Crawford County, Ohio - Chapter 32: Miscellaneous, 1912 (part 1 of 28)

Chapter 32: Miscellaneous

Dead Man's Hollow - Ancient Land Marks - Hidden Treasure - The Bucyrus Mastodon - Johnny Appleseed - The Bad Indian - Population Statistics - The Hermits - Agricultural Fairs - The Canal Crawford Did Not Get - The Name of Bucyrus - Early Valuation and Expenses - Early Marriage Licenses.

Near Olentangy along the Galion road a place has been pointed out as Dead Man's Hollow, a site where a murder was committed many years ago. In the summer of 1836, two men, named Bender and Hammer from the east came west to buy land. At Wooster they were observed when they changed their eastern money for western, and were followed. After leaving Mansfield they were joined by two men, who stated they were also coming west looking up land. The four traveled together to Galion, and at the latter place spent the night. The next morning the four started for Bucyrus, Hammer and Bender walking in front, and the two strangers behind. All had canes cut from the woods to assist them in walking. Soon after leaving Galion, the strangers cut themselves still heavier canes ; in fact, so heavy, as to be clubs. Being questioned as to the reason for such heavy canes, they turned it off by remarking their other canes were too light and they threw them away, but perhaps - the new ones were a little large, but if so, later they would get smaller. The four proceeded until they reached where Olentangv now is, when they came to a little stream that emptied into the Whetstone.- Over this was a log, necessitating crossing single file. As the men separated to cross the stream, one drew a pistol and shot Bender, while the other with his heavy club brought it down with all its force on the head of Hammer, knocking him to the ground unconscious. An eighth of a mile south of where the attack was made was the Eberhardt saw-mill, and the robbers hearing the sound of voices, and believing some one was approaching, hurriedly sought safety in flight, without stopping to rob their victims, which would have taken time, as the men carried their money in a leather belt, around their waist, underneath their clothing. Some time passed before Hammer regained consciousness, and when he did he was horrified to find the dead body of his brother-in-law. He screamed for help, but received no answer. He was in a dazed condition, but managed to stagger to the saw mill where he appeared covered with blood, to the astonishment of the Eberhardts. He had difficulty in explaining to them what was the matter, but they were finally convinced something serious had occurred, and they followed him to the scene of the murder, where they found the dead body of Bender. What few neighbors there were were aroused and Hammer explained in detail what had occurred and the woods were searched but no trace of the murderers was found. The absence of any cluc, pomted suspicion to Hammer, but a thorough examination showed his story was true, as it was easily shown two suspicious characters had been with them at Galion, and further that the proprietor of the tavern at Galion had told the men they did not like the looks or the actions of their companions, and they had better not trust them too far. Bender was buried in the Campbell graveyard, and his relatives in the east were notified, and they sent money for the erection of a tombstone. This stone contains his name, and the further inscription :

"Born Dec. 6, 1811 ; died Sept. 28, 1836." Hammer came on to Bucyrus, stopping at the Blue Ball tavern, where he gave John Boyer an account of the murder, and later repeated his story at Bucyrus. He remained at Bucyrus several days until the authorities became assured of his innocence. He had $300 with which he purchased land. Years afterward a report was current in the county of a man dying in the west who previous to his death confessed to the Bender murder, but the story was never authenticated. Besides erecting a tombstone, the eastern relatives for half a century sent a small sum annually to the Campbells to be used in keeping the grave in repair, and the trust was faithfully performecl by John Campbell and later by his son. But years ago the descendants of the murdered man's family had become such distant relatives that the remittances ceased, and the grave is cared for the same as the others.

Ancient Land Marks

In the southeast quarter of section 15, Auburn township the land now owned by the Faulkner heirs, there is an inclosure of nearly four acres, a well defined gateway at the eastern side, and near it a walled well. This well was dug out to a depth of about fifteen feet, but nothing of special interest was found. Numerous stone relics have been found in and about the inclosure.

About one and a half miles southwest of Gabon there is an inclosure of about an acre. It is shaped like a horse-shoe, which would bring it under the head of symbolical mounds. This inclosure has never been thoroughly explored. Relics of stone have been found in it indicating that at one time it was the resort of those who erected it.

The Delaware Indians had a village northeast of Leesville, long before the advent of the first white man ; definite record is given of this in the Crawford expedition.

then occupied by the Miamis. There was a spring there highly prized by the Indians for its medical qualities. The spring was highly impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, it tarnished the silver ornaments of the Indian, and deposited a sulphurous precipitate a short distance from it. The Indians placed great confidence in the healing equalities of the water and mud; the beneficial effects of which they could perceive. Another healing spring much trequented by them about two miles west of Oceola.

Hidden Treasures

When the first settlers arrived an Indian village was in existence on the Whetstone, southwest of Seccaium Park. In searching among the old records at Pittsburg to locate the ancient Indian village of Seccaium, Hon. E. B. Finley ran across some papers indicating that a few feet from a large tree which stood near a spring some treasure had once been buried. It appears that in the seventeenth century the French traders in going through this region were attacked by a band of hostile Indians, and hurriedly buried what money they had. The tree was a monarch of the plains, standing alone a short distance west of where the vast forest commenced that extended unbroken to the Ohio river. In looking up the ancient village of Seccaium over a quarter of a century ago, Mr. Finley thoroughly explored the surface in that section, and remembering the reference to the buried treasure, found the place where every indication showed there had once been a good sized spring, although long since dried up by the modern drainage. No tree remained, but he made inquiries of the oldest settler in the neighborhood, Edward Campbell, who, when a boy of seven, came with his father in 1823, to the farm on which the spring was located. The two gentlemen went over the ground together, Mr. Campbell very promptly pointing out the location of the spring - the site previously selected by Mr. Finley. Mr. Campbell stated that in his younger days the spring furnished a constant flow of water. He also stated that a short distance from the spring, once stood a large oak tree, the only large tree in that section. It stood there for many years after his arrival, the cattle seeking shel- ter beneath its broad foliage in the summer days from the scorching rays of the sun, and finding abundant water in the spring. The spring gradually became less and less, and finally dried up, and the tree, with its extensive roots, interfering with the cultivation of the soil, was cut down. Mr. Finley was in search of an Indian village and not of hidden treasure, so he pursued his investigations no further, and the buried treasure is still there - somewhere.

The Bucyrus Mastodon

Among the many interesting historical events which have occurred in Bucyrus was the disnear the southwestern corner of the old fairground; then extended nearly due north along the east side of the Ohio Central, making a slight bend, and jDassing east of the roundhouse and machine shops ; then nearly due west to S. R. Harris' land; then northwest through the northeastern corner of the schoolhouse yard, and, after continuing in the same direction for a short distance, changed to nearly due west, crossing Walnut street, near the present Frank Johnston residence; crossing Main street, on the south part of Dr. Lewis' lot; Poplar street, near the German Lutheran church. While making the excavations for this mill-race, the skeleton was found in the covery, by Abraham Hahn, of the perfect skeleton of a mastodon, during the year 1838. Mr. Hahn, having built a saw-mill on Buffalo Run at the rear of the lot on the northwest corner of Warren and Poplar streets, conceived the idea of constructing a mill-race which would furnish sufficient water-power to run the establishment, and this water-course was finished by a considerable outlay of time and money. The source of this race was the swamps in Col. Zalmon Rowse's fields, later owned by William Monnett, and the line it followed to the mill would be, at the present time, about the following route: It crossed the Galion road swamp, just east of the present site of the Ohio Central shops. This land for many years afterward was very low and swampy; a considerable portion in this immediate neighborhood was covered by Mr. Hahn's millpond. A full account of this discovery was printed in the Crawford Republican extra, of Augu.st 14, 1838.

Bucyrus, August 14, 1838. Mr. Abraham Hahn, while engaged with his work hands in excavating a mill-race, about three-fourths of a mile east of Bucyrus, on yesterday, at a distance of from five to seven feet below the surface of the ground, discov- ered the skeleton of a mastodon, in a reclined position. The history of this genus of animals is involved in «iystery. Xo tradition or human record ftirnishes evidence of its existence at any period. But that it once lived and walked upon the earth, the prince of the quadruped kingdom, is abundantly proven by the numerous and almost entire specimens of its organic remains, that have been discovered in various parts of Xorth America; and which have excited the wonder and astonishment of the naturalist and antiquarian. From the peculiar structure, and the immense size of its bones, it must have been an animal far exceeding in size and strength any species of the quadruped races now in existence. The place where the skeleton was found is very near the dividing ridge between the northern and southern waters of the state, in a wet, spongy soil. The bones, so far as discovered, are in a fine state of preservation. The upper jaw and skull are perfect in all their parts, as formed by nature. The under jaw was accidentally divided in removing it from the earth. This is the only instance in which the skull of the mastodon has been found in a state of preservation; and it furnishes the only specimen from which correct ideas can be obtained respecting that massive and singularly shaped organ.

