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As I
have given some of the desultory outlines of the
first churches and schools of Urbana, sixty
years ago, I will continue by saying a word in
regard to the civil polity. I remember
that when I first came here, Nathaniel
Pinckard, Esq., was Justice of the Peace for
Urbana township, and was a great terror to
benders and boys; his wife was his counsellor,
and was considered the bet statute lawyer of the
two, and kept him advised in all difficult and
knotty questions of law.
The Court of Common Pleas had on its bench Hon.
Francis Dunlavy, President, with three
Associate Judges - Hon. John Runyon,
John Reynolds, and Joseph Layton, and
the way justice was meted out to horse-theives,
hog-theives, and all other violators of
the law was a "caution," (as the curt phrase
expresses it,) to offenders. The Urbana
bar, at my first acquaintance, consisted of
Henry Bacon and Edward W. Pierce,
heretofore noticed in another paragraph.
But very shortly afterward it received many very
respectable accessions, in the persons of
Moses B. Corwin, (who likewise, in 1812
commenced the publication of the Farmers'
Watchtower, the first newspaper ever
published in this place, associating with
Cooley, afterward Charge des Affaires
to a foreign country; Caleb Atwater, the
distinguished Antiquarian; Chancy P. Holcomb,
afterward of some notoriety, and J. E.
Chaplain. I could add to this very
cheerfully, Col. John H. James, whose
record as a lawyer needs not the eulogy of my
pen, but he located here after 1820, and would
be outside of the objects sought by the Pioneer
Association. I will now say a word in
reference to the lawyers within this then large
judicial circuit, embracing Hamilton county, and
all the organized and unorganized territory
within its eastern and western limits, north to
the Michigan territory line, who practiced at
the Urbana bar prior to 1820 - Jacob
Burnett, David K. Este, Nichols Lungworth,
Arthur St. Clair, son of General St.
Clair, Joseph H. Crain, afterward president
Judge of this Circuit, John
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Alexander, &c. Here was an array of
talent that has not since been surpassed.
These men were
frequently pitted against each other in the
trials of important cases, and many amusing
passes of wit and repartee were evoked. I
remember an instance of this kind: John
Alexander, who was a man of hugh dimensions,
and Nicholas Longworth, who was below
medium size, were employed against each other in
the trial of a State case in the court-room at
Urbana, and during its progress they both became
very much enraged against each other, when Mr.
Alexander stamped his foot, and with
excited voice said, “You little thing, hold your
tongue or I will put you in my pocket,” which
Mr. Longworth did not deign to
answer, but addressing himself to the Court
said, “may it please your Honors, this mountain
of flesh," pointing at his antagouise, “has
threatened to put me in his pocket; please tell
him for me, he does, he will have more law in
his pocket than he ever had in his head."
And sometimes these passes of wit occurred between
the Court and members of the bar. I will
give an instance: Mr. St. Clair
had an unfortunate impediment; although a man of
more than ordinary talents he could never give
the letter S its proper sound-in other words he
lisped, and on one occasion he became very much
excited at the decision of the Court in some
matter of interest to him, and indulged in
improper language, and still persisted after the
Judge had commanded him to take his seat.
Judge Dunlavy ordered the Sheriff
to arrest and imprison him; the Sheriff feeling
that the discharge of that duty would be very
unpleasant, hesitated, where-upon Mr.
St Clair, in the most bland tone,
addressed the Judge box saying: "May it Pleath
your Honor, perhapth the theriff ith waiting the
order of the Court.” Whereupon Judge
Dunlavy immediately consulted the three
associate judges, and to his mortification had
to let it pass.
The Supreme Court under the Constitution of 1802 was
required to hold an annual session in each
county; my first recollection of that Court in
Champaign County is, that between 1811 and 1817
its sessions were on some occasions in the old
log church - why, I do not now remember, and
according to my best recollection, Judges
Thomas Scott, Chief
Justice, William W. Irwin , and
Ethan Allen Brown, the latter of whom
afterward was Governor of the State.
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were on the bench; and soon after the above
period Peter Hitchcock John McLean, and
others not now remembered, were successors of
that Court.
As these sketches to be acceptable to future readers
should embrace all the varieties of pioneer
life, it might be well at this point to say a
word as to the gentlemen of the medical
profession. An as a beginning I will say
that I do not remember any except Doctor ____
Davidson, a brother-in-law to Judge
Reynolds, who was here when I first came.
