Bureau County, Illinois - Chapter 6: Organiz.\tion of the County, 1906

Chapter 6: Organiz.\tion of the County

On the admission of Illinois into the union in 1818 she had but lifteen organized counties and most of the present Bureau county, at that time wai3 in Bond county. Bond county comprised a strip of land about twenty-five miles wide from east to west and extending from Clinton county on the south to the Wisconsin line on the north, a distance of about two hundred and seventy miles. We remained in Bond county until 1821 when the State was redividcd and all of the territory north and west of the Illinois River was organized as Pike county, comprising nearly one-third of the whole State. In 1823 Pike county was reduced nearly to its present size and Fulton county was organized, with little more than its present territory, north of the Illinois; that left all of the northern part of the State without co\mty organization and it was attached to FuUon county. The present territory of Bureau remained attached to

P'ulton county until 1825 when Putnam county was oi-ganized and embraced all of the land nortli of the Illinois River as far south as the north line of the present limits of Peoria county and west to the eastern boundary of Knox county. The southern boundary of Putnam county followed the Illinois River to the south fork (Kankakee), thence up said fork to the Indiana state line, making nearly one-fifth of the State. In 1827 Jo Daviess county was organized and took in all the northwest part of the State as far south as the northern boundary of the military tract on the Mississippi River, thence east to the bend of the Illinois River, about where Bureau Junction is now located; thence north to the Wisconsin line. It will be seen by this description that most of the land in this county, at that time, was in Jo Daviess county. In 1831 Putnam again suffered a loss of a large part of her territory. La Salle and Cook counties were forined at this time and all of the unorganized territory was attached to La Salle county, leaving in Piitnam all of Bureau, most of Stark and nearly all of Marshall. From this time on Putnam county enjoj'ed undisturbed tranquility, so far as losing territory was concerned, until 1837 when Bureau county knocked at her door, not for admission, but for separation, and in 1839 Marshall and Stark were organized and Putnam, the proud imperial county with her ten thousand square miles was, like Sampson of old, shorn of her strength and became the smallest division of this great commonwealth with only 170 square miles left. From the foregoing statement it will be seen that Putnam county was formed in 1825 under the administration of Governor Coles and from this territory Bureau county was taken. By an act of the legislature, which was passed February 28, 1837, during the administration of Governor Duncan, Bureau county came into existence. The act provided that three commissioners should be appointed to locate the county seat and tlie legislature also fixed the day for the first county election. But the act further provided that the voters of Putnam county should have the opportunity to express by ballot their wish in regard to the formation of the new county before the act should take effect. The boundary of the county was the same as now with the exception of Milo and AVheatland, which were added during the administration of Governor Carlin in 1839. As might be expected, this was a time of great activity among the voters both east and west of the Illinois River. The act provided that an election should be held on the first Monday in March. In view of this fact excitement ran high. The voters upon the east side of the river were determined, if possible, to make the vote a negative one and retain the territory that was to be known in the future as Bureau county under her jurisdiction. The voters upon the west side were equally in earnest in gelling the people to support the plan for organizing the new county.

Prominent among this number were John H. Bryant, Cyrus Bryant. William Hoskins, J. H. Olds. John .Viiifut. Cyrus Lantrworthy. K. T. Templeton, Koland Moseley, Robert Thompson, John Musgrove, Butler Dunham and many others whom space forbids us to mention. The day of election at last arrived and the whole counfy was ablaze with e.xcitement - those on the west side for and those on the east against the measure. Even women and children gave up the day to hel]i their respective sides. It must be remembered at that time there were no closed carriages, automobiles or trolley lines to carry voters to and from the polls, but they came on horseback, in crude vehicles and on foot to cast their ballots. The returns were slow in coming in, but when the vote was canvassed it was found that the proposition had carried by about thirty majority. In Princeton the peo])le were wild with excitomcnt ; houses were illuminated, guns fired, bonfires kindled, tin horns blown and almost ever conceivable kind of music and noise was made that the jubilant people could invent. Near the public square about where the house of D. H. Smith now stands a large coffee pot was filled with powder and buried about three feet deep, with a fuse attached, and at the appointed time the match was applied and from the explosion the very earth tremliled and houses swayed as by an earthquake.

