350 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY It is well understood that every prisoner at the bar must have the benefit of the doubt, and conviction must come only when there is no uncertainty about his guilt ; sometimes a lawyer who is a master hand at cross examination is inclined to forget the rights and privileges of the witness, and the judge protects him. At all hazards the dignity of the court must be maintained, although there are vexatious questions in jurisprudence. There are two sides and the jury must weigh the law and the evidence ; the judge explains to the jury the construction of the law with reference to particular situations. Obedience to the law is liberty, and bulldozing tactics are under the bans in Clark County. While lawyers comprehend, pettifoggers sometimes attempt to blind the jury, although the judge who charges them is impartial ; the jury must not gain the impression that the judge has any personal opinion about cases given to it for settlement. The jury and the witnesses all take the oath : "So help me, God," and they are impressed with the fact that right wrongs no one at all. Because of advance information gained through newspapers, crowds no longer frequent court rooms for such details only in extraordinary instances. Only the bare facts in the law and the evidence are now summed up by the most successful attorneys. While not so much is required by way of qualifications, the shrewd Clark County lawyer understands that his knowledge is his capital, and that cold blooded facts are the convincing things—the bread and butter end of the story. Litigation arises from various sources, and the bench and the bar alike depend upon it ; from the nature of the case, lawyers enjoy trials and tribulations. However, there is such a thing as justice tempered with mercy. CHAPTER XXXVII MATERIA MEDICA IN CLARK COUNTY The history of medicine is as old as civilization itself ; it is the story of man in his most vital relations. While the settlers on Mad River and the early residents of Springfield, in the log cabin days of Clark County history, had a bottle of quinine on the shelf along with their copy of Doctor Gunn, nevertheless they frequently "worked it off" when they were "under the weather." They had to have something for "snake bite," and thus something in a jug usually relieved them, and thus in their day and generation they understood Materia Medica. While the settlers may have had spring fever in its most virulent form, the contagion never has been wholly eradicated although miasma in most forms disappeared with the marshes, and thus drainage has been the accomplice of the medical fraternity. While self cures and rest cures may be fads, before prohibition became universal there were citizens still who prescribed for themselves in many instances, and now it is said that some even suffer from lack of medical care because they feel themselves unable to pay the doctor, and yet Springfield meets that objection; there is city and county medical attention upon request, and while there is no lease on life death is still certain. While some men are insurable today who are incurable tomorrow, taken in time disease is baffled by Clark County medical experts. The French proverb says : "When a man is dead it is no use calling in the doctor," and the progressive members of the Clark County Medical Society advocate the advantages of environment—its influence over both mental and physical conditions—the sunshine, air and temperature are unmistakable in their relation to health. Monotony is deadly, and the humdrum of a perfectly ordered life drives a nervous individual to distraction, and it is understood that the most pathetic thing about disease is the fact that much of it is preventable—an ounce of prevention is better than all the cures in the world. On May 12, 1920, the physicians, surgeons and hospitals all celebrated the centenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, and the review of her life shows the extraordinary strides of advancement that have been made, the nursing and medical profession keeping pace with the rest of the world. Florence Nightingale is the patron saint of the hospital, and the handmaiden of the man of medicine. It is a matter of record that the Clark County Medical Society was organized March 4, 1838, and that after a time it lapsed and was organized again, May 31, 1850, the account of the earliest organization being from the pen of Dr. W. B. Patton and of the later organization by Dr. Isaac Kay, and the account written by Dr. Henry H. Seys embodies the facts from both the earlier writers. While a preliminary meeting was held in March, the original organization of the Clark County Medical Society was in the Buckeye Hotel - 351 - 352 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY in Springfield, April 4, 1838 ; twenty years after the organization of the county, and not contemporaneous with it. However, there were medical men before they effected an organization, the earliest one on record dying while the area was still included in Champaign County. From the beginning, Dr. Isaac Hendershott was president, and he had been licensed to practice by a medical society organized in 1816 at Dayton. "In those days not many of the practitioners of medicine were graduates of medical colleges." The lack of means, distance and difficulty of travel are assigned as reasons. The ambitious young medical men were compelled to forego such advantages, and after a course of training under local preceptors engaged in practice, they obtained a license from the board of censors of some medical society. Doctor Hendershott and Dr. W. A. Needham of Springfield were both licensed in Dayton. The course was outlined by the state, and the board of censors became an important factor in the medical history of the community ; in turn the Clark County Society had its censors. With Doctor Hendershott as president ; Doctor Smith, vice president ; Dr. Robert Rodgers, secretary, and Dr. William Murdock, treasurer, the Clark County Society was in position to license other doctors. Its board of censors was as follows : Doctors Berkley Gillette, E. W. Steele and Robert Rodgers. The constitution was signed by Doctors Hendershott, Benjamin Winwood, Gillette, Elias Garst, Rodgers, Murdock, Robert Houston, John C. Stone, Michael Garst and James Robbins. Later Doctors Harpersette and Towler joined the society. On April 30, 1838, Doctor Winwood read a paper : "Progressive Improvement of Medicine in America," and at another meeting Doctor Garst presented the paper : "The Mucous Membrane of the Alimentary Canal," and while two meetings a year was scheduled it was a short-lived society. Since April 14, 1840, there is no record of any meetings. MAY 31, 1850 It was ten years before the Clark County Medical Society was resuscitated, May 31, 1850, and instead of two meetings a year since then it has met twice a month. Some of the earlier society members joined again, Dr. Robert Rodgers becoming president ; Dr. Berkley Gillette, vice president, with Dr. E. M. Buckingham, secretary, and Dr. G. H. Runyan, treasurer. Doctors Hendershott and Winwood again affiliated with the society, and while not engaged in the practice of medicine the fourth generation of the name George Winwood now lives in the community. When the Civil war came on Doctor Winwood became a surgeon in the United States Army. Not much is known of Doctor Hendershott, who was president of the first medical society. When the second organization was ready to offer recognition to other doctors, its censors were : Doctors Gillette, Jesse Cook, J. N. Stockstill, Runyan and Rodgers. While the Clark County Medical Society was rejuvenated little more than three-score-and-ten years ago, none of its members are living today although some of their names may be perpetuated in the present membership. At the December meeting, 1921, the annual reorganization resulted as follows : Dr. A. R. Kent, president ; Dr. E. F. Davis, vice president ; Dr. C. E. M. Finney, secretary, and Dr. F. P. Anzinger, treasurer. While they no longer license doctors who have not attended medical college, the SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 353 censors are : Doctors W. P. Ultes, C. S. Ramsay and C. L. Minor. At the annual meeting Dr. C. W. Evans was elected delegate to represent the Clark County Society at the state medical meeting, the local society being adjunct to Ohio and American Medical associations. Any medical doctor in good standing in the Clark County Society is eligible to membership in the state and national associations. However, membership in the greater societies is possible only through credentials from the local society. The Clark County Medical Society has had its periods of activity and inertia ; sometimes questions have arisen about which there was lack of harmony which resulted in cessation of interest and regular meetings. The service fee has been one source of disagreement, physicians in Springfield rating their services higher than other doctors. When there were fewer people in the community, there were f ewer ailments and fewer physicians, and while there are about 100 physicians in Clark County only about seventy-five per cent are affiliated with the medical society. However, there is a capable group of medical men holding membership today, and excellent papers are prepared and presented at the regular meetings. Dr. Isaac Kay, who for twenty-six years served as secretary, having been admitted as a member in 1854, relates that it soon lapsed and was again reorganized, April 12, 1864, saying that of the active members of the society in 1850, only Dr. John H. Rodgers remained in the practice at the time. In 1815 the Ohio Assembly divided the state into medical districts, and Champaign, which then included the area now known as Clark, along with Montgomery, Greene, Preble, Miami and Darke counties constituted the seventh district, and for a time Doctors Hendershott and Needham were the only licensed doctors in Springfield. Prescriptions were then unknown, and the doctors dispensed and wrapped their own medicines. They left powders to be taken every hour, hour and a half or two hours, and