The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-08-11
THE OLDEN TIMES.
The Conflicts Of the Early Politicians.
Number 20.

Somerset, yet there was strife among
the aspirants for Office that exceeded any
thing in the way Of intense bitterfeeling
that the present political parties have
ever been guilty Of. In 1921 there was
a continual warfare between what was |
termed the "Mills and anti.Mills par
ties." Roswell Mills was a popular and
rising man. He had been surveyor,
postmaster, legislator, and filled other
important trusts, and his success in the
way Of securing official favors, act the
"ereen-eyed monster TO work against
him. and the conflicts which ensned can
not be fully set forth upon paper. The
Mills party had control Of the paper
"The Western. World aud Political Tickle"
which had been started in the spring of
that year, and being an organ through
which TO attack and defend, they made
the best possible use Of il in the inter
est Of Mills. The other party resorted
TO handbills and pamphlets, which were
printed at Lancaster. All efforts to OBJ
tain any Of them in recent years have
proved unsuccessful, but they were quite
as virulent and filthy as anything the
Ticker could produce.
In this war John Il. Orton was largely
involved on the opposite side, as was al
so Judge G. G. Hood, who was at that
time one Of the Associate Judges Of the
Court. In this year Mills was candi-
date for Representative, and his enemies
set out vigorously to defeat him. One
Of the charges brought against him was,
that one William Cockerell came to
Somerset in 1919, and passed on Jesse
Young what purported TO be ten dol
lar counterfeit note on the Urbana
Banking Company. Said Young went
before G. G. Hood, one Of the associate
Judges, and made oath that he had ap-
piled TO Mills, then Justice of the Peace,
for State warrant for Cockerell's arrest.
The said Cockerell was likewise charged
with having put other counterfeit notes
into circulation in the town and neigh
borhood. Mills was charged with being
dilatory in the issuing Of the warrant,
claiming as the transgressor was about
leaving the town, he did not wish to
trouble him. Young insisted, for the
arrest, as he set forth, and after much
pressing, Mills finally took his affidavit
but instead Of issuiDg a warrant, he
went ostensibly to the country to do some
surveying, to he gone several days, stat
ing at the eame time II Cockerell wa
not gone on his return, he would issn'
the warrant. II was further charged
against Mills that it was his intention
to give Cockerell time to effect his es
cape. Young also claimed that he CAV,
the said counterfeit ten dollar bill Il
said Mills, who afterwards handed it t.
Cockerell, and that individual was seel
about the town for several days withou
an attempt to arrest him.
OF course, when men become entan
gled in n muss of this kind, there ar
usually two sides to the question. Afte
Young had get forth these charges, Mill
went to work on him. He was.a shrewd
clear. headed man, and was a full mate
for all his antagonists, except perhap
John Il. Orton, who, in his day, was a.
ways considered the lion of the tow
The conflict on this charge ran wilC
with "premeditation and malice" job
Trout, who was Coroner in 1919, file
his affidavit before Joseph Petty, Ju
tice Of the Peace, that in the Spring
that year he executed n writ of a
tAchment on the property Of said Cocl
erell, or on what was claimed to be b
property, and that two horses were p'
into the stable Of Jesse Young, and thi
Young refused to let them be taken ol
till his counterfeit bill was made goo
but afterwards satisfaction was mac
and the property given up. I'm this a
fidavit il was stated that Col. John Bee
with examined the disputed note, al
thought it to be counterfeit, but it W
not proven as such.) Next an affiday
was filed by Samuel Eakins, before j
seph Petty, In which he set forth that
had obtained in the Spring Of 1919
writ Of attachment against the proper
Of the said Cockerell, and that said WI
was executed by John Trout, and tn
said Trout put two horses in the stat
Of Jesse Young, then Of Somerset, al
left the balance of the property seIz
upon in the hands Of the said Your
The affidavit further states that the sa
Young charged the said Cockerell wi
giving him a bad note, and that You
said he must be satisfied for said NJ
and some other accounts before he won
give the property up. Deponent furtf
stated that he afterwards saw the pre-
erty in the hands Of Cockerell, and hi
therefore, reason TO believe that You
had been. fully satisfied before he ga
said property over.
Upon these statements Mills argued
follows: "Would Young have given
the property If he had not been satisi,
Or IL he had been anxious to pun
Cockerell, would he not have called
a magistrate for warrant? know
no law which will compel the magistr
to carry the process to the constal
Thisis the business of the plaintiff, or
complainant. Young himself ackno
edges that Cockerell was about for 80
days"
Another charge against Mills was I
he allowed prisoner, named Will
Cristy, to effect his escape through
back door Of his Office. Said Cristy
arrested for stealing iron from the bla
smith shop Of Isaac Pence. This
curred in the early part Of the winte
1918. Henry Filler testified that
was in Mills Office at the trial;
Mills and Cristy in consultation,
thought. from their actions that Cr
was TO effect his escape. Against
charge Mills brought up Isaac Pc
who testified before Esq. George o.