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Patrick Lynch
lived near Greenbush in the latter part of the '30s and
early '40s. He was an Irishman and spent considerable
time riding about the country swapping horses. He
traded a horse for lots eight and nine on section sixteen,
afterwards known as the Henry Beam place.
During the presidential campaign of 1840, when Martin
Van Buren was running against Wm. Henry
Harrison, Patrick rode into the village of Greenfield on
a horse possessed of high mettle, of which Patrick
was very proud. Some four or five men stood on the
corner near a store, talking. Patrick took occasion
to ride by them shouting for Van Buren. This did not
please Harvey Darneille, who was one of the
men in the group, as he was a staunch Harrison man.
He told Lynch to shut up and go away from there.
Patrick rode around the second time, shouting for Van
Buren. Harvey again told him to go away, saying: "If you
come around here again, I will fix you."
In a short time
Lynch made another circle, riding up nearer the group and
making the same exclamations for Van Buren.
As he went to pass them, Harvey stooped down and
picked up an old queensware crate that happened to be there.
This he swiftly threw over the head of Patrick. The
crate being lengthy, when one end was over Patrick's
head, the other end dropped over his horse's hips after the
style of a breeching.
The horse
immediately became wild and frantic. Patrick in
trying to hold him had no time to lift the crate off his
head. Every man in town did his best to separate the
crate from Patrick and his horse, but it was not an easy
thing to do. But the horse was finally caught and the crate
removed. No bad results followed, although Patrick
was somewhat tired and said nothing more about Van
Buren.
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