Hamilton County IN Archives History - Books .....Chapter XII - Incidents And Stories, Part 2 1901
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Book Title: A History Of The Formation, Settlement And Development Of Hamilton County, Indiana

Corn Pone.

   About the year 1830 Robert Stitt, who resided in the vicinity of the Connor
mill, two miles southwest of Noblesville, after having spent the day in town,
started south from the public square on Eighth street for his home. At the south
line of the old town he was accosted by a stranger on horseback, who said to
him: "My friend, can you tell me where I can find the woman who makes good corn
pone?" "Well," replied Stitt, "if it is the woman that stays at the tavern you
are after you are on the right track. Keep straight ahead until you come to the
sign board. There you will get corn pone, venison and plenty to drink, so that
you will not go hungry or dry." The stranger had started on when Stitt called to
him: "Say, Mister, which way may you be going to-morrow? If you are looking for
land I will be a good hand to show you around," but the stranger did not care to
publish his movements, so rode on without replying.

   It was seldom that wheat bread was found on the table, so the woman who could
make good corn pone was in demand by the traveling public. There was no such
thing as baking powder or soda, and cooking vessels were scarce. Corn pone was
baked in a pot holding from two to four gallons. Corn bread, as a rule, was
baked on a board placed before an open fire. This was called johnny cake, and
the board was the johnny cake board. The meal for the johnny cake was mixed with
water and often without salt. When properly mixed it was spread out evenly on
the board and placed before the fire. A substitute for soda was sometimes found
by burning a dry elm tree. Such a tree usually had a thin, hard crust on the
inside. This tree was fired at the bottom while standing and the inside would
burn out first. When it was entirely consumed and the ashes removed a large
amount of cinders were left. A small quantity of these were then placed in a
bottle and dissolved with water. After the cinders were thoroughly dissolved the
contents of the bottle were used in bread and had the same effect as soda. The
difficulty attending the making of good corn pone in those days was so great
that one having acquired the art was sought out by travelers. This woman the
stranger was seeking was my mother.

Locating the Capital.

   The brick dwelling house erected by William Connor on his farm in Delaware
Township stands upon a bluff about thirty rods from White River. This bluff
extends about a half mile south to the river. At the foot of this and near his
dwelling, Mr. Connor, in an early day built a horse mill, and also a distillery.
The mill was built for the purpose of grinding the corn and rye he used in the
manufacture of whisky. Connor also had a large prairie farm which extended along
the river bottom. At a point where the bluff nears the river will be found the
deepest hole in White River above Indianapolis. A road ran from the mill and
still house to this hole, where a good landing was made for flat-boats.

   The land east of the bluff, in the direction of the present site of New
Britton, was level, and Mr. Connor had sufficient influence with those in
authority to secure an investigation and an examination of this land as a
location for the State Capital. Connor was wealthy and offered large inducements
for the location at that point, but the site of Indianapolis was the most
central, and it was chosen. This fact was perhaps the only reason why the State
Capital was not located in Hamilton County. After Indianapolis was chosen it
improved much faster than Noblesville. The people, in Hamilton County were,
however, far in advance of those in that vicinity in whisky, corn, lumber and
mills. The people at Indianapolis for a long time afterward came to William
Connor's, James Casler's and Sennet Fallis's for meal, flour, corn and whisky.
The roads were very bad, requiring at least three days to make the trip, and of
course only a small load could be hauled. Some came up the river in canoes and
purchased small amounts; others, who desired to purchase on a large scale, used
flat-boats. In this way they secured their provisions much cheaper than if
hauled by teams. Some of the boats came as far up the river as the John Connor
mill. Besides provisions they also carried a large amount of lumber down the river.

Clocks.

   Prior to the year 1835 one would seldom see a clock in the cabins of the
pioneers. A marked place on the door or sill would indicate the hour of noon
when touched bv the sun. When the sun was not shining: they guessed at the time.
In the year 1837 peddlers offering wooden clocks for sale began to travel over
the county. There was a firm in Noblesville engaged in the business. Money was
scarce, but the clocks were offered for sale on time to those who owned land.
They sold very high. In May, 1837, the Board of County Commissioners passed an
order requiring clock peddlers to pay a license of seventy-five dollars per
year. They also about this time made an order requiring all managers of
menageries and circuses to pay a license of fifty dollars for each day's
performance in the county.

The Lawyer's Defense.

   In the pioneer days of this county a certain man was arrested and placed in
jail charged with the crime of larceny. The grand jury found a bill of
indictment against him and in due time the prisoner was brought into court. He
asked the judge to appoint a certain attorney to defend him and he entered a
plea of not guilty. The judge made the appointment as requested, and turning to
the lawyer said: "I have appointed you to defend this man and I want you to do
the best you can for him." As there was no consultation room in the old court
house the lawyer was permitted to take the prisoner out of doors in order to
consult with him. After a thorough examination of the prisoner the lawyer
believed him guilty and advised him to make his escape. The prisoner, acting
upon the advice of the attorney, walked leisurely to the bank of the river; from
there he made his way to the plum thicket, near where the straw-board plant is
now located. In this thicket he was safe -for a time, and when his case was
called in the court he could not be found. The judge then called upon the
attorney to account for the absence of the prisoner. He remarked to the court
that he had been instructed by the court to do the best he could for the
prisoner; that after consultation with his client he had come to the conclusion
that the best thing for the prisoner to do was to get out of town as soon as
possible; that in saying this to the prisoner he had only carried out the order
of the court. This statement did not satisfy the court and he fined the attorney
for contempt. The fine, however, was never enforced.

