USA > Ohio > Guernsey County > History of Guernsey County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 5
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
tion of the Indians had removed farther to the Northwest. It was always supposed that Douty intended to kill Oldham, before he left, for the loss of his hunting ground, which Oldham had entered and was occupying; but fear of being caught before he could overtake the rest of his tribe, it was thought, deterred him, and Douty came no more. Novelists have sought to portray the magnanimity and generosity of the Indian character, but the history of the attempt of the government to civilize, and of the missionary to enlighten. prove the Indian character to be one of cunning, treachery and revenge. His- tory points to them as being a part of the tribe of Ishmael, "whose hand is against every man, and every man's against him."
CHAPTER V.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT-PAST AND PRESENT.
Here in Guernsey county, as in all other parts of the state, the business of the county has not at all times been conducted correctly. Here, as else- where, designing men and "grafters" have sometimes been the betrayers of the tax-paying people. Not always has value been received for the cash or warrants issued, but, all in all, there has been less of dishonor and misappro- priation of public funds here than in many sections of the commonwealth of Ohio, in common with other states. However, it will not be prudent, at this late day, in a work of this character, to go into detail to any considerable extent, to show up these irregularities among public officials. Many of the officials elected here have proven to be men of great strength of integrity and have been repeatedly re-elected to the same, or higher positions, thus showing that the people had implicit confidence in them. In the main, business in the county has been conducted with honesty and ability. The public buildings have been erected, the hundreds of bridges have been built and repaired, or rebuilt, with the least possible expense. The unfortunate poor have been humanely cared for by the county authorities in the best manner and at the least possible expense for doing so delicate an undertaking. Counties, like nations and individual corporations, sometimes make mistakes and are the losers thereby, but here the rule has been to elect good, worthy men and they have succeeded in carrying on the finances of the county with a good degree of business sagacity and manly integrity.
The first officers of Guernsey county were as follows: County commis- sioners, James Dillon, William Dement and Absalom Martin; clerk, Elijah Beall; treasurer, John Beatty; lister of property. Elijah Dyson; sheriff, Thomas Knowles ; surveyor, George Metcalf ; coroner. Joseph Smith ; auction- eer. Peter Wirick.
It devolved upon the commissioners to set off and organize into civil townships the county as it was made by the act of the Legislature, and this, with the making of pioneer roads and bridges, kept the board fully busy, and their work was well done, as a rule. The first township organizations had to be re-organized as the settlement increased. and hence came new township
54
GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
work. The following is a list of the several township changes, with date of their organization :
ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS.
By an act of the Ohio Legislature, in the session of 1809-10, the follow- ing townships were erected: Oxford, Seneca, Wills, Cambridge and West- land. The county commissioners met April 23, 1810, to organize. Other townships were organized as shown below :
Millwood was organized in about 1835.
Wheatland was organized June 9, 1810.
Buffalo set off and election had June 23, 1810.
Richland, named and election held July 18, 1810.
Madison, named and election held July 18, 1810.
Wheeling, organized September 15, 1810.
Valley, organized March 25, 1815.
Jefferson, cut from west end of Madison, June 3, 1816.
Londonderry, from parts of Oxford and Madison, June 3, 1816.
Beaver, from parts of Oxford and Seneca, June 3, 1816.
Olive, from Buffalo, June 3, 1816.
Monroe, from Jefferson, April, 1818.
Knox, from the north end of Westland and a part of Wheeling, March, 1819.
Spencer, from the west end of Buffalo, March, 1819.
Liberty, organized 1820.
Centre, organized 1822.
Washington, organized 1823.
Jackson, organized June, 1824. Adams, organized 1827.
In 1851, Buffalo, Beaver, Olive and Seneca townships were detached from Guernsey and made a part of Noble county.
TIIE COUNTY-SEAT QUESTION.
In 1872 the following appeared from the pen of a local historian, con- cerning the agitation and settlement of the Guernsey county seat question : The county seat question was then agitated for the first time; and our Wash- ington friends renew it occasionally yet, by building castles in the air. At the formation of the county, Beymerstown, eight miles east, on the old Wheeling road, aspired to be the shire town. The location was to be made by a com-
55
GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
mittee appointed by the Legislature. After much log-rolling and lobbying, and a good deal of bad blood engendered between the two rival towns, the proposition of Beatty and Gomber, to donate the public grounds, and finish the buildings ready for the roof, was accepted, and the following written upon the records of the county :
"That, having paid due regard to the interest and convenience of the inhabitants of said county, we do hereby declare that the town of Cambridge is the most suitable place for the permanent seat of justice.
