Yale University Library

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ADAM W. SNYDER
IN
ILLINOIS
HISTORY 1817-1842

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ADAM W. SNYDER,
AND HIS PERIOD IN ILLINOIS HISTORY,
1817-1842.

BY JOHN FRANCIS SNYDKR, M. D.

"To rescue a name worthy to be remembered and hon
ored, to recall great events, to look back upon the deeds of
those gone before us, are objects worthy of all considera
tion." — Hon. E. B. Washburne.

Second and Revised Edition.

Virginia, III.
E. Needham, Bookseller and Stationer.
1906.

Prew n I mou St«i* Resist* r. BprtajrOeW.

CONTENTS.

PrefarceIntroduction

CHAPTER I.

Adam W. Snyder, and his genealogy — Clerking in a country store
in Knox County, OImq, when discovered by Judge Thomas —
Condition of Illinois when he arrived at Cahokia,. in 1817 — A
wool carder and law student  19
CHAPTER II.
Introduction of steam power — Removal of the State Capital to
Vandalia — Daniel P. Cook and John McLean — Mr. Snyder
admitted) to the Bar — His marriage— State Bank of Illinois
organized — Mr. Snyder appointed State's Attorney — Re-election
of Judge Thomas to the U. S. Senate — The Slavery Convention
scheme of 1824  37
CHAPTER III.
Mr. Snyder embarks in farming — Life on the farm — Anecdote —
The Sugar Loaf settlement — Visit of General de LaFayette —
Rise of the Jackson party — Election of Gov. Edwards and de
feat of Daniel P. Cook — The fifth General Assembly  5S
CHAPTER IV.
Gov. Edwards and John McLean — Election o f Gen. Jackson and
dominance of the Jackson party — Progress of Education and
Literature in Illinois — Numerous ^distilleries, and habits of
liquor drinking — Reynolds and Kinney contest for Governor —
Mr. Snyder elected to the State Senate  S3
CHAPTER V.
The Wiggins Loan — State entitled to three Congressmen — The
Whipping Post and Pillory abolished — Winter of the deep Snow —
The State borrows $20,00.0 to pay current expenses— First cam
paign of this Black Hawk War — The Indians reappear in 1832 —
Two thousand volunteers are put in the field — Mr. Snyder's fight
with Indians at Burr Oak Grove  105
CHAPTER VI. •
The Black Hawk War continued — Capt. Snyder's Company mus
tered out of service — Major Dement's fight at Kellogg's Grove
— March of the army up Rock River — Defection of Volunteers —
Gen'I James D. Henry — Duplicity of the Winnebagos — Black
Hawk's trail discovered — He is pursued, and the war ended in
his defeat and capture  132

CHAPTER VII.
Gov. Edwards defeated for Congress by Charles Slade— Mr. Snyder
re-elected to the State Senate— His removal from the American
Bottom to Belleville — The cholera in Belleville in 1833 — Death
of Gov. Edwards — The eighth General Assembly— The "Falling
Stars" — Death of Mr. Slade by cholera— Reynolds and Snyder
candidates for Congress — Gen'l Duncan deserts the Democratic
party and joins the Whigs  148
CHAPTER VIII.
Death of the wife of Gov. Reynolds in 1834 — Gen'l Ewing Governor
for fifteen days — Another State Bank established — Loan of
half a million of dollars on State credit for the canal — The
Wiggins Ferry Company — Gen'l Ewing elected to the TJ. S.
Senate for sixty-five days — Legislation of the second session of
the ninth General Assembly  173
CHAPTER IX.
Condition of the State in 1S36 — Mr. Snyder again a candidate for
Congress — Is elected over Gov. Reynolds and William J. Gate-
wood — Tamarawa, the town projected by Mr. Snyder and Gen'l
Semple— "The City of 'High Bluffs"— The tenth General Assem
bly — System of Internal Improvements inaugurated — Removal
of the State Capital authorized  IDS
CHAPTER X.
Mr. Snyder discovers James Shields — His carriage stalls in the
Okaw sloughs, and he suffers in consequence — Gov. Reynolds
embarks in Railroad building— Condition of Illinois in 1837 —
Mr. Snyder goes to Washington — Visits Connellsville, Pa., the
place of his birth — His health improved for a short time — The
Alton Riots and death of Lovejoy — Mr. Snyder in Congress .... 223
CHAPTER XL
Invalid life in Washington — Mr. Snyder's discouraging struggle
with the inevitable  250
CHAPTER XII.
Mr. Snyder willing to make the race for Governor in place of Col.
Stephenson, withdrawn — Thomas Carlin nominated and elected
— Internal Improvements continued — Mr. Snyder's summer va
cation  263
CHAPTER XHI.
Hon. R. M. Young and Gov. Reynolds appointed special Commis
sioners to sell State bonds in Europe — Their failure — Extra ses
sion of the Legislature-^Total collapse of Internal Improvement
scheme — State indebtedness — Incident on a Wiggins Ferry boat
— Mr. Snyder a candidate for State Senator — Nominations of
Harrison and Van Buren for President  277

5
CHAPTER XIV.
Gov. John Reynolds  297
CHAPTER XV.
The "Coon Skin and Hard Cider" Campaign of 1840 — Mr. Snyder
elected — He bet on Van Buren and lost — Extra session of the
Legislature — Gillespie and Lincoln jump out of the legislative
hall to break the quorum — Reforming the Judiciary — The
Mormon Charters — Stephen A. Douglas  339
CHAPTER XVI.
The twelfth General Assembly — Letters of Mr. Snyder to Gov.
Koerner — General Bankruptcy Law passed by Congress — Hard
Times in Illinois in 1841 — Repudiationists and opposers of the
Canal — Availability of Mr. Snyder for nomination as a Candi
date for Governor — Governor Reynolds and his friends favor him
— Mr. Snyder's views on public questions.  366
CHAPTER XVII.
The Democratic State Convention of 1841 — Mr. Snyder nominated
for Governor — Resigns his office of State Senator — His con
tinued ill health — The Mormons declare in his favor — Dr. Joseph
Green — Gen'l Joseph Duncan chosen by the Whigs as their
candidate for Governor — Death and burial of Mr. Snyder — Re
moval of his remains  '  384
CHAPTER XVIII.
Thomas Ford succeeds Mr. Snyder as candidate for Governor-r-His
election — His insinuations refuted by himself — The truth of
history  402
APPENDIX.
Note A— The Snyder Genealogy  419
Note B — John Francis Perry and his family  426
Note C— Muster roll of Capt. Snyder's Company in the Black
Hawk War  436

PREFACE.

In the following pages no pretense is made of ex
haustive or systematic history of Illinois. Only so much
of that history is blended, with the biographical sketch
of Adam W. Snyder, here presented, as to serve for a
general review of the growth and progress of the State,
of its Legislative management, and the contentions of
its political parties, within the period included from
1817 to 1842, with notices — more or less brief — of some
of the prominent public men of that era.
To write a full and satisfactory memoir of .Mir. Snyder
I found to be a difficult and discouraging undertaking,
owing to the extreme paucity of necessary data. But a
small boy myself at the date of his death, my remem
brance of him is quite vague. All other members of his
immediate family, and very nearly all others who per
sonally knew him, had passed away. He was always very
reticent concerning himself and his genealogy, and if at
any time he confided to anyone an account of his par
ents, and the story of his early life, that knowledge had
long since been buried in the grave. Until I had almost
finished this self-imposed task, not half a dozen pages
of his manuscript were known to be extant. Then a
number of his letters were discovered among the old
forgotten papers of the late Gov. Koerner, to whom they
were written, and have herein been incorporated.
However, enough of his history was gleaned from
public records and various other sources, to trace his

8
successful career from obscure poverty to the honorable
station he attained by the force of his genius — with
flattering prospects of still higher advancement — when,
in the noontide of his manhood, death called him from
the stage of action. It is not claimed that he was a
great, or very superior, man; but he was one of the self-
reliant, self-educated and self-elevated pioneers, of
pure character and sterling worth, whose labors a ad
talents contributed, in some measure, to the incipient
greatness and glory of Illinois. Surely no apology is
necessary for this effort, however feeble, to rescue from.
oblivion the name and achievements of one who wit
nessed the birth of our great State, who was heard with
deference in its councils, and who was debarred from
its highest honors only by untimely death.
,T. . . T„ J. P. Snyder.
Virginia, 111.

HON.. JESSE BURGESS THOMAS.

INTRODUCTION.

Jesse Burgess Thomas, the man who discovered Adam
W. Snyder, and gave 'direction to his opinions and course
through life, was a conspicuous actor in the political
evolutions of Illinois and its material progress from a
trackless,, lawless wilderness populated by a few Cana
dian French colonists and tribes of nomadic savages,
to the position of a great State in the American Union.
Physically rugged and intellectually strong, he possessed
abilities that peculiarly fitted him for the rude experi
ences and difficulties of pioneer life, and for overcoming
all obstacles in his way to success.
He was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1777, where
the Thomas family long resided, and was descended from
Lord George Calvert, of the Irish peerage created in
1624, to whose son, Sir Cecilius Calvert, Baron of Balti
more, the Maryland patent was issued by Charles the
Second, on June 20th, 1632.
In 1779 his parents left Maryland and removed to
Bracken county, Kentucky. There he grew up, working
on the farm and attending such schools as the backwoods
then afforded. In. course of time he studied law with
his elder brother, Richard Symmes Thomas, a distin
guished lawyer, who subsequently located in Lebanon,
Ohio. After his admission to the bar, Jesse B. Thomas
commenced the practice of law at his home in Brook-
ville, the county seat of Bracken county, and shortly
afterwards married an estimable young lady of that

10
neighborhood, and settled down, apparently for the rest
of his days.
Man, however, is but the puppet of circumstances, and
his course in life is directed and shaped, in a great
degree, by agencies, or accidents, unforeseen and beyond
his control. Mr. Thomas had been married scarcely a
year when death robbed him of his young wife and
thereby destroyed his well-laid plans and bright antici
pations of the future. The sad scenes of his great
bereavement were then so intolerable that he was com
pelled to leave them for peace of mind. With other
emigrants, he went to Indiana Territory and located in
Lawrenceburg, the county seat of Dearborn county, and
there again commenced the practice of his profession.
That county was organized on the 7th of March, 1803,
and on the 3d of January, 1805, Mr. Thomas was elected
a delegate to represent it in the Territorial legislature
that convened at Vincennes on the 1st of February fol
lowing, in obedience to the proclamation issued by Hon.
William Henry Harrison, the newly appointed Governor
of the Territory. That meeting of the delegates was
for the purpose of selecting members of the legislative
council, or Senate, which they accomplished, and ad
journed. Again, by proclamation of Governor Harrison,
the completed legislature met at Vincennes on the 29th
of July, and, in its organization, Mr. Thomas was chosen
to preside as Speaker, over the house of delegates. He
was re-elected Speaker at the second session, serving
in that capacity three years and one month, when he
was elected Territorial delegate to Congress, to succeed
Benjamin Parke, who had resigned.
During his first legislative term he was commissioned
by Governor Harrison, a Captain in the militia, and

11
while serving the second term he married the widow of
Major John Francis Hamtramck, and upon his election
for delegate to Congress, changed his residence to Vin
cennes. After the admission of Ohio, into the Union, in 1802,
Indiana Territory was organized, embracing the pres
ent states of Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois,
with General William Henry Harrison, then a Virginia
member of Congress, appointed Territorial Governor
by President Jefferson. The only settlements in Illinois
at that time were at Kaskaskia, Cahokia and a few other
villages in their vicinity. The remoteness of the people
from their Territorial capital, Vincennes, and the diffi
culties and dangers in maintaining communication with
it, caused them to desire a division of the Territory and
the establishment of a capital and Territorial gov
ernment of their own. The question of separation was
agitated by the Illinois settlers, and was made the issue
in the election of their representative to the Legislature
of 1808. A majority of the Indiana members were
decidedly opposed to the separation, as was also Mr.
Parke, the Congressional delegate. When he resigned,
an opportunity was offered the Illinois members to elect
his successor in their interest.
Speaker Thomas, ambitious for promotion, desired to
succeed Mr. Parke in Congress, but could not be elected
without support of the Illinoisans, and they would vote
for him only on condition that he would pledge himself,
if elected, to secure from Congress an act for division
of the Territory. This pledge he gave without hesita
tion, but the Illinoisans at that early date had so little
confidence in promises of politicians that 'they exacted
of him a written bond for the faithful execution of lis

12
pledge, and that he gave them. He was elected by a
bare majority, and that, too, it was said, by voting for
himself. His term in Congress, as delegate, was brief,
serving from the 1st of December, 1808, to the 3d of
March, 1809. But he fulfilled to the letter the terms of
his obligation to the Illinoisans, securing passage of
the law organizing the separate Territory of Illinois,
with its capital at Kaskaskia, approved March 7, 1809.
The citizens of Vincennes were so incensed at what they
considered his perfidity that they hung him in effigy, and
heaped upon him, on his return from Washington, the
vilest abuse and reproach.
Division of Indiana Territory necessarily terminated
Mr. Thomas' Congressional service. Aware of the un
popularity of Territorial division in Indiana, and know
ing that it was fatal to his further political aspirations
there, he made provision for the future by obtaining
from President Madison, before leaving Washington
City, the appointment to one of the three federal judge
ships for the new Territory of Illinois. Arriving at Vin
cennes he immediately proceeded to his fresh field of
official labors and settled near Prairie du Rocher, ten
miles north of Kaskaskia.
His colleagues on the bench were Obediah Jones and
Alexander Stuart. Nathaniel Pope, of Kentucky, who
had received the appointment of Territorial Secretary,
had preceded, the judges, and was located in Kaskaskia,
the designated capital. The newly appointed Governor
of Illinois Territory, Ninian Edwards, arrived shortly
after from Kentucky with a number of negro slaves, and
herds of live stock of different kinds, and located on the
alluvial bottom in close proximity to Judge Thomas, and
there established an extensive farm that he named

13
"Elvirade," in honor of his wife Elvira. As an induce
ment to those very competent men to accept, with their
offices and meagre salaries, social exile and many priva
tions on the far western frontier, Congress, by special
act, granted to the Governor one thousand acres of
land, and to each of the other appointees five hundred
acres, to be selected by them from any part of the public
domain within the territory not reserved for forts, or
already occupied by settlers. By agreement, the Terri
torial officials located their grants of land in the same
locality, on the alluvial plain near the range of bluffs.
But rural life was not agreeable to Judge Thomas.
and he soon changed his residence to Oahokia, the
county seat of St. Clair county, where he held court and
identified himself with the society and interests of that
old village. "He was," says Gov. Reynolds, "a man of
talents, but did not particularly employ his mind on
the dry subtilties of the law."* His brain was too active
to be enslaved by the dry drudgery of the courts. Dur
ing his nine years' residence in Oahokia, and of his in
cumbency of the Territorial judgeship, he discharged his
official duties with marked ability, fidelity and prompt
ness, and yet found time to engage in various business
pursuits advantageous to his own financial interests.
He carried on farming, and several other industries,
and was always ready to embark in any enterprise of
benefit to the public and himself.
Of the domestic animals introduced into the Territory
at an early day, sheep soon ranked among the most
valuable, their wool being indispensable to the pioneers
for the manufacture of blankets and various articles of
clothing. The method then employed for converting
*Reynolds Pioneer History of UHnois. Second edition. 1887, p. 401

14
wool, with home-raised cotton, into jeans, linsey and
other textile fabrics in common use, involved a great
amount of tedious, patient manual labor. The carding
of wool by hand with small cards to fit it for the spin
ning wheel was a slow process, consuming much time
that the women could apply profitably to other house
hold duties. Observing that fact, Judge Thomas con
cluded that a wool-carding machine moved by ox-power,
such as were then in successful operation in parts of
Kentucky and Ohio, if established in Oahokia, would be
patronized by the community, and very probably prove
for himself a paying investment.
An obstacle encountered at the inception of that
enterprise was the want of an expert in the wool-carding
art to take charge of and manage the business. He
could hear of no one in the Territory who knew any
thing about a carding machine, but he was not the
kind of man to be deterred from1 an object or purpose
he had determined upon by such a trifling difficulty as
that. He was assured that in Ohio, where his relatives
resided, he could readily secure the services of a com
petent person well acquainted with that industry, whom
he could employ on reasonable terms. For some time
he had contemplated a visit to his kinsmen in Ohio,
and that new project decided him to go there at once.
Having made all necessary preparations, he left Cahokia
early in the sping of 1817 and proceeded by keel boat
down the Mississippi and up the Ohio river to Pittsburg.
There he purchased, with goods of various kinds, the
cards and machinery for the modest factory he proposed
planting in Oahokia as an experiment. From Pittsburg
Judge Thomas continued his journey to the interior of
Ohio. At Mt. Vernon, the county seat of Knox county,

15
while enjoying his visit among relatives, he learned, in
answer to his inquiries, that a young man familiar with
wool carding by machinery, had recently come into that
county, and was then in the employ of David McFarland,
the owner of a country store at a little cross-roads
place a few miles south-east of Mt. Vernon. Riding out
to that place some days later, Judge Thomas met the
youth mentioned and was very favorably impressed with
his many" appearance and intelligence.
He was a tall, straight stripling, not yet eighteen
years of age, with fair complexion, dark sandy hair, and
blueish-gray eyes, quite gentlemanly in his manner and
deportment, and a fluent, though, modest, talker. Hav
ing the world before him from which to coerce his
fortune, and seeing now a profitable opportunity to
reach the far .west — the objective point of his day
dreams and journeyings^ — he gladly accepted the Judge's
proposition to go to Oahokia and take charge of the
carding machine there. Notwithstanding Mr. McFar-
land's great reluctance to part with him, he soon came
to an agreement with Judge. Thomas regarding terms
and wages.
Steamboats were then beginning to revolutionize the
means of transportation on the western rivers. The
first boat propelled by steam power west of the Alle
gheny mountains was the "New Orleans," built at
Pittsburg, Pa., in 1811, by Robert Fulton, Chancellor
Livingston and Nicholas J. Roosevelt, all of New York,
just four years after the Clermont, built by Fulton and
Livingston, made — on the Hudson river between New
York City and Albany — the first successful passage
ever achieved by a steam-driven boat. The first steam
boat to ascend the Mississippi above the mouth of the

16
Ohio was the "General Pike," that arrived at St. Louis
on the 2d day of August, 1817, having on board the
goods and carding machine purchased by Judge Thomas
at Pittsburg.*
In pursuance of the act of Congress, approved on the
18th of April, 1818, enabling the people of the Territory
of Illinois to form, on certain specified conditions, a
State government, an election was held on the first
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the 6th, 7th and 8th
of July, of that year, for delegates to a convention to
frame a State constitution. At that election Judge
Thomas was chosen one of the three delegates from St.
Clair county; and when the delegates came together at
Kaskaskia, on the first Monday of the following month,
August 3, and organized the convention, Judge Thomas
was elected its presiding officer, or President.
The first legislature of the new State, comprising
thirteen senators and twenty-five representatives, con
vened at Kaskaskia on the 5th of October, 1818. After
completing its organization, it proceeded, on December
the 4th, to the election of two United States Senators,
one of whom was the Territorial Governor, Ninian Ed
wards, and the other, Judge Jesse B. Thomas. The
third general assembly re-elected Judge Thomas for an
other term, extending his services in the Senate to
March 3d, 1820. In 1820, when the question of admitting
the Territory of Missouri into the Union as a slave state
was under consideration by Congress, Judge Thomas
proposed its solution by offering to the Senate an
amendment embodying the famous "Missouri compro
mise" measure, and was chairman of the conference
* That is traditional only. Much more probably the articles pur
chased at Pittsbui*g by Judge Thomas were conveyed to Cahokia by
keel boats, and arrived there long before the General Pike.

17
committee of representatives selected by both houses
of Congress that agreed upon recommending its adop
tion. And his influence and persistent efforts securtd
its final adoption by Congress. "To his astute states
manship, therefore, the country was indebted for quiet
ing, for many years, the exciting and vicious agitation
of extension of slavery into the territories.
Until his removal from Illinois, in 1829, he was always
an advocate of slavery, and partial to the south and
southern institutions. He was a personal friend and
political supporter of Hon. William H. Crawford, of
Georgia, and, in 1824, was a member of the Con
gressional caucus that placed that gentleman in nomi
nation for the presidency — that being then the usual
method of nominating presidential candidates. In
zealously supporting Mr. Crawford he antagonized Gen
eral Jackson, for whom he had no admiration and but
little respect, with the result of alienating from himself
the confidence and friendship of the party in Illinois,
then loyal to Jackson, of which he had been a strong and
conspicuous leader. With too much self respect and
pride of character to stultify himself by humbly giving
his allegiance to Jackson, even for a Senatorship, he
manfully accepted the alternative, and, at the close of
his second term in the Senate, left the State and located
in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and there henceforth acted with
the Whig party.
"In 1840 he took an active part in effecting the nomi
nation of his old friend, Gen. Harrison, for president,
and attended the (Whig) convention held that year at
Columbus, Ohio. In 1829 he assisted in the organization
of St. Paul's Episcopal church at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, of
which he was a consistent member, and where he owned
—2

18
a large property. He was also one of the town proprie
tors of Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana. In stature
he was full six feet, with florid-brown complexion, dark
hazel eyes, dark brown hair (nearly black), with a well-
developed muscular system, and weighed over two hun
dred pounds; was very particular in his personal ap
pearance, and had the mode of a refined gentleman of
the last century; was very considerate of the rights and
feelings of others, and would not buy at a sheriff's
sale. "He died childless at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, leaving a
large estate, May 4, 1853, aged 75 years."*
In the seventy-sixth year of his age his vigorous mind
became deranged, and his eventful and distinguished life
was suddenly terminated by his own act. His wife, Re-
bekah, for whom he retained all his youthful affec
tion, died in 1851. From, constantly brooding over her
death and his lonely condition, his great intellect was
gradually overwhelmed by deep dejection and melan
choly until his existence became an intolerable burden.
Evading the vigilance of those who were caring for
him, he committed suicide by cutting his throat with a
razor. * Footnote by Samuel Morrison on pp. 401-402 of Reynolds' Pioneer
History of Illinois. Second (or Fergus) edition. Chicago, 1887.

CHAPTER I.
Adam W. Snyder and his genealogy — Clerking in a country store in
Knox County, Ohio, when discovered by Judge Thomas — Condition
of IllinoiS'When he arrived at Cahokia, in 1817 — A wool carder and
law student.
The young man Judge Thomas met at David McFar-
land's store in Knox county, Ohio, and employed to run
his carding machine at Cahokia, was named Adam Wil
son Snyder.
He was born in Connellsville, Fayette county, Penn
sylvania, on the 6th of October, 1799. His. father, Adam
Snyder, was a native of Strasburg, in Alsace — until 1870
a province of France — and migrated to America when a
young man, locating in the town of Reading, Pennsylva
nia, where he followed his trade of house carpenter. He
was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and while in
that service, was wounded at the battle of Brandywine.
After his discharge from the colonial army he changed
his residence to the vicinity of Harrisburg, and there
remained until the death of his wife, when he moved to
Connellsville, and was a citizen of that place until his
death, at an advanced age, in 1830. He was twice mar
ried. Of his first marriage nothing is now definitely
known, only that his wife died in or near Harrisburg,
Pa., leaving three children, a son and two daughters.
His second marriage was with a widow, Schaeffer, whose
maiden name was Hartzell. The fruits of that union
were four children, named Adam W., Hiram, Solomon
K., and Lydia.*
Nothing is now known of Adam W. Snyder's early
boyhood, excepting that he was reared in poverty, and
* See Appendix, Note A, for further family history.

20
began when quite young to be self-sustaining. Though
tall and well proportioned, he was never robust, or
capable of severe physical exertion. With inherited
consumptive diathesis, and unable to bear the strain of
continued manual labor, he was compelled to seek some
other, and less arduous, sphere of activity by which to
earn subsistence. By working during the summer
months at wool carding and other light occupations he
managed to support himself and attend an occasional
term of school during the winter months. He was pre
cocious intellectually, and with those limited opportu
nities gained a fair knowledge of the elementp.ry
branches usually taught in the country schools at J.haf
time.* Weary of the hopeless drudgery that had been his lot
from childhood, and aspiring to a higher and better con
dition in life he saw no possibility of attaining there,
he was moved by an irresistible impulse to go out into
the world and attempt to win from it, besides his daily
bread, an honorable position among men. The oppor
tunities for accomplishing the realization of that pur
pose in western Pennsylvania at that time by any other
means than muscular contention with the stony, re
luctant soil, were so few and uninviting that he con
cluded, when seventeen years of age, to try his fortunes*
in the far west, of which he had heard such glowing
accounts. Fully determined upon that course he took
leave of his parents and kindred and proceeded, afoot
and alone, to Brownsville, and from that point worked
his passage on a flatboat down the Monongahela river
to Pittsburg.
' * There are reasons for believing that when quite young he was ap
prenticed by his father, to a wool carder; and that servitude becoming
intolerable, he took unceremonious leave of his master before! expira
tion of his period of indenture, and left the state.

21
His father's first children, a son and two daughters,
had, some years before, emigrated to the western part
of Ohio, and they were comfortably settled and pros
perous. His half brother, engaged in farming in
Prebble county in that state, near the border of Indiana,
had invited him to come there, assuring him that he
would readily secure remunerative employment in his
neighborhood at some suitable occupation. The
romance and glamour of the boundless west and mighty
Mississippi had captivated his fancy, and inspired him
with the spirit of adventure and enterprise. In order
to reach the goal of his day dreams he had concluded
to accept his brother's invitation and remain there until
he earned means sufficient to continue his. journey far
ther westward. With that view he resolutely set out
from Pittsburg to traverse the state of Ohio afoot, with
all his worldly possessions tied up in a moderately sized
bundle carried on his back.
He had accomplished about the half of that long and
wearisome tramp when he arrived one evening, tired
and footsore, at the straggling crossroads settlement
in Knox county having its one store of general merchan
dise belonging to Mr. McFarland, a young man but a
few years older than himself. It was on the main over
land route from New York and Pennsylvania to the
western territories, and the little store was well patron
ized by many of the emigrants daily passing it, and also
by neighboring settlers. The merchant heeded an assis t-
ant to help him serve his numerous customers until the
close of the migrating season, and, as the young trav
eler laid his pack down and, seating himself on a box
near the store door, enquired if there was a tavern in
the village where he could stay over night, the thought

22
occurred to Mr. McFarland that this dustsoiled pilgrim
at his door might answer his purpose as a clerk. To. his
questions the young wayfarer gave straightforward
answers, telling frankly his simple antecedents and the
object of his long journey.
His pluck and perseverance and the evident candid
truthfulness of his story strongly impressed Mr, McFar
land, and he invited him to his home near by to pass the
night, and the invitation was gratefully accepted. After
further conversation, so well pleased was' the merchant
with the intelligence and practical ideas of the young
stranger that he offered him the position in his store,
stipulating a reasonable salary for his services.
That proposition, affording needed rest and the oppor
tunity for earning means to further prosecute his west
ward travels, was accepted by young Snyder, and next
morning he was installed in his new vocation. With no
previous training or experience in that line of business,
his natural aptness soon enabled him to become so
efficient that his employer was very desirous to retain
him indefinitely at a higher salary.
Illinois Territory was then attracting widespread at
tention and enlisting the interest especially of the rest
less and enterprising classes of the older states. To the
sturdy agriculturists who wished to secure cheap and
fertile land, it presented extraordinary inducements. To
laborers and mechanics, to capitalists with means to in
vest, to professional men, and adventurers who had
nothing to lose and all to gain, and to young men of
energy, industry and ambition, bent upon advancing
their fortunes, it was reputed to be a most promising
field. Young Snyder had heard something of the grand
prairies, the beautiful woodlands and fine lakes and

23
streams of that distant region — enough to stir him with
a longing desire to see it, and a fixed intention to get
there, if possible, and to cast his destinies with its
people. So, when the unexpected proposal of Judge
Thomas was offered, to proceed there at once, with
assurance of remunerative employment on arrival at his
destination, he saw the realization of his hopes at hand,
and gladly accepted it, though regretting to part with
his newly-found friends who had treated him with such
disinterested kindness.
Taking leave of his employer* and the villagers about
the store, he once more slung his pack over his shoulders
and, with youthful vigor, and buoyant spirts, again set
his face westward in the early hours of a beautiful morn
ing in May. He walked, all the way to Cincinnati,
thence descended the Ohio river in a flatboat to Shaw-
neetown, and from that settlers' gateway into Illinois
walked, in company with other immigrants, to Cahokia,
arriving there early in June, 1817.
Oahokia — the oldest town in the Mississippi valley, a
village of the Tamarwa and Cahokia Indians when
Father Pinet established a mission there in 1698 — was,
in 1817, but little surpassed in population by Kaskaskia,
the Territorial capital, and quite its equal in commercial
importance. It was no longer the county seat of St.
Clair county— Belleville, 12 miles east of it, having been
made the seat of justice of the county three years be
fore — but the county officials still resided there. John
Hays, a native of New York, was sheriff of the county
* In 1819 Mr. McFarland disposed of his interests in Ohio and fol
lowed Mr. Snyder to niinois. He stopped for awhile at Edwardsville,
and in the spring of 1820 purchased a farm in Ridge Prairie, St. Clair
county, seven miles north of Belleville, and there resided until his
death, which occurred on the 20th of February, 1872. He ever re
tained a warm feeling for the young stranger he had employed ini his
country store, and remained through life his steadfast personal and
political friend.

24
from 1802 to 1819, and postmaster at Cahokia for an
equal length of time. John Hay, born in Detroit and
the son of a Pennsylvanian, was clerk of the county and
circuit courts, probate judge and notary public for
many years. Oahokia was also the home of Judge
Thomas, Dr. William G. Goforth, John Reynolds, Joseph
A. Beaird, a future State Senator, William Anderson
Beaird, subsequently sheriff from 1819 to 1830, and a
few other "Americans," as the English-speaking set
tlers were designated by the French inhabitants. They
all spoke the Creole dialect and conformed to Creole cus
toms, and those of the intrusive element who were mar
ried, with the exception of Judge Thomas, had Creole
wives. They promoted in a marked degree the business
interests of the old town, and, with their educated sons
and daughters, imparted to its society quite a tone of
refinement. The native French population of the American Bottom
were, with few exceptions, non-progressive, indolent and
generally illiterate, giving but little thought to the
problems of life beyond gratification of present wants
and comfort, trusting the future to Providence and the
priest — the priest especially, who was their amanuensis,
business adviser and spiritual guide. They had no in
centive to avarice, no inclination to depravity, nor ambi
tion for wealth or distinction. Personal ease and
festive amusement were apparently the chief objects of
their existence. They were merry, friendly and hos
pitable, and while the broadest freedom of speech and
action was tolerated in their social intercourse, thi\v
were sober, honest and virtuous.
The prolific soil, and other natural resources of the
country, supplied them bountifully with all necessaries

25
for subsistence with little exertion on their part. As
they were not prodigal of labor, and were totally without
enterprise or public spirit, providing food, shelter and
clothing was about the limit of their industrial efforts.
Exempt from the curse of taxation and other penalties
of more refined civilization, and having no artificial
wants to harass them, they were contented, and as con
tentment is better than riches, they were opulent and
happy. f They were singularly tolerant of strangers of
nationalities, creeds and languages differing from their
own. Recognizing, the advantages and power of educa
tion, they meekly yielded the palm of superiority to the
"Americans," and willingly submitted to their political
supremacy. They assimilated readily with inferior races,
adopting unhesitatingly inferior methods, but their
simple habits, manners and customs were little affected
or improved by contact with people of advanced culture.
They dwelled in harmony and accord with the incoming
descendants of the Anglo-Saxon, and the dark-eyed
Creole maiden, or widow, who was taken in marriage
by an "American," was regarded by the community as
peculiarly fortunate.
In 1817 the pioneers were rapidly extending their set
tlements throughout the southern portion of Illinois
Territory. The Indians formerly roaming over that re
gion had retired north to, and beyond, the Sangamon
river, with the exception of a few wandering bands who
lingered about their ancestral hunting grounds, loath to
_t Ensign Butricke, writing from Fort Chartres on Feb. 12, 1769, said:
"The French are here (as in' all other parts I have seen them in) a
cunning, litigious, jealous set of people." (Historical Magazine, Vol.
VIII, No. 8.) That assertion seems to be sustained by provincial No
tarial records, and by the early court dockets of St. Clair and Randolph
counties. Mr. Snyder's premises at Belleville were overrun and his
hospitality sorely taxed at every term of court there by French litigants
from the Bottom, who, in many instances, prompted by envy, jealousy,
or malice, appealed to the law to redress trivial wrongs, real or fancied.

26
leave them, as bees that still circle around their de
stroyed hive. The last wild buffalo in Illinois was killed
in 1816, and the last of the elks in 1818.* A few beavers
successfully eluded their merciless human enemies for
some years later. The last two known iu central Illinois
were killed in that portion of the Sangamon river trav
ersing Menard county, in 1876.
The stream of immigrants coming into the Territory
from the southern and eastern states, and a few from
Europe, was annually increasing. Settlements, planted
at first only adjacent to rivers near the borders of the
territory, had then spread for many miles inland, and
dotted the country over, at intervals, from the Missis
sippi to the Wabash. The Indian title to the salines in
Gallatin and Vermilion counties was extinguished, and
the production of salt there had grown to be an important
industry. Mills operated by horse or water power were
erected here and there, and a few tan yards for conver
sion of raw hides into leather were successfully con
ducted. Then, and for several years later, farms, known
as "clearings," were all made on timbered lands, or allu
vial bottoms, as no means had yet been introduced or
contrived for "breaking" the heavy prairie sod, and in
consequence prairie lands were undesirable and con
sidered valueless excepting for grazing purposes.
Each French village had its Catholic church. In some
of the new settlements were beginnings of Protestant
religious organizations, and a few school houses. Law
less and vicious characters were usually among the first
to seek the frontiers — to escape the obligations of civil
power, the collection of debts, and penalties for their
crimes. Their presence in the new settlements where
* History of the English Settlement in Edwards county. By George
Flower, Chicago. Fergus Co.; 1882, p. 293-358.

27
society is yet unregulated by constitutional authority,
has a demoralizing influence, tending to degradation and
social depravity. Illinois at that early date — as all our
outlying territories have been before and since — was the
refuge of that class who recognized no law, civil or moral.
The Territory of Illinois had but ten counties organ
ized in 1817, and in some of those the restraints of law
were so lax that a condition approaching anarchy pre
vailed. Some of the counties were infested with out
laws, horse thieves and counterfeiters, so numerous and
well combined as to defy the feeble Territorial provis
ions for the administration of justice. "Many of the
sheriffs, justices of the peace, and constables, were of the
number, and even some of the judges of the county
courts, and they had numerous friends to aid them and
sympathize with them among those who were least sus
pected. When any of them were arrested, they either
escaped from the slight jails of those times, or procured
some of their gang to be on the jury, and they never
lacked witnesses to prove themselves innocent."*
Those continued abuses and outrages compelled the
respectable and honest citizens to band together in com
panies of "Regulators," and take enforcement of the
laws into their own hands. Miscreants apprehended
were tried in the court of Judge Lynch, and, if found
guilty, were summarily punished. By that vigour o us
course the perpetration of crime was in time abated in
all the settlements excepting those bordering on the
Ohio river. There ready escape into the swamps and
into Kentucky enabled the ruffians when pursued to
baffle the Regulators until 1831, when the citizens gen
erally of two or three border counties combined, with
* Ford's History of Illinois, pp. 232-3.

28
arms and one small piece of artillery, and stormed their
stronghold near the Ohio, killing some, and dispersing
the balance, effectually rid the State of their presence
and misdeeds.
The office seeeker was abroad in almost every town and
settlement, busily agitating the question of State organ
ization, circulating petitions to Congress for necessary
legislation to that end, and making the people believe
the Territory contained the requisite population of 40,000
for admission into the Union as a State. The prevalence
of lawlessness and crime was an effective argument for
adopting a stronger and more systematic form of gov
ernment, and but few opposed the movement.
Such was the condition of Illinois Territory when
Adam W. Snyder, one sultry evening in June, arrived in
Cahokia, dusty and tired, from his last hundred mile
walk, and laid down his pack at the door of the village
auoerge, or inn. Judge Thomas lost no time after his re
turn from the east in getting ready the necessary
materials for his carding machine building. In a short
time he had on the ground the lumber, rock, etc., re
quired, also the masons and carpenters, and the work
was commenced under his immediate supervision. The
structure was of wood, supported several feet above the
ground by pillars and walls of stone, forming a roomy
basement for the motive power, a great inclined wheel,
to be revolved on its vertical axis by the constant tread
of oxen.
Young Snyder arrived in Cahokia a few days before
Judge Thomas, and by the time all preparations were
made to commence work on the building he was suffici
ently rested to offer his services in any capacity in which
he could be useful. Prolonged idleness was not one of

29
his habits, nor would the state of his attenuated finances
permit him to long indulge in it; so, he set in as a day
laborer, mixing mortar and carrying it in a hod to the
masons as needed, and placing the building stones within
their convenient reach. When the stone work was
finished he discarded the hod, but continued his labors
as an attendant upon, and general help to, the carpenters
until the house was completed. About that time the
cards and machinery arrived and were placed in position
and geared to the treadwheel. He was then installed iu
overalls and apron on the main floor above the patient,
trudging oxen on the wheel, to keep them moving while
the cards and drums converted for his customers their
packages of wool into rolls suitable for the spinning
wheel. That carding machine erected by Judge Thomas was
the first one in Illinois — the humble pioneer of a vast
industry that haa contributed largely to creating the
wealth and greatness of the State.
The old French town and its quaint people speaking —
to him — an unknown tongue, a'nd all his other novel sur
roundings, at first impressed the young Pennsylvanian
strangely and not very favorably, but the cordial wel
come and respect that greeted him wherever he went
quickly dissipated the unpleasantness of his isolated
situation. The machine was well patronized from the
day it was set in motion, and was operated to its full
capacity daily — Sundays excepted — until late in the
autumn. And when the carding season closed the young
wool carder was gratified by the assurance that his work
had been very satisfactory to his patrons and employer
alike. He had in early life learned the German language,

30
then, in Cahokia, surrounded by a French-speaking
people, he applied himself diligently, with the parish
priest as his instructor, to learning the French language
also. In that study he made rapid progress, and as he
gradually mastered the Creole dialect his associations
became more agreeable, and his interests more closely
interwoven with those of his fellow villagers. His
social, affable disposition and frank, pleasant manners
attracted friendships; the unaffected, simple society of
Cahokia, recognizing no castes, or distinctions based on
vocations or degrees of wealth, was very gracious to him,
and, before winter had passed, included him among its
favorites. A better acquaintance with the young man, as time
passed, increased the interest of Judge Thomas in his
welfare. Observation of certain traits of his mind and
character led the Judge to believe that the boy was fitted
for a higher station in life than the one he then occupied.
At the close of Indian summer, when the machine was
shut up for the winter, he settled with him and paid him
the wages he had earned.* He complimented him highly •
for his honest, faithful attention to business, and then
said that while he would gladly retain him in that
employment as long as he would remain in it, he thought
him entirely out of place in work of that kind. He
further kindly suggested to him the idea of utilizing the
long, idle winter before him by the study of law, gener
ously offering him the use of his books and office and
ample facilities for learning the elementary principles ¦- f
the legal profession, with such instruction as he could
at times give him.
Recovering from the surprise of that benevolent and
flattering proposal, that touched a responsive' -chord in

31
Ms self-esteem, young Snyder gratefully accepted it, and
at once entered with spirit and determination upon the
new career fortuitous circumstances had opened to him.
He began immediately close, systematic application to
his books; and all winter, until the return of mild
weather in the next spring, he made the best use possible
of the liberal advantages the Judge had placed at his
command. An occasional evening for recreation among
the young people of the village — sometimes chosen one
of the "Kings" in the dance — was all the time he lost. As
an office student he was often very serviceable to his
patron by attending to various business matters for him
when absent. His habits were unexceptionable, and his
courteous deportment and sprightliness won him the
respect and esteem of all the community.
Judge Thomas was at that time, next to Governor Ed
wards, the most prominent and influential man in the
Territory. He was a good lawyer, a successful and
shrewd financier and able politician, having a peculiar
faculty for gaining and retaining the confidence and
friendship of people, and converting them to his views.
His predilections were all for the south, and he sup
ported all public measures contended for by southern
statesmen. Born and nurtured in slave-holding states,
and accustomed all his life to the institution of slavery,
he firmly believed it to be right in principle and practice,
and so maintained on all occasions. But even those who
differed from him on that, and other questions, esteemed
him highly for the candor and frankness of his conten
tions, and for his ability, his sincerity and honor. There
were few citizens of the Territory so implicitly trusted
as was Judge Thomas, and none whose opinions were
more respected.

32
John Reynolds was then a resident of Cahokia, a prac
ticing lawyer, and but recently married. He was twen
ty-nine years of age, in robust health and in full vigor
of body and mind. Energetic and active he had, by asso
ciation with his cousin, Joseph A. Beaird, a shrewd,
competent business- man, become quite prosperous.
Emerging from the condition of poverty and dependence
in which he was reared, his success in accumulating prop
erty and gaining some prominence in the community
exalted his natural egotism and stimulated the develop
ment of that inordinate desire for public position that
made him a notable figure in the political history of
Illinois. As sergeant of a company of rangers, and a
militia judge advocate he had tasted the fascination of
office and authority, and that fascination grew with him
to be the absorbing passion of his life. With all his
strong natural sense and many excellent traits of char-.
acter John Reynolds was afflicted with mean and jealous
envy of those who achieved success in the lines of his
own aspirations — a fault by no means uncommon among
politicians. He envied the popularity and high station of Judge
Thomas, and consequently disliked him, although they
were in perfect unison in regard to slavery and all other
public questions. When the constitutional convention
was called, Reynolds intimated his willingness to sacri
fice his time and business in order to represent St. Clair
county as a delegate in that body; but did not receive
sufficient encouragement from his "friends" to offer as
a candidate for it. Judge Thomas was elected a dele
gate, was chosen president of the convention, and thus
gained the lasting enmity of Reynolds. Until his inti
mate association with Judge Thomas in Cahokia, Adam
W. Snyder, whose life thus far had been a ceaseless

33
struggle for subsistence, had never given the matter of
politics a serious thought. He had formed no opinions,
nor reflected at all upon the fabric of our government
and its political institutions, and had no acquaintance
whatever with any pf the public men of the day. His
first view of slavery was in Illinois, where he saw it in its
least objectionable aspect, as a patriarchal system hav
ing few, if any, of the revolting features attending
human slavery as it then existed in the southern states.
In the office of Judge Thomas he daily heard political
questions freely discussed, and became interested in
them. The opinions there expressed upon public affairs,
especially by Judge Thomas, were new to him, and
deeply impressed his receptive mind and expanding
ideas. The high official and social station occupied by Judge
Thomas, and the still more eminent position to which
he was shortly afterward elevated by the people's repre
sentatives in the legislature, were, he thought, a sure
criterion not only of his abilities, but also of the correct
ness of his views. His reliance in the wisdom and
matured judgment of his benefactor was unbounded, and
the kindness and assistance he had received from him
claimed his sincere gratitude. He looked up to Judge
Thomas as a prudent adviser and safe mentor, and re
garded his achievements as highly worthy of emulation.
Under the circumstances it is not at all surprising
that he sanctioned the Judge's political convictions, and
adopted them as his own, including the question of
African slavery, upon which there was at the time but
little difference of opinion among the leading men of the
Territory. Nor is it strange that at that period, when no
organized political parties existed in Illinois, and voters
3

34
at elections divided simply upon their preferences for
individual candidates, young Snyder was enlisted in the
Thomas faction. Or, that at the election in 1818, for
delegates to the convention, though a minor not entitled
to vote,. he was nevertheless an enthusiastic supporter
of Judge Thomas and did all he could to aid his election.
John Reynolds did not openly oppose Thomas ; but would
have rejoiced over his defeat, had that result been pos
sible. He had no kind feeling for him, or those actively
promoting his political interests. Consequently, young
Snyder, whom he regarded, justly, as a Thomas hench
man, fell under the ban of his displeasure, and from that
election dates the political antagonism that existed be
tween Reynolds and Snyder continuing, with more or
less asperity, throughout life.
Through all the summer and fall of 1818, when Illinois
was in the throes of transition from the Territorial to
a State form of government, and anxious politicians,
speculators and adventurers were scheming and labor
ing for office, emoluments and profits, Snyder remained
at his post in the carding machine, industriously atten
tive to his work, and to the interests of his employer.
To his books he still devoted his leisure hours, but they
were very few. From early dawn to evening twilight
through each week he was busy with the care of his
motive power, and the light, but irksome, duties of
managing his factory.
Hon. Jesse B. Thomas, one of the three delegates
chosen to represent St. Clair county in the convention to
frame a State constitution, was, in its organization at
Kaskaskia, on August 3d, 1818, elected to preside over
its deliberations. By the first legislature of the new
State, in the following October, he was elected, with
Gov. Ninian Edwards, to represent Illinois in the United

35
States, Senate, and in casting for their respective periods
of service he drew the long or full term. After his elec
tion to that high and honorable position, he disposed of
his interests in Oahokia and changed his residence to
the new town founded by Gov. Edwards and bearing his
name, E'dwardsville, the county seat of Madison county,
and continued to reside there until he left the State in
1829. Upon leaving Cahokia, in December after his
election, to enter uponf his new duties at Washington
City, Senator Thomas placed his unsettled business in
St. Clair county in charge of his law student as his agent,
and permitted him to retain such books in his library
as he needed for present use.
With the close of the season's work, in the late
autumn of 1818, Mr. Snyder laid aside his greasy apron
and took final leave of the wool carding business. Again
he established himself in the office vacated by Judge
Thomas, and passed that winter, as he did the one be
fore, in close application to his studies. His agency for
Senator Thomas proved a^ practical and profitable intro
duction to the business career for which he was striving
to fit himself. The elevation of John Reynolds, by the
legislature, in December, to the supreme court judge
ship, left Cahokia without a practicing lawyer, much to
the law student's advantage, as it inducted him, without
effort on his part, to practice in the courts of justices of
the peace and probate court, proving for him a valuable
school of experience.
Shadrach Bond, the first Governor of the State of Illi-
noiSj was elected without opposition. The only other
instance in the history of Illinois when a Governor was
chosen without an opposing candidate, was the re
election of Augustus C. French, in 1848, his office having

36
been vacated by adoption of the new constitution, thus
extending his term to six years.
Shadrach Bond was born in Frederick county, Mary
land, in 1773, and came to Illinois with his uncle, Shad
rach Bond, St., in 1704. He was six feet tall, well
formed, dark complected, with dark eyes and jet black
hair. He was of jovial disposition, generous and hos
pitable, talented and honorable. He had represented
Illinois in the Indiana Territory legislature, was a dele
gate to Congress in 1812, and in 1814 was appointed by
President Madison receiver at the Kaskaskia land office.
He was the most popular man1 in Illinois at the period
of its organization as a State, excepting, perhaps, Gov.
Edwards and Judge Thomas. ,

CHAPTER II.
Introduction of steam power — Removal of the State Capital to Van-
dalia — Daniel P. Cook and John McLean — Mr. Snyder admitted to
the Bar — His marriage — State Bank of Illinois organized — Mt.
Snyder appointed State's Attorney — Re-election of Judge Thomas
to the TJ. S. Senate — The Slavery Convention scheme of 1824.
Illinois commenced its existence as a State in a period
of financial stringency and "hard times." About the time
it was admitted into the Union a general failure of west
ern banks occurred, with the result that, their paper cur
rency, which for some time had been the only circulating
medium in the Territory, depreciated until it was almost
valueless, leaving the country practically without money
sufficient for ordinary transaction of business. That was
the first experience of the young State with broken
banks; but, unfortunately, by no means the last. There
followed in consequence a ruinous depreciation in values
of all kinds of property, particularly of farm products.
Wheat sold for only thirty-five or forty cents per bushel,
corn ten cents, hogs were worth but seventy-five cents,
or a dollar, per hundred weight, cows with calves five or
six dollars each, and horses from twenty to forty dollars.
However, there were soon evidences of a rebound from
that state of depression. The immense area of land of
extraordinary fertility, containing in its soil elements of
untold riches, constituted the reacting force. The low
price of land, and its productions, and promising future
of the new prairie State, had the effect of largely increas
ing immigration, that daily poured into it, especially.
from the southern states. The new-comers relieved the
situation of affairs somewhat by bringing into the settle
ments,, with industry and enterprise, more or less sound
money and portable property, thus contributing mater-

38
ially to the general wealth and prosperity of the country.
But to the application of steam power in river naviga
tion is due, as much as to any other cause, the marvelous
progress and development of Illinois following the
change in its form of government. Simultaneously with
that change was introduced on the Mississippi the new
motive power destined to revolutionize the commercial
and economic life of the west — -as well as that .of the en
tire world.
Previous to that time western commerce was little
'more than a system of barter. All goods and supplies
not produced in the west were brought from the Atlantic
states in wagons, or down the Ohio river and up the Mis
sissippi and from New Orleans, in flat or keel boats, pro
pelled by oars and poles, or towed with ropes by human
strength. Those imports purchased by the settlers were
paid for with skins and furs of wild animals, beeswax,
feathers, and other products of the country. Immigra
tion was then mostly by wagons over roads often ren
dered impassable by mud and water. The increased
facilities for transportation by steamboats not only
greatly augmented the influx of population, but opened
new and distant markets for agricultural products, there
by enhancing their value.
It was as late as 1827 when the first steamboat — the
Mechanic — cautiously ascended the Illinois River to Fort
Clark on Peoria Lake, and returned in safety to St. Louis.
In 1825, or 1826, a steam engine was taken from a wreck
ed boat in the Ohio and placed in a grist mill at Shaw-
neetown; and, in 1828, Thomas Harrison remodeled his
mill at Belleville, substituting a steam engine for the dis
carded treadwheel and ox power. The experiments of run
ning mills by steam proving successful, that motive
power gradually displaced ox and horse mills through-

39
out the State; though a few horse and water mills sur
vived to later times.
The introduction of steam engines in mills and fac
tories developed a new industry, that of coal mining, and
coal was soon discovered to be a new and vast source of
wealth, and a factor in the growth and improvement of
the State of the first importance.
The act of Congress admitting Illinois into the Union
as a State was passed on the 3d of December, 1818. In
anticipation of that action, and to perfect the machinery
of the new State government, an election was held, on
the 17th, 18th and 19th of September, for a Governor,
Lieutenant Governor, members of the general assembly,
and a representative in the lower house of Congress to
serve during the short, or second, session of the fifteenth
Congress that expired on the 3d of March following. For
the latter place but two candidates offered at that elec
tion, John McLean and Daniel P. Cook, both intellectual
giants and lawyers of superior, well-matched ability and
extraordinary eloquence. McLean, tall, large and of
majestic stature, was born in North Carolina in 1791.
Cook, small, thin and pale, was a native of Kentucky,
born in 1794. McLean resided in Shawneetown, Oook in
Kaskaskia. Their contest was short but spirited, re
sulting in McLean's success by the slender majority of
14 votes. But he won, with the office, the distinction of
being the first representative of the State of Illinois in
Congress. At the first session of the State legislature — which
was also the last held in Kaskaskia — a bill was passed
early in 1819 providing for removal of the State capital
from Kaskaskia to Vandalia. There was no demand for
that change at that time by the people, or by any. public
exigency. It was premature and unnecessary, and was

40
concocted and consummated by a lot of speculators who
expected to reap large profits in building up the new
capital at Reeves' Bluff, about eighty miles farther up
the Kaskaskia river.* Approval of that legislative
measure by Governor Shadrach J3ondl and his Council of
Revision sealed the doom of Kaskaskia. Robbed of the
State capital it lost its prestige and importance and was
consigned to rapid decline and decay.
The romantic story of the old town will always possess
for American historians a fascinating charm and interest.
Beginning as an Indian mission, in the midst of a vast
and unknown wilderness, two and a third centuries ago,
it for many years was a busy metropolis of the French
empire in America; then wrested from France by the
English in 1763, it was subsequently delivered from
British dominion and restored to liberty by Col. Clark,
who added it to the new-born republic, and in 1809 it be
came the Territorial capita] of Illinois. For a century!
and a quarter it was the most noted town in the Missis
sippi valley, and its commercial emporium'. It was made
the capital of a sovereign State of the Union in 1818,
only to be hastily abandoned and humiliated at the be
hest of unscrupulous schemers, and, finally, in ruins and
forgotten, it was swept away by the relentless current
of the great river heedless of its past renown.
But few vestiges of old Kaskaskia remain. It is gone,
but the spot where it stood, with the site of Fort Ohar-
tres near by, is — to the historian — hallowed ground, con
secrated by memories of its storied glory and vicissi
tudes. * The State archives were removed from Kaskaskia to Vandalia in a
small wagon in December, 1820, in charge of Sidney Breese, who was
then chief clerk in the Secretary of State's office. The cost of removal
was $25, and time consumed nearly a week, as a road had to be opened
in places by cutting a way through the woods and brush.

41
The bill authorizing admission of Illinois into the
Union passed the lower house of congress December 3,
1818, by 117 votes for and 34 against it. The chief ob
jection of those voting in the negative was that the con
stitution of the proposed State did not prohibit slavery
with sufficient positiveness.
Illinois had but obtained Oongressional sanction for
Statehood, when the application of Missouri Territory
for admission as a slave state fanned into a blaze of ex
citement throughout the country the semi-dormant
slavery, question. The turmoil of discussion and heated
controversy that followed Missouri's action, in and out
of Congress, profoundly impressed the politics and poli
ticians of Illinois, and exerted a perturbing influence in
some of its elections. It was necessary in 1819 to elect
another Congressman to succeed John McLean, whose
term expired on the 3d of March. Cook and McLean
were again candidates for the place. Having no political
issues or parties to rally to, the people divided into
factions, led by one or more prominent favorites, who
competed with each other simply for the offices.
Daniel P. Cook was not an Abolitionist. The charge
that he was would have been bitterly resented by him.
No public man in Illinois at that day dared admit that
he favored the abolition of slavery. Cook was opposed
to disturbing the institution of slavery where it existed,
and also opposed to its introduction in states or terri
tories where it did not exist. McLean advocated the
doctrine of the constitutipnal right of states and terri
tories to regulate their domestic institutions as they
saw proper. Cook was the candidate of the Gov. Ed
wards faction; McLean that of the partisans of Gov.
Bond and Senator Thomas.

42
Adam W. Snyder, that summer but nineteen years of
age, was busily employed at wool carding, giving such
attention to his studies as the exacting duties of his
work permitted. He, no doubt, desired the election of
McLean, and would have voted for him had he had the
right of suffrage; but his interest in the elections ex
tended no farther than to favor and aid, if possible, the
success of friends who were supporters of Judge
Thomas. No ambition for public life — or knowledge of
it — then troubled him; and not for several years later
did he become haunted by the. ignis fatuus of political
aspirations. Intent only upon qualifying himself for the
legal profession, he applied himself so assiduously and
exclusively to the means for attaining that end that he
had neither time nor inclination to take an active part
in the campaign. Yet, he was so constituted that it was
with great difficulty he could ever maintain a neutral
position upon any subject admitting differences of opin
ions, and when required to express his views he stated
them frankly and without hesitation. He favored the
election of McLean, and said so; but was not a voter or
a politician, and did not presume to attempt influencing
the views of others. However, his intelligent grasp of
public questions and estimate of public men, together
with his manly deportment and unreserved, social dispo
sition gave his opinions some weight in that community.
For the native inhabitants of Oahokia and the American
Bottom, though uneducated, appreciated his worth and
integrity of character, and, that early, gave him their
confidence and friendship, which he retained through
life. In the chaotic condition of politics for several years
after Illinois was admitted into the Union, before voters
learned to range themselves in parties, they were divided

43
into factions, and advocated "men, not measures."
Nevertheless, the question of slavery influenced many
in their preference for, or opposition to, men who sought
office. There was no discussion of slavery upon its
merits per se; its extension in Illinois, and in the terri
tories, was the only phase of the institution considered,
and presented the only semblance of an issue at
elections. John Reynolds was then a justice of the supreme
court of the State. A proper appreciation of the inde
pendence and dignity of that honorable station, and a
decent sense of self-respect should have restrained him
from participating in the contentions of factions. The
tenure of his judgeship, however, was limited to six
years, and already he was planning to secure another
office at the expiration of his term, or before, if anything
came in his reach better suited to his order of talents
than the judiciary. He was radically pro slavery, but
pandered to Gov. Edwards and his prospective son-in-
law, Judge Cook, the freesoiler, not because of any har
mony of principles, or from any persona] affection for
either; for he disliked them both as cordially as he did
Bond, McLean or Thomas. But Gov. Edwards, he
thought, was politically invincible, and wielded power
tha t possibly could, in time, be made serviceable to him
self, while the overthrow of McLean and Thomas, he
imagined, would remove formidable obstacles from the
path of his own future aspirations. Besides that selfish
consideration, he could not resist the constant propen
sity, ingrained in his nature, to meddle in all popular or
political affairs, though himself not directly interested
in their issue. In that Congressional contest there was
no occasion whatever that he, a supreme court judge,
should be an active partisan of either candidate; but to

44
win the favor of Gov. Edwards, he wrote to him as fol
lows: "Goshen, 19 July, 1819.
"Deab Sib:
"I have returned from Greene county, and found matters and
things right there. Cook, with the exception of Lofton's settle
ment, will get all the votes. I think he will get three-fourths of
the county. McLean has turned Cummins. Cadwell, I under
stand, is for Cook. My brother Thomas states that Maxwell, James
Morrison, old Robert and their dependents are working against
Cook. Phillips is the cause of this. My brother says that Browne,
on the Ohio, was McLean's friend, and the people there is con
siderably for McLean. I thought it would not be amiss to inform
you of the above.
"Jones, you see, is out. I promised him your support, as you-
said. Now allow me to request you to start Stephenson in the
chase. Winchester promised me; so did some in the old town.
Judy and all my friends are on the charge for Jones. Do not for
get to impress Hays with the necessity of staying in Cahokia at the
election. Snyder will try to turn the French for McLean. This
must not be neglected.
"Col. John W. Scott's brother, Alexander, wants to get the mail
to carry from EJdwardsviUe to Carrollton. I promised to mention
the thing to you. If there is no applicant or bidder lie could do
the business. "I am your friend, "John Reynolds.*
"Hon. Ninian Edwabds, Edwardsville."
Senator Edwards was then at the zenith of his popu
larity. His great intellectual ability, and national repu
tation for statesmanship of a high order, placed him so
prominently before the people of the whole country that
public rumor at Washington City assigned him a posi
tion — that of Secretary of War — in President Monroe's
second cabinet. In the political affairs of Illinois his
authority was supreme. Servile office seekers were
* Edwards Papers., Fergus Co., Chicago, 1884, p. 163.

45
proud of the privilege to address him as "your friend,"
and willingly obeyed his mandates.
The foregoing truckling letter was eminently charac
teristic of Reynolds. Its object was not only to curry
favor of Senator Edwards by impressing upon him his
personal loyalty and the value of his political services,
but, at the same time, to prejudice the Senator against
his (Reynolds') colleagues on the supreme bench, Justices
Phillips and Browne, also against Snyder. The fear he
expressed that "Snyder will try to turn the French for
McLean," whether sincere or not, was certainly very
complimentary to that young man.
Agitation of the slavery question disturbed the French
inhabitants of Illinois but little. They were divided
on that question, a limited number of them owning
slaves desired slavery to be made permanent in the
State; but the non-slaveholding, and more numerous,
class, while willing to- tolerate the qualified institution
as it then existed in Illinois, favored its gradual extinc
tion, and opposed giving it wider scope by the introduc
tion of more slaves.
At the Congressional election, in August, 1819, Mr.
Cook's majority over McLean was 683; and that result
was a fair index of popular sentiment in Illinois at the
time of the slavery issue, indirectly presented. The fact
that slavery was specifically excluded from the North
western Territory — including Illinois — by the ordinance
of 1787, was a weighty consideration among the induce
ments that brought to the prairies of Illinois the greater
number of its new settlers, while the knowledge that
Missouri Territory, included in the Territory of Louis
iana in which slavery was already recognized before its
acquisition by the United States, and would probably be
retained by Missouri when admitted as a state, induced

46
a large preponderance of pro-slavery emigrants from the
south to shun Illinois and seek homes west of the Mis
sissippi River.
The year 1820 was memorable in the personal history
of Adam W. Snyder. In February of that year he was
admitted to the bar, though not yet of the statutory age
entitling him to the right of suffrage, and he com
menced at once, in a modest way, the practice of law in
Cahokia. As the only practicing lawyer in the old town,
he monopolized the legal business there ; but it was, for
all that, not very remunerative, as litigation was con
fined to probate adjustments and petty cases of breaches
of the peace. All the practice in the courts of St. Olair
county then, with occasional exceptions, would not have
rapidly enriched two opposing lawyers, or severely taxed
their time. Then, too, the litigants, -as a rule, were poor
and unable to pay attorneys more than nominal fees;
and at that, payments were made in depreciated paper
currency or country produce. However, the lawyer with
business tact and some capital, or credit, could enlarge.
his income by dealing in real estate, as buying lands and
land claims, and selling them to incoming settlers at ad
vanced prices, was then, and for many years later, a
profitable traffic if shrewdly conducted.
One of Attorney Snyder's first clients, after his admis
sion to the bar, was the widow Pensoneau, of Prairie du
Pont, a hamlet a mile south of Cahokia, whose husband
had recently died. That lady, then forty-three years of
age, had be"en twice married. Her maiden name was
Adelaide Saucier, and she was the daughter of Captain
John Baptiste Saucier, an officer of the engineer corps
of the French army, who designed the plans and super
intended the construction of Fort Chartres in 1751-1763.

47
She was a native of Cahokia and was married, in 1797,
to Jean Francois Perry, a young Frenchman of wealth
and education, who migrated to America from his birth
place near the city of Lyons, in France, and who died at
his home, in Prairie du Pont, in 1812.* At his death
Mr. Perry left,with his widow and three daughters, a
large landed estate. In 1815 Mrs. Perry married
Augustine Pensoneau, a Canadian Frenchman, and was
again left a widow by his death in the fall of 1819, with
two additional children. The eldest of the Perry girls,
Louise, had married and died; the other two, Adelaide
and Harriet, were quite handsome and sprightly, with
faultless figures, and ranked with the most attractive
belles in the parish.
Pensoneau left no property at his death; but the Perry
estate required the services of an attorney for its man
agement. That business seemed to have demanded the
frequent presence of lawyer Snyder at the Perry home
stead. Before the summer was passed his visits there
recurred so often that observant gossips concluded he
was probably more interested in the elder of the two
daughters than in any legal proceedings he may have
been conducting for Madam Pensoneau in either the
probate court, of that of Judge Reynolds.
The population of Illinois had increased from 34,620
in 1818, to 55,162 in 1820. At the general election in
August, 1820, Daniel P. Cook was again a candidate for
Congress, and was opposed by Elias Kent Kane, whom
he defeated by the surprising majority of 2,482 in a total
of less than 8,000 votes, Mr. Kane carrying but one
county in the State. In that campaign there appeared
no intimation from any quarter that Mr. Snyder would
"try to turn the French" for Mr. Kane. He was too fully
* See Appendix, Note B.

48
occupied with his own affairs to meddle with those in
which he had no direct personal interest.
His profession, in which he was but a novice, claimed
his attention and time, and an engagement of a tender
nature he had contracted occupied his thoughts to a far
greater degree than the outcome of any election.
The happy culmination of that engagement was his
union in marriage to Miss Adelaide Perry, at Prairie du
Pont, on the 18th of October, 1820. At the date of that
important event his age was twenty-one years and
twelve days; and that of his bride seventeen years, eight
months and twenty-five days. They were a young and
handsome pair, representative types of different races,
contrasting widely in temperament, disposition and
mental characteristics. His blueish-gray eyes and fair
complexion clearly marked his Saxon descent. She was
a brunette with glossy black hair, dark eyes and dark
complected; five feet, six inches in stature, perfectly
formed, erect and active, and possessing the mercurial
traits of her Latin ancestry.
Bridal trips for whiling away the honeymoon were
then unknown that far west; so, they immediately
established their home in Cahokia, and, commenced to
gether the serious mission of life.
The second general assembly — the first to meet in
Vandalia — elected in August, 1820, convened at the new
state capital on the 4th of December, comprising four
teen senators and twenty-nine representatives. John
McLean, who was elected to represent Gallatin county
in the lower house, was, upon its organization, chosen
its Speaker.
The chief act of the second general assembly was the
establishment of a State bank at Vandalia, with
branches at Shawneetown, Edwardsville and Browns-

49
ville, founded wholly on credit, without a dollar of capi
tal. It was authorized to issue notes of different denom
inations bearing two per cent interest redeemable by the
State in ten years, and was empowered to loan these
notes to the people on personal security to the amount
of $100,000, and to a greater amount on real estate mort
gages. A strong minority, led by John McLean, ably
opposed that pernicious folly. The rules of the house
then precluded the Speaker from participating in debates
excepting when in committee of the whole. Fearing
McLean's influence the majority refused to refer the bill
to a committe of the whole, whereupon he resigned the
Speakership and taking the floor, in a speech of won
drous eloquence and force, denounced the measure as un
constitutional and wrong in principle, and pointing out
its many fatal defects, predicted the failure of the sys
tem if enacted. Under the leadership of Hon. Richard
M. Young the bill passed and was promptly vetoed by
the Council of Revision, and again passed by a constitu
tional majority of both houses.
So elated was the bank party in the legislature with
their success they passed a resolution instructing the
Illinois senators and representatives in Congress to
endeavor to secure an act of Congress authorizing the
land offices in Illinois to receive the notes of the State
bank in payment for land entries. It was when that
resolution was submitted to a vote of the Senate and
carried, Pierre Menard, Lieutenant Governor, presiding,
remarked: "Gentlemen of the Senate, de resolution is
carried; but I will bet a hundred dollar dat Oongra never
make him land office money."
The relief afforded the people by enactments of the
second general assembly was— as predicted by Mr. Mc
Lean — but temporary, and the unwise measure soon re-
4

50
acted with disastrous effect. The State bank and its
branches commenced business in the summer of 1821,
and in a short time had loaned to the people its notes to
the amount of |3O0,000 without much regard as to the
security taken. Not long after, the paper money — for
that is all it was — began to depreciate. It fell twenty-
five cents below par, then fifty cents, then seventy-five
cents. All specie had long ago been driven out of the
country, and in the absence of small coins the bank bills
were cut in two, or more, pieces to make change. Taking
refuge behind the stay laws (passed by the same legis
lature), but few made the least effort to pay their debts,
and the majority of those who borrowed from the bank
did so with the deliberate intention of never repaying
it. There is always, in all communities, a large class of
people commendably honest in their ordinary dealings
and business transactions, who have no scruples what
ever in swindling the government or State, or town in
which they live; and regard defrauding corporations as
legitimate, and evidence of superior financial skill. The
patrons of the State bank were largely of that class.
In 1822, Mr. Snyder received, without solicitation on
his part, the appointment of Prosecuting Attorney for
the first judicial district. He served in that capacity for
one year and then resigned it for the reason that in
criminal practice he much preferred the defense of
offenders against the laws than their prosecution — be
cause the former paid best.
Popular feeling and interest were much enlisted in the
campaign preceding the general election of 1822, as the
question of slavery was then more directely in issue than
at any previous election. Edward Coles was then elect
ed Governor (to succeed Shadrach Bond) over three com
petitors, namely, Joseph Phillips and Thomas O. Browne,

51
justices of the supreme court, and Capt. James B. Moore,
who had served with distinction in the war of 1812, and
was a noted Indian fighter. Gov. Coles received 2,854
votes, Phillips, 2,687, Browne, 2,443, and Capt. Moore,
622. Coles, though a Virginian, was an Abolitionist.
Judges Phillips and Browne were pro-slavery in senti
ment, and Capt. Moore was opposed to slavery in Illi
nois, but not regarded as an Abolitionist.
Coles was therefore a minority Governor, as the united
votes of the pro-slavery element in the State would have
overwhelmingly defeated him.
Gov. Coles was intensely distasteful to the older pio
neers of southern birth who believed Abolitionism to be
the unpardonable sin; and they loathed him as a rene
gade from the faith accepted as orthodox in his native
state and the south. Having come to Illinois only three
years before with the federal appointment of register of
the land office at Edwardsville, they looked upon him
contemptuously as a carpetbagger and adventurer, as
Gov. Moses was regarded by the old patricians of South
Carolina in the "reconstruction" era. During his resi
dence of twelve years in Illinois he did not succeed in
overcoming that popular prejudice entertained by a
large class of citizens, and was never recognized as an
Illinoisan. He met with stormy opposition "all through his admin
istration, manifested in many instances by personal
enmity and social ostracism, and vindictiveness carried
so far as the wanton destruction of his property. On his
way to Illinois from his Virginia home, in 1819, he dra
matically emancipated his twenty-six slaves on their flat
boat when descending the Ohio River. Arriving with
them at Edwardsville he settled them on farms in Madi-

52
son county, giving to each head of a family a quarter
section of land. That was the head and front of his
offending. He wielded, all his personal and official in
fluence, and donated his entire salary for four years, to
save Illinois from the blighting curse of human slavery
attempted to be fastened on the State during the flrs'c
half of his administration. Yet, he attracted no per
sonal following, and was not known as a leader in the
memorable free soil movement for which he made so
many sacrifices and did such efficient service in success
fully establishing.
Edward Coles had received a finished education, and
was a gentleman of polished manners and irreproachable
character. For six years he had been in close personal
relations with President Madison, as his private secre
tary, and was sent by the President on a delicate
diplomatic mission to Russia which he conducted in a
highly satisfactory manner. On his return he visited
Kaskaskia in 1818, and the next year decided to remove
to Illinois. In 1830 he ran for Congress, as an anti-Jack
son candidate, against Joseph Duncan and Sidney
Breese, both Jackson men. Duncan was elected by a
very large majority, Gov. Coles receiving but meagre
support. After that humiliating defeat he left Illinois
and located in Philadelphia, Pa,, where, on the 28th of
November, 1833, he married Miss Sally Roberts; and
there died on the 7th of July, 1868. Coles county, in Illi
nois, was properly and very fittingly so named in his
honor when organized on the 25th of December, 1830.
Daniel P. Cook and John McLean were again, for the
third time, opposing candidates for Congress in 1822,
and Cook was again successful, receiving 4,764 votes, to
3,811 for McLean.

53
The third general assembly met at Vandalia on the 2d
of December, 1822, with the recently elected Lieutenant
Governor, Adolphus Frederick Hubbard, in the chair of
the Senate, and William M. Alexander chosen Speaker of
the house.
Justice John Reynolds was there also "in the hands
of his friends" as a candidate for United States Senator
in opposition to Senator Jesse B. Thomas. Six days
later, Dec. 8th, Judge Reynolds wrote to Senator Ninian
Edwards, then in Washington City, as follows:
"MT Feiend: We are now in a. turmoil concerning the sena
torial election. Judge Thomas has his friends from all parts urg
ing his pretentions — Kitchell, McLean, Bond, Kane, etc., are his
night supporters. I think without boasting that we will succeed.
The election will be delayed, I think, until spring. I can keep it
off in the senate. Now. on this plan, I want you to. co-operate in
hastening the appointment of the land officers, so that our fellow
citizens may not many of them be deceived. The disappointed
people will kick up. Kinney wants the contract; he is alive on
his head. White, you know his situation. This is a delicate matter,
treat it as you please. Some members want Lockwood to offer.
If we are all reconciled, Thomas goes out. Judge Pope is among
us. I have powerful friends here in and out of the Legislature. I
must succeed if the election be delayed. I want to harmonize with
Lockwood and his friends. I have told them to run the strongest
man. I want you for the good of the cause to urge, by all means,
the filling of the offices. This I can handle to advantage. Please
show this to Judge Cook. Tour family was well the other day. I
am now anxious to beat. "Tour friend, "John Reynolds."*
The explanation of his reference to the land offices,
and his urgent desire that Senator Edwards — who he
imagined President Monroe favored more than he did
Senator Thomas — would cause the appointments to be
* Edwards Papers, pp. 203-204.

54
made at once, and his plan to have the Senatorial elec
tion in the legislature delayed until after these appoint'
ments were made, is. quite apparent. The two Illinois
Senators were leaders of opposing factions at home, and
not in harmony in the matter of patronage for their
State. Reynolds knew that each had recommended for
appointment to those offices his own factional friends
and adherents, several of whom were then members of
the legislature, or very influential lobbyists there. If
then, he could succeed in postponing the senatorial elec
tion until the Edwards henchmen secured the federal
offices the disappointed Thomas applicants would "kick
up" and in retaliation turn to Ms support.
Judge Thomas remained at his post in Washington,
but his interests at Vandalia were in the care of active
men who well understood Reynolds, and outgeneraled
him at every point. Ex-Gov. Bond, and other Thomas
men, were appointed to the land offices, the senatorial
election was not deferred to a future time to suit Judge
Reynolds, but, by joint resolution, was held on the 9ch
of January, 1823, resulting in the re-election of Judge
Thomas, who received 29 votes to 16 for Reynolds, 61 for
White and 2 for Lockwood, a majority of 5 for Thomas
over all.
Senator Edwards no doubt desired the defeat of
Thomas, but not by Reynolds, whose aspirations to the
Senate he regarded as ludicrous.
At the opening of the third general assembly, Dec. 2d,
1822, Gov. Coles delivered his message orally, recom
mending establishing common schools, and the great im
portance of connecting the Illinois river and Lake Michi:
gan by canal, a suggestion' reiterated in the message of
every succeeding Governor, and discussed by all poli-

55
ticians and every legislature for the next quarter of a
century. He then broached the burning question of the
day, deploring the fact that slavery still existed in Illi
nois, notwithstanding its special prohibition by the or
dinance of 1787, and earnestly advised the legislature to
abolish it. Thus, at the beginning, Gov. Coles boldly
threw down the gauntlet in defiance of the large ma
jority in the legislature who, he knew, were hostile to'
him and who thought the State disgraced by the foisting
of a Virginia Abolitionist in the executive chair by a
contemptible minority.
The reference to slavery in his message was referred
. to a special committee whose majority reported a resolu
tion for calling a convention to remedy certain alleged
defects in the State constitution ; but in reality to change
it so as to make Illinois a slave state. That resolution
was carried by the required two-thirds vote, by ousting
a member who was opposed to it, but had voted for Sena
tor Thomas, and seating, in his place, a contestant who
would have voted against Senator Thomas, but favored
the convention. The convention scheme thus adopted
was yet to be submitted to the people at the next gen
eral election two years hence.
The Governor's recommendations to the solons relative
to the canal met with little more favor than did his ad
vice to extinguish slavery. A bill offered in the Senate
proposing a survey of the canal route was opposed by
several members from the southern counties, who looked
upon the canal as purely a local enterprise not calcu
lated to benefit their section of the state. Senator Kin
ney, of St. Clair county, was against the bill, because the
waterway to the lakes if completed "would be the means
of letting into the State a lot of blue-bellied Yankees,"

56
and to defeat it moved to amend the bill by making an
appropriation to drain certain lakes in the American
Bottom alleged to be the source of unhealthiness to the
people. Other members from the southern counties
loaded the bill down with amendments to drain every
considerable pond in southern Illinois, until finally au
amendment was incorporated appropriating several
thousand dollars to drain Lake Michigan, which proved
fatal to further consideration of the canal at that
fcession. Mr. Snyder did not particularly interest himself in the
convention question that convulsed the legislature after
the senatorial election. Nor did he permit himself to be
drawn into the whirlpool of furious commotion that fol
lowed to keep the public in an ebullition of frenzied ex
citement for the first half of Gov. Coles' administration.
More enthusiastic in his profession than in politics he
found more pleasant and profitable occupation by attend
ing the courts in the several counties of his district, ex
tending his acquaintance among the people, and gaining
experience and learning by contact with the best law
yers of Illinois and Missouri. There are no means now
for ascertaining how he voted upon the convention ques
tion at the election on the 2d of August, 1824; but it is a
reasonable presumption that he cast his vote for the con
vention, following the leadership of his friend, Senator
Thomas. As before stated, a decided majority of the people of
Illinois at that time were opposed to perpetuating the
curse of slavery in the State. The convention scheme
had not been concocted prior to the election of the legis
lature in 1822; or, if then projected by the leading
slavery propagandists, the fact was not made public.

57
Consequently many of the representatives in the general
assembly who supported the convention resolution, not
elected upon that issue, but by reason of their personal
merits and popularity, did not, in that action, correctly
represent their constituents. When directly confront
ed with the question, the people, understanding clearly
the intent and purpose of the proposed convention, em
phatically repudiated it by casting, at the polls in 1824,
6,640 votes _ against its adoption to 4,972 in its favor.
The intense interest felt by the people in the question
involved in that election is evidenced by the extraordi
nary number of votes cast, 11,612. At the presidential
election three months later there were polled in the en
tire State but 4,707 votes. Of that number John Quincy
Adams received 1,541; Andrew Jackson, 1,273; Henry
Clay, 1,047, and William H. Crawford, 218.
Daniel P. Cook was again elected to Cbngress at the
August election, defeating ex-Gov. Bond by the majority
of 3,086. In St. Clair county, at the same election, Judge
John Reynolds and Risdon Moore, Jr., convention men,
were defeated for the lower house of the legislature, and
also William Kinney for re-election to the Senate, by
anti-convention men. In that county three anti-conven
tion representatives were elected to the lower house of
the legislature, by the following vote :
Risdon Moore  534* Risdon Moore, Jr. .... .447
David Blackwell  519 John Reynolds  438
Abram Eyman  525 John Scott  430
John Hays  10
* Risdon Moore who was elected was anti -slavery and the cousin of
Risdon Moore, Jr., defeated, and pro-slavery.

CHAPTER III.
Mr. Snyder embarks in farming — Life on the farm — Anecdote— The
Sugar Loaf Settlement — Visit of General de LaFayette — Rise of
the Jackson party — Election of Gov. Edwards and defeat of Daniel
P. Cook — The fifth General Assembly.
A few years of diligent effort and assiduous attention
to his profession convinced Mr. Snyder that; there and
then, the accumulation of wealth by practice of law alone
was, if not utterly hopeless, at least very unpromising.
He saw in Cahokia no other branch of business or indus
try he could engage in, combined with his law practice,
that would materially increase his revenue, and he had
not yet come to look upon politics as the only sure avenue
to riches and distinction. On mature deliberation he
concluded to leave the village and embark in farming.
He had acquired a tract of fine land lying five miles south
of Cahokia, and resolutely commenced there prepara
tions for establishing a new home and a new occupation.
His land was partly open prairie on the American Bot
tom, a mile' west of the high abrupt point of the bluffs,
locally known as the "Sugar Loaf," near the dividing line
between the counties of St. Clair and Monroe.
That noted landmark derived its name from a conical
Indian mound on the high peak of the rocky bluff, erect
ed there presumably as a signal station by prehistoric
aborigines. The American Biottom comprises the level
alluvial district between the Mississippi river and its
eastern range of bluffs, extending from Alton to Chester,
eighty miles in length, -and varying from four to seven
miles in width. Its soil, of unknown depth, is unsur
passed for fertility by that of any region of equal extent

59
on earth, and is percolated beneath by perfectly pure
water in inexhaustible quantity.
The first settlement of the white — or intrusive- — race
in Illinois having been made upon that plain by the
French, it should, in justice, have received the name of
the "French Bottom."
In 1782, the Moores, Piggotts, Rutherfords, Lunsfords,
Garrisons, Bonds, and a few other "Americans," who had
served as soldiers in Col. George Rogers Clark's, little
army, came into it and with their families settled near
the foot of the bluffs in sight of the Sugar Loaf.* They
were styled Americans, by the French, in contradis
tinction to their recent rulers, the English, and the par
ticular locality of their settlement was known to the
natives as the American's Bottom. That name was
extended with the gradual expansion of American set
tlements there until it included the entire Bottom.
Another race of people had long possessed that region
prior to the intrusion of either French' or Americans,
and having vanished, in times past were replaced by
their degenerate descendants, or roving kinsmen, whom
the Canadians found there on their arrival. The occu
pancy of that territory by prehistoric Indians for a great
length of time is well attested by the presence of num
erous earthen monuments, or mounds, and many imper
ishable remains of their arts. Mound building was. prac
ticed there in highest perfection; and, in numbers and
dimensions, the mounds of the American Bottom are not
exceeded by those in any equal area in the Mississippi
Valley. At the northern end of the Bottom stands the
majestic Cahokia mound on the south bank of Cahokia
creek, the largest artificial elevation of the kind in the
* Reynolds' Pioneer History of Illinois, p. 113.

60
United States. In form it is a truncated pyramid 97
feet in height, with a level summit three acres in extent.
Its base is 700 feet in length by 500 feet in width, and it
is calculated to comprise 1,076,000 cubic yards of earth,
much of which was brought from the bluffs three miles
distant. From the top of that stupendous temple
mound, in pioneer days, before the virgin soil of the Bot
tom was defiled by railroad grading and levee building,
61 other mounds were in the range of vision, varying in
magnitude from 100 to 400 feet in diameter at the ground
level, and in altitude from 15 to 60 feet. Some of them
were also pyramidal in form, but the greater number
were circular, oval or oblong. Mounds of the same
character are scattered, here and there, down the entire
extent of the Bottom to the Kaskaskia river.
When the "Americans" began to settle in the Bottom
they occasionally found those ancient tumuli of their '
by-gone predecessors convenient elevations upon which
to place their farm residences, and so utilized them.*
And that Mr. Snyder also did. On his land was situated
one of the many large Indian burial mounds of the Bot
tom, about 30 feet in height, and square base 200 feet
on each side, exactly where he desired to build his
house. On the south shide of that venerable old tomb
he caused an excavation to be made sufficiently wide
and deep for the cellar and basement story of his build
ing. The house was so planned that the floor of the
upper story was a foot or two above the mound's level
summit, on which the front door — protected by a
spacious veranda — opened to the north, looking upon
a broad view of the Bottom skirted on the east by the
picturesque line of bluffs and on the west by the rocky
* Reynolds' Pioneer History of Illinois, p. 115.

