The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-20
ia STORY OF NIGHT-RIDING.
How Harrison County Taxpayers Have
Been Swindled and Defrauded.
Efforts to Correct the Evil by Methods Out
side the Law-Attempts to Destroy Evil
dence-Knights of the Switch.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

GORDON, Oct. IL The little county of Har-
rison has within its boundaries several veritable
sensations, of which, however, the good people
of Indiana have hitherto remained in bssful
ignorance 1t can boast of an organization which
could have given points to the notorious Ku-klux,
and of some wonderful manipulations in its
county offices. These latter your correspondent
shall first touch upon.
1t appears that the county has, at divers and
sundry times, been cursed with dishonest Off
cials, but especially in the treasurers Office
has corruption held its sway. Official after Off
cial has squandered the money Of the toiiers
One of the treasurers was alleged to be short
about SIS 000 of which only So 100 waYtecovered
by the county. This was e. S. Richards, whose
term was from 1864 TO 1868. None of these men
were ever indicted, all of them being only sued
on their official bonds. The treasurers Office,
according to an old inhabitant of the county,
''had been a drunk for twenty five years. "
thus mildly putting the statement that all had
been crooked.
The taxpayers were kept in ignorance of the
real state of affairs, or, at least, got only an
inkling how matters stood A ring had grown
up about the court house, and extended it's
power until ii began to reach for the whole
county Taxes became heavy burden, being
increased to meet the demands of those who
held county affairs in their grasp. Elections
became mere farces votes being bought and sold
with notorious openness. Corruption bribery
and fraud were rampant. Higher and higher piled
the county Indebtedness and taxes and lower and
lower sunk the county to the bottom of the pit
of financial discredit. But early last spring the
burden of taxes piled upon the toiling masses
became too heavy to bear, being over per cent.
and they demanded an nvestis cation. The ring
started one of its committees to looking into
county affairs but this was not at all what the
taxpayers wanted, and they demonstrated it in
a startling manner.
AN INFORMAL DEMONSTRATIONS
On the night of the Both of May last mob of
two hundred composed of the best citizens Of
the county, irrespective of politics, rode into
Corydon from the east. west and north sides OF
the town. ALI the night-riders were masked,
and some of them had their horses disguised to
some extent. They halted in front of the post
Office and deposited bundle of letters. one to
each OF the newspapers of Corydon, requesting
that they be published, and one each to the sup
the Corydon Republican quite lengthy, and
the first part was addressed to the Board
of Commissioners Of Harrison county 1t
recited the facts that they over
burdened with taxation, that the
county groaning under a heavy indebted
ness and that it was the belief of the tax payers
of the county that much of the county funds were
misapplied and wrongfully used by the men who
were placed in charge Of the county finances
They further stated that the investigating com
mittee was unsatisfactory one. and they de-
manded that George W. Self and G. w. Cook
the former Republican, the latter Democrat,
be added to the committee in the places of two
of the members whom they asked be relieved.
and that this new formed committee
investigate thoroughly the county records. They
also forbade the contemplated purchase of an
expen sive poor farm. The letter ordered that
the prosecuting attorney make no investigation
into their doings, and also demanded thai the
County Commissioners abstain from counseling
with or acting under the advice of five men in
Corydon, whom they mentioned by name, and
whom they charged with being the ringleaders
of the courthouse clique. The letter also stated
that the organization was Of the best
class Of farmers in the coun-
ty; that their organization was per-
manent one, and that they had determined
to purge Harrison county of corruption, vice
and fraud of every FORM politically; that they
had determined to stop the vote traffic; that the
buyers and sellers of votes would be punished
alike with extreme rigor; that they had pa
tienty waited tor the law to punish the Offend
ers and clear up all mysterious frauds, en-
bezzlenents and other corrupt practices, until
patience had ceased to be a virtue; and now
they, as citizens of the county, would do what
the county officials had failed in doing. They
warned all that disobedience of their commands
and requests would be punished in a quiet but
effective way.
Accompanying this letter were notes to George
X Gwartney, formerly prosecuting attorney;
II. /. Wolff prominent physician. and Amzi
wv. Brewster auditor at the county, warning
sthem from interfering in any way with the
factions of the Board of County Commissioners,
and from using any influence they might have
with the board.
Those interested, after this visit circulated
the report that their action called forth by
the infamous lies and infammatory articles
originating from Republican source. The
PARTICLE denied that the county was in debt
ldenied that anything was wrong in the county
Offices, but admitted, however, that there might
be few clerical errors the books, and
perhaps one or two serious ones. It
was true that the county had been
clear of debt in 1880, and had
money in its treasury. But. despite the state
ment that everything was right, an investiga
tion showed that bonded debt of $SU 900 had
been contracted. and that there was not one
cent of money in the treasury to pay off some
Sl2,0 900 of outstanding county orders. The
county officials however, declared that the
books of the county were straight as string.
This statement was made not only to the public,
but to the sureties OF Louis w. Bowling ex-
county treasurer, who, it was alleged. was short
ia his accounts with the county some
$40. 900. It also denied that
there was delinquency of $75. 900
or whereabouts. in the offices of the auditor and
treasurer, as had been charged by ALLEGATIONS
made publicly on the streets of Corydon by
prominent tax-paying farmers The Board of