The Crazy, True Story of Alonzo R. Weed

The Crazy, True Story of Alonzo R. Weed. Amesville. , It was all meant to be a joke. Alonzo Weed was unfit for the job, village citizens complained. He drank too much and had no respect for the office. But once the dust settled and the votes were counted, few were laughing: Amesville had just elected a 4-foot-tall, wayward hobo as mayor., Alonzo Weed was likely born somewhere on the west coast around 1850. He was a classic "tramp' of the times. He first moved to Amesville in 1902, perhaps to live with his uncle, Daniel Fleming, who sources say had quite a bit of money. Weed was a strange but friendly guy and quickly made friends with many in town, most of whom called him "Lon" or "Lonnie.", Amesville residents were entertained, primarily, by Alonzo's unusual character. He was only 4 feet, 1 inch tall (other sources put him around 4 feet, 7 inches) and routinely dressed the part of a hobo. He wore trousers and hats much too large for him, along with a gigantic coat that nearly swallowed him up., It's hard to say for sure what first prompted his name to get placed on the ballot. In many versions of the story, he was nominated by a few friends on Election Day as a joke. Another version is that his rich Uncle Fleming was looking for a way to dissolve the village altogether to lower his taxes. His plan was to have Alonzo elected mayor, which would then cause the other village officials to resign in disgust. With no one to lead the village, voters would have no choice but to disband the town., One way or another, Weed's name was placed on the mayoral ballot of April 1903. The election ended in a tie, with Weed and his opponent, Edward Clark, both receiving 21 votes. To decide which of them would be mayor,the men drew cards. Weed's opponent went first and drew a nine of spades. Weed then pulled out the jack of diamonds and was sworn in as the new mayor of Amesville. Almost immediately, residents began to realize what they had done., Newspapers from all over the United States reported the absurd story. Writers affectionately referred to Weed as "the smallest mayor in America." The little town of Amesville and its "famous hobo midget mayor," as the Akron Beacon Journal called him, quickly became the talk of the nation. Residents became more and more embarrassed by their village's newfound fame., Weed, however amicable and funny as he might have been, was woefully unqualified for the job. He was an alcoholic in a dry town, a drifter with little appreciation or experience with municipal government. Villagers quickly sought ways to remove Weed from office. Some of Weed's detractors (mostly businessmen, politicians and lawyers) drafted a petition to Gov. George Nash.They pointed to a new state law which gave an Ohio governor the authority to unilaterally remove a mayor if circumstances required it. They argued that Weed, an illiterate "drunkard," was mentally incapable of performing his duties as mayor. They noted he was once sentenced to the Cincinnati jail after getting arrested for public drunkenness., Nash suspended Mayor Weed while his office considered the allegations. Everyone involved expected the suspension would remain permanent. Instead came another twist - Nash completely reversed course and issued a stunning announcement that Weed would be reinstated as mayor. The townsfolk back in Amesville were understandably outraged. But for Nash, the decision was simple. The law was designed to allow him to remove a mayor for any misconduct committed as mayor. The laundry list of issues - Weed's criminal background and questionable backstory - all occurred prior to his candidacy., Doing the job was not Alonzo Weed's "gig". Shortly after Nash's decision Alonzo left Amesville. A local paper reported that he was seen "hoofing it to Parkersburg." The townsfolks were overjoyed by his absence. Weed's life consisted of traveling and drinking. Over the next months and years, he was arrested several times for drunkenness. Upon one of his releases, he was asked where he was headed. Weed replied, "Back to the road, no more Amesville for me. I have enjoyed my time in prison more than my administration as mayor. Tell my friends I am out of jail, out of politics, and out for the coin. Politics is rotten.", This narrative was adapted from an article written by Tyler Buchanan, Athens Messenger Staff journalist.