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OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest                    Volume 99 : Issue 243

Today's Topics:
  #1 PIKE COUNTY - PART 5                 [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]
  #2 MRS. D. HARRY HAMMER - PIKE COUNTY   [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE]

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X-Message: #1
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 23:26:14, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
Subject: PIKE COUNTY - PART 5


HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO By Henry Howe, LL.D., 1898

                        RACE HATRED
        An unusual history of race hatred within the limits of Ohio is that
related by a correspondent of the Chillicothe Leader, as existing in
Waverly, and which we give herewith:
        A TOWN WITHOUT A NEGRO CITIZEN. -The one thing that distinguishes
Waverly over every other city or town in Ohio having a population of 2,000,
is the fact that she does not harbor a single negro within her borders.
This antipathy to the negro at Waverly dates back to the earliest
settlement of the town. When Waverly was still in its swaddling-clothes
there was a "yellow nigger" named Love living on the outskirts of the town.
He was a low-minded, impudent, vicious fellow, very insulting, and made
enemies on every hand. His conduct finally became so objectionable that a
lot of the better class of citizens got together one night, made a descent
upon his cabin, drove him out and stoned him a long way in his flight
toward Sharonville. He never dared to come back. Our first acquaintance
with negroes about Waverly was with rather rough, objectionable members of
that race, and many things occurred to intensify the prejudice which many
of our people always held against the negroes.
        A FRIEND OF THE NEGRO. -Dr. William Blackstone was a strong
exception to the general rule. He was a friend of the negro, their
champion, and the prejudiced whites accused the doctor of "encouraging the
d___d niggers to be impudent and sassy to us." Opposed to Blackstone was a
strong family of Burkes, and a number of the Downings, who thought that the
only correct way to treat a negro was to kill him. This was their doctrine,
and they proclaimed it, with much bravado, on all occasions.
        OUTRAGES ON NEGROES. -There was a splendid fellow, a darkey named
Dennis Hill, who settled at Piketon and established a tanning business, who
was almost harassed to death by the negro-haters. He finally left this
section and went to Michigan, where he grew rich.
        A lot of Virginia negroes settled up on Pee Pee creek, in the
neighborhood of the Burkes and the Downings. Some of them prospered nicely,
and this enraged their white neighbors. Tim Downing was the leader of the
gang that made almost constant war on the negroes. Downing's crowd got to
burning the hay and wheat of the colored farmers, harassing their stock,
interfering in their private business and doing everything in their power
to make life absolutely miserable to the colored people. They concentrated
the brunt of their hatred against the most prosperous of these colored
farmers, whose names I can't recall.
        RAIDING THE WRONG MAN. -One night they organized a big raid into
the colored settlement, with the avowed purpose of "clearing out the whole
nest of d___d niggers." They went fully armed, and didn't propose to stop
short of doing a little killing and burning. One of the first cabins they
surrounded was that of the especially hated colored man spoken of. They
opened fire upon it, hoping to drive the negro out. But the darkey -an
honest, peaceable fellow -wasn't to be easily frightened. He, too, had a
gun, and taking a safe position near one of the windows of his cabin, he
blazed away into the darkness in the direction from which the shots had
come. A wild cry of pain followed his shot. The buckshot from his gun
plunged into the right leg of Tim Downing's brother, cutting an artery.
Downing fell, but he was picked up and carried to the home of Bill Burke.
        DOWNINGS DEATH. -The crowd abandoned the attack after Downing's
fall, and followed him to Burke's house. There Downing bled to death. A
coroner's jury, of which I was a member, was empanelled and returned a
verdict to the effect that Downing had come to his death from the effects
of a gunshot wound -but the jury refrained from saying who had discharged
the gun. The gang of whites to which Downing belonged surrounded the house
in which the jury was in session and threatened it with all sorts of
vengeance if it did not return a verdict expressing the belief that Downing
had been murdered by the negro. But their threats didn't procure the
desired verdict. They afterwards had the negro arrested and tried for
murder, but he was acquitted.
        COWARDLY REVENGE. -The morning after the fatal raid the Downings,
Burkes and their friends, armed themselves and marched to the negro's
cabin. They lay in wait there until the darkey's son, a nice, young fellow,
came out of the cabin. They opened fire on him, and one of the bullets
struck him in the head, fracturing his skull and allowing a portion of his
brains to escape. When the young man fell the crowd broke and ran. The
wounded negro lingered quite a long while, suffering most frightfully, and
finally died. No one was ever punished for this crime. After these two
tragedies the negro moved away.
        HE MET HIS MATCH. -Tim Downing had a brother, Taylor, living up
near Sharonville, and this man concluded that he had to have "an eye for an
eye," to avenge his brother's death. One morning, just after Downing's
death, he was going through the woods with his gun on his shoulder and came
upon a negro chopping rails. He told the darkey to make his peace with God,
as he was going to kill him right there.
        The darkey knew that Downing meant what he said, and quick as a
squirrel's jump he made a dash at Downing with his ax, striking him full on
the side of the face, and shattering his jaw in the most frightful fashion.
Downing lived, but he was horribly marked for life. The negro was arrested
and tried, but was acquitted. This only enraged the white gang more, and
they made life in this neighborhood entirely too hot the negro. It was
under such circumstances as these that the bitter anti-negro feeling at
Waverly had its origin. This race hatred was fostered and extended until
even moderate-thinking people, on any other subject, came to believe that
they couldn't stand the presence of a negro in Waverly.