61
cliffs of Missouri, with occasional glimpses of the
Mississippi at their base. Little, or nothing, was
known of American archaeology when that great
earthen sepulchre was ruthlessly desecrated by vandals
of an advanced race, exposing the decayed human
skeletons, over which it was erected, associated with
stone implements, and other art remains, deposited there
in the unknown past, with superstitious veneration, by
a rude, primitive people whose only history is thus
recorded. The crumbling bones of their dead, with shell
and bone ornaments, finely wrought objects in stone and
copper, and elegant pottery vases — tokens of respect
and affection — laid there with devotional reverence to
remain in undisturbed security for all time, excited but
momentary curiosity among the laborers and by
standers, and were thrown aside as so much worthless
rubbish. Though the soil of the American Bottom is loose sandy
loam, its preparation for cultivation required much
persistent labor. A great deal of the preliminary work
necessary to convert the wild prairie and wood lands
into a fit habitation for man was done in the summer
and fall of 1824. The bricks for construction of the
dwelling were molded and burned near the big spring
at the foot of Sugar Loaf bluff, wells were dug and
walled up with stone, and building materials were
brought together near the large mound. Before the
year closed the brick walls of the house were up and
covered with a substantial roof of cedar shingles; a barn
and other outhouses were built; rails were made in the
timber near by; patches of crab apple, persimmon and
hazel thickets were cleared off, and the ground made
ready for the plow. Rail making continued through

62
the winter months and some of the fencing was put in
place. In the spring of 1825 the house was finished, and is
still standing (1902) in good state of preservation, but
little changed in external appearance since it was
abandoned by its builder in 1833.* In the early sum
mer following Mr. Snyder brought his household from
Cahokia to the farm and began the labors, of a practical
agriculturist. Himself, wife and her half-brother,
Augustine Pensoneau, a child scarcely six years old,
constituted his family. His two children born in
Cahokia had died there in early infancy. To some of
his energetic neighbors he gave employment in "break
ing" his land with their large plows drawn by several
yokes of oxen, at a stipulated price per acre. To culti
vate the land after it was plowed and raise crops he
depended upon hired hands, readily obtained, but not
invariably reliable. The progress of society in the west
had not yet evolved the hired girl. In the democracy
of Illinois all white persons were supposed to have been
born free and equal and occupying the same social
plane. There was no surplus of female labor in the
country, and then — as now — the servants' station was
not coveted by the native white girl.
To surmount the difficulties presented by the la,bor
problem, and relieve his wife of the unavoidable drudg
ery of rural housekeeping, Mr. Snyder became a slave
holder. At an executor's sale he purchased a middle-
aged negro man and wife, and from other parties a negro
lad twelve years of age, and subsequently a mulatto girl
a few years younger whose sister was owned by Judge
* Mr. Snyder named his place "Square Mound," as appears from the
heading of his letters written from there during his residence on the
farm.

63
John Reynolds. The boy and girl were not related to
each other or to the man and wife. They were all four
French slaves and natives of Cahokia, or its immediate
vicinity. In less than two years after the human chat
tels were acquired the negro man, Jeanot, died ; the other
three remained with the family until every vestige of
State sanction of slavery was removed, in 1847.
Mr. Snyder gave to his farm all the attention he could
without neglecting' his law business. In intervals be
tween terms of court he sometimes "made a hand" him
self, assisting in fence making, hauling rails and wood,
setting out fruit trees, or following the cradlers in the
harvest field as a binder.
In one of those industrious moods, one autumn day in
1827, he was going to the woods a short distance from
the house after fence posts, with a wagon drawn by a
pair of oxen. In the empty wagon bed he had placed his
(then) only child, a boy two years old— known in later
years as Judge William H. Snyder— who often accom
panied him in his walks, or work, about the farm. He
was himself walking leisurely a short distance behind
the wagon, when suddenly the oxen, frightened by some
unusual object or sound, started off in a brisk run. That
terrified the child, who began screaming to his father to
come to his relief. Mr. Snyder seeing the boy's imminent
danger of being thrown headlong from the jostling
wagon, set out at full speed to rescue him from his peril
ous situation, calling to the oxen at every step to stop;
but they increased their gait instead. Although but ten
or a dozen feet behind the wagon, by his utmost exertion
he could not get a foot nearer to it. Running at his best
he remained just out of reach of the imperiled boy who
still yelled to him for help. The exasperating race— as

64
ludicrous as that of John Gilpin's — continued until Mr.
Snyder was on the verge of exhaustion, when fortunately
a neighbor coming that way intercepted the "steers" and
succeeded in checking their mad flight. Mr. Snyder,
when relating that incident, always declared that the
provoking beasts escaped death at his hands, then and
there, simply because he had no means at hand for
despatching them.
His change of residence from the village to the country
had the effect of increasing rather than diminishing the
demands for his professional services, until his many
and various business engagements occupied his entire
attention, and compelled him to relinquish all personal
supervision of the farm. During the eight years he re
mained there he prospered financially, and was regarded
as one of the most prominent citizens in the county. His
business became more lucrative, and the surplus products
of his land found ready and profitable markets at St.
Louis and Jefferson Barracks, the military post three
miles west of his place. He enjoyed unbounded popu
larity among the people, and was often urged to offer as
a candidate for office, but declined to embark in politics
then, as he desired first to establish himself creditably in
the profession of law, and also in the acquisition of
worldly goods.
A weighty consideration inducing him to locate upon
that particular farm was the character of its social sur
roundings. That part of the Bottom and adjacent high
lands comprised in the radius of a few miles from the
Sugar Loaf as a center, was settled by an intelligent and
substantial class of people, before named, who immi
grated to Illinois from Georgia, Virginia, Maryland and
Pennsylvania, bringing with them the best stocks of

65
domestic animals, and most improved methods of farm
ing then known. One of their number, Mr. Jonathan
Moore, taught school for a while in one room of his
double log house near the big spring on his Sugar Loaf
farm; and they introduced other accessories of civiliza
tion, and were all opposed to the extension of slavery.
Having himself some advanced ideas and enlightened
views, Mr. Snyder met there genial associates and incen
tives for self-improvement that were absent in Oahokia.
It was, he correctly judged, to his advantage and that of
his family, to be situated among progressive people of
his own race, at the same time not depriving his wife of
the companionship of her people.
But, notwithstanding the combined favorable condi
tions of intelligent neighbors, soil of exhaustless fertil
ity, pure water and proximity to school and markets,
rural life there had some very unpleasant features and
serious drawbacks. Located on the main road from Kas
kaskia and Waterloo to St. Louis, his house was much of
the time a free tavern for travelers, tramps and poli
ticians who made it convenient to stop there, certain of
hospitable entertainment gratis. With such wayfarers,
social callers, and visiting friends and relatives, the
place was seldom without guests, and generally overrun
with them. When Mr. Snyder was at home he enjoyed
making his promiscuous company comfortable and try
ing to enhance the pleasure of their visit; but his busi
ness affairs called him away more and more as time
passed, leaving the farm to be conducted in his absence
by hired employes, and guests to be entertained by his
wife, to whom the situation was frequently irksome, if
not intolerable.
The management of the household and control of in-
—5

66
dolent, negligent servants, with care of young children,
and intrusion of uninvited and undesirable strangers in
her home, at times sorely tried her patience and forti
tude. The most annoying tramps of those days in that
locality were discharged and furloughed soldiers and de
serters from Jefferson Barracks, who ranged through the
country settlements begging, or stealing fopd and port
able articles that could readily be bartered at the village
groceries for whiskey.
Worse than all those annoyances, however, in the mild
seasons the low alluvial Bottom was reeking with mias
matic exhalations arising from the numerous swamps,
sloughs and lakes, stagnant and foul with decayed vege
tation, poisoning the atmosphere, and exceedingly detri
mental to health of the inhabitants. Moreover, it was
infested from early spring until the next winter with
swarms of mosquitoes and other noxious insects that
rendered life of both man and beast a continuous misery.
In the autumn months but few of the population of
the Bottom escaped attacks of intermittent, or remit
tent, fevers, and often almost every member of a family
and of the entire settlement was prostrated by them at
the same time, so as to be unable to give one another
necessary assistance. At such times the few physicians
in the country were— as a choice of evils — in active de
mand. With all the boasted improvements and discov
eries in the practice of medicine at the present time, it is
still, at best, but a system of empiricism: then — three-
quarters of a century ago — the treatment of diseases by
blood-letting, blistering, emetics, calomel and jalap, etc.,
was simply well-meant barbarity rendering it possible
for only the fittest to survive.
The cold of winter brought respite from those evils,

67
and also cessation of general outdoor labor. Among the
Creoles it was the season for recreation and social en
joyment. Then, parties of friends, both young and old,
came to the farm informally, from Cahokia and vicinity
to pass the day or long evenings in customary amuse
ments and gaiety. If perchance they failed to bring a
fiddler with them one was immediately sent for, and in
the dance and merriment that followed, the petty vexa
tions and graver trials of the summer were forgotten.
Those visits were returned by the farmer and wife, some
times protracted in rounds of- festivities, for many days,
in accordance with ancient usages of the French vil
lagers. The verdict of the people at the polls in 1824 against
the constitutional perpetuation of slavery in the State
gave a surprising impetus to every branch of industry
and business. The assurance that Illinois was hence
forth consecrated to freedom, induced a marked increase
of immigration that — like an invading army. — pushed the
frontier cordon of settlements farther and farther to the
north. The spirit of progress was revived, and every
where was manifested the awakening of dormant ener
gies freed from the incubus of an impending monstrous
evil. Roads were opened, new towns sprung up, "clear
ings" changed hands and were enlarged, new methods
were introduced and old ones improved, and the Yankee
schoolmaster and clock peddler appeared — sure harbin
gers of advancing civilization as the lark and blue bird
are of the approach of spring.
The term of the four supreme court justices elected in
1818 for six years, having expired by limitation, the
fourth general assembly, convened in extra session at
Vandalia, Nov. 14, 1824, before the close of winter passed

68
a bill reorganizing the judiciary by creating a supreme
court with four judges elected by the legislature for life,
and five circuit judges, one for each of the five judicial
circuits into which the bill divided the State. Of the
supreme court, Wm. Wilson was elected chief justice,
with Thomas C. Browne, Samuel D. Lockwood and- The-
ophilus W. Smith, associate justices. Judge Phillips pf
the old court was so certain of being elected Governor
in 1822, that he resigned his judgeship, and so disgusted
and disappointed at his defeat, by Coles, that he left Illi
nois and returned to Tennessee. Judge Reynolds was an
applicant for re-election to the supreme bench, but his
name was not considered by the legislature. The five
circuit judges appointed were John W. Sawyer, Samuel
McRoberts, Richard M. Young, James Hall and James O.
Wattles. In the fourth general assembly, Joseph Duncan and
Thomas Carlin appeared for the first time in public life,
as Senators from Jackson and Greene counties respect
ively. Gov. Edwards had resigned his seat in the U. S.
Senate to accept the appointment of Minister to Mexico,
but before taking his departure for the Mexican capitol,
became involved in an unfortunate controversy with
Hon. William H. Crawford, secretary of the treasury,
concerning deposits of land office funds in the broken
State bank at Edwardsville, that added nothing to his
prestige or reputation, but impelled him to resign his
diplomatic mission to Mexico also. He then asked the
fourth general assembly to vindicate him by reinstating
him in the United States Senate to complete the term
he had resigned, expiring on the third of March follow
ing. But the legislature refused to do so, electing
instead his enemy, John McLean, by the vote of 31, to
19 for Edwards and 2 for Nathaniel Pope. For the

69
succeeding full term Elias K. Kane — who was so badly
defated for Congress in 1820 by Daniel P. Cook — was
elected. Elias Kent Kane, it may be truthfully said, was the
chief architect of the State government, or of the consti
tution framed by the convention of which he was per
haps the most active member.* He was born, of Irish
parents, in New York, on June 7, 1786, and educated
at Yale college. Before completing his law studies he
wandered to Nashville, Tennessee, and in a short time
continued his journey to Illinois, arriving in Kaskaskia
in the fall of 1814.' He was soon admitted to' the bar,
and married Felicite Peltia, a French girl, a native of
Kaskaskia. He was the first Secretary of State of Illi
nois, appointed by Gov. Bond, and held that office four
years. In 1824 he was elected to the legislature, and
was one of the most earnest supporters of the slavery
convention scheme, both in the legislature and in the
columns of the Republican Advocate, which he then in
part, edited. Notwithstanding his stalwart efforts to
make Illinois a slave State, he was elected to the
United States Senate in November, 1824, by an anti-
convention legislature, on the tenth ballot, defeating
Samuel D. Lockwood, one of the most ultra of anti-
convention champions, by the vote of 28 to 28.
He was re-elected to the Senate in 1831, and died in
Washington four years later, on Dec. 12, 1885, in the
49th year of his age, having served ten years in the
national Senate. He was a fluent and able writer and
eloquent speaker, a profound lawyer of brilliant talents,
and a courtly gentleman of amiable disposition. He
* The first Illinois constitution was modeled after that of Kentucky,
modified in several provisions — particularly such as related to negroes
and negro slavery — to' meet existing conditions in Illinois.

70
was tall, light complected and of prepossessing appear
ance, but not strong, physically. Kane county was so
named to perpetuate his memory, by the legislature, in
1836. In political complexion, the fourth general assembly,
of 1824-5, was as decidedly anti-slavery as the third
assembly had been for slavery. Logically and con
sistently it should have rewarded Gov. Coles and Judge
Lockwood for their valiant services in leading the free-
soil forces to victory in the fierce campaign just closed,
by sending them to represent, in the U. S. 'Senate, the
State they were' so instrumental in making free. But
instead, it elected to that high station the two strongest
and most conspicuous leaders of the slave party; and
from the other leaders of the same slave party it
selected seven of the nine new judges. "There is noth
ing," remarks Hon. E. B. Washburne, "stranger than this
in our political history."
As inexplicable also is the base ingratitude of the
legislatures and people of Illinois in failing to adequate
ly reward Judge Nathaniel Pope for the inestimable ser
vices he rendered the incipient State when its delegate
in Congress. But for his far-seeing wisdom and efforts
Illinois must have waited until its population was in
creased to 60,000 before its admission into the Union;
and then its northern boundary would have been a line
running west from the most southern point of Lake Mich
igan, giving to Wisconsin the fourteen Illinois counties
lying at present north of that line, including Chicago and
the Galena lead mines; also, the Illinois educational
fund would probably have been deprived of the two-
fifths of the proceeds of sales of public lands in its limits
it afterwards received.

71
The census of 1825 enumerated a total population in
Illinois of 72,817; and an adjourned session of the legis
lature thereupon reapportioned the representative dis
tricts. The visit to Illinois of the Marquis de LaFayette,
in April, 1825, was a memorable event in the annals of
the State. He was received at Kaskaskia by Gov. Coles,
the supreme judges, members of the legislature and a
multitude of citizens, with demonstrations of the high
est respect. He was escorted from Kaskaskia to Van
dalia, and thence to Shawneetown where a steamboat
was chartered to convey him and party to Nashville,
Tennessee, and back to Shawneetown, from whence he
took his departure for the east accompanied by the Gov
ernor. The total expenses incurred by the State in en
tertaining the illustrious guest amounted to $ 6$473. That
bill, together with the cost of taking the State census,
the pay of five additional judges, and of the adjourned
session of the legislature, not only drained the state
treasury, but caused a deficit of over $40,000.
A public debt of that magnitude seriously alarmed the
people. With but insignificant sources of public revenue,
and no sound money, or sound banks in the State, gen
eral bankruptcy seemed inevitable. Then arose a cry
from the people for retrenchment in public expendi
tures. From all parts of the State were heard loud and
indignant protests against the prodigal and reckless
waste of State revenues for the support of public
schools,* for pensioning life officers (the supreme judges),
and the unnecessary expense of five additional judges.
There were bitter complaints of legislative extrava
gance in paying to each of the supreme judges $800 per
annum, and an annual salary of $600 to each of the cir-
* Authorized by a bill introduced by Senator Joseph Duncan and
adopted by the iast legislature.

72
cuit judges. Popular dissatisfaction grew more clam
orous as time passed, until curtailment of State ex
penses became the paramount issue in the next general
election. The phenomenal popularity developed by Gen'l Jack
son in the recent four-cornered presidential contest, had
the effect in Illinois, as elsewhere in the Union, of dis^
tinctly defining political parties. His friends contended
that having received the highest number of electoral
votes he should have been declared elected President by
the house of representatives, and that he was cheated
out of the office by the minions of "the Yankee Abolition
ist," — Adams. Then commenced the furious party an
tagonism that has descended, with increased asperity,
to the present day. Prior to 1825 those who arrayed
themselves under the Jackson banner were styled
"Democratic Republicans," and called their opponents
"Federalists." After election of Mr. Adams, his adher
ents assumed the party designation of "National Repub
licans" — changed in the next presidential campaign to
"Whigs." The Jackson men then dropped the "Republi
can" part of their party name and were henceforth
known simply as Democrats. Arrayed under those
titles the opposing party lines were sharply drawn, and
party measures, or "principles," in future dictated selec
tion of candidates for office, — instead of mere prefer
ences for individuals as before — expressed in the motto-
adopted, "Principles, not Men."
For reasons not stated in Reynolds' autobiography the
cordial relations existing between himself and Gov. Ed
wards up to 1828, were after that date very severely
strained. It was, however, an open secret at the time
that dissolution of their alliance was due to the disfavor,

73
if not jealousy and disgust, with which Edwards re
garded the aspirations' of Reynolds for the Senate; and,
on the part of Reynolds, resentment for Edwards' lack of
good faith in failing, or refusing, to render him the assist
ance "he then desired. His failure to defeat Judge
Thomas for the Senate, in 1823, greatly mortified Rey
nolds; but the triumph of McLean over Edwards for a
like position at the next session of the legislature miti
gated his disappointment, and he took no pains to con
ceal his gratification at the result.
"In the spring of 1826," Reynolds states, in his Life
and Times, "Gov. Edwards and the anti-convention party
assembled at Belleville, and selected a full ticket for all
the county offices, sheriff and all. Of course I and my
friends were not included." But, merely "to gratify the
people" Reynolds brought himself out as a candidate for
the legislature, -n ith a full ticket of his "friends" for the
county offices, in opposition to those of the Edwards-
Cook faction.
The waning popularity of Gov. Edwards admonished
him that something must be done to regain his fading
lustre and save himself from that common and dreaded
doom of politicians, lapsing into obscurity. The Senate,
he was convinced, was out of his reach. His son-in-law,
Daniel P. Cook, was more acceptable to the people for
Congressman than himself; but Gov. Coles' term would
soon expire, and several of his friends strongly urged him
to offer for that place. And he did so. He ma'de na
overtures to Reynolds for his friendship and assistance,
but, as Reynolds states, was "hostile" to him, and "pub
lished many severe and bitter handbills against me dur
ing this election and the succeeding one of 1828." The
candidates for Governor opposing Gov. Edwards were

74
Thomas Sloo, Jr., and Lieutenant Governor Hubbard,
both ultra Jackson men. Edwards was also a supporter
of Jackson, but, like Reynolds— not so strenuously for
Jackson as to offend the Whigs. He made a very earn
est and dignified canvass of the settlements, always ap
pearing in public dressed in fine cloth, with ruffled shirt
front, and polished boots, and traveled in his carriage
with a negro driver, his slave.
Mr. Sloo* was a gentleman of very fair abilities and
high character, a successful merchant and State Sena
tor, but little known beyond the limits of his own dis
trict. Ninian Edwards was elected Governor at the
general State election, Aug. 7th, 1826, by the slender
majority of 446 over Mr. Sloo, receiving 6,280 votes, to
5.834 for Sloo, and 580 for Hubbard. The combined num
ber of votes cast for Sloo and Hubbard exceeding that of
Gov. Edwards by 134, leaves little doubt that had he
been opposed by any one of the well-known popular Jack
son politicians in the place of Mr. Sloo, or by Mr. Sloo
* Thomas Sloo, Jr., son of Thomas and Elizabeth [Roe] Sloo, formerly
of the State of New: York, was born in Washington, Mason County,
Kentucky, on the 5thi of April, 1790. With fair country school educa
tion, he migrated to Cincinnati, O., when twenty years of age. en
gaged in the mercantile business, and was there united in marriage,
in 1814, to Miss Harriet Irwin, who died less than a year later. On
the 25th of August, 1819, he married Miss Rebecca Smith Findlay,
and in 1820 sought a new home in the young State of Illinois. He
located in Hamilton county and soon became a successful and popu
lar merchant. He was elected to the State Senate in 1822 and served
until 1826, and voted for the convention resolution. In 1828 he left
Illinois and moved to New Orleans, where he again entered the mer
cantile business. There Ms wife died in 1845, and in 1848 he changed
his residence to Havana, Cuba, and was there married, on the 24th
of May, 1849, to Miss Maria Frances Campbell, a native of South
Carolina, who died in New Orleans on January 17, 1900. After a few
years he returned to New Orleans, and was elected city treasurer,
and served in minor positions on city boards, then was made presi
dent of the Sun Mutual Insurance Company and remained in its
service until his death, which occurred on January 17, 1879, at the
age of 88 years, 9 months and 12 days. He was always pro-slavery in
sentiment, a strict member of the Episcopalian church, and remark
able for his old school courtly and polished manners.

75
alone, who was comparatively a stranger, he would have
been defeated.*
William Kinney, personally and politically opposed to
Gov. Edwards, and residing in the same county, the Sloo
candidate for Lieutenant Governor, was elected. John
Reynolds was also elected a member of the legislature
in St. Clair county. A large majority of the general
assembly elected at the same time were, as Reynolds
was, opponents of Gov. Edwards.
The startling surprise of that election was the defeat
of Daniel P. Cook for Congress by Joseph Duncan, whose
majority reached 694. The explanation of that unex
pected result was the fact that in the late election of
President by the house of representatives in 1824, Mr.
Cook cast the vote of Illinois for John Quincy Adams.
Although his act in so doing was apparently justified by
Mr. Adams having received the highest number of votes
in Illinois at the presidential election in 1824, the Jack
son men believed Mr. Cook misrepresented his consti
tuents, and had joined the Abolitionists.
And thus terminated the meteoric career of Daniel
Pope Cook. He was then acting chairman of the Com
mittee on Ways and Means in the House of Representa
tives and one of the most brilliant and influential mem
bers of Congress. The ravages of tubercular consump
tion were rapidly undermining his frail system and set
ting a limit to his days. On expiration of his last term
in Congress he visited Cuba with hope of obtaining from
that climate some recuperation of his shattered health.
* The election of Gov. Edwards in 1826 was very distasteful to Lieut. -
Gov. Kinney, who remarked that Edwards reminded him "o£ an old,
broken down horse, so worn out that he could barely jump over into
the corn field, and so exhausted that he couldn't eat any corn after he
got in" — meaning' that Edwards was barely elected by an extraordinary
effort, and was so shorn of influence and power that he could accom
plish nothing after securing the place.

76
Disappointed in his expectations, and on the contrary,
his strength failing, despondent and dispirited, he re
turned to his home in Edwardsville. Conscious that the
end was not far distant he took leave of his wife and
child, and numerous admirers, and leaving Illinois and
the scenes of his highly honorable achievements, he took
his way alone to the home of his childhood in Kentucky
to once more see his parents; and there he died on the
16th of October, 1827, at the early age of thirty-three.
Three years later (1830) his wife also died, at the resi
dence of her father, Gov. Edwards, in Belleville, a victim
of the same dread disease, consumption, leaving an only
son, Gen'l John Cook, now an honored citizen of Michi
gan. In the twelve years of Daniel P. Cook's residence in
Illinois he practiced law, edited a paper, was circuit
judge, attorney general, and for seven years the sole
representative of the State in the lower house of Con
gress. In the latter service, acting upon a memorial
from the Illinois legislature, and ably aided by Senators
Kane and Thomas, he secured from Congress the grant
of five alternate sections of land on each side of the Illi
nois and Michigan canal its entire length (300,000 acres),
including a portion of Chicago, which practicaly ensured
completion of that great enterprise. For his valuable
services to the State the legislature testified the people's
gratitude by naming Cook county in his honor.
Joseph Duncan was a native of Bourbon county, Ken
tucky, born February 22d, 1794. At the age of eighteen
he enlisted in the military service of his country, and
served with bravery through the war with England of
1812'14. He was an Ensign with Col. Croghan at the
heroic defense of Fort Stephenson, where he conducted

77
himself with such gallantry that Congress directed the
President to present him a sword in token of the na
tion's appreciation of his high merits. He came to Illi
nois with his widowed mother, and her other children,
in 1818, and settled at Fountain Bluff in Jackson county.
He had received but moderate education in the Ken
tucky country schools, but time developed his sound
practical sense, and he stored his well-balanced mind
with much useful learning. In 1823 he was appointed
major general of the Illinois militia, and in 1824 was
elected to the State Senate.
At the August election in 1826 polls for voting were
opened for the first time in Chicago, where 30 votes were
cast, all for Edwards and Cook.
Notwithstanding the broken banks and scarcity of
money, the wretched roads and overflowed streams and
submerged prairies in the spring, and the green-headed
flies, mosquitoes and malaria in the summer, Illinois con
tinued to receive annually large accessions of population,
and to prosper. The yield of corn, wheat and oats in
1826 was unprecedented, and fruits of all kinds, known
to flourish here, were in great profusion. In the south
ern counties of the State the cultivation of castor beans
had commenced, and that of tobacco, cotton and flax had
proven very satisfactory, the products being sufficient
to supply all local demands.
The fifth general assembly was elected on the issue of
retrenchment and reform. The members chosen met at
Vandalia on Dec. 4th, 1826, and were faithful to their
ante-election pledges. William Kinney, the Lieutenant
Governor, presided over the Senate, with Emanuel J.
West, as Secretary ; and in the house, John McLean, late
U. S. Senator, was again elected Speaker, and William

78
L. D. Ewing, clerk. By way of retrenchment the legis
lature repealed the Duncan free school law and tho
Hamilton road law. It also repealed the five new cir
cuit judges out of office, and so amended the balance of
the judiciary system as to require the four supreme court
justices to hold circuit courts, thereby curtailing the
State's expenses the sum of $3,000 annually. A bill, in
troduced by John Reynolds to abolish the whipping pos t
and pillory as punishment for crimes, and substitute in
lieu thereof a penitentiary at Alton, was passed. For
ways and means to erect the State prison provided for,
Congress was appealed to, and, in response, granted the
State authority to sell 30,000 acres of the Gallatin county
saline lands, and 10,000 acres of the Vermilion county
salines, and apply one-half of the proceeds of said sales
to the prison building fund, and the other half to the
counties in the eastern part of the State for public im-
provements therein. Ex-Gov. Bond, Dr. Gershom Jayne
and William P. McKee were appointed a board of Com
missioners to locate the prison and to superintend its
construction. Then the legislature proceeded to elect a state treas
urer to succeed Abner Field. Four candidates offered
for the place, Abner Field, James Hall, who had just
been repealed out of his lately acquired judgeship, John
Tilson and Abraham Prickett. On the ninth ballot Judge
Hall was elected. Field fully expected to be re-elected,
but disappointed and vexedl by his defeat, immediately
on adjournment of the session rushed into the hall
and personally chastised four of the members who had
voted against him, and the others scampered away in
undignified haste to escape his wrath.
At the opening of the session of the legislature Gov.

79
Edwards delivered his inaugural message to the assem
bly in person, in his usual pompous style, dressed in the
height of fashion, resplendent in gold-laced broad cloth
coat and vest, and fine linen shirt with ruffled bosom
and cuffs. In the early part of the session, in a special
message to the legislature, he made grave charges of
corruption against the managers of the State bank at
Edwardsville, William Kinney, Shadrach Bond, Thomas
Carlin, Abraham Prickett, Elijah lies and Theophilus
W. Smith. The majority of the legislature, however,
more friendly to those gentlemen than to the Governor,
in taking action upon the message appointed a special
committee — all of whom were strong anti-Edwards men
— to investigate the charges, which they did with
modern whitewashing effect, fully exonerating the bank
officers from all blame or suspicion.
The justices of the supreme court, instructed by a pre
vious legislature to revise the state laws, reported the
result of their labors constituting a most thorough and
able revision of the statutes, much of which is still re
tained unchanged.
The counties of Vermilion, Shelby, Tazewell, Perry,
McDonough and Jo Daviess were organized, and the
legislature adjourned on the 19th of February, 1827. The
spring months of 1827 passed without event of note but
were enlivened by the annual hegira at that season, of
laborers, loafers, speculators and gamblers to the lead
diggings at Galena, who, imitating the habits of the
"sucker" fish, migrated up the river in the spring and
returned in the fall to winter in the south, hence were
called Suckers.
A little later, or early in the summer, occurred in the
vicinity of Galena the famed "Winnebago war" — more

80
properly the "Winnebago scare" — that for a brief time
excited the State with apprehensions of a serious Indian
outbreak. The Winnebago Indians claimed and occupied
the territory between Galena and the Wisconsin River.
and though friendly with the whites, had for some time
been irritated by continual trespasses and outrages
committed by miners, prospectors and boatmen, and
retaliated by the murder of one or more of- the white
intruders. The casus belli precipitating the conflict men
tioned and dignified by the term "Winnebago war," was
said by Gen. Reynolds, and other historians, to have
been the kidnapping of a number of squaws by the crews
of two keel boats on the way up the river with supplies
for Fort Snelling. That version is pronounced totally
untrue and absurd by Mr. Frank E. Stevens in his late
masterly history of The Black Hawk War.
He traces the origin of the trouble to the implacable
enmity of Black Hawk and 'his British band of Sacs to
the Americans. He says the Dakota Sioux and Chippe
was having fallen out, a party of the former while enter
taining a few of the latter, almost under the walls of
Fort Snelling, fell upon them and murdered them in cold
blood. Whereupon Col. Snelling, in command of the
fort, in accordance with Indian custom, arrested four of
the guilty Dakotas and delivered them to the Chippewas
who demanded them, and they were summarily dis
patched. The Dakotas thought Col. Snelling had no
right to interfere in their family jars, and awaited an
opportunity to wreak their vengeance on some of the
whites. Red Bird, a noted chief of the Winnebagos, had but
recently led an expedition against the Chippewas which
resulted in disastrous failure. While humiliated and

81
mortified by his defeat he was approached by the wily
Dakotas who represented to him that the four Indians
delivered by Col. Snelling to Chippewa slaughter were
Winnebagos. Then followed the massacre of several
settlers by Red Bird's band. About that time two keel
boats descending the river from Fort Snelling were at
tacked, about the mouth of the Bad Axe, by Indians
supposed to be Winnebagos, but were in reality Dakotas
and a party of Sacs under Black Hawk. Two of the
boatmen were killed and four wounded, of whom two
subsequently died.
That friction between the races was productive of in
tense excitement among both. The Winnebagos dis
patched couriers throughout their tribe and the Sioux
inciting them to prepare for a general uprising to ex
terminate the whites. The white settlers became wildly
alarmed. Not less than 3,000 of them, fled to Galena
for safety. The citizens were formed into companies,
defenses were erected, and the Governor was appealed
to for protection. In response, Gov. Edwards as quickly
as possible sent to Galena a regiment of militia from
Sangamon and Morgan counties commanded by Col. T.
M. Neale. Volunteers from all of the settlements, then
fully aroused, offered their services to the Governor.
In the mean time, however, Gen'l Atkinson came upon
the scene with 600 regular soldiers, and with the Galena
militia, marched into the Indian country and, without
firing a gun, pacified the trouble. He arrested several
of the principal chiefs, among whom was Black Hawk,
who were afterwards tried for previous murders of
whites. One or two were found guilty and executed, and
the others liberated. Black Hawk was one of those
acquitted, and, it is said, he afterwards boasted of hav-
6

82
ing himself committed the murders for which they were
tried. When Ool. Neale arrived at Galena, by forced marchec,
he and his men were much disgusted on learning that
peace was restored. They returned home disappointed;.
but for several years enjoyed the distinction, among
their neighbors, of being heroes of the "Winnebago

CHAPTER IV.
Gov. Edwards and John McLean — Election of Gen. Jackson and dom
inance of the Jackson Party — Progress of Education and Litera
ture in Illinois — Numerous distilleries, and habits of liquor drinking
— Reynolds and Kinney contest for Governor — Mr. Snyder elected
to the State Senate.
The political campaign of 1828 commenced in the sum
mer of 1827, and before the long, cold winter had fairly
set in a host of candidates for the legislature and other
offices were industriously interviewing the voters. Poli
tics then, as now, was the regular vocation of many and
the pastime of all. Illinois had suffered from protracted
droughts, crop failures, wars, pestilence and financial
panics, but never from a dearth of patriots ready and
willing to accept office. The office seeker was here be
fore the State came, and is still here in superabundance.
Gen'l Jackson was the standing candidate for the
Presidency of all who were opposed to the Adams ad
ministration, and the Democrats of Illinois, believing he
had before been defrauded of his election by New
England influence, were enthusiastic in his support. His
stanch friend, Gen'l Duncan, was again a candidate for
Congress, opposed by George Forquer. In St. Clair
county, Judge Reynolds was also "in the hands of his
friends" for re-election to the legislature, and Risdon
Moore, Jr., a near neighbor of Mr. Snyder in the Ameri
can Bottom, was a candidate for the State Senate.
In Gallatin county John McLean was once more before
the people for the legislature. He had twice been elected
Speaker of the house, and he declared it his intention,
if successful at the next election in his county, he would
again be an applicant for the U. S. Senate to succeed

84
Judge Jesse B. Thomas, who had published his intention
to retire at the expiration of his term. Gov. Edwards
would have been much pleased to re-enter the Senate-
when he vacated the Executive chair, but saw the
hopelessness of attempting a contest for it against Mc
Lean, then the strongest public man in the State. They
had antagonized each other before admission of Illinois
into the Union, and the two victories of Cook over Mc
Lean for Congress, with the latter's defeat of Edwards
for the Senate, had intensified their mutual enmity. In
the flush and glow of his power, Edwards looked down
on McLean as an obtrusive upstart scarcely worthy of
his respect. Time, however, wrought a change in their
political standing, and now, conscious that the scepter
of popular control was slipping from his grasp, and
catching at every hope to retain it, Edwards became a
meek supplicant for McLean's friendship. Suppressing
his long-nurtured resentment, he wrote to McLean —
who no longer feared, but defied him — a long, carefully
worded letter, from Vandalia, dated the 24th of June,
1828, in which he said: "I have no disposition to oppose
your election to the Senate of the United States, and
that I at present sincerely wish your success, and would
be happy if any exertion of mine could ensure it. * * *
And hence I have so often declined to' respond to. the
various attempts to draw me out in relation to Mr.
Pope's pretentions, that my aid is not, as it need not be,
calculated on by him." Farther oh he remarked, "Not
only Smith, but West, John Reynolds and' Snyder, all
candidates for the legislature, profess to prefer Mr. Pope
to' anyone else."*
The precise object Gov. Edwards had in view in thus
humiliating himself to his old enemy is not very
* Edwards Papers, pp. 346-349.

85
apparent. Judge Nathaniel Pope, then aspiring to the
Senate, was his cousin, and had always been his active
supporter. Reynolds, it is true, was a candidate for the
legislature, and was probably favorable to Judge Pope's
election; but neither Smith, West or Snyder were candi.
dates for the legislature, and were all three undoubted
McLean men. Edwards knew that he was powerless to
defeat McLean before the people, or their representa
tives in the general assembly, and probably wisely con
cluded that it would be better to place himself then in
harmony with the party in power. Another motive
actuating him was an effort to enlist McLean's aid to
defeat Duncan for Congress, knowing that he (McLean)
and Forquer were on terms of cordial friendship, though
they had been uncompromising opponents in the conven
tion campaign of 1824.
The spirit of "Old Hickory" was broadly diffused in
Illinois in 1828. The Jackson men were fairly frenzied
with enthusiasm for their distinguished leader. In the
extravagance of their patriotic zeal for the hero of New
Orleans they regarded opposition to his election as
tantamount to treason. In many localities no Whig
could be found rash enough to run for office, and Demo
crats of different degrees of loyalty to Jackson were
opposing candidates.
The August election of 1828 was another Jacksonian
victory. Joseph Duncan was re-elected to Congress, de
feating Forquer* by over 4,000 majority. Jn St. Clair
* George Forquer, a half brother of Gov. Ford and six years his
senior, worked in St. Louis for several years as a house carpenter, and
prospered. Returning to Illinois be and Daniel P. Cook laid out the
town of Waterloo in Monroe county. He then studied law, and in 1824
was elected to the legislature; was then appointed Secretary of State
by Gov Coles, and resigned to accept the office of Attorney General to
which he was elected by the legislature in January, 1829. In 1832 he
was elected State Senator in Sangamon county, and in 1835 was ap
pointed Register of the land office at Springfield by President Jackson.
He died, of consumption, in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1837, at the age of 43
years.

86
county, Risdon Moore, Jr., was elected to the State
Senate, and John Reynolds and William G. Brown, all
three convention, or pro-slavery, men, to the lower
house— Reynolds receiving 493 votes, Brown 461, John
H. Dennis 394, Abraham Eyman 342, Levi Piggott 22,
and John A. Manz 5. Dennis and Eyman were "Edwards
men." In the fall Gen'l Jackson was triumphantly elected
President, having 178 electoral votes to 83 for John
Quincy Adams. The Jackson Democracy was then un
questionably dominant in the Union — in Illinois it was
supreme. Upon organization of the sixth general assembly,
at Vandalia, on the 1st of December, 1828, John McLean
was, for the third time, elected Speaker of the House.
The message of Gov. Edwards, covering thirty-eight
closely written pages, was the most lengthy and elab
orate yet delivered by any Illinois Governor. As a
means for regaining his former preeminence in politics
and statesmanship his fertile brain evolved a sensational
policy, startling to the country and confusing to his
enemies. With many plausible arguments, and subtle
reasoning, he announced it in his message to be the right
of Illinois to all the public lands within its limits. It did
startle the legislature. The doctrine was new, and the
Governor's political enemies, largely in the majority,
apprehensive that the people might be favorably im
pressed with the prospective acquisition by the State of
such vast wealth, sustained it by adopting a resolution
declaring that "the United States cannot hold any right
of soil within the limits of the State, but for the erec
tion of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other
needful buildings." In some portions of the State this
new phase -of "State Sovereignty" was earnestly en-

87
dorsed by the people, in others the representatives who
voted for the resolution were laughed at by their con
stituents for having been made such fools of by Gov.
Edwards. It is needlss to say that Congress took no
notice of the Governor's novel "buncomb."
The joint session to select a senator to succeed Hon.
Jesse B. Thomas elected John McLean without opposi
tion and by acclamation, "a circumstance," Hon. E. B.
Washburn has said, "without a parallel in the history of
our State." The remarkably gifted recipient of that
rare honor lived, however, to serve but one session of his
six years' term, and died, at his home, in Shawneetown,
on the 14th of October, 1830, aged 39 years. Judge
Thomas, having perfected his arrangements, left Illinois,
on expiration of his term in the Senate, March 3d, 1829,
and removed to Mt. Vernon, Ohio. For twenty years
he had held high official positions in Illinois, and always
executed the trust reposed in him with fidelity and emi
nent ability. He retained throughout that period the
unbounded confidence and respect of the people; but
rather than stultify himself by suporting Jackson,
odious to him politically and personally, thereby to re
tain the following of his constituents who adored Old
Hickory, he chose to relinquish further aspirations to
political honors, and leave the State.
The constant dread of taxation haunting the people
impelled the sixth general assembly to adopt the wretch
ed expedient of selling the lands donated by Congress
to the State for educational purposes, and borrowing the
proceeds of such sales to defray current expenses of
State government. The lands thus granted by Congress
to maintain schools comprised one whole township of
six miles square, "to support a seminary of learning,."

and the sixteenth section in each township; or the six
teenth part of the entire public domain within the State.
It was all sacrificed to avoid ruffling the feelings of "tax
dodgers," and settlers who had squatted on the school
sections. By that criminal folly of weak demagogues
the squatters were undisturbed, the inevitable burden
of taxation was temporarily staved off, but the cause of
education was robbed of a princely fund, and a per
petual debt entailed upon future taxpayers. By 1829
the influence of expanding social and commercial inter
course with the older states were very perceptible in
Illinois. The coonskin cap, deerskin moccasins, fringed
hunting shirt and buckskin breeches, the common pio
neer masculine apparel, were fast disappearing. And in
the more advanced settlements factory-made fabrics were
replacing the jeans and linseys of domestic manufacture.
There, too, the carryalls and dearborns were superseding
ox wagons as family conveyances, and fine saddle horses
were in greater demand. Churches and school houses
were more numerous, and their refining impress on so
ciety was apparent. Here and there a neat, painted
frame house loomed up in front, or to one side, of the
eld log cabin in which the family was raised, flanked on
either side by a modern barn and thrifty apple orchard.
Increasing numbers of steamboats on'the rivers facili
tating transportation stimulated all agricultural and
industrial interests, as well as commerce in its various
departments. Farm products, no longer limited to
domestic consumption, were exported to distant river
points and profitably sold, or exchanged. The only cir
culating medium was still the depreciated notes of
banks in this and other states. That currency, though
below par, was a valued agency in promoting business
by its constant circulation, as it could not be hoarded

89
for fear of further depreciation. A "shinplaster" worth
seventy-five cents on the dollar at sunset might next
morning be quoted at only fifty cents.
Newspapers published in the State were gradually
multiplying, and in many of the better class residences,
books and papers1 were substituted for trophies of the
chase. Though the common school system provided by
Senator Duncan's bill had been suppressed in its incep
tion, the cause of education still kept pace with the ma
terial growth of the State. In 1827 the Baptists estab
lished, on the farm of Rev. J. M. Peck in St. Clair county,
Rock Spring Seminary, which was subsequently removed
to Upper Alton and there, transformed into Shurtleff
College, is still in flourishing condition. At Lebanon,
in St. Clair county, McKendree College, now the oldest
institution of learning in the State, and well maintained
under the presidency of that profound scholar, McKen
dree Hypes Chamberlain, LL. D., was founded in 1828
under the auspices of the Methodist conference. The
Catholic convent at Kaskaskia, for education of young
ladies, then at the zenith of its usefulness, was the high
est grade school in the west and deservedly very popu:
lar. The votaries of literature in Illinois had already at
tracted the attention of the world of letters, and become
famous in both hemispheres. Judge James Hall, Prof.
John Russell, Rev. John Mason Peck, Sidney Breese,
were pioneer authors of genius, whose many contribu
tions of sterling merit to the literature of that day were
important factors in the intellectual progress of the
State. The writers above mentioned, with several other
public men of distinction and cultured tastes, organized
a State Historical Society at Vandalia in 1827. Several
sessions of the Society were held, at the State capitol, of

90
exceeding interest, at which papers were read and ad
dresses delivered of much historic value. Judge James
Hall was its president, and on the roll of its members
were, with those above mentioned, the now historic
names of Samuel D. Lockwood, Gov. Edward Coles, John
Reynolds, Samuel McRoberts, W. L.. D. Ewing, Peter
Cartwright, Gov. Ninian Edwards, Chief Justice William
Wilson, Edmund D. Taylor, David J. Baker, Richard M.
Young and Theophilus W. Smith. The abandonment of
that organization, and loss of its archives were a posi
tive calamity to the State and people, deplored particu
larly by after generations. Illinois had then passed its
period of greatest illiteracy. There were still some
adults who could neither read or write, but their num
ber was annually diminishing. A common impression
of the early western pioneers — created by ignorant, or
designing, eastern writers — portrayed them as rude and
vulgar, total strangers to literary acquirements and re
finement of manners, and, in all personal essentials of
civilization and culture, but little above the savages
they had displaced. Such was far from the truth.
Among the volunteers led by George Rogers Clark into
Illinois, and who subsequently returned to it, with
others, to make it their home, a large proportion were
men of more or less education, superior intelligence and
sterling worth. And such was the character of the
settlers of Illinois from the first. The dissolute and de
praved were exceptional, as in all new territories. In
1829, the agitation for temperance reform, so general a
lew years later, had not yet emerged from its Boston
cradle. If heard of incidentally in the west it was de
nounced as a pernicious puritanical movement of the
Yankees to abridge personal liberties guaranteed by the
constitution. Small portable distilleries — the "Ven-

91
omous Worm" of Prof. Russell — had been introduced in
to the State by early immigrants from Pennsylvania,
Tennessee and Kentucky, and operated here and. there in
the settlements, unhampered by restrictive, or revenue,
laws in their conversion of sod corn into whiskey, which
had the merit, at least, of cheapness and freedom from
deleterious adulterations.
Moderate drinking was then not considered derogatory
to character; nor was total abstinence esteemed a cri
terion of moral excellence or social purity. Liquors
were staple articles of merchandise at all retail stores;
and dramshops known then as "groceries," untaxed, or
but nominally taxed, were a conspicuous feature of every
town and crossroads village. Liquor was also the al
most universal adjunct of hospitality, and the mosl
potent agent in electioneering for office.
When the legislature adjourned, in January, 1829,
John Reynolds was once more out of office, but "the
leading characters all over the State had solicited him
to offer as a candidate for Governor;"* and he did so.
There was then in Illinois practically but one political
party — the Jackson party, the Whigs being in such a
hopeless minority as to regard it futile to run candidates
for the higher offices, and only in a few counties were
they strong enough to elect local officers. The result,
or effect, of that condition was segregation of the Jack
son party into factions based on different degrees of
Jacksonism. Reynolds was a Jackson Democrat of the
"Milk and Cider'.' brand — very conservative and prudent.
The Whigs, though weak, were almost strong enough to
hold the balance of power in the State. He inferred
that no member of their party had the temerity to enter
* Reynolds' Life and Times, p. 290.

92
the race for Governor, and shrewdly calculated that a
"milk and cider" course, in reference to Jackson, would
secure to him the support of all the moderate Jackson
men, and that the Whigs would vote for him as a- choice
of evils.
William Kinney, the Lieutenant Governor, attended
the inauguration of President Jackson, March 4th, 1829,
and on his return to Illinois from Washington City, an
nounced himself a candidate for Governor, as an ultra,
or "Whole Hog" Jackson man. Kinney was inclined to
go the "whole hog" in all things; in other words, he was
an extremist. Proscription for opinion's sake had not
yet become a party tenet, and Gov. Kinney was one of
the first to promulgate it as the correct party doctrine.
"The Whigs," he said, "should be whipped out of office
like dogs out of a meat house." Though the election
was not to take place until August, 1830, the canvass of
the State was commenced by both candidates in the
spring of 1829.
No sentiment appeals to the average American with
such stirring force as that of patriotism. Especially in
the scramble for office is a gunpowder record far more
effective for attaining success than the finest scholastic
qualifications. Thrice is that candidate armed who at
some period of his life shouldered his gun in defense of
his country. Kinney had no war record, having chosen
in early manhood to tread the avenues of peace as a
Minister of the gospel; but Reynolds had served his
State in its time of danger as a "Ranger," when the
frontier was menaced by combined English and Indian
foes, in 1812-14. From that service he gained the
sobriquet of the "Old Ranger" — of which he was justly
quite proud — and when a candidate for office posed be-

93
fore a grateful people as a veteran defender of his coun
try. Though Gov. Edwards had run his public course-
as all politicians do, sooner or later — the faction he con
trolled was still a power in the 'political affairs of the
State. To conciliate that element, and if not enlist itc
support, at least neutralize its opposition, the Old
Ranger wisely concluded would be a master stroke of
policy. But he saw no way to acomplish it but by abas
ing himself to his haughty enemy, Edwards, and humbly
beg restoration of his friendship — as Edwards had short
ly before prostrated himself in the dust before McLean.
While he was fully aware of the low estimate placed up
on himself by Gov. Edwards, he also knew that no pub
lic man in the State was so obnoxious to Gov. Edwards
as Kinney. He entertained no fear that Edwards would
support Kinney; but the danger he apprehended was
that the Edwards men might possibly ally themselves
with the Whigs, and bring out a third candidate for
Governor, who would defeat the divided Jackson party
— both himself and Kinney.
Spurred to desperate action by the seeming exigency
of the situation, the Old Ranger addressed Gov. Ed
wards as follows: "WATERLOO, 12 August, 1829.
Deak Sib:
I conceive it my duty to communicate with you. I*do it in the
spirit of peace and good will. Let the past be forgotten. It is
right for the public good to unite, and lay aside all personal diffi- ¦
cutties.. Many of your friends are mine. Many of them have pro
posed me to the public for governor. It is necessary to secure
success for us all to act in concert. All this anxiety for the good
of the State will come to nothing if we do not act together. This
can be done without making much parade about it at the begin
ning. I have been over some of the State this spring, and will see
much of it this fall. I would be much pleased to say to our mutual
friends that all was harmony in this section of the State.

94
We must a,ct not only in concert, but with energy to gain all
points. We have the means, if we use them right. We must head
our opponents in their own way. Presses, speeches, and much
riding must be brought in our aid. I will do my part. I was
placed on the track at Vandalia for this purpose that I could help
myself. I have not been lazy in the business. We are all equally
interested in the present approaching contest. The office I go in
for with the wishes of our friends is not the only one. Please write
me to Kaskaskia by Mr. Cowles. Tour humble serv't, John Reynolds. *
Gov. N. Edwards, Belleville.
Fav'd by A. Cowles, Esq."
The intimation delicately conveyed in the closing line-
that the office "our friends" were trying to force upon
him was "not the only one," was a well-aimed shaft that
struck Gov. Edwards in a vulnerable point — his linger
ing hope that he might again occupy a seat in the United
States Senate. His answer was dignified, cautious and
non-committal, but he asserted positively that he was
not for Kinney, and would, in due time, demonstrate the
right of the State to all the lands within its limits, and
"maintain it without force, or the slightest interruption
to the tranquillity of the Union." That was another vol
nerable point, that Reynolds lost no time in attacking.
He unhesitatingly became zealous in his advocacy of
that queer hobby, and so adroitly plied his flattery that
he secured the active support of Gov. Edwards before the
summer had passed. In fact, their relations grew to be
quite cordial and confidential. Writing to Gov. Ed
wards from Cold Prairie, Dec. 1st, 1829, the Old Ranger
said: "I rec'd from Mr. Cowles the writing, which I
know to be excellent. I am under obligations for it. I
tho't it advisable to change some of the expressions
* Edwards Papers, p. 416 et seq.

95
more into my lingo. The reasoning on the subject of the
public lands is demonstrating itself, and shall go verba
tim. No man of any ordinary capacity can resist the ar
gument. * * * I know not how many of these handbills
ought to go out. I was thinking of 1,000. If you can
not go to Vandalia, please inform Mr. Cowles of your
notions on this subject. I would like soon to see whom
we ought to elect to. the legislature."*
The Old Ranger adopted without hesitancy as his own,
the electioneering handbill written for him by Gov. Ed
wards; but very prudenty changed some of its high-
sounding rhetorical expressions into his own well-
known "lingo;" the Governor's ready-made arguments
"on the subject of the public lands," however, he per
mitted to "go verbatim." No less significant was the
hint about seeing "whom we ought to elect to the legis
lature," as one duty of the legislature he referred to
would be the election of a U. S. Senator.
William Kinney, the candidate for governor opposed to
Reynolds, was born in Kentucky in 1781, and came with
his parents and their other children, to New Design,
Illinois, in 1798. He is said to have driven the first team
and wagon that ever passed over the road from Fort
Massac to Kaskaskia. He grew up to manhood on the
farm in rude ignorance, an energetic, frolicksome, good
natured fellow, and — fortunately for himself — married
before he had reached the age of twenty. After that
event he was taught, by John Messenger, to read and
write, and upon that foundation became in time, by his
own efforts and application to study, a very intelligent
and well-informed man. In 1803 he located four miles
northeast of Belleville on heavily timbered land, and
* Edwards Papers, pp. 463-464.

96
there built his cabin and cleared a farm. To that in
dustry he added a country store, and prospered. His
business tact was marvelous. He bought and sold any
thing offered or demanded, from whiskey, pigs and chick
ens, to negro slaves and farms, and amassed a large and
valuable estate. In 1800 he was converted and joined
the Baptist church, and not long afterwards was author
ized by the church to preach, which he did with zeal and
effect. In an evil hour he contracted the mania for pub- '
lie life and office, and, in 1818, was elected a Senator in
the first State legislature.
In stature he was above medium height, squarely and
compactly built, muscular, energetic and active; with
hazel eyes and auburn hair. He had regular, pleasant
features; kind, sympathetic nature, and sanguine, jovial
disposition. Not profound in thought or book learning,
he had much solid, clear, common sense, and his cordial,
friendly ways made him popular among the people. His
voice was strong, and though not eloquent or always log
ical, his speeches, as his conversation, interspersed with
witty anecdotes and homely original phrases, were inter
esting and entertaining. His convictions were firmly
grounded and immovable, as were his friendships and
enmities; but in all things he was actuated by a high
and delicate sense of honor. The pursuit of office and
its — too common — concomitant, generous, convivial hab
its, finally wrought his ruin and clouded the evening of
his life with financial troubles and pitiable wreck of his
bright and vigorous mind.
The protracted contest was characterized by extraor
dinary earnestness and enthusiasm on the part of both
candidates and their friends. They repeatedly traveled
over all settled portions of the State, not omitting

97
Galena, then in the zenith of its phenomenal prosperity
and separated from the older settlements by an unin
habited waste of over two hundred miles. They address
ed the people daily, scattered their handbills every
where, and caused whiskey to flow as freely as water.
Kinney was not a writer, but always had at hand an
amanuensis to write his correspondence and shape his
copy for the printer. And Reynolds, professing to be a
"classic" scholar, as already shown, was not backward
in availing himself of Gov. Edwards' "writing," and of
help from every available quarter.* Enclosing the copy
of another hand bill for Reynolds to his brothers, Cfyrus
and B. F. Edwards, for the printer at Edwardsville, on
Juy 15, 1830, Gov. Edwards wrote to them: "I will
either pay $15 toward the expense, or procure sufficient
money for Reynolds, which I can do by going his security
and giving 12J per cent interest. I have already ad
vanced more money than all of Reynolds' friends to
gether, though they do not seem to know it." The fact
that Gov. Edwards was actively assisting Reynolds —
supposed with ulterior motives — was soon generally
known, and before the campaign closed, Kinney and all
his cohorts measurably ignored Reynolds, and aimed
their malignant abuse and vituperation at Edwards.
Kinney avoided prolix discussions of State policy, and
sought to amuse and interest his hearers with ridiculous
allusions to Reynolds, and endeavored to fasten upon
him the charge of being an Adams man, and claiming
that he himself was the only Jackson candidate. Rey
nolds drank no liquor, but saw that his "friends" who
did were well supplied with it. He made no personal
* "I told Reynolds he must fight the battle more bravely, or he would
be an object of contempt deservedly; and he has agreed to publish a
hand bill written by Ford and myself for him."— George Forquer to Gov.
Edwards. Edwards Papers, pp. 518-519.

98
charges against Kinneyand invariably treated him with
deference and respect.
Risdon Moore, Jr., the senator elected in St. Clair
county in 1828, died, at his home, in the summer of 1829.
That sad event caused a vacancy in the county's repre
sentation in the State Senate to be supplied at the next
general election in 1830. When the selection of a can
didate to succeed Mr. Moore was agitated the people of
the county with great unanimity turned to Adam W.
Snyder as the most available man for the place. So
general and spontaneous was their choice that he could
not well decline it, and, in obedience to their wishes, he
announced himself a candidate as a Jackson Democrat,
but unidentified with either the "milk and cider" or
"whole hog" factions. He was not, however, permitted
to occupy the field alone. Extremists of the Edwards-
Reynolds factions regarding him as, in a manner, the
political legatee of Senator Jesse B. Thomas, placed in
opposition to him one Robert Zimmer, of whom nothing
whatever is now known.
For the first time John Reynolds and Adam W. Sny
der were candidates in the same campaign, not as an
tagonists, however, but nominally on the same ticket,
for different offices. The impetuous contest of Reynolds
and Kinney for the Governorship overshadowed, indeed
almost entirely eclipsed, all others for minor offices that
year; yet, the day of widely circulating daily papers not
having then dawned, aspirants of all grades, who chose
to address the people "on the issues of the day," could
always depend on having interested and attentive aud
iences. In his new role of office-seeker, Mr. Snyder de
livered his first political speech in the French language
to his earliest Illinois friends, at Cahokia, in the spring

99
of 1830. He spoke at pubic meetings at a few other
points in the county in the course of the spring and
early summer; but, as he was so generally well known,
and had but nominal opposition, he found it unneces
sary to expend any unusual exertion to secure his elec
tion. By the census of 1830 Illinois was shown to have a
population of 157,447, and had 51 organized counties.
The settlements then extended as far north as Peoria,
and a few adventurous pioneers had squatted, from 30
to 75 miles apart, along the Illinois River to the vicinity
of Chicago, and at about equal intervals along the Mis
sissippi from Alton to Galena. There were scattered
settlements on the Military Tract between Pekin and
Quincy and farther south, but on north to Wisconsin,
between the Illinois and Mississippi, the prairie was un
marked save by a few trails leading to the Galena lead
mines. At the election on the 2d of August, 1830, 12,937 votes
were cast for Reynolds, and 9,039 for Kinney, a majority
of 3,899 for the Old Ranger. Zadock Casey, of Jefferson
county, a Methodist minister who ran on the Kinney
ticket for Lieutenant Governor, was elected, defeating
Ridgon B. Slocumb, the Reynolds candidate. The Whigs
generally voted for Reynolds; or, as some of them ex
plained, they did not vote for Reynolds, but against Kin
ney. Gen'l Duncan was re-elected to Congress as the
Jackson ("whole hog") candidate, receiving 13,032 votes
to 4,659 for Sidney Breese, and 3,397 for ex-Gov. Coles,
anti-Jackson. In St. Clair county Mr. Snyder was elected to the
State Senate, receiving all the votes polled for that office

100
but 92. In that county William G. Brown and Jacob
Ogle were elected representatives, and John D. Hughes,
sheriff. That Mr. Snyder had not before* sought office seems
strange; and yet more strange that it was with much re
luctance he at length yielded to the solicitations of his
friends and neighbors to become a candidate for the
State Senate when there was no doubt of his election.
Probably he had not yet discovered his natural aptitude
for public life, and had resolved to ignore politics and
apply his abilities and energies all of his days to the pro
fession of law, and to private business. Or, it may be
that he had contemplated entering upon a public career
later, when he thought himself better equipped for it by
some years of study and self-education, and his financial
condition enabled him to do so'. But, whatever reason
may have induced him to remain in retirement for the
ten years after his marriage, seems to have become in
operative after his election to the Senate, in 1830; for he
thereafter was — in office-seeker's parlance — "in the
hands of his friends." The ten years intervening since
he was admitted to the bar, in 1820, were the busiest,
and, in many respects, the most profitable of his life. In
that time he accumulated a fine library, much valuable
property, and a more valuable fund of learning and
knowledge, that fitted him for the honorable stations to
which he was subsequently called, and to still higher
honors possibly in store for him had his physical health
been commensurate with his ambition and mental force.
On November 12th, 1830, David J. Baker, of Kaskaskia,
a native of Connecticut, who came to Illinois in 1819 —
was appointed U. S. Senator, by Gov. Edwards, to fill
the vacancy occasioned by the death of Senator McLean,

101
to serve until the successor of McLean was elected by
the legislature.
Upon organization of the seventh general assembly at
Vandalia, on the 6th of December, 1830, Jesse B. Thomas,
Jr., a nephew of Judge Jesse B. Thomas, late U. S. Sena
tor — a lawyer residing at Edwardsville, was chosen sec
retary of the Senate, and William Lee D. Ewing, of Van
dalia, was elected Speaker of the house.
Mr. Snyder was detained at home by sickness in his
family and pressing business engagements, so that he
did not appear at Vandalia to take his seat in the Senate
until the 28th of December. After taking the prescribed
oath he was added, by the presiding officer, Lieut. Gov.
Casey, to the standing committees on Judiciary and In
ternal Improvements.
In his inaugural message, Gov. Reynolds recommended
legislation for promotion of education, and for internal
improvements, including completion of the canal, the
building of highways to connect distant parts of the
State, completion of the penitentiary, and settling up
the affairs of the old State bank. That message was, in
great part, the production of Gov. Edwards, and called
attention of the legislature especially to the new doc
trine of State ownership of its soil, with the assurance
that he (Reynolds) was "satisfied that this State, in right
of its sovereignty and independence, is the rightful owner
of the land within its limits."
As was the case with his two predecessors, Governors
Coles and Edwards, Gov. Reynolds soon discovered that
he was not in accord with' the legislature. A majority
of the members of both houses were supporters of Kin
ney, and were so familiarly acquainted with the Old
Ranger that they could not regard him seriously as the
chief executive of the State and entertain for him the

102
respect and deference due the exalted position. Among
the Senators especially, his serio-comic simplicity and as
sumed humility, and his lack of dignity and manhood
made him the butt of many coarse jests; and they mani
fested their contempt for his authority by refusing to
confirm his appointments, and treating his recommenda
tions with indifference.
Mr. Snyder commenced his legislative duties immedi
ately on taking his seat, by asking leave to present the
petition of Dr. Joseph Green, of St. Clair county, for re
lief, which, on motion of Conrad Will, was referred to a
special committee of three, Will, Snyder and Conway,
appointed by the presiding officer. The specific relief
prayed for by Dr. Green is now lost to history, but was
probably granted. The new sphere in which Mr. Snyder
found himself seemed well suited to .his cast of mind,
and he began at once to participate in the proceedings
of the Senate without restraint or diffidence, or any sense
of inferiority. He was a ready and pleasant speaker,
with decided taste for discussion and debate, particu
larly of public questions. His courteous and agreeable
manners, and friendly, social disposition favorably im
pressed his associates in the Senate chamber who were
hot long in recognizing his force and capability.
But for obligations incurred by the State as sponsor
for its old broken bank, its finances were in comparative
ly sound condition. On Dec. 1st, 1830, there was a bal
ance in the treasury of $32,404. The State was indebted
for outstanding auditor's warrants $11,516, and for
school fund warrants $28,283. There was due the State
from delinquent non-resident tax-payers, $11,600; from
Abner Field, late treasurer, $12,516; for rents of the Gal
latin salines $5,866, and from sheriffs on judgments, $805.
The annual revenues of the State from all sources reach-

103
ed $45,000, and annual current expenses averaged about
$42,000. Hon. David J. Baker, appointed Senator temporarily,
by Gov. Edwards, was not in sympathy with the Kinney
element of the legislature, consequently, that body. has
tened to come together at the earliest convenient date to
relieve him by electing Mr. McLean's successor. In
joint session, on the 11th of December, Elias K. Kane
was elected his own successor on the first ballot. The
name of Gov. Edwards was not even mentioned, as a
candidate. For McLean's successor, John M. Robinson,
of White county, was elected on the fifth ballot, with 34
votes, to 15 for Thomas Mather. The only civil office
Mr. Robinson ever held prior to his elevation to the Sen
ate was that of Prosecuting Attorney. He had been
commissioned a Brigadier General of militia some years
before. He was a native of Kentucky, born in 1794, and
came to Illinois in 1817. He was a lawyer, and regarded
as one of the ablest in southeastern Illinois. He was
six feet, four inches tall, with erect, soldier-like bear
ing, fine features, and was an eloquent speaker. It is
somewhat remarkable that, with few exceptions, the
men who gained prominence in the early government of
the State were tall, of large stature and attractive ap
pearance. Daniel P. Cook, slender and effeminate, was
one of the few exceptions. Gov. Ford, another excep
tion, who was scarcely five and a half feet high, thin and
homely, with long nose turned at the point a little to
one side, commenting upon the fact above stated, says:
"Edwards was a large, well-made man, with a noble,
princely appearance, which was a circumstance greatly
in his favor as a governor over a rude people, of whom it
may be said, that the animal greatly preponderated over
the intellectual man. In fact, it may well be questioned

104
whether mankind will ever become so intellectual and
spiritual that mere size, vigor of muscle, and consequent
animal spirits, will cease to have more influence with the
multitude than mere intellect unaided by those fleshly
advantages."* * Ford's History of niinois.p. 63.

GENERAL JAMES SEMPLE.

CHAPTER V.
The Wiggins Loan — State . entitled to three Congressman — The Whip
ping Post and Pillory abolished— Winter of the Deep Snow — The
State borrows $20,000 to pay current expenses— First campaign of
the Black Hawk War — The Indians reappear in 1832 — Two thousand
volunteers are put in the field — Mr. Snyder's fight with Indians at
Burr Oak Grove.
The Senatorial elections disposed of, the legislature
grappled with the serious problem of devising means for
redemption of the outstanding notes of the old. State
bank. That duty had been evaded and postponed upon
various pretexts by former legislatures whose members
could devise no solution of the matter but by increasing
the public debt; or increasing direct taxes on property.
Either horn of that dilemma, if adopted, would incite
the wrath of the people, and consequently relegate the
members who voted for it to the tomb of the Capulets—
so to speak. The bank charter had expired by limita
tion, and settlement of its affairs could no longer be de
ferred. After discussion of every phase of the question,
a bill was finally passed authorizing the loan, upon the
faith of the State, of $100,000 to meet, in part, the losses
of the bank. The money was secured of Mr. Wiggins, of
Cincinnati, and became famous in the financial history
of the State as "the Wiggins loan." And it was long a
nightmare and terror to a large class of people, who
charged that the legislature had sold the State outright
to Wiggins, as so enormous a sum, they imagined, could
never be repaid by Illinois. Many members of the legis
lature were sorely embarrassed to contrive suitable
apologies and explanations to their constituents to jus
tify their action, and a goodly number of them were
never heard of again in public life. "The honor of the

106
State was saved, the legislature was damned for all time
to come."*
An animated contest occurred in joint session for elec
tion of a state treasurer to succeed Judge Hall who was
himself a candidate for re-election. He was anti-Jack
son; but in the paper he edited at Vandalia he had ably
and strenuously advocated the election of Kinney. He
was opposed by John Dement, a "whole hog" Jackson
man, who, however, had worked and voted for Reynolds.
Enough Kinney members were finally won over to elect
Dement, which was claimed a great victory for the Rey
nolds administration.
The seventh general assembly re-apportioned the
State for representation upon the basis of the census of
1830, whereby Illinois was found to be entitled to three
Congressmen, and the legislative representation was in
creased to 26 Senators and 55 representatives. It also
amended the criminal law by abolishing the whipping
post and pillory modes of punishment and substituting
therefor imprisonment in the penitentiary at hard labor.
Mr. Snyder is shown., by the Senate journal of that
session, to have been one of the busiest, most attentive
and most influential members of that body. He was
never absent, and voted on all measures proposed. He
voted for the Wiggins loan, and, on returning to the
people who elected him, defended the loan as the wisest
course that could have been pursued under existing con
ditions. He opposed a bill introduced for establishing
another State bank. On the 6th of January, 1831, he
submitted a Resolution requesting "the Governor to cor
respond with any person, or persons, to ascertain if a
loan of $20,000 can be obtained for the State, at a rate
* Ford's History of niinois, p. 107.

107
of interest not to exceed 6 per cent, per annum, and ;i t
a credit of not more than ten years; so as to have said
money at the seat of government of this State at the
close of the present general assembly to defray current
expenses. And that the Governor report the result to
the legislature." That resolution, indicating unmistak
ably the emptiness of the State treasury, was, of course,
adopted unanimously by both houses, and the Governor
reported before adjournment that he had succeeded in
borrowing the sum specified.
Oh January 11, 1831, "Governor Reynolds sent a spe
cial message to the legislature conveying the informa
tion that "the Indians had committed outrages and in
juries on citizens on the northwest boundary of the
State," and asked that authority be given him "to call
out a sufficient force to protect the settlers, enforce ad
ministration of the law and remove the offending In
dians from the territoi-y they had some time ago sold to
the government." The message and accompanying pa
pers were, on motion of Mr. Snyder, referred to the
committee on military affairs, who soon reported, and a
bill was passed giving the Governor plenary power to
repel the Indian raid.
A bill introduced by Mr. Snyder, and passed, embody
ing the then novel principle, now generally recognized,
of municipal control of corporations, provided the grant
ing of power to the county court of St. Clair county to
regulate the rates for ferriage charged by the Wiggins
Ferry Company which was an unavoidable monopoly as
merciless in its extortionate charges as is the Chicago
stockyard monopoly of today. Acts were passed author
izing individuals named to "lay out" roads: and build
bridges in various parts of the State. The Counties of

108
Cook, Effingham, La Salle, Rock Island and Jasper were
organized, the latter two having less than 400 inhab
itants each. On the 16th of February, 1831, the seventh
general assembly adjourned after a session of 72 days.
That winter was the severest yet experienced by the
settlers of Illinois, and is memorable in the annals of the
State, as "the winter of the deep snow." The weather
was unusually mild all fall and on to Christmas eve,
Dec. 24th, 1830, when snow began falling and continued
to fall at intervals for nine weeks, attaining an uniform
depth of three feet four inches. It was drifted by force
of wind, in some localities' to several feet more, filling
lanes and covering fences, and, in some instances, bury
ing beneath it small log cabins with their inmates. Rain
fell and froze, forming a crust of ice on the snow's sur
face strong enough to bear a man's weight. The snow
remained on the ground until late in March, 1831, with
severely cold weather, the temperature often falling sev
eral degrees below zero. Many quails, rabbits, and other
birds and small quadrupeds perished from the effects of
cold and starvation. Deer and turkeys and flocks of
prairie chickens invaded the corn fields and fed upon
such corn in the shock as was accessible to them ; but be
came so emaciated from want of sufficient food as no
longer to tempt the human instinct for merciless slaugh
ter. The deep snow and protracted cold caused much
suffering and privation among many of the settlers who
were illy prepared for such an unexpected visitation.
It was fortunate for the exhausted State treasury that
firewood was abundant and convenient at Vandalia. The
Auditor's report states that 78 cords of wood were con
sumed in heating the State House during the session of
the legislature, costing $1.75 per cord.

109
In 1804 a Sac Indian murdered a white man not far
from Rock Island, and was arrested by the Indian agent
and sent to St. Louis and there confined in jail. Four
of the principal Sac chiefs proceeded to St. Louis to try
to effect his release. They were cordially received by the
agents of the government there and royally entertained.
They were promised that the culprit would be set at lib
erty, and were loaded with presents and liberally plied
with fire water. Then a treaty was proposed to them,
which they signed on November 3d, by which they ceded
to the United States all their land's in Illinois lying be
tween the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and extending
from the mouth of Rock River to the northern State
boundary, about 50,000,000 acres, in consideration of an
annual payment to the tribe in perpetuity by the United
States of $1,000. The government further agreed
to permit the Sacs to hunt upon that ceded territory
until incoming settlers should need it, when the Presi
dent would give them notice to leave it. To much of
that district ceded by the Sacs they perhaps had no title,
as the Winnebagos occupied all of it between Rock River
and the Mississippi above the Prophet's towns forty
miles from the junction of the two streams, and the Pot-
tawatomies were located for some distance west of the
Illinois river from its mouth to its source.
Consequently, the Sacs retained peaceable possession
of the lands they had sold until the ever-advancing tide
of civilization demanded their removal. Reluctantly they
yielded to- the President's positive order in 1830 and re
moved to the extensive reservation allotted to them on
the western side of the Mississippi. There the extra
ordinary fall of snow and rigorous weather of the winter
following, rendering hunting and fishing impracticable,
reduced them to the verge of starvation. In the spring

110
of 1831 Black Hawk and his band recrossed the Missis
sippi and returned to their old village, Saukenuk, three
miles south of Rock Island. They came back for food,
to hunt, and raise corn, which some of the squaws com
menced to plant. They found their village partly de
stroyed and the detested white settlers in possession of
their fields. They ordered the white intruders away,
and attempted to enforce their order by tearing the clap
board roofs from the cabins of the trespassers, throwing
down their fences, and killing their stock. It was then,
in April and May, the panic-stricken settlers sent to
Gov. Reynolds for protection. In response to their ap
peals the Governor issued a call for 700 men to rendez
vous at Beardstown, on the Illinois river, and thence pro
ceed to Rock Island. At the same time he sent informa
tion of the Indian "outbreak" to Gen'l Gaines, com
mander of the U. S. troops at Jefferson Barracks, and
also to Gen'l Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs at
St. Louis, and asked their co-operation in efforts to eject
the Indians from the State, peaceably if possible.
The Governor's call for volunteers was answered in a
few days by 2,000 hardy patriots, mounted, armed, and
eager for Indian scalps. At Beardstown, and a cam])
near Rushville, they were divided into two regiments,
an odd battalion and a spy battalion. James D. Henry
was elected Colonel of one of the regiments and Daniel
Leib, Colonel of the other. Major Nathaniel Buckmas-
ter was placed in command of the odd battalion, and
Major Sam Whiteside of the spys, all under Gen'l Joseph
Duncan as Brigadier General.
That motley mob left the vicinity of Rushville on the
1st of June for the seat of war accompanied by Gov.
Reynolds as Commander-in-chief, and his staff. In the

Ill
meantime Gen'l Gaines had reached Fort Armstrong
some days before with six companies of U. S. infantry
and met the volunteers — he traveling by steamboat-
eight miles below the mouth of Rock River, and there
they all remained over night. The next morning, June
25th, the combined forces, aggregating about 2,500 men,
moved up Rock River, on the south side, to Vandruff's
Island where they expected to find the enemy in force.
Gen'l Gaines proceeded with his boat to the foot of the
island and fired upon its vine-matted, brushy surface
several rounds of grape shot. Just then Gov. Reynolds,
Commander-in-chief of the Illinois forces, was suddenly
taken sick and going aboard the boat, went to bed.
After the grape shot exercise Gen'l Duncan's militia
crossed over to the island and groping their way
through the tangled bushes discovered no enemy. They
then crossed -Rock River higher- up at a ford, and charg
ed upon Saukenuk the ancient Sac village, only to find
it deserted; the noble sons and daughters of the forest,
three or four hundred strong, having slipped out during
the night across the Mississippi and camped twelve
miles below. Gov. Reynolds recovered; and the volun
teers, disappointed and vexed, wreaked their vengeance
upon the vacant huts by reducing them to ashes.
In obedience to a peremptory demand by Gen'l Gaines,
in a few days Black Hawk with twenty-seven of the
principal warriors of his band, came to Fort Armstrong,
and there made a treaty with Gen'l Gaines and Gov.
Reynolds, in which they solemnly agreed that they would
return to the west side of the river, and not again re-
cross it without permission of the President; that they
would exclude British agents from their tribe, and
would permit the United States to build forts and estab
lish post routes in their reservation on the west side.

112
In return, the United States would guarantee to • the
Sacs and Foxes and their allies permanent and peace
able possession of their western lands. A quantity of
corn and other provisions was then given to the dusky
warriors, who retired to the west side, and the volun
teers wre mustered out of service and returned to their
homes. Thus ended the first, and bloodless, campaign
of the famous Black Hawk war.
A friend of the British, entertaining the bitterest
hatred for the despoilers of his village and fields and
hunting grounds, Black Hawk left Fort Armstrong in a
sulky mood, dissatisfied and meditating future ven
geance. Foiled in his purpose and humiliated he proceeded
with his warriors up the river and attacked a party of
twenty-eight Menominees encamped on an island op
posite Prairie du Chien, and killed them all but one,
who made his escape. Those Indians, with some Sioux,
had the year before attacked the Sacs, but were friendly
to the whites, and were then under protection of the
United States garrison near that place. After the mas
sacre, Gen'l Street, the Indian Agent, made a formal de
mand upon Black Hawk to deliver to the commander of
Fort Crawford the murderers of the Menominees, to
which the haughty old warrior returned an answer of
contempt and defiance.
After making the treaty with Black Hawk at Fort
Armstrong, Gov. Reynolds accompanied Gen'l Gaines,
by boat, to St. Louis, and from there returned to his
home at Oahokia. He then changed his place of resi
dence to Belleville, having had that removal in contem
plation for some time. There was then no law requiring
the Governor of the State to reside at the State capital,

113
and he remained there during the sessions of the legis
lature only, for convenience in conducting public busi
ness and from choice.
Relieved of all apprehension of further molestation by
the Indians, the frontier settlers replanted their corn and
cultivated it, and in the fall gathered their crops, and
passed the following winter in security and comfort.
Upon adjournment of the legislature, in February,
1831, Mr. Snyder returned to his farm, well satisfied with
the course he had pursued as a public servant, and also
well content to remain at home henceforth, and give to
his business and his family his entire attention. With
renewed enthusiasm he resumed his professional labors
to make up the time lost at Vandalia, and success re
warded his diligence. He was, however, strongly in
clined to offer his services as a soldier, when the Gover
nor called for volunteers ; but the demands of his clients,
his personal interests and the welfare of his family com
pelled him to check his patriotic ardor and forego the
"bubble reputation."
The winter of 1831-32 was comparatively mild and
pleasant, and was passed by the peopie in unusual quiet
ude, without Indian alarms, and free from the din and
wrangling of a political campaign, or the annoyance of a
session of the legislature.- It was followed by an early
and propitious spring, with most encouraging indications
of continued peace and prosperity. Business in every
branch of industry was buoyant. Farmers everywhere
were busy preparing their lands for sowing and planting,
when suddenly the country was again startled by reports
of another Indian invasion similar to that of the spring
before, but of far greater magnitude.
On the 6th of. April, 1832, Black Hawk, with his band

114
of 400 warriors and their squaws and children, regard
less of his solemn promise of the year before, crossed the
Mississippi and re-occupied his old village site below
Rock Island, creating consternation and alarm among
the settlers there. That violation of the stipulations of
his treaty made with Gen'l Gaines and Gov. Reynolds,
Black Hawk afterwards attempted to excuse by stating
that he merely desired to pass 'through Illinois to join
his friends, the Winnebagos, in Wisconsin Territory, and
there raise a crop of corn during the summer, when he
would again return to the west.
Discussion of Black Hawk's motives and intentions;
or arguments for or against justification of his action;
or sketches of his personal history and antecedents, are
obviously beyond the scope of this memoir. Nor will its
limits permit a detailed account of the famous "war"
that followed his second return to the State. However,
a briefly-stated outline of the course, management and
results of hostilities caused by his invasion is unavoid
able in these pages in order to maintain the integrity of
historical sequences within the stated period embraced
between the years 1817 and 1842.'''
There is little doubt that Black Hawk had received
from the Winnebagos east of the Mississippi encourage
ment, if not definite promises, of their aid in his design
to regain possession of his old village, where he was
born and had passed all his life, and of his fields, and
graves of his ancestors near by. And that aid would
probably have been rendered him willingly but for the
prompt call of Gov. Reynolds, and the overwhelming
*For full and reliable details of Black Hawk's career, and of the
manner of his final expulsion from Illinois, the reader is referred to the
able and exhaustive, work of Frank E. Stevens, entitled The Black
Hawk War, the most accurate and complete history of that noted In
dian warrior, and the times in which he figured, yet written.

115
number of volunteers who quickly responded to it. Gen'l
Henry Atkinson, of the regular army, had recently ar
rived at Fort Armstrong with 400 U. S. infantry for the
purpose of enforcing Col. Street's demand upon Black
Hawk to deliver to him the Indians of his band who had,
the summer before, murdered the twenty-seven Menom
inees on the island near Fort Orawforrd. On learning
that the Indians had crossed over to this side, Gen'l At
kinson, hurriedly despatched a letter to Gov. Reynolds,
informing him of the presence of hostile Indians on Rock
River, and stating, "The regular force under my com
mand is too small to, justify me in pursuing the hostile
party," with a request to the Governor to come to his
aid with Illinois militia.
On the 16th of April, Gov. Reynolds published a call
for "a strong detachment of militia," to rendezvous at
'Beardstown within six days. The patriots heard the call
and came from all quarters, and from every station of
life; some afoot, but the greater number on horseback,
bringing their blankets and such arms and accoutre
ments as they had at hand. Before expiration of the
six days 1,935 able bodied men were assembled at Beards
town ready for active service. They were as speedily as
possible divided into four regiments, an odd battalion
and a spy battalion, under command of Samuel White
side as Brigadier General. In addition, the Governor
accepted two independent mounted battalions of 200
each, one commanded by Major Josiah Stillman, the
other by Major David Bailey, and assigned them special
ly to guard the settlements between the Illinois and
Rock rivers. As in the first campaign, the Governor as
Commander-in-chief accompanied "the boys," with a full
staff of Colonels, as follows: Cols. J. T. B. Stapp and

116
James M. Chadwick, aides; Col. Sam Christy, of St.
Louis, commissary general; Col. William Thomas, of
Jacksonville, quartermaster general; Col. James Turney,
paymaster general; Col. Vital Jarrott, adjutant general;
Col. Cyrus Edwards, chief ordnance officer, and Rev.
Reddick Horn, chaplain. The Colonel of the first regi
ment was John De Witt; of the second, Jacob Fry; of
the third, John Thomas, and of the fourth, Samuel M.
Thompson. The odd battalion was led by Major Nath
aniel Buckmaster, and the spys by Major John D. Henry.
Thus began the second campaign of the Black Hawk
war; without plan or system, with no conception of dis
cipline or subordination, the volunteers regarded the
expedition as merely a pleasant outing at the State's ex
pense. Illustrative of the Commander-in-chief's ideas of
military regulations, the following instance is related by
Bonham, in his sketch of Gov. Reynolds.* "Our school
teacher, Charles Henderson, who had taught our country
school for three winters in Ohio, emigrated to Illinois in
the spring of 1832. He came on horseback; arrived just
at the time when enlistments were being made and men
were being hurried forward to the place of rendezvous.
He became a 'camp follower;' came up with the army at
Beardstown, was presented to the Governor, told him
that he came to see the country, and if there was any
service he could render, himself and horse were at the
service of the State. Yes,' said the Governor, 'I can
take you as a volunteer aide; we want a good many of
that kind now.' 'Well, Governor, that will suit me,' said
Charley; 'What are the duties of the position?' 'Well,'
said the Governor, 'go along, feed your horse from' the
subsistence department, yourself at my quarters, assist
me some with my writing, help the quartermaster and
e Fifty years' Recollections. By Jeremiah Bonham, Peoria, 1883, p. 37.

