WHITE COUNTY, INDIANA
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES TAKEN FROM THE BOOK
A Standard History of White County 1915
Great Railroad Disaster, July 17, 1878
At the noon hour of the
above date the west span of the Pennsylvania
Railroad bridge at Monticello fell with a crash that could be heard for
miles, carrying with the wreck twenty-five cars. All of the ears were
wrecked except the caboose, and the engine and tender were included in
the debris. It took 100 men nearly a week to clear away the wreckage.
The engineer was killed and the fireman had one of the most remarkable
escapes recorded in railroad history.
The story of the casualty
is told by the Monticello Herald in its issue
of Thursday, July 25, 1878, the following items, taken from its files;
covering the substantial points: "The number of cars that went down was
25, 18 of which were loaded with grain, one with furniture and the
remainder with empty flats.
"The engineer's body was
recovered only Thursday morning, after an all
night's search. The marks on it indicated that the unfortunate man must
have becn killed in the fall, though the disfiguration was not near as
great as in the case of the watchman. After the coroner's inquest the
corpse was taken to Logansport, where deceased resided, and thence to
Chicago, where it was interred. It was Beam's intention to quit the
road and go onto a farm and he was making his last trip for that
purpose. He left a wife and two children.
"It required the force of
100 men and two engines to remove the debris
so that the bridge builders could commence operations, and it took them
three days to do it.
"The watch of Louis Beam,
the engineer killed in the accident, was
found in the wreck hanging on its accustomed nail in the cab. The watch
was not only ticking, but indicated the correct time of day and was
entirely uninjured.
"The little daughter of
conductor Riddell had been promised a ride on
the engine after the train reached Monticello, but fortunately she
forgot all about it and remained in the caboose.
"The escape of Ed Laing
of this place, the fireman on the ill-fated
engine, is almost unparalleled in the history of railroad accidents.
Standing on the same engine with Beam and Durfee, who were both killed,
he went down in the crash a distance of 75 feet, with no opportunity to
jump, and was found alive and but slightly injured beneath the wreck.
He frankly says he doesn't know how he was saved.
"At the coroner's inquest
Thursday several railroad experts were
examined as to the cause of its giving way.
"The first witness called
was J. Zecker, road master and superintendent
of bridges on west half of third division, who testified as follows:
'Have been superintendent for ten months, west span has been built six
years. The bridge is the Howe truss, built of pine, three breat rods,
and considered the safest and best length from 65 to 68 feet high. * *
* My opinion is that the car went off the track by some cause, either
by rail spreading or brake beam coming down. If a car is loaded it is
liable to brake at any span. There are marks on the ties to show that a
car or cars were off the track. There was no safety track on the
inside, but a guard rail on the outside. Safety tracks on inside are
not considered any better. Last examined the bridge on the 8th or 9th
of July, 1878. Local going west on 17th inst. stopped on west end of
span that went down. Gave orders for trains to go slowly over the
bridge on the 17th and prior to that date.'
"C. Riddell, conductor
train No. 13, received orders from J. V. Vinson,
agent, on 17th to run all trains slow.
"J. Becker of Pittsburgh,
Pa., civil and chief engineer of the P. C.
& St. L. Bg. Co., said: 'I wrote the specifications and made the
contract for the building of the three western spans of the bridge over
the Tippecanoe river and superintended its construction and its
erection. The contract was made July, 1871, and the bridge was
constructed immediately afterwards, the western span being the last one
erected. The bridge was built by J. K. Miller & Co. of
Steubenville, Ohio, of Allegheny white pine, with oaken keys and
clamps, and of a superior quality of iron, furnished by a Pittsburg
firm whose material we have frequently tested and always found of a
very superior character. The timber for the bridge, like the timber of
every other bridge that I ever built, and I have built several hundreds
of them, was rather green, at least it was what might be called not
seasoned.
"'It was framed at
Steubenville, O., and shipped from that place to
this for erection. The railroad is to use green timber in their
bridges. No doubt perfectly seasoned timber would be preferable and if
properly protected is undoubtedly more durable, but it would be almost
impossible to procure seasoned timber for bridges. The bridge was
painted shortly after its erection, which was probably from four to
five months after the timber was sawed and planed. I think that the
complete painting of green timber without permitting it to dry out,
would hasten the decay, leaving the spaces between the different chord
pieces and the entire lower surface of both chords unpainted for the
purpose of drying out the entire moisture.
"'I never made a report
to the P. C. & St. L. R. R. Co. relative to
the condition of the bridge since its erection in 1871, my duties being
simply that of engineer of new construction work, the mending and
repairs of all structures after their completion being placed in charge
of the division superintendent. I have looked at the bridge and can not
conceive any cause for its destruction unless it was done by the sudden
concussion of some vital parts or by a derailed car or misplaced rails.
"'The dimensions of the
structure, I consider ample for all
requirements and the age of the bridge could not yet have impaired its
efficiency. Heat may have caused it,'
"We, the coroner's jury,
sworn to enquire into and ascertain the cause
of the death of Louis Beam and Jerome Durfee, after viewing the bodies
and having heard evidence and made inquiry do find that on the 17th of
July, 1878, while local freight train No. 13 going east with engine,
tender and twenty loaded cars were passing over the Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati and Saint Louis Railroad bridge across the Tippecanoe river
at Monticello, White County, Indiana, said engine, tender and cars by
reason of west span of said bridge breaking were precipitated into the
Tippecanoe river causing death of said Louis Beam and Jerome Durfee.
"Wm. Spencer, Foreman;
Robert Clark, Henry Snyder, James H. McCollum,
James A. McConahay and F. M. Mullendore."
The
Great Murder Trial
The Cantwell-Dayton
murder trial is and always will be an interesting
incident in White County history. Alfred L. Cantwell and Spencer S.
Dayton, two laborers, and brothers-in-law, were given a life sentence
for the murder of David Jones, who was shot in the breast and instantly
killed. The shooting took place in Tippecanoe County, November 11,
1849, but the body was found in a pond within the border of White
County. The defendants were indicted April 24, 1850, Joseph Phillips
being foreman of the grand jury. The trial took place in the fall and
on October 28, 1850, the following verdict was returned:
"We, the jury, find the
defendants Alfred L. Cantwell and Spencer J.
Dayton, guilty of murder in the first degree as charged in the
indictment and affix their punishment in the State's prison at hard
labor, during their natural lives. JOSHUA LINDSAY, Foreman.
"The jury in submitting
the above verdict deem it fit to say that they
are not opposed to the infliction of capital punishment on principle
but believe the ends of government generally demand it for murder in
the first degree. In this opinion all the members of the jury except
two concur, but in consideration of the wrongs done Cantwell, and the
youth of Dayton, they have preferred the mode of punishment put down in
the above verdict."
