Knox County, Ohio - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 8 of those read), 1862

Condition Of The Country In 1818

Efforts to start a sabbath-school, and to sell young ladies ! - Horse-thieves and counterfeiters abound. - A j.\il-bird escapes. - - A cripple runs. - Habeas corpus trials. - A grand circular hunt.

The palmy periods of Knox county, prior to 1820, were from 1808 until 1812, and from 1815 until 1818. In tlie intermediate time there was much depression and suifering caused by the war of 1812 ; and from the beginning of the year 1818, there was another period of deep gloom and distress caused by the scarcity of money, failure of banks, &c. For several years there was but slight influx of population, but little addition to the wealth of this section. The productions of the country were almost valueless in exchange for money, and it was with difficulty that they could be bartered for goods at the stores. The unfortunate speculation in which many of the most substantial citizens engaged, under the name of the Owl Creek Bank ; the depreciation of the paper money making up the principal circulation, and the general lack of confidence throughout the country in all kinds of business operations, prevented much improvement being made in Knox county. Many of the then settlers became entirely discouraged and out of heart, pulled up stakes and returned to their old homes eastward, or sought better chances elsewhere in the new country. Almost all whom we have conversed with, say that the most dull and gloomy times they have witnessed since the last war with Great Britain, were between the years 1818 and 1825.

During this period we find numberless suits instituted, and judgments obtained, by " The Granville Alexandrian Societv," "The German Bank of Wooster," " The Owl Creek Bank," and other like Institutions, against the Yores, and Farquhars, and Strongs, and Smiths, and Browns, and Martins, and Hawns, and Winships and others, of the older class of settlers. The mere mention of this fact, in connection with matter developed in our Owl Creek Bank history, will be sufficient upon this subject to convey an idea of the sad condition of affairs at that period. To other matters, then, we will revert.

And first, as to the other business disposed of by the Court in 1818. The Grand Jury, at the April term, found bills of indictment against fourteen persons. Eor affrays, the Court fined Wm. Wright $1, and costs ; Wm. Herrod and Simon Anderson $3 each, and costs. At the July term, six bills were returned by the Grand Jury ; and for fights, Sylvester Buxton and Daniel Baxter were each fined $3, and costs. Except Michael Harter, no new person makes application to keep tavern, and none to sell goods - the houses of Burr, Green & Co., and Moody and McCarty, being simply altera- tions in style of firms. And for six years so few changes were made in these or other branches of business, that we desist from further detail of Court proceedings.

The legal termination of Clinton's existence is the only court matter left to be recorded on this page. The Court, on the 17th of April, heard the petition of Samuel H. Smith, Ichabod Marshal, Elihu S. Webster, Lathrop Shurtliff, John P. Mc- Ardle, Benjamin Barney and Richard Ayres, for vacation of a part of the town of Clinton, and granted the prayer. Shortly after this the Post- Office at Clinton is discontinued, and it rapidly goes into decline.

Miss Ann Davis is the second milliner advertised in Mount Vernon. " She is to be found at the house of James Smith, Esq., on Gay sti'cet ; and will alter straw hats of old date to any fashion, and has straw on hand for a few hats."

As the people are becoming still more fashionable, another milliner makes her appearance - and she has the advantage over the others of being ^^ Mantua-maJcer^^ and "Florist.^^ Mary Lindsey is at the house of Benjamin Martin, corner of Yine and Market streets. March 18th, 1818, mtnesses the opening out of the first " Man-tor-mentor," as the natives then pronounced the word in Mount Vernon.

Burr, Green & Co., having bought a stock of goods of Mr. Norton, in January, advertise that they will sell as low as formerly for Owl CrecTc paper, or approved country produce, but no credit given.

In April, 1818, a two-column address was published in favor of establishing a Sabbath School in Mount Yernon - arguing that " it would be much better for young men to instruct the children, instead of haunting the taverns from morning till night ;" and saying that " a respectable company of young ladies in town intend to associate themselves together for the purpose of forming a Sabbath school."

