Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1900 — Indiana’s Youngest County. [ARTICLE]

Indiana’s Youngest County.

; Saturday’s Indianapolis .Press -contained the following interesting write-up of our neighboring county of Newton, from the pen of its special correspondent, E. L. Lewis: Newton, the ninety-second, youngest and last of Indiana counties, is celebrating its fortieth anniversary today. Thomas R. Baker, who was appointed sheriff to a Iminister the oath of office to its first officers, met them in old Kent April 21, 1860. The town then consisted of but two buildings. But seventeen persons eligible to the ballot were found in all of the territory south of the Iroquois River. William Russel, Michael Coffelt and Thomas R. Baker were qualified that day ns comissioners, Zecba Spitler as clerk, Alexander Sharp auditor, Samuel McCollough treasurer, Elijah L Shiver sheriff, A. W. Shidelar surveyor and John Ade recorder. Spitler and Ade aie still alive. At the first election but 492 votes were cast in the county. Until the formation of Newton out of the western half of Jasper, Jasper had been the largest county in the State, a distinction now held by Allen. The western part of Jasper County had been turned over to trappers and hunters. Fur bearing animals were plentiful in the marshes and woods, and wild turkey, deer and other game were found there. This section, that is now Newton County, did not even have its “first settler” until 1832. Josiah Dunn and John Elliott were the first. The first corn-cracker and sawmill was not erected until 1845. Jacob Kenoyer established it on Spitler’s Creek. At that time, and several years-later, hogs ran wild in the woods, feeding upon mast, and were free to those who would kill and dress them. The first church in the county was a log cabin built by the United Bret hern on the old Frederick Kenoyer farm. That was in 1842. The Baptists went to Brook and the Methodists to Illinois to worship. Trading was done—until 1850—at an old French trading l>ost at Thayer’s Landing on the Kankakee. The first storekeeper of the County was Elijah Whitson of Morocco. Morocco, Kent and Brook were candidates for the “Court House,” and the fight, then settled in Kent’s favor, has never ended. ’ A Court House, costing $1,600, was erected. For several years prisoners were in carcerated at Lafayettg. The first order of the first court that convened in Kent, August 27, 1869, issued by Charles H. Test, the first judge, was for the sheriff to proceed to Lafayette and return with the person of Samuel Brandon who, in the first trial in the county, was sentenced to prison for life for killing a farmer named Hadley. John L. Miller was the first prosecutor. The first attorney’s were W. D. Lee, A.G Brown and George O. Spitler. Kentland, long known as Kent, was organized in 1860 and named in honor of A. J. Kent, the original proprietor and keeper of the first hotel. The first paper in the county—the Newton Chronotype—whs published here. The first child born in the town was Lizzie West; the first physician was Dr. J. A. Hatch. The first settlers were John Ade, A. J. Kent, Nathaniel West, James Martin, Isaac Speck, William Ross, John Peacock, William Littlejohn and Alexander Harrison. Kentland was almost wiped out by fire in 1870. It is now the prettiest town in this section of Indiana, and lately has been noted as the home of George Ade, whose “Artie,” “Pink Marsh” “Fables in Slang” and stories have lately caused him to be regarded as the “coming humorist of the nation.” It was here, according to his own confession, that two ambitions beat within his soul. One was to be a clown in a circus, the other to be a minister. Newton County is also the home of Pfrimmer, “the bard of the prairies,” wliosa songs of rural life m Indiana have made him known in every part of Hoosierdom. Morocco, lnid out by John Murphy as a seat for the county, was the home of the famous old Bank of North America, of which so many interesting stories are told by Indiana bankers. It is claimed its president was chosen because of his prowess ns a coon hunter, and the cashier was the village “smithy.” The stories concerning itsopeia bouffe existence are many, but the accounts are well balanced by the statement that it was one of the few banks in the days of the “red dog” and the “wildcat” currency that redeomed all of its issues. * Goodland was laid out in 1860. The first settler in the vicinity, was John Smith, back in ’49, and since then there has generally been a John Smith or so on the tax.lists. Brook, on tbe Iroquois, was given life ns a trading place. v

Newton at first was a very wet county, except in tlie southern part, over which extended the eastern lobe of the grand prairie of Illinois. Beaver Lake covered a congressional township, but it has been drained. Tbe Kankakee swamps are found in the northern, part. Drainage has been the great problem, and it has conquered. Over the fields of Newton Couuty last year were raised 1,949,184 bushels of corn—enough to give her fifth place in the list of corn-producing counties. In oats and other crops she is near the top. The history of Newton County has just begun. The criticism of the press of the U. S. supreme court’s decision holding that the shippers must pay the war tax ou express packages, is very severe and quite general. In the light of this and the income tax decision, it is not unnatural that the highest court in the land should be suspected of being overly friendly to the trusts and corporations.

F. E. Babcock, editor of the jAsreß County Democrat, was a pleasant caller at this office Saturday. Brother Babcock reports that a similar condition exists in his county that did in this prior to the general “renovating” in November, 1898. The best cure for such a condition is a general uprising of the taxpayers. No power on earth caq, stop tbe onward rush of an outraged public when once it starts—as the boodlers and sharks of all counties discover when it is too late to escape annihilation.—North Vernon Sun. (dem.) Bro. Butler of the Sun, begun a fight on the rotten management of affairs in Jennings county in 1894. The county had been republican by several hundred for many years, and the gang jumped onto Mr. Butler for exposing them. He kept up the fight, however, and soon had two libel suits on his hands, brought by who sought a “vindication” in the courts. He won each suit, and later two of the county commissioners were indicted for taking bribes on bond issues, bridge cortracts, etc., etc. In the fall of 1898 the people of the county arose Jn their might and swept the gang from power, every candidate on the republican ticket being defeated. The taxpayers are well satisfied with the change, and tbe democrats will remain itt power as long as they are honest and faithful servants of the people. When they fail in this they deserve to be kicked out.