USA > Ohio > Miami County > Piqua > The first century of Piqua, Ohio > Part 22
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Piqua is historically and pictorially interesting. The river winds around the town broad aud mostly shallow, with two long old-style cov- ered bridges half a mile apart, stretched across to help out the scene, both being in one view. Only a few miles above was the earliest point of English Indian trade in Ohio. The region was a favorite place with the Indians and the Mound-builders. the remains of whose works are ex- tremely numerous around and especially above the town in the river valley.
Mr. Wiltheiss has for thirty years been in the habit of opening mounds, making explorations. He has in his cigar store a fine cabinet of relics, and has made valuable contributions to various museums. He old me that he was unlettered. But I found his hobby had educated him, added interest to his life and made him an interesting man. He had been a close observer of nature, and this is all in all. Nature is tod's College for Humanity, where old Sol sits in the Presidential chair und lights up things. No one that closely observes and carefully reflects rom his facts can be called ignorant.
CAPT. WM. J. DOWNS
In grateful remembrance we compile these few incidents in the life of this remarkable man. Practically without schooling, he eventually became one of the most versatile and well-read men in Piqua. He was he acknowledged friend of every child and dog he met, and when he left 'iqua his absence created a void which has never since been filled.
Of Capt. Downs' early life we quote from his own reminiscences :
I was born in Knox county, Ohio, near Mount Vernon, on the 27th i May, in the "Cold Summer" of 1816. Ohio was a new country then, parsely settled by impecunious pioneers. My father had saved enough rom his pay as a volunteer during the war of 1812 to purchase forty cres in the then wilderness and built a log cabin upon it, in which I was he first-born.
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On Feb. 11, 1815, he had married Mary Spry, daughter of Wm. Spry, a revolutionary soldier from Maryland, but a recent pioneer to Ohio. Both my grandfathers were revolutionary soldiers. My father was a man of limited school education, but considerable force of character. He was elected justice of the peace, and being a Methodist was also a class-leader, exhorter, and sort of a local preacher. Our cabin was the general stop- ping place for our primitive "Circuit Riders." We had no regular church buildings or even log school-houses. There must be few now living who have enjoyed the honor which I have of sitting at the same rustic table and partaking of the same rural, homely, but abundant fare with Lorenzo
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CAPT. W. J. DOWNS
Dow, the famous first American evangelist, and at another time with th venerable Peter Cartwright.
John Chapman, the celebrated "Johnny Appleseed," often spent th night at our house, and loved to argue with my father on religion. Ou cabin inside was adorned with wood-cuts of imaginary Bible scenes, pi tures from Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," John Rodgers being led 1 Smithfield stake to be burned for heresy, and other like exhilarating su jects.
But the "bric-a-brac" of which we were the most vain were the tr phies of the hunt-deer horns inside to hang hats on, and outside bea deer and coon-skins, stretched and nailed up against the logs, with a occasional otter or mink skin.
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Arriving at young manhood Capt. Downs became a civil engineer. This took him into the canal building work that the state of Ohio had entered upon.
He helped to build the St. Marys reservoir and other portions of the Miami & Erie canal. Later he was engaged in railroad construction work on what is now known as the Pennsylvania System. He also did all the construction work that was done on the old "Jerusalem and Japan" through South Piqua.
He was a prominent figure in the state-line war between Ohio and Michigan, at one time ran a packet boat on our canal, and later was captain of a steamboat on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He was mar- ried to Miss Helen Penefeather, of Celina, in 1837, and moved to Piqua that year. Though his work required his absence from Piqua many times, he always regarded this as his home, and his interest in the town still bears the marks of the improvements he initiated in the way of street paving, sewering, and parks while he was street commissioner. After living happily together for 61 years his wife died in 1898, and the old captain went to Black River Falls, Wisconsin, to live with his daugh- ter, Mrs. P. B. Castle. Here he was made as comfortable and happy as was possible, but his heart turned back to the scenes and friends of old Piqua, as may be readily detected in his frequent letters to the local press.
He died June 20, 1907, at an age of 91 years, and was buried at Black River Falls. The following characteristic epitaph, written by him elf some years ago, will bring to mind many of his jovial traits :
Here I lie on the flat of my back, Feeling uncommonly aisy ; With the end of my nose and the tip of my toes Turned up to the roots of the daisy.
