rL^#. ^y ^* -^"^^ f^* -?r ^i^.5i- ^^» ^^•:'^f: Gc 977.201 J31s v.l A standard history of Jasper and Newton counties, A Standard History of Jasper andNewton Counties Indiana An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with an Extended Survey of Modern Developments in the Progress of Town and Country Under the Editorial Supervision of LOUIS H. HAMILTON, Rensselaer For Jasper County and WILLIAM DARROCH, Kentland For Newton County Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors Volume I ILL USTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY -^ CHICAGO AND NEW YORK J—C' S-tT."^ 1308665 INTRODUCTION Indiana has always stood for not only prosperity, but originality, whether considered from the standpoint of the commonwealth or the people. In politics it is often classed as doubtful, because its men and women are thinkers, as well as doers, and are not led against their wills. Especially is the northwestern part of Indiana typical of prosperity, energy and independence, and Jasper and Newton Counties are centers of "God's country," as the real Hoosier calls his home hunting grounds, his picturesque streams, his teeming fields and his hamlets, towns and cities. It is this diverse, useful and interesting country and people which this history, now finished, has endeavored to depict in the gem counties of Jasper and Newton. The twin counties, which so worthily perpetuate the names of two brave Revolutionary com- rades, have put forth gallant soldiers of the later days, writers of wide repute, successful business men, women of culture, and numerous characters of both sexes whose strength and activity have been given to social, moral and religious development. From the very outset, it was the earnest aim of editors and pub- lishers to gather all material information bearing upon the multi- tude of topics which logically called for treatment and which the prospectus had promised. As a rule, the responses were prompt and hearty, although in scattered instances, and despite repeated requests, the facts obtained were not as full as desired. Without mentioning all who have thus promoted our enterprise, and co-oper- ated in the lightening of our labors, the editors acknowledge their obligations to their advisory boards of both counties and to the editors of the newspapers, without exception. All have rendered cheerful and efficient assistance. Not a few business men have also contributed of their valuable time in the actual preparation of manu- scripts, for which they have our special thanks. While it has been the constant aim of the editors to give all credit who have materially contributed to the upbuilding of any community or institution, the object has also been kept in mind of endeavoring to observe literary proportions in the amount of space accorded to the many topics con- sidered. In the progress and completion of the work, we have endeavored to be impartial, as becomes all historians, whether writ- ing of counties or of countries. CONTENTS CHAPTER I CO-OPERATION OF NATURE AND MAN The Kankakee and Iroquois — Surface Geology — Mineral Springs — Topography, Soil and Products — Moulding of Nature by Man — What the Fires Did to Drive Out Rank Forage — The Live Stock of Jasper County — ^Agriculture AND Live Stock Forty Years Ago i CHAPTER II CONFLICTS OF WHITES AND REDS The Miamis Tamed by the Iroquois — Labors of French Mis- sionaries AND Traders — French Indiana — Indiana Under British Rule — Uncertain French Titles to Lands — Ruled from Canada and Virginia — In the County of Illinois — Part of NoRTHVi^EST Territory — Indiana Territory^ — Gen- eral Harrison, Father of Indiana — Tecumseh and the Prophet — The Battle of Tippecanoe — Founding of the State Government — Miami and Pottawattamie Titles Ex- tinguished— Pottawattamie Villages in Jasper County — No Evidences of Permanent Prehistoric Settlements. . .16 CHAPTER III PREPARATIONS FOR WHITE IMMIGRATION The American Survey System — Survey of Indiana Public Lands — When Statehood Came — Creation of the Counties — Conditions Unfavorable to Settlement — William Dona- hue, First Settler — The Yeoman and the Nowels Family — Charles G. Wright — Thomas Randle and George Gulp — The Blue Grass Settlement — The Benjamins — Settlers of 1832-45 Z7 vi ' CONTENTS CHAPTER IV COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION Erection of the Twin Counties — Named after Comrade Pa- triots— Jasper County of 1835 — County Seat Moved to Spitler's Cabin — Jasper and Newton Counties Consoli- dated— County Seat, the Falls of the Iroquois — Formation OF Townships — The Spitler Courthouse — The Early Rens- selaer Courthouses — The Brick Courthouse of 1856 — Courthouse Burned — The Courthouse of 1898 — County Jails — County Officials 44 CHAPTER V COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS First Western American Courts — First Territorial Court — Federal vs. Territorial Jurisdiction — Judicial System un- der the First State Constitution — Subsequent Legislation Affecting the Courts — Circuit Court, a Monopoly of Judi- cial Power — List of Circuit Judges, 1852-1916 — First Court Sessions in Jasper County — Noted Early Lawyers — Joseph A. Wright — Rufus A. Lockwood — Edwin P. Hammond — Simon P. Thompson — Robert S. Dwiggins — Mordecai F. Chilcote 57 CHAPTER VI LAND HIGHWAYS Indian Trails in Jasper County — The White Man's Trails and Early Roads — Bridges as Connecting Links — Thwarted At- tempts at Railroad Building — Indianapolis, Delphi & Chi- cago Line, a Success — Rensselaer Gets Railway Connection Now IN the Monon System — The Big Four — The Three I's Railroad — The Chicago & Eastern Illinois 70 CHAPTER Vll GENERAL AND STATISTICAL Decadal Population, 1840- 1910 — County Revenue and Taxable Property — Present Area and Value of Property — County Finances — The Swamp Lands Scandal — Draining and Im- provement of the Lands — Jasper County Agricultural Society 76 CONTENTS vii CHAPTER VIII GROUNDWORK OF AMERICAN GROWTH Basis of the American Public School — Territorial and Early State Legislation — First Township Schools — The Old- TiME Subscription Concern — Created in Three Days — Founding a Regular System — Building Schoolhouses Un- der the New Order — Deciding on Teacher's Qualifications — Pioneer Schools in Jasper County — The County's Sources of Educational Revenue 84 CHAPTER IX SPECIAL PIONEER PICTURES First Sight of the Grand Prairie — Harbingers of Malaria — Abundance of Wild Game and Fish — The Seasonings and Cultivated Meats, Rarities — Settling of the Emigrant — Breaking Ground — The Pioneer's Live Stock and Forage — Wild Honey and Pumpkin Sirup — Hoosier Hunt^ ing Grounds — In the Kankakee Marshes — A Pottawat- tamie Village 92 CHAPTER X JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR State Militia Previous to the Civil War — Jasper County in the War of the Rebellion — The Ninth as a Three-Months' Regiment — General Robert H. Milroy, Leading Military Figure — Unveiling of Memorial at Milroy Park — Judge Hammond's Tribute to General Milroy — A Nursery of Military Renown — First Union Victim of the Battle- field— Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry — The Sev- enteenth Infantry — The Forty-eighth Regiment — The Eighty-seventh- — Twelfth Cavalry, Company K — Fourth Battery, Light Artillery 114 CHAPTER XI RENSSELAER AND ITS INSTITUTIONS First Actual Settlers — The Yeomans — William Mallatt — The Rapids Named Newton — Yeoman Floated Out by Van Rensselaer — Newton Platted in 1839 — Name Changed to viii CONTENTS Rensselaer — Death of Van Rensselaer — Corporation of Rensselaer^ With Additions — Incorporated as a City — Municipal Officials — City of the Present — Municipal Departments — The Commercial State and First National Banks — State Bank of Rensselaer — ^Jasper Savings & Trust Company — The Local Press — Churches — St. Joseph's Col- lege— Societies 133 CHAPTER XII REMINGTON Always a Grain and Livestock Center — Elevators — State Bank of Remington — Corporation Matters — Remington Public Library — The Newspapers — The Churches — Foun- tain Park Assembly 154 CHAPTER XIII MINOR CENTERS OF POPULATION Saltillo, the Pioneer Settlement — The Forks Settlement, Rensselaer's Early Rival — The Blue Grass Settlement — Carpenter's Grove — Davidsonville — Hanging Grove — Town of Wheatfield 163 CHAPTER XIV NEWTON COUNTY BEFORE IT WAS A POLITICAL BODY Darroch's Review Previous to Civil Organization — No Indian History — The Period of Lawlessness — Early Adventurers — The Kenoyer Settlement — First Postoffice at Brook — John Murphy Founds Morocco — John Ade Locates There — Morocco and the Neighborhood in 1853 — Lands in the Goodland Region — Alexander J. Kent and Kentland. . . 168 CHAPTER XV MATTERS VITAL TO THE COUNTY Opposition to a Western County — State Supreme Court Up- holds Newton County' — The County First Publicly Recog- nized— First Officials Elected and Sworn In — John Ade and Family — Kentland Still the County Seat — Seat CONTENTS ix Located Before Town Was Platted — Proposed Change to Beaver City — Other Attempted Removals — The Old Court- house— -The New Courthouse — The Poor Farm and Asylum — Organization of the Townships — Roster of County Offi- cials— The County's Golden Anniversary — Increase in Population — Population in i860, 1870 and 1880 — Popula- tion in 1890, 1900 AND 1910 — Assessed Valuation of Prop- erty, 1916 — Other Statistics for 191 5-16 — Improved Roads in the County — In the Days of the Trails and Stage Routes — Projection and Building of Its Railroads 183 CHAPTER XVI COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS Circuit Judges Presiding in Newton County — Judges of the Court of Common Pleas — First Term of Circuit Court — First Term of Common Pleas Court — Albert G. Brown and Other Pioneer Lawyers — "Reputation Is Not Character" — Reputation of the Beaver Lake Region — The Man from Mong — Convening of Court, an Event — A Degenerate Son — Legal Matters Connected with Kankakee Improve- ments— Beaver Lake Land Litigations — The Brandon Trial — ^Justifiable Larceny 209 CHAPTER XVII COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM Pioneer Schools of the County — Prominent Ex-Pupils of a District School — The County Examiners (1861-73) — County Superintendents (1873-1916) — The System of the Present — Play, as Well as Work — The School Savings Bank — The Boys' County Corn Club » . 233 CHAPTER XVIII NATURE AND HER CULTIVATION Transformation of the Beaver Lake Region — Natural Drain- age AND Topography — Prehistoric Mounds — Soil and Prod- ucts— George Ade on Agricultural Changes of Twenty Years — Jump from $50 to $200 per Acre — Scientific Farming, the Explanation — Change in Popular Opinion 241 X CONTENTS CHAPTER XIX NEWTON COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865) The "Boys" of '61 — The County at the Outbreak of the War — First War Meeting — Summer and Fall of '61 — Organi- zation OF Company B — Off for the Front — Dark Days in Newton County — Enrollment in the County — "The Home Guard" — John Ade — Brook Soldiers' Monument and Tablet —Newton County's Roll of Honor — Gave Their Lives in the Service — "Out of Reach" 251 CHAPTER XX KENTLAND, THE COUNTY SEAT The Original Frontier Town — Struggles for a Distinctive Name — Improvements in 1865-70 — Great Fire of December, 1870 — A Series of Destructive Fires — Ultimate Result, Substantial Town Improvement — Public School Burned — Destruction of McCray-Morrison Elevator — Water and Electric Light Supply — Public School System — The Car- negie Public Library — Kentland Woman's Club — Warren T. McCray — Kentland's Material Standing — Discount and Deposit State Bank — Kent State Bank — Kentland's First Newspapers — Newton County Enterprise — Newton County Democrat — Early Kentland Churches — ^United Brethren in Christ — The M. E. Church — St. Joseph's Catholic Church — The Presbyterian and Christian Churches — Secret and Benevolent Bodies 275 • CHAPTER XXI GOODLAND Originally Tivoli, a Railway Flag Station — First Business Men and Additions — Grain Warehouses and Elevators — Extensive Grain and Produce Trade — Increase in Popula- tion AND Area — Abundant Supply of Water and Light — The Public Schools — Goodland's Two Banks — The Good- land Herald — The Churches — The Lodges 293 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER XXII THE TOWN OF BROOK Public Schools — The Brook Public Library^ — McKinley Park AND THE Soldiers' Monument — The Pioneer Methodists — Miss Ella Lyons' Story — First Church and School at the Lyons House — Changes in Circuits — List of Pastors — United Brethren Church of the Brook Circuit — The Christian Church — The Welfare Club — History of Brook Masonry — Knights of Pythias — The Independent Order of Odd Fellows — Modern Woodmen of America — The Bank of Brook — The Brook Reporter — Pioneer Times in Town and TownshiP' — Early Mills and Their Owners — Seven Good Strong Men — Samuel H. Benjamin — Morris Lyo-ns — John Lyons — Old-Time History by John Hershman and Morris Jones — Brook in 1856 — Mr. Hershman's Address — Stove Without a Fireplace — Other Home Improvements — Early Schools and Teachers — A Little Judicial and Civil History — More About the Township Schools 300 CHAPTER XXIII MOROCCO AND OTHER TOWNS Drawn to the Rich Fur Country — Murphy Lays Out Morocco — Slow Growth — Invisible Branch Bank of America — ■ Struggles to Become County Seat — Final Expansion — The Present Morocco — The Morocco Courier — The Methodist, Christian, United Brethren and Baptist Churches — The Morocco Woman's Club — The Lodges — Mount Ayr — First Called Mount Airy — Other Railroad Towns 335 Biographical 347 INDEX Abbott, Melvin, 143 Adams, Henry I., 55 Ade, 346 Ade, Ardis, 282 Ade, George, 188, 245, 305 Ade, John, 170, 177, 178, 179, 184, 186, 187, 194, 198, 199, 200, 204, 205, 208, 233, 254, 255, 261, 262, 285, 291, 337, 635 Ade, Mrs. John, 260 Ade, Mr. and Mrs. John (portrait), 177 Ade, McCray & Company, 285 Ade, William H., 193, 198, 396 Agate, Amos, 657 Aldrich, E. T., 343 Alexander, Robert, 47 Allen, Joseph,, 187, 190 Allman, Jesse D., 55 Alter, B. Frank, 371 Alter, I. N. S., 147 Alter, Isaac V., 392 Alter, John E., 56, 100, 393 Alter, John J., 199 Alter, Lewis S., 56, 361 Alter, Moses B., 55, 143 Alter, Samuel, 55 American Survey System, 37 Amsler, Henry, 437 Anderson, A. E., 342 Anderson, Edward, 131 Anderson, Emma M., 651 Anderson, James C, 652 Anderson, William B., 724 Andrews, John, 170, 184 Anheir, Anthony A., 193 Annabel, Thurman C., 56 Antrim, James F., 56 Antrim, Thomas, 56 Archibald, James, 191 Archibald, Pierce, 236 Area, 77 Armitage, John, 120 Armitage, Will, 120 Arnold, Alvln, 265 Arnold, Elias, 682 Arnold, E. R., 265 Arnout, G. W., 277 Ash, Daniel, 192, 206, 256, 258, 270 Ash, John H., 213 Askew, Eliza, 407 Atkinson, Charles M., 234 " Atkinson, Elias, 206 Atkinson, George W., 234 Atkinson, Walter, 234, 256, 258, 275 Austin, John M., 56 Babb, Henry, 134 Babeock, Augustus D., 625 Babcock, Frank W., 55 Babeock, G. M., 148, 159 Babcock, James B., 639 Babeock, James L., 639 Babeock, William C, 55 Baker, William P., 444 Ballard, James, 56, 170 Ballard, Rev., 316 Ballard, T. E., 311 "Bandits of the Prairie," 172 Bank of Wheatfield, 167 Bard, Samuel, 305 Barker, Martin G., 735 Barker, S. C, 171 Barker, Thomas, 170 Barker, Thomas R., 170, 175, 183, 187, 199 Barkley, Belle, 42 Barkley, Henry, Jr., 41 Barkley, Henry, Sr., 55, 56 Barkley township, 49, 76 Barnes, Lillian, 158 Barnett, Cynthia N., 472 Barnett, John, 472 Barr, Robert, 265 Bartholomew, Fred, 266 Bartholomew, Frederick, 762 Bartoo, H. J., 159, 341 Basis of the American public school, 84 Bassett, Clarence C, 605 Battle of Tippecanoe, 27 Beagley, Thorp, 304 Beard, F. H., 149 Beaver aty, 190, 192, 208 Beaver Lake, 241 ; bad name of, 215 ; land litigations, 223 Beaver township, 197, 202, 203 Bebout, Abraham W., 178, 747 Beck, Jennie, 120 Beef cattle, 9 INDEX Bekelheimer, I., 316 Bell, Charles W., 749 Bell, James, 298 Bellows, Albert J., 459 Benjamin, Jared, 42, 134, 458 Benjamin, Mrs. Jared, 42 Benjamin, Real P., 56 Benjamin, Rial, 43 Benjamin, Samuel, 175, 322 Benjamin, Samuel H., 176, 323 Benjamin, S. H., 165 , Bennett, William P., 398 Benson, Samuel, 165 Benton County, 48 Bernhardt, August, 541 Berry, William H., 462 Besser, Emil, 559 Beyea, Isaac, 276 Bieknell, John L., 301 Biddle, Jerome H., 155, 161, 497 Big Four Railroad, 207 Bird 's-Eye View of Rensselaer (^-iew), 143 Bishop, David L., 214 Bishopp, Arthur A., 285 Bissell, James, 211, 256, 258, 259, 271 Bissell, Jane, 260 Bitters, T. M., 148 Blake, William C, 224 Blessing, Joseph, 277 Bloomer, J. M., 266 Blue Grass Settlement, 42, 165 Blue, John, 255 Blue, Matilda, 331 Blue, Philip, 56 Blue, P. R., 167 Bogus Island, 215 Boicourt, Clement T., 445 Boieourt, Vivian, 445 Bold Rapids of the Eoekwise, 133 Bole, W. H., 199 Bond, G. A., 311 Bond, Jesse W., 620 Boothroyd, Dyson, 124 Boroughs, Thomas, 55, 147 Bostwick, Lathrop A., 143 Bounty system in Newton county, 2o8 Bowden, H. O., 286 Bowman, Ezra, 511 Boyle, Albert M., 199 Boys' Coimty Corn Club, 239 "Boys" of '61, 252 Bramble, Amanda, 260 Bramble, Samuel, 198, 254, 256 Branch Bank of America, Morocco, 337 Brandon, Samuel, 227 Brandon Trial, 227 Branson, M. M., 314 Breaking Ground, 97 Brecount, Alfred, 291 Brees, Sylvester, 714 Brenton, Joseph, 123 Brewer, Frank, 709 Bridgeman, Adda, 548 Bridgeman, E., 191 Bridgeman, George M., 199, 547 Bridgeman, Samuel, 758 Brigham, Elmer R., 194, 199 Bright, Michael G., 224 Bringle, Je-sse, 706 British Indiana, 20 Brook, 193, 202, 203, 208, 300; settle- ment of, 175, 176; postoffice, 178; Masonry, 317; early mills, 322; in 1856, 325 Brook Carnegie Library, 316 Brook Chapter No. 372, Order of the Eastern Star, 318 Brook High School Building (view), 301 Brook, H. J., 298, 605 Brook Lodge No. 70, F. & A. M., 317 Brook Lodge No. 277, Knights of Pythias, 318 Brook Lodge No. 427, L O. O. F., 319 Brook Modern Woodmen of America, 320 Brook Soldiers' Monument, 262, 303 Brook Welfare Club, 316 Brown, Albert 6., 211 Brown, Ephraim, 707 Brown, George H., 42 Brown, John T., 56 Brown, Mrs. G. H., 43 Bruce, Edgar L., 368 Bruce, Henry, 134 Bruce, Lawson, 55 Bruek, John A., 199 Bruner, John F., 504 Bruner, Mrs. Han-y, 303 Bryant, William P., 63 Builta, L. P., 341 Bull, E. H., 160 Burgess, Cliarles E., 426 Burgess, Hiram, 425 Burns, Albert M., 193 Burns, Mrs. William, 42 Burton, William H., 199, 554 Bush, Adah E., 284 Bush, Asabel K., 131 Business Street of the Present Good- land (view), 294 Bussell, Charles W., 515 Butler, Henry, 688 Calkins Brothers, 148 Calkins & Johnson, 148 Callahan, Thomas, 150 Callow, Joseph, 134 Carnegie Library Building (view), 316 Carnegie Library, Kentland (view), 283 Carpenter township, 51, 76 Carpenter 's Creek, 154 INDEX Carpenter's Grove, 165 Carr Brothers, 470 Carr, Matbew P., 469 Carson, J D., 161 Cashaw, I'homas J., 266 Cass, Lewis, 30 Catholic Church of the Sorrowful Mother, 167 Catt, Edmond, 266 Cattle, 14 Cattle-raising, 9 Chamberlain, King J., 737 Chambers, Joseph, 199 Chancellor, James, 195 Chapman, Blanche L., 412 Chapman, James H., 143, 146 Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, 208, 339 Chicago, Indiana & Southern Rail- road, 208 Chilcote, Mordecai F., 68, 123 Chizum, Albert E., 46, 234 Chizum, James B., 234, 769 Chizum, Joseph M., 234, 612 Christian Church, Kentland, 291 Church & Hartley, 154, 295 Church, O. W., 158, 295 Church of Christ, Morocco, 342 Church of Christ of Brook, 314 Church of God at Rensselaer, 149 Church of the Sacred Heart, Reming- ton, 581 Circuit Court, 63, 210 Circuit Judges, 63, 209 Cissel, John H., 308 Cissel, M. O., 148 Citizens State Bank, Morocco, 341 Civil war bounties (Newton County) 259 Civil war enrollment in Newton County, 258 Civil war relief, 116 Civil war relief fund (Newton Coun- ty), 261 Clark, A. B., 158 Clark, A. L., 311 Clark, Amos, 178 Clark, George T., 753 Clark, Horace M., 660 Clark, Josiah, 140 Clark, Leslie, 148, 534 Clark, Mervin, 141 Clark, Thomas M., 255, 266 Clark, "William, 58i Clary, Isaac N., 32 Claussen & Son, 167 Claypool, James H., 308 Clifton, C. W., 333 Cochrane, John Sr., 621 Coekrill, Mrs. William, 43 Coen, Albin W., 55 Coen, John, 134 Coffelt, John, 191 Coffelt, Michael, 170, 187, 199 Coffert, Michael, 276 Coffman, Joseph, 31.' Coffman, W. N., 3l4 Cole, L. A., 141, 184 Colfax township, 198, 202, 203 Collier, Theodore E., 302, 317, 692 CoUier, Mrs. T. E., 303 Collins, Erasmus B., 254, 255, 265, 267 Collins, G. D., 316 Collins, Jasper J., 199 Collins, William, 769 Comer, Addie C, 523 Comer, Barney D., 522 Comer, Stephen T., 520 Commercial State Bank, Rensselaer, 145 Common Pleas Court, 62, 210, 211 Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Regi- ment, 125 Company B, Fifty-First Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 264, 267 Company H, One Hundred and Fifty- First Regiment, 262 Company K, Forty-Eighth Regiment, 128 Company K, Twelfth Cavalry, 130 Comparet, Frank A., 214, 571 Cone, C. B., 192, 285 Conn, G. A., 318 Conrad, 208, 346 Conrad, Jennie M., 346 Continental Railway, 208 Continental Railway Company, 73 Cooking Class in Operation (view), 238 Cool, L., 299 Cook, Milton, 199 Cooke, John L., 602 Coombs, J. v., 315 Cooper, J. S., 314 Coover, Marion C, 199 Coover, William H., 55, 158 Coovert, Frank, 198 Coppock, William C, 298 Corn-crackers, 99 Corbin, Henry K., 767 Corbin, William F., 698 Corbin, Mrs. William, 314 Corporation of Rensselaer, with Addi- tions, 141 Cotton, William, 134 Coughlin, Robert, 285 Counterfeiters of Bogus Island, 223 County Asylum and Hospital, 54 County finances, 79 County jails, 54 County seat, 48 Courthouse of the Present (view), 62 Courthouse of 1865 (view), 53 Court of Common Pleas judges, 209 Cowen, V. B., 286 INDEX Cox, Charles, 158 Craig, James R., 773 Crank, Rev. Mrs. S. M., 314, 315 Crawu, Mrs. D. J., 742 Creek, David, 185, 186, 247, 293 Crockett, Alexander, 49 Crowder, R. H., 159 Crowe, J. B., 160 Crozier, John, 160 Crumpaeker, E. T>., 305 Culp, George, 41, 135, 163, 370 Cummings, Roland R., 549 Cummiugs, William, 214, 549 Cunningham, Terrenee B., 550 Cunningham, William S., 730 Cured fish, 35 Curnick, Paul C, 149 Currens, E. C, 198 Dairies, 9 Daniel, Charles M., 198, 545 Daniel, Christian, 150, 442 Daniels, Elvin, 291 Daniels, George, 632 Daniels, Horace G., 679 Darroch, Austin M., 234 Darroch, Daniel C, 234 Darroch, John, 167, 177, 185, 186, 191, 206, 219 Darroch, John M., 234 Darroch, William, 63, 200, 209, 234, 242, 366 Daugherty, Daniel, 43 Daugherty, John, 43 Daugherty, Lewis L., 43, 56 Daugherty, William H., 43 Daveer, John W., 192 Davidson, Lewis, 165 Davidson, Moses E., 165 Davidsonville, 165 Davies, Daniel F., 56, 147 Daviess, Jo, 28 Davis, Charles M., 287 Davis, Frank, 193, 302, 303 Davis, Fred, 341 Davis, John G., 198 Davis, John E., 193 Davis, Mrs. John G., 284, 286, 287 Davis, Thomas L., 734 Davisson, Grant, 683 Day, Edward, 311 Day, John, 335 Dean, Algy, 219 Dean, Charles J., 472 Deardurff, Daniel, 177 Deardurff, J. R., 199 Deardurff, John, 255 Deardurff, John S., 266 Deardurff, Mrs. Tennis, 343 Deardurff, Young D., 616 Deaver, John W., 319 DeForest, O. E., 157, 158 DeHart, R. P., 192 Deitch, Albert G., 311 Democratic Sentinel, 148 DeMotte, 74 Denham, Charles T., 156, 384 Deuel, George E., 298 Dewees, Abraham, 305 Dewees, Abram, 692 Deweese, William, 265 Dick, Anthony, 151 Dickinson, Sumner H., 627 Dickson, Hannah, 314 Didlake, Mrs. M. T., 161 Diocesan Orphan Asylum, 149 Discount and Deposit State Bank, 285 Dluzak, Charles, 597 Dodson, J. v., 193, 235 Dodson, James W., 564 Domestic Science Products (view), 235 Donahue, William, 40, 49 Donaldson, S., 82 Doty, Daniel, 265 Dowling, William, 199 Downing, Wesley, 43 Drainage of Beaver Lake, 242 Drake, Ira, 198 Drees, Henry, 150 Dunham, D. S., 289 Dunham, J. D., 158 Dunliam, J. E., 158 Dunlap, John A., 409 Dunlap, Livingston, 187, 190 Dunn, Isaac, 670 Dunn, John P., 224 Dunn, Josiah, 175 Duunville, 74 Duvall, John W., 43 Dwiggins, Robert S., 67, 73, 214 Earl, William H., 266 Early school legislation, 85 Eastern Star, Brook Chapter No. 372, 318 Eddy, Norman, 128, 224 Edwards, J. H., 342 Eger, John, 143, 146 Eib, Adelbert, 680 Eighty-Seventh Regiment, 129, 270 Ekey, Alexander, 199 Elijah, James, 177 Ellis, James H. S., 143 Elliott, Horace, 320 Elliott, John, 175 Elliott, Stephen, 179 Emerich, G. A., 167 Enfield, Christian, 266 English, Edward C, 453 English, Job, 697 English traders, 19 Enos, 208, 346 Enterprise Printing Company, 287 Erwin, Felix R., 643 Esson, John, 575 INDEX Everett, T. J., 307, 311 Ewan, E. L., 195 Exhibit of Soil Products, Newton County (view), 246 Fair Oaks, 74 Falls of the Iroquois, 48 Fan iliar Object on the Early Roads, (view) 71 Faris, Benjamin R., 53 Farmers Co-operative Company, 154 Farmers State Bank, Morocco, 341 Farris, Andrew, 43 Farris, James, 342 Faulk, P. H., 343 Fell, Alson A., 55, 401 Fenwick, John, 487 Ferguson, Kin, 265 Fifteenth Indiana Regiment, Company A, 125 Fifteenth Regiment, Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, 266 Finn, John, 650 First Baptist Church, Morocco, 343 First church in Newton county, 288 First Civil war meeting in Newton county, 254 First National Bank, Goodland, 297 First Union victim of the battlefield, 124 Fisher, Henry, 134 Fleming, J. B., 149 Folger, William, 645 Foltz, Frank, 446 Food for Prairie Fires, (view) 5 Forage, 98 Fordiee, Jesse H., 154 Foreman, Marcus, 237 Foresman, 208, 345 Foresman, John, 333 Foresman, John B., 317 Foresman, John B., Jr., 695 Foresman, J. B., 345 Foresman, Lillian, 316 Foresman, M., 302 Foresman, Mrs. John, Jr., 303 Forks settlement, 163 Fort Chartres, 20, 21, 58 Fort Wayne & Western Railroad, 73 Forty-eighth Regiment, 128 Frankenberger, Charles, 199 Franklin, John, 165 Frazer, Daniel, 214 Freeland, Abram, 43 Freeland, Abram J., 470 Free school system, 88 French Indiana, 20 French Missionaries, 17 French, Moses F., 372 French titles to lands, 21 French traders, 17 Friedline, Fred & Company, 197 Fry, Daniel, 266 Frye, David K., 704 Foster, Timothy, 294 Foster, William, 257, 258, 293 Fountain Park Assembly, 160 Fountain Park Chautauqua, 161 Fourth Battery, Light Artillery, 131 Fox, John P., 301 Garrett, John M., 123 Garrison, J., 314 Gates, Everett, 342 Gehres, A. W., 316 Geizelman, Alexander L., 493 Geizehnan, Emma R., 493 Gilbert, James H., 155 Gillam, John, 163 Gillam Methodist Episcopal Church, 149 Gillam township, 77 Gillett, H. A., 209 Gilman, William W., 198, 634 Girard, William T., 124 Givin, Jesse C, 55 Gleason, David D., 648 Glick, G. M., 311 Gobin, H. A., 159, 306 Goddard, John D., 266 Goddard, Reece, 134 Godfrey, Samuel, 308 Goff, Statira B., 777 Goodacre, Isabelle, 316 Goodland, 179, 193, 202, 203, 208, 239, 293-299 ; warehouses and eleva- tors, 294; water works, 296; churches, 298 Goodland Grain Company, 295 Goodland Herald, 298 Goodland 's Public School, (view) 297 Goodnow, Aaron M., 223 Gragg, Bernard B., 317, 318 Gragg, Elsie, 318 Graham Edward, 341 Graham, Edwin, 287 Graham, W. H., 291 Graham, William H. H., 213 Grand Army of the Republic, Rens- selaer Post No. 84, 153 Grant, Alton, 465 Grant, Garland, 466 Grant, Shelby, 56 Grant township, 198, 202, 203 Graves, Daniel, 256 Graves, Daniel M., 130, 236, 272 Graves, Lawrence, 199 Graves, Milton E., 778 Graves, Robert O., 56 Greathouse, Charles A., 91, 237 Green, A. H., 147 Greenway, J., 311 Grevenstuk, Gerrit, 647 Gridley, Etta, 318 Gridley, Willis A., 317 Griffes, J. L., 160 INDEX Griffin, Fred L., 159, 161 Griffin, John, 58 Griggs, Henry T., 502 Griggs, Mrs. W. P., 314 Griggs, W. P., 301,, 318 Grindle, Alfred, 54 Group of the Early Settlers of Ren- selaer, (view) 134 Gmnm, Walter L., 161, 535 Guthridge, Albert G., 117, 123 Guthridge, A. J., 164 Guy, Jasper, 484 H. & D. plant, 295 Hall, Andrew, 198, 563 Halleek, A., 53 Halleek, Abraham, 402 Halstead, Chester H., 406 Halstead, David T., 55, 134, 407 Halstead, Everett R., 405 Halstead, Mieah B., 403 Halstead, Orpheus C, 404 Ham, Mrs. Ephraim, 256 Hamerton, J. T., 298 Harney, F. W., 191 Hamilton, Edward H., 199 Hamilton, Louis H., 375 Hamilton, Robert, 199 Hammerton, Elias, 675 Hammerton, George H., 676 Hammond, E. P., 63, 121, 123, 124, 214 Hammond, Edward P., 117 Hammond, Edwin P., 64, 201, 209, 258 Hammond, J. B., 167 Hammond, Joseph P., 55, 351 Hammond, Stewart C, 42, 351 Hand, S. G., 155, 156, 490 Hanging Grove township, 51, 77 Hanging Grove, 166 Hankie, Lemuel, 43 Hanley, Charles, 56 Hanley, Charles W., 63, 209, 349 Hansson, Johau, 415 Hardy, Abraham G., 56 Hargrave, Richard, 308 Harmon, T. H., 314 Harrington, W. A., 731 Harris, Benjamin, 199 Harris, Henry O., 508 Harrison, William H., 24, 27 Hartley, C. W., 295 Hartley, Charles, 195 Hartman, Louise, 158 Harwood, Riley C, 751 Hathaway Brothers, 154 Hatch, J. A., 255, 256 Hawkins, Ann, 256, 261 Hawkins, Barnett, 199, 562 Hawkins, Edgar, 305, 322 Hawkins, Geo. C, 266 Haymond, William S., 17 Haynes, Mrs. John, 316 Hazelton, Royal, 41, 133, 164 Healey Clark, 148 Healey, George H., 149, 533 Healey, Joshua, 123, 147 Hemphill, Marcus H., 55 Henderson, William, 56 Heukle, John A., 43 Henkle, Joseph C, 43 Henkle, Lemuel, 55 Henneberger, Anthony, 609 Hensler, Christian, 495 Heusler, Jacob A., 496 Herriman, George M., 195, 713 Herriman, Mrs. George M., 713 Hershman, Francis M., 721 Hershmau, John, 304, 319 Hershman, John E., 195, 300, 302, 327, 659 Hershman, R. E., 302, 303 Hershman, William H., 236 Hervey, O. P., 212, 236, 333 Hess, Andrew, 191, 319, 322, 693 Hess, David, 195, 322, 694 Hess, E. E., 302, 303, 318 Hess, E. S., 199 Hess, Edward, 302, 656 Hess, Egbert S., 546 Hess, Elmer E., 700 Hess, Etta, 318 Hess, Mrs. David, 314 Hess, Reuben, 56, 198, 386 Hess, Sherman, 690 Hicks, Andrew, 466 Hicks, Fred A., 156, 467 Higgins, John, 199, 251, 254, 255, 265, 483 Higgins, Ruth, 284 Hillis, George H., 755 Hinkle, Benjamin, 52 Hinkle, Wesley, 134 Hobbs, Clifton J., 56 Hoerstman, H., 167 Hogau, J. W., 311 Hogs Ready to be Shipped from Rem- ington, (view) 155 Holly, Guy P., 773 HoUingsworth, Emmet L., 145, 146, 532 HoUingsworth, George K., 145, 532 HoUingsworth, Thomas, 531 Holmes, C. Oliver, 298 Hooker, Joseph E., 712 Hoover, George 0., 480 Hoover, Lucy A., 480 Hoover, W."H., 55 Hoover, William I., 56, 448 Hoover, William M., 412 Hope, Valerius P., 756 Hopkins, Clinton, 134 Hopkins, George A., 705 Hopkins, J. D., 56 Hopkins, Joseph M., 56 Horses, 11, 14 INDEX Horticulture, 13 Hosier, Charles E., 766 Hudson, John, 593 Hughes, Levi, 159 Hull, J. H., 159 Hull, John H., 308 Humston, M. L., 341 Hunt, Job, 176 Hunt, Judsou J., 146 Hunt, Lewis W., 583 Huntington, Ella, 736 Hurley, Willis, 720 Hurst, J. S., 265 Hurt, Clyde, 285 Hutton, Coruelius, 159 Hutton, Joseph T., 195 Hiff, Charles F., 638 Iliff, Joseph ¥., 637 Illinois country, 22 Illustrations Rural Scenes in Both Counties, Frontispiece Vol. I; Food for Prai- rie Fires, 5 ; Jasper County Live Stock, 8; Northwest Territory of 1787, 23; Old Time Sawmill, 46; The First Jasper County Court- house, 50; The Courthouse of 1865, 53 ; Courthouse of the Present, 62 ; Familiar Object on the Early Roads, 71 ; Reclaimed Swamp Lands, 81 ; Rural School of Today, 88 ; Log Cabin 's Center of Inter- est, 96; Robert H. Milroy, 119; The Old Milroy Homestead, 120; The Memorial Monument, 122; Group of the Early Settlers of Rensselaer, 134; Old Mills Along the Iroquois River, 138; Bird 's- Eye View of Rensselaer, 143 ; Rensse- laer High School, 145; Main Build- ing of St. Joseph 's College, 151 ; Ready to Be Shipped from Rem- ington, 155; Remington's Water Tower, 157; Mr. and Mrs. John Ade, 177; Alexander J. Kent and Wife, 180; The Newton County Courthouse, 196; Williams Ditch Triers, August, 1916, 222; Manual Training Exhibit of Today, 232; Domestic Science Products, 235; Cooking Class in Operation, 238; Exhibit of Soil Products, Newton County, 246 ; Lyons Memorial Tab- let, 263; Public School, Kentland, 280; Carnegie Library, Kentland, 283; Water Works Plant at Kent- land, 287; Business Street of the Present Goodland, 294 ; Goodland 's Public school, 297; Brook High School Building, 301 ; Carnegie Li- brary Building, 316; Morocco High School, 336; View on State Street, Morocco, 341 Indian Corn Fields, 34 Indian Trails in Jasper County, 70 Indian treaties, 29 Indiana pjublic lands surveyed, 39 Indiana Territory, 24 Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago Rail- road, 73 Indians, 16 Ingram, Andrew, 63 I. O. O. F., Brook Lodge No. 427, 319 Iroquois Press, 147 Iroquois river, 1, 101 Iroquois township, 197, 202, 203 Irvin, James, 154 Irwin, J. C, 159 Irwin, James F., 55 Irwin, Robert F., 595 Irwin, Schuyler C, 142, 143 Jackson, David I., 55 Jackson township, 197, 202, 203 Jakway, Adelbert 6., 298, 615 James, H. E., 148 James, H. E. & Company, 148 James, Horace E., 13, 147 James, R. B., 56, 147 James, Reuben H., 123 Jasper and Newton counties consoli- dated, 47 Jasper Banner, 147 Jasper county, 47; bounds, 44 county seat, 47; courthouses, 51 courthouses, 52; population, 76 area, 77; property valuation, 77, township areas, 78; personal prop erty valuation, 78 : in the Civil war, 114 Jasper county courthouses, the early Rensselaer courthouse, 52 ; brick courthouse of 1856, 52; courthouse burned, 52; the courthouse of 1865, 53; the courthouse of 1898, 53 Jasper County Agricultural and Me- chanical Association, 82 Jasper County Agricultural Society, 82 Jasper County Democrat, 148 Jasper County Live Stock (views) 8 Jasper Republican, 148, 158 Jasper Savings & Trust Company, 146 Jefferson Township, 197, 198, 202, 203 Jenkins, Alfred, 198 Jenkins, George G., 198 Jenkins, John, 219 Jenkins, N. F., 199 Jennings, Jonathan, 30 Jensen, A. L., 167 Jensen, Englebret, 654 Jensen, Thomas, 654 Jessie, C. A., 311 INDEX Johnson, Benjamin F., 132 Johnson, C. B., 299 Johnson, Cecil E., 56 Jolmson, Charles M., 148, 158 Johnson, D. M., 342 Johnson, John P., 198 Johnson, Silas, 170, 177, 184, 191 Johnston, John Z., 199, 277 Johnston, Ora C, 491 Johnston, Walter E., 490 Jones, Acquilla, 224 Jones, Cornelius, 305 Jones, Dexter R., 53 Jones, Ezra B., 199, 291 Jones, Lemuel C, 55 Jones, Morris, 304, 325 Jones, Morris A., 256 Jones, Schuyler C, 199 Jones, Thomas J., 646 Jones, W. H., 314 Jordan, John, 42, 165 Jordan, Sarah L., 513 Jordan Township, 77 Jouvenat, Charles, 158 Julian, 208, 345 Julian, J. B., 345 Justifiable larceny, 229 Kankakee improvements, 219 Kankakee marshes, 100 Kankakee river, 1 Kankakee township, 51, 77 Kankakee valley, 1 Kankakee Valley Draining Company, 219 Kanual, George, 399 Kannal, Harvey J., 400 Kay, Daisy, 343 Kay, M. D., 198 Kendall, J. M., 343 KendaD, Mrs. James, 314 Keefe, Patrick, 192, 193 Keene, Albert S., 655 Keeue, Nathan T., 655 Keener township, 51, 77 Keiser, Jacob, 147 Keith, Alice, 120 Kelley Grain Company, 154 Kelley, G. W., 316 Kennedy, Frank, 599 Kermedy, Jolm, 748 Kennedy, Joseph, 607 Kennedy, Sarah A., 749 Kenoyer, Aaron, 265 Keiioyer, Frederick, 47, 176, 289, 342 Kenoyer, Jacob, 175, 288, 312 Kenoyer, Lewis, 738 Kenoyer settlement, 175 Kenoyer, W. H., 198 Kent, Agnes, 260 Kent, A. J., 191, 192, 197, 256, 277 Kent, Alexander J., 179, 194, 276, 354 Kent, Alexander J. and Wife (por- trait), 180 Kent, Carroll C, 181, 193, 285, 358 Kent, John A., 357 Kent, Mrs. A. J., 260 Kent, Rosamond C, 357 Kent State Bank, 285 Kentlaud, 179, 193, 194, 202, 203, 208, 275-292 Kentland's fire of December, 1870, 277 Kentland's municipal water works, 281 Kentland churches, 288 Kentland Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons, 292 Kentland public library, 282 Kentland public school, 281 Kentland Woman's Club, 282 Kenton, Omar J., 473 Kenton, Simon, 164, 473 Kenton, W. M., 42, 136 Kern, Moses A., 149 Kesltr, George, 43 Kessler, David, 177 Kessler, Robert B., 754 Kight, Isaac, 674 Kilgore, Mort, 297, 610 Killenberger, William L., 236 Kimberlin, B. O., 290 Kindig, Samuel G., 741 King, Henry F., 417 King, Orris, 276 King, Sidnial, 134 Kinneman, John 6., 619 Kirkpatrick, Carrie, 282 Kirkpatrick, Delia, 282 Kitt, A. J., 158, 288, 298 Knight, Dorothy, 120 Knight, Joseph R., 143 Knight, Mildred, 120 Knights of Pythias, 318 Knox, Turner, 55 Kolhoff, Henry, 474 Kolliofe, John, 475 Kolhoff, Joseph, 476 Kummer, A., 311 Kurrie, Harry R., 732 Lacy, James, 331 Lacy, James W., 175 Ladies Fountain Park Improvement Association, 162 Lake township, 197, 202, 203 Lake village, 208, 345 Lamb, Virgil, 219 Land values, 78 Landon, H., 161 Langdon, Henry L., 652 Langdon, Herman R., 653 Lansing, Peter, 149 Law, Algie J., 341, 745 Lawler, John J., 716 INDEX Lawlessness, 172 Lawrence, Ida, 303 Lawrence, John F., 574 Lawton, E. W., 289 Learning, Cyrus, 256 Lear, Hugh, 152 Leatherman, James, 134 Leatherman, James N., 55, 146, 354 Lee, John H., 779 Lefler, John, 166 Lefler, Michael, 166 Legras, J. M. P., 58 Le Masters, L. "W., 237 Leopold, B., 318 Leopold, Bernhart, 317 Leopold, Moses, 143 Lewis, Frank B., 666 Lewis, Isaac M., 686 Lewis, John Q., 56 Lewis, Margaret J., 685 Lewis, "William E., 265 Light, Albert, 256, 265, 267 Light, Hugh M., 711 LiUey, E. F., 160 Lincoln township, 198, 202, 203 Little, Ziba F., 624 Littlejohn, William D., 743 Live stock, 7, 98 Lockwood, Jesse M., 199 Lockwood, Eufus' A., 64 Logansport & Peoria Eailroad, 194, 207, 293 Logan, Larkin C, 644 Logan, Will C, 298 , , , ^ Log Cabin's Center of Interest (view), 96 Long, Abram F., 373 Long, Samuel, 43, 373 LongVell, Fred H., 56, 200, 302 Lough, F. L., 155 Loughridge, James H., 410 Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Eailroad Company, 74 Lowe, David E., 319 Lowe, Greenberry G., 199 Lowe, Mrs. James, 256 Lowe, Mrs. J. Bennet, 317 Lowe, Mrs. John, 256, 261 Lucas, Eoss, 750 Luers, J., 150 Lund, Eric, 195 Lynch, Charles W., 266 Lynch, George W., 707 Lyons, Aaron, 42, 169, 305, 387 Lyons, Abel, 259 Lyons, Aunt Polly, 256 Lyons, Bennett, 304, 305 Lyons, Ella, 309 Lyons, Fred, 585 Lyons, J. B., 304, 334 Lyons! John, 169, 176, 191, 305, 322, 323, 331, 332 Lyons, John B., 193, 257, 264, 269, 390 Lyons, John, Jr., 303 Lyons, Laban, 773 Lyons, Lawrence E., 740 Lyons Memorial Tablet (view), 263 Lyons, Morris, 306, 309, 319, 322, 323 Lyons, Mrs. Aaron, 26 Lyons, Mrs. John B., 256, 261 Lyons, Mrs. Luther, 317 Lyons, Mrs. Samuel, 314 Lyons Soldiers' Memorial Tablet, 264 MacDonald, Julius L., 315, 316 Major, John F., 55 Majors, George, 159 Makeever, Daniel S., 494 Makeover, John, 134, 347 Makeever, Madison, 43 Malaria, 94 Mallatt, William, 42, 136, 165 Malone, Eichard, 345 Man from Mong, 216 Manual Training Exhibit of Today (view), 232 Marble, Henry W., 167, 538 Marble, Horace, 167 Marion, Francis E., 678 Marion, Lewis, 344 Marion Township, 77 Markets, 98 Marshall, George E., 148 Martin, A. L., 198 Martin, Charles, 169 Martin, Edgar L., 751 Martin, Mrs. Thomas, 314 Martin William, 723 Martin, WUliam D., 341, 764 Martin, William H., 192, 212 Martindale, John C, 53, 457 Martindale, Samuel, 198, 199 Martindale, Teresa B., 457 Maxwell, Theodore F., 266 Maxwell, W. T., 258 May, Charles G., 155 May, Charles V., 55, 482 May, Jacob A., 585 May, Eobert W., 481 Mayhew, Charles P., 56 Mayhew, Hopkins & Miller, 142 Mayhew, Horace A., 159 McCain, C, 290 McCain, Eichard C, 237, 556 McCarty, John, 147, 287, 319 McCarty, William T., 715 MeColly, Benjamin D., 56, 454 McColly, Clark, 454 McCoy, Alfred, 73, 82 McCoy, Thomas J., 142 McClellan township, 198, 202, 203 McCray, Elmer, 558 McCray, Eliza, 559 INDEX McCray, Greenberry W., 283, 284, 285, 383 MeCray-Morrison Elevator, 280, 284 MeCray, Mrs. W. T., 282 McCray, Warren T., 193, 282, 284, 285, 346, 381 MeCullough, John, 159 McCuUough, Samuel, 43, 170, 187, 198 McCuMough, W. I., 159, 161 MeCurry, Howard, 198 McDaniel, Asa, 149 McDermott, L. M., 342 McEwin, James W., 148 MeGowan, Thomas, 143 McHoUand, David A., 254, 257, 265, 267 MeHolland, Da-s-id H., 256 Mcintosh, James, 302 Mclutosh, Mrs. James, 318 MeJimsey, Joseph, 163 McKee, G. V., 160 McKenzie, W. E., 307 McKinley Park, 303 McMillen, William L., 551 McMullen, J. W. T., 308 McNary, J. B., 158 McReynolds, B. C, 306, 311 Meadal, Charles E., 594 Means, Samuel A., 726 Memorial Monument (view), 122 Merchant, George A., 710 Merchant, George F., 304, 715 Merchant, John H., 236 Merchant, Joseph, 302 Meredith, H. W., 312, 314 Merideth, Mary, 256 Merideth, Mrs. Henry, 261 Merkle, Jacob, 55 Messmann, Anthony, 299 Methodist Episcopal Church, Brook, 306 Methodist Episcopal Church, Kent- land, 289 Methodist Episcopal Church, Morocco, 342 Meyer, Frank B., 143 Meyers, George F., 143, 448 Meyers, William, 447 Meyers, William D., 468 Miami and Pottawattamie titles ex- tinguished, 29 Mianiis, 16, 18, 30 Miller, Daniel B., 56 Miller, David, 672 Miller, John, 56 Miller, Philip, 198 Miller, Samuel, 126 Milligan, Sanford F., 759 Mills, 98 Mills, C. H., 146 Mills, Charles E., 56, 143 Milroy, C. E., 120 Milroy, Donald, 120 Milroy, Harry C, 120 i Milroy Homestead, The Old (view), 120 Milroy Park, 120 Milroy, Robert, 120 MUroy, Robert H., 117, 119, 121, 123, 141 Milroy township, 51, 77 Milroy, V. A., 120 Mineral Sjjrings, 2 Mitchell, Robert C, 147 Mitten, William E., 237, 611 Modern Woodmen of America, 320 Monon Railroad, 208 Montgomery, John, 305, 322 Moody, Bessie, 343 Moody, Gideon C, 117, 123 Moore, John M., 642 Moore, Samuel, 270 Mooreman, Milton J., 266 Morgan, J. D., 265 Morlan, Charles, 143, 144 Morocco, 178, 192, 202, 203, 208, 335- 343 Morocco Courier, 341 Morocco High School (view), 336 Morocco Woman 's Club, 343 Morrison, J. L., 284 Mount Ayr, 74, 202, 203, 208, 343 Murphey, George H., 596 Murphy, John, 176, 335, 336, 337 Murray, George E., 414 Murray, Henry B., 55 Murray, Hugh, 295, 618 Myers, Alexander, 198 Myers, John, 176 Myers, Mrs. John, Sr., 314 Myers, W. H., 341 Naylor, Isaac, 63 Naylor, Isaac B., 169 Neisz, Benjamin F., 236 Neisz, William, 305 Nelson, James, 192 Nelson, James M., 236 Newell, Benjamin, 526 Newell, Mrs. B. F., 314 Newspapers, 147, 158 Newton, 52, 136; platted, 137; re- named Rensselaer, 139 Newtou county, 48, 49, 168; county seat fights, 189; courthouses, 194, 195; townships, 197; population, 201 ; real estate valuation, 203 ; personal property valuation, 203 ; taxable property, 203 ; finances, 203; roads, 204; railroads, 207; judges, 209; lawyers, 212; boards of education, 236; examiners, 236; school superintendents, 236; physi- cal features, 244 ; in the Civil war, 251; roll of honor, 272; newspa- pers, 286 INDEX Newton Couuty Chronotype, 286 Newton County Courthouse (view), 196 Newton County Democrat, 287 Newton County Enterprise, 286 Newton County, Gazette, 286 Newton County Poor Farm and Asy- lum, 196 Newton County Union, 286 Newton Lodge No. 361, F. & A. M., 291 Newton township, 77 New York Central System, 208 Nichols, John L., 434 Nichols, Samuel E., 55 Ninety-ninth Regiment, 270 Ninth Regiment, 117 Noble, Alice, 314 Noble, W. P., 314 Noland, William, 43 Nork, John D., 55 Norris, Bertha, 343 Northwest Territory of 1787, 23 Nowels, Daniel, 42 Nowels, David, 40, 134 Nowels, Ezra C, 55 Nowels, George, 133 Nowels, John, 40, 133 Nowels, Mrs. David, 42 O'Brien, E., 192 O'Brien, Edmund H., 213 O 'Connor, John, 56 Odell, Anthony, 266 Old Mills along the Iroquois River, (view), 138 Old Time Sawmill (view), 46 O 'Meara, Sylvester, 134 One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 272 One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Reg- iment, 271 Oosley, Joseph, 166 0 'Riley, Dennis, 460 Ormiston, George, 629 Osborne, John L., 686 Osborne, W. Frank, 56 Osborne & Pierce, 295 Oswald, J. W., 298 Overacker, C. F., 148 Overton, Robert, 166 Overton, William, 166 Owen, R. J., 167 Owen, Samuel H., 187, 190 Palmer, C, 290 Parcels, Edgar M., 143 Parke, Benjamin, 30 Parker, Francis M., 439 Parker, George, 510 Parker, Hugh, 199 Parker, Robert, 82, 160, 166, 167 Parker, Samuel, 134 Parker, Thomas R., 43 Parker, William A., i99 Parkinson, Addison, 42, 145 Parkinson, John G., 41 Parkinson, Joseph V., 42 Parkinson, Mrs. W. K., 42 Parkinson, Robert A., 55 Parkinson, William K., 42, 83 Parkison, George B., 358 Parkison, Harvey E., 476 Parkison, William H., 476 Parkison, William K., 476 Parr, 74 Parsons, Elisha, 199 Parsons, Henry, 199 Parsons, Samuel H., 58 Patrick, William A., 199 Patterson, J. P., 299 Patterson, Eev., 316 Patton, William, 159 Paul, Henry A., 299 Paulus, Bernhard, 702 Peacock, Harriet, 260 Peacock, John, 198, 254, 276 Peacock, Sarah A., 260 Peek, Charles H., 378 Peck, C. H., 161 Peck, Daniel W., 377 Peck Family, 376 Peck, Frank L., 380 Peek, Isaac L., 380 Peck, James I., 380 Peck, Mary E., 380 Peck, Maurice B., 380 Peck, William E., 379 Peek, William H., 266 Pence, D. S., 236 People's Press, 287 Pepper, Abel C, 31, 33 Perkins, Judson H., 55, 438 Perry, J. G., 192 Persail, Albert, 55 Peters, W. S., 314 Pettit, John, 63 Pfrimmer, D. A., 197, 198 Pfrimmer, William W., 236 Phegley, David, 42 Phegley, Jackson, 42, 479 Phelps, Aaron O., 774 Phelps, Isabelle B., 775 Phelps, John W., 592 Phelps, Oscar, 276 Phillips, John, 56 Phillips, John R., 56 Phillips, Simon, 43, 56, 134 Piankeshaws, 19 Pierce, F. C, 198 Pierson, Henry C, 394 Pilot Grove, 179 Pioneer schools in Jasper county, 90 Pioneer times at Brook, 321 Piatt, Charles, 55, 56 Pleasant Grove postoflSce, 165 INDEX Pleasant Eidge, 74 Plummer, WUliam, 178 Pokagon, Simon, 33 Polke, William, 32 Ponsler, Mrs. Joshua, 314 Poole, Warren E., 518 Population, 16 Porter, Asa, 423 Porter, Burdett, 584 Porter, John C, 143 Porter, John J., 530 Porter. Rice M., 423 Porter, Eobert B., 56 Porter, Walter V., 423 PostiU, Charles W., 579 Post, J. C, 82 Pottawattamies, 16, 29, 30, 31, 33 Pottawattamie village, 106 Potts, James, 768 Powell, Jacob, 32 Powell, John W., 56 Powell, J. Z., 31 Powers, G. C, 156 Powers, Simeon S., 211 Prairie fires, 3, 328 Pratt, Benjamin W., 297, 505 Presbyterian Church of Kentland, 290 Presher, Edgar L., 572 Presher, Melissa W., 572 Price, Charles H., 55 Price, D. M., 43 Price, John, 49 Price, Myrt B., 56 Probate court, 64 Profit, George, 31 Property valuation, 77 Prophet, The, 26 Protsman, David A., 171, 752 Public School, Kentland (view), 280 Puett, Austin M., 242 Pulver, David, 178, 179 Pumpkin sirup, 99 Puxdy, Arnet G., 766 Purkey, Alonzo, 199 Purkey, Alonzo E., 600 Railroads, 207 Rail, Harris P., 307 Ramsay, Thomas, 630 Randall, John W., 199, 286 Handle, James T., 41, 419 Handle, Edward J., 420 Raudle, E. J., 146 Handle Family, 418 Raudle, J. T., 42 Handle, Thomas, 41, 49, 72, 135, 163, 418 Rankin, J. J., 342 Hansford, Nettie, 318 Rapids of the Iroquois, 136 Rapids of the Rockwise, 34 Havenscroft, Sampson, 360 Hecher, L. S., 237 Reclaimed Swamp Lands (view), 81 Redding, Jefferson T., 266 Hedding, Joseph, 175 Reed, Anna, 303 Heed, Ethel, 303 Heed, Nathan J., 56 Held, John M., 289 Remington, 154-162; corporation, 156; churches, 159 Remington Journal, 158 Remington Press, 159 Remington public library, 156 Remington township, 76 Remington's Water Tower (view), 157 Rensselaer, 52, 74, 77, 133-153, 141; churches, 149 ; gets railway connec- tions, 74; schools, 144; waterworks, 144; societies, 152 Rensselaer Baptist Church, 149 Rensselaer City, 142 Rensselaer Evening Republican, 148 Rensselaer Gazette, 147 Rensselaer High School (view), 145 Rensselaer Post No. 84, Grand Army of the Republic, 153 Rensselaer Presbyterian Church, 149 Rensselaer Republican, 148 Rensselaer Union, 147, 148 Rensselaer 's Catholic History, 441 Retterath, Frank J., 613 Reynolds, Alfred W., 214 Reynolds, John, 254 Rhoades, Edwaid D., 420 Rice, Clair M., 703 Rice, Henry, 314 Rich Brothers, 295 Rich, Frank C, 198, 542 Rich, Jacob D., 303, 318, 590 Rich, Mrs. P. C, 314 Rider, George D., 193 Riley, James Whiteomb, 274 Risser, H. G., 284 Roadruck, Benjamin, 177 Roberts, Preston F., 708 Robinson, George M., 55, 56 Hobinson, Wallace, 143 Robinson, WUliam^ 134 Rockwell, Oscar B., 671 Rogers, E. E., 316 Rogers, James P., 760 Root, C, 287 Hoot, S., 277 Rose, William C, 212, 236, 287 Hoselawn, 208, 345 Ross, Charles E., 256 Hoss, WUliam, 254, 255, 276 Housh, Edward, 195 Roush, Mary, 155 Howen, Alexander, 43 Rural School of Today (view), 88 INDEX BusseU, William, 170, 187, 199 Eyan, John W., 598 Byan, Mrs. John W., 284 Sacred Heart School, 582 Sage, Charles E., 622 Sage, Kliezer W., 491 Sage, George W. T., 622 Sage, Warreu W., 623 Sager, Jacob H., 255, 266 Sailor, Jeremiah, 265 St. Ange, Louis, 20 St. Augustine 's Roman Catholic Church, 149 St. Clair, Arthur, 24, 58 St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Kent- land, 290 St. Joseph's College Main Building (view), 151 St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer, 150, 442 S. S. Peter and Paul's Church, 608 Salrin, Joseph N., 664 Saltillo, 163 Saltillo Bridge, 72 Sammons, Hume L., 237, 488 Sands, Charles M., 144 Sands, Martin V., 668 Sarver, John C, 763 Saunderson, James T., 192, 213 Sawyer, James, 311 Sawyer, Moses C, 199 Sayers, Lester A., 167 Sayers, L. W., 43 Sayler, Henry, 43 Sayler, Isaac, 134, 342 Sayler, Mieah, 134 Schanlaub, Sidney, 341 Schanlaub, WUliam O., 236, 237, 578 Sehmitz, John M., 581 School funds, 90 School lauds, 38, 85 School Savings Bank, Goodland, 239 Schraack, Frederick, 56 Schuette, Paul, 729 Schuh, Albert J., 198, Schuster, Godfrey F., 576 Scoonover, Albert, 214 Scott, George W., 56, 776 Scott, Washington, 776 Sears, Frank J., 56 Sego, Meddie, 722 Seifert, Augustine, 151 Sell, Edward W., 691 Sell, Ephraim, 193 Sell, John A., 494 Sellers, E. B., 214 Sergeant Jasper, 45 Sergeant Newton, 45 Service, William, 276 Seventeenth Infantry, 127 Shaefer, Joseph, 266 Shaefer, Mrs. Finley, 256, 261 Shaeffer, James, 699 Shafer, Fred, 236 Shafer, J. F., 265 Shafor, John W., 234 Shagley, J. P., 306, 307, 311 Shappley, G. D., 314 Sharp, Alexander, 170, 187, 199 Shaw, Mrs. William, 42 Shearer, MoUie, 158 Sheep, 14 Shepard, Otis, 199 Shideler, Adam, 187 Shideler, Adam W., 199 Shields & Dilley, 148 Shirer, Lewis P., 56 Shoekey, William P., 149 Shortridge, Lemuel, 43 Shriver, Elijah, 170, 187 Shriver, Elijah I., 199 Shriver, Noah E., 733 Shunk, Dominic, 167 Sickafoose, C. A., 313, 314 Sigler, John A., 661 Sigo, Moses, 589 Silver, J. A., 52 Simpson, Abram, 143 Sims, Carrie M., 120 Sink, John D., 56 Sizelove, Samuel R., 199, 544 Skinner, James, 507 Skinner, Jira, 199, 265 Skinner Lola, 508 Smart, Adonijah, 255, 266 Smart, Isaac, 198, 255, 256, 266 Smart, John, 206 Smart, John W., 761 Smith, Elem G., 291 Smith, George W., 266 Smith, Henry, 134 Smith, John B., 236, 290 Smith, John L., 308 Smith, Joseph, 47, 332 Smith, Joseph A., 665 Smith, W. H., 61 Snell, T. T., 298 Snip, Tunis, 662 Snyder, A. M., 304, 312, 313, 314 Snyder, David S., 128 Snyder, H. T., 318 Soldiers Aid Society, 260 Soldiers ' Aid Society, Rensselaer, 116 Sources of educational revenue, 90 Sparkling, Joseph W., 42 Sparkling, Mrs. Joseph, 42 Sparling, Henry A., 42 Sparling, Mrs. Samuel, 42 Sparling, Samuel, 42, 165 Sparling, Samuel L., 55 Spencer, James, 147 Spinney, Charles, 198 Spitler, Charles G., 143, 146, 453 Spitler, George W., 47, 51, 54, 55, 63, 90, 139, 144, 169, 175, 176 INDEX Spitler, Maliuda, 42 Spitler, Marion L., 42, 55, 83, 451 Spitler, Thomas J., 148 Spitler, Wesley, 56 Spitler, Zec-hariah, 170, 175, 184, 185, 186, 187, 191, 198 Spitler 's Heal Estate Gazette, 148 Spotswood, John B., 287, 288 Spottswood, James B., 212 Staekhbuse, Charles F., 478 ^^ Staekhouse, Clinton D., 478 Stage routes, 204 Stanforth, C. B., 311 Stanley, Amzi, 141 Starr, Charles C, 142 State Bank of Remington, 155 State Bank of Rensselaer, 146 State government founded, 28 State judicial system, 61 State militia, 114 State road, 71 State Supreme Court upholds Newton County, 185 State Trust and Savings Bank, 604 State Trust and Savings Bank, Good- land, 298 Staton, Jeptha B., 728 Stearman, Sadie, 318 Steinbaeh, Edward, 288 Stembel, Albert F., 543 Stembel, George O., 543 Stembel, Sarah E., 544 Stephan, Joseph, 150, 167 Stephens, Albert P., 628 Sterrett, Morgan L., 167 Steward, Edgar, 730 Stewart, Mrs. Ezra, 140 Stewart, Joseph, 677 Stewart, Sidney, 43 Stewart, William, 56 Stewart, William J., 615 Stockton, Almira M., 349 Stockton, William S., 348 Stoner, Henry, 199 Stoner, 0. F., 341 Stoutsberg, 74 Strawn, Abner, 294, 295 Streeh, William M., 266 Streight, A. D., 256 Strohm, H. A., 193 Strohm, Harry, 286 Strole, Asberry, 727 Stryker, Jonathan W., 197 Stump, John L., 49 Subscription schools, 86 Sullivan, J. W., 147 Surrey, 74 Swamp lands, 38, 170 Swamp lands scandal, Jasper county, 79 Swigget, Ralph, 197 Syraes, John C, 58 Talcott, William C, 209, 211 Tatman, C. H., 147 Taylor, John W., 573 Taxable property, 78 Tecumseh, 26 Terwilliger, Matthew, 63 Test, Charles E., 63 Test, Charles H., 209, 210 Thayer, 208 Thayer, E. M., 302, 345 The First Jasper County Court House (view), 50 Thomas, Greenip I., 539 Thomas, Mrs. Harve, 256, 261 Thomas, William, 266 Thompson, Delos, 146 Thompson, John, 192 Thompson, Mrs. Alfred, 121 Thompson, Roy D., 143 Thompson, Siinon P., 63, 66, 209, 214 Thompson, WiUiam 0., 744 Thornton, Adaline H., 429 Thornton, C. C, 43 Thornton, George L., 56 Thornton, George R., 427 Thornton, Greenleaf L., 428 Thornton, H. C, 43 Thornton, John H., 266 Thornton, Mrs. H. C, 42 Thrawls, James C, 56 Tliree I 's Railroad, 74 Tiffany, G. E., 265 Tilton, John W., 56 Timmons, Clement, 43 Timmons, James T., 63 Tineher, Henry, 757 Tipton, John, 32 Tivoli, 293 Todd, John, 22 Toledo, Logansport & Burlington Railroad Company, 74 Torbet, James M., 681 Town of Newton, 136, 137-141 Townsend, Claude B., 529 Townsend, Lowell, 530 Townsend, William, 527 Township schools, 86 Township schools, Newton county, 332 Townships formed,. 