Effingham County, Illinois - Chapter 6, 1883

POPULATION, FARM PRODUCTS AND OTHER STATISTICS - FOREIGNERS - OUR OWN PEOPLE AND THEIR POLITICS - HUSH MONEY - HOW KEPT AND HOW INVESTED - REMOVAL OF COUNTY-SEAT - TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION - RICH MINES - "GOLD, YEA, .MUCH FINE GOLD" - THE "WAY-BILL," AND WHERE IT LEUSALT CREEK SILVER - THE DESERTED CABIN, ETC.

IN the order of States when Effingham County was brought into existence, Illinois ranked as the twentieth State in the Union, with a population of 157,445. In 1840, the State was number fourteen, with a population of 476,183. In 1850, it numbered eleven, with a population of 851,470. In 1860, it ranked as fourth, population 1,711,951. In 1870, it was still the fourth State, with 2,539,819 of people. In the census of 1880, it was still the fourth State,but pressed so closely upon Oiiio that it was not until every precinct was counted that it could be told whether Illinois or Ohio was going to be the third State in the Union. Ohio won by a few thousand only in the matter of popula. tion. While in many things Illinois is the first State in the Union. In farm products, cattle and wheat she stands pre-eminent and alone ; in producing regularl3- the largest wheat crops of any State in the Union: in the matter of miles of railroad she is without a rival, and the past year more miles of new railroad, and more roads have been projected and in the process of building than any other State.

over the wide prairies ever supposed the}' would become inhabitalile for man or brought under the control of the farmer and to the present progressive state of improvement.

This decrease of the numbers in tliese townships may and probabl}' is fullj- accounted for bj- the fact that, in 1 870, the work was being rapidly pushed to completion on the " Van " Railroad.

In 1880, Joseph Rhodes, of Mound Township, is reported one hundred j-ears old. Richard and Elizabeth Geotke, of Bishop, are reported the oldest married couple in the county - aged eightj'-seven j'ears. Cyntha Rentfro is reported ninety-three years old. David Davis and Aug. Grobenheiser same age, and Dedrick Stumbach and Adam Hany each eight3'-nine years old.

In 1860, there were in the county 982 foreign born inhabitants; in 1870, there were 2,795. There were comparatively few foreigners in the county except Germans, and the majority of these came here between 1840 and 1860.

The nativit}' in the count}- in 1870 is reported as follows: Born in the State, 7,323; in Ohio, 1,783 ; New York, 455 ; Pennsylvania, 376; Indiana, 1,377; Kentucky, 391; British America, 77; England and Wales, 117; Ireland,228; Scotland,21; Germany,2,121; France, 58; Sweden and Norway, 63; Switzerland, 46; Bohemia, 1; Holland, 4; Denmark, 23. The Tennesseans are not reported. This is to be regretted, because all the first settlers here were from that State, and for a long time there were here comparatively none except Tennesseans and Ohioans. And, as singular as it may now seem, at first the people of these two States were much inclined to hold aloof from each other. The truth was, the Ohioans brought here about the first Whig votes that were ever cast to disturb the peace and quiet of the solid Hickory Democrats, and sometimes on general election days there were mutterings, and a few fist fights flowed out of this ripple in the political afl'airs of the county. One or two of the remaining remnauts of those early day Whigs can yet tell you how they shouldered their gun and marched up to tue polls and voted their viva voce vote against Gen. Jackson, and how they had to march up between a row of " by the eteraah " that were struug out on either side and loolcing black thunder at them all the way up to the ballot box. But no attack was ever made upon a voter as he approached the polls or returned. It was only after tiie brave Whig had triumphantly voted and returned to the convenient doggery to treat his victory, that a row or a fight ever was precipitated. But these Ohioans were young, stout, fearless fellows, and their pluck and hard fists soon conquered a truce, a peace and amity, and so much was this so, indeed, that scarcelj' any of them, that lived to survive the dissolution of the Whig party, but that in the end became as strong Democrats as ever had been the originals.

The two things that were marked eras in the history of the county were the constructing of the Cumberland Road and the Central Road. The work on the Cumberland practically brought the first settlers here, and it left here some of the most marked characters that the early county ever had.

