Outbreak of Typhoid Fever in 1927

There are no Crittenden Press newspapers available for the 1918-1919 time period when the Spanish Flu Epidemic was hitting our area so hard.  This means that no local history or obituaries are available for us to find out what was happening.  

In 1927 another outbreak of Typhoid Fever was hitting the county.  Here is an interesting article about it from the Crittenden Press August 1927.

Outbreak of Typhoid Fever in 1927

In the summer of 1927, near the southern part of our county in the community and surrounding area of Frances and Dycusburg an outbreak of typhoid was being carefully watched and treated by Dr. T. A. Frazer, county health officer.

From the archives of The Crittenden Press August of 1927.

Dr. G. H. Buck, member of the State Board of Health was in Crittenden cooperating with Dr. T. A. Frazer in the fight against typhoid, a disease that at the present time has a particularly strong hold on several communities near Marion.

The disease is especially prevalent around the Caldwell Springs area where already nearly ten cases have been reported. At least one death in that section of the county has been attributed directly to that dread disease.

Dr. Frazer, Dr. Buck and other physicians have inoculated about one hundred people near Caldwell Springs with the typhoid serum. Measures to eradicate the disease are being taken in the stricken territory. These steps are the destroying of the causes of typhoid as well as the inoculation of the individuals. 

Over a thousand people in Crittenden County have been vaccinated for typhoid fever within the past few weeks, most of the vaccinations being made by Dr. T. A. Frazer, County Health Officer.

The entire student bodies in five schools of the county have already been vaccinated. The districts are Caldwell Springs, Boaz, Frances, Owen and Bethel. The vaccine is administered at the school buildings where Dr. Frazer is accompanied by Fred McDowell, county school superintendent. 

In these districts many of the parents and other relatives of the school children have also taken the vaccine.

Employees of five mines operated by the Franklin Fluorspar Company have been vaccinated, or are in the process of being vaccinated, all expense being met by their employers who are also paying for the vaccination of the families of the employees and the students enrolled in the school districts in which the mines are located.

The vaccine was administered to the employees and their families at the Haffaw mines last year and will not be necessary this year. 

The other Franklin mines and the school districts in which they are located are Mary Belle Mine, Bethel school, Hodge mine, Owen school, Franklin mine, Siloam school, Beard mine, and Forest Grove school.

A few of the deaths caused from the typhoid epidemic were reported to the Press.

Miss Eula Brown, fifteen-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Brown, of near Frances, died Thursday August 18, after a short illness of typhoid.

Mrs. Elvin Travis, whose home was near Caldwell Springs, died Wednesday, August 24, after several weeks illness of typhoid fever. She was 27 years old. Surviving are her husband, Elvin Travis and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tammell, of Caldwell County.

Mr. T. W. Davenport, 59, a farmer of the View community, died August 22. Surviving Mr. Davenport are his wife and two sons, Owen and Ercil and a daughter, Miss Lucile Davenport.

By the end of the year the typhoid epidemic was about under control and news of its sickness and deaths were not heard from the Press news items. School and community activities were once again back to normal.

***

WHITE CAPPERS or REGULATORS INFORCERS OF A DIFFERENT TIME

In the late 1800's and early 1900's there were groups of individuals who took the law into their own hands, the groups in Crittenden County were known as Regulators or White Cappers by the local citizens.. 

It was a lawless movement mostly among local farmers. It was originally a form of enforcing community standards, appropriate behavior and traditional rights. 

Men who neglected or abused their family, people who showed excessive laziness, people that stole from their neighbors, and women who had children out of wedlock or were seen with too many different men, are all prime examples of possible targets. 

Despite the different white capping targets, the methods used by the Regulators remained somewhat constant. 

 Generally the members of this society were disguised in a way that somewhat resembled that of the Ku Kux Klan, and always attacked at night. Physical attacks could include such things as whipping, or beatings with sticks, firing shorts into houses or just a strong verbal warning to straighten up or face the consequences.