The wrong done Cantwell
to which the jury referred was this: The
evidence showed that Jones, who was killed, had arranged to elope with
Cantwell's wife, and the latter, learning of this, had met Jones while
he was waiting for Mrs. Cantwell, and at this meeting the shooting took
place. Prior to the trial the prisoners, with Mrs. Cantwell, were for a
short time confined in the jail at Delphi, but when the trial began all
were brought to Monticello and placed in the old log jail which stood
on the east side of Illinois Street just north of Marion Street. One
morning during the progress of the trial, and after the prisoners had
been taken to the courtroom, this old jail was found to be in flames,
having doubtless been set on fire by the prisoners. It was but a small
loss to the county.
Of the twenty-seven
witnesses subpoenaed by the state in this case not
one survives. So much from the record. Many traditions are narrated as
to Dayton, but it is likely he died in prison of tuberculosis. As to
Alfred L. Cantwell, he was pardoned by the governor about 1861,
enlisted in Company F, Twenty-seventh Indiana Volunteers, and in the
battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, was mortally wounded, but the
date of his death is not known. In this company were Enoch G. Boicourt,
Joshua Bunnell, Robert Gregory, John Ream, Samuel Reed Vinson, Henry
Van Voorst and other formerly well-known White County soldiers. It was
the first noted trial of such a character in White County. Isaac Naylor
was the presiding judge; William Potter, prosecuting attorney; Ranson
McConahay, clerk; and Pratt & Reyburn, attorneys for the
defendants. The members of the grand jury that returned the indictment
were William Turner, Newton Tedford, Joseph Bostick, Walker Graham,
Alexander Briggs, Charles W. Kendall, Joseph Phillips, Thomas Sleeth,
Jacob Graves, James K. Woods, Jonathan Oats, John C. Hughes, Thomas
Wickham, William W. Mitchell and Jasel Fisher. They were under the
charge of Loren Cutler, a sworn bailiff.
The jury that heard the
case and returned the verdict was composed of
the following members: Okey S. Johnson, Joshua Lindsay, Amos Cooper,
Alexander Miller, Isaac Davis, Peter Bishop, Christopher Itskin, Thomas
W. Redding, Moses S. Barr, Asa Huff, Adam Hornback and Zebulon Sheetz.
These names call to mind
many of our oldest and most respected
families. All have passed away, Mr. Turner, father of John M. Turner,
of Monticello, who died a few years ago, being the last to go.
Mrs. Miranda J. Reynolds'
Reminiscences
From a paper read by Mrs.
Miranda J. Reynolds, at the old settlers'
meeting at Monticello, August 26, 1893, as published in the Herald of
August 31, 1893, we extract the following:
"Wm. Sill located in what
is now Monticello, erecting the first house
in the town on lot No. 1 (s. w. cor. Marion and Bluff streets), which
is near Martin Witz's present house. It was a cabin which we moved
into, without doors or windows and a puncheon floor. In those days the
latch-string was always out. Our house was the stopping place for all
the settlers in the county. The Indians were all around us and often
slept on the floor before the fire. Peter Price was our nearest
neighbor. In 1834 or 1835 there were several families moved here. One
was Mrs. Reese, a widow lady with several daughters and sons.
"We were without
religious organizations of any kind, but Mrs. Reese
said we must have a Sunday school. She and Mr. Sherwood invited all the
children to meet them on Sunday in a new house that was being built and
bring their books. We all went and took our Webster spelling book. Of
course we had a Bible and Watt's hymns, but no books for children.
About this time there were several families moved here from
Virginia—Father Sheetz and family, the Johnsons and a large family of
Reeses. They were all Presbyterians. In 1836 a church was organized
consisting of Zebulon Sheetz and wife, mother and son, John Reese and
wife, mother and sister, and Jonathan Harbolt. Mr. Sheetz and John
Wilson was [sic] the first elders. Father Williamson was the first
minister. We had Baptist and Methodist preaching also. The services
were all held in the school house and we frequently had a sermon from
local preachers who were 'homemade' men. On one occasion one of these
was preaching for us and after he had preached two hours a crusty old
bachelor thought he would roast him out, but he took off his coat and
preached two hours longer.
"Abraham Sneathen,
another preacher, deserves more than a passing
notice. He lived in Liberty Township, but we often went to hear him
preach. I attended a revival service conducted by him. He wore a blue
calico shirt and was barefooted. After talking awhile he rolled up his
pants and started for the river singing, 'Am I a Soldier of the Cross?'
the congregation following, where he baptized several converts by
immersion. Grandfather Tilton used to amuse us young folks very much by
asking the Lord to 'rim-rack and center shake' the sinners when he
prayed at camp-meetings. * * *
"I must say a word for
the dear mothers of our town, Mothers Sheetz,
Price, Barkley, Tilton, Hull, Sill and a host of others ever ready in
sickness with their healing salves and sweating herbs, spending whole
nights caring for their neighbors. Often have Mothers Sheetz and Sill
ridden miles on horseback to carry some tried remedies to suffering
ones, called by physicians of our day 'old women's remedies,' but how
welcome to the suffering homesick frontier women, These have all passed
away, but their work so nobly commenced is being carried on by the sons
and daughters, which is proven by the fine farms, splendid church
buildings, the schoolhouses in every township, the manufactures of all
kinds, the gravel roads, ditches and all the improvements. This is
marvelous to one who has lived here sixty years and seen the progress.
"Our first physician was
Doctor Rifenbarrick. He was a rough specimen
as he traveled miles and miles on horseback. His medicine case was a
pair of old fashioned saddlebags. He would walk up to the bed and look
at his patient, then go over to the table, put out a spoonful of
calomel and jalap and apply a fly blister. This was his prescription
for all diseases. Such heroic treatment would not be appreciated in
these days.
"The three first general
stores were situated as follows: Mr. Orwig of
Delphi had a store where A. R. Bennett now lives (southwest corner
Bluff and East Broadway). Wm. Sill had one where the Lear Hotel is
(east side Main Street, opposite courthouse), and Isaac Reynolds one
near where S. A. Carson now lives (east side of Main Street south of
Harrison). These stores contained all the general supplies for which
the Indians used to exchange venison and game of all kinds,
cranberries, maple sugar, etc.
"Our first school was
taught in a small frame house on the lot where A.
R. Bennett now lives, the house that was built by Mr. Orwig for his
store. It was taught by Mr. Gillam of Carroll County. Our books were
Webster's. Speller and the old English reader. The furnishing of the
schoolroom is beyond description.
