History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 46

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1060

USA > Ohio > Stark County > History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 46

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is had to Henry W. Stambaugh, Esq., who, after serving many years as a Justice of the Peace, was admitted to practice by the old Supreme Court on the Cirenit of Canton. He was a brother of the late Hon. David W. Stambaugh, a prominent member of the Ohio bar in Tus- carawas County, and Senator from the Third Dis- triet at the time of his death, a few years since.

Among the young gentlemen who have come to the bar, and passed away under the dispen- sation of the war of the rebellion, no one de- serves more honorable mention than Frank Spalter, who, in September, 1858, entered the office of Ilon. Louis Schaefer, in Canton, as a student, of whom Mr. Schaefer says, "he was a man of superior intellect and acquirements, having a finished French, German and English education." He had been book-keeper for the well-known house of Sharpless & Sons, Phila- delphia. He remained in Mr. Schaefer's office two years, and was admitted to practice at Carrollton, the late Hon. William K. Upham being of the examining committee, and who remarked. after the examination. "That boy knows more about the elementary books than does the whole committee."

After his admission, Mr. Spalter opened an office in Canton, and continued until 1861, when he was one of the first to enlist, and was killed in the battle at Petersburg, Va .. in 1863. Ile was a native of Berlin, now the capital of the German Empire, and arrived in the United States in 1856 ; politically, he was a thorough Abolitionist, and exhibited his faith by pouring out his life's blood in the cause of human rights. Mr. Schaefer was his friend and patron, and with characteristic benevolence aided him all through his studies, " without fee or reward, or the hope thereof," a generosity that was well timed, as Frank was without a surplus of this world's goods tben. Of the judges named in the foregoing list. Judges Potter, Church, Belden and Cantiell have gone to their final account, as has Judge Pearce, of the old organization.

At this time, it is believed that the following is a correct list of the members of the bar in Stark County.

C'anton .- Hon. S. Meyer, Judge, Messrs. Frease & Case (this firm is composed of Hon. Joseph Frease and F. E. Case), A. D. Braden, J. J. Parker, J. P. Fawcett. A. C. Hiner, George E. Baldwin, and Robert S. Shields, of the firm of

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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

Baldwin & Shields, Louis Schaefer, and Louis M. Schaefer. firm of Schaefer & Son, Peter Chance. Anthony Housel, C. R. Miller, John M Myers, Will Wynn, William A. Lynch, William R. Day. and Austin Lynch, composing the firm of Lynch, Day & Lynch, Turenne C. Meyer, and William J. Piero, firm of Meyer & Piero, John Lahm, J. W. Underhill, F. W. Bond, Charles C. Upham, E. E. Russell, Julius Whiting, Jr .. L. M. Jones, H. R. Spencer, Henry A. Wise, llon. William MeKinley, member of Congress, Abner MeKinley, Allen A. Carnes, T. T. McCarty. J. S. Hudson. B. F. Faust, II. W. Harter, Prosecuting Attorney, Stark County,

William W. Clark, and James J. Clark, firm of , ately formed a partnership with Col. Meyer,

W. W. & J. J. Clark. A. W. Ilildenbrand, Pro- bate Judge. G. W. Raff, Col. P. S. Sowers, and John C. Mong.

Massillon. - Anson Pease and F. L. Baldwin. firm of Pease & Baldwin, R. H. Folger and John O. Garrett. firm of Folger & Garrett, L. C. Cole. Mayor of the city. and Robert W. Me- Caughey, firm of Cole & McCaughey. Isaac Ilman, Eugene G. Willison, Robert A. Pinn, Otto F. Young, William McMillan and Andrew C. Robertson.

.Viance .- Harvey Laughlin, Amos Burden, 1. L. Jones ; these gentlemen may be classed as the oldest lawyers in Alliance, having been at the bar thirty-seven, thirty-two and twenty- seven years respectively, and are gentlemen who command respect, all having held offices of trust and profit, and are prominent in the profession. The rest of the members of the bar in that flourishing city are JJames Amer- man. Samnel F. Esseck. David Fording, William C. Pippitt. J. M. Harrison. James A. Coulter. A. B. Hoover. Judson D. Lewis, James 1. Stanley. M. M. King.

Canal Fulton .- William G. Myers and JJames Sterling.

