Jay County, Indiana - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 7 of those read), 1864

Fakmebs' Academy General Items

The first meeting to consider the subject of founding this school was held at the house of G. W. Templer, then living at College Corner, in the spring of 1854. Another meeting was afterward held at David O. Whipple's. The members of the first Board of Trustees were Jacob Bosworth, President; Obadiah "Winters, G. W. Templer, James Templer, J. G. Spade, John J. Adair, Geo. Blazer, John Reed, Lewis J. Bell, Augustus Bosworth.

James Templer, now a resident of Indianapolis, donated the site for the building, and Jacob Bosworth built the house - a frame, twenty-five by fifty-six feet, and two stories high - for $900.

Mr. C. C. Chamberlain, a graduate of Antioch College, taught for the first six months, commencing December 10th, 1854, Miss Katurah "Winters being Principal of the Primary Department. The first term of the second ^-ear was tauglit by Mr. John Phipps ; the rest of that year Mr. Robert Milliken ^vas the Principal, Miss Lytlia Sheller being the lady Assistant. The third year Kev. J. D, Parker and Miss M. C. Hall were the teachers. In 1857 N. G. BuflP, Esq., was the Principal, and at diftcrent times during that year Miesee Katnrah Winters, Rachel Jackson and Mary Bosworth were Assistants.

Fakmers Academy. ' Cold Winter

way became Principal, and Mrs. Hemenway, Assistant, which position they held for two years. There was then no school until in the spring of 1864, when Rev. J. E. Erwin became the Principal, and is the present incumbent. The Academy is located in one of the most beautiful groves that can be seen any where.

The last Post Ofiipe (College Corner) established in the county, was near this place, on May 30th, 1862. Jonas Votaw was the first Postmaster ; - Jacob Bosworth is the present one.

In June, 1847, the County Commissioners contracted with Jacob Bosworth to build the " Jay County Seminary." It was not finished until 1848. The first term of school in it was taught by Mr. TFiomas T. Loomis. For the year 1850 Mr. Calvin J. Parker was the Principal, and for the two following years Rev. I. N, Taylor occupied that position, which was the last school taught in it. In 1853 the county sold the building to Elias Bromagem, who occupied it for several years, when it was forfeited to the county, who in 1860 resold it to B. W. Hawkins, who has since made it his residence.

The cold winter of 1842 and '43 will long be remembered by the early settlers of Jay and the adjoining counties. On the 12th of November, 1842, the ground was covered by a fall of snow, which did not entirely leave until April, 1843.

After the 8th of January the whole country was one vast field of ice, caused by rain which fell heavily and froze, forming a thick sleety ice. On this snow fell nearly afoot in depth, and though it was partly thawed by rain, yet frost and snow again followed. The sleet prevented the hogs getting nuts and roots, or the wild turkeys from stirring the leaves ; and long before spring the scanty provision made by the settlers for horses and cattle was gone, and great numbers of cattle perished. S»me farmers were able to keep most of their stock by cutting down elm, linden, and other soft-wood trees, and letting the stock take the brush. This, with a supply of salt and a small piece of salt fat pork to a cow per day, took them through ! The hogs fared still worse : thousands perished from actual starvation. Some men saved some of their hogs by killing the weaker ones and feeding them to the stronger. Deer became so poor they were easily taken, and men and wolves slew them in great numbers.

Another trying time for the settlers of Jay County was the rainy summer of 1844. All the streams overflowed the low lands many times during the season. The farmers found it impossible to plow or })hint, and no crop was raised. Large numbers of families left their cabins and clearings, and moved back to the older settlements, most of whom never returned. Had it been pos-

Among the pioneers of Jay was an oddity called Johnny Appleseed. His proper name was John Chapman. Manj^ years ago he brought from Central Ohio, two bushels of apple-seed, on the back of an ox, and cleared small patches of ground on the headwaters of the Loraraie, Anglaise, St. Mary's and Wabash rivers, besides various other places, and planted apple-seeds. In the early settlement of this county, he was wandering about, from one nursery to another, camping wherever night overtook him, selling trees. He had a nursery on the Wabash one mile east of ]^ew Cory don. He never carried a gun or wore a sound piece of clothing, though he possessed considerable property ; never slept in a bed, or ate at a table ; had no place he called home ; was a devoted Swedenborgian in religion, and died near Fort Wayne in 1845. He had once been a fine business man, but an accident had caused a partial derangement of his mind. The trees from his nurseries are bearing fruit in a dozen different counties in Indiana, and thousands are enjoying the fruit who never saw or heard of Johnny Appleseed.

editor and proprietor. In politics it was neutral. The very first sheet struck from the press was carried away in triumph by D. W. MciSTeal. The printing office was in the second story of what is now the Franklin House. In about two years it was purchased by John T. Hoover, who continued its publication, under many difficulties, until some time in the winter of 185G-'7, when it was discontinued. Its circulation was about three hundred copies. No complete file of it is in existence.

