Iroquois County, Illinois - Chapter 23: Gen. Clark's Conquest of "the Illinois., 1880 (part 6 of 6)

The road was never built. In 1865 William D. Judson, Joseph E. Young, James M. Walker, Joseph Peters, John C. Short, Alvan Gilbert, C. A. Lake, James K. Ritchie and William Kile incorporated the Chicago, Danville & Yincennes Railroad Company. The route defined in the charter was "from a point in Lawrence county, on the Wabash river, opposite Vincennes, in the state of Indiana, upon the most eligible route to and into the city of Chicago, by way of Paris in Edgar county, and Danville in Vermilion county." When in 1867 had been inaugurated the vicious system of railroad construction, whereby the people graded the roads, and donated them to penniless and " soulless " corporations, this act was found not to answer the improved methods that had come into use. It gave power to the directors only " to take and receive subscriptions to their capital stock," except that they might "acquire by donation, stock subscription or purchase, and dispose and convey, as they might deem expedient, real estate and coal and mineral lands, not exceeding $1,000." It was originally intended to run the road through the towns of Concord and Sheldon, and the survey was made on that route, the company having the right of way. But when Watseka began to show a lively disposition to secure the road at that place, the design was conceived of locating it on the line which would contribute the most, the company not being very particular which should be chosen, but likely preferring the Sheldon route, as that was a little shorter. Watseka, always strategic, thwarted the purpose of the company to profit by this rivalry, as also any sincere intention which it may have had as to the first survey. An amendatory act, to enable the company to obtain contributions, was an immediate and pressing want of that corporation. Watseka interested John L. Tincher, state senator, through whose influence the charter was originally obtained, and Capt. George E. King, representative, to defeat the legislation they were seeking, unless they should consent to locate the road through that place. This being arranged, they obtained "an act to authorize cities, towns or townships lying within certain limits to appropriate moneys and levy a tax to aid the construction " of the road, approved March 7, 1867. This provided that the donations should not be paid till after the road was located and built through the town or city making the donation, and not till it had first been authorized by a vote of the people. The authorities were empowered to levy a tax to pay any contribution voted. The legislature passed another act in 1869 to aid in the building of this road, which permitted the corporate authorities (the appropriation having first been voted by the people) to levy taxes to meet any such donations, or to borrow money and issue bonds in payment of them, provided that the road should first be completed through or opposite to any town so contributing aid. The towns lying along the route voted aid to this company at different times from 1867 to 1870 as follows:

On May 14, 1867, Milford voted $20,250. Afterward Lovejoy was set off, and on April 24, 1868, the authorities of the two towns made an apportionment of this liability, Milford taking $14,242.87. On July 10, 1868, the town voted an additional $4,500, making a total of $18,742.87. The supervisor and town clerk issued bonds of the town to the amount of 20,617.15. In addition to the share accepted by Lovejoy, on July 3, 1868, that town held an election and voted the sum of $3,000, making the total aid granted $9,007.13. John B. Wilson, supervisor, and Joseph Galloway, town clerk, issued, March 31, 1871, ten bonds of $1,000 each. Three of them were made payable July 1, 1879 ; three in one year from that date, and four in two years. The Bank of Warsaw, New York, owns eight ; John Powjers, of Buffalo, one, and Allen Gilmore, of Ogdensburg, the other. On June 5, 1867, the city of Watseka voted $5,000, to be paid on condition that the company should make that place a point on the road. On May 23, 1870, another election was held, and $6,000 more were voted. The city council directed the mayor and the clerk to issue $11,000 of bonds, which were dated February 1, 1871. On June 8, 1867, an election was held in the town of Middleport for a " tax of $15,000," on condition that the road should be built through Watseka. Bonds amounting to $16,500 were issued February 20, 1871. On the 13th a contract was made between the supervisor and the town clerk of the first part, and the railroad company of the second part, and George C. Tallman, of Brooklyn, New York, as trustee of the third part, by which agreement the bonds were delivered to Tallman, to be by him delivered to the company, if the track should be laid to the crossing of the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw railroad by June 1, 1871. These were placed with Tallman to get them out of the state, so the issuing of them could not be enjoined. At the request of the company these bonds were taken up and destroyed, and others issued to the amount of $15,000, dated March 24, 1871. About the middle of July the supervisor, by order of the town board entered in April, paid J. E. Young, contractor, $1,500, in lieu of the extra bonds which had before been issued. The fifteen bonds were delivered to the company by Tallman on June 21. The first coupons (fifteen of $100 each), due June 1, he detached and returned to the supervisor. By a vote, taken June 10, 1867, Belmont donated $9,000 ; and again, on June 2, 1868, at an election held for that purpose, voted an additional $9,000. In September, 1868, the town of Crescent (then Grenard) was detached. On March 23,

