Telegram-herald., 1890-04-25
HAD 10 HAVE A BELL
Ess Stor, 81 . PsrrsseeaS Hsssrn sss 4
<sld BefA


osd Bell
Il te wear 1882 OF lass, JARVIS SAT.
fasa ia d 4 hosei Ia PsrTy sbasg, and Il
Wzs a very hne botsl--eFen . moael
one 81 those DAYS. says TIE E.Inore
Easss~asrt. IL order - make 4 Conn
plste IL LA % have oell Oh top ot tae
hous~ Rsll fouDdrlss then Wege very
gars things, bat There happened
- hs : nan - tie n-sne u :.
DAVIS that had oe4 foundry
la DstFot, Mich, tAen Michigan serfl-
l0ry. kfr ~pan0rd USnE up to Detroit
ga hOfse0Sek, san A1. DAVIS and made
4 contract 70 cast him tavern bSl4
Hotels were not known ia those days IA
ms vsla country, ana for wart or ma
terlal to faake Tie bell TIE desired site,
ia. SDafIord pat ~ taiEty-siX spsHlsh
10l.ars. anleh we're melted and run
nto the bell. Ia tie year 1854 tie
ueit was cast: the name OF :. DAVIS,
Detroit. Michigan Territory, and the
year. in large, bold letters. appeared OF
the bell. After due time Mr.. sp4t0rc,
OF Perrysblrg, Wood county, ono, gOt
tie be!l home, and Il was a great
CURIOSITY there ia the wilderness, the
whole country abounaing WITH Indians
and Wild animals. However, Mr.. spaf-
ford had the bell hung up IA s. tree n
front Of his house, 10 ring when j Was
time for meals.
The Indians used 10 gather around
the tree 70 see and hear the bell ring;
They would even climb up on the tree
10 get hold Of Il 10 ring II themselves,
10 the great annoyance of Nj. spaftord
and las customers, as they supposed
meals were ready when the bell rang.
This annoyed Mr.. spatford 50 much
that he was compelled 10 drive the
Indians away by force, but they, not
being easily scared, came one night and
stole the bell and carried lt OH 20 Upper
Sandusky, which Was the headquarters
! for all the Indians III this section Of the
country IN those days. When Mr..
Spafiord missed the bell he was very
much worried, and offered Ii big reward
| for the thief and return OF has property.
As the bell cost him S75, he felt the
loss OF his investment, as we'll as the en-
! lOyment and convenience OF II, but he
was not long in finding the trail OF the
bell ( ON friendly Indians. He secured
the services of half-breed, by the
| name of sam Brady, an old scout, who
had killed as many Indians and some
white men, a. any other Indian IN those
days; Frank HOlhster, the first white
man that settled at PerrysbuTg and
| bought furs from the Indians, knew
about all OF them, and had slept IN
almost every Indian wigwam on the
| Maumee river. The three started
III search OF the bell, and were
three days making the trip from
Perrysburg TO the plains of Upper San
dusky, camping out every night, with
| Sam Brady 10 pilot them through. On
| the morning OF the fourth day, 10 their
great surprise, they heard the sound of
| the bell, and leaving their camp with
| their scanty breakfast half cooked, they
/ struck out fully determined 10 get the
! bell. Alter half an hours travelling
through the deep grass and thick un-
| derbrush with rife IN hand 90 shoot the
! first Indian they met, they came 10 the
missing bell. TO their great amaze
ment they found Il tied around
an Indian pOny's neck, which was
considered the leading pony OF the
| plains. Mr.. Spafford says that II did
not take Mr.. Brady long TO bring down
| the pony with his rifle, cut the sinew
! that the bell was fastened to, and soon
! shOuldered II and started back To camp,
| TO finish their breakfast of Jerked veni-
| son and whisky. After finishing tn eir
meal, they started back for home. a
| happy trio. In the meantime they
kept a sharp lookout on their retreat,
but met with no interruption, and ar
! rived home safe and whole, but worn
out by fatigue and hunger, still full of
| glee and good whisky
Mr.. Spatford, in order to keep the In
dams from stealing the bell again,
went up to Detroit TO blacksmith,
and got a heavy iron bar, one inch
| square, made in a half circle, with a
cross bar, and hung the bell in the
circle. spiked II on top of MS taxern,
! known as the Exchange Tavern in Per-
rysburg, and the bell hung there until
the death of Jarvis Spatford, and for
several years after. The property then
fell into the hands of Willis
Norton, sheriff of Wood county,
and tor number of years
he kept the house and bell. Finally
the hotel business died out, and Mr..
Nor on mad good deal of sickness and
| reverses, and left Perrysburg, ", nt up
| west of Fort Wayne, taking the bell
with him, with the full intention of
keeping 1t as long as he lived but bis
health falled necessar!es of life
were hard to get, and getting an
offer for the old bell from the
oldest landlord IN Northern Ohio. who
knew the bell ever since il was hung
upon the old Exchange, lac concluded
to sell it 10 bis old friend, d. VI. Day, of
Elmore, Ottawa county, o., where Il
can be seen and heard three times a
day, on the top Of the Elmore House,
| dat uas hIlLi fhlrtX-sIx Vears ago. and