Yale University Library

39002006438437

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"Igivethefe Books
for tie fonmimg of a. CoHtgt in. this Colony"

• iuiiBis^iKEr •

Bought with the income
of the
James Dwight Fund

Original Owner of Doniphan County Lands.

GflffY'S
flOW HP COUHTY
HISTORY.

A RECORD OF THE HAPPENINGS OF
HALF A HUNDRED YEARS.
BY
P. L. GKAY.

Copyright 1905, by P. L. Gray.

The Hoycroft Press,
1905.

TO THE MEMORY OF
THS COUNTY'S PIONGGRS,
LIVING AND DEAD,
Iiv grateful recognition of their heroic services
in transforming a saVage wilderness
into a garden of peace and plenty,
This Book is respectfully
By
THE AUTHOR.

«KK2«KKXKK}«KKK^^

©MR IbbMSTRilTION^ Picture Section.
[Pages 75-77-84-85-88 to 112]

FRONTISPIECE, AN ORIGINAL LANDLORD ^
Mrs. Eva Ryan Swayze g
A. W. Themanson i$
Harry Mailler 8
Tobias Larson S
Dr. W. B. Campbell g
Dr. R. S. Dinsmore 1
John P. Johnson 3
Ed. Heeney :?i
Cyrus Leland, Jr., 1864 and 1904 [§
Wm. I. Stuart ^
W. H. H. Curtis g
James Gallagher 3£
Col. A. G. Ege %.
Mrs. Jane Spencer %
The Noble Family jf
Jacob Brenner .;<
John W. Forman %
X. K. Stout %
Thomas W. Langan ;j£
Judge Nathan Price •$
John J. Baker -J
Sol. Miller |
H. J. Calnan g
Fr. Thomas Bartl, O. S. B. ^
Fr. Matthew Bradley, O. S. B. %

Beudena School a
St. Benedict's Church §
Wendell Braun and wife &
Pat. Kirwan and grandson 23
"KENNEKUK" Chief of the Kickapoos, (proxy) |
£)*53

GfiflY'S BONIPHflN COUNTY HISTOflY.

CHAPTER I.

TOWN ANP TOWNSHIP HISTORY.

WAYNE TOWNSHIP.

The name of the township was chosen
by A. H. Dunning, one of the first coun
ty commissioners, who wished to assist
in perpetuating the memory of a great
Revolutionary hero. The township was
organized on September 1, 1855, together
with four other townships. It has its
share of the rough land which Nature
gave to Doniphan county; nevertheless,
the land has been utilized for orchard
and vineyard and pasture, and has con
tributed largely to the wealth of the
county. Since its organization two
changes have been made in its boundary
lines, the first being made in October,
1856, to admit Marion into the sisterhood
of townships; the second in June, 1859,
which left it with the present bounda

ries. The land is drained by three princi
pal streams— Independence, Rock, and
Brush creeks. FRAGMENTS.
A few of the very lirst settlers: In
1852, J. F. Forman and Josephus Utt;
in 1854, J. W. Formau, B. S. Whorton,
John Stanliff, Dr. R. H. Hereford and
John Tracy; in 1855-6, William Shaw,
Geo. Waller, Dr. Hudnall, David Lee,
Dick Vest, Col. A. G. Ege, Silas Loyd,
W. K. Leddington and John Harding.
The first marriage ceremony was per-
iormed by Rev. J. Devorse of Rushville,
Mo., the contracting parties being Dr.
Hereford and Amanda Tracy. The cere
mony was performed in 1854, at the home
of the bride's father on Rock creek, near
the present site of Brenner. It is claimed
for this man that he was the first physi-

12

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

cian in the township as well as the first
man to patronize the preacher by employ
ing him to tie the Gordian knot of matri
mony. The skill of this pioneer doctor
is attested to by the fact that some of
those who were once his patients are still
living in good health in the county.
In the summer of 1855, a daughter was
born into the family of Dick Vest. This
was perhaps the first while child born in
the township.
In the winter of 1854-5, a sister-in-law
of John Stanliff's was burned to death at
the Stanliff home on Rock creek, south of
the precent site of Brenner.
A young teacher named Heartly taught
a four months' term of subscription
school on a small tributary of Rock creek
about two miles south of the present lo
cation of Brenner, during the summer of
1857. He received £20 a month for his
services, and we'll venture to assert that
his pupils who are still living, remember
to this day just what the teacher said,
and done, and wore.

Doniphan.
In 1852, Josephus Utt, agent for the
Kickapoo Indians, erected a hut near the
river bank on what now is the townsite
of Doniphan. Two years later, on No
vember 11, 1854, the organizers of the
Doniphan Town Company met at St.
Joseph, Mo., at which time and place of
ficers of the company were elected. Ear
ly in the spring of the following year a
townsite was surveyed by J. F. Forman,
and building began at once.
One of the apparent advantages of the

place as a townsite was the excellent steam
boat landing, and the place was favorably
known up and down the river by boat
men as the ideal place to land. The first
wave of genuine prosperity to strike the
new town came early in 1857, when the
government land office was located there;
but the wave subsided a year later, when
the land office was removed to Kickapoo.
The removal of the land office was the
beginning of the rapid decline of the
town. Late in the '60s the business men
began to desert, one by one, many going
to Atchison, whose star had been for
some time in its ascendency, and the once
prosperous town settled down to the
quiet of a village. Later it was aban
doned by the railroad, which was driven
out by the washing of the river.
The following from Redpath's Hand
book to Kansas Territory, published in
J859, presents the optomistic view of the
early prophet and citizen:
"Doniphan, it is admitted by every
one, has the best rock-bound landing, and
the best townsite on the Missouri river
anywhere above St. Louis. It has run
ning through it a tine stream of water,
which by a trifling outlay which will
soon be expended, can be made to flow
through five of the principal streets. A
wealthy company has been chartered for
the construction of a railroad for St.
Joseph, through Doniphan, for Topeka,
connecting the Kansas and Missouri riv
ers. The stock is subscribed— ten per
cent paid in. That part of it from St.
Joseph to Doniphan will be completed as
soon as the connection is made with Han
nibal. Lots can be purchased at Doni-

CHIEF KENNEKUK.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

13

phan on more liberal terms than at any
other town on the Missouri. We say to
the emigrant, come to Doniphan; believ
ing as we do, that it is destined to be
the great emporium of the upper Mis
souri. The population is about one
thousand." FRAGMENTS.
The first lawyer was Colonel D. M.
Johnson, who afterwards located in Troy.
S. N. Smallwood is said to have been
the first wagonmaker, and it was also
said of him that he was kept so busy that
he found little time to talk politics. One
or two men lost their lives here in the
early days because they had time to talk
politics. Patrick Laughlin was the first to make
tin pans and coffee pots for the pioneer
housewife, Wm. Beauchamp, the first blacksmith,
was welcomed by the town and country,
as a blacksmith shop in those days was of
great importance.
At the first sale of town lots in Doni
phan, April 15, 1855, as high as $2,000
was paid for a single lot. The buyer of
this lot on taking a backward look from
today must be filled with regret that he
did not invest his money in a few farms in
the country instead of sinking his money
io'the town.
The first religious services were con
ducted by a Baptist minister named An
derson, in 1855.
Barney O'Driscoll was the proprietor
of the first hotel, the Doniphan House,
built in the winter of 1855-6.

The Constitutionalist, not only the first
paper in the town, but also the first in
the county, was started in 1855, by Thos.
J. Key, a pro-slavery Democrat.
The town was named for General Alex
ander William Doniphan, of Mexican war
fame, and rightly proud of the name han
she ever been.
J. F. Forman surveyed the townsite
early in 1855, receiving in payment for
his -services some choice town lots. He
erected the first building immediately af
ter the survey, the first store being opened
by him.
March 3, 1855, a postoffice was estab
lished with John Forman as postmaster.
The first election was held in October,
1855. J. A. Vanarsdale and Wm. Shaw
were elected justices, and Joshua Saun
ders was elected constable.
In the spring of 1855, Samuel Collins
set up the first saw mill. In November
of the same year he was killed in a polit
ical quarrel.
The first school was taught by Mrs. D.
Frank in a log cabin, during the summer
of 1856.
St. John's Catholic church was built in
1857, and was in charge of Father Au-
gustin Wirth, O. S. B.
In 1857, James H. Lane was made pres
ident of the town company. The town
at that time had fully 1,000 inhabitants,
while Atchison had less than 200.
Henry Latham, a twin brother of Hiram
Latham, was shot and killed on the
street late in the year of 1857, by a man

14

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

named Frank McVey. Latham was walk
ing up the street with a Sharp's rifle.
George A. Cutler was a pioneer physi
cian. Dr. Welsh was the second to lo
cate in April, 1857.
May 10, 1857, a Methodist Episcopal
church was organized by Rev. B. F.
Bowman. A company of Free State men called
the "Crusaders" was organized at Doni
phan, in January, 1858, to hold against
Dunning's "Tigers".
The bodies of four dead men were tak
en from the river at Doniphan during the
first week in August, 1858.
Arcana Lodge, No. 31, A. F. & A. M.,
was organized December 29, 1S58.
Political rivalry caused the removal of
the Government Land Office to Kicka
poo in 1859.
In 1860, the St. Charles Hotel', built
in 1857, was destroyed by lire.
A young girl named Missouri Dooley
was shot by a guard, one night along in
the early "60s, who mistook her for a
man, the girl being attired in man's
clothes. This was about the time that
Cleveland's gang of outlaws robbed A. B.
Hymns' store. Many of the business
houses were guarded every night for a
whole season.
In 1864, Doniphan was regarded as
the best grain market on the Missouri
river. In 1867, Adam Brenner built an eleva
tor with a capacity of 40,000 bushels, at
a cost of 816,000. In 1872, it was de

stroyed by fire, together with its con
tents, a large amount of grain. There
was an insurance of only $3,000 on it.
The Doniphan House, after many
changes of proprietors, was burned in
the fall of 1868.
In 1869, George Brenner planted the
first five acres of the famous Belleview
vineyard. Doniphan Chapter, No. 13, R. A. M.,
was organized October 17, 1869.
A large two-story brick building was
erected by Adam Brenner in 1869, to ac
commodate his wine interests. The build
ing was 65x4-1 feet, with a large cellar.
There was storage room for 9,000 gallons
of wine. The great Brenner vineyards,
famous all over the West, are situated
just outside the town limits.
The construction train on the Atchison
& Nebraska railroad crossed Independ
ence creek on Tuesday. This was the
first entrance of the' cars into Doniphan
county on this road. A force of about
one hundred men are at work in the track
laying department, and they are pushing
things lively.— Reporter, October 6, 1870.
In 1871, there were 228 families in
Doniphan. The poplation was 1,020.
Fifty-three girls and twenty-eight boys
were born there that year. We offer the
suggestion that all those babies that are
still living, meet and hold a big reunion
in the town of their birth .
About the year 1880, a diamond drill
was sunk by a company prospecting for
coal. The drill went down 1,000 feet,
but no encouraging discovery was made.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

15

That there is both coal and gas in the
earth beneath Doniphan cannot be doubt
ed. In the winter, skaters on Doniphan
lake cut holes in the ice and the gas that
escapes irom the holes when ignited
burns with a constant blaze.
The Doniphan Dramatic Club was or
ganized in 1880. The Club gave its en
tertainments in Brenner's hall. A. Low,
who was stage manager, painted the
scenes and built the stage. The Club
had twenty members. Two years later
the Young Folks' Literary Society was
organized and became a friendly rival of
the Dramatic Club.
Anton Braun, who is still a resident
and business man of the town, began bus
iness here in 1885. He has been a resi
dent of the county thirty-five years. For
eight years he has been postmaster. Mr.
Braun has shown himself truly grateful
for the liberal patronage received from
his wide circle of friends, and shows that
he has deserved all that has been given
him. He has been a continuous and suc
cessful advertiser, one who has made
himself popular with the public seeking
good goods and courteous treatment. It
is a noticeable fact that at this day Mr.
Braun sells as cheaply as any other mer
chant in any part of the county. He has
to compete with Atchison prices, but is
in a position to do so, as he has shown
by his success.
D. Ca vender brought to this office yes
terday a specimen of coal struck at Doni
phan last Thursday (Feb. 10, 1887). It
looks like coal, burns like coal and is coal.
A piece of it thrown into the fire burns
freely, and Mr. Cavender says that the

Doniphan blacksmiths have tested it and
pronounced it equal to anybody's coal.
The vein is nine and a half inches thick
and lies ten feet below the surface.
Down the hill a short distance it crops
out in the road. This cropping, and the
fact that several years ago, when the ice
broke up and formed a tremendous gorge,
great blocks of coal were thrown up on
the bank from the bottom of the river,
led Mr. Cavender to sink a prospect hole
on his place. The ground lies by the
river and is the old Ferry site. The shaft
is about 125 yards from the river. A
prospect drift has been started on the
discovery and, in a few days, the face of
the vein will be fully developed. It is
not proposed, however, to stop at this
vein. The shaft will be sunk deeper,
Mr. Cavender being confident that there
is more coal where the pieces that were
thrown up by the ice came from, and he
expects to strike the lower run at a depth
of 75 or 100 feet. A joint stock compa
ny with sufficient capital will be organ
ized, and machinery purchased to pros
pect the ground thoroughly. Mr. C.
thinks the small vein will pay to work,
but does not expect it to yield in very
large quantities. The find very greatly
encourages the people of the old town,
and the further prosecution of the work
will be watched with interest.— Atchison
Champion. The once glorious old town has had
seven newspapers. The Constitutional
ist, established in 1856, by Thomas J.
Key, lived about two years; The Crusad
er of Freedom, established by James
Redpath, in 1858, lived only a few

16

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

months; The Post, established by the
Reese Brothers, in 1860, lived about a
year; The Democrat, established by J. J.
Ricketts, in 1871, died within the year;
The Herald, established by the Crook
Brothers, in May, 1872, lived only a few
weeks; The News, established in 1882,
by Dr. Welsh & Son, survived only six
months; The Bible Investigator, estab
lished by Wm. Kirby, 1881, lasted for a
short time only, and no other newspaper
has since been attempted in the town.
Doniphan postoffice was opened March
3, 1855, with John W. Forman as post
master. He held it but a short time
when he turned the office over to Geo.
Reese, now of St. Joseph, who was run
ning a paper in Doniphan at the time.
Mr. Reese held the office until 1859,
when N. Werner was appointed. Mr.
Werner held the office from 1859 to 1862,
when Dr. Benjamin was appointed. He
had it one year when it was returned to
Mr. Werner, this being 1863. During
the year Mr. Werner died and his wife
was appointed. She was postmaster the
rest of the year 1863, and up to January
1, 1870. In May, Mrs. Werner and
Chas. R. Kuchs were married and Mr.
Kuchs was appointed postmaster and en
tered the office as postmaster June 1 ,
1870, and held it until April 1, 1871,
when Howard Sale was appointed. He
served until November 1, 1875, when he
returned it to Mr. Kuchs, who held it
from November 1, 1875, until October 1,
1885, when he was followed by Charles
Brenner. Mr. Brenner held the office
till some time in 1887, when Ed Breuer
was appointed and served until May 1,

1889, when it was again returned to- the
careful care of Chas. R. Kuchs. Mr.
Kuchs served until October 1, 1894. Ed
Breuer came next and served until May,
1897. Then came Anton Braun, who is
holding the office today. This is the
chronological account of the Doniphan
postoffice up to date. We may add that
when the postoffice at Doniphan was first
opened mail was carried to the town by
Star route from Atchison to Wathena un
til some time in 1870, when it was trans-
fered to the Atchison-Falls City route
and carried by stage by a man named
Finch until January 3, 1871, when the
A. & N. railroad brought its first mail
into the town. During the great flood
of 1881, the railroad was washed away
and the company decided to abandon the
Doniphan road bed and moved their track
down the valley two miles west, and lo
cated a station which they called Doni
phan Station. In the spring of 1882,
they began to run their trains on the new
route and have so continued. Still the
mail comes to old Doniphan via the
Station. One of the early doctors of the city
dropped a hint that he would give $10
for a good, sound skeleton of a man.
Two young men, who loved to dance,
and who needed money to pay the fid
dler, made a moonlight visit to the bluffs
near town, where there were many Indi
an graves. Digging out a skeleton of
fine proportions, they took it to the
river, fastened it to a boat with a rope
and left it to drag in the water as they
paddled up and down stream until the
bones were washed clean. Delivering

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

17

the skeleton to the doctor, the young
men received $5 each, and there was a
romping big dance the next night.
The first mail train arrived January 3,
1871, on the Atchison & Nebraska rail
road, and there was much rejoicing.
The Doniphan Herald, May, 1872,
thus tells of a visit to the wine cellars of
this place: "We visited the wine cellars
of the Brenners this week, and to say-
that we enjoyed the sparkling fluid from
the 1,000-gallon cask, would not half ex
press our delight in that visit. Such de
licious wines are not found elsewhere in
the United States. Those Brenner wines
are getting a reputation not to be excelled
anywhere in the country. Hermann has
heretofore claimed the laurel in wines,
but Doniphan now so far surpasses her
in quality that Hermann must stand
aside." It will be observed that the
wine went to the Herald editor's head in
short order.
A large school building of brick was
erected in 1873, at a cost of $8,000.
One day, late in the '50s, James Eylar,
who liVed near Doniphan, while on his
way to Atchison in a wagon, overtook a
tall, angular man who asked permission
to ride with him. As they rode Eylar
told the man of some relatives he had
living in Missouri, where he had been
visiting. "What do you think of Jim
Lane, over there?" asked the tall, angular
man of Mr. Eylar. "They don't think
much of him," replied Mr. Eylar, adding,
"if they had the blank of a blank over
there they would soon hang him." On
his arrival at Atchison, Mr. Eylar dis

covered that he had been riding with the
"grim chieftain" himself.
J. F. Conrad, who does a general
blacksmithing business, opened a shop
here in 19U2. lie does fine carriage and
wagon work, guaranteeing satisfaction.
Mr. Conrad's shop turns out as good
work as can be done in any other shop
in the county.
The tail of the tornado that swept over
the eastern portion of Atchison county
on the afternoon of May 13, 1905, killing
Mrs. John Ham, and doing great damage
in its path, grazed the extreme southeast
ern portion of Doniphan county. "It
started near the Catholic church in Doni
phan," says the Atchison Globe, "and
was about a quarter to a half mile wide.
It traveled in a northeast direction, to
Elwood. So far as can be learned, no
one was injured. The track of the storm
can be distinctly seen today; huge trees
were torn out by the roots and fences
blown flat. J. W. Stephenson's store, at
Doniphan Station, was struck by light
ning, and Mr. Stephenson was stunned,
and for a time was rendered senseless. P.
A. Breuer, who lives three miles north
east of Doniphan, was damaged $2,500,
as he lost his house, his barns, fences,
orchard, sheds, households goods, etc.
There are seven in his family, but no one
was hurt, except that one boy was pinched
slightly. Mr. Breuer saw the storm
cloud strike his place. Instantly every
thing went to pieces. A tree a foot
through was cut off by wire in a hog
fence. The trees in the orchard were
twisted out of the ground. One cow was
carried a half mile, and not injured. Mr.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Breuer had a new piano, and it was torn
to pieces. The family saved nothing ex
cept the clothing they wore, and are now
at a neighbor's. The house of William
Scholz, in the same neighborhood, was
damaged. Arthur Evans, living in the
same neighborhood, had his house torn
down, but no one was hurt. A man
named Christopher, living two miles
north of Geary, had his house torn to
pieces and is unable to find any trace
of it. Frank Brenner's house in Doni
phan was badly twisted."
In 1893, G. W. Warfield opened a neat
little store and has since been supplying
his well pleased customers with meats,
groceries and confectioneries. He is very
attentive to the wishes of his patrons,
and his store is a place for bargains.
At present there are less than half a
dozen business houses in town, but they
do considerable business, and the propri
etors are wide-a-wake men, who believe
in honest dealing and the free use of that
magic composition which makes business
and keeps the world awake— printers' ink.
Following is a list of the men now in
business: Anton Braun, general mer
chandise; J. F. Conrad, blacksmithing;
G. W. Warfield, groceries ; Dr. Allen';
T. Langan, general merchandise.

Brenner.
Brenner was the third town in the
township to be laid out. In 1870, the
Atchison & Nebraska railroad was graded
through the Rock creek valley, and in
1872, Brenner was located by the railroad
company. It soon grew into a busy lit
tle town, but the same power that had

given it birth— the railroad— could not
sustain its active lite, on account of its
failing strength, and Brenner did not
long continue in the march of prosperity
that was so cheerfully and hopefully be
gun at the start. It is well remembered
that during the latter '70s and early '80s,
Brenner was an excellent grain market,
being supplied with grain by the farmers
of Wayne, Centre, Union and Wolf River
townships. The buyers bought princi
pally for the Atchison millers, who al
ways paid high prices for good grade
grain, such as the glorious county of
Doniphan has always hirnished. How
proud were the industrious farmers to
learn that the wheat raised by them was
made into flour to be shipped to England
and other parts of Europe! Not a few
biscuits made from Doniphan county
flour have tickled the palates of the roy
alty who demanded the best, and got it.

FRAGMENTS.
A depot was built in 1872 or 1873, and
the boom began.
A few years later, Jeff. McNemee
opened a blacksmith shop, and the ring
of his anvil gave a business-like air to the
cosy village so beautifully located on
Rock creek.
Andrew Loyd, a young man fell under
the cars and was killed, somewhere near
the depot, February 25, 1879.
H. Boughman, stockman, did a good
business here during the early '80s, buy
ing and shipping hogs.
In November, 1881, the depot agent
at Brenner, endeavoring to get the mail

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

19

sack on a very early train, made a ridicu
lous, if not a serious, mistake. He was
in bed when the train whistled for the
station. He rushed out in the twilight to
meet the train, carrying the mail sack in
one hand and his breeches in the other.
The train did not stop, and in his con
fusion, instead of throwing the sack into
the car, he mailed his only breeches.
The train went thundering on, leaving
the agent standing disconsolate with the
chill morning breeze fanning his naked
and trembling limbs. For this attempt
to perform his duty his name, a few
weeks later, was emblazoned on the pink
pages of the New York Police Gazette,
together with a picture and a graphic
description of the shirt tail performance.
The first depot agent for the Atchison
& Nebraska railroad was Harry Nesbit.
Brenner has turned out, at least, half a
dozen competent telegraphers, all having
been born and raised in the neighbor
hood. The only store in 1882, was owned and
operated by Cook & Hinckley. The en
terprising gentlemen of this firm had, at
the time, about all the business there was
in town — merchandising, grain shipping,
notary and legal work, and the agency at
the depot.
Frank Welton who, for many years,
had been a merchant at Norway, engaged
in the grain business here about 1883.
The first Harrison pole raised in Kansas
was raised in Brenner, June 25, 1892.
The pole was seventy-five feet high, in
three sections, painted red, white and
blue.

William A. Stanton was for some
years engaged in the mercantile business
here. He sold out and went to Atchison
about 1892.
Brenner has always had good schools,
and during the '90s, was famous for its
literary societies conducted there. Also,
for a great many years it was the liveliest
village in the county in the way of
amusements; plays and balls being fre
quently given, and always with good
success. Brenner continues to hold her own as
a grain and stock market, and farmers
delivering their products there have the
advantage of the services of a good store,
filled with a well selected line of general
merchandise. Tne prices at this store
will compare favorably with Atchison
prices, and the proprietor, Mr. Geo.
Weatherhogg, is not only a good judge
of what goes to make up a first-class store
for a country town, but is an obliging,
courteous gentleman who believes in
supplying honest goods at fair prices.
Mr. Weatherhogg is also postmaster and
has charge of the telephone office. Pa
trons of the store will find Mr. Weather
hogg as obliging behind the counter as
he is at the telephone or your Uncle
Sam's mail box. A visit to the store will
please you.
A careless conductor of a freight train
on the B. & M. railroad at Brenner, left
a part of his train, with the caboose, on
the main track, on which the fast train
from Denver (the Cannon Ball) comes
and which goes by at full speed. There
being a sharp curve in the road just be
fore reaching Brenner, made it impossi-

20

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

ble for the engineer to avoid the collision.
The brakes were quickly put on; the en
gine was reversed but the collision could
not be avoided. The engineer and fireman
jumped and the. engine struck the caboose,
splitting it from end to end. The end
flew out of the boiler, the water pouring
into the caboose where seven men slept,
scalding them badly. One man, Mr.
Wroth of Red Oak, Iowa, died from the
effects. _ They were all workmen. The
conductor of the freight train at once
fled. The following are now in business:
George Weatherhogg, general merchan
dise; Jeff McNemee, huckster; J. W.
Lehew, blacksmith; Frank Severin and
Mr. Smith, grain and stock buyers.

Geary City.
Early in 1857, a Leavenworth company
purchased of C. Lewis 260 acres of land
on the Missouri river above Doniphan,
and laid out the town Geary, which was
named for the governor. For a short
time it was believed that the new town
would become a great city, but the hope
soon vanished, and within a few years
Geary took a back seat with plenty of
company; for many another town that
had started out with high hopes of
achieving greatness had, within the same
short time, seen the end of their prosper
ous days. Geary City is still on the map,
and while it may have no brilliant fu
ture to look forward to, it cannot be
robbed of its pleasant recollection that
it saw greatness in its time.

FRAGMENTS.
The first building on the site of the
town was a log house built in 1854, and
used as a saloon.
The second house was a hotel, and the
third a printing office, the home of the
Era. Early storekeepers were: M. Cuttle,
Porter & Cooper, J. L. Roundy and C.
Lewis. Franklin Grubb was the pioneer physi
cian. The first lawyer to hang his shingle in
the sun at Geary was Jas. McCahon, af
terwards better known both to fame and
to fortune.
A postoffice was established in 1857,
with J. Ii. Roundy as postmaster.
A paper called the Era was started in
June, 1857. This ambitious journal was
well supplied with editors, having had
three at the same time. E. H. Snow,
Republican, furnished political red pep
per for his political friends. Joseph
Thompson, Democrat, tickled the pride
of the Democrats with the feathery end
of his quill and took in some money on
subscription. Earl Marble, American,
wrote patriotic editorials in measure, ad
vocating love and devotion to the "Star
Spangled Banner", but did not hold him
self above the writing out of receipts for
subscription money. What strange scenes
must have been witnessed in the Era of- -
tice! Republican subscribers rushing in
to congratulate Mr. Snow on the appear
ance of his red hot editorials, scorching
the Democrats to a Vandyke brown;

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

21

Democrats tossing their money to Mr.
Thompson who, with beaming face
and winking eye, produced a cork-screw
which was soon put to its natural use
with true Democratic skill; Americans
interviewing Mr. Marble, offering pota
toes on subscription and original patriot
ic poems for publication in the Yankee
column. How very early in her child
hood did Kansas show herself a "genius"!
In 1858, the first municipal election
was held.
The first saw mill was owned by Frank
lin & Grubb, about 1858. Later the
property was owned and operated by
Franklin, Frick & Price, and it may be
added here that some of the sycamore
lumber sawed by this mill in the early
'60s, is still doing good service in some
of the older buildings in the central and
southern parts of the county.
In 1858 or 1859, Flickenger & Lang-
don built their "niuley", or up-right saw
mill, which continued in operation until
the fall of 1859.
In the spring of 1858, Charley Lenhart,
a printer on the Era, got drunk and be
gan to use his pistol recklessly. He went
into the store of Porter & Cooper, in the
upper story of which there was a dance
in progress. The enlivening effect of the
music on his already excited nerves made
his trigger finger restless and he began
shooting up through the floor of the ball
room. Alexander Patterson, a clerk in
the store, being a lover of peace and not
wishing to have the harmony of the
dancers disturbed, picked up his own
pistol and warned Lenhart to behave

himself. Lenhart's trigger finger was
too limber for prompt obedience, and the
firing continued. Patterson then used
another argument. He fired at Lenhart.
Lenhart fell, and it was thought he was
past all harm, but remembering that there
was another load in his pistol, he tired at
Patterson, the ball striking his arm, dis
abling it. The tight ended. Lenhart
was laid up for some time, but eventually
recovered. When the war broke out he
went into the army and died in Benton-
ville, Ark., in 1863. He had been a
first lieutenant under Col. John Ritchie.
The first grist mill was erected by
Franklin & Frick, in 1860. Later it was
removed to Doniphan, and from Doni
phan to Severance, where the same firm.
continued in business until about 1898.
Most of the threshing in this neigh
borhood, and for miles around, is done
by Lemison Bros., who, by their strict at
tention to business and good services
rendered, have won the confidence of
their patrons; but their long experience as
threshermen would be sufficient recom
mendation. The popular saying that
"bacon is good enough for threshers",
doesn't hold good when the women hear
that Lemison Brothers are coming. They
also own and operate a saw mill.
Further mention of Geary City will be
found in the "Nutshell" or paragraph
history. At present there is but one
business house in the "city". Mrs,
Flickenger owns a small grocery store
and is postmistress.
Won't the old City go when she gets
the electric car line? Then she'll strut!

22

GBAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
James R. Whitehead was the first white
settler to locate in this township. He
obtained permission from Indian Agent
WT. P. Richardson and erected his cabin
near the place, which later was known as
Whitehead, and still later as Bellemont.
At first the place was called "Whitehead
Post". The township, one of the origin
al five, was organized September 1, 1855.
Three changes were afterwards made in
the boundaries. The first change was
made September 16, 1856; the second,
October 20, 1856, and the third June 21,
1859. FRAGMENTS.
Albert Head and F. Mahan were the
first justices of the peace, and H.J. John
son was the first constable.
Early in 1851, Wathena, chief of the
Kickapoos, built a wigwam on Peters
creek, where he lived until about 1855.
In the spring of 1852, Benjamin Hard
ing established a trading post near the
present location of Wathena. During
the same year "he raised twenty acres of
corn. Mr. Harding died at his old home
in 1904.
At the house of M. F. Moss was held
the first election, in October, 1855.
Indian Agent Daniel Vanderslice di
rected a road, 100 feet wide, to be cut
through the timber from the ferry land
ing on the west bank of the Missouri,
opposite St. Joseph, to the Wathena
trading post, a distance of three or four
miles. The contract was let to Ebenezer

Blackiston and Henry Smallwood. The
work was done in 1854.
The first white child born on Washing
ton township soil, was a daughter of J.
R. Whitehead. This little lady made
her appearance one day in the fall of
1854; but her stay was brief. She did
not live to see the snow.
The first religious services were con
ducted by a Methodist minister in 1854,
in Chief Wathena's wigwam.
One of the first fruit growers in the
the township was Christian Poirier, who
located near the Wathena post in 1854,
and began the cultivation of grapes and
berries. What is said to have been the first
marriage ceremony performed in the
township, was by Justice J. T. Braidy,
in the spring of 1856, when Samuel Piles
and Mary Hazelwood were happily
united .
During the year 1856, three or four
subscription schools were taught. The
early teachers are here named: Misses
Creal and Alward, and Messrs. Patching
and Clough.
The first regular school district, No. 1,
was organized in the spring of 1858, at
Wathena, by the first County Superin
tendent, John Bayless. Benj. Harding-
was a leader id the organizing of this
district. A large bed of coal has been discov
ered in Doniphan county, Kansas, with
in three miles of Bellemont. A large bed
of what is known as petroleum shale has
been found cropping out of the ground.

GBAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

23

which burns almost as well as pure coal.
Experienced miners, who have looked at
the situation, say that there can be no
doubt about finding coal. Indeed, one
has backed his confidence by investing
several thousand dollars to secure a one-
fourth interest. Work will begin on the
spot soon.— St. Joseph Herald, May 8,
1866.

Elwood.
In the fall of 1852, a trading po^t w;is
established at a point on the west bank of
the Missouri river opposite St. Joseph.
The post was kept by Henry Thompson.
In 1856, the Roseport Town Company,
consisting of a man named Rose (George
Ingraham ? ) and a few St. Joseph capi
talists, came to this point and, buying
160 acres of land of Henry Thompson,
for about $10,000, laid out the town of
Roseport. The town at once began to
grow and prosper, and soon became a
dangerous rival to St. Joseph. The
Great Western Hotel, with its seventy-
five rooms, was built and it enjoyed a
most liberal patronage. Early in 185 7,
Rose sold out his shares in the Town
Company, and quietly left the town for
ever. In June of the same year, the
Town Company was reorganized, and the
town received the name of Elwood.
"During this season," says the historian
of the '60s, "a newspaper was started,
called 'Elwood Advertiser', which sent
forth its weekly issues to herald the pro
gress of our young state. The growth of
the city was almost incredible, and in
1858, we had ten stores, three good liv

ery and sale stables, a good steam ferry,
three good hotels, (one of them the Great
Western, the - largest hotel in the state,
being 200x40 feet, and three stories high).
All professional and mechanical branches
were proportionately represented. Dur
ing this season the Advertiser changed
its name, and came out as the 'Kansas
Weekly Press', and was published until
June, 1859, when it again changed its
name, to appear as the 'Elwood Free
Press'. Elwood continued to grow
rapidly up to this time, and in July, 1859,
boasted upwards of 2,000 inhabitants. In
the spring of 1859, when the river was at
its highest, the banks being very sandy,
began to cave and fall into the river and,
in one month, the river had made such
inroads into the treacherous soil, that
many people were compelled to move
their houses in order to save them. This,
however, did not impede the growth of
the town, and it continued to grow rap
idly until the spring of 1860. During
this spring the river again commenced
sapping the foundation of our city, this
time carrying away acres of the best and
thickest populated portion, threatening
to carry us away altogether. This fright
ened the inhabitants, and Elwood began
to show signs of going down, and the
tide of emigration sought a more perma
nent investment for their means. In
1861, Elwood was but a shadow of its
former self. The newspaper was discon
tinued, and nearly all branches of trade
were brought to a stand still, buildings
were sold at one-half their original cost
and removed, some into the country for
farm houses, and many helped to build
up other towns in the county."

24

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

FRAGMENTS.
The first store was opened by A. N.
Campbell, in 1856.
The first blacksmith on the ground was
Henry Poor, who came about the year
1856. In 1856, Wm. H. High built a steam
saw mill which he operated for a year or
two. The second saw mill was built
three years later by W. Ii. Lewis.
J. E. Dryden was the first carpenter,
in 1857. He built the Great Western
hotel. The postoffice was established in 1857,
with James P. Brace behind Uncle Sam's
counter. During the same year Daniel
Webster Wilder, author of the "Annals
of Kansas", opened a real estate office.
The town has been the birthplace of
two newspapers. The Advertiser, estab
lished in 1857, by Fairman & Newman,
and the Free Press started in the
winter of 1858-9, by Tracy Brothers.
The writer of this has a sample of the
job printing done in the Free Press office
in 1859. It is a tax receipt, "neatly ex
ecuted with promptness and dispatch."
Albert L. Lee was the first attorney.
He came in 1857.
The first company of the first regiment
sent into the army by Kansas, was organ
ized here.
Dr. S. D. Smith of New York, was
the pioneer physician. He arrived in the
town about 1857.
Abel Montgomery, in 1858, was the
first to offer to the hungry public, home
made sausages and steaks.

In 1858, Noyes & Smith opened a drug
store, and the people were no longer
without Vinegar Bitters and Radway's
Ready Relief.
In I860, the town was incorporated as
a "city of the first class".
The first mile of railroad on Kansas
soil was built out of Elwood in" the dry
year of 1860.
From the spring of 1860 to the fall of
1861, the town was the starting point of
the famous Pony Express, an account of
which will he found elsewhere in this
volume. In 1863, Geo. D. Bennett and, we be
lieve, one or two other Jayhawkers,
were "hung by the neck until dead" at
this place.
One of the greatest enterprises ever lo
cated in the state of Kansas, is the Har-
roun elevator at Elwood. It is one of
the largest in the west, and can handle
more grain than all the elevators of St.
Joseph combined. It has a capacity of
half a millon bushels of grain and will be
able to average 150 cars a day. The actu
al time to unload a car, or 600 bushels, is
less than two minutes. The weighing
capacity of six pair of Howe scales is 45
tons each, or 270 tons. The elevator
building proper is of immense propor
tions, being 140 feet wide, 154 feet long
and 156 feet high. The bins are from 4
to 16 feet square by 8 feet deep. When
one is standing on top of the immense
structure, a magnificent view is afforded,
his head being above the hills on either
side of the great Missouri valley. The
great panorama of ten to fifteen miles, in-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

25

eluding the cities of St. Joseph, Elwood,
Wathena, Amazonia", Atchison and the
Missouri valley and river stretched out
to view, affords a sight hardly compara
ble. The engine and machinery were
started November 25, 1899. A special
train of two coaches brought over a large
number of officials of the road and eleva
tor companies, also a number of St.
Joseph men, and a formal reception was
held by Alio Harroun, the junior member
of the firm. This, building was partially
destroyed by a cyclone in the spring
of 1905, and one man was killed.

Wathena.
Wathena perpetuates the name of a
well known chief of the Kickapoo Indi
ans, who owned the land in that vicinity
up to the time of the treaty in 1854.
The town stands on the site of the village
over which Chief Wathena held sway,
the flouring mills now occupying a place
very near the site of the chief's wigwam,
which his squaw erected for him about
the year 1852. In 1856, the town was
laid out by Milton Bryan, P. Morse and
W. Ritenbaugh, who bought the land of
a man named Cox, paying him $750 in
gold. The original townsite included
160 acres. Had the men, who located
Roseport, or Elwood, located at Wathena,
their town would now be as large as St.
Joseph, and would have been the metrop
olis of the state. FRAGMENTS .
Peter Cadue, a Frenchman, was per
haps the first white man to make his home
in Wathena's country. The time of his

arrival is not now known, but it is cer
tain that he was there as early as 1840.
Like all the early French settlers, he was
welcomed by the Indians, and made him
self useful in many ways, beginning by
taking an Indian maiden for his wife,
and continuing by filling the office of in
terpreter. He won little less fame than
his chief, for, while Wathena's name is
immortalized in the town, the waters of
Peter's creek are continually babbling
Cadue's name and deeds. About the year
1847, he left Wathena's country, retiring
to the place now known as Petersburg.
The first white man's dwelling was
erected by Milton Bryan, in 1854. In
the same year a postoffice was established
and was known as "Bryan's postoffice".
Albert Head opened the first hotel. He
had a bar in the hotel, and old timers
used to say that he kept a good article.
August Mouirguis was proprietor of
the first small store in the vicinity. It
was in operation some two years before
the founding of the town, or in 1854.
The first store in the town was opened
by Thompson Kemper, in 1856.
A man named Florian Leiber came
with his bellows and anvil in 1854, and a
new kind of echo was awakened in the
picturesque hills surrounding the little
city. The shop was a curiosity to the
Indians, who stood around near the forge
grunting out their surprises and stepping
upon hot fragments of iron that lay here
and there on the ground. Strange that
Mr. Leiber could -keep track of his tools
with so many curious and kleptomaniacal
visitors around him daily.

26

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

A few 1854 settlers in and around Wa
thena: Benj. Harding, Osborne Hulan,
Alfred Larzelere, Milton Bryan, Hender
son Smallwood, John W. Smith, Samuel
Montgomery, John Fee, J. J. Keaton, T.
W. Watterson, Cary B. Whitehead, An
derson Cox, Joseph Siceluff, Tapley
Ralph. We think all of these have
passed away.
Dr. Smith came about 1855 with his
little black grip, and a year later'came
Dr. Crossfield to assist him in the battle
with ague, which was then the most per
sistent of the white man's ills.
About 185 7, Sidney Theriet, a disciple
of Blackstone, opened an office in the
rising city.
The first school house, a frame build
ing, was built about 1857.
The first Baptist church was organized
in 1858, by Rev. Wm. Price and Rev.
Alward. In 1871, their first church,
costing about $5,000, was erected.
The first Methodist church was organ
ized in the same year by Rev. T. K.
Munhall. Rev. I). H. May was appoint
ed pastor. One of the early pastors of
this church was Rev. O. B. Gardner,
who "pulled down the rebel flag".
Rev. Ephriam Alward, a Baptist,
taught the first Sunday school in 1858.
Meetings were held in the school house.
In 186.0, the St. Joseph & Denver rail
road was laid to this point, and a few
trains were run to and from Elwood. A
big flouring mill was built the same year,
at a cost of $10,000.

The Wrathena water mill was built on
Peter's creek by S. Cox, in 1862. This
mill was burned in March, 1881.
In 1864, Ferguson & Co. erected an
other grist mill.
The first postoffice money order issued
from the Wathena postoffice in October,
1866, was issued by Aug. Miller, P M.,
to W. P. Craig.
The town has had seven newspapers.
The Reporter, established in 1867, by E.
H. Snow and G. W. Larzelere; The Ad
vance, established 1878, by E. A. Davis;
The Mirror, started after the demise of
the Advance, by G. W. Larzelere; The
Gazette, established in July, 1889, by C.
C. Bartruff; The Star, established in
1899, by Pool Grinstead; The Republi
can, started in 1900, by Pool Grinstead;
The Times, established in 1901, by Pool
Grinstead. Mr. Grinstead seems to have
the backbone of the traditional editor
that cannot be downed.
The German Methodist Episcopal
church society was organized in October,
1867, by Rev. H. M. Meniger. In 1878,
they purchased the church building of
the Campbellites for $1,100. In 1872, a
parsonage, costing $1,500, was erected.
In 1868, the town had 1,400 inhabi
tants. Prior to this time five additions
had been made to the original townsite,
as follows: North Wathena, Constanti
nople, Wilson's addition, Seaman's addi
tion, and Smallwood's addition.
Wathena Lodge, No. 65, A. F. & A.
M., was organized January 27, 1868. The
first officers were: S. Hatch, W. M.;

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

27

« « W. H. Small wood, S. W.; Obe Craig,
J. W. ; A. E. -^Campbell, secretary, and
Milton Bryan, treasurer.
The Catholic congregation was brought
together in 1869, by the pioneer Bene
dictine, Father Thomas Bartl, and a
brick church, costing nearly $6,000, was-
erected. At that time the congregation
consisted of about one hundred members.
In 1880, a Sisters' school was erected and
placed in charge of the Benedictine
Sisters. Phoenix Lodge, No, 41, I. O. O. F.,
was organized February 26, 1869, with
the following officers: J. T. Wheeler,
N. G.; W. H. Wilson, R. S.; J. C.
Gordon, V. G. ; J. Robertson, P. S.; P.
M. Sturgis, treasurer.
In 1870, a fine brick school house was
erected at a cost of ahout $1'0,000.
In 1873, the town was incorporated.
Obe Craig was the first mayor, and James
Mitchell the first clerk.
The Second Colored Baptist church
was organized in September, 1873, by
Revs. D. Lee, Lawrence; John Bourn,
Ft. Scott; Williams and Clarkson, El
wood, and S. Jackson of Wathena. A
church building was put up that year, the
members of the church doing most of the
work. From the Reporter of June, 1872, we
glean the following sketch of the early
history of Wathena:
"Little did the hearty pioneer who
passed over the present site of Wathena,
twenty years ago, enroute for California,
imagine that here in so short a time

would be a' densely populated country,
diversified hy towns, villages and highly
improved farms, orchards and vineyards.
As we take a retrospective view, dating
back from the year 1855, and compare the
appearance of the country then witli 'what
it is now, we are amazed at the change
time has wrought. Then a vagrant band
of Kickapoo Indians, of whom old Wa
thena was chief, resided in bark lodges
near the present site of Snively & Hedge's
mill, and roamed over the prairies be
tween this place and Kennekuk, forty
miles distant. Wathena kept a "toll
bridge", which spanned Peter's creek
near the place where the upper bridge
now (1872) stands, and his children, of
whom he possessed enough to form half
a dozen families, would on the approach
of a traveler, rush out in battalions and
regiments, yelling "two bits! two bits!"
until they received the amount, or a curse
or two for their racket, when they would
disperse and await the arrival of another
customer. A short time previous to that
year, the only white mau in the vicinity
was Benj. Harding, who resided about
half a mile above St. Joseph street, and
the quarter section of land that he entered
now comprises a portion of Wathena.
Mr. Harding removed here in 1850, pre
vious to the opening of the territory of
Kansas to immigrants, and is the oldest
settler in this section of the state. The
eye had an unobstructed view of miles of
the country, and not a sign of habitation
was visible; no evidence of civilization;
nothing but a vast expanse of verdant
growing grass, gracefully swaying to and
fro in the gentle winds, reminding one of
the undulating waves ofthe ocean."

28

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

In 1854, Milton E. Bryan built the
first house in Wathena proper. H. S.
Creal soon after erected a small house on
a claim near the townsite. Soon after
this Henderson Small wood, O. Hulan, A.
Larzelere and many others "took claims"
or "squatted" on a quarter section each.
The affairs of the Wathena State Bank
had been in an unsatisfactory condition
for some months prior to January, 1901.
State Bank Examiner Breidenthal, who
had been corresponding with the cashier,
J. F. Harpster, finally notified Harpster
that he would be at Wathena on the 15th
of January, and asked him to call a meet
ing of the directors of the bank for that
evening. When Breidenthal arrived, he
discovered that no meeting had been
called and that Harpster had gone to sup
per. Harpster was sent for, and although
he sent word that he would be down, he
did not put in an appearance. Another
messenger to his residence a short time
after failed to locate him. It was then
that Breidenthal went into an examina
tion of the books with the book-keeper,
continuing until midnight. The result
of the examination was to close the bank
next morning and to declare it insolvent,
at noon. Harpster did not put in an ap
pearance until nine o'clock Wednesday
morning, the 16th, and when asked to
account for $2,000 worth of securities
held by a St. Joseph bank, he said he
would telephone and find out about the
papers. This he pretended to do, and
said they would be over on the evening
train. Breidenthal telephoned later and
discovered that Harpster had not tele
phoned to the St. Joseph bank. When

Harpster was informed of this, he said
he would telephone again, and leaving
the bank he proceeded to the undertaking
rooms of Bauer & Elmer. He passed in
to the rear room of the establishment,
and shortly afterward Bauer heard a shot.
Rushing into the rear room Bauer saw
Harpster fall. He had shot himself in
the right temple with a 32-calibre revol
ver, and the ball had gone entirely
through his his head, coming out above
the left ear. He lived but a few mo
ments after the shot.
Miss Carrie Dieter's "The Great Rock
Island Waltz" was composed by her and
dedicated to the Rock Island railroad in
March, 1895. She was a native of Wa
thena. Wathena is one of the most enterprising
towns in Northeastern Kansas. There
never has been a time when the town took
a backward step. In dull years, when no
progress was made, it maintained its own,
and that, too, regardless of the fact that it
is located almost in the shadow of a great
city. It is the home of Doniphan Coun
ty's Chautauqua, which this year held its
Seventh Annual Assembly. In the fol
lowing chapters, and especially in. the
"Nutshell" History, will be found some
recent notes concerning this model town,
that gives promise of becoming, some
day, a suburb of St. Joseph. From the
advertising columns of the town's news
papers we copy the names of the present
business men, and present them here.
Chas. H. Bauer, jr., undertaker; Wathe
na Fruit Company; J. A. Stewart &
Brother, general merchandise; Gordon-
Brown Fruit Co.; N. B. Forbes, fruit;

GRAY'SS DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

29

Farmers' State Bank; Jacob Miller,
drugs; Wathena Fruit Growers' Associa
tion; Ernest Fuger, drugs; J. H. Grable,
M. D. ; Dr. Matthews; P. E. Milbourne,
barber; Clarence Davis, Wathena "Pant-
atprium"; Blum & Whitney, livery;
Groh & Estes, general merchandise; W.
J. Shalz, general merchandise; and the
Fruit Growers' State Bank.

IOWA TOWNSHIP.
This township received its name from
the Indian tribe that had its reservation
in the northern part of what is now Doni
phan county. It is one of the five orig
inal townships organized in 1854. A
majority of the land is rough and, even
"bluffy", although some of the finest land
in the county lies south and west of High
land. It is perhaps the best watered of
the townships, the largest stream being
Wolf river, which flows through the
eastern part of it. There is an abund
ance of good timber. The first settle
ments of the county were made here by
Rev. S. M. Irvin, who located as a mis
sionary near the present site of Highland,
in May, 1837, an account of which will
be found in another part of this book.
Between the years of 1837 and 1854, few
settlers appeared, but about 1854, and
immediately after the conclusion of the
Indian treaty, settlers came by the dozen.
Iowa Point was located in 1855, and
White Cloud and Highland in 1856 and
1857. During the first three or four
years of Missionary Irvin's residence in
this county, there was an extreme scarci
ty of mail. The good man had to go, or

send, a distance of 100 miles— to Liberty,
Mo.— for his mail, and it took about a
week to make the round trip. Mail was
then a luxury, indeed. In 184U, when a
postoffice was established at St. Joseph,
the trip to the postoffice was comparative
ly short, and the run was considered only
as an ordinary exercise. In 1855, Uncle
Sam's carrier came nearer, crossing
the Missouri river and bringing the mail
to Iowa Point. After that, to receive
mail once or twice a week was no unusual
thing, and the stout-hearted pioneers felt
the way growing smoother in the path of
civilization. FRAGMENTS.
In 1837, the first religious exercises
were held at Mission, with Reverend
Irvin in charge. The first school was
taught at the Mission, also, about the
same time, the teachers being Rev. Wm.
Hamilton, S. M. Irvin, Miss Walton and
Mrs. Fullerton.
Mrs. Comstock, the wife of a California
emigrant, died near the Mission. Ac
cording to Bird's History this was "per
haps" the first death of a white person in
the township; but it is stated in the Chief
that Thomas Jefferson Southerland died
at the Mission and was buried there in
September, 1850. We believe, however,
that Mrs. Comstock's was the first death,
and that the year of its occurrence was
much earlier than 1852, as stated in
Bird's. We believe that her death oc
curred about 1843.
The lumber used in the construction of
the Mission building at Highland, came
all the way from Pittsburg, Pa. It made

30

GRAi'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

exactly a steamer load. The building
was begun in 1845.
Bird's History, 1882, states that the
first marriage in the township was that
of "J. Poteets and Nancy Bancroft"
Evidently this is a mistake, and there be
ing no date given it cannot be counted.
The Historical Chief, 1893, says that the
first marriage ceremony in the township,
and probably the first in the state, was
performed by Rev. Hamilton on July 3,
1845, the happy principals being Silas
Peirce and Mary Shook.
The honor of being the first child born
in the county has been given to Daniel
Vanderslice, son of Thomas J. Vander-
slice, who served a term or two as sheriff
of the county. He was born in 1854,
with the Territory, near the Mission, and
died in Troy in 1873.
Pryor Plank took up his claim in 1855,
blazing a walnut tree with this loud hint
to "jumpers": "If any man jump this
place he will have bad luck. Pryor
Plank." A few early settlers in the vicinity of
Eagle Springs: George Logan, Fred
Dickenson, John Alfrey, James Kennedy,
and Thomas Crozier. All these came in
1855. In the Iowa Point neighborhood,
the same year, the following settled:
James Martin, Mrs. Martha Martin,
Henry Swinny and Mrs. Steve Marcum.
In 1855 or 1856, a party of voters
headed by Doc Long, went in a wagon to
the polls on Wolf river to cast their vote.
Each man was armed with a Sharp's rifle.
The fact that a few of the party remained

with the wagon to guard it while the
others voted, would show that the "po
litical pot" was hot to "b'ilin' ", and even
slopping over, about that time.
John Pierson of White Cloud neigh
borhood, committed suicide about 1857.
Some time late in the '50s, young Dana
Fox was shot from ambush and killed by
an unknown assassin. This occurred on
the Fox farm near Highland.
Eagle Springs, the only mineral springs
in the county, was not discovered by the
whites until 1857, although the Indians
had for a long time been acquainted with
its existence. The Iowas had a village
located there long before Kansas was
carved out of the Indian territory, and it
is believed that a prehistoric race once
had its camp there, the place being rich
in stone implements and rude relics of
a prehistoric race.
In 1858, a man holding shares in the
Buffalo Town Company, traded four of
his shares for 450 acres of land in Penn
sylvania. Buffalo was one of the early
paper towns of the county.
On July 23, 1858, the first school meet
ing was held, and a school district, called
by the organizers, "No. 1", was organ
ized. This district is now No. 56. The
following officers were elected at this
meeting: S. Pritchard, director; M. M.
Sharp, secretary; G. L. Martin, treasurer.
The first term of school was taught by
John F. Sparks in a log house erected
for the purpose on, or near, the present
site of the school house now belonging
to district No. 56.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

31

George Bird, who, in the early days,
was a teacher of band music, and who
still resides in the vicinity of Highland,
organized a band early in the '60s. Later,
he organized and taught the Sever
ance G. A. R. band.
In 1859, John Chappie of Iowa town
ship, owned an ox that measured 18 hands
high and weighed 2,000 pounds.
Sixteen negroes were kidnapped near
White Cloud on Tuesday night, May 13,
1862, from the farms of Boliver Beeler
and Dr. Nuznm, by a party of men from
Missouri, aided by men living near town.
The . kidnappers knocked Dr. Nuzum
down with a club and beat him over the
head with the butt of a revolver.
The Indians had a ball-play upon the
reservation, Sunday. Jim Whitewater,
on the occasion, was handsomely dressed
in a breech-clout; Little To-he sported
an elegant suit of black paint, and Ki-ke
appeared in a tasteful costume of a bow
and arrow.— White Cloud Chief, May 15,
1862. On one occasion, when one of the sol
dier Indians from the Iowa tribe returned
on a visit to his home, a big Indian dance
was had in his honor. The soldier Indi
an brought a number of scalps home with
him which he hung upon bushes and
danced around them.
About the last of May, 1863, a span of
mules was stolen from Thomas Martin,
near Iowa Point, and a set of new harness
from John Beeler near Highland. A
party from Highland and vicinity pur
sued the thieves and came up with them
in Brown county, near Kenneknk . One

of the party drew a revolver and shot
both of the thieves; then tumbling them
out into the road, they took the wagon
and mules and started for home. One of
the thieves was wounded in the shoulder
and the other in the neck. They were
left lying where they fell, but they re
covered and were caught and brought to
Highland and given a hurried trial. They
made confessions, giving their names—
Melvin and Shannon, from Missouri.
"It was decided to hang them", says the
Chief of June 4, "and in the afternoon of
June, 3, 1863, a large crowd gathered at
Highland to witness the hanging. The
prisoners were taken to a grove a short
distance below town where they were
strung up. Owing to the bungling man
ner in which- the cords were fastened, or
in letting the victims drop, their death
was not instantaneous, but they hung
for some time. We learn that one of them
struggled for ten minutes, or perhaps
fifteen, when one man attempted to put
him out of his misery by shooting him,
but was prevented by the crowd."
The first distillery in the county, if
not in the state, was operated by William
Flynn in 1864, at or near Iowa Point.
On the afternoon of May 25, 1865,
Charles Fox, then living near Highland,
went to town, leaving his wife home with
a child some three or four years old.
Shortly after he left the house a stranger
entered with a drawn revolver, demand
ing all the money in the house. Mrs. Fox
told him there was no money in the house;
that all they had, had just been loaned
to a neighbor the day before. The man
told Mrs. Fox that she was lying and

32

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

threatened that if she did not immediate
ly tell where the money was, he would
kill her child, at the same time making
an attempt to seize the little one. Find
ing that threats would do no good, the
brute went up stairs to search the house,
after warning Mrs. Fox that he had an
accomplice outside who would keep
watch on her movements. When the fel
low had gone up stairs Mrs. Fox pro
ceeded to hide her watch and some other
valuables. There were two revolvers in
the room, one loaded the other empty.
She hastily seized one. Pretty soon, the
man, having failed to find any money up
stairs, came down. As soon as he ap
peared she leveled the revolver at bim
and pulled the trigger; but unluckily she
had picked up the unloaded revolver, and
there was only a harmless snapping of
the hammer. The fellow knocked the
poor woman down with his own revolver,
kicked her in the breast and side and left
her lying senseless on the floor. She lay
in that condition several hours before re
gaining consciousness.
The Highland Ku-klux caused a reign
of terror in the southern part of the
township in September and October,
1875. Death warnings were served on
citizens and other ugly threats made. A
barn belonging to Dana Fox was burned
and an attempt made to assassinate Geo.
Brinton by members of the gang.
In the correspondence of an early set
tler in this township, we find mention of
an Indian pappoose buried in a tree-top
on the bluffs near Cedar creek. A rough
trough hewed out of a small tree held
the remains of the little warrior.

The township has four defunct towns:
Cincinnati, near the present site of Wil
low Springs school house; Buffalo, near
Eagle Springs, at the place now known
as Buffalo Hollow ; Iola, near the spot
where the school house of that name now
stands; Winona, on or near the county
line west of Highland.
The townships contains 52,480 acres
or 82 square miles.

Iowa Point.
Iowa Point was located in 1855, by
two of the Forman brothers and S. Pem-
berton. The land on which it was locat
ed was originally Irwin's 160-acre "float".
Building began at once, and soon the
town was in a booming condition. In
1857, it had outstripped Atchison. One
of the storekeepers of that time used to
say it was a poor day when he did not
take in a thousand dollars in yellow
money; that he was "tired of handling
gold". The good times remained with
the town until the beginning of the war.
About this time misfortune overtook it.
The City hotel burned down; the ferry
boat went to the bottom of the river; the
newspapers suspended, and the war
brought trouble into the camp. The
town was practically Southern in sympa
thy. In 1862, a great fire destroyed the
main portion of the town and gave it a
set-back from which it never recovered.
FRAGMENTS.
Boliver Beeler built the first hotel in
1855.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

33

Early storekeepers, 1855-6: Beeler &
Williams, X. K. Stout, and Leach Bros.
A saw mill was built by Forman &
Pemberton, in 1855. Two years later
they erected the Iowa Point mills.
The first blacksmith located the same
year. His name was John White.
The postoffice was established early in
1855. Postmaster Pemberton's task was
not a heavy one, for it is said that he
could carry all the mail in his hat.
The first drug store was opened in 1856,
by Leigh & Brown.
Burkhalter & Hobbs were proprietors
of the first meat market, opened the same
year. The first physician to locate was Dr.
Leigh, in the second year of the town's
existence. Soon after him came Dr.
Long, of the "Electric" school, wherever
and whatever that was.
The first lodge of Good Templars or
ganized in the state was instituted here
in 1856.
The first church was erected by the
Presbyterians, in 1857. About the same
time the Baptists and Methodists began
to hold meetings.
The Smithton Lodge, the first in the
state, was removed to this place in 1857.
In the same year, "the first, last and
only" negro slave ever offered for sale in
the state of Kansas, was sold at auction
on the streets of the town.
In 1857, all the voters in the township
voted here. "The voter handed his ticket

to the judges, when it was at once opened
and the names of the candidates read off,
and recorded on a tally sheet, in the
voter's presence."
In this same prosperous year, a $10,000
hotel was built; but it was destroyed by
fire two or three years later.
In 1858, the town had a few "whole
sale" houses whose trade extened south
west to the old stage station of Kenne-
kuk, and west to Marysville. About this
time Joseph Slickmann started a brick
yard, and sold brick at $50 a thousand.
In 1861, a company of malitia was or
ganized and put under command of C. J.
Beeler. The next year a company of the
Eighth Kansas was stationed here.
The town has had two newspapers:
The Enquirer, established July, 1858, by
Thos. Key, of the defunct Doniphan
Constitutionalist, and the Dispatch, es
tablished 1859, by Ansel Watrous and J.
W. Biggers.

Highland Station.
This little town was located on the A.
& N. railroad, four miles east of High
land, in 1869 or 1870. The Town Com-
pauy consisted of J. P. Johnson, B. F.
Herring, J. A. Kennedy and G. W.
Glick. From the first the place has been
alive with business,- and has been the re
ceiving and shipping point for Highland.
Although the town is situated in a
timber country, there are some of the
richest farms near it that are found in
any part of state. The population of the
town is small, but the country immediate-

34

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

ly around it is densely populated. Of late
years Highland Station has been the field
for the annual holding of the County
Fair, which is patronized by thousands
from all over the county.
FRAGMENTS.
In 1849, the gold seekers began to pour
westward over the California and Oregon
trail, the St. Joseph branch of which ran
some distance to the south of this place.
In that year a wagon train camped upon
ground which now belongs to John Eth-
erton. Five persons belonging to the
train died of cholera, and were buried
there. The burial was made without
coffins, blankets being used to wrap the
bodies. Friends carved the names of
the dead on a large tree near the graves;
but the tree was cut down long ago. The
land over the graves has been plowed up,
and now there is no one who knows ex
actly where the unfortunates were laid.
Some years ago one of the bodies was ex
humed and taken to Missouri, near Sa
vannah, for permanent burial.
Early in the '50s, there were three or
four Indian villages in this section of the
county. The woods were full of game.
Wolf river was well stocked with fish,
and the bottom land being exceedingly
rich and fertile, it was possible for the
red man to raise corn, potatoes, pump
kins, etc., in abundance, without the ex
penditure of much physical labor. Here
he lived in peace and plenty until the
white man's canoe began to nose its way
up the little stream to seek out his camp
fires and offer its cargo of trinkets in
trade for his land.

An early settler in the vicinity was
James Gurwell, who came in 1854. Prior
to his coming to Kansas, he resided in
Holt county, just across the Missouri
river. During his residence here, 1838
to 1854, he frequently crossed the river
to engage in deer and buffalo hunting in
the Wolf river country. From him the
early settlers had their first account of
the great battle fought between the Sacs
and Foxes and the Pawnees, somewhere
near the present site of Severance, in 1844.
The first stores were opened by J. A.
Kennedy and B. F. Herring, in 1870.
In the same year a blacksmith shop was
added to the town, a depot was built, a
postoffice established, and a hotel was
opened by J. Browning.
The Union church was built in 1881.
The first depot agent was Howard
Vanderslice. On the Mclntyre farm east of town is
a grove of persimmon trees. It is the
only persimmon grove in this part of the
slate. In 1 894, Highland Station claimed to
be the center of the greatest population
in the county, there being 1,400 people
within a radius of three miles from town.
The present businessmen are: George
Miller and Ed. Kent, dealers in general
merchandise; Dr. A. Herring, druggist;
Paul Jones, restaurant; L. Myers, black
smith; F. Troxel, hotel and liveryman;
B. F. Martin, blacksmith, and N. N.
Gallagher, dealer in hardware, and buyer
and shipper of stock and grain.

.GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

35

White Cloud.
A company composed of John H. Utt,
James Foster, Dr. H. W. Peter, Corneli
us Dorland and Enoch Spaulding, was
organized to "found a town on the bank
of the Missouri river in Kansas Terri
tory." The town was located in 1856,
receiving the name of White Cloud, for
a noted chief of the Iowas who had been
killed in battle in the region of the Ne
maha about 1854. The land on which
the new town had been located still being
in possession of the Indians, no title
could be secured until the spring of 1857,
when the land was put up for sale. The
Town Company was reorganized and en
larged, Dr. Richard J. Gatling, later the
inventor of the famous Gatling Gun, and
his brother being new stockholders. On
July 4, there was a steamboat excur
sion and a barbecue. Two thousand peo
ple were in attendance. Four steamboats
from important points on the river were
there, and a band from St. Joseph fur
nished the music for the occasion. It is
said that $24,000 worth of lots were sold
that day. Red path's Handbook, 1859,
has this to say of White Cloud: "It
contains 500 inhabitants, five stores, a
printing office, from which is issued
weekly a live paper, the Kansas Chief;
also a good school. Good coal is found
here, also iron ore, limestone and an
abundance of excellent timber. The land
ing is a good rock one."
FRAGMENTS.
Thomas Lease, the first settler, built
his cabin near the spot where the depot
now stands.

Michael Bird was the proprietor of the
first store.
In the fall of 1857, an artist, traveling
in a skiff, painted the "Panorama of
the Missouri", in which White Cloud ap
pears as she was in her Sunday-go-to-
meeting clothes, July 4, 1857.
A Pawnee Indian exposition and singu
lar ceremonies observed by the Indians,
were described in Sol Miller's Chief.
August 1, 1872, in the following manner:
"On last Saturday about fifty Pawnee
Indians, men, women and children,
mounted on horseback, and with their
goods and chattels strapped on pack-
horses, came to White Cloud to cross the
river on the ferry. They were on their
way to Iowa to visit and to hunt, where
they expected to remain for two months.
They hauled up beneath a large tree on
the river bank, and dismounted to go
through the ceremony previous to
crossing. The Indians have supersti
tious ideas connected with crossing the
great river on a journey, and make a
sacrifice to propitiate the spirit of the
water. Their sacred animal is the dog,
and this animal is selected for sacrifice.
After dismounting, they formed a circle
beneath the tree, and the old chief deliv
ered au address, or pow-wow. At the
conclusion of this an old squaw gathered
up a dog by the hind legs and dashed
him with full force against the tree, kill
ing him the first blow. Then she tore a
strip from her calico dress and tied it
around the dog's neck; after which the
chief took the dog and pronounced an
other rigmarole over it. The Indians
then formed in single file, the chief at

36

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

the head, carrying the dog, and marched
down to the water's edge, forming a cir
cle around the leader. Here the chief
stood with the dog in the-water, holding
it up with one hand and went through
another pow-wow. After this he dipped
his hand into the water and sprinkled it
off into the air. Then the rest of them,
one at a time, approached the water,
dipped in their hands, and threw off the
water in the air. The ceremony being
completed, the chief gave the dog a shove
and started it down the stream, after
which they went upon the ferry-boat
and crossed the river."
J. C. Pierce owned the pioneer livery
stable. Isaac Cleveland was the first on the
ground with the hammer and anvil. W.
H. Forncrook developed his muscle in
this shop.
The first steam ferryboat belonged to
Joshua Taylor, who arrived with it from
Wellsville, Ohio, on June 3, 1855. He
entered into a partnership with J. W.
Moore, and the firm, having named the
boat "White Cloud", was ready for the
ferry business which was carried on until
the spring of 1862, when the boat was
sold to O. Bailey. Mr. Bailey operated
the boat about five years, or until it be
came unfit for further use. In May,
1868, a new boat was built by Bailey &
Noyes, the name of "White Cloud" being
transferred from the old boat to the new
one. In 1881, J. H. Lynds became the
owner. The first "hocht zeit", as the Dutch
would say, came off last Sunday, and was

a rich affair. The wedding party started
from the "Jug Tavern" or " Globe Hotel",
in a two-horse wagon, in the morning to
proceed two miles below town, where the
ceremony was to be performed. Upon
their departure they were saluted with
yelling, screaming, and hammering on
all manner of tin pans and buckets. In
the night a crowd proceeded to the house
where the happy young pair was
roosting, after they had stowed them
selves away for the night. They entered
the house, seized the bridegroom, and
dragged him out amid the tiring of guns
and the yelling of the crowd. They were
taking him en chemise to a creek nearby
to duck him, but were bought off by the
promise of a treat on the morrow. Matri
mony is no small undertaking in White
Cloud.— Chief, September 10, 1857.
The first boarding house was erected
in 1856, by Enoch Spaulding, near the
present site of the City Hotel.
In the same year, Samuel Lappin and
Charles G. Scrafford set up the first saw
mill. It was a "muley".
About the same time the first disciple
of iEsculapius, Dr. Thomas C. Shreve,
located, and the first carpenter, R. S.
Wakefield, opened his shop.
The first drug store was opened by
Shreve & Macy, 1857, and a saw mill
with a circular saw was built by John
H. Utt.
On the 28th of March, 1857, Sol Miller
came from Ohio, and established the
Kansas Chief, which he published here
until July, 1872.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

37

A Methodist Episcopal church was or
ganized by Reverend Graham, in 1857.
Six newspapers have been established
here: The Chief, by Sol Miller, in June,
1857; The Leader, Yard & Overholt,
August, sixteen years later; The Review,
G. H. Holton, November 1, 1880; The
Resurrection-Eagle, David Magoun, Oc
tober, 1887; The Review ( revived ),
Saunders Bros., 1888, and The Globe, J.
J. Faulkner, April, 1892.
August 3, 1857, the White Cloud town
company received from Wm. Walker of
Wyandotte, a painted picture of "Ma-
hash-ka" (White Cloud), chief of the
Iowas. This painting was made in 1826
by James O. Lewis.
The first school in White Cloud was
commenced by Mr. Slauson in the Town
Company building, Monday, November
28, 1857.
There was great rejoicing in White
Cloud Wednesday afternoon, Jane 2,
1858, the occasion being the arrival of
the steam ferry, "White Cloud", from
Wellsville, Ohio. The boat's arrival was
greeted with cheers from the crowd col
lected on the levee, and with the firing
of a couple of anvils.
A butterfly, "alive and kicking", flew
into the Chief office at White Cloud,
January 24, 1858.
V, D. Markham was the first lawyer
to locate.
The City_Hall was built in 1858.
The first school house, a frame build
ing, was erected the same year. Soon
afterwards it was bnrned and was re

placed by a brick building. This was
sometimes used for church purposes.
At an early date the town was supplied
with manufactories, there being a large
grist mill, a carding mill, a planing mill,
four saw mills and two shingle mills.
The. firm of Russell Majors & Waddell,
government freighters, made this their
starting point, in 1859. Their trains
were sent out from here for about a year,
when a change was made, the company
removing their headquarters to Atchison.
A flat boat was operated by a Tennes-
seean named Stonecipher, for a great
many years.
A planing mill was erected by J. H.
Utt, in 1863.
In 1870, the A. &N. (Burlington) was
graded through the town, ever since
which time prosperity has never folded
her banner here.
In 1874, a fine brick school building,
heated by furnace and elegantly furnished,
was erected at a cost of $12,000.
To the credit of White Cloud it may
be said that it has excellent schools and
fine churches. It is the only one of many
river towns established in the '50s, on
the Missouri, that has survived to hold its
own after a half century of severe trials.
Sol Miller, while residing here with his
Chief, always was proud of the town, and
when he went to Troy to occupy a more
central location, he preserved a warm
corner in his heart for the town that was
the birthplace of his Chief. For many
years after taking up his residence in
Troy, Mr. Miller exercised a father's care

38

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

of White Cloud, frequently visiting it,
printing good news concerning it and
even scolding the people there when they
strayed from the path of rectitude, or
showed symptoms of chronic indolence.
White Cloud has kept pace with its
neighbors in the building of schools,
churches, business houses and dwellings.
The columns of the local paper, the
Globe, is well filled with advertising,
which proves that the business men there
are well acquainted with the secrets of
modern success. In different chapters of
our History will be found notes and
sketches of White Cloud and her people.

Highland.
The design of the founders of High
land was to make it an educational town,
and when the town was laid out in 1857,
a site for a University was chosen. The
following year actual work on the Uni
versity began, and ever since the school
has enjoyed a prominent place in the list
of educational institutions of the state.
Highland is a beautiful town, and has
more of the picturesque appearance of a
residence city than any other town in
Northeastern Kansas. Although there is
no railroad there, the nearest being about
four miles to the east, it is a lively place
with plenty of business houses and enter
prising merchants, and is surrounded by
some of the finest, farm lands in all the
West. FRAGMENTS.
The first Sunday school was organized
by Superintendent E. M. Hubbard of the
Presbyterian church, about 1857.

About the time of the founding of the
town a school was commenced in a log
cabin, which was one of the first buildings
on the townsite, and which had been used
as a pre-emption house. W. McGookin,
an Ohio man, is given as the name of the
teacher. In the same year, Stevenson & Deane
opened the first general merchandise
store. The first inn was operated by E. M.
Hubbard. There were fourteen rooms in
the building.
E. Snyder was the first on the ground
with his saw, hammer and square. He
came in 1857.
The town has had five newspapers.
The first was the Highlander, which be
gan publication in January, 1859, with
Faulkner & Seaver, publishers, and T.
P. Herrick, editor. It was a strange con- •
glomeration, a neutral paper, the pub
lishers being Democrats, while the editor
was a Republican. The paper had but a
brief existence. In 1878, the Sentinel,
an Independent paper, was started by
George Hammar. It was dead within a
few months. In November, 1880, John
L. Parker established the Central State
which soon passed into the hands of a
man named Moore, whom Sol Miller fre
quently roasted to a delicious brown. In
1889, the Nuncio, a school paper issued
by the University pupils, was established
and continued for some little time. The
latest was the Vidette, started in 1892,
by H. S. Hogue, and still continued by
Tobias Larsen.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

39

Dr. J. Leigh opened the first drug
store, but Dr. Palmer, a Homeopath,
was the first physician, in 1858.
In 1859, a printer named Charley
Whittaker bought the printing outfit of
the Highlander, at Highland, and took it
with him to Savannah, Mo., where he
established a Democratic paper support
ing the Union. A few years later when
the war began, some rebel recruits, on
their way south to join Price's army,
ransacked the office, loading the type and
other material into their wagons and tak
ing all with them. Running short of
ammunition at the siege of Lexington,
they used the type and quads for shot.
After the war a few of the besieged sol
diers brought home with them and
kept as relics, some of the type and
quads that the ' rebels had stolen from
Whittaker's office at Savannah, and which
had been tired at them during the siege.
The first blacksmith, Aaron Baldwin,
located in 1859.
In July, 1861, Major Herrick organized
Company A, Seventh Kansas Cavalry.
The company was familiarly known as
the "Kansas Jaykawkers". It is stated
that the "Kansas Jayhawkers" partici
pated in four score of fights. The mem
bers were mustered out "with honorable
mention" in September, 1865.
James Shaffer opened the first meat
market in 1865.
A destructive fire occurred at Highland
on Monday night, February 13, 1887.
Six buildings were destroyed; a sudden
change of the wind saved a large portion
of the town.

The hailstorm at Highland on June 3,
1899, lasted less than five minutes, but
the ruin wrought can only be estimated
by thousands of dollars.

Fanning.
In the spring of 1870, a station was lo
cated on the Atchison & Nebraska rail
way, in the extreme southeastern part of
Iowa township, and called Fanning, by
Jesse Reed and James Bradley, who laid
it out. It is located in a very hilly
country, covered with heavy timber, but
for a time was a lively village. We at
tended a Fourth of July celebration at
this place when we were a boy and were
well pleased with the friendly spirit of itB
people and the manner in which they
made the eagle perform on that day. We
shall always have a friendly feeling for
Fanning, regardless of the fact that it is
credited with producing larger mosquitoes
and more of them thau can be found any
where north of the Yazoo river.
FRAGMENTS.
A blacksmith shop was the first build
ing erected on the townsite, in 1870.
In the same year, a depot was built, and
a postoffice was established with James
Bradley to answer the important query:
"Is there any mail for me?"
William Hedrick built a stone grist
mill in 1872.
In 1879, the Catholics of the town and
neighborhood erected a fine church.
F. G. Hedrick is still in the general
merchandise business. He is postmaster
and also deals in stock and grain.

40

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

The Latter Day Saints have an organ
ization in the neighborhood, and other
religions are represented.
A dreadful railroad accident occurred
on the Atchison & Nebraska road near
this place on Saturday night, June 8,
1872, resulting in the death of two men
and the destruction of much railroad
property. Superintendent Major Firth
was making a tour of inspection over the
road with his secretary, Mr. Allan. There
had been floods and washouts on the road
and as the engine was crossing the bridge
near the Flick farm, near this place,
with Firth and Allan riding on the cow
catcher, the bridge gave way, precipitat
ing the engine and her passengers into a
deep gully. Allan was instantly crushed
to death, while Firth received injuries
from which he died some days later.