"Our amusements consisted
of sleighriding in bobsleds, horseback
riding, picnics, etc. One merry huckleberry picnic I remember
distinctly. Our conveyance was a log sled drawn by oxen."
Mrs. Reynolds was a
daughter of William Sill and has since qone to her
reward, but the above graphic picture of early days in Monticello is
well drawn and deserves to be remembered. It is an authentic account of
her early girlhood and no one is now living who can recall those scenes.
Interview
With Mrs. Harriet Baum
From an interview with
Mrs. Harriet Baum, published in the Monticello
Herald of November 28, 1895, she gives a brief statement of her
experiences in Monticello in 1832, and subsequent years. She recalls
the time when the land now occupied by Monticello did not contain a
single house. Mrs. Baum and her husband came here directly after their
marriage and located in what was then known as Walnut Grove, a few
miles southwest of town. Uncle John Roberts was the nearest neighbor
and the other settlers in the country were Peter Price, Benjamin
Spencer, John Rothrock, Mahlon Fraser, Sr., Benjamin Reynolds, Judge
Barnes and Jerry Fisher. Wm. Miller Kenton, son of Simon Kenton, of
Indian fighting fame, came soon afterward, and located on a farm
adjoining the Roberts farm. Mr. Baum had worked for Mr. Roberts before
he married and the year before his marriage occurred the "Black Hawk
Indian scare," which is one of the earliest traditions of White County.
The Indians were reported to be on the warpath headed for the new
settlement, and several families made tracks for civilization, some to
the Barr Settlement near Battle Ground and others to Delphi. Mr. Baum
then being a single man, "would not run but stood his round and cocked
his gun." But the Indian raid proved to be a false alarm and the
settlers soon returned to their homes.
The first thing the Baums
did after their marriage was to build a home.
It was a cabin of round logs 16 by 18 feet, with one room and a chimney
of sticks and clay. The aristocratic settler like Mr. Roberts was able
to build a home of hewed logs and it was not many years until the Baums
were able to revel in the same luxury and they moved into their new
home of a hewed log house of two rooms.
John Roberts about 1842
built the brick house now occupied by his
grandson, Robert E. Roberts, on the new stone road. It was one of the
first, if not the very first, brick houses built in the county. Mrs.
Baum well remembered the first house built in Monticello. It was built
by William Sill on lot 1 (the southwest corner of Bluff and Marion
streets). Other houses soon appeared, among the first being a log
tavern of two rooms built by Rowland Hughes. One of Mrs. Baum's
earliest recollections is seeing the Indians pass by her house on their
way to Winamac to get the money for their lands. They traveled in
single file with ponies, squaws and papooses, but on their return they
scattered in squads. They had stopped in Monticello to imbibe firewater
and had forgotten their habits.
Mrs. Baum's husband died
and she later became the wife of Abram
Hanawalt; both are now dead and the twenty years since this interview
was held have sufficed to remove from our midst the last of the first
settlers.
Seventeen-Year
Locusts
Probably the most
peculiar and interesting insect of the cicada family
is the seventeen-year locust, so-called because of its periodic visits
every seventeen years. Individually it gives out a peculiar rasping
sound which the vivid imagination of the hearer easily converts into a
long-drawn-out Pha-ra-oh, which when once heard is never forgotten.
Millions of them united produce a continuous droning easily heard for a
distance of a half mile.
The writer's first
recollection of the brood which infests White and
Carroll counties, and a portion of Cass and Clinton, was in 1868, when
they came up from the ground by the millions, covering the shrubbery
and small twigs of the lower branches of trees almost as closely as a
swarm of bees. They appeared again in diminished numbers in 1885; and
again in 1902, still fewer in number. This brood is due again in 1919;
and again, if not extinct, in 1936. Watch for them in the timber along
the Tippecanoe.
Monticello's
Early Bands
An old subscription paper
on which was subscribed the money to buy the
instruments for the first brass band organized in Monticello, was
placed in the archives of the Old Settlers Association in December,
1879. It bears no date but it was doubtless about the year 1848. The
amounts subscribed total $48.50, most of which is marked "paid," and
opposite the amounts paid is shown the kind of currency in which it was
paid, for instance, "Chas. Dodge, $2.00, Paid, State Bank of Ohio." On
the back of this paper appears the names of the members of this band,
as follows: R. A. Spencer, R. W. Sill, Chas. Dodge, John R. Willey, Wm.
Braught, M. A. Berkey, W. Rifenberrick, Zachariah Van Buskirk and
Orlando McConahay. All these are now dead and our first band is
forgotten.
Another band was
organized in Monticello in 1852, the horns being the
old-fashioned brass instruments. Dr. Robert Spencer was the leader, bis
instrument being a clarionet [sic]. Other members were the Doctor's two
sons, William and James, the former playing a cornet and James an alto.
Alfred Reed, afterward a colonel in the Civil war and judge of the
county court, also played a cornet; Zachariah Van Buskirk, second
clarionet [sic]; John R. Willy, James K. Lynch and Thompson Grose, alto
horns; David K. Ream, bass drum, and William H. Parcells, tenor drum.
The leader of the band copied all the different parts of the music with
a quill pen. This primitive band was succeeded later by the Monticello
Silver Cornet Band, composed of Drs. Robert and William Spencer, Daniel
D. and Oliver Dale, James G. Staley, Watson Brown, and others, many of
whom enlisted as a regimental band at the beginning of the war.
Big
Ice Gorge
The highest flood and
heaviest ice gorge ever seen in the Tippecanoe at
Monticello occurred February 29, 1904. The long, cold winter had frozen
the ice to an unusual thickness. This heavy ice was broken up by a
flood in January, but most of it lodged on the river bed and on the
banks between Monticello and the river's mouth. The weather again
turned cold and the slush ice ran thickly and was wedged and packed in
the river for several miles above, to be frozen solid by a low
temperature lasting well into February. Heavy rain began falling Sunday
night, February 28th, and by Monday evening the ice formed a gorge near
Norway, destroying the Norway bridge and carrying the west span away
bodily. About eight o'clock this portion of the ice mass reached
Monticello, threatening the destruction of the large iron bridge
spanning the river at this point. The formation of a second gorge at
the islands below the city checked the onflow, the ice rose to within
three feet of the bridge floor and the threatening bridge span from
Norway came to a halt some two hundred feet above the Monticello
bridge, where it remained until the subsidence of the waters dropped it
to the river bed, where most of it still remains. The scene next
morning was one never to be forgotten. The waterworks plant and the
Barnes electric light plant north of it were flooded as high as the
windows, while from bluff to bluff the entire bottom lands were
covered. Only the tops of two houses on the flat under the railroad
bridge showed above the surrounding ice.
