Hamilton County, Indiana - Chapter 26: Reminiscences, 1915 (part 2 of 2)

There were a few careful managers among the colored people, but only a few ; the majority could not be trusted ; they lacked shrewdness and caution and could sometimes be bribed to act as spies, or to betray the hiding places of the fugitives. It is remarkable how the movements of the slave-hunters became known to the managers of the "underground railroad," in those days when telegraphic communication was an impossibility; and it is remarkable how the names of those actively engaged in the work and the names and loca* tion of anti-slavery strongholds became known, not only to the slave-owners, but to the ignorant slaves in the cotton fields of the South. There seems to have been an underground telegraph system as well as an "underground rail¬ road." Thus it was that Westfield came to be regarded in quite a different light from the standpoint of the fugitive slave who hoped to find friends here who would help him on to freedom, and from that of the slave-holder, who regarded it as an abolition hotbed where he could receive no justice; for it was said by slave-hunters that when a runaway "nigger" got to Westfield it was not worth while to look for him.

It is impossible to ascertain the number of slaves who, by means of the "underground railroad," made their escape from bondage. Levi Coffin said that in 1844 it was estimated that the number then in Canada was about forty thousand. That was more than fifteen years before the beginning of the Civil War, and the number constantly increased until that period. Beside this, many of the fugitives found friends and protection this side of the line, and never crossed into Canada. How many perished in the attempt to gain their freedom none can tell. How many were recaptured and carried back to end their days in slavery will never be known.

A number of interesting incidents in connection with the "underground railroad" occurred at Westfield. It is impossible to give the names of all those who were actively engaged in the cause of the fugitive slave, for time has dimmed the memory of those who remain to tell the story. It will l>e remembered that in the beginning the movement was very unpopular, both within and without the Friends church, the members of which composed a large portion of the community in and about Westfield, and the pioneers in the anti-slavery movement were almost ostracised from the society of their neighbors and some of them were "disowned" by their "meeting." To be an Abolitionist required great strength of character and a strong sense of moral obligation. To be an operator in the "underground railroad" re¬ quired not only this but physical courage as well. The odium attached to the calling was very undesirable; those engaged in it often being classed with thieves and robbers. Yet, in the face of all scandal and disgrace, a few courageous men and women quietly continued the work, and endured the slights and insults of former friends and neighbors until the community ex¬ perienced a revolution of sentiments. Then abolitionism became popular in this section of the county. The Society of Friends opened its doors to take back, without acknowledgment, all those who had been disowned on account of their anti-slavery proclivities, and many of those who had most bitterly opposed the "underground railroad" took up the work themselves and con¬ tinued it until their services were no longer needed.

Among the pioneers in the movement should be mentioned Asa Beals, one of the founders of the village; Judah Roberts, Louis Roberts, Simon Moon, another founder of Westfield, and his sons, William and Riley; Curtis Hiatt, Nathan Hiatt, Aaron and Elizabeth Lindley, Jonathan Hammer, Joel Denny, Dr. Jacob Pfaff, William Walgerman, William Frost, Border Jackson, Daniel Lighter, Samuel Johns, Milton Stanley and Ephraim Stout. Later came the White brothers, Mordacai, Lilburn and Makajah; Elijah Talbert, Peter Rich, Levi Pennington, the Baldwin brothers, David and Isaac, and many others. North of Westfield, in the vicinity of Deming, the active workers in the "underground railroad" were Elihu Pickett, Jesse, Joseph and Anna Baker, Martin Anthony, Owen Williams, John White, Daniel Masket, Uriah Hodson, Joseph Hadley and a number of others. In the operation of the "underground railroad" the women were as active as the men and their work was just as effective. Perhaps they did not personally conduct the fugitives through the forests and swamps, but they opened the doors of their homes and took them in, sick as many of them were, ragged and dirty as they all must have been, coming in direct contact with them, and performing all sorts of disagreeable service. They cooked food for the fugitives, and spun and wove the cloth which they made into clothing for them. The sick they put into their own dainty beds and nursed them back to health, and if the words of our Savior, "Whatsoever ye do unto the least of these, ye do it unto Me," have any meaning, surely they have entered into their reward.

Louis and Judah Roberts were born in Highland county, Ohio. When young men they were employed to work for a cousin who lived at some point on the Ohio river. There they became interested in the operations of the "underground" in which their cousin was engaged. In 1834 they moved to

Indiana and settled near Westfield. Soon afterward some fugitives were shipped from their old neighborhood on the Ohio river to their home in Hamilton county, and thus a branch of the "underground railroad" was estab¬ lished through Westfield. In the beginning the nearest station north of Westfield was New London, in Howard county, a distance of fifty or sixty miles in these days of gravel roads and excellent facilities for travel, but much farther in those times when the blazed pathway lay through the dense forest and almost impassable swamps. The use of any sort of vehicle was not to be thought of, the only means of travel being on horseback or on foot.

