HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY
CHAPTER 3

CRIMINAL OCCURRENCES

It has been the unlucky fortune of Jackson Township to be the scene of a number of tragic deeds. The first of these occurred about the year 1850, at the store of John A. Wininger, in the northwest part of the township. This was one of the old-fashioned "grocery" stores, where the custom was prevalent to keep plenty of whisky in the back room for accommodation of customers and others. The facts that brought about this affair seem to have been about as follows: Squire Kesterson, the victim, went to the Mexican war, and left his business affairs in the hands of Zachariah Nicholson, both of whom were residents of Dubois County. Soon after his return home, Kesterson became violently jealous of Nicholson, and accused him of being unduly intimate with his wife. It is said that Kesterson had several times threatend and attacked Nicholson, who had often avoided him, as Kesterson was a large and powerful man. On this occasion of their meeting at the store of Wininger, Kesterson had been drinking considerably, and when Nicholson came in, drew a knife on him. The latter immediately left the room, Kesterson following. When he had reached the farther end of a long porch in front of the building, Nicholson stopped, and having his gun with him, said that he would shoot Kesterson through if he came out to him. Kesterson said he was not afraid and started for him, but before he came in reach, Nicholson took deliberate aim and shot him. Death occurred soon after, and Nicholson succeeded in escaping, and has never since been heard from. It is said that the woman whom Kesterson called his wife, was not such. Some effort was made, mostly by ex-soldiers of the Mexican war, to capture Nicholson: other than this, popular opinion seems to have been charitably inclined toward him.

Another circumstance, the more to be lamented, because of the respectability of the persons engaged, was the killing of Alfred Smith, at Newton Stewart, on the 26th of January, 1870. On that day Joseph Denbo and wife, who lived in Newton Stewart, and who had not found the marital relations congenial, were separating, and a dispute arose as to which should have their children. Denbo had succeeded in gaining the possession of them, when Alfred Smith, a brother of Mrs. Denbo, rode up on horseback. A number of persons, relatives of both husband and wife, were there taking sides in the matter; among them were Wesley Shoulder and Washington Atkins, on the side of Denbo, and George A. and Alfred Smith, father and brother of Mrs. Denbo, for her. In the excitement and quarrel, Alfred Smith is said to have fired three shots, one of which took effect in Denbo’s hip. Several shots were fired on both sides. Alfred Smith was shot in the back, and from this wound death soon after followed. Both Shoulder and Atkins were tried for the murder of Smith, but were acquitted. George A. Smith was tried for assault upon Wesley Shoulder, with intent to kill, and was also acquitted. Mrs. Denbo was afterward granted a divorce with the custody of the children.

In February, 1882, the people of Newton Stewart were startled by the finding of a corpse of a woman in the waters of Patoka Creek, near the town. This proved to be the body of Abigail Knight, who was reported as having drowned herself about one month prior to this time, near Williamsburg, some five or six miles up the stream. A coroner’s inquest was immediately held, in the course of which sufficient evidence was developed to warrant the verdict of "death by violence." Suspicion pointed to certain of her relatives as knowing more in reference to the matter than they were willing to tell. She was a maid and not over bright. When found her corpse gave signs of violence, and this with other circumstances that would be irrelevant here, made strong proof that she had been foully dealt with.

SETTLEMENT OF GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP

Until September in the year 1831, Greenfield Township extended to the western boundary of the county, but in that year it was reduced to its present limits by an act of the County Board. Within what is now Greenfield Township there was no entry of land prior to 1815, but in September of that year Micajah Brooks entered the southwest quarter of Section 10, making the first in the township. The following year there was but little settlement in this neighborhood, among the first to follow Mr. Brooks being William Young, John and Richard Cantrell, Lewis and Absalom Williams, Jonathan Lomax and a few others. The following is a full list of all the land entries made in Greenfield Township prior to the year 1820: Luke McKain. 1817; John Cantrell, 1810; David Williams, 1817; Absalom Williams. ISIS; Micajah Brooks, 1815; William McDonald, 1816; John Davis, 1818; Isaac Pearson, 1818; John Breeze, 1818; Charles Toor, 1817; James Critchfield, 1818; Joseph Paddox, 1817; Joseph Bird, 1817; John Seybold, 1817; Nathan Pinnick, 1810; Phillip C. Pearce, 1816; Jonathan Lomax, 1817; James Dickerson, 1816; Richard Cantrell, 1816, and John Moore, 1818. The descendants of these are yet among the substantial citizens in the township. Along the south and west of the county immigration was tardy in its movements, and prior to the year 1830 there were comparatively few people in these parts of the county, About that year, however, settlers began to arrive in larger numbers, and in course of the next twelve or fifteen years a large part of the land was taken up. The following list of voters at an election held on the first Monday in Angust, 1817, will give a tolerably accurate idea of who the settlers were in Greenfield Township at that time. It must be remembered, however, that it then included the present township of Jackson. They were: Robert Ashbourn, James Glenn, Abraham Hobbs, James Routh, Thomas Maxedon, Jesse Fulton, James Lane, Solomon Osborn, Gilbert Kellams, Nathan Hobbs, David Brown, John Glenn, John Lee, Joseph Osborn, Samuel Glenn, Neman Haskins, John Kellams, Isaac Kellams, Aaron Osborn, William Holtsclaw, William Walls, John Scott, Samuel Morrow, Alexander King, Andrew Mason, James McKee, Archibald Constant, Abraham Casey, Elisha Haskins, John Eastridge, John McWilliams, Major Spencer, William Hall, Thomas Logston, William Stout, Edward Riley, Isaac Riley, Joseph Kinkaid, John Causby, James Belcher, James Rollins, Robert Sauer, William Rollins, James Kellams, John Belcher, Isaac Eastridge, Reuben Allen, Uriah Hamblen, Elisha Spencer, Daniel Weathers, William Stoot, Edmund Golden, William Rickets, Phillip C. Pearce, Richard Black, Cloud Bethel, William Cornelius, Robert Scoot, William Scoot. At this election John Glenn was Inspector, David Brown and Joseph Kinkaid were Judges, James Celmer and Joseph Osborn Clerks, and the total number of votes cast was fifty-nine. Within the present township of Greenfield there may have been, and probably were, a number of squatters, but if so neither records nor recollection have brought any account of it to the present time, and so far as could be definitely ascertained Micajah Brooks, at the date before stated, was the first one to locate in the township. William Young, who is said to have come in the year 1816, located on the little creek in the northern part of the township, and on his account it has ever since been called Young’s Creek.

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