had a small birthmark under one of his shoulder blades, but which
shoulder blade she could not remember. Upon learning this, the men,
hoping to find such evidence as would convince the parents of the
identity of their son, repaired to the grave. It was shallow and
the soil loose. In a little while the body was uncovered. Without
waiting for it to be taken from the grave, Potts bent forward and
began to rip the clothing from the corpse. The back showed no mark
on the right side. The bloody wound made by the dagger that had
pierced the heart was then examined. It revealed the presence of
the remembered birth mark....
It was at Cave-in-Rock that the Ford’s Ferry band met to discuss
some of its plans and operations and to divide the spoils. This
rendezvous was two miles from the road on which the highwaymen
operated, and therefore sufficiently distant to avoid discovery
by anyone traveling over that land route. It was conveniently
reached by a boat from Hurricane Island or from Ford’s Ferry.
Furthermore, it was an ideal hiding place in which to lie in wait
for flatboats going down the river.
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE AND LOWER END OF CAVE-IN-ROCK
BLUFF
(From an original photograph made in 1917)]
What went on at these meetings was never revealed to any one not
a member of the organization. The tragic story of Billy Potts and
his son is one of the few secrets that leaked out, and it was not
divulged until long after Potts died and the organization had
ceased to exist. No arrests were made and for a long time no local
citizens were suspected; for, as already stated, every reported
robbery was soon followed by the news that the crime had been
committed by a traveling highwayman, who had since been driven out
of the country.
In time suspicion began to point toward a number of local men whose
incomes were out of proportion to their labor, and whose frequent
and long absences were accounted for by them in contradictory ways.
Vincent B. Simpson, who lived on the Kentucky side of the Ohio and
ran the ferry boat at Ford’s Ferry, and Henry C. Shouse, who lived
on the Illinois shore at Cedar Point almost opposite, were among
those suspected of being implicated in some of the depredations and
were regarded as two of the men responsible for the circulation
of counterfeit money. Both were apparently on intimate terms with
James Ford, whose two sons were also suspected of being involved
in some of the lawlessness which was then increasing rapidly. Ford
owned Ford’s Ferry and the ferry house near it. The ferry, however,
was run by Simpson, who occupied the house.
After carefully concealing its acts for many years, the clan
began drifting to the inevitable. A lack of trust among the men
themselves and the increasing danger of their work indicated that
sooner or later something would occur to end its career. The end
came in 1834. Strange to say, it was brought about, not through a
dispute over the division of spoils or a wholesale arrest of its
members, but was due more directly to a lawsuit regarding a slave
than to any other cause known to the public. Tradition is vague
regarding this litigation, but the court records reveal sufficient
data from which to glean the cause of the beginning of the end of
the Ford’s Ferry mystery.
The Circuit Court Records of Livingston County contain the
proceedings of a suit entitled “Ford versus Simpson” which began
in September, 1829, and continued nearly two years. James Ford’s
petition recites that on January 7, 1829, he bought from Vincent
B. Simpson a slave named Hiram, for the sum of eight hundred
dollars. Simpson guaranteed him to be “a good blacksmith, sound
and healthy,” but the negro died soon after the sale, at the age
of thirty-four. Ford set forth that the man was “no blacksmith and
no labourer and was labouring under a disease called hernia,” and
that he was worth only two hundred and fifty dollars at the time
of the sale. In consequence of the loss of time and work resulting
from the purchase of the negro, Ford sued for one thousand dollars
damages. Simpson tried, through various witnesses, to prove that
the slave was a good mechanic and a healthy negro, but failed to
establish any of his claims. Ford, on the other hand, produced
many men who upheld him and gave much testimony to prove that
Simpson had practiced a fraud in making the sale. The case dragged
through the courts until March 9, 1831, when, by agreement of the
attorneys, the suit was ordered dismissed, “each party paying their
own costs.”