1871, the supervisors and assessors of the two towns divided the indebtedness, Belmont taking $14,400, and Crescent, $3,600. The supervisor and town clerk of Belmont then issued $14,000 of bonds of that date, and delivered to Tallman, to be held in trust and delivered to the company if the road should be completed to the south side of the township before January 1, 1872, otherwise to be returned. They were made payable July 1, 1881, at the American Exchange National Bank, of New York, the town reserving the privilege to pay them any time after two years from their issue. On April 5, the same town officers issued another bond similar to the others, which they put into the hands of C. Secrest for a like purpose as those deposited with Tallman. The bonds were all delivered to the company about the last of June for ninety per cent of their face value ; and on March 26 the supervisor paid the company $702.72, and Crescent assumed the further sum of $36, included in that amount. The bonds were sold in New York city, and are now owned by the ^Etna Life Insurance Company. On March 23 the supervisor and town clerk of Crescent issued $4,000 of bonds to pay the $3,600. These were made payable July 1, 1881. Martinton, by a vote of 55 to 42, June 13, 1868, granted the aid of that town for $10,000. In the latter part of August, 1872, the supervisor issued eleven $1,000 bonds, dated July 1, 1872, payable in ten years ; and also paid the company $175. By a vote of 67 to 44, on August 4, 1870, Papineau donated $6,350. On April 13, 1871, John M. Burton, supervisor, and P. Laplante, town clerk, issued six $1,000 bonds, one payable March 1 of each year, beginning with 1875. The principal and interest were payable at the Mechanics National Bank, of Chicago. Concord voted aid on the condition that the road should be constructed through that town where first surveyed. Notwithstanding the route was afterward diverted to Watseka, the supervisor issued bonds for $25,000, dated June 1, 1871, and due in ten years. Bonds of Sheldon were issued the same day to the amount of $25,000, and made payable also in ten years. The bonds of Stockland for $6,750 were issued in August of the same year. They have all been paid. Prairie Green held an election July 3, 1868, and appropriated $6.000, to be paid when the track should be laid through Lovejoy. About September 1, 1871, six $1,000 were issued, and one for $600, to make good any discount in negotiating them. These were due July 1, 1879. They were held by persons in Brunswick, Cumberland county, Maine. Ash Grove voted $3,000, August 12, 1868. In September a part of this town was detached, and Fountain Creek created. In the division the parent town retained $1,892, and the new town acquired $1,408. The two towns issued bonds bearing date July

1, 1871. The Ash Grove issue fell due July 1, 1876, at which time new bonds were given. The Fountain Creek bonds mature ten years from date. When a part of the latter town was taken, in 1875, to form Pigeon Grove, this new town accepted $365.24 of the bonded indebtedness.

All of these bonds bore ten per cent interest, payable annually. Where an amount was given in excess of that voted, it was to make good the discount in negotiating them. They were registered in the office of the auditor of public accounts, pursuant to the provisions of "an act to fund and provide for paying the railroad debts of counties, cities and towns," passed in 1869. On September 17, 1868, the board of supervisors being in session, Mr. Honeywell, supervisor from Stockland, offered a resolution, which was adopted, loaning to the Chicago, Danville & Yincennes Railroad Company the credit of the county to the amount of $35,000 for five years. The conditions were that the county should issue bonds drawing ten per cent interest, to be delivered to the company when the road should be completed and in running order from Chicago to the south line of the county, if it should guarantee the payment of the principal, and the delivery of the bonds to the county at maturity, by mortgages on real estate. An additional supposed security for the refunding of the bonds was required if thought to be advisable by the committee to be appointed, in an issue to the county of stock equal to the amount of the bonds, which stock was to be returned on their surrender. The interest was to be paid annually by the county. The benefit to the company was the loan of the county's credit for the gross sum and the aggregate interest which would accrue thereon, and be paid in the term of five years. Before the final adjournment of the board the loan was increased to $42,000. This was legalized by the legislature, as also the aids voted by the cities, towns and townships along the road, by an act approved February 26, 1869. Action relating to this matter was taken by the board at various times. At the May term, 1871, the committee, consisting of C. F. McNeill, A. Honeywell and Samuel Williams, previously appointed to act on behalf of the board, submitted their report, accompanied by a bond of the company, in the penal sum of $100,000, to secure the final return of the railroad bonds. They announced that they had caused the bonds to be prepared in denominations of $1,000 each, and had deposited them in the First National Bank of Watseka, to be re-deposited in the city of New York in trust, and that they had decided to take the stock as additional security. On motion of A. S. Palmer, this stock was refused. The bank, and the stockholders therein, in their individual capacity, were required to give bonds, making them liable for the return of the county bonds at the proper time. Apprehension was ultimately excited concerning the security of the county against payment of the principal of the loan, and at the annual meeting in September, Mr. Koplin offered a resolution, which was adopted, proposing to turn over to the railroad company an amount of the bonds held in trust by the bank, equivalent to the interest on $42,000 for five years, and thus make an end of all doubt and prevent any risk being incurred beyond the obligation voluntarily assumed. Consent of the company to this proposition having been obtained, at the October meeting Hon. C. F. McNeill, chairman of the committee, was directed to go to New York and receive the bonds, which had been deposited in the Ninth National Bank, and to make delivery to the railroad company of sixteen of them, and also a county order for $382.28, these bonds and this order releasing the county from any further obligation to the company. This duty he discharged, and made a report of his doings to the adjourned session in November. These bonds were dated July 1, 1871, and were due in five years. By a mistake in making the record, it was made to appear that they were payable a year earlier. The effect of this will be noticed farther on.