Bradsby in his history tells of some convivial scenes that I will not mention, leaving the reader to draw from his imagination the picture of what those early days might have Ijrouglit forth. Notwithstanding the votes showed tliat the measure had carried, the cry of illegal voting was raised by the people on the east f^ide of the river and the authorities at Hennepin declared that there was no division and that the election would be eontested. This threat had no terror for the stalwart pioneers of Bureau, for her course of action was being directed by men of courage and decision - men who dared to do what right and justice dictated. Accordingly the three commissioners who had been a])pointed for the purjiose of locating the county seat met in ^lay and named Princeton as the place most suitable for its location. Thus briefly we have described some of the incidents and scenes of that most important period in our county's history. The men who figured in those exciting days have long since gone to their reward. More than two generations have passed since those worthy pioneers laid the foundation of this great and productive county. Only a few people now live here who were even children at that time. So all that we have now is the sacred memorv of tho.se heroic souls who left home, comforts, opportunities and friends to come into this new country and brave tlie trials, hardships and privations incident to such a life and to rear upon her virgin soil a manhood that stands in the front ranks of this advanced age, but that Tnemorv has

An election was held on the first Monday in June to elect county officers, at which William Hoskins, Arthur Bryant and Robert Masters were elected county commissioners: Cyrus Langworthy. sheriff; Thomas Mercer, clerk; John H. Bryant, recorder; Jacob Galer, coroner, and Robert Stewart, surveyor. Dan Stone being Judge of the fifth judicial district at that time ordered court to be held in Princeton the following August and appointed Cyrus Bryant clerk. We find by the record that courts were held in -'"Hampshire Colony Church"' until 184.5, at which time the new court house and jail were completed. The jail was built of hewed logs, was twelve feet square and lined with sheet iron, and prisoners were let ilown into it and taken from it through a trap door at the top. there being no doors at the sides. Such a Iniilding would be quite inadequate for modern criminals. Yet the ability to escape from our present prisons and jails seems to have kept ])ace with the improvements in architecture. Bradsby tells us in his history and the writer of this volume has verified it. that at the time of the organization of this county that there were two prominent roads or thoroughfares within its liorders. One of these was the great stage road from Peoria to Galena. This was the one which nearly all of the travelers took in going and coming from the celebrated lead mines. This was also the mail route. This road passed north and south through the coimty a few miles west of Princeton and was dail^- ]iassed over each way by a fourhorse coach to accommodate the constant stream of passengers going to the lead mines of the north. The other was the trail of the Sac and Fox Indians, running east and west and was followed by many of the early emigrants on their way west. It is said to be the route taken by Scott's army on its march from Chicago in 1832. We know of but one place in Bureau county where this trail is now visible and that is in the old burial ground at Dover. Mr. A. L. Steele called out attention to it. There was also an Indian thoriiuglifare over Indian Hill in the township of Mineral. At this early time there were many bands of roving Indians and they frequently passed through this county. The first meeting of the county commissioners was held June 7, 1S37. The records show that they were sworn in by John H. Bryant. Nathan Chamberlain was the first county school commissioner. The first official act of commissioners according to the records was to appoint Degrass Salisburv countv treasurer, who gave a bond of $l.-),000 with Thomas S. Elston and John H. Bryant as sureties. Nearly all of the north part of the coimty was included in the voting precinct of dreenfield, and Joseph Fassett, John Kendall and J. T. Holl)rook were made judges of election and the house of Tracy Reeve was the voting place. Brush Creek was outlined and Brown Searls, Job Searls and Harmon Kellums were appointed judges. The voting place was the house of William Hoskins, which was located on what is now known as Searls' ridge in Selby township. In the spring of 1839 Dover precinct was formed, coming mostly from Greenfield territory. In September, 1838, Brush Creek precinct was changed, a part of it lieing taken to form the Hall district. At the first meeting of the commissioners the Windsor district was also formed and Morris Spaulding, Joseph Robinson and Amariah Robinson were made judges. The voting place was the house of Augustus I^angworthy. At the same meeting Princeton precinct was set off with voting place at the house of Stephen Triplett. The judges were John Musgrove, Benjamin Smith and EHjah Smith. Also Coal Creek with voting place at Thornton Cummings near where Sheffield now stands and Sampson Cole, Thornton Cummings and Moses Stephens were judges. This is in brief the history of the first voting places in Bureau county. Reader, can j'ou realize that within the space of one lifetime such a transformation has taken place as we see about us? From the wild and pathless prairie covered with its primeval dress of emerald green mingled with flowers of every hue; studded with lakes upon wdiich no white man's boat ever rocked ; threaded with rivers in which no white man's oai- ever splashed : and dotted with groves where the blow of the white man's axe was never heard, and across this vast expanse of undeveloped solitude there lived and roamed another race of nren. A race whose past history Is a sealed book. A race whose ancestral life has never been traced. But here they were with all their past blotted out, living only for the present, and believing in the most extravagant traditions of their fathers - and now as you pass over this same expanse you see the iron horse of commerce with its breath of steam, carrying its freight of human souls and burdened with the products that come from the hand of civilization. We ask this question for the purpose of directing the mind of the young reader to the debt of gratitude we owe to the early pioneers of our State and county.