Some people thought them a useful asset to the community, others, such as the ones they visited and the elected local law enforcers had a different opinion of their activities. In a few instances they did get out of control and severely hurt people with their beatings and even the hanging of one individual that we have documentation for.

From the archives of The Crittenden Press, here are some interesting cases that attracted the attention of the local White Cappers.

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Dec. 12. 1895 -The White Cappers still Making Things Unpleasant

It was hoped that the night marauders, commonly called white caps, had retired from business in the county, but such is not the case. According to reliable reports more depredations have been committees in the Hurricane neighborhood, since circuit court. 

Two or three persons have been called from their homes by these self-constituted regulators and shamefully treated, and the community is still in a state of unrest. Some of the best people in that section think the matter will end in a very serious trouble, unless a speedy stop is put to the business. So far all efforts have failed to bring to light any of the persons connected with the shameful affair, but should a killing or two grow out of it, and such a consequence is only a matter of time, if the thing continues, then there will be a reckoning which will cause some sober thinking.

 

April 4, 1895 – Weston Community Items

William Holloman, wife and two dogs, from south of Weston, crossed the river a few days ago. According to a pretty authentic report the “white caps” had given Holloman his marching orders, after giving him a thrashing. He was told that he must go to work and support his family or leave, or take worse. He left. The dogs remained in town long enough to rob Dr. Truitt's hen nests.

Reports from the Bells Mines country came here this morning that a mob of disguised persons went to the home of Bert Curier and A. T. Cooper who live somewhere in the area and gave each of them a severe whipping, and told them it would be dangerous for them to remain longer in that locality, giving them a certain time in which to depart. They are suspected of being connected with some local vandalism and barn burnings.

July 30, 1896 – Masked Men Visit a Home at Night and Whip Three Persons.

On Saturday night a lot of masked men went to the home of Obadiah Burgess, who lives about seven miles north of Marion and with switches and sticks severely beat Burgess, Isaac Hughes and a fifteen year old boy who lives with Burgess. The particulars of the affair are meager, in fact a simple statement is about all there is known concerning it.

Also visited was Henry Milligan. He was a very lazy man, his wife had to make all the living. The White Cappers decided to change this so they hunted up old Henry. Finding him, they gave him a whipping and he began working and almost worked himself to death.

***

These are just a few of the tales and adventures of the long ago White Cappers that roamed our county. I'm sure there were numerous more visits that were not recorded as most people visited were frightened so bad that they wouldn't tell of their visits, and still wouldn't, even under the questioning of the local law. 

Imagine the sense of fear one would have hearing the sound of those approaching horses and visualizing the masked men in the dark of night coming closer and closer to your home, especially if you knew they were after you. Yes, I'm sure many stories are lost to these forgotten passages of time.

Plantations of Yesteryear at Tolu, KY

A plantation culture equal to that in Virginia and the Deep South once existed along the Ohio River near Tolu .  Now they are only a part of our forgotten passages of time.

This era of Crittenden County history began with a grant of 6000 acres to Dr. James Wallace for services as a surgeon in the Revolution. His nephews and nieces came from Culpepper County, VA to take up this grant.

 

To the left of the road, about a mile below the town of Tolu, was the home of Ridgeway, once a lovely mansion built by Arthur Wallace family.  There were 15 rooms in the house, with matching kitchen and storerooms flanking a brick courtyard. At the top of this house was an observatory or cupalo on the roof. It was built sometime before 1843.  The above picture was painted by Rev. Alfred Bennett, a descendant of the Wallace family.

By 2003, the once beautiful old plantation home was at the end of it's days.  Sitting empty for several years about all that was left was the brick walls.  The floors had most all fallen in to the old basement below.

In 2004 a family from out of state bought Ridgeway and torn it down that summer.  They sold the bricks for $120.00 a pallet.   Someone did say the family was descended from the Wallace family that built the house.

