Receiv .(1 6^A>jw^ (^[^vvwe 2> 0^19.10 /? v^' Cass Street Sketches (JOLIET, ILL.) The Old Man JOLIET, ILL. C. B. HAYWARD COMPANY 1897 Introduction Unnecessary — " We were comrades." Preface Omitted — by mutual consent. Cciss Street St^etct\es \ Y/HAT is commonly known as East Cass Street ^ is generally understood to begin at Collins Street. The East City limits are on a line with the stone wall on the East line of the Joliet Manu- facturing Company's land. Spring Creek is not, at this point, the City limits, as many suppose. Cass is not, correctly speaking, a Street, East of the City limits, but a public highway under the jurisdiction of the highway commissioners of Joliet Township. This highway was opened in 1856 or '7 through what was then a farm. In 1854 an Act of the Legislature amended the City Charter, and among other things, enacted that all that part of School District No. 2, in Joliet 8 Cass Street Sketches Township, adjacent to and around the City of Joliet, be attached to and made a part of the City of Joliet for school purposes. The East line of this School District is on a line with Walnut Street in Ridgewood. (Since the above was written this district has been extended a quarter of a mile further East.) The distance is exactly one mile from Chicago Street to the C. R. I. & P. switch, and thence one mile to the Northeast corner of Sunnyside, on the section line of Sections Eleven and Twelve, and one mile more to the Joliet and New Lenox Township road. The original bridge over Spring Creek was only twenty-four feet between abutments and wide enough for one team. The present iron struc- ture, with its broad roadway and banquette side- walks, is an evolution from a race of small wooden bridges. Cass Street Sketches 9 All day long the rattling and rumbling traffic of heavy-laden trucks and wagons is merged and mixed with the light, rapid-rolling wheels of busi- ness, pleasure and pastime, the hurrying feet of men, women and children, and the thunder-like noise of the trolley, which alone refuses to rever- ently yield the right-of-way to the sad, slow- moving funeral cortege. In the early evening, the crowd flows steadily into the city, and later ebbs back to suburban homesteads and firesides. When all is still, and the instinct of the muskrat tells him that the boys and dogs have gone to roost, he slides out of his hole in the wall, for a star-light stroll on the water, leaving a miniature wake, like the wake of a ship on the ocean; and goes, perchance, to make a neighborly call of condolence on some widowed muskrat, whose partner has lately been caught in a steel trap. One Sabbath, some years ago, a small child wandered away from its home, fell into the creek 10 Cass Street Sketches at Benton street, and floated down near the Cass street bridge. At first, no one knew where it came from, but it was easily traced back to its home by the small tracks in the new-fallen snow. Bitter was the self-reproach, and pathetic, though untaught, the lamentations of the poor German parents, when called to the side of the limp form, pale face and wet tresses of the lifeless little one. Cass Street Sketches 11 Henrv K. Stevens Near-by is the antique, but commodious and comfortable, home, well furnished from attic to basement, of Henry K. Stevens, a well-known man, who came West in the early Thirties. With his usual sagacity and foresight, he has defeated the inheritance tax and the lawyers by dividing a large estate equitably among his sons and daugh- ters, reserving enough for himself to pass his declining years in independence, peace and plenty, in the comfort and care of three genera- tions of children; and long and late may the shadows be in falling on one who has ever been a kind and considerate father and neighbor! Senator George H. Munroe One day, Senator George H, Munroe, then a plain citizen, but an uncommonly shrewd, up-to- date real estate man, went over and bought out the old gentleman's pasture, where he had long 12 Cass Street Sketches kept his fast trotters and job-lot of traders on the succulent clover and blue grass, and the paddock was soon turned into a model subdivision, the pride and pet of its proprietor. Dr. 5. T. rerguson On the most prominent corner of this subdivi- sion stands the handsome home of Doctor Fergu- son, East Cass street's favorite physician, who always keeps his night-lamp trimmed and burning and the night-bell in good working order, for full often it calls him from the solace and comfort of slumber. Then comes on the bridge the footfalls of a horse, but no sound of wheels, for the ever- thoughtful doctor rides in a rubber-tired buggy, lest in his going about in the night-time he wake the babies or torture the nerves of sick ones who toss on their pillows. His reputation for skill in village, country and city practice, has given him a "State" position. Cass Street Sketches 13 L. r. Beach The blooded bay trotter and the light road wagon that go over the bridge like lightning, is driven by L. F, Beach, the wide-awake Chicago street merchant. He was far too wide-awake to join in the wild stampede for free silver, free trade and chaos; and the result has justified his nerve and good judgment, Mr. Beach's home was originally the home of Major R. W. McClaughry a man whom any street, any city, any state, any country, might be proud to claim. He left this beautiful home on Cass street to go and fill positions of prominence and usefulness in fields where his services as humanitarian and disciplinarian were demanded. His history and reputation are written in the records of city and state institutions. 14 Cass Street Sketches Edwin 5. Munroe Edwin S. Munroe's span of Maud S. gaited roadsters glide over the roadway like racers com- ing neck and neck down the homestretch, and those who know him will swear that the trap he rides in is the only trap he ever was caught in. The light, quick tread, going either east or west on the walk planks, is the step of a young man treading on air, for he has just parted, where " Parting was such sweet sorrow, that they did say good-night till it was morrow." Young folks, who go for a drive, have learned that this bridge is out in the country and is governed by country practice, which makes it a "toll bridge," and further out the question may be debated whether a sub-way is also a "toll- bridge." The sound of a throbbing engine and pump, pumping streams of pure water, comes from Cass Street's Ice Plant, that grew in the summer and Cass Street Sketches 15 flourishes best in hot weather. May its stock never be watered too much, or used to freeze out its stockholders. And this same artesian well suggests a regret that the Enterprise, for which it once flowed, did not remain steadfast to Old Cass Street, instead of going west to grow up with and boom a new country. Had it stayed it might, perchance, to-day be beneficent, blessing and blessed, like the pioneer old factory on the corner of Cass and Young's Avenue, which has pulled through fire, hard times and panics, and is still doing business at the old stand, thanks to the guidance and counsel of the shrewd Pennsylvania patriarch, one of its original founders. The late theatre car has made its last trip, and now comes the carriage, drawn by high- steppers, to the tune of "After the Ball." 16 Cass Street Sketches Lewis E. Dillman There is a sad legal history, which begins on Cass street, touches Eastern Avenue, thence up by degree^ through the courts to the highest court in the State. Near the bridge has lately come to live, a man who once was prominent, prosperous and happy, an equal side in the triangle of partners and kin- dred, who owned and moved the Joliet Manu- facturing Company's Plant from Plainfield to Cass Street. At last, the strong arm of the law, with its sharp technicalties untempered with mercy, has driven the old warrior from his home and castle, where he has long stood the siege like a hero, and fought to the death, as men only fight when they fight for their homes and their firesides. Ruined in fortune and crippled in limbs, in the dull, leaden skies and bleak winds of November, ^^ and under the shadow of death, which hung over Cass Street Sketches 17 the family, he came to spend the rest of his days in peace on Old Cass Street. Andrew Dillman There is a fine vacant corner on Cass, and it, too, has its legal legends, running in almost parallel lines with the house on the avenue. On this spot was once a happy and prosperous home; but disaster followed disaster, and when sickness and death hovered over the household, the doctor and the deputy may have often met at the doorway. After long suffering and anguish, the spirit of one took its flight from earth's trials and troubles. Then came surrender and peaceable possession. For some time the house stood unoc- cupied. On a moonless morning, one passed by, who had come on a late train from Chicago. The old home appeared to be dark, dreary and deserted — a body lacking a soul. Perhaps it was "the wind in the East," but, somehow, or in some way, something suggested Bleak House, 18 Cass Street Sketches Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce — the long train of litiga- tion in the courts of old England, and the blight- ing effect of legal contention as typified in the tenements and hereditaments of Tom-AIl-Alone's. Perhaps it may have been the spirits of Old Crook and his terrible Cat, and the theory of "Spontaneous Combustion" to account for the mysterious dissipation of his gin-saturated old body. But somehow, or some way, the place seemed uncanny at the unholy hour of that bleak, moonless morning, when this man was, possibly, the last one who saw the old house alive; for those inanimate objects left by careless plumbers and tinsmiths must have been then conspiring to commit a crime on Old Cass Street by burning the building, though they themselves perished in the flames. Cass Street Sketches 19 A. H. Shreffler— Clem 5. Witvver With a little imagination, a picture with legends can be painted on this Four Corners of Cass Street. It has for a back-ground an ill-fated cor- ner, and from it arising a cloud of black smoke and the lurid flames that destroyed a well-known brick dwelling. With this sombre scene for a setting, two beautiful homes stand out in strong contrast. To the south is the elegant home of Clem S. Witwer, president and principal proprie- etor of the Joliet Manufacturing Company, and in the barn the famous Arabian pony, who has cantered and pranced to the music of bands, with Colonels and Majors for riders, at the head of long processions, and, although he has a military record, is as kind as a kitten. There has lately been crape on the door of this home; death has come again into the household; sad farewells have died into echoes; the hearse has come to the horse-block for all that was mortal of Andrew 20 Cass Street Sketches H. Shreffler, and the white pony has followed his master to Oakwood. Judge Benjamin Olin The fine picturesque property to the east is the home of Benjamin Olin, a distinguished ex-judge and prominent Democratic statesman. The out- look is not cheerful just at present for Democratic statesmen in this congressional district. But the Judge is yet young, a diligent student and hard worker, and may confidently hope to have that luck which comes to those who work hard and wait, for he is the logical candidate of his party for