Crawford County, Indiana - Chapter 19: The County in the Nineties, 1926

For a long time the people of Alton wanted a bridge built over Little Blue River. On October 9, 1889, A. N. Peckinpaugh and John T. Holleroft agreed to give $500 toward helping construct a bridge. Hamilton Martin and Il. S. Batman voted to accept the money, but James G. Thurston voted ''no.'' The board finally ordered a bridge built. The main bridge was to be of iron and 150 feet long, the driveway 12 feet wide. The second span was io be 200 feet, consisting of 50-foot spans, supported by iron legs with abutments and wing walls. Bids would be opened on November 20, 1889. Much trouble occurred in various ways before this bridge was completed. The election of 1894 placed two Republican county commissioners in office. These men were rather careful about signing bonds for a while. However, the people needed the bridge and it was finally completed.

The contract was let to the Lafayette Bridge Company on January 20, 1897. The bridge was built at Alton. It was 420 feet long. The roadway was to be 14 feet in the clear. The cost of the bridge was $7,300. The masonry was paid for at $4.25 per cubic foot. The three county commissioners were John E. Funk, Jacob Partenheimer and Willis H. Harvey. Much hard feeling existed over the county about the expenditure of so much money for a bridge at Alton, yet the people down there needed a bridge. Complaint was made against Willis Harvey when he was a candidate for sheriff in 1900 because he had worked for this bridge.

The campaign of 1890 was warmly contested in Crawford County. For Congress: John Bretz, Democrat, and William Darnell, Republican. Joint senator: Iverson Lynn, Democrat, and David Voyles, Republican.

The Democratic ticket was elected by a large vote. Smith qualified for county surveyor, but resigned after a few months and moved away. Dan Paschal was appointed to fill the vacancy.

The Democratic party elected the whole county ticket. The Peoples' party had a candidate for president. The presidential vote was: Cleveland, Democrat, 1,529; Harrison, Republican, 1,276; James B. Weaver, F. M. B. A., 200.

The Marengo people were highly pleased in 1891 over the Marengo Fair. A piece of ground was obtained just south of the town where a half-mile race track could be constructed. Suitable houses were built for the exhibits and the ground fenced in by a high board fence. John W. Bird, W. S. Hanger, M. M. Terry, W. J. Hawkins and many others were leading citizens who helped promote the affair with the help of F. P. Walts.

A week was set aside for the fair to which people came from everywhere. A fee of twenty-five cents was charged at the door or gate to get in. This sum of money generally paid all expenses. Thursday was the big day. People came to meet their friends, brought dinner, and had a joyful time all day. The boys enjoyed the hot popeorn and the ''hot-dog'' stands, and townspeople cried themselves hoarse trying to sell their ''lemonade made in the shade, stirred with a spade'' or their ''hoky-poky'' ice cream. Cheap shows were on the ground, a steam swing, ferris wheel and merry-go-round. The county fair was a day of fun to old and young.

Many a poor country boy of the southern part of the county had his first view of the ''high life'' at the fair. He generally started. about 2:00 a. m: and by break of day he was coming down old White Oak Hill into ''Jim Town''-Marengo, Springtown or Big Springs. The writer remembers his first sight of the railroad and the first train which passed. Running to high grounds one generally watched the train pass with wonder.

During this period several new bridges were constructed in Crawford County. The board met at the site for Merrilee's bridge across Little Blue, west of Beechwood about two miles, on June 15, 1891; and measured the ground and work. The members came back to Leavenworth-and received bids as follows:

J. W. Hudson, first class masonry, per cubic yard $5.15 Kinsey Veatch, first class masonry, per cubic yard 4.40 Henry George, first class masonry, per ecubie yard 5.00 John Doolittle, first class masonry, per eubic yard 4.00

POAT PNET OUI BIOb 6. Gas wis lan area ns sos os ce ee es $0.46 PACS CORRS PIMDULY. wa cicaees cele te eens cases 4.00 PANO PEGE CME POUR WEY os). see sca ve oe Gee 0.28 Macadamivine, "per cubic f00t,............+5-2--- 0.75

The board ordered Charles T. Myler and H. K. Batman to meet with George W. Riddle and locate a site for the bridge on June 14, 1891. The bids, thirteen in all, were opened. They ran from $1,600 to $2,100. All were rejected and new ones asked for. Eight new ones were submitted, ranging from $1,550 to $1,780. E. J. P. Bracket Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded the contract at $1,550.

A bridge was built over Bogard Fork in this period. The board ordered it built at Hubbard's ford on the English road March 6, 1894. The Brochett Bridge Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a contract for $350 and ordered it completed by September 18, 1894. William Condra built the abutments at $2.25 per cubic foot.

