History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 50

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

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rally charged the theft upon them. But as he could find no trace of his money, and an encounter with the Indians to justify his sus- picions and recover it. was entirely out of the question. he went homeward with a heavy heart ; $300 in those days was a large amount, and it was doubtless the man's whole fortune, the savings from many years of previous in- dustry and economy. On the way back, he met Leonard and told him of his loss, and also of his suspicions against the Indians. Leonard consoled the man as best he could, and assured him of his own belief that wolves, and not the Indians, were the thieves, and that, probably, the money would be again recovered at some later day. Four months later, three men from Pennsylvania were looking over the land, about a half mile from the tree-trunk in which the money had been placed. to find a desirable lo- cation. when one of them picked up a piece of the ticking sack ; this, of course, led the man who was conducting them to relate the story of the stranger's loss, whereupon all made diligent search, and found nearly all of the stolen treasure. Wolves. indeed, true to their in- stinet, and lured by the savory smell of cooked meat, had discovered the hiding-place, and carried off sack, bacon and money ; but as they had no special need of the last, they left it lying around loose among the leaves of the forest.

Among those who setected and located land in Canton Township, in the year 1805, were David Bechtel, Jacob Aultman, the Baer fam- ily, Philip Schlosser (afterward written Slus- ser), and William Ewing. The original title conveying one-fourth of Section 11 to David Bechtel was signed by Thomas Jefferson. President of the United States, and James Madison. Secretary of State, and is still in pos- session of the family. Bechtel came from Maryland to Columbiana County in 1803; in 1805, he located his land in Canton Township ; and in the fall of 1806 he came back with a hired man. built himself a log cabin, cleared three acres of land, and sowed it with wheat. He then returned to Columbiana County, and. having taken unto himself a wife, the young married couple removed to their new home, in the spring of 1807 ; here he lived until his death. in the year 1833. David Bechtel was one of the first settlers in the township who turned his attention to the raising of fruit. His

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orchard was planted upon high ground, where it would be less liable to injury from frost, and while planting for the future, he lived long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Ile was also a great hunter, and when away from home. he was always accompanied by his trusty rifle, even when attending a funeral. He also wore a large knife attached to a girdle by his side. One night his dogs treed three bears on one tree, near his cabin, and held them there till morning, when he shot them. On another occasion, he had a fight with a stag. which, but for his faithful knife, would probably soon have made an end of him. Thinking that, inasmuch as the animal fell immediately when he fired, he had killed him, Bechtel went up to him, and he lay apparently dead, not moving a limb, but when he had drawn his knife to ent off the stag's head, and had taken hold of the antlers to turn his head around, the deer very suddenly leaped to his feet, attacked his assailant, and with one prong of his antlers, nailed him to a tree by his left hand. In this dangerous posi- tion, Bechtel's own presence of mind, and great strength. proved his salvation ; a less deter- mined and plueky man would certainly have perished. With almost superhuman strength, he plunged the knife into the stag's breast, and the latter fell over dead in reality, thus releas- ing Beehtel from his imminent peril. The ball from Bechtel's ritle had only struck the skull of the stag, and rendered him temporarily in- sensible. Bechtel also followed trapping suc- cessfully, and gathered, from time to time, a very great number of Otter and other kinds of pelts along the Nimishillen Creek. On Bech- tel's farm. there was an Indian burying-ground or mound. Many remains of arrows and stone arrow-heads, together with many other articles of use among the Indians, made of stone and iron, have been found there.

It has been said that a building, which stood upon this mound many years ago, was frequently visited by the ghosts of the Indians sleeping underneath, but. like other ghost stories. the report lacks authentic confirmation. Despoiled as these Indians often were. in those early days. of their lands and their homes, it would not be at all wonderful if departed spirits could at all return to earth, that theirs should return once in awhile to disturb the slumbers of the chil dren of their despoilers. Bechtel was a good man in general. was a good neighbor, and was

honored with the respect of the community in which he lived, having been elected for several successive terms to the responsible position of County Commissioner, in which place his acts gave general satisfaction ; but he did not like the Indians who at that time were yet quite numerous in his neighborhood. One of these had the impudence to display a number of hu- man tongues on a string, and to boast, Indian fashion. that they were the tongues of white men whom he had killed with his own hand. Boasting thus on one occasion in the presence of Bechtel and others, the Indian and he left the company at the same time, and the Indian was never seen afterward. The supposition generally was that Bechtel had used his oppor- tunity and assisted his red-skin brother home to the happy hunting-grounds of his fathers. How- ever it may have been. Bechtel kept his own counsel well. and posterity are left to conjecture the truth as best they may. Politically, Mi. Bechtel belonged the old Jeffersonian school.