This line was completed through the county and put in operation to Danville in the summer of 1871. Joseph E. Young, of Chicago, one of the corporators, was the contractor, and built the road. The following year a branch from Bismarck, in Vermilion county, was constructed to Brazil, Indiana, giving the company direct access to the celebrated coal fields of Fountain county, in that state. By lease of another route the company was enabled to discontinue the use of this coal branch in the summer of 1879, avoiding by this means the great expense (owing to the number of bridges) of keeping it in running order. There is hardly a more important north and south line of travel in the west than this road, and its location through the heart of a fine farming region, which had hitherto remained comparatively undeveloped, has added millions to the value of property within marketing distance along its course. From 1867 to 1873 railroad building degenerated into a mammoth and reckless speculation, and great stretches of country were banded with these iron tracks of commerce far in advance of any demand for them. But this road was a conspicuous exception. Most of those people to whom it gave a ready market were situated many miles - in some places as far as forty - from railroad accommodations. A single thought upon this subject will convince any one that a total want of transportation facilities practically barred settlement, the extension of agriculture, and the increase of wealth. By the wisdom of the inhabitants this road was favored with liberal aid in this county, as already shown, as it also was upon other portions of the route, and there has not been, and never can be so long as the people shall adhere to and exercise their right of control over corporations, any cause to regret that they gave it encouragement.

The officials of this company have set a commendable example in listening and making reasonable concessions to the demands of their patrons. The road was originally bonded for $5,000,000, but by the shrinkage of values in the past few years it has sustained some decrease in like manner as other species of property. In 1874 the company failed, and the business passed into the hands of a receiver, in the person of Gen. A. Anderson, and so continued until April 17, 1877, when the road was bought by a new corporation for $1,450,000, and the name changed to Chicago & Eastern Illinois. The machine shops are located at Danville, and the general offices are at 123 Dearborn street, Chicago. The chief officials are, F. "W. Huidekoper, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, president; O. S. Lyford, superintendent; A. S. Dunham, general passenger agent, and Robert Forsythe, general freight agent. Mr. Dunham has been connected with the road ever since the formation of the h'rst company. This is known as the " Danville route," and furnishes the best communication over the safest connections and through the finest and most picturesque scenery to the far-famed everglades, the land of the sun - Florida.

