Destructive Warehouse Fires---Railroads---Market Ordinance

The election for municipal officers of this year was held under an amendment of the charter, which required the election of Aldermen by general ticket, but Ward representation was still preserved by the requirement that two Aldermen should live in each Ward. This is the mode of election still maintained. It met with strong opposition when first proposed, and the Council of 1858 protested against it. The act passed only a few days before the election on the second Saturday in December, 1858.

A leading question in the election of a city government for this year was that of the new bridge. The candidates nominated on the "People's Ticket" were opposed to the Council's receiving the bridge on the terms and conditions proposed by the company that had it built; and this ticket was successful in the election.

The candidates for Mayor were F. G. Wilkins and W. H. Holstead, and the vote between them stood, Wilkins 388, Holstead 353.
The following gentlemen were elected:
Aldermen:
1st Ward, J. J. McKendree, Edward Croft;
2d, J. W. King, J. A. Urquhart;
3d, T. O. Douglass, A. C. Kivlin;
4th, M. Barschall, C. C. Cody;
5th, D. B. Thompson, John Quin;
6th, S. Ogletree, John Durkin.
Dr. Urquhart's name was on both tickets. The vote for the "People's Ticket" ranged from 406 to 476; that for the "New Bridge Ticket" from 214 to 323.
J. M. Hughes was elected Marshal
G. W. Haynes, Deputy Marshal
R. G. Mitchell, Treasurer
Calvin Stratton, Clerk
Thos. Nix, Sexton

Council elected:
John Peabody, City Attorney
Dr. Ellison, City Physician
W. Tilley, Clerk of the Market
John Bunnell, Bridge Keeper
Mrs. Isabella McGehee, Hospital Keeper
J. Bradford, Magazine Keeper
James N. Bethune, City Printer
Health Officers, M. A. Doney, D. McArthur, A. F. Brannon, Dr. Ware, Jos. Daniel, Thos. Sloan, John Whitesides, John Ligon, W. Daniel, J. T. Walker, Theo. Ewing
Port Wardens, J. R. Eastham, Jas. Everett, W. J. Chaffin, J. F. Howard, Wm. L. Salisbury.

One of the first subjects that necessarily engaged the attention of the new Council was that of the bridges. A committee, was appointed to report some arrangement to adjust the difficulty. This committee reported that it had not succeeded in making any satisfactory arrangement with the owners of the new bridge, and offered a resolution re-establishing tolls on the lower bridge. This resolution was rejected. Council resolved to allow the bridge-keeper house rent free temporarily, as compensation for his taking care of the bridge, and in March, voted him one dollar per day, up to that time, in addition. No arrangement having been effected with the owners of the new bridge, both bridges remained free of toll.

Thomas M. Hogan was in March elected an Alderman of the 2d Ward, vice Alderman Urquhart, resigned.

In March, the Muscogee Railroad Company petitioned Council to release it from the prohibition to connect the Muscogee and Opelika Railroads within the city limits previous to a connection with the Mobile and Girard Railroad, also, and proposed to pay a tax of $1,000 annually for the privilege of connecting the two first-named roads alone, this to include the tax previously levied on the Muscogee Railroad. Council having given consent, the Company advertised on the 26th of March for proposals for the grading and masonry of the connecting section.

The friends of the Opelika and Talladega Railroad and the Opelika and Oxford Railroad, respectively, were quite active this year in urging the claims of these two projects. Columbus was interested in both. A meeting of the citizens, called by the Mayor, was held in the Council Chamber on the 17th of May, at which prominent gentlemen of Tallapoosa and Chambers Counties, Alabama, representing the two enterprises, made interesting addresses. The meeting manifested approbation of both schemes, but did not recommend any immediate aid from Columbus, regarding the progress so far made in obtaining subscriptions as not sufficient to justify a subscription by the city.

The proposition for building a Railroad from Columbus to LaGrange, via Hamilton, was also engaging attention this year. Meetings were held, delegates appointed to railroad conventions, &c., but no progress was made in building the road.

Some of the citizens were greatly opposed to a "Market Ordinance" passed by Council, compelling vendors of country produce to carry their "truck" to the Market House only for sale up to a fixed hour of the day. Gen. Bethune took the lead in opposition to this ordinance, and disregarded it, for which Council undertook to punish him. He carried a case to the Supreme Court, argued it himself, and obtained a judgment that the ordinance was illegal and the action of Council unwarranted. [An amendment of the charter has since given Council the powers then exercised.]