This was a victory for Ford, for rumor had it that he and Simpson
were equally implicated in certain robberies. Ford had proved
Simpson a deceitful man and could now cite the Hiram transaction
as an example of his unreliability. Ford was prepared, should
Simpson reveal any of their secrets and “try” to implicate him; he
was fortified against any accusation, true or false, that Simpson
might make. In the meantime, Simpson continued to run Ford’s Ferry.
Whether or not Ford attempted to remove him is not known. It is
probable that each feared the other, and that each was awaiting the
other’s first damaging act. Ford and his two grown sons evidently
foresaw the possibility of serious trouble.
These two sons were Philip and William M. Ford (whose ages, in
1831, were respectively thirty-one and twenty-eight years). He
had one daughter, the Cassandra who, February 5, 1827, married
Dr. Charles H. Webb, as previously noted. The daughter was an
accomplished and highly respected woman, and is so represented in
Watt’s _Chronicles_. Her husband was all his life a model citizen.
Ford’s first wife, it is said, was a Miss Miles, whose brother
at one time ran a ferry where the village of Weston, Kentucky,
now stands. After the death of his first wife, Ford, January 15,
1829, as shown by Livingston County marriage records, married Mrs.
Elizabeth Frazer, a widow with three daughters. Mr. Frazer and his
family, so runs the story, were coming down the Ohio in a flatboat
and chanced to stop at Ford’s home. Mr. Frazer became ill while
there, and a few days later died. In the course of a short time
Ford married the widow, and from that union was born, in 1830, one
child, James Ford Jr.
Trouble was brewing. What preparations were made by Ford and
his two sons to meet the uncertain developments is not known. A
perusal of the wills recorded in Livingston County reveals the
fact that Philip Ford made a will on November 21, 1831, and that
within seven months thereafter wills were also made by his brother
and father. Philip Ford died two days after he had prepared his
will. One tradition has it that he died of yellow fever, but that
is not at all likely to be true. The document was not recorded
until June, 1833. It shows he was a widower and a man of some
means. He designates his father and brother-in-law, Dr. Webb, as
administrators. He bequeathed some of his estate to his father,
sister, and brother William, but the greater part to his only
child, Francis Ford, then a small boy. Among the items were seven
slaves, two of whom, “Irene, a woman, and Kitty, a girl,” were to
be retained and the other five sold “at nine months credit, the
proceeds to go for the whole use and benefit of my son.” Another
item reads: “My gold watch I wish Doct. Charles H. Webb to take
charge of until my son comes of age and then to go to my son
Francis Ford.” As requested in this document, he was “buried by the
side of where my beloved wife is buried and in a decent manner.”
The inscription on his gravestone reads:
“To the memory of Philip Ford who was born November 25th, 1800,
departed this life November 23d, 1831.”
A year later William died and was buried beside his brother.
Tradition ascribes his death to cholera. Be that as it may, there
is nothing to indicate that he “died with his boots on,” although
he might have met that fate had he survived a few years longer. The
graves of the two brothers are on the Ford Old Place about one
mile southwest of Tolu. Each is marked with a dressed stone box
grave cover, which, before the collapse a few years ago, was about
six feet long, three feet wide and three feet high, the top being
a well carved slab bearing an inscription. The inscription on the
grave of Ford’s second son can be interpreted in more than one way:
“To the memory of William M. Ford, who departed this life on
the 3d day of Novr. 1832, aged 28 years. Whose benevolence
caused the widow and orphant to smile and whose firmness caused
his enemies to tremble. He was much appresst while living and
much slandered since dead.”
William also left a will. It is dated June 1, 1832. The official
records show that it was recorded July 27, 1832, a little more
than three months before he died. Tradition has forgotten how
William’s “firmness caused his enemies to tremble” and by what
means he was “much appresst while living and much slandered since
dead.” Nor is there any tradition regarding the identity of the
widows and orphans who, through his benevolence, were caused to
smile. His will, however, throws some sidelights on his career as a
father. The document does not refer to a wife, living or dead. One
tradition has it that at the age of twenty-two he married a girl by
the name of Simpson, but that name does not appear among the three
mothers of his children referred to by him. He first bequeaths all
his estate to his two sons, one of whom was, in 1832, seven years
old, and the other seven months. After stating the name of the
mother of each, he adds: “both of said children I acknowledge to be
my sons.” But in the event of the death of both boys before they
reached the age of twenty-one, he gives two thousand dollars to
the young daughter of a certain woman he mentions, and bequeaths
practically all the residue of his estate to his uncle, Richard
Miles.