any choice political plums it may have the power to bestow. The Judge's estimable wife, with her learning, culture and esthetic taste, has filled the home with rare books, rare works of art, bric-a-brac and curios, and, as an educator, has given the finishing touches in all branches of art and cul- Cass Street Sketches 21 ture to many of Joliet's most talented and popular young ladies. Judge Charles H. Weeks It is not, perhaps, just the square thing to talk about a man behind his back, epecially when his back is as far away as Florida. But, if Judge Weeks will imitate the habits of migratory birds, and leave his reservation at the approach of win- ter, he must take the consequences, and the gossiping old boys will smoke their pipes and tell how, in his youth, he could do almost any- thing in the way of mischief. They will recall the time when, as leader of a posse comitatus the benefit of clergy was denied, and the horse fiddles used to play horse with men when they most desired to be let alone. But this was when he belonged to the rival Yankee Settlement, and before he had been toned down and polished up by daily association with a young lady who had recently graduated from 22 Cass Street Sketches the Hickory Creek Co-ed Seminary, and who un- doubtedly gave him a course of Caudle lectures. At the time he was earning his judicial title, it is a well known political secret that he was one of the famous "Old Court House Clique," so freqently mentioned in the Joliet Signal in those years. How the Judge ever acquired the tobacco habit is a mystery. Perhaps, as a compromise measure, he was allowed to retain one small vice, but it must have been under protest, as the following true fact will show: Once a large party was given at his house on Cass Street, and, as the custom was at that time, after refreshments the gentlemen went to the cloak room to smoke and tell stories. The cigars had been passed and the Judge was hustling for cuspidors, utilizing such things as coal-pails, band-boxes and wash- bowls, and whatever else he could lay hands on, at the same time apologizing by saying: "The fact is, gentlemen, there is such a d — preju- Cass Street Sketches 23 dice against tobacco in this house, we have no conveniences for smoking." Our Florida friend must have studied botany at Key West, for he is an expert on cigars, and can tell a domestic from an imported cigar by looking at the outside of the box and noticing whether it has an internal revenue stamp only, or also the tariff protection stamp, with a picture of a ship on the ocean. But, all joking aside, he can tell the quality of molding sand, and tell just what percentage of silica there is in it by rubbing it in his hand and between his thumb and forefinger, as a miller or baker -does flour, and he is a standard authority on fruit culture, from the citrus fruit of Florida to the wild plum and gooseberry of Hickory Creek.' He always comes back in the spring to his native haunts, just after the robins and blue birds show up, and goes to work on his gladiola and strawberry beds. 24 Cass Street Sketches But few know how deeply this genial gen- tlemen, with his hearty laugh and apparent carelessness, has studied in the esoteric schools of mysticism and transcendentalism, and, with his eminently judicial mind and keeness of vision, sought to pierce the veil. " In superstition's sands he sought for grains of truth, In superstition's night he looked for stars." Colonel George C. Clinton Col. George C. Clinton is a prominent railroad man, who has handled the throttle of a locomo- tive; built railroads from the right-of-way up to the finishing touches; successfully managed the operation of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Rail- road, one of the great railroads of Joliet. If there is anything that moves which the Colonel likes better than a locomotive, it is a fine horse. Railroad man that he is, he wants a good sound bed for his rolling stock, and, with his usual energy and push, is at present figuring on Cass Street Sketches 25 asphalt, the king of pavements, for East Cass Street. Martin C. Bissell Among all those who have resided on Cass street in years past, there was, perhaps, never one of more marked individuality and originality than Martin C. Bissel. He had a great many good qualities and also many amusing ones. He was always interesting, for, while with most men it can be pretty accurately surmised about what they will say or do under given conditions, it would be quite certain that he would have ideas of his own. He was not a devotee of fash- ion, and usually drew the plans and specifications for his wearing apparel himself, from his hat to his shoes, from his top coat to his underwear. Even his jewelry was made from leather models fashioned by his own hand. But away at the bottom of all his crudities and oddities was a solid foundation of good judgment and good 26 Cass Street Sketches common sense. He always had the courage of his convictions. He was an outspoken abolition- ist in the days when to be a black abolitionist was, in the estimation of a large class of people, the next thing to being a black man. He had the courage, in the days before the war, to go upon the platform in old Young's Hall, stand by the side of Frederick Douglass, and introduce him to the audience as if he was a man and brother; and this at a time when the negro was held in bondage and bought and sold like cattle. The subject of this sketch may truthfully be said to have been possessed of a dual or compos- ite nature, of the earth, earthy; of the world, worldly, to the last degree; and yet he had a spiritual nature which carried him to the ex- tremes of transcendentalism and mysticism. Incredulous and skeptical in all the ordinary affairs of life; submitting every proposition to the severest test and scrutiny, he accepted as Cass Street Sketches 27 gospel truth the mystic doctrine and teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg; accepted his unproven statements of his power of second sight and seer- ship; accepted as true all his description of the unseen world, and adopted his method of inter- preting the meaning of certain books of the Bible by the language of correspondences. That he was sincere in his religious belief may safely be inferred from the fact that he left his large fortune almost entirely to be used in propa- gating the doctrines of the New Church, of which Emmanuel Swedenborg was the founder and apostle. Herman J. Powell For over a year, East Cass street had the "benefit of clergy" in the person of Herman J. Powell, who came from Michigan via Iowa and Jamaica, to settle down and become one of the gospel teachers of Joliet. The many friends he has made in his brief stay are saddened to know 2S Cass Street Sketches that poor health requires his temporary abandon- ment of a calling which he is intellectually and socially so well qualified to fill. In plain sight of the bridge, stands a quaint, modern-built, "Old Colony Style" dwelling, the home of a business young lady in a department ofifice on Chicago street, where clients, custo- mers, politicians and statesmen come in on the ground floor, where she is caged up during hours, keeping books, cash, business, social and political secrets. Although she has a record of them all, discreetly keeps silent, but could, if she would, give them away in at least three separate and distinct languages. Charles 5. Seaver Just beyond the last business corner of Cass Street is the home of Charles S. Seaver, a Ver- mont and Canadian trader, now a hustling wholesale merchant of Joliet. He is too much Cass Street Sketches 29 pressed for time to live far from his business or to look at less than "car lots." There was no doubt where he stood when the late political contest was on and the fight hottest all along the line, for he nailed his colors high above the light- ning of the trolley and let the old flag float for all it was worth until the returns were all in. Then the old gray horse came flying up the street, turned the corner with the buggy balanced on the inside wheels, as usual, and came under the wire at the tap of the dinner bell. William McDermett Commercial traveling men have a fair sample of the fraternity in the veteran and popular rep- resentative of Franklin Macveagh & Co., William McDermett, who is as energetic and vigorous as when he first went on the road. He owns an ele- gant large house on a prominent corner, has a happy family, always wears good clothes and a cheerful air, is a chronic smoker of choice cigars, 30 Cass Street Sketches and makes sales for "The House" and friends for himself wherever he goes. Abijah Cagwin The night train on the Rock Island thunders over the bridge to the South, slacks up, rattles over the crossing, stops at the station, starts on over the river and canal, then its sound dies away in the darkness and distance. "Now, o'er the one-half world nature seems dead." But care keeps watch in an old man's eye, And where care lodges sleep can never lie." It is a cloudless night, " Constellations come and climb the heavens and go." High in the cold, Northern skies, in the region of perpetual apparition, shines the Pole star, and a fancied ramble may be taken eastward past the quarries and stone-yards, on by the three silent cities, where the wind sighs and mourns at night time in the dark cypress and pine trees, and over the bright granite and white marble, and where Cass Street Sketches 31 all nations, all denominations and creeds are at peace with each other, up the hill past the late home of Abijah Cagwin, a pioneer of 1835, and one of Joliet's merchants and grain dealers; at one time he owned over five hundred acres of land out and around East Cass street, a part of which he left to his children. He was always a large holder of Joliet real estate, and in this con- nection it may be stated that the name of Cag- win appears on the Plat Book in twenty-one subdivisions of real estate in Joliet Tov/nship. Harry F. Cagwin will probably add a few more to this number. The old weather-beaten frame house at Shaw's brick yards was built by Uncle Bijah in 183-, with hard lumber sawed at his saw mill on Hickory Creek, and the line of the old mill race can be seen just south of the C, R. I. & P. R. R. He continued to reside in this house until 1840, when he was elected Probate Judge and removed to Joliet. 32 Cass Street Sketches Mr. Cagwin was of a very social disposition and wherever men congregated he was usually the center of a group, for he was an interesting talker, and always had something to say which the boys wanted to hear, even if they did, some- times, have to wait for him to take a whiff of his pipe before he finished a remark. One summer day in '89, a horse and buggy came dashing down Chicago street, and men's hearts stood still when they saw that the frantic horse was beyond the control of Uncle Bijah, its driver. All were horror-stricken when, by the bounding of the buggy, he was thrown up in the air and alighted on his head and shoulders on the hard pavement. It did not seem possible that a man of his age and weight could survive such a fall, and his friends were surprised and gratified to learn that, although badly shocked, he had sustained no serious injuries. Cass Street Sketches 33 Martin Wcstphal On by Sunnyside with its double row of cottages and Dickens'-named streets, on by tlie bright burning kilns where brick has been made by two generations, and further on, the beautiful home of Martin Westphal, the banker; thence on to Hickory Creek bridge, to rest, muse and ponder, with the noise of the water for music, and the. Red Mill with its mill pond, mill dam, bluff and woodland for a landscape. At about this point runs the west meandering, indefinite line of the old Pioneer Hickory Creek Settlement, bounded south by the Five Mile Grove Settlement, east by Van Home's Point, the present village of New Lenox, and north by Yan- kee Settlement, which is most all, if not all, of the Township of Homer. 