Fugitive slaves were shipped to Westfield from many points. They came from Lafayette, Darlington and Thorntown ; from Mooresville, and various points in Henry county, and from Indianapolis. Sometimes they came singly; sometimes a number were together. One night two or three parties, number¬ ing in all twenty negroes, arrived at the home of Judah Roberts, near Westfield. They were all fed and properly cared for and safely forwarded on their journey.

On the spot later occupied by the residence of Anderson Perry once stood a barn belonging to Asa Beals. It differed from the ordinary barns of that period in that it was larger, was built of frame, and had a cellar beneath it; the latter, however, was not generally known. In this cavity many a dusky form was secreted in the darkness, food and drink given through the opening above, the trap-door securely fastened, a bit of hay or straw scattered carelessly over it; and here the fugitive remained until the time and opportunity came for smuggling him away.

A slave named George Hoard escaped captivity with his wife and chil¬ dren and was traced by his master to Westfield. Here he engaged Nathan Hunt to assist him in the search for the family, which had scattered through the woods. Nathan was a stanch Quaker, and, unknown to the slave-hunter, was a firm friend to the runaway negroes ; but he went with him in the hope of being able to lead him off the track. By and by they spied a little woolly head and a pair of frightened eyes hid in a pile of brush. The master roughly pulled the child out and gathering it in his arms, remarked, "Here is three hundred dollars saved." Nathan could stand it no longer. He forgot all about his advocacies of peaceful arbitration, and, with a decidedly combative instinct and much physical force, he drew the stout stick which he carried in his hand, and, perhaps with less calmness of voice than is usually employed in connection with the use of the "plain language," he said: "Thee put that child down; it is none of thine." How much moral persuasion was conveyed by the stick and the force with which it was wielded I do not know, but the

A tavern was kept by Mrs. Luvica White where now stands an old shop across the alley from the residence of postmaster Charles Smith. One night a fugitive slave woman was brought here and placed in an upper room. Scarcely was this done when two strange men came and applied for lodging, which was given them. It soon became apparent that they were slave-hunt¬ ers and were on the track of the woman upstairs, having traced her to Westfield. To leave her in the room would lead to almost certain discovery; but there was no way of getting-her out of the house except to pass through the room in which the men were sitting. However, Mrs. White was equal to the emergency. She dressed the negro woman in her own clothes, with bonnet and veil, prepared herself for the street, and the two quietly left the house to¬ gether without exciting the suspicion of the master. Mrs. White took the woman to the house of her son, Mikajah White. There she was secreted until the danger was past. This was about the year 1850.

Louis Talbert escaped from Kentucky and through the influence of friends became a student in the Union Literary Institute, in Randolph county. He made two unsuccessful attempts to rescue his sisters from slavery, each time bringing with him a number of runaway slaves. Determined to make another attempt to bring his sisters out of bondage, he confided his plans to a fellow student, a young man from Westfield, who, becoming interested in his story, offered to accompany him on his perilous mission. A few months later Louis presented himself in Westfield and reminded his friend of his promise. He was taken to the house of Levi Pennington, who tried to dis¬ suade him from his purpose; but Louis was determined and confided his plans to Nathan Willits, who agreed to go with him. Nathan, however, unwisely told a friend of their intentions; this friend told another person, who knew Louis's master in Kentucky, and wrote to him, disclosing the plot. The re¬ sult was that when Louis reached Indianapolis he was confronted by his master and carried back to slavery. A short time afterward he again made his escape, again bringing a numl)er of slaves with him. It was estimated that Louis carried off thirty-seven thousand dollars worth of slave property.

Fred Douglas Mobbed

The route through Hamilton county was via Indianapolis, Westfield, Boxlev, New London, in Howard county, and so on to the Canadas. This was only one of many routes where the poor hunted slave found friends, food.

shelter and protection, often to the great danger of his^ friends who per¬ formed this wonderful work, "without money and without price," for the sake of humanity and in accordance with their own conscience. By so doing they were breaking the man-made laws of the state, but they had the ap¬ proval of the Higher Laws, and that was more than sufficient for those heroic men and women.