The work was commenced in 1829 in this county, and the cutting out of the timber on the line of road was completed in the winter of 1830-31. The work was pushed to practical completion a short distance west of Ewington, and then with scattering work at the streams as far west as Vandalia, such as a levee across the Okaw Bottom, and three bridges at that place, had exhausted the appropriations of Congress, and the people of Illinois, becoming crazed over the foolish State policy, were divided in sentiment to the extent (some wanted it to go to Alton and others to St. Louis) that no further approptiations were procured, and the great work was stopped. To this count}' it was a most important public work. It gave the people access to the outside world, where before they had been pent up by almost impossible obstacles. People could go to Terre Haute and St. Louis, and thus reach markets and sell the little portable stuff they had, and buy such things as their necessities demanded and haul thorn home. But the growth of county improvements was slow indeed. The county, like the people generally-, was poor, and while thc3' made commendable efforts, yet often the money was wasted through being expended by inexperienced or ignorant men.

Hush Moneij. - February 17, 1837, the State had gone daft on the subject of internal improvements, and it had passed a law that it supposed vyould fill up the State with railroads and canals, and in order to " inttoonce " the vote of counties that were not provided for with any such improvement, it voted a fund of $200,000 to be given pro rata to such counties as a bonus. Thus, all were made happy. " Take a railroad, a canal or the money," and go th}' way rejoicing.

This county got neitlicr a road nor canal, and hence 'at the November (1837) term of the County Commissioners' Court tlie following proceedings were had:

Whereas, On Februaiy 17, 1837, the State of Illinois appropriated .1300,000 of the lirst money that shall be obtained under this aot, to be drawn by the several counties in a ratable proportion to the census last made through which no railroad or "Cannell" is provided, to be made at the expense and cost of the State of Illinois, which said money shall be expended in the improvement of roads, constructing bridges and other public works; and,

Whereas, The county of Effingham has none of the aforementioned railroads or "Cannells," and thereby is entitled to its proportionate share of the aforesaid appropriation for the better securing of the county in its equitable rights.

John Funkhouser was appointed a Special County Commissioner to proceed at once and secure, " by all lawful means," the money, and deliver the same to the county.

Funkhouser did the best he could, but failed to get the money. In about a year afterward, Loy was appointed in Fuukhouser's place, and got from the State $2,037.50 as Etfingham's share of the public money.

lenwaters, Funkhouser and Parkhiirst, together with the Count}- Treasurer, were in the greatest distress over having the money which they had struggled so hard to get. Where could they put it? Would it be stolen? The County Treasurer declared he could not sit up all the time to guard it, and to go to sleep threatened a total loss. A council was called, when one of the Judges, after an oath of secrecj^ from the others, took it in charge, carried it home, and while all the world slept, he took down his wife's big reticule, made to hold bean seed, and hung by a string from a cross-beam above the bed, and took out the old lady's treasure and put that of the county's in its place, and returned it, and there it hung, looking as innocent as anj' old woman's seed-bag in the county. There was much talk and excitement among all the people when this large amount of money came to the countv. Some would havelikfed to have seen it, but most were content to hear, from morn till night, the story of its really being here, and spread their e3-es at the marvelous rehearsal.

What will we do with it? was the prevailing question. J udge Gillenwater's idea was to loan it out to " squatters " to enter their improvements with, and then take the land for security; give a low interest, and thus create a perpetual count}' improvement fund. Evidently this was a good idea. The court overruled it, however, and the money was devoted to building bridges for the county. As soon as the bridges could be located, they were built, and the nest spring the freshets washed them all away.

This was the end of the great hush monejscheme, and while it is certainlj' ridiculous enough, it is no more so than was the experience of many other counties which took railroads in their share of the boot}-.

In 1859 the question of tlie removal of the county seat from Ewingtoo to Effingham, which had been agitated for a short time, came before the people in the form of a general election.