Joab Stroud, who was elected county treasurer in 1890, took his office in August and died December 26th of that same year. He received $61.90 for taxes and did not give them credit on the books of the county. It appears that he gave them receipts for their money. The board ordered suit against his bond.

On July 8, 1892, the board met to consider the proposition of granting a right-of-way to the Leavenworth, Pilot Knob and Marengo Turnpike Company. The officers did not meet the county commissioners. The commissioners charged the cost of the meeting up to them which was $15.50. P. H. Willett paid the bill. Later the board granted them the right-of-way and work was soon begun. The directors were: Wm. C. Ellsworth, S. E. McFall, Wm. Everdon, R. H. Willett, William E. Green, W. V. Weathers and J. C. Archibald. In August, 1892, bonds were sold by the directors and people took out stock. On the end of the road at Leavenworth much work was done until about two miles of the road was finished. Beginning at Marengo the road was completed to the top of White Oak hill when the company went bankrupt. Men would not buy stock in the road and the undertaking failed. The citizens were too poor to take stock in such an undertaking.

One of the oldest and most respected families in Crawford County was the Smith family. During the Democratic landslide of 1890 one finds that Sherman Smith was elected county surveyor. His bond was signed by William Temple, James D. Morgan, Wiliam Sturgeon, M. J. Brown and William Beasley. For various reasons Smith resigned in March, 1891, and the board appointed Daniel J. Paschal to fill the vacancy.

On December 5, 1892, the board granted D. M. Handspire a license to run a ferry over Little Blue River at Alton. He had the right to charge:

The board ordered John Doolittle to make new ballot boxes for the election boards of different townships. The boxes were 18 inches x 19 inches x 9 inches with two locks. The booths were 614 feet high and 714 feet wide. Doolittle received $197 for the work. The work was ordered done September 4, 1890.

On March 3, 1890, the board ordered all the books of the treasurer and auditor run from the term of Walter Seacat down to January 11, 1890. The following report was made:

'' After careful work the records were found correct except in minor errors back to Seacat's record. The examiners were not able to run his books, since he claims that the books were stolen. Yet one can not see why a thief would want to steal the office books which were useless to the thief, for all the orders had been cancelled. The commissioners ought to be more careful with the records. , [Signed | ) ''Mart F'LEENER."'

A special meeting was held at English in October, 1893, at which a committee consisting of William Richards, William T. Beasley and W. T. Carr was named. This committee was to plan the campaign and give Leavenworth the fight of its life. Jim Pro bought the type of the Marengo Observer and moved it to English and started a paper there. Pro advocated the immediate moving of the county seat to English. The committee employed C. W. Cook, Mayor Funk and Charles Jewett, lawyers.

The petitioners were R. L. Sloan, G. W. Sloan, W. W. Temple, T. B. Cummins, M. J. Brown, C. D. Luckett, H. A. Brown, J. R. Crews, H. J. Brown, William Luckett, John Luckett and others. Each petition had twenty-five names on it when full. They were to return the petitions when full to Andrew J. Goodman who inspected them carefully and then returned them to Pro and W. W. Temple for another inspection, after which they were returned to Andrew J. Goodman. He then filed them in his office properly signed. The petitions were circulated in November. They were ready on the first Monday in December to make a grand spectacular drive on Leavenworth and get as many signers as they could on their way from English to Leavenworth. On that drive they secured 180 extra ones. Then the legal fight began.

The English crowd collected all their petitions and at two o'clock entered the court house at Leavenworth and at 4:30 they had won the fight. The board found that English had about sixty-five per cent. of the voters on the petitions. The English crowd had forged several names.

A gentleman of Mifflin said that three of them came to his school one day at recess. They asked him who a certain man was, who was oft a certain distance working. He told them. Later he learned that this man's name was on the petition. That gentleman denied signing and the three swore he did. He could do nothing.

Again they had deposited $250 to pay the architect and the commissioners. Also two acres of land and one-fourth of an acre for a jail were deeded to the county.

The English people did not feel that their side would get justice at Leavenworth. Hence they asked for a change to Corydon. Later the case was tried under Judge Davis of the appellate court.

The witnesses had a large map of the county placed on the floor to help them in the testimony. The trial lasted three weeks. English won. There was great rejoicing on Dog Creek then. But the rejoicing was checked by Judge Voyles and Judge Zenor issuing an injunction against the building which stopped everything for a while. Voyles was a special judge to hear the case at Leavenworth.

