The Forged Patent

A Western Reminiscence

The changes which the last twenty years have wrought in Illinois, would be incredible to any one who had not witnessed them. At that time the settlements were few, and the spirit of enterprise which now pervades every corner of the State had not awakened. The bluffs of the beautiful Illinois river had never sent back the echo of the steam engine. Without a market for their produce, the farmers confined their labors to the wants of their own families. Corn was nearly the only crop raised, and from the time it was “laid by,” near the end of June, till “pulling time,” in November, was a holiday, and the intervening period was passed in idleness, except Saturdays. On that day, duly as it arrived, the settlers, at the distillery, amused themselves with shooting at a mark, training nags, and too often, when the tin cup passed freely around, in fighting.

This is by no means a picture of all the settlements of that early period, but, that it is graphically true of many, none of the oldest settlers will deny.

One Saturday afternoon, in the year 1819, a young man was seen approaching, with slow and weary steps, the house, or, rather, distillery, of Squire Crosby, at Brent’s Prairie, an obscure settlement on the Military Tract. As usual on that day, a large collection of people were amusing themselves at Crosby’s, who owned the distillery in that region, and being a magistrate, was regarded by the settlers as rich, and consequently a great man.

The youth who now came up to the group was apparently about twenty-one years of age, and of slender form, fair and delicate complexion, with the air of one accustomed to good society, and it was evident at a glance that he was not inured to the hardships… Read More