Some idea may be formed of the rank this monster held among the beasts of the forest, when clothed with skin and flesh, and nerved with life, from the following dimensions ot some portions of it, which have been rescued from oblivion :

Hahn soon found the enterprise in which he had become involved would not be a financial success, and after several years the business was abandoned. \\'hen the town was extended and improved toward the southeast, the millpond was drained and the water-course gradually filled up with earth, but years after in making exca\'ations for sewers and cellars, the remains of this race have frequently been found. At first Mr. Hahn exhibited the bones of this mastodon, but finally sold them, and the proceeds derived from the same served to pay him for the immense financial outlay he had made in building the race. He died at Mt. Gilead, Ohio, January 19, 1867, and in his obituary notice the following was published in regard to the latter history of the skeleton: "He afterward sold the mastodon to a man in Columbus for $i,ooo, and it was again resold to a Cincinnati man for $2,800 ; was afterward taken to New York and put in Barnum's museum, and was consumed by the fire which destroyed Barnum's Museum on lower Broadway half a century ago.

A history of Crawford county - in fact the history of many another county in northern Ohio - would be incomplete without mention of the eccentric personage known far and wide in the early part of the last century by the name of "Johnny Appleseed." His real name was John Chapman, and he was born in Springfield, Mass., in the year 1775. From a half sister of his, who came west at a later period it was learned that in boyhood he evinced a great fondness for nature, and used to wander far from home in quest of plants and flowers, and that he liked to listen to the birds singing and to gaze at the stars. These tastes were little, if at all, altered in his later years.

At what precise time he started out on his self-appointed mission has not been definitely ascertained, and as little is known as to the causes which led him to adopt his peculiar vocation, Avhich was to plant appleseeds in well located nurseries in advance of civilization, and have apple trees ready for planting when the pioneers should appear. He also scattered through the forest the seeds of medicinal plants, such as dog-fennel, catnip, pennyroyal, hoarhound, rattlesnake root, and the like. As early as the year 1806 he appeared on the Ohio river with two canoe loads of appleseeds obtained at the cider presses of western Pennsylvania, and with these he planted nurseries along the Muskingum river and its tributaries.

His first, or one of his first nurseries, was planted about nine miles below Steubenville, up a narrow valley from the Ohio river, at Brilliant (formerly called LaGrange), opposite Wellsburg, W. Va. From this point he subsequently extended his operations into the interior of the state. For a number of years he made his home in a little cabin near Perrysville (then in Richland county), but later he went to live with his half sister, Mrs. Broome, who resided in Mansfield. He usually located his nurseries along the banks of streams and, after planting his seeds, surrounded the patch with a brush fence. He was then accustomed to visit them yearly to care for the young trees and repair the fences, which obliged him to travel hundreds of miles during the year. When the pioneers subsequently arrived from Western Virginia and Pennsylvania, they found the little nurseries of seedling apple trees on many of the streams in the Ohio Valley. He extended his operations into northwestern Ohio, and finally into Indiana, where the last years of his life were spent.

His apple trees were nearly all planted near the banks of the streams; one of his orchards was along the Whetstone where Gallon now is ; on the Sandusky there were some trees planted by him near the Luke tavern; at Bucyrus, an orchard was where the home of Gen. Finley now is, and this orchard was bearing fruit when Samuel Norton came or soon after, as Norton brought seed with him and planted an orchard himself on the south bank of the Sandusky and stated that he secured apples from the orchard across the river. One of the trees is- still bearing fruit. There was a spring in front of the Finley residence, but across the street in front of what is now the Memorial Hospital was a larger spring, which was a favorite resort of Johnny Appleseed when he went through this section. Here he would lay on his back in the grass, under the shade of the trees, and with his bare feet in the air talk religion to any from Bucyrus who from curiosity crossed the river to see the eccentric character. Another apple orchard planted by him was down the river. On the Daniel McMichael farm on the river above Bucyrus, is an apple tree which was planted by Johnny Appleseed in 182 1. The tree is now 91 years old. The eccentric character came along and put up at the log cabin, sleeping on the floor in front of the fire-place, his regular sleeping place. The next morning he and Margaret Anderson planted the tree. She was a daughter of John Anderson, and later married David Mc- Michael, the father of Daniel L. McMichael. Margaret Anderson was only a little girl at the time of the planting.

"John Chapman was a small man, wiry and thin in habit. His cheeks were hollow and his face and neck dark and skinny from exposure to the weather. His mouth was small; his nose small, and turned up so much as appar- ently to raise his upper lip. His eyes were dark and deeply set in his head, but searching and penetrating. His hair black and straight, \vas parted in the middle and permitted to fall about his neck. His hair, withal, was thin, fine and glossy. He never wore a full beard but shaved all clean, except a thin roach at the bottom of his throat. His beard was lightly set and very black."

Chapman's nature was deeply religious. He was a regularly constituted minister of the Church of the Xew Jerusalem, according to the revelations of Emanuel Swedenborg, and was also a missionary of that faith. He was a beautiful reader and never traveled without several of the Swedenborgian pamphlets with him, which he generally carried in his bosom, and which he was ever ready to produce and read on request. He never attempted to preach or address public audiences, but in private consultations would often become enthusiastic and arise to expound the philosophy of his faith. On these occasions, as though inspired, he would often soar to flights of real eloquence, his ideas being clearly and forcibly expressed, illustrated with chaste figures, and replete \\ itli argumentative deductions.

His life was blameless among his fellow men. He was of a kind and generous disposition, and polite and attentive in manner. So gentle was his nature that he was ne\'er known to kill any living thing, ever for food. He is said, on one occasion to have put out his campfire, because he noticed that the flies and moths, attracted by the blaze, fell into it and were consumed. He was known to pay the full value for old horses, take them from the harness, and, with a blessing, turn them loose to the luxurious pastures of the wilderness, to become their own masters. This almost abnormal tenderness was indeed a leading trait in his character. He seemed to bear a charmed life. Savage beasts never hurt him, nor did the still more savage Indian warrior. By the latter he was regarded as a great INIedicine Alan, to injure whom would bring misfortune on the tribe, or individual, guilty of the offense.

When on his journeys he usually camped out. He carried a kit of cooking utensils with him, among which was a mush-pan, which he sometimes wore as a hat. \\^hen he spent the night at a house, it was his custom to lie upon the floor, with his kit for a pillow. He declined to lie in a soft bed, as, being naturally, he claimed, of an indolent disposition, he feared that such self-indulgence might beget a desire which he could not hope often to gratify in his wandering mode of life. As an illustration of his natural indolence, it is said that he was once seen working in his nursery near Mansfield, and that, lying on his side, he reached out with his hoe and extirpated only such weeds as were within reach.

He was never without money, which he obtained from the sale of his trees, his usual price for a tree being a "fip-penny bit," but if the settler hadn't money, Johnny would either give him credit or accept old clothes in payment. Yet, though he, himself, cared nothing for luxuries, and nothing for the ordinary comforts of life, he would often spend his money freely to benefit others. Frequently he would furnish the housewives with a pound or two of tea - a high-priced luxury at that time, and the use of which he regarded almost as a sort of dissipation. On one occasion he was seen with a number of plates, which he had purchased at a village store. Being asked what he wanted them for, he replied that if he had a number he would not have to wash dishes so often; but he had really purchased them to present to a poor family who had had the misfortune to break their crockery.

He was often oddly dressed and sometimes clothed in rags and tatters, yet was always personally clean. He seldom wore shoes or stockings, except in the coldest winter weather, and the soles of his feet in consequence, were of a hard and almost homy consistence. He usually wore a broad-brimmed hat. Some have said that at times he was seen clothed with a coat or garment made out of a coffee-sack, with holes cut in it for the neck and arms, but this story has been doubted by others. -It seems clear that, if he ever wore it, it was not his usual dress. He was, however, frequently seen with shirt, pantaloons, and a long-tailed coat of the tow-linen then much worn by the farmers. This coat was an invention of his own and was in itself a curiosity. It consisted of one width of the coarse fabric, which descended from his neck to his heels. It was without collar. In this robe were cut two armholes, into which were placed two straight sleeves.

His immunity from molestation by the Indians enabled him on more than one occasion to warn settlers of impending Indian attacks, his services in this direction saving a number of lives during the war of 1812. On one such occasion, when the settlers at Mansfield were threatened, there being no troops in the blockhouse at the time, Johnny volunteered to act as messenger to Captain Douglas at Mt. Vernon, thirty miles away. Setting out in the evening, as the stars were beginning to shine in the darkening sky, bare-headed and bare-footed, he made the trip, over a newly-cut road, through a forest infested by wild beasts and hostile Indians, and, having aroused the garrison at Mt. Vernon, accompanied the troops back the next morning, having made the round trip of 60 miles between sunset and sunrise. One writing about 30 years ago of the massacre of the Seymour family, on the Black Fork, near Mansfield, penned the following lines : "Although I was then but a mere child, I can remember, as if it were yesterday, the warning cry of Johnny Appleseed, as he stood before my father's log cabin door on that night. I remember the precise language, the clear loud voice, the deliberate exclamation, and the fearful thrill it awakened in my bosom. 'Fly! fly for your lives ! the Indians are murdering and scalping Seymours and Copuses !* My father sprang to the door, but the messenger was gone, and midnight silence reigned without."

