Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/677

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��HISTOEY OF RICHLAXD COUNTY.

��665

��the Muskingum, Walhonding, Mohican and Je- rome Forli. Following there were Henry Gam- ble, March, 1815 ; Francis Graham, 1821 ; Jacob Grubb, November, 1823 ; Sage Kellogg, Octol)er, 1818 ; John Hough, 1823 ; James Ku3'kendall, March, 1815, Section 6 ; Henry Maize, June 23, 1828 ; Joseph Markley, March, 1815. Section 17 ; John McNa-ull, 1815 ; Chris- topher My krauts. April, 1823 ; Andrew Proud- fit, December, 1817 ; Michael Riddle, spring of 1819, Section 2 ; Joseph Sheets, November, 1817; William Skilling, June, 1817; Peter Swineford, 1819 ; Elias Slocumb. 1817 ; Mich- ael Springer, 1815 ; Daniel Yantilburg, 181G ; Alanson Walker, 3Iarch, 1822. The following settlers and their families were here in 1814 : Jacob Grouse, Daniel Mickej', Widow Treckle, John Carr, Benjamin Cuppy, Daniel Carter, William IMontgomery, John Heller, Conrad Kline and John Smith.

Of these settlers, Daniel Carter, one of the earliest, cut the first road in the township, set- tling one mile northeast of the present town of Ashland. It was January when he arrived, and his shelter, until his cabin could be erected, was an open-ended tent. These pioueers must have had stout hearts to thus settle in the dense woods, in mid-winter, with no shelter from the snow, cold, wolves, bears, etc., but a tent. He cut and hauled the logs for his cabin as quickly as possible, but could not raise it without help, and traveled sixteen miles through the forest to get the fourth man for that purpose. He cut awaj' the timber and planted seven acres of corn that same spring, but when Hull surren- dered, fearing a general Indian massacre. Mr. Carter deserted his new home and went to New Philadelphia, Ohio, returning the following year and finding their premises unmolested, save that their corn had been partially taken by the wild animals. When informed of the murders on the Black Fork, by the Indians, the family fled to the block-house.

Mr. Gamble was a soldier of the war of 1812.

��The cabin of Robert Newell was burnt b}' the Indians in 1812. Mr. Newell was a very illit- erate man, being unable to read or write, as wei'e man}- of the pioneers, through no fault of their own perhaps ; but Newell was neverthe- less a man of integrity, a good citizen, and pos- sessed of good judgment. He was elected by his neighbors Justice of the Peace, and, of course, could not keep a docket or issue a sum- mons. So satisfactorily, however, and with such an even hand, did he dispense justice upon principles of strict equity rather than law, that his oflflcial acts were indorsed by a re-election. Elo3d Eddy, his son-in-law. and Jacob Kline, elected as constables, were also equally illiter- ate. In most cases, Squire Newell would refuse alisolutel}- to issue summons, fixing up and en- forcing on summary but equitable terms of set- tlement issues among his neighbors : but this could not alwaj's be done. In one instance, Andrew Clark demanded summons on Martin Mason for balance of pa}' claimed for construct- ing a mill-race, and the Squire, after protracted eflbrts to bring the parties to settlement, was unable longer to defer an issue of summons. Accordingl}- he called upon Constable Kline, and presenting that functionary with a strong buckeye club, informed him that was his author- ity for bringing Mason, dead or alive, into " court," to call upon said defendant, and if he showed any symptoms of unwillingness to obey the summons, to make vigorous use of the club. Mason readily obeyed the summons, however, and the litigants appeared before his honor.

The Squire demanded first of the plaintifl', then of the defendant, a full statement of the matter at issue, which demand having been complied with, he rendered judgment as fol- lows : •• Mason shall pay to Clark two liushels of coi'u ; Clark being a poor man, and having no horse, you, Mason, shall deliver the corn at his house. Forever after this, you are to be good friends and neighliors, and if either of you shall fail in the least particular to obey this

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