34 Cass Street Sketches Oakwood Cemeterg George W. Casseday, Francis L. Cagwin and Daniel C. Young were the original proprietors of Oakvvood Cemetery; A. J. Mathewson, the sur- veyor who platted it; Francis Goodspeed, the notary public who took the acknowledgement, and Royal E. Barber, the recorder when it was recorded. For many years this beautiful city of the dead has been guarded and cared for by Walker Mc- Dowell and sons, the faithful sextons. George M. rish George M. Fish's old friends disregard the threatening inscription at the entrance to his duck domain, for they know that " Visitors not wanted — beware of the dog," is not meant for them. Cass Street Sketches 35 This once prominent banker and manufacturer is now leading tiie life of a recluse, away from the busy haunts of men, and is engaged in poul- try raising on an extensive scale. The large hatchery has all the modern improvements, the plant is in charge of experts, and everything is run on systematic business principles. Incubators automatically kept at a uniform temperature of 103 hatch out chickens in twenty- one days, ducks in twenty-eight days, and geese in thirty days. A Peculiar Stock rarm A mephitis mephitica farm was started a short distance from Cass Street, which, from the pro- lific nature of these little nocturnal mammalia, promised to rank high among Joliet's manufac- tories. Theoretically the scheme figured out big on paper, but practically it was not a success. At 36 Cass Street Sketches the round-up and final count it appeared the stock had decreased instead of increasing. So the varmints were slaughtered for their pelts and, dyed and disguised as some costly fur, will adorn and tickle the fair necks of those who would shudder and shrink from the contact, if it was known what animal first wore the fur. Ridgewood It is a fine thing for a community to have among its members men of enterprise, pluck and energy, and it makes all the difference in the world who the property owners are; whether they are men who hold on to a piece of real estate, kick at improvements, fight taxes, and wait for time and the enterprise of others to increase the value of their land, or men who go to work and improve their property to the very best advantage possible. All around the Ridgewood region are indications of the fact Cass Street Sketches 31 that somebody is looking after things — spending money, making improvements himself, and get- ting a full share of public improvements. To those acquainted with the facts it is unnec- essary to say that, to the energy and influence of Senator Munroe, this section of suburban Joliet is mostly indebted, — from the location of Silver Cross Hospital down. A man who can, at the same time he is doing a good thing for himself, do good things for the community, is invaluable. Red Mill and Thomas Culbertson The Red Mill is the only water-power flour mill in Will County ever rebuilt after a fire. But this is readily accounted for when it is known that Senator Munroe was one of its owners at the time of the fire. For many years it was owned and operated by Thomas Culbertson, a well-known miller, who lived in the neat white cottage near by. Imagination brings him 38 Cass Street Sketches back; he is seen early in the morning with his long-toothed rake, removing the driftwood and rubbish caught in the race guards, then raising the bulkhead gates and connecting the gearing, which sets machinery and mill-stones to grind- ing the amber-hued wheat into flour and the golden corn into meal. He examines the warm fresh graham as it comes from the mill-stones, before it is carried in buckets on belting to the revolving bolts, and bolted through graded bolting cloth into fine flour, middlings, shorts and bran, each carried in a separate spout to its own bin. The corn is ground on the corn run of stone, passes up in buckets, and is separated into fine meal and bran. Making sure there is grain enough in the hoppers, he fills his long-spouted oil can from the oil jug and goes over the mill, oiling cog-wheels and bearings. The grists come, and each in its turn goes into the hopper. With scales or toll-dishes, he takes his toll squarely and honestly — one-eighth for Cass Street Sketches 39 grinding and bolting wheat and rye, or other grain; one-seventh for grinding Indian corn, bar- ley and buckwheat, or other grain, not bolted; one-eighth for grinding malt and chopping all other kinds of grain. Thus the toll bin contained quite an assortment of wheat, good, bad and indifferent. The grade of flour it made would be quite uncertain, bread-making not an exact science, but a matter of "good luck" or "bad luck," as it was called by the bread-makers. In its season, one day of the week is set apart as buckwheat day, for both stones and bolts have to be cleaned after buckwheat before wheat is ground. When the mill-stones need dressing, the upper stone is raised by a crane, turned over, and a straight-edge, freshly painted with Venetian red mixed with water, is run over the face, that the grooves made by the dressing pick may show plainly; then, with a bag of bran to pillow his elbow, the miller pecks away with his sharp, 40 Cass Street Sketches chisel-like pick, dressing the stones, and this is where the skill of a miller is required. The old mill changed hands, and the miller knew that a mortal disease was upon him. With resignation, fearlessly, calmly and clearly, he put his worldly affairs in order, and Moses Demmond, the man who now lives in the old homestead, and the author, witnessed his last will and testament. Soon there came a day when the sound of the grinding was low in the mill — mourners and life- long friends gathered about the old mill and the old home. The stream from under the mill ran in the tail-race as silent as the tears from beneath the eyelids of the mourners; and the cadence of water flowing over the mill dam, with the slow rumbling of carriage wheels, seemed a fitting requiem for the departed spirit of the gentle and kindly miller, as all that was mortal was rever- ently laid to rest at Oakwood. Cass Street Sketches 41 Lewis E. Ingalls Lewis E. Ingalls began life in Dupage, Will County, in 1839; came to Joliet in 1869; engaged in the lumber business, then in real estate, which he found more to his liking and better adapted to his genius. He wanted pure air and more elbow room than he could have in the city and bought a three-hundred-acre tract of choice land east of Joliet, in the Hickory Creek country. Mr. Ingalls also discovered that he had the capacity to handle large transactions, and trans-ferred his real estate business to Chicago, where he could have an unlimited field for big deals. His model farm and racing park were once one of the famous Black Hawk camp grounds. Here, one might turn the fancy loose and revel in Indian legends and Indian traditions, for, from the large number of relics found in and around the premi- ses, it is evident that this spot was long used as 42 Cass Street Sketches an Indian camp, and undoubtedly the scene of many famous pow-wows and war dances. There is a strong contrast between the Indian wigwam and the fine home of the present proprie- tor; a strong contrast between the horde of sav- ages who gathered here in bygone days and the elegant throng who congregate to witness races on a mile of as fine sod track as can be found in the world; a strong contrast between those un- kempt blanketed squaws and the beauty and fashion which assemble here on Ladies' Day; a wide difference between Indian war paint and modern face powder; and the drapery of fashion- able gowns leaves much more for the imagination in the matter of anatomy. There is no comparison between the ungroomed, half-starved Indian ponies, and racers with records of speed which would not have been dreamed of by horsemen a few years ago. The pneumatic tire sulky is a decided improvement on hickory poles dragged by Indian ponies. Cass Street Sketches 43 There was abundance of fire-water at those old-time gatherings of the Indian race, but the present proprietor has demonstrated that a race can be successful without liquor. It is an animated and lovely sight to see this grand park filled with fine equipages, many col- ored gowns and garments, and the gleaming of human faces, when the race is on and all eyes intent upon the "field" and "favorites," straining every nerve to take and keep the lead. Then the winner comes under the wire; is cheered; is elated and happy; but what of the vanquished? The judges' decision is seldom appealed from, for this court is governed by " good horse sense." Much might be done to elevate the character of racing, if a chain of gentlemen's select clubs were formed in different cities, to ride and drive their own horses in friendly contest for gold or silver spurs, or jewelled bits for the prizes. This would be genuine sport, away and beyond racing horses with hired jockies. 44 Cass Street Sketches What an enthusiastic assembly there would be when Joliet's picked four — say Messrs. C. S. Seaver, J. T. Donahoe, A. E. Dinet and J. L. O'Donnell were to ride for the spurs against Ottawa or Aurora's picked four. Base-Ball, foot-ball, and even whist would pale into insignificance compared with such a gallant contest as this. New Lenox This section of country was doubly favored by providence: first, in the fertility and rare beauty of the land and healthfulness of climate, and again in the good judgment and most excellent character of its pioneers. For, take them one and all, they would average up with any settlement in the West. Their names are all recorded in the History of Will County by one who knew them well and knew their worth — George H. Woodruff. This reliable historian says there Cass Street Sketches 45 were three white settlers in the Hickory Creek Settlement in 1829: Col. Sayre, Mr. Brown and Mr. Friend; that Brown died and was buried on the Davison place, this being the first white man's funeral in Will County. The first post- office was at Cougar's, and Joliet people had to go there for mail and pay at least twenty- five cents apiece for their letters. This township can boast of a fine forest, an old fort, (builders unknown); mineral springs; Hickory Creek and surroundings, which could be readily developed into a most enchanting summer and health resort, all within less than an hour's ride from Chicago, on one of the best railroads in the world. Speaking of railroads, recalls the fact that there was an important sta- tion of a subterranean railroad in this township in slavery times, but no one would for a moment suspect that the well-preserved, popular gentle- man of the old school, Dwight Haven, had ever run the risk, in his youth, of undermining his 46 Cass Street Sketches constitution and the constitution of