As before stated, the commissioners located the county seat on the 20th of June, 1837. A tax of one-half of one per cent was ordered to be laid on all personal property in the connty "except meat cattle under three years old" ; and a tax of onefourth of one per cent on all lands in the county for roads and bridges. It was also ordered that the Circuit Court sliould be held in the "Congregational Chui-ch" in Princeton until a more permanent place could be provided. John H. BryaJit was authorized to procure a "table and jiigeon box"' for the recorder's office; fifteen dollars was appropriated to purchase plank to cover the bridges across the sloughs on Main Bureau, near Elijah Smith's, and for this purpose Enos Matson was appointe<l agent : fifty dollars was appropriated for the bridges near Robert C. Masters and near Simpson HufEaker's and James G. Foristals and Robert C. Masters were appointed to attend to the work. Arthur Bryant was authorized to expend five dollars on bridges in township 16, range 9 east, and William Hoskins was authorized to expend fifteen dollars on roads in township 16, range 11 east. The commissioners then selected the following names as the first grand jurors in the county: Jonathan S. Colton, Robert Scott, Moses Trichnor, John Hall, Stephen B. Fellows, David Nickerson, John Mcp]lwaine, Tracy Reeve, Aaron Mercer, John Anient, Marshall Mason, Peter Ellis, George Bennett, Cornelius Corss, Elijah Smith, Thornton Cummings, James G. Everett, Roland Mosely, James Howe, Morris Spalding, Robert Clark, Austin Bryant and Amariah Watson. When the grand jury met Gilbert Kellums, Lyman Howe, J. H. Olds, Stephen Smith and a Mr. Spalding were placed on the jury to fill vacancies.