While many people were in sympathy with the effort to aid the run¬ away slaves, yet it is probable the majority of the people in the county were opposed to the movement. Fred Douglas, the famous colored orator, was one of the many slaves brought through Westfield and from there to liberty. He was housed over night at the home of Ephriam Stout. In after years, prior to the Civil W ar, Douglas was advertised to speak at Noblesville, and when the time came for his arrival he was met by a mob that was deter¬ mined he should not speak, and his friends were obliged to spirit him away secretly, to keep him from bodily harm. About the same time he undertook to make a speech at Pendleton, at which place he was actually mobbed and egged, many persons from Hamilton county participating in the disgraceful affair. This only goes to show how public opinion was divided on the ques¬ tion of slavery. In a few years from that time, however, the sentiment changed greatly and shortly after the Civil War Douglas spoke in Nobles¬ ville to a large and enthusiastic audience, which was glad to do this great colored orator honor, as the former mob had been determined to do him personal injury had he attempted to speak. This incident indicates the great change in the sentiment of Hamilton county toward the slavery ques¬ tion. While not all men in this country can agree as to the exact rights of the negro, all men do agree that he had a right to freedom, and unite in commendation for the brave men and women who early in the century helped this down-trodden race to freedom through the famous underground railroad.

The Story Of John Rhoads

John Rhoads was a colored man who was born in slavery either in Kentucky or Missouri. Whatever the place of his birth, he grew up and spent the most of his early life in the tobacco fields of Missouri. Here, in due time, he loved and was married to Louan, a colored woman, and, like himself, a slave. To this union was born one child, in slavery. Here they toiled year after year, day in and day out, for their master, frequently being chastised bv a brutal overseer for some imaginary or, at most,' trivial offense. After living and working many years in Missouri their master, Vaughn by name, decided to go to Illinois and work his human properties on the* prairies of that state. After having resided there for a period exceeding six months, the slave owner began to hear things that threatened his possessions. It was whispered that John and Louan were entitled to their freedom by law, hav¬ ing resided in a free state a sufficient length of time. So the owner con¬ cluded it was time to remove his human chattels from Illinois to a slave state. He purchased a plantation again in Missouri, and to this place he took John and Louan. But the seeds of freedom and liberty had fallen on good ground while the slaves were in a free state. There John had heard of Canada, the Abolitionists and "the underground railway. " The desire for freedom began to grow in the hearts of these poor slaves. It is possible their master may have suspected their secret desires. John and Louan were very watchful, and when strangers came to their master's home they learned what* they could of these visitors' intentions, fearful lest they be slave buyers from farther south. Their suspicions and fears at last proved to be well grounded. They overheard sufficient of a conversation between their master and a stranger to learn that Louan, the wife and mother, was to be sold "down south," and thus separated from her beloved family. It was then the seeds of freedom and liberty l>egan to bear fruit. Together, John and Louan reviewed all they had heard of the land of freedom to the north, of the underground railway, with its stations where they might be housed and fed and helped on their journey by friends who were willing to risk much to help such as these poor slaves to liberty.

Flight Of The Slaves

Carefully concealing the grief and fear in their hearts from their cruel master, John and Louan began to make plans to escape. The dread of all slaves was the thought of being sold "down south.'' No one can picture the grief and consternation filling the hearts of - these slaves at the prospect of an immediate and final separation from each other. They ran very grave risks in even attempting to escape, but despite the dangers all about them, they did not despair. Being in a slave state they were surrounded by foes on every hand, who would at any discovered attempt to escape capture them in the most brutal manner, dead or alive. John had met with an accident shortly prior to this, and, though well and strong, was lame. But none of the dangers without or misfortunes within deterred them from their pur¬ pose. They decided it was better to brave dangers they "knew not of" than to remain as they then were situated. In a bundle John packed a saw, an ax and a hammer, which he carried ; while Louan took charge of the little boy. Taking a few provisions with them, after waiting for nightfall, they stole out into the darkness from their little cabin in their race for liberty. As they had some knowledge of the route from Missouri to Illinois, having passed that way on their removal from the latter state, they decided to take the same route.

