USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics. Volume II > Part 74
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Not the least striking feature in these statistics is, that the proportion of natives of other coun- tries does not form much more than one out of one hundred members. I had no idea that the proportion was so small.
Value of Property.
Our public sales are the true average of the value of real estate. On Thursday last, Wright & Graff sold at auction, a lot on the southwest corner of Walnut and Third streets, and the ad- jacent lots on botlı Walnut and Third streets. The corner twenty-five feet by seventy-five feet, brought $2.200, or $328 per front foot. The ad- jacent one on Walnut, same front and depth, was sold for $5.150, or $23 per front foot; and the Third street front, twenty-five feet by but fifty feet deep, was disposed of at $2.250, being $90 per foot front. These prices indicate a steady advance in the value of property; and although there are brick buildings on the premises, every one knows that these lots would have brought as much if they had been destitute of improvement; in fact the business wants of Cincinnati will com- pel the erection of buildings adapted for stores and offices, at not only this corner, but at the op- posite one.
These prices seem high, but I am warranted in pronouncing the purchase safe and prudent. I can state on the best authority, that the Masonic Lodge, in whom is vested the title to the proper- ty, extending from the opposite corner to the al- ley next the Lafayette Bank, have a day or two since refused four hundred dollars per front foot, for twenty-five feet west of Watson's barbering establishment.
Farmers and planters constitute the largest What would an individual unacquainted with Cincinnati think of the progress of our city to be told the indubitable fact, that this twenty-five feet for which $10,000 have been refused form one eighth, and the least valuable eighth part of a lot, bequeathed by William McMillan, in 1804, portion in the legislatures, as they do of the peo- ple. All classes have probably a fair representa- tion-lawyers excepted. These always exist in the legislatures, both state and national, in a pro- portion which forms a great and crying evil. It will be found, I apprehend, that they are the [ to the Masonic fraternity, and deemed of so little great cause why so much time is wasted in mere
value at that period that the legatees suffered it
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to be sold for taxes, and did not deem it worth | it. It is rung with a crank which can be moved redemption until 1810. The naked lot would now by a mere boy. For about two hundred dollars a chime of steel bells can be bought." command at sheriff's sale one hundred thousand dollars.
Cincinnati Grocery Trade.
That Cincinnati is the largest interior market, not only in the West, but in the United States, is a fact no longer disputed. The extent of its op- erations, however, is, we believe, very inade- quately appreciated. To give some idea of its business, we show below, the receipts of Coffee, Molasses, and Sugar, the three great staples in the Grocery trade, during the last two years. The aggregates are as follows:
1845. 1844.
Coffee, sacks,
55,490
46,809
Molasses, barrels,
22,928
18,099
Sugar, hhds.,
12,287
11,404
Do. brls.,
6,832
4,118
Do. boxes,
649
1,421
I copy the above from the ATLAS. It suggests a powerful contrast to the past, while it furnishes one among many evidences of our rapid growth in every department of business. What that pro- gress is may be infered from the following inci- dent.
In 1816, Adam Moore and Nathaniel Reeder brought up seventy bags coffee from New Or- leans, and offered it for sale to a firm, at that time one of the principal grocers in the place. Before taking the responsibility of making so heavy a purchase, one of the partners went round town, and having ascertained that the whole stock on hand in Cincinnati-their own included -did not equal that quantity, they purchased it, under considerable hesitation that the price of the article might fall before they were able to dis- pose of their whole supply-less than one hun- dred bags.
In the business season, it is no uncommon cir- cumstance now for one of our largest houses to have two thousand bags on hand at once. And this too when the daily arrival of steamboats from New Orleans in short passages affords a constant opportunity of replenishing a lighter supply.
Steel Bells.
Much mischief is occasionally done by the press, not only in stating facts which are untrue, but in extending their circulation by copying ex- tracts which a moment's reflection would exclude from their columns.
An article has gone the rounds, stating that " Steel Bells are now manufactured by an in- genious mechanic in Cincinnati. A bell of steel weighing fifty pounds, will cost only thirty dol- lars, and can be heard two miles, or more. They . are so cheap and good, therefore, that every church may have a bell of a clear, brilliant, and musical tone, while the lightness of this species of bells requires no strength of belfry to support
It is needless for me to say to residents here that this is an entire fabrication, without the least foundation in fact.