" New Goods fob Sale. - James Smith has just received and offers for sale a general assortment of Merchandise. In the house of Mr. Gilman Bryant, he will sell low for cash in hand, or countryproduce delivered, hut no credit given. OWL Creek paper will he received at par ; Granville, Wooster, New Lisbon, and Canton will he received at the present. Clerk's Office removed to this stand, and

Young Ladies For Sale

About the time the Owl Creek Bank was in its glory, sundry citizens of the northern part of Knox county and of Kichland and Huron concluded to grow suddenly rich in like manner. Accordingly they met at Mansfield in September, 1816, and associated themselves as the Bank of Bichland and Huron. Having consulted upon the subject, in October they put their schemes into articles, and Daniel Ayres, John Garrison, Winn Winship, Wm. Webster, Wm. B. James, Wilson Elliott, Matthew Kelly, Alexander McGaflfick, Plum Sutliff, Samuel WiUiams, Wm. W. Cotgreave, Wm.

"Wilson Elliott, C«s7^ier, notifies stockholders to i^nj ten per centutn on the amount of stock subscribed, being the fourth installment, within 60 days. Also those who have been accommodated with loans, will be prepared to pay in 25 per cent, on the renetcal of their notes."

The paper of the " Granville Alexandrian Society" had, about those times, a large circulation among our citizens, and as this institution has subsequently acquired almost as great notoriety as the Owl, we give a few lines of our history to its origin.

A number of the Oranvillians having become desirous of handling money faster than the hard money allowed, associated themselves together in 1806 to make paper money. Among this number were Timothy Rose, Timothy Spelman, Elias Gilman, Samuel Thrall, Job Case, Samuel Rose, Samuel Bancroft, John Duke, Hiram Rose and Jeremiah R. Munson. On the third day of January, 1807, an act of incorporation was obtained, and the persons first named were constituted the first Board of Directors ; and for many years this organization manufactured what they called money.

The country was filled with other worthless and irresponsible bank paj^er, and a great deal of that counterfeit, too. *' Shinplasters," as now termed, were manufactured wherever type and printingink could be got. We have one of the kind made at the Begister office in Mount Yernon, by McArdle, to fill an order from a stranger named Isaac Foster. They were printed on common letter paper. Two quires of eighty-seven and a half cents and two quires of seventy-five cents were issued.

"There is no doubt but the person getting the checks you mention printed is doing so without the knowledge of Mr. Ross, for the purpose of defrauding the public. If you can, without any trouble, put a stop to it, be good enough to do so."

McArdle had printed them the 7th of December, and it was not until January that the Cashier had been heard from. Excitement ran high " on change," and with those who had taken these change tickets. Those were terrible times on Owl Creek !

Just before this occurrence, the men of commerce had been greatly alarmed by counterfeit silver dollars being put in circulation in the county, and in preference paper had assumed a prominence in the public estimation.

A man named Daniel Wolgamott was arrested, and lodged in the jail of the county, for attempting to pass twelve base and counterfeit dollars, purporting to be silver. And Robert Walker was arrested for having attempted to pass one counterfeit dollar. A warrant was also issued for one William Coffrany for being concerned in making and passing counterfeit dollars, purporting to be silver, founded on an affidavit of the prisoner, Wolgamott. Coffran was a shoemaker by trade, and, notwithstanding

Wolgamott, or Yidgamott, as Sheriff Shaw called him, remained in his lodgings (the jail) about a month, when, between dark and daylight one night, he "left his bed and board;" and the Sheriff offered $45 reward for the capture of a " man six feet high, dark complexion, dark hair, and has a downcast look " - but all in yain ; the place that had known him shall know him no more forever !

Horse-thieves abounded more in Knox county at this time than at any other period of its history. Scarcely a day passed without an account of some new depredation. Among the number were two fine mares stolen from the stable of Ehjah Adams, in Morris township, for which he offered $40 reward ; also a reward for the thief, " who no doubt belongs to the gang of thieves who have so long labored in their vocation of taking away horses from their honest owners ivitJwut leave, and passing counterfeit money through this State."

Two shoemakers by trade, who passed by the names of Eichie and Ryan, alias Austin and Scott, were of this gang ; and also one John Crawford, who was caught with a horse stolen from Eairfield county, tried, and sentenced to six years imprisonment in the Penitentiary. A horse-thief was followed till near Hanary's Block-house ; but by leaving the horse, rode down and made good his escape. Another horse-thief, followed beyond Radnor, left a horse dead in the road from hard driving. It was the custom then for men to make common cause, and hunt for each other's horses as soon as they heard of a theft being committed ; for no one knew then but what it would be his turn to suffer next. Anti-horse-stealing associations were got up, and neighbors sympathized with each other, upon the principle that " a fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind."

