Date.

Amount Tax Paid.

Description of Property.

No. No. Book of Record. Pago.

Mch. 8, 80. $13 85..Lots 27 and 23, Outlot

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 addition..... 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 sold,

Amount Amount of Personal bid. Mortgage. Judgment.

him and asked him to release it, offering to pay extra my pro rata of the mortgage, when he said he would 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 released the mortgage I would not pay another cent, as he might come on me for any amount he saw fit in 1880. He said I could do as I liked; and subsequently foreclosed on the lots, bid them in himself and secured an additional personal judgment against me of $1,000. When I learned this I went to his office and asked him what I owed a thousand dollars for; that I had paid him $1,600, and that he had the lots back, and what more could he ask? He said what he asked was his money, and he proposed to have it and that right away. I then told him what I thought of his robbery, and he ordered me out if his office. I had a small harness shop on Delaware street, and was compelled to go into bankruptcy."

Mr. Charles W. Moody,

600 1,867 32 1,267 32 .6,500 7,180 60 680 60 .1,600 1,625 40

Apr. 27, 80-Lot 14, Outlot 13, Terry's sub...

Febr. 20, 77-Part of Lot 317,

25 40

117 79

1,013 30

400

650 00

Yande's addition.. July 22, 79-Lot 32, Allen's new

addition..

150 00 After studying these records, compiled from the 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 of 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

A wolf in human form.

Mr. Moody said: "In 1873 or '74 I was in business at the intersection of Indiana avenue and Tennessee street, and owned the building. Was doing well, but concluded to add to my building, and, as I had a little extra money, and there was a large amount of building going on, I thought I would buy some ground and start a brickyard, and that, thereby, I could make the brick for my house free of cost. I accordingly bought ten acres south of town from B. F. Heffgen for $650 per acre, and paid on the property $4,500, leaving two first-mortgage notes of $1,000 each yet unpaid. These Heffgen sold to English, and on them I paid until I owed him $698.45, according to my figuring. I also paid the taxes, and this was the only incumbrance on the ground. In the meantime there was no sale for brick, business was dull, and though I worked night and day I was unable to meet the interest. English then foreclosed, and though I met him at the Courthouse, and on the steps asked him to be lenient, that I was doing all mortal man could do, and that I would pay him as soon as possible, he said, and these are his exact words:

"If you don't hurry up and pay me faster, I will drive you to hell and gone !' "But this is not all," continued Mr. Moody," he bought in the property and closed my drug store on a personal judgment of $2,500. How he got that I could not discover, until I found that the notes were 'gold bearin', and that he had exacted the premium. When 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 Bill English ruined me."

Mr. Moody is now engaged in the manufacture of baking powder, and is doing a fine business.

An old German, George Schriter, was next visited, as it was ascertained that he had felt the grip of the iron hand. He was formerly in the saloon business, and owned a threestory 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 business 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 attorney'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 comp ny 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 'tend to the matter.

the Irish. This country would have been better off without them,' and added:

"At that he became quite excited, and said: Damn

"Look here once more: I will settle with you but not for a thousand dollars. You set too high a price on 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 it I was a poor man my child was as good as his, and jumped off my dray to hit him, and

The following is the result of some investigations ordered by the Cincinnati Commercial:

"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.

"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 Company; that 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,

the crowd interfered.

"Mr. English then went to my wife, when I was away at work, and said my lawyers had advised a com

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 River Railroad, and I lived in Westchester County. from attorney's fees. I used to work on the Hudson 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.

"Attest: W.D. SAPP."

his

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 settlement of the case. It is in the handwriting of 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:

in car tickets, and note of the company endorsed by This case is compromised as follows: $600 cash, $250 We have reWm. H. English, for $150 for six months. tained $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.

"In company with Mr. E. C. Howlett, the grain dealer, I called at Father Bessonies' residence, on Maryland avenue, and he indorsed Mr. Smith's character in high terms as a man of truth. He said he was a member of the temperance society, and what he said could be relied upon, though so far as he was individually concerned he did not wish to make any written statements that might be dragged into politics. Father Bessonies, however, remembered perfectly the death of the little girl, and the manner in which a change of venue was taken, together with attendant circumstance."

PART IV.

“The Poor Man's Friend” gives to the poor Chicago Sufferers out of his Millions the sum of One Dollar!

A reliable correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing from Indianapolis, June 27, says:

"Since the 'one dollar subscription' story is now current, I will give the true version: When the Chi

cago fire occurred, public meetings were held in this, as in every other city in the land, to raise means to aid the sufferers. People, with unheard of liberality, gave of what they had. Mr. English attended none of these meetings, but committees who were appointed to solicit subscriptions presented their papers to Mr. English, who was worth over $2,000,000, and the wealthiest man in the city. Others not worth onehundredth part as much as Mr English,had subscribed $100, and yet Mr. English subscribed only $1. The committee was amazed and departed. After some discussion on the streets among citizens to whom the facts had been communicated, the $1 was returned to him. Of course this incident became the talk of the town, and great indignation was expressed at Mr. English's miserly conduct, and some of the directors of the First National Bank called upon and told him of

the indignation of the people, and that he must make a larger contribution or it would injure him and the business of the bank. Thereupon Mr. English sent word to the committee to return and he would make another subscription. They did so, and he subscribed $100 and explained to the committee that he did not fully understand the matter when the paper was first handed to him. In the meantime the facts had gotten into all the leading papers, and Mr. English continued for some time to receive papers from all parts of the country soundly berating him for his miserly conduct; he also received a large number of leather medals, and similar reminders from persons who had seen the accounts of his small subscription.

Vermont..

Virginia........
West Virginia
Wisconsin......