They left their cabin as early as possible after nightfall and headed toward Illinois. They traveled all night. The next morning it seemed to the weary fugitives that Providence was very kind to them, for when daylight cartie, they arrived at a large swamp. Entering this hiding place, they found a comfortable, yet secluded spot, where they rested and slept all day. Night found them once more on their journey with their faces set resolutely to the east and freedom. The second night's travel and the second day's rest and sleep were but a repetition of the first night and day. Rut before another night passed trouble beset them on every hand. John's sleep this second day was disturbed by terrible dreams and his wakings were filled with dire fore¬ bodings. In his sleep he had what he called a "vision." In this vision he saw two slaves with a child fleeing before the bloodhounds of a cruel master, who was about to capture them and return them to hated bondage. Naturally, under tl\e circumstances he believed his dream to be a warning to himself and family. He felt that at any. time they might be torn to pieces by the hounds or if not killed outright be taken back and each sold away from the other. Such separation they dreaded worse than death. Hastily, the little party partook of the remnant of the food which they had taken with them. When it was dark enough to permit traveling in safety they set out again on their weary journey. With hope ahead, but fear dogging per¬ petually at their heels, they journeyed on, resting during the day and travel¬ ing bv night, their only food being corn, potatoes and such other things as they could gather without being detected. In some manner they managed to throw their pursuers off the scent, for they felt the men and dogs were on their trail, which was indeed the fact.

Pursuit Of The Fugitives

When it was discovered by John's master that John and his family were missing, the man immediately knew the slaves had run away. AH was confusion at the old house. Though the family was missing, no one knew what direction they had taken. A vigorous search and diligent inquiry was set about, but without success. In this wav considerable time was lost to the master but gained by the runaways. Finally the master resorted to the bloodhounds. When some dogs were procured the search began in earnest. The dogs took the trail and several times were close upon the fugitives. Thus the race went on to the Mississippi river. John and his little family in the meantime were straining every effort to get to the river and across it before the hounds and men came upon them. At last John reached the broad "Father of Waters." Knowing there was no time to lose, he hastily con¬ structed a rude raft, made from logs and poles cut from the brush along the banks of the river. These he fastened together with hickory bark and small saplings. At last the rude craft was completed. Cutting a strong pole for a paddle, placing his precious tools and his little family on the raft, they started across the river to the Illinois side. They had scarcely covered one-third of the distance when their pursuers reached the bank they had just left. Having no boat or any other means of crossing the river, the master and his helpers also began the construction of a raft. This occupied some time and before the pursuers had launched their raft John and his family had crossed safely to the other side. There being no inhabitants in their immediate vicinity, John and his family started for the interior as fast as they could travel and by the time the master reached the Illinois shore John was far away. But the fugitives were too valuable to their owner for the hunt to be easily abandoned. The dogs were set to hunting the trail, which eventually they found. Not only were the dogs relied upon but the owner of the runaways advertised and offered rewards for the capture of the slaves. By these means they at last found the liberty-loving slaves. John and his family had done their best but the odds were against them. Being now in a free state, they could not be unceremoniously transported back to slavery. They could only be returned by process of law. The footsore and weary little family were placed in jail to await the legal proceedings. Things indeed looked dark to John Rhoads, but light was just ahead and help was nearer than John or his wife thought. The news of the capture of the poor fugitives flew all over that section of the state. The Abolitionists of the state were aroused. Meet¬ ings were held and it was determined to rescue these black brothers in need. Communication was begun with John and plans were laid for a rescue. So perfectly were the plans executed that John and his family were rescued and released from jail and started on the underground railway across Illinois and into Indiana, and were miles awav before the master knew of the rescue. So secretly was the work of rescue planned and executed that John's pur¬ suers lost trace of him as completely as if he had been drowned in the river,

In the meantime John and his family reached Indiana and Hamilton county. They remained over night at the home of Joseph Baker, near the little town of Deming, in the year 1837. John's original purpose was to make Canada his destination. But during their short stay at Deming, they made many friends, who prevailed on them to make their future home in Hamil¬ ton county, the assurance being given them they could never be taken back into slavery from here. John finally decided to remain in this county and, after a short rest, he set about building a little home for himself and fam¬ ily. The kind people in the neighborhood furnished them with the necessi¬ ties for housekeeping. There was work in plenty, both for John and Louan, which they performed willingly and well. Though happy and contented in his new home, John was never entirely free from fear of pursuit. In time he purchased a small piece of ground and built a cabin on it, but the cabin was built without any windows, the only mode of entrance being the door or the chimney, and there was but one door. John slept "with one eye open" and with a trusty ax at the head of his bed. He feared that as the laws existed at that time he might yet be discovered and taken again into slavery. Sub¬ sequent events proved he had ample reasons for such fears.

Vaughn, the owner of the Rhoads family, lost all trace of his slaves, one reason for this being the assumed names taken by the fugitives, the real name having been Sam Burk instead of John Rhoads.