117
commissary when they call on you, and when we get to
where there is any fighting to be done, pitch in and fight
like hell.' "
Fleeing settlers came into Beardstown daily, report
ing the Indians moving rapidly up the valley of Rock
River, laying the country waste as they went. Instead
of proceeding by forced marches to Peoria, thence north
to intercept them, the Governor led his army to the
Yellow Banks on. the Mississippi, fifty miles below Rock
Island. The spring was unusually backward, cold and
wet; the streams had overflowed their banks; the ground
was watersoaked and muddy, and worse than all, the
men had scarcely anything to eat. Men and horses had
to swim Henderson river, and while rafting the wagons
over it, two of them and a horse were lost. Arriving at
the Yellow Banks, with provisions exhausted, the volun
teers well-nigh fasted for three days, when the steam
boat William Wallace arrived from St. Louis loaded
with provisions. The army then moved up to Rock
Island and joined General Atkinson, where, on the 7th
of May, the Illinois militiamen were mustered into the
service of the United States. On the same day Colonel
Zachary Taylor, with 300 U. S. infantry and a detach
ment of artillery arrived from Fort Crawford and report
ed for service to General Atkinson. On the 9th of May,
the consolidated army, 3,300 strong, under command of
General Atkinson, started up Rock River in pursuit of
the Indians, the regulars, artillery and infantry in keel
boats, and the volunteers on land. Although the volun
teers had been mustered into the service of the United
States and were part of the U. S. army, and Reynolds
was no longer in authority, he and his staff of Colonels
continued "along with the boys" the greater part of the
campaign, for which time they were paid by the general

118
government, the Governor receiving the pay of a Major
General in the regular army, and each member of his
staff the pay of a Colonel.
General Atkinson ordered the volunteers to halt at
Prophetstown and there await his arrival with the 'boats
and artillery; but, thirsting for glory, or rest, and unac
customed to obeying orders, "the boys" burned Prophets-
town and went on forty miles farther to Dixon's Ferry.
The first opportunity for military renown offered to the
Illinoisans occurred at the head of. Old Man's Creek,
since known as "Stillman's Run" — twelve miles from
Dixon's Ferry. Rumors of the presence of Indians, in
that vicinity having reached the camp, Major Stillman
asked permission to go out there and reconnoitre ; where
upon Governor Reynolds* issued an order, dated Dixon's
Ferry, May 12th, to Major Stillman, "to proceed without
delay to the head of Old Man's Creek, where it is sup
posed there are some hostile Indians, and coerce them
into submission."
Next morning early Major Stillman, with 275 men,
left the army and started on his mission of coercion. On
the evening of the 14th as he was going into camp for
the night on Old Man's Creek, with everything in con
fusion, and no camp guards or pickets detailed, three
unarmed Indians bearing a white flag came to them.
While they were trying to make themselves understood,
five armed Indians appeared on the ridge a mile off in
the prairie, evidently awaiting return of the bearers of
the white flag.
Immediately, .without orders or leader, a number of
the volunteers mounted their horses not yet unsaddled,
and rushed across the prairie after the five Indians who
* Majors Stillman and Bailey not yet having been mustered into the
U. S. service were still under the Governor's authority.

119
retreated, "after displaying a red flag, the emblem of
defiance and war ; but were overtaken and three of them
slain."* The volunteers who had not joined in the pur
suit of the five armed Indians, jealous of the success of
those who did, in order to get even with them, concluded
to kill the three unarmed prisoners who had, trusting to
the honor of the whites, come in with the flag of. truce.
They managed to kill one of them, but the other two
escaped in the confusion and darkness.
Black Hawk, with part of his command and a few non-
combatant Pottawatomies visiting him, was near by at
the mouth of Sycamore Oreek. Disappointed and dis
heartened by refusal of the Winnebagos and Pottawato
mies to join him, and aware that he was pursued by a
large force, and seeing the utter hopelessness of his raid,
he concluded to return to the west side of the Mississippi
as expeditiously as possible. Surprised by the arrival at
Old Man's Creek of Major Stillman's battalion, which he
believed to be the advance guard of General Atkinson's
entire army, he sent a white flag by three unarmed war
riors to make terms with the General and obtain per
mission to retire from the State peaceably. The two
surviving Indians, hastily retreating from the prairie,
closely followed by the yelling, shooting pursuers,
alarmed Black Hawk's warriors in camp.. Believing
their overtures for peace had been rejected and that the
whole army of the whites was moving upon them, they
snatched up their arms and hurriedly mounting their
ponies, boldly dashed out- into the prairie to meet their
assailants. Surprised at the numbers and impetuosity
of the red enemy emerging from the brush, the pursu
ing, exultant party of volunteers wheeled their horses
* Ford's History of Ulinois, p. 118.

120
and fled for their lives. Like a tempest they swept
through the disordered camp of their comrades shouting
to them to follow and save themselves if possible.
Panic-stricken, the militiamen stood not on the order of
their going, but mounting their tired horses they left for
Dixon's Ferry in a tumultuous rout, with the Indians
yelling like demons, in hot pursuit.
Oapt. John G. Adams, of Tazewell county, and less
than a dozen other brave, cool-headed men, who had not
lost their wits or their courage, made a gallant attempt
to rally their fleeing comrades and induce them to make
an effort to repel the Indian attack. In the rear of the
frightened, flying host, they gallantly stood and met the
enemy, only to be mercilessly butchered by the furious,
victorious savages.
Darkness having fortunately set in favored the flight
of the coercionists, and in a little more than an hour the
swiftest of them dashed into headquarters at Dixon's
Ferry, and from that on until early dawn they straggled
in, each new arrival reporting that all the balance were
massacred and scalped. In that disgraceful and humili
ating affair the Indians engaged numbered about fifty,
and of Stillman's battalion of 275 men, eleven were
killed and two wounded, and all of his camp equipage
was lost. Very early next morning General Whiteside,
with two regiments of mounted men, repaired to the
scene of the disaster, but no Indians could be found. The
bodies of the eleven dead, scalped and horribly mutilated
soldiers were gathered up and buried in one large grave
in the prairie where they fell,* and the General and his
men returned to Dixon's Ferry.
* That unmarked grave was discovered in 1900, and probably con
tains the remains of Capt. Adams and the eight valiant men who fell
by his side in their vain effort to check the Indian advance, namely:

121
The effect of Stillman's defeat was a marked change
in the spirit and temper of both belligerents. The In
dians, to that time, had confined their depredations to
destroying cabins and fences, and taking such live stock
belonging to settlers as they needed for subsistence, bul
had refrained from killing any of the whites. The cow
ardly murder of their unarmed bearer of a white flag,
and brutal rejection — as they viewed it — of their over
tures for permission to leave the State peaceably, in
flamed their resentment, and their easy victory over a
vastly superior force emboldened them to seek revenge'
for their slain warriors. They divided into small bands
to evade pursuit, and scattered in different directions
over the country, murdering unprotected settlers, burn
ing their cabins, killing their stock and carrying off two
young girls, the Misses Hall, who were afterwards ran
somed for goods and money amounting to $2,000.
One of their most atrocious murders was that of Felix
St. Vrain, Indian agent for the Sacs and Foxes at Rock
Island. General Atkinson sent him with a few men to
take despatches to Fort Armstrong, on the 22d of May.
On the way Mr. St. Vrain met a party of Indians led by
a chief named Little Bear, with whom he had for years
been on very friendly terms. That chief had adopted
him as a brother and had frequently been the recipient
of his hospitality at the agency. Without warning, the
Sergeant John Walters, Corporal Bird W. Ellis, Tyrus M. Childs, Joseph
B. Farris, all four from Fulton County; Isaac Perkins, David Kreeps,
Zadok Mendinall, of Tazewell County, and Corporal James Milton, of
Decatur. Three other soldiers were slain in attempting to escape,
Joseph Draper, James Doty, and Gideon Munson, a government scout.
The Illinois legislature in 1901 appropriated $5,000 for a monument to
commemorate the valor of Capt. Adams and those who with him sacri
ficed their lives in the manly discharge of their duty. A beautiful shaft
was set in place near the prairie grave so long forgotten, at Stillman
Valley, and unveiled, with impressive ceremonies, on June 11th, 1902.

122
treacherous Indians fell upon the little party of whites
and killed and scalped them all.*
The loss and scalping of Stillman's eleven men, in
stead of firing the militia with a spirit of vengeance, as
was the case with the Indians, exerted upon the majority
of them an opposite effect. Without training or dis
cipline, at best but a half-organized rabble, they became
completely demoralized and clamored to go home, claim
ing that their term of enlistment was about expired;
that their crops and business at home demanded their
attention, that they were dissatisfied with their com
manding officers, that they did not enlist to chase In
dians through the swamps of Wisconsin, and for various
ether reasons demanded their discharge from the ser
vice. They were, in fact, disappointed in their anticipa
tions of a pleasant picnic or spree, with pay and rations ;
were tired of their hard fare, and not certain about the
safety of their scalps. For the Commander-in-chief's
prowess and military ability they entertained no respect
whatever, and General Sam Whiteside, renowned as a
dauntless bushranger and band-to-hand Indian fighter,
proved an utter failure as commander of a brigade. He
* Gen. George W. Jones, ex-U. S. Senator, etc., writing from Du
buque, Iowa, to Mrs. George W. Smith (of Chicago), granddaughter
of Senator Elias K. Kane, Nov. 24, 1894, said: "And I can never
forget that it was entirely through the potential influence and warm
personal friendship of Senator E. K. Kane who procured the appoint
ment of Agent of the Sac and Fox nations of Indians at Rock island
for my deceased brother-in-law, Felix St. Vrain; so we all feel great
obligations. My dear accomplished brother-in-law was murdered by a
war party of the Sac and Fox Indians, near Buffalo Grove, in Illinois,
in the spring, and early commencement of the Black Hawk war. Four
or five other men were also killed at the same time, and it was I who
found the mangled body of Mr. St. Vrain three or four days after the
massacre. His head, hands and feet were cut off his body, and the
most of his flesh, which the famishing Indians ate. His heart was also
cut out of his body, and cut up into small pieces and given to their
young men and boys to swallow; he to be adjudged to make the best
warrior who would swallow the largest piece without chewing. His.
head, -hands and feet were used in their war dances as trophies of
war."

123
knew nothing of military tactics, and made no effort to
assert control of his men.
Many of the men had already gone home without
leave, and many more were openly preparing to follow
them. Convinced that men in, that dispirited frame of
mind were unreliable, and valueless for efficient service,
General Atkinson ordered them all discharged, and they
were mustered out of service at Dixon's Ferry and
Ottawa on the 27th and 28th of May, 1832. The dis
affected among them left immediately to enjoy the genial
comforts of their homes, but many who had enlisted from
patriotic — or political — motives, or instigated merely by
love of adventure, remained to again respond to the call
of Governor Reynolds, that he immediately issued, for
2,000 more volunteers.
The first to re-enlist were at once formed into a regi
ment of cavalry to protect the exposed settlers until the
larger force, collecting at Beardstown and Hennepin,
could be equipped, organized and put in the field. The
officers chosen for that thirty-day police regiment were
Jacob Fry, Colonel; James D. Henry, Lieutenant Colonel;
and John Thomas, Major. The seven companies con
stituting the regiment elected for their Captains, Samuel
Smith, Benjamin James, Elijah lies, Adam W. Snyder,
Alexander C. Cox, William 0. Ball and Alexander
White. In reorganization of the volunteer army— under
the last call — manychanges were effected in the relative
positions of officers and men. At the first call of the
Governor for troops (April, 1832) Mr. Snyder enlisted as
a private in, Captain John Winstanley's company, and
served in that capacity and subsequently as Adjutant of
the regiment, until all were mustered out in May. In
t.io organization of the second army, Mr. Snyder was

124
elected Captain, and Captain John Winstanley was
chosen first lieutenant of his company. The late Bri
gadier General Sam Whiteside was a private in the same
company, along with Joseph Gillespie, James Semple,
Benjamin Stephenson, Henry H. West, George D. Kin
ney, Francis Jarrott and John Thomas, lately a Colonel,
and shortly after promoted to Major of the regiment.
Among the many other changes, Abraham Lincoln, a
Captain in the first army, was a private of Captain lies'
company in the second.
The new levy of volunteers rendezvoused at Fort
Welbourn on the Illinois river, near Peru, in LaSalle
county, and there, on June 15th, were formed into three
brigades of three regiments each, with a spy battalion
attached to each. Alexander Posey was elected Gen
eral of the first brigade, Milton Alexander of the second,
and James D. Henry of the third. The first brigade com
prised 1,000 men; the second 950 and the third 1,032.
Five additional companies from Putnam and Vermilion
counties, and an independent battalion from Wisconsin
led by Major Henry Dodge, there joined the army, which,
with the U. S. regulars, aggregated over 5,000 men, all
under command of General Atkinson.
While awaiting mobilization of the new army the com
panies of Colonel Fry's regiment were so disposed os
best to protect settlements the most exposed, and to
escort supply trains and express couriers. When on thai-
duty Captain Snyder was sent to escort Colonel Zachary
Taylor from Ottawa to Dixon's Ferry by the following
order : "Headquarters Right Wing, West Department,
"Ottawa, 31st May, 1832.
"Capt. A. W. Snyder,
"Sir: You will proceed across the country with your company

125
to Dixon's Ferry, in company with Colonel Taylor, by easy
marches, and by throwing out scouts, endeavoring to ascertain
whether the hostile Indians are still above the route you are direct
ed to pursue. This information you may probably acquire by ex
amining for trails, their direction and the numbers making them
"On your arrival at Dixon's Ferry, diaw, if necessary, pro
visions for your return march, which you will take up the day after
your arrival there. In coming back, make further examinations
as respect the hostile Indians, but in doing so avoid a conflict with
very superior numbers, as even a very slight success on the part
of the enemy would give him greater confidence and an accession
of strength.
"It is probable you will be absent four and a half or five days
"[Signed] H. Atkinson,
"Brig. Genl. U. S. Army."
Having escorted Colonel Zachary Taylor to Dixon's
Ferry and returned, "Oaptain Adam W. Snyder was sent
to range through the country between Rock River and
Galena,* and whilst he was encamped not far distant
from Burr Oak Grove, on the night of the 17th of June,
his company was fired upon by the Indians. The next
morning he pursued them, four in number, and drove
them into a sink hole in the ground, where his company
charged on them and killed the whole of the Indians,
with the loss of one man mortally wounded. As he re
turned to his camp, bearing his wounded soldier, the
men suffering much from thirst, scattered in search of
water, when they were sharply attacked by about sev
enty Indians, who had been secretly watching their mo
tions, and awaiting a good opportunity. His men, as
usual in such cases, were taken by surprise, and some
* From the Galenian of June 20, 1832:
"June 13th— At about 12 m. Col. John Thomas from St. Clair county,
Illinois, and Captain A. W. Snyder with about 20 volunteers, came from
Gen. Atkinson's headquarters to this place (Galena). They brought in
telligence that a move was shortly to be made against the Indians —
that two companies of regular troops under command of Major Riley
had come to Kellogg's old place to. remain till further orders."

126
of them commenced a hasty retreat. Captain Snyder
called upon General Whiteside, then a private in his
company, to assist him in forming his men. The Gen
eral proclaimed in a loud voice that he would shoot the
first man who attempted to run. The men were soon
formed into ranks. Both parties took position behind
trees. Here General Whiteside, an old Indian fighter,
and a capital marksman with a rifle, shot the commander
of the Indians, and they from that moment began to re
treat. As they were not pursued the Indian loss was
never ascertained, but the other side lost two men killed
and one wounded. Captain Snyder, General Whiteside
and Colonel (now General) Semple are particularly men
tioned as having behaved in the most honorable and cour
ageous manner in both these little actions."*
Patterson gave, at the time, in the Galenian, Dr. Phil-
laeo's paper, substantially the same account of the Bun-
Oak Grove actions, and added: "Soon after, Major Riley,
with a small force of regulars, came up, and after con
sultation with Captain Snyder, it was deemed best not to
follow the retreating Indians, as their route probably
led to the main army of Black Hawk."f
Major Riley, here mentioned, belonged to Colonel
Zachary Taylor's command of U. S. regulars, then at
Dixon's Ferry.
Governor Reynolds, writing to Governor Edwards
from Fort Wilbourn, June 22d, 1832, said: "Snyder had
a fight with the Indians; lost 3 vols. — Ben. Scott, Mc-
Daniel and Macomson, and killed 4 Indians; at least
there were 4 killed." § Twenty-three years later Gover
nor Reynolds, in his autobiography, gave a full detailed
* Ford's History of Illinois, p. 124.
t Autobiography of Black Hawk. By J. B. Patterson, Oquawka II!
1882, p. 172. s ' ' '
§ Edwards Papers, p. 590.
ft Life and Times, by John Reynolds, 1855, pp. 377-381.

127
account of the Burr Oak Grove skirmishes, differing in
some material respects from those given by Governor
Ford and Mr. Patterson, but accorded most ample credit-
to "the brave and efficient company under command of
equally brave and efficient officers."*
Burr Oak was but another name for Kellogg's Grove.
The skirmish with the Indians in that vicinity by a por
tion of Capt. Snyder's company, unduly colored for polit
ical effect in the account given of it by Governor Ford,
was in its results an insignificant affair, though serious
enough to cause the death of three volunteers. After
Capt. Snyder's men were surprised, on their return to
camp, by the Indians in ambush, there was really no
further fighting, each side remaining at bay watching the
other, with firing at long range until the Indians left.
No Indian chief was shot by General Whiteside, or, so
far as is known, by any one else. From the fact that a
white horse on which an Indian, presumably the leader
of the band, was mounted, was afterwards seen without
a rider, it was inferred that that Indian was killed.
The following account of the skirmish from Mr.
Steven's recent History of the Black Hawk War is- prob
ably as accurate as any yet published:
"On the night of June 15th, the troops were snugly
ensconced in the various buildings, after sentinels had
been picketed about eighty yards out at different points
of the compass around the camp. The night was cloudy
and dark, though intermittently illuminated with flashes
of lightning, rendering possible a sight of the surround
ings during those periods. Near midnight the presence
of the enemy was detected by a sentinel, who, in the in
stantaneous period allowed him, attempted to run the
Indian through with his bayonet, so close had he
* .Life and Times, by John Reynolds, 1855, pp. 377-381.

128
crawled, but the flash of light was so brief that the
sentinel missed his- mark and only rubbed the Indian's
arm. Dropping his gun, the sentinel clinched with his
adversary, and by reason of superior strength was rapid
ly mastering him, and would soon have had him prisoner
but for another flash which discovered two other Indians
within twenty feet, making for the rescue as rapidly as
(he impenetrable darkness would permit. Quickly re
leasing his antagonist, the sentinel ran to camp, shout
ing 'Indians! Indians!' while the Indians pursued him as
far as they dared. With a shot into the darkness they
turned and fled, leaving the men in camp to lie on their
arms after that until morning.
"From the fact that one horse was stolen during the
night, color was given to the theory that plunder was
the sole aim of the enemy's presence, but events of the
following1 day exploded it.
"Early in the morning, Captain Snyder took a detach
ment of men and pursued the enemy's trail in a south
westerly direction, hoping to overtake and punish him
before escape was possible. For twenty miles it was
followed in vain, but Capt. Snyder would not permit it
to be abandoned, and wise indeed was his decision, for,
after a few more rods of travel, the detachment came
upon four of the Indians preparing a meal in a deep
ravine just ahead. Flight by them in a circuitous, back
track, manner was instantly taken, which nearly baffled
the troops, but after another weary but exciting chase,
they were again discovered half a mile ahead climbing a
high hill 'within three miles of camp at Kellogg's Grove.
The troops were delayed in their pursuit by a deep and
muddy creek, but on finally crossing it discovered the
Indians firmly intrenched in a deep gulch, where in a
sharp hand-to-hand encounter all four were killed, with

129
loss to the whites of one man, private William B. Mecom-
son (or Mekemson), who received two balls in the ab
domen, inflicting a mortal wound. While the engage
ment lasted it was as fierce and wicked a frontier fight
as has ever been recorded, and in the many shots ex
changed by the Indians, the marvel is that the loss to
the whites was no greater. But poor Mecomson re
ceived the only effective ones.
"A litter was constructed of poles and blankets, upon
which the wounded man was placed, and carried by his
comrades, he was conveyed toward camp. In minister
ing to his needs, his bearers were compelled to deliver
their guns and horses to the keeping of others, the ex
change and relief causing some delay and a little temp
orary confusion. Men were necessarily scattered along
with no regard for order, the troops were flushed with
the first victory of the campaign, and while danger was
to be at all times apprehended, having disposed of the
enemy, the presence of other Indians was not a very
strong probability. Thus, the men marched along for
three quarters of a mile, when the dying man asked for
a brief rest and a cup of water.. As no fresh water was
carried, two squads were detailed by Captain Snyder to
search for some. General Whiteside, First Sergeant
Nathan .0. Johnson, and Third Sergeant James Taylor
went off to one side, while Dr. Richard Roman, Benja
min Scott, Second Corporal Benjamin McDaniel, Dr.
Francis Jarrott and Dr. I. M. McTy. Cornelius searched
the other side for water with which to quench the dying
man's thirst. While the last named squad was moviag
slowly down a ridge to a point having a bushy ravine on
each side, it was fired on by a large party of Indians, in
stantly killing Benjamin Scott and Benjamin McDaniel
—9

130
and slightly wounding Dr. Cornelius. The three sur
vivors retreated while the Indians, estimated from 50 to
90 in number, hideously yelling, rushed upon poor Me-
comson and chopped off his head with a tomahawk; then,
wheeling, they directed their fire upon the main body of
the whites, who were somewhat scattered as stated.
Closing in as well as possible, the detachment fell back
in good order, formed, and returned a brisk fire, which
checked the enemy's advance. Quickly following up the
advantage gained, Captain Snyder moved rapidly for
ward, bringing his men at close range with the enemy,
and making the engagement general. Trees were many
times used for protection. During the thickest of the
fight the apparent leader of the Indians, mounted on a
white horse, rode backward and forward, urging his
men with shouts and gestures, but the intrepid volun
teers were pouring lead into the ranks of the Indians
with such deadly effect that they were gradually forced
back. After a little the white horse was seen leaving
the field riderless; at the same time the Indians tempor
arily wavered, and the whites pushed their line closer.
The Indians, having evidently lost their leader, sullenly
retired out of range, and Captain Snyder held- his ad
vanced position.
Major Thomas had in the meantime volunteered to go,
alone, to Kellogg's Grove — less than three miles distant
— for reinforcements from Major Riley, and though the
trip was perilous in the extreme, he made it safely, re
turning in an incredibly short time with the reinforce
ments. When they arrived, Capt. Snyder had driven the
Indians to the timber and was anxious to press his ad
vantage, but the lateness of the hour prevented. He
then insisted on camping on the spot for the night, that
he might pursue his advantage in the morning, but Major

131
Riley persuaded him to return to camp at Kellogg's,
which he reluctantly did, after gathering up the dead for
burial the following day.
"Early the following morning, Captain Snyder, with
his full company, returned to the scene of the previous
day's engagements in search of the enemy, but he was
nowhere to be found, and the company at once returned
to camp, where it remained a few days longer, by which
time the new levies, having been rapidly massed at
Dixon's Ferry for the final struggle, Captain Snyder
inarched to that point and his company was mustered
C"2't ?f service by Oolonel Taylor on the 21st of Judp."

CHAPTER VI.
The Black Hawk War continued — Capt. Snyder's Company mustered
out of service — Major Dement's fight at Kellogg's Grove — March of
the army up Rock River — Defection of the Volunteers — Gen'l James
D. Henry — Duplicity of the Winnebagos — Black Hawk's trail dis
covered — He is pursued, and the war ended in his defeat and cap
ture.
The reorganized army having orders to take the field,
terminated the period of enlistment of Col. Fry's regi
ment, and by order of Gen'l Atkinson it was mustered
out of service at Dixon's Ferry, on the 21st of June,
1832. Col. Fry and several of his men joined the new
army, but the large majority of them, including Capt.
Snyder, departed at once for their homes in the southern
part of the State. Thus closed Capt. Snyder's military
career — enlisting as a private in Capt. Winstanley's
company on April 18th, appointed Adjutant of the First
Regiment on April 29th, mustered out of service at the
mouth of Fox River May 28th, re-enlisted and elected
Captain on May 29th, had a fight with Indians on June
15th, and again mustered out on June 21st.
By order of Col. Taylor, Major John Dement and bat
talion of 150 men, took an outpost position at Kellogg's
Grove, where they found a deserted cabin built of heavy
logs in three compartments. In the rear were some log
stables, and a brush enclosure in which they turned their
horses when not in use. Mr. Funk, of McLean county,
arriving there, from Galena, in the evening reported hav
ing crossed, about five miles from the Grove, the trail of
four or five hundred Indians going north. Next morning
a few Indians on horseback were seen, on a distant ele
vation in the prairie. As usual, the frenzied volunteers,
without orders or leader, mounted their horses and at

133
full speed scurried across the prairie after fresh Indian
scalps. Five of the Major's men, who had no horses,
followed afoot, eager to see the fun of a fight or an Indian
chase.* Major Dement and Zadok Casey, suspicious of
an Indian ambuscade, galloped forward to try to arrest
the mad advance of the mob, but utterly failed. The
mounted Indians slowly retreated to a ravine overgrown
with brush, in the far edge of the prairie where Black
Hawk and the greater part of his band were concealed.
On went the impetuous heroes until within rifle shot of
the thicket, "When out the hellish legion sallied,"
with terrific yells and whoops, and a volley of bullets.
The astonished white men instantly faced about and
made speedy tracks for the timber they had just left,
with the howling redskins at their heels. But for that
log cabin in the Grove the Stillman episode would have
been repeated in every disgraceful particular. In vain
did Major Dement and Gov. Casey attempt to rally the
terrified men to make a stand and check the advancing
savages. They might as well have tried to stop a drove
of stampeded horses. Reaching the Grove the panic-
stricken men hurriedly turned their horses into the brush
enclosure, and huddled into the cabin that afforded them
the protection of a block house.
The Indians were too wary to attempt carrying the
cabin by assault, and circled around it at a respectable
distance, firing at the spaces between the logs, and
shooting down the horses over the brush fence. The
besieged soldiers watched them closely, and returned
their fire whenever one chanced to come within range of
their rifles. The Indians, in a few hours, saw they were
* Reynolds' Life and Times, p. 389.

134
getting'the worst of the fight, having lost several of their
number, and after killing 47 of the volunteers' horses,
sullenly withdrew. A few of the besieged soldiers were
wounded, but none killed. The five footmen so anxious
to see the fun, were, of course, soon overtaken by the In
dians, and expeditiously killed and scalped. They were
buried next day in one grave, not far from the spot
where they sacrificed their lives to their folly.*
Before the swarm of furious naked Indians reached
the Grove that morning, Major Dement despatched five
messengers on fleet horses to Dixon's Ferry, fifty miles
away, for re-enforcements. When the last one of the
red enemy was out of sight the Major put out picket
guards, and set about strengthening his position, fully
expecting renewal of the attack at night. Anticipating
that the Indians would attempt at their next visit to
burn his "fort," he covered the cabin roof with two hun
dred blankets saturated with water. But the Indians
did not return.
The rout of Stillman's battalion followed by disband
ing of the first volunteer force, led the Indians to believe
the whites were whipped and had abandoned the war.
Its effect -upon the people of the State was to raise a
storm of indignation and disgust and merciless criticism
of all in control of military affairs. Unstinted abuse
from every quarter was heaped upon Gov. Reynolds,
* Above account of the five unmounted volunteers is given upon the
authority of Gov. John Reynolds, as related in his Life and Times. A
different version of the incident, however, was given by Major Dement,
who stated that three of his men who had been hunting for their horses
that strayed away during the night, were returning to camp afoot when
overtaken by the horde of advancing Indians and killed.
The authorities of Stephenson County, some time ago, caused to be
erected a handsome monument, thirty-four feet in height, at Kellogg's
Grove, in memory of the several white people killed by the Indians
within the limits of that county. Among those thus commemorated
are three above mentioned of Major Dement's command, and the three
of Capt. Snyder's company killed in his skirmish near the Grove, and
Mr. Felix St. Vrain.

135
Commander-in-chief, for his blundering incapacity, very
much to his discouragement and uneasiness. In despair,
he confided his chagrin to Gov. Edwards, in a letter writ
ten at Fort Welbourn, June 22d, as follows: "I wish
you to inform my friends that I am 'bullet proof.' I
have done right, and care not for slander; that I go in
for nothing; that as soon as the storm settles in my fa
vor, which it is compelled to do, I will bid a long fare
well to public life and live at home in peace. I am now
before the people, I am in for my friends, but you and
a few excepted, not one other will write or say one word
in my favor. I do not want it, as I care very little about
the result."*
The gathering hosts of the second volunteer army con
vinced Black Hawk that the whites were not conquered,
but that he might be if he remained in their country
much longer. Calling his scattered bands together he
commenced a rapid movement to the Wisconsin hills, be
lieving, no doubt, that the Illinois militia would not pur
sue him beyond the limits of their own State.
Gen'l Atkinson set his new army in motion on the 20th,
21st and 22d of June. Gen'l Posey's brigade, the first to
move out, meeting Major Dement's couriers, hurried for
ward and reached Kellogg's Grove at sunset, having
marched fifty miles since morning. Instead of advanc
ing quickly and striking the retreating Indians a de
cisive blow, the army marched leisurely 75 or 80 miles
up Rock River to the Burnt Village and there halted.
Reports of the enemy's trail having been seen farther
up the river, or east of it, were brought into camp, eman
ating chiefly from the company of treacherous Winne
bagos who, with loud professions of friendship for the
* Edwards Papers, p. 590.

136
whites, joined the army at Dixon's Ferry, and were, ia
fact, cognizant of Black Hawk's plans, and were schem
ing to aid his escape. Gen'l Atkinson seemed bewilder
ed and undecided, and lost many days in useless recon-
noitering. His new army became as thoroughly de
moralized as was the first one; and from the first day's
march towards Wisconsin began to disintegrate and
melt away from wholesale desertions. Of the 3,850 vol
unteers enrolled at Dixon's Ferry, less than 2,000 an
swered roll call when the march was resumed from the
Burnt Village.
Their abandonment of the service was not due to lack
of courage, but altogether to want of discipline and
authority. No better material for an army could have
been found in the world. They were brave, honorable,
patriotic men, strong in physical power of endurance,
and inured to the rough usages of frontier life. The most
of them were descendants of yeomen who achieved re
nown at King's Mountain, Monmouth and Yorktown; and
whose progeny later proved their heroism and valor at
Buena Vista, Ohepultepec, Chickamauga and Gettysburg.
Unfortunately, the officers in command of the volunteers
— with some sterling exceptions — from the Commander-
in-chief down, were professional politicians, office-hold
ers and office-seekers, profoundly ignorant of the mili
tary art, who knew nothing of discipline, and made no
attempt at enforcement of authority, from fear of be
coming unpopular with "the boys" and losing their votes.
As little, if any, restraint was exacted, the men felt no
sense of responsibility or subordination, and no respect
for the authority of their officers. They addressed the
Commander-in-chief as "John," or "Old Ranger," and
their Generals, -Colonels, and Captains familiarly as

137
"Bill;" "Jim" or "Jack." They did as they pleased, came
and went as they cnose, and, on all occasions, freely ex
pressed their views of the campaign, and criticised the
plans and orders of their commanders without reserve.
The Commander-in-chief, Gov. Reynolds, and his staff of
Colonels, who had all along followed "the boys" around
to see that they were not imposed upon by their su
periors, also becoming defected, or discouraged by the
paucity of provisions and of glory, deserted "the boys'"
at the Burnt Village, and went to Galena, thence down
to St. Louis, by boat, and onto their homes. With them
also went Col. Sidney Breese and several others. Of the
volunteer officers there was one who possessed the
natural instincts of the soldier, and true conception of
military duty. Neither a politician, or office-seeker him
self, he had the moral courage and firmness to maintain,
when unhampered by incompetent superiors, strict, dis
cipline in his command, and inspired his men with his own
martial spirit. That man was Gen'l James D. Henry,*
whose genius and generalship brought the unequal and
inglorious conflict to a speedy termination; and whose
course and conduct throughout the wretchedly bungled
affair, rendered him, at its close, deservedly the most
popular man in Illinois.
On the 4th of July the army was encamped on the
banks of Lake Koshkoning, an expansion of Rock River,
* James Dougherty Henry was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to
Edwardsville, a poor, obscure young man, in 1822. He worked at shoe-
making, and attended night schools where he learned reading, writing
and arithmetic. He engaged in merchandising, and removed to
Springfield, where he enlisted for the Black Hawk war. He was six
. feet tall, spare made, with dignified, soldierly bearing. He was quiet,
modest and taciturn; kindly disposed, honorable and absolutely fear
less. His peculiar reserve of manner and inclination to melancholy, or
misanthropy, were probably due to the fact of his illegitimate birth.
After the close of the Black Hawk war his health failed, and, with the
hope of being benefited by change of climate, he went to New Orleans
in 1833. There, unknown and alone, he died, of consumption, on the
4th of March, 1834. His death was probably hastened by his unfor
tunate intemperate habits.

138
and there built a temporary fort. Then moved higher
up the river and there again encamped. Provisions be
ing nearly exhausted, Col. Eiwing's regiment was, on the
10th of July, sent back to Dixon's Ferry for supplies,
and to convey there Capt. Dunn, who had been accident
ally and seriously wounded by a sentinel. Gen'l Posey
was ordered, with his brigade, to Fort Hamilton to
guard the frontier in that direction, and Gen'ls Henry
and Alexander were sent to join Major Dodge at Fort
Winnebago and the portage between Fox and Wisconsin
rivers, while Gen'l Atkinson and the regulars fell back
to Lake Koshkoning.
Gen'l Henry, separated from the others, and com
manding the most advanced post, determined, regard
less of orders to remain there, to take the course he
thought best. He, however, narowly escaped being
duped by the wily Winnebago who brought the .report,
believed at the time to be reliable, that Black Hawk and
his warriors were in camp on Cranberry lake, forty' or
fifty miles higher up Rock River. In council with Gen'l
Alexander and Major Dodge, he announced his determin
ation to move immediately upon the enemy, and issued
crders to have everything in readiness to start next day,
the 15th of July, at noon. With that intention, he dis
posed of the sick and disabled in his brigade, and with
all superfluous baggage, that otherwise would retard his
progress. When ordered to take up the line of march,
next day, Gen'l Alexander announced that his men re
fused to go a step farther, and Major Dodge reported his
horses so jaded by their late hard service that he could
not move.
Gen'l Henry, incensed at such unexpected and inex
cusable insubordination, declared he would go and at
tack the Indians if as many as fifty trusty men would

139
volunteer to follow him. Just then Capt. Craig arrived
Avith a company of mounted men to join Major Dodge,
who with that fresh accession to his battalion, was able
to muster 150 men and horses fit for service. Gen'l
Henry had in his own brigade about 450 mounted men
in good condition, but on preparing to march with thai-
force, he was dismayed to find some of his own men in
open revolt, refusing to leave camp, excepting to return
to their homes. A protest against the proposed ex
pedition, signed by all the officers of Col.' Fry's regiment
excepting the Colonel himself, was presented to Gen'l
Henry, by Lieutenant-Col. Jeremiah Smith. The Gen
eral's answer to that "round robin" was to immediately
order every officer who signed that paper under arrest
charged with mutiny; and he further ordered Col. Collins
to guard them, as prisoners, and march them without.
delay to Gen'l Atkinson's headquarters. "This," says
Gov. Reynolds, "was the crisis — the governing pivot in
the whole campaign — and Gen'l Henry was equal to the
emergency."* Fortunately for the honor of Illinois, Gen'l Henry was
a soldier who knew his duty, and had the firmness to exe
cute it without regard to opinions of "the boys," or any
probable consequences to himself at the next election.
The exercise of authority he displayed on that occasion
was before unknown in the volunteer army, and his evi
dent determination to enforce obedience to his orders
struck the office seekers with consternation. Lieut. Ool.
Smith, who had presented the protest, hurried to the
General's quarters, pleading ignorance of its purport
when he signed it, and begged permission to consult
with the others who signed it. That request was
i
* Reynolds' Life and Times, p. 403.

140
granted, and in a short time they all came to the General
and implored his pardon, some of them with tears trick
ling down their cheeks, and pledged their honor, if for
given, to obey implicitly all future orders and regula
tions. Gen'l Henry received them kindly, and with
dignity, permitting them to return to duty. He, how
ever, sent what was left of Gen'l Alexander's brigade to
Gen'l Atkinson as prisoners.
With the remnant of his own brigade, 450 men, and
Major Dodge's battalion numbering 225 more, Gen'l
Henry set out in search of the enemy, without orders
from the commanding General. On the evening of the
third day of very difficult marching they camped on Rock
River, amidst the grandest scenery of that beautiful
stream. There, three very friendly Winnebago Indians
came into camp and again reported Black Hawk
encamped on Cranberry Lake, a little higher up the
river. Relying upon that apparent confirmation of
former reports, the General prepared to move early
next morning, and, by forced marches, surprise him.
Having issued his orders and perfected all arrange
ments for the morrow, about dark he dispatched Dr.
Merryman and a companion, with one of the lately
arrived Winnebagos, named "Little Thunder," as guide,
to Gen'l Atkinson to apprise him of his movements.
The Doctor, companion and guide, had preceded down
the valley about eight miles when, to their great sur
prise, they came upon the broad fresh trail of a large
party of Indians going west. At that unexpected dis
covery Little Thunder, much agitated, fled back to the
camp to apprise his two confederates there that, their de
ception was exposed. Dr. Merryman and companion also
hastened back to report what they saw to the General,

141
and arrived as Little Thunder was telling the same to
the other Winnebagos in their own language; thereupon
all three Indians hastily left the camp. But their escape
was frustrated by Major Murray McConnell, who, sus
picious of some wrong motive on their part, brought
them back to General Henry. Confronted with the evi
dence of their treachery, they confessed that they came
to the white soldiers to deceive them and send them in a
wrong direction in order to give Black Hawk time to get
away. To make amends for their perfidity — and thereby
perhaps save their lives— they then told all they knew of
Black Hawk's plans, and condition of his band, and of
their anxiety to get back to the west side of the great
river. Gen'l Henry humanely spared their lives and pro
tected them from the vengeance of his men.
By early dawn on the morning of July 19th, the 650
mounted men left their camp, abandoning five wagons
and a quantity of cumbersome baggage not absolutely
needed on the march and, by sunrise, came upon the trail
of the fleeing Indians. Then commenced the long-de
layed, earnest and unrelenting pursuit of the vicious
savages that, in a few days, rid the State of Illinois of
them forever. With but scant equipage, and more
scanty provisions, the men who but a few days before
had refused to advance another step, now, led by their
stern commander, hurried forward until after dark, and
then uncomplainingly laid on the wet gound in a drench
ing rain to sleep without shelter of any kind. At day
light next morning, unable to make fires, they break
fasted on raw bacon and wet flour, and continued the
exciting chase. There was no loitering or lagging be
hind, but every man kept his place in the ranks ready at
any moment for action. The Indians were not permitted

142
to rest. They were starving and on the verge of
exhaustion; but their determined pursuers goaded them
to still further exertion which they put forth' hoping to
find safety in the timbered hills of the Wisconsin river.
Their trail was strewn with camp kettles, blankets, and
other articles, thrown away to facilitate their flight; and
occasionally a dead, or dying Indian, by the wayside, was
ghastly evidence of the dire extremity to which they
were reduced.
At the edge of the timber on the Wisconsin bluffs the
hard-pressed warriors, for the first time, made a stand
and. gave battle; but only to gain time for their squaws
and children to reach the river beyond. The volunteers
had lost all their early timidity, and went into the fight
like trained veterans. Their splendid soldierly conduct
in that decisive engagement was worthy of the highest
admiration. They routed the Indians, who left sixty-
eight of their number dead on the field and fled down
the bluffs, across the swampy bottom and the river, into
the high broken country on the northern side of the Wis
consin. The whites lost one man killed and eight
wounded. When the battle commenced, Little Thunder
and the other two Winnebagos, who had been taken
along as guides, taking advantage of the confusion and
noise, made their escape. All other Winnebagos had
been left behind as untrustworthy. About three o'clock
in the night following the battle, an Indian with
peculiarly loud, clear voice — who was noticed during the
fight exhorting the warriors to renewed efforts — took a
position on a point of the bluff not far away, and for
some time harangued the whites in the Winnebago lan
guage; but as the guides had fled, no one in the
General's camp understood what he said, and concluded
he was trying to marshal the savages for another attack.

143
Afterwards it was learned that he was Ne-a-Pope, next
in command to Black Hawk, sueing for peace. His peo
ple, he said, wished to surrender; they were starving,
and dying of fatigue, and could no longer flght with the
whites, and they begged to be permitted to return west
of the Mississippi never again to recross it.
Learning that Gen'l Henry was trailing the enemy
and rapidly gaining on him, Gen'l Atkinson, with his
regulars and the few volunteers who had not yet de-
seited, followed him as expeditiously as possible, and ar
rived at Blue Mounds, in Wisconsin, the day after Gen'l
Henry reached that point in search of provisions. They
were there joined by 450 regulars under Col. Brady, and,
on the 26th of July, the united force, commanded by
Gen'l Atkinson, resumed the march and crossed the
Wisconsin on rafts constructed by the soldiers. Gen'l
Atkinson, who regarded the volunteers with supreme
contempt — not without some justification — determined
that all future glories in that war would be won by the
regulars. Accordingly, in the order of advance he placed
Col. Zach Taylor with his U. S. infantry in the lead, and
Gen'l Henry and his volunteers, at the rear to guard the
baggage train, an indignity they submitted to in silence.
On the 28th the army struck the trail of the fleeing In
dians again, marked at every step by pathetic testimony
of their extreme distress and misery. Dead Indians
were found at short intervals — five at one camping place
— who had died of their wounds and starvation.
About ten o'clock of the fourth day after crossing the
Wisconsin, the advance guard of the army reached the
bluffs overlooking the Mississippi. The main body of
Indians had arrived at the river bank near the mouth of
a small stream known as the Bad Axe, and a few had

144
crossed to the west side. To divert Gen'l Atkinson's at
tention and gain time for his people to get across the
Mississippi, Black Hawk and about twenty of his war
riors feigned a stand for battle at the edge of the bluffs,
whereupon Gen'l Atkinson placed his regulars in line
ready for a grand charge, when Black Hawk, to decoy
him from the real position, of his wretched band, retreat
ed wp the Mississippi bottom, followed by the regulars
and Major Dodge's battalion. The keen military eye of
Gen'l Henry, who was in the rear, saw the sharp strate-
gem of Black Hawk leading Gen'l Atkinson astray, and
detected the trail where the Indians had descended the
bluffs to the left and proceeded across the bottom to the
river. Without orders, he sent eight men down the
trail to reconnoiter, and, dismounting his brigade — of
400 — he followed quickly with them, and soon found the
enemy. The eight men he had sent forward were fired
upon~ and five of them were killed or wounded. He then
gave the order to charge, obeyed with alacrity by his
men, who drove the Indians from tree to tree, until they
gained the river's bank. In the meantime Gen'l Henry
sent his aide, Major Murray McConnell, to inform Gen'l
Atkinson that he had found and engaged the warriors.
The Indians, in their desperation and terror, crowded
to the river bank, and many of them plunged into the
water to swim to the other side. Others crossed a nar
row channel of the river to a small willow-covered island
not far from the shore. While they were thus huddled
together by the merciless rifles of the avengers in their
rear, with but half a mile of water separating them from
their refuge, of safety, the steamboat Warrior, with a.
small company of soldiers aboard, commanded by one
Capt. Throckmorton, appeared in the channel of the

145
river. At the unexpected arrival of that new enemy,
the poor, famished, cowering wretches on the bank rais
ed a white flag of submission. The valiant Captain on
the boat then ordered them to come aboard and formal
ly surrender, an order they neither understood," or had
means of complying with. As none of them went to the
boat, the Captain gave them fifteen minutes to remove
their women and children; another order they could not
comprehend, and could not possibly have obeyed if they
did. At the expiration of the fifteen minutes, he fired
upon them at close range with a six-pound cannon charg
ed with grape-shot, followed by volleys of musketry by
the soldiers. He killed twenty-three Indians, men, wo
men and children, and wounded twice as many more ;
then, his ammunition exhausted, humanely ceased firing
and returned to Prairie du Chien to rest upon his laurels.
Gen'l Henry made no halt, but pushed on, literally
driving the miserable Indians into the river. Those who
had taken refuge on the small island were followed by
the volunteers, wading the narrow channel up to their
arm-pits in water, and there continued the carnage.
Gen'l Atkinson and his regulars arrived in time to lend
a hand in the slaughter;' but to Gen'l Henry is due the
credit of the great victory achieved at that final "battle"
of the Bad Axe. On the island about a hundred and
fifty Indians, of both sexes and all ages, were massacred,
and perhaps fifty squaws and children were spared and
taken prisoners. The whites lost seventeen killed and
twelve wounded. More than half of the enemy who at
tempted to swim the river were drowned, or shot in the
water. s
Thus terminated the famed Black Hawk "war." For
I he expulsion from the State of 400 Indian warriors, en-
—10

146
cumbered by their squaws and children, 8,000 volunteers
were enrolled; 1,500 U. S. regular soldiers put in the field,
2.000 human lives lost, at a total cost to the general
government of over two millions of dollars.
Black Hawk, whose ruse was checked when Major Mc-
Connel called Gen'l Atkinson from his pursuit, fled east
ward. A number of Winnebagos of that locality then
anxious to prove their loyalty to the victorious whites,
followed him and his little party to the Dalles of the
Wisconsin river, and persuaded them to surrender. The
plucky, vicious old warrior was brought to Prairie du
Chien, thence sent to Fortress Monroe, with Ne-a-Pope
and the Prophet, as prisoners of war, in April, 1833. In
June they were taken through the eastern cities, where
they paraded as heroes and were loaded with presents,
and returned by way of the lakes, to their Iowa reserva
tion. Highly colored, exaggerated accounts of Black Hawk's
raid were daily sent to Washington and the eastern
cities, not only by enterprising newspaper correspond
ents and designing demagogues, but by State officials in
high authority whose object was to influence Congress
to make speedy and liberal appropriations to pay ex
penses of the "war." So grave was the situation in Illi
nois represented to be, that President Jackson, after
consultation with his cabinet, ordered Gen'l Winfield
Scott to march there at once with 1,000 regular troops,
and so urgent was the emergency considered, that Gen'l
Scott moved his force from Fortress Monroe to Chicago
in the remarkably short time of eighteen days. Arriv
ing himself on the Mississippi the "war" was over; but
the U. S. soldiers met an enemy on the route, after leav
ing New York, far more formidable than any band of Sac

147
and Fox Indians. It was the Asiatic cholera that had
recently invaded the country at Halifax. It swept away
a fourth of Gen'l Scott's men, and many citizens, on its
way westward, and from Prairie du Chien continued its
saturnalia of death down the Mississippi River.

CHAPTER VII.
Gov. Edwards defeated for Congress by Charles Slade — Mr. Snyder
re-elected to the State Senate — His removal from the American
Bottom to Belleville — The cholera in Belleville in 1833 — Death of
Gov. Edwards — The eighth General Assembly — The "Falling Stars>"
• — Death of Mr. Slade by cholera — Reynolds and Snyder candidates
for Congress — Gen'l Duncan deserts the Democratic party and
joins the Whigs.
The "general election, on August 6th, 1832, followed a
political campaign in Illinois as interesting, if not as
exciting, as that of the Indian campaign just terminated.
Three congressmen were elected instead of only one as
formerly. In the third, or southeastern district, Zadok
Casey was the successful candidate. Joseph Duncan,
who then resided in Jacksonville, was re-elected to repre
sent the second, or Springfield district. In the first, or
Belleville district, five candidates were offered for the
position, namely: Gov. Edwards, Charles Slade, Sidney
Breese, Henry L. Webb and Charles Dunn. Mr. Slade
was elected, the vote standing, for Slade, 2,470 ; for Gov.
Edwards, 2,078; for Breese, 1,670; for Dunn, 1,020, and
for Webb, 551.
Charles Slade, now one of the forgotten statesmen of
Illinois, was born in England and brought, when quite
young, by his parents to Alexandria, Virginia. When a
young man he came west with two brothers, Richard
and Thomas, and settled near the present site of Oarlyle,
then in St. Clair county. His two brothers remained sin
gle, but he, shortly after his arrival, married Miss Kain,
and from that union several children were born. One of
his sons, named Richard, married a daughter of Judge
Sidney Breese, and was a volunteer in the Mexican war
during which he died at Santa Fe, New Mexico. Alfred,
another son of Charles Slade, when scarcely grown,

149
killed a man in Carlyle and fled to the western plains,
where for some time he was in the employ of the Over
land Mail Company. *He drifted to the mountains and
became one of the most notorious desperados of that
(then) lawless region. He was credited with having com
mitted twenty-six murders, and was finally hung by the
vigilants in Virginia City, Montana Territory, on Janu
ary 4th, 1862. A graphic sketch of his career and execu
tion is given by Mark Twain in his volume entitled
"Roughing It."
With a partner named Hubbard, Charles Slade
engaged in the mercantile business in Carlyle, the first
merchants there, and for some years quite successful. Mr.
Slade become one of the most prominent men in south
ern Illinois in politics as well as in business. He was
elected to the lower house of the legislature in 1820, and
again in 1826. Elected to Congress in 1832 he attended
^he first term of the 23d Congress, and when returning
home, in the summer of 183-3, was stricken down with
cholera, and died after a short illness in Knox county,
Indiana, near Vincennes. He was there buried and all
trace of his grave is lost. He is described as an at
tractive, finely proportioned man, of good education and
fair abilities, with some gift of oratory, pleasing address,
and affable, friendly disposition that rendered him very
popular.* While Adam. W. Snyder was yet ranging, with his
company, on the northern frontier of the State, bis
friends in St. Clair county announced him a candi
date for re-election to the State Senate; and he was
elected without opposition, notwithstanding the fact
that at the last session of the legislature he had voted
* For a more extended sketch of Mr. Slade see the Transactions of the
Illinois State Historical Society for 1903, p. 207.

150
for the Wiggins loan. The odium of that vote, however,
may have been obscured by the lustre of his conflict with
the Indians at Kellogg's Grove. " At that time, in a
greater degree than at present, military service rendered
the State, or country, atoned in the estimation of the
people, for almost any official, or personal, delinquency.
Mr. Snyder's residence on the farm had become for
many reasons unsatisfactory and inconvenient, particu
larly so since he entered public life. The demands of his
professional and business affairs over a wide area of the
State, and his protracted absence at Vandalia during
the session of the Legislature, and then in the Black
Hawk campaign, tended to estrange him from his home
to the neglect and discomfort of his family. For when
away his wife was left to get along the best she could
with servants, farm hands and guests, and the care of
three small sickly children. To the usual endemic
malarial disorders of the American Bottom, that in the
summer and fall of 1832 prevailed with more than ordi
nary severity, was added the cholera epidemic rapidly
spreading over the country, marking its course with
horror and death. Mr. Snyder and family escaped that
scourge, but few members of the household eluded the
annual visitation of ague and bilious fever.
Occupying the prominent position in the community
that Mr. Snyder- did, it is incomprehensible why he re
mained so long in that location, remote from his profes
sional interests, and so insalubrious as to endanger his
life and that of each member of his family. An attack
of bilious fever late in the summer of 1882 brought him
to a full realization of the situation. "We will all die,"
said he, "if we remain longer among these pestilential
swamps;" and he determined then to leave the Bottom

151
as soon as he could perfect arrangements, and remove to
Belleville, the county seat of St. Clair county, on the
highlands seven miles east of the region of swamps.
Upon his next visit to Belleville he purchased of John
H. Dennis, for the sum of f 900, the block in that village
bounded on the north and south by First and Second
North streets, on the east by Spring street, and on the
west by Richland street It was in the outskirts of the
town, though separated at one corner by a street only
from the block from which one-fourth of the public, or
Court house, square was taken. The site of Belleville,
when a small farm belonging to George Blair, was
selected, on March 10th, 1814, by seven special commis
sioners appointed by the legislature, as the location for
the future county seat of St. Clair county. Blair subse
quently sold the town — excepting lots previously dis
posed of — to an enterprising Canadian-Frenchman
named Etienne Pensoneau; and, in 1824, Pensoneau sold
it to Gov. Edwards, who removed his residence from
Edwardsville to Belleville in the winter of 1824-'25. The
block of lots purchased by Mr. Snyder were donated by
Gov. Edwards to Mr. Dennis, a Virginian and distant
relative by marriage. A condition of the sale to Mr.
Snyder was that possession of the .premises would be
retained by Mr. Dennis until the 1st of March following.
The eighth general assembly met at Vandalia on the
3d of December, 1832. Zadok Casey, having been elect
ed to Congress, resigned the position of Lieutenant
Governor, and Senator William Lee D. Ewing, who, as
Colonel of one of Gen'l Henry's trusted regiments, won
distinction in the Black Hawk war, was chosen by the
Senate its presiding officer in his stead. Jesse B.
Thomas, Jr., was again elected -Secretary. In the or-

152
ganization of the House, Alexander M. Jenkins was
selected for Speaker, and David Prickett for Clerk. The
proscription of members who voted for the Wiggins loan
in the seventh assembly was very apparent in the eighth.
Of the twenty-six Senators in the eighth assembly, only
eight had served in the seventh, namely, Archer, Con
way, Evans, Grammar,* lies, Lynch, Snyder and Will.
With very few exceptions the members; of the House
were new men in public life, among whom were Murray
McConnell, James Semple, Cyrus Edwards, Stinson H.
Anderson, John T. Stuart and Peter Cartwright. f Mr.
Snyder was placed on the Judiciary Committee and on
the Committee on Petitions.
In his message to the legislature Gov. Reynolds re
viewed the late military operations resulting in expul
sion of the hostile Indians' from the State, urged legis
lation for a system of common schools, improvement of
the Chicago harbor, construction of either a railroad or
canal connecting the Illinois River with Laka Michigan,
with preference for the former, closing with forcible en
dorsement of President Jackson's proclamation denounc
ing the South Carolina Nullification resolutions, and ap-
* John Grammar was a very early settler of southern Illinois, and
was a member of the Territorial Council from Johnson county in 1816
and 1817. He was ultra pro-slavery in sentiment and vehemently -sup
ported the convention scheme in 1824. Later, when a member of the
legislature from Union county, Judge Joe Gillespie says, a question
arose regarding the validity of ihe titles to slaves in Illinois. "The
old gentleman instantly arose and remarked, 'that fittener men than
he was mout hev been found to defend the masters agin the sneakin'
ways of the infernal abolitioners; but, havin' rights on my side,- 1 don't
fear, sir. I will show that are proposition is unconstitutionable, inlegal
and fornenst the compact. Don't every one know, or leastwise had
ought to know, that the Congress that sot at Post! Vinsan, garnisheed
to the ol'iJ French inhabitants the right to their niggers; and hain't I
got as much rights as any Frenchman in this State? Answer me that,
sir.' "
t At the August election, 1832, in Sangamon county, entitled to four
representatives in the lower house of the legislature, eleven candi
dates were announced. The four elected were G. D. Taylor, who re
ceived 1127 votes; Achilles Morris, 945; John T. Stuart, 991, and Peter
Cartwright, 815. Of the seven defeated, Abraham Lincoln, fresh from
the Black Hawk war, was eighth on the list with 657 votes.

153
pealed to the legislature to express the people's approval
of the President's views. His appeal was complied with
in a set of resolutions "pledging Illinois to sustain the
President in his determination to execute the laws of the
United States at all hazards," that were adopted with
practical unanimity, as a large majority of both houses
were "whole hog" adherents of Old Hickory. Hence the
Governor's new-born zeal for Jackson.
That portion of the message relating to the late In
dian war was, on motion of Mr. Snyder, laid on the table
and 500 copies of it ordered printed for use of the Senate.
When the two houses met in joint session, on Dec.
29th, for election of State officers, Major John Dement
was re-elected Treasurer without opposition. Col. James
T. B. Stapp was chosen Auditor over' Edmund G. Taylor
and William B. Archer.
James Semple was elected Attorney General, defeat
ing A. F. Grant, A. W. Cavarly,  Canterberry, John
J. Hardin and Sidney Breese, the latter receiving one
vote. Samuel 0. Pearce was made Warden of the Peni
tentiary. Early in the session of the eighth general assembly a
bill was passed by the House entitled, "An act to ap
point Commissioners to permanently locate the seat, of
government of Illinois," and was sent to the Senate.
There the bill was read a second time, on Jan. 9, 1833,
and, on motion of Senator Ewing, referred to a select
committee of five, announced by the presiding officer to
consist of Ewing, Mills, Mather, lies and Craig. On Jan.
12, Mr. Ewing, the chairman of that committee, reported
"That they consider any legislation on the subject in
dicated by the bill, at this time, as premature, and rec
ommend to the Senate its rejection," and, on motion of
Mr. Ewing, the bill and report were laid on the table.

154
On Jan. 14th the bill and report, on motion of Mr.
Ewing, were taken up, when Senator Oonway moved to
amend said report by striking out all of the same after
the word "that," and inserting in lieu thereof' the fol
lowing, towit : "After the period fixed by the constitu
tion fixing the seat of government at Vandalia shall have
expired, it shall then be permanently located and fixed
at Alton, on the Mississippi River," which was decided
in the negative by yeas 5, nays 21. The report was
then adopted, by 14 to 13, and again laid on the table.
The bill and report were again called up, by Mr. Ewing,
on the 15th, when Mr. Williamson moved that its further
consideration be indefinitely postponed, which motion
was rejected by the vote of 15 to 11. Mr. Snyder then
moved to amend the bill by striking out all after the en
acting clause, and inserting in lieu thereof the following :
"That at the next election to be held in the several coun
ties in this State for members of the legislature, there
shall be opened at each place of voting a book in which
shall be entered the votes of qualified voters in favor of
the following named places, as their choice fOr the per
manent location of the seat of government of this State
at the expiration of the time prescribed by law for it to
remain at Vandalia, to-wit : The geographical center of
the State, Jacksonville in Morgan county; Springfield,
in Sangamon county; Alton, in Madison county, and Van
dalia, in Fayette county. The point or place receiving
the highest number of votes shall forever remain "the
seat of government for the State of Illinois."
Other Senators proposed to further amend by insert
ing "Havana, in Tazewell county," "Beardstown, in Mor
gan county," "Rushville, in Schuyler county," "Shelby
ville," and "Decatur," all of which were rejected, when

155
Mr. Snyder's amendment was adopted by 16 ayes to 10
nays. At the instance of Senator Strode the amend
ment of Mr. Snyder was modified by adding the words
"Peoria, in Peoria county."
Mr. Snyder's amendment, subsequently modified by
vesting the power of election in the legislature instead
of the people at large, became the law by which the
capitol was removed, six years later, from Vandalia to
Springfield. Public enthusiasm for internal improvements in Illi
nois was manifested that early by the passing of many
special acts by the legislature incorporating various
enterprises demanded by the people. Companies were
authorized to build towns, railroads, colleges, semi
naries, libraries and canals. Of railroads then con
templated, charters were granted for one from Chicago
to the Illinois river; one from Peru on the Illinois river
to Cairo to be known as the Illinois Central railroad,
and another crossing the State on the latitude of Spring
field. As the impecunious book worm derives pleasure
in checking off on a catalog such books as he would like
to have, but is unable to purchase, those charters, cost
ing nothing, afforded the people much gratification, but
none of the proposed enterprises progressed farther than
the legislative authority granted.
There appearing to Mr. Snyder no valid reason why
action of the Senate in secret session on the Governor's
nominations should be excluded from the public, upon
his motion, it was "Ordered, that the proceedings had in
secret session on the Governor's nominations for office
be spread on the records."
A bill was passed fixing the rate of interest at six per
cent, in absence of specified rates in contracts. At that

156
session but two new counties were organized, Cham
paign and Iroquois.
The chief business of the session, not in importance,
but in widespread interest, was the trial for impeaching
Theophilus Washington Smith, one of the lifetime jus
tices of the supreme court, for malfeasance in office.
Judge Smith was a prominent Jackson Democrat, a wily
politician, a pleasant, affable gentleman, and good
lawyer. He, at one time, edited the Crisis, a paper pub
lished at Kaskaskia when Sidney Breese edited the
Democrat there; he represented Madison coiinty in the
State Senate in the third and fourth general assemblies,
was cashier of the Edwardsville bank, and served on
Gov. Reynolds' staff in the Black Hawk war as Adjutant
General. He was born in New York on the 28th of Sep
tember, 1784; was educated there, studied law, and was
admitted to the bar in 1805; then came to Illinois in 181(5.
Several petitions were presented to the legislature
charging him with acts of oppression, and misdemeanors
in office. Many witnesses were examined by the House,
upon whose testimony it voted articles of impeachment
embracing five specifications, to-wit: imprisoning a
Quaker for refusing to remove his hat from his head in
court; selling a circuit clerkship; suspending a lawyer
for advising his client to ask for a change of venue from
his court, and two instances of swearing out vexatious
writs returnable before himself for the purpose of
oppressing innocent men by holding them to bail.
The Senate sat as a high court of Impeachment, the
trial continuing from Jan. 9th to Feb. 7th, 1833. The
prosecuting managers on the part of the House were
Benjamin Mills, James Semple, John T. Stuart, Murray
McConnell and John Dougherty. Judge Smith was de-

157
fended by Thomas Ford, Sidney Breese, and Richard M.
Young, an array of legal talent, on both sides, unsur
passed for learning and ability in the State. The speech
of Mr. Mills in summing up the evidence for the prosecu
tion was extended over parts of three days, and was
pronounced by all an effort of matchless force and bril
liancy. As a two-thirds vote was required for con
viction Judge Smith escaped conviction. Twelve Sena
tors voted for conviction, ten for acquittal and four were
excused from voting, one of whom was Senator Snyder.
The Senate Journal states: "Mr. Snyder was confined
to his lodgings by indisposition three days during exam
ination of witnesses ; and not having heard the testimony
on both sides on any one of the articles of impeachment,
was excused as heretofore stated." Senators Crawford
and Forquer were excused by reason of sickness, and
Senator Evans was absent by leave of the Senate.
Immediately on Judge Smith's acquittal, the House
passed, by a two-thirds vote, a resolution to remove him
from office by address; but it failed to pass the Senate
and he remained on the supreme bench until the 26th of
December, 1842, when he resigned. He died at his home
in Chicago on the 6th of May, 1846.
The legislature adjourned on the 2d of March, 1833.
Returning home from Vandalia, Mr. Snyder at once
removed his family and household property from the
American Bottom to the residence purchased by him of
Mr. Dennis, in Belleville. That town,, then numbering
among its citizens ex-Gov. Edwards, Gov. Reynolds,
Senator Snyder, State's Attorney Alfred Cowles, and
several other politicians of more or less note, with ex-
Lieut. Gov. Kinney but a few miles away, was recog
nized by all office-seekers as a political focus of the State

158
of little, if. any, less importance and influence than Van
dalia. Dr. Joseph Green, who established the first news
paper in St. Olair county, The Western News, resided
there, and Robert K. Fleming was then (1833) publish
ing there the St. Clair Gazette, a "whole hog" Jackson
organ. On the western half of Mr. Snyder's premises — where
recently stood the Opera house — was a fine orchard of
thrifty apple trees, and on the southeastern corner lots.
nearest the public square, was the dwelling, an old
frame house with one room above another, an addition
or two one story high, and a log kitchen and smoke
house, all old and dilapidated. The house yard was
shaded by large oaks and other forest trees contermin
ous with the heavily wooded region in the rear on the
northern and western sides, extending to and beyond
Richland Creek. Mrs. Harriet Pensoneau, Mrs. Snyder's
sister, purchased from Conrad Bornman, the first Ger
man who permanently located in Belleville, the corner
lots diagonally across the street from the Dennis house,
upon which Mr. Bornman had built a small frame house
(still standing there in fair condition, 1903). Immedi
ately south of Mrs. Pensoneau's premises, including the
corner lot of Spring and Main streets, was the home of
Gov. Reynolds. Thus the Governor and Mr. Snyder were
again fellow citizens of the same town and near neigh
bors, with their families on the most intimate terms of
friendship. In 1832 and '33 the vanguard of the host of German
immigrants, that afterwards poured into southern Illi
nois for many years, made its appearance in St. Clair
county. In 1833 and '34 the Hilgards, Engelmanns,
Bunsens, and several other Germans of wealth and edu-

159
cation, came and settled about Belleville and in the
Shiloah Valley, six miles to the northeast of Belleville.
With them came Gustavus Koerner, a bright, highly ed
ucated young man, and graduate in law of the Heidel
berg University. His impulsive republican tendencies
had involved him in a revolutionary uprising of the
democratic element in Frankfurt, where he was born and
reared, and in the conflict with royal troops that fol
lowed on the 3d day of April, 1833, he was wounded. By
aid of friends he escaped to France, but there found no
asylum for those who revolted against monarchical tyr
anny, and was escorted by French gens d' amies into
Switzerland. Managing to elude the authorities, he
passed through France, and came to America. Already
well versed in Latin and the French language, he soon
mastered English of which he had gained theoretical
knowledge in college. The large inflow Of permanent
German settlers in that part of Illinois induced him to
carry out his original intention of adopting the legal pro
fession as a life occupation. In that conclusion he was
warmly encouraged by Mr. Snyder,, who, from their first
introduction,, formed for him a cordial friendship., and
did all in his power to aid him to establish himself in
business. In the spring of 1834 Mr. Snyder employed Conrad
Bornman, the brick mason, and other mechanics, to
build for him a law office, in the northwest corner of the
public square, near the Court house, on a lot he had
purchased for that purpose. It was a very modest brick
building of two rooms, one behind the other, plainly
but substantially erected and finished. In that office
Mr. Koerner was installed and remained until he went
to Lexington, Kentucky, and attended a law course at
Transylvania University, a year later.

¦ 160
Mr. Snyder's knowledge of the German language at
tracted to his office many of the newly arrived foreign
ers who came to consult him in regard to lands and land
titles; and for several years he did an extensive real
estate business with and for them. A large proportion
of German immigrants to Southern Illinois were of the
laboring, or agricultural classes, sturdy, industrious,
economical people who — like thistle seeds blown by the
wind — took root in the soil where they alighted, and
grew and flourished. Many an improvident American
pioneer with more fondness for his gun and dog than for
his plow, spending his time hunting for bee trees, or in
horse racing, or at the town grocery, was displaced by
the thrifty foreigner who paid him for his "improve
ments," then entered the land, and, in the course of a
few years became a wealthy farmer. Among the newly
arrived Germans were many political exiles, as Mr.
Koerner, from the upper social stratum, cultured, edu
cated and refined, who contributed largely to the ad
vancement of Illinois in all the avenues of literature and
scholarship. The cholera that had accompanied Gen'l Scott's
troops from New York City to Prairie du Chien, in 1832,
continued its rapid and deadly march down through the
settlements bordering the Mississippi until arrested at
St. Louis for the winter by cold weather. With the rise
of temperature in the spring it awoke from its hiberna
tion and recommenced its terrible progress. It made its
first appearance in Belleville in May, 1833, advancing
from St. Louis, and was epidemic there by June, attend
ed with alarming fatality.
Among the many superior attainments of Gov. Ed
wards was his very considerable practical knowledge of

I 161
medicine. How he ever found time in his busy life to
give that study any attention is incomprehensible. His
practice of the healing art was gratuitous and usually
confined to the poorer classes as an adjunct to his natural
broad philanthropy and charity. Yet, such was the
popular confidence in his medical skill and judgment
that "it was not unusual for persons to come hundreds
of miles to consult him with regard to cases that were
considered of a dangerous character by other physi
cians."* When it was learned that the cholera was moving
westward from India, Gov. Edwards exhausted all ac
cessible means of obtaining reliable information of its
causes, nature and symptoms, and the most successful
methods then known for combating it. At length when
it invaded his home village he was indefatigable in his
efforts to stay its progress and shield the people from its
pitiless havoc. Though his health at the time was im
paired, and he was importuned by his family and friends
to leave the infected district, or, at least, observe every
possible precaution for his own safety, he was fearless
and unremitting in ministering to its victims, particular
ly those in the humbler walks of life. He responded to
the calls of charity at all hours of day and night, with
immunity from the dreadful disease, until about the
middle of July, when he was himself attacked by its pre
monitory symptoms, and confined to his bed for a day or
two. With careful treatment he recovered sufficiently
to be enabled to leave his room, and for two days resume
his usual routine business. On Friday evening, July
19th, he relapsed and was at once prostrated with the
most violent symptoms of cholera, and sank rapidly. A
* Life and Times of Ninian Edwards. By Ninian W. Edwards, 1870,
p. 242. —11

162
messenger was despatched for his brother, Dr. Benjamin
Edwards, who resided at Edwardsville; but before his
arrival, at 7 o'clock on the morning of July 20th, 1833,
Gov. Edwards expired, in the 58th year of his age.
From any point of view Gov. Edwards was, beyond all
question, the ablest man in Illinois. Jesse B. Thomas,
John McLean, Daniel P. Cook, and a few others, in some
respects, were his equal; but in breadth and strength of
intellect, in scholarly attainments, business sagacity
and versatility of genius, he surpassed them all. As a
lawyer, statesman, politician, financier, merchant, the
measure of his success in the years of his busy life was
proof of diversified, talents far above the average. His
opponents said he was vain and arrogant. If so, his
justifiable vanity was balanced by his friendly, amiable
disposition, and his seeming arrogance by open handed
benevolence and kindness of heart. "A more affectionate
and devoted husband, father, brother; or a kinder neigh
bor, never lived." The virtues of honor, justice, truth
and charity were his. He was compassionate to the poor
and needy, and in ministering to that class finally sacri
ficed his life. To flee from such an enemy as Asiatic
cholera is not cowardice, but courageous wisdom. Gov.
Edwards could easily have secured personal safety from
it in flight; but fell a martyr to his lofty sentiments of
philanthropy and sense of duty. He was subject to
occasional fits of Uncontrollable passion, in one of which
he once fell to the floor, unconscious, when addressing the
U. S. Senate, and was carried out of the chamber. Such
exhibitions of anger were, however, rare. The great
mistake of his distinguished career was his resignation
from the Senate to accept the mission to Mexico. No
reason can be assigned for expatriating himself at that

163
time by exchanging a seat in the U. S, Senate, which he
might have held indefinitely, for a third or fourth rate
diplomatic office. From the date of that illy-advised
step his political strength in Illinois began to wane, and
his subsequent efforts to regain the exalted position he
relinquished were unsuccessful.
When Mrs, Daniel P. Cook died, at her father's resi
dence in Belleville, in 1830-, the town having no ceme
tery, she was buried, temporarily, on Mr. Dennis' place,
on Spring street, in the edge of the woods thirty or forty
yards north of the Dennis dwelling. The Governor,
having died, was buried by her side, on the premises
then owned and occupied by Mr. Snyder.* Before his
last and fatal sickness he was contemplating removing
from Belleville to Springfield, where, with his usual far-
seeing judgment, he had made large investments in real
estate that soon began rapidly to appreciate in value.
After Mrs. Cook's death he donated to the town for the
use of the public, the space of ground then far out in the_
woods, upon which the Catholic Bishop's residence and
Parochial school building now stand, for burial pur
poses, and it was for many years the only cemetery in
the place. It was his intention, when he changed his
residence to Springfield, to exhume the remains of his
daughter, Mrs. Cook, and reinter them there. In 1855,
when sale of the Snyder property rendered their removal
imperative, the moldering bones of the statesman and
his daughter were taken up from their long resting place
and transferred to Oak Ridge cemetery at Springfield. f
* The writer well remembers the awe and undefined dread that im
pelled him, when a small boy, to shun near approach to those two
lonely, unmarked graves, in the corner of the garden, covered, pall
like, with a thick matting of dark green creeping myrtle.
t When exhuming the remains of Gov. Edwards and Mrs. Cook the
laborers had. removed but little earth from the foot of the Governor's
grave when their spades came in contact with a heavy wooden box,

164
The total revenue of the State from all sources for the
third and fourth fiscal years of Governor Reynolds' ad
ministration amounted to $147,074, and the disburse
ments for the same period to $146,777. The expenses of
the last session of the legislature, together with the
year's salaries of the Governor and State officers aggre
gated $50,748. The State's indebtedness was the Wig
gins loan, $100,000, and very nearly as much more thai-
had been diverted from the school and seminary funds to
defray current State expenses. With recurrence of
autumn frpsts the cholera disappeared. Its visitation,
appalling while it lasted, had but temporary depressing
effect upon business and commerce, and did not appre
ciably retard the general prosperity of the country or
check the growth of the State's population and wealth.
In that large scope of splendid country between Rock
Island and Chicago, where the settler had before been
excluded by dread of Indian troubles, the pioneer's plow
was already obliterating the ancient trails of the buffalo
and the savage.
In the annals of Illinois — and the west — the year 1833
is memorable, not on acount of the cholera's ravages
alone, but for that startling phenomenon that occurred
in the early morning of November 13th, known among
the pioneers as the "falling stars." Meteors commenced
falling into the atmosphere and igniting between one
and two o'clock, presenting the appearance of myriads of
stars falling in all directions, like snowflakes in a storm,
lighting the night with a strange, wierd brilliancy. The
that, when opened, was found to contain a closely packed human skele
ton. The ghastly discovery, suggestive of a hidden crime, produced a
lively sensation, and the coroner was summoned to investigate the
mystery. The inquest had not proceeded far, however, when one of
the local physicians quieted the excitement by explaining the bones to
be those of a "subject" young Snyder (the writer) when a medical
student, had brought from the dissecting room and buried there before
his departure for California in 1850.

165
amazing display continued until extinguished by the
superior light of the risen sun. It was a scene of marve
lous sublimity well calculated to indelibly impress the
memory and stir the imagination with superstitious
wonder. There was no meeting of the legislature in! the winter
of 1833-34; but, as the following summer would bring-
around another general election in the State, there was
no hibernation of politicians. No inclemency of weather
dampened their ardor or cooled their ambition, and
through the long winter months they prosecuted their
siege of the long-suffering people. It was customary to
give the first day of Circuit court terms, after the judge
had charged the grand jury, to the public for political
speeches and discussions; also for parading fine stable
horses about the public square. At such times the
representatives in Congress and the legislature usually
rendered to their constituents acounts of their steward
ships, and aspirants for all offices at the next election
came forward and greeted the voters, if not always with
flowery eloquence, invariably with fair promises.
General Joseph Duncan, then serving his fourth term
in Congress, was early anounced a candidate, for Gov
ernor. He remained in Washington Oity during the
campaign and addressed the people of the State through
the medium of newspapers and circulars. He was op
posed in the field by three candidates, William Kinney,
John Adams and Robert McLaughlin. The last named
was his uncle, who had served four years as State Treas
urer and six years in the legislature. On the question
of slavery General Duncan was very conservative. He
detested Abolitionists and Abolitionism; was opposed to
interfering with slavery where it existed, and equally

166
opposed to its extension into territory where it did not
exist — especially into Illinois. He had four times been
elected to Congress as an ultra Jackson Democrat, and
Jackson Democrats again rallied with their usual party
zeal to his support for Governor.
The candidates for Lieutenant Governor were Alexan
der M. Jenkins, James Evans and William B. Archer.
The first, or Belleville, Congressional district was rep
resented by Charles Slade, of whom now but little is
known. He was a candidate for re-election, as he had
informed his constituents. Governor Reynolds, whose
term as Governor would expire on the first Monday in
December, 1834, "yielded to the earnest solicitations of
his friends" and "consented, for the good of the country,"
that they might "use his name" also in connection with
the election of Congressman. The convention system
was then unknown in the west, and no restraint what
ever was imposed on anyone who chose to become a can
didate for any office. The "milk and cider," vacillating
course pursued by Mr. Slade in Congress was a serious
disappointment to many of his former supporters, to
whom Reynolds, for many reasons, was extremely ob
jectionable. That, class of voters in several counties of
the district desired a candidate with well-defined politi
cal principles on whose integrity and firmness they could
implicitly rely. Though the party convention of the
present day had not then been evolved, King Caucus
was beginning to assert his power. A consultation of
the most prominent anti-Reynolds men was held, result
ing, after due deliberation, in naming Adam W. Snyder,
a party leader in the Senate with creditable Black Hawk
war record, as the most available man to oppose Rey
nolds, and accordingly he was announced as a candidate
for the full term.

167
On his way home after adjournment of Congress, in
the summer of 1834, Mr. Slade was stricken with cholera
and died, on the 11th of July, when near Vincennes, In
diana. That melancholy and unexpected event caused
a vacancy for his unexpired term to be supplied at the
general election. Gov. Reynolds, again "yielding to the
Avishes of his friends," announced himself a candidate
for that also, and had no opposition.
The political antagonism of Reynolds and Snyder,
dating from the latter's early association with
Judge Jesse B. Thomas, may possibly have influenced,
to some extent, the action of the caucus. The Whigs
were yet numerically too weak in the district to present
a candidate with any hope of success even against the
divided Jackson party. An untrammeled test of
strength of Reynolds and Snyder at the polls would,
doubtless, have been very interesting, though all ad
vantages of longer residence in the country, earlier mili
tary service and more extensive general acquaintance
with the people, were decidedly in the Old Ranger's favor.
But a third candidate, also a Jackson Democrat, entered
the list with them for Congressional honors, Colonel
Edward Humphreys, of Kaskaskia, for some years Re
ceiver of the land office there. He had formerly been a
Crawford man, but had transferred his allegiance to Old
Hickory, in preference to lapsing into political extinction.
Of his two competitors in that race Governor Rey
nolds said, twenty-one years later, in 1855:* "This dis
trict contained a large democratic majority, and no whig
offered for Congress at that election. There were in the
field three candidates for Congress, A. W. Snyder, Esq.,
Colonel Edward Humphreys and myself, all Democrats
* Reynolds' Life and Times, pp. 444-445.

168
and Jackson men. All the candidates offered without a
convention. "Mr. Snyder, the candidate for Congress, was a con
spicuous and distinguished character, a popular member
of the General Assembly, and possessed of great
strength and versatility of talent. He had been in his
youth deprived of a classic education, and was a self-
taught man. But the natural powers of his mind were
strong and energetic, and he studied the human charac
ter in all its various phases. He possessed in an emi
nent degree the talent to advance himself in the good
graces of the people. His speeches were generally
short, eloquent and prepossessing. His address was
agreeable, polite and courteous. His voice was excel
lent, and his addresses were generally received by his
audience with marked approbation, and frequently pro
duced powerful effects.
"He was then youthful, ardent and ambitious. Labor
with him in electioneering was a pleasure, and his socia
bility and incessant intercourse with the masses seemed
to be his pleasure and happiness. Mr. Snyder was then,
in 1834, a practicing lawyer, and was extremely popular
at the bar- He always; possessed the happy faculty of
making the jurors believe he had the right side of the
case. Scarcely any person had superior talent for making
a bad case in court look well. With these rare qualities
and abilities he rose to eminence in the State, and was
nominated by a democratic convention to be a candidate
for Governor. He would have been in all human prob
ability, elected Governor in 1842, but before the election
he died, much regretted by the poeple.
"Colonel Humphrey, my other opponent, was a gen
tleman of good sound talents, and had been for many

169
years an officer in the land office at Kaskaskia. He had
been a warm supporter of Crawford, and was, in the
Congressional election, an ultra Jackson man. He was
a .more violent and proscriptive man than either Mr.
Snyder or myself. He canvassed the district considera
bly, but made no speeches, and was not known; in many
of the counties, but he received a goodly number of
votes. Nevertheless the contest for a seat in Congress
was between Mr. Snyder and myself."
Electioneering for a seat in Congress at that date was
not altogether a pleasurable pastime, but involved much
labor and considerable expense. The district included
nearly a fourth of the State, and candidates traveled
over it, usually on horseback, addressing the people at
every county seat and important town, subsidizing every
newspaper of their respective parties, and treating all
their friends at every dramshop, whether they them
selves drank or not.
It was related during that campaign that Mr. Snyder,
having made an appointment to address the citizens .of
Macoupin county, at Oarlinville, on a certain day, was
journeying there the evening before when night over
took him some miles yet from his destination. Remem
bering that a substantial and influential farmer and
sound Democrat named Watson resided in the neighbor
hood where he then was, he concluded to call on him
and stay over, night, and, incidentally, ascertain how
Mr. Watson's predilections were in regard to the Con
gressional candidates. Arriving there in the dusky twi
light, he dismounted at the gate, and going to the front
door of the dwelling knocked repeatedly, but received no
response. He then walked around to the rear of the
house in search of its occupants, and heard at the barn

170
lot a man's voice, Mr. Watson's presumably, calling up
the hogs for their evening feed. Hearing other voices
in the cow lot near by, he approached the fence and saw
the fanner's wife milking a cow, and was dumfounded
on seeing, a few steps beyond, Governor Reynolds hold
ing the calf away. Without uttering a word to make his
¦presence known he hurried back to the gate, mounted
his horse and rode on to Carlinville.
Another incident of that campaign was related by
General John M. Palmer, in a private letter written a
short time before his death, as follows : "At the spring-
term of the Madison county Circuit court in 1834, I was
present when Hon. Adam W. Snyder, candidate for Con
gress, had, as he supposed, a meeting of his own. He
was addressing the people, when, to his surprise and
consternation, Governor Reynolds walked in, and, in his
usual affable way, said, 'How are you all, fellow citi
zens?' Then recognizing some persons in the audience,
shook hands with them, and enquired about the health
of their families. Mr. Snyder paused, and, raising his
hands, exclaimed, 'My God! will I ever get rid of him
this side of Heaven?' And then added sententiously,
'When there, I am quite sure I will be rid of him for
ever.' "
In his intercourse with the people Mr. Snyder was al
ways cordial and pleasant, and conducted himself with
the dignity and bearing of a. gentleman. He was firm in
his convictions and expressed them frankly in his politi
cal speeches, as in conversation, but was invariably re
spectful to his adversaries, never descending to ribaldry
or personal abuse.
Governor Reynolds, when a candidate for Congress,
practiced the same "milk and cider" tactics he did in

171
his contest for Governor, by pandering to the Whigs
while nominally a Jackson Democrat, and again he was
successful. He was elected on the 4th of August, 1884,
both for the vacancy and the full term of the 24th Con
gress. In St. Clair county, where he had resided for
nearly thirty-four years, and Mr. Snyder for seventeen,
the votes cast at that election numbered 150 for Rey
nolds, 392 for Humphreys and 653 for Snyder, a majority
for Snyder over Reynolds of 503 and of 110 over the
combined votes of both his opponents.*
For Governor, Joseph Duncan received 17,349 votes;
William Kinney, 10,229; Mr. McLaughlin, 4,315, and Mr.
Adams 887. Alexander M. Jenkins was elected Lieuten
ant Governor by a large majority.
The rejoicings of jubilant Democrats over their sweep
ing victory in Illinois were, however, turned to waitings
of disappointment and indignation when they learned
that their Governor-elect, Joseph Duncan — the man to
whom they had given their confidence and loyal support
for years — had betrayed them and gone over to the
enemy. They were amazed and shocked, and could
scarcely believe it true that he had joined the Whigs. It
was well for him that he remained in Washington and
concealed that fact until after the election, for had his
defection been known in Illinois before that time he
would have been overwhelmingly defeated. He left the
Democratic party when the policy of the Jackson admin
istration was defined by the veto of the National Bank
bill and that of the Maysville road measure, but was
careful to make no public declaration of his change of
* Writing to Gen'l Semple on Aug. 12, Mr. Snyder said. "Had that
d — d old fool, Humphreys, not have run I would have laid old Reynolds
out forever. Is it not strange tha.t there is always some creature like
that in the way, never strong enough to be elected, but troublesome
enough to keep others out."

