Having passed over these pleasant and exciting histories of personal
adventure, the reader now returns to the soberer chronicles of general
history. In the spring of 1783 it became known in Kentucky that peace had
been declared, and this joyous news could not have arrived at a more
opportune time. The people had been harrassed by war until they were sick
and disheartened, and although the news of peace did not drive off all
fear of attack from the Indians, yet the consciousness that the posts
formerly held by the British, which had been the chief depot of supplies
for the Indians, would now fall into the possession of their countrymen,
and consequently, that, although not yet arrived, the time would come when
even the Indian hostility would cease; all this put a new life into the
settlements of Kentucky.
Peace with Great Britain having been declared, the necessity for an army
on the borders of Virginia no longer existed; and as that State was
pressed for means, this army was disbanded, and the commission of Gen.
Clark withdrawn, with many thanks to this gentleman "for his very great
and singular services." This was soon followed by a much more substantial
testimony of the favor in which he was held by his native State, for
during the same year he and his soldiers received a grant of one hundred
and fifty thousand acres of land lying north of the Ohio, to be located
where they chose. They selected the region opposite to the falls, and thus
was founded the town of Clarksville, which still remains in a state
scarcely more improved than it then was.
Something like security and confidence was now established, and
consequently the immigration here was constant and large. Factories for
supplying the necessities of the household were established, schools were
opened, the products of the soil were carefully attended to, and abundant
crops were collected; several fields of wheat were gathered near
Louisville, and the whole country changed its character from that of a
series of military outposts to the more peaceful and more attractive one
of a newly settled, but rich and fruitful territory, where industry met
its reward, and where every one could live who was not too proud or too
indolent to work. It was during this year that a new era was opened to the
citizens of Louisville. A lot of merchandise, all the way from
Philadelphia, arrived at the falls, and Daniel Brodhead opened there a
retail store. The young ladies could now throw aside all the homely
products of their own looms, take the wooden skewers from their ill-bound
tresses, and, on festive occasions, shine in all the glories of flowered
calico and real horn combs. It is not known whether it was this worthy Mr.
Brodhead who was the first to introduce the luxury of glass window-lights,
but it is certain that previous to this time such an extravagance was
unknown; and there is an incident connected with the first window pane
which deserves a place here, and which is recorded in the words of an
author who is not more celebrated for his many public virtues, than for
his unceasing and incurable exercise of the private vice of punning. After
referring to the introduction of this innovation, this gentleman says: "A
young urchin who had seen glass spectacles on the noses of his elders, saw
this spectacle with astonishment, and running home to his mother
exclaimed, 'O, Ma! there's a house down here with specs on!" "This," he
adds, "may be considered a very precocious manifestation of the power of
generalization in the young Kentuckian."
Another curious incident of the times will close the record of this year.
The notorious Tom Paine had written a book ridiculing the right of
Virginia to this State, and urging Congress to take possession of the
whole territory. Among the disciples of this absurd production were two
Pennsylvanians, named Galloway and Pomeroy. The latter of these came to
the falls and produced considerable annoyance to some of the landholders
there by the dissemination of his doctrines, which induced others to pay
no respect to the titles of their neighbors. This was an exigency which
the laws had never contemplated, and although it was everywhere admitted
that the man deserved punishment, it was difficult to find a law bearing
upon his case. Legal investigation, however, soon drew to light an old law
of Virginia which enforced a penalty in tobacco upon "the propagation of
false news, to the disturbance of the good people of the colony." Under
this law, in May of the next year, Pomeroy was tried and sentenced to pay
2,000 pounds of tobacco, and had also to give security for his good
behavior in the sum of L3,000, pay costs, &c. A similar fate awaited
Galloway, who had gone to Lexington and had there advocated these same
doctrines. It was impossible for either of these men to procure the amount
of tobacco required; and accordingly, when it was hinted to them that they
would not be pursued if they left the country, they gladly embraced the
offer and departed. And thus perished the effects of Mr. Paine's wonderful
book.
