the morning he was found very sick. A physician, Dr. Thomas Mc- Gara, was sent for, when it was ascertained that he had taken arsenic; but in his anxiety he took too much and threw it up. It did not prove fatal. It
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was decided, however, to take him to Columbus on horseback by way of Bloomingburg, pass the present sites of Medway and London. The threats were made by his friends of forcible rescue and he had been closely guarded while in jail. When Sheriff Robison started with him he was escorted by a number of brave horsemen. About four miles from Washington C. H. near Gillespie's, it became apparent that he could proceed no farther on horseback, because of increasing weakness, the effects of arsenic. Hastily dispatching Col. James Stewart to his (Stewart's) house for his carriage, they halted until its return, when it was determined, instead of taking the road past London, to push on straight to Columbus, reaching there in due time without molestation.
It was learned afterwards that a desperate effort at rescue had been planned among Curry's confederates, that his departure from Washington C. H. was known as well as the route he was to take and that seventeen splendidly comparisoned horses were secreted in a thicket about five miles this side of London, while their riders lay concealed in the bushes near the road along which Curry was expected to pass. Nothing but the seemingly providential sickness of the prisoner and consequent change of plans pre- vented a bloody encounter between two parties of brave men.
THE FUNK FIGHT.
Jake, the most notorious of the Funk family, in the year 1818 or 1819, went to Bath county, Kentucky, accompanied by his brother, Absalom, and engaged in passing counterfeit money, which he had manufactured in Fayette county. He was detected, arrested, and at his preliminary trial bound over to the court of common pleas in the sum of three hundred dollars. Being unable to go on his own recognizance, he applied to a friend named Jacob Trumbo, who, together with his brother, Andrew Trumbo, agreed to stand responsible for his appearance.
Funk, upon being permitted to depart, returned to Fayette county. When the time of his trial drew near Andrew Trumbo paid him a visit, to arrange for Frank's appearance. To avoid future trouble Absalom Funk and Philip Moore made to Trumbo a promissory note in the sum of three hundred dollars, which was intended to secure the latter should the bond be declared forfeited. On the day set for the trial Funk was not to be found and Trumbo paid the amount of his bond, he being in turn paid the full amount by Absalom Funk and Philip Moore. This, it was thought, would end the matter.
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Trumbo was dissatisfied with the sudden turn the affair had taken and seemed bent on having Jake arrested and tried. He therefore obtained a warrant for his arrest and made arrangements for his capture. He engaged the services of Aaron Johnson, then sheriff, and together they gave chase to Funk several times, but were unsuccessful. While loitering along the banks of Deer creek they formed the acquaintance of one Mills, who was captain of a home militia company. He and several other of his men were pressed into service and all started for the Funk residence. Jake Funk re- sided on land later owned by Michael Cleber, about eight miles north of Washington C. H. He was notified, presumably by some friend, of the con- templated attack and hastily dispatched a messenger to the members of his father's family and others to assist him, to which they, ever eager for the fray, promptly responded.
It was night when the attacking party reached the premises and under the cover of darkness they approached the house. Samuel Wilson, who lived near Hay run, knocked at the door and demanded admittance. Jake was in the kitchen with his wife, but answered, "I am here," and, taking a chair, proceeded to the door, swinging the chair in the air, evidently determined to sell his life dearly. Upon opening the door he was met by a volley from the attacking party, several bullets lodging in the chair, but none in Jake. The firing was returned by the Funks. Wilson grappled with Jake and was shot dead. Trumbo then engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict with Jake, but friends of the latter separated them and drew him into the house. Jake again encountered Trumbo, who had a pistol in his hand, and knocked him down, at the same time drawing him inside. Trumbo was senseless. Jake was about to cut his throat with a large knife, when Adam cried out, "Spare him! Don't kill him. His father once saved me from being murdered by the Indians." This timely interference alone saved his life.
In the meantime a member of the outside party named Adam Metz, fearing that Jake might possibly attempt an escape from the rear of the building, took possession of a location from which he might intercept his flight if it was attempted. A comrade named Cantrell, who was accompanied by a huge dog, seeing Metz in the rear of the house, supposed it was Funk escaping and gave chase with the dog. Metz imagined he was being pursued by the Funks and took to his heels. He ran to a neighboring cornfield. dropping his gun and powder flask in order to make more rapid progress and finally stumbled and fell. He was recognized by his pursuers, when mutual explanations followed.
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While this was taking place without, the parties within were arranging for Jake's departure and escape through the rear door. Trumbo was stretched on the floor and feigned being severely wounded. However, while the others were assisting Jake. Trumbo suddenly arose and bolted for the door, per- ceived by none except Jake's sister Tabitha, a perfect Amazon in strength and courage, who pursued him with an uplifted axe and, as he leaped the fence, the descending weapon whizzed behind him and buried itself in the rail. He and his companions were glad to escape with their lives and Jake departed unmolested. Absalom Funk was shot in the shoulder blade and painfully, though not dangerously, wounded.
On the following morning Samuel Myers, who resided in that town- ship, was sent for by the Funks. Upon arriving at the house old Adam met him with this salutation, "Good morning. Colonel Myers. Peace on earth and war in Israel." He was then informed of what had taken place during the night and asked for his advice.