School Punishment.

   On a certain occasion two turkeys were brought to Noblesville, during school
session, and the owner concluded to have a shooting match. The turkeys were put
up at so much a shot. The number of shots to correspond with the value of the
turkey, and the best shot to take the turkey. It so happened that this shooting
match took place at the noon hour, two of the largest male scholars of said
school witnessing the same, during which time the turkeys were duly inspected by
them. On their return to the school house instead of applying themselves to the
study of the lessons before them, they concluded to discuss the turkey gobblers.
The length of their legs, their beautiful beard had been discussed, and they
were about to discuss other features of the birds, but were arrested and their
discussion cut short by the teacher informing them that that was no part of
their lessons for that day, but now, says the teacher, "what shall be done with
the unruly boys?" The teacher had a table about four feet long and two and a
half feet wide in the room. He had a two-inch auger hole bored in one of the
puncheons in the floor. So he took one of the boys to the table, laying him down
lengthwise on the same, drew his hands and feet down as well as he could and
tied them together under the table. The other boy he required to lie down flat
upon the floor near the two-inch auger hole and gaze steadily down through the
auger hole. Thus they remained for thirty minutes, which was regarded by the
teacher as sufficient punishment, when they were released. This, no doubt, will
appear to the teachers and pupils of to-day as being very harsh, but such was
the discipline fifty-five years ago in our schools.

The Lost Child.

   In the fall of 1828 a family of movers from the East came to Noblesville and
stopped for supplies. They were on their way to the Wea Prairie, between the
present site of Kirklin and Lafayette. After their supplies had been purchased
they proceeded on their way over the route known as the Lafayette trace. They
camped that night either on the east or west bank of Cicero Creek. There was a
very large family of them, children ranging from two years of age upward. The
country about where they camped was very heavily timbered. All went well with
the emigrants during the night, and after feeding and caring for their team and
partaking of their frugal meal, in the morning the horses were harnessed and
hitched to the wagon, and as the heads of the family supposed, the children
loaded into the wagon. The team was started on its journey. After traveling two
or three or probably four miles, the discovery was made that a little girl five
or six years old was missing. The party immediately retraced their steps to the
camping ground of the evening before, carefully searching on both sides of the
dim wagon way for the little one, but no trace of the child was to be found. At
that time it was dangerous for grown people armed to the teeth to be lost in the
woods after night, as bears were numerous and the woods in this country was full
of wolves, catamounts and wild hogs. The father of the child returned to
Noblesville at once and sounded the alarm and runners were sent in every
direction among the settlers. The greatest excitement existed. A council was at
once called and under the direction of the most experienced of back-woodsmen and
hunters a thorough search was instituted. A point at which they should all meet
at sundown of that day was fixed, and signals were agreed upon in the event of
the finding of the child, but no such signal was heard during the day, and at
sundown the party met at the designated place, very much crestfallen at their
ill luck. Men were there who had been able to track the bear, the wolf and the
deer, in fact anything, as they thought, making tracks in the woods. Their
wallets of venison and corn bread were hastily drawn and supper eaten, and
preparations made for a night hunt. The determined men roamed the woods in
search of the missing child. The sun rose on the following morning in all its
splendor upon that disappointed and unhappy family. After again partaking of
their scanty meal and a thorough canvass of the situation and a full
understanding as to the day's work before them, and in the firm belief that
their labor would be crowned with success, the search began again. All day long
those determined men searched the woods in every direction, examining every
hollow log, every ravine, every tree-top, pile of brush, in fact every
conceivable place where the child may have wandered to or been taken by the wild
beasts. About sundown of the second day, and when the party were about to stop
work for the day, the booming of a cannon, as it seemed to the men, was heard at
some distance from where the child had lost its way, and as this was the signal
agreed upon in case the child should be found, the answer signal went forth
almost simultaneously from the gun of every hunter of that party. But now the
absorbing question was, does the child live or has its mutilated remains been
found. The party proceeded to the point at once from whence the signal came.
When in sight, the successful hunter was found standing upon a large log, his
gun resting against the same, and in his arms he held the child. He had found it
by the side of the log covered with leaves when he was attempting to cross over
the log in his search. His quick ear detected a slight movement of the child,
and he quickly removed the covering of leaves to find that the child was naked
and almost dead from hunger, fatigue and fright. They proceeded at once to the
restoration of the lost one to the afflicted family, who at once, with the
assistance of their kind friends, administered to the child's wants, after which
they proceeded on their journey.



Additional Comments:
From:

A HISTORY OF THE FORMATION, SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF
HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA,
FROM THE YEAR 1818 TO THE CLOSE OF THE CIVIL WAR.
BY
AUGUSTUS PINCH SHIRTS.
1901.



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