On the 20th of February, 1856, Eev. I. N". Taylor issued, at Liber, The Liber Lamjp, a small, four-column weekly paper, devoted to the general interests of the College. It was first printed in the basement of the College, and had about four hundred subscribers. Its emblematical head was "Science, Religion, Liberty," and its motto, " Semper Liber, Ifeuter Nunquam.'''' In this form it passed throiigh the first volume. The second volume, which closed its career, was published by E. S. and W". J. Taylor, and the size reduced to a sheet two columns wide and just seven inches long, issued monthly.

In ISTovember, 1856, Mr. William McCormick started The Jay County Democrat. In May, 1858, Mr. George H. Moore became a partner in the ownership of the paper. It had about three hundred subscribers, and was discontinued October 2Cth, 1850.

Johnny Appleseed

The Jay County Repitblican was first issued in March, 1858, by Hon. J. P. C. Shanks and L. M. Morrison. In a short time Mr. Morrison sold to William S. Jones, and on the 13tli of April,

The Jay Torch-Light was first issued September 8tli, 1859, by M. W. Montgomery. The printing office was first in one room of the then abandoned old brick Court House ; but fearing the crazy old building would tumble down and extingnlsh the lights the office was moved to Miller's building. The first few weeks it had three hundred subscribers, but before the close of the volume the number had increased to five hundred and seventy-five. On the 18th of July, 1861, R. C. Harper became one of the proprietors, but re-sold to Mr. Montgomery April 17th, 1863. At the close of the third volume Mr. Montgomery sold the paper to Mr. P. S. Loof bourrow, who is the present proprietor.

It is not certainly known whether The Jay County Clipper ever reached an actual existence or not. However, one number made its appearance in December, 1862, issued by Jacob Simmons, and three or four more nuirfbers followed semi-oceasionally during the winter, in one of

On the 8th of October, 1863, Mr. C. C. Morical commenced the publication of The Democratic Review^ but in a few weeks abandoned it, since which time it has been conducted by Dr. T.J. Lafollet. It has about six hundred subscribers.

The latter firm having bidden |1,6C3 lower than the others, was awarded the contract. They completed the building by the following December. The iron cells were made and put up by Macey, Kankin & Co., of Cincinnati. The total cost of the jail was $6,600.

In 1861, Jonas Yotaw, Esq., was appointed a member of the Board of Directors for the JS'orthern Indiana State's Prison, which position he held for two years.

Jay County has, as yet, no completed railroad. Four tracks, passing through the county, are projected ; on three of them much grading has been done. The map shows their names and routes.

General Items

Jay County still has its hunters. Quite a company of old hunters are in the habit of making yearly visits to Paulding County, Ohio, for the purpose of hunting. John Williams, probably, goes more frequently than others. He is a hunter of considerable note, though he did not settle in the county in those early days when the hunters had undisputed possession of the territory. In the winter of 1863-4, he and O. McKinstry killed twenty-one deer.

The census of Jay County was taken, for 1840, by Morrison Rulon. for 1850 by J . M. Haynes and K B. -Hawkins, for 1860, by J. K Templer and Ira Denney.

The population, in 1840, was not taken by townships, and is reported in total at 3,863. Daring that year 16,018 pounds of maple sugar were made in the county.

