Howard County, Missouri - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 5 of those read), 1883 (part 1 of 2)

Chapter with an unread heading (no. 5 of those read)

Boundary - Physical Features - Lakes - Sail Springs - Indimi Mounds - Early Settlers - The Name - Daniel liooue - The Date of His Visiting the Township - He Never Manufactured Salt - Historic Ground - Character of the ICarly Settlers - Their Troubles - Supplied Theinselvei with ilany Things - After the War of lil2 - Biograpical Sketch of Major Stephen Cooper - Boonsboro - Its Early History - Incident.

We shall hcgiii the township hi'itnr\' of Howard coiinly, not alphabetically but chronologically, giving each as nearly as wo can in the order of their settlement, commencing with Boone's Lick township.

Tills township, whicli was re-organized in 1821, has .snffered no diraunitiou of its terrritorv since that period, nor h;is its arcti been increased. It occupies tlie southwestern corner of the county, and is bounded on the north by Chariton township, on the east by Ivichniond and Franklin townships, on the south by Cooper county ai.d tlie Missouri river, and on llie west l>y Saline county and the Missouri river.

Physical Features, Etc

TIjc .township wa> originally heavily timbered and a great abundance of the best of timl)er is now standing, but much of it ha> been cleared oil' preparatory to tlie o|)ening of the farms, are llo^v located on almost every cjuarter section of the township. The surface of the .township is undulating and in many places hills and rii.lgcs abound. Limestone is found in diti'erent portions of the town^liip. It is well watered by Salt, Bowen's Simpson's, Brown's and Clark's branches, tind by Sulphur and Bartlett's creek.-, all of which tlow into the Missouri river, whichforms the southern and western border of tht-, township. Besides these .streams of water the township, many years ago, was noted for its lakes, known as Cooper's and. >«';ish's lakes. The latter was cpiite an extensive body of water, :ntd at one time covered portions of sections 27, 2s, 29, 30, o2, 33, 31. It has

In this township there are a number of salt springs, the most celebrated of these being Boone's Lick. From the date of their original discovery, a great quantity of salt lias been manufactured from the brine and shipped to St. Louis and elsewhere throughout the country. A few years since a well was bored to tlie de]ith of 1,001 feet at this "'lick" from which tlowed a strean.i of brine sufficient!}' strong and rapid to produce one hundred barrels of superior salt in twenly-four hours.

The soil is generally fair on tiie highlands and exceedingly fertile in the river bottom. The bulk of the tobacco raised in tho county i-i produced in this township.

Kakly Settlers

There is probably more historical interest connected with the early history of Boone's Lick township than with any other municipal division of the county. The great dramatist intimates there is nothing in a name. A name, however, sometimes means a great deal, as it does in this instance. Had the township received its name by accident, or had it been given as the mere result of some man's capricious or idle whim, then it could have had no significance. But when we know that it was bestowed upon the township after mature deliberation, then it is that we begin to rea.lize something of its imjiort, and naturally ask ourselves the question, " "Why the uamc of Imiouc's Lick? "'

Would that we knew more of the brave hunter whose daring exploits ilhimine the pages of the pioneer histor\^ of two States I Especially of his connecti(JU with Boone's Lick township, and the Boone's Lick country, iu honor of whom the entire region took its name. Without stopping to discuss the seeminglv apparent conflict between tradition and the meagre historical facts relating to the probability of his once residing within the present limits of Howard count}-, we shall simply state, as we did in a preceding chapter of this book, that Daniel Boone erected a cabin and camped one winter iu the immediate vicinity of Boone's Lick. The date of his doing this is not known. Ho had doubtless visited the *' licks " quite often in search vi' game before he hiid concluded to camp there. We are, lio\vcvcr, conlidenl, from the

IDO-'.! .-iiilhentic recorJ.s we liave exainint-d, thai tlu' daU- of hi.s filming to Boone's Liek township was not far fVom tho beaiiiniii"; of the prc'vL-ii! Centura'. 'J.'hat Daniel Boone cvev made salt here or elsewhere we are disposed to doubt. He was a hnntei', both liy haliit and inolinatii'ii, :irid tn!lo\\-ed exi'hi-n\'oly tiie lil'e of a hunter as a livelihood, and it is very iniprobabli,' that he would turn aside from his legitimate avocation, and one lliat lie esteemed aljove all others, to pursue, even for a short season, anv other employnieut, whieh at that earlv day, promised no such lemuneration as inured to the benelit of tlie active and vigilant hunter and skilful trappier. }Iis sons Nathan and Daniel, however, manufactureil salt in the townslii}') some years later - in lyOT - and conveyed the same to the river in hollow logs, so imperfect Avcre the f;icilities then for transportation,

