credit for, whether justly or not, the indignity was to be instantly resented. In pursuance of this concert they repaired to the place of worship, each provided with a tobacco pipe well filled, and a match. During the preliminary exercises and a portion of the sermon the most respectful attention and devout bearing were manifested; but when the preacher unfortunately indulged in illusions, believed by these censors to be intended to have a direct local application, a rap on the bench was made as a signal by the leader, and instantly twelve matches were struck and twelve pipes lighted. No smile was seen and no word was spoken; but twelve sedate and imperturbable smokers tugged vigorously at their pipes. The room was soon filled with the smoke and aroma; and after a few attempts at rebuke, ejaculated between stifled spasms of coughing, the preacher incontinently left; but not without making a stand at the door, where a few comparatively pure respirations were obtained, and hurling back some rather unchristian anathemas upon the graceless and sacrilegious scamps, whose scandalous conduct had so unceremoniously put him to flight, and upon the people by whom they were tolerated. Of course, "the better part of community" set the seal of their disapprobation upon such disreputable and disorderly proceedings.

CHAPTER II.

At an election held on the 19th December 1839 H. P. Woodworth, Simon Kinney, Z. Burnham, C. H. Charles, and Isaac Abraham were elected Trustees. Whole number of votes polled 40.

The Board elected Simon Kinney, President; M. Mott, Collector; T. D. Brewster, Treasurer; and Walter Meriman, Clerk. In the course of the year Kinney resigned as Trustee and Meriman as Clerk, and Cornelius Cahill and James Bradford were elected to fill their respective places. The places of Burnham and Charles became vacant by death, and Ezra McKinzie and Churchill Coffing were elected to fill them. In 1840 came the grand financial collapse. The foreign capitalists refused to lend us any more money. The later residents of Illinois can scarcely comprehend the condition of things which preceded and ensued. By the Internal Improvement Act, which puts all Congressional omnibus bills entirely into the shade, a system of Rail Roads was to be commenced simultaneously in all parts of the State, running in all manner of directions, through regions scarcely explored; and counties which were not fortunate enough to lie in the direction of any place, and thus not to be traversed by Rail Roads, were bribed into the support of the bill by distributions of money, all to be borrowed on the faith of the State. Other acts were passed authorizing loans for prisons, hospitals, asylums and State Houses. At the same time the Canal was being prosecuted on State credit. Counties followed the example of the State by borrowing money to build Court Houses, Jails &c. But at length the bottom fell out of the whole concern. Unknown Millions had been squandered and not one public undertaking was completed. Public and private credit were annihilated. Northern Illinois produced nothing for exportation, and every kind of business was dependent upon the disbursements on the public works. The State, Counties, Towns, Banks, corporations and individuals were alike bankrupt. No gleam of light shone in the future. Repudiation, public and private, appeared to be the only alternative. Even the vampires who had been gorged upon the treasury were overwhelmed in the general avalanche. The few who had hoarded and possessed the means, left the State; and emigration for years avoided it as though it had been one great hospital of lepers.

No place experienced the general prostration more sensibly than Peru. The writer of this with a family to support, did not possess in the year 1841 in the aggregate, a sum of money equal to five dollars. Letters lay in the Post Office from the inability of those to whom they were addressed to pay the postage. Nor was this embarrassment confined to individuals.—Gov. Ford once told the writer, that he had been compelled to allow letters, directed to him upon official business, to remain in the Federal Post Office, his own means or credit, or that of the Sovereign State of Illinois being insufficient to raise the embargo. Property of no kind had any apparent value whatever. The town gradually lost its inhabitants, until in 1842, probably not over two hundred souls remained. These were mainly the less fortunate portion who could not get away. One Store, a Drug Shop, the Post Office, and two Taverns were the only places that remained open to the public. Society existed upon a truly republican basis. No envy was excited in the breasts of the humble and poor by the brilliant equipages and establishments of the rich. The creditor who would have seriously asked payment of his debtor would have been saluted with one universal shout of derision.—As well might he have asked the sea to give up its dead. His money was gone to that bourne whence "nary red" would ever return. It was seriously proposed to enact a law making every man's note a tender for debts—always excepting the notes of the creditor himself. This condition of things produced a state of society never witnessed by the writer, before or since. The prevailing influence was so universal and complete as to reduce all to a common level. A sympathy and community of feeling pervaded all Illinois humanity. Thanks to a prolific soil and sparse population, nobody was in danger of starvation.

The following incident illustrates the scarcity and value of money about this time. The only merchants who pretended to keep their stores open for business, and were able to replenish their stock, were the brothers A. one of them at present an estimable and valued citizen, and the other a worthy farmer living in the neighborhood. Money was scarce wherewith to pay freights, and the only resource was to transport wheat, taken of the farmers for debts, to Chicago, a distance of one hundred miles, where it was worth about fifty cents per bushel. One of the persons employed in the transportation was a farmer named M.—One of the brothers and the writer accompanied the teams. After the wheat had been marketed and unloaded, M. with a very grave and serious face, desired a private conference with A. Taking him a little apart from the writer, and speaking in a voice loud enough to be distinctly overheard, he informed him that he was under the necessity of asking him for some money. A. started as if a snake had stung him. He expressed surprise at such a sudden call, under the circumstances, and reminded M. of the exertions and sacrifices which he had been compelled to make to raise money for charges, and that withal he had but barely enough for that purpose; and concluded by hoping that his demands would be extremely limited. M. replied that they would be no more extensive than his necessities absolutely required, and he thought about "two bits would do him." This announcement greatly relieved A. who immediately responded to the demand. When it is understood, that the almost universal practice in traveling, at that time, was to "camp out," the commissary department drawing its supplies from the domestic larder and corn crib, it will be perceived that "two bits" would go a good way in eking out the stores and supplying any deficiency.

Another incident