Mitchell
Powder Explosion
In 1904 a man named James
C. Mitchell obtained a patent on a smokeless
powder, and a local company was formed for its manufacture. Nothing,
however, ever came of it except the serious maiming of the inventor.
December 14, 1904, while grinding some of the powder in his laboratory
in Reynolds an explosion occurred. Mitchell's left hand and arm were
blown off, his right mangled so that only two fingers were saved; the
great toe on one foot blown off, the flesh on his leg badly torn, one
bone in his right arm broken and both eyes destroyed. Altogether he was
about the most complete wreck of a man that ever lived through an
accident. He got well and, though totally blind, afterward made two
trips to Scotland in the interest of his invention.
Jump
From Courthouse Tower
The star attraction at a
"corn festival," or street fair, held in
Monticello the week of October 3 to 8, 1904, was a high dive from the
courthouse tower into a net, by a young man named Archie Robbins. The
"dive" was made from one of the upper windows on the east side of the
tower into a net stretched over the cement walk nearly one hundred feet
beiow. He shot down like a rocket, struck the net squarely in the
center, going through it as if it were tissue paper. The foolhardy leap
was witnessed by a large crowd of people. Instant death was averted by
a pile of loose straw which the management had placed under the net as
a precaution. His spine was fractured and his lower limbs paralyzed. He
was removed to the house of his father in Hartford City, Indiana, where
he died some weeks later.
A
Pioneer Letter
In the White County
Democrat of February 9, 1900, was published a
letter written by Martha Rees, dated "Monticello, White County,
Indiana, Dec. 20, 1835," addressed to her aunt, Susan Rees, Sheets'
Mill, Virginia. The Reeses had arrived in White County on November 17,
1835, and Martha was writing the old home folks her first impressions
of the new home. She says:
"We bought a lot in town
and expect to get a house built against
spring. We have got our logs hauled for the house. We live in about two
miles of town. Our town improves very fast. Last spring there was only
one house in the place, and that was built for a stable. Now there are
six dwelling houses, and against this time next year it is supposed
there will be upwards of twelve dwelling houses. I heard the first
sermon preached in town that ever was preached there a few days ago.
There will be regular preaching there now. We heard a Methodist preach
about a week ago.
"Houses are generally
very indifferent here, but it is hoped that the
inhabitants of this country will take more pains in making their houses
comfortable. It is a chance house that is large enough for to have
preaching in. You said that you wanted to know what kind of a house we
lived in. We live in a cabin. We have not as much elbow room as we
should like to have, but we have to put up with it. Our house is as
good as the houses are in general. We can put up with our houses better
than if our land was as your Virginia lands are. It is delightful to
look over the prairie. We can sit in our house and see a house five
miles off. We live on a ridge called 'Sandy Ridge.' Jonathan Johnson
lives about a quarter of a mile off. He lives with Oky. Uncle James
Parker lives in less than a quarter of a mile of us. Uncle Joshua
Renker lives about two miles from us."
The lot she speaks of
buying and having the logs hauled onto for
building a house was Lot 53 on the west side of North Main Street,
where the Kiefhaber residence and blacksmith shop stood for many years
afterward, and now occupied by the fourth, fifth and sixth business
rooms in the brick block north of Washington Street. The one lone house
mentioned was the residence of William Sill on Lot No. 1, southwest
corner of Bluff and Marion streets. The "Sandy Ridge" mentioned was
northwest of Monticello.
"Spectator"
Items, 1859-61
On November 10, 1859, it
was announced that James Spencer, owner of the
Monticello Spectator, by invitation of M. McKachin, conductor, and Mr.
John, engineer, rode over the Pan Handle bridge on a carload of iron
and pronounced it good (the bridge).
The first train over the
T. L. and B. Railroad from Monticello to
Middleport was noted on December 26, 1859.
Under date of January 11,
1860, the Spectator announces that "trains
are now running regularly" and adds the astounding fact that "we have
four trains passing this place daily, both ways."
From the Spectator of
March 15, 1861: "Merchant Rowland Hughes of this
place has established a horse-power corn sheller in his warehouse,
which shakes the cobs out of two hundred bushels of corn per day in a
manner interesting to behold."
The
First Judgment Of The White
Circuit Court
The first term of the
White Circuit Court was held at the home of
George A. Spencer, in Big Creek Township, about five miles southwest of
Monticello, on Friday, October 17, 1834. Present James Barnes and
Thomas Wilson, associate judges. Both judges presented their
commissions signed by Noah Noble, governor, dated July 7, 1834, and
William Sill presented his commission as clerk, which was also signed
by the governor and dated July 7, 1834. These commissions were each for
a term of seven years. Mr. Sill took the oath of office before Aaron
Hicks, sheriff, and thus originated the White Circuit Court. A grand
jury was convened and, having heard witnesses, returned one indictment
charging Jeremiah Bishir with malicious mischief. It seems that his
neighbor, John Roberts, owned a certain horse which had broken into the
Bishir fields. Mr. Bishir had caught the horse and tied to its tail a
full-sized clapboard, the which the said horse had kicked until both
tail and clapboard were almost worn out. At the April term, 1835, towit
on Friday, April 17, 1835, the case came on for hearing when Mr. Bishir
entered a plea of guilty and the court fined him $5 with the costs and
ordered "that the said defendant do stand committed in the custody of
the sheriff of said county for the space of one minute." This first
judgment violates the laws of syntax for which it seems there was no
penalty, but tradition informs us that tho bystanders gathered in a
circle around the prisoner and for the full space of one minute he was
"it." At that time there was no jail in the county or Mr. Bishir would
have had the honor of being our first jail bird.
