Year: 1866

manent locality ef the seat Of justice
Tor Seneca county. Each claimed il
NTH inscriptions pertcnaci.y in so
much that tho contest gradually as
sumed no ipeosiderable proportions,
becoming ultimately, like all family
quarrels aud local disputes, charac--
teristically personal and extremely
fierce, virulent aud unrelen,ing. Tif.
fin had the vantage position BY lcgis-
lativo enactment, but it had no post
Office nor leading thoroughfne
through it, whereupon Fort Ball, by
assumptions Of superior advantages
from having post Office and its more
elevated grounds aud situation on
permanent mail route and public
highway, was induced to make and
did make bold aud vigorous effort
to procure a removal Of the county
seat to tho west side Of the river.
Lumber, although indispensable,
could not be obtainedi and yet the
vast forests, on every side, would con-
yonicntly supply any quantity oft If
a mill could be erected and put into
operation to manufacture it. This
would give an impetus to Fort Ball
and enable IL, at least, TO keep pace
with its rival which then euj Dyed a
similar establishment erected for its
own special benefit out of town on
Rocky creek. 1t would also consti-
tute a forcibe aud, as il was believed
by many, an unanswerable reason for
Legislative interference to remove the
county seat. These considerations
prompted concert and consul tation;
aud the building Of mill was there
upon undertaken and the work upon
| it prosecuted to completion with a
will, This MILL at the time to which
| refer, was standing on the west
margin Of the river at spring then
and now gurgling out Of the rocky
bank in front Of DR.. Hovey's new
dwelling house. The west end of the
dam, constructed for the purpose of
restraining the current, was fastened
to the rocks opposite to and under
meath it; and the east end, a little
further up stream, was embedded in
the alluvial bank, Josiah Hedges
(of whom perhaps more anon) owned
by title in fee simple the land on the
east side of the river and consequent
ly to the center thereof. The abut-
men of the dam = inst the east bank
was therefore trespass which he had
moral and legal right to resist. The
bu lders aud owners Of the mill and
dam claimed however that his title,
by virtue of the famous ordinance of
1887 making the river navigable
stream, extended only to the top of
the bank. This question, being then
unadjudged, presented an inviting
hiatus to the lawyers who, whatever
may be their imputed delinquencies,
arc not apt to neglect an opportunity,
Now with this brief alluson to the
position of the parties and the subject
matter of controversy between them
in 1924. | shall leave all the minor
details of the acrimonious contest
they waged for years against each
other and its results, undlscussed for
the purpose of paying my respects to
a particular event connected with it
which is not only too momentOus in
Itself to be lost to posterity, but
whichaalso by its overshadowingl ef-
feet, operated terrible misadven-
ture to the ploddiDg pioneers Of Fort
Ball who had labored like beavers,
day and night, through mud andwa


TOR, sunshine and storm, to secure
this mill and its appurtfnances. l
will however make a single sugges-
tion, by way Of precautionin in advance
which the present "reminiscences
would seem to justify as being dis
Greet, If not indispensable, in order to
avoid all n.isapprehension. / refer
here to the fact, as it will appear il
the sequel, that l shall purposely
withhold the expression Of any opin,
ION of my own as to the merits Of thir
unfortunate controversy or the beau


ty and strength Of the Improvement
which l describe or the sagacity
skill and workmanship developed il
their conception and construction


But it must be understood that / d.


not dishust the integrity Of these bel
ligerents, for their high position Il
society, their pressing necessities, thei


apparent proyoca;ions and disinterest
ed zeal are an adequate guarante


that, whatever might now and the
have been the phrensy of the mo


ment, they were, beyond all peradl


venture, honest and sincere. Indee


it will bo well for such as may B
n skeptical on this subject to bear i