Incidents

The Georgia Baptist Convention met in Columbus in April, and was largely attended.

A young man named Pittman was shot in the thigh, on the 5th of May, by the accidental discharge of a pistol which he was carrying in his pocket. The accident occurred on Warren Street. The ball ranged downward towards the knee, and the wound produced lockjaw, which ended fatally about two weeks after the accident.

An old man named Paradise, a fisherman, was run upon and badly mangled by a train on the Mobile and Girard Railroad, as it was coming in on the 3d of June. He was deaf, and did not hear the train approaching, which could not be checked up entirely until the cowcatcher struck him.

The house of Mr. R. P. Spencer, on Front Street near Randolph, was destroyed by fire on the 7th of June.

On the night of the 8th of June, a little after 9 o'clock, one of the most destructive fires that the city ever sustained broke out among the cotton stored in the Alabama Warehouse, then kept by Messrs. King, Allen & Camak. It spread with astonishing rapidity and soon enveloped the whole warehouse, which was well stored with cotton. The heat in a few minutes became too great for the firemen and others to operate inside. The flames soon communicated to the Fontaine Warehouse, kept by Messrs. Hughes, Daniel & Co. Both warehouses were consumed with about eight thousand bales of cotton. A considerable quantity of bagging, bacon, flour, grain, &c., was also burned. The total loss amounted to $500,000 or $600,000, of which the larger portion was not insured. The fire was grand and terrible in its proportions, and the heat was so intense that it could be felt across the river. The origin of the fire was a mystery, and it was by many believed to be the work of an incendiary. It was uncontrollable from the start.

The Israelites of Columbus consecrated a temporary place of worship in June of this year, and were then making an effort to build a Synagogue. There were then about twenty families of Israelites in Columbus, as we learn from a letter of Rev. L. Z. Sternheimer.

Joseph Malone, a sculptor, who worked in the marble yard of T. Kenny, was drowned in the river, into which he went to bathe, on the 7th of August.

The first bale of new cotton was received on the 19th of August, and was sold at 12� cents. It was from the plantation of W. S. Shepherd, of Stewart County. Another bale was received later in the same day, from the plantation of John M. Sapp, of Chattahoochee county, and sold at 12� cts.

The Second Methodist Church in Columbus (now called St. Paul's) was dedicated on the 9th of October. Rev. Dr. Lovick Pierce preached the sermon for the occasion, and was assisted in the exercises by Rev. Alfred Mann. Dr. Pierce was the first pastor.

Personal

J. W. Hinton was presiding Elder of Columbus District, and the following were stationed M. E. Preachers in Columbus and Girard: 1st Church, Alfred Mann; 2d Church, Lovick Pierce; Pierce Chapel and Colored charge, O. Driscoll; Factory Mission, W. K. Wardlaw; Girard and Colored Mission, O. W. Landreth.

County officers elected in January: J. L. Howell, Tax Collector; I. T. Brooks, Tax Receiver; E. Birdsong, County Treasurer; T. D. West, a Justice of the Inferior Court.

J. L. Morton was Chief, and T. O. Douglass, Assistant of the Fire Department.

Mr. E. Birdsong, County Treasurer, having died in February, Mr. H. S. Estes was appointed by Governor Brown to fill the vacancy.

Marriages

January 2, George W. Taft and Mary C. Ginn
Jan. 6, Joseph Bambuse and Martha Duncan
Jan. 12, James J. Slade and Lelie B. Bonner
Jan. 13, James J. Cook and Sarah A. Bozeman
Jan. 23, Duncan Smith and Sarah I. Clarke
Jan. 24, William I. Blackmon and Sarah I. Collins

February 3, Leonidas H. Cogbill and Elizabeth Murray
Feb. 8, Richard Gill and Rosina I. Hound
Feb. 8, Wiley Cannon and Harriet Browning
Feb. 12, Charles G. Rush and Emily Horton
Feb. 13, Thomas P. Thornton and Mary A. Freeman
Feb. 14, Alexander Turner and Charlotte G. Carlton
Feb. 15, Erasmus D. Nave and Mary E. Hay
Feb. 20, James M. Kelly and Mary Oswalt
Feb. 24, Henry Barnett and Maggie A. Williams

March 3, Neal W. Albrecht and Camilla C. Lightner
March 7, John H. Horton and Ellen Garrett
March 10, James M. Fletcher and Mary E. Whipple
March 13, Wm. F. Hudson and Eliza I. Wellborn
March 14, Farley B. Adams and Caroline P. Henry
March 17, William I. Webb and Angeline E. Banister