172
heart until the party he intended in future to antagonize
had elevated him to the Governorship.
"Well, Governor," remarked the new apostate Gov
ernor on meeting the Old Ranger after the election, "we
are changing nags here! you are going from Governor
to Congress, and I from Congress to Governor." "Yes,"
retorted Reynolds, "and we have changed political nags,
too. You are now riding the Yankee mule and I am
astraddle of Old Hickory." The Old Ranger thus faceti
ously admitted that heretofore he had been a "milk and
cider," half Whig, but henceforth would affiliate with
the "whole hog" party that Duncan had deserted. And
so he did.
Upon meeting Governor Duncan, and learning that he
had gone over to the Whigs, Governor Kinney upbraided
him as follows: "Now, Jo, we Jackson men took you up
when you was young, poor and friendless; we put you in
high office and- enabled you to make a fortune; and for
all this you have joined the Adams men and become our
enemy. You was like a poor colt. We caught you up out
of a thicket, fed you on the best, combed the burs out of
your mane and tail, and made a fine horse of you, and
now you've broke away from us, and are trying to kick
us to death for our pains." Gov. Reynolds says : "The
Governor-elect did not return home from the East dur
ing the election canvass, but addressed circulars to the
people. If he had been at home it is doubtful if he would
have been elected, as he had entirely abandoned the
Democratic party and joined the Whigs, which a great
portion of his supporters would not believe until they
were forced to the unwelcome fact."*
* Reynolds' Life and Times. First edition. Belleville, 1855. Page
447.

CHAPTER VIII.
Death of the wife of Gov. Reynolds in 1834 — Gen'l Ewing Governor for
fifteen days — Another Stato Bank established — Loan of half a million
of dollars oh State credit for the canal — The Wiggins Ferry Com
pany — Gen'l Ewing elected to the U. S. Senate for sixty-five days —
Legislation of the second session of the ninth General Assembly.
Colonel William Lee Davidson Ewing, elected Presi
dent of the Senate, by the Senators, upon Lieutenant-
Governor Casey's resignation, was a rising politician of
ability with much ambition and self-esteem. He was a
native of Kentucky and came to Shawneetown when
quite young, and there commenced the practice of law,
but never attained high eminence in that profession. In
1820 he was appointed, by President Monroe, Receiver
of the land office at Vandalia. He then made that
place his home and there married a daughter of Elijah
C. Berry, the State's first Auditor. In 1828 he became
financially embarrassed by the robbery of his office of a
considerable amount of money. His political career be
gan in 1826 by his election to the position of Clerk of the
House of representatives in the fifth general assembly.
He.was re-elected Clerk of the House in the sixth assem
bly, in 1828, and in 1830 was elected a member of the
House. He rendered distinguished service in the Black
Hawk war under General Henry, and was promoted by
the people of his district to the State Senate in 1832.
He was a Jackson Democrat, of course; a fair speaker,
brave and manly, and very obliging and courteous. He
was a little above medium height, heavily built, with
large head, short face, blue eyes and auburn hair.
Reynolds disliked Ewing — as he disliked every other
successful, or promising, politician whom; he could not

174
control, and who might at some time possibly aspire to
something he himself wanted — and knowing that Ewing
would become Governor upon his resignation of the
office, held on to the place until he had barely time to
reach Washington at the meeting of Congress.
In justice to Governor Reynolds, however, it must be
borne in mind that another and far more serious cause
contributed to detaining him at home to that late date.
On the 5th of November his wife died at Belleville, and
was buried at Cahokia on the 7th. Several days were*
required to effect the changes in his household, and new
arrangements in his domestic affairs necessitated by
that sad event, and it was not until the- 17th of Novem
ber, ten days after the burial of Mrs. Reynolds, that he
resigned the executive office. General Ewing was then
Governor of Illinois for fifteen days without having been
elected to either that office or to that of Lieutenant'
Governor. The ninth general assembly met at Vandalia on the
1st of December, 1834. James Semple, of Madison
county, was elected Speaker of the House, and David
I'rickett Clerk for the third time, with Walter B. Scates
assistant Clerk, Leonard White was chosen Secretary
of the Senate. Of the new members of the House, sub
sequently mentioned in the annals of the State, were
Jesse K. Dubois, Milton Carpenter, Jesse B. Thomas, Jr.,
Abraham Lincoln and Orlando B. Ficklin. Among
those taking seats in the Senate for the first time were
A. G. Herndon, William J. Gatewood, William Thomas,
James W. Stephenson and John S. Hacker. The mes
sage of Governor Ewing to the legislature was brief and
modest, confined principally to an exposition of the
State's financial condition.

175
Governor Duncan's inaugural message left no doubt of
his hostility to the policy of President Jackson's admin
istration on national questions. He took strong ground
in favor of establishing a State Bank, and also advocat
ed a system, of internal improvements to be constructed
tind paid for by the State. He advised the lawmakers
to "establish some permanent system of common schools
by which an education may be placed within the power,
nay, if possible, secured to every child in the State."
He urged the necessity of completing the Illinois and
Michigan canal "wide enough for steamboats to pass on
it;" also the taxation of property for the support of the
State, and favored the enactment by Congress, of a na
tional preemption law.
In arranging the Senate committees, Mr. Snyder was
made chairman of that on Finance, and a member of the
committee on Military affairs. A large majority of both
houses, were opposed politically to Governor Duncan
and his newly found allies, but he received from the
legislators their utmost respect, and his recommenda
tions were given all due consideration. Preliminary to.
the earnest business of the session, the two houses met
to elect a Senator to succeed Hon. John M. Robinson,
who was a candidate for re-election. Judge Richard M.
Young and William B. Archer were also candidates for
the place. Mr. Robinson was re-elected with 47 votes to
30 for Young and 4 for Archer. In that election Mr.
Snyder voted for Judge Young, then residing in Union
county, in his Congressional district.
Since the currency of the old State bank was redeemed
and its affairs wound' up, the people had become well
accustomed to getting along without local banks, having
abundance of notes of banks in adjoining states in circu-

176
lation, sufficient for their commercial purposes. But the
mania for speculation that for some time had been rag
ing in the east, infected certain classes in Illinois, who
clamored for reestablishing banks in this state to further
their schemes for legalized plunder. Party lines in the
legislature were not drawn on the question of local
banks. A few Whigs were opposed to them and many
Democrats, believing that General Jackson, though he
vetoed the National Bank bill, was favorably disposed
to state banks, thought it their duty to favor them also.
Justice Theophilus W. Smith, of the Supreme Court, a
Democrat, drew up a bill chartering a new Illinois State
bank with six branches and a capital of $1,500,000, to be
increased, if in future deemed necessary, by another
$1,000,000, and reserving to the State the privilege of
taking $100,000 of the capital stock. The bill also pro
vided for "extending for a limited time" the charter of
the old Shawneetown bank that failed twelve years be
fore, with a capital of $300,000. That bill was intro
duced in the Senate by Conrad Will,* of Jackson county,
a Whig. Mr. Snyder, the leader of the opposition to banks in
the Senate, exhausted every effort in his power to defeat
the bill, but, deserted by weak-kneed Democrats, he
failed, and the provisions for establishing a State bank
were adopted. Upon third reading of the bill his speech
against it was so effective that the clause resurrecting
* Conrad Will, in whose honor the county of Will was named, was
born ir. Philadelphia, Pa., June 4, 1779, and there graduated in medi
cine. He came to Kaskaskia in 1 815 and practiced his profession there
a short time, when he engaged in the manufacture of salt from a saline
spring near the Big Muddy. He was a member of the Constitutional
convention and represented Jackson county in the first legislature in
1818; and was re-elected to one house or the other of every subsequent
assembly to and including the ninth. He died after the session ad
journed in 1835, June 11th. Gov. Ford says of him: "He was not
remarkable for anything except his good humor, a.n.d for having been
long a member of the legislature."

177
the defunct Shawneetown bank was stricken out by a
vote of 13 to 12; but the next day the vote was recon
sidered and the bank bill in its entirety was passed and
received the sanction of the Whig Governor and Coun
cil of Revision. It was charged that unblushing cor
ruption was practiced in securing passage of the bank
bill. One anti-bank Democrat was bought over to its
support, it was said, with the office of State's Attorney,
and others by promises of support for certain acts of
legislation they especially desired, and still others by
means of more direct bribery.
The people had not asked for reestablishing State
banks; the business of the State did not require them.
The movement was instigated by jobbers and specu
lators, and was the beginning of a series of ill-judged
acts of legislation that proved in their ultimate conse
quences disastrous to the people of the. State.
Senator Forquer,* Chairman of the Internal Improve
ment Committee, made an exhaustive and elaborate re
port on the condition and prospective benefits of the
Illinois and Michigan canal — 5,000 copies of which were
ordered to be printed for information of the public —
and proposed a bill, which was passed, authorizing the
borrowing of $500,000, secured by lien on the canal
lands, for prosecuting work upon it. Ninian W. Ed
wards, son of Gov. Edwards, was elected, in joint ses
sion, on the 14th of January, 1835, Attorney General,
and resigned the office on the 7th of the following month.
Five days later the vacancy was supplied by election of
Jesse B. Thomas, Jr., a Whig, for whom 55 votes were
* George- Forquer , is erroneously credited with having coined the
phrase, "to die in the last ditch." Edwards Papers, p. 518. That
phrase was. originated by William Prince of Orange.
—12

178
cast. Three votes — one of them Mr. Snyder's — were cast
for Seth T. Sawyer.
At the same time State's Attorneys were elected for
the five judicial districts. For that office in the Jackson
ville district, Stephen A. Douglas, with 38 votes, de
feated John J. Hardin, who received 34. In the third
district Orlando B. Ficklin was chosen, having 46 votes
to 44 for John Dougherty; and in the fifth district Wil
liam A. Richardson secured the place by 57 votes to only
11 for O. H. Browning. Col. Stapp was re-elected Audi
tor, and Col. John Dement, Treasurer. . Stephen T
Logan, Sidney Breese, Henry Eddy, Thomas Ford and
Justin Harlin were elected circuit judges.
"Mr. Snyder from the committee on which was referred
the petitions of sundry citizens of St. Clair county,"
reported a lengthy set of resolutions memorializing Con
gress to grant to St. Clair county a quarter section of
land on the Mississippi river opposite the city of St.
Louis, Mo., for certain road purposes, which were
adopted by both houses. That was -the initial move in
a bitter contest lasting for years, on the part of the
citizens of St. Clair county, to combat the grinding
monopoly of the Wiggins Ferry Company at St. Louis.
The first regular ferry at that point was established by
Capt. Piggott, in 1790, with boats propelled by oars.
Samuel Wiggins purchased the ferry in 1818, and substi
tuted boats driven by horse power in place of oars. He
then secured from the first Illinois legislature, at Van
dalia, in 1819, a charter granting himself and associates,
and their successors, the exclusive right of use for ferry
purposes, of the river front extending a mile along its
bank opposite St. Louis. The river bank there was part
of the extensive tract held in common by the French in-

179
habitants of Oahokia, unalienable by them without
authority of Congress. From the illiterate Trustees, of
the old French town the Wiggins company procured
confirmation of the rights granted by the legislature, for
the consideration that all French residents of Cahokia
and its commons should be ferried across the river at all
times without charge. The constantly increasing stream
of western emigration crossing the Mississippi at St.
Louis, and the rapidly growing traffic between that city
and southern Illinois, greatly increased the business of
the ferry and made the Wiggins company a powerful
and exacting monopoly. In 1828 the horse boats were
replaced by a large double-keel steam boat named the
"St. Clair," and in 1832 another similar boat, the "Ibex,"
was added, and still others as enlarging demands re
quired. The farmers of several counties in southern Illinois,
especially of St. Clair, Monroe and Madison, who sold
the most of their farm products in St. Louis; and the
merchants, teamsters, and others, compelled to fre
quently cross the Mississippi by the Wiggins ferry, com
plained of the extortionate and intolerable charges of
that monopoly, and agitated the movement for obtaining
relief. So long as the Wiggins company held their fran
chise no competing ferry could be established there, and
Congress alone possessed the power to terminate the
exclusive right of the company to the mile of river shore
on the Illinois side. Mr. Snyder's resolution asking
Congress to grant to St. Clair county — with consent of
the inhabitants of Cahokia, already obtained — 160 acres
of land bordering on the river opposite the city of St.
Louis, were transmitted to Washington, and Gov. Rey
nolds, representative of the first Illinois district, secured

180
passage of a bill by Congress complying with the request
of the legislature. That was the first skirmish in a pro
tracted struggle by the people to abridge the power and
abuse of power, of the Wiggins Ferry company.
Details Of the long, acrimonious conflict with the
wealthy corporation would here be out of place. Despite
the opposition of a strong and unscrupulous lobby em
ployed by the Wiggins company, Col. John Thomas and
Dr. W. W. Roman, representatives of St. Clair county in
the legislature of 1839, succeeded in obtaining a fran
chise for their county to establish and operate a ferry
at St. Louis alongside of the Wiggins ferry. In due time
"The People's Ferry," equipped with first-class boats,
was put in operation there, much to thei relief of the
long-suffering traveling public. But the competition
was very distasteful to the old monopoly, and the Wig
gins company spared no means to get rid of it. Ool. J.
L. D. Morrison, a lawyer of Belleville, shrewd and en
ergetic, two or three years later obtained from the Illi
nois legislature a charter, or revival of a charter, for
constructing a railroad from Belleville to a point op
posite St. Louis, with a clause inserted empowering the
railroad company to buy or lease the county ferry.
That franchise was afterwards transferred to the St.
Louis, Alton & Terre Haute Railroad company of which
Col. Morrison was the chief attorney. He then per
suaded the County court of St. Clair county to lease in
perpetuity the county ferry to that railroad corporation,
with the understanding that it would "be continued in
operation, for the accommodation of the public, in com
petition with the Wiggins ferry. So well satisfied were
the county authorities with the pledges of Col. Morri
son and the corporation he represented, that they made

181
the perpetual lease, and reserved no provision for re
version, or forfeiture, in case of failure on the part of
the lessees to comply with their obligations to the
county. Not long after that arrangement was consum
mated, in consideration of certain terminal facilities,
the railroad company transferred the county ferry to
the Wiggins ferry company. The old transit monopoly
was resumed, and continued undisturbed until opposed
by one infinitely worse — as affecting railroad traffic —
when the Eads bridge was completed.
Elias Kent Kane, one of the most active and influen
tial members of the convention that framed the first
State Constitution,, having assurances — so it is said — of
his appointment of Secretary of State by the first Gov
ernor, (Bond), and not certain how he might fare if selec
tion of the Secretary was left to the legislature, insert
ed the provision in the Constitution for election of state
officers by the legislature, excepting the Secretary of
State, who would receive his appointment from the Gov
ernor "by and with the consent of the Senate," but
neglected to define the duration of his term of office.
Mr. Kane received the appointment from Gov. Bond, and
resigned after service of four years. In 1828, there oc
curring a vacancy by resignation of George Forquer,
Gov. Edwards appointed Col. Alexander P. Field, Secre
tary of State, who construed the Constitution to give
him a life tenure of the office. With Gen'l Duncan,
Jesse B. Thomas, Jr., and others, he had .renounced
Jacksonism and joined the Whigs. As he was an in
fluential and sagacious politician, the Democrats were
very desirous of turning him out of office and putting in
his stead one of their own party, or leave the office
vacant until a Democrat was elected Governor.

182
With that object in view, Senator Thomas, of Morgan
county, offered a resolution,' "That in the opinion of this
general assembly, every Governor when elected, has the
power to nominate a suitable person to fill the office of
Secretary of State, and that he may forbear to make
such a nomination whilst there is a Secretary of State
in office." A motion to indefinitely postpone further
consideration of the resolution was lost, when, on
motion of Mr. Snyder, it was "referred to the Judiciary
Committee with instructions to report a bill defining
the duties, and term of service of the Secretary of
State," which was agreed to; but the Judiciary Com
mittee failed to report the required bill that session, and
Mr. Field held fast to the office. The object of Mr.
Snyder, and his partisans, was to declare the office
vacant by limitation, and then refuse to confirm the nom
ination of any Whig for the place made by Gov. Duncan.
Mr. Snyder introduced a resolution, "instructing our
Senators, and requesting our Representatives in Con
gress to secure, if possible," a grant of 400 acres of land
to each person who was the head of a family in Illinois
between the years 1783 and that of the cession of Louis
iana to the United States, 1808-, which was unanimously
adopted. The Normal school appeared for the first time in the
legislature of Illinois, at that session, in a resolution of
fered by Senator Gatewood, "to memorialize Congress
to grant to Illinois a reasonable quantity of land, or a
portion of the proceeds of the sale thereof, for the sup
port of seminaries to qualify teachers, etc.," which, on
motion of Mr. Snyder, was laid on the table and 10,000
copies (with Mr. Gatewood's Report on Education) or
dered printed.

183
Near the close of the session, Senator Will, as his
last official act, in a spirit of levity, no doubt, offered the
following resolution:
"Resolved, That the Committee on Finance be instruct
ed to inquire into the expediency of taxing all bachelors
over the age of 24 years ; and that they have leave to r ex
port by bill or otherwise." On motion of Senator
Thomas of Morgan county, the resolution was laid on
the table "until next 4th of July."
By special message Gov. Duncan sent to the Senate
his nomination of Mr. Linn, his brother-in-law, for Canal
Commissioner, and the nomination was confirmed, by 10
votes for and 9 against, Mr. Snyder voting in the nega
tive. The journal of the Senate states the legislature
adjourned on the 13th of February, 1S35, "after an im
pressive prayer by Rev. Mr. Hunter."
The first national convention for nominating candi
dates for President and Vice-President was held by the
Democrats at Baltimore, in May, 1835, though the elec
tion was yet eighteen months distant in the future.
Their nominees were Martin Van Buren for President,
and Richard M. Johnson for Vice-President. The Whigs
held no Presidential convention that year, or the next.
By the census taken in 1835 the population of Illinois
was 269,974; an increase since 1830 of 112,520; and since
1818 of 235,354. The counties had multiplied from 19
in 1820, to 57 in 1835.
The capital stock of the new State banks was soon
subscribed, chiefly by foreign* capital, 'and they were in
full operation by midsummer. Money — such as it was
--was again abundant, and, in consequence, the values
of property enhanced. The State treasury paid all de-
* The term "foreign" here means outside of Illinois; or capital from
the eastern states.

184
mands against it — in "shinplasters" ; taxes were only
nominal, and the people, as well as the State, were in a
flourishing condition. A furor for speculation, especial
ly in town lots, stimulated by illusive prosperity, first
appeared at Chicago, then swept all over the State.
That town expanded, in a short period of time from a
small dismal village of a few hundred people, to a city of
several thousands of inhabitants. EVery stage coach
and lake boat arriving there from the east was crowded
with capitalists in haste to invest in real estate to sell
again to later arrivals at fabulous profits.
In the organization of the State bank the Whigs, by
far the heaviest stock-holders, beat the Judge Smith
party and gained control of it. They attempted to have
the bank made the depository of land office funds, but
the Democrats had sufficient influence at Washington to
frustrate that scheme. They probably could not have
succeeded in any event, as the old State bank, years be
fore, had defaulted payment to the government in the
sum of $40,000 committed to its care by the land office
at Edwardsville.*
Alton at that time was a very thriving town, expect
ed by many of its citizens to succeed as a commercial
rival of St. Louis. The firm of Godfrey, Gilman & Co.,
merchants at Alton and large stockholders in the new
bank, borrowed from it $800,000 to "corner" the output
of Galena mines, and to "boom" Alton. Manning & Co.,
another firm there, also borrowed several hundred
thousands from the bank, and Sloo & Co., still another
Alton firm, obtained from the bank large sums of money.
The attempt to crush St. Louis proved a failure, and in
*It was in reference to that defalcation that Senator Ninian Edwards
and Secretary of the Treasury, Crawford, quarreled in 1824.

185
the end, the bank lost almost a million of dollars by the
experiment. The charter of the new State bank permitted it to
loan money to citizens of Illinois secured by mortgages
on real estate, which it did, resulting in losses both to
the bank and to many of the' borrowers, as many honest
farmers mortgaged their farms, and, unable to re-pay
the money they borrowed, when due, lost them, while
speculators obtained money from the bank on worthless
lots and lands, that it was compelled to take on fore
closures, and could realize nothing on.
When Senator Fbrquer's bill authorizing a loan of
$500,000 in aid of the Illinois and Michigan canal was
adopted in January, high hopes were entertained by the
public that, with the opening of spring, work would be
commenced and vigorously prosecuted on that famous
waterway. But spring, summer and autumn passed,
and still the route of the great ditch remained over
grown with prairie grass, because the Governor failed to
discover any capitalist, or company, willing to risk the
loan of half a million dollars oh such, questionable se
curity as 224,322 acres of Illinois land including a por
tion of Chicago.
Upon adjournment of the legislature, in February, Mr.
Snyder hastened to his home to meet his many busi
ness engagements, and was busily employed all the year.
His law practice increased beyond his ability to manage
it alone, and he invited Mr. Gustavus Koerner to enter
into partnership with him. "In the latter part of 1835,"
says Mr. Koerner, in his unpublished personal memoirs,
"Mr. Snyder, the most popular lawyer in the place, pro
posed to take me into partnership in the practice of law.
1 cheerfully agreed to it and moved into his handsome

186
new office on the corner of the public square and Illinois
street. Of course it was not on equal terms, but I
thought it an advantage in every respect, besides I had
really become very much attached to him."
In the late summer of 1835 Mr. Snyder's brother, Dr.
Solomon King Snyder, was attacked with typho-mala-
rial fever in aggravated form. To afford him better care
and attention Mr. Snyder caused him to be removed from
the Tannehill tavern, where he lived, to his own home.
There he lingered for some time, gradually wasting
away, until he finally died. He was comparatively a
young man, and had never married.*
By proclamation of Gov. Duncan, the ninth general as
sembly met in extra session at Vandalia, on the 7th of
December, 1835, to reapportion the State in accordance
with the census just taken, and for general needed legis
lation. The organization of the two houses remained un
changed. Since adjournment of the regular session,
Senators Forquer, Mather and Taylor had resigned, and
Senators Jones and Will died. Their vacancies were sup
plied, in the order named, by A. G. Herndon, Richard B.
Servant, Job Fletcher, William Weatherford and Brax
ton Parish.
The Governor stated in his message that he was un
able to borrow $500,000 by hypothecating the canal
lands, as that security was regarded insufficient. He
thought there was no danger that a loan for the canal
"on the credit of the State would ever become a charge
on the treasury"; and recommended that it be author
ized "as a pledge of the faith of the State." He also
advised selling lots in Chicago (on canal lands) from
time to time to pay interest on said loan. In response
* See Appendix, Note A.

187
to the Governor's suggestions, Mr. Herndon, of Sanga
mon, introduced a bill in the Senate providing for bor
rowing half a million of dollars, on the credit of the State,
for the purpose of beginning work on the canal. The bill
was discussed for two days in committee of the whole
with Mr. Snyder in the chair, and when the committee
finally rose, he reported back the bill with sundry
amendments and it passed the Senate, and was subse
quently adopted by the House. It was the first practi
cal measure enacted by the Illinois legislature for com
mencing actual construction of the canal; and it also
inaugurated the policy of borrowing money on the
State's credit for internal improvements, which was
continued by the two succeeding legislatures to the ex
treme of exhausting that credit.
The Governor met with no difficulty in obtaining the
$500,000 loan "on the faith of the State," and on the 4th
day of July, 1836, excavation of the canal was begun.*
By the close of the year $39,260 was expended on the
work. In 1837 there was an additional expenditure of
$350,649; in 1838, $911,902 more; in 1830, $1,479,907; in
1840, $1,117,702. Work was then suspended for want of
funds until 1845 when more money was borrowed by the
State, and with proceeds of sales of canal lands and lots,
excavation was resumed. The canal was completed in
1848 at a total cost of $6,557,681. In 1882 the legislature
passed an Act ceding the canal, as a gift, to the general
government, and that act of cession, submitted to the
people at the next general election, was approved by a
large majority. The government has not yet accepted
* The first canal commissioners appointed were Dr. Gershom Jayne,
Edmund Roberts and Charles Dunn; that office having been created
by an act of the legislature, passed Jan. 22d, 1826, "to consider, devise
and adopt such measures as may be required to facilitate and effect"
construction of the canal.

188
it, and each Governor we now elect still has the satis
faction of rewarding three of his henchmen with the
office of Canal Commissioner, a sinecure with annual
salary of $1,825 each, who have many employes receiving
liberal pay also.
Reapportioning the State for representation required
but little time. The outrageous, if not unconstitutional,
gerrymandering to suit ambitious party aspirants, as
now practiced — an Outgrowth of political corruption and
depravity — was then unknown. The task was referred
to a committee of both houses, who soon adjusted the
contiguous counties into compact districts, as directed
by the constitution, and their report was adopted with
out question or discussion.
Improving material and social conditions of the peo
ple were demanding better roads, more bridges, better
schools and improved means of transportation. For at
taining those objects private capital was totally inade
quate, and all were averse to taxation The legislature
was then appealed to with" the hope that something
might be acomplished by combinations of capital. Mr.
Snyder, writing from Vandalia, Dec. 18th, 1835, to Mr.
Koerner, said, "It would amuse you to see the number
of persons applying for incorporations for various ob
jects. There seems to be a spirit of enterprise and
speculation abroad in the land. If our country does not
rapidly march forward to prosperity it will not be for
want of effort."
Many bills were passed, as in the session before, au
thorizing parties to open roads and build bridges. Col
leges, academies and seminaries were incorporated in
all parts of the State, and numerous acts were passed to
incorporate turnpikes, insurance companies, railroads,

189
and canals. Had all the turnpikes, canals and railroads
chartered by that session of the legislature been con
structed no state in the Union, within the next forty
years, would have been better supplied with the arteries
of commerce than Illinois, Charters then cost nothing,
and amounted to no more than an expression of the peo
ple of what they would do if they could.
In the letter of Mr. Snyder, before referred to, he fur
ther remarked, "On the subject of our railroad, I have
not yet presented a bill. Two persons propose takiug
the work and completing it. I fear throwing this pow
erful monopoly of coal into the hands of a very few
individuals. I am determined to draw up a charter that
will open competition to all our citizens. I am satisfied
that, at best, it will be more o>r less burthensome to
many of us." His fears were premature and ground
less. The railroad he referred to, from Belleville to St.
Louis, progressed no farther than the act of incorpora
tion, and the company that a year later constructed a
railroad from the bluffs to the river to secure that
"powerful monopoly of coal," in a short time found it
very "burthensome" indeed.
Mr. Snyder, on Dec. 26th, offered a preamble reciting
that the management of the West Point Military
Academy was perverted so that sons of only the wealthy
and influential were admitted as cadets, and the meri
torious sons of indigent western persons were excluded,
and other "gross partialities and acts of injustice"
practiced; "Therefore, Resolved by the Senate, &c. That
our Senators in Congress be instructed and our Repre
sentatives requested to use their utmost endeavors to
procure a reformation of that institution, to prevent the
present abuses, and so alter the present mode of admis-

190
sion thereto, as to throw open the means of admission
to the sons of indigent and meritorious citizens.
"Resolved, That if the above object cannot be attained,
our Senators and Representatives in Congress are here
by instructed and requested to use their' efforts to have
said institution abolished."
On the 29th of December, 1835, Gov. Duncan informed
the legislature, by special message, of the death of
Senator Elias K. Kane, "so that an election may be held
to fill his vacancy during the present session of the
general assembly." On motion of Mr. Snyder, it was
resolved that the two houses meet in joint session that
day at 2 o'clock p. m., for that purpose, in which the
House concurred. At the time specified, "Mr. Speaker
called Mr. Snyder to the chair, and the Senate, preceded
by Mr. Snyder, repaired to the hall of the House of
Representatives, and then both branches of the general
assembly proceeded, viva voce, to elect a Senator."* The
candidates were William L. D. Ewing, James Semple,
Richard M. Young and Alexander M. Jenkins. Mr. Sny
der voted for Mr. Jenkins for the first nine ballots, and
then supported Mr. Semple. On the twelfth ballot Ew
ing was elected, having received 40 votes and Mr. Semple
37, the other two" having withdrawn. Messrs. Boyer
and Moore cast their votes for Mr. Snyder.
The political career of Mr. Ewing was remarkable.
After serving four years as receiver of the land office
at Vandalia, he was appointed paymaster of the militia
in 1825 by Lieutenant Governor Hubbard at the time
that worthy attempted to usurp the executive chair in
the absence of Gov. Coles, who accompanied Gen'l
Lafayette to the east. He was elected Clerk of the House
* Senate Journal. , ,

191
of Representatives in 1826, and again in 1828. He was
elected a member of the House in 1830, also in 1830 and
in 1840, and was elected Speaker of the House for each
of the three terms. In 1832 he was elected State Sena
tor, and, in 1834, became Governor of the State for fif
teen days, and in 1835 was elected United States Sena
tor for the term of sixty-five days. In 1842 he was again
elected Clerk of the House of Representatives, where he
had commenced in 1826, and while serving in that office
he was elected, by the legislature, State Auditor to fill
the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of James
Shields. He died, before the expiration of his term of
Auditor, on the 25th of March, 1846. As before stated,
he commanded a regiment in the Black Hawk war, and
was a brave and efficient officer.
Much of the proceedings of that second session of the
ninth general assembly has now a peculiar historic in
terest as illustrating the spirit and tendency of the
times, and the ideas and aspirations of the people, re
flected by the acts of their representatives. For in
stance, a bill was passed "relative to runaway slaves."
Another "to protect stock from castor beans." The sum
of $300 was appropriated "to the improvement of Pur
gatory on the St. Louis and Vincennes road." "An Act
for the relief of the persons therein named," was amend
ed by adding, "Be it further enacted, That the bonds of
matrimony between Richard French and Elizabeth, his
wife, be, and the same are hereby dissolved." A bill
passed "For the relief of Timothy Gard,?' providing "that
he be allowed the preemption of the fraction on which
his coal furnace and stack now stand, for the purpose of
erecting thereon a mill, the same not to exceed four
acres, at fifty cents per acre." "An Act for the relief of

192
Thomas Redmond," was passed "allowing him further
time — until the first of January, 1837, — to pay a debt of
fifty dollars due the State," for lot No. 25, in the town of
Vandalia." Mr. Hacker "from the select committee to
which was referred the petition of sundry citizens of the
town of Vandalia praying relief for Clock Peddlers and
asking the repeal of the law passed January 31st, 1835,
Reported, that they have had the subject under considera
tion, and are of the opinion that as the petitioners do
not show that any portion of the State is suffering for
the article of clocks, they can see no reason why the
prayer of the petitioners should be granted, and ask "o
be discharged from further consideration of the subject."
And they were discharged.
Mr. Snyder's resolution was adopted calling "the sur
viving commissioners having in charge the improve
ment of the Kaskaskia River to report to the legislature
and settle the unfinished business of their trust." The
report of the surviving commissioners, Edward New-
sham and William L. D. Ewing, in response, concludes
as follows:
"The Board cannot dismiss this subject without rec
ommending to the serious attention of the legislature
the importance of improving the navigation of this
beautiful stream. From Shelbyville, in Shelby county,
to its mouth, it affords, at all times, a sufficiency of
water for a slack water navigation. The time cannot
be far distant when the value and importance of this
stream will be seen, and the improvement of its naviga
tion no longer deferred."
An Act was passed "To improve the breed of cattle"
—popularly known as "The little bull law" — that raised
a storm of indignant protest throughout the State equal

193
to that caused by the Wiggins loan, and, as then, rele
gated to private life for all futurity many of the legis
lators who voted for it. The injustice of the law, as
poor people viewed it, consisted in rendering small bulls
running at large on the range liable to severe penalties;
thus discriminating in favor of large bulls belonging to
the rich and aristocratic.
After the bill organizing the county of Will had pass
ed, Senator Thomas moved "to amend 'an Act to estab
lish certain counties' " by filling the blanks therein with
the words "Cass" and "Reynolds"; which on motion of
Mr. Maxwell was referred to a select committee, that
subsequently reported a bill establishing the counties of
Kane, McHenry, O'gle, Whiteside and Winnebago — ignor
ing both Cass and Reynolds. In 1837 the name of Cass
was given to a newly organized county; but that honor
was never conferred on Gov. Reynolds, because he per
sisted in living until after all required counties were
formed. However, the counties of Alexander, Bond.
Edwards, Coles, Douglas, Edgar and Pope, were named,
by the legislature, after distinguished citizens of Illi
nois while yet living and still citizens of the State. It
is a reproach to the State of Illinois that the name of
Gov. Reynolds was not bestowed upon one of the coun
ties, in recognition of his long and varied- services to the
public, in lieu of such inexcusable absurdities as Du-
Page, Christian, Champaign, Bureau, Jersey, Cumber
land, etc. To counteract increasing agitation for re
moval of the State capitol from Vandalia, a representa
tive in the interest of that town introduced a bill to re
move the penitentiary from Alton to Vandalia, which
failed to pass. Then a bill was offered in the Senate ap
propriating $30,000 for the erection of a new State
—13

194
House at Vandalia, and was referred to the Finance
Committee. Mr. Snyder from that committee "report
ed the bill back without amendment and recommended
its rejection." It was rejected by 4 votes for, and 16
against it, in the Senate.
Early in the session resolutions were introduced in
both houses by Democrats, endorsing the convention
system, then coming in vogue; defending the adminis
tration of President Jackson, and approving the nomina
tion of Martin Van Buren for the Presidency. They
were hotly opposed by the Whig leaders, who discussed
them with spirit and skill, but were adopted by strict
party vote.
Mr. Snyder, chairman of the Finance Committee, in
a lengthy report, stated that having been instructed by
a Senate resolution to inquire into the cause of failure
of certain printing ordered to be done at the last ses
sion of the legislature, his committee "finds that John
York Sawyer, the Public Printer, is chargeable with
non-compliance with the law and his contract, with
negligence, and with omission of part of the journal of
the last session," and recommend "that suit be brought
against him and his sureties to cover the penalties pre
scribed by law for bis failure and bad faith." Mr. Saw
yer, for some reason, attributed the charges in the re
port to Senator William Thomas, of Morgan county, a
member of the committee, and violently assailed him in
the columns of his paper, the Illinois Advoc-ate, charging
him, among other things, with violation of his official
oath. Judge Thomas as a question of privilege laid the
matter before the Senate and asked for an investigation
of Mr. Sawyer's charges. On motion of Mr. Snyder a
committee of five was appointed for that purpose, com-

195
posed of Messrs. Snyder, Davidson, Parrish, Williamson
and Strode.
• On Jan. 12th, 1836, Mr. Snyder, chairman of that spe
cial committee, submitted to the Senate another lengthy
report closing as follows: "From the foregoing state
ments your committee are forced to the conclusion, that
the rankest injustice has been done to the Finance Com
mittee, as well as to the character and conduct of Sena
tor Thomas. The more we cherish the freedom of the
press as the surest safeguard of the liberties of the peo
ple, the more deeply must we deprecate that licentious
ness which wantonly and maliciously impugns the mo
tives or acts of innocent individuals. Nor can it be con
sidered otherwise than a high aggravation to assail,
without cause, the conduct of public functionaries in
the faithful discharge of a trust delegated to them by
the people. Your committee would therefore recom
mend adoption of the following resolutions as the ex
pression of the sentiments of the Senate.
"Resolved, That not a shade of suspicion attaches to
the character or conduct of Senator Thomas, whom we
consider entitled to the undiminished confidence of this
body. "Resolved, That the false and reckless charge of per
jury preferred by John York Sawyer against one of our
body ought to be met with the utmost reprobation and
repelled with indignation.""
The report and resolutions were adopted unanimous
ly. Adjournment of the legislature six days later, and
the death of Mr. Sawyer shortly after, terminated for
all time the unpleasant controversy.
The Senate received from the House a message stat
ing that it had adopted the following resolutions:

196
"Resolved, That our Senators in Congress be instruct
ed, and our Representatives be requested to use all hon
orable means to procure the passage of a law of Con
gress granting to the State of Illinois the right to en
ter, on a credit of ten years without interest, at $1.25
per acre, a quantity of United States lands, lying within
said State, not exceeding five hundred thousand acres;
the said lands, or the proceeds thereof, to be applied,
under the direction of the legislature, to aid said State
in works of internal improvements; and to be selected
and entered by commissioners appointed by the Gov
ernor." The other resolution authorized the Governo"
"in case such law should be passed by. Congress, to ap
point commissioners to execute its purpose." But the
Senate refused to concur in that modest request, and it
devolved upon the next legislature to apply the credit
of the State more directly to raise funds for internal im
provements. As the hour approached for adjourning
the second session of the ninth general assembly, on the
18th of January, 1836, Lieut. Gov. Jenkins called Mr.
Mills to the chair, whereupon Mr. Snyder moved that
the thanks of the Senate be "presented to the Speaker
of the Senate," for his dignified, able and impartial con
duct while presiding over their deliberations, etc.,
"which was unanimously adopted."
The amount of business transacted at that brief ses
sion of the legislature, between the 7th of December,
1835, and the 18th of January, 1836, is amazing. There
was then no criminal waste of time and the people's
money by legislators, as at the present day. No ab
sentees were reported, excepting by cause of sickness.
Each day of the week, from Monday morning at 10
o'clock until dark Saturday evening, the members were

197
busily employed in the conscientious discharge of their
duties, excepting sufficient time for their meals and
necessary sleep, with but one day (Christmas) vacation
during the session. The compensation of members of
both houses was three dollars per day. The presiding
officer of the Senate and Speaker of the House received
four dollars per day, and all were paid in addition fif
teen cents a mile traveled in going to and returning
from the capital.

CHAPTER IX.
Condition of the State in 1836 — Mr. Snyder again a candidate for
Congress — Is elected over Gov. Reynolds and William J. Gatewood
— Tamarawa, the town projected by Mr. Snyder and Gen'l Semple —
"The City of High Bluffs" — The tenth General Assembly — System
of Internal Improvements inaugurated — Removal of the State Cap
itol authorized.
For three or four years there had been a growing-
desire among the people of Illinois for improved means
of transportation. Charters were obtained in abund
ance from the legislature for railroads, canals and im
provement of navigation of the rivers; but all were
fruitless of practical results from want of funds to
defray cost of their construction. The question of
actually making those much desired internal improve
ments was agitated by all classes with increasing in
terest until it became the absorbing subject of thought
and discussion to the exclusion of all other public mat
ters. The people saw, with envy, at the close of 1835,
that Massachusetts had 140 miles of railroads in suc
cessful operation; Pennsylvania had 21S miles of rail
roads, and was digging 914 miles of canals; and several
other states were busily building railroads, canals and
other public works. And, to add to their discontent,
our nearest neighbor, even Indiana, had embarked in
similar works, and was pushing them to completion
with great energy. They could see no reason why Illi
nois should be permitted to lag behind other states no
better off than it in the march of modern progress. Our
level prairies, they thought, were especially adapted for
railroads and artificial waterways, rendering their con
struction far less expensive than in New York, Penn
sylvania or Indiana, The credit of the State, they said,
was ample for procuring all funds necessary to make in-

199
ternal improvements that would cause it to rank in
trade and commerce with other states in the Union. It
was also argued that improved facilities of travel and
transportation would so increase the population and
wealth of the State, and, consequently, its revenues, that
payment of annual interest, and speedy liquidation of
the principal of the debt, would not be burdensome. The
little trouble had by the Governor in obtaining a half
million dollar loan on the State's credit for the canal.
and the energetic prosecution of that enterprise, seemed
to justify those views, and before the next general elec
tion the matter of internal improvements took absolute
possession of the people's minds, perverting the common
sense and blinding the judgment of the most staid and
conservative of them.
At the beginning of the year 1836 the population of
Illinois numbered over 270,000, of which 2,244 were free
negroes, 340 were indentured and registered slaves, and
184 were slaves held under the old French laws. The
State then had 60 organized counties, 339 manufacturing
establishments, besides 916 mills of all kinds, and 142
distilleries. The enrolled "cornstalk" militia numbered
44,141. The total revenues of the State from all
sources for the fiscal year amounted to $97,923, and the
expense of maintaining the State government for the
same year was $78,606, leaving a net balance in the
treasury of $19,316. Notwithstanding the public in
debtedness of over $700,000, the financial condition of
the State was sound and that of the people exceedingly
favorable. The elections to be held in August, 1836, in Illinois,
for Congressmen, members of the legislature, county
offices, and, later, for President and Vice President,
excited more than usual interest among the people, and

200
occasioned more than the usual activity among the poli
ticians. The prominent local issue with the people was
the question of internal improvements by the State. But
upon that they were by no means unanimous. A large
class were opposed, as a matter of principle, to incur
ring a public debt for such purposes. They wanted the
improvements but thought they should be constructed
by private enterprise and capital. Many old fogies were
opposed to railroads for the reason that they would be
too destructive of timber, believing that the roads were
made of split wooden rails laid closely together "cordu
roy" fashion ! There was strong opposition to the canal
in the southern part of the State, on the ground that its
benefits would be altogether local; that it was a sec
tional improvement calculated to build up the territory
contiguous to it to. the detriment of the balance of the
State. But a majority of the people wildly advocated
the immediate construction of a network of railroads
and canals all over the State regardless of cost.
Several candidates were in the field for popular favors
before the legislature adjourned, in January, and even
before it convened in December. Among the earliest
announcements of the kind was that of Governor Rey
nolds, who, wholly for the good of the country, again
consented to permit his friends to ask for his re-election
to Congress. The Whigs, as a party, were beginning to
display considerable vitality, as their numbers in the
State had largely increased since the last Presidential
election, owing to increasing objections to Gen'l Jack
son's financial policy and the unpopularity of Van Buren
in the west. The plan of holding conventions to exclude
undesirable aspirants from running who imagined they
were the people's idols, or popular enough to be elected,
was not yet adopted in the State by either party, and

201
caucuses were not always powerful enough to serve that
end. Mr. Snyder was chosen, two years before, by the anti-
Reynolds faction of the Democracy in the first Congres
sional district, to oppose the Old Ranger, and was de
feated. With that result neither himself or his sup
porters were satisfied and they concluded to try the con
test again. Upon his return from Vandalia he announc
ed to the public that he was again a candidate for Con
gress and intended to make an active canvass of the dis
trict. About the same time, Hon. Wm. Jefferson Gate-
wood,* of Shawneetown, also announced his candidacy
for Congress in the same district. Reynolds and Snyder
resided in the same town, were both Van Buren Demo
crats in perfect harmony on all public questions. "Jeff"
Gatewood, as he was generally known, was born in Ken
tucky in 1804 and came to Illinois in 1828. He taught
school in Franklin and Gallatin counties, at the same
time studying law; was admitted to the bar in 1828, and
located in Shawneetown. The next year he was ap
pointed special commissioner to sell for the State the
Gallatin county saline lands donated to Illinois by the
general government. He was elected to the legislature
from Gallatin county in 1830 and to the State Senate in
1834. He was a Whig candidate for Congress in 1836;
and, changing to the Democracy in 1837, was elected to
* It was related in "Egypt" that when Jeptha" Hardin was Circuit
Judge of the Gallatin district, in 1836, in the progress of a case before
him, Jeff Gatewood, one of the attorneys, became involved in a quarrel
with him wnen arguing a motion, and losing control of his temper,
called His Honor a liar. Any other Judge would have promptly fined
the impudent lawyer for contempt; but that was not Judge Jeptha's
idea of judicial discipline. "Sheriff," said he, "adjourn court for one
hour, and bring Mr. Gatewood to the vacant lot behind the court house."
That order was at once executed, and the Judge and lawyer immediately
"shed" their coats, and proceeded to settle the insult by wage of battle.
The conflict was short, sharp and decisive. Though Gatewood was a
stout, athletic man, the Judge thrashed him soundly, and in less than
half an hour was again on the bench dispensing law and justice.

202
the State Senate in 1838. He died, at the American
House, in Springfield, while attending 'the supreme
court, on the 8th day of January, 1842, aged 38 years. He
was tall, large and fine looking, of jovial disposition; a
good speaker and ready debater, and was considered a
sound' and able lawyer.
His party (Whig) in 1836 was in the minority, but
gaining strength to that extent that he was encouraged
to see a prospect of success over the divided majority
whose candidates were both from the same county.
The Madison county circuit court was held in Feb
ruary, 1836. On Saturday before its commencement, a
raw, cold, unpleasant day, Mr. Snyder and his partner,
Mr. Koerner, rode on horseback from Belleville to Ed
wardsville, 30 miles. On Sunday morning Mr.. Snyder
was attacked by a severe chill, ushering in a violent vis
itation of pneumonia that confined him to his room for
many days. Every possible attention and care were
given him during the dreary days of his sickness by his
close friend, Gen'l James Semple, and other citizens of
Edwardsville, together with the best medical treatment
tliere accessible; but it was late in April before he had
regained his strength sufficiently to undertake the can
vass of his district or attempt any unusual exertion, and
then his physicians positively forbade him. to make any
public speeches or unduly expose himself. In writing
to Mr. Koerner from-Equality, Gallatin county, July 20,
1836. he said: "My health is rather improved, if any
change. I believe I could be easily elected if it was in
my power to make speeches and the usual exertion. I
will beat Mr. Gatewood in his own county, but my opin
ion is that the election will again be close. If I am again
beaten it will be the last time I will run. I have not yet
met with Gov. Reynolds and have just learned that he

203
is married." He then requested Mr. Koerner to see
Obermueller and Maus, in Belleville, and Imhoff in Le
banon, German grocery keepers, and "have them to furn
ish the people liquor on election day for me; for it would
be mortifying to me not to receive a majority in my owu
county." Gov. Reynolds did not return from Washington to
canvass the district until a week or two before the elec
tion; but sent his constituents many printed circulars,
and communications in the newspapers. He desired they
would know that, as a faithful servant of the people, he
could not desert his post in Congress to go home and
work for re-election. His reluctance to neglect official
duties was very commendable indeed; but it transpired
that a more tender, if not higher, motive detained him
at the capitol, when the papers published his marriage,
in May, 1836, to Miss Sarah Wilson, a cultured and re
fined lady of Maryland.
The year 1836 marks the dawn of a new era in Illinois
— a transition from the old order of things to the new;
for which the public mind had been preparing for some
years preceding. Old conservative business methods
were discarded, and a loose system of unlimited credit
substituted. The spirit of speculation, fostered by in
flated paper currency and prospects of extensive in
ternal improvements, became epidemic. People were
distracted with avidity to get rich quickly. New towns
were projected everywhere. Sedate business men, law
yers, preachers, mechanics, farmers, were seized with the
belief that every town they platted would soon grow to
the proportions of a city, and large fortunes could be
realized by sale of town lots. More faith was placed in
improved river navigation for development of the country

204
than in railroads and canals, that people knew little or
nothing about. Consequently every eligible site along
the rivers was staked out for a new town.
Among the many victims of the town-building mania
were Adam W. Snyder and General James Semple. They
were for some time very intimately associated in politics,
in the practice of law, and in land speculations on a large
scale. In partnership they laid out a town on the west
bank of the Kaskaskia river in the southeastern corner
of St. Clair county and named it Tamarawa, to perpet-
unate the name and memory of the Tamarwah Indians
who formerly inhabited that region and westward to
Oahokia, The Tamar-wahs were one of the five tribes
constituting the Illinois confederacy, the other four be
ing the Peorias, Cahokias, Kaskaskias and Michigamies.
P. de Charlevoix visited Cahokia in October, 1721, and
says in his journal: "We lay this night in a village of
the Caoquias and Tamarouas, two tribes which have
been united, and together compose no very numerous
canton."* The French alphabet having no "w" the vowels "o, u"
are employed to express the sound of that letter, and by
the rules of French orthography the terminal letter of a
word when preceded by a vowel is silent. Consequently,
Ta-mar-wah, as Charlevoix pronounced it, approximates
almost exactly the Indian pronunciation of their tribal
name. The third "a," between "r" and "w," in the
name as spelled by Messrs. Snyder and Semple, was su
perfluous and wrong. Tamaroa, as the name is now usu
ally spelled in modern Illinois histories and maps, is an
unwarranted perversion.
They chose a beautiful site for their prospective town,
"Journal of a voyage to North America, etc., by P. de Charlevoix;-
translation; London, 1761, vol. 2, p. 218.

205
on a high bluff sloping gently down to the river — known
as "Edgar's Bluff" — in the lower edge of Twelve-mile
prairie, with an uninterrupted view of the Kaskaskia
and its timbered hills and bottoms for several miles. It
was on Claim* No. 2209, Survey 607, in what is now Fay-
etteville precinct. The town was platted in 48 blocks,
each 300 feet square, divided into 12 lots, six on each
side of an alley 20 feet wide; and the blocks were sepa
rated from each other by streets 60 feet wide, correspond
ing with the points of the compass. The town plat certi
fied to before John Murray, a Justice of Peace in Belle
ville, was filed for record on the 21st of May, 1836, in
the St. Clair county Clerk's office.
Within a short time after the plat was recorded, and
after extensive advertising, a public sale of lots was
held on the town site; and lengthy credit being given on
deferred payments, the lots sold briskly. To "boom"
the town and encourage bidding, and also perhaps by
way of electioneering incidentally — as both proprietors
were prominent politicians and candidates for office — a
small steamboat was brought up the Okaw and tied up
at the landing on "Water street." Aboard the craft was
a barrel of whiskey, to which the crowd had free access,
with lunch for all at noon.
Several purchasers of lots began immediately to build
on them. On one a tavern was erected; on others,
dwellings, store rooms, a blacksmith shop and a school
house. A flatboat ferry was established to cross the
river, and near by on the river bank a steam saw mill
was built. By close of the year Tamarawa was quite a
flourishing village. So promising was the venture that
* In July 1835 Mr. Snyder purchased of Arthur St. Clair, Jr., claim
2209, Survey 607,' containing 2862% acres, for $4,000, paying $1,000 down,
and the balance in nine, fifteen and twenty-one months without interest;
and shared the purchase with Gen'l Semple as partner.

206
Mr. Snyder, the next year, made an addition to it of 18
blocks and some -fractional lots, filing his plat thereof,
certified to before Esquire Robert K. Fleming on July
10th, 1837. For two or three years thereafter Tamarawa
prospered and for awhile its continued life and growth
seemed assured. Mr. Snyder, writing to Gen'l Semple,
from Belleville, on March 21st, 1837, said: "We will
raise our steam saw mill this week, and have placed it
above the bluff on the lower ground. I gave Null and
Irwin a bond to deed them as much ground under the
bluff as will be required for the mill. We also have the
timbers out for a grist mill in which Null & Irwin and
myself are the partners. I can sell out of this for all
cost as soon as it gets in operation.
On Wednesday I bought the eighth interest in a small
steamboat that will make its first trip on the Kaskaskia
in ten days, freighted for Tamarawa and Athens. The
boat is owned by Sam Chandler, Narcisse Pensoneau,
Tom Reynolds, Flanagan & Krafft, Holmes & Swanwick,
of Chester, young Cole and myself. She cost us $4,000,
is neatly built and handsome, carries sixty tons, and
when fully loaded draws 28 inches of water." Tom
Reynolds, Pensoneau, Chandler and others had laid out
a town, named Athens, two and a half miles above
Tamarawa. on the opposite side of the river.
Tamarawa flourished for a while but it went down in
the flnancial crash occasioned by reaction upon failure
of the great internal improvement folly, and, sharing in
the fate of hundreds of similar enterprises in the State,
vanished from the face of the earth. A few years after
its collapse not a vestige of the town remained, and for
more than half a century its unmarked site has been
comprised in a fine farm. While the town still seemed
to have a favorable future, in 1838, Messrs. Snyder and

207
Semple dissolved partnership and divided the property
remaining unsold, and each disposed of his part as rapid
ly as possible. As they purchased the land at a low
price they lost very little if anything, by failure of their
town. James Semple was born in Green county, Kentucky,
on the 5th of January, 1787. He was educated at country
schools, and studied law, and when admitted to the bar
commenced the practice of law in Louisville, Kentucky.
On March 29th, 1820, he married Miss Ellen Duff Green,
of Horseshoe Bottom, Russell county, Kentucky, and in
the same year moved to Chariton county, Missouri,
where his wife died childless, July 12th, 1821. In March,
1828, he removed to Edwardsville, 111., and on the 5th
of June, 1833, married Mrs. Mary Stevenson Mizner,
niece of Gov. Shadrach Bond. In that year he was elect
ed, by the legislature, Attorney General which he soon
resigned. He represented Madison county in the 8th,
9th and 10th general assemblies, l<832-'38, and in the last
two was elected Speaker. In the Black Hawk war he
served as Adjutant of a mounted regiment, then as Aid
to Gen'l Sam. Whiteside, and subsequently as a private
in Capt. A. W. Snyder's company. He afterwards was
a General of militia.^ In 1837 he was appointed by Presi
dent Van Buren, Charge d' Affairs to New Grenada,
South America. Returning, in 1842, he was elected an
Associate Justice of the supreme court, and served from
Jan. 16th to Aug. 16th, 1843, when he resigned to accept
from Gov. Ford the appointment of U. S. Senator, and
was elected by the next legislature to fill the unexpired
term of Senator McRoberts. He died at his home in
Jersey county on Dec. 20th, 1866, in the 69th- year of his
age, and was buried in Bellefountaine cemetery, St.
Louis. His wife, one son and three daughters survived

208
him; the son, Eiugene Semple, serving a few years ago
as Governor of the State of Washington. Six feet four
inches in height, of splendid proportions, with strong,
expressive features, dark hair and eyes, General Semple
was a perfect specimen of manhood. He was also strong
intellectually, a fine scholar and good lawyer, a success
ful financier and statesman, and a cultured gentleman.*
An account of all the dead towns of Illinois would
make a voluminous and very interesting chapter of its
history that should be written and perpetuated. The
mania for speculating in new western towns spread east
ward from Illinois, gaining intensity until it almost
equalled the furor incited by John Law and his "company
of the west," in Paris in the early years of the eigh
teenth century. Farmers sold their live stock, and, in
some instances, their lands for money to invest in town
lots. Others borrowed to the extent of their credit for
the same purpose. Eastern merchants eagerly bartered
their goods for lots in new western towns they had not
seen and never before heard of. There was a general
rush to secure property in those towns before they be
came large cities and their real estate values had un
duly appreciated. That strange infatuation invited
f i aud, and many frauds, were perpetrated.
In Belleville there resided a sharp Oahokia French
man having no regular vocation, and of the class of
speculators now known as "promoters. " He had some
education, was full of resources and sleepless energy,
but short on conscientious scruples. Having failed in
several enterprises, he founded a new town, altogether
on paper, as a bold venture. In St. Louis he employed a
skilled draughtsman to draw the plan of a large town
* No satisfactory biographical sketch of Gen'l Semple has yet been
written; but the Illinois State Historical Society will probably publish
an adequate account of his life and public services in the near future.

209
located on the east bank of the Kaskaskia river, several
miles above Tamarawa, to which he gave the name of
the "City of High Bluffs." Whether or not he owned
any land on the picturesque Okaw at that point is now
not material. The "city" was represented to be situated
in the midst of the most beautiful natural surroundings
on high open ground gradually declining in grade to the
river. The lots, neatly drawn, were numbered far up in
to the hundreds, with finely embellished parks, and here
and there a graceful church edifice. On two corner lots
were pictured solid-looking bank buildings of Gothic
architecture, and on others were school houses, colleges,
hotels and hospitals. Near the river were shown great
warehouses, two mills and various factories. A heavily-
laded steamboat was depicted approaching the wharf
from below; other boats were at the landing, taking on
and putting off huge quantities of freight, and still an
other boat loaded down to the guards, was just leaving
the city to ascend the noble river. All of that was litho
graphed on large sheets of heavy paper in the highest
style of art. Supplied with a number of copies, the "pro
moter" left for the eastern cities late in the fall. He re
turned in early spring by way of New Orleans and the
Mississippi, with an immense stock of miscellaneous
merchandise he had received in exchange for city lots,
which he converted into cash as speedily as possible. He
was not at home when agents of eastern mercantile
houses came west to look up their city property, and his
dupes were unwilling to incur additional loss by prose
cuting him.
German immigrants who had for three or four years
come into Illinois in gradually increasing numbers, in,
1836 literally poured into it by thousands. They brought
with them considerable capital in specie, and the indus-
,—14

210
try and frugality characteristic of their race. They came
— not as did the Kentuckians, to run for office — but to
find new and permanent homes where, by labor and
thrift, they might better their condition. They went to
„ work contentedly, and utilized the means at hand to the
best possible advantage. Had our restless native resi
dents emulated their example and adopted their con
servative business methods, improved means of transpor
tation demanded by developing commerce and increasing
productions would in time have been introduced into this
State as needed — and by private capital, as was done
subsequently — without public embarrassment.
The people of Illinois, prior to 1837, were prosperous,
but had become dissatisfied with the slow, certain profits
of legitimate, patient, industry, and were infected with
the phantasm of quickly acquired wealth. The speediest
way to realize that object, they concluded, was to place
the State on a material and financial parity with the
older eastern States by constructing at once an extensive
system of railroads, completing the Illinois and Michi
gan canal, and removing obstructions in the principal
rivers of the State that impeded their safe and expedi
tious navigation. Visionary demagogues proclaimed,
on the stump and in the newspapers, the ability of the
State to make all such improvements by borrowing
money upon its credit, without imposing any burdens
upon its treasury or upon the people. The bonds of the
State, they said, would sell ineither home or foreign
markets at enormous premiums ; those premiums, indeed,
would easily defray all cost of the proposed improve
ments, and the bonds would be returned to the State
and canceled. And then, they urged, the net earnings of
the railroads and canal, thus acquired, would for many
years pay all ordinary expenses of State government,

211
thereby assuring the people from taxation. Such egre
gious nonsense as that seemed plausible to backwoods
men who had never seen a railroad or canal, and they
gave it their unqualified assent.
The State election occurred on the 19th of August,
1836, resulting in a sweeping victory for the Democrats.
In the first Congressional district Adam W. Snyder was
elected by a small but decisive majority:* 4,245 votes
were polled for him, 4,062 for Reynolds, and 2,127 for
Gatewood. Those figures probably represented the
actual strength of the two Democratic candidates in the
district, Mr. Gatewood having no doubt received the en
tire Whig vote, and that alone. Had Mr. Gatewood not
been a candidate Gov. Reynolds would undoubtedly have
been re-elected, as the Whigs generally regarded him, of
the two Democratic candidates, the less obnoxious to
their party and principles. Though successful by the
narrow majority of 183, Mr. Snyder and his friends were
highly elated, regarding his election a brilliant victory,
retrieving his defeat two years before, and carrying St.
Olair county, the home of himself and Gov. Reynolds, by
the handsome plurality of 682 — almost three to one.
When the official returns of the election were received,
* The following is the vote in detail for Congress in each county of
the district:
Counties. Snyder. Reynolds. Gatewood.
St. Clair  1080 398 83
Madison  574 412 65G
Macoupin  101 624 ¦ 203
Randolph  316 305 235
Washington  117 226 20
Clinton  137 273 37
Bond  273. 91 117
Perry  220 114 28
Jackson  177 203 23
GaUatm  301 529 391
Johnson  150 101 50
Alexander  108 177 51
Franklin  314 442 IS.
Pope  153 167 226
Monroe  224 maj.
4245 4062 2127

212
and the result definitely known at Belleville, the friends
of Mr. Snyder, irrespective of party, celebrated his suc
cess at the county seat in mass meeting and an all-night
jubilee. After dark they formed in procession on the
public square, and with fife and drums, flags and torches,
marched to his residence. There they fired a salute
with flint-lock muskets, rifles and horse pistols, and
then serenaded the Congressman-elect with an impro
vised band of flute, fife and violins. In response to that
demonstration interspersed with deafening cheers, Mr.
Snyder appeared on his front porch and thanked his
supporters and friends in a neat speech that was re
ceived with boisterous applause and more fusilading.
Mr. Snyder writing to Gen'l Semple, from his home,
on the 18th of August, 1836, said: "I suppose you will
come by here on your way to Monroe (court.) I am not
certain that I will be able to go with you. The truth is,
my health is so very bad that I am afraid to attempt to
practice any more this fall. You have no idea of the
injury speaking does me.
Reynolds is completely chop-fallen. He dies very
hard; is scarcely ever seen out of his house; and his
usual wit and broad stories are now silent. He looks
badly; but has no notion of resigning, as he said he
would if beaten, before the election. The boys illumin
ated the town on my return from Edwardsville. Such
a time t'hey had I never before heard of. Every fence
house, tops of chimneys, windows and doors were stuck
full of lighted candles. Barrels of tar hoisted up on the
top of tall poles in the public square, were set on fire,
and all the music and fire-arms in the town and neigh
borhood were brought in requisition. The old as well
as the young, and aU the church members joined in the

213
festivity. Such a demonstration was never before, seen
in this place. You can imagine the mortification it must
have caused Reynolds and his bride. I tried to stop it
on their account, but that was impossible; and it was
with great difficulty I restrained them from seizing, and
destroying Fleming's press and type.* I will have all
the vote of this county for you beyond any doubt. I am
anxious for your success, and to that end you have
carte blanche for my influence, trade and promise. I know
the warm and zealous part you took for me, and I will
reciprocate." Zadok Casey was returned to Congress in the second
district, and William L. May was elected in the third.
Mr. Snyder was in impaired health all summer. The
attack of pneumonia he had in February was, in truth,
the beginning of the end — the first skirmish of a long
conflict with an enemy too powerful to be successfully
resisted by his deficient physical resources. Inflamma
tory disease, like an adroit general, attacks the weakest
point, which, in his case was, unfortunately, his pulmon
ary organs. He was sustained, however, by his indomit
able will and ambition, and continued actively attend
ing to his multifarious duties, and business without
cessation. The universal and incessant discussion of the internal
improvement question began after the election to as
sume the definite form: of popular instructions to the
recently elected State representatives. Meetings for
that purpose were held in many of the counties, aud
delegates selected to a convention called to meet at the
* The St. Clair Mercury, Bob Fleming's paper, was a subsidized
Reynolds organ. At the August election Gen'l Semple was elected to
the legislature in Madison county, and was a candidate for Speaker of
the House, to which he was chosen in December.

214
State capital simultaneously with the meeting of the
next legislature, in December.
That legislature, elected in August, 1836, including
some of the hold-over Senators, was, for mental strength
and ability of its members the most remarkable of any
yet chosen in Illinois. No previous general assembly of
our State, and very few since, have comprised such an
array of brainy, talented men, or as many who subse
quently gained such conspicuous eminence in the annals
of the State and nation. In the Senate were Orville H.
Bi owning, Cyrus Edwards, William J. Gatewood, John
S. Hacker, Robert K. McLaughlin, Henry I. Mills,
William Thomas, John D. Whiteside and John D. Wood.
And in the House were Edward D. Baker, John Hogan,
Milton Carpenter, Newton Cloud, Richard M. Oullom
(father of U. S. Senator Oullom), John Dement, John
Dougherty, Stephen A. Douglas, Jesse K. Dubois, Ninian
W. Edwards, Wm. L. D: Ewing, Augustus C. French,
Jrhn J. Hardin, Abraham Lincoln, Usher F. Linder,
John Logan (father of Gen. John A. Logan), John A. Mc-
Clernand, James Semple, John Moore, William A. Rich
ardson, James H. Ralston and Robert Smith. In this
list are found one President of the United States, six
who have occupied seats in the U. S. Senate, eight Con
gressmen, three Governors, three Lieutenant Governors,
two Attorney Generals, five State Treasurers, two State
Auditors, one Superintendent of Schools, and several
Judges. At the November election, 1836, Martin Van Buren,
for President, and Richard M. Johnson, for Vice Presi
dent, carried Illinois by the plurality of only 2,983 over
Harrison, many Democrats refusing to vote for Mr. Van
Buren, and some objecting to Johnson. The Whigs, not

215
having adopted the convention method of uniting on one
candidate, voted for three or four, Hugh L. White,
Daniel Webster, Willie P. Mangum and William Henry
. Harrison. The Democrats were disappointed in the re
sult of the election and their meagre majority in the
State, and the Whigs correspondingly elated, as it was
really encouraging evidence of the growing strength of
their party.
The internal improvement convention met at Van
dalia, simultaneously with the convening of the legis
lature, Dec. 5th, 1836, and was largely attended. The
delegates, some of whom were members of the general
assembly, were wildly enthusiastic for railroads at any
cost. For two days they deliberated upon the momen
tous question before them, and finally embodied their
conclusions in a set of resolutions to be presented to the
legislature demanding the construction of a system of
railroads, and improvement of rivers for navigation,- the
estimated cost of which would amount to $7,450,000', to
be paid for by the sale of bonds of the State. The
resolutions were accompanied by an elaborate memorial
setting forth, in florid language, the incomputable bene
fits the State and people would derive from the proposed
improvements, and clearly- demonstrating the perfect
feasibility of the grand scheme.
Only a summary of the proceedings and results of the
tenth and eleventh general assemblies (sufficient to
maintain the primary design of presenting an outline of
the history and progress of the State during the period
of Mr. Snyder's life in it), is. permissible in the limits of
this memoir. That the tenth general assembly, espe
cially noted for the intellectual strength of its leaders
— admittedly the ablest legislature that, to that time,

216
had ever convened in the State — should enact the reck
less and unreasonable measures it did, baffles all ex
planation. The legislation of the eleventh general as
sembly was no improvement whatever on that of the
tenth; and, but for exhaustion of the State's credit,
would probably have been worse — if such were possible.
The Whigs -had the ascendency in the Senate, and, by
a strict party vote, elected William M. Davidson its pre
siding officer in place of Lieut. Gov. Jenkins who had
resigned. .Jesse B. Thomas, Jr., was again elected
Secretary. The House was overwhelmingly Democratic,
and re-elected James Semple, Speaker, over Newton
Cloud and John Dement. It is perhaps worthy of re
mark that in that election for Speaker, Mr. Douglas and
Mr. Lincoln voted together for Mr. Cloud.
In his message to the legislature, Gov. Duncan ex
pressed more decided approval of internal improvement
legislation, and reiterated his recommendation of estab
lishing free schools, and otherwise liberally encouraging
the cause of general education. He emphasised his en
dorsement of the new banking system by urging the leg
islature to increase the State's subscription to its capi
tal stock from the $100,000 authorized by the last legis
lature to $1,000,000.
He then caustically criticized the administration of
President Jackson, and suggested that its many errors
and offences merited from the representatives of the
people of Illinois an unequivocal and emphatic rebuke.
That cheap and uncalled for "buncomb" injected in his
message for political effect, was answered by the House
by a set of resolutions commending and praising the
Jackson administration in the most "unequivocal and
emphatic" language, which were adopted by the vote of

217
04 to 18. The consideration of those resolutions pro
voked another irritating discussion, in the House, of the
slavery question, resulting in another set of resolutions,
as expressive of the sentiments of the people of Illinois,
condemning the interference with, or disturbance of,
the institution of slavery as it then existed in the south
ern states.
That set of resolutions was adopted by the votes cf
every member of the House excepting those of Abraham
Lincoln and five others.
On the 14th of December the legislature elected a U.
S. Senator to succeed William L. D. Ewing, who had
served out the unexpired term of Hon. Elias K. Kane.
Five candidates for the place were presented, who re
ceived, on the third ballot, the following number of
votes; Richard M. Young* 68, Samuel McRoberts 24,.
Archibald Williams 17, William L. D. Ewing 12, Thomas
C. Browne 7.
On the 16th of January, 1837, the legislature held an
other election, then for State officers, selecting Levi
Davis for Auditor, John D. Whiteside, Treasurer, and
Usher F. Linder, Attorney General.
* Judge Young was born in Kentucky in 1798, and, coming to Illinois
at am early age, settled in Jonesboro, Union county, and there prac
ticed law for some years. He was tall and spare made; a fine
speaker, well learned in the law, and a courteous gentleman. He was
elected circuit judge by the legislature in 1824, and when the judicial
system was reorganized by the next legislature he was retained one
of the supreme court justices. He served on the bench eleven years,
and, in that time, assisted in revising the statutes. In 1839 Gov.
Carlin appointed him one of the fund commissioners to negotiate a
foreign loan for the State. His failure in that agency did not seriously
affect his publio standing, as, shortly before the expiration of his Sena-
toral term, Feb. 4, 1843, he was .again elected one of the associated
justices of th6 supreme court. He served in that capacity until Janu
ary, 1847, when hie resigned to accept the appointment, from President
Polk, of Commissioner of the general land office. He was relieved
of that position by the change of administration, in 1849. Later ho
served as Clerk of the national house of representatives, and was then
for some time a claim agent in Washington City. By stress of political
and financial vicissitudes Ms overtaxed mind gave way, and he was
confined in an insane asylum, in Washington, a ravng manac, part of
the time restrained by manacles and chains. He was discharged from
the asylum, recovered, in 1860, and died shortly afterward.

218
The two questions monopolizing the interest of the
tenth general assembly, were internal improvements
and removal of the State capitol. Stephen A. Douglas,
one of, the six representatives of Morgan county, was
chosen by the internal improvement convention, before
its adjournment, to present to the legislature the plan
it had -formulated for a system of railroads and river
improvements. That he did by introducing a bill in
accordance with the resolutions and memorial adopted
by the convention, specifically detailing the improve
ments to be made, and setting forth that the work
should be done, and the improvements be owned, by the
State, and the necessary funds to pay cost of construc
tion should be borrowed by the State upon its faith.
His bill was referred to the Committee on Internal Im
provements, . and by it favorably reported.
After ample discussion, and some amendments en
larging the original plan, the bill was passed, in the
House, on the 27th of February, 1887, by 61 votes in its-
favor to 25 against it, and passed in the Senate by about
the same proportionate vote.
Among the twenty-five dissenters in the House were
William A. Richardson, John J. Hardin and William A.
.Minshall. In the Senate it was opposed by O. H. Brown
ing, William Thomas and a few others. The Oounqil of
Revision returned the bill with the objection that the
public works it proposed could be safely and economi
cally constructed only -by private capital and incorpor
ated companies chartered by the State. Under the
leadership of Stephen A. Douglas the bill was again
passed by the constitutional majority vote over the veto,
in both houses.
Acting no doubt upon the maxim that "a public debt

219
is a public blessing," the bill provided — to commence on
— the following grand works, at the estimated cost set
forth for each, and authorized the sale of State bonds
to meet the sums thus appropriated:
For construction of a railroad from Galena
to Cairo, the "Illinois Central R. R,"  $ 3,500,000
For the Northern Cross Railroad, through
Springfield  1,800,000
For the Alton and Mt. Oarmel Railroad  1,600,000
For the Peoria and Warsaw Railroad  700,000
For Branch of the Central Railroad to Terre
Haute  650,000
For Branch of the Central Railroad to Alton . 600,000
For theBloomington and Mackinaw Railroad. 350,000
For the Belleville and Mt. Carmel Railroad . . 150,000
For improvement of navigation of the Wa
bash, Ilinois and Rock rivers, each $100,000 300,000
For improvement of the Little Wabash and
Kaskaskia, each $50,000.  100,000
To placate those counties having no rivers to
be improved, and not traversed by any of
the contemplated railroads, there was ap
propriated, for improvements of their roads
and bridges  200,000
Making a grand total of  $10,200,000
Added to that, an Act was passed increasing the stock
of the State bank $2,000,000, and of the Shawneetown
branch $1,400,000. Another bill was passed directing
the sale of Michigan and Illinois canal lands to the
amount of $1,000,000, and authorizing another $500,000
loan to be expended on the canal in 1838.
The law of 1819 directing removal of the State capitol
from Kaskaskia to Vandalia, specified that it should re-

220
main at the latter place for twenty years. That limit
was imposed in contemplation of the probable north
ward shifting of the State's center of population which
by that time would necessitate a corresponding change
of location of the capitol. The marvelous growth of
Chicago, and rapid settling of the northern counties
after the Black Hawk war, began to demand a perma
nent central location of the seat of government at, or
near, the geographical center of the State. A bill was
passed as before stated, at the first session of the ninth
general assembly, January, 1835, submitting the question
of relocation of the capitol; but as neither Vandalia,
Springfield, Alton, Jacksonville or Peoria could com
mand the required majority, no further action was
taken. In 1836 the State House in Vandalia was in such
dilapidated condition as to be scarcely tenable. A new
one would have to be provided, and as a bill providing
for the erection of a new State building in Vandalia
could not be passed, one was introduced tor removal of
the capitol. It appropriated the sum of $50,000 for a.
State House, conditioned on donation of an equal sum
by the citizens of the town in which it was decided the
capital would be fixed. That measure was the special
charge of the two Senators and seven representatives
of Sangamon county, since known in history as the
"Long Nine."
The members of that delegation were remarkable for
length, averaging six feet in height each. They were
Archer G. Herndon and Job Fletcher, Senators, and
Ninian W. Edwards, William F. Elkins, Dan Stone,
John Dawson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew McCormick
and Robert L. Wilson, representatives. They were

221
astute and influential men, united in their efforts to se
cure removal of the capitol to Springfield, the object for
which they were elected. They succeeded in having
their bill passed, on the 25th of February, 1837, by log
rolling with the friends of every other measure present
ed; or threatening to withhold their support from the
same, the canal and other internal improvements
especially; and by the practice of all arts of persuasion
and coercion known to influence recalcitrant, or indif
ferent, members.*
On the 28th of February the two houses met to select
by ballot a location for the permanent seat of govern
ment of the State. Four ballots were taken resulting
as follows: 1st
Springfield  35
Jacksonville  14
Vandalia  16
Peoria  16
Alton  .... 15
Uliopolis :  —
Scattering  25
* A few years ago Mr. A. S. Edwards, of Springfield, son of Hon.
Ninian W. Edwards, one of the lengthy nine, when looking over some
old papers of his father's, found the following itemized account:
Vandalia, 111., Feb. 28th, 1837.
Col. Dawson To E. Capps Dr.
To 81 bottles Champaigne at $2 each  $162 00
" Drinks  6 00
" 32 lbs. Almonds  :  8 00
" 14 lbs. Raisins  10 00
" Cigars  :  10 00
" Oysters  10 00
" Apples  '  3 00
" Eatables  12 00
" Breakage  2 00
" Sundries  50

2d

3d

4th

43

53

73

15

9

1

15

16

15

12

11

i;

16

14

G

10

3

—

7

15

7

Rec'd pay of N. W. Edwards, March 4th, $223 50
E. Capps.
"Uncle" Ebenezer Capps kept a public house in Vandalia for several
years, and was generally known by all politicians of Illinois of that
era. He moved to Springfield along with the State capitol, and resided
there until his death.

222
The legislature then elected a Board of fund commis
sioners to negotiate the loans authorized for making the
grand system of internal improvements; and a board of
commissioners of public works, composed of one member
from each judicial district — few of whom had ever seen
a railroad or canal — to superintend construction of the
proposed works. "And, as a crowning act of folly, it
was provided that the work should commence simul
taneously on all the roads at each end, and from the
crossing of all the rivers."*
There had been no surveys or estimates made of the
specified railroads; no one knew where the material for
their construction could be obtained, or what it would
cost; or where the money to pay for it could be secured.
In that condition of bewildering uncertainty the legisla
ture adjourned on the 6th of March, 1837.
* Ford's History of Illinois, p. 184.

4

*v ^

iff

GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS.

