Historic Massacre

The Marietta Daily Times, September 29, 1905

Monument at Big Bottom to be Dedicated.

Exercises Will Be Held Tomorrow.

Spot on Brokaw Farm to be Set Apart for Time to Come.

To Mr. Obadiah Brokaw, one of Morgan county's best farmers, who is one of the oldest Democratic voters of this section, is due great praise for what he has done to preserve the site on which occurred in the autumn of the year 1790 one of the most blood curdling massacres of history.

Big Bottom, a tract of land about thirty miles up the Muskingum river on the Wet Side of the stream, noted for its fertility, played it part in the early days when the white man's life was continually in danger from the tomahawk.  Saturday will see the dedication of a monument to the little party of settlers who were massacred there on the evening of January 2nd, 1790.

It was a terrible piece of Indian deviltry and history tells us of the pleadings of one member of the little party, who had fled to the roof of the block house to save himself and how he was shot down.  A few escaped and made their way to the Wolf Creek mills and warned the settler there to prepare for an attack.

Approached in a friendly way by the Indian, the little group of settlers who a short time before had gone from Marietta to found a settlement allowed the Indians to approach and overpower them.

John Stacey, Ezra Putnam, son of Major Putnam, John Camp, Zebulon Throop, Jonathan Farewell, James Couch, William James, John Clark, Isaac Meeks, wife and two children were murdered by the Indians who after obtaining the scalps of their victims set fire to their houses.

When Obadiah Brokaw purchased, in 1865, the tract of land on the Muskingum known as Big Bottom, he learned through stories passed down from family to family that somewhere on his place was located in the earlier days, the little settlement which was so ruthlessly broken up by the Indians.  He proposed excavating to determine the exact spot on which stood the dwellings of the unfortunate people.  And so he did, for one day while plowing a field some charred bones were unearthed and afterwards some burnt timber, which after being thoroughly examined was pronounced to be the remnants of the settlers and their hut.  Mr. Brokaw immediately fenced in the piece of ground surrounding that in which the find was made and cared for it by planting grass and shrubbery.

To make sure that trace of that historical site should not be lost after his death, Mr. Brokaw a short time ago had a monument made at McConnelsville, which now marks the spot.  It is quite a large piece of masonry and is styled after the Washington monument.  Upon it is engraved the date of and something about the terrible massacre.

It is that stone which tomorrow will be viewed by prominent men from all over the State.  Mr. Brokaw recently deeded two acre of land to the Historical Society of this State providing they keep the ground in good condition.

There will be speeches on the site tomorrow afternoon and several persons from Marietta will be present.

Judge Pronounces Sentence

The Daily Register, January 30, 1905

Judge Pronounces Sentence of Twenty-Five Dollars Fine on Keepers of Disorderly Houses Who Were Indicted by the Last Grand Jury.

Six landladies of as many houses of ill fame, operating within the limits of the city of Marietta, were arraigned in the Court of Common Pleas, today, to answer to indictments returned by the recent grand jury.  Their names are:  Katherine Rhand, alias Lucy Lee, Anna Slack, Blanche Wells, Rose McCool, alias Agnes Martin, Mary Pratt, alias Mary Schneider, and Angenora Robinson.

Each of them pleaded guilty to the indictment, after which, Prosecutor Sheldon stated that they had been called before the grand jury on the last day of the session after their names had been handed to him by two of the jurors.  He went on to state that the city administration has formed an ordinance whereby a district physician shall examine the inmates of such houses at least twice each week, assessing a tax of one dollar per inmate for each visit, virtually making a license fee of eight dollars per month for each inmate of the various houses in the city.

In passing on the case Judge Jones stated that the statutes of Ohio in no way permit of such a license.  The mayor of the city of Marietta has no right to license any person to break the laws.  He thought it out of place for such cases to be brought into his court when the laws provide that the local courts can handle them.  He further said that if the people see fit to elect to office a mayor who will wink at the laws instead of enforcing them they should take the consequences.

He said he recognized the fact that the prisoners have been in a way, imposed upon by the license or examination fee law, and this being their first appearance in his court he was lenient with them, assessing a fine of twenty-five dollars and coasts in each case.  All of the fines were paid and the prisoners were discharged.

Kidnapping!