ISAAC COOK, JAMES ARMSTRONG, WILLIAM ROBINSON, Committee."
"April 20, 1810.
Jacob Gomber, Thomas B. Kirkpatrick and Robert Speers were appointed associate judges by the Legislature, and on the 23rd of April met at Tingle's tavern, and appointed the following county officers: Clerk of the court, Cyrus P. Beatty ; sheriff, Elijah Dyson ; prosecuting attorney, S. Herrick ; surveyor, George Metcalf; recorder, Robert Johnson ; commissioners, Absolom Martin, William Dement, James Dillon.
THE FIRST COURT HOUSE.
At the time of the erection of the first court house, there was a careful selection of bright red brick for the south and east fronts. The entrance doors on the south and north were large double doors. They were circular top, and had circular transoms, with projecting hoods. The windows were large, and all had slatted shutters. The cupola, or belfry, was large and cir- cular, and had around it half-slatted panels, above which was the projecting roof of the tall spire, which was surmounted by two wooden balls and the weathercock in the shape of a fish. The pudlock holes, used in the scaffold- ing, had not been filled up. Pudlock holes are not now seen in the erection of brick buildings. A contract was let to John Blanpied to paint the spire, balls and vane, to paint the cupola and the window shutters and doors and repair the windows and fill up the pudlock holes. To do this work, Mr. Blan- pied, who was a sailor boy, constructed a rope ladder and attached it to the top of the spire, and. suspended by it, he painted the balls, vane and spire. How well the writer remembers this little chubby Guernseyman suspended on the rope ladder as he moved around the tall spire! The old court house was eighty-seven feet from the ground to the top of the spire. There are but few
56
GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
of the citizens of Cambridge today who remember the tall spire and balls and vane of the old court house. This spire was struck by lightning April 22, 1854, and the court house, after it was repaired and remodeled, which would be familiar to many of the citizens of today, was altogether unlike the court house of 1810.
This was the building that was built and donated (except the roofing) by Messrs. Beatty and Gomber, as an inducement to locate the county seat at Cambridge in 1810. It served well its purpose until the building of the pres- ent court house. The county, of course, expended much on remodeling the first structure, as above indicated. The old building was the central scene of starting the county machinery going, and a few of the older residents are here who well remember the courts and interesting proceedings therein enacted. Fortunately, no fires have ever destroyed the valuable books of the county, yet many of the records have not been as carefully preserved as they might and should have been. Today, the system of records is materially better than in the olden days.
THE PRESENT COURT HOUSE.
The best account of the building and cost of the present court house is found in the files of the Cambridge Jeffersonian of 1883, and was written at the date the building was dedicated, reading as follows :
On Tuesday, September 11, 1883, the newly completed court house was opened for public inspection. There was a large meeting in the square, and many speeches were made and reports read. E. W. Mathews, chairman of the executive committee, announced that Hon. William Lawrence had been ap- pointed president of the day, and introduced him to the assembly. Mr. Law- rence made a short, timely speech, and was followed by Auditor Becker, who read the following statement of the cost of erecting the court house :
Cost of building
$84,083.34
Furniture
4,557.00
Carpets 545.00
Steam and gas fixtures 5.634.62
Bell 470.00
Plans and superintendence of building
4,313.00
Total for building and fixtures. $99,602.96
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
Outside paving 1,586.16
Grading and improving lot 550.87
Cistern and sewer
770.79
Total
$102.510.78
Amount of bonds outstanding, the last of which
falls due July 15, 1887 $46,100.00
The court house was built by the board of county commissioners, whose representative, J. O. Grimes, spoke next. Mr. Grimes presented the report of the board, and recounted the preliminary steps toward building the new court house. He then read the resolution, as presented by Commissioner Roseman and adopted by the board on April 10, 1879. Messrs. Roseman and Lochary, he explained, voted for it. Mr. Reed was absent, but afterward endorsed the action. The Legislature, seeing the necessity of such a proceed- ing, passed a supplementary act, increasing a former appropriation of fifty thousand dollars to eighty-five thousand dollars.
