FROM THE ARCHIVES

(By Stephen Kelley from the People’s Defender 1984)

In last week’s column, we introduced you to the tiny hamlet of Bradysville. Founded in 1839, this little village’s proper name is Centerville. Its proprietor was Van Brady, son of Revolutionary War hero Samuel Brady, whose leap for life across the Cuyahoga River became legendary in Ohio history.

From all indications, Samuel Brady never lived in Adams County but did own acreage here. In 1788 a 700-acre tract of land was surveyed for him on Zane’s Trace, less than a mile north where his son Van later plotted Bradysville.

Unfortunately, Samuel never lived to benefit from his Adams County investment. The land remained idle until his death when it was sold by his sons.

The post office was established at Bradysville in July of 1846 with Power Campbell appointed as Postmaster. The second postmaster was W.H. Greenlee, who also kept the store down the road at Evertonville. The fourth postmaster appointed at Bradysville was Samuel Greenlee. His death is noted in Evans and Stivers history of Adams County as follows: “Partisan politics and its debauching influences caused the killing of Samuel Greenlee by Albert Adamson on the day following the presidential election in 1888.” West Union was crowded with Republicans rejoicing over Harrison’s election and Samuel Greenlee, who had recently before joined their organization and who had been drinking heavily for some days, was among the jollifiers. Albert Adamson, son of Jon Adamson, then a leader in the Republican party in the county, had allied himself with the Democratic organization. Although a mere lad of 16 or 17 years, he and Greenlee had some controversy on the day of the election over matters connected with politics.

About 10 o’clock on the day of the killing, Greenlee and young Adamson applied insulting epithets to each other in a crowd of jollifiers near the old Crawford Hotel (presently, the Olde Wayside Inn) on Main Street and as Adamson turned away walking in the middle of the street east toward the public square, Greenlee following him, intending to go, as he claimed, across the street to the barber shop, then conducted by Sylvanus Edgington, a prominent Republican in local politics.

When Greenlee had reached the middle of the street, Adamson turned and fired several shots in quick succession, wounding Greenlee mortally. He was helped into Dr. (David) Coleman’s office adjoining the Crawford Hotel on Main Street, where he died in a short time. Young Adamson was arrested, indicted and tried for murder, but was cleared of the charge through the efforts of his counsel, chief of whom was Ulrick Sloan, then a noted criminal lawyer in southwestern Ohio.