Evejy acre of ]>oone"s Lick township is historic ground, hallowed to theuieniory of tlio most distingui.-jlied i)ioneer that e\'er pitched his tents in tlio forests of the great west. Its hills and its valleys first echoed and re-echoed to the crack of his unerring rifle. And it may l>e that its soil had never been touched by the feet of tlie white man until pressed by his. As Daniel Boone was liold in adventure and fearless in his character, and possessed many of the sterling characteristics of a noble manhood, so were the early settlei's of this townsliip, fearless ii\ their attempts to conquer the wilderness, and so did the}- pobsess in a large measure, the distinguishing traits of a superior manhood. As heretofore stated (and the fact is obtained from the first recorded deed in the county), Joseph Marie, a Frenchman, liad made a settlement and imjirovements in Boone's Lick township in 1800, in tlie neighborhood of Eagle's Nest, and about one mile southvi-e-l of Fort Kinca-id.. Col. Benjamin Cooper came in ISOs, and located at Bonne's Ijick, but his settlement there being regarded as an infringement upon the Indian lands, he was ordered by the government to return to a point below the mouth of tho Gasconade, and in doing so he established himself on Loutre island. After remidniiig on the island for two years, and being joined there by al»out twentyfive families, he returned with a large portion of these in the spring of 1810, to Boone's Lick, where they erected cal)ins and put in crops in the succeeding; fall. This ^sas the lirst permanent settlement of the township, and the embryotic settlement of IJoward county, v.liich has widened and widened, until like the waves of the sea, it has long since reached the remotest limits of the county, having increased more than a thousandfold.

Col. P'C".ij;!iiiii) Cooper, and :~or]s, Frank', Beiijainin, j);;\i'l, and Sarshall ; ri;!i-^!uil! Coopor and sons, Joseph and l-3ra.\ti.Mi ; ]5raxiori Cooiier and h\- son Eoherl : Joim and, Abhotl Hanfuck, John and Vv'iUiam B Tiy, Joim and IIimu'v Fenill, Poter Popineitu, ^^'il^uun "iVull'skil! and .^on.-, Jo-oph and WHliain : James Anderson and sons, Middleton and ^^'i^;anl : John O'lJannon, Stephen Jackson, Josiah Thorp and sons, ^^'illianl and JfJin : (jrey Pyiiuni, Ko'Dcrt Brown, Rohert Irwin, James Coil, James Jones, Adan* \\'ooi.is, Gilead Pupe, Amos Asiii'raft and sons, Otho, Jesse, James and Alexandei'.

The settlers had to eonlend with many diflicnltles, even before the war of 181:?, eisief among \\ hieh \\'as the op[)osition of congress to tlieir occup3'iiig lands \viihin the linut,> set apart as belonging to the aborigines, who, however, acijuieseed in their remaining. Tlie settlers determined they wonld not snrrender their claims, if the}' could help it, and continued to occupy the lands they had inirehased, derived from a Spanish grant, which had been obtained by Ira P. Kash in the }ear ISOO. They manufactured their own jiowder and salt, and supplied themsohes ^vith a fal.)ric, which was made from wild nettles, and which served to them the purposes of cotton goods. They obtained theii' meats from the woods autlthe streams, the former abounding in choicest game, and the latter swarming ^yith varied tribes of multitudinous fishes.

By chase our loug-lived fathers tarned their food ; Toil strung' ttic nerves, and purified the blood; But we, their sons, a pampered race of men, Are dwindled down to three-score years and ten.