The architect was J. W. Yost, of Bellaire, Ohio. The building com- mittee were as follows: Clerk Mahaffey, Judge Kennon, Sheriff McKitrick and Isaac Morton. Contracts were let, work commenced in the spring of 1881, and the structure was finished in September, 1883. During the entire construction, Patrick Lochary was a member of the board. Messrs. Rose- man and Reed were worthily succeeded by Messrs. Nicholson and Shipman. The largest contract was awarded to Mr. Townsend, who, with his able assistant, John Robinson, received public thanks.
Colonel Taylor, on behalf of the people of Guernsey county, made a stirring speech of acceptance, with many thanks to the' commissioners. the contractors, the architects, to all who had in in any way assisted in or super- intended its construction, and was loud in his praise of the magnificent court house itself.
In the afternoon, there were speeches by Capt. W. M. Farrar, who gave a short historical sketch of the old court house and the difficulties encountered in the building of the new. He was followed by Judge Ball, Judge Frazier and Hon. W. M. Ramsay, a prominent lawyer of Cincinnati, formerly of Guernsey county. The meeting concluded with a speech by Mr. Yost, the architect, who met with loud acclaim.
It is believed that the recent years' improvements on this court house- all needed, too-have made the structure and furnishings cost the county about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and that no such building for the outlay of public funds can be found in Ohio today.
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
THE COUNTY JAIL.
The first county jail was a rude log building, that stood on the site of the present building. Near it stood the "public whipping post," the last real evi- cence of narrow-mindedness and uncivilized "civilization."
This log house stood and served until 1835, when a brick jail was erected on the site of the old one. For its day, it was ample, but with the art of jail- breaking and the better condition with which "boarders" at public expense desired to be housed and fed, it was condemned.
The jail now in use was built in 1871, at a cost of twenty-six thousand dollars, including the later additional iron work inside. It is forty feet square and is twenty-two feet high, supposed to be safe, but has frequently proven inefficient against the worst type of prisoners. Yet over fifteen hundred iron and steel bars were used in its construction. The sheriff's residence is in con- nection with the jail. The projecting towers, irregular walls and high tow- ers overhead and the mansard roofing present a good architectural appearance.
COUNTY INFIRMARY.
Nothing speaks more potently of the refinement and Christian sentiment of any community, than does its care for its unfortunate poor and demented persons. The great Master declared, "The poor ye always have with you," and this has continued to be true even until the twentieth century after Christ spoke these words. Ohio has never willingly neglected her poor, but, with the advance of years, has adopted many new and better means for caring for this unfortunate class. In 1831, an act was passed creating what was then named the "poor house." In 1850 this was changed to "infirmary." In Guernsey county a county farm was purchased in September, 1841, amounting to one hundred and sixty acres, to which was subsequently added thirty-two acres. This is the present county farm, and it is situated about two miles south of Washington; two and a half miles from Gibson station; two and three-quarters of a mile from Lore City. In 1841, on a beautiful knoll, there was erected a brick building, then thought sufficient for many years, but by 1859 it had become too small to accommodate the poor of the county, and a new, larger building was erected, in addition to the original one. Still later more additions were made.
The last official report of this institution shows the following: The total number of inmates was fifty, of whom twenty-eight were men and twenty- two were women. Above what the farm itself produced, the cash cost to the
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
county for the maintenance of this infirmary was three thousand one hundred and thirty dollars.
In August, 1871, at the county infirmary there was an insane man named John W. Berry, of Liberty township, and because there was no jail in repair at that time in the county, he was sent to the infirmary for safe keeping in one of the cells intended for demented persons. The infirmary superintend- ent. or director, Mr. McCormick, was away from home at the time and his wife and son were in charge of the institution. The following morning he burst the cell door and escaped into the hall-way, and with a slat of wood (sharp cornered ) he killed Robert Richey, aged eighty years, a sound-minded person, and Agmes Kimball, an insane person aged forty years. He was finally overpowered and chained to the floor until he could be safely taken charge of.
THE CHILDREN'S HOME.
Another humane institution of this county is the Children's Home. This is now located in the city of Cambridge and cares for many of the county's unfortunate children, especially orphans and those whose full parentage is unknown to the world. Before the state made a provision for such institu- tions, Rev. J. H. Nash established a home for such children. The old Met- calf building, west of the city, was employed by him for a building, but as the institution became a charge of the state and county under the new provisions. a more suitable, permanent home was sought out. The present site in the very heart of the city, on the high, commanding hill to the east, on the point or ridge extending between Highland and Wheeling avenues, was purchased from a non-resident for the small sum of twenty-five hundred dollars and within a few years would easily have sold for as many thousand dollars. Here the county erected the present beautiful home in 1886. It fronts on Highland avenue and is surrounded by large shade trees and a circling walk and drive-way in front. The first building expense was seventeen thousand dollars.