Johnny's intellectual acuteness in matters of religion, and his acquaintance with the scriptures is well illustrated in the following anecdote :

"The year of the erecton of the old court house in Mansfield, while the blocks of foundation stone and the timber lay scattered about the public square, a wandering street preacher of the name of Paine, a man with a long white beard, who called himself 'the Pilgrim,' entered the town. After blowing a long tin horn, which he carried with him, he assembled an audience on the stone and timbers of the court house. In the course of his sermon he pointed to where Johnny Appleseed lay on the ground, with his feet resting upon the top of one of the stones, and exclaimed: 'See yon ragged, old, bare-footed sinner, and be warned of the paths of sin by his example.' Johnny rose to his feet, folded his hands behind him, under his tow-linen coat, and slowly approached the speaker. As the speaker paused a space Johnny commenced in this wise: 'I presume you thank God that you are not as other men ?' 'I thank God that I am not as you are,' returned Paine. 'I am not a hypocrite, nor am I of the generation of vipers. I am a regularly appointed minister, whether you are or not.' 'Lord be merciful to me, a sinner,' said Chapman, and walked away."

"In 1838, thirty-seven years after his appearance on Licking Creek," says a former writer, "Johnny noticed that civilization, wealth and population were pressing into the wilderness of Ohio. Hitherto he had easily kept just in advance of the wave of settlement; but now towns and churches were making their appearance, and, at long intervals, the stagedriver's horn broke the silence of the grand old forest, and he felt that his work was done in the region in which he had labored so long. In 1840 he resided near Fort Wayne, in the state of Indiana, where he had a sister living, and probably made that his headquarters during the nine years that he pursued his eccentric avocation on the western border of Ohio and in Indiana." Here he resided until the summer of 1847, his labors by that time having borne fruit over a hundred thousand miles of territory. One day he heard that cattle had broken into his nursery at St. Joseph's township, and were destroying his trees, and he started out on foot to look after his property. The journey proved too much for one of his age and feeble condition, and at even-tide he applied at the home of Mr. Worth for lodging for the night. Mr. Worth was a native Buckeye and had lived in Richland county when a boy, and when he heard that his oddly dressed caller was Johnny Appleseed, gave him a cordial welcome. Johnny declined going to the supper table, but partook of a bowl of bread and milk.

Says Mr. Baughman, from whose "History of Richland County" we quote, "The day had been cold and raw, with occasional flurries of snow, but in the evening the clouds cleared away and the sun shone warm and bright as it sank in the western sky. Johnny noticed this beautiful sunset, an augury of the spring and flowers so soon to come, and sat on the doorstep and gazed with wistful eyes toward the

West. Perhaps this herald of the spring-time, the season in \\hich nature is resurrected from the death of winter, caused him to look with prophetic eyes to the future and contemplate that glorious event of which Christ is the resurrection and the life. Upon re-entering the house Johnny declined the bed offered him for the night, preferring a quilt and pillow on the. floor, but asked permission to hold family worship, and read 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,' 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,' " etc.

After he had finished the lesson he prayed, and both the words of the prayer and the pathos of his voice made a deep impression upon those present. In the morning he was found in a high state of fever, pneumonia having developed during the night. A physician who was called gave no hope for his recovery, but said that he had never seen a dying man so perfectly calm, for "upon his wan face there was an expression of happiness and upon his pale lips there was a smile of joy, as though he were communing with loved ones who had come to meet him and to soothe his weary spirit in his dying moments. And as his eye shone with the beautiful light supernal, God touched him with his finger and beckoned him home."

In the Sherman-Heineman park at IMansfield, Ohio, there stands a monument to his memory, which was dedicated in November, 1900, and which bears a simple and appropriate inscription; yet his best and most enduring monument lies in the memory of his kind and lovable character, his simple faith, his pure and blameless life, and the useful work he accomplished for the good of his fellowmen.

The Bad Ixdiaxs

Benjamin Sharrock thus describes one of the "bad Indians," and his ultimate death, probably the last one killed by a settler in this county:

"About the year 182 1 or 1822, there were several Indians who frequently camped and hunted on the waters of the west and middle forks of the Whetstone, to-wit : Capt. Dowdee, his son Tom, and Capt. Dowdee's son-in-law. Nickels, the bad Indian, the subject of this narrative. He was regarded as a dangerous man among his own companions. He had become embittered against Benjamin Sharrock, his brother Everard Sharrock, and Jacob Stateler, who had three sons, Andrew, James and John (the two latter were twins).

'Sir. Sharrock says: "This Indian, Nickels, had been skulking around and watching my house, trying to get a chance to shoot me. I have'seen him dodge from tree to tree when trying to get a shot at me. He also made threats of killing my stock. About this time, he and the two Dowdees were camped on the boundary north of where Iberia now is. Mr. Catrell, my brother and myself held a consultation, whereupon we resolved that this state of things should no longer be tolerated, and the next morning was the time agreed upon to bring this matter to a test. They were to be at my house fully armed for any emergency. They were promptly on time, and as Catrell had no gun he took my tomaha^^-k, sheathknife, etc.

"In this plight, we went directly to their camp, called Tom Dowdee out, and ordered him to take those coon-skins out of their frames. (They are stretched in frames to keep them dry and in shape. ) Wt next went to the tent of Tom's father, old Capt. Dowdee, told him how Nickels had been watching my house, and that he threatened to kill me and my stock. I told him to call Nickels out, but he would not leave his hut. We told them we would not endure such treatment any longer, and that we had come to settle it right then and there, and were ready to fight it out. The Dowdees seemed to be peaceably inclined, and as Nickels did not show himself the matter was dropped for a short time. Some time after this, as I was returning from AA'^ooster, where I had been to enter a piece of land, I saw quite a number of moccasin tracks in the snow near Hosfords. I thought there would be trouble, as it appeared from the tracks that there were about thirty persons, and by the way they had tumbled about, concluded they were on a big drunk. I followed the tracks from Hosford's down the road leading to our cabin. They had not proceeded far before they left their tracks in the snow somewhat besprinkled with blood. I afterward learned that Tom Dowdee had stabbed another Indian, inflicting two dangerous wounds. They were camped north of my house on the land now owned by James Dunlap. The excitement among the settlers now became intense, and soon a number of us repaired to their camp but we had not been there long before Tom Dowdee rushed upon me and grasped me by the collar perhaps intending to retaliate for the visit we had made to their camp a few days before. I was not slow in returning the compliment by taking him by the throat, and my arms being the longest, I could easily hold him at bay. At this moment we saw an Indian boy loading a gun. I told Dowdee several times to let me alone, but he still persisted in fighting me. I then attempted to give him a severe thrust with my gun barrel; he sprang and grasped the gun which the boy had just loaded, when several of the squaws also grasped it to prevent him from shooting me. All this time I kept my rifle up with a steady aim upon the Indian, ready to fire before he should be able to fire at me. At this crisis Joel Leverick* interfered, and the Indians allowed him to take possession of the gun, so the quarrel was then settled without bloodshed. But what grieves me to this day is that Bashford and Leverick both knew that my rifle was not primed all the time and I was aiming it at the Indian, and they did not tell me. The next day I was out in the woods with my gun, and came upon Dowdee before he discovered me. He had no gun with him, and he begged and implored me not to kill him, promising over and over that if I would not he would never molest me, but would be my fast friend as long as he lived. I gladly agreed to his proposal, and to his credit be it said, I never saw him after that time but that he met me with the kindest greetings.

"About the same time some of the Indians told Stateler, 'Nickels bad Indian; by and by he go to Stony Creek; before he go he kill Stateler and two Sharrocks, and we 'fraid that big fight. We want white man to kill Nickels, then we say Nickels gone to Stony Creek" whether they knew where Nickels was, and they usually replied that he had gone to Stony Creek. We had often seen a gun in the settlement, first owned by one, then by another, that I believed was Nickels' gun. Jake Stateler often stayed with us several weeks at a time, and many times when he spoke about those Indians, Jake would say, 'Nickels will never do you any harm, but made no further disclosures till a long time afterward ; when the subject came up, he said :

"I thought my boys had told you long ago, as they always thought so much of you. I will then tell you what I know of what became of Nickels. After he was about ready to start for Stony Creek, he had only one more job to do before he could leave Pipetown, and that was to kill Stateler, and you and your brother, if possible. No sooner had Nickels left Pipetown than the Indians sent another Indian by a different route to give us notice of his coming, and of his intentions, desiring us to kill him and they would say he had gone to Stony Creek. The messenger arrived in time and departed. I loaded my rifle, put it in good order, and went up to Coss' cabin to watch the Pipetown trail, on which I expected him to come. I did not wait long before I saw him coming, and stepping behind a tree, closely watched his movements. After he had come within easy range of my rifle, he stopped and commenced looking all around, which enabled me to take a steady aim at him : I fired, and he sprang several feet from the ground with a terrific scream and fell dead, and that was the last of 'Bad Indian.' We took his gun, shot-pouch, tomahawk, butcher-knife, etc., and laid them by a log, and buried him under the roots of a large tree that had blown near the foot of the blufif bank of the Whetstone, nearly opposite the old Coss cabin. Now, Uncle Ben, that is the reason why I know Nickels will never do you or me or your brother any harm."