The next year, 1784, does not present in its annals anything of much
importance in relation to Louisville. It was at this time that the first
convention was held at Danville, where the subject of the separation of
Kentucky and its erection into an independent State was first broached. It
was not, however, thought advisable by this convention to make any serious
movement in this matter until the following year, inasmuch as the people
generally had not heard of the proposed separation, or had had no time to
debate upon its feasibility. As yet no press had been established in the
territory, and oral news was not readily or speedily disseminated through
the State. On these accounts no action was had by the convention at this
time, but a new convention was appointed for the following May, at which
this subject was to be seriously considered.
We find by the report of a traveler in this year, that Louisville
contained "63 houses finished, 37 partly finished, 22 raised but not
covered, and more than 100 cabins."
In the year 1785 the convention again met, first on the 23d of May, and
afterwards on the 8th of August, to take action in relation to the
formation of the new State. An address to Virginia and another to
Kentucky, together with resolutions in favor of the proposed separation,
were unanimously passed in the earlier of these meetings. These addresses,
however, were not deemed strong enough by the third or August convention,
and that meeting accordingly changed them to a new and still stronger form
of petition or remonstrance, and sent them forward for the action of the
parent State. Accordingly in January of 1786, Virginia passed a law
allowing independence to Kentucky, on this, among other conditions, that
the separation should not take place until Congress should assent thereto,
which assent of Congress was not gained until 1791.
In January of this year the county of Nelson was erected out of all that
part of Jefferson county south of Salt river.
In the early part of 1785 Gen. Clark, together with Messrs. Lee and
Butler, had held a treaty with the Western Indians at Fort McIntosh; but
later in the year an Indian council of a hostile character had also been
held on the Wabash, and the Indians had annoyed the settlers greatly
during the latter part of the year. It was therefore thought advisable to
enter into another treaty with the Indians on the Wabash, and accordingly
Gen. Clark and Messrs. Butler and Parsons met those tribes at the mouth of
the Great Miami in January of 1786. It was with great difficulty that the
various tribes could be brought to treat at all, and, but for Gen. Clark's
knowledge of their character, and for the high estimation in which he was
held by them, these commissioners would have been murdered outright. Judge
Hall, of Cincinnati, has given a glowing and vivid description of this
meeting, which is here inserted. After noticing their abrupt and scornful
manner of entering the council, he says: "The commissioners, without
noticing the disorderly conduct of the other party, or appearing to have
discovered their meditated treachery, opened the council in due form. They
lighted the peace-pipe, and after drawing a few whiffs, passed it to the
chiefs, who received it. Col. Clark then rose to explain the purpose for
which the treaty was ordered. With an unembarrassed air, with the tone of
one accustomed to command, and an easy assurance of perfect security and
self-possession, he stated that the Commissioners had been sent to offer
peace to the Shawnees; that the President had no wish to continue the war;
he had no resentment to gratify; and, if the red men desired peace, they
could have it on reasonable terms. 'If such be the will of the Shawnees,'
he concluded, 'let some of their wise men speak.'
"A chief arose, drew up his tall person to its full height, and assuming a
haughty attitude, threw his eye contemptuously over the commissioners and
their small retinue, as if to measure their insignificance in comparison
with his own numerous train, and then stalking to the table, threw upon it
two belts of wampum, of different colors--the war and the peace belt.
"'We come here,' he exclaimed, 'to offer you two pieces of wampum; they
are of different colors; you know what they mean; you can take which you
like!' and turning upon his heel, he resumed his seat.
"The chiefs drew themselves up, in consciousness of having hurled defiance
in the teeth of the white men. They had offered an insult to the renowned
leader of the Long Knives, to which they knew it would be hard for him to
submit, while they did not suppose he dared resent it. The council-pipe
was laid aside. Those fierce wild men gazed intently at Clark. The
Americans saw that the crisis had arrived; they could no longer doubt that
the Indians understood the advantage they possessed, and were disposed to
use it; and a common sense of danger caused each eve to be turned on the
leading commissioner. He sat undisturbed and apparently careless until the
chief who had thrown the belts upon the table had taken his seat; then
with a small cane which he held in his hand, he reached, as if playfully,
toward the war belt, entangled the end of the stick in it, drew it towards
him, and then with a switch of the cane threw the belt into the midst of
the chiefs. The effect was electric. Every man in the council of each
party sprang to his feet, the savage with a loud exclamation of
astonishment, "Hugh!" the Americans in expectation of a hopeless conflict
against overwhelming numbers. Every hand grasped a weapon.