they asked for a tumbler and dissolved something in water, which was to be taken every half hour or oftener, the patent usually confused about the conflict of fluid and powders. No one was more in the hearts of the people than the family doctor in the days of swamps and malaria along Mad River and its tributary streams. While Dr. Peter Smith is not mentioned in the medical annals of Clark County he belongs to local pioneer history. While he died in 1816, and lies buried at Donnelsville, he was the author of a treatise : "The Indian Doctor's Dispensatory, Being Father Smith's Advice Respecting Diseases and Their Cure, by Doctor Smith of the Miami. Country." While Peter Smith is mentioned as a minister located on Mad River, it develops that, in 1813 he published "The Indian Doctor's Dispensatory," and according to Dr. John Uri Lloyd, a noted author and antiquarian of Cincinnati, it was the first Materia Medica published in the West. For many years Doctor Lloyd has specialized in the reprinting of early works on pharmacy, materia medica and botany, and in the '90s he made an effort to locate this dispensatory. He searched through Kentucky and Ohio, finally locating a copy in the possession of Gen. J. Warren Keifer in Springfield. Doctor Lloyd and General Keifer met at a summer resort, and the discovery of the publication by Doctor Lloyd grew out of a casual conversation, Dr. Peter Smith being the grandfather of General Keifer. The volume was published again, and General Keifer has the original and a number of copies of it. Vol. I-23 354 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY Doctor Lloyd says : "Close following the frontiersmen whose f ootprints were scarcely rubbed out, and whose rifles had not yet been silenced in the territory embracing the Ohio Valley, came a band of men who cleared away the forest, and founded their homes among the stumps, and Dr. Peter Smith may be numbered among these people. He was a typical Puritan, an educated, stern man of indomitable will and religious to the utmost. The end of the war of the Revolution had been consummated before the Indian had departed from the Miami lands where this man lived," and he repeats some facts already published about Peter Smith as a pioneer along Mad River. "Peter Smith sought neither fame nor gold ; he f eared no privation—made his mark, and passed away," but the name, "Peter Smith, the Indian Herb Doctor," was familiar to the pioneers. The name lingers yet about Western domestic medicine, and is occasionally seen in orthodox medical publications. While Peter Smith was born in Wales, February 6, 1853, and had a migratory life he was educated at Princeton, and he gave some attention to medicine becoming familiar with the writings of the day, and he acquired information from physicians whom he met in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio. He called himself an Indian doctor because he used herbs, roots and other remedies known to the Indians. He was an original investigator, and combined the practice of medicine with preaching and farming. One account says : "In 1804 he again took to the wilderness with his entire family then numbering twelve children, born in the 'Jerseys and on the line of his march through the wilderness, the states and the territories,' finally settling on a small, poor farm on Donnels Creek in the midst of rich ones, where he died December 31, 1816," and not long before his demise, he said : "Men have contrived to break all of God's appointments but this, 'it is appointed for all men once to die.' " No photograph or other likeness remains to revive the features of this picturesque personage : Peter Smith, preacher, farmer, physician, pioneer, aggressive abolitionist before Wendell Phillips or William Lloyd Garrison were born, lies buried in a neglected graveyard near Donnelsville. Such is the life record of the man who published the first western book on Materia Medica. The title page bears the imprint of Cincinnati, printed by Browne and Looker for the author in 1813, and on the title page is this sentiment : Men seldom have wit enough to prize and take care of their health until they lose it, and doctors know not how to get their bread deservedly, until they have no teeth to chew it. In advertising the volume when it was on the market, Doctor Smith placed "the price of $1 on the book of advice, well knowing that 75 cents would be enough, but those who do not choose to allow 25 cents for the advice, may desist from the purchase." In the book the herbs are given their common names, the writer evidently not being familiar with the technical names used in botany. In the book he recommends cold water applications, and here is his sympathy cure for toothache : "All finger and toe nails trimmed and the pieces laid on rag or paper ; add lock of hair taken from head ; gouge or pierce gum of tooth, and add the blood to nails and hair. Wrap the whole and place in some bank or gulley, at a place where no creature crosses the stream ; the operator may keep the 'putting away' a secret." Indians have queer notions. Doctor Smith tried this on himself and others. Query : Who never tried charming away warts ? You rubbed the wart with a stone, SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 355 and then laid it back where you found it. Through the effort of Dr. John Uri Lloyd, due credit is given a pioneer doctor who lies buried in Clark County. In 1824 the medical districts in Ohio were changed, and Clark was combined with Montgomery alone, with half a dozen doctors living then in Clark County and it is said that Dr. Richard A. Hunt was the first physician to locate in Springfield. He was born in 1780 in New Jersey, and lived for a time in Cincinnati, coming, in 1809, to Springfield. In 1815 Dr. Job Haines located in Springfield forming a partnership with Doctor Hunt. In 1813 came Doctor Needham, who located in Lagonda, the village being called "Pillville" because of him. While he was buried in the Columbia Street Cemetery, his name was perpetuated for many years through the inventor, William Needham Whitely. The doctors soon became numerous, and their names have been given in connection with the organization of the Clark County Medical Society. Some of the Clark County doctors have aspired to other lines, and sometimes the office of county coroner is "thrust upon them," when they would achieve greatness. Doctor Hendershott was postmaster in Springfield twice, and he was twice elected Clark County recorder, but when a physician has acquired the necessary education for the practice of medicine these days, he remains with the profession. While most physicians practice alone, under the existing conditions a group of doctors frequently congregate on one floor with a common office, and an attendant who arranges their appointments. In the Medical Society are doctors of the regular or allopathic, homeopathic and electric schools of medicine—no quacks or advertising doctors admitted, and while the old school doctors used to bleed their patients—well, ask some of the patients about the charges today. While a member of the Medical Society may distribute personal cards, he may not quote prices nor promise cures ; he is bound by the code of ethics. While malpractice disqualifies a physician, there are specialists in the profession. While in modern surgery tonsilitis is described as tonsilOUTis, Clark County surgeons are a conscientious body of professional men—capable practitioners—who have fitted themselves for it. Dr. Robert Rodgers performed the first Caesarean operation on record in Clark County, and while he was a skilled surgeon the operation caused undue comment in the community. People had not yet learned the possibilities of surgery. Dr. Albert Dunlap was another renowned surgeon, and he was first in Clark County to remove an ovarian tumor. The patient urged the operation, saying she would relieve herself with a butcher knife. In the presence of a few Springfield physicians, the doctor reluctantly performed the operation, relieving the woman of a forty-five pound tumor, but such operations are of such frequent occurrence today that the community reads the mention in the paper, and the incident is forgotten immediately. While Doctor Dunlap was criticized in the medical journals for performing an unsafe operation, the people are now educated up to such things. This surgical operation brought fame and honor to Doctor Dunlap, and in 1868 he was elected president of the Ohio Medical Society. He was twice a member of the judicial council of the American Medical Association, and in 1877 he became its president. Doctor Dunlap filled the chair of surgery in Starling Medical College in Columbus, all those honors being conferred upon him because of his pioneer work in surgery. 