Enlargement
Of Public Square In
Monticello
Doubtless few people are
now living who can recall the time when the
public square, on which is located the courthouse, comprised only the
east half of what is now occupied for that purpose. When the town was
platted a street from north to south and forty feet wide extended from
Broadway to what is now Court Street, passing under the west end of the
present courthouse. This left the Square about 140 by 175 feet, but
Court Street did not extend to Illinois Street. The county
commissioners were asked to buy lots 82, 83 and 84, lying west of the
courthouse, and add them to the Square. They appropriated $500 for that
purpose and the Monticello Herald of July 1, 1865, printed a list of
subscribers who had subscribed and paid $1,027 towards the purchase of
these lots making the fund $1,527. Of this amount the owners of these
lots were paid as follows:
| John W Morgan |
$600 |
| M Fraser |
800 |
| Liberty M Burns |
125 |
Total
|
$1,525 |
Paid for deed and stamps
|
2 |
Total
|
$1,527 |
The subscription paper
contains the names of thirty-nine subscribers,
only four of whom are yet living, namely, Jeptha Crouch, J H McCollum,
Alfred R Orton and Capt G B Ward Lot 84 was opened to make the west end
of Court Street and lots 82 and 83 are occupied by the sheriff's
residence and jail It seems strange to us that, when this land cost but
$125 per acre, no larger space should have been dedicated for a seat of
justice, but at the time it was doubtless considered ample for all time
Only
War Mother In White County
A woman to whom all old
soldiers pay especial honor is Mrs Mary A Carr,
of West Point Township, the only living mother of a Union soldier in
White County, who on August 7, 1915, celebrated her ninety-first
birthday She gave two sons to the Union army, Walter Carr, of West
Point Township, with whom she lives, who was a soldier in the
Forty-fourth Ohio Infantry and S B Carr, of Colburn, Indiana, a member
of the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Both served for four years and
left enviable records as soldiers Mrs Carr is well preserved, her mind
is active and she is greatly interested in the G A R, the members of
which are indebted to her for many acts of kindness
Spiritualism
During the summer of 1859
the Democrat and Spectator engaged in a
heated controversy on the subject of "Spiritualism" The Spectator had
been accused by a republican, in a letter to the Democrat, of
advocating that cult and at it they went From the files of both these
papers we learn that a Miss Whoolet had given a lecture in the old
court room on "Revelations and Manifestations of the Spirit World,"
which had been attended by some female from Burnettsville, who wrote a
letter to the Democrat, July 10, 1859, in which she attacked the editor
of the Spectator for his part in the programme This called for a reply
by the Spectator, seemingly in denial, and the game was on and it was a
great game in which argument gave way to abuse and all had a good time
Were
You There?
On Wednesday evening,
August 3, 1859, at the courthouse, the ladies of
the Methodist Episcopal Church Sewing Society gave a grand festival The
hand bills announcing the fact were from the Democrat press, the
proceeds were to be used in improving the church, arrangements were to
be made to please the most fastidious taste, all the luxuries of the
season were to be served and the admission fee was 10 cents The bill
reads just like a modern one There has been little change in church
festivals in the last half century
Carrier's
Address
In the early days of
Monticello journalism the papers were delivered by
youthful carriers, such as Jay B Van Buskirk, Bowman and Samuel A
Rothrock and many other nice little boys Their pay was not very liberal
and they were allowed, at New Year time, to distribute to their patrons
a hand bill on which was printed a calendar for the coming year and
with it an alleged poem in which about everybody in town was given a
puff or a roast These so called poems make almost a complete directory
of the business men of the town and were often amusing The oldest one
in the archives of the White County Historical Society is the one
issued for 1857, by the Political Frame, in which everybody and
everything is given a genuine hearty fling It closes with the following
beautiful sentiment: "Thus on we go—but I propose
To
bring this message to a close A
happy New Year! For his rhyme Pray
give the Carrier Boy a dime"
Removal
Of The County Seat
Shortly after the close
of the Civil war a movement was launched, in
the western part of White County, to remove the seat of justice from
Monticello to Reynolds The idea had its origin prior to the war but
during that struggle the subject was permitted to occupy a rear seat
After the war the removal was freely agitated, its sponsors urging the
change for the reason that Reynolds was situated very near the
geographical center of the county This suggestion was met with the
statement that if the change was made the people of the county would be
taxed to raise at least $250,000 to pay the lot owners of Monticello
for their lots, the title to which would fail should Monticello cease
to be the permanent seat of justice of the county This argument was
based upon the terms of the grant by which the county acquired title to
the lands on which Monticello was located As stated, at the close of
the war the subject was again agitated, meetings were held pro and con,
the newspapers discussed the proposed change and handbills were printed
and circulated all over the county and for a dozen years the question
was acute On June 29, 1867, a large handbill was published and
circulated, showing why the removal should not be made, and carefully
stating the reasons against suoh removal This was signed by Isaac
Reynolds, Randolph Brearley, Jonathan Harbolt, Rowland Hughes, Charles
W Kendall and John Roberts This was not the end of the controversy but
at last the movement died, peace was declared and the subject forgotten
Old
Time Journalism In White County
An examinaion [sic] of
the files of the White County newspapers prior
to 1885 discloses some strange features in local journalism In the
olden time if two or more individuals became involved in political, or
other, controversies they would rush into print and tell the truth
about each other in a most shocking manner After the first article no
argument was ever used, the question at issue was dropped, the words
"thief," "liar" and many even worse epithets were freely printed and
the war went merrily on until both sides had exhausted their
vocabularies and the matter was dropped; but only for a short time In a
few months another war would be declared, perhaps with a different
alignment, the vials of wrath would be opened, innocent bystanders
would he involved, the reputations of many of our best citizens would
be attacked and the casual observer would naturally expect to see
bloodshed or even murder before it was ended But none of this When they
grew tired they would rest for a time, then at it again These wars were
confined to no class or profession but most of them were waged by local
lawyers or candidates for office To read them now is to be amused, but
perhaps in fifty years the reader may get as much enjoyment in reading
of our way of doing things
Another feature of these
old papers is worthy of note If a man died, no
matter how prominent he was, he was lucky to get three lines in a local
paper, but if he belonged to some society, he was good for a half
column of formal resolutions which gave no account of his life, his
worth or his family Does the reader ask what these papers contained?
They would be given over to news from Washington, speeches in Congress
and even whole pages from the Congressional Record In what has been
written no reflections are intended on these pioneer newspapers They
were well printed, neat in appearance and published what the people
wanted to read, but since about 1885, a great change is noted
The last thirty years has
[sic] been remarkable in journalistic
development It would really repay any one to read the local papers
published during that time just to recall the wild schemes that have
been set afloat Traction lines from no place to no where have been
located by wily promoters, life, accident, and fire insurance companies
launched by irresponsible solicitors from far away cities, worthless
mining stocks have been sold by the wholesale and the work still goes
on its way The public enjoys such things and is willing to pay for it
Another change is
apparent The old time local paper had no army of
correspondents If Betsey Short visited Bud Means Sunday, if old Jack
Means helped Bull catch a coon, or Squire Hawkins assisted the hero of
Lundy's Lane to kill a hog, the public remained in blissful ignorance
of such events Betsey's courtship was ignored, Bull gained no publicity
and the poor hog met his death, "unwept, unhonored and unsung" But time
has changed all this What will the next generation think of us?