Subsequently Jake was captured by Sheriff Johnson and lodged in a cabin on the farm formerly owned by Thomas Green. The cabin was sur- rounded by Bill and Calvin Williams and other friends of Funk and the sheriff's posse was reinforced by several persons living in the neighborhood. Funk's friends demanded his unconditional release, but the sheriff firmly re- fused to surrender his prisoner. During the parley Funk was liberated by some of his party, unobserved by the officers, mounted on a horse, and once more was a free man. He was first discovered by John Harris, who raised his gun and fired at the rapidly retreating figure without effect.
It appears that Sheriff Johnson was determined to deliver Jake Funk to the authorities of Bath county, Kentucky. Funk, after his second escape from the law, left the neighborhood, and a few weeks afterward the sheriff was informed that he could catch his man by going to Miamisburg. He selected four men to accompany him and, armed with stout clubs and pistols. arrived at his destination in the evening. The landlord of the tavern at which Jake was stopping was commanded to quietly escort a special party to Funk's room (he had retired for the night), that they might capture him without a struggle.
Funk was fast asleep as they entered and knew nothing of the danger which threatened him. Upon entering, the sheriff walked to the bedside of the unconscious occupant and struck him across the forehead with a pistol. The blow, instead of stupefying the sleeper, awoke him and in a moment he bounded out of bed and confronted his assailants. The force of the blow
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broke the pistol and left Johnson unarmed. Avoiding his powerful antago- nist, he called upon his comrades to close with Jake. In the struggle which followed Funk seized a club in the hands of one of his assailants and, despite the heavy blows which were rained upon him, especially by one left-handed man, who struck him several times upon the head, came near wresting it from his hands, but at this critical moment a lucky stroke laid him prostrate, when he was immediately seized and securely bound. The proper authorities were advised of his arrest and he was lodged in jail, in which he remained upward of two months. owing to the indifference manifested by the Ken- tucky officials. Finally he was taken to Kentucky, tried and acquitted.
Fate had evidently decreed that Jake should die no ordinary death. Upon finding himself once more a free man, he removed to the state of Illinois with his family and engaged in blacksmithing. Tradition is silent as to his actions while in that state, though it is to be believed that he lived a peaceable and law-abiding citizen when he was not molested. His death is thus described : He had contracted certain debts which were not paid as per agreement and his creditors obtained judgment for the amount. An officer of the law proceeded to his home and levied on various chattels. Jake made no objection until the officer attempted to take charge of his blacksmith tools, when he ordered him to desist. The officer refused to comply with this request and a fight ensued. It appears that Funk soon overpowered the officer and, drawing out his knife, was about to stab him, when he was shot, either by the officer or some of the bystanders.
The Funk family were no enemies to whiskey. Old Adam, with some of his comrades, being one day at Roebuck's grocery, the first opened in the county, about a mile below Funk's house, became merry by drinking. Old Adam, wishing to carry a gallon of whiskey home, in vain endeavored to procure even a washtub for the purpose. Observing one of Roebuck's pigs running around in the yard, he purchased it for a dollar and skinned it whole, taking out the bone about two inches from the root of the tail, which served as a neck for the bottle. Tying up the other holes that would of necessity be in the skin, he poured in the liquor and started for home with his com- panions, where they all got drunk from the contents of the hogskin.
A CRUEL INDIAN.
Captain John was a Shawnee chief well known to the early settlers of the Scioto valley. He was over six feet in height, strong and active, full of spirit and fond of frolic. In the late war he joined the American army and
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was with Logan at the time the latter received his death wound. We extract two anecdotes respecting him from the notice by Col. John McDonald. The scene of the first was in Pickaway and the last in this county.
When Chillicothe was first settled by the whites an Indian named John Cushen, a half blood,' made his principal home with the McCoy family and said it was his intention to live with the white people. He would sometimes engage in chopping wood and making rails and worked in the cornfields. He was a large, muscular man, good humored and pleasant in his interviews with the whites. In the fall season he would leave the white settlement, to take a hunt in the lonely forest. In the autumn of 1779 he went up Darby creek to make his annual hunt. There was an Indian trader by the name of Fallenash, who traveled the country from one Indian camp to another with pack horses, laden with whiskey and other articles. Captain John's hunting camp was near Darby creek and John Cushen arrived at this camp while Fallenash, the Indian trader, was there with his goods and whiskey. The Indians set to for a real drunken frolic. During the night Captain John and John Cushen had a quarrel which ended in a fight; they were separated by Fallenash and the other Indians, but both were enraged to the highest pitch of fury. They made an arrangement to fight the next morning with toma- hawks and knives. They stuck a post on the south side of a log, made a notch in the log and agreed that when the shadow of the post came into the notch, the fight should commence. When the shadow of the post drew near the spot they deliberately and in gloomy silence took their stations on the log. At length the shadow of the post came into the notch and these two desperadoes, thirsting for each other's blood, sprang to their feet and, with a tomahawk in right hand and scalping knife in the left, flew at each other with the fury of tigers, swinging their tomahawks around their heads and yelling in the most terrible manner. Language fails to describe the horrible scene. After several passes and some wounds, Captain John's tomahawk fell on Cushen's head and left him lifeless on the ground.
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