Chapter VII

Election in 1849--First appearance of Cholera--Elections in
1850--Project for a Rail Road to Aurora--Burning of the
National Hotel--Establishment of the "Peru Democrat"--The
issue of $25,000 Bonds authorized on account of Peru and
Rock Island Rail Road--United States Census--Incorporation
of the City--Territory embraced in City Limits--Elections
under the Charter in 1851--Question of issuing Bonds on
account of subscription to the Stock of Chicago and Rock
Island Rail Road decided unanimously in the affirmative at
an Election--Resurvey of the City--Issue of $40,000 of
Bonds--Organization of the Central Rail Road Company--
Protest of Peru against the place of crossing the River--
Peru and Grandetour Plank Road.

At an election held on the 2d April, 1849, P. M. Kilduff, Frederick Kaiser, S. N. Maze, Noah Sapp and David Lininger were elected Trustees. Whole number of Votes 159. This Board elected P. M. Kilduff, President; Erasmus Winslow, Clerk; Ezra McKinzie, Assessor; James Cahill, Collector; J. P. Thompson, Street Commissioner, Constable and Fire Warden; and H. S. Beebe, Treasurer. In consequence of the absence of Beebe, H. L. Tuller was elected Treasurer in his place.

In the Spring of this year the cholera first made its appearance in the West. In the months of April and May several citizens fell victims to the disease. On the 20th of June it suddenly assumed a malignant and virulent character, and some hundreds were swept off in the course of three or four weeks. The citizens were generally panic stricken, and many fled. It suddenly ceased, and the season thenceforth was healthy.

In the summer of this year the second permanent and substantial warehouse, directly upon the river, was erected by Churchill Coffing, Esq.

At an election held on the 1st April, 1850, T. D. Brewster, I. D. Harmon, William Paul, Erasmus Winslow and William Roush were elected Trustees. Whole number of votes 49--This Board elected William Paul, President; P. M. Kilduff, Clerk; H. L. Tuller, Treasurer; Geo. Low, Assessor; J. P. Thompson, Street Commissioner; Michael Griffith, Constable; Edmund Pennington, Fire Warden; James Cahill, Collector; and Erasmus Winslow, Health Commissioner. During this year the subject of Railroads began to attract the attention of the people of Illinois. The inhabitants of the town were a good deal excited about the location of one from Aurora, in Kane county, to Peru, via. Ottawa. Subscriptions were raised, and one hundred dollars were appropriated from the treasury to defray the expenses of the survey. This road was never constructed, but the interests of the town were afterwards satisfied by the construction of the Aurora Extension, and Chicago and Burlington, crossing the Illinois Central at Mendota.

In August, the National Hotel, owned by Z. Lewis Esq., was destroyed by fire. This was the largest and best building in the town, and was the first serious loss by fire.

In this year, Adam Lerch was appointed Street Commissioner, in place of Thompson who was removed.

In October Hammond and Welch established the "Peru Democrat," a weekly newspaper. It soon took a high rank and became one of the leading and most influential papers in the interior of the State. Thomas W. Welch, the editor of this paper, gave promise of great usefulness in future years. He was a vigorous writer, energetic and industrious, and imparted a degree of vivacity and spirit to his sheet, rarely met with in country newspapers. He was born at Reading, England, and died at Princeton, Illinois, on the 26th September, 1852, aged twenty-nine years.

On the 9th November a resolution passed the Board, authorizing a subscription on the part of the town, of $25,000 towards the capital stock of the Rock Island and Peru Railroad, on condition that the road should make its eastern terminus on section 16.

By the returns of the United States census for 1850 there were 4,500 inhabitants in the town! That this was an error is most manifest. A steady increase of population and dwellings took place from this period to the first of June, 1854, when by a census carefully taken, by one of the citizens, there were only 3,036 inhabitants. A similar increase has been going on until the present time, when there are found to be only 3,652. If such a decrease has taken place where are the tenements vacated? A similar error occurs in the United States census returns of La Salle, the population of which is set down at 3,201. A census, taken by the authority of the town soon after, exhibited 1,100! It is probable that the census taker was contented with the answer of the first man he met, of whom he enquired the amount of population, and that this person happened to be a large lot holder. Generally, in such cases, if the amount stated be divided by two, an approximate result may be obtained.

On the 15th March, 1851, the town of Peru was incorporated as a City. The territory incorporated embraced the South half of Section 16, the South East quarter of Section 17, the North East fractional quarter of