Mexican
War
So far as known the
following is a list of all the old Mexican soldiers
who ever permanently lived in White County: Roy D Davidson, Michael
Austin, a man by the name of Conkling (a cousin of Senator Conkling's),
Thomas Cooper, John Wright, a Mr Penny, Andrew Robinson and William F
Ford These have all passed away but the descendants of some of them
still live in the county Three men only enlisted from the county,
William F Ford, N H Steel and Beveridge McCormick and all went from
Jackson Township and these, too, have since died Mr McCormick died in
the service from the loss of an arm
Distillery
In White County
Between 1840 and 1850, an
individual by the name of Smith, living about
two miles southwest of the present town of Idaville, procured a "worm"
and engaged in the manufacture of "Mountain dew" Shades of the past!
All this in Jackson Township All of its patrons have passed beyond and
Smith has gone to his reward His was doubtless the first (but not the
last) blind tiger in White County Peace to his memory
Burns
Murder
In the early spring of
1860, one Burns, who came from Ohio and settled
about two miles north of Burncttsville, became jealous of his spouse
and after killing her committed suicide He also attempted to kill his
child which he declared to be illegitimate She was interred in the
Winegarner Cemetery but he was denied Christian burial and his grave is
still preserved on the old farm but in a sadly dilapidated condition
Suicide
Of William Crose
A few of the older
citizens of Jackson Township remember the suicide of
Mr Crose He was a quiet, reserved man whose mind became unsettled on
the subject of religion and about 1855 killed himself by shooting about
two miles southwest of the present town of Idaville The affair was a
sad one and for many years the neighbors with bated breath discussed
his unnatural act
Brummer
Murder At Reynolds
On July 2, 1866, a man by
the name of Brummer who had been married
about a year and whose wife had left him about a month prior to the
above date, met her near Reynolds, fired two shots at her and then
turned the revolver on himself This was Sunday about 10 o'clock and he
died about 2 P M, while she passed away at 430 P M of the same day
Murder
Of Richard M Herron
On Sunday January 23,
1876, the body of Richard W Herron, a veteran of
the Civil war, was found frozen in the woods pasture about two miles
east of Monticello on the south of the railroad He had left Idaville
Friday afternoon, January 14th, where he had been tending bar for John
(Jack) Kelly and started, as was supposed, to Brookston, where his
father lived Search had been made for him for more than a week but
without success until after he had been dead for some ten days His body
was brought to Monticello, placed in the courthouse and an inquest held
by the coroner, Doctor Henry The inquest occupied a portion of three
days, the jury of twelve men returned a verdict that deceased had come
to his death at the hands of John, alias, Jack Kelly A warrant was
issued for his arrest and he was committed to jail without bond
Subsequently he was tried in the White Circuit Court where a jury found
him guilty and fixed his punishment at six years in the penitentiary;
being dissatisfied at this he applied for and was granted a new trial,
but in this trial the jury found him guilty and gave him eighteen years
and failing to get another trial, he was taken to prison Kelly was a
blacksmith by trade and when not drinking was an industrious, peaceable
man, but liquor made him a demon and when in his cups was a terror to
the village He had quit his trade and was keeping a saloon in the same
house in which he lived with his two little girls, aged ten and
thirteen years, and Herron for about a month had been a member of the
family The principal witness for the state was one, John Toothman, who
had succeeded Herron as bartender for Kelly and it was largely on his
testimony that Kelly was convicted
Drowning
Of Mrs Lucinda Hughes
On May 31, 1863, Mrs
Lucinda Hughes, wife of John C Hughes, who lived
just east of what is now Sitka, was drowned at the Hughes Ford, on the
Tippecanoe River, where now stands the Lowe bridge With her husband and
two grandchildren they had been visiting on the west side of the river
and were returning to their homes Mrs Hughes feared to cross with her
husband in his buggy and was with the grandchildren in a spring wagon
when it struck a rock and was turned over The children, by holding to
the wagon, were carried down stream and rescued Mr Hughes, who had
crossed safely, returned at once but the body of Mrs Hughes was carried
down the river and was found the following day two miles below the ford
She was sixty years old at her death and held in great esteem by all
who knew her Her husband, John C Hughes, was a brother of Rowland (Pap)
Hughes and died in 1872, at the age of seventy-two and both are buried
in the old cemetery at Monticello Near their graves are buried his
parents Ellis Hughes, born December 17, 1776, died January 6, 1850, and
Sarah, his wife, born January 25, 1777, died March 18, 1857, in her
eighty-first year These dates carry us back to the Revolution Near
these graves lie the remains of Mary Imes, mother-in-law of "Pap"
Hughes and the late Senator Turpie She died February 15, 1868, at the
age of eighty-two
Crow
Bounty
By an act in force March
4, 1911, the Legislature of Indiana authorized
counties to pay a bounty of 10 cents for each crow and 5 cents for each
crow's egg killed or found in the county and the party filing his claim
was obliged to make affidavit to the facts before the county auditor
and produce the crow's heads and eggs An appropriation was made for
this purpose by the county council early in 1911, but at its meeting on
April 6, 1912, the fund had been overdrawn $116 At this meeting a
further appropriation of $300 was made for the purpose but the council
suggested that the commissioners reduce the bounty to 7 cents per crow
and 3 cents per egg The auditor was obliged to cremate the birds heads
and eggs and one enterprising individual brought in at one time 167
crow heads, yet the crow continues to flourish
Livery
Stable Burned
On the night of October
22, 1873, a large livery stable at the
southwest corner of Washington and Illinois streets, in Monticello,
owned by Beeson Brothers, was destroyed by fire Everything in the barn,
including nine head of horses, six buggies, grain and a large quantity
of hay was consumed, But one horse was saved and it was in a bad
condition, having been almost burned to death The fire originated in a
defective flue and the loss was in excess of $6,000, with insurance for
half that amount
Southwest
Corner Main And Marion
Streets, Monticello
On this corner stands one
of the land marks of Monticello, the three
story brick building, 45 by 70 feet, known as the Reynolds Block The
White County Democrat of July 20, 1865, notes that it was being built
by the Messrs Reynolds and that the cellar is excavated and the walls
begun It also adds, "the front will be supported by iron columns" This
building is yet one of the principal business blocks of Monticello and
bids fair to stand another half century
White
County In 1847-48
In an article contributed
to the White County Democrat of December 16,
1898, James Spencer, who now lives in Liberty Township gives some
interesting history of White County as it was in 1847-48, when Mr
Spencer came to this locality with his parents At that time Monticello
contained less than three dozen houses, both public and private He
remembers the old two-story frame courthouse, said to have been built
by his father some years earlier; without a yard of plaster, it had
