Anti-Whiskey
Crusaders
On Saturday morning of March 6, 1858 it was
determined to resort to sterner actions then what is normal for women of that
era. A large volunteer force of women armed with hammers, hatchets,
axes, etc., started out to make an assault upon King Alcohol, in his entrenchments.
The first place visited was the room of Captain Isaac Lewis, over the post
office. On reaching the top of the stairs, finding the door was locked against
them, they battered it down and proceeded to demolish sundry jugs, bottles,
etc., removing a barrel of ale to the street below and emptying its foaming
contents into the gutter. Next the grocery and liquor store of Joshua
L'Hommedieu, on the lower floor of the same building was investigated. Having
heard of the intended raid, Josh had removed his liquors from the cellar to a
smoke-house in the rear. But the crusaders were not fooled and soon whisky,
Otard brandy, and other liquors, were flowing in miniature torrents towards the
Cuyahoga River.
COURTEOUS RECEPTION
The next point visited was the place of Mr. John
Tifft, who
received his callers with great courtesy, placing before them a collation of
doughnuts, pies, etc. pleasantly turning over to them all the liquors he had
left which was a part of a barrel of beer, which they also poured into the
street gutter. At Rockwell's place nothing was found. Jones' variety store on
the south side of Broad Street, near the covered bridge, had been 'cleaned and
garnished' for their reception, by the removal of all liquors to the rear of his
store and covering them with rubbish. But the women were too keen-scented and
sharp-sighted for the success of this ruse, and Jones' two barrels of whisky,
and other liquors were soon mixing with the pellucid waters of the Cuyahoga. The
saloon of "Hen" Lindsey, across the way, was next visited, a few
bottles only, said to have been filled with water, being demolished, his main
stock in trade having been previously "spirited away."
READING THE RIOT ACT
At the American House, the proprietor refused to give his visors
access to his liquor cellar and they became so demonstrative that Justice
Charles W. Wetmore was called in to read the Riot Act, and admonish them to
"disperse and depart to their several homes and lawful employments."
But they didn't disperse "worth a cent", and were preceding to batter
down the cellar door, when an armistice was brought about by the landlord
pledging himself not to furnish any more liquors to the people of the
town.
The last place visited was Heath's drug store, the door of
which was barred against them, and forcible entrance prevented, by similar
assurances from the proprietors, as those made by the landlord of the American,
tough it was started that such arrangements had been made, that had entrance to
the store been effected, the discharge of certain chemicals would have made the
visit anything but agreeable.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS INSTITUTED
Though these proceedings were irregular and illegal in their
nature, it is but just to say that the great majority of the law-abiding people
of the village sympathized in the movement, the more so because of the proneness
of dealers themselves to disregard the laws regulating the traffic, by
furnishing liquors to minors and otherwise. Among the ladies participating in
the crusade was Elizabeth W. Wait, wife of George A. Wait,
a dealer in millinery and fancy goods. Against Mr. and Mrs. Wait, Mr. Joshua
L'Hommedieu brought suit before Justice Charles W. Wetmore for one hundred
dollars damages for the destruction of one barrel of brandy, the justice giving
him a judgment for $60. The defendants appealed the case to the Court of Common
Pleas, E. N. Sill and J. T. Hollaway going upon the appeal bond. The trail of
the case was postponed, from time to time, until June of 1859, when it was
marked "Settled at Plaintiff's costs," said costs being collected from
Josh on execution some two or three months later, by Samuel Lane, who was then
serving his second term as sheriff.
Account Written by Samuel Lane
First Strike
While the Wetmore's and Joshua Stow were running
their mills and store, in about 1829, the first
strike, which ever occurred in Cuyahoga Falls,
took place. Whisky, in those days, was very
cheap and very plentiful. About 25 cents per
gallon was the regular price, and everybody
drank whisky. Stow and Henry Wetmore, in their
mills, employed about forty men; and they paid
off every Saturday afternoon at which time they
opened a barrel of whisky, and gave each man a
bonus of a gallon of whisky. Cuyahoga Falls, at
that time, was in Portage County and the doctors
in the county had a convention at Ravenna in
1829, at which time the discussed the practice
of drinking so much whiskey, and decided to do
what they could to get the people away from this
practice.
Dr. Orlando Wilcox, then a young physician, was
located at Cuyahoga Falls, attended this
convention . When he came home, he talked about
this resolution to Henry Wetmore, who became
interested in the subject, and after
communicating with his partner, Joshua Stow,
they decided to stop the practice of giving
whisky to the men. On the next Saturday they
paid off their men, but gave them no whisky. The
men all went on strike, saying "No whisky, no
work." On Monday morning Wetmore told the men
that those who wanted to could go back to work,
but there would be no more whisky. About
one-half the men returned to work, and the other
half quit and their places were supplied by
other men. This was probably the first strike
that ever occurred in Cuyahoga Falls. A
temperance organization was formed shortly
afterward.
Temperance
Society
A Temperance
Society was formed in Cuyahoga Falls
Village in 1828 and was the first such
society in Ohio. In the beginning it
only numbered nine members, however,
Henry Wetmore offered a lot in Stow
Township to the Cuyahoga Falls town
authorities for public use if a
majority of the residents would join
the society, whereupon 65 persons
joined. At the time the society was organized,
there were four active distilleries in
Stow Township, but in less than two
years they were all closed.