A mile farther on the opposite side of the road from Ridgeway, is the ruins of Westwood. This great house was erected by Caroline Wallace, who came from Virginia to establish a plantation. This brick house, built in 1853 was unique in its day, for Caroline built cabinets from floor to ceiling in the pantry and kitchen, which was in the house. There were also closets and store rooms on the second floor. 

There must have been high drama in the life of this remarkable lady. Caroline never married and lived alone at Westwood until her death, while her spinster sister, Amanda Wallace, lived with Arthur at Ridgeway.

After Caroline died, William Wallace bought Westwood from the other heirs. William Wallace married Catherine Molsbee and they had a son Hugh and a daughter Mary Elizabeth. Hugh was raised by their black servants after his mother's death, while Mary Elizabeth was reared by the nuns at St. Vincent's Academy near Morganfield, Hugh was a lieutenant in the Confederate Army and will killed at Shiloh.

Mary Elizabeth married Judson Bennett from Pinckneyville, and they reared their family at Westwood William Wallace designated in his will that the Westwood Plantation be given to his daughter. In the will dated 1870 he gave the house, land and all property of the plantation to his daughter, Betty Bennett. Westwood remained in the family until the death of Mary Bennett Harris and her adopted son Tracy. 

A tornado came through Tolu in June of 1993 and destroyed most of the beautiful home of Caroline Wallace.  Today 27 years later, only partials parts of the brick walls are still standing, everything inside has rotted away with time, floor, stairway, anything that was wooden. 

 The view from Westwood's back windows.  The Ohio in the distance and farther on the hills of Southern Illinois.

Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have seen these two homes in their prime, so beautiful they must have been.  What a wonderful part of history now completely gone and with the families and memories gone, soon to be forgotten.

County Roads Always In The News

Roads have always been a vital part of our county's history and always in the news. As early as the second county court meeting, after Crittenden County was formed from Livingston County in January of 1842, the court preceded to lay the county into Constables' districts. There were six districts laid off.

At the next county court meeting, April 5, 1842, men from the different districts were appointed to begin surveying roads for the new county. 

Some men were selected to view and mark the roads, as were Arthur Love, Daniel Minner, Calab Minner and Harvey J. Minner, who were appointed commissioners to view and mark out the nearest and best way for a road from the Hurricane Meeting House to intersect the Wallace Ferry Road at A. Walker's. 

In the Eastern part of the new county, Edward Kemp, Mannering Towery and Joshua Orr were appointed to view and mark out the nearest and best route for a road commencing at the bridge on Piney Creek and intersecting the road leading to Montezuma at or near Thos. Neal's and report to this court.

  

John R. Clement was appointed Surveyor over that part of the public road leading from his ware house on the Ohio River to where said road intersects Flynn's old road near Gen. Hughes and that he with the following hand keep same in repair, Joseph Hughes' hands, Matthew Hughes, Benjamin Hughes, James Hughes, William Health, Samuel Heath, Robert Heath, J. C. Deal, John Beal and Joab Beal.

The roads in the area where you lived were to be kept in repair by the males of the families that resided there and used these roads.

In a special Fiscal Court meeting of Jan. 7, 1913, it was ordered that the county roads of Crittenden County be worked by hands to be turned in by the County Road Engineer, or his assistants, and all able bodied male citizens of the county over the age of 18 years and under the age of 50 years, except licensed ministers of the gospel and citizens of incorporated towns and cities, are required to provide themselves with necessary tools and implements and to work on pubic roads of the county, not exceeding two days in a week and six days in each year, provided that any road hand may pay to the county engineer, the sum of three dollars. ($3.00) on or before the 1^st day of June, of any year, and upon payment of said sum, he will thereby be released from work upon the road during the said year.

In the early part of 1920, the muddy county roads were still in the news, seemed no matter how hard they worked the roads would become almost impassable in the winter months and rainy spells. Judge E. Jeffrey Travis shared his thoughts and a new idea with the Press. 