"Clark alone was unawed. The expression of his countenance changed to a
ferocious sternness and his eye flashed, but otherwise he was unmoved. A
bitter smile was perceptible upon his compressed lips as he gazed upon
that savage band, whose hundred eyes were bent fiercely and in horrid
exultation upon him as they stood like a pack of wolves at bay thirsting
for blood, and ready to rush upon him whenever one bolder than the rest
should commence the attack. It was one of those moments of indecision when
the slightest weight thrown into either scale will make it preponderate;
a moment in which a bold man conversant with the secret springs of human
action, may seize upon the minds of all around him and sway them at his
will.
"Such a man was the intrepid Virginian. He spoke, and there was no man
bold enough to gainsay him; none that could return the fierce glance of
his eye. Raising his arm and waving his hand toward the door, he
exclaimed, "_Dogs, Begone!_" The Indians hesitated for a moment, and then
rushed tumultuously out of the council-room." To this a writer of the
Encyclopaedia Americana adds that the Indians were heard all that night
debating in the bushes near the fort; a part of them for war and a part of
them for peace. The latter prevailed, and the next morning they came back
and sued for peace. All this, however, did not remove the annoyances
experienced from the attacks of the more distant Indians. These annoyances
were of such a character as to induce the general government to send two
companies of military to the Falls, to authorize the raising of militia in
Kentucky and the invasion of the hostile territory. In pursuance of the
spirit of this authority, if not in direct consonance with it, a body of a
thousand men had rendezvous at Louisville, and marched thence in September
toward Vincennes. At this point the little army waited, contrary to the
advice of Gen. Clark, their commanding officer, for nine days, expecting
provisions and ammunition. This delay was fatal. The soldiers became
weary, and seeing the frequent inebriety of their general, lost their
confidence in him, and refused their obedience. A body of about three
hundred, dissatisfied that their wishes in regard to their officers were
not attended to, actually returned homeward, regardless of the earnest
pleadings and almost the tears of their general; and the rest soon
followed them. This expedition was a sad blow to Clark, for it put into
the hands of his enemies a powerful weapon against him; and one which they
remorselessly used. Had his advice been heeded before the delay was
determined upon, he would never have become inebriated or exposed himself
in an undignified light to his soldiery, and the expedition might have
been successful. Palliated as may be his fault, it cannot be denied that,
in this sortie, he was not what he had been. The sun of his military glory
had not sunk below the horizon, but it was obscured by clouds whose thick
shadows promised long to hide its beams.
The troubles in relation to the navigation of the Mississippi river were
now the topics of all absorbing interest in every part of the West. We
have not before alluded to these troubles, preferring to connect them
entirely with the period of which we are now writing. A brief retrospect
of the question will enable the reader readily to understand the subject
in dispute and its bearing on the residents on the western waters. In
1781, Spain, having previously declared herself mistress of the Great
Mississippi, took possession of the North-West in the name of her king.
Mr. Jay, then in Madrid, had received instructions not to insist upon the
American claim to this river, if he could not effect a treaty without
yielding it. The Spanish Government, during the whole of 1782, was
laboring to induce the United States not only to yield the Mississippi,
but also to give up a part of her actual possessions in the West; and her
pretensions to these asserted rights were upheld by France. In this
condition matters rested till 1785, when a representative of the Spanish
Government appeared before Congress. Mr. Jay was at once authorized to
negociate with him, and these negociations came again before Congress in
May 1786; Mr. Jay having asked the guidance of that body in the matter. He
showed them the importance of a treaty in commerce with a people so
intimately connected with them as was Spain, and explained the difficulty
in forming this treaty, owing to the unwillingness of Spain either to
yield the river or to decrease her boundary claims. He could see no safer
plan than, as a sort of compromise, to yield for a term of twenty-five or
thirty years, the navigation of the river below the boundaries of the
United States. This plan was vehemently opposed by Southern Congressmen
and an attempt was made to take the negociations out of the hands of Mr.