We will add just one more incident of Capt. Downs' reminiscences, being an account of one of the political meetings in the famous presiden- ial campaign of 1840 :
Northwestern Ohio was at that time, as now, the Gibraltar of Democ- acy and the Whig manager resolved to "beard the lion in his den."
They had large posters struck in huge display type, headed in very urge black letters,
"COME TO THE RESCUE."
These posters, announcing a great mass meeting at St. Marys, to be ddressed by Harrison, Corwin and others, on a certain date, were scat- red broadcast over the adjacent country.
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As Whigs were few and far between in that locality the party had to rely on Montgomery, Clark, Champaign and Miami for the bulk of their audience, they formed an imposing procession in Troy and Piqua of per- haps a mile long headed by a band, the speakers' carriage, other carriages, buggies, stage coaches, spring wagons, road wagons on one of which was a Buckeye log cabin, with the usual embellishments, on two strong wag- ons, coupled with a long reach, was mounted a large canoe.
Behind came men on horseback, afoot, or any way to get there; the whole cavalcade was profusely decorated with bunting and enlivened by the music of several bands alternating.
At Minster it was their boast that no Whig vote ever had been, or ever shold be cast in Jackson township.
Some astute wag conceived the idea of making a colossal effigy of General Harrison, clothed in full uniform, with a cocked hat and tin sword, fastened a long line around his neck, with the ends tied to a tree on opposite sides of the road over which the procession was compelled to pass.
The effigy with the significant heading of the poster, "Come to the Rescue," was secured across the breast of the figure. Then the figure was suspended some sixty feet above the roadway.
Mr. Corwin, who was in the lead, quickly saw the applicability of the joke. He halted the procession, jumped out and called up the marshals of the procession, told each to return to his delegation, and said : "When I raise the flag and wave it thus, all of you simultaneously will give three cheers for Tippecanoe and Tyler, too, in stentorian voice," which was done, thus repaying the intended insult in kind, as a Whig cheer was never heard in that locality before.
Corwin's quick perception and prompt action turned the incident into a good joke allaying all hostile feeling. He ordered the procession to move on, which it did amid ribald songs, bands playing and flags flying without any attempt to dislodge the effigy.
They arrived at St. Marys the evening before the meeting amid much excitement and but few cordial greetings.
The Mercer reservoir was then under construction, employing six t eight hundred men, all Democrats, and they with all the Democrats fror the country attended, to neutralize the effect of the big Whig meeting making the crowd nearly equally divided.
Under such circumstances personal collisions were of frequent occu rence I know, for I was there. I emerged from that crowd minus mos of my clothes, but plus a beautiful black eye.
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Such is a synopsis of Ohio politics sixty years ago. Has it improved any since ?
Gratefully your friend,
W. J. DOWNS.
REMINISCENCES
OF PIQUA IN THE DAYS WHEN IT WAS A VILLAGE
Contributed by Philo Rumsey, of 2106 California Street, Omaha. Neb.
Omaha, Neb., Sept. 29, 1901.
Mr. Editor: Piqua was very fortunate in having a good many prominent citizens between 1821 and 1830, considering it had only about 150 inhabitants.
William McLean was a young lawyer and a member of Con- gress from that district. In religion he was a Methodist, and the Methodists were in the ascendency in those days, gave tone to society both morally and politically and elected McLean to Congress. He was a great friend of Piqua's.
Col. John Johnston was a U. S. officer, Indian agent for the Shawnee Indians and also several other tribes. He lived two miles up the river on a farm which he called "Upper Piqua."
His residence was a regular mansion in accordance with the times. The farm was one of the best I ever saw.
R. Young was a lawyer, surveyor, politician and Major Gen- eral in the State Militia. Surveying was rather his favorite. All Northern Ohio was very sparsely settled and furnished. of course, a great deal of work for surveyors. He mapped out and laid out the city of Ft. Wayne. He was a member of the United States Senate, and ran for Congress, but was beaten. He had a happy way of telling stories. Take him for all and all I never knew a better gentleman.