The way Vaughn finally discovered John's whereabouts was as follows: A kind-hearted old Christian gentleman by the name of Abel Gibson moved from near Mooresville, Morgan county, Indiana, to Adams township, this county, and learned of the history of the Rhoads family, and afterward, when making a visit to his former home in Morgan county, stopped over night on his way with an acquaintance of the name of Merritt, near Bridgeport, and to this man he innocently related the story of the Rhoads family up to that date. This man, Merritt, afterward moved to Missouri and by chance located near the Vaughn plantation and became a neighbor of Mr. Vaughn. Vaughn related his story of the loss of his former slaves to Mr. Merritt and Merritt revealed the whereabouts of the unfortunate fam¬ ily and caime all the way with the slave hunter to help capture them. Merritt visited his old friend, Abel Gibson, and pretending to be in the business of buying furs, expressed a wish to see John Rhoads for the purpose of buying fur of him and thus learned the way to his house.' He called at the Rhoads cabin and, while pretending to talk business, examined the house inside and out, and learned all the approaches, and on that very night led the slave hunt¬ ers to the cabin. Before that night, however, the slave hunters procured the proper papers from 'Squire Tyson, a justice of the peace at Strawtown, which would enable him to place the Rhoads family under arrest. So, with Merritt as a guide, and with a proper officer, the slave hunting party pro¬ ceeded to the home of John Rhoads in the night time. John, as usual, had securely fastened the door and had his ax standing at the head of the bed. As stated before, the cabin was purposely built without a window, so the only way to get in was either through the door or the chimney. At last, when the forces were properly distributed around the cabin and all was ready, Rhoads was called upon to surrender himself and his family and peaceably go with his old master back to Missouri*, but this John refused emphatically to do. John had lived here a number of years by this time and his family had increased in size, and while preparations were going on on the outside preparations also were going on on the inside of the house. John and his faithful wife hastily made a sort of breastworks out of the little furniture they had for protection of their children, and then John took his station at the door with his ax and his wife at the fireplace, which had the ordinary pioneer stick chimney. Louan kept up a fire in the fireplace to prevent any one of the attacking party from climbing down the chimney. An assault, however, was made upon the chimney and door at the same time. The door resisted the first assault, but the clay and stick chimney soon gave way and was torn down. Vaughn ordered his men to enter by way of the fireplace, but Louan stood there with a long stick of hard burnt clay in each hand, declaring her intention of killing the first man who undertook to enter the cabin, and John and his trusty ax did not look at all inviting at the door. Since all had refused to obey orders, Vaughn concluded to make the at¬ tempt himself, but no sooner did he undertake it than Louan knocked him down with a lump of clay, which sent him sprawling quite a distance from the chimney opening, and still Louan stood at her post as defiant as ever, inviting the next one to make the attempt to. enter, but the next one did not care about undergoing Vaughn's experience. John and Louan, in the meantime, had called loudly for help, and Owen Williams and Jesse Baker were the first to respond, but they were halted by the slave hunting party and officers, who were well supplied with arms. Joseph Baker next arrived, and the men ordered him to assist them in making the arrest, but this he

Help In Time Of Need

John and Louan had made a gallant fightr indeed, but they were greatly outnumbered, and began to despair, but Joseph Baker's appearance gave them new courage and they were again ready for the fight. Owen Baker and Jesse Baker soon spread the news and it was not long until people from Deming and Westfield heard of this attempted arrest and were upon the scene. John Rhoads' friends bv this time outnumbered his enemies and they demanded to know what Vaughn's intentions were towards the colored family. He said that he wanted to take them before a magistrate so that he might legally identify them. This resulted in a sort of parley, and it was suggested that he had worked his former slaves in a free state long enough to entitle them to their freedom. The suggestion finally was made that the family be taken to Westfield and this was agreed upon, or at least Rhoads' friends acted upon that understanding, and the entire party - slaves, masters and all - repaired to the home of Martin Anthony for breakfast. After procuring a team and a wagon, the Rhoads family was loaded into the wagon and a start was made for Westfield, as the friends of Rhoads supposed, the friends of the family remaining with the party. But Vaughn was determined that the wagon should be driven toward Noblesville, and threatened to shoot any man who attempted to drive toward Westfield with the Rhoads family. This place of parley was at the cross roads near what is known as No. i school house in Washington township. At that place the Lafayette diagonal road leading toward Noblesville was crossed by another diagonal road, leading in a southwesterly direction toward Westfield. When the Missourian made his threat a man by the name of Emslev Wade said, "Drive on, I'll catch the shot," and at the same time held out his hands as though he was in the act of trying to catch a ball. Vaughn and his men had placed them¬ selves in front of the team, but a young man by the name of Daniel F. Jones, then of Westfield, sprang into the wagon, seized the reins, which the former driver only too gladly gave up, ordered the men to get out of the way, told them to shoot if they dared, gave the spirited horses a sharp cut with the whip and turned toward Westfield. The horses sprang forward so suddenlv that the tongue of the wagon struck the horse of one of the officers, hurling him out of the road and at the same time disarmed him. Jones started toward Westfield in a lively trot and had to drive near the old "Dismal Swamp," that all the old settlers in this part of the country know about. Jones looked steadily ahead, attending strictly to his driving, and while doing so his passengers "spilled out" through the cracks of the wagon bed, and Jones drove on to Westfield with his empty wagon. Vaughn and his party, seeing that they were outwitted as well as outnumbered, turned to¬ ward Noblesville soon after Jones had distanced them in his drive toward Westfield. Vaughn employed lawyers and began suit against those who had assisted in the escape of his former slaves and a long, protracted trial fol¬ lowed (a change of venue having been taken to Marion county), which resulted in a finding that John Rhoads and family, having been worked in a free state for a period of six months and over, were entitled to their freedom. This trial cost the defendants about six hundred dollars in attorney's fees and much loss of time, but they had saved this poor colored family from separation one from the other and from being again doomed to the condition of slavery.

