Wm. Shepard,
Sam. Thompson,
Hy. Hendricker,
Rob. Moore,
Wm. Sewell,
Sam. McKee,
T. A. Hoffman,
Reuben Hager,
John Duchardt,
Wm. L. Felix,
John Ayers,
Hammer Oatman,
Thos. Saunders,
A. Williams,

J. B. Wilson,

Thos. Payne,
Wm. B. Ulside,
Dan. Sheldon,

John McLane,
Lewis Kloker,
F. Arenz,
Moses Perkins,
Hy. Pheboe,
Butler Arnold,
Isanc Plasters,
Z. P. Harvey,
Wm. H. Williams,
Ralph Morgan,
J. P. Crow,
Austin Shittenden,

C. W. Clark,

John Cushman,

J. S. Wilbourne,

Wm. Scott,

Edw. Collins,

John Pierson,

Lewis Piper,

Jessie Ankrom,

John McKowan,

Hy. Whittick,

Carlton Logan, Wm. Butler, H. Smith,

J. C. Spence, Nich. Kelly, Wm. W. Bolt, Wm. DeHaven,

Hy. Wedeking,

Dan. Riggle,

G. F. Miller, C. J. Norbury, T. Graham, Jr., Lemuel Plasters, Jac. Anderson, Hy. McKean, John W. Pratt, John Bull, Lewis Stoner, Thos. Beard,

J. Arnold,

N. B. Thompson,

A. Batoage,

Dav. White,

Amos Dick,

Henry Dick, Jonathan N. Loge, John Hathorn, Colman Gaines, John Davis, Daniel Robinson, John Lucas, Robert Leeper, John Taylor, Robert B. Taylor, James B. Conner, Willis Daniels, Wm. S. Clemons, Robert Carter, James Wing, Washington Daniels, Ely Cox,

James Hickey,

John Baldin,

Ashley Hickey,
John B. Witty,

Mathew Loundsberry,

Frederick McDonald,

John Leeper,
Pleasant Rose,
Geo. Fancier,
James Bonnet,
Cyrus Elmore,
Thomas Jones,
Henry D. Wilson,
John L. Witty,
Henry Taylor,
Alfred Daniels,
Marcus Cooper,
John B. Thompson,
Eaton Nance,
James Hathorn,

John Pratt,
H. W. Libbeon,
Sylvester Sutton,
Robert G. Gaines,
Amos Bonney,
James Roles,
Cyrus Wright.

CANDIDATES.

J. S. Wilbourne, 65; Wm. Scott,

Sheriff. Lemon Plaster, 81; M. F. Higgins, 15; J. B. Bueb,170.

Recorder. N. B. Thompson, 30; Thos. Graham, 1; Dr. O. M. Long, 7; Alfred Elder, 64.

County Commissioners' Treasurer. Thos. Wilbourn, 14; J. C. Spense, 84.

County Commissioners' Clerk. J. M. Pratt, 52; R. G. Gains, 49.

County Commissioners. Amos Bonney, 60; G. F. Miller, 16; H. McKean, 30; Benj. Stribling, 95; Henry McHenry, 7.

County Surveyor. Wm. Holmes, 86; Wm. Clark, 19. Coroner. C. Rew, 27; J. Anderson, none; Halsey Smith, 75.

The election was held on the first day of August, 1837, and the following named officers were elected: Joshua P. Crow, Amos Bonney, and George F. Miller, County Commissioners; John S. Wilbourne, Probate Justice of the Peace; John W. Pratt, Clerk of County Commissioners' Court; Lemon Plaster, Sheriff. These men were sworn into office by Thomas Pogue, a Beardstown magistrate.

On the 14th day of August, 1837, the county commissioners met and organized Cass County. At this first meeting of the board, the new county was divided into six precincts, which were named: Beardstown, Monroe, Virginia, Sugar Grove, Richmond and Bowens.

When this county was organized there was not a house, built exclusively for religious worship, in it, and not one in all Morgan County outside of Jacksonville. Physicians. were scarce, and fever and ague quite common. Game was plenty, some of which was very disagreeable, particularly wolves, and an occasional panther. The wolves very seldom did violence to human beings; but when the weather was cold and stormy, and the ground frozen, they were so bold and threatening, that nobody cared to risk himself out alone at night. The only instance of violence to a man within our recollection, was the case of Esquire Daniel Troy, living near Bethel

who was walking home one night from town, carrying a quarter of beef on his shoulder. He was attacked by a gang of wolves, the beef taken away from him, and he very roughly handled.

There were a few large gray wolves also, that were very much feared. One cold, bright, moonshiny night, we heard an uncommon fuss with our dogs, and opened our cabin door. A favorite little black dog immediately pounced into the house, and the largest gray wolf, we ever saw, which was after him, tried to follow. The door was open, and we had no time to get our rifle. The only weapon at hand was a stick of fire wood, but with this we did good execution, and Mr. Wolf had to beat a retreat. So severely had we beaten him, that he immediately left our premises. We afterward heard a fuss among the dogs at a neighbor's, Armstrong Cooper's house, and then the crack of a rifle, and in a short time we heard the dogs and another rifle at Mr. Lamb's house, and then all was still. We found next morning that these shots of Cooper and Lamb had killed him. He was a monster, and measured nine feet and nine inches, from his nose to the end of his tail.