CHAPTER X.
Mr. Snyder discovers James Shields — His carriage stalls in the Okaw
sloughs, and he suffers in consequence — Gov. Reynolds embarks in
Railroad building — Condition of Illinois in 1837 — Mr. Snyder gots
to Washington — Visits Connellsville, Pa., the .place of his birth —
His health improved for a short time — The Alton riots and death
of Lovejoy — Mr. Snyder in Congress.
All through the winter of 1836-7 Mr. Snyder's health
was fairly good. He did not visit Vandalia while the
legislature was in session, but remained at his home and
-office, finding ample employment there in the manage
ment of his private affairs. He was necessarily deeply
interested in the proceedings of the legislature, of which
he was kept as closely informed as possible by the tri
weekly mail service over the wretched roads of southern
Illinois. He was at first inclined to favor the plan of
internal improvements by the State, but on a very lim
ited scale as an experiment. The magnitude and ex
tent of improvements authorized by the legislature, in
profound ignorance of every detail of their construction
and cost, and the enormous State debt they would cre
ate, convinced him the scheme was impracticable and al
together an egregious mistake.
He was especially opposed to inflating, at the expense
of the State's credit, the capital stock of the banks; but
favored removal of the State capitol to Springfield.
Early in 1837, Mr. Snyder, with James Mitchell, D. B.
Reel, Charles Sargent and Timothy Hinckley, formed a
joint stock company and purchased the large brick
steam mill built in Belleville, in 1832, by Richard Rapier,
who was financially embarrassed, and gave it up to his
creditors. Mr. Hinckley was installed as manager of
the mill, and, in a few years bought all the stock and was

224
the sole proprietor. In the unpublished personal
memoirs of Gov. Koerner, he says: In 1836 "I attended
the fall sessions of court diligently. In one or two coun
ties Mr. Snyder was able to be with me. We were de
fending a very interesting case of murder in Clinton
county, and here it was that I made my first acquaint
ance with James Shields, who was also employed on the
defense. Mr. Snyder, when canvassing th© district for
Congress that year, came across him and formed at once
a high opinion of his ability; so that when in the fall he
defended Gannett, being himself still unable to exert
himself much, invited him (Shields) to assist us. I opened
the case, Shields examined the witnesses with skill,
Snyder made a brief, but very impressive speech. It
was a tolerably bad case; but we succeeded in clearing
our client, a farmer living where Aviston now stands.
As Mr. Snyder had soon to leave for Washington City to
attend the special session of Congress in 1837, and as
his health was such as to forbid an active practice at the
bar, at least for some years, he proposed in the spring
of that year to retire from practice. Shields in the
meantime had been elected a member of the legislature
from Randolph county, to fill a vacancy at the special
session of the legislature, and had just returned from
the seat of government. Mr. Snyder was desirous of
having Shields at Belleville, and suggested to both of us
to go into partnership. In June we formed a business
connection, and we succeeded very well; but had to dis
solve it in 1841, Shields having been elected Auditor of
State by the legislature, which made it necessary for
him to reside at Springfield."
James Shields was born at Dungannon, County Ty
rone, Ireland, in the year 1810, and came to New Orleans

225
in 1826. Making his way to Kaskaskia the next year,
he there engaged in school teaching, and read law in the
office of Hon. E. K. Kane. He was admitted to the bar
in 1832. In 1836 he was elected to represent Randolph
county in the legislature. He changed his residence to
Belleville in 1837 and practiced law there. In March,
1841, he was elected State Auditor by the legislature.
In 1842 he challenged Lincoln to fight a duel, which re
sulted in a ludicrous farce. In 1843 he was appointed
by Gov. Ford an associate justice of the supreme court,
and in 1845 he received from President Polk the appoint
ment of Commissioner of the general land office, and the
next year, 1846, the President commissioned him a brig
adier general of volunteers. His military career in the
Mexican war was brilliant. He was dangerously wound
ed in storming the heights of Cerro Gordo on the 18th
of April, 1847, by a Mexican musket ball of copper
weighing an ounce passing through his right lung. Re
turning to Illinois after the war he was tendered the
Governorship of Oregon territory which he declined.
In 1849 he was elected to the U. S. Senate, defeating the
then incumbent, Sidney Breese. ("The musket ball that
passed through Shields' lung killed Breese — politically,"
was then the current jest among politicians.) Killed
himself, politically, by the Kansas-Nebraska schism in
his party in 1855, he left Illinois and located in Minne
sota, where he was again elected to the U. S. Senate for
one year to fill a vacancy. He then resided in Cali
fornia for a year or more, when, in August, 1861, he was
appointed by President Lincoln a brigadier general in
the civil war, which position he resigned in 1863, and
located on a small farm in Carroll county, Missouri.
There, at the age of 53, he married a lady of Irish birth.
—15

226
In 1868 he was elected to Congress, but being a Democrat
and necessarily disloyal, was not permitted to take his
seat. In 1877 he was elected to the legislature, and at
the same time was appointed Adjutant General of Mis
souri. In 1878 his friends urged him for election as
doorkeeper of the lower house of Congress, but he was
not elected. However, he was given a pension of one
hundred dollars per month. During the winter of 1878-9
the Missouri legislature elected him U. S. Senator for
the unexpired term of Senator Bogy, deceased, thereby
conferring on him the unique distinction of having rep
resented three different states in the U. S. Senate. Re
tired to private life he passed his time in study and
lecturing. On the night of June 1st, 1879, he suddenly
died at Ottumwa, Iowa. Nearly six feet tall, raw-
boned, straight and soldier-like, with ruddy complexion
and dark hair, his face and manners were singularly
pleasing and ingratiating. Large-hearted, and generous
to a fault, he was idiotic in all details of business and
finances, and but for his pension would have died in ab
ject poverty. He was a fluent, witty and eloquent
speaker, and though not a profound scholar, no one ever
made a better display of his natural and acquired abili
ties than he did. No one was ever more loyal to his
country, to his friends, and to the loftiest conceptions of
honor and justice than was Gen'l Shields.
An accident occurred to Mr. Snyder in the early days
of March, 1837, trivial in itself, but resulting in very seri
ous consequences to him, as time proved. In company
with Mr. Koerner, he had gone to Nashville, county seat
of Washington county, to attend the spring term of court
there. Of what transpired on their return, Mr. Koerner
gives, in his personal Memoirs, written more than half a

227
century later, the following graphic account, but, by a
curious lapse of memory, he places the incident in 1841,
instead of 1837, "The rivers were very high, and the
Okaw (Kaskaskia) river we had to cross was out of its
banks; had overflowed a great part of the bottom, and
some sloughs (dead arms of the river) were not ford-
able. In consequence of that we took a round about
road by Fayetteville to reach Nashville. After the court
was over we started for home, and .Mr. Snyder proposed
to take the direct route, it being some ten miles nearer,
having ascertained, as he said, that the river had fallen,
and that the big slough was fordable. In fact, the stage
to Shawneetown had come through the night before we
started. We were in a top-barouche drawn by two
stout horses. A young lawyer by the name of Case,
having business in Belleville, was taken in by us. I
drove. It was a bright, but quite cold and frosty morn
ing (first week in March) and we went on very well.
When reaching the slough, which was there about one
hundred and fifty yards wide, I stopped, discovering that
it was what is called 'swimming.' But Mr. Snyder in
sisted, inasmuch as the stage had come through, we
tould risk it. I remonstrated, remarking that while I
had seen the fresh tracks of the stage all along, there
had been none for the last mile or so. Well, I drove in ;
when about half way the horses lost their footing, would
not draw any more and were in the water up to their
necks, struggling and one horse throwing his neck a ad
head over the neck of the other. Our first idea was to
relieve the horses. I got out on the pole trying to cut
the collar straps and the traces ; but I broke the blades
of all three pocket knives we had, and did not succeed.
1 was in the water up to my armpits. Mr. Snyder and

228
Case stood on the seats of the carriage. The weather
was icy cold, in fact there was some thin ice on the
slough. Mr. Snyder remarked:
"If we don't get out soon we will be stiffened up so
much that we will not be able to swim." We were
wrapped up in great coats, and had heavy boots on.
Case jumped out first and got on the shore without
trouble. In fact the distance he was swimming was
not more than about twenty yards. Mr. Snyder got out
next, and being very tall, had to swim but a short dis
tance. I was the last. I always had been a very in
different swimmer and never had swam with clothes on.
But I not only got through, but having lost my hat in
jumping out, I swam back and got it. When I made
the plunge I was half inclined to think that I could not
make the trip, but Case being a very fine swimmer, I
presumed that he would come to my rescue. The mo
ment we had all got out, the horses, whie swimming a
little piece, pulled the carriage over. There were men
on the other side, who took hold of the horses and car
riage, and taking them further down the slough where
it was fordable, brought the carriage back to us. There
was no house within a mile. The road was very rough,
and the horses could only walk. Feeling very cold I
left the carriage, ran as fast as I could, and got to a log
cabin. The husband being out hunting, I asked the
vfoman for trousers and a shirt, which she very willingly
urnished. At a rousing fire, I put on a butter-nut suit,
and when my friends arrived I felt already quite com
fortable. Mr. Snyder pulled off his coat and vest and
laid down in a bed well covered up. I could not per
suade him to put off his shirt and underclothing. My
clothes having dried very quickly I gave the shirt and

229
trousers of our back-wood host, who had come home, to
Case. The good woman made us some very strong cof-
iee, baked corn bread and broiled us slices of bacon. So
we fared pretty well. In a couple of hours we left; but
could not reach home that night. Our host explained
the matter to us. The stage had passed on this direct
route the night before; but had forded the slough about
half a mile below to where the road goes ordinarily
through it, driving through the woods; the water below
being several feet lower than above. The only damage
1 suffered was the spoiling of two law books which were
in my saddle bags, and the loss of a deck of cards with
which we had played a game of whist the night before.
I did not even catch cold. But Mr. Snyder took a severe
cold, and, in fact, his disease ever since that accident
took a downward course."
In 1837, Illinois was aroused to new life, and stirred
with a new spirit of progress and activity. Every inter
est and industry received new animation from the State's
splendid prospects and promising future.
The legislature seemed to have suddenly discovered
a new power in the State's credit possessing the necro
mancy of Aladdin's lamp, with the genii of wealth and
prosperity for its slaye. Its new banks with vast cap
ital, its great lines of railroads under contract, with com
pletion of the Illinois and Michigan canal assured, and
improvement of navigation of its rivers commenced, the
State was apparently marching on to its high destiny
with giant strides. Its seventy counties were all fast
gaining population, and those in the northern portion
paiticularly, were speedily filling up with sturdy settlers
crowding through Chicago, a city already recognized as
the metropolis of the northwest.

230
Speculation, for some time at fever height, became a
delirium. More new towns were laid out; better houses
and barns were built; carriages, pianos and fine furniture
were imported from the east, and everything salable ap
preciated in price.
Mr. Snyder exercised clear judgment in his land spec
ulations, both in buying and selling. He knew the sud
den dazzling prosperity of the country was unstable as
an iridescent bubble, and as certain to burst in a lim
ited time, and made due preparations to meet the ine
vitable collapse. He availed himself of the advance in
property values to recover his investments in Tamarawa.
As soon as the steam mill was finished he sold his in
terest in it to George Stuntz and Abel Thompson. In
March, 1837, he wrote to his partner, Gen'l Semple,
"Lots are raising in value in Tamarawa. I sold six last
week at fifty dollars each. The ground in front of the
town, if laid off and put up for sale will bring two- thou
sand dollars. We had better dispose of, it in this way.
The truth is the sooner we sell the better, for Athens is
improving and getting along faster than us from the
fact of its having the road. In my opinion now is the
time to sell."
They sold an undivided third interest in the remaining
lots to Gustavus Koerner, and a large area of land ad
joining the town to different parties at ten and twelve
dollars per acre. By the first of 1839 Messrs. Snyder
and Semple were no longer property owners in the town
of Tamarawa.
Removing the State capital to Springfield gave that
muddy village magnified importance, though it depressed
Vandalia; and Alton only needed completion of the
canal and the three great trunk-line railroads terminat-

231
ing there to make it equal to Chicago, and a successful
rival of St. Louis.
Gov. Reynolds, temporarily out of office, was seized
with the prevailing railroad mania. Associating with
himself a few men of means in a joint stock company,
they built a railroad from the bluffs, in St. Clair county,
across the American Bottom, to the river bank opposite
St. Louis, for transportation of coal to that city. The
road was six miles in length, and at the foot of the bluff,
crossed a lake, 2,000 feet wide, on a rickety bridge sup
ported by piles driven down into the mud. The road
was commenced and finished in 1837. In structure it
was a crude and cheap affair; but yet it was a railroad,
having longitudinal wooden rails, six by eight inches
square, without iron, for the car wheels to run on. The
motive power was horses.
Gov. Reynolds, Sam B'. Chandler (who married his
stepdaughter, Adeline La Croix), George Walker and
Daniel Pierce comprised the company who constructed
the road without legislative charter. Gov. Reynolds
was the largest stockholder, owning an extensive tract
of coal land on the bluff — upon which he started a town
named Pittsburg, — and two-thirds of the land in the Bot
tom over which the road passed. The building of this
tramway, or railroad, was a very important event in St.
Clair county, and its progress was daily watched by
crowds of people with curious interest.
It was the first railroad constructed and put in opera
tion in Illinois, and indeed in the Mississippi valley.*
But it came prematurely. From a combination of
causes it proved a failure, and was sold to another com
pany at a ruinous loss — the Governor alone losing about
* This claim is contested by a similar tramway, four and a half
miles in length, built in 1831 from New Orleans to Lake Ponchartrain.

232
$17,000. The new company rebuilt the track, spiked
strap iron on the rails, and substituted a primitive loco
motive for the horse-power; but still it could not be
made1 to pay, and in a few years was abandoned. The
ties and rails were sold, or carried away by adjacent
settlers in the Bottom; the culverts rotted and fell in,
and in a short time every trace of that pioneer railroad
disappeared, excepting the long double row of oak piles
that stretched across the lake. Divested of their super
structure they stood there, resisting the destructive
agencies of water and weather, for many years, melan
choly reminders of a blasted enterprise that in its fail
ure presaged the coming of a new and grand era for
Illinois. That long lake at the foot of the bluffs, known to the
French settlers as Le Grand Marais, — the remnant of an
ancient bed of the Mississippi — was drained many years
ago and the route of the Reynolds road occupied by the
Pittsburg railroad that for a long time terminated at
Belleville, and later was continued with its title changed
to the Louisville Air Line.
The sanguine expectations of the public inspired by
the magnificent projects of the legislature, received a
sudden shock by an occurrence, discouraging as unex
pected, a harbinger of future trouble, that proved ulti
mately a serious detriment to every business and indus
trial interest in the State. The banks all over the
country suspended specie payment, forcing the Illinois
banks to suspend also. As a precautionary safeguard,
the law establishing the Illinois banks stipulated that
their suspension of specie payments for more than sixty
consecutive days, if not further prolonged by the legis
lature, would work forfeiture of their charters and force

233
them into liquidation. As there was hot the remotes!
probability — hardly a possibility — of their resumption
of specie payment within the time specified the Governo,"
issued a proclamation for the legislature to meet in
extra session on the 10th day of July, 1837, to legalize
the failure of the banks to redeem their obligations in
coin. On that date the general assembly convened at Van
dalia in response to the Executive's call. In his mes
sage to them, Gov. Duncan advised repeal of the internal
improvement laws enacted by them at the last session,
adding the sound advice that, "the disasters which have
already fallen upon the commercial world suggest the
necessity of escaping the perils of a system which can
only be fraught with evil." But no heed was paid to the
Whig Governor's wise recommendation. The bank fail
ures received full legislative sanction; but the internal
improvement folly was not repealed, and, after a session
of eleven days, the legislature adjourned.
The first earth removed in beginning the gigantic
system of railroads was in May, 1837, on that part of the
"Northern Cross" road from Meredosia to Jacksonville;
and that was the first section of- it finished two years
later. ' The Board of Fund Commissioners, Thomas
Mathers, M. M. Rawlings and Charles Oakley, proceeded
to New York City after adjournment of the special ses
sion, in July, to sell State bonds. They found the credit
of Illinois to be rated as first-class, and, notwithstand
ing recent bank suspensions and consequent depression
of the money market, they succeeded, in a short time, in
selling 4,869 $1,000 bonds at par, 100 at a premium of 5
per cent, 200 at 2J per cent and 1,216 at 2 per cent above
par. Subsequently more bonds were sold, realizing for

'2g4
the State, atogether, $5,668,000. The Board of Public
Works elected by the legislature comprised Wifliam
Kinney, Murray McConnell, John Dixon, Milton K. Alex
ander, Ebenezer Peck, Joel Wright and Elijah Willard.
Upon organization of the Board, William Kinney was
elected its President. Each member was director of
construction in his district, and as fast as surveys were
made, he contracted for construction of sections' sur
veyed. Mr. Snyder, writing to Gen'l Semple on the 3d of June,
1837, said:
"I regret to state that my health is so extremely bad I cannot
meet you at Vandalia, to which place I learn you have gone. TKe
fact is, about half of my time. I am confined . to my, house with
sickness. I have lost all hope of ever regaining good. health, and
unless my journey to the east effects -an improvement I may not
last long. I will start to Washington in my ovpn carriage about
the first of August. *-*."* * * I do not think Reynolds wants
to run for Governor, but wants to get back to Congress. ¦ He! and,
his friends believe I will die at Washington next winter. No other
man in the district, he says, can run near him; so he will not com
mit himself until he sees further. It behooves us to fix. upon .some
man to run for State Senator in Whiteside's place, as we have but
little time for arranging matters. Old Gen'l J. Bi Moore, of Mon
roe, wants to run — at least he told me so some time since. Major
James Moore, of Alton, I know-, would like to run. I think I could,
if.it was thought necessary, start John Starkey of our county an
the track. He is true blue, and strong in both this,; and your
county. I will be glad to hear from you on this subject."
(It may here be stated that John Starkey, a Demo
crat, was put on the track for State Senator and was
defeated at the election by Gen'l J. B.. Moore, the Whig-
candidate.) Mr. Snyder at that time, was thirty-eight years of age,
and an invalid in* advanced stagf,., of pulmonary tuber
culosis. He was painfully aware of his condition, but

235
his ambition and passion for public life overcame the
dictates of prudence and dread of the certain issue. His
wife and nearest friends begged him to resign his place
in Congress and remain at home, for the gravity of his
symptoms sustained the opinion of Gov. Reynolds, and
many others, that he would not return alive. Spurred
by his sense of duty to his party and constituents, and
upheld by some undefined hope, about the first of
August, he set aside his business engagements, and leav
ing Messrs. Koerner and Shields in charge of his law
office, bade adieu to his family and friends, and took his
departure for the national capital. He, however, aban
doned his original plan of traveling in his own carriage
all the way, but conveyed in it to St. Louis he there took
passage in a steamboat for Pittsburg, Pa. Changing
boats there he proceeded up the Monongahela river to
Brownsville, and on, by stage, to Uniontown; thence to
Connellsville, the place of his birth. That was his first
visit to the home of his boyhood since he left it, in the
spring of 1817, afoot and alone, to seek his fortunes in
the boundless west.
There can be no doubt of the sentiment of pride and
self satisfaction animating him when he returned to that
village a wealthy and prominent lawyer, honored by his
neighbors for six years with a seat in the Senate of his
adopted state, and then on his way to represent them in
the national Congress. His father and mother had
some years before gone to theiri final rest. His brother
and sister were delighted to see him; and the reception
accorded him by companions of his youthful days and
old friends of his parents, who felt the distinction he had
gained somehow reflected honor upon their' town and
community, was a touching ovation that amply com-

236
pensated him for many of his early hardships. From
far and near the people came to greet him and press
upon him the hospitalities of their homes, and express
their glad appreciation of his success. A week passed
pleasantly in renewing old acquaintances, and visiting
scenes of his youthful struggles with poverty, and feast
ing with friends, when he proceeded by stage, by way of
Cumberland, Md., to Washington City. His health im
proved from the time he left home, and when his des
tination was reached he felt so much restored that he
fancied — and hoped — he had been granted a prolonged
respite from the terrible disease with which he was
heroically contending.
From Connellsville Mr. Snyder wrote to Gen'l Semple
en August 8th:
"I reached this place, the spot of my nativity, on yesterday. My
health is, I think, slightly improved. * * * * May* came in
company with me to Wheeling. He is very bitter against Judge
Young, so much so I will not be surprised if a personal encounter
takes place between them at Washington. He says he will not be
driven from the Democratic ranks, that the people will sustain
him, and that Forquer, Young, and a few others, are the cause of
all his difficulties. He is very friendly to you, fervently wishing
that you had been electedf instead of Young. He blames Me-
Roberts for having defeated you, and says Reynolds is the most
deceitful man he ever knew, and that Robinson is always drunk —
all of which, I have no doubt, is strictly true."
Writing from Baltimore on August 18th, he said:
"I meet hordes of Germans going west — in one day 374 — all-
bound for Illinois and Missouri. My health was considerably im
proved by the mountain air and water of western Pennsylvania."
The Twenty-fifth Congress was convened in extra ses
sion on the 4th of September, 1837. James K. Polk, of
Tennessee, was elected to preside over the House of
* Eton. Wm. L. May, representative in Congress of the Springfield,
111., district.

To the U. S. Senate.

237
Representatives as Speaker, and Hugh A. Garland, of
Virginia, was chosen for Clerk. Mr. Snyder was as
signed to the same committees as were his predecessors,
Slade and Reynolds, on Roads and Canals and Postal
Affairs. The Illinois delegation in the Twenty-fifth
Congress were John M. Robinson and Richard M. Young,
Senators, and Adam W. Snyder, Zadok Casey and Wil
liam L. May, Representatives. The most noted Sen
ators in that Congress were Daniel Webster, Henry Oku,
John J. Crittenden, Col. Yell, Franklin Pierce, William
C. Preston, James Buchanan, John C. Calhoun, Silas
Wright, Thomas Bayard, Thomas H Benton, William
C. Rives, William R. King and William Allen. In the
House were Henry A. Wise, John M. Mason, John Quincy
Adams, Millard Fillmore, Caleb Gushing, Thomas Oor
win, John Bell, Waddy Thompson, R. Barnwell Rlhett, R.
M. T. Hunter, Gen'l Prentiss and James Harlan.
No national or international questions of unusual im
portance were presented to that Congress for its con
sideration. Our country was at peace with all the
world — excepting the Seminole Indians of Florida. The
great victory won by the Texans at the battle of San
Jacinto, fought on the 21st of April, 1837, was followed
by the establishment of the Republic of Texas, symbol
ized by its flag with one lone star; and its independence
was promptly recognized by our government. Its an
nexation to the United States, then a foregone con
clusion, was, however, not consummated until 1845.
Mr. Snyder's first speech in Congress, quite brief, but
to the point, was delivered, on the 16th of October, in
committee of the whole, when the bill authorizing the
issue of $10,000,000 of treasury notes for maintenance of
the government — the object for which the special session
was called — was under consideration.

238
Late in October, after the extra session of Congress,
adjourned, Mr. Snyder went north, by advice of hi.i
physician, to Philadelphia, New York and Boston, and
from the latter city made quite a tour of several of the
New England states, and was remarkably benefited —
though but temporarily — by the journey. He returned
to Washington about the first of December with the
glow of health upon his cheeks, his weight increased, all
the physical functions invigorated, and apparently on
the high road to complete convalescence. For a brief
time he was revived in strength and spirits, and the
future again began to brighten with inspiration and
hope. It was late in the autumn of 1837 when the disgraceful
riots occurred at Alton resulting in the deaths of Lyman
Bishop and the Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy. To the early set
tlers of Illinois, generally from the southern States, the
"Yankees," or natives of New England, were particularly
odious. This dislike may have been • hereditary, orig
inating in the civil wars of England, two centuries be
fore, in the times of Charles 1st, and transferred to
America when the descendants of the Cavaliers settled
at Jamestown, in Virginia, and those of the Round
Heads, or Puritans, on the bleak shores of Massachu
setts. The contempt for "the race of clock peddlers and
manufacturers of wooden nutmegs" entertained by many
of the southern-born Illinoisans, was not mitigated by
the fact that Yankees who came west — all but the office
seekers — were, as a rule, blatant advocates of the abol
ition of slavery.
Lovejoy was a native of Maine, a typical Yankee, a
Presbyterian preacher and a fanatical Abolitionist.
Coming west he located in St. Louis, in a slaveholding

239 *
state, where society was dominated by pro-slavery sen
timent. As an aid to his exalted mission of preaching
the gospel, he established there a paper, ostensibly the
organ of his church, and from its beginning a virulent
exponent of Abolitionism. For a time but little atten
tion was paid to him; but his incessant malignant de
nunciation of slavery and slave-holders incensed the
people of St. Louis to such uncontrollable fury that, they
destroyed his .press and drove him away.
He then went to Alton with another press, to continue
his Abolition crusade there; but the same pro-slavery
element, in "the ascendency there, unwilling to be an
noyed by him, seized his printing outfit and threw it
into the river. Calling the citizens of Alton together, he
stated that his intention was to publish a religious pa
per, solemnly promising to exclude from its columns all
discussion of irritating political questions. With that
understanding money was contributed and another press
was purchased for him.
For awhile all went well, and his paper was creditably
conducted in the interest of his church. But, influenced
by Rev. Thomas K. Beecher, Rev. Mr. Hurlbut, Rev. Mr.
Graves, and other New Englanders equally fanatical in
the cause of Abolitionism, and more aggressive and far
abler than himself, he again filled the pages of his paper
with fiery attacks upon the institution of slavery and
unstinted abuse of all who dared to disagree with him.
Liberty of speech and of the press are the most preci
ous boons of our free and enlightened government; but
even those blessings may be abused beyond the point of
tolerance' — as the sympathizers with the south in north
ern States during the civil war discovered, and as has
since been forcibly impressed upon Anarchists, Social-

240
t
ists and Mormons in certain localities. The reformer
guided by reason and justice may be respected, and even
admired, by those unable to accept his doctrines; but
the virulent agitator, though right in principle, moved
by blind fanaticism, or insane prejudice, can only be
regarded as a social pest. By his aggravating, uncalled
for public abuse and personal antagonism, in a non-slave-
holding community, Lovejoy,. though sincerely conscien
tious in his course, made himself a pestiferous nuisance.
To rid themselves of that mischievous source of social
and political discord, an excited mob collected and again
threw his press and type into the river. The mob spirit
of the people of Alton was fully aroused, and all classes
were intensely excited. Lovejoy and his friends ordered
another press, and organized themselves into a well
armed company to defend and maintain its liberty. They
marched into church under arms on the Sabbath to de
fend their liberty of speech. The citizens opposed to the
Abolition party were equally determined that the nuis
ance should be permanently abated.
In that tension of feeling the fourth Abolition press
arrived on the evening of November 6th, 1837, and was
stored in the warehouse of Godfrey, Gilman & Oo., near
the river. Lovejoy and his adherents, armed and
equipped for trouble, took their position in the ware
house to protect their property. The weather was mild
and the night clear and pleasant.
The mob, apprised that the press had arrived, gathered
soon after dark at the warehouse. Their demand for the
press was justly and defiantly refused. Then a charge
was made on' the warehouse to carry it by storm, when
an upper window was raised and a shot fired — by Love
joy, it was said by those with him — and a bystander

241
named Lyman Bishop, a young man taking no part in
the mob's action, fell mortally wounded and expired in a
few minutes. The murder of Bishop infuriated the mob,
and some one suggested burning the warehouse; and
soon a blazing ball of cotton saturated with turpentine
was thrown upon the roof. Others placed a ladder
against the end of the building having no windows or
doors in it, and a citizen with cooler judgment than the
others engaged there in the work of destruction, went
up the ladder with a bucket of water and extinguished
the fire. While descending the ladder, Lovejoy came
out from a front door and deliberately fired at him, and
dodged back into the house. His aim, however, was
faulty, and the man was uninjured. Several shots were
then exchanged by the mob and those in the second
story, without effect. At that stage one of the mob
ascended the ladder and again set the roof on fire, when
Lovejoy and a companion again emerged from the same
door and "fired at the man on the ladder and missed him.
Before they could re-enter the warehouse tney were fired
upon by several of the mob, and Lovejoy fell, exclaiming,
"My God! I am shot," and in a few minutes gained the
martyr's crown. The man with him was wounded in the
leg. The death of Lovejoy ended the siege. The fire
on the roof was extinguished. The defenders of the
press surrendered it to the frenzied mob, and it quickly
followed the others into the river. Both parties then
dispersed and the furious excitement soon subsided.
Prosecutions were instituted in the courts, but no one
was convicted.*
There, of course, can be no justification of the lawless
ness of the St. Louis and Alton mobs that destroyed

Ford's History of Illinois, p. 234 et seq.
— Ifi

242
Lovejoy's property and abridged the constitutional lib
erty in defense of which he sacrificed his life.
Scarcely seven years later, at Carthage, in Hancock
county, occurred another tragedy far more atrocious,
and with less palliation, than that at Alton. There the
soil of Illinois was again stained with the martyr's blood
sacrificed to conscientious convictions, by the cowardly
assassination, on June 27th, 1844, of Joseph and Hiram
Smith, unarmed, defenseless prisoners in legal custody,
by those to whom their protection had been entrusted
by the Governor of the State.
About that time Catholic churches were burned and
priests mobbed by the "Know Nothings" in our enlight
ened eastern states; and on the threshold of the twen
tieth century Mormon churches were destroyed aDd
Mormon elders mobbed in certain, sections of our coun
try. Mob violence attempting to suppress obnoxious*
dogmas — or unpalatable truth — will probably continue
to be exerted, under circumstances of great provocation,
until the moral forces of civilization shall have eradi
cated the remaining savage instincts of man's brutal
origin. Lovejoy, like John Brown, was the victim of his own
ill-judged zeal in attempting to force a people to sur
render their life-long and most tenacious prejudices. A
stately monument has been erected at Alton to com
memorate, his martyrdom; but it has not erased from
the fair page of our State's history the reproachful
blot of his violent death and its attendant circumstances.
Reviewing that lamentable occurrence at Alton in the
light of stupendous events since transpired in our State
and country, interesting, though fruitless, speculation
is suggested relative to the probable material results to

243
Alton, had its people then been in sympathy with Love
joy and his anti-slavery crusade. At that time Alton
was in active competition with St. Louis for commerical
control of the west. It had the State prison, and monop
olized the output of the Galena lead mines. Its ex
tensive trade and business was in expectancy of large
increase upon completion of the canal and contemplated
lines of railroads terminating there. Its position was
advantageous for commanding traffic on the Illinois
and Missouri rivers, and also that of the upper Missis
sippi. St. Louis, its rival, in a' slave state, was a stronghold
of the slavery propaganda, In the then increasing hos
tility to the institution of slavery in the northern states,
had Alton, in a free state, enlisted in the cause of Abol
itionism with spirit and unanimity, New England capital,
energy and enterprise would very probably have concen
trated there in force sufficient to turn the balance in its
favor. But seven-tenths of the citizens 'of Alton were
as radical in their pro-slavery proclivities as were those
of St. Louis. The Lovejoy riots, so unmistakably ex
pressing the public sentiment of Alton on the subject of
slavery, repelled the tide of Yankee immigration, with
its push and capital setting strongly to that place, and
threw it back upon Chicago, where the metropolis it
created stands as one of the world's wonders. And Al
ton, enamored of a hideous idol, lost its opportunity and
was left far behind.
So long as the condition of his health permitted him to
occupy his seat in the House, Mr. Snyder was a very at
tentive and industrious member. He participated ac
tively in all the business, and several of the debates, of
the special session, and by resolutions, and otherwise,

244
exerted himself to comply with the many requisitions
upon him by his State and constituents, for aid and in
formation. In the regular session, on Dec. 6th, he suggested the
repeal of so much of the act postponing until the 1st of
January, 1839, "payment of the fourth installment of
deposits with the States," and "that provision be made
for immediate payment of the same." His object —
similar to that of many other measures proposed at that
session — was to relieve the distressing stringency of
money matters occasioned by suspension of the National
bank and that of the greater number of all the banks of
issue in the country. On Dec. 13th, Hon. John Quincy
Adams, of Massachusetts, "proceeded to consideration
of the motion made by himsef on yesterday to refer cer
tain memorials and petitions against the annexation of
Texas to a select committee." Mr. Adams addressed
the House at length in support of his motion, and "in
the course of his speech was several times called to order
by the Chair, and by Messrs. Petrikin, Snyder and Rhett.
Mr. Snyder called the gentleman from .Massachusetts
to order for accusing the citizens of Alton, in Illinois, of
being guilty of murder and arson, in his reference to the
recent death of Lovejoy." Mr. Snyder demanded of the
Speaker if he would be permitted to answer the remarks
of Mr. Adams arraigning and aspersing the character of
his constituents of Alton by charging them with the
crimes of arson and murder? If that permission would
be granted him, he would give his consent for the gen
tleman to proceed; but, if not, he was, in justice to his
constituents, compelled to call him to order. Mr.
Adams, "at this stage, asked leave of the House to pro
ceed, and demanded the yeas and nays;" but before the

245
vote was taken Mr. Adams withdrew his remarks ill
reference to the Lovejoy riots, and promised not to re
fer to that subject again, whereupon Mr. Snyder with
drew his call to order.
On Dec. 18th, Mr. Snyder moved for establishing a
surveyor-general's office in the State of Illinois. Jan.
1st, 1838, on motion of Mr. Snyder, the memorials and
resolutions of the legislature of Illinois heretofore pre
sented to the House on the subject of the location aud
construction of the Cumberland road through Illinois
were referred to his committee, that on Roads and
Canals. With commencement of the regular session, in De
cember, 1837, Mr. Snyder, whose physical condition was
materially better than it was in the past summer, took
his seat in the hall of representatives with high expec
tation of accomplishing something during the session
for his state, and so serving the people of his district as
to convince them of his ability and desire to guard and
promote their interests.
On the 2d of January, 1838, he wrote -to his ' friend,
Judge Koerner, as follows:
"The holidays being over, I think we will go at business in
earnest. Abolitionism, annexation of Texas and difficulties with
Mexico are the principal topics of discussion. The subtreasury
bill will be reported in the Senate next week, some different, as I
understand it, from the last.
"I see the Board of Commissioners (in Illinois) have placed un
der contract a great deal of the railroads. I fear we have under
taken too much. What effect has it had on real estate? I have
heard of few, or no sales since fall. I fear produce is falling in
Illinois. I see pork advertised at $2.50 in Jefferson county. What
is it in Belleville? You know it is a kind of staple from which we
can readily judge the price of most other products,, particularly

246
"The weather continued fine until today, and now it is snowing.
I have never seen so fine a fall and winter as we have had up to
this time. * * * * In about fifteen days you may expect to re
ceive a copy of the new subtreasury bill, and I will then tell you
whether it can pass or not. My wife writes me that Tom. Short,
of Kaskaskia, is dead. He was a clever man, and a friend of
mine." Mr. Snyder was an enthusiastic and well-informed
politician, with peculiar aptness and fondness for dis
cussion and debate, particularly of political, questions,
which in those days passed well for statesmanship. He
was at his post every day when the House was in ses
sion, a close observer of, and participator in, as far as
admissible, all its proceedings. While thus busily en
gaged he was suddenly stricken down without warning,
on the evening of January 7th, with severe and painful
hemorrhage of the lungs, that completely prostrated
him for several days, and changed his buoyant hopes to
the most gloomy forebodings. Again writing, on the
11th of January, he said: - *
"Semple left here yesterday evening for New York, in fine
spirits. The evening he got here I had another hemorrhage from
the lungs. Night before last another. I am confined to my room,
and this is the first day I have been able to sit up and write. The
evening before this attack came on I weighed 179 pounds* and
thought I was going to be once more a sound man. This has pain
fully convinced me that I never will be well again.
"I see the Vandalia paper states that I have submitted my
claims (for re-election) to a convention. I have no recollection of
giving any such authority.
"I wish you would inform me whether the mail route from
Belleville to Kaskaskia via Tamarawa has yet been put in opera
tion. The bid of Mr. Robert Morrison at $277 per annum was ac
cepted. I hope he will carry it."
* It was .while apparently so much improved in health that he had
his miniature portrait painted, from which the frontispiece of this
sketch was copied.

247
Notwithstanding Mr. Snyder's fearful relapse his active
mind was as constantly occupied with political and busi
ness matters as when in health. He had large outstand
ing interests requiring his attention, and, eager to again
enter the contest with Reynolds, he intended to offer as
a candidate for re-election to Congress in 1838, but his
wretched condition admonished him that he must re
linquish all further exertions. Again addressing Mr.
Koerner on January 22d, he said :
"My health is now bad, and has been worse. I was attacked
with bleeding from the lungs two weeks ago and had five different
hemorrhages. I am sorne better but improve slowly. I thought
that I would entirely overcome my disease, but find it worse now
than ever. * * * * I admire the highminded, chivalrous dis
position of the gallant Shields. He is a worthy descendant of
Erin"s best and proudest. I love the man whose soul sympathizes
with struggling patriotism; wherever it may be. But he will have
no opportunity at present to indulge his penchant, as the news to
day is that Navy Island is abandoned, the patriots dispersed, and
the whole matter ended. * * * * I state to you in confidence:
for I dlo not wish it to come from me, that the nominee for Gov
ernor (Col. Stephenson) is a defaulter to the amount of $38,000.
Unless he can pay it, you must know he can't- get along. I repeat
that! Reynolds had better be put on the track should the other
withdraw, which, under the circumstances, he must, I think.
* * * * Semple is stiil in New York, and will sail in six days.
He is much pleased with his appointment. Col. A. P. .Field, from
Vandalia, is here figuring about in fine company. He comes and
sits with me frequently."
So soon as the invalid rallied sufficiently to be able to
sit up for a few hours he was taken in a carriage to the
House, and the Journal of Jan. 28th, states : "On motion
of Mr. Snyder, it was Resolved, That the Committee on
Commerce be instructed to enquire into the expediency
of creating ports of entry and delivery at Chicago, Alton
and Cairo, in the State of Illinois." On the same day.

248
Mr. Snyder presented the memorial of 359 citizens of St.
Clair county, in the State of Illinois, "praying that Con
gress may adopt some measure by which all connection
between banks and the general government may be totally
dissolved." In presenting that memorial "Mr. Snyder
said he was personally acquainted with almost every
person whose name was appended to that paper; they
were highly respectable and influential men. He recog
nized among them the names of the judges of the county
court and their clerk; the sheriff of the county, two law
yers, eight or ten justices of the peace, one member and
one ex-member of the legislature, with many others of
the most prominent men of the county. Neither could
he (Mr. Snyder) omit to mention the name of Hon. John
Reynolds, his distinguished predecessor, doubtless fav
orably known to many gentlemen of the House, who had
also placed his name on this hard money memorial. Mr.
Snyder said he was thus particular in stating the num
ber and chai acter of the memorialists and their object,
because he had noticed a statement in the Vandalia Regis
ter, printed in Illinois, saying that a paper had bQen
transmitted to him (Mr. Snyder), one of the Representa-
th es in Congress, from St. Clair county, signed by eight
hundred voters, being a majority of the legal voters of
that county, requesting him (Mr. Snyder) not to vote for
the divorce bill.* This article, Mr. Snyder said, was going
the rounds of the western papers, and he thought it his
duty to correct the misrepresentation: the more so,, be
cause that print had, on other occasions, been guilty of
similar conduct towards him. Mr. Snyder moved that
the memorial be referred to the Committee on Ways and
Means, and that it be printed."!
* "Divorce" of the government from the banks.
t House Journal of 25th Congress.

249
Through the efforts of Mr. Snyder, aided by Senator
John M. Robinson, Gen'l Semple received from Presi
dent Van Buren the appointment of U. S. Minister to
New Granada (now Columbia), and called on Mr. Snyder
at Washington when on his way to Santa Fe de Bogota,
the capital of that South American republic. In 1839
Mr. Snyder obtained of the President leave of absence
for Gen'l Semple, who returned to Illinois for his family,
and with his wife and children went back to Bogota,
where they remained until late in 1842 when he was re
lieved by the new Whig administration. In that remote
South America town Hon. Eugene Semple, a few years
ago the Governor of Washington Territory, the only son
of Gen'l Semple, was born, in 1840.

CHAPTER XI.
Invalid life in Washington — Mr. Snyder's discouraging struggle with
the inevitable.
It was a custom of the French Catholics who early
settled in Illinois, when a member of the family died, to
destroy, as speedily as possible, the wearing apparel, and
all other articles intimately associated with the daily
life of the deceased, excepting such as had commercial
or legal value, in order to remove such constant remind
ers of the loved one that by their presence tendered to
keep afresh the fountains of grief. In obedience to that
sentiment, at Mr. Snyder's death, not only his personal
raiment, but all his correspondence, papers, documents,
note books, and every scrap of his writing found upon
the premises, were gathered together and burned with
solemn reverence.*
Thus it was that when the task of writing this memoir
was undertaken, with the exception of his last Will and
Testament, two letters to his youngest son and a few
fragmentary notes for a speech, not a line of his manu
script was known to be extant. The preliminary notes
for this sketch were about completed when Mrs. Mary
K. Englemann, of LaSalle, daughter of the late Gov.
Koerner, of Belleville, discovered among her father's old
papers quite a number of letters he had received from
Mr. Snyder when in Congress, in 1838-9, which she kindly
placed at the disposal of the writer. They were private
and confidential communications to Mr. Koerner, his
* Mr. Snyder himself destroyed many letters he received immediately
after answering them. In one of his letters to Gen'l Semple he said,
"I am very careful and generally burn political letters, not trusting my
best friends with those matters."

251
trusted friend and law partner, to whom he imparted his
thoughts and hopes, his pains and disappointments, with
out restraint or reserve.
Sometime later Gov. Eugene Semple, of Seattle,
Washington, sent to the writer many letters written b.y
Mr. Snyder to Gen'l Semple, from 1831 to 1840, of the
same character.
By shedding occasional rays of light upon the political
contentions of that era they possess some historic in
terest; but they are chiefly valuable — as a voice from
the grave — in portrayal of their author — the man of
luminous mind and genial, generous nature; the true un
selfish friend; the optimist of ambition and tireless en
ergy; the submissive sufferer, stricken down upon the
threshold of an honorable and successful career — in
stronger light than can be done by any biographer at
this late date with the meagre data at hand. Liberal
extracts from those letters are herein presented, omit
ting only matters of private or professional interest of
no present interest to the public.
On January 16th, 1838, at the worst phase of his re
lapse, he wrote as follows to Gen'l Semple, who a few
days before had bid him — as he believed — a last fare
well, and taken his departure for New York en route to
South America:
"I received your letter from Baltimore, and, on yesterday, the
one from Philadelphia. I have had some hemorrhage from the
lungs every day since you left. Today I feel better, but God' only
knows how long it will be so. Every moment I fear a recurrence
of the trouble. I before have had but two attacks in succession;
this time I have had eight, and have become painfully convinced
that I can never get well. Impressed with this fact some time
before leaving home, I wrote my last will and testament, and in
it appointed yourself, Shields and Koerner executors and guar
dians for my three boys, with power to sell real estate, if neces-

252
sary, to educate them well. I mention this now because you are-
leaving the country, and before you return to it you may safely
calculate that your old friend will have been gathered to his
fathers. May I ask you another act of friendship in addition to
the many I have heretofore received from you; that you will
ex-tend to m;/ boys a guardian care — not to their property, but, I
mean, for their morals, character and education. If they have
talents, "or worth, give it direction, and aid them with your
advice, counsel and influence that they may become valuable
citizens. I should like to have one educated for the army, one
to study law, and the other to engage in mercantile or agricultural
business; but above all, let them be well educated.
"I regret to trouble you with this melancholy subject on the
eve of your departure, but you know how solicitous a man in
my situation is to provide for his children, and how consoling it
is to believe they will be cared for when he has ceased to live.
My estate is almost unencumbered, and I will leave an ample
sufficiency for my wife and boys.
"May God bless you and return you safely to your family is
the fervent wish of your friend."
Gen'l Semple'si answer to this letter is lost, but its
purport can be inferred from Mr. Snyder's next note to
him on January 21st, in which he wrote :
"Your very feeling and kind letter reached me today. I am
better, yet still have slight hemonhages. My mind is easier since
I wrote to you, and more so since I received this letter assuring
me that you will see to the welfare of those I leave. I may rally
for awhile from this relapse. ' God only knows. It has caused me
to look upon death, so far as it concerns myself alone, with per
fect indifference. ***** jjr- Linn, in one of hisi fits of
despondency, came near dying last night from suffocation in his
room, where fire destroyed the window curtains and part of his
bed. *****"
Dr. Linn was one of Missouri's U, S. Senators. The
incident Mr. Snyder briefly mentions in above letter is
narrated in full detail by Robert Dale Owen in his book
entitled Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World, pub
lished in 1868, as a remarkable instance of presentiment.

253
Dr. Linn was confined: to his room by an attack of indi
gestion, and Mrs. Linn, one of the most attractive of
Washington's society ladies, attended a state dinner to
which they both had been invited, after Gen'l Geo. W.
Jones promised her he would remain with Dr. Linn dur
ing her absence. In the midst of the repast Mrs. Linn
suddenly became agitated and very pale, and begged her
escort, Gen'l McComb, to take her home immediately.
Asked if she was ill, she said she was not, but that Dr.
Linn was in great danger. So urgent was her request
that Gen'l McComb acompanied her to her home at once.
On arriving there she ran up to Dr. Linn's apartment
and opening the door found the room filled with dense
smoke and the Doctor unconscious in his burning bed.
He was taken out and the fire was extinguished, but
several hours elapsed before he regained consciousness,
and weeks before he entirely recovered. Had his rescue
been delayed three minutes, the physicians said, his lif.i
would have been extinct. Gen'l Jones had left him in a
quiet sleep half an hour before Mrs. Linn's arrival. Tlie
origin of the fire was unknown.
The expended severity of Mr. Snyder's relapse — like a
Dakota blizzard — gradually abated, leaving him weak
and much dejected. But with slowly improving strength
came increasing interest in public affairs and the pro
ceedings of Congress, and a restless desire to resume his
work. On the 20th of February he was again in his seat
in the House for a few hours, and again on each succeed
ing day, remaining at his post until physical exhaustion
forced him to return to his bed. The House journals of
February and March state that Mr. Snyder presented
the papers of William B. Livesly, of Washington county,
in the State of Illinois, asking that he may be permitted

254
to relocate eighty acres of land entered by mistake.
Also, the petition of Peter Samuel Jaccord, of Johnson
county, in the State of Illinois, on the same subject; both
of which he moved to refer to the Committee on Public
Lands. Also the petition of George Kinder, Jubilee
Posey and Joel Whiteside, of Madison county, to authoi-
ize the Receiver of Public Moneys at Edwardsville, Illi
nois, to refund them the amount of money andi interesi
which they paid over and above the amount of land pur
chased by them, owing to a mistake in the land office
books of the actual number of acres contained in the re
spective tracts; which was also referred to the Com
mittee on Public Lands. On March 13th, 1838, Mr.
Chamberleng, of New York, from the Committee of
Ways and Means, submitted an additional item of $20,000
for completion of the public building at the seat of gov
ernment of Wisconsin Territory, under the Act of Con
gress of 1836. To this Mr. Bell objected. Mr. Snyder
made another objection to the construction of a perma
nent building there, namely, that the territory would
probably soon be divided, and the present location of the
seat of government would then be removed, as it would
fall on, or near, one side of those divisions. On March
16th, Mr. Snyder moved that the Committee on Public
Lands be instructed to prepare a bill for an Act grant
ing to each soldier who served in the campaign against
the Indians in the Northwestern Territory, between the
years 1781 and 1796, a bounty of 320 acres of land to be
located on any surveyed land belonging to the general
government not disposed of. Mr. Snyder also moved to
instruct the Committee on Commerce to prepare a bill
. providing for repeal of the law authorizing the payment
of debentures to vessels engaged in the fishing trade.

255
He then presented the petition of Robert Olark, of Ran
dolph county, in the State of Illinois, praying Congress
to authorize him to locate land in Illinois or Missouri in
lieu of Warrant No. 2483 issued the 13th of February,
1815, from the War Department, and lost in transmis
sion by mail. Referred to the Committee on Public
Lands. March 22d, Mr. Snyder, from the Committee on Roads
and Canals, reported a bill providing for the survey and
construction of the National Road from Vandalia in the
State of Illinois, to Jefferson City, in the State of Mis
souri, which was read twice, and committed to the Com
mittee of the Whole on the State of the Union, and or
dered to be printed. March 24th Mr. Snyder presented
the petitions of Isaac Miller and Philip Canter, of Union
county, in Illinois, praying Congress to permit them to
relocate two tracts of'land entered by mistake. "March
30th, the House went into Committee of the whole, Mr.
Snyder in the Chair, to consider the bill to authorize the
Secretary of the Treasury to correct a mistake in the
payment of a Sum of money awarded! to certain parties.
After consideration of said bill, the Committee rose, and
Mr. Snyder reported. that the Oommittee of the Whole
recommended passage of the bill; whereupon it was read
a third time and passed." Mr. Snyder moved that the
Committee on Naval Affairs be instructed to provide by
law for the appointment of midshipmen, in the Navy so
1 hat an equal number may be chosen from each Congres
sional district in the United States.
May 21st, Mr. Snyder presented a memorial from Wil
liam O. Greenup, President of the Board of Managers
organized for the purpose of draining the lakes and
ponds of the American Bottom, in the State of Illinois,

256
praying Congress to grant the unsold lands in said Amer
ican Bottom to aid the Board in said improvements. Re
ferred to Committee on Public Lands. Mr. Snyder alsoi
presented a memorial from the citizens of Greenville, in
Bond county, Illinois, praying Congress to cause the Na
tional Road, from Vandalia to the Mississippi River, to
be located through said town. Referred to the Com
mittee on Roads and Canals. On May 28th, Mr. Snyder
offered the following resolution, which was considered,
but not adopted:
"Resolved, That the Oommittee on Military Affairs be
instructed to enquire into the expediency of abolishing
the Military Academy at West Point." The animus of
Mr. Snyder's resolution, he explained, was to escape the
abuse of the appointing power in selection of cadets, then
vested in the President and Secretary of War. It was
charged, he said, that those appointments were govern
ed by political interests and personal favoritism, with
the result that the Academy was filled with sons of east
ern capitalists, wealthy and influential southerners, and
army officers of high rank, to the exclusion of western
boys, poor, but of equal, if not of superior, merit. It is
passing strange that Mr. Snyder did not include the ap
pointment of cadets to the Military Academy in his pro
position, of March 30th, to change the mode of selecting
cadets to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, by allotiug
them equally to the Congressional Districts, as was a
few years later adopted.
He wrote to Mr. Koerner on March 28th:
"Enclosed I send you a short notice of my intention to decline
being a candidate for re-election. My health continues bad. I
fear it will never be better. The slender hope I have of prolong
ing my life a short time for my family depends, I have no doubt,
upon my withdrawal from public life. I wish you, Mr. Shields

257
and. Pensoneau, to consult about the matter, and have enclosed
paper published; probably the sooner you do it the better. I
leave that with you. The sooner my determination is known the
better, if you have arranged who you will support, and who you
can elect. I fear much that in May's district an opposition man
will be elected. I suppose that Reynolds will beat Hogan and
Breese; or can you start a man who you would prefer who can
be elected? If so, you can hold this announcement of mine until
you get things ripe for action. I leave the whole matter with
you, premising that I have no disposition or wish, under all cir
cumstances, to run."
The following is taken from the House journal of
June 7th:
"The Preemption bill being considered, Mr. Snyder said he
hoped the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Goode) would not prevail. It proposed to grant certain rights to
the State of Ohio, to the exclusion of individuals]. "The present
bill is one," said he, "extending to settlers on public lands the
right of preemption to one quarter section of land. Its principles
are general and equitable; its object is to protect the labor of the
poor man from the rapacity of the wealthy speculator. The
amendment of the gentleman, if adopted, will embarrass the
progress and passage of the bill. I deny that it is consonant with
the principles of the measure under consideration. This bill
extends to settlers on public lands protection and a guarantee for
their labor; and, on the other hand, the proposition of the gentle
man from Ohio would engross the most valuable lands exclusively
for the State of Ohio, and deny to the settlers the right of pre
emption on that part of the domain. I, for one, cannot consent
that this bill shall he so encumbered. If the amendment offered
by the gentleman from Ohio has merit I will vote for it as a
separate and distinct measure. There has been abundant time
during all this long session to propose that measure; there is
yet time. I hope the friends of a pre-emption act will join me
in voting down this amendment, in order that this important
bill, for the relief of a most meritorious class of citizens, will
stand on its own merits, and speedily meet the favorable action
of this House. When the provisions of this bill come up for dis-
—17

258
cussion, I shall avail myself of the occasion to present my views
more fully on the subjieat."
On June 11th, Mr. Snyder moved that the Committee
on Post Office and Pqstroads be instructed to report a
bill to establish a mail route from Jonesborough, m
Union county, via Whittaker's Landing, the mouth of
Big Muddy and Breeseville, to Liberty; and also a mail-
route from Clarksville, in Pike county; to Philllips'
Ferry on the Illinois river, in Illinois. June 14th, the
Pre-emption bill was discussed in Committee of the
Whole, when Mr. Snyder offered the following proviso:
"Provided, however, that no person who has settled, oc
cupied or cultivated any portion of such quarter section,
under a previous settler, and by his permission, shall, be
allowed to avail himself of any such division of a quarter
section." This, put to the House, was not acceded to.
Mr. Lincoln, of Massachuetts, then moved to amend by
"inserting in the 2,6th line, after the words 'United
States,' and upon the third proviso in said bill, the fol
lowing words, 'nor shall the benefit of this Act extend
to any person who has before availed 'himself of a pre
emption right to entry of the public lands, and acquired
a title thereto by reason of such entry." "Mr. Snyder
opposed this motion, and in a speech of an hour's dura
tion went into a variety of details showing how injuri
ously it would operate upon a meritorious, class of citi
zens." June 15th, "Mr. Snyder asked and obtained leave
to make a statement in relation to an article which ap
peared in the Madisonian of Thursday last. Mr. S. then
read the following extract from the paper :
"At the extra session there was not to be found in the whole
House any more decided opponents of the scheme (sub-treasury)
than every representative from the State of Illinois. Have the
opinions of the people of that State changed since in favor of the

259
scheme? On the contrary, every manifestation of their opinion
shows most clearly- that an overwhelming majority of the people
of that State are decidedly opposed, and that any one of her
representatives who gives his support to it does so in direct
opposition to their will. Then why this change on the part of
the representative in relation to this all-absorbing and para-
mountly interesting question? We hope we may have been mis
taken. We hope it will be proven that there has not been a.
change as represented. If, however, it shall prove otherwise,
we shall not hesitate to believe that executive favors have been
solicited and executive smiles returned, and perhaps a dinner.0
Tt is by such arts,' said Mr. McDuffie, 'the cunning and artful
seek to seduce those they wish to make use of, and win over to
their purposes..' But, thank God, while the representatives may
be corrupted, the people are honest, and are above corruption.
We still hope, we are deceived as to this one member of the
Illinois delegation. We hope he will, by his acts, preserve con
sistency and give no cause to any one to indulge in unpleasant
reflections. Nothing whatever can be made more disagreeable
to us than to be obliged to change our opinion of those of whose
honesty and moral courage we have previously entertained the
most exalted opinion."
Mr. Snyder said that he, as well as every other public
man, must expect his' share of abuse from licentious pa
pers, and in general it was unworthy of regard. But in
the present instance the editor was an officer of this
House, and thhs had more influence with the community
in that character. On this ground alone would he notice
the false and base insinuation contained in the extract
which he read. There was no doubt that he (Mr. S.)
was alluded to, as he was the only one of the members
from Illinois who had expressed any opinion upon the
sub-treasury bill. He considered it his duty to state, in
his place, that the charge was without foundation. He
did so that the antidote might go forth with the poison.
* Mr. Snyder had, by special invitation, dihed with Mr. Van Buren,
at the White House, on two occasions, a short time before.

260
"Mr. S. then made some allusions to Mr. Allen, and the
circumstances of his election as Public Printer, remark
ing that he was voted for by some warm friends of the
administration, with the understanding that -he was to •
support the administration."
The foregoing extracts from the House Journals of
the extra and first regular sessions of the twenty-fifth
Congress are presented, not for their importance, but
simply as evidence of Mr. Snyder's alertness and indus
try in the discharge of his public duties; and also, as an
illustration of the ordinary work of a representative on
the floor of the House. They indicate, in some degree,
his possible efficiency and usefulness in serving his con
stituents had he enjoyed sound1 health, and, considering
his lamentable physical condition, entitle him to some
credit. The following communications from Mr. Snyder to Mr.
Koerner will further show his diligence, and intelligent
grasp of national legislation and political movements in
his own state: "House of Representatives, June 16, 1838.
"I have received the result of the Vandalia convention, and
am very well pleased with the nomination,* and hope it will
succeed. I assure you I am better satisfied than if I had been
nominated. Now, the utmost exertion should be used1 to ensure
success. I know both of the men. They are sound Democrats
and though not highly talented are sensible, firm and honest men.
"We have just passed a most liberal preemption bill, granting
to all settlers who have been four months on public lands,
whether in market or not before the passage of the bill, two
years to enter their land. This will act as a credit of two years
to the actual settler and will enable very many deserving poor
men to secure homes for their families. We have not yet reached
the graduation bill, and I fear it will not be taken up for want of
* Nomination by the Democrats of Thomas Carlin for Governor and
Stinson H. Anderson for Lieutenant Governor,

261
time. If it does not pass at this session it will pass at the next.
The sub-treasury bill will be taken up Monday. The vote will be
close, and I do not think it will pass. The opposition are deter
mined to defeat it, and will prevent, if possible, it being taken
up or at all discussed.
"I assure you I am very desirous of returning home. My long
absence, together with my desire to see my family and friends,
causes the time to hang heavily on my hands, notwithstanding
the many exciting topics in the House every day. My health has
improved much. I was able to speak nearly an hour day before
yesterday on the subject of the preemption bill without any con
siderable inconvenience to myself. Should' the sub-treasury bill
be called up I will say something to place all my course in regard
to that jmeasure in its proper light."
Mr. Snyder possessed the peculiar faculty of attract
ing and retaining friendships. During his service in
Congress President Van Buren, also the Speaker, Hon.
Jas. K. Polk, paid him marked attention. Between Hon.
Felix Grundy and himself a warm personal friendship
existed until ended by death. He became intimately
acquainted with Dr. Linn and Col. Thos. H. Benton, the
Missouri Senators; with Hon. Silas Wright, John C.
Calhoun, Col. Richard M. Johnson, Wm. R. King, Henry
A. Wise, John Quincy Adams, and many others, from
whom he received evidences of sincere regard, and
whose friendship he cherished to his last hours.
On adjournment of Congress, in July, 1838, Mr. Sny
der, in pitiable state of health, returned to his home
without delay. During his absence of nearly a year
great changes had taken place in Illinois in financial
affairs, and in public opinion relative to the extensive
internal improvements the State had undertaken. The
country had not recovered from the panic of 1837. Gen
eral suspension of the banks in the spring of that year,
followed by depreciation of their currency, had caused

262
a. depressing revulsion in business. There was noi ces
sation of activity on the public works; hundreds of la
borers were employed in digging the canal, and in
throwing up embankments and cutting through hills on
the several railroad routes; but paper money — the only
kind of money in circulation — had lost much of its pur
chasing value; the banks had none to loan, and the peo
ple but little with. which to meet their obligations fall
ing due.
General uneasiness began to be felt regarding the tre
mendous State debt rapidly accumulating, the enormous
annual interest to be paid, and the remote prospect of
paying returns from the promised railroads. The evi
dent want of skill and knowledge of those in charge of
the works, their many mistakes, and their prodigal
waste of money, every day increased the numbers clam
oring for the ruinous, A'isionary folly to be stopped.
Gloom and despondency replaced the hopeful expecta
tions of the year before.

CHAPTER XII.
Mr. Snyder willing to make the race for Governor in place of Col.
Stephenson, withdrawn — Thomas Carlin nominated and elected —
Internal Impiovements continued — Mr. Snyder's summer vacation.
Before leaving his home for Washington, in August,
1837, Mr. Snyder made preliminary arrangements for the
erection of a large, fine house on the site of the Old di
lapidated combination of rooms and sheds he had occu
pied, with his family, as their residence, since the spring
of 1833. In the condition of money matters then, and
absence of transportation facilities, the building of a
stylish two-story brick dwelling house was a serious and
expensive undertaking. The lumber contracted for, to
be used in its construction, in trees still standing in the
woods, had yet to' be cut down, then taken to the saw
mill and sawed to required dimension, then kiln-dried,
;ind the whole of it dressed and joined by hand. The
contract for shingles required walnut trees to be felled
and cut with a long cross-cut saw in blocks of regulation
length, to be split with a frow, and each shingle re
duced to proper thickness and shape with a drawing-
knife — at f 10 per thousand. Contracts were made with
different parties for burning lime, and furnishing sand ;
for quarrying stone for the cellar and foundation walls,
and for making bricks — at $10 per thousand. Contracts
were made with laborers for removing the old house,
find excavating the cellar, and foundation trenches; with
stone and brick masons to erect the walls; with plas
terers; with carpenters, who dressed, tongue-and-grooved
the ash and oak floors, and framed and fitted, all by
hand, the window and door frames, doors, sash and shut-

264
ters, and all the other wood work; and finally, with
painters, glaziers and paper hangers.
When Mr. Snyder arrived in Belleville, near the close
of July, 1838, he was pleased to see the encouraging
progress made on his new building. The old house, save
a one-story room Mr. Dennis had recently added before
selling the place, was torn away and the cellar and foun
dation walls, of stone masonry, had upon them the brick
walls as high as the second floor.
The first political convention for nominating party
candidates for State offices in Illinois, was held by Demo
cratic delegates at Vandalia, on the 4th of December,
1837, resulting in the nomination of Col. James W.
Stephenson for Governor, and John L. Hacker for Lieu
tenant Governor. About the same time Stephen A.
Douglas was nominated for Congress in the Springfield
district. Col. Stephenson's location, Galena, was an important
factor in securing his nomination; as all previous Gov
ernors had been taken from the southern part of the
State — Duncan having but recently moved up to Jack
sonville before his election — and the Whigs having,
without convention, but by common consent, united
upon Hon. Cyrus Edwards, of Edwardsville, as their
candidate, the Democratic voters of the northern part
of the State demanded the candidate from that region
as a matter of justice, and reward for their party loyalty.
The candidate for office is usually — and justly — re
garded a legitimate subject for critical investigation.
His history and character, as public servant and private
citizen, are open to the closest scrutiny, and no defect
in his personal or political record can long remain con
cealed. Col. Stephenson had not long been a candidate

265
for Governor when serious charges were preferred of
irregularities in his accounts when receiver of the land
office. Gov. Ford says: "A candidate should never
deny any charge made against him for, if he does, his
adversaries will prove all they have said, and much
more." To avoid the disadvantage of having the party
placed upon the defensive in the campaign, Col. Stephen
son's friends induced him to withdraw. Mr. Hacker,
although under no charges, also withdrew, to relieve the
party from all embarrassments.
The same delegates assembled again, at Vandalia, on
June 16, 1838, at the call of Col. Wm. L. D. Ewing,
Chairman, when Thomas Carlin, of Adams county, and
Sidney Breese, of Clinton, were proposed fpr nomina
tion. Mr. Carlin was nominated for Governor, and
Stinson H. Anderson, of Jefferson county, for Lieuten
ant Governor. Mr. Koerner, who was a delegate in
that convention, says, in his unpublished memoirs :
"At any rate, I was constantly called on for help by aspiring
candidates, and consequently placed very often in a difficult posi
tion. When, for instance, I was a delegate to the State conven
tion at "Vandalia in 1838, Mr. Snyder, whose Congressional term
was soon to expire, feeling just then considerably better, wished
to be a candidate for Governor.* Judge Breese, who was then
on the bench and very friendly to me, also desired my support;
and so did Gov. Reynolds. Of course I could not hesitate. Mr.
Snyder was as competent as any of his rivals; his character was
open and sincere, and his friendship to me really knew no bounds.
But neither of these gentlemen had any chance in the convention.
* Here Gov. Koerner's memory is again defective. Mr. Snyder stated
positively that he did not wish to be a candidate, and would only con
sent to be presented to the convention for nomination if he was the
unanimous choice of his party; for he believed the Democrat nominated
would be defeated af the election; but consented to lead the forlorn
hope if the party insisted upon it. And because of the precarious con
dition of Ms health he preferred not to be mentioned in that connection.
Nor did Gov. Reynolds desire Gov. Koerner's support in that conven
tion; for his election to Congress was certain, and he would not then
have exchanged that position for the Governorship.

266 -
All the Governors of the State thus far had been taken from the
south of the State naturally enough since the great bulk, .of the
population had lived south. But for the last four or five years a
very large population had been pouring into the northern part of our
State, from New England,, New York, and even Ohio. They were
mostly intelligent, energetic -and calculating people, and in politics
better schooled, as far ,as, .organization was concerned, than we in
the south. Their delegates, combining with the delegates. .. .from
the middle part, insisted upon, and nominated a northern man.
Perhaps we could have still nominated Mr. Snyder, he being in
deed popular everywhere, but hisi rivals reported his healtii' as so
hopelessly bad that it seemed to many even of his friends im
prudent to nominate him. And yet was it not a. most singular
incident that Col. Stephenson, of Galena, the. man who had been,
nominated before, died within four or five months of consumption,
while Mr% Snyder did not succumb to that terrible disease until
four years later." .
Mr. Carlin, when nominated for Governor, was re
garded as a "northern" man, geographically, having set
tled originally in Greene county, then an extreme north
ern county, and for the last four years was a resident of
Quincy, where he served as receiver of the land office.
Cyrus Edwards, brother of the former Governor,
Ninian Edwards, was a very able and popular man, a.
lawyer of high reputation, well known all over the State,
having served in the Black Hawk war, and in both
branches of the legislature. His friends felt confident
of his election, as the unpopular course of the Van
Buren administration had caused serious dissensions in
the Democratic party, and many of its conservative
members had recently recruited the Whig ranks. How
ever, at the State election, on the 6th day of August,
1838, Carlin was elected Governor, defeating Mr. Ed
wards by the small majority of 996, "the nearest the.f
Whigs ever came to carrying the State." Gov. Reynolds
was elected to Ccmgress in the first district by a large

267
majority. In the second district Zadok Casey was re
elected, and in the third district Major John T. Stuart,
the Whig candidate, defeated Stephen A. Douglas by
only 14 majority.
Mr. Snyder's confidence in his re-election, had he been
i\ candidate with health unimpaired at that election, was
probably well justified. For Hogan secured the entire
Whig vote of the district, then considerably larger than
that cast for Gatewood two years before, the late acces
sions to that party having been drawn almost altogether
from the Reynolds faction of the Democracy.
John Hogan was a native of Ireland and had been a
Methodist preacher. He was a moral, intelligent, well
educated man and eloquent speaker, possessing, with
fondness for politics, in an eminent degree the urbanity
and friendly disposition so essential to popularity. He
was a Whig member of the lower house of the legislature
in 1836, and one of the most enthusiastic supporters of
the internal improvement scheme. After his defeat by
Reynolds, following the course of Gatewood, he left the
Whig party, joined the Democracy, and moving from,
Alton to St. Louis was there elected to Congress) by the
Democrats. Though the Whigs failed to elect their Governor, they
secured a majority in both branches of the legislature,
the Senate having 21 Whigs, 16 Democrats and 3 Inde
pendents; and the House, 46 Whigs, 40 Democrats and
5 Independents. Mr. Snyder's summer vacation was by no means a
period of rest and inactivity. A vast amount of private
and professional business had accumulated during bis
iong absence that required his personal attention and
kept him constantly employed until time for his return

268"
to Washington. He visited Tamarawa on two or three
occasions, and also Cahokia, and attended the fall term
of circuit court in some of the adjoining counties where
he addressed his constituents, giving them an account of
what he tried to do for them, and of the drift of public
opinion and legislation in Congress. Clients, politicians
and old personal friends came to his office, or temporary
residence, daily to consult him on every variety of sub
jects; or for mere friendly interviews. He was much in
terested in the building of his new dwelling, and found
pleasure, when time permitted, in examining every part
of it, and instructing the mechanics regarding all details
of the work. He was very happy in his domestic rela
tions, and the pride and interest of his existence centered
in his home, his wife and three sons.
He had the gratification of being at home on the e-lee
tion day, in August, and of voting for his friends on the
ticket, few of whom, however, were elected. Of the
three representatives in thel lower house of the legisla
ture St. Clair county was then entitled to, the Demo
crats elected but one, Dr. W. W. Roman, of Lebanon; the
two successful Whigs were Col. Vital Jarrott of Ca
hokia, and Col. John Thomas of Shiloah Valley. The
hold-over Senator, John Murray, was a Whig, as als;>
was the district Senator elected for St. Clair, Monroe
and Madison counties, Gen'l Jas. B. Moore.
On Mr. Snyder's return from Washington in July he
seriously contemplated resigning and remaining at home.
But the fear that his vacancy might be supplied by the
election of a Whig, together with some recuperation of
strength, decided him to adopt the advice and wishes of
his partisan friends not to vacate his position.
With reluctance, and only in obedience to a stern sense

269
of duty, he took his departure from Belleville in October
and returned to Washington City, to resume his seat in
Congress. He traveled by stage over the National road
through Indiana, Ohio, Brownsville, Pa., and Cumber
land, Md., again stopping a few days with his early
friends and relatives at Connellsville.
Governor Duncan's term of office expired on the 3d of
December, 1838. When he assumed the office, four years
before, the total indebtedness of the State, including the
Wiggins loan, amounted to $217,276. By the expiration
of his term it had increased to f 6,688,784; for which,
however, he was in no manner responsible. By the 24th
of December, 1838, there had been expended upon the
public improvements in Illinois, $1,142,027. The Fund
Commissioners had paid for State stock in the Bank of
I'lmois, $3,000,000; for railroad iron and expenses, $69,-
422; for interest on State bonds, $292,2150, and to coun
ties not traversed by either canal or railroads, $144,700.
When the eleventh general assembly met at Vandalia,
in December, the Whig Senate was presided over by a
Democrat, Stinson H. Anderson, and Gov. Carlin shared
the fate of his predecessors, Coles, Edwards, Reynolds
and Duncan, in having the dominant party in the legis
lature opposed to him. In organizing the House, Abra
ham Lincoln — whose greatness had not yet developed- -
was the Whig candidate for Speaker, and though his
party had a majority of one over the Democrats and In
dependents combined, he was defeated by William L. D.
Ewing, a Democrat, the vote standing, for Ewing, 43,
and for Lincoln, 38.
Gov. Carlin was born, of Irish parents, near Frankfort,
Kentucky, on July 18th, 1789. He attended country
schools but long enough to learn to read, write and

270
cipher. In 1802 his parents migrated to Missouri Terri
tory, and there his father died in 1810. He then came lo
Illinois, and during the Indian troubles incident to the
war of 1812 served as a Ranger, along with Gov. Rey
nolds. When discharged from the service, in 1814, he
was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Huitt, and set
tled on the Mississippi bottom opposite the mouth of the
Missouri river. In 1820 he moved into Greene county,
and the next year founded there the town of Carrollton,
to which he made liberal donations of land for public
buildings. In 1822 he was converted and baptised into
the Baptist church under the ministration) of Rev. John
M. Peck. He was elected sheriff of Greene county and
subsequently State Senator for two terms. He was
Captain of a volunteer company in Major James D.
Henry's Odd Battalion of Spies, in the Black Hawk war,
enlisted April 20th, and discharged May 27th, 1832. In
1834 he was appointed by President Jackson receiver of
ihe land office at Quincy, and he there resided until after
expiration of his term of Governor, when he retired to
his farm in Greene county, where he died on the 14th of
February, 1852. After retiring from the Governorship
his only reappearance in public life was in 1849, when he
was elected to the lower house of the legislature to fill
the unexpired term of Col. J. D. Fry, who had resigned.
In stature Gov. Carlin was above medium height, strong
and muscular, with fair complexion, high forehead, blue
eyes, sandy hair, long nose and thin face and lips. He
was not brilliant, but well stocked with strong, practical
sense and determination of purpose. Above all, he was
conscientiously honest and incorruptible.
In his last message to the legislature, when retiring
from the executive chair, Gov. Duncan deprecated the in-

271
ternal improvement craze in the most emphatic terms,
and implored the general assembly to call a halt, and try
to repair, as far as possible, the wretched mistakes of the
last legislature.
Thoughtful, conservative party friends of Gov. Carlin
fondly hoped, and expected, he would make the same wise
recommendation; but to their astonishment and disgust
he said, in his inaugural message,* "The signal success
which has attended our sister states in their extensive
systems of internal improvements can leave no doubt of
the wise policy and utility of such works," and enlarged
upon their usefulness in developing "the natural and hid
den resources of the country;" and, further, extolled the
plan adopted for construction of the works by the State
as, in every way, wiser and better than that of entrust
ing them to joint stock companies, or private corpora
tions. ''Under the present plan of proceeding," he said,
"near two millions of dollars have been expended, and
whatever diversity of opinion may now exist as to the
expediency of the system as originally projected, all must
admit that the character and credit of the State forbid
its abandonment."
In that view the legislature coincided. In both houses
were many old members who had voted in the last legis
lature to adopt the grand scheme, and were yet un
shaken in the faith of its ultimate success. No part of
the systen> was repealed, but more was added to it. Bills
were passed appropriating for improving navigation of
Rock River, $50,000; for the Little Wabash, $150,000; for
the Big Muddy $20,000; and for the Embarras, $20,000.
A lso $10,000 to make a road from Oahokia Creek to Kas
kaskia, $100,000 to construct a railroad from Rushville
* Gov. Carlin's messages and other state papers were evidently not
Written altogether by himself.

272
to Erie on the Illinois river, and $20,000 to be expended
on the western mail route. Bills were also passed for
improvement of the Illinois river to Ottawa, and for a
branch railroad from the proposed Alton and Shelbyville
road to Carrollton. The appropriations made for the new
improvements mentioned aggregated almost a million
dollars. An unsophisticated member from the Wabash region
had the temerity to introduce a bill for "An Act to incor
porate a company to build a railroad from Albion to
Gray ville," which was referred to the Oommittee on In
ternal Improvements. Mr. Smith, of Wabash county,
chairman of that all-important committee, in reporting
the bill back adversely, said: "In the judgment of the
committee it is inexpedient for the legislature to author
ize corporations, or individuals, to construct railroads or
canals calculated to come in competition with similar
works now in course of construction under the State
system of internal improvements."
An Act was passed directing the Governor to negoti
ate a further loan of $4,000,000 for completion of the
Illinois & Michigan canal. Much of the session was frit
ted away with discussions of national questions by
aspiring members, but yet, several measures of import
ance were enacted. Among them was the Act for estab
lishing the Deaf and Dumb Institution located in Jack
sonville. A law was passed prohibiting the banks from
issuing bills of less denomination than five dollars. An
other law passed made it obligatory for the Governor
to reside at the seat of government during his term of
office. The Chicago Lyceum was incorporated, and an
appropriation made for purchasing a library for the
supreme court.

273
Mr. Lincoln, of Sangamon, introduced a bill providing
for the purchase, by the State, of all the public lands
within its limits, estimated at 20,000,000 acres, "at
twenty-five cents per acre ($5,000,000), pledging the faith
of the State to carry the proposal into effect if accepted
by the general government." The bill failed to pass. The
eleventh general assembly adjourned on the 4th of
March, 1839, and was the last legislature to meet at
Vandalia, that town ceasing to be the capital of Illinois
on the 4th of July of that year.
On the 8th of December, 1838, Mr. Snyder wrote to his
friend,' Mr. Koerner, from Washington as follows:
"I was twenty-three days traveling and stood the. trip re
markably well. Since coming here I have been confined, and am
still confined', to my room with a most inveterate cold, which, as
usual, has fastened on my lungs. .1 hope, however, to get out by
Monday. Pensoneau left me Thursday morning and1 will be in
Belleville about the 19th or 20th inst.
"How do you like the message? It takes very well here. I
could have wished that he (Van Buren) had said nothing about
his friendship for the banks. On the whole, it does him credit
as a writer more than it elevates him as a statesman. It is too
hard labored; seeking too much to conciliate; not strong, firm
and decisive as were both his former messages. This my opinion
to you, for to no other have I expressed my opinion, but approba
tion of it on general terms. The President is in good spirits; so
is our party. We succeeded finely in the election of a Clerk.
"I learn Breese is really an applicant for the Secretaryship;
so are Dougherty, Prickett and Ford. I have no idea that Field
will persist. He will not.be sustained even by his own party.
" * * * * I suppose if Breese is not successful for Secre
tary of State he will be a, candidate for Commissioner of Internal
Improvements next, and so on for every office in the gift of the
legislature." The cold, blustery, fitful winter of 1838-39 held Mr.
Snyder practically a prisoner in his room in Washington,
—18

274
with occasional brief respites, during its entire continu
ance. He suffered several recurrences of the terrible
pulmonary hemorrhages he had experienced the previous
winter; but as soon as they had spent their severity he
rallied, and hopefully attempted to regain his post of
duty. The weather was intensely cold part of the time,
interspersed with damp, chilly winds sweeping up the
Potomac valley that penetrated every pore of his en
feebled vitality with depressing effect. Occasionally,
however, when the rigors of winter relaxed for a few
days, with invigorating sunshine and cheerful modera
tion of temperature, the invalid called a carriage and
was promptly in his seat at the capitol, and bravely
maintained it while closely following the proceedings of
the House, until forced by sheer exhaustion of strength
to return to his room. In those intervals he was a
very busy representative, and, considering his physical
condition, transacted a surprising amount of business for
his constituents.
The gloom of enforced confinement to his apart
ments in his worst stages was, to a degree, mitigated by
frequent calls and visits of the two Senators and his two
Illinois colleagues of the House, and other Congressmen
•whose friendship and sympathy he had gained. And all
visitors to the capital from Illinois were with him a great
part of the leisure time they could spare.
His physicians gave him all possible care and atten
tion, but were utterly hopeless of any favorable change
in the -disease that was rioting in his vital organs. Hav
ing exhaused all their skill and knowledge in fruitlessly
contending with it, they advised him to seek another and
milder climate that might possibly benefit him and pro
long bis life. In stating this opinion, or decision, of his

275
medical advisers, in one of his letters to a friend, Mr.
Snyder said: "You know, physicians in England, to es
cape having their patients dying on their hands, advise
them to go to southern France or Italy. Mine seem to
have adopted the same tactics, and now all unite on in
sisting that I must go south, and that I must make the
trip by sea."
They were very desirous that he would leave Washing
ton at once; but with the passing of February he im
proved somewhat, so much so as to be able to be present
in the House several hours each day until near the close
of the session, and consequently delayed starting on his
ocean voyage until after adjournment of Congress. By
that time his strength had increased perceptibly, and he
went aboard the steamship at Baltimore — in company
with Hon. John C. Calhoun, and several other southern
Congressmen — feeling better, and in fine spirits.
On arriving at Charleston, South Carolina, he wrote,
on the morning of March 10th, 1839, as follows:
"I arrived here on yesterday evening in rather improved health.
We had a very pleasant passage from Baltimore to this city,
and made the run in fine time. I was very much pleased with the
ocean. But two days out of sight of land. The scene to me was
novel and interesting. I will probably be here for several days
before I can obtain passage for Havana — probably a. week. The
climate here is, delightful ; peach trees are, in bloom, fields green,
and everything wearing the aspect of summer, or rather, of spring,
in Illinois."This is a beautiful city; the port filled1 with vessels, wharves
lined with cotton bales and sailors, the streets filled with car
riages, well dressed males and females and lots of ragged negroes.
"These southern people are very ready to sustain Maine; and
they eulogize Mr. Van Buren for the manner in which he has
treated that difficulty. On the whole, the administration is popu
lar in this state with the people.
"I am very anxious to hear from home. The farther I wander

276
from Illinois the more impatient I get. It is probable I will be 'n
New Orleans by the first of April. I have no idea of reaching
there before. I will write you in a few days more fully should I
be detained here, as I expect to be.
"By this time I presume the legislature of our State has ad
journed. I am very anxious to hear who they have made Com
missioner in place of Kinney, if Breese. In that case, who is our
circuit judge? My impression is that our system of internal im
provements cannot go on very rapidly. It is said on this side of
the mountains that our State bonds are in bad odor in the London
stock market, and much difficulty will be met to obtain further
sales. "Will you be pleased to give my respects to Mr. Shields. I wish
he was here to enjoy the fine wine and irresistible smiles of the
fine ladies, and generous people of the south. I have met here
with unbounded hospitality and attention. I traveled here with
Hon. John C. Calhoun, who has been very kind to me, introducing
me to many of the wealthy and distinguished families of this
southern metropolis."