been ceiled with wide poplar boards This seat of justice stood on the
east side of Main Street, not far from the present M E Church (This
building was later removed to the northwest corner of Main and Harrison
streets and used for a wagon shop It is now the office and grain room
of the Southside feed barn) On the present site of the M E Church stood
the leading hotel of the town, run by Jacob Beck and shortly afterwards
by Joseph Rothrock (This building was later the home of the late Squire
Henry P Bennett, but when the church was built it was moved to the east
side of Main Street half a block south of the South Side School
building, where it now stands) The only other hotel in the town was
operated by Rowland Hughes on the east side of Main Street in a one and
a half story log house The only dry goods store in the town had just
been started by Rowland Hughes, who converted his 10 by 12 barroom into
the limited, yet ample, quarters for the mercantile traffic of that day
Isaac Reynolds and J C Merriam, of Logansport, soon afterward opened a
competing store in the same locality Daniel M Tilton had a meager stock
of groceries in the one story frame building which stood at the
northwest corner of Main and Washington streets and James C Reynolds
kept the postoffice in the front room of his little harness shop which
stood where the State Bank is now located
There was but one church
in the town, the New School Presbyterian,
which stood on the ground now occupied by the Presbyterian Church This
old church was later moved to the north side of Court Street and was
used as a barn until the fall of 1914, when it was torn down and a
garage erected on its site Rev G D Miller was the only resident pastor,
the Methodist Episcopal people having only a small class with
occasional preaching appointments The writer of that article calls to
mind William M Bott, Joseph and Mahlon Fraser, as the first earnest
advocates of Bible Wesleyanism and their earnest zeal and consistent
daily walk and conversation, which had a great influence in placing
that church squarely on its feet in the community
This writer's father, and
Dr Samuel Rifenberrick, were the only
practicing physicians in the town as Dr Randolph Brearley had just
withdrawn from the practice Thompson Crose and Amer S McElhoes were the
only blacksmiths, but Jesse Grim soon made the sparks fly on his own
forge Johnson Rifenberrick was the merchant tailor, John Maguire the
dandy shoemaker with old man Day & Sons as super-cobblers There
were no drug stores in the whole county, no newspapers, no railroad
dreamed of, but one weekly mail via LaFayette, and in fact no towns in
the county except Monticello and Norway At that time there were no
mills of any kind except Hillman's sawmill Just above what is now
Tioga, Sheetz' gristmill, now Oakdale, and the Norway mills Norway was
the best trading point, the Kendall brothers at that place had a fine
trade both in their store and mill Jonathan Harbolt was the only
undertaker in Monticello and his six and eight dollar stained poplar
coffins were good enough for our old pioneers Charles Dodge conducted
the only wagon shop in the rear end of lot 1, on Marion Street between
Main and Bluff streets, and across the street to the east J R Willey,
did some work of the same character Joseph and Abram Hanawalt were the
plasterers and Uncle Samuel Heckendorn had the only furniture shop in
the village Benjamin Linville, Samuel Logan and Sampson Hartman were
the active carpenters of the time and the old log jail stood near what
is now the Pennsylvania depot
The first school attended
by Mr Spencer was on the east side of Bluff
Street, just north of Washington It was taught by Prof George Bowman,
in an old one story frame building that long since has been torn down
David Turpie was the only
resident attorney and Horace P Biddle, of
Logansport, was judge of the court whose sessions were brief and far
between
In 1847, there were no
bridges across the Tippecanoe River and not even
a ferry boat, until 1850, when one was started at the foot of Marion
Street The part of the town east of Main Street and north of the
present railroad was called, "Ponetown," and was devoid of human
habitations Such in brief is a showing of Monticello prior to 1850 Few
can recall these scenes and these few will soon have passed away
Soldiers
Monument
It may seem strange that
White County has erected no memorial to the
soldiers and sailors she has furnished in our three wars since the
organization of the county, but our people have been taxed so heavily
for drainage and roads that it has not as yet been thought expedient to
levy a tax for this purpose That a fine one will some day be erected no
one doubts The subject has not been frequently agitated of late years,
but so long ago as the close of the Civil war meetings were held for
the purpose of interesting the public in such a project The first
meeting of which we can find an account was held at the courthouse in
Monticello on Saturday, 2 P M, May 21, 1864 At this meeting, on motion
of Thomas Bushnell, David Turpie was chosen president, and James W
McEwen and Richard Brown, secretaries
Thomas Bushnell, Orlando
McConahay and Dr J A Blackwell, were appointed
a committee to prepare a subscription paper for circulation and agents
to circulate this paper were appointed for each township Of all the
people named in connection with this work James W McEwen is the only
one now living This monument was to be erected in the public square at
Monticello; at the close of the meeting nearly $150 was subscribed Some
years later Congress provided for the erection, over all graves of
deceased soldiers, of the little plain headstone so familiar to us all
and, like the little bronze button, this soon became popular with the
old veterans Many counties of the state have erected memorials to their
soldier dead and it is not likely White County will much longer delay
some action in this matter
Old
Tannery At Norway
About 1855, Rev Abraham
Snyder, father of Captain Snyder, now living in
Monticello, built a tannery at Norway and for some fifteen years he did
a thriving business He purchased the hides from The farmers and
butchers and tanned them with tanbark, taken from the surrounding
forests which method produced a splendid quality of leather known as,
"Snyder's Jerk" It was used largely by local shoe and harness makers
and gave the best of satisfaction John C Bartholomew, who married Mr
Snyder's daughter, was a saddler and harness maker and had his factory
in the tannery which was located just south of Norway across the road
from the fine spring, which is passed on the highway The water from
this spring which is, "sweet unto this day," was used in tanning the
hides and the Snyder family lived above the factory
First
Marriage In White County
The first marriage in
White County, as shown by the records in the
clerk's office was that of John Luce to Sally Hazelton, solemnized
October 26, 1834 The second was the marriage of George R Bartley to
Katharine McColloch, on November 24, 1834, and the third Nathaniel
Bunnell to Nancy Bunnell, on March 10, 1835 These licenses were all
issued by William Sill, who was the first clerk of White County and in
each case the knot was tied by George A Spencer, justice of the peace
Death
Of Gypsy King At Norway
During the month of July,
1913, a large band of Gypsies were encamped
for several days on the east side of the river opposite Norway and
while there their king, Thomas Nicholas, seventy-seven years old, died
of dropsy He was a man of wealth and the entire tribe was well supplied