The weekend brought a good many citizens into town, 'cussin' and discussin' the roads. Bob Gibbs says that the roads in his community would bog a buzzard; Perce Brasher thinks it dangerous to undertake to go anywhere, even to Sunday school, except on foot or in a flying machine; Tom Ed Walker says traveling on his roads is not so bad if it would not give you seasickness, so muddy.

Uncle Dick Cruce and Jeff Clement, the most optimistic of all callers and commentators, blame mostly the unusually wet and freezing weather that we have been having rather than the county road engineer and the overseers for our extremely muddy roads at this particular time. 

It looks now that the Crittenden County roads are past all using. What are we going to do? We all want to know. The sooner we quit throwing our money into mud holes the sooner we will have money with which to build roads that do not get muddy, nor wash away. 

You don't like this system: Well, what do you say to having all property owners pay reasonable property tax, say 30 cents for each $100.00 worth of property and each male citizen over twenty-one years, pay a reasonable poll. This would give us a fund of amounting to $25,000.00. With proper equipment and money properly distributed, this would work all our roads as well or better than now and leave us a nice sum to be applied with state aid in building some permanent roads. 

This idea for a new way to improve the roads must not have gone over too well, but it would eventually be the only way to get better roads.

Memories of Mexico School

The following article on Mexico School was written by Mrs. Imogene Winstead, a well-remembered and loved music teacher. I don't think any student attending the county schools during the years of 1955 when Mrs. Winstead was hired as the public school music teacher to 1979, when she retired, that does not remember Mrs. Winstead as our music teacher. 

The love of music and folk dancing was introduced to many of us through her weekly visits to our schools. I'll always remember her greeting as she entered our classroom "Good Morning Boys and Girls" and we would all chime back "Good Morning Mrs. Winstead." What great memories that were being made in these small community schools, although we didn't realize it at the time. 

Memories of Mexico School by Imogene Winstead

The teacher in this school had no secretary and no machines to "runoff" material to enrich teaching. There was a blackboard and chalk. The teacher was kept busy at the noon hour and every spare moment getting things on the chalkboard for the pupils to copy. The studious looked forward to having material on the board. If the teacher had any extra spare moments, they were after school at 4 p.m., at noon and during recess.

The teacher was also the janitor. When very cold it was difficult to bank the fire in the stove so thee would be live coals in the morning. Cold mornings are remembered when the temperature was below zero, our hands would stick to the door knobs. Finally we'd get a fire going and in would come our students and we would spend half the day getting them thawed out. They would remind you they had walked, not across the road, but for miles.

There was no drinking water on the grounds around the school. Water was carried from the Nelson community well about one-fourth mile from the school and put in coolers. Imagine the opportunity to go for water. There was always a waiting list. Everybody wanted to make a trip to the Nelson well.

An interesting part of our school year was our trek to revival meetings. Yes, thank goodness we were allowed to go to the Cookseyville Church "under the hill" or the Mexico Church on the hill. We'd line up quietly, hold hands, a teacher near the front and one in the rear. Nobody rebelled, every child was eager to go. There were no rebellious parents either.

A thrilling experience at recess was getting to take our pennies to the Nelson grocery by the well for candy or chewing gum.

Some teachers were Katie Myers, Oscar Wicker, Allen Young, Mary Moore, John Yandell, Lola Patterson, Ruby Asher, Della Stembridge, Randall Woodall, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Crider, Bertha Graves, David Postlethweighte, Lois Hicklin, Gradys Graves, Mary Y. Conyer, Aline Stalion, Geneva Holcom, Ruby McMaster Tabor, Imogene Winstead, Gustava Cruce, Opal Wicker Scott and Gyneth Strong.

***

The history of the Mexico School ended with the school year of 1958-59. When school started that fall in August 1959, the school board made the announce that the school opening would make the discontinuance of the last one-room school in the county, the one at Mexico. Enrollment there was only 14 in 1958. The pupils and their teacher would be transferred to Frances.