49 Trails, 204 Treadway, Ezra S., 266 Triplett, C. D., 172 Triplett, Charles E., Sr., 191, 258, 270, 421 Triplett, Charles E., Jr., 421 Troxell, Joseph R., 213 Truman, B. H., 299 Tuggle, J. M., 343 Turfler, Francis A., 430 Tucker, E. N., 316 Turkey Foot and Bull affray, 171 Turkey Foot Grove, 171 INDEX Turpie, David, 63 Turner, Daniel H., 649 Twelfth Cavalry, 130, 272 Twelfth Judicial Circuit, 210 Tyler, Felix, 195 Ulrey, John W. S., 199 Union township, 51, 77 United Brethren Church, Kentland, 288 United Brethren Church of the Brook Circuit, 312 United Brethren in Clirist of Morocco, 342 Urmston, E. Littell, 198, 212, 285, 291 Vail, W., 314 Vance, E. E., 302, 318 Vanderburgh, Henry, 58 Vander Voort, William S., 320 Van Eensselaer, James, 52, 137, 140 Varnum, James M., 58 .Veatch, John S., 199 View on State Street, Morocco, 341 Vincennes, 20, 22, 58 Vinton, David P., 209 Vinton, David W., 63 Vondersmith, Elkanah B., 156 Wainscott, Rev. 313 Walker, Isaac D., 684 Walker M. H., 56 Walker township, 51, 77 Wallace, David, 32 Wallace, James, 212 Ward, Artemas, 311 Ward, Peter E., 63 Ward, Peter H., 209, 213 Warner, Charles C, 433 Warner, Charles W., 55 Warner, Daniel G., 432 Warner, Norman, 56, 149, 431 Warner, Norman H., 433 Warren, Horace J., 255 Warren, Horace K., 199, 256, 261, 266 Warren, Isaac N., 463 Warren, John W., 463 Warren, Samuel, 463 Warren, Solomon, 197 Warriner, W. B., 159 Washburn, Angus D., 285, 568 Washburn, I. B., 55 Washburn, Ira M., 435 Washburn, James A., 161, 486 Washburn, Mary, 120 Washburn, Mary E., 568 Washburn, Perry, 566 Washington township, 197, 202, 203 Wasson, John M., 145, 146 Waterworks Plant at Kentland (view), 287 Watson, Charles M., 55 Waymire, Frederick E., 53 Waymire, Eev., 313 Weas, 19, 30 Weatherhogg, Charles B., 54 Weaver, Clifford S., 315 Weaver, Clifford T., 315 Weil, R. L., 298 Weiss, Charles B., 519 Welch, George, 587, Welsh, Mrs. Benjamin, 43 Wenrick, Catherine, 667 West, Nathaniel, 198, 228, 236 Western couuty opposed, 184 Weston, Henry, 142 Whaley, James A., 195, 579 Wharton, Chester W., 290 Wheat, 3, 13 Wheatfleld, 74, 77, 166 Wheatfield township, 77 Wheaton, Z. T., 198 White, Adda V., 282 White, Amos, 47 White, Charles, 725 White, Isaac, 28 White, Jacob A., 237 White, Mrs. Sherman, 314 White's Grove, 178 Whitney, E. B., 160 Wickwire, Chester, 199 Wigmore, Charles F., 288 Wildasin, John A., 199 Wild game, 92 Wild honey, 99 Wiley, J. H., 311 Wiley, Ulriek C, 63 Wiley, U. Z., 209, 214 Willard, Ashbel P., 187, 190 Willard, George L., 150 Williams, Cordelia M., 456 Williams Ditch, 221 Williams Ditch Triers, August, 1916 (view), 222 Williams, George A., 408 Williams, George W., 193 Williams, Jay W., 456 Williams, John A., 167 Williams, Joseph, 42 Williams, Thomas, 266 Williamson, Claud, 341 Willis, Levin, 133 Willits, William E., 687 Wilson, Aaron, 198 Wilson, Blake, 198 Wilson, Charles, 293 Wilson, Neely, 739 Wimsett, A., 313 Wishard, Mrs. W. W., 134 Wishard, William, 134 Wonder, Adolphus H., 257, 265 Wood, Charles A., 256, 709 Wood, Delos, 308 Wood, E. G., 149 Wood, Miles H., 289 Wood, Thomas J., 269 INDEX Wood, WiUiam L., 6J:0 Woodson, Mrs. T. P., 307 Woodson, Thomas P., 307, 311 Wright, Charles G., 41 Wright, Edward W., 149 Wright, Ezra, 55 Wright, J. A., 169 Wright, Jabez, 43 Wright, Joseph A., 63 Wright, Truitt P., 56 Wright, WilUs J., 54, 56 Wright, W. J., 43, 133, 136 Wyatt, H., 286 Wyatt, Nathaniel, 43 Yeoman, Allen J., 56 Yeoman, Daniel H., 41 Yeoman, David H., 83, 153, 449 Yeoman, Ira W., 43, 55, 73 Yeoman, James, 43 Yeoman, J. J., 140 Yeoman, Joseph, 40, 43, 133 Yeoman, L. D., 139 Yeoman, Samuel, 254, 255 Yeoman, Samuel E., 42, 56, 265 Zaring, Joseph, 311 Zick, Robert, 632 Zoborosky, Sarah, 772' Zook, Edwin D., 302 Zook, E. M., 314 Zook, S. C, 314 Zumbuelte, Mathias, 150 RURAL SCENES IN BOTH COUNTIES Kent's Pond, Kentland Scene near Remington Maple Walk, St. Joseph's College, Rensselaer Stewart's Lake, Goodland Fountain Park, Remington Jasper and Newton Counties CHAPTER I CO-OPERATION OF NATURE AND MAN The Kankakee and Iroquois — Surface Geology — Mineral Springs — Topography, Soil and Products — Moulding of Nature by Man — What the Fires Did to Drive Out Rank Forage — The Live Stock of Jasper County — Agriculture AND Live Stock Forty Years Ago. The watershed between the Lake Michigan region and the Valley of the Kankakee is about fifteen miles south of the great lake. If the territory now included in Jasper and Newton counties should be classified according to the arrangements of nature it would be placed in the great Illinois country. Its far northern sections are within a swamp area of the Kankakee Valley and in the earlier period of its political existence, or until the creation of Lake and Porter counties in 1836, it contained a large area of these lowlands north of the Kankakee. Some of its southern townships also extended into the Valley of the Wabash, but with the formation of Benton County in 1840 the territory to be covered by this history was embraced entirely within the Valley of the Illinois. The Kankakee and Iroquois The Kankakee, which is one of the leading tributaries of the Illi- nois, rises in St. Joseph County, Northern Indiana, flows south- west through Northwestern Indiana, receives the Iroquois in the first tier of Illinois counties, and, after a course of about 230 miles, enters the Illinois River above Morris. The Iroquois River, the chief tributary of the Kankakee, drains the central and southern portions of Jasper and Newton counties, flows southwest and west 2 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES into the State of Illinois, and then turns abruptly north to the Kan- kakee. So that Jasper and Newton counties are not only in the broad northern Valley of the Kankakee, with its torpid waters and marshes (many of which have been drained and converted into fer- tile, productive lands), but within the area of the rapid-flowing and stimulating Iroquois, along which sprung some of the first and most permanent settlements of the region. Surface Geology Jasper County lies just north of the basin of the Wabash. Its southwestern half is a gently rolling prairie of black, loamy soil, while its northern and northeastern portions are sandy, with oak openings and prairies, interspersed with sandy knolls and ridges. The country is underlaid with beds of bowlder drift, which vary in depth from twenty feet in the Valley of the Iroquois to nearly two hundred feet at some of the higher ridges. At Rensselaer the Iroquois flows over a bed of limestone con- taining interesting specimens of corals and fossils. The stone is rather cherty and not favorable to the production of lime, but a short distance below the city it is purer and has been burned for commercial purposes. Above Rensselaer, near the old mill dam, thin beds of limestone raise themselves above the low banks of the river constituting the only natural rocky exposure on the Iroquois in Jasper County. Southeast of town is a sandstone quarry which has been worked to some extent and a few miles north several gravel beds, which have supplied material for roads and buildings purposes. Mineral Springs A number of mineral springs are found near Rensselaer, the waters of which experience has determined to be highly medicinal. Among them are some white sulphur springs, which, in a malarious climate, are worthy of attention. Half a mile east of the county seat a well that was bored to the depth of 800 feet formerly dis- charged a large volume of sulphureted water. This well was sup- plied from a crevice about 180 feet below the surface. Another well in the corner of the courthouse yard that was bored with a "diamond drill," fumished a supply of water near the surface. Topography, Soil and Products The divide which separates the Kankakee and Iroquois rivers is a succession of low ridges of yellow or white sand, interspersed with JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 3 swampy valleys from lOO to 400 yards in width, indicating ancient river channels. These numerous river beds show the extent of the region traversed by the Kankakee and Iroquois rivers before finding a fixed channel, when old Lake Kankakee was first drained off. The soil in these valleys is peaty, of no great depth, and is underlaid by a deposit of white sand. A narrow strip of deep, rich alluvial soil from one to two miles in width along the southern margin of the Kankakee is well timbered and highly productive. Groves and skirts of timber are found along the water courses, the wood comprising hickory and white and burr oak. Wheat has not been a reliable crop, as the soil does not seem favorable to its continuous growth. A large part of the county, also, is nearly level, with great capacity for supporting water. What little snow falls does not rest quietly where it settles, but is blown about by the heavy, sweeping winds, by which the wheat plants are exposed to the alternate thawings and freezings of February and March. Of the fruits, grapes and apples seem to best flourish. As to really profitable crops, hay closely follows corn, and of live stock, both cattle and hogs are most extensively raised. Moulding of Nature by M.-vn The bold topographic lines are laid down by nature, as well as the general conditions of climate, soil and drainage, but in Jasper County, as elsewhere, man has done much to transform the face of nature. In that transformation fire, artificial drainage, scientific cultivation, the denuding of original tree growth and the introduction of new generations of plant and animal life, have made the country immeasurably more pleasant and healthful than it was in its primi- tive state. How these improvements on nature were accomplished in Jasper County calls for a general backward survey. Wh.'^t the Fires Did to Drive Out Rank Forage Cultivation has wrought marked changes in this country during the eighty years which the white man has possessed the land. What appeared to the early settlers a dead level expanse of prairie and swamp is now a pleasant rolling area of thrifty farms. This trans- formation has been brought about not by physical changes, but by the natural effects of the farmer's occupation. The open land was originally covered with a rank growth of prairie grass ; on the high lands the grass did not reach its normal height, while on the lower 4 JASPER AxND NEWTON COUNTIES lands its growth was of astonishing proportions, frequently reaching a height which would hide a man on horseback, and thus would tend to create the illusion of a perfectly level plain. In the timber lands the change has been still more marked. The dense forests of young growth, underbrush and saplings, did not exist fifty years ago. Then the timber, save along the rivers, was marked only by scattered oaks and hickories, which favoring localities preserved from the annual fires that swept the prairies. These were started by accident from the fires of hunters, or by the Indians, for the purpose of keeping the timber in check, and clearing the country of the rank grass stubble. These fires that kept the beautiful panorama of prairie unob- structed, although of permanent benefit, were the most to be dreaded of all the early contingencies with which settlers had to deal. From the time the grass would burn, which was soon after the first frost, usually about the first of October, till the surrounding prairie was all burnt over, or, if not all burnt, till the green grass in the spring had grown sufficient to prevent the rapid progress of the fire, the early settlers were continually on the watch, and as they usually expressed the idea, "slept with one eye open." When the ground was covered with snow, or during rainy weather, the apprehension was quieted, and both eyes could be safely closed. A statute law forbade setting the prairie on fire, and one doing so was subject to penalty, and liable to an action of trespass for the damage accruing; but convictions were seldom effected, as proof was difficult to obtain, though there were frequent fires. Those started on the leeward side of an improvement, while dangerous to property to the leeward, were not so to property to the windward, as fire progressing against the wind is easily extinguished, and the temptation to start one of these fires for some trivial purpose was often quite irresistible. Various means were resorted to for protection. A common one was to plow several furrows around a strip, several rods wide, out- side the improvements, and then burn out the inside of this strip, or to wait until the prairie was on fire and then set fire outside of this furrowing, reserving the inner strip for a late bum, i. e., until the following summer, and in July burn both old grass and new. The grass would start afresh immediately, and the cattle would feed it close in preference to the older grass, so that the fire would not pass over it in the following autumn. This process repeated would soon, or in a few years, run out the prairie grass, which in time would be replaced by blue-grass, which will not burn to any serious extent. But all this took time and labor, and the crowd of business JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 5 on the hands of a new settler, of which a novice has no conception, would prevent him doing what would now seem a small matter; and even when accomplished, all such precautions often proved futile. A prairie fire driven by a high wind would often leap such barriers and seem to put human eifort at defiance. A prairie fire when first started goes straight forward with a velocity proportioned to the force of the wind, widening as it goes, Food for Pr.mrie Fires but the center keeping ahead ; it spreads sideways, but burning laterally, it makes but comparatively slow progress, and if the wind is moderate and steady, this spreading fire is not difficult to manage, but if the wind veers a point or two, first one way and then the other, it sends this side fire beyond control. The head fire in dry grass and a head wind is a fearful thing, and pretty sure to have its own way unless there is some defensible point to 6 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES meet it. A contest with such a fire requires such skill and tact as can be learned only by experience, and a neighborhood of set- tlers called out by such an exigency at once put themselves under the direction of the oldest and most experienced of their number, and go to work with the alacrity and energy of men defending their homes and property from destruction. The usual way of meeting advancing tires was to begin the de- fense where the head of the fire would strike, which was calcu- lated by the smoke and ashes brought by the wind along in advance of fire. A road, cattle-path, or furrow is of great value at such a place; if there was no such, a strip of the grass was wetted down if water could be procured, which was, however, a rather scarce article at the time of the annual fire. On the side, nearest the com- ing fire, of such a road or path, the grass is set on fire, which burns slowly against the wind until it meets the coming conflagration, which latter stops, of course, for want of fuel, provided there has been sufficient time to burn over a strip that cannot be leaped by the head fire as it comes in. This is called "back-firing;" but in this method, great care must be exercised to prevent the fire getting over the furrow or path, or whatever is used as the base of opera- tions. If it gets in the rear of this and once under way, there is no remedy but to fall back to a more defensible position. The head of the fire successfully checked, the force of fire-fighters divide, part going to the right and part to the left, and the backfiring continues to meet the side fires as they come up. This must be continued until the fire is checked along the entire front of the premises endangered, and the sides secured. Various implements were used to put out a side or back fire, or even the head of a fire in a moderate wind. A fence board, four to six feet long, with one end shaved down for a handle, was very effective when struck flat upon the narrow strip of fire. A bundle of hazel brush, a spade or shovel was often used with efifect. The women frequently lent their aid, and dextrously wielded the mop, which, when thoroughly wet, proved a very efficient weapon, especially in extinguishing a fire in the fence. When the fire over- came all opposition, and seemed bound to sweep over the settle- ment, a fear of personal loss would paralyze, for the moment, every faculty, and as soon as the danger seemed imminent, united effort ceased, and each one hastened to defend his own as best he could. It is due to historical truth to say that actual losses were much less than might have been expected, though frequently quite severe. The physical efforts made in extinguishing a dangerous fire, and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 7 protecting one's home from this devouring element, were of the most trying nature, not infrequently resulting fatally. The premises about the residence and- yards being trampled down by the family and domestic animals, after a year or two became tolerably safe from fire, but the fences, corn and stubble fields were often attacked. When the open land was all fenced and under cultivation, so that these fires were a thing of the past, the residents of the prairie were happily released from the constant apprehen- sion which for years had disturbed their peace by night and caused anxiety by day, though the early settlers still retain vivid recollec- tions of the grand illuminations nightly exhibited in dry weather, from early fall to late spring, by numberless prairie fires. The whole horizon would be lighted up around its entire circuit. A heavy fire six or seven miles away would aflford sufficient light in a dark night to enable one to read fine print. When a fire had passed through the prairie, leaving the long lines of side fires like two armies facing each other, the sight at night was sublime, and if one's premises were securely protected, and he could enjoy the exhibition without apprehension, it was a sight well worth going far to see. The Live Stock of Jasper County. From the first it was evident to the county's pioneers who had come into the country with any experience of live stock raising that the rich bottom lands of the Kankakee, when properly drained, as well as the more accessible sections along the Iroquois, in the south, were destined to become an admirable region for the breeding and care of cattle, horses and hogs. Its farmers, with very few excep- tions, have never striven to cultivate blooded stock, but have endeav- ored to produce those varieties which were most useful and profit- able for the home and as accessories to agricultural progress. It was years before any of the early settlers attempted to raise more cattle, horses or hogs than would be required for household con- sumption or the operation of the farm. But by the '50s consider- able progress had been made toward the raising of live stock in commercial quantities, as will be evident by reading the following article, originally published in the Rensselaer Gazette during 1858: "As a grazing country, we scarcely have an equal, and cannot be easily surpassed. Grass grows here in rich abundance, and truly, cattle are made to 'lie down in green pastures.' This fact is well known to many cattle raisers, who are in the habit of bringing their JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES %';*■'"■ •"'■■^^^INiM''^'"* Jasper County Li\i-: Siock JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 9 cattle two or three days' drive every spring, that they may kixuriate on our rich pasture, and drink of our cooHng streams. Some of the finest cattle that go from grass to market go from this county. "Beef cattle have commanded the attention and capital of farm- ers to a greater extent than any other stock in this branch of rural labor. Horses, swine, sheep and asses have each occupied more or less time, but more capital has been devoted to cattle than to any of the others. "Dairies, except with a very few farmers, have been a secondary object. Butter-making has not been made a serious branch of business. No attention has been paid to it, except by families for private use, or to supply the limited trade with the villages of the county, and even this has been very inconsiderable, because almost every villager keeps a cow during the summer season. "There has not yet been any general system of cattle-raising adopted from deliberate or scientific trial by farmers of this county. Each individual has acted upon the scheme suggested by his own judgment or fancy, or such as the state of improvement or the natural features of his own particular location has afforded, or his own particular case has dictated. "Numerotis breeds of cattle have been raised in this county. Herds have been purchased abroad and raised and fatted here. But little or no attention has been given to the fineness or firmness of the texture of the beef, the color of the flesh, or the odor or flavor of the meat, or the peculiar frame of the animal, but that breed would undoubtedly receive the preference which will attain the greatest weight of carcass in the shortest time, and with the least labor, and, what is of not less importance, they should be of a hardy variety, able to stand the greatest degree of cold and extreme exposure in winter on inferior food, without shelter. "In selling, the practice has been to sell for so much per hundred pounds, live weight. Drovers have been offered so much per hun- dred and raisers have accepted the bid, and driven their cattle from the grass onto the scales, or themselves taken them to market where the same or similar result was achieved. "A few only have packed the beef of their own raising or even of their own fattening, and where any have had it packed on their own account, it has generally been done at some larger towns out of the county, at Lafayette, Chicago, or some other city, the butcher furnishing barrels, salt, cutting the meat, and packing it, for the hide, head, shanks and tallow as payment. In this case the drover must of course, await the action of the market before he can realize. 10 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES In some instances, advances are made by the consignees, but what- ever has been the final arrangement of drovers and packers, cattle have always commanded cash in hand to the growers and fatteners, though there has been but little competition among buyers, drovers generally giving their own prices. "The general practice in raising cattle has been either to keep breeding cows, and let the calves run with them on the open prairie in summer, throwing the herd a handful of salt once or twice a week, and taking care, either by an employed herdsman or by occa- sional supervision, that they do not wander too far from the proper range. This is the only expense during seven and a half months in the year, from the middle of April to December. "A very few, if any, calves are ever slaughtered in Jasper County for their veal. Those who do not wish to winter their calves find a market among their neighbors in the fall, at from $4 to $6 per head. After the grass of the prairies has been killed down by the frosts of autumn, the calves are generally separated from the larger cattle, and kept up in an inclosure, in some part of which is an open shed, built of logs or rails, and covered with a pile of straw or coat- ing of prairie hay. and there fed on prairie hay, with a small daily allowance of ears of Indian corn or meal. Some keep them on com fodder, which has been cut and shocked up in the fall, or turn them into stock-fields ; that is, fields where the ears of corn have been gathered, and the stalks left standing, or more recently, since tame grasses have been cultivated, feed them on timothy, blue-grass or clover, during a portion of the winter. "In some cases, calves are exposed throughout the winter to all changes of weather, with no shelter besides what is offered by a clump of brush or glade of timber. It is not surprising that with such neglect, many calves perish and die before the end of the first winter. Others that survive get on the 'lift,' or have the 'hollow- horn,' or 'wolf,' or some other disease, the result of starvation and exposures. Very few, if any, calves in this county are ever kept in a thriving condition, much less in a fat condition, during the first winter they are kept. But as soon as spring opens they are again turned out upon the prairies. Here, in a few weeks, the whole appearance is changed. The old hair falls off, and is replaced by a new and smooth coat. In a short time they become fat, and before the ensuing fall they usually attain the size of two-year-old stock that is raised on timber lands. In this condition they are brought to another winter, in which they fare no better than during the first. They are now kept without shelter, many of them without JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 11 grain, and fed on hay, which costs about $1.50 per ton in the stack. It is seldom that any of them die during the second winter, ahhough it would appear strange to a New England farmer that any of them should live through. Heifers with calf at this age — and most of them come in at two years old — need some grain to do well, especially when they come in early, but steers and other stock, if they have only enough coarse feed, get through without difficulty. Early in the succeeding summer and fall the two-year-olds are ready for market. "The average value of such cattle, during the last four or five years, has been from $15 to $17 a head in the spring and from $2.75 to $3 per cwt., live weight, in the summer and fall. Notwithstand- ing the loss of some calves and some older cattle, the last two hard winters, stock raising has been considered profitable, and some have realized handsome profits from it." From the same writer we take the following on the subject of horses: "With horses, as with everything else, the middling good, tolerably cheap, every-day-article, is of more general usefulness than any others. If they are very inferior, whether vicious, unsafe, balky or tender, their services will not pay for their keeping. If a horse is expensive or high-priced, few can afford to invest their capital in him. A large majority of people have all they can do to live comfortably from year to year. We cannot afford to try e.xperiments, or risk our means in uncertain enterprises. We know that the dearest horses are not the most useful to us ; that, in our cir- cumstances, fancy horses and fast horses are not what we most need. We have three purposes for which we want horses, i. e., for draught, for travel and for sale. "First. We want horses to assist in plowing our lands and raising produce ; to take our grain to mill and market ; to haul our wood, and to take our families to worship on Sunday. This is our common business. For this we do not need fast horses, but com- pact, well-built horses that possess the powers of endurance; horses that will keep in good working condition in winter on hay and a moderate share of grain, with indifferent shelter. "Second. We need horses for herding on the open prairies. Here we need an occasional test of speed, although not great nor long continued, for it does not demand a horse of extra dispatch or bottom to outrun a cow or ox. "Third, for sale. Several farmers have entered pretty extensively into this branch of grazing, and some have made money at the busi- ness. There has been a steady home market for common draught 12 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES horses at good prices, and a foreign market at great prices for horses of extra quahty. "Our colts are mostly bred from mares that are occasionally worked throughout the year, and pastured on the prairie in the sum- mer. On the approach of winter, the colts are weaned, fed some grain with straw or hay, and sheltered during the hardest weather, and have no other care. They usually look pretty thin and squalid toward spring. They are generally 'broken' in the second or third year, and by the fourth year are put to hard service. Good geldings then bring from $ioo to $125. A few horses of extra quality have sold for fancy prices. The care bestowed on colts is but little more than that devoted rearing calves, and at four years of age the ox may be worth $40, while a colt at the same age rates at $100. Why has not more capital been invested in this business? Not over one-half, probably not over one-third, annually, of the brood mares in the county have colts. Not half the farmers who keep mares ever raise a colt. "One reason is directed against the business itself, i. e., that the business opens the door to dissipation, and while it pays well, it is subject to many excitements and tempts to great risks. "Another reason is, men who have made a moderate income by raising a few common colts annually, have been too often led to try the fancy breed, by which they have changed the character of their associates, fallen under the influence of backlegs and sharpers, run into idleness, betting, racing and gambling, and in the end lost both their character and property. I\Ien judge that a business liable to such results is not safe, and shun it. "Another reason is, there is personal danger in it. Many care- ful men neither wish to break colts nor have they sons to do it. They therefore raise only just what is needed for their own serv- ices ; and as a span of horses will last for from seven to nine years, after they have come to a working age, their wants do not require continued attention to the business, and they decline it. "There is another objection that influences some. Horses, like other stock, are liable to die, and careful farmers do not care to risk so much value in a single animal. It is necessary to keep them in good condition throughout the year, to insure their profitable sale when the market favors their disposal, and this involves a consider- able expense generally overlooked in making a computation of the expenses of the business. "But the principal objection to breeding blooded stock of this description is that the business requires more capital than the ordi- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 13 nary farmer is able to invest until the profits can be realized. To be successful, the breeder needs good stalls, tame pastures, good fences and plenty of help to give the stock all necessary care. With all these accessories, the event is at best uncertain. Not one colt in a hundred will bring an extraordinary price.- Horses noted for beauty, force or speed, have not always reproduced their like, and even when they do the owner of the colt, unless prepared to expend a costly school of training upon it, is likely to discover the fact only after it has passed from his possession. "We have in Jasper County the names of all the noted horses in the land, and the names of all the breeds; but we have neither the stock nor the means at present of producing it, and while we frequently find valuable horses, both imder the saddle and harnessed to the plow, we have never yet seen here a first-class horse." Agriculture and Live Stock Forty Years Ago Horace E. James, secretary of the agricultural society at Rens- selaer, reported as follows in 1879, twenty years after the preceding survey : Last winter was favorable to the growth of fall-sown wheat ; the spring helped its development; insects did not ravage it nor summer storms do it damage, and at harvest time a good, well- matured crop was found, which was saved in fine condition. Gen- erally, however, wheat has not been a reliable crop in this locality. Systematic draining, by means of open ditches and of tile, and liberal coatings of coarse manure, applied before the middle of February, may solve the problem of successful wheat culture upon light and loamy soils and flat surfaces, such as are to be seen with us. At least those farmers who have experimented in this direction are greatly encouraged by the results that have invariably followed such treatment. The wheat crop of Jasper County in 1879 is estimated at double that of any former year, being more than enough to supply the home demand. "Small fruits, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, are not extensively cultivated, although both soil and climate are favorable ; grapes do well with us, the commoner kinds being hardy and yield- ing sure crops of good fruit. Producers are only beginning to cultivate them as they merit. Vines bore abundantly this year. "Some varieties of pears may be grown with moderate returns only. Peaches and quinces winter-kill badly. Plums suffer too much from the ravages of the curculio ever to be popular. Apples do well usually. The exhibition of this fruit at our fair this season 14 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES was remarkably fine. The perfection of specimens equaled any that were shown at the State Fair. "Quite an interest has developed in Jasper County within a year or two in the breeding of poultry. An association has been organized, and several gentlemen lay claim to the title of fowl- fanciers. "Ours is emphatically a cattle and hog producing district, and probably more attention has been paid to the improvement of these classes of live stock than to any of the other branches of husbandry. The great desire has been to produce beef to the neglect of milkers, hence short-horn breeders have been favorites with cattle-raisers. Recently a few Jerseys have been introduced, but thus far have not been looked upon with that degree of favor which is calculated to increase the enthusiasm of those who have invested their money in them for the purpose of breeding. "Large herds (report of i8Si) of cattle are less frequently met than in earlier days. I do not mean that fewer cattle are bred and fed here, but they are scattered around more generally, not kept together in large bunches, as in the days before the county was so thickly inhabited, and before so much of the land was inclosed by fences. The breed has been greatly improved by sepa- ration, better care, better feed, and the introduction of improved blood. The improvement has, however, been altogether in the direc- tion of beef-making. There are few, if any, good milkers or butter producers to be found in our pastures. "In no former year was there so much good hay, both cultivated and wild, put into stock. Tons by the thousands were not even moistened by dew. It has commanded satisfactory prices. Next to corn and not much behind, either, is the hay in importance with us. Much of it is fed on the ground, but there is also an impor- tant industry in baling and shipping it, which has sprung up within a few years. "After cattle, hay and corn, come hogs in point of importance. Our breeds are Berkshire, Poland-China and Jersey Red, with a decided preference for the first named, either pure breed, crossed or common grade. "Sheep hold a modest position. No large flocks are kept, but many farmers own from a dozen to thirty or fifty. The long-wool breeds and their crosses with the natives are the favorites. There are occasional thoroughbred animals, but the object seems to be to grow mutton rather than wool. "Our horses are chiefly what may be called general-purpose JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 15 animals. The introduction of the Norman and the Clydesdale breeds has made the stock on many farms much more serviceable and marketable than previous to their advent. The quarter crosses of these large breeds upon scrubs are excellent horses for general purposes. There are, however, a few flyers owned in the county, some of which are known to the race courses of three or four States, and boast genealogies recorded in the stud book, but no breeding is done for the special object of speed. "A decided change for the better is perceivable each succeeding year in the method which farmers employ for the tiling of the soil and the cultivation of crops. The land is better and more sys- tematically worked than formerly. There is a manifest desire to learn and adopt improvements. There is a growing taste for litera- ture treating upon farm topics. In brief, there seems to be more mind-work combined with hand work. Several tile factories are finding employment in the solution of the problem of systematic draining. A butter factory or creamery of the capacity of i,000 pounds of butter daily has lately been built at the county seat, which is doing a good paying business, while opening up a new field to the vision of stock breeders. Orchards and vineyards are being planted, and, what is more to the purpose, are being cared for with a thought to their ultimate value as a source of revenue." CHAPTER II CONFLICTS OF WHITES AND REDS The Miamis Tamed by the Iroquois — Labors of French Mis- sionaries AND Traders — French Indiana- — Indiana Under British Rule — Uncertain French Titles to Lands — Ruled from Canada and Virginia — In the County of Illinois — Part of Northwest Territory — Indiana Territory — Gen- eral Harrison, Father of Indiana — Tecumseh and the Prophet — The Battle of Tippecanoe — Founding of the State Government — Miami and Pottawattamie Titles Ex- tinguished— Pottawattamie Villages in Jasper County — No Evidences of Permanent Prehistoric Settlements. The lowlands of the Kankakee, alive with water fowl and musk- rats, and teeming with fish, were favorite resorts both of the Indians and French and English trappers from the earliest times of which there are records. But the waters were difficult to navigate, no great land trails followed its courses, such as crossed the country nearer Lake Michigan or along the more navigable Valley of the Wabash to the south. Within the area of what is usually called Northwestern Indiana the main lines of travel both for Indians and whites, in the times of the French dominion, either crossed the immediate region of the great lakes or paralleled the water courses embraced in the Ohio River system. But although the Kan- kakee region was somewhat away from the greater routes of travel, by both land and water, it is believed that the great, tireless and almost ubiquitous La Salle explored it during the later period of his career. The Miamis Tamed by the Iroquois In the time of La Salle the country now embraced within the limits of the State of Indiana was inhabited by the Miami Confed- eration of Indians, of which the Pottawattamies were the most 16 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 17 powerful tribe northwest of the Wabash. The Iroquois, or Five Nations of the East, were their inveterate and hereditary enemies, and the river which bears their name in Jasper and Newton coun- ties, as well as the Illinois county just over the state line, are evi- dences of their fierce western incursion, which was finally stemmed by La Salle and the western tribes which he consolidated against them. But for twenty-five years after his assassination in 1687 until the early part of the eighteenth century the Ohio and lakes regions claimed by France were not safe from the invasions of the Five Nations, the allies of the English. As stated by Dr. William S. Haymond in his "History of Indiana :" "In 1670, and for many years previous, the fertile region of country now included within the boundaries of the state of Indiana vvas inhabited by the Miami Confederation of Indians. This league consisted of several Algonquin tribes, notably the Twightwees, Weas, Piankeshaws and Shockeys and was formed at an early period — probably in the early part of the seventeenth century — for the purpose of repelling the invasions of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, at whose hands they had suffered many severe defeats. By the frequent and unsuccessful wars in which they were com- pelled to engage in self-defense their numbers had been greatly reduced until, at the date mentioned, they could not muster more than fifteen hundred or two thousand warriors. They dwelt in small villages on the banks of the various rivers in Indiana and extended their dominion as far east as the Scioto, north to the Great Lakes and west to the country of the Illinois. Their principal settle- ments were scattered along the headwaters of the Great Miami, the banks of the Maumee, the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan, the Wabash and its tributaries. Although once important among the nations of the Lake Region they had become greatly demoralized by repeated defeats in war, and when first visited by the French their villages presented a very untidy appearance. They were living in constant terror of the Five Nations, practicing only sufficient indus- try to prevent starvation and indulging all their vicious passions to a vulgar extreme. Labors of French Missionaries and Traders "Almost immediately after the discovery and exploration of the Mississippi by La Salle in 1682, and a few years later by James Mar- quette, the government of France began to encourage the policy of connecting its possessions in North America by a chain of fortifica- 18 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES tions, trading posts and missionary stations, extending from New Orleans on the southwest to Quebec on the northwest. This under- taking was inaugurated by Lamotte Cadillac, who established Fort Pontchartrain on the Detroit river in 1701. "At this period the zealous Jesuit missionaries, the adventurous French fur traders with their coarse blue and red cloths, fine scarlet, guns, powder, balls, knives, ribbons, beads, vermilion, tobacco and rum; the careless rangers, or coureurs des bois, whose chief vocation was conducting the canoes of the traders among the lakes and rivers, made their appearance among the Indians of Indiana. The pious Jesuits held up the cross of Christ and unfolded the mysteries of the Catholic religion in broken Indian to the astonished savages, while the speculating trader offered them fire water and other articles of merchandise in exchange for their peltries, and the rangers, shaking loose every tie of blood and kindred, identified themselves with the savages and sank into utter barbarism." The Jesuit missionaries were always cordially received by the Miami tribes. These Indians would listen patiently to the theory of the Saviour and salvation, manifest a willing belief in all they heard, and then, as if to entertain their visitors in return, would tell them the story of their own simple faith in the Manitous, and stalk off with a groan of dissatisfaction because the missionaries would not accept their theory with equal courtesy. Missionary stations were established at an early day in all the principal villages and the work of instructing and converting the savages was begun in earnest. The order of religious exercises established at the missions among the Miamis was nearly the same as that among the other Indians. Early in the morning the missionaries would assemble the Indians at the church, or the hut used for the purpose, and after prayers the sav- ages were taught concerning the Catholic religion. These exercises were always followed by singing, at the conclusion of which the congregation was dismissed, the Christians only remaining to take part at mass. This service was generally followed by prayers. Dur- ing the forenoon the priests were generally engaged in visiting the sick and consoling those who were laboring under any affliction. After noon another sen-ice was held in the church, at which all the Indians were permitted to appear in their finery and where each, without regard to rank or age, answered the questions put by the missionary. This exercise was concluded by singing hymns, the words of which had been set to airs familiar to the savage ear. In the evening all assembled again at the church for instruction, to hear JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 19 prayers and to sing tlieir favorite hymns. The Aiiamis were always higniy pleased with the latter exercise. Aside from the character of the religious services which con- stituted a chief attraction in the Miami villages of Indiana while the early French missionaries were among them, the traveler's attention would first be engaged with the peculiarities of the fur trade, which during the first quarter of the eighteenth century was monopolized by the French. This traffic was not confined to those whose wealth enabled them to engage vessels, canoes and traders, for there were hundreds scattered through the various Indian villages of Indiana at almost any time during the first half of the eighteenth century, who carried their packs of merchandise and furs by means of leather straps suspended from their shoulders, or with the straps resting againt their foreheads. Rum and brandy were freely introduced by the traders and always found a ready sale among the Miami Indians. A Frenchman, writ- ing of the evils which resulted from the introduction of spirituous liquors among these savages, remarked : "The distribution of it is made in the usual way; that is to say, a certain number of persons have delivered to each of them a quantity sufficient to get drunk with, so that the whole have been drunk over eight days. They begin to drink in the villages as soon as the sun is down, and every night the fields echo with the most hideous howling." In those early days the Miami villages of the Maumee, those of the Weas about Ouiatenon on the Wabash, and those of the Pianke- shaws around Vincennes were the central points of the fur trade in Indiana, to which large contributions were made by the Indians and trappers of the Kankakee and Beaver Lake regions, in what are now Jasper and Newton counties. Trading posts were established at the Miami villages mentioned and at Fort Wayne, in 1719. although for twenty years previously the French traders and missionaries had frequently visited them. A permanent church or mission was es- tablished at the Piankeshaw village near Vincennes in 1749, and in the following year a small fort was erected there by order of the French government. It was in that year that another small fort was erected near the mouth of the Wabash River. These posts soon drew a large number of French traders around them, and in 1756 they had become quite important settlements, with a mixed popula- tion of French and Indian. At this date the English became competitors for the trade with the Indiana Indians and those of the surrounding country, and at the close of the old French war, in 1763, when Canada and its de- 20 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES pendencies fell into the hands of the British, this monopoly passed to the visitors. Notwithstanding this change in the government of the country, the French who had settled around the principal trading posts in Indiana, with a few exceptions, swore allegiance to the British government and were permitted to occupy their lands in peace and enjoy the slight improvements they had wrought. French Indi.