We had purposed to give a full account of the vast outpouring of treasure during the war, but being now on the "ragged edge" of "the last days" granted us by the patient and indulgent publishers, we must omit it, having no doubt that as we have dealt so much with figures, this compulsion will draw from the reader a sigh of relief. Iroquois county did her whole duty in the late war, with money as well as with men. She spent large sums in the support of volunteers' families ; she paid recruiting officers liberally ; and she voted more than $135,000 in bounties to soldiers. All honor to her powder-burned sons ! All praise to the true hearts at home ! On February 15, 1870, the last bounty orders fell due. The amount at that time, less the bounty fund in the treasury, was $51,926.41. An act had been procured in 1869 authorizing the county to issue bonds not exceeding $50,000 to refund this interest-bearing debt. At the annual meeting in September, 1869, John A. Koplin, A. J. Alexander and F. J. Sears were appointed to negotiate the loan. They effected the sale of the bonds to George C. Tallman at ninety cents on the dollar. These were payable February 15, 1875. The bonded indebtedness now amounted to $66,000. It has been shown that, by an error in the record, the board were led a few years later to suppose that the railroad bonds would become due July 1, 1875. This body gave timely attention to the maturing liability, and at the November election in 1874 submitted to the people the question of replacing the old with a new issue. This was authorized by a large majority. At the December meeting Mr. Alexander presented a plan for an issue to accomplish the gradual extinction of this debt. He had taken the principal interest in the refunding, and was unanimously selected as one of a committee of three, the other members of which he, as chairman of the board, was to appoint, whose duty it should be, after causing the bonds to be prepared, to negotiate them to the best advantage. About the beginning of the year they placed the entire issue with D. K. Pearsons & Co., of Chicago, at par in New York exchange. Judge Wood was employed to draft the bonds in approved form, and to attend to their lithographing. On February 15 the $50,000, with accrued interest of $5,000, became due, and was paid at the American Exchange National Bank, New York, and the remaining $11,000 was deposited in the First National Bank of Chicago. The time approaching when it was supposed that the railroad bonds would be due, a remittance was made to the Ninth National Bank of New York ; but the time came and passed without presentation of the bonds. The existence of this error was first learned on addressing one of the holders. They refused to surrender them until due, and the committee withdrew the money and deposited it with the First National Bank of Watseka at six per cent interest. The committee declined all compensation for their valuable services in making this loan, and received the unanimous thanks of the board for their successful labors. When the time for the payment of the bonds was near at hand there was discovered one of those complications of circumstances which foresight sometimes cannot prevent, nor correct intentions remove. Before this juncture had been advanced, the statement that the township and county bonds, issued in aid of the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes railroad, were unconstitutional and void, and proceedings had been begun in the Iroquois circuit court to test their validity. Certain persons had also sought to buy the county railroad bonds at a speculation, and to advance this object would have alarmed the holders with information and threats of this nature, had the latter been susceptible to such influence. Mr. Alexander had not been returned by his town at the spring election, and as there had been no session of the new board he still retained his place on the commmittee, though he was in doubt as to his right to serve. The and he decided not to act at that time. Mr. Hitchcock also preferred to await the action of the board ; but Mr. Secrest was in favor of taking the responsibility of making payment, although many lawyers thought the bonds were illegal. When the supervisors convened they unanimously instructed the committee to surrender the certificate of deposit which they held, and the First National Bank of Watseka was directed to pay the bonds, which now amounted to $17,600. Immediately the bank, the county clerk and the treasurer were enjoined not to make payment to the bondholders. The latter had official information that the money had been in abeyance a year for the purpose of settlement, and being thus assured that there was no thought of attempting to repudiate the obligation, the injunction failed of the anticipated effect. November 24, the injunction having been withdrawn, the bonds were paid, with interest, up to the time when they fell due, and indorsements of the sums made. The holders presented their claim of $706 for interest from July 1 to the date of payment, but uncertain action prevailed, indicating the quandary of the board, until the May term, 1878, when states attorney Harris was directed to commence proceedings for possession, and they were recovered and canceled.

The later proceedings regarding the township bonds issued in aid of the Chicago, Danville & Yincennes railroad require some mention. Without going into details of the judicial proceedings in each case, it will be sufficient if we state that all of those towns having a debt incurred in aid of this road, except Fountain Creek and Pigeon Grove, enjoined further payment on their bonds between 1876 and 1878, excepting, also, as to time, the town of Concord. Stockland paid her bonds. The city of Watseka paid $4,500. Ash Grove compromised for fifty cents on the dollar, and paid the costs of the injunction. Fountain Creek and Pigeon Grove did not enjoin. Concord was the first to lead off in the attempt to establish the illegality of these bonds. In 1873 New Hampshire sued for the interest on twenty of the bonds which it held, and the case was tried before Judge Blodgett, and decided against the township. An appeal was taken to the United States supreme court, and heard at the October term, 1875, and in

May, 1876, the decision was rendered by Justice Strong, who pronounced the bonds void, on account of conflicting with the state constitution. This was the first case ever decided against the holders of railroad bonds. The Middleport suit was made a test case before the supreme court of this state, and the bonds were held to be null and void, for the principal reason that the act of 1867, under and by virtue of which the aid was voted, provided that the appropriation should be paid by taxation, and conferred no authority to issue bonds ; and that the constitution has intervened to prevent the enlarging or changing of the obligations assumed prior to its adoption. Most of these towns have obtained perpetual injunctions, but the United States supreme court has recently decided that a decree rendered in a case where service is by publication, as it was in these cases, is not a bar to the recovery or collection by the defendant. It is not impossible, then, that they may be reopened. The obligation of these towns to pay their bonds is clear. If there are any exceptions they are in the cases of Concord and Sheldon. All voted aid for a single consideration - the building of the road. They have received it, and are deriving the benefits which a railroad gives, and will continue so to do. Taking advantage of irregularities, and the change of the organic law, they could not have directed a more effective blow at their honor and credit, if the purpose had been to tarnish the one or impair the other. The sober judgment and just convictions of men will stamp it as a violation of faith in which there is naught to extenuate. It ought to serve as a lesson that all political issues which are made upon the validity of obligations, for which a consideration has been received, tend only to corrupt the popular conscience and undermine the foundations of public virtue.

