East Grove Township, Lee County, Illinois
Hamilton's immediate neighbor to the
east, was nearer the Peoria trail, and so was much sooner
settled. In the thirties David Welty, while building his log
house just over the line in Marion, lived in East Grow. When set
off in 1865, Fenwick Anderson was elected first supervisor.
In 1836 ''Squire'' Charles Falvey
purchased a claim from one William T. Wells, and the next year
he moved upon it, the north ½ of section 34, in a grove, from
which the township derived its name. Over in Marion, six miles
away, lived his nearest neighbor, a Mr. Robinson, who in 1839,
sold his claim to David Welty. Mr. Falvey lived right there
until the day of his death, with brief exceptions when he
stepped over into Bureau County to lands he owned there. In 1832
he enlisted in the company of Thomas Carlin, later Governor, and
served in the Black Hawk war.
And right here appears probably the most
interesting character in Lee County's history, Joseph Smith,
''Dad Joe,'' as he was called familiarly. Dad had a voice like a
fog horn and it was said of him that people thirty miles away
knew when it was 4 o'clock in the morning because they could
hear Dad Joe calling up his cattle.
In 1833 he settled in the grove bearing
the name Dad Joe's grove just into Bureau County, to the
southwest of East Grove, some three miles. Under the older
boundaries, he was about the ' same distance into Jo Daviess
County. He too was a Black Hawk war veteran, serving as spy
under Col. Zachary Taylor. H. W. Bogardus too was a very
prominent old settler.
Fenwick Anderson was another old
settler. From Canadaigua, New York, he migrated to Dixon in
1844. There he remained until 1849. In that year he moved down
to East Grove and settled on the south ½ of section 34. He
purchased his claim from Robert Tait, who had been a workman for
John Deere in his plow shops at Grand DeTour for many years. The
rude log house on this place was the stage house for years on
the old Galena, Dixon, Peoria road. In 1852 Fenwick Anderson,
with S. P. McIntosh, put up a kiln of 200,000 brick in the south
part of the grove, which when burned proved to be a first class
article and from them he built his residence in 1853. This
experiment may be said to constitute the whole range of
manufacturing effort in East Grove Township, although it may be
asked why it was not continued when such excellent results were
secured.
Thomas Shehan came to Bureau County in
1844 and moved to section 35 in the year 1849, having bought a
claim from John Kasbier.
S. P. McIntosh came up from Alton,
Illinois, to attend the Dixon land sales and in the course of
his visit he bought the east 1/2 of 36. But he did not move here
until the year 1856.
John Downey, A. A. Spooner, John Flynn,
M. Coleman, A. Barlow, D. Sullivan, Henry Hubbell and Simon
Tubbs settled soon afterwards.
East Grove has been the scene of more
than one tragedy and it furnished a Lee County grand jury with
the first murder for which an indictment was returned.
John W. Harrison, in 1842, was a deputy
sheriff from Toronto, Canada. While on a visit to this country,
he was murdered by James S. Bell, on a spot near the northwest
corner of section 35. David Welty, justice of the peace, bound
Bell over to the grand jury and the fellow was taken to Dixon
and lodged in jail.
Sept. 13, 1842, the indictment was
returned into court. Motions to quash the indictment and to
continue the case were made by counsel and were denied by Judge
Thomas C. Browne and on a motion for a change of venue the case
was sent to Whiteside County. There he was tried and convicted
of manslaughter and sent to the Alton penitentiary. After
serving a part of his sentence he escaped and never afterwards
was heard from.
And right here is met the most dramatic
criminal episode ever enacted in Lee county. In the portions of
this book relating to the old trails, the Cleaveland turnpike
will be recalled. It was built over the creek on section 3 in
East Grove Township.
A peddler had been robbed by the
banditti of the prairie and murdered.
Croft's house was the end of the
turnpike and was the toll house. It was situated in a lonesome
God-forsaken place. Title to it came to Charles Croft from the
heirs of a Mr. Millard, who in turn bought the pike and toll
house from Cleaveland. Croft came into possession before the
year 1849. Subsequent to the murder of the peddler, strange
persons visited the toll house and held many conferences with
Croft. Living with Croft was a hired girl named Montgomery, aged
about fifteen.