The first night after John Rhoads and family had "spilled out" of the wagon, they were taken to a haystack belonging to Robert Tomlinson, where they remained till morning. Early the next morning Riley Moon brought them across "Dismal Swamp," wet as they could be, to the home of Mr. Lindley, where they were provided with food and dry clothing. They were then concealed in a deep forest near the Lindley home during the day and at night brought to the house again, where they were warmed and fed. Thus they remained concealed in the woods and the swamp until it was safe for them to live in the open again. After the trial which freed them, they settled on a part of the Lindley farm, where John and Louan, with their family, lived unmolested in regard to slavery until death claimed him and his faithful wife.

An Indian Story

When Mrs. Rebecca Maker was just a young girl in her teens she re¬ sided not far from the present site of the hamlet of Clare. As was the cus¬ tom in those days, she set out one beautiful day in early autumn to gather wild grapes for the family use, either for jellies to be stored and kept for winter or to be baked immediately in some tempting dish. She had been quite successful in her quest of the dainty fruit, having her basket almost full. She walked quietly through the deep woods entirely alone, as she thought, but like the maidens of that day unafraid of danger, when sud¬ denly, without any previous warning of the approach of any one, even by the slightest snapping of a twig, a hand, large, muscular and fearsome, was ex¬ tended over her shoulder and into her precious basket of grapes, a voice very close to her ear said, "Indian like grapes." The hand grasped a big bunch of grapes and her visitor disappeared as suddenly as he had come. But it can well be imagined he left a little maiden rather frightened and eager to be at home and out of reach of mysterious hands, even of friendly Indians.

The Murder Of Benjamin Fisher

It is believed that none of the eye witnesses to this tragedy are now liv¬ ing, and, like other occurrences that have been perpetuated only in tradi¬ tional form, the story has become somewhat distorted by frequent repetition, viva voce; consequently, there are almost as many versions as there are people who have heard the circumstances narrated. Without attempting to correct what may be erroneous regarding it, we will give preference to the narrative of his daughter, Mrs. Simmerman, as told to the writer. It is substantially as follows: One John Shintaffer kept a stock of goods at Strawtown, con¬ sisting of such articles as were usually in stock among Indian traders, and, of course, the inevitable whisky was a part of his merchandise. Of this the Indians purchased liberally and drank freely. On one occasion, in March, 1821, an Indian came to his establishment, half intoxicated, and after a few grumbling remarks, accused Shintaffer of putting "heap White River" into his liquor, or in other words, diluting it with water from the river. Shin¬ taffer, who was by no means a man of amiable temper, permitted his anger to overrule his judgment, and, seizing the drunken and almost helpless Indian, threw him violently into the midst of a log-heap then burning on his place, blind to, or careless of, the consequences that he knew must follow such atrocity when the news reached the tribe. The Indian, unable to extricate himself from the fiery prison, yelled in his agony, while the white fiend stood by unmoved, unpitying, and witnessed his horrible death. Had he but pur¬ sued a different and more pacific course, the bloody sequel might have been averted: but the Indians, whose amiable bearing toward the white invaders of their hunting grounds was far from sincere, were glad of an opportunity of gratifying an expression of the hatred that rankled in their breasts, under the specious plea of revenge. Accordingly, the news had scarcely reached the Indian camp, when ten or eleven braves, armed with tomahawks and clubs, repaired to the residence of Shintaffer. The latter saw them coming and guessed the object of their visit. He made hasty preparations for de¬ fense, and all the men then at home in the settlement, while they had no sympathy with Shintaffer in the commission of his crime, knew they must share the result of it. and formed themselves in line of battle to resist the savages and protect their homes. A fence divided the Indians from the set¬ tlers, and the battle began by one of the former picking up a hickory club and throwing it at one of the white men. Some one returned the compliment with deadly effect upon one of the Indians, who then fled, pursued by the settlers. It was in this chase that Mr. Fisher received a death wound from a tomahawk. Fearing the consequences of their raid, the Indians broke camp immediately, and left, it is said, for the neighborhood of Fort Wayne. Mr. Fisher had always been on friendly terms with them, but this friendship failed to protect him against their passion for revenge. Another account of this tragedy was contributed by a correspondent of the Anderson (Indiana) Democrat , under the title of "A Strawtown Reminiscence/' and republished in the Nobleszntle Ledger of January 3, 1879. The narrative reads as follows :