Dr. Bailey of the Herald and myself, have been put to trouble and expense by repeated applica- tions through letter and otherwise, from this silly paragraph. Probably other publishers also. [ hope this explanation will put inquiries at rest.
The manufacture of steel bells was attempted in New England some years since, and proved an absolute failure.
In 1815, after Napoleon's return from Elba, a violent royalist exclaimed to his confessor, who happened to dine with him at Ghent-" What, Henry III. and IV. were assassinated, and nobo- dy can be found to rid us of the usurper Bona- parte!" The priest fetched a deep sigh :- " Ah, my dear sir," said he, " there is no longer any religion in the world in these days!" Napoleon is said to have been much amused with this an- ecdote.
The Battle of the Sth January .-- No. 2. BY A HUNTER OF KENTUCKY.
The British made their attack in three divis- ions. That next the river, after forcing the picket guard, followed it right into the works. I did not see this part of the attack, of course, but I heard from Capt. Farmer, Joseph Smithy (Drum Major of our regiment,) and William Reasoner, all of whom were on the guard, that the British were completely mixed up with them, when they came to the gate which led through the breast- work. A British soldier kept hunching Rea- soner with his elbow, telling him to "form- form-form." Finding after a while that Rea- soner was an American -- in the darkness it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe-he fired his musket at him and knocked the cock off Rea- soner's gun. At this the latter turned and find- ing the lock spoiled, he clubbed the rifle and broke it over the Englishman's head. Captain Farmer was one of the last of the picket guard that passed through the gateway, and just at that moment he noticed the matchman of the thirty- two pounder that was placed at that point, bright- ening his match. The Captain turned to look- the old thirty-two went off, cutting a wide lane through the dense mass of red coats, that had by this time crowded up to its very muzzle. In a minute it was loaded again with grape and can- ister shot, and the Captain had an opportunity to see the effect of a second fire, just as he had turn- ed to pass up the line and join his company. It seemed to cut another lane through the British, taking down every man within several feet of its range on either side. Still they came rushing on. A British officer jumped on the works and began spiking a canon. I heard say it was Colonel Gibbs. He exclaimed to his men, " come on boys, the day's our own!" but just as he had got the words out of his mouth, Joe Smithy stepped up to him, saying, " you're not so sure of that," and fired a pistol right in his face. Down went the officer. Several shots must have been fired at him at the same time, for I was told that seven bullets had passed through him before he fell.
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When we first ran up to the breastwork, at our part of the lines, some of our men began firing, and orders were passed along rapidly, " cease that firing-eease that firing." Some said the men we heard coming were the picket guards coming in. Col. Smily, from Bardstown, was the first one who gave us orders to fire from our part of the line; and then, I reckon, there was a pretty considerable noise. There were also brass pieces just on our right, the noisiest kind of varmints, that began blazing away as hard as they could, while the heavy iron cannon, towards the river, and some thousands of sinall arms, joined in the chorus and made the ground shake under our feet. Directly after the firing began, Capt. Pat- terson-I think he was from Knox county, Ken- tucky, but an Irishman born-came running along. He jumped up on the breastwork, and stooping a moment to look through the darkness as well as he could, he shouted with a broad North of Ireland brogue, " shoot low, boys! shoot low! rak them-rak them! D- them !- they're a comin' on their all fours!"
The official report said the action lasted two hours and five minutes, but it did not seem half that length of time to mne. It was so dark that battle ceased. The morning had dawned to be sure, but the smoke was so thick that every thing seemed covered up in it. Our men did not seem to apprehend any danger, but would load and fire as fast as they could, talking, swearing, and jo- king, all the time. All ranks and sections were soon broken up. After the first shot, every one loaded and banged away on his own hook. Hen- ry Spillman did not load and fire quite so often as some of the rest, but every time he did fire he would go up to the breastwork, look over till he could see something to shoot at, and then take deliberate aim and crack away. Lieut. Ashby was as busy as a nailor, and it was evident that the River Raisin was uppermost in his mind all the time. He kept dashing about, and every now and then he would call out, " we'll pay you now for the River Raisin, d- you! We'll give you something to remember the River Raisin!" When the British had come up to the opposite side of the breastwork, having no gun he picked up an empty barrel and flung it at them. Then finding an iron bar he jumped up on the works and hove that at them.
