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- Mail Was Carried by
tle Stage Lines.-
- The greater stage
lines took annual contracts, usually after competitive bidding, for the
transmission of the United States mail. Fast stages carried the through
mail. The ordinary stagecoach, which also served as a passenger coach,
delivered mail to local
- offices. The
postmaster would remove that intended for his office from the bag, lock it
and return it to the stage driver. Robbers usually attacked the coaches
carrying the through mail. However, the ordinary passenger coaches were
often held up. All drivers went heavily armed and exercised the greatest
possible care, especially at night. The freedom given postmasters along the
way, of opening bags and taking their own mail from them, was tempting to
some.
-
- General Otto Hinton
Becomes a Mail Robber.-The following has been copied
- from The Jeffersonian
of May 15, 1851:
-
- "General Otho
Hinton, who was held to bail in the sum of $15,000, charged
- with robbing the U. S.
mail, failed to appear before the United States court at
- Columbus, April 15.
This robbery was on the road between Cambridge and
- Washington."
-
- Otto Hinton was
employed by the United States government as a mail agent.
- His duties were to
inspect post offices and investigate thefts. He rode the mail
- stages and frequently
passed through Cambridge. The perpetrators of many
- daring robberies were
apprehended by him.
-
- But like Captain
William Kidd who, about the year 1700, when sent out to
- cruise against
pirates, turned pirate himself and became the greatest of them
- all, so did General
Otho Hinton, employed to guard the United States mails,
- become a mail robber
himself. His arrest followed an attempted theft in
- Guernsey county.
-
- There was much robbing
of the mails along the National Road, even as far
- east as Cumberland,
Maryland. Much of it was done at the transfer stations.
- Hinton would flood the
mails with decoy letters from Columbus, addressed
- to Cumberland,
Maryland, and Baltimore. He would ride the stages and
- check the mail at each
office along the line. If a letter was missing he would
- know that it had been
removed at the last office.
-
- A letter addressed to
Cumberland, Maryland, was found missing by Hinton
- when the sack was
opened at the first office east of Cambridge. He proceeded
- to Wheeling where,
before federal authorities, he swore out a Warrant for the
- arrest of Robert
Burns, postmaster at Cambridge. He then returned with a
- deputy United States
marshal who took Burns in charge. -Without regard to
- political party the
people of Cambridge, believing Burns innocent, rallied to
- his defense, demanding
a thorough investigation be made at once. The
- missing letter was
found in the Cumberland, Ohio, box where it had been
- thrown by somebody
assisting in sorting the mail. It had lain there several
- days as mail was sent
to Cumberland on Saturdays only. After this incident
- the feeling of
Cambridge people toward Hinton was not kind.
-
- About a year later a
letter containing money and addressed to Baltimore was
- mailed at Columbus,
but never reached its destination, although Hinton rode
- the stage carrying the
bag in which the letter had been placed. Thomas Bryan,
- driver of the stage
between Cambridge and Washington, reported that
- Hinton, who rode on
the high seat with him, said he would climb on top and
- take a nap while the
stage was going up the long hill west of Washington.
- Looking back later
Bryan saw Hinton on his knees fumbling in the open mail
- sack.
-
- Hinton Is Arrested.-As
Hinton was already under suspicion he was arrested
- on Bryan's statement.
After an investigation by the federal authorities the
- belief prevailed that
the man sent out to catch the robbers had himself been
- the robber for many
years.
-
- Hinton gave bond in
the amount of $15,000 that he would appear before the
- United States court at
Columbus. But when court convened he was not there
- and his friends paid
the bond. Years afterward it was learned that he had fled
- to the Hawaiian
Islands where he remained the remainder of his life.
-
- This story bears a
heading that was used as such to a news story printed in
- The Guernsey Times on
Saturday, January 13, 1832. The news story is
- reproduced here to
show that travel on the National Road had its hazards a
- century ago; also to
show the style of news reporting at that time.
-
- Many Accidents on
National Road in Early Days.-Accidents attended travel
- on the National Road
before the advent of the automobile. One who made a
- journey took a risk,
just as he who travels that highway today. Stagecoaches
- were held up, and lone
travelers were waylaid and robbed. Teams ould often
- get beyond the control
of drivers on steep hills and vehicles would upset at
- curves. Casualties
were not as many because travel was less however, there
- was a goodly number.