Although the school was closed, the memories of the years spent at the Mexico school for students and families remain with them for years to come.

Marion Losing Businesses

Within the last month there have been two more local businesses that have closed their doors, Pizza Hut, which had been here many years, and Anna Mae's on Main, restaurant, closed this week.  

Marion is left now with only one Grocery Store, Food Giant.   At one time, in the 1980's, I can remember 5 grocery stores and they all had a good business. There was Gene's IGA, Sureway, Save-A-Lot, West Side Grocery and East Side Grocery. 

After growing up here and remembering Marion Main Street and all the stores full and busy it's hard to see so many of these buildings empty and deteriorating as they will, when left empty and unused.  I'm afraid it is the sign of the times as people don't need the small town shopping as they once did.  Too mobile and too easy to buy off the internet.

From an ad in The Crittenden Press dated Dec 1977 there was a list of Merchants that posted their hours for that month.  Many were staying open until 8 p.m. for shoppers.

Only 8 of these stores are still open today.  They are * Eighty-Eighty Dip, The Flower Shop (now Botanicals Flowers Shop), Marion Auto Parts, Marion True Value, Hodge Outdoor Sports

Johnson Electric-Furniture, Louise's Flowers, Sureway Food Store (now Food Giant).

• Ben Franklin
• Byford's Store
• Children's World
• City Drug Co.
• Eight-Eight Dip *
• T. H. Cochran & Co.
• The Emporium
• The Flower Shop *
•  Marion Shoe Store
• Marion Style Shop
• Marion Tot and Teen 
• Holeman's jewelry
• Hunt's Dept Store
• Johnson Electric-Furniture *
• Louise's Flowers *
• Gifts and Things
• Goad Studio & Framing
• Nelson's Pharmacy
• Sears Catalog Store
• Smitty's Men's Shop
• Western Auto Store
• Hodge Outdoor Sports *
• T & W Electric
• Tresslar's
• Marion True Value *
• Marion Food Center
• Marion Auto Parts  *
• Kwik-Pic Market
• Gene's IGA Foodliner
• Sureway Food Store *
• Westside Market

Mr. Albert Travis, Crittenden County Jailor from 1901-1909

Remembering The Old Jail and Mr. Albert H. Travis, Jailer, 1901-1908

A Crittenden County Folks Story

When buildings we grew up with are being torn down it causes us to think of memories of what we remember about the place all the years it had been there. So it was with Mrs. Dulcie Travis Dillard in 1974, when plans for a new jail were in progress. She shared some of her family memories with the Press about their life when her father was jailer from 1902 to 1909. Writing and sharing old family memories are a good way to preserve some of our history from the past, that otherwise is lost forever.

***

1974 - Although I have lived in Detroit, Michigan for 47 years, I have always managed to keep track of events in my home town of Marion through regular subscriptions to The Crittenden Press. Thus it was that I came to know something of the current plans to “phase out” the present “old jail” and replace it with a new one. This being the case, I thought readers of The Press would like to read about some of the adventures my family had during my father's eight years (1901-1909) as Jailer at Marion.

My father, Albert H. Travis, was elected Jailer of Crittenden County in November 1900, and took office in January 1901. The new jail was being built at that time but still lacked a little being ready to move into. It was 1902 before the jail was ready for us to move into it.

(Albert Henry Travis and his wife, Ida Cain Travis.)

Some of the happenings I am about to relate I can't remember; I only heard them discussed in the family through the years. However, my father was elected for two terms of office and by the time he had worked eight years, I was well onto nine years old and so remember a few incidents quite well.

Saloons were prevalent in Marion at that time and the jail was a busy place on Saturday nights, locking up the fellows who had indulged in a few too many.

We also got our share of the mentally ill people who had to be kept until their trial was held to declare them insane enough to be sent to institutions. One woman in particular I remember was quite violent and had to be put into a “straitjacket” to keep her from doing bodily harm.