At one time I noticed, a little on our right, a curious kind of a chap named Ambrose Odd, one of Captain Higdon's company, and known among the men by the nickname of "Sukey," standing coolly on the top of the breastwork and peering into the darkness for something to shoot at. The balls were whistling around him and over our heads, as thick as hail, and Col. Slaughter com- ing along, ordered him to come down. The Co- lonel told him there was policy in war, and that he was exposing himself too much. Sukey turned round, holding up the flap of his old broad brimed hat with one hand, to see who was speaking to him, and replied: " Oh! never mind Colonel- here's Sukey-I don't want to waste my powder and I'd like to know how I can shoot till I sce something?" Pretty soon after, Sukey got his eye on a red coat and no doubt made a hole through it, for he took deliberate aim, fired and then coolly came down to load again.
not know his name. A ball passed through his head and he fell against Ensign Weller. I al- ways thought, as did many others who were standing near, that he must have been accident- ally shot by some of our own men. From the range of the British balls, they could hardly have passed over the breastwork without passing over our heads, unless we were standing very close to the works, which were a little over breast high, and five or six feet wide on the top. This man was standing a little back and rather behind Wel- ler. After the battle, I could not see that any balls had struck the oak tree lower than ten or twelve feet from the ground. Above that height it was thickly peppered. This was the only man killed near where I was stationed. It was near the close of the firing. About the time that I ob- served three or four men carrying his body away, or directly after, there was a white flag raised on the opposite side of the breastwork and the firing ceased.
The white flag, before mentioned, was raised about ten or twelve feet from where I stood, close to the breastwork and a little to the right. It was a white handkerchief, or something of the kind, on a sword or stick. It was waved several times
little could be seen, until just about the time the | and as soon as it was perceived we ceased firing. Just then the wind got up a little and blew the smoke off, so that we could see the field. It then appeared that the flag had been raised by a Brit- ish officer wearing epaulets. I was told he was a Major. He stepped over the breastwork and came into our lines. Amongst the Tennesseeans who had got mixed with us during the fight, there was a little fellow whose name I do not know; but he was a cadaverous looking chap and went by that of Paleface. As the British officer came in, Paleface demanded his sword. He hesitated about giving it to him, probably thinking it was derogatory to his dignity, to surrender to a pri- vate all over begrimed with dust and powder and that some officer should shew him the courtesy to receive it. Just at that moment, Colonel Smily came up and cried, "G-d- you! giveit up -give it up to him in a minute!" The British officer quickly handed his weapon to Paleface, holding it in both hands and making a very polite bow.
A good many others came in just about the same time. Amongst them I noticed a very neat- ly dressed young man, standing on the edge of the breastwork, and offering his hand, as if for some one to assist him down. He appeared to be about nineteen or twenty years old, and, as I should judge, from his appearance, was an Irish- man. He held his musket in one hand while he was offering the other. I took hold of his mus- ket and set it down, and then giving him my hand, he jumped down quite lightly. As soon as he got down, he began trying to take off his cartouch box, and then I noticed a red spot of blood on his clean white under jacket. I asked him if he was wounded and he said that he was, and he feared pretty badly. While he was try- ing to disengage his accoutrements, Capt. Farm- er came up, and said to him, "let me help you iny man!" The Captain and myself then assist- ed him to take them off. He begged us not to take his canteen, which contained his water. We told him, we did not wish to take any thing but what was in his way and cumbersome to him. Just then one of the Tennesseeans, who had ran down to the river, as soon as the firing ceased,.
During the action a number of Tennessee men got mixed with ours. One of them was killed about five or six yards from where I stood. I did I for water, came along with some in a tin coffee-
356
pot. The wounded man observing lim, asked if he would please to give him a drop. "O! yes," said the Tennesseean, " I'll treat you to any thing I've got." The young man took the coffee-pot, and swallowed two or three mouthfulls out of the spout. He then handed back the pot and in an instant we observed him sinking backwards. We eased him down against the side of a tent, when he gave two or three gasps and was dead. Hehad been shot through the breast.