Philip Slusser came from Cumberland Coun- ty. Penn., to Beaver County in the year 1804. The next spring he came to Stark County, chose a quarter-section of land directly cast of t'an- ton, and had the same entered in the land office at Steubenville. He then returned to Pen- sylvania, and in the autumn of 1805, leaving his wife and younger children in the old home, he came back with his three sons, Philip, Peter and John, and his daughter Elizabeth, to take charge of the housekeeping branch of the busi- ness, together with eight or ten laborers. He erected the first mill in the county for grinding wheat and other grains. This mill, so long and so favorably known as the Roland Mill, has played a by no means unimportant part in the early settlement of Canton and the town- ship. Previous to its establishment, the settlers were obliged to go thirty or forty miles away to the older settlements for their flour, and not at all unfrequently it required a number of days to get it ground, to say nothing of the long and wearisome journeys to mill and back home again. It must be remembered that in those days our pioneer settlers did not have the bone- fit of well-established and worked roads; the greater part of the country between them and the older settlements was an unbroken wilder- ness, and the roads were often mere paths through the woods. Some. accordingly. were obliged to live almost entirely upon wild game

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and fish. or used hand-mills and depended largely upon hominy for their grain supply. Others took a piece of iron plate, perforated it, and ground their corn, or rather, we should say, crushed it through the perforations by rubbing it on the rough side of the iron plate. Neces- sity is said to be the mother of invention, and the necessities of the fathers in the then West- ern wilds of our country led them to adopt many different ways to provide for themselves and their families. Soon after the establish- ment of the Stusser Mill, another one, a small log house upon four stone pillars, was erected a few miles northwest of Canton, on the West Branch of the Nimishillen, where the well- known Trump's mill now stands, for grinding Indian corn. Two rough stones were used, but according to tradition, the corn meal turned out from this mill was so coarse and full of sand that it was not even fit for making the once fa- mous Johnny cake, the favorite morsel in those days upon many a pioneer's table, It need hardly be added that the miller, in that mill, received, on this account. the hearty benedic- tions of the girls and women of the period, such as only such girls and women knew how to give them. A saw-mill was added to this mill a lit- tle later, but was carried away by a flood the same year it was built ; a consequence, pre- sumably. of the bad corn meal made there. Stusser's mill seems to have done good work from the beginning of its establishment, and naturally drew custom, not only from Canton but also from Plain Township north. Among other reminiscences connected with the mill is the following : On one occasion. Elizabeth Har- ter. a fifteen-year-old daughter of George Har- ter. of Plain Township, was sent to mill with five and one-half bushels of wheat, three bush- els in one bag and the remainder in another. She carried the lighter bag upon one horse which she rode. and the other upon one which she led : she was detained at the mill until late in the afternoon, when she started home with her flour. There was no road except a path through the dense woods for a part of the way. and as it was rapidly becoming dark she pushed her horses forward. as soon as she left Canton behind, so as to reach home in good time. But the path soon became more and more indistinet. and she finally deviated from it somewhat, when the overhanging boughs of the trees swept the bag of flour off from the horse she was leading.