The}' not only had to contend v.'ith the hard.^hips and [jrivations which fall tfi the lot of tlie pioneer in their heroic struggles to dissipate the gloom of the forest : Vint scarcely had they completed their caljins, beneath -whose humble roofs the}- ^vere about to enjoy the first fruits of their hibors, when a more terrible ordeal, through v.iiich they wore destiued to pass, suddenly confronted them. War had been declared against Great Britain, and that nation had incited the Indians upon oui- frontiers to deeds of violence. It was so here, and to protect themselves against these savages they were com])elled, single-handed and unaided, to build a fort (Fort Cooper), where they remained ihe greater part of three years. [For further history in reference to Fort Cooper see preceding chapters.]

woik- of iiiipnuTiiit'iit in earnest. Tlioy wcrf principally from Kentucky, and wore noted ibr their liberality an<l kiudncs-;, ami t'or the high standard of morality which thev in'onirht with them, a'ld which they maintained even when they wore no longer a law >into themselves, and after the}' had become siiliject to the jurisdiction of territorial laws. John and Ilmn-y Fei'rill and Kobcrt Hancock were from Tennessee ; James Kyle from Virginia ; Grey Bynum from South Carolina : Stepihen Jackson from Oeorgia.

Maj. Stephen Cooper, who now resides in Colusa, California, was one of tlie pioneers of Boone's Lick township, and being one of the ver}' few men living who shared \vith the early settlers the dangers and difSculties of that eventful period (the Mrst settlement of Howard county), we publish in this connection a sketch of his life, feeling eonfideut that it will be perused with great interest : -

My parents emigrated from Virginia to Kentucky at a very early day. 'My father's name was Sarshall Cooper. ^Nly mother was in the fort at Boonsboro at the time it was besieged by the Indians. My father was at some other station, the name of which 1 do not now remember. I was born in Madison county, Kentucky, March 10, 1797. In 1810 my father emigrated to [Missouri and settled at Cooper's fort in Howard county. St. Louis was then but a small French village, with a t'QW miserable houses, mostly thatched with stra^v. At that time, and for sevei'al years afterwards, the settlers generally li\ed in fortilied houses, or forts, as thev were called, on account of the Indians, ^ly father had command of three forts, viz : Cooi)er"s fort. Hempstead and Kincaid. The two latter were ten miles from tht> former. For several years we had no organized government ; each did what he thought right in his own eyes, and we hail very little trouble in our own fort - in fact we never had any. Sometimes my father and uncle would be sent for to go to the other forts to settle some slight difliculty, but never anything serious occurred. On one occasion a Frenchman had stolen twenty dollars - a large amount at that time. He was ordered to leave the settlen:ent. He begged hard to be permitted to come back at the end of a year, and ho promised so faithfully to behave himself well, if he were allowed to, that the desired permission was given, and after serving out his term of banishment lie returned, and was ever after a good citizen.

Style Of Living

AVe lived very simply in those days. Coifee svas worth 50 cents per pound in St. Louis, and it was seldom we saw eitiier tea or coifee. We had no markets for our produce, so we merely raised enough for our own consumption, our ^irincijjal products being corn. hogs, cattle.

1 served as a volunteer in my father's eoivjpaiiv, who ^v^is under the eomniand of Gen. Henry Dodg-e, a great liidiau lighter and afterwards United States Senator from ^^'isconsill. 1 was detailed as a sjiy, and was often sent out to look for Indian trails, camps, or fortifications. On one occasion, accompanied by Josejjh Stills (whose two brothers and son-in-law are now residing near Stockton, in this State), wo ^\ere siirroundi.'d by about three luindrcd Indians. In attemptinix to charge through them, Stills -^vas shot from his luirse and instantly killed. Myself antl horse escaped unhurt. At that time I killed the priucij^al " brave" of the Sac nation. It h.as always been my motto never to run witli a loaded gan in tiiy hand.

M}' father \vas siiot and. instaritly killed, sitting by his own tiresii.le, by an Indian, who picked a hole in the wall one dark, stormy riight. Tliis was after we had hear<! that peace had been declared in lbi5.

Many inci^Ients occurred in my younger days which it would take a volume to relate. Once, while attending school, an alarm of "Indians!"' was given. I threw my book across the room, never stopping to See where it fell, and seized n)y gun. This. was about the close of the war, and the alarm proceeded from a large party of Indians who Avere on their way to St. Louis to make a treaty with the United States government.

Thk Indians

continued to commit depredations occasionally, oven after peace had l)eca made. On one occasion they took two negroes wlio were chopping wood and carried them off.. The alarm was given and seventy or eighty men collected together and pursued them. About dark v,c struck the trail. 'We were all mounted, and my brother and myself jnit our horses on a lope. Directly my horse jumped over an Indian fire, from which they had just fled, leaving their meat still roasting over the coals. Wc heard one of the negroes cry out, but it was so dark we were miable to find him or his captors. A few days after we found his body. The other negro was never heard of.

