The People vs. the Pearls
1853. Washington itself was only 28 years old with a population around 700 people.
Black Hawk Hill was the colloquial name for the hill west of Farm Creek. On that hill, near the location of what is now Spring Street Apartments, existed a business called Pearl Grocery, owned by brothers Frederick and Sylvester Pearl. In 1850, this was outside of the residential part of the city. Along with groceries, the Pearl’s store supposedly doubled as a drinking establishment.
On March 23, 1853, a man named David Kelso of Washington died young, in his mid-40s. His family and friends assumed it was from alcohol poisoning, alcohol procured from the Pearl Grocery. Two days later, a group of over twenty Washington men stormed the establishment and destroyed anything they could find. Legend has it that many of the barrels were rolled down the hill into the creek. The list of destroyed property that can be deciphered from the court documents is below:
Windows, locks, doors
150 gallons whiskey
200 gallons vinegar
50 gallons wine
10 jars pickles
4 jars currant jelly
100 gallons beer
10 beer barrels
10 whiskey barrels
10 vinegar barrels
10 wine barrels
10 beer half-barrels
10 Turpentine cans
10 oil cans
25 tind measures
100 bottles
100 corks
50 stone jars
20 jugs
12 pewter faucets
10 molasses jars
100 glasses
10 looking glasses
5 clocks
500 bottles patent medicine
600 medicines
1000 vials patent medicine
15 pounds indigo
20 vests
500 yards of lace
20 wrought collars
20 collars
500 papers of pins
100 papers of needles
100 pencils
10 razors
10 paper strips
10 bundles yarn
5 pounds cotton thread
2 pounds linen thread
1 box spool thread
5 pieces prints
10 pieces lawn
50 yards prints
20 yards lawn
10 pair gloves
200 buttons
12 glass jars
50 pounds of paints
1 keg mustard
1 bag mustard seed
4 bushels onions
2 sacks sage
3 bushels dried apples
1 box crackers
1 box saltpeter
1 set of scales
5 wheelheads
10 augers
12 knives
12 funnels
1 stove
30 feet stove pipe
3 counters
1 set chairs
30 shelves
20 drawers
1 cupboard
1 desk
50 bank note lists
1000 newspapers
1 ream writing paper
12 memorandum books
24 steel pens
1 box thimbles
10 finger rings
10 pair spectacles
20 pounds sugar
30 pounds sugar
1 box sharing soap
100 plates and dishes
20 pounds tobacco
1 keg ginger
3 pounds pepper
25 pounds spice
2 pounds nutmeg
1 pound cloves
1 mat of cinnamon
Twenty-one defendants were originally charged with destruction of property. Four agreed to testify for the state so their charges were dropped. The remaining 17 were indicted by a grand jury and the case went to trial. Springfield lawyer Abraham Lincoln was called to defend the case. The defense was that the Pearl house was notorious for “drunkenness, idleness, quarrelling, profane swearing, obscenity, and other offensive acts,” and that the mob was only destroying the items that were contributing to that atmosphere. Any other damages were incidental in the raid, according to the defense.
After a slew of witnesses were called, six of the 17 defendants (later known as the “Washington Boys” in media accounts) were found guilty while 11 were acquitted. After the criminal and civil cases were complete, the Pearls were awarded $50 (~$1,800 today) after seeking $5,000 (~$180,000) in damages. Abraham Lincoln was paid $25 (~$900) for each of the criminal and civil defenses. As a result of the incident, the Pearls were indicted for keeping a disorderly house and selling whiskey without a license. They were found guilty and fined $25.
The story became wildly exaggerated over the years, becoming a fictitious event where hundreds of men stormed the establishment and were arrested.
In 2009 the Advanced Drama class at Washington Community High School performed a short play “People vs Pearl” about the event.