-
- The crooked stone
bridge that spans Crooked creek west of Cambridge, has
- been the scene of many
automobile accidents within recent years. Approached
-
- OLD STONE BRIDGE
-
- Built across Crooked
creek, at the foot of the hill on the National
- Road west of
Cambridge, is the bride pictured above. Although it
- appears to be straight
in the picture, a part of it is curved. This
- bridge was built in
1828, and was the scene of the accident in the
- story, "Penlous
Accident and Extraordinary Escape."
-
- Some of the bndges on
the National Road are called "S" bridges,
- because their shape is
somewhat like the shape of that letter;
- others are called
"croked" bridges. This one belongs to the latter
- class. One of the most
curious of these bridges stood o-Test of
- Hendrysburg, in
Belmont county.
-
- The reason the
builders had for designing such shapes is not
- known. Several
different conjectures have been offered, some of
- which seem reasonable
and others ludicrous. It is probable that
- there was no one
reason; some may have been so designed for
- one purpose and others
for another.
-
- Aside from their shape
the bridges attract attention on account of
- their massive masonry
and the evidence of excellent
- workmanship. After
more than a century of service, with little
- or no repair, some of
the bridges are in good condition.
-
- There were four or
five stone bridges of considerable size on the
- National Road in
Guernsey county. This Crooked creek bridge,
- the one across Salt
Fork creek west of Middlebourne, and
- perhaps one or two
others in the county, are no longer crossed by
- the National Road. A
change in the course of the road has left
- them standing aside.
It is hoped they will be preserved for their
- architectural and
historical interest.
-
- from the east by a
steep grade, it is dangerous on account of the sharp curve
- within the bridge
itself. Skidding automobiles have been wrecked there a
- number of times.
-
- First Accident at
Crooked Creek Bride.-The first recorded accident on the
- National Road near
Cambridge occurred at this crooked stone bridge over
- Crooked creek, and in
a manner similar to that of accidents there today; but to
- a different kind of
conveyance. Here is the story just as it appeared in The
- Guernsey Times:
-
- "An accident
happened on Saturday morning last, at Crooked creek bridge on
- the National Road, one
and one-half miles west of Cambridge, which, among
- the many moving
accidents by flood and fire occurring from time to time in
- various quarters of
this widespread country, was not the least remarkable as
- an instance of escape
from peril of the most imminent kind. The
- circumstances, as
related to the editor, are these:
-
- "A sled
containing the United States mail and seven passengers who found it
- necessary to use it
for a traveling conveyance, in consequence of the upsetting
- and breaking of the
mail stage, on Friday, last, near Fairview, left the stage
- office in this place
on Saturday morning for Zanesville, the roads being at the
- time completely
covered with ice.
-
- "At the bridge
over Crooked creek there is a sudden turn in the road as it
- passes the stream.
This happened to be the point of danger. It appears that, in
- passing around the
turn at a quick speed, the sled was thrown from its track
- in the center of the
road, and dashed with all its contents against the parapet
- wall of the bridge and
overturned.
-
- "The passengers
(some of whom we regret to learn were much injured) were
- instantaneously thrown
from their seats. Three of their number, one of
- whom was a lady, were
cast by the force of the concussion over the parapet
- wall into the stream
below. One of these, a gentleman, fell upon the edge of
- the stream; the other
two-the lady before mentioned and a gentleman from
- Steubenville (Mr.
Turnbull) fell into the water, which was supposed to have
- been ten feet deep at
that time. The former individual was considerably
- bruised by the fall;
the latter swam out unhurt and the lady saved herself by
- clinging to a cake of
ice floating near her, until she was rescued from her
- perilous situation.
-
- "The distance
from the top of the parapet wall over which they were
- precipitated to the
surface of the stream, is said to have been upwards of
- twenty feet.
-
- "Those on the
bridge did not escape unhurt, having received sundry bruises.
- A few of those injured
were brought back to the stage office at this place, for
- the purpose of
receiving medical aid. One of the mail bags, containing the
- newspaper mail, was
also thrown into the creek, from which, howeverJ it was
- rescued in the course
of the day, but in a state much damaged by the Watery
- element to which it
had been so suddenly and unceremoniously consigned."
-
- According to a tablet
erected at the east end of Norwich, Christopher C.
- Baldwin, librarian of
the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester,
- MassaChusetts, was
killed on the curve there, when a stagecoach overturned,
- on August 20, 1835.
