The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-05-20

Isaac Davis, for "A years a citizen of
vile, Indiana, in 1887. His parents,
James Davis and wife, were also ma
tive Indianians. His grandfather was
a citizen of Pendleton. When Isaac
was an infant his parents needed an
appeal of relatives in kanawha
county, Virginia (now West Nirginia)
and moved to that place. They soon
saw their error and returned to In
diana After the fathers death in
1S40, Mrs. Davis removed her family
to Cambridge City. She died soon
after, leaving her several children old
enough to keep house. and the home
was held together until all had mar
ried and made homes of their own.
Drives for Railroad.
Isaac has always been an indus
trious, hard working man. The first
work he spoke of to US was driving a
one-horse dump cart when the lndi.
ana Central railroad was making the
deep cut through Carliny hill. After
this he drove a team for Miles Scott
a prominent parsonage in these parts
at this time and for many years after
While working for Scott he lived in
the Scott home and he and Mrs
Editha Huddleston, who is now In
her ninety-first year, were witnesses
to the burning to death Of the daugh
ter of Willis Watkins at their home
near the Solomon Meredith home in
! the southwest part of town. broth
er-n-law of Meredith's CHANGED to be
passing the Watkins home when the
girl ran out of the house in flames
He had on a new overcoat and threw
it off hastily and wrapped the girl w
in it, smothering out the fire.
| Some man who witness ed the Incl
dent criticized the man harshly fol
running his coat to save the "niggel
girl" Now since nearly 70 years there
are people living who remember the
! inhumanity Of the critic with an I'm
| pleasant remembrance.
Drove Canal Team.
When the Whitewater canal was
! put in operation Isaac Davis drove {
| tandem team towing boats between
! Cambridge City and Cincinnati, anC
| he was closely identified with thi:
means of transportation as long as i
was in general use.
Those were prosperous times il
| Cambridge City when the people turn
ed their eyes and activities westward
and commenced to clear up the viii
| derness west of the river and Whe1
| building of the new town had com
menced. Of course this lOWland ha:
| been flooded and much damage tt
property has been experienced a few
times by excessive high waters, bu
how it has ever turned with longing
gaze back to the higher bluffs of cas-
Cambridge where the only hope o
spreading out had been along thu
National road toward Germantown o.
to the right and left along the rive
with a though of the probability o
taking in the old town of Vandalia tt
the north. Vandalia is now almos
forgotten and many people today lool
in establishment at old settlers whel
they tell of the enterprises and hope
Of coming metropolis in Vandalia.
VandaIia Forgotten.
Old VandaHa, like her elder ant
equally unfortunate sister Salisbury
was shortlived and like her sister, il
almost forgotten. In the days whel
these two sisters were in the blush o
youth, no one thought of the posi-
bility of making a town in thi
swampy thicket of tangled willow
and underbrush studded with tower
ing sycamore and swamp elm trees
where frogs, snakes, lizards, musk
rats, minks and weasels and sucl
varmints could thrive. But when tn
surveyors of the course of the White
water canal had layed the course 70
this waterway through this swamp
thicket and Mr.. Pritchard had CON
menced to clear the right of way
there was a general westward move
ment of the people.