The following were selected as the first petit jury : Butler Dunham, James Smith, Brown Searlc, Arthur Thornton, James G. Swan, James Seaton. Curtis Williams, Demarcus Ellis, Obediah Britt, James G. Foristals, Henry Thomas, Simson Huff'aker, Elias Isaacs, Joseph Fassett, Aquilla Triplett, W. II. Wells, Benjamin Newell, Sampson Cole, Enoch Pratt, Elijah Merritt, Joseph Beelor, Erastus Sherwin, Michael Ivitterman and Caleb Cook. The records show that the first order ever drawn upon the county treasurer was for making roads and constructing bridges. In June, 1837, a special court of the commissioners was called. Benjamin Mitchell and Peter Butler, the commissioners appointed to locate the county seat were sworn into office, taking an oath to faithfully consider the interest of the jieople and the situation of the settlements. On the day of taking the oath they made a wi-itten report as follows: "We have determined to select the public square in the town of Princeton, on the west side of said square, designated as lot No. 33, as near the center as practicable ; Provided. D. G. Salisbury, Thomas S. Elston and J. II. Bryant shall execute a bond approved by the county commissioners for $7,500, and a bond to execute a deed for eight and onehalf acres of land, payable to said commissionei's for the purpose of erecting a court house and other public buildings." The records show that fifteen dollars was paid Benjamin l\Iitchell and twenty to Peter Butler for services in locating the county seat. At the Aug\ist term R. T. Templeton was appointed county treasurer. His bond was fixed at $15,000 aud Cyrus T.anguorthy, W. O. Chamberlain, John M. Gay and Thomas Epperson were his sureties. On the' 7th of August, 1837, an election was held and the following officers were elected: Degrass Salisbury, probate justice; Robert T. Templeton, treasurer; Thomas Mercer, county clerk; also several justices of the peace and constables were elected. The record also shows that Jonathan T. Holbrook gave bond to keep a hotel with David Holbrook as surety. At the August session of the county commissioners in 1837 the subject of roads was discussed and measures taken to provide for tlie same so as to accommodate the ditferent settlements as far as possible and these roads were to be made not only to provide for the present inhabitants, but future needs were anticipated. Among the men appointed to look after tiie interest of the new roads to be made in the different parts of tlie county we noticed those of John H. Bryant. David Robinson, Jonathan Colton, John Clark, Jesse Perkins and Robert Stuart. It will be seen by this that Bureau county early realized the necessity of good roads and we fully believe that the same idea prevails at the present time. At the election held in October, 1.S3T. Benjamin Smith was elected county clerk. At a meeting of the commissioners an order was made allowing Sheriff I.angworthy sixty-three dollars for expenses in prosecuting JIcBroom and Stuart charged with passing counterfeit money. They were two noted criminals in the early history of the county. The county at this time was divided into eighteen road districts and Asa Barney. Caleb Ilaskel, Daniel Radcliffe, Amariah Watson. Jesse Perkins, William Alann. John Hall, John Clark, Chauncey D. Colton, Stephen B. Fellows. William Cowan, Lewis Chilsou. Thomas J. Stephens, Ezekiel Thomas, Lyman Stowcl, Peter Ellis, Nathan Racklcy and Zenas Church were appointed as road supervisors. .Vrthur Bryant was appointed in IS.'iS to direct the building of a bridge across Bureau Creek on the road from Princeton to French Grove and one hundred dollars was ap])ropriated for same. The county having no official .seals Benjamin L. Smith was appointed to secure same for the county clerk's office, which he did. although it took a trip to St. Louis to procure them. In March. 1838, the commissioners released the signers of the $7,500 bond before mentioned on the following conditions (which we copy from the record) : "Onlored that the per- .=oiis bound on a bond for .«even thousand and five hundred dollars to the county commissioners of Bureau county and now on record, be released from the same provided the following propositions are complied with, viz.: To build for the county a jail and jailer's home agreeable to the plan furnished by tiie county commissioners; to deed to the county the half acre of land on which the Congregational meeting house now stands, together witii the house thereon ; to deed for the use of the county one-fifth of a five acre lot owned by W. 0. Chamberlain ; also thirty-four feet by fortytwo feet on lot No. thirty-one on the Public Square adjoining a lot owned |)y Fellows and Downing." The following oflicers were elected at the .\ugust election in 1838: Robert Garton, recorder; Cyrus Langworthy, sheriff; David C. Searle, coroner, and Robert Clark, William Hoskins and Tracy Reeve, commissioners. The law provided that at the tirst election of commissioners the length of term of each should be decided by a --drawing by lots." This resulted in giving Robert Clark three years, William Hoskins two years and Tracy Reeve one year. :Many of the grand and petit jurors appointed by these commissioners wer^ men who in local affairs figured conspicuously at that early date and their children and children's children are among our best and most honored citizens at the present time, but space forbids naming them in this volume. lii November of this year Stephen Smith was elected county surveyor and Asa Barney and John Long were appointed assessors. It seems that the county officers were in no hurry to qualify, as Cyrus Langworthy, who was elected in August. 1838, did not file his bond until June 5, 1839, giving Robert C. Masters and John Clark as sureties.