Cincinnati, Lafayette And Chicago Railroad

The Illinois company of the Cincinnati, Lafayette & Chicago railroad was organized in May, 1870, and the Indiana company a year later. The road was built in 1871 and 1872, and put into operation the latter year, at a cost of $3,778,216. Its length is seventy-five miles. Lafayette and Kankakee are the termini. By connecting the Indianapolis, Cincinnati & Lafayette and the Illinois Central railroads it forms an important link in the through line from Cincinnati to Chicago. When opened, this road took an advanced position in regard to tariffs, and its course toward its patrons has been so just and liberal, and its management so conscientious, that it has always enjoyed the good-will, and received the commendation of the business public.

Gilman, Clinton And Springfield Railroad

The Gilman, Clinton & Springfield Railroad Company was chartered in 1867. Two amendments to its charter were obtained before work was begun in 1870. It was put into operation in September, 1871. The road is one hundred and eleven and one-half miles long. It traverses one of the most fertile and highly cultivated portions of the state. The construction of this road was a gigantic speculation, and some of the practices connected with it partake so much of a darker nature that they might well be characterized by a different name. Like many others built about the same time, and by the same methods, it shortly went into bankruptcy. In November, 1873, F. E. Hinckley, of Chicago, was appointed receiver by the McLean county circuit court, and he kept possession of the road until August, 1875. Until June of the next year it was operated by the trustees of the first mortgage bonds. On the 10th of that month the property was sold by order of the Circuit Court of the United States for the southern district of Illinois, and afterward managed by George Bliss and Charles S. Seyton, trustees for the purchasers. The amount of the purchase was $1,500,000 in first mortgage bonds. It is now owned and controlled by the Illinois Central company. The general offices are in Springfield.

The county poor farm was purchased about the beginning of the year 1857. It was an improved tract of 230 acres, 40 of which were woodland, and was obtained for $3,100. H. B. Coberly was the owner. For many years only a small rental was derived from the investment, and at length the supervisors looked with so little favor on it that they would have sold the farm if they could have found a purchaser. For- tunately they did not succeed in the endeavors made, and now the county has a well-managed and valuable asylum for this unhappy class of our humanity. Not having had time for a personal examination we extract from the Report of the Board of Public Charities a description of the premises : " The farm needs underdraining. A good garden, five acres ; orchard of one hundred and fifty trees ; red barn across the road. There are two buildings : one frame, for the keeper and the female paupers ; the other of brick, for male paupers and the insane. The house occupied by the keeper, built in 1871-2, contains sixteen rooms. The insane department was built in 1877. It is a brick structure, 25x48 feet, two stories in height, with a cupola and a bell. The insane occupy the lower floor; nine cells, seven feet wide and ten feet long ; brick partitions ; doors paneled, with iron rods across each panel ; wooden shutters to windows, the same ; iron bedsteads, not fastened ; no privy seats ; heated by furnace, and by a stove in the hall ; the corridor between the cells is used as a sitting-room by male paupers. This department is clean and quite comfortable ; the keeper's office is in the same hall. Thirty-seven pauper inmates were inspected, of whom eight were insane ; eight children under ten years of age. Saw pauper children playing croquet in the yard. The keeper's contract extends over four j^ears ; his salary is $600, and all bills are paid by the county. The premises are clean and sufficiently well furnished, but the diningroom is too small. There is an artesian well in the yard."

Until the present manager was employed the custom had been to rent the place for cash, and pay the lessee a stipulated sum for the care of each pauper. A strict account is kept of everything raised, bought and sold - vegetables, cereals, merchandise, provisions, live stock; amount of the latter slaughtered and consumed ; quantity of work done and help employed ; prices paid, and extent and cost of improvements. Under the careful supervision of the committee of the board of supervisors annually appointed, and the able management of Mr. Cast, the present keeper, who reports to the committee, and they in turn to the board, this institution, which merits the fostering care it receives, has attained a high state of efficiency in providing for the unfortunate poor and afflicted. The keepers of this farm have been Samuel Porter, Thomas Mason, Joseph Moore, John Ash and Isaac Cast. The latter has been on the place since the spring of 1875.

The Lake Survey

We are indebted to M. H. Messer, Esq., for the following concerning the lake survey : In 1879 the lake survey was extended from Lake Michigan near to the mouth of the Wabash river. For points of obser- vation, four towers, eighty-five feet high, were erected in this county, one at Clifton, about one-third of a mile northwest of the depot ; one about fifty rods southwest of J. R. Louden's dwelling, on Sec. 6, T. 25, R. 14 (Onarga township); one on section 11, in Crescent township, and the other on the KE. £ of Sec. 35, T. 25, R. 12, in Milford township. The object of this work is to connect the lake survey with the Atlantic coast survey, which has been extended up the Mississippi river. It will be used to determine the length of an arc of a meridian for astronomical purposes, to determine the topography on the line, and for other scientific questions.