Jay altogether. In this attempt they were defeated, and Mr. Jay was not
only retained in office, but was authorized to continue his negociations
without being bound to insist on the immediate use of the river. The rumor
of these movements at the capitol soon reached the West, but in the
distorted form which rumor ever employs. Mr. Jay's position was
represented as positive and as having been assumed without reference to
Congress. This news created great indignation in the West and led to the
first dream of secession. The people felt that if the navigation of the
Mississippi was denied them on the one hand, and in case of a quarrel
with Spain, the protection of the General Government on the other,
secession was inevitable. Either they must conquer Spain or unite with
her. And as if to show that they were in earnest in the matter, "a board
of field-officers at Vincennes determined to garrison that point, to raise
supplies by impressment, and to enlist new troops. Under this
determination Spanish property was seized, soldiers were enrolled, and
steps were taken to hold a peace-council with the natives; all under the
direction of Gen. Clark. Soon after this, Thomas Green wrote from
Louisville to the Governor and Legislature of Georgia, which State was
involved in the boundary quarrel with Spain, that Spanish property had
been seized in the North-West as a hostile measure, and not merely to
procure necessaries for the troops, which Clark afterward declared was the
case, and added that the General was ready to go down the river with
'troops sufficient' to take possession of the lands in dispute, if Georgia
would countenance him." The following extract from another letter written
from Louisville, professedly to some one in New England, and probably also
written by Green, will serve as additional evidence to prove that the
people were seriously deliberating upon their position. It reads thus:
"'Our situation is as bad as it possibly can be, therefore every exertion
to retrieve our circumstances must be manly, eligible and just.
"'We can raise 20,000 troops this side of the Alleghany and Apalachian
Mountains, and the annual increase of them by emigration from other parts
is from two to four thousand.
"'We have taken all the goods belonging to the Spanish merchants at post
Vincennes and the Illinois; and are determined they shall not trade up the
river, provided they will not let us trade down it. Preparations are now
making here (if necessary) to drive the Spaniards from their settlements,
at the mouth of the Mississippi. In case we are not countenanced or
succored by the United States, (if we need it,) our allegiance will be
thrown off and some other power applied to. Great Britain stands ready
with open arms to receive and support us. They have already offered to
open their resources for our supplies. When once re-united to them,
'farewell, a long farewell to all your boasted greatness.' The province of
Canada and the inhabitants of these waters, of themselves, in time, will
be able to conquer you. You are as ignorant of this country as Great
Britain was of America. These are hints which if rightly improved may be
of some service; if not, blame yourselves for the neglect.'
"This letter was shown by the bearer of it to several persons at Danville,
who caused copies to be taken of it, and enclosed these to the Executive
of Virginia. Early in 1787, the Council of this State had action on this
subject, condemned Gen. Clark's conduct, disavowed the powers assumed by
him, ordered the prosecution of the persons concerned in the seizure of
property, and laid the matter before Congress. It was presented in detail
to that body upon the 13th of April, and upon the 24th of that month, it
was resolved that the troops of the United States be employed to
dispossess the unauthorized intruders who had taken possession of St.
Vincents."[7]
The full details of the Mississippi troubles belong rather to a history of
the State or of the United States than to that of a single city. What has
already been stated in regard to them has been written to show the feeling
that existed on the subject among the earlier residents of the city and of
the State, as well as to display the part which was had in these
difficulties by the prominent men of Louisville years ago. It would be
foreign to the purposes of the present volume to go further into all these
details, wherein the celebrated names of Wilkinson, Sebastian, Brown,
Innis and Burr, are so involved, wherein so many splendid intellects were
led astray from the paths pointed out by honor and patriotism, and
sacrificed at the sordid shrine, of love of self and love of gain. Not to
leave the unhistorical reader without any knowledge as to the issue of
these troubles, it will however be necessary to point out as briefly as
may be, the ultimate results of all the scheming, plotting and unlawful
machinations against established government which for so long disturbed
and disgraced Kentucky.