the United States by assisting in operating an underground railroad. RocK Island Railroad The original charter for the Rock Island and LaSalle Railroad was amended by act of the Legislature February 7, 1851, to the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. The capital stock was increased $300,000, and Uri Osgood and N. D. Elwood, as commissioners, opened books for stock subscriptions. The Board of Directors held their first meeting at Peoria, April 8, 1851, and elected James Grant, president; Churchill M. Coffin, vice president; Nelson D. Elwood, secretary; George Morris and N. D. Elwood, attorneys; W. B. Jones, of New York City, engineer; and Samuel B. Reed was appointed engineer to take charge of location and construction. N. D. Elwood secured most of Cass Street Sketches 47 the right-of-way from Chicago to the Mississippi. Farnham and Sheffield took the contract to build the entire line for $500,000, to be paid in monthly installments as the work progressed. Joel A. Matteson, as sub-contractor, built the road from Blue Island to the west Will County line, a distance of thirty-five miles, and employed about eight hundred men on the work. When Joel A. Matteson was elected Governor in 1852, there was no railroad from Joliet to Springfield, and the Rock Island rails were only laid a few miles west of town. When he left Joliet for the State Capitol, the contractors provided a special train, and a large number of citizens escorted their new Governor as far as a train could be run over the new rail- road. When the road was completed to the Missis- sippi in 1854, prominent citizens along the line received an invitation from its officers for an excursion, including a round trip by boat up the 48 Cass Street Sketches river to St. Paul. Bottled beverages are said to have been a prominent feature of this picnic, but whether they were included in the original invi- tation, or came in under the head of extras, the oldest inhabitant does not distinctly remember. The old Rock Island Railroad and Hickory Creek have been neighbors and friends for many years. Although they cross each other's paths, and in times of high water some encroachments have been made by the creek on the right-of- way of the road, they have journeyed along side by side through Joliet, New Lenox and Frank- fort townships for forty-five years. Old settlers have a kindly feeling toward this road, for, to many, it was their first sight of a railroad — the first upon which they ever traveled. To them, its swift-running passenger trains were marvels of speed compared with the old hoosier wagon, the lumbering, thorough-brace-spring stages on the stage roads and packets on the canal. To-day the C, R. I. & P. owns 2,880.70 miles, Cass Street Sketches 49 and leases 690.71 miles, thus operating 3,571.41 miles of continuous or solid jointed, heavy steel rails, with rolling stock and equipment unsur- passed by any road in the country. It has never been in the hands of a receiver and the stock always pays good dividends. From Joliet to Chicago, this road passes through a beautiful country, along woodland and limpid water, over broad savannahs, and gently-rolling prairies. Fertile fields, pastures, pleasant homes, parks, mansions and mammoth barns, "Dart by so swiftly that their images Dwell not upon the mind, or only dwell In dim confusion." The Rock Isalnd route is a favorite with Joliet people, and the "smoker" is well patronized by representative business men. While everything else in this car is of a go-as-you-please nature, it is not considered good form to smoke any other than "Upmann's Best," out of respect for J. Fred 50 Cass Street Sketches Wilcox, the portly and genial autocrat of the car, who owns a large frontage on old Cass street and resides on one of its most prominent corners. Gone are the old iron rails. Gone are the old twenty-five-mile-an-hour, wood-burning locomo- tives, with the blue-white, pungent-odored wood smoke. Gone are the great long wood piles, the old horse-power tread-mill and buzz-saw, and the fragrance of the fresh-cut oak, hickory, ash, and maple tree. Now, replaced by the blighting, corroding fumes of the sulphuric acid of bitumin- ous coal smoke. Gone are the old conductors, engineers and brakemen, but that perennial plant, the train-boy, like the corporation, never dies. If one drops out or gets lost in the shuffle, his successor in trust bobs up serenely with the same old figs, peanuts, popcorn and papers, busi- ness goes on at the old stand, and there is no interruption to this branch of inter-state com- merce. Cass Street Sketches 51 The Cut-Off The Cut-Off Railroad was built in 1855 by Joel A. Matteson and Nelson D. Elwood, under the very liberal charter of the Oswego and Indiana Plank Road Co. Mr. Elwood was its president until the road passed into the ownership of the Michigan Cen- tral. He was the proprietor of the village of Matteson and joint owner with Sherman W. Bowen of Frankfort and Spencer stations. Until the completion of its line from Joliet north in 1857, C, A. & St. L. trains ran into Chicago over the Cut-Off and Illinois Central roads. Calvin C. Knowlton was for many years superintendent of the Cut-Off. Since then, its superintendents, with the exception of Lester A. Soule, have hardly remained in Joliet long enough to become acclimated. 52 Cass Street Sketches George W. Beiber seems to hold his position for life, or good behavior, which amounts to the same thing with him. Although the Cut-Off enjoys the distinction of being the only railroad which has its terminal at Joliet, the citizens do not point with pride to the exact spot where its passenger traffic terminates. ADram rrancis In the spring of 1831, Abram Francis and party came from Ohio on horseback to LaFayette, Indiana, where they left their horses and struck out on foot with knapsacks, guns and axes. At Yellow Head Point, now Momence, they found a large black-walnut log, from which they made a canoe thirty feet long, and in this they floated down the Kankakee river to near Wil- mington, where they abandoned the boat and followed the Indian trail to Hickory Creek Settle- ment. Here, Mr. Francis showed his good judg- ment by making a selection of an ideal spot for Cass Street Sketches 53 a farm: prairie, woodland, and water. The Chi- cago Indian trail ran near his door, and Indians were frequent callers. A. Allen rrancis In this discontented age, contented men are sel- dom met with, but A. Allen Francis seems to be satisfied with his lot, and he may well be, when it consists of over twelve hundred acres of New Lenox farm land. Mr. Francis has never been a rolling stone, gathering no moss, but must have a large devel- opment of the organ phrenologists name "inhab- itiveness," for he sleeps every night within a few feet of the spot where he was born. Perhaps the longest time he has ever been away from home was in '59, when he attended High School in Joliet, and, in the literary and debating society, acquired, among other things, a knowledge of parliamentary law and tactics, which makes him a model presiding officer and 54 Cass Street Sketches speaker. That he is popular with farmers is evidenced by the fact of his being the unanimous choice, from year to year, for president of the Will County Farmers' Institute. This dignified and sedate gentleman may not exactly like to have the public know that in his school days he appeared before the footlights and played the leading part in the " Laughable Farce of Brigham Young and Horace Greeley" to a large and appreciative audience. He never told his wife about it. She learned it from a wayfaring man one day, and rewarded him for his information with a good square meal, consisting, among other things, of chicken and custard pies, which were poultry poems bound in pastry. When one becomes a guest at his lovely home, with its music and culture, and meets Mrs. Fran- cis, there is no surprise that he, who once had fifteen Mormon wives, is now contented and happy with one Gentile wife. Cass Street Sketches 55 Morgan Watl^ins " I Pray you do not mock me, 1 am an old man, fourscore and upward, And to deal plainly, I fear I am not in my perfect mind." It was the most hollow mockery for the wags of the early 50's to persuade an over-credulous old gentleman, named Morgan Watkins, that he was so popular he could be elected to various offices. He was always ready to run for office or go a-courting. One of his unique announcements is given as copied from the Joliet Signal: " By request of many friends and citizens, having a due regard for the safety, welfare and political prosperity of our common country, I have been constrained, after mature deliberation, to announce myself a candidate for the office of sheriff. "Standing upon the platform of equal rights and the broad principles of universal suffrage, with an eye single to the glory and honor of our 56 Cass Street Sketches common country, and the untarnished perpetuity of those great and glorious principles of Democ- racy handed down from the beginning of the world by Nebuchadnezzar and other similar patriots of antiquity, 1 hereby announce myself the 'Main Liquor Law and Know-Nothing candi- date for sheriff, subject to the unanimous decision of the whole American people. "October 17th, 1854. "Morgan Watkins." The election returns, as published in the Joliet Signal, do not show that any votes were cast for Morgan Watkins for sheriff. Judge Davison One of the prominent features in the heart of the landscape of Hickory Creek Settlement is a comfortable, old-fashioned farm house, part frame and part stone. While pursuing his calling of surveyor in New Jersey, Judge John J, Davison Cass Street Sketches 57 stumbled on a large tract of timber land which had been overlooked by land-grabbers. He secured the patent, and, partly with his own axe, turned the timber into money, and kept the sur- veyor's chain, saw and axe, as souvenirs or mascots during his lifetime. In coming west, he was detained a while in Indiana by being elected Judge of Probate. After this, he traveled extensively through Indiana and Illinois on horseback, and surveyed for the government and individuals in different counties, but evidently found no land that suited him as well as the land in Hickory Creek Settle- ment, where he selected some choice tracts of timber and prairie, which still belongs to his daughters. His original home, a double log house, stood just north of the present stone and frame dwelling. The stone building was a part of what was intended to be a large stone dwell- ing; he had just completed this when death came for him, and the work ceased. 