The tablet states that it was "the first traffic accident on
- record in this
state." The accident at the Crooked bridge occurred more than
- three years before
this one; however, no lives were lost.
-
- Steam Carriages on the
National Road
-
- Had it not been for a
fear of "scaring the horses" transportation on the
- National Road by means
of the horseless carriage might have come
- seventyfive years
sooner than it did. While "scaring the horses" is intended
- to be taken literally
here, in a figurative sense it has often retarded man's
- progress. In his
efforts to promote science man has been discouraged by the
- opposition of persons
whose reasons for prejudice were often ludicrous.
-
- Columbus was
considered foolish in believing there were people on the other
- side of the world; for
how could they walk with their heels upward and their
- heads hanging down?
Fulton was ridiculed when he proposed steam
- navigation. His first
boat was called "Fulton's Folly." There were objections to
- railroads. A leading
Ohio statesman of the day railroads were proposed
- declared the whole
scheme to be "wild and visionary." It is said that in one
- county there was
strong objection because the Bible would say so, if such a
- thing as a railroad
had been intended.
-
- Steam Carriage Is
Invented.-About 1830 much interest was taken in the
- possibilities of steam
power as a means for transportation. It was then that the
- first railroads were
built in this country. If a steam engine could run cars on a
- track, why could it
not be fitted to an ordinary carriage in such a way as to
- propel it on a common
road? In other words, why not an automobile? Such a
- self-propelled
carriage was invented. The boiler was carried at the back of the
- vehicle. The engine
beneath the body worked a cranked axle which was
- attached to the
driving-wheels by chain gearing. There was a wheel for
- steering. A speed of
ten or twelve miles an hour was sometimes attained.
-
- Possibilities of the
Steam Carriage Seen.-Some men with visions sensed the
- possibilities of
horseless carriages on the National Road. One of these men
- was William Neil of
the Neil, Moore and Company Stage Line. In 1833, five
- years after the road
had been built through Guernsey county, several
- stagecoach lines had
been established on it. Competition was keen. To outdo
- the other in making
speed and furnishing comfort to its passengers was the
- aim of every company.
-
- William Neil believed
that the horseless carriage was destined to supplant
- the horse-drawn
vehicle on the National Road. With the exclusive right to
- operate steam
carriages his company would be supreme. With this thought in
- mind his company
petitioned the state legislature.
-
- William Neil Was
"Scaring the Horses."-But William Neil was thinking
- three-fourths of a
century ahead of his time. He was "scaring the horses."
- Remonstrances were
sent to the state legislature by people living along the
- National Road. A
postponement of action on the bill resulted. When news .
- of Neil's failure to
have his petition granted reached Guernsey county there
- .was evident
satisfaction. We quote from The Guernsey Times of February 22,
- 1833.
-
- Editorial on the
Subject.-"The bill granting to William Neil of Columbus,
- and his associates,
the exclusive right to establish and run a line of Steam
- Carriages on the
National Road in this state, has been disposed of for the
- present session at
least-by a vote of postponement until the first Monday in
- December next. This
disposition of the subject by our representatives at
- Columbus, we are
inclined to think, will not be demurred to by that portion
- of their constituents
who have given to the argument for and against the
- scheme a moment's
reflection.
-
- "The project, to
say the most of it, is one of very doubtful expediency.
- Something, it is true,
may be said in its favor. It cannot be denied, for
- instance, that it
would furnish an excellent medium for the rapid
- transmission of
intelligence by mail conveyance through the heart of our
- state, and that it
would facilitate the means of speeding travel on the road; but
- these advantages, we
apprehend, would be more than counterbalanced by the
- sacrifice of others of
more importance, now enjoyed by the public for whose
- use the road was made.
-
- "A contemporary
has well remarked that if the legislature were to grant the
- prayer of the
petitioners, they should go a little farther and prohibit
- altogether the use of
horses on the road-for the substantial reason that no
- horse could be ridden
or driven with safety upon a road daily traversed by
- carriages drawn by
steam power. Let a line of such carriages be established to
- ply regularly on our
roads, and our word for it, the greatest gainers by the
- measure would be the
stockholders in the concern, and the medical faculty-
- for it would enrich
the former, and create business for the latter at the
- expense of the limbs
and perhaps the lives of the rest of the community.
