Madison County, Indiana - Chapter 18: Crimes and Casualties, 1914

Murder op the Indians in 1824 - The Abbott Mystery - Killing op Tharp and Escape op Cox - Murder op Daniel Hoppis by Milton White - The Dale-Traster Affair - Mysterious Murder op Albert Mawson - Disappearance op Susan Nelson - Shooting op Benefiel by Davis - Charles Kynett Shot by the City Marshal - Kill¬ ing op McLelland Streets - McCullough Shot by Welsh - Boll¬ ing op Albert Hawkins - Historic Fires in Anderson, Elwood, Alexandria, Frankton and Summitville - Some Great Storms - Floods op 1847, 1875, 1884, 1904 and 1913.

Scarcely had the county of Madison been organized and her civil and legal machinery been placed in working order, when a crime was committed within her borders that filled the people of the frontier settle¬ ments with both fear and indignation. Although the lands had been ceded to the United States by the Indians, there were but few white settlers as yet within what is now Madison county, game was plentiful, and occasionally small parties of the natives would return to their former hunting grounds in quest of meat and peltries. Early in the spring of 1824 a party of Senecas, consisting of two men, three squaws and four children, came into the county and encamped on Fall creek, about two miles above the present village of Ovid, in a dense fprest filled with game. Some alarm was felt by the few white settlers in that locality at the establishment of an Indian encampment so near their homes, but the Indians were friendly and showed no inclination to commit depredations of any character against the person or property of their white neighbors. The two Indian men were called Ludlow and Mingo, the former said to have been so named for Stephen Ludlow, of Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

After they had been in their camp for about a week five white men - Thomas Harper, Andrew Sawyer, John Bridge, John T. Bridge and James Hudson - visited the Indians, pretending to have lost their horses, and asking Ludlow and Mingo to assist in finding them. The Indians readily consented and when a short distance from the camp Harper shot Ludlow and Hudson shot Mingo, both men being killed instantly. The white men then returned to the camp, where Sawyer shot one of the squaws, Bridge, Sr., another and Bridge, Jr., the third. The four chil¬ dren - two boys about ten years old and two girls still younger - were

When news of this atrocious crime spread through the settlements, the people were terrified, fearing other Indians would come in to avenge their slaughtered kinsmen, and that their retaliatory vengeance would be meted out without discrimination. An account of the affair was sent to the war department by the Indian agent at Piqua, Ohio, with the result that Colonel Johnston and William Conner visited all the Indian tribes and promised them that the government would punish the murderers. This had a salutary effect upon the situation, the Indians accepting the promise and the settlers becoming less afraid of a massacre.

Immediately after the murder Harper went to Ohio and was never taken into custody. The other four men were arrested and lodged in the log jail at Pendleton, where they were tried and convicted. Hudson was tried at the October term of court in 1824, and was hanged on December 1, 1824. The other three were tried in May, 1825. All were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged on the first Friday in June. Andrew Sawyer and the elder Bridge were executed according to the sentence, but the younger Bridge was pardoned on the scaffold by Governor James B. Ray, who was present at the execution. This was the first, and is perhaps the only instance in the history of American jurisprudence, where white men were legally executed for the killing of Indians.

About the year 1830 a man named Abbott, with his wife and two grown sons, came from Kentucky and settled near the White river, a short distance west of where the Moss Island mills were built a few years later. The cabin occupied by this family stood upon the north side of the old Strawtown road and occasionally some traveler would spend the night there. It was no uncommon occurrence for the elder Abbott and his two sons to make trips away from home and be absent for two or three weeks at a time, but no one ever learned the reason for these journeys. While not absolutely unsociable, they were very reticent about their affairs, and in a new country, where every one knew all that was going on in the neighborhood, this caused the Abbotts to be looked upon as untrustworthy.

In the summer of 1832, a man from Ohio reached the Abbott cabin late in the afternoon and sought a night's lodging. He was traveling by easy stages, looking at lands on his way, with a view to removing his family to a new home, provided a suitable location could be found. Before leaving his home in Ohio he announced his intention to return within six weeks. About two weeks after that time had expired his relatives sent out a searching party. He was traced without difficulty to the Abbott cabin, whose inmates admitted that he had stopped there, but stated that the next morning he had proceeded on his way westward. Inquiries west of that point failed to elicit any information of the missing man and the searchers returned to Ohio.

Not long after that the body of a strange man was found floating in the White river a short distance below the Abbott home. No one could identify the remains, and the generally accepted theory was that the unfortunate individual was some passing stranger who had accidentally fallen into the river. There were some who refused to concur in this opinion and intimated foul play. While the puzzle was still unsolved the Abbotts disappeared one night without leaving any hint of their destination. Their flight in this mysterious manner was regarded by many as a confession of guilt and strengthened the belief that the body found in the river was that of the Ohio land hunter, who had been murdered by the Abbotts for his money. In time the cabin acquired the reputation of being haunted and many people avoided it after night¬ fall. The Abbotts were never heard of again.

A peculiar homicide, with an equally peculiar aftermath, was com¬ mitted on Thanksgiving day in 1847 at a distillery a little west of the mounds and about two and a half miles from Anderson. A shooting match had been arranged and among those in attendance were two young men named Tharp and Cox, between whom there was ill feeling. Tharp was the larger and was inclined to play the part of a bully in his treatment of Cox. The latter had several times moved away to avoid Tharp's insolence, but at last "forbearance ceased to be a virtue." Snatching a rifle from one of the bystanders, he brought the barrel down upon Tharp's head with such force as to fracture the skull, caus-' ing almost instant death. Cox crossed the river to his home, about a mile away, but the next morning he was arrested and lodged in jail at Anderson. At the next meeting of the grand jury an indictment for murder was returned.

Cox had many friends who took the view that he had acted in self defense, or at least had been provoked to make the assault. Knowing that the old log jail was not invulnerable, some of these friends determined to effect his release rather than to permit him to stand trial. Five men were in the secret. In visiting Cox in jail these men managed to elude the watchful eye of Sheriff John H. Davis long enough to take an impression of the look in beeswax. A key was made, secretly tested and found to work. A night was then selected for the release of the prisoner and about an hour before midnight, when everything was still, the five men quietly approached the jail, one of them leading Cox's horse, which had been freshly shod for the occasion. While four stood on watch, the fifth noiselessly unlocked the door and Cox came out. A few minutes hurried conversation in muffled tones and he mounts his horse, turns his head westward and sets out on his journey toward freedom. Pursuit was made as far as Logansport, where all trace of the fugitive was lost. There were then no telegraphs, telephones, nor even fast mail routes in the West, and the apprehension of a fleeing person under the ban of the law was a much more difficult matter than at the present time. The exact manner of Cox's escape was not known until long afterward. Some twenty-five years later a citizen of Madison county happened to meet Cox in northern Wisconsin, but no effort w r as ever made to bring him back for trial.