Colonel T. B. Van Horne was Register of the Land Office. By profession he was a soldier. He was a colonel in Detroit at the time of Hull's surrender. He and Cass both tried to per- suade Hull to fight and not surrender, and when they saw the English army crossing over from Malden they wished to touch off the cannons. When the English entered the fort, instead of giving up their swords to the English they broke them to pieces. History gives Cass the credit but the Colonel was not mentioned. The Colonel was one of Piqua's best citizens.
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There were two or three good stores but the best one was owned by John McCorkle, and there was no better one this side of Cincinnati. He was elected to the legislature, went to Co- lumbus, took cold from sleeping in cold, damp sheets, resigned his seat, came home and died after a long sickness.
There were two good physicians there then, Drs. Hender- shott and O'Ferrall. They were both ordinary men outside of their profession.
The Piqua Gazette was a good weekly paper owned, pub- lished and edited by Wm. R. Barrington, a very nice, clever gen- tleman.
There were two very good taverns, one kept by Colonel Ben- nett, (and it took the cream of the business).
Mr. Bennett kept it for a good many years, sold out, went to Cincinnati, rented the Gibson House and made a success of it as one of the best hotels in Cincinnati. The other house was owned and kept by John Tamplin. He was a prince of a land- lord as his wife was a princess of a landlady.
To be a landlady in those days was by no means to be a mere boarder.
We lived two miles and a half south of Piqua, not on a farm but a piece of heavily timbered land. There was a hole in the timber big enough for the sun to shine a little. I had some chickens and they lived well on the fat of the land-beech nuts. Sometimes we had a few eggs to sell and I took them to Piqua in a small pail and sold them for 30c a dozen.
One time I had sold them to the clerk in the McCorkle store, started home, went half a block, and there a boy met me and accused me of letting his horse loose that was tied to a post in front of a warehouse. Then another boy met me and both ac- cused me of stealing the horse, which, of course, I knew nothing about. The end of it was a fight between the boy who owned the horse and myself. We were finally parted without either of us whipping, but of course I thought that I had the best of him.
A short time after Mr. McLean gave this boy, whose name was Ormsby Mitchel, a cadetship in the army. He graduated high but resigned and turned his attention to astronomy and became one of the best astronomers in the world.
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When the civil war broke out Mr. Lincoln gave him a major generalship. He had hardly got his army organized when he took the yellow fever and died.
The clerk I took the eggs to at McCorkle's store was named Stephen Rowan. Mr. McCorkle made him a midshipman and he went on board his ship. There was no Annapolis in those days and he never left the navy until he became rear admiral and was retired.
My destiny was finally to move to Ft. Wayne where I tried to make my mark as a hotel man. P. R.
Mr. Rumsey died at Omaha in October, 1902.
JOHN F. MCKINNEY
In 1901, Capt. E. S. Williams, of Troy, compiled a sketch of McKin- ney's life, from which we will quote, and will also give Mr. Mckinney's own reminiscences of the early bench and bar of Miami county, written by him in 1901 :
To the younger generation the articles on the congressmen who rep- resented the districts of which Miami county was a part may have been dull reading, but now the writer narrates events fresh within the knowl- edge of all who have kept pace with the history of the nation and state. In the exciting and now historical campaign of 1862 Hon. John F. Mckinney, of Piqua, was elected to the 38th Congress in the Fourth District, composed of Miami, Darke, Shelby, Logan and Champaign counties. Frank Mckinney, as he was familiarly called by old and young, was born on a farm two miles north of Piqua April 12, 1827, and during his boyhood he worked upon his father's farm and attended a country school until the years of young manhood, when he finished his education at the O. W. U. at Delaware. He read law and was admitted to practice in 1850.
His father, John R. Mckinney, was one of the first pioneers of Miami county and entered a section of land in 1804, when there were only three other permanent settlers north of Piqua. Frank Mckinney's grandfather was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, belonging to the Third Pennsyl- vania regiment. He was in the battles of Long Island and Ft. Wash- ington. He was wounded in the battle of Brandywine and bore the scars of his wounds to his grave.