Total

On the night of the 4th of February, 1862, the Treasury of Jay County was robbed of four thousand six hundred doUars, of which one hundred belonged to Doctor E. R. Sheffield, and about two hundred dollars to B. W. Hawkins. County

Teeasuey Eobbeey

Treasurer, Joseph P. Winters, Sheriff, J. E. Lotz, and Auditor, W. G. Suttou, immediately set to work to ferret out the perpetrators. They managed, with great ingenuity and skill, spending most of their time and employing some professional detectives. On the 6th of March, 1862, William Brandon, of Union City, who was for many years a merchant in Portland, and John Barker, Samuel P. Johns and William Blackburn, of Dayton, were arrested, brought before Judge J. M. Haynes, and held to bail in the sum.'of $12,000 each. The county having no efficient jail at the time. Barker was taken to Muncie, Johns and Blackburn to Winchester, and Brandon was kept in Portland at the Jay Inn, and guarded by the citizens. In a few days Blackburn escaped. The prisoners desired a change of venue, and were sent to Muncie, Indiana, where, on the 30th of April, 1862, the trial opened. The attorneys for the State were Hon. J. M. Haynes, J. IS". Templer, and J. R. Perdieu, of Portland, Hon. Walter March, of Muncie, Judge Jer. Smith, of Winchester, and J. F. Bowden, of Bloomfield. Attorneys for the defendants were Hon. F. E. Cuppy, Dayton, Hon. David Kilgore and William Brotherton, Muncie, Judge James Brown and John J. Cheney, of Winchester.

and became the cliief witness for the prosecution. The testimony which- was phonographically reported for The Jay Toi^ch-Light, by M. W. Montgomery, developed the following facts :

Johns planned the robbery, Barker and Blackburn did the robbing, and Brandon piloted them. They got the keys of the treasurer's office and safe from Mr. Winter's house. Barker's trial lasted live days and resulted in his conviction, and a sentence of three year's imprisonment. Johns' trial also lasted five days, and he was sentenced to four years in the penitentiary.

Barker and Johns were immediately taken to the Michigan City penitentiary. John's case was taken to the Supreme Court, on the point that, though one of the accomplices in the larceqij^, he was not, at any time, in the State of Indiana, and, therefore, could not be tried in this State. The Supreme Court sustained this view - a decision which, though perhaps constitutional, is'certainly a very dangerous one - and in a few months he was released.

In May, 1862, Blackburn was again caught and confined in the Muncie Jail, fi'ofn which he soon escaped. He was, however, retaken in a few months and placed in the new jail at Portland. From this he also escaped by sawing oif the iron bars in the windows. He was now retaken the third time and tried at Winchester in September,

Treasury Robbery

1863, and sent to the penitentiary for seven years - just half long enough. Thus, by the most skillfully-planned and well-executed strategy, and praiseworthy perseverance on the part of the county officers and the attorneys of Portland, the perpetrators of the greatest robbery ever committed in the county were brought to trial and convicted. The county never recovered any of the lost money, and expended nearly ^2,000 more in the catching and prosecution of the thieves. ,

For several years a lawsuit, resulting from a horse-trade, had been in progress between Mr. Elias Bromagem and Samuel Emery, a man of bad character. During this time some one shot at and slightly wounded Mr. Bromagem, who then lived near Hill Grove, Ohio, and Emery was accused of the crime. In May, 1862, William Bromagen being at home from the army, on furlough, met Emery on the street in Portland, and after some words, Bromagem drew a revolver and tired three shots at Emery, all of which took effect - one in the left arm, and two entering his back, passed through his body. He ran through K. Kirschbaum's store and up stairs in Miller's building, and while endeavoring to shoot Bromagem from the window, fell and rolled down stairs out into the street. He died May 31st, 1862. Bromagem immediately returned to the army.

A distinguished historian has said, " Blessed is the nation whose annals are tiresome." Those pages of a nation's history are most interesting which record events that caused the nation to weep and bleed - when the ship of State has been convulsed bj mutinies or endangered by raging storms, or the attacks of enemies. But when she sails quietly, upon smooth seas, her crew loyal, her flag honored in every port, the pages of her history grow tedious. The historian delineates not the peaceful, prosperous life of the nation, but lingers about those great crises in her history, from which she rises to a more glorious renown, or falls into the pit of ruin. The history of Jay County, likewise, decreases in interest as we recede from those trials and incidents which cluster around her early settlement, and enter upon the prosperous quarter of a century which followed her organization in 1836. During these years her progress, though not rapid^ has been steady and healthful. The long delay in the completion of the railroads contemplated through her borders, has greatly hindered the accumulation of wealth and development of her resources. There are few events in these years prominent above the monotonous routine of civilized life. How gladly would we drop our record here : and the next chapter must recite the arousing of the people of Jay County from their peaceful pursuits, to participate in the great struggle for national life.