Passing over, then, all the intermediate space, we come to the fact that
in 1795, a treaty was concluded with Spain by which not only the right to
navigate the Mississippi was conceded to the United States, but a right to
deposit at New Orleans was also yielded them. This, in effect, was all
that Kentucky needed. This grant of a right to deposit, however, was only
guaranteed by the treaty for three years; but with the proviso that,
should the grant be withdrawn at the end of the three years, some other
place than New Orleans should be afforded for the same purpose, near the
mouth of the river. In 1802 this right was withdrawn by the Spanish
Intendant and no other place of deposit allowed. Spain had evidently
violated her treaty, and the whole West was again thrown into a state of
fearful excitement and commotion. Nor was this at all lessened when it
became known that Louisiana had been ceded to France, and that it was now
in possession of the dreaded Napoleon. Mr. Monroe was immediately
dispatched to France to have an interview with the First Consul on this
subject. Napoleon, then upon the eve of a rupture with England, plainly
foresaw that it would be impossible for him to retain possession of so
distant and isolated a colony as Louisiana while Great Britain was
mistress of the seas. His sagacity had therefore determined him to get rid
of so unprofitable a place as this. And much to the surprise of Mr.
Monroe, "when he expected simply to negotiate for a place of deposite at
the mouth of the river, he was informed that for the trifling sum of
fifteen millions, he could purchase a magnificent empire. No time was lost
in closing this extraordinary sale, as Bonaparte evidently apprehended
that Louisiana would be taken by the British fleet within six months after
hostilities commenced. And thus the first great annexation of territory to
the United States was accomplished."[8] And thus ended a long series of
difficulties which had, in their course, blotted the escutcheon of
Kentucky and tempted so many of her noblest intellects to forget their
greatness in vain attempts at personal aggrandizement.
The following extracts from the records of the court during this year
will not give a very favorable idea of the high degree of enlightenment
among our ancestors in 1786. On the 21st day of October in this year, it
is recorded that "negro Tom, a slave, the property of Robert Daniel," was
condemned to death for stealing "two and three-fourth yards of cambric,
and some ribbon and thread, the property of Jas. Patten." This theft,
small as it now appears, if estimated in the currency of the times would
produce an astonishing sum, as will appear by the following inventory
rendered to the court of the property of a deceased person:
To a coat and waistcoat L250; an old blue do. and do. L50 L300
To pocket book L6; part of an old shirt L3 9
To old blanket 6s; 2 bushels salt L480 480 6s.
--------
L789 6s.
These were the times when the price of whisky was fixed by law at $30 the
pint, and hotel-keepers were allowed and expected to charge $12 for a
breakfast and $6 for a bed. Payment however was always expected in the
depreciated continental money, then almost the only currency.
In the latter part of this year, the legislature of Virginia again passed
an act giving three years more time to the purchasers of lots in
Louisville to complete their titles by building houses in consonance with
the terms of the original purchase. The act offers as a reason for this
extension, "the frequent incursions of the Indians and the difficulty of
procuring materials for building."
In the next year--1787--a new feature was exhibited to the people of
Kentucky. Mr. John Bradford established at Lexington a weekly newspaper,
printed at first on a demy sheet and called the Kentucky Gazette. The
politicians of the State had now an opportunity to address themselves to
the people in a new and easy way, and they fully availed themselves of it.
But the establishment of a newspaper was not the only proof of advancement
among the Kentuckians, though it seemed the herald of progress; for, in
one year after the first issue of the Gazette, a grammar school was
opened, an almanac published, and a dancing school established, all in
Lexington; while still a year later (1789) the first brick house was built
in Louisville. This structure was erected by Mr. Kaye, an ancestor of our
well known citizen and former Mayor, on Market street, between Fifth and
Sixth streets; the second brick building in Louisville was erected by Mr.