Hartville-S. S. Grib.

Since the organization of the county. there have been many who have entered the profes- sion. and opened offices in various portions of the county, but not succeeding. have gone. some into other professions, and of some it may be written :

" They. the young and strong, who cherished Noble longings for the strife. By the wayside fell and perished. Weary with the march of life."

Among those, however, who have entered the

profession in this county at comparatively a late date is Gen. Charles F. Manderson, and whom Stark County regards one of her own sons. Mr. Manderson, in 1860. in March, was admitted to practice at Ravenna, Portage County, after having studied with Hon. Lewis Schaefer and the late llon. William K. Upham. On the breaking-out of the war in 1861, in April, Mr. Manderson entered the army as a Lieutenant in Company A. Nineteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. fol. Samuel Beatty, and continued in the service until 1865. having risen to the rank of Brigadier General of Vol- unteers, for meritorious services. Ile immedi- the firm being Meyer & Manderson, which lasted until October, 1869, when the firm was dissolved, and Gen. Manderson removed to Omaha, Neb., where he now resides. in a suc- cessful practice.

In 1816, the old court house of Stark County was received from the architect and builder by the Commissioners, and without ceremony, so far as can be ascertained, dedicated to the nses for which it was erected. Those who have seen the court houses at New Philadelphia and Millersburg can form an adequate idea of the buildings erected as temples of justice in the early days of Ohio. The people builded. as well as they knew, they were willing to be taxed all that they could bear, and the old court house was a fair specimen of the public buildings in Ohio, including the old State House. at Columbus, and the United States court house for the District of Ohio, also at Columbus, which will be remembered as having stood in front of the first Neil House. A view of the last-described buildings will be found in llowe's Historical Collections, and the old State House, as there represented. is strikingly like our old court house. With all its imper- fections. it has pleasant memories. Within its walls, the old members of the bench and bar named in these sketches, who have gone " to the promised land." achieved a reputation that will last while words are preserved. In that old building, the first death penalty in Stark County was pronounced, the case being The State of Ohio es. Christian Bachtel. the indict- ment in which was prosecuted by Messrs. Starkweather & Jarvis, the defense being managed by Messrs. John Harris and Orlando Metcalf. Few remain who witnessed that trial

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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

Forty-eight years have passed into the great ocean of time, but the circumstance is not for- | gotten. too sadly have recent similar events refreshed the memory of the long past. The old buikdling has gone ; it only graces the page of history. In 1867, Gen. Ed F. Schneider, a member of the bar, and Senator from this dis- triet, and who died in the city of Berlin, the seat of government of the German Empire, while making a tour of Europe, procured the necessary legislation to enable the Commis- sioners of the county to build a new court house. The Commissioners at once took the

necessary steps. the work was let to contrae- tors, and finished for occupation at the Febru- ary term of the Common Pleas Court, A. D. 1870. The taking possession of the noble struc- ture, the gathering together of a large num- ber of the citizens of the county, the presence of distinguished members of the bar from neigh- boring counties, among whom were Hon. John MeSweeny. of Wooster, and Hon. J. T. Brooks. of Salem, all tended to clothe the occasion with uncommon interest. The proceedings of the court and bar on that occasion will be found in the chapter on the organization of the county.

CHAPTER VII .*

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION -EARLY PRACTICE AND PRACTITIONERS-PREVALENT DISEASES- ADVANCE IN MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SCIENCE.

D IVINITY, Law and Medicine are institu- | so his comrades had no alternative but to do tions that characterize civilized society. . what they could for his relief. They made a They constitute the foundation upon which the , decoction of snake root, which they gave him ; distinctive features of our superstructure rest. The heathen has his religion ; the barbarian, a law unto himself, and the savage, a crude idea 1 · of the healing art ; but what are known and ree- ognized as the learned professions, exist only among enlightened nations.

