nglish, Benjamin Mason et al. nglish, John H. Vagen et al.. nglish, Nancy Nichols et al... nglish, Wilson Lockhart et al.. nglish, John L. Hanna et al... nglish, Julius C. Wagner et al..... 21 nglish, John C. Shoemaker et al... 21 nglish, Wm. E. Murray et al...... 21 nglish, Charles W. Moody et al... 21 nglish, Chas. N. Tulewiler et al.... nglish, Aaron Brown et al.... nglish, John W. Coyner et al...... 10 nglish, James O. Woodruff et al 10 nglish, Samuel R. Lippincott et al. nglish, Mary S. Sheets et al.. 19 21 21 21 Nov. 22, '76 English, 21 Nov. 13, '77 6 6 Oct. 10, 73 English, Wm. F. Bird et al 27 Dec. 24, '77 30 Jan. 17, '79 Oct. 23, '74 English, Mary A. Dickson et al.. 30 Jan. 21, '79 30 Jan. 22, '79 10 Oct. 23, '74 English, George Schriter et al. nglish, Wm. H. Brown et al.. 7 Dec. 13, '73 English, nglish, John L. Adkinson et al..... Charles Neighbors et al.... William Smith et al... nglish, John Batty et al.. June 14, '75 nglish, Julius A. Kelly et al.. nglish, Clark M. Randall et al. nglish, Wm. D. Seaton et al.. nglish, Wm. D. Seaton et al.. 7 Dec. 26, '73 English, nglish, Wm. D. Seaton et al. 7 Dec. 26, '73 English, William Preignitz et al.... 14 William H. Henchen et al.. 14 Thomas E. Phillips et al... 14 Edward W. Pierson et al... 14 John Sears et al.... 14 Aug. 19, '75 English, N. R. Ruckle et al.. nglish, N. R. Ruckle et al.. nglish, Andrew W. Bronson et al.. nglish, Alfred C. Morse et al... nglish, Caroline P. De Wolf et al.... Theresa Goebler et al.. nglish, Theresa Neather et al. nglish, George Lowe et al.. 15 Sep. 23, '75 nglish, John A. Kierling et al...... 22 nglish, Jacob Bieler et al... 22 Dec. 22, '76 English, John R. Elder, trustee. nglish, Isaac Klines et al.. nglish, Louise Metzner et al.. nglish, Louise Metzner et al. ..... 22 nglish, Louis Miller et al... ...... 22 nglish, Isaac W. Stratford et al.... 22 nglish, Emily D. Snyder et al..... 22 nglish, Jas. G. Marshall et al...... 24 nglish, Samuel L. Campbell et al.. 24 nglish, James R. Baker et al.... 24 nglish, James W. King et al.. English, August Stuckmeyer et al.. 25 nglish, Henry W. Searles et al..... 25 nglish, Jennie M. Hays et al...... 25 nglish, Hen ry Coburn et al........ 25 nglish, J. Pe ter Franz et al.. nglish, Wm. H. Kramer et al. Inglish, Mary A. Bloominstock et al. 25 English, Lorinda M. Mehaffey et al. 25 English, George L. Schriter et al.... 25 English, Charles Brakmyer et al.... 25 English, Isaac W. Stratford et al.... 25 nglish, Johanna C. Pope et al..... 25 nglish, James W. Sewell et al...... 25 English, Fred. W. Winter et al...... 25 English, James Frank et al.... English, Catharine Brill et al. 22 Dec. 22, '76 English, Benjamin Crane et al.. Dec. 10, 77. Half of Lot 30. Outlots, 10, 31, 184, Wiley's subdivision... Jan. 14, 79. 111 499 111 502 Jan. 21, 79. Feb. 3, 79.. 113 245 M'ch 3, 79. Wright's north side addition.. 113 248 Feb. 20, 78. Lot 7, Frank's S. Meridian street 113 251 113 251 111 326 Lot 81. Outlo 89............... Lots 5, 59, 60, Hann heirs' add. ... 121 442 Apr. 10, 78. Lot 43, Outlot 108, Frank & M'ch 17, 79. 115 122 Lot 4, Square 60, Martindale's 121 575 Apr. 10, 78. Lots 87 and 88, Allen & Root's May 22, 78. Lot 25, Kappes & Naltner's ad- May 14, 78. Lot 29, Kappes & Naltner's addi- May 21, 78. Lot 332, Kappes & Naltner's ad- 115 455 May 24, 79. May 14, 78. Pt. Outlot 122 115 458 May 21, 78. May 14, 78. June 4, 78. Lots 1, 4, 5, 6, 12, 14, 16, Pool's subdv'n, Johnson's addition.. Lots 2 and 24, Allen, Root & English north Woodlawn addition. 115 464 June 11, 78. Lot 1, Woodruff & Morris' addition. June 11, 78. Lot 30, Outlot 159, Ray Trustee's subdivision. Lot 6, Kappes & Naltner's addition,. July 8, 79.. 115 461 Lot 18, Square 22, Sangster, Har- July 8, 79.. 115 601 July 8, 79.. Lot 4, Moore's and Fletcher's ad- Lo: 332, Allen's nor h Woodlawn 126 137 116 192 116 329 July 23, 78. Lot 10, Kap es' addition July 30, 78. Lot 14, Square 36. Aug. 13, 78. Lot 3, Outlot 150, Ray's sub- Lots 92, 93, 94, 95, Lewis' sub- Apr. 25, 70. Lot 16, Deutsch's subdivision, 116 332 Lo s 35, 36, 33, 34, 88, 86, 87, 5, 66, 74, 63, 27, 30, 61, 76, 81, 84, 25, 29, 26, 32, 77, 72, 85, 72, 73, 80, 67, 31, 79, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 17, 16, 37, 38, 39, King's subdivision, Bryan's addition. 126 132 116 454 Oct. 7, 79.. Lot 23, Outlet 108, Fr nk's subdivision. 116 457 Oct. 21, 79. Lot 22 and 25, Square 25, Seaton's Morris addition; Lots 4 and 71, May 24, 80. Pursuing the even tenor of my way I next visited the office of Recorder of Deeds and found the subjoined description of Lots 1 to 12, 39 to 62, 89 to 100, King's Aug. 3, 80. Deeds issued but not yet recorded. Lo`s 21, 22, and 23, C burn's subdivision, re that Date. Nov. 20, 77. While delving through these records I also discovered good. Tax deeds from City of Indianapolis William H. English. Amount Tax Description of Apl. 18, 79. Amount Tax Description of Book of Record.Page. $91 42..Lot 2, Sq. 51.. 