The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-07-26
The Origin
Ct HOoSier"


ter of his age" by John S. Stockwell.
the oldest inhabitant of Charlsstown,
md, and a former sheriff of Clark
county. Mr.. Stockwell was born near
Charlestown in 1914. Though "a
years old he has vast fund of pho
neer "reminiscences, which he rccounts
entertainingly, but the story Of the
origin Of the Hoosier name he had not
told for years.
The other day Mr., stockwell met
Carl Brayfleld, editor of the Clark
County Citizen. on Main street, and a
happy thought struck him.
did you ever hear how the name
Hoosier originated?' he asked.
"I've heard several explanations"
was the reply, but none Is satisfac-
tory"
Then I will tell you the true sto-
ry." said the old man, seating himself
before butcher shop, where a chair
always invites the loiterer.
The word is corruption of the
Hooslerism 'husher'
THE incident that gave the state
its nickname" continued Mr.. Stock
well, happened at the digging Of the
Portland canal around the falls of the
Ohio at Louisville. The date was,
believe. about 1920, and the tale was
told me by William Coombs, who was
a leading citizen OF this town in his
day. Ho said that gang OF Indi-
anians from Clark county took a sub
contract to dig the canal. The Indi.
anians lived together in separate
camp and several other companies of
laborers had their camps near by.
"Of course, there was plenty OF liq-
uor In the Kentucky camp. One day
q big Kentuckian got jubiantly drunk
and started to clean out the Indiana
crowd. He posted himself before the
Clark county camp, like Goliath of old,
shouting tauntingly that he was the
best man there.
Il am from Lexington yelled the
big fellow, where the women are the
sweetest and the horses are the fleet
est and the whisky is completest of
any place in the universe and where
the lie always calls for blow.
stand up before this whole camp and
call the d. lie! III fight the first
man that takes 1t up!'
Then out from the Indiana camp
strobe man whose name I've forgot
ten. 1t Is pity 1t is, for he ought
TO have a skyscraping monument. He
was six feet high and of the good old
stock that smashed the Prophet of
Tlppecanoe and took Kaskasia and
Vlncennes from the British. His
words were few, but he knew how
to do things.
"You hush,' said the Indianian
simply, as he stepped out from his
companions.
II call the d--n lie!' cried the Ken
tucllian once more.
"'You hush said the Clark county
man again: you hush and go away
But the big man did not hush. Then
the Indiana man sailed in and gave
him q terrific thrashing The Ken.
tuckian was mauled black and blue,
and finally begged for mercy. The VIC
tor allowed him to rise and the COM
batants retired to their separate quar-.
ters.
him." said one of the Hoosier friends
on the champions return to the camp.
"Yes.' was the reply, I made him
hush. I'm husher.'
"The story got abroad in the camp,
and soon the Indianians were all
known as Hushers' about the falls.
The name was scattered everywhere,
and people who did not know how
the term originated corrupted 1t to
Hoosier."
When he had heard the story John
Carr, the butcher, recalled that his ia.
Their, Col. Thomas Carr, an early
sheriff of Clark county. had told him
the same story in his boyhood. Both
he and Carl Brayheld. whose father
was for many years chief of the asso-
ciate bench of the Vincennes district
under the old constitution, remember
that the word 'Husher,' meaning one
who could silence those who ANNOYED
him by force, was current all over
In Indiana. With the spread of educa.
ton the old dialect began to pass
away, and the word "Husher" became
corrupted into Hoosier. But the name
to which it gave birth fastened itself
to the state with bonds more LASTING
than brass. 1t survived famous
name when the word from which Il
derives its origin was rescued. as II
were, "by the skin of the teeth from
the unbreakable silence of the grave
A few years more and the word
"husher" would have been hushed for.
ever.