Micajah Stanley'S Account Of Early Days

I came here in 1830, from the state of Ohio, Clinton county. We arrived here in the fall of 1830. In September we got to the Wabash river, and stopped three weeks on the Wee-haw Prairie. We found that country almost without inhabitants. There were some Indians and a few settlers, some six or eight families. We left there and settled near Milford, then Vermilion county, the same fall. We found here Samuel Rush, Robert Hill, Daniel Barbee, Jefferson Mounts, Hiram Miles and his father, and Joseph Cox. There were also two men named Singleton, two named Miller, and one named Reading, and also one negro, all living with the Indians, and left with them, and hence are not counted settlers. I came with my father's party, which consisted of my mother, Hannah Stanlej7 ; my oldest brother, William Stanley, and his wife Judith ; my second brother, John Stanley, and his wife Agnes ; my youngest brother, Isaac, and two sisters, Rebecca and Elizabeth. With us came from Wee-haw William Pickerel, an old Quaker, who was the founder of Milford, having laid out the town. He built a mill, hence the name Milford. Pickerel was a remark- able man; he was a blacksmith, a miller and a farmer - jack of all trades and master of all arts; as honest and industrious as the day was long.

That winter we witnessed the hardest I ever experienced in my life. We were destitute of almost everything. We came here with eight head of horses, fifteen head of cattle, and a flock of sheep ; and we expected to get hay of the people that were here, but the fire had destroyed it all. We had to haul our corn from the Wabash : we hauled what we expected would do us. In the early part of the winter, in December, a snow fell ten inches deep ; that was increased through the winter until it became eighteen inches deep on the level, and then there came a rain and formed a crust on that. It created such a crust that a dog could run anywhere over it. The snow in places was drifted until it was six or seven feet. That fall we had plenty of wild turkeys, but the winter was so severe they all froze; and we had plenty of deer; the dogs and wolves killed a great many of them; we could find plenty of deers' carcasses afterward. The deer were not all killed, and we soon had plenty of them again, but we had no more wild turkey after that.

In 1831 we had a pretty hard time making a crop ; with the rains we had, our streams were filled up very high, I may say tremendously high. In the spring we commenced farming. We began to plow and break prairie, and put in ten acres that had been in cultivation in the spring before.

That fall (1830) Mr. Hubbard was living here at Bunkum, and had his trading-house where Benjamin Fry lived. He moved that year to Danville, and opened a store. He employed me and some other men to go to Chicago for goods. He engaged four teams. I took five yoke of oxen. We went a little too soon, and had to stay there three weeks before the boat came in with the goods. At that time there was nothing between here and Chicago in the shape of a white family. We stayed all night at his trading-house, and the next morning we started for Chicago. We went up and crossed the Kankakee river where Robert Hill formerly kept hotel, above Momence. When we got there the river was bank full. We had to ride on the middle cattle and drive the head ones, and the water ran into our wagon-boxes. When we got to Chicago we found no goods there, «o we had to stay three weeks before the schooner came in. Inside of old Fort Dearborn there were two or three persons doing business. Mr. Dole was there, and another gentleman was keeping a boarding-house there. Mark Beaubien was up the river in a little one-story house, keeping " tavern like hell," as he expressed it. Mr. Kinzie was up in the forks of the river, and one of the Merricks lived at the old Merrick stand, near the present Douglas monument. There was a little dry land along the beach, and I do not blame Mr. Fry for taking the horse instead of the land that was oifered him. We left Chicago, and in three days we got to the Calumet river. Sometimes we had to hitch ten yoke of oxen to one wagon to haul it through the quick-sand. We were between three and four weeks getting home. We ran out of provisions on the way back, and Henry Hubbard met us at Beaver creek with a basket of provisions. When we got home we rested about three weeks, then took the goods on to Danville. This is my experience on that trip.

After that the country began to settle up a little more. After the Black Hawk war there were two settlements made. My father-in-law, John Moore, settled four miles southeast of Watseka, where some of the family still stay. About that time a report came to our settlement in the evening by the mail-carrier, who carried the mail from Danville to Chicago on horseback, that the Indians had followed him until he got to the Iroquois river. He was all dirty and his horse was all dirty, and he was afraid to take his supper at the hotel ; and we had another assurance from some men that went out to Hickory creek to look at the country. They came riding in in the afternoon, and said the Indians had followed them all day and were close upon them. My mother was in the house, and the rest of us were in the field planting corn. We thought it all a farce. The rest of them went away, but I stayed until dark, and when I went through the settlement they were all gone except George Hinshaw, an old bachelor, who was living there. I found him, and when we went through that settlement we found the calves shut up in rail pens, and we tore the pens down and let them out. Such had been their haste that they left them in that condition. The next day we went to Parish's Grove, and I said to Hinshaw, " We had better go back ; if the Indians had been so near they would have been here before this time." The greater part of the settlers stayed down on the Wabash until fall, so we almost lost that crop. This was in 1832.