llere was a new difficulty, and she was about at her wits' ends ; but the girls of that time did not readily yield to trifles, and Elizabeth dis- mounted and used her best endeavors to put the sack back to its place ; she did succeed iu getting it upon her shoulder, but her strength was not great enough to throw it over the horse ; she worried herself with it, however, a long time, and was about giving up in despair, with the thought of going back to Canton until morning. as she had yet several miles home, when an old settler, Frederick Rodaeker. hap- pened to come along, and threw the sack upon the horse. As by this time it had become quite dark, he advised her to go with him home, and she did so. But her mother was naturally very much alarmed at her daughter's long absence, and. thinking that Elizabeth had lost her way in the woods. she blew a horn for more than half the night. so that her daughter might dis- cern the way to the house. Early the next morning. after having been hospitably enter- tained by Mr. Rodacker, she returned home with her flour. to the great joy of the entire family. It was of such material that our early settlers were made ; they could go out with their husbands and fathers, and help them clear the land and roll the logs together for burning. satisfied with a coll lunch for dinner. from morning until night. Elizabeth Harter after- ward became Mrs. Baer, and still later, Mrs. Grubb, and is still living in a green okl age. She is active beyond her years, and has a good memory of those early times. Few. if any, of the girls of this day would venture or could accomplish what she has done.

Philip Stusser was born in the Upper Rhine country of Germany, and was a man of decided, upright character. He was one of the first Commissioners of this county, and was held in high esteem by all who knew him. He died in the year 1828. His sons, Philip and Peter, removed later to Tuscarawas Township, while his third son John, carried on a saw-mill. com- menced as early as 1807. for many years. John SIusser was the father of our respected fellow- citizen and highly successful physician, Dr. Lewis Slusser, who has represented the county in the General Assembly of the State, and. in later years, was Superintendent of the New- burg Asylum for the Insane near Cleveland In connection with his business in the saw- mill, John Slusser soon became apt in the use

Lereod Sherrick

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of tools, and. as then there was no cabinet- i cries of distress coming from one or the other maker in the county, he was often called upon of their domestic animals. The ready gun was to furnish bedsteads, cradles, cupboards and | at all such times called into requisition, and other articles of household furniture, until he found it necessary, finally, to make this his regular business, which he continued on East Tuscarawas street, east of Walnut, until he retired from active business. He died in the year 1859. Concerning a great flood on the East Creek, such as has not since occurred, he has given us the following account : " In June, 1807, it thundered and rained without interinis- sion for two days and two nights. and the Nim- ishillen raised rapidly and overflowed its banks. The log house of my father stood between the creek and the mill-dam, and had about four feet of water on the first floor. It was just as high on the west side of the ereek. Everything in the house was taken up to the garret of the house, excepting a barrel of whisky (an article gen- erally used and considered necessary in those days), and one or two other heavy articles that could not be removed. It was considered un- safe for several days to attempt crossing the stream. After it had fallen a few feet, a man by the name of Brown came from one of the settlements east of us on his way to Canton to purchase some tools. He was acquainted with some of the mill-hands and wanted to be taken over the swollen creek. Mr. Fischel and his son took him safely over, but when, about sun- down. they were trying to return, they were carried away by the force of the stream, ran against the trunk of a tree and were thrown into the water. John Fischel swam to the east. ern shore; his father was carried by the force of the stream to the western shore, and Brown was drowned. His corpse was found a few days afterward about fifty rods from the place. The mill-hands buried him upon a high bank of the creek about one hundred rods from the mill. Brown was known to be a good swim- mer, and it is thought that he was thrown against the trunk of a tree, or was in some way rendered powerless, when otherwise he could readily and easily have saved himself. lle was the second person buried in Stark County.

In those days, wolves and bears were plenty all over this country, and ready for any prey that offered itself to their clutches. It was no uncommon event for the old settlers to be awakened out of their sleep at night by the

did good service both by ridding the settle- ments of one or more of the undesirable in- truders, and by serving notice upon others to keep their distance. The present generation can scarcely appreciate the annoyances which for years accompanied the efforts of the old pioneers to open up this new country to civili- zation and progress, where now, in less than three quarters of a century, peace and plenty prevail, and luxury even crowns the frequent, festive board. But most of the annoyances of those days, outside of those necessarily inci- dent to all pioneer life, came from the four- footed inhabitants of these Western wilds. The Indians of the neighborhood were peace- fully disposed toward their " white brothers." by whom they had been generally treated in a fair, kind and friendly manner. These Indians belonged to the Delaware and Chippewa tribes. and had their chief encampment hereabouts, at the junction of the two branches of the Nimishillen Creek, south of Canton. They would often visit the new settlers, to the num- ber of 200 or 300 at a time, and were generally well behaved, except occasionally, when under the influence of the white man's fire-water, some of the more belligerent of the tribe would get into quarrels, sometimes with the whites and sometimes among themselves ; but very few adventures of a serious character are ro- lated to have occurred in this, as in many other parts of the country. How much of this was the result of the strong Pennsylvania type of the early settlers, it is not possible, of course, at this day, accurately to determine ; though it probably was not without its influence. Among the few well-authenticated adventures of the carly period is one of Dr. Cunningham's, with the Indians. Dr. Cunningham was an Irishman, and managed in some way to give serious and deadly offense to the Indians, by whom he was, in turn, watched and followed up with great bitterness. Though peacefully in- elined, vengeance upon an enemy and revenge for an injury done them were, here as else- where, an essential part of an Indian's make-up. The white man, fearing for his life, fed west- ward as far as Mansfield, but finding himself hotly pursued by his relentless enemies, and fearing that sooner or later he might fall alive