WOLF RIVER TOWNSHIP.
Wolf River, one of the five original
townships, was organized in 1855. It is
one of most resourceful of the townships,
containing an overshare of the excellent
lands of the foremost county in the state.
Along the line of the Rock Island rail
road, between Troy and Purcell, lies 30,-
000 acres of land as fair and fine and rich
as any that the sun, in his daily journey
around the world, finds to shed its glory
on. The township is, in fact, one large
and beautiful farm, lavishly soiled and
plentifully watered by copious springs
and clear-running streams. There are
scores of farms in the township, whose
owner hold them above $100 an acre, a
pretty fair price for ground twenty-five

miles from a city! The first settlements
were made on Wolf river in 1854-5.
Some of the earliest settlers are here
named: Parker Hooper, John Cummings,
A. Q. Rice, J. C.Clark, Geo. Dittemore,
Nathan Springer, John Prawl, Hugh
Robertson, Grandison Wilson and John
Wood. The township has six towns— Leona,
Severance, Moray, Bendena, Denton and
Purcell. Three railroads— the Grand
Island, the Rock Island and the B. & M.
pass through the township.
FRAGMENTS .
John Cummings and Caroline Hooper,
both of the Hooper's ford country, were
the first to be joined in wedlock in Wolf
River township. The cremony was per
formed by 'Squire A. Q. Rice, one of the
very first justices, in the spring of 1855.
The credit for having been the first
white child born within the boundaries
of this township is given to Perry Ditte
more, a son of one of the very first
pioneers, George Dittemore. The birth
occurred in the Wolf river country in
1855. The first death to occur was that of J.
Waggoner, or Wagner, in 1855, men
tioned elsewhere.
According to Bird's History, the first
election in the township was held at the
house of Milton Utt, at what was known
as the Sac village, on the first Monday in
October, 1855. Another account, more
descriptive, yet lacking in date, is as fol
lows: "The first election in Wolf River
township was held in a blacksmith shop
near Hooper's ford. Everything was

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

41

quite primitive. The voters handed their
tickets to one of the judges who deposit
ed them in an iron kettle upon which he
sat." This, if the account be true, was,
indeed, an original election.
A. Q. Rice and -8: D. Gilmore were
the first justices of the peace, appointed
in September, 1855. William Lewis, the
first constable, was appointed at the same
time. The very first settlements were made
in the township by John Prawl, Nathan
Springer, Parker A. Hooper and John
Cummings in 1854. In 1855, G. R.
Wilson, C. C. Clonch, George Dittemore,
S. D. Gilmore and W. T. Rittenour,
took up claims along the river. In the
same yeary W. Wood and Hugh Robert
son staked their claims in the: northeast
ern sections, while the Gronniger family-
came to the Independence country. In
1856, John Wood, George Bromley, La
ban Jackson, Osul Nelson and George
Malon took up claims in the northeast,
while Charles Phillips, Thomas Lyons,
Abram Bennett and Pat. Kir'wan located
in the eastern parts. Silas Loyd, David
Hoppins and John Starr made their dug
outs in the southern ' sections in 1856 or
1857. More than three-fourths of the early
settlers of eastern Wolf River township
came from Ohio, and each brought with:
him and retained his politics and religion.
A store of provisions was kept by
Abram Bennett, on his farm near Prairie
Grove, during the years 1856-7-8. He
supplied the travelers who passed through
on the old Pottawatomie trail. Perhaps

this was the first store opened in the
township. It stood on what is now the
Wynkoop farm half a mile west of Ben-
dena. Here is a copy of the advertising card
of the first physician to locate in our
township, the advertisement appearing in
Smith & Vaughn's Directory:
GEORGE J. ARCHER,
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON.
Residence half mile east of Syracuse,
Doniphan County, Kansas.
Calls promptly attended to from all
parts of the county.
CHARGES REASONABLE.
During the early days, 1856 to 1858,
there hung in the postoffice at Doniphan
a list of the names of fourteen residents
of the Syracuse neighborhood. Anyone
of! the fourteen calling at the postoffice
brought the mail for all and left it at
Syracuse for free delivery. A little later
they had a postoffice of their own.
One of the early blacksmith shops in
the eastern part of the township was
owned by Grandfather Osul Nelson and
Samuel Hardy, first opened in 1857, on
the Nelson farm just west of where Moray
now stands. The blacksmiths needing
coal went prospecting and discovered a
mine iu the Syracuse neighborhood which
furnished them a supply. It was not the
best coal in all the world,'- but it was the
cheapest to be found. The shop did good
business sharpening breaking plow shares,
welding log chains, clevises, wagon tires,
etc., and had the patronage of the travel
ers on the early trails, going out from
St. Joseph

42

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Another early shop, owned by Jacob
Bursk, was located on the old Pottawato
mie trail about three-fourths of a mile
east of Syracuse. The site of this shop
is still marked by a clump of trees, and
scraps of iron used in the old place may
still be found there. Bursk did much
work for the emigrants and freighters.
It is said that they kept him on the jump
from morning till night as long as he re
mained. During the summer the light
ning had been unusually severe, two men
having been killed within a half mile of
Bursk's shop, and Bursk decided to re
turn to Ohio, where the lightning was
not so freakish.
In 1860, G. M. Clem, a Virginian, set
tled on the upper Independence and
opened a shop in which he did work for
neighbors in both Doniphan and Atchison
counties. The shop was situated on the
northeast corner of the place, just one-
half mile east of where the Mt. Vernon
school house now stands. For many
years it was a land mark. Every neigh
bor's house was referred to as being situ
ated so many miles in this or that direc
tion from "Clem's blacksmith shop".
Later, along in the middle '60s, Fran
cis Fry opened a shop which was contin
ued for many years. At tirst it was located
on the Pottawatomie trail, a little less
than a mile east of the old site of the
Bursk shop. Within a few years he re
moved the shop to his house, where he
did work for the neighbors until late in
the '70s. It was in this shop that the
first glass ball trap ever used in the

county was made. Fry was also a gun
smith. In 1858, a mill was built on Wolf river
by a man named Bartlett. Three or four
years later the dani was washed out and
the mill as abandoned. The site of the
mill was above Severance about three
miles. About 1858, a postoffice was estab
lished at Walnut Grove, near Bayne's
bridge, and Capt. Hugh Robertson was
made postmaster. Some time later the
office waff removed to a point on Wolf
river, where the mail, according to the
testimony of an old resident, was kept in
a dry-goods box.
A big Fourth of July celebration was
held at Syracuse in 1858 or 1859. A big
hailstorm was one of the attractions not
announced on the bill of the day's pro
gramme. In 1861, a Miss Strode taught a sub
scription school in a small cabin situated
on the prairie about half a mile north of
where Bendena now stands. The seats
were rude benches fastened to the walls.
There were no desks to lean upon.
Perhaps the first cotton raised in the
county, was on Wolf river in 1861. A
farmer raised fifty pounds and it was
said to have been almost as good in qual
ity as that raised in the South.
J. P. Bitner, who for five consecutive
years, was trustee of Wolf River town
ship, from 1862 to 1866, had, at one
time, as much as $800 of the township's
money on hand at his house. At that
time the county was full of robbers and

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

43

Mr. Bitner was placed in an unenviable
position, for the law required that he
should post up a notice, stating how
much money of the township' she had on
band. Wishing to comply with the law,
he was placed between the horns of that
fabled monster called a dilemma. He knew
that most likely he should be robbed
within twenty-four hours after it had be
came generally known that he had so
much money on hand, yet he actually
complied with the law by posting up the
required notice. No sooner was the no
tice posted than a friend, who understood
the difficulty, slipped around while Mr.
Bitner was not looking and tore off the
notice, thus preventing the opportunity
for a possible robbery. And Mr. Bitner
never asked . who it was that tore down
the notice.
Wolf river was called Shnetonga Sepo
by the early Indians. We regret that we
are unable to find the significance of the
word. No doubt the name is appropri
ate. Indian names usually are faithfully
descriptive, conveying the true idea with
great accuracy, if not always in terms
exactly suited to delicate ears. It is said
that the name "Wakarusa" was thought
beautiful by the very refined ladies and
gentlemen from the East, until the Indi
an legend concerning the river of that
name was told about. The legend says
that an Indian maiden (more practical
than modest), while fording the river on
horseback astride, getting into deep wa
ter, cried out to her friends on the bank
the single word, "Wakarusa", which sig
nifies "hip deep". After the legend had
been "told around", the name became

unpopular and unpronounceable with the
Class "A" Esthetics.
The young fellows of the Syracuse
neighborhood had considerable fun mixed
with excitement in the early days of the
civil war. The Syracuse prairies were
used as a drilling ground. Many a dashing
charge was rehearsed there, and many a
raw soldier received a full share of "kicks
and cuffs and sharp rebuffs". One of the
lieutenants was a spry young man weigh
ing a little less than 250 pounds.
One of the first teachers in the Syra
cuse school district, No. 7, was "Old
Maid" Baker, a lady scarcely on the
sunny side of forty. Her christian name
we were for some time unable to ascer
tain; but one of the old settlers of the
neighborhood informed us that her name
was Fanny. This same gentleman had
the pleasure of taking the lady and her
trunk from Prairie Grove to Doniphan
when, responding to a "call of duty",
she started for the South to help educate
the Negro. Miss Baker was a highly
educated lady, and was considered a most
excellent teacher. She was wealthy, also,
and was the owner of a quarter section of
land on which a Mr McNulty now lives,
near Denton.
During the '60s, wild turkeys were
plentiful along Wolf river. In our youth
we have patiently listened to the recitals
of tales told by turkey hunters of the
Hooper's Ford country, and to make a
careful estimate of the number of birds
killed there by these marksmen of un
erring aim during the early days, we
should feel like placing the number at

44

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

18,701, taking for correct their own re
ports. Yet it is scarcely possible that
each hunter killed as many birds as have
been reported, and in justice to our readers
we feel that the estimated number should
suffer a generous reduction. A well
known failing of weak humanity is to
overestimate and enlarge. Objects viewed
in the blinding light of fame or glory
often assume distorted proportions, and
soft colors are made to blend and blaze
riotously. Then, let us content ourselves
by believing that the actual number of
turkeys killed in these early times was
much less than the above named figure,
and that the narrators of the stories were
honest men led, for the moment, from
the straight path of veracity by the flash
light of enthusiasm. Hower, turkey
shooting was, for many years, a favorite
sport on Wolf river, and once in a while
a bird strayed across the country to Inde
pendence, just to excite the curiosity and
stimulate the ambition of the high prai
rie marksman.
Andy Weir, Joe Malon, Bob Pope,
Sam Poynter and other good fiddlers,
whose names we have forgotten, fur
nished the music for the dances attended
by our fathers and mothers during the
'60s and '70s, when high-heeled boots,
corduroy pantaloons and paper collars
for the men, and grape-vine hoop-skirts,
Grecian bends and waterfalls for the
women, were in fashion.
One of our early settlers traded his ox-
team for a barrel of whiskey, and the
friends he invited in that winter to help
him drink it, declared that the old man
had made a good trade.

At the time of the earthquake on
April 24, 1867, a young lady pupil in the
Syracuse school, which was then situated
about a mile north of its present location,
became the innocent victim of a misunder
standing. The teacher, absorbed in her
writing at her desk felt a jar which shook
not only her desk, but the whole house.
Glancing up to learn the cause of the
disturbance, her eye met the frightened
gaze of this young lady pupil. Quickly
arriving at the conclusion that the pupil
was the author of the mischief, the teach
er accused her of having used the desk
for a drum. The young lady declared
her innocence, but the teacher was in a
pout, and made the pupil stand on the
floor as a punishment for her supposed
misdeed. Later, investigation on the
part of the teacher proved that Dame
Nature had had a spasm, and that the
young lady pupil had been misjudged and
wrongly punished. The teacher I-ad
mistaken an expression of fear in the
pupil's face for a sign of guilt.
One of the largest eagles ever killed in
the county was shot by John Gray in
1868, on the southeastern section of
Wolf River township. The bird meas
ured 8 feet, 6 inches in expanse of wings.
A third of a century ago, in 1871,
the farmers of Wolf River township cut
3,565 acres of wheat, making 88,466
bushels; 1,465 acres of barley, making
25,334 bushels; 10,872 acres of corn,
making 378,640 bushels; 1,482 acres of
oats, making 44,064 bushels.
On the Charles Lad wig farm, on the
boundary line between Center and Wolf

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

45

River townships, a short distance east of
where Bendena is now located, there
was kept, 1873, a pet deer that belonged
to Victor, the youngest son of Mr. Lad-
wig. The deer had been brought from
the West by the boy's uncle, but it never
made a desirable pet on account of its
disposition to butt visitors and make itself
generally obnoxious when there was lit
tle or no provocation. It refused to re
form and had to be killed.
The first threshing done by steam pow
er was by Cook & Otten of Wayne
township, who brought their outfit into
this township about 1877.
One of the first self-binders to come
into use in the township was a Walter A.
Wood wire binder, in 1879, and was
owned by the Gray Brothers.
About the year 1883, ten or a dozen of
the farmers of the southern and eastern
portion of Wolf River township, tried
the experiment of having negroes do their
farm work. After the first year's trial
a few of the farmers let their negroes go
and employed white meri. After the
second or third year the remainder of the
farmers discharged their colored help
and again took white men into their
fields. These negroes were a jolly set,
all Southern born, jet black and genuine
sons of the cotton field. After their
day's labor they would congregate at
night at some neighbor's house to sing
their Southern melodies, in which happy
occupation they often would continue
until a late hour. Stealing watermelons
was their favorite pastime. One of the
most successful raids on a watermelon

patch, of which we have any knowledge,
and in which we confess to having been
implicated in our younger days, was con
ducted by one of those colored gentle
men of which we write. They were a
jolly set but failed to suit their employ
ers. They bore the family names of dis
tinguished men.
A Wolf River township man, who re
sided in Doniphan in the early days, de
scribed Captain Dunning's band of "Ti
gers" as being fine looking, brave men,
dressed in gray pantaloons and blue shirts
with red cord ornaments on the breasts,
all anxious for smell of gunpowder and a
little of the experience of battle.

Severance.
The town was laid off in 1869 by C. C.
Clonch, John Severance and Dr. Robert
Gunn, and $500 was donated to the rail
road company to build a depot at the
place. When the railroad was built
through Ryan Station, which was located
about a mile and a half east of Severance,
the company agreed with Joel Ryan not
to put in a station within three miles of
Ryan's. Nevertheless, soon after the lo
cating of Severance, the railroad compa
ny put in a platform and a side track at
Severance. Ryan went to law with the
company, and after a great deal of wrang
ling the trouble was settle in a way, and
a depot was built at Severance in 1874.
FRAGMENTS.
The first building on or near the town-
site was the log cabin of C. C. Clonch,
which stood some distance west of the

46

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

present site of the mill, and which was
erected in 1854. Here, in 1855, Clonch
was attacked by Swintz and Waggoner,
whom he met at his door with a shot gun.
With a single shot Clonch killed Wag
goner and fatally wounded Swintz. These
were, perhaps, the first deaths in the vi
cinity. The trouble is said to have orig
inated over the alleged trespassing of
stock. The first grain dealer was Adam Bren
ner, 1869. Wm. Ward engaged in the
grain business two years later.
The first store building was erected by
Alexander Gunn, in 1869. The building
is still standing and is in use by Wm.
Ward. The first blacksmith was Al. Porter,
who came in that lucky year, 1869.
In the same year a postoffice was estab
lished with Alexander Gunn as postmast
er. A few of his early successors are
here named: A. S. Campbell, Nathan
L. Springer and N. A. Springer.
J. J. Glass, (Johnny), was the first to
don the "pinafore" and dish out "wet
goods" to the thirsty, in the hilarious
year of 1869.
Winchester Bell was the proprietor of
the pioneer shoe shop.
The first hotel was erected in 1869-70.
Its first proprietor was Elder Wright,
who had been a preacher in Kentucky.
A mill-dam across Wolf river above
the town was built in 1869, by Reuben
Small, Thomas H. Franklin and Hazel
Frick, and in 1871, a mill was erected
within a quarter of a mile of the town

limit, west. In the year 1900, the mill
was removed to town, the dam having
been usless for many years.
The first school house "on the hill"
was built in 1871, at a cost of $1,200.
The building, which is still standing, was
bought by the Christian church people in
1894, and has since been used for church
purposes. Some of the earlier teachers
of this old school are here named: D. J.
Mawherter, 1871-5; D. L. Carpenter, 1876;
Wesley Trevett, 1877; Emma Plank,
1878; Lou Clonch, 1879; D. L. Carpen
ter and Georgia Scott, 1880; T. B. Mar
shall and Lena Linder, 1881.
The first hardware store was opened in
1871, by L. C. Nelson.
The first school was taught in 1871, by
David J. Mawherter, an old-fashioned
teacher of the old-fashioned school, with
paper collar and red hair, worn pompa
dour. Mr. Mawherter was the first
teacher of the author of this book, at
Prairie Grove, in district No. 8, in the
eventful year of 1869.
John Toner opened a harness shop in
1871. In November, 1871, James A. Camp
bell and his brother, Arch. S. Campbell,
opened up the first drug store. They
had been in business in Chicago until the
time of the great fire, in October of that
year. The Methodist Episcopal church was
organized January 25, 1871, by Presid
ing Elder W. K. Marshall. The first
pastor was Rev. G. Wood, 1875. In
1874, a church, costing $2,700 was built.
About the same time a parsonage, cost-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

47

ing $1,000, was erected. A tireless
worker for the church was Mrs. Catha
rine A. Rippey.
Dr. D. J. Grandstaff, a Virginian, and
the first town physician, located in 1871.
He was followed by Dr. Bell. Dr. G. J.
Archer of the Syracuse neighborhood,
had been practicing in the country for
some nine or ten years.
Dr. Guy S. Hopkins, who was a resi
dent of Severance from 1874 to 1879, lost
a child here by accidental poisoning. In
August, 1879, the doctor and his wife re
moved to Gardner, Johnson county, Kan
sas, where, about thirty days later, an
other child, a girl, was born. During
the doctor's residence in Severance, a
strong friendship sprang up between his
family and the family of Judge W. H.
H. Curtis, and when this new little girl
was born in Johnson county, the doctor
named her Grace Curtis Hopkins, in the
honor of Judge Curtis' daughter, Grace.
About 1888 or 1889, the doctor's little
girl was taken into a company organized
for the purpose of reproducing Mrs.
Frances Hodgson Burnett's famous "Lit
tle Lord Fauntleroy", receiving the part
of the "Little Lord". Little Grace be
ing a child of uncommon beauty, and
possessing remarkable dramatic talent, for
one so young, soon won her way into the
hearts of the theater-going people of the
two continents. Her mother accompa
nied her in her travels with the company,
and she has played "the Little Lord" to
great audiences in' the capitals of the
United States, England, Ireland, Scot
land and Australia. All her successes and
the flattery and admiration of the thous

ands that have seen her, failed to turn
her "pretty golden head", and she re
mained a sensible, sweet American girl,
and today she is a bright star in the
theatrical firmament.
Simon L. Ryan, the first servant of the
"Blind Goddess", located here in 1875.
Mr. Ryan was also the first station agent
here, 1874.
In 1877, the town was incorporated.
The first officers were: Mayor, W. H. H.
Curtis; City Clerk, L. C. Nelson; Police
Judge, J. A. Campbell; Councilmen,
Amos Sanford, Dr. G. S. Hopkins, W.
D. Rippey, Walter Clonch and John T.
Kirwan. The first meeting of the coun
cil was held April 15, 1877. The town
park was bought and improved by this
council. W. D. Rippey is the only sur
viving member: of the council of that
year. Small-pox made fatal ravages in the
town in the winter of 1877-8. Some four
or five persons succumbed to the disease.
A Severance man in poor health, fail
ing to find relief by the use of Walker's
Vinegar Bitters, so heartily praised by
Horace Greeley in his time, tried Gener
al Pleasanton's "Blue Glass Cure", in
1877, and reported that relief had been
obtained. King Lodge, No. 144, I. O. O. F.,
was organized September 17, 1877. The
first officers were: J. A. Campbell, N.
G.; W. B. Hargis, V. G.; A. S. Camp
bell, R. S.; G. T. Dooley, P. S.; A, E.
Cyphers, treasurer. About 1884, the
Order built a large hall which has a large
stage and plenty of room for the audience.

48

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

In the second story is the lodge room,
ample and well furnished. Severance is
a first-class play town, and the old stage
in this hall has been well worn with the
"tread of many famous feet".
B. F. Harpster was the first to open a
bank in the spring of 1878. It was a
private bank. Mr. Harpster continued
in the banking business here until about
1895. In 1879, Thomas McGee was found
dead lying on a railroad bridge on the
east line limit of the town. The coro
ner's jury found that he had fallen there
during the night, and that his death had
been caused by the rupture of an artery
in the brain.
In the same year, Marshal Joseph
Sykes was stabbed and killed by Ira Mc-
Intyre, at Sykes' door. This occurred on
the old hotel block, the exact spot being
unknown; but the location of Sykes'
house was on the northern part of the
block, not far from the railroad.
Early in the '80s, the Franklin Broth
ers, Ed. and Will, had a job printing es
tablishment here. They did some most
excellent work, and a great deal of it,
for the merchants. One of the jobs
turned out was a book of poems for a
rising young poet of the county, printed
in 1884, with red marginal lines and col
ored paper cover.
A Public Library was established in
1881, which is still in existence, furnish
ing the reading public with the newest
and best literature.

Along in the '80s, the Barlow boys,
local terrors from Union township, put a
few dashes of red paint on the town, on
one or two occasions. About the same
time they robbed the postoffice at Nor
man ville and shot Mrs. Normile, wound
ing her seriously. The Police Gazette
published pictures of "the boys" and
gave an account of their raids.
In 1882, the first elevator was built by
Snively & Moll, at a cost of $4,000.
In 1882, St. Vincent de Paul's Catho
lic church was built at a cost of about
$2,000. Father Pirmin M. Koumly, O.
S. B., of St. Benedict's parish in Union
township, was placed in charge.
Severance has been the home of three
newspapers. The Enterprise, started by
H. H. Brooks, in February, 1883; The
Times, established in August of the same
year, by E. J. Vandeventer; The News,
born in April, 1889, is still living. The
first editor was W. T. Randolph; the
second, P. L. Gray; the third, L. P.
Johnson; the fourth, Eva Ryan; the
fifth, M. Lucey, and the sixth and pres
ent editor is Mrs. Hattie E. Peeler.
Frank Dixon's threshing machine broke
through the Wolf river bridge at this
place August 7, 1886. The engineer,
Jake Mulkey, and his son, Caleb, went
down with the engine and were badly
bruised up.
Poke Wells, a notorious river horse
thief from Missouri, was captured on a
farm, one mile east of Severance, in the
spring of 1887, and taken to prison. It
was thought that he would be a hard

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

49

man to take into custody; that he would
not be taken alive, etc., but he was
caught "napping", as it were, on a very
windy day, when his captors approached
without being detected. When the offi
cers came down on him they found him
engaged in the very prosaic occupation of
sharpening his pocket knife on the grind
stone! Severance had a conflagration Sunday
morning, Jannary 22, 1893, the most de
structive in its history, which swept one
side of the street, almost the length of
the block. About 4 o'clock that morn
ing, a clerk sleeping in the upstairs of J.
A. Dillon's store, was awakened by some
thing falling in the room below. He
found the room full of smoke, and saved
himself by jumping from the window.
The lower part of the store was in flames
and nothing could be saved. This build
ing was on the southwest corner of the
block. The fire spread to the adjoining
buildings on the north and swept the en
tire side of the block, except Campbell's
drug store on the northwest corner. The
other buildings burned were, Leonard's
drug store, Harpster's bank, Vigus' har
ness shop and a billiard hall. All these
saved a portion of their goods.
On the night of Hallowe'en, 1894, a
crowd of boys and girls, while engaged
in a Hallowe'en serenade, was tired on
with a shot gun in the hands of a man
named Wood, who became angry because
the crowd had made too much noise at
his door. Two shots were tired at close
quarters into the crowd, which quickly
scattered in all open directions. No one
was seriously injured, but the doctor was

busy for some time picking shot out of
the lower limbs of half a dozen of the
serenaders, both sexes having shared
equally in the distribution of the leaden
pellets. A. C. Man waring, once a resident of
Severance, was elected to the Indiana
senate from the Kosiusco and Wabash
district, to till a vacancy caused by the
death of a senator, in February, 1895.
"'Triss", a catchy little drama, was
presented by the Severance Dramatic
Company, in July, 1896.
One of the most interesting games of
bass ball ever played in the county, was
played at Severance on July 4, 1896, be
tween the Severance News club of little
girls and the "old boys" of the G. A. R.
It was not only a contest between youth
and old age, but was, also, a struggle be
tween father and child, for many of the
girls were daughters of the veterans.
The veterans' costumes consisted of check
shirts, blue overalls and straw hats, while
the little girls wore caps, shirt waists,
and bloomers and'short skirts. Each club
had its friends who furnished plenty of
applause. The veterans made many good
hits, sending the ball far and high, but
stiff joints and dried muscles hindered
them from making many runs. The girls
won the game, the secret of their success
being in their ability to run bases and
score tallies; indeed, they batted the ball
harmlessly enough, as if it were a thing
of delicacy. Although the day was very
warm, the game did not lag until the
end, and the audience was the most en
thusiastic ever seen at a base ball game

50

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

in this county. A game between June
bugs and grasshoppers could not have
caused greater excitement. The game
was witnessed by about 2,000 people.
Following is a list of the names of the
players :
G. A. R. Club—Geo. H. Robb, Sam
Moyer, Lafe Bowman, Bowen Small,
Henry Dresser, Geo. Bird, W. Stewart,
and Wm. Ward.
Girls' Club-Daisy Robb, Pearl Turner,
Virginia Crady, Linnie Hancock, Rosie
Delaney, Lulu Weaver, Lottie Tracey,
Katie Delaney and "Harriet" Chapman.
During, the years of 1894-5-6, five
brick buildings were erected . Delaney &
Lyous', Harpster's bank, now Morley's
bank, J. A. Dillon's, now Gus. Ebner's,
Ed. Heeney's, and the Turner hall. The
years from 1892 to 1896, were the most
prosperous ever enjoyed here. The Sev
erance News, then an 8-column paper,
had to put on side-boards to carry all the
advertising— that is to say, it had to issue
a supplement week after week. Ed.
Heeuey's appropriate title, "Car Load
Heeney', was bestowed upon that hard
ware prince during this time. The Bank
of Severance began reaching out for busi
ness to the farthest ends of the county,
and soon found itself in the front rank.
Gus. Ebner built a new store with a tire-
wall, and sold shoes to everybody that
had feet. VV. N. Vanbebber had charge
of the livery barn and his axle grease bill
was no small item of expense, for the
busy wheels of his rigs kicked up the
uust continually. Franklin & Frick' s
mill kept rumbling on, singing the song

of prosperity. Delaney & Lyons used
printers' ink by the gallon, Burnett
Brothers actually sold diamonds to the
farmers, and A. B. Showers was kept
jumping about in his restaurant sixteen
hours a day. Mrs. P. A. Corcoran had a
dozen boarders and never served, them a
lean meal. Frank Leonhard, druggist,
prospered and was happy. Frank is still
in the harness with new collar, tough
tugs, brass buckles and plush back and
belly bands. Dentist Doc Bennett waxed
fat in purse and person, never deserting
the town except for a few weeks, when,
in 1893, astride of his good horse "Ca
lamity", he raced with Lucy C. Hunne-
cut for a farm in the Cherokee strip.
Bob Vigus, tonsorial artist, was continu
ally busy in his neatest of parlors. He
put his customers "next" from two chairs
and was considered the most skillful
barber in the county. J. A. Dillon, an
excellent business man, was drawing trade
from all over the county. J. R. Hop
kins used half a page in the News to ad
vertise his goods, and swelled his bank
account to most comfortable dimentions.
W. H. H. Curtis, one of the most able
lawyers in the county, worked hard and
won honor and the reward of coin. Judge
Curtis has often been weighed in the
balance and found full weight. Billy
Ward, the pioneer business man, fed the
hungry from his meat shop and grew fat
himself. M. H. Peeler, dealer in grain,
kept his elevator humming day and night.
C. N. Willis, known in advertising as
"Screen Door Willis", had gratifying
sales. He was a persistent and sly ad
vertiser. The Grand Island railroad re-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

51

ceived a good patronage from stock men,
grain men and merchants, and the coffers
of the county treasury were filled with
tax money from the town. Truly Sever
ance occupied a conspicuous place on the
map. She continues to hold her own
and, in our opinion, will never be in
duced to take a seat in the rear.
Present business houses in Severance:
Ed. Heeney, hardware; J. M. Morley,
Bank of Severance; Lyon's Cash Store;
Gus. Ebner, shoe dealer; Ebeling &
Laverentz, millers; Gregg & Gregg,
hardware; J. H. Blevins, cider mill; J.
W. Pry, auctioneer; Jake Kersch, cloth
ier; David C. Hall, barber; A. B. Show
ers, confectioner; J. A. Campbell, nota
ry public; T. H. Franklin, justice of the
peace and insurance agent; A. J. Clyman,
coal and grain; George Springer, general
merchandise; Mrs. Hattie E. Peeler, The
Severance News; W. N. Vanbebber,
liveryman; Mrs. E. R. Chapman, mil
liner; Mrs. R. A. Corcoran, "Shamrock"
Hotel; L. M. Bennett, dentist; Cbas. J.
Foster, stockman; A. D. Hall, black
smith; Mrs. M. J. Hambaugh, milliner;
Miss Belle Zimmerman, milliner; R. H.
Merrick, dentist; T. E. Horner, M. D.;
T. J. Francis, lumber; H. C. Hansen,
insurance. The town has, at least, four men who
have been in business continuously for
more than a third of a century. William
Ward and J. A. Campbell, who came in
1871, W- D. Rippey, who was on the
ground when the town was located, and
Col. J. W. Pry, veteran auctioneer, and
author of two manuscript books, "The

Bachelor's Guide" and "Experiences of
an Auctioneer".
Fire dates— Heeney and Lyon's hard
ware store, Frank Dixon's place and oth
ers on the north side of Linn street, 1883;
Dillon's, Harpster's, Burnett's, Vigus',
Leonhard's and the billiard hall on the
east side of Dry den street, January 23,
1893; Leonhard's, on the south side of
Linn street, 1894; Roach's elevator,
1901, and City Hotel, 1903.

Norway.
In January, 1869, a stock company
composed of six farmers— Osul Nelson,
G. Nelson, Thomas Steanson, N. G. Nel
son, Abram Bennett and Tyre Nelson-
selected a site for a station on the St.
Joseph & Denver City railroad, to be
called Norway. The company purchased
of John Hoverson eighteen acres of land
for $360, and the town plat was made
and prepared for record. In 1870, ten
acres, belonging to G. Nelson, were
bought by the stock company and donat
ed to the railroad company, to secure a
depot and side track for their town, which
was built in the same year.
FRAGMENTS .
The first store, which was kept in the
depot, was opened by Abram Bennett &
Son, in the spring of 1870. We recol
lect that the goods were kept on the
counter and on the cross braces of the
building, there being no shelves of any
kind. A very coarse brown paper was
used for wrapping all classes of goods,
from the best gunpowder tea to the
cheapest ten-penny nails. Peaches sold

52

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

at from 50 to 60 cents a can. Sugar, a
very inferior quality of dirty brown, sold
for 20 cents a pound. Green coffee cost
about 30 cents and other things were
proportionately high in price. Even the
staple goods for little boys and girls-
raisins and candies— commanded extrava
gant prices, and the little fellows with
the sweet teeth soon made the discovery
that only five sticks of candy were
given for a nickel, while at Doniphan the
storekeepers gave six.
Silas Bennett was the first depot agent,
in 1870.
In 1871, Abram Bennett erected a large
grain house and store room combined.
The stock of goods was then moved out
of the depot and new goods added to the
stock until the interior of the building
began to have the appearance of a real
town store.
The old parsonage, which still stands
on the hill, in the southeast corner of the
townsite, was erected during the same
year. A postoffice was established here with
C. W. Bennett as postmaster, early in
1871. About 1873, Tyra Nelson bought Ben
nett's stock of goods, but he did not
long continue in business. When Frank
Welton of Blue Rapids, came looking for
a location, Nelson sold out to him. Wel
ton continued in the store business until
about 1880, after which he gave all his
attention to the buying and shipping of
grain and hogs.

The town has had, at least, three black
smiths: T. Nelson, about 1874, Joe
Senter, 1875, and A. Ferguson, 1880.
District No. 48, although nearly two
miles from Norway, has long been known
as the Norway school. It is one of the
most widely known schools in the coun
ty, and has always employed capable
teachers, paying generous salaries. The
first school taught there was in a log
house belonging to Chris. Turkleson.
The teacher was Miss Betty Pry, now
Mrs. George H. Robb of Severance, and
the time was early in the '60s. The
school had many a friendly spelling con
test in the early times, with its neigh
bors, and especially with the Wolf river
school near Bayne's bridge. The boys
and girls that attended those spelling
matches are now wearing locks of gray,
but their eyes brighten when the subject
of spelling school is mentioned, and the
young folks, who iare wise enough to
listen, are certain to hear of something
to their iriterst and amusement, in the
line of a story that is certain to be told.
In 1877, Frank Welton moved his
stock of goods from the warehouse into
his new building which had been erected
on the south.
In the same year, Hardy Brothers
erected a store building and engaged in
business. A little later fire destroyed
their building together with Welton's.
which was close beside it. Welton did
not re-engage in the general merchandise
business, but the Hardys built again and
continued in business for many years.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

53

About 6 o'clock p. m., May 25, 1877,
on the east bound freight train, on the
Denver road, Conductor Peter Sharp met
his death in the following manner: The
train was so heavy that they had to
double over the hill between Norway and
Troy Junction. Half the train had been
brought over the hill and the engine was
returning for the other half. Sharp was
on the engine and as it neared the train
he jumped off on the track to run ahead
and be ready to couple the instant the
cars were reached. It is supposed that
he slipped and fell across the track. Two
wheels of the tender passed over his body
almost cutting him in two. He gave a
scream, but it was too late, the engine
could not be stopped. Death was almost
instantaneous. The Norway Gun Club was organized
in 1877, with half a dozen members. The
practice was glass ball shooting; later
clay pigeons were used. The club had a
few crack shots that derived a lot of
pleasure from the meetings. The grounds
upon which the club used to shoot were
literally covered with glass, and to this
day millions of fragments of green, yel
low and blue glass are to be fouud after
the plow.
Sunday night, September 23, 1877, two
stores— Hardy's and Welton's— were de
stroyed by fire. Welton who was sleep
ing in the store, broke a side window
with his boot-jack and made his escape;
not, however, without singing his luxuri
ant beard.
About 1879, a large section house was
built some distance down the railroad

from the depot. The building was burned
a few years later. The house was occu
pied by Aaron Root, who gave many a
gay ball for the young folks.
In April, 1879, a telegraph office was
put in here with W. H. Smith operator.
In March, 1882, Leander Hoverson,
station agent, fell under the cars and his
leg was so severely injured that amputa
tion became necessary. His injuries
caused his death, March 23.
About 1884, the Lutherans erected a
handsome church on the hill just north of
town, adjoining the cemetery, which had
been located there for many years.
The first and last regular saloon was
opened in the winter of 1884-5. It was
a small building and a very tough place.
Before the doors had been opened for a
second or third week's trade, the boys
"shot up" the "chebang" and then over
turned it. The keeper, from his retreat
in a corn-shock, witnessed the ceremonies
of inversion, and the next day, without
protest or farewell, he went away in
sackcloth and ashes.
During the '80s, buyers and shippers of
grain did a well paying business, the
town being situated in the heart of a
farming and stock raising community.
A boy named Surenson was accidental
ly shot while attending target for some
shooters, and died a few days later. This
occurred in the winter of 1881-2.
November 4, 1887, Winfield Earhart
attacked Andrew Delaney, stabbing him
in the breast with a knife, inflicting a
serious wound.

54

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

We can't close this sketch of Norway
without mentioning Joe Howland, the
pioneer carpenter, who came to Kansas
more than a third of a century ago, and
who has built more stores, dwellings and
school houses than any other carpenter in
the county. Mr. Howland is still a mas
ter of the saw, and square, and level, and
never thinks of taking a rest. People
trust an old carpenter as they trust and
cling to an old and honored physician.
We are proud of Mr. Howland's work
and record.

Leona.
Leona is situated in the northwestern
part of Doniphan county. It was laid
out June 15, 1873, by a stock company
of which J. WT. Shock was president.
This land was part of the farm owned by
David Kercher, and was selected as the
central point from which to ship the pro
ducts of this fertile neighborhood. To
secure railroad facilities, the company
gave the St. Joseph & Denver railroad
the land for a depot and about $1,0,00
cash . The following year the stock com
pany sold out to Henry Gregg, he assum
ing the part of the road in its contract
with the town. FRAGMENTS.
The first building in the town was the
house of D. Kercher, which has since
been purchased by Henry Edwards and
by him remodeled.
The first business house was the com
bination store room and depot of Henry
Gregg.

The first postmaster was D. Kercher,
who, prior to the building of the store,
had the postoffice in a cracker box in his
house. Robert Mailler was the next post
master, and he was followed by J. B.
Brooks, J. A. Myers, E. B. Gatchell,
George Schofield and Dr. Hoover.
The first death in the town was that of
Ray Carpenter, a child of D. L. Carpen
ter. The first wedding was that of P. A.
Floodin and Ida Shock.
The first physician was Dr. S. H.
Blakely. He was followed by C. B.
Channel, R. W. Lewis, E. Walters, R.
C. Pierce and C. E. Hoover.
The second store was built by Reed &
Wilson. The first drug store was that of C. B.
Channel. The first hardware store was that of
P. A. Floodin, who also owned the first
blacksmith shop.
The first Notary Public was D. L. Car
penter. The first harness shop was operated by
Frank Case.
The first meat market was opened by
Kopietz & Marak, in 1875.
The first school house, near Leona,
met with a tragic and unique end. School
was taught in it in 1867, and when the
fall term of the next year was to begin it
was discovered that some enterprising
spirit had stolen the house bodily. It
was tracked to a point near Padonia, in
Brown county, but was never recovered.
In the fall 1868, what was then known as

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

55

the old school house, was built, and in it
school was taught up to 1879, when it
was sold to John Kaufman to be used as
a barn. The third school house was com
pleted in October, 1879, at a cost of
$2,300. Its size is 28x48 feet. The first
teachers, in the new building, were R.
L. Teague and Miss Nannie Nesbit. In
1880-81, Charles Bowers and Miss Em
ma Plank were the teachers, and in 1882,
Misses Nannie Nesbit and Augusta Par
sons were engaged; the same teachers
taught in 1883. In 1884, Miss Francis
Katner and Miss Parsons. In 1885,
there was only one teacher, R. W. Nor
ris, who had nearly sixty pupils enrolled .
In 1886, Oliver Sarber and Miss Alice
Brown were the teachers. In 1887, G.
Watkins and Miss Ida Gouglar. In 1888,
W. H. Speck and Mrs. C. E. Hoover.
In 1889, W. H. Speck and Miss Mary
Hill. In 1890, W. H. Speck and Miss
Lizzie Brown.
Leona has but one church which was
built in 1886, at a cost of $2,000. Be
fore it was built church was held in the
upper room of the school house, every
two weeks, by Reverend Kloss.
In 1885, Leona had a good library of
nearly two hundred volumes. The library
was open every Tuesday and Sunday
evenings. Miss Ida Gouglar was libra
rian. The books were free to those liv
ing in town, the institution being sup
ported by entertainments.
The I. O. O. F. have a lodge of about
thirty members. They hold their meet
ings in the town hall every Saturday
night.

Leona has had several literary societies.
She also had a skating rink in the fall of
1884, but the building association found
that it was ruining the floor, and it
was closed.
The first fire in Leona was a small ah
fair, destroying only the residence of
Mr. Hartzell, in 1879. The second fire
caused a serious loss to the town, and at
one time threatened the destruction of
the entire town. It broke out in the
hardware store of P. A. Floodin, be
tween 11 and 12 o'clock on the night of
May 1, 1882. The third fire occurred in
March, 1883, and resulted in the entire
destruction of the grain elevator of J. B.
Price. The elevator was an entire loss
as there was no insurance. January 7,
1896, four buildings were destroyed by
fire. The buildings burned were the
hotel, Scott's drug store, the postoffice
building and Dr. J. I. Hartley's office.
The pride of Leona, is her Farmers'
State Bank, organized in 1895. The
present officers are: J. D. Hazen, presi
dent; George Kimmel, vice-president; A.
O. Delaney, cashier; P. M. Leonhard
and O. Larsen, directors.
Business houses represented in the ad
vertising columns of the Hustler: Mc
Cormick Brothers, grain dealers; Farm
ers' State Bank of Leona; R. G. Harper,
live stock dealer; E. A. Kinsley, black
smith; J. I. Hartley, M. D.; J. W.
Robinson, contractor and builder; Leon-
hard Brothers, druggists; J. Ritterbush,
general merchandise; Hendren's harness
shop; E. Moyer, hardware; C. N. Willis,
lumber; Gregg Brothers, grain; W. F.

56

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Cook, restaurant. The population is
about 250.
Leona is an excellent grain market,
and the merchants are wide-awake and
progressive. Scores of the wealthiest
farmers in the county have their homes
in this neighborhood. A number of the
best Fourth of July celebrations ever
held in the county are to the credit of
this energetic little town.

Bendena.
The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska
railroad was graded through the county
in the summer of 1886. Early in the
fall track-laying was finished and people
began riding on the new road. Three
stations were located in Wolf River
township — Albers, Denton and Purcell.
The first of these, of which we now shall
give a history, received its name from
John Albers, a most worthy pioneer in
the neighborhood, who owned the land
on which it was located, and who marked
off about twelve acres in the southwest
corner of the southeast quarter of sec
tion 33, town 3, range 20, and divided it in
to lots to be sold at $25 each. For a short
time only was the town known as Albers.
When Uncle Sam was asked to establish
a postoffice here, he rejected the name
"Albers", for the very good reason that
there were other names of postoffices in
the state of Kansas that might be easily
confused with Albers. Many names
were suggested, but a young man named
Morgan, who was the first telegraph
operator at the station, crept into the

good graces of the "powers that be", and
was permitted to immortalize the name
of his sweetheart by having the town and
postoffice n mi- d for her. The name being
a beautiful ore, full of sweet vowels, it
was well received, and the young opera
tor ascended to the top notch of mundane
bliss; but the romance did not end ro
mantically, for the agent married another
woman. Bendena lies in the heart of one of the
richest farming tracts in the Missouri
valley. The townsite is an ideal one,
situated as it is on the crest of a range
of hills of splendid elevation, and com
manding an almost unobstructed view of
more than half the county. From the
first it has been an enterprising grain and
stock market, and now is made up of en
ergetic business men and a good class of
citizens. The trade line is not limited,
the merchants being alive and ambitious,
reaching far and wide for patronage that
is retained by methods of fair dealing
and the exchange of honest goods at liv
ing prices. There is no citizen of Ben
dena, who may not be justly proud of
the town, and no neighbor whose love
and praise are not for it.
FRAGMENTS .
A man named O'Brien, who lived in a
shanty on what now is the Wm. Schwab
farm, near Bendena, kept a barrel of
whiskey for the boys in the dry days of
1857-60. He had a very good looking
young wife who used to help him dispose
of his far famed elixir at a handsome
profit. It was said that their marriage
had been a romantic one; that they had
eloped on a mule by the light of a sum-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

57

mer moon, he on the saddle holding her
bridal dress, she behind on a gunny sack
holding to her future husband. At any
rate O'Brien's wife was a fortunate pos
session. Because of her winning way
and her fair face she was a good drawing
card. She could sell a dozen pints and
get the money for them while her hus
band was convincing one customer that
the stuff was equal in quality to that to
be had in St. Joseph.
In 1859, or thereabout, David Morse,
now of Oklahoma, began the manufacture
of brooms at his farm house, half a mile
west of Prairie Grove, on the farm which
is now the property of Wm. Webb, jr.
He made very good brooms for which he
charged 25 cents each,
The pioneers of the Prairie Grove
country used to tell a good story of the
absentmindedness of Charley Phillips,
the planter of the famous grove that
shaded his home from the parching sun
of the '60s. Mr. Phillips owned a store
in Doniphan during the early days, and all
the settlers of eastern Wolf River town
ship were customers of his, with their ac
counts on his books. One day a number of
them were gathered in his store. Phillips
was sending out statements of accounts.
Rising from his desk he came back to the
stove where his customers were seated ab
sorbing the genial smiles of the big and
generous tempered wood stove and con
ducting with more or less vigor a politic
al debate. "Can any of you gentlemen
tell me," he asked absentmindedly,
"what Jeremiah Dooley's first name is?"
Instantly the laugh was on him, and

there was nothing left for him to do but
set out the glasses and work the spigot.
Along in the middle '60s, one of the
most treacherous mud-holes along the
Pottawatomie trail from St. Joseph west,
was in the hollow just southwest of town,
where the cross-roads are now located.
Many an ox-driver swore himself hoarse
at this place, and stood for a moment on
the brink of despair, while his animals
floundered in the mire. Another infa
mous mud-hole was on what is now the
Schwab farm, one-half mile east of town.
A. B. Dickens, who lives south of town,
was a freighter along this trail along
about 1866, and well remembers these
mudholes and the difficulties encountered
by the early plainsmen.
A Bendena man has in his possession
the sole of a shoe worn by him when he
was a five-year-old baby. The shoes were
made in Doniphan in 1869, by F. C.
Hahan. The sole is exceedingly thick
and heavy, and the heel, broad and high,
is filled with large, long, zinc nails which
made the sloe a load to carry.
According to the testimony of men of
veracity the largest snake ever killed in
the county, was found by a party of
hunters on the prairie some distance south
west of Praire Grove, in the summer of
1861 or 1862. When straightened out
alongside a sixteen foot rail, the snake
was found to be only a few inches short
er than the rail. It was a bull snake.
The first play ever given on an erected
stage in the Bendena neighborhood was
"The Charcoal Burner", presented Satur
day night, January 15, 1881, at the

58

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Prairie Grove school house with John J.
Baker as manager, and the cast of char
acters as follows:
Edmund Esdale, . . Willie Kilkenny
Valentine Verdict, . . James H. Ryan
Matthew Esdale,  Pat Gray
Poynet Arden, .... John J. Baker
Caleb Brown, .... Dennis Delaney
Godfrey Harrington, . Victor Ladwig
Edith Harrington, . Kate E. Delaney
Old Mother Grumble, . . Etta Robins
Barbara Jones, . . . Maggie Delaney
In addition to this drama two farces
were given — "Turn Him Out" and
"Poor Pillicody" — in which the follow
ing named girls together with some of
the above uamed. took part: Celia Kil
kenny, Rosa Lyons, and Mollie Delaney.
A second series of plays was given Feb
ruary 25 and 26, in which all of the
above and a few new players took part.
The new plays rendered were, "We're
All Teetotalers", "Michael Earle," and
"Sarah's Young Man". The new players
were, John M. Robbins, George Camp
bell, in "Teetotaler"; John Kirwin, in
"Michael Earle," and Nancy Gray in
"Sarah's Young Man". ,.
The first man to open a store here
was Bill McLin, of Brenner, who built a
small "shack" in the summer of 1886. It
was located on the lot now occupied by
the store building belonging to' Mrs. J.
B. Severin. One night in the fall of the
same year, this building, was burned; the
fire being caused by the upsetting of a
lamp. McLin, whose custom it had been
to sleep in the building, narrowly escaped
being burned to death, his life haying
been saved by some young men who
broke in the door and dragged the help

less man out, but not a moment too soon.
The store and all its contents were de
stroyed. Thus ended the business career
in Bendena, of the town's first merchant.
The first building was the depot, erect
ed in the summer of 1886.
The first dwelling was erected by Peter
Pillods in the fall of 1886. He had his
choice of lots and selected two of the
best in the townsite.
The next improvement was the erection
of scales by J . W. Howard, the pioneer
grain man. These scales stood a few rods
southwest of the depot. For a time there
was not a great quantity of grain shipped,
but the scales were not permitted to rust.
The boys and girls came up from school
every day through the tall grass and
weeds of the townsite to be weighed, and
they always found Mr. Howard accom
modating. In the fall of 1886, Victor E. Ladwig
and John B. Severin erected the store
building now occupied by J. P. Severin,
and put in a thousand dollar stock of mer
chandise. The firm instantly won a good
patronage, drawing considerable trade
from the country south of town, which
had been tributary to Atchison. It was
an inspiring sight to see a score of grain
and hog wagons in town and this single
store filled with eager customers. Mr.
Ladwig soon withdrew from the firm and
Dennis P. Delaney became the partner
of John Severin. Late in the fall of 1888,
Delaney & Severin moved their stock of
goods to Severance, and Bendena had its
first attack of blues. There was little
business in town that winter, the black

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

59

smith shop of Jake Bastian being the only
headquarters for visitors. It was feared
for a short time that Uncle Sam would
discontinue the postoffice, it being a diffi
cult matter to secure a man who would
assume the responsibilities of attending
to the distribution of the mail. Jake
Bastian, the good natured blacksmith, ac
cepted the position for a short time, and
we distinctly remember the big, black
thumb-marks he left on the letters he
handed out to Uncle Sam's patrons. A
few months later, in March, 1889, John
Albers was appointed postmaster. Pat
Gray put in a stock of goods in the Lad
wig & Severin building, and Mr. Albers
made him assistant postmaster. In Au
gust, 1889, Gray & Morgan — storekeep
er and depot agent — established the
Bendena Echo, which soon reached a cir
culation of about seventy-five or eighty.
The paper was soon discontinued, but the
types were not left to rest in idle repose.
Gray printed and bound his book, "But
terflies and Roses", between calls of cus
tomers. In 1890, J. M. Wilson bought
a half interest in the store, but soon sold
out to E. Morgan. Gray & Morgan
operated the store until July, 1891, when
it passed into the hands of Morgan &
Campbell. About 1893, it again changed
hands, coming into the possession of J.
B. Severin, who operated it until the
time of his death, in October, 1899. For
a short time afterward Mrs. Severin had
charge, but not desiring to continue the
business, she "disposed of the stock of
goods to J. P. Severin, who is the pres
ent proprietor with an encouraging pat
ronage.

Councilman & Company erected an ele
vator about 1890. It soon changed
hands, passing into control of C. E. Mil
ler. In 1893, it became the proper
ty of John B. Severin, a man of
great energy and courage, whose labors
for the advancement of the town will
ever be remembered with gratitude by
the citizens and the town's neighbors.
In October, 1899, John Severin died and
his wife sold the elevator to Peter Sev
erin, the present owner.
A postoffice was established at Albers
Station and named Bendena February
20, 1887, with V. E. Ladwig postmaster.
The first blacksmith was Jake Bastian,
from Atchison. He came in 1887 and
did a lively business for a few years. His
shop stood just west of Severin's store.
One of the most distressing fatalities
that ever fell upon a family in this coud-
ty came in December, 1890, when four
members of the Delaney family passed
away at Bendena. John Delaney, the
father, passed away on the 18th. His
wife died a few days later, and on the 31st
of the month two of the elder sons, John
and Daniel, followed their parents to the
grave, thus making four deaths in the
family within twelve days. Maggie Red
mond, a relative of the family, lay sick
in the house during and after the sick
ness of those that died, but she finally re
covered. Typhoid-pneumonia was the
cause of the deaths.
In 1890, a pleasant party was had at
the school house on May day. Two
queens, Myrtle Brown and Evie Kirwan,
were chosen to reign. The pupils

60

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

marched from the school house to the
shade of Mr. Howard's grove, and there
in the beauty and quiet of the noon hour
did they assemble to make preparations
for the double coronation. Myrtle re
ceived a crown of plum blossoms and
Evie, her sister queen, wore one com
posed of apple blossoms. After the cor
onation of the pretty little queens all sat
down on nature's carpet of grass to eat a
royal dinner. After dinner followed sing
ing, dancing, marching and homage pay
ing to the fair little crown bearers, until
1 o'clock when the teacher, Mr. Clem,
rang the bell for school.
James Aylward was an early property
owner in the town. He purchased lots
in 1890, and erected a store room, which
was rented to different parties. In 1903,
he opened a restaurant which he still
owns and operates.
Early in the fall of 1890, the Bendena
Dramatic Company was organized to
produce "Psyche, the Beggar Venus".
The company was composed of six young
men and three young ladies, who came
together almost every night to rehearse
the play and erect air castles in the land
of the future. On the night of Novem
ber 15, the company broke the ice at
Severance, playing to a $96 house and
giving great satisfaction. Thus encour
aged, the troupe decided to visit other
. towns. The play was reproduced at
Troy, Wathena, Brenner and Doniphan,
with the best of results. Three or four
years later, responding to the urgent and
repeated requests to reproduce the play,
the company again went the rounds,
meeting with the most gratifying suc

cess. This company was a party of jolly
good girls and boys, each possessing a
fair share of real stage talent, not stage
struck, but going in for a share of fun,
glory and — well, the company earned
something like $300 within two weeks!
From an old programme we reprint the
cast of characters.
Psyche, the Beggar Venus, Clara Brown
Roger Buckingham, . . P. L. Gray
Lady Shirley, . . . Mamie Campbell
Lady Romelda, . . . Florence Albers
Viscount St. Aubrey, L. W. Campbell
Ivan,  A. O. Delaney
Baron Wilanski, . . . . J. Z. Clem
Felix,  E. Morgan
Father Alphonse, . . . J. B. Severin
In the summer of 1890, a 25-foot boat
was built here by J. F. Bastian, for use
on Independence creek during the fish-
fry-picnic season. About that time there
was a big fish pond on the Ladwig farm
a mile east of town; this was the scene of
the launching and christening of the
"Minnehaha". Fully a hundred people,
old and young, were there that beautiful
moonlight night, and a more pleasant
evening never was spent in this neigh
borhood. The boat, ladened with some
fifteen or twenty passengers, was cap
sized in the middle of the pond, where
the water was nearly chin deep, and
many a young fellow took advantage of
the opportunity to perform the heroic
act of saving the life of his sweetheart,
only to have some other fellow marry
her in after years.
In the early '90s, the town had an In
dian inhabitant — Sam Jewett — who could
tell as good corn-husking stories as any
white man. He belonged to a Dakota

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

61

tribe of Indians, and went up to that
country about 1896 to claim a share in
their lands.
The first death in town was that of John
Kosman, a Prussian, who lived just across
the street from where the hotel is now lo
cated. The first child born in town was
Gracie Bastian, in 1887. This is the lit
tle girl whose life was saved by the hero
ic act of W. J. Edwards, who snatched
the child up from the railroad track where
she was playing, just in time to prevent
a freight train from mangling her.
Gabriel Gerardy opened a blacksmith
shop about 1894. He was a first class
machinist and had the instinct and am
bition of an inventor. An invention of
his, a disc sharpener, is now about to be
patented. In 1896 a hotel was built, and the town
began to feel the first aspirations of am
bition. For a time F. W. Reipen was
proprietor of the place. In 1905 it be
came the property of J. C. Albers. Dur
ing the summer it was operated by Mrs.
Callaway, but Mr. Albers expects to take
charge early in the fall.
The first telephone line, owned by the
Northwestern, reached the town in 1896.
Shares were owned by the merchants and
farmers. In 1902, the first Farmers' line
was extended out of town. Within a few
months other lines were extended. At
present there are twenty-five lines con
nected with the board. The very first
telephone line in the town was one con
structed of two cigar boxes and a coil of
binder wire connecting the postoffice with
-the depot. It was put up by Gray & Mor
gan in 1889, and did very good service, j

In 1896 the merchants and the farmers
built a creamery. The Continental Com
pany soon took control and operated it
for some time. At first it seemed a pay
ing business, but poor management made
it unprofitable. In 1903, J. C. Albers,
purchased the building and was rebuild
ing it to be used as a dwelling when, in
December of the same year it was burn
ed. The origin of the tire is not known.
"Bound by an Oath," a second play by
the Bendena Dramatic Company, was
presented in many of the county towns,
in April, 18-96, with unusual success.
In the summer of 1899 the big railroad
well was dug here. It is one of the larg
est railroad wells on the line, the dimen-
tions being : diameter, 24 feet ; depth,
80 feet. It is substantially walled with
brick and the tank has a capacity of about
55,000 gallons. The supply of water
is inexhaustible. The water is pure and
sweet. The tank stands on the divide
between the headwaters of Wolf River
and Independence creek.
A big celebration was held here July 4,
1899, with about 2000 people in attend
ance. This was the little town's first
Fourth celebration, and she did herself
much honor. All visitors were well en
tertained and. cared for, and many friends
were made for the town.
One of General Grant's relatives sleeps
beneath the sod of this county — John
Valmore Hudson- — who died at this place
December 12, 1899. He was the gener
al's first cousin, and had been a resident
of the county for more than 25 years.
He had seen trouble and his life had

62

GRAi'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

been full of adventure. He served in the
Mexican war. From Mexico he went to
the California gold fields, but finding no
fortune awaiting him there, he wended
his way eastward until he reached Kansas
where he was satisfied to remain. He
was extremely modest in speaking of him
self or his doings, but occasionally when
in good humor he would give glowing
accounts of his experiences in the "Greas
er war." He was present at the capture
of Santa Anna, and was one of the boys
that kicked poor old Santa up out of the
grass where he had been hiding. Al
though nearly blind from the effect of a
wound on the nose received in battle, he
was an enthusiastic reader. He was not
especially proud of his illustrious relative,
because of some trouble he had had with
him. Hudson lies in a neglected grave
in the cemetery at Moray, with "only a
wooden slab at his head," but those who
knew him as "old Uncle Johnny" will
long remember him as a good and honest
old man, who had a long and weary
march through life with not a relative to
help him on the way.
December 27, 1900, a big fire started
in the lumber yard of Rappelye and
Brother. A strong wind was blowing
from the north and within a short time
the shed and some small office buildings
were reduced to ashes. Rappelye's loss
was estimated at about $5000, about two
thirds of which was covered by insurance.
The Rappelyes were wide awake business
men. This blow to them was the prime
cause of their leaving town.
In 1902 a side track half a mile in
length was built for the accommodation

of passing trains. It is no unusual sight
to see three or four trains at this place,
at the same time.
Rural Route No. 1 was established in
1902, with George Swartz carrier. This
was a great convenience to the farmers
south of town who for many years had
been obliged to depend on neighbor mail
service by which the entire neighborhood
received mail through the kindness of
some man who had business in town.
The Rock Island road has many a
small but pretty grass plot under the
windows of its depots, but few of them
are more attractive and beautiful than
the tiny park laid out and lovingly cared
for by agent O. B. Monroe.
The present business men of Bendena
are: J. P. Severin, general merchandise;
H. L. Vanverth, hardware; O. C. Hardy,
drugs; R. R. Clutz, M. D.; W. C. Albers,
lumber; Tony Schroeder, general mer
chandise; James Aylward, confectioner;
W. J. Edwards, barber shop and notions;
Tilbury and Son, blacksmiths; J. C. Al
bers, livery ; The Bendena State Bank,
and The Roy croft Shop, P. L.Gray.

UNION TOWNSHIP.
In June, 1878, a new township was cre
ated out of the territory of Wolf River
township, and called Union. This town
ship contains 36 square miles and occu
pies the south western corner of the coun
ty. Within its boundaries are most ex
cellent farm and pasture lands. Inde
pendence has its rise here, in this region
of never-failing springs. It is the banner
stock raising township, especial attention
being given to the raising of hogs — fine

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

63

whopping fellows — the equals of which
are scarcely to be found in the West.
The history of Union is so closely wov
en with that of Wolf River that they
stand today in the relationship of mother
to married daughter. FRAGMENTS.
The "Barlow Boys," acquired wide
spread notoriety during the early eighties
by their bad behavior in both Doniphan
and Brown Counties. They were hard
drinkers and reckless shooters. Raid af
ter raid was made by them on the small
towns. For a time they were permitted
to pay their tines and and go free ; but
the long suffering public lost its patience
and the "toughs" were brought to time.
The fact that they were very cowards was
proved one day in Severance when a man
named Miller took a few stones and bat
tered and scattered the four of them. On
the evening of April 18, 1883, they made
a raid on Normanville, demanding liquor
which Mr. Normile had been in the cus
tom of keeping in his small grocery store
in a room adjoining the room in which
the post office was kept. They got into
a row with William Normile. Mrs. Nor
mile, his mother, came to his assistance,
attempting to hold the door shut to keep
out the assailants, when "the boys" be
gan firing their pistols into the door and
windows. One ball passed through Mrs.
Normile's ear and lodged in her head.
They ended by robbing the post office of
money and stamps. A day or two after
this they were arrested. The "boys" —
Tom, Jim, and Ed. — made no resistance.
Later they were handed over to the gov
ernment authorities. The eastern papers

made much of the boys, classing them
with the James Boys and giving extend
ed and glowing, but greatly exagerated
accounts of their depredations. The Po
lice Gazette, the literary vulture, printed
their pictures with a highly colored ac-
acount of the raid on Normanville, and
we recollect that many copies of the pap
er were purchased and read by people
wishing to see how "the Boys" appeared
in print.
On September 10, 1888, eight wheat
stacks belonging to John Green, of this
Township, and containing a thousand
bushels of wheat were destroyed by fire
caused by a spark from a threshing engine.
Centenarian Edward Heeney died at
the home of his daughter-in-law, Mrs.
Bernard Heeney, near Denton, July 12,
1901, aged 103 years, having lived in
three centuries. All his long life he had
been a stranger to sickness. He despised
to ride in a vehicle, choosing to walk,
unless the distance was altogether too
great. Perhaps he went more miles on
foot during his quarter of a century of
existence in Kansas than any other man
that ever lived in the state.

Denton.
Denton was laid out October 27, 1886,
by D. C. Kyle assisted by Moses, John,
and William Denton. The townsite is a
beautiful one, and the surrounding count
ry is the pride and wealth of northeastern
Kansas. During the early nineties the
little town enjoyed a most healthy boom,
stores and dwellings springing up like
May flowers . It "began a friendly race

64

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

with Bendena toward the goal of pros
perity. This race still continues, and at
present the racers appear to be about
neck to neck. The town has two church
es and a good school.
Some early settlers in the neighborhood :
John B. Gronniger,1856; R. P. Shulsky,
1858 ; Nicholas Delzeit, 1859; John Nor
mile, 1860; Peter McNulty, 1860; John
Riley, 1065; Wm Denton, 1865; D. W.
Edwards, 1868; J. S. Byers, 1869; Geo.
Chaney, 1870; Geo. Denton, 1873.
FRAGMENTS.
Wm. Kirby, of the Doniphan neigh
borhood, erected the first store, in the
fall of 1886.
The first dwelling was built and occu
pied by E. Callaway, who was also the
first carpenter.
The first blacksmith in town was Tom
Griffis who opened a shop in 1887.
One of the very early grain dealers
was James Bundage, about the same time.
The second store was opened by L. H.
Priester. A hall was built over the
store soon afterwards.
David Schnee opened the first meat
market in 1888.
Seward McConnell came in 1889 with
a stock of general merchandise.
The first physician was Dr. Stewart,
who was also the proprietor of the first
drug store. He came about 1889 with
his little black grip in his hand.
In the fall of 1893 more than forty oar
loads of apples were shipped from this
point. The price paid was $2.50 a bar
rel. The apples were extra fine.

E. Callaway was one of the mail carri
ers between Severance and Kennekuk, in
the early eighties.
The town is situated near the site of
the old stage station, Syracuse, on the
Pottawatomie trail, where the Vickerys
kept store early in the '60s supplying
neighbor and traveller with bacon, brown
sugar, and what is said to have been a
fine quality of a certain elixir usually
contained in a little brown jug.
It was while he was a resident of Den
ton that Wm. Kirby published his inter
esting book on Mormonism.
Business houses: Bank of Denton; Tom
Griffis, blacksmith ; J. E. Stepp, M. D.;
Len Roberts, hardware; W. H. Pennebak-
er, general merchandise; S. L. Denton,
meat market; Cummings and Elliott, live
stock; Charles Murray, general merchan
dise; I. S. Piny erd, contractor and builder.

Pnrcell.
This little town came into existence
about the time Bendena and Denton were
born. It at once became a good shipping
point for the farmers who had long been
obliged to haul their grain to distant
points. It is not likely that the town
will ever develop into a city, but it will
always remain "a handy little place to
have on the map." The farmers in the
neighborhood are among the wealthiest
in the county. One of the finest church
buildings in northeastern Kansas is St.
Mary's near this place, erected about 1898.
Patrick Shaughnessy, John Whelau,
Patrick Brady, John Purcell, David
Whelan, Peter Reichenberger and Kasper
Troll were some of the earlier settlers.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

65

CENTRE TOWNSHIP.
Centre Township was organized Octo
ber 21, 1856, out of the western portions
of Washington and Burr-Oak townships.
The surface is mostly rough and broken,
especially those portions lying north and
east of Troy. Much good, comparative
ly level land lies in the western portion,
Three streams find their source near the
center of the township. They are : Mos
quito creek, Peter's creek, and Cotton
wood branch. The township contains
61 square miles, and some of the finest
vineyards and berry fields in the county
are within its boundaries. FRAGMENTS.
The first marriage in the township was
that of John Granfield and Nancy Jane
Edwards, which occurred on Christmas
Day, 1854, the ceremony being perform
ed by Rev. S. M. Irvin, of the Mission.
At that time there were only four fami
lies in the neighborhood, but all were in
vited to the wedding, and of course "ev
erybody was there."
The first death occurring in the town
ship was that of N. Carter, who died -of
cholera, September 8, 1856.
Rev. H. Maxwell, a Methodist minis
ter from Doniphan, held the first relig
ious services in the fall of 1856, at the
home of H. Calvert.
One of the first saw mills in the town
ship was built at Lafayette, in 1856, by
a man named Lyman ; but it ran for a
short time only.
Early in 1857 Mrs. Brown taught the
first school in Troy.

In the same year J. F. Kotsch kept a
small provision store on his place on the
old trail just south east of town.'
The township has three railroads and
about 25 miles of track.
Three brothers, Jacob, John and Lew
is Zimmerman built a thresh,ing;\machine
at their home south west of Troy, in the
early sixties. The machine was made up
of the good parts of many old and worn
out machines so well put together that it
gave good satisfaction, The brothers
threshed nearly all the grain in the neigh
borhood with this machine. In those
days the capital of a corporation would
have been required to purchase a new
threshing outfit, but the patience and in
genuity of these men gave to the neigh
borhood a "separator" almost as good as
new. The fact of the machine's being
constructed of the bones of old machines
gathered from all points of the compass
did not worry the farmer, because the
work done by it was quite satisfactory.
The Doniphan county man has always
been resourceful. Whatever he stood in
need of he was bound to have. If he could
not buy it, he made it, whether it were a
threshing machine or a ten-penny nail.
Grace Bedell, the little girl who asked
Abraham Lincoln to let his whiskers
grow, grew up and was lost to public
view until John Carrol Power, a Doni
phan county man owning the "Bony"
Wood place near Troy in 1868, discover
ed her at Delphos, Kansas. She was
married to a Mr. Billings.
A Mr. Newton was cleaning out a nine
ty foot well on the Ab. Kent farm near

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Troy, in July, 1867. When he was about
ten feet from the bottom the well caved
in on him and held him fast. A great
many people gathered around to dig out
the supposed dead man. They worked
about twenty five hours at the end of
which time Mr. Newton was taken out
conscious, and with the exception of a
few bruises, sound and well.
On Monday afternoon, April 29, dur
ing the heavy rain which fell here, a ter
rible whirlwind, or tornado, passed over
a narrow strip of country between this
place and Wathena. The wind covered
a track of not more than fifty or sixty
feet in width, and its power was most
fearful, and its effect destructive. The
new frame house of a family named Doms
living some three or four miles down the
Wathena road, and a house near by be
longing to a Mr. McClellan, were com
pletely blown away. All the children of
the Doms family were more or less injured
though not seriously, but Mrs. Doms re
ceived injuries from which she died on
the morning of May 3, 1872. — Troy Re
porter. In March, 1875, a wild cat weighing
40 pounds, measuring four feet two inches
from tip of nose to end of tail, was kill
ed on Mosquito creek.
James N. Gibbons, a resident of this
township, is one of the few men now
living in the county who saw the great
flood in the Missouri river, in the spring
of 1844. He was then a boy of nine and
witnessed the flood from the Missouri
shore. October 6, 1881, a prominent citizen of

Troy had a fine blooded boar at the Fair
which for size and other good qualities,
took several premiums. The animal was
literally decked with blue ribbons from
ears to tail. At the close of the Fair the
owner started to drive his pork home,
with a rope tied to his hind leg. Just as
they got on the bridge crossing the rail
road, a freight train came thundering a-
long underneath. The hog made frantic
efforts to run, and the owner braced him
self and held on, the rope wearing blist
ers on his hands. As the caboose passed
from underneath the bridge, the hog gave
a loud "woosh," and leaped off, falling
flat upon the hard track twenty feet be
low, and bursting himself like a rotten
pumpkin. "O, God! there goes my hog,"
exclaimed the proprietor of the remains,
as he gazed below, upon the shapeless
mass of sausage meat, bristles, and blue
ribbons. — Sol Miller.

Troy.
On the 12th of October, 1855, the town-
site of Troy was located by three commis
sioners appointed for the purpose by the
Territorial Legislature. A few days lat
er a survey was ordered, and eighty acres
of land were laid off into town lots. The
lots were offered for sale December 15th,
of the same year, according to one re
port, while according to another report,
the sale was not held until January 1st,
1856. •
Troy not being closely surrounded by
the best farm lands, has never been an
advantageous point for the buying and
shipping of grain. During the '60s there
was no railroad, and after the building of

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

67

the two roads in 1869 and 1870, the town
found herself in the race with many of
the young and vigorous rival towns situ
ated in the heart of the richest and best
farm lands in the state. The first history
of our county, published in 1868, said of
of Troy : "That it will make a great city
is not expected, but that it will maintain
itself as one of the first towns of the
county cannot be doubted." Time has
proved that the early historian had his
glasses properly adjusted.
It is said that the town narrowly es
caped being named Saltillo. The com
missioners who located it in 1855 prom
ised to leave the naming of it to the lady
with whom they were boarding; but when
they selected the above name, the men
winced and began to weaken. After a
great deal of circumlocution they broke
their promise, and substituted for Saltillo
the name of Troy. The excuse they of
fered for the substitution was, that they
were poor spellers and quite unable to
spell Saltillo without looking on the book.
The Trojans may thank the commission
ers for this; for, had the town received
the Mexican name, sooner or later, the
pet name of "Sal" or "Sally" would have
been fixed upon it.
The town lacks only two miles of be
ing the geographical center of the county.
According to Smith and Vaughan, and
Bird, the first house, a frame building,
was erected in 1855; but Sol Miller's his
torical edition of the Chief states that
the ' 'first house erected in Troy was by
Nelson Rodgers, in the spring of 1856."
Take your choice.

The stake marking the location of the
county seat was driven within a few feet
of where the court house is now building.
On one side of the stake was. written the
names of the commissioners with the date
of locating, while on the other side was
inscribed : "The County Seat of Doni
phan County on this quarter section."
Troy has been the home and birth
place of ten newspapers. Late in 1858,
the first paper, the Democrat, by Joseph
Thompson, began its existence which,
however, was very brief. The second
was the Dispatch, established in the fall
of 1860, by J. W. Biggers. It lived for
about a year. The third was the Doni
phan County Patriot, a Jim Lane paper,
edited by E. H. Grant. It began in Ap
ril, 1862, and continued about two years.
The fourth was an anti-Lane paper, the
Investigator, started in 1864, and edited
by H. C. Hawkins. It was short lived.
The fifth was the Doniphan County Sol
dier, established 1865. lt soon marched
away. S. H. Dodge was its patriotic
editor-in-chief. The sixth venture was the
Reporter, established in 1865, by Joseph
H. Hunt. In 1867 it was removed to
Wathena. The seventh was the Doni
phan County Republican, established by
C. G. Bridges, 1868. This paper chang
ed hands many times, and in 1875 was
gobbled up by the Chief. The eighth
was the Chief, which came down from
White Cloud in July, 1872, and which
is still reigning. The ninth was a sec
ond venture of C. G. Bridges, the Bulle
tin, began in 1877. It lasted about two
years. The tenth,. .and latest up to date,
was A. W. Beale's Times started in 1886.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

After a "checkered" career it was absorb
ed by Pool Grinstead's Times at Wathe
na, about 1900.
The first store was operated by Head
and Earle, in 1856.
One of the very first lawyers was Capt.
A. Head, who tacked up his shingle in
the same year.
Two pioneer carpenters are named by
the historians — A. Simonson and C. Cal
vert. A post office was established in 1856,
with Captain Head as postmaster. The
Captain never had the opportunity to
read postal cards as they were not in use
at that time. Other early postmasters
were: C. Leland, Isaac Powers, George
Wheeler, A. B. Burr, Antone Brenteno,
and Daniel Bursk.
Conners and Howell were the first to
don the white apron to administer to the
wants of the thirsty.
The first hotel was opened by John
Wilson, about 1857.
The first resident physician mentioned
in the histories, was Dr. Payne, who ar
rived with his blue pills and black plast
ers in 1858.
J. B . Maynard organized the first Sun
day school in 1859, and was the first sup
erintendent. The first shoe shop was opened in the
same year by John Frank Kotsch.
The first court house, which Sol. Mill
er called a "brick barn" was erected in
1859, and was destroyed by fire in March,
1867. In 1868, after a bitter county

seat war, another court house was built
near the ruins of the old one. In 1870,
an $800 jail was built near the court
house, and is still in use. Until the
building of the jail, prisoners were con
fined in the lower story of the court house.
Joe Nixon's cannon which stood in the
court house yard for so many years was
captured by Union men from Elwood
from Jeff Thompson's soldiers in Miss
ouri. Nixon bought it and brought it
to Troy.
In the winter of 1862-3, two Jayhaw-
kers, "Whitehead" and "Ridley", re
ceived their deserts at the hands of two
citizens. Both were fatally shot, Riley
dying immediately, while Whitehead,
who was taken out of town by some
friends, lived for some time.
The Presbyterian church, which was
begun in 1864 and finished in 1865, at a
cost of about $2,500 was dedicated, Jan
uary 1. 1866, the services being conduct
ed by Rev. F. E. Sheldon, who remained
as pastor until 1871.
Early in 1866 a brass band was organ
ized. The first Methodist church was incorp
orated in 1866. For a time the court
house and the school house had been used
for preaching and meetings. The first
preacher was Rev. A. Bennett, of Wolf
River township, in 1858.
Troy Lodge, A. F. & A. M., was or
ganized February 4, 1867.
A brick school house was begun in
1867 and completed two years later. Pri
or to the erection of this building there

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

69

had been a small one story house of a sin
gle room in which the school had been
taught by F. Brown. A few of the early
teachers in this school are here named :
Lyman, Emmons, Barett, Woodworth,
Daughters, Rose, Dinsmore, Cochran,
Thompson. A third building now in use
was erected a few years ago, and the
town has good reason to be proud of it.
Troy Lodge, No. 38, I. O. O. F., was
organized September 23, 1868.
In 1869 or 1870 David Morse began
the manufacture of brooms.
N. B. Wood came to Troy in 1869,
and bought "67 acres of land. He com
menced his orchard in 1871, when he set
out 600 trees. The next year he set out
2,000 more. Ten years later, 1882, he
had 160 acres of land and 13,000 trees,
11,000 of which were bearing fruit. Of
these, 1200 were Ben Davis, 4500 Wine
saps, 1000 Missouri Pippins, 2000 Rals'
Jenet, or Gennettings, 500 Rambo, 750
Willowtwigs, and 250 Dominie. The re
mainder was made up of Jonathans, Bell-
flowers, Russets, etc. It was estimated
that he raised and sold more than 10,000
bushels of apples that year.
In 1870 the first bank was opened by
Henry and Louis Boder. Their place of
business was a frame building which was
destroyed by fire in 1872, and which was
replaced by the present brick buiiding.
Dr. F. C. Hoffmeier the first homoe
opathic physician in the county, began
his practice here in 1871.
At a fire in town in April, 1872, the
women formed a "bucket brigade" and
helped save the town. Credit for heroic I

work was given to the following ladies
whose names were printed in the White
Cloud Chief: Miss M. E. Strahan, Miss
Julia Blakely, Mrs. Otto, Miss Siglitary,
Mrs. Lewis, and Miss Ellen DeLong.
An engineer named Clauser attempted
suicide while pinned under his derailed
engine near the Banner Mills, in Decem
ber, 1878. About a year before this, his
wife aud child received fatal injuries at
the same place.
Troy Lodge, No. 1317, Knights of Hon
or, was organized December 30, 1878.
A "Buckeye Reunion" was held Octo
ber 3, 1878. The register was signed by
356 Ohioans.
Mrs. Ann Eliza Young, XlXth wife of
Brigham Young, lectured here April 25,
1879. In 1880, St. Charles' Catholic church
was erected at a cost of about $1,000.
There was then a membership of about
seventy-five. Rev. Father Timphaus was
one of the first pastors.
The Colored Missionary Baptist church
was organized January 9, 1881, by Rev.
Henry Bacon. There were but eight
members. An American Auxiliary Branch of the
National Land League of Ireland was or
ganized here August 13. 1881. The ob
ject of the League was to render moral
and financial aid to the people of Ireland
in their struggle against Landlordism.
The W. C. T. U. was organized in
March, 1882.
Helloing over the telephone began here

70

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

in the early part of December, 1885.
At the Fourth of July celebration in
1889, Thomas Davis, of near Fanning,
the oldest man in the county, and the
the oldest horse, belonging to J. W.
Baldwin, near Troy, were attractions.
Mr. Davis was in his ninety-fourth year.
The horse was forty-five.
In January. 1894, a Charter was issued
from Secretary of State's office, making
the S. L. K. Library Association a body
corporate with the following board of di
rectors: Laura B. Harley, Lelia Miller,
Mrs. Mabel Campbell, Chloe L. Brown,
and Minnie M. Schletzbaum.
First officers of the society were: Pres
ident, Miss Eva Wood; vice president,
Mellie Parker; secretary, Emma A. Ton
er; assistant secretary, Alice A. Amos;
treasurer, Ida Byers ; assistant treasurer,
Effie Bridges.
In 1897, the 40-acre orchard of Ben
Davis apples belonging to M. J. Rhue,
made an extraordinary yield. A buyer
from Waterloo, Iowa offered Mr. Rhue
$6,000 for the apples on the trees. Mr.
Rhue shook his head, and his friends
said he was foolish; but the wisdom in
his upper story showed forth some days
later when he sold .. 7500 barrels of the
apples at about $1.50 per barrel. Morde-
cai just pocketed the money and smiled a
beaming smile.
Fire broke out in McClellan's hardware
store on the morning of November 15,
1899, and within the space of a few hours
after the discovery of the first blaze, one
third of the business part of the town
was in ruins. The fire quickly spread

from the hardware store to the opera
house, an elegant brick structure which
had cost $5000. A lively buoket brig
ade was formed, and 150 buckets were
operated with speed and skill, but to no
avail. The Higby House, a large frame
building, one of the landmarks of the
town and tne county, took fire from the
sparks falling from the blazing opera
house, and soon was ablaze from founda
tion to roof. Jenkins' grocery store sit
uated near the Higby House, soon caught
the flame and mingled its fury with that
of the others. Leland's large brick store
was partly burned, it being nearly fire
proof. The St. Joseph fire department
was sent for, and on its arrival, which
was somewhat delayed, a line of hose was
run from Hayton's pond a quarter of a
mile from the scene of the fire, and a
stream of water was poured on the blaz
ing buildings; but the assistance came
too late to save the buildings. However,
some residence buildings in the immedi
ate vicinity were saved by this help. The
losses may be estimated: Opera House,
$6,000; Higby House, $2,000; Jenkins'
grocery, $1,500; Doniphan County Bank,
$600; Baker & Bell, Attorneys, library
and office furniture in the McClellan
building, $1,800. The total insurance
was about one half the total loss.
Saturday night, September 1, 1900, an
attempt was made to burn the Court
House. The building was saved by the
prompt action of the officials.
Henry Wagenknecht, of Wathena, se
cured the contract for the building of
the new court house which is now in
course of erection, and which is expected

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

71

to be ready for occupation by the Blind
Goddess and her coterie of efficient serv
ants, by June 1, 1906. The cost will be
about $40,000. It will be of stone and
brick, with cornices of galvanized iron.
A special levy was provided for by a bill
passed by the legislature in 1903, which
had been introduced by Cyrus Leland.
There is not a citizen of the county
who may not be justly proud of this new
court house which will be one of the finest
county buildings in the state.
From the columns of the Chief we cull
the names of the town's business men and
business houses : The Chief, H. J. Cal-
nan ; George McClaren, drugs; Helvey &
Son, grocers ; Winzer & Klostermeier,
hardware; Bank of Troy; Kemp & Cona-
way, undertakers; D. C. Sinclair, drugs;
Hotel Avon ; Sturgis & Sturgis, restaur
ant and confectioners ; Norman & Zim
merman, general merchandise, C. Leland,
dry goods etc.; J. W. McClellan, hard
ware ; Chris Jenkinson, grocer ; George
Hagenbach, general merchandise; Frank
Hauber, restaurant; Nate Swiggett, rest
aurant; George Burkhalter, general mer
chandise; Clark Brothers, millers; Briggs
and Chappie, meat market; W. A. Mor
gan, livery; E. Monroe, veterinary sur
geon; J. C. Myers, dentist; Wm. W. Min-
ter, hardware; A. L. Perry, abstract of
titles; W. B. Campbell, M. D.; R. S.
Dinsmore, M. D.; Fleming & Lair, bar
bers; A. D. Jones, hard ware; Grant Sweet,
barber shop; Elwood, photographer.

Stray Notes.
R. M. Ladwig, a Center township pio
neer now residing in St. Joseph, tells of
an interesting scene witnessed by him in

the early days on the high prairieB be
tween Troy and Syracuse — a train of
government wagons five miles in length,
each wagon drawn by a span of spanking
big mules. Mr. Ladwig says the scene
suggested to him the idea of a huge white
snake gliding across the hills, its head
nearing the horizon of the west while its
tail wiggled in the hazy hills of the east.
Doniphan County may be proud of at
least four talented artists whose drawings
and paintings are ample proofs of genu
ine talent. Miss Lelia Miller's fine paint
ing happily illustrating her famous fath
er's quaint poem, "Paw-paws is Ripe,"
is well known, and her work adorns
the walls of many admiring friends. Miss
Lou Nelson is very skilful in the execu
tion of portraits. The excellent quality
of her work has been acknowledged by
competent judges of real art. Miss Lola
Kelley, for many years a resident of this
county, but now residing in St. Joseph,
has an eager demand for all work coming
from her brush or pencil. We are rather
proud of our frontispiece picture which
was designed and drawn by Miss Kelley
especially for our History, and are glad
to accord it the honor that it deserves.
Miss Bessie Franklin, a Bendena young
lady, is a real art worker. Her home is
tilled with beautiful portraits, landscapes
and designs. She draws and paints for
the pure pleasure it affords her, which is
a true sign of artistic genius.
J. M. Morley, owner of the bank of
Severance, was the first banker in the
county to make use of an electric bell ap
paratus for the protection of his bank
| from the acts of burglars. It seems to

72

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

us that it would be an impossibility for
any person or persons to make a success
ful raid on this bank. The apparatus pos
sesses almost human intelligence. Mr.
Morley has done much to protect the in
terests of his hundreds of patrons, and
his labors and careful consideration are
duly appreciated by them.
Rev. D. G. Saunders, of Stewartsville,
Missouri, one of the county's pioneer
Baptist ministers, is still laboring in the
Lord's Vineyard, being in charge of a
Baptist congregation in southern Wolf
River and western Wayne townships. The
Independence Baptist church which was
organized early in the sixties was reorgan
ized by him about 1877. A church was
built, but was destroyed by tire. A sec
ond church was erected and the good
man continued his faithful labors with
untiring zeal. In the early part of his
ministerial career in this state, Mr. Saun
ders had charge of a wide scope of country
embracing three or four of the northeast
ern counties. He is a man of superior
intelligence, broad minded, sociable, and
kind, with a large circle of friends of all
religious denominations both in Kansas
and Missouri.