Upon the morning of April 8, 1867, Daniel Iloppis, a farmer living about three miles south of Anderson, missed some meat from his smoke¬ house and noticed tracks leading toward the dwelling of Milton White.

Accompanied by a neighbor, a Mr. Swearingen, Hoppis started for Anderson to secure a search warrant, but the two men met White before reaching the city. After a short conversation between the sus¬ pected man and Swearingen, the former agreed to permit Hoppis to search his premises without the formality of a warrant and the two men started together for White's house, Mr. Swearingen returning to his home.

When Mr. Hoppis failed to return home either for dinner or supper, his wife informed some of the neighbors of his prolonged absence. In the meantime the story of the stolen meat had been circulated and White was at once suspected of knowing something of the missing man's whereabouts. Accordingly a number of citizens called at White's house to make inquiries. White was asleep, but upon being aroused denied all knowledge of Hoppis. He was kept under surveillance, however, until daylight the next morning, when he was forced to join the party in search of the man he was accused of having killed. In a little ravine running through a small piece of woods, near the road known as the east New Columbus pike and about two miles from Anderson, was found the body of Hoppis. Near by was a sassafras club about four feet long, bearing hair and clots of blood, showing plainly that it was the weapon that had been used. This was near the place where Hoppis and White had last been seen together by Patrick Allen. White was given a preliminary hearing before Justice of the Peace Schlater and was bound over to the circuit court. At the next term of court he was tried, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged on September 20, 1867, but a respite was granted until the 1st of November by Governor Baker, to give him an opportunity to consider a petition for the commutation of the sentence to life imprisonment. Upon considering all phases of the case the governor declined to interfere, and on Friday, November 1, 1867, White was forced to pay the penalty of his crime upon the scaffold. This was one of the most brutal murders that ever occurred in the State of Indiana. Daniel Hoppis was a kind-hearted, inoffensive citizen, industrious and devoted to his family, and without an enemy in the world. It is quite probable that if White had returned the stolen meat he would never have been prosecuted for the theft.

Later in the same month (April, 1867) William Traster was killed by Granville Dale, but this tragedy was of a far different character. At that time Robert and William Traster were the proprietors of the Moss Island Mills. They had many friends and their mills were a favorite resort for fishing and picnic parties. One Sunday, late in April, a number of Anderson men, among whom were Captain Ethan Allen, R. C. Reed and ex-Sheriff Benjamin Sebrell, went to the mills on a fishing excursion, intending to take dinner with the Trasters. They took along something to drink and Granville Dale, who was in the employ of the millers as a teamster, took a little too much. When the call came for dinner, Dale was attending to the horses. A slight con¬ troversy arose between him and William Traster and the latter made a move as though he was going to inflict some personal chastisement upon Dale. Although fuddled by drink, Dale realized that he was no match for his employer in strength. Seizing a stone about the size of a goose egg, he hurled it with all his might at Traster, striking him upon the head and fracturing the skull. The fishing party carried the injured man to the house, but he died soon after being struck, all efforts to restore him being futile. Dale gave himself up to the sheriff, admitted his guilt and at the succeeding term of court was sentenced to seven years in the penitentiary for manslaughter. He served his time and afterward was employed as cab driver for several years in Indianapolis. He always spoke of his act with regret, as the man he killed was his best friend. Both were under the influence of liquor at the time. Had they been sober the deed would in all probability not have been committed.

On October 21, 1874, the body of Albert Mawson was found in an abandoned well on the Mawson farm, about three miles southeast of Anderson, with the front teeth knocked in, the jaw-bone broken and the side of the head crushed. A rope was around the neck, blood stains could be seen upon the boards around the mouth of the well, and for several rods across the field to south were evidences that a heavy body of some kind had been dragged toward the well. Coroner Maynard was sum¬ moned and when the body, in a nude condition, was taken from the well it was seen that decomposition had set in, indicating that the young man had been dead for some time. His mother, a widow, told a somewhat incoherent story about her son's disappearance some time before. Investi¬ gation developed the fact that she had had some trouble with another son, and while this disagreement was at its height Mrs. Mawson deeded her farm to Albert, her youngest child, saying that she had some hopes of his becoming a useful man, while the other son was inclined to be a spendthrift.

Subsequently Albert became rather reckless in his habits and showed a disposition to stray away from home. At one time he found a position as brakeman with a railroad company and this displeased his mother, who wanted him to remain at home. Suspicion pointed to her as her son's murderer, the motive being to regain possession of the lands she had deeded to him. After the hearing before the coroner she was arrested and placed in jail to await the action of the grand jury. The verdict of the coroner's jury was that "Albert Mawson came to his death by a blow inflicted with an axe or some other hard substance, in the hands of Nancy Mawson (his mother), which the jury finds to be the cause of the death of the victim."

This verdict was rendered on October 21, 1874, and four days later Mrs. Mawson ended her life in jail by taking arsenic, having secreted a quantity of that drug in her clothing prior to her arrest. The scene of this tragedy w r as not far from the place where Milton White had murdered Daniel Hoppis seven years before.

A shocking crime, and one that awakened wdde-spread interest in Madison county, occurred in the early autumn of 1883. That was the killing of Susan Nelson, widow of William Nelson and a member of the well known Bronnenberg family, though the murder was committed near Terre Haute, in Vigo county. On September 7, 1883, Mrs. Nelson called at the Anderson postoffice and left an order for her mail to be forwarded to Kansas City, Missouri. Later in the day she told the drayman who took her trunk to the Big Four station that she was going to visit her son, Jasper Nelson, who had written to her that he was seriously ill. Her absence was noticed by her friends and acquaintances, but none could tell whither she had gone.

In October, James Porter, while hunting in a piece of timber about three miles southwest of Terre Haute, discovered his dog carrying a human skull in his mouth and upon searching the neighborhood found the body of a woman concealed in the shrubbery. The coroner of Vigo county was at once notified and held an inquest. Physicians agreed that the woman had been dead for several weeks, but the body could not be identified. Some days later an insurance policy issued by Bain & Harris, of Anderson, upon the household goods of Susan Nelson, was found near the place. The policy was torn and blood-stained, but it furnished a clue to the identity of the woman. A detective visited Ander¬ son and in company with Marshal Cobum went to the house where Mrs. Nelson formerly lived, on North Main street. Here they found a letter from her son, bearing the postmark of Brazil, Indiana, and dated August 23, 1883, only about two weeks before she left Anderson.

People who knew Jasper Nelson knew that he was something of a spendthrift, but that he had great influence over his mother. As Brazil is only sixteen miles east of Terre Haute the theory was formed by the detective that he had persuaded his mother to visit him and had tried to get money from her. Whether he succeeded in this or not, he had murdered her and then made his escape. He was found at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and arrested upon suspicion, but was acquitted.