Shortly afterwards the young girl went
home to visit her mother at Dad Joe's Grove and to her she
expressed her fears and refused to return. As a reason, she said
she feared for her life, to remain. But she was persuaded to
return and did return.
Shortly afterwards this Charles Croft
who was reputed to be a member of the banditti came to one Hyra
Axtell and the two came to my house inquiring if I had seen or
heard anything of Croft's hired girl. Her name was Silena
Montgomery, aged about fifteen years. Neither myself nor family
could give any tidings, not having seen or heard of her for some
time. Croft claimed that she had disappeared without saying
anything to the family of her intention of going away, and what
had become of her was a mystery. Axtell took an opportunity to
communicate with me, unobserved by Croft, and said he believed
there was something wrong in the matter, and that the
neighborhood should be informed and a search made. I agreeing
with this suggestion, we accompanied Croft to his house (being
connected with the toll gate on the south end of the turn-pike)
and went with him about the premises. There were three men
mowing not far from the house, Eli Shaw, and the names of the
other two I cannot remember, except that the first name of one
was Dennis. There was also in their company one Samuel Perkins,
usually called ''Sam Patch,'' having a rifle with him. After
being there some time and having conversation with them in
various phases, Axtell and myself became more fully convinced
that a misdemeanor had been committed. We concluded to go in
different directions and inform the mother of the missing girl,
who resided in Dad Joe's Grove, or in that vicinity, and the
neighborhood generally. He went west and south and I north and
east, and by night nearly a hundred people had gathered. We
searched that night through the woods and grass and the next day
until noon, and finally Croft's house. Croft had stated that the
girl had taken all her clothes with her. While searching the
second story, we discovered that one of the ceiling boards had
marks of having been moved and replaced. We took off the board
and found the best clothes of the missing girl, and under them
implements for making counterfeit half dollars.
These incidents strengthened the
convictions of foul play. A consultation of the crowd was had,
and two (W. B. Stuart and James Blainsen), were deputed to go to
Dixon for a boat with which to explore Green River. There was an
element of the credulous who sent two, Samuel Meek, Jr., and
Patrick McFadden, to consult a fortune teller. The search was
continued while these committees were gone but without success.
The committees returned; the one with a boat and Nathaniel G. H.
Morrill, the owner, and the other reporting that the fortune
teller said a murder had been committed, and five persons were
implicated; that the one who had committed the overt act had
neither boots on nor was barefooted; that he was ragged and wore
a straw hat; that the law would never be enforced against any of
them, and yet the public would be satisfied that they were the
ones who were concerned in the matter. Perkins wore moccasins
and otherwise answered the description of the first one spoken
of. The search went on.
This N. G. H. Morrill was peculiarly
well adapted for working in business like this. About this time
Stuart and Blair, each with a party of men, went to their
respective homes for dinner, and when Blair arrived his wife
informed him that Perkins had been there during the forenoon
looking pale and haggard, and inquired of her if they had
dragged the lower bayou. She told him she did not know, and he
went away hurriedly. Blair deemed this important tidings,
hurried through his dinner and came to Stuart's with the
information, and on consultation a complaint was made and a
warrant was issued by Squire Stuart for the arrest of Perkins,
and it was placed in the hands of Constable Willard and Richard
Meek. Previous to this Perkins had been living in a shanty in
the grove, about half way between Croft's and the bayou. On the
search being instituted, he removed his family and effects to
his father-in-law's, Reuben Bridgeman, a little north of the
present limits of the city of Amboy. The constable, with his
assistants, proceeded to Mr. Bridgeman 's and were informed by
him that Perkins had taken his rifle only a short time before
and gone into the cornfield (of about thirty acres) to hunt
chickens.
''More assistants were procured, and the
cornfield was surrounded. By this time it was about 10 o'clock
at night, with a bright moon. The family of Mr. Bridgeman's were
in bed except Perkins' wife. The old gentleman got up and stated
that Perkins had not yet returned since going into the cornfield
in the afternoon. He pointed to a cottonwood tree, which he said
was in the direction Perkins had taken; that a little before
sunset they had heard the report of a gun which they supposed
was a shot at a prairie chicken. Constable Willard, with Richard
Meek, James Keeling, W. B. Stuart and F. R. Butcher, went in the
direction of the tree, and a few rods before reaching the tree
they found Perkins lying on his back, dead. Notice was given to
those around the field, and a crowd was soon there. Perkins was
still grasping his gun with both hands, and the toe of his
moccasin foot was in the guard on the trigger, the muzzle on his
breast. A portion of his skull was found nearly a rod from his
body, the inside powder burnt.
