Carroll County IN Archives History - Books .....Chapter XII 1916 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 17, 2006, 4:25 pm Book Title: History Of Carroll County Indiana CHAPTER XII. TRAIL OF THE RED MAN-THE MIAMI NATION-PIONEER SOCIABILITY-ABDUCTION OF LUELLA MABBITT—A LEGAL EXECUTION. TRAIL OF THE RED MAN. The history of the settlement of the Northwest territory is full of great events. The period before the War of the Revolution is one of great interest to the student of history. Military expeditions went out into the vast territory lying west of the Ohio river, then unknown and unexplored by the white people, to protect the frontier settlements which were menaced by the savages and where many were massacred. Military forts were established at various points and garrisoned by a few companies of soldiers. It was in a sense, a war of conquest. The Indians yielded their possession reluctantly. As a rule they respected the terms of their treaties. To some extent the Indian tribes acted as a democracy. The chiefs represented the sentiment of their tribes. They knew the law of self-preservation. How long this vast country they gave up had been held by the savage hordes found by the white people, is unknown. The source from which they sprang is conjectural. Their extinction from the face of the earth is only a matter of a few more years. The attempt to civilize and Christianize the Indians is a failure, with a view of the perpetuation of their true characteristics. Some of the American Indian fighters became noted generals and statesmen, Gen. Winfield Scott, Gen. F. Taylor and Gen. W. H. Harrison. The two latter served as President. While the red man disputed the onward march of civilization, the government had its hands full with Texas and Mexico, and many national problems that prevented a stern policy towards the savages, for want of means and sufficient soldiery. But the campaign of 1811 and 1812 was conducted in a way to suppress the vengeance of the warring tribes, and brought treaties by which this vast territory was surrendered and the red man went farther west on reservation. As late as 1832 the last remaining Indians along the Wabash were conducted to their western homes. Thus the early settlers of this part of the country came to find it free of the claims of the aborigines, although a few remnants of the tribes that dwelt here were seen passing along the trail along the Wabash river during the year 1825. At that date the entire Northwest, embracing all that country of the mountain region and the Pacific slope was unexplored, and especially the Pacific slope was a bone of contention with foreign nations which were seeking a foothold by discovery which would establish their claim. The expedition of Lewis and Clark sent out by Jefferson, was just in time to establish the claim of this government of an empire that served to make the Pacific ocean the boundary on the west. With these accessions came out the hidden wealth and supplied homes for millions of people, who have converted a desert into fields of golden grain and poured into the markets of the world their overplus, thus making the United States one of the world's granaries. THE MIAMI NATION. All the lands in this part of the country were owned by the Miami tribe of Indians, These lands were ceded to the government by various treaties. The treaty of 1818 secured a large domain containing nine hundred and thirty thousand acres, embracing the lands along the Wabash river, and extending to the eastern boundary of the state. Various reservations were made for the Indians who desired to remain, who were willing to acknowledge the superiority of the government. The title to many of these reservations passed to the government, and later to individuals, very few of the Indians remained permanently. There are a few of the descendants living in Miami and Allen counties. There were one hundred and seventy-seven thousand acres of land ceded to the government and by the government granted to this state for the purpose of aiding in the construction of the Wabash and Erie canal. The lands obtained by the government cost less than two millions of dollars. The Miami tribe was one of the largest and most powerful of all the Indian tribes. Their chiefs were men of power and influence, and displayed great ability in protecting their nation when it came to surrendering their hunting grounds. The last regularly elected chief was Francis LaFontaine, who died at the age of thirty-seven, in Lafayette, in 1847. His weight was three hundred and fifty pounds. PIONEER SOCIABILITY. The social qualities of the pioneers were proverbial. There was a genuine interest taken by everyone in the welfare of each other. Privations were common to all. Sickness was a marked feature of pioneer life. Living among trees and decaying vegetation conduced to malaria, and a disease called "ague." For many years no household escaped the ague, which was not fatal, but very undesirable. Life among the various environments of the early settlers had its compensations. As population increased, the introduction of amusements dispelled the monotony of the daily routine. Every fanner had his log rollings, barn and house raisings; the wives had their quilting bees, wool pickings and apple cuttings, and occasionally a dance. Singing schools and spelling matches were not uncommon. Church services were held at the residences on Sundays; the minister was known as a "circuit rider." Some one was selected as song leader, who led the singing, and as hymn books were scarce the hymn was lined by the minister. The people, clad in clothes spun and woven by the mothers, who were neat cutters and fitters, appeared fully dressed on public occasions. The rule to do unto others as you would have others to do unto you was the law of the land. The latch string hung out. Hospitality was a crowning feature of every family. The table was supplied with choice venison, turkey, squirrels and fish. They vied with each other in making corn bread and "johnny cake." It must be conceded that rural life, under the condition mentioned, contributed to longevity. The appendix was unheard of those days. Consumption carried off more people than any other disease. ABDUCTION OF LUELLA MABBITT. The most startling and tragical act of a villain occurred in Carrollton township, in Carroll county, August 6, 1886. William Mabbitt was an early settler of Carrollton township, and lived on a farm. He had a wife and several sons and daughters about grown. A man by the name of Amer Green lived with a widowed mother in the western part of Howard county. He was about twenty-five years old. He had been paying his addresses to Luella, a daughter of William Mabbitt, who opposed his daughter permitting Green to visit her. She wrote a note to Green, a few days before the occurrence we are about to relate took place, informing him not to visit her thereafter. On the 6th of August, 1886, about nine o'clock in the evening, one William Walker, a