Mrs. Samuel Dawson, of Iowa Point,
is a great grand daughter of Voyageur
Charboneau, cook and interpreter for the
Lewis and Clark expedition party up the
Missouri river and over the Rooky mount
ains down to the Pacific coast, in 1804-6.
Charboneau was the husband of the fa
mous Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian
girl, who led the great explorers across
the rocky wilderness, preserving them
from famine and the hostilities of un
friendly tribes of savages. Charboneau
ransomed the brave and beautiful maiden
from the Blackfeet who held her in cap
tivity, and made her his wife. She was
loving and faithful. It is related of this
noble woman that she saved from loss
the Expedition party's journals which
fell by accident into the icy waters of
the upper Missouri. Being a woman of
heroic courage and possessing the natural
skill of a swimmer, she plunged into the
rush of the ice laden water and rescued
the papers from certain loss, thus preform
ing an act which should endear her name
and memory to every citizen who loves
the doer of a heroic deed.

CHAPTER II.

POETS AND POETRY.

We here present a collection of verse written by Doniphan County writers, selected
from the files of the county papers. Many of the writers here represented are natives of
the county. Others have had their birth in the different states, and a few were born in
foreign lands, but all have resided here, and the selections presented were inspired and
written in Doniphan County.

SQUEAKS FROM THE SORGHUM BJUIili.

SOL. MILLER.

Tune — "Villkins and his Dinah.:

As Martin was grinding some sorghum one day,
The mill got to squeaking and thus seemed to say:
Above sorghum, there's that to which man
shoud aspire;
Does your heart never throb with some lofty
desire,?
Ri tu ral, lal lu ral, ri tu ral, lal la.
The commerce in sorghum's declining you
know;
The truck's a bit thin, and prices are slow;
And when you have sold it from skimmings to
dregs,
'Twill scarce pay for the hoops on your cotton
wood kegs. Chorus.

I detected your darkies remarking to-day,
They'd put up with less love, and a little more
pay;
'Dis friendship's a good ting, as far as it goes;
But golly, it won't buy de chillen no close.
Cho.
"A feather bed's good, if they had time to sleep;
But midnight is feed time, and out they must
creep;
They must hush from the moment the sun shows
its tip.
And pio w by the light of the dip of a cheap tallow
dip. Cho.
"So Martin you'd better be changing your
gait;
Instead of this drudging from early to late,
Take a high toned short cut after riches and
fame-
As a Christian and statesman build up a proud
name. Cho.

74

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

"The hypocrite business is pretty good pay;
Build churches in which you can snivel and pray;
Then turn your old minister out on the sod,
And be your own sexton, and preacher, and God.
Cho.
"If men have besmeared you— embrace them
and kiss;
If men had faith in you, just kick them for this;
In deeds of sweet charity, nevermore shirk,
Relieve the distressed— but first take it in work.
Cho.
"Take contracts to work for the great public
cause;
Keep the outside free from all blemish and flaws;
But fill the odd corner with refuse and trash-
In that lies your profit— and profit is cash.
Cho.
"Be upright— whenever it brings you the pelf;
Be faithful— when that's the best show for your
self.
Those men strictly honest are never in luck;
And honor with poverty runs "nip and tuck."
Cho.
As Martin thus heard, did his wonder increase,
Not thinking the mill only needed some grease;
' 'That voice is prophetic— I haste to obey —
Thus surely does Providence point me the way."
Cho.
"Thence forward the grinding was dismally
low;
The cane grew no more, and the juice ceased to
flow;
No more the old crow-bait walked patiently
round;
No more the rank pulp, rotting, littered the
ground. Cho.
Men ransacked the markets and thought it so
queer
That the clear strained sap should no longer ap
pear.
A wail of despair went up o'er the land-
Children cried and women longed, for Bow-
owner's brand.
Cho.
"Years came and years went, as the years al
ways do,
While Martin unswerving his course did pursue,
Determined with might and with main to fulfil
By the fate pointed out by the squeak of the mill.
Cho.

"I saw him once more after seasons had rolled,
And he had worked out what the squeaking fore
told.
Wound you know how he looked when he acted
it through?
Then pick from this list a symbol or two;
Cho.
"The last end of pea-time— the skin of the snail—
A battered old can on a mangy dog's tail —
A bladder that's busted— a bubble that's pricked,
An old hat that's crownless and banged up and
kicked —
Cho.
"A tow-linen shirt that is minus a tail-
Old Jonah when just taking of leave the whale—
A cow sick on buckeyes — a three legged steer—
A shyster well played, with a flea in his ear.
Cho.
"And as he trudged onward thus did he com
plain:
'I'll have to go back to the sorghum again.
The mill is a prophet, I think - so to speak-
By the profit I've found in the juice, not the
squeak. '
Cho.

MORAL.
"Whenever you see a great hog of a man,
Who tries to get more than he honestly can,
That his purse and his fame may grow bulky and
fast,
You will find him come out mighty peaked at
last. Cho.
On the high prairie, October, 21, 1872.

DID VOY EVERT

PAT. GRAY.

Did you ever take a ramble through the wood,
With the little girl you wanted by your side?
Did you ever feel so happy or so good?
Are her kisses any sweeter as your bride?
Did you ever to the orchard go to spark,
While her papa was a sleeping like a log?
Did you ever go a-groping in the darl;,
Peeling 'round to get a brick to hit the dog?

barry Mailer,
Editor Leona Hustler.

A. W. Themanson,
Editor Wathena Republican.

Mrs. Eva Ryan Swayze.

Tobias Larson,
Editor Highland Vidette

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

75

Did you ever keep your lady out too late,
When she'd promised to be in by ten o'clock?
Did you ever grease the hinges of the gate,
Just to please the quiet people in the block?
Did her father ever catch her on your knee,
With her loving little arms around your neck?
Did he look as if he thought it shouldn't be?
Did he tell you it was time for you to trek?
Did you ever fondly kiss her curley hair?
Did you clip a lock to have when she'd be gone?
After marriage was the article so. rare?
Did you find it in the butter later on?
Did you ever find her in a little pout?
Did you pat her head and kiss away her tear?
Since you're married, when you have a falling out,
Do you thiuk to kiss her gooa and call her
"dear?"
When your sweetheart had a package to be
brought,
Did you ever dare to grumble at the weight?
Since you're papa, do you do the things you'd
ought?
Do you think to carry baby much of late?

CHARLES R. HEWINS

We're just as glad as we can be,
That Kansas is not Tennessee,
Or any other sovereign State,
No matter whether small or great,
Because we love her even more
Than man has loved his State before;
And if from her we choose to roam,
We'll ever think of her as home;
We blow our country's bugle horn,
And bless the day our State was born.
The boundless prairies, all our own,
Our homes among the greatest flowers —
A barren waste before the war,
But it's a barren waste no more.
New countries have privations great;
'Twas we who built our homes and state;
Our schools and churches we'll promote,
And give to each his own free vote;
And guard our homes, nor let strong drink
Bring us at last to ruin's brink.

It is the state for you and me,
With earth and air and sky so free;
With sparkling dew upon the corn,
And bracing balmy air at morn;
With bright green grass and golden wheat,
'Tis here the flowers of richest hue
Waste their sweet fragrance on the dew,
And brightest birds in early spring
Pipe forth our motto, "Corn is King."
We welcome all to this, our home —
You can not find a richer loam;
And if with us you cast your lot,
We'll hand to you the best we've got.
If all will do what's right and true
(And that is what we all shall do,)
Then when we die— for die we must —
We'll know to whom we leave this trust;
And stately trees and golden maize
Will bough their heads to all in praise.

DEATH OF THE OL.D YEAR.

MBS. EMILY STOCKING-.

I walked hi the moonlight's shimmering ray,
To list what the old year had to say;
To hear s ome tale of deep distress,
Of hearts that beat in joyousness.
But the silence of night was scarcely broke.
So soft and low was the voice that spoke;
"A lesson of life I'll teach to thee —
Only a moment listen to me.
Dost hear in the grove the wind's low sigh,
Telling of hopes which with manhood die?
He clings to life, but his time has flown,
And over his joys dead leaves are strewn.
Tiny flowers that peeped out one by one,
Caressed aud nursed by the warm summer's
sun,
Lie faded and dead in our Wintry way —
So innocent chidhood passes away.
The earth may be robed in her richest dress,
And the bride may smile in her j oyousness;
But dying tonight, I lift the pall,
And breathe to your soul the fate of all.
Dost see yon river? Ice-bound and still;
Emblem of age; hopes frozen and chilled;"
They folded their hands on their weary breast,
'I am done with earth; O, let me rest."
Charleston, Kan., Jan. 1, 1874.

u

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

THE GROUND HOG.

BY SOL. MILLER.

It's O, for the times of our fathers;
And O, for the good old days,
Ere the up-start prophets of weather
Came with their newfangled ways;
When the lowly and humble ground-hog
That balances the season's fate,
Knew naught. of the puzzle of science,
But knew how to watch and wait.
In his burrow in woodland hillside,
Hard-by some ice-covered stream,
He waits for the time appointed,
Then wakes from his winter's dream.
From his door he cautiously peereth,
For shadows that come before.
O Wiggins, O Hicks, with their wisdom,
Might envy his subtle lore.
Then will we not learn from the ground hog
A lesson of value to man?
He patiently waits without worry,
And doeth the best he can.
He takes whatever is offered,
With never a growl or scold;]
If it isn't warm to his liking,
He's willing take it cold.

M. E. CHURCH DEDICATION.
(Highland, Kansas.)

MARY DEANE.

Cradled, O, God within thy hand,
As suppliants we before Thee stand,
To do thy will,
Obedient to command of old,
Uprose this house thy name to hold!
It will thy glory fill !
Upon thy loving heart, oh, trace
This temple for thy dwelling place,
Most holy One in three;
Here may the heralds of thy love
Transfix the eyes on joys above,
And lead the soul to Thee!
Bless those that bade these walls arise;
Grant them a mansion with the wise,
When called from time to go;
All o'er these prairies, vast and grand,
May temples rise and converts stand,
Till all the Saviour know.

THE OI.D MAID.

EVA RYAN.

She gave her life to love. She never knew
What other women give their all to gain.
Others were fickle. She was passing true,
She gave pure love, and faith without a stain.
She never married. Suitors came and went:
The dark eyes flashed their love on one alone,
Her life was passed in quiet and content,
The old love reigned. No rival shar'd the throne.
Think you her life was wasted? Vale and hill
Blossomed in summer, and white winter came.
The blue ice stiffened on the silent rill;
All times and seasons found her still the same.
Her heart was full of sweetness till the end.
What once she gave she never took away.
Through all her youth she loved one faithful
friend,
She loves him now her hair is growing gray.

TO THE RIVER.

ALMA KELLEY.

River, sad and dreary river,
Flowing where the rushes shiver,
Where the breezes softly sigh,
Tell to me the song you're chanting
In the dreamy days of planting-
Is it baby's lullaby?
Do you sing of sunny meadows
Where the snow-clouds trail their shadows,
Passing like a phantom throng ?
Or to nestlings in the willows,
Rocking, swaying on the billows-
Do you sing a cradle song?
ANSWER.
Once beside my laughing water
Lived a boatman's sunny daughter,
Fairer than the buds of May.
Underneath the dancing billow,
With her gold hair for a pillow
All alone she sleeps to-day.
And my wavelets onward sweeping
Pause not for a mother's weeping—
I must ever speed along;
But for sake of those who love her
Gently gliding past above her,
I must croon my slumber song.

John P Johnson.

Dr. R S. Dinsmore.

Dr. W. B. Campbell.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

77

THE POUNDING OF THE IOWA MISSION.

ANONYMOUS.

Hushed at last in balmy slumbers,
Where the wild flowers drink the dew,
Unlamented lie the red men
Once our rolling prairies knew.
Where the pawpaw trees, still growing,
Spread their broad leaves in the sun;
Where, in tangled dells of hazel,
Brooks with merry babble run.
Mellow Autumn, sadly lingering,
Scatters 'round her withered leaves;
Summer's rainy tears fall gently,
Winter's cold wind o'er them grieves.
Love and hate can thrill no longer,
Life's delirium now is past,
So shall we, like them, be only
Dust, unconscious dust, at last.
Yonder, by the trees half hidden,
Stands the Missions' crumbling walls;
Heedless, if loud beats the tempest,
Or soft moonlight o'er them falls.
Pathways old, with faded grasses,
And with creeping vines grown o'er,
Tell us of what has been only,
And of what shall be no more.
Tell us of one now reposing,
Who so oft these ways has trod;
One who came to teach the savage,
And to turn him to his God.
Feeble though, and frail in body,
His the heart but to obey;
Ah, then, how sublime the sowing
For the harvest of today!
Then there were no home scenes happy
On our prairies spread afar;
Still day came with sun and vanished;,
Night with moon and glittering star.
In the distant forest jungle
Sang the lonely whippoorwill,
Sang and listened to the echoes
Answering faintly from the hill.
Flowers of brilliant hue in Spring-time
Poured their fragrance on the air;
Fifty times they've bloomed and withered,
Since arose those walls with prayer.

All hail, wondrous transformation!
Who his made our prairies bloom?
He who dared to pierce the desert,
With its perils and its gloom.
All hail glorious coronation,
Yonder in the bright blue sky!
Lo, the souls he saved from error,
Lilt their flaunting banners high.
Rescued from earth's midnight shadows;
Saved from superstition's thrall;
Rolls the great choir's glad Te Deum
Over tower and jasper wall.

TO HY GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
(Aged Ninety-eight.)

NORMAN K. HICKMAN.

I count it a love and an honored tie,
That fetters my youthful heart to thee,
Grandmother dear with the silvery hair-
Sweet may life's closing twilight be.
Rosy and fair are the sunset hues;
Rosy and fair was the morning's dawn;
Tho' stormy oft were the hours between,
Restful and sweet is the night stealing on.
The billows roll up from the years long fled,
And passing break on the silent shore;
They are fraught with the scenes of a hundred
years; ,
With hopes and joys that are earth's no more.
'Tis the honest boast of a life well lived,
Of work well done, that I breathe to-day;
Oh, crown with laurels the worthy brow.
Age is not winter, but flow'ring May.
You say that your skies have a mournful cast,
That the dismal clouds move sad and slow.
But bluer skies shall be thine ere long,
Than the children of dust on earth can know.
The old sights sink in oblivioj i's sea;
The earthly fades from the aching view,
O, sweet transition from earthly ills —
Behold the Lord makes all things anew.
Come there no sounds from balmier climes
Of th e rythmic strains that the faithful sing?
There the eyes are ever undimmned by age,
And the hills are aglow with perpetual spring.

78

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY,

WHO IS TO BLAME 1

MAUD ABBEY.

'Resistance to wrong is obedience to God."
"Am I my brother's keeper?" Still
The cowardly words of Cane
Ring out where'r entrenched wrong
Attains its end through pain.
Are we to blame for aught of woe
That clouds the passing years,
And must we bear upon our hearts
Our brother's pain and tears?
Are to blame for childhood robbed
And sold in labors's mart,
Of God's own bounteous gifts to all
Denied their rightful part?
If from their sordid, untaugnt youth
Spring deeds of sin ana shame.
To flood our land with misery,
Ah, who shall be to blame?
For manhood's treasure, sacred truth
Bartered for daily bread;
For right to win from God's storehouse
Wherewith we shall be fed;
For white souls soiled and dragged into
The mire of sin and shame;
For shipwrecked hopes and darkened lives-
Oh, God, are we to blame?
Oh, may the nation's great heart go
Out to the suffering ones;
The light of hope is dawning for
America's loved sons.
Press onward then, my native land,
Keep well thy upward path;
Escape the anger of thy God,
The winepress of his wrath.

TEIiLING STORIES.

EVA RYAN.

My little one climbs on my knee to say,
In the coaxingest, cunningest kind of way,
"Please tell me a story, just one," and this
He says with a hug and a long, long kiss,
That he gives as the story teller's fee;
So what can I do but grant his plea?
Shall I tell the story of "Little Boy Blue"?
"No, no, dear Mamma, dest somthin' new!"

This bars the way then for "Little Bo Peep,'
And the boy in the haystack fast asleep;
The pigs that went to market, too:
What kind of a story shall I tell you?
"O, somfin' pitty!" And I begin,
With a kiss for the dimpled cheek and chin,
And what I tell him I scarcely know,
Since the thread of my story tangies so
That I loose the run of it, half way through,
But that doesn't matter— "It's sometfin' new."
The story ends: there's a pause, and then —
"Please, Mamma" pleadingly, "tell it again."
And I tell it over, and when it is done,
There's quick demand for another one.
And the queerest stories that I invent
Are those with which he is most content.
All at once the lids of my little one's eyes
Waver, and droop, and in vain he tries
To lift them, and keep them from closing quite.
A moment more and they shut the light
Away from the eyes that with dreams are deep,
And my lover of stories is fast asleep.

IiUl,L,ABY.

LOLA KELLEY.

O, sleep, baby, sleep, for the twilight is dying,
And over the clover bright dew drops are
strewn,
While out of the west scented zephyrs are flying
To toss the lace curtain clouds over the moon.
The owl and the whippoorwill down by the river,
Are waiting the death of the day in the west
And the breath ef the wind bids the willows to
quiver,
To rock the bird babies to sleep in their nest.
The fairy bell flowers o'er yonder are swinging
And low, dreamy music is wafted to thee;
Then sleep till the birds in the tree tops are
singing,
And sunbeams are raining their gold on the
sea.
Now safe into dreamland go thou a drifting,
While white winged angels their love virgils
keep —
For over your eyelids the sand man is sifting,
The dream sand that coaxes my darling to sleep!

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

79

MABEL.
THOMAS W. HEATLEY.
(To my little neighbor, Mabel Perry.)
Mabel— dainty little maiden —
Sweet blonde of purest type;
Rose tinted cheeks, and pouting lips,
Like summer cherries ripe.
Deep blue eyes that sparkle fair,
Like diamonds in the night;
And heavy, sunlit tresses flow
Above her shoulders white.
A voice both soft and musical,
And in her fair young face,
Is set the seal of purity
And intellect ual grace.
A fairy form, a gentle step,
True grace in ev'ry motion,
As sweet a child as in the land,
And worth a life's devotion.
And though our dear no princess is,
Simply a child so fair,
With any royal maiden born,
I'm sure she will compare,
And more than this— than outer charms-
Her beauty lies within;
And may her goodness ever serve
To shame away all sin.

WHEN A BOY.

JOSEPH C CORDONIER.

The old home stands upon the hill,
And lo, behold, I see it still,
And there, beneath the sunny sky,
I sat and watched the birds go by,
And wondered if I e'er would be
A man, some day— it troubled me.
Where there was sorrow now is joy,
For I'm no more to be a boy.
My father was poor neighbor Bill,
Who lives across on the other hill;
He always was willing to do his part,
And that's the way he got his start.
He laborered and toiled from morn till night,
In summer days, when the sun shone bright;
And so he kept me in his employ,
To drive the cows up, when a boy.

When a boy I worked my father's farm —
Some days hauled hay into his barn;
And from our brows streams would flow —
Even when I had to mow.
But how the time has quickly past;
I'm getting old, I can not last;
My boyhood days will soon be o'er,
My work days then will be no more.
I often wandered down the hill,
To watch the weary water-mill
Grind the wheat up into flour —
I sat and watched it hour by hour.
When turning 'round, to my surprise,
I caught a sight before my eyes,
My mother's heart then filled with joy,
Again she found me, when a boy.
Long months and years have come and gone,
Since first the day that I was born;
But now the time is growing late,
'Twill not be long for me to wait.
The time will come and soon will we
Be launched into eternity,
And now my heart is all but joy —
I only wish I was a boy.

WE WHiij FORGET.

EVA RYAN.

We will forget —ah, forget at last,
Though heart be sad and eye with teardrop
wet;
The sunshine and shadow of the past
We will forget.
Our happy hours together, all too fleet;
You i words of love, that stir me strangely yet:
The clinging arms; the kisses, tender, sweet,
We will forget.
In future years the day may dawn at last
When we may meet as ere we loved we met;
When, lost in Lethe's wave, the happy past
We will forget.
And yet, oh heart of mine, that throbs amiss
With all this weight of sorrow and regret,
All earth — all heaven — is changed because of
this— We will forget.

80

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

OLD AND POOR.

MAUD ABBEY.

He stood beside the open door,
His form bent 'neath the weight of years;
A man whose life held trials sore,
And sorrow far to deep for tears.
His pale, sad face was pinched with cold,
His feeble, trembling hands were bare,
While through his garments, thin and old,
Unhindered swept the wintry air.
"A crust of bread in Pity's name:
A few hours' shelter from the cold."
Oh, God, we see with bitter shame
The" fate in store for poor and old.
We boast of progress all in vain;
Life's lessons al! are read amiss;
A bitter life of toil and pain,
E'er hoping, ne'er getting but this.
In hopeful youth no boding fears
Shadowed the happy hours with gloom
But now he finds life's closing years
Embittered by the pauper's doom.
He gave his talent, strength and time
To add unto the nation's store,
And now, long past his manhood's prime,
His bread he begs from door to door.
Too long have we been blinded by
The specious lies of greed and sin;
We give the poor in charity
What they themselves have helped to win.
No peaceful home for old and poor,
No rest for weary, aching feet;
Behind them clangs the almshouse door.
Or death at last, upon the street.

DEATH OF GENERAL CUSTEK.

MARIAN S. LXVERMORB.

O Custer, valiant Custer,
Can this dread news be true?
(The bravest band in all the land
That wore their Country's blue.)
Dishonor never stained his name,
Defeat he never knew.
O Custer of the golden locks,
The heart that knew no fear,
The land that honors heroes dead
Shall hold thy memory dear.

Nor lack of praise from bearded lips,
Nor dearth of woman's tears.
On all the Southern battle-fields,
Where fell our Nation's pride,
No truer soldiers ever fought,
No braver ever died,
Than rest within those deep ravines,
Or by the river's side.
Be scorned, the envious voice from the East,
Reproach upon the brave,
To blast the laurels on the brows
Asleep in honored graves,
Who died from worse than carnage red,
Our Western homes to save.
No lions in the jungle thick,
Or wild beasts in their lair,
Were half so cruel as the foes
Who lay in ambush in there;
Not all their savage lives were worth
Brave Custer's golden hair.
The story of that fierce attack,
Not one was left to tell,
Of all the brave three hundred
Who perished where they fell,
When warriors from wild ravine
Swarmed up like fiends from hell.
Let vengeance swift their track pursue,
Till not a lodge remains,
To shelter in its hostile folds
The terror of the plains.
Then Custer and his gallant band
Shall not have died in vain.

IN MEMORIUM.

MYRTLE R. HACKNEY.

There's a burden of grief on the autumn breeze,
That blows o'er the land and deep blue seas.
A song of regret from the birds of the air,
A shadow of sorrow spreading everywhere:
On the land where joy has ranged for years,
But now whose fields are damp with tears.
The stars and stripes droop in mournful state,
The eagle cries, "Too late, too late!"
Too late to rescue and protect the hand
Which once guarded our glorious land,
But not too late to give homage due,
While o'er us shines the sky of blue.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

81

Deeds of the man so noble and great,
Who rode at the helm of the ship of state;
Who so gallantly steered o'er the war tossed
wave,
Who bore it back to the home of the brave,
Shall stand as a monument true and grand,
In the hearts on the people of the land.
Yet the nation's heart aches with pain,
And the tears fall as the drops of rain,
For this loyal form of noble life,
Enjoying peace after struggle and strife;
Enjoying pleasures, honor and health,
Mingled with the nation's joy and wealth.
And when he offered his hand to greet,
The hand of another he chanced to meet,
Was slain by this atrocious hand,
Which had been given liberty in our land.
Thrice this nation has borne this pain,
Thrice our leader has thus been slain;
Leaders who thus dispelled the clouds of war,
But now have entered the gates ajar.
We ask in sorrow why was he taken that way?
And not permitted longer to stay;
But he so true and noble-hearted said,
As friends gathered around bis bed,
And there remained a few sad hours,
"Good bye to all; God's way, not. ours."
His spirit rests neath a golden wall,
Where angels answer to its call,
Where war clouds are never seen;
Where mountains of joy reign supreme;
Where drums and bugles pervade not the air,
But angel's harps are playing there.
On earth bis name and memory shall never die,
But grow dearer and dearer as years roll by;
And the place will ever be guarded and blest,
Where ur loved noe is laid to rest.
And love's monument towering to the skies,
Shall mark the spot where McKinley lies.

MARRIED.

LIZZIE DOMS.

Our beautiful Maggie was married to-day,
Beautiful Maggie with soft brown hair,
Whose shadows fall over a face as fair
As the snowy bloom of the early May;

We have kissed her lips and sent her away,
With many a blessing and many a prayer;
The pet of our home who was married to-day.
The sunshine is gone from the old south room,
Where she sat through the long bright summer
hours;
And the odor has gone from the window flowers,
And the shadow creeps o'er the house with a
gloom;
A shadow that over our paradise lowers,
For we see her no more in the old south room.
I thought that the song of the robin this eve
As he sang to his mate on the sycamore tree,
Had minors of sadness to temper his glee,
As if he the loss of our darling did grieve,
And ask " Where is Maggie ? " and " Why did she
leave —
The maiden who carolled sweet duets to me? "
For she mocked not the song of the robin this eve.
The pictures seem dim where they hang on the
wall;
Though they cost but a trifle they appeared very
fair,
Whether lamplight or sunlight illumined them
there;
I think 'twas her presence that brightened them
all,
Since Maggie no longer can come to our call,
With her eyes full of laughter unshadowed by care,
The pictures seem dim where they hang on the
wall.
I lounge thro' the garden, I stand by the gate-
She stood there to greet me last eve at this'.hour
Each eve thro' the summer, in sunshine and
shower,
She stood by the postern my coming to wait, —
Dear Maggie, her heart with its welcome elate,
To give me a smile, a kiss, and a flower —
Oh, when will she meet me again by the gate ?
She loved us and left us — she loves and is gone
With the one she loves best, as his beautiful
bride; /
How fondly he calls her his joy and his pride,
Our joy and our pride whom he claims for his own.
But can he, as we do, prize what he has won —
The heart that trustingly throbs by his side ?
God knows, and we know that she loves — and is
gone. March 23, 1882.

82

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

MARIAN S. LIVERMORE.

Respectfully inscribed to Mrs. M. Patee Russell.
Suggested while viewing the city from the bluffs
near Wathena.
Oh, fair, proud city, at whose feet
The dark Missouri sweeps along,
These summer days it were most meet
Some poet greet thee with a song.
But how shall I such tribute bring,
Whose voice hath silent been so long?
I gaze upon the from afar,
(Where the broad river rolls between)
Past trees that toss their branches far,
To hide thee with their lofty screen;
'Twould take a firmer barrier far,
To shut thee from my heart, I we»>n.
They cannot hide the sunny slopes
O'er which I rambled long ag?;
When youthful hearts beat high with hopes,
And panted more of life to know.
They cannot hide thy soft blue sky,
Or drifting clouds of purest snow.
I see afar thy glittering domes,
Flash softly hack the broken light,
That falls on many a pleasant home
Filled with fair forms and faces bright.
And rising silent and alone
, The slender church spires gleaming white.
On yonder hills once smooth and green,
Or covered but with tangled trees,
Where many a wild flower grew between
And drew the honey-laden bees,
A hundred happy homes are seen
Whose roses woo the summer breeze.
See, far adown yon crowded street,
I've gathered sweet spring violets there,
'Tis trampled now by busy feet,
Where clustered once their blossoms rare.
No more the dear young friends I meet,
That twined them in their glossy hair.
All changed as by some magic wand,
Yet still the pleasant spot I know,
Where once the silver willows spread
Their soft green branches drooping low;
But where are now those busy hands,
And hearts with youthful hopes aglow?

Above yon hill so brown and bare,
That overlooks the restless flood,
How many friends remember where
Upon its brow the cross once stood?
Where o'er some stranger's lonely grave
Once rose the slender cross of wood.
I cannot calmly meet thy hills,
Or bid their sloping curves adieu,
Along whose path my steps once trod,
With dear kind friends, the tried and true;
How light our footsteps pressed the sod
When life and love alike were new.
Alas, beside some grassy mound,
Where many a bitter tear is shed,
I only find their graven names
In the quiet city of the dead;
Ah, better to have perished young,
Than live till hope and joy are fled.
Beneah some pillar fair and white,
Their weary forms have suuk to rest;
But far away their spirits bright
Dwell in the mansions of the blest;
And still we drop the silent tear,
Above their quiet place of rest.
Could I recall the years now fled,
I might a fitting tribute bring,
But ah, my heart is with the dead,
Fair city, while tby praise I sing;
The early loved, the long lost dead,
Around whose graves will sorrow cling.

BEAUTIFUL, KANSAS.

BY HATTIE E. PEELER.

Beautiful Kansas sits in the sun,
Smiling and happy, her work well done-
Well done, too, for in sun and rain
Toiled she nobly, nor toiled in vain.
Plentiful showers and warm sunshine
Breathing glad hfe in each plant and vine;
Plentiful harvests her labors have blest,
Now from her labors she finds welcome rest;
Under the light of the Autumn sun,
Smiling and happy her work all done.
What are the visions that flit to and fro,
As backward she looks o'er the long, long ago?
Visions of battle, of blood, and of strife;
Of dark fearsome days which with carnage were
rife;

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

83

Of drouth-stricken fields and of pestilent dread;
Of days when her children were hungry for
bread;
Of tempests' fierce wrath which could not be
stayed.
Of piteous cries to her sisters for aid—
These are the visions which flit to and fro
Through her mind, as she thinks of the long,
long ago.
How changed is the prospect before her glad
eyes!
Fertile plains smiling 'neath radiant skies,
Golden with corn and emerald with wheat;
Orchards all laden with fruits luscious and sweet;
Granaries once empty, now bursting with store;
Food for the hungry and wealth for the poor;
Homes for the homeless, a welcome to all,
Comfort and aid to those who may call —
This is the recompense Kansas has won,
Smiling and happy, her work well done.
Beautiful Kansas, fair and serene!
Up to the stars she nas risen a queen;
Scepter and robe she rightly doth hold;
Her garments are fashioned of gay cloth of gold,
Woven by sunshine, by showers and by dew,
Bright as the rainbow in color and hue.
Aid she can now to the needy extend,
Help from her bounty to others can lend,
Beautiful Kansas, fair and serene.
Up to the stars she has risen a queen !
Beautiful mansions now dotting her plain.
Prove that her children have not toiled in vain;
Nestling in beauty by each rippling stream.
Showing her pledges she well can redeem.
Pledged to give to all that shall come.
To her bosom for shelter and safety a home;
Joy and contentment, comfort and peace,
Health in each breath of her life-giving breeze—
These are the blessings that Kansas has won;
Gives she them freely to each worthy son.

TO LIZZIE.

BY "LAMMA."

Oh, memory is so sweet to me Lizzie,
Busy with the past to-night;
Your blue eyes are shining upon me
Still, in their beautiful light.
Have you ever once guessed at the secret
That lay hid in that long sunny time

That sang the sweet songs in such silence,
Whioh were echoed by your heart and mine?
For never before have I whispered
The story ever sweet, ever new,
Until, with the holiest feelings
I hold it, dear Lizzie, to you.
No blossoms of hope had then perished,
No shadows had passed the first gloom,'
And we saw not the key to the future,
That opened our hearts to the tomb.
Ah, Lizzie, the shadows and sunshine
Both childhood and womanhood meet,
And the heart often knows all the bitter
Before it has welcomed the sweet.
For soon, ere the snows of winter
Fell deep at the death of the year,
Did we meet, and together, my darling,
Strew the ashes of hope on the bier.
You kissed my pale brow in your sadness,
When none stood to cheer me but you;
And though you were mute in your sorrow,
Your heartstrings were breaking then, too.
But the sorrow was beautiful, darling,
Your feelings for womanhood years.
While I'll not forget, in my bosom,
The scar furrowed deeper with tears.
Good-bye, for to-morrow has claimed you,
To deck with bright laurels your brow;
But remember, that out in the "sometime."
There's a parting that's sadder than now.
But ever the love of my darling
Will still be the theme of my rhyme,
Though you pass first across the dark river,
And eternity yours before mine.

NELLIE WHO!

PAT. GRAY.

Yes, I meet her bare-back riding,
Using neither strap nor rein;
Blind her horse, but she was guiding
With her fingers in the mane, —
Sweet little,
Neat little,
Girl on the gray old mare.
"Morning, Sis," with nod I greeted;|
She returned a soft "Hello."
"What's your name?" I then entreated,

84

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

"Nell," is all she'd let me know, —
Dear little,
Queer little,
Girl on the gray old mare.
In a simple gown and airy,
Bare and brown her little feet;
Pretty as a garden fairy,
Ev'ry inch of her was sweet,—
Prim little,
Trim little,
Girl on the gray old mare.
But the mare was very lazy,
And the sun was boiling hot,
"Hurry, bossy,— get ep, Daisy,
Coax yourself into a trot." —
Round little,
Sound little,
Girl on the gray old mare.
As I passed the little range',
With a glance she seemed to Say,
"Don't you mention 'clothespin, stranger,
'Cause' I'm riding th is-a- way . " —
Great little,
Straight little,
Girl on the gray old mare.
On she rode, this happy hearted,
Sweet, contented little queen;
Cheeks aglow and red lips parted,
Showing all the pearls between, —
Shy little,
Spry little,
Girl on the gray old mare.
For her name 1 vainly plotted;
I could get no further clue.
With a smile awny she trotted—
Nellie— yes— but Nellie Who?—
That little,
Fat little,
Girl on the gray old mare.

WHEN I WAS A BOY AT HOME.

CHARLES R. HEWINS.

There is one place upon the earth a boy will not
forget;
Though other thoughts and places fade, this
place is vivid yet;
It is the brightest spot on earth, or ought to be
at least;
And not a place to crush out life, but for the
heart to feast.

It is the home of our kindest friends, and where
our lives begin,
v\ here we obtain our early thoughts, which
rusn along like sin.
O, what a pleasant time in life without a care to
mar,
It is the place (the very place) that make boys
what they are.
Oh, no, I never can forget, no matter where I
roam —
I often think of those old days when I was a boy
at Some. \
We have such pleasant memories, our thoughts
run back to when
We told each other what we thought we'd do
when we were men.
But not a thing took place by chance as we
agreed it should;
Our aspirations were to high — perhaps that's for
oar good.
Our time was spent at school when young, from
morn till close of day;
At night our stories we'd relate; we'd lay our
cai es away.
Our father and our mother too, would give us
good advice
About the downward easy road that we might
think was nice.
There'll always be a sacred place, no matter
where we 10am-
We never can forget the days when we were
boys at home.
I care not whether large or small, a, house has
little part,
In making home what its hould be — there's home
wliere there's a heart.
O, is there such a place on earth (th.iugh Eve
and Adam fell.)
Where Hie and light and love are crushed — a place
where demons dwell?
Our words aud actions all should be reflections
of a soul,
That had a right regard for all upon the family
roll;
And after I am old and gray I know that I shall
mourn,
If I canuot return and see the place where I was
born, '
Those memories will still remain though round
the earth I roam.
I never can forget the days when I was a boy at
home.

HON. ED. HEENEY.

////////

Cyrus Leland, Jr.

Wm. I. Stuart.

Cyrus Leland, Jr., 1864.

W. H. H. Curtis.

Pat Kirwan and Grandson,
Pioneer, 1856.

Mr. and Mrs. Wendel Braun,
Doniphan County Pioneers-

The Bendena School.

Thomas W. Langran.

Jndsre Nathan Price.

John J. Baker.

Jacob Brenner.

John W Forman.

X. K. Stout.

HENRY J. CALNAN,
Editor of The Weekly Kansas Chief

SOL MILLER,
Founder of The Weekly Kansas Chief.

The Noble Family, of Iowa Township.

James Gallagher,
Pioneer Iowa Township, 1859.

Col. A. G. Ege,
Pioneer, 1855.

Mrs. Jane Spencer,
Doniphan Pioneer, 1 856.

St. Benedict's Church, Union Township.

Father Thomas Bartl, O. S. B.
Pioneer Pastor St. Benedict's Church.

Father Matthew Bradley, O. S. B.
Present Pastor St. Benedict's Church,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

CHAPTER I.

CORONADO.
There are two sentences in Coronado's
letter to bis King which seem to prove
that he once stood with his thirty com
panions on the hank of the Missouri
river, near the present site of White
Cloud, where he erected a wooden cross
-with the following chiseled inscription:
"Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Gen
eral of the Spanish Expedition Arrived
Here." In order that our readers may read and
decide for themselves, we reproduce
Coronado's letter complete.
Translation of a Letter From Coronado to the
King, October 20, 1S41.
Holy Catholic Caesarian Majesty:
On April 20, of this year I wrote to
Your Majesty from this Province of
Tiguex, in reply to a letter from Your
Majesty, dated in Mtdrid, June 11, a year
ago. I gave a detailed account of this
expedition, which the viceroy of New
Spain ordered me to undertake in Your
Majesty's name to this country, which
was discovered by Friar Marcos of Nice,
the Provincial of the Order of the Holy
raint Francis. I described it all, and

the sort of force I have, as your Majesty
had ordered me to relate in my letters;
and stated that while I engaged in the
conquest and the pacification of the na
tives of this province, some Indians who
were natives of provinces beyond these,
had told me that in their country, there
were much larger villages and better
houses than those of the natives of this
country, and that they had lords who
ruled them, who were served with dishes
of gold and other very magnificent things;
and although, as I wrote your Majesty,
I did not believe it before I set eyes on
it, because it was the report of Indians
and given for the most part by means of
signs, yet as the report appeared to me
to be very fine, and that it was impor
tant that it should be investigated for
Your Majesty's service, I determined to
go and see it with the men I have here.
I started from this province on the 23rd
of last April, for the place where the
Indians wanted to guide me.
After nine days' march I reached some
plains, so vast that I did not find their
limit anywhere that I went, although I
traveled over them for more than three

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

hundred leagues. I found such a quan
tity of cows in these, of the kind that I
wrote your Majesty about, which they
have in this country, that it is impos
sible to number them, for while I was
journeying through these plains, until I
returned to where I first found them,
there was not a day that I had lost sight
of them. After seventeen days' march I
came to a settlement of Indians who are
called Querechos, who travel around with
these cows, who do not plant, but eat the
raw flesh and drink the blood of the cows
they kill. They tan the skin of the cows
with which all the people of this country
dress themselves here. They have little
field tents made from the hides of the
cows, tanned and greased, very well
made, in which they live while they tra
vel around near the cows, moving with
these. They have dogs which they train
to carry their tents, poles and belongings.
These people have the best figures of any
I have seen in the Indies.
They could not give me any account of
the country where the guides were taking
me. I traveled five days more as the
guides wished to lead me, until I reached
some plains with no more landmarks than
if we had been swallowed up in the sea,
where they strayed about, because there
was not a stone, nor a bit of rising
ground, nor a tree, nor a shrub nor any
thing to go by. There is much very fine
pasture land, with good grass. And
while we were lost in these plains, some
horsemen who went on a hunt for cows
fell in with the Indians, who also were
out hunting, who are the enemies of those
I had seen in the last settlement and of
another sort of people, who are called

Teyas; they have their bodies and faces
all painted, are a large people like the
others of a very good build; they eat the
raw flesh just like the Querechos and
live and travel around with the cows in
the same way as these. I obtained from,
these an account of the country where
the guides were taking me, which was
not like what they had told me, because:
they made out that the houses were not
built of stones, with stories, as my guides
had described it, but of straw and skins,
and a small supply of corn there.
This news troubled me greatly, to find
myself on these limitless plains, where I
was in great need of water, and often
had to drink it so poor that it was more
mud than water. Here the guides con
fessed to me that they had not told the
truth in regard to the size of the houses,
because they were of straw, but they had
done so regarding the large number of
inhabitants and the other things about
their habits. The Teyas disagreed with
this, and on account of this division be
tween some of the Indirns and the otheis,
and also because many of the men I had
with me had not eaten anything except
meat for some days, because we had
reached the end of the corn we had car
ried from this province, and because they
made it out more than forty days' jour
ney from where I fell in with the Teyas,
to the country where the guides were
taking me, although I appreciated the
trouble and danger there would be in
the journey, owing to the lack of water
and corn, it seemed to me best, in order
to see if there was anything there of ser
vice to your Majesty, to go forward with
only thirty horsemen, until I should be

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

able to see the country, so as to give your
Majesty a true account of what was to
be found in it. I sent all the rest of the
force I had with me to this province,
with Don Tristan de Arellane in com
mand, because it~ would have been im
possible to prevent the loss of many men,
if all had gone on, owing to the lack of
water and also because they had to kill
bulls and cows on which to sustain them
selves. And with only the thirty horse
men whom I took for my escort, I tra
veled forty days after I had left the
force, living all the while on the flesh of
the bulls and cows, which we killed at
the cost of several of our horses which
they killed, because, as I wrote your
Majesty, they are very brave and fierce
animals; and going many days without
water, and cooking the food with cow
dung, because there is not any kind of
wood in all these plains, away from the
gullies and rivers which are very few. -
It was the Lord's pleasure that after
having journeyed across tl.ese deserts
seventy-seven days, I arrived at the pro
vince they call Quivera, to which the
guides-were conducting me, and where
they had described to me houses of stone,
with many stories; and not only are they
not of stone, but of stacaw, but the people
in them are as barbarous as all those I
have seen and passed before this; they do
not have cloaks, nor cotton of which
to make these, but use the skins of the
cattle they kill, which they tan, because
they are settled among these on a very
large river. They eat the raw flesh like
the Querechos and the Teyas; they are
enemies of one another but are all the
same sort of people, and these at Quivera

have the advantage in the houses they
build and in planting corn. In this pro
vince of which the guides who brought me
are natives, they received me peaceably,
although they told me when I set out for
it that I would not succeed in seeing it
all in two months, there are not more
than twenty-five villages of straw houses
there and in all the rest of the country
that I saw and learned about, which gave
their obedience to your Majesty and
placed themselves under your overlord-
ship. The people are large. I had several
Indians measured and found that they
were ten palms in height; the women are
well proportioned and their features are
more like Moorish women than Indians.
The natives here gave me a piece of cop
per which an Indian chief wore around
his neck. I sent it to the viceroy of New
Spain, because I have not seen any other
metal in these parts except this and some
little copper bells, which I sent him, and
a bit of metal which looks like gold. I
do not know where this came from, al
though I believe that the Indians who
gave it to me obtained it from those
whom I brought here in my service, be
cause I cannot find any other origin for
it or where it came from. The diversity
of languages which exists in this country
and my not having anyone who under
stood them, because they speak their own
language in each village, has hindered
me, because I have been forced to send
captains and men in many directions to
find out whether there was anything in
this country which could be of any ser
vice to your Majesty. And although I
have searched with all diligence I have

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

not found nor heard of anything, unless
it be these provinces which are a very
small affair.
The province of Quivira is 950 leagues
from Mexico. Where I reached it, it is
in the fortieth degree. The country it
self is the best I have ever seen for pro
ducing all the products of Spain, for be
sides the land itself being very fat and
black and being very well watered by the
rivulets and springs and rivers, I found
prunes like those of Spain, and nuts and
very good sweet grapes and mulberries.
I have treated the natives of this prov
ince and all others whom I found where-
ever I went, as well as was possible,
agreeably to what your Majesty had com
manded, and they have received no harm
in any way from me or from those who
went in my company. I remained
twenty-five days in the province of Quiv
era so as to see and explore the county,
and also find out whether there was any
thing beyond which could be of service
to your Majesty, because the guides who
had brought me had given me an account
of other provinces beyond this. And
what I insure of is that there is not any
gold nor any other metal in all that
country, and the other things of which
they have told me are nothing but vil
lages, and in many of these they do not
plant anything and do not have any
houses except of skins and sticks, and
they wander around with the cows; so
that the account they gave was false, be
cause they wanted to persuade me-=to go
there with the whole force, believing
that as the way was through such unin
habited deserts, and from the lack of
water, they would get us where we and

our horses would die of hunger. And
the guides confessed this, and said they
had done it by the advice and orders of
the natives of these provinces. At this,
after having heard the account of what
was beyond, which I have given above, I
returned to these provinces to provide for
the force I had sent back here and give
your Majesty an account of what thii
country amounts to, because I wrote your
Majesty T would do so when I went there.
I have done all I possibly could to
serve your Majesty and to discover a
country where God Our Lord might be
served and the royal patrimony of your
Majesty increased, as your loyal ser van:
and vassel. For since I reached the pro
vince of Cibola, to which the viceroy of
New Spain sent me in the name of your
Majesty, seeing that there were none of
these things there of which Friar Marcos
had told, I have managed to explore this
country for 200 leagues and more around
Cibola, and the best place I have found
in this river of Tiguex where I am now and
the settlements here. It would not be
possible to establish a settlement here,
for besides being 400 leagues from the
North Sea and more than 200 from the
South Sea, with which it is impossible
to have any sort of communication, the
country is sd cold, as I have written your
Majesty, and apparently the winter could
not possible be spent here, because there
is no wood, nor cloth with which to pro
tect the men, except the skins which the
natives wear and some small amount of
cotton cloaks. I sent the viceroy of New
Spain an account of everything I have
seen in the new countries where I have
been, and as Don Garcia Lopazde Car-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

denas is going to kiss your Majesty's hand
who has done much and has served your
Majesty well on this expedition, and he
will give your Majesty an account of
everything here, as one who has seen it
himself, I give way to him. And may
our Lord protect the Holy Imperial Cath
olic person of your Majesty, with in
crease of greater kingdoms and powers,
as your loyal servants and vassals desire.
From this province of Tiguex, Novem
ber 20, in the year 1541. Your Majesty's
- humble servant and vassal, who would
kiss the royal feet and hands.
Francisco Vazquez Coronado.
Note. — The sentences referred to in the
letter are: "It was the Lord's pleasure
 I arrived at the province of Quivera
 on a very large river." The river of
'•St. Peter and St. Paul" had been des
ignated "a large" river and when the
Teucarea was reached, and it was found
to be a larger body of water than the
river of "St. Peter and St. Paul" it was
described as "a very large" river, which
is fair evidence that the Missouri river
is the body of water referred to.
The other sentence is: "Where I
reached it, (Quivera) it is in the fortieth
degree." If Coronado reached the Mis
souri in the fortieth degree, he stood
in the vicinity of what is now White
Cloud, and it was there he erected the
cross, bearing the chiseled inscription,
"Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, Gener
al of the Spanish Expedition to Quivera,
reached this spot."
In the absence of all genuine proof, we
are left to accept the evidences that ap
pear in the journals which is that the
Great Knight reached the bank of the

river Teucarea, in the fortieth degree.
There is, however, a wide divergence
of opinion in this matter. On the map
in Winship's Coronado, giving the sup
posed route of Coronado from the city of
Compostela, Mexico, to the northern
boundry of Kansas, the nearest approach
to the Missouri river is about one hun
dred and fifty miles. General Simpson
outlines the route bringing it a little
nearer to the Missouri. Colonel Inman
holds that the general and his forty
horsemen reached the Missouri at the
spot where Atchison town now stands,
while D. W. Wilder is rather inclined to
include both Doniphan and Brown
counties in the path of the Knight's
journey. This question may never be
satisfactorily settled, but the mistake
made by the bold adventurer must be ap
parent to all. In seeking gold, he
spurned turning the rich soil wherein lay
a real mine, which, for over half a cen
tury has been yielding the yellow metal
in paying quantities to the industrious
inhabitants. Poor short-sighted knight!
His reward was disappointment. All
that he received was a hatful of mul
berries and a few sour wild grapes.
May his weary soul rest awhile.

The Platte Purchase.
In August 1821 when Missouri was
admitted into the Union, her western
boundary line ran straight north from the
northwest corner of Arkansas through
the mouth of the Kansas river to the
Iowa line. Between the Missouri, the
Iowa line and the western boundry line

6

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

of Missouri, lay a triangular plot of land
belonging to the Indian Territory. This
became the "Platte Purchase", land and
included all the lands now lying in Atch
ison, Nodaway, Holt, Andrews, Buchanan
and Platte counties, in northwestern
Missouri. Indians have ever been undesirable
neighbors. The lowas and Sacs and
Foxes were not only undesirable neigh
bors of the settlers of Worth, Gentry,
DeKalb, Clinton and Clay counties, but
also were in their way. To reach the
Missouri river, then the only mode of
transportation, these men were obliged
to travel south to the mouth of the Kan
sas, and this seemed a difficult thing to
have to do while there was a shorter way
across. They could not travel through
the Indian lands while the Indians were
there, and it became necessary that the
Indians, long used to moving, should
again "move on." The territory being va
cated, such beautiful land should not be
permitted to lay idle while the industri
ous Missouri farmers were so anxious and
willing to break up. its prairies and sow
them in grain. The will of the white
men to possess the lands having pre
vailed, the way to obtain them was not
long in suggesting itself. A "com
mittee" composed of E. M. Samuel, D.
R. Atchison, W. T. Wood and Peter H.
Burnett was selected to obtain full pos
session of this three cornered paradise.
The committee soon made a favorable
report, and Explorer William Clark, at
that time agent for all the Indians west
of the Mississippi, was sent to have a
talk with the Indians. He met them, in
council at Fort Leavenworth, in Septem

ber 1836, and the result was that the
lands of the Indians passed into the
hands of the whites and the "Platte Pur
chase" was made. For their home and
hunting grounds the Indians received
$7,500 in cash, and 400 sections of lanl
across the river, in what later became
Doniphan and Brown counties. Besides
these considerations the government
agreed to build five houses for the lowas
and three for the Sacs and the Foxes;
promised to send an interpreter for each
tribe, a farmer to teach them the arc of
agriculture, a blacksmith to sharpen their
implements, and a teacher to teach them
the wisdom of books. Lest the noble red
man fall in doubt and question the hon
esty and liberality of the white man, the
government further agreed to break out
200 acres of land, to furnish seed to sow
the same, and to send provisions for one
year. Later another promise was made
to build two ferries that the tribes might
pay an occasional visit to the old Mis
souri shore.
The treaty bore the signature of Wil
liam Clark, Superintendent of Indian
Affairs for the United States, and also
the signature of many of the Indians.
Mohoska, White Cloud; Nauchening, No
Heart; Wachenome, Orator; Neomone,
Raining Cloud; Newanthauchu, flair
Shedder; Manhawka, Bunch *of Arrows;
Chatauthene,Big Bull; Manomone, Pump
kin; Congu, Plum, Wauthaueabechu,
One that eats Rats; Chateathau, Buffalo
Bull; Chataharaware, Foreign Buffalo,
signed for the lowas.
Cahaqua, Red Fox; Peshawka, Bear;
Pecauma, Deer; Neboshoana, Wolf;
SuquiHa, Deer; Askepakekaasa, Green

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Lake; Wapasee, Swan ; Nochatauwatasa,
Star; Cancacarmack, Rock Bass; Seasoho
Sturgeon; Peachimacarmack, Bald Headed
Eagle, and Peachimacarmack, Jr. signed
for the Sacs and Foxes.
~S. W. Kearney, John Dougherty, A.
S. Hughes, George R. H. Clark, Wm.
Duncan, Joseph V. Hamilton, Joseph
Robidoux, Jr., Wm. Bowman, Jeffrey
Dorion, Peter Constine, Jacques Mette
and Louis M. Davison signed as wit
nesses. Thus was closed that famous deal in
real estate known as "The Platte Pur
chase," and it is not known that the
white man ever regretted having made
the deal.

Indian History.
We have many legendary accounts ol
the character and doings of the aborig
inal owners of the land now known as
Kansas, but the first date entered in auth
entic history directly relating to our own
little corner of the state records the ar
rival of M. DeBourgmont, commander at
Ft. Orleans, and his expedition at the
Kanza village at the mouth of Indepen
dence river, on the morning of July 8,
1724. At that time the Kanza Indians
were the undisputed owners of the lands
of northeastern Kansas, and no doubt
they had been in possession for at least
half a century, Father Marquette, on
his map of the Missouri and Mississippi
country, made in 1673, located them (the
Kanza) in practically the same region.
The land was retained by them, and they
held practical dominion over it until
about fifty years after the visit of Bourg-
mont. About that time(l775) the lowas

and Sauks, who had been making war on
the Osages along the lower Missouri,
came west, crossing the Missouri above
the mouth of the Kansas River, and in
vading the Kanza country in quest of
game, and for the purpose of enriching
themselves at the expense of the Kanzas.
Although the Kanzas were a brave and
warlike race, they were at a disadvantage
in repelling the invaders, who were armed
with the arms of the whites, purchased or
stolen from the white traders on the Mis
sissippi. Beyond a doubt, between 1775
and 1815, the land which we now occupy
in peace, was the scene of many bloody en
counters between the invaders and defend
ers. The dust of the century covers the
ancient battlefields, and the bones of fallen
warriors have long since fallen into dust;
yet here and there in the upturned soil we
still find broken spear heads, arrow points
and stone tomahawks, the last witnesses
of the bloody strife of long forgotten
days. " From 1775 to 1825 the Kanzas held
their lands with difficulty, the govern
ment eventually coming to their assist
ance, buying their land and offering them
new quarters further west. The relin
quished territory was soon occupied by
he lowas and Sacs and Kickapoos, the
the former receiving the northern, while
the latter were given the southern lands
of the territory which, in 1855, became
Doniphan Connty.
The Kanza lNDiANS.--The Kanza In
dians being for so long a time identified
with the territory now belonging to Don
iphan County, a separate sketch of them
may well find place in this volume. We
have traced them from the time of

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Father Marquette's discovery of the"Pek-
itanoui"(Missouri) river in 1673, to their
quarters in the West, and now we may,
with interest and profit, again go over
the ground to examine into their habits,
character, etc., and their relationship
with other tribes and nations, coming at
last to learn what has been their ultimate
fate. Father Douay of the LaSalle expedi
tion, 1687, found that the Kanzas, as well
as nearly all the other tribes on or near
the Missouri, except the Pawnees, spoke
the Dacotah language. It is evident from
this that the ancient landlords of these
hills were descendants of a great nation
of red men which has occupied the valley
of the Mississippi for hundreds of years.
While the Kanzas retained many of the
wild traits of their war-loving ancestors,
they showed themselves capable of har
boring great friendships— especially for
the representatives of the French govern
ment. Bourgmont with his am y of
Osages and Missouris were kindly received
by them at their village at the mouth of
Independence. They came to meet their
visitors with the pipe of peace and with
offerings of fruits, and according to
Bourgmont's chronicler, they prepared
for the visitors as many as six meals a day.
About the year 1815, the demon in
their nature began to show itself. White
men passing up the Missouri, or ventur
ing across the prairies to the Rocky
Mountains were attacked by them and
robbed of their goods and supplies.
Each year their insolence increased un
til in 1819 they attacked Capt. Martin's
command which was on its way to a
point on the upper Missouri. Shortly

after this occurrence, Indian Agent Ma
jor Thomas O'Fallon called a council of
the chiefs of the different tribes, and a
meeting was held on Cow Island in the
Missouri, near the present site of Atchi
son, on the 24th of August, 1819. The
Major made a speech, fired a cannon,
shot off a few rockets, hoisted a flag and
proved to the red men in many other
ways that he was a "good fellow." He
obtained a promise from the chiefs that
the rights of the whites should be in
spected ever thereafter.
When not annoyed by the encroach
ments of the whites, or by the raids of
other thieving bands of Indians, warriors
of this tribe were peaceful enough; bit
there were just enough of these disturb
ances to keep stirred the fires of lebdit-
ment and revenge. In 1840 these IjKa;.ns
were visited by Father DeSmet. In his
"Sketches" Father DeSmet mentions
"their unsatiable blood lust, and measure
less, ingenious cruelty to their prisoners
and foes." However, he does not fail to
give them credit for their good qualities.
"However cruel they may be to their foes
the Kanzas are no strangers to the tender-
est sentiments of piety, friendship and
compassion. They are often inconsolable
for the death of relatives, and leave
nothing undone to give proof of their
sorrow. Then only do they suffer their
hair to grow, long hair being the sign of
mourning. The principal chief apolo
gized for the length of his hair, inform
ing us of what we could have divined
from the sadness of his countenance,
that he had lost his son. I wish I could
represent to you the respect, astonish
ment and compassion expressed on th

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

countenances of three others, when they
visited our little chapel for the first time.
We showed them an "Ecco Homo" and
a statue of Our Lady of the Seven
Dolors, and the interpreter explained to
them that that Head, crowned with thorns,
and that Countenance, defiled with insults,
were the true and real image of God who
died for the love of us, and that the heart
they saw pierced with seven swords was
the heart of His mother, we beheld an
affecting illustration of the beautiful
thought of Tertullian, "that the soul of
man is naturally Christian. "
The Kanzas believe in a Great Spirit
and a Happy Hunting Grounds. To tliem
marriage was a solemn and important
thing, and was celebrated with becoming
ceremonies. None but a chaste squaw
might become the wife of a chief, or
even an ordinary brave. The women had
supreme control of domestic affairs, and
took pride in excelling in the neat and
convenient arrangement of things both
within and without their simple abodes.
In the year 1815 the first treaty be
tween the United States government and
the Kanza Indians was ' 'made and con
cluded." It was a peace treaty, by which
all past wrongs and injuries inflicted and
suffered by both sides were forgiven and
friendly relations established for the
future. The Indians made their treaty
with August Cheteau and Nini. n Ed
wards, United States Commissioners.
By a second treaty made in June, 1825,
the Kanza Indians ceded their lands to
the government and followed the fatal
march of their race toward the western
horizon, bidding farewell forever to the
hills and streams that had been their

home and hunting grounds for more than
one hundred years.
Emigrant Indians.
The emigrant tribes to the territory
relinquished by the Kanza Indians, and
now included in our County, were the
Kickapoos, the lowas and the Missouri
Sacs and Foxes.
The Kickapoos.— These Indians origin
ally came from the Ohio river country.
About 1803 they moved west of the Mis
sissippi, occupying the territory of the
Osage river in Missouri. In 1832, they
ceded those lands to the government and
in 1836-7 were removed to new quarters
in the "Indian Territory," of which the
lands now known as Kansas were then a
part. The tribe, divided into many
bands, numbered at that time less than
500 souls. Their reservation included
all of the land now included in Doniphan
County lying south of the line running
west from a point on the Missouri river
near where the old town of Bellemont
stood, and passing just south of the
present site of Highland. We have the
names of but a few of the principal
chiefs. Wathena was chief of the little
band whose village was located on the site
of the town that perpetuates its name.
Peataquork and his band were quartered
somewhere near the western part of the
county, and Kennekuk, the prophet and
farmer, perhaps was located with his
charge near the south central portion.
The last named died near the old stage
station In Atchison county which bore
his name, and where he is said to lie
buried in an old well. Early white
traders with the Kickapoos were; Peter
Cadue, Josephus Utt, J. F. Foreman,

10

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Benjamin Harding, Major Vanderslice,
W. P. Richardson, J. R. Whitehead,
and others.
The Kickapoos, unlike so many of
their race, were industrious and ambi
tious to learn and follow the ways of their
white brothers. They planted corn and
raised pumpkins, watermelons and
squashes. The stone weapons of warfare
found on their lands were not of their
manufacture, nor were they made use of
frequently, for the Kickapoos were
neither warriors nor hunters while they
resided in this country. During their
residence in the fertile valley of the In
dependence there was a long reign of
peace. The bloody battlefields of the
fierce Kanzas were clean washed by the
rain, and the graves of fallen warrior*
were leveled by washing soil and coveied
with carpetings of grass. So the whit.
man found it when, in 1854, he came
with his plow and oxen to furrow it
loamy soil and build his cabin on the
banks of its silver streams.
The Iowas. — The lowas came from th<.
north Mississippi regions to the lands
now included in southern Iowa and
northern Missouri. In the year 1837,
together with the Sacs and Foxes, they
were assigned to new quarters in the
"Indian Territory," just north of the
Kickapoos, i. e., the lands lying in what
now is Doniphan County, Kansas, and
Richardson County, Nebraska.
Within a year after locating in their
new lands they were visited by many
traders, and by Rev. S. M. Irvin, repre
senting the Presbyterian Board of For
eign Missions. Early in 1837 this zeal-
us missionary organized the famous

Mission near the present site of High
land. In 1845, with the assistance of
Rev. Wm. Hamilton, he founded a
school for the Indians, which was con
tinued through many difficulties, and
with varying degrees of success and fail
ure, until 1854, for tbje Iowas and Sacs
and Foxes had not the industry and
peaceful ambitions of their southern
neighbors, the followers of the great
prophet and farmer, Keunekuk. Al
though the missionaries labored faith
fully and continually for the spiritual
and temporal welfare of their charge, it
seems that little of the hoped for success
was attained. Edward E. Hale," in his
"Kansas and Nebraska," published in
1854, says, pages 22 and 23: "Just south
of the north line of Kansas are a body of
Iowas, removed from their old homes.
They number 437. They have profitted
but little from the payments annually
made to them; are seduced into a loiter
ing, lazy life, by emigrants passing to the
Paciiic; improvident in their habits, and
consequently decreasing in numbers.
From 830 they have diminished, in six
teen years, to 437; having been all that
time receiving annuities from the govern
ment; and most of it under the care of
missionaries and government agents,
They wear no dress but the blanket.
Their crops are short, and their houses,
built for them by the government, have
gone to decay. Of the Iowas and Sacs,
nineteen girls and seventeen boys were
last year(1853) at school. They live at
the school, under the care of the teacher.
There is not, in the Iowa reservation,
one adult professing Christianity, and the
reports of those in charge of them are

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

11

rue truly disheartening." By way of
contrast the same author continues:
1 -The Kickapoos are next south of them on
the Missouri rivcrj tlieir condition is
better than their neighbors, and the
agent seems to consider that it will im
prove with the stoppage of their annui
ties, which, by treaty, were to cease last
year." The Iowas had four principal chiefs,
White Cloud, Nohart, Walk-ih-the-Rain,
and Walking Cloud. One of the com
mon warriors was Shoontunga (Little
Wolf) but he was no common man, as
Commissioner Manypenny discovered,
when lie came to treat with the Iowas.
\> hile the chiefs and other Indians were
anxious to trade their lands to the whites
whatever price offered, Little Wolf, pa
triotic as he was' wise, fought the treaty
and demanded an impossible price for
the land. "We are willing to exchange
our land for your gold," declared the elo
quent redskin, with many a wild gesture
of the right arm, and with the lightning
of defiance flashing in his eye, ' 'but you
must give us pound for pound." How
ever, his speech fell on unsympathetic
ears. Commissioner Manypenny knew
that things were coming his way ana the
will of the government was accomplished
during the next year when the treaty was
concluded. The Sacs and the Foxes.— This band
numbered about- 300 in 1837. They
came from Missouri and were quartered
on Wolf River between the Kickapoos on
the south and the Iowas on the north,
their allotment of land consisting of fifty
sections. Three chiefs ruled the band,
which was divided into many villages.

Hooper's Ford district was the siteofPet-
eokema's band; Nesourquoit's warriors
pitched their tents in the Bayne Bridge
country, while Moless'and his band found
comfortable quarters and a health resort at
the mineral springs in the hills near the
present site of Highland Station. These
Indians, although reduced in numbers to
almost nothing, were not subdued in
spirit. They came from fighting ances
tors in the region of Lake Huron, and
although they were many times driven
from their lands, every foot of it was her
oically contested, and when finally relin
quished was red with the blood of as
true patriots as ever faced death for their
rights. Even during their residence
here they were participators in a bloody
battle with a disturbing band of roving
Pawnees which came down on their res
ervation in 1844, and were the glorious
victors. As large game grew scarce on the res
ervation the warriors were sometimes
obliged to do a little farming, but the
science of agriculture had for them little
fascination, and falling into the way of
easy living, they contracted diseases
which soon reduced their numbers to a
sorrowful few.
On many Wolf River bluffs, and on
the hills of Independence river are still
visible the stone covered graves of their
dead, and much of their history lies
buried with them. The wand of civil
ization has touched its golden point to
hill and valley and there has been a com
plete transformation which would be
wilder the eyes of the aboriginal owners
to see. But, alas! they are not here to
see.

CHAPTER II.

DONIPHAN COUNTY.
Explored by Coronado in 1541.
Visited by M. DeBourgmont in 1724.
Examined by Lewis and Clark in 1804.
Founding of the Iowa Mission, 1837.
Printing press setup at Iowa Mission,
1843. Treaty with Iowas, Sacs, Foxes and
Kickapoos, 1854.
Organization in 1855, with five muni
cipal townships.
Pioneer newspaper, The Doniphan
Constitutionalist, issued 1856.
Highland University chartered, 1858.
The Roseport & Palmetto railroad be
gan building 1860. First railroad in
both territory and county.
Contains 379 square miles.
Has 92 miles of river boundry.
Length, 27 miles; width, 25 miles.
Named for General Alexander William
Doniphan. Has eight water courses: Wolf river,
Independence creek, Brush creek, Peter's
creek, Mosquito creek, Cedar creek, Wal
nut creek, and Rock creek.

GEN. ALEXANDER W. DONIPHAN.
The following interesting sketch of the
great man for whom our County was
named, is offered to our readers with
confidence. The sketch is new and ac
curate, having been prepared in 1904, by
a sj ecial correspondent of the St. Joseph
News. A greater monument to his mem
ory than Doniphan County, Kansas, the
famous Missouri general can never hope
to have, and while we are grateful for
the name, he should be thankful for the
perpetuation of his memory.
"Born in Kentucky in 1808, Doniphan
became a Missourian in 1830.
"In the Mormon riots of Jackson, La
fayette, Clay and Ray counties, in the
cause of law and order, and by his own
bravery and clear judgment, prevented
fighting and bloodshed that would have
been a reproach to the state.
"After the capture of some of the Mor
mon leaders, it is said that at a council
of the leading militia officers, it was
voted by nearly three to one to put these
leaders to death. Col. Lewis Wood sa)s
that their lives were oi.ly saved by the

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

13

intervention of General Doniphan, who
not only urged his authority as a briga
dier, but declared he would defend the
prisoners with his own life.
"The personality of Doniphan was
most interesting. It is related that when
Abraham Lincoln met the Missourian,
he said: "Doniphan, you are the only
man I have ever met whose appearance
came up to my expectations.
"In his history of Doniphan's expedi
tion, John T. Hughes has said: "While
commanding the army, Colonel Doni
phan rarely wore any military dress; so
he could not be distinguished from one
of the men whom he commanded. He
fared as the soldiers, and often prepared
his own meals. Any private man in his
camp might approach him with the
greatest freedom, and converse on what
ever topic pleased him. Whoever had
business might approach his tent and
wake him, for he neither had a body
guard nor persons to transact business
i or him. "
"Doniphan won more than a local fame
as a public speaker. He served in the
legislature in 1836, 1840 and 1845 as a
Whig. He had studied law in Kentucky
:.nd his career at the Missouri bar was
indeed worthy. He refused to become a
candidate for office many times, but in
1861 he served his cause in the conven
tion that assumed control of the affairs
ef Missouri. This convention is usually
called the "Gamble Convention," though
Hamilton R. Gamble did not preside
over it. As the chairman of the com
mittee on federation relations, and later
as the governor of the state, Gamble was
indeed a leading figure. Doniphan, a

strong Union man, was a member of this
committee on federal relations, a com
mittee that for a time controlled the con
vention, and through it the whole state,
keeping Missouri in the Union.
"General Doniphan married a daughter
of Col. John Thornton of Clay county.
Their two sons died before reaching the
age of manhood. The Doniphan and
Thornton families were united by more
than one marriage. Col. John Doniphan,
a nephew of Gen. A. W. Doniphan,
married a daughter of Col. John Thorn
ton. Gen. A. W. Doniphan died in
1887, and was buried at Liberty, his old
home. "In 1846 General Doniphan, then col
onel of the first regiment of Missouri
cavalry, accompanied Gen. Kearney to
Mexico, by way of the Santa Fe trail.
Arduous marches were theirs. Battles
were fought, and late in the year Gen
eral Kearney left Doniphan in command,
and undertook his journey to Calif ornia.
"On Christmas Day 1846, occurred the
battle of Brazito, between Doniphan and
his men on one side and the Mexicans on
the other. The Missourians were vic
torious, and two days later entered the
city of El Paso without opposition.
However, the Missourians were not far
in the interior of a hostile country.
Doniphan had orders to report to Gen.
Wool, who was supposed to be at Chi
huahua, and these orders were vague, for
it was not known where Gen. Wool was
then operating. Doniphan's orders were
to report to Wool, not to invade the state
of Chihuahua. In telling the story of the
expedition, John T. Hughes says:
" 'Thus was Colonel Doniphan cir-

14

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

cumstanced: With an army less than
1,000 strong he was on his march, lead
ing through inhospitable sandy wastes,
against a powerful city, which had been
deemed of so much importance by the
government that Gen. Wool, with 3,500
men and a heavy park of artillery, had
been directed hither to effect its subju
gation. What then must have been the
feelings of Col. Doniphan and his men,
when they saw the states of Chihuahua
and Durango in arms to receive them,
not the remotest prospect of succor from
Gen. Wool, and intervening and un
peopled deserts precluding the possibil
ity of successful retreat? 'Victory or
death' were the alternatives.'
"The Missourians began their extraor
dinary march across the deserts into the
heart of the hostile country. The Mex
icans came out to meet them it the river
Sacramento, out of the city of Chihuahua.
Then ensued a desperate battle, which
was the crown of all the victories won by
the Missourians.
"The strength of Doniphan was 924
men and six pieces of artillery. The
Mexicans had 4,224 men and ten pieces
of artillery. The Americans lost one
killed and eleven wounded, while the
Mexicans lost 320 killed, 560 wounded
and 72 taken prisoners.
"Doniphan had brought Ortiz, the cur
ate of El Paso, with his little army. In
his account of the expedition, Hughes re
lates that Ortiz asked Doniphan to allow
him to retire to a place of safety, saying:
'Your force is too weak to contend
against such a force as the Mexican
army, and in so strong a position; you
will all be inevitably destroyed or cap

tured and put in chains. The Mexicans
will whip you beyond a doubt. I beg
you will permit me to remain out of
danger.' "Col, Doniphan replied most good-
humoredly: 'If I should be victorious
I will continue to treat you in a manner
every way worthy of your dignity. If
your ownnpeople should be the conquerors.
and you should fall into their hands,
they will certainly do you no hurt. So,
being safe in either event, you n ust have.
little cause for apprehension.'
"When the battle was over, Col. Don
iphan observed to the curate: "Well,
Ortiz, what do you think now about the
Mexicans whipping my boys?' The other
replied: 'Ah, sir, they would have de
feated you if you had fought like men,
but you fought like devils.'
"Hughes says that so certain of victory
were the Mexicans, that they had pre
pared strings and handcuffs with which
they meant to drive us prisoners to the
City of Mexico, as they did the Texans
in 1841."
"The situation of Doniphan and his
men is well described by the commander
in a letter to Judge John F. Ryland of
Lexington, Mo. Colonel Doniphan
wrote after the battle of Sacramento,
which had given Chihuahua to the Amer
icans. He says: 'My orders are to re
port to General Wool; but I now learn
that instead of taking the City of Chi
huahua, he is shut up at Saltillo by
Santa Anna. Our position will be tick
lish, if Santa Anna should compel Taylor
or Wool even to fallback. We are out
of the reach of help, and it would be as
unsafe to go backward as forward.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

15

High spirits and a bold front, is
perhaps the best policy.
" 'My men are rough, ragged and
ready having one more of the R's
than General Taylor himself. We have
been in service nine months; any of my
men, after marching 2,000 miles, over
mountains and deserts, have not received
one dollar of their pay, yet they stand it
without murmuring. Half rations, hard
marches and no clothes! But. they are
ttill game.'
"There was little more fighting for
Doniphan's Missourians. Buena Vesta
had been added to the names of brilliant
victories in the Mexican war. The fa
tigues of a long and trying journey were
to be endured, however. To Saltillo
was a distance of 675 miles, through an
arid and desolate country. Arriving
there the Missourians made their way by
various stages to New Orleans, and then
home to Missouri.
'¦St. Louis gave to the returning vol
unteers a generous and joyful welcome.
At Camp Lucas, Olive, Twelfth and
Fourteenth streets, Thos. H. Benton ad
dressed the Mexican veterans, in the
presence of 7,000 people. All over the
ssate celebrations were in progress.
Missouri received her valiant sons with
expressions of appreciation and affection.
"One of the choice treasures of the
Missouri Historical Society is a flag of
the St. Louis Light Artillery in the Mex
ican war. It bears a laurel wreath, and
the name-, "Canad, Pueblo de Taos,
Brazito, Sucamento," embroidered upon
it. "Doniphan and his Missourians had
male one of the most extraordinary ex

peditions of the time. Missouri ha?
many reasons to revere the memory of
Doniphan. He served his state through
all the years of a long life. Citizenship
of the order represented in the career of
Alexander William Doniphan should be
held in high esteem.

Some "First" Things.
White Man.— M. DeBourgmont com
manding the French expedition from Ft.
Orleans at the mouth of the Osage to the
Padouca country in the region of the
Smoky Hill river was the first white man
to set foot on what is now Doniphan
county soil. Coronado saw the Missouri
river somewhere in the vicinity of White
Cloud; but there is no certain proof that
he kicked up any dust in the territory
now belonging to our nook of the river.
DeBourgmont, with his command,
crossed the Missouri river and landed
"within gun shot" of the Canzas' village
which was situated at the Independence
creek near the present site of Doniphan.
This was on the 3rd of May, 1724. The
exact location of the ancient Canzas vil
lage was discovered in 1903 by George
J. Remsbnrg, an officer of the Western
Historical Society.
School.— The first school for white
children was in what now is District No.
56, near Highland. John F. Sparks
taught the first term, in 1858. At a
meeting held July 23 rd of that year,
school officers were elected: S. Prit-
chard, Director, M. M. Sharp, clerk,
and C. L. Martin, treasurer. The school
house was a log cabin erected on or near
the present site of the school house in
District No. 56.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Death.— Mrs. Comstock, an emigrant's
wife, died on the Oregon Trail near the
Mission, in 1842. This is said to have
been the first death of a white person
within the limits of the county.
Graveyard.— The Cumberland Pres
byterian graveyard just west of Wolf
river, near Bayne's bridge, is the oldest
in the country. One of the first to be
buried therein was the wife of a man
named Comstock, who died near the
Mission in 1842. The place contain*
many unmarked graves, while many
others are marked only by rude stones.
Some years ago the wagou road ran di
rectly through the graveyard, the wheels
of the wagons grinding against head
stones and jolting over the sunken and
forgotten graves.
Grove.— The first grove set out on the
high prairie was by Chas. H. Phillips,
in 1856, on his land near the present site
of Bendena, owned by J. W. Howard.
The trees grew from year-old sap
lings brought from the Missouri river
near Doniphan. For many years this
grove was the pride of the prairies, and
was known far and wide as Prairie
Grove. In 1881 a heavy sleet and rain
storm stripped the proud old trunks of
their boughs, and they fell into decay.
A straggling few of the old trees still
remain as sad remnants of a once beauti
ful grove.
History.— In 1868 Smith & Vaughan
published the first history of the county.
It was called "A History and Directory"
but was a directory rather than a history.
It contained a list of the names of resi
dents of the county and a catalogue of

business and professional men with their
advertisements; also the county's Soldiers'
Register. Lodge.— Smithton Lodge No 1, A. F.
& A. M., was organized early in 1854 at
the old town of Smithton in Burr Oak
township. The lodge received its
charter November 30, 1854. First of
ficers of this first lodge were: J. W.
Smith, W. M., E. H. Rinehait, S. W.,
D. Vandersiice, Jr., W.
Baptist; Church.— The Baptists had
their iirst organization at \\ athena, in
June 1858, when eight members were
preseut. Elder W. Price and Rev. E.
Alward were organizers.
Catholic Church.— The first Catholic
church was erected in Doniphan in 1857,
under the pastoral charge of Father
Augustine Wirth, O. S. B., but services
were held in private houses as early as
1855. Congregational Church.— The Con-
gregationalists had their hrst organization
at Highland in October, 1865. Fifteen
members were present. The pastor was
Rev. H. P. Robinson.
Church of God.— The first congrega
tion of the Church of God, sometimes
insinuatingly called "Soul Sleepers," as
sembled at the school house in District
No. 7, known as Syracuse district, in
1865, under the direction of W. P
Shockey of Nebraska. Wm. J. Ore j
was chosen to act as local director, an
he performed faithfully the duties of
that office for nearly forty years, or until
his death in 1904. The congregation
began with about forty members.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

17

M. E. Chueih. — The first organization
of which we have a record was at Smith-
ton, in Burr Oak township, with Rev.
Hiram Burch pastor in charge. This
was August 1, 1855.
Presbyterian Church,— The Presby
terians had their first organization at the
Mission near the present site of Highland
in 1842. Seven members were present.
Episcopal Church. — An Episcopal so
ciety was formed at Troy in 185 7 by Rev.
Ryan. Services were held in the court
house. Colored Baptist Church. —The Negro
Baptist church at White Cloud organ
ised in 1875, was the first in the county
and was in charge of Rev. J. H. Straw-
ther. Twenty-siv members were present
at the organizing.

Revs. S. M. Irwin and Wm. Ham
ilton, acting under the auspices of the
American Board of Foreign Missions of
the Presbyterian church made the lirst
settlement near the present site of High
land on a small stream to which was
given the name of Mission Creek. This
was in 1837.
The first harvester and binder com
bined to do work in our county, and per
haps also the first in the state, was
owned by A. Low, who used it to cut
and bind his 1863 crop of wheat grown
on his farm just northwest of Doniphan.
¦ Mr. Low, being in a hurry to have his
wheat harvested, had a machine expressed
to him from a factory in the East, the ex
press charges amounting to 8425.
I he tiis'. steamboat to. plow the turbid
waters of the Missouri, washing the

shores of Doniphan county belonged to
Major Long who passed up the river in
it in 1819.
In 1869 the Roseport & Palmetto
railroad, not only the first road in the
county, but also the first in the state,
was built from the Missouri river at El
wood to Wathena, a distance of about
four miles. On account of war troubles
the building of the road was abandoned
until 1868, when it was extended,
taking the name St. Joseph & Denver
City railroad.
The first printing press was operated
at the Mission by S. M. Irvin and Wm.
Hamilton, missionaries to the Iowas and
Sacs and Foxes. The first of a number
of books and phamphlets relating to
Indian education, text books in the Iowa
language, was printed therein 1842-3.
The first emigrant train, made up of
about 25 wagons and led by Peter Bur
nett, passed through the northern part of
the county in 1842. This was the be
ginning of the north branch of the Cali
fornia and Oregon trail from the Belle
mont bend of the Missouri.
On the 3rd of July 1845, Rev. Wm.
Hamilton performed the first marriage
ceremony when he united Silas Peirce
and Mary Shook at the Mission.
Beyond a doubt the first Fourth of
July celebration was at the mouth of In
dependence creek in 1804, by the explor
ers, Lewis and Ciark and party.
The birth of the first white child oc
curred at the Mission. There, in 1837,
Elliott, son of Missionary S. M. Irvin,
was born. No doubt the little fellow
was an object of much curiosity to the

18

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Indians, many of whom had never seen a
"pale faced" baby.
Mill creek was the site of the first mill
which was built to grind meal for the
Indians, who, becoming suspicious of
the improvements of the whites, proved
their ingratitude by burning the mill.
The date of the building of the mill is
not certainly known, but it was destroyed
about 1853.
The Doniphan Constitutionalist was
the pioneer paper, started in 1856 by a
Jjro-slavery Democrat, Thomas J. Key.
It was published at Doniphan. It sus
pended publication in the summer of
1858. Dr. F. C. Hoffmeir, of Troy, was the
pioneer physician in 1871.
Adam Brenner built the first elevator
in Doniphan in 1867. This was also the
first elavator in the state. Capacity, 40-
O00 bushels.; cost, 116,000; destroyed by
-ftre in 1832; insurance; SU5,000.
J. P. Johnson opened the first bank at
Highland in 1862. At that time there
were only two other banks in the state,
one at Lawrence and one at Atchison.
The first survey line was made by J. P.
Johnson of Highland in 1854, by govern
ment appointment, lt was the first line
west of the Missouri river and was tho
base line for the surveys of 1855-6.
Wm. Flynn owned and operated the
first distillery in the county, if not in the
State, near Iowa Point in 1854.
The first company of the first regiment
lent from Kansas into the army was or
ganized at Elwood.
The first lodge of Good Templars both

in the county and in the state was insti
tuted at Iowa Point in 1856.
School District No. 1 was organized at
Wathena in the spring of 1858.
The first County Fair was held at Troy
in August, 1868.
The first telephone line ran into Troy
about 1884.

