The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-30

but time does not permits, and medical Journals
have done the task more effectually than could
time the settlers found that frost
was their hes. friend against disease.
Towards the approaci of winter it was found
that the supplies which were brought from the
settlements were nearly exhausted, and resort
mustjDe had to their new resources. Game of
every variety, of great excellence. as well as ish
and wild fruits Of every variety were in abund-
ance and easily obtained; but how to obtain
bread was the problem to be solved. The crops
of corn and vegetables they had put in Were
abundant, and out of the first of these came the
solution
The first trial ON the ripening corn was made
by shaving down the hardening grain into thin
shavings. on al jack piane,n which, when well
cooked. made q sort of pasty mush. which was
eaten with milk and sometimes made into griddle
cakes, and was quite a fayorite fora time. When
the corn got hard. mortar was made by hollow
ing out the end of a log by burning, and stand
ing that end uppermost A pestle was made of
an iron wedge fastened to spring poles In this
way the corn was beaten into ''samp.' This
samp was winnowed or sifted. and in various
preparations was used IN milk and
made into a sort Of bread, or used as
hominy is now used. fried or stewed. etc.
But as wants increased hand.mll was made
out of two fat stones, with surface ridged into
burrows, and peg fastened in one side to hold
and turn by, much after the biblical style. Two
by taking hold of this peg could propel the upper
StUuo IdSt enough To- produce meal as IfSb dS
three or four families could use it, the other Ave
families of the neighberhood having to wait
their turn till the next day or resort to the
''samp MORTAR
i These processes were next summer 1920 super
seeded by a horse-mill, which my father con-
structed and put, into operation. The stones
were made out of the powders which then
strewed the upiands, aboriously hewed' and
split intothe proper shapes, and with their faces
ridged into burrows, so that a. fine quality of
/ AL n~I b. - ~ 49,
or forty bushels; a. day. Corn was the only
grain grown that, year. The next year buck
wheat was sown and ground. but with the means
OF boiling In use a very Indifferent quality OF
-four was produced The mill supplied that
neighborhoed, and for twenty miles around
until after the ''land sales" when John Conner
constructed water.mill at the lower end of the
horseshoe prairie" which was the admiration
of two or three counties.
/ There was little money in circulation--mostly
silYer-and the settlers had few things which
would command money. Peltries, ginseng and
a few others. besides labor, which was in small
demand. A few articles of prime necessity,
such as salt, iron, smithwork and a few others.
Leather and sugar were home made. Even
with money, wheat flour; which had to be hauled
seventy miles over a mud road, could rarely be
bought, as little was offered for sale. Through
the profits OF his smithshop, my father was al
ways able to command some money, and recol-
leet, as of yesterday, when an enterprisng
huckster came into the, settlement with salt and
some other articles, among them two barrels of
flour. my father bought one of these, and Will
lam Conner, the Indian trader the other Moth
ing happened that season. within my reeol
lection which brought such real joy as did that
barrel of flour. And none, of the richest coz
feetions of these days of high-iving bring such
enjoyment and gladness as did the first short
cake made from that barrel of -four If any Of
you young gentlemen do not know what 'short7
cake is, God pity you for what you don't
know. Its manufacture is now one Of the 'lost
arts"
In the spring and summer Of 1920 the settle
ment had assumed the proportions of colony
and took an interest Ia the outside world
Among the most interesting of the events to the
State then transpiring was the location Of the
seat of government Of the State. An act for
that purpose was passed in 1890 by the Legis-
lature, then sitting at Corydon, and commission
ers to make the location were appointed by the
act. These met in May, 1920, at the house and
trading post of William Conner, on White river
three miles below our settlement, and from
thence diverged in various directions, examn-
ing supposed eligible sites. At one time a strong
feeling was shown for the "Bluffs of White
River" thirteen miles below this city, but the
final preference was for the present location, by
a large majority. It is worthy of remark that
no suspicion of a job was even entertained
against any member of the commission in this
selection. Naturally this event produced a
tremor in our hitherto quiet community, the
more so as several of the commission
ers and their escort visited the settlement
Among them Governor jennings is specially
remembered They were shown the beauties of
our location, and introduced to- and entertained
by the sports and amusements of society. Among
these were fishing with the gig. favorte and
exciting method Of taking fish. The Governor
was quite an expert with the gig (which was
used in the canoe then so commonly in use), and
made number of very creditable throws during
his short trip.
The great popularity of fishing and
hunting among the present population of
In Indiana will jj; Justify me in DEPRESSING
which then assumed the dignity os employ
meuts, to assist in furnishing the family supplies.
Fish were abundant in White river, even be-
yond what l shall be able to make any one be-
lieve now. have stood on the bluff bank Of
the river fifty or sixty feet above the water in
''the deep hole" on the prairie, and seen the
surface of the water as far as the eye could
reach SO literally covered with fsh--about six
inches below the surface-that they appeared to
touch each other, and in many instances
did touch; and this OF all kinds of fish,
from the monster muskalunge to the hated CARR;
large and small-but mostly large-lying
together, happy family Stunning themselves,
as it was called. Perhaps the origin of the sun
bath" of this day.
In shallower water these could be taken by
the hook. the seine or the more popular gig.
The hook was considered too slow for fun. The
fish were so abundant that mo such word as
fall was known in any kind of fishing. These
fish, it seems to me, had better flavor than the
pork house fish taken in the river now
But the boss" amusement was deer-huntin 2
in canoe at night by torch-light Two persons
constituted crew-one to paddle and steer, the
other to use the gun. The outfit was the canoe
made of a log. generally poplar, beautifully
followed and tapered for speed and safety, a
single one-bladed paddle, and torch, generally
made of hickory bark and the gun. These
with the gunner, were placed in the front of the
canoe, the steersman in the stern. Deer in warm
weather came to the river at night to feed on
grass in the water. They could then be free
from the flies and biting insects which attacked
them by day. When the hunter sees his
game in the water, the canoe is driven directly
towards it. As they approach the deer the
gunner rocks the canoe, giving weird appear
ance to the canoe and torch, which so dazes and
bewilders the deer that it stands its gaze fixed
upon the strange apparition. The canoe can be
in a few rods of il without causira. 81 "a