111 194 111 197 123 42..Lot 2, Sq. 5.. 111 603 62 28..Lots 43, 51, 55, Outlot 167, 125 255 300 59.. W. and E. Lot 2, Sq. 51. 125 258 125 260 125 263 125 265 9 36..Lot 1, Sq. 46, Frank's 125 268 4 72..Lot 6, Kappe's addition. 101 529 57 36..Lots 15 and 16, Allen's subdivision.. 111 502 113 274 113 292 113 296 113 300 113 3 5 118 404 118 403 128 413 133 340 133 342 32 45. Lots 51 and 52, King's Blake's addition 39 50..Lots 87 and 88, Allen's Mch. 8, 80. 22 27..Lots 4 and 12, Square 18, 133 347 133 349 133 351 Date. Amount Tax Description of No. No. title, as he said all was right. I paid part down, and altogether paid $1,600, and then had a chance to sel the property to good advantage, but the would-be purchaser found that English held a first or blanket 108, Frank's subdivision. 133 355 mortgage over the whole addition. I then went t Mch. 8, 80. $13 85..Lots 27 and 23, Outlot Mch. 8, 80. 151 79..Lots No. 8, 9, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 58, 59, 207, 208, 209, 251, 291, 292, 293, 294, and 295, Allen's Woodlawn ddition..... 133 358 In searching still further I found another curious circumstance in that "hardly ever" did Mr. English, when buying under the hammer, bid the full amount of his mortgage, thus leaving an individual judgment against nearly every one of his unfortunate creditors, and in this particular he may be regarded as An improvement on Shylock. That worthy was satisfied with his pound of flesh, but his Hoosier prototype not only exacted that, but took precautions to secure another slice, should the patient survive the operation of the Sheriff's knife and give any indications of a second growth. The appended is taken at random from the list of Sheriff's sales and tells its own story: Property Amount Amount of Personal Apr. 27, 80-Lot 14, Outlot 13, Terry's sub... 600 1,867 32 1,267 32 .6,500 7,180 60 680 60 ..1,600 1,625 40 Febr. 20, 77-Part of Lot 317, Outlots 98, 91, 96, Stone's addition.. 79-Lots 8, 9, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 39, 50, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 58, 25 40 117 79 him and asked him to release it, offering to pay extr my pro rata of the mortgage, when he said he woul not do it, as the mortgage was not due until 1-80, and he would see about it then. This was in 1876 or '77 In the meantime Frank had turned over to him my last two notes, and I told English that unless he re leased the mortgage I would not pay another, cent, a he might come on me for any amount he saw fi in 1880. He said I could do as I liked; and subse quently foreclosed on the lots, bid them in himsel and secured an additional personal judgment agains me of $1,000. When I learned this I went to hi office and asked him what I owed a thousand dollar for; that I had paid him $1,600, and that he had th lots back, and what more could he ask? He said wha he asked was his money, and he proposed to have i and that right away. I then told him what I though of his robbery, and he ordered me out if his office. had a small harness shop on Delaware street, and wa compelled to go into bankruptcy." Mr. Charles W. Moody, Formerly a prominent druggist on Indiana avenue was next visited, and was very free in giving hi opinion of a man who, he firmly believed, was A wolf in human form. Mr. Moody said: "In 1873 or '74 I was in business a the intersection of Indiana avenue and Tennesse street, and owned the building. Was doing well, bu concluded to add to my building, and, as I had a littl extra money, and there was a large amount of build ing going on, I thought I would buy some ground and start a brickyard, and that, thereby, I could make th brick for my house free of cost. I accordingly bough 1,717 79, ten acres south of town from B. F. Heffgen for $65 per acre, and paid on the property $4,500, leaving tw 1,923 36 1,013 30 first-mortgage notes of $1,000 each yet unpaid. Thes Heffgen sold to English, and on them I paid until owed him $698.45, according to my figuring. I als paid the taxes, and this was the only incumbrance or the ground. In the meantime there was no sale fo brick, business was dull, and though I worked nigh and day I was unable to meet the interest. English then foreclosed, and though I met him at the Court house, and on the steps asked him to be lenient, that was doing all mortal man could do, and that I would pay him as soon as possible, he said, and these are hi exact words: "If you don't hurry up and pay me fast er, I will drive you to hell and gone !' "But this is not all," continued Mr. Moody, bought in the property and closed my drug store on a 150 00 personal judgment of $2,500. How he got that I could not discover, until I found that the notes were 'gold the bearin', and that he had exacted the premium. Wher he closed my store, other