The .Santa Fe Tkade

1 was one of a part}' of fifteen who first opened the Smta Fe trade in 1822. In 1823 I went on a second trip to Santa Fe as leader or captain of thirty men. Our stock in trade was princijially dry goods, for which we expected to gel money in return. All wcnt^ prosperously with us till daxbroak on tlie niutnin^- ot' the tirst oi' June, when a party ol'Lidiaus tired (in us, stampeuetl our hor.se.?, and ran ofl' every head, except jJx, wjiieh we saved. Fortunatelv none ot" us \\erc killed or woinided, although I inanagetl to kill one Indian. This occurn.'d on the hanks of the Little Arkansas. In company with five clliLr.5 I wciit back lo JIi.^.^our^, honuht horses and returncij to our company. "WLien we tiol in siiiht ot" the canin, we saw fnlh- tit'ieen hundred Indians in and around the >anie. 'Jliis hioked rai her sr|ually, and some j)roposed lo back out; 1 told them they <;ouUl do as tliev pleased, but I should uo on to our comrades, it' no otiicr man went with me. Finall}' wo all went iqi, and t'ouml it to be a. partv of friendly Kaw^ Indians on a butlalo hunt - a diU'orent trilje t'voui th(jse who had stampeded our horses.

^^'e pursued our journey without any liirther molestation tVom Indians, but sometimes sutfercd sc\-erely from want of water. On one occasion eight of our men gave out entirely on that aceoinit, and were unable to travel. The rest of. the company, with the exceptionof myself, cut the lash ropes from their packs, scattered the goud^ upon the ground, took the ijest liorses and scattered oil' like crazy men f_>r water, leaving me and tlie eiglii men behind. Some of those who Were leaving u.^ fell on theii' knees and {dead with me to go with tliein and save my own lite ; urging as a reason that the men were bound to die, and that I eonhl do them no good by staying. I said J would not leave them as long as a lireath of life was left in om: of tliem ; that if they found water they shoiild return to u^. This \vas one or two o'clock in the afternoon. '\\'l!en it became dark 1 built a fire of buffalo chips, and fired guns in the air as a signal to guide them to us. About midnight four of the men returned with water and we were all saved. The others li.id drank sf) much water that they were iniable to return, and lemained by the water hole. We were lost in aitomining to reach them, and it ^^-as four days before we f'ouni.l them. From thi.s time on to the end of our Jouriuy we had no further difficulty.

In 18i'.'> file United .States goverun.ieut laid out a road from the borders of Missouri to Santa Fe. I was apjiointed pih)t ami captain bv the conijiau}'.

In the Ijlackhawk war in L'!.'-'i3, I vohniteered and acted as a spy and guide under Captain Mat-cn. After he was ealled in, I joined the coiupany of Ca])tain Hickman of Boone comity, ]\Iis>ouri, in the same capacity, and served till the close of the war.

In 18.37 Governor Boggs, of ^Missouri, a[ipointed Col. Boone, Major Berrecroft ami m}"self commissioners to locate and mark out the northern boundary of Missoiu'i, wiiicli we did. President Van Buren appointed me Indian agent for the Pottawatomie, Ottawa and Chippewa tribes of Indians - hcad(piarters Council Blull's. The ap- ])ointment was unasked for, and Iretained it until removed by PresiikMit Tyler for ]iolitical reasons. In l>^4i I was elected to the le;rislature of Mi-sonri from Ilolt county. I re!iieml)er at one time

In the suiiimer of 1845, 1 was induced by several letters reccivevi iVoiii Colonel Bcntun, slating that ir,y sei-vices v.'ould lie needed, to accompany Colonel Fremont on his exiieditiou to Calit'ornia. I went with him as far as Benl".s fort, on the Arkansas, where I informed him I could go no further with liim. There the conipauv divi<led. Colonel Fremont with his party pursuing his original plan, wiiilst 1 went south through a part of Texas, returning home that winter. I ha\'e omitted to mciition that ] was married in IS'Ji. A\'e have had six childreii - I'our daughters and two sons - all of whom, with their mother, arc still living. I base alro sixteen grandchildren.

