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    The inner, or private life of men of note are inquired after, and to a reasonable extent should be gratified with all the little incidents that go to make up their character.

    As I am probably the only one acquainted with Col. Tripp's private or home life, who will feel inclined to take upon themselves this delicate duty, I hope to escape the charge of egotism in claiming the confidence which enables me to connect myself with him in the general details that make up this memoir.

    Hagerman Tripp was born in Hamilton county Ohio, in September, 1812. When but a child he was brought, by his parents, with four brothers and five sisters to Switzerland county, Indiana. His father and mine each bought a piece of land among the Ohio river hills contiguous to the little town of Troy. The name of this town was changed to Patriot in the course of a few years.

    Here, at this little place on the bank of the Ohio river, was built a log school house where I formed the acquaintance of Hagerman. It was not a formal affair, but such a one as grows from natural likes and dislikes among boys. In this model school house we sat together upon the same "puncheon," which was the half of a log split open and the split side hewed smooth. This formed our bench. This seat was placed in front of the wall where a log had been left out in putting up the building. The opening was some twenty feet long-the length of the building-and was covered over with white paper instead of glass, and well greased to make it transparent.

    This window lighted our writing desk, and here commenced the golden opportunity of an education. Our school was usually kept three months out of the twelve.

    To Hagerman this opened a field for knowledge that he never neglected. When school expired he would read history, if to be had. He read evenings by the light of a tallow candle and gained much valuable information while many boys and men whiled their time away in idleness.

    Here on the beautiful Ohio river bank was kept a wood yard for the sale of wood to steamboats. Along this placid stream would occasionally float a steamer, and if in need of fuel she would round to, and make her line fast and go to work. While lying by it offered an opportunity to persons to go aboard and see what was to be seen. Twas no uncommon thing for the lower deck to be well filled with the stapled products of Virginia and Kentucky, consisting of mules and human "cattle" - colored men and women chained together by their wrists, in gangs of forty or fifty, on their way South to be sold to cane and cotton planters. Some singing, some laughing and others crying for parted loved ones.

    Here was another branch of education for my young friend to study-that of human rights. These sights with the thoughts they naturally produced, were so indelibly stamped upon his sensitive nature that they were hard to be held in abeyance for time to give them vent. They finally cropped out in politics and culminated in the rebellion. He soon discovered that his observations and general reading, with a retentive memory, gave him power, and his schoolmates and associates would readily listen to what he had to say. With such characteristics he readily became a fine thinker, and never following or adopting the arguments of others through fear of involving himself in an untenable position. It prepared him to give a reason for his opinion.

    Though he never became a public debater from great modesty and diffidence, the community in which his life has been passed never received the benefit from his round judgment and general information that it ought to have had. With these natural powers and the information acquired, made him a critic and loving right for the sake of right he often critized his associates when found in error. This element grew with his growth, and strengthened with his strenght, and many times I have defended him from abuse from other boys, and sometimes since grown into manhood from men whom I believed felt piqued because of something said or done that involved that principle.

    He abhorred policy, if made at the sacrifice of principle, and when grown into manhood could hardly consent to do business with men whom he discovered to be tricky and dishonest.

    Allow me to carry this sketch back to where we find him in 1842. He was now a resident of Vernon, this county, and in partnership with John Walker built a saw mill on-Crooked creek, four miles east of Vernon, in which he invited me to take an interest. I had just returned from Iowa where I had gone on the hunt of a western home but gave up the going for the time.

    With this conclusion I moved to Madison from which place my household goods had to be shipped by rail to Vernon. We landed in the upper part of Goff's flour mill which was the depot and the end of the J. M. and I., at that time. I then moved to the saw mill where plenty of work could be done, but for a small amount of money. "Economy" was the watch-word then, and for many years before and many after.

    In two years our lumber had accumulated, and no home market. With the advantage of the railroad we got our lumber to Madison, loaded a flat boat in the fall of 1844, cast off our line and dropped down to Memphis, Tenn. During the winter I sold out and closed up the partnership between John Walker and us. In the spring filled our boat with produce for coasting went through the Yazoo Pass to Vicksburg and here met Brother Tripp with a flat boat load of produce-mostly port. It was now mid-summer and so hot that it took nerve to do business on the landing. I can't pass an incident that curdled the blood and called up the memory of seeing the human chattle at Patriot, on the steamer.

    A light-complectioned drayman drove down to the wharf for a load of goods. He attracted our attention, as draymen were generally colored men. Think for a moment of the surprise and indignation felt on seeing the initials of his owner's name printed with indelible ink upon his cheek.

