The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1949-02-10
Meet Michael Bald
wins Ghost

was admitted to the bar in 1899 and
became one of the most brilliant and
widely known lawyers Ohio ever
fathered.
Among other things, Mike Baldwin
wrote almost all of the first Ohio
constitution and did it sitting on
wine keg in William Keys barroom
with the head of a whiskey barrel
for desk. That was the instrument
which for more than so years was
the fundamental law of the state.
Baldwin was a member of the first
Constitutional Convention in 1902.
The first constitution liberalized
government considerably but made
the mistake of concentrating author
ity in the legislature. 1t also speci-
fically prohibited slavery and started
the state down its antislavery career
and became effective without ever
being submitted to the people.
Power To Legislature
It's errors later rectified by another
constitution, Baldwin's draft never
theless delegated to the Legislature
the power to choose all state officials
but the governor and under it the
legislature functioned until 1850 with
supreme authority over the executive
and judicial as well as the legislative
branches of the government.
Baldwin was of the New Haven,
Connecticut family Of Baldwins which
| was SO prolific in talented lawyers
| and judges. One of his brothers
was the eminent Judge Henry Bald
| win, of the United States Supreme
Court.
Michael Baldwin for a time did a
large legal business but in the era
/ when whisky flowed freely and drink
ing and gambling habits were uni
versal throughout Ohio, he became a
| confirmed sot-no different, most old
| histories declare, than most of the
other early members Of the bench
and bar. Tt is not surprising that ir
that early day the first state consti.
tuition was born on whiskey barre
in the barroom of a tavern.
Serves Sentence in Barroom
| Nobody blamed Baldwin. Othe1
prominent political figures dribble'
into such iniquitous places too. |
was in the barroom of McHendry'
tavern, Cincinnati, that later Presi
dent for a month William Henr!
Harrison served his one-day prisol
sentence for street fighting, sur
rounded by convivial friends and as
sociates. Cincinnati in the $780,
had no jail yet and the sentencing
Judge specified the tavern but no
the bar, as Harrison's place of i'm
iprisonment.
Mike Baldwin was one of Chilli
cothe's most able, though eccentric
lawers. When the Burr expedition
failed Burr advised Blennerhassett t,
secure as council in their trial fo
high treason, Judge Jacob Burnet, o
Cincinnati, and Michael Baldwin, O
Chillicothe.
The trial never came off but Rlen
nerhassett wrote his wife in Decem
ber, 1907: II have retained Burne
and Baldwin. The former will be ;
host with the decent part of tn,
citizens of Ohio, and the latter /;
giant of influence with the rabble
whom he very properly styles hi
'bloodhounds.'
Mikes bloodhound"
Mikes bloodhounds were an organ
ization of rough and fighting men h
had gotten up and maintained to d
his electioneering and fighting 70
him. More than once when he wa
jailed for debt, the bloodhound
broke in the door or tore out an en-
of the Jail and liberated Baldwin.
In the June, 1904, term of court
the tavern keeper, William Keys
Chillicothe, sued Baldwin for ba
bill Baldwin had run up for drink
for "the club" The club was tn
bloodhounds. Twice Baldwin's broth
ers sent him bags of money fror
Connecticut to get him out of jai
for debt.
On one of such occasions Mix
hired a negro porter to carry tn
money and went around to eac
creditor in turn, irrespective of tn
amount of his debt to them, allowin
each to have one grab at the oper
mouthed bag until all the money wa
. gone.
House Speaker Sponsors Gambling
In 1803-4-5 Baldwin was Speake
of the House of Representatives
Fond of gambling, he opened a gam
of "vingt ct un" for the benefit o
his brother members. Usually Mix
too, was banker and broker for tn
game.
Once, in such game, Baldwi
won all the players money and mos
of their watches. 1t was nearl
morning when the party broke an
, retired to their several rooms, mostl,
drunk. Used to such life Mike wa
up and at the speakers table prompt
w next morning Rut there was n
quorum