\n.\ The post, or the old post — later known as Vincennes — was es- tablished in 1727, and until after the Revolutionary war was the only white settlement in Indiana, although French forts were estab- lished both at the head of the Maumee and at Ouiatenon — the latter on the Wabash, about eighteen miles below the mouth of the Tippe- canoe. The post at Ouiatenon is claimed to be the first of its kind in Indiana and dated from 1720. From its settlement until it was finally transferred to Great Britain, Vincennes was under the juris- diction of New Orleans, although its trade was largely with Canada. It was in command of a governor, Sieur de Vincennes holding that office from the founding of the post until his death in 1736. Dur- ing that period, therefore, Indiana was under the direct jurisdiction of Governor Vincennes, and indirectly, of New Orleans and Versailles. Indi.\x.\ Under British Rule Vincennes was killed in battle with the Indians at the mouth of the Ohio in 1736, and Louis St. Ange commanded Old Vin- cennes until 1764, or a short time before it was finally surrendered to the British. In May of that year, about six months previous to the proclamation of General Gage, the British commander-in-chief in North America, announcing the cession of the country of the Illinois to His Britannic Majesty, St. Ange appointed his successor to the command of the old post-and started for Fort Chartres to relieve the commandant at that post, who was on his way to New Orleans. For nearly thirty years he had led and governed the people of Old Vincennes. On the loth of October. 1765, St. Ange made a formal delivery of Fort Chartres to Captain Sterling, representing the British govern- ment. That military center of the Illinois country became the first semi-civil seat of government established northwest of the Ohio and included the territory constituting the present State of Indiana. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 21 Captain Sterling in turn received his orders from General Gage, whose headquarters were at New York, the British seat of colonial government in North America. Fort Chartres was a very unhealthful place and Captain Sterling lived only three months after taking possession. In September, 1768, Lieutenant-Colonel Reed, in command, set up a sort of civil govern- ment for the Illinois country. Its main feature consisted of seven judges, who constituted the first court west of the Alleghanies and retained authority until 1774, when the British Parliament restored civil law in full force. Uncertain French Titles to Lands The steps leading to the formal assumption of the civil adminis- tration of the territory embracing Indiana by the Canadian authori- ties, with Quebec as the seat of the dominion government, are thus described: "The arbitrary act of General Gage, in 1772, in ordering all the whites to immediately vacate the Indian country, aroused the settlers and they at once vigorovisly protested. They declared they held the title to their lands from officers of the French government, who had a right to convey such titles, and that when the French government transferred the territory to the English their rights were duly protected by the treaty of cession. Gage was autocratic and determined, and on the receipt of this remonstrance he ordered that all written titles to the possession of the lands should be forwarded to him at New York for examination. The inhabitants were a careless set and mainly ignorant, had failed to properly care for the written evidence of the grants made to them, and many of the papers had been left in the hands of the notary who had drawn them. They never dreamed of any question ever being raised as to their right to the lands they were occupying, and had been occupying for nearly half a century. So it was that this last order of Gage fell like a thunderbolt upon the poor inhabitants. Some deeds were found, but many more could not be found. An appeal was made to St. Ange at St. Louis. He responded by reciting that he had held com- mand of the post (Vincennes) from 1736 to 1764, and that during that time, by order of the governors, he had conceded many parcels of land to various inhabitants by written concessions, and had verbally permitted others to settle and cultivate lands, of which they had been in possession for many years. Other officers certified that many deeds had been carried away, others removed to the record office of the Illinois (at Fort Chartres), and still others had been 22 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES lost or destroyed by rats. But the British government had already heard the muttering of discontent in the eastern colonies and did not want to add to the embarrassments at other points, and in 1774 the whole territory northwest of the Ohio was put under 'the domin- ion of Canada." Ruled from Canada and Virginia When the Illinois country, or the territory northwest of the Ohio, was transferred from France to Great Britain about a decade previously, the entire population did not exceed 600 families, or perhaps 4,000 people, and when it came under the dominion of Canada it was considerably less, as many of the inhabitants had gone to St. Louis, New Orleans and other points in Louisiana. The British took possession of Vincennes in May, 1777, but it was captured by the Americans in August of the following year by Gen. George Rogers Clark, and became forever a possession of the United States. During the Revolutionary war no British or American settle- ments were made within the limits of Indiana, although when General Clark was in authority at Vincennes a number of Ameri- cans were added to the post settlement, and the Indians ceded to the commandant himself 150,000 acres of land around the falls of the Ohio River, which grant was afterward confirmed by Vir- ginia and the National Congress. As an energetic Kentuckian, and an able, brave man of military genius, backed by the Old Dominion and the statesmanship of Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia, General Clark was admirably fitted to be the conqueror of the Northwest, whether fighting against the British or the Indians. In the County of Illinois In 1778, when the news of Clark's capture of Vincennes and Kaskaskia reached Mrginia, its assembly passed a law organizing all the territory northwest of the Ohio into the County of Illinois and placing Col. John Todd in control as county lieutenant. Kas- kaskia was the seat of government, and Indiana again came under a new administration centering ultimately at Richmond, \'irginia. Todd arrived at his capital in May, 1779, and at once commenced his administration as county lieutenant, leaving Clark free to pursue his military enterprises ; but he himself was killed at the battle of Blue Licks in 1782. Although by statute the organization known JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 23 as the County of Illinois had expired in 1781, its civil officers con- tinued to exercise power and grant land concessions until the pas- sage of the ordinance of 1787. Part of the Northwest Territory We now approach the period of stable American Government, when the United States as a nation extended its jurisdiction to the The Northwest Territory of 1787 County of Illinois and the territory northwest of the Ohio River. That immense domain was claimed by Virginia by right of con- quest, but in January, 1783, the General Assembly of the Old 24 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Dominion, in the interests of the United States, ceded to the National Congress all its rights, titles and claims to that great land. The Virginia deed of cession was accepted by Congress in the spring of 1784, and in July, 1788, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, who had been elected by Congress governor of the Northwest Territory under the famous ordinance of the previous year, arrived at Marietta, Ohio, to take over the civil administration of the national domain now included within the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon- sin. At that time, therefore, the future Hoosier .State was governed indirectly from Philadelphia and directly from Marietta, the terri- torial capital. Until Indiana was organized as a territory in 1800, there were few settlements within the limits of the present state. In 1798, under the provisions of the ordinance creating the Northwest Terri- tory, which provided for civil government when its population should number 5,000 free inhabitants, a popular assembly was elected to represent the Northwest, and in January, 1799, convened at Cincinnati, whither the seat of government had been moved from Marietta. Ten members of the upper house, or council, were then appointed by President Adams, upon recommendation of the elected assembly, and when the two bodies met at the new territorial capital in September, 1799, a near approach to popular government had been effected in the territory northwest of the Ohio River. Indiana Territory The Legislature selected as the territorial delegate to Congress, William Henry Harrison, who was filling the position of secretary of the Northwest Territory. The new government was hardly under way before the tremendous domain over which it had jurisdiction underwent its first carving under authority of the ordinance of 1787. By act of Congress, approved May 7, 1800, it was declared that "from and after the fourth of July next, all that part of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river which lies to the westward of a line beginning at the Ohio opposite the mouth of the Kentucky river and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a separate territory to be called the Indiana Territory." The seat of government was fixed at Vincennes and William Henry Harrison was appointed governor. He reached Vincennes in Jan- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 25 uary, 1801, the gubernatorial duties having been performed since the preceding July by John Gibson, secretary of the territory. The judges and juries were soon in action, and in July, 1805, the first Legislature of the Territory of Indiana met at Vincennes. At that time, Indiana had been shorn of Michigan for about six months and in 1809 Illinois was carved away, leaving its territory as at present. Governor H-\rrison, Father of Indiana Governor and General Harrison is acknowledged to be the father of a settled and secure Indiana. Within five years from the time he assumed control of afifairs, both civil and military, he had perfected treaties with the Indians, securing cessions to 46,000 square miles of territory, including all the lands lying on the borders of the Ohio River, between the mouth of the Wabash River and the western boundary of the State of Ohio. At the same time, in co-operation with the Legislature, he guided the revision and improvement of the territorial statutes, and at his recommendation Congress estab- lished several land offices. In 1804 three were opened — at Detroit, Vincennes and Kaskaskia, respectively — and in 1807 a fourth, Jeffersonville, Clark County. But despite treaties and the protection of the National Govern- ment, personified by such a rugged character as Harrison, the origi- nal lords of the soil continued to show just causes for uneasiness and indignation. Even the governor, in his 1806 message to the Legislature, remarked that they were already making complaints, some of them far from groundless. While the laws of the territory provided for the same punishment for offenses committed against Indians as against white men, unhappily there was always a wide difference in the execution of those laws. The Indian was, in all cases, the sufferer. That partiality did not escape their observation. On the contrary, it afforded them an opportunity of making strong comparisons between their own observance of treaties and that of their boastful superiors. During the period from 1805 to 1810, especially, the Indians complained bitterly against the encroachments of the whites upon the lands which they had not ceded. Not only the invasion of their favorite hunting grounds, but the unjustifiable killing of many of their people, were frequent charges which they brought to the atten- tion of Harrison. An old chief, in laying the troubles of his people before the governor, said earnestly : "You call us your children ; why do you not make us as happy as our fathers, the French, did? 26 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES They never took from us our lands ; indeed, they were in common between us. They planted where they pleased; and they cut wood where they pleased; and so did we. But now, if a poor Indian attempts to take a litle bark from a tree to cover him from the rain, up comes a white man and threatens to shoot him, claiming the tree as his own." Tecumseh and the Prophet All such complaints found voice in Tecumseh and his brother, the Prophet ; the one playing upon the superstitions and passions of the Indians, and the other organizing them into a strong confederacy which was to control the disposition of lands, instead of allowing them to be ceded by separate and disunited tribes. Both in 1808 and 1809 the Prophet visited Harrison at Vincennes to assure him of his friendliness and to protest against the charge that he and Tecum- seh were in league with the British. In the later part of the year 1809 it was estimated that the total quantity of land ceded to the United States under treaties which had been effected by the governor exceeded 30,000,000 acres ; and all these cessions were accomplished in direct opposition to the influence of Tecumseh and the Prophet; but the break between these powerful leaders of the white and the red races was at hand. In July, 1810, Governor Harrison made an attempt to gain the friendship of the Prophet by sending him a letter offering to treat with him personally in the matter of his grievances, or to furnish means to send him, with three of his principal chiefs, to the Presi- dent at Washington. The bearer of this letter was coldly received by both Tecumseh and the Prophet, and the only answer he received was that Tecumseh, in a few days, would visit Vincennes and inter- view the governor; this he did, with seventy of his principal warriors, in the following month. For over a week conferences were carried on with the haughty Shawnee chief, who on the 20th of August de- livered an ultimatum to Harrison, to the effect that he should return their lands or fight. While the governor was replying to Tecumseh's speech, the In- dian chief angrily interrupted him to declare, that the United States Government, through General Harrison, had "cheated and imposed on the Indians." Whereupon, a number of the Indian warriors pres- ent sprang to their feet and brandished their clubs, tomahawks and spears. The governor's guards, who stood a short distance off, marched quickly up, and the red men quieted down, Tecumseh be- ing ordered to his camp. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 27 On the following day Tecumseh apologized and requested another interview. The council was thereupon reopened, but while the Shawnee leader addressed Harrison in a respectful manner, he did not recede from his former demand as to the restoration of the Indian lands. The governor then requested Tecumseh to state plainly whether or not the lands purchased at the Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809 could be surveyed without molestation by the Indians, and whether or not the Kickapoos would receive their annuities in payment for such cession. The proposed grant was partly in Illinois. Tecumseh replied : "Brother, when you speak of annuities to me, I look at the land and pity the women and children. I am authorized to say that they will not receive them. Brother, we want to save that piece of land. We do not wish you to take it. It is small enough for our purpose. If you do take it, you must blame yourself as the cause of the trouble between us and the tribes who sold it to you. I want the present boundary line to continue. Should you cross it, I assure you it will be productive of bad consequences." This talk terminated the council. On the following day Governor Harrison, attended only by his interpreter, visited Tecumseh's camp and told him that the United States would not acknowledge his claims. "Well," replied the In- dian, "as the great chief is to determine the matter, I hope the Great Spirit will put sense enough into his head to induce him to direct you to give up this land. It is true, he is so far off he will not be injured by the war. He may sit still in his own town and drink his wine, while you and I will have to fight it out." Tecumseh's last visit to the governor previous to the battle of Tippecanoe, which crushed the red man's power in Indiana and the Northwest, was on July 27, 181 1. He brought with him a consider- able force of Indians, but that showing was offset by 750 well-armed militia whom Governor Harrison reviewed with some ostentation. The interview was conciliatory on the part of Tecumseh, who, how- ever, repeated that he hoped no attempts would be made to settle on the lands sold to the United States at Fort Wayne, as the Indians wished to keep them for hunting grounds. He then departed for the express purpose of inducing the Indians to join his confederacy. The B.vttle of Tipppecanoe While Tecumseh was absent on that mission, the battle of Tippe- canoe was fought under the leadership of the Prophet, and Indiana 28 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES became white man's land forever. After Governor Harrison had exhausted every means to maintain peace with the Indian leader he resorted to decisive military measures. His army moved from Vincennes in September, 1811; he built a new fort on the Wabash in the following month, resumed his march, and on the 6th of November, after an unsatisfactory conference with a representative of the Prophet, about half a mile from town, encamped on the battleground, six miles north of the present City of Lafayette. The selection of that location is said to have been at the suggestion of the Indians, who pronounced it a good place for a camp; the Prophet may therefore be said to have selected the ground on which his people met with such signal defeat. General Harrison's force consisted of about 250 regular troops, 600 Indiana militia and 150 volunteers from Kentucky. Just before daybreak of November 7th, the Indians made a sudden attack on that part of the camp guarded by the militia. They broke at the first on- slaught, but soon reformed, and the entire body of Americans pre- sented a determined front to the wily foe, but did not attempt an offensive until it was light, when several gallant charges were made by the troops and the Indians defeated. The Indians being familiar with the ground had been able to inflict severe losses on the Ameri- cans. Among the killed were Major Jo Daviess, the gifted and brave Kentuckian, and Col. Isaac White, the gallant Virginian, who fell side by side while leading a charge of dragoons. Long after- ward, both Indiana and Illinois were protid to bestow upon two of their counties the names of these heroes of the battle of Tippecanoe. Founding of the State Government Governor Harrison's prolonged absences from the seat of govern- ment on military duties made it necessary to place the civil adminis- tration in other hands. In 1812 and the first four months of 1813, these responsibilities devolved upon John Gibson, secretary of the territory. In February of the latter year President Madison nom- inated Thomas Posey, United States senator from Louisiana, for governor of Indiana, as General Harrison had been made commander- in-chief of the American forces in the West. Governor Posey arrived at Vincennes in May, 1813, and in December of that year the Legis- lature met at the new capital — Corydon, Harrison County. The State House at that place had been partially erected in 181 1, but was not entirely completed until 1815. In December of the latter year, the Territory of Indiana applied JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 29 to Congress for admission into the Union as a state, since more than 60,000 free white inhabitants then resided within its limits — to be exact, 63,897. Congress passed the enabhng act in May, 1816, and the delegates elected to frame a state constitution held a convention at Corydon, lasting from the loth to the 29th of June, of that year. Instead of deliberating in the stuffy little State House, they held most of their meetings under a huge elm tree on the banks of Big Indian Creek, several hundred feet northwest of the capitol. The grand old tree still stands, fifty feet in height with a spread of branches nearly 125 feet across. The first session of the Legislature of the State of Indiana opened at the Corydon State House on November 4, 1816. Corydon remained the state capital until 1825, although the site of Indianapolis had been selected by the commissioners appointed for that ptirpose by the Legislature in 1820. In 1819 Congress donated to the state four sections of land to be selected from any tract of the public domain then unsold, and in May of the following year the locating commissioners fixed upon a tract on the west fork of the White River near the geographical center of the state and platted the new capital as Indianapolis. The seat of government of the commonwealth was moved thither in 1825, as stated, and the first State House completed in 1836. As designated in the congressional grant, Indianapolis was fixed as the permanent capital of Indiana, and all its counties have since looked to that city as the seat of their government authority. Miami and Pottawattamie Titles Extinguished It is an unrelated coincidence that the completion of the State House at Indianapolis and the virtual ex,tinguishment of the Indian titles to the lands of Northwestern Indiana should both fall within the year 1836; it is, nevertheless, a happy coincidence for the pur- pose of continuing this narrative in a chronological and orderly manner. Without going into the intricacies of the general, or blanket trea- ties by which Great Britain and the United States secured their color of title from the Indians, it is sufficient to know that the specific treaties by which the primitive owners transferred the lands now within Jasper and Newton counties to the general Government were made in 1818, 1826 and 1832. On October 2 and 3, 18 18, the Pottawattamies, Weas and Dela- wares — all closely related in tribal afl^airs — ceded their several par- 30 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES eels of lands in the State of Indiana west of the Tippecanoe River, the last two tribes then relinquishing all claims to real estate within the limits of the young commonwealth. The Pottawattamie treaty of October 2d, which is the most important from a Jasper County standpoint, was concluded at St. Mary's, Ohio, between Governor Jonathan Jennings, Lewis Cass and Benjamin Parke, United States commissioners, and the principal chiefs and warriors of the Potta- wattamie Nation. The following tract was thus ceded to the Gov- ernment : Beginning at the mouth of the Tippecanoe River and run- ning up the same to a point twenty-five miles in a direct line from the Wabash River, thence on a line as nearly parallel to the general course of the Wabash River as is possible, thence down the Ver- million River to its mouth, and thence up the \\'abash River to the place of beginning. Within the following eight years the Miamis, the Pottawattamies and the Weas ceded various tracts in Central and Western Indiana, which did not effect any territory within the present Jasper of Newton. Both the Pottawattamies and Miamis ceded all their lands east of the Tippecanoe by the treaty of October 23, 1826, the tract being thus formally described in the paper : Beginning on the Tippecanoe River, where the northern boundary of the tract ceded by the Pottawattamies to the United States by the treaty of St. Mary's in the 3'ear 1818 intersects the same, thence in a direct line to a point on Eel River half way between the mouth of said river and the Parrish's village, thence up Eel River to Seek's vil- lage (now in Whitley County) near the head thereof, thence in a direct line to the mouth of a creek emptying into the St. Joseph's of the Miami (Maumee) near Metea's village, thence up the St. Joseph's to the boundary line between Ohio and Indiana, thence south to the Miami (Maumee), thence up the same to the reservation at Fort Wayne, thence with the lines of the said reservation to the boundary established by the treaty with the ^liamis in 1818, thence with the said line to the Wabash River, thence with the said river to the mouth of the Tippecanoe River, and thence with the Tip- pecanoe River to the place of beginning. By the treaty with the Pottawattamies of October 26, 1832, a tract of land in the northwestern portion of the state was ob- tained by the Government, which overlapped the Kickapoo cession in Illinois. On the following day the Pottawattamies of Indiana and Michigan also relinquished all claims to any remaining lands in those states, as well as in Illinois south of Grand River. By the four treaties mentioned the settlers of Northwestern JASPER AND XEWTOxN COUNTIES 31 Indiana, the pioneers of whom commenced to come into that sec- tion of the state at the time of these Pottawattamie cessions, were enabled to read their titles clear to their homesteads and mansions on earth. On the nth of February, 1836, the Government concluded the agreement with the Pottawattamies by which all former treaties were ratiiied, and a stipulation made that they would migrate, within two years, to their reservation beyond the Missouri River, the United States to pay the expenses of such removal and furnish them one year's subsistence. On April 23, 1836, there was introduced in the Twenty-fourth Congress a memorial from the Indiana Legislature asking Con- gress to extinguish the title of the Pottawattamie and Miami Indians to all lands in said state. This memorial recites that said matter is one of the greatest interest and importance and asks that their title be extinguished and the Indians removed from the state. It was referred to the committee on Indian affairs and ordered to be printed. Two years later the Indians were transported beyond the Mississippi River. The last tribal title to lands in Indiana was not extinguished until 1872, when Congress partitioned the ten-mile reserve originally granted in 1838 to the Metosinia band of Miamis (in Wabash County), comprising sixty-three of the descendants of the original chief. Migrations of the Pott.^w.^ttamies Dr. J. Z. Powell, in his history of Cass County, published by the company which issues this work, gives an authentic and condensed account of the various steps by which the Pottawattamies and Miamis were transferred to their reservations in the far West; the bands from the regions of the Kankakee and Iroquois rivers were tributary streams to the main bodies which moved down the Valley of the Wabash toward Illinois and the Mississippi River. "The first emigration of the Pottawattamies," says Doctor Powell, "took place in July, 1837, under the direction of Abel C. Pepper, United States commissioner, and George Profit conducted them to their western home. There were about one 'hundred taken in this band and Nas-wau-gee was their chief. Their village was located on the north bank of Lake Muck-sen-chuck-ee, where Culver Military Academy ("Marshall county) now stands. The old chief, Nas-wau- gee, was a mild-mannered man and on the morning- of their march 32 Jz\SPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES to their western home, as he stood on the banks of the lake and took a last, long view of his old home to which he was never to return, he was visibly affected and tears were seen to flow from his eyes. "The last and final removal of the Pottawattamies was made in the fall of 1838. They were unwilling to go, and Colonel Abel C. Pepper, then United States Indian agent stationed at Logansport, made a requisition on Governor David Wallace (father of General Lew Wallace) for a company of militia, and General John Tipton, of Logansport, was directed to enlist a company of one hundred men, which he speedily did. The recruits were mostly from Cass county. The names of the men composing this company of militia are not obtainable, but the writer's father, Jacob Powell, and Isaac Newton Clary, pioneers of Bethlehem and Harrison townships, were among the number. "Sixty wagons were provided to haul the women, children and those unable to march. There were eight hundred and fifty-nine Indians enrolled under the leadership of Chief Menominee. Their principal village was situated on Twin Lake, about seven miles southwest of Plymouth, in Marshall county, where the entire tribe assembled and bid farewell to their old homes. The village con- sisted of one hundred and twenty wigwams and cabins ; also a chapel in which many of them were converted to Christianity by Father Petit, a missionary in Indiana at that time. Many afiecting scenes occurred as these red men of the forest for the last time viewed their cabin homes and the graves of their loved ones who slept in a graveyard near their little log chapel. "On September 4, 1838, they began their sad and solemn march to the West. Their line of march was south on the ^lichigan road to Logansport, where they encamped just south of Honey creek on the east side of Michigan avenue, on the night of the 7th of Septem- ber, 1838; and that night two of the Indians died and were buried just north of Honey creek where the Vandalia Railroad crosses the stream and on the east side of Michigan avenue ; and their bones lie there to this day. "General Tipton conducted these Indians along the Wabash river through Lafayette and on to Danville, Illinois, where he turned them over to Judge William Polke, who took them to their reservation west of the Missouri river. Many of the whites had a great sym- pathy for this band of Indians and thought they were wrongfully treated in their forcible removal, although, by their chiefs, they had agreed to move West. "A few of the Pottawattamies moved to northern ^Michigan and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 33 some remnants of this once powerful tribe lived there to recent times. Among their number was Simon Pokagon, who died January 27, 1899. Just prior to his death he wrote an article for an eastern maga- zine in which he said : 'As to the future of our race, it seems to me almost certain to lose its identity by amalgamation with the domi- nant race.' When Pokagon was asked if he thought that the white man and the Indian were originally one blood, he said: T do not know, but from the present outlook they will be.' "There were bands of Pottawattamie and Miami Indians in Cass and adjoining counties that moved to the West at different times; sometimes they went voluntarily; at other times, they were escorted. The last of the Miamis were conducted to their reserva- tion west of the Mississippi by Alex. Coquillard in 1847, and again in 1851." By the fall of 1838 there were few Pottawattamies left in their old encampments anywhere along the Tippecanoe. Another eye- witness to their greatest march toward the setting sun, that of Sep- tember in the year named, and toward which the Pottawattamies of the northwestern corner of the state contributed a considerable contingent, thus describes the enforced migration : "The regular migration of the Pottawattamies took place under Colonel Abel C. Pepper and General Tipton in the summer of 1838. Hearing that this strange emigration, which consisted of about one thousand of all ages and sexes, would pass within eight or ten miles of Lafayette, a few of us procured horses and rode over to see the retiring band as they reluctantly wended their way toward the setting sun. It was a mournful spectacle to witness these children of the forest slowly retiring from the homes of their childhood. As they cast sad glances backward toward the loved scenes that were fading in the distance, tears fell from the cheeks of the downcast warriors, old men trembled, matrons wept, the swarthy maiden's cheek turned pale, and sighs and half-suppressed sobs escaped from the motley groups as they passed along, some on foot, some on horseback and others in wagons — sad as a funeral procession. I saw several of the aged warriors casting glances toward the sky, as if they were im- ploring aid from the spirits of their departed heroes who were look- ing down upon them from the clouds, or from the Great Spirit who would ultimately redress the wrongs of the red man, whose broken bow had fallen from his hand and whose sad heart was bleeding within him. "Ever and anon one of the party would start out into the brush and break back to his old encampments on the Tippecanoe, declaring 34 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES he would rather die than be banished from his country. Thus scores ot discontented emigrants returned trom diiierent points on tlieir journey, and it was several years before they could be induced to join their countrymen west of the Mississippi." Pottawattamie \Tllages in Jasper County Although the tribes which made their homes in Jasper County exhibited no indication of having imbibed the religion of the Catho- lic priests, they were not less friendly to the early whites that found their way thither on trading and hunting expeditions, and even when the whites came to take possession of the land after the Logansport treaty. The Iroquois River has sustained its reputation as one of the best stocked rivers in the state, from the earliest knowledge of the whites to the present time. Long before any settlements were made rumors of its profusion of fine edible fish came to the frontiers through the Pottawattamies, to whom it was a favorite place of resort each fall and spring. Bass, bream, pike, salmon, mullet, suck- ers and other varieties were found in abundance. The Rapids of the Rockwise. as the Iroquois was early called, was a favorite resort of the Pottawattamie Indians in Jasper County, and every spring and fall during their stay in the state found large numbers of them gathered there to fish and hunt. The river swarmed with the largest fish, the prairie supplied innumerable deer and grouse, and the Kankakee aliforded some of the best trapping grounds in Indiana. Two or three tribes of the nation made their homes in Jasper County, whose principal villages were located near the line of sections 17 and 20, Newton Township, and just east of the Phegley farm. Their principal chiefs were Job, whose following numbered about 300 men; Jim, with a tribe of about no, and Wa- pakoneta, with a smaller band. Their corn fields were scattered all over the county. What was known as the Indian garden, on the Kankakee River in Wheatfield Township, was one of the largest of their com fields. Others were located a few miles west of the county seat on the site of the Benjamin farm; on the Mallatt place, further west, and on the site of Rensselaer. The corn is described as quite diflferent from that now in cultivation. It was of a blue and vvhite color, somewhat similar to our sweet com in texture, and never acquired that flinty hardness which is characteristic of the grain now in general cultivation. The sites chosen for corn fields were stich as could be the easiest JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 35 tilled with the rude implements at command, and where the rank prairie grass could be best held in control. The squaws performed the labor with the sanghoe, chopping off the sod and piling it up at one side. On the spot thus cleared the corn was planted and left to grow as it might. On the following year the spot on which the sod had been piled was found bare of grass, and there another hill was planted ; thus, in the second year, double the number of hills were planted. The ground thus brought under cultivation was worked each successive year, the corn being planted each time in the same spot, and the earth successively hoed up to the same spot formed little mounds to mark the site of each hill of corn. The stalk grew about 4^ to 5 feet high, from which the corn was stripped in the fall and hung up by the husks in the rude sheds provided for the purpose. Cured fish was an important part of the Indians' winter supplies. On what was afterward the Rhodes farm, about three-quarters of a mile southeast of Rensselaer, they had their pits for that purpose. These were rectangular, about 2 by 4 feet, sunk about three feet into the ground. They were filled with wood, which was ignited, and when it was reduced to a body of live coals short sticks were placed upon them, on which the fish were laid as drawn from the water. When sufficiently cooked the fish were taken from the fire, the skin removed and the flesh stripped from the bones. The shredded fish was then placed on pieces of sheet iron and again placed over the coals, the meat being turned, from time to time, and rubbed between the palms of the hands until the whole was reduced to rather fine powder. When the fire was exhausted, the fish powder was removed, packed closely in deer skin sewed up to receive it, and laid aside for the winter. A few handfuls of this powdered fish with pounded corn made a very acceptable dish. 1308665 No Evidences of Permanent Prehistoric Settlements The region of the Kankakee was wisely avoided by the Indians in their choice of sites for their villages, as they appeared to have had considerable regard for sanitary requirements. The same ap- plies to the location of habitations by their prehistoric forefathers. Even along the stretches of the Iroquois River there are few traces of more than temporary occupancy by the aborigines. A mound on the east side of that stream about four miles northeast of the county seat was the only relic of the Mound Builders to be found in Jasper County. It was nearly 10 feet high and about 40 feet in diameter, 36 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES and contained ashes, bones and shells. Spear and arrow heads of an unusual form and specimens of chert, seen naturally only in Tennessee, have been discovered at that locality. Vestiges of old com fields and trails have also been found, but not in such num- ber as to confute the conclusion that the region was never in the path of racial settlement, travel or migration. CHAPTER III PREPARATIONS FOR WHITE IMMIGRATION The American Survey System — Survey of Indiana Public Lands — When Statehood Came — Creation of the Counties — Conditions Unfavorable to Settlement — William Dona- hue, First Settler — The Yeoman and the Nowels Family —Charles G. Wright — Thomas Randle and George Gulp — The Blue Grass Settlement — The Benjamins — Settlers of 1832-45. Fifty years before the Indian titles to the lands in Jasper and Newton counties had been extinguished and the first white settlers commenced to arrive, the General Government had adopted its system of surveys, so that the potential land owner should be able to have his property plainly staked out in metes and bounds and recorded in the public archives, as his sole possession. The American Survey System For several years before the passage of the Ordinance of 1787 creating the territory northwest of the Ohio River, Congress was discussing the best methods of dividing the lands of the national domain. On May 18, 1784, an act was finally introduced to divide them into townships, each ten miles square ; in April of the follow- ing year another measure was brought before Congress proposing that each township should be seven miles square, and on the 20th of the following month that act was amended, making the congressional township six miles square, as at present. After the appointment of surveyors and geographers, the south line of the State of Pennsylvania extended west was fixed as the base line. The north and south meridian was also established. The sur- veyors were ordered to note "the variations of the magnetic needle at the time the lines were run," and when seven ranges, or forty-two miles had been surveyed, one-seventh of the same was to be set apart "for th^ use of the late Continental army." Then the section num- 37 38 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES bered i6 in each congressional district was set apart for the use of the public schools, the proceeds derived from the sale of the lands therein forming the basis ever thereafter of the American common school fund. Of course the title to all the lands within the counties of the state is derived from the United States Government, but at various times the Federal Government has granted to the State of Indiana over 3,500,000 acres, of which some 1,250,000 acres comprised the swamp lands. The swamp lands and those conveyed by the United States direct to the purchaser and known as Government land, in- cluded nearly all the area of Jasper and Newton counties. The former were the source of the greatest public scandals which have ever oyertaken the counties. More specifically, the congressional ordinance of May 20, 1785, stated that: "The first line running north and south as aforesaid, shall begin on the river Ohio, at a point which shall be found to be due north from the western terminus of a line which has been run as the southern boundary of the state of Pennsylvania; and the first line running east and west shall begin at the same point, and shall extend through the whole territory ; provided that nothing herein shall be construed as fixing the western boundary of the state of Pennsylvania. The geographer shall designate the townships, or fractional townships, by numbers, progressively, from south to north — always beginning each range with No. i ; and the ranges shall be distinguished by their progressive numbers to the westward, the first range extending from the Ohio to Lake Erie being marked No. I. The geographer shall personally attend to the ranning of the first east and west line and shall take the latitude of the extremes of the first north and south line and of the mouths of the principal rivers. "The lines shall be measured with a chain ; shall be plainly marked by chaps on the trees and exactly described on a plat ; whereon shall be noted by the surveyor at their proper distances, all mines, salt springs, salt licks and mill seats that shall come to his knoweldge, and all water courses, mountains and other remarkable and per- manent things over or near which such lines shall pass, and also the quality of the lands. "The plats of the townships, respectively, shall be marked by subdivisions into lots one mile square, or six hundred and forty acres, in the same direction as the external lines, and numbered from one to thirty-six — always beginning the succeeding range of the lot with the number next to that with which the preceding one concluded. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 39 And where, from the causes before mentioned, only a fractional part of a township shall be surveyed, the lots protracted thereon shall bear the same number as if the township had been entire. And the surveyors in running the external lines of the township shall, at the intervals of every mile, mark corners for the lots which are adjacent, always designating the same in a different manner from those of the township." Survey of Indiana Public Lands The "first principal meridian"' is a line running due north from the mouth of the Miami, and is, in fact, the east hne of the State of Indiana. The "second principal meridian" is a line running due north from the mouth of Little Blue River, eighty-nine miles west of the former. The only base line running through this state crosses it from east to west in latitude 38° 30', leaving the Ohio twenty-five miles above Louisville, and striking the Wabash four miles above the mouth of the White River. From this base line the Congres- sional townships of six miles square are numbered north and south, and from the second principal meridian all the ranges of townships are numbered east and west except the counties of Switzerland, Dearborn, and parts of Franklin, Union, Wayne and Randolph. This part of the state was surveyed in townships from a base line of fifteen miles north of the former, and in ranges west of the first principal meridian. The "Clark Grant" in Clark County and the old French lands in Knox County are also exceptions to the regularity of the general survey of the state. Townships are subdivided into thirty-six equal parts, or thirty-six square miles, containing 640 acres each, called sections. These sections are subdivided into halves, of 320 acres, and quarters, of 160 acres each, which last are again subdivided into halves, of eighty acres, and quarters, of forty acres each. "Fractions" are parts of sections intersected by streams, or confirmed claims or reservations, and are of various sizes. The sections of a township are designated by numbers, beginning with the northeast corner and following in regular order to the west side, the second tier of sections beginning on the west side of the town- ship and proceeding east. That portion of the state in the southeast corner, which was included in the Ohio survey, was disposed of at the Cincinnati land office. The rest of the public lands in Indiana were principally disposed of at offices established at Jeffersonville, Vincennes, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis, Fort W^ayne and Winamac. 