About the time young Nelson was tried, Perry Manis, a former preacher who resided near Franktou, was noticed to be rather flush with ready money - an unusual condition for him - and it was remembered that he had left his home about the time of Mrs. Nelson's departure. An investigation was started and soon a witness was found who had over¬ heard a conversation between Manis and the murdered woman, in which it was agreed to go to Kansas City and open a boarding house. Manis was arrested for the murder and taken to Terre Haute for trial. There he was identified by witnesses who had seen him and Mrs. Nelson together, and in the trial it developed that he had hired a buggy and driven away with the woman, but had returned without her. He was therefore convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to a life term in the penitentiary. In the trial William A. Kittinger, of Anderson, assisted the prosecuting attorney of Vigo county and rendered valuable service in securing the conviction of Manis.

An affray occurred in Anderson on the evening of August 7, 1890, that resulted in the wounding of John Davis and the death of James Benefiel, a young man who had been rather fond of Mrs. Davis before her marriage. On the date named Benefiel and a young man named Edward Brown called at the Davis home on old South Noble street. Finding no one at home they entered the house and carried away among other things a revolver belonging to Davis. While they were lingering in the neighborhood, apparently waiting for the return of the family, Davis came home and seeing that things had been disturbed went out to find an officer. Failing in this he borrowed a revolver from a friend and again went home, entering the house by the back way. In the meantime Mrs. Davis and her mother had returned and Benefiel insisted that Mrs. Davis come down to the gate. She at first refused, but finally stepped out in the yard and asked him what he wanted. His reply was that he had been sent by officers to search the house, but did not say what for or upon whose complaint the search was to be made.

Mrs. Davis then went back in the house and told her husband, who went to the door and ordered Benefiel and his companion to leave the place. Benefiel turned as if to depart, but after taking a few steps turned suddenly and fired, the ball taking effect in Davis' right side. Davis had at one time been a soldier in the regular army and while in service on the western frontier won a reputation of a marksman. He promptly responded to Benefiel's shot, the bullet entering the head just below the left eye and passing through the skull. Benefiel never recov¬ ered consciousness and died about 6: 30 the next morning. The coroner's jury that investigated the case found a verdict justifying Davis in his course and he was not arrested. The parents of young Benefiel lived at Elwood and were respected people, though he had formed bad associa¬ tions and acquired reckless habits.

A few months later, December 28, 1890, Charles Kynett was shot and killed by Edward Downey, then city marshal of Anderson. Kynett was on one of his periodical sprees and started a disturbance at the old Rozelle House, at the corner of Eleventh and Main streets, when the marshal was called upon to arrest him. When the officer told Kynett to behave himself the latter, instead of obeying assaulted Downey, who several times ordered him to stop or trouble would ensue. Finally the aggressor became so violent in his demonstrations that the marshal drew his revolver and fired one shot, which struck a vital part and Kynett died shortly afterward. The marshal surrendered himself to the authori¬ ties, but the coroner's jury brought in a verdict that the shooting was justified and in self-defense. Kynett was a laborer and when not in his cups was an average citizen, but when drinking he was inclined to be boisterous and quarrelsome. Marshal Downey expressed his regret at the unfortunate incident and it is said was much relieved when his term as marshal expired.

As a result of a quarrel among neighbors, in which several families were involved, John Moriarty shot McLelland Streets at the corner of Main and Ninth streets, in the city of Anderson, about ten o'clock on the morning of April 10, 1893. The report of the pistol attracted a crowd and Edward King took Moriarty into custody until the arrival of the officers. The general impression was that Moriarty, who ordinarily was a peaceable man and law-abiding citizen, had lost his reason over the trivial affairs that led up to the shooting, and it is said was never the same afterward. He was arrested and placed in jail, where he managed to commit suicide on June 16, 1893, by hanging himself to the bedstead in his cell. Little was known of Streets, who had been a resident of the city but a short time, and the sympathies of the community were generally with the family of Moriarty.

to rich mining camps, so the same class of people is drawn to cities that are enjoying a period of industrial activity, in the hope of gamer¬ ing some 44 easy money.' 7 At the time mentioned Anderson had a number of saloons with wine rooms attached and on May 26, 1894, a young man known as 44 Dote ' 7 McCullough was killed in one of these places, con¬ ducted by a man named Welsh, on North Main street. It seems that young McCullough had become enamored of a certain Laura Skidmore, a woman of questionable reputation, and upon the evening of May 26th he entered the wine rooms at Welsh's place to find her in the com¬ pany of another man. He immediately began making threats of what he would do to the couple, when Dora Welsh came in and ordered him out of the place. McCullough went, but in about five minutes came back with a revolver in his hand and declared he would kill Welsh, at whom he leveled his gun. Welsh sprang toward the young man and strtfck down his arm just as he fired, the ball taking effect in Welsh's thigh. The two then clinched, but Welsh managed to draw his own revolver, broke away and fired suddenly, the bullet crashing through McCullough's head, kill¬ ing him almost instantly.

Welsh was taken in charge by the police, the coroner was notified and the usual inquest in such cases was held over the body of the slain man. At the preliminary hearing Welsh was acquitted on the grounds that he acted in self-defense. The incident had a salutary effect upon Anderson, inasmuch as it brought about a better enforcement of law and rid the city of some of its undesirable characters.

During the four score and ten years that have passed since the county of Madison was first organized, a number of homicides, cold¬ blooded murders, or brawls in which one or more of the participants met death have occurred within her borders. Yet it is true that her people, as a rule, have been no more turbulent nor less law-abiding than those of other counties. To describe in detail all these unfortunate events would require a volume, and the above cases have been selected because they were of unusually heinous character or surrounded by an atmosphere of mystery that made them more than a 44 nine days' wonder."

On the evening of July 9, 1913, at the little town of Ingalls, a hom¬ icide occurred that attracted far more than ordinary attention on account of the prominence of the parties engaged. Some time before that an election had been held in Green township under the local option law and the people had voted that no intoxicating liquors should be sold in the township. As is always the case, this mandate of the people, as well as the law, was disregarded and liquors were sold. Early in June, 1913, Constable Albert Hawkins, of Anderson, conducted a raid on the hotel of Ingalls and confiscated a quantity of liquor and the fixtures. W. W. Brown, proprietor of the hotel and trustee of Green township, naturally did not feel kindly toward the constable. In the meantime Hawkins went to a hospital in Indianapolis, where he under¬ went an operation. It is thought that on his way back to his home in Anderson from the hospital he stopped off at Ingalls on the evening of July 9, 1913. Tow r n Marshal Manifold stated that he met the con-

About 10:30 that evening, according to newspaper accounts of the affair, the body of Hawkins was found lying in the street in front of Alfont's store, a short distance south of the Union Traction line. Ear¬ lier in the evening he had been standing in front of the hotel, but had gone up the street and for an hour before the finding of his bod& had not been seen. At 10:10 an interurban car arrived at Ingalls from Indianapolis and four young men - Raymond Higgs, Fred Piper, George Kuhn and Lester Copeland - who had been spending the evening at Fortville, alighted from the car. Some of them afterward stated that when they stepped from the car they noticed three men in front of the hotel who appeared to be quarreling. A little while later Fred Piper, while on his way home, heard a man groaning. He hurried to the home of J. M. Roberts and told him that some man up the street was hurt, perhaps killed. Mr. Roberts, who had not yet retired, started toward the spot and on the way met Marshal Manifold. About one hun¬ dred feet south of the Union Traction line, at a dark spot in front of Al¬ font's store, they found the body of Albert Hawkins. An artery in the neck had been severed and blood was still issuing from the wound, al¬ though the man was dead. There was also a gash about an inch and a half in length on his right side.