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X-Message: #2
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 00:26:28, -0500
From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER)
Subject: MRS. D. HARRY HAMMER - PIKE COUNTY


HISTORY OF OHIO, The American Historical Society, Inc., 1925
Volume V, page 421-422

        MRS. D. HARRY HAMMER.  Born in Ohio, but many years ago
transplanted to Chicago, Mrs. D. Harry Hammer has cherished her affection
for her native state, and her accomplishments as an art collector, as a
writer and speaker have brought her distinction that make her one of the
most noted of Ohio's native daughters.
        Her maiden name was Mary Amaryllis Bower. He was born in Pike
County, but was reared near Athens, in Athens County, Ohio. Her parents
were Moses and Delitha (Rew) Bower. Mrs. Hammer was educated in the Miller
Seminary at Guysville, and Russell Carpenter of Athens County. Mr.
Carpenter was a veteran of the Civil war. He had enlisted at the age of
sixteen, his size enabling him to pass inspection at eighteen, the minimum
age for enlistment. He was promoted to and attained the rank of captain in
the Eighteenth Ohio Infantry. He served nearly five years, throughout the
war period, and when he was discharged in 1865 he had just reached the age
of twenty-one. By her first marriage Mrs. Hammer had one daughter, Mrs.
Maud Freshel, now living at Boston, Massachusetts.
        Mrs. Hammer came to Chicago in 1874. Subsequently she was married
to D. Harry hammer, who died in 1904. Mr. Hammer was a prominent Chicago
lawyer, served several years as an alderman, was a justice of the peace,
and held various positions in public affairs. He made a considerable
fortune in real estate.
        Mrs. Hammer for a number of years has occupied a beautiful home at
3903 Lake Park Avenue, Chicago. By her marriage to Mr. Hammer she has a son
and a daughter: D. Harry Hammer II, in the bond business in Chicago, and
Hazel Harry, wife of Lucius Humphreys, of Denver Colorado. Her son was a
naval volunteer in the World war, and rose to the rank of lieutenant, and
still maintains his connection with the navy.
        For many years Mrs. Hammer has been a conspicuous figure in society
and club life in Chicago and a leader in worthy civic affairs. She
organized and was the first president of the Mothers' Relief Association.
She is the former president of the Illinois Colony Club, which had over
twelve hundred members. She is a past president of the Dames of the Loyal
Legion of Illinois; president of the Poetry Lovers of America; president of
the Andoka Philanthropic Club, member of the Illinois Woman's Press
Association; a member of the Woman's Athletic Club, the Chicago Woman's
Club, and president of the Colonial Coverlet Guild of America.
        Mrs. Hammer organized in 1914 the Chicago Society of Ohio Women,
and was elected its first president. She held that office for three years,
and in May, 1923, was again elected president of this notable organization,
which includes about two hundred and twenty-five members, all of them
natives of the great State of Ohio.
        Mrs. Hammer for many years has been as extensive writer, writing on
a great variety of subjects, mainly matters connected with art and civic
affairs. She possesses a style that is very individual, and that style,
combined with her keen sense of humor, also gives power to her work as a
public speaker. In February, 1920, when the Chicago Society of Ohio Women
gave a reception in Chicago to Senator and Mrs. Harding, Mrs. Hammer
introduced the Senator to a Chicago audience as "our next President," a
prediction full verified in the following November election.
        However, the object of her greatest and most sustained enthusiasm
has been the collection of art objects, and the world of art and art
critics have paid her some of the highest compliments for her collections