356 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY When Doctors Rodgers and Dunlap began their surgical operations, there were no hospitals and trained nurses in Springfield. Now they say that Springfield is in the goiter belt of the United States—that it extends from Columbus west, including Clark County. The limestone underlying the country affects the water, and while travelers in the vicinity of Mayo Brothers Hospital hear much about operations, those afflicted need not quit Springfield for scientific attention. It is said that enough Clark County citizens had their adenoids removed when they were children, and their tonsils removed in adolescence and that enough adults are minus their appendices—vermiform appendix—well operations are a topic in polite society, and Clark County folk all know the way to the hospital. It is the house of refuge and the difference between Springfield as a village and Springfield as a city is illustrated by the number of children who are born in the hospital. Under recent conditions, future orators will be unable to speak of the cottage in which they were born, just as the child inured to a steam-heated apartment knows nothing of the hearthstone so dear to the older generations. One of the Mother Goose rhymes revised reads : "Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he, He just had a monkey gland 'skewered' into his frame, And he feels like a boy of three." When it was known that the famous Austrian surgeon, Dr. Adolph Lorenz, was paying a visit to the. United States in the autumn of 1921, Dr. A. J. Link visited him in New York and invited him to Springfield. Local surgeons differed in opinion about the matter, some saying there is sufficient talent in Springfield. The unusual publicity given Doctor Lorenz was regarded as unprofessional, and his visit in this country was regarded by some as a reflection on American surgery. While his clinics were free, it was known that he was in the United States in the interests of his countrymen who had suffered much in the war. When the physicians of Clark County first banded themselves together in a Medical Society, there were no surgeons among them ; surgery was impossible without surgical instruments. People knew nothing of bacteriology and appendicitis—well, not much was said about sanitation. While a new page has been written in the history of medicine since the publication of Peter Smith's Dispensatory, and Dr. Daniel Drake's monumental treatise : "The Diseases of the Interior Valley of North America," Doctor Drake, a Cincinnatian, there is now no lack of concerted action in combating disease. While the pioneer doctor knew little about anatomy and physiology, he recognized symptoms and applied specific remedies. Science is the enemy of disease, assures the ease in it, and a sound mind in a sound body is the ideal sought by scientists, in their medical investigation. Many Springfield physicians are postgraduates, and the Clark County doctor who does not keep himself abreast of the times soon finds himself losing patronage. An office practice with established hours is different from the old system of calls at all hours, and the signs : "Office business strictly cash," indicate that no bad accounts accumulate ; in this way, service rendered one family is not charged to another who is better able to pay for it. SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 357 It is said : "The doctor sees all the weakness of mankind, the lawyer all of the wickedness, and the theologian all of the stupidity," and what is more terrible than ignorance in action ? Error in opinion may be tolerated when reason is .left free to combat it, but wrong diagnosis—who has not suffered from it? Years ago everything was bilious f ever, black measles, black diphtheria—malignant disorders—with phthisis and flux thrown in for good measure. Malaria and pestilence made many regions uninhabitable, but contagion has been conquered by a study of the cause and the manner of spreading it. The very name mal-ari-a is suggestive of impoverished air, and indicative of the attitude of people toward it. Once typhoid fever was prevalent, but there is not much contagion today because science has reduced it. Bacteria, germs, 'why the shortest poem in the English language, "Adam had 'em," was written on the subject of germs. In the Garden of Eden, man became wise and Doctor Plaindiet is still regarded as an exemplary citizen. In Springfield there are conscientious doctors who sometimes recommend sanitary measures rather than prescribe antidotes for diseases. The man who could not spell rheumatism, and wrote the doctor that he had itch is considerate as compared with the woman who asked the doctor to administer a stimulant to her husband, because she wanted to show him her millinery bill. When a doctor f ailed to diagnose a case according to the patient's conception, he decided to throw him into fits—they were his specialty. Another query : Was it a Springfield doctor who suggested vaccinating the little girl on her tongue, because the mother had no idea what styles would prevail when the child attained to womanhood ? The child might wish to conceal a scar. Emergencies usually disclose the necessary qualities. The pioneer mothers—and their name is legion—were always first at the bedside of the sick in the community, in the absence of a doctor they ministered to their needs, concocting their own remedies like the Indian doctors, they used barks and herbs. They knew all about hoarhound tea, calomel, jalap and other simple remedies, and neither the heat of summer nor the blasts of winter interfered with their mission when chills and fevers were so prevalent—the chills and agues now diseases of yesterday. There have been mothers who threw their slops from the kitchen door, and wondered why their children caught all the passing ailments. Drainage has worked the transformation ; science has rescued the community. Now and then a pioneer mother understood the theory of balanced ration ; she served such varied menus of well-cooked foodstuffs that her family escaped many of the ills of the flesh. While the doctor welcomes the trained nurse, he is not always in accord with the practices among neighbor women ; when they use common sense they are valuable, but he does not listen to their traditions. It is said that the dispensary physicians prevail again in Springfield ; they write prescriptions,' and the druggist fills them. Some one, writing of old time remedies, said : "They fed us on tonics from bottles and glasses, and begged us to try one more plateful of greens." While the pioneer doctor's practice extended over a large territory, and his professional visits led him through unbroken forests when there were only bridle paths ; while he went through mud and water, he always relieved distress with or without remuneration for his services, and those who do not understand should read James Whitcomb Riley's "Rubi- 358 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY ayat of Old Doc Sifers." He would ride both night and day, and he encountered myriads of mosquitoes. Before drainage removed their swampy rendezvous, and the sanitary commission objected to the accumulation of effete matter where flies secured filth that caused disease, even Clark County families were victims of their own ignorance. "Baby bye, here's a fly ; let us watch him, you and I," but the foolish mother has learned better ; today she "swats that fly." Along in the '70s some inventive genius constructed the screen door, and when flies and mosquitoes stopped outside, there was relief from some of the infections. The screen is the "ounce of prevention." In these days of rapid transit, when the rural family calling the doctor by telephone asks whether or not he has a self-starter automobile, it is of interest to follow the pioneer medical man about the country. While there is no record that Peter Smith had family practice when he lived on Mad River, Doctor Hunt knew all about day and night travel, and he knew how many people used slippery elm bark in combating prevalent disease conditions ; he knew all about the cord wood with which the settlers paid the doctor and the printer. Clark country was in line for all the epidemics, and without whisky and quinine some of the setlers would have abandoned their opportunities. In the old days of swamps and snakebites, the air was so poisoned with effluvium that not only human beings but dogs suffered the consequences ; there was milk fever and ague in varieties. When Spanish influenza—the flu—struck Clark County in 1918, and 5,000 persons were suffering at one time, sanitary measures were well understood, and yet it became epidemic with consequent loss of life. A knowledge of the mechanism of the human body has enabled science to overcome many things. Now that people understand the fundamental laws of digestion, nutrition and combustion, unnecesary troubles are obviated. Some of the mechanical devices which yield most, and render the impossible possible, are as simple and as commonplace as the wire screen in the prevention of epidemics. There are county and city health doctors—Springfield and Clark County combined at present—in the person of Dr. R. R. Richison, and now and then he designates certain cleanup days, a necessity in some communities. While it is a sanitary requirement, it adds to the appearance of the town; however, some families do not stand in need of cleanup suggestions. Where there are diphtheria and typhoid fever contagions, there is usually impure water ; while there may have been no filth within the cabin walls, and some of the grandmothers were scrupulously clean housekeepers, there was sometimes stagnant water and the mosquitoes and flies had their way about everything. Today there are families who employ a physician to keep them well, rather than to cure them of illness. An old account says : "At the time when the settlers were exterminating bears, panthers and the vast forests, there was no time to make war on such small and ubiquitous things as mosquitoes." However, mosquitoes do not buzz quite so serenely as when neither the doctor nor his patients suspected their deadly mission as spreaders of disease ; when there were swamps there were millions of mosquitoes, and drainage wrought the riddance. The Irishman and his spade presaged many improvements. When the Clark County housewives used peachtree limbs and peacock tails to "mind the flies," they did not think of them as deadly SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 359 enemies—only as a nuisance. When the fly was barred, the American people realized the advantages arising from it; they were rid of so much contagion. When the barnyards were cleaned and his breeding places were removed, many of the diseases the fly used to impart to the household were no longer prevalent. In Bible times there were hogwallows, and as long as there are swinettes they will return to them, unless some precaution is taken against such conditions. Instead of the lullaby "Baby bye, here's a fly," "Swat the fly" means more to motherhood today. It has been demonstrated that disease is caused by gases generated from decaying vegetation ; while results may not be immediate, it only requires time for incubation before the people are seized with fevers, etc., all which may be obviated by removal of the offending substances. When cellars are regularly cleaned, there is little danger from decaying vegetation. Home sanitation has had much to do with the changed health conditions. The pioneers had not studied drainage and other means of prevention ; systems