Coroner Albright, Sheriff Black and one of his deputies left Ander¬ son on the 11:15 car for Ingalls and arrived there before the body had been disturbed. The officers went to work on a clue and soon ascer¬ tained that the two men suspected were stiil in Ingalls. The sheriff summoned Prosecutor Shuman by telephone and that officer, accom¬ panied by Deputy Sheriff Ambrose, hurried to Ingalls in an automobile. All trains were watched, the house of one of the citizens, in which the men w ere supposed to be hiding, was surrounded and every precaution taken to prevent any one from leaving or entering the town without being observed and identified. Notwithstanding all these measures, Trustee Brown and his son, William, Jr., tw 7 enty-seven years of age, managed to elude the'vigilance of the officers and at one o'clock on the morning of the 10th arrived at the county jail in Anderson and gave themselves up to the turnkey. The young man stated that he had killed Albert Hawkins and was locked up, the father waiting in the office of the jail for the officers to return. Sheriff Black received word at Green¬ field, wdiither he had gone in the effort to intercept Brown and his son, that they were at the Madison county jail, and hurried back to Ander¬ son. While waiting for the sheriff's arrival the elder Brown gave out the following statement, which was published in the Anderson Herald of that date:

"I was in Fortville last evening and returned to Ingalls on the 10 o'clock traction car. When I stepped from the car, my boy, William, was sitting in front of the hotel crying. When I asked him what w r as the trouble, he told me that Constable Haw'kins, of Anderson, was going to kill him. The boy is a little hard of hearing and easily angered. He told me that he had met Hawkins last evening in Phillips' grocery, in the north end of Ingalls, and at that time Hawkins showed a revolver and told the boy that he was in Ingalls watching, and was going to kill some one before leaving. Hawkins and my son had some words and all evening Hawkins seemed to be looking for trouble. Late in the even¬ ing my son and I started home and Hawkins followed us across the street. They had a few words in the middle of the street and Hawkins still followed us. In front of Alfont's store they mixed and it was then that Hawkins started to draw a gun on my son and William cut at Hawkins, stabbing him in the neck. My son did it in self-defense, hav¬ ing been followed by Hawkins all evening and threatened many times/'

The case against Brown and his son at this writing is still pending. Soon after his being confined in the jail, Mr. Brown's bondsmen asked to be released, but he filed a new bond and is still trustee of Green town¬ ship, transacting much of the township business in jail, or in some of the county offices, where he is taken under guard for the purpose.

On the night of November 12, 1851, the buildings on the south side of the public square in Anderson were destroyed by fire. The fire originated in the frame building at the southeast corner of the square occupied by Sherman & Wolf as a fanning mill factory. It was dis¬ covered shortly after midnight and was supposed to have been of in¬ cendiary origin. Next to Sherman & Wolf's place was a small frame cottage, at that time unoccupied. The next building was a three-story frame, in the lower story of which was Joseph Fulton's clothing store. Next to that was the shop of Adam Reed, a hatter, and the next build¬ ing was the general store of Dr. Townsend Ryan. Then came the Myers House, a two-story log structure owned and occupied by " Uncle Billy" Myers as a tavern, and just back of it, fronting on Meridian street, was a livery stable. All these buildings, with a lot of personal property contained in them at the time, were totally destroyed and the loss fell entirely upon the owners, as no insurance companies were at that time represented in Anderson. The entire population turned out and did all that could be done to check the ravages of the flames, but the facilities for fire fighting were of the most primitive character and all their efforts were without avail. Three men - William R. O'Neil, Seth Smith and James Kindle - while trying to save their effects were so seriously affected by inhaling the heated air that they died within a short time after the fire.

In November, 1866, an old frame livery barn on Main street, between Ninth and Tenth streets, caught fire about 9 o'clock in the evening and in a short time was wrapped in flames. The loft was filled with hay and straw, which burned furiously, and it was with difficulty that the horses and vehicles were saved. The United States hotel on the cor¬ ner and the Ross house were near the burning building and were in imminent danger. In fact it looked for a time as though the entire block was doomed. Anderson had been incorporated as a city only the year before and no fire department had as yet been organized. No effort was made to save the burning bam, but Captain W. R. Myers, Major C. T. Doxev and Joseph Pickard organized the citizens into a "bucket brigade" and directed a systematic work in saving the adjacent build¬ ings. Many of the women brought out their bedclothes, which were saturated with water and spread over the roofs. Pickard's hands and face were so badly burned during his fight against this fire that he car¬ ried the scars through life. Through the heroic efforts of the people a heavy property loss was averted.

On December 14, 1871, the plant of the Anderson Foundry and Ma¬ chine Works was destroyed by fire, but the plant was in such an isolated position that no danger to other buildings was feared. The works were soon rebuilt on a larger scale than before the fire.

One of the most disastrous fires in Anderson started about midnight on May 17, 1875, near the middle of the block on the west side of the public square and spread in both directions. The Odd Fellows' build¬ ing, at the southwest corner of Ninth and Meridian streets, was the only really substantial building on that side of the square, the others being cheap frame structures that furnished excellent food for the flames. An alarm was sounded, the people turned out and in a short time the bucket brigade was in action. A line was formed from the public well to the blazing buildings and buckets of water were passed from hand to hand as rapidly as they could be filled at the pump. Those not thus engaged were busy in the effort to save some of the goods in the various mer¬ cantile houses along the street. Among those who suffered the heaviest losses by this conflagration were: Nichol, King & Makepeace, hardware dealers on the ground floor of the Odd Fellows' building; the Anderson Democrat , on the second floor of the same building; the law offices of Calvin D. Thompson and Sansberrv & Goodykoontz, on the same floor as the Democrat office: Bliss' confectionery store; the shoe stores of L. M. Cox and Ryan & Broadbeck; the American Express Company, and the bakery of George Daich. The Democrat lost not only the ma¬ terials of the printing office, but also the files of the paper and other valuable property.

A smart breeze was blowing at the time and this carried sparks and embers some distance to the southwest, threatening the destruction of that section of the city. Carpets were quickly torn from the floors, bedclothing was taken from the beds, and these were saturated with water and spread over the roofs, thus preventing the spread of the flames. Holes were burned in many of the quilts and carpets, but the homes were saved.