In the spring of 184(j, 1 set out with ui}' entire family for California, ami was captain of the train, composed of several families, and numbering twenty-eight wagons. Nothing unusual occuri-cd tn irs till we struck the Humboldt. One day after \ve reached tlie river 1 was riding ahe;ul of the train, when 1 met, a man who halloed "Hurrali tor California I " He was so excit,?d that, it was with ditHculiy I could stop him. At last 1 succeeded and asked him what the news was. He said the American tlag was living over California. Tliis was the first we knew of the ^Mexican war. \Mieu we reached tlie train one wild hurra!) was heard froni one end to the oiher, in which men, women and children all joined.

We struck the .Sacramento valley on the 5tli of October. 1.S4G. That winter I sto[iped at Yount's ranche in Napa vallcv - a uian who, in my opinion, did mor<- for the early emigrants o{ California than all the l-iutters ever did.

On the night of the 2:?d of February, 1847, I presided over the first [jolitical mectine ever held by Americans in California, in a little village then called Yerl)a Buena, now known as San Francisco. The object was to co-operate with Fremont in forming a council to fr;; mi,- laws for our future government. He selected seven men - two Enulishn'.ei', two Mexicans, or Culifornians, and three Americans- - old residents of the comiti'}' ; but General Kearney superseding Fremont al)out this time, the council soon ceased to exist.

On the 4th of July, 1847, George Youut and nivself gave the first public 4th of July dinner ever given in California. We had a large turn out, and everything passed off pleasantly ; I still have the flag improvised for the occasion. It has the stripes of our national flag, with a lone star, and the inscription, " California is ours as long as the stars remain. "

In the fall of 1847 I removed to Benicia, where 1 was appointeil alcalde by Governor ^lason, and was afterwards elected alcalde and judge ot' the first iustaiie-e, ff)r the eountrv north of the bay of San Francisco and we^t of the Sacramento riwr. fn the fall of 1><'>4 I

Bouudnrv - rhviical Feutures - E»riy Soillers - Muiy Jones' Kecolls-'Ction of Early Pays - Kit C;lr^oIl - Hardeman's Garden- - Franklin - Its early History and Business Men - Its Tulcuted and Distin2;ui5hed Citizens - Santa Fe Trade - Lawyers, !Newspapers and Churches - Travel - County Seat changed to Fayette - A Le".ter - Postmasters of Old Franklin - Isew Franklin - Early Business Men - Lottery- - Town Incorporated - - Population and Present Business - Secret Orders - Estill - Incidents of the Highwater of 1844.

Franklin township itaivls as it did v.heii erected by tli'' county court, in T.Sl'I. In area, it is tdjout .''0 miles sqiuire. It is bounded on the uf)rtli by llichniond tuid Boone's Lick to\vnshi[)s ; on the cast l.iy ^lonitcan township ; on the south by Cooper county, from which it is sr'parated by the Missouri river ; and on tlic west by Boone's Lick township.

Portions of this towiLshi[) are quite hilly: much of the hiiirh land, however, is undidating. The soil is generally good, and is liigldy productive. 1"he bottom land on the ^Missouri river, is of a suiierior qutdity and produces bountiful crops, especially of corn. The hilllands gro'A excellent wheat, which is quite e.\tensively raised in the township. Tins township is fairly drained, the chief water courses being Bonne Femme and Sulphur creeks. The Bonne Femuie and its aiilucnts How nearly south through the township and empty into the ^Missouri river. Sulphur Creek passes also south, ti little west of the centre of the township, thence east through sections 32, 33, and unites with the Bonne Femme.