Frank Mckinney was a Democrat of the Jefferson type, bold, open and fearless in his opinions. He was only 35 years of age when selected by his party as their congressional standard bearer to make the race in a Republican district against the able, eloquent and popular William
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H. West, of Bellefontaine. The campaign was a fight from start to finish, but Mr. McKinney was elected by a majority of 225. His devotion to his party was unquestioned and his victory over Judge West made him the idol of his party in the Fourth District, and by the force of his influence he was able to control to a large extent the extreme bitterness that then existed in the Democratic party of the upper Miami valley against Presi- dent Lincoln and the Republican party. He was ready and willing to aid the soldiers and their families. He believed in standing by the Union of the fathers and the flag of his country, yet he yielded not one jot or tittle of his political convictions to the storm of partisanship that then prevailed. So bold and free was he in declaring his convictions
HON. J. F. MCKINNEY
that he was often in personal danger, but he met every difficulty so fear- lessly that even his enemies admired his courage and his friends stood by him with a fidelity that made him a power not only in his party, but in the control of public sentiment in the community.
One of the exciting and thrilling episodes of Mr. Mckinney's life occurred in Sidney in 1864. When he and C. L. Vallandingham were advertised to address a Democratic meeting, old Shelby county was at fever heat. Thousands of her citizens gathered in Sidney to hear the speaking. Hon. C. L. Vallandingham had lately returned to Ohio from Canada. By a singular coincidence a regiment of soldiers were in Shelby awaiting transportation to their homes in Michigan. They had encamped
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on the street from the depot to the hotel. Perhaps some of the Repub- lican leaders were desirous of preventing the holding of the meeting and took advantage of the bitter feeling against Mr. Vallandingham among the soldiers to create a disturbance. When the carriages containing Mr. Vallandingham and Mr. Mckinney passed by the soldiers they commenced yelling and shooting their guns over the top of the carriage and fright- ened the horses, causing them to run down a bank and almost upset the carriage. However, the carriage reached the hotel, Mr. Vallandingham entered the hotel and the doors were closed. Mr. Mckinney remained on the sidewalk in front of the hotel and soon a squad of soldiers in their uniform and carrying their guns came to the hotel door and recog- nizing Mr. Mckinney as the gentleman in the carriage with Mr. Vallan- dingham demanded the surrender of Mr. Vallandingham and attempted to enter the hotel. Mr. Mckinney placed himself between the soldiers and the hotel door and refused to allow them to enter. A riot was immi- nent, for more than two thousand Democrats, each armed with a revolver, surrounded the hotel waiting for the soldiers to make an attack. Mr. Mckinney's cool, determined manner and his firmness caused the soldiers to hesitate and prevented what would have been a scene of bloodshed and a terrible riot. A message was sent to the mayor of Sidney, S. B. Walker, and he and the leading Republicans were informed by Mckinney that if blood was shed and property destroyed they would be held respon- sible, and their lives and property would be the first to suffer. The mayor was wise and cool-headed and persuaded the soldiers to return to their camp. The soldiers insisted on the mayor and Mckinney accom- panying them, which they did. When the colonel of the rigement was advised of the situation, he ordered the soldiers to the cars and in a short time the train left Sidney and the Democratic meeting was held. The relation of the above incident will recall to the memory of our old citizens the memorable campaign of 1864.
In 1870 Hon. J. F. Mckinney was elected to the 42nd Congress in the Fourth District, although it was still a Republican district, yet so popular was he with people that his majority over his Republican com- petitor, Hon. W. B. McClung, of Troy, was 782. With the close of this congress Mr. Mckinney's official life ended. In the next congressional apportionment, occurring in 1872, Miami was placed in a district, every county of which gave a Republican majority.
Mr. Mckinney was chairman of the Democratic state committee during several campaigns and proved himself a good political organizer. When he was in actual politics the Democratic party of this county was united and well organized. Piqua was a Democratic city and every
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county campaign was a contest in which Republicans had to select their best men for office or there would be a Democrat in a soft place in the court house.
For a number of years Hon. J. F. Mckinney has been retired from the activities of life by the terrible hand of disease. Physically he is utterly helpless, that once strong, manly form is enfolded in the cruel, relentless grasp of paralysis, yet his mind is clear, and his interest in the great questions now commanding the attention of congress and the public is as earnest as when his voice could be heard and his counsel heeded in the forum of public debate. Surrounded by the comforts of his home and the tender care of his devoted wife and loving daughters, he is patiently awaiting the summons that comes sooner or later to every son and daughter of earth. E. S. WILLIAMS.