The Doxey Opera House on Meridian street, one of the most impos¬ ing private edifices in Anderson at that time, was totally destroyed by fire on the night of November 14, 1884. It is thought that the fire orig¬ inated in the rear part of Hurst's livery stable, immediately south of the theater. Anderson was without an adequate fire department and a telegram was sent to Indianapolis asking for assistance. The authorities of that city started an engine and a supply of hose on a special train for Anderson and had reached Bright wood, when a second message was sent countermanding the request, the fire by that time having gained such headway that no assistance would be of any benefit. A theatrical company had just concluded a performance when the fire was discovered and the members of this company rendered efficient service in saving some of the interior furnishings, though practically everything con¬ nected with the theater perished in the flames.

joined with Major Doxey in rebuilding the opera house, a stock com¬ pany being formed for the purpose, with Major Doxey at the head. Subsequently he purchased the stock of hia associates and became the sole proprietor of the theater. Although the second building was not quite as elaborate as the former one, it was one of the finest opera houses in central Indiana, outside of Indianapolis. It was opened to the pub¬ lic on the evening of November 19, 1885, and for more than eight years was Anderson's chief place of amusement. On the night of March 30, 1893, the second building was burned. The origin of the fire on this occasion is not definitely known, but it was thought to have been started by a gas jet which was left burning near some of the draperies of the stage. With the loss of this building Major Doxey gave up the idea of providing a theater for the people of Anderson. He accordingly sold the property to Louis Loeb and A. J. Brunt, who rebuilt it as a busi¬ ness block.

On the morning of July 13, 1886, fire broke out in a row of wooden buildings at the corner of Ninth and Meridian streets at an early hour, before many people were on the streets. The fire was first discovered in the grocery of Irev brothers by a night watchman named Wolf, who im¬ mediately gave the alarm. Before the fire could be checked the gro¬ cery in which it started, the millinery store of Miss Carrie Dodd, the meat market belonging to the Rhoads brothers, Minor Barett's shoe store, the United States express office, and the agricultural warehouse of B. F. Alford were totally destroyed. It is said that about two weeks before the fire a pile of shavings saturated with kerosene was found in the basement under the grocery and many believe the fire to have been of incendiary origin. The buildings burned were the property of Hes¬ ter Neely, who rebuilt some of them and others were rebuilt under leases.

The old Adams block at the corner of Eighth and Main streets, one of the landmarks of Anderson, was completely destroyed by fire on the morning of August 16, 1888. It was built by Robert Adams in 1867- 68 and at the time of its erection was one of the best business blocks in the city. The fire was discovered about four o'clock in the morning by Randle Biddle, a night watchman, who immediately turned in an alarm. Anderson now had a fire department, but for some reason it was slow in responding on this occasion, and when it arrived the fire was beyond control. Attention was therefore turned to saving the ad¬ joining buildings, in which the department was successful. A dry goods store on the ground floor, the offices of Judge Lake and William Roach and the rooms occupied by Benjamin Roadcap, Joseph Carr and Samuel Sykes on the second floor, and the cigar factory of Purcell & Ehli on the third floor suffered practically a total loss. There were also a grocery and barber shop on the ground floor that were considerably damaged.

Captain Frederick Tykle, of Middletown, the owner of the building at the time of the fire, offered the property to his son-in-law, John H. Terhune, if he would erect a building upon the site. The offer was accepted and Mr. Terhune built the When block, which was destroyed by an explosion of natural gas some years later, and the Phoenix block was then erected upon the corner. It is still standing.

The burning of the Boring-Hannah block, on the north side of the. public square in Anderson, December 7, 1890, is of historic interest, because the Daily Bulletin office occupied the entire second floor of the building. James W. Knight, one of the owners of the paper, was sleep¬ ing in the building and gave the alarm. The fire originated in the base¬ ment in the bakery of William Williams, and was started by a burning gas jet. Mr. Knight, knowing that two young men employed by Wil¬ liams roomed on the main floor, aroused them just in the nick of time to save their lives. The greatest loss fell upon the owners of the build¬ ing, R. H. Hannah, of Alexandria, and James W. Sansberry, of An¬ derson, the Bulletin Company, Mr. Williams and W. S. Shirk, who had a jewelry store in the block. The newspaper and Mr. Williams were amply protected by insurance, but the files of the paper can never be replaced. The publishers showed their enterprise by getting out their regular daily edition, the publishers of other papers coming to their assistance by tendering the use of their presses. A new building was immediately erected upon the site.

About six o'clock on the evening of March 1, 1893, Mrs. J. 0. Hard¬ esty heard the crackling of flames, and upon looking out of her window discovered that the Olympic theater building, only a few feet distant, was on fire. A. J. Jones, the hardware man, noticed the fire about the same time and sent in a still alarm. The department responded promptly and then began one of the most strenuous fights ever experienced by that organization. At the time the building was occupied by the Colum¬ bia Rifles as an armory. Private John Hopper, a member of the com¬ pany, afterward reported that he had left the armory only about fifteen minutes before the fire was discovered by Mrs. Hardesty, but that before his departure he had turned all gas jets down low enough to be perfectly safe,, as he thought. As the fire originated under the stage, it was difficult for the department to reach it, and for nearly two hours they battled with the flames before they were extinguished. The build¬ ing was a wreck and the military company lost most of its arms and equipments.

There have been a number of other fires in Anderson besides the ones already enumerated. Perhaps the most noted of these were the burn¬ ing of Conrad & Mathes' wagon shop in June, 1867; the destruction of the old hotel known as the 44 Junction House" on February 23, 1868; the heading factory of C. T. Doxey & Company on January 3, 1873; the Adams heading factory at the junction of the Big Four and Pan Handle railroads on September 5, 1887; the Fisher snath and cradle factory on February 19, 1888; and the destruction of the Amer¬ ican Wire Nail Works on March 13, 1890.

The Junction House stood at the crossing of the Big Four and Pan Handle railroads and was a stopping place for all through trains, to give passengers an opportunity to get something to eat. That was before the days of dining cars, and the old hotel at the Anderson junction was well known to the traveling public. H. L. Searle was the proprietor for several years and under his management the house won a high repu¬ tation. It was never rebuilt.

burning of the mills, the insurance of $50,000 not being sufficient to replace the buildings and machinery destroyed. In this emergency the Anderson Board of Trade and some of the liberally inclined citizens came forward with offers of assistance and in a short time the mills were rebuilt on a larger scale than before the fire.

Several disastrous fires have occurred in the city of Elwood. On the morning of September 18, 1872, the large flour and saw mills of John T. Adair caught fire about three o'clock, or a little before, and were entirely consumed, although the "bucket brigade" responded promptly and worked heroically to save the mills. The total loss was in the neighborhood of $20,000, all of which fell upon Mr. Adair, as he carried no insurance. This loss fell so heavily that he never fully re¬ gained his former financial status, and it is said to have destroyed in some measure his usefulness as a business man.