But very shortly after very respectable
accessions were made in the persons of Doctor
Joseph S. Carter and ____ Collins, to which
may be added prior to 1820, Adam Mosgrove
and Obed Hor, and perhaps some others not
now recollected. These gentlemen, it may
be safely said, all secured the confidence of
the people, and were very popular and successful
practitioners. And in the mean time, young
gentlemen of the vicinity had qualified
themselves, who also in this time became
successful in practice. I will name a few:
E. Banes, Wilson Everett, ____ Hughs,
____ Curry, and afterward, E. P. Fyffe
and others. Being hedged in by the 1820
rule, I will dismiss this branch of the subject.
I ave already said that my first acquaintance with
Urbana was on the 9th day of August, 1811, and I
have according to my best recollection given the
names and the location of all the heads of
families at that date. The first settlers
here were exposed to many hardships and
difficulties, but banded together in kindly
assisting each other. From its first
settlement in 1805, through all the succeeding
years, embracing those of the war 1812-15, they
were frequently alarmed at threatened Indian
raids; frequent occasions of the massacre in
close proximity of whole families, added to
their terrors. Mr. Joseph A. Reynolds
informs me that on several occasions about 1807
and 1808, the few settlers of the place,
repeatedly alarmed at rumors of the near
approach of hostile savages, would congregate in
the most strongly built and roomy log house,
barricade the doors and windows in anticipation
of an Indian attack. He recollects on one
occasion that Zephaniah Luce, the father
of Col. Douglass Luce, received
information that a body of Indians were in the
neighborhood prepared to make an attack upon the
place in the night; and he moved around among
the settlers, urging them to immediately repair
to the house of George Fithian, already
noticed, and bring with them all their guns and
ammuni-
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tion, and barricade it as the most secure
strong-hold of the place, which was carried into
execution, and as represented, the scenes of
that night were very exciting, and have left
impressions not to be forgotten. The
attack, however, was not made, and the fortress
was disbanded, and all for the time being
returned to their own cabins. While on
this subject it should be mentioned that soon
after the scenes above described, the people
erected a block-house on lot No. 104, and which
during the war was used as one of the army
artificer's shops. This must suffice on
this branch, though I could recite some similar
scenes within my own knowledge afterward.
I will, however, in this connection remark, that
although our neighboring frontier tribes
professed friendship towards the whites, yet
many distrusted them, and were suspicious that
through the blandishments of Tecumseh and
his brother, the Prophet, they might be
induced to join the standard of the Potawatamies
and other hostile tribes, which had leagued
together, and ultimated in the celebrated battle
of Tippecanoe, in November, 1811. In this
conflict, though Gen. Harrison's forces
were greatly cut to pieces, the Indians under
Tecumseh were, after much slaughter, driven
from the ground and put to rout, and this being
late in the fall, no fears were entertained that
they could again, before the next summer,
re-organize and renew their depredations.
Things being in this shape, precautionary
measures were immediately taken to secure the
settlements from future Indian raids, and
Governor R. J. Meigs came in the spring of
1812 to Urbana, and inaugurated the project of
making a call upon all the Indian tribes, and
especially those on our border who professed
friendship for the people of the United states,
to convene at Urbana on a given day, to hold a
council with him as Governor of the State, and
as a preliminary step, employed Col. James
McPherson, one of the Zanes, and
perhaps one of the Walkers, to bear the
proposals of the call to the several tribes over
which they could exert a favorable influence,
which resulted in a meeting of the Chiefs of
Shawnees and Wyandots accompanied by their
braves, including some of the leaders of remnant
tribes. Taken all together they presented
quite an imposing appearance, and arrangements
having been made, by the erection of a
platform-stand in a grove a few rods southwest
from the old grave-yard, about in the centre of
the block of in-lots numbering 197, 198, 199,
200, 207 208, 209 and 210, enclosed by East
Church, North Locust, East
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Ward and North Kenton streets in Urbana.
The arrangements to bring about this event had
required time, and it must have been as late as
the latter part of June, a little after the
declaration of the war of 1812, before the
council met. But its results were very
satisfactory of Governor Meigs, and to
the tribes represented, and ended in the
exchange of wampum, and in smoking the pipe of
peace. The Indians avowed their
determination to take sides with the United
States, and the Governor on his part guaranteed
protection and support to their families, which
was accepted soon after as a measure of security
against hostile tribes. And a block-house
was erected near Zanesville for the protection
of their women and children, and they were, at
the public expense, furnished with provision,
&c. I was very young at the time, and have
nothing but memory to aid me in these
allegations, but believe them substantially
true.
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