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174 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
village Avere fed by divine interposition, like the ancient prophet, and
that even at that early date the Sanduskian Avas not devoid of imaginative
humor:
"The inhabitants of the village Avere seriously threatened Avith a
famine. At that time there Avere large numbers of Avild hogs in the
adjoining Avoods that Avere in the habit of coining IIOAVII to the bay for
Avater. OAving to the vast fields of fine sand on the shore the hogs became
blind. In their extremity they Ave re obliged to select a leader that had
a partial sight, a blind hog taking his tail in his mouth, another his, and
so on until a 16>ng line AVIIS formed, then the first hog Avould lead the
drove to the bay to drink. One of the villagers, by the euphoneons name
of John Smith, conceived the idea of making his name famous as Avell as
legion by a masterly deed of charity. lie therefore, with trusty jufle
in hand, repaired to the haunts of the wild hogs. Having secreted himself,
he invaited the approach of the droA-e. As the leader came abreast
of him he fired, soA'ering his caudal appehdage close to his body. His
leadership slood not upon the order of his going, but broke and fled.
Our hero quickly stepped fonvard, took hold of the amputated tail still
in the mouth of the IIOAV foremost hog and led the innocent drove not
Avhere AVIIVCS invaded the pebbly shore but Avithin the corporate limits of
the famishing village of Sandusky, and by this strategy saved the people."
Beginning with December 7, 1885, the Register contains a series of
articles on Sandusky in 1840, from which I have taken liberal extracts.
The articles are unsigned. Sandusky is thus described :
"Young hickory trees and hazel bushes Avere then thick on our public
squares. The stage—the old yelloAV stage Avith its leather boot—used to
come rushing and thundering along the West square, taking a diagonal
liiie from the Northeast corner of the Court house square, striking Jackson
street Avhere it intersects Washington ROAV, thence going North on
Jackson street to Avhere the residence of George Hart IIOAV stands. It
AA'as used and occupied as a residence and post office by Erastus Cooke,
brother of Eleutheros Cooke.
"And then the old postmaster, in summer time Avhen the shades of
evening came doAvn, Avould come out in front of his residence on the
steps, bringing his clarionet Avith him, and fill the stillness of the night
with sAveet, homely music, and it could in those days be heard over the
greater part of the toAvn.
"Where IIOAV stands the Wiedeman House once stood the 'Mansion
House' (later the ToAvnsend House). The old, generous, genial landlord
was Harry Victor. The Mansion House Avas a frame building, nearly
square in its shape on the ground. It fronted on Decatur street. Large
Avooden columns rose from sandstone bases, with Corinthian capitols,
and they supported upon a level Avith the second story a porch, surrounded
by ballusters running the length of the Decatur street front.
Under this porch innumerable SAvalloAvs used to SAvarm and tvyitter in
their season, and to this hotel came the elite of those days, their beauty
and their chivalry.''