The coroner, Solomon Parker, was sent
for, who summoned a jury of inquest. They investigated the case
and reported the following verdict: 'The undersigned, being duly
summoned and qualified by the coroner of Lee county, as a jury
of inquest on the dead body of Samuel Perkins, found dead in the
cornfield near Reuben Bridgeman's, believe the said Perkins came
to his death by shooting himself with a rifle gun, through the
head. (Signed) Jesse Hale, Francis H. Northway, Joseph Farwell,
William M. Hopkins, Samuel Bixby, Elisha Palmer, John C. Church,
Ira P. Hale, John Skinner, R. P. Treadwell. Inlet Precinct,
August 3, 1849.' Meanwhile the search for the missing girl had
been going on. This Mr. Morrill adopted the plan of going down
the stream to where it loses itself as to having a channel, by
spreading over the swamp, and by wading upward, thoroughly
searching' every part. It was a dry time and the water was quite
low. This plan was followed, and when the mouth of the little
bayou (as the coroner termed it in his report) was nearly
reached, the body was found. The upper part of the face was
bruised as though struck with some heavy substance, and some
insist that a bullet hole was in the forehead. The excitement
ran high; the male portion of the country for a dozen miles or
more in every direction had come out. Coroner Parker was among
the number and at once impaneled a jury of inquest, who took
possession of the body and held their inquest.
The following witnesses were examined as
the records show: Mrs. J. B. Gregory, of Dixon, and Harmon
Wasson of Amboy, as physicians; Samuel Meek, Sr, Eli Shaw, John
Koons, Hyra Axtell, N. G. H. Morrill, Richard Meeks, T. L.
Dennis, Charles Croft, Sally Perkins, Catherine Shaw and Lyman
Hubbard. After the examination closed, the following verdict was
rendered: ''We the undersigned, having been summoned and sworn
to hold a jury of inquest on the dead body of Silena Montgomery,
found dead in Inlet Creek, in Winnebago precinct, Lee county,
and state of Illinois, and having attended to their duty by a
faithful examination of th6 said body, and by an examination of
witnesses in the case and all diligent inquiry they have been
able to institute, do report their verdict to be, that the said
Silena Montgomery came to her death by violence, and that one
Samuel Perkins, late of Lee County, was the immediate agent in
procuring her death, as we verily believe. (Signed) George E.
Haskell, foreman; Joseph Gardner, Sabin Trowbridge, I. Means,
Alva Hale, L. D. Wasson, Lewis Clapp, Cyrus Williams, Philip
Mowry, Joseph Lewis, Ozias Wheeler, and B. F. Brandon. Winnebago
precinct, August 4, 1849.'
''The circumstances surrounding led to
the conclusion that Croft, Eli Shaw, and the two others that
were found mowing hay for Croft at the commencement of the
search, were implicated in the affair. Warrants were issued, and
W. B. Stuart and _____ Curtis were deputed to arrest Croft and
Shaw. They, with Hyra Axtell, started, and on the way, near
Samuel Meek's, they found a team and lumber wagon, and in it lay
Eli Shaw, dead. One report is that he died from strychnine and
whiskey, and that it was found that he had purchased some of the
former at Dixon, of Doctor Gregory, on that day. From the
records in Dixon, it is found that a coroner's inquest was not
held until March 1, 1850. As his death occurred so long before
this he was probably buried and exhumed when the inquest was
held. The verdict was as follows:
''Verdict of the coroner's jury,
impaneled to ascertain how and in what manner the body of Eli
Shaw came to its death. We, the jury in said case, do find that
Eli Shaw came to his death from causes to the jury unknown.
Dixon, March 1, 1850. (Signed) John Dement, foreman; A. L.
Porter, A. H. Eddy, I. Means, N. F. Porter, J. W. Davis, J. M.
Cropsey, C. A. Smith, John V. Eustace, Thomas H. Ayres, Cyrus
Williams, N. G. H. Morrill.'