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into their hands. he ended the chase by putting a musket ball through his own head. It is also stated that. at a later period. after Hull's sur- render. during the last war with Great Brit ain, most of the men from these parts were paroled. and returned immediately to their homes. When a squad of them came to Can- ton, it so happened that a number of friendly Indians were in town trading. At this time. when the passions of the citizen-soldiery of the Western country were especially bitter against the Indians for the part the hostile tribes, un- der the influence of British emissaries. had been playing in the war, the sight of even friendly ones was sufficient to excite a desire and a determination to attack, and. if possible. destroy them. but the mote considerate white residents of the town restrained the desire of the soldiers, until the Indians, getting an inti- mation of the brewing storm, wisely concluded to get out of the way for a season. Had it not been for the red man's considerate action. it would be hard to imagine the direful results of a rash attaek upon them, either at the time or in after years. They did not venture back again until after the close of the war. when most of the bitterness against them had subsided. In later years, as the white population increased, the Indians who remained occupied mostly a semi- mendieant position, and could often be seen on the streets picking up six-penny pieces for a show of their skill at shooting with the bow and arrow. On these occasions they were fre- quently accompanied by their squaws. exposing beadwork and baskets for sale, in the making of which article. the Indian women were justly celebrated ; but contrasted with the mendicant organ-grinder of this more enlightened age. the uncouth son of the forest exhibiting his skill in archery to make money does not stand out in the worst light either. But the Indian and his manner of life have long since departed, and his memory only lives among the tradi- tions of a few of the oldest inhabitants.

Canton Township has been rapidly develop- ing her resources, and already supports a large population : but her capacity in this direction is far from being exhausted. Indeed, she has not yet commenced to approximate even the limit of her powers. The days of large farms and mueh unremunerative labor. or, to say the least. not adequately remunerative farming, are beginning to wane. The tendency to hokl

fewer acres, and to farm them more scientifical- ly. and. therefore, more thoroughly. grows apace ; and what, with her natural advantages and commercial relations to Canton City, she will be yet able to accomplish, is hardly a mat- ter of conjecture any longer. Her history. however. is so interwoven with that of the city. cotemporary with the township, that we must reserve for the former much of what is to be said of her history as equally the property of both.

In addition to Canton, the township incluides the village of North Industry. on the west bank of the Nimishillen, near the southern line of the township. a flourishing little village. in the immediate vicinity of which is Browning's mill, doing a thriving business, under the management of Mr. O. F. Browning, a resident of Canton. In the township. outside of the city. there are also Trump's Mill. on the site of the second oklest mill in the county. northwest of Canton. and the Stark Mill. about one and a half miles south of the city, both of which do an extensive milling business. together with the East Canton Mill, on the site of the old Blusser Mill. to which extensive reference has been made above in this chapter.

