_THE IRISH WAR_


                      Prepared by the staff of the
             Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County
                                  1953


One of a historical series, this pamphlet is published under the
direction of the governing Boards of the Public Library of Fort Wayne
and Allen County.

           BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOOL CITY OF FORT WAYNE

  B.F. Geyer, President
  Joseph E. Kramer, Secretary
  W. Page Yarnelle, Treasurer
  Willard Shambaugh
  Mrs. Sadie Fulk Roehrs

                 PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD FOR ALLEN COUNTY

The members of this Board include the members of the Board of Trustees
of the School City of Fort Wayne (with the same officers) together with
the following citizens chosen from Allen County outside the corporate
City of Fort Wayne:

  James E. Graham
  Arthur Nieneier
  Mrs. Glenn Henderson
  Mrs. Charles Reynolds




                                FOREWORD


Irishmen who had recently immigrated to the United States were the chief
source of labor for the construction of the Wabash-Erie Canal. Much
strife among the canal workers stemmed from regional antagonisms in
their homeland, and personal violence resulted on more than one
occasion; the so-called “Irish War” was one such episode.

David Burr, one of the canal commissioners, made the following report on
the incident. It was printed as an Indiana state document and is often
quoted as authority for statements made about the “Irish War.” It is now
out-of-print. Because the Boards and staff of the Public Library of Fort
Wayne and Allen County consider it valuable source material, it is
reprinted here, together with the accompanying letter of transmittal.
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation have been changed to conform to
current practice.


                            STATE OF INDIANA
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES


                           December 31, 1835
              Read and referred to the Committee on Claims


                                                    Executive Department
                                                   Indianapolis, Indiana
                                                       December 30, 1835

  The Honorable C. B. Smith
  Speaker of the House of Representatives

Sir:

I lay before the House of Representatives the particulars, in writing,
of the late riots upon the line of the Wabash Canal, which details were
furnished at my request by one of the canal commissioners. With this
history, I also submit the claims of the commandants, Captains Murray
and Tipton, who, at the heads of their companies, repaired to the scene
of disorder in support of the civil authority and liberally advanced
money and provisions for the service. It will be seen that the laborers
along the line in the adjoining counties had assembled in preparation
for battle, making Wabash County the theater of their riotous conduct;
consequently, that county would seem to be chargeable with the expense
of the arrests and the prosecutions which followed. But as the
occurrence was one of an unusual kind, growing out of, and threatening
the progress of, the work in which the state is engaged, it is believed
the treasury of that county is not justly chargeable with the expense.
It is recommended that the commissioners appointed to assess damages to
private property or one of the fund commissioners be authorized to
examine the different claims and to direct their payment, so far as
would be right, out of the canal fund.

                                                           Respectfully,
                                                              Noah Noble




                                                   Indianapolis, Indiana
                                                       December 30, 1835

  The Honorable Noah Noble
  Governor of Indiana

  Dear Sir:

In conformity with your request in relation to the disturbance amongst
the Irish laborers on the Canal, it is proper to state that many persons
of the two parties into which they are unfortunately divided,
“Corkonians and Fardowns,” had been engaged in those bloody affrays at
Williamsport in Maryland and at the “high rocks on the Potomac” within
the last two years. They had come since September in 1834 to the Wabash
and Erie Canal with, as it is said, many of their leaders. Of course,
they had brought their animosities with them. And from that time up to
the twelfth of July last, when the general riot took place, they
manifested their ill will to each other by merciless beatings on such
persons of each party as chanced to fall in the power of the other.

On a considerable portion of the line there was no justice of the peace
in these newly organized counties. As these frays were confined to the
Irish alone, and to the least worthy amongst them, not much effort was
made, and perhaps could not have been made, by the civil authority to
suppress them. This exasperating course of hostilities increased until
it became unsafe for the Irish to travel from one part of the line to
the other without great precautions for their safety. Events proceeded
to such an extent that they were mutually afraid that each party would
have its cabins burnt and the inmates slain in the night.

    [Illustration: uncaptioned]

Because of mutual fears and for safety the laborers had so hired out to
the contractors that they had about equally divided the line between the
parties; the Corkmen worked on the upper part, and the Fardowns on the
lower part of the line. The beatings of such persons who were caught
away from their friends increased to such a degree, and the parties
became so exasperated, that about the first of July a determination
became general that one or the other should leave the line. The
worthless amongst them, by carrying threats of burnings and murders
which were to be committed by falling on the defenseless in the night,
so excited their fears that they left their houses and cabins and hid
out in the woods without light or fire to betray their hiding places.
The whole line, armed in military array, worked generally in the daytime
until some idle report would get in circulation that one party was
marching to fight the other. Then they would leave their work and hasten
with great rapidity to the supposed point of danger.

From the fourth to the tenth of July, these alarms were constant and
were aggravated by the threats and outrages of the worthless. The length
of line occupied by these belligerent parties was nearly fifty miles. On
the tenth of July the parties hastily collected; or rather, they left
their work and commenced a march towards the center of the line for a
general battle.

