Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-01-17
MORNING LEADER,
RlRLY HIATORY ON CLEYELAND.
Letter from Hon. Alfred Kelley

CITY Vi OleNeldHOI Huu Souhtiy hhliASuA"'SAJ N-
jacent 8c
l first saw Cleveland and became one of its
inhabitants in the month of June, 1870 had
then entered my twenty-frst year was ad-
mitted to the bar during the same summer by
Judges Brown afterwards GovernOr) and Irwin,
at the first session of the Supreme Court held
in Cuyahoga county. At The next session Of
the Court of Common Pleas for that county,
Judge Benjamin Ruggles then presiding, was
appointed Prosecuting Attorney, which Office
continued to hold until my duties as Acting Ca
nal Commissioner made it proper for me to
resign.
Cleveland City in 1910 contained three framed
dwelling houses and some five or six log houses.
OF the three framed dwellings, one, that of
Judge Nathan Perry, on the corner of Superior
and Water streets, was of two stories; that
occupied by George Wallace, on the corner of
Superior street and Vineyard lane, as tavern,
was one and a half stories; and that of Samuel
Williamson, afterwards Judge williamson on
the west side Of Water street, near St Clair
/ .
houses was finished. OF the log houses, that
of Major Lorenzo Carter, standing on the top
of the bank near the northwest corner of Supe-
rior street, was by far the largest. 1t was of
two low stories, weather-boarded so as to have
the appearance, on the outside, of frame
house.
Elias and Harvey Murray had then recently
built small store house on the south side of
Superior street, nearly opposite the Merchants
Bank block and, near where the American
Hotel now stands, Judge Wslworth had erected
a small building, in which the Post Office, the
Recorders, Clerk of the Supreme Court and
Court of Common Pleas offices, and that of
the Collector of the Port of Cuyahoga, were all
held James Root, Esq, who had read law with
the distinguished James Ross, Esq, of Pitts
bugh, Doctor David Long, then and for some
years afterwards the only physician in Cieye-
land, aud myself, were, by the kindness of Judge
Walworth, permitted also to use this building
as an office The building was, as nearly as l
now remember, about "a by is feet.
Judge Walworth then held the several offices
above named, and some idea may be formed of
the extent of public business then done in Cleve-
land from the fact that when he was too much
ndisposed to attend to business in person, l was
able, as his deputy or assistant, with ease to
perform all, or nearly all of it, besides attending
to my business as praeticing lawyer and Prose
cutting Attorney.
There were, at this time, two warehouses; at
the foot of Superior lane, now called Superior
street, one on each side OF the street A small
schooner of about forty tons, the Zephyr" was
then being built by Captains Gaylord and Stow,
ship carpenters, for Major Carter The whole
tonnage on this side of the lake did not proba-
bly, exceed 500 tons. The country had then
little to export besides furs and grindstones.
!. The latter were humOrously called " legal
: Cuyahoga tender" Salt from The 0nondaga
works constituted by far the largest amount Of
] tonnage imported. The trade of Cleveland
was then chiefly made up of salt aud grind
stones.
: Though there were in Cleveland as early as
e 1910, several men of considerable enterprise
: and energy, both the city and the country i'm
proved slowly previously to the war of 1872
The tide of population which was then, and haC
: been for years setting from the New England
6 States westwardly, had not yet filled up tht
y vacant country in western New York SO as tt
t pass on to and occupy the northern portion 0
= Ohio. That section ofthe State which lies imme
: diately south Of the Connecticut Western Re
n serve, and which depended mostly on Pennsyl
e vania for its population, settled more rapidly
because the emigrants from the older parts o
s that State found less unoccupied space to pas
e over But no convenient avenues of trade be
!, tween this part of the State and the Lake thel
= existed Cleveland consequently received littl
: benefit from this source
of It will be remembered by those familiar witt
g the events of the War of 1912, that soon afte
/, its commencement General Hull surrendere,
n Detroit and the whole Of the American arm
II under his command to the British, commando
u by General Brock Immediately afterwards
. information was received at Cleveland through
le scout from Huron, that large number of Bri;
Ill ish troops and Indians were seen from the shor
h.1 in boats proceeding down the Lake, and tha
is they would probably reach Cleveland IN th
3 course Of the ensuing night. This information
'5 spread rapidly through the surrounding settle
1e ments A large proportion of the families i
1e Cleveland, Newburgh (then part of Cleveland
Q. and Euclid, Immediately on the receipt of thi
news, took such necessary articles of food
y clothing and utensils as they could carry, an
: started for the more populous and less expose
sn parts of the interior. About thirty men onl
s remained, determined to meet the enemy if the
IA should come, and if possible, prevent thcir lant
rs ing They determined st least 70 do all in the
be power to allay the panic, and prevent the DE-
: population of the country.
rs Several ladies' of Cleveland, among whol
~ 6a were Mrs. George Wallace, Mrs. John Walwort
- and Mrs. DR.. Long, resolved not to desert the
n husbands and friends. When Mrs. Long wa
In told that she could not fight or forcibly oppo:
~ the enemy, she replied that "she could nurs
n the sick or wounded-encourage and comic
IS, those who could fight; at any rate she wou
II II not, by her example, encourage disgracefI
al flight" 1855 h
,st The thirty men who refused to fly, about or
no half of whom came in great haste from Il
nd surrounding country on hearing that the enem
t. was expected either acted as scouts or laid upo
{ their arms during the night. Early the me-
ne morning, the boats supposed to contain Il
ad British and Indians came in sight. They maC
or signals that they did not come with hosti
intent Using due precautions to prevent So
= prise, It was soon ascertained that those WI
wore the British uniform were really Bntis
II. troops, and that those supposed by the scout
: be Indians, were American prisoners, most
ei- Kentucky volunteers, who had been robbed
or their clothes by the Indians, and furnished !
les the British with blankets, t1at CT
y. These prisoners when they were landed fro
:. the boats were in aeplorable condition, ha
!, famished and less than half clothed. But K
~ idea that they had been surrendered to the EN-
my by cowardIy or traitOrous commando
he without even the privilege of fighting, was &
Ite more painful to them than hunger or nakednes
i'll Tears coursed down their manly cheeks whe
,w Lhey spoke oi ther own nurniliallon ana ~ I
= deep stain inflicted on their eountry's honor
: the diseraceful surrender Of Detroit
De The inhabitants of Cleveland freely CAV
x them such articles of clothing as they coul
ne snare and treated them with all the hospitalit