CHAPTER XIII.
Hon. R. M. Young and Gov. Reynolds appointed special Commissioners
to sell State bonds in Europe — Their failure — Extra Session of the
legislature — Total collapse of the Internal Improvement scheme-
State indebtedness — Incident on a Wiggins Ferry boat — Mr. Snyder
a candidate for State Senator — Nominations of Harrison and Van
Buren for President.
Gov. Carlin found the State's credit had been too se
verely strained in the eastern money markets of this
country to enable him to float the new loan of $4,000,000
for the canal at par, and was persuaded to offer it to the
money changers of Europe.
Gov. Reynolds having failed to become a railroad mag
nate after building the first railroad in Illinois, and life
without an office being to him intolerable, again ran for
Congress and was elected. As the Congress to which he
was elected. would not convene until the first Monday in
December, 1839, sixteen months after his election, he
concluded to visit Vandalia during the last session of the
legislature to be held there, to see his old Ranger com
rade, Carlin, inaugurated Governor; and also see, inci
dentally, if anything might turn up there to his advan
tage. He remained in Vandalia the greater part of the
winter, and succeeded in turning something up. He had
long desired to visit Europe, and that desire was shared
by the stylish lady he had married two and a half years
before. Strong ties of fellow-feeling bound Carlin and
Reynolds to each other. They were both of Irish parent
age; both were early pioneers, thrown together when
young in the rough campaigning of the ranging service;
always afterwards in concert politically, and both had,
by their innate force and genius, worked their way up

278
from poverty and obscurity to wealth and the highest
position in the State. Carlin placed a high estimate upon
the abilities of Reynolds, and regarded him as in the
front ranks of Illinois statesmen. With such relations
existing between them, Reynolds had little difficulty in
persuading Gov. Carlin to seek a foreign market for his
State loan, and to select him (Reynolds) as the Commis
sioner to negotiate it.
Of all public men in Illinois, Gov. Reynolds was per
haps the least qualified— the most destitute of financial
tact and skill— for such a difficult and delicate mission.
And, after securing his junketing trip at public expense,
conscious of his incapacity to deal successfully with the
sharpest financiers of the world, he asked Gov. Carlin to
associate with him, in that work, Senator R. M. Young,
to which the Governor acceded. Senator Young, a. pro
found lawyer and jurist, as a diplomatist or financier,
was very little, if any, the superior of Reynolds.
They proceeded to New York City, and there met Mr.
Rawlings, one of the Illinois Fund Commissioners, and
together they sold, and delivered, to Delafield, of New
York, on April 23d, 1839, 300 State bonds of $1,000 earn,
at par, agreeing to pay at New York and Philadelphia,
interest on the bonds, semi-annually, at the rate of six
per cent, though the law specified only annual payments
of interest. The payments by Delafield for the bonds he
purchased were to be made in installments, the first $50,-
000, in fifteen days, to the New York Banking Company
subject to sight drafts of the' Illinois Board of Public
Works, of forty different installments. The next pay
ment of $50,000 to be made August 1st, 1839, in notes of
New York City banks of denominations not to exceed
$10; and in like manner the remainder in monthly pay-

2ft
ments of $50,000 commencing on the 1st of October.
No security on the deferred payments was asked, or
given, though the law specified that the bonds should be
sold for cash.
They also sold to Thomas Dunlap 1,000 bonds of $1,000
each, bearing six per cent interest, at par, principal and
interest payable in English funds, in London, for which
was received within the next ten months, in England,
notes of the United States Bank, depreciated ten per
cent, and further discounted on exchange of funds; in
curring, altogether, a loss of $200,000. The Illinois bonds
thus disposed of in New York formed the basis for sev
eral "wild cat" banks in the State of New York, whose
issue was paid to the Board of Public Works for the
bonds; "Illinois meanwhile paying interest for the priv
ilege of furnishing their bonded capital." Those wild
cat banks all failed, and their notes received by Illinois
were a total loss. Other bonds of the State were sold
on credit contrary to law, and others were left on de
posit for sale at various places.
Gov. Reynolds and wife, and Col. Oakley and Gen'l
Rawlings, two of the Illinois Fund Commissioners, then
crossed the ocean to London where they were joined by
the other special commissioner, Senator Young. The
special and Fund Commissioners — specifically required,
by the law giving them authority to act, to be "experi
enced and skilled in finance" — on Oct. 30th, 1839, depos
ited with John Wright & Co., Brokers in London, 1,000
Illinois State bonds of $1,000 each, and empowered them
to sell the same at a discount not greater than nine per
cent. Upon those bonds Wright & Co. advanced $150,-
000 ; and subsequently sold about half of them, and then
failed with the proceeds of the sales in their hands as

280
assets. The unsold bonds were- in time returned to the
State. After a long time the State of Illinois received a
few shillings on the pound sterling for the bonds sold
by the bankrupt brokers. This brilliant stroke of finan
ciering by the four commissioners resulted in a clear loss
to the State of over half a million of dollars.
To the credit of Gov. Reynolds and Judge Young, how
ever, it must be stated that their responsibility for such
ruinous blundering was only technical. They had
wheedled Gov. Carlin into sending them to Europe on a
pleasure trip at public expense, and while the two Fund
Commissioners went along to sell the bonds, they, the
special junketing commissioners, with their wives, visit
ed points of interest in England, then crossed the channel
and viewed the sights in Paris, Brussels, and other con
tinental cities, and returned home at their leisure.
Mr. Snyder was entertained with courtly hospitality
for several days, by Senator Calhoun at his city home in
Charleston, and was pressed by his distinguished host to
accompany him to Fort Hill, in Pickens county, his moun
tain home in the western part of the State, but declined
and continued his voyage southward at the first oppor
tunity. He visited Havana, in Cuba; but menaced there
by yellow fever, and oppressed by excessive heat of the
climate, he did not remain long, and proceeded to New
Orleans. Resting there a few weeks he ascended the
Mississippi by boat, and arrived at Belleville early in
June with health somewhat improved. His dwelling
house, commenced in 1837 and completed in the fall of
1839, was, then, the finest residence in the county. In
Baltimore and Philadelphia he had purchased all neces
sary furniture, carpets, curtains, etc., of the latest and
most fashionable styles, and a profusion of table ware,

281
including a full service of solid silver plate, made to his
order, in the latter city, of Mexican dollars furnished by
himself. With a beautiful home and happy domestic surround
ings, with ample wealth, and hosts of true, devoted
friends, and popular in all classes of society, and with
his well-appointed law office and library almost within
the shadow of the court house, he was admirably situ
ated for the enjoyment of life, and maintaining a leading
position in his profession. But, alas! with all those ad
vantages and blessings, health, the main essential for
full fruition of his hopes and aspirations, was wanting.
He was a confirmed invalid, sustained only by his indom
itable will and ambition.
On his arrival at home he was at once besieged by
friends and clients, as usual, and soon was immersed in
business matters that sorely taxed his energies and
physical powers. Mental exertion increased his bodily
strength. He occasionally visited Tamarawa, and at
tended some of the courts in adjoining counties. He
sought the fresh air and sunshine, and mingling with
the people daily, felt better by the exercise. Late in the
summer of 1839 Belleville was honored by a visit from
Hon. Richard M. Johnson, Vice-President of the United
States, who was then making a tour of the country with
the view of ascertaining Democratic sentiment regarding
his availability as the candidate of that party for the
Presidency in 1840. Mr. Snyder, who had become well
acquainted with him in Washington, took the lead in his
reception. The citizens of St. Clair county, regardless
of party differences, accorded the distinguished soldier
and statesman a grand ovation. At his levee in the
Neuhoff House, a large hotel but recently erected, the

282'
people came in numbers to pay him. their respects. The
reception there was followed in the evening by a grand
ball, brilliant with glaring lights, fine music, and the elite
and beauty of the town and its surroundings.
That Gen'l Harrison would be the presidential candi
date of the Whigs at the next election was a foregone
conclusion. That fact rendered Col. "Dick" Johnson the
logical candidate of the Democrats. Personally the two'
men occupied the same plane; both were natives of slave
states and friendly to the institution of slavery. Both
were lawyers of fair ability; they had both served in
Congress with credit; and in point of natural talents,
were about equal, Gen'l Harrison having the advantage
•of some higher education. They had won military fame
in the same war, Gen'l Harrison attaining higher rank,
and having also broader experience in administration of
civil affairs. Col. Johnson was seriously wounded at the
battle of the Thames; and was accorded the credit of
having, in hand to hand combat, slain the renowned In
dian chief, Tecumseh. As told in a popular ballad of
that era:
"Hope nerved his arm for a desperate blow,
And Tecumseh fell prostrate before him."
The nomination of Col. Johnson for President by the
Democratic party in 1840, would have effectually neutral
ized Gen'l Harrison's "gunpowder" popularity, nullified
the "coonskin and hard cider" demonstrations of the
Whigs based thereon, and ensured Democratic success at
the election beyond all doubt. Of that the Whigs were
well aware. In their desperation they invaded the sanc
tity of Col. Johnson's home and exposed the stigma upon
his domestic life in having married a negro woman.
That offense against social order proved fatal to his

283
Presidential aspirations and retired him to private life,
from which he but once afterward emerged, when elected
to the lower house of the Kentucky legislature in 1850;
and he died, in Frankfort, before the expiration of his
term. In the autumn of 1839, Mr. Snyder, accompanied by
his wife and youngest son, visited Kaskaskia, stopping
for a day, on the route, at Waterloo, the county seat of
Monroe county, where John D. Whiteside, the State
Treasurer, ex-Senator James, Dr. William H. Bissell, and
several other prominent citizens of that county called
upon him, apparently much pleased to see him. At
Kaskaskia he was royally entertained for four or five
days by his many friends there, with every manifestation,
of sincere regard and respect. Among other attentions
paid him was a grand, formal reception in his honor ten
dered him by Judge Nathaniel Pope at his spacious man
sion, including, as then customary, a ball graced by the
presence of the venerable Pierre Menard and wife, and
all the society people of the old town and vicinity. Re
turning home, the first afternoon and night were passed
at Prairie du Rocher. Next morning a visit was paid to
the ruins of Fort Chartres, four miles westward; then
Prairie du Pont and Cahokia were reached the same
evening. In those old French hamlets where Mr. Snyder
and wife commenced together the active struggle of life,
and were so well known and highly esteemed, their re
ception was exuberantly cordial. Three days were
passed there in pleasant intercourse with old friends and
relatives, in feasting and social entertainments, and
then they departed for their home.
In physical condition Mr. Snyder was very much better
than in the spring, and that visit, and consultations with

284
prominent political friends may have been prompted by
latent thoughts of again offering his services to the peo
ple as their representative in Congress in the early
spring. But if so, the bleak winds of winter admonished
him to abandon that ambition — and he did.
A few days after Mr. Snyder returned from Kaskaskia
and Cahokia, his brother, Hiram Snyder, arrived in Belle
ville, having traveled all the way on horseback from his
farm, near Connellsville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania.
It was a joyous meeting of the two brothers, and for six
weeks time passed pleasantly with them, together at
home, or in short excursions to points of interest in that
part of Illinois, and across the Mississippi into Missouri.
On the approach of winter they parted, never to meet
again, when Hiram left for his home, by steamboat from
St. Louis to Pittsburg and Brownsville, in Pennsylvania.
The miserable failure of the special, and fund, Com
missioners in England, rendered the fact quite apparent
that the State's credit was completely exhausted. The
appalling amount of State indebtedness incurred, with no
approach to commensurate results; the enormous annual
interest maturing with no resources to meet it but inc-
\itable taxation, dispelled the infatuation that had
seized the supporters of the internal improvement.
scheme, and wrought a sudden revulsion of their views.
Confronted with the full magnitude of their mistake,
they became as clamorous for abandoning the hopeless
enterprises as they were at first for beginning them.
The opinions of Gov. Carlin expressed in his inaugural
message but a short time before were also radically
changed, and he then shared with the people their alarm
at the dismal prospect before them. With a State debt
of nearly $14,000,000 resting upon a population of less

285
than half a "million; with State credit so strained that its
bonds had depreciated consideraby below par, and an
nual revenues of the State amounting to only $200,000,
the Governor saw, with the people, that to persist in
the course then pursued the indebtedness of the State
would speedily reach the incredible total of $21,746,444,
bearing annual interest aggregating $1,310,776, and con
cluded it was time to stop the wild rush to certain ruin.
Accordingly, he issued a proclamation to the legislature
to meet in extra session, at Springfield, on the 9th day of
December, 1839, to devise means for extricating the State
from its perilous situation.
The new State house was not yet completed, and two
church buildings were secured for use of the general as
sembly; the House meeting in the newly erected Second
Presbyterian church, and the Senate in that of the
Methodists, while the supreme court occupied the Protes
tant Episcopal building. In his message to the legisla
ture Gov. Carlin reviewed past internal improvement
legislation that provided for constructing nearly 1,300
miles of railroads, and improvement of several rivers;
the burdensome debt contracted to carry out that system
of public works ; the great sum to be raised annually to
pay interest on that debt; the meagre amount of State
revenues to meet that demand, and the -little so far ac
complished to show for the vast sums already expended.
To continue the work, he thought, would involve the
State in ruin and dishonor, and he urged the law makers
to enact such measures as, in their wisdom, might save
the State from bankruptcy and degradation.
That manly appeal was addressed to a legislature com
posed mainly of men who had originated the system of
internal improvements and the debt to construct it; and

286
who had, only a year before, voted to continue the work
at an additional expenditure of nearly a million of dol
lars. Bnt they then came together fresh from their con
stituents, and knew the trend of public sentiment upon
that question. They were no- longer for expansion and
inflation; but decidedly for "retrenchment and reform in
public expenditures." Repentant and humiliated, they
earnestly set about enacting reforms that virtually abro
gated the entire system. By provisions of two bills
passed in February, 1840, the Board of Fund Commission
ers, and Board of Public Works were abolished, and in
their stead, one Commissioner was retained to; perform
the same duties as were before required of the two
Boards, excepting that he was prohibited from selling
State bonds, or borrowing money for the State. He
was required to take charge of the railroad iron pur
chased in England and pay the duties on it; to receive
back all unsold bonds and cancel and burn them; to
audit and settle accounts of the two late Boards, and
biing suits, in the Sangamon county Circuit court,
against each of the members found in arrears.*
They then created a new Board of Public Works com
posed of three, instead of seven, members, whose duty it
was to adjust and settle all liabilities contracted for the
internal improvement system; to discharge all agents
and engineers whose services were not indispensable,
and to secure and operate such roads, or parts of roads,
then completed. Work on all .public improvements, ex
cepting the canal, was ordered to be immediately sus
pended, excepting also on- that part of the Northern
Cross road from Meredosia to Springfield, 51 miles in
* Ex-Lieut. Governor William Kinney, President of the Board of
Public Works, was a severe sufferer by the latter provision of that re
form law. Suits were instituted against him for arrears of nubiic
funds confidingly entrusted to irresponsible friends, followed by years
of litigation that finally swept away much of his valuable estate.

287
length, reported to be almost finished. That section of
the Great Northern Cross railroad was subsequently
completed at the additional cost of $100,000, obtained
from the sales of canal bonds, and was turned over to
the State by the contractors on the 13th of May, 1842.
The first eight miles of its track was laid in 1838, and
on it was placed, on the 8th of November, 1838, the first
locomotive ever seen in Illinois, or, indeed, west of the Al
legheny mountains.* The road completed to Springfield
i ransported freight only, and its, revenues were not suf
ficient to keep it in repair. Its one locomotive, weighing
about a ton, having soon jumped the track and buried
itself in the mud, was abandoned and mules were sub
stituted as the motive power. After further fruitless
attempts to make the road self-sustaining it was aban
doned, and, by an act of the legislature passed in 1847,
it was, sold at public auction and bought by Nicholas H.
Ridgely, of Springfield, for the sum of $21,000.
The extra, or special, session of the legislature ad
journed on the 3d of February, 1840, having wrought
complete collapse of the grand scheme of public works
authorized three years before, leaving the State with an
incubus of interest-bearing indebtedness amounting to
$14,615,765. The assets of the State were 42,000 acres
of land purchased by sale of its bonds; 230,467 acres of
land donated by the general government to aid construc
tion of the canal, including 3,491 lots in Chicago, Ottawa
and other towns along the canal, and 210,000 acres of
land, obtained the. next year, by a general distribution of
public lands authorized by Congress. Besides that real
estate the State had a lot of railroad strap iron pur
chased in Europe, the Illinois and Michigan canal more
* Only twelve years before (1S26) the first railroad in the United
States was constructed, connecting Albany and Schenectady, in the
State of New York. '

288
than half completed, and several unfinished sections oi
roadbed practically of no value. The banks had sus
pended and were unable to redeem their notes. The
people were unwilling and really not financially able to
pay higher taxes, and were largely indebted to local
merchants, and they to the banks and eastern dealers.
Great shrinkage in values of almost every description of
property followed with little or no demand for it at any
price. Many of the new towns that sprung up like April
mushrooms were deserted, sold for taxes and lapsed into
commons or farms. Fictitious prosperity vanished like
the morning mist and was replaced by an era of pinching
hard times.
The progress of the canal was measureably unaffected
ay the. general wreck as it was independent of State
credit, at least until the bounty of Congress was ex
hausted. Because it was favored by the general govern
ment and was the only public work in the State destined
to be soon completed; and also because its location and
prospective benefits were sectional, it became an ob
ject of envy and jealousy on the part of other portions
of the State, particularly some of the southern counties.
In consequence of distressing reactions in property
values and in all branches of business, Mr. Snyder
suffered, in common with others, some financial reverses.
His losses, however, were not so serious as to affect his
domestic establishment, or compel him to curtail his
ordinary style of living. The winter of 1839-40 was mild
and not severely unpleasant. In full suits of finely
dressed buckskin, or chamois, underwear, and careful
avoidance of exposure to sudden changes of temperature,
he escaped pulmonary hemorrhages and emerged from
his winter quarters in the spring fully as well as in the
preceding fall, and feeling greatly encouraged. He re-

289
sumed his business pursuits with his old time zest and
energy. The usual hospitality of his home was un
changed, and politicians, German land buyers, clients
and friends were his almost daily visitors. In pleasant
weather with dry roads, the family carriage was in fre
quent requisition for exercise, or excursions to certain
real estate interests in different parts of the county.
He often visited St. Louis accompanied by his wife and
one, or all three, of his boys. Leaving Belleville early
in the morning the fourteen miles to Illinoistown (now
East St. Louis) were traveled by 8 o'clock, and the
horses and carriage left at the livery stable there. Then
crossing the Mississippi by the Wiggins ferry the day
was passed with interest in the city, in shopping, sight
seeing or calling upon friends and relatives, until late in
the afternoon, when the return home was made by twi
light. Occasionally the night was passed in the city to
see some attractive play at the old Ludlow & Smith
theater, or to attend a social entertainment to which
they were previously invited.
The Wiggins ferry at that time employed two' power
ful steam ferry boats constantly crossing the river, and
passing each other in midstream below the end of Bloody
Island from early dawn until after nightfall. One of the
boats was for many years in charge of Capt. John Trend-
ley, a native of Germany, of kind, friendly disposition
and jovial good humor, and very popular with the travel
ing public generally. The other boat was usually con
ducted by Mr. Sam Wiggins, one of the original proprie
tors of the ferry and perhaps the largest stockholder in
the company then controlling it. He was an exacting,
stern man of few words and close business habits, who
guarded well the interests of the monopoly he repre-
—19

290
sented. His duty was collecting ferriage tolls, which he
did by passing over the main deck crowded with convey
ances of all kinds and often with droves of cattle and
other live stock, then among the passengers in the cabin
upstairs, and extending to each person — footmen, team
ster, emigrant and drover — his hand with thumb and
forefinger rubbing together, a motion that all under
stood, though no word was spoken, to mean a demand
for the transit fare. That movement of the fingers be
came such a fixed habit with Mr. -Wiggins that he con
tinued it automatically, after his retirement from the
ferry, when, a feeble partlytic, shuffling along the streets
of the city.
One bright, sunny spring morning, Mr. Snyder and
family, with a number of others, were on Mr. Wiggins'
boat crossing the river to St. Louis, and, as usual in
pleasant weather, he was standing with several friends
and acquaintances, on the cabin deck that overlooked
the main deck of the boat and, the river, enjoying the
view of the city front and many other attractive objects
on either shore to be seen from that elevated position.
The boat had left the wharf on the Illinois side on its voy
age, then of a mile or more, to the St. Louis landing. Mr.
Wiggins was busy below among the numerous wagons
and teams collecting ferriage, when he came to one of
the dilapidated, poverty-stricken outfits frequently seen
in those times on the emigrant roads of Illinois. It was
a rickety cart drawn by a lean, broken-down horse, with
old, worn-out harness patched up with strings and
ropes. The bows overarching the cart bed were covered
with a ragged old quilt, and in the cart with a few cook
ing utensils upon a pile, of travel-stained, dirty bedding,
were three small half-naked children, one of whom then

291
had a raging fever. Near the old horse were standing
two older children and their parents; all sallow, emaci
ated, barefooted and but half clad. The woman's faded
calico dress and sunbonnet constituted all her visible
apparel, but she had on her arm, suspended by the string
attaching them together, a pair of new shoes that some
benevolent person in Illinoistown had just given to her.
When Mr. Wiggins approached that forlorn group and
intimated by his mute but eloquent sign language that
ferriage must be paid the agueish-looking head of the
family plaintively stated that he "hadn't a cent in the
world;" that they had all been sick for months in the
Wabash bottom, where they had tried to live, and were
now attempting to get to relatives in the Ozark country
in search of health and subsistence. That, however, did
not satisfy Mr. Wiggins. He had heard such stories, he
said, many times before, and declared he could not main
tain a ferry for improvident people traveling to and fro
who paid nothing. He then took the woman's new shoes,
telling her he would keep them until their ferriage was
.paid, and hanging them over his arm passed on to col
lect fare from others.
The assemblage overhead on the cabin deck saw and
overheard what transpired below, and Mr. Snyder, ex
pressing in very plain and forceful language his opinion
of Mr. Wiggins' heartless act, took off his hat and drop
ping into it a silver dollar, passed it around among those
in and' about the cabin— to neary all of whom he was
well known— briefly explaining what had occurred on the
main deck to those who had not witnessed it, and few,
if any, declined to add their contributions. Going below
he made his way to Mr. Wiggins1, paid him the amount
due from the poor wayfarers, and handing the woman
her shoes, emptied the contents of his hat, amounting to

292
several dollars, into her. sunbonnet which she held out
to receive it.
When satisfied that the wretched travelers were really
destitute, and not impaste.rs, Mr. Wiggins would, doubt
less, on reaching the St. Louis landing, have restored the
woman's property. In justice to him it must be stated
that the' ferry had no gate system at their wharves for
collecting ferriage in advance, and that, almost daily,
shiftless, worthless, and often, dishonest people moving
from place to place in quest of an imaginary paradise, or
fleeing from justice by passing from one state to another,
were patrons of the ferry, and once on the boats and un
der way could not be ejected for non-payment. They
imposed upon the ferry managers beyond endurance, al
ways offering pitiful pleas of misfortune, sickness and
poverty, and became such a nuisance that stringent
measures had to be adopted to suppress them.
The Whigsi were slow in adopting the convention sys
tem. In Illinois they held their first State convention
at Springfield, on the 7th day of October, 1839, to select
delegates to represent the State in their national con
vention that met in Harrisburg, Pa., on the 4th of the
following December. There Gen'l William Henry Har
rison, of Ohio, was nominated for President, and John
Tyler, of Virginia, for Vice President. The national
Whig platform of principles there announced was, sim
ply, opposition to the Democratic party.
By, or before, adjournment of the special session of
the legislature on Feb. 3d, 1840,' the political campaign,
destined to be the most fiercely contested of any in the
previous history of the country, was fairly commenced
in Illinois. The Whigs, united and well organized,
felt confident of success, and aggressively charged the

293
administrations in power, both State and national, with
responsibility for all the disasters and calamities experi
enced by the nation and states, including droughts and
overflows, crop failures, bank suspensions and hard
times; but were discreetly silent on internal improve
ment failures.
Undisputably, times were hard, and as usual when,
such is the case, the people were restless, discontented,
and eager for a change in public affairs of any kind that
possibly might ameliorate their condition. In Illinois,
the Whigs having had control of the last legislature, and
being as deeply in t,he internal improvement mire as the
Democrats, ignored all questions of State policy and
made their campaign altogether on national issues, and
the military achievements of Gen'l Harrison.
Mr. Snyder writing, on April 6th, 1840, to Gen'l Sem
ple, then in New Grenada, said:
"We are in the midst of one of the hottest contests for the
Presidency that has ever taken place in this country. The oppo
sition have united all their forces on Gen'l Harrison. All the
disaffected and disappointed of all differences of opinion and in
congruities — Abolitionists and Southern states rights men, bank
and anti-bank, tariff and anti-tariff men of the north, south, east
and west — all, all have joined forces for Harrison. The opposition
has never before taken the field with such zeal and unanimity as.
in this campaign.' Money, labor and unremitting exertion are
employed to effect their purpose.
"Suspension of the banks and. consequent fall in prices of real
estate, produce and labor — in fine, the depreciation of property
and scarcity of money — all aid their cause; and all disasters and
the hard times they attribute to the present administration. The
Democratic party has to bear the blame for all the mishaps and
misfortunes of improvident and visionary speculators, and for the
wild and useless system of internal improvements in the country.
Tou know how very few men reason on principles; or are ever
Willing or capable to investigate the actual causes of hard times
and scarcity of money. Few men will stop to reason when they

294
are in debt and have nothing to pay with, and can find no sale
for the products of their labor. At the recent terms of Court in
Madison and St. Clair judgments were obtained for over $250,000,
and real estate put up for sale under execution had no purchasers,
frequently no bidders.
"All this, with the mismanagement of our own party in this
State, will carry the next election against the administration.
Of this you may rest assured. I do not admit it here, of course;
but such certainly will be the case. I do not give you this as my
opinion alone, but I know it to be that of almost all the leading,
intelligent and firm friends of our party. Hence, when the result
of the election next fall is announced you may expect to see Illi
nois in the Federal ranks. I am now a stronger Democrat than I
ever was. The more desperate the. outlook for my party the closer
I cling to its principles. It is but little credit to be zealous in a
victorious majority, but some to stick firmly to a losing cause.
"I think in the old States Harrison is not — cannot be — as
strong as he is in the west and southwest; but if he has gained in
every other state as he has in Illinois he will be elected. I hope,
however, such is not the case. Some favorable reaction may occur
between now and November. The two parties are now for the
first time perfectly organized, and the candidates are nominated
on principle. Never before in this State were the party lines so
handsomely drawn. Conventions named the men, and all personal
considerations are sunk in devotion to party. New York is not
better organized than most of our counties here are; party disci
pline pervades all classes. The result of this will be that our
party will, if not in the next election, in the elections thereafter,
be victorious. If the opposition should obtain the power they will
not be able to hold it. ''--'
"Gen'l Robinson has declined being a candidate for re-election
to the U. S. Senate. He informs me he is not a candidate for any
office, and that his large and increasing family requires his con
stant attention at home. McRoberts is appointed Solicitor of the
Land office — a small office with a salary of only $2,000 a. year,
which, you know, at Washington is nothing. His health is bad,
and he expects to be promoted to something better. Should our
party control the next legislature I do not know what distinguished
Democrat will be elected to the Senate to succeed Robinson. Gov.
Carlin had the legislature together again last winter, and, as

29S
usual, made another wretched taux pas which, of course, hurt us.
Carlin is the veriest d — n fool who ever tried to administer any
state government since Adam's creation."
Gov. Reynolds was again "in the hands of his friends,"
and by common consent of the Democracy of the first
district, was their candidate for Congress.
As Mr. Snyder's health improved somewhat with ad
vance of milder weather, his! party refused its sanction
to his self-imposed retirement from active participation
in politics, and, Avithout consulting him, he was selected
by the Democratic State convention, in April, for Presi
dential Elector for his district.* When, in 1836, he was
a candidate for Congress, Esq. John Murray, a Whig,
was elected his successor in the State Senate from St.
Clair county, defeating William Anderson Beaird, a
Democrat, who was Sberiff of the county from 1819 toi
1830, but by delinquency in the final settlement of his
acounts, and dissipation, had lost his former popularity.
As it would devolve upon the legislature chosen in 1840
to elect a United States Senator to succeed Hon. John
M. Robinson, and as the Democrats were intent on in
augurating certain reforms in the State, they determin
ed to put forth every effort to regain their ascendency
in the general assembly. St. Clair was one of the most
important counties of the State to. be redeemed from
Whig rule. Casting around for a deliverer there, lead
ers of the Democracy concluded that Mr. Snyder was the
most available member of their party to ensure success.
Importuned by his political and personal friends to lead
the forlorn hope as their candidate for State Senator he
finally reluctantly consented. He did not desire the
position for all the honor it conferred he had before re-
* The Whig Presidential Elector for the same district was Hon.
Samuel D. Marshall, of Shawneetown.

296
ceived in his six years' incumbency of it;, and he feared
that his health, though temporarily improved, would be
jeopardized by the efforts he cosidered it his duty to
make to secure his election, and in the four years of
further active service if elected. But he saw the in
terests of his party were at stake and the people' who
had always before given him their hearty support and
confidence now apealed to him to come to their assist
ance, he felt that he could not honorably resist that ap
peal, though it might demand a serious sacrifice on his
part. The Democratic national convention met in Baltimore
on May 4, 1840, and unanimously — but very unwisely —
nominated Martin Van Buren for le-election to the
Presidency. It laid down as the code of principles of the
Democratic party "hearty endorsement of those Jeffer-
sonian doctrines which make ours the land of liberty and
the asylum of the oppressed of every nation; non-inter
ference by the general government with slavery, or
other domestic institutions of the states; opposition to
rechartering a National bank, and to internal improve
ments by the general government; also, to fostering one
branch of industry to the detriment of another as by a
protective tariff; also, opposition to the assumption by
the government of the debts of any state contracted for
local purposes, and in favor of practicing the most rigid
economy in administering the government.

GOV. JOHN REYNOLDS.
Copied From His Portrait Painted at Washington City in 1835.

CHAPTER XIV.
Gov. John Reynolds.
In 1840, Gov. Reynolds and Adam W. Snyder were, for
the second time, candidates for office on the same ticket
— the one for Congress, and the other for State Senator
— and in perfect harmony so far as related to the car
dinal principles of their party. It is not probable that
either specially exerted himself to secure the election of
the other; nor is it absolutely certain that they voted
for each other; but tne strong, united opposition of the
Wliigs compelled them, for the time, to suspend per
sonal antagonism, and forced an amicable concert of ac
tion for the good of their common cause.
It was' in the fall of that year, when Gov. Reynolds
was about to return to Washington City, that the amus
ing incident occurred, graphically related, with no loss of
coloring, by Judge Gillespie,* as1 follows: "Adam W.
Snyder and Gov. Reynolds were rivals and antagonists.
It would not be going too far to say they were in a state
of chronic hostility to each other. Their warfare never
proceeded so far as to become violent. They were, in
some respects, in the condition that a Kentuckian was,
according to the account the 'Governor' used to give. He
used to tell of a Kentuckian who was 'calaboosed' in
New Orleans for fighting. He said to one of his friends,
who had called one day to condole with him, that he had
made up his mind that if he ever got out of that infernal
place, he would go back to Kentucky where he could fight in
peace. * Recollections of Early Illinois, and Her Noted Men. By Hon.
Joseph Gillespie. Fergus & Co., Chicago, 1880, pp. 19-20,

298
"Snyder and Reynolds never broke the peace, but they
were continually fighting, politically (although they
were both Jackson men, and professedly Democrats.)
They were generally aspirants for the same place — al
ways in each other's way. Each one looked upon the
other as being his 'evil genius,' and neither would have
regarded the removal of the other to some other country
as a very great evil. A man named Coonce* once called
upon Snyder, to take the necessary steps to obtain some
testimony with a view of its perpetuation. Snyder never
liked the drudgery of the profession, or the office busi
ness. He loved to try a case and address a jury, which
he could do with great ease to himseelf, and splendid
effect. He endeavored to get rid of the task upon var
ious pretexts; but Ooonce was very importunate, and
finally Snyder sat down to writing, and asked Coonce
whose testimony he wished to take. The latter said,
'That of Gov. Reynolds.' Snyder looked up in amaze
ment, and broke out with an exclamation, that he never
heard of such folly as to go to the expense and trouble
to perpetuate old Reynolds' testimony. 'Why, d — 11
him,' said he, 'he will never die. I have been waiting for
him to 'kick the bucket' for more than a quarter of a
century, and his hold on life seems now to be stronger
than it was when I first knew him; he will live forever,
sir. I will not meke a d  n fool of myself by seeking
to perpetuate the testimony of a man who will outlive
any record in existence."
A pen picture of Gov. Reynolds, accurately portraying
him, with his numerous peculiarities and oddities, as
he really was, is exceedingly difficult to produce. In
some respects he was a living paradox, a strange, mix
ture of sense and nonsense, possessing many sterling
* Peter Kuntz.

299
traits, with some reprehensible faults. He was neither
a great or specially gifted man, but nevertheless, an
extraordinary character whose successful career must
be accepted as evidence that he possessed genius of a
certain order. There was about him none of that force,
commonly styled "personal magnetism," so. essential for
a leader of men; nor were his powers of mind of that
lofty or transcendent kind that command the admira
tion and following of the multitude. But, an adept in
the knowledge of human nature and human motives, he
gained and held the confidence and support of the peo
ple, more by the exercise of consummate tact and crafti
ness than of talents of higher order.
In stature, Gov. Reynolds was full six feet high, of
stout build, not corpulent but large-boned and muscular,
weighing ordinarily about 180 pounds. He was some
what round shouldered, with one shoulder slightly
higher than the other, and walked deliberately, with
downcast look, and shambling gait. His face was long,
furrowed and always smoothly shaved, and in repose,
had a benevolent and reverential expression. His fore
head was high, but not broad; his nose straight and well
shaped, his eyes blueish-gray, and his hair, when young,
dark brown. He was always gentlemanly in appearance
and apparel, with modest but ungraceful manners.
With neither high culture nor refinement, claiming to be
one of the humblest of the people, and constantly prac
ticing the arts of electioneering — of which he was a
perfect master — he never descended to masquerading in
linsey hunting shirt" and coonskin cap to gain the rab
ble's favor; but invariably dressed in well-made black
clothing of fine texture with polished shoes, immaculate
white shirt front and high silk hat.

300
As is generally known his parents were Protestant
Irish. His father, Robert Reynolds, was born in County
Monohon, and his mother in the city of Dundalk, in the
Emerald Is'e. His mother, whose maiden name was
Margaret Moore, is said to have been superior to her
husband in mental vigor and intelligence. With his
father and father's family, Robert Reynolds and wife
came to Philadelphia in 1785, and from there moved to
Montgomery county in Pennsylvania, where John Rey
nolds was born on the> 26th of February, 1788. When
six months old his parents, grandparents- and entire
family moved to the vicinity of Knoxville, Tennessee,
and from there Robert Reynolds, wife and children
migrated to Kaskaskia in the year 1800, John, then
twelve years old, driving one of his father's two teams all
the way.
Robert Reynolds was a farmer, with some education,
and learning. Usually he was of quiet and unobstrusive
disposition, but when under the influence of liquor — as
was often the case — he was irritable, boisterous and
quarrelsome. In 1802 he was elected one of the dele
gates from Randolph county to the convention at Vin
cennes, called by Governor Harrison to petition Con
gress to abrogate the anti-slavery clause of the Ordi
nance of 1787; and the next year he was elected to repre
sent Randolph county in the legislature of Indiana Ter
ritory, also convened at Vincennes. A few years there
after the Reynolds family left Randolph county and
located in the Goshen settlement at the upper end of the
American Bottom, in the edge of Madison county, and
there Robert Reynolds and wife remained to the close of
their lives. The family of Robert Reynolds comprised
four sons and two daughters, of whom John was the

301
eldest. His brothers were James, who married a Miss
Black and resided in Greene county; Robert, Jr., who
married the daughter of Capt. Wm. B'. Whiteside, of
Randolph county, and Thomas, who married Miss Mc
Donald, in Kaskaskia. One sister, Julia, married Mr.
Belsha and lived all her life thereafter in St. Clair
county; and Nancy, who became Mrs. Davis, died in
Kansas in 1880. Though socially obscure and not high
ly educated, they were respectable and worthy citizens;
but John never seemed to be very proud of them, and
very seldom mentioned their names.
John Reynolds learned to read and write before com
ing to Illinois, and was the only one of the family who
manifested the least desire to improve his mind and
raise himself above the social stratum occupied by the
others. He worked on his father's farm and grew up to
be a stout, athletic lad, fond of active diversions, as
jumping, wrestling, foot-racing and horse racing; but,
be it said to his credit, he was not lazy enough to enjoy
fishing; nor did he have the least fancy for dog and gun
and the brutal, so-called "sport" of hunting. In" the
winter season he attended occasional country schools.,
and read such books as he could1 borrow, and later was
taught by John Messenger higher arithmetic and the
rudiments of land surveying. At the age of twenty-
one, when he began to work for wages, a horse, saddle
and bridle, a new suit of home-spun and home-made
jeans clothes and a few dollars constituted all his world
ly possessions.
He informed his uncle, John Reynolds, who stiU re
sided in Knox county, Tennessee, of his longing to
further extend his education, and that generous relative
invited "him to come there and make his house his home,

302
and attend the "college" in that vicinity. That invita
tion the young man accepted with alacrity, and traveled
to his uncle's farm on horseback, the greater part of the
way alone.
The "college" he entered as a student, often proudly
mentioned by him, was merely a select school in the
country, six miles northeast of Knoxville, conducted by
Rev. Isaac Anderson, who, constituting the entire
faculty, "instructed a class of young men, in his college,
and preached to his congregation every sabbath."* In
the first of the two sessions he attended at that college
he tells us he took the following Latin course: First,
after the grammar, was Corderi; then Selectae Prof amis,
then "a kind of English Latin," followed by Oaesar's
Commentaries, Ovid's Metamorphosis, Virgil's Georgics
and Aeneid, Horace's Satires and Art of Poetry, and,
lastly, Cicero's Orations. He adds: "I finished my
Latin studies with great celerity; but I often revised
them afterwards at the college and taught classes in
that language, so that, when I left the college, I was a
good Latin scholar."
In the second session he "learned English grammar,
Euclid's Elements of Geometry, commenced the study of
the sciences and literature and studied geography and
history carefully. I also read with care rhetoric and
logic." He says he also "studied Dr. Paley's moral phil
osophy, astronomy and1 the science of chemistry in con
nection with natural philosophy."**
He then read law with a lawyer named Campbell, in
Knoxville, for a few months, when his health gave way,
with night sweats, spitting blood, cough, and other
* Reynolds' Life and Times, first edition, p. 112.
** The Governor wrote that account of his splendid collegiate fdu-
cation when 67 years old; 44 years after he left "college."

303
symptoms of serious pulmonary disease. His race horse
died, and he remarks : "I possessed then nothing on
earth save some few clothes and the commencement of
the consumption." His uncle furnished him another
horse and he returned to Illinois, where he soon regain
ed his health; and, until his last final illness in 1865 Mas
perhaps never confined to his bed a day on account of
sickness.* He visited Knoxville again in 1812 and re
sumed his law studies with Mr. Campbell. Returning to
Illinois in August of that year he at once enlisted in
Capt. Judy's company for three months' service in guard
ing the settlements.
His "classic" education, of which he so much boasted
in later years, really amounted to no more than the
merest smattering of some of the higher branches
taught by Mr. Anderson. Of algebra, astronomy and
chemistry he knew absolutely nothing. Of English
grammar he had learned very little; and never under
stood the first principles of rhetoric or logic. He pos
sessed some natural talent for mathematics, and had
progressed in the study of geometry as far as to mem
orize the demonstration of Euclid's fifth proposition.
If he learned any Latin in Tennessee it was all forgotten
when he got back to Illinois, as he was then profoundly
ignorant of the simplest rudiments of that language,
and never could comprehend the conjugation of a Latin
verb, or translate a dozen Latin words. In after life,
to bolster up his pretensions of Latin learning, he read
* When the volunteers were joined by Gen'l Gaines and his IT. S.
resrulars, in a steamboat, eight miles below the mouth of Rock river,
in"June, 1831, and an attack UDon Black Hawk, who was camped with
his warriors in his old village, was planned for early next morning,
Gov. ¦ Reynolds, who had accompanied "the boys" as Commander-in-
chief, was suddenly taken sick and went aboard the boat where he re
mained until it was discovered that the Indians had fled, and then ne
as suddenly recovered. Not only in coarse jest, but in serious earnest
ness, he was charged with cowardice, and few- doubted that his sick
ness was feigned to evade the expected battle.

304
English translations of Caesar's Commentaries, Virgil,
Cicero's Orations and other authors he claimed to have
studied at "college," and his faithful memory drew upon
them as occasion required.
His memory was" wonderfully retentive to the last days
of his life; never forgetting faces, names or dates. His
habits of thought were without method or order; anil
his ideas jumbled and disconnected, as was shown in his
conversation and speeches, and is seen in all his writ
ings. He was well informed and knew something of a
great variety of subjects, but his knowledge of very few
of them was clear, thorough and comprehensive. In his
intercourse with the people he feigned ignorance not for
popular effect, as some of his biographers assert, but
to conceal his real ignorance and mask his vanity and
self esteem.
The Illinois settlements were in very little danger of
being drawn into the vortex of war waged with England
in 1812, but great apprehensions were felt of Indiau
hostilities incited by the English on the northern fron
tier, which at that date was some distance south of the
Sangamon river. When Oapt. Judy's company was
mustered out of service Reynolds joined the company of
Capt. Wm. B. Whiteside, employed in "ranging," or pa-
ti oiling, the border to awe the unfriendly Indians, and
protect exposed settlers from their threatened incur
sions. Wh^e in that service he assisted in cutting and
hauling the logs for building Fort Clark at the lower
point of Peoria lake. It was that ranging service that
gave him in later years the sobriquet of the "Old
Ranger," of which he was very proud, and which he
utilized to the best possible advantage in his many elec
tioneering campaigns for office. But he was not a war-

305
rior and in all his military service seldom fired his gun,
and never once at the enemy. He had none of the
martial or cavalier spirit and was, in fact, destitute of
moral and physical courage; never being known to re
sent an insult or affront, excepting with sarcasm or
ridicule. After the Black Hawk war he was often un
mercifully jeered by returned volunteers, who jocularly
told — doubtless with, little, or no, regard for exact
truth — how he crawled into, or under, wagons, or other
wise sought safety, upon every Indian alarm; plainly
indicating in their rude jokes that he had not distin
guished himself for bravery or daring in that campaign.
The insatiable itching for office that characterized his
life began with his enlistment in the ranging service.
He soon obtained the office of sergeant, and before, ex
piration of the year secured from Gov. Edwards the non-
combatant's position of Judge Advocate which suited
him far better than hunting for hostile Indians.
In 1814 he commenced the practice of law in Oahokia,
residing there with his cousin, Joseph A. Beaird, a
prominent and wealthy citizen of the old town, with
whom he engaged in buying and selling real estate and
property of all kinds. His legal talents were in very
little demand, but he was industrious and thrifty, and
when not trading did some land surveying for the set
tlers. During that period, he says, he bought and sold
two dry goods stores valued at f 10,000. He also bought
slaves, as appears from an advertisement in the Missouri
Gazette of May 25, 1816, in which he offered fifty dollars'
reward for the apprehension of "a negro boy named
Moses," who ran away from him at Cahokia two months
before. To increase his professional business, or prompted bv
—20

306
excessive benevolence — but much more probably to gain
popularity — he advertised in the Illinois Herald of Kas
kaskia on Dec. 16, 1816, as follows :
"To the Poor People of Illinois (and Missouri Territories:
"To the above class of mankind whose pecuniary cir
cumstances will not admit of feeing a lawyer, I tender
my " professional services as a lawyer, in all courts I
may practice in, without fee or reward. "John Reynolds."
As a lawyer he never Banked above mediocrity and did
not rely upon his profession for revenue, his services in
the courts being largely for the poor and for political
friends neither able nor willing to pay respectable fees.
His chief source of income and profit was traffic in lands
which he managed with shrewd discernment and suc
cess. He was not avaricious or grasping, but always
careful of his own interests and a close economist even
to the verge of parsimony. He was too much engrossed
in public life to be a money maker, and his wealth never
exceeded a respectable competency. For only two ob
jects or purposes, he ever displayed liberality in the ex
penditure of money; the one was for the care and com
fort of himself and household; the other was for election
eering. He had unlimited faith in the potency of print
er's ink, and paid generously for press subsidies, and for
printing his numerous speeches, political circulars and"
letters to the people.
He abhorred whiskey and whiskey drinkers, yet stifled
his conscience and expended money freely, though
grudgingly, for subsidizing dram shops, and for liquors
to influence whiskey drinkers to vote for him.
He knew nothing of card playing, or games of any
kind. The only species of gambling he ever indulged

307
in was limited betting on horse and foot races when a
young man.
In 1817, then twenty-nine years of age, he married a
beautiful Creole lady, a year younger than himself, who
had twice before been led to the hymeneal altar. Her
maiden name was Catherine Dubuque — then known as
the widow Manegle — a daughter of Julien Dubuque, a
Canadian by birth and noted Indian trader, in whose
honor the town of Dubuque, in Iowa, was named. She
was born in Cahokia, in 1789, and was first married to
Michael La Croix, also an Indian trader and native of
Canada, and for some time a resident of Peoria. Of that
union two children were born, a son and daughter.
About the beginning of the war of 1812 La Croix left his
family and went to Canada, as he said, to purchase
goods; and for three years nothing was heard from him
directly. Mrs. La Croix said she'Tieard in 1814 that he
was dead, and, in the spring of 1815 she married another
Canadian Frenchman named Joseph Manegle, who had
a young daughter, Marie, by a previous marriage. A few
months after that marriage, the war having closed, La
Croix — Enoch Arden-like — reappeared in Oahokia. He
said that arriving in Canada, about the commencement
of hostilities he was "pressed" into the English military
service, in which he rose to the rank of Lieutenant, and
that he had frequently written to his wife, but some
designing person had intercepted his letters. Gov.
Reynolds states that Mr. La Croix, on his return to Ca
hokia, in 1815, was naturalized.
Joseph Manegle "died about a year after his marriage
with Mrs. La Croix. She did not rejoin her first hus
band*— the British patriot — who returned about thai
* The following is from Niles' Register, vol. 8, p. 263, July 10th, 1815:
"Traitors: The undernamed gentry were residents within this and

308 "~,:'
time; but early in 1817 married John Reynolds. Mr. La
Croix remained about Oahokia until his death, in 1821.
Gov. Reynolds says: "He was much regretted by his
family and acquaintances," and adds : "He was a man
of sound mind and great energy and had received a
liberal education."*
After his marriage Reynolds took his bride, with her
two children and the child Manegle left, to the fine farm
he owned on the eastern outskirts of Cahokia, and there
resided until their removal to Belleville, in 1831. Mrs.
Reynolds was a graceful, charming woman, possessing
many noble qualities of heart and mind. She was a
Catholic, of course, with very limited education, and
little, if any, knowledge of the English language. She
died in Belleville on the 5th of November, 1834, and was
buried in Cahokia.
Reynolds had learned to speak the Creole dialect of
Cahokia, and subsequently learned to read French a
little, but not to write it. He was at that time quite
prosperous and a man of prominence in the community,
popular and respected by all. He was then very deeply
interested in the movement agitated for changing the
the neighboring territories previous to the war, and always claimed
the rights of citizens of the United States; but as soon as war was
declared, they to a man took part against us, and were active in the
British interests in different parts of the Indian country; Robert Dick
son, James Aird, Duncan Graham, Francois Boutillier, Edward La
douthrie, Bichois of Prairie du Chien, Jacob Pranks, the brothers
Griogneaus of Green Bay, Joseph and Michael La Croix and Lasaillier
of Milwaukee, Joseph Bailey and his cousin, Louis Buisson, Louis
Benet, formerly of Peoria."
It was not strictly just to thus stigmatize those men as "traitors-"
They were not citizens of the United States but of Canada. True, they
had come into the wild, sparsely settled western territories of the
United States, where most of them- had engaged in business and
married; but they had not severed their allegiance to the British
crown. When their country became involved in war, as true patriot;,,
they regarded it their duty to return to her aid. The war over, Mr.
La Croix having, as he conceived it, discharged his duty to the land of
his birth, concluded to renounce further obligations to its government.
and thereupon returned to Cahokia and became a naturalized and
loyal citizen of the United States.
* Pioneer History of Illinois, First edition, p. 350,

309
Territorial form of government of Illinois to that of a
State, and when the convention was called, in 1818, for
framing a State constitution, he desired very much to
take part in it as a delegate. But Judge Jesse B.
Thomas, who always regarded him as a presumptuous
ignoramus, was so firmly intrenched in the esteem and
confidence of the people of St. Clair county — and entire
Territory — that he could, not only command his own
election as a delegate, but dictate that of his colleagues,
John Messenger and James Leman, Jr., also. And for so
doing he incurred the implacable enmity of John Rey
nolds for all time.
The first State legislature of Illinois convened at Kas
kaskia on the 5th of October, 1818. In his autobi
ography, Gov. Reynolds says: "I had not the least in
tention to visit the seat of government at all. I cared
very little who was elected to any office. One thing
M'as certain, I courted nothing myself. My friends urged
me to visit with them the General Assembly in session
at Kaskaskia, and I did so." Judge Scott, who knew
him well, correctly remarks upon that assertion: "The
truth is, he did not have friends enough to keep him
away."* He went there for the express purpose of ob
taining an office of some kind if possible, and would have
accepted almost anything offered him from doorkeeper
up. "I had been in Kaskaskia but a few days," he says,
"when it was urged on me to know if I would accept of a
judgeship if I was elected. This broke on me like a
clap of thunder. I was in truth persuaded to become a
candidate for the office." As Judge Scott says: "It
M'as then, as it is now, not very difficult for one's
'friends' to persuade a man to accept an office especially
* Supreme Court of Illinois, 1818. By John M. Soott, Bloomington,
111., 1896, p. 124.

310
M'hen he wants it and is trying his best to get it." It
is known that he worked for the office diligently, and
was the last of the four judges elected, (one of whom,
William P. Foster, was an arrant fraud and not a lawyer
at all) and succeeded by a small majority, receiving 22
votes of the 40 cast. None of his old associates could
ever realize the dignity of the position to which he was
elevated, nor could he; and no one thought of addressing
him as "Judge" Reynolds; all called him "John."
When he found that, from the extreme scarcity of ma
terial at hand, there was a possibility of his election to a
judgeship of the supreme court, it can well be imagined
that "it broke on him like a clap of thunder," for it was
a position far beyond his abilities, and above anything
he had expected to ask for.
In his Life and Times he indignantly denied the cur
rent version of how he pronounced sentence upon the
murderer, Greene, as related in Ford's History of Illinois,
and elsewhere.* But notwithstanding his denial, the
account was literally true, and well authenticated, by
responsibe persons who were present and heard it.
His record as a judge is, at least, respectable. He
made no grave mistakes, for when intricate law.questionsi
arose in his court he did not hesitate to obtain — on the
sly— the opinions of Daniel P. Cook, Elias K. Kane, Wm.
Mears, and other competent lawyers. His written, opin
ions when justice and chief justice of the supreme court
were not numerous, very brief and quite creditable.
During the six years of his judgeship he nieddled busily
and insidiously in every political election, with the ob
ject of strengthening his own popularity among those
on the winning side, and was constantly planning to se-
* Ford's History of Illinois, p. 84.

an
cure some other office at, or before, the expiration of hia
judicial term.
Electioneering was, with him, a fixed habit. His
views upon public questions were shaped and guided by
recognized principles only when those principles1 were
entertained by the majority. He never led public opin
ion, but followed it abjectly; and seldom1 expressed posi
tive convictions upon any issue or question until assured
they were sanctioned by the majority of voters. His
aspirations became lofty and unflagging, and were never
deterred by the least distrust of his own ability to fill
acceptably any official position. Though occasionally
defeated he was never discouraged, and his successes
v.ere marvelous. He was first a militia sergeant, then
judge advocate. In 1818 his ambition to sit as a, dele
gate in the constitutional convention was thwarted, but
before the close aof the year he was elected a justice of
the supreme court, and became, in time, chief justice.
In 1823 he was defeated for the United States Senate by
Jesse B. Thomas. In 1824 he failed to be re-elected
supreme court justice, and the same year was defeated
for the lower house of the legislature. In 1826 he was
elected to the lower house of the legislature, and re
elected in 1828. In 1830 he was elected Governor. In
3834 he was elected to Congress for a full term and an
unexpired term. In 1836 he was defeated for Congress,
but again elected in 1838 and also in 1840. He was de
feated for the nomination for Congress in the first Con
gressional convention held by the Democratic party in
his district, in 1842, by Robert Smith, of Alton. That
failure retired him to private life. His political race
was run, the people having outgrown the pioneer senti
ment and his antiquated methods, so popular in the

312
early backwoods settlements. His passion for office,
however, was still unsatiated. In 1846 he was elected
to the lower house of the legislature by a small ma
jority, and in 1848 was defeated, in St. Clair county, for
the State Senate, by Col. J. L. D. Morrison, then a Whig,
who received 1681 votes to 1224 for Reynolds. In 1852
he was again elected a representative in the legislature,
along with Wm. H. Snyder, son of his old adversary.
In organization of the House at that session, as a com
pliment in recognition of his long and valuable public
services, he was elected Speaker.
In 1858 he was nominated by the anti-Douglas faction
cf the Democracy a candidate for State Superintendent
of Public Instruction. Ex-Gov. A. C. French was nom
inated by the Douglas faction for the same position; but
both were defeated by Newton Bateman, the Republican
candidate, whose majority over Reynolds, however, was
only 2143 in a total vote of 252,100. The last .public ap
pearance of Gov. Reynolds in the political arena was in
1860, when he was selected by the anti-Douglas Demo
crats of Illinois as one of their delegates to the national
Democratic convention at Charleston, S. C. That fac
tional delegation was excluded from the convention, and
the Douglas delegation, of which Hon. Wm. A. Richard
son was chairman, was admitted. The failure of Doug
las to secure the Presidential nomination at that con
vention, gave the Old Ranger, though debarred from ac
tive participation in it, unutterable satisfaction.
In all the offices Gov. Reynolds held he acquitted him
self with credit, discharging his public duties faithfully
and conscientiously. He well knew his own deficiencies,
and when dealing with important matters beyond his
capacity, was not backward in asking the advice and as-

313
sistance of his superiors in knowledge and experience
In his memorable contest with Kinney for the Gover
norship, he strongly advocated free trade and other
Democratic doctrines, but in his first message to the
legislature (which was evidently written, in great part,
by ex-Gov. Edwards) he favored a protective tariff, in
ternal improvements by the general government, and
other ultra Whig measures, and also the Edwards idea
of State ownership of all public lands within the State
limits. On questions dividing the people nearly equally
he was prudently silent, or non-committal; but zealously
advocated the cause of education, temperance, morality
and economy in public expenses, and other platitudes
upon which there was no diversity of opinion. He was
seldom without a hobby of his own to talk about, to
write for the newspapers about, and to address the
people about in public meetings he called for that pur
pose. And they were always of a kind that, accorded
with prevailing public sentiment, and provoked little or
no opposition. In the beginning of his career unstinted
abuse of England and the English with laudations of
the 4th of July and Declaration of Independence formed
the staple of his "principles." Then panegyrics of Gen'l
Jackson, and later, the annexation of Texas. His next
theme was the Oregon boundary question, with furious
insistence upon "fifty-four forty or fight," from which
he switched off on the war with Mexico, and finally made
the acquisition of Cuba the paramount object of our
national life.
On the stump, or rostrum, his apearance was neither
commanding or graceful. His gestures when speaking
were few and awkward, confined to a pump-handle mo
tion of the arm, and a peculiar ducking down of the

314
head to emphasize his sentences. He was voluble with
out the slightest approach to eloquence, and spoke in
earnest but incoherent, conversational strain. His
speeches were rambling and disconnected, but attractive
because of his original phraseology and witty, spicy
illustrations. His best and most numerous anecdotes,
however — as those of Lincoln and Jo Gillespie — could
not be told in the presence of ladies or admitted in
public print. His grotesque semi-comic discourse al
ways drew audiences, a majority of whom attended for
amusement, rather than interest in what he had to say.
In his case the laws of heredity were singularly at
fault; as he inherited from his Irish parents but two or
three Celtic traits. Those were wit, blarney and busi
ness honor. In financial matters he was scrupulously
honest and through all the public stations he held not a
charge of official corruption was ever brought against
him. He was totally devoid of Irish pugnacity and of
Irish mirthfulness. There was no music at all in his
composition; he could neither sing nor whistle a note, nor
distinguish one tune from another. Nor could he dance
—probably never tried to— though associated all his life
with jovial, dancing people. He strangely failed, also,
to inherit Irish fondness for whiskey;* and, although
he paid fOr quantities of it and carried liquors about
with him when electioneering, he never tasted it, nor
* Gov. Reynolds said that when a young man he occasionally drank
liquor, in accordance with the generally recognized social custom of
the country; but that he never liked it. One day, he said, in the
spring of 1814, a short time after he had been admitted to the bar,
he was attending the last term of the court, held by Judge Jesse B.
Thomas, in the old court house at Cahokia, just before removal of the
county seat of St. Clair county from that old village to Belleville, when
his father, Robert Reynolds, came in very much under the influence of
liquor, and so disturbed the court proceedings by loud and profane lan
guage, and vulgar drunken conduct, that, by order of the judge, he
was ejected from the court room by the sheriff. The Governor added
that he was so mortified by that event, and felt such a sense of dis
grace, that he then and there resolved he would never again taste liquor
so long as he lived; and he faithfully adhered to that resolution.

315
ever used tobacco in any form. He had nothing of the
military spirit of the Irish. As Commander-in-chief of
the" Illinois forces in the Black Hawk war he was a
ridiculous failure. His- fear of losing prestige with the
volunteers rendered discipline and order impossible, and
made the so-called "war" an expensive farce. He had
a natural repugnance to fire arms and weapons of all
kinds, and not the slightest conception of military tac
tics, evolutions, or strategy.
Beneath his habitual affability and friendliness there
was concealed a hard stratum of selfishness; a jealousy
and envy of the politically prosperous, and a valuatiou
of friendships by the standard of loyalty to his service.
Duplicity was another of his shortcomings. He emu
lated Uriah Heap in professions of humility, and on all
occasions covered his vanity with a thin veneering of
humbleness. All his efforts were "humble," and he
was every one's "humble servant." He made no higher
claim to social distinction than that of an "humble citi
zen;" yet courted adulation, and esteemed himself a
great man. His pretense that he did not want public
positions but was forced to offer for them by his
"friends;" that he "consented to allow his name to be
used to gratify his friends;" or that he sought the office
"for the good of the country," or "the benefit of the peo
ple," and other similar transparent humbuggery, of
course, deceived no one.
In his Life and Times he says: "For many years be
fore 1830, when I offered for Governor of the State, I
had no political ambition or aspirations for office, what
ever;" yet, previous to 1830, he had aspired to a seat in
the constitutional convention; was a successful appli
cant for a supreme court judgeship; was a candidate for

316
the U. S. Senate; applied for re-election to the judge
ship, and was three times a candidate for the legisla
ture. Of his first election to the legislature in 1826,
after his defeat for it two years before, he makes the
foolish but characteristic assertion: "I entered into it
as much to gratify my friends and the people as my
self." Again (on page 518) he says : "I was on the cir
cuit practicing law when Gov. Carlin wrote me that he
had appointed me a Commissioner to make the loan for
the canal. I had not the least intimation whom he
would appoint until I received his letter. I called on
him at Vandalia and had much conversation with him
en the subject. I had no desire to visit Europe and
urged the Governor to appoint some other person. He
refused and said I must go as he knew me and could
trust me."
It is well known that Gov. Reynolds, elected to Con
gress the summer before, was not practicing law but
nominally;* that he spent several weeks at Vandalia
Morking up that trip to Europe at public expense; that
Fund Commissioners were already provided for
negotiating State loans; that two of them did go to Eng
land, and disposed of all State bonds that could be sold
there, and that Gov. Carlin would probably not have
thought of sending special Commissioners for that pur
pose had he not been urged by his old comrade, Gov.
Reynolds, to do so. The sequel proved Gov. Carlin to
have been sadly mistaken in the "trust" he is repre
sented to have reposed in the Old Ranger's financiering
astuteness. * Lyman Trumbull, a native of Colchester, Massachusetts, came to
Belleville in 1837, from Georgia, where he taught school for a year. He'
was soon admitted to the bar, and in 1839 entered into partnership with
Gov. Reynolds for the practice of law. In 1840 Reynolds was elected
to Congress and Trumbull to the legislature, when, by mutual consent,
the partnership was dissolved.

317
Dissimulating and truckling in politics as he was, and
ever watchful to float with the strongest currents of
public opinion, Gov. Reynolds had views of his own — not
proclaimed abroad on all occasions, however — on cer
tain questions that he held to all his life with unwaver
ing flrmness. Of them, one, probably learned from his
lather, was hatred of England and the English govern
ment. Another was the inflexible belief that African
slavery was morally and legally right. With equal sin
cerity he rejected the theories and tenets of Christianity
M'ith all that pertains to the supernatural. In early life
the infidelity of Tom Paine and later, the cultured ag
nosticism of Ingersoll, received his zealous approval. In
the evening of his life, when convinced that he had out
lived all probabilities of further political preferment,
and was financially independent, he threw off the self-
imposed restraints of his long active career and gave
free scope to his candid sentiments. His habitual use
of profane and vulgar language through life became
more pronounced and unguarded. With advancing age
he grew more arrogant in his pretensions to "classic"
learning and literary attainments; more bold and out
spoken in defense of the institution of slavery, and more
extreme in his denunciation of miraculous theology.
He was a slaveholder, until slavery was extinguished in
Illinois by adoption of the constitution of 1847, and —
very strangely — that fact was never urged by his op
ponents as an objection to his election in any of his
numerous campaigns for office. ' After slavery was
finally abolished in the State he employed none but ne
gro servants, to whom he was very kind, as he had al
ways been to his slaves. In his retirement and old age
the Governor, followed by a little colored boy whom he

318
called Veto, were familiar figures about the streets of
Belleville. Veto and his mother were formerly the
Governor's slaves, and chose to remain with him after
their emancipation.
At Georgetown, D. O, in May, 1836, Gov. Reynolds
Mas united in marriage to Miss Sarah Wilson, a young
lady of Maryland, who was twenty-three years, less four
teen days, his junior in age. She was tall, of faultless
figure, cultured and highly educated.
At the close of his Congressional career he purchased a
large, elegant residence — the counterpart of Mr. Snyder's
— situated a short distance from the public square in
Belleville, where himself and wife passed the balance of
their days in luxurious comfort and ease. No children
blessed either of the Governor's marriages; but he
reared and cared for the two La Croix children of his
first wife and her stepdaughter, Marie Manegle, with all
of a father's affectionate and tender solicitude.
In a corner of his spacious residence lot he had built
a one-story brick house of two or three rooms, ostensibly
for a law office, but the little law business he did was of
minor importance, and he attended the courts more with
the view of keeping in touch with "the people" and his
"friends" than from any desire to secure professional
employment. Situated in his forced retirement with
every convenience and comfort — including a well as
sorted library — that could contribute to lighten the
burdens of declining years, but still ambitious for dis
tinction no longer to be obtained in politics, he entered
the inviting field of authorship. Reviewing the past is
the logical pastime of advanced age; and, fortunately
for posterity, Gov. Reynolds concluded to write and
publish the recollections of his singularly eventful life,

319
and all he knew or could gather of the pioneer settle
ments of Illinois. For some years he had gradually
become more studious, and had added to his daily news
paper reading desultory studies of American history,
natural sciences and speculative philosophy, without the
slightest abatement of his habitual interest in current
political matters.
His last term in Congress expired on the 3d of March,
1843. Returning home, he earnestly turned his atten
tion to private business affairs neglected during his
official absence at Washington, and in the meantime gath
ered material for the Pioneer History of Illinois he long
had in contemplation. After corapletion of his office
building the compilation of his book occupied much of
his time. His method of writing was peculiarly his own.
In preparing his literary works he made use of neither
desk or table, but resting his paper — the cheapest he
could buy — on his right knee he wrote with a pencil,
paying no attention to the conversation of those about
him, and never revised, interlined, erased, or corrected
a. word or sentence.
The idea of Gov. Reynolds writing a book seemed to
those who knew him best to be ludicrous and absurd.
When mentioned it provoked a smile and was the source
of much amusement and many rude jests among his ac
quaintances. He had himself no sanguine expectation
that it would meet with ready or extensive sales, and
prudently arranged to publish it as economically as pos
&ible. He purchased an old hand press and lot of type
which he installed in his law office, and hired composi
tors out of other employment to print it. The Pioneer
History of Illinois was issued in 1852'. with a brief intro
duction by the author apologizing for his "humble" and

320
"unpretending" efforts. In appearance it was indeed
an "unpretending" volume, and was received by his fel
low citizens of Belleville with jeers and derisive criti
cisms. The internal arrangement of the book — if it can
be said to have any arrangement — is highly character
istic of its author, without connection, system or order.
Events occurring a century apart are recorded on the
same page ; and in close proximity history and biography
are associated with remarks on green-headed flies. As
Judge Scott remarks, it appears as though he had thrown
his manuscript down in a pile as he wrote it, and told
his compositors to help themselves when they wanted
copy. But with its many technical defects and occasional
inaccuracies — as, for instance, his statement that Fort
Chartres was so named because it had a charter from
the crown — it is a work of priceless value oc
cupying alone an original field, exhaustively treat
ed, and, in the main, reliable. The plain, homely
style in which it is written gives it a peculiar charm.
No other person in the State could have written such a
history but Gov. Reynolds, and he wrote it just at the
right time, when many of the early pioneers (whom he
consulted) were still living; and much of the great mass
of facts (names of persons, and dates) he collected, if
not then recorded would have been irretrievably lost.
It is a store of inestimable historic wealth in records of
thrilling incidents and events that occurred when lay
ing the foundations of our great State; in the many
biographical sketches of its founders; in quaint but
vivid pictures of pioneer life, and of the social and politi
cal progress of that era, that cannot elsewhere be ob
tained. Had John Reynolds before been utterly un-

321
known that unique, unpretending volume alone would
have ensured his lasting fame; and will render his
name imperishable so long as the name of Illinois en
dures. [Between Gov. Reynolds and myself (the writer of this
sketch), then a school boy, there .existed a cordial and
intimate friendship dating from some time before he
commenced to write the Pioneer History, and continuing
to his last hours, which, to me, is now a most pleasing
and gratifying memory. Calling on him one day, on my
M'ay from school, I found him deeply absorbed in a
lengthy newspaper review of a small volume, recently
issued anonymously, entitled Vestiges of the Natural His
tory of Creation, to which he was about to call my espe
cial attention, when I informed him I had the book and
had just read it. "The hell you say! Where did you
get it, John?" said he. He -was so impatient to see the
work that I went home immediately and brought it to
him. It was not returned to me until after his death,
nearly twenty years later. That small volume — a mas
terly compilation by Robert Chambers — profoundly im
pressed the Old Ranger. The nebular hypothesis of
planetary formation, and Lamarck's theory of evolution
were a startling revelation to him. They accorded ex
actly, with his crude notions of cosmic origin, and re
ceived his unqualified assent. The possibility of a new
undiscovered, natural law suggested by the Babbage cal
culating machine, fairly bewildered him with puzzled
surprise. The Vestiges profoundly impressed his mind
and so interested him that he resolved to enter the lec
ture field, as well as that of authorship. Thereupon he
prepared several lectures on natural history, the sciences
and uatural and moral philosophy, a few of which he de-
—21

322
livered to amused, but unappreciative, audiences in Belle
ville and others he incorporated in his romance entitled
the Life and Adventures of John Kelly].
When departing from the beaten paths of history and
biography to invade the enchanting realm of fiction,
though he garnished the coinage of his very obtuse im
agination with learned ethical and philosophical dis
courses, the Governor transcended his literary powers.
His Adventures of John Kelly, published in 1853, was a
flat failure. It had neither plan or plot, and was merely
a rambling narrative framed to introduce his unused
lectures. The hero jumping out of the court house win
dow into a lot of bee hives in the center of the city of
New Orleans, intended by the Governor for humor, was
not generally appreciated, and thought to be too far
fetched to be funny.
His next work, appearing in 1854, was a series of
Sketches of what he observed when visiting the New York
Crystal Palace, the first of the great expositions held in
this country. The little book is pleasantly written and
contains some descriptive, statistical and historical in
formation of interest. He published the next year, 1855,
from his own printing office, another "unpretending"
volume entitled "My, Own Times, Embracing also the His
tory of My Life." As indicated by its title, the work is
not only the Governor's autobiography, but a supplement
to, or continuation of, his Pioneer History, completing it
and greatly enhancing its value. The division into many
chapters of his Life and Times is a mechanical improve
ment, but otherwise it presents the same originality of
style, and the same melange of text as the Pioneer
History. A marked feature of the Governor's biographical

323
sketches is his indiscriminate praise of everybody. Ot
very few of the old pioneers he speaks disparagingly.
He describes them all as exceptionally "talented,"
"strong minded," "honest," "respectable" people, having
no faults worth mentioning. But that politic "blarney,"
intended for their living descendants, detracts nothing
from the high merit of his histories.
In 1856, or 1857, he published a small book of 118 pages
entitled, The School Advocate — An Essay on the Human
Mind and Its Education, which is now so completely out
of print that no copy of it can be found, and but few per
sons know that he wrote such a work. It was, in liter
ary value, about on a parity with the philosophical chap
ters of John Kelly — an attempted discussion of a subject
entirely beyond his capacity, that attracted but little at
tention when issued and was soon forgotten.*
The next product of his pen was a sketch of Dr. John
Mason Peck, bearing the impressive title of Friendship's
Offering, issued from the Advocate office in Belleville in
May, j! 858. It is a small volume of thirty-four pages, di
vided into twenty-five chapters. In literary worth it is
no improvement on his other compositions, having the
same confusion of subjects, and the same absence of sys
tem and order. It is in no sense a biography of Dr.
Peck, only a mess of fulsome praise— intended as a token
of sincere regard for a departed friend.
With very few traits in common and many points of
dissimilarity Dr. Peck and Gov. Reynolds were for years
strangely attached to each other. They were united in
advocacy of patriotism, national, state and personal
honor, temperance and education. Both were opposed
* But for a notice of this little book in the Sangamon Journal of
November, 1857, written by Prof. John Russell, of Bluffdale, 111., all
knowledge of it would now be lost.

324
to disturbing the institution of slavery where it existed,
and they both believed the condition of the southern
negro was better as a slave than if free.
Dr. Peck was a Yankee, a Whig, opposed to the exten
sion of slavery, a religious enthusiast, almost fanatical
in support of Sunday Schools and f oreign Missionary
work, and detested profanity, immorality and vulgarity.
Reynolds was a Democrat, despised Yankees, favored
extension of slavery to every state and territory, held
Sunday Schools, Missionaries and Ministers in utmost
contempt, was an infidel, profane and often vulgar. Yet,
each sought and enjoyed the companionship of the other
and held each other in high esteem.
The Friendship's Offering made but slight impression
upon the public, and, from a commercial standpoint, was
a failure. In 1852 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of the
lower house of the legislature, and on organization of
that body, in January, 1853, he was elected Speaker.
That success kindled anew his life long mania for public
position. To impress the fact upon his friends that he
was still in their hands he commenced publication, from
his printing office, of an organ of his own. Associated
Mrith two young practical printers they issued, in Feb
ruary, 1864, the first number of The Eagle, a. weekly
Democratic newspaper, edited by the Governor. His
friends, however, did not see fit to force a nomination
upon him that year, and The Eagle quietly expired before
the close of its first volume.
In the winter of 1858-9' The Star of Egypt, a weekly pa
per, edited by Gov. Reynolds and James W. Hughes, was
issued from the Governor's printing office. It was a
Buchanan campaign paper and did stalwart service for

325
its cause through the one season of its existence; but the
Old Ranger as au editor gained no new laurels. His
anti-Douglas tirades were applauded by a few, but were
regarded as the drivelings of dotage by a large majority
of Democrats M'ho fairly worshiped the great Little
Giant. After establishing his printing office the Governor
learned to set type, and often amused himself with set
ting up and printing in hand-bill form1 for free distribu
tion, his "vieM-s on the issues of the day," "Peace offer
ings," "Olive Branches," and "Speeches delivered by ex-
Gov. Reynolds to large and enthusiastic meetings,"
called at his instigation to afford him the opportunity to
"address the people."
His last literary production of note was published in
the midst of the turbulent excitement that convulsed the
country in 1860, culminating the next year in horrors of
civil war. He labeled it "The Balm of Gilead," perhaps
in a spirit of irony, and named it "An Inquiry Into the
Right of American Slavery." It is a book of forty-eight
pages, issued from his own printing office, and differs in
composition from all his other writings, that scattered
—shot-gun like — to cover all subjects, in being confined
closely to the logical discussion of his topic. It em
bodies the best thoughts and studies of his life on the
subject of slavery, and all the arguments that could be
advanced in its defense. It is better and more concisely
written than his other productions, and differs from
them in the tone of malevolence that pervades it. For
these reasons it has been intimated that he did not write
it, but there is little doubt that it emanated from his
own pen, with liberal plagiarizing from eminent southern
writers and speakers. From the great anthropological

326
work of Nott & Gliddon entitled Types of Mankind, that
appeared in 1857, he drew much of his inspiration for the
Balm of Gilcad. Those distinguished authors produced
a vast array of facts and arguments to sustain the the
ory of diversity of creation, from which they deducted
the conclusion that the negro was an indigenous product
of Africa, very low down in the scale of humanity— if
indeed a human being. That doctrine received the
Governor's unqualified approval as a verification of the
opinions on that subject he had always entertained, with
the logical corollary that being an inferior animal the
negro should be held in bondage by the superior Cau
casian. But it was labor lost, for the time for pleading
in slavery's cause was past.
His interest in the fiery political turmoil preceding the
civil war was intense. Conscious .that he was beyond
the pale of further office holding he was no longer re
strained by fear of public censure, and gave free expres
sion on all occasions to his true sentiments. He bitter
ly opposed both Lincoln and Douglas, and was loud in
his support of Breckenridge for the Presidency. He
strongly advocated peace, and preservation of the Union,
but only on certain conditions. As a Southern Demo
crat, he held the Abolitionists, Republicans and Douglas
Democrats — all equally odious to him — responsible for
the distracted condition of the country.
In the four years of civil war the sympathies of Gov.
Reynolds were all for the southern cause. Only his ad
vanced age and respect for his past services to the State
saved him from arrest and imprisonment for his con
stant ill-tempered criticisms of the north, and vehement
laudation of the south.
In the history of Illinois, Gov. Reynolds alone has the

327
distinction of having held the highest position in each of
the three co-ordinate branches of State government, i. e.,
Governor, Chief Justice of the supreme court, and
Speaker of the House of Represntatives. He served for
six years as a judge, four years as Governor, eight years
in the legislature and seven years in Congress. He was
defeated once each for the legislature, for the United
State Senate, for Congress, for the State Senate and for
State Superintendent of Schools.
John Quincy Adams, who served in Congress with
Gov. Reynolds, recorded in his Diary this estimate of
him: "He is untruthful, vulgar and knavish;" a harsh
judgment of him not altogether just or true. He was
at times vulgar in speech unquestionably. In politics he
M'as cunning, hypocritical and, possibly knavish; but iu
all business affairs he was honest, and in all social re
lations he was an honorable man and good citizen. His
jealousy and envy of rivals had no admixture of malice
or vindictiveness. He offended no one purposely, was
ever ready to oblige or assist a friend or neighbor, was
kind and tender hearted, and deeply moved by the suffer
ing, or misery, of man or beast. His habits, excepting
in use of vulgar language, were most exemplary. An
undue fondness for the fair sex M'as, by some, very un
justly attributed to him. An anecdote he told, with the
zest that he always related jokes or anecdotes of which
he himself was the butt, hinting at the weakness just
mentioned, represented him one evening, after supper,
rummaging about the pantry and closets, when his wife
asked him what he was looking for. He answered that
he was hunting for a lantern, as he was going; up town
and the night was very dark. "I would hardly think,"
said she, "that you would want a light when going to
the places you usually visit after night."

32S
But he M'as not a "lady's man," and rather shunned
their society. In his intercourse with all classes he
was invariably friendly, social and kind, inclined to char
ity and benevolence, yet very selfish, and not at all lib
eral or generous with his means.
Gov. Reynolds lived to see the close of the terrible
conflict between the northern and southern states, the
final and complete abolition of slavery, and the triumph
of the Union cause. He felt that result to be a personal
defeat and humiliation, but was still defiant.
The ravages of time had at length undermined his
iron constitution; and when, eight or ten days after the
assassination of President Lincoln, he was stricken
down with pneumonia, his exhausted vitality was too
feeble to resist its attack. He realized that he had
reached the terminus of his long and remarkable course,
but felt not the slightest trepidation; nor experienced
the least wavering of his materialistic belief that "Death
ends all."
A minister of the gospel impelled by a sense of duty
came to the dying man's bedside, and told him of the er
ror of his views, and of the glorious consolations of the
true faith, and transcendent bliss of Christian hopes.
The reverend gentleman paused to note the effect of his
eloquent exhortation, and then the Governor turned,
v.'ith a look of withering contempt, and gasped, "The
hell you say."
Gov. Reynolds died, at his home in Belleville, on the
8th of May, 1865, aged 77 years, 2 months and 10 days.
His wife survived him but two and a half months, dying,
of cancer, on the 17th of the following July. Their
ashes rest together iu Walnut Hill cemetery, near Belle
ville, beneath a stately monument erected to their mem-

329
ory by Mrs. Coleman, the only sister of Mrs. Reynolds,
who inherited the main portion of their estate.
After the burial of Gov. Reynolds, it was discovered
that all his private papers, correspondence, documents,
and a Will he is supposed to have made, had totally dis
appeared. That he had executed a last Will and Testa
ment is not positively known ; but the destruction of his
papers and manuscripts entailed a loss to the public —
particularly to students of Illinois history — irreparable
and beyond computation.

CHAPTER XV.
The "Coon Skin and Hard Cider" Campaign of 1840 — Mr. Snyder elected
State Senator and Presidential Elector — He bet on Van Buren and
lost — Extra Session of the Legislature — Gillespie and Lincoln
jumped out of the Legislative hall to break the quorum — Reforming
the Judiciary — The Mormon Charters — Stephen A. Douglas.
The political contest of 1840 was the most memorable,
for Mrild excitement and extravagant demonstrations,
ever known in the State's history. So wholly and thor
oughly was the campaign in Illinois dominated by na
tional issues that local affairs of the State, including its
dismal financial condition, were seldom publicly men
tioned prior to the State election. The Whigs were well
organized, and determined to overthrow the iron rule
of Jacksonism at any cost. They regarded the adminis
tration of Van Buren as but a continuation of Jackson's,
only more odious. Though Van Buren was admittedly
an able statesman of ¦ clean record personally he was
wealthy, aristocratic, and not one of the common people.
The fact that he had seen no military service placed him,
and the party he led, in great disadvantage against a
candidate with the military renown of Gen'l Harrison,
who had fought the British and Indians with valor and
success. The Whigs laid no stress upon Gen'l Harrison's
scholastic attainments, or his very creditable civil ser
vices, or his political views; but loudly extolled his
patriotism and war record, his simple pioneer Jiabits
and unquestioned integrity of character.
In appealing to the people, one of their most effective
arguments Mas the prevailing hard times, attributed by
them to Democratic misrule; and which they, unwisely,
pledged their party, if successful at the presidential elec-

331
tion, would relieve and substitute such prosperity that
every laborer would receive for his work "two dollars a
day and roast beef." They adopted the tactics, in elec- ¦
tioneering for Harrison, that the Jackson men employed
with telling effect in 1832, but with a hundred fold more
furor and sensational parade. For months before the
election popular interest and excitement were wrought
up to the highest tension. The backwoods life of Gen'l
Harrison, and his victory at the battle of Tippecanoe,
were typified in daily parades and processions by the
most extravagant and grotesque displays of log cabins
and all sorts of canoes, yawls and scows, mounted on
wheels, garnished with coon skins, live coons, barrels of
hard cider, gourds, deer horns and Indian trappings, ac
companied by brass bands, fifes and drums, flags and
banners, and flies of mounted men dressed in buckskin,
with coonskin caps, having powder horns, bullet pouches
and l:jng flint-lock rifles.
A common feature of the daily demonstrations in that
famous "coonskin and hard cider" campaign for election
of "Old Tippecanoe and Tyler too," was a large log cabin
on wheels, drawn by eight or ten fine horses, or as many
yokes of oxen, with live coons on the cabin roof, coon-
skins tacked on its sides and open doors, and in the cabin
a man in backwoods garb sitting on a hard cider barrel
playing the fiddle, and others, in similar attire, drinking
— or pretending to drink — hard cider from gourds. That
was followed by an immense canoe, on wheels, embel
lished with emblems of pioneer life of the same kind, and
several lesser ones with the usual accompaniments of
bands and flags, and long processions of people on horse
back and in all sorts of conveyances.
The Democrats could boast of no war achievements or

332
early plebian associations for their candidate. He had
never worn a linsey hunting shirt and moccasins, or
drank hard cider from a gourd. In vain they sought to
stem the impetuous tide of popular favor for "Old Tippe
canoe" by attempting to revive the fading lustre of Old
Hickory. But Jackson had passed into history. Har
rison, the blood-stained hero, was the reigning idol, and
awoke a cyclone of patriotic enthusiasm that swept the
country. However, at the State election on the 2d of August,
1840, the Democrats carried Illinois, owing — the Whigs
asserted — to the foreign voters on the canal works. A
large majority of the foreigners in Illinois then, and on
to the Kansas-Nebraska schism in 1854, imbued with
democratic principles at home before emigrating, voted
the Democratic ticket here.
In the first Congressional district Gov. Reynolds de
feated Watson H. Webb by a large majority. In the
second district, Zodak Casey was re-elected and, in the
third, the Whigs elected Col. John T. Stuart. Mr. Sny
der was elected Senator in St. Clair county, receiving
1756 votes to 913 cast for Col. Vital Jarrott, a native of
Cahokia, the Whig candidate. The result of the August
election dampened the spirits of the Whigs in Illinois,
as the Democrats elected two of the three Congressmen
and a majority of both houses of the legislature. Still,
the Whigs hoped to carry the State for Harrison in No-
vembei, and continued their pageants of log cabins,
canoes, coonskins and hard cider barrels, with increased
energy. They M'ere rewarded by the election of "Old
Tippecanoe and Tyler too;" but the State of Illinois gave
Van Buren a majority of 1939, and Mr. Snyder was, of
course, one of the successful Presidential Electors. By

333
his influence his friend, Mr. Koerner, Mas selected as
messenger to convey the elctoral vote of Illinois to Wash
ington. When in Baltimore in the spring of 1839, Mr. Snyder
contracted with a manufacturing establishment there
for a family carriage at the price of f 500. In those days
of infant industries the construction of a fine carriage
was a slow and tedious process, as every part of it was
shaped and finished by hand. Then its transportation
by sailing vessel to New Orleans, thence up the Mis
sissippi to St. Louis, consumed as much, or more, time
than was required to manufacture it. Consequently
winter had set in when the barouche arrived in Belle
ville, and it was housed up until spring, With return
of pleasant weather and dry roads in 1840 the carriage
was frequently in use by Mr. Snyder and members of his
family for exercise thought to be beneficial to his health,
as well as for pleasure.
One day in the height of the coon skin campaign as
Mr. Snyder was engaged in a heated political discussion
M'ith Mr. James Mitchell, the Belleville postmaster, who
was formerly a Jackson man, but then a proselyte to the
Whig faith, Mr. Mitchell clinched his arguments by offer
ing to bet |500 against Mr. Snyder's new carriage that
Harrison would be elected President. The bet was im
mediately accepted. When the election returns were
received, leaving no doubt of Van Buren's defeat, Mr.
Snyder had his colored boy to dust the barouche and
burnish its metal trimmings, then to deliver it, with his
compliments, at Mr. Mitchell's residence. Seeing -the
lost wager off in good condition, he walked up to his
office, cane in hand, as composedly as though nothing
unusual had occurred. The younger members of his

334
family, however, M'ere not so easily reconciled to their
loss, and from that time on entertained but little affec
tion for the winner of the bet. [Time brought their
revenge. Mr. Mitchell served as Postmaster at Belle
ville continuously from 1831 to 1845, when he was super
seded by William H. Snyder, eldest son of Adam W.
Snyder, not then twenty years of age, who was appoint
ed Postmaster by President Polk.]
Mr. Snyder had quite a fancy for fine horses, and gen
erally kept three or four of the best he could buy. Tn
the fall of 1839 he purchased or traded for a fine large
carriage horse four years old of bright roan color, and
then searched the country over for one to match him.
At last he found an almost perfect match in size, color
and age, and bought it. The stable on the premises was
at the north end of a lane forty feet wide, extending
across the block from First to Second North streets ; the
stable door, facing the south, was in two sections, the
upper half usually kept open during the day and the
lower half closed. The new horse proved to be un
sophisticated and wanting in style for carriage service,
so Mr. Snyder concluded to train him in the way he
should go. With that object in view he had him brought
from the stable one morning down to the stile near the
house, and there he adjusted on him a "bitting" ap
paratus, consisting of surcingle, bridle and curb rein,
that caused the animal to hold his head up and look
aristocratic. When all was fixed to suit his ideas, Mr.
Snyder turned the colt loose, and cracked his whip to
start him off that he might see how he looked and moved.
He was successful in starting him. The frightened horso
dashed up the lane at full speed, and arriving at the
stable leaped into it over the closed lower half of the

335
door, but the curbing rein so hampered his action that
he fell, or alighted inside the stable on his head, and
broke his neck. Seeing that he was dead, Mr. Snyder
told the stable boy to haul him, Off into the woods, and
made no further allusion to the incident.
By the national census taken in 1840 the population
of Illinois Mas 476,183. So desperate was the financial
affairs of the State that Gov. Carlin was forced to call
the legislature to meet in extra session on the 28d of
November, 1840, to devise means for paying interest on
the State .debt due the first clay of January, 1841. The
tM'elfth genera' assembly, elected in August, was Demo
cratic, the Senate having 20 Democrats and 14 Whigs,
and the House 51 Democrats and 40 Whigs, and met at
Springfield on the appointed date. In the Senate,
among others less known, were E. D. Baker, Richard M.
Cullom, Wm. H. Davidson, Wm. J. Gatewood, John S.
Hacker, Archer G. Herndon, John Moore, Wm. A. Rich
ardson, James H. Ralston, Adam W. Snyder, W., B.
Stapp, Henry Little, William Fithian and John D.
Wood. In the House were Wm. H. Bissell, Milton Cai:-
penter, Alfred W. Cavarly, John Dougherty, Cyrus Ed
wards, Win. L. D. Ewing, Joseph Gillespie, Ashel Grid-
ley, John J. Hardin, John Logan, Abraham. Lincoln,
John A. McClernand, Pierre Menard, Wm. A. Minshall,
Ebenezer Peck, Lewis W. Ross, Lyman Trumbull and
David A. Woodson.
Lieutenant Governor Stinton H. Anderson presided
over the Senate. In organizing the House, William L.
D. Ewing and Abraham Lincoln were again opposing
candidates for the Speakership, and Ewing was elected
' Speaker — for the third time — by the vote of 46 to 36.
The message of Gov. Carlin to the legislature was

336
very different in tone from that of his first, delivered
two years before. He commenced by saying: "While
we have abundant cause to be devoutly thankful to an
overruling Providence for the success that has every
where attended industry — bountifully rewarding the
husbandman for his labor — it is to be deeply deplored
that our State is measureably overwhelmed with pecun
iary embarrassments. These embarrassments have
grown out of our system of internal improvements
adopted by improvident legislation at a time when the
delusive phantom of speculation seemed to have taken
possession of the human mind, and led the world into
extravagance and error ; and however deeply we may re
gret the evil which this system has entailed upon us it
would be unwise and unpatriotic to shrink from the re
sponsibility of applying our best efforts to the pecuni
ury redemption of the State, and the preservation of her
honor. The vast debt she has incurred must be paid,
and this can only be done by a strict and rigid mainten
ance of her credit abroad and the wisdom with which
the measures are directed at home."
In assignment of the Senate committees, Mr. Snyder,
recognized as the Democratic leader in that body, was
made chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and was also
placed on the Committee on Counties, and the Peni
tentiary. The primal object of the extra session was
to devise some expedient for meeting the January inter
est on the public debt, and, if possible, to adopt a plan
for ultimately liquidating the entire debt and interest.
Early in the session Mr. Pearson, of the Cook county dis
trict, offered a preamble and resolutions in the Senate
to test the sentiment of members on the proposition to
repudiate the entire debt contracted for internal im-

337
piovements, as Mras boldly advocated by influential in
dividuals and newspapers professing to speak for the
Democratic party. On motion of Mr. Gatewood — who
had left the Whigs and was then a Democrat — Mr. Pear
son's resolutions were referred to the Judiciary Com
mittee. Mr. Snyder, chairman of that committee, re
ported back the resolutions amended as follows: "Strike
out all after the words, 'That it has been represented,'
and add, that we consider all contracts made, in pur
suance of laws, by our agents, when the consideration
has been received , as valid and binding upon the people
of the State of Illinois, and that common honesty, and
the honor of the State, demand a strict and punctual
fulfillment on our part, in every particular, of all obli
gations, as we shall expect and require the same of indi
viduals or corporations with whom contracts may have
been made." That report was adopted unanimously.
After such an unequivocal declaration, by both par
ties, it was to be expected that the lawmakers would
proceed energetically and uninterruptedly to accom
plish the business they were called together to transact".
But, though united against repudiation, political ques
tions were obtruded that fanned the smouldering em
bers of party rancor and jealousy into a blaze of feeling
that retarded the much needed legislation. Members of
both parties M'ere irritable and ill-humored: the Demo
crats because of the Whig national triumph, and the
Whigs because of Democratic success at every point in
Illinois at the late elections. The first firebrand thrown
into the legislative magazine was the appointment, by
Gov. Carlin, of Stephen A. Douglas to the office of Secre
tary of State. Alexander Pope Field, the incumbent,
was appointed to the office by Gov. Edwards in 1828,
—22

338
and had held it continuously since. When appointed he
Mas a Jackson man; but had since turned and joined the
Whigs. Gov. Carlin, as was just and proper, desiring his chief
State officer to be in political harmony with himself,
soon after his inauguration appointed John A. McCler
nand Secretary of State in Field's place. The question
Mas thereupon raised, by the Whigs, of the Governor's
power to appoint a Secretary of State, excepting when
a vacancy occurred. In 1818, when writing the consti
tution for the new State, Elias K. Kane, assured that
he would be appointed the first Secretary, inserted a
clause in that instrument providing for appointment of
the Secretary of State by the Governor, and the other
State officers to be elective by the legislature. The
Whigs having a majority in the Senate when Gov. Carlin
assumed his office, refused to confirm his appointment ot
McClernand; but immediately after the legislature ad
journed the Governor again appointed him. He de
manded the office of Field, Who refused to surrender it:
whereupon he applied to the circuit court for a writ of
quo warranto.
The case was tried before Judge Breese, mt1io decided
it in McClernand's favor. Field appealed to the supreme
court, then comprising three Whigs and one Democrat,
before whom the case was ably argued by Attorney Gen
eral Wickliffe Kitchell, Stephen A. Douglas and James
Shields for McClernand, and by Cyrus Walker, Justin
Butterfield and Levi Davis for Field. The decision of
the court below was reversed — Judges Lockwood and
AVilson concurring in favor of reversal, Judge Smith dis
senting and Judge Browne not voting because of his re
lationship to McClernand — and Field remained in pos
session of the office.