At the August election in 1839 D. G. Salisbury was elected Probate Justice; Oliver Bogle, recorder; R. T. Templeton, treasurer; Stephen Smith, surveyor; S. F. Deming, clerk: William Frankerberger, commissioner. The pay for the graud jury was fi.xcd at seventy-five cents a day for active service in court. In 18-40 the office of count}- collector was established and Carlton Combs was appointed, giving a $4,000 bond, with Nathaniel .\pplegate and Degrass Salisbury as sureties. .\t the August election of 1840 the offices were filled as I'oUou's : Cyrus Langworthy, sheriff; Daniel Brvant, coroner; William Hoskins, county commissioner. In 1841 there seems to have been quite a contention among the people in regard to the Dover road. The road angled then the same as now and the land owners were anxious to have it go on section lines, while the people who hauled loads to and from Chicago and other places were just as desirous that it should remain as it was, giving them a more direct and shorter route. The question was finally settled by an act of the legislature and most of the way the road was unchanged. At a meeting of the commissioners the county, which had previously been divided into two assessor's districts, was changed into one and Robert (Jarliu was appointed assessor. At the August election 1841 Thomas fiercer was chosen school commissioner and at the September term Robert E. Thompson took the place of Robert Clark as one of the county commissioners and Carlton W. Combs gave his bond of $3,000 as collector and J. IT. Bryant. James S. Everett. Cyrus Bryant and Oliver Bogle were his sureties. In the fall election of INl'i the following officers were elected: Enos Smith, county commissioner; Justin II. Olds, county collector; Stephen Smith, sheriff, and Henry Thomas, coroner. The bond of Justin H. Olds was fixed at $18,000. Some idea can be formed of the monetary cimdition at that time by the order passed at Countv Commissioners' Court June 7. 1843, wliich is as 'follows: "Ordered, that the county treasurer be and he is hereby authorized to sell and dispose of all Shawneetown money in the treasury for any sum not less than thirty-six cents on the dollar. And also to sell and dispose of the certilieates of the State Bank of Illinois at any sum not less than thirty cents on the dollar." At the election in August, 1843, we find the offices filled by the following named persons: Degrass Salisbury, probate justice; Oliver Bogle, recorder; Martin Ballou, treasurer; Justin H. Olds, surveyor: C. W. Combs, county clerk, and William Hoskins re-elected county commissioner. In 1844 Moses T. Greeley was elected county commissioner; Stephen Smith, sheriff; John Minier. coroner, and George W. IMinier, surveyor.

In August, 1846, Jacob Sells was elected county commissioner to fill the place of William Hoskins. Stephen Smith was re-elected sheriff and James Chenoweth county judge, and Justin H. Olds was appointed overseer of the poor for the county.

In 1847 Stephen Smith was again re-elected sheriff and A. T. Thompson county clerk. In 1848 J. V. Thompson was elected sheriff and J. T. Thompson county treasurer. We have now given the important changes in the principal offices and measures through the period when the county was under the management of county commissioners. The records are not as clear nor as full as those of more recent date, but we think they are suificient to give one all of the facts he will care to know. We think perhaps it may be of interest to the reader to know that at the electien held on Saturday, March 17, 1838, to decide the question as to whether Princeton should be incorporated or not that there were twenty votes cast for incorporation and none against. The votes were cast bv Andrew P. Smith, Stephen Wilson, W. H. AVolls. Noah Wiswall, Cyrus Longwoi'thv, John Long, Robert C. Masters.' Samuel Triplett. John Walter, Butler Denham, John Vaughn, Oliver Bogle, E. II. Phelps, Joseph Houohton, Joseph Smith, Robert Stuart. John H. Brv'ant, Justin H. Olds, Thomas S. Elston and Robert T. Templeton. These men. one by one, have joined the great majority who now rest from their labors in the ''bivouac of the dead." But the municipality which they instituted has lived and expanded, verifying the saying that "men die but institutions live." We have tried to eliminate from the recorded events of the early history of the county everything that would not be of general interest or of statistical value. We find a few special legislative acts that we believe will be of interest to the people, to-wit : March 2. 18.39, Greenfield changed to La IMoille. March 6, 1842, county authorized to borrow $.'5,000 to complete court house. Town of Gold created February 12. 1853. In 1849 by a large majority vote Bureau coimtv adopted the township system. Instead of three commissioners legislating for the county each township elected a supervisor to look after the interest of their own township and the general welfare of the county. Three county commissioners were appointed to designate the boundary linos and name the township. The countv was divided into twenty-three townships about as they now are with the exception of two townships, to-wit, Manlius and Wheatland ; the former being a part of Greenville unHl 18-")4; the latter is only one-half of a congressional township and was joined to Milo until 1857.

The first meeting of the supervisors was held on April 8, 1850. At this meeting the record shows that fifteen townships were represented at the organization of the board as follows : Richland (now Ohio), John Ross; Greenville, William .Martin: Dover. Enoch Lumery; Berlin, Enos Smith; Westfield, Michael Kennedy; Selby, William Hoslrins; Princeton, John H. Bryant; Concord, Thomas Stevens; Brawby (now Neponset), Thomas Gattridge; Jefferson (now Macon), Allen Horton; Indiantown, Timothy N. Ferrell; Arispie. George JIcManis; Leepertown, John Wherry; Milo, William B. Whipple; Fairfield, Whicher Dow.