    [Illustration: uncaptioned]

Two days before this, I reached that part of the line, heard there was
to be a turnout, but supposed it only rumor without foundation. I saw
several persons and tried to convince them that no such thing would take
place. On the tenth, however, one of the engineers reported that all the
workmen on the lower end of the line were armed and were marching to the
reputed battlefield. I met them about half a mile from my residence.
They were in very orderly array and well armed; not a noisy or a drunken
man was amongst them. They were forced, so they considered, to fight in
order to protect themselves and to avoid being slain and to keep their
property from being burned at night. They stated that the civil
authority did not, or could not, protect them; that their families could
not stay in their shanties but had to sleep in the woods; and that they
had no resource left but a battle. They further stated that the weaker
party should leave the line; that they wished to work and remain
peaceable but could not; and that they would rather fight fairly in open
day than be subject to these depredations at night. With the assurance
that order would be restored and that I would negotiate a suspension of
hostilities with the other party, I prevailed on them to wait until I
could see their belligerent friends.

I then went to the reputed battlefield with three or four persons whom I
supposed had influence with them. I found them fully prepared, well
disposed in a strong military position, and exceedingly exasperated; and
I had some difficulty in saving those who went with me from being
killed. They expressed the same fears as the others but, after some
persuasion, consented to appoint persons to agree on terms of peace with
the Fardowns. They also agreed to suspend hostile operations until the
result of the meetings between the persons deputed to negotiate the
peace could be known.

In the meantime, the citizens at Huntington had become exceedingly
alarmed at seeing this hostile array; three or four hundred armed men on
each side had the avowed intention of meeting in battle; the civil
authority was completely powerless. Fearing their persons and property
would not be safe, they sent to Fort Wayne for aid of the militia. A
company immediately was collected and in a few hours was sent to their
relief. Meanwhile, the citizens of Huntington had collected and
organized a company also.

By this time, the citizens of Lagro became alarmed; they sent to
Huntington for the troops to come and protect them and aid the civil
authority. As soon as I learned that the militia had turned out from
sixty to one hundred in number, I thought the force altogether too small
to do any good against seven or eight hundred armed men. Therefore, I
sent to Logansport and requested assistance, which was promptly
rendered. The militia at Lagro, at my request, marched to Miamisport and
met the two volunteer companies from Logansport; and all marched back to
Lagro.

Two magistrates, an associate judge, the sheriffs of Huntington and
Wabash counties, and the militia arrested and committed eight of the
ringleaders. There was no safe jail on the canal line. Therefore, in
order to remove the cause of contention, these men were sent under a
strong guard to Indianapolis for safekeeping. Here they were confined
until they were liberated by a writ of habeas corpus because of some
informality in the proceedings.

There were more than six hundred armed Irishmen, and I am satisfied that
no course other than the one pursued would have been sufficient to
restore order. The commissioning of justices of the peace and the
organizing of militia companies at Wabash, Lagro, and Huntington have
restored, and I trust will preserve, order.

    [Illustration: uncaptioned]

The commissioners, Messrs. Johnson and Lewis, were at Fort Wayne at the
time; and I had not the benefit of their advice. As soon as order was
restored, the canal board took more decided steps in their regulations.
They now require each contractor to dismiss any laborer who may engage
in a broil and to give his name to the engineers so that he may not be
employed on the line.

The militia turned out on the first moment’s warning; many of the men
just happened to be in town and marched off without any preparation
whatever. They had of necessity to be supplied with money and provisions
for their subsistence. These were furnished by many of the contractors
and people on the line. Amongst those incurring the greatest expense was
Captain Elias Murray, of Huntington; he took command of the temporary
garrison at Lagro, assisted the civil authority in making the arrests,
and, with his company, marched the prisoners to Indianapolis. He was
engaged some three weeks in the service.

Colonel John Spencer, of Fort Wayne, who headed the militia from that
city, and General John Tipton, who was active in forwarding the
volunteer companies from Logansport, paid a large portion of the
expenses. One of the prisoners who had been sent to Indianapolis was
arrested on his return to the canal line, was convicted, and was sent to
the penitentiary. On his way there he escaped from Mr. Johnson, the
sheriff, who offered a reward of $100.00 and paid it for his
apprehension. Wabash County was also at great expense in sending the
prisoners to Indianapolis. Other persons on the line were also at much
expense in money and provisions.

This expenditure was absolutely necessary for the preservation of order;
it was the means of saving many human lives by preventing at least seven
hundred armed and highly exasperated men from fighting a battle. It was
also the means of preventing a total suspension of canal work which
might have ensued for the greater part of the season since July. It
would, therefore, be very desirable indeed if some provision could be
made by law to remunerate those persons who have been at so great
expense.

Some of the bills for the money expended are in the possession of the
Board of Canal Commissioners. But, as they have only a small part, the
appointment of some person to hear and examine claims and to authorize
payment is respectfully suggested. The selection of a member of the
Board of Fund Commissioners, who had no part in these transactions and
would therefore constitute an impartial tribunal, is also suggested. As
the matter in question grew out of the operations on the Canal, and as
the commissioners have the funds in their possession, such an
appointment would seem to be suitable.

                                                     With great respect,
                                                              David Burr




                          Transcriber’s Notes


—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
  is public-domain in the country of publication.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
  _underscores_.