58 Cass Street Sketches Dr. B. r. Allen Some time after the death of Judge Davison, Dr. Benjamin F. Allen, a graduate of a New York Medical College, and talented, all-round literary man, came into the Settlement, and, after looking the ground over, concluded the inhabitants were more in need of a school-master than a doctor. Accordingly he accepted the position of school- master, arid boarded round. That which was most likely to happen, did happen. The young doctor met the young widow, wooed and won her, and they were wed. This amiable gentleman filled the delicate posi- tion of step-father in a manner most acceptable, not only to the family, but to the entire settle- ment, and so well and faithfully did he perform his trust as guardian, that when the minors became of age they found themselves in posses- sion of handsome fortunes. Cass Street Sketches 59 In 1860, the family removed to a very pleasant home on Cass street. As he had retired from active business, the Doctor fitted up a cozy little literary den, where he spent most of his time with his books and in literary work, and became a frequent contributor to the local papers. He told the romance of his life in poetry, in a charm- ing little volume entitled: " Irene, or the Life and Fortunes of a Yankee Girl." Cornelius C. Van Home "O mischief! thou art swift to enter in The thoughts of desperate men." The following record of a coroner's inquest, and the formal entries in the docket of the Will County Circuit Court, comprise the legal record of a very thrilling and dramatic episode in the early days of the Hickory Creek Settlement. Some time in 1840, an old man named Kramer, making his way on foot to his former home in 60 Cass Street Sketches Pennsylvania, was found in a fit, in a deserted blacksmith shop, in the Hickory Creek Settle- ment. He was taken to the house of Archibald McLaughlin and cared for until able to resume his journey. At this time, he had quite a sum of money with him. He was next found near Skunk's Grove, and muttered in an unintelligible way that he had been robbed. His money was gone, he died in a few days and was buried by the charity of the community. The McLaughlin's were suspected of being the robbers. The father and son were indicted for robbery and larceny. As justice of the peace, Cornelius C. Van Home had, perhaps, been mainly instrumental in causing the crime to be fastened on them, and thus incurred their most bitter animosity. Archibald McLaughlin, Jr., disappeared from the neighborhood, and after a time the father began a pretended search in the timber and along Cass Street Sketches 61 the creek, saying that he believed his boy had been murdered. After the finding of the body, as detailed in the coroner's report, McLaughlin and his Jezebel wife charged Esquire Van Home with being the murderer of their son. As the sequel proved, these fiends had entered into a diabolical conspiracy to get their son out of the country, save the bondsmen, who had become bound for his appearance at court for trial, and also have revenge on Esquire Van Home. They had removed Kramer's body from the grave and taken it in a wheelbarrow to Hickory Creek; they also ran Matthew Van Home's wagon as far as they could in that direction and back again, to make it appear that the body had been brought there in that wagon, and then at the inquest swore that it was the body of their son. The Kramer grave was at once opened; the 62 Cass Street Sketches body was not there. It was established that the body found in the water was not McLaughlin's, but Kramer's. Part of the coroner's report is here given ver- batim. It is unique, and bears evidence of an unusual amount of primitive "crowners' quest law." State of Illinois, \ Will County. \ ^^' On the fifteenth day of July one thousand eight hundred and forty before the subscriber coroner of the County of Will personally ap- peared Allen Denny, Lewis Denny Archable smith Archibald McGloflin Andrew More William Gowger Jacob Simons John Atkins sen Truman Smith David R. Hobly who was duly sworn to give evidence and the truth to say concerning his knowledge of the manner by whom the Deceased the person whose body was lately found Dead at Havens Mill Pond in Hickory Creek Precinct came to his death. Allen Denny Deposeth and saith That on the 15th Day of July 1840 that about 7 o'clock in the morning Discovered a body of a man lieinsf in water about 15 rods above O. H. Cass Street Sketches 63 & P. A. Havens saw mill and after notifying the inhabitants of the settlement and further exam- ining the shore and ground about the said mill discovered that the body had been resently there the body had the appearance of being in a high state of putrifaction that on examining the shore more closely found the tracts of wheelbarrows goeing into the water and out also found hair on shore and pieces of rope of the length of 2 feet and some shorter pieces had the appearance of being recently cut. On examining found wheelbarrow tracts in a direction on the road westerly from the mill and locks of hair resembling the hair on the head of the body at a distance of 40 or 50 rod from the place where the body was found. Also found a small rope resembling the one before mentioned 'about 18 in long had the ap- pearance of being recently cut also hair about the rope and a lock hair near where it was found body was naked except a part of brown cotton shirt that he was there about six days before the body was found and saw no appear- ance of any person lieing in the water and thinks that the body must have been put there since that time. Allen Denny. 64 Cass Street Sketches Lewis Denny deposeth and saith that he was acquainted with one Archibald Mclaullin who has been absent from the place since about Feb- ruary last and he verry believes the body to be the same that on examining the shore where the body was found there was the marks of a wheel- barrow hair small pieces of rope and had the appearance that the body had been brought from a distance and deposited in the water where it was found but one or two days previous to it being first discovered as 1 was there on the 12 day previous to the discovery of the body and crossed the creek several times where the body was found that I have examined the road and found hair at five several places at a distance of 40 or 50 rods from the body 1 further state that on examining a wheelbarrow in the possession of Archibald Smith the tire of the wheel agreed in width the track found near the hair and the wheelbarrow had hair on it resembling the hair on a man's body. LEWIS L. DENNY. Archibald Smith deposeth and saith that on being informed that the body of a person was in the creek near the Havens saw mill about 15 rods above it I immediately repaired to the place and found it to be the body of a man about 5j4 feet in hight very much putrified so that the Cass Street Sketches 65 flesh was dropping of the bones without cloth except a coarse factory shirt and on examining found the body to all appearance had been recently put there he further saith that a wheel- barrow in his possession was taken from its usual place and left 15 or 20 rods east of the house in a direction to where the body was found that the tracts of the wheel join in the road and near the body would correspond with the wheel on my barrow. Archibald Smith. Archibald McLachlin Deposeth and saith that he has a son by the name of Archibald McLaugh- lin of the age of 23 years in April of the present year that he left home on or about the 26 day of February to go to Mr. Woods at Cagwins saw mill and expected to return before the March term of the Circuit Court since which time I have never seen him has seen the body of a man found in Hickory Creek on the 15th inst by Allen Denny and verrily believes it to be the body of his son Archibald and also believes that his said son was murdered that he has spent some 20 or 30 days looking in Hickory Creek and the adjoining woods for his body since his absence. That on or obout the 18th day of Feb- ruary 1840 there was some altorcation took place 66 Cass Street Sketches between Cornelius C. Vanhorn and my son Archibald which resulted in a threat of the for- mer that he would wreck him or ruin him and that the latter expressed and unwillingness to be out in the night for fear but that in day time he was not afraid of him that he was last seen about 40 rods from the residence of Mathew Van Home crossing that way about 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning that David R. Hoby stated at the March term of the Circuit Court of Will County that he knew a certain fact by an order that he had and after said that the order referred to was the same paper that 1 am sure I saw in the possession of my son Archibald three days previous to absence. Archibald McLachlin. Phineas H. Holden Deposeth and saith That he was acquainted with Archibald Mc- Laughlin. Andrew More Deposeth and saith that A. C. Van Horn told him last evening that William Gouger told him that Archibald Mc- Laughlin had said that he had received a letter from his son Archibald McLauflin jun and that he would bet anything that he was not dead. Andrew Moore. William Cougar Deposeth and saith that Archibald McGlaughlin told him that he had Cass Street Sketches 67 received a letter from his son John also that he believed his son Archibald was murdered. William Gougar. Jacob Simons Deposeth and saith that he was acquainted with Archibald McGlauflin and that he last saw him about the first week in March at his fathers that there was a hardness between him and Esquier Van horn, Jacob Sammons. Truman Smith Deposeth and saith that he was well acquainted with Archibald McGlauflin Jr has seen the body found in the Hickory Creek near Havens saw mill and that he verally believes it to be the body of the said Archibald McLaugh- lin that he had been frequently at the house of Archibald McLaughlin in the absents of the said Archibald McLaughlin and that the family told him he had gone to search for his son who he believed was murdered he recognizes said body from its length its teeth its shape and all its appearances to be the body of Archibald Mc- Laughlin Jun and also by its hair. Truman Smith. Abraham C. Vanhorn deposeth and saith was some acquainted with Archibald McLaughlin last saw him in February last about 4 or 5 rods east 68 Cass Street Sketches of Mathew Van horns in the highway had some conversation with him thinks it was Saturday in the afternoon the somewhat cold don't know that said Archibald had any particular enemy Never had any conversation with Mr. Gowger on the subject of Archibald McLauflin son receiving a letter from his son Archibald McLauflin jur that a report was raised which 1 herd at Mr, Robert Smith 4 to 6 weeks since that Archibald had murdered a man somewhere on fox river or the Due page that George McCoy inquired for his father to testify at Thornton witness lives about 3 miles from this place that he did not know that it was the bady of Archibald McLauflin or not that it was his opinion from all the light that he had on the subject after the witness told him it was the opinion of some that it was Archibald McLauflin jur he said it was his opinion that old Mr McLauflin had dug up some other body and put it into the creek for the purpose of clearing his bail and throwing suspicion on his father and others that they were the murderers of Archibald McLauflin jur heard that the body had been found on Wednesday and on the same evening heard that the body was exposed and that indi- viduals had commenced for examination 1 was then living and working within three miles of the place when the body was found and have Cass Street Sketches 69 remained there until this time and should not have been here at all had it not been that I was told that I was wanted as a witness. did not see the body did not search for the body has worked with Archibald McLauflin jur about 5 or 6 days during the harvest of 1839 at Mr Rows and eat at the same table at the same time lived within about 17 miles and seen him frequently since he was about the medium height thick set think he was 22 or 3 years old full faced large and striking