On the third ballot John II. Bryant was elected chairman. The record does not show that any further business was done that day. On April 10 the following additional members took their seats: John D. Pinnell, Bloom (now Hall) ; Edward JI. Wilson, Center (now Wyanet) ; C. C Corse, Bureau; Richard Brewer, Walnut; A. G. Porter, Clarion ; R. B. Frary, La Moille ; Ebenezer Kent, Mineral. At this first meeting of the board the name of Jefferson was changed to Macon and Bloom to Hall and Richland to Ohio. So bega\ one of the history making epochs of this county. N^ot one of these men live to tell the story. Quite a number of them were active in county affairs for many years, but the scythe of time at last struck them down and they were gathered to their fathers. Thus one generation builds for another and passes off the stage of action and only the few realize that they have ever been.

Bureau county was among the first to adopt township organization and there are still a I'cw coimtics left in the State that cling to the old commissioner system. Simon Kinney, Jacob T. Thompson and Tracy Reeve were the commissioners appointed to fix the boundary line of townships and to name the same. The proceedings of this first board were published in the Bureau County Advocate. The names of the men who have served on the board of supervisors from each township will be found following the short history given of the same. Among those who have had a long term of service on the board are: A. G. Porter, Clarion; D. P. Smith and William Wilson, Ohio; 0. L. P>earss, Walnut; Lee Brown, Fairfield: Michael Skeffington. Westfield; George Rackley and Enos Smith, Berlin; Warren Poole, Dover; .\. B. Kinsman and Potter AVhite, Manlius; Henry Snyder, Hall; Anthony Morassy, Gold; E. P. Edwards, La Moille; A. W. Lawton, Concord; T. J. Haley and Jacob Carper, Macon; John McCnllough, Milo; Jonas More and S. G. Soverhill, Indiantown; J. H. Wolsli and Orriii '\\'ilkinson, .Arispie; J. M.

From 1837 to 1845 northern Illinois was the home of a large number of bandits who were roving through the country, stealing horses, entering houses and taking money and valuables, and waylaying travelers on the public highway, in fact, committing all kinds of depredations, but no clue could be obtained of the perpetrators of the crimes. This band of outlaws had a most perfect organization, which included iii(>n high up in social and political circles. The organization extended through Illinois, the southeast part of Iowa and all through Missouri. They had a more perfect underground railroad than the anti-slavery people ever had. They had their confederates stationed all along the line and men, too, who were above suspicion wore their accomplices. Mr. Michael Kittcrman of this county lost a very valuable pair of horses and no trace of them was ever found. Two of this notorious gang. Fox and Birch, used to operate through Bureau county. Birch after his arrest told of the stealing of a pair of horses southwest of Princeton supposed to be the Kitterman team. This state of affairs culminated in the murder of Col. George Davenport on the island of Rock Island July 4. 1845. The whole people became aroused and the murderers were run down and four men arrested, namely, Robert Birch, John and Aaron Long and Granville Young, and a man by the name of Fox escaped. Birch confessed to lieing accessory to the crime and was given a life sentence, but afterwards escaped. John and Aaron Long and Granville Young were hung in Rock Island liefore a great concourse of people. At the hanging when the drop fell John Long and Granville Young met death instantly, but the rope around the neck of Aaron Long broke and although he had previously denied any knowledge of th(< murder, he now confessed and was soon launched into eternity. 'J'liis was the grand finale of the great murder trial of 1S45 and from that time on the country was freed from the nefarious work of the bandiili.