THE HERMITS of the European armies, possibly in that of The Crawford County History of 1880 Napoleon Bonaparte. His language and mancontains the following account of two hermits ners indicated that he was familiar with miliin Auburn township : tary tactics, and his inabilty to speak English "Among the early residents of the township proved that he had not resided long in America, were two singular old bachelors named Var- Although he lived in poverty and went dressed nica and Wadsworth. They were hermits and in insufficient and even ragged clothing, he lived lonely and solitary lives, in rude caves seemed to have an abundance of money, which dug by themselves in the side of embankments, he kept hid in out-of-the-way places. He enthe roof being supported by upright posts, tered a quarter-section of land, upon which he standing at intervals within the caves. People resided until his death. But little money was called them crazy, and the eccentricity of the found after this event, until a will was found two gave abundant credence to the report, among his papers, bequeathing his land, and a They shunned all associates except their faith- few hundred dollars in money, to a young man ful dogs, and were never seen in the neighbor- named James W^ilson, with whom he had ing settlements, unless they were there for sup- lived at the time of his death. The secret of plies or to dispose of provisions. Varnica was this strange man's life was buried with him. a German and could handle the glib idioms of He was always silent and melancholy, and his native language with a grace and fluency seemed to have a deep-rooted sorrow preying that proved his education to be of unusual ex- upon his mind, robbing it of joys that make life cellence. It became current, and was univers- endurable. By the provisions of the will James ally believed, that he had been an officer in one Wilson was made executor, and was enjoined to distribute the balance of the money among poor and friendless females. This provision was a surprise to some, who had noticed that Varnica shunned the opposite sex as he would the plagues of Egy^Dt, his conduct giving rise to the report that his life had been blighted by a woman. The will disclosed the hiding-place of $2,000 in gold, which had been concealed in a gate-post, into which a hole had been bored and the gold dropped in, after which the hole had been closed with a pin of the same wood as the post . He died in 1840, and Wilson faithfully executed the provisions of the will. Wadsworth was a graduate of Yale College, and had evidently fitted himself for the ministerial profession. He lived in a cave on his land and, though bent almost double from unknown circumstances, was possessed of enormous strength. He carried his melons, potatoes, and other provisions, in a sack on his back from house to house, or to some of the surrounding villages. He was a recluse and seemed contented only when he could brood without molestation over .'his (mysterious life. He had rich relatives living in Boston, who occasionally visited him and tried to induce him to abandon his life of poverty and loneleiness, but to no avail. A happy smile was never seen upon his sad face, and when he at last died, in about 1838, his property was claimed by his Eastern relatives."

James Wadsworth came to Auburn township in 18 1 7, and Andrew Varnica in 181 8. Varnica died March 23, 1847, and left two executors, both of whom died before the estate was settled. He left notes and money amounting to about $4,000, and under the provisions of the will his executors gave sums of money to over a hundred people who were deserving and needy. Both men were buried in the Hanna graveyard.

Agricultural Fairs

In 1846, a law was passed authorizing counties to make donations for Agricultural Fairs, and in 1848 the first fair was held in Crawford county. Among those who organized the first society were the first officers, and Stephen Kelley, Samuel Caldwell, Gen. Samuel Myers, Judge R. W. Musgrave, George and William Cummings, William Cox and Abel Dewalt. The first officers were Col. Zalmon Rowse, president; Jacob Mollenkopf, vice president; J. B. Larwill, secretary; Andrew Failor, treasurer. The first fair was held in the Court House yard, the building itself being used for the domestic articles, which were few. The horses and cattle were tied to the fence; and there were not many of them. There were some sheep and hogs, which were shown in wagons in which they had been hauled in; there were about five exhibits of sheep and the same number of hogs. The Fair was held on Oct. 19, 1848. The award of premiums was published in the People's Forum, of March 24, 1849, five months after the fair was held. In his letter asking for the publication of the premiums awarded, the secretary, J. B. Larwill, writes that he should have furnished the list earlier but he was prevented by other engagements. He states further : "I was confined by sickness at the time of the fair, and therefore cannot speak from personal observation; but have understood that the fair was much more numerously attended than was expected, owing to the bad state of the roads, the unfavorableness of the weather, and the fact that this was merely an experiment, being the first held in the county; and from the fact that but very little interest has heretofore been manifested by the farmers and others in relation to the affairs of the society. Those who were present state that, although but few articles were presented, and in several cases where premiums were awarded there was no competition. yet there was much spirit manifested by those present, in reference to the importance of such exhibitions and a determination to have a much more interesting fair next year."

Manufactured Articles To Samuel Andrews, for best flannel . . To John Mollenkopf, for best thread . . To John Sims, for best single harness . . To William Mallory, for best sample of

The Second Annual Fair was also held in the Court House yard, pens being erected at the east end of the Quinby Block lot for the cattle. Fancy articles , are shown in the court room. In the report of the fair to the state board, the officers say : The best mode for the culture of corn "is to plow deep and keep the weeds out;" rye and barley are 35 cents per bushel ; apple crop nearly a failure ; peaches this year in abundance; 10,000 bushels cloverseed exported; amount of timothy unknown, but large ; clover seed $3 a bushel ; timothy seed $1 a bushel; 150,000 pounds butter exported; 150,000 pounds wool exported at about 26 cents per pound ; many good, sheep have been brought into the county, and lately Gen. S. Myers purchased 10, one buck and nine ewes of the "Bingham" flock lately brought from Vermont; number of hogs assessed 20,922, valued at $17,046, "which is about their true value previous to fattening;" 12,000 to 13,000 head of cattle exported, value here when sold about $12 to $15; "all threshing is done now by machines; one or more wheat drills have been introduced into the county: much more improvement is wanted;" "no regular system of drainage adopted; nothing more than the

Third fair was held in the Norton Grove between Walnut and Lane streets and north of the Pennsylvania track. The fair was becoming a success. The fair this year was advertised as a cattle show. Pens were erected in and near the grove for the stock. Tents were erected on Walnut street for the exhibition of the fami products, and domestic articles. The fair was to be held on Oct. 17 and 18, but owing to bad weather it was abandoned on the afternoon of the first day. The report to the state showed wheat that year averaged 25 to 30 bushels to the acre; corn averaged 30 to 35, and sold at 20 to 25 cents ; barley and rye sold at 35 to 40 cents per bushel; oats crop a failure, and price 20 to 25 cents a bushel; timothy and clover, the crop short and sold at $4 to $5 per ton ; large yield of apples and peaches a failure; 200,000 pounds of butter exported; an increase in wool, and a better quality, at 28 to 29 cents for common, and 30 to 33 cents for fine; cattle $10 to $35 per head, and large amounts sold to drovers. "There is a steady improvement in the quantity and number of farming implements used. Some wheat drills are in use, also mowing machines; how they answer the purpose is not known as yet."

On Jan. 4, 1851, the board of managers met at Bucyrus to arrange for the fourth annual fair. The board was Judge R. W. Musgrave, president; Zalmon Rowse, vice president; Andrew Failor, secretary; Gen. Samuel Myers, treasurer; Isaac Rice, Jacob Mollenkopf, William Robinson, Samuel S. Caldwell, John Campbell. The board decided to hold the next fair at Bucyrus provided the citizens would raise $40. The money was raised, and to secure the future fairs at Bucyrus, grounds were secured at the southwest corner of Kaler avenue and Wise streets. The grounds six to eight acres, were furnished rent free by Henry Minich, but the society were to put a fence around them. There were not sufficient funds to build the fence the first year, but later the entire fence was completed. In front on Kaler avenue was the ring, for the exhibition of stock. At the rear of the ring were the domestic and floral halls, the former being open on the sides, the clapboard roof being supported by poles; the floral hall, containing more delicate exhibits, was made of rough boards, and had a canvas which was taken off at the close of the fair and laid carefully away until the next year. Back of the halls was a grove. The track was enlarged to a third of a mile in 1857, and was inclosed during the fair with a rope fence, which was taken down after the fair. In 1859 a third day was added to give opportunity for the races. The last fair was held in 1861, and the next year all arrangements were made for a fair, but about June it was abandoned on account of the war.

At the fair in 1853, one of the curiosities was a pumpkin vine exhibited by Jacob Mollenkopf. The vine contained nine pumpkins, and they were exhibited all attached to the vine, just as they had grown. The largest pumpkins weighed no, 92, and 92 pounds. The smallest weighed 48 pounds; the total weight of the nine pumpkins on the one vine was 595 pounds.

In 1867, D. C. Boyer, Josiah Kohler, Barber Robinson, James Robinson, C. S. Crim, William Cox, Adam Klink, John Brehman, E. R. Kearsley, James Orr, H. J. Thompson and Luther Myers organized the Crawford County Agricultural Association with a capital stock of $7,000, and they bought nineteen acres of land, on the Gallon Road, east of where the T. & O. C. track now is ; this was added to later, until it contained nearly 33 acres. A half mile track was built, and two halls erected with pens for the stock; on the west side of the ground was a grove of about three acres. The total cost of the ground and buildings was about $13,000, and here the first fair was held in October, 1867. It was not a profitable investment, the stock varying from fifty to seventy cents on the dollar, and in 1882 the county took charge of the fair.