Eari.Y Settlers

wliniii \vc have nuv kiiowlodLi-e, wlio c;i;n'.' to tlio towii'?!ii[), were Will. ^Iiiiiroo m'\\\-, who ^elLli'il in ihc tiMvnshii) in the spi'hig or sniiiiiier of l^itS ; it is, lioweNx-r, not know ii preei-^ely, where he lir^t pitehed liis tent. Tliey went to Kentueky the ;^anie year iu eoiiipany with others, ami returned ami settled in tiie same townshiii in ISll. Andrew Smith ami Amos Primes wcvv early settler^, coininL;' in lS;i9,the former arriving on the 3d <d' July. James Alcorn, Pi-iee and John Arnold, Jo eiih and David Boggs, Pohert and William Saimiel, Tov,-nseiid Brown. Cliristopher and Xiehohis T. Biirekhartt, Lindsay Carson and son,>, "Kit," Andrew and .Moses ; Charles nnd William Caiiolo, Isnae Clark, Josepli, James anil I'errin Cooler, James Cockrcll, James, John, I'eter and ^Vi]liam Gk'ason, James Douglas, Draiiel Durhon, John Klliott, father of Col. >". G. Elliott ; Hiram, Beuheii, Sarshrdl and Simeon Fugate, Iteuben Gentry, Abner, John and Wm. Grooms, Alfred and Heail, IJohert llinkson, who niov^'d to Boone county, Xoali Katon, Josepli, AVilliam and Ewing MeLain, doseph Moody, ^Irs. Su;an ]\Iulliir'^, 'riioi.ipsun ^lulliir--, AVm. Pipes, Ciiri-toiiher, James, Jesse and Sihis Kicliard-on, John }ii'pe, Thom.'t- Sniitli, Jolni and James Sncuthan, Joseiih Still, John Slinson, Solomon, David ami John Tetlers, Isaac and John Thornton, Jonathan Davis, Elisha ani.l Levi Todd, James Phillips, Jesse Turner, Thomas Vaughan, Pohert Wild-, \Vm. \Vatkins. James "Whitley. Kev. Dav!d, Joseph, William and ]"\ving M./Lain wei'e rdso ."some of the hr.-t settlers in the town-hip, and were connected with Fort Tviucaid during tlie war of IS 12.

Connected with Fort Hempstead, which was also located in Franklin township, were Amos. .Tesso and Otto AUbright, Aquilla, Abraham, James, John and Shadracli Barnes, Boberl Barclay, Cam[)- bell arul Delaney Bolan. Da\i.l and Ileur}- Biirii^, Prior Duncan. Stephen and John Field, John Hines, Usebines Ilnbiiard. Asaph and Daniel Hubiuird, Jose[Ji Jolly, since of Jolly's bottom. Cooper county; John, David and Matthev,- Kincaid, .\dam McCord, Daniel and John Monroe, John ]\hitlie\\"s, ^\'m. Xash, Gilead Puiu;, Enoch, Isaac and "Wm. Taylor, Enoch Turner, Giles and Britton AViiiiams, Frank Wood, and Henry Weetlen. The above settlers all came prior to LSl-2.

The only person now living in Franklin Townsb.ip, \\-ho was old enough while living in Fort Hem[)Stead to take cognizance of -what was then passing, is Mary Jones, (ji-, as she is familiarly called, Aunt

Pollv Jones," fonnorly " Polly Suodih'." She is the ilauuliter of Aiulrew Smith and Sarah Sci-ihncr, and \vas l)oi-n in Pulaski ciumtv, Kentneky, in 1-^01. Her lather <'niiiTrat(Ml to Missouri, St. Charles eoiinty, in L^dT, and stopped for several weedcs with his family at the hnsjiitalile cahin of Daniel l>oone, the di.^tinji'ui.-hed huntt-r and pion er, \yho liad oome iVon\ Kentucky to St. Charles county, in 17'J5. After remaining in that county until 1800, Smith came u[) the Missouri river, accompanied hy his family and hringinir all his woildly L'oods. Those he transported on oneof ])aniel P>oon(>"s hoats - a kind of keel boat whieli had l)een nsed h\' the latter when sending!; salt, peltries, etc., tr> St. Ijouis. The propelliuL;- power of this water-craft eonsi.-ied of a very sini])le piece of nnichinery, to-wit : - a long pole, made generallv of some light wood, with an iron hoo!; tixed in one end of it. One end of the pole was thrust do^vn into the water, until it rested on the ground, and the other was adjusted to the arm. Against this the p:irty or [lartics in the boat W(Kihi push - walking the entire U-ngLh of the hout and then repeat.

The faniilv reached Howard county, Franklin township, on the ninming of Julv od, 160'.', and landed near a cahin which had lieen erected by Amos Piarnes. After their arrix'al and .settlement, thev found that they v.ere truly in a nild country, and tliat their neighhors were ^-erv tew. Among these Mrs. Jones remembers John Pierrv, L)avid Mcliain, and ^^'illiam Lrinvn.