in appearance black hair or very dark saw some of his hair and thinks it was the same in appearance thinks his teeth were rather short round favored and rather short that on Monday last my father was at my house left on the same day said he was going to Mr Bartholts Mr Hoby lives between my house and said Barthols on the road my father passed my house on Monday morning following on his way as I understood to Mr Markers who lives about 8 miles east on the Sac Trail did not see my father since until Wednesday about oclock at Juliet. Abraham C. Van Horne. Mrs Janet McLauflin Deposeth and saith is the wife of Archibald McLauflin jur and the mother of Archibald McLauflin jur he was about the middle sise dark or black hair lost one of his fore 70 Cass Street Sketches teeth round forard or rather oval saw him last about 9 o'clock the morning of the last Wednes- day of February last gowing down the road west towards Mathew Van horns said he was going to Cagwins mill to work for Mr. Wood his trunk and cloths all at home except what he had on he took no change of clothing with him had on a coarse linen working shirt such as he worked in mornings to the best of her recollection never intimated to me that he had any of going of but said nothing should drive him from this place but death until the cause was tried for which he was bound over my son said to me that he was threatened by old Van horn meaning esquire Vanhorn I told him not to go by the house he said that the road was made to travel in and he should not turn out for any man in the day time On or about the last Monday of last March Sarah and myself went up to Mr Hoby and Sarah in my presence asked Mr. Hoby to let her see the order that he swore he had at the trial referring to the trial of State against Archibald McLautlin as I understood said Hoby moved as though he intended to get the order I then spoke and said I wanted to see the order too because I could then tell at what time you got the money that he swore to at the aforesaid trial Mr Hoby then said he should not let me see the order for a examina- Cass Street Sketches 71 tion that said Hobey repeatedly said that he had the order and I can produce it at any time on Sunday previous to his leaving for the last time Archibald and his father were conversing in rela- tion to the trial aforesaid and the evidence nec- essary to be produced on that trial and among other evidence he produced a paper and said to his father here is the order that Hobey gave to Basset or partner on Tuesday in the evening I saw as he told me the same order In his hands and I advised him to leave it at home he said no mother if the house should get afire I should have nothing to confute Hoby testimony he was 24 years of age In a convasation in relation to the robing of Cramer C C Vanhorn said to Archi- bald McLauflin jur I will wreck you and ruin you this convasation was a few days before the ex- amination of said Archibald before Esq Van Horn and Merick for the robery of said Cramer at D. Willsons House I have not seen my son since February above referred to when he went away nor have received any letter from him or heard from him in any shape. JENNET McLauHLIN. Elizabeth Colwell Deposeth and saith that she was present when Mrs McLauflin and deautur cauled upon Mr Hoby for a certain order Mr Hoby replied that he would produce the order but did 72 Cass Street Sketches not Sarah she afterwards asked mister Hoby if he had the order he answered that it was his business or something to that import this con- versation took place some time last spring. her Elizabeth (X) Colwell. mark Mathew Van horn Deposeth and saith is ac- quainted with Archibald McLauflin sen saw him last at Joliet at a suit in which Archibald Mc- Lauflin jr was plaintiff and said witness defend- ant this was some time in the month of February last to the best of my recollection says that to his knowledge he heard no conversation between C C Vanhorn and said Archibald neither in the office on the stairs or out of doors says he saw the body but did not touch it or examine it alone or with Mr Berthol says he thinks the hair did not correspond with the hair on the head of Archibald McLauflin jur. Matthew Van Horne. George Evans Deposeth and saith was ac- quainted with Archibald McLauflin jur of middle statute 5^ ft high dark complexion one tooth missing seen him last about the middle of Febru- ary last the hair agreed very well with the color of said Archibalds hair the body looked very Cass Street Sketches 73 much like Archibald McLauflin jur and I believe was the same hunted cows with him about a week before he was missing in the woods. George Evans. Lysander Denny Deposeth and saith is not intamately acquainted with Archibald McLaufllin suppose him to be over five feet high rather thick set black or dark colored hair on examining the body believed it to be the build of Archibald the hair on his head in the water appeared to resemble his from what I could discover the body appeared to be recently put in the water about 10 or 12 rods above Havens saw mill or Hickory Creek my reason for thinking this was that there was marks of a wheel barrow in and out of the creek and on the bank and also discov- ered a piece of rope with hair lieing near it hav- ing the resemblance slime being dried. on further examination found wheel barrow tracks resembling those at the creek where the body appeared to have been thrown in along the road 40 or 50 rods and found these bunches of hair resembling that on the head of the body at the several places said witness discovered a waggon tract come from the South to near the place where the wheelbarrow tract was found and returned the same road said tract had the 74 Cass Street Sketches appearance of being made at the same time with the wheel barrow tract On said witness measur- ing the tract of the waggon so found finds that it agrees with same but Matthew Vanhorns have measured 15 or 20 wagons and tracts. Lysander Denny. Cornelius C Vanhorn Deposeth and saith was acquainted with Archibald McLautlin jur saw three letters taken out of the postoffice by Mr Holderman on Wednesday the 15th day of July postmarked one Randolph, Pennsylvania, one Meadville. Ohio, one Rock River, Rapid. Cornelius C. Van Horne. Sworn to and subscribed before me. Joel George, Coroner of Will County. We, the jury, having been duly sworn by Joel George, Coroner of Will County, diligently to inquire and true presentment make in what manner and by whom the Deceased body was found lieing in Hickory Creek where the water was about two feet deep about twelve or fifteen rods east of Philo Havens saw mill on the fif- teenth day of July one thousand eight hundred and forty came to his death after having heard the evidence and upon full inquiry concerning Cass Street Sketches 75 the facts and a earful examination of the said body do find that the deceased came to his death by violence and by some person or persons un- known to the jury and that the said body has upon it the following mark and wound and which this jury find to be the cause of his Death towit. The body had the appearance or the body of a man and believed to have been dead several months the flesh cleaving from the bons the skull intirely broke acrost from ear to ear having an entire piece broke out from the right side of the length of three or four inches commencing at the crown of the head and extending from the right side to the ear having on a coarse cotton shirt. Lewis Woods foreman (ss) Francis Owen (ss) John Holman (ss) Simeon Brown (ss) John Atkinson (ss) John Wear (ss) L. M. Clayes (ss) David Ketchmen (ss) Andrew Moore (ss) Elisha Curtis (ss) William R Rice (ss) Wm Vanssekle (ss) 76 Cass Street Sketches I Joel George Coroner in and for the County and State aforesaid do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true statement of the proceedings had before me of and concerning the death of the said deceased. Given under my hand and seal this 18 day of July A D 1840 JOEL GEORGE, Coroner of Will County, III. (on back) Verdict of Jury on Dead body up Hickory Creek Filed September 2d 1840 Levi Jenks Clk In a short time, a letter to McLaughlin, written somewhere in Pennsylvania, was opened by con- sent of the postmaster, and proved to be from Archibald McLaughlin, Jr. McLaughlin and his wife had good reason to fear the vengeance of the outraged community, and, without stopping to say good-bye to their neighbors, left the country. Cass Street Sketches 11 This cleared up the whole mystery, fully showed the conspiracy, and proved the innocence of C. C. Van Home, and he became, if possible, more popular than ever. He taught the first school in Hickory Creek Settlement in the winter of 1832-1833; was the first postmaster in Will County, and first justice of the peace in Hickory Creek precinct. He was a member of the bar, and had his office at Chel- sea until he removed to Joliet, where he practiced law and became the first mayor of the city. George H. Woodruff, historian of pioneer days in Will County, says: "Perhaps the most promi- nent of the persons named above, in our history, was C. C. Van Home. He taught the first school in the vicinity, in the winter of 1832. His place, in the point of timber that makes out into the prairie in which are the camp grounds of the Methodist brethren, was known in the early days as 'Van Home's Point' He was a marked char- acter, well and extensively known throughout 78 Cass Street Sketches Cook County, of which we then formed a part. He was one of our most useful citizens in those days, transacting the business of the early set- tiers and aiding them in obtaining their claims and land titles." One July night, in 1854, when death's swift messenger, cholera, came for the old pioneer, he knew it meant: " I have a journey shortly to go, My Master calls, — I must not say no." William Cornelius Van Home William Cornelius Van Home is the eldest son of Cornelius Covenhoven Van Home by his sec- ond marriage. He was born at Van Home's Point, in New Lenox, in February, 1843. When about thirteen years of age, he left school and went into the Illinois and Mississippi Telegraph office at Joliet, and there learned to telegraph on the old-fashioned instruments then in use. Cass Street Sketches 79 He had a natural fondness for the arts and sciences, especially geology, and spent what time he could spare from business in study and ram- bling along the streams, among the quarries, and in the forests in search of fossils and Indian relics, and in 1859 and '60 was president of the Agassiz Club, which had rooms on the fourth floor of the Will County Bank building. As the rooms were open to visitors, the club thought it would be the proper thing for a certain benevo- lent lumber merchant to contribute the lumber for shelving and cases, in which to place their collection of fossils and relics. The committee on lumber were very much astonished, when they made their application for the donation, to be indignantly refused on high religious grounds. He refused to contribute anything towards the advancement of a pretended science, which refutes the Bible history of the world. However, William Adam, the old Scotch Presby- terian lumber merchant, was more liberal in his 80 Cass Street Sketches views, had no fears for the Bible, and generously gave the club all the lumber it wanted. An aspiring young geologist, not a member of the