At these grounds fairs were held annually, the last being in 191 1. A part of the land was needed by the T. & O. C. road, so a company of citizens organized and bought the Fair Grounds for a thousand dollars an acre, the T. & O. C. being given the nine acres they needed at about $400 an acre, and the balance laid out as an addition to Bucyrus. The Agricultural Society purchased of Edward Yaussey, 70 acres east of the old grounds for $17,500, which were laid out, the buildings moved, a new track built, and the first fair held in September, 19 12.

1869, September 28, 29, 30, October i, 2 - Josiah Kohler, president, John Monnett, vice president, George Keller, secretary, J. B. Gormly, treasurer.

The Canal Crawford Did Not Get

In 1818, the subject of a canal came up in Ohio, and the Legislature incorporated the Little Miami Canal and Banking Company. Other canal companies desired to incorporate, and in 1821 Gov. Brown in a message to the Legislature said the state ought to build and own the canals. In 1822 .Thomas Worthington, Benjamin Tappan, Jeremiah Morrow, Isaac Minor and Alfred Kelley were appointed a commission to report on a route. One of the routes surveyed was through Crawford county, following along the Sandusky and the Scioto. In regard to this route Col. Kilbourne published the following article in the Columbus Gazette on Jan. 23, 1823:

"The summit of level of these rivers is ascertained to be (354) three hundred and fiftyfour feet above the level of Lake Erie, and (455) four hundred and fifty-five feet above low water marks in the Ohio river at Portsmouth.

"The engineer represents that the main branch of the Great Miami with several other durable streams which fall into it may be brought by a short feeder to the Scioto at Round Head's town. He states that it is probable that the feeder from the Sandusky will not exceed six or eight miles in length, and that from the sources already mentioned, including the two branches of the Whetstone and others which may be obtained, it is highly probable that there will be an ample sufficiency for the summit pond of this canal. The engineer states that the Sandusky and Scioto valleys may be pronounced favorable for the conducting of a canal along them when compared with the valleys of most other rivers, and very favorable when compared with the Mohawk in the state of New York. The particular advantages possessed by said valleys is the facility with which the canal (in most places), may be led along on a level altogether above the alluvial bottoms of the margin of the rivers, entirely secure from floods, so menacing to canal works. The total absence of lateral rivers is an advantage on this route worthy of note. The Big Belly, Little Walnut and Salt Creeks being the most formidable, each of which drains, comparatively, but a small tract of country."

The Colonel was fighting and working for this route, and at the same time was running for Congress, and his opponents propounded the inquiry as to whether, if he could not secure the Sandusky-Scioto canal, he would support one of the other routes. The Colonel's reply was that he was in favor of a canal, but "it was not good judgment to tell your opponents you might later support them." He was elected to Congress, but the Legislature decided on two canals, one in the eastern part of the state, along the Cuyahoga and the Muskingum, with a branch to Columbus; the other in the western part from what is now Toledo to Cincinnati. Kilbourne promptly published a four-column protest in the Columbus Gazette, showing the Sandusky and Scioto route was the cheapest and best, and followed it up with several more articles, but the matter was settled, and in 1825, Gov. DeWitt Clinton, of New York came to Ohio, and dug the first spade full of earth.

It appears Col. Kilbourne never gave up his idea of a central canal, until after the building of railroads commenced and the demand for canals ceased.

In 1839, he was in Bucyrus consulting the engineer, who was looking over this route, and on his return inclosed the following letter to Samuel Norton, to be handed to the engineer. In his letter to Norton he says : "Enclosed you will find the ten dollars I borrowed of you, for which accommodation please accept my thanks. My hand is still giving me trouble, no better than when I left you, if so well. Please hand the last half sheet of this letter to Major Norton at first opportunity. If he has left you for headquarters when this comes to hand, please send it to him by special carrier. It is of importance that he should have it immediately."

"I have remarked to you already that Brokensword Creek, of itself, is of no value as a feeder to the summit, for in the time when foreign supplies are necessary, it has but little of running water. Its value is therefore mainly or wholly as a conduit from the reservoir in Cranberry marsh; and it is only a few miles that it could be so used; and would fall in below the regulating reservoir on the Sandusky, crossing the valley of Grassey Run, and a branch of Brokensword above that run, where those waters are deep. Therefore, for the thought on the subject, has presented this view, viz. : That you take the water from the reservoir in Cranberry marsh, by the shortest outlet, at Mr. Borland's, to Brokensword, and immediately crossing the valley of that creek, keep as high a level as practicable, on the left of the creek, descending, so as to discharge the water into the regulating reservoir at the summit level. In doing this you will have no deep cuttings or large embankments in constructing the feeder, but nearly a regular plain all the way. The more I have considered this improvement in the plan, the better it appears, and I have now no doubt of its superior advantages in every point of view."

The Cholera

In August of 1852, cholera broke out in Bucyrus. It was at that time raging at Sandusky City, where the death rate reached as high as sixteen a day for several days. On Saturday, Aug. 20, a German woman arrived and went to the home of friends on East Rensselaer street. The next evening she died suddenly and the attending physician pronounced it cholera. An investigation of the case showed she had arrived the day before from Sandusky City. The physicians hurredly took the matter into consideration and differed as to the cause of her death, but the majority pronounced it cholera. No special alarm was felt by the citizens. But in the next day or two several similar cases were reported in the same neighborhood; on Thursday, Aug. 26th, Margaret, the daughter of E. F. Sheckler, aged 18 months, died. And two days later, Mary, the daughter of Abraham and Ann Keller, aged 14 years, made the third death. Following these within the next two days, were the deaths of Elizabeth Sheckler, wife of E. F. Sheckler ; Isaac Didie, a young man of twenty, and on Sept. i, Abraham Rever and Abraham Keller, the German reformed minister, and there were several other cases in that neighbor- hood. For the past few days the physicians and the authorities had taken the most active measures in purifying the city. The infected district was closely guarded and the cholera was confined exclusively to that section. There were several other deaths, but the disease was finally brought under control. But it was by far the most severe epidemic ever in Bucyrus.

Early Valuation And Expenses

In 1830 the valuation of the property in Crawford county. In Bucyrus, $5,518 were the values of the lots in that village ; $753 were values of lots in Holmes township, and $6y in Antrim township. The last five townships in 1 845. became a part of Wyandot county.

Early Marriage Licenses

Searching among the old records in adjoining counties before Crawford was organized in 1826, a number of marriage licenses were discovered, where the names indicate that one or both of the parties were residents of Crawford county. The following were found in Huron county:

Here are some from Richland county; it should be remembered that up to 1845 the four eastern miles of the present Crawford county was in Richland county :

"This is to certify that John Steward and Polly Carter, both of Upper Sandusky, were joined together in holy matrimony, Dec. 25, 1818, by me.

sermon in this section in 181 6, four years before the county was formed. James Finley in his history of the Wyandot mission places the marriage in 1820.

In Crawford county the records were all destroyed by fire some time the latter part of 1 83 1, some time in October; but four returns were made of licenses that were issued before the fire and these are pinned on the fly leaf of the record book. These four licenses are :

Then comes the marriage record of Crawford county, Ohio, since October nth, 1831. At this time Zalmon Rowse was clerk and Willis Merriman Deputy. The licenses were issued in the following order; with date of marriage, when returns were made :

The Name Of Bucyrus

For over half a century the name Bucyrus has been the subject of much research and earnest, honest endeavor to discover why it was so named. In the History of Crawford county of 1880 the historian of Bucyrus, Thomas P. Hopley, goes into the matter very fully, as follows:

"The new town was christened Bucyrus by Col. Kilbourne. There has been much speculation in regard to the origin of the word, and many persons have wondered why the town received this name. The word is so classical in sound that it is not surprising its meaning should not be universally understood unless its true origin is known. Doubtless many a classical scholar has examined his Latin dictionary and Greek lexicon to obtain a satisfactory derivation of the word, and during the past sixty years many plausible theories have been advanced. An examination of the original contract between Messrs. Norton and Kilbourne will prove that the town was named Bucyrus betwen the time the agreement was made (Oct. 4, 1821) and the date it was first altered, (Dec. 15, 1821); it also proves that the name of the town was spelled in the first legal papers of the village, as at the present time. Of all the theories advanced in regard to the origin of this word Bucyrus, only two refer to. Col. Kilbourne as authority, and, as it is beyond a doubt that this gentleman created and then adopted this name, these theories are both given. It is claimed by both authorities that Kilbourne desired to have a name for this town different from that of any burg ever inhabited by man since the world was created. He succeeded. The daughters of Samuel Norton, the original proprietor of the land, assert that one of Col. Kilbourne's favorite historical characters was *Cyrus, the Persian general, who conquered the city of Babylon, and the town was named by the Colonel in honor of this distinguished soldier. The country in the vicinity of this town was very beautiful at an early day, and the name Cyrus being rather short, (possibly too much so to suit the metre of his early songs), Kilbourne prefixed to the celebrated Persian's name the syllable "bu", the sound of the first part of the word beautiful, and the old surveyor declared the name should always mean "beautiful Cyrus." This theory is a very plausible one, and will be satisfactory to many citizens whose knowledge of the classics is even more limited than some who have prepared historical sketches for this work. But there are those who solemnly assert that a classical scholar would smile at the formation of a word in this manner; these persons declare that, as Col. Kilbourne was a very highly educated man, he would never attempt to coin a word in defiance of the rules laid down by Noah Webster and other distinguished men of letters who preceded him.