creditors, of course, came and I was ruined. At that time I considered myself and was, worth clear of everything, $25,000, and Bil English ruined me.' After studying these records, compiled from official books, and damning as they are, I could not but think even then that all was not so bad as was painted, and with that idea impressed upon my mind I started out to interview some of the parties who had been ground between the upper and nether millstone. Very many of the defendants were said to be laboring people of the more ignorant class, who had been stripped of their little homes, and knowing such would be unduly prejudiced I sought two or three of the better class of debtors who had become acquainted with the cuttle-fish tactics. The first one I met was Captain J Bieler, an employee in the mail_bag service at the Post office, and present Republican Nominee for county recorder. He is a harness-maker by trade, and stands very high with all classes ot citizens, the Germans, with whom he is intimately associated, particularly. In answer to inquiries with regard to his business relations with the Democratic nominee for Vice President, he gave substantially, the following statement: "Some six years since I purchased for $2,200 two lots from James Frank, who had laid out au addition on land bought from William H. English. I knew Frank intimately and had so much confidence in him that I was careless about looking at the abstract of baking powder, and is doing a fine business. He was An old German, George Schriter, was next visited, as it was ascertained that he had felt the grip of the iron hand. formerly in the saloon business, and owned a three story brick building on Washington street, opposite the Court-house, and is an honest, hard-working man He is now quite feeble, and when talking of his busi ness with English grows very excited. According to his statement, he traded his property with the octopus for four houses and six lots in English's addition, and subsequently mortgaged the property, which was valued by English in the trade at $10,000, to him for $1,300 to pay a security debt. The inevitable foreclos ure followed, and when friends helped redeem the property on the last day there was an item of $100 for at torney's fees for his son, who attended to the case. The "poor man's friend" also exacted the full penalty on the tax certificate which Schriter was unable to take up on account of sickness. A brief resume. These three gentlemen were the only ones interviewed, and they were chosen because they could be easily found; were well known, and were each of a different political faith, Bieler being a Republican, Moody a National, and Schriter a Democrat, so that politics could have nothing to do with the record now spread before the public. As your correspondent proceeded with the investigation, offers of statements came from every side, and especially from the poorer class. It would be an easy matter to fill the Commercial with affidavits of parties who had been glad to escape with their lives, and there is abundant room for another chapter. Any doubting Thomas who may have had fears regarding the capacity of Mr. English's barrel need borrow no further trouble. Nearly eight hundred pieces of first-class real estate gathered in will furnish enough to fulfill his part of the obligations of the campaign. PART III. but before the trial, the same day, Mr. English took a change of venue. "The case was set for Danville, November 1, 1870, and Mr. Porter was present, and I had my witnesses, whom I had to pay their wages and expenses day by day. Mr. English was there, and made another affidavit, getting a postponement on account of the absence of some of his witnesses. My lawyers then told me that the game was to wear me out, as I was a poor man, having left the company and bought a horse and dray; and that, in order to prevent any trick, I had better get a lawyer there to watch the case, and I got Hon. L. M. Campbell. When the case came up again, I was there with my witnesses, among them being John Buser, the policeman who saw the accident, and by swearing to something Mr. English got it staved off again. "Before it came up the third time I was sitting on my dray at the corner of Pennsylvania and Washington streets, by Fletcher and Sharpe's bank, when Mr. English came along and said: Here, Smtih, we ought to settle this matter and not be lawing about it; you can't afford it. " "I told him he had never done as he agreed to, and the Court would have to decide. "He then said: I'll settle with you if you come down street,' when I again said the lawyers would without them,' and added: "The Poor Man's Friend "again—'tend to the matter. "At that he became quite excited, and said: Damn An Affidavit that shows some of the Irish. This country would have been better off his "true inwardness"-The "Look here once more: I will settle with you but Value ́placed upon the Dead not for a thousand dollars. You set too high a price on Child of an Employee-How he your damned young one, and I can bring witnesses to prove in any Court that she never made you a dollar.' .I told him that if I was a poor man my child was haggled over it-"You set too as good as his, and jumped off my dray to hit him, and high a price on your damned the crowd interfered. "Mr. English then went to my wife, when I was young one”—The corpse partly away at work, and said my lawyers had advised a compaid for in Street Car Tickets-promise, and that he had concluded to pay $1,000, proDamn the Irish!