of house ventilation have been installed, while the cracks in the floor and the open fireplace were the only methods known to the pioneers. There are tub and shower baths, while running water was the only bath available to the settler. Years ago, when the weather was warm, a well-to-do woman said it was time of year to take a bath again.' There used to be "sickly seasons," and if there was anything in suggestion,. the settlers had the benefit. The doctors mystified their patients by the use of technical expressions : the trouble was resultant from "vegeto-animalcular" causes, and similar phraseology, meaning that the people were infected by organisms bred in decaying vegetation, and with that view of the situation, home sanitation is somewhat responsible for better conditions. Only for the recent visitation• of the flu are Clark County residents enabled to understand the following: "The f ever was so continuous, and so frightful were its effects, that it is remarkable the settlers were heroic enough to remain in the new country. They stayed partly through grim determination; partly through natural indisposition to move backward; partly through love of the beautiful country, and partly through that hope springing eternally in the breasts of the pioneers, to cheer them in their toil and suffering." Chills and fevers—who even thinks of them today ? Only for the recent visitation of the flu people of today would not understand ; they would have no comprehension of what was endured along Mad River and in Springfield. While writing one f eels the symptoms, but here is hoping the "gentle reader" escapes the "third-day-ague," or the "shakes" in any guise, and "spring .f ever" that ensued so frequently. In the early morning, before the "shakes" came on, the water buckets were filled by the most abled-bodied members of the family, and they would be placed in reach of all; it was common communion, and when the fever would rise again each one helped himself. When the f ever was at its height people along Mad River wished themselves back in their old homes, but when they were feeling better they would remain and try it again. Some were so sick their relatives could not leave them, and each year brought new neighbors and changed conditions, until finally no one wanted to leave the community. In 1872 there was widespread epizootic among horses that crippled all industries requiring their use, and it left many diseased and imperfect 360 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY animals, and the effect of the flu has been almost as serious among human beings—many have not regained their usual strength since having it. While there are frequent epidemics of measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, chicken pox, nettle rash, la grippe, and whisper it—seven-year itch—and some folks having it three times—bathing and home sanitation have reduced the awful effects. Along with the chills and agues there were dental troubles, and when the settlers used to twist out the teeth for each other they suffered untold agony. While many men and women never saw a turnkey used by the settlers in twisting out diseased molars and incisors, knocking out surplus teeth for horses cannot be more barbarous than was this twisting process. In 1832-33 there was a scourge of cholera at New Carlisle that caused great lamentation, the community having thirty-three deaths, while Springfield escaped, and it was then attributed to sanitary conditions. At a meeting of the town council, July 13, 1832, it was decided to enforce cleanliness, and there was a day of "fasting and prayer" observed by many, and there is physiological benefit from abstinence. However, in May, 1849, cholera broke out in Springfield and "ravaged" until August ; five died in one day, and in all there were seventy-five victims. Business was dull, and all were melancholy. That scourge was in proportion to the flu epidemic, when 5,000 were prostrated f our years ago. In 1921, when the diphtheria epidemic was widespread, the doctors united in suppressing it, the city health doctor inviting co-operation, and it is said that smallpox will never again scourge the community because people understand the results of vaccination. Since Dr. Edward Jenner discovered the antidote so general has vaccination become that it is thought smallpox will never sweep the country again. The education of the public with regard to personal and general hygiene has aided in destroying disease, and doctors are winning the fight through scientific methods, and with the necessary co-operation of the public better results will ensue in future. The advance in medicine and surgery has reduced the death rate and added many years to the span of human life. There is a law of compensation in nature which never fails to operate, and while modern life contributes endless comforts, the hurly-burly present-day existence demands its toll, and the brain and nervous system must have some cessation. Query : Which is the distinguished professional gentleman—the doctor of today who impresses the family with the importance of home sanitation, or the medical man of the past who left so many potions to be "shaken before taken ?" When they used to mix calomel in syrup, and scrape the big spoon with a little one in order to get all of it, people swallowed the dose in fear and trembling, but they know more about the symptoms today. Doctor Robbins was among 'the early citizens of New Carlisle, and he was with them through the scourge of cholera. He was genial, and as he went about astride his horse with his medicine in double saddle-bags, people were better at sight of him, and Dr. Robert Houston sustained similar relation to the community about South Charleston. When Dr. Alfred Jones began practice there, his mother was his secretary and when people came at night she would raise the window and inquire : "Who is sick ? Who is dead? Who wants Alf red ?" But twentieth century mothers do not assume that responsibility. It is said of Dr. T. G. Farr of South Charleston : "He took down his shingle years ago," but that did not stop the demands even though he is four-score years of age. SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 361 While Christian Science is not recognized by the medical profession, there are practitioners in Springfield who effect cures without the use of medicine or surgery. They claim it is a lost art, known in the time of Christ and reduced to practice again in 1868 by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy. When cures are effected the patients are grateful to Mrs. Eddy. The Springfield Osteopathic Society has recently been organized, and while there are local chiropractors they have not as yet effected an organization. While Christian Scientists, Osteopaths and Chiropractors all practice the healing art they do not recognize Materia Medica. MAD RIVER DENTAL SOCIETY Springfield and Clark County dentists constitute the Mad River Valley Dental Society, holding monthly meetings and discussing topics of importance, and dentists located in adjoining counties affiliate with them. The Mad River Society is a branch of the Ohio Dental Society, and the benefits arise from its interest in legislation, influencing the character of bills introduced regulating the practice of dentistry. Advertising dentists are not eligible to membership, and while professional standards are maintained, up-to-date dentists establish them. This is an age of specialists, and dentists have their standards of efficiency. Skin grafting and blood transfusion—the medical and dental profession meets all the requirements, and while the quack doctor and his cure-all tactics meet the requirements of some, there are discerning people who want the advice of reputable physicians and who are willing to pay for it. However, since people better understand hygiene and sanitation there is less demand for medical advice in the community. Since men and women understand their own physical structures better, the knowledge works both ways ; some feel that such unusual complications require attention, while others rest assured about it. When most Clark County folks grow ill the material side of their natures asserts itself, and they send for the man of medicine in whom they repose most confidence. When a new doctor came into the community—this is a stock story—he would have himself called out of church or he would be seen riding rapidly out of town—any ruse to attract attention. Sometimes when the pioneers called the doctor they also expected to have to call the minister, and the Irish woman on the witness stand thought the patient was in danger as long as the doctor continued his visits ; when the doctor is not called the family is under. censure. While doctors do not advertise, when they are successful their patients do it for them, and when a patient dies the whole community knows about the doctor. When Clark County doctors used to give calomel there were salivated mouths unless the patients abstained from the use of acid f oodstuffs, and sometimes they lost their teeth from salivation; they followed calomel with quinine, and they held the children's noses in dosing them until capsules solved that difficulty. Who remembers taking sulphur in scraped apple or in molasses ? Who says : "Backward, turn backward" in the realm of disease and the methods of overcoming it ? While some of the pioneer doctors were successful in the practice of medicine, the requirements are such today that they would be unable to pass the censors. CHAPTER XXXVIII SPRINGFIELD—ITS FORM OF GOVERNMENT In the light of past history, Springfield as a community is older than Clark as a county, the area once belonging to Hamilton and floating for a time with Ross before it was finally attached to Greene County. While stakes were driven for Springfield in 1801, the area was not in Greene County until 1803 ; in 1805 it was in Champaign County, and December 25, 1817, was the beginning of Clark County history. While in 1806 there was a session of Champaign County Court held in Springfield, it was without government until 1827, when it became an incorporated town, and in 1850 it was incorporated as a city. In 1901, in connection