Another flour mill in Elwood, operated by Newton House, was de¬ stroyed by a boiler explosion about 7 o'clock a. m., January 4, 1887. This explosion was caused in a peculiar manner. The evening before, when the mill was stopped for the day, the engineer, Dell Lyst, drew off some of the water from the boiler, intending to clean it out the next morning. That morning he was delayed in getting to his work and when he arrived at the mill he found that Joseph Redd, the miller, had already fired up. An examination disclosed the fact that the pumps were frozen and the two men set to work to thaw them out. A portion of the flues in the boiler were above the surface of the water and as soon as the pumps were started the cold water injected into the boiler struck the heated flues and was instantly converted into steam and the boiler exploded with terrific force, instantly killing both Lyst and Redd. George Redd was severely injured, but finally recovered. The mill, which cost about $17,000, was a complete wreck, but it was rebuilt on a smaller scale by Mr. House. Several houses in the immediate vicinity were more or less damaged by the flying debris. One piece of the boiler weighting about two hundred pounds was thrown nearly two squares and crashed through the roof of a blacksmith shop.

Abraham and Simon Sklute, two Hungarians, were arrested as in¬ cendiaries at Elwood early in February, 1890, charged with burning a store in order to get the insurance. The building in which the store w r as located belonged to Simon Sklute, who was also the proprietor of the store, Abraham being merely an employee. The fire occurred about 4 o'clock a. m., February 1, 1890, and as the town had no fire depart¬ ment it was a work of some magnitude to prevent a wholesale destruc¬ tion of property. After the fire was extinguished the excited populace repaired to the boarding-house where the Sklutes were stopping threat¬ ened to lynch them. The charge was openly made that the two men had fired the building, but finally wise counsel was heeded by the ex¬ cited mob and the law was permitted to take its course. The two men were arrested on the charge of arson, given a preliminary hearing before Ward L. Roach, justice of the peace, and were bound over to the cir¬ cuit court, where they were acquitted. In the trial the only evidence against them was that of a man who saw two men, whom he took to be the defendants, going toward the store about three hours before the fire

The large plate glass works at Elwood were damaged to the extent of $60,000 by a fire on the night of June 25, 1891, an account of which is given in Chapter IX. About 8 o'clock a. m v February 12, 1895, the building known as the Heck block in Elwood was wrecked by an ex¬ plosion of natural gas that had accumulated under the floor of the room occupied by the Elwood Trust Company. The explosion was of such force that it shattered windows in the buildings near by, blew doors off the hinges and did considerable damage to other property. The Heck block was a new building, two stories in height, the first floor being used for business purposes and the second for the city offices. Three men - Messrs. Graham, Telbs and Miller - were in the trust company's room when the explosion occurred. Miller's right leg was broken in three places, but the other two were only slightly injured. The building was damaged to the extent of about $2,000 and a stock of goods in one of the rooms was damaged much more, but was covered by insurance. Mr. lleck rebuilt the block immediately, making it larger and better than the original.

About midnight on December 6, 1891, the people of Alexandria were aroused from their slumbers by an alarm of fire, which started iu the jewelry store of Scott Pauly, and before the "bucket brigade" could check the progress of the flames the buildings between Church and Washington streets on Harrison were entirely consumed. The business houses destroyed by this fire were John Wiggins' restaurant, Layne's shoe store, the store of the Alexandria Fruit Company, John A. Gra¬ ham's saloon, Fred Cartwright's grocery, Manlove & Buckley's hard¬ ware store, A. Bertsche's harness shop, Patterson's restaurant and the saloons of John Dwyer, II. P. Williams, George Kelley and Edward Eccles.

Another disastrous fire in Alexandria occurred on the night of Jan¬ uary 21, 1893. It started in a frame building on the west side of Har¬ rison street, in which were the postoffice and J. C. Clayton's grocery. The fire was soon communicated to the adjoining buildings, but was checked by tearing away a frame building at the corner of the alley between Church and Wood streets, occupied by Rupert & Stockton's restaurant. A water supply was obtained in a novel manner. The in¬ tense heat from the burning building melted the snow in the streets and by building dams across the gutters a supply of water was secured with w r hich to fight the fire. These two fires led to the establishment of the Alexandria fire department, an account of which will be found in Chapter VIII.

About 11 o'clock p. m., March 31, 1894, the barber shop of Harrell & Pyle and the express office on the corner of Canal street were wrecked by an explosion of natural gas. The ruins immediately caught fire and for a time it looked as though a large part of the city must inevitably be destroyed. At the time of the explosion seven men were in the bar¬ ber shop, waiting for their Sunday shave, and four of them were burned to death before they could be rescued. They were Oren Ball, Jesse D. Harrell, Charles Hoover and Harry Boyer. Hiram Hurd was also

The Alexandria Plate Glass Works were partially destroyed by fire on September 17, 1895, the loss in property being considerable. At that time Major C. T. Doxey was president of the company and with his characteristic energy he immediately began the work of rebuilding the plant in a more substantial and elaborate manner than before the fire. After it was rebuilt it was one of the largest and best equipped plate glass factories in Indiana.

Among the minor fires that have occurred in Alexandria may be mentioned the destruction of the Fred Miller Company's cold storage building and barns, the burning of the Indianapolis Brewing Com¬ pany's cold storage house, and also the office and cold storage plant of the Terre Haute Brewing Company, all within a few weeks of each other in the spring of 1894. The first of these fires was on April 6th, the second on May 28th and the third on June 4th. As the buildings were all depositories for beer and other malt liquors, many people at¬ tributed the fires to incendiarism.

The little town of Frankton has been especially unfortunate in the matter of fires. The town was laid out in March, 1853, and one night in November, 1854, a new store building just erected by Quick & Murphy was discovered to be on fire. In the building was a large stock of gen¬ eral merchandise, the postoffice and the railroad ticket office, and every¬ thing was a total loss. It seems that Isaac Sigler and John Ravy had a short time before that opened a saloon in the little village. Some time before the fire they had been arrested for tearing up a railroad switch at Frankton. Sigler gave bail but Ravy, unable to furnish the required bond, was committed to jail. In the course of the transaction they both became incensed at Quick & Murphy and it was believed that they had fired the store to get even. They were arrested and tried for arson, but the evidence was not sufficient to secure a conviction. Subsequently both men were convicted of robbing Atherton's store at Frankton. Ravy made his escape, but afterward fell from a railroad bridge and was killed, and Sigler died in the penitentiary.