.\L j;. (Jartcn. one of the early settlers of this county, was born in Indiana in 1S20 and came with his parents to Illinois in is:!;i. They made the journey with a teatn and followed the trail of the soldiers till they arrived at Fort Ifeiniepin on the Illinois river. At this point they found a postoffice and store in a block bouse and few settlers in Hennepin, which at that time was the only town within a radius of fifty miles. Mr. Garten and his father crossed the river and purchased a claim of Amos Leonard for $.'?00. This jiropertv now known as the Andrew Wise farm and is located aiiout six miles southeast of Princeton. They remained there and improved their place, having for neighbors Indians and a few settlers.

nearly three-quarters of a century. He was one of the few early pioneers left. He died July 18, 189G, at the 'advanced age of 86. The following is a short account of some of his experiences given hy himself:

"The scpiaws with their papooses came to call on us. The papoose, strapped to a board, was set up against tlie cabin while the mother came in to see what we had in our house. The old Indian warriors talked much of the big battles they had fough.t with other Indian tribes between Ottawa and Peoria. The old men also told of the big snow that fell sixty years before, about 1773, and remained so long that the buffalo and other large game nearly all perished, and when spring came the few survivors wended their way across the 'Father of Waters," and this was the last seen of iiuffalo in Illinois.

'"I rode over Princeton prairie before it was settled and even then quite frequently saw the larger buffalo bones and horns on the dry prairie. Tiskilwa, or Indiantown, as it was then called, was simply a large Indian camping ground to and from which many Indians came and went, and where many lived in wigwams almost continuously and raised corn. They erected no wooden structures, and when they left for a season their shelter and ponies accompanied them. There were several old trails leading to other camping grounds and frontier settlements which in many places were worn down several inches in depth.

'T was. not at the Indian council held at Indiantown in 1833, but I was subsequently on that council gnuind with a white man who was at the council and understood well all that the chiefs and great men said on that noted occasion. Black Hawk made the call for the council, and there were chiefs and great warriors from the Rocky mountain tribes in attendance. When they had all assend)led they built a great council fire around which all save one were seated. Black J lawk stood erect in their midst and said: 'The white man is coming over our boundary lines. He is cutting down our trees to build his wigwam and is killing our game. If the Indian tribes will unite and send their warriors they will stand as thick as the trees in the grove, and they can drive the white man back to the rising sun. If we do not our papooses will cry with hunger, and we and our squaws will be driven back to the setting sun where there are no good hunting grounds and where we will die, and there will be no more Indians in these good hunting grounds where the (Irent Spirit has placed us."

"Then the Big Chief Senachwine arose and said : "I have been three times to see the great chief of the ])ale face, the president of the United States, at Washington. He has a big tribe and cares not to unite with other tribes as he has many warriors to fight his battles. If our warrior* would come and stand as thick as the trees in the grove the White Chief's warriors would gather about us as thick as the leaves on the trees and the pale face warriors could drive us where their (^ireat Chief may bid us go.'

"The council soon saw that Senachwine was right, but Black Hawk wanted a war and many of his warriors joined him. When they crossed the Mississippi on their way to attack the Illinois settlements the white man's friend, Shabbona, rose in his might to save them. He rode far and wide to tell the settlers that Black Hawk's warriors had crossed the 'Big River' and were on their way to the Illinois, and for them to tlee to the fort at once. The timely warning of the faithful Shabbona were heeded by nearly all. The Hall family were killed and two of the girls, Rachel and Sylvia, were taken prisoners.

Dinner With Shabbona

"The last time that I saw Shabbona he and his squaw ate dinner at our house. They had been to see President Jackson about swapping a piece of land they had on the Mississippi river for a piece in Lee county. They said they ate dinner with President Jackson and Shabbona thought President Jackson a good and great man as he gave him a coat and wanted him to wear hoots, but said that he told Jackson, 'boots heap good for white man but no good for Indian.'

"When the Pottawotoniies went to Chicago and the government paid them their last installment for the territory of Illinois and removed them in wagons to Council Bluffs the most of them rode their ponies, there being about 500 Indians in the j)rocession. When the head of the cavalcade reached Princeton two or three of the whites had a barrel of whisky to sell to the Indians, who soon got to drinking and commenced the warwhoop.

"While there the young chief Shabbona and I went into Gay's store and he bought some ribbon for his young squaw. When we came out of the store quite a large crowd was around the place where they were buying and drinking whisky, or as the Indians called it, "good water.' ]\latters were getting in 'high spirits' and I told young Shabbona to send one of his men back to inform the Indian agent as to the state of affairs.

