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During the early days Joel Leverich was a prominent political character in Linn county. He was called the "Bogus Coon," as it was claimed that he belonged to a gang of counterfeiters. However true that may he, no one knows, as he called himself a fellow who could make counterfeit money which would pass muster even in the land office. Leverich was a bright and intelligent person and wielded a great deal of influence as a sort of ward heeler before wards were organized in an early day, and it was frequently stated "that as Joel Leverich went, so went the county." Joel was not perhaps as interested in the political views of the candidates as he was in getting pay for his services and in having a promise of a pull with the officers if elected.
Bill Brody also wielded more or less influence in an early day in the county, and sometimes lined up with one party and sometimes with another. It was generally true, that if Leverich and his followers were all on one side, Brody and his companions would generally be opposed, and it was very seldom that both gangs were enlisted to work for the same political party in any one campaign.
At one time just preceding a county election, members of the two gangs met at the Joshua Glover saloon in Marion. All had been drinking, and it was not long until the street was full of people, there being fifteen to twenty on a side all engaged in a general free-for-all fight. No one tried to interfere, and blood flowed freely. While Bill Brody was the leader and perhaps the most active, his chum and follower, Barry Way, was the most powerful fighter, and is said to have cleaned out the entire gang and won the day. His political party was in power for a day at least.
While there was much disorder, and trouble arose on account of lack of enforcement of law and order, it would be apparent that if men were elected to office by the assistance and help of men of this type it was not surprising to hear that officials could not, or would not always carry out the provisions of the law. Ambrose Harlan, well known in an early day as a person who had nerve and considerable fight in him, came out as a candidate for sheriff on a platform all his own, claiming that "he would catch horse thieves, and would even serve a warrant on Bill Brody himself, leader of the notorious gang," referred to in these pages.
Harlan became an imaginary hero in the eyes of the people, and was elected by a large majority. For a long time after he had assumed the duties of his office there did not seem to be anything doing in his particular line. In fact the sheriff's office was the most deserted place at the county seat. It resembled a summer resort in winter time, and Harlan was about to resign for want of anything to do, for if there was anything Harlan loved it was a fight to a finish or a wordy contest with a political opponent. As sheriff there was nothing to do in either line, for people seemed for once to mind their own business.
At last, one morning a warrant was brought to the sheriff to be served on Brody, who had been charged with grand larceny of a team of horses. Harlan's moment had come, and he prided himself on the fact that he would lodge Brody in jail before the next sun set. A few inquiries were made, and Brody was located in the Way cabin, some five or six miles east of Vinton. At Vinton Harlan organized a posse and started early next morning to catch the culprit before he would leave for the day.
They surrounded the cabin, Harlan fearing that the fellows had already escaped, but he ascertained that the smoke issuing from the cabin was only an indication that Mrs. Way was getting breakfast ready. He found Bill Brody and his chum Barry Way in bed. He was not long in making his errand known, and Brody replied. "Do you want me naked or will you give me time to put on my duds?" To which Harlan replied that as it was still early and he had all day, he would wait till the fellows dressed. The men took considerable time in arranging their morning toilet, saying to one another that it might be a long time before they would get back, and that the trial court could do nothing without their presence, so there was no hurry. Harlan sat on a home-made rickety chair in one corner of the room, with a gun in his left hand and a hickory stick in the other, watching the two culprits, and recalling the old refrain, "Weep no mo' me lady," as he watched the poor mother Way walking about the room with tears in her eyes, wondering what her wayward son had been up to this time. Harlan kept special watch on Way, who was the athlete, not fearing Brody, who was a small person. As Harlan looked out at the tiny window to detect a certain noise he heard, Brody, nimble as a cat, was at his side in an instant. He wrung the hickory sapling out of the sheriff's hands and struck him a savage blow on the head so that the Linn county official was "dead to the world" for at least thirty minutes. The crowd outside were in hiding near a straw stack, and when they saw the two desperadoes come out of the cabin alone without any sheriff following, they took to their horses and rode away as fast as they could, never looking around till the town of Vinton was in sight.
When the sheriff realized what had happened, he was invited to breakfast by Mrs. Way, who said it might be a long time before her boarders would return. The sheriff would not accept the invitation, but asked instead for bandages for his head.