New-York tribune., 1890-05-22
"THE TRIBE OF ISHMAEL. 4"
TRACING THE CAREER OF AN INDIANA
CLAN OF PAUPERS AND CRIMINALS.
A CURIoCS CHART EXHIBITED TO THE CONFER
ENCE OF CHARITIES-C AED1NAL GIBBONS
C0MMENDS THE WORK OF THE
ORGANIZATION.
YET TELEGRAPH 10 THE ThIBrNE


Baltimore, May 2i.-Thc conclud a sion Of the
Conference Of Charities and Correctom2 day was
the most interesting Of the week The only breeze
that has rippled the calm and dlgnhcd dcmcanor OF
'he assembly was stirred this morning, when Gods
borough : Griffith, the venerable worker in prison
ana asylum reform. took exception 10 statement
made by Dr. {. W. Chancellor president of the Mary
lad state Board Of Health. that the almShOuSe system
waS wretchcd, and the conditions of the Institutions
generally deploiabe. II appears that DIR. ChanceHer
was not referring in particular 10 Maryland, bu'
making general criticism Of the almshouSc system
in thi, country. Mr.. Griffith. however. took il n
reflection the conduct Of the institutions of this
state lie said that he wanted no wrong impression
10 get abroad: that when the Doctor referred to the
diapidated condition Of the alnShou>c>. and the
wTetcled condition II the insane paupers, he was
speaking OF evils that existed twelve years ago.
The trouble had been remedicd and though the city
insane department was somewhat overcrowded,
fund of $4,000 had just been appropriated for All
additional binding. W =. Lcchworth Of New
York. calmed Mr.. Grinth's agitation by assuring hm
that he and the other delegates did not understand
Dr. Chanccller's remarks "a refer 10 MARYLAND bnt
20 the alm>hon~e system IN general. The chairman
then. amid applause aud laughter, declared Mary lana
vlndicatrd.
\ curious chart exhibited over the charmans desk
attracted much attention. IT wa drawn hy j. !.
Wright. a newspaper man of Indianapolis. and was
entitled The Tribe OF l>hnaclT Mr.. Wright made
this explsnation of it: The chart represents AZ
families in indianapolis. all connected by marriage
with the I-hmae,s the These families form
stratum Of society Of which very little is known
They are all paupcrs aud every crime Of consequence
that has been committed in Indianapolis can be
traced to some one In the family connection The
nIst murder committed Ia indianapolis since ~
was incorporated was done fifty yearS ago by 'Mlhe
Van Blarcau, of tins family who killed rem
sylyanis contractor named Mcincrson. The tribe oi
Ishmael a. II is call t. originated somewhere IN Penn
sylvania but the fin knowledge Of II Wa IN ''d
Zen I,hmacI who went to bourbon Comfy Ken
tucky in 1890 with Ms wife. Jennie i>hnael These
people Mr. Wright say, ARE described bN fch'm"re
cooper IN his novel The Prairie. the man ~
Ishmael Bush,T ct >hirtius lshmael.' ana the
woman as Esther bush They outca,tS aud
outlaws and toward the close of the book II is -ad
that they ont toward the Platte regon and were
never heard Of afterwad. The date II given 40 l-o-'
few wears ago Mr. Wright Wa told by Robert
Wi-heIed q man who had married into the lshmael
family. that old Fen settled In bourbon Comfy
between 500 and 1910. Wi,hcred I, man over
nincry ycars old and he knew ben IshmH"l VII"
VII. then over ninety YEAR of asc. Tie mental
moral aud phy seal characteristics of the lehm'c' oi
10 DAY Ben shmacl> eIsad>Ons. correspond nAa'tN
with the descriptions given by cooper. ~ III" ola
mans sons and daughters salle married Louis Meyer
q son Of Brn- Meyer. the companion and friend "f
Daniel Koonc Rose married John Irwin. murderer,
and John married Betsy Harbot. half b'ed indI'u.
OF the tribe Indiana. this last couple BE- The 'ch"r
The lines II marriage radai" 900 every dn"'t"n Mnd
uc together m network nearly every FANNY q"
paupcr, and criminal. .u indiana. Moral oon-'dcra
tou- never enter Iuto tlcr calculations. Ihc divorce
couit- arc monopoiilcd by ihs clA~- IN one family
there o., a record OF tive marriage for each oi Hrc
children and Of seven marriage i"r ia" i"n"h +
daughter In the ueXi generation. one y thi> family
hu, been married times. she BE- about thirty IA
year, old. These frequent marriage asr do>cb allied
o crime
several interesting papers feeble m'ndcines' and
moral uulrcilIt, were Rad. Dr.. Isaac y kcrlh, Of
nu,yIyania. who ha, had experience of thirty
year. the training OF cebic minded ''iidri ''id
that 10 had tr-cu plaiul, revealed Z" him tha' th"r"
were children aii ict.d with au alteration OF tho !
moral -cn,r- with clthcs deterioration OF the in.
telc,i or II slight such could be- considered
ondnry only. Brief addf..-'- bearing the sub /
iert were read D., Ms Elizabeth Putnam Of Boston
the Rev j. w. Walker. of Philadelphia. and Dt Richard
tiuudry, - Baltimore.
The Committee on organization reported The follow ,
ip, officer, fur uir cn,aus Iud the report
adopted with cheer President ts Rev oscar Nc /
Cunsh. indianapolis. vice pr,sdcut,. John Glenn /
baltimore Md, 4. @. wright MADISON. Ms. the
Rev. MSrOn " Reed. Denver. CO... 'a'ai 'taIs. I
Rochester. y. y, CD" Rev. j.. ). p.rh'9n' ".inn' /
nrcr " =. Lctohoorth luralo. ~rorcianc,. alex 7
andor johnson. iudianapol'- Lu,l, G N'9iiS Ian 4
begvcS. i,es Mrs. H. b Gcodlct Nash,in~ M.- Ecn
G. Baley. boston etecutlNo gonmiter; inc "'I' /
oscar G. Mo 'ulloch IndanAp'h, IN. Ke.. \. -. :
Byers CDlumbus. ONO. ID. { = Hovt. AIbaiy ~ >
= H. Wincs Illinois Phillip g. Garrett l'hllairPltt.
A public meeting e." night al th" Academy "i M"'" /
cll,cd the conference. The l,'y. oscar NHuIl"'h. !
tire ncw president. made h, inaugural -pe"ch ana /
short addr.ssc, were delivered by Governor Ja,h-'n
cardinal Gibbon- and - udgc william \. Fi~Wr. }
The Cardinal has manifested considerable ni.ir-' ~
the dcrgat, highly commended the work 81 tlc state
charity organi1tii"n- ana cNpr'-'cd u' "Hl'S
10 aid all movement IN the lntcN',t Of prison i'r"'