The family luiilt a cabin and cleai'cd a piece of ground, where they ra.ised three small crops. In February, 181;^, thev went into Fort Hempstead, rather than return to St. Charles county, or liOutre island. The Indian war had commenced the siiring before, and all the settlers were compelled to enter one of the forts, or seek anoll'.er location, ^vhic!l would lie out of danger. Sixteen persons lei't the fort for St. Charles county, but Andrew Smith determined lo remain, and was made first corporal in Ca[)tain Sarshall Cooper's company. The two first settlers killed by the Indians (Todd and Smith), were kinsmen of ^Irs. Jones, the former a cousin and the hitter her uncle.

One among the first rumors of Indian outrages that occurred, Mrs. Jones says, happened in Cooper countj' (then a i)art of Howard). A pioneer by the name of Wm. Ramsey, after having erected a cabin, had occasion to leave home, going only two or three miles, leaving his wife and three children. AVhile he was gone, a few of the ]\Iiauii Imlians went to th(; cabin whei'e they found Mrs. Ivtimscy in bed, >ick. Having Inul the ery-iiielas in her head.lier hair was cut shoit like a nniu's, and the Indians, believing her to be a man, killed her in lied. After-

The only one tiiat remains to be noticed is Elder David ]\IcLain. He was the tirst Baptist minister that came from Central Kentucky to the Boone's Lick country with the iirst colony in 1810. Early in March, 1813, he started on horseback to Kentucky in company with a man named Young. They travelled without molestation till thev reached Hill's ferry, on the Kaskaskia river, the old trace from St. Loui.s to Vinccnnes, via Carlyle, tiie seat of justice of Clinton countv, Illinoi>. Three I'amilics that resided here, being alarmed by Indian signs, had h'ft the terry for one of the settlements in St. Clair counts'. The ferry-boat being fastened to the west bank, the two travellers crossed with tlieir horses, and had not proceeded more than half a mile before they were fired on by Indians. Mr. Young was shot, and fell from his horse. Mr. McLain's horse was sliot through the bod3', and fell, but the rider extricated himself, threw his saddle-bags into the bush, and ran for liis life, with several Indians in chase. Soon after, all the Indians fell back but one stout, athletic fellow, tiiat seeiued deteiniined not to lose his pi-cy. Elder }iIcLain was encumbered with a thick overcoat, with wrappers on his legs, and boots and si)urs on his feet. The Indian fired and missed him, which gave him tlie chance to throw otf his overcoat, in hopes the ]n'ize would attract the attention of his pursui'r. The other Indian^ having fallen back. ]\Ir. ^NIcLain made signs of surrender as this one ap[)roaehed liitn, having loaded his gun. In this way he deceived his foe till he got within a few feet, when he assumed an attitude of defiance, walciied his motions, and, at the instant he fired, dodged the ball, and then, with all the energy he could command, ran for his life. The contest c(uitiuucd more than one hour, during which his foe fired at him seven times. In one instance, as he threw his l)rcast forward, untVu'tunately, he threw his elbow back and received the ball in his arm. During the chase he cfuitriveil to throw oil' his boots and spurs. Tlie\' had run three or four miles in the timber buttom down the ri/cr. and at a bend caiue near the Ijank. Elder MeLaiu found himself nearly exhausted, and it seemed to him hi-^ last chance of escape was to -wim the river. He plunged in, making the utmost effort of hi-; remaining strength, and yet lie had to keep an eye constantly fix^d on liis wily foi». who had loaded hi< L;un for the eiiihtli time, and from the bank brought it tua poise, ai-.tl fu'cd u --(-eond time after ^JcLaiii (lo\-e in deep \vaiei. IJv swiininiiig diaoDiialiy down the stream ho hud gained ou hir> puisuer, who, with, the s;ivaire yell peenliar on siieii occasions, cave np the chase, and returned to his hand. Doubtless his rejiort to the braves was tiiat he had followed a -' Great ^Medicine,'" who was so charmed that his musket balls oould not hurt him.

On reachinix the shore, Mv. McLain ^vas so exhausted that il was with the utmost ditlicnlty lie could crawl up the bank, lor he wa- in a profuse [scrspiration -\\h>'n he pbi'.iu'ed into tiie cold Avater. lie was wet, chilled tlirouLdi, badly wounded, and could not stand until he had rolled himself on the ground, and rulibed his limbs to bring the blood into circulation. It was thirty-tlve ndles to the Badgley settlement, where Elder Daniel Badgley and several Baptist fandlies lived, wdiich ]Mr. ilcLain, after incredildc effort and suffering, reached the ne.xt morning. There, with his wounded arm and a burning iever, he lav several week.-, till some of his friends came from the Boone's Lick settlements and took him to hi< family. A party of volunteers went over the Ka>kaskia river, Imricd Mr. Young, found ^IcLain's saddle-bags, with tlie contents safe, but saw no Indians.