40 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Conditions Unfavorable to Settlement Until the treaty of 1832, Jasper County was not open to white settlers, nor was there any considerable migration toward that locality. The incoming tide had risen principally from the East and South and flooded the southern parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois through the Valley of the Ohio and its tributaries. These sections afforded abundant opportunities for the selection of choice farms, even beyond the demand, and they lay within the radius of the natural source of supplies and the most complete lines of communi- cation of that period. Northwestern Indiana, below the Kankakee, was some distance from either. The character of the country also operated to discourage immigration, it being generally described as alternate swamps, sterile sand ridges and flat, wet prairies. Its name as a game center, however, induced the more adventuresome to seek out the region in quest of sport and profit, and the realization of both and the gleaning of the tnith, through the striking of a happy medium, eventually brought the first permanent settlers. William Donahue, First Settler The first in that class within the limits of Jasper County was William Donahue. Drawn by the good trapping and the trade pros- pects with the Indians, he located in what is now Gillam Township, as early as 1832. There he remained a number of years, improved a good farm and died, his descendants gradually leaving the local- ity. He was a justice of the peace before Jasper County was organized. The Yeoman and Nowels Families In the fall of 1834 Joseph Yeoman and John and David Nowels settled at the Falls of the Iroquois. Mr. Yeoman was a son-in-law of John Nowels, who had moved from Ohio to Fountain County, Indiana. While residing there Mr. Yeoman proposed to move into the new country opened by the recent Indian treaties. With John Nowels, the son David, and his own wife, Sarah, Mr. Yeoman therefore located in Illinois, on the Iroquois River, near the Indiana line at a place known as Bunkum. While living there the families learned of the Falls of the Iroquois, the locality so noted for its fine fishing and hunting, and in 1834 the men started for their new Indiana home. Attaching a yoke of oxen to the forward wheels of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 41 a wagon and fixing a cart to carry what they would need while gone, the party followed the course of the river to the falls. There, much pleased with the prospect, Yeoman left the Nowels family, father and son, and returned to Bunkum to arrange matters for the removal of the household to the new site. This done, David Nowels returned to Bunkum with the oxen, and both families were settled at the Falls of the Iroquois by the fall of 1835. There were no neighbors to assist at the "raising" of their cabin, which was accomplished by the three men, Mrs. Yeoman and the oxen. It was here, on the old Yeoman homestead, that Daniel H. Yeo- man was born to Joseph Yeoman and his wife, Sarah, in the year 1841. Captain Yeoman, now a Civil war veteran and with James T. Randle the oldest continuous settler of the county, is the infant of seventy-five years ago and the owner of the homestead established in 1834 at the Falls of the Iroquois. Charles G. Wright The first addition to the settlement at the falls was in the per- son of Charles G. Wright, who became a resident of Indiana Terri- tory in 1807 and, after several changes of location, found himself living in White County. Soon after the founding of the Yeoman- Nowels settlement, he came to the locality as an Indian trader and built a hewn-log cabin on the subsequent site of the Baptist Church. Thomas Randle and George Culp Late in the year 1834 Thomas Randle and George Culp, recently from Virginia, started for the New Purchase, which had just been surveyed, and on their way thither met Mr. Morris returning from his work of laying out the ceded territory. He suggested a fine location, directing them to ascend the Monon River to a certain point, thence to strike over the prairie until they reached a grove of trees which "appeared to hang down." They had no trouble in fol- lowing these directions and, proceeding northward, made a selection' of land at the forks of the Pinkamink and Iroquois rivers, but not until they had examined the famed falls. In the following May they returned with their families and formed the settlement of the Forks. In 1835 it was reinforced by the arrival of Royal Hazelton, John G. Parkinson and Henry Barkley, Jr., with the heads of other families. Thomas Randle died in December, 1870, and his son, James T. Randle, who has lived at Rensselaer since 1883, is the oldest Hving 42 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES resident of the county and is the direct descendant of one of the first two settlers of Barkley Township. He has been prominent in livestock matters, being one of the pioneers in the raising of blooded stock. The Blue Grass Settlement The settlement near the site of the old Indian village in Newton Township, afterward known as Blue Grass, was also an early center. ^^^illiam Mallatt and his family were among the first to reach that locality. He came to the Falls of the Iroquois about 1835 ^"^ made a claim on the southwest side of the river, near Yeoman's house, but that improvement being floated by W. M. Kenton he moved to Blue Grass, where he resided until his death in 1859. The Benjamins Mrs. Jared Benjamin, two sons and a daughter, settled about the time that the Mallatts located, having purchased a claim of her brother, Gilbert Yeoman, who had previously bought of John Nowels. Erastus Smith and Alta Yeoman also settled in the neighborhood. Settlers of 1832-45 David Phegley, who made a claim near the springs east of Rens- selaer, and John Jordan, who migrated from Tipton County about 1836 and located in Carpenter's Grove, were also among the pioneers of Jasper County. Perhaps the most complete list of pioneers is that published by the Old Settlers' Society, which must be considered in connection with names already mentioned. 1832 — Aaron Lyons. 1834 — Daniel Nowels. 1835 — Jackson Phegley, Mrs. Malinda Spitler, J. T. Randle. 1836 — Samuel Sparling, Mrs. Samuel Sparling, Henry A. Sparl- ing, Marion L. Spitler. 1837 — William K. Parkinson, Addison Parkinson, Joseph V. Parkinson. 1838 — George H. Brown, Jared Benjamin. Joseph ^^'. Sparkling, Joseph Williams, ^Irs. David Nowels, Airs. W. K. Parkinson, Mrs. William Shaw, Miss Belle Barkley. 1839 — Samuel E. Yeoman, Stewart C. Hammond, Mrs. W^illiam Burns, Mrs. H. C. Thornton, Mrs. Joseph Sparkling. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 43 1840 — Nathaniel Wyatt, D. M. Price, W. J. Wright, Sidney Stew- art, Thomas R. Parker, Mrs. William Cockrill, Mrs. Benjamin Welsh. 1841 — Lemuel Hankie, Rial Benjamin, William Noland, Mrs. G. H. Brown. 1842 — Alexander Rowen, Samuel McCullough, Samuel Long, Joseph C. Henkle, John A. Henkle, John W. Duvall, Jabez Wright. 1843 — Andrew Farris, Henry Sayler, H. C. Thornton, C. C. Thornton. 1844 — Joseph Yeoman, James Yeoman, Wesley Downing, Madi- son Makeever, Ira W. Yeoman, Clement Timmons. 1845 — George Kesler, Lemuel Shortridge, Abram Freeland, John Daugherty, Daniel Daugherty, Lewis L. Daugherty, William H. Daugherty, Simon Phillips, L. W. Sayers. CHAPTER IV COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION Erection of the Twin Counties — Named after Comrade Pa- triots— Jasper County of 1835 — County Seat Moved to Spitler's Cabin — Jasper and Newton Counties Consoli- dated— County Seat, the Falls of the Iroquois — Formation of Townships — The Spitler Courthouse — The Early Rens- selaer Courthouses — The Brick Courthouse of 1856 — Courthouse Burned — The Courthouse of 1898 — County Jails — County Officials. By glancing over the foregoing names, representing the leading pioneers of Jasper County who settled during the first decade of its social life, it will be seen that by 1835 there could not have been a very large colony of them. But the politicians were abroad even in that sparsely settled land, and the Legislature of 1834-35 formed out of the unorganized area of the Northwest Territory, the counties of Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, Starke, Marshall, Fulton, Adams, Wells, Whitney, DeKalb, Noble, Kosciusko, Steuben and Jay. Erection of the Twin Counties Those sections which have a bearing on this history are as fol- lows: "Section 12 — That all the territory within the following boundaries shall constitute a county by the name of Jasper: Begin- ning at the southeast comer of Section 33, Township 24, Range 6 west, thence west to the line of the state of Illinois, thence north with the state line thirty miles, thence east with the line dividing Townships 28 and 29 north, to the northeast corner of Section 4^ Township 28 north. Range 6 west, thence south with the section line thirty miles to the place of beginning. "Section 13 — That all territory within the following boundary shall constitute a county to be known by the name of Newton: Be- ginning at the southeast corner of Township 29 north. Range 5 west, thence west to the state line, thence north with the state line 44 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 45 thirty miles, thence east with the line dividing Townships 33 and 34 north, to the northeast corner of Township 2^, Range 5 west, thence south with the range thirty miles to the place of beginning." Named after Comrade Patriots The names of the twin counties, Jasper and Newton, originated with two of the Revolutionary heroes attached to Marion's historic band of South Carolina — Sergeants Jasper and Newton. They were inseparable comrades in arms and adventures. Marion, it will be remembered, commanded the American troops at Fort Moultrie when it was attacked by the British fleet. One of the English gun- ners, true to his racial traditions for good marksmanship, cut the flagstaff in two, which carried the American colors on the battle- ment of the fort, and Sergeant Jasper, also true to American tra- ditions, nailed them back again amid a storm of shot and shell. The British fleet afterward withdrew. It was considered that Jasper would make an appropriate godfather for the new county, and that his friend, Sergeant Newton, should honor the other. About the time the counties were created, a book had been pub- lished and freely circulated among the reading public of Indiana entitled "The Story of Marion's Men." The two sergeants were among its most interesting heroes and were greatly admired by the state legislators. One of the stories told of them is this: "Like many families of that time, Jasper's was divided on the great question. His elder brother took the side of the English, and served in their army. Out of affection to his brother, and a wish to examine into the strength and condition of the enemy, he resolved, with another patriot soldier. Sergeant Newton, to pay the British a visit. His brother's position enabled him to receive his two friends without any suspicion of their being spies, and they were entertained for two or three days with great hospitality. "While they were thus engaged, a small party of Americans were brought in prisoners, and, as they had deserted from the Brit- ish, and enlisted in the American ranks, their doom would have been death. This the brother of Jasper assured him was to be their fate. With them were the wife and child of one of the prisoners. Her distress at her husband's approaching fate touched the heart of Jasper. Confiding his purpose to his friend Newton, they bade adieu to Jasper's brother, and took their leave. They had no sooner got out of sight of the camp than they made a detour, and stretched 46 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES across the country, so as to elude all suspicion should they meet with any British soldiers. "It \yas the custom of the English to send all the prisoners taken in that quarter to Savannah for trial. At a little spring, two miles from Savannah, Jasper and Newton secreted themselves, awaiting the arrival of the British escort with their prisoners. It had occurred to Jasper that, as they must pass this spot, it was very probable they might rest here for a short time to refresh themselves, and the woody nature of the spot would favor a rescue. "After some hours' anxious suspense, they saw the escort, with Old-Time Sawmill their prisoners, approach ; the guard was ten in number, and armed. The Corporal with four men conducted their captives to the water, and told them to rest themselves for an hour, at the same time giving them provisions. The guard then stacked their arms, and seated themselves. The prisoners threw themselves upon the earth in hopeless despair. Near to the wretched man sat his wife and child. Two of the guards alone kept their arms as sentries. As the rest of the men were filling their canteens with water, Jasper and Newton came stealthily from their ambush, seized two of the muskets that were stacked, shot the two sentries, and rushing upon the others, stunned them with the butt of their weapons. Deprived of their weapons the others abandoned the conflict and fled." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES il Jasper County of 1835 The boundary descriptions already given indicate that the Jasper County of 1835 included all of Benton County as we now know it, all of the present Carpenter and Jordan townships, and Marion and Newton south of the line dividing townships 28 and 29 north (Jasper County), as well as Grant, Iroquois, Jefferson and Washington townships, in the Newton County of today. In 1836 all territory north of the Kankakee River was cut away in the creation of Porter County. Two years later Jasper County, which had been attached to White for political and civil purposes, was organized as an inde- pendent body, the "attachments'' of Newton being divided between Jasper and White. County Seat Moved to Spitler's Cabin The county seat was fixed at Pine Township and the first board of commissioners, elected in 1837, met at the house of Robert Alex- ander of Parish Grove, in January, 1838. Its members were Amos White, Joseph Smith and Frederick Kenoyer, and at their first session it was ordered that "the Circuit Court, Probate Court and Commissioners Court be held hereafter at the house of George W. Spitler, provided a Majority of Pine township be in favor of it, which is to be known by Amos White taking a petition through said Pine township and getting every voter to sign a petition for or against removal." Sixteen signed in favor and eight against said removal. The explanation for this transfer of the county seat to a smaller settlement in the northern edge of the territory to be accommodated is that George W. Spitler, who had been elected clerk, refused to act unless the place of business was brought nearer to his residence. The commissioners made the desired concession, and in March, 1839, met at Mr. Spitler's house, about half a mile south of Lyon's mill, in the present Iroquois Township, Newton County. Jasper and Newton Counties Consolid.ated In the meantime, the legislative act had been passed which pro- vided for the consolidation of the counties of Jasper and Newton. It read as follows : "Section i — Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Indiana that George A. Spencer and Jacob Moyers, of White, and Solomon Hatfield, of Fountain, and Samuel H. Garrison, of Warren, and William Simms, of Tippecanoe counties, be and the same are hereby appointed commissioners agreeably to 'An act fixing 48 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the seat of justice in all new counties hereafter laid ofif.' The com- missioners aforesaid shall meet at the house of Robert Alexander, of Jasper county, on the first Monday of June next and immediately proceed to discharge the duties hereafter assigned to them. "Section 2 — And it shall be the duty of the sheriif of Jasper county, either in person or writing, to inform said commissioners of their appointment on or before the first Monday of May next, and for such services shall be entitled to such compensation as the law requires. "Section 3 — It shall be the duty of the commissioners, in addition to the duties assigned them by the act to which this has reference, to examine the counties of Jasper and Newton with a view of their being consolidated and, if after examination, the commissioners are satisfied that the interests of the two counties would be promoted by the union of the same, they are hereby authorized to fix the seat of justice in said enlarged territory, taking into view the peculiar situa- tion of said territory in regard to prairie, timber, water-privileges and the known wishes of the citizens of dififerent parts of Jasper county attached to other counties ; and the seat of justice, if con- solidated, shall be called Newton. "Section 4 — If, after examination, the commissioners shall be of opinion that either county would be injured by the consolidation, they shall proceed to fix the county seat, as provided by law, in Jasper county, agreeable to its present boundaries. "Section 5 — If, after examination, they shall be of opinion that the interests of the two counties would be promoted by the union of the same, from henceforth the territory known by the name of Jasper and Newton counties, shall be known as Jasper county. This act to be in force from and after its passage. "Approved January 29, 1839." County Se.\t, the F.\lls of the Iroquois The commissioners thus appointed found the plan of consolidation advisable, and accordingly located the county seat at the Falls of the Iroquois River, with the name of Newton, thus striking the county of that name, for the time being, from the map of the state. In 1840 the County of Benton was formed, taking its territory from Jasper, the latter receiving, by way of compensation, thirty sections adjoin- ing the southeast angle and now principally contained in Milroy Township. In 1859, however, Newton County was revived, though shorn of much of its early area, leaving Jasper in its present form. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 49 Formation of Townships On the 26th of September, 1835, under order of the commissioners of White County, the first election within the present hmits of Jasper County was held at the house of William Donahue. Justices of the peace for the recently erected Marion Township were to be chosen, and as Thomas Randle and John L. Stump each received three votes for the office another election was called for the following May. The original six voters were Thomas Randle, John L. Stump, David Phegley, George Culp, George Phillips and William Donahue, and at the May election were added to the list, Herbert Owens, Harry Owens, Eli Haskins, John Nowels, John Price, Alexander Crockett, J. D. Yeoman and Silas Phillips. At the second election Thomas Randle was chosen justice of the peace and Alexander Crockett, con- stable, of Marion Township. In the summer of 1836 the commis- sioners designated the house of John Price as a more convenient place for holding elections than the Donahue cabin, and in September, 1837, ordered that "all of the territory attached to Porter county that is called Newton county shall constitute a township to be known by the name of Marion," and that an election should be held at Mr. Price's house for a justice of the peace thereof. At the October election William Donahue was elected to that office. On the organization of Jasper County in 1838, the old County of Newton was reattached to White County, and on the 3d of September of that year the territory which had been named Marion Township by the White County authorities and subsequently confirmed in the same title by the Porter County officials, was divided by the former authorities under whose jurisdiction it had again been placed. Their action of the date named created the Township of Barkley, in honor of Henry Barkley, Sr., from the territory of Newton County lying in the forks of the Pinkamink and "east from the bridge across the east branch of that creek and by a line due east from that bridge, and all on the north of that line." This territory was subsequently attached to Jasper County as originally formed, and the commis- sioners of the latter county, at their March meeting in 1839, divided it into Newton and Pinkamink townships, the latter containing all territory south and east of the Iroquois River. The voting precincts were established at the houses of Joseph D. Yeoman and William Donahue, and an election ordered for the April following. The destruction of the early records in the courthouse fire of 1864 throws doubt on the various changes in township organization during the decade 1839-49, commencing with the consolidation of Jasper and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 51 Newton counties in the former year. In 1849, however, as the pre- served records show, the present territory of Jasper County was covered by the townships of Jordan, Marion, Newton, Barkley and Gillam. Jordan and Marion occupied the area south of the Iroquois River, the latter including the village of Rensselaer and a little ad- joining territory. The remainder of the county embraced the other three townships, each of which had the Kankakee River as its northern boundary. In March, 1851, Walker Township was organized with the follow- ing boundaries : Commencing at the bridge over Copperas Creek ; thence east to Moses Davidson's mill dam; thence to the mouth of Stump's slough; thence to the east line of the county and along said line to the Kankakee River; thence westerly along the river to a line of Beaver Township (now Newton County), and thence to place of beginning. This was probably intended to include all the present territory of Jasper north of Copperas Creek. In 1853 there was a general revision of township lines, and the boundaries of Walker were changed so as to include nearly one-half of the area of the present county. The lines of Gillam Township were arranged as now found on the map, except that the northwest corner was square. Hanging Grove Township was also erected substantially as at present. Barkley, Marion, Newton and Jordan were included in the balance of the territory not occupied by Walker. In the March session of 1856 the commissioners erected the Township of Kankakee, which included the present townships of Kankakee and Wheatfield. The latter, as it now stands, was created in June, 1858. Keener Township was erected in March, 1858, out of townships 31 and 32, range 7, "and so much of Township 30, of that range, as lies north of Newton." In March, 1862, Carpenter Township was carved out of Jordan; Milroy was erected in December, 1867, ^"d Union, the last of the townships, was created in December, 1868. In June, 1871, Union Township was restricted to its present limits. The minor changes in the township boundaries have not been men- tioned. The Spitler Courthouse When it was decided to move the county seat to the Brook Settlement, George W. Spitler, who was the first clerk and also dis- charged the clerical duties of all the offices save those of sheriff and treasurer, erected a log building about sixteen feet square for the 52 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES uses of the commissioners and the Circuit Court, at his place of residence. This served as a courthouse and a boarding house until the seat of justice was moved to the Falls or Rapids of the Iroquois in 1839. The Early Rensselaer Courthouse In the year named, Rensselaer was laid out as the town of New- ton and, in addition to the public square, the proprietor donated four blocks for the erection of public buildings. The first courthouse at the new county seat was a small structure erected on Cornelia Street between Front and Van Rensselaer. In 1845 James Van Rensselaer, the proprietor, also erected a courthouse at his own expense — a two- story frame building, 31 by 36 feet, on the lot nearly east of the square on Cullen Street. The court room was below and the county offices above, although, as a rule, the officials preferred to transact their light duties in their own residences which, especially in cold weather, were more comfortable than the quarters provided by the county. The Brick Courthouse of 1856 The Van Rensselaer building served as the official courthouse until 1856, when a brick structure was completed on the public square. It was a $10,000 building, 70 by 40 feet, with court room above and six offices below. The foundation of the courthouse was completed in 1853. and Benjamin Hinkle spent from May, 1854, to September, 1856, in completing the superstructure. Courthouse Burned The original specifications called for vaults for the county records, but they were subsequently modified to the great eventual loss of the pubHc and the detriment of historical research and accuracy. In 1864, late at night, fire broke out in the courthouse, and before it could be stayed many of the most valuable early records and papers had been destroyed. The vaults were of such inferior quality and construction as to be virtually of no protection. The whole interior and roof of the courthouse were burned. The fire is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary — a county official who was in- terested in the destruction of certain documentary evidence which might be used against him. J. A. Silver was the contractor for the repairs, to which was added the construction of sufficient vaults for the preservation of valuable papers and records. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 53 The Courthouse of 1898 Under Mr. Silver the re-built brick courthouse was completed in 1865 and served the people of the county for twenty-one years. It was razed in 1896 to make room for the massive and ornate structure of stone completed two years afterward. The original contract for the building was about $84,000; cost of furniture, $27,000; cement walks, coping, etc., $12,000; a separate heating plant, 200 feet from the building connected by a tunnel, $7,000 ; and various other items, such as plate glass windows, vault doors, shutters, and interior The Courthouse of 1865 decorations, brought the total cost of the courthouse and the ground improvements to $156,000. It is three stories in height, with a central clock tower of impressive and graceful architecture. The interior furnishings, and the lighting, heating and ventilating ar- rangements of the court rooms and county offices are in keeping with the exterior impressions. When work was commenced on the courthouse in 1896, the mem- bers of the board of commissioners were Benjamin R. Faris (presi- dent), John C. Martindale and Dexter R. Jones. A. Halleck suc- ceeded Mr. Faris as commissioner from the first district in November of that year, was elected president of the board soon afterward, and continued in that capacity until after the courthouse was completed. Frederick R. Waymire succeeded Mr. Jones as commissioner in November, 1897, and also continued as such until after the building 54 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES was finished. The architect's contract was first awarded to Alfred Grindle, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who afterward associated himself with Charles R. Weatherhogg, who became the active member in charge of the work. Before its completion, Mr. Grindle dropped out, and Air. Weatherhogg completed the architectural part of the work. The general contractors were Heinzman Brothers of Noblesville, and the subcontractors, the Wabash Bridge and Iron Works (steel con- struction), Shellhouse & Company, of Indianapolis (plate glass), M. E. Humphreys & Company, of that city (roof construction), Henry Taylor Lumber Company, Lafayette (interior wood work and finish), and William G. Andrews, Clinton, Iowa (painting and dec- orating). It might be added, as bearing upon the ways and means provided for the construction of the courthouse, that the 43^ per cent bonds, which were issued by the county to raise money for its con- struction, were purchased by the Trowbridge-Niver Company, of Chicago. The Jasper County courthouse stands upon a solid rock foundation, the earth having been excavated down to the basic limestone, the surface of which was found to have the appearance of having been planed oft' and to have other marks of prehistoric glacial scourings. County Jails The first jail was built in 1847. George W. Spitler contracted to erect it, but the actual work was done by Willis J. Wright, a carpenter. It was built of hewn logs 12 inches square, about 20 by 26 feet in size, and comprised two rooms; one being the jail proper which was built of double timbers, with a small window guarded by strong iron bars. For this building Spitler received four blocks of the village plat, containing forty-eight lots which had been donated for public buildings. The jail of 1847 served its purpose until 1856. when it was torn down, after which, until 1883, the county obtained accommodations for its prisoners at Lafayette. Monticello and Fowler. At the De- cember session of the commissioners in 1881, the county entered into a contract with P. J. Pauley & Brother, of St. Louis, to erect the present brick building on the comer of Cullen and Harrison streets. The cost of its construction was over $12,000. County Asylum and Hospital Until 1870 the paupers of the county were farmed out to the lowest bidder, but in March of that year the county purchased 240 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 55 acres and a brick building on section 2^ and established a poor farm. About two years afterward a larger and better frame building was erected for the superintendent and such of the inmates as required his immediate supervision. To provide for patients dependent upon the county who need medical or surgical treatment, a hospital of modem construction and equipment was erected in 1916 just south of the jail. It cost about $20,000. The plans and specifications were drawn by Albin W. Coen. County Officials It is impossible to give a complete roster of the officials of Jasper County, owing to the destruction of so many records in the court- house fire of 1864. It is known, however, that George W. Spitler was county clerk and clerk of the Circuit Court from 1838 to 1856; Charles M. Watson, from 1856 to i860; David I. Jackson, i860 to 1868; Marion L. Spitler, 1868 to 1876; Charles H. Price, from 1876 until 1884; James F. Irwin from that year until far into the '80s; William H. Coover, from i8go (and perhaps before) until 1898; John F. Major was elected in November of that year and served until 1902; Charles W. Warner from the latter year until 1910; Jud- son H. Perkins, from 1910 to the present time. George W. Spitler was also auditor from 1838 to 1852; Lawson Bruce, his successor, served only a few months and died in ofifice; John D. Nork, appointed to fill the vacancy, served until the next general election in 1855; Turner Knox from that time until 1859; David T. Halstead, 1859-67; Ira W. Yeoman, 1867-71; Frank W. Babcock, 1871-75; Henry Barkley, 1875-79; Ezra C. Nowels, 1879 to about 1886; George M. Robinson until 1890; Henry B. Murray for a number of years ending 1898; William C. Babcock, 1899-1902; James N. Leatherman, 1903-10; Joseph P. Hammond, 191 1 to the present (1916). County treasurers : Albert Persail, the first incumbent, was suc- ceeded by Samuel L. Sparling, who served until 1852 ; Jacob Merkle, 1852-56; Ezra Wright, 1856-60; Samuel Alter, 1860-64; Thomas Boroughs, 1864-68; Charles Piatt, 1868-70; Lemuel Henkle, 1870- 72; Lemuel C. [ones, 1872-76; Henry I. Adams, 1876-80; Moses B. Alter, 1880-86; \V. H. Hoover, 1886-88: I. B. Washburn, 1888-90; Marcus H. Hemphill, elected in 1890, and succeeded by Jesse C. Givin, in 1894; Robert A. Parkinson, elected in 1898; Samuel R. Nichols, 1902; Jesse D. Allman, 1906; Alson A. Fell, 1910; Charles V. May, the present incumbent, 1914. 56 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Among the early sheriffs were Henry Barkley, Sr., in honor of whom Barkley Township was named; William Stewart, John Phil- lips, William Henderson and Willis J. Wright, who served from the organization of the county until 1858; Sheriff Wright was succeeded by Simon Phillips, 1858-62; Daniel F. Davies, elected in 1862, who died in office; John M. Austin, coroner, serving the unexpired term; Charles Piatt, 1864-68; Allen J. Yeoman, 1868-72; Lewis L. Daugh- erty, 1872-76; George M. Robinson, 1876-80; John W. Powell, 1880-86; Samuel E. Yeoman followed Mr. Powell; Philip Blue, elected in 1888, was succeeded by Charles Hanley in 1892; Nathan J. Reed was elected in 1896 and Abraham G. Hardy, in 1900; John O'Connor, 1904; Lewis P. Shirer, 1908; William L Hoover, 1910, and Benjamin D. McColly, 1914. Among the county surveyors who served previous to 1890 were Wesley Spitler, James Ballard, Frederick Schraack, J. D. Hopkins, John Miller, R. B. James, Joseph M. Hopkins, Charles P. Mayhew, Daniel B. Miller and Lewis S. Alter. James C. Thrawls was elected surveyor in November, 1884, and was succeeded by John E. Alter in 1892, who served until 1898, when Myrt B. Price was elected. W. Frank Osborne, chosen in 1908, was succeeded by Clifton J. Hobbs, in 1914, and he has since been replaced by ^Ir. Price. Among the early coroners were John M. Austin, Norman War- ner, Frank J. Sears and Philip Blue. Since 1888, with years of their election, the following have held office: Real P. Benjamin, 1888; Shelby Grant, 1892; Truitt P. Wright, 1896; Willis J. Wright, 1902; Cecil E. Johnson, 1914. Following are the prosecuting attorneys of Jasper County, with the years of their election, who have served since 1886: M. H. Walker, 1886; John T. Brown, 1890; Thurman C. Annabel, 1894; Albert E. Chizum, 1896; John D. Sink, 1900; Robert O. Graves, 1904; Fred H. Longwell, 1908; Reuben Hess, 1914. Thomas Antrim was elected recorder of the county in November, 1886 ; James F. Antrim, in 1888 ; Robert B. Porter, in 1896 ; John W. Tilton, 1904; and George W^. Scott, still in office, in 1912. The assessors since 1892 : Charles E. Mills, 1892; John R. Phillips, 1896; John O. Lewis, 1904; G. L. Thornton, 1914. CHAPTER V COURTS, JUDGES AND LAWYERS First Western American Courts — First Territorial Court — Federal vs. Territorial Jurisdiction — Judicial System un- der THE First State Constitution — Subsequent Legislation Affecting the Courts — Circuit Court, a Monopoly of Judi- cial Power — List of Circuit Judges, 1852-1916 — First Court Sessions in Jasper County — Noted Early Lawyers — Joseph A. Wright — Rufus A. Lockwood — ^.Edwin P. Hammond — Simon P. Thompson — Robert S. Dwiggins — Mordecai F. Chilcote. Until the middle period of the Revolutionary war, after General Claric had conquered the territory northwest of the Ohio for the patriot army, no earnest attempt was made by either France or Great Britain to establish civil or judicial administration over any part of the country west of the Alleghany Mountains ; and then it was too late for either mother country to do anything in that line. In other words, neither France nor Great Britain ever attempted to estab- lish other than a military rule over the Northwest. Under French rule the commandants of the posts decided most points at issue be- tween the civilians and the Indians, or which came up between the whites themselves ; when the cases seemed particularly involved or important, some of the most influential characters of the special locality which was disturbed would be called into consultation. But few cases of law suits could arise, as few of the settlements in In- diana consisted of more than fifty families; they were happy-go- lucky people who did not worry about definite titles to their lands so long as their neighbors did not object, and much of the land in the settlements was communal, each man usually cultivating only so much as would furnish him or his family with the necessities of life. When the common law of England was established over the ter- ritory no attempt was made to establish courts, as the newcomers discouraged settlement west of the mountains. Until 1777 they did 57 58 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES not think it worth their efforts to even take possession of \ incennes, the only real center of civihzation in the Northwest. First Western American Courts But when General Clark conquered the Territory of \'irginia and the Americans, and John Todd was appointed lieutenant for the County of Illinois, the authority of the courts commenced to be es- tablished. His headquarters were at Fort Chartres, but he sought also to establish a court of civil and criminal jurisdiction at Vincennes, of which the commandant of the post, Col. J. M. P. Legras, was presi- dent. A historian of those times says that "no record of an action by this court remains, except its assumption of the right to make grants of land, and it exercised that authority with royal liberality, most of the grants being made to the members of the Court.'' That was the first judicial tribunal which legally and theoretically exercised jurisdiction over what are now Indiana and Jasper County, although fifty years were to elapse before any white men came to that section of the state to look for civil or judicial protection. Under the ordinance of 1787, Samuel H. Parsons, James M. Varnum and John C. Symes were appointed judges of the Northwest Territory, who, with Governor St. Qair, were authorized to enforce such laws of the original states as might be applicable to the new territory. It appears that the judges who held their first session at Marietta exceeded their authority and tried to incorporate some original — very original — laws, which were repudiated by the Con- gress of the United States. In 1795 the governor and judges met at Cincinnati and enacted a number of laws which conformed to the authority of the organic ordinance ; the validity of the laws pro- mulgated at Marietta was questioned until 1799, when, to avoid complications, they were re-adopted, as a whole, by the Territorial Legislature. First Territori.al Court In January, 1801, William Clark, Henry \^anderburgh and John Griffin, who had been appointed the first judges of Indiana Territory, met Governor Harrison at Vincennes, the capital, for the purpose of passing a code of laws to supersede that enacted at Cincinnati for the government of the Northwest Territory. Among those passed as a part of the new code was one establishing courts of General Quarter JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 59 Sessions of the Peace in the counties of Knox, Randolph and St. Clair. The first session of the General Court was opened at ^'incennes on the 3d of March, 1801, all the judges present. The grand jury called, as will be seen by an examination of the names of its mem- bers, was largely of French extraction, consisting of Luke Defcker, Antoine Marshal, Joseph Baird, Patrick Simpson, Antoine Petit, Andr. Montplaiseur, John Ockiltree, Jonathan Marney, Jacob Teve- baugh, Alexander Vadney, Francois Turpin, Fr. Compagnoitte, Charles Languedoc, Louis Severe, Fr. Languedoc, George Catt, John St. Barios, Abraham Decker and Philip Catt. With a Court of Gen- eral Sessions and a grand jury in operation, the judiciary of Indiana may be said to have been fully established. Feder.\l vs. Territorial Jurisdiction In February, 1805, the first popular assembly of the territory met at Vincennes and split off Michigan from Indiana Territory, and four years later Illinois was carved out of it. In 1814 what is now Indiana was divided into five districts, each of which was to elect a member of the Territorial Council : this action originated in Con- gress. In the same year the General Assembly divided the territory into three judicial districts, but Judge Parke refused to act on the grounds stated in the following letter to Governor Posey: "By an act entitled 'An act reorganizing courts of justice,' passed at the late session of the Legislature, the Territory is divided into three districts, in each of which a circuit court is established — the court to consist of one of the judges appointed by the Government of the United States for the territory, as president, and three associates commissioned under the authority of the territory, and to have juris- diction in all cases at law and in equity. The first circuit, compris- ing the counties of Knox, Gibson and Warrick, is assigned to me. The Legislature is empowered to make laws in all cases for the good government of the territory not repugnant to the laws of the United States. In the delegation of power that which is not expressly given is reserved. Implications cannot be admitted further than to carry into effect the power given. The laws of the United States being paramount to the laws of the territory, if they are found in conflict, the latter must yield to the former. Congress has defined the juris- diction of the judges appointed by the General Government and made one judge, in the absence of the others, competent to hold 60 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES court. The judges are coordinate and their jurisdiction extends over the whole territory. They are judges in and over, and not a part of the territory. As the judges derive their jurisdiction and power from the Government of the United States, they cannot be controlled, in the exercise of their functions, by persons deriving their authority from the government of the territory. The judges appointed for the territory are limited, by the laws of the United States, to the exercise of a common-law jurisdiction. The act, there- fore, as it regards the organization and jurisdiction of the Circuit Court, is repugnant to the laws of the United States, and neither confers any powers, nor imposes any duty, on the judges appointed for the territory by the United States. The General Government has appointed for the territory three judges with common-law juris- diction ; but when, where or in what manner they are to hold a court, or rather exercise the jurisdiction with which they are invested, Congress has not provided. I consider it the duty of the Legislature to do it. To you, sir, it belongs to watch over the aflfairs of the territory and to see that the laws are faithfully executed and, on account of the relation in which I stand to the Territorial Govern- ment, I have thought it my duty to make this representation to you. The peculiarity of the case leaves me no other mode of stating my objections and the cause of my not conforming to the law. The Legislature has organized certain courts and assigned me to per- form certain duties ; but the law constituting the one, and directing the other, is unconstitutional, and as I can derive no authority from it, it imposes no obligation. I shall, therefore, not hold the courts for the circuit." This refusal of Judge Parke, with various appeals to the General Assembly to establish courts which should modify the one-man power of the Superior Court (one judge being competent to hold court), hastened the establishment of the Circuit Court which was alive when Jasper County was created. At the legislative session, which convened at Corydon in August, 1814, the territory was divided into three judicial districts, each of which was to be pre- sided over by a judge appointed by the governor. In selecting the presiding judges the chief executive was required to choose men "learned and experienced in the law," who were citizens of the United States and who had "regularly practiced in some of the courts of the United States, or in this territory, three years." The two associates of each county were to be residents of good standing, but not necessarily lawyers. Two judges were to constitute a quorum. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 61 Judicial System Under the First State Constitution The entire judicial system was virtually fixed and consolidated under the state constitution of 1816. Under its provisions, the judi- cial bodies were to consist of a State Supreme Court, Circuit courts, and such inferior courts as the General Assembly might establish. The highest body was to consist of three judges to be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, their term of office to be seven years. The Supreme Court was given jurisdiction in capital or chancery cases, where the president of the Circuit Court might be interested or prejudiced. The Circuit courts were to consist of a presiding judge and two associates. The president alone, or with one of the associates, or the two associates together, could hold court, although capital and chancery cases could not be tried in the absence of the presiding judge. The presidents of the Circuit courts were elected by the General Assembly in joint session and the associate judges were chosen by popular vote. The first state constitution also provided that the clerk of the Supreme Court was to be appointed by that body and that the clerks of the Circuit courts were to be elected by the people, but no clerk could qualify who had not obtained a certificate of competency from a judge either of the Supreme or Circuit Court. The constitution also provided for justices of the peace. Subsequent Legislation Affecting the Courts The constitution of 1851 made the supreme judgeship elective instead of appointive, and reduced the term of service from seven to six years. The choice of a clerk of the Supreme Court was also given to the people, and the associate judges of the Circuit courts were abolished. Further, the new constitution provided that no one elected to any judicial office should be eligible to any other office during the term of his service. "In creating inferior courts," says W. H. Smith, in his "History of Indiana," "the Legislature established what were known as Courts of Common Pleas. These courts were given exclusive juris- diction in probate matters and concurrent jurisdiction with the Cir- cuit courts in some other matters. This created great confusion. All the courts assumed to pass upon the constitutionality of laws enacted by the General Assembly, and the state witnessed the anomaly of having laws enforced in one county and declared uncon- 62 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES stitutional in another. When the Legislature enacted the prohibitory liquor law in 1855, some of the Circuit judges declared it constitu- tional and enforced it, while others declared it void. This lasted until the Supreme Court finally overthrew the law. The confusion grew worse after the Common Pleas Court was estabhshed, for then some counties were operating under two different laws at the same time, according as the opinions of the judges differed. This confusion could not last, and finally the General Assembly abolished the Courts of Common Pleas, and in counties where the business The Courthouse of the Present was too great to be transacted by the Circuit courts, Superior and Criminal courts have been established, with well defined juris- diction." Circuit Court, a Monopoly of Judicial Power From the consolidation of Jasper and Newton counties, and the establishment of the county seat at the Falls of the Iroquois River in 1839, to the adoption of the second state constitution in 1851, the immediate judicial affairs of that territory were under the juris- diction of the Circuit and Probate courts, with right of appeal to the State Supreme Court; in 1852 all probate matters were trans- ferred to the Common Pleas Court ; the Circuit Court continued its jurisdiction, with the abolishment of the two associate judges, and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 63 in 1873 absorbed the Court of Common Pleas. So that, as far as Jasper County is concerned, the Circuit Court has had a monopoly of judicial power for sixty-four years. List of Circuit Judges, 1852-1916 The constitutional convention of 1851 provided that the Circuit Court should consist of one judge instead of three, and by legis- lative act of 1852 it was provided that there should be ten districts in the state. Jasper County became a part of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Indiana, composed of Jasper, Parke, Vermilion, Mont- gomery, Boone, Fountain, Warren, Benton, Tippecanoe and Clin- ton counties. William P. Bryant was the circuit judge from 1852 to 1855. On January 21, 1853, Jasper County was attached to the Ninth Circuit, and on February 9, 1855, it was attached to the Twelfth Circuit, composed of Jasper, Benton, White and Tippecanoe counties. In 1855 John Pettit was circuit judge for a short time, and after him, David Turpie, who was formerly United States sen- ator from Indiana. From 1855-57 Andrew Ingram was the circuit judge and for a portion of the year 1857, Johri Pettit. From 1857-70 Charles E. Test was the judge; from 1870-73 David W. Vinton, who so continued service in Tippecanoe County until 1894. In 1873 the Thirtieth Judicial District was formed, composed of Jasper, Newton, Benton and Pulaski counties, and existed as such until March 5, 1875, when Pulaski County was attached and made a part of the Twenty-ninth District, with Carroll and White counties. In Feb- ruary, 1899, Benton County was dropped and made part of the Twenty-first District, with Warren and Fountain counties. Jasper and Newton counties have since composed the Thirtieth Judicial circuit. From 1873-83, E. P. Hammond was judge ; 1883-90, Peter E. Ward; William Darroch, four months in 1890, by appointment; 1890-92, E. P. Hammond; 1892-97, Ulrick C. Wiley; 1897-1902, Simon P. Thompson, and from 1902 to the present time, Charles W. Hanley. First Court Sessions in Jasper County The first session of the Circuit Court in Jasper County was held in 1839 at the residence of the county clerk, George W. Spitler, at the Brook settlement. It was attended by Isaac Naylor as judge, with Matthew Terwilliger and James T. Timmons as associates. Joseph A. Wright was the prosecuting attorney. His later career 64 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES as a member of Congress, twice governor of the state and United States minister to the German Empire at Berlin, marks him as one of the most prominent lawyers who ever resided in Jasper County. Rufus A. Lockwood, another lawyer in attendance, is chiefly remem- bered for his successful prosecution of General Fremont's claim to the Mariposa tract, for which he received a fee of $100,000, an exceptional amount for those days. The cases which appeared on the docket were : Hepsey ]\Iont- gomery, administrator, vs. Ed Boon, administrator — a civil action ; State vs. I. T. Timmons, a criminal case which strongly savored of the "practical joke" brand, as it was promptly nollied and disap- peared ; an assault and battery case against Jonathan Hunt, who was never found, and a petition for divorce made by Louisa Barr against Andrew Barr. The first session of the Circuit Court at Rensselaer was held in an old half-demolished cabin near the residence of Mr. Merkle in April, 1840. The grand jury consisted of W. Donahue, Hannaniah Hewitt, Wesley Spitler, Robert Mallatt, Lewis Elijah, William Gil- lam, William Doran, Joseph Woolsey, George Culp, Thomas Tim- mons, James Reed, James Brown. Andrew Richey, Joseph D. Yeoman and Samuel Benjamin. The fall term of the year at Rens- selaer was attended by Judge J. W. Wright, of Logansport. The Probate Court was first opened in 1839 at the courthouse in the Brook settlement, the Spitler house. David McConnell, judge, finding no business on the dpcket, adjourned court. At a subsequent session, the business consisted of granting letters of administration to Elias Clifton on the estate of John Wolf; setting ofif a dower to Mrs. Julia Lewis, widow of Benjamin Lewis, and the issuing of a marriage license to James Lacy and Matilda Blue, the ceremony being performed by John Lyons. Edwin P. Hammond Edwin P. Hammond, one of the broadest, strongest and most honored representatives of either bench or bar who ever graced the profession in Jasper County, was a native Hoosier, born in Franklin County, November 26, 1835. One of his brothers, Abram A. Ham- mond, was at one time governor of Indiana. The judge was of sub- stantial Maine stock, work upon the farm and years of out-door life adding to his natural ruggedness. Until he was nineteen his education was mainly obtained from the district schools of Brook- ville and the neighborhood, but in 1855 he entered a broader field of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 65 experience and education by commencing business life in a wholesale drygoods house of Indianapolis. Soon afterward he assumed the study of law in the otfice of his half-brother, Hon. Abram A. Ham- mond, and Hon. Thomas H. Nelson, of Terre Haute. In the winter of 1856-57 he was admitted to the senior law class of what is now DePauw University and was graduated in the latter year. Immedi- ately afterward he located at Rensselaer. His practice was inter- rupted by his prompt enlistment for the three-months' service, at the outbreak of the Civil war. In April, 1861, he went to the front as second lieutenant of Company G, Ninth Indiana Infantry ; was after- ward commissioned first lieutenant, and served under Col. Robert H. Milroy. At the close of his military service in West Virginia, Mr. Hammond resumed his law practice at Rensselaer and in October, 1861, was elected without opposition to the lower house of the Legis- lature as a representative for the counties of Newton, Jasper and Pulaski. In August of the following year he assisted in recruiting Company A, Eighty-seventh Indiana Infantry, was commissioned its captain, and in 1863 was advanced to the ranks of major and lieutenant-colonel. When Col. Newell Gleason was placed at the head of the brigade, Mr. Hammond was advanced to the command of the Eighty-seventh and so continued in the campaigns from Chat- tanooga to Atlanta, and thence through the Carolinas to Washington. At the close of the war he was brevetted colonel "for gallant and meritorious service." Within a few years after the war Colonel Hammond had earned a high and substantial professional standing and a large practice, and in March, 1873, Governor Hendricks appointed him judge of the Thirtieth Judicial Circuit, to which office he was elected in the fall of the same year. Again, in 1878, he was elected without opposition for a term of six years. In May, 1883, Judge Hammond was ap- pointed by Governor Porter judge of the State Supreme Court from the Fifth District, succeeding William A. Woods who had become United States district judge. Judge Hammond retired from the bench of the State Supreme Court in January, 1885, with a judicial record and personal popularity which few have equaled. During the succeeding five years he practiced at Rensselaer, served again as circuit judge from iSgo to 1892, and then formed a partnership with Charles B. and William V. Stuart of Lafayette, under the firm name of Stuart Brothers & Hammond. At first the Rensselaer repre- sentative of the firm. Judge Hammond finally made his residence in Lafayette, of which he remained a citizen and a leading lawyer from 1894 until his death in 1915. In 1892 Wabash College conferred 66 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES upon him the degree Doctor of Laws, and no such honor was ever more worthily bestowed. Judge Hammond was a republican after the Civil war, but, in view of his years, had little to do with politics for a generation. He was an ardent admirer of General Grant, and in 1872 was sent as a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Philadelphia which nominated the silent commander for his sec- ond presidential term. Simon P. Thompson Simon P. Thompson also was elected to the circuit judgeship from Jasper County, having previously been an able member of the bar for thirty years. His father was a Virginian, transplanted as a boy to Ohio, and in Hancock County, of that state, was born the future judge, Simon Parr Thompson, on the 8th of jMay, 1838. The boy's schooling was all that could be expected of the frontier times in which he was reared, but, after teaching for a time, his ambition for a higher education than could be realized at home was partially satisfied by a year spent as a student at Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio. He taught at intervals, while attending school, and it was not until 1859 that he was able to graduate at the North- western Normal School, Cincinnati. Three years later he was se- lected as the head of the school at Rensselaer, where he taught two years, and was then appointed school examiner of Jasper County. After studying law privately, he entered the law department of the Michigan State University, from which he was graduated in Jan- uary, 1866. He then formed a partnership with Robert S. Dwig- gins, which continued for three years, and subsequently associated himself with his brother, which connection was of nearly thirty years' duration. During that period the firm of Thompson & Brother was widely known in Northwestern Indiana and its senior member held the offices of prosecuting attorney, from 1872 to 1876, and state senator in 1886-90. In 1896 he was elected judge of the Thirtieth Circuit and served from 1897 to 1902. Judge Thompson has made his influence felt outside the legal field. As county school examiner he was one of the first to introduce and advocate normal methods of instruction. His enterprise has also been manifest in such public works as railroads, gravel roads, high- ways, ditches and public buildings. It was largely through his influ- ence that the milldams on the Iroquois River v^'ere removed, resulting in a great benefit to the public health. The judge has also done a good work in buying large tracts of land held by non-residents and JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 67 selling it to settlers who have improved it and thus benefitted the county. He reclaimed a large tract of swamp land in Union Town- ship by the construction of about fifteen miles of ditches, and divided it into small farms which have since gone into the hands of actual owners and been made attractive and productive. All of which marks the judge as a citizen of broad usefulness, ability and versatility. Robert S. Dwiggins There were few practitioners at the Jasper County bar of a stronger character, or greater diversity of talents than Robert S. Dwiggins. He was a leading lawyer, a prominent republican and state legislator, an earnest, moral man, and a deeply religious char- acter, being a regularly ordained minister of the Church of God, in which he stood as a national figure. He was a native of Ohio, but was only two years of age when the family moved to Grant County, Indiana, then (1836) a frontier country. The boy was educated in the common schools and at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, and except when he was away to school his life, until he reached his twenty-fourth year, was passed on a farm. In March, 1859, when he located at Rensselaer to study law in the office of Robert S. Milroy, the horizon of his life commenced at once to expand. In i860 Mr. Dwiggins was admitted to the bar and at once entered practice. But his progress was stayed for a time by the Civil war. The day after Lincoln's call for 75,000 men, he enlisted for three months in Captain Milroy's company of the Ninth Indiana and served through the West Virginia campaign. In 1862 he was com- missioned by Governor Morton as recruiting lieutenant and enlisted about 200 men for the Eighty-seventh Regiment. He also recruited a company for the Ninety-ninth Regiment, but on account of ill health he was unable to get the company into camp before the quota was full, and he did not again enter the service. Again he entered law practice, which he continued until 1879, when he and his brother Zimri organized the Citizens Bank of Rensselaer. Mr. Dwiggins cast his first vote for the republican party, which was organized soon after he attained his majority. In i860, soon after his admission to the bar, he was elected district prosecuting- attorney, which he resigned for service in the West Virginia cam- paign. In 1867 he became connected with the Federal service as inspector of snuff, tobacco and cigars ; was chosen presidential elector on the republican ticket in 1868, and two years later was elected to 68 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES the State Senate for the district comprising the counties of Jasper, Newton, Benton, White and Pulaski. For some years he had been an earnest opponent of the hquor traffic, and while a member of the Senate was chairman of the committee on temperance. It was largely through his efforts and the work of the committee which he headed, that the Baxter bill was passed, which was the first local-option law enacted in the State of Indiana. Although the prohibition party did not poll enough votes to bring its leaders public preferment, its mem- bers in Indiana showed their estimate of Mr. Dwiggins' services in behalf of the cause by nominating him for governor in 1884 and judge of the Supreme Court in 1886. As a figure in the Church of God, Mr. Dwiggins attained much eminence. He was widely known as a minister and exhorter and was twice president of the national conference. Mr. Dwiggins' activities were so varied, numerous, continuous and strenuous, that his physical system broke under the strain, and in 1886 he was obliged to retire from active life. His later years were spent in travel through the United States, Canada and Mexico, and in recording his impressions and deductions as a forceful, graphic and philosophical writer. MORDECAI F. ChILCOTE Mordecai F. Chilcote, the venerable lawyer of Rensselaer, has also been a leading soldier, republican and educator. By marriage he is identified with the best traditions of the bench and bar of Jasper County, his wife having been a sister of Judge E. P. Hammond. Mrs. Chilcote died in 1885. Mr. Chilcote, who is a native of Ohio, moved with the family to Eaton County, Michigan, in 1852. He was then twelve years of age and passed his boyhood and youth on the family farm and in school. From the time he was eighteen until he reached his twentieth year he was a student at Olivet (Mich.) College and then came to Jasper County to teach school. He had made little progress in that line when, in 1861, he enlisted in the Ninth Indiana Regiment for the three months' service, and re-enlisted in the Forty-eighth. Six months later he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and soon afterward to a captaincy. He saw active service in the West Virginia cam- paigns, Department of the Tennessee, but upon his return to Rensselaer resumed his interrupted course as a teacher. At the same time Mr. Chilcote commenced the study of law in the office of Hammond & Spitler, and in April, 1868, graduated from the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 69 law department of the University of Michigan. His practical ability was soon recognized, not only in the practice of his profession, but in public and political affairs. He obtained quite an extensive corpora- tion business and was for some years local attorney for the Monon Railway. For more than twenty years he was a member of the school board of Rensselaer and did much for the efficiency and expan- sion of the city's educational system. Since he became a voter he has been a republican and has gained prominence in the party, having served for ten years as chairman of the county central committee and (in 1892) as a delegate to the national republican convention from the Tenth Congressional District. His name therefore stands for not a few substantial and honorable things in Jasper County. CHAPTER VI LAND HIGHWAYS Indian Trails in Jasper County — The White Man's Trails and Early Roads — Bridges as Connecting Links — Thwarted At- tempts at Railroad Building — Indianapolis, Delphi & Chi- cago-Line, a Success — Rensselaer Gets Railway Connection Now IN the Monon System — The Big Four — The Three I's Railroad — The Chicago & Eastern Illinois. The highways of the land, from the Indian trail to the modern railroad, have always been laid down from the beginning of time by the bold features and provisions of nature. The trend of the courses of travel between region and region, settlement and settlement, town and city, state and state, country and country, is decided by great lakes, rugged mountain chains, broad and productive valleys, fertile plains, rank and repellant marshes, sources of food supply, means of shelter, and healthful and convenient sites for homes and communi- ties. Jasper County was rather outside of such basic influences as thus determine the courses of the great highways of travel and communication, and the paths which passed through its territory diverged into the grander highways determined by the lakes of the north and the splendid valleys of the south. Indian Trails in Jasper County When the white settlers first came into the county they found several pronounced Indian trails worn into the sod of the prairies eight or ten inches, and about eighteen inches in width. One of the best known of them led from Lake Michigan across the Kankakee near the Baum bridge, and took nearly a direct course to the Indian village in Newton Township. Another connected the village with the one in the eastern part of the county, crossed the Iroquois west of Rensselaer and recrossed it some distance east. From the latter point the trail extended to the Monon River and thence to the Wabash. Still another crossed the county through the Forks Settle- 70 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 71 ment toward La Porte. These were the principal trails in Jasper County which served as rude landways, or links, between the region around the southern shores of Lake Michigan and the valley of the Wabash, and paths between the several small Pottawattamie villages of what is now a white man's county.' A few white men also trod these Indian trails until the new landlords commenced to lay out another set of roads according to their own ideas of what they should be. The White Man's Trails and Early Roads Blazed and staked roads pioneered the way for those that were regularly laid out. The old Horse Head road was, perhaps, the link Familiar Object on the Early Roads between the two classes of roads. This was in the eastern part of the county and took its name from a horse skull which was placed upon a large bowlder and was a conspicuous landmark on the route. The State road was the first legally established highway, leading from Williamsport on the Wabash River and the head of early navi- gation, to Winamac, important in the pioneer period as the location of the land office. This road extended from the first named place, by the most available and direct route, to the Falls of the Iroquois; thence to the now-extinct Village of Saltillo, crossing the Iroquois ; again at the old ford above the farm of John Groom, and crossing the Pinkamink on the old bridge at Saltillo and thence, by way of 72 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES White Post, to Winamac. The Saltillo Bridge was the first structure of the kind in the county, and the Indian trail-road which led from Rensselaer northward to the Kankakee River was probably the second thoroughfare. The latter crossed at Eaton's Ferry, or the old Baum Bridge, built at a later day. Bridges as Connecting Links Congress early granted a 3 per cent fund for the building of roads and bridges, and in 1835 Thomas Randle was appointed agent for its disbursement. Porter County was much interested in having a bridge put across the river at this point, but Randle refused to draw anything from the fund to aid the enterprise. He was accord- ingly displaced, and Joseph Schipp, who moved over the river from Porter, was appointed to succeed him. Under the new agent the bridge was commenced in December, 1837, but after the log piers had been built and the stringers placed for a completed structure three- quarters of a mile long, everything was swept away by fire. Subse- quently a bridge over 700 feet long was completed at that locality, Jasper County constructing the long and substantial grade at the southern end. Thwarted Attempts at Railroad Building But the necessity for passable routes and crossings was eventually solved, in large part, by the coming of the railroads, although relief was not practically realized in Jasper County until the late '70s, or less than forty years ago. The narrative of earnest and repeated attempts in that direction is not especially interesting reading, only as showing the determination and long-tried courage of the people. As early as 1852 a road was projected from New London, Ohio, to Chicago, which was designed to pass through Jasper County, but it was killed by the financial stringency of 1857. Jasper and Newton counties were mainly concerned in the course which the road would take from Fort Wayne, and there was a brisk competition between Kankakee and Rensselaer as to which should be selected as the prin- cipal station in Northwestern Indiana. Obviously, Rochester and Winamac were logical co-workers with Rensselaer in the matter, but neither side won, as the hard times of 1857, added to the heavy defalcation of the Ohio state treasurer, whose bondsmen were also leaders in the railroad enterprise, efifectually squelched the Fort Wayne project and the Rock Island air line. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 73 In the early '70s the railroad scheme was revived under the name of the Continental Railway Company, which was known in Indiana as the Fort Wayne & Western Railroad. Robert S. Dwiggins was president of this company. A branch from Rensselaer to Chicago was chartered, with the understanding that large railroad shops were to be located at the Indiana town, which was to be an important section point for the transfer of traffic between eastern and western sections.. Jasper County raised $50,000 by taxation, and about as much more by subscriptions, conditional upon the road being con- structed in two years ; but the subscriptions were never collected and the taxes were refunded, as all that was actually accomplished was the grading of fifteen miles of the road-bed east of Rensselaer. From New York to Council Bluffs, Iowa, more than 1,100 miles, the Continental Railway was projected as a first-class road at a cost of $150,000,000, but it was frost-bitten and blighted by the financial disasters of 1873. Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago Line, a Success The Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago Railroad, organized in May, 1869, under the Indiana state laws, survived and gave to Rensselaer and the populous parts of Jasper County their first connection by rail. It was reorganized in September, 1872, and projected a line from Indianapolis to Frankfort, Clinton County, Monticello, White County, Rensselaer, Jasper County, Lowell and Dyer, Lake County, and Chicago. Cook County. Not until 1877 were subscriptions for the building of the road through Jasper County actively solicited ; the amount asked was $50,000. Late in the year named, Alfred McCoy, R. S. Dwiggins and Ira W. Yeoman, took the lead in the movement, held meetings in the schoolhouses in the northern part of the county and at various places in Rensselaer, so that by October the entire amount had been pledged. On the 3d of October, 1877, the company contracted with Yeo- man, Hegler & Company for the construction of the road, the firm named to furnish all the material and engineers necessary to lay out and construct the grades. The road was to be three feet gauge ; road- bed eight feet wide on top and the rails to be not less than thirty-five pounds to the yard. The line was divided into eight divisions : The first, from Dyer to the south line of Lake County ; second, from the Lake County line to Rensselaer; third, from Rensselaer to Bradford; fourth, from Bradford to Monticello; fifth, from Monticello to Delphi ; sixth, from Delphi to Rossville ; seventh, from Rossville to Frankfort ; eighth, from Frankfort to Indianapolis. 74 JASPER AND XEWTON COUNTIES . . Rensselaer Gets Railway Connection Work was at once begun on the third division, and on Thursday, February 14, 1878, Rensselaer celebrated its completion by a barbe- cue, a free excursion on the road and an enthusiastic meeting. Mr. McCoy furnished the fatted ox of the occasion — 834 pounds net. Some 2,000 persons were present, and for the first time the inland county seat experienced the joys and advantages of railroad com- munication. The fourth division was completed from Bradford to Monticello in August, 1878, and on the 4th of September, 1879, the road was opened from Rensselaer to Delphi. Now IN THE MONON SYSTEM That was the extent of narrow gauge track that was constructed ; for soon afterward the road was absorbed by the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad Company. The line from Rensselaer to Chicago was constructed as standard gauge ; the part already con- structed was widened to the new gauge. The road was opened from Delphi to Chicago in 1882 and from Delphi to Indianapolis in 1883. It is now part of the Monon System. It passes diagonally across the county, from southeast to northwest and its stations are Pleas- ant Ridge, Rensselaer, Surrey, Parr and Fair Oaks. The Big Four The Toledo, Logansport & Burlington Railroad Company com- menced laying its tracks at Reynolds, White County, the junction with the New Albany & Salem Railroad, in July, 1859, and had completed the line through the southern part of Jasper County by the end of the year. It passed through a rich agricultural and graz- ing country and was the means of founding Remington. The original road subsequently passed under the control of the Pittsburgh, Cin- cinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company and, eventually, of the Chi- cago. Cincinnati, Columbus & St. Louis (Big Four) Railroad. The Three I's Railroad What was long popularly known as the "Three I's" Railroad was built through the northern part of Jasper and the southern portion of Lake County, in the early '80s. It is now a portion of the New York Central System. Its stations are Dunnville, Wheatfield, Stoutsberg JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 75 and DeMotte. In 1883, when the hne through the thick of the swamp lands was nearing its completion," a local writer spoke of it in this way : "The Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific Railroad is a line that has been agitated for some ten or twelve years. It is now known as the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad Company, and at the present writ- ing (1883) is building its track through the townships of Kankakee, Wheatfield and Keener. This line passes through a sparsely settled part of the county, and attracts but little interest in it. The locality through which it passes will undoubtedly be greatly benefited, but its general importance to the county is not great" The Chicago & Eastern Illinois The Chicago & Eastern Illinois, or the Chicago & Wabash Valley, known at its inception in 1879-80 as the Chicago & Great Southern or Indiana & Great Southern, furnishes Newton County with its chief transportation facilities, although from Mount Ayr it turns toward the northeast, eflfects a junction with the Monon Line at Fair Oaks, Jasper County, and with the Three I's at Wheatfield, thereby adding to the railway accommodations of the northwestern sections of Jasper. In Newton County the line has been incorporated by the New York Central System. CHAPTER VII GENERAL AND STATISTICAL Decvdal Population, 1840- 1910 — County Revenue and Taxable Property — Present Area and Value of Property — County Finances — The Swamp Lands Scandal — Draining and Im- provement OF the Lands — Jasper County Agricultural Society. Various details of the county's development have been set forth, such as the formation of its civil divisions, the establishment and progress of its courts, the building of its avenues of travel and communication, and the natural background of aboriginal exit and the entry of white pioneers. The rule is, with the readers of books the world over, to lightly pass over statistics ; but figures have their good uses, if applied in moderation, and they are mainly grouped in this chapter. Decadal Population, 1840-1910 In giving the national census for the years ending the past eight decades, an increase of population is shown for every such period except the last, and there is every probability that 1920 will decidedly reverse the slight decadence. The small increase shown by com- paring the figures of 1850 with those of i860 is explained by the fact that old Jasper County had been cut in two to form the revived County of Newton, the first census of which (i860) indicated a population of 2,360. In 1840 the population of Jasper County was 1,267; 1850, 3,540; i860, 4,291; 1870, 6,354; 1880, 9,464. The showing for the past three decadal years, by townships and incorporated towns, is as follows : 1910 1900 1890 Jasper County 13.044 14,292 11,185 Barkley Township 1.074 1,303 1,093 Carpenter Twp., including Remington Town . . i,C)68 2,198 2,058 Remington Town 982 1,120 940 76 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 77 Gillam Township 609 753 622 Hanging Grove Township 432 480 479 Jordan Township 637 771 631 Kankakee Township 406 472 413 Keener Township 711 764 492 Marion Township, inchiding Rensselaer City. . 3,692 3,484 2,568 Rensselaer City 2,393 2,255 i>455 Milroy Township 286 396 259 Newton Township 531 558 585 Union Township 1,281 1,319 747 Walker Township 655 909 687 Wheatfield Twp., including Wheatfield Town. 762 886 551 Wheatfield Town 357 366 County Revenue and Taxable Property The earliest available statistics relating to Jasper County were gathered for the 1840 census. Keeping in mind that its territory then embraced virtually what are now the counties of Newton, Ben- ton and Jasper, the statement will be appreciated that it then con- tained 138 polls and taxable property amounting to $20,347. In 1840 Jasper County embraced an area of about 1,300 square miles ; it was larger than the present State of Rhode Island. In 1844, the revenue of the county, Benton having been struck ofif, was $457.87. In 1850, the Indiana State Gazetteer publishes the following: "Jasper is the largest county in the state and contains about 975 square miles ; but Beaver Lake, the Kankakee Marshes and the Grand Prairie occupy so large a portion of it that its settlement and improvement have hitherto proceeded slowly. It is divided into eight townships, viz : Iroquois, Newton, Marion, Barkley, Jordan, Beaver, Jackson and Gillam." In 1856-57 the county revenue was over $9,000 and the taxable property was reported at $1,540,000. In 1882 the income of the county, shorn of what is now Newton since 1859, was $111,738. Present Area and Value of Property The assessors of the county collect much valuable and interesting information for those who understand its significance. Their latest available figures for 1916 indicate that the county has an area of over 354,000 acres, or nearly 555 square miles. It is divided, and assessed for purposes of taxation, as follows : 78 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Twps. and Corps. Acres Barkley Township 38,085.51 Carpenter Township 32,835.87 Gillam Township 24,174.74 Hanging Grove Township. 19,025.61 Jordan Township 23,869.62 Kankakee Township 16,612.02 Keener Township 30,125.28 Marion Township 31,928.82 Milroy Township 15,164.65 Newton Township 21,795.70 Union Township 35,579-23 Walker Township 37,333-78 Wheatfield Township 27,336.18 Rensselaer Corp 460.84 Remington Corp 190.27 Wheatfield Corp 234.76 Total 354,752.88 Value Lots and Twps. and Corps. Improvements Barkley Township $ 4,550 Carpenter Township Gillam Township 360 Hanging Grove Township . Jordan Township Kankakee Township 5,805 Keener Township 20,155 Marion Township 3-995 Milroy Township Newton Township 960 Union Township 37,3 15 Walker Township 2,995 Wheatfield Township 2,240 Rensselaer Corp 683,420 Remington Corp 233,680 Wheatfield Corp 37,955 Total $1,033,430 Value Lands and Number Improvements of Lots $ 1,034,095 95 1,567,165 650,350 58 537,040 745,465 327,810 152 535,425 195 1,528,525 202 290,095 710,330 52 894,260 533 563,710 27 496,530 785 165,135 2,173 82,145 582 15,27s 2>2^ $10,143,355 4.488 Value Total Value Personal Taxable Property Property $ 295,315 $ 1,333,960 288,835 1,856,000 154,105 804,815 112,310 649,350 202,555 948,020 105,365 438,980 87.480 643,060 282,840 1,815,360 76,845 366,940 197,595 908,885 254,455 1,186,030 143,595 710.300 91,140 589,910 563,070 1,411,625 152,655 468,480 98,715 151,945 $3,106,875 $14,283,660 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 79 County Finances From the report of the county auditor and the county treasurer it is evident how large a portion of the expenditures go toward the support of education, in various forms, and toward the maintenance of the highways of the county up to the standards of the day. The state school tax disbursed amounted to $18,644; local tuition tax, $36,211; special school tax, $36,690; common school, $22,366; and city and state vocational, $2,591. During the year there were ex- pended for gravel road repairs, $20,416; road taxes, $27,900; bridge construction and repairs, $28,741 ; other expenditures on roads, ditches, etc., $3,380. Including the balances of the different funds on hand January i, 191 5, the total receipts for the year were $876,004.86, and the dis- bursements, $665,262.16, leaving a balance in the treasury, Decem- ber 31, 1915, of $210,742.70. The Swamp Lands Scandal Jasper County, as will be realized by a comparison of the assessed valuation of lots, or town property, with that of township lands, or rural property, is overwhelmingly agricultural. Great progress has been made within the past twenty years in the draining both of its swamp lands and those which are on a higher level. It was many yeas before the settlers, as a whole, had free access to the choice bottom lands, in which ditch contractors, politicians, state and county officials speculated so outrageously and which they — at least, "mo- nopolized"— so dishonorably. These manipulations and scandals constituted one of the most serious drawbacks to legitimate settle- ment and improvement with which the reputable public has ever contended. A review of this disagreeable chapter in the history of Jasper County is therefore presented. By congressional act of September 20, 1850, the swamp lands belonging to the United States were granted to the State of Indiana, upon condition that they should be drained and made fit for agricul- tural purposes. A second act passed in March, 1855, added various tracts located by holders of military land warrants, making the total amount thus turned over to the state by the General Government, 1,252,000 acres. To carry out the provisions of the law the governor appointed various swamp land commissioners who had the handling of the funds to be expended for ditching and other improvements, but which, as subsequent transactions and investigations proved, 80 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES were diverted from their legitimate purposes into the pockets of such officials. In the report of the legislative committee appointed to investigate these frauds in 1859 appears the following regarding the peculations charged to Jasper County : "In the county of Jasper our investiga- tions have satisfied us that the officials of the county have not only aided others in the commission of great frauds upon the Swamp Land funds, but have also been participants in the profits arising therefrom. In this charge we make no reference to the present treas- urer and auditor of the county. The commissioner, at a letting of a large amount of ditching under a law of 1852, let almost the entire work to one man for the sum of twenty cents the cubic yard, although at this letting were other good and responsible bids for the same work at fourteen cents the cubic yard, and one as low as ten cents. The ditching contracted for at this letting has never been finished ac- cording to the plans and specifications, and some of the ditches are useless. The entire estimate of this work, amounting to $39,451, has been paid to the contractor. According to the testimony before us, this one transaction has resulted in great loss to the Swamp Land fund, and loss to the value of real estate in the vicinity of the work. "In the year 1856, without the color of law and in violation of all right, the then auditor of state, Hiram E. Talbot, directed the auditor of Jasper county to withdraw from sale a large amount of swamp lands designated by him. The committee are compelled to conclude that this order was prompted with a view to personal and private speculation. This, no doubt, was the commencement of a system of frauds unheard of heretofore. A spirit of speculation in these lands was engendered and in a short time there were formed four separate companies who selected, as they termed it, and actually obtained, by the complicity of the swamp land commissioners, deeds for about 124,000 acres of the best of the lands vacant in the county. The deeds to these lands were procured without the shadow of law from the officers of the state." The Swamp Land Act of March, 1857, required that- these fraudulent conveyances should be returned and cancelled when the work was not completed ; also provided that the contractors might file with the county auditor lists of the lands selected by them, to be taken for payment for ditching actually constructed. LTnder this law the swamp land commissioner of Jasper County confirmed all the old contracts at 20 cents per cubic yard, which had been originally let at from 12 to 18 cents, and the contractors were permitted to file unlimited lists of lands. Thus all the unsold swamp lands in Jasper JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 81 County, amounting to 175,000 acres (or half its total area), were ab- sorbed, and nearly all the contractors without paying out any actual money, by private arrangement with the treasurer of Jasper County, were able to obtain certificates of purchase and land patents. These amounted to $100,000, which should have been turned over by the .county treasurer to his successor. This was never done, for the very good reason that the money was never tvirned into the treasury. Upon the expiration of his term of office, the county treasurer was sued as a defaulter to the swamp land fund, compromised by giving his notes for $23,000, was appointed state swamp land commis- Reclaimed Swamp Lands sioner, and in that capacity, during 1859, was also sued for defalca- tion. In view of these facts, the investigating committee recom- mended to the governor that the defaulting official be removed from office. Draining and Improvement of the Lands The outcome of such speculations was so disastrous that it took many years for incoming settlers to venture into the swamp-land region, and as long as they remained under the direct control of the state few tracts were taken up and improved. But in March, 1873, an act was passed by the Legislature authorizing the formation of ditch and draining companies and giving them power to assess bene- 82 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES fits against all lands improved by their work. That act, although somewhat complicated, was a beginning and, as improved by subse- quent measures, finally gave both the county and private enterprise a certain confidence which has resulted in reclaiming most of the large areas of swamp lands to productive cultivation. It was some years, however, even after the passage of the 1873 act before more than two or three minor ditches had been constructed in Kankakee and Wheatfield townships. The building of the Illinois, Indiana & Iowa Railroad through the Kankakee marshes of Northern Jasper and Southern Lake, in the early '80s also had a good effect. Jasper County Agricultur.\l Society In the improvement of the farm lands of Jasper County, whether they lay in the lowlands of the Kankakee region or the more elevated tracts watered by the Iroquois River of the southern sections, the County Agricultural Society has been a constant and influential factor. Originally known as the Jasper County Agricultural and Mechanical Association, it was formed in December, 1858. Several small fairs had been held previously, but that organization pre- sented the first successful attempt at co-operation among the farm- ers and their wives and daughters. The first officers of the associa- tion were: Robert Parker, president; J. C. Post, vice president; Alfred McCoy, treasurer; S. Donaldson, secretary. Its first fair was held September 27-29, 1859, on the grounds of the association, which comprised seven acres about a mile down the river from Rensselaer and on the north shore. The report was that "although the occa- sion was somewhat marred by the wet weather, the exhibition was generally voted a success. Floral Hall was well filled and the ladies department was well represented. The show of agricultural products was good ; the show of live stock, not so good. There were some fine blooded animals, however, shown in the ring ; cattle, horses and hogs were represented, and, for the first exhibition, the display was encouraging. The society had purchased ground and fenced it, and considerable revenue was derived from the admissions." After the County Agricultural and Mechanical Association had struggled along for more than twenty years and become hopelessly entangled in debt, it was succeeded by the Jasper County Agricultural Society, organized July 18, 1879. The first fair of the new society, held October 7-10, 1879, is a fair index of the progress of agriculture in the county, and the statusj of such matters, at that time. The show of horses, cattle and hogs was excellent ; that of sheep and poultry, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 83 passable ; of apples, remarkably fine ; of com and other cereals, Irish potatoes and produce of the garden, probably never surpassed for excellence in any exhibition. The society then owned twenty acres of ground and its officers were : William K. Parkinson, president ; Marion L. Spitler, vice president ; David H. Yeoman, superintendent. CHAPTER \'III GROUNDWORK OF AMERICAN GROWTH Basis of the American Public School — Territorial and Early State Legislation — First Township Schools — The Old- Time Subscription Concern — Created in Three Days — Founding a Regular System^ — Building Schoolhouses Un- der THE New Order — Deciding on Teacher's Qualifications — Pioneer Schools in Jasper County — The County's Sources of Educational Revenue. Nothing was ever done by either the French or British govern- ments to establish or encourage a system of pubhc schools among their scattered subjects in the western wilds, but with the first exten- sion of American paper rule over the Northwest, the cause was brought forward as one of the fundamentals of popular sovereignty. Basis of the American Public School As has been stated, a congressional ordinance of 1785 provided for the donation of section 16 in every township for the maintenance of public schools, and the more comprehensive and famous measure of 1787 declared that "religion, morality and knowledge being neces- sary to the government and happiness of mankind, schools and means of education shall be forever encouraged." In this matter the fathers of the Northwest sustained the founders of the United States, and its greatest supporters ever since, and proclaimed them- selves both idealists and practical men. They first provided the basis of a fund for the popular schools ; then pledged the future generations of America forever to encourage them. Forever is a large word, but America has always dealt in futures, and after 129 years have passed since that pledge was given, the generations of the present are en- couraging the cause of public education with greater zeal and im- measurably greater resources than their sponsors of 1787 ever dreamed of. 84 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 85 Territorial and Early State Legislation Indiana territory had the Indians to fight, as well as the wilder- ness to break, but her public men brought up the subject repeatedly, Governor Harrison, in' one of his messages, suggesting that military education be grafted into the public system. In 1807, after a sweeping preamble re-dedicating the people to the principle of pop- ular education, the Legislature incorporated the Vincennes Univer- sity "for the instruction of youth in the Latin, Greek, French and English languages, mathematics, natural philosophy, logic, rhetoric, and the laws of nature and nations." In the following year the Ter- ritorial Legislature authorized the judges of the Courts of Common Pleas to lease the school lands, and in 1810 they were authorized to appoint trustees for that purpose ; these agents, however, were forbidden to lease more than 160 acres to any one person, and the destruction of timber on the leased lands was forbidden. These acts concluded the actual performances in behalf of the cause, but, con- sidering how many other measures came before the territorial au- thorities and legislators in the nature of self-defense and self-preser- vation, it is remarkable that so much was accomplished. The first state constitution, adopted in 1816, provided that none of the school lands should be sold by the authority of the state previous to 1820, and that it should be the duty of the General As- sembly, as soon as possible, "to provide by law for a general sys- tem of education, ascending in a regular graduation from township schools to a state university, wherein tuition shall be gratis and equally open to all. And for the promotion of such salutary end, the money which shall be paid as an equipalent by persons exempt from military duty, except in times of war, shall be exclusively, and in equal proportion, applied to the support of county seminaries ; and all fines assessed for any breach of the penal laws shall be applied to said seminaries in the counties wherein they shall be assessed." The General Assembly of 1816 took up the work and made pro- vision for the appointment of superintendents of school sections, with power to lease the school lands for any term not to exceed seven years, and each lessee was required to set out annually on such lands twenty-five apple and twenty-five peach trees until 100 of each had been planted. Between 1816 and 1820 several academies, seminaries and literary societies were incorporated in the older and more populous counties. 86 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES First Township Schools The first measure which provided for any comprehensive system of public education was passed in 1824, the bill being the result of the labors of a special commission appointed by the Legislature sev- eral years before; the act, which became law, was "to incorporate congressional townships and provide for public schools therein." After providing for the election of three school trustees in each township, who should control section 16 and all other matters con- nected with public education, the law made provision for the erection of schoolhouses as follows : "Every able-bodied male person of the age of twenty-one years and upwards residing within the bounds of such school district, shall be liable to work one day in each week until such building may be completed, or pay the sum of thirty-seven and one-half cents for every day he may fail to work." The trustees might also receive lumber, nails, glass or other necessary building material, in lieu either of work or the daily wages. The Old-Time Subscription Concern The schoolhouse, according to the law of 1824, provided: "In all cases such schoolhouse shall be eight feet between the floors, and at least one foot from the surface of the ground to the first floor, and be furnished in a manner calculated to render comfortable the teacher and pupils." As no funds were provided for the pay of teachers or the erection of buildings, the schools were kept open as long as the subscriptions held out, and the comfort of the teacher and pupils depended on the character of the householders who sup- ported the school. Neither could the school trustees levy a tax except by special permission of the district, and even then the expenditure was limited to $50. In 1832 the Legislature ordered the sale of all county seminaries, the net proceeds to be added to the permanent school fund. Its action did not affect Jasper County, as that year marked the coming of its first permanent settler. In 1837, however, the county received its quota of the surplus disbursed from the United States Treasury to the various states during the preceding year. Indiana's share was $806,000, and of that sum the Legislature set aside $573,000 for the permanent use of the common schools of the state; but only the interest of the fund could be used by the counties. When Jasper County commenced its political existence in the late '30s, there were no public schools within her borders, and nearly JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 87 twenty years were to pass before anything like the prevaihng system of popular education was to be in force. The conditions prevailing in the pioneer period were these: "The man or woman who had a desire to become an instructor would get up a written agreement called a subscription paper, and pass it around among the people of a certain neighborhood for signatures. The agreement usually called for a certain number of pupils at a certain price per pupil, and when the required number was obtained the school would begin. The ruling price for a term of three months was two dollars per pupil, and the number of pupils to be taught was to be not less than twenty. The board and lodging for the teacher would be provided by the patrons of the school, each one, in turn, furnishing a share during the term, or, if the teacher preferred, which was nearly always the case, he or she might chose a boarding place and remain there during the term for a small compensation to the patron of the school whose home was selected. The board and lodging of the school teacher were regarded as small matters by the early settlers, and one dollar per week was taken as ample compensation for the trouble imposed by this arrangement. The first plan was designated as 'boarding among the scholars' and the second, as 'boarding himself or 'boarding herself.' Created in Three Days "The first matter of importance before the beginning of the school was to provide a building for the accommodation of the teacher and pupils ; but that was also an easy matter for the pioneers. ' The set- tlers of a neighborhood would get together on a specified day, say a Thursday, and begin the erection of a schoolhouse at some point as nearly central in the neighborhood as a site could be procured ; which was always easy to obtain, as land was worth one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, and a suitable site could be found where the owner of the land, if he had children of school age, was only too willing to donate an acre or half an acre of his land for the purpose. Beginning the building on Thursday, they would finish their work on or before Saturday night, so that it would be ready for occupancy on Monday morning." Founding a Regular System With the inauguration of the constitution of 185 1, much con- fusion and working at cross purposes were cleared away, and a work- 88 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUNTIES ing plan to develop a regular system of popular education was evolved. -By legislative act "to provide for a uniform system of Common Schools and School Libraries, and matters properly con- nected therewith," approved June 14, 1852, the way was made clear for the establishment of the public educational system which is still expanding and developing in its details. The free school system of Indiana became practically operative on the first Monday in April, 1853, when the township trustees for school purposes were elected. The new law gave them the manage- ment nf the school atiair>~ of the township, subject to the action of A Rural School of Today the voters. But it was a number of years before Jasper County was able to derive much practical benefit from the system, the quota of the common school fund derived from the state being small and increased slowly, as it was based upon the number of children of school age residing in the various districts. In the meantime most of the actual management of school matters was vested in the old- time school examiner. Building Schooliiouses Under the New Order In 1859 the board of three township trustees was abolished and school matters were placed in the keeping of one trustee, who was JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 89 enabled to work to greater advantage with the examiner than under the old system, but it was not until nearly twenty years later that the trustee assumed greater control of the schools within the township. As the interest of the common school fund was only available, under the constitution, it usually became necessary for the citizens of a district in pressing need of a schoolhouse to contribute a portion of the expense incurred in its erection, furnishing and maintenance. The law required the trustee to own the land upon which every school- house was erected, and a perfect title from the owner of the land to the trustee and his succesors in office must be procured before the building could be commenced. A word from the trustee express- ing the necessity for a new schoolhouse usually brought a dozen offers from property owners offering sites of half an acre to an acre, pro- vided the township would meet the expenses of executing and re- cording the deed. Land was much cheaper than money in those days; but the early settlers contributed of both, as well as of honest labor and necessary materials, for the erection of the building which was to house their children as pupils. Not infrequently the trustee erected a neat frame building beside the old log schoolhouse, that the entire township might compare the two with pride over the improvement. Deciding on Te.