Water Courses.
The county is watered by a number of
copious streams fed by ever flowing
springs, generously scattered throughout
the land. The main streams are here
described: Cedar Creek.— This stream takes its
rise in the western part of the county,
following in a northeasterly course to
within about three and one half miles
west of Iowa Point, and from thence,
taking an easterly direction and empty-
into the Missouri at Iowa Point. This
stream supplies the county with good
stock water, and drains about fifty square
miles of the north western part of the
county. Wolf River.— This fine stream rises be
yond the western line of the county, a
little south of the centre. With its trib
utaries it drains a large scope of the best
farming land in the county. Rising near
the county line, it takes an easterly di
rection for four or five miles, which
brings it near the centre of Wolf River
township. From thence it journeys in a
northeasterly direction for nearly six
miles, or until it reaches the Baynes's
Bridge country, where it changes
to a northerly course, which it con
tinues in until it finds the Missouri,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

19

about three, and a half miles north of
Highland Station. There is a plentiful
supply of timber on this stream.
Mosquito Creek.— This stream rises
near the centre of the county, not far
from Troy and flows almost directly
north into the Missouri, near the old
town of Mt. Vernon. This creek, also,
is well supplied with timber, and, if
there is anything in a name, with mos
quitoes also.
Peter's Creek.— Peter's Creek begins
its course at Troy and wanders due east to
Y\ athena, a distance of about eight miles
where a change is made, the course
leading south a mile before the Missouri
is reached. For some time the waters of
this stream propelled thewheels of the
i rist mill. There is a large tract of
rich farm land in Peter's Creek valley.
Walnut Creek. — This stream rises on
the "line between Washington and Marion
townships, and takes a southeasterly di
rection, emptying into the Missouri at
Palermo. The stream is about five miles
in length.
Brush Creek.— Brush Creek rises in
Marion township about five miles due
west of Palermo and flows in a south
easterly direction and empties into the
Missouri at Geary City. The stream is
about five miles in length, and its waters
have been used to propel the machinery
uf a mill. The valley is wide and fer
tile. Rock Creek.— This creek rises a few
miles southwest of Troy, and with its
tributaries drains nearly the whole south
easterly portion of the county. It runs
almost due south emptying into the In

dependence near Doniphan. The valley
of this stream was full of settlers at an
early day when wood and water were the
chief requisites.
Independence River.— This stream is
one of the largest in the county. The
Independence rises in the south-western
part of the county, near the western line,
and flows in a southeasterly direction,
emptying into the Missouri just below
Doniphan. The length of the stream is
about twelve miles, and its bottoms are
extensive and exceedingly fertile.
Cold Springs Branch.— This pretty
little stream received its name from Cold
Spings, an old station on the Pottawa
tomie Trail near the present site of Ben
dena. The spring from which it takes
its rise was of an icy nature wliich sug
gested the name to some thirsty traveller.
The stream is about six miles long.
Flowing west and north, it empties into
Wolf River below Ryan Station.

The Pony Express.
The sketch here presented of the once
famous Pony Express was prepared by us
from notes taken from the Daily News
"HistDry of Buhanan County and St.
Joseph," from newspaper and magazine
articles on the subject, and from the
lips of pioneers by whose doors
lay the route followed by the riders
of the Express.
The Pony Express was established in
1860 by Wm. H. Russell, of the over
land freighting firm of Russell, Majors
& Waddell. Omitting the particulars of
the gigantic preparations made for the
establishing of the Express, we set our-

20

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

self at once to a description of its begin
ning and actual working. All arrange
ments having been satisfactorily com
pleted within a comparatively short per
iod of sixty days, the day was set for the
first start, and on that date, April
3, 1860, at 5:30 p. m., immediately after
the arrival of the Hannibal and St.
Joseph train, Johnny Fry, the first
rider, started from the yard of the
Pikes' Peak stables, south of Patee
Park in St. Joseph, Missouri. Riding
to the express office on North Second
street, he received his dispatches there,
and at the firing of a cannon, dashed
away to the ferry boat with the loud
hurrahs of a vast croud ringing in his
ears. Landing on Kansas soil at Elwood, he
set spurs to his horse and galloped
away across the prairies of Doniphan,
Brown and Nemeha counties to Seneca,
passing the four stations and covering
the intervening space of sixty miles in
about eight hours. The general direc
tion of his route through our County lay
by the present sites of Wathena, Troy,
Bendena, Denton and Purcell, almost
along the course of the Rock Island
road. The distance between St. Joseph and
San Francisco, 1950 miles, was covered
in 232 hours. The start from San Fran
cisco was made at the same hour of the
same day, but a steamer was used from
San Francisco to Sacramento, from which
latter place the riding actually began, the
rider being Harry Roff . The route lay
through Forts Kearney, Laramie, Bridge r,
Salt Lake City, Camp Floyd, Carson
City, Washoe Silver Mines, Placerville,

and many other places to Sacramento.
Although called the Pony Express, as
a matter of fact, no ponies were used.
American horses from Iowa and Illinois
were purchased for the occasion. The
Express was operated for a period of
about eighteen months^ from April lS8u
to November, 1S61. It has been said
that the operators lost about $100,000 by
the undertaking.
Johnny Fry, John Burnett, Jack Keet-
ley, Chas. Cliff and Gus Cliff were among
the early riders out of St. Joseph. For
their services they received about forty
dollars a month and their maintainance.
While in St. Joseph they were quartered
at the Patee House. Kennekuk, in Brown
County, once well known to prairie trav
ellers, but now scarcely more than a
memory, was a meal station for the riders,
the first west of St. Joseph. The hotel
there was kept by Mr. Baldwin, whose
daughter, Mrs. John Dolliucls, still
lives in that vicinity and delights in
telling of the Express riders and other
interesting people and scenes met and
witnessed there in her girlhood days.
The following interesting description
is from the Daily News History of Bu
chanan County and St. Joseph, pp. 92-3:
All the riders were youug men, selects 1
for their nerve, light weight, and gener
al fitness. No effort was made to uuifrom
them, and they dressed as their individ
ual fancy dictated, the usual costume bt-
ing a buckskin hunting shirt, cloth trous-
sers tucked into a pair of high boots, and
a jockey cap or slouch hat. All rode
armed. At first a Spencer rifle was car
ried strapped to the back, in addition to
a part of army (Colt's) revolvers in their

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

21

holsters. The rifle, however, was found
useless, and was soon abandoned. The
equipment of the horses was a light rid
ing saddle and bridle, with the saddle
bags, or "mochila," of heavy leather.
These had holes cut in them so that they
would fit over the horn and tree of the
saddle. The mochilas had four pockets
called "cantinas," one in each corner, so
as to have one in front and one behind
each leg of the rider; in these the mail
was placed. Three of these pockets were
locked and opened enroute at military
posts and at Salt Lake City, and under
no circumstances at any other place.
The fourth was for way stations, for
which each station keeper had a key,
and also contained a way bill, or a time
card, on which a record of arrival and
departure was kept. The same mochila
was transferred from pony to pony and
from rider to rider, until it was carried
from one terminus to the other. The
ietterR, before being placed in the
pockets, were wrapped in oiled silk to
preserve them from the moisture. The
maximum weight of any -one mail was
twenty pounds; but this was rarely
reached. The charges were originally
$5.00 for each letter of one half ounce or
less; but afterward this was reduced to
$2.50 for each letter not exceeding one
ounce, this being in addition to the reg
ular United States postage. Especially
made light weight paper was generally
used to reduce the expense. Special edi
tions of the Eastern newspapers were
printed on tissue paper to enable them
to reach subscribers on the Pacific coast.
This, however, was more of an advertise
ment, there being little or no demand

for them at their necessarily large price.
At first, stations averaged twenty-five
miles arart, and each rider covered sev
enty-five miles daily. Later, stations
were established at intermediate points,
reducing the distance between them, in
some cases to ten miles, the distance be
tween the stations being regulated by the
character of the country. This change
was made in the interest of quicker time,
it having been demonstrated that horses
could not be kept at the top of their speed
for so great a distance as twenty-five
miles. At the stations, relays of horses
were kept, and the station keeper's
duties included having a pony ready,
bridled and saddled, half an hour before
the express was due. Upon approaching
a station, the rider would loosen the
mochila from his saddle, so that he
could leap, from his pony as soon as he
readied the station, throw the mo
chila over the saddle of the fresh
horse, jump on, and ride off. Two
minutes was the maximum time allowed
at stations, whether it was to change
riders or horses. At relay stations where
riders were changed, the incoming man
would unbuckle his mochila before arriv
ing, and hand to his successor, who
would start off on a gallop as soon as his
hand could grasp it. Time was seldom
lost at stations. Station-keepers and re
lay-riders were always on the lookout.
In the day time the pony could be seen
for a considerable distance, and at night
a few well known yells would bring ev
erything into readiness in a very short
time. As a rule, the riders would do
severity-five miles over their route west
bouud one day, returning over the same

22

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

distance with the east bound express.
The first great feat of the Pony Ex
press was the trial trip when on a wager
of $200,000 the express riders covered
the distance between St. Joseph and San
Francisco in ten clays, winning with
only five minutes to spare. For this
performance were required 300 horses
and 125 riders. The second was the de
livery of the inaugural address of Pres
ident Lincoln, in 1S61, when only 7 days
and 17 hours were required to make the
trip. The average of travel was 10.7
miles an hour, but the 665 miles lying
between St. Joseph and Denver wore
covered in two days and 2 1 hours, , only
31 minutes being required for the last
ten miles. This wonderful performance
stands without parallel in history.

County Histories.
Three histories of Doniphan County
have been written. The first, was by
Smith & Vaughn, in 1868. It was an
historical directory containing the names
and places of residence of all male adults
and heads of families in the county.
Also it contains the County soldiers' reg
ister, a business directory, short -histor
ical sketches, advertisements of business
men and merchants, and information con
cerning the state and nation. , It was
considered a handy and useful work in
its day, and even now is found curious
and interesting to those who love to
know what men were thinking of and do
ing in the pioneer days. Only a few
copies are known to be in existence.
The second effort was the "Historical
Plat Book of Doniphan County, Kansas,"
published in 1882 by J. S. Bird of Chi

cago. This is a more pretentious work
than its predecessor, giving a fair col
lection of historical miscellany, together
with short biographical notes of promin
ent citizens, and maps and pictures of
residences and places of business. Un
fortunately the book contains many er
rors, and the illustrations are not ex
cellent; but the maps are as good as any
that had been produced up to that time.
The third venture in the historical and
biographical field was made by the
founder of the Kansas Chief, a paper
that gave blood and bone and sinew to
the youth and manhood of Doniphan
county from its earliest days. The
historical edition of the Chief, issued in
the fall of 1893 contained 20 pages of
matter carefully prepared and well
printed with an abundance of fine illus
trations. This edition was the finest in
workmanship and the most complete in
detail of any similar work that we have
seen. Its very worthy editor, whose
name is well known to every Doniphan
county citizen, presented in the work the
experience of his life. He was a recog
nized authority on matters political, hio-
torical and biographical, and while ha
never professed to be a preacher, he
preached more and better sermons on
good conduct and right living, than any
preacher that ever occupied a pulpit in
the West. The historical edition of his
great paper is full of his old time fire and
spirit. It is a real literary treasure, a
mine of information, and those who have
preserved it will be delighted to review
it, and they will have something to be
grateful for all their lives. May the sod
ever grow green on the honored* grave of
this good and great man!

CHAPTER III.

PGN SKSTCHS-S OF PLACSS ANP PSOPLe.

TOWNS OF THE PAST.
Cincinnati was surveyed in 1857, and
was located somewhere in the vicinity of
Willow Springs school house, in Iowa
Township. No lots were ever sold or
houses built.
Buffalo was located at the place now
known as Buffalo Hollow, not far from
Eagle Springs.
Iola was located near Wolf River, ac-
cross fiom Fanning, about where Iola
school house now is.
Winona was on the county line, west
of Highland. The legislature granted a
charter for the university there to be
called Hamby University.
Syracuse was located in Wolf River
township, near where a school house is
now located, in Distrsct No. 7.
Lafayette was in Centre township, on
the Missouri river, and was, in 1857-58,
a really promising and pushing town.
Mount Vernon was below Lafayette.
It existed on paper.
Smithton was John W. Smith's town,
in Burr Oak, that died a-bornin1.

Columbia was in Burr Oak Township,
and once had high aspirations. It is said
to have at onetime contained 200 inhab
itants and a number of business houses.
The school house in what is called Col
umbus district is now all that remains of
the town.
Whitehead, later called Bellemont,
was on the river, above Wathena. In
1859-60 it was booming, and making
more noise than all the other towns in
the county.
Petersburg was laid off on an immense
scale, on the river, betwreen Palermo and
Geary City. The proprietor was Peter
Cadue, a Frenchman, married to an In
dian squaw, and who acted as interpreter
and trader to the Kickapoos. He was
formerly located at Wathena, and Peter's
Cre> k was named for him. His Peters
burg town lots afforded fat pickings for
printers for a few years, in swelling the
delinquent tax lists.
Evansville was platted by "Jib" Evans.
No lots were ever sold. The land cor
nered on what is now Robert Lazelere's
farm. Another story is:

24

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Evansville was located on the north
half of section 25, township 3, and
range 21. The projector of this town
was D. M. Johnston, who filed his claim
on June 1, 1857, in behalf of the pro
prietors, the Evansville Townsite Com
pany. The proper tilings were made by
Hon. Joel P. Blair in the land office in
Doniphan. With this entry the town's
official record ends, and it is extremely
doubtful if it ever came into being.
Rogersville was located on what is now
James Taylor's place, two and one-half
miles north of Troy. When Troy was
first entered as a townsite and the
County seat, the county officers had to
go to Rogersville for the mail.
LeRoy was laid out near the Bayne
crossing, on Wolf river, about three
miles from Highland Station.
Fairview was laid out by Murphy T.
Swinney (his mark) and the plat hied,
and the streets and alleys dedicated to
public use, May 4th, 1857. The entire
northwest quarter of section 11, township
3, range 22, and all of section 10, town
ship 3, range 22, were platted. The site
is now cut up into small fruit farms.
Joseph M. Holt, Charle3 F. Holley,
Alfred F. Barnett, James M. Teagarden,
John S. Tisdale, and Napoleon D. Gid-
dings platted the town of LaPorte on the
east half of section 28, township 2, range
22, and filed it for record September 16,
1857. James R. Whitehead, president, and
Joseph Penny, secretary of the White
head Town company, platted the town
of Bellemont and filed for record a map
of the town, designated as "Keys' map

of the town of Bellemont" on June 20,
1858. The land is described as the
west fractional half of section 15, and
the northwest quarter of section 22, and
the northeast quarter of section 21. in
township 2, range 22.
Landondale, or Mount Vernon was
laid out on what is now the Hargis farm
near the mouth of Mosquito Creek. The
land is described as the northeast quarter
of section 30, and the fractional south
east quarter of 19, in township 2, range
21. On October 16, 1882, there was filed
for record a plat of Eagle Springs on the
southwest quarter and the northeast
quarter of section 16, township 2, range
20. Troy Junction is all that is left of the
town of Maynard.
James J. Reynolds, Arthur K. Frogge
Stephen G. Fish, James II. Fish and
Nelson Casteel platted the town of Ari
zona, and filed the plat March 1, 1S56.
It -was in section 36, township 2 but the
range is missing.
The town of Pittsburg was platted on
section 3, township 4, range 20, now the
John Albers and John "W ynkoop land,
The plat was pretentious, but the town
came to naught. The projectors were
A. G. Ege, B. S. Warton, J. H. Jones.
E. A. Seavy, I. McCoy, H. W. Hudnan,
Wm. K. Richardson and James F. For
man. Charleston was in Centre township, on
the liver, near the Burr Oak line. Judge
Byrd built a storehouse there in 1857.
Jeff Jenkins had a law office, L. D.
Stocking a jeweller's shop, and the town

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY,

25

made a lively push for a short time.
Then it disappeared from the map.
About two years ago Gibson and Clary
established a store on the old site and
petitioned for a postoffice. They wished
to have the office called Charleston,
but found that the name had been ap
propriated by a village in the short grass
country and the office was named Bozarth.
Syracuse was in Wolf River township
near where the school house of that name
is now located. Walter S. Peck, Abijah
I). Reeves, E. J. Doyle and Wm. Vick-
ei-y filed the plat of the town on the 26th
of March 1858. Tfie land platted was
the north half of section 1, township 4,
range 19.

A Golden Opportunity.
A correspondent for the Philadelphia
Ledger, who dated his letter, "St.
Joseph, Upper Missouri, Sept. 11, 1854,"
gave the following information concern
ing the daughter of a wealthy chief of
t le Iowas, who was in the market for a
white husband:
"The county just over the river from
St. Joseph has been the home of several
tribes, among them the Sacs, the Iowas,
the Kickaj oos, etc. These are now in
the act of removal to new homes to make
room for the whites.
•¦The Sac Agency and Mission, some
twenty-live miles west of this place, will
be deserted, and when the territory shall
have been surveyed, will be offered with
the rest of the public land, for sale to the
bighes'iTbidder. It is a magnificent farm
of 040 acres, 200 of which are under
fence and in a high state of cultivation.
Tliis farm has been worked for that

tribe by government hands, and every
thing raised on it has enured to the ben
efit of the Indians alone. At the time
I passed the place, the Indians were on
the eve of celebrating a feast, and were
scouring the country around for dogs,
which they esteem a great delicacy.
They freely offered a pony for a dog,
and had collected some seven or eight,
which they were stuffing and cramming
with food to make them fat. On no
other occasion will they allow a dog to
be molested or killed. In fact they re
gard the canine species witli a sort of su
perstitious veneration, and believe that
if they sacrifice good fat ones, they will
be pardoned for all bad actions they have
committed since the last dog feast, and
have a good hunting ground and plenty
of game until they again celebrate it.
"They are a most interesting people.
Their chief is very old and very wealthy.
To any respectable white man who will
settle among them, and marry one of his
daughters, he offers $10,000 in money,
500 horses and four sections of land. He
wishes his people to become instructed
in agriculture, and hence his offer. I
saw the daughter and remained all night
with the family. She is aware of the
offer her father has made of her, and
does not seem to take the matter very
hard. In fact she told me that if "she got
a man and, he would use her well, she
was ready."
' 'She is the oldest of the family of
children, say 30 years. Although al
most white the, Indian shows itself all
over her. She has high cheek bones; in
other respects she, is not bad looking. I

27

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

will also add that although she walks
with her toes turned in, like all Indians,
yet she has the most delicate little foot
and most exquisitely turned ankle I ever
saw. "In fact, gentlemen, as I expect to be
near neighbors to these people, I do not
see that I can do better than to take the
old man's offer. If I do I intend to rep
resent Kansas in Congress, after it shall
have a territorial government and you
need not be surprised if I bring my half-
breed wife to see you at your office.
Would not the old Quakers in Phila
delphia, when they siw the descendants
of one of the pillars of their church mar
ried to a half-breed, exclaim, 'Oh! what
a fall my countrymen?'
But I must close, and as I see my let
ters to you are being republished by the
country papers in Pennsylvania, I will
only add further, that now is the time to
emigrate to Kansas, and that all who
want to obtain homes here should come
now. I am, gentlemen, yours faithfully,
E. F. R.

Pure Fiction.
Two of the oldest settlers in #the
County having read the following story,
united in pronouncing it a product of the
imagination. The story concerns Don
iphan County. It was first published in
1855.
An Awful Indian Tragedy.— A Kan
sas correspondent of the St. Louis Demo
crat in commenting upon the protracted
strife between the Iowa and Pawnee
Indians, recounts the following horrible
incidents: "Six years ago, in the fall of 1849,

three white persons, two gentlemen and
one lady, who had been residing near old
Fort Kearney, and had there attached to
them a beautiful Pawnee girl, of about
sixteen summers, set out for their home
in Kentucky, taking the young Pawnee
maiden with them. They had nearly
reached St. Joseph when they met a band
of Iowas. The Iowas asked for the
Pawnee girl. She was refused them.
She was on a horse behind one of the
gentlemen. Several warriors approached
and seized her long tresses, and "threw
her backwards to the earth. She
screamed for help. A young brave, who
seemed to have authority, approached.
She threw herself upon her knees before
him, and implored mercy. He deliber
ately levelled his rifle and shot her
through the heart. He then severed her
head from her body and stuck it upon the
top of a pole, and had a war dance
around it. They then quartered her body
and each warrior of the band bearing a
part of it, marched after their chief, who
bore her head aloft upon the pole, to the
nearest village, where they held a great
feast. "Ill the meanwhile the whites hastened
to this place and gave information of
these diabolical proceedings to Col. A. J.
Vaughan, who was then Indian Agent
here. He immediately mounted his horse
and rode to Ft. Leavenworth, got a de
tachment of dragoons, hastened back, and
gave them a surprise. He arrested those
who were concerned in her capture and
death, and had them imprisoned at Ft.
Leavenworth, where they remained only
several months, and were released with
out prosecution of any kind. The head

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

27

and limbs of the hapless girl were put to
gether in a coffin and decently interred.
"When the news reached the Pawnees
they made an incursion into the country
of the Iowas and stole many of their
horses. "White Cloud, then the head chief of
the Iowas, took a band of warriors down
among the Pawnees, and destroyed one
of their villages, killing even the women
and children. In this encounter his
right eye was pierced and destroyed by an
arrow, aimed by a boy but ten years old.
In the next instant his unerring toma
hawk was buried in the cleft skull of the
brave child, and the battle ended. All,
old and young, male and female, were in
discriminately butchered.
"Col. Vaughn made a report of it to
the government and was instructed forth
with to depose White Cloud, and have
another chief elected in his place.
"An old man named No Heart was
unanimously chosen. It is a strange
name for one of his character, for he is
an excellent man, and still enjoys the
confidence of the people and the respect
of the whites. He at once entered into a
treaty of peace with the Pawnees and
since that time they have lived in friend
ship. "White Cloud retired from the society
of mj:i. He sat alone in silent gloom.
An impenetrable cloud seemed to rest
upon his spirit. It was not grief for his
barbarous butcherings; but it was
wounded pride that broke his heart. He
xlied in a short time and his body was
placed upon the summit of a high hill,
that overlooks, for a great distance, the
Missouri river. A white post was

planted at the head of his grave filled
with horses and scalps, drawn rudely in
red paint, and which contained his epi
taph, showing his glories in the number
of persons he has slain and of horses he
has stolen."
"This was the same White Cloud
whom Bayard Taylor mentioned as having
crossed the ocean in the steamship with
himself when he first essayed a tour of
these Oriental climes, and is the same
whom Col. Melody of St. Louis, intro
duced at the leading courts of Europe
with eclat."
Sol Miller reprinted this story in the
White Cloud Chief, Nov. 12, 1857, with
comment, pronouncing it "the most satis
factory and perhaps the truest account
of tho chief that we have yet obtained."

Aboriginal Inhabitants.
In looking at the history of the Indian
tribes that inhabited Doniphan County
previous to its organization as such, in
1854, it has been a difficult matter to get
at some important items connected with
their early history. No two authorities
agree on the number of Indians in auy of
these tribes, which were the Iowas, Kan
sas, Sacs and Foxes, and Kickapoos, and
some of them differ widely. From the
best information obtainable, the Iowas
numbered about 800 when they came
here from the Platte Purchase in 1837.
Their head chief at that time was old
White Cloud. The present number of
their reservation along the state line be
tween Kansas and Nebraska is about 100,
and Jim White Cloud, probably a de
scendant of old White Cloud, is chief.
The Sacs and Foxes numbered about 400

28

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

when they came here with the Iowas in
1837. Their principal chief was Ne-
sourqoit. There are perhaps little over a
dozen of them on the reservation on the
Big Nehama river now, and these have
no chief so far as I know. It must be
remembered that these Indians were
only a small band of that once warlike
tribe, which broke away from old Black
Hawk, when that wily old warrior in
duced the Winnebagos under Keokuk, to
join in the war against the government
in Illinois in 1832.
The following extract from"Ridpath's
History of the United States"explains the
cause of this Indian outbreak:
"In the Spring of 1832 the Sacs and
Foxes and Winnebago Indians of
Wisconsin territory began war. They
were incited and led by the famous chief,
Black Hawk, who, like many great
sachems before him, believed in the pos
sibility of an Indian confederacy suffic
iently powerful to beat blacks and whites.
The land of the Sacs and Foxes, lying in
the Rock River country of Illinois, had
been purchased by the government twenty
five years previously. The Indians, how
ever, remained in the ceded territory,
since there was no occasion for immed
iate occupation by the whites. When at
last, after a quarter of a century, the
Indians were required to give possession
they cavilled at the old treaty and re
fused to comply. The government in
sisted that the Red men should fulfil their
contract, and hostilities began on the
frontier. The governor of Illinois called
out the militia and Gen. Scott was sent
with nine companies of artillery to Chi
cago. At that place his force was over

taken with the cholera, and he was pre
vented from co-operating with the troops
of General Atkinson. The latter, how
ever, waged a vigorous campaign against
the Indians, defeated them in several
actions, and made Black Hawk a prisoner.
This of course brought the war to a close
but the outbreak had caused a permanent
split in' the tribe, and the band headed
by Nesourqoit, which opposed Black
Hawk in the war, were finally located in
northwest Missouri, and they were desig
nated after this by the department of
Indian affairs at Washington as the"Sacs
and Foxes of Missouri." The band
that followed Black Hawk was called
the"Sacsand Foxes of the Mississippi."
They were much more numerous than the
Sacs and Foxes of Missouri. When they
came to Kansas they were located south
of the Shawnees below the Kansas river."
The Kickapoos came to Kansas about
the time the Iowas and Sacs and Foxes
did in 18C7. They were also from north
west Missouri, the territory of the three
tribes extending from the southern limit
of the Platte Purchase, along the Mis
souri river to the northern boundary of
the state. They probably numbered
about one thousand when they came to
Kansas. Authorities differ widely on
this as they do on other tribes mentioned .
Their principal chiefs were Kennekuk,
Wathena and Hamilton. They now
number six or seven hundred on their
reservation south of Horton in Brown
county, and their head chief is Little
Simon. The Kickapoos owned the southern
half of Doniphan County and on south
to the northern boundary of the Dela-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

29

wares at Ft. Leavenworth, the Iowas and
Sacs and Foxes the northern half. The
Sac and Fox lands lay between the Iowas
and Kickapoos. The line between them
and the Kickapoos commenced on the Mis
souri river, where Whitehead, a trading
post, was established in 185 2, thence due
west, between where Horton and Hia
watha in Brown county now are, to a
line running north and south, sixty miles
north of Fort Leavenworth. The line
between the Iowas and the Sacs and Foxes
commenced at the mouth of the Wolf
river and followed it up to the great
Bend at a rock mound, erected for that
purpose; it bore off southwest, between
the old Presbyterian Mission and the
great Nemeha Agency, then due west to
the west line of Doniphan County, then
northwest to the line above referred to,
sixty miles west of Fort Leavenworth.
This line was of course the southern
boundary of the Iowa lands, which ex
tended north to the great Nemeha river
and as far west as the Sacs and Foxes and
Kickapoos. These lands were ceded to
the general government in 1854, and the
Sacs and Foxes traded a strip of territory
along the northern boundary to the
Iowas, for the reservation to which they
were removed, west of the Iowas, along
the big Nemeha to the south fork, near
Salem in Richardson County, Nebraska.
Since'then they sold a strip of the west
end of this territory, so their present
reservation is quite small, but as there is
but few of them it is large enough for
their needs. In this treaty the Iowas
reserved about 95,000 acres of their
lands in Doniphan County, to be sold at
public sale to the highest bidder. It

was stipulated in the treaty, that these
lands were not to be occupied by white
settlers, until after they were surveyed
and sold, but so eager were the people to
secure homes, that they commenced set
tling them up before they were surveyed.
The government ordered the agent at
Great Nemeha Agency, Major Vander-
slice, to expel these intruders. This he
attempted to do by proclamation. Fail
ing of this, he visited them in person,
and warned them if they did not leave
on their own accord, he would expel
them by force by United States troops
from Leavenworth. This sent most of
them away but a few remained and were
not molested. Encouraged by this,
those who had gone away in the belief
that if they did not do so they would be
driven out by United States troojs, re
turned, and in a short time these lands
were all occupied by white settlers, in
violation of the treaty, by which the
Indian title to them was to be extin
guished when the government fulfilled its
treaty obligations to the Indians. In
the meantime the government foresee
ing that if it drove the settlers away,
speculators were liable to combine and
bid the lands in for a mere trifle, com
missioners were appointed who ap
praised each quarter-section at so much
per acre and the settlers were allowed to
bid it in at the sale which took place at
Iowa Point in June, 1857, at the ap
praised value wliich rarely exceeded two
dollars per acre and a great deal of it
much less than that. Some of these
lands are now selling at prices which
would make a trust magnate look upon
their possessions with envious eyes.

30

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

This has no doubt led tne Indian to a
better understanding of his pale faced
brothers' deep solicitude for his spiritual
welfare, who, while breaking to him the
bread of life, has taken occasion to re
lieve him of everything temporal which
would have a tendency to make him
worldly minded and thus retard his
spiritual growth.
All the foregoing tribes I have de
scribed belong to what were known as
emigrant Indians, that is, Indians the
government had been removing westward
for a number of years to make room for
white settlers from the territory out of
which they had been previously removed
for the same purpose. The govern:n3n t
in removing these emigrant Indians onto
the public domain designed the territorial
limits of each tribe separately for a two
fold purpose. First, if they wandered
out beyond these, and went on the war
path either for the purpose of plunder,
which was most frequent, or to avenge
some real or imaginary insult, they could
be driven back on their old reservation,
and secondly, when it came to removing
them there could be no dispute about
their territorial limits.
These tribes all had access in common
with other tribes to the hunting grounds
beyond their boundaries, which included
the public domain extending westward
to the Rocky Mountains.
A story is told by T. J. McCreary of
Highland, who came among the Iowa
Indians early in 1840, in connection
with one of their hunting expeditions,
which illustrates the Indians' supersti
tious nature. An Iowa Indian had been
sick for a long time with some lingering

disease that the Medicine men could not
cure. Though they had done their best
to frighten the evil spirit out of him,
beating their tom-toms with totem sticks,
it refused to budge. Finally the Great
Spirit took the matter in hand and told
the sick Indian if he could kill a Pawnee,
with which the Iowas were at war, he
would be restored to health. Charmed
with an offer of a remedy so much to his
liking, he joined a party of his tribe "on
a hunting expedition back in the Buffalo
range on the Blue river, where they fell
in with a war party of Pawnees and
returned home a well man.
The following letter found among the
private papers of the late Major Daniel
Vanderslice shows some of the Indians'
peculiar notions about disposing of their
dead: Sac and Fox Agency, K. T.,
March 18, 1859.
Maj. Vanderslice, U. S. Indian Agt.,
Sir: There is an Indian
by the name of Oua-uua-ne-pe-qua desires
to convey to Ouak-a-he-ho-sea the news
that his son Nah-to-wan-ich-cha-ki is
dead and that he has charge of two of his
horses, and has also made arrangements
for sending away his spirit, or as more
usually expressed, for throwing them
away, but would prefer to hear from his
father and desires that he would send his
grown son, that he may fully please the
father in performing these rights to hi?
son. ' Isaac G. Baker,
For Qua-qua-ne-pe-qui.
The Indian horses were so poor that
he was prevented from going himself.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

31

The following itemized account shows
the cost of running the Great Nemeha
Agency for six months, in 1860:
Sacs and Foxes of Missouri, An
nuity $5000.00
Blacksmith and assistants 360.00
Iron, steel, etc,, 140.00
Bldg., Agr'l purposes, and pay
farmer 670.00
Provisions 140.00
Rec'g stolen horses and other
Indian property 100.00
Total 6410.00
Iowa Indians, Annuity 6000.00
Blacksmith and assistants 360.00
Iron, steel, etc., 140.00
Bldg, and rep'rs on Chief's
house, etc., 955.00
Agr'l and other purposes 450.00
Teachers' pay, one quarter at
$500 per annum 125.00
Books, stationery, etc., 75.00
Provisions, $165.00. Rec. stolen
horses, etc., $100 265.00
Total 8370.00
In addition to the above, there was
agents' salary and two interpreters,
$1150.00. It must be understood that this money
was derived from the sale of lands be
longing to these Indians which the gov
ernment held in trust for their use and
benefit. The following letter is the answer to
an inquiry I addressed to an old Indian
trader among the Kickapoos in 1841.
While the writer is mistaken in the time
the tribes he mentions came to Kansas,
as it is' known they came in 1837, and
overestimates their numbers, his letter
is nevertheless interesting.

White Cloud, Kansas.
Dec. 27, 1904.
My Dear Friend : In answer to your
request I will say the Kickapoos, Iowas,
Sacs and Foxes of Missouri were located
here about the year 1832 and came from
the countrv in Missouri comprising the
counties of Atchison, Holt, Nodaway,
Andrews, Buchanan, Platte and Clinton.
Wathena was one of the leading Chiefs
and Hamilton a second chief of the
i Kickapoos. They perhaps numbered fif
teen or eighteen hundred, when they
first came to Kansas. I can't tell their
present number. Peter Cadue and Pas-
chall Pensinean, Frenchmen, married in
to this tribe about the time they first
came to Kansas. Much could be writ
ten of them that would make interesting
reading, but I will not undertake the job
now. The Iowas came about the time
the Kickapoos did. Their principal
chief was Mo-hos-ka, or White Cloud,
who was buried just below where the
town of Iowa Point now is. Wolf, he of
Wolf's Grove, was second chief, and was
deposed by General W. P. Richardson for
insubordination. Xan-cha-nin-ga, or No
Heart, was head chief after White Cloud
died. They numbered from 2000 to
2500 when they entered the territory.
Their number now is greatly reduced
and I cannot estimate it, as the
tribe divided. Part went to Oklahoma
and part stayed on the reservation and
perhaps now number 225 souls. The
Sacs and Foxes of Missouri came about
the same time the Iowas did, and num
bered from twelve to fifteen hundred,
Nesourqoit and Peterokemis were head
chiefs and Moless and Nokawet second

32

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

chiefs. They now number less than 200
souls. With the compliments of the season
and best wishes for your welfare, I am
very truly your friend, Jo Utt.
White Cloud's burial place that Mr.
Utt refers to was a large black-oak tree
overlooking the Missouri river as far as
the eye can reach and south to the head
of Burr-Oak Bottom. It was on the
roadside, where Job Dutton settled, near
Iowa Point. A pole six or eight feet
high, with some strips of red cloth fast
ened at the top marked the old chief's
resting place when the country was first
settled. All traces of this grave have
long since disappeared.
White Cloud previous to his death lived
south of this in a large double hewed log-
house with brick and stone chimney.
This house stood on land now owned by
Frank Potter, near where his residence
now is. There were a number of these
hewed log-houses in that vicinity but the
Indians burned them all before they re
moved to their present reservation along
the big Nemeha river to prevent them
from falling into the hands of their pale
face brothers. The houses were built by
white men under the directions of the
Indian agent. The Indians left atypical
one of their wigwams, standing on the
land which afterwards belonged to the
late Jacob T. Pierce, which illustrated
in its workmanship the Indians' architec
tural skill in all its primitive simplicity.
This wigwam was sided up with bark,
fastened to poles six or seven feet high
set in the ground in a circle and was
covered with the same material fastened
to poles with the proper pitch converging

in the centre. The bark was lapped like
the clapboards on a frontier cabin.
This vicinity was the home of the Iowa
Indians before they went north, and they
had a large graveyard near the wigwam
just described which has long since been
obliterated by the plow of the pale face,
who has long been trying to engraft civ
ilized ideas and customs on the abor
iginal mind.
The Sacs and Foxes lived south of the
Iowas on the Wolf river near a large
spring, on land now belonging to J. B.
Dutton. The mortality among thein
here was very great, as they had a large
graveyard which has shared the same fate
as that of their neighbors' on the north.
Rev. S. M. Irvin and his devoted wife
who came to Kansas with the Iowas and
Sacs and Foxes as missionaries, and
founded the old Presbyterian Mission
about 1843, east of where the town of
Highland now is, spent all the best years
of their lives among the Indians in a
noble but futile effort to plant the seeds
of Christian civilization in a soil not
adapted to its successful propagation.
Some of the Indians were given splendid
educations, but none of them ever put it
into profitable use. While the few of
them that remain have adopted the dress
of the pale faces, they still cling to the
custom of their ancestors.
They take readily with most of the
vices and a few of the elevating influ
ences of civilization. The white man's
fire water and his idle habits are more at
tractive to them than his comfortable
dwellings and his well filled granaries.
Pryor Plank.
Highland Station, Kansas, 1905.

CHAPTER IV.

PSN SKGTCHSS. 6TC.
(Continued.)

THE COLUMBUS SEMINARY.
Only the oldest residents of Doniphan
county will be able to recall the strenuous
effort made in 1856-7 toward establishing
a Boarding School in Burr Oak. The
Presbyterians at Highland having turned
their Mission into a school of higher ed
ucation, the Methodists, not to be out
done, determined to found a college of
their own.
The chief promotor of the ambitious.
project was a clergyman who had re
cently come to the territory from another
state, and who, having canvassed the en
tire East and West, finally concluded to
go over to Boston, a town on the east
bank of the Missouri, seven miles from
Columbus. The place being generally regarded as
a harbor for abolitionists of the blackest
dye, the preacher was encouraged to be
lieve that the people if given an oppor
tunity would subscribe liberally toward
the support of any institution where the
doctrine of Free Soil was made special
feature of the curriculum, and accord
ingly, he wrote to a friend living there,

for permission to hold a mid-week ser
vice at his house.
A large proportion of the inhabitants
of Boston led a hand-to-mouth existence
and could not pay one penny toward a
home enterprise, if the fate of the town
had depended on it, while there was
another and equally unfortunate class
that unblushingly took pen in hand and
made their characteristic mark whenever
required to sign a document of any kind.
However, the preacher appeared at the
appointed time. Pro-slavery young men
from neighboring farms had already dis
played a keen interest in the welfare of
Bleeding Kansas by having crossed the
Missouri and voted at the first balloting
precinct they came to, while two or three
of them had won distinction among their
friends by having taken part in the Black
Jack fight.
These young men, or nearly all of them,
were present at the meeting, while the
preacher, who might have rivalled the
illustrious Bishop McCabe in his persua
sive ability, gave a stirring discourse,
inspired, no doubt, by the thought of a

34

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

nice fat collection. But alas! as the hat
was about to be passed, the Missourians,
who, by the way, mainly comprised the
audience, finding that they were not
needed, quietly arose and filed out, leav
ing the pjor Free-Soiler and his family
alone to swell the Doniphan County Ed
ucational fund from their scanty savings.
E. McC. L.

Thomas Jefferson Southerland.
This sketch was prepared by Missionary
S. M. Irvin, of Highland, Kansas, in
1882, for Andreas' History of Kansas.
For some reason it did not appear in
that work, but as it is of interest to Don
iphan County people, we are glad to offer
it to our readers. Coming from Mr.
Irvin's pen, it may be relied upon as ver
itable history. It is said that the bones
of this eccentric man lie buried on the
site of the old Mission graveyard, under
a barn on the farm.
"Early in the summer of 1852, at the
Iowa and Sac Missions, there walked in
to one of the halls of the Mission house,
a tall, stout and b-jid looking man,
roughly dressed, and carrying on his
back, wrapped in a blanket, a nice little
girl, seven or eight years old. 'My
name,' said he, 'U Thomas Jefferson
Southerland. I am known as General
Southerland, and connected somewhat
with the burning of the Caroline, on the
Canadian border, in 1837. I was a pris
oner, under the British authorities for
more than three mouths; they intended
to hang me, and erected a gallows in
sight of my prison window. But upon
my trial by court martial I was allowed
to defend my own case, and they de

tected in me a military man, and for this
or some other reason they let me go.'
"This was, in fact, all we ever knew,
true or false, of who the man was. In
regard to the little girl he carried with
him: 'This,' said he, 'is not my child.
She is adopted. Nor do I know who she
is. I am a phrenologist, and in cholera
times was travelling on the Mississippi in
a steamboat,and happened to see a widow
travelling with three little girls. My
skill in phrenology enabled me to see
that the mother had but little love and
affection for her children, and that this
one was a very intellectual child, and
would make a good teacher. I asked
her if she would give this little girl to
me. She at once said: 'Yes, you may
have her.' I took and adopted her and
her name is Viola Southerland.'
"The object of his mission was, he
said, to make arrangements to leave the
little girl a few days at the Mission, until
he, with two other men, who were in
company with him, and who were in
camp near, would explore this portion of
the Indian Territory. He went on to
argue that the government had no right
to keep those lands, west of the Indian
Reservation, exclusively for the Indians^
that military restrictions should be re
moved; that tLey were settling the
Pacific coast with impunity, and that he
was going to test it here, or out some
distance from the Missouri river, if the
country pleased him, etc.
"He left the girl, and after an absence
of about three weeks, returned, greatly
delighted with his trip, and confident
that west of the Iowa and Kickapoo re
serves, there was one of the most beauti-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

35

ful and most productive countries. His
resolution was formed to organize a col
ony of young men, and to go at once
and possess some part of this inviting
held. He still wanted to leave his little
girl at the Mission until he could return
with his colony. This was agreed to and
the General left for Missouri.
"In about three months two covered
wagons were driven up to the Mission.
We were soon informed that it was Gen
eral Southerland's outfit, destined for a
new settlement, west of the Indian re
serves, but that the General himself was
in one of the wagons, very sick. He was
brought into the Mission, and was well
cared for, but his mind was gone, and he
never rallied. A few days of unconscious
existence ended his career. He was evi
dently a man of intellect and will, and
may have had considerable scholarly at
tainments. In his trunk was found a
large quantity of manuscript, made up of
biography, history and poetry. Most of
it was seemingly prepared for the press;
but nothing was found to throw any
light on his ancestry or personal history.
The young men with him were led to be
lieve that his place of correspondence or
his home was somewhere in eastern Ohio.
They said he wrote for some paper,
called the Nonpareil, in that region.
With himself ended all bis plans for col
onizing the West. The young men re
turned to Missouri. The little girl grew
up to womanhood, was married, and as
far as is known, has a good record. This
is all that was known at the Mission of
General Southerland.
"This little piece of Kansas history
has never before been written, and if

published might reach the eyes of some
one who would be interested. It was
the privilege of the writer to be in charge
of the Iowa and Sac Mission where this
occurred, and he can vouch for the cor
rectness of it."

A Perilous Ride.
A circumstance connected with the act-
mission of Kansas, in which the writer
figured, left an impression on his mind,
that like all other wild adventures, will
never be obliterated, until the power
that furnishes life's electricity "stops
short, never to go again." It was 12 o'
clock at night in the composing room of
the St. Joseph Daily Gazette; Charlie
Thompson, the foreman, had his forms
about closed, and the boys were lounging
around wearily, waiting for "30." In
that composing room was a young printer
who had previously been migrating with
the seasons, going West when the "pe-
wees" commenced to sing, and seeking
the genial atmosphere of some Missouri
printshop upon the appearance of white
frost. Thomas White, a large farmer
and stock raiser near Council Grove,
Kansas, had been looking for the admis
sion, and wrote to his typographical
friend, that when it occurred, to get the
news to him at the earliest possible mo
ment, ltgardless of expense. At the
time, the printer owned a fleet-footed
pony, which was then being groomed
and foddered in Kate Burgess' livery
stable. At 12:30 came "30," and it bore
the news of the admission of Kansas.
The typo, with migrating proclivities,
immediately tendered his resignation and
ordered his pony; but what was he to do?

36

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Jule Robidoux, the clerk, had gone
home, and there was a balance of a few
dollars due him. However, Oscar Leon
ard, one of the model compositors of
those days, finally came to his relief and
advanced a twenty dollar bill, aai took
an order on the "clerk" for the same.
Just at 2 o'clock, after bidding the
boys "good-bye," the young man, with
two or three Gazettes on one side of his
saddle pockets, balanced with a "wet
lunch" on the other side, mouuted his
firey little steed and skipped across the
Missouri river on the ice, just below the
"Robidoux brick." About sunrise that
morning he took breakfast at a cabin on
Independence creek and rested his pony
an hour. At 2 o'clock he dined in To
peka, exchanged ponies with "Jo Jim,"
the Kaw Indian interpreter, took supper
at Mission creek, and at 12 o'clock that
night Mr. White read the Gazette before
a blazing fire, while the hungry typo de
voured a red-hot lunch, and congratulated
himself that he was the first one to travel
any distance in the new state. Distance,
140 miles : time, 22 hours.— Si. Joseph
Gazette, Jan. 24, 1897. Kiowa Jim.

The Drouth of 1860.
The Historical Edition of the Atchison
Globe, published in July 1894, which
was one of the most readable historical
editions ever issued in the West, and
which contained much interesting history
of our own County, gaye the following
sketch of the great drouth of 1860.
"The great drouth occurred in 1860.
The spring of that year was very prom
ising until the latter part of June, when

the hot winds began blowing about noon.
They ceased at nightfall, but resumed
operations the next day. One old~settler
says that tha hot winds came up instantly
and caused him to run out of his house
expecting to find a tire.
"Although the corn was two feet- high
and very strong and vigorous, the hot
winds cooked it completely, and it wilted
and fell over There has never been a
hot wind like it since in this section of
the state, although western Kansas people
born after 1860 are able to describe sim
ilar experiences. The fact that this sec
tion of the state is now free from hot
winds is due to the circumstance that the
country west of us has been settled up,
and the great desert where the winds
were heated, no longer exists. There is
nothing in the theory that the rain belt
gradually travels westward with the set
tlements; one of the worst drouths in the
history of the West was experienced last
summer in Illinois, while eastern Kansas
had timely rains and abundant crops.
This section is supplied with moisture
from the Gulf of Mexico, and possibly
one year in five, this aerial stream over
flows, and there are heavy rains in the
extreme West, when the people say the
rain belt is travelling westward, but the
truth is, that fifty years ago the same
conditions existed as exist at present.
No traveler remembers buffalo grass or
sage brush in this section of the West,
and during the time that a record has
been kept, the rainfall has not increased
in western Kansas, Colorado or Wyom
ing. "The principal settlements in I860
were within thirty or forty miles of

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

37

Atchison, although there were settlers
along the streams as far west as Water-
ville. There had not been much immi
gration that year, or since 1858: indeed
Kansas probably lost population from
1858 to 1860, owing to the Kansas war,
and other causes.
"The distress of the people attracted
the prompt attention and assistance of
abolition leaders in the East. S. C.
Pomeroy had arrived at Lawrence in
1854, at the head of the second big party
of New England Free State immigrants,
and had located in Atchison two or three
years later. It was largely through his
efforts that the "aid" of 1860-1 was sent
to Kansas and distributed.
"It came about naturally and Pomeroy
distributed the aid received, as he was
the friend and agent of Eli Thayer and
Thaddeus Hyatt, the wealthy abolition
enthusiasts who collected much of the
aid, and who had been instrumental in
sending thousands of Free State settlers
to Kansas. A distributing office was es
tablished in a wooden building opposit e
the old postoffice, and a fabulous amount
of aid poured into this depot from July,
1860, until the following spring. Every
thing in the way ,of food and clothing
was sent in the most liberal quantity,
and it was no unusual sight to see a
dozen wagons from western and southern
Kansas loading in front of the distribut
ing depot at one time. These wagons
came thirty, fifty, seventy-five and a
hundred miles, the drivers being fur
nished orders from local committees as
vouchers. S. C. King, who clerked in
E. K. Blair's store at the time, and who
often assisted Pomeroy in distributing

the aid, remembers one man who got a
lot of aid, and spent $75 for luxuries in
the store.

Redpath and Lane.
We here present a few extracts from
an editorial that appeared in the Doni
phan Crusader of Freedom, of date May
17, 1858, which expresses Editor James
Red path's opinion of "General" James
II. Lane:
"I did not know then, what I have
since learned to my cost, that he is as
dishonest in business as in politics, that
his word of honor is as worthless as his
character, that his solemn promises, in
nine cases out of ten, are infallible indica
tions of what he will not do.
"If he 'crushes me out'— he has said he
would do it — it will be the first promise
he has kept, and I will willingly accord
him the credit of it.
' 'He would ruin a friend or a woman
with as little compunction as he would
eat an egg, and would take pleasure in
doing it, if it would advance his am
bition by a single hairsbreadth. I sol
emnly declare that I never knew him to
perform a disinterested action excepting
in two instances only: once, in Nebraska
in assisting a fugitive to escape; once, in
Leavenworth, in giving a dollar to a citi
zen for a widow in destitute circum
stances. He insisted that the widow
should know who gave the dollar. If
he has seen her since, and did not try to
seduce her, the fact should be mentioned
as a remarkable incident by his future
biographer. "He wished me to advocate his claims
to the presidency. I told him that if a

38

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

new man is to be chosen by the Republic
an party, I would vote for Frank Blair, of
Missouri, and refused to mention him in
connection with any office whatever.
He "looked hell" at me, to adopt his own
choice language, but said nothing about
it. "He wished to engage me in a crim
inal enterprise, and then I would be his
slave forever! I never hated Lane un
til he asked me to do this deed. I did
indeed despise him from the bottom of
my soul, but I did not believe him to be
capable of a scheme so diabolical — to in
volve a young man, without any cause
in a criminal act of private revenge. It
was so cowardly, contemptible and hel
lish that I left him without saying a
word. The "criminal enterprise" was the
suggested murder of Robt. IS. Kelley.
editor of the Squatters' Sovereign, sug
gested by Lane, who wanted to get even
with Kelly for having written the follow
ing letter said to have been picked up in
Doniphan: " 'Lane takes with him a wagon, in
which there are seven muskets that I
know of, and probably more. Watch
your chance, and be sure and capture
them. They are a part of the guns
stolen from us during the late excitement
here. For God's sake, don't fail to put
it to Lane.
R. S. Kelley.
"Lane wears a coat of mail. If you
expect to hit him in a vital place, aim at
his head."
R. S. K.

St. Valentine's Day.
(1863)
One of the earliest recognitions of a
St. Valentine's Day custom was shown in
Wolf River township in i860. On the
approach of the saint's day. the boys and
girls of the prairie met and agreed to ex-
chance valentines when the clay should
arrive. A "postoffice" was established
at the broom factory of Dave Morse loc
ated about a quarter of a mile south of
the present home of A. L. Wynkoop, of
the Bendena neighborhood. Link Morse
was "commissioned" postmaster for the
occasion, and an agreement was made that
the office should be open at nine o'clock
on St. Valentine's morn. Promptly at
that hour on that eventful day, the post-
office door was thrown open, and Link
in his best clothes and with the most sol
emn dignity bespeaking the high charac
ter of his position, appeared behind tho
dry goods box which served the purpose
of receptacle for the "mail." Patrons of
the office soon began to arrive— girls on
horseback, galloping across the hills, their
cheeks red with the kiss of the winter
wind, and the boys trudging through the
snow with their guns on their shoulders,
well shaven and handsome, with high top
boots and fur caps, all happy with antici
pation. The girls, possessing the greater
curiosity,- were the first to ask for the
"mail." Postmaster Morse with well pre
served dignity, handed out the first miss
ive: It was a neat envelope made of a
coarse yellow wrapping paper, the kind '
often used in those days to wrap up Kirk's
soap, and contained a very ugly print
picture clipped from Frank Leslie's Bud-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

39

get, or some other humorous sheet. It
represented an old maid wearing side-
curls, and wide and rebounding hoop-
skirt. The recipient giggled, bit a piece
out of the valentine, pouted and then put
it into the stove in the corner. The sec
ond envelope opened revealed a playing
card, the queen of hearts, which, at first
was taken as a compliment; but some
words scrawled in pencil on the margin
cleared away all doubt as to the real
sentiment of the sender of the valentine.
It was limping poetry, and read some
thing like this:
"Your smile seems warm, but your heart
seems cold,
And you are wanting to marry, I'm told,
But we know you well, and you'll have
to wait
'Till a blind man comes, or leave the
state." While the victim of this joke was still
screaming with rage and tearing up the
"nasty old card," half a dozen young
men entered and received their mail.
Such an array of comics had- never been
seen. There were crude cartoons cut
from the comic papers, prints from Hos-
tetter's green covered almanac, cuts from
stock and farm journals representing the
donkey, the goat and that other domestic
animal that despises red and wears a ring
in- his nose, and a dozen other samples
from as many sources. These were all ex
hibited causing an uproar of laughter and
"a hurricane of delight. -Those that had
been vexed came out of -their pouts and
joined in the merry chorus, even the girl
who got the queen of hearts, and none
laughed louder and longer than she.
Thus passed the merry St. Valentine's

day of) t/he p'rairie, in the long ago, amA
we'll say Wo more about it here, becattSe
two 'or itfhree of the girls are still liviwg
in this CoTmty.

Lost in a Snowstorm.
In the Spring of 1856, a man by fchte
name of Isaac Perkins settled on the
Prairies on Cedar Creek in this County,
about four miles down the Creek oil
what is now the crossing on the Highland
and Hiawatha road. Along about thte
holidays in that year, his daughter, Mary,
who had been visiting friends at Iowa
Point, started to return home. Soon
after starting there came up one of theB'e
terrible blizzards from the northwest,
wliich the early settlers will remember,
occasionally swept, the country, like a
besom of destruction. During one of
these terrible times almost every living
thing which remained unsheltered, per
ished in the bitter storm. From that
it turned into a regular north-west bliz
zard, filling the air, and bewildering thfe
poor girl until she strayed away from-
the buffalo trail she was following across
the high prairie and completely lost
her way. She wandered around all day
and at night found herself on the banks
of the creek, only two miles from home,
but so completely bewildered that she
had no idea of direction. She crept un
der the bank of the creek, made herself
a shelter of brush, boughs and snow, and
prepared to spend the night. In thik
retreat she remained for forty-six hours,
finally becoming unconscious. Her folks
supposing her to be still with her rela
tives, had no anxiety. The next after
noon after she had left Iowa Point they

40

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

discovered her absence antl arousing the
sparsely settled neighborhood, search was
begun but not until the search had con
tinued one whole day and night was
she discovered. When found she was
helpless and unconscious. While lying
there and before she became unconscious,
she wrote the story of her wanderings
and sufferings in a Kansas snow storm.
-She described the agony endured, think
ing she was going to die away from home
and mother, and all friends she held so
dear. The tablet she had to write her
story on was her shoes, and her desk was
the frozen snow in front of her. The
story she had written in this homely way
while awaiting the dreaded messenger
was published in the papers and widely
copied through the East. After being
taken to her home and medical assistance
summoned, it was found that her lowTer
limbs were so badly frozen, that both
feet had to be amputated. She eventu
ally recovered her health, and although a
cripple for life, the last time I saw her
she was well and hearty, and seemed to
be enjoying life, trying to make every
one around her happy.— J. M. Maecum, in
Robinson Index, Feb., 1900.

Big Hail Storm.
One of the most destructive hail storms
that ever visited the County came on
Sunday afternoon, May 3rd, 1863. The
following account of the storm is from
the White Cloud Chief, of date May 7th
of that year:
"About four o'clock huge hail stones
began to fall at intervals, sounding • like
large rocks dropped upon the roofs of

houses. Very soon the storm burst in
all its fury, and hail came fast and thick.
It appeared more like solid chunks of ice
than hail stones. It seemed as if the
bottom had dropped out of some ice
house in the upper regions, and the solid
cakes of ice precipitated on the world
below. The storm continued for over
half an hour, and in that time did im
mense damage. We saw one hail stone
that measured twelve inches in circum
ference, and weighed one pound. We
have heard of still larger ones. We had
a number that measured from ten to
eleven inches, and five picked up at ran
dom weighed three and one half pounds.
"Out of one hundred and forty-four
panes of glass in the east end of the City
Hotel, but eleven were left unbroken;
and nearly every pane of glass was
broken out of the windows in the east
and north-east sides of every house in
town, and the sash smashed to pieces.
Shingles 'were knocked from the roofs < f
houses, panels split from doors, fencing
boards shattered, and in one case a hail
stone went through a roof, shingles,
sheeting and all. Some of the stones,
on reaching the ground, bounded ten or
fifteen feet into the air, the largest ones
bursting as they fell. We saw several
fly into three or four pieces, each piece
of which must' have weighed half a
pound. This was the artillery of the
storm. After about an hour's cessation,
the musketry came, and we had a heavy
shower of rain and small hail.
"The damage caused by the storm is
considerable. 'Sheep, calves and poultry
have been killed, aiid larger animals con
siderably bruised. Wherever the hail hit

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

41

cattle it took the hair off in wads. We
have heard of many' persons being in
jured by the hail. We have been told
of a lady living several miles from here,
who was on her way home on horseback,
when the storm overtook her. A large
hail-stone struck her on the head, caus
ing the blood to flow profusely. She
was also struck on the arm, receiv
ing a severe bruise, and we understand
that she is still suffering considerably
from her injuries.

Major Daniel Vanderslice.
Major Daniel Vanderslice was of 'Hol
land descent, and the spelling of his
name was perhaps Van der Slice. His
ancestors were among the early Dutch
settlers of America. He was born at
Reading, Berks County, Pa., on the
10th of February, 1799. His father,
whose name was also Daniel, with his
family, resided in Philadelphia, but ow
ing to the prevalence of yellow fever in
that city, in the fall of 1798, with which
he was himself attacked, he sent his wife
to Reading, to her father's, Abraham
Cremmens, where she remained for some
time after the birth of the subject of this
sketch. His mother, on account of ill
ness, not being able to nurse him, he
was taken to a married sister, named
Fox, who had lost an infant a few days
before. When his mother recovered she
returned to Philadelphia, leaving the
baby with her sister, who had become so
much attached to him that she was un
willing to part with him. He remained
until he was about four years old, when
he was taken to the family in the city.
As Mrs. Fox and her family converse

almost wholly in German, the boy had
ho knowledge of the English language
when he reached Philadelphia; but as
soon as he was old enough, he was sent
to school and soon forgot his German.
His father died about the beginning of
the war of 1812. That war had caused a
vast amount of excitement; and the cap
ture of many ships by American priva
teers and the naval operation generally,
created a strong desire among the young
men and boys to enter the service.
Among them, young Vanderslice sought
service on one of the gunboats that was
being hurredly repaired, and which was
soon after captured by a British squad
ron by the capes of Deleware. But
Daniel had been prevented from going
by his mother sending him up to Chester
County, on Brandy Creek, where he was
apprenticed to Joseph Bicking, to learn
paper making, with whom he worked
out his time and became a skilled work
man. Aftflr serving out his term and becom
ing of age, Mr. Vanderslice, in March,
1820, went to Washington City; but he
soon after went to Kentucky and taught
school at Ferran Creek, near Louisville.
At the expiration of a term of school,
his services were in demand at his trade,
and he engaged with the Johnsons at
Great Crossings, Scott County, Kentucky.
Ill March, 1822, he joined an expedi
tion to explore and work the lead mines
on River La Feve, in northwestern Illi
nois, and a lease was granted to the com
pany to work a quantity of land for a
given number of years. But there was
trouble with the Indians over these min
eral lands, and. upon arriving at Rock

42

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Island, the, employees were organized in
to a rifle company, and Mr. Vanderslice
was chosen captain. Thereafter he was
known as "Captain Van," and was also
an arbitrator, or referee, to settle all dis
putes arising among proprietors and
miners, and his decisions were generally
acquiesced in. While in camp on Rock
Island, many councils were held with the
Indians and the Major often met the
great chiefs, Black Hawk and Keokuk.
He listened to one of Keokuk's eloquent
and impassionate speeches, in which,
while protesting his friendship for the
whites, and his devotion to the govern
ment, he complained of the grasping dis
position and encroachments of the people
pf the states. He compared the red men
to a little dog that had found a bone,
and the whites to a big dog that leaped
upon the little one and took the bone
from him. Keokuk is described, as be
ing at that time, a splendid specimen of
manhood .
Mr. Vanderslice soon went to work at
his trade in Jefferson County, Ky.,
where he was married, and as he could
not persuade his wife to go to Galena,
he settled down to work, and was soon
able to buy a small farm. In 1825 he
returned to Great Crossing and went to
work at his trade, and the following year
he entered into partnership with General
David Thompson, who owned a mill at
Longview on the Elkhorn. In 1830 he
went to see the races, where two of the
horses flew the track, one of them run
ning against his mare and breaking his
leg in the collision. He was taken to
the house of General William Johnson,
a nephew of Col. Richard M. Johnson,

who owned a paper mill, where he dis
solved his partnership with Gen. Thomj-
son and accepted the management of the
Great Crossing paper mills. He was
appointed postmaster, and occasionally
corresponded for the papers. His polit
ical articles were in support of the
measures favored by General Jackson,
and in opposition to Nullification. He
was elected Lieutenant of a volunteer
company, and was selected to procure a
suitable flag for the company, on which
he bad inscribed in golden letters, on a
scroll held in the beak of a spread eagle,
the words — "The Union, It Must and
Shall be Preserved." These memorable
words became the watchword of the
Democrats, who opposed the Nullilication
doctrine of the principles of John C.
Calhoun. When Jackson issued a pro
clamation against that fallacy, Mr. Vai.-
derslice had printed two thousand copies
on tinted paper and some on satin, for
distribution: and where they could not
be reached by mail, he filled his saddle
bags with them, and traveled from hamlet
to hamlet, distributing them among the
people. Having purchased the Kentucky Sen
tinel, at Georgetown, Mr. Vanderslice
conducted it in advocacy of the election
of Martin Van Buren and Richard M.
Johnson for president of the United
States in 1836. He next purchased a
stock of goods, and turned his attention
to mercantile affairs; but foreseeing, from
the signs of the times, the great cnioii
that was coming, he sold out ia time to
save himself.
Early in March, 1837, Major Vander
slice was appointed special ;;geut for t ,u

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

43

removal of the Chickasaw Indians to
their new homes west of the Mississippi.
The duties were attended with more than
ordinary difficulties, as well as dangers.
These Indians were recognized as citizens
and were subject to being sued for debt,
the same as white people ; and as they
had much property, as soon as it was
found that they were going to emigrate,
all manner of claims were trumped up
against them, which required much time
to adjust, all of which devolved upon the
Major. Owing to his experience with
Indians and his success in managing them,
Major Vanderslice, in 1853, was ap
pointed by President Pierce, agent of
the Iowas and the Sacs and Foxes of Mis
souri, located in the northern part of this
County, the Agency then being at the
Mission Farm, at Highland. He held
his position until Lincoln became presi
dent, in 1861. During his incumbenc ',
he opened a road through the bottom,
from St. Joseph to the bluffs at Wathena,
now known as the Rock Road. He also
conducted the sales of the Iowa Trust
Lands, at Iowa Point, in 1857, embrac
ing all the country, from the Missouri
river at White Cloud and Iowa Point
westward, to the vicinity of Padonia,
Brown County. During his administra
tion, the Agency was removed from the
Mission to near the Nemaha river north
west of White Cloud.
Major Vanderslice was a member of
the Lecompton Constitutional Conven
tion in 1857, and framed the constitution
that created such an uproar in Kansas,
and caused so many elections; the final
one being its rejection, under the propos
ition known- as the "English Bill."

Since retiring from the Indian Agency,
Mr. Vanderslice has held no public posi
tion, but retained his residence in this
County. He always took great interest
in politics but, while being warm parti
san, he always had respect for the opin
ions of those who differed from him.
He did not engage in any of the methods
of what was known as the "Border Ruf
fian" party, and during the war was loyal.
His connections and associations were
all Southern but he held to his senti
ments of the Jacksonian days. He had
for many years been a member of the
Masonic Fraternity, and had reached a
high rank in the Order. Although
placed in public positions in which he
might have amassed an independent for
tune, and in which many others did
make fortunes, no taint of peculation or
dishonesty were attached to him. He
was never in affluent' circumstances, and
died very poor.
Major Vanderslice died February 5,
1889, lacking just five days of being 90
years of age. His funeral took place at
Highland on Thursday, the 7th, con
ducted by the Masons of the Smithton
Lodge, the first Masonic Lodge institut
ed in Kansas, of which he was one of
the founders.— Kansas Chief.

The River Towns in 'Fifty-Nine.
It may interest many to read what
Redpath's "Handbook to Kansas Terri
tory" had to say concerning the rrvfer
towns, in 1859.. We quote:
"Doniphain-- There are four natural
roads leading from Doniphan out into
the surrounding country— Deer creek,

44

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

/ //rising in the south-west, Independence
creek in the west, Rock creek in the
north-west, and Spring creek in the north.
Doniphan is situated in a district of tim
bered land, more extensive and of better
quality than is elsewhere to be found on
the Missouri river. Owing to this fact,
lumber is sold by the Doniphan mills at
a lower figure than at any other point in
Kansas. Two extensive saw mills are in
operation  It often happens, when the
water is low, that heavy draft boats have
to reload here in order to get over
Smith's bar, thus making Doniphan the
great depot for up-river commerce.
"Geary City.— This little town is sit
uated two or three miles above Doniphan
but has no advantage over it. It has a
poor site, lies situated too far out for an
interior trade, has no steam ferry, nor
rich citizens, nor other means of rapid
growth — nothing to support it but a
strata of good clay, 'fit for the potter's
use.' It is not likely to increase in
numbers. Population 300 or 400. It is
what is called a speculator's town.
Petersburg.— Situated three or four
miles above Geary "City" It also is a
great city — a speculator's eity, It con
sists of-'-one hut.
Palermo.— This is the next point. It
is three miles in a direct line from St.
Joseph, and eight miles by river. It
was located by some Missouri speculators
early in 1855; in the spring of 1857~,
large purchases were made by a Free-
State company. Since then the town has
steadily progressed. It now contains
about 500 inhabitants and 150. buildings,
a large steam, saw, and flouring mill, sev
eral stores, a printing office, from which is

issued .the Palermo Leader, a good hotel
and a school house. The hopes of the
proprietors as to the future prosperity of
their town, are based upon a projected
railroad, the St. Joseph & Topeka, ter
minating there. A charter has been
granted and a large amount of stock taken,
Elwood.— This town, opposite St.
Joseph, was laid out in the Spring of
1857, on the site of Roseport. It con
tains about 1,500 inhabitants, a large
number of buildings, a fine hotel, three
saw mills, several shingle, planing, and
lath machines, a number of stores and a
printing office, from which the Kansas
Press is issued weekly. It aims to be
the rival of St. Joseph, and should it be
come important, will derive its value
! from its proximity to that city. No
doubt would exist of its future but for
I the lowness of its site, the town being
built on what, but a few years since, was
I the bed of the Missouri river. It is very
low and flat, and will require a large
amount of expenditure capital to secure
it against inundations. This difficulty
overcome, Elwood will be a point of
great commercial interest.
"Iowa Point.— This is situated thirty
miles from St. Joseph and Elwood, the
former being the terminus of the Hanni^
bal & St. Joseph railroad. It contains a
population of several hundred, a number
of enterprising merchants, a good school,
etc. A daily line of stage from Leaven
worth, connecting there with the stages^
in connection with the Pacific railroad,
have their stopping place here. It is an
enterprising place, was laid ont in 1855
by Southern men, but is now principally
in Free-State hands.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

45

"Highland.— This is an enterprising
village. It is the seat of a projected
college under the direction of the Pres
byterian church. One wing of the build
ing is under process of erection. A
newspaper, the Highlander, is published
there. "White Cloud.— This is the last point
—being but two miles from the Nebraska
line in Kansas— on the Missouri river.
It was located in the summer of 1857,
and now contains 500 inhabitants, five
stores, a printing office, from which is
issued the Kansas Chief, and also a good
school. Good coal is found there, also
iron ore, limestone and an abundance of
excellent timber. The landing is a good
rock one."

A Doniphan County Golgotha.
A young man who has an attentive ear
for stories pertaining to the early days,
with whom we were recently talking,
said: "Ever ride to a funeral with an
old man who lived here in the early days?
Well, he's the man to listen to, and the
time of a funeral is the time to, hear him.
Not very long ago I rode with an old
gentleman pioneer in a funeral proces
sion. The funeral train led through
wood and vale, wound round hills and
jogged over rills and across gulches un
til I thought the hearse man had lost his
way and was driving in a circle. At

every turn of the road which led through
Burr Oak township, my venerable com
panion would point to a hill, or slope, or
gulch, or glade, saying: 'On yonder hill
we buried the old man that was hooked
to death by his cow, as he was leading
her to water at a spring by the old trail;
on the slope sleeps the man that was
killed by the steamboat captain; not far
from that gulch two men had a fight to
death over a woman, and both were bur
ied somewhere in the gulch; on that
knoll are the graves of a few men that
were too slow with their guns. They
were buried in shallow graves, and
some years ago their skulls were found
rolling down the hill; by yonder tree a
man was found dead with a bullet hole
in his forehead; there by that spring two
men fought a duel with knives over a
game of cards, etc., etc., until one
might believe that the place was a verit
able Golgotha."
There is more or less mystery con
nected with many of those early day
tragedies, which never can be cleared up.
No doubt in the Burr-oak hills lie hidden
the bones of many a "missing man," long
sought for by sorrowing family and sym
pathizing friends; and with the author
of "Beyond the Mississippi" we may ask,
"Who shall sing the saddest strain of the
nameless graves, which thicker than
milestones, dot the emigrant roads from
Missouri to California?"

CHAPTER V.

pen SKeTCHes, gtc.
(Continued.)

A SKETCH OP EARLY ELWOOD.
The sketch here presented' is from the
St. Joseph Gazette of date December 22,
1901. It presents matter that has not
appeared in any of the histories of the
County, and, as the Gazette always took
great and kindly interest in the affairs of
our County, we may rest assured that
the sketch is well worthy of our confi
dence. The New York Daily Times, Decem
ber 18, 1861:
"Elwood is one of the most promising
places in Kansas, and from the eligibility
of its position and great local advantages,
bids fair to become the chief commercial
metropolis of the future state."
Forty years have elapsed since the
prophecy was made, and now the resi
dents of St. Joseph's Kansas suburb be
lieve it is about to be fulfilled.
A city directory of Elwood and St.
Joseph combined for the years 1860-61
contains the foregoing extract from the
New York Daily Times. Continuing,
the article says:
"Situated directly opposite St. Joseph,

Elwood is placed by the Hannibal & St.
Joseph railroad in direct communication
with the most populous and wealthy
cities of the East, and by the first of
April will be within fifty hours' travel
of New York. It is the starting point
of the railroad chartered to Palmetto, on
the South Pass route to Salt Lake and
California, and of the St. Joseph & To
peka railroad, which will command a
great portion of the trade of New Mexico.
It lies on the west bank of the Missouri,
on the verge of extensive, elevated and
thickly wooded bottoms, which require
no grading; its streets are broad and
rectangular and its levee can be ap
proached with safety by the largest boats
and is sufficiently spacious for an im-
mence commerce."
The New York Tribune of January,
1859, commenting upon the prospects of
Elwood, said:
"The rapid growth of Elwood, the
principal town in Northern Kansas, is
due to its position on the Missouri river
directly opposite St. Joseph— the second
city in Missouri. Since 1849, when the
overland emigration to California com-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

47

menced, this point has been an impor
tant one. The largest overland emigra
tion to Kansas, has been, and continues
to go through St. Joseph and Elwood.
The government trains and the Salt Lake
mail have long made this their starting
point. It is the only town in Kansas
that can be reached by railroad."
This is Elwood as it was looked upon
forty years ago. The town did not prog
ress as was expected, but, on the other
hand declined for years. The city direct
ory for 1860-61 is owned by Charles M.
Bctts, a local real estate dealer. It con
tains 165 names, and among them are
found those of persons who later fig
ured prominently in the history of Kan
sas. The town was at one time known
as Roseport, but the name was changed
to Elwood a short time previous to the
date that the directory was issued. The
town was an active rival of St. Joseph in
early days. The old directory seeks to
advertise the town as an outfitting point
in the following terms:
"All persons who have determined to
undertake the journey over the plains are
quite anxious to learn the best route,
and the best place for procuring teams
and an outfit. An experience of 10 years
has fixed upon the route beginning at El
wood, Kansas, (directly opposite St. Jo
seph, Mo.) and proceeding thence by Ft.
Kearney and the valley of the Platte as
the shortest, safest and best route from
the Missouri river to the great West. El
wood, Kan., is connected with St. Jo
seph by the best ferry on the Mhsouri ;
it has first class hotels and larg i business
houses, where everything in the line of
provisions and outfitting articles can be

obtained at low prices. Oxen, wagons,
mules, tents, blankets, and everything
needed for a trip over the plains, can be
bought better at Elwood than at any oth
er point on the frontier.
"Elwood is situated at the eastern ter
minus of the old California road, which
has been the route taken by the overland
travelers since 1849 and is now es
tablished as the best road to the gold
mines of the Rocky mountains. The
road from Elwood to the prairie has
been recently entirely repaired and is now
a firstclass road in all kinds of weather.
Elwood is situated in a rich valley where
grass shoots early and those who wish to
spend a few days in getting ready for a
trip to the mines will find excellent
camping ground there, and plenty of
wood to burn and grass for cattle. El
wood is the terminus of the Elwood &
Marysville railroad, which is already
graded for many miles. It is expected
to be in running .order to Troy, twelve
miles west, in a few months. It is the
first railroad built iri Kansas."
In the lowlands of eastern Kausas, El
wood has peacefully slumbered since the
optomistic views expressed in the fore
going. The war put a quietus, for a
time on the railroad prospects and the
equipment of the one lone railroad of the
state was returned to St. Joseph, whence
it was first taken on a ferry.
It was in Elwood that men who made
the long trip to the Eldorado of the
Rocky mountains, purchased tlieir sup
plies. Some drove oxen across the
plains, while others were satisfied with
but a wheelbarrow containing food,
water, a. shovel, a pick and a few other

48

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

implements necessary for mining. His
tory records the successes and failures
of the unsophisticated patriarchs of the
. Missouri valley in the gold fields. His
tory of late years has recorded little of
Elwood for the town died— it is believed
forever. The historical town has put on new
life during the last few weeks. When
the announcement was made that the
Chicago, Rock Island & Paciac railroad
intended to build a bridge across the
river to Elwood, the people of the ham
let awoke from their slumber of nearly
half a century. Many of them had
hoped, during all of those years, that the
tide which had swept on to the great
west would some day recede, and that
Elwood would, by sbine unknown chance
yet become a figure in the world of com
merce and manufacture. There was
little'tangible basis for the hope, it is
true, but the fulfillment of the dream is
said by railroad men to be near at hand.
The bill authorizing the construction
of the Rock Island bridge has been in
troduced in the senate. It is believed
that it will pass without trouble, and to
Elwood this will mean much, if the re
ports that have been current recetitly can
be relied upon. It is stated to be the in
tention of the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific railroad to build switch yards on
the Kansas side. A large grain elevator,
with the capacity of a half million bushels
has been built during the last few years
at Elwood, and those who never 'lost con
fidence in the town, say that the day is
near at hand, when, from the sleeping
burg, there will arise a big town; that
the natural advantages of the place will

no longer be overlooked, since abundant
railroad facilities are assured.
THE CITY OFFICERS.
From the appendix of the old directory
of the town are gathered the names of
men who were well known to the early
settlers of St. Joseph. Some of them
have since become famous in other parts
of the state and country. The city gov
ernment of Elwood in 1861 was repre
sented by the following officials:
Mayor, George W. Barr.
Clerk, Dr. J. W. Robinson.
Assessor, William H. High.
Attorney, T. A. Osborn.
Treasurer, R. S. Say ward.
Collector, Charles O. Smith.
City Council, William H. High. I). B.
Jones, J. H. Hatcher, A. Disque, W. L.
Lewis, L. C. Roth, William Luke, W.
Croff, A. W. Tice.
Police Department. The police force
consisted of the chief, or city marshal,
and three policemen, the latter of whom
were immediately responsible to the
mayor. Marshal, Charles O. Smith; office cor
ner Fifth and Douglas streets.
Policemen, Andrew Neal, Arthur Cur-
roll and Richard Howell.
Let it be known that, at the present
day, the city government of Elwood is
vested in two or three men.
There was but one incorporated com
pany in Elwood in 1861. It was the
Elwood Building association, the office
of which was located at the corner of
Sixth and Douglas streets. The concern
was incorporated in 1860 by D. W. Wil
der, A. L. Lee, Charles II. Hatcher.

GRAY'S DOIJifTLAN COUNTY HISTORY.

49

There was one regular church at El
wood. At St. Mark's Episcopal church,
-located on Foreman street, between Sev
enth and Eighth streets, services were
held at 3 o'clock each Sunday afternoon.
Rev. J. E. Ryan was its rector in 1861.
Religious services were held occasionally
by persons attached to the Congrega
tional church in a public hall. •
Of the Elwood & Marysville railroad
the directory says:
"This road is graded to Troy with
iron enough on hand to lay it, and trains
will be running regularly by August 1.
Reference is made to the Marysville. &
Denver City railroad as follows: "This
railroad is a continuation of the Marys
ville & Roseport railroad and will be
surveyed immediately."
The business directory of the town in
1861 shows the following number of per
sons engaged in different business enter
prises at Elwood. Insurance agents, 1;
real estate agents, 1; attorneys at law, 3;
bakers, 2; bank note detector, 1; billiard
halls, 2; blacksmiths, 2; breweries, 1;
brickmaker, 1; butcher, 1; carpenters, 6;
coffee house, 1; dentist, 1; draper and
tailor, 1; druggist, 1; drygoods. stores, 4;
gardener, 1; grist mill, 1; groceries, 3;
hotels 2; justices of the peace, 1; livery
stable 1; meat market, 1; millwright, 1;
newspaper, 1;' painters, 2; physicians, 3;
plasterers, 1; restaurants, 1; saloons, 5;
shoemakers. 3; steam saw mill, 1; stock-
dealer, 1 ; stove and tinware dealers, 1 ;
wagon makers, 3; watch maker; 1; wo< d
merchants, 2.
John Broder, ex-chief of _the police of
St. Joseph, drove the first Rpike on the

first railroad west of the Missouri river
at Elwood.
John T. Warburton, justice of the
peace of Washington township, is one of
the men who remain to recall the early
fortunes of those who settled Elwood.
Mr. Warburton came to St. Joseph in
the fall of 1856 and moved to Elwood in
1858, when he went to work on the El
wood Free Press, where he was nothing
more, nothing less than a printer's 'devil.'
Elwood at that time was almost as large
as St. Joseph. A large hotel stood on
the river bank on the Kansas side, and
as the current of the river shifted, the
ground began to crumble away from the
foundation of the structure, which sub
sequently made necessary the tearing
down of the building.
The hotel covered a block of ground.
Mr. Warburton was well acquainted with
T. A. Osborn, "Tom" Osborn, as he was
known in those days, who afterwards be
came governor of Kansas. Osborn was
a printer, by trade, and while acting as
city attorney at Elwood, he used to go
to the Free Press office and set type for a
few hours "just to keep in practice," as
he expressed it. - ; ¦ .
Mr. Warburton was one of the men
who pulled on the rope that brought the
first locomotive into the state of Kansas.
The engine was taken across the river
from St- Joseph on a ferry. Ropes
were attached to it on the other side,and
men and boys pulled the locomotive up
the bank. In those days engines were
named inptead of numbered, as now, and
this, the first iron horse to visit the land
of sunflowers, was called the "Albany."

