CHAPTER XI THE FIRST COURT HOUSE AND JAIL SO soon as the Commissioners had decided upon Terre Haute as the County seat, they began to arrange for the building of a Court House. In the meantime, by the act of the legislature, at Corydon; all courts of justice should meet at the house of Truman Blackman, near Fort Harrison, whence they might adjourn to any other suitable place near the center of the county. Tradition has it, that they did on divers occasions adjourn to meet on a certain big log, suitable on account of its size, nearness to the fort, and coolness of shade. This for tradition, is well enough, as it is in keeping with the times; but the facts are that adjourned meetings were held in the same log house of Truman Blackman, till coming to the village, when the meetings were held at the Eagle and the Lion, and in the upper story of the frame house built by Curtis Gilbert. The facts in regard to the building of the Court House are meagre; but from entries made in the public records under date of May 13, 1818, we learn, that Nathaniel P. Huntington was allowed $10.00 for drawing up bonds; John M. Coleman $350.00 in part pay for building foundations; William Durham $400.00 in part pay for building walls, Elihu Hovey and John Brocklebank $300.00 in part pay for building Court House. In November, 1818, the public records show that Charles B. Modesitt was allowed $25.00 for clearing off the public square. Evidently the work of building the Court House began in 1818, though it was not completed till 1822. The building was of brick and in size and architecture quite suitable for the purpose intended. The east door. with page: 67[View Page 67] its broad arched transom, was quite imposing. The interior was elaborately but plainly finished with elevated box seats, rising one above the other, and reached by steps in the several aisles. The south side thus seated was for the accom- modation of the people. A center aisle ran through the center of the building, from east to west, separating the north part of the room, which was for the express use of the court. Here was the judges elevated bench or long desk, which was reached on either side by steps guarded by heavy railing: immediately in front of which on the floor, the lawyers had their long tables; while the jurors had their elevated box seats on the left of the judges bench [View Figure] THE FIRST COURT HOUSE, 1818-1866 At this bar we are told began the career of some of the most noted lawyers of Indiana. Such men as Thomas H. Blake, James Whitcomb, Elisha M. Huntington, Edward A. page: 68[View Page 68] Hannegan and others, mention of whom will be made in the proposed chapter on Early Courts, Laws and Lawyers. The Court House was not completed till 1822, and then only the lower part was finished. It was not only the County house for all court business, political gatherings, and for holding elections, but the Town house for all public meetings of the citizens. Here churches were organized, lectures delivered, Sunday schools taught, and sermons preached, by local as well as circuit riding preachers. It is a matter of record that Joe Smith and Sydney Rigdon sometime in 1834-35 held meetings in our Court House, in defense of Mormonism. Crowds attended to hear these exponents of this new religion. While the old Court House was still in its prime, Col. Francis Vigo, after whom our county had been named, paid a visit to Terre Haute, by the urgent invitation of prominent citizens. This visit occurred July 4th, 1832. His home was in Vincennes, and though he was now past ninety years of age it is said that he retained much of his natural vigor, both of body and mind. As an honored guest every attention was shown him. That he was greatly pleased with his visit appears from an article in his will which was written two years after, as the will is dated Dec. 9, 1834. The article reads: Whereas, The county of Vigo, has been named after me, and I feel towards it and its citizens a great degree of esteem and affection for many favors conferred and services rendered me, especially by the inhabitants of Terre Haute: it is my will, wish, and desire and earnest request that if the claim aforesaid is recovered, and the amount due me, paid to my executors, that thev or some one of them, shall pay out of the sum $5oo to the county of Vigo, to be laid out, by the commissioners of said county, or in such other mode as shall be deemed most desirable by said county, in the purchase of a bell for the court house of said county, on which shall be inscribed Presented by Francis Vigo. The claim of Francis Vigo, referred to above, was for page: 69[View Page 69] money loaned to the government by which Gen. Geo. Rogers Clark was able to provide rations for his soldiers in their march for the recapturing of Vincennes in 1779, which had fallen into the hands of the English. The part that Col. Vigo and Father Gibault took in this campaign cannot be set forth here, but suffice it to say, that next to Gen. Clark they were important factors in this first grand effort in wresting all this Northwest country from the hands of the British. The story of the unsuccessful efforts of Col. Vigo to have his just claim recognized by the Government is pathetic, in that it came too late to minister to his private relief. It dragged along for about one hundred