Just at this time the English crowd needed a modern Napoleon to handle the situation. They had one in their midst, capable of such an affair and powerful enough to handle the situation. This was the old hero of many battle- fields, A. J. Goodman. A meeting was held in English to decide what was the best to do. The committee resigned and Jack Goodman was made dictator. He planned to go over and get the books. The farmers furnished a long string of wagons, each of which was numbered. They met at English on Sunday, the 25th of April. There were three sledge-hammers to break open the doors of the offices if necessary and derricks to lift the safes into the wagons if needed. A quantity of dynamite was taken along and three men to handle it in case it was needed. One was Jack Nelson, sometimes called ''Dynamite Jack'' after that.

Jack Goodman drilled his cavalry at 12:30 a, m. and soon had the horsemen in fine shape. At one o'clock in the morning the grand party, which was a long procession, started for Leavenworth. There were no radios and telephones then, so their good brothers and sisters at Leavenworth knew nothing of their coming. The long procession had ninety-six two-horse wagons, eighty-two mounted guards and 478 infantry. That strange committee arrived at Leavenworth about 7:00 a. mM. The managers waited on the county officers to open the doors, which was done about eight o'clock. Then the loading began. Captain ''Jack'' drilled his mounted guards and the infantry in the most remarkable manner. Leavenworth was so surprised they could do nothing. No resistance was made. The loading was done easily and all were soon on the road back. That night the records were piled in the big stone building which Luckett was building. So the deed was done. Leavenworth regretted to see the court house go, but no doubt it will accommodate more people there.

The new court house, which was the first real one the county ever built, was about sixty-four feet square. The contractors were Caldwell and Drake. The contract was let on November 6, 1895. The architect was Oliver W. Marble. His fee was $437.15. The contract price for the building was $14,571.77, but before it was completed in every detail the cost reached about $48,000. The three commissioners who signed the contract were Amos Atkins, Jacob Partenheimer and Willis Harvey.

The sore heads and broken hearts have all been mended. Leavenworth and English are now on friendly terms. The county seat, no doubt, should have been at English.

Out of courtesy to the men of English one may say that C. D. Luckett, John McCoy, George Temple and others filed a bond to donate $2,100 to the county. The appraisers had said that the old buildings at Leavenworth were valued at $2,100. Hence, they would donate that sum.

On March 3, 1894, John Weathers and R. H. Willett asked permission of the county commissioners to erect a telephone line from Leavenworth to Marengo and thence to English, by Grantsburg to English from Leavenworth. The poles were in no way to interfere with the traffic on the highway. The board granted them the right to set the poles along the highway. William Everdon of Tower built the line from Leavenworth to Marengo. Poles were set, the wire stretched and the switchboards were installed. By 1895 the line was built to Alton, thence to Sulphur and English. This was something new to our farmers. They had never seen a telephone. One man near Alton asked Captain William Everdon how he could talk over such a thing. ''Do you put the wire in your mouth to talk?'' he asked. Some time after the line was completed a farmer near Tower came along. He heard the wire humming at the pole When he stopped at the Tower postoffice he told the crowd that as he came along he heard John Weathers and Dick Willett just ''cussin'' each other. Later he learned the truth, but the joke was on him.

When the Marengo line was complete Henry Summers and William Everdon were the first two who talked over the line. Mrs. Ella Murphy also talked with the men that Sunday morning. The telephone was a great help to the people.

During the summer of 1897 the Cumberland Telephone Company built a line through from Leavenworth to English and West Fork. With that line completed much good service was received.

After the election of 1892 the good people of Crawford County experienced one of the worst panics ever known in the history of the county. Business was at a standstill. As long as the farmer could sell crossties or West India staves he could earn a living, for there was much timber in the county. But by 1894 business was extremely bad. Crossties sold for nineteen and twenty-two cents each. Men received six and seven cents a tie for making them. A good tie hacker, after the timber was sawed, could make between fifteen and twenty-five ties a day, depending on the timber. In rough timber, where a man had to ''buck'' the ties, he did well to complete ten. But about this time men quit paying money for ties. Working men were given orders to the store, where they traded out the orders. When tax paying time came many people endured such hardships that they never forgot the panic of 1894.

Coxey's Army had made a raid on Washington. Kelley's Army passed Leavenworth in 1894. There were about 700 of them. Leavenworth was frightened for fear the men would stop and remain there. A large sum of money was made up for them. The saloons were closed. The large barrel of whiskey which Chester Elliott had in his saloon was rolled by Bill Conrad over to Johnny Stroud's livery stable and hidden in the trash. He feared they would break into the saloon and all become drunk. But fortunately they never stopped at Leavenworth's landing. They presented a motley array as the boat steamed up the river.