"The other authority, however is also based upon Col. Kilbourne's statement. F. Adams, Esq., of Bucyrus, who was well acquainted with the old surveyor, says that Mr. Kilbourne told him in after years that it was his desire the town should have a name of its own, and be the only town of that name - that the African town "Busiris" (in ancient Egypt, near the river Nile) pleased his fancy, and he changed it into Bucyrus as a good sounding name. These two statements are both from responsible and reliable sources; it may be the duty of an unbiased historian to draw conclusions from these facts presented, and endeavor "to settle the disputed point, but in this case we will not undertake the task, but will refer the matter to the patrons of this work. However, this name Bucyrus did not suit some of the early settlers in the village, who were illnatured enough to object to the Colonel's ideas about a queer name ; it has frequently been, in later years, a stumbling block to many nonresidents who invariably mispronounce the word. But these early residents who objected to the name are nearly all dead, and those who fail to speak the word like a native of the city are not firm believers in the future destiny of the place, and consequently should not be consulted in regard to the name; undoubtedly all of the present inhabitants are satisfied, and many are proud of the name Bucyrus."

"Rev. W. M. Ferguson, one of the ministers in attendance at the recent Synod of the Presb)d:erian Church, writes to the Philadelphia Presbyterian as follows, in regard to Bucyrus :

"Here we all are! All who? Members of the Synod of Ohio, in session in Bucyrus, the shire town of Crawford county, situated on the head waters of Sandusky river, and named after a boy whom his father was wont to call the 'Beautiful Cyrus,' a convenient name for a real nice town - one far more euphonious than Cyrusville or burg, or some similar or wretchedly commonplace appellative. It is the only town of the name in the world, and, therefore, its legibly written mail matter is seldom 'missent.' How unlike is the postal experience of many unfortunates' who live in some of the numerous 'Johnstowns' and 'Washingtons' of the west."

The writer of this History in the chapter on Bucyrus has given his opinion without hesitation that the town was called after the Egyptan name of Busiris. In thus differing from the children of Samuel Norton, who met Col. Kilbourne many times, it is perhaps proper that the facts on which this opinion is based should be laid before the reader :

That Mr. Kilbourne was a classical scholar is true, but the inference drawn by Josiali Scott and Franklin Adams, who were com- - panions of his, that he would never "attempt to coin a word in defiance of the rules laid down by Noah Webster," is hardly correct. Mr. Kilbourne laid out thirteen towns in Ohio. One of these is Claridon, in Marion county, and both Marion historians say it was "given the beautiful and historic name of Claridon by Col. Kilbourne." There is no such name in ancient or modern history, nor can it be found in Grecian mythology. It was probably named after a distinguished family named Clarendon who founded a colony with advanced ideas in South Carolina. The Colonel changed the spelling because it suited him, and sounded pretty. He laid out the town of Melmore in

Seneca county. He named it after the Latin word "mel," honey, and added the word "more" to it. He did the same thing in regard to Bucyrus; he changed the spelling, because it suited his fancy.

He did undoubtedly say, at Bucyrus, that he had named it after Cyrus, prefixing the first syllable of the word beautiful. Col. Kilbourne was one of the most sociable of men, very entertaining, and given to light and joking remarks. He was twice married. His second wife was Mrs. Barnes, whom he married in 1808, and she had three little daughters, and they were brought up in the Kilbourne home and were great favorites of the Colonel. One of these daughters, Mira, in 1818, married Cyrus Fay. Can any one doubt that the little Cyrus would be called by all sorts of pet names and before he could more than prattle, unable to master the "beautiful" would content himself by lisping "Boo-Cyrus." Can any one doubt that the happy Colonel gleefully told the story, and assured his friends he positively named the town after his little favorite. Later, when the infant had grown the story was flat, and the natural tendency was for the Colonel to transfer the story to Cyrus the Great. That is how Beautiful Cyrus probably originated.

"Bucyrus is not, as many suppose, an Indian name, neither was it named after a boy whom his father was wont to call 'the Beautiful Cyrus,' as a correspondent in the Philadelpliia Presbyterian suggests.

"Col. Kilbourne, the founder of the town, derived the name from that passage in the first chapter of Milton's Paradise Lost, which reads thus:

"When in Bucyrus a few months ago, I heard one of the High School pupils say that one of the teachers had recently stated the origin of the name Bucyrus. Said it was so named by Col. James Kilbourne because he was a great admirer of Cyrus the Great, and as he knew the town was to be a beautiful one, he thought "Beautiful Cyrus" would be an appropriate name. As the name would be rather long he concluded to abbreviate 'beautiful' down to 'bu,' and called it Bu-cyrus.

"About 20 years ago J. W^ard in his historical sketch of Crawford county made a similar statement, and in the history of Crawford county the same was given as the probable origin of the name Bucyrus.

"Now with all due deference to the authors of these sayings, allow one of the oldest natives bom in Buc)n:Tis now living to enter a protest against such ridiculous statements.

"I remember well, when about 12 years of age,* going with several schoolmates to attend a meeting of the board of the Buc)rrus Library Association. Josiah Scott, president ; George Quinby, librarian; Jabez Larwill, James Mc- Cracken, John Smith, and several other old citizens, all of whom knew Col. Kilbourne, were present.

"After the meeting adjourned. Judge Scott said to us: 'Young men, if you ever want to know the origin of the name of the town, look in Milton's Paradise Lost.' He took the book out of the library and quoted therefrom:

A\'eighing all of the above and much more on both sides which has been gone over carefully, it might be difficult to form a definite opinion. But the convincing proofs are certaip records which are not handed down, but appeared in black and white when the town first sprang into existence. It is impossible to figure any way by which "Busiris" could have crept into these records, except the fact that it was the foundation for the name.

I - In 1829, John Kilbourne, a nephew of Col. Kilbourne, published his ninth Ohio Gazeteer, giving the names of all the towns and postoffices in Ohio. On page 251 of that book the last "B" on the list is "Busiris," see Bucyrus." And under '.'Bucyrus" he gives the statistics relating to the village.

II - ^The Postoffice Department at \\^ashington writes: "Bucyrus or Busirus was established Feb. 2, 1824, with Lewis Cary as P. M., who served until Henry St. John was appointed July 20, 1829. During these five years the name of the office appears on the records as 'Bucvrus.' alias 'Busiris.' "

Hon. Daniel Babst

HON. DANIEL BABST. Among the conditions which determine the characters of men, their mental and physical qualities and their ultimate destiny in life, none are more powerful than environment and heredity. The Babst family was nurtured beneath the shadows of the blue Alsatian Mountains. Living near the city of Strasburg, in that Rhinish borderland so many centuries the scene of contest between the Germans and the French, they were of necessity lovers of liberty, strong of limb and sturdy of body, keen of intellect, haters of oppression, upright in character, and ready and willing at all times to fight their own battles in life.

Of such parentage and country was Daniel Babst, St., who was born in 1810. His father was an officer in the French army, and the son retained until his death vivid recollections of Napoleon's last campaign, and especially of the straggling army returning from the disastrous battle of Waterloo. He remained in his' native country until 1832, when he came to America. He spent three years in New York city and then came to Ohio, locating in Stark county, first at Massillon and later at Canal Fulton. At the latter place in 1841 he was married to Margaret Yost, whose family were also natives of Alsace-Lorraine, and shared the sturdy characteristics of her husband's family.

It was at Canal Fulton that Daniel Babst was born, on Oct. 19, 1847. ^^ was still but a lad when, in 1852, his father removed with his family to Crestline, a town brought into existence by the building of new railroads, and having the promise of a brilliant future. He received his public school training in the Crestline schools, and from 1864 to 1867 was a student in Oberlin College. Leaving college he began the study of law under the tutelage of Nathan Jones, Esq., of Crestline, and in 1872 was admitted to the bar. His practice from that time was uninterrupted until his election to the Common Pleas bench in 1906.

During his career in the legal profession, in which Judge Babst soon attained a leading rank his services have always been at the command of the poor and needy, the altruistic spirit being among the most marked traits of the man. The native talent which he inherited was accompanied by the genius for hard work which is at the bottom of every great success in life. To whatever task he applies himself is given the best effort of which he is capable.

A natural leader of men, he has been called to many positions of usefulness and honor. His antecedents made him naturally a Republican, but he was appointed solicitor by a Democratic council, serving from 1877 to 1879, when he was appointed mayor by the same body. Later he was elected to that office, serving for seven years at that time. He was again elected mayor in 1894 and served two terms. His service to his home town also included ten years as a member of the Board of Education and Board of School Examiners, a service which he justly regarded as the most useful and important that a man can give. To it he brought the benefit of his legal knowledge and his literary training, making it a service of rare value.

