The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-30
THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF Y ORE
Habits and Manners of Those Who First
Settled in the "NeW Purchase"
How Our Forefathers Worked and Waited.
aud Shook withthe "Aigger" WiIile They
We're Making Indiana's Capital.


THE following address by Hon. J. NJ. Finch. before
the Tppecanoe Club, is published in accordance
with resolution asking that it be published in the
Journal:I
Gentlemen of tho,Tippeeanoe Club Occupy
ing, as do, the middle link between the present
and past civilization In Indiana 1t is proper that
my subject should be on this OCCASION: What
Remember of the Early Settlement of Central
Indiana. better known as the New Purchase Z
My earliest recollections of Indiana COM
menced in 1917, at the beautiful town OF Con-
nersviile situated on Whitewater river, in
Fayette, then a border county. The settlements
surrounding that thriving village at. that time
were SPARSE, and farm OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
being the sole oecupation--were' inexpensive
and the production limited to a few articles Of
prime necessity; but as the wants of the people
were few and the soil exceedingly productive,
their enioyments of life; as then understood
and the ease of living were quite free as those
OF their present wealthy successors In the val
ley of that classic stream.
Whilst we resided at Connersville, | remem-
Der as of yesterday, an almost universal custom
of the surrounding farmers and traders, of COM
ing to town every Saturday to buy goods, trade
In live stock or lands. or 'swap" horses hear the
news and settle up old scores by arbitration, and
not unfrequently by isticuff fights These
fights had rules not written and elaborate like
those of the modern prize ring, but we'll under
stood and binding in their authority on all who
No Saturday every passed, in my recollection
without most of these pursuits being engaged in,
fighting heing as frequent as. either of the
others-sometimes simply to settle who was the
best man in the neIghborhood This manner. OF
settling a question seemed equally enjoyed by;
the actors and spectators. No arrests were ever
made for these fights at that. day They were
free to ALL
Ihave seen many a, SCARED face, andneek,
and shoulder, and eye, made by the, fist the
teeth, and the thumb-nails of eombatants in
these contests, which carried for weeks af-
forwards, and no questions. asked. Gouglng
consisted IN running the thumb into an oppo-
nents eye with all ones force so that the eye
was frequently started from the socket Usually
the combatants stripped naked to the waist, and
henee biting was made easy.
In the year 1913 the United States purchased
OF the Indian tribes owning the same the tract
OF land extending from the northern boundaries
of Rush, Fayette, Wayne, and Henry counties
west to the Wabash river, north to the Miami
reservation, and south to thenorthern boundary
of Owen and, jackson, and Jennings; counties
This land was popularity known, as the New
Purchase" by which name it acquired a literary
fame. In 1919 it was deemed open to settlement
and its farming lands attracted settlers.
A party of seven eight families, picked for
the purpose, and mostly or-entireiy. from East
ern States was formed under the lead of my
father, John, Finch, at Connersvilles to make a
settlement in this popular purchase In the
spring Of that Year, party OF his sons and
prairie wess Of White river, and nearly opposite
the present town of Nohlesville; and to build
houses. break ground and put in spring crops.
In August the main body of the emigrants, to-
gether with their goods and supplies, landed at
their new homes, after traversing seventy miles
of unbroken forest, over road of their own
make, and into forest where their nearest
naighbor would be seventy miles away. The To-
cation was a beautiful one the western edge
of the prairie, around which the river curved in
such way as to assume the shape of horse-
shoe, and my father in consequence gave it the
name of the Horseshoe prairie" which it still.
holds
The transition from village life in Corners
vile to forest life on White river was so great
that many among the ladies and younger
members of the colony thought with
cad memories of what they had left behind,
and what this lonely forest home promised them.
But the household cares Of the ladies, and pro-
viding for the mum circus wants of their families,
and the necessity of making their crop and tax
ing care Of their live stock, and the excitement
of hunting, occupied most of the time of the
young men. The older ones had no time to be
sad For the first two months after the settle
ment was made the emigrants a
stretch to provide their homes so as to be habi
table, and to assure their crop. AT ter that they
were still more busy IN fighting off the dreadful
fevers and agues which began to make inroads
into their numbers. So it was literally work or
die. The emigrants had not fully known nor
provided for all the dangers and difficulties of
fully foreseen. As there physician IN the
colony, nor any one expected. supply of what
was supposed to be needed medicines was laid in
at starting. A general knowledge of their use
WIS known which was supposed to be sufficient.
But the diseases were more stubborn and diff
cult than anticipated, and the supply OF medi-
cines proved inadequate in quantity and quality.
Besides the scisnce of medicine, if it ther. de-
served the name of science (which is doubtful
was in very weak infancy, and the whole pro
cess OF meeting the prevailing disease proceeded
on q false basis.
The hot August and autumnal sun pouring
upon their log cabins, and decomposing the rank
vegetation surrounding them, DESTROYED by their
improvements filed the air with miasma and
their blood with poison Chills and fever ragged
and according to the learning ~ Of that day these
were treated by the most vigorous and depicting
process, thus reducing the patients strength
and rendering him more amenable to the
disease, the theory being that by weakening the
man you weakened the disease HIS home was
rendered more uncomfortable by the myriads of
biting and singing insects which assaulted him
on every side, by night we'll as by day. At
night he was serenaded by packs of wolves,
hewling lullabses in his very door-yard at times
lie met the disease, first, with bloodletting; Sec
ond, calomel; third, jalap. or some other ca
thartic ito work it off, fourth, hot water and
corn-meal Cruel; fifth exclusion from the fresh
air. The insects he met with a sitting smoke;
the wolves, with his rifle or his
dogs or both AS relaxation from
Ing ViSor oi Jaiap, salts were sometimes
INDUCED in, also SIENNA and blisters If the pa
tent persisted in living he was given a decoetion
of barks tcinchona) to give him strength which
had happy effect and doubtless saved MANY
lives. Late in the season OF this first year,
.frosts acted as powerful disinfectant and enc
my to disease. so that by New Years day most
Of the emigrants came off with cadaverous
countenance, and ague cake in the side. In
that falls sickness my father lost two members
of his family the victims of want of skill and
want of medicines. At one time during that
falls sickness, there was but one well person in
the neighborhood of fifty persons, and no neigh
bors nearer than seventy miles, In the second
year of the settlement there appeared in the
and title Of DR. Guthrie. He was of the true
Sangrado type in appearance, and also in prac-
tiee except the hot water. In fact, water or any
other drink except Cruel, he forbade Thepatient