It is said that the inscription placed on the grave of William
was dictated by James Ford. Beginning a short time before the
death of his two sons, many accusations against William and his
father gained wide circulation. Ford evidently hoped that such
an inscription on the tomb of the “appresst” and “slandered” son
would have the effect of a voice from the grave and do much toward
subduing undesirable true and false reports that might continue
to circulate after his death. Tradition says James Ford requested
his wife to place an inscription of a similar character on his
grave, hoping it would, to a considerable extent, prevent the
community from attributing all the lawlessness to him and none to
the mysterious Ford’s Ferry band, of which he was openly accused of
being the leader. Mrs. Ford, in all probability, would have carried
out this wish had she not died so soon after her husband. Be that
as it may, nothing marks the grave of James Ford nor that of his
wife. If small stones were erected over them they have long ago
disappeared, as have some of the other headstones that once stood
in the same graveyard. The spot pointed out as the one where James
Ford was buried is a few feet from William’s grave and is now, and
long has been, covered by a briar patch.
Paying the Penalty
After the death of his two sons James Ford was, in a sense, obliged
to stand alone and face, as best he could, any and all reflections
upon his reputation. According to one tradition, some of the
law-abiding citizens continued to regard him as an innocent victim
of treacherous associates. It appears that among the members of
the Ford’s Ferry crowd there were only a few whom he dared trust.
Henry C. Shouse was one of them and he, with two others, as is
shown later, played an important part in the closing act of the
mysterious band.
From the time of the lawsuit between Ford and Simpson each lay
perdu awaiting the action of the other. Each realized, so runs the
tradition, that the other “knew too much.” One morning, shortly
after the death of Ford’s second son, Shouse approached Simpson
at Ford’s Ferry and tried to arouse the ferryman’s anger and lead
him into a fight. Simpson, suspecting a hidden motive, quietly
withdrew. A few days later Shouse accused Simpson of treachery,
claiming, among other things, that Simpson had circulated a report
to the effect that “some one will soon turn state’s evidence, and
certain robbers, counterfeiters, and murderers will then quit
business for good.” A lively fight followed; both men were badly
bruised, but neither was victorious.
Thus did Shouse, greatly influenced by others, make and set his
trap for Simpson. Simpson, sensing the situation, immediately
prepared for any defense that firearms might afford him. These
strained relations between the two men, each watching the other,
continued for about a week. On June 30, 1833, Simpson went in his
boat from Ford’s Ferry down to Cave-in-Rock and, upon his return,
stopped at Cedar Point and walked up to the home of Shouse. Whether
Simpson had gone there to kill Shouse or to attempt to bring about
a reconciliation is an unsettled question. He had reached a point
in Shouse’s yard when, without warning, some one, firing from the
second story window of Shouse’s log house, shot him in the back,
inflicting a wound of which he died next morning.
News that Simpson had been shot spread fast. Shouse was, of course,
immediately accused of the murder. Those most familiar with the
general state of affairs suspected that James Mulligan and William
H. J. Stevenson, both of whom lived near by, were accessories.
A search was made in the neighborhood, but not one of the three
men could be found. The law-abiding citizens on both sides of the
Ohio recognized in the death of Simpson the removal of a man who,
either through a selfish motive or for the good of the public,
contemplated revealing secrets the exposition of which would
have led to the extermination of a band of men who had disturbed
the community for many years. Pursuing parties were sent out and
messengers and letters dispatched in every direction in an effort
to capture the three fleeing men and bring them back for trial and
punishment.