with the Springfield Centennial celebration, one of the speakers said : "Could we but call the roll of all the citizens of Springfield, from the day of James Demint to the present, and review each individual life, how gladly we would look upon the grand drama thus afforded, in order that due meed of praise might be awarded every one who has helped to make Springfield," and with its vacillating history it is little wonder James Demint did not record the original plat immediately. It would have been recorded in Cincinnati or Chillicothe because there was a Springfield two years bef ore the organization of Greene County ; the original plat and the early real estate transfers are a matter of record in Xenia, although local abstracters have copies of them. At the time of the Springfield Centennial, Judge F. M. Hagan said : "Language can but feebly express the thoughts which press upon us as we contemplate the history of our beloved city ; it seems fitting to glance over the century of its existence, as upon a panorama flashing with the speed of lightning before us. As we lift our eyes we see an unbroken wilderness, tenanted only by wild beasts and savages, and then come the pioneers of another race, rearing their humble log cabins ; we look again and behold the primeval forest changed as if by magic to a city prosperous and beautiful ; the wigwams of the Indians and the huts of the pioneers have given place to thousands of commodious homes. The barter of the settlers with the natives of the forests has swollen 'till the wares made in Springfield encircle the globe ; our traffic is with the ends of the earth ; the lights of 100 years ago are displaced by gas and electricity, and instead of the winding trails are miles and miles of streets along which glide splendid equipages, and the railways connect Springfield with the remotest sections," and he reviews the different steps in city development. Summing up everything, Judge Hagan says : "All these things are the heritage of a keen, alert, restless, inquiring, ambitious people filled with the spirit of the age. Who, under God, has wrought the transformation from the wilderness to all these things ? * * * As they swiftly pass in review come the sturdy figures of Demint, Foos, Humphrey, Kenton and Lowry and others joining them year by year, laying their axes to the roots of the trees and hewing out the beginning of the city, not forgetting to establish schools and churches ; intelligence, morality and religion the firm foundations upon which the welfare and happiness of the community must rest ; in the first decade, here and there an infant - 362 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 363 industry arises, prophetic of the future of Springfield," and along with its industrial development there has been executive progress. A later writer says : "For more than a century the process of empire has advanced with marvelous rapidity ; the rich alluvial plains of Mad River and Lagonda Creek were almost the first in the vast wilderness to the north of the 'Beautiful River' to attract the tide of immigration which had been held in check by the mighty barriers of the Alleghenies. Every gift necessary to the maintenance of an enduring civilization has been granted by nature to this favored region ; if there is one essential lacking it is the fault of man. * * * Law and the restraints of civilization may be evils, but they are necessary. * * * Society is still based on the sacrifice of every personal desire which is not compatible with public welfare ; on the supremacy of law ; on the implicit obedience of every man and every interest, to the exactions which experience has taught society to require of every man who enjoys the protection of the State." The citizenry of Springfield that had charge of its development have been mentioned in various relations, and there is little trace of an official roster while town government prevailed from 1827 to 1850, when there was little municipal regulation; when there were no improved streets or sewers, and when the fire wood was unloaded in front of the houses ; when cows ran out, and brood sows were common property. In time civic pride began to develop, and the wood pile was relegated to the alley, and today the boy who used to operate the bucksaw goes to the gymnasium. There was a time when Springfield was noted for mud, and Mill Run was almost impassable across Main Street. Every town goes through that period in its history, and thus it appreciates improvements. In the small town days of Springfield there was local government, and ambitious citizens developed the community in different directions, new additions having ambitious promoters and when a market was established near the site of the Esplanade, development was in that direction rather than "Sleepy Hollow," the location of the county buildings. On March 21, 1850, by vote of the community and by special act of the Legislature, Springfield adopted a city charter, and for sixty-four years it had a mayor and council form of government, its mayors being: In 1850, J. M. Hunt ; in 1854, James S. Goode ; in 1857, A. G. Burnette ; in 1861 (for four months), James L. Torbert, and the remainder of the year, John C. Miller ; in 1862, W. D. Hill ; in 1863, J. J. Snyder ; in 1864, James Fleming; in 1868, J. R. McGarry ; in 1871 (for f our months), H. S. Showers, followed by J. J. Hanna ; in 1875, Milton Cole; in 1879, Edward S. Wallace ; in 1881, E. G. Coffin ; in 1883, C. W. Constantine ; in 1885, J. P. Goodwin; in 1887, 0. S. Kelly ; in 1889, William R. Burnett ; in 1893, James Johnson, Jr. ; in 1895, P. P. Mast ; in 1897 (for one month), T. J. Kirkpatrick, followed by John M. Goode ; in 1899, Charles J. Bowlus ; in 1901, M. L. Milligan ; in 1906, James M. Todd ; in 1908, William R. Burnett ; in 1910, Charles J. Bowlus ; in 1912, Joseph J. Miller ; in 1914, Charles F. McGilvary, who resigned November 10, 1919, being succeeded by Burton J. Westcott ; in 1922, Dr. John E. Furry. Since the installation of the city manager form of government, 1914, the mayoralty has been an honorary position, the details of the office being taken care of by the manager. Mayor McGilvary was the first mayor to co-operate with the city manager. One account says : "In 1852 the legislature began the work of classifying Ohio cities, and special forms of government applicable to cities of SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 365 various sizes were established and continued until 1902, when the Supreme Court of Ohio suddenly found that all municipal governments so established were unconstitutional. During all this period Springfield was in a class by itself and special legislation to suit the whims of various classes of people and political parties was frequently obtained. At that time the various departments of city government were looked after by committees of councilmen and it was frequently observed that when some business man who had previously taken no interest in politics aspired to a seat in council, the chug-holes in his street needed filling, and in 1902 a new municipal code was adopted under which general legislation applicable to all Ohio cities was made mandatory. DUTIES OF MAYOR "Under this system the mayor is the executive head of the board of public service, which is composed of three members and has charge of the streets, water works and similar municipal affairs," but since January 1, 1914, Springfield has had the City Manager form of government, the first incumbent being Charles A. Ashburner, who remained until October 1, 1918, when A. E. Carr assumed the duties. Mr. Carr remained as city manager until July 1, 1920, when E. E. Parsons received the appointment ; the manager is appointed by the city commission for an indefinite term of service. Under existing government conditions the city manager appoints the heads of the various departments in classified service from the civil service lists, although City Manager Parsons feels that without civil service restrictions greater efficiency would be a possibility. Civil service regulations have prevailed since 1883, and its purpose is to correct the evils of the spoils system so evident in community government ; under civil service the manager is unable to "hire and fire," and while the spoils system is abused it is a necessity—choosing the lesser of two evils. While civil service does not prevail in private business, it seems to be a safety measure in the management of public affairs. The city manager system in Springfield has reduced the expense of operation—has reconstructed Springfield. The city's necessary wires were on poles, and they were unsightly ; now most of them are in conduits, and Springfield is a place of safety. What was once Poleville is now a city beautiful, and it is admitted that under council administration Springfield did not develop as it has under a city manager. While any one may aspire to the office of city commissioner, Springfield has been fortunate in having men who were competent and faithful in the discharge of their official duties, the 1921 organization being: B. J. Westcott, August L. Beaupain, E. S. Houck, J. D. Frock and H. M. Hill, and the annual report filed by the city manager indicates a year of progress. On the theory that after a city passes its 60,000 population mark, Mr. Parsons expects Springfield to grow rapidly, finally reaching 250,000, the conclusion arrived at from comparison with other cities. In fifty years the city had increased from 12,000 to 60,000, and he reasons that the future developments will equal past history. It is reported that in the busiest hours on Saturday nights an average of 120 pedestrians and twenty-two vehicles pass the corner at Fountain and High Street in one minute, where the same number of pedestrians and fourteen vehicles pass in one minute ; at Limestone and High, where passengers transfer on the street cars, the average number of pedestrians passing the corner in one 366 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY minute was 100, with fifteen vehicles, and at Limestone and Main Street the number decreased to eighty pedestrians and ten vehicles. These are the four busy street corners in