The campaign was short and warm. Effingham was nothing but a hamlet, while Ewington had about 200 people in it; but the former had the advantage of being on the railroad, and Ewington was over three miles away. The friends of the latter contended that it would be on a railroad as soon as the " Brough " road was built; but the complete repl}- to tbis was that when the " Brough " was built Effingham would have two roads - be at a crossing, and, better than all, at a crossing of two of tlie best railroads in the State. By a small majority, Effingham carried the day, and great was the rejoicing here of the few people who were then its inhabitants.

Whereas, By act of the Legislature, April 18, 1859, " aa act to re-locate the county seat of Effingham," an election was held in the county on the first Monday of September, 18.59, and a majority voted to remove the county seat from Ewington to Effingham; and,

"Wliereas, Samuel W. Little and David B. Alexander are the owners of tlie block known as the Old Square in the town of Broughton (now Effingham), and have offered to deed the same free of expense to the county; and,

" Whereas, S. W. Little, John M. Mette, George Wright, George H. Scoles. John J. Funkhouser and W. B. Cooper have entered into a bond to erect thereon a court-house, as specified in said bond, free of expense to the county, in case said block shall be selected by the County Court."

It was ordered by the court to accept said block, and approve the bond offered, and to permit said S. W. Little and others to proceed at once to the erection of said court house.

Thus was officially sealed the fate of the once ambitious and high-minded little town of Ewington. As matters turned out it was truly saying to it "over the hills to the poor-house."

of township organizatiou was submitted to the people, and was carried in tavor of such arrangement. Men voted for and against the project, knowing very little about it, and it is now onh" after twenty years of trial are they able to impartially judge whether it is a good or a bad thing. There is no certainty that it will ever be voted down, yet there is no question in the minds of many - many, too, of the best informed men in the count}-, that it is a public calamity. To this it is easy to reply. If so, whj- is it not voted down ? This objection is not unanswcralile. Tbe American people have a general itch for otHce, and as this township organization creates innumerable petty offices all over the count}' - so multiplies and divides them up, as to open a promise to nearlj- everj* voter, that the average voter will not vote away from himself even the dimmest hope and prospect for a place, and, therefore, it is immaterial to him whether he is voting for the good or bad, he will vote for himself anyhow and at all hazards. The history of the county, since under the care and management of a Board of Supervisors, in many transactions would not invite a rigid scrutiny. It is unnatural to expect sixteen men, each representing a little imaginary subdivision of the county, with eacli of these heated up with a still more imaginarv interest, in direct opposition to all the remainder of the county, to get together and exercise either much judgment or discretion on any important question. The foundation idea of such government is a broad and radical mistake, and now that we have this deeply disguised blessing, it is idle and vain for the people to mutter and grumble. In thoughtless ignorance they have made the bed that they must lie upon.

On the 22d day of April, 1861, the first County Board of Supervisors met and organized, by the election of David Leith as chairman for the year. The following are the townships and their Supervisors :

Golcondas. - From the earliest- settlements there has been a widespread belief in the existence in the county of all kinds of mines of the precious ores, especially silver. Tbose stories doubtless came from the idlest Indian stories and traditions. To start with, it is most probable that in fact the first men here in their dreams of wealth and luxury would meet the Indians, about whom thej- all held a silly superstition that the red men were lucas in hidden wealth - that they prowled around in wind and storms, starved .all this week and gorged one day next week - that they loved to do this because the}' were Indians, and because the}' loved to keep sacred the secret of their immeasurable wealth in gold and silver mines, that they kept hid and covered away from the white man as the religion of their lives. Filled to the hat band with those foolish traditions and stories, the pioneer followed often the promptings of this dream, when he plunged into the deep woods, seeking the association and companionship of the savage, in the hope of winning his good graces, and at the same time his secrets of hidden, precious mines. Thus prepared beforehand, he was ready to listen most eagerl}' to any silly story he could extort, and the cunning savage, perceiving here was an opportunity to gull his white victim, poured into his ear, in good Indian style, tbat is, in very cunning and remarkable parables that were so distinguishing of the race who were more extravagant the figures, the wilder and more dimly the language in which the great secret was couched, the more convincing was the stor^- to the credulous hunter.

