The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-08-18
A Visit TO the Former Home of
Hon. Albert G.. Porter.
|The Nan Who Grew Rich by Inherit.
ance--How He Disliked Labor.
The Candidate that Shook His Father
Because He Was Poor.
"A shamefuIly Neglected Graveyard, and the
Home of Ohio River Snakes-A Brief
Piece OF History that VIII
Bear Reading.

LAwRENCEBURS, Ind, August lU.-A lew
= years since, when had local habitstion In
this city, had heard It remarked that Hon.
ehlbert G. Porter first saw the light of the
shining sun in this section of the State, or
rather scross the river in the dark and
bloody ground" and was afterward reared
to fortune and fame at the hands OF rich
uncle within the borders of the Common
wealth over which he now aspires to become
the Governor. Not having forgotten the
information OF the early home of Mr.. Porter,
q visit to the ''antIquated city in the
corner would not be inconsistent az the
present time.
The TOWN
! is not unlike the ordinary river town, while
kthe citizens are not of the fiery, enter
IprisiDg kind that characterize the
4 interior towns, but they make up for
their lack OF enterprise by their extreme
goodness. They pertake largely of the habits
and customs that are INDUCED IN by the
people of the South, even to their innate
love for the "push buahburn" and fast
horses. The town is wealthy one and this
is perhaps the reason that enterprise is an
element of the past. The place IL older than
Cincinnati, and had it not been situated in
the low fiat lands of the Ohio and Miami
| bottoms il might have been to the State OF
I Indiana what Cincinnati is to Ohio. The
distance between the two places is but
reality is but a suburban town to the
| Paris of America. The average Lawrence
| burger is as apt 10 speak of the great men
it has produced as they are to ask you TO
smile" The truly good will never forget
that Henry Ward Beecher preached and
caught drift wood here. DR.. Hall, of Halls
Journal Of Health, late of New York, was
, also a resident here.
TIE ToUsEYs
A. Far,ilxy If y,nunh uaoIth
They came out from New York when this
portion OF Indiana was primitive crest,
and fret settled on the banks of the Ohio in
Kentucky, Immediately across the river from
here, and there built a thriving village called
"TousEY TOWN"
This was prior 70 there being any town on
! this side of the river. In the course of time
! old st. Clair Vance, wealthy New Yorker,
made his appearance IN the wilderness and
laid out what is now this city, and named
in honor of Captain Lawrence, who came
about the same time that Vance did. The
| little place grew like magic, and IN few
years had out rivaled it's neighbor across
the river - hence Lswrenceburg be-
came the metropolis and the lit
abandoned and left to decay, and now not
vesiige OF il remains save an occasional
pile of stone that served as part OF the
structure.
~ The Porters were about the next family to
form part OF the haoitation of Tousey Town,
where Albert was born, and purchased some
lands on the Kentucky side.
MOSES roUsEY,
the father o! Omer and George Tousey (the
latter late of your city and the grandfather
of Hon. Albert q. Porter, in those Gays was
not considered wealthy, but in good cir
cumStances.
oMER ToUsEY,
. the elder son. lived to be one of the richest
men in Southeastern Indiana. In 1865, when
he died, his estate was valued at about $780,
y 0O0. Tousey was a sharp, shrewd fnancIer.
AS an evidence of his ability to make
money, relate the following, as told by
Zeph Heustis for years Appointment railroad
conductor and manipulator In stocks,
while sitting in front of Hunts Hotel
this morning: 1T was the time" said
Heustis" when the State wasinterested with
Omer Tousey, George Tousey, Stephen Lud-
low Isaac Dunn, Walter Hayes, Joseph
Hayes, David Guard, Era Guard, Andrew
Morgan and others, in the construction of
the LawrercebuIg and Upper Mississippi
Railroad, now the Cincinnati, Indianapolis,
St. Louis and Chicago Road.
THE State loaned these men Its credit and
issued bonds sufficient to raise the required
amount of money with which to complete
the road. 1t was about this
time that the Western land
fever had broken out. The inducements for
speculation in that direction were more fiat
ter ng than in the railroad enterprise. In
steaa of completing the road or engaging in
any art of its construction, invested the
money In Western lands, and let the rail-
road er terprise remain where it began-in
talk. But few years after the State had
issued its railroad bonds the credit of
the State became very low, the bonds
selling as low down as seventeen
tko IN IA
market Out of the money he bad received
from the State and the profits of the West
ern land investment, Omer Tousey bought
up all the bonds ne could at their low value
and kept them until the State became able
to Re deem them. Let ii be said In memory
of Mr.. Tousey that as sharp and driving in
trades as he was, his integrity was never
brought into question. He wanted every
y cent that wss coming to him. Tousey made
the most of bis wealth in shaving notes and
loaning money at enormous rates OF In
terest."
Tousey. how ever, liquidated his indebted
ness to the S ate, and out OF the railroad
transaction he made thousands OF dollars.
He would not foreclOse mortgage on
poor man, would he?"
"Yes, be would; he would cut to the blood
every time. He was at times charitable,
and often gladdened the hearts Of the poor
by sending them provisions and clothing.
In cases of this kind he was always adverse
to having known who had sent them"
'Did you know
HON. ALBERT c. PORTER"
yes" said Huestis. 81 knew him well.
l remember once he got on my
dray Chat was when / was poor
to ride from the old warehouse out to the
wharf boat, and l succeeded in giving him
good ducking You see, Porter had con-
sidered himself above me. l know of no
other reason shy unless it was because
was laboriDg man. When he got on my
dray to ride TO the wharf the water was
rising very rapidly, and between the waters
edge and the boat there was big hole. lt
was impossible to get the boat up TO the edge
of the water, consequently the only means
OF getting there was either by skiff or TO be
driven out on a wagon. / took this oppor-
tunity of giving the young man the benefit
of an Ohio River bath; 30 drove my
horse as far In the river as II was safe to go,
and in getting Porter wet likewise had TO
take some of Ii myself, but then / could
stand that very we'll"
''Thsn Porter was aristocratic IN his early
days, was he?'
Eyes. You zee his father, Captain Tom