In 1884 Mr. Babst was the Republican nominee for Congress in this district, and although his opponent was elected it was by so greatly reduced a majority as to be really a

Always an independent thinker, Mr. Babst left his party in 1896, supporting Hon. William P. Bryan on the financial issues that then became uppermost in American politics. He has since acted with the Democratic party. In 1906 he was nominated and elected to the Common Pleas bench of the Second Sub-division of the Tenth District, an office which he still holds. In accepting the position of judge, Mr. Babst had but one ambition. This was to merit the reputation of a just judge. Though a man of strong feelings, of ardent likes and dislikes, on the bench he knows neither friend nor foe. His knowledge of the law is broad and profound, and in practice he was brilliant and able. On the bench all of this talent is given to careful and just interpretation of the law, always bearing in mind also that a Court is a seat of equity as well as law. While, like all judges, he is compelled at times to render decisions which some of the parties do not like, they are almost uniformly sustained by the higher courts, thus demonstrating that the law has been faithfully and impartially applied. Judge Babst from his long practice realized the many evils that had crept into court procedure, and these he has striven to correct, with admirable success. The rules have been simplified and so arranged that all could understand and conform to them. Promptness has characterized the work of the court and the docket has been more nearly cleaned up than for many years. The great work that Judge Babst has accomplished is recognized by those most competent to pronounce an opinion, and he bids fair to realize his ambition of making a record as a model judge of a trial court, the most difficult position in our judicial system.

But it is not alone in his professional and official work that Judge Babst has achieved success in life. As a citizen he has been always active and public spirited. Without entering into elaborate details it may be noted that he was a leading factor in the establishment of the Schill Bros.' factory at Crestline. He promoted and established the works now occupied by the Burch Plow Company. He drafted and procured the passage of the law which made possible the beginning of road improvement in Jackson township, and which has since been of inestimable value to communities throughout the state. He was a promoter of the Crestline Building and Loan Association, and promoted and established the First National Bank of that city. It was he also who promoted and brought to Crestline the interurban electric road, now the C. & S. W.

Judge Babst's experience in business affairs has been wide and his judgment sound. He was a partner in the Babst Banking House with his Brother Jacob for a number of years, and was his father's assistant in many important matters. He was a few years ago appointed receiver of the N. Y. & P. & O. Railway by Judge Caleb H. Norris and has had many other trusts confided to his hands, vital in importance, and always executed with the most scrupulous and painstaking fidelity. His acquaintance with public men is broad and his knowledge of affairs is of wide scope. His erudition and culture, his experience and travels at home and abroad, combined with a genial nature and broad and catholic s)mipathies, make him a welcome addition to every circle into which he can be induced to enter. He is a Mason of high degree and an Elk.

It is in his home that Judge Babst finds his greatest happiness and is at his best. His spacious residence on Pearl Street in Crestline is a center of whole-souled hospitality, and is admirably arranged for every purpose. The library is his favorite lounging place. In it he has a collection of relics and curios rarely to be equaled and almost never surpassed in a private collection. There too is his magnificent private library, the finest collection in Central Ohio. It is, indeed, many libraries in one. His law library is superb and includes many rare and valuable volumes seldom available to either legal practitioner or judge. The classics, history, especially American, French and English, fiction, biography and other departments, each reach to the dimensions of a library, and each contains many volumes secured only by the true book lover and collector. Here, among his beloved books. Judge Babst enjoys his leisure hours. Here he receives and entertains his friends and here he does the work which his judicial service imposes upon the midnight hours. Here he produces the occasional addresses which never fail to charm his hearers, whether of the bar or laity, in social gathering or before the general public. Sincerity, eloquence and literary polish mark legal opinions as well as public speech, and have helped to give him the good will as well as the confidence of all.

Judge Babst has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Alice Martin of Crestline. After a brief married life, Mrs. Babst died, leaving two children, both of whom are still living. They are: Lora May, now the wife of Prof. E. P. Wiles, of Evansville, Ind. ; and Carl M: Babst, who is an attorney located at Crestline, and also a well known civil engineer. His second wife was Miss Lou Ella Carlisle, of Cambridge, Guernsey county, O. They have two children: Clara Eleanore and Guy M. Babst. Miss Clara is at home and has recently completed a course in Oberlin College. Guy M. Babst is interested in the manufacture of Aluminum Cast Ware at Kansas City, Mo.

Happy in his home and family, honoring the work in which he engages and honored by his fellow men, Judge Babst pursues the even tenor of his way through the afternoon of life - a life whose activities and usefulness will not cease until the lengthening twilight shadows have been merged into the night, to be the herald of a new dawn upon a brighter day.

HON. CHARLES F. SCHABER, probate judge in Crawford county, Ohio, and for many years a leading member of the bar at Bucyrus, is a native ojf said city, born July 30, 1873, and is a son of John A. and Bertha W. (Margraff) Schaber.

John A. Schaber was born in Germany and accompanied his parents John George and Fredrica Schaber, to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1854. He was a blacksmith by trade but was engaged during the larger part of his active life in merchandising. In 1877 he was elected sheriff of Crawford county and served with efficiency in that office for two terms. To John A. Schaber and wife three children were born : Charles F., Sophia M., and a son that died in childhood.

Charles F Schaber was educated in the public schools of Bucyrus. In January, 1892, he accepted a position as clerk in the office of Hon. J. C. Tobias, judge of the probate court, and later was made deputy clerk of said court and served in that position for six years. He chose law as his profession and pursued his studies in the office of Finley & Gallinger, at Bucyrus, and in December, 1900, was admitted to the bar. He immediately opened a law office and entered upon the labors of his profession, showing the c[ualities as he rapidly made headway that aroused attention. His legal qualifications placed him early among the able members of the Bucyrus bar, while his years of close connection with the probate court seemed to especially fit him for the responsible duties of a judge of the same and in 1905 he was elected to his present office on the democratic ticket.

Judge Schaber is identified with numerous social organizations, belongs fraternally to the Elks and the Knights of Pythias, and has always taken an active interest in public matters as becomes the reliable and earnest citizen, and both personally and professionally is held in high esteem. During the Spanish-American war he served as a lieutenant and adjutant in the Eighth Ohio Vol. Inf., which was attached to the Fifth Army Corps, and was present at the surrender of Santiago, Cuba. Judge Schaber was married September 8, 1904, to Miss Ida Blanche Johnston, a native of this county ; they have three children, Bertha Mary, Virginia May and Ruth Marion. The pleasant family home is situated on West Warren street, Bucyrus. He was reared in the German Lutheran church.

WILLIAM ULMER, general farmer, and well known and respected citizen of Crawford county, was born in Crawford county, Jan. 22, 185 1, and is a son of Adam and Catherine (Bahler) Ulmer.

The father and mother of William Ulmer were born in Wurtemberg, Germany. They were the parents of the following children: John, William and Minnie (twins), Israel, and Mary. The father of this family died in 1856. The family then moved to Henry county, Ohio. William Ulmer attended the country schools and afterward worked on the farm and also learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for some time and was considered a skillful workman. Then, in partnership with his brother Israel, he purchased the present farm of 113 acres, only 30 of which had been cleared when they purchased it. Since then the farm has been much improved. It is located in Bucyrus township, three and a half miles west of Bucyrus, on the Nevada road.

In 1882 William Ulmer was married to Miss Sarah Seibert, the youngest daughter of Peter and Catherine (Smith) Seibert. Two this union eight children were born: Edith May, wife of Clarence Briggs; Bessie Belle; William Calvin; Elsie Anna, wife of Harrison Henry; Frank Adam; Katheryn Frances; James Monroe; and Howard Hamilton.

William Ulmer is a member of the Lutheran church and a Democrat in politics and is a very active party man, having held the office of trustee of Bncyrus township for two terms.

THOMAS J. GRISELL, one of Galion's highly respected citizens, was born in Morrow county, O., in October, 185 1, and is a son of Thomas and Susanna (Benedict) (Shaw) Grisell. They spent many years of happy married life on their farm near Cardington, O., and died there when aged about seventy years.

Thomas J. Grisell attended the country schools in boyhood but as soon as old enough to look out for himself, began railroad work with the Erie and Big Four lines and when he was promoted to be local freight conductor, settled at Findlay, O. In 1890 he came to Galion and since then has been engaged at carpentering and is known as a skillful workman, apt with his tools and accurate in his estimates, and as such has been connected with a great deal of the recent building which has made Galion a very beautiful city.

Mr. Grisell was married at Findlay, O., to Miss Mary Jane Merrit, who died in 1882, at the age of 38 years, survived by two daughters : Lulu, who married Fred Lamb, resides at Cleveland, O., and has two sons; and Olive, who is the wife of \\^alter Cristie, who is a clerk in the office of the Erie Railway Company at Marion, O. Mr. Grisell was married (second) at Galion, to Miss Mary Gerth, who was born in .this city, April 23, 1861, a daughter of Peter and Amy (Baker) Gerth. The father of Mrs. Grisell was born in Germany and was six years old when his parents, Louis and Margaret Gerth, brought him to Galion. Grandfather Gerth was a well educated man and taught in the early schools of Galion and lived to be seventy years of age. Peter Gerth learned the trade of custom boot and shoemaker and for many years carried on business at Galion. He survives, being now 78 years of age and for the past six years has lived retired. He takes an active interest in public affairs notwithstanding his years, and has always voted the democratic ticket. The mother of Mrs. Grisell died in 1892. Both parents were members of the English Methodist church. One daughter has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Grisell, Amy Louise, August 3, 1895, who is a bright student as well as attractive young lady and is a member of the class of 1914, in the Galion High school. Mr. and Mrs. Grisell are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which she has been united since she was twelve years of age and in which she has always since been an active worker, belonging to the benevolent organizations in which this church is especially prominent among religious bodies. She is a member also of the Eastern Star.