Eastin, on the North side of Main, below the corner of Fifth street; and
the third by Mr. Reed at the North Western corner of Main and Sixth
streets. It was about this time that the present city of Cincinnati was
laid out. It was first called Losantiville, a name which is thus
fancifully derived. _Ville_--the town--_anti_--opposite--_os_--the
mouth--_L_--of Licking. This name was invented by a Mr. Filson, whose
philological acuteness deserves immortality.
The three years given to the owners of lots in Louisville by the Act of
'86, being now expired, the legislature again passed an act granting yet
other three years for the same purpose; and at the same time appointed
eleven new trustees for the town. The number of trustees was now so large
that it was neither agreeable to the citizens, nor did it facilitate the
business of the town. Accordingly the very next meeting of the Assembly
(in 1790) passed a new act with the following preamble:--"Whereas, It is
represented to this present General Assembly that inconveniences have
arisen on account of the powers given to the Trustees and Commissioners of
the Town of Louisville, in the County of Jefferson, not being sufficiently
defined, for remedy whereof, &c."--This Act deposed from office all the
former Trustees of the town, and in lieu of them, appointed the following
persons: "J. F. Moore, Abraham Hite, Abner M. Donne, Basil Prather and
David Standiford, gentlemen;" as sole Trustees, with power to sell and
convey lots, levy taxes, improve the town by means of taxes so levied, and
fill vacancies in their own body by election. Under their regime the
records of the council show quite an improvement in the prosperity of the
embryo city.
Early in April of the year now spoken of, Louisville received an accession
to the number of her citizens in the person of the renowned Major Quirey.
This man's immense muscular power; his daring and activity have made him a
scarcely less remarkable personage than was the celebrated Peter
Francisco, of Virginia. Arriving here at a period when physical power was
far more appreciated, and held in far higher reverence than mental
capacity, Quirey soon gained a strong hold on the affections of the people
around him. He was a native of Pennsylvania, but married at nineteen years
of age, and soon thereafter removed to Kentucky. He was six feet and two
inches in height, and weighed 250 pounds; he had no inclination to
embonpoint but was muscular and robust. The palm of his enormous hand
would easily have served a modern fine lady for a
writing-desk.--Physiologists may feel inclined to doubt the truth of the
assertion, but it is nevertheless confidently believed that his breast was
a solid plate of bone, no appearance of the usual separation of the ribs
being discernable, even after his death. Like all the men of his day,
Quirey was a good hater alike of Indians and of cowards. A proof of this
latter aversion occurred as he was descending the Ohio to Louisville. The
Indians had recently been very successful in their battles with the
emigrant boats, and were emboldened to attack all within their reach.
Accordingly, Quirey's boat, containing beside himself and his family, only
a single individual, whose name is not remembered, came in for its share
of the hostility. A large party of Indians made an attack upon them
somewhere above the present site of Maysville. Quirey fought bravely, but
the other man became dreadfully alarmed, and running into the boat,
concealed himself among the cargo. Quirey, still standing upon his boat,
received the guns as they were loaded by his wife, and handed to him, and
fired on either not missing his comrade or supposing him dead. After the
engagement, in which, despite the fearful odds, Quirey was victorious,
they found their trembling and cowardly companion who was slowly sneaking
from his place of concealment. With an impulse quick as thought, Quirey
seized him with one hand around the waist, and bearing him above his head,
would in another moment have dashed him into the waves, but the tears and
entreaties of Mrs. Quirey saved him for the time. With so cowardly a
disposition, however, it might have spared the poor wretch much agony had
he perished then; for Quirey set him ashore in the forest near Limestone,
pointing him the way to the fort and there left him, surrounded on every
side by objects to him of terror, there to "do or die." History is silent
as to his fate.
After reaching Louisville, Quirey soon established his reputation for
strength in a way that none dared gainsay it. One Peter Smith, who had
long held undisputed sway as the most expert fighter and the strongest man
in Louisville, and who was withal what is more pertinently than politely
called a _bully_, the terror of his whole neighborhood, having heard that
a very large and strong man had arrived from Pennsylvania, determined, as
he said, "either to whip Quirey, or if Quirey proved too much for him to
leave the country." He accordingly found his man, and proposed a trial at
a fisty-cuff. This Quirey declined, urging that it would be better for
them to turn their strength against the common enemy, and professing that
he was willing to admit Smith to be his superior. Finding that this only
made his antagonist the more determined, Quirey proposed a trial of skill
in lifting or in some athletic game. Smith, however, was not to be thus
appeased, but stripping the upper part of his body to the skin and
tightening his belt, he advanced urging Quirey to get ready for the fight.