Habeas Corpus

The first writ of habeas corpus was allowed " by the Honorable John H. Mefford, Esq.," April 26th, 1819. John Shaw, Sheriff, brought into the Courthouse the body of Amos Tarnall, with the mittimus, showing the cause of his caption and detention. Saml. Mott, Esq., appeared as his attorney, and on his motion, after the attorney for the State had duly considered the matters in law arising, the Court let him to bail in the sum of $50. James Smith his security.

The second case, that of Wm. Knight, who, on the 8th of July, 1819, was brought to the Courthouse, and by Judge Mefford admitted to bail in the sum of $50 ; Alexander Elliott becoming his bondsman.

The third case occurred April 3d, 1820, when Judge Joseph Brown set at large Abel Eowler, upon Artemas Estabrook and Alfred Manning becoming his security for his appearance at the May term of Knox Common Pleas, in the sum of $50.

In this year an interesting case was presented in allowance of a writ, on the 20th of November, by Judge Brown, requiring John Bird and Judah Bird to bring into Court the body of an Indian child, daughter of Bachel Conkapote, deceased, by her husband, Elisha Conkapote, both Indians of the Stockbridge tribe. Judges Young and Chapman also appeared, and the whole Court lent itself to an impartial examination of the case, which resulted in their leaving the little Indian in the hands of the Birds, John and Judah. This little Indian was daughter of the squaw killed, as related in chapter xxi.

This was perhaps the most interesting case heard upon writ of this character, until the great military oase of Col. Warden, which was tried upon writ issued in name of the State vs. Wm. E. Davidson.

W. E. Davidson, Provost Marshal of the 2cl Brigade, 3d Division, Ohio Militia (late 4th Brigade, 7th Division, 0. M.), in pursuance of an order by Brigadier-General Wm. Bevans (commander of said Brigade), and upon action of a Court Martial, now in session in Mt. Vernon, convened by order of said Gen. Wm. Bevana, on Monday, Sept. 25th, 1837. Col. H. W. Strong, President of Board. Discharged by said James Elliott, Judge, &c."

Another case, of much interest, at a still later period, was about the two dwarfs - of Porter's wife - held, it was claimed, illegally by Warner. Upon hearing, however, the Court did not think so, and they remained in custody of the showman, at last accounts.

The writ of habeas corpus became a favorite resort in liquor cases, where parties were, as they thought, unjustly persecuted and cast into prison, by fines imposed upon temperance principles. During the administration of his Honor Judge Bevans, more writs of habeas corpus were granted than in all the rest of our history put together. To such an extent was it carried, that he acquired the sobriquet of Old Habeas Corpus. The venerable Judge always leaned towards the side of suffering humanity. If he erred in judgment, it was because no work upon the subject had been published at that date. Our townsman, Judge Hurd's work on Habeas Corpus, did not get into print until the year 1858.

Sports And Circular Hunts

From the earliest period in our history, hunting, horse-racing, and athletic sports, were freely indulged in by our people. Many, very many of these festive occasions have been lost sight of or entirely forgotten by the great majority of those now living, who in these later days have become wholly absorbed in money-making pursuits, and have ceased to think that man was made to rejoice as well as to mourn. Our Owl Creek settlers, the old pioneers, bless their memories, believed that there is a time for all things, and that sports of the turf, circular hunts, etc., were not interdicted. In truth, we are constrained to say that very many of the old set believed in such sports all the time.

A grand circular hunt came off in 1818, wherein the natives of Knox and Coshocton vied with each other for the mastery. At an early hour of the day appointed for the frolic, the people commenced gathering in on the lower part of Owl Creek ; and when the companies were formed under their captains, more than 1500 people were present. The drive was from our county towards the town of

Coshocton, and when finally the ring was drawn in, from 300 to 500 deer and many wolves were Lagged. It was a glorious day that - remembered with pride by all who participated in it. Our old friend Joe Hull, of Monroe, was one of the captains, and it can well be imagined that he enjoyed it hugely.