50

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

A mile of track had "been laid toward
Wathena at the time the engine arrived,
and the day following the town was in
holiday attire.. .
The engine was placed upon the track
and ran back and forth 'over' the rails,
midst the cheers of the throng of specta
tors, to most of whom the mass of iron
and steel was a revelation; ' ' ' When - the
track had been completed to Wathena, -a
free excursion was run : to: 'that-1 town.
All day long the woods'' was 'crowded
with an excited throng1-' of ' people,
who thought they :'saw in the ^ar
rival of the strange visitor,' a' power.: of
civilization unsurpassed; • i ; ¦
This was the beginning of the St. Jo
seph, Roseport & Topeka railroad: and
its equipment in the state of- Kansas. ,th en
amounted to the engine "Albany" ¦ and
three flat cars. The road changed hands
at different times-and'became a part of
jhe St. Joseph & Denver City, now the
St. Joseph & Grand Island, ••.; vi ,

Romantic Elopement.
On the lips of a few of the old timers
is a legend telling of a romantic . elope
ment which took place in the vicinity of
the historic old town of Charleston-on-
the-Missouri. ' The hero .was. a widower,
lacking a few yeaTs.of fifty, but he was. a
' handsome man, possessing dash and cour
age, two manly qualities, greatly .admired
by all the daughters of Eve. The hero
ine was ycjung, possessing rare, beauty..
She laughed out of a pair of the sweetest
, brown eyes; her cheeks were of this tint
of the June rose; her lips rivaled the car
nation, and her dark curls hung bewltch-
ingly on her gracefully rounded shoulders,

half screening, half revealing a neck that
a sculptor might- have given a year of his
life to see. But the girl's parents object
ed to the match, not only because of the
advanced age of the man of her heart, but
on account of the depleted condition of
his pocketbook, and his poor worldly
prospects, he being in possession of but
one $5 gold,. piece and a skittish mule
which like his owner and master, was
well advanced in years. But, as every
one knows, love laughs at locksmiths and
dissenting parents, and one moonlight
night, early in the sixties, when ¦ the-
houses were few and far scattered-over
the country, the hero of this story-legend
astride "Old Jack," rode to a secret spot
near the home of his prospective father-
in- law, where he met his dark eyed sweet
heart, with a smile on her face and a
bundle of clothes under her arm, ready to
elope. Without delay the hero, reaching
down his strong right arm, crooked it
around the lissome waist of the , girt.
and lifted her to a seat on a gunny sack,
on the mule's back behind him. Im
mediately "Old Jack," having received a
communication from the spur on the hex. 1
of the hero, sprang forward on the jour
ney. Casting a single, glance over her
shoulder, the girl waved a silent adieu to
her old home; then, as the spur bjt
deeper iriiibthe flank of. the skittish-mule.
her white'arms found their way around
her lov'er's waist, and a; flying, romping
curl tickled his ear and cheek, in a most
tantilizing but delightful ;manuer. . .,-
Over the prairies dark and lonely they
gallop'ed, "Old Jack,'h the skittish, plung
ing and snorting; our hero riding proud
and straight and happy; our heroine hob.-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTS HIS TORI'.

61

ing tightly, her dark eyes sparkling like
stars, and her raven curls tossing on the
waves of the night wind. Across the rol
ling prairies of old Doniphan Caunty
they flew, covering many miles before
the good mule was permitted to come to
a walk; and just as the sun began to
emerge from the mouth of the cave of
night, hero and heroine found themselves
in front of the door of an early rising
preacher, who, without unnecessary de
lay, tied into a fast knot their heart
strings, which for so long a time had
been happily entwined.

The Court rlouse Fire.
From the Troy Reporter, March 14,
1867, we copy the following account of
the burning of the Court House in Troy,
March 12, 1867.
"On Tuesday afternoon, about half
past one o'clock, the Court House in
this town was discovered to be on fire
in the roof of the building. Mr. Stout
dashed a pail of water on what could be
seen of it, around the flue in the ceiling
of the court room, and thought the fire
was extinguished, but he gave the alarm
and several came running with water.
The hatchway was raised, when it was
discovered that the whole of the roof was
in flames. All hands, when this was
announced, began to carry out and save
the records and the papers. The wind
was blowing very hard and it was impos
sible to save the building. The wood
work was all pine, dry as powder, and
it burned very rapidly.
Two prisoners were in the jail, who
were removed aud placed under guard.
The Sheriff had stored in his office

about two thousand dollars worth of cloth
ing attached for some parties in St. Joseph
which was all saved.
A great many of the loose papers were
scattered by the wind, and in gathering
them up they were somewhat "mixed."
The books and records of all kinds, to
gether with the safes, were all saved- in
good order.
The court house was insured for four
thousand dollars, in the "North Amer
ican" of Philidelphia. The policy had
only been issued about six weeks.
Three stoves, some desks, a few lamps
and some thirty singing books, belong
ing to the Methodist society, were about
all the property burned with the building.
The building was put up under the old
border ruffian rule, costing the county
nearly §15,000— enough to erect a much
better building. It had been "cursed"
enough to be "charmed," but it seems
the charm departed about the time it
took fire. The Sheriff will secure another
room for the District Court, which will
open next Monday. The District Clerk
will have his papers all straightened up
for court.
Our citizens are taking steps for the
erection of a new and good Court House,
which will be built with little or no ex
pense to the County."

The present citizens of the County
have not forgotten that a very bitter
County-seat war followed.
As this page is being made ready for
the press, the bricklayers are about
to begin work on the construction of a
new Court House, which will be one of
the finest in this section of the state.

52

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

Kansas.
Dear Editor:— Having spent the last
week in canvassing Doniphan County,
upon the all-engrossing topic of the en
franchisement of women, I feel bound
to make a report of my proceedings,
through your columns. I used to hear
that the southern counties were the para
dise of Kansas, but I believe there is no
finer scenery, no better soil, no place of
richer promise in all the West, than is
afforded in Doniphan County; and the
best feature of it is, that Doniphan
County will give us a large majority in
favor of Impartial Suffrage. In several
different localities, they promised me al
most the entire vote, in favor of woman's
enfranchisement. This looks hopeful.
Through some misunderstanding about
the appointments, the meetings were
failures in one or two places; but I
promised myself the pleasure of return
ing and reviewing the line fields and
pleasant villages of Doniphan, and at
that time we shall make up for all fail
ures of the past- At Highland I met old
school friends— classmates of years ago —
and in talking over old times and old
friends of other days, in relating adven
tures and experiences, the time flew away
before we were scarcely aware. The
meeting at Highland was a decided suc
cess. True, I was not allowed to occupy
the chapel, or the school room in the uni
versity, because some persons thought
politics must of necessity be separate from
the influence, both of religion and educa
tion; but then, a kind gentleman very
generously offered me the use of his store,
supposing,, no doubt, that politics and
commerce are intimately connected. An

attractive audience, composed of thinking
and earnest people, rejoiced the heart of
the weary lecturer. There are good
friends of liberty in Highland, and our
cause will have a strong vote, if not the
majority. A celebration of the colored
people topk place on the 21st, in the
grove near Highland. It was largely at
tended and was an occasion of real en
joyment. ' The Hutchison family were
present, and sang several of their stirring
freedom songs. Every one who hears
them sing is made better and happier by
their sweet music. The colored people
unanimously adopted a resolution, recog
nizing, in the advocates of female suffrage.
the best friends of the colored man, and
planted themselves upon the broad plat
form of Impartial suffrage, without re
gard to sex or color. Mr. Langton
made a stirring speech, in which he, at
three different times, declared himself in
favor of the enfranchisement of women.
He is an elegant man and his words pro
duced a marked effect upon the audience.
He spoke a little too severely and con
temptuously of the white race, making
at some points rather disparaging com
parisons; but when we remember the
wrongs the colored man has suffered,
we cannot blame him if, at times, he for
gets that there are good, intelligent and
generous men and women even among
the whites. But let every one speak as
the spirit moves, and let us all, men and
women, speak and act as conscience shall
dictate,and I have no fears for the result.
The heart of the people of Kansas is
in favor of liberty and enfranchisement
for all. Olympia Brown.
Robinson, Kans., t'ept. 23, 1867.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

53

The St. Joseph and Elwood Bridge.
Construction of the present bridge,
now owned by the Grand Island was be
gun September 26,. 1871. The contract
was let to the Detroit Iron & Bridge
Company in June 1871 for $710,000.
The bridge was erected under the super
vision of Engineer E. D. Mason, and in
January, 1872, the following board of
directors was elected: W. P. Hall, W.
Z. Ransome, J. D. McNeeley, Peter G.
Gonlisk, G. H. Koch, Dr.Robert Gumm,
Jeff Chandler, John Pinger, J. D. Bit-
tinger, Fred W. Smith, T. B. Weakley,
R. H. Jordan, and S. P. Hyde. W. B.
Johnson, James McCord, W. M.Wyeth,
Milton Tootle and Louis Hax afterward
served on the board. The first train
passed over the bridge May 20, 1873.
The opening of the bridge was form
ally celebrated on May 31, 1873, and of
this occnrrance an early history of Bu
chanan County says: "This was beyond
doubt the most brilliant pageant ever
witnessed in the city. Not only was
every civic association and benevolent
society represented in the vast procession,
but the German citizens of the northwest
had selected St. Joseph as the place for
holding their annual Sangerfest on the
same day. The procession which trav
ersed the streets of St. Joseph, was never
equaled west of the Mississippi. Every
trade was represented. The cooper was
hooping barrels in his improvised shop
on wheels, the shoemaker was pegging at
his last, the axhandle manufacturers
were using their drawing knives, and
turning out handles with the same celer
ity that marked their labors at home,
lathes, looms, steam engines, collar fac

tories, trunk establishments and an end
less variety of other trades and applian
ces of mechanical labor, were in full
blast, in the vast stream of human in
dustry, that moved along the streets to
the enlivening music of six or eight brass
bands. The procession was fully six
miles in length and both in the novelty
of its character and the immensity of its
magnitude, astonished even the people in
whose midst the industries existed. At
night hundreds of Chinese lanterns il
luminated the structure.
An immense amount of brilliant ora
tory was set off in a bunch. Ex-Gover
nor Hall, Joseph Brown, the mayor of
St. Louis, Gen. James Craig, James B.
Eads, Jeff Chandler and Honorables I.
S. Kallock of Leavenworth, and A. C.,
Parker spoke.
At 3 p. m. a sumptuous banquet was
served in Tootle & McLaughlin's hall
to which five hundred guests sat down.
Bands played during the feast. Numer
ous toasts were given and eloquent re
sponses made. The last of these was to
Joseph Robidoux, the founder of St.
Joseph, which was drunk in silence by
all standing."
Notwithstanding the immense impor
tance to St. Joseph commerce, the bridge
not only did not, for several years, pay
the dividend, nor even pay interest on
the $200,000 of bonds issued by the
bridge company, and nobody protested
when the city presented the structure to
Jay Gould and his associates as an un
conditional gift.
The $500,000 of city bonds have never
been paid. They have been refunded
from time to time, and the rate of in-

54

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

terest cut down, but the principal is still
outstanding. Jay Gould was so short
sighted as to permit the bridge to be
sold a few years later, to the holders of
the bridge bonds for $5,000 at a fore
closure sale.— St. Joseph Gazette, Dec.
22, 19€1.

A Brave Girl.
During 1863, the Jayhawkers were the
boldest and did the greatest amount of
mischief in the county. There was
scarcely a settler that had not had cause
to complain of their thievishness and
sneaking meanness. The following
sketch, concerns the Jawhawker known
as Chandler, who belonged to the
Cleveland gang and who was killed at
Geary City, in 1863. It was prepared
from a letter written by an old settler.
In August, 1862, Chandler in com
pany with a tall red haired man whom he
called "Sandy," while on their way from
the Atchison country, to a well known
rendesvous on Wolf River, stopped at
the house of G. R. Wilson, at Walnut
Grove, Wolf River township, and asked
for a drink of water. Wilson was not
at home. The oldest daughter sent the
men to the well, but they soon returned
to the door and demanded that she pre
pare supper for them. The girl, who
was scarcely fifteen, informed them that
her mother was sick and needed all her
time, it being then about four o'clock.
Chandler was displeased at this.' Turn
ing to his companion he said, "Hear
that, Sandy? Says she won't; let's make
her." Sandy shook his head, advising
that they move on; but Chandler was in
an ugly spirit. However, after some

argument, he consented to go on. -The
brave little woman holding fort at the
door sent this shot after them: "Its
well for you that you've decided to go on,
for you would have had a happy time
making me get supper for you." Chand
ler went on his way reluctantly. "She's
a saucy cub, isn't she?" he growled to his
companion as they retired.
A short time after this the Wilson
family were aroused about midnight by
hearing someone pounding on the door.
Wilson, rising and going to the door, met
Chandler and "Sandy." Chandler held
a pistol to Wilson's face, demanding
that he behave himself while the house
was being searched for arms. Wilsoi
protested that he had no arms in the
house, and this was true, for a short time
before this his daughter, having heard
that men were on the rounds, taking up
the arms of some of the citizens, deter
mined to forestall them by hiding the
gun in an outbuilding. Chandler woul 1
not be satisfied with Wilson's statemeut
that there were no arms in the house.
He ordered "Sandy'' to get a rope. The
rope being brought, it was thrown over
a beam of the porch, but that was as far
as the "bluff" was carried. At that
moment, Emily, the brave little girl, who
sent the men on their way without their
supper," stood concealed behind a door,
with an axe in her hand, ready to leap
out and strike, when the men should be
gin to place the rope over her father's
head. The idea of hanging was aban
doned and Mrs. Wilson, who by this
time arrived on the scene, was ordered
to light the way, while the men made a"
search of the house. Chandler did the

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNT lr HISTORY.

55

rummaging, while "Sandy" stood guard
at the front door. It seems that "Sandy"
did not consider it worth while to
watch Wilson, since it was evident he
had no arms, and not being watched,
Wilson slipped out of the back door. A
hasty search of the house was made.
A trunk was broken into and robbed of
its contents. On the wall a watch was
' found hanging, and that was taken. On
the way out, Chandler found a saddle on
the porch, which he took with him, re
marking that he had ridden bareback and
that he would borrow it for the occas
ion. In the meantime, Wilson had se
cured the rifle where his daughter had
concealed it, and had hidden himself
near the road, where he believed the
men would pass on going away. He
had his gun pointed and ready for
Chandler, but the men, instead of com
ing his way, turned in the olip0 3ita di
rection and made their escape with their
booty. Shortly after this, when Chand
ler was killed at Geary City, he had on
him some of the clothes he had stolen
from Wilson's trunk in the bedroom.

The Shooting of Wilson.
The following account of the shooting
of Grandison R. Wilson, by a squad of
soldiers of the 13th Kansas, is based on
an account written for us by Wilson's
oldest daughter, who, at the age of fif
teen, was an eye witness to the whole
affair. Between eight and -nine o'clock, on the
morning of September 2nd 1862, Wilson
jrtarted with his team for the field where
he had some plowing to do. At his re
quest his daughter, Emily, who was. at

the same time on her way to school, car
ried to the field for him a scythe, to be
used to cut some weeds that were in the
way- of the plow. The girl arrived at
the field before her father, but instead of
going on to school, she waited there
till he came. Wilson began to cut the
weeds while his daughter gathered them
into a pile. Suddenly there was heard
on the hill quite near them, the crack of
a gun, and looking up they saw seven or
eight men coming toward them down the
hill. Wilson speaking to his daughter
cautioned her to sit down, that the men
might not see her at work in the field ;
but the men were soon there. Without
a word of warning Wilson was fired on.
One ball entered his breast near the
heart and he sank on the new mown
weeds, almost falling on the handle of
the scythe. On seeing her father fall the
girl screamed with all her might. This
urged the men to complete their dastardly
work, and, obeying the leader's order,
the men fired two or three more shots,
which took effect, and the deed was
done. The girl, who was scarcely fif
teen-, stood paralized with fear. When
the men turned to go away she crept to
her father's side, and realizing the awful
truth, felt her heart grow sick with
horror. She thought to turn to the
house for help, but as she rose to go,
she saw her mother coming across the
field. Again kneeling by the prostrate
form of her father, she raised the hat
that covered his face just in time to see
him gasp for his last breath. It was
given out by his enemies that Wilson,
seeing the men approaching, undertook
to make his escape, that the leader of the

56

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

squad had commanded him to halt, and
that the command, having been disre
garded, he was fired on. This, however,
is not true. Wilson's body was found
lying on, the new mown weeds. He had
not retreated a step, and was shot down
without a moment of time and without
a word of warning. The whole affair
was over in a moment, and every part of
it had been witnessed by the girl who was
kneeling on the pile of weeds only a few
yards away.
When Mrs. Wilson arrived on the
scene she was helpless with grief . There
was no one near to render her assistance;
but her daughter, young but brave, aris
ing to the emergency, faced the situation
and found a way out of the distress.
She unhitched the horses from the plow,
and pulling the harness off one of them,
got a saddle at the house and rode away
to the school on Wolf River to seek the
aid of Josephus Utt, the teacher, who
was her father's intimate friend, and to
bring her little brother and sister home
from school. At the river she found
her father's slayers seated under the trees
near the place where she had to cross.
The men recognized her at once and fled,
fearing to face the gentle courage of a
mere girl, whom they had made an
orphan in that hour.

The Boys of Kansas.
(Extracts from an address by the Hon-
able Daniel Webster Wilder, at Wath
ena, Kansas, July 4, 1884.)
"Members of the Grand Army, Old
Friends and Neighbors:— Your invita
tion forme to join you here was received
with genuine pleasure. You knew that

I was not an orator, that I should have
to write and read what I said, but you
asked me to come as an old friend and
citizen— one of the boys of the old days,
when Washington Township was yet
young, and you and I, now gray haired
men in spectacles, were also young. The-
glasses we used then were not to look
through but — for some other purpose,
that the prohibitionist, Andrew Disque,
might explain.
"Nelson Abbey, of this township,
used to say that he preferred Kansas.
He said that there was good water here;
good to wash with; you did not have to
put ashes into it. Nelson Abbey,
Heaven rest his soul! What fun we boys
did have in those days! One summer
day in '58 or '59 a lively party of Free
State boys came up from Leavenworth.
They came on a steamboat and stopped
at Elwood. Nelson Abbey was there
and full of glee. In ten minutes all were
intimately acquainted. They fraternized.
A journey was proposed to Troy, and a
dozen boys trotted off, Abbey leading \
the way. Along the road made by Arnet
Grooms, through WTathena, along Peter's
Creek, past Smallwood's and Widow
Thompson's, and a half a dozen houses
on the road, galloped this merry party..,
It was a stream of laughter and jokes'
from the river to the County seat. Ar
rived there, they went to the little shop
on the east side, where eatables were sold.
Abbey called for pies, and the ordinary
American and Kansas pie was produced.
"What, round pies," said Abbey, "Great
God! do you expect us to eat round pies?
Make a dozen square pies." And he led
the procession out of the shop. All

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

57

waited on the high prairie 'til the square
pies were made and cooked; and then
they were eaten. Every man in the
party would have starved rather than
eaten a round pie, after their leader,
Abbey Nelson, in a momentary and
whimsical edict, had declared that the
only straight out Free State and Black
Republican pie was a square pie. "Of
course, square pies," they all roared and
yelled. "Who ever heard of a Free
State man eating a round pie?" And
Abbey Nelson and his square pies were
never forgotten by any man who was
there that day. The story went all "over
the territory.
"The greatest man that ever set foot
on this Township, arrived here on the
first day of December, 1859, to warm the
beautiful day. The late Judge Delahey
and I met him at the depot in St. Joseph
that day, and rode up town with him;
took him to a barber shop on Francis
street, and I went up to Woodworth's
news stand in the next block, and bought
him the latest papers. Then the three
went down to the ferry landing, near the
old Robidoux building, and sat down in
the dirt on the banks, waiting for Capt.
Blackiston's boat. As we sat there I re
member being impressed with the won
derful length of Mr. Lincoln's legs.
They were legs that could fold up; the
knees stood up like that high and
hind point of the Kansas grasshopper.
He- wore a hat of the stovepipe shape,
but made of felt, unglazed, not shiny,
and needing no brush. The buttons
were off his shirt, as I had noticed
them the summer before, when, by a
lucky accident, I spent several days in

the law office of Lincoln & Herndon in
Springfield. "Mr. Lincoln made a speech that
evening at the Great Western hotel, in
the dining room, a very great speech, to
an audience called together by a man
who went through the town sounding a
gong. The next day, December 2, the
day on which John Brown was hanged,
he spoke at Troy, and I think Colonel
Ege replied to him, and fully vanquished
the future president. He also spoke in
Asahel Low's hotel in Doniphan, and.
that completes the great man's connec
tions with this county.
"Another event will always give this
Township and County historical interest.
On March 20, 1860, the first railroad iron
received in Kansas came here, and track
laying was commenced on the Elwood &
Marysville railroad. On Monday, April
23, 1860, the locomotive "Albany" was
placed on his track. M. Jeff Thompson,
Willard P. Hall and Governor R. M.
Stewart, the great men of St. Joseph,
made speeches on that occasion. On the
19th of July, 1860, (twenty -four years
ago) the completion of the railroad
from Elwood to Wathena was cele
brated. I recollect having made
a brief speech here on that day. I think
it was at the April jollification, and not
in July, that Harmon Hunt in the excess
of peasantry and patriotism knocked
Jeff Thompson- down. It was a "big
hit" for this side of the river, and greatly
added to the local renown of the quiet
printer who struck the blow.
"It was from this4 Township that the
Doy rescuers departed on the night of
July 23, 1856, led by John Tracy.

58

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

' 'The first rebel flag ever captured by
Kansas soldiers was taken from Iatan,
Missouri, June 3, 1861, by a party of
twelve soldiers of the First Kansas, then
*-in camp at Fort Leavenworth. Seven of
the soldiers were members of the El
wood Guards company of this Township.
Sergeant Frank Drenning demanded the
lowering of the flag "In the Name of
Abraham Lincolu and the Congress of the
United States." That trophy is now in
¦ possession of the State Historical Society.
"It was Thomas Merrick, a citizen of
this township, who captured the first
Rebel flag raised in St. Joseph. It was
brought over here and burned.
Let us reverently and devoutly thank
God that our lot has been cast in this
fair land, .even in Kansas, the best of all
states because the most tolerant, kindly,
brotherly; and let us trust that even we
have done something in our day to make
our town, county and state better worth
living in."
Mr. W ilder closed his remarks by pay
ing a glowing tribute to the worth and
nobility of character, of Judge Nathan
Price, quoting at the end the last verse of
the Judge's favorite poem "The Chem
istry of Character."

Prehistoric Race.
Relics of a lost race have been found at
Eagle Springs, in this County, buried
from four to eight feet under the ground.
Enough has been discovered at these
Springs, to show that there was once a
city there, which, like Heroulaneum and
Pompeii, has been 'overthrown, and cov
ered up by the accumulating rubbish of
ages. "In excavating for an icehouse there
were found four different places where

fires had been kept burning for a long
time as the earth underneath was burnt
red as a brick for some distance down,
and scattered all around were broken
pottery, bones, shells, arrow-points, and
other evidences of the place having once
been the abode of man. This place is
some six or eight feet under the ground,
and on top of the ground over it, there
has grown a large burr-oak tree which
was blown down, perhaps before the
country was settled, and is all decayed
now, except some of the largest roots and
a small portion of the body. Thus far
there has been no metal instrument of
any kind found, that has been used by
the race of men who once trod these hills
and valleys, nor has there been a single
bone of any domestic animal found, which
shows that their earthly possessions
must have been very limited, and of the
most primitive character. The flint ar
row points, the stone axe, and a few
pieces of rude pottery, seem to have con
stituted the sum total of their effects.
The motive that prompted the selection
of this locality as a place of abode must
have been the healthful waters of these
springs. The probability that the very
place from which I write was once the
home of a race of men of whom we have
no record in history, fills the mind with
many interesting and curious thoughts.
Could we cal back to this, their once
peaceful and happy home and habitation,
those strange people, whose record is
sealed up in the great unwritten history
of the past, what strange stories they
could tell, and with what amusement
they would view the changed conditions
of their surroundings."— Extract from an
article by Pryor Plank, published May 3,
1883.

CHAPTER VI.
PSN SKeTCHGS, 6TC.
(Continued.)

MELVIN BAUGHN.
(Executed for murder at Seneca, Septem
ber 13, 1868.)
This has been a day of unusual inter
est in the history and events of our
County, in as much as we have witnessed
the execution of the law on the person
of Melvin Baughn, who was convicted of
murder and sentenced to suffer death ac
cording to the law, at a special term of
the District Court of this County held
in August last.
I take the opr ortunity of giving you a
few items concerning his execution and
previous life, as I have been able to gather
them up to the present writing. The
prisoner steadfastly refused to make any
general confession, although urged to do
so by his ministerial advisors, as a
Christian duty he owed to his fellow men.
He said he did not know anything that
he thought would do any good to any
body, redeem anyone from crime, or
stop the schemes of wicked men. What
he might say might implicate respect
able men, who stood high in society, and
were surrounded by interesting families,

and with some with whom he was not
acquainted, and of whose guilt he was not
assured of, except by hearsay; and if it
was necessary to do that in order to save
his soul, he would have to run the risk.
He was born in Virginia and at the
time of his death was thirty two years
old. He stated that at the age of four
teen he was left an orphan, and soon af
ter obtained a situation as bartender in
Franklin, Tennessee, where he became a
favorite among his companions. Being a
bright, dashing youth, the attention of
sporting men was directed toward him by
noticing the skill with which he managed
and the agility with which he rode a
spirited mare which he borrowed from a
neighbor for the purpose of riding to and
from the races, which were frequent in
that vicinity. He afterwards became a
professional horse trainer, which was
more or less his business through life.
He finally joined a company of horse
racers who were travelling, making that
their business. On reaching Indepen
dence, Missouri, he left his company,
and obtained a job of a neighboring

60

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORYr.

large farmer, in the capacity of hostler,
for the purpose of superintending and
training his horses. He remained there
a year, spoke very favorably of his em
ployer, and regretted, with much feeling,
that he did not remain there. After
leaving his situation near Independence,
he came to Kansas, where he received
employment with the Overland Trans
portation Company as pony express rider.
While thus engaged he admitted to have
killed a man by the name of Flood, near
Big Sandy, in an altercation. At the
conclusion of his term of service with this
company, they were indebted to him
about $500, but the company failed about
this time, and he only received a small
amount due him. Thus being in embar
rassed circumstances, he was induced to
become a jayhawker, to relieve his pecu
niary necessities. As respectable men
were engaged in that movement, which
was a general one at the time of the bor
der war, he thought it legitimate busi
ness, under the circumstances. WThile
in prosecution of. this he was arrested for
the same in Missouri, tried, convicted
and sentenced to the penitentiary for ten
years. While thus incarcerated, he was
thrown into the society of old and hard
ened criminals, from whose lips he
learned many of the ways of wickedness,
and whose influence upon him, he says,
very much furthered him in the course of
crime. After serving two years and three
months he was pardoned by the Gover
nor. Upon his release he returned to
St. Joseph and vicinity, where he be
came the companion of dissolute men,
and became connected with a band of

robbers and murderers. After prose
cuting this business for a time, he was
suspicioned by parties near St. Joseph
of having stolen some horses. They,
hearing of him, with three other per
sons going west with horses supposed
to be theirs, obtained a warrant and pur
sued them. On reaching this place they
ascertained that Baughn and his compan
ions had preceded them but a short dis-
dance. They then sought and obtained
another warrant, and the aid of the
sheriff of this county with his posse, and
pursued them. After pursuing them
about 15 miles, -they found that Baughn
and his party had passed this place go
ing east, about daylight, and about an
hour in advance of the sheriff and his
posse. They stopped a short time at a
friend's of theirs in town, who informed
them that a mob was in pursuit of them.
Baughn and Mooney, and one of their
partners then left the wagon which they
were with and proceeded on foot.
Jackson and Strange, the other two,
were arrested, taken to Doniphan County
and tried, but were released, as the
horses which they had did not prove to
be those which they were in pursuit of.
The posse and the sheriff theu proceeded
in pursuit of Baughn and Mooney. Af
ter pursuing them some fifteen miles,
they were discovered by the advance
guard, four in number, who immediately
rode up to them and told them that they
came to arrest them. Baughn and
Mooney immediately commenced firing
upon the party, which resulted in the
killing of Dennis, and severely wound
ing Hillis, two of the advance guards.
The fire was returned by the guard re-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

6 1.

suiting in the fracturing of Baughn's
right arm and one of Mdoney's legs.
They both escaped. This was in Nov
ember, 18u6. . About the first of January
following, Baughn was arrested in
Leavenworth city, by Officer Scott and
the Leavenworth police force, and deliv
ered to the authorities of this county.
He remained in jail at this place about
two months when he affected his escape.
Soon after, he, with others of his com
panions, concocted and carried into exe-
etition the plan to rob the store of Mr.
Craig of Wathena. His share of the
proceeds, he stated was $800.
With this he went to St. Louis and
fell in with a number of the "fast boys,"
and before he was aware his means was
expended. He theii planned and raised
another "sight," with the proceeds of
which he returned to his Tenuesse home.
He gave no further account of him
self until he was arrested on suspicion,
at Sedalia, Missouri. He went -to the
express office there and inquired for a
carpet bag belonging to Jo King (he
went by that name at the time.) He was
informed that there was one there for
that person, but did not take it away.
This created some suspicion on the part
of the express agent, who, thinking he
might return after dark, left the window
a little raised and remained to watch for
him. Sometime during the night he re
turned, put his head within the window
and lit a match, when he was ordered to
stand. Failing to do so he was fired
upon, the shot taking effect in the upper
part of his head, and carrying away one
finger from the hand in which he held
the match.

He made his escape but was arrested
two days after, and lodged in jail at
Warrensburg. On the 25th of June last,
Mr. Kyger of this county, visited him
for the purpose of identifying him as
Baughn, he having a requisition from the
governor of this state for his delivery to
the authorities of the county. He firmly
declared to Kyger that his name was
Bigger, and that he had never been in
Nemaha county, or even in Kansas.
Sheriff Kyger, however, having suffic
ient evidence with him, that he was
Baughn, brought him to this county,
where he was duly tried and found guilty
of murder, as before stated.
During his imprisonment in the
county jail, he had been visited frequently
by Rev. W C. Stewart, pastor of the
Congregational church and Rev. Gray of
the M. E. church, whose counsels and
prayers he ever received respectfully and
affectionately. He was very accessible
to religious conversation, although it
seemed to be influenced by the character
and conversation of those who were with
him, and would frequently indulge in
jocular conversation with spirit. On the
evening before his execution he was vis
ited by Revs. Stewart and Gray, with
whom he conversed freely, and seemed
calm and self-possessed. He retired
about 12 o'clock, and slept as composedly
as usual. He ate his breakfast with
somewhat less relish than usual; still his
general being was self-contained. He
was supplied with suitable apparel of
black alpaca, pleated bosom shirt, white
stockings and slippers, and he made his
toilet calmly. He passed the morning
hours in pleasant conversation with Mr,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

McLain of Savannah, Mo., and his min
isterial advisers. Singular to state,
none of the old companions or friends
have been near him, except one, who at
the request of Baughn, came to take
charge of the body, to remove it to
Doniphan county. During the hour
preceding that in which he was executed,
he was visited in the cell by Hon. Geo.
Graham and Judge Lanham, of Seneca,
both of whom prayed with him. At the
request of Rev. Gray, Baughn led in
audible prayer. His prayer was author
ized by simplicity, earnestness and ap
preciation of his condition. Among
other petitions he prayed that if he was
not prepared to die he might be made
fully so. His manner and language
seemed to indicate a cheerful confidence
in Christ. The gallows were erected
near the jail door, an enclosure of can
vas surrounding it. Outside of the
canvas was a rope inclosure guarded by
fifteen armed men. None but those in
vited by the sheriff were admitted with
in either .enclosure. Among those in
vited were Mr. McLain of Missouri, sev
eral prominent citizens of the county of
ficers of court, two physicians, two min
isters and representatives of the press.
The outside enclosure was surrounded by
over one hundred people, who were en
abled to gratify their curiosity by the
occasional glimpse of' Baughn, as he
stood on the trap door, awaiting the
final preparations of the sheriff.
At ten minutes past three the prisoner
was led out by the sheriff, and ascended
the scaffold with a firm step, the only
sign of fear or affectation being when he
stepped from the jail door in sight of the

gallows. He said almost audibly, "It's
rather rough." As he came out of the
jail door he handed to the Reverend Stew
art and Sheriff Kyger, a document in
his own handwriting of which the follow
ing is a copy :
A Few Words From the Jail. — As
the hour of my approaching doom draws
near, I feel it my duty to say a few words
ere I depart from this world of wicked
ness and sin. I have but a few hours to
live, and yet I cannot say that I feel any
desire to prolong the time. I have en
deavored to make peace with God. I have
prayed to him night and day, and I feel
and believe that my prayers have been
heard and answered. It seems hard it is
true, to die an ignominious death on the
gallows. But I believe I will be better
off, for I have had but little comfort the
last few years of my life. Therefore I
feel resigned to my fate, and feel that I
am fully prepared to meet it. I feel in a
great measure that I am indebted to
Revs. Stewart and Gray for my reconcil
iation to God, and I am very thankful
for the kindness shown me by the rever
end gentlemen; and I hope they may
never be called upon to minister unto a
human being placed in my unfortunate
condition. I can never repay their kind
ness, but if the prayers of a penitent
sinner ever avails anything, they have
mine for their future welfare. Mr.
Stewart, I would be thankful to have
you write to my wife after my death; let.
her know how I died, and try to console
her in her hour of affliction.
To the Sheriff of Nemaha County:
When 1 arrived here in June last in
charge of the sheriff of Nemaha County,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

63

I expected to go in the hands of a mob,
notwithstanding that sheriff A. Kyger
esq., had repeatedly assured me that I
should not be taken out of his hands by
either friend or foe, except over his dead
body. - But of that I doubted his ability
to do all he had promised, as regarded
protecting me by the violence of the mob
knowing as I did the. blood-thirsty dis
position of a number of citizens of this
county, and I- feel confident that it is.
only owing to the determined resolution
to guard and protect me from mobocracy
that I have today to pen these lines.
While the sheriff has used his every en
deavor to protect me from mobocracy,
he has not, to my knowledge, in any in
stance, violated the law, but has, I be
lieve, obeyed it to the letter. He bas
never shown that venomous disposition to
tyrannize over me, as a large number in
this community have been disposed to do.
But I freely and cheerfully forgive them
all, and credit their ill-feeling to ignor
ance and. bad whiskey. As I have be
fore said, Mr. Kyger has never shown a
disposition to tyrannize over me, but
has, I believe, used his every endeavor to
alleviate my sufferings, by gratifying
my every want. His son, Samuel, who
has been with me most of the time since
my trial, while he has done his duty as
an officer of the law, and guarded against
an escape, and against the violence of a
mob, who were ever howling for blood,
has treated me with human kindness.
And now as my earthly sphere (career?)
is drawing to a close, I would express my
thanks for the kindness received at the
hands of these gentlemen.
E. M. Baughn.

Being seated on the scaffold with the
sheriff, Rev. Stewart offered a prayer.
He then bade farewell to the minister
and others who came forward to give
him the parting hand. The sheriff then
proceeded to pinion his hands and feet,
and to adjust the fatal noose around his
neck. The cap commonly used on such
occasions was then placed over his head
but not covering his eyes, an opportunity
was given him to make any remark he
might desire. Without the slightest
tremulousness in his voice but with tears
in his eyes, he proceeded to say, "I be
lieve it is customary for persons in my
position to have something to say. With
me it is different. I have nothing. I
have been arraigned, tried and convicted,
and I am here to suffer the penalty of the
law. That is all." The death warrant
was then read to him by the sheriff in
clear, firm tones. The cap was then
drawn over his eyes. The sheriff then
ascended the scaffold and in clear tone
said, "Meivin Baughn, you have just
five minutes to live." Presestly he said,
"You have just two and a half minutes
to live." The seconds passed rapidly
until the sheriff called the third time,
"Meivin Baughn, you have just one min
ute to live." A moment more and the
rope was cut and the trap door fell, and
Meivin Baughn was suspended between
heaven and earth, a spectacle of pity and
shame. The neck was not broken by
the fall, but death was the result of
strangulation. His death struggles were
not severe. The body, enfeebled by
wounds and sickness yielded quickly to
the power of death. The pulse ceased to
beat in seven minutes, and the heart in

64

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY,

nine. The body remained suspended
about twenty-seven minutes. The phy
sicians, having declared life extinct,
the body was cut down, hands and feet
unpinioned, and then deposited in the
jail where many gathered around to
view the last remains. The body re
mained in the jail until the following
day, when it was removed by the friend
before incidentally alluded to.
Thus died an ignominious death on
the gallows, a young man possessing some
remarkable qualities, which would have
no doubt made him, under the proper
system of education, and with right
principles, a great, good and useful man.
Among other peculiarities of his mind,
he was possessed of a singular sagacity
and knowledge of human nature. Never
embarassed, he appreciated to the fullest
extent, the character and position of
those with whom he came in contact.
But courage of the highest order was the
greatest peculiarity of Baughn's charac
ter. He knew not what fear was. I learn
from Rev. Stewart that he has no doubt
from what he saw of him during his im
prisonment and last hours, that he was a
truly penitent and forgiven man.
I have thus given you the facts in re
lation to Baughn as I have been able to
gather them. You will perceive that it
is but a small portion of his life which
he revealed; and no doubt that part kept
back would have been much more inter
esting and also revealed a large amount
of crime. T. W. T.

The Fate of the Jayhawkers.
The following accounts of the killing
and hanging of Jayhawkers are prepared

on the authority of the Chief and letters
of pioneers in our possession.
In 1862 orl863, George Bennett, who
recently had been county assessor, turned
his attention to Jayhawking, but he was
soon caught and hanged at Elwood.
Chandler, a noted Jayhawk leader af
ter many successful raids, was shot and
killed at Geary City in the fall of 1862.
Chandler had won the hatred of all the
good citizens of the county, who re
joiced at his taking off. An account of
some of his operations is given in another
part of this book.
The Chief, in its account of the kill
ing of the Jayhawkers Ridley and White
head says: "In the winter of 1862-3,
two Jayhawkers who went by the nick
names of Bob Ridley and Whitehead,
were killed at Troy. One was shot in
the saloon that stood where the Chief
office now is, by Isaac Tallman. The
other was killed by William Warner, in
the door of the old city hotel, as he was
raising his pistol to shoot Warner.
These Jayhawkers had gone to Tallman's
house at Cottonwood Springs, southeast
of Troy, during Tallman's absence, and
in spite of the protestations of his wife,
had taken and carried away property
that had been left in his care. The two
men were buried in the graveyard of the
old Cumberland Presbyterian church,
beyond Wolf river near Baynes's bridge."
There is an error in the above. White
head did not die at Troy, where he was
shot; neither was he buried in the Pres
byterian graveyard near Bayne's bridge.
After the shooting in Troy, on January
29th 1862, he was put upon a sled and
brougt to Cold Springs, in Wolf River

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

65

township,' where he was cared for until
his death three weeks later, and was bur
ied in the old Wood's graveyard, which
is located four and a half miles almost
due west of Troy, where his grave is
marked with a rude limestone slab.
One night in March, 1863, a small
gang of Jayhawkers went to the home of
Frank Brown, in Iowa Point, and began
to terrorize the family by shooting
through the windows of the house, the
bullets passing over the bed occupied by
his wife and children. Brown siezed a
revolver and returned the fire, hitting
and instantly killing Charley Pitcher,
one of the gang. The others fled im
mediately. It is said that the object of
the gang was to kill Brown who had been
accused of helping in the return of es
caped slaves to Missouri.
From the manuscript of a pioneer who
kept close watch on the happenings in
the early days, we give the following
concerning the hanging of three men at
Highland, in 1863:
Some horses had been stolen in the vi
cinity of Highland, and a posse of men
was formed for the capture of the
thieves. Three men were found in pos
session of the horses. An angry mob
composed of men from nearly all parts of
the county thirsted for vengeance. Hav
ing been found in possession of the
stolen animals seemed in the judgment
ment of many, ample proof of the guilt
of the men; but the affair was conducted
with undue haste, and the proceedings
lacked the sanction of many cool headed
men in the crowd who wanted to be
reasonably certain of the men's guilt be
fore hanging them. However, the hot

blood had its rule and the men were un
ceremoniously hanged from the limb of a
big tree near the town. After the hang
ing there was much dissatisfaction, es
pecially on account of there being great
doubt of the guilt of one of the men who
was scarcely out of his teen. This
young man had told a plausible story
explaining how he came to be with the
other men, but his words had fallen on
deaf ears, and his pleadings for time and
an opportunity to prov*' -his innocence
had been in vain. According to the
young man's account, he had met the
two men on horseback leading another
horse. They had offered to let him
ride, and he had acbepted the offer,
never suspecting that the men were
thieves and the animals stolen ones. fTo
a sympathizer he gave the name and ad
dress of his father, asking that he' be in
formed of his fate. After the hanging
the young rnan's father came from Illi
nois and produced a letter from his son
(the dead man) in which the son had
written that he should soon be home.
Further inquiry disclosed the fact that
the young man was of good character,
and the last doubt of his innocence was
dispelled. The brokenhearted father
had the remains of his son removed from
the dishonored grave and sent baek to
his home.
James Pickett, who, during the war,
had operated as a "detective" in Missouri,
headed a band of men in the pursuit of
a thief who had stolen a horse from A."
C. Nott, near White Cloud, in April,
1865. The thief was captured near Iowa
Point, at the home of a man named
Powell, and being promised a fair trial

66

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

by the men, he revealed the place where
the horse had been hidden. With the
thief in charge, Pickett's men returned to
Nott's, arriving late in the evening in
time for supper. After supper when it
was quite dark, the men started toward
White Cloud with their man. A short
distance from town the man was shot to
death and his body left lying in the road.
Pickett, who is said to have fired the first
shot, was tried for murder, but was ac
quitted, the feeling against, horsethieves
being too strong to convict a man for
killing one, even in so cowardly a man
ner.

A Picture of Old Doniphan City.
(1868)
No matter how insignificant a place
may be, it has a history which is often
interesting; and when once placed before
the people, in the shape of reminiscence,
people wonder if it is possible that they
ever passed through so many strange and
various scenes. Nature is grand but
when art groups up so many familiar
scenes, they assume a paradisiacal appear
ance. So with every life. While it re
mains strewn along a length of fifteen or
twenty years, it seems bat commonplace;
but when huddled up into one or two
articles, it changes and brings before us
scenes we have almost or quite forgotten.
Doniphan is situated on the west bank
of the Missouri river, in, the extreme
southeastern corner of Doniphan county.
The site is a beautiful valley, opening
on the river, and extending north over
one and a half miles on the high, rolling
prairie, and east and west a half a mile,
covering beautifully sloping ridges on

either side. A clear and beautiful
stream, formed by numerous streams,
gushing from the hills at the north end
of the valley, flows through its centre;
and pours its waters into the river.
Here, let me say, that in 1867, my first
arrival" in this County, this small stream
spread over the bottom of the land, form
ing quite a marsh, but it now has a deep
bed in which it flows— having washed the
light alluvial soil to the depth of some
twenty feet, and rims back from the
river several hundred yards. Near the
old "Lane Mill" site, now occupied by
Brenner's corn house and sheller, the
stream forms a miniature Niagara Falls.
The bluffs east of town enfringe on the
river; that on the west side overlook a
beautiful alluvial bottom, containing sev
eral hundred acres of land of vast rich
ness. The town site was originally
prairie, but part is now covered with a
young growth of timber. The first house
was built and occupied as an Indian trad
ing post by J. F. Foreman. It was situated
at the south east corner of the present
townsite. near the river. This house.
which was built of cottonwood logs, be
came the nucleus of the "city" of Doni
phan. In this old house the first territor
ial election ever held in this part of the
territory, took place in the fall of 1855,
to elect representatives to the territorial
legislature. At the election the "sover
eigns" came flocking to the polls, armed
with every kind of death-dealing imple
ment. Some carried their arms all day,
while others concealed them under the
old house, so that they could be caught
up at any moment's warning. Some
came over from the state of Missouri to

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

67

vote, which caused those on this side to
arm, to prevent such a breach of right
and to protect themselves in the act of
voting. The day passed very quietly.
In 1854-5 the "Kansas fever" ran high
and emigrants, spectators and adventurers
came rushing in — some to settle and make
homes, some to speculate on lands and
"city property," and others to procure
office, and to save .the territory from the
grasp of the "peculiar institution" and
^ — still others to fix her hold on her. Take
it all in all, the population of early days
was a rather mixed concern,
City property was in. great demand;
, although there were many "cities" yet
there was not enough to supply the de
mand for corner lots, and the idea ' of
starting a new city entered the minds of
the settlers of this part of the territory;
and consequently a company was organ
ized sometime in 1855, and a charter
granted in the same" year— soon after
which a city election was held, and
Mayor, Councilmen, etc., were duly in
stalled. I believe three elections were
held under this charter— the last one be
ing in 1857, the charter being forfeited
by failure to elect under its provisions.
In 1857, the council passed an ordin
ance to grade several streets and adver
tised for proposals to do the work, issu
ing "city script" to pay the same. The
work was done, and now traces can be
seen of the work performed, and, I pre
sume, some of the purchasers of the
script could show you other traces of the
crder. But at that time we all thought
them equal to gold. But, alas, for
human foresight!
Sometime in 1857, the Land Office was

located in this place and this brought to
our town scores of speculators, lawyers,
sharpers, etc. In the meantime, Doni
phan had grown to quite a town, and
everyone that could, put up a house for
rent or sale, and sales were made at enor
mous figures. Money was plenty and
gambling was carried on on a heavy
scale. These houses were situated in the
bottoms, in the south part of town, and
so notorous became the place that it was
dubbed "Doniphan under the hill," after
"Natchez on the hill." Most of those
old houses have been locked up, and it
presents but sorry remains of its former
greatness. As I said before the ' former
town had grown to some importance; the
lawyers' offices were thick; agencies were
in every corner; stores, groceries and
saloons appeared ; almost every other
house was a boarding house, and yet not
enough to supply the wants of the pop
ulation. The first regular store opened at that
place was by A. R. Forman, now dead.
He did a very heavy business. The
second was by Mr. A. Brenner, who is
still a citizen of the town. These two
stores were situated near the hotel, and on
main street. They have both been taken
down and removed. There were also
several other store buildings but they
have also been removed.
The first newspaper started in this
place was the Constitutionalist, published
by T. J. Key. The office was in a two
story brick building on the bank of the
river, above where the warehouse now
stands. Owing to the washing of the
river the foundation was destroyed, and
the house fell. At one of our elections

68

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY".

the paper was suspended, R. S. Kelly,
then a candidate for senator from Atch
ison and Doniphan counties, being a
printer, wished to issue an address to the
"sovereigns, "representing his claims, etc.
We were asked to ¦ assist him on this
work, and did so, but on going into the
office found him with a large revolver
strapped to his side. He explained that
it was necessary to be armed, as threats
had been made to tear down the office
and throw it into the river. These
threats were never put into execution but
the institution ceased to exist, in Doni
phan, in a very short time. The press
and material were removed to Iowa
Point, and subsequently to Troy and
were finally taken to Hiawatha, where
they were destroyed by fire in the begin
ning of the year, 1862.
The second paper was established here
by James Redpath, called "The Crusader
of Freedom," and under the patronage of
J. H. Lane. It was to have been a pic
torial, but it never delighted the eyes of
its readers a single cut, except when it
quarreled with Mr. Lane, and then he
cut on it; and after a few articles expos
ing Lane, as it is said, it, too, followed
its predecessor. It was published in a
room now occupied as a drug store.
The material was taken to Atchison dur
ing the early years of the war, to print
a Democratic paper called the Atchison
Union. I do not know what afterwards
became of it. It was a spicy little sheet
and deserved better success.
The third paper was brought here by
Mr. Reese in 1858 and was called the
Doniphan Post. Mr. Reese was quite
aged and soon after its establishment he

died. The paper still continued to be
published by his son, George Reese for
some time. But with all the energy he
had he could not keep it above water,
and it, too, sank under the waves of ad
versity in 1860.
¦ George Reese is in St. Joseph as local,
I believe, on some paper. Singular
enough, the material of this office fol
lowed very nearly in the footsteps of the
old Constitutionalist. It was taken to
Troy by Dr. E. H. Grant in 1862, and
used in the publication of the Patriot;
in 1864 was taken to Hiawatha where the
Brown County Sentinel is now printed
on the press and type of the Don
iphan Post, and the remnants that were
saved of the old Constitutionalist mater
ial. Doniphan is young, but has erected
three monuments to departed papers.
She has no paper now and depends on
the Chief for her County news — a good
dependence, too. The post office was in
a two-story frame nearly opposite the
hotel owned by Hon. Robert Graham
who now lives in Atchison. It has been
torn down and moved. Thus, one by
one the old landmarks pass from our
midst. In 1858, the Land Office was removed
to Kicapoo. That was "the most an-
kindest cut of all." With its departure
went the glory of Doniphan— it was the
"beginning of the end" of Doniphan as a
city. Lawyers' offices were empty, but
few lawyers remaining to remind us of
the many who once favored us with
their counsel and eloquence. The board
ing house keepers groaned and closed;
the livery horses^ became fat. and lazy,
and buggies wore not out; gamblers

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

69

packed their wallets in their pockets,
and packed their fixtures to follow the
Land Office; the old house once occupied
by it, and so often the scene of mirth
and rivalry, was occupied as a church,
and the upper part' as a lodge of • Good
Templars. What a change— from whiskey
and swearing to water and prayer! In
1858, Doniphan was the favorite town of
Northern Kansas, and attracted the at
tention of St. Joseph.
Here was the point where all railroads
must leave the river, and here was the
bone of contention. The St. Joseph and
Topeka railroad was about .to be located,
and it was proposed by directors in the
interest of St. Joseph to cut Doniphan off.
The meeting of the directors to locate
the road, was held in this town, in the
room now occupied by the drug store.
Everyone was interested in the result of
the vote— it was life or death for the city.
The preliminary business was transacted,
and then the proposition to locate the
road by way of Doniphan. There were
five directors. John Stairwalt was pres
ident, I believe. There had been two
votes cast for Doniphan and one against,
when Jeff Thompson's (now ex-rebel gen
eral) turn came to vote. He prefaced
his vote as follows:
"Mr. President— I, personally, am in
favor (?) of the route via Doniphan but
am instructed by constituents to vote
'no' on this question ; therefore I cast my
vote against the route." This made a
tie and as but few knew how the .presi
dent stood, all were in breathless sus
pense. He studied a moment and then
repeated the words of Jeff, but varied the
latter clause, constituting 'yes' for , 'no'

and we got the location. There was
wild excitement then. Stairwalt could
have been elected president, if the people
of Doniphan could have had the say
in the matter. Shout after shout
went up for him. Some men, soon after
the voting got tight, and in calling for
something to drink would say, "Mr.
Low, pass Stairwalt this way." Stair
walt was on the brain. As time pro
gressed, the prospects for the railroad
grew bright, and some contracts were
made. A very nice grade was thrown
up; also a grade built on Independence
Creek. But this is all that was ever
done to the railroad. Had it been com
pleted Doniphan would now be a city in
truth, and not by quotation. Several at
tempts have been made to recover the
lost ground, but none were success
ful; and the war coming on and the rival
town of Atchison attracting attention
from us, we sank into a mere nothing.
Every store was removed and for a long
time none were here; a great many houses
were taken away or burned. A large
Catholic church, which stood on the east
side of the hill was destroyed; the hotel
was closed; the flouring mill did little
business ; and take it all in all we looked
very much like Goldsmith's "Deserted
Village." In the early days the Catholic church
here was considered quite an institution.
It was proposed at one time, and indeed
some money had been subscribed, to
build a cathedral and school house on the
church block: but owing to some cause —
most likely the failure of the city —
the priest, Father Ausustine,who founded
the mission here, removed to Atchison

70

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

and by his untiring energy has built one
of the grandest churches and one of the
best churches in the West. But the old
site now presents a sad and doleful ap
pearance. Nothing but the foundation
is left of the building where once Holy
Mass was wont to be said on each suc
ceeding Sabbath, and a hedge of osage
orange to mark the industry of the holy
father. Near by and further up the hill,
toward the river, stood an old log house,
formerly the property of T. J. Key, pro
prietor of the first newspaper; the last
tenant it had was Mr. Murdock, the first
Presbyterian minister that ever located
here. His church was not well attended,
and, of course, he did not receive the
support necessary to "keep the wolf
from the door," therefore he removed
to Missouri.
On the point of this hill, and nearly
opposite the Mix House, stands a very
old building, now the property of John
Earheart. It was built of the upper
works of the old steamboat "Pontiac,"
by James F. Forman. It was occupied
when I arrived in Doniphan, by General
Whitfield, register of the land office
and once our delegate to congress.
The "Pontiac" was sunk about two miles
above the town, in what is called Smith's
Bend, some ten or twelve years ago. I
understand that someone found her hull
and is now engaged in digging it out.
She,it is said, had, when sunk, a consid
erable amount of liquor on board. If
they' have found her and this be true, it
will be quite a prize.
Doniphan, while yet working under a
charter, concluded that a lock-up was
necessary, in view of many bad char

acters infesting the city. One was built
near the old drug store in the rear of the
store now occupied by Phillips & Small-
wood. It was built of cottonwood and
made very strong with only two small
windows— not large enough to supply
sufficient air in warm weather. The
first one sentenced to this lockup was a
man by the name of Wright, better
known as "Saturday" Wright. It was a
very hot day, and after being in a few
hours, someone concluded to speak to
him through the window; but receiving
no answer he informed the keeper to
open the door. Wright was found to be
almost suffocated, but after considerable
effort was restored. He did not trouble
the authorities any more while the house
stood. It, too, soon passed as a land
mark of the "city."
In 1858 a lodge of Good Templars was
organized at this place, under very fav
orable circumstances, and continued to
flourish and do good for a long time.
But when the railroad was located here
it was effectually crushed, by most of
the male members celebrating the event
in an intemperate manner. The Masonic
Lodge was organized and has continued
to flourish ever since. Both these orders
occupied at the time of organizing, the
building once used as the Land Office.
The Masons, now, as they have for some
years, occupy a fine hall over Phillips
& Smallwood's store. I believe there
was a lodge of Sons of Temperance or
ganized here not many months ago, but
it has ceased to meet.
But it is time I was looking at the
bright side of the picture, for it has a
brighter side. The present business men

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

71

of the towu have seen the necessity for
a change of programme, in order to get
their money back, and therefore a new
company was formed, brought out of the
old one and commenced a more liberal
way of disposing of lots, the consequence
of which has been to bring tradesmen to
town. Doniphan now boasts of three
good drygoods stores, one drug store, a
tin shop, two blacksmith shops, a good
hotel, a fine flouring mill, a saw mill,
one agricultural implement store, one

An Early Church Festival.
One of the first great church festivals
in the County was held at St. Benedict's
near Syracuse, in January, 1867. We
offer some extracts from a correspondent's
letter published in the Troy Reporter,
January 31, 1867, giving a full account
of the affair.
"The Catholic Festival at St. Bene
dict's church, Syracuse, commenced on
Tuesday, tho 1 5 th, and ended on the 16th. •
The first day was tine and pleasant and

rk packing establishment,, and three those who came from a distance(of whom

poheavy grain buyers and shippers. Mi-
Adam Brenner was a regular grain dealer.
His first shelling was done by hand
shellers, then he progressed to horse
power and now he has applied steam.
He does a very heavy business in this
line. The next permanent buyer is Mr.
McCrum, who does about an equal busi
ness with the first named. Mr. McCrum
will shell by steam, this season, having
an engine on the way to his place. The
third is Mr. Symns, at present one of the
County commissioners. He put up a
large corn house last fall and has it now
almost filled. Mr. Symns also packed
this winter some thirteen hundred head of
hogs. There is now nearly seven thous
and bushels of corn in store here; and
when we consider the ravages made by
the grasshoppers last spring it is aston
ishing that so much was raised in this
part of the country. Give the farmers
a clear field in this part of the country
and they will rival the "Egypt" of Illi
nois. Doniphan has one of the finest
schools in the County. Take it all to
gether Doniphan is now in a very healthy
state of improvement." L. A. H.

there were many) had a pleasant drive.
Dinner was served on two large tables
the length of the church, which is seven
ty-five feet long. It was sumptuous and
substantia], consisting of turkeys, chickens
hams, geese, pastries, cakes of different
kinds, pickles, coffee, tea, etc. The
tables had to be set three times to give
all a chance to refresh the inner man.
The church was crowded to overflowing
and all appeared to enjoy themselves.
Those who came from a distance were
taken care of by the citizens of the vi
cinity, though some staid in the church .
all night. Some of the younger folks en
joyed themselves at a dance in the neigh
borhood and kept it up until morning.
Considering the disadvantages under
which the ladies labored, the country be
ing thinly settled, compared with some
of the older states, I consider it one of
the most successful undertakings of the
kind that has ever been gotten up in the
County. The Catholics of that vicinity
have built a church 75 feet long, 35 feet
wide, and 19 feet high— one of the largest
and most expensive churches at present in
this part of the state— without any as-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

sistance from any party* outside of their
own neighborhood; and this is the only
effort they have ever made outside of
their own community toward collecting
anything for the completion of the
church. The second day was rather cold, but
there was fully as large a crowd as on
Tuesday. Dinner was served about 12
o'clock, and everybody partook heartily
of it. I noticed after dinner, several
baskets of chicken, turkey, ham, etc.,
showing a surplus of eatables that should
have supplied the same number for two
days more.
I must not omit noticing the Troy
Brass Band, which discoursed sweet mu
sic at intervals during the day. Nor
must I forget the young ladies in their
zeal for the church, for I can promise
you, and prove by any gentlemen who
were present, that they will stick to a
man as long as he has a cent of money in
his pocket, or as long as he has a friend to
draw from. But I must not be too se
vere on them, as they were working in a
good cause.
From what I can learn of the amount
of money received in the two days, it
amounts to $445, clear of all expenses—
which is doing pretty well for a country
church,considering the time of year."

The Grasshoppers.
In different years grasshoppers have
shortened the crops of the county, but
on two occasions only have they done
great damage. In 1866 the fields of
grain were few and small and the area of
distruction was limited; nevertheless the
damage done by the "hoppers" caused

more suffering than it __ was the lot of
farmers of later years to endure. There
are comparatively few persons now liv
ing in the county who remember any
thing of the devastation of crops in 1866,
but many a present citizen will easily call
to mind the grasshopper experience of
1874-5. One Sunday afternoon in -the
summer of 1874, people glancing sky
ward obtained their first glimpse of the
pests as they came drifting in clouds
from the west. About two o'clock
they began to descend upon the fields,
and at a late hour they were still fall
ing like Lucifer's angels. The ground
was literally covered with them. With
in a few days large fields of corn, whose
fine stalks had been standing in proud
rows became a desert presenting a scene
to sicken the strongest heart. The pro
gress of the insects was slow but contin
uous, and the tall stalks, first stripped of
their leaves, fell in even swaths, as if
swept by the flames of an invisible fire.
After the destruction of the crops, the
egg laying began, and the helpless farmer
looked with sad eyes on the work of pro
pagation. Early the next spring the indestructible
eggs began to hatch by the billion and
very soon the ground was covered with
tiny 'hoppers soon to develop into form
idable pests. Hogs fattened on them, for
they were very easily caught before their
wings grew out. Chickens grew weary
of their grasshopper diet, but they search
ed in vain for a green blade or a juicy
stem. Every conceivable plan to annihil
ate the pests was tried, but with little or
no success. Farmers dug long ditches in
the field and with sheet spread out, drove

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

73

the insects before them into the ditches
where they were buried alive or burned.
We have seen these pits hundreds' of
feet in length and two or three feet in
depth tilled with hopping, writhing
masses, and have 'listened to many rude
jests and unpalatable tales concerning
"roasted redlegs" and "grasshopper pie."
Oats, barley and spring wheat were at
tacked by the half-fledged insects, and
after a few days' work, the same fields
had changed from growing green to deso
late brown, and one who had not known
the cause of the change had said that the
fields had been swept by fire. So great
was the damage done and so wonderful
were the stories told concerning the pests
that "Kansas" and "grasshopper" be
came synonymous.
For the benefit of the younger folks
who have grown up since the grasshopper
year of '75, we give a short description
of the insect and his methods of destruc
tion. The real destroyers are seldom seen
except in time of devestation, when they
always appear in countless millions.
The grasshopper that flies ahead of you
on the road, frequently turning and
striking you in the face, is not the crop
destroyer but a distant relative of his.
This big fellow in the yellow coat is
comparatively harmless. He is quite
satisfied to live on plain grass, weeds and
sunlight. The real mischief maker is
the small chap with the red legs and the
enormous appetite. His fjriends join
him on the edge of a wheat field and
they begin their march of destruction
pressing forward in line like soldiers.
The marching column is from ten to fif
teen feet deep, and as the insect soldiers
advance into the field, they fly over one
another continually, those in the rear
over the ones in front, and there is seen
a constant flashing of wings in the sun

light. The ground over which they
have passed is left quite bare, not a stem
being left to indicate what kind of grain
had been growing there. This merci
less army is quite capable of destroying
a ten acre field of wheat within the space
of a few hours, and the next field
is attacked with renewed vigor and
so on until their work of destruc
tion is completed. May our children,
and our children's children be spared
from the ravages of a grasshopper plague. '

St Joseph & Topeka Bailroad.
In 1858 the St. Joseph & Topeka
Railroad company obtained a charter
from the Kansas legislature. The St.
Joseph city directory for 1860 shows
that Willard P. Hall was president; John
Corby, vice-president; M. Jeff Thompson,
secretary; Joseph C. Hull, treasurer.
The city of St. Joserh issued bonds to
the amount of $50,000, to aid the enter
prise. It was not until 1872, however
that anything was done. In that year a
line was built from Wathena to Doniphan
via Palermo and Geary City, by George
H. Hall, John L. Motter, O. B. Craig,
Wm. Craig and Geo. W. Barr. The
road was leased to the K. C, St. J. &
C. B. company and operated until 1876.
Trains were run from St. Joseph to
Atchison, the St. Joseph and Western
tracks being used to Wathena, and the
Atchison & Nebraska tracks from Doni
phan to Atchison. The road had been
bonded and the bonds placed with a firm
of New York brokers. Before the bonds
were disposed of, the firm failed
and the bonds were taken by its
creditors as assets and foreclosed. The
line was acquired by the St. Joseph &
Western company. After a time the
rails were taken up and used on that road.

CHAPTER VII.

TALGS OF TRAG6PY.

1854 Young Lady. Burned to death
on Rock Creek, three miles south of
Brenner.
1855 Waggoner and Swintz. Shot near
present site of Severance.
Samuel Collins. Killed at Doni
phan November 29.
1856 Unknown. Drowned at Belle
mont Bend.
1857 Unknown. Found murdered in
Marion township.
George Parker. Killed by engine
boiler explosion in Doniphan.
Parker and Milburn. Killed by
lightning near Syracuse.
Henry Latham. Murdered at Doni
phan. Connor. Killed by a horse east of
Troy.
1858 John Pierson. Death by suicide
near Iowa Point.
Cornelius McCoy. Drowned in In
dependence Creek near Rector's
Ford. W. K. Easley. Killed on a bridge
over Roy's Creek in September.

1859 Charles Dewy. Drowned in the
Missouri, at White Cloud, June 13.
John Kinison. Drowned in the
Missouri, near White Cloud,May27.
Dana Fox. Murdered near High
land.
1860 Murphy. Killed crossing a bridge
over a small branch of Wolf River,
in Iowa township.
Charles McCloskey. Accidentally
shot while hunting.
1861 Negro Slave. Killed by slave
hunters near Troy.
Alex. Kinkead. Stabbed and kil
led in Burr Oak township, by
Joseph Tribble.
Parker A. Hooper. Killed at
Hooper's Ford in April, by John
Cummings. CI as. Hamilton. Killed by James
Carr, at Charleston.
1862 "White Horse" (Indian). Found
dead on Reservation, White Cloud,
January 29.
Whitney. Son of O. C. Whitney,
White Cloud, killed by falling f.om

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

75

his horse, December 16.
Webster. Killed by soldiers at
White Cloud, September 8.
D. W. Fritzlein. Shot and killed
by John Young, between Elwood
and Wathena, September 21.
Unknown. Found dead on Devil's
Run in northeastern Wolf River
township. Samuel Slaughter. Killed by
soldiers near Elwood, September 4.
Grandison Wilson. Killed by sol
diers near Walnut Grove, Sept. 2.
1863 James Round. Accidentally shot
himself December 16, near Brown
County line.
Two Indians, "Bob White Cloud
and i"Thermana." Killed in quar
rel on Reservation.
Dr. E. S. Bowman. Killed by
lightning near Welch's branch in
Wolf River township, September 3.
Ward L. Lewis. Shot by an assas-
in at Elwood.
1865 Wm. Frazier. Killed in cyclone
near Highland Station, June 16.
Mary Malen. Burned to death
near the present site of Moray.
Frank Whipple. Drowned in In
dependence Creek, August 5 .
Jacob Wingett. Accidentally
shot by James Pickett, in White
Cloud, June 5.
Daniel O'Rouke. Killed by L.
S. Jennings near White Cloud, in
September.
1866 Jefferson. Three colored chil
dren of Highland were burned to
death, February 12.
John More. Killed by lightning

near Troy, October 7.
Unknown. ~ Drowned in the Mis
souri near Elwood, about September
12. Rebecca Robertson. Died from in
juries received while skating near
home in northeastern Wolf River
township, February 2.
Joseph Hunt. Editor of the Troy
Reporter, died of injuries received
by falling from house.
1867 Unknown. Two men were
drowned in the Missouri, between
Elwood and St. Joseph, Feb. 10.
Schuster. Stabbed and killed by
John Hartman, in Burr Oak town
ship. Smith B. Head. Shot by Hugh J.
Raiidolqh, Marion Township. Ran
dolph was killed in a well a few
years afterwards.
John Barlow. Killed in a well
on what is now the Charles Albers
farm near Syracuse, April 17.
Mullenix. Son of Charles Mul-
lenix was drowned near Mauck's mill,
July 24.
1868 John Miller. Accidentally shot
and killed himself, March 22, on the
steamer St. Joseph.
Terence Harkins. Killed by In
dians, about 125 miles this side of
Laramie, September 21. Home near
White Cloud.
James Coates. Drowned in the
Missouri, at Lafayette, in Doniphan
County, July 28.
1869 N. Smith. Suicided with razor;
home south of Troy, on Rock creek.
Unknown. Boy drowned in the
Missouri September 30.

76

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

1870 Juda. Crushed to death by cars
in Doniphan, about Dec. 22.
Sproles. Scalded to death in
Doniphan in the pork house scald
ing tank, about Dec. 23.
1871 Frank Gossin. Fell into a well at
Troy, August 8.
Mrs. Sawyer. Killed by the fall
ing of a tree in Gladden's Bottom,
Aug. 22.
1872 Joseph D. Pierce. Gored to
death by a bull on Rock Creek,
near Doniphan, July 29.
Margaret Morley. Died from the
effects of an over dose of laudanum,
near Norway, January 27.
John Lysaght. Killed in a runa
way in Burr Oak township, Decem
ber 11.
McLaughlin. Boy, aged 13, died
from exposure and sickness, caused
by extreme cruelty, in White Cloud,
March 24.
Mrs. Thomas Lynch. Killed by
cars at Troy, April 9.
Jonathan Rigby. Shot himself
accidentally, near Geary City,
March 28.
Elijah Young. Killed by light
ning, west of Norway, July 15.
Hancock. Child of George Han
cock, burned to death at Doniphan,
March 2.
Mrs. Doms. Died from injuries
received in a cyclone, May 3 .
Brown. Son of Mr. Brown of
White Cloud, drowned in the Mis
souri, in December.
Kelley. Drowned himself in the
Missouri near White Cloud, Aug. 6.
Guy Craig. Accidentally shot in

Wathena, November. 10.
Alexander Roum. Accidentally
killed in scuffle with John Retchetz-
kie, over a revolver. Both men
were from Brenner, but this oc
curred. in Seneca, November 12.
1873 Fireman Perkins. Killed by cars
on the A. &. N. railway between
Troy Junction and Doniphan, March
31. Mrs. Elliot. Shot herself at
Geary City, August 4.
1874 Meers. Son of Nathaniel Meers,
accidentally shot near Troy, Janu
ary 1.
James Burke. Dragged to death
by a horse, in the St. Benedict
neighborhood, September 10.
Darius Willis. Killed by thresh
ing machine.
E. Binder. Suicide by poison at
Higby House, Troy, June 1 1 .
James Fulton. Shot in a quarrel,
near Wathena, in August.
Elijah Emery. Killed by cars in
Geary City, October 1 7 .
John Trotman. Suicide by
drowning in Peter's Creek, Octolcr
23. Ketchem. Six year old girl,
burned to death near Geary City,
January 22.
1875 James McGalliard. Killed in a
well in District No. 49, January 20.
Harrison Grubb (colored). Shot
and killed by a mob near Troy.
James McPherson, of Wathena, one
of the mob, was accidentally shot
and killed at the same time.
Arthur P. Combe. Shot and

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

77

killed by a man named Harris, in
Doniphan, April 6.
Berry. Daughter of Thomas Berry
of Leona, died of snake bite, in
August. Anna Pengra. Drowned (?) in the
Missouri, north of Troy, June 2.
Mrs. Cowley. Died suddenly on
the cars at Troy Junction, August
17. Elsworth Monroe. ' Drowned in
pond near Troy, September 5.
Mrs. Wm. Hurst. Killed by hus
band at White Cloud, July 29.
John O'Shea. Murdered near
East Norway, April 5.
Hugh Randolph. Killed in a well
in Marion Township, August 24.
Nicholls. Son of Mr. Nicholls,
south of Troy, poisoned, August 16.
1376. Mrs. Brackenbury. Killed by
the cars near Fanning, November 10.
Chris. Turkleson. Drowned near
Leona, February 19.
Thomas B. Blackenship. Killed
by falling from his wagon in Burr
Oak Township, March 4.
Cornelius Kirley. Kicked to
death by a mule. James Kirley,
his brother, was crushed to death by
a wagon some years later. The
father, Patrick Kirley, was thrown
from his horse and killed, in July
1898, near St. Benedict's church.
1877 Hopkins. A child of Dr. G., S.
Hopkins, accidentally poisoned in
Severance, September 1.
Charles M. Devine. Suicide by
hanging, near Highland, October 1 1 .
1878 Calvert. Daughter of Jasper
Calvert, kicked by a horse near

Troy, October 14.
Clement Pope. A young son of
Clement Pope, killed by a small cy
clone, near Norway, now Moray,
July 30.
Moses Black. Killed by flying
timber in wind storm, near Pleasant
Ridge, Wayne Township, July 3.
J. R. Jeffries. Dragged to death
by a mule, near Highland, August 20.
1879 Joseph Sykes. Stabbed and killed
by Ira Mclntyre, in Severance, Nov
ember 16.
Thomas McGee. Died from the
rupture of a blood vessel in the brain
caused by a fall on railroad bridge
at Severance in March.
Andrew Loyd. Killed by cars at
Brenner, February 25.
Joseph Schneider. Shot by sheriff
while resisting arrest in Burr Oak
Township, September 3.
1880 B. F. Herring. Shot and killed
himself August 16, near Highland.
Leslie Watkins. Ten year old boy
kicked by a horse, February 24.
Mrs. LeDeu. Killed by the cars
near White Cloud, in February.
She was one hundred years old.
Milburn. Two year old child,
poisoned by little brothers near
Brush Creek in December.
Ed. Hayton. Accidentally shot
himself near Wathena, October 20.
1881 Norman Steanson. Son of
Thomas Steanson, north of Norway,
kicked by a mule, August 6.
Miss F. . Furguson. Suicide by
poison, at Troy Junction, December
9. Unknown. Drowned in pool of

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

water at Wathena, during the rise
of the Missouri.
Nelson. Small child of Mrs. L.
C. Nelson of Severance, came to her
death by administration of wrong
medicine, March 29.
Charles McCauley, Frank Wheeler,
William Dunn. Killed in- rear end
train collision between Troy and
Wathena, June 17.
1882 John Hines, Accidentally shot
and killed himself on Wolf river,
January 6.
Michael Kelley. Killed by cars
near Fanning, January 14.
Leander Hoverson. Killed by
cars at Norway, March 23.
Richter. Shot and killed by his
wife near Leona, May 2. She then
shot and killed herself.
John James. Accidentally shot
and killed at Doniphan by a com
panion, May 4.
Charles Morehead. Killed by
cars near Severance, May 29.
1883 Judge Price. Suicided at Troy,
April 8.
Neal Gillen. Drowned in Union
Township, June 16.
Fred Mueller. Suicide, Burr Oak
Township, June 14.
George McDaniel. Killed by cars
near Highland Station, July 9.
Robinson (boy. ) Dragged to death
by cow, at Severance, December 10.
John Burria. Killed in runaway
near Highland, March 27.
1884 Charles McCabe. Hung himself
in Union Township, March 1.
John Dunning (boy.) Hung him

self at Doniphan, March 11.
Marion Stairwalt. Accidentally
killed in a saw mill at Petersburg
Bottoms, April 3.
Cathers. Killed by cars at Iowa
Point, April 25.
Jacob Zimmerman. Hung himself
near Troy, August 15.
James Brenteno. Accidentally
killed at threshing machine, in
Union Township, August 29.
Wm. Ege and Joseph Langan.
Poisoned by mistake at bar in Don
iphan, November 1.
Charles Williams. Suicide by
shooting, at White Cloud, December
14. Peter Studer. Killed by a fall
from a wagon, December 13.
George Donaldson. Killed by
cars near Norway, November 21.
1885. James Bethards. Suicide by
shooting, west of Troy, March 18.
William A. Fenley. Killed by
Peter Weininger, near Highland, in
June.
1886. James Dryden. Killed by cars
near Troy, December 22.
1887 William S. Myers. Drowned near
Troy, June 17.
Paul Gentet. Killed by lightning,
in Marion Township, July 20.
Michael Buckley. Killed by the
cars near Wathena, August 26.
R. H. Barber. Killed by acci
dental discharge of gun, near White
Cloud, January 17.
1888 Mrs. J. C. Weidensaul. Suicide by
shooting, north of Highland, May 5.
Mulligan (boy. ) Accidentally shot

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

79

himself, near Severance, June 11.
Wm. Cole. Killed by the cars at
Wathena, July 4. Deaf and dumb'.
James C. Williamson. Neck brok
en in runaway, in Washington Town
ship, August 3.
Ed. Williams. Suicide by shoot
ing, at his home on Mosquito creek,
September 8.
Tom Kirley. Killed in runaway
in Union Township, December 4.
1889 Ferdinand Von Leevre. Mur
dered at his home in Wayne Town
ship in January.
Mick. Killed on Indian Reserva:
tion by Frank DeLong, June 30.
Nathan Bender. Suffocated in a
well near Doniphan, October 30.
J. W. Cook. Killed in a cellar
at Wathena by a blow received in
falling, June 6.
1890 Neal Heeney. Killed by lightning
near Severance, May 31.
J. S. Williams. Killed by cars
two miles west of Bendena, June 11.
Charles Dockhoru. Shot and
killed by Charles Carroll, near El
wood in April.
1891 Freeman. Suicide by shooting
after having killed his wife and
child in Severance, August 4.
Wm. H. Mertz. Suicide at Leona,
November 28.
Fred Paul. Killed by cars at El
wood, December 2.
Otto Vogt. Killed in runaway,
north of Troy, December 11.
1892 Napoleon B. Boxley. Killed by
cars, at Elwood, about December 21.
1893 NealPinyerd. Accidentally killed

.in lit' watermelon patch near Denton,
in August.
¦ '•' Charles Rowe. Killed by falling
from the cars near Wathena, July 4.
Lewis! Schletzbaum. Drowned in
Doniphan Lake, August 6.
1894 tJiiliidWh. Killed by cars in
Goll's cut', 6ne mile east of Sever
ance, during the winter.
1895 Garvey. Son of T. Garvey of
Severance, dragged to death by a
horse. William Hayton. Dragged to
death by a team hitched to a wagon
' at Troy, A] ril 12.
' William Mack (colored.) Killed
by cars near Bendena, June 11.
James Wright. Killed at White
Cloud by Sesto, an Italian, June 23.
' Drenning, Shanklin. Ed. Dren-
niug, killed by cars while making
an attempt to save Shanklin, who
was on the track, September 21.
1896 John Jones. Neck broken by
¦ fall from a load of hay, near Ben
dena, November 10.
Jacob Kout. Dragged to death by
his horses in Union Township in
January.
1897 Unknown. Killed by cars at
Severance during the summer.
Charles Rosquin. Killed by the
cars near Bendena, in March.
1898 Wendell Braun. Nine year old
son of Wendell Braun. drowned in
cistern near Doniphan, November 6.
1899 Henry Smith. Drowned in the
Missouri, July 23.
E. A. Harriot. Killed by falling
from cars at Wathena, September 6.

80

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

John Ruhl. .Killed in a runaway
near Highland, September 21.
Dittemore. Son of Bud Ditte
more, burned to death in November.
Milford Booth. A bachelor who
lived in a dug-out near Iowa Point,
smothered to death by a cave-in, in
the spring of the year.
1900 Capt. Casey. Shot by Ed. Young
on the Charleston Bar, April 3.
Wm. Bridgens. Killed by the cars
at Elwood, February 28.
Mary Herring. Burned to death
near Highland Station, November 15.
Jordan Vanderslice. Died of hy
drophobia near Highland Station,
August 25.
Lizzie Vanbebber. Suicide by
poisoning near Leoriai July 9.
Wm. Folche. Died in a well
near Brenner, in March.
Mrs. James Galloway.' ' Drowned
in the river near ¦ Wathena, in Au
gust. Perry Round. Drowned in the
Missouri river at Elwood, August 10.
1901 Carl White. Shot and fatally in
jured by Howard Lang, at Troy,
September 29.
1902 Thomas Nelson. Killed at Geary
City, October 26.
1903 Fred Huff. Accidentally shot
himself on Cedar Creek, February 6.
1904 Tony Long (colored.) Killed by'
the cars at Wathena, September 3.
Edward Doyle. Killed by the
cars between Troy and Wathena,
May 22.
Isaac Miller. Suicide at Elwood,
September 6.

1905 Geo. Erskine. Killed by falling
from a load of hay, January 15.
Vera Curtis. Suicide by drink
ing carbolic acid, two miles west of
Troy, July 1.
Wm. Mitchel. Shot and killed in
his bed at Troy, in June.
Five Men. Five men were
drowned in the Missouri, above El
wood, early in the spring.