FREDERICK W. HIEBER, one of the highly respected citizens of Liberty township, and one of its leading agriculturists, lives on his excellent farm of 120 acres which is situated six and one-half miles northeast of Bucyrus. He was born in Liberty township, Crawford county, O., April 27, 1868, and is a son of Frederick and Lydia (Lust) Hieber.

Frederick Hieber was born in Germany and was brought to Crawford county when a child of five years; he grew to manhood here and followed farming all his life, and through industry and good management became the owner of 372 acres. His death occurred in 1894, when he was aged but fifty-two years. He married Lydia Lust, who was born in Crawford county, a daughter of one of the old settlers, Frederick Lust, and the following children were born to them: Frederick W., Mrs. Elizabeth Luidhardt, Samuel, Benjamin, Joseph, Jacob, Sarah, Isaac, Sophia and Reuben.

Frederick W. Hieber has been a farmer and stock raiser ever since his school days, spending eight years in Lykens township prior to 1894, when he came to his present valuable farm in Liberty township, where he has made

In 1 89 1 Mr. Hieber was united in marriage with Miss Mary Schieber, a daughter of Jacob Schieber. The father of Mrs. Hieber came from Germany to Ohio and engaged in farming in Crawford county, owning 180 acres in Liberty township and 200 acres in Whetstone township, at time of his death, at the age of fifty-two years. He married Eve Mauer, who was born in Stark county, O., and they had nine children, namely: John, Louisa, Henry, David, Emanuel, Mary, Lizzie, Abraham and Jay, all now surviving except Louisa and Jay.

Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hieber, namely: Eva, Carrie, Gladys, Lulu and Lela (twins), and Naomi. Of this family all are living except Carrie. They attend the Evangelical church of which they are liberal supporters. In politics Mr. Hieber is a Democrat.

WILLIAM H. KEEL. There are few business men in the city of Bucyrus, O., who can claim a longer continuous business record than can William H. Keel, who established his monument and marble works here 33 years ago. He has been a witness of wonderful development and has borne a part in advancing the general welfare. He was born in Somerset county, Pa., in April, 1854, and is a son of Henry and Harriet (Sailor) Keel.

Henry Keel was born also in Somerset county and spent the greater part of his life there, engaged in business as a shoemaker. He came to Ohio after his son had established himself here, but four years later returned to Somerset county and died there at the home of a daughter, when aged 69 years. He was a Democrat in politics and was a member of the Christian church, to which his wife also belonged. She died when her son, William H., was eight years old. Three sons and two daughters yet live and one son and two daughters came to Ohio, namely: William H., Mrs. John Auman, who lives at Ashland, O. ; and Mrs. William Houpt, who died in Shelby, O. Another daughter, Mrs. Harriet Woolley, died in Somerset, Somerset county. Pa. ; and still another, Mrs. Lewis, lives at Barre, Vt. ; another daughter, Mrs. Ruby, died at Braddock, Pa.

William H. Keel started to learn his trade in Somerset county. Pa., in April, 1867, afterward coming to Ohio and working for nine years as a journeyman in Shelby, O. In 1878 he came to Bucyrus and started into business, establishing his shops at No. 220 South Walnut street. He soon built up a large trade being able to make his own designs and to work in any kind of stone being particularly skillful in cutting marble and granite. At one time, before machinery had been introduced to do a part of stone cutting work, he gave employment to twenty- four workmen and kept them busy. Mr. Keel is a well known and highly respected citizen and can look back over many worthy achievements of his industrious life.

Mr. Keel was married first at Bucyrus, to Miss Tena Hipp, who died in this city August 15, 1894. She was a daughter of Judge Frederick Hipp. One son survived, Claude D. After graduating from the Bucyrus High school, he graduated in the class of 1897, from the Ohio State college, at Columbus, as a druggist and chemist and since then has been engaged in the business at Bucyrus. He married Minnie Leifer. Mr. Keel was married, secondly, to Miss Catherine Haas, who was born, reared and educated in Holmes township, Crawford county, a daughter of Henry Haas, who carries on a blacksmith business there. The mother of Mrs. Keel died some eight ears ago, leaving one son and four daughters. Mr. Keel is a Democrat in politics. He belongs to La Salle lodge. No. 51, Odd Fellows, of which he is an ex-official.

J. WALTER WRIGHT, attorney and counsellor at law, with offices in the Rouse Block, Bucyrus, O., was born at West Liberty, Logan county, O., July 14, 1874, a son of James W. and Margaret S. (Secrist) Wright. James W. Wright was born at Frostburg, Md., in 1 83 1, and came to Ohio in 1838 with his father, James Wright, the family settling in Champaign county, O. Henry Wright, father of James Wright the elder, came from Ireland, being of Scotch-Irish ancestry, settling in Maryland. James W. Wright married Margaret S. Secrist in i860, and they have lived continuously at West Liberty, O. She was born near West Liberty in 1840, a daughter of

J. Walter Wright attended the public schools of West Liberty and was graduated from the High school and afterwards was a student at Oberlin college, Oberlin, O., for one year. He then began the study of law and entered the law school of the Ohio Northern university, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in the spring of i8g8, when he was admitted to the bar at Columbus. In January, 1899, he came to Bucyrus and with the exception of a part of the year of 1903, when he was practicing law at Bellingham. Wash., he has continued his professional activities in this city for the past twelve years. In politics Mr. Wright is a Republican. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity.

ALVIN G. FLICKINGER, deputy county auditor of Crawford county, belongs to one of the old county families and was reared on the home farm in Holmes township. He was born there in July, 1872, and is a son of Horace H. and Catherine (Fralick) Flickinger, and a grandson of Samuel Flickinger, who was the first of the family to settle in Crawford county.

Samuel Flickinger was born in Lancaster county, Pa., May 29, 1792, and accompanied his parents to McConnellstown in 1796 and from there came to Stark county, O., in 181 1. He engaged in farming in that county until 1833 when he came to Crawford county and purchased a farm in Holmes township, which is yet known as the Flickinger farm although now owned by Reuben Hershberger. He died here June 20, 1871. In 1820 he married Phylinda Healy, who was born at Jamaica, Vermont, and died in Crawford county in 1873. Of their ten children two died in infancy and all have now passed away, with one exception, Mary, who is the wife of Horace Austin, a merchant in Portage county, O. They have three sons and one daughter.

Horace H. Flickinger was the seventh born in his parents' family. His birth took place in Holmes township, Crawford county, O., April 22, 1833, and he continued to reside in his native township until 1876, being in the lumber and saw mill business. He then moved to Bucyrus township, where he followed an agricultural life until his death, which occurred

May 28, 1898. He was an honorable business man and a respected citizen. For many years he had been a member of the Albright Methodist church. He married Catherine Fralick, who was born in Holmes township, Aug. 31, 1 84 1, and died at her home in Bucyrus township, Nov. 30, 1909. Five children were born to the above marriage, namely: Herschel V., who is deputy county surveyor and formerly was county surveyor; Delia A., who is the wife of Lincoln Havey, of Bucyrus, and has four children - Carry, Harrison, Cecil and Maude; Clement L., who is a farmer in Bucyrus township; Alvin G. ; and Carry B., who is the wife of Albert L. Shoemaker.

Alvin G. Flickinger was educated in the country schools and at Bucyrus and assisted his father on the home farm. Since early manhood he has been to some degree connected with political offices and in 1903 was first appointed deputy county auditor and through reappointment has served in this capacity ever since. He is very active in Democratic circles and frequently has been sent as a delegate to important conventions.

Mr. Flickinger was married in Bucyrus township to Miss Effie V. Foulk, who was born at Bucyrus, Nov. 30, 1870, a daughter of John and Susana A. (Ort) Foulk. John Foulk was born Aug. 17, 1830, at Baltimore, Md., and died Feb. 12, 1874, at Bucyrus, O. His wife, Susan A. Ort, was born Nov. 19, 1835, at York, Pa., and died at Bucyrus, Aug. 28, 1906. They were married at York, Pa., Dec. 28, 1 85 1, and to them thirteen children were born, four of whom died in infancy. Mr. Foulk followed the trade of a butcher during his residence in Bucyrus. Mr. and Mrs. Flickinger attend the Methodist Episcopal church. The only fraternal organization with which he is identified is the order of Eagles.

CHRISTIAN F. BIRK, of the well known drug firm of Birk Bros., operating at Bucyrus, O., and made up of George M. and Christian F. Birk, was born at Bucyrus, April 29, 1852, and is a son of John G. and Joanna (Kuhn) Birk.