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The Hills of Hardin
St. Louis Globe Democrat, St. Louis, MO November 20 1886
Contributed by Gigimo
Cave-In-Rock, Ill., November 17.--The so-called kuklux troubles have played a prominent part in Hardin County politics in the way of indirectly influencing public sentiment, but there is nothing political in them. Logan BELT is a Republican. Earl SHERWOOD is a Democrat. All the BELTS were officers in the Union Army. The LEDBETTERS are Democrats, but they bolted the recent primaries, and the result was the election of a mixed ticket, although the county is naturally Democratic. HOWARD, the Sheriff; MATHENY, the Superintendent of Instruction, and SMOCK, the Assessor, just elected, are Republicans, owing their success to the disaffection among the Democrats.
Nor is the inspiration for all this lawlessness to be found in religion or the lack of it. All of these Hardin County people go to church. At Elizabethtown there is no liquor to be had on Sunday for love or money, while at Cave-in Rock local option has closed the rum-shops for every day in the week.
Perhaps the air of these mountainous hills, or the iron in the spring water, is responsible; or maybe the inclination to shoot comes as a heritage from father to son. There is no disputing the fact that blood is let, and always has been shed since the day of the pioneers, on small provocation in Hardin County. They may be temperate, hard-working and God-fearing people, but they will cheapen life.
FROM FAMILY RECORDS
One LEDBETTER shot a brother and was hung on the testimony of a third brother years ago.
Henry WINDERS killed Jim LOCKE. They fell out over a game of cards.
Brickbat DAVIS, so called because of the conspicuous dent in his forehead received early in his career, died at the hands of Lon NORRIS.
Alex. FRAILEY, who figures in the recent feuds, was tried for the killing of (Arthur) PRICE, who had married a (Elizabeth/Becky) FRAILEY, and Logan BELT, now in Shawneetown Jail, defended him. The plea was self defense, but the testimony was that PRICE was leaving the scene of difficulty when shot. This testimony was seemingly impeached by the evidence that the ball had entered the breast. After the acquittal it came out that there was really no contradiction in the statements of the witnesses. PRICE was leaving, but was walking backward when shot. This FRAILEY is now one of the principal witnesses against Logan BELT, but his value as a witness is impaired by the assertion that he never paid BELT the $500 promised for services in the PRICE case. FRAILEY is a brother of the divorced wife (Mary) of BELT.
Hous. BELT's qualities as a fighter are still remembered, although he died at the hands of Capt. GIBSON twenty years ago. GIBSON was assassinated, and suspicion fell upon Jonathan BELT, but evidence for an alibi was promptly forthcoming.
HARDIN COUNTY NERVE
Jonathan BELT is dead but his name appears more than once in the criminal annals of Hardin. Several years ago he went into Elizabethtown, and, single handed, took possession of a negro prisoner. The people of the town tell how Old Jonathan walked down the main street in broad daylight. He was entirely alone, and held in his hand a horse pistol. The negro had been arrested on the complaint of a daughter of BELT, a married woman living in Elizabethtown. She had discovered somebody prowling about in the house, and after some hesitation had identified this negro as the one intending burglary or perhaps worse. The Sheriff had summoned a posse to preserve the peace and to hold the prisoner. As Old Jonathan made his way leisurely to the jail the best citizens of Elizabethtown fell back.
The Sheriff was at the door of the jail and the prisoner was beside him. Old Jonathan put his arm through that of the prisoner and said, "Come on." The two walked up the hill together, the whole population of the county seat looking on. Not another word was said by the captor, but the captive prayed lustily. Half way up, the hillside the two halted, and in full view of several hundred people Old Jonathan knocked the negro down and kicked him several times. Then he made him get up, and they walked on until they disappeared over the top of the hill. Nobody followed. Some hours later the negro was found hanging to the limb of a tree, half a mile out of town.
There were times in Old Jonathan BELT's career when his desperate courage did better service. He fought valiantly as Captain of a company in the 15th Kentucky Cavalry for the Union. Once he was surrounded by a squad of FORREST's men in a house, but fought his way through, leaving three or four dead men behind him.
