The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-10

first attempt 10 have the county seat re-
located. and men Were sent into every
neighhorhood to secure signatures to Pc
tition for its removal. the county then hav-
ing a population of 49, 4l3 The remoyalists
secured a majority OF the voters of the
county to their petition. and the same was
presented by W. K Marshall and +. c.
Devore. attorneys for the petitioners, to
the Board of County Commissioners at
ttLeir DecesnDer term. me members OF TIE
board at the time were Dr. ]. G. Wells
Abraham Findley and Garrett F. Rocker
Before action on the petition was taken by
the commissioners men favorable TO
copied the names and sent runners into
every part of the county. and by threats,
tltion for removal sign a paper asking that
their names be taken of the petition
Things now b. gan to look desperate.
Brownstown people We're determined at any
cost that the county seat should not be re-
moved any further east. One of the COM
missioners, Mr.. Rocker, was favorable to
relocating the county seat. Rocker re-
sided on a farm not far from this city, and,
1t Is said that one night a mob surrounded
his house, fired off their guns, killing his
dog, and before leaving left q rope with
moose hanging on his front gate The action
of the mob so frightened Rocker that he
went TO Brownstown next morning and re-
signed, doing just the thing that the
Brownstown people desired, as IT gave them
an opportunity to fill the vacancy. DR..
James ii. Green was appointed to the office
and the removal was dead a door nail.
The board ignored the petition for removal
and at the same session made arrange
ments for the building of the present court
house.
After Seymours defeat in 1869 she joined
hands with Ripley, Jennings and Lake
counties in trying to have bill passed
giving the various counties named right
TO vote on the removal of the county seats
in their respective counties. Osgood want
ed to wrest the title from Versailles in Rip
ley, North Vernon from Vernon in Jen-
nings Hammond from Crown Point in
Lake and Seymour from Brownstown in
jackson. The four counties were not sue
cesSful in having joint bill passed, and in
1855 Seymour presented a bill of it's own to
the Legislature, drawn up by ex-Congress-
man Jason B. Brown. which was fought
passed over the Governors veto by a con-
stitutonal majority on the last working
day of the session. The bill provides that
a 80 per cent. vote shall decide the reloca
ton of the county seat; that Jackson town
ship in which the city of Seymour is To-
Gated shall pay the entire cost of con-
Structing the new courthouse and Jail nee
essary: that the petitioners shall pay the
cost of the election, and it is made manda-
tory on the county commissioners to carry
out the provisions of the act, and the Gov
ernor thirty days previous to the election,
shall appoint three nonresident property
owners to appraise the courthouse and Jail
buildings. AT the June meeting of the COM
missioners following the passage of the bill
a petition asking for an election was pre-
sented to the board. They refused to COM
ply with the request of the petitioners, and
declared the law unconstitutional Man
damus proceedings were instituted which,
on a change of venue. were Nied in Scott
county and decided in favor OF Seymour.
BrOwnstown carried the case TOT the Su-
preme Court. which sustained the legality
of the law In all it's important features.
Before the Supreme Court papers were
served on the commissioners they called an
election to be held on Aug. 3. The call was
illegal, and Seymour refused to participate
in the election. and the board finally re-
scinded the order and set Oct 10 as the
day Seymour now has a population of
about $1,000 and Brownstown about 1000.
Seymour and Jackson township pay one
third of the entire taxes of the county,
have about one-third of the voters and fur
nish about two-thirds of the cases before
the court.
The campaign is waxing hotter daily, no
political campaign of the past being any
comparison whatever for local excitement.
Each side is confident of success, and the
outcome is anxiously awaited by both fac
tions