\cher^s Qualifications Having procured their certificates of qualification from the county examiner, the applicants for the position of teacher laid their cases before the trustee ; the primary selection rested with him, his choice being ratified by the patrons of the school. Sometimes, when there was a decided division of sentiment as to the merits of several can- didates, a meeting was held and the decision left to a majority vote. Good conduct determined the length of service, and the question of salary was left to the patrons of the school. The average salary for the male teacher of the earlier years was $20.00 a month and board, the female instructor drawing about half that amount. The farm hand was paid about the same wages, and the fairly-educated laborer was quite apt to prefer a cozy district schoolroom to outdoor work, especially in winter. So that there was seldom any dearth of district school teachers. As the standard of qualification was raised, the supply of male teachers decreased, which heralded a brighter day for the prospects of the school ma'am. 90 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Pioneer Schools in Jasper County The early settlers of Jasper were not behind the general senti- ment of the state in their appreciation of the advantages of schools, and long before the state could give the scattered communities aid, they had a number of subscription schools. Neighborhoods turned out and put up the cabin, and each patron paid the expense of the teacher's salary in proportion to numbjer of children sent. Money was scarce, but anything the settler had was valuable to the teacher, and by exchange the farmer's hog or cow was transformed into the children's education. In the Barkley settlement, the first school was held in the winter of 1838-39, and taught by a Mr. Webster; in the Blue Grass settlement, the first school was opened about 1840, by a Miss Price, and G. W. Spitler taught the first school at Rensse- laer in 1841. The growth of schools in Jasper County was sub- ject to all the hindrances of a sparsely-settled country and the limited means of the pioneers. The slow growth of the popula- tion deferred the improvement of these early schools, and in 1858 there were but eight schoolhouses in the combined territory of the present counties of Jasper and Newton. The County's Sources of Education.-\l Revenue In the early '70s, or twenty years after the establishment of the system of popular education, which has since been so greatly broadened through teachers' institutes and other agencies, the schools of the state, and therefore of Jasper County, had eleven sources of revenue, as follows : 1. The congressional township fund, consisting of the money arising from the sale of section 16 throughout the land. 2. The Saline fund comprising a portion of the salt springs properties (limited to thirty-six sections), which represented the second land grant made by Congress to the Territory of Indiana. 3. The surplus revenue fund, distributed among the different states in 1836 (as noted), of which Indiana's share was $573,000. 4. The bank tax fund, derived from an assessment of 12^/2 cents upon each share of stock held by individuals in the state bank. 5. The sinking fund, comprising the residue of money bor- rowed by the state to pay its subscription to the stock of the state bank and to assist individual stockholders. 6. All fines for a violation of the penal laws of the state which had been made a part of the permanent school fund. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 91 7. All recognizances of witnesses and persons indicted for crime, when forfeited. 8. All moneys arising from the estates of persons dying intestate. 9. The proceeds of the sale of swamp lands, when no special purpose was expressed in the grant, after deducting the expenses incurred in selecting and draining them. 10. Taxes on the property of corporations that were assessed by the General Assembly for common school purposes. 11. Rents and other profits derived from the unsold congres- sional school sections. These eleven sources of educational revenue were classified, in 1872, as productive (the first five), contingent (the second five) and unproductive (the last, which at that time virtually yielded no rev- enue). In 1872, the productive funds stood thus : Sinking fund, $4,767,000; congressional township, $2,281,076; surplus revenue, $573,502; saline, $85,000; bank tax, $80,000. The intestate fund amounted to $17,866, and the swamp lands fund was still very complicated, although, naturally, it never yielded what it should have produced. In the summer of 1882 the grand total of the fund upon which the state could draw for the support of its common schools was $9,207,411. In the summer of 1916, according to direct communication with Charles A. Greathouse, state superintendent of public instruction, Jasper County had in the congressional township fund, $58,669.35 ; in the common school fund, $49,716.46, and from the last semi- annual apportionment of state tuition revenue, made in June, 1916, the county received $9,715.86. CHAPTER IX SPECIAL PIONEER PICTURES First Sight of the Grand Prairie — Harbingers of jMalaria — Abundance of Wild Game and Fish — The Seasonings and Cultivated Meats, Rarities — Settling of the Emigrant — Breaking Ground — The Pioneer's Live Stock and Forage — Wild Honey and Pumpkin Sirup — Hoosier Hunt- ing Grounds — In the Kankakee Marshes — A Pottawat- tamie Village. There are certain institutions and features of western pioneer life, descriptions of which would apply to a score of states and territories as the frontier advanced to the Ohio, the Mississippi and far beyond. On the other hand there are pictures which can legitimately be drawn only of Indiana and Jasper County, and a selection of these distinctive etchings has been made for this chapter. Abundance of Wild Game The country which the earlier pioneers had selected was a hunter's paradise. The prairie, timber and waterways were crowded with game of all kinds, and without this it is doubtful if this region could have been settled until a score of years later. The early thoroughfares, obliged to deviate from a true course to avoid marshes and impassable rivers, left this region isolated, and the tide of population following these lines of travel naturally avoided this section. Thus cut off from the natural sources of supply, the pioneer was forced to depend upon the resources of the coun- try alone, which, even with the abundance of game, proved but a meager support for the family. Deer were found in unlimited numbers, and the first settlers found no trouble in killing more than the needs of the family required, right at his own door. Droves, reaching to the number of a hundred, were often seen, and settlers were in the habit of carrying their guns on almost all occasions, 92 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 93 and seldom returned from any expedition without an evidence of the abundance of these animals in the shape of a haunch or ham of venison. Wild hogs served also to vary the frontier fare. These were animals that had escaped from the older settlements, and subsisting upon the nuts and roots of the woodland, had gone , wild in the course of nature. They were of a long-legged, gaunt species, and kept the timber pretty closely. They were no particular damage or annoyance to the settlers, but furnished capital hunting sport, and gave a rehef to the monotonous recurrence of venison upon the table of the settler. Wolves were of the coyote species, and were found in the open prairie. These were of more annoy- ance to the settlements, attacking sheep, young pigs and sometimes cattle. They were miserable cowards, never attacking a person, and were hunted and killed as a nuisance. They were small and under- sized, making the night dismal with their howlings. and when over- taken by the dogs, would fall on their backs and fight much like a cat. On frozen ground, and when filled with a recent meal, they were run down with little difficulty on horseback, as they seemed to avoid the timber, and would risk capture rather than go into it. Pinnated and ruffed grouse, better known as prairie chickens and partridges, were everywhere found in inexhaustible numbers, and furnished a touch of delicacy to the early fare. Wild geese, cranes, herons, ducks of the mallard, pintail, blue-winged teal, wood and ring-necked varieties, were found by thousands, and are still found here in hardly diminished profusion, to the delight of hunters, who are attracted in large numbers to enjoy the hunting. The Iroquois River has sustained its reputation as one of the best stocked rivers in the state, from the earliest knowledge of the whites to the present. Long before any settlements were made here, rumors of its profusion of fine edible fish came to the frontiers through the Indians, to whom this was a favorite place of resort each fall and spring. Here bass, bream, pike, salmon, mullet, suckers and other varieties are found, some of these varieties having been caught over twenty-five pounds in weight. The Se.asonings and Cultivated Meats, Rarities With this abundance of what are even now considered luxuries, it would seem at a casual glance that the pioneer life was a life of ease rather than hardship, but when it is considered that these were the sum of their early luxuries, that what we deem the com- mon necessities and find so cheap as to pass almost unnoticed in 94 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES our estimate of family supplies and expenses were to the early settlers almost inaccessible and the most expensive, a great change is wrought in our estimate. Salt was more expensive than sugar, and more difficult to procure. Flour could not for a time be pro- cured at any price, and even meal, such as is provided today, was unknown on the frontier. And even the variety of game provided soon failed to answer the purposes of beef and pork. The system exposed to the ravages of disease, and subject to the trying experi- ence of early farm labor, demanded something more substantial than this. Nor could all give their attention to hunting. The prime reason for the presence of most of the pioneers in this country was to build up a home and lay the foundations for a future competence, and to accomplish this the larger part of the community centered here had only their hands with which to accomplish their mission. It was no uncommon occurrence to find men surrounded by this pro- fusion of game who never shot a deer, and occasionally one who never owned a gim. Harbingers of Malaria The pioneers who formed the early settlements in this county were generally familiar with the isolation, and inured to the hard- ships and privations, of frontier life, but with all this the open prairie presented difficulties to which they had hitherto been a stranger. From the standpoint of this later day, when the adapt- ability of the prairie has been so abundantly proven, it seems unfor- tunate that the early experiences of these pioneers led them to cling to the timbered portions of the country, where foul water and miasma aggravated the inevitable discomforts of frontier existence. Life in a new country is everywhere subjected to the misery of malarial diseases. The clearing-off of timber or the breaking-up of prairie sod, involving the rapid decay of large quantities of vege- table matter, gave rise to the inevitable miasma, which wrought its sure work upon the system. Such sickness was generally confined to the last of the summer and fall. There was but little sickness in winter, except a few lingering fall diseases that had become chronic ; there were but few cases after severe frosts, and the spring and early summer were perfectly healthy. It was commonly remarked that when the bloom of the resin weed and other yellow flowers appeared, it was time to look for the ague. The first spring flowers on the prairie were mostly pink and white, then followed purple and blue, and about the middle of JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 95 August' yellow predominated. High water in spring, flooding the bottoms and filHng the lagoons and low places along the streams, and they drying off with the hot sun of July and August, was a fruitful cause of disease, and in such localities it was often quite sickly, while the higher prairie was comparatively exempt. With these evils, the pioneer was generally forced to struggle alone. Phy- sicians were very few and often so far situated from the scattered settlements that it took a day's ride to reach them. But where they were found within practical distance, the urgent necessity for the practice of every economy led the settlers to depend upon their own skill. Boneset, Culver's physic (root), and a long list of teas and herb decoctions were to be found in every cabin, and most of the ailments incident to a frontier were generally made to yield to them. To have a severe case of malarial fever or several seasons' run of ague, was expected by each newcomer, and none were considered as having been fully inducted into all the mysteries of citizenship until they had had the regular malarial experience. For years, people who had hitherto possessed a fresh complexion and buoyant spirit, after coming here, wore the pale, sallow complexion of semi-invalids, and often the whole community would be so gen- erally attacked with the prevailing distemper as to leave none to attend upon those who were ill. It got to be very much the custom for each family to prepare for the inevitable attack, arranging mat- ters so that they could care for themselves, it being no infrequent thing for a whole family to be confined to the bed at the same time. Settling of the Emigrant The early settlers brought with them nothing but what the neces- sities of the situation demanded. One wagon generally sufficed to bring the family, household furniture, farming implements, and frequently two or three months' supplies. It requires no great amount of consideration to conclude that luxuries, or even comforts, could find no place in such an outfit, and so the pioneer, after con- structing a shelter for his family, found his skill and ingenuity taxed to their utmost to supply this deficiency. It was necessary to manu- facture tables, chairs, and bedsteads before they could be used, and some of the most striking incidents of frontier life are founded upon this universal dearth of ordinary comforts. Hand tools were always a part of the load when possessed by the emigrant, but in the absence of these the ax accomplished all that was necessary. A section of a good sized log, smoothed with an ax, and furnished 96 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES with a rough back, or often without a back of any sort, and legs, took the place of chairs. A rude bedstead was often constructed in the corner of the cabin with a single leg, the two sides of the structure supporting the rest of the bedstead which was framed in the logs. Upon this the bed cord, which could be easily brought, was arranged, or in its absence, deer hide thongs. This or simply a Log Caiun's Center of Interest pile of brush supported the "tick," which was brought with the family, and filled with leaves and dried grass until the lirst crop supplied a better substitute in the husks. The cabin itself displayed the ingenuity of the pioneer and the poverty of his resources. A log pen, with a single door and window, the latter closed with greased paper, and the door provided with a simple blanket, the fire-place constructed of such loose stones as could be found, and the chimney built up of sticks protected JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 97 with a covering of mud; the roof of "shakes" split from a straight- grained tree, and held in place b}' weight poles, completed the tout ensemble of the early homes. At first there was often no floor but the ground, but generally slabs split out from the unseasoned tim- ber were smoothed with the ax and made to do good service as a protection from the bare earth. When the door was constructed, these "puncheons" served as the material from which it was con- structed, wooden pins taking the place of nails, and wooden hinges, latch and bars serving the purposes of the modern builder's hard- ware. Breaking Ground These preliminaries accomplished, the most urgent necessity was to secure a crop. The plows were crude affairs, strong and serv- iceable, but requiring great team power and considerable mechani- cal skill in the plowman. The sod was found tough, not easily "tamed," and very uncertain in producing a first crop. So tenacious was the turf, that the furrow turned out one unbroken strip of earth, and occasionally, when not especially careful, the plowman had the disappointment of seeing yards of this leathery soil turn back to its natural position, necessitating the tedious operation of turning it all back again by hand. The expenditure of all this labor was generally well repaid the first year, if the sod became thor- oughly rotted, even though it produced but a small crop. Oftentimes the second and third plowing showed the soil stubborn and unkind. Few, even among farmers, know much of the labor involved in "breaking prairie," unless they have experienced its obstacles and overcome them. Corn was the only crop planted at first, and this furnished food for man and best. A few years later, it was a mark of unusual prosperity to be able to furnish wheat bread to especial guests. The first crop was generally planted by cutting a gash in the inverted sod with an ax, dropping in the corn and closing it bv another blow beside the first ; or it was dropped in every third furrow, and the sod turned on it; if the corn was so placed as to find space between the furrows, it would find dayhght; if not the result of the planting was extremely doubtful. Of course cultivation in this case was impossible, and if the squirrels and crows gave the crop an opportunity to mature, it generally proved a satisfactory return. Later, the culture of wheat was begun, and with the increase of markets had grown to larger proportions. 98 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES The Pioneer's Live Stock and Forage Most of the settlers brought in horses and cows, but the former pretty generally gave way to oxen for working purposes. Hogs were bought in the older settlements, and a little later sheep were introduced. All these animals were supported with little cost. The wide range of wild grass afforded excellent pasture and hay. With the range the early settlers had, their cattle would put on more flesh and in less time than on any other pasture. The sedge which grew along the sloughs was the first to start in the spring, and furnished the earliest pasture. The bent or blue-joint which was principally found along the sides of the sloughs, or, in the vernacular of the pioneer, "between the dry and wet land," was preferred by stock to all other varieties, especially when mixed with the wild pea-vine. This made the best hay, and as its yield was very large, was generally selected for this purpose. But the combined ravages of stock and scythe rapidly exterminated it, so that in many cases the ground where it grew became almost bare of vegetation. The stock and the farmer then resorted to upland grasses, but before the settlers multiplied so as to limit the range of the stock, the older and more experienced of the herd would go long distances to find their favorite pasture, often necessitating on the part of the pioneer a hunt of several days, as they could find plenty of wild grass and hay to feed upon. Horses raised upon the prairie were said never to be afflicted with the heaves, while horses brought here, suffering with this malady, were speedily cured by simply feeding on the native grasses. This advantage, however, was somewhat offset by the colic which this rank grass frequently produced in horses with fatal effect. The introduction of tame grasses has largely remedied this evil, and most farmers are now able to supply their stock with a mixture of the two kinds. But the wild grass of the present is not found in all its original purity, and the pea-vine is almost if not entirely extinct. Mills and Markets There is a beatitude not found in the usual list "Blessed be nothing, for ye shall want nothing," which finds abundant confirma- tion in every-day logic. Its converse, "The more we have, the more we want," is only another way of putting the same truth, and is suggested by the experience of the pioneers. No sooner was a crop secured than the lack of any proper means to reduce it to the necessities of the household was made painfully apparent. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 99 So long as the corn was soft, it was grated on rude graters, made by punching holes through a piece of tin. After it became hard, it was sometimes parched and ground in a coffee mill, and at other times pounded in a rudely constructed mortar. A stump was fol- lowed out by burning and scraping to serve as a mortar. Over this was suspended from a "sweep" a pestle, to the end of which was fixed an iron wedge, and with this rude machinery bushels of corn were broken sufficiently fine to use in the various ways common to pioneer days. The finest was used in "corn-pones" and dodgers, while the coarser part was used as hominy, the separation being effected by means of a sieve made of a perforated deer skin stretched tightly over a frame. "Corn-crackers" were put up in the various settlements at an early date, but these did but little better work than the mortar. They did the work quicker, and such a mill was kept running night and day, while the patrons coming from distances of fifteen or twenty miles would wait patiently for a day or two to get their "grist." But for flour, the only resort was to Lafayette, where an older settlement had secured the advantages of a "flouring mill." The demand for groceries was limited to the means of pur- chasing, which were generally of the most slender sort. There was but little to sell, and then the only market was at Chicago, where the settlers hauled hundreds of bushels of shelled corn to sell at thirty cents per bushel. Coon skins, however, were ahnost "landoffice" money. Fur buyers were an institution of the early times here, and many a quarter section was purchased with the price of these skins. Wild Honey and Pumpkin Sirup There were some luxuries, however, that could be secured with- out money. Bee trees were, in many parts of the country, found in great numbers, and no piece of timber was entirely devoid of them. It sometimes required an expert to find them, and some united pleasure and profit in this sort of hunting. An experienced hunter would go out in a bright, warm day in winter or late fall and burn some honey comb, which seldom failed to attract the game to the honey, which was provided for them. Loading up with this, the bee would rise, circling in the air, and then fly straight to its tree. It was then the hunter's business to follow the fleet-winged insect closely, and thus discover its secret. To do this required an expert, and there were few who were marked for their success. Some- times, a number of bees from a single tree, at no great distance. 100 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES were attracted. These do not rise in circles, but darting to and fro in a straight hne, make the course plain enough to be easily followed, but this is rare. In other cases, the best that can be done is to discover the direction of the bee's flight, and taking this — against the sun if possible — to stumble along with upturned gaze, scanning every tree for the tell-tale hole or crack. But when the tree was found, the battle was but half won. This must be felled, and the occupants dispossessed of their stores. When the hollow extended down to the point where the ax must penetrate it, the hunter was often obliged to decamp in hot haste as soon as the blows had aroused the swarm. The bee was easily domesticated, and many of the settlers cap- tured swarms, placed them in sections of hollow logs, and in a little while possessed a constant source of supply for the table and the market. In some cases, this was the principal source for the sweetening used in the culinary work of the cabin, and was the basis of a favorite drink. '"Alethegilin" was made of steeped honey comb, and honey fermented. It was counted an excellent drink, and much preferred to cider, and when strengthened by age became a powerful intoxicant. This, however, has passed away with many other of the homely joys of pioneer days. The ready tact of the pioneers' housewives, and the unpampered tastes of that early day, found a good substitute for fruit in the pumpkin. When frozen, they were prepared and stewed down to a sirup, which furnished a very acceptable substitute for sugar or molasses in the absence of honey, , and mixed with fresh, stewed pumpkin formed a desirable sweetmeat. They were planted in con- siderable numbers, and stored in a vault constructed underneath the ■ hay stacks to be fed to the cattle during the winter. Well may this "fruit loved of boyhood" be apostrophized by the poet, and be hon- orably placed in a state's coat of arms. HoosiER Hunting Grounds John E. Alter, an old resident of the county, published a book, in 1905, which contained a number of graphic pictures and well-told stories of scenes and events in Jasper and Newton counties. Two samples are selected, as a close to this chapter. In the K.\nkakee Marshes "We now call the reader's attention to a portion of the country in northwestern Indiana near the headwaters of the Iroquois river. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 101 a region now comprising Newton and Jasper counties, originally all called Jasper, in honor of Sergeant Jasper of Fort Moultrie fame. The Iroquois river takes its rise near the middle of Jasper, north and south, but near the western line of Township 29 north. Range 7 west from the Second principal meridian, in a small pond or slough ; running thence northward, bearing eastward in a circle or more nearly a spiral, thus making a complete circtiit of thirty-five miles and passing eastward at a point but three and a half miles south of the source. At the time in which the chief events of our story took place, there was no marked channel for the first eight miles of its course, but an artificial waterway has since been constructed. ''The network of marshes which feeds the Kankakee river on the north, the Iroquois on the south, the Pinkamink on the east and Beaver Lake (since drained away) on the west, is traversed by a series of sand hills, the general trend of which is east and west ; this line of low ridges is covered with a stunted growth of scrubby yel- low and black-oak timber and scanty growth of vegetation, and forms the principal watershed between the first two rivers. "In the year 1840, in the month of October, on the southern slope of Eaglesnest Ridge near the north shore of the Iroquois river, there stood a solitary man with a rifle in the hollow of his left arm and a belt full of muskrat skins around his body. He was dressed in the garb of a trapper, and had evidently just returned from a visit to his traps on the river below, or rather the marsh, for as has been stated there being no definite channel all seemed as marsh, and still plenty of water could be found in which to run a canoe, except in midsummer or early autumn. His well-worn jeans pants were jammed into the tops of a stout pair of cowhide boots, his hickory blouse was covered with grease and dirt, and a little rill of sweat was coursing its way from under his coonskin cap. along his temple and across his weather-beaten cheek. Dashing it away with his hand, he still continued to gaze down the marsh to the east- ward, as if expecting someone. After a searching glance more to the northward, he gave a grunt of uneasiness and, turning round, walked rapidly up the hill to the edge of a clump of black-oak bushes ; here he stopped and again turned and looked across the barrens to the eastward, but seeing nothing to his fancy he entered the thicket, stooping that he might the more easily press through among the branches of the young growth of bushes. "After a progress of three or four rods in this manner, he stopped before a rude door made of split saplings, having the inter- vening cracks calked or stuffed with marsh grass. The door had 102 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES been made with an ax and the parts bound together by oak withes. These withes are made by thoroughly twisting small bushes or limbs to make them pliable, and in this form they can be wrapped around pieces, or even tied in a knot, to fasten them together. Unbarring this, by removing a short pole, the heavy door swung back on its oaken hinges and the trapper walked into the side of the hill as it were, where all was total darkness but for the few rays of light which struggled through the narrow doorway from the gloomy thicket out- side. This gloom was soon dispelled, however, when he drew from his pocket a tinder box and flint. Striking the latter against the blade of his knife, the sparks flashed down into the little piece of leathery punk and ignited; this he placed against a few dry splints and a blaze was immediately produced. The blaze was next placed in contact with a lamp made by placing a twisted rag for a wick in a cup made of an oak knot, hollowed out and filled with coon oil. This made a brilliant light, which illuminated the whole apartment, the blaze, of course, flickering like a candle instead of giving off a steady light like a modern kerosene lamp. "The dugout, or camp, as we shall call it, contained many articles of usefulness for camp life. In one corner lay a pile of steel traps, in another was a rude bed of gunny-cloth filled with leaves ; a bolster, or long pillow, was made of the same material ; the covers consisted of wolf skins. A sort of shelf attached to the side of the room by means of stakes driven into the soft sand walls and the protruding ends covered with small sticks or poles, shaped smooth on the upper side, served as a table, shelf and general catch-all. The soft sand of the ceiling was prevented from falling in by means of split punch- eons, which were held in place by means of pole braces standing on the ground floor at irregular distances of five or six feet, all over the apartment. Suspended from this ceiling, or rather the punch- eons which sustained the sandy ceiling, were two or three bunches of dressed skins, mostly mink, muskrat and raccoon. "In two wooden hooks made from the forks of small limbs and fastened just above the door, the trapper now placed his rifle. Turn- ing around, he then made a thorough examination of everything in the room, as if to ascertain whether anything had been molested in his absence. At length assuming an air of satisfaction in regard to the state of the camp, he gathered a bundle of hickorj' sticks from near the foot of the bed, blew out the light and passed out of the cave-like dwelling with the cautious step peculiar to men who inhabit the wilds of any country. After securing the door, he walked to the border of the bushes and peered out before advancing. Seeing noth- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 103 ing unusual, he stepped out and walked briskly to the foot of a tree" from which a large limb had fallen during some wind storm. Seating himself upon this limb he removed his belt and proceeded to stretch his rat-skins upon the hickory sticks, after bending them in the proper shape, then to brace them out at the open end until a neat stretch was obtained. After all were thus stretched, he proceeded to 'flesh' them, which is done by carefully cutting off all the fleshy strips and the film from the inside of the hide. The market value of all kinds of pelts depends much upon the care and labor employed in fleshing. The sticks were procured two or three miles down stream, as no hickory grew among these sand ridges. The trapper kept up a constant outlook while at his work by glancing over the marshes and through the woods at short intervals. Presently, his eye rested upon something through an oak opening, which held his attention for a full minute, after which he continued, his work with a contented look in his countenance. "Presently a man came in full view around a small quakeash grove and walked leisurely toward the ridge. He also carried a rifle and wore leather boots and fur cap, but unlike the trapper before introduced, he wore buckskin breeches and a hunting shirt made of the same material. A powder-horn and' bullet-pouch hung under his arm and a large knife stuck in a scabbard which was attached to his belt. He was followed by a large yellow hound, with long pendulous ears — a noble looking fellow, measuring fully six feet from tip to tip. " 'Well, Ben,' said the first man, looking up from his rat-hide, 'I was just beginning to be uneasy about you, lest you might have found trouble. Did you see any Red-skins ?' " 'None,' said Ben, as he threw down a pheasant with its head shot off, 'but I see their trail down at the sandy crossing a mile below here, where they have crossed the stream and gone south.' " 'They must be camped over near the Baty marsh,' said George, whose surname was Maiden. His friend's name was Ben Raymond. " 'Their wigwams are not far away, you may be sure,' said Ben, 'for I see the moccasin tracks every day along the marsh.' "It may be well to explain here that there were no hostile or savage tribes of Indians in Jasper County in 1840, but there were many Indians along the Iroquois and Pinkamink rivers; the rem- nant of a tribe who professed to be friendly, and were in the main ; yet they were easily angered and would, at the slightest provocation, seek secret revenge. Those in the immediate vicinity of the trap- 104 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES pers' camp considered the whites intruders upon their trapping grounds. "George had by this time finished his work and gathered up his green hides, carried them into the cave to keep them from the troublesome birds and coyotes, or prairie wolves. They would have cured much sooner in the sunshine, but George wished to be sure of their safety. The odor of musk given off by these skins would almost suffocate anyone not used to it, but these men had become so accustomed to the scent of muskrats, mink and even skunk, that they seemed to have no great dislike to it. "When the trapper returned from the cave he brought the tinder and splits and proceeded to make a fire with dry limbs and sticks picked up on the hillside, while Ben dressed the pheasant. An iron pot was hanging on a pole, supported by two forks driven in to the ground. The bird was soon cleaned and ready for the pot, and then Ben brought some water from a hole dug in the flat at the foot of the hill. This well or spring had no curb or covering of any kind, consequently two or three dozen frogs were swimming about or diving to the bottom. But this is the case with all open wells in a new country, and the water is swallowed with impunity. " 'By the way, Ben, let's have roast for supper in place of pheasant soup.' " 'How will you roast without an oven ? ' " 'You make the tea and I'll show you.' The tea was made from red-root leaves gathered from the hillside, where it grew m profusion. Dried in the sun, it made a very good substitute for the Chinese article. "George wrapped the bird in green leaves, and then covered it with a thick envelope of mud taken from the sides of the well and covering it with ashes and coals, allowed it to bake. When done it was served with tea, in wooden cups whittled out of the aspen which grew abundantly on the flats. Broken pieces of corn cake and some parched acorns were next set out, and a little salt was added to the bird, George having forgotten it before it was 'put to bake.' "The weather being fine, as it usually is in autumn in this lati- tude, supper was taken in the open air under a large tree. The hun- ters chatted freely and seemed to enjoy their frugal meal. The sun had slipped down behind the ridge and out of sight, although not yet sunset, properly speaking. Two or three bald eagles were sailing about just above the trees, giving an occasional scream, as if to inquire what was meant by intruding upon their haunts. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 105 ■■ "1 think I'll take a shot at that old eagle if she alights on one of these trees,' said George. " 'They are not likely to come so near us, except in brooding time, when they will even attack a man in defense of their nest or their young,' observed Ben. " 'These are the first bald eagles I have ever seen,' said George. 'What large, noble-looking birds they are. But are they really bald-headed, Ben? Their heads and neck appear as white as snow.' " 'No, they are not bald, but have been given this name from the appearance to baldness produced by the white feathers on the head and neck. They are also called the American eagle and adopted as the emblem of our country.' "At that moment one of the birds wheeled suddenly in its flight, arched its wings and darted to the ground like a_ meteor. The wild grass being of a luxuriant growth in the flat, partially broke the swoop of the bird. A momentary struggle, a sharp scream, and away it flew over the hill with a full-grown rabbit in its talons. " 'Well, the wicked robber !' cried George. 'Do you think he intends to eat it?' " 'Oh, yes; the bald eagle is a bird of prey and kills his own game for food when he can find it, although he will even resort to carrion when pressed by hunger.' " 'See what large sticks in that nest, almost as large as a man's leg.' "Yes, the nest is built large and strong, and then the same nest is used each year for many years in succession. The female lays two large white eggs about the first of February, and the young are hatched about the first of March.' "Supper over and the few cooking utensils put away, after the backwoods fashion, George lit his pipe and the following dialogue took place: 'George, I think you would do well to take up your traps for a few days, lest the Indians steel them. The fur will not be first-class yet for a couple of weeks anyway.' " 'You're right, Ben. But I'm anxious to be after 'em. Who can stand the sight of four hundred rat houses in one marsh and not get nervous? And such fine ones, too. They say if the rats build tall houses, it's a sign of high water.' " 'Such may be the fact,' said Ben, 'for all animals are endowed with special instinct for protection, in place of reason, which belongs to man alone.' " 'Well, if you think best I will take up the traps in the morning and we'll see what we can find with the rifles.' 106 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES "Darkness had now gathered around them, and, with a few part- ing wififs at his pipe, George started for the cave, followed by his companion. The hoot of an owl near by was answered by another half a mile away. Myriads of frogs in the surrounding marshes kept up a continual din, while a dozen brazen-throated bull-frogs in a deep pond near by did the bass for the other warblers of the night. A couple of wolves across the marsh set up such a babel of barks and howls as to sound like a pack of fifty curs. But our hunters were used to these things, and without giving them the least attention they lay down on their bed of leaves and slept the sleep of the weary." A Pottawattamie Village Also from Alter's "Hoosier Hunting Grounds :" "We will now follow Ben and leave the other two hunters to look after themselves for a while. Crossing the river at the sandy crossing, where a cloud of ducks arose from the water, with their deafen- ing roar of wings and their quack, quack, quack, he took a south- easterly direction through the woods, keeping his course by the sun, with its dusky, red face veiled by the smoke of Indian summer. There was no path to follow, but he knew the general direction he wished to go; therefore he had but little trouble in shaping his course. Bees still swarmed out in search of the few flowers that had not been nipped by the early frost of autumn. Frogs croaked, the mocking birds still sang their morning carols from the tops of the tallest trees, and robin red-breasts hopped about in quest of worms. Wild geese, cranes and brants passed constantly overhead or waded and paddled in the ponds at will. The geese darted their heads low in the water in quest of snails and bugs, while their feet paddled the thin water to maintain their equilibrium. "Ben enjoyed all these things, for he was not only a student, but a lover of nature. Just before leaving the timber and entering upon the broad prairie he seated himself upon the limb of a fallen tree to rest and watch the gambols of half a dozen squirrels that were chasing each other from limb to limb, now to the very top of a tall hickory tree, then away again and down, down to the leafy ground, here scuffing and rolling on a bed of moss. One of them in his haste slipped from a small log on which he was running into a pool of water, when, as if ashamed of his own awkward act, he dashed away with all speed, shaking the water from his hairy hide as he went and ran up an old snag and into a hole. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 107 "At this instant Ben was startled by the whisthng of an arrow, which buried itself beyond the dart in the log within three inches of where he sat. It came with such force that the trembling shaft hummed like a top. Springing to his feet he cocked his rifle and peered into the bushes from which the arrow seemed to have sped. Seeing no one he nimbly stepped behind a tree and watched for some move on the part of his unseen adversary. He had but a minute to wait, when a Pottawattamie Indian stepped from behind a tree, dropped his bow on the ground, raised both hands above his head in token of surrender, and walked slowly toward the hunter. "Ben, however, suspecting treachery, kept on his guard and watched the background for more enemies, as well as the advancing redskin. " 'Me no mad, me good friend. Me tink you sleep on log ; shoot arrow so you wake up.' "Ben, now being assured that the Indian was alone, took the proffered hand of friendship ; after which they seated themselves on the log and the following conversation took place : " 'Who are you and why did you shoot at me?' asked Ben. " "Me Pottawattamie, name Bird-eye. Hunt pheasant for pap- poose and sick squaw. Me no shoot at white man, shoot at log; no hit white man, hit log.' " 'I see you hit the log, but it came uncomfortably near to me.' " 'Ugh, me like see you jump.' "Ben knew the Indian had not tried to kill him, or he would have shot near his breast, as is customary with most savages at short range. " 'Where do you live ?' " 'Live in wigvvam on river, one hour away to sunrise.' " 'How many of your people live near you?' In answer to this question the Indian raised both hands, with fingers and thumbs extended, repeating the action. 'Twenty,' said Ben, half aloud. 'Do you raise any com ?' " 'Me got corn.' " 'Would you sell some of it ?' The Indian gnmted and gave a nod in the affirmative. "After a moment's pause Ben thought it would be better to buy corn of these savages than risk getting corn or meal at Newton, and besides carrying it from so much greater distance ; therefore he gave the savage to understand that he wished to accompany him home and purchase a little of his corn. Whereupon Bird-eye ad- justed his belt, which contained a brace of pheasants and a squirrel, 108 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES walked to a tree, picked up his bow, and without further comment led the way to a little Indian village on the right bank of the Iro- quois, three or four miles east of the place where they had first met in the woods. "The village consisted of about a dozen wigwams, placed in a row along the river bank, which at this point was ten or twelve feet above the marsh. The marsh was here about half a mile wide, through the middle of which slowly meandered the sluggish chan- nel. The whole marsh for miles, however, was nothing less than a deep lake, on the surface of which was forming a floating sod that, in places, would support the weight of a man ; gently sinking into the water, however, until a basinlike depression a rod wide was formed, into which the water would rise if the weight was not immediately removed ; while in other places the sod formation was so thin that it would 'mire a duck.' At the moment they entered the clearing in front of the huts a loud noise came from the tim- ber south and west — yelling of Indians, barking of dogs and crack- ing of brush. Nearer and nearer came the din. Bird-eye bounded across the clearing and into the woods. Ben followed slowly, not knowing what the chase might be. He had walked a distance of about fifty paces south of the last wigwam in the row, when four deer came bounding out of the thicket in full sight and ran through an open glade toward the river. When at full broadside he fired at the near- est, which was a large doe. When the gun cracked she fell in her tracks. The other three ran down the steep bank and steered around below the camp, when suddenly the squaws rushed from the wigwams brandishing splint brooms, baskets, coonskins and clubs, shouting and screaming like demons. This checked the deer in their flight, and this second fright caused them to wheel suddenly and back-track with great speed ; but when nearing the point where they had descended the bank, the Indians came yelling out of the bushes and commenced pouring the arrows into them. At the same time the squaws closed in from above, and Ben, bringing up the center, the deer were forced into the muck and the floating sod of the marsh. A few floundering jumps proved the uselessness of escape in that direction. "The largest, a five-pronged buck, who was in the lead, took in the difficulty, and turning around struggled back until he had placed himself between the other two and their pursuers. Shaking his head of horns and blowing the mud and water from his muzzle, with a snort of defiance he stood at bay, with green, angry eyes staring at the mottled group on the bank. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 109 "At this juncture Ben, who had reloaded, stepped forward and raised his rifle; but a grunt of disapproval from two or three, and Bird-eye waving him to desist, he lowered his gun, uncocked it, dropped the breech to the ground, and waited the will of the crowd. After quite a great deal of debating in their own language, and much gesticulating with hands and heads, they seemed to arrive at a deci- sion. Two young fellows, seemingly about seventeen years of age, threw off their hunting shirts, breeches and moccasins, leaving nothing but a shirt, or rather a short skirt of some cheap material reaching from the waist to just above the knees; grasping a knife in one hand and a tomahawk in the other, they commenced picking their way over the springing turf. The buck tossed his head wick- edly as they drew near. Separating, they came on to the attack, one from each side, and sprang upon him with all the boldness of their savage natures. As they struck, the buck maddened by the pain caused by two arrows still sticking in his side, together with the onslaught of his adversaries, gave a bleat of rage and thew his heavy horns, first backward and then to the right and left with so much force, as almost to blind the two young Indians, covering them with mud and water. The move was so unexpected that one missed the deer and lost his hatchet in the water, while the other, missing the head, struck a horn, knocking it off. They now beat a hasty retreat, scrambling back as best they could, while their friends cheered loudly to see the sport. "A second attack was made immediately, one making for the head again with his tomahawk, while the other actually leaped upon the animal's back and endeavored to cut his throat. The buck- paid but little attention to the one in the rear, as it was the other who had given him such a blow in the onset as to deprive him of one of his weapons. Keeping his eye on him he was ready for the attack, and rearing high as the youth came near he struck him with both front feet like a wild broncho. "The savage dropped his weapon and fell back wounded. The buck was quick to follow up his advantage and, with the other youth on his back, he lunged forward again and, with half a dozen thrusts of his powerful forelegs he shoved the Indian far under the muck and water to rise no more. Instantly changing tactics, he now pulled for the bank, making short but rapid jumps. "The greater portion of the Indians stood and watched him come out and run up the bank without making any resistance, being terrified by the scene of the drowning boy. Three or four, how- ever, had the presence of mind to shoot arrows into him as he passed. 110 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Nothing daunted, he rushed up the bank and away through the low jack-oak bushes at full speed, with the boy on his back, his arms around his neck. "The old doe and her fawn, almost grown, now came leaping out of the marsh as best they could; but the Indians had rallied by this time, and arrows pierced the side of the doe in great numbers. She was still holding on her way, though wounded, when one fellow fired a shot from an old musket loaded with ball. This took effect in the shoulder, and she leaped high in the air and fell dead on her side. The fawn was caught and pulled down by the dogs as soon as he reached the solid ground. "No time was lost in making search for the drowned boy, but though the search was continued for days the body was never found. It probably sank to the bottom of the deep lake after being stamped through the thin coat of sod which covered the water. [A foot-note here states that "the depth of water was tested in the Burk marsh on the Iroquois river in 1865, by L. A. Bostwick, C. E., and gas pipe was pushed through floating sod and muck to the depth of fifty feet."] "Several of the party were sent after the old buck and his daring rider. Dogs were placed upon the trail, but they followed little faster than the men, who, with their swinging trot, kept the trail as well as the dogs. Once they had sight of him as he passed an open place in the timber. Like Diana of old, he seemed to be giving chase, mounted on the fleetest beast of the woods, his scalp- lock unbraided and flying loose to the wind. It was only for a second, when he was dashed into the jungle and out of sight. "That night was one of mourning in the village. The squaws placed handfuls of sand on their heads, danced up and down, and groaned and screamed out like panthers. The men who were not engaged in the search for the body or in pursuit of the runaways, built three or four small fires along the foot of the ridge or river bank, and kept up a continuous trotting back and forth by the fires during the whole of that dark night, for the sky was overcast with clouds and the moon did not rise until near morning. "Ben described it as a night long to be remembered. The crack- ing, snapping fires echoing from the overhanging trees along the bank of the river; the long-drawn humming in both guttural and nasal tones by the watchers as they trotted to and fro, in that cease- less, rhythmic pat, pat, pat of moccasined feet on the crisp leaves of the forest ; the ever-changing wailing of the squaws in the wig- wams and the phantom-like forms, flitting here and there with JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 111 torches searching for the dead. All this was truly awe-inspiring in the pitchy darkness. "At intervals the baying of hounds gave proof that the chase was still on, whether the rider was or not. No sleep came to the eyes of our friend that night. At times his thoughts would revert to his friends back in the cave, then again to friends in other lands ; but they never strayed far till brought back to the ceaseless tread of feet on the dead march and the funeral dirge of the mourning savages. But at last, like all other nights, this one, so full of mel- ancholy scenes and sounds, passed away. "The sun rose clear, but was soon obscured by scudding clouds, which betokened rain. A few old Indians, including the father of the unfortunate boy, were still feeling for the body with poles; but most of the band were either preparing or partaking of the morning meal, which consisted of hominy, corn cakes and various wild meats. "Bird-eye now came up to Ben, where he was seated on a stump in the center of the enclosure, and invited him into his rude tent for the first time. Ben arose and followed without a word. On entering the narrow, circular apartment he was struck by the tidy ' appearance and the systematic arrangement of the various articles in so small a place. On the north side of the tent or wigwam was hung all manner of peltries. Immediately under them was a rifle well poised in wooden davits ; also a powder horn, bullet pouch, and two large knives in sheathes. Next below them rested three long bows, well wrapped and finished with deer sinews ; also, three quivers of arrows, smooth and straight, with feathered shafts and iron darts firmly fixed in the heads. On the eastern curve were the cooking utensils, few in number but tastefully arranged. "On either side of the doorway were bunches of steel-traps, grouped as to sizes ; a corn hoe, a dibble, and some other articles of minor importance. In the center of the apartment was a brisk little fire of dry fagots, from which the smoke ascended to the top of the wigwam, where it found egress through an opening at the junction of the tepee poles. On a hay bed covered with skins reclined an Indian squaw of about twenty-five years of age. Her emaciated form and pinched, haggard features, showed her to be sufifering from some lingering disease. Near her, on a buffalo hide, sat two other females. One was an old crone with white locks and the other an Indian maiden of rare beauty, whose glossy black hair shone like ebony. Her eyes were bright and piercing, yet soft and kind as those of a dove. 112 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES "Ben gave the girl a look of admiration; then turned to the af- flicted one with a glance of pity. Neither of the females spoke when the men entered the cabin. A skillet of meat was sitting near the fire, which the maid placed in a large oaken platter containing corn cakes and dried venison, while Bird-eye placed the only stool in the room at Ben's disposal. She then passed the food to the two men, who took pieces out with their fingers and 'did eat.' Water was next placed before them in a gourd, from which they quenched their thirst alternately. After the meal was finished, Bird-eye walked to the couch of the invalid and a low conversation took place in the Pot- tawattamie tongue. "The sky had become more and more threatening during the time passed in the hut, and the wind was rising. The Indian stepped to the door to note the aspect of the weather. 'Big storm,' he said, as he moved quietly outside and ran quickly to each tent, informing the inmates of the impending storm, which was now fast breaking upon ■ them. In a few minutes he returned and began making things secure by fastening the corners of the skins with thongs of deer-hide and bracing the tent with extra pole braces. A great yellow bank of curvetting cloud came rolling down the heavens, which seemed to be followed and pushed ahead by an uneasy power which roared and bellowed like ten thousand maddened bulls. It was something ter- rific. Ben described it as being equal to a tropical tornado, a real Caribbean cyclone and an African hurricane combined. The trees bowed their tops to the earth in humble subjection to the powers that be, and many were snapped in twain with reports like heavy artillery. Wilder and wilder raged the tempest. The driving rain came down in blinding sheets. A flood of water rushed through the wigwam a foot deep. "Ben and the Indian were using their utmost endeavors to hold the braces and thus keep the tent from going away with the blast. The maid sprang up and raised the sick woman to a sitting posture, so that her head might be out of the water; but the old crone still sat in the water almost to her waist, crooning sad strains of some sorrow song as she swayed her body back and forth, without paying the slightest attention to the warring of the elements. "The lodge poles were bent like reeds in the marsh and the rain dashed through the holes and crevices in the skins in great bucket- fuls. Vivid flashes of zigzag and sheet lightning almost blinded them, and peal upon peal of thunder seemed to rend the heavens in a million seams, whereby the pent-up waters dashed and fell on the JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 113 earth in oceans of waterspouts. One could not have stood on his feet a second out in the storm. "In the course of half an hour, which seemed almost an age to those who had to stem the storm, the din ceased, and this cloudy cauldron of wind, water and electricity, each struggling for the mas- tery, passed away as quickly as it had come. The trees lifted their heads, except those whose hearts had been broken, and the water dripped from their leaves and branches. The wind ceased, the sun burst forth from behind a cloud, and nature seemed to smile upon the wreck and desolation everywhere visible. Broad streams, rivulets and rills were still gurgling down the sloping woodland and over the river bank into the marsh lake, with a roar like a Liliputian cataract. "Everything and everybody were drenched ; not a dry thread could be found in the whole village. Three of the wigwams had been blown down, two pappooses were drowned in the flood, and one was killed by a falling tent pole. Pools were everywhere, and in the level oak openings to the southwest great ponds, and even lakes, spread out like mammoth mirrors in the sunshine. The whole river marsh was one vast lake as far as the eye could reach in the blue vista to the southeast. "After considerable difficulty a fire was Hghted and, others bor- rowing from it, soon each lodge possessed a blaze to dry out the contents. "Bird-eye made his squaw as comfortable as could be expected under the circumstances, which were bad enough at best. "At this juncture, a general shout proclaimed the approach of the search party who had followed the trail of the dauntless rider." This hero of the day had been found much battered, but not dead. After giving the Indian a wild ride of several miles through the woods the infuriated buck had finally thrown its rider, but not before the luckless beast had left one of his ears which the Potta- wattamie youth had slashed away in his efiforts to reach the throat of the still very lively piece of venison. The buck certainly deserved his life, after having sacrificed one horn and one ear in the fortunes of the chase. CHAPTER X JASPER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR State Militia Previous to the Civil War — Jasper County in THE War of the Rebellion — The Ninth as a Three-Months' Regiment — General Robert H. Milroy, Leading Military Figure — Unveiling of Memorial at Milroy Park — Judge Hammond's Tribute to General Milroy — A Nursery of Military Renown — First Union Victim of the Battle- field— Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry — The Sev- enteenth Infantry — The Forty-eighth Regiment — The Eighty-seventh — Twelfth Cavalry, Company K — Fourth Battery, Light Artillery. At the time of the Mexican war, Jasper County was so sparsely settled that no complete body of troops could be drawn from its pop- ulace, but at the outbreak of the Civil war, although still far from overburdened with people, it was one of the few counties of Indiana that had a military organization under the law of 1855. State Militia Previous to the Civil War From the formation of the state to 1830, the state militia was in high repute, and afforded the surest channel through which to achieve civil distinction. Four years later, the organization was entirely abandoned, and public sentiment seemed to react and render the later efforts to revive the system a failure. On the 14th of June, 1852, an act was passed for the organization of the militia by Con- gressional districts ; and on the 12th of February, 1855, an "Act concerning the organization of voluntary associations" was passed, providing for the formation of military companies by filing articles of association in like manner as provided for organizing, building, mining and manufacturing companies. These laws were practically of no value, merely without regulations sufficient to secure any suc- cessful result. Many commissions were issued, in most cases for the mere purpose of conferring honorary military titles upon the 114 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 115 recipients; but with the exception of probably a dozen companies (most of which had but a brief existence) formed in various parts of the state in 1859-60, aggregating about 500 men, no organizations were made. Such was the condition of the military force of the state when Fort Sumter surrendered on the 13th of April, 1861, and when on the iSth, Governor Morton telegraphed to President Lin- coln, the tender of 10,000 men, "for the defense of the Nation." On the same day, the President issued his proclamation calling forth the militia of the several states of the Union to the aggregate number of 7S,ooo men. The quota of Indiana was subsequently fixed at six regiments of infantry, comprising in rank and file 4,683 men, to serve for three months, if not sooner discharged. No militia existed in fact, and on the i6th inst. Governor Morton issued his proclamation, in which, after stating the cause, he called '"upon the loyal and patriotic men of this state, to the number of six regiments, to organize themselves into military companies, and forthwith report the same to the adjutant general," etc. The response from every part of the state was prompt and unanimous. The day after the call there were 500 men in camp ; on the 19th there were 2,400 men,. and in less than seven days more than 12,000 men had been tendered. Contests to secure the acceptance of companies were earnest and fre- quent, and all seemed anxious to discharge this perilous duty of citizenship. 1 he response from Jasper County to the governor's call was prompt and enthusiastic. A grand rally brought the citizens together from every township. R. H. Milroy took the lead, and called for volunteers, who crowded forward and filled the ranks of one of the earliest companies in the state. Jasper County in the War of the Rebellion In response to the seven calls for troops issued by President Lin- coln to crush the rebellion, which at first was supposed to be the matter of a three months' task, Jasper County furnished 935 soldiers ; which is a most creditable record, considering that during that period its average population was about 5,000 men, women and children. Little difficulty was experienced in obtaining volunteers during the first two years of the war, and no eflFort was made by the county to stipulate enlistments by ofifering bounties. In fact, the finances of the county would not warrant any such step. But the continu- ance of the terrible war finally overrode any considerations of financial caution. ' In August, 1862, an order was passed by the county commission- 116 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES ers to pay a bounty of $25, but was subsequently rescinded. On November 24, 1863, the subject was again brought forward, and an order passed to pay $60 to volunteers credited upon the quota of the county under the call of October 17, 1863, and this amount was in- creased in the following month to $100, which resulted in the pay- ment of $4,900 as bounties by the county. Various measures of relief for the families of soldiers were introduced, which were car- ried out at an expense of $4,641.77. The various townships, in their independent capacity, added to the general expenditure for both objects, as follows : Townships Bounty Relief Hanging Grove Township $ 2,700.00 $ 400.00 Gillam Township i,950-00 500.00 Walker Township 25.00 Barkley Township 5,900.00 300.00 Marion Township 5,050.00 200.00 Jordan Township 200.00 .... Newton Township 200.00 100.00 Keener Township 30.00 .... Kankakee Township 100.00 .... Wheatfield Township 323.00 .... Carpenter Township 600.00 .... County Commissioners 4,900.00 4,641.77 $21,978.00 $6,141.77 The ladies also formed a Soldiers' Aid Society at Rensselaer. This was not completely organized, or auxiliary to the city organ- ization, but patriotic ladies, with earnest hearts and willing hands, busied themselves in providing such articles as the hospitals and the boys in the field stood in greatest need. The society met at the resi- dence of its members, and worked up the material that some mem- ber, or the donation of some merchant, had provided. Donations of the usual kind were solicited in the country and town ; "boxes" were sent to volunteers of the county ; contributions to general hos- pitals were made, and whenever the demand seemed most urgent, the labor and contributions of these ladies were freely given. The amount thus expended cannot be estimated, but there is no doubt that it would compare very favorably with the amount of the "relief" fund expended by the county treasury. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 117 The Ninth as a Three Months' Regiment In the Mexican war, the state had five regiments, and to avoid historical confusion, the regiments raised for the War of the Re- bellion were designated by numbers, beginning with six. The Ninth was, therefore, the third regiment organized, for the War of 1861-65. This regiment was organized and mustered into the service for three months, at Indianapolis, on the 25th of April, 1861, with Robert H. Milroy as Colonel. In this regiment Jasper County was represented by a full company, the original officers of which were Robert H. Milroy, captain; Gideon C. Moody, first lieutenant, and Edward P. Hammond, second lieutenant. In the organization of the regiment, this company was ranked G ; the captain promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment, and the regular promotion of the lieutenants, plac- ing Albert G. Guthridge in commission as second lieutenant. Com- pany G may be said to be the nursery of Jasper County's military renown, as from its organization rose one general, three colonels and a number of line officers. The Ninth was the first regiment that left the state for Western Virginia, departing from Indianapolis on the 29th of May, and arriving at Grafton on the ist of June. From this point it marched toward Philippi, in the column cominanded by Colonel Kelley, and took part in the surprise of the rebel camp at that place on the morn- ing of the 3d of June. This march of twenty-two miles over muddy roads, in an intensely dark and stormy night, was the first introduc- tion of the regiment to the drudgery of army life. The affair at Philippi was but little more than a skirmish, the enemy, after a mo- mentary resistance, making a precipitate retreat. The expedition returned to Grafton, when the Ninth was assigned to General Morris' brigade. By July 4, 1861, the army at Grafton, under the immediate command of McClellan, numbered 30,000 troops, and operations were at once begun against the enemy, who had taken position at Laurel Hill. Here the rebels made a more vigorous resistance, but, greatly outnumbered, they gave way in a disorderly retreat, not, however, before inflicting a loss of some fifty killed and wounded upon the Union forces. Gen. Robert H. Milroy, Leading Military Figure Jasper County furnished several companies and a number of contingents for service in the Civil war, which were incorporated with the ninth, fifteenth, seventeenth, forty-eighth and eighty-seventh 118 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Indiana infantry regiments; with the twelfth cavahy, the fourth battery of Ught artillery and other organizations, in which it was less strongly represented. Its most eminent military figure was Gen. Robert H. Milroy, in whose honor the stately memorial at Rensselaer was dedicated fifty-five years after the conclusion of his Civil war career. Robert Houston Milroy was bom in Washington County, Indiana, June II, 1816. Unable in his youth to secure a collegiate education, he entered the military school at Norwich, Connecticut, at the age of twenty-four, and in three years took three degrees, master of arts, master of military science and master of civil engineering. Afterward he taught fencing for a few months, returned to Indiana, drifted to Texas, relocated in the Hoosier state, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1849, and completed a post-graduate course at Bloomington in 1850. He failed to get to the front in the Mexi- can war, although he enlisted early and received a captain's com- mission in the First Indiana Regiment. He was, however, a mem- ber of the convention which created the constitution of 1851, and soon after completing his service in that capacity was appointed judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit. In 1854 he resigned from the bench and transferred his residence from Delphi to Rensselaer. Judge J\lilroy was in Indianapolis when the news of the firing on Fort Sumter reached Governor Morton, and, after traveling all night to reach Rensselaer, he at once raised a company of volun- teers. The officers chosen were Robert H. Milroy, captain ; Edwin P. Hammond, first lieutenant ; Gideon C. Moody, second lieutenant. The company became G, of the Ninth Regiment, of which Captain Milroy became colonel, April 25, 1861. The ninth was the first regiment to leave the state, and served in the West Virginia campaigns under McClellan and Morris, where Milroy and his command won the name of ever being ready for duty or a fight. When the three months' enlistment was com- pleted, the ninth promptly re-enlisted for three years. The Jasper County company retained its original position, but had Joshua Healey for captain. In September, 1861, for meritorious service, Milroy was made brigadier-general, and again assigned to duty in West Virginia. It was in the Cheat Mountain country that, mounted on "Jasper," he won the title of the Gray Eagle of the Army. Then it was that owing to his severe but efficacious orders in suppressing the mountain rangers, or guerrillas, the Confederate Congress offered a reward of $100,000 for him, dead or alive. In November, 1862. Milroy was made major-general of volun- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 119 teers, and was in command at Winchester, in 1863, when Lee's massed forces started to invade Pennsylvania. Ordered to evacuate the place, he replied that he was able to hold it against any force the enemy could send against it. He did defend it for three days, or until both ammunition and food were virtually exhausted, when he cut his way out at night with heavy loss, thus materially retarding the progress of Lee's army as a whole toward Gettysburg. In 1864 he won a merited consolation for the Winchester disaster, General Robert H. Milroy The Gray Eagle of the Army in a sally from Murfreesboro, in which he decisively defeated Bates' infantry. His conduct at the former point was made the subject of military investigation, but, although exonerated, he resigned from the army in 1865. After the war General Milroy served in many positions of trust and responsibility, being a trustee of the Wabash & Erie Canal, superintendent of Indian affairs and Indian agent, with headquarters at Olympia, Washington. It was while in office at that point that he died, March 29, 1890, and was buried with the military honors and civic ceremonies befitting his record and his fame. 120 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Although surmounted by an imposing statue of that grand figure in life, known as the Gray Eagle, the memorial is also a tribute to the valor and faithfulness of Jasper County soldiers as a body and by individual names. Miss Mary Washburn, formerly of Rensselaer, was the sculptress of the heroic figure, and Miss Mildred Knight, of Delphi, a grandniece of the General, unveiled it. Unveiling of Memori.\l at Milroy Park Both Milroy Park and the soldiers' monument, of which it is the central feature, were largely the creation of Mrs. Alfred Thomp- The Old Milroy Homestead Located on the site of Milroy Park and torn down in 1902 son. The memorial was unveiled on July 4, 1910, in the presence of an assemblage estimated at eight or ten thousand people. The relatives of General ]\Iilroy who were present: V. A. Milroy, a son, of Olympia, Washington ; C. E. Milroy and wife, Chicago ; Mrs. Alice Keith and Miss Jennie Beck, Delphi ; Misses Dorothy and Mildred Knight and Harry C. Milroy, Delphi ; Robert Milroy, Battle Creek, Michigan; Donald Milroy, Chicago; Will Armitage, wife and daughter, Lafayette ; John Armitage, Delphi ; Dr. and Mrs. Ballard, Logansport, and Mrs. Carrie Milroy Sims, Delphi. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 121 Judge Hammond's Tribute to General Milroy The address opening the formal ceremonies of unveiHng was by Judge E. P. Hammond, who went out as a lieutenant of Company G, of Colonel Milroy's regiment, and reached the rank of lieutenant- colonel of the forty-eighth before the close of the war. He said, in part: "It is a great personal gratification to preside at the dedica- tion of the monument to this distinguished soldier, and especially on the anniversay of the birth of the Republic. While the nation at large is celebrating the day, we might well, in addition, rejoice in this event which more particularly concerns our own community and state. The monument is to the valor not only of General Mil- roy, but to those who were his comrades in arms. It is a memorial to the honor of all. Great praise is due to the generosity of our citizens in its erection. In particular is praise due to the work of Mrs. Alfred Thompson, who originated and executed the movement. "All the great generals of the Civil war are gone. General McGinnis being the last, having died a few weeks since. General Milroy has been dead twenty years. He may not have been great, in the ordinary sense of the term as applied to ancient and modern warriors. However, if the term great be limited to pure patriotism and bravery, then no general ever lived who was more entitled to the name than Milroy. He had no conception of fear. Of him Major Benham, of the regular army, remarked in action: "There goes Milroy. The rebels may kill, but cannot scare him.' "General Milroy always took the initiative in battle unless restrained by superior authority. He inherited fighting blood from both maternal and paternal ancestors. Through his ancestor, John McElroy, Earl of Annondale, he was descended from Robert Bruce, the Scottish king. The name, changed to Milroy on immigration here in colonial days, is identified with warfare from Indian times. His father. General Samuel Milroy, married Martha Houston, a near relative of General Sam Houston. "General Robert H. Milroy was born at Salem, Indiana, June II, 1816. Largely self-taught, he entered Norwich Military Uni- versity in 1840 and graduated as class valedictorian in 1843. ^^ experienced much hostility during the war from the prejudice of West Point graduates. He served as captain in Company C, First Regiinent Indiana Volunteers, in the Mexican war, afterward gradu- ating in law in the Indiana University, and locating in this city (then a village) in 1854. In 1858 Judge Hammond also located here, and from then until the Civil war was more or less intimately 122 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES associated with General Alilroy. A simply trust and faith in others was characteristic of General Milroy, but if anyone infringed on his honor, distance from the General added greatly to his safety. He was a good lawyer, but owing to haste in diction, was not equally good as an advocate. He was a splendid specimen of physical man- hood, being six feet two and one-half inches in height, with unusual The Memorial Monument and symmetrical development, and excelled as a boxer and swords- man. Through seconding a proposed duel, he became estranged from his church in 1861, but late in life renewed his church allegiance. "At the first news of the fall of Fort Sumter, he raised Company G, Ninth Indiana, of which Judge Hammond was lieutenant, and was soon commissioned colonel in the three months' service and passed through a number of engagements. The Ninth then re-en- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 123 listed for three years with Mihoy as its colonel, and February 2, 1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general, serving under Sigel and Fremont, and in March, 1863, he was commissioned major- general. To check extreme outrages on loyal citizens by rebel neighbors in his district he ordered restitution in twenty-four hours, with the alternative of death. This induced the offer of $100,000 for his head by the rebels and complaint by the rebels to the Federal Government. On investigation, however, the order was not revoked. In the second battle of Bull Run he held that if his wing of the forces had been supported a great mistake would have been avoided and a different result would have been reached. "Carl Schurz says : 'General Milroy was extremely democratic in the treatment of his troops, discussing plans with and taking the views of his subordinates with the greatest freedom, and was re- spected and liked by all.' As evidence of the esteem in which he was held, he had three swords presented him — one, a gold-plated sword, by his officers ; the second, a $1,000 sword by the Twenty-fifth Ohio, and a third, by loyal citizens of Tennessee." A Nursery of Military Renown The above title has been justly applied to the Ninth Indiana Regiment, as witness the following facts relating to the military careers of those who were originally connected with that organi- zation. Capt. Robert H. Milroy became a major general. Lieut. Gideon C. Moody became colonel of the regiment and was afterward a United States senator from South Dakota. Lieut. E. P. Hammond became lieutenant colonel of the Forty- eighth Regiment and afterward a State Supreme Court judge of Indiana. Second Lieut. Albert G. Guthridge became a captain in the Forty-eighth. John M. Garrett became a captain in another regiment. Joshua Healey became a captain in the Ninth, a major in the 128th and colonel of the 151st. Joseph Brenton became first lieutenant in the Ninth, and W. H. Rhoades advanced to the same rank in the command named. Mordecai F. Chilcote became a captain in the Forty-eighth Regi- ment. Reuben H. James became a major and a quartermaster, and James H. Loughridge, a surgeon, in other regiments. 124 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES First Union \'ictim of the Battlefield At Laurel Hill one man of Company G was killed, and it is claimed that he was the first Union soldier to be slain in battle dur- in the Civil war. Dyson Boothroyd, of Company A, also died of wounds received at that engagement, six days afterward, and the claim was often made that he was the first Union soldier killed in the Civil war. During the Spanish-American war military mat- ters were uppermost in the public press and events in connection with the Civil war were often revived. It was soon after Manila had fallen that the old-time discussion again arose as to the first Union soldier killed on the battlefield during the War of the Rebellion, and Judge Hammond sent the following communication to the Lafayette (Ind.) Courier: "In an item in your paper of this date, in speaking of Dyson Boothroyd, you say: 'Boothroyd was a member of Company A, Ninth Indiana, and was killed at Laurel Hill, Virginia,' and also that he was 'the first Union soldier killed in the civil war." This is a mistake. I was in Company G, of the Ninth Indiana, in the three months' service. That company, on the arrival of the regiment at Laurel Hill, was sent in advance as skirmishers and attacked the enemy on Laurel Hill. This was in the forenoon of July 7, 1861. In that skirmish William T. Girard. a member of said Company G, was instantly killed by a musket ball fired by the enemy. In the afternoon of the same day Dyson Boothroyd, a member of Company A, of that regiment while on the skirmish line received a wound from which he died on July 13, 1861. This statement may be verified by reference to pages 38 and 45 of the fourth volume of Adjutant General Terrell's reports of Indiana. I was within a few feet of Girard when he fell. I am not able to verify the statement, but I have often heard it said that Girard was the first man killed on the Union side in the war of 1861-65. At all events, he was killed on the field of battle, receiv- ing the fatal shot a few hours before Boothroyd received the woimd from which he died, but not until six days after receiving it. Booth- royd and Girard were equally good, brave and patriotic soldiers. The particular time when either received his mortal wound is a matter of no importance so far as his bravery was concerned ; but if the event is referred to as a matter of history there should be accuracy as far as possible. "Sept. 21, 1898. "E. P. Hammond." JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 125 To make the record more complete, it may be added that although a member of Company G, Girard volunteered from Monon, White County. After the engagement at Laurel Hill, the Confederate force retreated across Cheat River, where it made a brief stand and was dislodged, being pursued by a part of the army under General Hill. This closed the campaign of the Ninth, under their three months' term of enlistment, and in the latter part of July the regi- ment was mustered out at Indianapolis. On its return, the regiment found the early idea that the war would be over in ninety days exploded, and promptly re-enlisted for three years. The new organization was completed at the x^endezvous, at Westville, LaPorte County, under command of Col. R. H. Milroy, and mustered into the service at LaPorte September 5, 1861. The Jasper County company retained its original position, promotions and reorganization, however, making considerable changes in its officers. The original officers under the reorganiza- tion were : Captain, Joshua Healey ; first lieutenant, William H. Rhoades, and second lieutenant, Benjamin R. Farris. Soon after its organization the regiment moved to Western Vir- ginia and afterward to Virginia, being transferred to Buell's army in February, 1862, and sent to Nashville, Tennessee. As a part of Nelson's division, it participated in the second day's fight at Shiloh. Subsequently it took part in the leading movements and battles of the middle-southwest, such as the pursuit of Bragg, and the engage- ments at Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge. In December, 1863, the Ninth re-enlisted as a veteran organization, returned home on furlough and in February, 1864, again left for the front. It was absorbed into Sherman's grand army and participated in all its marches, campaigns and battles to and around Atlanta. It then was drawn into the fierce contests with Hood's army, including the battles of Franklin and Nashville, and was finally mustered out in September, 1865, as a part of Sheri- dan's army of occupation in Texas. Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry In May, 1861, Governor Morton and the State Legislature offered six regiments for service in the Union army, and the question of entering the United States service for three years was at once sub- mitted to them. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Seven- teenth regiments promptly accepted the proposition, except a few 126 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES. hundred who decHned to vohinteer for three years and were at once discharged. In the Fifteenth Regiment, Jasper County was represented by a full company, which was assigned the designating letter "A," its original officers being Samuel Miller, captain ; Horace K. Warren, first lieutenant ; Alex S. Burnett, second lieutenant. The regiment was mustered into the United States service at Lafayette, on June 14, 1861, with George D. Wagner as colonel. Soon after, it moved to Indianapolis; from whence it proceeded by rail on the 1st of July for Western Virginia, stopping at Cincinnati until the 4th of July. Proceeding by rail to Clarksburg, it marched thence to Rich Moun- tain, where it arrived on the nth, while the battle was in progress, and next day formed a part of the pursuing force, assisting in the capture of many prisoners. The regiment was afterward stationed in Elkwater Valley, where it remained until November 19th, taking an active part in the operations of General Reynolds that season, among which were the repulse of General Lee and battle of Green- brier. Soon afterward, as a part of Buell's army, it participated in the second day's battle at Shiloh and the close of Perryville. In November, 1862, the regiment marched to Nashville, where the army was reorganized under General Rosecrans, Colonel Wagner being appointed a brigadier general on the 29th of November, and Lieutenant Colonel Wood being commissioned his successor. In the march toward Murfreesboro, which followed, the regiment participated, and in the battle of Stone River, on December 31, 1862, and January i and 2, 1863, it bore a conspicuous part, losing 197 officers and men killed and wounded, out of 440 engaged. After this, the Fifteenth remained at Murfreesboro until June 24th, taking part in the various expeditions sent out from that place. It then marched to Tullahoma, where as part of Crittenden's corps, it aided in turning the rebel position on the left, compelling the evacuation of the place. The Fifteenth then remained in camp at Pelham, Tennessee, until August 17th, when the army advanced on Chatta- nooga, General Wagner's brigade, of which this regiment was a part, being the first to enter the city. Here the regiment performed post duty from September 9th until shortly before the battle of Mission Ridge, in which engagement it participated, suffering heavily. Its loss was 202 out of 334 engaged, being over 60 per cent. The day after the battle it marched, with other troops, to the relief of General Burnside, at Knoxville. There and at Chattanooga it performed severe garrison duty ; in February, 1864, a portion of the regiment JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 127 re-enlisted and the balance was mustered out of the service at the expiration of the three years' term in June. The Seventeenth Infantry A detachment of veterans and recruits was left behind at Chattanooga by the Fifteenth, when it returned to Indiana to be mustered out, and these were transferred by order of General Thomas to the Seventeenth (Mounted) Infantry. Of these, thirty were from Jasper County. The Seventeenth had re-enlisted in January, 1864, and while in Indiana on veteran furlough, the regiment was allowed to purchase horses, and from that time forward acted as mounted infantry. When reached by the Jasper County veterans, the Seventeenth was with General Sherman at Kenesaw Mountain. From this time forward the regiment was conspicuously engaged at Chattahoochee River (being the first troops to cross this stream), Stone Mountain, Flat Rock, New Hope Church, Rome, Coosaville, Leesburg and Goshen. On the ist of November, 1864, after turning over its horses to Kilpatrick's cavalry, the regi- ment left Rome, Georgia, for Louisville, Kentucky, where on the 24th, it was re-mounted. Moving from Louisville on the 28th of December it reached Nashville on the 8th of January, 1865, whence it marched to Gravelly Springs, Alabama, arriving there on the 2Sth. Here it remained until the 12th of March, when it marched with General Wilson's cavalry command into the interior of Alabama. On the 1st of April the commands of Roddy and Forrest were over- taken and attacked at Ebenezer Church, on Bogue's Creek, twenty- nine miles from Selma ; the Seventeenth participated and charged the rebels gallantly, capturing 100 prisoners and one gun, and losing eight killed, eleven wounded and five missing. On the 2d, it par- ticipated in the engagement at Selma, and in taking the rebel works surrounding the town ; the Seventeenth first drove the enemy into these forts and then out of them, and afterward drove them from the interior works and their position behind the railroad embank- ment into the town, taking all the forts from No. 18 to the river on the west side of town. Four pieces of artillery and about 300 pris- oners were captured. Out of 421 officers and men engaged, the regiment lost twelve killed and eighty wounded. After the battle, the regiment moved to Montgomery, and thence to Columbus, Georgia, from which point it marched to Macon, near which place it engaged the enemy on the 20th of April, and drove him into the city, saving two important bridges, which the rebels were in the 128 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES act of firing. By a ruse, the enemy were led to believe that the force was but the advance of two divisions of cavalry, and the city was surrendered. With the city fell to Union hands four generals, 3,000 troops, including officers of all grades, five stands of colors, sixty pieces of artillery, and 3,000 small arms. The Seventeenth had in action during the day 451 officers and men, of whom one was killed and two wounded. Camping near the city for a month, it moved into Macon on May 22d, where it did post duty until the 8th of August, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service. Leaving Macon soon after the regiment reached Indianapolis August i6th, with 675 men and twenty-five officers, and on the following day was accorded a public reception. A few days later it was discharged. The Forty-eighth Regiment In this regiment Jasper County was represented by Company K, which drew its full complement of officers and men from that county. Its original officers were David S. Snyder, captain ; Albert J. Guth- ridge, first lieutenant, and John Miller, second lieutenant. The Forty-eighth Regiment was organized at Goshen, on the 6th of December, 1861, with Norman Eddy as colonel, and left for Fort Donelson, via Cairo, on the ist of February, 1862, where it arrived the day after the surrender. It then moved to Paducah, where it remained until May, when it moved up the Tennessee River and engaged in the siege of Corinth. After the evacuation, it was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division of the Army of the Mississippi, and took part in the marches and countermarches in pursuit of General Price. On the 19th of September, it participated in the battle of luka, losing 116 men in killed and wounded out of 420 men engaged. On the 3d and 4th of October, it was engaged in the second battle of Corinth (under Rosecrans), and lost twenty- six killed and wounded. The regiment next moved down the Mis- sissippi Central Railroad as far as Oxford, Mississippi, and on its return marched to Memphis, where, in January, 1863, it was assigned to the First Brigade, Seventh Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps. After remaining here two months, it was transported down the Mississippi, and, joining the army of General Grant, marched with it to the rear of Vicksburg. During this campaign, the regi- ment participated in the skirmish of Forty Hills on the 3d of May ; the battle of Raymond on the 13th, the battle of Jackson on the 14th, and the engagement at Champion Hills on the i6th of May, losing in the latter battle thirty-three killed and wounded. It was actively JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 129 engaged in the trenches during the long siege of A'icksburg, and took part in the assault on the 22d of May, losing thirty-eight in killed and wounded. After the expiration of its furlough, the Forty-eighth proceeded to Huntsville, Alabama, where it remained until June. It then moved to Cartersville, Georgia, and was kept on duty in that vicinity, look- ing after guerrillas, and protecting General Sherman's railroad com- munications during the campaign against Atlanta. It was continued on this duty until Hood's invasion, when it joined Sherman's army and marched with the First Brigade, Third Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps, in its campaign from Atlanta to Savannah. From Savannah it first moved to Beaufort, and then on the campaign through the Carolinas, going through Columbus, Fayetteville and Goldsboro to Raleigh. From this place it moved northward, after the surrender of Johnston's army, making the distance from Raleigh to Petersburg, 165 miles, in six days. From Petersburg, the Forty- eighth went to Washington, but soon after its arrival was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out of service on the isth of July, 1865. The Eighty-seventh Regiment The Eighty-seventh Regiment was organized at South Bend in August, 1862, and was composed of three companies from Fulton County, three from LaPorte, one from Miami and one from Jasper (Company A). It was sent immediately to Louisville to form part of the army under Buell designed to repel an apprehended attack on that city by Bragg. As a part of Steadman's brigade it was engaged in the battle of Perryville, in October, and afterward fol- lowed the more decisive and brilliant campaigns of Rosecrans' army. It participated in the flanking movement that drove Bragg from C'nattanooga, and bore a conspicuous part in the battle of Chicka- mauga on the igth and 20th of September, 1863. On the second day of the battle the Confederate commander endeavored to turn the left wing of Rosecrans' army interposed between it and Chattanooga and retake the city which he (Bragg) had evacuated. He did gain pos- session of the road and struck heavily on the left wing of the Union army, the tip of which was held by the eighty-seventh. The main credit has generally been given that regiment for repelling the fiercest onslaughts at this critical point and thwarting the flanking move- ment upon which was centered the main efforts of the Confederate army. Its gallant and impetuous charge by which it regained the 130 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Chattanooga road, and the determination with which it held it, marked the turn of Rosecrans' fortunes