This singular and incurable faith in a quasisuperhuman species of power and knowledge is one of the most unaccountable phases of the white man's ignorant credulity. In the quack advertised " Indian doctors" and the yet baser stories of some wonderful cure-all that a certain mission ary who had spent his life among the savages, and had wormed the great secret from them, and then, feeling the fate and perennially renewed life of all mankind had fallen upon him like a mantle, had stolen away from his red children, with his purloined secret, and been i followed, pursued and tracked by the relentless , barbarian, who would rather die than give up j' his secret. But the Christian hero and thief j' fled on and on and on, turning gray every time \j he looked back at the pursuing villains, and turning white every time he saw the sharp, | gleaming scalping knife ; yet on he sped like the wind. And how he jumped on the back of the flying butfalo, and stood there like adamant, shooting down millions of howling,, pursuing savages, and then from sheer hunger devouring the frightened buffalo belore he had time to stop and lie down and die like a common buffalo - how he scaled mountains, swam rivers, fought wild cats, killed panthers and fled on and on, bearing his great secret, and finally how he ran exhausted into the arms of a Samaritan, and gasped out his great secret and died ; and hence. Dr. Pillgarlic advertises, solely out of charity, for all to buy his great Indian remedy, and live forever witliout ache or pain. The hundreds that flock to the Indian doctor, and the thousands who gulp down the great Indian remedy are the evidences that these ignorant superstitions still course in the veins of the descendants of not only the pioneers, but of nearly all men. How pitifully ignorant these poor dupes must be not to know that a wild Indian not onlj' knew nothing about medicine, but was so ignorant of all diseases and their cures that some tribes were almost annihilated by the small-pox from jumping into the river to cool ofi" the hot fever of that terrible disease.

These stories of wealth floated around among the earlj- settlers, and they are floating yet. Some of the most implicit believers deny now that the}' ever believed, yet could you unwind their secret confidence, 30U would there find a faith, like an Eastern devotee - that if they only had a ball made of all precious metals, it would point out to them where the secrets are hidden. The writer has talked to more than one of these men, and kept his face duly sober while they related to him the glories and virtues of this precious '' ball " - the key that infallibly unlocks the earth's treasures. When asked how the ball was made, who made it and what was its secret of knowledge, the}' could give no explanation, except that it was composed in some curious, occult way, by some man magician unknown ; it possessed parts of all the precious metals in the world, and, therefore, it had a sympathy- and love for its kind, and upon the presumption it was gregarious, like a cow, so that when carried over the surface, where the riches lay beneath, in some way, they could not explain how, it told its secret to the bearer, and then he dug down and found the precious fellow metals. When one of these " ball '' faith fellows was asked how many kinds of precious metals there were in the World, he replied, with much contempt for the ignorance that the question implied : " Why, gold, silver, diamonds and lead, of course ! "

In the south part of our count}', there are yet many living who can tell you all about the story of the " way-bill," which is so unique that it should not be allowed to be forgotten.

through flood and field, and begirt by dangers, and kept alive b}- constant miracles, they pui'- sued their journey', determined to find the richest and greatest silver mines in the world, and finally the}* landed on the classic bluffs of Salt Creek, or on the Wabash, and commenced the work of digging as directed. The belief was that they only went down a few inches, or feet, at most, when they began to uncover their treasure. Thej' were as secret as death in all their movements, 3-et tlie Indian found them out, and warned them upon peril of their lives to leave. Thej' set about hiding their tracks, and when this was thoroughlj- done they stole out in the darkness and started for New Orleans. On the way to the Mississippi River, the}' cautiously blazed or marked their route and kept a clear and correct record that would enable them to find their way back some time or other. They eventuallj- found their way to New Orleans. The description of the route as the}' traveled was the " way-bill."

All our people had heard of this way-bill, and one of Effingham's most ambitious men went to New Orleans on the hunt of these Frenchmen, or at least to get the inestimable wa^'-biU. Three long, toilsome, disappointing years were spent in this hunt, and no traces were found of either the men or the precious document.