"For several years after the admission of Indiana as a state in the Union, society in general was in a very chaotic and immoral condition. The transforming of the country and people from a state of semi-barbarism to one of intelligence and refinement could not be brought about in a short sea¬ son, but must be the work of years. This portion of the state at that period was the home of several tribes of savage Indians, among whom could be num¬ bered the Delawares, Miamis and Pottawatomies. Driven from one position to another by the continued encroachments of the whites, defeated in many bloody encounters by Wayne, Harrison and other able commanders of the early days, and seeing the country, which for ages had been their home, taken from them, it is not to be wondered at that they continually held deep feelings of revenge; and, although there was a quasi state of peace, there were fre¬ quent encounters between them and the first settlers, which, although not ris¬ ing to the dignity of a battle, were attended with the loss of life and the shedding of- blood.

"The valley of White river was a favorite home of the Indians, and there were large numbers of them residing along its banks, from Muncie's Town to Strawtown, and up to the years 1820 there were not, perhaps, a dozen white families dwelling along the country between the two points. Strawtown was, for many years, an important trading post on the Western frontier, and large numbers of Indians congregated there.

"Drunkenness and quarrels were frequent. Among the residents of the place at this period was a notorious character, rejoicing in the name of Shintapper, who was the owner of a 'gin mill/ situated on the north side of the river, near the fort. His place was the headquarters for many of the high¬ est people of the region around, and the Indians were among his most fre¬ quent customers. Upon one occasion, an Indian who had become intoxicated and loitered around his place, incurred the displeasure of the saloon keeper, who, maddened, threw the almost helpless Indian into a large fire, and, despite his yells, allowed him to remain there until death relieved his suffer¬ ings. He was of the Pottawatomie tribe, and, learning the fate that had befallen him, his brother Indians determined at once upon revenge. Late one afternoon, in April, some eight or ten Indians, armed with tomahawks and clubs, were seen emerging from the woods to the northeast of the fort, and bearing down quickly and stealthily toward the house of Shintapper. Their movements were noticed by none more earnestly than Shintapper him¬ self, who, divining their purpose, hastily called in five or six whites near by, and immediately placed his house in a state of defense. Among the white men was numbered Benjamin Fisher, father of Charles Fisher, who is well known to the readers of the Democrat. The Indians, immediately upon arriving at the house, demanded that Shintapper should come forth, and, being refused, sought entrance. A general fight was now opened - the Indians with tomahawks and the whites with clubs, stones and anything that could be readily used. The white men soon emerged from the building, when the Indians beat a retreat, and were followed for a short distance, losing one of their number (who was killed in the first engagement). They soon rallied and attacked the whites with redoubled fury, during which time, Mr. Fisher, who was somewhat in the advance of the others, was seized by an Indian, struck down with a tomahawk, and scalped before assistance could be rendered him. The Indians immediately fled and, knowing the feeling that would be aroused by this tragedy, retreated in the direction of Fort Wayne, and were never seen afterward in this locality.

"On the night following the tragedy, Shintapper, who had been the direct cause of it, hastily placed a few articles of his plunder in a canoe and, seizing oars, departed, to be seen no more.

"A small mound in the cemetery at Strawtown marks the last resting place of Benjamin Fisher - one of the hewers of wood and drawers of water in the pioneer days/'

The First Hotel

The first hotel ever known in this county was kept by George Shirts. His wife was the daughter of Solomon Finch and she had the reputation of knowing how to make the best corn pone that could be had between In¬ dianapolis and the Wabash. Travelers are said to have inquired for days for the "landlady that made good corn bread." At this early tavern the whole court used to domicile during its sessions, and Judge Wick used to remark that "it was the best corn pone stopping place in the Fifth judicial district. " George Shirts erected the first frame house in Noblesville. Besides being a tavern keeper he was the first shoe maker in the county and made all the shoes and moccasions used in the community for years.