George D. Bennett, County Assessor
in 1861, but later a notorious horse
thief, was caught and hung near Wathena
on Sunday, August 14, 1864. His de
predations in connection with a gang of
thieves and murderers had been numer
ous and aggravating. He committed an
outrage during the winter of 1863-4,
barely escaping being caught by leaving
the state. When he fled his wife re
mained at Elwood. A few days before
his final capture he was seen lurking
around his place. The citizens, deter
mined to make him pay the penalty,
found him in his hiding place in a hay
mow, and took him to Wathena, where
preparations were made to hang him.
He proposed if the men would not hang
him, he would tell where a valuable stal
lion, that had been stolen from a Mr.
Rogers, could be found. He attempted
fo escape but was shot and severely
wounded by four or five bullets. There
was no delay. He was strung up at
once and left hanging for some time.
On the following day his remains were
buried in Bellemont cemetery.

CHAPTER VIIL

GPITORS ANP THGIR WORK.

BRIEF NEWSPAPER HISTORY.
Since the organization of the County,
in 1855, more than forty-five newspapers
have been born. A score of them died
in their babyhood, and many never
reached the years of their "teens," Only
one of the very first has survived, to en
joy the life and pi'osperity of the present
day— the Chief, born in the fifties. Fol
lowing is a brief historical mention of
each. In the town histories will be
found additional information concerning
these publications.
Constitutional ist. --The Doniphan Con
stitutionalist was the first paper ever
published in the county. It was started
in 1855, by Thomas J. Key. It lived
about two years.
Chief.— The first issue of the Chief was
printed at White Cloud the first week in
June, 1857. In July, 1872, the office
was removed to Troy, where it is still
published. Sol Miller was the editor un
til the spring of 1897, when he died.
Era.— A paper called the Era began
publication at Geary City, in June 185 7,
with three editors in the sanctum— E. H.

Grant, Republican; Joseph Thompson,
Democrat; Earl Marble, American. It
was a free state paper, but it soon died,
aged less than two years.
Advertiser.— In July, 1857, Fairman
& Newman started the Elwood Adver
tiser, a neutral paper, which lived only
until the wild plums were ripe again.
Crusader of' Freedom.— This paper
was established at Doniphan by James
Redpath, early in 1858, to boom Jim
Lane for the presidency, but Lane soon
picked a quarrel with the editor, and the
paper gave up the ghost after a few
months of existence.
Enquirer.— Thomas Key, taking "a
sack" of type which had been used in
the printing of the Doniphan Constitu
tionalist, went to Iowa Point and started
the Enquirer, in July 1858. It proved a
failure. Leader.— In the summer of 1858, F.
W. Emery and Charles Perham estab
lished the leader at Palermo, but it died
in the great drouth of 1860.
Free Press.— In the winter of 1858-9
the Elwood Free Press was established

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

on the ruins of the Advertiser. Its ed
itors were D. W. Wilder and Albert L.
Lee. Later, Harmon D. Hunt was one
of the editors. The paper dried up in
the fall of 1861.
Democrat.— Late in 1858 Joseph
Thomrsbn, taking the outfit of the
Geary City Era to Troy, established the
Democrat at that place. After a "check
ered" career of a few weeks it turned up
its leaden toes.
Highlander.— About the opening of
the year 1859, Faulkner & Seaver began
the publication of the Highlander at
Highland, with T. P. Herrick, editor.
It passed away after arfew months of
real usefulness.
Dispatch.— In the fall of 1859, Ansel
Watrous, Jr., and J. W. Biggers started
the Dispatch, a Democratic paper, at Iowa
Point. The editor was Dr. Jabez Robin
son. The spring of 1860 saw its death
in Iowa Point, but in the fall of the
same year it was resurrected and. pub
lished at Troy as the Doniphan County
Dispatch, with Biggers handling the
quill. After the election it died again.
Post.— The Doniphan Post, Demo
cratic, by George Rees and , his brother,
was establishad in the sufnmer of 1860.
It lived a little over a year, the political
climate not being suited to its constitu
tion. Patriot.— Dr. E. H. Grant, with the
material of, the defunct Post, started the
Doniphan County. Patriot, in Troy, in
April, 1862. It was made a Lane paper.
F. M. Tracy was afterwards connected
with it, but it was absorbed by the In
vestigator in the spring of 1864.

Investigator.— In February, 1864, the
Investigator, an anti-Lane paper, was
started at Troy. Its editor was H. C.
Hawkins. The paper soon absorbed the
Patriot, but was itself soon converted
into another paper, the Soldier, estab
lished the following year.
Soldier.— In 1865, just after the close
of the war, the Doniphan Soldier was
established at Troy, S. H. Dodge being
the editor. It soon "folded its tent,"
there being no more fighting to be done.
Reporter.— The Patriot - Investigator-
Soldier outfit was used by Joseph H.
Hunt to start the Reporter in Troy in
1865, which was continued by him until
his death in 1866. Robert Tracy then
took hold of the paper and published it
until it was taken to Wathena, in 1867,
where it was run under the management
of E. H. Snow- and George W. Larzer-
lere, until 1877, when it died.
Republican.— In November, 1868, C.
G. Bridges started the Republican at
Troy. In 1871 he sold it to Beal &
Sanborn, who ran it until 1875, when
Sol Miller bought the outfit and buried
the paper.
Democrat.— A paper called the Demo
crat was started in Doniphan, in May,
1871, by J. J. Ricketts. Thomas Stivers
was the editor. In 1872 the paper fol
lowed the path leading to the already well
populated newspaper graveyard.
Herald. — The Herald was started at
Doniphan in 1872, by Drs. J. J. and W.
W. Crook, but even those brother phy
sicians could not save the paper from an
early death. The Herald was Democratic.
Leader. —A Grange paper called the

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

83

Leader was established at White Cloud
in August, 1872, by Yard and Overholt;
but fate got the "underholt," and the
paper lived only about two months.
Bulletin.— C. G. Bridges, once of the
Republican, bought the Wathena Re
porter in May, 1877, and, bringing the
outfit to Troy, established the Bulletin,
a Hayes paper. In January, 1879, it
croaked. Sentinel.— An in lependent paper, the
Sentinel, was established at Highland in
January, 1878, by George F. Hammer,
but it did not live to see the flowers of
spring. Advance.— In February, 1878, E. A.
Davis started a greenback paper in Wa
thena, calling it the Advance. He did
not succeed in getting together enough
greenbacks to pay expenses, and so had
to suspend publication of the paper the
following June.
Mirror.— This paper, founded on the
ruins of the Advance, by George W.
Larzelere, the same year at Wathena,
did not live long.
Review.— In October, 1880, the White
Cloud Review was founded by George
H. Holton. The paper was Republican.
It died in September, 1887.
Central State.— The Central State,
Democratic, was started at Highland in
November 1880, by John L. Parker.
Soon after it passed into control of a
man named Moore. Its life was short
and not very sweet.
Bible Investigator.— The Bible Inves
tigator, a paper devoted to the discussion
of religious subjects, was started at Don
iphan in 1882, by William Kirby. Its

publication was not long continued.
News.— In March, 1882, Dr. Welsh ,&
Son started the Doniphan News, a small
local paper, but continued its publication
only about six months. This little paper
was a great joke.
Enterprise.— The Severance Enterprise
was established in February 1883, by H.
II . Brookes, and dried up a few months
later. Times.— E. J. Van Deventer started
the times in Severance, August 30, 1883,
a few weeks after the decease of the
Enterprise, but the first frost, which
came early in November, killed it.
Times'.— On September 3, 1886, A.
W. Beale established the Times in Troy.
The paper had many owners and editors,.
and lived until about 1900.
Resurrection-Eagle.— David Magounr
a hot-footed printer, started a, paper in
White Cloud in October, 1887, calling it
the Resurrection. The second week the
name was changed to the Eagle, and the
fifth week the bird soared away.
Review.— The White Cloud Review
again appeared in August, 1888, Saun
ders Brothers were the proprietors. It
existed until January, 1890.
News.— The Severance News was
started on the 6th of April by W. T. Ran
dolph. In September, 1892, it was
purchased by P. L. Gray, who published
it until the Spring of 1897. Since that
time it has had four editors, L. P. John
son, Eva Ryan, M. Lucey, and Hattie E.
Peeler. Gazette.— The Wathena Gazette made
its first appearance on the fourth of July,
1889, published byC. C. Bartruff. About

84

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

a year later it was dead and under ground.
Echo.— The Bendena Echo first saw the
light in the rear of the store of Pat Gray,
at Bendena, on the 13th of July, 1889.
It was a very small paper containing local
news and literary matter. The publish
ers were Gray and Morgan. The author
of this Histdry set his first stick of type
in the Echo office. The paper died young.
Nuncio.— The publication of the High
land Nuncio began about December, 1889,
in charge of the students of the Univers
ity. We do not know how long it lived.
Vidette.— H. S. Hogue started the Vi-
dette at Highland, in February, 1892.
The paper was purchased by Tobias Lar-
sen, in 1897 and is still in his charge. It
is a very good little paper, with a bright
minded editor.
Globe.— In the spring of 1892, J. J.
Faulkner established the White Cloud
Globe, which is still continued by E. L.
Marker. Sun.— E. C. Mailler, aged 17, started the
Sun at Leona, in 1894. It was burned
out, but was re-established. However, it
died after a year's struggle against bad
luck in hard times.
Hustler.— The Doniphan County Hust
ler was established over the ruins of the
Sun, by E. C. Mailler ( the irrepressible
Bunt), iu January, 1897. It lived about
a year. In March, 1903, Harry Mailler,
"Bunt's little brother," purchased the
outfit of the defunct Hustler and estab
lished Hustler II, which is still continued.
The desire to print is in the Mailler fam
ily, and the present editor of the Hustler
is a young man who will one day shine a
bright star in the literary firmament.

Star.— Bert Howard started the Star at
Wathena, about 1895. After a few years
of struggle it began to show symptoms of
dyspepsia. Pool Grinstead took charge
and made it a newsy sheet; but he got in
to political trouble, and lost it. He then
established the Republican. But his pol
itical views again got him into trouble
and his second paper was lost to him.
Possessing true editorial grit, he started
a third paper and called it the Times.
Some months ago he severed connections
with this third venture, but we feel sure
that he hasn't put off the harness for good.
Both the Republican and the Times still
continue. Vtheel.-In 1896, C. E. Williamson
began the Wheel at Denton ; but it soon
rolled away.
Journal.— A paper called the Journal
established at Denton late in the nineties,
soon wore out for lack of oil.

Let us all admire the courage of our
own Sol Miller, who, in 1857, when there
was less than half a dozen houses in the
village of White Cloud, opened his "sack
of type" and founded the Kansas Chief,
for forty years the best all round paper
in the State. Miller was one of the few
men who lived through the troublesome
times when men settled their differences
with sword, and gun, and knife, without
ever having pulled the trigger of a gun to
fire a shot. In his own sketch of his life
he stated that he never had fired a gun,
which is a remarkable statement for a pi
oneer editor to make.
* =f T ?

CHAPTER IX.

KUTSHSLL HISTORY.

Six car loads of hemp were recently
shipped from Troy, raised principally by
Norwegian farmers on the high prairie
west of town. The price paid was 160
atom —White Cloud Chief , June, 1872.
At the house of Benj . Harding, near
where Wathena now stands was held the
first county election, November 24, 1 854.
Election of delegates to Congress.
There are still living in the County a
few men who remember Jim Lane's big,
bony forefinger, his bear skin overcoat,
and his calf skin vest. The old folks
speaking of Lane always close their re
marks with the signicant saying: "He
was a queer Jim."
In the early sixties the county assessor
found thirty or forty slaves to list as per
sonal property. A slave was. worth con
siderable money. A man named Davis
who lived near Doniphan, traded forty
acres of land for a good, healthy negro
whom he took with him to Missouri.
About the same time a negro slave was
sold at auction in Iowa Point.
The originator of Decoration day, it is

claimed was James Redpath, who was at
one time a resident of this County.
While here he was editor of the Crusader
of Freedom at Doniphan. Some years
ago he was killed by a street car in an
eastern city. Redpath was the author of
one or two books on Kansas, and also of
a life of John Brown.
The first meeting of the newly elected
County commissioners was held at White
head, in October, 1855.
An early pony express rider whose
route lay through this County was John
Fry. He rode from St. Joseph to Seneca
The Doniphan County Agricultural,
Horticultural, and Mechanical Association
completed its organization as an institut
ion of public interest, in the month of
January, 1868 ; since which time it has
been growing in public favor very rapid
ly, and has given an impetus to all branchr
es of agriculture in the County. This
association has received so much encour
agement, and has been so active in its
effect upon the products of the county ,
that it is deemed advisable to hold a coun
ty fair this coming fall; and arrange-

86

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

ments are now nearly cc-mpleted for this
enterprise. This is known to be a step
in the right direction, and one that will
place us much higher in the scale of im
provement. — From Smith & Vaughan's
"History and Directory."
One of the first platform dances in the
county was given at Ryan Station, in
the fall of 1869, at which time the station
was the western terminus of the St. Jo
seph & Denver City Railroad. Elsewhere
in this work will be found a sketch of
this big event, prepared from notes
furnished by one of the fair sex who was
present with her beau.
In 1852 Wathena's wigwam was built
on the spot a few rods north of the place
now occupied by the steam flouring mills .
It was built with a frame work of poles
tied together with hickory bark, and cov
ered with elm bark, and after the remov
al of the chief, it was used for a church
for some time. Old Wathena cultivated
a small field near his wigwam, raising an
abundance of corn and vegetables. In
the very early days he had a few white
neighbors who found him to be a pretty
good Indian, not counting his "habit of
theft." A Grange lodge was organized in School
District No. 8, early in the seventies,
but the grasshoppers came soon after
wards, and chewed big, ragged holes in
the initiating costumes ; also the goat's
bellyband and crupper were gnawed and
destroyed, and the lodge was abandoned.
About 1880 a vein of coal nearly two
feet in thickness was discovered on the
McNulty farm, in the Saint Benedict's
neighborhood. The coal, which was of

fair quality, was used by many of the
neighbors. Evidences of the existence of
coal has been found in different parts of
the County, but we never shall have coal
barons for citizens, because ours is pre
eminently an agricultural County.
Going away frow Doniphan County is
like leaving one's mother, wife, or sweet
heart. This is the substance of the tes
timony of many men who went away but
soon wanted to return.
The disturbances of three earthquakes
have been felt here. The first shock was
felt April 24, 1867, at 2 o'clock in the af
ternoon. The second, almost as severe,
came in September, 1871. The third,
which did little more than arouse light
sleepers, came one morning in October,
1896. During the sixties ague was a common
ailment. There was scarcely a farm that
did not have its swampy places. Malarial
poisons had their origin in those places,
and until they were annihilated by culti
vation and drainage, large quantities of
quinine and boneset were required to pre
serve the health of the settlers.
About the year 1860, thousands of cat
tle that were being driven up from- the
South through the County were attacked
by Texas fever and died, and for many
years the prairies of the southern and
western parts of Wolf River township
were literally covered with their bones.
There have been two excessively dry
years in the history of our County— 1860
and 1901.
The proprietors of Ayer's Ague Cure
at one time owned land here. In the
early days before the swamps and bogs

GRAY'S DOiNirnAN COUNTY HISTuru.

87

had dried up, Dr. Ayer sold enough cure
to purchase many good Doniphan County
farms. There is not an old settler who
will not tell you that ague was, at one
time, more to be dreaded than the visits
of Indians.
There was little timber on the prairies
in the early days. The only groves plant
ed during the sixties were of Cottonwood
transplanted from the river bottoms. A
little later, locusts and box-elders were
brought into use; but these were again
supplanted by maple, walnut, and other
shady trees.. The great sleet storm of
1881 destroyed or retarded the growth of
many fine groves on the high prairies.
Until about 1870, candles and tallow-
dips were in general use. All reading
> and night work was done by those miser
able lights. For a long time there was a
disinclination to use the kerosene lamp,
because of its reputed liability to explode;
besides oil was dear, and the pockets of
the old fashioned jeans were not lined
with gold. Sometimes a rude lantern of
tin with perforations was used for out
door work, and this with its myriad eyes
of fire, was as ghostly thing as one would
wish to see when alone.
At St. Joseph, the river originally flow
ed in front of First street. Later it ran
along Fourth street, and the intervening
land had disappeared. A non-resident
who purchased lots soon after the city
was laid out, returned in 1858, to look
for them. He supposed them to be some
where in the bed of the stream, but had
the curiosity to ascertain by survey. They
proved to be on the other side of the riv
er in Elwood, Kansas.— Richardson's "Be
yond the Mississippi."

The following brief war story we have
from a fairly reliable source: In 1862,
soldiers of the Doniphan County Militia
on their way to meet Gen. Price on his
northern march, camped at Atchison
where, in the shade of night they charged,
not "upon a flock of geese," but upon a
ten dozen flock of chickens belonging to
Mrs. Clem Rohr, putting all to death ex
cept one hoary rooster that no one would
dare to tackle. Next day there was a big
soup feast in the army, and the soldiers
were put in good trim for the prospective
fight with Price. Price having learned
what our boys had done to the poultry,
changed his march. No doubt had our
boys met the famous raider, something
would have happened; whereas, Price not
appearing, there was nothing done, and
those of the boys that did not visit the
brewery returned to their homes with
only chicken blood on their hands.
In the year of 1855, James H. Lane
organized a "Danite" lodge in Doniphan,
for the furtherance of his political
schemes. Pat Loughlin, James Red-
path and others, who had been mem
bers, became disgusted with the workings
of the "order," and divulged some of the
"secrets," and the thing went apart. The
trouble which led to the killing of Col
lins in November of the same year, had
its source in this lodge.
A "prize fight" in which two Doniphan
County men — Jim Loucks and Marion
Steele— were the principals, was fought
on the Missouri side of the river opposite
Doniphan, about the year 1867. The
fight was to have taken place in Doniphan
but the town authorities would not per
mit it, and a sand bar on the Missouri

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

side of the river was chosen for the scene
of the battle. It is said that five hundred
men assembled to witness the event,
which, however, proved a failure and a
disappointment. For a moment there was
a quick exchange of blows, which, ac
cording to accounts, were plainly heard
across the river, a distance of half a mile.
But the fight was lop-sided, and there
was murmuring among the onlookers.
The sledge-hammer blows of Steele were
too much for the slack endurance of
Loucks who quietly but quickly yielded
up the belt.
A Vigilance committee for the detect
ion and punishment of horsethieves was
organized on Cedar creek, in 1862. The
officers were: S. N. Nesbit, R. H. N., C.
E. Fox, A. S. E., S. Plotner, W. R. S.,
H. M. Coburn, W. C, J. Chapson, R. K.,
B. V. Ransom, Secretary.
On Friday, February 11, 1881, a very
heavy snow fell. Next day the wind rose
and the snow drifted high, blocking the
railroads for nearly a week.
Pat Barlow and wife received the pre
mium at the Fair for the best collection
of babies.— Chief, Oct. 4, 1877.
The first new silver change made its
appearance in Troy, in May, 1876. Cy.
Leland brought $50 of it from St. Joseph
and gave it out as change.
In 1871, our County took the lead in
the State, in barley raising. The harvest
yielded 22,872 bushels.
The first telegraph line erected in the
County was put up about 1861 .
The earliest map of the County was
made by Robert Tracy, in 1868. It show
ed congressional and municipal town

ships, sections, etc., but was incomplete.
From April 1, to June 15, 1849, 1,508
wagons crossed on the ferries at St. Jo
seph, bound for California.
A pair of couriers sent out by Dr. Say,
of Major Long's expedition, made the
record race of their lives on the 29th day
of August, 1819, when they ran from Cow
Island in the Missouri (near Atchison) to
the mouth of Wolf River, a distance of
about thirty miles, to intercept the expe
dition boat on its way up the stream, and
hold it for the arrival of the Doctor and
his men who, returning from their prairie
journey in the We&t, reached the river a
day or two after the boat had passed up.
At that time the prairies were covered
with a tall, thick grass, -which made trav
elling extremely difficult, and we may be*
certain that when the Doctor and his little
party finally reached the mouth of the
Wolf, they were a glad but tired lot.
In April, 1874, Col. Ege had a happy
day in his old age, enjoying a genuine
wolf hunt. With his hounds he started
up a huge gray wolf on the north fork of
Independence creek, and gave pursuit,
circling around an area of about s i x
miles, passing near St. Benedict's church
and then striking in toward the river.
The hounds overhauled the game at the
railroad not far from Doniphan, after a
race of about twenty miles, and a fierce
fight ensued, in which the dogs were con
siderably cut up. The colonel came up
and took a hand, when the wolf turned
the fight on him. He seized his stick of
timber and dealt the wolf a blow, appar
ently killing him. Directing a man who
accompanied him to take the wolf on his

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

89

horse in front of him, the two started off
with their prize; but after riding some
distance, the beast returned to life, and
commenced going for the man's legs,
causing him to drop it; whereupon the
colonel cut the wolf's throat with his
pocket knife, killing him "for keeps."
From 1870 to 1875 scores of cattle and
horses were killed on the St. Joseph &
Denver road for which the road never
paid a cent damages to the owners. A
suit against the ro.id for damages was al
most certain to end in the farmer's losing
the case. This state of affairs is what
drove one man to take desperate meas
ures to get revenge when it had become
impossible to get justice. Following is
a copy of a notice found posted upon the
St. Joseph & Denver side of the depot at
Troy Junction, in July,' 1872:
Kansas, July 21st, 1872.
We hereby notify the St. Joseph &
Denver City Railroad Company that if
the stock killing damages heretofore done
is not paid up before August 1st, and if
not, all travelling community will travel
at their own risk, also the future damages
if not paid in ten days after such damage
is done. We ask no boon, we crave no
mercy; but justice we will have, from
Wathena to St. Francis.
(Signed) General Cassander and Co.
Some time after this an attempt was
made to burn the trestles of a bridge near
Norway. The trestles had been burned
at their foundation, but their dangerous
condition was discovered before the cars
came along.
In the spring of 1873, the first complete
map of the County was made by Robert
Tracy. Few men of the County did more

for the people than "Bob" Tracy during
his residence here.
At a County Fair held in Atchison, in
1873, a Doniphan County baby won the
prize offered the best baby. His name
was Buster.
A company of Voluntary Malitia was
organized at Syracuse, June 20, 1861.
In July, 1873, there was very high wat
er in the Missouri— a belated "June rise."
John Parker, a Wathena man, killed a
snake last Friday, on a sand bar in the
river. It was of the kind known as blue
racer and had no business out in the win
ter time.— Chief, January 6, 1896.
From the same issue we. copy the fol
lowing: "Jim Brown, the section fore
man, caught a grasshopper. This is an
open winter."
In October, 1801, some Missouri rebels
running short of lead for ammunition,
crossed the river to Lafayette. Stealing
some 75 feet of lead pipe from the Lyman
saw mill they melted it is.'to bullets and
returned without being discovered.
Nelson Abbey, of Doniphan County,
has a choice ox which he has long been,
fattening for the entertainment of his
friends in the event of Lincoln's election ,
Mr. Abbey was for many years a neigh
bor of Lincoln's.— St. Joseph Free Dem
ocrat, September, 1860.
In December, 1873, a cock fight be
tween Kentucky and Missouri cocks was
seen at Kansas City. The "Missouri"
roosters, which belonged to Col. Ege, of
our County, won all the victories.
In March, 1873, the sheriff sold two
engines at Elwood, on execution for the
personal taxes of the Denver road.

90

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Xzovey Monteva was at one time a cit
izen of this County. We will give a
copy of our History to the first person
who shall pronounce this name without
sneezing. In 1866, a 24-page pamphlet, "The
Western Tier," by D. M. Johnson, was
published from the office of the Troy
Reporter. The Harroun elevator at Elwood cost
-ing 11,000,000.00, was completed in
November, 1899.
On May 20, 1856, commissions were is
sued to officers of the Voluntary Com
pany in Doniphan County called the "Tig
ers," as follows: Alex. H. Dunning, Cap
tain'; Wm. Sublett, First Lieutenant ;
Chas. M. Thompson, Second Lieutenant;
Sylvester Hudson, Third Lieutenant.
High upon the roll of writers for Kan
sas must ever remain the names of two
editors and brave men who had no pap
ers— William, A. Phillips, correspondent
• of the New York Tribune, and James
Redpath, of the St. Louis Democrat, and
of the Boston press. Phillips a Scotch
man, Redpath an Englishman, but both
Kansas men in the heart, much abused
as foreigners, they have made bright
American names.— D. W. Wilder..
Father Augustine Wirth, one of Don
iphan's early priests, was one of the
founders of the famous St. Benedict's
Abbey at Atchison. Many times he made
the journey from Doniphan to Atchison
on foot to attend to the spiritual wants
of a few Catholic families located there.
In 1860, when the fire of drouth swept
over the land, it will be gratefully re
membered that this good man sent East

and procured corn and provisions which
were distributed to the poor at Atchison .
Zach Mooney and Meivin Baughn,
horsethieves who operated in this and
other counties in north eastern Kansas
during the early sixties, shot and killed
Jessie S. Dennis, and severely wounded
another man while resisting arrest in
Nemeha county, in 1866. A reward of
$600 had been offered for their capture.
Baughn was captured and imprisoned, but
soon made his escape from jail. Howev
er, he was recaptured and was executed
at Seneca, on the 18th of September 1868.
"General" W. P. Richardson and his
army were in Doniphan County, in 1856.
Three of the camping grounds are point
ed out by old settlers. One is a short
distance northwest of the present site of
Severance; another, south and west of
the farm on which the Oakland school
house now stands, a few miles from the
Atchison county line; a third at, or near,
Cottonwood Springs, south east of Troy.
It was while encamped in this County
that the "general" received information
that ' 'a state of actual war exists in
Douglas County, and that in other parts
of the Territory, within this division,
robberies and other flagrant violations of
the law are daily occurring by armed bod
ies of men from the Northern states."
The quotation is from the "general's"
letter written from one of his Doniphan
County camps, Augnst 18, 1856.
The streets, alleys, parks and public
grounds of Charleston, Petersburg, Le-
Porte and Mt. Vernon, paper towns of
the County, were vacated by the Legis
lature of 1863-4.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

91

Seven horses were killed by one train
on the St. Joseph & Denver road below
Norway, in May, 1874.
Two fine County bridges— Bayne's and
the Leona bridge— were built in 1'873.
Bayne's was 101 feet in length ; Leona's
77 feet.
A lady who was visiting at the home
of Joshua Rittenhouse at the time of the
great Wolf River cyclone on June 16,
1865, had $800 in her trunk. The trunk
was blown away With the house, and the
lady never found a dollar of the money
or a fragment of the trunk.
In March, 1855, there were in the
Fourteenth District (this County), 655
males, 512 females, 301 natives of the
United States, 46 foreigners, 1 free Negro
and 35 slaves. The number of legal voters
was 334. Total population, 1,167.
In March, 1867, a mail route was es
tablished from Topeka through Holton,
Kennekuk and Troy. This gave the citi
zens of the western part of the County
better mail services.
A train of fifty two wagons, six mules
attached to each, passed through Wathena
April 7, 1867, bound for Salt Lake City.
The macadamized road from Elwood to
Wathena was completed in June, 1866.
In "An Act to incorporate the Wathena
Plank and Macadamized Road Company''
published in "The Statutes of the Terri
tory of Kansas, 1855", the following are
named as members of the Company:
Jno. Curd, J. C. Hull, Preston F. Moss,
Wm. Ridenbaugh, Silas Woodson, Eben-
ezer Blackiston, Wm. Matthews, Milton
Bryant, Dan. Vanderslice, Carey B .
Whitehead, J. P. Blair, andM. Rodgers.

In 1867 specimens of lead ore were
found in the bluffs hear Wathena. At that
time it was believed that lead in paying
quantities could be mined from the hills
in the vicinity.
David W. Morse planted the first broom
corn in Wolf River township, in 1857, on
the farm now owned by Wm. Webb. He
had a broom factory there until 1861,
when he closed it and went into the army.
The Kansas Herald, July, 1855, re
lates the following of Governor Reeder:
"On one occasion a gentleman approached
Gov. R., and said he heard a friend at
Weston, Mo., remark that if Gov. Reeder
returned to the Territory he would gath
er up a company of men, ten thousand if
necessary, and search every part of the
Territory, if need be, to find and hang
him. The governor very cordially thank
ed his informant for the intelligence, and
remarked: 'Tell your friend that whether
he comes at the head of ten hundred or
ten thousand men, it will make no differ
ence ; I shall never be mobbed; and your
friend, if he makes demonstrations in
that direction, may rest assured that his
minutes are numbered, for I will put a
ball through his head, though I know I
shall be cut into inch pieces ten minutes
afterwards. I shall pursue my legitimate
business uninterrupted, else the invader
of my rights shall pay the forfeit.' "
James H. Lane, very frequently refered
to as the "grim chieftain" owned a pre
emption claim near Doniphan, in 1857.
On this land he set up a saw mill and
made other improvements which he soon
afterwards sold, in order that he jnight
take a more active part in the Border
troubles. Jim wonld have done better to

92

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

have held to his Doniphan County farm.
Item from a letter dated "Whitehead,
June 1, 1854": There is a story abroad
that at all the ferries over the Missouri
river they have a cow tied, and a commit
tee to watch emigrants. They ask, "What
animal is that?" If the emigrant says
"A cow," he goes over, but if he answers
"A keow," he is turned back.
Here is a paragraph that was of interest
to the young man of fifty years ago: "At
half past five o'clock on the morning of
March 4, 1854, after a night session, the
Kansas-Nebraska Bill passed the Senate
by a vote of 37 to 14. The title of the
Bill is "An Act to organize the Territor
ies of Kansas and Nebraska.' "
The winter of 1898-9 lacked only 15
days of being six months long. It began
the 16th of October with a big snow
storm. Forty years ago many of the farmers
and their families went to church in carts
-drawn by oxen, and, strange to relate,
.they were seldom late for the opening of
the services.
About the year 1882 the corn planter
was put aside and the checkrower brought
into use. A few years later, the lister
and drill supplanted the checkrower.
The first steam threshing outfit ap
peared along about 1876, and the cum
bersome horse power had to go to the
iron pile. The engine of the outfit was
drawn by horses. The traction engine
soon drove it out of business.
Very often in the early days Indians
were induced by the whites to steal horses
for them. If caught, the Indians stead
fastly refused to inform on their abettors,

taking their punishment in silence. We
find the following in the Chief, October,
1880: "On Sunday, the 23d, three Iowa In
dians crossed the river and proceeded to
the vicinity of Sharp's grove, in Holt
County, Mo., where they stole three fine
horses, which they swam across the river
and took to their village. Maj. Vander
slice, the Indian agent, getting wind of it
took possession of the horses. On Wed
nesday a large body of men came over in
pursuit of the horses and found them at
the agency. The horses and three Indian
thieves were given up and taken over to
Holt. It is pretty well ascertained that
some white men assisted or encouraged
the Indians in this business, but the lat
ter would make no revelations. The In
dians were soundly thrashed and sent
home the same night."
About March 12, 1862, a rebel named
Fulton stopped at the house of a widow
named Hays, near Troy, put his horses
in the barn, fed them, and made himself
at home generally. Mrs. Hays remon
strated, but Fulton paid no attention to
her. She then sent word to Joe Nixon,
who responded promptly. Calling Fulton
out of the house, Nixon shot him, seri
ously wounding him.
Doniphan County apples beat all the
world at the Centennial, in 1876.
In March, 1876, there was a big snow.
In a cut a quarter of a mile long, above
Norway, the snow was twenty-six feet
deep, and trains were stopped for a week.
Digging out the snow was as difficult as
taking out the original dirt.
"Pole Pavey," mentioned in Twain's

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

93

book, was a resident of White Cloud in
1858, and piloted the "White Cloud" on
the famous expedition up the Nemaha,
July 4, 1858.
On Sunday night, August 16, there
was an unusually gorgeous display of the
aurora borealis.
T. J. Ingalls says that while making a
trip up in Doniphan County, a few days
ago, he heard a terrible rumbling near
the Atchison and Doniphan County line.
It sounded like a big eruption, or like
cars crashing together. The sound trav
elled from east to west, and seemed to
come from under the ground. Ingalls
was so much interested in the phenome
non that he stopped at several houses to
discuss it, and was told that the remarka
ble noise was common in that vicinity.
Ingalls has bored a great many wells and
says his experience leads him to believe
that there is an enormous cavern under
the ground in that vicinity, and that the
sound is probably caused by falling rock .
In boring the well at Forest Park, ' he
says the drill went through a large cav
ern, and hundreds of barrels of water
were pumped into it without filling it up.
Casing finally had to be put down before
the drilling could be continued-, delaying
the progress of drilling for a week. —
Atchison Globe, 1905.
The three big earthquakes occurred on
the following dates: September, 1865,
April 27, 1867, and October 31, 1895.
A very large meteor appeared in the
north eastern sky about 9 o'clock on the
night of December 27, 1875. It was seen
to burst into fragments, and about two
minutes later a report like that of a can

non was heard over a wide area of coun
try. The spring of 1858 brought plenty of
rain. Immense crops of corn were raised
by Doniphan County farmers. Jake
Bursk, near Syracuse, had more corn than
he knew what to do with. He had a lot
of it piled up on the prairie and sold it
to the freighters out of the pile at ten
cents a bushel. Mr. Bursk used to say :
"I'm going back to Ohio where I won't
be bothered with such big crops of corn.
A man will get rich too quickly out here
in Kansas." The next year the crop was
not so large, and the year after that, 1860,
the great drouth came to burn up the
country. Five years later Adam Brenner
was paying $1 to $1.25 a bushel to Syra
cuse farmers for their corn and they did
not have to deliver it, either. Immense
freight wagons with four-inch tires,
draw by half a dozen yoke of oxen, haul
ed the shelled corn from the farmer's
cribs across the plains to t h e frontier
towns. Some time later, in the early 70s
corn took another tumble and was again
selling at a discouragingly low price — fif
teen cents a bushel. Not until 1874-5,
when the grasshoppers became the unwel
come guests of the country, did the price
again advanced to a paying figure.
It would appear from the following
that there was some danger incident to
travel, even in the early day, through civ
ilized lands, and that grandma and grand
pa must have had considerable courage to
have ventured on a trip "out West. "
Summary of the steamboat disasters on
the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers
during 1854 :

94

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Total steamboats suhk, 71
" " burned, 23.
" " destroyed by collis'n, 9.
" " exploded, 10.
" loss of property, $2,570,000.00.
" " life by these calamities, 355.
During the years 1861-2, a favorite
crossing place for the Jayhawkers with
stolen horses was at Bellemont, where a
ferry was owned and operated by a man
named O'Brien. While the Doniphan
County soldiers were stationed at Elwood
this boat was taken into their charge.
Pat. Kirwan, who later became a lieuten
ant, was sent with sixteen men to take
the boat down stream, that it might be in
view of the camp. The boat was on the
Missouri side when Kirwan aud his men
started, but before they had reached the
Kansas landing, the boat was on its re
turn trip to Bellemont. Kirwan and his
men concealed themselves in the timber
near the landing, and when the boat land
ed they leaped aboard and ordered the
captain to "put 'er nose down stream."
The Secretary of the State Histc r'cal
Society in answer to a request to prepare
a historical paper has received a letter
from Hon. J. P Johnson, of Highland,
• in which he says that he is the person
who ran the first Kansas survey line.
That was the fortieth parallel line ; the
line separating Kansas and Nebraska sur
veyed in 1854, from the Missouri river to
the sixth principal meridian. Associated
with Mr. Johnson in making the astro
nomical calculations for this survey was
Captain Robert E. Lee, then of the U. S.
Army, afterwards of the Confedeiaoy.
Mr. Johnson has been a resident of Kan

sas since 1854. He is familiar with the
facts of many stirring events of those
early times, and it is to be hoped that he
will put his recollections into writing as
requested by the Historical Society.— To
peka Commonwealth, January, 1878.
On the afternoon of May 13, 1883,
a small cyclone from the south west lift
ed the roof off the house of the old Jones
nursery in Troy, then occupied by Frank
Welton and did considerable damage to
the trees, etc. This little twister first
made its appearance in the eastern part
of Wolf River township on the Lyons
farm two miles south west of Moray,
where it tore a door from the dwelling
house, and destroyed some trees in the
orchard. Passing on to the Gray farm
immediately on the north, it broke the
tops off some tall cottonwoods in the
long row extending from the road into
the field. A small willow tree some four
or five inches in diameter, standing in the
road was twisted around two or three
times, but was not broken off. The tree
is still standing and still bears the marks
of its wrestle with the wind.
The first time table on the Rock Island
went into effect on Sunday, November
21, 1886.
In the fall of 1886, 27,000 barrels of
apples were shipped out of the County.
Rev. James Shaw, a pioneer Methodist
preacher, first located at Geary City. In
1886 he wrote an interesting book entitled
"Reminiscences of a Pioneer Preacher."
One of the very first school teachers in
the County was Charles Rapplye, who
taught Columbus and Palermo, in 1857-8.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

95

The first County Fair was held at the
Troy Fair Grounds, in August, 1868.
The first men irr the County to start in
quest of a fortune to be made by thresh
ing grain was Loyd aud Sargent, about
the year 1861. They did work for farm
ers in three townships— Wolf River, Cen
ter, and Wayne. They had a J. I. Case
separator propelled by horse power. The
grain came from the machine in a small
spout near one of the hind wheels, and
was caught in a half bushel measure. A
count of the number of bushels was kept
by placing pegs in holes in the side of
the machine. There was no straw-carrier
for this first machine, the best natured
of the "hands" being sent to carry away
the straw and stack it.
John Doms, who died on his farm mid
way between Wathena and Troy, in Sep-
ember, 1885, was born at Brussels, Bel
gium. When a boy his playground was
the field of the battle of Waterloo, where
he picked many relics of the famous fight.
He served in the Crimea and for a port
ion of the time was in the employ of Lord
Raglan, the British commander. After
the war he travelled in many European
countries as interpreter to an English offi
cer, he having been able to converse in
four different languages. He was mar
ried at St. Peter's cathedral, London. In
1872, a cyelone destroyed his house, kill
ing his wife and leaving him with a fam-
¦ ily of five little girls who proved them
selves excellent little women by helping
their father keep house. One of the girls
— Elizabeth— became a writer of very good
verse. Selections from her writings ap
pear in their proper place in the Authors'
Chapter in this work.

A few old trading posts on the Missou
ri are here named: Bellemont, or White
head, post was established in the spring
of 1852; Wathena post, established April
1852; Elwood post, established in the fall
of the same year, and Doniphan post in
1853. A pair of brass galleys originally be
longing to the outfit of the Doniphan Con
stitutionalist was for many years pre
served in the office of the Chief by Sol.
Miller. Perhaps the pair is still in the
office. John Brown left Chicago for Kansas
Territory, August 23, 1855, with a
heavily loaded wagon and reached Ossa-
watamie, October 6. He walked beside
his wagon and shot game for food.
One of the first, if not the very first,
peddlers was Pat Barlow, an eccentric
character who, though lame and homely,
had the happy nack of getting married
occasionally. There was not a house in
all the country where Pat hadn't sold a
table cloth or a red handkerchief. He
died in St. Joseph late in the eighties.
During the years 1873-4 the County paid
a bounty of five cents for gopher scalps.
Some time later a bounty of a nickel was
offered for rabbit ears and many a boy
made pocket money until the bounties
were withdrawn.
An immense amount of lumber was
manufactured at White Cloud, Lafayette,
Iowa Point, Geary City, Palermo, and
Doniphan, during the sixties, and some
of it is still doing service.
Richard J. Gatling, inventor of the
world-famous Gatling Gun, once wrote to
Sol. Miller asking him to retract some-

96

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Earl Marble was a sentimental, poetic
al character, and wore his hair long, flow
ing down over his shoulders. In the sum
mer of 1860, during the hot political cam
paign of that year, one night on the oc
casion of some Democratic blow out,
some of the young southern Chivalry of
St. Joseph gave a chase to Marble and
Thompson, clipping off Marble's flowing
locks, and beating Thompson like a car
pet. Later, Marble went East and be
came editorially connected with the Wav-
erly Magazine, about 1872.
The town of Charleston on the Miss
ouri flourished for a time, but soon lost
its vigor and fell into rapid decay. It is
said that when the population dwindled
to two men, these two got into a quarrel,
one killing the other.
In the spring of 1863, pneumonia was
very prevalent in the County, and was
singularly fatal, baffling medical skill.
A slight earthquake shpck was felt at
White Cloud, at 8:30 on the morning of
August 13, 1865.
One night in the summer of 1863, Kit
Williams and Tom Osborn slept in the
court house yard at Troy. Next morn
ing when they went to hunt up the sheriff
to pay for their night's "lodging" they
complained to him that the windows of
their "hotel" had been left open and that
they had caught cold.
In 1872, the "Bob-tail" railroad was
built from Wathena to Doniphan. A
few years later the track was removed.
At the Columbian Fair held in Chicago
in 1893, the State prize for peaches was
taken by Doniphan County.

A cable has been shipped from St.
Louis by the Western Union Telegraph
Company to sink in the Missouri river
to connect St. Joseph with Kansas.—
Wathena Reporter, May 30, 1867.
This from the Atchison Press of Feb
ruary 15, 1867, was discouraging reading .
for the struggling farmers of that trying
period: "A gentleman yesterday brought into
the office a bottle of young grasshoppers
which he picked up on his farm in this
vicinity. It appears that the few warm
days of last week brought these young
insects" to the surface, and that the ex
treme cold weather of Friday and Satur
day last was not severe enough to kill
them. Such being the case, we shall
have a much larger crop of grasshoppers
the coming season than we had last
summer. When the warm weather of
the spring has brought this grand army
to the surface, we shall be eaten up alive,
unless they take wings and fly away.
Farmers are much alarmed in anticipation
of the appearance of this plague.
A big camp meeting for the Troy,
White Cloud and Hiawatha Circuits, was
held on Wolf River, near Quick's bridge,
April 3 and 5, 1866.
In the middle sixties there were nine
teen postoffices in the County, as follows:
Columbus, Charleston,. Doniphan, El
wood, Geary City, Highland, Iowa Point,
Lafayette, Normanville, Mt. Vernon, Pa
lermo, Ridge Farm, Syracuse, Walnut
Grove, Troy, Wathena, White Cloud,
Whitehead, and Wolf River.
In April, 1867, the County Commis
sioners purchased 220 acres of land for a

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

97

poor farm, of Charles Richter, "about
three miles from Palermo, on the Potta
watomie road." Consideration, $4,500.
"Windy Friday," December 4, 1885.
Twenty-four hours steady blow. .
In September, 1854, Daniel Todd and
his entire family consisting of six per
sons were kidnapped from their home
near White Cloud, and taken to Missouri
where they were sold into slavery. Mak
ing escape, Todd joined the Union army.
After his discharge from the army, he
gathered up all of his children that he
could find and returned to White Cloud,
where he lived for many years afterward.
Lewis V. Fleming purchased the St.
Joseph and Elwood ferry of Ebenezer
Blackiston, in August, 1866, paying him
$50,000. During the first half of the
following month he crossed to St. Jo
seph over 12,000 head of cattle, mostly
Texan steers.
Along in the middle seventies engines
on the St. Joseph & Denver road bore the
names of the Stations painted in beautiful
letters just under the windows of the cabs,
and so familiar with the engines were
many of the boys living near the road,
that they could give the name of an en
gine merely having heard its whistle.
Many a nickel and dime changed hands on
bets made between youngsters, and the
loser lost no time in getting better ac
quainted with the engines. In those days
to get a nodding acquaintance with the
engineer or fireman was an honor much
sought for by the small boy. Many a
bunch of wild grapes, and more than one
hatful of plums fell into the' hands of the
condescending trainmen who, in passing

up the steep grades, dropped a gallant sa
lute to the girls, or tossed a nod to the
boys gathered beside the the track to see
the train go by.
In a railroad .wreck which occurred
about two miles north of Doniphan, Dec.
'3, 1875, two men from Lincoln, Nebraska,
were crushed to death.
The Darwin post office was discontin
ued in April, 1888.
May 15, 1859, a hail storm and wind
did great damage in Wayne township, es
pecially at Doniphan, where many houses
were unroofed or blown down.
Jtme 4,^ 1860, Harriet Newman sold to
Aaron P. Quick, for $700, a fifteen-year-
old negro boy named George Washington
Gater. The bill of sale was acknowl
edged before Samuel C. Benight, deputy
clerk of the Territorial District Court.
Pat Barlow, famous as a local peddler,
was killed at St. Joseph by an electric
car, October 6, 1893.
Father DeSmet, S. J., passed through
this country travelling on foot, in 1840.
He was then on his way to the North
West Territory to preach the Gospel to
the Indians. As he journeyed across tho
country following the general direction
of the St. Joseph and Oregon Trail, he
collected plants and wild flowers, classing
and catalogizing them, for he was a Nat
uralist as well as a preacher.
Miss Elizabeth Turkleson, who success
fully filled the position of assistant prin
cipal of the Troy High School for four
years, carried off the honors at a Teachers'
examination held in June, 1904, in St.
Joseph, for positions. in the city schools.
Her average was 91 per cent. There were

98

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

fifty four other applicants, and but nine
of them passed. Miss Turkleson is one
of the best teachers in this part of the
State. She is a daughter of C. O. Tur
kleson, one of the very early settlers in
north eastern Wolf River township.
Votes were cast in three different town
ships in the County at the election held
March 30, 1855. Returns as follows:
Doniphan —Pro-slavery votes, 313;
Wolf River, 57; Burr-Oak, 256. Doni
phan— Free Soil, 30 ; Wolf River, 15 ;
Burr-Oak, 2. Doniphan— Scattering, 3 ;
Wolf River, 6; Burr-Oak, 48. Total,
Doniphan, 341 ; Wolf River, 78 ; Burr-
Oak, 306. Total legal, 200; illegal, 5:j0;
Number voters, 334.
Miss Eva Ryan's "Literary Women of
Brown County" appeared in October 1894.
Miss Ryan was a Severance girl .
The post office at Orr Station was es
tablished in January, 1894, with Luke
Clem as postmaster.
A good authority states that Mary
Hempstead Keeney, the second wife of
Manuel Liza, was the first white woman
to ascend the Missouri river, passing the
green shorelands of what is now Doni
phan County.
Times were hardin the spring of 1858.
A saw mill was sold by a constable to
pay a debt of forty dollars, and a house
and lot were sold to satisfy a debt of
thirty dollars. The owner of the last
named property knew nothing of the leg
al transaction until it was over.
Wm. Kirby, of Doniphan, published
his book, "Mormon ism Exposed" in July,
1893.

A Doniphan County man, Charles W.
Stewart, suggested the name of St. Joseph.
He also suggested naming the streets run
ning east and west for Robidoux's chil
dren. One of the first Fourth of July cele
brations in the County was at a point on
Rock Creek below the present site of
Brenner, in 1859. Col. Ege was one of
the speakers on the occasion ; also some
Mexican war soldiers made talks. Late
in the day there came up a big hail. The
stones were very large. They broke all
the panes in the north windows, and left
deep dents in the doors. Many a gay
picnicer got his head thumped that even
ing. In June, 1886, the Rock Island began
securing abstracts of titles of land for the
right of way of the road. This was the
first sign of a "sure go."
April 3, 1885, lightning struck the
powder magazine on Prospect Hill in St.
Joseph, and exploded six thousand pounds
of powder. The shock was plainly felt
at Wathena- and Troy, windows having
been cracked at the former place, by the
concussion. The County has been visited by two
very remarkable hail storms. The first
came on the Fourth of July, 1857. The
second came May 28, 1899, passing over
the northern townships. The hail re
mained in heaps three to four feet deep
for many days. While the first great
storm was remarkable for the size of the
stones that fell, the second was noted for
the depth of the hail drifts.
January 13, 1899, the mercury stood at
30 degrees below zero, and there was a

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

99

great deal of suffering. One year later,
on the same day of the month, the mer
cury stood at 60 -degrees above zero.
There was no frost in the ground. Goph
ers were at work. After a few heavy
rains the skies cleared up and there was a
period of spring weather. There was not
a particle of ice in the creeks.
The White Cloud Chief reported a
plague of locusts in June, 1862. "They
may be heard night and day, and are to
be found on every bush. We have seen
nothing like it since the days of Pha-
roah." On May 17, 1857, School Districts Nos.
.1, 2, 3, and 4 were organized.
'The highest point in the County is said
to be Mount Lookout, near Eagle Springs.
Another elevated point is Schwab Hill,
half of a mile east of Bendena.
It is now a rare sight to see a young
lady working in the field with her broth
er^. The complexion of the girl of today
would scarcely permit her to venture for
any length of time beyond the barn, but
it may truthfully be said of many of the
old girls (of course they are married long
ago) that they helped their brothers make
the County out of doors, for there was
no work on the farm that they would not
cheerfully undertake. And what they
undertook usually was done well. It was
no unusual sight to see a young lady at
work shocking wheat, raking hay, or ev
en plowing corn. Of course those girls
could not boast of having lily-white arms
and hands, and peach blossom complex
ions, but they had brave hearts, healthy
bodies, and clear minds ; and time has
proved that they had the virtues and qual

ities that go to make good wives, and
mothers. How many of our young men have read
the old story of "Harry and the Guide-
Post"? How many know what a guide--
post is? Thirty years ago the guidepost
was the travelers' encyclopedia. It stood
with its spreading arms at a cross-roads,
indicating both distance and direction of
the towns which, at that time, were "few
and far between." "To Kenneknk, 20
miles," "To Troy, 9 miles," "To Syra
cuse, 3 miles," once familiar signs on the
prairie, long ago have been torn down,
and we venture to say that no young man
of the present generation has ever seen
even the remains of one of those old time
friends. Colonel Ege heard the famous debate
between Webster and Hayne. He walk
ed sixty miles to be present,
According to the following statement,
our state was a lonely place half a century

There is net, at this moment, August 1,
1854, a town or village in Kanzas or
Nebraska.— E. E. Hale in "Kanzas and
Nebraska." As late as 1857, Brown County people
received their mail from the Iowa Point
post office. There was an ox-team mail
weekly, kept up by local contribution.
We will continue to tar and feather,
drown, lynch, arid hang every white-liv
ered Abolitionist who dares to pollute
our soil.— Squatters' Sovereign, August
28, 1855.
The famous "Squatters' Sovereign As
sociation" was formed June 24, 1854, at
J. R. Whitehead's, near Bellemont.

CHAPTER X.

NUTSHGLL HISTORY.

(Continued)

During the latter sixties, Dori Thorn
ton, Alex Brown, and John Etherton
were popular violin players at dances given
in eastern Iowa township.
The population of the County in 1860
was 8,080, and for nearly five years dur
ing the war, there was no increase in the
number of new settlers. But there were
plenty of boys and girls born during that
period .
Wm. V. Gordon, who for many years
was a farmer near White Cloud, had some
exciting experiences in the Indian Terri
tory and the West, in the years 1867-8-9,
when the Indians were so troublesome.
He was with General Custer in the fam
ous battle of the Washita, which took
place on the morning of November 27,
1868, and in which 103 Indians, includ
ing the great chief Black Kettle', and 2 1
whites were killed. About the same time
he was in a five days' fight with the Indi
ans along the Cimarron river, and was
one of the five men who fought 200 red
skins in the Sand Hills south of the Can
adian river in the Indian Territory.
Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling, inventor

of the world famous Gatling Gun, was
for some time a resident of White Cloud
where, in 1857, he became president of
the town company. D. W. Wilder in a
speech made at the quarter-centennial at
Topeka, in 1886, stated that Gatling ma
tured his invention in Doniphan County.
In the Scientific American, March 2, 18-
72, we find the following:
"The inventor of this wonderful arm
is Dr. Richard J. Gatling, at the time'of
its discovery a resident of the city of In
dianapolis, in the state of Indiana, but
now of Hartford, Connecticut. He first
conceived the idea of a machine gun in
1861, and is justly proud of the distinct
ion of being the originator of the first
successful weapon of the kind ever in
vented. His first "battery" or gun was
completed in that city (Indianapolis) in
the early part of the year 1862, aud his
first American patent bears date Novem
ber 4th of the same year."
In the early days, peculiar but appro
priate names were given to the forks of
Murray's branch, a tributary to Inde
pendence creek having its source in the

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

101

neighborhood of Prairie Grove, now the
site of Bendena. The west fork of the
branch was called "Girl's creek" on ac
count of there having been born so many
members of the female sex in that locali
ty, while the west branch was aptly nam
ed "Boy's creek", because the place was
fairly alive with lusty youngsters from
the father's side of the house. There
used. to be some jolly, old time sport in
the winter when the representatives of
the two creeks met at the fork. In day
time it was skating down the frozen tide;
at night, heel and toe were merry with
the dance which lasted until the fiddler
fainted from exhaustion, or the bow was
broken in desperation.
Although the winters of the sixties
were rather cold, overcoats were not then
in general use. Many of the pioneers
wore blankets. One old man in particu
lar attracted attention to his blanket by
telling wonderful stories concerning it.
The blanket was old and full of holes,
and it was hinted at in the stories that
the holes had been made by the arrows
of the Indians ; but the stories were not
often credited. The owner of this won
derful wrap said and did many ridicu
lous things, but the most ridiculous
thing he is said to have done was to trade
his ox-team for a barrel of whiskey.
During the publication of the St. Jo
seph Democrat, when things were pretty
hot (on account of the rescue from jail of
Dr. Doy) Dr. E. H. Grant left the count
ry for safety, leaving his wife to edit the
paper. At the time there was a hot dis
cussion of local politics going on bet
ween the "Democrat" and the "West,"

which was edited by E. Y. Shields. He
acknowledged that he could not hold con
troversy with a woman, declaring that if
any man would assume the responsibility
of Mrs. Grant's editorials, he would at
tend to his case. Joseph Thompson, one
of the three editors of the Geary City
Era, of 1857, a brother of Mrs. Grant's,
offered to meet Shields. Shields prompts
ly challenged Thompson to fight a duel.
They met at Elwood, but their difficult
ies were settled without bloodshed.
As late as 1873, deer were found on
head waters of Wolf River.
During the winter of 1872-3 the epi
zootic plague attacked the horses.
On the afternoon of July 4, 1873, a
terrible gale struck the Missouri River at
St. Joseph, destroying the steamer
"Mountaineer", driving it against one of
the. piers of the bridge which it demolish
ed. Considerable damage was done on
both sides.
Here is a paragraph from a Savannah,
Mo., newspaper of date December 1857,
concerning Charleston :
"This thriving village over the river
has now a city government in full blast.
The Board of Trustees is composed of
Judge Byrd, Mayor; Chas. B. Hamilton,-
Josiah VanBuskirk, John B. Brady, and
Charles B. Byrd, Trustees, and Rev. Al
ward, clerk. Business is opening widely
for the winter, and coal banks in the
neighborhood are being worked by Welch
miners. We understand that coal can be
delivered in this place from the Charles
ton mines when the river closes, for 25
cents a bushel. Who will not use grates
then? '

102

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Corn was so cheap irt 1 873, that it was
extremely used for fuel. "And the next
year the grasshoppers came."
In August, 1872, an engine and four
or five box cars were thrown from the
track about a mile below Norway. Some
malicious person had placed a spike on
the track.
Agricultural statistics of the County
for 1871:
Bushels of wheat, 259,764.
" " rye, 4,666.
" " "barley, 71,685.
" " corn, 1,290,666.
" " buck wh., 723.
" " oats, 171,485.
Gallons wine, 26,296.
" sorghum, 13,185.
Pounds hemp, 921,222.
A woman named G oil living on Welsh's
branch had an -exciting battle with wolves
one day early in the sixties. A pack of
these hungry animals came up from Wolf
River and attempted to get away with a
green cow hide at the lady's door. They
were making away with it when overtak
en by Mrs. Goll, who caught hold of it
and pulled it away from then), but not
until there had been an exciting struggle.
This interesting advertisement is from
the Chief, June 4, 1863:
WANTED — Two modest young "Jay
hawkers" who have no dear ones at home
to cheer them with a kindly word,' earn
estly desire to correspond with as many
fair maidens ; and to this end would re
spectfully petition to the pretty girls of
Brown and Doniphan Counties, hoping
to find some willing to cheer them with

a friendly line. All communications to
be strictly confidential. Address
Harry Welcome,
or Tom Channing, .
Co. C, 7thKans. Vols.,
Corinth, Miss.,
June 4, 1863. via Memphis.
A correspondent of the St. Louis Re
publican, writing from Elwood, K. T.,
in August, 1857, says:
"A man who lives on his claim near
the edge of this city is, perhaps, the old
est man in America. He is Mr. James
O'Toole. He was born in the county of
Donegal, in the north of Ireland some
where about the year 1730. He was an
old man in the Irish rebellion, in 1798,
when, becoming implicated with Lord,
Fitzgerald, he fled his country to seek
freedom in our young republic. He mov
ed to St. Louis thirty years ago and es
tablished the first brewery there. He
moved to the Platte Purchase in 1838,
and lived in Buchanan County, near
Bloomington, until two years ago, when
he came to Kansas and made a pre-emp
tion, and he can now walk eight or ten
miles with ease. He says his age is about
125 years.
Queer paragraphs from the old papers
of the East, about Kansas and the West:
Wanted.— One hundred able bodied
lawyers are wanted to break prairie lands,
split rails and chop wood in the new
West.— Philadelphia Post, 1855.
Inscription found on the head board of
a grave on the Oregon Trail:
Mr. J — II — was carried away
By the diarrhea and cholera.
A Mr. Thompson, of Kansas Territory,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

103

has, it is said, just completed a > prairie
ship, or wagon, to be propelled by' the
wind, in which he proposes, with thirty
companions, to make a voyage to the
Rocky Mountains next June.— Saturday
Evening Post, September 22, 1855.
A letter addressed to "Bleeding Kan
sas" was received at the St. Louis post-
office on September 11, 1857. It had
been mailed at St. Joseph. The follow
ing endorsements had been written upon it:
"Lawrence refuses to receive it."
"Must be Lawrence."
' 'No sir, Kansas has pretty much stopped
bleeding." "Take the hide off and salt it well."
"Pass it around; we don't want it here-
send it where it bleeds."
"I don't see any place to direct."
"Send it to Lawrence, for old Jim Lane
will be there in a few days."
"Try it over at Iowa Point."
"Doniphan's been bleeding."
"Doniphan: Keep this up there for God's
sake," for there's more blood lost there
than anywhere else."
"Doniphan don't bleed; try it at Utah."
'.'No such place in Kansas, for it has been
all over the Territory. Let it travel in
Missouri awhile."
Up to about 1870 there existed a prej
udice against the use of kerosene lamps,
for many a warning against them had ap
peared in the newspapers. Gradually the
candle and the tallow dip disappeared,
and the lamp with its bowl interiorly dec
orated with strips of bright calico float
ing in the oil, began to reflect its warm
smile over the household. A few years
later all the old fireplaces were built in,

boot- jacks were banished to the wood
shed, carpets were laid on the floors and
the people began to enjoy the risky de
lights' of civilization.
We quote a few paragraphs from a chap
ter in Redpath's book, on "What to take
to Kansas," published in 1859:
The Missouri water is muddy, and has
a laxative effect. It almost invariably
produces diarrhea. A bottle of claret
wine, or a small flask of good brandy is
recommended for "medical purposes" to
persons who have never previously trav
elled on this river. Notwithstanding its
filthy and dusty appearance, however there
is not in the Union, it is claimed, more
healthy water than that of Missouri.—
Advice VII.
Before leaving St. Louis, as the voyage
is apt to be somewhat tedious, especially
if the steamer runs aground, you had bet
ter buy one or two pleasant books to pe
ruse on the way.— Advice VIIL
Children under fourteen are charged
half price; under four, free.— Advice XL
Colt's eight-inch and six-inch pistols
are the only side arms worth carrying.
Sharpe's carbine is not of much use, but
his target rifle is a splendid weapon.
Bowie knives are for ruffians only. Each
squatter should own a shot gun. — Advice
XV.
Let your trunk, if you have one to buy,
be of a moderate size, and of the strong
est make. Test it by throwing it from
the top of a three story building; if pick
ed up uninjured, it will do to take to
Kansas. Not otherwise.— Advice XVI.
There are in Leavenworth 114 lawyers
and judges.— Churchman, April 5, 1860.

104

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Balls of ice weighing over one pound
each, fell in a recent storm in the Keno
sha valley, Kansas.— Churchman,- May 24,
1860. In August, 1866, a short time after
the closing pref ormance of a show in Troy,
it was discovered that three or four good
horses that had been hitched to the rack
at the public square had been stolen.
Half a dozen citizens of the town and
country went immediately iu pursuit of
the thieves. One of the horses was re
covered, but the thieves were not discover
ed for some time. At last, however,
they were found hiding in the south west
ern corner of Missouri. They were
brought back to Troy fastened together
with chains. The men had their trial,
were found guilty and sent to the peni
tentiary for ten years.
The widow of Osawatomie Brown has
received $30,000 from her colored sym
pathizers in Hay ti.— Churchman, June 14,
1860. Here is a brief ghost story for your
consideration. It happened near Troy,
in March, 1881:
"A man was on his death bed when
suddenly a strange looking animal ap
peared in the room, having some what the
appearance of a dog, with long, black
hair all over it. Four or five persons
were in the room and saw it. Then it
suddenly disappeared, no one could tell
how or where, as the door was closed,
and it could not be found anywhere."
There are 164 bridges in the County as
follows: 117 iron, 33 trestles, 13 combin
ation, and one built on stone abutments.
Seven iron bridges rest on iron tubes, 16

on iron columns and the remainder on oak
and red cedar piling. These bridges with
their approaches average about 60 feet of
flooring which would make about one and
three fourth miles of floor. There are
seven county bridges on the Brown coun
ty line; four are iron and three are trestle.
There are four bridges on the Atchison
county line, one iron and three combina
tion. During the winter of 1885-6, cholera
claimed about 14,000 hogs.
The good, old fashioned turkey shoot
ing match has become a thing of the past.
In the early days all the towns were en
livened about Thanksgiving and Christ
mas by the holding of shooting matches
in which great and universal interest was
taken. Some way or other the old fash
ioned man with the long hair and the red
whiskers used to win the lion's share of
the turkeys with his Kentucky squirrel
rifle, while owners of modern arms used
often return home empty handed and dis
couraged. In later years resort to the
use of cards and dice robbed these meet
ings of all fun and romance, for the imp
of luck usurped the place of the god of
skill. In the Lewis and Clark's journal of the
Missouri exploration in 1804, there is ev
idence that this section of the country
was inhabited by white men at least nine
ty five years ago. Their journal states
that two miles after passing Monter's
creek, they passed "some cabins" on the
south side of the river. This place is a-
bout where the old town of Lafayette
was located, and where Levi Kunkle now
lives. Paul Allen, the writer of Lewis

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

105

and Clark's reports, says that one of the
party had wintered at one of these cabins
two years before, which would be ninety-
five years ago. But these cabins had
been occupied by traders and trappers,
some time before, no one knows how
long, but probably 160 years ago. The
number of cabins is not given in Allen's
reports. The white people who made
their homes along the Missouri river in
those days were hunters and traders and
were usually French . They dealt in the
things that were most in demand among
the Indians, including always a plentiful
supply of whiskey which they obtained
in exchange for robes and furs, which
were sent down the river to St. Louis.—
Scrap Book
In our rounds we discovered an old
barley fork that saw service thirty years
ago. It is quite a curiosity now in this
country where little or no barley is sown.
During the early seventies barley was ex
tensively raised in this County, and al
though there was much work with it, its
raising paid the farmer well." Rain on it
spoiled its color and decreased its market
value. Good, bright barley brought from
seventy-five cents to a dollar and a quart
er a bushel until late in the seventies.
The older men of the County need no de
scription of the barley fork ; neither will
it be necessary to remind them that the
work of harvesting, stacking and thresh
ing the barley was laborious and disagree
able, for no man who has ever had a bar
ley beard down the back of his neck, or
in his eye, will ever forget what the bar
ley harvest meant. But the young folks
may be interested in a description of the

fork. It was made almost entirely of
wood. There were four prongs three feet
in length, bent slightly upward. There
was also a brace of wire just' above the
place where the handle was joined to the
head, to hold the loose straws when the
fork was raised to the wagon, for the
prongs, instead of entering the straw
after the manner of the pitch fork, pass
ed under it, as a shovel passes under the
loose dirt. It was scarcely any heavier
than an ordinary pitch fork, but was very
awkward in the hands of one unused to it.
A few of the early settlers on the high
prairies surrounded their first forty acres
by ditches dug five feet deep, and from
six to seven feet wide. It required ah
immense amount of labor, but the pioneer
was poor and lumber very dear.
WTe believe that the grasshoppers have
actually commenced their flight. Every
day for a week past, especially in the af
ternoons, by taking a survey of the air,
in the direction of the sun, myriads of
grasshoppers could be seen, making their
way steadily toward the north east. They
flew so high, that they could not be seen
by the naked eye, except on a range be
tween the eye and the sun; and they
could be seen, as high as sight could pen
etrate, appearing like silver particles in
the atmosphere, as thickly as flakes in the
heaviest snow-storm. By going so high
they must travel all day without resting.
Judging from the speed with which they
move, the six miles a day theory is thrown
far in the background. They could makfe
50 or 75 miles a day easily. Person's
have seen them leave this neighborhood
in immense numbers.

106

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

The grasshoppers have totally destroy
ed many fields of oats and spring wheat
in this part of the country, while others
they have hardly touched . Corn will not
suffer so disastrously, if the destroyers
leave speedily ; however there are very
many that are not yet able to fly. We
pity the country where the pests next
make a halt.— Chief, July 4, 1867.
The Shreve family at White Cloud at
one time owned a letter written to Grand
father Israel Shreve by President George
Washington, 1794. A formerly of Troy
man, W D. Webb, owned a letter writ
ten by Thomas Jefferson, and there is'
now in the private papers of Major Dan
iel Vanderslice, a letter written to the
Major by Charles Carroll, of Carrollton.
Early in the days of the war of the Re
bellion the citizens of this County lived
in perpetual dread lest the Missouri
"Bushwhackers" should come over the
river and murder them, while the peo
ple of Buchanan county slept with one eye
open to watch the Kansas "Jayhawkers"
who were expected every night to kill
and rob them of their goods. Time has
proved that there were good and bad men
on both sides of the river.
Mr. E. D. McClellan, who visited us
yesterday, says there is now at Miller's
farm, four miles this side of Troy, a boy
who claims his name is Miller, and that
he was taken from St. Joseph when about
three years of age, or at least he was told
so by the chief of the Commanches, with
whom he had been staying, and who is a
white man named Scott. Scott says he
robbed a bank in this city at an early day—
probably refrring to the roobbery of Jo

seph Robidoux Sr. , twenty-eight years ago
by three men named Scott, Brown, and
Davis. The boy is apparently twenty
years old. He says he left the Indians in
New Mexico about eight weeks ago, and
made his way to New Orleans, and then
came to this place to hunt his relatives,
whom, he was told by Scott, he would find
here. He is about six feet tall; appears
intelligent; speaks the language distinctly
but imperfectly; seems to know little of
the white man's ways; and has a limited
vocabulary. He has peculiar marks on
his hands and feet that would enable his
parents to recognize him. His relatives
have not yet been found. He says three
girls were taken by the Indians at the
same time he was taken, and returned with
him to St. Joseph. They are nearly his
own age and speak only the Indian lan
guage. He thinks they are now at the
home of their uncle in this city. He says
he has been all over the West, and that
Scott is ah influential Indian chief. — St.
Joseph Gazette, October, 1870.
Early hay story: Along in the sixties,
the grass in the Wolf River bottoms oft
en grew to a great height. Old timers
say that it grew "tall as willow trees,"
and again, ' 'tall as a man's head on horse
back."

all.
V

CHAPTER XL

WSCSLLANGOUS SKSTCHSS.

The Grange.
Following is a list of the Grange lodges
and principal officers for January, 1874:
Master. Sec'y.
Ridge Prairie, W.D. Rippey, D.W. Edwards.
Peter's Creek, E. D. McClelland, T. Vories.
Summit, Joel P. Blair, J. B. Erskine.
Central, J. M. Tracy, T.B. Henshall.
Independence, Jonn L. Blair, G. W. Lancaster.
Brush Creek, D. C. Hastings, W. W. Bullock.
Walnut Grove,
S. M. Gilmore, Hoyd Martin.
Jeffers, A. R. Jeffers, James Williams.
Prairie Grove, J. Robbins, Ed. Heeney.
Wolf River, D. Reese, J. Jenkins.
Severance, C. N. Devine, S. J. Edgerly.

Fanning, Wm. Gurwell, J. J. Bradley.
Oakland Grove,
G. W. Henderson, S . W . Hinckly
Marion, Jos. Randolph, T.J. McClelland
Willow Springs,
L. S. Flick, T. B. Herring.
Cedar Creek, J. A. Chapson, John Parker.
Arnold, A. J. Martin, J. B. Penny.

The Great Sleet.
February 5 and 6, 1881, were the days
of the greatest sleet ever known in this
part of the country. The following par
agraphs gleaned from a description of the
storm, jmblishecl at the time, may not be
uninteresting: "Saturday 'morning (5th) the face of
the earth was covered with ice, and the
sleet still falling. It continued to fall
with scarcely any interruption, through
the day, and at bedtime was still falling.
The trees were heavily weighted with ice
and were bending under the burden. To
ward midnight the trees began to sue-

108

GIIAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

cumb to the pressure. • From that time
continually through the night, at vary
short intervals, a sharp, brief snap would
be heard, and then a ringing, metallic
sound as limb after limb parted from the
trees, and fell with its icy load upon the
icy earth beneath.
"A view of forests, groves and or
chards, on Sunday morning was a sight
worth seeing, notwithstanding the havoc.
Many trees were completely broken down;
others had large branches broken off ;
others had tops and all branches gone,
and nothing but the straight trunk re
mained. The ground underneath looked
as if the primer had been there and left
the remains of his work behind him. The
trees that were not broken were bent un
der the sleet, looking like weeping wil
lows. During Sunday it was impossible
to go through orchards. The branches
were bent and bowed to the ground, and
so laden with ice and interlaced, that one
could not make his way through.
"The destruction in Doniphan County
will be many thousand dollars. Shade
and ornamental trees, and groves planted
by farmers, are fearfully damaged.
"A gentleman who lives near the Miss-
ouri river, says that all through Saturday
night and Sunday morning, he could hear
the limbs falling from the immense trees
in the bottom, on the Missouri side, and
the crashing, thundering sound that con
stantly came up from the deep woods was
sublime. A hurricane could scarcely have
done greater damage."
The author of this History was but a
boy when this storm occurred, but he has
a distinct recollection of it. One scene
impressed itself more strongly on his

mind than any other. A tall, straight
willow tree standing within a stone's
throw of his home was bent with its top
quite to the ground, forming a most beau
tiful arch about twenty *feet in height, or
namented with a ton of glittering ice.
There was a temptation to get up and
"squirrel it" over the icy arch, but he
satisfied himself by touching the top of
the tree usually so high from the ground,
but then bound to earth by the chains
of the ice monarch. When the ice melt
ed, the trunk resumed its natural position
arid stood for many years a straight and
beautiful tree.

Base Ball Game.
The match game of base ball between
the merchants and lawyers of Troy came
off last Friday forenoon (August 6, 1875).
We were there in person to report the
game, and therefore this account may be
relied upon. One hour was taken up in
disputing and quarreling as to who should
and who should not play.
The lawyers wanted Manny Reville,
because they said he was a lawper, but
the merchants objected to any profession
al player being admitted. He was Anally
let in. Then the lawyers brought forth
Babcock and Seaver, contending that they
belonged to the Troy Bar. The mer
chants disputed their right, as to their not
living in Troy; but finally Babcock was
admitted. Then the merchants wanted
to take in Len Noyes or Jim Reville,
clerks in stores and professional players,
to pit against Manny Reville. The law
yers would not consent. W. P. Russell
did not put in an appearance, and his
place had to be filled. After much gram-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

109

bling by the lawyers, "old man Reese"
was allowed to fill his place. Thus after
both sides had jerked on their coats sev
eral times, to quit and go home, the game
was made up, the lawyers having the de
cided average in selecting players.
Os. Marcum was scorer. Gene Brown
acted as umpire, until they exhausted him,
when George Hagenbach took his place.
N. B. Woods took the bat, and sent
the ball to the right field, where Silver
man tried to catch it in his hip pocket,
but it took him on the rump. Wood got
in on time. Perry ran in on a nick of
time, .and worked his way home by watch
ing the corners.
Webb hit the ball a fine clip and scoot
ed. Between first and second his hat
flew off; but Mcintosh's Willie grabbed it
up and followed. They both got home
safely— Willie a little ahead.
Reville took the ball a gaul-snorter,
sending it through center field.
It was fun to see Manny and Van Bus-
kirk trying to get out of its way— neither
having any life insurance. Reville came
home in good style.
Col. Johnson was the next to the bat,
and Stout on deck. The day was begin
ning to get sweltry, and Stout resembled
the boy that stood on the burning deck.
Johnson then took the ball on the end of
the bat, and after every man on the
ground had yelled for him to run, he
started off. Upon reaching second base
it occurred to him that Wood and Webb
had run ahead of him. He knew that
they had beaten him once, and it dis
couraged him. He did not get home.
Stout took the bat and -lit out for three
strikes. Some one called for judgement

on the balls. Judgement overruled, and
Stout went ahead.
Reaching third base, he was about
blowed out when some one cried out that
there was a man in the crowd who want
ed to borrow some money on real estate.
Stout made one more effort and got home
safely. Babcock hit the ball a gentle belt and
worked himself home.
Heatly missed the ball three times and
went out on a writ of error.
George Woods got in a fine hit, and
being young, long legged, and having a
good conscience, he made his run.
Now the merchants came to time, im
pressed with the feeling that honor of
the yard stick and sugar scoop were at
stake. Leland hit the ball a square lick, and
sent it over somewhere toward J'm But
ler's house, and made a home run, while
the umpire and an outsider were disput
ing whether it was a foul or not. As a
good many fowls were supposed to go'
down that way, the umpire thought the
ball might as well go in with the rest.
He declared it a foul and Leland had to
try it over.
Wilson gave the ball a sky winder send
ing it so high that it was taken for a
grasshopper. It fell plump into Wood's
hands. As the ball was in the pitcher's
hand, the umpire decided that Wilson
was out.
Joe Craney came prepared to run .
Fearing that the wind might retard his
prQgress, by coming in contact with his
bushy locks, he had the top. of his head
shaved; but as he didn't hit the ball, he
had no occasion to run. His foresight

110

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

was not quite as good as his hindsight.
Van Buskirk struck the ball wickedly
and got home on time. It was feared
that his long connection with the busi
ness of chicken raising would cause him
to make a foul, but he didn't.
Silverman struck at a fly and hit the
ball accidentally, but they decided that
he must run. He would have failed in
getting home, but some one told him that
Dan Bursk would follow him, and make
it a rule to run over everybody that was
in his way. Silverman made it.
Dan Bursk took the bat and after miss
ing about seven times, demanded judge
ment on the balls. He finally got in a
fair lick and made his run.
Bill Mann sent the ball toward first
base, and followed it. Webb grabbed
the ball, but before he could put it on
the base, it slipped out of his hand. But
being quick in emergencies he threw him
self across the base, and insisted he had
the ball on it. Had he insisted, he had
been there, he would have carried his
point. Mann had to go out.
Bickford got a fair yank at the ball and
started off as though he had taken a dose
of pills and the first base was the nearest
place to go to. When he was on his way
home the umpire called to the crowd,
which was encroaching on the dead line,
to go back. Bickford thought it meant
him, and went back to first base. But
he made the run.
Reese struck the ball gallantly and
started off. On the way from the last
baSe home he found it would be nip and
tuck. As he was a good crawler, he fell
flat on the ground and went the last ten
feet on his belly. He was ruled out.

Four innings were played, the mer
chants coming out ahead. Following is
the score:
Merchants: Runs
C. Leland, jr., p. 4
J. F. Wilson, c, 1
Joe Craney, 1. f, 0
C. F. Vanbuskirk, c. f, 1
N. Silverman, r. f, 1
Dan Bursk, 3d b, 2
Wm. Mann, 2nd b, 1
C. B. Bickford, ss, I
J. Reese, 1st b, 2

Outs 02
4
212 21 I

Lawyers:
N. B. Wood, 2d b,
A. Perry, 1. f,
W. D. Webb, lstb,
M. C. Reville, c,
D. M. Johnson, c. f,
X. K. Stout, ss,
F. Babcock, r. f,
T. W. Heatley, 3d b,
G. W. Wood, p,

14 3 1 2
20
1 1
1
2
13

15 1
8 1
3 I 11
I
14

Indian Relics.
On the sites of old Indian villages and
camping grounds, in mounds, and in the
banks of the streams have been found
many interesting relics of aboriginal days.
George J. Remsburg of Atchison county,
excavating an ancient mound at the mouth.
of Independence creek in 1903, discover
ed a human skeleton that bore evidence
of having been cremated. With the skele
ton were found ornaments of copper, and
implements and weapons of stone. At
Eagle Springs, where a few mounds have

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

111

been examined superficially, have been
found fragments of pottery, flint imple
ments etc., also remnants of incinerated
human bones, together with the bones of
wild animals long unknown in this part
of the country. One mile east of Sever
ance, at the j unction of Cold Springs and
Silver Creek, which was the site of an
ancient Indian village, a heavy corn-bowl,
rude in outline but showing evidence of
polish, has been found, also a fine green
granite tomahawk, perfectly fashioned
and carefully polished, hundreds of arrow
and spear heads, lead amulets, beads, frag
ments of pottery, a portion of a rude iron
scalping knife, an engraved sandstone,
and a portion of a human skull together
with the jaw bone containing a few teeth
in fair state of preservation, all found in
a heap of cinders-and ashes about four to
six inches beneath the surface of the
ground of a crumbling bank overlooking
the long-abandoned course of a stream.
Near this old villages site was found, in
1902, a very ancient flint-lock pistol of
primitive pattern, deeply eaten by rust
but preserving evidence of fine finish and
workmanship, and still retaining in its
rusty barrel its charge of powder and ball.
In 1879 there wag found at the home of
the writer, almost in the dooryard, what
must have been at one time a treasure and
a curiosity to the Indians , themselves— a
very small and absolutely perfect white
flint arrow head measuring only three-
eighths of an inch across the wings, and
just five eighths of an inch from point to
butt. Being so dininutive and exhibit
ing perfection in skill in the making it
was, we think, one of the most wonderful
of Indian relics. Unfortunately it has

been lost from the collection to which it
belonged .

Orange Blossoms in 1875.
(Grasshopper Year.)
January.
Geo. M. Randolph and Rebecca Dunlap.
Jeff. T. Overlander and Mary J. Heer.
Calvin Morehead and Jane Kendall.
Jos. Van Pettan and Harriet Stewart .
Landis Warner and Emma Hatcher.
February.
John L. Gray and Florence Tice.
Henry Evans and Mattie Bauer.
David Paschal and Laura Whitson.
Thomas Quinn and Sally Neel.
James L. Daily and Emily T. Jeffers.
Charles Ford and Harriet E. Pierson .
March.
Sebastian Martin and Sara Stout.
George W. Brimin and Lu Dupuy.
George Newman and Rosa Christophine.
Wm. M. Gabriel and Sara E. Moore.
Thomas J. Meers and Caroline Graves.
Charles F. Shelton and Matilda Cowger.
B. L. Mix and Elizabeth C. Lewis.
Emmet Fenn and Lena Watson.
John Small and Flora McDaniel.
April'.
J. T. Jeffers and M. C. Elder.
Joseph E. Ryan and Sue Hawkins.
Fred T. Dawe and Mary Hale.
Isaiah Terry and Mary Ann McBride.
J. C. White and Alice Whittaker.
John Elliott and Emma Hotes.
Zadoc Shwisher and Ellen Dempsey.
Harry Farmholtz and Teresa Schneider.
J. R. Ramsey and Mary L. Diamond.
C. Bowman and Dora Brady.