April 5, James Boyd and Sarah I. Bullock
April 7, Thomas Johnson and Lucy Smith
April 10, Isaac H. Giles and Matilda Collins
April 12, Archibald P. Gentry and Sarah E. Omans
April 17, Thomas Ryans and Louisa Smith
April 21, James L. Bagley and Sarah A. Riddle
April 21, John I. H. Stockdale and Mary I. Cook
April 21, Jesse Gulledge and Susan E. Young
April 21, Byrd M. Grace and Indiana Barden
April 24, Patterson Garrison and Eliza E. Clark
April 26, John G. McKee and Georgia M. Smith
April 28, Robert Motley and Mary L. Comer

May 5, Thomas G. Greer and Anna Odom
May 11, Thomas Ellis and Mary Duffell
May 12, Samuel W. Anthony and Mary A. F. Motley
May 24, Franklin C. Johnson and Joanna L. Day
May 24, Alfred M. Greene and Missouri E. McDonald
May 25, Thomas W. Dawson and Anna E. Cody
May 25, Joel W. Blackmon and Louisa Gibson.

June 4, Daniel McDaniel and Mary A. E. Edwards
June 4, William Raibun and Harriet Mainyard
June 12, Edmund D. Jones and Emily E. King
June 14, John S. Deer and Nancy W. Crawford
June 15, John Lee and Nancy A. Robison
June 16, Berry Doughty and Emily Centers
June 16, David Y. Tinnon and Augustus A. Baxley
June 19, Isaac K. Crawford and Eda A. Clark
June 21, Francis M. Gammell and Frances E. McGee
June 26, Samuel McLendon and Matilda Long
June 28, Hugh H. Parkyn and Isabella R. Mann
June 30, Leander Odom and Nancy L. M. Wallace
June 30, Orlando C. Young and Letha Ann Johnson

July 3, Zachariah Cohen and Martha McCulIers
July 3, Joshua Ellis and Mary A. I. Foley
July 4, William S. Lee, Jr., and Melissa A. Cook
July 4, James Broughton and Berthena Smith
July 5, Moses Johnson and Harriet Smith
July 7, Geo. W. Driggers and Mary K. Yearty
July 7, William H. Smith and Melvina Ford
July 9, Joseph Hampshire and Frances Ruse
July 12, William H. Thompson and Georgia A. McKay
July 24, John H. Robinson and Catharine Thompson
July 28, James Stringfellow and Elizabeth A. Wallace

August 2, Grigsby E. Thomas, Jr., and Martha B. Slade
Aug. 3, Oliver B. Huckaba and Emma E. Thomas
Aug. 6, Robt. E. Baker and Missouri Stephens
Aug. 11, Joseph Warlick and Nancy Simpson
Aug. 12, James M. Singleton and Hannah A. Grantham
Aug. 18, Nicholas E. Miller and Triphena C. Dean
Aug. 18, Eugena B. Woodham and Nancy King
Aug. 20, Newett L. Smith and Mary Duke
Aug. 25, John Swinney and Mary A. Collins
Aug. 29, James L. Wells and Martha Lucius

September 4, Oliver H. Miller and Mary Parker
Sept. 6, Amos McLendon and Mary A. Lanam
Sept. 11, Warren C. Huff and Lizzie M. Odom
Sept. 12, Stephen C. Hyman and Emily A. C. Wood
Sept. 18, Alexander Watson and Mary Dean
Sept. 28, James Shaver and Elizabeth I. Clegg
Sept. 29, Franklin George and Anna Day
Sept. 29, Andrew Jackson and Mary F. Jenkins

October 5, John H. Butt and Johdgeline Winter
Oct. 6, Sebastian Hoffman and Sarah E. E. Sherly
Oct. 6, Edmund H. Browning and Elizabeth Frier
Oct. 13, Robert G. Johnson and Malvina A. Thompson
Oct. 15, Robert I. Bozeman and Louisa V. Russell
Oct. 16, Edmund I. Kelly and Sarah M. McKenzie
Oct. 17, Richardson Chadwick and Euna V. Falkner
Oct. 17, William H. Dinkins and Martha P. Wicker
Oct. 20, Thomas Turnage and Harriet Burnett
Oct. 22, Robert C. Brooks and Evaline Phillips
Oct. 30, James L. Kimbrough and Mary E. Cashire
Oct. 31, Thomas B. Long and Winnie Seaborn
Oct. 31, Joseph N. Harley and Mary A. Chaney