    About this time the yellow fever made its appearance and at this date little effort was used to control it. It made its way into our rude cabin and two of our men weere sent to the hospital. We then lashed our boats together, and with but little help left Vicksburg for the lower coast. My own health was poor-having chills- and Brother Tripp complaining. But little time elapsed before another hand took violently sick, with high fever. The scourage laid its yellow hands upon him and in less than twelve hours he had yielded up his life. In a few hours more we had made Biagola Landinng, which was 100 miles above New Orleans. Brother Tripp was becoming quite sick and we hastened to get assistance, finding a genuine, noble, whole-souled gentleman the over-seer of a plantation one mile below. He sent his men to help drop our boats down to his quarters where our dead was taken to be buried and a physician procured to see Brother Tripp. He grew rapidly worse, and became delirous. We hastily made a litter and two strong colored men carried him up the river bank to the overseer's house. He was now in the hands of a good doctor, a good nurse, and a glorious overseer. My attention was now necessary to guarding our little stock of merchandise, money and boats. My instructions from Brother Tripp, when he found he had to pass under the hands of the epidemic, were to take the paper money and put it smoothly into a large book among the leaves, in connection with his papers showing his accounts with his partners, P. A. Andrews and John Basnett, of Vernon: the gold and silver were to be put in an old coffee pot and tea kettle, and these in connection with the book were to be put into a well worn tool chest with other cooking utensils. There was no lock to this chest-nothing but a piece of rope tied around it to keep the lid in place. My unobserved attention was to be given this old chest. The weather was hot and my mattress could as well be placed besides the chest as anywhere on the flat boat. I closed out one boat then while waiting and gloomily watching for a turn in the disease. In four or five days the doctor pronounced him out of danger and with careful nursing he would get all right. His calmness and honestly in the trying hours which preceded this terrible sickness made still further impressions of love and esteem for him. Having sold one boat and put the remaining contents of the other in the one left. I bid my brother good by took the two men (all we had left of a double crew) and swung out into the rapid current of the Mississippi for New Orleans. Next morning I landed opposite the city, having been forced by the wind to do so. Then I discharged my two hands feeling much safer alone than with these strange men who could not but know that there were valuable treasures aboard. I immediately got my boat towed over the river to the city, made rapid sales, and in ten days was able to close out, weak and worn with frequent chills, yet my heart was light as I boarded a steamer coming North. I engaged a deck passage for myself so that I could sleep near the old chest, and a nice berth for Brother Tripp. When we reached Biagola, and the bell rang, my joy was unbounded to see our friend (the overseer) aiding my weak brother to the boat. We bid him a warm good bye, and his great goodness and kind treatment of my sick friend was the theme of many conversations afterwards when Brother Tripp sent him a nice present. We took our convalescent brother aboard the steamer and brought him safely with the other treasures to his family, friends and creditors.

    By mutual consent our milling and flatboating partnership was closed up. My system was filled with bayou garbroth and I was kept busy for the next two or three years with chills to work it off. During this time, Brother Tripp in connection with Samuel Wagner and John Tripp, built a steam saw mill three-fourths of a mile west. It had been running but a short time when Brother Tripp got his hand caught while oiling machinery and so badly crushed that the amputation of three fingers was necessary. While he was laid up from this accident he expressed a strong desire that I should again engage in business with him. The other partners being willing I consented. This adhesive element had made us more than brothers, and again we became connected in business.

    I pass hastily over eight or ten years of a busy saw mill life, when the idea of a railroad from Cincinnati to St. Louis was agitated and finally located. Brother Tripp having bought the ground where it crossed the J. M. & I., laid out the town of Tripton. We had dissolved our partnership and I had sold my farm and stock with the full intention of going to Kansas, where I had invested my means in land with the view of farming. Brother Tripp said he had a big undertaking before him in building his town and would share with me if I would stay with him. The same brotherly feeling that had become a part of us warmed into life and I yielded up a pampered idea of a western farm and home and became a partner in this embryo city. Its history is well known to the people. Brother Tripp's private record is without spot or blemish so far as I know. Many eventful changes were met and ovecome with that same generous and manly way that characterized his out-door life.

    I pass down the stream of time and over many noteworthy events till the tocsin of war is sounded. Without delay he consults his friends, and that love of country, that patriotic pride became paramount to everything else and he decides to answer to his country's call. My family and his motherless children are blended together and become one family, until he was crippled and returned home to take that pleasant duty off our hands. Inall these years of pain and suffering I never heard him repine or complain of the government, or say he would not give as much or more to save his government if again imperiled. His military record is written in the history of the rebellion by more able pens than mine, therefore I will not encumber this memoriam with further notice of it.

    His widow deserves a tribute of esteem for her untiring and constant attention to all the colonel's wants during his many years of crippled suffering. Her watchful care was over him going and coming from outside business or by the fireside.

    Hagerman Tripp was more than a brother to me. I loved him for his true manhood. His memory will abide with his friends and be enshrined in the hearts of his family and mine. He has led me in life; he leads me in death. If he finds a better country I shall be with him; if he sleeps I shall sleep beside him. As in life he has no fear, so would I be taught by his calm confidence that all will be well. His record dulls the keen edge of death. He fought a good fight and has gone to his rest. We shall continue to miss him till our time comes to go to him.

    I most respectfully bring this griefstricken memoriam to the notice of a generous public. Very truly yours,         E. P. Hicks

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