of Menard and Mason Counties
By T.G. Onstott
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CHAPTER XXX Page 301 In 1849 or 1850, Benjamin Allwood, with two sons, Jack and Hugh Allwood, settled south of Manito. The Allwood family had some money and entered a lot of the best land in the township. From various causes they became unpopular with their neighbors. The feeling grew until it culminated in open demonstrations, and in 1854 a party in disguise waited on the Allwoods and informed them that they must leave the county. The Allwoods told them that they had come to stay and did not intend to be frightened away. Not long afterwards, a crop of wheat was burned in the stack. It was the impression that the Allwoods knew something about the burning of the wheat and the Allwood crop was burned in retaliation. This was followed up by the burning of the house and the shooting of Hugh and one of his sisters. The shooting, however, did not prove fatal. After the burning of their home, the Allwood family moved to Quiver and remained a short time. Returning, they built a hewn log house and set about raising crops. In the fall of 1856, while Jack Allwood was in his field cutting up corn, he was shot by unknown parties and killed. This put an end to the prosecution of the parties supposed to have been engaged in the destruction of their crops.
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