years before it was finally allowed. The original amount loaned by Col. Vigo in 1779 was $11,387.40 for which he received four drafts on the financial agent of Virginia, a Mr. Oliver Pollock, of New Orleans. When at last these drafts were allowed by Congress, the principal and interest amounted to some $50,000. This final judgment was rendered in 1875, and the money was paid over in 1876. The $500 set apart by the will was paid by the executors; and the county records show that this was done by our late fellow townsman, Mr. T. C. Buntin, a distant relative of Col. Vigo, in April, 1876. The village Court House of 1818-1822, where Col. Vigo intended his bell should find its place, was declared unfit for further use and ordered to be torn down about the year 1868, but in August, 1884, the corner stone of our present magnificent structure was laid, and the commissioners were only too glad to carry out the wishes of Col. Vigo, and use his bequest as a nucleus in the purchase of a bell and clock for the new building. In order to satisfy me and others that may be interested, as to the diligence of the commissioners in the discharge of their duty, my son, H. A. Condit, clambered into the belfry and found the following lettering on the bell: BY HIS WILL $500 OF THE COST OF THIS BELL WERE PRESENTED BY FRANCIS VIGO TO VIGO COUNTY, IND., A. D., 1887. page: 70[View Page 70] The names of the County commissioners as inscribed on a metal plate, and nailed to the framework of the bell, are as follows: LEVI W. DICKERSON, ASA M. BLACK, SANFORD S. HENDERSON. The State legislature which met at Corydon, Warren county, in its act approved by Jonathan Jennings, not only honored itself and Col. Francis Vigo, but placed the citizens of the county under lasting obligations, by bestowing the name of Francis Vigo upon our county. He was a man whose character and patriotic deeds rendered him worthy of such honor. Col. Francis Vigo was a Sardinian, born in. Mondovi in 1740. By way of eminence he was called The Spanish Merchant. He came to New Orleans, which was then under the government of Spain, in a Spanish regiment. He soon left the regiment and became an Indian trader. Ascending the Mississippi to St. Louis, he entered into the fur trade with the Indians, and by honest dealings was successful, not only in accumulating money, but a knowledge of Indian character, both of which he patriotically devoted to the cause of America against England. The story of Col. Vigo ought to be familiar to every citizen and there is no lack of information in the histories of our State. He died at Vincennes in 1836 having reached the advanced age of ninety-six years. But to return to our theme which embraces the building of a jail, as well as Court House. The former soon became a necessity. Curious enough the records of the first term of the Circuit court held in the village, July 24th, 1818, Thomas H. Blake, presiding, show that the sheriff, Truman Blackman filed a formal protest against the county of Vigo for failing to provide a good and substantial jail. As an illustration that this protest was needed, it is related of a case, brought before Fisher R. Burnett, as justice of the peace, in which certain parties were sued for trespass. Goodwin page: 71[View Page 71] Holloway, the constable, arrested the defendant and brought him before the justice. There being no jail, he was compelled to leave the prisoner in the charge of the court. But as the court was unwilling to lay aside its dignity and play the part of sheriff, the defendant simply bowed himself out of the court room into the street. The first jail we are told was built on the south side of Swan, between First and Second streets. The old records show that on Nov. 10th, 1818, Henry Redford was allowed $60 part payment for building a jail in Terre Haute. Another is somewhat more specific and says: The jail stood on the south alley corner, on Swan street, between First and Second, and adds: It was built of smoothly hewed logs, the floor being of the same. Light was admitted by a small grated window. Capt. William Earle, in his reminiscences says: I remember of one person being confined in it; that was black Dan, for stabbing Bill, another negro; he made his escape, digging away one of the floor logs, which was rotten. From the records of May, 1826, we learn that a second jail was ordered to be built. William Durham, John F. Cruft, and Thomas Parsons were appointed the committee, and given the following instructions: The rooms to be eighteen feet square in the clear, two stories high, the ground room to be ten feet, the upper room nine feet high in the clear; to be built of good white oak timber; the foundation to be good stone; and also to build a frame the same size as the jail, for the purpose of accommodating the jailor, to be attached to the jail with a passage between six feet wide and under the same roof. This building was located on the corner, of Walnut and Third streets. This building stood till 1854-5, when it was replaced by a brick and stone structure. This latter building still stands as a land-mark on the northwest corner of Walnut and Third streets. The present jail was completed in 1882. page: 72[View Page 72]
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 18:47:54 +0000
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