In the beginning, the first of these most likely called into requisition, was that of medicine. The " accidents by food and field." and the "ills that flesh is heir to," must be met and treated. How successfully, would depend upon the progress made by observation and experi- ence. In the early settlement of Stark County, the inhabitants were in a measure thrown upon their own resources for the means whereby to relieve suffering humanity. The first case of sickness and death that occurred in the county was that of James Culbertson, in the fall of 1805. He was in the employ of James F. Leo- nard, surveyor and land jobber, as an assistant, and his duties consisted mainly in helping about camp, procuring food, cooking, and aid- ing to show emigrants land. From exposure. he contracted a severe cold, which settled upon his lungs. There was no physician nearer than Steubenville, a distance of sixty miles, and it was out of the question to send there for help,

applied hot fomentations to his chest, and as his prospects of recovery became darker, ad- ministered spiritual consolation. The man died on the fourth day after he was taken down and was buried on the Reed farm, immediately north of the present location of the county fair grounds.

The second death was that of a son of John Bowers, of Nimishillen Tp. He was taken with a fever in winter of 1806-7. The few neighbors -none nearer than five miles- were promptly on hand with proffers of assistance in whatever way it could be rendered. Every means sug- gested that was within reach, was tried, but to no avail. The boy lingered and died. He was buried in the woods and a tree cut to fall upon the grave that the body might not be disturbed by the wolves. The first case of surgery that occurred in the county was that of Philip " Smith, residing in the same township. While at work clearing he was struck by a limb of a falling tree, and his leg broken in two places. A young son with him at the time immediately started for help, and in a few hours several of his neighbors were on hand. ready to render such assistance as they were able. No time was lost sending for a doctor, as there was none within reach. A few minutes' consultation de-

* Contributed by Dr. Lew Slusser.

HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY.

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cided a plan of action. They straightened the fractured limb. enveloped it with elm bark peeled from the tree and hell the splints in place by wrapping them with withes. He was taken home on a sled. and as he was addicted to an indulgence in intoxicating drink. he begged for a dram. This only excited a taste for more. and he was allowed to have it. or rather his wife was compelled to furnish it. There is a witness still living who will testify that Philip Smith. while confined to his bed six weeks with a broken leg. drank six gallons of whisky. At the end of that time the splints were removed and the leg was to all appearance perfect. and upon subsequent trial, tound completely restored. This, in proof of the common saying, that the whisky of olden times was less pernicious in its effects upon the human system than that manu- factured at the present day.

The first birth in the county was in 1806. a hoy. to the wife of Hugh Cunningham. a resi- dent of Plain Township. On this occasion. Mrs. Jacob Loutzenheiser, mother of Judge Peter Loutzenheiser. officiated as midwife. For many years after the settlement of the county, and long after physicians were within reach, was it the custom to employ females in cases of this nature. It was a rare case that a physician was called in. And. so far as re- sults are known of success in the management of labor in former years, as compared with later times. it is believed, by those who have investigated the subject, that the showing is in favor of' " ye oken times." This may be account- ed for. either in the habits of pioneer life being more favorable to developing and strengthen- ing the system, thereby better enabling the patient to withstand the wear and tear of labor : or. because there was less interference with the efforts of nature.

Fifty years ago. there were but few medical colleges in the United States, and graduates were not then, as now, roaming over the country seeking situations. The population of Stark County had attained considerable growth before a physician settled among them. and after the first. it was years before the second came. To a great extent, the people were compelled to rely upon themselves for relief in case of sickness or accident. In every community, there were those who pretended to a knowledge of disease and its treatment. They were not governed by principles in practice.

Theirs was a routine system. It was bleed. blister and physic. No matter, whether the individual had been kicked by a horse, had the ague or the itch, all the same, he must be bled, and then physicked. In springtime, the house of the man who had a lancet, and could bleed, was a sort of trysting place on Sundays, where young people. especially women in an interesting condition, woukl col- lect, in order to be bled. under an impression that it was good for the health. The gunsmith and blacksmith pulled teeth. They would wrap the fulcrum of a turnkey with a silk handkerchief, and yank out the largest molar. They opened felons with a razor.

A large proportion of the early settlers of Stark County were of German descent, and not favorably disposed toward a hberal education. They were inclined to be superstitious, and believed in the power of words as a remedial agent. There were those who claimned they couldl. by words, stop bleeding. take out fire, arrest a felon, cure sore mouth, check the fits. and perform divers other miraculous feats.

