The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-03-09

house as shop; bry not to disturb relc,ous
meetings and courts, and to take care of the
building.
Taxes of 1886 yielded S9ss.s0l,. Deln.
Iqucnts, S6,Ol. Shertl's per cent, S1416l,.
| July 1896 Lorenzo Leland treasurer.
Sept. :, 1896, extensive repairs ordered on
and around county buildings and public
square.
An application for an iron chest, to be
placed in the court house, in which to keep
the records safe, postponed.
| The JAIL the log structure, which then stood
upon the bank Of Fox river about where
Thone's livery stable now is, was ordered to
be moved TO the corner Of the court house
square. The people had begun to take con-
siderable pride in the public square, and as
the log Jail was then considered a relic of the
past Of the pioneer settlement of Ottawa, now
looking forward to municipal airs, and wood
en- court house, very stylish one, now known
as the OlmStead warehouse and occupied by
Porter as a storchousc for gang plowS and 9th
cr farming implements) just then a trtlc old,
was threatened to be replaced by the new court
house and Jail, our present horror Of that
name, the citizens became indignant and one
bright evening tore down the old JAIL burnt
Il portion of it and tumbled the remainder into
Fox river, and thus wiped out that affair
\ short time before the completion of the
present court house, during Mr.. Reddck' term
as sheriff, the Catholic people having no place
of worship and being then as now large por-
| ton Of the population, Mr., Rcddck gave them
the use of the old court house. then on the
As many Of the congregation were laborers on
the canal, some had to come five or six miles
to church. All things moved on satisfactorily
for time, until the members Of certain other
church protestant in both senses objected to
this arrangement and applied for the court
house. Mr. Rcddick refused. These gentle
men shrewdly managed to ret through the
J Legislature, then in session, law giving them
the court house on Sundays for their exclusive
use. They came chuckling to Mr. Reddick
and notified him one day that they would oc-
cupy the court room on the following Sunday.
Mr. Reddick affected to be surprised, but was
not having heard of the passage of the bill in
question. Mr.. r. calmly turned to these ex-
ultant parties and said, Gentlemen, as sheriff
of this county, I am bound to see to the safety
of my prisoners; and will not allow any one
excepting the courts and officers of the law, to
approach the prisoners unless by my consent
=, pnt of
that if you enter the court house | will arrest
every one of you and shove you in jail" The
discounted individuals retreated in dismay
and the Catholics were not molested. Mr. Red
dicks reasons for this action in favor of the
Catholic people were that they were then una
BILE to procure a place of worship, and that the
? influence of their church protected them from
the temptations of drink, which on Sundays
were very great in those days--a Sundays
spree often rendering many of the laborers on
the canal unfit for work for half of the sue
ceeding week. to say nothing of black eyes
and broken noses, and other ructions peculiar
to the times
2, About this time the great influx OF imm-
grants and rapid growth of the county soon
/, rendered the frame court house inadequate to
the wants Of the people, and after much agi-
tation and many deep deliberations, the scheme
took tangible shape and the present court
house and dungeon below were built
The taxes of 1S42, the year when the court
T house was accepted from the builder, Nix
!, Flagg, only amounted TO about $l,lOO, for all
county purposes. Up to 1913 1t had been
raised only to 81 ,6G5.l0 The total assessment
of that year was $ll,091n. And yet, with
that very slim showing Of wealth, the patriotic
people started a $4,000 court house, with not
cent IN their treasury and onss the most Wis
ionary schemes by which to payssor their ap-
parently rash venture. Yet they succeeded
Contrast their condition with that Of this
county at present: Our assessed value in 1877
was $50, 1856, 16i But as this is fully one-third
too low, it is safe to say that the values of all
property in this splendid county of ours is not
less than one huadrtd millions of dolLdrs!-for
she is the second county IN wealth and pOpu-
lation in this great state of Illinois, and should
have public buildings in proportion to her ac-
Itual needs and commensurate in elegance and
value with her Importance in the common
wealth. j. q. ARMSTRONG.
The oldest of the white elephants of Siam,
which was born in 100, died III lis temple at
l. -.