Quirey replied that if he would have a fight, he was already prepared for
it--and as Smith continued to advance upon him, Quirey, without moving
from his steps, dealt him a single blow with open hand upon the ear. Smith
fell several paces off with the blood gushing from eyes, nose and ears.
But the trial did not end here, for on Smith's recovering from the blow,
he protested that it was an unlucky and accidental hit, and demanded a
new trial. Quirey again tried to avoid the quarrel, but seeing that a
fight was inevitable, he told Smith that if he made a new attack upon him,
he would be severely punished. Smith continued to advance toward him, and
as he came within reach Quirey dealt him at the same instant two terrible
blows, one with the hand and the other with the foot. Smith fell as if
dead, was taken up and carried to Patton's Tavern where he lay six weeks.
At the end of that time, being sufficiently recovered, he kept his
promise, leaving the State never to return.
Major Quirey was a valuable officer and a prompt and efficient soldier.
During the war, he enlisted about 6000 men. Soon after his appointment as
Captain in the 17th Regiment, U. S. A., an incident occurred which came
near consigning him to an inglorious death. He had as pets a pair of large
bears, and having occasion one day to pass near them he was suddenly
seized from behind by the male bear and drawn under him, the animal
sinking his nails into the cavity of the body. In the scuffle, however, he
managed to get hold of the tongue of the bear, and drawing it across its
teeth, forced the animal to bite off its own tongue. This feat he
performed with one hand, while with the other he relieved the bear of one
of his eyes. The pain he thus occasioned enabled him to extricate himself
from his formidable foe, not, however, without detriment to himself. The
Surgeon who dressed his wounds estimated his loss of flesh from off the
left hip at _nearly 12 pounds_![9] On recovering from his wounds, Quirey
returned to service and continued in office till the disbanding of his
Regiment in 1815. In two years afterward he died. His widow whose life is
full of romantic incident, survived him many years, having died only two
or three years ago. She is still remembered with regret by many who have
so lately listened to her well-told recollections of early days in
Louisville.
In July of this year, still 1790, the ninth and last Kentucky Convention
met. It will be recollected that the first Convention had been held in
1784, and since that time, each returning year had seemed only to add to
the difficulties experienced by Kentucky in attaining an honorable and
independent position in the confederacy. This last Convention, however,
saw an end to all the troubles experienced by its predecessors. The terms
offered by Virginia were agreed to, and the 1st June 1792, was determined
as the date of Independence. During the month of December succeeding the
action of this Convention, Gen. Washington brought before Congress the
subject of the admission of Kentucky as a State, and on the 14th of
February in the next year, 1791, the long sought and anxiously hoped-for
boon was granted. The ensuing December was chosen as the date of election
for the framers of a Constitution for the New State, and in April 1792,
that instrument was prepared, and Kentucky took her position among her
sister States. Nor was this the only good which time had wrought for the
new State. For the next year, 1793, brought with it the last incursions of
the Indians into their once loved hunting-ground. Their twenty years'
struggle was over. Their best and bravest blood had been poured in vain;
the force of an irresistible destiny was against them; stern experience
had taught them that right was not might, and, the contest ended, they
quietly yielded to the all-conquering hand of the white man the soil that
his axe, his plow, and his gun had redeemed from them forever.
The succeeding years, till 1800, however rich they may be in material for
the historian of Kentucky, afford little that bears directly upon the
subject before us. The Indians having ceased to be an aggressive foe, it
was thought necessary that the Whites should, in their turn, provoke
hostility, and accordingly, several expeditions were made against them.
The Indian fights of Scott, St. Clair, Wayne, and others, belong to this
period.
In 1796 the first paper-mill was built in Kentucky. It was situated near
Georgetown, and is said to have been a very productive investment. It is
here alluded to as a promising mark of social progress.