When the smoke had cleared away and we could obtain a fair view of the field, it looked, at - the first glance, like a sea of blood. It was not blood itself which gave it this appearance, but the red coats in which the British soldiers were dres- sed. Straight out before our position, for about the width of space which we supposed had been occupied by the British column, the field was en- tirely covered with prostrate bodies. In some places they were laying in piles of several, one on the top of the other. On either side, there was an interval more thinly sprinkled with the slain; and then two other dense rows, one near the le- vee and the other towards the swamp. About two hundred yards off, directly in front of our position, lay a large dapple grey horse, which we understood to have been Packenham's. Some- thing like half way between the body of the horse and our breastwork, there was a very large pile of dead, and at this spot, as I was afterwards told, Packenham had been killed; his horse having stag- gered off to a considerable distance before he fell. I have no doubt that I could have walked on the bodies, from the edge of the ditch to where the horse was lying, without touching the ground. I did not notice any other horse on the field.
When we first got a fair view of the field in our front, individuals could be seen in every possible attitude. Some laying quite dead, others, mor- tally wounded, pitching and tumbling about in the agonies of death. Some had their heads shot off, some their legs, some their arms. Some were laughing, some crying, some groaning and some screaming. There was every variety of sight and sound. Amongst those that were on the ground, however, there were some that were neither dead nor wounded. A great many had thrown them- selves down behind piles of slain, for protection. As the firing ceased, these men were every now and then, jumping up and either running off or coming in and givingthemselves up.
Amongst those that were running off we ob- served one stout looking fellow, in a red coat, who would every now and then stop and display some gestures towards us, that were rather the opposite of complimentary. Perhaps fifty guus were fired at him, but as he was a good way off, without effect. Just then, it was noticed, that Paleface was loading his rifle, and some one called out to him, " hurra, Paleface! load quick and give him a shot. The d- rascal is patting his butt at us!" Sure enough, Paleface rammed home
his bullet, and, taking a long sight, he let drive. The follow, by this time, was from two to three hundred yards off, and somewhat to the left of Packenham's horse. Paleface said he drew sight on him and then run it along up his back till the sight was lost over his head, to allow for the sink- ing of the ball in so great a distance, and then let go. As soon as the gun cracked the fellow was seen to stagger. He ran forward a few steps, then pitched down on his head and moved no more. As soon as he fell, George Huffman, a big stout Dutchman belonging to our company, asked the Captain if he might go and see where Paleface hit him. The Captain said he didn't care, and George, jumping from the breastwork over the ditch, ran out over the dead and wound- ed till he came to the place where the fellow was lying. George rolled the body over till he could
On the opposite side of the breastwork, there was a ditch about ten feet wide, made by the ex- cavation of the earth of which the work was formed. In it, was about a foot or eighteen inches of water, and to make it the more difficult of pas- sage, a quantity of thornbush had been cut and thrown into it. In this ditch, a number of British soldiers were found at the close of the action; some dead, and many who had sought to get ; see the face, and then turning round to us, shout- close under the breastwork, as a shelter from our fire. These, of course, came in and surren- dered.
ed at the top of his voice, "mine got! he ish a nager!" He was a mulatto, and he was quite dead. Paleface's ball had entered between the shoulders and passed out through his breast. George, as he came back, brought three or four muskets which he had picked up. By this time our men were running out in all directions, pick- ing up muskets, and sometimes watches and other plunder. One man who had got a little too far out on the field was fired at from the British breastwork, and wounded in the arm. He came running back a good deal faster than he had gone out. He was not much hurt but pretty well scared.
Tales of the Hospital.
Under this title Mrs. Nichols of the " GUEST," is publishing a series of articles of deep interest. The second number affords an example of the power of presence of mind, united to moral cour- age, to allay the fury of maniacal violence. The story is that of a madman who had escaped from his cell, and to the exceeding terror of the Matron, is found by her on lifting up her eyes from work, confronting her presence. Dreadfully alarmed, she springs off' and makes her escape, although pursued by the maniac. Her husband, the Stew- ard of the Hospital, having made his appearance at this juncture, arrested his movement by step- ping forward and observing in a pleasant tone, -- " Ah Grant, where are you going?" The mad- man glared at him a moment, and then replied in a similar tone-" to take a walk," "Take my arm," said the Steward, with a good natured smile, " and we will walk together." The man complied immediately, and drawing his arm with- in his own, the Steward conducted him very slowly back to his cell, talking pleasantly to him till they reached it, when being joined by the keeper, they refastened the chains and secured the door more firmly than before.
