622	HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

Iowa, a man whose name is familiar to many of your old residents,
Shallum Thomas. Mr. Thorpas emigrated frcm Kentucky and settled
at Bowling Green in October, 1826. That country was then a wilderness
of towering trees. They had heard of Fort Harrison and its probable
distance and direction, so Mr. Thomas and two others started for Terre
Haute to “blaze out a road and see if you kept salt for sale” as he told
the writer. They found a postoffice and a trading point. But in those
days postage was twenty-five cents on ever so small a letter, envelopes
and steel pens were not in use, but goose quill pens, maple bark ink and
rough unruled paper were the only means of sending messages by mail.
Then the cash expense of a family for a year was less than that of the
same number now days for a week; so the people of Bowling Green
did not gain much by opening communication with Terre Haute. Mr.
Thomas engaged in mercantile pursuits at Bowling Green, and bought
his goods principally at Terre Haute. On his third trip to Terre Haute
he helped Thomas Puckett drive a wild black bear from the timber near
old Mount Fleasant church, into the streets of Terre Haute. I used to
hear about this when I was a boy. Mr. Thomas frequently spoke of
your merchants and business men of the olden times, most of whom
have gone hence. Mr. Thomas bad amassed a fine property here. He
gave three thousand dollars toward building the church here. He was
truly a good man. Yours, etc., HULL.

First Physician at Middlebury.
	Dr. William Hill was the first professional medical practitioner at
the town of Middlebury. The date of his locating there is not remem-
bered so as to be definitely given, but at some time prior to 1845. Hill
was then a single man, whose appearance and conversation made a
favorable impression, and he won some reputation in the practice.
Soon thereafter he married Miss Ellen Smith, eldest daughter of Truman
Smith and sister of Ralph Smith, both of whom were prominent in the
social and business circles of the south end of the county at that day.
To them was born one child, whom they named Elzora Pelora Victoria
Josephine Hill. Dr. Hill had his faults, one of which was the practice
of liquor drinking, sometimes imbibing too freely. On such occasions
he was liable to become troublesome, and even vicious from fancied
grievance or offense.
	On the first Monday of August, 1847, which was then general elec-
tion day in the state of Indiana, under the influence of intoxicants, he
assaulted Allen Church on the streets of Middlebury, inflicting serious
bodily injuries, gouging out one eye, then hastened to his stable, saddled
his horse and rode out of town, which was the end of his career in Clay
county. Later, his wife was divorced, said to have been the first case of
divorce in Harrison township. At a still later date she married Jesse
Miles, of Bowling Green.
	At some time in the ‘50’s, Hill came hack and stopped at Smith s,
desiring to see his daughter, and at his request Ralph Smith went to
Bowling Green and took the child down to the home of her grand-
parents, to meet her father, the mother assenting on the assurance given
by her brother that he would return the child himself in perfect safety.
On parting with his daughter the father made her a present of $25 in
gold. So far as now known, that was Dr. Hill’s last appearance in
Clay county.