club, had by some chance come into posses- sion of a rare geological specimen, which was much coveted by two members of the club, but the owner refused to part with it without a valu- able consideration. So these young men of genius pooled their knowledge of geology and chemistry and manufactured a much rarer speci- men, placed it on the shelves, and, to cut a long story short, the embryo geologist cut his geologi- cal teeth by biting at the bait, and traded his genuine specimen for the artificial. it was fortunate for the two leading spirits of the club that they could prove an alibi the night that straw man was hung from the top of the old Joliet Signal printing office building, next the club rooms, and dangled there on the morning of a certain Saint Patrick's day in March, 1859. When the subject of this sketch was about Cass Street Sketches 81 fourteen years of age, he painted and constructed a panorama about three hundred feet long, and exhibitions were given in a tent on the corner of Herkimer and Benton streets, under the firm name and style of W. C. Van Home, Proprietor; H. C. Knowlton, Secretary and Treasurer; Henry E. Lowe, Business Manager. One Sunday, this same William C. and Henry C. conspired to take a day off from church and Sabbath School, and go for a stroll down the canal tow-path to the Auxable aqueduct. On the return trip, the geologist of the expedition had the misfortune to lose his favorite twenty- cent geological straw hat in the water, and the swift slack water of the canal soon carried it beyond his reach. Some future geologists may marvel much at this "find" in the "drift" of the I. & M. Canal, and logically conclude, from the enormous size of the petrified crown and brim, that there were "giants in those days." In 1857 he went into the office of the Michigan 82 Cass Street Sketches Central Railroad Company at Joliet. At this time, the Cut-Off road had no telegraph line, but in 1861 a line was built and he became its first operator at Joliet. In 1864, he went to the Chi- cago, Alton & St. Louis station at Joliet, as ticket agent and operator, — remained there till about 1866, when he became train-dispatcher at Bloom- ington, then superintendent of telegraph, then assistant superintendent of the C, A. & St. L., with headquarters at East St. Louis, residing at Alton. He was then called to the North Missouri R. R. as superintendent, which position he held about two years. He was next appointed super- intendent of the Southern Minnesota R. R. Co., with headquarters at La Crosse. He made a great success in the management of this road, which gave him a reputation as an executive officer of superior ability. This was a road of about two hundred and twenty miles, and in the hands of bond-holders. They wanted a superintendent who could man- Cass Street Sketches 83 age the road so as to pay a certain amount. He made it pay far in excess of what they required, or expected. He was called back to the C, A. & St. L., as superintendent, with headquarters at Chicago.N During this service with the C. & A., he had the general charge of the construction of its road from Louisiana to Kansas City, about two hun- dred and forty miles. He next received a tempt- ing offer of the general superintendency of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, about the year 1880 or 1881, with headquarters at Milwaukee. He had acquired such a reputation as builder and manager of railroads in the United States that he was called into Canada to take charge of a long division of the Canadian Pacific, from Winnipeg west. His work on this five hundred mile division west of Winnipeg was of such a character as to attract the attention of the gen- eral officers of the Canadian Pacific, and resulted in his being placed in charge of the laying out 84 Cass Street Sketches of the Canadian Pacific, west to the coast. At the completion of this road, he was elected vice president and general manager, and upon the declination of Lord Mount Stephen to act as president, he was elected president. When he went to Canada, he was about the only, if not the only, American connected with the Canadian Pacific Co. He did not take men from the United States, but picked the best men he could get in Canada for their respective posi- tions. Thus he was not troubled with race prejudice, jealousies and bickerings among the employes of the road. The entire equipment of the Canadian Pacific is the best that money can buy, and everything is of the finest. The man in control of the Canadian Pacific Railroad must needs be a man of great political influence. A Knight would obviously have greater influence than a plain citizen, no matter what his ability. Two years ago he was Knighted by Queen Victoria, and now bears the Cass Street Sketches 85 title of Sir William Cornelius Van Home. He is by nature, education and experience calculated to carry his honors and dignity well. He has a commanding presence, self-acquired and practi- cal education, inherited intuitive knowledge of men and affairs of business, indomitable will- power and energy, always master of himself and the situation, be it what it may; never at a loss for expedients or resources, either in the practical construction and operation of a railroad, or in councils of potential financial magnates. An artist, by nature and special study, he has a thorough knowledge of Japanese art and litera- ture, and his Montreal mansion is adorned with many grand and rare pictures. His summer home in Novia Scotia bears the euphonious family name of Covenhoven. Although he has had little time fot foreign travel, his position at the head of this great trans-continental railroad gives him an extensive business and social connection. 86 Cass Street Sketches The old pioneer friends and neighbors of his father have watched with pride his successful and rapid ascent to the top round of the ladder of fame and prosperity, and the boys who knew him best in his boyhood days can all bear testi- mony that his early record is sans tache, and are glad to know that in his life the sunshine has followed the shadows of the toils and struggles of his fatherless boyhood. Count Rumford? Yes, Count Rumford — Benjamin Thompson, is legitimately entitled to a page in Cass Street Sketches, and Hon. John M. Thompson is the connecting link. The interesting information was incidentally elicited from the Major while he was partially under the influence of a narcotic, in the form of a fragrant Havana, that Benjamin Thompson — Count Rumford — was an ancestor of his, and thus, through the Count the Thomp- son ancestry can be authentically traced back Cass Street Sketches 87 beyond the Pilgrim Fathers to the time of William the Conqueror. Readers of American history will remember that Benjamin Thompson was born in Woburn, Mass., March 26, 1753; that he taught in an academy in Rumford (now Concord), New Hampshire, in 1770, married a wealthy widow in 1772, and was commissioned a major of militia by the royal governor of New Hampshire. The jealousy of the older officers resulted in a charge of disaffection to the colonies; he was driven from his home and took refuge in Boston with General Gage, was subsequently tried at Woburn, not condemned but refused acquittal, and refused a commission in the Continental army. When Boston fell into the hands of the Patriots, it was he who carried the dispatch announcing the fact to England, where he was subsequently ap- pointed Under Secretary of State. In 1781 he returned to America, organized a regiment of dragoons, and received the com- 88 Cass Street Sketches mand, with rank of lieutenant colonel. After the war he returned to England, obtained leave of absence to visit the continent of Europe, and, by permission of the English government, entered the service of the elector of Bavaria, who Knighted him. In 1784, he settled in Munich, and reorganized the entire military establish- ment. In 1790, he undertook to suppress beg- gary in Bavaria, which had become almost a legitimate profession. In this undertaking he was successful, and was also successful in estab- lishing a military school, in the improvement of the breed of horses and horned cattle, and the conversion of an old hunting ground near Munich into a park. A monument in his honor was erected in this park by the grateful inhabitants. Thus, driven from his native land by the ani- mosity and jealousy of his enemies, emoluments and honors were showered upon him in a foreign country. Successively raised to the rank of major-general in the army, member of the council Cass Street Sketches 89 of state, lieutenant-general, commander-in-chief of the general staff, minister of war, and count of the holy Roman empire, on which occasion he chose as a title the name of Rumford, his Ameri- can home. In 1795, he returned to England on a visit, and was robbed of a trunk containing all of his private papers, and his original notes and observations on philosophical and scientific sub- jects. In 1796, when Bavaria was threatened by the war between France and Germany, he returned and was appointed head of the council of regency during the absence of the elector, and maintained the neutrality of Munich. Among the many honors conferred upon him for this service, he was appointed to the superintendency of the general police of the electorate. Determining to return to England on account of his health, he was appointed minister to the court of Saint James, but refused recognition by England on account of the English doctrine of 90 Cass Street Sketches inalienable allegiance. However, he remained in England, and was the main instrument in founding the royal institute. In 1799, he gave up his citizenship in Bavaria and settled in Paris. In 1804, he married the widow of Lavoisier, with whom he resided at the villa of Auteuil until his death, August 21, 1814. He was a natural philosopher, devoted much of his life to scientific research, more especially to the subject of heat and light, and wrote valu- able scientific books on the correlation of forces. He bequeathed a large sum of money to Harvard University for founding a professorship of physi- cal and mathematical sciences. Hon. John M. Thompson In the study of a character, often that which seems phenomenal and unaccountable becomes perfectly plain and clear when the key is ob- tained and the mystery solved. Cass Street Sketches 91 The key which most frequently solves the mystery of the characteristics of a character is heredity, or atavism — intermittent heredity, whereby traits of character may be traced back to a remote ancestry: for not only are the "sins of the fathers visited on the children even unto the third and fourth generation," but also the mentality and virtues. These traits and qualities may perhaps disappear for one or more generations and reappear in a marked manner in posterity. A close observer, believing in the principle of heredity, although a stranger to Major Thomp- son, would not be long in forming the conclusion that he was not an ordinary man, and would be most likely to classify him among the dreamers and scholars, if this observer were also a be- liever in phrenology and physiognomy, he would be still further confirmed in his first impressions, and, as time and acquaintance ran on, and he was permitted to hear the Major recount in his graphic and easy manner the portents of his 92 Cass Street Sketches life's history