In the meantime, the situation and its causes were taken under
consideration by certain citizens not in any of the posses. Most
versions have it that a few days after Simpson had been killed
a small number of men who chanced to gather at the home of his
widow, took up, in secret, the question of avenging Simpson’s
death. It is said that no definite decision was reached by them,
but that each trusted the vengeance to fate itself. However, three
men were appointed to ride to Ford’s residence and ask him to come
to Simpson’s in order that he might be prepared to join the crowd
which was, early the next morning, to appear before the grand jury
and give testimony as to the killing.
On their way the messengers met Ford near the Hurricane Camp
Ground. After hearing their mission he stated he was then riding
to the ferry to learn the latest news and offer his services. The
messengers, accompanied by Ford, rode back to Simpson’s, where
they arrived about sundown. A few minutes later Ford and a dozen
or more men present were invited to take supper, but all declined,
apparently for the reason that they were occupied discussing their
plans for the next day. After night had fallen the invitation was
again extended. About half the number then went into the kitchen
to eat, and the rest stood in the open passage that ran between
the two rooms of the log house. Ford, accepting a chair, leaned it
against the log wall and sat down. The men, one by one, stepped out
of the passage, leaving Ford comfortably seated alone in the dark.
While in this position a man handed him a letter, in the meantime
standing to one side and holding a lighted candle over Ford’s head,
seemingly for the purpose of throwing light on the paper. Ford was
engaged in reading the letter when someone concealed behind a rose
bush in the front yard, shot him through the heart, the bullet
lodging in the log wall against which he was leaning. Ford fell on
the floor dead. The body was immediately carried out in the yard
and preparations were soon begun to send it to his home.
Placed in a rude box, on a wagon drawn by two oxen, Ford’s body was
taken to the Ford farm and there prepared for burial, which took
place a day or two later. According to tradition, the only persons
present at the funeral were his wife, his daughter and her husband,
two of his neighbors and about half a dozen slaves. A terrific
storm suddenly came up while the little procession was marching
from the house to the family graveyard, a distance of about a
quarter of a mile. The slaves were in the act of lowering the
coffin when a crash of thunder frightened one of them so badly that
he dropped the rope with which he was helping to lower the corpse,
and ran away. The head of the coffin struck the bottom of the grave
and wedged the box into an angular position. Attempts were made to
pry it to a level, but without success. While the storm was raging
the remaining slaves, with all possible haste, filled the grave.
After completing the mound, these superstitious negroes ran to
their cabins and from that date “saw things” that have not been
seen since, but have entered into many traditions pertaining to the
Fords. For example: Some of them _saw_ “Jim Ford land in Hell head
foremost.”
The names of the man who held the candle and the one who fired the
shot that killed Ford were never revealed, then or thereafter. It
is said that no investigation of the assassination was ever made,
and, furthermore, that if official proceedings had been attempted,
no evidence of any kind could have been procured.
Ford was suspected to be the leader, adviser, and protector of the
so-called Ford’s Ferry band, but whether or not he was actually
all these was never positively proved. Had his wife lived a
little longer, she in all probability, would have carried out
his suggestion to erect a monument over his grave. If so, the
inscription would have followed, more or less, the lines prepared
by him as his son William’s epitaph. There would have been some
truth in words to the effect that James Ford had not only rendered
much assistance to widows and orphans, but also to the poor and
destitute, and that his “firmness caused his enemies to tremble.”
As to how he was “appresst while living” it is impossible to
determine now. That he was “much slandered since dead” is true,
judging from some of the tales told about him even to this day.
One of these improbable stories is that Ford punished a slave by
placing the man’s head in a vise and while it was thus fastened cut
off the negro’s ears and pulled out his teeth.