Springfield, and yet "The picture of growing Springfield is unfolding day by day," and looking back only a few years many changes are noted, the public utilities changing industrial conditions. When the city hall that shelters the city government was constructed it seemed to meet the requirements and now the people wonder why a building with so much waste was ever built, its auditorium useless and its market inadequate, and yet the "city fathers" thought they were building for the future. Since city manager form of government is in vogue men specialize in that line and out-of-town candidates are chosen, the commission expecting them to bring to the office special knowledge gained in other communities. In order to be efficient he must understand economics and be able to combine many duties ; the fire, police and engineering departments are controlled by him, and the auditor, treasurer and solicitor all are appointed by and are amenable to the manager. The city commission holds the manager responsible, and it was reported that at a session of the legislative body recently a visitor asked for the privilege of offering prayer, and all present bowed while "the people's preacher preaching the religion of Jesus" offered prayer. Under the city manager the plan is to remove the business of the city from politics, no one being allowed to conduct a personal canvass in order to be elected to the commission, and while foreign managers have been chosen it is said that the plan secures home rule for Springfield. It recognizes the people as the sole source of governmental power and imposes upon each member of the community the duty and responsibility of actively interesting himself in the affairs of the city. In adopting the charter the voters of the city made the following statement : We, the people of the City of Springfield, in order to obtain the benefits of local self-government, to encourage more direct and business-like methods in the transaction of our municipal affairs, and otherwise to promote our public welfare, do adopt the following charter, and copies of it are available at the manager's office. Under commission management in 1921 were the following : City manager, Mr. Parsons ; city auditor, Walter J. Barrett ; city solicitor, R. SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 367 W. Flack ; special counsel, E. F. McKee ; city clerk and treasurer, William H. Mahoney ; chief of police, R. E. O'Brien ; chief of fire department, Samuel F. Hunter ; director of public health, R. R. Richison ; city engineer, William E. Lucas ; director of public service, public safety and health, Mr. Parsons, and superintendent of water department, George S. Cotter. The following boards are adjuncts of city government : Sinking Fund Trustees—M. L. Milligan, Floyd A. Johnston, W. S. Thomas and Harlan C. West ; Hospital Trustees—Robert S. Rodgers, V. G. A. Tressler, Thurston W. Ludlow and Wallace Thomas ; Park Trustees—David Snyder, P. E. Montanus, Allan McGregor and Paul A. Staley ; Civil Service Commission—P. A. Lewis, W. C. Hewitt and Wallace Thomas ; Library Board—John B. McGrew, John L. Zimmerman, Anna B. Johnson, Henry D. Titer and E. L. Buckwalter ; Playgrounds Advisory Committee—Max L. Kleeman, Allan McGregor, Donald Kirkpatrick, Harry F. Busey, Frank Luibel, E. E. Parsons and W. J. Neville. EXPENSE OF CITY GOVERNMENT While it is an honor to serve the City of Springfield, there is a remuneration consideration running close to one million dollars, the operating costs of the major city departments being $77,000 to the police department ; $102,000 for the fire department ; $19,000 for the health department ; $138,000 for the service department ; $100,000 to the city hospital ; $208,000 for the interest and sinking fund ; $200,000 for the water department ; $11,000 for Warder Public Library ; $44,000 miscellaneous appropriations ; park and police and firemen's pension funds aggregating $16,000, the budget estimated on a $90,000,000 tax duplicate, but since the duplicate is more than $93,000,000 the city has a surplus fund. An increase in tax rate is incumbent from time to time to meet payment on bonds for improvements, but many of them will soon be retiring and there will be a consequent decrease in operating expenses. Until 1945 Springfield will be paying on bonded indebtedness under present conditions, different bonds expiring in that time. Quotas are prepared covering an entire year's operation expense, and departments are required to keep within the limits. While the expense of epidemics is charged to the account of the city, the commission plans to co-ordinate the departments or groups in order not to duplicate expenses. When a diphtheria epidemic cost the community $13,500, it seemed incumbent to curtail expense by avoiding complications. The Nursing Association Executive Committee co-operating with the city and acting as a board of health. A great deal of expense in the way of sewer construction is in prospect, the sewers not being equal to the requirements. The city engineer's report shows that Springfield covers 7,059 acres, of which ninety-seven acres is water. With approximately 15,000 residences, and the combined cost of sanitary and storm sewers reported at $707,864.92, as the city increases in population its expenses increase accordingly, and times have changed since the days when Springfield was a cow pasture—when there were hog wallows along Mill Run, and there were no paved streets and sidewalks. In the days before Springfield was incorporated as a city in 1850, the peace of the hamlet was preserved by constables and later by marshals, the first marshal, James B. Berry, being incorporated in 1834, assisted by two deputies. He served three terms and was succeeded in 1842 by 368 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY John Patterson. At that stage of Springfield history the. office sought the man and the next marshal, John Hendricks, would always have to be called from his home to suppress violence or make an arrest ; he was not much of a terror to evil-doers. John Monohan, a Springfield blacksmith, was the next marshal, and while culprits held no terror for him, when the cholera scourge broke out in 1849 he "broke out" to escape it. He sojourned in the country until the epidemic ceased, and in turn came Israel Rockhill and William Brown. When Martin Carey assumed the duties it was because he sought the office ; he went to the polls at 6 o'clock and remained all day, asking every voter to support him. Since then political candidates have been aggressive in Springfield. Later ,marshals : Alexander Cole, Benjamin F. Best and Grove W. Green, but in 1867 an ordinance was passed recognizing the need of a police department, and that marked the end of the rule by marshal. FIRST CHIEF OF POLICE On October 17, 1867, W. A. Stewart was recorded as the first chief of police, the ten policemen being : William Donovan, John Cornell, Nat Creager, Marion Moore, Jacob Mumma, William Johnson, Joseph Deaver, William Sykes, Robert Christie and Ezra Benzoff. It is said that Chief Stewart donated his salary, and since the marshal was continued as an officer in the mayor's court he made his money from attending cases, receiving $1 and his share of the costs. When the police system was in its infancy mischievous persons annoyed the force by blowing whistles calling the officers from their beats, but after the novelty was worn off they quit it. While the department was becoming adjusted the chief resigned, some of the "city fathers" not being satisfied with the system and seeking to repeal it, but the vote of the majority retained it. On January 23, 1868, Chief Stewart insisted upon resignation, and in April John E. Donovan, who was marshal, became the chief, but because of lack of funds the entire force was discharged and four men were elected to take charge of the city, Joseph Deaver acting as lieutenant with the same salary as the city paid to John Cornell, H. C. Weaver and J. S. Newcomb, who served with him in maintaining order in Springfield. The lieutenant of police reported to the mayor every morning, and he reported weekly to the police committee of the city council. When the department was organized the Union Fire House on Spring Street was utilized as a station house, a sign over the door saying: "All tramps lodged here must work one day for the city." The result was that tramps were never caught the second time and much work was accomplished by those who were arrested and detained there. The tramps and prisoners serving sentence were chained in a gang and worked in the quarry now Cliff Park, where they broke stone for macadamizing the streets and the roads. When they refused to work they were placed on a diet of bread and water. Joel Thompson was the first man operating prisoners on the street, his office being station-house keeper. Because the marshal was not busy the council increased his duties ; he must ring the City Hall bell, and open and close the polls when there was an election. About this time two policemen—Deaver and Weaver—were found asleep while on duty and they were discharged from the department. When Mr. Thompson made his first monthly report as station-house keeper he had sheltered seventy-five poor persons over SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 369 night, and the "flop house" in the last winter shows about the same patronage. The police department had its financial difficulties, but on December 1, 1868, John R. Rea was installed as chief with a competent force, although when on December 31 John E. Donovan resigned as marshal, his successor was not of much advantage in jailing prisoners. The salary was $25 a year and fees and it did not stimulate much activity. When the police made an arrest of a drunk they sometimes hauled him in a wheelbarrow to the station house, followed by a crowd. While W. A. Stewart is mentioned as the first chief of police in Springfield, the fact that he served without salary and resigned when there was dissatisfaction, really entitles John R. Rea to that distinction. Mr. Rea was succeeded by James Fleming in 1871, who remained at the head of the department five years. Mr. Fleming was followed by Fred