I was in Bunkum in 1832. There had been a report of Indians scouting through the country. Mr. Yasseur and Benjamin Fry had been out to look after the matter. When I saw them their horses were dirty ; that was the firs£ time I ever met those gentlemen ; I have been acquainted with them ever since until the death of Mr. Fry.

In 1833, 1 think it was, we held an election for a justice of the peace in Vermilion territory; there were two precincts; Milford was entitled to one and Bunkum to one ; but we failed to know that we were entitled to two justices, so Bob Hill and Ike Courtright were the candi- dates. There was a spirited contest between the rival candidates, Hill representing the Milford settlement and Courtright the Bunkum settlement. Each wanted the justice in his precinct; but the election was held at Bunkum, and this gave Courtright the advantage, and he beat Hill two or three votes. Courtright went to Danville and got his commission, and executed all the legal business for the whole of this county. But two years afterward Hill was elected, and he went to Danville after his commission, and, lo and behold, he was presented with one two years old, and might have had it when Courtright got his, as we were entitled to two justices all the time. I was not twentyone when I came here, but was in the next February, so I was entitled to a vote, and that was the first time I ever voted in my life. Mr. Courtright made a very prominent justice of the peace. Mr. Hill was also a very prominent man. We had no need of justices then, only to take notice of the estrays. The first business I had was to take a notice of a steer, and I had Mr. Singleton come up as a witness to the marks on that brute.

Woodworth & Miller S Block, Milford

When the citizen came to our county then we met him, as we do today, with open arms and a hearty shake of the hand. Then we would go eight and ten miles to help build a cabin. And you, my old friends who are here to-day, still have the same feeling as you did in the early days of the settlement. When a man came into the county, and we found he wanted to be a citizen, we turned out to help him build his cabin, because they were honest and true men, almost all of them. There were but very few men that partook of the intoxicating cup to excess. In 1835 I moved to the place where I now live. I located three miles from any other house. There were plenty of Indians, and they were as honest as any men I ever lived among. They would not suffer their dogs to kill a pig or a sheep, and if they did kill any, they would hunt the man up and pay him for it. That is not the habit of men today. I used to leave everything out where I worked, and never lost anything. T settled in Watseka in March, 1835, where my house is now, and I made a farm there. My friends came around rne occasionally, and I used to spend from a day to a week showing men the county. They would come there and tell me they wanted to buy land to make a home, but not many of those men -ever came back. Mr. Beckwith was our surveyor, and a very fine man. The land was surveyed, and we could find any of the corners we wanted, and locate a man anywhere. That was the situation of our county up to 1835.

Micajah Stanley, Watseka, was born in Highland county, Ohio, February 2, 1810, and is the son of Anthony and Hannah (Hobbs) Stanley, his father, a native of North Carolina, having moved to Highland county in about 1805. About 1813 they moved to Clinton county. Mr. Stanley has held several offices of public trust: coroner, four years, one of the first of Iroquois county ; constable, two years, 1836 and 1837 ; justice of the peace, two years; sheriff of the county, about eight years; member of the legislature, 1846-7; mayor of Watseka, first mayor of the city ; 1879 he was reflected mayor, which office he now fills. These offices he has filled with honor and credit. He married, January, 1833, Rebecca Moore, of Ohio, by whom they have six children, living.

Larch Farm

This beautiful farm is located on the line of the Illinois Central railroad, about a mile north of Onarga, and is the property of Allan Pinkerton, the renowned detective.

Mr. Pinkerton is a native of Scotland. He was born in 1819, in Gorbaes, Glasgow, and in 1842, when twenty-three years of age, he came to the United States, locating in the state of Illinois. Of his detective experience it is not necessary to speak. His principal agencies, established in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, are conducted upon a strict system of discipline and honor, which invariably insure success in the numerous operations with which his name may be identified. In the year 1864 Mr. Pinkerton purchased the tract of land in question, which then contained about 254^^- acres, but for many years thereafter it received no attention, and remained in its original condition of a raw prairie. Subsequently Mr. Pinkerton disposed of several smaller pieces of his land, among which were about 25 acres to an association of individuals, who selected this site on account of its adaptability for the purpose of holding thereon the Iroqnois county fair.

to a farmer in the vicinity, who cultivated the land to some extent, and he was in turn succeeded by others. But in 1873 Mr. Pinkerton determined upon the carrying out of an idea which had long occupied his mind, and to cultivate a prairie farm which would be the acme of western rural development. Accordingly, Mr. Pinkerton took the property into his own hands, at once began active operations, and after seven years of labor and a lavish expenditure of money, "Larch Farm" has become the "model "farm of Iroquois county. The dwelling-house which has been erected is a large, commodious, one-story squarestructure, surmounted by a cupola, with an addition attached tothe north side. In appearance the house resembles very touch the residences which graced the plantations of the south before the rebellion spread its desolating effects over that region of our country. The interior is supplied with every modern improvement for comfort, while the furniture and adornments combine all the ideas which wealth, refinement and luxury can suggest.