The diseases most prevalent in early times, were of a malarious character. Fever and ague. bilious fever, and dysentery, during the summer. and pneumonia and pleurisy in the winter. The orthodox treatment of the former was by bleeding. emeto-cathartics, and Peru- vian bark. Quinine had not then been intro- duced. The chief domestic remedies were boneset. dogwood. and snakeroot. The treat- ment of pneumonia and pleurisy was bleeding. blistering, calomel, opium and tartar-emetic. The absurd practice of interdieting cold water in fever, and excluding fresh air from the sick- room, was religiously observed. The physical labor attending practice at that day, was. at times, very great. The only way of getting over the country was on horseback. The roads wore rough, and in the winter. very muddy. Often much of the distance to a house was by a bridle-path. But few of the streams were bridged, and in time of high water, there was no alternative but to plunge in and swim across. It was not an unfrequent occurrence for the physician to be called after night, fifteen or twenty miles away. much of the distance over muddy roads and through dense forests ; the place. a log-cabin with only one room, and no resting-spot save the puncheon floor.

Since then, a wonderful change has been

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wrought, not only in lightening the labor of professional work, but what is more generally appreciated and commended, in those things which minister to the relief of the sick. Al- most every branch of scientific research has contributed to the advancement of the science of all sciences-the conservation of human life. Through chemistry, microscopy, exper- imental physiology, new and more perfect methods of investigating disease have been introduced by which its diagnosis has become more certain. The discovery has been made by pharmaceutical chemists of the active prin- ciples of various drugs, by which they have been rendered more certain in their effect. and less nauseons. In therapeutics, the mod- ern physician has many advantages over ! his predecessor in the facility and safety with which surgical operations can be performed under the influence of ether or chloroform and the use of medicines hypodermically, more especially for the speedy relief of intense pain. He has chloral hydrate, the bromides and many other valuable remedies unknown as medicine in former years. Different systems of practice have arisen in the past. and will in the future. It is for the regular scientific physician to in- vestigate their respective merits, appropriate what is good, and reject that which is worthless. From hydropathy. he has discovered that water is generally a harmless comfort to the sick, whether used externally or internally, and has many valuable uses as a curative agent. though not a cure-all. Homeopathy has taught what nature will do for the restoration of dis- turbed functional action. Eclecticism enlarged the field of vegetable remedies, and barren must be the new system, claiming the patron- age of community that has not some merit.

Scientific medicine-that grounded upon ra- tional ideas, has acquired such momentum that all medical pathies and isms can have but one of two fates-extinction or absorption. They may exist for a time in name, but they die in fact. The aggregate experience and accumu- lated learning of the profession, inevitably as- similate all that is good, and as surely elimi- nate all that is bad or nonsensical in patholog- ical or therapeutic theories. For centuries, medicine has constantly advanced, appropriat- ing to itself all that is demonstrably efficient in the alleviation of bodily ills, however irreg- ular its source. It has in its ranks. an army

of pioneers, sappers and miners, armed with all the appliances of advanced science, toiling day and night, from youth to old age, in an effort to diseover something still more efficacious for the relief of suffering humanity. There can be no "schools" in scientific medieine. Truth has no compromises to make. Opposition only lives by martyrdom or imitation, or both com- bined. Medicine is progessive, and the com- ing physician will have advantages far sur- passing those of the present day. in methods and instruments for exact diagnosis, more cer- tain knowledge as to the action of medicines, and understand better the effect of certain ail- ments and occupations on the human organ- ism. As we review the past, and redleet upon the progress made, we wonder what will the future bring forth ? In the hope that a short biographical sketch of the early practitioners of the county would add to the historical in- terest of the work. we have gathered the fol- lowing list. No statement has been made not believed to be truthful. The writer would

" Nothing extenuate Nor set down aught in malice."

The first physician located in Stark County was Andrew Rappe. He was born in Paris, France, 1779. Having lost both his parents when quite young. he was left to the care of an aunt. residing near the border of Germany. His medical education was obtained in Frank- fort-on-the-Rhine. After serving several years as Surgeon in the army, he emigrated to Amer- ica. sailing from Hamburg. September 11, 1804. and landing at Baltimore May 5, 1805. the voyage occupying over seven months. He re- mained in Baltimore about one year. then came to Steubenville, where he resided until 1808. The same year be changed his location to Can- ton, where he remained the rest of his life. llis practice extended over a wide range of country-beyond the Tuscarawas River and east of Sandy. The difficulty of obtaining for- eign drugs at that early day, compelled him in many instances to rely upon indigenous plants. To prepare them for use involved much time and labor, and he was often compelled to work late at night after a day spent in visiting dis- tant patients. On one occasion, while manipu- lating with an acid, an explosion took place. throwing some of the ingredient into his eye whereby it was destroyed. He was very ex-

