Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/163

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 103 had their rendezvous at different places in the country, in the interior and on the river ; they kept up a constant correspondence night and day with their leaders and strikers. They were numerous and their acquaintances on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers intimately connected with them in extending their dis- honest operations was unprecedented in the history of this or any other country. We owe in a measure our complete success of clearing the countrj^ of this description of population to the energy and perseverance and determined action of a few honest and resolute men, one of them I will refer to with feelings of respect and pride as being one of the principal actors in accomplishing our ob- ject, that person was the deceased Capt. Dunklin, whose virtues and standing as a man and citizen is yet recollected and appre- ciated by a number of persons, yet in exist- ence who were witnesses to his valuable ser- vice. In the years 1812-18-14 being at New Or- leans each of those years, I returned home as a passenger on board of a barge or keel boat, 50 and 60 days out. I preferred this mode of getting back to the laud route. In the year 1815 I vLsited Cincinnati, Ohio, on my way to Detroit, Jlichigan. I bought a horse and outfit at Cincinnati for my trip. Cincinnati was then a small place ; the Court House was upwards of a quarter of a mile out of the city. I visited the Court House to see what was to be done having seen in the morning posted up at the different corners of the street hand bills that a certain gentleman, a lawyer of some distinction, a resident of the city, by the name of Binhem, would address the citizens at the Court House at a certain hour of that day on the subject of charges brought against him and published while he was absent from the city on professional busi- ness. It appears that during the progress of the war with Great Britain he was drafted as a soldier to join the U. S. Army but from some cause he failed to comply with the request of the draft and the charges I think made against him were cowardice and not willing to expose his life in defense of his country. In addressing the citizens he proved to them conclusively that he had used every exertion to raise means to equip himself and proved that he was a minor and under the guardian- ship of a near relative of his and who had control of his person and his means, although he had made frequent applications to him for means, but in all cases refused to furnish him with any and was opposed to his joining the army. His appeal to the people was a very feeling one and being an able speaker his appeal was listened to with every attention. His excuse was approved of. The same trip I became acquainted with the agent of the United States Bank at Cincinnati. The bank owned and claimed considerable town property, vacant lots on which they built family residences and offei-ed them for sale through their agent. I was offered one or two lots with their improvements on them on Second and Third streets for from .'}!l,000 to $1,200, each lot. The improvements must have cost the money. The same property cannot now be bought for .$60,000. I had means at the time and if I had bought this property at the time and let it re- main it would have proved a source of con- siderable revenue to me now. My object was to take General Harrison's road through the black swamp to Detroit. Urbana was then a frontier town, there was a new county laid off and a county seat located at a place called Bellefontaine. Some few log cabins were put up in place, but there vras no public house in tiie place at that time. Next morn-