At that time there was very little litigation among the country people, and personal altercations were usually settled by a resort to blows.

It was in the winter of 1836-37, we believe, although we defer our recollection to others, if they think we are mistaken,

that we had what we called the "sudden change" in the weather, the most remarkable one we ever saw, heard of, or read

On Saturday morning there was snow on the ground. The following Sunday was a very warm day, and Monday, until about one o'clock p. m., was still warmer, and on both days there was considerable rain. The snow had melted into slush and water, which was standing in ponds on the level

ground, and roaring down declivities. that hour the weather turned suddenly very cold. In one hour after the change began the slush and water was frozen solid; and in two hours from that time, men were hurriedly crossing the river on the ice. A vast amount of cattle, fowls and game, and many persons, were frozen to death. We heard of one man, who was crossing a prairie, on horseback, who had killed his horse and taken the entrails out of him and then crawled inside of him for protection, was found there frozen to death. We don't know how the thermometer stood, for we had

none.

On Monday, during this sudden change, Dr. Chandler was returning home from a professional trip up the bottom. His overcoat was covered with slush and mud, and in a few minutes after the change began his coat was frozen stiff, and he felt that he was in danger of being frozen. He stopped at the store of Henry T. & Abner Foster, at Richmond, on the land since owned by John P. Dick, where he was warmed up and thawed out. He then mounted his horse and started on a gallop for home, about six miles distant, but soon found himself freezing again. He stopped at another house, and warmed, and started again, with like results. He thus was forced to stop at four different houses, between Foster's store and his house, to prevent freezing to death. When he arrived within sight of his own house his horse fell down, and left him helpless on the ice, and his family dragged him, in a helpless condition, into the house.

At the special session of the Legislature, in the summer of 1837, was passed a preamble and statute to the following effect:

WHEREAS, at an election held in the county of Morgan, according to the provisions of "An act for the formation of the county of Cass," it appeared that a majority of the

voters of said county voted for the creation of said county; and, whereas, at an election for the county seat of said county, Beardstown received the highest number of votes for the county seat, and whereas, some doubts have been expressed as to the legality of the proceedings of said election, now, therefore, to remove all doubts on that subject:

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That the county of Cass, as designated and bounded in the "Act for the formation of the county of Cass," approved March 3d, 1837, be, and the same is hereby declared to be, one of the counties of this State.

SEC. 2. The county seat shall be located at the city of Beardstown, in said county; Provided, however, that the provision of the act above referred to, shall be complied with by the citizens, or a corporation of Beardstown, in relation to the raising the sum of . ten thousand dollars, to defray the expenses of erecting public buildings for said county.

SEC. 3. The corporation of Beardstown shall be allowed the period of one, two, and three years, for the payment of ten thousand dollars, aforesaid, to be calculated from the passage of the law aforesaid, which sum shall be paid in three equal payments. The County Commissioners' Court of said county shall make their contracts for erecting the public buildings in said county, so as to make their payments thereon when the said installments aforesaid shall become due and payable.

SEC. 4. The court house of said county shall be erected on the plat of ground known as the public square, in said town of Beards

town.

SEC. 5. Returns of the elections for the county officers of said county, to be elected on the first Monday of August next, shall be made in Beardstown, to O. M. Long and Thomas Poyne, notaries public in Beardstown, who shall open and examine the poll books of

said election in the presence of one or more Justices of the Peace in and for said county ; and said notaries public, after due inspection and examination of the poll books, according to the laws of this State, shall make out certificates of election of those persons who have received the highest number of votes, which certificates shall be such as those required to be made by the Clerks of the County Commissioners' Court, and shall receive and be entitled to the same effect in law.

This statute also provides how the school fund of Morgan County shall be divided with Cass County.

At the session of 1839, on the 2d day of March, the Legislature made this preamble and statute:

"Whereas, it was provided, by the act for the formation of the county of Cass, that, in case the county seat of said county should be located at Beardstown, the corporation or inhabitants should, within one year after the location, pay into the county treasury the sum of ten thousand dollars, to be applied to the erection of public buildings; and whereas, by the act passed 21st of July, 1837, in relation to said county, further time was allowed said corporation to make said payment, the said corporation having failed to pay the said ten thousand dollars, and not having complied with, or agreed to comply with the provisions of the last recited act, the County Commissioners of said county, under the provisions of the first recited act, located the county seat at Virginia, and contracted for the erection of a court house and jail in said county; and doubts being entertained as to the true construction of the act last recited in relation to the rights of said corporation, and the duties of the County Commissioners, therefore:

"Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That the county seat of Cass County shall be and remain at Virginia, and