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, March 24, 1829

About the 20th of February last, there came to Circleville, a man who called his name Ballard, and pretended he had a contract on the Canal, a few miles north of this town.  He went to a poor black family, and persuaded them to let him have a boy of theirs, about nine years old, to reside with him.  It has since been ascertained that no man of that name has a contract on the Canal, and after diligent search for the man and boy, they are not to be found.  The only trace that can be had of them is that they were seen a few miles north of Circleville, travelling in an easterly direction and were afterwards seen beyond Zanesville travelling towards Wheeling.

The boy's name is JOHN CARDIFF; he is of slender form, yellow complexion, reddish brown hair, smooth features, and has a small scar on the right cheek bone, and a mark on his forehead of a dark color extending from the eyebrow to the hair on his head, this mark occasionally assumes a redish cast, he is sprightly and good humoured, speaks fluently, and answers very promptly when spoken to.

The man who took him appeared to be about 30 years old, 5 feet 10 or 11 inches in heighth, had black hair and beard, wore a dark green plaid cloak, and rode a light Grey Horse, and from accounts had others horses taking to market, when seen beyond Zanesville.  He was but a short time in Circleville, and has no doubt procured the boy for the purpose of selling him into Slavery.  It is probable he will offer him in Virginia or Maryland.  All persons of humanity are therefore requested to interfere and rescue the boy from his grasp, and immediately give information to the Post Master in Circleville, Ohio; that the child may be restored to his parents and to freedom.

N.B.  All printers friendly to the rights of man are requested to give this one or two insertions.

Olive Branch.

Rambling Up Town

Daily Register, October 13, 1894

A Few Things Noticed.

Yesterday afternoon, in rounding up "news" in the upper part of town a reporter undertook to make a note of each new building going up on the streets he went over, together with other things noticeable to a passer, and here is the transcript from his note book.

 

Remodeled front to J. D. Strauss' house, on Washington street.

 

A young lady riding a bicycle and looking very neat in a reform dress, more often called bloomers.

 

Miss Katie Kaiser in charge of W. F. Kaiser's store on Fourth street.

 

About fifty or sixty boys from the Washington street school playing "shinny" on the old Indian mound just back of the school building.  The boys said they were having a half holiday to make up for the holiday they did not get last spring, when the Maple Grove picnic was postponed so often and finally given up.

 

A new house on Fifth street, just beyond Washington, being built by Mr. Hill, to rent.  Another house next door for Dr. Eddy, and another house next to that evidently just occupied.

 

On Fifth, just beyond Warren, John Rouse's house was being completed and painted.

 

Between Fifth and Sixth, John Schramm, the blacksmith, had a house almost completed.

 

Met a man who said there was a pretty lively "belling" somewhere near the corner of Fifth and Warren the evening before.

 

William Jackson's new moving wagon.

 

The United Brethren new church building.  This building is on Wooster street between Sixth and Seventh, and will be a fine building when completed.  The brick walls were up about twelve feet and gave a good idea of the general plan of the floor.  The parsonage is across the street, nearly opposite.  The people hope to occupy the new church about the first of December, and will, if nothing occurs to delay the work.

 

Coming down town again Weber's old store room was being moved up street about half a block on Third.  His new house near the corner of Scammel and Third is nearly completed.

 

On Scammel between Second and Third was another house of Mr. Ed. Hill's.

 

On Front street, the nicest girl in Marietta.

 

 

$20 Reward

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, September 6, 1828

Absconded from this place, and from the employ of the subscriber, on Sunday night, the 3d of August, a man by the name of Thomas alias William Jones.  The said run-away took from the shop of the subscriber various articles of Shoe-makers tools, some wearing apparel, soal-leather, lined and bound uppers, one pair of Satinett or prunella lined and bound with ribbon, two pair of boots, with the initials D. G. stamped on the soals of them, and sundry other articles.  He is six feet in height, dark brown hair, his ears were boared with silk strings in them - a very good looking fellow - is very fond of gambling.  He had on when he went away, a fawn colored white hat with crape on it; blue coat, bennis cord pantaloons, of an ash color or white by washing, black silk waistcoat, or blue cloth.  The above reward will be paid by the undersigned to any man who will return the said thief and run-away to him in this place.

David Gilbert
Marietta, August 5th, 1828.