Madison County, Indiana - Chapter 64, 1897

Chapter 64

Mr. Otto Ballard, who is at this time a member of the editorial staff of the Anderson Herald , came near losing his life by being drowned on the 14th of June, 1886, when a lad of sixteen or seventeen years of age. He had gone to White river, in company with several boys, for the purpose of bathing in the "old swimming hole" below Norton's Brewery. Ballard had not fully learned the art of swimming, and before he was aware of it was in water beyond his depth. He becrmie frightened and losing his presence of mind began to sink. The boys around him were very much excited and could do nothing to relieve him.

Mr. William Cain, who happened to be passing b)', heard the cries for help and went to Ballard's rescue. Cain jumped in. The drowning boy grabbed him around the neck so tightly that Cain could not relea.se his hold and both came near losing their li\es. P'inally Cain succeeded in freeing himself from Ballard, and with the assistance of some boys, was able to land him in safety on the river bank. Had it not been for the timely arrival of Mr. Cain there is no doubt that Mr. Ballard would have been drowned, as his comrades were too badly scared to render him any assistance.

John Estel, one of the old time residents of Anderson who has seen the place grow from a village of a few hundred to a city of twenty thousand souls, came near losing his life on the 9th of April, 1875, while engaged in digging a well at the corner of Thirteenth and Delaware streets, Mr. Estel being down in the well, filling a bucket, while his co-laborers would draw it to the surface by a windlass. Knowing the treacherous character of the gravel walls and that they were liable to have a slide at any moment, a wooden curb had been prepared and was on the ground ready for use, but just before the men were ready to put it in the men on the outside of the well suggested to Estel that it was time for him to come out, as there was danger of a cave in.

As he sent the bucket full of sand to the top he said that after one more round he would come up. His words had scarcely passed his lips when the banks gave way and he was covered up to his arm-pits with drifting sand and gravel and it seemed at one time as if do earthly help could rescue him from an untimely death. Fortunately he had presence of mind enough to clasp his hands over his mouth and eves and thus prevent smothering. One man descended quickly and removed the drift from about the imprisoned man's head and thus enabled him to free his hands; but there he was firmly imbedded and no means of getting him out except by digging. It was not safe for any one to stay in the well to assist him, as all this time large portions of the earth had fallen in, leaving quite a hole in the gravel with a heavy bank of sod and earth overhanging. The dirt and gravel kept falling in about his head until once he was entirelv walled in, and had it not been for the presence of mind of a young man of the name of Edward Brown, a son of ex-Mayor William L. Brown, of Anderson, he would undoubtedly have been smothered. Brown saw sitting at the corner of the house an old barrel which had been used for the purpose of catching rain-water from the roof. He ran and got the barrel, knocked the head out and running to the well dropped it down over the head and arms of Estel, after which a man was sent down who scratched the gravel away from his mouth and this gave him a chance to breathe.

Estel in his perilous position prayed vehemently, called on Almighty God to save his soul, and to rescue him from his danger. It was a pitiful sight for the bystanders to behold him in this sad plight and to listen to his petitions addressed to the Great One above and not to be able to render him any assistance.

He was then imbedded in the gravel for nearly two hours until the workmen could cut away the banks for sufficient space around and by digging the gravel and sand out to such

Estel prayed on this occasion as he had never prayed before and probably as he has never prayed since. It is safe to say that he will never forget the awful things that passed through his mind while buried in the gravel on that occasion.

Mr. Estel is yet a resident of Anderson and has ever since been engaged in well digging, but it is said that he never ventures beneath the surface of the earth, himself, but always gets some one else to engage in that treacherous part of the business.

A Frightful Fall

On the :26th of October, 1880, while Clark Sharpe was building the Boring-Hannah block, on the north side of the public square, he had a lad of the name of Andrew Thomas laying brick for him. Young Thomas was the boy wonder in the line of his trade; there were but few men in Anderson who could compete with him. He was the son of Benjamin Thomas, who died on the ocean a few years ago while on the home from the scenes of his childhood in England. Benjamin Thomas was a good mechanic, one of the best stone masons in the country. Young Thomas inherited the traits of his father in that respect, and being left an orphan, he at an early age began the trade of a brick mason. He went as an apprentice with Clark Sharpe, contractor, who at that time lived in Anderson. It was but a very short time until young Thomas was a swift hand with the trowel, and being a favorite of his employer, he was put ahead in such a manner as to soon be earning journeyman's wages. It was in this capacity he was working when on the 26th of October, 1880, he fell from a scaflold and was badly hurt. He was so terribly mangled that it was thought he could not possibly recover. Mr. Byron H. Uyson was standing near by, and picked up his seemingly lifeless body and with assistance, it was carried into a place where medical aid could be had. He soon began to show signs of returning consciousness, strong restoratives were administered, and he was in a short time able to be removed to the home of his mother, where he for a longtime, laid in the hands of a physician. Finally he recovered, and is yet living in Anderson and is one of her best citizens, and one of the best brick masons in the county.

