The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-08

and "Southenders. and they are array
ed against each other for the next real
epoch in this noteworthy bit Of Indiana
history. Each side has its enthusiastic
adherents. and the county is being turn
cd upside down by workers on one side
or the other.
The chief grievance against Kentiand
is a geographical one. Newton county is
about forty miles long. and Kentland is
situated in the southwest corner, within
three miles of the Benton county line and
but four miles removed from Illinois
The fight began in the early spring Of
1861. when the court house was built,
! Governor Willard appointed three locat-
ing commissioners, who after casting
about for a brief period selected Kent
/ land. Instantly there was an uprising.
/ Charges OF bribery and undue influence
were freely made at the time. and the
conflict grew so spirited that the gov
ernor himself went on a tour of inspec-
ton, but he did not alter the verdict of
his commissioners. The county seat was
then sparsely populated, but the same
lighting blood that is evident today pre-
vailed at that time.
Recalcitrant property owners rose UP in
arms. Under the mistaken idea that the
county seat would follow the court house.
they founded a town now numbering
about nifty inhabitants and called it
Beaver City. Here they built a court
house, but it never sheltered one page of
county record. and To-Day is used for a
barn. Then petitions for removal were
circulated, one after another, but always
hsx
not contain the required number Of sig
natures or they were knocked out on
some technicaIity Meanwhile work on
the building which was destined to be the
center OF so much strife went merrily on.
and in June. 1861, it was finished and ac-
cepted at a total cost Of $1,000. Since that
time more than 100000 has been spent in
fighting for and against removal, and
vet the question seems no nearer solu-
ton than when the early settlers laid out
a town and built a court house Of their
own.
The trials of the county officials who
have been forced TO put up with the &C
comnodations offered in the present
building have been many For long
time the roof of the court house was in
such condition that heavy rains easily
beat their way into the court room, and
it is reported that on one occasion mem
bers Of of jury sitting in a case were
compelled to raise their umbrellas to keep
dry. The grand jury used to meet in the
town "calaboose.
No county building ever has been built
since the court house was erected. A
small frame building, facing the main
street. and fitted with three cells, is util-
lied as a Jail in connection with the
jurisdiction of the town authorities. but
when prisoners are to be kept for any |
length of time they are hurried away to
Rensselaer,, the county seat of Jasper |
county, or to Fowler, in Benton county.
Yet meager as these public accommoda- |
tons are they are sufficiently ailuring TO |
arouse every ounce of fighting blood in |
Kentland when the question of county |
seat removal is brought up, and there |
isn't town in the county that would not |
be willing to pay and pay literally for |
what is conceded to be the worst court
boflse in Indiana.