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acting in his treatment of patients, insisting upon every direction being carefully observed. He was proprietor of an eye salve, known as " Dr. Rappe's Invaluable Eye Salve," selling large quantities and gaining for it considerable local reputation. He obtained the formula from a French physician aboard the vessel in which he sailed to America. During the voy- age, this physician was taken seriously ill, and Dr. Rappe gave him special attention. On his recovery, feeling grateful for the services ren- dered him, he said to Dr. Rappe that money he had none. but he had the recipe for an "inval- uable eye salve " which he would give him, with the request that he would never part with it- and he never did. it being kept in the family to this day. Dr. Rappe was married in Steuben- ville to Mary Shorb, daughter of JJohn Shorh. They had seven children. only three, however, lived through infancy. These were John S. Rappe. now of Upper Sandusky. Ohio ; the late Mrs. Henry H. Myers, and the late Mrs. Louisa Faber Kimball. The Doctor died Feb- ruary 5, 1842. of pleurisy, after a short illness. leaving property of considerable value. ac- quired by professional industry.

William Gardner came from Albany, N. Y., and located in Kendall (now "Fourth Ward " of Massillon) in 1813. Hle was married in 1816 to Sarah B. Earl, daughter of the hotel pro- prietor with whom he boarded. The year fol- lowing, he removed to Norwalk, Huron County, where he continued in active practice until 1825. when he returned to Stark County and settled in Canton. Here he remained until his death in 1833. Dr. Gardner was heavy-set, broad-shouldered. quick in action and highly esteemed for integrity. He was regarded a man of more than ordinary ability, and had an extensive practice. Independent in thought, he did not hesitate to express his opinions, though in opposition to the popular current. His law suit with Nicholas Lichley, will be re- membered by many still living. A daughter of Lichley had some trouble of the eyes and was brought to Gardner for treatment. Instead of improving, under various applications, her sight became worse, and finally she went totally blind. Lichley, being an impulsive man, and rather free talker. did not hesitate to charge Gardner with mal-treating the case, whenever the subject was introduced in his presence. This talk became very annoying to Dr. Gardner,

and for the purpose of vindieating himself brought suit for slander, laying his damages at $2,000. His attorneys were Harris & Belden. Lichiley employed Starkweather and JJarvis. They were the two strongest firms at the Stark County bar. The ease excited a wide-spread interest, and the court house was crowded dur ing the progress of the trial. Starkweather was then in the zenith of his reputation as a jury lawyer. He had the blind girl seated in front of the jury while he addressed them, and whenever he made an appeal in behalf of his client, the poor girl would turn up her sightless orbs, imploring, as it were, sympathy for her father. The defense claimed that the blindness was caused by culpable carelessness-introdue- ing into the eyes something different from what was intended -and this theory was sustained by the testimony of Dr. Bennett, a well known, reputable physician of Bolivar. The jury re- turned a verdict for the defendant ; thereupon, Lichley brought suit against Gardner for mal- practice, laying his damages at 810,000. Be- fore the trial was reached, Gardner died and the case was withdrawn. This was the first mal-practice suit in the county.

The two Bonfields, John and Thomas S., brothers. settled in Canton soon after the war of 1812. They were from Baltimore, and both graduates of the medical school of that city. John was an Assistant Surgeon of the army at the time of the attack upon Fort MeHenry. He was a strange genius, and many thought too much learning had disturbed his balance. IIe was slovenly in dress, wore his hair long and straggling, and would often appear with a red bandana as a neck-tie. He was slow of speech, and kept his horse so poor that the boys would caw after him on the streets. Many reposed great faith in his medieal skill. particularly in the treatment of fevers. He had an itching for office, and was repeatedly a candidate, though never successful. He came within one. in a race of half a dozen for the County Treasurer's office. He married a daughter of William Cun- ningham, by whom he had several children. Several years after her death, he returned to Baltimore, where he died in 1835.

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History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 46

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1060

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1060