Another is to the effect that after the Ford’s Ferry men had
murdered and robbed a flatboatman they learned from papers in his
pocket that his name was Simmons. They buried their victim on the
hill near the Ferry. Soon thereafter it was noticed that many
persimmon sprouts began to shoot up out of the grave and the ground
near by. Although grubbed out a number of times they reappeared
each succeeding spring. Ford, seeing that the matter was viewed
as an evil omen and working on the superstition of some of his
men, ordered the remains taken up and ceremoniously lowered into
the river below Cave-in-Rock, “where,” as one man expressed it,
“Simmons couldn’t sprout any more.” But the sprouts continued to
sprout on the hill overlooking Ford’s Ferry and today “the old
‘simmons thicket” helps perpetuate this old tale.«37»
There is an absurd but widespread tradition that James Ford had
acquired, through his “frolics at the ferry,” a vast fortune
consisting of “dozens of farms, hundreds of slaves, and barrels of
money” and that in his will he not only named every man connected
with the robber band, but gave each a slave or mule. This story,
like many of the others, is absolutely without foundation. His
will, recorded August 5, 1833, indicates that he was not a man
of more than ordinary wealth. It was written in his own hand. It
contains many errors in composition and spelling and, like many
other early documents, is sparsely punctuated. It is nevertheless
evidence that his practical education was far above most of his
contemporaries, though his scholastic training was slight.
His penmanship was good, as can be seen by his signature here
reproduced.«38»
[Illustration: Jas. Ford]
Tradition has it that Ford had been buried only a few days when the
report reached Ford’s Ferry that Shouse, Mulligan, and Stevenson,
who were accused of having killed Simpson, had been overtaken. The
three had started for Texas, but were arrested in Arkansas. Shortly
after the guards and their charges started on their return the
captives tried to escape. Each prisoner was then placed astride a
horse and his feet tied under the animal. In due time they were
landed in the jail at Equality, Illinois, then the county seat of
Gallatin County.«39»
The court records show that the Gallatin County grand jury at its
September term, 1833, indicted Shouse for the murder of Simpson,
with Mulligan and Stevenson named as accessories to the crime. The
original indictment is still preserved. The greater part of the
document is a repetition of old and verbose legal phraseology,
reciting what is summed up in the following extracts:
“That ... not having the fear of God before their eyes, but being
moved and seduced by the instigations of the Devil on the thirtieth
day of June ... with force and arms ... in and upon one Vincent
B. Simpson, in (violation of) the peace of God and of the people
of the said State, feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice
aforethought, did make an assault, and that the said Henry C.
Shouse, with a certain gun called a rifle, of the value of ten
dollars, then and there charged with gun powder and a leaden bullet
... did shoot off and discharging said rifle gun, so loaded ... did
wound the said Vincent in and upon the left side of the back bone
near the shoulder blade, inflicting a mortal wound in and through
the body ... of which said mortal wound said Vincent did languish
and languishing did live until the first day of July ... and of
said mortal wound did die.... And that the said James Mulligan and
the said William H. J. Stevenson, then and there, feloniously,
wilfully, and of their malice aforethought, were present, aiding,
helping, abetting, comforting, assisting, and maintaining the said
Henry C. Shouse, the felony murder aforesaid to do and commit.”
A careful perusal of the court records and documents leads to the
discovery of these facts: The case was called for trial a few days
after the indictment had been found. Fifteen witnesses had been
summoned; all were ready to give testimony for the state, but none
for the defense. After considerable discussion by the attorneys,
a change of venue to Pope County was granted, and the case was
docketed for trial at Golconda in November. Beginning November
21, 1833, and continuing six days, Shouse’s attorneys, Fowler and
Gatewood, made every effort to secure a postponement, claiming
technical errors committed by the court. Failing in this, they
presented the fact that Mulligan had died in jail and Stevenson
had escaped, and on that ground succeeded in deferring the trial
until the May term following. There is nothing to indicate
the circumstances of the death of the one, nor the escape and
disappearance of the other.
On May 21, 1834, the case was again presented and the attorneys
argued for further delay, but failed. Shouse stood trial, and
after a two days’ hearing the jury was instructed to consider the
evidence. There is nothing in the written records showing for
what motive Shouse killed Simpson. In fact, the records contain
little other than stereotyped legal phrases relative to postponing
the case. They throw practically no light on the evidence heard.
No summaries of the testimony have been found. Shouse denied his
guilt. The name of Ford does not appear in any of the documents.
Tradition says that Shouse not only did not betray Ford, but
shielded him whenever an opportunity presented itself.