- "Not an
individual could travel the road on horseback, or in any kind of
- vehicle drawn by horse
power, except at the risk of the one or the other. The
- rapid motion, smoke
and hissing of the boiler, and noise of the steam engine,
- propelling a carriage
at the rate of ten or fifteen miles per hour, along a road
- like ours, thronged as
it daily is with travelers of every description, would
- operate, in our
opinion, more as an engine of destruction than an auxiliary to
- the wants or comforts
of the community.
-
- "Such a spectacle
would frighten the dullest plough horse that ever trod a
- furrow, and cause even
the famed Rosinante (the steed of Don Quixote),
- accustomed as he was
to strange recontres, to startle from his path-and those
- who, under such
circumstances, would venture to travel the road, would
- have to do so at the
peril of their lives. The consequence would be the road
- would be entirely
abandoned, so far as relates to the use of horse power, and
- an odious monopoly be
secured to the company holding the charter.
-
- "The same
objections would apply with stronger force to the use of steam
- power on those parts
of the road lying within the several towns upon it.
- What, for instance,
would be the consequence, if Steam Carriages were
- permitted to dash
through the main streets of Cambridge, Washington,
- Middletown, Fairview,
and other villages upon the route? Nothing less could
- be expected than the
almost daily occurrence of fatal accidents to some of their
- inhabitants. With
these views we are not sorry that the bill has received its
- quietus for the
present."
-
- True isions.-William
Neil was right in believing that the horseless carriage
- was destined to run on
the National Road. His project, though, would not
- have been a success.
However, had it not been for a fear of "scaring the
- horses" it might
have been undertaken. Somebody, perhaps, would have
- been encouraged to
make such improvements as would have brought the
- automobile many years
before it came.
-
- The editor of The
Guernsey Times was right in believing the horse would be
- driven from the road.
The telegraph, the telephone and the radio had not
- then come. News
traveled slowly. The editor appreciated the horseless
- carriage as a
"medium for the rapid transmission of intelligence." He saw,
- too, that it
"would facilitate the means of speeding travel on the road." But a
- speed of ten or
fifteen miles an hour! His fear was that "nothing less could be
- expected than the
daily occurrence of fatal accidents." John Hersh was this
- Cambridge editor who,
more than a century ago, wrote what we have quoted
- above. Were he living
today, what would he say?
-
- CHAPTER VIII War
Stories Revolutionary Soldiers
-
- GUERNSEY county had no
part in the Revolutionary War, as it was not for twenty years after our
independence had been gained that the first settlers arrived here. Some of
these pioneers had fought in the War for Independence. In lieu of money owed
them by the government for war
- services, they
accepted tracts of land in the Military district, of which the most of
Guernsey county was a part, and brought their families into this western
country. Other Revolutionary patriots came here in their old age to live
with descendants who had established homes in Guernsey county.
-
- There is no complete
record of the Revolutionary soldiers who lived for a time in Guernsey
county; not even of those who are buried here. The following list, a part of
which has not been fully verified, has been obtained from various sources.
There are doubtless several others, whose burial places in the county are
unknown.
-
- Adair, Morris: Born
1757-enlisted 1778-served as a private for three years
- -farmer in Madison
township-applied for pension in 1819.
-
- Baird, John: Born 1760
in Philadelphia-enlisted 1776-served six months in
- Pennsylvania
Infantry-died 1843-buried in Lebanon cemetery, Adams
- township.
-
- Bailey, Jared: Born
1758-enlisted 1778-served as private and corporal-
- granted military land
in Center township (part of Sec. 17, Lot 20)-buried on
- said tract.
-
- Bay, Robert: Died in
Spencer township-aged 86.
-
- Bonnell, Isaac: Buried
at Winterset.
-
- Bratton, James: Born
1756-came to Madison township as first settler, in
- 1805-died 1844, in
Center township-buried in Pleasant Hill cemetery,
- Jefferson township.
-
- Chambers, Robert:
Buried in Old Founders' cemetery, Cambridge.
-
- Cook, Capt. Thomas B.:
Born 1749-served under Colonel Broadhead and
- Generals Marion,
Sumpter, Pickens and Greene-entered 200 acres of land on
- Cook's run east of
Cambridge-died 1831-buried in Old Founders' cemetery,
- Cambridge.
-
- Cummins, John: Born
1751-enlisted 1776-came to Guernsey countv from
- Frederick county,
Maryland, 1829-lived in Cambridge township.
-
- Dilley, Ephraim, Sr.:
Born 1755-enlisted 1776-died at Senecaville.
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