339
That obviously partisan decission of the Whig su
preme court, tending to establish the doctrine of life
time offices, was very odious to the people and largely
influenced the election of a Democratic legislature at
the ensuing election.
Gov. Carlin made no further nomination for Secretary
of State until the newly elected Democratic legislature
convened in extra session. Then one of his first official
acts was to send to the Senate his appointment of
Stephen A. Douglas to replace Col. Field, and that nom
ination, on the seventh day of the called session, was
promptly confirmed by the Democratic majority of the
Senate. Though the constitution gave the Governor
power to appoint the Secretary of State, and failed to
specify any power to dismiss him, it was evidently aot
the intention of the framers of that instrument to make
the office one of life tenure. Mr. Field, at last convinced
of the correctness of that view, yielded his place to Mr.
Douglas without hesitation or protest, and retired.
The Governor M'ould perhaps have again appointed
McClernand, but that gentleman, upon his rejection by
the supreme court, appealed to the people of his country,
and was vindicated by election to the lower house of the
legislature, a position he preferred to that of Secretary.
John Alexander McClernand was born in Brecken-
ridge county, Kentucky, on the 13th of May, 1812. When
he was four year old his parents moved to a small farm
in Illinois near Shawneetown. Four years later his
father died, and he early commenced the struggle with
poverty for self-support. His education was acquired in
the subscription schools of Gallatin county, partly under
the tuition of Wm. Jeff. Gatewood. At the age of six
teen he was splitting rails and plowing corn. The next

340
year he commenced the study of law, and three years
later was admitted to the bar. Leaving his books he vol
unteered as a private soldier in the Black Hawk war, and
Mas soon promoted to Gen'l Posey '^ staff. Returni-ig
to Shawneetown in the summer of 1832 with health im
paired he engaged in flatboating on the Ohio and Mis
sissippi rivers for the succeeding two. years. His health
restored he began the practice of law in ShaM'neetown
and was successful. In 1885 he established the first
newspaper ever published in Shawneetown.
He was elected to the lower house of the legislature.
iu 1836., 1840 and 1842. In 1S36 he was elected Canal
Commissioner and Treasurer. In 1843 he was elected
to Congress, and re-elected in 1845, 1847, and 1849. De
clining a further re-election he removed from Shawnee
town to Jacksonville, in which latter city he had been
united in marriage, in 1843, to Miss Sarah, daughter of
Col. Jas. Dunlap. He was Presidential Elector in 1840
and again in 1852. In 1856 he removed to Springfield;
and in 1859 was elected to Congress to supply the
vacancy occasioned by the death of Thos. L. Harris. He
M'as re-elected to Congress in 1861, and resigned in 1862
to enter the army of Union volunteers in the civil war,
in which he rapidly rose to the rank of Major General.
His brilliant military career is too well known to require
extended notice in these pages.
In history the fame of Gen'l McClernand will rest
chiefly upon his genius and achievements as a soldier,
notwithstanding his high rank as lawyer and statesman.
The martial spirit was his predominant trait. He was
naturally a fighter, brave to rashness, with the will and
force to command. Early in life he chose Gen'l Jackson
as his model and guide. He fancied that he looked like

341
Jackson, and trained himself to talk and act like Jack
son, to the extent of obscuring his natural individuality
by life long personation of his ideal hero, whom he did
in fact resemble in many particulars. Gen'l McClernand
was always a Democrat,, and for years a conspicuous
leader in that party. He1 was strong and fearless in de
bate, an able politician and an eloquent speaker.
In 1870 he M-as elected circuit Judge; was President of
the national Democratic convention in 1876, and was
chosen a member of the Utah Commission in 1882. He
died at his home in Springfield on the 20th of Septem
ber, 1900, aged 88 years 4 months and 7 days.
Col. A. P. Field was a man of striking personal ap
pearance. Six feet three inches tall, perfectly formed,
M'ith erect, soldierly bearing, and the polished manners
of a born courtier. His otherwise handsome features
M'ere marred by a nodular, potato-like nose that disfigur
ed him. He was a Kentuckian, a flowery speaker, and
famous criminal lawyer. He was elected to represent
Union county in the legislature in 1822, and was a lead
ing supporter of the convention scheme to make Illinois
a slave State in 1823-4. As a radical Jackson man he
M-as re-elected to the legislature in 1826, and 1828. Gov.
Edwards appointed him Secretary of State in 1828,
and he became a Whig. Ousted from office by the Demo
crats in 1840, President Tyler appointed him Secretary
of Wisconsin Territory in 1841. When Wisconsin was
admitted into the Union, in 1847, he left it and located
in St. Louis ; but did not remain long, changing his resi
dence to New Orleans, and was practicing law there
when the civil war commenced in 1861. He was a union
man, but fearing mob violence, he published a card in
tending to convey a denial of that fact. When New Or-

342
leans fell into Federal hands, Col. Field was a leader of
the carpet baggers, and was elected to Congress in 1863.
But his early pro-slavery antecedents and published
card created a doubt of his loyalty, and he was not
seated in the House. During the reconstruction era that
followed the war he became Attorney General of
Louisiana; and died in New Orleans in 1877, after a long
and painful illness.
Another cause of friction between the parties in the
legislature arose from suspension of specie payments by
the State banks. The law of 1838 specified that when a
bank suspended and did not resume its payment of
specie before adjournment of the next following session
of the legislature, its charter would be forfeited and its
doors closed; provided its suspension was not sanc
tioned, and permitted to continue, by act of said legisla
tive session. It was plainly evident that the banks
could not resume specie payment before adjournment of
the extra session; and the Whigs had good reasons to
believe that the Democratic majority would not legalize
their suspension. To gain time the Whigs contended
that the called session and regular session were together
but one session. The Democrats insisted that each was
a distinct session. The salvation of the banks then ap
parently depended upon success of the Whig efforts to
prevent sine die adjournment at the last day of the called
session, Saturday, before commencement of the regular
session, on the next Monday. Their hope to defeat ad
journment M'as to absent themselves and thereby break
the quorum necessary to carry the motion to adjourn.
In the Senate, to guard against that maneuver of the
Whigs, Mr. Snyder moved that "the lobbies be cleared,
and that an officer be placed at the door of the Senate

343
to prevent egress of any Senator; and that tne Ser-
geant-at-arms be authorized to' employ a sufficient num
ber of persons to bring the absent Senators to the Seriate
chamber," which was adopted. A similar resolution
was passed in the House. In the Senate no effort was
made to break the quorum; but it was tried in the
House. Messrs. Lincoln and Gillespie, members of the House,
M'ere selected to remain and cail for the "ayes'' and
"noes." Before the vote was taken, however, several of
the "weak-kneed" Whigs allowed themselves to be ar
rested by the Sergeant-at-arms and brought back into
the hall. Fearing enough had returned to make a
quorum, Lincoln and Gillespie delegated two of the late
arrivals to demand call of the roll on the motion to ad
journ sine die and concluded to absent themeselves.
They found the doors of the church, in which their House
was sitting, securely locked and that mode of egress
barred; then raising one of the windows they jumped
out. Their acrobatic feat, however, availed nothing, as
enough WThigs were captured to constitute a quorum,
and the extra session adjourned sine die on, Saturday,
Dec. 5th, 1840, having fritted away the time without
passing any bill of importance.
The regular session began on Monday, Dec. 7th, and
one of its first acts was to legalize suspension of the
banks, and, further than that, to authorize them to issue
notes of small denominations, a privilege before denied
them.. Times were too hard to compel the banks to
close their doors and stop business merely to gratify
party spite. That concession by the Democrats quieted
all party animosity for the time and the members of
both houses harmoniously and earnestly devoted them-

344
selves to the tough problem of extricating the State from
its grave difficulties. To arrange for paying maturing
interest, and save something from the wreck of suspend
ed railroads, the following measures were adopted: first,
the Fund Commissioner was directed to hypothecate
$300,000 of internal revenue bonds for an amount
sufficient to pay the interest legally due on Jan. 1st, 1841.
Payment of interest on bonds sold on credit and not
paid for was strongly contested, but finally left to the
discretion of the Commissioner. And, secondly, interest
bonds were authorized to be issued and sold in open
market for what they might bring to pay interest on
that portion of the public debt for which no funds were
otherwise provided, and also to redeem the hypothecat
ed bonds. On Feb. 27th, 1841, a bill was passed for the
levy and collection of a tax of ten cents on the hundred
dollars value of property, to be set apart exclusively as
an "interest fund" to pay interest on last named bonds.
The minimum assessment of all lands for taxation was
fixed at |3 per acre, and an appropriation of $100,000
Mras made to complete that portion of the Northern
Cross railroad from Jacksonville to Springfield, then
almost finished.
The credit of the State ha i fallen so low that its bonds
could not be sold in any market for any approximation
of their face value. The January interest was paid, but
having no funds in the treasury to meet the semi-annual
July interest, John D. Whiteside, the Fund Commis
sioner, hypothecated to McAllister & Stebbins, brokers
in New York City, 804 interest bearing internal improve
ment bonds of $1,000 each, for the loan of $321,600, of
which amount but $261,460 was ever received. That
transaction was prolific of much subsequent trouble and

345
great expense to the State, which never redeemed those
hypothecated bonds, but in time purchased eighty of
them, and three hundred and fifteen of the balance were
subsequently received by the State from the Shawnee
town bank in part redemption of its stock in that insti
tution. With best intentions for relief of the debt-burdened
people, the legislature in February passed certain stay
laws, providing that property sold under execution
should not be sacrificed, but must bring two-thirds of its
value appraised "as in ordinary times." But, as has in
variably been the case with all similar laws, that meas
ure reacted to the detriment of the class it was intended
to benefit and only increased their hardships.
The financial enbarrassmentsi of the State and people
having been temporarily bridged over by the legislature,
the Democratic leaders in that body, figuratively, dug up
the buried hatchet, and turned their attention to reme
dying political embarrassments gravely threatening their
party supremacy. Of the four supreme court justices,
Wilson, Browne and Lockwood were Whigs, and Theo
philus W. Smith the only Democrat. Their decision in
the quo warranto case of McClernand vs. Field plainly in
dicated what Democrats were to expect from' that tri
bunal in future cases involving their party interests.
There was then pending in the courts a case (supposed
ly) defining the right of suffrage, of vital importance to
the Democratic party, of which they could not afford to
risk an ultimate decision by the partisan supreme court
as then constituted. Ninety per cent of all foreigners in
Illinois voted the Democratic ticket, and to that element
was due, in a great measure, the ascendency of the
Democracy in the State.

346
The State Constitution thus specified the qualifications
of voters : "In all elections, all male white inhabitants
above the age of twenty-one years, having resided in
•the State six months next preceding the election, shall
enjoy the right of an elector." The Whigs, desiring to
exclude foreign voters from the polls, because they were
Democrats, had long contended that the just construc
tion to be put upon that clause of the constitution was
that citizens only should be electors ; though the practice
had been, from the adoption of the constitution, in 1818,
to permit all white men of age, if previously residents of
the State for six months, to vote, whether citizens or
aliens. The question was much discussed in 1839, M-hen
the strength of the Whig party was greatly augmented
by large accessions of population in the northern coun
ties, making it apparent that, with the alien voters elim
inated, that party would carry the State at the next
Presidential election. To disfranchise the Irish and
"Dutch" Democrats before the elections of 1840 two
Whigs at Galena arranged an agreed case in 1839 —
known as the "Galena alien case" — relying upon the
Whig supreme court for a favorable decision. One of the
Whigs sued the other who had served as an election
judge, for $100 for use of the county, for having at an
election held in 1838 received, in his official capacity, the
vote of an alien. The case was tried before Judge
Daniel Stone, a Whig, who decided for the plaintiff.
That decision caused great consternation among the
Democrats, whose leaders, upon consultation, concluded
that the final decision of that question by the higher
(Whig) court, to which the defendant appealed, must
by all means, be delayed until after the next Presidential
election. The case was fully argued at the December,

347
1839, term of that court and, by sharp tactics of the
Democratic managers, was continued to the next June
term. They thus gained their first point, but the June
term would be held at the height of the Presidential
campaign, and a decision then by the Whig court would
certainly give the State to Harrison in November.
When it seemed the Democratic leaders were at the
end of their resources, Justice Theophilus W. Smith* the
Democratic judge on the supreme court bench, who had
for a long time aspired to a seat in the United States
Senate, came to the rescue of his party. He had dis
covered a defect in the record of the case of one figure,
and, in confidence, pointed it out to one of the defend
ant's Democratic lawyers. When the case was called
in June, the attorney, posted by Judge Smith, entered
a motion to dismiss, for the reason that in the record
the cause of complaint was stated to have occurred on
the 6th day of August, 1839 (instead of 1838), at which
date no such election was held as therein alleged. Thus
another important point M'as gained by the Democrats;
as leave to amend would necessarily carry the case over,
beyond the State and national elections, to the Decem
ber term, 1840.
By the December term of the supreme court the Dem
ocratic lawyers had discovered that the constitutional
question the case was expected to decide was not before
the court at all, the appeal having been taken simply
upon that provision of the election law of 1829 thus
stated : "If any judge of election shall knowingly admit.
any person to vote, not qualified according to law, he
shall forfeit and pay to the county the sum of one hun-
died dollars; and any person presenting himself to vote,
and his qualifications be suspected, he shall swear that

348
he is a resident of the county, has resided in the State
six months next preceding the election; is twenty-one
years old, and has not before voted at that election."
As no infraction of that law was proven the supreme
court decided that the court below erred, reversed its
judgment, and dismissed the case.
Apprehensive that the Whigs would again attempt to
raise the question of constitutional qualifications of
voters, and unwilling to submit its final decision to three
Whig justices, the Democratic leaders in the legislature
determined upon the expedient of reforming the judici
ary system, and thereby change the political complexion
of the supreme court. The four justices of that court
M'ere appointed for life, and consequently could not be
ousted excepting by impeachment, or change of the
constitution. Since 1835 the legislature had, from time
to time, increased the number of judicial districts until
in' 1841 there were nine, with a circuit judge presiding
over each. The bold — and revolutionary — plan adopted
by the Democrats was to legislate the nine circuit
judges out of office, and increase the number of supreme
court justices to nine, requiring them to hold circuit
courts as formerly. Accordingly, on the 10th of Decem
ber, 1840, Mr. Snyder, chairman of the Judiciary Com
mittee of the Senate, reported a bill for an Act to "reor
ganize the judiciary," embracing the "reforms" stated,
and spoke for nearly an hour in support of the measure,
as follows:
The Senate having resolved itself into a Committee of
the Whole, Mr. Snyder, Senator from St. Clair county,
said: "It will doubtless be expected from me, as the mover of this bill,
to explain to this Committee the grounds on which I am prepared
to sustain it, and the reasons which have led me to introduce it.

349
In undertaking to do this I regret extremely that my present in
disposition is such as to prevent me from doing that justice to the
subject which its importance so amply deserves. I will, therefore,
for the present, content myself with simply presenting to the
Senate the views which, after long and mature reflection, I have
been led to adopt, intending afterwards, when other members of
this honorable body shall have presented tlwir views and objec
tions, to go more at length into the subject in my reply. It will
afford me great pleasure to hear the sentiments of those gentle
men who may differ from me as to the policy and propriety of
this measure. It is far from being my wish or desire to hurry a,
measure of this importance through the Senate. It stands on too
high ground to have anything to apprehend from the most pierc
ing and searching investigation. I want such an inquiry. I invite
the most rigorous examination of the subject. I wish the measure
to come from our body as perfect as, in the nature of human
affairs, is possible.
"The bill, as it will be perceived, is simple in its provisions,
and free from all complexity in its principles', or in its details.
It proposes, first, to repeal the present circuit court system, and,
instead of maintaining the present numerous body of circuit
judges, to appoint only five other justices in addition to the pres
ent number of supreme court justices. It further proposes to
impose circuit court duties upon all those justices, and to unite
the whole body of judges into one judicial body to constitute the
supreme court of the State.
"Before I proceed to explain to the Senate the advantages which
are expected to be gained by this simple plan of organization, as
proposed by the bill, it will perhaps be well to make some remarks
on our present system, and to point out some of its most glaring
defects, by which the necessity of a new organization may be more
fully impressed on the mind; after which I propose to show in
what manner the defects pointed out will be fully met and
remedied by the measure of this bill.
"The great end and object of every judicial system in every
state and country is, to have a wise, sound and equal system of
laws, and to have a, judiciary arrangement to execute those laws
well; to expound them uniformly throughout the State; to act
upon the same rules and system, so that one mind and one spirit
may pervade the whole administration of laws from one extremity
of the State to the other. Another important object desirable to be

350
attained in the administration of the laws is such a system that
individuals who are employed as agents in their exposition should
be connected with the people, and become practically conversant
with their wants, their feelings and their customs, that they should
act in concert, and be acquainted with the decisions made, and
rules adopted in every circuit court in the State. By which means
alone the judges themselves can be rendered experienced and able
in the discharge of their duties, and such a uniformity of system
pervade -the country as will tend to give certainty to the laws, and
satisfaction to litigants, and render justice to the people at large.
This cannot be arrived at where the judges are separated and dis
tinct from the people, and from one another, and where they are
not constantly thrown into u. situation calculated to give them
knowledge and experience which is to be obtained by no other
means than constant and habitual practice in all the several
courts. Another, and perhaps a- minor consideration is, that the
system should be carried on with as much economy as is com
patible with its due perfection.
"Now, Sir, no gentleman here, I am sure, will contend with me
that these objects are obtained, or — in the nature of things — can
be attained, under our present system. The system is disjointed,
unconnected and inharmonious, and the consequence that follows
is, our laws are interpreted differently in different parts of the
State; our judges arrive at decisions diametrically the reverse,
one to the other; our people do not know certainly what is the
law; or, rather, what is the interpretation which will be given to
the law. And when at last a final resort is had to that court
where most we should look for certainty, uniformity and unerring
decision, there all the evils which belong to the disunited system
in its several branches, instead of meeting with a remedy, are only
aggravated and increased, till, at last, our whole legal adminis
tration becomes a mass of discord and confusion, creating just
dissatisfaction among the people; and calculated to do us dis
credit abroad. Let it not be imagined that I exaggerate those
evils. They are not of so light a, nature as some may be inclined
to represent. "What, Sir, can be more disastrous to a people than to live
under a system of laws where doubt and uncertainty hang over
the decisions of the courts? Where that which is law in one part
of the country is not law in another part? Where what is right
at the north is wrong at the south portion of the country? Can

351
a system operating in that manner, as it undeniably does with us
under the existing system, meet with support and countenance
from any man who ventures to consider himself a patriot — a lover
of his country ? Can anyone hesitate to acknowledge that the time
has arrived when these evils are felt throughout the land, and
when they ought to be remedied? Permit me, Sir, to illustrate
the point I have assumed by an instance familiar enough to every
gentleman who is at all acquainted with the practice so frequently
occurring in our supreme court as it is at present organized. A
circuit judge decides a. cause which is carried by appeal to the
supreme court. Some important point of law is involved in this
cause which is of importance to the country and should be per
manently fixed and decided. The supreme court divides equally
on the question, and the consequence is the decision of the cir
cuit judge is sustained. Well, Sir, the supreme court has by that
decision decided what is the law of the land, and-it is published to
the world, and is recorded in the judicial records as the decision
of the court of last resort. Now, Sir, let me ask; is it to be toler
ated in this or any other country, that a solemn decision of a great
and important question of law once made in the supreme court
of the State shall perhaps at the very next session of that court
be changed, altered and reversed, and a totally contrary decision
be given, thereby shaking to its foundation the whole edifice of
our laws, and spreading doubt, indecision and uncertainty
throughout the land? Vet, Sir, such is the case; such is the
lamentable fact; such is the deplorable vacillation of our present
system! The very point which has been decided affirmatively in
the supreme court, as I have shown, is again brought up from
another circuit where the judge has made a different decision,
the court is again equally divided, and the circuit judge's decision
is sustained in the contrary sense, as that which was law before
is now, by the very same court, pronounced not to be law; and
the supreme court itself becomes the reverser of its own decision,
and a disturber of the surety and stability of the laws! Is this
to be tolerated? Is this doing justice to the people? Is it be
coming in us as legislators to suffer such a system to prevail?
Is it not time, Sir, to change, to amend, to reform a system so
perverse, so contradictory, so absurd as this? I need not amplify
my remarks on this subject. The facts are before us all. They
are too well known to be disputed, or their deplorable effects to

352
be denied. There is no. concert in our courts; there is no har
mony or union among our judges. Our supreme court is .dissev
ered! from the people, and from the practice of the circuit courts,
and the effects are discordant decisions, uncertain laws, and un
equal distribution of justice throughout the State; general in
certitude among lawyers and people as to the supreme law of the
land, and a. general discordance and dissatisfaction among the
people. This, Sir, is not the fault of our laws; it is the fault of
our present system. Do we not, almost every day, in the hall of
our legislature meet with evident proofs of the defect of our
system? Are not the people driven here to seek for an interpreta
tion of our laws? We take up the case in committee, and exam
ine and enquire into it. We find that the law is plain, is fixed,
is certain, is intelligible. We then decide that no alteration is
required; that no new interpretation is necessary; but what do
we learn from gentlemen on this floor? Why, Sir, that one judge
in one circuit has decided the law one way; another judge in an
other circuit has decided it in another and different way, and the
supreme court again has decided it in still another way. Is it
doing justice to the people to permit such anomalies? Are we
performing our duties as legislators, as patriots, as men, if we
refuse to unite our efforts to reform this blot; to purify this Au
gean stable of its odious contrarieties, and its final contradictions?
Again, Sir, who can pretend to say that, under our present system,
we are in the enjoyment of equal laws, and a. fair, just and uni
form administration of justice ? Do not all our courts in- all our
circuits differ in their order, in their rules, in their practice, and
in their decisions from one another? Is it not almost like passing
from one foreign country to another; from one system of laws to
another totally different when we pass from one circuit of our
State to another? Every legal gentleman who hears me will re
spond affirmatively to the truth of what I say. No man can deny
the existence of the evils under which we suffer, and surely no
man should refuse to aid in their remedy. Now, Sir, the bill be
fore the Senate is intended to remedy these evils, and I will pro
ceed to explain its details as briefly as possible, in order to make
it plain that it will effectually remedy them.
"All the difficulties I have pointed out will be remedied by the
measure now before you. There will be only nine judges instead
of a large body of circuit judges and the other judges of the su-

353
preme court. These nine judges will virtually constituute the
supreme court, and they will be, separately, the circuit judges in
the several circuits, performing all circuit duties throughout the
State. It will be one united body; one consistent system without
distraction and disconnection. They will separate to perform
their circuit duties, and will , meet together once, or twice, each
year to compare notes; to harmonize their action, and combine
their several decisions. They will act in concert, and be guided
by the same rules in their several circuits. Thus, uniform de
cisions will be made throughout the State; justice will be admin
istered in all the courts in harmony, order and equality such as
is unknown in our present system. Justice will then be admin
istered by one united body; coherent, and meeting periodically
together to decide the different and new points of law which, in a
country like ours, are daily arising, and for which no precedents
can be found.
"One great and important result flowing from the system pro
posed by this bill, namely, uniting all the circuit judges to form
in one body the supreme court of the State, will be this: that it
will prevent litigation to a greater extent than the present system
is capable of doing; one of the greatest evils o'f which is that
litigation is fostered by the uncertainty of the decisions and in-
coherency of action of the judges. There will be fewer appeals,
because there will be more certitude and more confidence in the
decisions rendered on the several circuits by judges who belong to
the supreme court, and who carry with them into every circuit a
.knowledge of the last and latest decision of the supreme court.
Thus, great delay, much expense, and endless perplexity and con
fusion will be spared to the people.
"Again, Sir, the supreme judges engaged in performing circuit
duties, daily administering the laws, giving construction to the
statutes, and deciding the moral points of law which arise in prac
tice, will not, as now, under our present system, be rusting in
idleness at home, ignorant of what is going on in the circuits.
Their minds will be more sharpened, their faculties more called
forth into action. They will serve their country better an.3 ob
tain the respect and confidence of their fellow-citizens by their
greater experience and more practical knowledge. If time would
permit, I might refer to other countries to show that no such sys-
—23

354
tem as ours has ever prevailed, or been adopted in any civilized
country. I might point to the example of England, the parent of
our common law, and the source of our legal knowledge, to show
that the wisdom and' learning of her great judges, and of the
writers of jurisprudence, have been obtained by a system the
same as this bill proposes. Her judges do not pass their days in
supine indifference and inactivity at the seat of government, de
ciding once a year cases of which they know nothing, from coun
ties of whose people, their customs and their habits, they are ig
norant. No, Sir; they perform the laborious duties of itinerant
circuit judges, and meet together in one body to decide great ques
tions which arise on the circuits, where each one is able to com
municate his experience to the others, and combine to produce a
stability and' uniformity in the administration of justice, which
cannot be obtained under any other system. They have no sine
cure judges; no supine supreme courts, such as we have; but the
very men who have been in the constant occupation of dispensing
justice in the remote counties, and those whose united experience
and wisdom, called forth by labor, practice and experience, forms,
as it were, the supreme court, or the twelve justices of the realm.
But, I will not rely upon examples drawn from countries for which
our republican souls have no great affinity. I will satisfy myself,
and perhaps those who hear me, better by turning to an example
nearer home. What, Sir, is the system of our Federal judiciary?
Do we keep at Washington City a number of men not conversant
with the country; not exercised in the administration of the laws?
Or only called upon once or twice a, year to decide cases which
their dormant position renders them almost incapable of judging
correctly? Do we withdraw them from the busy scenes of legal
life, an>l thus incapacitate them for the business which requires
all the powers and keenness of human ingenuity and judgment?
No, Sir! They are thrown upon the circuits and districts to
gather wisdom and experience by constant practice, and having
been reared among the people, attending to their duties in distant
parts of the country, in many and different courts, they after
wards meet together to form that august tribunal whose decisions
in consequence of that organization have gained the respect and
admiration of the country. Such, Sir, is our Federal system, and
such is the basis of the system which this bill proposes for adop
tion. The condition of the cpuntry imperatively calls upon ¦ us

355
for a reform in the administration of our laws. The people de
mand it. Justice requires it, and surely we will not be found
backward in promoting this great and necessary reform. There
is a difficulty which often stands in the way of great and useful
undertakings and prevents, or, at least, retards for a long time,
their accomplishment. I mean their expense. In the present
situation of our State if this obstacle stood in front of the present
measure I should hesitate in bringing it forward. But, Sir, the
value of this bill recommends itself to our support by its econ
omy, while it is, from the reasons I have already advanced, su-
, perior to the present system, it will be, at the same time, far less
expensive. If it had no other merit than this it might well in
deed be objected to, but in consideration of the many other su
perior advantages it possesses, I may, also, be permitted to men
tion this one. The present system costs, annually, $15,000; the
proposed reorganization will cost, for nine supreme justices, $13,-
500, showing a saving to the State of $1,500. Should an additional
circuit be formed — and I am given to understand it may be neces
sary — still an additional supreme judge would not increase the
present cost of the judiciary system. This is; no sudden project
with me; it is the result of long observation and mature reflec
tion. When our present circuit court system was adopted I was
a member of the Senate, arid; opposed the measure. I may say
I plainly foresaw its evils, and disadvantages. Experience has
fully justified me in the course I then adopted. The sense of the
people is with me in the view I have taken of its evils, and there
fore, as the fruit of long reflection and thought upon the subject,
believing it to be imperatively called for by the wants of the
people, I have brought forward this measure and for the sake of
the country, for the honor and credit of our State and its law, 1
fervently desire that it may pass. I know it has been objected
that in process of time more circuits will be necessary and ad
ditional judges will be required. I see no force in this objection.
It is a question of expense, and the objection applies to the present
system more strongly than it does to the measure of this bill. For
when our population is increased, and the business, trade and
commerce of our State multiplied, will any one venture to say we
can go on with our present plan?
"We must create more circuits and make additional judges, and
as the present system has been shown to be more costly than the

356
measure proposed, so, also, in a condition of more advanced pros
perity, when the cost of either plan would be increased, still our
present plan, if continued, would be more expensive to us than
this measure would be even if it was extended and enlarged.
Under every point of view, therefore, in which this subject is con
sidered, the advantages preponderate in favor of this measure.
If we continue our present system till we arrive to double our pres
ent wealth and population we wiU then require at least twenty-
four judges on our present plan, so defective is it even at the
present day in supplying the wants and coming up to the condi
tions of the country. Should the number of nine judges not be
found adequate to accomplish all the objects required in the ad
ministration of justice, I propose to bring forward a measure by
which the business of the circuits will be greatly reduced and
diminished. By which in each county lesser circuits of more fre
quent sessions will administer justice to the people both more
frequently and more cheaply. Into the minor details of this
measure it will, however, not be necessary for me to enter. TMf
much I have thought proper to say at present to the public as the
reasons which have induced me to propose the measure of this
bill. When it shall have undergone further discussion, and other
and abler reasons shall have been given by its friends in the Sen
ate in its favor, I have the fullest confldence that its superior
merits and advantages will secure its adoption."
The bill met strenuous opposition from all the Whig
members, and passive objections from the few Demo
crats whom Justice Smith could influence; or who were
reluctant to favor the "reforms" because of their per
sonal friendship, or sympathy, for the ousted circuit
judges. It was discussed in both houses for several weeks,
and by the newspapers throughout the State, and de
nounced in unstinted terms by all the Whigs and their
organs. In the meantime every art of coercion and
cajoling M'as practiced by the Democratic leaders in the
legislature to overcome the hesitancy of their timid col
leagues and nerve them up to its support. At length the

357
bill passed both houses and was promptly vetoed by the
supreme court justices, acting, with the Governor, as
the Council of Revision. On the 11th of February, 1841,
the bill was re-enacted over the veto by a large major ity
in the Senate and a bare majority of one over the num
ber required by the constitution in the House. The leg
islature then completed the "reform of the judiciary,"
by electing, in joint session, by a strict party vote, the
following Democrafis for the five additional supreme
court judgeships authorized by the new law: Samuel H.
Treat, Walter B. Scates, Sidney Breese, Stephen A.
Douglas and Thomas Ford.
And it must be admitted — to the credit of the party
managers — that five abler men for the bench could not
have been selected in Illinois from either party at that
time. Upon the elevation of Mr. Douglas to the supreme
bench he resigned the office of Secretary of State, and
Gov. Carlin appointed Lyman Trumbull as his successor.
The reorganization of the judiciary by the Democrats
M'as such a highhanded partisan measure for partisan
purposes that it shocked the people, and was unsparing
ly condemned by all the Whigs and many conservative
Democrats, as an outrageous and inexcusable abuse of
power. But legislation of that order has since been so
commonly practiced by all parties in power that it now
excites no surprise and but little comment.
Sidney Breese had the same inordinate desire for office
and distinction that afflicted Gov. Reynolds, but was
wholly wanting in the art of winning the people to his
support that Reynolds possessed to such a remarkable
degree. He managed, however, to hold office almost
continuously during all his residence in Illinois, general
ly by appointment, or vote of the legislature, being usual-

358
ly rejected by tie people at the polls. Defeated former
ly for representative in the lower house of the legisla
ture, he was finally elected to that position in 1851— his
first success by popular vote — and was, at that session,
chosen Speaker of the House. By popu'ar vote he was
elected circuit judge in 1855, and elevated to the supreme
bench in 1857, and was retained in that position — for
which he was so eminently fitted — by re-elections in
1861 and 1870— until his death, that occurred at Pinck-
neyville, 111., on the 27th of June, 1878.
Judge Breese was born in Whiteboro, Oneida county,
New York, on the 15th of July, 1800, and graduated at
Union College when only eighteen years of age. By ad
vice of Elias K. Kane, who knew him at college, he came
to Illinois, arriving at Kaskaskia on the 24th of Decem
ber, 1818, and was at once installed, by Mr. Kane, in the
office of Secretary of State as his chief clerk.
He studied law with Mr. Kane and was admitted to
the bar in 1820. In 1821 he secured his first office, that
of postmaster at Kaskaskia. In 1822 he was appointed
State's Attorney. On Sept. 17th, 1823, he was married
to Miss Eliza, daughter of Wm. Morrison. In 1827, then
an ultra Adams man, he was appointed U. S. District
Attorney and was promptly turned out of office in 1829
by President Jackson. He then turned to be a Jackson
man and ran for Congress but was defeated.
In the Black Hawk campaign of 1832 he enlisted as a
private in Capt. Feaman's company, and upon organiza
tion of the third regiment was promoted to the rank of
Major, and was subsequently made Lieut. Colonel to
supply that place made vacant by resignation of Lieut.
Col. Theophilus W. Smith, promoted to Judge Advocate
General. In 1835 he was elected circuit judge by the

359
legislature, and that year left Kaskaskia to locate on a
farm in the suburbs of Carlyle in Clinton county. In
1841 he was elected supreme judge by the legislature,
and in 1842 was elected, by joint ballot of the legislature,
on the 9th of December, U. S. Senator, receiving 56
votes to 52 cast for Stephen A. Douglas and 3 for Jno.
A. McC'ernand, — a marked instance of "luck;" or
fortuitous reward for life-long persistency in office seek
ing. In the sphere of political aspirations he was early
impressed by the lesson learned by the Bruce from the
spider in his prison, i. e., "if once you fail try, try again."
In 1849 he was defeated for re-election to the Senate by
Gen'l Shields.
His passion for public life was such that he would at
any time have gladly resigned his judgeship for a politi
cal office, though not its equal in honor or salary.
Though preeminent as a judge he signally failed as a
practicing lawyer, not from want of learning, but by
reason of utter deficiency in tact and practical sense.
He was a Captain in the militia before his marriage, but
as a soldier was ludicrously out of place; very near
sighted, clumsy, awkward and an arrant coward, with
no taste, aptitude or talent whatever for the military
art. In the Black Hawk campaign he soon tired of ser
vice, and obtaining leave of absence, left the army and
returned to his home, with Gov. Reynolds and staff, by
way of Galena and the Mississippi river.
He was by no means an eloquent speaker, but a
scholarly and forcible writer. His newspaper editorials
and correspondence, his supreme court reports from
1819 to 1830, his own decisions when supreme court
justice, and his other public papers, mark well his pro
found learning and highly cultured mind. A- life-long,

360
diligent student, well versed in English, Latin and
French, also in law, literature and science, he was a
statesman as well as jurist of the highest order. Short
and dumpy in figure, M'ith large, round head and florid
face, his natural dignity and reserved manners gave him,
on the bench and in the Senate, a commanding presence
commensurate with his great intellectual abilities.
As a public official he was absolutely honorable and
incorruptible. When with his own circle of genial as
sociates he was charmingly social and affable; was fond
of dancing and of the society of ladies, but had no
affinity with the common people; was mean and narrow
in his resentments, and jealous and envious of his com
petitors. He was not a moneymaker; ignorant of prac
tical details of business beyond draM'ing his salary; was
neither charitable or benevolent, and extremely selfish.
His public labors will ever remain a splendid monu
ment to his genius, and "his opinions will live as long as
the jurisdiction of this State shall exist."*
The stand taken by Mr. Snyder in Congress for re
forming or abolishing the National Military Academy at
West Point, N. Y., was unequivocally endorsed by the
Illinois legislature in the unanimous adoption of the fol
lowing preamble and resolutions presented on Feb. 6tL,
1841, by Senator Braxton Parish:
"Whereas, It is one of the principles of a free govern
ment to impose no unnecessary taxes and burdens upon
the people, and
"Whereas, The West Point Academy was established
as a nursery for the military genius of our American
youth, thereby furnishing our army with skillful officers,
and giving that order of talent a proper direction; and
* Hon. E. B. Washburne.

361
"Whereas, also, The history of that institution, for
more than twenty years past, has demonstrated the fact
that it has failed in the objects of its creation, having
never yet furnished the army a skillful officer of ability,
but, on the contrary, has been the hotbed of favoritism
and aristocracy; and officers from that institution have,
on a late occasion, during our Seminole hostilities,
shamefully resigned at a time their country expected of
them bravery and patriotism; thus proving that there
is an inherent defect, as well in the selection, as educa
tion, of youths there; therefore, be it
"Resolved by the General Assembly, That our Senators
in Congress be instructed, and our Representatives re
quested, to use their endeavors to reform the abuses,
not only in the selection of candidates to be educated
there at the public expense, but in the education itself;
and in case both these evils cannot be removed, to vote
against any more appropriations of money for said in
stitution. "Resolrcd, That the Governor transmit a copy of these
resolutions to each member of our delegation in Con
gress." Mr. Churchill moved to amend said preamble and reso
lutions by striking out the preamble and all after the
resolving clause, and insert the following, viz:
"That our Senators in Congress be instructed, and
our Representatives be requested, to endeavor to pro
cure the abolition of the Military Academy at West
Point." The amendment was lost.
While members of the two opposing parties in the
twelfth general assembly were fiercely contending for
and against the- conspiracy of the Democrats to reor
ganize the courts in the interest of their party, they all

362
tacitly united in enacting measures much less excusable
and far more nefarious.
About the close of 1838 the Mormons driven from Clay
county, Missouri, by the citizens of that state, fled to
Illinois for protection and safety, and settled in and
around a small town called Commerce, on the Mississippi
river, in Hancock county. They at once converted the
squalid village into .a city which they named Nauvoo, or
the city of beauty. They rapidly gained accessions to
their numbers, and as all males twenty-one years of age
after residing in the State six months were entitled to
vote, they not only dominated that county politically,
but held the balance of power in the Congressional dis
trict and were a factor to be seriously considered in the
State elections. They had been expelled from Missouri
by Democrats for whom they had voted, and were treat
ed with contempt by Van Buren, the Democratic Presi
dent to whom they appealed for relief and redress.
At that juncture Col. John T. Stuart, a Whig repre
sentative in Congress from Illinois — whose constituents
they were, — and Henry Clay, the great Whig U. S. Sena
tor, championed their cause in Congress and loudly de
nounced the Democracy for persecuting them because
of their religious belief. On locating in Illinois, in grati
tude they renounced their allegiance to the Democratic
party and affiliated with their friends, the Whigs.
In 1840 they voted solidly for Harrison, for Col. John
T. Stuart for Congress, and the balance of the Whig
ticket. The Democratic leaders in the legislature — of
whom Adam W. Snyder was one of the most prominent
- -saw the great advantage to be gained by conciliating
that strange sect, who on all political questions voted
as a unit, and, if possible, winning them back to the

363
Democratic fold. The Whigs, of course, fully appreciat
ed the value of their new recruits and were very desirous
to retain them. The Mormons cared nothing for the
principles or policies of either party. They were mer
cenaries, willing to barter their votes for increased
privileges and power to the highest bidder. The bid of
both parties for the Mormon vote was the sacrifice of
self-respect, justice and honor.
Early in the extra session, Nov. 27th, 1840, Mr. Little,
Whig Senator from Hancock county, introduced a bill
for an "Act to incorporate the City of Nauvoo," in nis
county. Under that innocent-sounding title the bill
granted to the mayor and municipal government of
Nauvoo, nine-tenths of whose population were Mormons,
the most extraordinary powers. It was a charter of in
corporation, conferring upon Jo. Smith, M'ho was mayor
of Nauvoo and head of the Mormon church, and his city
council, poM'er to organize their own courts and militia
— in a word, to establish a government of their own in
dependent of State laws, and in conflict with the State's
constitution. Mr. Little, when introducing the bill, offer
ed no explanation whatever of its provisions. On
motion of William A. Richardson, Democrat Senator
representing Brown and Schuyler counties, the rules of
the Senate were dispensed with, the bill read a second
time by its title only, and then, on motion of Mr. Little,
it was referred to the Judiciary Committee, of which he
was a member.
On Dec. 5th,r Mr. Snyder, Chairman of that committee,
"reported the same back with an amendment, which
was concurred in, and the bill was ordered engrossed, as
amended, for a third reading." It, and other engrossed
bills, were not again called up in either house before r.d-

364
journment of the extra session. On the first day of the
tegular session, Dec. 7th, 1840, Mr. Snyder moved adop
tion of the following resoution: "Resolved by the Senate,
etc., That the unfinished business of the first session of
the twelfth general assembly be taken from the files of
said session and placed on the files of the present session;
and that the said unfinished business have the same
order in the present session, and be proceeded M'ith" in
the same manner as it would be if the same had or
iginated at the present session." An amendment was
offered by Senator E. D. Baker, placing tho unfinished
business of the extra session of 1839-'40 in the same
category, which was promptly defeated, and Mr. Sny
der's resolution, as introduced, adopted. The same reso
lution was adopted in the House, and then the bill toi
"Incorporate the City of Nauvoo" M'as passed by both
houses, M'ithout discussion, or roll call, and without a
negative vote in either house. It was immediatey sent
to the Council of Revision, comprising the Democrat
Governor, three Whigs and one Democrat, justices of
the supreme court, who, within three days, approved it.
On the 14th of December, 1840, Mr. Little presented
another bill for an Act "to incorporate a Church at Nau
voo," another infamous measure which, by suspension
of the, rules, was, M'ithout discussion, protest, or objec
tion, passed by the Senate to third reading on the 17th,
whereupon Mr. Little moved to amend the title of the
bill so that it would read, "An Act for the appointment
of a notary public in the city of Nauvoo," M'hich was
agreed to, and the bill was passed without roll call or a
dissenting voice. Both of Mr. Little's "Mormon Char
ters" were also passed by the House unanimously, as in
the Senate, without call of the roll, as no member of

365
either party was Milling to put himself or record as sup
porting them. The second "charter" was approved by
the Council of Kevision M'ithout hesitation, as was the
first. A third charter was also passed in the same man
ner. The active managers in securing passage of the
Mormon charters by the legislature were Senator Little,
and- Stephen A.. Douglas, then Secretary of State.
Mr. Douglas was also particularly active and efficient
as a lobbyist, in passing the revolutionary measure for
reforming the courts, and accepted one of the new su
preme court judgeships it created.
In ls.",7, he was one' of the prime movers of, and the
first to introduce in the legislature, the internal im
provement scheme that caused the State to totter on
the verge of bankruptcy. In after years, when a United
States Senator, he effected the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise, invented "Squatter Sovereignty," wrecked
the Democratic party, and thereby was instrumental,
more than any other one person in the country, in pre
cipitating civil war. Mr. Douglas' towering intellect and
impressive eloquence had, in 1840, already placed him
in the front ranks of Illinois politicians, and presaged
his future brilliant career. The power of his great mind
influenced State legislation, as it afterwards swayed
the councils of the nation. His public services, extend
ing over a period of the quarter of a century, though not
exempt from graA'e mistakes, "were certainly of great
value to the State and country at large. In history he
justly occupies a high place on the roll of celebrated
statesmen; but was the most consummate demagogue of
the age in which he lived — William E. Gladstone, per
haps, excepted.

CHAPTER XVI.
The twelfth General Assembly — Letters of Mr. Snyder to Gov. Koerner
— General Bankruptcy Law passed by Congress — Hard Times in Illi
nois in 1841 — Repudiationists and opposers of the Ganal — Availa
bility of Mr. Snyder for nomination as a Candidate for Governor —
Gov. Reynolds and his friends favor him — Mir. Snyder's views on
public questions.
On the 16th of December, 1840, the two houses of the
twelfth general assembly met in joint session to elect a
Senator in Congress to succeed Hon. John M. Robinson,
and Samuel McRoberts. was elected, receiving 77 votes,
Cyrus EdM'ards 50, and E. D. Baker 1.
The Senator elected, Samuel McRoberts, enjoyed the
distinction of being the first native of Illinois chosen*
to that position. He wasi born in Monroe county, Illi
nois, on the 20th of February, 1799. From the country
schools of his neighborhood he went to Lexington, Ken
tucky, and entered Transylvania University, and there
held high rank in the classical and law departments, in
Mhich he graduated in 1819. Returning to Illinois he
Mas elected judge of the circuit court, and held that
office until elected to the State Senate in 1828. He was
later appointed U. S. District Attorney, by President
Jackson, and resigned that office to accept, from Presi
dent Van Buren, the position of receiver of the land
office at Danville. On final settlement of his accounts
when retiring from office the government M'as found to
be in his debt to the amount of $1.65, for which he re
ceived a treasury warrant. He was next appointed, by
President Van Buren, in 1839, Solicitor of the General
Land1 Office at Washington, which he resigned in the
* Gen'l John A. Logan and Hon. Albert J. Hopkins are the only two
natives of Illinois since elected to represent the State in the United
States Senate.

GUSTAVTJS KOERNER.

367
fall of 1841. He died at Cincinnati, Ohio, March 27th,
1843, of pneumonia contracted on the Allegheny moun
tains on his return home,
. On the 18th of December the legislature elected Josiah
Lamborn, a Democrat, Attorney General, by casting for
him 75 votes, to 45 for David Woodson, a Whig, and two
for Richard Yates, another Whig. It also reapportioned
the State in accordance with the census of 1840, increas
ing the representation to 41 senators and 121 represen
tatives. The proceedings of the twelfth general assembly were
marred by unusual turbulence, and illy-suppressed bit
terness of feeling between the opposing parties engen
dered by the late fierce political contest through which
they had passed. Adam W. Snyder, the recognized
leader of the Democratic party in the legislature, always
at his post, answered to every roll call, and entered zeal
ously in every debate. From the Senate Chamber ho
M'rote to Mr. Koerner, on Feb. 6th, 1841, as follows:
"Dbab Sir: I was much pleased to receive your letter inform
ing me of your safe return home, in good health, and with the
additional satisfaction of finding your little family well.* My
health has improved some; but, at best, is bad.
"The inferior court bill, which I have not yet introduced; but
will next week, you seem to entirely misunderstand. It proposes
to appoint, by the legislature, a judge in each county to be called
the judge of the county court, and gives him all the probate juris
diction (exclusively). Second, it gives him jurisdiction in all
actions ex contractu to the amount, say, of $250, trover and con
version, trespass on personal property, replevin, qui tain actions
on penal official bonds, and appeals from justices of the peace.
To be his own clerk, have a jury, hold four terms of court each
year, keep a record, fee book and execution and judgment book.
Appeals from his court to the supreme court. From the little
* Mr. Koerner had taken the electoral vote of niinois to Washington
City.

368
time remaining of the session I doubt if it can pass. I cannot
introduce it because the Council of Revision yet have the judiciary
(reform) bill, and will probably return it with objections. It is
doubtful whether we can pass it in the House (over their veto)
with the constitutional majority as we passed it before with but
one vote majority. Many of our Democrats are, as usual, used up
by the opposition, some by promises of land offices, others by dif
ferent inducements. Today the on dit is. that the bill will not be
returned. We will, however, know on Monday or Tuesday, and I
will write you so soon as it passes.
"You can form but little idea of the excitement it has caused.
It is the lion measure of the session. I succeeded in carrying it
through the Senate after an animated discussion of two days, with
every Whig and four Democrats voting against it. I was in the
House when the grand flght on it took place. Buying up and
buying back was the order, and is yet. Not a Whig voted for it
in either house.
"The new apportionment will bring into the next legislature
120 members of the House. St. Clair county will have three as
now, and St. Clair and Madison together a, fourth. Monroe and
Randolph to have a Senator. I opposed this enormous increase;
but in vain.
"I presume we will adjourn on the first of next month — not
before. I think Mr. Shields will attend the Court; at least he
told me he would. He will bring Charley Mount up here, and
afterwards quit practice in your circuit. I doubted the propriety
of his running for office (State Auditor), but he was determined,
and then I did all I could for him, and successfully."
Writing again on the 8th of February, Mr. Snyder
said: "The judiciary (reform) bill was yesterday returned to the
Senate, where it originated, the three Whig judges (of the su
preme court) objecting to the expediency of the measure, and
Smith to the constitutionality of the act. After a most exciting
session of six or eight hours we passed it again through the Sen
ate by the vote of 23 to 16, there being one of the Whig Senators
absent. I fear much its fate in the House. The Whigs have
bought up and intimidated six of our Democrats which' gives them
a majority. The constitution requires each house to cast a, ma-

369
jority vote of all the members elected to it in order to pass a
measure over the veto of the Council of Revision. The most in
tense excitement prevails here in regard to the fate of the bill.
The Whigs and the judges of the supreme court, together with
the bank, are moving heaven and earth to defeat it. How fre
quently the people are deceived by their representatives whom
they elected upon their professions of interest in public affairs,
and loyalty to their party. The representatives here who are thus
misrepresenting their constituents are from the strongest Demo
cratic counties, with but one exception. They are, Able of Alex
ander, Hicks of Jefferson, Leary of Cook and Bussey of Champaign.
Unles-s we can secure one of these four the bill cannot be passed,
and that is now despaired of by our friends.
"Breese has adjourned his court, waiting for the passage of
. the bill in expectation, I suppose, of being elected one of the su
preme judges. Scates is here, also Ford, all waiting the tide of
their elevation.
"We have various' projects for raising State revenue. One is
a tax of thirty cents on the hundred dollars' worth of property —
all the land tax to go to the State, and the counties not to be per
mitted to levy over thirty cents on the hundred for county pur
poses. Also, to tax each deed recorded for the transfer of land
or other property, fifty cents. Tax each lawyer and physician
$10 a year for the permission to practice. Tax the Governor,
Secretary of State, Auditor and Attorney General $20 annually
each, Justices of the -Peace and Constables, $2 each; militia offi
cers, $1 each, and all others in proportion. It is proposed to tax
merchants likewise, and peddlers for license; which it is expected
will produce altogether about $380,000 a year.
"Breese left here without paying the ten dollars you left me an
order for. My wife has written me that she will need some
money before I return. Will you please hand her ten dollars. I
would not ask! this, but I have scarcely money enough with me
here to pay postage. Auditor's warrants, since the Bank refuses
to cash them, are far below par. I would have borrowed it rather
than trouble you; but my friends here, like myself, are without it.
Mr. Engelmann can have my office (building), as, I presume,
Shields will want it no longer."
—24

370 "Springfield, Feb. 9th, 1841.
"Dear Sir: I hasten to inform you that the judiciary bill has
passed the House by the vote of 46 to 43, precisely the constitu
tional majority, three Democrats voting against the bill and two
went without the bar,- refusing to vote. This is a great triumph
over the Whigs, and the present corrupt supreme court, who re
turned the bill with objections because they were personally in
terested and actuated by political motives.
"Both houses have passed a resolution to adjourn on the first
of March, and, I think, it will not be rescinded."

"Springfield, Feb. 14th, 1841.
"My Dear Sir,: Last night, in caucus, we agreed to elect
Scates, Breese, Treat, Ford and Douglas, supreme court justices.
I pressed the claims of General John M. Robinson, and got for him
twenty-seven votes; but could not succeed, for the reason that it
was doubted whether he was competent, owing to his long ab
sence from the courts, — and probably it is right. Douglas is tal
ented, but too young for the office. On the whole, however, we
could not do much better than elect him.
"On day before yesterday I succeeded in passing through my
"little court" bill. It met with one amendment in the Senate,
and that was to direct appeals from the county court to the cir
cuit court instead of the supreme court, not to be retried on their
merits but on the law. I doubt much if it can pass the House,
from the shortness of time to act, and the great timidity of many
of our tender-footed Democrats.
"McClernand is again an applicant for the office of Secretary
of State since Douglas' promotion to the supreme bench. I hardly
think he will get it. I. N. Morris, whom the Governor brought
here with him at the commencement of the session, is still hang
ing on and pressing his claims. The mass of our party here are
for McClernand. He may yet succeed; but I doubt it.
"Who would do for County Judge, in event of my bill passing,
in our county? Do you know? I think it will pay $1,500 a year
in that county for the next two or three years. Would you have
it? You know, if so, I would prefer you to any other. I doubt,
however, whether the bill can possibly pass the House.
"I suppose the Whigs in Belleville, as elsewhere, are bitter in

371
denouncing the acts of this legislature. But now we have a
Democratic supreme court, Auditor, Secretary of State, and Fund
commissioner; and have repealed out of office three Whig internal
improvement commissioners, three Whig State house commission
ers, four Whig circuit judges, and various other Whig officers;
for, in truth, we found Whigs in office everywhere. Then with
the Democratic measures and laws we passed, this legislature
must be sorely grievous to their Federal notions. Whether or
not we can sustain ourselves two years longer is in the "womb of
time." But, be that as it may, we will have discharged our duty
to our Democratic constituents, and furthered Democratic prin
ciples. I suppose you heard that on passage of the judiciary bill
the supreme court, in order to defeat it, decided the alien case;
Smith deciding that by the constitution aliens had the right to
vote; the others deciding that if a voter took the oath prescribed
by our law his vote could not be rejected, cautiously reserving the
great constitutional question to be decided when the stroke might
ruin our party — to such mean shifts did they resort to defeat the
bill. At the June term) their opinions were made upon the con
stitutional right of aliens to vote and stated they were prepared
to give it; but, owing to a defect in the record, they did' not; yet,
they would cringe to secure themselves from performing a. little
labor, and for party purposes. I feel much gratification in now
having a court that will decide all questions of a political character
upon that broad basis of liberality which suits, and conforms to,
the principles we mutually entertain.
"I have no idea of running for Congress if things will work
along without me. I suppose I will have to run for Governor.
We must prepare to hold a convention in our congressional dis
trict. My own opinion is that Hacker will run anyhow; and the
truth is, in conversing with the delegation from many parts of
the south, he will, I find, carry several Democratic counties there,
and all the Whigs in the district. I assure you Reynolds is not
popular with the representatives from his district, and, as they
say, not with the people either. They say lie is worn out, and
they are all tired of him. I prefer him to Hacker; but,
I will support him only because of party considerations. If
McClernand is appointed Secretary of- State, I know of no one
else we can nominate; but in the event that Col. McClernand is
not appointed I would prefer him (for Congress) to either of the

372
others. Running Reynolds would be an up hill business; for his
popularity is gone.
The county judges (provided for in the bill) are to be elected,
under the constitution, during good behavior; so, if the Whigs
should ever get the power they could not get them out excepting
by repealing the courts, and if the courts were popular, they could
not do it."

"Springfield, Feb. 21st, 1841.
"Dear Sir: I suppose you have learned that the "little courts"
bill failed to pass in the House, as I predicted. Our men were
too timid. They thought we had revolutionized enough, and so
it is lost. We still have passed no revenue bill, and have done
nothing to sustain the credit of the State. The very men who
voted for the internal improvement system and run the State
millions in debt, are afraid to vote one cent of taxes on their con
stituents to sustain the tottering credit of the State. The Bank
has suspended specie payment, and, I fear, will obtain enough
votes here to legalize its suspension. In the House there is no
doubt it already has a majority; but in the Senate, I still hope, we
will be able to prevent it.
"Breese is here, delighted with his promotion. The new judges
are a fine array. Entre nous, I think Trumbull will be appointed
Secretary of State in place of Douglas, resigned. Breese will ap
point a new clerk of the court in St. Clair county. I am again
sick, confined to my bed."

The twelfth general assembly authorized organization
of the counties of Grundy, Henderson, Kendall, Mason,
Piatt, Richland and Woodford, making the total number
of counties in the State ninety-four.
The foregoing letters written during that session of
the legislature by Mr. Snyder to his friend, Gustavus
Koerner, at Belleville, are now of historic interest for
the light they shed upon the spirit that animated the
writer, and objects and purposes of the party he repre
sented and, to a certain extent, controlled. Mr. Koer-

373
ner was his intimate friend to whom he always wrote
without reserve and with the most familiar freedom.;
but, it will be observed, that while, in this private and
unrestrained correspondence, the most important sub
jects of legislation are mentioned, not a word was
written relating to the Mormon charters. It may be,
however, that bis letters conveying information regard
ing those charters were not preserved by Gov. Koer
ner; or have since been lost.
As the result of his continued mental and physical
exertion, Mr. Snyder's overtaxed vital powers failed,
and before the close of the session he was compelled to
retire from the Senate' chamber1 to the seclusion of his
bed room. Incessantly coughing, chilly and feverish, he
left the Senate in the afternoon of February 19th, and
returned in a carriage to his room at the American
House, and sought bis bed, where he was confined1 for
five days. By an effort of the will he reappeared in his
seat in the afternoon of the 24th, weak, but resolute,
and for three days maintained his accustomed vigilance,
when he was again forced to take final leave of the
Senate. His last official act was voting for confirma
tion of the Governor's nomination of Lyman Trumbull
for Secretary of State, and of certain directors of the
Shawneetown. bank. He was excused from further at
tendance, and, on adjournment of the legislature, on
the 1st of March, 1841, returned, much fatigued, to his
home in Belleville.
Congress, in March, 1841, passed a general bankruptcy
law that served — before its repeal in 1843 — to relieve
many dishonest rascals from their just obligations,
thereby adding to the financial distress of their honest
and confiding creditors. Plain larceny, or burglary, is

374
more honorable than that mode of legalized robbery; for
in the former there is no violation of confidence.
Reorganization of the courts by the legislature, though
instigated, as it M'as, by party considerations alone, was
really an improvement upon the former judiciary system
of the State, by placing upon the circuits highly compe
tent judges who rendered more efficient service; and
making the supreme court an exceptionally able and
dignified tribunal.- The Mormon charters and national
bankruptcy law — twin abominations — were only pre
liminary to many other evils that afflicted the people of
Illinois in 1841. Cessation of railroad building, and col
lapse of innumerable private enterprises and schemes
for speculation that followed the sudden reaction in
financial affairs, brought the State and the people to the
very verge of ruin. Traffic in real estate M'as totally
paralyzed; commerce and trade stagnated. Values of
property and farm products fell thirty to fifty per cent.
All wanted to sell, and there were no purchasers. Debts
had been contracted by almost everyone during the flush
times of universal credit, and very few had the ability
to pay.
The banks, already suspended, were on the brink of
failure, and the next year went down carrying ruin and
disaster in their train. Their notes, already depreciated
from twelve to fifteen per cent, steadily went down lower.
The State was in debt over $300,000 for ordinary ex
penses of maintaining its government, and the State
treasury was empty, not having in its vaults sufficient
funds to pay postage on its correspondence. No further
effort was made to pay interest on the public debt, and
the State's internal improvement bonds fell in selling.
price to as low as fourteen cents on the dollar. There

375
was no sound money in the State, the only medium of
circulation being notes of banks in other states and
those of the Illinois banks, with few exceptions depre
ciated, and of doubtful value. In business transactions,
in which payments were made, a "Bank Note Detector"
was indispensable to ascertain the latest discounts on
1he several bank notes quoted. Commercial failures,
and recourse to the law for collection of debts, caused
much distress, and reduced many to absolute want.
Gen'l Harrison was inaugurated in the Presidency on
the fourth of March, 1841, and died a month later. He
was succeeded by Vice President Tyler, who nullified
the "great Whig victory of the year before by a complete
change of policy. He placed in his cabinet John C. Cal
houn, a Democrat, as Secretary of State, and blasted
the cherished hopes of the Whigs for reestablishing the
National Bank. The Whigs failed signally to make
good their vaunted promises made during the coonskin
campaign, to restore "good times" that would ensure to.
laboring men "two dollars a day and roast beef;" but
instead, wages were reduced, times became much
harder, and the Democrats elected the next Congress,
and annexed Texas. There is always a numerous class
of our people who hold the party in power responsible
for calamities occurring to the country from natural
causes, such as general failure of crops, financial panics.
and even visitations of cholera, or other malignant epi
demics. The Whigs were unfortunate in having gained
their only national victory at the time when the whole
country was commercially prostrated by recent collapse
of wild internal improvement projects and bank suspen
sions, for which their party, had, somehow, to bear the
blame. In Illinois the Whig party continued its organi-

376
zation with barely strength enough to keep the Demo
cratic party united by its opposition. Though the mili
tary prestige of Gen'l Zachary Taylor — as that of Gen'l
Harrison in 1840 — swept the national Whig party in
power in 1848 for the second and last time, at the elec
tion in that year the Democrats of Illinois gave Gen'l
Cass a majority over Gen'l Taylor of 3,253, re-elected
Gov. French without opposition, elected six of the seven
congressmen, all the State officers and a majority in
both branches of the legislature.
The Whigs of Illinois in 1856 transformed into the
Republican party, with large accession of former Demo
crats, elected Col. Bissell, Governor, by a majority of
4,732, though at the same election the Democrats car
ried the State for Buchanan for President by 9,159.
Mr. Snyder's health, that for four years had gradually
declined, Mas somewhat recuperated by rest and return
of warmer weather. He passed much of his time in the
open air, combatting by every known agency the en
croachments of the inexorable disease that had marked
him for its victim. Mingling with the people as usual
—meeting all with his accustomed friendly interest, he
discussed with them the gloomy aspect of affairs in
which they were all vitally concerned. Always an opti
mist, he was disposed to a more cheerful view of the
situation than existing facts really warranted. Hard
times, occasioned by depression of business and
scarcity of money, he argued, were but temporary, and
would soon be dispelled by influx of immigration and
increasing M'ealth, and rapid development of the State's
resources. The State, he said, was young and strong,
and could, by careful management, easily overcome the
calamities resulting from unfortunate mistakes of the

377
last few years, and restore confidence and prosperity.
In his opinion, no honorable man could for a moment
harbor the thought of repudiating either public or per
sonal obligations legally contracted; but, on the con
trary, would do all in his power to effect a fair and
honest adjustment of all liabilities.
With undiminished industry he continued his profes
sional work and other ordinary pursuits, without relax
ing his interest, and influence, in the management of his
political party in the State. He was constantly in the
care of one or more competent physicians, and observed
every precautionary measure advised by them for im
provement of his health. As usual, he paid the penalty
of his prominent social and public position in not being
permitted to dwell in solitude or quietude. Politicians
from all parts of the State' came to consult him about
the welfare of the party, or their own; old friends called
to see him; clients, doctors, lawyers, editors, paid him
attentions that often extended to annoyance and were
positively detrimental to his impaired physical con
dition. He might well have prayed to be saved from his
friends; but, grateful for their friendship, confidence
and sympathy, he entertained them all with his accus
tomed courteous cheerfulness.
Until adoption of the constitution of 1847, State elec
tions in Illinois were held on the first Monday in August.
From breaking up of winter until August the agricul
tural classes were busily engaged with their crops and
harvests and had no time to spare to attend political
meetings and listen to public discussions. Consequent
ly, aspirants to office usually began their campaign early
in the year preceding that of the election, sometimes in
the spring before, in order to obtain a hearing, and ex-

378
pression of views from the people, especially the farm
ers, at the season when they were most. at leisure. So
it was that in the spring of 1841 there already was mani
fested general interest in the selection of candidates for
the various offices to be voted for in August, 1842. An
additional reason for early interest in that election was
the extraordinary financial embarrassment of the State
and people. Party feeling was still intense, and each
party, by promising to extricate the State from existing
difficulties, hoped to gain or retain ascendency in the
State government. Neither party, however, had adopted
a definite line of policy to guide their action in future
State legislation, and few, if any, applicants for office
dared to commit themselves to the support of measures
that might possibly be distasteful to the people. Many,
too, of both parties openly advocated repudiation of the
entire State debt incurred for internal improvements.
With the exception of that portion of the Northern
Cross road from Meredosia to Springfield, work on all
the projected railroads was discontinued. Excavation
of the Illinois and Michigan Canal was still prosecuted
with vigor by a large force of laborers. That the canal,
iooked upon by many as a sectional enterprise designed
to benefit but a limited northern locality, should be
pushed ahead at public expense when all improvements
south of a central line were abandoned, created much
dissatisfaction and jealousy, particularly in the southern
counties. For and against completion of the canal
therefore became an issue upon which candidates for
office M'ere called upon to define their position.
The leading politicians in the twelfth general assem
bly found time, in intervals of their arduous labors, to
Qiscuss the availability of candidates for the general

379
election in 1842. By almost unanimous agreement the
choice of the Democrats for Governor, to succeed Gov.
Carlin, was Adam W. Snyder. No one else was serious
ly considered in that connection. Many of the Demo
cratic newspapers of the State at once placed his name
at the head of their editorial columns as their first
choice for the place. Public meetings were held by the
Democracy in Perry, Bond, Cass, St. Clair, Washington
and other counties, and resolutions adopted by them
strongly recommending him for the nomination. Gov.
Reynolds and the entire Reynolds faction were among
his active supporters.
Candor was a preeminent trait of Mr. Snyder's charac
ter. He had convictions, and expressed them frankly
whenever occasion required him to do so. His views
upon public questions were never doubtful or am
biguous, and they were generally known by the people.
To that characteristic was due much of his strength as
a leader. Relying upon his honesty of purpose and
sound judgment, Democrats who disagreed with him en
minor points, waived their differences of opinion, and
M'ere his unfailing friends.
The long political campaign preparatory to the August
election of 1842 was formally opened by a large mass
meeting of citizens at Belleville on the 18th of July,
1841. Mr. Snyder, loudly called for by the assembled
people, addressed them for an hour in a manner that
stirred his audience to a high pitch of enthusiasm.
Without hesitation he boldly declared himself in favor
of rpeedy completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal;
of imposing additional taxes to provide State revenue;
of reduction of public expenses so far as was consistent
with the State's welfare; of reducing the number of

380
representatives in the legislature; of total disconnection
of the State and banks, and of strict fulfillment of all
legal contracts made by the State, in which value was
received. His vieM's were adopted, by resolutions, as
the voice of the meeting, and by the Democratic party
of the State as its platform of principles in the ap
proaching contest.
Discussion of public questions and of probable candi
dates, the cheerless aspect of business, the new supreme
court, default of interest payment on the internal im
provements debt; the bankrupt law; the defection of
President Tyler to the party that elected him, bitter
ness of party spirit, and prevailing depression, suspense
and uneasiness, kept the people of Illinois in a ferment
of excitement and unrest all through the summer of
1841. But, neither failure of banks, nor gigantic State
debt, hard times, or fear of taxation, checked the stream
of immigrants pouring into the State. Calamities, de
plored by the people, lowered values of property, and
thus offered tempting investments for foreign capital.
In that way the misfortunes of the State contributed to
its ultimate benefit; as many of the new comers, attract
ed by inviting opportunities, brought capital and em
ployed it in substantial enterprises and improvements.
Mr. Snyder remained at home, making no journeys be
yond the limits of St. flair county, excepting an occa
sional visit to St. Louis. Early in September he went
one day to Lebanon, twelve miles northeast of Belle
ville, accompanied by his entire family, and there entered
his two older sons, William H. and Frederick A., as
freshmen in McKendree college, from which venerable
institution they graduated in due time. He drove there
again, with his wife and youngest son, to see them, at

381
intervals of a few weeks until the rigors of winter con
fined him to his home. When in Lebanon, on those
pleasant excursions, he was entertained at the Mermaid
Tavern, whose portly and affable landlord was Capt.
Lyman Adams, a Connecticut sea captain, who abandon
ed the briny deep for quiet rural life near the border of
beautiful Looking Glass Prairie. His tavern, scur-
rilously described by Charles Dickens in the account he
gave in his American Notes, of his visit to the Prairie in
1842, Mras a large, old-fashioned, two-story frame build
ing, on the southeastern corner of the public square.
The name of the house was designated by a large sign
board, six by four feet square, on the top of a tall, stout
post planted on the road side near the street corner, on
each side of which was painted a charming mermaid
standing on her curved tail on the green waves, holding
in her left hand a looking glass, and with her right hand
combing her long golden tresses.
In the meantime the friends and admirers of Mr. Sny
der in all parts of the State were industriously pressing
his claims to the nomination for Governor. The follow
ing letter from the columns of the Springfield State
Register, is a sample of the same import appearing in
the Democratic papers of the State:
"BLOOMINGTON, III., Oct. 3d, 1841.
"Gentlemen: In traveling through some of the northern
counties, including Logan, DeWitt and McLean, I was pleased to
find that there isi but one opinion with respect to a candidate for
Governor. Adam W. Snyder, of St. Clair county, is the man
fixed upon by the people for the office wherever I have been, and,
so far as I can learn, throughout the State. It is highly gratify
ing to see such unanimity on the subject. I know him well and
can safely say that the people . of the State cannot make a wiser
or worthier choice. He is identified with the State and its in
terests ever since the founding of our State government. He is
emphatically a western man — a fearless, talented, manly states
man, and sound, unflinching Democrat — in a word, he is a man
of the people. A DEMOCRAT."

382
Mr. Snyder was grateful for the loyalty of his friends
and party to his interests in his aspirations for distinc
tion and high position in the State; but the zealous am
bition that prompted his earlier political efforts was
measurably subdued by his protracted illness and
gloomy prospects for much longer resisting it. He ex
erted himself very little to secure the nomination, as he
felt assured the convention would tender it to him un
asked, and concluded, if it did so, he would enter the
campaign as standard bearer of the Illinois Democracy,
actuated as much by sense of duty and obligations as
from any earnest desire for the office of Governor. He
M'as a firm, unswerving partisan, valuing success of the
cause he believed to be right above all personal honors;
and for that end would willingly make any reasonable
personal sacrifice.
In October, 1841, a meeting of the Peoria Democracy
was held in that city for the purpose of selecting dele
gates to represent Peoria county in the Democratic
State Convention called to meet in December, at Spring
field. The delegates then and there chosen, regarding
completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal of vital
importance to their county and section of the State, ad
dressed a note of inquiry to each of several prominent
men who had been, more or less, mentioned as probable
candidates before the convention for nomination for
Governor, to ascertain their views upon the canal ques
tion. To their note sent Mr. Snyder he at once answer
ed as follows: "Belleville, III., Oct. 31st, 1841,
"Messrs. W. H. Thompson, Alec. Dunlap, n. H. purple and
Onslow Peters, Delegates to the Democratic Convention, at
Springfield, from Peoria County:
"Gentlemen: "I have received your letter of the 18th inst. propounding cer-

383
tain interrogatories, enclosed with the 'Proceedings of the Peoria
meeting for appointment of Gubernatorial delegates.'
"The following are the interrogatories: '1st. Are you in favor
of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and of completing its construc
tion at an early day?'
" '2d. If you should receive the nomination of the Democratic
convention to be holden at Springfleld in December next, and
should you be elected Governor of this State at the ensuing August
election, would you use your official influence and power to procure
an early completion of the canal; and would you be in favor of
using the revenues and credit of the State to effect that object as
far as it can be done without manifest injustice and oppression
to any portion of the State?'
"To both interrogatories I unhesitatingly answer in the affirma
tive. "I do not deem it necessary to enter into the numerous reasons
that could have frequently been given why the canal should be
completed, and consequently will trouble you with but few. In my
opinion the speedy completion of the canal would do much to inspire
confldence in the State, and elevate its credit and character abroad.
It would greatly increase the value of our products and property.
The tolls derived from it, and the value imparted by its comple
tion to canal lands, would aid us in the payment of our interest,
and enable the State to progress with other useful improvements.
"After the expenditure of four millions of dollars, the work
very far towards completion, I cannot entertain the idea for a
moment that it will be abandoned. Every consideration of sound
policy and State pride would forbid it.
"I look forward with much confidence to its early completion,
and, whether in a public or private capacity, my humble but
zealous efforts will be found promoting that result.
"I am, very respectfully, your ob'd'nt servant,
"A. W. Snyder.
"To Messrs. W. H. Thompson, &c, Delegates, &c."
The Peoria Press published above letter and added,
"No replies from other gentlemen addressed on the sub
ject, have, as yet, been received."

CHAPTER XVII.
The Democratic State Convention of 1841— Mr. Snyder nominated for
Governor — Resigns his office of State Senator — His continued ill
health — The Mormons declare in his favor — Dr. Joseph Green —
Gen'l Joseph Duncan chosen by the Whigs as their candidate for
Governor — Death and burial of Mr. Snyder — Removal of his
remains.
The Democratic State convention, called to nominate
candidates of the party for Governor and Lieutenant
Governor, met at Springfield on the 5th of December,
1841. It was a representative gathering of the Illinois
Democracy, with delegates from 88 of the 96 counties, in
attendance. Mr. Snyder did not attend the convention.
The delegates from St. Clair county were Gustavus
Koerner, William H. Underwood, Philip B. Foulke,
David W. Hopkins, John Sheel, John Simpson, Henry
W. Moore and Phillip Penn.
The convention was organized by election of Major
William Edmonson, of McDonough county, temporary
chairman, who, after thanking the assembly for the
honor in a short but spirited speech, appointed the usual
committees, on permanent organization, credentials,
resolutions, etc. The time occupied by deliberations of
the committees was utilized by eminent Democrats in
addressing the large assemblage "on the issues of the
day." Reports of the committees were offered and adopted.
That on permanent organization recommended Hon.
Revill W. English, of Greene county, for permanent pie-
siding officer, and the convention unanimously con
firmed their choice. Nominations for a candidate for
Governor being then in order, Major Edmonson arose,
and in an eloquent and earnest speech, interrupted and

385
endorsed by loud and frequent bursts of applause, placed
Hon. Adam W. Snyder, of St. Clair county, in nomina
tion as the convention's choice for the office of Governor
of Illinois. A delegate from Union county then offered
for the same position, Hon. Milton K. Alexander, of
Edgar county. On call of the counties by the Secretary,
148 delegates voted for the nomination of Mr. Snyder,
and 11 for Mr. Alexander; whereupon the President of
the convention declared that Hon. Adam W. Snyder,
having received a majority of all the votes cast, was the
chosen candidate of the party for Governor.
For Lieutenant Governor, five aspirants were offered
to the convention to be balloted for, namely: John
Moore, of McLean county; Samuel Hackelton, of Lee;
Peter Cartwright, of Sangamon; William A. Richardson,
of Schuyler, and Milton K. Alexander, of Edgar. On
the fifth ballot Mr. Moore received 66 votes, Mr. Hackel
ton 5, Mr. Cartwright 17, Mr. Bichardson 48, and Mr.
Alexander 5. Mr. Moore was therefore declared the
nominee for Lieutenant Governor, having received a ma
jority of the votes of all the delegates. Mr. Morris, an
Adams county delegate, then offered the following reso
lution : "Resolved, that this Convention now unanimously
nominate Adam W. Snyder of St. Clair county, for Gov
ernor, and John Moore,* of McLean county, for Lieuten-
* John Moore was born in Lincolnshire, England, Sept. Sth, 1793, and
came to Illinois in 1830, settling on a farm in McLean county. He
was elected to represent that county in the lower house of the State
legislature in the tenth and eleventh general assemblies, 1836 to 1840;
and elected to the State Senate in 1840. He was elected Lieutenant
Governor on the ticket with Thomas Ford, in 1842, receiving 45,567 votes
to 38,426 given his Whig opponent, William H. Henderson, of Putnam
county. At the outbreak of the Mexican war, in 1846, he enlisted as a
private soldier, and, in organization of the Fourth regiment of Illinois
volunteers, was elected its Lieutenant Colonel, and served through the
war with marked credit. In 1848 he was appointed State treasurer to
fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Milton Carpenter. In 1850
he was elected to that office, and continued, by re-elections, serving
with ability and fidelity, in that office until 1857, earning for his faith
fulness to bis trust the title of "honest" John Moore. He died, honored
and esteemed by all who knew him, on the 23d of September, 1863.
—25

386
ant Governor," which was adopted with ringing cheers
and other demonstrations of approval. The convention,
having no further business before it, then adjourned.
When the result was known, in Belleville a large con
course of citizens, of both parties, called upon Mr. Sny
der to congratulate him upon his nomination, with
fervent hopes for his speedy restoration to health. Of
his election not the least doubt was entertained by any.
Advancing winter had already told M'ith depressing
effect upon his shattered system; but, cheered and in
vigorated by the spontaneous and cordial homage of his
fellow citizens, he rallied and in a brief and feeling
speech announced his readiness to lead his party in the
approaching contest; and, with heartfelt gratitude, ex
pressed his appreciation of their kind solicitude for bis
welfare. When notified by the Secretary of the con
vention of his nomination he immediately resigned his
office of State Senator.
The action of the convention met the full approbation
of all the Democratic papers of the State ; and the can
didates it presented were enthusiastically endorsed in
terms of which the following extract from an editorial
of the Springfield State Register, of Dec. 17th, 1841, is a
fair sample:
"Col. Adam W. Snyder, of St. Clair county, and John Moore,
Esq., of McLean, who have been nominated as Democratic candi
dates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor by the convention are
well known by our people generally, particularly the former. They
are known as honest, high-minded and patriotic men, devoted to
the principles of the Democratic faith, and to the welfare of the
State. Few men in the western country stand higher in intellec
tual strength than Col. Snyder. He is known as one possessing
the brightest order of talents, great strength of mind, and energy
of character. Mr. Moore is known as a plain farmer, a, hard work
ing man — possessing excellent talents and much firmness and en
ergy, &c."