as he " ran them o'er even from his boyish days," those first impressions would be confirmed to a mathematical demonstration. Major Thompson was by birth an alien to the United States, for he was born at Yarmouth, Canada, which is politically, if not geographi- cally, a foreign land. When nine years of age, he came with his father and the other members of the family to Winnebago County, Illinois. After completing his education, he began his business career as clerk in a store and postoffice at Roscoe, and next took charge of his brother Clark's business at Hokah, Minnesota, for three years, then began the study of law. He assisted in raising a company of volunteers in 1861, but the regiment was already full when their services were tendered. He then went into his brother Clark's office, who was superintendent of Indian affairs, with headquarters at St. Paul. It was part of his duties to assist in making the govern- ment payments to the Indians, and thus he had Cass Street Sketches 93 an extensive acquaintance with the noble red man and many interesting experiences. In October, 1861, he enrolled as a private in Co. K, Fourth Minnesota Infantry, and partici- pated in ten of the hardest fought battles of the war; among them, luka, Corinth, Jackson and Champion Hills. In the last named battle he was shot through the left lung, very near the heart, reported mortally wounded by both Union and rebel officers, and left on the field; but his indomitable recuperative powers kept him alive and eventually restored him to health. He was kept in a rebel prison for six months and then exchanged. From the ranks he was promoted to first lieutenant of his companv, then adjutant of the regiment; unanimously elected captain of Co. E. In 1863 he was promoted to be first major of cavalry and assigned to duty with the Second Minnesota. This regiment took part in the Indian war in the northwest, and he was appointed to the command of Fort Ripley. 94 Cass Street Sketches That Major Thompson was popular in his old home is evident from the fact that while he was vibrating between Illinois and Minnesota he was elected to the State Legislature of Minnesota by a good majority, but the opposition raised the ques- tion of residence and proposed to contest his elec- tion. TheMajordid notcareenoughfortheposition to fight for it, and let his adversary take the seat. In the brief life of the lamented Greenback party, he received the nomination for secretary of state, by acclamation. That he is popular in his own county is manifest from the fact that in a Repub- lican district he was nominated by acclamation in a Democratic convention and elected to the Illinois Legislature. That he is both a practical and theoretical farmer, a political economist, and commands the respect of the farmers of his own and other states, is a matter of record, and a record of which any man and his friends might well be proud. As a Granger, he is known across the continent. He was Master of the State Cass Street Sketches 95 Grange for six years, and visited nearly every county in the state delivering addresses and pro- moting the interests of the association. That his labors were eminently successful is certain from the fact that the Grange was $1,700 in debt when he was first elected and had $3,000 in the treasury when he went out of office. In 1887 he was elected trustee of the State Grange of Illinois and Patrons of Husbandry, and in 1889 re-elected to the same office as a mark of appreciation of the prosperity which the order was enjoying under the business management of himself and colleagues. At Springfield, in 1890, he was elected chairman of a conference of the four organizations: The Patrons of Hus- bandry, Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association, Farmers' Alliance and Knights of Labor, which formed a federation known as The Farmers' and Laborers' Conference, and Major Thompson was elected its first president. As a representative from this state, he attended 96 Cass Street Sketches, the meetings of the National Grange at Wash- ington, D. C, Topeka, Kan., Sacramento, Cal., Springfield, Ohio, and Syracuse, N. Y., and has frequently been called to other states to assist in organizing the order and delivering addresses. To be a leader and instructor of the great mass of intelligent farmers composing these organiza- tions, in matters of vital importance to their welfare and prosperity, a man must needs be capable and endowed with a genius for organiza- tion and generalship. Thus it will be seen that the subject of this sketch, this scholarly dreamer, has had a goodly share in the active drama of life: business, war, politics, political economy and grangerism. In the quiescence of a country mansion, amid environments of a mellow landscape, a broad domain of fields combed with plows, brushed with harrows, shaved with reapers, the Major, in peaceful prosperity, is enjoying an idyllic life at Cherry Hill, where the sunbeams filter through Cass Street Sketches 97 the leaves and branches of grand old forest trees, and the graceful bending willows kiss the water lillies along the banks of old Hickory. Silver Cross Hospital "O, woman, in our hours of ease, Uncertain, coy and liard to please, And variable as the shade By the light quivering aspen made; When pain and anguish wring the brow, A ministering angel thou !" Man in his normal condition, in the plenitude of physical and mental faculties with which he is endowed by his Creator, is a creature, self- reliant, proud of spirit, whose wisdom and indom- itable will overmasters and overcomes most of nature's opposing forces. Nevertheless, " Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble." Disease, fell forerunner of decay and death, instantaneously or insidiously steals upon him, and he languishes helpless as an infant in 98 Cass Street Sketches its nurse's arms; saying in his agony, in bitter- ness of spirit, All is vanity, much is folly, much is evil. The joys, pleasures, mirth, loves and hatreds; the ambitions of life, the delights of his eye, his possessions, his treasures, the joys of his heart, sink into insignificance and fade away when health gives up the ship to sickness. Disease, accidents, come alike to all sorts and conditions of men; to the young and the old; to prince, pauper and peasant; the wise and the foolish. That which has happened, is constantly happening, and may at any hour of the day or night happen to any one of this poor race of men, who, to-day in the full flush of life and health, may to-morrow be cut down. Is it not then the part of wisdom to provide for emergencies liable to occur and constantly occur- ring. When sickness comes and the shadows hover over, coming ever nearer, ever darker, until the curtained night seems coming down to close out the light of life, and the faltering feet Cass Street Sketches 99 seem slipping into the valley of the shadow: high upon the hill, a prominent feature in the land- scape, a prominent monument of the benevo- lence, altruistic nature and humanity of this people, stands Silver Cross Hospital! a haven of rest, its portals ever open for the pain-racked bodies, worried minds, work-worn hands, and weary feet of suffering humanity, with its corps of doctors and troop of nurses to help them back to health, — and hence to happiness. From the first inception of this humanitarian enterprise of practical philanthropy, it has been pre-eminently the work of women, and their zeal has never flagged or faltered. At a meeting of a Circle of King's Daughters, in discussing the subject of benevolence for which they might work, the suggestion was made that they furnish a room in a hospital. This small seed, thus planted in the fertile soil of sympathetic hearts and active minds, grew into an offer of a donation of four acres of land to the 100 Cass Street Sketches King's Sons and Daughters, on condition that within a limited time they should erect on the donated site a hospital costing not less than ten thousand dollars. It was the influence of one of the young ladies of this Circle that secured the land; the influence of another member of the same Circle which secured the generous ten thousand dollar donation; and it has been the work and influence of women which has secured many of the subscriptions to the building and maintenance fund of Silver Cross Hospital. The first money raised for Silver Cross Hospi- tal was earned by a little girls' Circle of King's Daughters dressing dolls with their own small fingers and selling them in the basement of the Central Presbyterian Church. And ever since this youthful effort, the heads of ladies and girls have been busy planning ways and means to raise funds for hospital pur- poses, from holding their tongues under strong provocation to use them every evening for a Cass Street Sketches 101 week (in the pantomime of Ben Hur), up to run- ning the street railway, and down to selling newspapers on the street. That which Harriet Martineau wrote in her autobiography over sixty-five years ago in rela- tion to woman and her rights reads today like prophecy: "The best friends of the cause are the happy wives and mothers and the busy, cheerful, satisfied single women, who have no injuries of their own to avenge, and no painful vacuity or mortification to relieve. The best advocates are yet to come, — in the persons of women who are obtaining access to real social business, — the female physicians and other professors in Amer- ica, the women of business and the female artists of France; and the hospital administrators, the nurses, the educators, and the substantially suc- cessful authors of our own country. * * * * Women, like men, can obtain whatever they show themselves fit for. Whatever woman proves herself able to do, society will be thankful 102 Cass Street Sketches to see her do. If she is scientific, science will welcome her, as it has welcomed every woman so qualified. I believe no scientific woman com- plains of wrong." Old Schools On March 8th, 1853, the following ad. appeared in the Joliet Signal: SCHOOL EXHIBITION In reply to a call of Messrs. C. C. Van Home, R. E. Barber, S. W. Bowen, Wm. Adam, V. H. Prentiss, Benj. Richardson, A. Cagwin, R. Doo- little, E. C. Fellows, F. L. Cagwin, J. T. McDou- gall, E. Harwood, T. Lenander, J. Wooley, Jr., James M. Haven, G. Rochel, Joel W. Northup, F. E. Barber and many others, relative to a repeated exhibition, after consulting my students, I, with them, cheerfully accede to the proposition, and appoint Friday evening, March 11, at the Court House, and respectfully offer the following programme: Cass Street Sketches 103 PROGRAMME. PART 1. Introduction Miss Robinson Address Master Van Home Address Master Wilder The Hard Name. Willowbough Miss Tye Smith Miss Eastman Brown Miss Robinson Vinegar Miss Robinson Mr. White Rendall Betty Miss Van Bosl 134 W. A. Steel J First Hospital 1 36 Hon. Jesse O. Norton 137 Index. 183 Hon. William S. Brooks 139 Dr. Alfred Nash 139 John D. Paige 140 George Woodruff HO Edward Akin 143 Saint Mary's Convent 144 Saturday Night on Chicago Street 146 Western Avenue 149 Horatic N. Marsh 151 Hon. Royal E. Barber 156 Harry F. Cagwin 1 58 Francis L. Cagwin 1 58 Hopkins Rowell 160 William G. Wilcox 161 Edmund Wilcox 161 Jerome P. Stevens 164 Charles H. Talcott 165 Rev. Doctor Lewis 166 George M. Campbell 167 Albert J. Bates 171 Stars 172 Harlow N. Higinbotham 177