November 3, Josiah H. Smith and Carrie C. Enderman
Nov. 3, William E. Ray and Louisa I. McClesky
Nov. 4, Jefferson T. Foster and Elizabeth Godwin
Nov. 4, Samuel C. Watkins and Susan Massey
Nov. 6, Harris W. Freeman and Matilda Sempler
Nov. 6, James F. Warthen and Lydia I. Rhodes
Nov. 6, Frank T. Torbett and Louisa J. Burt
Nov. 15, Thomas L. Kennady and Mary I. Luckie
Nov. 17, Reddick C. Pearce and Mary J. Harrison
Nov. 23, William I. Miller and Cornelia I. Tyler
Nov. 23, Furman W. Mims and Leah F. A. D. Thomas

December 1, James R. McGehee and Avarilla E. Crawford
Dec. 8, William S. Lockhart and Mary A. M. Skinner
Dec. 8, Alexander Scott and Caroline C. Wall
Dec. 8, Howard W. Finney and Susan E. Smith
Dec. 15, Wm. E. Fickling and Martha E. Rogers
Dec. 15, Isaac Gammons and Jane A. E. Bozeman
Dec. 15, Justin F. Buchanan and Louisa Semple
Dec. 18, David N. Morris and Elizabeth Duke
Dec. 18, James J. Cherry and Minerva McGehee
Dec. 21, Allen G. Burge and Amanda McCay
Dec. 21, William I. Baird and Mary A. Whatley
Dec. 23, Jackson P. Johnson and Mary Yancy
Dec. 24, John I. Lambert and Amanda N. Stephens
Dec. 25, Phillip Henly and Susannah Hudson
Dec. 25, John Gallaway and Louisa M. Smith
Dec. 27, William A. Dunklin and Jennie A. Thompson
Dec. 28, Jasper Blackwell and Mary A. Roberson
Dec. 31, William M. Allen and Saramantha I. Phillips

Deaths

January 13, Mrs. J. L. Pearce
Jan. 21, (in Apalachicola) Thomas Poitevent, of Girard
Jan. 26, E. Birdsong, County Treasurer

February 1, (in Wynnton) infant child of J. H. Sikes
Feb. __, John E. Clark
Feb. 23, (at White Sulphur Springs,) Mrs. Martha A. Mitchell, of Columbus
Feb. 26, (in Girard,) John Godwin, builder of the city bridge
Feb. 28, (in Girard,) Mrs. Delilah Reed

March 6, Joseph W. Thomas, former editor of the Enquirer
March 15, Thos. E. Greenwood

May 11, Mrs. Temperance Whitesides;
May 11, (in Wynnton) James Philip, infant son of John E. Lamar

June 8, Thomas Emmons, infant son of Thos. S. Spear
June 10, Miss Amelia, daughter of James A. Bradford
June 11, James McCoy, foreman of the machine shop of the Mobile and Girard Railroad, in Girard
June 13, Mrs. A. H. Flewellen
June 21, (in Girard) Green B. Woodson
June 19, William Rankin
June 28, (in Girard) Martha Elizabeth, infant daughter of J. C. Harris.

July 6, Reuben Allison, infant son of W. C. Gray
July 12, (in Wynnton) Mrs. Virginia A. Oliver
July 21, (in Girard) William Wommack
July 23, (at Warm Springs, Meriwether) John H. Davis, of Columbus

August 3, William H. Lamar, Deputy Sheriff
August 21, George W. Carey
August 26, Miss Adora Rebecca, daughter of Joseph D. Hughes.

Sept. 9, John Joseph, infant son of James M. Everett
Sept. __, John M. Flournoy
Sept. 18, Miss Laura, daughter of Joseph D. Hughes
Sept. __, Dr. Richard H. Lockhart
Sept. 27, Mrs. Elizabeth Gammel, aged 115 years

Oct. 9, Dr. Solon M. Grigg
Oct. 13, (in Linnwood) Dr. Thos. W. Dawson
Oct. 16, Dr. George S. Hardaway
Oct. 16, Willie E. DuBose
Oct. 24, Victor S. Townsley
Oct. 30, (in Girard) Miss Jeannette Phillips

Nov. 14, Fidel Bachle
Nov. 29, John Lloyd

Dec. 2, Cyprian, infant son of D. F. Willcox
Dec. __, Mrs. Ann Gambrill
Dec. 15, William H. Huff
Dec. 19, (in Richmond, Texas) Hon. Mirabeau B. Lamar