IS IT THE DIET?
Family records in this part of Hardin County are full of entries such as have been given. For hours old residents with long memories will sit and recall for the interested listener the long series of tragedies. There is not the slightest hesitation in talking of these things, which constitute the unpleasant chapters of the history of Hardin. And yet these farmers have not the looks of desperate men. They will stop and chat with a stranger; they are genial and unsuspicious. This is their busy season, and the side-hills are dotted with potato heaps. The potato crop is the staple of Hardin County.
At all the river landings are strings of barges, and on all the roads leading to the towns are to be seen mule and ox teams bringing in the product. Hardin County potatoes command forty cents a bushel from the farm wagon. They are known from here to New Orleans for their fine qualities, and are rated in all the wholesale markets five to ten cents a bushel higher than other potatoes. Soil and climate unite to make this the greatest potato-growing county in the United States. May it not be possible that the belligerent feature which so often works out in Hardin County blood is attributable to the potatoes as much as to anything else? At Cave-in Rock the export of potatoes last year was over 14,000 barrels, and this is but a minor shipping point.
But the hills of Hardin contain something valuable besides the great white mealy tubers. Before the war David Dale OWEN, of New Harmony, Ind., made a scientific exploration of Hardin County. He was at that time one of the best geologists and mineralogists in the country. He came by his talents well, for his father was an eminent Scotch scientist.
Another member of the family was Robert Dale OWEN, the philosophic writer, who afterward was a leader among the spiritualists. The OWENS in furtherance of their ideas of socialism were the founders of the community at New Harmony. But whatever vagaries they may have indulged in as to theories, there is no disputing the high character of their scientific attainments. David Dale OWEN, under engagement by the State of Tennessee, first made known the existence of the mineral resources of that Commonwealth. He also explored Kentucky.
HARDIN'S UNDEVELOPED WEALTH
This little corner of Illinois, a jumble of hills and sinks and cliffs, received his attention last, and he made a report upon it which read like the story of Aladdin's lamp. In fact his representations were so strong that they were generally discredited. One thing he reported was the presence here of the finest quality of iron in fissure veins. Other mineralogists scouted this.
Not until years afterward was it admitted by the profession that iron ore existed in fissure veins anywhere. Time, however, has proved the truth of his part of Prof. OWEN's report. He found copper, lead, silver and inexhaustible beds of coal in Hardin County. Thirty years ago these natural resources were revealed by OWEN, but they now lie undeveloped. In the near future railroads will penetrate this unknown country and the new era will begin.
On the road between Shawneetown and Elizabethtown may be seen the ruins of two iron furnaces. The great fly-wheels are still in position and the cumbersome machinery is scattered around. Before the days of railroads, when iron could be transported with profit on wagons to the river, these furnaces did a rushing business. The man who conducted one of them now lives in the finest house in McLeansboro and owns a bank. He says that Hardin County iron always commanded a higher price than other iron in the Cincinnati market and was recognized as of better quality.
SILVER MINES
Many people even in Southern Illinois will be astonished to learn that silver is got out of these hills with profit. Some years ago an old farmer with a little knowledge of ores became convinced that there was more profit in mining than in potato raising and went to work on a vein where there were strong traces of silver.
He had nothing more than his farm tools, but he soon found that he could make better wages at mining than by tilling the soil and he kept on. He got enough ahead to buy him a crusher and an engine and other machinery on a small scale, and he is still getting out silver, not in bonanza quantities, but with such success as to pay all his living expenses and to put a dividend big enough to jingle into his pocket occasionally.
He mines as he would farm, in a modest, contented way, back in the hills. Several others have followed his example and dropped the potato hooks for the mining pick. They have done well enough to encourage them to keep at it, and silver mining in the old-fashioned, primitive methods is followed year after year in these hills. The lead bearing the silver is dumped. Only the more precious metal is saved, and there is enough of that to pay more than good wages. Railroads have overcome worse hills than these of Hardin, and when they once penetrate this region there will be some rapid fortunes made. W.B.S.
Submitted: 06/16/08
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