A fire that destroyed a number of buildings in the business section of Frankton started in William Waples' stable about 5:30 a. m., Octo¬ ber 3, 1877, and was thought to have originated through the careless¬ ness of some men playing cards in the haymow. Next to Waples' stable on the south was that of J. W. Phillips, which was soon on fire. From this stable the flames reached the drug store of John A. Howard and from there the fire spread to the Dwiggins block, in which were the postoffice and James McLean's grocery. North of the Dwiggins block was the Suman building, in which were Kimmerling's drug store and the dry goods store of J. & W. Townsend. Next to this was Hurst Brothers' hardware store. All these buildings were burned to the ground and several horses were lost in the burning stables. In one of the buildings was the Masonic lodge, which lost all its furniture and records. The Odd Fellows were more fortunate, as they managed to save their effects. Some plundering was done during the fire, but the people were so intent on trying to save the town that the looters were allowed to go unmo- lested. Very little breeze was stirring and this probably enabled the citizens to hold the fire within bounds. Had a high wind sprung up Frankton would doubtless have been 44 wiped off the map/'

A man named McDonald began the erection of a building in Frank¬ ton in August, 1890, and announced his intention of opening a saloon in the town. Before the building was completed it was destroyed by fire. As there was no fire about the place, it was the general opinion that the destruction of the building was due to the work of an incendiary, but no clue to the identity of the offender was ever obtained.

Summitville's first great fire occurred on March 27, 1885, when the office of Dr. Judd Swallow and the stores of R. A. Menefee & Company and Aquilla Moore were totally destroyed, together with all their contents. The fire was first discovered in the east end of Moore's store about 3 o'clock a. m. and in a short time it was communicated to the other buildings. The people turned out and rendered all the assistance possible, but within an hour the three buildings were in ashes. By good management the flames were confined to them and the adjoining buildings were saved. The total loss was about $7,000, part of wh\ch was covered by insurance.

A little more than four years later - August 23, 1889 - a fire started in the hardware store of E. B. Vinson, at Summitville, about 11 o'clock p. m. and within a short time the building was a mass of flames. Adjoin¬ ing Vinson's establishment was the millinery store of Mary E. Wertz, which was also destroyed, and considerable damage was done to the Vinson residence. The loss in this fire was about $4,000, but was par¬ tially covered by insurance.

Several destructive storms have visited Madison county at various periods of its history. The first of which there is any account was in 1828, when a tornado struck the county about three and a half miles south of Anderson. As it passed through the woods it left a path about half a mile in width, in which but few trees remained standing. This path was long known among the settlers as the "Fallen Timber." As the country was not then thickly settled, no damage of consequence was done to property or person.

In 1843 a great storm began its destructive work about four miles northwest of Pendleton, passed eastward through the dense timber tract known as the "Dismal," then followed the ridge south of Anderson and spent its force near the present crossing of the Big Four and Pan Handle railroads. All along the ridge large trees were uprooted and in many places the little mounds thus formed can still be seen.

Ten years later, June 2, 1853, a violent storm crossed the western boundary of the county a little south of Perkinsville and followed a course east and northeast almost entirely across the county. The sec¬ ond story of Daniel Wise's brick residence was torn away, his barn and other outbuildings were seriously damaged, and about two miles further north a house, in which Clarkson Snyder, James Cusack and a boy had taken shelter, was blown down and the inmates were all badly hurt Just south of the present village of Florida some men were at work upon the grade for the Pan Handle railroad when they saw the storm coming and took shelter in a log house. They had been inside but a few minutes, when the house was demolished by the wind, but none of the men was injured. One man who caught hold of a sapling, to prevent his being blown away, was somewhat bruised, but his injuries were not serious. ,

The town of Cicero, Hamilton county, was almost completely destroyed by a storm on June 14, 1880. After wrecking that town the tornado passed on eastward, entering Madison county near Perkinsville, and following the general direction of the storm of 1853. Again the Daniel Wise residence was unroofed and otherwise damaged and again it was rebuilt by Mr. Wise's widow. Trees were blown down, fences scattered to the four winds and growing crops were seriously damaged. It is said that bolts of dry goods and other things from the stores at Cicero were afterward found in the path of the storm some distance from the town whence they were taken.

A storm closely resembling a western cyclone swept over the north¬ ern portion of the county on May 12,1886, passing about midway between Frankton and El wood. James Legg's residence was completely wrecked and his son, John Legg, was killed. This is the first recorded instance of any one being killed by a storm in Madison county. Mrs. Legg suffered a broken arm and a broken leg, and other members of the family were less seriously injured. On the old Caleb Canaday farm, near Legg's, the house and bam were destroyed and everywhere in the track of the storm the ground was covered with uprooted trees, scat¬ tered fences and other debris.

On August 17, 1888. a severe wind and hail storm passed over parts of Monroe and Richland townships, leaving devastation upon a strip of country about five miles in width and extending as far eastward as the Delaware county line. Trees were torn up by the roots, fences and out¬ buildings were scattered by the hurricane, and the hailstones, which were both abundant and unusually large, beat the crops into the ground. Several instances of small animals being killed by the hail were reported. A small log house occupied by a Mrs. Hupp and her family was literally blow to the four winds, some of the logs being carried to a consider¬ able distance. One of the boys was hurt on the head by a piece of falling timber, but recovered in a short time. The other members of the family escaped without serious injury.

Probably the most destructive storm ever experienced by the people of Madison county was the cyclone that passed over the southern por¬ tion on June 25, 1902. This storm covered a large part of central Indiana, damages being reported from Montgomery, Boone, Hamilton, Marion, Hancock, Madison, Henry, Fayette and Wayne counties. Telegraph wires were torn down and traffic on the interurban lines w r est of Anderson was suspended. In Madison county the ravages of the storm were greatest in the vicinity of Pendleton, Ingalls and Markleville. At Pendleton the Taylor glass factory was unroofed, the build¬ ings of the Star Manufacturing Company and the American Window Glass Company were considerably damaged, the loss on these three con¬ cerns amounting to over $10,000. The Guy schoolhouse near the town was partially destroyed. On the Henry Coburn farm, near Pendleton, James Van Hoy sought shelter in the bam when the storm came up.

A few minutes later the barn was blown down and he was killed. Barns were also blown down on the farms of Lon Pritchard, John Kiphart, Oliver Burdette, Arthur Jacobs, Robert Kirkbaum and Ezra Watts. George Phipps' saw-mill was wrecked and the residences of Abraham Umble, George Williamson and Edward Haines were badly damaged.

At Ingalls the Wagner Window Glass Company's buildings were partially destroyed, a portion of the roof of Kinley's hotel was carried away, windows were blown in, out-buildings were swept away by the wind and other damage was done to shade trees and growing crops. The road from Pendleton to Ingalls was so filled with debris that in places it was almost impassable.

In the neighborhood of Markleville the storm was especially severe. Barns belonging to Frank, Isaac and Cornelius Mauzy were torn down, the fences and crops on their farms were almost entirely destroyed and trees were uprooted, sometimes being carried for some distance by the wind. The Morris McDaniel residence was badly damaged and the barns on the farms of Amos Williams, John McCullough and John Foster were completely wrecked. On the 26th hundreds of sight-seers visited the stricken districts to look upon the ruins wrought by the cyclone. There have been other storms besides those above enumerated, but none has ever compared in violence with the great cyclone of 1902.

