The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-05-14

SFChIo WI buo WY lAO 10 cNeE
ready to recount the scenes of early !
days in Lancaster; his converse.
tions abound with interesting rem.
iniscences OF the pioneers, and in.
cidents of the first settlement of !
this place, and Of Fairfield county. |
He is one OF the two or three sur.
v vors whose residence here ante. |
dates, os it were, Lancaster itself, |
and goes back to the time when
Fairfield county embraced wjtbnaI
its limits nearly all Of the present |
counties of Licking and Knox. a
large portion Of Perry. and por-
tions Of Hooking and Pickaway;-
when the New Lancaster post Of
fee was kept in cabin IN the
meadow west Of the canal, and be-
low the steam mill;-when the
"raco track adjoinod, and occn-
pied all of our city north of Nal 4
berry street when we had no
houses on or over "the hill -
when Monday was washing day"
for every family in towp at "the
spring" at the loot of Wheeling
street.; before and when Thomas
Ewing, Henry Stanbery, Charles
r. Sbei man, W. W. Irwin, PhiIe.
mon Beecher, Hooking II. Hunter,
VIM. Mcdill, and other distinguish.
cd townsmcn were ripening into
State and National fame when
"statcd preaching" was TO be
heard only at the Court House,
and it was common to see the
"worshippers" step in with rifles
on their shoulders, in expectation
of being able to kill.a buck either
in going to or returning from
"meeting;'-w when there was nei-
ther brick or frame tenement in
Fairfield county; all log cabins; =
when there was not a bridge, or
public road in this State, all lords
and trais;-.-when there was not n
stage coach west Of the Alleghanies;
when there was not n canal in
the United States, nor u steamship
or railroad known TO mankiud;-
back, we say, to such condition
Of things, tho venerable General
often, with happy case, carries his
circle of auditors--enlvening his
narrative occasionally with anec-
dotcs illustrative of the rugged
customs Of primitive days.
Among the old time anecdotes
which tradition has preserved, is
one we must relate at tho Gener.
ais expense. The Req. Mr.. Wright,
who was one OF the earliest minis.
ters sent to this section OF the coun.
try, was accustomed to holding
forth, on Sabbath days, in the
court house, there being no church
edifce in the town, to a cOngrega-
tion sometimes very select in nun
bers. "Swect singers in Israel
were scarce in those days. The
General, who was sheriff at the
time, and had charge of the court
house, was unwilling that Bro
Wright should pre- ,eed without
"music;" so he selected, from the
best vocal timber at hand, two or
three assistants, who, with himself
: MS chief cborister, regularly seated
themselves at the clerk 5 desk, and
when required. poured forth their
melody with wonderful energy
The tunes were pitched high--very
high. After a splendid effort" on
a very warm summer Sabbath in
1917, the exhausted choir descend.
; cd from their musical sky, and took
their usual seats---it udS every
warm day" the old "leador' says
1.-The Sheriff soon became little
drowsy; presently "little more
so;" and finally sound slumbor
overcame him. Bro. Wright was
vigorously exhorting sinners to
, repentance, wholly unsuspiciou'
that his principal basSo was "fast
asleep" when suddenly such {
; stcntorian "sILENCE ! SIL,EN CT
in Court I" broke forth from the
halt awake Sheriff, that he wa'
obliged to "hold up aud join thC
T. congregation in the uproariou'
laughter which made that meeting
| ofno account in saving sinners
; That was the last appearance o
,, the Sheriff as "leader" of tho afore
i said choir.
In the spring of 1910 Gen. San
y derSon wac employed as publisher
of the "Independent Press" a news
y paper established hero by Mr.. Par
= cells, who afterwards sold the of
. flee to a company" CT citizens
continued the General in his posi-
ton until 1872, when grim visag''
: war" having announced his com
= = ing, he threw down his stick ant
!, rule, and took up the sword
= Gouernor Return j. MeigS hat
4 sent word to Lancaster, that OF
n Saturday, April IL, 1912, he wolI,
d address the people on the subjec
y of the war. He arrived according
= ly, and spoke from the door step
q of the court house. Ho desired
d an effort TO be made to raise
& Hcompany OF volunteers" in Fair
!. field county, to serve their countr,
a for one year. On Tuesday follow
a ing, being battalion day" gene
"a raj muster was held in Pleasan
/" township, seven miles north Q
Lancaster. This, it was supposed
3 would be a good opportunity +
a raise volunteers. and so it proved
q The task was undertaken and &C
h complished. Upon the call 70
!, volunteers, George Sdnderson wa
Il the first man to "step forward
i and enrol himself, and upon tn
# organization Of his company b