112

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

May?
Michael Huss and Caroline Shierholdt.
Lankford Humphreys and Fanny Stokes.
June.
William D. Starr and Kate L. Clawater.
Robert W. McAfee and Grace L. Deane.
John W. WTade and M. E. Sheldon.
Anthony W. Darby and Sara A. Smith.
Edward Nay lor and Fanny M. Mider.
July.
Francis M. Taylor and Sara Curtis.
T." B. Jones and Ella Sproul.
A. W. Beale and Viola A. Cash.
John T. Hamilton and Sara Miller.
August.
C. L. Smith and Josephine Rittenhouse.
William Ryan and Johanna Ryan.
Thomas Miller and Sara Bartow.
James A. Baird and Emma Lible.
David L. Botts and Polly Howard.
September.
Doras Bell and Lydia Pendleton.
George Stout and Mary E. Charles.
George W. Moore and Kate L. Richards.
P. O. Roberts and M. J. Clem.
Matthias Dannivick and Ellen Clemetscn.
Charles Favors and Alice White.
October.
Thomas Tadlock and Narcissa Pickett.
Wm. M. Groom and Amanda J. Evans.
John 0. McGee and Rachel Vancuren.
Zenas Smith and Melissa E. Porter.
Charles Ogelvy and Clara Blakely.
John Gramlish and Catherine Delside.
Lemon Walker and Adelia Botts.
James Martin and Jemima Robinson.
S. R. Shepherd and Alice Miller.
P. A. Floodin and Ida Shock.
Adam Courter and Sara Round.
Joseph Mistier and Rosa Haberstran.

November.
T. J. Dyche and Jennie Williams.
W. W. Smith and Emma Brown.
John Collins and Lou Cundiff.
Taylor Myers and Lyda Bauer.
Ratliff Sparks and Eliza Frazier.
William Blatt and Margaret Clemenson-.
George Brock and Louisa Henley.
George Bush and Nannie Newton.
Eugene Hinckley and Ella Hagaman.
Jephtha Todd and Emma Mann.
Charles Nahrung and Ursula Schwartz.
Thomas Banning and Sara Hubbard.
December.
Franklin Shields and EllaHenwood.
John Jenkins and Elenora Lindley.
F. W. Walker and H. R. Wykert.
David Goacber and Sara Speaks.
Peter Stine and Elizabeth Kaufman.

Wind Storms.
Long before Kansas became a territory
apart from other lands^of the VVest, that
part of the country now included in Don
iphan County was visited by a most de
structive windstorm which swept over
the Wolf River country, leveling the
trees of the forest in a wide swath. No
date has ever been set as the date of the
passing of this storm, but it could not
have been later than 1837, the year of
the settlement there by the Presbyterian
missionary, Rev. Irvin. For many years
evidences of the great power of the wind
in this storm were to be found in the re
gion of Bayne's Bridge, where trunks of
giant trees lay rotting in the path almost
obliterated by a new growth of timber of
no small size. This was the first wind
storm (of which we have evidence) that
visited this part of the country.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

113

On the afternoon of June 16, 1865, a
very destructive windstorm swept over
this same region, traversing the territor
ies of both Wolf River and Iowa town
ships. -Coming from the south west and
entering the county near the upper course
of Wolf River, it pursued a north by
east course across the high prairies until
it struck the Wolf River timber above
Bayne's Bridge. From this point the
course of the stream was followed through
Iowa township. The trail of the storm
was narrow but the destruction in the
path was great. Great tree-trunks were
twisted like saplings and leveled to the
ground. The house of Joshua Ritten-
house was totally destroyed while the
family of ten saved their lives by retreat
ing into the cellar. Everything on the
place excepting a calf that was picketed
near the house, was swept away.- Anoth
er house that stood on the high prairie a
few miles east of Highland was blown
into splinters, and a woman with a baby
who was running toward the house, was
caught up and hurled to their death. It
iB said that the body of the woman was
.. afterwards found in Missouri, just across
the river; but the child was never found.
Near the present site of Highland Station
a log house belonging to Jonathan Fra-
zier was torn to pieces by the fury of the
wind. Mr. Frazier was killed and his
little daughter, Maggie, was seriously in
jured. Many other houses and shanties
were unroofed and otherwise damaged,
but the greatest sufferers were those
whose houses were in the timber. The
path of the storm was, for many years,
plainly visible, and in some places it is

yet possible to trace it, after forty years
of Nature's kind restoring.
About 1872, a tornado of less destruct
ive power passed over the country just
east of Troy. The house of John Doms,
situated just three and a half miles due
east of Troy, was totally destroyed. Mrs.
Doms was killed.
In August, 1878, a strong northwest
wind destroyed the home of Clement
Pope, one mile northeast of Moray, then
Norway. The oldest son of the family
was instantly killed by being struck with
a flying timber from the house.
On the night of May 25th, 1903, a
tornado coining from the southwest be
gan its destruction in Union township by
completely destroying the handsome brick
church at St. Benedict's, a short distance
southeast of Denton. The church had
been, finished only a few years at a cost
of about $15,000, but was totally de
stroyed with all its contents within a
few seconds, while the pastor's residence,
only a few yards distant from the church,
waB left unharmed. Passing on its fatal
path the storm dealt destruction to every
thing within its mad reach. Just north
of the destroyed church the winds divid
ed, following parallel paths, leveling
barns, windmills, orchards and groves.
No life of man or beast was lost, and no
one received the slightest injury. The
storm coming at an hour when the chil
dren of most families were in bed, the
destruction of life might have been very
great, but it was as if the guardian angel
had traced a channel for the wind to fol
low, thus shielding the homes of the
sleeping little ones from the visit of mis
ery and death. The damage inflicted by

114

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

this wind may be roughly estimated at
$50,000, but the preservation of human
life was certainly miraculous.
Laura Nation.
On the 16th day of July, 1899, Laura,
the three-year-old daughter of Jame3 Na
tion, then of Elwood, now of St. Joseph,
Mo.,; wandered away from her home andi
disappeared. At first it was thought
that she had wandered down to the river
and had been drowned. The river was
dragged but without success. A few
days later the impression became general
that the child had been stolen by a band
of Gypsies that had been camped near-
the town. The band was followed and
watched for, weeks by Mr. Nation but'
without results. However, the father
did not give up the search for his miss
ing child. Receiving now and again,
during the next four or five years, re
ports of the finding of his child, he inc
vestigated each report only to be disap
pointed. He would not give up the search,
although considerable of the savings of a
lifetime had been spent in fruitless en
deavor. At last, after nearly eight years/
there came to him from a woman in Illi^
nois information that actually lead to the
recovery of his child. The information
stated that an eleven-year-old girl had1
been abandoned by a band of Gypsies at
Florence, Alabama, in December, 1903','
and that the abandoned one was his
child. Telegrams and letters were exi
changed between the police authorities in
the two towns, and eventually the girl
was sent from Florence to St. Joseph,
where she was met by Mr. and . ,'Mfs.
Nation, who, from the first, seemed all

but convinced that she was really their
own child. The Nations took the girl to
their home to decide. For a day or two
the girl was silent and cross, she being
very tired after herjong journey from
the South, but after a rest she recovered
good humor and as soon as she began to
talk she related some very touching ac
counts of hardships received and endured
while in the hands of the Gypsies, show
ing bruises and old scars on her tender
skin to prove the truth of her words.
After three or four days of deliberation,
Mr. and Mrs. Nation came to the full
conclusion that the child was their long
lost Laura, and after eight years of wan
dering life filled with handships and
danger, she was reinstated in the home
of her grateful parents.

.. . Lewis Tracy.
'Sketch of Lewis Tracy, who went into
the Union army from this county when a
very old man, and whose five sons fol
lowed his example, from the St. Jo
seph Union, October 21, 1865:
"Mr. Tracy was a native of Kentucky,
and one of the early' settlers in the Platte
Purchase, moving to this city when it
was /scarcely a village. When Kansas
vyas admitted as a territory he removed
there, and during the Border Ruffian
difficulties, sided with the Free State
riien of that section. At the breaking
but of the Rebellion, his three (5?) sons
went into the army, and the old man,
notwithstanding he had passed the age
'for | the reception of volunteers, enlisted
'aS'.'a private in a Kansas' regiment and
wW engaged in several battles'. For
bravery at Cane Hill and Prairie Grove

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

115

he was appointed to Sergeant, refusing
any higher position and was foremost in
every attack. Of a genial disposition, he
had a host of friends; of a benevolent
nature, he sought not this world's goods,
but living upon his farm was satisfied
with its income, and no one ever left Mr.
Tracy's door upon an errand of mercy
unsupplied. His heart beat for freedom,
and his life was freely offered as a pledge
of his devotion to the cause of liberty
and right. His remains were brought
from Kansas and interred in Mt. Mora
cemetery.

Indians at the Fair.
In the fall of 1879 or 1880, patrons of
the Troy fair had the opportunity of see
ing a band of real Indians in war paint
and feathers. About thirty or forty red
_ skins from the Iowa and Sac reservation
came down and camped on the fair
grounds for a whole week. They cooked
and ate their own food in their own
primitive fashion, and gave many exhibi
tions of their war dance which greatly
interested "many of the younger genera
tion of pale faces. We remember of
..shaking hands with the old chief, Taraka,
whose head was shaved and painted red
and green, and whose ears were orna
mented with big, rusty, brass rings. We
induced him to go through a pantomine
illustrating his battle with a Pawnee,
and he grew so excited during the per
formance, striking with his tomahawk so
closely to our head that for a moment
we were wishing that we had remained
at home that day to finish drilling in the
fall wheat. The old fellow made a talk
to his "white brothers" in his own lan

guage, which was interpreted at intervals
during the speech by a half breed who
knew how to put water on the fire of the
old codger's words. The most laughable
thing we saw that day in the red man's
camp was the sly act of a pretty little
Indian girl. Having had her dinner and
being susceptible to the inspiration of the
god of mischief, she crept up behind her
big, fat aunt, who was leisurely picking
a bone, and with a grin of cruel joy on
her, dusky face, she introduced the point
of a rusty brass pin into a certain tender
posterior portion of the fat lady's frame.
Then, with a shriek of fiendish glee, the
red little imp executed a war dance on
the green within a few feet of her victim
who was too fat and lazy to seek revenge.
For their services entertaining the white
visitors to the fair that year the noble
red men and women were given all the
old, blind and lame cows that they
could eat.

A Boy's Adventure.
On the Fourth of July, 1872, the citi
zens of Elwood and some few hundred
people from the country witnessed a
novel balloon ascension which proved to
be one of the most interesting features of
the great day. The aeronaut had his
balloon ready for the skyward journey
about the middle of the afternoon, the
day being clear and calm. In the crowd
was an ambitious young Irish boy with
very red hair and an abundance of
freckles to decbrate his beaming face.
The boy was interested in the aeronaut
and his car, and in a bantering way the
aeronaut asked the lad to accompany him
on his journey to the clouds. The boy

116

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

expressed himself as both ready and will
ing, whereupon the man told him to ask
the permission of his parents . Of course
the permission was refused, and while
the boy seemed greatly disappointed,
there was hidden in his heart a definite
plan. The boy disappeared and no one
seemed to know just where he had gone.
Many supposed he had gone away to cry
with a broken heart, but those were un
acquainted with the boy. Some time
passed, and the balloonist was ready to
enter his basket car. No one knows just
how it happened, but the ropes were
loosed and the balloon darted upward be
fore the aeronaut had had time to get
aboard. When the great air car was
several hundred feet from the ground, a
small head was seen peeping over the
edge of the basket. It was the head of
a boy, and it was a very red head. Then
it dawned upon the minds of the excited
multitude that the ambitious young Irish
boy, instead of having gone home to cry
, with a broken heart, had slyly hidden
himself, red head and all, in the balloon
basket, thereby giving himself permission
denied by loving but misunderstanding
parents. The man of the balloon may
have known of the presence of the boy in
the basket, but certainly he had not con
ceived of the balloon's abrupt departure
from the terrestrial sphere. The balloon
arose majestically to a great height. The
boy was seen waving his hat in a very
self confident and enthusiastic manner, as
if he thoroughly understood and was
master of the situation. If the boy
could keep his composure there was hope
for his safety, although great odds were
against him. The great air-car rose

higher and higher until it seemed to bob
against the ceiling of the sky. Then,
meeting a current of air, it began slowly
to drift. Different currents seized it,
each playing with it for a time, but' it
never passed out of sight of the watching
multitude in which there were eyes that
were tearful and eyes that were weary, and
necks that were painfully awry. At
last, however, the balloon began to de
scend slowly, like a bird alighting on her
nest. As it neared the earth it began to
lose the dignity of its motion. It swayed
and plunged and teetered, but did not
collapse . Again the red head ap
peared over the side of the basket,
and some that had good eyesight and
better qualities of imagination, say that
a very wide grin strained the elasticity
of the boy's mouth. The balloon man
shouted some instructions to the boy
who, still in full possession of nerve
most admirable, followed them and soon
found himself on the dear old earth and
in the arms of a dear mother who pun
ished him then and there before the multi
tude, by covering his freckled face with
the most affectionate kisses. The boy,
reaching manhood, still had "high"
aims, and soon arose to the dignity of a
lesponsible railroad official with a cozy
office in the heart of Chicago.
A Broken Bank.
In January, 1904, the discovery was
made that the cashier of the Highland
Bank, J. E. Marcell, had been devoting
much of his spare time to the disadvant
age of the bank and its patrons, and ap
parently to his own advantage, by forg
ing thousands of dollars worth of notes.

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

117

The discovery was made January 4th, and
his arrest followed on the 6th, when he
attempted to escape from the scene of his
misdeeds. His crookedness and villainy
spread fiuancial distress throughout the
country, many of the sufferers being
poor men and women, whose hard earned
savings he had recklessly squandered for
the gratification of his villainous desires.
Half a dozen Wolf River farmers who
had just sold their stock and had received
checks on the Highland Bank lost in the
neighborhood of $10,000. For a time
the citizens of the town and county were
under great excitement, and threats of
lynching were freely made. All that
was lacking was the right kind of man to
head the crowd. Had this man appeared
with the necessary "fixin's" the young
scoundrel cashier's earthly troubles soon
would have been over; but the promises
and pleadings of his near friends saved
him — delivering him to the calmer fate
of the prison. For a time Marcell awed
the people with an exposition of an un
usual quality and quantity' of nerve. He
held up his guilty head and smiling com
placently declared with well feigned
earnestness that "all would come out
right side up, and that in the end each
man should receive every dollar, etc."
As the coils began to tighten about him
his splendid nerve deserted him and he
finally broke down under the terrible
strain of the gloomy situation. His first
trial resulted in a hung jury, but there
•were. other charges to be met and
answered, and the skies were grow
ing darker. In the second trial his at
torneys entered a plea of guilty to one
count in each of the seven charges of

forgery, and he was sent to the feet of
the judge, who sentenced him to serve
thirty-five years in the penitentiary.
Marcell began serving his long sentence
on June 6th, it being just five months
from the time of his arrest to his being
placed behind the bars. For some time
prior to his arrest he had been sowing
broadcast other people's money; but the
people seeing, rose up and complained,
and the reckless sower left off to sow.
The mills ' of the gods, swift when the
occasion demands it, opened up the hop
pers and did the rest.

Joel Ryan.
Joel Ryan was born in Sumner county,
Tenn., in the year 1819, and was at his
death, which occurred on the 4th inst.,
60 years old. His father died when he
was quite young, leaving him arid his
brother to support a large and indigent
family. They worked faithfully and
nobly, and not only made their living but
succeeded in educating themselves, and
also their younger brothers and sisters,
and that too, in this country where there
are no free schools. He was an overseer
on a plantation at the age of 16, having
forty negro hands under him. Being a
great favorite among the slave-holders,
who were generally sporting men, he
early contracted those habits which final
ly led him to an untimely grave. Mr.
Ryan's life was more eventful than most
people are aware of. He served as a
volunteer in two Indian wars — the first
at the age of 17, at the time the Indians
were moved across the Mississippi; next
in the Florida war. He was also a sol
dier in the Mexican war under Colonel

118

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Doniphan and was one of the first settlers
of northwestern Missouri, settling first in
Andrew county, where he learned the
trade of brick making and brick masonry.
He then moved to St. Joseph when the
town was first laid out, and built about
the first brick building in the place. For
many years he was one of the leading
men of St. Joseph. In his earlier days
he was considered attractive and might
have made some good woman happy. He
went to California in 1849, during the
first gold excitement, but subsequently
returned to St. Joseph and, in the spring
of 1854 located a homestead at Ryan's
Station, where he lived a secluded life
until his death and where he now lies
buried. He was a prominent pro-slavery
man during the early Kansas troubles
and was a candidate on the Pro-Slavery
ticket for the Territorial legislature, but
was defeated. He possessed more intelli
gence than the casual observer gave him
credit for. The writer hereof has been
edified many times, listeuing to him tell
about the political meetings and bear
hunts in early days in the south. Aside
from his only besetting sin ha was a
gentleman, a true friend and a good
neighbor. He was a man of excellent
social qualities and fine conversational
powers, and was most appreciated by
those who knew him best. He was a
Free Mason but word was received too
late to bury him with the honors of the
order. A man's good deeds live after
him and let us say this will be the case
with "Uncle" Joel. Let us bid him a
long and affectionate farewell.
"He has crossed the sorrowful river,
That mourns thro' the valley of years,
And the hand of love incarnate
Has wiped away all tears."
Fraternally, OLD VET.
Severance, Kan., Oct. 21, 1879.

Marriage of an Indian Princess.
We find the following highly oolored
account of the marriage of Princess
Cammanche Jubilina Susan White Cloud
to the Irish Knight, "Patsy" McGuire,
in the White Cloud Leader, August, 1875:
"Quite a sensation was created in our
city last Friday by the announcement of
a grand wedding between a gallant son
of the Emerald Isle named "Patsy."
McGuire and a no less distinguished per
sonage than the daughter of White Cloud
after whom our city was named. Pat
and his dingy bride attended by a large
concourse of people, mostly boys, took
deck passage on the ferry boat to the
Missouri shore, where no license or cer
tificate of good moral charcter are re
quired, and there beneath a shady cot-
tonwood tree they were bound in holy
bonds of padlock in real orthordox style.
The bride exhibited considerable emotion,
blowing her nose several times, but the
groom maintained his composure like a
true Knight, answeriug the marriage
vows with a mental reservation like a
congressman taking oath. Any - descrip
tion of the bride which we can give must,
in the nature of things, be imperfect,
since imperfection is indescribable, even
the perfection of ugliness. Her form
was tall and graceful as a sunflower; her
hair was raven black and hung in grace
ful confusion over her dumpy shoulders;
her eyes were black as sloes and 8et at
an angle; her nose was short and chubby;
she had a splendid mouth for eating paw
paws; her upper lip was thick and pout
ing; her cheek bones were high, and her
forehead was very low. Her bridal trous
seau was very simple, a faded calico

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

119

gown hung loosly over her graceful
form and her dainty feet were incased in
beaded moccasins that might have been
number eights. A few strings of beads
and some brass rings Completed the cos
tume. The gallant Pat was robed in the
same garments he had been accustomed
to- wear when on duty on the gravel
train. _ On their return to town they
started for the reservation, where, un
molested, they can enjoy the sweets of
love in a wigwam."

company its name was changed to Atchi
son & Nebraska Railroad Company.
Municipal subscriptions in bonds to the
capital stock of the company were madfe
as follows. Atchison county, $150,000';
and Doniphan county, $200,000. Indi
vidual subscriptions amounting to $80,-
000 were made in Atchison county and
$10,000 in Doniphan county. Work
was commenced on the road at Atchison
in the summer of 1869, and in the summer
of 1871 it was completed to the northern

Here is Sol Miller's answer to the boundary of the state, three miles north
above: '"There is a great deal of rabbit- of White Cloud. The Atchison stock-
track about the White Cloud Leader's holders graded the road bed to the state
story of the marriage of Pat McGuire to line' constructed the bridges and fur-

the daughter of old Chief WTiite Cloud.
We think there were but two of the
White Cloud girls and Tesson is married
to them both, and they are nicer looking
women than the Leader describes."

Atchison & Nebraska City Railroad.
On the 5th of May, 1867, a charter
was filed in the office of the Secretary of
State of Kansas, for the Atchison & Ne
braska City Railroad company, with
corporators as follows: Peter B. Abell,
George W. Glick, Alfred G. Otis, John
M. Price, Will W. Cochran, Albert H.
Horton, Samuel A. Kingman, Junius T.
Herriford and Augustus Byram. The
charter authorized the construction of a
railroad from some point in the city of
Atchison to some point on the northern
line of the state of Kansas, not farther
west than twenty-five miles from the
Missouri river, and the length of the

proposed road not to exceed forty-five
miles." Upon the organization of the the Burlington & Missouri Railroad

nished the ties for that distance, when
the entire property was donated to a
Boston syndicate, represented by James
F. Joy, in consideration of the complei-
tion and operation of the road by the
said syndicate. On the 3d of November,
1871, this company was consolidated
with the Atchison, Lincoln & Columbus
Railroad company, of Nebraska, which
had been authorized to construct a road
from the terminal point at the state line,
of the Atchison & Nebraska railroad to
Columbus, on the Union Pacific railway
by way of Lincoln. From the state
line the work was prosecuted vigorously
and the road was completed and in opera
tion to Lincoln in the fall of 1872. In
January, 1880, the road was purchased
by the Burlington & Missouri River
Railroad company, and since the consoli
dation of that company in 1880, -with the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
company, it has been officially designated
as the Atohison & Nebraska division of

12C

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Company in Nebraska. Distance from
Atchison, Kansas, to Lincoln, Nebraska,
146.6 miles. Number of miles in Kan
sas, 37.24. — From Andreas' History of
Kansas.

St. Benedict's Parish.
Before the building of the stone church
at St. Benedict's, in 1864, the Mass was
celebrated in a house on Independence
creek, belonging to Edward Doyle.
Father Henry Lemke, who was the first
pastor at Doniphan, in 1855, came once
a month to celebrate Mass in this humble
dwelling. This journey was often made
on foot. His parishoners were few, and
some of them very poor. They came to
Mass on foot and in ox-carts; all of the
family that could be spared from the
duties at home, and their regular attend
ance encouraged the zealous pastor to
continue, winter and summer, in his
struggle for the spiritual and temporal
welfare of the congregation.
Early in 1857 Father Lemke was suc
ceeded by Father Edmond, whose minis
try in the parish continued . only a few
months. Between 1857 and 1860 the
parish had no regular pastor, there being
many different priests there during that
time, all having been sent from St.
Benedict's Abbey in Atchison.
In I860 Father John Meurs was placed
in charge. He it was who- began the
movement which led to the erection of
the first -church. He remained in charge
but a few months, however, and the
work rested for a time. In 1861, the first
resident pastor was appointed. He was
Father Thomas Bartl, loved, honored
and remembered by the children and

grandchildren of parents whom he com
forted in the trying years when war's red
wave swept over the land. He at once
resumed the work of building the church
which was left off by Father Meurs.
The work was mostly done by members
of the congregation, all hands willingly
turning to help. Father Bartl did not
confine himself to the exercise of his
priestly duties. He joined a small army
of workers, assisting in quarrying rock,
mixing mortar, aud even carrying the
hod. He appeared a frail man, but he
had the zeal of Paul and the industry of
Patrick. The church, the dimentions of
which were 70x40 feet, was completed in
1865, and at last, after ten years of pa
tient waiting the congregation had a
house of its own in which to worship.
Two years later a brick parsonage was
erected near the church, and the good
Father was made comfortable in his well
earned home. In 1874, after thirteen
years of faithful duty, this zealous and
self-sacrificing pioneer of the cross was
removed to another parish. Eleven years
later, on the 30th day of November, 1885,
he was called from this earthly vineyard
to hear the all compensating words:
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
From the spring of 1874 to 1875,
Father Suitbert de Marteau was the resi
dent pastor. During his stay the brick
floor of the church was replaced by one
of substantial pine, a belfry was erected
and a bell purchased and put into place.
We well remember the Sunday when this,
the first bell, was blessed . James Kir
wan and Keren Devereaux stood god
father, and their wives, Mrs. Ann Kir
wan and Mrs. Devereaux, stood god-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY'

121

mother to the bell. All are long since
dead, tolled to their last resting place by
the same bell.
Father Pirmin M. Koumly was ap
pointed pastor in October, 1875, and re
mained until 1886. He found the church
in debt, but by energetic work the debt
was soon discharged. Father Koumly
was a close student of nature, giving
special attention to the study of ornithol
ogy and botany. A number of his man
uscripts on the migration of birds are
preserved in the Smithsonian Institute at
Washington. For some years he had
been engaged in writing a history ol the
Benedictines from the foundation of the
order in the sixth century to the present
time, but while still engaged in the un
dertaking, the death summons came and
he passed to his reward on the morning
of July 27th, 1904.
In September, 1886, Father Ferdinand
Wolf was appointed pastor and remained
until September, 1888, when he was suc
ceeded by Father John Stader. Father
Stader was left in charge until June, 1891.
Collecting for the building of a new
church was begun in 1891, shortly after
the appointment of Father Thomas Bnrk.
Father Burk was a tireless worker, but
he did not succeed in his undertaking.
However, he collected for the proposed
building a fair sum of money which he
left to his successor, Father Augustine
Baker, who came to take charge of the
parish December 10th, 189-3. Father
Baker continued the work of collecting
for the new church, and at last, in the
summer of 1 894 the work of building be
gan. But it was not for this worthy.
man to finish the work. On December

6th, 1894, Father Matthew Bradley,
"the church builder," became pastor of
the congregation. December 21st, 1894,
the contract for the building was let, and
it was to cost $10,000. The old church
had stood for nearly thirty years, and
was in a dilapidated condition. Mass
was celebrated in it for the last time on
February 24th, 1895. There was sorrow
in the hearts of many of the old parishon-
ers who, in their younger days, had given
their means and strength to erect the
dear old building, for they were kneel
ing for the last time between the hal
lowed walls. Many gray haired fathers
and mothers kneeling there counted up.
their joys and sorrows — their joys, the
baptism, and later the marriage of their
children; their' sorrows, the death and..
burial of sons and daughters and friends
then quietly sleeping away the hours till
the resurrection morn, in the old grave
yard on the hillside in the direction of
the sunrise.
The doors of the new church were
soon opened. March 21st, the feast of
St. Benedict, the first rock of the found
ation of the new church was laid. April
14th, the corner stone was solemnly
blessed by Father Boniface Verheyen,
assisted by Fathers T. Fitzgerald and
Aloysius Bradley. August 11th, the beau
tiful new church was solemnly opened.
The celebrant was Father Michael Rank,
assisted by Father Bernard Uhlbrick as
deacon, and Father Anthony Baar as sub-
deacon. Father Bradley preached the
sermon. October 9th, the church was
solemnly dedicated by the Right Rever
end Louis M. Fink, O. S. B.r D. D.,
Bishop of the Diocese.

122

GRA\"S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

At the completion of the church there
was a debt of $4,500 to be paid. Father
Bradley would not have his congregation
bear this yoke. His resourceful mind at
once conceived a plan by which sufficient
money could be raised to cancel the
debt. His plans were communicated to
the congregation and the church com
mittee and received their approval. The
entire congregation responded to the call,
and on December 1st, 1898, the last dol
lar of the debt was paid.
In 1899, the old parsonage erected in
1867, was torn down and a handsome
new one erected in its place. This was
the people's gift to their worthy pastor,
Father Bradley.
On the night of May 25th, 1903, the
church was totally destroyed by a torna
do. As Father Bradley stood over the

demolished building which had cost him
so much time, care and labor to have
erected, he folded his hands calmly and
said. "The will of God be done! With
His help we can build again." Sad, but
not discouraged, this man of good faith
and brave heart, went immediately to work
to rebuild, and within a short time a new
building,almost as fine as any other church
edifice in the state, stood upon the site of
the one swept away by the wind. The
new church was dedicated May 10th,
1904, a little less than a year from the
date of the destruction of the old one.
Father Bradley, the quiet, unassuming
man, had,, within the nine years of his
residence in this parish, built for the
congregation two fine churches and an
elegant parsonage, the total cost repre
senting nearly $40,000.

CHAPTER XII.
ttlSCeiXANSOU-S SKSTCHeS.
(Continued)

Is Yonr Teacher's Name Here?
(1875)
Dist. No.
1 Wathena, blank.
2 Elwood, C. H. Quinn.
3 Rock Creek, D. W. Brown.
4 Not organized until 1889.
5 Palermo, H. N. Hopkins. "
6 Fanning, Lewis Marshal.
7 Syracuse, blank.
8 Prairie Grove, Thomas E. Jones.
9 Maynard's, L. H. Miller.
10 Saxton's, F. F. Paige, jr.
11 Randolph's, James A. Bailey.
12 Geary City, L. B. Johnson;
13 Doniphan, John A. Sea, Principal,
Mrs. M. Philbrick, Assistant,
AV. A. Harris, Colored School.
14 Not represented.
15 Clem's, Miss Amanda Clem.

16 St. Benedict's blank.
17 Severance, E. P. Hammond.
18 Dennis', Samuel B. McCrey.
19 Hartman's, A. W. Heckman.
20 Zimmerman's, D. M. Conklin.
21 Troy, T. M. Barret, Principal.
Miss Cora Bayless, 1st Int'mediate
Miss Emma Toner, 2d Int'mediate
Miss May Hull, Primary.
Mrs. G. Elliott, Colored School.
22 Fairview, Jacob C. Sell.
23 Aberle's, M. C. Reville.
24 Overlander's, Miss D. Breeding.
25 Wayne Twp, Miss Getta Hansen.
26 Saunder's, blank.
27 Not represented.
28 Not represented.
29 Chapon's, T. W. Roach.
30 Not represented.
31 Arnold's, J. B. Brooks.

124

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

32 McClellan's, R. A. Reaburn.
33 Waddell's, Oliver Edwards.
34 Brush Creek, Alex. McCahon.
35 Cordonier's, T. M. Welch.
36 Not represented.
37 Kirkpatrick's, W. E. Burk.
38 Burr Oak, Fred Garlics.
39 "Red School House", Miss K.
Zimmerman.
40 Neese's, B. L. Landrum.
41 Iola, H. F. Shaner.
42 "Dutch" John's, Walter Brownlee.
43 White Cloud, Prof. T. H. Dins
more, Principal,
Miss M. C. Palmer, Intermediate,
Miss M. J. Koerner, Primary,
Miss Lizzie Bradley, Colored
School .
44 Columbus, C. P. Linn.
45 Leona, H. W. Young.
46 Not represented .
47 Klippel's, Miss Kitty Clawater .
48 East Norway, I. H. Watson.
49 Chappel's,Geo. W. Harris.
50 Wheeler's, D. M. Williams.
51 Hagaman's, blank.
52 Wolf River, J. A. Ball.
53 Smithton, William Potter.
54 Spring Grove, Miss D. Spaulding.
55 Bellemont. J. F. Clawater.
56 Martin's, Robert Dinsmore. '
57 Normile's, Daniel Gillen.
58 Iowa Point, Miss M. Pearson.
59 Not represented.
60 Walker's, S. S. Smeltzer.
61 Highland, Milton T. Hills,
Mrs. L. S. Riggs, Colored School.
62 Vanderslice's, Wesley Trevett.
63 Glad den's Bottom, G. T. Snelling.
64 Willow Springs, A. Weininger.
65 Not represented.

66 Abbey's, Marion Fife.
67 Mt. Vernon, Miss Lucy Soules.
68 Hooper's Ford, C. W. Smith.
69 Shulsky's, C. Y. Sturgeon.
70 Winona, T. H. Dinsmore.
71 Vanhorn's, N. J. Holloway.
72 Mosquito Creek, S. S. Wooley.
73 Pry's, Miss Anna Martin.
74 Larzelere's, Charles Huffman.

St. Joseph & Denver Railway Bond.
Following is the full vote of the coun
ty on the railroad bond proposition,
June, 1866:

PRECINCTS

FOB i

1.GA1NS

Troy

183

.23

Wathena

255

- 4

Elwood

147

0

White Cloud

10

76

Iowa Point

13 -

88

HighlandLafayette -
Syracuse

73 -
o-
67 -

- 40 17
- 16

Columbus

23

82

Palermo

- 13

- 67

Geary City
Doniphan -

0 5 -

54
130

Total

790

597

Majority

193

Wathena Berry Gardens. •
"Did you know that Wathena, in Doni
phan county, is the big hub of the black
berry wheel of the west? That more
blackberries are raised around Wathena
than in all the rest of the states put to
gether?" says the Atchison Globe. "And
yet the land around Wathena is not par
ticularly good. It is rough, hilly, and
the soil is not rich, and if the people
were asleep to their opportunities in
Doniphan county, as they are elsewhere,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

125

it would go to waste. But a smart man
saw the possibilities in the hills, planted
blackberries, and now blackberries are
shipped from Wathena to all parts of
the United States, and hundreds of peo
ple in that section do nothing during the
blackberry season but gather the crop.
The pay is 25* cents a crate, and a boy
once picked fourteen crates in a day.
There are loafers all over— Atchison is
full of them— but thousands of crates of
berries are going to waste at Wathena to
day because there is no one to pick them.
There is no town in the world where the
system is conducted as it is at Wathena.
A poor family moves in, the neighbors
furnish him supplies till he gathers his
first crop from the patch of hazel brush
he has rented, cleared and planted to
berries. The first patch overpays for
the land and all cultivating and living
expenses incurred in the meantime. And
land that pays for itself with its first
crop, at $100 to $150 per acre, with al
most a certainty of a crop every year, is
better worth its price, can be paid for
quicker and easier, than land at $10 to
$15 per acre, on ten years' time, that at
the end of ten years often has to have
the mortgage renewed upon it. That is
the reason why land near Wathena is yet
cheap at $100 to $150 per acre. It is
often asked, what is the life-time of a
blackberry patch? That is not fully de
termined. T. J. Ferguson has a patch
eighteen years old that will produce 200
crates per acre this year, and from the
present appearances might last as much
longer if well eared for. Blackberries
are sometimes winter-killed, but hot
often. Only hardy, shipping varieties

are grown for profit. The fine, large,
luscious, tender varieties, as long as your
thumb and larger, sometimes seen, are
grown sparingly for pleasure, and would
not do to ship at all. The small, firm
varieties that turn blaok before they are
ripe are the only reliable ones for busi
ness. In one day last week 2,500 crates
of berries were shipped from Wathena,
exclusive of those that went by wagon to
St. Joseph. Before the season ends the
3,000 mark will be passed.

Colonel Andrew G. Ege.
Colonel Ege was born at Carlisle Iron
Works, Cumberland county, Pa., -find
died at Highland, Doniphan county, Kas.,
November 24th, 1876. He received his
education at the Academy of Dr. Mc-
Graw, West Nottingham, Cecil county,
Md., and at Mt. St. Mary's College, Em-
metsburg, Md. Identified for many
years with political history of his adopt
ed state, Maryland, as a legislator, mem
ber of the Constitutional Reform Con
vention of 1850 and 1851. As presi
dential elector and other prominent pub
lic positions, he was always noted for his
firm adherence to settled convictions, and
his earnest and untiring vindication of
what he deemed right. Colonel Ege was
a bitter opponent of the Know Nothing
party, in the days of its strength. As a
great reader, he was well informed in the
history of the past and present. His
mind was stored with a vast fund of
practical knowledge, the result of long
experience and close observation. The
deceased was truly a charitable man. He
never saw distress without offering to
relieve and assist the afflicted. A lover

126

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

of the chase, and often said that he had
owned more fine dogs than any other
man in America. As a horseman and a
good shot he was unsurpassed. In fact,
his pleasures were those of past genera
tions. Colonel Ege was a man of untir
ing energy, having improved tw.enty-one
farms during his life, and had owned a
large amount of land in Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and
Kansas. He spent a large fortune in this
state, and did much for the material de-
velopement of Doniphan county, where
he had resided since 1856.
A social, polite, genial gentleman has
passed away; one of the men "of ye old
en time," so few of whom are left. His
heart though brave was tender as a
woman's. During his sickness he re
marked "that he relied on the mercy and
the justice of God, and believed in the
atonement." One who loved him while
living, and mourns him now; who under
stood his great generosity and affection,
with a sad heart leaves this tribute upon
his bier.
"Weep not nature's transient pain;
Congenial spirits pass to meet again."
The grass upon his grave will freshen
and wither, but the memory of the de
parted will ever remain in our heart.
May we meet in the hereafter. "Mors
omnibus communis."

COLONEL DAVID L. PAYNE.
(The Father of Oklahoma.)
Whenever a crowd of Oklahomans get
together and talk about old times, it is
s^ife to bet that the name of Col. David
L. Payne will crop to the surface oftener

and be spoken with more reverence than
that of any other man mentioned. Payne
was the John the Baptist of Oklahoma,
and like his great counterpart, did not
live to see the realization of his dreams
for which he worked and endured a host
of hardships.
Payne, known everywhere in the terri
tory as "the father of Oklahoma," was
the original boomer, and it' is due to his
efforts that the country was thrown open
for settlement. This, however, was not
accomplished without a fight against
great odds, but it is indicative of the
man that, although imprisoned, abused
and frowned upon by the powers in
Washington, never once gave up, but
struggled on until he won the victory he
long had sought. Time after time he
rushed his determined little bands of set
tlers across the line from Kansas, only to
see them scattered by the United States
troops or rangers maintained by the big
ranchmen. Once Payne was even forced
to walk to Fort Smith, Ark. , chained to
the tail of an ox-cart, a distance of sev
eral hundred miles, and when he reached
there was thrown into prison. The
United States courts, however, always
proved his friend, for he never experi
enced any difficulty in securing his re
lease through a writ of habeas corpus.
FROM INDIANA.
Payne's native state was Indiana and
his birthplace Fajrmount, in 1836. When
a young man he moved to Kansas and
settled in Doniphan county, from which
district he was twice elected to the state
legislature. Early in the '70s Payne
went to Washington and acted as door-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

127

keeper in the house of representatives
during one session. While there he
made examination into the records of the
land department and conceived the idea
that Oklahoma was a part of the public
domain and as such subject to homestead
entry. Congress, backed by the stock
men with their wealth and undenied in
fluence, had an entirely different idea on
the subject and the fight of one man
against the multitude commenced then.
How well he won is shown by the fact
that where once the countless herds of
cattle, owned by his opponents, roamed
there are now innumerable homes and
fully 700,000 people hold him the father
of their happiness This has taken
place in less than a score of years, jfor
the anniversary celebrated Friday was
but the fifteenth since the opening of
Oklahoma. IN CLOSE ACTION.
It took years to bring about this open
ing, however, and to better advance his
purpose Payne moved his home from
Doniphan county to Sedgwick and made
Wichita his headquarters. The firsthand
of colonists which Payne took across the
border were rounded up by the federal
authorities and taken to Fort Smith, Ark.,
to jail. There was, however, no law
making it a felony to trespass upon
public lands and the party was immedi
ately released. Seven times in all did
Payne cross the border and as many
times were he and his determined band
-of homeseekers driven back or impris
oned. One of these expositions organ
ized a town called Rock Falls, near the
present site of Enid. Here for six

months the party was allowed-to remain
in peace and Payne edited the War
Chief, the first paper published in Okla
homa. For this colony Payne secured a
seal, and as those composing the party
were from Emporia, Kan., it was known
as "Emporia Camp No. 2." Finally the
cattlemen were once more successful and
the party composing the settlement of
Rock Falls was driven from Oklahoma.
HIS LAST INVASION.
At last, after years of fighting, a ver
dict was secured in the federal court,
sitting at Topeka, Kan., and the victory
was won. By this it was decreed that
Oklahoma was public domain and home
steaders were given a clear title to their
claims. Soon after Payne started for
Oklahoma with another band of home-
seekers and while stopping over at Well
ington; Kan., he was taken suddenly ill
and died. The colonist he headed went
on and many of them are now among the
wealthiest and most respected business
men in the territory.
In Oklahoma a man who has resided
there for fifteen years is looked upon as a
pioneer and if he has been there five
years or more he is eligible to member
ship in the old settlers' clubs. When
statehood comes at the next session of
congress Oklahoma will have been
opened for settlement but seventeen
years and been an organized territory a
less time than any other ever admitted
to the Union.— Kansas City Journal,
April 24, 1904.

If you don't see what you want in Don
iphan County, ask for it.

128

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Clever With Gnn and Pistol.
Dr. R. S. Dinsmore of Troy. Kan., was
born December 4th, 1853, at Washing
ton, Iowa. He graduated in 1878, and
in the same year located at Troy, where
he has been engaged in the practice of
medicine. Being a great lover of the
gun, his hours of recreation were gener
ally devoted to the trap, target or field
shooting. He is best known among
rifle men and pistol shooters who have
frequently witnessed some fine scores
made at 200 yards, off hand, with the
rifle, and fifty yards with the pistol. Dr.
Dinsmore's best score of ten shots, at 200
yards with rifle, aggregated .94, on
Standard American Target, and .433 for
fifty shots at same distance and target.
This shooting was done with a Ballard
32-40, 185 grooved bullet. He has sev
enteen full scores of bull's-eyes at 200
yards, off hand. His best score at fifty
yards with a pistol for fifty shots aggre
gated 463 out of a possible 500 on a
Standard American target (200 yard
rifle). His highest score for ten shots at
the same distance was 97 out of a possi
ble 100. This shooting was done with a
Stevens 22-calibre pistol. About three
years ago the doctor temporarily gave up
rifle and pistol shooting and gave his
attention to the shot-gun. While not an
expert with this weapon as with the
former, he ranks as one of the best trap
shots in the state. His best run at live
pigeons was 63 although not all shot in
the same day. His best run at inanimate
targets was during the tournament at
Seneca, Kan., in 1891, when he broke 93
straight, and 98 out of 100. The doctor

used a Parker Hammerless 12 gauge
7 3-4 pounds, 2 5-8 drop. In his clay
bird shooting he uses 2 3-4 dr. of E. C.
powder and 1 1-8 oz. No. 7 chilled shot.
—"Shooting and Fishing", Boston, 1892.
Dr. Dinsmore has been chosen a mem
ber of the American Rifle Club, the only
member from Kansas.

Rain and Flood.
The third week in June, 1883, brought
the heaviest rains and the most destruct
ive floods ever seen in the county. On
Saturday night, June 16th, came the
heaviest rain of all which caused every
stream, brook and rill in the whole coun
ty to overflow. We give a few extracts
from the published account at the time.
"Wolf River was never so high within
the memory of living man; and, in fact,
the same may be said of every creek,
branch and gully in the county."
"There were but few bridges left in
the county, either on railroads or wagon
roads." "The railroads were washed out in all
directions ; telegraph wires were down by
the mile, and the roads were impassable
for wagons on account of bridges being
out. The only means of communication
was by horse."
"The bluffs above White Cloud slid
down upon the railroad track. The de
pot at Wathena was swept away entire.
Several houses in the lower part of the
town were also carried away."
"At Severance the lower part of the
town was inundated, and nine or ten
families were compelled to get out of
their houses and wade to dry land dur-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

i2d'

ing the night. There was great damage
to all the elevators and to Franklin and
Frick's flouring mills."
"At Leona, Mailler' s grain warehouse
was swung across the railroad track."
"The whole of Highland Station was
inundated before midnight, and the en
tire population sought shelter on higher
-grounds "The number of hogs, cattle and oth
er stock belonging to farmers living
along the streams, carried away and
drowned, is impossible to ascertain. No
such public and individual losses have
ever occurred in the county."

Cheyenne Massacre.
(May 28, 1868.)
It was in the spring of 1868 that seven
men, among whom were two pioneers of
Doniphan county, named Phillip Burke
and J. Leslie McChesney, equipped for a
three weeks' hunt, went out to the grass
lands beyond the Republican river to
shoot big game.
At that period regulars were in their
saddles much of the time, scouring prai
rie and timber, in search of Indians who
had murdered white men and carried off
their wives and children, and it was
known at every Fort that the Cheyennes
had sworn to shoot any one found on
their hunting grounds. But men in the
west in those days were possessed of a
spirit of daring which led them to enter
eagerly upon any adventure which prom
ised danger or even risk to human life.
As there Atrere no buffalo at the point
mapped out, the hunters pushed oh until
they found themselves in the very heart

of the forbidden territory, where they
saw a herd of buffalo grazing in a spring-
fed plain and, forgetting that grave diffi
culties were likely to be encountered be
fore reaching civilization again, the^
lingered on the enchanted ground, filling
their wagons with hides and sun-dried
jerk, while Banker Cole of Detroit, (a
relative of McChesney's), succeeded in
capturing two fine calves which he in
tended bringing back with him to exhibit
to friends as trophies of the chase. Fin
ally something convinced the Doniphan
county men, both of whom were old
buffalo hunters, that they were being
tracked, and one of them taking a field
glass scanned the prairie in the hope of
discovering another party of hunters who
were supposed to be in that vicinity; but
instead of a train of canvas covered wag
ons a large company of horsemen were
seen on a distant bluff, and next day
while hurrying eastward, the same com
pany of horsemen was seen again and
moving in the same direction. Wagons
were now unloaded and the horses put to
their greatest speed, but the pursuers
kept evtn pace. A halt was made that
night at the ruins of an old log Fort on
the Solomon river, where the hunters
prepared for an attack, for half the party
were veterans of the Civil War and had
faced danger many times before. Towards
morning a faint stir was heard and every
man gripped his gun as the naked body
of an ugly Savage crawled out frdm be
hind the logs and springing to his feet
ran off into the darkness^ barking like a
coyote, when instantly the whole forest
echoed with an answering cry. Determ
ining to abandon the wagOns and escape

I3C

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

on foot if possible, the others made hasty
preparations for the journey while Mac
crept out toward the open to turn the
lariated horse. But all plans failed, for
at that moment a signal was given and
the whole army of Cheyennes dashed
down the bluff into the little camp below,
when the short and bloody work began.
Besides the others already mentioned
there were Reuben Winklepleck, his son
Alonzo, and a nephew, Edward Winkle
pleck and Charles Cole, son of Norman
Cole — half a dozen against a hundred or
more blood thirsty demons armed with
all manner of weapons known to savage
warfare, from a plentiful supply of U. S.
bullets to clubs, tomahawks and poisoned
arrows, and fighting upon their own
ground. While his comrades were being shot
and clubbed to death Mac fled to the
river. The scene of carnage was fol
lowed by a feast and dance after which
the bodies were stripped and robbed, the
harness cut to pieces and the horses led
away. The escape of the only survivor
reads like a romance, for he lay in the tall
grass by day and walked all night, final
ly reaching Scandia, the nearest settle
ment, where a party was made up to re
turn with him to the scene of the massa
cre, to dig temporary graves for the poor
scalped and mutilated bodies.
E. McC. L.

The St. Joseph & Grand Island, Road.
From the St. Joseph & Grand Island
Railroad Company's "Souvenir",, present
ed in 1895, we glean the following inter
esting paragraphs, giving an outline his
tory of "the pioneer road".

As this is the pioneer road of the state
of Kansas, it will be necessary, in writ
ing a history of it, to go back to the
early history of Kansas. The section of
country tributary to the road was a part
of Missouri Territory, and, in 1854,
when the Kansas and Nebraska Act was
passed, was comprised in the "Great.
American Desert". The only part of
Kansas that was then believed as likely
ever to be of value was north of the
Kansas river, and west as far as the Big
Blue river. The rest was esteemed to be
the home and heritage of the wandering
Indian tribes and buffalo. Kansas was
inhabited by many tribes of Indians, who
had reservations. Upon the northern
part, opposite St. Joseph, were the Sac
and Fox Indians and the Iowa Indians
removed from this side and once Owners
of the Platte Purchase.
Joseph Robidoux had, in 1326, estab
lished a trading post at the mouth of the
Blacksnake to catch the trade of the In
dians passing from Agency Ford, Grand
River and Western Missouri, to High
land, Doniphan county, Kansas, where
there was quite an Indian settlement.
At that time, the country, after passing a
few miles west of St. Joseph, was cov
ered with buffalo grass. The rains were
infrequent in summer and grass and herb
age generally dried up by August, so it
was hardly possible to pass over the
country west of the river in the fall or
winter with teams. In 1853-4-5, there
was no running water from June until
November, between the Missouri river
and the Big Blue. Parties from St.
Joseph sending out goods in wagons to
the stations during these months, had to

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

131

carry water with them. At this day
there are many streams and hundreds of
springs that never go dry. This change
is largely due to the act of cultivating
the ground and the cessation of burning
the grass every Fall by' the Indians, in
order to confine the game to the small,
wooded valleys of winter streams.
A ferry was established at the Big
Blue at a Pawnee trading post, now
known as Marysville, and in 1853 Gen.
Frank Marshall and James Doniphan
bought it, and in 1854 they laid out the
town of Marysville, named it after Mrs.
Mary Marshall and called the county
Marshall after General Marshall.
In 1849 the United States sent out a
regiment of soldiers, laid out a route
known as the military road from Ft.
Leayeh worth to the .Big Blue at Marys
ville, and built forts at Laramie, Fort
Hall and the Dalles, and this was the
main route traveled by the Argonauts of
California south of the Platte for many
years by much the larger number.
In 1850 a large part of the California
emigration crossed at St. Joseph, and
passed up Peter's creek to Troy, Kansas,
and united with the military road at
Kenriekenick (Kennekuk), in Brown
county, and thence to the Big Blue at
Marysville. When the territory was ad
mitted in 1854, many settlers rushed into
Doniphan county, as the lands were
esteemed valuable; but settlements were
pushed out in Brown and Nemaha slowly,
and in Marshall up to 1861 there were
but few settlers except at small towns
and stage stations. Marshall county, now
one of the largest corn producing coun

ties of the state, was believed to be a
barren soil, unable to produce anything
except sunflowers and buffalo grass. Be
yond the Big Blue but few settlements
were made until the railroad penetrated
that region.
In 1854, McGraw, conductor for the
stage line across the continent, estab
lished stations at Guitau's, nine miles
this side of Marysville; another near
Hanover, called Hollenberg; another at
the mouth of Elk Creek, where it joins
the Little Blue; another on the Big San
dy, one at the Lone Elm in the Platte
Valley and then at' Fort Kearney.
The idea of the originators of the St.
Joseph & Grand Island railroad was to
follow, as near as the topography of the
country would allow, this route to the
valley of the Big Platte, and then to the
Pacific as laid out by the military road.
The country is now a prolilic farming
region, one of the most highly cultivated
and productive in the Union. Corn,
wheat, rye, oats and barley, all seem
adapted to the soil, and respond to the
cultivation as magnificently as any in the
world. Blue grass seems indigenous to
the soil, and always follows cultivation.
The buffalo grass has long since depart
ed, and is supplanted, in the uncultivated
lands, by the rich, nutricious blue stem,
which makes fat and bone for the cow,
and the soil grows the most elegant
clover, and is now covered by thousands
of graded hogs.
In 1856-7, under what was a great
Western emigration, St. Joseph had
what has since been known as a boom.
In 1856 an individual named Rose landed

132

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

here, and proposed to enlighten the citi
zens as to the best mode of making cities.
After a few weeks' contact with Gen.
Jeff. Thompson, Recorder Dolman, Col.
Tierman, and several of St. Joseph's
progressive men, he concluded that be
did not know more than all the St. Joseph
men, and went over the river to what is
now known as Elwood, and called it
Roseport, after himself. In the mean
time a colony of South Carolinians, be
coming tired of trying to make Kansas a
slave state, bought the claim adjoining
Marysville and called the town Palmetto,
and in February, 1857, the Kansas legis
lature passed an act chartering a railroad
from St. Joseph to the Big Blue, "The
Marysville, Palmetto and Roseport rail
road", entitled as follows: "An Act to
incorporate the Marysville or Palmetto
and Roseport Railroad Company; ap
proved February 1 7th, 1857."
The charter named as incorporators,
Robt. M. Stewart, afterwards governor
of Missouri; W. P. Richardson, Indian
Agent at Doniphan, Kansas; Gen. F. J.
Marshall, then of Marysville; Bela M.
Hughes, St. Joseph; Richard Rose, A.
M. Mitchell, Reuben Middleton, R. H.
Jenkins, Fred. W. Smith, and W. S.
Brewster. On the 20th of February, 1857, the
Territorial Legislature of Kansas incor
porated the St. Joseph & Topeka R. R.
Co. The incorporators were mostly citi
zens of Kansas, and the city of St. Joseph
voted to aid the company, and on the
20th of October, 1859, a contract was en
tered into between these two companies
to own the right-of-way jointly for the

railroad from Elwood, or Roseport, to
Troy, and use the same track. This road
afterwards changed its route and ran
down the river from Wathena to Doni
phan and thence to Atchison. It was
long since sold out at forclosure, and the
right-of-way purchased by Jay Gould and
sold to the Rock Island after the track
had been removed and the iron sent west
to lay switches, side tracks, etc., on the
Grand Island.
But we will go back to the Marysville
& Roseport Company. The seventh sec
tion of the original Act, approved Feb
ruary 17th, 1857, gave the company pow
er to survey, work, locate and construct
a railroad from Marysville to Roseport,
in the Territory of Kansas, so as to con^
nect with the Hannibal & St. Joseph.
This company was organized on the
26th of February, 1857, when five direc
tors were chosen.
At the next meeting, held July 12th,
1859, anew board of directors was or
ganized, and the road ordered located to
Troy. S. K. Miller was elected superin
tendent of construction of the road.
In 1860, three miles of track were
graded and ties, and iron laid to near
Wathena, the company having an engine
named the "Mud-Cat".
At a meeting of the stockholders held
April 17th, 1862, the name of the Marys
ville or Palmetto & Roseport R. R. Co.,
was changed to the St. Joseph & Denver
R. R. Co., under an act of the Kansas
legislature of March, 1862. Nothing
was done from 1862 to 1866, when a lo
cal company was formed under the gen
eral incorporation laws of Kansas, known

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

133

as "The Northern Kansas and Telegraph
Company". The incorporators were citi
zens of Kansas, and it was framed under
belief that it could .get aid from the state
of Kansas and more favorable legislation
than the old St. Joseph & Denver R. R.
Co., on account of the connection of Gen.
Jeff. Thompson and other southerners
with that road in its earlier history, as
well as to secure a grant of 125,000 acres
of land from the state of Kansas, which it
was feared could not be held by the St.
Joseph & Denver R. R. Co. Articles of
incorporation were signed on the 17th of
January, 1866, under the general railroad
laws of 1865, of the state of Kansas, and
were signed by Thomas A. Osborne,
Frank H. Drenning, Sol Miller and C.
E. Fox of Doniphan county; Ira Lacock,
Samuel Speer, and C. E. Parker of
Brown county; Geo. Graham of Nemaha
county; E. C. Manning and J. D. Brum-
bough of Marshall county, and Henry
Hollenberjj and D. E. Ballard of Wash
ington county, all of Kansas. After an
organization by the el jction of a board of
directors in May, 1866, Samuel Lappin
was elected president, and terms of con
solidation were agreed upon with the St.
Joseph & Denver Railroad, and on Octo
ber 9th, 1866, the consolidation took
place, and the old name of St. Joseph &
, Denver Railroad was retained.
January 7th, 1866, Maj. T. J. Chew
was elected president and John Severance
engineer, and the work was commenced
from Wathena west, and on October
15th, 1867, Gen. James Craig was elected
president, when the City of St. Joseph
voted $500,000 stock to the road, for
which bonds were issued, and are now a

part of the indebtedness of the city, hav
ing been renewed and assumed by the
city. On October 13th, 1868, Gen. Geo.
Hall was elected president, and in 1869
the road was built to Troy and located
to Hiawatha, and the county of Doni
phan voted bonds to aid its construction.
On the 23d of July, 1866, an act was
passed by congress, granting the odd sec
tions of land as far west as the 100th
meridian of longitude, west, to the
Wathena, Kansas, Railroad & Telegraph
Company, for the benefit of the St. Jo
seph & Denver Railroad Company for
ten miles on each side of the line. At
that time the road was located to Han
over, and it is believed by many that a
mistake was made in the further location.
If the road had been located up the Re
publican river toward Denver the compa
ny would have obtained over one and a
half million acres of good land. By the
location made it received upon final pat
ents 640,000 acres, less than one-half,
and inferior lands, as the prior land
grants to the Union Pacific and the Bur
lington and Missouri River Railroad
Companies covered about two-thirds of
the land that the company would have
obtained had it been the oldest grant.
On October 27th, 1869, General Hall
was re-elected- president. On the 1 1th of
October, 1870, Dudley M. Steele was
elected president and Milton Tootle vice
president, and construction pushed' te
Marysville in February, 1871. In Octo
ber, 1871, D. M. Steele was re-elected
president and the road was completed to
Alexandria, in Nebraska that year. In
November, 1872, D. M. Steele resigned
and H. C. Tanner of New York, was

134

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

elected president of the road, and it was
completed in December, 1872, to Hast
ings, Nebraska, 227 miles from St.
Joseph. In 1873, William Bond of New York,
was elected president, and held the posi
tion until 1875, when the first mortgage
bondholders sold the road in a foreclos
ure, and it was organized again as the
St. Joseph & Western Railroad, and Mr.
Bond was receiver, and with L. D. Tut-
hill operated it until 1879, when Jay
Gould bought a controlling interest.
In 1879, L. D. Tuthill, Major Hansen
and John Doniphan organized the Hast
ings & Grand Island R. R. and with the
capital furnished by Mr. Gould, built the
25 miles of road from Hastings to Grand
Island, there forming a connection with
the Union Pacific, and it was consolidat
ed as a part of the St. Joseph & Western
Railroad .
In 1885, the road was re-organized and
named the St. Joseph & Grand Island
Railroad Company, which is its present
title.

A Young Girl's Adventure.
It was not an uncommon occurrence
on the frontiers in an early clay, when the
country was sparsely settled, for persons
who ventured out in the winter to be
overtaken by a snow storm, and either
frozen to death or so badly frozen that
amputation of feet or hands was necessa
ry to save their lives. A circumstance
of this kind occurred west of Iowa Point
about the year 1857. A young lady,
Miss Martha Perkins, who lived on Cedar
Creek, attended a party in Iowa Point in
January or February of that year, where

she became offended at some trivial mat
ter and started, alone, for her home five
miles west. She had not proceeded far
when a blinding snow storm broke upon
her with all its merciless fury, which
soon oblitered the dim pathway she was
following. Dr. Jonathan Leigh, now of Hiawatha,
Kan., who amputated her feet, gives the
following account of this sad occurrance:
"About the first of March, 1857 or
1858, I was called to Miss Martha Per
kins, who lived on Cedar Creek, five
miles southwest of Iowa Point. On my
arrival I found both feet dark in color,
cold and in a state of complete gan
grene. I learned from the family that
early in the preceding January she went
to Iowa Point to attend a party, where
she remained till the following evening,
when she started home afoot and alone. She
was soon overtaken by a blinding snow
storm with a strong north wind (a first-
class blizzard), which soon obliterated
the little trail she was following. Night
came on and she became bewildered, not
knowing the direction she was going.
So she wandered around in that dreadful
storm until, (they supposed) about 1
o'clock in the morning, when she found
a bank near a small branch. She gath
ered some tall weeds that stood two or
three feet above the snow, which was
about ten inches deep, stuck them down
in the snow in a semi-circle, to form a
kind of wind break, and crouched down
in her little weed hovel, where she ex
pected to die before morning.
As soon as it was learned that she had
left Iowa Point but a short time before
the approach of the storm (blizzard),

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

135

seaching parties started in all directions.
At the end of the third day she was dis
covered and in a semi-conscious condition.
Three days and nights in such a storm
would seem to be beyond endurance.
At my visit in March, amputation was
suggested which was readily agreed to.
Three days later at noon was the time
set for the operation. As there was no
physician whom I could invite to assist
me, I requested the father to invite two
or three of the neighbors that I might
have some assistance if necessary. On
arriving at the appointed time I found
four men and their wives all ready to
render any assistance they could. The
first thing to consider was the construc
tion of some sort of an operating table.
This was soon decided. An old quilt
was spread on the rough floor of the
shanty and a stick of wood for a pillow;
that was all there was to it. I asked the
men if any of them could administer
chloroform and they all answered in the
' negative. I commenced the administra
tion of the anaesthetic and when, as it often
happens, the patient reached the point of
nub-consciousness, she began to mutter,
then to talk louder and louder, my assist
ants all thought the patient was dying.
One man bolted for the door and the
others followed like sheep jumping a
fence till the patient and myself were left
alone. But when the patient was suffi
ciently anaesthetized I got down on my
knees on the floor and removed the of
fending parts, dressed the stumps and re
mained with my patient till next morn
ing, when I left her comfortable and
hopeful. The recovery was somewhat
tedious but complete.

A Reminiscence.
In the year 1838, my brothers located
a general merchandise store midway be
tween the Blacksnake Hills and Weston
on the Missouri river, and did a general
business with the inhabitants of that
country, and also had a large trade with
the Sac and Fox Indians. In the year
1841, my father's family moved to the
Platte Purchase and settled on a claim
opposite the place where Doniphan now
stands in Doniphan county, Kansas. In
the year 1842, the Indian agent at Fort
Nemaha notified my brothers that a pay
ment was about to be made to the Sac
and Fox Indians and invited them to be
present, and make their collections.
They proceeded to the agency, I going
along. My age then was 12 years.
We crossed the Missouri river in an
Indian canoe, and taking the old Indian
trail to the divide near Independence
creek and passing near where John L.
Berry lived, crossed the Wolf river near
the Sac and Fox village, and arrived at
Fort Nemaha agency in the evening.
Major Richardson was the U. S. Indian
agent and John W. Foreman was the
farmer for the Iowa, Sac and Fox In
dians. The major and Mr. Foreman
were Kentuckians, and from the blue
grass region, and here we beg to remark,
that their latch strings were hanging out
and the proverbial Kentucky hospitality
was constantly on top.
Our visit was extended for several
days, and was a very pleasant one, the
major taking great interest in the matter
of the collections, for which purpose
my brothers were at the agency. We
digress to remark that a few years after-

136

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

wards the major's only child, a daughter,
was married to Willard P. Hall, who
accompanied Gen. A. W. Doniphan on
his memorable campaign through Santa
Fe and old Mexico, and was at the round
up of the Mexican army at Sacramento,
where General Doniphan captured the
entire outfit and "ten acres of sheep"
Willard P. Hall was afterwards governor
of Missouri, and one of the ablest judges
of the supreme court of Missouri.
Our trip to the Nemaha agency has al
ways been a pleasant memory and remi
niscence that will never be forgotten.
John W. Foreman is well known to the
people of Doniphan county, and the des
tiny of the writer is closely linked with
the interests and the advancements of the
county. In the year 1851, James F. Foreman,
who had been an assistant farmer at the
agency, was granted permission to estab
lish a trading post at the point where
afterwards the town of Doniphan was
located. The appointment of Mr. Fore
man as a trader was only to secure the
location for a town site when the land
should be purchased, as the Indian agent
evidently knew would soon occur.
In the year 1854, the writer with some
others crossed the Missouri river at Iowa
Point, Wm. Banks operating the ferry.
We camped near the river the first night,
and the second night we camped on Cedar
creek at the crossing of the St. Joseph
Overland route. We recall that that
night there was a Frenchman with some
eight or ten wagons and voyagers en
camped there, going to Brown's Hole in
the mountains. The wagons were load
ed with Indian goods and provisions,

ammunition, etc. , etc. I suppose the etc. ,
etc., was about ten barrels of copper dis
tilled whisky, which is said to be an
antidote for snake bites, tarantula and
centipede poisons. Our destination was
Fort Kearney, where we remained for a
considerable time, buying broken down
cattle, horses and mules. On our return
to Big Blue river, Francis J. Marshall
informed us that a treaty had been made
for the lands embracing the territories of
Kansas and Nebraska. We then pro
ceeded to the Missouri river and camped
on the bottoms below Iowa Point, which
afterwards became the property of H.
Guthrie, who died a year or so since.
During the month of August my broth
er, Milton, and myself went up Wolf
river to see how the land lay, and went
into camp near the old Sac village, the
Indians having moved away. The camp
was near a little stream which was crossed
by the Indian trail, a thicket of brush
being near our camp. Milton Utt went
to the agency in the afternoon, leaving
the writer in charge of the camp. I had
spent an hour or two reading when,
glancing up the bottom towards Hooper's
ford, I saw what caused my hair to
"stand pat", for not more than 300 yards
away was about seventy-five Indians ,who
proved to be Pawnees, advancing. Each
warrior was carrying a long lance, the
point of which glistening in the sun,
showed brilliant and beautiful. Each
member of the band carried his bow and
quiver of arrows at his back. My long
acquaintance with Indians and their ways
came to my aid, and stepping out from
the brush into the path, I gave them a
sign to halt which they did very prompt-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

137

ly. I then gave them a sign for one to
advance. The leader, a fine six-foot
brave, dressed in war paint and feathers, '
stepped up to within about ten feet, when
I halted him. In sign language I asked
who they were and where going. The
chief answered that they were on a visit
to the Iowas to smoke and feast- and
would then go home; that they had been
between the Blue rivers and had a tight
with roving Cheyennes, and he showed
two scalps to prove that what he said
was true I had previously advised him
that I was a Missourian. By this time
several of the band came forward, and I
told the chief to send the young back to
their line; that I would permit but one
to do the talking; then I made a sign
that they could pass to the left, which
they did in good order. They displayed
several scalps and other trophies as they
passed. They were all large, fine look
ing warriors, rigged out in fantastic In
dian toggery and making a display that
will never be witnessed on old Wolf
river again. After I got rid of them
you can imagine that I felt greatly re
lieved. They went on out to the Iowas
and put in several days feasting and
smoking, and then returned to their own
rerservation near Columbus, Nebraska,
and that was the last visit of the Paw
nees to Doniphan county. Jo. Utt.

The Oldest Kansans.
From the Alton (Kan.) Empire, Sep
tember 18, 1902, we glean the following:
Probably the oldest living settler in
Kansas today is Wm. Brittain of Alton.
The contest for that distinguishment has
been confined to a man named Flanagan

in Doniphan county and one named
Luther Dickinson in Atchison county.
The Troy Chief thinks Flanagan an older
settler than Dickinson, but Uncle Billy
Brittain has Flanagan beaten by a couple
of months
Mr. Brittain was born near Spencer,
Owen county, Ind., in 1828, and lived
there with his parents till 1836, when
they moved to Louisa county, Iowa, and
in 1839, moved to the Platte Purchase
near St. Joseph, Mo. There with his
younger brother he assisted his father,
John Brittain, in opening up a large farm
in the. bottoms twelve miles from St.
Joseph. John Brittain died in 1846.
William and his mother. and six younger
brothers resided on the farm till 1850,
when they returned to Indiana. That
summer he was married to Sarah Smith
and in the fall they returned to the old
homestead in Missouri, where he and his
wife lived till Kansas was opened up for
settlement. In June, 1854, he crossed
the Missouri river and took a claim and
built a small log cabin. In the fall of
that year he moved his family, consist
ing of his wife and two children, to their
new home in the territory. Here he ex
perienced all the hardships and vicissi
tudes attending first settlement of Kan
sas. The Indians were daily visitors at
his home during the first winter in Kan
sas. In 1856, came the great struggle as to
whether Kansas should be a free or slave
state. Great excitement prevailed through
out the country. It was an almost daily
occurrence to hear . of some one being
bushwhacked and shot down on the pub
lic highway. Uncle Billy, whose senti-

138

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

ments were so hunted down by the Pro-
Slavery party that he was forced to hide
his horses in the dense brush, and cross
to the other side of the river. Mrs.
Brittain carried water and feed to the
horses for over three weeks. After the
excitement subsided he returned home
to his family. Soon after this the elec
tion was held and Mr. Brittain served as
one of the judges of election. He says
Major Richardson brought over a cannon
and a barrel of whisky and all the street
whittlers he could get to follow him,
voted them all and carried the election.
Then they established a pro-slavery
court and Win. Brittain, Wm. Chapman
and Nicholas Holmes were arraigned be
fore that court, tried and found guilty
of treason for serving as judges of elec
tion for the Free State party and fined
$25 each, which they paid. This hap
pened at Bellemont in Doniphan county.
The court proceedings were, of course, a
farce and a bluff, and merely an incident
of the lawlessness and feeling at that
time and place. But finally the Free
State party came into power and Mr.
Brittain and his party felt easier. Mr.
Brittain acted as one of Jim Lane's body
guards when that noted gentleman
passed through Doniphan county on his
way to Lawrence in 1856.
Uncle Billy enlisted in the Thirteenth
Kansas Volunteer Infantry at Troy,
Doniphan county, on the 5th day of
September, 1862, and immediately start
ed south. His entire service was in
Southern Missouri and Arkansas. He
was wounded at the battle of Prairie
Grove, Ark., in 1863, and discharged at
Springfield, Mo. He returned home and

in the fall of 1863, enlisted in Co. F.
Kansas State Militia and fought in the
battle against Price in Jackson county,
Mo., south of Kansas City.
In 1878, Mr. Brittain came to Osborne
county and settled on a claim in Hawk-
eye township, where he resided until
1896, when he sold out and located at
Alton. Uncle Billy is a fine old man. He was
not only in the service of his country in
the rebellion, but took a prominent part
in the battles of 1856 for a free state of
Kansas. He has voted for every Repub
lican president from Lincoln down to
McKinley.

St. Joseph's First Boomer.
The first live real estate man to do
business in St. Joseph was Colonel An
drew G. Ege, a tall, straight, active
Marylander, according to one of the old
est residents, who adds that he was a
hustler. "It was before the settlement
of Kansas that the colonel and his refined
family settled here," relates the News.
"They were wealthy, intelligent South
ern people, and soon became very popu*
lar with all classes. About this time
Judge Henry M. Vories, lived on a farm
of ten acres about half a mile north of
the court house. It was woody then,
with a country road winding around on
top of the hill, leading to the Vories
farm and beyond. Colonel Ege conclud
ed that he would buy the land, and after
dickering for some time over the price,
finally made a purchase, paying $1,000
an acre. People were amazed when told
of farm land being sold for $1,000 an
acre, and concluded that the colonel had

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

139

more money than judgment. Not long
after his purchase the land was platted
into town lots, which were readily sold,
and Ege made a great deal of money on
the speculation. Ege's additions are still
a part of the city, and a very important
part, too. Judge Vories left about that
time and went to California, but returned
after some years, not meeting with suc
cess in the golden state, and was elected
chief justice of the Missouri supreme
court. Colonel Ege went to Kansas as
one of the earliest pioneers, securing
nearly 10,000 acres of land in Doniphan
county, and became a notable citizen of
the Jayhawker state."— K. C. Journal.

Mrs. L. M. Blackford.
Mrs. L. M. Blackford, mother of Rev.
O. J. Blackford, pastor of the Tabernacle
Methodist Episcopal church, Detroit, is
one of the few persons who can remem
ber over the entire history of railroad de
velopment in the United States. Fur
thermore, she was one of the passengers
on the first successful railroad train which
made its trial trip in the summer of 1830.
The father of Mrs. Blackford— then
Leah M. Blake, a little girl of 6— was a
merchant in Portland, Me. He frequent
ly went to New York on business, often
taking members of his family with him.
He and his daughter were in New York
on one of these occasions when it became
noised about that a train of "steam cars"
was to make a trial run from Troy to
Schenectady. Mr. Blake went immediate
ly to Troy, and he and Leah were among
the "tourists" of this memorable trip.
Mrs. Blackford recalls quite vividly the
crude train which ran on wooden rails at

the rate of about twelve miles an hour.
There are other incidents in Mrs.
Blackford's life that are quite worthy of
mention. She and her husband, Rev.
Ira B. Blackford, a Methodist minister,
were leaders in the founding, in 1857, of
Baker un iversity, Baldwin City, Kansas,
and she was one of the first teachers of
languages there. It is interesting to
note that among the special things taught
in the early history of this university
were music, drawing, painting and em
broidery. Reverend and Mrs. Blackford
were also prominent in the organization
of the Kansas conference at Topeka, 1855.
During the civil war Mrs. Blackford,
with other brave women— while their hus
bands were at the front— helped to man
the guns at Fort Leavenworth.
Until recent years Mrs. Blackford was
well known as an able lecturer. Her
last public address was given in Saginaw
on Memorial Day, 1898, when she took
the place of her son, who was unable to
fill the engagement.
This lady was a resident of "Columbus
City", (1855-6), as she quaintly calls the
knobs of farm land overlooking Burr
Oak Bottoms, at a point fourteen miles
northeast of Troy, Kan., and although
eighty years of age with face as fair as a
girl's and faculties alert, her eye kindles
and her dear heart warms right up to the
subject as she talks of the days of pio
neer Methodism in Doniphan county.
E. McC. L.

Doniphan county made it possible for
St. Joseph to become a great city. Atch
ison, too, drew much of her life blood
from our soil.

140

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

Some Early Birds.
[Men who came and settled in Wayne
Township from 1854 to 1857.]
LIST OF THE DEAD.
B. S. Whorton,
John McNeemee,
John Harding,
David Lee,
Col. A. G. Ege,
Frank McCoy, sr.,
Wm. K. Shaw,
John Fo man,
James F. Forman,
Hilsman Jarret,
Richard Vest,
Lambert Holling,
James Lancaster,
James Butler,
Isaac Spencer,
Adam Brenner,
George Grace,
William Ledington,
Alex. Dunning,
Samuel Neece,
Benj. Hudson,
A. Low,
C. A. Low,
Clark Low,
John Whittaker,
Capt. Hanson,
A. B. Symns, sr.,
William Roberts,
Doctor Hudnall,
Jacob I. Scott,
John Tracy,
Doctor Welch,
Henry Bender,
E. W. Stratton,
John Starr, sr.,
David Hoppins,

Jacob Smith,
Milton Norman,
Richard Demsey,
William Buster,
John R. Buster,
Silas Loyd,
William Pickett,
John Landis,
Michael Forrest, sr.,
William M. Ege,
Andrew Colgan,
Austin S. Forman,
William Spencer,
Robert Graham, sr.,
Robert Graham, jr.,
James H. Lane,
George Buck,
James Shaw,
Conway Murry,
Taswell Parr,
Henry Beauchamp,
Edward Beauchamp,
"William Matheny, sr.,
Jacob Matheny,
Tim Spencer.
LIST OF THE LIVING.
Geo. M. Waller.
Maj. Barney O'Driscoll
Edward A. Ege.
William Lancaster,
John Lancaster,
A. M. Spencer,
A. M. Patterson,
T. W. Langan,
Michael Langan,
George Brock,
Jerry James,
Frank Neece,.
J. W. Low,
John Earhart,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

141

C. B. Roundy,
Edward Whorton,
M. L. Hudnall,
C. J. Drury,
Barney Murphy,
Gus Katner,
W. P. Symns,
Jeff. L. McNeemee,
David Loyd,
Andrew Loyd,
Joseph Kent,
Ham. Kent,
Daniel Landis,
Richard Willis,
Isaac Martin,
W. H. Martin,
Thomas Flanagan,
W. H. Nesbit,
Abner Perry,
D. M. Johnson,
John M. Ege,
Joseph Beauchamp,
William Matheny.
List furnished by Edward W. Ege.

The Squaws' Trail.
Sugar creek, which skirts the Brown
farm, was so called because in the early
days the Kaw Indians used to gather
there every spring, and beg permission
to tap the hard maple trees along the
creek for sugar. They were peaceable,
and permission was always granted.-- -A
path led across the land owned by Alex
ander Brown, which originated some
where near Doniphan, on the other side
of the river, and was made by squaws.
Reaching the river at Doniphan, the
squaws would take the canoes and row
over into Missouri. With furs on their
backs, they traveled a distance of eight
miles to trade at the mill of "General"
Martin. Here they exchanged their furs
for flour or meal. Then these women
would start back on the eight mile walk,
a sack of meal on each weary back, and
oftentimes a papoose tied on top of the
sack.

CHAPTER XIII.

W15C6LLAH60US SKeTCHSS.

(Continued)

THE KANSAS INDIANS.
By Pkyoe Plank,
Eagle Springs, Doniphan County, Kans.