I too can tell a tale of the Hospital, which the narrative, of which I have extracted merely one of the incidents, brings to my recollection.
In taking the census of 1840, it became my duty to enumerate the wretched inmates of our city Hospital, and acquainting its officers with my
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business, William Crossman, one of the township trustees, accompanied me through its wards to af- ford me the information which the tenants them- selves could not impart. It was my first visit to such abodes of horror and wretchedness, and it is hardly necessary to add, that the spectacle made a deep impression on me. After visiting the wards in which were lodged those whose derangement was of a mild type, I was pointed to a wretched object crawling like a brute on all fours. Hav- ing been told his history, Mr. Crossman led me to a chamber opposite, and unlocking the door, its inmate, a lıalf naked woman, who had suc- ceeded by some means in divesting herself of the strait jacket, sprang forward, and having a stout piece of cord wood in her hand, brandish- ed it over his head and saluted him with,- " There, d- you, I have got you now and will kill you." Crossman, with a degree of self-pos- session I thought wonderful, simply smiled and said in his blandest tones-" Why, Elizabeth, who has been ill-treating thee so?" She paused a moment, let fall the stick, and whimpering said they would not let her have her cup of tea any longer. " Well," said our friend, "I must see that thee gets it, and find out who is keeping thee out of it. But let me fix thy dress a little." So saying he adjusted and secured the strait jacket as quietly and unresistedly as though he had been fitting an apron to a child, and bidding her good bye, withdrew and relocked the door. During this scene, I trembled for a valuable life, which I could make no attempt to save, for when first accosted and threatened, the door was not more widely opened than sufficed for him to fill the space. He was left to depend upon himself, and the least faltering would no doubt have brought the blow down upon his uncovered head. I never before so fully appreciated the value of self-possession and presence of mind.
Modern Relics.
When we hear or read of " Relics," we natu- rally associate with the subject the church of Rome. But the protestant churches, and even the no-church-the world at large-have relics; as highly prized, if we should judge by the prices paid for them, as those held by the Papal church.
A few years since a chair which had been the property of "the Dairyman's daughter," was pro- duced at one of the New York anniversaries. It was, as might have been expected, a rough arti- cle, which but for its associated ideas, would not have brought a dime at public salc. As it was, an individual offered one hundred dollars on the spot for it. This relic and rarity mania is, how- ever, more prevalent in Europe than in this coun- try. Prince Albert has presented to Greenwich Hospital the coat worn by Nelson, in which he
received his death wound, at Trafalgar. The ivory chair of Gustavus Vasa was sold in 1823, for fifty-eight thousand florins-nearly $30,000. The coat worn by Charles XII. at the battle of Pultowa, brought, at Edinburg, in 1825, the enormous sum of twenty-two thousand pounds sterling-over $100,000. A tooth belonging to Sir Isaac Newton, was sold to the celebrated Shaftsbury for seven hundred and thirty pounds -$3.500. As far as we may judge by another relie of this sort, this was far below the value.
Lenoir, the founder of the French museum, while engaged transporting the remains of Abel- ard and Heloise to the Petits Augustins, was of- fered by a wealthy Englishman one hundred thousand francs-nearly $20,000-for one of the teeth of Heloise. At Stockholm, on the contrary, the whole head-teeth included-of Descartes, was sold for barely ninety francs -- $18-what a sacrifice!
Voltaire's cane brought five hundred francs; Rousseau's waistcoat nine hundred and sixty-nine, and his copper watch five hundred francs. The wig of Kant, the founder of transcendentalism, brought only two hundred francs, while that of Sterne was sold in London for two hundred guineas-almost $1000. A hat wore by Napo- leon, was purchased by M. Lacroix for nineteen hundred francs. To do this, he had to out bid thirty-two competitors. Sir Francis Burdett paid five hundred pounds sterling for the two pens used to the signature of the treaty of Amiens.
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