Shooting At James W. Sansberry, Jr

^ One to look at the placid features of James W. Sansberry, Jr., would scarcely realize that he had faced the muzzle of a breech-loading shotgun and had received the contents in his face. Yet such is the fact. In the merry month of May, 1875, when the bluebirds were nesting and the jays were singing their songs in the boughs of the trees, James W. Sansberry, Jr., Isaac Elmer May and Charles Perrett were plodding their down the banks of the placid waters of Greene's branch in pursuit of birds, when they got into an argument about their marksmanship. Perrett had the gun, and Sansberry twitted him about not being a " center" shot, and offered to step off to a distance of two hundred yards and allow Perrett to prove it by shooting at him. Perrett agreed to the arrangement, and .Sansberry stepped the necessary paces and squared himself, and bade Perrett blaze away, not thinking, perhaps, that he would obey the command. Hardly had the word been given before Perrett leveled his gun and tired. The distance between them saved \lr. Sansberry, no doubt, from an untimely death. It was found that several of the shot had struck him in the face with such force as to knock out one of his teeth, and the others spotting his face in several places. To use his own expression, it gave him the sensation of having been shot in the face with a gun load of red pepper. The boys were nearly all scared to death, and kept the affair a secret for a time, but it afterwards leaked out through friends and crept into the public prints, which gave an account of the affair shortly thereafter. Mr. Perrett was about as badlv hurt by fright as Mr. Sansberry was by the shot. He did not realize that the shot could go any such distance as to where Sansberry was standing.

This was a lesson to both of these young men, and in handling a gun from that time forward there is no record of either of them being willing to stand up in front of it.

A Shooting Affair

In the year 1874 what came near being a fatal shooting affair, took place in the billiard room connected with the bar of the Doxey House. Robert F. Shinn came near mortally wounding John B. Kinnard, of the Anderson Hcarld. Shinn was a young man, born and reared in Anderson. He had no particular occupation, but is supposed to have been a gambler by profession. lie was the son of Robert and Martha Shinn, respectable Irish people, who had lived in Anderson for a great many years. Robert F. Shinn's father died about the year 1876, lea\ing behind his widow Martha, who died a few weeks previous to this writinj^.

John B. Kinnard was a native of Pennsylvania, born and reared in Westchester, his present place of abode. His brother, William M. Kinnard, was in those days the editor of the Anderson Herald . and John B. was acting as city editor.

From some cause the Herald had singled out Shinn from among others who pursued the same occupation that he did, and waged a relentless warfare on him through the columns of thepaper, givinghim the nameof " Fakey " Shinn. In alluding to Shinn, the paper would not use his proper name, but always applied to him the name of " Fakey."

Shinn had prior to this affair been mixed up in some shady transactions with one Ithamer McCarty, in which, it is said, that Shinn had " buncoed " McCarty out of a considerble sum of money, and was arrested and placed on trial for the oflence. This was often alluded to by the Herald in its attacks on Shinn, also many other transactions which Shinn was alleged to have been connected with. The matter was kept up to such an extent that Shinn became desperate, and Kinnard being city editor was thought to be the writer, and without any warning whatever, upon meeting Kinnard in the bar-room of the Doxey House on the day above mentioned, drew a pistol from his pocket and fired. The ball grazed Kinnard's head, for a moment dazing him and almost felling him to tlie floor.

Shinn at once lied from the scene, but was subsequently arrested by the City Marshal and indicted by the Grand Jury on the charge of assault and battery with intent to kill. At his trial in the circuit court, Shinn was convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of live years. He was vigorously prosecuted by the Hon. Thomas B. Orr, prosecuting attorney. Mr. Orr was assisted by the Hon. Charles L. Henry, now member of Congress from this district.

The defense was conducted by the Hon. Winburn R. Pierse, Howell D. Thompson, and Calvin D. Thompson. The case was tried before the Hon. Eli B. Goodykoontz, Judge of the Madison Circuit Court.

of heart of James D. Williams, Governor of Indiana, released from imprisonment on account of ill health. He returned to Anderson, resided here for several years and died of consumption.

It was doubted by many at the time of Shinn's trial whether he deserved so severe a sentence, and it was freely asserted by certain citizens ^vho \vere acquainted with the circumstances in the case that he should have been acquitted.