It is not generally known that the
Kansas Indians inhabited this region
when they were first known to civilized
man .
The early history of this tribe, like the
origin of their ancestors, is sealed up in
the archives of prehistoric times which
antiquarians have been trying to pry
open ever since Columbus discovered this
continent in 1492.
The first account we have of this tribe
they were living on the "Pekitanoui"
(Missouri) river in 1670, where they
probably had been living for a long time
previous to that. Marquette, who gives
us this account, says: "Six or seven days
below the Hois (Illinois) river, is another

great river on which are prodigious na
tions, who used wooden canoes. We
cannot write more till next year, if God
give us the grace to lead us there." One
of these "prodigious nations" was the
Kanza Indians, as they were then called.
This expedition, however, did not take
place until 1673, when Marquette accom
panied by Joliet, embarked on the waters
of the Mississippi and discovered the
mouth of the Missouri river. This ac
count says: "Following the course of the
river toward another called Pekitanoui,
which empties into the Mississippi, com
ing from the northwest, of which I have
something considerable to say, after
what I have remarked of this river. We
judged from the direction the Mississippi
takes, that it keeps on the same course it
has its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. It
would be very advantageous to find that

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

143

which leads to the South Sea toward
California, and this, as I said, I hoped to
find by Pekitanoui, following the account
which the Indians had given me, for
from them I learned that advancing up
this river for five or six days you come
to a beautiful prairie twenty to thirty
leagues long, which you must cross to
the northwest. It terminates at another
little river on which you can embark, it
not being difficult to transport our canoes
over so beautiful a country as that prai
rie. The second river runs southwest
for ten or fifteen leagues, after which it
enters a small lake which is a source of
a deep river, running to the west where
it empties into the sea."
LaSalle repeated Marquette's expedi
tion in 1681-2, leaving the mouth of the
Illinois river January 13, 1682. This ac
count says: "Then we set out and six
leagues lower down found the Ozage
(Missouri) river, coming from the west.
It is fully as large as the river Colbert
(Mississippi), into which it empties. The
Indians assure us that this river is
formed by many others, and that they
ascend it for ten or twelves days to a moun
tain where it rires; that beyond this
mountain is the sea, where they see great
ships; that on the river are a great number
of large villages of many different nations,
that there are arable and prairie lands,
an abundance of cattle ( buffalo no
doubt), and beaver. Although this river
is very large, the Colbert (Mississippi)
does not seem to be augmented by it."
Having located the Kansas Indians on
the Pekitanoui or Missouri river> more
than two hundred years ago, let us now

find, if we can, where they were located
on that stream.
Fifty-four years after Marquette first
heard of them, Bourgmont, military
commander of the French province of
Louisiana, visited them, but his account
of their location is vague and unsatisfac
tory; but Renoudiere, one of Bourg-
ment's companions, gives this description
of the location of the village, which some
have supposed was at Atchison and oth
ers at the month of Independence creek
below Doniphan; but it tallies equally as
well with the mouth of Wolf river.
"Thirty leagues above Quans (Kansas)
river, a small river flowing from the
north is found. Here is the great village
of the Quans (Kansas) Indians, consist
ing of 150 lodges adjoining the Missouri.
There are tine prairies to the south and
many mountains to the west."
Professor Remsburg of Potter, Kan.,
who is well posted in old Indian history,
has a lengthy and interesting article in a
late issue of the Kansas City Journal, in
which he brings much proof to show
that Doniphan is the site of the old
Kansas Indian village, Bourgmont visited
in 1724, and there can be no doubt, from
the proof he brings, that they actually
did live there at one time, and it may
have been when Bourgmont visited them.
But it must be remembered that thirty
leagues, which would be ninety miles
from the mouth of the Kansas river,
would reach much farther than the mouth
of Independence creek, and as distances
in those days were guessed at and not
measured, Renoudiere's thirty leagues
might have been much more than that

144

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

and consequently reached the mouth of
Wolf river.
Without taking issue with Professor
Remsburg, let us now examine the sur
roundings at the mouth of Wolf river
and see how they correspond to Renoud-
iere's description of the country around
the old Quans village.
Anyone who has been on what is
known as Lookout mountain, a high
point between the mouth of Wolf river
and the Missouri, which commands the
finest view in all directions of any point
in the state of Kansas, will readily recog
nize that Renoudiere's description applies
to this locality. To the south in the di
rection of Highland and Severance, is
what was once a tine prairie country but
now covered with productive farms,
while to the north the chain of rugged
bluffs, which bounds the Missouri river
on the west, rises abruptly. When I
first came to Doniphan county, fifty
years ago, Wolf river emptied into the
Missouri river from the north more than
a mile below where it does now, running
parallel with the Missouri from near the
old Rock Ford, where S. F. French now
lives. From this point Wolf river valley
cannot be stem What is called the Devil's
Backbone, a lateral spur which puts out
from Lookout mountain, shuts it out
from view at the Great Bend near Wil
low Springs school house, and Indian
creek, which has its source near the old
Presbyterian mission and Great Nemaha
agency, could be easily mistaken for Wolf
river coming in from the north.
Having disposed of this feature of the
subject, let us examine more tangible

evidence, that this was the abiding place
of these old settlers at a remote period of
time, when they were a numerous and
war-like tribe, and their dominion prob
ably extended from the Great Nemaha
river along the boundary between Kan
sas and Nebraska south to the Kansas
river and westward to the Republican
and Smoky Hill rivers.
Stone axes, spear heads, flint arrow
points and broken fragments of primi
tive pottery are scattered over a scope of
country, extending south from the mouth
of Wolf river to Eagle Springs and west
ward along the Wolf river valley north
of Highland Station on the Burlington
and Missouri River railroad and south
east to the old town site of Lafayette on
the Missouri river, now occupied as a
fruit farm by Levi Kunkle. At Eagle
Springs these implements are found cov
ered up in some instances six or eight
feet under ground. In these places heaps
of ashes, burnt stones, bones of wild ani
mals and shells of mussels are always
found. In removing a large mound for the
foundation of the hotel at Eagle Springs,
these evidences of the country having
been inhabited in prehistoric times were
unearthed eight feet under ground.
It is a well known fact that the Kan
sas Indians, like the Sioux, divided up
into bands and had their villages in' dif
ferent localities, and the evidences I have
noted show that, at least, a very large
band of them was located here, perhaps
long before Bourgmont's visit in 1724,
nearly two hundred years after Columbus
discovered the New World, peopled with

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

145

a race whose appearance on this continent
is yet shrouded in mystery.
The following extracts are taken from
Lewis and Clark's journals in 1804,
which Misa Zou Adams, assistant secre
tary of the Kansas State Historical socie
ty at Topeka, has kindly furnished me:
"This river, [the Kansas,] receives its
name from a nation which dwells at this
time on its banks and has two villages,
one about thirty leagues and the other
forty leagues up. Those Indians are not
very numerous at this time, having been
reduced by war with their neighbors.
They formerly lived on the south banks
of the Missouri twenty-four leagues
above this river in an open and beautiful
plain, and were very numerous at the
time the French first settled on the Illi
nois. I am told they are a fierce and war
like people, but being unsupplied with
fire-arms became easily conquered by the
Aiauway and Saukees [Iowa and Sacs]
who are better furnished with those
materials of war. "-Pages 60, 61.
"We camped after dark on the S S
[I don't understand what this means].
above an island [supposed to be Kicka
poo island above Fort Leavenworth], op
posite the first old village of the Kanzas,
which was situated in a valley between
two points of high land and immediately
on the river bank back of the village
and on a rising ground at. about one mile.''
Page 64.
"We came to and camped in the lower
edge of a plain where the second old
Kanzas village formerly stood, above the
mouth of a creek thirty yards wide. This
creek we called creek Independence. As
we approached this place the prairie had

a most beautiful appearance. Hills and
valleys, interspersed with copses of tim
ber, gave a pleasing diversity to the
scenery, the right fork of creek Inde
pendence meandering through the middle
of the plain. A point of high land near
the river gives an elevated situation. At
this place the Kanzas Indians formerly
lived. This town appears to have cov
ered a large space. The nation must have
been numerous at the time they lived
here. The cause of their moving to the
Kanzas river I have never heard, nor,
can I learn. War with their neighbors
must have reduced this nation and com
pelled them to retire to a situation in the
plains better calculated for their defense
and one where they may make use of
their horses with good effect in pursuing
their enemy."
"The origin of this old village is un
certain. M. de Bourgmont, a French
officer, in command of a fort near the
Town of the Missouris, in about the year
1724, and in July of the same year he
visited this village. At that time the na
tion was numerous and well disposed to
ward the French. "--Pages 66, 67.
It will be noticed from the above ex
tracts, that Lewis and Clark place the
old Kansas village Bourgmont visited in
1724, where the town of Doniphan now
is, but as they were not there till eighty
vears later, and the Kansas Indians had
all gone south along the Kansas river,
they might have been mistaken, and that
they might seems plausible from the
fact that there is a difference of six
leagues in the distance the villages they
describe were located from the mouth of
the Kansas river, Lewis and Clark put-

146

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

ting their village twenty-four leagues
from that point and Renoudiere, Bourg
mont' s companion, putting his thirty
leagues, which, as I have said before,
might have been more than that and
reached the mouth of Wolf river. This,
however, is immaterial as both villages,
beyond a doubt, were located in Doui-
phan county.
I think it highly probable that all
three of the villages, the one on Wolf
river, the one at Doniphan, and the one
near Kickapoo Island above Fort Leaven
worth, were occupied by different bands
of this tribe at the same time.
The following extract from an address
by George P. Morehouse of Council
Grove, before the twenty-eighth annual
meeting of the State Historical society
December 1, 1903, shows that they fol
lowed this custom after they left the Mis
souri river and went south:
"The Kaw or Kansas Indians lived for
a long time in the Kaw valley east of the
present city of Manhattan. In 1847,
they removed to a reservation in the
Neosho valley adjoining Council Grove.
Their three villages were down the river
and the Indian agency, the buildings of
which still stands, was near the mouth of
Big John creek, about four miles from
Council Grove.
"They had thiee villages, governed in
a manner by three chiefs. Al-le-ga-wa-ho,
for many years their wisest leader, a
man over six feet tall and noted as an
eloquent Indian orator, presided at the
village located on Cahola creek. Kah-
he-ga-wa-ti-an-gah, the "fool chief," gov
erned the village near the present site of

the town of Dunlap. Wah-ti-an-gah held
forth as chief of the village near the offi
cial agency."
The address, from which the foregoing
is taken, is an interesting sketch of the
Kansas Indians, after they left the Mis
souri river and went south, that will pay
anyone interested in old Indian history
to look up. It can be found in Volume
vm, Page 206, of Kansas Historical col
lections for 1903-4.
The following extract from Major
Stephen H. Long's account of an expedi
tion to explore the Rocky Moutains 1819,
shows that a band of the Kansas Indians
were then living in this vicinity:
"The country southwest of the Mis
souri, between the Kansas and Platte
rivers, is drained principally by the Wolf
and the Great Nemaha rivers. These
rivers, like the Nodaway and Nishnabot-
na rivers, that empty into the Missouri
nearly opposite them from the northeast,
rise in the prairies at an elevation of
probably forty or fifty feet above the
level of the Missouri. As they descend,
their valleys gradually become wider,
embosom a few trees, and at length near
their entrance into the Missouri valley,
are forests of considerable extent. The
surface of these prairies presents a suc
cession of small rounded hills becoming
larger and more abrupt as you approach
the beds of the rivers. The soil is deep,
reposing usually on beds of horizontal
argillaceous sandstone, and secondary
limestone. The soil superimposed upon
this strata of limestone is a calareous
loam. Near the rivers it is intermixed
with sand. This is also the case with

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

147

the soil of the high prairies about the
Konzas village."
It will be remembered that Lewis and
Clark mentions only two villages of this
tribe on the Kansas river, which shows
that the bands that were here when Major
Long visited them in 1819, had not yet
gone south, but they were at the time
Mr. Morehouse speaks of, and the tribe
was living in three separate villages as
they had previously done when they
were on the Missouri river.
I know Lewis and Clark speaks of only
two Kansas villages on the Missouri
river, the one above Fort Leavenworth
and the one at Independence creek. Why
they did not mention this village on
Wolf river is explained by the fact that
it was then situated in the Wolf river
valley south of the "Devil's Backbone,"
which, as I have explained, shuts out
a view of this valley from the Missouri
river at the Great Bend near Willow
Springs school house and, consequently,
they did not see it, as they were not ex
ploring the country back from the river.
The other two villages were on the riv
er and they saw them and made a note
of it.
The following items are taken from
letters I received some time ago from
Professor Remsburg, to whom I am in
debted for valuable information in con
nection with the present and past history
of the Kansas Indians:
"Dear Sir: I notice by the Atchison
Globe of recent date, that you are pre
paring a history of the Indians of Doni
phan county, which is a very commend

able move, as this is a subject that has
been too much neglected.
Perhaps you may be interested in
knowing that I have lately identified the
site of the Kaw or Kansas Indian vil
lage visited by Bourgmont in 1724, and
that it is to the credit of Doniphan coun
ty that the ancient capital of this indige-
neous tribe of Kansas was located within
her (Doniphan county's) borders, not
withstanding, that some historians, Pro
fessor Dunbar for instance, have placed
it at Atchison. I have a large amount
of evidence, both historical and archteo-
logieal, to show that the old village was
situated at the present town site of Doni
phan, while I can find nothing to estab
lish the location at Atchison. I have
prepared a paper, giving the results of
my investigations at Doniphan, which
will be published in the Kansas City
Journal, a copy of which I will send you.
Assuring you of my interest in your
efforts to perpetuate the early Indian his
tory of Doniphan county, and wishing
you success, I am yours sincerely,
Geo. J. RisMSRL'Rd.

Potter, Kan., July 8, 1905.
"Dear, Sir: Replying to yours of the
3d inst. , will say, that as near as I can
learn at present, there are only 247 of
the Kaws or Kansas Indians left. Their
reservation lies along the Arkansas river
valley, just south of the Kansas state
line and comprises 100,037 acres of the
finest land in the territory. Gen. W. E.
Hardy is their chief. He is an uncle of
Congressman Charles Curtis, and is one
of the best known Indians in the United

148

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

States. He has been conspicuous in In
dian councils in Washington during the
last sixty years. He has a splendid Civil
war record and was an intimate friend of
Gen. U. S. Grant. He has lived on three
separate Kaw reservations; on the site of
St. Louis, where he was born; on the
former Kaw reserve in Kansas, and on
the present reserve, set aside for his tribe
in Oklahoma. Secretary Hitchcock of
the Interior department, some time ago
made him secretary of the Kaw tribal
council for life, an honor never bestowed
on any other Indian  As near
as I have been able to trace the Kansas
Indians when they first came up the Mis
souri in prehistoric times, they proceed
ed as far as the northeast corner of the
present state of Kansas, where they met
the Cheyennes, who drove them south
ward. You are probably correct in as
serting that they were located on Wolf
river at one time, but that river does not
tally with their location in Bourgmont's
time, as described in the narratives of
the early explorers, while topographical
features at Doniphan are identical with
the early descriptions of the locality,
where the old Kansas town was located.
I shall be glad to hear from you occa
sionally, and to know of any developments
that you might make along this line of
research. It is a subject in which I am
deeply absorbed, and one which I am
anxious to see made tangible.
Yours cordially, Geo. J. Remsburg."
The foregoing brief history of the
Kansas Indians traces them from the
first account we have of them in 1670

down to the present time, a period of
235 years. From the best information
obtainable, they were living in the terri
tory that now constitutes Doniphafi
county, when Marquette first heard of
them in 1670, as one of the "prodigious
nations" that lived along the Pekitanoui,
or Missouri river at that time, and there
is abundant archaeological evidence that
they or some other primitive race of
people had inhabited this region from a
remote period in prehistoric times.

The Kaws on the Missouri in 1724.
[BY GEORGE J. REMSBURG.]
Centuries ago mention was made by
the French explorers of the large or main
village of the "Quans", on the southwest
bank of the Missouri river, about thirty
leagues above the mouth of the "Quans"
river. The Quans were the Kanza or
Konza Indians, from whom our state de
rived its name. They were visited by De
Bourgmont, in 1723, and again in 1724,
while on his famous expedition to the
Padoucas. The exact location of this
noted old village of Bourgmont's time
has, herefore, never been definitely de
termined, although the ruins of the old
town on the Missouri were observed and
mentioned by explorers and travelers for
many years subsequent to the early
French explorations.
After carefully studying all available
data bearing on the subject, including
the chronicles of most of the early ex
plorers who mention the old village, and
thoroughly examing the whole region
along the Missouri river north of the
Kansas, I have concluded that the his-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

149

toric old town of Doniphan, five miles
north of the city of Atchison, was the
prehistoric capital of the Kaws. The
historical, topographical and archaeolog
ical evidence adequately sustains such an
opinion. Before going into details I will
succinctly give a few of the more impor
tant reasons for my belief that the old
Kansas village was so located:
First— Doniphan corresponds approxi
mately with the distances that the early
explorers place the old village above the
Kansas and Little Platte rivers, and oth
er definite points on the Missouri.
Second— Lewis and Clark, and other ex
plorers, who saw the remains of the old
town, explicitly state that it was a mile,
or a little above, Independence creek.
Third — Doniphan is the most ideal situa
tion for an Indian village in that region,
and the only desirable site for such a vil
lage within a mile of Independence creek
to the north. Fourth— The fine prairies,
which may be seen from points several
miles below; the bend in the river, and
other natural features at or near the old
village site as recorded by the early ex
plorers are identifiable with the present
townsite of Doniphan and vicinity.
Fifth— The large amount of archfeologic-
al. material, the prehistoric relics, the
graves and other such remains found at
Doniphan and vicinity indicate unmistak
ably that it was an important seat of ab
original occupancy. Sixth— Old settlers
of undoubted reliability have seen on the
Doniphan townsite numerous hut rings
or lodge circles of an ancient Indian vil
lage, and from their descriptions of the
same they were exactly similar to those

of the later day villages of the Kansas
Indians at Manhattan, Valencia, Council.
Grove and other places, denoting the
hemispheric earthen hut, that these Indi
ans are known to have always construct
ed as their dwelling places.
Bourgmont is very indefinite as to the
location of the Kaws, but Renoudiere, in
his memorandum of the exposition, says
that thirty leagues above "Quans'' river,
"a small river flowing from the north is
found ; here is the great village of the
Quans, consisting of 150 lodges adjoin
ing the Missouri. There are fine prairies
to the south and many mountains to the
west."' It is evident that this chronicler
of the Bourgmont expedition mistook
Rock creek for the main continuation of
Independence creek. The general course
of the Independence is from a westerly
direction, but about a mile and a half
above its mouth it takes a sharp turn to
the south, flowing straight in this direc
tion for nearly a mile when it makes
another acute turn to the east for about
one-half of a mile to its mouth. That
part of the channel extending north and
south is almost on a straight line with
that of Rock creek, the merging of the
Independence basin with that of Rock
creek making a clearly defined valley
much more prominent than the main val
ley of Independence from Rock creek
westward. Coming as it does from the
prairie the Independence valley at this
point is not so noticeable as that of Rock
creek which is bordered by high hills, or
"many mountains", as Renoudiere saw fit
to term the prominent elevations lying
west of the Kansas village. Any person

150

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

not acquainted with the country, looking
north from near the mouth of Independ
ence, would readily take the valley of
Rock creek for the main trend or contin
uation of Independence valley. The "fine
prairies" mentioned by Renoudiere are
readily noticeable off to the south and
southwest of Doniphan. In fact, the
country south and west of Doniphan tal
lies almost exactly with the descriptions
given in the journals of the expedition;
for instance, Bourgmont mentions that a
half league southwest of the Kansas vil
lage a small river was passed. Independ
ence creek is just about that distance
southwest of Doniphan. In another ac
count we find that shortly after leaving
the village they "marched about a league
and a half along a river coming from the
southwest." Deer creek comes into the
Independence near its mouth, from a
southwesterly direction.
On July 4, 1804, Lewis .and Clark dis
covered a stream about fifty yards wide,
which they named Independence, in honor
of the day. To quote their journal, they
"came along the bank of an extensive
and beautiful prairie, interspersed with
copses of timber and watered by Inde
pendence creek. On this bank formerly
stood the second village of the Kaws.
From the remains it must have been once
a large town." "On this bank stood the
village" signifies on the bank of the prai
rie, and not on the bank of Independence
creek, for in another place in their jour
nal (p. 1258 Coue's Lewis and Clark) they
designate "a mile above Independence
creek" as the situation of the old village.
If the village was anywhere within a mile

of the Independence to the north, it must
have been where Doniphan nowstands,for
that is the only desirable location for an
Indian village, within that distance from
the creek. Shortly after leaving the old
village site Lewis and Clark passed a
small stream which they called Yellow
Ochre creek, from a bank of that mineral
a little above it. About three miles
above Doniphan, at Geary, there empties
into the Missouri a small stream called
Brush creek, which was doubtless the
"Yellow Ochre" of Lewis and Clark's
day, for the "bank" of that mineral from
which they so named the stream is visi
ble "a little above" the creek as they
stated. C. B. Roundy of Geary, once
sent some of this mineral substance to be
examined by experts, and they pronounced
it "ochre of poor quality."
Sergeant Floyd, of the Lewis and Clark
expedition, in his individual diary, speaks
of Independence creek coming out of an
"extensive prairie, open and high, which
may be seen six or seven miles below."
Brackenridge, in 1811, also mentions the
tine view of the prairies and the old vil
lage site, which could be obtained from
below. The country about Doniphan
may be seen very plainly from, the Atchi
son bridge, and even as far down as the
bend of the river, several miles below
Atchison. John Bradbury, in his
"Travels in the Interior of America,"
1809-10-11, mentions going ashore at
the old Kansas village and noting the
great fertility of the soil and the abund
ance of hops, but is indefinite as to its
location. However, taking into consid
eration the natural features of the coun-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

151

try as depicted in that portion of his
journal leading up to the old village site,
they correspond pretty closely to existing
topographical conditions, and point con
sentaneously with the narratives of Lewis
and Clark and others, to Doniphan, as the
seat of Kaw occupancy in Bourgmont's
time. II. M. Brackenridge, in the journal
of his voyage up the Missouri in 1811,
mentions the old village as follows:
"High prairies southwest side— continued
under sail through another long stretch
(of prairie) and had a fine view of the old
Kansas village at the upper end of it. It
is high prairie, smooth waving hills, per
fectly green, with a few clumps of trees
in the hollows. It was formerly a village
of the old Kansas nation. . . But for the
scarcity of wood this would be a delight
ful situation for a town . At this place
the bend of the river rendered the wind
unfavorable." He also mentions the old
Indian pathways along the sides of the
hills and down to the river. Luther Dick-
ersou and other early settlers recall that
these old Indian paths or trails were plain
ly visible, leading out in almost every di
rection from Doniphan in the early days,
and some of them, where not too much
disturbed by cultivation, may yet be
observed. Major Stephen H. Long,
while on his celebrated expedition to
the Rocky mountains in 1819-20, says
that after leaving Isle au Vache, "we
proceeded in the course of the day about
twenty-three miles and encamped at
night near the entrance of a small stream
called Independence creek. A little
above, (Independence creek) and on the
south side of the river, is the site of an

old Konza town, called formerly the 'vil
lage of the twenty -four.' " Major Long
in his journal and on his map, places the
old village "a little above Independence
creek," or at about the present townsite
of Doniphan. Major Long is the only one
of the early explorers who alludes to the
old Indian town as the "village of the
twenty-four." I have somewhere seen it al
luded to as the "village of the Big Four."
The reason for those appellations seem
to be obscure, or at least, I can find no ex
planation of them. Isle au Vache, or Cow
island, is in the Missouri river, near the
southern line of Atchison county. Coun
cils were held with the Kaw Indians on
this island in 1819, and later, when the
tribe lived on the Kansas river.
ARCHJBOLOUICAL EVIDENCE.
Hon. Luther Dickerson, who is gener
ally known as the "oldest inhabitant" of
this region, says there can be no doubt
about the site of DoniphaD having been
occupied by an Indian village in prehis
toric times. Mr. Dickerson came here in
June, 1854, and often visited the present
site of Doniphan before the pioneer set
tlers selected it as a townsite. He says
that the old Indian lodge circles, with fire
pits in the center, were plainly visible in
many places in Doniphan in the early
days. These were especially noticeable
where the public school building now
stands. The earth in many places was
intermingled with charcoal, ashes and
other debris of the Indian village. Mr.
Dickerson says that as near as he can re
member the rings or circles where the
Indian wigwams stood and which were
quite numerous, were about twenty feet

152

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

in diameter, and in the center of each
was a cavity filled with ashes and char
coal. Professor Say, who visited the
Kansas Indians in their village near the
present town of Manhattan in 1819, says
that the ground area of each lodge was
circular, and that the fireplace was a
simple, shallow cavity in the center of
the apartment. On the Kansas river,
wherever the Kaws had their later day
villages, these circles in the earth are still
to be seen.
Judge W. H. H. Curtis of Troy, who
was one of the early settlers of Doniphan,
in response to inquiries, writes that from
his own observations, as well as from the
statements of the late James F. and John
W. Forman, "the Doniphan pioneers, he
is convinced that Doniphan was the site
of an important Indian village. "I have
heard James F. Forman and his brother,
John W. Forman, talk about the ancient
village," says Mr. Curtis, and further
adds that they were firm in the belief that
an ancient Indian village existed there.
The Forman brothers came to that vicini
ty as Indian traders long before Kansas
was open for settlement. They surveyed
and platted the townsite of Doniphan.
Mr. Curtis' own observations lead him to
believe that the ancient village "circled
around the spot where Doniphan now
stands; or more correctly speaking, the
village must have been iu the form of a
crescent, extending from east to west, at
the north outskirts of what is now the
townsite proper. . . . When a boy I saw
many Indian relics near Doniphan," con
tinues Mr. Curtis, "and I know of many
others who have found axes, arrow and

spear heads, human bones, and what ap
pear to have been old burying grounds
both east and west of Doniphan."
Isaac F. Weyer, the "village black
smith" of Doniphan, who has lived
there forty-three years, also recalls hav
ing heard the Forman brothers speak
about the remains of an ancient vil
lage at Doniphan and says he has al
ways heard a tradition that there was
once a large Indian town at or near
that place. W. H. Nesbit, one of the
founders of Doniphan, says that at an
early day large masses of charcoal, pot
tery and other burnt substances were
exposed by the caving or washing away
of the banks of the small creek which
flows through Doniphan. He also says
that the rock shelters or small caverns
in the sides of the high bluffs about
Doniphan contained the bones of In
dians, with pottery vessels, arrowheads,
etc. The late T. J. Ingels of Atchison,
who was as well acquainted around
Doniphan as any other man, and who
was a close observer along natural histo
ry and archaeological lines, wrote me
May 27, 1904: "I should think from the
number of graves and stone relics found
in and about Doniphan that it was vast
ly populated at some time in the past.
Not only on the George Brenner land,
but throughout the old townsite the loose
stones scattered about over the surface
and even under the surface, show marks
of tire." Mr. Ingels has done much
prospecting for water and drilled many
wells in that vicinity and had excellent
opportunity for observation. The writer
once found a lot of burned stones, to-

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

158

gether with burned earth and pottery
fragments, exposed by the caving of the
creek bank just south of the public
school building in Doniphan. On an
other occasion I found a hammer stone
projecting from the bank nearly two feet
below the surface. While strolling along
the main street of Doniphan on October
19, 1903, I picked up three flint arrow
points, and observed numerous chips or
spalls of flint that had washed from a
small gully at one side of the thorough
fare. The late Richard Dempsey, an old
resident, and for many years road super
visor in that vicinity, informed the
writer that in making grades on the
roads he had occasionally turned up
baked clay, charcoal, potshards and
fragments of stone implements. When
the roadbed of the old A. & N. railroad
was made through Doniphan in 1869, the
workmen in grading unearthed similar
material, and at the present time there
is frequently picked up, from the dirt
which was thrown out along this grade,
arrow points, hatchets, etc.
The late Frank Kitzmiller of Highland,
under date of April 20, 1894, wrote me:
"I have been informed by several parties
that many Indian relics have been found
at Doniphan, and from what I can learn
it must have been once occupied by an
Indian village. I understand that the
rubbish of the old tepees is occasionally
met with in digging trenches and making
other excavations. One man there has
promised to bring me a lot of stone relics
which he had plowed up in the town of
Doniphan." Mr. Kitzmiller had an inter
esting collection of Indian relics gathered
in Doniphan county. Mrs. Jane Spencer

says that in making excavations on her
farm just north of town pottery has been
unearthed. Mrs. Spencer came to Doni
phan with her late husband in 1855. At
that time there was evidence of an Indian
graveyard on the land which they pre
empted and on which she still lives.
Many wagonloads of loose limestones
were hauled from a field on their farm.
She had observed many Indian relics and
has several in her possession now.
Thomas Langan reports numerous evi
dences of Indian occupancy on his farm
near Doniphan. James A. Dunning of
St. Joseph, Mo., formerly of Doniphan,
writes that Indian relics were so very com
mon there in the early days that but lit
tle attention was paid to them. "I have
gathered my hat full of arrowheads on
the creek bank; also stone axes and war
clubs by the dozens. Years after, in
plowing over my father's farm, we have
picked up beads and pottery, the latter
being similar to those I have seen from
cliff dwellings." Joseph Geisendorf says
he has found many stone relics on the
same farm. Charles Kuch, the postmas
ter at Doniphan, says that the boys have
gathered innumerable arrowpoints on the
land occupied by the Brenner vineyard,
and N. G. Brenner corroborates this
statement and says he has found hundreds
of them himself on the same ground .
* * =
Indian burial mounds and graves are
numerous on the hills sourrounding Doni
phan. External evidences of many of
these sepulchers have been obliterated,
but here and there may still be seen
limestone slabs set in the ground in reg
ular order, or piled up irregularly, to

154

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

mark the last resting place of some abor
iginal denizen of Doniphan. In some
instances these graves may belong to the
Sacs and Foxes, or other modern Indians,
but it is believed that the majority of
them belonged to the ancient Kaws. Rev.
Isaac McCoy, a missionary among the
Western Indians at an early day, speak
ing of the Kaw methods of burial, says:
"They frequently deposited the dead on
or near the surface and raised over the
corpse a heap of stones." Hon. George
P. Morehouse, of Council Grove, who
has seen and studied the Kaws, when
they lived at that place, says that he has
often noticed their graves, usually on top
of some near bluff or high ground, and
that they were often covered with slabs
of limestone. Mrs. Mary J. Forman,
widow of the Doniphan pioneer, John W.
Forman, writes from Canton, Mo.: "On
the hill west of the John Forman resi
dence (since owned by George Brenner)
there were indications of an Indian grave
yard, piles of rock seeming to have been
used as monuments or to mark some place
of note." Mrs. Jane Spencer mentions
similar graves on her farm at an early day.
L. Clem, who has lived in that vicinity
about thirty years and who has hunted
throughout that region, observed many
such piles of stone when he first
located there. Luther Dickerson says
there are several small mounds on land
belonging to J. P. Brown of Atchison,
on the river bluffs south of Independence
creek. H. J. Adams of Leroy, Kan.,
a son of the late Secretary Adams, of the
Kansas Historical Society, who formerly
Hved near Doniphan, while digging a
cellar on the crest of a river bluff south

of Independence creek, in 1868, exhumed
the skeleton of an Indian. It was about
two feet below the surface and covered
with stones. James Eylar reports several
graves just north of Doniphan, and in
the same neighborhood "firepits on top
of the river bluff, in which are charred
bones resembling those of human beings."
He also mentions a grave on Independ
ence creek west of Doniphan in which
was found a human skeleton, together
with a small headless image and some
beads. There were also traces of fire in
this grave. Further west, on the Apid
farm, are other graves, near which have
been found many stone axes.
Several years ago the writer, accompa
nied by T. J. Ingels of Atchison, and C.
A. Bfuner of Oak Mills, opened a stone
mound on the high hill west of Doniphan,
but it had either been despoiled of its
contents by relic hunters or else the de
scendants of the dead warrior had removed
his remains to another place, for not even
a human bone remained in it. Early set
tlers recall having seen the Indians come
to this place at an early day, and, after
weird ceremonies, exhume the remains of
dead Indians and carry them away. Where
they came from and whither they went
was never learned.
On another hill on the farm of John
Myers, near the junction of Independence
and Rock creeks, the writer, assisted by
J. B. Loftin, an intelligent citizen of
that vicinity, explored an Indian mound.
This mound was originally covered with
stones, but most of them had been re
moved by Mr. Myers in cultivating the
land. The contents of the mound con
sisted of human remains, badly charred

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

155

by fire, pieces of burned wood and char
coal, numerous glass, porcelain and bone
beads, two silver (?) finger rings, a sil
ver breastplate, fragments of silver
ear bobs, fragments of a copper bracelet,
fragments of an iron kettle, fragments of
an old-fashioned decorated porcelain
plate, fragments of bone instruments, a
piece of steel evidently used for a fire
striker, many flint spalls and some parti
cles of vermillion, all in a confused mass.
Everything indicated that this was the
remains of a "scaffold" or "tree burial,"
which, after tumbling down, had been
swept by prairie fires and later gathered
up and deposited, without regularity, in
a stone sepulchre. AN IDEAL TOWNSITE.
The writer has examined many Indian
village sites in Kansas, but there has never
come under his observation a more ideal
location for a permanent seat of aborigin
al habitation than at the old townsite of
Doniphan. Situated about midway of
the great western bend of the Missouri , or
the grande detour of the Missouri, as the
French voyageurs called it; encircled by
a chain of high hills, with a gap on the
east which afforded the villagers a splen
did view of aud easy access to the river,
and through which they could readily
perceive the approach of an enemy on the
water; while the overtowering hills at
almost every point of the compass pro
vided natural watch towers where they
could guard against the encroachment of
a foe from the broad prairie that stretch
es off in every direction; a small stream
flowing through this natural basin, fed
by several fine springs, afforded a con

stant supply of fresh water to the occu
pants of the village, while just over the
divide to the west and southwest three
larger streams, one of them navigable
for canoes, unite before mingling their
limpid waters with the murky Missouri.
Surrounded by every natural advantage
and resource, Doniphan is an ideal dwell
ing place for either savage or civilized
man. The old Kansas Herd Book thus
describes it: "Doniphan stands where
the corkscrew Missouri makes a sharp
turn to the west and is hurled back upon
itself by a high wooded bluff. To north
and south rise heavily timbered bluffs,
dipping to form the level bottom upon
which the town lies nestled from the pre
vailing storm currents of winter." Hon.
Sol Miller's famous historical edition of
the Kansas Chief says that Doniphan is
one of the finest natural townsites on
the Missouri river. Brackenridge, one of
the old explorers, speaks of it as "a de
lightful situation for a town."

Early Reminiscences.
[ BY JAMES N. GIBBINS. ]
About Christmas, '53, I learned that a
man at Wathena, then Bellemont, wanted
a hand to work and as father could easily
spare me, having a large family of sons,
he consented to my going over to see
what I could do. On January 10, 1854,
I crossed the Missouri river at Bellemont
on the ice, walking from St. Joseph, and
engaged to Ben Harding to herd cattle
and split rails. A young man by the
name of Chase was working for Mr.
Harding at the time. He had come from
Indiana just previous to this time. We

156

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

split and prepared several hundred rails,
Mr. Harding assisting us at this work.
These rails were used by Mr. Harding on
his place. Many people younger than I
well remember Mr. Harding's rail fence
along the Troy and Wathena road, be
tween his house and the Bryan farm.
This fence stood until five years ago,
when Mr. Harding had it torn down and
replaced with a wire fence, but between
each two new posts a rail was driven for
a post, and this fence is now standing iu
this February, 1904, just fifty years since
we split them, it was some time in the
'80s that Mr. Harding told me that these
were the same rails that Chase and 1
helped him split. Rather a long time to
use a rail, isn't it? But dear modern
reader, don't think the rail fence was
torn down in 1899, because the rails were
rotten. Oh, no; those old oak rails
were good for another fifty years; it was
because rail fences in general have been
supplanted by the inventions of the age.
We worked there until March, when
Chase accompanied me home to father's
where we engaged in breaking hemp, a
well known occupation at that time, now
unknown to younger people. We crossed
the river in a skiff with the mountain ice
running, Chase said "worse than when
Washington crossed the Delaware."
In January, 1854, Douglas' bill to or
ganize Kansas and Nebraska as territories
came before congress. Mr. Harding ad
vised us to come back when the bill
passed and take claims in the bottom,
where the Chautauqua grounds are now
situated, but we only partly followed his
advice as will be shown. Father was a
subscriber to the St. Joseph Weekly Ga

zette; we didn't get the daily by R. F.
D. in those days, and in April it teemed"
with editorial advice to young men to go
over and "take claims, so sure was its edi
tor that the bill would pass. Father ad
vised us to secure a piece of land, so we
rode horse-back, crossed the river at St.
Joseph on a flat boat and took the Cali
fornia trail for the Mission at Highland,
and stopped over night with Thomas
Vanderslice. This was May 10, 1854.
On the next day we crossed Wolf river a
little above Leona, and put up notices of
our intentions. This was on Squaw creek
just over the line in Brown county. From
the first biennial report of the state board
of agriculture, page 121, I quote the fol
lowing: "First settlement, Robinson
township, May 11, 1854. Thurston
Chase and James N . Gibbins took claims
on Wolf river. From the best informa
tion obtainable these two persons were
the first settlers within the present limits
of Brown county." This was nineteen
days before Douglas' bill passed and I
was just 20 years old.
We took a southeast direction after we
put up our notices and came into the
Pottawatomie trail at Bendena, going on
home that night. On June 10, we hitched
three yoke of oxen to a wagon, stuck in
a plow and struck out for Wolf river;
arrived there without adventure; broke
one acre of sod on each ofour claims and
planted corn and melons. We peeled
elm bark lor a roof on Chase's pole cabin
and cut large logs and started a founda
tion for my cabin. We left our names
carved in various places, mine on the top
of the logs of the cabin. Strange, but
I we had selected claims about one and a

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

157

half apart. On my claim was a beauti
ful grove of timber on rather high ground
and from my enduring signs left, I am
told that it was known for years after
wards as Gibbins' grove. We left for
Missouri about the 25th of June and
camped at Cottonwood Springs, (Hugh
Finklea's) near Troy. The next morn
ing we were in no particular hurry to
start, wishing our cattle to graze well,
and we had not hitched up yet, when
four men rode up on horses, each carry
ing a rail on his shoulder. Seeing they
were much concerned at our presence and
guessing that they meant to stake claims
right there, we asked them where they
were bound. The leader replied that
they had reached their destination. We,of
course, made them believe that we had
preceded them and run the joke as far as
we liked, when we told them we had been
out on Wolf river and staked out claims.
This leader was a lawyer of St. Joseph,
afterward Gov. R. M. Stewart of Mis
souri. He addressed me, asking my name

and where I lived. He had been over a
day or two before and selected this spot
for a claim and was coming back to lay a
foundation with the four rails the other
three men coming along to carry the rails
and look at the country and perhaps seek
locations for themselves. I never learned
their names nor saw them afterwards that
I know of. Stewart said he would give
us $10 if we would break out an acre of
sod for him. We took his offer and he
threw a $10 gold piece to me, saying,
"I do not want to wait here until you
finish the plowing. I know if you are
Dick Gibbins! son, you'll plow it." He
turned and rode away. We broke out
the acre and returned home the next day.
I am confident this was the first claim in
Doniphan county and, not counting what
people were at the Highland agency and
Mr. Harding at Wathena, who had set
tled as Indian traders before the country
was opened, I broke the first furrow in
what is now Doniphan county."

CHAPTER XIV.

CONCL-UPING NOTGS AHP SKSTCHeS.

The Doniphan Bandits.
On Saturday evening, October 21,
1899, Mr. Kuchs looked at his clock and
decided to go to the postoffice for his
mail. He was alone in the store and was
in the act of locking the front door,
when his attention was attracted by a
noise behind him. Turning he looked
down the barrels of- two rifles. "We
want your money", said one of two
masked men. Mr. Kuchs, realizing his
position, said, "Well, all right", and led
the way to the money drawer, the rob
bers following him closely, one behind
and one in front of the counter. There
were only about $7.00 in the money
drawer, and this did not satisfy them.
They made Kuchs turn his pockets inside
out, and then asked to be shown the safe.
The safe contained nothing but papers,

and Mr. Kuchs unlocked the drawers and
set them out for examination.
When the robbers marched Mr. Kuchs
into the store at the points of their rifles,
Calvin, a colored man, happened to be
passing, and taking in the situation he
hastened to the postoffice and gave the
alarm .
John Braun, aged 23, son of Postmas
ter Anton Braun, got a revolver and
went directly to Kuchs' store, while John
Schaff went across the street to Schnell's
to borrow a shot gun. Reaching the
front door of the store, revolver in hand,
John Braun called out to the robbers,
who were back at the safe, and asked,
"What are you doing here"? One of
the robbers replied, "What business is it
of yours"? With that both the robbers
raised their rifles and fired. The first

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

159

shot struck Braun over the left eye and
he fell dead upon the sidewalk. Mr.
Kuchs had a small revolver in his hip
pocket, which he had put there on Fri
day night', after an attempt had been
made to burglarize his store, and when
the men turned their backs to him he
tried to pull his gun, but it caught in his
pocket. While tugging away, one of the
robbers noticed him and asked, "Have
you got a gun?" "No, sir", replied Mr.
Kuchs, and both his hands went up.
The robbers did not take time for fur
ther examination, but rushed out of the
building. The crowd of boys that stood
at the window when Braun was shot,
commenced to gather again and the rob
bers began a promiscuous fire to scare
the crowd and keep it back. John Schaff,
who had come up with Schnell's shot gun,
was secreted behind the corner of Kuchs'
warehouse. He saw Braun fall and as
the desperadoes came out of the door, he
shot at one of them, wounding him seri
ously. The primer of the shell in the
other barrel of the gun refused to fire.
The other robber picked up his wounded
comrade and carried him across the street,
where he cut off the handkerchief mask.
It was found saturated with blood. The
robber's hat, a light brown Derby, also
saturated with blood, was found in the
same place. One shot entered the hat
and evidently lodged in the robber's head.
There was part of a tooth in the handker
chief, indicating that the charge had
struck him in the side of the face. A
copy of the Atchison Globe and a St.
Joseph paper lay beside the hat and hand
kerchief, but the name on the papers had

been torn off. The wounded robber rest
ed here only a few minutes. His partner
stayed beside him, taking an occasional
shot, that cleared the streets. The rob
bers fled south toward the Doniphan lake,
and the thickets on the bar.
Mr. Kuchs received a flesh wound on
the arm during the shooting. Stooping
low beside the window he was watching
for a shot. The robber evidently saw
his head, for he sent two bullets through
the woodwork, one of which made the
wound. Sunday morning, Chief of Police
Seip, Sheriff Hartman and Officer Dicker-
son, of Atchison, joined the Doniphan
county officers in the search. By the
middle of Sunday afternoon fully a thous
and people were on the island, less than a
hundred of whom were doing anything
to help the officers. About four o'clock
in the afternoon a pair of bloodhounds
arrived from Atchison. These were giv
en the trail but could trace them no far
ther than the officers. About five
o'clock a young man ran onto the log
behind which the robbers lay. A gun
was pulled on him and he ran back to
where the officers were trying to get the
dogs to take the trail. Charles James
and two or three others ran in the direc
tion whence the boy had come and in
less time than it takes to tell it they were
back again, young James having received
a bullet through his arm. Sheriff Larze
lere, Eli Cromwell, Officer Dickerson,
and half a dozen others had advanced,
Sheriff Larzelere, Eli Cromwell and Offi
cer Dickerson in the lead about twelve
feet apart. They had gone but a short

160

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

distance when Officer Dickerson ad
dressed Sheriff Larzelere: "Is that a log?"
Instantly there was a shot and the Atchi
son officer fell forward with a bullet hole
through his head. Eli Cromwell fired
two loads of buck shot in the direction
from which the shot came. Sheriff Lar
zelere picked up the rifle dropped by
Dickerson and took a shot as nearly as
possible at the point from which the rob
bers fired the bullet that killed the police
officer. He half turned to ask his fellow
officers to deploy on his right and left,
and found that he was alone. Believing
that the robbers could see him and know
ing that they were less than forty feet
away out of sight, the sheriff discreetly
went back to where the Atchison officers
had stopped. He then asked for volun
teers to go with him to surround the rob
bers. Under Sheriff Ramsey, Mace Culp
and a man from Atchison were the only
ones who would take the risk. Sheriff
Hartman and Chief of Police Seip of
Atchison, both declared they would not
risk their lives before so nervy desper
adoes .
There was nothing to do but to try to
hold the robbers at bay till more nervy
men and better fire arms could be secured.
News of Officer Dickerson's death was
sent to Atchison. County Attorney
Cromwell at once secured all the weapons
in the hardware store, and some forty
men were armed and sent up on a Bur
lington special. The killing of Officer
Dickerson bluffed the crowd which fell
back half a mile, leaving but half a doz
en to guard the place. When the Atchi
son armed men arrived they formed in

line, ten feet apart, and went in to re
cover Dickerson's body, which they did.
No sound came from the log and it was
soon discovered that the robbers had fled.
The body of the police officer was tak
en to Atchison in an ambulance.

Weather Dates.
The first snow of the winter of 1898-9
came October 17. Then it snowed as fol
lows: Second snow, November 9; third
snow, November 21; fourth snow, No
vember 25; fifth snow, December 3 — it
snowed all that day; sixth snow Decem
ber 11; seventh snow, January 5, atrfight;
eighth snow, January 8; ninth snow,
January 23; tenth snow, January 26;
eleventh snow, January 28; twelfth snow,
January 30; thirteenth snow, February 2;
fourteenth snow, February 6; fifteenth
snow, February 10; sixteenth snow, Feb
ruary 22; seventeenth snow; February 26;
eighteenth snow, March 3; nineteenth
snow, March 5; twentieth snow, March
11; twenty-first snow, March 23; twenty-
second snow, March 26; twenty-third
snow, March 27; twenty-fourth snow,
March 30; twenty-fifth snow, March 31;
twenty-sixth snow, April 3. These are
not counting flurries of snow, only those
that covered the ground with a white
mantle.

Wolf River.
For many years Wolf River had been
pursuing an erratic course, overflowing
its banks, taking short cuts across rich
bottom lands and meadows and destroy
ing crops and property. Steps have at

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

161

last been taken to remedy these evils by
straightening the river's channel. The
following items concerning this under
taking are from the County Commission
ers' report.
The cost of changing the Wolf river
channel will be $43,085.66.
The total present length of Wolf river
from the Missouri river to the west line
of Doniphan county, is 32 15-100 miles.
Total length of Wolf river from the
Missouri river to the west line of Doni
phan county, as now located, 17 miles
and 4,146 feet.
The difference between the present
length of river and as now located, 14
and 37-100 miles.
Total distance o f excavations by
changes, 8 and 21-100 miles.
Total number of acres overflowed by
Wolf river in Doniphan county, is
3,293 54-100. Rate per acre, $13.38.

Qnantrell, the Peddler.
A little girl living in Doniphan county
once showed me a fine time-piece saying,
"Here's the watch, but Quantrell has the
chain; mamma will tell you about it."
"We were staying at the Eldridge
House", the lady said, "and my nerves
had been keyed up, hearing rumors that
the town was to be burned, until every
stranger became a spy and every belated
horseman an army.
"I was in the parlor one morning with
a friend, and baby sat on the carpet play
ing with my watch, when her arm be
came tightly wrapped in the long chain.
At that moment a peddler called and,
asking permission to display his goods,

swung the pack from his shoulder and
sauntered leisurely into the room. See
ing a fresh attraction the child attempted
to free her arm to • reach for what she
wanted, when the, young man, bending
down, stroked her hair caressingly, un
wound the chain, holding the watch in
his hand as he did so. There was noth
ing remarkable in his appearance except
that he was very young — not over twenty-
live. He wore the first growth of a mus
tache, a fringe of reddish hue, and but for
the prairie tan his face would have been
as fair as that of any girl.
"It was the middle of July, and the
weather during the whole month was op
pressively hot, and as our apartment was
small my husband would sometimes go
down to the parlor at night while I lay
awake listening; for we Lawrence women
were trained listeners, especially at night
when men slept untroubled by haunting
fear. ' 'One night I heard a sound in the
distance like the stampede of cattle, and
running down stairs was about to enter
the room where my husband lay asleep
on the sofa, when I saw a strange man at
the window; but he turned and walked
away. Then there were two or three
shots, when I awoke my husband. 'For
God's sake!' he said, drowsily, 'do let
me sleep. With your sudden alarm and
this terrific heat I haven't slept a whole
night for a month. The season for prairie
chicken shooting begins today, and the
boys are out shooting chickens for break
fast, that is all.' Just then shots were
heard in the- basement, and springing
up he said, 'Mary  ', but the word

162

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

died on his lips, for he fell at my feet,
shot by the leader of the band of murder
ous men, which was now filling the room.
It was Quantrell, the peddler.
"There was no indolent halting in
Quantrell's manner now, but lithe as a
panther, the young chief seemed to be in
a dozen places at the same time, as with
perfect composure he directed the one
sided tight.
"But about the watch? Well, it was
in the chamois bag I wore, with some
other trickets, but the chain had been
left on baby's pillow.
"My child and her unconscious father
were placed in a handcart and, in bare
feet, clad only for the night, I pushed
the cart with its precious burden, through
a rain of bullets, out of town to a spring
in the ravine, where we stayed until the
Regulars arrived."

Professor Quantrell, father of the dis
tinguished outlaw, was principal of the
Union Schools at Canal-Dover, Ohio, for
several years, and his son who had been
nurtured in the Calvanistic faith, often
read the scripture lesson at devotional exer
cise, and upon the death of his father,
young William was promoted to the posi
tion of teacher in the Grammar grade.'
After the Kansas horror, friends of
the family, hoping to bring a measure of
peace to the heart of the unhappy moth
er, tried to convince Mrs. Quantrell that
her son was dead, and years afterward a
well known gentleman, a member of the
Fraternity that had cared for the aged
lady during her declining years, took her
to Topeka that she might examine for

herself the State Annals. She was then
taken to Jackson county, Missouri, to
meet her son's comrades-in-arm, who
testified to his death; and at Louisville,
a plat of ground worn almost as smooth
as marble was pointed out to her as his
grave, and when the earth was removed
and the casket opened, the stricken moth
er, seeing a peculiar lap of the teeth, was
convinced beyond a doubt, that the body
long since buried there, was indeed that
of her boy, and she bronght away with
her a lock of brown hair.
E. McC. L.

The Freeman Tragedy.
On the evening of August 4, 1891,
Samuel Freeman, a resident of Severance,
shot and killed his wife, his child and
himself, after a few words of quarrelling
with his wife. This occurred in Sever
ance on what is familiarly known as Ax-
handle street. The story of the shooting
as told by Frank Caudle, one of Free
man's near neighbors, is as follows:
"I heard gun shots this evening about
7:30, east of my house. I heard four
shots fired, and a few minutes afterwards
I learned that the shooting was at- Free
man's. I went to find the constable,
Mr. Stirling, but he was out of town,
and then went after the justice of the
peace, Mr. Campbell. He came, and
others, and there was quite a crowd there.
It was dark and I went and got a lamp.
It was getting dark when I heard the
shooting. About five minutes before
the shooting Mr. Freeman and myself
were talking near his house, and he went
to the house with a pail of milk. At

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

163

the west door, on the north side of the
house, Mrs. Freeman met him. She
said, 'Floyd, let's go to town', speaking
to the child about two and a half years
old. Mr. Freeman said, 'I am tired liv
ing in dirt'. She did not reply to him
that I heard. Mr. Freeman went into
the house and in about three minutes the
shooting began. This was the last time
I saw Mrs. Freeman alive. When we
went into the last room Mrs. Freeman
was sitting in the southeast corner of the
room in a rocking chair. She was dead
and her head was hanging almost to the
floor. There was a great deal of blood
in the room. I saw her child lying dead
about three feet north of Mrs. Freeman.
I saw a pistol shot wound on Mrs. Free
man's head, and also saw that the child
was very bloody. I also saw Mr. Free
man lying on the floor three or four feet
from Mrs. Freeman's body. He was not
dead. He did not speak. He was un
conscious. He was lying in a mass of
blood. I saw a revolver lying between
his legs. It looked like a 38-calibre re
volver. I never heard Mr. ' Freeman and
his wife quarrelling. I didn't see any
one about Mr. Freeman's house at the
time of the shooting. I do not know
who killed Mrs. Freeman and her child.
I was in the front yard and could have
seen anyone coming to the house and
leaving it. I don't think Mr. Freeman
was under the influence of liquor. I
think to the best of my knowledge and
belief that Samuel Freeman killed his
wife and child."
Dr. C. F. McCormick, being called,
testified as follows:
"This evening about 8:30 I was called
to the residence of Samuel Freeman. I

found Mrs. Freeman in the rocking chair,
dead, her head hanging about six inches
from the floor. I found a gun shot
wound in the head entering back of the
right ear and coming out about the fore
head on the left side of the head. I think
this would be sufficient cause for instant
death. I also saw a little boy on the
floor, dead. He was lying three or four
feet from his mother in the same room.
I saw a gun shot wound in the top of his
head the bullet coming out on the left
side of his face, fracturing the left in
ferior maxillary bone. I saw Samuel
Freeman lying near the door with a gun
shot wound on his right temple and also
on the top of his head. He was living
but unconscious. The brain was oozing
out of the top wound. I think it ex
tremely doubtful if he will recover. I
do not know the cause of the shooting."
The following jurors found "that
Samuel Freeman shot and killed Ellen
Freeman and Floyd Freeman with a 38-
calibre Smith & Wesson revolver in the
hands of Samuel Freeman, on the 4th
day of August, 1891."
Geo. H. Robb, foreman; Thos. Fry,
R. G. Drake, Ed. Heeney, J. D. Gil
more, C. H. Courtin.
It was afterwards discovered that Mrs.
Freeman was in the act of writing a let
ter when she received her death wound.
A copy of the unfinished letter is here
given: "Severance, Kansas, Aug. 4, 1891.
Mr. J. B. Williams,
My dear father: — The mail train came
in from the east last night at 8:30, bring
ing me your card, and after reading it

164

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

three times I immediately took a 'bee
line' for the express office to see if there
might be anything for me, and sure
enough the agent says, 'Yes, there is a
basket for you, just arrived on the last
train, and from the way it smells I should
judge it contains something pretty good';
and I agree with him entirely. The
peaches and grapes were both well pre
served to have traveled so far. The
crab-apple was a little worse for the trip,
but we ate it all the same. We ate them
all till we didn't dare to eat any more
last night. They tasted so good. We
have some of the grapes yet, but the
peaches and crab-apples are all gone. Mr.
Freeman carried one of the peaches all
over town this morning, showing it to
all of the people. Everybody says they
were fine. You cannot know how much
I thank you for them. We are all well.
The weather is very good at present."
This is all she had written, and to
judge from the appearance of the last
few words, they had been written under
excitement, the letters being hastily and
unevenly formed. She must have been
writing on a board in her lap. The let
ter was found lying by the side of the
chair in which she was found dead. She
was dressed ready to go up town with
Miss Hutchison who had promised to call
for her, and no doubt was making haste
to get the letter finished.
Freeman never gained consciousness
after the shooting, but lay groaning until
about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the
next day, when he died. Among the
dozens of things that were said concern
ing the cause of the quarrel and the shoot

ing, there was little truth and much
fancy. It was known that he was of a
jealous disposition, and that he was pos
sessed of quick and uncontrolable tem
per. The shooting was witnessed by no
one. The woman was Freeman's second
wife, and they had been married only a
few years.

Church History.
A brief list of religious organizations
of the county, giving date and place of
organizing, is here given:
1842
Presbyterian church at Highland, or
ganized as a Mission, with seven mem
bers. Meetings were held in the Uni
versity chapel.
1855
Smithton M. E. church, organized
August 1, by Rev. Hiram Burch, pastor
in charge, and Wm. H. Good, presiding
elder. Palermo M. E. church organized with
the following members: John J. Ander
son, Nancy J. Anderson, John Hays,
Elizabeth Hays, Mary A. Wakeman and
Jane Brazelton.
Doniphan Catholic church organized
by Rev. Father Henry Lemke, O. S. B.
1856
Doniphan M. E. church, South, organ
ized by Rev. Wallace. First services
were held in the hotel.
1857
Doniphan M. E. church, organized
May 10, by Rev. B. F. Bowman. There
were five members — James W. Snow,

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY.

165

Rebecca Snow, Joseph McCrum, Melissa
McCrum and Hanna McCrum.
Geary City M. E. church, organized
early in the spring, by Rev. James Shaw.
Highland M. E. church, organized in
March, by Rev. Dana Fox. The Seavers,
Grahams, Bonesteels and the Dougtys,
were members.
White Cloud M. E. church, organized
by A. L. Douney. The members num
bered about thirty.
Brush Creek M. E. church, organized;
name of first organizer unknown. In
1865, Rev. G. R. Houts reorganized and
built a church.
1858
Oakland M. E. church, organized in
the spring, by Rev. T. McK. Munhall.
This was called Independence. Rev.
A. Bennett, Rachael Bennett, Celinda
Bennett, Francis A. Baker, Caroline
Shaw, Diantha Edgerton, Jacob Smith,
Rachael Smith, Moriah Smith, William
Smith and Matilda Adams, members.
Wathena M. E. church, organized dur
ing the summer, by Rev. T. McK. Mun
hall. Wathena Baptist church, organized in
June, by Elder William Price and Rev.
E. Alward, with eight members.
1859
Troy M. E. church, organized June
26, by Rev. B. F. Bowman.
Bellemont M. E. church, South, or
ganized. Two of the first members were
Mesdames Creal and Bryant.
St. Mary's Catholic church, organized
by the Benedictine Fathers of the Atchi

son Abbey. There were nine families in
the congregation.
Troy Episcopal church, organized by
Reverend Ryan.
1862
St. Benedict's Catholic church, organ
ized by Rev. Father Thomas Bartl. A
large stone church was erected.
1865
Troy Presbyterian church, organized
by the Reverend Sheldon, with fifteen
members. Highland Congregational church, or
ganized October 5, by H. P. Robinson,
with fifteen members.
1867
White Cloud Congregational church,
organized May 25, by Rev. H. P. Robin
son, with eleven members. A church,
costing $3,200, was erected.
Wathena German Society M. E. church,
organized in October, by H. M. Meniger.
1868
Ridge Prairie M. E. church, in Union
township, organized during the winter,
by Rev. A. Bennett.
Burr-Oak German Society M. E. church,
(Sec. 29, town 2, range 22), organized by
Rev. H. Meyer.
Center Township, German Society M.
E. church, (Sec. 26, town 3, range 21),
organized by Rev. H. Meyer.
German Reformed Zion's church, (Sec.
33, town 2, range 22), organized by Rev.
John Biery. 1869
Wathena Catholic church, organized
by Rev. Father Thomas Bartl, with a

166

GRAY'S DONIPHAN COUNTY HISTORY

membership of one hundred. A brick
church, costing $5,500, was erected.
1871
Wayne township Norwegian Lutheran
church, organized by Rev. Mr. Brown.
A $300 church was erected.
Severance M. E. church organized Jan
uary 25, by Reverend W. K. Marshall
presiding elder, and Rev. B. F. Bowman
pastor in charge. There were nine mem
bers. 1873
East Norway Baptist church organized
by Rev. A. Bennett.
Wathena Second Colored Baptist church
organized September 22, by Reverends
Lee, Bourn, Williams, Clarkson and
Jackson. 1875
White Cloud Colored Baptist church
organized by Rev. J. H. Strawther.
1877
Independence Creek Baptist church or
ganized in the early sixties, reorganized
by Rev. D. G. Saunders.
1879
Fanning St . James' Catholic church or

ganized by Rev. L. Shriner, O. S. B. A
church costing $1,300 was erected.
1880
Leona Baptist church organized in Oc
tober by Rev. Aylward, with eightmem-
bers. Troy St. Charles' Catholic church or
ganized by Rev. Father J. H. Timphaus.
A building costing $1,000 was erected.
Severance St. Vincent de Paul's Catho
lic church was built by Father Permin
M. Koumly. 1884
East Norway Lutheran church organiz
ed by Rev. Dr. Martin. A fine large
church was built.
1893
Severance Christian church organized
by Rev. J. H. Speer. The school house,
was bought and refitted for use.
* * =?
It is impossible to get the dates of or
ganizing of all the county's churches, be
cause in many cases no records have been
kept and the ministers who organized the
congregations cannot now be located.

INDEX

Part I.

Brenner, 18.
Bendena, 56.

Center Township, 65.
Doniphan, 12. .
Denton, 63.
Elwood, 23.
Fanning, 39.
Geary City, 20.
Highland, 38.
Highland Station, 33.
Iowa Point, 32.
Iowa Township, 29.
Leona, 54.
Norway, 51.
Purcell, 64.
Poets and Poetry, 73.
Severance, 45.
Stray Notes —
Government Train — County Artists
— Morley's Bank — Early Baptist
Minister — Grand-daughter of Char
boneau, 71.
Troy, 66.
Union Township, 62.
Wayne Township, 11.
Washington Township, 22.
Wathena, 25.
White Cloud, 35.
Wolf River Township, 40.

Part II.
Aboriginal Inhabitants, 27.
Atchison & Nebraska Railroad, Hi
Broken Bank, 116.
Boy's Adventure, 115.
Base Ball Game, 108.
Brave Girl, 54.
Boys of Kansas, 56.
Coronado, 1.
County Histories, 22.
Columbus Seminary, 33.
Cheyenne Massacre, 129.
Church History, 164.
Court House Fire, 51.
Colonel A. G. Ege, 125.
Colonel D. L. Payne, 126.
Clever with Gun and Pistol, 128.
Doniphan County Golgotha, 45.
Doniphan City, 66.
Doniphan Bandits, 158.
Doniphan County, 12.
Drouth of 1860, 36.
Early Reminiscences, 155.
Early Elwood, 46.
Fate of the Jayhawkers, 64.
Freeman Tragedy, 162.
General Doniphan, 12.
Golden Opportunity, 25.
Grasshoppers, 72.
Grange, 107.
Great Sleet, 107.
Hail Storm, 40.

Indian History, 7.
Indian Relics, 110.
Indians at the Fair, 115.
Is Your Teacher's Name Here? 123.
Joel Ryan, 117.
Kansas, 52.
Kansas Indians, 142.
Kaws on the Missouri (1724), 148.
Laura Nation, 114.
Lewis Tracy, 114.
Lost in a Snow Storm, 39.
Major Daniel Vanderslice, 41.
Meivin Baughn, 59.
Mrs. L. M. Blackford, 139.
Newspaper History, 81.
Nutshell History, 85.
Oldest Kansans, 137.
Orange Blossoms (1875), 111.
Pure Fiction, 26.
Pony Express, 19.
Perilous Ride, 35.
Prehistoric Race, 58.
Platte Purchase, 5.
Quantrell, the Peddler, 161.

Reminiscence, 135.
Rain and Flood, 128.
Redpath and Lane, 37.
River Towns (1859), 43.
Romantic Elopement, 50.
St. Joseph and Elwood Bridge, 53.
Shooting of Wilson, 55.
St. Joseph & Topeka Railway, 73.
Some First Things, 15.
St. Valentine's Day (1863), 38.
St. Benedict's Parish, 120.
St. Joseph & Denver Railway Bond, 124.
St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway, 130.
St. Joseph's First Boomer, 138.
Some Early Birds, 140.
Squaw's Trail, 140.
Towns of the Past, 23.
Thomas Jefferson Southerland, 34.
Tales of Tragedy, 74.
Water Courses, 18.
Wind Storms, 112.
Wathena Berry Gardens, 124.
Weather Dates, 160.
Wolf River, 160.
Young Girl's Adventure, 134.

ReNpeNa Ctate Rai^m.

BENDENA. KANSAS.

mcORPORATSP 1904.

CAPITAL, $10,000.
This Bank is practically a home Institution, and
our policy is to extend to our patrons the very best ac
commodations consistent with sound business methods.
WE ARE FULLY PROTECTED BY BURGLARY
AND ROBBERY INSURANCE.

INTEREST PAID ON TIME DEPOSITS.

DIRECTORS:
Walter Zimmerman, J. P. Severin, A. L. Wynkoop,
A. M. Ricklefs, W. H. Dorn.
OFFICERS:
WALTER ZIMMERMAN, President,
J. P. SEVERIN, Vice President,
W. M. GILLEN, Cashier.

(ATe Furnish Letters of Credit, ai\d bay ai\d sell
Foreign Exchange. |

G. L. Stuart. O. H. Bowman.

Stuart & Bowman,
GENERAL MERCHANDISE,
NOTIONS, HARDWARE,
STOVES and TINWARE.

PROPRIETORS OF
WATHENA FRUIT CO.,
SHIPPERS OF NATIVE FRUITS,
WATH6NA, KANSAS.

TILBURY & SOU,
Bendena, .... Kansas.
Began Business in 1902.
 O  —

Genera) placksnii&hing
and Wagoi) Repairing.

-O-

MANUFACTURERS OF
@ STeeb II Webb II SMGeRS. ®
^  W6LL BORWG.  ¥¦
HORSE SHOEING A SPECIALTY.

ft-EW ¦$ » !»» SSSKKJmKHRKJ-S $KHKK3-tKKKM «^$KittJKKXK3CKKK3tHK3<^!r;3ft

£ I

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The Penn Mutual Lite Insurance Company

OF PHILADELPHIA.

Nearly 60 years of
honorable dealing.

Established, 1847.

% if explain the
ft

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This is not the picture of William Penn, but of H. C. Hansen,
the Reliable District Agent for the PSNH ttUTUAI,
LIF6 mSURANCS COMPANY. Ten years in
the insurance business. Should you desire any information on
ANY policy contracts, submit them to ine and a full and correct

2ft explanation will be given FREE.
ft2 Telegraph me at my expense if in a rush,
I H. C. HANSEN, SEVERANCE. KANS

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PURE DRUGS, MEDICINES, PAINTS,
OILS'.- VARNISHES, TOILET ft
ARTICLES AND
| FANCY GOODS. \
ft FINE IMPORTED AND DOMESTIC! CIGARS. $

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Bendena, ... • • Kansas.

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1 -W.' J. "Edwards, I. E. I. Edwards. ft
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EDWARDS RROTHERS, %
BENDENA, . '' . . . . KANSAS. |
'-u-Ti'" — Dealers in — .1 '¦ 2
QUEEN SWflfl E. |
An attractive line of goods at prices that compare favorably .2
ft with' city" p'lTfes. We have something to suit everybody. Step ft
;4 -in and veu'll^iid something for your table. We are pleased itjh ' ift
2 .show o\ir goixJs and quote you temptingly low prices. 2
BARBER SHOP Young men wishing to "slick up" Mr ft ft 2
ft Susan Jane Sweetheart can get a smooth shave or a dandy hair ft
ft ¦ cut here. Jared is always courteous and smiling 
8  «*  J$£  g
•: JlMeS &YbWftRr5, °®
ft -^-Proprietor of the —
ClTY ^EST^l/RAFiT.
Big Loaves of the Best Bakers' Bread. ft
Agent for the, A. B. C. Laundry. Benderia, Kan. .>'¦>;' if
IJ. 5^- cliJtz, H. p.,
PHYSICIAN ¦• and • SURGEON ft/l
¦  ; s»; ,. ' '?.,
Bcndeu.'i - 7 , -.-..j," . Kansas. ' ¦ 8*
Office lirst door south of Hardy's Drug Store. 2
. Special attention paid to diseaseiof Chilclren. . " 2-

&&&&£&; i:, ;;. w » .;, ;>r,iuii7ii£iVw-iui^i^^

5 ED. MlEEl^EY,
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ft{KM-»{»{HJ«KK}vKI{X}-!J{K«Jft
& FUMUTUflE 1 SEVERANCE>

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KANSAS.

ftft

s2

T. J. FRANCIS.
seveRANce. kaksas.
—DEALER IN—
Coal, 1-Uijibar, Sash, poors, Jllii}ds,
AND ALL KINDS OF
BUILDING MATERIAL.
DR. K. ft. MERRICK,
 OF SEVERANCE,
INTRODUCED -ss-
Grown and Dridoe wort,
Which is his SPECIALTY in this County.
He also does o'ther HIGH GRADES of
P6NTISTRY,
Including PORCELAIN INLAYS.

2
I

2

ft

ft YOlJ have been wearing
^ our Clothing for 10 years,
g and know they are 0. K.
it
ft TihflS. are still in the busi-
ftft ness. Vou will find us with
| both STYLE and QUALITY-
ft The only exclusive
CLOTHIGK
ft in Doniphan County.
I JAKE KERSCH,
2 Severance, Kansas.

b. M. BeNN^TT, D. D. S,
gg THE g SUPERIOR g DENTIST gg
One of the oldest and best in the County. Ancestors were
Dentists in Philadelphia. I know I can please you.
Office at residence. Prompt attention given.
SEVERANCE . . . KANSAS.

Ttie Severance News,

¦4 A AOP6L HOA6 NeW-SPAPSK ¥¦
—AND A— |
WELCOME WEEKLY VISITOR I
TO DONIPHAN COUNTY HOMES, AND HOMES
OF "FORMERLY S" WHO CANls'OT KEEP ii
HAPPY HOUSE WITHOUT IT. *j i
MRS. HATTIE E. PEELER, Editor and Proprietor.

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Tlie Farmers DanK ol Leona,
L60NA, KANSAS.
CAPITAL, $10,000.00
 ESTABLISHED 1895. 

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Transacts a general Banking business. gftft
We issue oar own drafts payable in all the principal cities
of the United States and Europe. ft"ft
Every accommodation consistent with safe aud sound bank- gft
ing will be accorded our patrons. ftft
ft
Our past record of ten years is our guarantee of fair n
treatment in the future. ;i

I
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: |

J. D. HAZEN, GEO. KLMMEL, i
President. Vice President. S
A. O. DELANEY, Cashier. §
OLELARSEN, P. M. LEO* HARD, jx I

*
TllE olp reliable store.

J. P. SEVERIN,
 DEALER IN 

Genera) Merchandise, Grain, Stock
• and Produce, 9
i. i. BSNP6NA, KANSAS. ..ill. J.
«»»{J-tK}-H«KH5«}»i}ft
Here may always be found a full and complete
LINE OF DRY GOODS AND GROCERIES.
Reasonable prices prevail the year round. No spurts and
starts — no dodges or baits — just a business way of doing
business. My goods are reliable and my prices are right.

J. C. UlBEftS,
-PROPRIETOR OF THE-

I BENDENA I LIVERY 1 BARN. I
Good Rigs and Prompt Service.

YOU'LL NOT MISS THE CARS
When you ride with me,
BECAUSE— WHEN JE I
1 mm go
GO iHP HIKING!
PROMPT ATTGNTION PAIP TO PRAYING

gttiKKKKKttKKKHJmKKKKKKKKKKKKm

THE BANK OF DENTON,

DENTON, KANSAS.
Originally chartered with $5,000.00 Capital Stock on Aug
ust 27, 1894. September 7, the same year, charter amended and
Capital increased to $6,000.00. January 3, 1901, Capital Stock
was farther increased to $8000.00, and again on March 7, 1905
to $10,000.00. The Bank opened for business October 2, 1894.
George Denton, its first president served from October, 18-
94 to April 1902, the time of his death. William Denton was
elected to fill the vacancy and has served up to the present time.
S. O. Harpster has been its cashier since its organization.
The Bank of Denton does a general banking business and
steadily increased in volume of business and in capacity to serve
its patrons. No banking institution in this vicinity has a stead
ier, evener business than the Bank of Denton.
Officers and Directors.
William Denton, President, James Miller. Vice President.
John J. Alt, Sec, S. O. Harpster, Cashier, J. B. Roberts.

Official statement issued August 25, 1905:
RESOURCES. LIABILITIES.

Loans and discounts, $24,685 21
Loans on real estate 5,958 65
Bank building 2,000 00
Furniture and fixtures 1,000 00
Expense account 1,053 72
Bonds and warrants 10,255 23
Cash and Sight ex
change legal res. 15,13894

Cap. stock paid in ^10,000 00
Undivided profits, 88 15
Interest 1,417 95
Exchange 223 04
Individual deposits 43,406 61
Time deposits draw
ing less than 6 pr c. 4,956 00

Total $60,091 75 Total $60,091 75

-s WG SOLICIT YOUR BUSINGSS. ^-
Money to loan on real estate on best terms and lowest rates.
NOTARY AT BANK.

1 CUMMINGS & ELLIOTT, %
ft  BUYERS AND SHIPPERS OF  i
ft ft
g < Cattle, Megs aqd Worses, •• £
1 DENTON .... KANSAS. 1
|  ^  ^ 
CMS. MMRR&Y,
jg P6NTON, KANSAS.
ftft Dry Goods, Groceries, Shoes, Hats, Queensware, Notions and

ft

ft ft

8ft

GENERAL FURNISHING GOODS.

ft LEONA ADVERTISING.
ft 

C. fl. WILLIS 5 CO.,
—DEALERS IN—
Lumtier, Lain, Sash, Doors, Lime,
HAIR, CEMENT, COAL, ETC.
L-GONA, KANSAS.

J. RITTERBUSH,

ft
ftft Dealer in — ~
% X
- GENERAL • MERCHANDISE, •
| LEONA, KANSAS.
| OLDEST ESTABLISHED BUSINESS IN LEONA.
| ©MR MOTTO:
ft
Honest Goods, Honest Prices, and Fair Dealing.
L. RICKGNBACH. Manager.

Leona

Kansas.

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be.O N.fifiR.D B.R'O.TH.e-R.S, 1
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1 DRUGGISTS I
KEEP A FULL AND FRESH SUPPLY OF
DRUGS, MEDICINES, PAINTS, AND OILS.
 ALSO 
A FLGASING ARRAY OF
Toilet Articles anil Fancy Goods.
Every visitor finds within, Everytliing new and neat as a pin.

%ififif ftft

Pr. J. i. M'art?eu,
< PHYSICIAN AMP SURGGON, '=¦
•: DISPENSING DRUGGIST, :•
Leona, ..... Kansas.

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DO IT NOW
Write us a card saying you would like t>
have the EMPIRE CREAM SEPARATOR
brought to your house for free trial. It
makes the most dollars for you — Costs you
nothing to try it — Sold for cash or on easy
payments. E. A. BEN JON, Agt., Leona, Ks.

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E. A. KINSLEY,

JBLACSisMfTWf — AND—
2 Wagon Worker

LEONA, KANSAS.

Wm • &
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% SATISFACTORY WORK AT

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REASONABLE PRICKS.
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4 —DEALER IN—
1 Wagons, Duooles, Tinware, Stoves,
i Hardware, Pumps and Windmills,
AND FIRST CLASS IMPLEMENTS OF ALL KINDS.
PGNTON KANSAS.
W. H. PENNEBAKER.
DENTON  KANSAS.
PGALGR IN
STAPLE ANDEANCY DRY GOODS,
Mr Groceries, Flour and Feed.
ALSO LAPIGS ANP GBNTS FURNISHING
GOOPS, NOTIONS and TRIWUNGS.
QUEENSWARE and FURNITURE.
Orders taken for Gents Tailor made Clothing.
J. E» STEPP, 1*4. p.,
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON.
DENTON, KANSAS.
S. L. DENTON,
 Proprietor of the 
City Meat Market,
DENTON ..... KANSAS.

nmw state mw, I
WATHENA, KANSAS.

CAPITAL - - . $10,000
SURPLUS, 1,000

A strong, safe, and conservative Bank.
Always willing to advise and assist our patrons.
Regard all business transactions as strictly coniidential, and
accord every accommodation consistent with safe banking.
Call your attention to our substantial backing by our di
rectors and stockholders.

PIRGCTORS:
L. C. Burns, A. O. Delaney, L. A. Libel, Aug. Miller,
P. A. Pettis, J. H. Sallee, J. L. Browne. Ji
STOCKHOLP>GRS: ?
L. C. Burns, Peter Maiiville, John W Lehman,
A. O. Delaney, W. II. Man vi Sic, Lucas Studer, \
L. A. Libel, W. J. Canter, J. L. Studer,
Mrs. Aug. Miller, Jacob Grob, B. V. Wasser. t
Nicholas Bohr, J. Lew Browne, Joseph Schoenfeider, £
F. C. Foley, Adam Grob, James R. McPherson, i,
Martin Magg, N.J. Hialz, Frank Libel, 1
J. H. Sallee, Geo. M. Granier, Andtew Ramsel, ?
B. Schmille, Albert Weigant. 5
YOUR BUSINESS RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED \

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! I. S. T1NYERD,
P COrtTHACTOlt and pUIl-PER,
ft| P6NTON. KANSAS.
g CAN BUILD IT FOR YOU, WHETHER IT BE
I ft PfttftCe OR ft PLftY ftftbb.
1 (I Cottage of a Castle,
ft By careful calculations, and by sawing to the line he
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SAVES YOU MONEY BY SAVING LUMBER

?% Tell him what you want, and he
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§ will tell you the cost and the
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ft day he will have it ready for you.
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ft And when he turns the key over to you, there will'
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4 ^ be the satisfaction of having things right — the way
you wanted them — and thatls happiness in itself.

I Yes, neionnor,
1 IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUILD,
j PINYERD lsth6 MAN 10 plan'Wltil.

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J. M. Mokley, Cashier. D. J. Ward, 5
R. W. Morley,
Assistant Cashiers.

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SEVERANCE, KANSAS.

preciation of their patronage by an interested
consideration of their needs.
If you are not dealing with us call and investigate our

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C^PIT^L, $15,000. %
SURPLUS, 6, 000. |

Conducts a general Banking business in all its branches. g if
Domestic and foreign exchange bought and sold. ft
We give prompt attention to collections. ft
The best business men deposit their money in a bank. 0 ft
Money deposited with us is beyond the reach of house- ft
breakers.
We loan money on reasonable terms.
We accord liberal treatment to our depositors and pa- $ft
trons in general, and endeavor to show our a\- ft

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consideration of their needs. ftft ftft
methods. %ft

.ill. all. i. .ill. i.

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J. F. Ebeling. H. A. Laverentz.
EBELItf G & LAYERENTZ,
PROPRIETORS OF
Sevetaiice Bollet fills.
HIGH PftTeNT. 1900,
our pras)ass SNOW FLftKe, ftND
WHITe FROST Patent-
Always pay highest market price for Wheat, Corn, and
Oats, and sell Flour at lowest price. Come and see us.
SGVGRANCG KANSAS.
W» N. Vmsjfoelbfeer,
—PROPRIETOR—
The Great Western Livery Barn,
SEVERANCE, KANSAS.
The most faithful Liveryman in the State. He never
sleeps with both eyes — always looking out
for the welfare of his customers.
PROMPT, RAIN OR SHINE— CHEERFUL AS A LARK !
T. e. HORNER, M.D.,
PWl YSf ef AN as?«l SlJlfGEON, Office at Residence.
SEVERANCE . KANSAS.

MISS BELLE ZIMMERMAN, |
m FftSHlOrHflBLE, I MILLLINER if j
Latest Styles in Ladies and Misses Headwear. A tine array 2
of the most artistic designs. Visitors warmly welcomed. £
SEVERANCE, .... KANSAS. \

0 HOUSE

Whether you are a man\or a horse, you need a building v
to live in. A man's house is called a DWELLING while a
horse's house bears the humble name of BARN Now, you %if ff

Shelf aijd tleavy hardware,

know these things, but do you know that —
BENDENA W r (JT «FfK KANSAS,
Can furnish you all kinds of BUILDING MATERIAL?
Brick for foundation and chimney, Lumber for the main
structure, Sash and Glass for the windows, and Shingles
for the roof . . . . When you get the house you'll want to
keep it warm. Easy enough — get COAL- — there are three
or four brands of the best kept on hand, at reasonable prices.
THINKING OF BUILPING ? Then choose
your carpenter, bring him with you and we will take a walk
through the Lumber Yard. "Billy" will make you prices &
that will satisfy you. j||. jfo, j||. S
H. L. VflNVERTH, |
BENDENA, .... KANSAS. g ft
— Dealer in — ft

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PUMPS, TANKS, WINDMILLS, BUGGIES, STOVES, g
TINWARE, FURNITURE, CUTLERY, .ETC.

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My whole store is filled with Goods that are Bargains. ft
There are more in my ware room and still more coming. >4
Young man, MY BUGGIES ARE WIFE V. INNERS! %
No lady can resist you if you go dashing up to her door in if
one of my STYLISH RI(JS. They are fit for a Queen to ft
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ride in. ft<
Agent for the famous RULLAAN WASHING
3 CACHING — a machine that washes clean without break- g
ft ing your back. ft
ft You want to make a dollar go as far as possible, don't
S you? Well, let me show you how. Come in and see me.
ft I'm busy, but never too busy for business. ft

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Here he is.

F. 0. LEONHAKD,
Proprietor of the
POPULAR DRUG STORE
SEVERANCE, KANSAS.
A FULL AND COMPLETE
LINE OF
FURS DRUGS
ALWAYS KEPT IN STOCK.
Prescriptions carefully compounded.

DO YOU KNOW THAT—
F. W. SCHULTZ, OF WATHENA. KANSAS,
Handles all kinds of Tinware, Enameled ware, Pocket Cut
lery, Shears, Razors, Step ladders — all kinds and prices,
Stoves and Pipe. Just give him a call and let him quote
you prices on the ROUNP OAK'FURNACG or on
the COLT ACETYLENE light machine. He will do your
tin and galvanized iron work, gutters, roofing and spouting
for you at reasonable prices.

UP «T0 -DflTE
WIDE fl-WPKE

THAT'S TONY
scKroeper,

It's a pleasure to visit this cozy little store, and a sav
ing of money to trade there. You'll find everything new,
neat there — and cheap in price — that's where the pleasure
comes in. Here's another thing: SCHROEDER takes in
your produce furnished by the cow and the hen — that's
SCHROEDER, of BENDENA!

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I R. e. fibb^N, M. EX,
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| »s PKysigiaix » and • Sur&eoiv, >
| P I O I N | I | P | H | A I H i..K I A | N | S I A |

X

DO IT NOW
Write us a card saying you would like to
have the EMPIRE CREAM SEPARATOR
brought to your house iftr free trial. It
makes the most dollars f<>r you — Costs you
nothing to try it — Sold for cash or on c.-isy
payments. E. A. BENSuX, Agt, Leona, Ks.

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Having finished his work, the Printer shoulders his type
and goes his appointed way. If he has done you good, say
a word of praise for him, and a prayer that his path m,ay be
comparatively clear of tripping stones and free from lasoerat-
ing thorns. He has done his humble best, and has had his
labors sweetened with the hope of producing a vork worthy
of the patronage he respectfully solicits. Good iriends will
readily understand that even a printer is subject to the in
fluence of error — that he being mortal, made of common
clay, can blunder and be mistaken — and if error be discov-
ed in these pages, wonder need not arise, for the Creator
has made no perfect man, and man has made no perfect book.

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