387
The Shelbyville Herald of Jan. 3d, 1842, said in part:
"There is no man more generally or more favorably known to
the people of niinois than Col. Snyder. He has resided in the
State for more than twenty years, during which time he repre
sented the people of his county and district in both the State and
National legislatures. As a man of talents Col. Snyder ranks
among the first in Illinois, and even the tongue of slander has
never yet dared to assail his private character."
No State convention was called by the Whigs, but
shortly after adjournment of the Democratic conven
tion, a caucus of leading Whigs of the State agreed
upon Gen'l Joseph Duncan, of Morgan county, as the
candidate of their party for Governor, and William H.
Henderson, of Putnam county, for Lieutenant Governor.
Up to that time the Mormon attitude, in relation to the
political parties of the State was very uncertain. Conse
quently, the people of Nauvoo, and the extraordinary
privileges and powers granted them by the last legisla
ture, M'ere mentioned with respectful caution, if men
tioned at all, in connection with the next election, by the
press and leaders of either party. The Mormons hav
ing voted the Whig ticket at the last general election,
and their demands upon the twelfth general assembly
having been championed successfully by Mr. Little, their
Whig Senator, the Whig leaders fondly hoped they
might again rely upon the united Mormon support at
future elections. The leading Democrats, however,
were neither asleep nor idle, but very alert. To Stephen
A. Douglas, then a justice of the supreme court, they
delegated the management of the Mormons, and his
blandishments were successful in turning the scale of
Mormon influence in favor of his party. Having duly
considered the arguments advanced by Judge Douglas in
support of the Democratic party and its candidate for

388
Governor, Jo. Smith, the Mormon Prophet and leader,
absolute in his realm in political as well as ecclesias
tical matters, published a proclamation in the Nauvoo
papers declaring Judge Douglas "a master spirit," and
exhorting his people to vote for Mr. Snyder.
His exhortation, equivalent to a command, blasted
every hope of the Whigs for aid in that quarter. See
ing they were outgeneraled by the Democrats, their
leader, Gov. Duncan, determined to make, if possible,
the Mormon charters the main question of the campaign.
The Democrats would, without doubt, have pursued the
same course had Jo Smith decided to give his support to
the Whigs. Mr. Snyder when chairman of the State
Judiciary Committee, to which the infamous measures
concocted by Senator Little were referred, had reported
them favorably, and they were passed without roll call,
or a dissenting vote from any member of either party,
then approved by the Council of Revision, a majority of
whom were Whigs.
Morally, the two parties were equally guilty of de
grading justice and prostituting legislative poM'er for
party ends. But, the Democrats were in the ascendency
in both houses of the legislature that legalized those
measures, and, obviously, could have defeated their pas
sage, and did not. Consequently, as their party was,
by the majority principle underlying Democratic, or Re
publican, government, justly held responsible for all
legislation when in power, Gov. Duncan maintained that
Mr. Snyder was estopped from pleading the Whig origin
of those monstrous Mormon charters, and Whig agency
in their enactment.
In the year elapsed since they were granted the Mor
mons bad gained large accessions to their numbers by

389
immigration, and had grown to be a voting factor of
great power in State elections. Alarmed by their rapid
ly increasing strength the "Gentile" citizens regarded
them with suspicion and distrust. The Mormons, con
scious of the advantage they held, became arrogant and
insolent, and the friction between the two soon ripened
to open hostilities. The Whig press and orators all
over the State took up the cause of the settlers, and
charged the Mormons with lawlessness, crime and every
species of moral and social corruption and wickedness;
and contended that candidates supported by their votes
M'ere no better than Mormons themselves. They had be
come very odious to the citizens of Hancock county but-
side of Nauvoo, and were, no doubt, very undesirable
neighbors. To the growing aversion to them, spreading
over the State, Gov. Duncan appealed, and upon that
sentiment alone based his hope of election.
Mr. Snyder was confined to his room all winter, much
of the time to his bed, wasted by distressing cough,
hectic fever, and other usual symptoms of the dreadful
disease that for almost five years had been insidiously
sapping his vitality. Through the long bleak winter he
battled heroically for an extension of his lease of life.
He resisted the inevitable with all the force of his strong
will. He had but little fear of death, and still less, if
possible, of the mythical future; but earnestly desired a
few years respite from that doom for the welfare of his
family by his further exertions, and for attaining the
goal of his financial and political aspirations. The best
physicians accessible attended him daily, and exhausted
their knowledge and skill and all available resources of
medical art for his aid. He was surrounded by all com
forts and luxuries to be procured, regardless of expense.

390
The markets far and near were drawn upon for delica
cies to tempt his feeble appetite and sustain his failing
strength. Drug stores were in daily requisition for the
latest and most efficacious remedies and appliances to
stay or mitigate the ravages of the pitiless malady.
Friends, of both parties and all creeds, clustered around
him, exerting themselves to cheer and encourage him
and otherwise lighten the dreariness of his affliction.
At times he was very despondent; and again, buoyed up
• — as all consumptives are — by flattering hope of over
coming, at least for a time, the horrid scourge that held
him in its grasp, his eyes sparkled and cheeks flushed
with animation, as he spoke with confident eagerness of
the contest he expected soon to be engaged in.
In February, 1842, the death of an old and trusted
friend cast over him a shade of melancholy and dejec
tion with dispiriting effect. Dr. Joseph Green, for many
years his physician and intimate associate, was — as him
self — a victim of the same fatal disease that was nearing
its final exhaustive stage when the cold breath of incom
ing winter, at the close of 1841, confined them both to
their respective homes, situated but the distance of a
rifle shot apart. Dr. Green was born in Reading, Pennsyl
vania, in February, 1784, and came to Belleville in 1817,
where he resided the remainder of his life. In 1822 he
married the widow of Alphonso C. Stuart who was killed
by Timothy Bennet in a duel at Belleville in 1819. In
1827 Dr. Green issued The Western News, the first news
paper published in St. Clair county; and, in 1836, he was
elected to represent that county in the legislature. Na
tives of the same state, arriving in Illinois about the
same time, entertaining many views in common, and,
both members of the Masonic order, Dr. Green and Mr.
Snyder were, from their first acquaintance, unflagging

391
friends. Unable longer to visit each other, they had
recourse to almost daily written corespondence, to while
away the tedium of their doleful imprisonment, and in
spire each other with hope, that both knew was base
less. Dr. Green's last communication to Mr. Snyder,
dated Feb. 15th, was filled with feeling expressions ol
his life-long friendship and esteem, and concluded with
the most touching and pathetic farewell. His death fol
lowed in a few days — on the 20th of February, 1842.
With iron determination Mr. Snyder still contended
bravely with the merciless enemy in the continued un
equal combat. The long, cheerless winter wore slowly
away, and when the blustery month of March was usher
ed in with roaring blast, contrary to all expectations, he
revived perceptibly. As spring advanced Nature re
sumed her smiling aspect ,of sunshine and verdure and
bursting buds, tempting the invalid to emerge from his
M/earisome hibernation into the fresh, invigorating air.
Daily carriage exercise gave him some increase of
strength and animation. In April he walked daily to
his office and the court house during the spring term of
circuit court and attended to some matters of legal busi
ness. At that time Judge John Milton Scott, who in after
years became an eminent justice, and chief justice, of
the Illinois supreme court, and who left at his death an
estate valued at |200,000, was operating a wool carding
machine for William C. Davis, in Belleville, at a salary
of $7 per month and board, and employed his spare time
in reading law books loaned to him by William C. Kin
ney. He was born and educated in St. Clair county, and
was personally acquainted with Mr. Snyder of whom he
remarks:* * The Supreme Court of Illinois. By J. M. Scott, Bloomington, Hi.,
1896, pp. 170-209-320.

392
"Adam Wilson Snyder was one of the lawyers of recognized
ability and worth that constituted the early bar of the supreme
court, and achieved distinction at the bar in law and in advocacy.
* * * He had many qualities that fitted him ¦ for politics.
Perhaps he had more fondness for politics than for the law. In
1834 he was a candidate for Congress, but was defeated by Gov.
Reynolds. Between the two there was a constant rivalry. The
contest was renewed in 1836, when he overcame Reynolds and was
elected a member of Congress. Mr. Snyder conducted an able and
vigorous campaign — not always, however, devoid of some bitter
ness. He was too honorable and dignified in his bearing to cope
successfully with Gov. Reynolds in the low arts of the mere poli
tician. In 1841, Mr. Snyder was nominated by the Democratic
convention for Governor of the State, and would without doubt
have been elected had he lived till the time of election.
Notwithstanding he was so much engaged in political and busi
ness affairs, he still practiced law with a. good measure of success.
Perhaps the last legal argument he ever made was made in the
old court house in Belleville, rendered notably famous by the de
scription of its location given by Mr. Dickens in his American
Notes, which, by the way, is as meanly untrue as anything he ever
wrote. * * * * When Mr. Snyder was making his last argu
ment in that old court house, that had been the scene of many of
his triumphs, his very appearance is still remembered by a few
contemporaries that still survive. It was not long before his
death. Ill health had before that time so impaired his strength,
he had given up the general practice of the law. Much attention
was attracted by his personal appearance. Standing in the pres
ence of the court, much debilitated by long sickness it was evident
to everyone who heard him, he was making his last legal argu
ment, and that fact, coupled with a high personal regard, caused
him to be heard with unusual interest. The end of his life came
soon. Had Mr. Snyder had more vigorous health and had he
lived he would have been one of the most prominent men in the
State. He died during his canvass for Governor of the State.
Having received the nomination of his party he would surely have
been elected Governor of the State had he lived."
He was in constant communication with prominent
men of his party all over the State, and amost every day

393
one or more of them came to consult him personally re
garding the conduct of the campaign. He intended'soon
to assume active management of it himself, commencing
at Alton, or Springfield, with an address to the people.
But April had not yet passed when his temporary and
deceptive improvement began to fail. With advancing
of the spring season he became weaker. The weather,
delightfully warm and pleasant — such as had for the
past four summers revived and invigorated him — now
had a debilitating, prostrating effect. Still, he strug
gled against fate and clung to illusive hope.
Hon. Amos Thompson, who came with his parents to
St. Clair county, Illinois, in 1818, writing, on the 4th of
July, 1809, then at the age of 92 years, said: "One
pleasant day, when walking through the public square
in Belleville, I observed him (Adam W. Snyder) sitting-
alone under one of the small shade trees then standing
on the square. I approached him, and our greetings
were most cordial. After our conversation the last
words I heard him speak were the following: 'Thomp
son, is it not hard that now I am prepared to live, and
to serve my country, I must die?' That was the last
time I saw him alive. Gov. Koerner and myself were
two of his pall bearers. I have forgotten who the others
were." It seemed to him a cruel fate to be compelled to retire
from the field of action in the meridian of life, when the
objects for which he had manfully labored and given
all the energies of body and mind, were apparently with
in his grasp.
By the first of May he could no longer leave his room.
He fully realized the long hard battle he had waged
with the worst of human ills was near its close, and that

394
he was vanquished; and begged to be left alone with his
family. Politicians were excluded from his chamber,
and but few of his friends admitted. Ministers came to
pray for him, and were politely invited into the parlor,
down stairs, to pray there, as he did not wish to be dis
turbed. Assisted from, his bed to an inclined chair by
the open window he inhaled the bracing air fragrant
M'ith the breath of apple blossoms, and gazed in silence
at the radiant sky and fresh green grass, and the un
folding leaves and flowers joyous with the hum of bees
and song of birds. No word of repining escaped his lips,
but the deep sigh and moistened eyes revealed the men
tal anguish he suffered.
Thus he passed the first week of the lovely month of
May. In a few days more he was unable to sit up or
leave his bed. The tide was ebbing fast. He could no
longer speak; but his bright mind remained unclouded.
Conscious that his last hour on earth had arrived he
hoarsely whispered an affectionate farewell to his
mourning family, servants and friends gathered around
his bed, and calmly, as though sinking into a quiet sleep,
his life ceased, at 4 o'clock p. in., on Saturday, May 14th,
1842, at the age of 42 years, 7 months and 8 days.

Two hours later, the Belleville Advocate — edited by
Philip B. Foulke, who subsequently represented that
district in Congress — issued an extra containing the fol
lowing notice :
"Died — At his residence, in Belleville, on Saturday, the 14th
day of May, A. D., 1842, the Honorable Adam Wilson Snyder, in
the 43d year of his age, after a lingering illness of several months,
from which his physicians, himself and his numerous friends
throughout the State, had hoped and expected he would recover.
"For several weeks, up to a few days past, Mr. Snyder had im-

395
proved in strength, and strong hopes were entertained of his ulti
mate recovery; but his disease, which was an affection of the
lungs, terminated in dropsy of the heart, and carried him off about
4 o'clock p. m., with little pain, and without a struggle. His mind
was calm and composed, and he took leave of his family with
every token of the strongest affection and deepest sensibility, and
exhibited, in the last dread hour, the resignation and courage of a
good and virtuous man; as he had always endeavored to do unto
all men as he would that they should do unto him.
"We commiserate the numerous and afflicted family and rela
tives of the deceased, who have lost, in him, a, kind, true-hearted
and affectionate friend, companion and parent. We grieve that
society has lost one of its noblest ornaments, and the State of Illi
nois one of her most useful, public-spirited and patriotic citizens—
a man so well qualified to serve his country, and reflect honor on
its highest station.
"We grieve, too, that what we believe to be the cause of Democ
racy, of correct political principles, and of sound legislation, has
lost in Mr. Snyder one of its ablest and most eloquent champions.
Long will it be before his place is filled by a man equally bold,
zealous and independent. His temperament was ardent, and his
mind one of the most active and energetic ever created in a, tene
ment of clay. Those who were unacquaintd with him can form
little idea of- the strength and fervor of his convictions, the candor
and, liberality of his opinions, the brilliancy of his intellect, and
the benevolence and goodness which shone forth in every feature
of his character, and rendered him the delight and admiration of
all who knew him. Manliness was written on his brow, and ,the
milk of human kindness flowed around his heart. No man in
political life ever exhibited less personal hostility towards op
ponents, or greater charity in judging the motives of men. He
was zealous without bigotry — firm and consistent without ar
rogance, and uncompromising in his political views without the
least mixture of malice or dogmatism, or that rancor of feeling
which too often characterizes party strife.
"We might say of him as was said of a Roman patriot:
" 'His life was gentle,
And the elements so mixed in him,
That nature might stand lip to all the world
And say,, this was a man.'

396
"But the present is not the occasion, nor have we the ability
to do justice to the character of Adam W. Snyder. We will leave
that duty to some of those who knew him longer, and are better
qualified to portray his noble qualities.
(Here followed a sketch of his genealogy and political career).
"At the time of his death he was the candidate of his party for
Governor; and had his life and health been spared him he would
certainly have exercised the powers of that high office, with honor
to himself and with great advantage and lasting benefit to the
State of his adoption. He has gone, however, and with him have
perished his own sanguine hopes and expectations, together with
the ardent wishes of a vast circle of friends and :admirers."
In its next issue the Advocate said:
"The remains of Col. Snyder were followed to the grave last
Monday morning by a. concourse of friends never before equaled
in numbers, in this county on any previous occasion of a similar
nature. "A cloud of despondency and gloom seemed to hang over the
minds of all present; the dark shades of grief were visible on
every countenance. All gave abundant evidence how deeply they
sympathized with the bereaved family and relatives of the de
ceased. Col. Snyder is no more. The sudden change of his dis
ease under which he labored is attributed to exposure in riding
out during inclement weather. It was while taking his usual
morning ride that Col. Snyder was overtaken by a shower of rain,
and returned home with his clothes completely saturated with
water which threw him into a relapse that terminated his ex
istence."* The Illinois State Register of May 20th, 1842, said edi
torially, in part:
"With feelings of deepest regret we learn that the Hon. A. W.
Snyder is no more. He departed this life on the 14th inst. at his
* From the date of Mr. Snyder's nomination for Governor the Whig
papers throughout the State industriously circulated the (too true)
report that he was an invalid far gone with consumption; and. if elected,
would not long survive his inauguration. The Advocate sturdily con
tradicted those statements, and asserted Mr. Snyder was only tem
porarily indisposed, and in a fair way. to recovery. This explains tlTe
Advocate's assertion, in its obituary notice, of sudden metastasis of
Mir. Snyder's disease to -'dropsy of the heart;" and also the sudden
relapse from exposure to a shower of rain, in the funeral notice; neither
of which assertions had any basis in fact.

397
residence in Belleville, and has left a bereaved wife and family
and a large circle of friends to bewail his loss. But his loss will be
sincerely felt, not only by his friends and family, but by the public
generally. The brightest hopes were entertained by a, large por
tion of his fellow citizens that Mr. Snyder was fitted by his ex
perience, honesty and ability to aid essentially in extricating the
State from its present difficulties. With these inspiring hopes he
was selec-led by the Democratic party as their candidate for Gov
ernor; but death has fixed his seal of sorrow upon all those ex
pectations. He is gone and a generous people will mourn his loss
and grieve over his death as a public calamity."

Gen'l Usher F. Linder, in his "Early Bench and Bar
of Illinois," written in 1875, says of Mr. Snyder:
"He was a most elegant gentleman, and was the only man that
ever beat old Governor Reynolds for Congress. * * * *• I
never knew a man possessing higher colloquial and conversational
powers. He was never at a loss for a word or idea. * * *
I never enjoyed a richer treat than the society and conversation
of Adam W. Snyder. Had he lived he certainly would have been
Governor beyond all doubt, for he was decidedly the most popular
Democrat in the State of Illinois."
From a sketch of Mr. Snyder in the History of St. Clair
County, published in 1881, the following extracts are,
taken: "In 1841 he was made the Democratic candidate for Governor;
but died while the campaign was in progress. His election as
Governor was assured had he lived. * " * * As a lawyer Mr.
' Snyder was remarkable for his power over a jury. Between the
jury1 and him there seemed to be) a feeling of friendly fellowship,
and the former nearly always set it down that he was right, and
gave, him a verdict accordingly. His speeches were always brief,
pointed and forcible. He rarely ever spoke more than half an
hour; but that time was sufficient for him to gain a wonderful in
fluence over the minds of the jurors. In the defense of Gannett,
who was tried at Carlyle for the murder of O'Harnette, he spoke
one hour; but this was the longest speech to a jury h<* was ever
known to make."

398
In his personal memoirs, written in 1894,. among hisi
references to Mr. Snyder, Gov. Koerner says:
"While Mr. Snyder was aspiring and ambitious, yet in all his
conversations and letters he never urged his claims as absolute.
He was always willing to subordinate them to what he supposed
was the good of the party. He was one of the least selfish poli
ticians I have ever known. * * * * He was so loyal to his
friends, and yet so open and courteous to his opponents that he
really had no personal enemies."
Rev. William F. Boyakin, D. D., a contemporary of Mr.
Snyder, in Belleville, now (1903) 95 years of age, writing
of him in a series of personal sketches to the newspa
pers of that city in 1896, said of him :
"Onward and upward he moved in the trust and confidence of
the people, and in political position, till he was just preparing to
take the highest seat within the gift of the people of the State,
when in the full vigor of manhood, he was arrested with disease,
and in 1842 died. The whole State bowed in mourning at so sad
an event. * * * * He was a noble man in all the elements of
true manhood. A close student, clear intellect, brilliant speaker,
warm-hearted, magnetic, the soul of honor, and, all in all, a man
of pure and unblemished morals."

In the field of theological and ecclesiastical thought
Mr. Snyder was an agnostic, so constituted mentally as
to be without a trace of superstition, and wholly unable
to believe the miraculous and supernatural. He was re
spectfully tolerant of opinions and doctrines contrary
to those he entertained; always avoiding religious or
theological controversies, and treating all sects and de
nominations with polite deference. Ministers of dif
ferent creeds were his friends and frequent guests at his
home; and, before a Catholic church was established in
Belleville, a priest occasionally celebrated Mass at his
house before an .extemporized altar for the few Cath
olics residing there.

399
In his view sincerity was the first attribute of true
manhood, and he despised hypocricy and all practices of
foxy craftiness and deceit. He was of sanguine, hopeful
temperament; self-respecting and honest, a firm, reliable
friend, and fair, manly opponent. Benevolence, charity
and hospitality were elements of his nature, as was also
a kind, amiable disposition. His oratory was not florid
or effusive, but fluent, logical and always earnest and
impressive. Though a profane adjective at times
escaped him in excitement, his language in conversation
Mas grammatical, cultured and chaste; and though he
told anecdotes well and often, he seldom descended to'
the vulgar and obscene to illustrate his subject. He was
not destitute of musical talent, and oould hum or whistle
many of the popular airs; but cultivated that gift no
farther. In youth and health he was an elegant dancer,
and usually the leading spirit in all social gatherings he
attended. His indulgence in wine and other liquors,
for which he had no natural or acquired taste, was very
limited, and an occasional cigar comprised his use of
tobacco. All his domestic life, business relations and
intercourse with the public reflected the natural im
pulses and traits of the true gentleman.
By his positive request no religious, or church, ser
vices, were held at his funeral. That he was a member
of the Masonic Order was not known to his family until
the day of his death. The local lodge of Masons kindly
offered to take charge of his burial, but their offer was
declined by Mrs. Snyder, a devout Catholic, who enter
tained all the implacable prejudices of that church
against secret societies. Hearses had not then been in
troduced in rural districts of the west; nor had "coffia
trusts" yet been invented to rob the grief-stricken, and

400
the western people were fortunately strangers to the
gaudy displays and extravagant folly of modern fun
erals. Mr. Snyder's coffin was the finest and best then
procurable. It was made, during the night and day fol
lowing his death by Messrs. Kimber and Affleck,* the
town cabinet-makers, of walnut lumber and covered
Mith black velvet, ornamented with deep black fringe
fastened around the edge of the raised lid with, brass
tacks, and cost thirty dollars. The coffin, with body
enclosed, was carried from the residence, by relays of his
personal friends, to the town cemetery, half a mile dis
tant, and there lowered in the grave. Over his remains
was, a few months later, placed a paneled tomb of finely
dressed stone, bearing on the broad surmounting tablet
an inscription simply stating the name, place and date
of birth and date of death of deceased, with addition of
the following epitaph :
"Ye men of genius tread lightly o'er his ashes,
For he was your kinsman."
Expanding growth of the town, some years later, com
pelled abandonment of that old burying ground. It was
sold to the Oatholic Bishop, and is now occupied by his
residence and the parochial school building. Mr. Sny
der's remains were exhumed and removed with many
others, in 1874, and reinter-red in the Harrison cemetery
in the eastern suburbs. That, too, was soon in the
sphere of the city's encroachments, and Mr. Snyder's
dust was once more removed to their final resting place
in beautiful Green Mount cemetery, a mile and a half be
yond Belleville's, southeastern limits.
There, in the midst of charming natural surroundings,
* Mr. James Affleck, a citizen of Belleville since 1818. died in that city
on the 17th of April, M02, aged 88 years, 8 months and 2 days.

401
beautified by highest perfection of the landscape gar
dener's art and embellished with imposing monuments
of sculptured marble and carved granite, repose in
peaceful solitude all that remains on earth of Adam W.
Snyder.* * The grave of Mr. Snyder, in Green Mount cemetery, and that of
Gov. Reynolds, in Walnut Hill, are about a mile and a half apart.

CHAPTER XVTII.
Thomas Ford succeeds Mr. Snvder as candidate for Governor — His
election — His boastful insinuations refuted by himself-»-The truth
of history.
The time intervening between the date of Mr. Sny
der's death, May 14th, and that of the election, August
2d, was considered too brief for calling another delegate
convention to nominate a candidate in his place. Demo
cratic papers in the State suggested their different
preferences for the vacancy, and in Scott and Shelby
counties Democratic meetings were held that passed
resolutions recommending Gov. Reynolds as their choice.
In a few other counties similar public meetings put
forward other persons as the most available for the
party's candidate.
A State central committee as part of the political
machinery not yet having been thought of, on the 7ih
of June, 1842, a meeting of the principal Democrats of
the State was held at Springfield, who, after due de
liberation, agreed upon Judge Thomas Ford, at that
time engaged in holding court at Ottawa, as the candi
date for Governor. He was born in Uniontown, Penn
sylvania, early in the year 1800, a few months later than
Mr. Snyder's birth, and eleven miles distant from Con
nellsville, Mr. Snyder's birth place. Judge Ford pos
sessed a strong, clear, analytical mind; had studied law
M'ith Daniel P. Cook, and was admittedly a superior
jurist. He was but an indifferent speaker, totally
ignorant of the arts and methods of electioneering, and
was not classed among the aspiring politicians of the
State. He was honorable, and conscientiously honest

403
in every motive and deed; but totally wanting in pene
tration and tact. He canvassed very little of the State,
and with no exertion, was elected by 8,317 majority, the
votes cast for him numbering 46,901, and for Gen'l Dun
can 382584.*
Gov. Ford died in Peoria on the 3d of November, 1850,
aged 50 years. All the estate he left at his death was
the manuscript of his History of Illinois, published by his
friend, Gen'l James Shields, in 1854. It is a work of very
high merit, and was written by him mainly with the
view of vindicating his administration from the severe
criticisms it met from members and newspapers of both
parties. The chapters on the Black Hawk war, in which
he participated, were previously written and delivered
by him as a lecture. The style of the book is clear, com
prehensive and philosophical. Though some of the
opinions expressed in its pages are harsh and incisive,
and a few unjust, it adheres closely to facts; and is alto
gether, for the period it covers, the best and most re
liable history of Illinois yet written.
Gov. Ford was very vain of his intellectual endow
ments, if not of his personal appearance. He placed as
high an estimate upon himself, his abilities and political
importance, particularly after his elevation to the office
of Governor, as any one else was disposed to do. He ar
rogantly claimed his large majority over Gen'l Duncan
was due to his individual force and popularity, when, in
fact, any one of the best known Democratic politicians
* There was a third ticket in the field at that election, nominated by
what was known as the "Liberty Party," an organization representing
the Abolitionism of Lovejoy, and confined chiefly to Madison county.
The candidates were Charles W. Hunter for Governor, and Frederick
Collins for Lieutenant Governor; 909 votes were cast in the State for
Hunter, and 905 for Collins. Mr. Hunter was an enterprising citizen of
Alton, proprietor of "Hunter's addition" to lower Alton; and Mr. Col
lins was a resident of CollinsviUe, in Madison county.

404
in the State would have received the same support, be
cause of weakness of the Whig party and its candidate.
Alluding, in his, History of Illinois, to his caucus nom
ination for Governor, he says: "Mr. Snyder had been
nominated because he was a leader of the party. Mr.
Snyder died, and I was| nominated, not because I was a
leader, for I was not, but because I was believed to have
no more than a very ordinary share of ambition; because
it was doubtful whether any of the leaders could be
elected, and because it was thought I would stand more
in need of support from leaders than an actual leader."
In mentioning the expectation of his opponent, Gov.
Duncan, to be elected on the question of Mormon legisla
tion alone, he remarked: "There is no knowing how far
he might have succeeded, if Mr. Snyder had lived to be
his competitor."
Just why "it was doubtful if any of the (Democratic)
leaders could be elected," Gov. Ford fails to state; nor
does he give any reason for his intimation that Mr. Sny
der might have been defeated had he lived until the elec
tion. The inference to be drawn, hOM'ever, is that the
Mormon question would have been fatal to Democratic,
success. Yet, though the Democrats were justly held responsi
ble for enacting the Mormon charters, they carried the
State at the general election in 1842 with a majority of
over 8,000, electing to the legislature 28 Senators to 14
elected by the Whigs, and in the House 81 Democrats to
37 Whigs. That overwhelming defeat of the Whigs was
chiefly due to the reaction of public sentiment following
their utter failure to redeem their pledges, and amelior
ate hard times, after the triumph of their party at the
national election in 1840, That resistless tide of reac-

405
tion setting so strongly in support of the Democrats in
Illinois would have ensured the election of anyone nom
inated by them upon their State ticket.
That foolish insinuation of Gov. Ford's is one of the
very few instances of inconsistency occurring in his ad
mirable history ; and was written apparently to magnify
his own value to the Democratic party, which he regard
ed as peculiarly fortunate in escaping defeat by having
had the wisdom to select him for its candidate, because
he was not a leader. However, the grave danger he sur
mised Democratic leaders were to apprehend from the
Mormon question he himself dispels at the close of the
chapter from which the foregoing statements are quoted,
as follows: "As soon as I was announced as a candi
date for Governor, the Mormon question was revived
against me as being the heir of the lamented Snyder.
But it could not be made to work much against me. I
had been as little concerned in the passage of the Mor
mon charters as my opponent. Of course, in a. State so
decidedly Democratic, I was elected by a large majority.
The banks, the State debt, the canal, and the Mormons,
together with the general politics of the Union, were the
principal topics of discussion during the canvass. Topics
of local interest, however, Imd but little influence on the
result of the election. The people of Illinois were so
thoroughly partisan, upon the great questions of the
nation, that matters of merely local concern, though of
vital importance to the people, were disregarded."
That being so, why was "it doubtful whether any of
the leaders could be elected?" The campaign of 1842
was fought by the two parties altogether upon national
issues. Questions of State policy were scarcely men
tioned, because there was no State question at issue

406
seriously dividing the people of Illinois at that election
but that of the banks, and that was completely over
shadowed by efforts of Whigs in Congress to reestablish
a National Bank. The attempt of Gen'l Duncan to make
the Mormon charters an issue would necessarily have
failed, because in that matter one party was as deep in
the mire as the other. John Moore, Democratic candi
date for Lieutenant Governor, and a Democratic leader,
was a Senator, with Mr. Snyder, in the twelfth general
assembly, and was as deeply implicated in passing the
Mormon charters as the others; and still he was elected
by the majority of 7,141. And he was not so generally
well knoM'n throughout the State, or as personally popu
lar, as was Mr. Snyder.
In that same general assembly, either actively or
tacitly aiding the passage of the Mormon charters, were
Edward D. Baker, William A. Richardson, John D.
Wood, William H. Bissell, John Dougherty, Thomas
Drummond, Joseph Gillespie, John J. Hardin, Abraham
Lincoln, John A. McClernand, Lewis W. Ross, Lyman
Trumbull, David M. Woodson, and others, whose future
political fortunes were not in the least affected by their
participation in that infamy.
At the August election in 1842 there was no possi
bility of Gen'l Duncan's election, had Mr. Snyder lived to
be his competitor, or had he been opposed by any other
Democratic leader, excepting by inducing a sufficient
number of Democrats to repudiate their own candidate
and vote for him or refuse to vote for either. Neither
contingency was at all probable; for though Gen'l Dun
can was highly respected by his opponents as an able,
just and honest man of sterling character, he was more
odious to the Democrats politically than any public man

407
then in the Whig party in Illinois, and, in fact, the weak
est candidate the Whigs could have put in the field for
Governor. The world despises a renegade — particularly a politi
cal renegade. It may become reconciled to the con
scientious renunciation of religious faith ; but not to the
party '-'turn coat." True it is, that "wise men some
times change their convictions;" but when they change
their political convictions they forfejt forever the confi
dence of their former party associates. The Democrats
of Illinois entertained for Gen'l Duncan as a politician,
in 1842, the same bitter feeling of resentment that they
did in 1866 for Gen'ls Logan and Grant as leaders of the
Republican party, and for the same reason. He had de
serted them and joined the enemy. As their trusted
leader they had given him their enthusiastic support for
years, electing him to the State Senate, and for four
terms to Congress, and then made him Governor in 1884.
He had already abandoned the Democratic party when
he announced himself a candidate for Governor, but con
cealed from his old friends at home his apostacy and
enlistment in the Adams ranks until after his election.*
The Democrats in 1842 had not forgotten it; nor had
they forgiven him. They remembered, too, that only
two years before, he had made himself conspicuous on
every occasion by his vile abuse of the Democratic party,
in the "coonskin" campaign, that resulted in defeat of
the Democratic national ticket. The irritating memories
of that acrimonious contest still rankled in their minds
and intensified their enmity to him and his party.
And then, as to the Mormon question; the people of
Illinois well understood the animus prompting the legis-
* Reynolds' Life and Times, p. 447.

408
lature to enact the Mormon charters. All knew that
the rapidly increasing number of Mormon voters, who
all voted together, made their support an object eagerly
contended for by the two political parties. They also
well knew that those extraordinary charters were or
iginated by the Whigs as a bribe to retain to their party
the Mormon allegiance. The measures were introduced
by a Whig senator and a Whig representative in the two
houses of the legislature, with the expectation of their
rejection by the Democratic majority, resulting in effec
tually alienating the Mormons from possible affiliation
with the Democratic party in future. But the Demo
cratic leaders were not so easily entrapped, and, much
to the surprise of the Whigs, offered no objections, but
reported the bills favoraby and helped the Whigs pass
them. The sophistry of Judge Stephen A. Douglas then
convinced the Mormon Prophet, Jo Smith, that he was
indebted altogether to the Democrats in the legislature
for securing his atrocious acts of incorporation; and to
the Democratic party the Prophet at once transferred
his powerful support. The people clearly understood
the game attempted to be played by the Whigs, and how
they were beaten at it by the Democrats. The Whigs re
alizing that, after sacrifice of their self-respect, honor
and decency, they had lost the coveted prize, then en
deavored to retrieve their standing in the State by wag
ing fierce war upon their former allies, the Mormons,
and trying to fasten upon the Democratic party the con
sequences of their own dishonorable folly. All that was
fully comprehended by the people, who without exoner
ating the Democrats in the legislature from blame for
their complicity, correctly fixed the responsibility of the
disgraceful legislation where it properly belonged, upon
the managers of the Whig party.

409
Considering the temper of opinion in the Democratic
party, under the then existing circumstances and con
ditions, there is no room for doubt that any respectable.
Democratic politician would have been elected by a large
majority. In 1840, with all the tremendous exertions of
the Whigs through a long campaign, characterized by
the most exciting and sensational rallying efforts by the
best talents of their party; with novel and attractive
displays, and lavish expenditures of money; having a
western military hero of renown and of high "character
and spotless record as their candidate for President.
against an eastern civilian of aristocratic tendencies and
in no way identified with the west, yet, the Democrats
carried Illinois by the majority of 1939, and elected a
majority of both houses of the legislature in which the
Whigs were before dominant. In the elections of 1840.
it must be remembered, too, the Whigs had the aid of
the Mormons, amounting then to six or seven hundred
votes. Had those votes been given that year to Van
Buren instead of Harrison the Democatio majority in
Illinois would have exceeded 3,500.
By 1842 the Mormon population of the State had
vastly increased. In the city of Nauvoo they numbered
nearly 17,000, and in Hancock county outside of Nauvoo,
and adjoining counties there were not less than 5,000
more. All adult males among them, twenty-one years
of age, voted after having resided in the State six
months — or less, as none were challenged. Mr. Snyder,
then, had he lived, would have received- — and Gov. Ford
did receive — over 3,000 Mormon votes. The returns of
the election in August, 1842, show the then normal
Democratic majority in the State to have exceeded 8,000.
In the light of those facts it is apparent that for Gen'l

410
Duncan to have defeated Mr. Snyder, had he been his
competitor, he (Duncan) must have received, in addition
to all the Whig votes, more than 4,000 votes of Demo
crats and Mormons. Gov. ' Ford knew well that no
Whig in Illinois at that election, though far less odious
to the Democrats than was Gen'l Duncan, could have de
tracted the tenth part of that number of votes from any
candidate of the Democratic party, or could, under any
circumstances, have been elected.
Jeriah" Bonham, who voted in 1842 for Gen'l Duncan,
says: "The Whig party, with which he (Duncan) acted,
in 1842, again nominated him for governor, but the
Democrats were so largely in the ascendent in the State
at that time that it was almost a forlorn hope for the
Whigs to make a nomination."*
Gov. John Reynolds was writing the closing chapters
of his Life and Times, when Gov. Ford's History of Illinois
appeared, in 1854. The book was shown to him, and his
attention was especially called to the assertions, or in
sinuations, of Gov. Ford, heretofore quoted, relative to
the probability of Mr. Snyder's defeat; or defeat of any
other Democratic leader, by Gov. Duncan, and was ask-
edf if those surmises were well founded. "What d  d
nonsense!" said he, "Jo. Duncan beat any of the Demo
cratic leaders! That d  d, contemptible little whelp!
(alluding to Ford). Why, sir, I, or any other respecta
ble Democrat then before the people, could have been
easily elected. Adam W. Snyder was the most popular
man in the State, and had he lived, his majority over
Jo. Duncan would have been bigger than Ford's. A
good many Whigs Would have voted for him, as they
always did. He would have had the solid Democratic
* Fifty years Recollections. By Jeriah Bonham, Peoria, 1883, p. 48.
t Asked by the writer of this memoir.

411
vote, the French vote, of course, all the Dutch and Irish
votes, and every d  d Mormon would have voted for
him; and, I tell you, sir, Jo. Duncan with the Whig
party and all hell together couldn't have beaten that
combination." Such was also the decided opinion — expressed, how
ever, in more modest terms — of Hon. Stephen A. Doug
las, Hon. Lyman Trumbull, Col. Wm. H. Bissell, Gen'l
John M. Palmer, Gen'l John A. McClernand, Col. J. L.
D. Morrison, Gov. Koerner, and other noted contem
poraneous politicians.
The other reasons advanced by Gov. Ford to account
for his nomination by the Springfield caucus, i. e., be
cause he M'as not a leader, and was believed to have no
more than an ordinary share of ambition, and because it
was thought he would stand in more need of support
from leaders than a leader would, were as absurd as
that other reason he states, "because it was doubtful
whether any of the leaders could be elected."
Gov. Ford was certainly not a leader, and possessed
but few qualifications for leadership or successful states
manship. Ballance says of him: "He was a small man,
with features, indicating one from the lower, rather
than the upper walk of life. His nose was rather sharp,
and bent a little to one side. He was plain and unpre
tending in his manners. He was no orator, in the com
mon acceptation of the word; but what he said was to
the point. He was not a great man, but a smart little
man."* If no other reasons for his selection as the candidate
for Governor than those he assigns had been considered
by the Springfield caucus, Judge Ford would, beyond all
* The History of Peoria, niinois. By Charles Ballance. Peoria,
111., 1870, p. 254.

412
doubt, have remained undisturbed on the supreme court
bench, for which his peculiar talents so well fitted him.
And had he when elected Governor curbed his foolish
arrogance and vanity, and sought the counsel and guid
ance of the experienced leaders of his party — that he so
much needed — he would perhaps not have proven the
lamentable and pitiable failure that he did.
The selection of Judge Ford as the candidate of the
Democrats for Governor was due altogether to the fact
that he happened to be a resident of the northern part
of the State.
After expulsion of the Indians from Illinois, in 1832,
the center of the State's population for several years
moved rapidly northward, by reason of the great influx
of settlers in its northern portion. All the Governors
of the State before Carlin had been chosen from the
southern counties, and properly so, as those counties
contained the bulk of the State's population. By 1837,
however, the Democratic voters in the northern counties
claimed their strength, loyalty and past services to the
party entitled their section to the next candidate for
Governor. The justice of that demand M'as conceded,
and Col. James W. Stephenson, of Galena, was accord
ingly nominated for Governor at the Vandalia conven
tion in December of that year; but OM'ing to his unfor
tunate financial embarrassment was compelled to with
draw early the next spring. The convention then re
assembled and, in obedience to that sectional claim, nom
inated Thomas Carlin, a citizen of Quincy, in a then
northern county. Gov. Carlin's term drawing to its
close, Mr. Snyder was nominated practically by acclama
tion for his successor, in Dec, 1841, without regard to
his southern location, because of his exceeding popular-

413
ity in all parts of the State, and the general confidence
of the people in his unsullied character, his genius, and
ability to extricate the State from impending bank
ruptcy. When his death became known the Democratic
press and politicians of the northern counties again
claimed the candidate to supply his place as their due,
and by general agreement suggested Judge Ford, of
Ogle county, as the most available man of the party in
that section to fill the vacancy on the ticket; but not for
the reasons he mentions. The candidate, they urged,
should be identified with their locality to satisfy the
friends of the Illinois and Michigan canal, of the mining
industries of Galena, and of the many interests of the
thriving city of Chicago.
Though Judge" Ford had never figured prominently in
politics his record as a sound Democrat was without
flaw or blemish. He was generally well known all over
the State, in which he had resided since 1805, as a man
of ability and character and of high standing as a jurist.
Having never been a candidate for office before the peo
ple he had escaped the petty enmities and jealousies that
beset all aspirants for popular favors. When his nom
ination was urged1 by his northern friends, his old neigh
bors and acquaintances in the southern counties cordial
ly endorsed their choice. The nomination of Judge
Breese was strongly advocated by many of his friends
in his circuit, and he would as willingly as Ford have
relinquished the supreme court bench for the Gov
ernorship; but seeing the trend of popular preference
for Ford everywhere he gracefully declined applying for
it. So also, Gov. Reynolds, who had just been defeated
for nomination for Congress in his district by Robert
Smith, of Alton, would gladly have taken the vacant

414
place at the head of the ticket, but was compelled to
yield to the pressure for Ford.
Had Judge Ford all along been a resident of Monroe
county, his former home, or any other southern county
of the State, there is no probability that he would have
been mentioned, or even thought of, in connection with
the office of Governor. His residence in Ogle county was
the effective factor in his nomination. His location
there had recently afforded him the opportunity to
render the State valuable service in a question at the
time distracting the people of that section, which at
tracted to him wide-spread attention, and brought him
very conspicuously in public notice.
As is well known, the fifth article of the Ordinance
of 1787 provided for future division of the Northwestern
Territory into not less than three nor more than five
states, and named a line drawn from the extreme south
ern point of Lake Michigan west to the Mississippi river
as the northern boundary of Illinois. In January, 1818,
when Illinois Territory petitioned Congress for permis
sion to form a State government, Nathaniel Pope, the Illi
nois delegate in Congress, with wonderful farseeing wis
dom, incorporated in the enabling Act an amendment to
the 1787 Ordinance of Congress, changing the northern
boundary line of the proposed new State to the parallel
of 42 degrees and 30 minutes, over sixty-one miles north
of the lowest curve of Lake Michigan. That masterly
stroke of statesmanship added to Illinois the territory
comprised in its fourteen northern counties, includini;,
of course, the Galena mineral region, and the city and
harbor of Chicago. At that time Wisconsin was part
of Michigan Territory.
As early as 1828 the inhabitants of that fourteen

415
county strip began to agitate the question of separation
from this State, and petitioned Congress to be formed
into a new territory, on the ground that their annexa
tion to Illinois M'as a violation of the original compact
of 1787, and that the Illinois legislatures were dominated
by the southern counties to their neglect and detriment,
etc. Ten years later the people of Wisconsin Territory
began to seriously discuss the ways and means for their
admission into the Union. In December, 1838, their
legislature memorialized Congress "to vindicate the
right" of their Territory to that part of Illinois north of
the original boundary line of 1787; and from that time
continued with spirit and earnestness their efforts to re
cover the disputed district. Again, on Dec. 31st, 1839,
their legislature passed a joint resolution authorizing
an election to be held on the fourth Monday of the fol
lowing September for or against forming a State gov
ernment "including all that district of country north of
the line running due west from the most southerly be id
of Lake Michigan to the Mississippi river over which the
state of Illinois exercises jurisdiction." Though that
movement was frustrated for the time, it had the effect
of stimulating intense interest in the subject on the
Illinois side of the disputed line, which continued to in
crease until the northern counties were almost in open
rebellion. When the legislative council of Wisconsin Territory
in 1840 issued a new declaration of right to the disputed
district meetings were held in Jo Daviess, Stephenson,
. Ogle, Boone, Carroll, Whiteside, Winnebago, Rock Island
and McHenry counties, at each of which delegates were
appointed to a convention to be held at Rockford on
July 6th of that year "to take action for placing us in

416
Wisconsin where we legally and rightly belong." Nine
counties were represented in that convention by 120
delegates, who resolved, among other things, that the
people of those counties M'ere "almost unanimously iu
favor of reestablishing the original boundary line of
1787, and that they would find their interest much ad
vanced by the restoration of the same." The question
of uniting with Wisconsin was then submitted to the
voters of those counties, and in each was carried with
surprising unanimity. That election was held on March
5, 1842, with the result, in Stephenson county of the
total of 571 votes, 570 were cast in favor of seceding
from Illinois. In Boone county 485 voters favored the
proposition to join Wisconsin to 11 against it. In Win
nebago 907 voted for secession and only 6 objected to it.
The result was about the same in the other counties in
M'hich elections were held. The citizens of Cook
county observed strict neutrality and did not vote.
One of the earliest and boldest opponents of that
secession movement, and who stood almost alone in com
bating it in the revolting district, was Judge Ford, of
Ogle county. From the stump and rostrum he de
nounced it with telling effect. In his speeches, one of
which, delivered in January, 1842, is reported in a Rock
ford newspaper, he clearly reviewed the strong argu
ments of Judge Pope in Congress in 1818, and forcibly
stating the legal points involved, conclusively demon
strated the constitutionality of the amendment to the
Ordinance of 1787 then adopted.
Fortunately for the peace and welfare of the country
the jealousies of leading Wisconsin politicians averted
the impending trouble by causng their legislature to
postpone further action for admission of their Territorv

417
until it received a larger accession of population. They
feared annexation of the 60,000 Illinoisans of the four
teen adjacent counties would dominate them to the ex
tent of monopolizing their offices and controlling their
State government.
Reaction in pubic sentiment of the northern counties
then set in allaying dissatisfaction and rapidly turning
to Judge Ford's views. By the time Wisconsin applied
for admission — and was admitted into the Union, on
March 3d, 1847 — the near completion of the Illinois and
Michigan canal, the war With Mexico, the dawn of the
railroad and telegraph era, and other influences, had
extinguished every vestige of disloyalty in that section
and fixed its allegiance to Illinois; but the claim of Wis
consin down to the "original line" was maintained for
several years later.
The foregoing historical facts render a more rational
explanation of Judge Ford's nomination than that he
has given, and certainly more to his credit. The apology
of the writer for dwelling at such length upon this
trivial matter is his desire, and duty, to arrest further
transmission of Gov. Ford's misanthropic vaporings to
future generations as history.
Since Gov. Ford's book appeared, in 1854, two volum
inous histories of Illinois have; been published, the one
by Stuve and Davidson and the other by John Moses.
Both are valuable compilations, well arranged, elegant
ly written, and, in the main, quite reliable. The writers
of both in treating of political affairs in Illinois in May
and June, 1842, copy Gov. Ford's statements with only
such changes of phraseology and added embellishments
as their fancy suggested. Thus, in the Stuve & David
son work the assertion is made with positiveness that,
—27

418
"It is doubtful if any of the Democratic leaders, in the
then temper of the people towards the Mormons, could
have been elected over so adroit and courageous a com
petitor as Duncan. The death of Snyder proved the
triumph of the Democracy." The chapter of the book
from which this quotation is taken M'as written by Dr.
Bernard Stuve, who was himself a life-long radical Demo
crat, obviously without special prejudice in favor of
Gen'l Duncan or against Col. Snyder, but simply, in
thoughtless ignorance of existing conditions at the time,
copying Gov. Ford's conjecture. Judge Moses also
copied Ford without question or investigation, but with
less assurance adds, "while the tide seemed to be turn
ing in Duncan's favor, death stepped in and removed
Col. Snyder from the field."
In this way the mistakes of historians, or their random
guesses, or reckless assertions, are often copied by sub
sequent writers who will not give the time or study to
verify or correct them, but blindly reissue them as his
torical facts. Gov. Ford's book will aways retain its
high rank in historic literature, though its excellence is
in places marred by his severe censures, his harsh and
sometimes unjust criticisms, and occasional ambiguous
remarks which must charitably be attributed to his
soured, morbid temper of mind when he wrote it, conse
quent upon his blighted ambition and wrecked fortunes.

APPENDIX.

Note A.
The Snyder Genealogy.
Adam Snyder- — no' doubt of German parentage — was born
in, or near, the city of Strasburg, Province of Alsace, in France,
in the year" 1750. Of his ancestry nothing is known. The name
was originally, Schneider (signifying a tailor, or cutter), a very
common German name, but when, where or by whom it was
Anglicized to Snyder, no one now knows. Adam Snyder spoke
the German language, not the French, and learned to speak Eng
lish after he came to America. The date of his coming to this
country is also unknown; and, in fact, very little is now known
concerning him. He was tall, stout, and compactly built, dark"
•complected, with dark hair and eyes. Arriving in the English
colonies he located in the town (now city) of Reading, Berks
county, Pennsylvania, and there worked at the trade of house
carpenter until he enlisted in the Colonial army, during the
Revolution. He was severely wounded at the battle of Brandy-
wine in September, 1777. He was discharged from the army at
the close of his term of enlistment, in 1779, and the next year,
1780, married and settled on a farm near Harrisburg, Pennsyl
vania. There three children were born, a son whom he named
Balthazer, born March 29th, 1781, and two daughters, Margaret
and Barbara, the dates of whose births are now lost.
Balthazer married Miss Mary M. Wartz, near. Harrisburg,
in 1806, and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked for
some time at the trade of wood turning and chair making. Trad
ing ten acres of land he had acquired, now near the center of
Cincinnati, for 162 acres of heavily timbered land in Preble
county, Ohio, he moved there and passed the remainder of his
life in making a farm, and raising a family of eleven children.
Of those children two sons, Nimrod, and Henry M. Snyder,
located in St. Louis, Mo., and for many years conducted there a
bell and brass foundry, stove works, etc. Adam Snyder's eldest

420
daughter, Margaret, married, in Pennsylvania, a farmer named
Jacob Judy, and subsequently moved to Preble county, Ohio,
where she died childless, in 1841. The younger daughter, Bar
bara, married, in Pennslyvania, one Jessey Swisher, and in 1822,
moved to Walnut Levels, in Indiana, where she died many years
ago, leaving a large family of children.
The wife of Adam Snyder died, and he then changed his resi
dence to Connellsville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and there
married a widow named Schaeffer, whose maiden name was
Margaret Hartzel, and who was born in Somerset county, Penn
sylvania. At the time of her marriage to Adam Snyder she had
one son, resulting from her first marriage, named Jacob-Schaeffer.
What occupation Adam Snyder had when he resided in Con
nellsville, cannot now be learned. It is very probable that he
had none, as his children were raised in abject poverty, and were
made to be self-sustaining early in life. We know nothing of Adam
Snyder's habits, mode of living, or personality; but the scant
history of him now known, justifies the inference that he was
a coarse, uncouth, uncultured man, with little, if any education,
no pride of character, and no energy, industry, or frugality. He
was perhaps not always sober, or, if sober, totally inefficient and
worthless. He was not a member of any church; but had the
reputation of being strictly honest. He died, in Connellsville,
in 1830, at the age of 80 years. His wife died there in the year
following. There were born in the wedlock of Adam Snyder and Mar
garet Hartzel Schaeffer, four children, in the following order:
Adam W. Snyder, born in Connellsville, Pa., October 6th,
1799. Hiram Snyder, born in Connellsville, Pa., Dec. 3d, 1801.
Solomon King Snyder, born in Collinsville, Pa., in January,
1804. Lydia Snyder, born in Connellsville, Pa., in 181 1.
Mrs. Margaret Hartzel Snyder was, intellectually, superior
to her husband, and several years his junior. The Hartzels were
an old pioneer family in Somerset county, that could boast of
some education and refinement of manners. They were mostly
plain farmers: one brother of Mrs. Snyder, and her father, were
preachers — Dunkards perhaps — and men of very respectable
standing in the community in which they lived.

421
The second son of Adam Snyder, Hiram, when young, had
no taste for learning, and attended school barely long enough to
acquire knowledge of reading, and writing — very indifferently.
Hard manual labor was Hiram's lot from early childhood. He
grew up to the stature of six feet, broad shouldered, strong,
large-boned and rugged in physical development. He was rather
dark complected, with black hair and eyes, firm but pleasant
features, and well-shaped nose. Hiram Snyder was united in
marriage in 1833, or 1834, to Miss Elizabeth Noble, daughter of
James and Mary Noble, who was born and raised at Shade
Furnace, Somerset county,. Pennsylvania. The date of her
birth was May 18th, 1809. They were a young, healthy, robust
pair, without education or capital, but industrious, energetic and
hopeful. They went resolutely to work, he at the iron furnaces,
receiving one dollar per day for his labor, and often working
half the night for an additional half dollar; she, besides her
household drudgery, at washing, sewing and mending for the
ether furnace hands. They succeeded; bought a farm, a saw
mill, another farm, town property, and were wealthy. Hiram
Snyder was a typical specimen of the higher class of thrifty
Pennsylvania farmers; with unblemished character, perfectly
correct habits, intelligent, truthful and honorable. He was not
a member of any c'hurch, but his wife was a Presbyterian. Their
family consisted of four daughters, named Mary, Eliza, Mar
garet and Lydia, all born within a mile of Connellsville. The
three first married young men of that neighborhood, the fourth
remaining in single happiness; and all passed their lives in
Fayette, or adjoining counties in Pennsylvania. Hiram Snyder
was a Democrat in politics, but not a politician. The only pub
lic position he ever held, as he said, was "Supervisor of the mud
pike." He died, at his farm home, a mile from Connellsville, in
May, 1861, of pneumonia, at the age of 59 years and 5 months.
His wife survived him until Nov. 9th, 1889, when she, sank into
everlasting rest at the mature age of 80 years and 6 months.
Of the early life of Solomon King Snyder, third son of Adam
and Margaret Hartzel Snyder, nothing is now known. He came
to Illinois, from Pennsylvania, and joined his brother, Adam W.
Snyder, at the American Bottom farm, near the Sugar Loaf,
about the year 1829. He is represented, by those still living who
knew him, to have been a young man of gentlemanly deport-

422
ment, and fine appearance. He was full six feet in height, well
proportioned, with handsome face, light complexion, gray-blue
eyes and sandy hair. He was intelligent, well informed, and a
sprightly, entertaining conversationalist. His education had
progressed as far as the study of Latin, and of medicine, being a
recognized member of the medical profession. Where he
studied medicine, and whether or not he was a graduate of any
medical college, no one at present knows. Dr. Solomon K.
Snyder was a' very bright man, of superior mental endowments,
but indolent and totally wanting in industry and ambition. Of
social and convivial disposition he habitually associated with the
idle and dissolute class and contracted a fondness for drink.
There is scarcely a doubt that his education was partly procured
by means sent to him by his brother, Adam W. Snyder, who
also sent him the necessary funds to pay his way to Illinois. He
was furnished an outfit of medicines, books, etc., by his brother,
to commence the practice of medicine in the neighboring vil
lage Columbia, in Monroe county. But before he had time to
establish himself in business there, the Governor issued a call
for volunteers to repel the invasion of Black Hawk, and Dr.
Snyder immediately enlisted as a private, in the company of
Capt. Thomas Harrison, raised in Monroe county, and served
until mustered out of service at the mouth of Fox River on
May 28th, 1832. In reorganization of the Illinois troops that fol
lowed, he reenlisted, as a private, in Capt. Alexander D. Cox's
company. Again mustered out, at Fort Wilbourn, on June
15th, he returned to Columbia with the habits of dissipation more
confirmed. When Adam W. Snyder removed his residence from
the Bottom to Belleville, in 1833, he brought his brother, the
Doctor, with him, and furnished an office for him on the public
square, and did all he could to establish him there in his profes
sion, but with little success. In the fall of 1835, Dr. Snyder was
stricken down with typho-malarial fever. His brother, Adam
W. Snyder, had him immediately conveyed to his own residence,
where he received all possible attention and the best medical aid
at hand; but he gradually failed, and early in September, died.
He left no estate whatever, and was never married. He was
buried in the old cemetery at Belleville, and his dust still lies
about midway between the Catholic bishop's residence and the
Parochial school building. On a neat stone placed at the head

423
of his grave his brother caused to be carved a suitable inscrip
tion, with the added epiitaph, "Ye men of genius tread lightly
o'er his ashes; for he was your kinsman." To place that senti
ment on the grave of Doctor Solomon K. Snyder was a com
mendable tribute of fraternal affection, if not strictly appropriate.
It was afterwards placed upon the tomb of Adam W. Snyder as
a proper recognition of his mental abilities, and because he had
himself selected it as an epitaph for his brother.
Lydia, the youngest of Adam Snyder's children, did not
escape the .hard lines that embittered the youthful days of her
brothers. Her girlhood was passed, uneventfully, at home with
her parents, in household drudgery and ignorance. She learned
to read and write, and that was about the extent of her literary
education. She married in 1833, a shiftless, worthless fellow,
named William Hawk, and continued her cheerless life in un
interrupted poverty. Several children were born to them, who,
fortunately, all died in infancy but two, a son and daughter.
Hawk abandoned his family, and was heard of no more. Hif
wife received substan-tial aid from her two brothers, Hiram and
Adam W. Snyder, so long as they lived, and managed to raise
her children respectably. She was medium sized, of good fig
ure, with dark complexion, black hair and eyes, and regular
features. She was not of happy disposition; too much given to
repining, and complaining of her hard lot and, unsympathetic
surroundings. Her children are named Hiram Snyder Hawk
and Margaret; both long since married. She died at Braddock's
Field, Pa., on the 25th of January, 1889, and was buried near her
parents at Connellsville.
Mrs. Adelaide Snyder, wife of Adam W. Snyder, died, after
a brief illness, in Belleville, Illinois, on the 13th of May, 1881,
aged 79 years, 3 months and 19 days. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder
lost the following named children in their infancy:
Perry Snyder, born February 22d, 1822, and died August 18th.
1822. Frank Snyder, born Dec. 21st, 1823, and died on October
7th, 1824.
Adelaide Snyder, born June 20th, 1833, and died on the- 8th
of April, 1834.
Edward Short Snyder, born on May 9th, 1841, and died on
the 8th of October, 1841.

424
Their three children who survived the complaints and dis
eases of early life, were William Henry Snyder, Frederick Adam
Snyder, and John Francis Snyder. William Henry Snyder was
born at the Perry homestead in Prairie du Pont, St. Clair
county, Illinois, on the 12th of July, 1825. He graduated at Mc-
Kendree college, in March, 1843, and immediately commenced
the study of law in the law office of Gustavus Koerner. In 1845
he was appointed Postmaster at Belleville, 111., by President
Polk. He was admitted to the bar in December, 1846. In the
spring of 1847 he enlisted in a company (E) of volunteer in
fantry for the Mexican war, was elected first lieutenant, and
mustered into service, at Alton, 111., on the 8th of June, 1847, and
in the organization of the regiment (Col. E. W. B. Newby's
First Illinois Infantry) he was appointed Adjutant. Served in
New Mexico, and was discharged, at Alton on the 14th of Octo
ber, 1848. In 1849, at the expiration of his term as Postmaster,
he was elected justice of the peace. In 1850 he was elected a
member of the lower house of tire legislature, and re-elected in
1852. In 1854 he was appointed Prosecuting Attorney by Gov.
Matteson. In 1856 he was nominated by the Democratic State
convention for Secretary of State, and was defeated. In the
fall of the same year he was tendered the appointment of second
lieutenant in the U. S. Cavalry and declined it. In 1857 he was
elected circuit judge. On June 23d, 1857, he was united in mar
riage to Miss Jane E. Champion, of Belleville. In 1868 he was
nominated by the Democrats of his district for Congress, and
was defeated. In 1870 he was elected a member of the Consti
tutional convention. In 1873 he was again elected circuit judge,
and re-elected in 1879. At the expiration of his term in 1885 he
declined being again a candidate, and returned to the practice of
law. He died, of apoplexy, on the evening of December 24th,
1892, at the age of 67 years, 5 months and 12 days. His wife
died, of cerebro-spinal meningitis, on the 8th of January, 1894,
aged 62 years, 6 months and 21 days. When a young man Judge
Snyder joined the Odd Fellows, but gave up his membership in
a short time. He spoke and read French, and was learned in
classic literature, in history and in the law. He was always a
Democrat in politics, and not a church member.
Frederick Adam Snyder was born on the American Bottom
farm, near the Sugar Loaf, in St. Clair county, Illinois, on Dec.

425
28th, 1827. He graduated at McKendree college, Lebanon, St.
Clair county, in March, 1843, at the early age of 16 years. He
then learned to set type in the office of The- St. Clair Banner, in
Belleville. He subsequently studied law in the law office of
Kinney & Bissell and was admitted to the bar in the spring of
1847. Very shortly after that he received from President Polk
the appointment of second lieutenant of Company G, 16th U. S.
Infantry, and reported to Col. Helm, at Louisville, Ky., for duty.
He served, with that regiment, in the district south of the Rio
Grande and Saltillo, in Mexico, until the close of the war, and the
regiment was mustered out of service at New Orleans, in October,
1848. In 1849 he crossed the plains to California, and there
mined for some time with indifferent success, and finally, in
San Francisco, secured a position on the editorial staff of the
Alta-Californian. In 1852 he was elected, by the Democrats, a
member of the legislature to represent one of the San Francisco
districts. When his term expired, having higher political aspira
tions, he, with Dan. W. Gelwicks as partner, established The
Mountain^ Democrat, in El Dorado county, California. In mid
summer, 1854, with a party of friends, he went on an "outing"
to Lake Bigler (or Taho), and on the 23d of July, 1854, when
walking on the lake shore, he suddenly fell, with sun stroke, or
apoplexy, and immediately expired.
He died at the age of 26 years, 7 months and 15 days, and
was buried near the spot where he fell. His remains were never
removed, and still rest there in eternal repose amid the desolate
grandeur of the beautiful lake and lofty, pine-clad mountains.
He was not married; nor a member of any church, or secret
society. He was, in politics, a Democrat and an active politician.
In childhood he was very precocious, and grew up to be a young
man of bright intellect, with sparkling oratory, and cordial,
friendly disposition. Princely in stature, light complected, with
blue eyes and brown hair, he was strikingly handsome in figure
and features, and admirable for his big-hearted generosity and
manly honor.
Dr. John Francis Snyder, the youngest son, and now the
only survivor of Adam W. Snyder's family, having passed the
threescore years and ten allotted to man, and retired from all ac
tive business, has, devoted some leisure hours to this attempt — •
undertaken at a late day — to rescue from total forgetfulness the
memory of his father, and kinsmen.

426
The last Will and testament of Adam W. Snyder was written
by himself on the 8th of November, 1840, and witnessed by John
Whitehead and Charles Mount. By that instrument he be
queathed all his property, real and personal, to his wife and
three sons in equal portions. He appointed Gustavus Koer
ner, Lyman Trumbull and James Semple executors of his will
and guardians of his sons, and directed that to each son should
be given a collegiate education, who, after graduation, should
select the life avocation he preferred.

Note B.
John Francis Perry and Family.
Jean Francois Perrey, son of Jean Perrey and Louise Villette,
of the Botirg de Perrey, in the Province of Bourgogne, in France,
was born there — not far from the City of Lyons — in the year 1766.
His parents were of the middle class of citizens, educated, cul
tured, and, financially, in easy circumstances. Young Perrey
had passed through the higher schools with credit, and had
taken a course in the law school when his father sent him to
America that he might escape the threatened outbreak of the
French revolution.
Gov. Reynolds, who was personally acquainted with Mr.
Perry, gives the following sketch of him, in his Pioneer History
of Illinois; (Second, or Fergus, edition, 1887, pp. 287,-290.) "In
1792, Jean Francis Perry emigrated from France and settled in
Illinois. He was a native of the City of Lyons, in France, and
was the descendant of a very respectable and wealthy family of ¦
that famous city. His mother was a branch of the French no
bility and his father a judge of dignity and high standing in.
Lyons. Young Perry received a liberal and classic education.
He also studied and practiced law in France. He was gifted by
nature with a strong mind, and' improved it by the best educa
tion the old country could bestow on him, which made him a
very superior man. He was forced away from tire bright pros
pects before him, of wealth, honor, and high standing with his
countrymen, and left his native land, his father's house and
family, for an asylum in America. The French revolution break
ing out, caused him to migrate to the United States. His father
decided that his son must retire from the scenes of bloodshed

427
for safety in the new world. He was fitted out with money and
came to the United States. He associated with him, M. Claud
ius, a Frenchman, in merchandising, and they started from Phil
adelphia to the west. They passed the new settlement of Gal-
lipolis on the Ohio; but the good sense of Perry advised him
that the settlement was too new and too poor for him. He and
partner reached Cahokia with their small store of goods; but
soon after settled in Prairie du Pont.
In a few years after they had opened their store, Claudius
went to Philadelphia to purchase goods, and was killed by being
thrown from his horse in the streets of the city. His foot
caught in the stirrup and he was dragged and torn to death on
the pavements.
Perry purchased the ancient mill-site on Prairie du Pont
creek, where the mission of St. Sulspice first erected a mill, long
before the cession of the country to Great Britian in 1763. He
built on this site a new and profitable mill and occupied the
dwelling near it with himself and family. About this time, 1797,
he married a young and beautiful' creole, a daughter of Jean B.
Saucier. This union was prosperous and happy. Although Perry
was a sound and well-read lawyer, yet he never practiced in our
courts. He availed himself of the intelligence of the law and
his great energy and activity in business; so he amassed a great
fortune in a very few years. He started into operating his mill
and kept his store also in profitable order; so that both these
means advanced his fortune; but the greatest part of his wealth
was acquired by his profitable commerce in lands. His strong
mind, together with his knowledge of the law, enabled him to
enter the arena of land speculation with the p'ower to contend
with a giant in the traffic.
He owned at his death choice selected lands all over the
country, and what is the best evidence of his sound judgment,
he owed not a cent at his decease.
Perry was, with all his wealth, a, plain, unostentatious man,
and lived and dressed in true republican style. He paid due re
gard to all the various rules of economy, and was amiable and
benevolent in an eminent degree. His house was' always open
to the poor coming from a distance to his mill, and he enter
tained and made them comfortable and happy with everything
his means afforded. He was very popular and much esteemed

428
by all classes of people. His friends forced him into public
employments; he acted a long series of years as a judge of the
court of common pleas. He also acted as a justice of the peace
in and for the old St. Clair County almost all his life after he
reached Illinois. Perry learned well the English language; so
he was at home in that as well as in the French. He was pre
vailed on to- serve one or more sessions in the legislature of
Indiana Territory. He was there in one session at "Vincennes
with Judge Bond and Major Murdock, members of St. Clair
County. He acquitted himself in all these various offices with
honor to himself and advantage to the public. Some years be
fore his death, by some excessive exertion, he injured his con
stitution, which caused his death. His system' was so deranged
that the blood-vessels refused to perform their ordinary func
tions. He wrote to Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, on the subject.
and had directions from that celebrated physician how to man
age the case. He lingered in this situation for several years,
and became, by disease or by some other means, very corpulent.
Blood was taken from him every month or oftener, to save his
life. He died in 1812, in Prairie du Pont, where he had resided
for nearly twenty years. His decease was a sore calamity to his
family and the public of that section of the country. His family
lost a kind, amiable, tender parent and husband, and his neigh
borhood was deprived of their best friend.
His mind, as it has already been stated, was of the first order
for strength and solidity. It was improved' and trained by edu
cation and .by profound meditation. He had nothing of the
gaudy or tinsel character in his composition; but his talents and
energy, in this new and poor country, had not the appropriate
theatre in which to act. He was forced off from his country
and settled in an obscure corner. His talents at Prairie du Pont
were like "the rose that wastes its fragrance on the desert air."
He possessed great energy and activity in business, and with
these qualifications, he reached the ne plus ultra of his situation.
He was placed in the highest offices in the country and became
very wealthy; so he acted well his part in the limited sphere 111
which he was situated. He was upright and correct in his
morals, but never identified himself with any church. His church
was nature's creation before him, and God the teacher."
Though generally very accurate and reliable in all statements

420
of important historic facts and incidents, due allowance must be
made for the style of indiscriminate panegyric adopted by Gov.
Reynolds in writing his biographical sketches of Illinois pioneers.
His long years of self-training in the fine art of electioneering
impressed him with the wisdom of the ancient maxim, "de
mortuus nil nisi bonum;" particularly if the dead had living rela
tives, or descendants, around to read what he wrote concerning
them. But, apart from motives of mere policy, he was naturally
averse to committing himself to any statement, however true,
that would tend to wound the feelings of anyone; consequently,
in his pen pictures of individuals, he presented only the bright
tints, with little or no shading.
Jean Francois Perrey, as he wrote his name in French,
Anglicized to John Francis Perry, was, no doubt, superior in
intelligence and acquirements to the large majority of people
in that community. He was a French gentleman of education
and refinement; but that he "practiced law in France," anri
"was a sound and well-read lawyer," are allegations not verified
by any known evidence. In 1801, he was appointed, by Govern
or St. Clair, "a Justice of the General Court of Quarter Ses
sions, sitting also as a County Court of Common Pleas." The
records are silent as to the duration of his service in that office.
That he acted as justice of the peace in his precinct for several
years is true; and that he "was prevailed on to serve one, or
more sessions in the Legislature of Indiana Territory," and
"was there in one session at Vincennes with Judge Bond and
Major Murdock, representatives of St. Clair County," is also
true. On Sept. 11, 1804, Governor Harrison submitted the
question of raising Indiana Territory to the second grade to a
popular vote, which was carried, and an election for members
of the legislature was ordered to be held on Jan. 3, 1805. • At
that election Wm. Biggs and Shadrach Bond of St. Clair county
and George Fisher of Randolph were elected to represent Illi
nois Territory. By proclamation of Governor Harrison the
legislature convened at Vincennes on July 29th following, and
submitted to President Jefferson ten names from which five
should be selected for members of the Territorial Council (or
Senate). Governor Harrison, to whom that duty was dele
gated by the President, selected for the Illinois members of
the Council, Jean Francois Perrey of St. Clair County and

430
Pierre Menard of Randolph. That legislature held a second
session, at Vincennes, beginning on August 16, 1807, but no
change was made in the membership of either house.
Governor William Henry Harrison called a convention to
meet at Vincennes, capital of Indiana Territory, on the 20th
of December, 1802, to petition Congress to repeal, or suspend
operation of, that clause of the Ordinance of 1787 prohibiting
slavery in the Northwestern Territory. At an election held in
Cahokia on the 7th of December, 1802, for three delegates to
represent St. Clair county, Illinois, in that convention, Shadrack
Bond, Sr., Jean Francois Perrey and John Murdock were
elected, defeating Wm. Biggs, Isaac Darneille, James Lemen and
Wm. Arundel. Bond, Perry and Murdock journeyed to Vin
cennes, across the trackless prairies and bridgeless streams, in
midwinter, and faithfully executed the trust for which they
were elected. Mr. Perry was pro-slavery in sentiment, i. e. in
favor of the institution of slavery as it then existed in the
Territory; but, so far as can be ascertained, was not a slave
holder. He was shrewd and active in business, and was, for
those times, in opulent circumstances. The "great fortune,"
Gov. Reynolds says "he amassed in a few years," comprised
his residence at Prairie du Pont, a story and a-half double log
house with stone chimneys; a one-story log store house, a
little water mill on the Prairie du Pont creek that was dry
two-thirds of each year, and land claims he purchased or traded
goods for, before the act of Congress of March 26, 1804,
establishing the first land offices, at Vincennes and Kaskaskia.
They amounted to 5,500 acres, then valued at 15 to 20 cents
per acre. The claims were confirmed to him by the U. S.
Commissioners, Michael Jones, Elijah Bakus, John Caldwell
and Shadrach Bond, a short time before his death in 1812. The
assessed valuation of his estate at his death, including his land
claims, could not have amounted to more than five or six
thousand dollars. The statement that his father was a judge
in France rests upon the authority of Gov. Reynolds alone.
Mr. Perry may have imparted that information to the Governor.
There is every reason to believe that his father — whether a
judge or not — was a "Bourgeois," or citizen of respectability
and ample means. Mr. Perry came to Illinois well supplied
with money to enable him to establish himself in any branch

431
of business he might prefer. His polished manners and polite,
courteous deportment testified to the refined social conditions
in which he was reared. Of his "outfit," brought from France,
the few articles that descended as heirlooms to his family —
denoting his station in society there to be that of a gentleman
— were a fine gold watch that, on pressing a spring, struck the
hours on a tiny enclosed bell.; a heavy gold watch seal; a large
silver snuff box; a silver mounted poniard with silver scabbard,
and his passport out of France signed by the King, Louis XVI.
Mr. Perry was united in marriage in 1787 to Mam'selle
Adelaide Saucier, only daughter of Captain John Baptiste
Saucier, of Cahokia. Captain Saucier was a lieutenant iri the
engineer corps of the French army when he came to Illinois
with Chevalier Makarty; the newly appointed Commandant of
Fort Chartres, in 1751; and he designed the plans for the new
fort, built of stone, and superintended its construction. After
France ceded her American possessions to England in 1763,
Captain Saucier resigned his commission, and settled in Cahokia.
where he resided until his death.*
That union was blessed by four children, all daughters,
namely: Louisa, born in 1799; Josephine, in 1801, and died in
1812 a few months after the death of her father, Adelaide, born
Jan. 24, 1803, and Harriet on Feb. 13, 1807. Mr. Perry was
not a member of the Catholic church or — Gov. Reynolds says
— of any church; but his fixed belief in, and humble reverence
for, an overruling, omniscient and omnipresent Deity, gave
rise, perhaps, to the opinion, entertained by some who knew
him, that he was a Huguenot in France and fled to America
to secure the enjoyment of religious liberty then not tolerated
there. The schoolmaster not yet having penetrated the western
wilds as far as Prairie du Pont, the Catholic priest of Cahokia,
a mile distant, was the only instructor of the rising generation
in that community, and he only taught his young parishioners,
orally, to repeat, parrot-like, the catechism; and firmly grounded
in their minds belief in the miracles and infallibility of the
Pope. Not satisfied with that curriculum of instruction, Mr.
Perry undertook the education of his daughters himself, in the
* Captain John Baptiste Saucier at Port Chartres in the Illinois.
1751-1763. By Dr. J. F. Snyder, Peoria, 111., 1901, Smith & Schaefei-

432
elementary branches, preparatory to sending them, when suf
ficiently advanced, to proper schools in the east; and, had his
life been spared, he would doubtless have bestowed upon them
the learning and accomplishments befitting the station in life
he desired they should occupy. His two elder daughters learned
to read and write French, and had commenced other studies
when his death occurred, and their further literary education
was suspended.
In stature, Mr. Perry was five feet ten inches in height,
rather heavy set, but well formed, and very prepossessing in
appearance. He had regular features, dark hair and eyes, and
a pleasant expression of face. He was popular with all people,
and distinguished for his kindness, charity and unstinted hos
pitality. Honor with him was instinctive, not the bantling of
policy, and he recoiled from everything suggestive of deceit,
vulgarity or immorality. He was always very accommodating
to his friends and neighbors, many of whom looked to him
for assistance, counsel and guidance in their business affairs.
After. passing the thirty-fifth year of his age an obscure disease
of the circulation — or heart — insidiously invaded his system,
threatening in its development and progress to terminate his
life by apoplexy or asphyxia. He became corpulent and, at
times, much embarrassed in respiring. He visited Philadelphia
and consulted Doctor Benjamin Rush, of that city, then one
of the most eminent physicians in the United States, and the
course of treatment, and regimen, he advised, though having
but little curative effect, no doubt prolonged his life to some
extent. But he died in August, 1812, at the early age of 46,
and was buried in Cahokia.
After the death of Mr. Perry, his daughters, deprived of
his wise counsel, and 'further enlightenment, were led by their
mother into the Catholic church, to which they adhered, with
increasing devotion, to the close of their lives.
Mr. Perry's widow married, in 1815, one Augustine Pen
soneau, a very ordinary, illiterate Canadian Frenchman, who
died in 1819, leaving her with two additional small children,
Augustine and Felicite Pensoneau. Mr. Perry's eldest daughter,
Louise, was married when quite young, to Joseph Trotier. a
native of Cahokia, and died within a year after her marriage.
The second daughter, Josephine, died when eleven years of age,

433
in 1812. The third daughter, Adelaide, eldest of- the two living,
whose education had progressed no' farther than reading and
writing the French language, was married October 18, 1820, to
Adam W. Snyder. Her changed and improved associations after
marriage, stimulated her desire for a wider range of knowledge.
She learned to speak and read the English language, and
through that medium gained considerably in scholarship and
general information, yet never attained the degree of culture
so much desired by her father and husband. She acquitted
herself passably well in the new and intellectually higher circles
to which her marriage with Mr. Snyder introduced her, but
retained the simple tastes and manners of her girlhood, and
still clung with affection to the traditions and memories that
clustered about Cahokia and its people.
Mr. Perry's youngest daughter, Harriet, in 1822, when still
lacking two months of completing her sixteenth year of age,
married Louis Pensoneau, a young man born and reared in
Cahokia. They began together the momentous journey of
wedded life on a farm, five miles east of St. Louis on the
Belleville road, known as La Pointe a La Pierre; the name
originating from a point of timber there jutting into the prairie,
and the place having formerly belonged to a Frenchman named
La Pierre. Only four years after they commenced farming,
with every prospect of a prosperous and happy future before
them, in 1826 Pensoneau died, leaving his young widow with
an infant son, Louis Perry Pensoneau, now a citizen of Mur-
physboro, 111. She then returned to Prairie du Pont and re
mained there with her mother until 1833. In March of that
year, having purchased a house and two or more lots lying
between the premises of Gov. Reynolds and A. W. Snyder, in
Belleville, she left the American Bottom and located in her
new home. Her mother came with her to pass the evening
of her days with all her children together, her lease of life
ending in October of the succeeding year, 1834. She, the
daughter of Capt. John Baptiste Saucier, and wife of John
Francis Perry, passed away at the age of fifty-six, and, con
veyed to Cahokia, her remains were laid in a grave adjoining
that of Mr. Perry, and near that of her father, in the old ceme
tery contiguous to the church. Her son, Augustine Pensoneau,
was taken by Mr. Snyder and reared by him as one of his
-28

434
family; the daughter, Felicite, was adopted in the family of
Mrs. Harriet Pensoneau, and, in 1836, was married to Narcisse
Pensoneau. For many years Mrs. Harriet (Perry) Pensoneau
resided in Belleville. She never remarried; never mastered the
English language, so as to converse with ease, and remained
illiterate. She was a noble woman, possessing the most sterling
qualities of heart and mind. She left Belleville with her half
sister, Felicite, and her family, in 1868, and lived with them on
a farm in the eastern part of St. Clair county until her death,
that occurred on April 22, 1882,

MUSTER ROLL
...OF...
CAPT. A. W. SNYDE-RS COMPANY
...OF...
MOUNTED VOLUNTEERS

Note C.
Muster roll of Capt. A. W. Snyder's company of mounted volunteers in the Black Hawk
war; enrolled at the mouth of Fox River, 111., May 27th, 1832.

NAME AND RANK.

CAPTAIN.
Adam W. Snyder 
FIRST LIEUTENANT.
John Winstanley 
SECOND LIEUTENANT.
John T. Lusk 
SERGEANTS.
Nathan Johnson 
Solomon Spann 
James Taylor 
Josiah R. Gillam 
CORPORALS.
H. Hartline 
Benj. McDaniel 
Robt. B. Pierce 
Thos. Cook 
PRIVATES.
Abbott, Isaac 
Ashby, J. W 
Adams, Orien M 
Brooks, Benjamin 
Baker, John T 
Cornelius, I. M. MicTy 
Cleveland, Loren 
Dikes, George P 
Gillespie, Joseph 
Hendricks. Elijah A 
Herrington, Charles 
Hamilton, Wm 
Hill, Pendleton 
Harrison, Henry 
Hall. John 
Jarrott, Francis 
Kinney. George D ; 
Lusk, Marcus 
Lawrence, John

RESIDENCE.

St. Clair Co.
St. Clair Co.

Madison Co.

Monroe Co . . .
St. Clair Co.
St. Clair Co.
Madison Co. .

Monroe Co . . .
St. Clair Co.
Madison Co. .
St. Clair Co.

St. Clair Co.
St. Clair Co.
Madison Co. ,
St. Clair Co.
St. Clair Co.
Monroe Co . . .
Madison Co. .
St. Clair Co.
Madison Co. .
St. Clair Co.
Madison Co. .
Madison Co . .
Monroe Co. . .
Putnam Co . .
LaSalle Co..
St. Clair Co.
St. Clair Co.
Madison Co. .
Madison Co . .

Lamusett, Pierre  ILaSalle Co .

REMARKS.

Gun lost in battle, June 16th, 1832.
Killed in battle June 16th, and horse lost, hf*-CO

Horse killed June 16th.
On express.
On command.
Gun lost in battle, June 16th.
Died in service June 12th, 1832.

Sick; absent.
On furlough.

On furlough.

On command.

NAME AND RANK.

RESIDENCE.

REMARKS.

Motley O. C 
On furlough.
[1832,
Delivered to civil authorities June 13th,
Absent without leave.
MtaCalaugh, Sam'l 
Otwell, Ceylon G- 
Randolph Co 
Absent without leave.
On furlough.
Right, William 
St Clair Co 
On command.
Rock Island Co 
Killed June 16th, 1832.
Thomas, W. S 
Promoted to Major.
Teter, Philip 
St Clair Co
Torence^ Wm. W 
Welker, Joseph 
Gun lost in battle June 16th.
St. Clair Co. . .
Whitten, B 
Pike Co .
Pike Co 
Rock Island Co 
Wells, John 
--1
DR. J. P. SNYDER.

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