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I have, in the [a] preceding sketch
[Douglas Maguire], referred to Mr. Gregg's connection with
Mr. Maguire in founding the second newspaper in this place,
in 1823. He was from New Castle, Henry County, Kentucky, a
waggish lawyer that stood high in his profession. He was
the second attorney to make Indianapolis his home.
Mr.
Gregg's first visit to this place was t the first sale
of town lots, on the ninth of October, 1821. He brought
considerable money with him, principally in gold and
silver. After he had paid the first payment on the
property he had bought he had about two hundred dollars
in gold left; this he carried in his pocket wrapped in
paper.
One morning he missed his money; it could not be
found; as he did not remember having it the night
before, he came to the conclusion that he had dropped it
somewhere in the woods, as he had been looking at
different pieces of property he had bought; he borrowed
money to pay his expenses and returned home, not
dreaming of ever finding the lost money or hearing of it
again. The following morning my mother was taking up
the rag carpet in the room in which Mr. Gregg had slept;
her attention was attracted by something bright in the
corner where he had slept on the floor; on examination
it turned out to be the gold Mr. Gregg had lost nearly
six months before; the paper in which ti was wrapped had
been torn away, and there was the entire amount,
somewhat scattered by being slept on during the time it
had been lost.
My father wrote immediately to Mr. Gregg informing him
that the money had been found, and where, and received
an answer that Mr. G. then remembered, for the first
time, having placed it under the edge of the carpet when
he lay down at night, and that he would never have
thought again what he did with it had it not been
brought to his mind by the manner in which it was found.
Although the house, and, indeed, the whole woods, was
thronged with strangers, there was not the least
suspicion that any person had taken it improperly, or
had even found it. Mr. Blake tells me there were
seventeen persons who slept in that cabin, three in each
of the three beds, and eight on the floor, with their
saddles for pillows.
I introduce this incident to show the difference in
the morals of the people then and now. The first thing
Mr. Oregg [sic] would do at this day would be to have
the man who slept next to him arrested as a pick pocket,
and with, perhaps, circumstances to sustain the charge.
Then
we had no bars or bolts to our doors and windows, no
"guardian angels" (with blue coats and brass
buttons that shine so beautiful under the gas light at
night, and glitter in the sun by day) to watch our
persons and property. Were not these the days of true
happiness and contentment, the good old days of Adam and
Eve:
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