Schuckman (usually called Shipman), who served until 1884, when he was succeeded by James C. Walker, the hero of Missionary Ridge. It was Chief Walker who established the rogue's gallery, which has continued as a feature of the Springfield police department. The Knights of Labor difficulty at the Whitely East Street shops occurred while Walker was at the head of the department. While he operated with a small force of men, he watched railroad trains and did not allow suspicious characters to stop in Springfield. In 1887, Captain James R. Ambrose was appointed chief of police by Mayor O. S. Kelly. Following Ambrose, James Cushman became police chief, and it is a matter of record that he captured every culprit and restored all the plunder, with a force of twenty-two patrolmen assisting him. John McKenna was the next chief of police, and while serving the city he captured two firebugs—John T. Cassels and William H. Myers—who burned many buildings, mingling with the crowds and watching the flames. While he suspected them, he spent seven months looking for evidence and finally they confessed, admitting that they fired the buildings just to witness the conflagration. W. H. Van Tassel was the next chief of police, receiving the appointment in 1895, when ,P. P. Mast was mayor. Until Van Tassel was chief the police department always headed parades in Springfield, leaving opportunity for the pickpocket to apply himself. When the Masonic Home was dedicated the police were relieved of parade duty, Chief Van Tassel himself arresting a pickpocket who was convicted and sent to the penitentiary. When he was chief the "lid" was on in Springfield. Under Mayor Good, Robert Stewart Black was chief of police, being appointed in 1897, and the Sunday baseball question stirring the community. Each chief seems to have had some special opportunity of distinguishing himself. However, until 1899, when Richard E. O'Brien became chief, the heads of the departments were chosen because of political preferences, and they were men who returned to their previous occupations after a few years. The preservation of peace, life and property was a casual occupation, but "them days is gone forever" in Springfield. The advance of Mr. O'Brien from the ranks to police chief marks the transition of this branch of municipal service from the crude efforts of workmen unskilled and untrained in the art of combating crime, to the highly trained specialist. The transitional period was not the matter of a day, a month, or a year, and that is not saying that any previous officer was incompetent, nor that inefficiency will never be in evidence again. Vol. I-24 370 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY Progress is the watchword, and the office of chief of police is a daily opportunity of studying crime and criminals. The police officer daily matches his wits against the shrewdest criminals, and he no longer does certain things in certain ways because others did things those ways. While the name O'Brien indicates the nationality of the chief, the place of his birth is Springfield. Mr. O'Brien is actively connected with the State Association, and in 1906 he was made its president ; in that year the annual meeting was held in Springfield. About 100 Ohio police chiefs attended, and a banquet served by the local organization pleased the visitors. Chief O'Brien is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and he has served as a member of its executive committee. Since the promotion of Chief O'Brien in 1899 the department has had many changes. When a policeman was wanted the bell on the Spring Street station was sounded—one tap for the chief, and two for a patrolman—and since it was the "honor system," those who wanted to hear the bell answered the summons. This system had long been a "thorn in the flesh," and early in his career as chief Mr. O'Brien discarded it, substituting fire boxes on the beats, where officers could report at frequent intervals. Since 1902 there has been a city sergeant who keeps track of all officials on duty. Since 1904 Civil Service has prevailed in the Springfield police department, Chief O'Brien himself having served under many different administrations before the commission-manager form of government was instituted in Springfield. "To the victor had belonged the spoils," and the policeman's job was at the mercy of a mayor and his board of public safety. When Civil Service was established physical examinations were introduced, and the force is on an efficiency basis. There are now forty-four men in the department and there are few resignations. When a man has spent twenty years in service he may retire, with a pension, those now pensioned being: John Stetche, Joseph E. Creager, Owen F. Lawless, Albert Thompson, S. H. Bargdill, Bartholomew Brenner and S. W. Bishop. When an officer is pensioned he can no longer remain in the department, and those eligible to pensions who remain in active service are Chief R. E. O'Brien, W. S. Norton and Henry Bradford. The pension is half as much as the salary drawn while in active service, and thus there is an inducement to able-bodied men to remain in the ranks. Radio is being considered, Chief O'Brien having been directed by Manager Parsons to have a wireless transmitter placed in the department for tests, the system being favored in many cities for directing the members of the force—a step in advance of the method installed by the chief when he first received his appointment. While now and then an officer may reflect discredit upon the department, and while Civil Service regulates the chief's ability in "hiring and firing," as said by both Chief O'Brien and Manager Parsons—the general public seems satisfied with the service. In 1921, 2,656 arrests were made, the greatest number in June and the fewest in December, showing the out-of-door season at a disadvantage from the standpoint of law and order. There were 452 arrests staged in June against 113 in December, the ratio being four to one in favor of cold weather. A policeman makes an arrest when information is furnished, and those who complain frequently refuse to file the necessary affidavits. Hearsay enters into complaints while facts enter into affidavits. SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 371 A newspaper clipping says : "Heads of city departments in which large numbers of men are employed are known to agree with Manager Parsons and Chief O'Brien in their ideas regarding the effect of Civil Service on public employees. They say that while the system is designed to get good men into positions, and does result in that in most cases, it makes no allowance for the personal factor or the stimulation of ambition, and the men sometimes become lazy in their devotion to duty, staying within the rules but failing to give that extra ounce of effort which means the difference between success and mediocrity," and the query is raised as to why the same tests should not prevail in public as in private employment. While some policemen reflect discredit, a recent news paragraph reads: "The Springfield force contains many conscientious, honest fellows who 'guard you while you sleep.' " While some say that the flu and prohibition are all that the United States got out of the World war, others say the crime wave sweeping the country is an aftermath of the war. While the police have been vigilant, holdups and highway robberies are of frequent occurrence, and one comment was : "Springfield's answer to the increasing boldness and number of robberies will be a twenty per cent increase in the police force. In the old liquor days it was considered necessary to have a police force of fifty men. * * * Springfield has not yet reached that happy stage when disarmament is safe," and a "Voice of the People" newspaper column allows of some charges being made that are incredible ; they tell of gambling and make open charges of many things. The grand jury makes many investigations, and finally the "mills of the gods" get into operation, grinding both "slow and exceeding fine," and the people wait results with some intrepidity. NEGRO RIOTS IN SPRINGFIELD While certain citizens of the United States think of Springfield because of the nature of its manufactured products, and others from its great number of periodical publications, the thing that places it on the map of the world in the mind of the casual newspaper reader is the riots that have occurred March 7, 1904, February 26, 1906, and March 10, 1921, and all of them heralded to the world through the organized news service. While exaggerated reports were published, the whole United States knew of the atrocities through telegraph reports before Springfield realized the extent of the riots. While scarcely two years intervened between the first and second riots, the police department won the approval of the citizens in handling the situation each time. Rioting is something all police departments dread ; it is usually carried on under the cover of darkness, which renders the duty of the department more difficult. While it furnishes a policeman with thrilling experiences, it tests his courage and bravery. When an officer goes out to quell a mob he does not know what may happen and self-control is his best possession ; a single mistake may increase the fury of the rioters. It is said few departments know the meaning of the word riot ; they must pass through one in order to understand it, and Chief O'Brien has been at the helm of the Springfield ship of state through three furious demonstrations. If citizens listened to reason there would be no riots, but a mob once infuriated does not stop to consider anything. Stirred to a pitch of excitement, men lose consciousness and rush onward, sweeping everything before them. 372 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY The risks taken in riots by Springfield policemen will never be known to others ; they battled against odds in numbers, and the scenes will be remembered by those who struggled from morning 'till night and from night 'till morning again to restore peace and order. While soldiers were sent into Springfield to help quell the rioters, the police are entitled to full credit. The militia