with money which was freely spent on the old king's funeral His remains
were taken by auto to Danville, Illinois, and there buried in regal
style His people would not allow the old king to be embalmed, the
weather was quite warm and the trip was a memorable one for those
unaccustomed to such funerals
Narrow
Gauge Railroad Celebration
On August 14, 1878, was
celebrated at Monticello the opening of the
second division of the I D & C R R (now Monon and Standard Gauge)
The Delphi and Monticello brass bands furnished the music Rowland
Hughes presided, speeches were made and all were hopeful that the road
would soon be extended to Indianapolis and Chicago This seems to have
marked the completion of the road between Rensselaer and Monticello,
for at the close of this meeting the watchword was, "On to Delphi" All
were enthusiastic in praise of narrow gauge systems and it was openly
expressed that the old standard gauge roads would soon be abandoned
The
Callahan Family - name Of Idaville
During the Civil war the
Rev Thomas Callahan, at that time pastor of
the United Presbyterian Church at Idaville was a well known character
In politics he was a democrat of the old school but an intense union
man He has long since gone to his reward and in the spring of 1912 his
widow died, at the home of her daughter, Mrs Ida M Baxter, in
Valparaiso, Indiana, being eighty-nine years old The town of Idaville
was named after this daughter, who was handsome and a general favorite
with the early settlers After being given the name of Hanna it was
discovered that there already was a Hanna in Indiana, hence the change
Drowning
Of J G Mccully
From the Register of July
5, 1854, we glean an account of the death by
drowning in the Tippecanoe River of J G McCully, son of Solomon
McCully, of Jackson Township, which occurred at the celebration on July
4, at Monticello He, with several others, was bathing near the foot of
Broadway and getting into deep water became frightened and sunk [sic]
His body, after about an hour, was recovered by Dr Wm Spencer and
Benjamin Brusie
Grave
Of The Oldest Early Settler
On the east bank of the
Tippecanoe River, on a high bluff north of the
dam, and just outside the city limits, is a little graveyard of much
local interest, but very seldom seen by anyone save by the honest
farmer who tends his crops in the adjacent field Many of the graves are
unmarked, but among the marble stones are those erected to the memory
of Sarah S, wife of Moses S Sheetz; who died January 14, 1853, in her
thirty-second year; Margaret, wife of Zebulon Sheetz, who died December
2, 1861, in her sixty-ninth year; Mary A, wife of T M Thompson, who
died October 24, 1867, in her forty-second year; Zebulon Sheetz, who
died November 9, 1868, in his seventy-first year; Thomas M Thompson,
who died August 24, 1881, in his seventy-second year, and Eva, wife of
Jonathan Oates, who died January 1, 1845, in her thirty-fourth year But
at the southwest corner stands an old fashioned marble tombstone upon
which is engraved this remarkable epitaph:
"To
the Memory of Ann Barbara Sheetz
Who was born in York Co Pa July 1750 Died in White Co Ind, July 25,
1839"
No white person is buried
in White County who was born prior to her
birth It is not known to whom she was related The Sheetz, Oates and
Thompson families were very early settlers, but neither record nor
tradition gives any account of this woman who had lived a quarter of a
century when the Revolutionary war was begun She certainly came to
White County after she had passed her fourscore years and we can only
conjecture her reasons for coming, at that age, to a country occupied
by the Indians Her grave certainly contains the remains of our most
aged early settler
First
Ditch Case Tried In White County
As Recalled By Jack Gridley
In 1863 and prior thereto
the greater portion of Liberty and Cass
townships consisted of ponds, sloughs and wet lands Some time in 1862
or 1863 a meeting of farmers was held to consider the proposition of
draining the wet land, and under the statute a company was organized
known as the Keen's Creek Draining Company The route of the proposed
drain commenced near the head of Keen's Creek in Cass Township and
followed practically the meanderings of the creek until it reached the
Tippecanoe River The company elected as directors Benjamin Watkins,
Fred Burgett, Uriah Patton, Richard Cornell and others whose names I
have forgotten They proceeded to let a contract for the construction of
the drain, having completed the preliminary survey and estimate of cost
Upon the completion of the drain they assessed the benefits against
each tract of land benefited Among the lands assessed were the lands of
John C Hughes and John Large, each of whom refused to pay his
assessment The company in 1865 employed Hon David Turpie to bring suit
against Hughes and Large for the collection of their respective
assessments He brought suit in the Common Pleas Court before Hon David
P Vinton, judge
At the September term the
case of John C Hughes was put at issue and
set for trial on the 16th day of May, 1866 Turpie being confined to his
bed by sickness and unable to try the case, he sent for me and employed
me to represent him in the trial I was at that time young and had not
as yet established a reputation as a lawyer, and of course, with the
formidable array of counsel employed by the defense, the members of the
drainage company were frightened, as they had depended upon Turpie's
experience and ability to win the case for them However, Turpie told
them that I was competent and had the essential brass to manage the
case properly, and on his assurance that he would be responsible for
any mistakes in the trial, the company reluctantly accepted my services
The defense was represented by Ellis Hughes as local counsel and Judge
Samuel A Huff and Hon John Pettit of the LaFayette bar
At the outset the Court
sustained a demurrer to the complaint, filed by
Judge Turpie I took leave to amend and spent the entire night in my
office preparing an amended complaint I set out the entire drainage
act, and the amended complaint was held good by the court
The case was at issue,
and on the 16th of May, 1866, a jury was
empaneled composed of John Dunlop, Abram Snyder, Wm P Montgomery, Ira
Chenoweth, Valentine Bates, James E Montgomery, John H Carr, James
Barnes, John Matthews, Wm J Bishop and Daniel Dale, Sr After hearing
the testimony of a great number of witnesses and a lengthy argument of
counsel the jury retired to arrive at a verdict As this was the first
suit brought in White County to collect a drainage assessment, the
people were excited and interested It was considered a test of the
drainage laws, and the courtroom was filled with spectators during the
entire trial Uncle Peter Price, who was scarcely ever seen in the
courtroom, was present throughout He was greatly interested, being an
enthusiastic ditch man, and exhibited as much joy over the verdict as
if he had been one of the plaintiffs, when on the 19th of May, 1866,
the jury returned a verdict in favor of the drainage company for the
amount of the assessment
The case against Large
was tried with the same result It was appealed
to the Supreme Court and reversed upon a technical error, when Large
compromised with the company and paid his assessment and part of the
costs
It is a surprising fact
that the judge, D P Vinton, the attorneys,
Samuel A Huff, John Pettit, Ellis Hughes and David Turpie, every member
of the jury, the defendants, and all the plaintiffs that I remember,
are all dead, and that I am the only surviving participant in that
somewhat memorable trial
Source: A Standard
History of White County 1915