of etchings, cartoons, posters, brass, bric-a-brac. She became interested
in collecting many years ago. She and Mr. Hammer spent some ten years in
England, with numerous visits and excursions to all the capitals and
interesting places of Europe, Indian and Asia. Since then her travels have
included all the principal cities of America. In all her journeying she has
kept a watchful and eager eye for the objects cherished by the collector.
The result is that her home in Chicago has treasures that make it the mecca
for art lovers.
        Perhaps the most notable feature of her art treasures is her
collection of cartoons of Uncle Sam. She began collecting these in 1897,
and the Spanish-American war of the following year, with the numerous
representations of Uncle Sam in the newspapers, gave her a splendid start.
In her researches she discovered that the picture of Uncle Sam had its
beginning in 1842, with a drawing of "Brother Jonathan" in London Punch, of
which she secured a copy. She also found that the first delineation in
America of "Uncle Sam" as the world has since known him appeared in "The
Lantern," in New York, in 1852. Through the aid of clipping bureaus and
thoughtful friends she has continued this collection of Uncle Sam cartoons
until they now number almost 40,000, all mounted, classified and indexed,
and covering all periods of American history since 1852. This is in itself
a rare and notable gallery.
        Her collection of cartoons of a general nature include those of
such great artists as Sir John Tenniel of London (including cartoons of
almost the entire history of the Victorian reign), and of such great
American cartoonists as Nast, Keppler, Wales, Bellow, and such moderns as
Homer Davenport, McCutcheon, Gibson, Carey Orr and others. Through her
interest and work as a collector Mrs. Hammer has found personal friends in
many of the modern artists, and for a number of years they have been
sending her the originals of their cartoons. Beginning in 1914, she made a
collection of cartoons of the World war, comprising from two to eleven for
each day from August, 1914, to 1920, and these afford a graphic history of
that long struggle. It is said that from these a graphic history of the
great struggle could be written.
        Her collection of etchings numbers about 500 and include examples
by all the great artists of the world. One of the rarest and most treasured
is one by Bartolozzi after Cipriani. Other artists represented in her
etchings are Rembrandt, Albrecht, Durer, Whistler and Seymour Haden. It has
been pronounced one of the finest private collections of etchings in the world.
        As a collector of brass Mrs. Hammer has specialized in bells. These
are suggestive of romance and essential in every part of the world, and
they aggregate in number about 300. As Mrs. Hammer herself has expressed
it, her bells would "chime around the world."
        She has cow bells, camel bells, sheep bells, church bells, from
Ceylon, Benares, Mandalay, Syria, Tibet and the southern coast of Asia
Minor, Italy, France, England and other countries, including a marriage
bell used in connection with a wedding ceremony in India.
        Her collection of brass, said to be the largest in the Middle West,
includes brass lamps, candle sticks, braziers from Turkey and other parts
of the Orient, and other objects of art in brass gathered from every part
of the glove, including Russian urns and samovars, Circassian wine jugs,
Japanese garden lamps.
        Mrs. Hammer has collected about 100 tobeys (ale mugs), gathered for
the most part in England. She also has collected a number of Colonial bed
spreads, and one department of her gallery which cannot be noted in detail
is a collection of posters.

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End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #243
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