After leaving the body of Shaw in the
care of Meeks, the three before mentioned went on to Croft's
house, arriving there at a late hour of the night. Near the door
they found a horse and spring wagon and a trunk in the wagon.
Croft was about ready to go away. Through a rift in the window
curtain they saw him load one pistol and lay it upon the table
near him and take up another and commence lo load it. At this
juncture the door was burst open, the loaded pistol and Croft
grabbed at the same time, and Croft duly ironed by the arresting
party. The trunk was taken from the wagon. Croft placed in it,
and Stuart hurriedly drove to Dixon and delivered the prisoner
to the jailer. Croft's wife and her brother, John Bryant, were
in the house at the time of the arrest but did not attempt to
interfere. The remaining two implicated ones left the vicinity,
but were heard of at Peoria, and the officers having the
warrants for their arrest proceeded there, found and took them
in charge. They were ironed and placed upon a steamer for Peru,
there to take the stage for Dixon. Not long after leaving
Peoria, the prisoners, having the privilege of walking about the
boat, watched their opportunity and simultaneously threw
themselves overboard and were drowned, the irons upon them
facilitating to make an effectual taking off in this way.
the five implicated, only Croft now
remained alive. He remained in jail, having been indicted by the
grand jury Aug. 23, 1849, and the case continued to the next
term. His wife visited him occasionally, and a few days before
the term and shortly after one of these visits the jailor,
calling at the cell, found Croft with his throat cut, and life
extinct; a razor lay by with which the deed was done.
The next day, a coroner's inquest was
held, which resulted in the following verdict: Upon the view of
the body of Charles Croft, now lying dead in the jail of Lee
County, at Dixon, Illinois, we the jury of inquest duly
impaneled and sworn diligently to inquire, and a true
presentment make, how, in what manner, and by whom or what, the
body of the said Charles Croft, which here lies dead, came to
his death, do find that the said Charles Croft came to his death
by cutting his own throat with a razor, on the afternoon of the
22d of November, A. D. 1849, while confined in the jail of Lee
County. (Signed) William W. Heaton, foreman; Charles Dement, E.
W. Hine, J. B. Brooks, James Benjamin, A. M. Pratt, R. B.
Loveland, James Campbell, Horace Preston, E. B. Blackman,
Gilbert Messer, Elias B. Stiles. Dixon, Lee County, Illinois,
November 23, 1849.'
The theory generally held in relation to
this matter, which caused the murder of the girl Salina, is as
follows: Croft's premises was considered a rendezvous of the
banditti of the prairie of those times. Croft owned the turnpike
across the Winnebago swamps and kept the toll gate at the south
end, it being near the center of section 3, of East Grove.
Several individuals had been known to pass over the turnpike
from the north and were not heard of afterwards, especially a
peddler, who had formerly frequented those parts, and it is
supposed this hired girl knew so much of the workings of this
banditti, that they concluded it was not safe for her to live
and as dead men tell no tales,' they murdered her. Croft planned
the mode of the proceeding, Perkins was guilty of the overt act,
and the other three helped to secrete the body. So all were, as
principals or accessories, participants in the matter." (From
the papers of the late William B Andruss).
The conclusion of this series of fearful
tragedies is best related by the late Mrs. Grace Everett
Johnson, daughter of Dr. Oliver Everett, who lived on the corner
opposite, to the north. The jail at that time was located upon
the southeast comer of Second Street and Ottawa avenue. Across
the street to the north, where the present Elks clubhouse has
been built, was the location of the old Everett home.
''The county jail in those days was in
the northwest corner of the lot now owned by Mr. George Steel,
and just across the street from our house. When Croft, one of
the men who committed those terrible murders on Green river in
the early days, cut his throat with a razor accommodatingly
supplied him by his wife, the sheriff rushed over for my father.
When he got there he at once saw that nothing could be done to
save the man's life, and, indeed, it was but a few minutes until
he breathed his last, thus closing another chapter in that
terrible record of crime."
The manner of supplying the razor was as
follows: The wife had been permitted to visit him at the jail
many times. At last just before his trial was to be called, she
baked the razor in a loaf of bread and with it the wretch cut
his throat.
In some places the name has been spelled
Crofts; in others. Croft, but by far the best authorities spell
it Croft.
It will be noticed too that the girls
given name is spelled in two ways. I would think the one used in
the verdicts was right.
Lee County Townships
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