The report of the worthy superintendent, Mrs. J. S. Prouse, for 1909-10, shows the following: Total number of children cared for during the year. sixty-two, forty-three boys and nineteen girls ; one absconding during the last year from the home. The current expenses for the year was $6,633. The condensed statement to the county authorities shows that the provisions pur- chased cost the county, $1,271 ; groceries, $567; clothing, $160; light and fuel, $551 ; feed, $516; shoes, $190 ; salaries, $2,526 ; schooling, $220; making a total of $7,526.
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
Rev. J. H. Nash, a United Presbyterian minister, was the first superin- tendent and served both in the old and new quarters, resigning in October, 1887. He was followed by J. S. Prouse and he was succeeded by his wife, the present superintendent, in March, 1906.
The present ( 1910) board of trustees are: D. M. Hawthorne, president, Cambridge; C. S. Turnbaugh, Cambridge; Maj. J. W. Moore, Washington; Samuel Carr, Guernsey.
The county visiting board is as follows: Mrs. E. W. Mathews, Mrs. T. C. Clark, Mrs. Johnston, Lore City; Henry Wilson, Byesville; James Dyer.
A FIVE-YEAR RECORD.
When County Recorder Arnold left the office in 1909, he kindly left the following record of instruments filed and the fees for same. He made an efficient officer and turned over to Guernsey county one thousand two hundred dollars in fees due the county. The list he gives covered a period of five years :
Deeds recorded
7,665
Total consideration $8,181,246
Acres transferred 141,879
Lots transferred
6,665
Leases recorded
665
Acres leased
31,609
Mortgages recorded
4,206
Total consideration
$7,059.342
Mortgages released
3,204
Total consideration $2,963,026
Chattel mortgages filed
1,576
Chattel mortgages refiled
1,380
Mechanic's liens recorded
II4
The following was the rate of taxation on each hundred dollars worth of taxable property in Guernsey county, in 1837: State and canal tax, forty cents ; county school tax, fifty cents; road tax, twenty-five cents; township and poor tax, thirty cents; total average on a hundred dollars of assessed valuation, one dollar and thirty cents.
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
AN ABSTRACT OF ASSESSMENT BY TOWNSHIPS FOR THE YEAR 1835.
Total Amt. Each Twp. as Equalized.
Beaver
$25,131
Oxford
33.469
Londonderry
36,636
Washington
19,166
Madison
20,200
Wills
36,584
Richland
46,894
Buffalo
18,633
Jackson
18,392
Centre
18,498
Jefferson
14,612
Monroe
12,902
Wheeling
7,675
Liberty
13.515
Cambridge
33,434
Spencer
23,223
Westland
27,032
Adams
19,20I
Knox
5,396
Total
$430,593
ABSTRACT OF ASSESSMENT FOR 1910.
Acres.
Valuation.
Personal.
Total Tax.
Adams Township
15,916
$222,900
$91,126
$315,786
Cambridge Township
18,428
288,870
171,634
475,914
Centre Township
15,212
303,720
183,334
504,049
Jackson Township
10,083
305,415
95.333
400,784
Jefferson Township
16,083
177,600
56,070
233,670
Knox Township
15,854
186,480
59,483
245,963
Liberty Township
13,662
153,185
89,474
244,279
Londonderry Township
22,586
328.835
94.926
462,846
Madison Township
15,359
183,685
77,195
271,575
Millwood Township
15.058
189,685
134,27I
236,381
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
Monroe Township
15,942
185,890
55,420
252,410
Oxford Township
18,193
222,085
71,498
300,028
Richland Township
15,545
319,830
I10,450
431,415
Spencer Township
17.432
235,410
53.986
290,550
Valley Township
13.762
290,105
180,163
549,483
Washington Township
15.335
170,100
25,635
193.735
Westland Township
15,978
197.595
116,956
317,000
Wheeling Township
19.577
422,400
1 38,884
303,654
Wills Township
22,199
275,960
100,176
777,000
Byesville
125,570
500,000
City of Cambridge
859,112
3.449,972
Fairview
27,930
57.535
Kimbolton
23,741
52,90I
Lore City
4,981
17.761
Pleasant City
43,700
126,000
Quaker City
94,486
290,30I
Salesville
20,743
33,413
Senecaville
36,988
115.573
Washington
36.136
71,051
Total
328,200 $5.707.055 $3.747,959
$12,687,324
TREASURY DEFALCATION.
