Ghost Stories: Meanwhile, down the road in New Vienna
Lead Summary
By
Steve Roush-
Ladies and gentlemen, during our nice chat in the year of our Lord 1919 with Highland County native son Hugh Stuart Fullerton III, we conversed oh so very briefly about the Temperance Crusade that occurred up the road in New Vienna, Ohio.
Now that our time with Mr. Fullerton has come to an end (for now, at least), it would be remiss of me not to point out that the legendary journalist passed away two days after Christmas in 1945 at the age of 72 in Dunedin, Florida, and is buried in the Hillsboro Cemetery beside his wife, Edith, who was born in 1875 and died in 1967. He was posthumously awarded the J.G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964. Hugh Fullerton IV (a.k.a. Hugh S. Fullerton Jr., 1904–1965) spent most of his professional career as an Associated Press reporter and columnist. Hugh Fullerton V owned newspapers in Ohio and Michigan before teaching journalism in Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Bulgaria, and Texas. He holds four degrees, the last a Ph.D. in media economics.
Now, without further ado, let’s travel back to the early 1870s and move up the road from Hillsboro to New Vienna.
Within a fortnight after the Temperance Crusade was inaugurated in Hillsboro, three or four of the leading counties in Southern Ohio were taken by storm. It was written that as fast as the news could be carried to neighboring towns, they caught the spirit and began the crusade of prayer and song.
At one point, the “eyes of the whole country” began to be turned on New Vienna, which was described as a small railroad town.
The story of New Vienna is the story of Van Pelt, who was destined to play an important part of the history of the temperance movement in Ohio.
John Calvin Van Pelt would become known as the “wickedest man in Ohio” and soon became a familiar character to the public.
Back in those days, near the depot in New Vienna was a forbidding looking one-story structure, appropriately known as the “Dead Fall.” It was presided over by Van Pelt, a tall, solidly built man with a red nose and the head of a prizefighter.
Before he came to New Vienna, it was documented that Van Pelt had formerly served the public in the capacity of an oyster dealer on Sixth Street in Cincinnati, “at which time he became identified with the interests of the cockpit, and won considerable notoriety for his bull-dog pluck and strength of will in any undertaking in which he embarked.” He possessed a sense of humor and sociability which made him a popular leader among his companions at New Vienna – however, when the crusade came to town, that all began to change.
The local lady crusaders formed much like their counterparts in Hillsboro, and after visiting the local drugstores, the women directed their steps toward the “Dead Fall.”
Infuriated, Van Pelt threatened if the ladies came to his saloon again, he’d hang, draw and quarter them.
The following day, one of his windows was decorated with flasks full of whiskey. Across the other was an axe, covered with blood. Over the door were suspended empty flasks, and near them a large jug branded “Brad’s Family Bitters.” Over all floated a black flag.
As if this array was not sufficiently dramatic, Van Pelt could be seen within, brandishing a club, and defying the temperance band, at the risk of their lives, to enter.
But even these bloodthirsty demonstrations had no effect upon the ladies. The next days they went, about 50 in number, entered his saloon, and began their usual devotions. About a hundred men were outside, expecting some attempt at violence.
A lady began in prayer, and was just about praying that the heart of the saloon keeper might be baptized with the Holy Ghost, when Van Pelt seized a bucket of dirty water.
He bellowed, “Damn you, I’ll baptize you!” And with this, he threw the contents of the bucket against the ceiling overhead, from which it came pouring down upon the kneeling ladies. They stood, however, heroically to their post, and it was not until drenched with dirty slops and beer that they retreated to the outside.
The crowd surrounding the place was enraged…
Let’s pause for now and we’ll continue next week.
Steve Roush is a vice president of an international media company and a columnist and contributing writer for The Highland County Press. He can be reached by email at roush_steve@msn.com.
Now that our time with Mr. Fullerton has come to an end (for now, at least), it would be remiss of me not to point out that the legendary journalist passed away two days after Christmas in 1945 at the age of 72 in Dunedin, Florida, and is buried in the Hillsboro Cemetery beside his wife, Edith, who was born in 1875 and died in 1967. He was posthumously awarded the J.G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964. Hugh Fullerton IV (a.k.a. Hugh S. Fullerton Jr., 1904–1965) spent most of his professional career as an Associated Press reporter and columnist. Hugh Fullerton V owned newspapers in Ohio and Michigan before teaching journalism in Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Bulgaria, and Texas. He holds four degrees, the last a Ph.D. in media economics.
Now, without further ado, let’s travel back to the early 1870s and move up the road from Hillsboro to New Vienna.
Within a fortnight after the Temperance Crusade was inaugurated in Hillsboro, three or four of the leading counties in Southern Ohio were taken by storm. It was written that as fast as the news could be carried to neighboring towns, they caught the spirit and began the crusade of prayer and song.
At one point, the “eyes of the whole country” began to be turned on New Vienna, which was described as a small railroad town.
The story of New Vienna is the story of Van Pelt, who was destined to play an important part of the history of the temperance movement in Ohio.
John Calvin Van Pelt would become known as the “wickedest man in Ohio” and soon became a familiar character to the public.
Back in those days, near the depot in New Vienna was a forbidding looking one-story structure, appropriately known as the “Dead Fall.” It was presided over by Van Pelt, a tall, solidly built man with a red nose and the head of a prizefighter.
Before he came to New Vienna, it was documented that Van Pelt had formerly served the public in the capacity of an oyster dealer on Sixth Street in Cincinnati, “at which time he became identified with the interests of the cockpit, and won considerable notoriety for his bull-dog pluck and strength of will in any undertaking in which he embarked.” He possessed a sense of humor and sociability which made him a popular leader among his companions at New Vienna – however, when the crusade came to town, that all began to change.
The local lady crusaders formed much like their counterparts in Hillsboro, and after visiting the local drugstores, the women directed their steps toward the “Dead Fall.”
Infuriated, Van Pelt threatened if the ladies came to his saloon again, he’d hang, draw and quarter them.
The following day, one of his windows was decorated with flasks full of whiskey. Across the other was an axe, covered with blood. Over the door were suspended empty flasks, and near them a large jug branded “Brad’s Family Bitters.” Over all floated a black flag.
As if this array was not sufficiently dramatic, Van Pelt could be seen within, brandishing a club, and defying the temperance band, at the risk of their lives, to enter.
But even these bloodthirsty demonstrations had no effect upon the ladies. The next days they went, about 50 in number, entered his saloon, and began their usual devotions. About a hundred men were outside, expecting some attempt at violence.
A lady began in prayer, and was just about praying that the heart of the saloon keeper might be baptized with the Holy Ghost, when Van Pelt seized a bucket of dirty water.
He bellowed, “Damn you, I’ll baptize you!” And with this, he threw the contents of the bucket against the ceiling overhead, from which it came pouring down upon the kneeling ladies. They stood, however, heroically to their post, and it was not until drenched with dirty slops and beer that they retreated to the outside.
The crowd surrounding the place was enraged…
Let’s pause for now and we’ll continue next week.
Steve Roush is a vice president of an international media company and a columnist and contributing writer for The Highland County Press. He can be reached by email at roush_steve@msn.com.