CHAPTER XVIII.

HOW A CHALLENGE WAS AVOIDED.

This laughable, not to say serious, incident in the early life of Dr. Isaac Vandeventer, is related to us by one who was cognizant of the affair, and knew all of the parties mentioned. When W. A. Richardson was elected to the State Senate in 1838, his opponent was Dr. Isaac Vandeventer, a Whig, and one of the purest men in the State, but wholly ignorant of party usages or practices. He had been selected by the Whigs as the man most likely to defeat Richardson, for the District was largely Democratic, and T. Lyle Dickey, now of the Supreme bench, and James W. Singleton, since a member of Congress, then both young men, undertook the management of his campaign. When the returns came in, it was found that Richardson had beaten him only four or five votes; and investigation showed that, on Sugar Creek, seven or eight illegal votes had been cast for him, some of which were polled by men having in their veins African blood. Dickey and Singleton resided at Rushville, and they sent for Vandeventer to come and see them, with the view of instituting proceedings to contest the election. Contesting was regarded as unpopular, and to throw the burden on Richardson, they induced Vandeventer to send him a letter, setting forth the fact that he claimed to be the Senator elect, and to save expense and trouble, to request Richardson to resign his certificate and run the race over at a special election,-to which Richardson replied, in

substance, that he was fairly elected, but had no objections to running the race over, provided he could be assured that the Doctor would "stay beat," and if he would give bond, with approved security, to that effect, he would consent to make the race over.

Dickey and Singleton were indignant, and insisted that it was a personal insult, that could only "be wiped out in blood," and urged Vandeventer to challenge Richardson, and consenting to do so, they undertook the preparation of the letter inviting the hostile meeting. Vandeventer went to his hotel for dinner and was to return to Dickey's office at 1 o'clock that day and sign the challenge, and then one of them was to bear it to Richardson, but 1 o'clock came, 2, and then 3, and Vandeventer came not; and on inquiry it was ascertained that he had paid his bill and left for home. Thus ended the duel and the contest, for Dr. Vandeventer was never again seen in Mr. Dickey's office.

TWELFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY-1840-42.

The Twelfth General Assembly convened November 23, 1840, and adjourned December 5. It convened again December 7, and adjourned March 1, 1841.

Lieut.-Gov. Anderson presided over the Senate, and Merritt L. Covell was elected Secretary. William L. D. Ewing was elected Speaker of the House, and John Calhoun Clerk.

Wickliffe Kitchell became Attorney-General, March 5, 1839; Stephen A. Douglas, Secretary of State, November 30, 1840; James Shields, Auditor of Public Accounts, March 4, 1841, and Milton Carpenter, Treasurer, March 6, 1841.

Josiah Lamborn, of Morgan, became Attorney-General, December 3, 1840.

Gov. Carlin was born in Kentucky, July 18, 1789; he was self-educated; removed to Illinois in 1812; his first

office was Sheriff of Greene county; in 1834, President Jackson appointed him Receiver of Public Moneys. He was Governor at the time Illinois became overwhelmingly involved in debt through the internal improvement system, and he used his best ability in piloting the ship of State through the financial storm. After his term as Governor he removed to Carrollton, and in 1849, was elected Representative to the Legislature, vice J. D. Fry, resigned. He died February 14, 1852.

CHICAGO.

No city in the world has had so prosperous or marvelous a growth as Chicago, and a history of Illinois would not be complete without a special reference to this great and grand metropolis. The Gazetteer of 1823 describes Chicago as "a village in Pike county, situated on Lake Michigan, near Chicago creek, containing twelve or fifteen houses and about sixty or seventy inhabitants."

Chicago was first laid out as a town in the autumn of 1829. The first map made of the place was drawn by James Thompson, and bears date of August 4, 1830. Cook county, of which Chicago is the county seat, was not organized until January 15, 1831. The first steamer to enter the port was in 1832. Gen. Winfield Scott was a passenger, en route to take part in the conference of the army, which related to the treaty of peace with Black Hawk, who had been utterly routed at the battle of Bad Axe. The year 1833 was signalized by the establishment of a postoffice and weekly mail; the same year a town government was organized, and a weekly newspaper, entitled the Chicago Democrat, was founded by John Calhoun. In 1836, the then great enterprise of the western world, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, was inaugurated. In 1837, the Legislature passed an act incorporating the City of Chicago, (see House and Senate Journals of 1837), and in the

May following the city was organized under that charter, and William B. Ogden was elected mayor. The population of the city was then but 4,179. The records of the office of the Secretary of State show that Chicago has been listed as one of the towns of the State in eight different counties: first as being in St. Clair; then Madison; then Edwards; then Crawford; then Clark; then Pike; then attached to Fulton temporarily; then Putnam; then it occupied a place in what is known as unorganized territory, and then the county of Cook was organized.

The first railroad built to Chicago was the Galena and Chicago Union, the first ten miles of which was constructed in 1847. Now that road forms a part of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway, whose main lines and branches number 3,584 miles of magnificent railway, reaching far out into the broad domain of the great West.

When the great fire of October, 1871, laid the city in ashes, it had acquired a population of 334,270. Within twelve months after, the city was rebuilt upon a grander scale than before. The United States census of 1880 gave the city a population of 503,000; and from a single railroad in 1847, they have multiplied to twenty-one, which aggregate, in miles, 21,394, and radiate to all points of the compass.

New York and Boston have, respectively, according to the United States census of 1880, populations of 1,200,000 and 350,000. In these cities one sees the growth of over two hundred years, or ten generations, and the relics of colonial times, while in Chicago is seen the growth of less than fifty years, and a population, as shown by the same census, of 503,000.

From that single weekly newspaper the press has magnified indefinitely, and in character, power and circulation is not surpassed, if equaled, by that of any city in the world.

STATE GOVERNMENT-1842-46.

The seventh State government was inaugurated December 8, 1842, with Thomas Ford, of Ogle, as Governor; John Moore, of McLean, Lieutenant-Governor; Lyman Trumbull, of St. Clair, Secretary of State; James Shields, of Randolph, Auditor of Public Accounts; Milton Carpenter, of Hamilton, Treasurer; Josiah Lamborn, AttorneyGeneral.

The Thirteenth General Assembly convened December 5, 1842, and adjourned March 6, 1843. Lieut.-Gov. Moore presided over the Senate, and Isaac S. Berry was elected Secretary. Samuel Hackelton was elected Speaker of the House, and Wm. L. D. Ewing Clerk.

There were many strong men, intellectually, in this body. The names which will sound familiar to the reader are Orlando B. Ficklin, of Coles; Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair; Stephen T. Logan, of Sangamon; John A. McClernand, of Gallatin, now of Sangamon; and ex-Lieut.Gov. Pierre Menard, of Tazewell, all of whom attained prominence, and have often been honored with various public trusts.

CHAPTER XIX.

MURDER OF ELIJAH P. LOVEJOY.

Establishment of his Press in St. Louis-Its Removal to Alton-Its Destruction by a Mob-Re-establishment of the Paper-An Attempt to Tar and Feather Lovejoy-Meeting of the Citizens of Alton to Compel him to Abandon the Publication of his Paper-A Brave Speech in Self-Defense-Murder of Lovejoy and Destruction of His Fourth and Last Press-His Funeral.

In all her history, Illinois has never been famed for deeds of cruelty and wrong; but one of the most terrible