Hugh Ewing Sidener was related to a long line of Montgomery County sheriffs and lawmakers. He served as sheriff from 1869-1873. His brother, James Bartholomew, was one of his deputies, serving for eighteen months. His brother-in-law, James Wilhite, would serve as sheriff a few years later, 1881-1883. Sidener's uncle, William K. Wallace, served as sheriff from 1857-1859. And finally, another brother-in-law was a Judge!
Sidener was born around 1837 to James E. and Elizabeth (Smith) Sidener. He married Susan Britton on December 31, 1862. The couple had one son, William, who was born in 1867. The couple later adopted Bertha, who was born in 1878 (Bertha was living with the family at the age of 2 in the 1880 Federal Census). During this time, the family moved to Michigan City, where Sidener worked at the prison.
The family either moved back to Crawfordsville or was visiting Crawfordsville in the spring of 1889. On the morning of March 13, 1889, Sidener either fell or threw himself under the tracks of the O.I. & W. Passenger Train at the corner of Water and Franklin Streets in Crawfordsville. He was killed instantly. The Rockville Republican reported that it was a suicide and Coroner later agreed as reported in the Crawfordsville Star a week later. Another obituary, however, reports that Sidener suffered from vertigo and that the noise and draft of the train may have caused him to faint just as the train passed by.
Sidener apparently was suffering from depression, or "profound melancholia" as the Star described it. The Coroner found that Sidener "came to his death by throwing himself under the wheels of a moving train, while laboring under a temporary aberration of the mind." He also had not been working for some time; perhaps this prompted the move back to Crawfordsville. Another obituary reported that he had once been successful, but had lost his money. Sidener was 52.
Note: Sheriff Sidener never lived in the sheriff's residence, now part of the Rotary Jail Museum (it wasn't built until 1882). But, since he was a Montgomery County Sheriff, we consider him a part of our history!
Rotary Jail Museum of Montgomery County
Our mission: To preserve, to maintain, and to develop the Montgomery County rotary jail, an example of unique American engineering design; to enhance the educational, cultural, and arts environment and to provide space for art and cultural events.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Harper Family
The Harper Family was the second family to live in the Sheriff's Residence. They lived in the building from 1883-1886.
Alexander Harper was born in Ohio on September 28, 1825, to Thomas and Jane (Finch) Harper. He moved to Montgomery County with his family in 1830. The Harpers were poor farmers, although Jane Harper was able to provide an education to her young children.
Alexander married Eleanor Miller in 1856; she died the following year. He remarried Harriet Flannigan in 1859. The couple had two children, Martha or “Mattie” in 1860 and Calista in 1862. Alexander was a farmer, stock dealer, and store owner. He also served as director of the Terre Haute Railway, a justice of the peace, and a trustee of Franklin Township.
He was elected Sheriff in 1882 and served as such from 1883-1886. The Harpers were the second family to live at the Rotary Jail. James Wilhite lived in the sheriff’s residence for a short time. He moved in during the summer of 1882 until Harper took office in 1883. During his four years in office, he was responsible for the county’s only two executions, that of John Coffee and John Henning (read about Henning’s execution here). When asked about his unusual term as sheriff, he said he thought “the Devil had a mortage on our county and was trying to close it.” He chose to retire to farming after the end of his second term.
Both Mattie and Calista Harper worked in the jail. One newspaper article mentions that a James Miller escaped from the jail “when the attention of sheriff Harper’s daughters was directed elsewhere.” Calista even testified during John Coffee’s murder trial because he apparently made some confession to her. Her testimony as reported in the Crawfordsville Star follows:
Have known John Coffee only since he has been in jail. I was present when his sister first visited him. She said to him, “John, I don’t think you done this alone.” He replied: “I did not.” She talked with him three different times but he refused to reveal any name to her. Coffee told me that Dennis and he had done the dded. Here she substantially repeated Coffee’s last statement.
Calista, married Isaac Larrick of Darlington, in April 1887 at the jail residence.* Unfortunately, the marriage was not a happy one. Calista filed for divorce in 1892, due to rumors of Isaac’s infidelity. The divorce was settled out of court, so no court record exists. She remarried Julius Cox. Calista died in 1934 and Julius died in 1939. They had one daughter.** Mattie Harper never married and died in 1898.
Alexander married Eleanor Miller in 1856; she died the following year. He remarried Harriet Flannigan in 1859. The couple had two children, Martha or “Mattie” in 1860 and Calista in 1862. Alexander was a farmer, stock dealer, and store owner. He also served as director of the Terre Haute Railway, a justice of the peace, and a trustee of Franklin Township.
He was elected Sheriff in 1882 and served as such from 1883-1886. The Harpers were the second family to live at the Rotary Jail. James Wilhite lived in the sheriff’s residence for a short time. He moved in during the summer of 1882 until Harper took office in 1883. During his four years in office, he was responsible for the county’s only two executions, that of John Coffee and John Henning (read about Henning’s execution here). When asked about his unusual term as sheriff, he said he thought “the Devil had a mortage on our county and was trying to close it.” He chose to retire to farming after the end of his second term.
Both Mattie and Calista Harper worked in the jail. One newspaper article mentions that a James Miller escaped from the jail “when the attention of sheriff Harper’s daughters was directed elsewhere.” Calista even testified during John Coffee’s murder trial because he apparently made some confession to her. Her testimony as reported in the Crawfordsville Star follows:
Have known John Coffee only since he has been in jail. I was present when his sister first visited him. She said to him, “John, I don’t think you done this alone.” He replied: “I did not.” She talked with him three different times but he refused to reveal any name to her. Coffee told me that Dennis and he had done the dded. Here she substantially repeated Coffee’s last statement.
Calista, married Isaac Larrick of Darlington, in April 1887 at the jail residence.* Unfortunately, the marriage was not a happy one. Calista filed for divorce in 1892, due to rumors of Isaac’s infidelity. The divorce was settled out of court, so no court record exists. She remarried Julius Cox. Calista died in 1934 and Julius died in 1939. They had one daughter.** Mattie Harper never married and died in 1898.
* It appears that the Harper-Larrick wedding took place after the Harpers should have moved out of the jail. I haven’t been able to track down exact dates for when sheriff’s terms commenced or ended. I’d appreciate any information!
** Later records, including Calista’s obituary, spell her name “Clista.” Another article uses a nickname “Lysta.”
~Erin/Curator
~Erin/Curator
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