- Court Rec-vided she would take two hundred and fifty dollars in ords. The following is the result of some investiCommergations ordered by the Cincinnati cial: "INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 16, 1880.-I undertook to write the record of Hon. Wm. H. English, and the first chapter has already been furnished to the readers of the Commercial. All his record, as it has been and will be published, is but that of the courts in a city where he has lived twenty years, and where he has accumulated a fortune of millions. "I began back ten years ago, when a suit was brought by John Smith against the Citizens' Street Railway Company, of which William H. English was President and the controlling owner. pany; "John Smith, drayman, 76 Fayette street, deposeth and saith, that he came to Indianapolis nearly fifteen years ago, as an employee of the Street Railroad Comthat he was engaged as car starter at the stables of the company and was a faithful and efficient hand, and had charge of the stables at night and in the early morning. That William H. English, the President of the Company, did bring from Scott County Indiana, his former home, a large number of inexperienced men and boys, who were employed as drivers, at low wages, and that one of these drivers, while running his team along Illinois street at the corner of Georgia, ran over and killed my little girl Ellen, aged 11 years, she living but four minutes. After the funeral said William H. English came to me and wanted to know what I was going to do about the matter, saying he supposed the company would have to pay me something, and proposed that the sum should be left to Father Bessonies, the Catholic priest of this city. To this I agreed, and after investigating all the circumstances the Father gave as his decision one thousand dollars and funeral expenses. This sum Mr. English then refused to pay, and proposed to leave the award to arbitrators. To this I agreed, when the same sum was agreed upon, and this, too, he refused to pay. Acting under advice, as I am not educated, I gave the case to the law firm of Porter, Harrison, and Fishback, telling them I had no ready money, but they might have half for their fee. The case came to trial in 1870, street car tickets, and that he would pay the costs of the suit. She agreed to that, and signed a release, but I never signed it, because I was not satisfied with such a settlement, and of the way I had been treated, "The whole expense to me was over a thousand dollars, caused by the postponement, and I had to sell a little house to pay my witnesses and expenses, aside from attorney's fees. I used to work on the Hudson River Railroad, and I lived in Westchester County. A. G. Wheeler was Roadmaster, and Daniel Carpenter walking boss. "I own my property in Fayette street, have two drays, and have all the work I can do. his "Attest: W. D. SAPP." JOHN SMITH. The record shows that the suit was filed May 8, 1870, and on Order Book 29 of the Marion Civil Circuit Court is the decree giving change of venue on petition of defendant and payment of costs. In Fee Book No. 21, it appears that Wm. C. Smock, County Clerk, received from defendant $200, leaving a balance of fifty cents, and that the balance of the costs amounting to $12.65 is yet unpaid. In the office of Porter, who is now associated with his son, I found the old record regarding the final It is in the handwriting of settlement of the case. General Ben. Harrison, the "mark" of John Smith is witnessed by Russell B. Harrison, the well known appointee of the United States Mint, and the sequel of the fight of the poor man s friend as against the uneducated Irishman is thus tersely told: This case is compromised as follows: $600 cash, $250 in car tickets, and note of the company endorsed by Wm. H. English, for $150 for six months. We have retained $200 in car tickets for our fee; $50 to pay Campbell's fee, and have paid to John Smith $550 cash; the note for $150 and $50 in car tickets are left by John in our safe. "Witness: R. B. HARRISON." his JOHN SMITH. mark "It may be added that the note was duly collected for Smith's benefit, the full amount and $50 in car tickets being turned over to him. |