Finally, when hope had fled and despair had come, and the baflled seeker was about to retrace his sad and disappointed steps back to Effingham, chance, strange chance, the jade that plays so man}- pranks in this world, found our hero at a cheap Irish boarding-house in New Orleans, preparatory to a start, as deck passenger, on a cheap stern-wheel boat the next morning for St. Louis and home. With a -heav}- heart and a light pocket- Ijook, he went to bed, purchance to sleep, if the fleas and the other regular boarders that never missed a meal nor paid a cent, happened to be out. But there was none of the chance above spoken of here, and the " solitary might have been," but wasn't, by a heavy plurality, sleeping, but he tossed like a pup in high rye, and scratched like a civil service reformer. He might have thus perished alive, but a French groan from a lowly cot about ten feet from his regal bunk aroused his attention. The groan was repeated in l)roken English, and our hero understood this so well that he passed over, like a gazelle in deshabille, or - or like a deshabille in a gazelle or, or somehow, he found himself at the sickman's disconsolate bedside, when he kicked up his heels, and with an expiring ha ! ha ! iianded our hero a brown crumpled paper that had a Salt Creek- Wabash-Effingham look about it.

The Way-bill ! the Way-bill ! cried the Efflnghammer, and the dead man said nothing. Thus man proposes and Heaven disposes; our hero was rich enough next morning to take his breakfast at his boarding-house, and two bracers for his appetite, and this enabled him to work his passage to St. Louis.

He leisurel}' walked out home from St. Louis after night, and early the next morning, with three or four trusted friends, commenced to follow the signs pointed out by the way-bill. They were led by it down into the deepest woods, and most rugged hills of the Wabash, where they discovered a cabin. Attempting to approach this, a man met them, and with cocked rifle to his shoulder, warned them not to trespass on his demesne or he would shoot. They heroically retreated, and the news spread like wildfire all over the count}' that the silver was found, and it was in the possession of an armed Gorgon. Never was a county so shaken with excitement. A place of rendezvous was appointed a short distance below Ewington, and the earliest dawn of the appointed day witnessed the squad and the lone horseman, repairing to the appointed place, each supplied with the family meal-sack to carry home his anticipated silver. The army of invasion was duly organized, and commanders appointed,

The serried columns and serious cohorts moved across the virgin prairie, rousing up the sleeping " greenheads " and disturbing the matins of the prairie frogs. Not a drum was heard, not a funeral nor a bank note disturbed their happy hearts until they had reached the fated woods, when, bj' common consent, they breathed softer and softer. When very near the delicious spot a short halt was called, and three of the best and bravest set forward to reconnoiter and parley with the shooting possessor. Forward went these brave fellows, when the3' soon came within sight of the cabin. They rode slower and slower, peering in everj- direction for the man they wanted and dreaded to see; when suddenly, just as they had settled in the glorious hope he had vanished and gone, like a phantom he stood before them, looking along his gun and ordering, " Halt ! The man that crosses that line," pointing to a log, " is a dead man." These three leaders were Samuel Fortney, Sam Fleming and Brockett.

The horse of one of tlie three had just put his fore feet over the log, and the now frightened animal wanted to get over, and the worse frightened rider wanted to get back, because, as he afterward said, he was looking into the mouth of the fellow's gun, and it " looked big enough to crawl into," and he knew if the horse's hind feet passed over the log, he would be, in the words of man in front of him, '- a dead man."

The three retreated, and reported with chattering teeth to their reserve armj- what they had met. A council was held, and a pell-mell retreat was in full order instantlj-.

In after years, some boys who had grown up in ignorance of this dangerous spot, wandering tiirough the woods, came upon a deserted cabin, and they rumaged the premises, finding many curious things, furnace, melting pots, etc., etc. The3' reported what they had found and people repaired to the place, and it was finally developed that here had been the home of a man who followed the enterprising business of making counterfeit mone}-. The little improvements had been made, it is believed, b}- a man named Wallace, and he did not intend his 1 privacy to be imposed upon by too many curious and prying ej'es. This visiting armj- had probabl}' warned him to pack up and quietly leave the country, which, it seems, he did. How long he had been gone, before it was known^ that the mines were open to the public, is not known. But one thing all admit, no member of the invading army has ever yet ventured to the spot that he, years ago, left in such precipitate disgust.