toward victory, and no regmient in his army suffered so severely as the Eighty-seventh Indiana. It went into the battle with twenty-two officers and 340 men. Of that number eight officers and thirty-two men were killed on the field and four officers and 138 privates were wounded, and eight missing — in all, 190, or more than half of the total engaged. The regiment was at Chattanooga during the siege of that place. In the reorganization of the army, it formed a part of the Second Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. It was at the storming of Mission Ridge, advancing in the first line of battle, and was among the first that entered the rebel works — losing, in killed and wounded, sixteen men. It followed in pursuit of the enemy to Ringgold, Georgia. On the 22d of February, 1864, it engaged in the expedition against Dalton, and skirmished with the enemy in front of Buzzard's Roost ^fountain, near that place. It then went into camp at Ringgold, where it remained until the 7th of May, 1864. In the great campaign against Atlanta, under General Sherman, it was constantly at the front, skirmishing every day, and participat- ing in the battles of Resaca, Cassville, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, and before Atlanta. It charged and carried the outer works at Uttoy's creek, in front of Atlanta, on the 4th of August, 1864, losing, in killed and wounded, seventeen men. It was engaged in the battle of Jonesboro, on the ist of September, after which it moved into Atlanta, after 100 days of continuous fighting. Then followed the campaign against Hood, who was en- deavoring to get to the rear of Sherman's army, the march to the sea, and the sweep through the Carolinas, terminating with Rich- mond, Washington and the grand review of the army at the na- tional capital. The eighty-seventh was mustered out of the service June 10, 1865, and on the 226 was publicly welcomed home by Gov- ernor Morton, at a reception held in the capitol grounds. Its total casualties had been: Killed in action, 47; wounded, 198; died from wounds and disease, 214; total, 459. It was estimated that it had marched more than 3,500 miles. No regiment had a better record. Twelfth C.walrv, Company K Company K, of the Twelfth Cavalry, was composed principally of volunteers from Jasper, Newton and Pulaski counties, and was organized with the following officers : Captain, Daniel M. Graves ; first lieutenant, Henry H. Graves; second lieutenant, William Chit- JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 131 tenden. The regiment was first known as the 127th. It was organ- ized at Kendallville in March, 1864, and Edward Anderson, who had recruited eight of its companies in the Ninth Congresisonal Dis- trict, was made colonel. But six companies were mounted and the entire regiment, when ordered to proceed to Nashville in May, 1864, was armed as infantry. When the command arrived at Louisville the six mounted companies were supplied with cavalry arms and, with mounted portions of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry regiments, started for Nashville under command of Colonel Anderson, and the dismounted portion proceeded to that point by rail under Lieut. -Col. Alfred Reed. For several months both the cavalry and the infantry were engaged in protecting a sixty-mile stretch of railroad, with head- quarters at Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama. Colonel Anderson was in general command. Later the cavalry of the regiment was in close and continuous contact with the famous bands of the Con- federate general, Forrest, especially along the Nashville & Chatta- nooga Railroad and in defense of Huntsville and Murfreesboro. In March, 1865, the regiment participated in the operations against the defenses of Alobile, and after the fall of that stronghold it was with Major General Grierson in the famous raid of 800 miles through Alabama and Georgia to Columbus, Mississippi, where it arrived in May, 1865. This concluded its active service. The regi- ment was afterward divided and was'mustered out at Vicksburg, in November, 1865. Fourth B.attery, Light Artillery The Fourth Battery, Light Artillery, was mostly recruited in La- Porte, Porter and Lake counties, although Jasper had a considerable representation in its ranks. It was mustered into the service in September, 1861, under Capt. Asabel K. Bush, and was attached, at first, to Buell's army during his operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama. It participated in the siege of Corinth, the battle of Chaplin Hills, and in the series of movements against the Confederate army of Bragg. The Union army had then been reor- ganized by Rosecrans. Captain Bush's battery was assigned im- portant work at Stone River in December, 1862, and made a most creditable showing, completely silencing a Confederate battery at the sacrifice of four of its men killed and three wounded. On the following day several of its guns were captured by the enemy, but not before all but four of the horses had been killed, making it 132 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES impossible to maneuver the pieces. At Hoover's Gap and Chick- amauga the battery was also engaged, and in September, 1864, the veterans and remaining recruits were transferred to the Seventh Battery. The non-veterans proceeded to Indianapolis, where they were mustered out of the service. In October, 1864, the reorganization of the Fourth Battery was authorized by the War Department, and it was perfected with Benjamin F. Johnson (one of the first lieutenants of the old bat- tery) as captain. A few days afterward it joined the Army of the Cumberland, at Nashville, and after the battle there was assigned to garrison duty at Fort Rosecrans, Murf reesboro, where it remained to be mustered out. It was finally discharged at Indianapolis, in August, 1865. Jasper County was represented in other organizations of the Union army, but its quotas were so small that no legitimate purpose of this history would be attained by noting them. CHAPTER XI RENSSELAER AND ITS INSTITUTIONS First Actual Settlers — The Yeomans — Willl\m Mallatt^— The Rapids Named Newton — Yeoman Floated Out by Van Rensselaer — Newton Platted in 1839 — Name Changed to Rensselaer — Death of Van Rensselaer — Corporation of Rensselaer, With Additions — Incorporated as a City — Municipal Officials — City of the Present — Municipal Departments — The Commercial State and First National Banks — State Bank of Rensselaer — Jasper Savings & Trust Company — The Local Press — Churches — St. Joseph's Col- lege— Societies. The planting of a settlement at the Forks of the Iroquois, or the Bold Rapids of the Rockwise, a locality long famous among hunters, trappers and fishermen, was a matter of much uncertainty for several of the early years of the '30s. Several explorers who desired to locate claims in a promising region went thither and departed for other localities ; they were all attracted by the wildness of the place and by its prodigality of fish and game, but those who passed it by considered that there was too much marsh land in the neighbor- hood to make either the raising of crops or settlements a promising outlook. First Actual Settlers Finally, in the fall of 1835, Joseph D. Yeoman and John and George Nowels, father and son, with young Mrs. Yeoman, raised the first cabin on the site of Rensselaer. Mr. and Mrs. Yeoman (John Nowels' daughter) had two young children. About four years before, Royal Hazelton, accompanied by Levin Willis and W. J. Wright, set out in search of the "bold rapids of the Rockwise." They struck the head of the stream, followed its 133 1-. !- = d- V P ° r- ^ ■ - o *- O oj rt H U ^ ^ H > ^ ^ ;r ? -7= 2 15 c^ o -tJ r- O t« -I •- t ^ ^' ^' 1 ^ J- ^ o o ."H -g O "]^ ^ CO u ? >^ >^ J^ — 1) u <u = > ^ c '-' '^ . rt S "S rt J;; to o -2 ti ."i rt § I u .li. > ^ J2 :i ;; ?3 fe ^' 3 j:: rt JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 135 course as closely as the state of its margin would allow, to a point which is now the site of the iron bridge east of the county seat, and there gave up the search and returned. Not satisfied with this boot- less errand, Hazelton, after failing to enlist the enthusiasm and com- pany of the others, started out alone in a second quest of the rapids. Providing himself with two large "corn-pones," a few cooking utensils and his lariat, and accompanied by his five dogs, he set out on horseback for the noted place. He struck the river about twenty- fi e miles south of the rapids, and then following up the stream came upon the rapids. The place did not meet his expectations. An impassable marsh bordered either side of the stream, and while it afforded all that the savage or hunter might desire, it presented a very discouraging site for the settling of a claim, and he returned after a seven days' absence without any desire to exchange Mootz Creek for the Iroquois. The Yeomans The solitude of the rapids seems to have remained undisturbed by the white man until 1834, when they were visited and rejected by Thomas Randle and George Culp, and later accepted by the Yeo- mans and the Nowels. In the following year the family came and pitched their tent about in the geographical position now known as Liberal Corner. On this spot the family remained while ^he per- manent home of logs was reared. Mrs. Yeoman chose the site for this structure which was placed on the site of the bridge which crosses the mill race on Washington Street. It was nearly winter when the last weightpole was placed on the top course of clapboards that formed the roof of the new cabin and the family found it neces- sary to take possession without waiting for the fireplace or door. A logheap in the middle of the room furnished the necessary warmth and light, while a few displaced clapboards allowed the smoke to escape. This served until further improvements could be added. The nearest resident in the county at that time was David Phegley, who then lived about five miles to the eastward of the county seat, on the Crockett farm. The family relied upon their own resources in raising the cabin, Mrs. Yeoman bravely doing her share in the heavy work. In the spring following, Mr. Yeoman was under necessity of going to the Wabash for provisions with an ox team. During his absence Mrs. Yeoman, with the two children, were left alone, and 136 ■ JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES while thus unprotected a party of fifty Indians came down to the rapids to fish. They camped about where the grist mill now stands, and caught wagonloads of fish. Their method was to throw the fish out with paddles, made for the purpose, with one hand, while hold- ing a torch in the other. None but dog-fish were preserved for their own use, however ; a bass or pickerel being brought to the cabin to exchange for bread. The savages were very docile, and offered her no discourtesy, though it may be imagined that the solitude was preferable to the presence of such visitors. Mr. Yeoman made a farm upon the site of Rensselaer, extending from the ravine which reaches the river at the mill on the south to the western grove on the north. Here he lived and improved his claim without near neighbors for three years. The family heard of the advent of the Forks settle- ment, but the impassable character of the stream between the two locations prevented any communication. WlLLI.\M MaLL.\TT The first accession to the little settlement thus begun, if the father, W. J. Wright, be excepted, was William Mallatt. He lo- cated his claim across the river from Yeoman, and broke ten acres of ground covering the site of Mr. Thompson's residence and others westward toward the bend of the river. He was not allowed to rest long in the possession of this site, as it was taken by a "float" owned by W. M. Kenton. This was a peculiar way the General Govern- ment had of disposing of its lands, and very often worked grave injustice, as in two cases, at least, at the rapids. To discharge certain obligations, the Government granted a warrant for a certain amount of land to be located at the option of the holder on any land belong- ing to the United States. Until 1837, lands could not be bought here, and settlers made claims with the intention of perfecting their title at the first opportunity. This was sometimes neglected, and while their "claim" was proof against any similar demand, it was powerless before a "float." In this case Mr. Mallatt was obliged to forsake his improvements, and removed to the Blue Grass settle- ment. The R.\pids Named Newton In the meantime, the county seat had been changed to the Rapids of the Iroquois, and the place named Newton. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 137 Yeoman Floated Out by Van Rensselaer Mr. Yeoman had determined in his own mind to lay out a village here, and was flattering himself upon the outlook, when he found himself "floated" out of his prospects by James Van Rensse- laer. The latter had been a merchant in Utica, New York, where he had failed in the panic of 1837, and becoming the owner of a "float" issued to some of the Indians, he came West, with this capital, to repair his fortunes. The site at the rapids seemed to offer the opportunity he sought, and he soon became the possessor of a good farm, considerably cultivated, and a portion of it well fenced. More than this, the site of a village was foreshadowed at this point, and for all these advantages there is no evidence that he allowed his predecessor a dollar for his improvements. It is said that there was a decided opinion entertained as to the equity of the proceeding, and it was marked as an instance of poetic justice that a certain well-fenced cornfield semed to be the especial prey of all the stock that grazed on the prairies. Donahue's cattle were frequently found to have strayed to this distant point, and superior to fences, were found rioting in the standing corn. Newton Platted in 1839 On June 12, 1839, the original plat of the Town of Newton was filed, the specifications accompanying the plat explain that "the town of Newton is situated at the Rapids of the Iroquois River in Jasper County, Indiana, on Section 30, Town 29 north. Range 6 west. The Blocks i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are each three hundred feet; the remaining whole blocks are each three hundred feet square. Block 25 is 295 by 300 ; Block 26 is 295 by 300 feet. The lots are each 50 by 150 feet, except the middle lots in Blocks i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; they are each 45 by 150 feet. The lots in fractional blocks vary according to the shape of the blocks. There are twenty-six blocks besides the Public Square ; the Public Square is 300 feet square. The streets around the Public Square are each 75 feet wide ; Susan street is 63 feet wide; Mill street is 50 feet wide; the street immediately south of Blocks i, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, is 50 feet wide till its junction with Mill street, where it expands to 56 feet wide ; the rest of the streets are 66 feet wide. It is not intended that Front street should be laid out as a public street more than 50 feet wide, although it is believed it will always remain open to the river. From m Old Mills along the Iroquois River Upper view : Old saw mill erected near Washington Street bridge in 1855 ; torn down in 1880. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 139 the junction of Front and Angelica streets westward, it is 66 feet wide." The town thus laid out was divided, commencing on the river, by^Mill (short street, near the site of the old mill, near the foot of the rapids), Front, Van Rensselaer, Cullen and Weston streets, ana at right angles to these by Sudan, Angelica, Washington, Har- rison and Rutsen streets. This street was laid out in the name of Van Rensselaer's wife as his pecuniary liabilities would not permit him to hold property in his own name. A public sale of lots was held some time in this year, the first one being disposed of to J. D. Yeoman for a consideration of $ioo, and is described as Lot 6 in Block i. The location of the county seat here gave the growth of the town an impetus, bringing several families, among which was that of George W. Spitler. Name Cii.vnged to Rensselaer But the growth of the village was destined to be slow. The proprietor came from the old Dutch stock, once prominent in New^ York, and impressed with certain aristocratic notions and an exag- gerated idea of the natural advantages of the site, he refused to sell lots at what they were really worth, or at an approximate price. He labored also under the disadvantage of a lack of money to develop his property, and at the same time sought to monopolize every pos- sible avenue of trade. The result was that the little town stagnated, and for years made no progress. The mill-race was built in 1838-39, and a mill erected at the ravine near the foot of the rapids. This was a combined saw and grist mill, and was among the earliest of its kind in this part of the state. For various reasons, however, it was forced to lie idle much of the time, and other mills were erected. One about a mile further down the river was built by a A'Ir. Peck, to which Mr. Van Rensselaer took exceptions as infring- ing upon his right to monopolize the milling business and resulted in a series of lawsuits involving Peck in nominal damage and serious bills for costs, which finally put an end to his business. The "Alter Mill" in Union Township occasioned an ineffectual remonstrance from the proprietor of the county seat, as the dam there was sup- posed to interfere with the advantages of the mill at the rapids. 140 JASPER AND XEWTOX COUXTIES Death of Van Rensselaer Mr. Van Rensselaer, while conservative in his policy, and greatly circumscribed in his action by his lack of means, is remembered with respect by those who knew him. After his death, March 12, 1847, his family returned to the East; the only survivor of the family, now an old man, resides in the City of New York, and still holds considerable of the original place with all the tenacity of his deceased father. Among the families connected with the early history of the village, in addition to those mentioned, were the Stewarts, Irwins, Barrs, Sparlings, Clarks, etc. Dr. Josiah. Clark was the first physi- cian in the county, and settled in the village in 1839. The death of Mrs. Ezra Stewart was the first to occur here, though the first burial was that of Mrs. Irwin, some time later. The first birth was that of J. J. Yeoman ; the second that of Joseph Sparling. The first marriage is said to have been that of Edward Dryer to Mrs. Elizabeth Barr, which was celebrated in the house where the first court was held. By special act of the Legislature approved February 18, 1840, the name of the town was changed from Newton to Rensselaer. First Fourth of July The social dissipations of this period were confined to an occa- sional meeting, a quilting or a Fourth of July celebration. The first of the latter occasions was held in 1843, and combined the three classes of diversion in one. The programme was projected by Mrs. Spitler, and consisted of a two-story quilting party, to which the whole town was invited. The ladies divided their forces, and worked on two quilts, one upstairs and the other below. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the company repaired to a large oak that stood at the comer of Washington and Van Rensselaer streets and listened to a discourse by Reverend ]\Ir. Hopkins of the Christian Church. His topic was doubtless suited to the occasion; at all events, it did not seem unfitting to close the day with the round of games that were the usual finale of the quilting party. Thus "Far from the madding crowd. They kept the quiet tenor of their way." In 1850, the town contained "three stores, two physicians, one JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 141 lawyer and fifteen dwelling houses," the first of the stores being opened by Harper Hunt. New Town of Newton There seemed to be a settled opinion that the progress of the town was greatly retarded by the exorbitant prices asked for lots by Mr. Van Rensselaer, and as early as 1844, a new town of Newton was platted by William Ivers. This consisted of twenty-four blocks (four of half size) of eight blocks each, and a public square. Some lots were sold, but the prestige was in favor of the older town, and this did not solve the problem. It was subsequently sold to Mervin Clark and Amzi Stanley, who had the old plat recorded in June, 1851, just as it was originally surveyed. It is generally known now as "Newton's Addition," though it is incorrectly stated. The specifications of the plat set forth that "the town of Newton, Jasper County, Indiana, is situated on the northwest half of the northwest half of Section 30, in Township 29 north, in Range 6 west. The northeast corner of Block No. 9 is situated directly south (allow- ing for the variation of the needle) of the northeast corner of said lot of land, 5 poles, 14 links. The southeast corner of the town identifies with the corner of the forty acres on which it is situated. The town lies with the range and section lines, to-wit, north and south, east and west. The blocks are each 276 feet square. The lots are 66 feet wide; the alleys 12 feet wide." The streets which divide this plat running east and west are South, Jackson and Harri- son streets. The streets at right angles to these are Washington, Eliza and Jefiferson streets. The western addition to the original Town of Rensselaer was platted in June, 1850; Newton's, or Clark's addition in August, 1851 ; South addition in June, 1853, and Weston's addition, platted by Rosewell Weston, in January, 1858. CORPOR.\TION OF RENSSELAER, WITH ADDITIONS On the 8th of December, 1858, L. A. Cole, R. H. Milroy and fifty others signed a petition to the county commissioners for the incorporation of the town, with the following boundaries : "Com- mencing at the southwest corner 'of Section 30, Township 29 north, Range 6 west, thence north 32.34 rods ; thence east 85.55 rods ; thence north 2,300 feet; thence east 162 rods; thence south 2,300 feet; 142 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES thence east 80 rods; thence south 321.34 rods; thence west 325.55 rods to point of beginning." The area thus included comprised about 791 acres, and contained a population of 467. At an election held January 5, 1859, the question of incorporation was carried, and the commissioners declared the town incorporated as Rensselaer, on Tuesday, March 8, 1859. Weston's second addi- tion was platted by Henry Weston in August, 1872, embracing the territory covered by the original addition. Weston cemetery was laid out in July, 1873. Other additions located within the boundaries of the town as incorporated in 1859 were as follows: Leopold's, 1879; Dwiggin's subdivision of part of Weston's second addition, 1880; Thompson's, 1881 ; lands bordering on the Iroquois River owned by the Jasper County Draining Association, 1884; southeast addition, 1887; Kannal's subdivision, 1892. In March, 1893, '^'^^s platted Columbia addition, and a little later Benjamin & Magee's and Sunnyside additions. The board of trustees extended the boundaries of the town so as to include these additions. Riverside Park addition was platted in July, 1895, and in the following month the board of county commissioners extended the town boundaries so as to annex unplatted territory heretofore outside the corporation boundaries Subsequently Thompson's, Emmet's, Yeoman's and Harvey's addi- tions were platted. The survey and plat of the Town of Rensselaer as made by Mayhew, Hopkins & Miller in 1875, was legalized by legislative act of February 23, 1889. Incorporated as a City The town having grown to a population exceeding 2,000, a peti- tion of over one-third the legal voters of the town was presented to the board of trustees praying that a census be taken with a view to incorporation as a city. On March 23, 1896, the marshal was ordered to take a census, and his returns indicated a population of 2,142, exclusive of those who had become residents within forty days. An election was therefore ordered to be held April 10, 1896. As the result was a large majority in favor of municipal incorpora- tion, the return was filed with the clerk of the Circuit Court and the town of Rensselaer became a city April 13, 1896. Those voting for it numbered 283 ; against, 93. The first officers were as follows : Mayor, Thomas J. McCoy ; clerk, Schuyler C. Irwin; treasurer, Charles C. Starr; marshal. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 143 Thomas McGowan ; councilmen — First Ward, Moses B. Alter and Frank B. Meyer; Second Ward, Charles G. Spitler and John C. Porter ; Third Ward, Joseph R. Knight and Wallace Robinson ; city attorney, Charles E. Mills ; chief of the fire department, Edgar M. Parcels ; civil engineer, Lathrop A. Bostwick. Until 1905 the city marshal was elected ; since that year, he has been appointed by the Common Council. Municipal Officials In May, 1900, John Eger was elected mayor; S. C. Irwin, clerk; James H. Chapman, treasurer, and Abram Simpson, marshal. Bird's-Eye View of Rensselaer In 1902, James H. S. Ellis, mayor; Charles Morlan, clerk; J. H. Chapman, treasurer, and Melvin Abbott, marshal. Mr. Morlan has served as clerk continuously since that year. In May, 1904, the only change was in the election of treasurer, Moses Leopold. Since 1905 the election has been in November, and the officers for 1904 were continued. Since the former year, the municipal term of office has been four years. In 1909 George F. Meyers was elected mayor and Roy D. Thompson, treasurer. In November, 1913, Charles G. Spitler was elected mayor. 144 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Charles M. Sands, treasurer, and Charles Morlan, clerk, for another four years. City of the Present Rensselaer is now a substantial, clean and handsome city of about four thousand people, located on the Monon Railroad. Its resi- dence and business streets are well kept ; it has flour mills, tile and cement block manufactories, and the usual line of smaller industries, such as blacksmith shops and wagon shops ; a depot for the sale of agricultural implements; completely stocked dry goods, grocery and general stores, and other evidences of prosperity and growth. Three banks, two newspapers, numerous churches and societies, abundance of pure water and electric light, a thoroughly organized school system and other unclassified institutions and active agencies, are continuously developing Rensselaer into one of the best and most promising little cities of Northern Indiana. Municipal Departments Although originally established through private enterprise, the electric plant and water works have been under municipal owner- ship for a number of years. The water works were built about 1898, but were rebuilt, as well as the electric plant, when they became city property. The water supply is drawn from two deep flowing wells sunk through limestone rock to the water vein, to a depth of about 1,300 feet. It is forced through the mains by an electric centrifugal pump, affording both a bountiful supply for domestic and public purposes and for fire protection ; the pressure exerted is sixty-five pounds to the square inch. The regular fire department — in reality an auxiliary to the protection afforded by the water works system — comprises a hook and ladder, hose wagons, a chemi- cal tank, a Babcock fire extinguisher and minor appliances. Since George W. Spitler taught the first school at Rensselaer, in the early '40s, the people of the town and city have heartily supported the public schools and all movements, within their means, tending to develop them. The three buildings now occupied by the six hundred pupils enrolled within the system are grouped about three blocks north of the public square. The old high school building, now called the Grammar School, was erected in 1882; the Primary (new grade) building was completed in 1892, and the new High School building. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 145 in i8r2. The Primary and Grammar buildings cost $20,000 each, and the new High School, $30,000 ; total value of school property, $100,000. The Commercial State and First National Banks The Commercial State Bank, Rensselaer, was organized April 2, 1895, with a capital stock of $25,000. Addison Parkinson, George K. Hollingsworth, James T. Randle, Emmet L. Hollingsworth and John M. Wasson were elected its first directors. On ^Nlarch 26, 1895, Rensselaer High School the following first officers were elected : Addison Parkinson, presi- dent ; George K. Hollingsworth, vice president ; Emmet L. Hollings- worth, cashier. The first change in the affairs of the bank of importance, aside from a gradual growth, occurred on February 11, 1903, when at a meeting of the board of directors the bank decided by vote to change from a state to national bank, and to increase its capital stock to $30,000. At this time the officers were : Addison Parkinson, president; John M. Wasson, vice president, and E. L. Hollings- worth, cashier. On May 6, 1908, John M. Wasson was elected president to succeed Addison Parkinson whose death, after thirteen years services, was deplored in resolutions adopted by the board 146 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES of directors. The capital stock was increased to $60,000 on Decem- ber 26, 1907. Emmet L. Hollingsworth was elected on January i, 1913, to succeed John AI. \\'asson as president and at this time James N. Leatherman was elected cashier. R. A. Parkinson was elected presi- dent to succeed E. L. Hollingsworth on April i, 1913. The present paid-in capital stock of the First National Bank is $60,000; surplus and undivided profits, $45,000 and deposits nearly $320,000. Its total resources are over $480,000. State B.^nk of Renssel.aer In 1904 the State Bank of Rensselaer was organized with a capital stock of $25,000. It was organized under Indiana laws with officers as follows: John Eger, president; James H. Chapman, vice presi- dent, and Delos Thompson, cashier; M. A. Irwin, assistant cashier. With the exception of the last named, the officers have remained the same as when organized. The present assistant cashier is D. A. Beckman. In 1908 the capital was increased to $30,000. The sur- plus and undivided profits amount to $35,000; average deposits, $275,000. Jasper Savings & Trust Company The Jasper Savings & Trust Company was organized June 20, 1906, by Charles G. Spitler, Emmet L. Hollingsworth and others with a capitalization of $25,000. The first officers were Charles G. Spitler, president; James N. Leatherman, vice president, Judson J. Hunt, secretary-treasurer, and C. H. Mills, assistant secretary-treasurer. Owing to a confusion of the name "Jasper," some of the mail going to Jasper, Indiana, and elsewhere, the name was changed by an action of the Circuit Court, in 1908, to The Trust & Savings Bank. It was created under the laws of the state to do a general trust and banking business. The capital stock, and the officers, with the exception of E. J. Randle, who succeeded Mr. Leatherman as vice president, have remained unchanged since the organization. The Local Press The newspapers of Rensselaer represent the two great political parties, and have long been known as the Rensselaer Republican and the Jasper County Democrat. But the town had a newspaper nearly JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 147 twenty years before the predecessors of either of these pubHcations existed. The first of its newspapers, the Jasper Banner, was estab- lished in 1853, and was supported by both democrats and whigs. John McCarty was its first editor. Several years after the estab- lishment of the Banner the slavery question brought about such a sharp division between the parties that no paper could remain neutral and exist, and in the campaign of 1856 the republican party was fairly born. Then came the cleavage in local newspaperdom. The Banner openly espoused the cause of democracy, and on the 29th of April, 1857, the Rensselaer Gazette was established as the organ of the republican faction. There could be no mistaking its faith, as announced in its first issue : "The Gazette will be Repub- lican in politics, 'now and forever.' We will exert all the energy that is in us to advance the cause of freedom, whose standard was so nobly borne aloft last fall by John C. Fremont." The Jasper Banner ceased publication in 1861. The Rensselaer Gazette was founded by J. W. Sullivan and Daniel F. Davies. Mr. Davies soon afterwards became sole proprietor, and in 1859 or i860, being elected to office, sold the establishment to I. N. S. Alter and Thomas Boroughs. In 1861, James Spencer bought Mr. Borough's interest, and the firm became Alter & Spencer. In the following year, Robert C. Mitchell purchased Alter's interest, and the new firm was known as Mitchell & Spencer. The senior partner soon afterward retired, and Mr. Mitchell a little later sold the paper to C. H. Tatman. In the latter part of 1864, or early in 1865, Mr. Spencer again became proprietor, and in July or August of that year sold a half interest to A. H. Green. The name of the paper was then changed to the Jasper Signal. This continued only some two or three months, when the material was sold to R. B. James, who issued the first number of the Prairie Telegraph, Wednesday, October 18, 1865. It was a weekly, republican, six-column folio. The Iroquois Press was started in Rensselaer in the later months of 1867, by Joshua Healey and Jacob Keiser. It was a seven-column folio, weekly, republican paper. In the later part of the month of September, 1868, R. B. James sold the Prairie Telegraph to his son, Horace E. James. Colonel Healey became sole proprietor of the Iroquois Press, and the two offices were consolidated, the new paper bearing the name of the Rensselaer Union. This was a seven-column weekly, republican in politics. In 1874, it announced itself independent of political parties, and was enlarged to a six- column quarto. November 9, 1875, Colonel Healey retired, leaving Mr. James sole proprietor. 148 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES Spitler's Real Estate Gazette was started at Rensselaer in July, 1872, and was continued a year. It was a four-column folio, issued monthly by Thomas J. Spitler, to advertise his real estate business, and was printed by James & Healey. On February i, 1876, H. E. James and C. JM. Johnson formed a partnership, united their respec- tive offices in one, and published a consolidated paper under the name of the Rensselaer Union and Jasper Republican. The first number appeared February 3, 1876, taking the volume and num- ber of the Union. It was a weekly, seven-column quarto, and republican in politics. Subsequently Johnson retired, and later M. O. Cissel became partner with ]\Ir. James, under the firm name of H. E. James & Company, the paper in the meanwhile being reduced to a folio. In May, 1879, Mr. Cissel retired, and the fol- lowing month started the Rensselaer Standard, a seven-column folio, republican weekly. Mr. James, in October, 1879, sold the Union to T, M. Bitters, who also bought the Standard in January, 1880, and merged it in the former paper. In the following July, Mr. Bitters sold the establishment to Calkins & Johnson, but the latter never took an active part in the business beyond the fact of the sale, and was succeeded in a few months by a brother of Mr. Calkins, and the firm became Calkins Brothers. On May i, 1881, ]\Iessrs. C. F. Overacker and G. E. Marshall purchased the office, and August I, 1882, Mr. Overacker retired, leaving George E. ^Marshall the sole proprietor. The name of the paper was changed in 1880, by Calkins & Johnson, to the Rensselaer Republican, a name it still retains. The first paper started at Rensselaer as a distinctive democratic paper was the Democratic Sentinel, which was first issued February 18, 1877, by James W. McEwin, who came from Monticello, Indiana, where he had conducted a similar paper for eighteen years. It con- tinued for several years. The Jasper County Democrat was established in April, 1898, by Shields & Dilley, and has been owned and edited since July of that year by G. M. Babcock. It is a semi-weekly. The Rensselaer Evening Republican was established in 1897. The weekly, or original paper as stated, was founded by Calkins & Johnson in 1880. The present publishers, Healey & Clark, issue a semi-weekly as well as a daily. Both are experienced and practical newspaper men still in early middle age. Leslie Clark, one of the partners, did his first editorial work on the old People's Pilot, at Rensselaer, in 1891. After spending several years in various other newspaper enterprises in Indiana and Ohio, he bought the Pilot in JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 149 1897, and changed its name to the Journal. In 1908 the Journal and Republican were consolidated under George H. Healey and Mr. Clark, the present firm. Mr. Healey, editor and one of the proprie- tors of the Republican, is the son of Joshua Healey, the Civil war veteran who became colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Regiment and died in Goodland in 1880. The son is not only well known as a newspaper man and a citizen, but is also promi- nent in the military matters of his day, being now a major in the Indiana National Guard. Churches and Societies The Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists were early organized at Rensselaer, and have maintained their organizations ever since. The Methodists of the place, who formed a church in 1834 under Rev. E. G. Wood, were tlie first organized religious body in the county. In 1836 the Independent, or Gillam M. E. Church, was organized at the cabin of John M. Gillam by Rev. H. Bradenburg, an itinerant preacher. Their first meeting house was built in 1849 near the site of what afterward became Independence Chapel. The present M. E. Church of Rensselaer is under the pastorate of Rev. Paul C. Curnick, and occupies one of the most elegant houses of worship in the city. The Presbyterian Church was organized February 10, 1847, by Rev. Edward W. Wright. Its original members were James and Susan Van Rensselaer, Susan C. Weston, Ezra and Martha Wright, Lucinda Mahafifee, Henry Barkley and Ira and Lois B. Allen. The founder of the town was buried in its churchyard. Rev. J. B. Fleming is pastor of the church at the present time. The Rensselaer Baptist Church (Missionary) was recognized by council in 185 1, its first pastor being Rev. Moses A. Kern. The Free Will Baptist Church was founded in 1853 by Rev. Peter Lansing. Rev. F. H. Beard has charge of the Baptist Church of today. The Church of God at Rensselaer was organized by Elder William P. Shockey in i860. Rev. Norman Warner is its present minister. The First Church of Christ, of which Rev. Asa McDaniel is pastor, occupies a handsome and modern building. The history of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church of Rensse- laer and of the Diocesan Orphan Asylum is uniform from 1865 until 1887, when the parish was established in that city. Until a church 150 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES building was completed in 1885, the Catholics of Rensselaer attended services at the orphanage. In 1887 the orphan asylum was moved to Lafayette and Fort Wayne. Having purchased the Spitler farm, about a mile south of Rensse- laer, Bishop J. Luers of the diocese of Fort Wayne, appointed Rev. Joseph Stephan as the first superior of the orphanage. Father Stephan's successors in that position were Rev. Henry Renson, Rev. Bernard Kroeger, Rev. P. Hartmann and Rev. Alathias Zumbuelte. Father Zumbuelte had commenced to build a brick church for the Catholics of Rensselaer and vicinity. It was dedicated in 1885. As stated, the parish was established at Rensselaer in 1887. Rev. M. Zumbuelte remained at its head, as well as superior of the orphanage, until March, 1888, and was succeeded by Rev. George L. Willard. Then, in succession, came Revs. Anthony Dick, Stanis- laus Neiberg, Francis Schalk, Bernard Dickmann, Edward Jacob, Charles Nothers, Thomas Meyer and Christian Daniel. In September, 1903, the parochial school connected with St. Augustine's Church was completed; in 1905 several lots with a resi- dence adjoining the church property were purchased, the house being remodeled for the sisters' home, and in 1909 the pastor's resi- dence was completed. A church to cost about S60.OOO is being planned (summer of 1916). At present St. Augustine's parish numbers about 155 families, or nearly 800 souls. Rev. Christian Daniel, of St. Augustine's Church, is also in charge of St. James Church, at Newland. He held the first services in the public school there, in June, 1914, and by Alay of the following year a small frame church building had been completed and occu- pied. It was largely due to Thomas Callahan, who donated the site and contributed liberally in other ways, that such progress was made. The charge now embraces about twenty families. St. Joseph's College About 1867 Bishop Luers of Fort Wayne organized St. Joseph's Catholic Church as an adjunct of St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum and Manual Training School. The asylum was conducted at Rensselaer for twenty years, when the orphans were transferred to Lafayette and Fort Wayne. Some 900 acres of land had been acquired about a mile from the county seat ; but the founding of St. Joseph's Col- lege was of a later day, and resulted from a different movement. In 1889 Bishop Dwenger, of Fort Wayne, offered Father Henry Drees, C. PP. S., the provincial of the Society of the Precious Blood, JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 151 a tract of land on the edge of the Big Slough swamps a mile south of Rensselaer, on condition that he and his associates would found an institution dedicated to the training of Catholic youth. He accepted the offer, and in the spring of 1889 articles of incorporation were filed in the state auditor's office. Stone was procured from the nearby quarry and brick burned on the grounds, the early work being superintended by Father Anthony Dick, first pastor of St. Augustine's parish. The cornerstone of the main building was laid in 1891, and the south wing was completed in the summer of that year by Father Augustine Seifert. In the fall of 1891 the college Main Building of St. Joseph's College was opened to fifty-four classical students, and in 1893 the new north wing was added, containing chapel, auditorium and drillroom for the military company. The faculty building, then known as the Minim Building, was built during the spring and summer of 1897, and opened to the junior students in the fall of the year. At that time the enrollment numbered about 100. In 1899 a beautiful college chapel was completed. In the summer of 1899 Rev. Augustine Seifert, who was called away to reorganize the seminary of the Precious Blood Society, was succeeded to the presidency of St. Joseph's College by Father Ben- edict Boebner, who had been an instructor in that institution. Father Augustine returned to the college, as its head, in the fall of 1902, and in the spring of 1905 a spacious gymnasium was completed which 152 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES also afforded accommodations for social, literary and musical enter- tainments. A large infirmary building, known as Dwenger Hall, was added to the group of college buildings in 1907, and in 1912 the man- agement completed power and electric light plants, a waterworks system, and an underground heating and wiring installation. In the spring of 1913, Rev. Augustine Seifert resigned as presi- dent of the college, and was succeeded by Rev. Hugh Lear, who had been a member of the faculty since 1899. Soon afterward extensive alterations were begun on the gymnasium building, and the work was nearly completed when, in the spring of 1914, the structure was destroyed by fire. The Society of the Precious Blood furnished the rebuilding funds, amounting to $120,000, and the new gymnasium building, twice the size of the old, was ready for occupancy at the beginning of the academic year 191 5. The gymnasium proper com- prises two rooms — one for basketball and other indoor games, and the other intended for permanent fixtures and apparatus. The college auditorium will accommodate 800 persons. The library has a capacity for 40,000 volumes, and there are reading, play and clubrooms and all other modern facilities for social inter- course and improvement. Outside the college buildings are nearly eighty acres of attractive grounds, laid out in gardens, parks, ball grounds, tennis courts, tracks, shady nooks and walks. A concrete- lined pool also affords the means for swimming and skating in season. The campus is especially attractive to the student body, as thousands of trees have been planted upon it by its members. Societies Rensselaer is strong as a society (lodge) town. The Masons (first organized as Jasper Lodge No. 125 ) were established as early as 1851, the Odd Fellows (Iroquois Lodge No. 143) in 1854, and the Knights of Pythias (Rensselaer Lodge No. 82) in 1878. They are still the most substantial of the secret and benevolent bodies. On the other hand, one of the youngest of the lodges is among the strongest; although organized as late as January, 1916, the Red Men of Rensselaer number over 190. The Order of the Eastern Star, Pythian Sisters and Reb^kahs, ladies' auxiliaries of the Masons, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias, also have organizations. To the foregoing array is also to be added the Catholic Order of Forest- ers, Royal Neighbors, Knights and Ladies of the Maccabees, Poca- hontas lodge (Red Men's auxiliary). Daughters of the American Revolution, Grand Army of the Republic and Sons of \'eterans. JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES 153 Rensselaer Post No. 84, Grand Army of the Republic, was organ- ized July 12, 1882. Its successive commanders have been as follows : Horace E. James, E. L. Clark, James F. Irwin, Mordecai F. Chilcote, Nathan Bates, T. F. Clark, George Dexter, James A. Ramey, John M. Wasson, James A. Burnham, Ralph W. Marshall, Henry Grow and David H. Yeoman (present incumbent). When the new courthouse was built in 1896 the county commissioners set apart a room for the post, furnishing also light and heat, and dedicated Memorial Hall to the veterans of the Civil war. The membership is now less than thirty ; since the organization of the post it has carried 224 members on its rolls. CHAPTER XII REMINGTON Always a Grain and Livestock Center — Elevators — State Bank of Remington — Corporation Matters — Remington Public Library — The Newspapers — The Churches — Foun- tain Park Assembly. Remington is an incorporated town of about i,ioo people, in the southern part of Jasper County, situated on the Pennsylvania line and in the midst of a prosperous agricultural district. The original rail- road in that section, the Logansport & Peoria, was completed in De- cember, 1859, but was not thoroughly organized for business until March, i860. The railroad authorities had established a station at Carpenter's Creek, in the center of the fertile Grand Prairie, and soon afterward Jesse H. Fordice laid out the village of Carpenter. The name was subsequently changed to Remington, after one of its citizens who kept the second store in the place. Alw.\ys a Grain and Livestock Center From the first, Remington flourished as the market town and shipping center of Grand Prairie, with its bountiful crops of com, oats, barley and forage. Cattle, sheep, hogs and horses have also found an ideal country in that region, with its unfailing water and grass supplies. When the railroad came, all these natural advantages were developed into a large trade in grain and livestock, but it was nearly a decade before the bulk of shipments warranted the building of elevators. Elevators In 1870 Church & Hartley erected the first elevator, two years later Hathaway Brothers established the second, and in 1879 James Irvin built the third. At the present time, the local organizations which control the local grain trade and elevator business are the Kelley Grain Company and the Farmers Co-operative Company. 154 JASPER AND NEWTON COUNTIES State Bank of Remington 155 For the past eight years Remington's standing as a convenient trading and shipping center has been strengthened by possessing local banking facilities. The State Bank of Remington was organized in November, 1908, with a capitalization of $25,000. The first direct- ors were : James H. Gilbert, J. H. Biddle, S. G. Hand, Christian Hensler, Emil Besser, Elias Julian and W. I. McCullough. The first officers : James H. Gilbert, president ; J. H. Biddle, vice president ; S. G. Hand, cashier; F. L. Lough, asistant cashier. This corpora- ^ ^fi^JBp M mfr- Ready T( •;d from Remington