My father was a prisoner once in his own jail. Two of the inmates made it up between them one night that they would tell my father that there were bedbugs on their beds and they could not sleep (knowing my father would not stand for that) and so would start a renovation of their cells the next day. That is what he did – came up armed with disinfectant, mop and pail, and when he unlocked the door and stepped inside to unload, these two fellows ran out the door and turned the key, which my father had unthinkingly left in the door. They fled, taking the key with them and left my father locked inside. By the time my father attracted my mother's attention to his plight, which took quite a little while, and she in turn had gotten hold of a locksmith to come and saw the lock off the iron door, the two prisoners were well on their way. 

They had to flee on foot, of course, for back then there were no cars. But the Sheriff was notified and he, with a posse and the help of a couple of bloodhounds, finally tracked them down. They had made it to the Ohio River and were waiting for the ferry to take them across to Illinois. Needless to say, there were no bedbugs in their cell. By the way, the key was later found by some children a few houses down the street. One of the prisoners had evidently dropped it as he jumped over a fence.

The spring of 1905 – when the town of Marion burned, was a trying time. My father happened to be far out in the country on horseback when Marion went up in flames. Somehow he happened to hear about it during the day and he immediately started for home, running his sweating, panting horse every step of the way, not knowing what had happened to the jail, the prisoners or his family.

At the height of the fire, some officials would come down and tell my mother not to worry, that the jail was made of brick and iron and would never burn. On the other hand, others would say, “Better be getting your things out and freeing the prisoners for it is sure to burn.”

Some of the businessmen, however, had such confidence that they jail would not burn that they had all their merchandise carried down and piled in the jail yard. Needless to say, there was quite a lot of looting going on.

My mother kept reassuring the prisoners, who was frantically hollering and banging on their doors, that she would not let them burn up, that she would free them first. The heat was so intense in the jail house yard that it was almost unbearable. 

During this nerve-wracking time, a neighbor woman was so worried and upset that she took a sum of money out of her house and buried it and, yes, you guessed it, forgot where she had put it.

Lynching mobs were prevalent in the early 1900's. A criminal stood a good chance of being taken from prison and hung. Several times this was threatened and the jail was guarded while we slept.

On one occasion, when a lynch mob was gathering, I remember my Dad took a man out of the jail and into the country and he and the Sheriff guarded him all night. They were hiding in a woods and at one time some of the would be lynchers came so close to them that the three “fugitives” could hear them talking. When my father knew they were getting near, he had the prisoner, who was of very slight build, crawl into a hollow log. 

My dad and the Sheriff hid behind some huge trees. One of the lynching party crossed over the log, in fact, stood upon it for a second and was heard to say. “We might as well quit searching and go home as they must not be in these parts.” The prisoner was saved that time as it was very dark and all the light that any of them had was lantern light.

There was a large barn on the jail premises and my Dad always kept a saddle horse, a milk cow and chickens. My mother made her own milk and butter. She did all the cooking for the prisoners as well as for her own family of five children.

There was one teenage boy who was repeatedly locked up for larceny. He made the remark one time, as the jail door closed on him, that he had to come back to get some more of Mrs. Travis' good cooking.

 

For entertainment of the visitors, my Father would hire a three-seated hack at the Livery Stable, Mother would pack a picnic lunch and we would all drive to one of the historic spots around Marion, such as The Crittenden Springs, Old Piney Camp Ground, or The Jim Pickens Spring, and spend a happy day.

I hope the readers of The Crittenden Press have gotten some enjoyment out of my reminiscing about the old but then new jail. Today, whenever we three children get together, my brother, Hobart, sister Bertie and I, one of us will invariably say, “Remember when we lived at the jail?”

***

All these Crittenden County folks in the story have long passed away, but thanks to Mrs. Dillard's story her family and their part in our past history lives on in the pages of the Press.

Mr. Travis died Feb. 26, 1954 and Mrs. Travis died Dec. 4, 1944.  Both are buried in Mapleview Cemetery.