HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                                  399

Indian blood. Putting this and that together, the reader will reach his
own conclusion as to the significance of the circumstance of the elder Sex-
ton’s riding up to the Baber residence from the north at the hour of sun-
rise on the morning of the first day of December, 1851.
    Soon thereafter the Sextons emigrated to the state of Missouri, locat-
ing near Princeton, Mercer county, Riley Sexton and his wife making
the entire trip on foot, carrying with them their personal effects done up
in a bandanna handkerchief. Living in a border state, the coming on of
the Civil war disrupted the family on the issue of union and disunion, in-
volving the factions in personal criminations and recriminations, in which
the elder Sexton was openly charged with having burned the court-house
in Clay county, Indiana. This statement is made by a present resident
of this county of recognized credibility, who lived in Missouri and was
neighbor to the Sextons at the time of the “unpleasantness” between the
North and the South.
    Succeeding the fire there were for a time half-suppressed rumors to
the effect that the incendiary was an ex-county officer, who had resorted
to the torch to destroy the records in order to obliterate what clue and
evidence there might be in black and white to his supposed crookedness
and malfeasance in office. Later on this was talked aloud, and before the
expiration of three years Abijab Donham, a well-to-do farmer citizen of
Perry township, openly charged that John Williams, of Washington town-
ship, who had been county treasurer from 1844 to 1850, had committed
the crime after the installment of his successor in office as the most effec-
tual way of covering his tracks and evading exposure. To repel this accu-
sation and vindicate himself, Williams appealed to the law by bringing
suit against Donham for damages to his character in the sum of $10,000
in the Clay circuit court, Judge Gookins then presiding. In his complaint
Williams alleged that Donharn had at sundry times uttered words “false,
slanderous, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory” of his character and,
specifically, that in a public speech he, Donham, said: “John Williams, the
gentleman, after having been elevated to office and become rich from the
emoluments of office, wrapped the court-house in flames.”
    Mutual friends of the parties to this suit interceded to bring about
an understanding and the restoration of amicable relations, and to this
end a court of conciliation was convened at Bowling Green in the month
of November, 1854, over which William M. Franklin, of Spencer, then
judge of the court of common pleas, consented to preside. The parties
having been duly notified, both appeared, when Judge Franklin reviewed
the legal status of the situation, explaining fully to them their respective
rights in the premises, tendering the good offices of his position to bring
about a reconcilation and the withdrawal of the pending suit in the circuit
court. Both plaintiff and defendant declined to accept any terms of con-
ciliation.
    At the March term of circuit court, 1855, the cause went to trial, the
proceedings taking place on the fifth day of the term, the verdict follow-
ing on the sixth day. The attorneys for Williams were James M. Hanna,
Harvey D. Scott and Amory Kinney for Donham, Delaney Eckles, John
P. Usher and William M. Franklin. The jury impaneled to hear and
determine the cause was composed of Thomas J. Hadden, of Van Buren
township: George W. Moss and Jonathan Grimes, of Sugar Ridge town-
ship; Richard North, of Lewis township; Reed Hixon, of Dick Johnson
township; Jesse W. Pearce, of Sugar Ridge township; Daniel Zenor,