The progress in the cultivation of the land is indeed a marvel of agricultural ability, and evinces in a marked degree the results which may be accomplished by good taste, untiring energy and a liberal, but wisely directed, expenditure of money. Through the operation of these influences the prairie desert has been made to blossom as the rose.

The entire farm, which is nearly rectangular in shape, is inclosed with a luxuriant close-trimmed hedge of osage orange trees, while inside of this hedge there have been planted seven rows of larch trees (from which the farm takes its name), set at the distance of four feet apart. The railroad intersects the land from north to south, and on each side of this the same arrangement of osage orange and larch trees has been observed. Two broad driving avenues have been laid out across the farm from north to south and from east to west, and along these urives are planted innumerable evergreen trees, set in a double row upon each side, while immediately behind these are ranged the seven rows of larch trees, set at the distance above mentioned. The edges of these avenues are ornamented with a bordering of bright blooming flowers from end to end, the eifect of which is beautiful to behold.

Some idea of the magnitude of this labor, all of which has been done under Mr. Pinkerton's direction, may be obtained from the fact that over 1,000 evergreens and 85,000 larch trees have been planted by the energetic owner of " Larch Farm." Along the main roads and those leading to the house there have also been planted rows of maple trees, whose bright green foliage considerably enhances the beauty of the place. The lawn immediately surrounding the house, which contains more than four acres, has been most beautifully and tastefully arranged.

Serpentine walks of graceful curvings, with their firm beds of coal cinders, which have been brought from a great distance, and their brilliant borderings of blooming flowers, numerous flower-beds of most varied and beautiful shapes, and a liberal distribution of marble and terra-cotta vases of unique designs, filled with brilliant-hued flowers and rare plants, all contribute to the production of a scene of beauty which is the theme of universal admiration and a source of pleasure and delight to their liberal-minded owner. The beauty of the lawn is further enhanced by an artificial lake, 100 feet long, immediately in rear of the house, which glistens in the morning sun, or in which, during the long evenings, the rays of the moon are brightly reflected. A dainty white boat which sails upon its surface affords amusement to the numberless visitors to the farm.

The outbuildings evince the same regard for beauty and durability. The greenhouse, which already contains over 2,000 plants of unlimited variety, and which is to be immediately supplemented by another of the same capacity, is a source of wonderment and pleasure to the visitors from the surrounding neighborhood, to whose inspection, as well as the entire grounds, they have been opened by the courtesy of Mr. Pinkerton. The barns, stables, corn-crib (probably the largest in the county) and ice-house are in perfect accord with their surroundings, and are remarkable for their neatness, strength and durability. There is also to be erected a fruit-house of large dimensions during the summer.

An artesian well has been sunk upon the premises to the depth of one hundred and thirty feet, which is surmounted by a wind-mill thirtyseven feet high, of the most recent invention, and which furnishes the house with a supply of water amply sufficient for drinking, washing and culinary purposes, and for the bath-rooms contained within the dwelling. Mr. Pinkerton has also set out about 2,000 apple trees, all of which give evidence of thrift and of abundant yields in the very near future, and in addition to these orchards there are a great number of pear, quince and cherry trees, all giving sure indications of fruitfulness.

The fruit and vegetable gardens contain almost every known variety, and receive the careful attention of an experienced gardener. The fields have been confined to the production of corn and oats, and have thus far yielded abundant harvests.

Disconnected from the farm proper, but in close proximity thereto, is another tract of land belonging to Mr. Pinkerton, which contains a strawberry bed of large dimensions, and fruit trees in great number and variety. In order to accomplish this gigantic labor Mr. Pinkerton employs the services of ten men during the entire year, while during the spring this force is augmented to double that number, and

Altogether, " Larch Farm " is one of the great features of Iroquois county, and its owner one of the most energetic, tasteful and liberal gentlemen of the community.

The subjoined list of officers of Iroquois county, though not quite complete, is given as furnished by the secretary of state, with such corrections as we have been able to make :

* Nominated to the Governorship by the county commissioners at their first term, but never qualified. Jonas Smith was the first county surveyor; date of election or appointment not known.

Circuit Judges

The following named persons were elected from Iroquois county, at the time specified, to represent in the lower honse of the general assembly of Illinois the district to which it was attached : tThis has the appearance of an error. There were several in the list of representatives, but it is believed that they have all been corrected, except, it may be, this one.