With the next year, 1797, we get the first clearly established estimate of
the town of Louisville. In the records of the Trustees, the first list of
taxes occurs. These were assessed on the 3d day of July, "on all who
reside within the limits of the half-acre lots," and one Dr. Hall, was
appointed to fill the double office of assessor and collector. The
following is his list of assessments:
"50 Horses at 6d per head, is L1 5s 0d.
65 Negroes at 1s per head, is 3 5 0
2 Billiard Tables at 20s each 2 0 0
5 Tavern licenses at 6s each 1 10 0
5 retail Stores at 10s each 2 10 0
Carriages: 6 wheels at 2s per wheel 12 0
Town Lots at 6d per L100 is 8 13 6
80 Tithables at 3s each 12 0 0
--------
Making the startling total of L31 15s 6d."
And even this sum Hall found it very difficult to collect, for, nearly two
years afterward he reports a list of delinquents amounting to L12. That
the progress of the town was rapid and healthy from the first year of
Kentucky Independence, is everywhere demonstrated. And no greater proof of
this is needed than the fact that while the assessment of 1797 amounted to
scarcely more than $150, that of 1809, 12 years later, reached the sum of
$991. The town was now clearly and firmly established, it had within
itself the elements of prosperity and it was seen that it must one day
become great. Its history is less identified with that of the State, and
it comes now to claim consideration on its own merit.
It was during this year that the office of Falls Pilot was created by law,
in consonance with the following preamble to the act: "Whereas great
inconveniences have been experienced and many boats lost in attempting to
pass the rapids of the Ohio for want of a Pilot, and from persons offering
their services to strangers to act as Pilots, by no means qualified for
this business," &c. The office was appointed by the Jefferson County
Court, and the rate of pilotage fixed by the act was two dollars for each
boat, while all other persons were forbidden to attempt to perform this
service under a penalty of ten dollars.
During the next year--1798--the Assembly passed an act allowing the
formation of fire companies by any number of persons exceeding forty, who
should record their names and subscriptions in the County Court. These
companies were allowed to form their own regulations, impose fines to the
amount of L5, and collect the same by suit before a single magistrate,
which fines were to be applied to the purposes of their institution.
Previous to this time there had existed no impediment to the clandestine
importation of goods by the way of Louisville; New Orleans being in
possession of a foreign nation. In 1799, therefore, Congress passed an act
by which Louisville was declared to be a port of entry, and a collector
was established at this point.
The history of Louisville has thus been brought up to a period when it
occupied a deservedly prominent position among western towns. Nature had
fitted it to take the first rank, and its rapid improvement demonstrated
its power and capacity to assume that position. Thirty years before the
time of which we are now writing, the compass of the white man for the
first time broke the soil of Kentucky; the spot whereon this great city
now rests was a trackless wilderness. The smooth waters of the broad Ohio
mirrored in their bosom only the dark branches of the waving forest. The
axe of the woodman had not yet awakened the echoes of the grove. The deer,
the bear and the buffalo by day, and the wolf and the panther by night
were the only inhabitants of the spot. Less than thirty years elapsed and
the wand of the magician had changed the scene. The forest had been
felled, the trowel of the builder had been wielded, the streets and alleys
of a civilized town occupied the spot where the deer had sported in frolic
play, and hundreds of merry voices shouted where only the howl of the wolf
had been heard. That a civilized town with a population of eight hundred
souls, governed by wise laws, possessing the usages of society, enjoying
the luxuries of life and moving onward in its daily walk with the calm
stability of its fellows, the growth of a century; that such a town should
exist where less than thirty years before the beast and the savage had
held undisputed sway, is surely an evidence of progress to which no other
country in the world can find a parallel. It is a fact before which the
wild romance of the Slave of Lamp almost ceases to be fiction.
Louisville having now arrived at an importance of its own, separate and
apart from the State, the remainder of this history will be more strictly
confined to matters of a purely local character. And beginning a new
chapter with a new century, the rest of these annals will be as rapidly
and strictly detailed as justice to the claims of each event will allow.