The files of the Jeffersonian, in 1879, give the following paragraphs, with much more, on the defalcation of County Treasurer Patterson, and his final conviction and sentence :
"The bondsmen of ex-Treasurer Patterson had a meeting in Adams township, on last Thursday, to consider, amongst other things, what course should be pursued as to persons who received public money from Patterson while he was treasurer. At this meeting committees were appointed to wait upon those persons who are known to have received public monies from Pat- terson and ask that the sums be repaid to the bondsmen, to reduce the sum to be paid by them on the judgment against them in the common pleas court. Each committee consists of three persons, but we have been unable to get the names of those selected for this duty."
MORE ON THE TREASURY DEFALCATION.
"The committees appointed at a recent meeting of the bondsmen of late Treasurer Patterson, in Adams township, have performed the duties placed
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
upon them and have called upon the several persons who received public money from Patterson, and requested its repayment. The sums thus de- manded to be returned aggregate, so far as we have learned, about three thou- sand six hundred dollars. Each of the persons to whom application was made took the matter under advisement, but paid nothing. The conclusion with some of them was that they would pay back if they had to do so, or if they discovered it was just and right to pay they would do it. At this writing the matter is still under advisement by the parties interested. A committee from the bondsinen also waited upon the county commissioners at their recent meet- ing and asked to be released from the interest and penalty on the judgment rendered against them at the May term of the common pleas court. Their petition was placed on file for consideration."-Jeffersonian, August 14, 1879.
PATTERSON PLEADS GUILTY !
"After the conclusion of the civil business and some minor criminal mat- ters at the adjourned term of court on the 14th inst., the case of Ohio vs. John D. Patterson was called. The prosecuting attorney said to the court that the defendant waived arraignment and plead guilty. The counsel for Patterson, Messrs. White and Campbell, confirmed the statement. To the question as to what did he have to say why the sentence of the law should not be passed on him, he replied nothing.
"Mr. White said that the court had full knowledge of the facts and cir- cumstances surrounding the whole case, and that upon his mercy and judg- ment defendant relied.
"Prosecuting Attorney Steele then said to the court that this was a case which did not, in his opinion, require the full sentence of the law; that the defendant had plead guilty and also was not guilty of the other crime- perjury-and that he was not in any of the transactions seeking to make money. He had nothing. He and his family had given up everything fully. He was not charged with maliciously and feloniously appropriating money and he had furnished the facts necessary to the administration of justice, in the conviction of another, and he would be glad to see the court exercise the leniency which the defendant was entitled to under these considerations. He owed this to justice in the discharge of his official duties.
"The court, in a long and stirring summing up of the case, pronounced sentence as follows :
"*It is the sentence of this court that you ( Patterson) be taken hence to the penitentiary and there confined at hard labor for the term of three years;
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GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO.
that you pay double the sum named in the indictment and the costs of this prosecution. The taking of public money is a moral crime.'"-Jeffersonian, August 21, 1879.
Treasurer J. A. La Follette's defalcation was another spot of official cor- ruption on the pages of this county's history. He was found guilty of em- bezzling funds to the amount of about four thousand dollars, and was sen- tenced to a term in the state penitentiary. Fifty days were allowed for an ap- peal and he was allowed bonds and moved to Gary. Later, he was denied a new trial in November, 1910, by the circuit court. The sentence given him was five years in the penitentiary and to pay the costs of the case and twice the amount of his embezzlement. Verily, the way of the transgressor is hard.
LAFAYETTE TEMPLE.
ELIAS D. STONE.
WILLARD B. JOHNSTON.
CARSON B. DAVIS.
CHAPTER VI.
POLITICAL-COUNTY, STATE AND NATIONAL REPRESENTATION.
While it is not the province of this work to go into any great detail as to the various political movements within Guernsey county and the many heated campaigns that have exercised the minds of the voters, it may not be without profit, for the present and future, to make some plain statements regarding the votes at important dates, speak of the more exciting political campaigns, and especially to give as complete a list of the county, state and national repre- sentation for Guernsey county as the illy-kept election records will permit.
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