man who lived in that neighborhood drove up to the Mabbitt home in a buggy and called for a sister of Luella to come out to him. At that time the family had retired, and after persistent calling the sister got up and went out to the buggy and talked with Walker for a short time, when Amer Green drove up in a buggy and called for Luella to come out. Green was then informed that Luella was in bed, but he demanded that she come out or he would "tear down the house." Thereupon Luella got up and went out to him and talked a while, when they started off together, apparently, for a walk. The sister returned to the house and Walker drove off. That was the last ever seen of Luella alive. It was claimed that cries were heard along the road leading towards Wildcat creek south, but no attention was paid to them. The news of this affair went out over the country and aroused the officers and the people, and the country was searched but no positive evidence was obtained that would lead to the arrest of Green. Subsequently it was learned that Green had a large sum of money in a Logansport bank, but it was supposed to belong to his mother, who soon after this occurrence drew the money out of the bank and went on a visit to Pennsylvania. Mr. Mabbitt spent a large amount of money in hiring detectives to find the missing girl and apprehend the abductor, without accomplishing anything. It was not until in February, 1887, that any evidence was found about the missing girl. The remains of a badly decayed body were found in the Wabash river a few miles above Lafayette, which were identified as those of the missing girl. In October, 1887, deputy sheriff Stanley, of Cass county, arrested Amer Green in southwestern Texas and lodged him in the Carroll county jail. The news of his capture went broadcast. He had been in jail but a few days until strangers were noticed on the street; but it did not create any suspicion that a mob was preparing to take him out and hang him. On Friday morning, October 21, 1887, a mob of one hundred or more surrounded the jail, overpowered the sheriff, Nelson VanGundy, and his deputies, and with sledge hammers battered down the doors and seized Amer Green, tied him, put him in a carriage and drove off south, being joined by many more, and went east on the Delphi and Flora road, about eight miles, to Walnut Grove, where a parley took place. Green was asked as to whether Luella Mabbitt was alive; he said, "She is." He said, "She is at Ft. Worth, Texas, living with a Samuel Payne." He said, "I hope you are not going to burn me; you have come out to murder me, and are going to do it, but do it like civilized men." The mob cried out, "Give him the stake." "Burn him." "Torture a confession out of him." Green requested that his body be sent to a sister in Ohio. The chief actor placed a rope around Green's neck, the rope was placed over a limb, and he was launched into eternity in a few minutes without a struggle. The coroner next day took charge of the body. The court ordered the immediate convening of the grand jury, and delivered a charge to the jury, which was published in the papers. The grand jury examined over one hundred witnesses, no one of whom was able to tell who the chief actors were. The people generally believed Amer Green was guilty of murdering Luella Mabbitt, but desired that the law should have been permitted to take its course. It is said that not one of the persons engaged in that affair is living. A LEGAL EXECUTION. In the spring of 1871 an old man by the name of Slater, living in the city of Logansport, was foully murdered, and Jerome Brooks and Charles Carr were arrested for committing the crime. The motive was supposed to be robbery. The Cass county grand jury returned an indictment against both men, charging murder in the first degree. The prisoners took a change of venue from Cass county and the case was sent to Carroll county. At that time the circuit court convened in August, this county then being in the eleventh judicial circuit, with Cass county. Horace P. Biddle was the presiding judge. Alexander Hess was the prosecuting attorney. At the August term, 1871, and on the 17th of August, the case was called for trial. The state was represented by the prosecuting attorney with D. H. Chase assisting and the defendant was represented by David Turpie. Carr was accorded a separate trial. The jury was quickly obtained and the following persons were empanelled to try the case: Ira L. Bridge, Samuel Meyer, Horatio Warrick, J. M. Bryant, William H. Sleeth, John Lane, H. H. Deo, Eli Wingard and Daniel McCain. The trial consumed three days. The jury returned their verdict on August 27, 1871, as follows : "We, the jury, find the defendant, Jerome Brooks, guilty as charged in the indictment, and make his punishment death.—W. H. Sleeth, foreman." A motion for a new trial was filed. On the 31st of August, 1871, there being no cause' shown why the court should not pronounce judgment on the verdict of the jury, Judge Biddle then pronounced judgment on the verdict of the jury and fixed Friday, October 27, 1871, between the hours of ten o'clock a. m. and four o'clock p. m. of said day, "he shall be taken to some proper and convenient place and then and there for said crime shall suffer the punishment of death, by being hanged by the neck until he is dead. And the sheriff of Carroll county is charged with the execution of this judgment." There was no appeal taken to the supreme court. On the day fixed for the execution, John K. Fry, the sheriff, erected a scaffold at the northwest corner of the court house, on the west side of the present office of the sheriff, and enclosed it with a board fence, sixteen feet high. The prisoner was taken to the scaffold, out of the sheriff's office and was hung. On that day there was a large crowd of people in town and after the execution and the body had been taken down the people were permitted to see the apparatus. A certain man, whose life and character was none the best, appointed himself a committee of one to show the curious-minded people just how the trap worked, operating the lever for an hour or more. The boards were removed so that a good view could be had. This was the first and the only legal execution that has taken place in Carroll county. PRISON SENTENCE FOR CARR. Charles Carr, who was indicted with Brooks, and granted *a separate trial, was arraigned before Judge Biddle on the 23rd of August, 1871; the defendant appearing and by his attorney, David Turpie, entered a plea of guilty of murder in the second degree, to the indictment. He was sent to the state prison for life. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY INDIANA ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS BY JOHN C ODELL With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families ILLUSTRATED 1916 B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/carroll/history/1916/historyo/chapterx4ms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/infiles/ File size: 14.4 Kb