The United States Census Department at Washington has issued a bulletin dealing with the ownership of Hamilton county homes. The im¬ portant facts contained in the bulletin relative to this county are as follows:

There are 6,941 homes in Hamilton county. Of this number 3,028 are farm homes. Of these 1,180 are owned by their occupants and are free of mortgage incumbrances. The mortgaged farm homes number 837 and rent¬ ers occupy 995 farm homes in this county.

Out of a total of 6,941 homes in the county, 3,913 are urban homes. There are 2,148 urban home owners in the county. Of this number 466 are mortgaged and 1,61 1 of the urban owned homes are free of incumbrance. There are 1,667 rented urban homes in the county. The census enumerators were unable to secure data pertaining to the ownership of a small percentage of both the rural and urban homes in this county.

Lost In The Woods

It would l)e impossible for a person to be lost in any woods in Hamilton county at the present day, for the simple reason that the largest patches of timber contain but a few acres at most and even small patches of woods are few and far between. But early in the last century for the word to come that any person "was lost in the woods" struck terror to all hearts, especially if the lost one were either a woman or child. At that time the woods were dense with no well defined paths to those uninitiated in woodland ways, and were infested with bears and Wolves, as well as poisonous snakes. Conse¬ quently, there was great consternation in the little settlement in Clay town¬ ship in 1827, when the word was sent to the neighbors that Mrs. Margaret Gray, an elderly lady of eighty years, had wandered into the woods and had failed to return to her home. Every one physically able joined in the search, dropping whatever work he had in hand. The old lady had already passed one night in the woods before the alarm became general. On the previous evening she had gone in search of a missing pig, her only guide through the forest being a narrow cow path, which had become obliterated by the windstrewn leaves. Failing to find the stray pig, she had thought to retrace her steps toward home, when she found herself hopelessly lost in the forest with night almost upon her. All night her husband, with a few near neighbors, searched the woods in all directions without success. During the progress of the search, some of the party came upon some recent bear tracks, which added to the horror of the situation, as they feared they might come upon the mangled remains of the old lady at any time. She was not discovered until about sundown of the second day. Colonel Daniel Heaton was the fortunate one of the party, for he it was who found the old lady safe and unhurt but much exhausted from fright and exposure. He placed her upon his horse and took her in all haste to his own home, where she remained over night and was given all possible comforts, while the news of her dis¬ covery was spread through the settlement. The old lady lived four years after this trying experience. Mrs. Gray was the grandmother of James G. McShane, of Clay township, and some of her descendants still reside in Hamilton county.

Corn Pone

Mr. Shirts tells the following story: About the year 1830 Robert Stitt, who resided in the vicinity of the Connor mill, two miles southwest of Noblesville, after having spent the day in town, started south from the public square on Eighth street for his home. At the south line of the old town he wTas accosted by a stranger on horseback, who said to him, "My friend, can you tell me where I can find the woman who makes good corn pone?" "Well," replied Stitt, "if it is the woman that stays at the tavern you are after, you are on the right track. Keep straight ahead until you come to the sign' board. There you will get corn pone, venison and plenty to drink, so that you will not go hungry or dry." The stranger had started on, when Stitt called to him, "Sav, mister, which way may you be going tomorrow? If you are looking

It was seldom that wheat bread was found on the table, so the woman who could make good corn pone was in demand by the traveling public. There was no such thing as baking powder or soda, and cooking vessels were scarce. Corn pone was baked in a pot holding from two to four gal¬ lons. Corn bread, as a rule, was baked on a board placed before an open fire. This was called johnny cake, and the board was the johnny cake board. The meal for the johnny cake was mixed with water and often without salt. When properly mixed it was spread out evenly on the board and placed before the fire. A substitute for soda was sometimes found by burning a dry elm tree. Such a tree usually had a thin, hard crust on the inside. This tree was fired at the bottom while standing and the inside would burn out first. When it was entirely consumed and the ashes removed a large amount of cinders were left. A small quantity of these were then placed in a bottle and dissolved with water. After the cinders were thor¬ oughly dissolved the contents of the bottle were used in bread and had the same effect as soda. The difficulty attending the making of good corn pone in those days was so great that one having acquired the art was sought out by travelers. This woman the stranger was seeking was my mother.