Chautauqua County's First Bar Room Brawl

Recently, I've been reading "The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y." by Dr. Gilbert Wilkinson Hazeltine (1816-1893). Printed in 1887, this book gives an outline of the early history Chautauqua County as it pertains to Jamestown and surrounding area. The town of Ellicott was set off from the town of Pomfret in 1812. It initially comprised not only the present area of Ellicott, but also the present-day towns of Poland, Kiantone, Carrol and Busti, along with the current city of Jamestown.

In addition to offering some lively and colorful stories regarding the early settlement and development of the southeastern area of the county, Hazeltine also provides some details about the establishment of the county government, including one of the first court cases heard in county court back in the summer of 1811.

The story involves what could be the first bar room brawl ever to take place in Chautauqua County. It  happened in Mayville with no fewer than 16 men, several of whom were scarred for life. One guy had his thumb bitten off and the plaintiff in the subsequent court case was scalped and laid up for two months afterward. The two factions were the area's early pioneers vs. a contingent of keelboatmen who were transporting supplies. It was the culmination of a series of prior altercations, including one incident where Capt. James Dunn, Portland's first settler, had his eye gouged out by a keelboatman by the name of "Valentine."

A quick aside - as many folks already know, back in the early part of the 19th century before the arrival of the railroad, Chautauqua Lake was a vital waterway that assisted in moving various commodities such as grains, salts, gunpowder, etc. between the Great Lakes and the Allegheny and Mississippi waterways. Often times the contents was hauled in keelboats, which were found to be the vessels best adept at navigating the shallow streams and creeks of the upper Allegheny River basin. The keelboat operators would often rest in the evening at a tavern (also used as a hotel) in one of the communities along the way. In this particular account of "fisticuffs," the community was Mayville, which served as the entrance way to Chautauqua Lake for transporting supplies along the old portage road from Westfield on Lake Erie.

Samuel A. Brown - a lawyer, not a fighter

The account of the fight comes from Hon. Samuel A. Brown (1795-1862), the first attorney to set up a practice in Jamestown. Brown would later become the county's District Attorney, served as a state assemblyman (twice) and the founder of the Jamestown Acedemy, in addition to being one of the area's first historians. Despite the fact that he didn't arrive in the area until 1818, a full seven years after the case was tried, it's still safe to say his account is fairly accurate. 

Below is Brown's account of the fight and the subsequent lawsuit between the defendant (James Akin, future town Justice of Ellicott) and the plaintiff (Jack, a keel boatman from Pennsylvania), as written in Hazeltine's book. A time later, the two would meet again and all was apparently forgiven, with Akin assisting Jack in repairing his boat.

Depending on your point of view, it can be either unsettling or reassuring to know that such incidents have been taking place in Chautauqua County for as long as there have been people living here and booze being served here.

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The first court of common pleas was held during the following June [1811]. One of the trials at this first court we will give in Hon. Samuel A. Brown's own words: 

"At this court a trial was held between Esq. Jack of Pennsylvania and Esq. [James] Akin of Ellicott, for an assault and battery. Violent animosity had prevailed for some time between the southern boatmen, and the Yankees; all the inhabitants of the county were known by that name, regardless of the place or the nation which gave them birth. Capt. [James] Dunn of this county had been gouged; that is, one eye pulled out by a boatman named Valentine. This ill will had now arrived at a crisis, and was settled by a regular fisticuff' fight in a bar room at Mayville. Some eight or ten were engaged on each side, and the fight was desperate. Caleb Thompson of our own town had his thumb bitten off.

 James Akin Esq., and Esq. Jack personally engaged; the one a magistrate in Pennsylvania, the other was afterwards a justice in the town of Ellicott. Whether their fitness to be lenders in this fray, fitted them for the official stations they afterwards held, I cannot speak with accuracy, as the event is too remote, and too much involved in the legendary stories of that day. Akin knocked Jack blind in a few moments; the skin and flesh on his skull fell lose over his eyes and he could see to fight no longer, when his party took him from the battle ground. He was laid up about two months.

His [Jack's] cause was tried at this court, and the jury gave him a verdict of $80, allowing him his medical bill, and time actually lost, but no 'smart money,' as the jury doubtless considered the sport equalled the smart. After this encounter the Yankees and the boatmen lived in perfect harmony."

 We have the following anecdote relating to this same transaction:

The next spring Jack was having his boat repaired at Work's mills [Falconer],—a fellow boatman having run into him at Slippery Rock, (Dexterville [East Jamestown]) for which offense Jack had knocked him, in Brown's language, nearly blind.

 Akin met him there and saluted him with the name that he commonly went by, "How are things running with you Esq. Jackass?" and offered his hand.

"Running down [heading down river], as soon as we can get the salts* on. Rome [Jerome, the name of the other boater] pulled his old Durme [Durham - the name of a keel boat maker] on to us up at the Rock [Slippery Rock] and busted Old Sal's [for "Sally Jack", the name of his boat] starn, and we had ter draw her load, and have Neddy (Works) put a patch on to her. It made me durned sick and I just lifted Rome by his skulp [scalp] and his starn and put him where he would have drown-ded hadn't his pard [partner] hooked him out. Well, Jakins [Akin's nickname among boatmen] seeing its you, I'll hand a paw, but it was durned mean to gouge a Durmes Bower's [Boat Captain] skulp off in a pleasant little rounder for gill cups**. But I don't hold animose agin anyone [animosity against anyone], and as you don't grudge, well gill up [Drink Together], friendly, and begin anew. Jakins, when I come back after fall rise [in the fall], we'll gill up friendly. I don't hold animose as long as you don't grudge." 

Ref: "History of of the town of Ellicott..." - Chapter 3, Pages 50 - 52


*"Salts" was the boatman's name for Onondaga salt,—usually carried on light keel boats, named after the maker, Durham,—pronounced hy the boatmen as if spelt Durme. Rome was the nickname for Jerome. 

**"Rounder for Gill Cups" means to fight in the tavern. Gill Cups were tin cups used to hold a boatman's drink of whiskey.

An illustration of a keelboat navigating a rough waterway