Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1909 — LAST INDIANA COUNTY FORMED [ARTICLE]

LAST INDIANA COUNTY FORMED

l»r. M. L. Humston of Goodland Writes the Indianpolis News Regarding Controversy. Considerable discussion has been going on through the Indianapolis News regarding which county In Indiana jvas last formed, and Dr. M. L. Humston of Goodland, has added his voice to the discussion, claiming that Newton was the last, which, we believe, is correct. Dr. {lumston was a former resident of Morocco, and one of Newton’s pioneer citizens. His communication, which will be of equal interest to JaspeT and Newton county citizens, especially the older residents, follows: I see the statement that members of the Columbia Club decided Ohio county was tlm last formed in this state. I beg leave to differ. I confess that Newton, Jasper, Pulaski and other counties were at the session of the Indiana legislature in ;.1.834-35 named. The territory covered by Jasper and Newton was very large. In the year 1836 Porter county was organized and in the next year Lake county. Each of them carried all the territory north of the Kankakee river. In 1838 Jasper county was organized as an independent county. Newton county was for some special purposes attached to Jasper. In the following year the legislature passed an act relative to the location of the county seat of Jasper county and for other purposes. The commissioners appointed found the plan of consolidation of Jasper and Newton counties advisable and located the county seat at the falls of the Iroquois river, with the nan\e of Newton as the county seat of Jasper county, thus striking the county of Newton off the map. It was not known as a county until 1 857, when a few parties lobbied through the legislature a bill for the division of old counties and for forming new counties, thinking they would make a new county out of the north part of Jasper county, with the county seat on the Kankakee river. But the west part of Jasper county was much opposed to that division. If they allowed the scheme to be successful it would throw them too far from the county seat and debar them forever from dividing the county as they had anticipated, and they at once called a public meeting of the citizens living west of the dviding ranges 7 and 8, to meet in Morocco, Ind., at which they resolved to get up petitions to the commissioners or Jasper county asking to be set off in a new county to be called Beaver county. But Thomas Barker moved that the name be changed from Beaver to that of Newton county, which carried. The petition was signed by about all the voters in that part of Jasper county, and in September, 1857, it was presented to the commissioners of Jasper county for their action. However, the citizens in the east end of the county were much opposed to the division and after several days the petition was dismissed on the ground that a part of the names were attached before the taking effect of the law. The decision was made Tuesdav evening, and that night petitions were written out and In circulation, and on Thursday they were at Rensselaer for presentation. The court had adjourned the evening before to meet next morning at 9 o’clock. The commissioners got word of what was coming and two of them failed to come, and did not during the term. The petitioners watched for them during the time they should have come, and then went home and waited for the December term, which found all parties presentThe new county to be called New-

ton was represented by the Rev. Silas Johnson, John Andrews, Zachariah Spitler and John Ade, the father of George Ade, the playright. Judge Milroy led the opposition, and after a short talk the case was set for Thursday. The question was how to defeat the first petition. Aftpr due thought they got up a remonstrance and gave it thorough circulation, quietly asking the signers of the petition to cut oft the north part of the county along the Kankakee river to sign it, and a majority of them did so. The matter was kept a* quiet as possible. On Thursday when the case was called Judge Milroy presented the his petition with quite strong remarks and there was several hours’ hearing. When things had quieted down to a living degree, Silas Johnson, who had charge of the work in hand, arose and said to the honorable court he was aware that there had been fatal objections to the petition presented, but that he had an argument against it which he wished to present to the court. Then taking from his pocket the remonstrance duly sworn to, he read it, and then sat down. You may imagine the quietness of the situation. After it there was but little said and the petition was dismissed and the petition for the new county of Newton was called up. This petition was presented December 7, 1857, and was opposed by a remonstrance signed by over three hundred voters of the middle and eastern part of the county, but was rejected by the commissioners, stating that those living outside of the territory proposed to be cut off had a say in the matter, and granted the prayer of the petitioners and appointed Zachariah Spitler, John Darroch and David Creek a committee to run the boundaries of the proposed county of Newton. An appeal was then taken to the circuit court, which overruled the decision of the commissioners and granted an injunction restraining them from entering the order upon their records. An appeal was then taken at once to the supreme (court. During the time the defeated parties had secured the passage of a new law by the legislature in 185859 and in June a new petition and a remonstrance were presented to the commissioners. Both were rejected on the ground that the case could not be heard both at the same time in two courts, the cade having jjeen taken to the supreme court on an appeal. The new county of Newhaving been victorious in the long struggle for her independence, she was allowed to go and take her chances with the other ninety-one counties of the state. The final action in the decision was taken by the board of Jasper county commissioners December 8, 1859, when they ordered the report of the committee that had been appointed to establish the line of the new county of Newton placed upon their records.