Joint Senator of Crawford, Orange and Harrison Counties - George Crandwill, Republican, 1,386; Daniel Lemmon, Democrat, 1,323. Crandwill's majority, 63.

By 1896 times were still hard. Money was scarce. The people believed that the money was too scarce. One faction advocated the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1, while another division of the voters belheved in the Gold Standard. The campaign of 1896 was one of the most bitterly contested elections ever held in the county. Men became angry at their best neighbors. The old party lines were broken. Many Republicans voted for free silver, while the old-line Democrats in many places left the party. At a great Republican rally held in Leavenworth in October, Captain Nath Collins, who had been a bitter Democrat, mounted his horse, rode out about two miles and met the procession and rode at its head with the yellow ribbon flowing from his horse in the air. Dick Willett, the county chairman of the Democrats, resigned.

One of the amusing things which happened during the campaign was Rainbolt's race. It appeared to me that Rainbolt had put up Major McKinley's picture in his store window hard by the road at Tower. One day a man came driving along the road in a two-horse road wagon. Rainbolt was down at the barn, which was a short distance from the house and store. Evidently the man in the wagon did not see Rainbolt or he would not have done what he did, but anyway, he had just emptied a large brandy bottle. Looking at the picture a second he drew back and hurled the bottie at the picture with all his might. Fortunately, he missed the picture. The bottle hit the weatherboarding with a terrible crash. Looking up, Rainbolt saw the act. Losing all control of himself, he jumped on the mare which was in the barn and bareback he made for the road with all the speed he could muster. In the meanwhile the women were out, and the man realizing his condition, laid whip to his two big fine horses and was well under way with his horses at a long gallop when Rainbolt gained the highway. Reinbolt being a rather small man held his seat with difficulty, while the mare was doing her best to overtake the man in the wagon. Just how far they ran before Rainbolt came back can not now be known. At any rate, to make a long story short, the man having outrun him, he gave up the chase. The writer was on the scene a short time after it happened but will not vouch for the authenticity of the story as told. Of course the Democrats laughed at Rainboldt every time chance came their way.

Bryan received 1,655 and MecKinléy 1,490 votes. The people elected Ballard sheriff on the Republican ticket, but the rest of the ticket was Democratic.

After the election of McKinley in 1896 the country was soon plunged into war with Spain. The records are such that one can not tell just how many boys from Crawford County volunteered. Sampson Byrum, Jerome Pierson, Garrison Bird, Charles Cook, two Megenity brothers of English and Charles Austin Ross, son of W. 8. Ross, volun-

The campaign of 1898 began with a warm primary fight in the spring. The Democrats had two candidates for county clerk, William L. Gregory of English and George W. Cuzzort of Patoka township. Sam McFall, Alexander Perkins and James Tucker were candidates for auditor. John Gilliland was the leading candidate for sheriff. The result of the primary was:

The Republicans held a convention and placed the following ticket in the field: Clerk, Richard Clark, (died, W. B. Allen filled vacancy) ; auditor, John W. Bird, Marengo; sheriff, George Ash; coroner, Henry Bates, Milltown; commissioner, Willis Harvey, Alton; surveyor, E. RB. McKensie.

The campaign waxed warm, money was spent on all sides and whiskey flowed freely. The result of the election was disastrous to the Republicans. Before ten o'clock that night the incomplete returns indicated a landslide for the Democrats. Below are the figures:

The first bank in Leavenworth was established by John S. Whitten. The building stood on Front Street. Later, Weathers and Willett organized a private bank in Leavenworth. A new building was secured at the corner of Court and Nelson Streets. This was about the year of 1892. Later,, a branch bank was opened at Marengo in the building where Doctor Land now has his office. There was also a branch bank at English.

The Leavenworth bank failed in 1897. The cashier closed the doors and left. The writer took his father's pension check to the bank that evening. Mr. Davis, the eashier, looked at it for a minute and handed it back, saying that he could not cash the check. The writer left much worried about the check. Later he learned that Davis had no funds with which to cash the check. Willett, who had left town, was severely blamed by many people who had their savings there. Just how much money was on deposit one can not now say. Trustee Scott of Jennings township lost heavily, for he had all the township money in the bank. Willett had been constructing a beautiful modern residence on Court Street, near the court house. That work was now closed. Later S. D. Alexander bought the house and completed it. The Alexanders still owned it in 1925. Later Willett returned and Mr. Ruell Arnold was appointed to settle the bank's business. He was able to collect and pay back to the depositors a large per cent. of their money. The branch banks at Marengo and English also failed. Later business people organized a bank at English, with John Miller as cashier. This bank was finally chartered by the state. It is known as the State Bank of English to-day. The Leavenworth State Bank was organized