square further south than the road had formerly been, or now is. This change gave dissatisfaction generally to the property holders on the main street. The bridge stood some eight or ten years, when some of the timbers becoming rotten, it fell. It was then rebuilt, starting from the same point on the east, and running in the same direction that the national road bridge does; and the former road to and through Franklinton was restored.

This toll-bridge and the franchise fell to the share of Joseph Sullivant in the division of his father's estate. When the national road was constructing, about the year 1832 or '33, upon the superintendent agreeing to erect a good, free bridge, at the expense of the government, provided Sullivant's right under the charter was extinguished, the citizens, principally of the north end of Columbus, aided by a few subscriptions west of the river, raised by contribution $8,000; and the county (through the commissioners) gave $2,000 more, making $10,000, which was paid to Mr. Sullivant for his right; and thereupon, the present substantial structure was erected at the expense of the general government, as a part of the national road.

For the first twenty years or more, after the settlement of this county, fishing and hunting were favorite amusements; and the fish and game being plenty, a

person did not tire in the pursuit. Fishing was sometimes with a net seine, but more frequently with a brush drag, which required from a dozen to twenty men, and was a kind of frolic. Hunting was for the double or treble purpose of amusement, the obtaining of fresh game for the table, and the protection of the crops against devouring animals.

The subjoined account of a general squirrel hunt, from the Columbus Gazette of August 29th, 1822, is illustrative of the above fact. And at the same time it brings to view the names and the memory of a number of respectable citizens of that day, most of whom have now passed away.

"GRAND SQUIRREL HUNT.-The squirrels are becoming so numerous in the county as to threaten serious injury, if not destruction, to the crops of the farmer during the ensuing fall. Much good might be done by a general turn out of all citizens whose convenience will permit, for two or three days, in order to prevent the alarming ravages of those mischievous neighbors. It is, therefore, respectfully submitted to the different townships, each, to meet and choose two or three of their citizens to meet in a hunting caucus, at the house of Christian Heyl, on Saturday, the 31st inst., at 2 o'clock P. M. Should the time above stated prove too short for the townships to hold meetings, as above recommended, the following persons are respectfully nominated and invited to attend the meeting at Columbus: Montgomery, Jeremiah McLene and Edward Livingston; Hamilton, George W. Williams and Andrew Dill; Madison, Nicholas Goetschius and W. H. Richardson; Truro, Abiather V. Taylor and John Hanson; Jefferson, John Edgar and Elias Ogden; Plain, Thomas B. Patterson and Jonathan Whitehead; Harrison, F. C. Olmsted and Capt. Bishop; Sharon, Matthew Matthews and Buckley Comstock; Perry, Griffith Thomas and William

Mickey; Washington, Peter Sells and Uriah Clark; Norwich, Robert Elliott and Alanson Perry; Clinton, Col. Cook and Samuel Henderson; Franklin, John McElvain and Lewis Williams; Prairie, John Hunter and Jacob Neff; Pleasant, James Gardiner and Reuben Golliday; Jackson, Woollery Conrad and Nicholas Hoover; Mifflin, Adam Reid and William Dalzell.

"In case any township should be unrepresented in the meeting, those present will take the liberty of nominating suitable persons for said absent townships.

A subsequent paper says: "The hunt was conducted agreeably to the instructions in our last paper. On counting the scalps, it appeared that nineteen thousand six hundred and sixty scalps were produced. It is impossible to say what number in all were killed, as a great many of the hunters did not come in." The hunting or killing of deer was successfully practiced by candle or torch light, at night, on the river. The deer in warm weather would come into the river after night, to eat a kind of water-grass that grew in the stream, and the hunters, by taking a canoe, and a bright light in it, could let it float down stream, and the light appeared to blind the deer, until they could float near to them, and shoot them with ease.

In March, 1823, we find in the Gazette the following

* Yet living.

proposition for improving the Granville road, which was then the most direct eastern line of road from Columbus, and was almost impassable, being but little else than one continuous mud hole:

"The undersigned respectfully request, that as many of the citizens of Franklin County as can make it convenient, will meet at the tavern of Robert Russell, on Saturday, the 11th day of April next, for the purpose of making arrangements to meet the citizens of Licking County, and labor on the Columbus and Granville road, for two days, in the latter part of May next.

"EBENEZER BUTLER,
"ARCHIBALD Benfield,

"SAMUEL SHANNON,
"HENRY BROWN,*
"WILLIAM NEIL,*
"J. A. McDOWELL,
"P. H. OLMSTED,*
"A. J. McDOWELL,

"EDWARD LIVINGSTON,

JOHN KERR,

SAMUEL G. FLENNIKEN,
ORRIS PARISH,

RALPH OSBORN,

JAMES KOOKEN,
JAMES K. COREY,
ELI C. KING,
FRANCIS STEWART.” *

Near this time, David Pugh erected two toll bridges on this road-one over Alum Creek and the other over Big Walnut Creek. They were wooden structures, and did not last many years until they became unsafe, and he ceased to take toll, and abandoned the bridges. Mr. Pugh then lived by the road side, and kept a tavern east of Walnut Creek; he did not keep toll collectors at the bridges, but collected from travellers at his house.

* Yet living.

Building his bridges was an unprofitable enterprise. Mr. Pugh died in October, 1857, in the eighty-ninth year of his age. The generation to which he had belonged had run away from him; and he too has now 'gone glimmering through the dream of things that were."

66

The summer and fall of 1823 exceeded any thing before known for sickness. The whole country was little else than one vast infirmary whole families were frequently prostrate without well members enough to take care of the sick ones. The diseases were bilious and intermittent fevers, of all types, from the common fever and ague to the most malignant. Although the mortality was great, still it was not excessively so in proportion to the number of sick. Many prominent men were taken off that season, amongst whom were Lucas Sullivant,* Judge John A. McDowell, Judge John Kerr, David S. Broderick, Barzillai Wright, keeper of the Penitentiary, and others. The ensuing year, 1824, was also very sickly, but not so much so as 1823. Amongst the prominent old citizens carried off this year, were Capt. Joseph Vance, Billingsby Bull, Esq., James Culbertson, John Starr, sr., and others.

Amongst the writers for the newspapers about this

* Mr. Sullivant was about fifty-eight years of age. He was the leading pioneer in Franklin County -a man of enterprise, good judgment, and great energy of character.