EARLY BENCH AND BAR
PAPER PREPARED BY HON. J. F. MCKINNEY READ
At Banquet of Miami County Bar Association ut Plaza Hotel. Piqua, April 11
Paper prepared by Hon. J. F. Mckinney of Piqua, and read at the Plaza hotel, Piqua, on Thursday evening, April 11th, 1901, at a banquet of the Miami County Bar, in response to the toast, "Early Bench and Bar."
"Ye against whose familiar names yet The fatal asterisk of Death is set, Ye, I salute. Where are the others? Voices from the deep Caverns of darkness answer me: They sleep."
I have been asked to give reminiscences of the Bar of Miami county. In compliance with this request I have summoned to appear every re- membrance of the long years of my legal life. But some of the past has crossed over the borders of the land of Forgetfulness, and as we have no extradition treaty with that country the incidents of those days can not be tried at the bar of criticism. Yet there are many recollections of those friends whose cases have been dismissed from the dockets of the early courts, as well as of those whose suits are still pending in the Courts of Life. Fifty-one years ago I became a full-fledged lawyer. We have all been there at that commencement of legal life, when our own knowledge
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overpowered us, and we felt that while there might be a few unimportant facts we do not know, that they were very few. We all also know the rude awakening when we realize how much is to be learned.
As the years of the century just closed roll backward and show to me the panoramic changes of the last fifty years, many forms not famil- iar to most of you appear, pictured in memory. There were James H. Hart, eloquent and fluent of speech; J. T. Janvier, polished in manner and literary in taste; Judson Cottingham, elegant in dress and popular socially ; Jonathan Vaile, a Yankee of the Yankees, also noted for his taste in dress; suave Geo. D. Burgess; General Robert Young, always courtly and elegant; his son, Joseph Young; Seth H. Wood, who passed from the country school teacher's platform to the bar. were among the lawyers. There were Benjamin Powers, Daniel Grosvenor and W. I. Thomas, who enjoyed the great confidence of the authorities. And I see, too, Charles Morris, Harvey Sellers, Gordon Mott and N. F. Wilbur. My genial, kindly brother, S. S. Mckinney, was of the number, too.
One of the characters of that time was a man of mercurial temper- ament, R. P. Lewellyn Baber, who flashed like a meteor across the legal sky of Piqua. One of his famous speeches was a Fourth of July oration. It was written to be delivered in the open air at Xenia, and was filled with allusions to the golden glow of the sunlight, the warbling of the birds, and the soft zephyr. As it was written so was it delivered, but the day was cold and dark and dreary. The rain fell in torrents, and a public hall held the orator. But undaunted, he called upon his hearers to observe the sunshine, etc., which they heroically tried to do, amid shouts of laughter.
But the tree of life has been shaken, and of the men who interpreted the law in those days there are but three left: M. H. Jones, Major Ste- phen Johnston and myself. Mr. Jones and Major .Johnston are too well and favorably known for me to add anything to their fame.
You young men of Piqua who, when attendance at court is necessary, can board an electric car and be at Troy in thirty minutes, do not appre- ciate your blessings. The years have not been many, since cases in court, for the Piqua lawyer meant long drives, often in the burning sunshine or driving storm, over the eight miles that never seemed so long as, when late in the evening, court over for the day, he set his face homeward. Some of the steeds owned by the brethren of the legal fraternity became so famous that they overshadowed the historic glories of Bucephalus or even Tam O'Shanter's luckless Meg. My brother's famous old Fox rivaled General Taylor's "Whitey" in color and at least in local fame; and his white tail in fly-time like the plume of Henry of Navarre, was ever in the
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thickest of the fray, i. e., the dusty procession of vehicles on the Troy pike. Full well do I remember coming home one night with my brother, after a fiercely exciting trial. We were tired, hungry and ready for the pleasures of home. The eight miles seemed like sixteen. Suddenly in our way appeared a threshing machine. Patient old white Fox rebelled at this horrible apparition. Our contact with Mother Earth was sudden and forcible. * * I cracked-even my voice I think. At least speaking next day was difficult. Is it any wonder, ye men of Troy, that we beseiged your walls that we might carry your Palladium to be with us in Piqua. And in those early days no stately and beautiful building held the courts of justice. All of our associations cluster around the little old court house from where now parcels are sent and received, and a different kind of gas is dispensed from the kind that belonged to our day.
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