"I assisted in burying the traveler who was found dead on the trail about one mile south of Lost Grove and not far from the present site of Arlington. The body was discovered by Rev. Lumery. That nisht I with others rode around to the few scattering neighbors, requesting them to assemble the next morning at the point where the body was found. On the following day when the few people had assembled, my father, Robert Garten, summoned a jury and held an inquest over the body. They found that the man had been shot through the right arm and the skull was fractured. The body when found was entirely destitute of clothing and conditions pointed unmistakably toward robbery and cold blooded murder. A grave was dug, the body was wrapped in a sheet, which my mother had sent for and the body was placed in a box. My father offered a prayer and performed the burial services. We lowered the body to its final resting place and after filling up the grave, we rode over the prairie in hopes of discovering some further evidences of the crime and some possible clue of its perpetrators.

Discovees A Clue

"Dr. Chamberlain and I were riding up the trail when we discovered a bundle of clothing tied up in a handkerchief. We beckoned to some hunters near by and they came to us. We opened the bundle and Dr. Chamberlain holding up a shirt which it contained, exclaimed, 'The damned murderer failed to shoot the shirt through the right arm as the dead man was shot.' Near tlie clothing was found a pocket bible, on the fly leaf of which was plainly written : 'Frederick Bunn and Thomas Dustus. Presented by Mrs. Gardner.'

"We then rode up to the grove and there found that some one had been lying in the high grass near the trail. We also found three other trails through the grass, all of which led to the point where the body was found. From these facts, all were of the opinion that the traveler was shot while riding on the trail near the grove, and falling or leaping from his horse, was pursued a mile lief ore being killed, as two large clubs were found near the liody.

Coneession Of The Crime

"Several years after the above related events, I was told that a man by the name of Green, sentenced to be hanged, confessed that he and another man killed a lone traveler on Indian trail near Lost Grove and secured $1,200, a good horse, saddle and bridle and a good suit of clothes, hut i would not divulge the name of his partner in the crime.

"I cast my lii-st vote for President W. H. Harrison at Princeton in 1840, and my sixteenth vote for President Roosevelt in the same town in 1904. When I became of age I was elected constable and served as deputy sheriff during the regime of tlie noted 'Banditti of the Prairie,' during which Colonel Davenport of Rock Island was murdered, the Long brothers hanged, travelers found robbed and killed along the public highways and horses stolen on every hand.

Made State Detective

"Later I was appointed and commissioned by tlie governor as a state detective. On one occasion a man came to me about midnight with the information that the noted outlaw, Sam Patch, was stopping over night in the neighborhood. Well mounted and armed I rode alone to the house designated by my informant, tied my horse in the edge of the grove and creeping cautiously to the house, was fortunate in. finding my game sound asleep in bed. I made no delay in securing his clothing and grip. I then spoke to him. With a quick spring, his eyes flashing like those of an enraged tiger, he met me face to face. Well covered by my trusty gun, he gave due heed to my reading a state warrant and realizing fully that I had the 'drop on hinv he accompanied me to Lee county where he was tried for horse stealing. In my business as detective I was frequently so long absent and unheard of that my father and friends would send a tracer after me, ijut fortunately I escaped all snares. Jiy parents were both born, raised and educated in Virginia. My mother was the daughter r.f Flower Swift, of Grayson Court House, Virginia, and to me seemed a remarkable woman. I have heard her say that when she was a girl at home, she with others remained up all night molding lead bullets and putting them in sacks to send to our soldiers in the war of 1812. It is quite probable that she had a lover in the army from the fact that in 1815 she and Robert Garten were married and removed to Lawrence county in 1816 where they improved a farm and remained until 1833 when they removed with their family to Illinois.

"Wc remained on the claim some four or five niilrs northwest of Ilenuepin - now owned by Mr. Wcise - until 1835, when my latlier sold it to Colonel Pitman, of Kentucky. AVhen land became subject to entry in that section, we took a claim and bought another on Big Bureau creek one and one-iialf miles northwest of the present site of Dover, where my father built the first twostory frame house built in this country."

^^r. Garten lived with his ])arents working on tiu'ir home farm at the same time improving a elaim for himself, until 1845 when he returned to Lawrence where he married the daughter of Hon. M. Helnier, a prominent citizen and successful merchant of that county, ^[rs. Helmer, a southern lady, was a cousin to President Polk. .\fter a brief wedding tour they returned to the home of his wife where he clerked in her father's store for one year, when they purchased the business which he continued quite successfully for thirtv-three vears.