Old settlers still tell of the great flood of 1847, which washed away the first bridge over the White river at Anderson, near where Norton's brewery now stands. This bridge was built by John and Hugh Rogers, who received final payment of $300 for the work in September, 1846. The flood that carried it away was in January, 1847. Before the erec¬ tion of that bridge a ferry was maintained at that point, and after the flood the old ferry-boat was again called into requisition and was kept in service until in 1863, when a new bridge was built. The destruction

During the month of July the ground was too wet for the greater part of the time to cultivate and the fields were overrun with weeds. About the first of August the White river broke over its banks and flooded all the lowlands lying along its course. Much of the land in Madison county had not then been drained and great damage was done by the smaller streams. The low grounds along the river and Green's branch in what is now the northwestern part of Anderson were com¬ pletely inundated and for several days the road leading north from Anderson was impassable on account of the high water. At all hours of the day sheaves, or whole shocks, of wheat could be seen floating down the river from the fields whence they had been carried by the flood. Fences were washed away and much loss to the farmers was caused by the drowning of live stock. In Anderson special prayer meetings were held to pray for the rains to cease.

Another great flood occurred in the year 1884. The bridge that was erected in 1863 was carried away by the raging waters. At that time the contractors, McCormack & Sweeney, were engaged in the erection of the Madison county courthouse and soon after the flood they were awarded a contract for the erection of stone abutments for a new bridge, the iron work being done by the Morrison Bridge Com¬ pany. Again the farmers along the river suffered heavy loss by the destruction of their crops, and even the lowlands along the smaller streams were under water.

Rain began falling on the evening of March 24, 1904, and for twentyfour hours there was a steady downpour. On the 25th the White river rose rapidly and Green's branch broke .all previous records for high water. About nine o'clock that evening the.first appeals for help came from some of the inhabitants of Hazelwood, a suburb of Anderson, where a number of dwellings had been flooded by the latter stream. Park Place, on the opposite side of the river from the main portion of Anderson, was also inundated. On Saturday morning, the 26th Mayor Forkner issued a proclamation calling on the citizens for aid, and the township trustee furnished a number of teams and boats for the removal of the people and their effects from the flooded districts. Along Green's branch, in the western part of the city, many people were rendered temporarily homeless by the flood. The electric light plant was dam¬ aged, the northern part of Maplewood cemetery was under water and the works of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company were completely surrounded by water.

On Sunday, the 27th, a meeting was held to devise some means of taking care of the flood sufferers. A finance committee, consisting of Mayor Forkner, J. W. Carr, Alexander P. McKee, H. J. Stein, George

Nichol, Joseph Hennings, George Wheelock, Jerome Brown and Rufus Williams, was appointed to solicit and receive contributions. At that meeting $553 were collected and this amount was materially increased the next day. The Associated Charities, through their finance com¬ mittee and the general secretary, Miss Doan, rendered valuable assist¬ ance in caring for the homeless people. By Monday the danger was past and the river began falling, but the work of assistance was kept up for several days, until the unfortunate flood victims were made as comfortable as circumstances would permit.

Pipe creek and Duck creek both broke their bounds and considerable damage was done by these streams, especially in the vicinity of Alex¬ andria and Elwood, though the people of Anderson and the immediate environments were the greatest sufferers. Rural mail service was aban¬ doned until after the waters had subsided, and was renewed with diffi¬ culty, owing to the destruction of a number of bridges and washouts in the gravel roads. A special session of the county commissioners was called to take action with regard to repair of highways and bridges. Altogether the damage done by the flood ran into thousands of dollars.

The great flood of 1913 will long be remembered on account of the great damage done over all the central portion of the country, Ohio and Indiana being the states to undergo the greatest disaster. On March 23, 1913, about three inches of water fell in central Indiana. Such a rainfall was unprecedented and the natural channels of the streams were not equal to the emergency; hence, on the morning of the 24th a large part of Madison county was under water. North Anderson was cut off from the city by the cemetery road, Green's branch had again inundated the lowlands lying along its course, the Twelfth street bridge and the Big Four railroad bridge were swept away, about one-half of Hazelwood was flooded and the people living there had to seek safety in flight; trains on all the railroads were delayed, some of them being several hours behind time; Duek creek at Elwood was the highest ever known and many residents of that city had to be taken from their homes in boats; Pipe creek at Alexandria and Fall creek at Pendleton set new high-water marks and did a great deal of damage along their courses, and again the rural mail service was suspended.

At Anderson the electric light plant was. damaged slightly, but managed to keep part of the machinery in working order, so that the city was not thrown into utter darkness. The sewers backed up into the basement of the Sefton Manufacturing Company and inflicted con¬ siderable damage on the stock stored there. Views taken from the Schalk mills, looking north, and from the foot of Main street, looking toward the cemetery, show the lowlands between Anderson and North Anderson as one vast sheet of water. Gravel roads all over the county were washed out in places and the total property loss in the county was over $100,000. Traffic on the interurban lines was suspended on account of the danger from wash-outs. In such cases there are always some persons who act the part of harpies and prey on the unfortunate. Petty thieves and plunderers made their appearance in Anderson and the mayor and police board asked Governor Ralston to send militia to protect the property of those who had been driven from their homes by the flood. The governor responded by ordering Captain Wells' company to act as a patrol guard at Anderson.

About midnight of the 24th the water burst over the fair ground levee and Park Place was soon flooded. In the haste to escape from the rapid rising waters families became separated and the anxiety of moth¬ ers over the absence of some child, who had possibly been swept away by the deluge, was heart-rending. Fortunately, however, no lives were lost and the separated families were in time reunited. The water¬ works were temporarily injured and as a precaution against fire the moving picture shows were closed.

Then came the work of relief. On the 27th a meeting was held at the court-room for the purpose of determining upon some plan of sys¬ tematic aid to the homeless. A finance committee, consisting of J. J. Netterville, John L. Forkner and T. J. Nichol, was appointed and $3,500 were subscribed. The city council met and appropriated $1,000 to the relief fund, and by the last day of the month the popular sub¬ scriptions had reached nearly $6,000. The finance committee of the Associated Charities also rendered valuable assistance. Trades unions contributed to their members, especially the Park Place victims, the Gospel Trumpet Company cared for over 600 homeless and sent out several tons of coal to those in need of fuel, the Central Christian church was provided with cots and bedding by the good women belonging to the congregation and the court-room was also thrown open as a shelter for the unfortunates.

The water began falling on the 27th and the danger was past, but the relief work was kept up until all were made at least comparatively comfortable. It was some time before many of the submerged homes were habitable. Furniture and carpets were practically ruined and the floors and walls were so damp that it was a menace to health to try to live in the houses. It will be a long time before the great flood of 1913 will be forgotten by those who were driven from home by its ravages.