Before closing, it will well subserve the pur- pose of history to refer to more personal reminis- cences than have been given above of some parties already mentioned, and of some others, among the early settlers of this township. Among these. we take first the death of James Culbertson. He was born in Franklin County, Penn .. of wealthy parents, who gave him a liberal education. He married a lady of con- siderable property, and commenced life under very favorable circumstances.' At or about the close of the Revolutionary war, he united as a young man with a body of horse-troops, at that time so popular, and in this connection contracted a habit of hard drinking, which eventually led to financial embarrassment and domestic infelicity. He. therefore, left his family and friends. in the hope of retrieving his waning prospects in the West. As before said. he came in company with Leonard. from Steubenville, in the year 1805. to the station of the latter on the old Reed farm. In the autumn of the same year, he went on a visit to an Indian trader, located at the mouth of Sandy. According to the prevailing hospital- ity of the times, he indulged very freely in the

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Use of whisky, and being obliged to lie out of night, in a country beset with heavy fogs, he contracted a severe cold. from which in- flanmation of the lungs ensued soon after his return to Leonard's Station. There was no physician nearer than Steubenville, but his comrades. thrown upon their own resources. did the best they could for the unfortunate sufferer, but in vain, for he died four days after, during the last week of October. 1805. and was buried, without coffin or ceremony. by his associates. Henry Friday. Hugh Cunning- ham. James F. Leonard. and the latter's brother, in a beautiful grove near the station. The grave is unmarked by stone or marble slab. but is within pistol shot of the present county fair grounds.

Nearly fifty years ago. a man by the name of Christian Bachtel lived near North Industry. in the southern part of the township, and was. likewise, addicted to habits of dissipation. He frequently came home under the influence of liquor, and, consequently. there were frequent family broils. His wife, an industrious and economical woman, was compelled, by her hus- band's excesses, to do the best she could to support herself and children. One night, after his wife had retired for the night. he came home maddened with liquor. Words naturally ensued. but. at last. she turned away from him. and was apparently asleep. He then struck her with an ax-helve, fracturing her skull. and. upon her moaning, gave her a second stroke. to make sure of her death. He took up the youngest child. sleeping by the mother's side, and placed it in a bed with the other children. With a few articles of clothing. his wife's earnings, and a flask of whisky. he went from his home a fugitive. to wander he knew not whither. Self-accused of the horrible crime which he had committed. his only support in his dire extremity. the whisky-flask. he was overtaken in two or three days near Wooster. within thirty miles of the scene of the tragedy. arrested, and brought back. without resistance. to jail at Canton. His trial occurred a few months later. In the trial. the State was rep- resented by Starkweather & Jarvis: the prisoner by Harris & Metcalf. The defense set up for the doomed man was his own in- sanity and the infidelity of his wife. He was. nevertheless, convicted of murder in the first degree. Judge Lane presided over the court.

and sentenced Bachtel to be hung on Friday November 22. 1833, a sentence that was punct ually executed.

To the credit of this township and county. it might be added that this was the first and last execution of a murderer from 1833 to 1880 when three young men, boys almost. for crimes committed in the east and west ends of the county respectively, paid the penalty of mar- der by hanging within the confines of our pres ont city prison. Now. as then, there was a great crowd. and some military. upon precan- tionary considerations generally approved by our thinking people, but no parade, and no publicity in the execution. It is claimed that 10,000 people attended the execution of Bach- tel ; half that number would probably be nearer the correct figure.

Meyer's Lake, from the earliest settlement of the township, has always been a favorite resort for sportsmen. fishermen and pleasure-seekers But with all the boating and bathing done here for more than seventy years, there has been but one case of drowning. Robert Stewart under- took. in the year 1816, to swim across the lake for the purpose of getting a boat. On account of the many springs with which the lake abounds, some of them very powerful ones, the water, even in midsummer, near the middle of the lake, is fresh and chilly. Stewart was re- puted to be a good swimmer. but becoming be- numbed or being overtaken with cramps. he was drowned in his attempt. A cannon from Canton was brought into speedy requisition. and fired over the water in the hope of raising the body. but without result. A few days after. however, the body was found, and was buried on the point which, from this circum- stance. has ever since been known as Dead Man's Point. The lake is now known exch- sively by the name of Meyer's Lake, and do- rives this name from Andrew Meyer, who, in the year 1816. came into Canton Township. and purchased, in 1818, 3,000 acres of land. including the lake and the lands about it. from Bazalcel Wells. Being a man of energy. of means and of good business habits. he kept about him a number of worthy and reliable la- borers to develop the rich resources of the vast tract of land which by this purchase came into his possession. and, without ever having hell any publie position. he exerted a large in- fluence in the early settlement of the township

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History of Stark County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 50

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