was used in guarding and protecting property as well as citizens from attack, while the police officers battled the rioters themselves. The presence of the soldiers seemed to incite the mob to greater violence, and several attacks were made on them. The Springfield police were more efficient than the guards in dealing with the rioters, knowing many of them and using persuasion at times. Were a roll of rioters called today, but there are no accusations— THE FIRST RIOT The riot of March 7, 1904, was precipitated by the killing of Policeman Charles B. Collis by a Negro—Richard Dixon. There had been murders of white citizens followed by clemency toward the Negro murderers, and the last atrocity aroused the citizens to the pitch where they demanded justice, and only a leader was needed to insure a riot. The officer had been appealed to by the Negro, who was having difficulty with a woman, and when he was shot down like a dog the conflict that had been smoldering for years between the whites and the blacks was immediately raging and whispers of lynching were heard ; the Negro was in the custody of the County Sheriff while the policeman was dying in the city hospital. Mr. Collis, who was court bailiff, died twenty-four hours after the shooting and the news of his death spread like wildfire, arousing thousands of citizens who were unable to restrain themselves. Recognizing the spirit. of the mob, Sheriff Floyd Routzahn sought an order from the court to transfer the prisoner to some other county but he was informed that nothing would come of the threats which had been heard time and time again, and when the jail was stormed it was too late to transfer the culprit. While the police came to the aid of the sheriff and did all in their power to protect the life of the Negro who had shot down one of their number, they were overpowered and at 11 :20 the prisoner was taken from the jail by several hundred men. His body was riddled with bullets and dragged to Main Street and Fountain Avenue, where it was suspended from a telegraph pole. The Negro had shot the officer twice, and twenty-seven bullet holes were found in his own body, with several bullets in some of them, when the mob had vented its fury against him. While the ghastly sight caused many to shudder, others in the crowd were unconscious of the fact that a life had been snuffed out, and words do not describe the scene of men shouting and embracing each other and sanctioning the work of the mob. It had been a night of terror, the people. assembling at the jail as early as 7 o'clock in the evening. For hours they shouted, demanding the life of Dixon to avenge the murder of Collis. The police were mobilized and they handled the crowd without difficulty for a time, hoping in vain for the arrival of the militia from Columbus. The local force frustrated the first attempt to secure the Negro at 9 o'clock, driving back the mob and arresting two of the leaders, but the men were in danger. The air was full of stones and bricks hurled by the rioters and the jail windows were broken ; the prisoners SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY - 373 huddled together in terror as they listened to the cries of the mob and heard the crashing glass. The Negro realized the situation, and when another attack was made the police were unable to restrain the rioters. When the door was battered down, at the point of revolvers the turnkey lead the way to the cells, and Dixon advanced almost dead from fright, and even then the police sought to protect him. When the body was hanging word was received that troops were in readiness, but it was too late to prevent the tragedy, although next evening the militia was needed in Springfield again. All day the people went about their work as usual, the rioters waiting for the cover of darkness to resume operations. They visited the levee—the rendezvous of the Negro criminal population—and applied the torch to five of the worst "dives" in that part of the city. Shots were fired, frightening the occupants away, many of whom did not stop in Springfield, and the police were powerless again. The red flames against the heavens attracted many to the scene, and when troops finally arrived the destruction was complete, the crowd remaining until the buildings were in ashes. While the fire department was out, the mob held sway and the firefighters were not allowed to throw any water. However, when the home of a widow in that vicinity caught fire, the mob rallied to the aid of the firemen, saving her property. A similar incident occurred in Springfield in 1868, when Rat Row was consumed by fire. It was a disreputable row of houses near the Esplanade on West High Street, and while the firemen were out there was poor hose connection, and citizens bombarded the houses with crushed stone lying in the street, breaking out the windows and causing the spread of the flames. Rat Row nor the levee were never again the homes of such ruffians, although the earlier destruction was not the result of rioting. When the mob returned from the conflagration at the levee it attacked a group of soldiers stationed at the Esplanade guarding the City Hall. The soldiers fell back, yielding to the demands of the rioters until members of the police department arrived, the militia looking on while they quieted the mob. While there were some arrests, the sympathy of the people was with the mob and none were brought to trial. The court had refused to act in the hour of need and the community had avenged itself. THE SECOND RIOT Murder of a white man was again the cause of a riot. On the night of February 26, 1906, a Big Four brakeman named Martin Davis was shot as his train was leaving. Two Negroes asked if his train were going to Columbus, and when he answered in the negative they charged that he was not truthful, and he advised them to seek elsewhere for information. A shot was heard, and when friends reached Mr. Davis he was dying. At the time the police were investigating a cutting scrape in a saloon in East Columbia Street known as the "Jungles." Two Negroes had used their razors on whites and they made their escape toward the Big Four yards. They were arrested as the slayers of Davis. They were Preston Ladd and Edward Dean, and when the mob spirit began to assert itself they were transferred to Dayton. In order to avoid another attack on the county jail news of the removal of the prisoners was published and the rioters turned their attention to the destruction of property occupied by the Negroes, the mob heading for the "Jungles." 374 - SPRINGFIELD AND CLARK COUNTY Before the police could be mobilized the torch was applied and six houses were soon in flames. While the fire department responded, it was again unable to accomplish anything, the rioters cutting the hose, and again a call was sent to Columbus, the militia responding more promptly and the local militia was pressed into service. The rioters would not listen to the police and more soldiers were sent to Springfield. It was a night of terror, the mob parading the streets and applying torches in different sections, and the fire department was unable to meet the demands made upon it. Houses were burned and the occupants fled in all directions. While the troops were guarding property the officers followed the mob in an effort to prevent further devastation, and finally taking the lead in restoring order, and finally when offenders were brought into court a jury made up of preachers, lawyers, doctors, professors, merchants and manufacturers found them guilty but recommended their acquittal. Later on other arrests were made and some of the rioters were committed to the state prison, the community realizing the necessity of checking the mob spirit in Springfield. When the two desperadoes were returned to Springfield who had killed Martin Davis, Dean was charged with murder in the first degree and Ladd with cutting with the intent to kill, and to the police is ascribed all honor in securing the evidence and bringing the offenders to justice. The clemency of the court was advised and Dean was imprisoned for life, while Ladd was sent to prison for five years. There were thrilling scenes enacted in both riots, a Negro firing upon his pursuers in the heart of the business district in the first riot, and escaping into Mill Run sewer, but the police held back the crowd until they secured him and escorted him to headquarters. In the second riot one frightened Negro was retiring for the night when the mob surrounded his house, and as the torch was applied he escaped through a window, running bare-footed to the mayor's office for protection. As the prisoners who were unused to prayer entered into the spirit of supplication the night Dixon was taken from the jail, the Negroes in Springfield resorted to prayer in time of the riots, some of them unoffending and law-abiding citizens. For several years Springfield citizens had rested in security, thinking there would never again be rioting, when on March 10, 1921, the third riot was imminent and outside aid was asked again. There was a misdemeanor involving a Negro woman, and Morgan Parneau was arrested, when a Negro attorney, Sully Jaymes, led the Negroes in an uprising to avenge the arrest. The police were active in suppressing the riot, and Officer Joseph Ryan was shot three times by the frenzied mob. The former uprisings had been whites arrayed against Negroes, but this time the blacks were against the whites. However, when the injured policeman was brought to headquarters the whites assembled in Cliff Park to plan vengeance against the Negroes, and meanwhile the blacks were effecting an organization. When City Manager Parsons ordered the Negroes suspected of shooting Officer Ryan searched, and when special officers were sworn in and the Negroes were ordered to disperse, they resisted, saying they would take no orders from Manager Parsons. Mr. Parsons conferred with Mayor B. J. Westcott, representing the commission, and with Sheriff David Jones and a call was issued for troops and half a dozen companies assembled. There was no further violence and the troops were dismissed, Manager Parsons calling upon the American Legion for co-operation, and