Atr- .Tniu'- says. A\hile in the furl, if any man went to sleep on his watch, while acting as -entinel, the penalty impo.--ed lor his co;/';'ftf.mpa, was the grinding of as many [lecks of corn with a hand-mill, as there were widows in the fort (Ilempslead). There were seven widows in the fort and each became the recipierit of a peek of meal, whenever the sentinel slei)t on duty. James Barnes taught school in Fort Kincaid. Among the llrst black-ndths in and out of the funs, were Wm. Canole, Charles Canole and a man named AYhitlcy.

The first school teacher outside of the forts, in the t(nvnship, was Grey Bynum. wdio xva'^ also the first circuit court clerk. Mr. r>ynum was a South Carolinian by birth, and came to Howard county among the first endgraut?. His school was taught in a cabin which >tood near the present Hicknuui grave yard, and about one mile south of the present residence of Christopher Burckliartt.

Df.Sciiii'Tiox Of Thk School House

As the building in which this original school of the country was taught would be regarded in this day and age as something of an architectural Nvomhr. we will descrilie it : -

It was erected by the people of the neighborhood ; was built of round logs, the space between them chinked and then daubed \slth mud. About five feet from the west wall, on the in~idc, and al)OUt tive feet high, another lou' was phnx'd, running clear across the i)uildiiiir. Puncheons were tixed on this loo: and in tin' Avest wall on whiili tlio c'liiriiney -was built. Fuel (-nukl (hen be u^ed of :iuy loiiuth not greiucr than th.o wi'lth vl' ihe Iniilding, and when it wa< bui-nod through iu the niidiilc. the end- were crowiled together; in this. manner was avoided the ncoe>.<it_v oC so mneli wood ciiopjiing. Tlu'-re M'as no danger of burning the Horn-, as it was made of diil. 'J'iie seat'^ ^\ero made ot' stools or benches, eonstrueled by splitting a log, and hewing off the splinters from tlie ilat side antl then putting four pegs into it from the round side, for legs. The door was nnuie of cla})boards ; no windows. AVooden pins were dri\en irdo a hig running lengthwise, upon which was laid a board, and this constituted the writing i.le>k.

Attending this ]nnneer school, were the children of the neighborhood, \vithin a radiir~ of ti\'e miles. Anuing these, was ^Irs. .b.nes, Matthe\N' Kincaid, Dureas Kincaid, the Alcorn children, the Hubbartls and others. Mrs. Jones has in lier pos.-ession two of the schoid books that she then, studied. These are \ery old and faded in a[ii>earancc. They are "Kentucky I'receptor" ;ind "Lessons iu Elocution," and were ptiblishcfl aljout the } ear l.^OO. Tlte date of publication of each was tcn-n out, but we a;cevtained abiuU the timt} they \vere issued by reading soiue of thoir ccndents, treating of cvmits which took place about the peri(.)d mentioiied. These books, were ijurchased bv Oaniel Boone, in St. Louis, between INIO and 1812, whither he ha<i gone with a load of skins and furs. A few of the neighlicu-s in Franklin township, from whom he purchased peltries, relple:^ted him to firing them some text-books, and these were two of the selcctioirs made by him.

Judge Abiel Leonard, also taught a school soon after liis arrival in 1819, in the sanu' tov,-n-hip, near Old Franklin. I'leing an obscure and humlile pedagogue, he afterwards reached the nmst honoralde and exailed judicial position in his adopteil State, - lieing appointed jikIl'^c of the .Supreme court, - whii'h po>ition he till<-d with niarked ttliilitv, until he was compelled to re-ign on aceount of ill liLalth.

:iblv tlie tiist in Howard w;is tliat of Kobort Cooper and Elizabeth C;irjoii, in the spi-iiiii' of 181U. The ceremony took phicc ;it the re.sideiu-c (^log ealiin ) ol' the bride's lather, Lindsay Carson, whu wan the t'athei- of " Ivil " Carson, the preat ?,eout. The invited uaiests we'e munerons, enihraeing the entire iieighl)orliood. ^Ir. Car~on soiahl to make tlie oeeasion one of l)iisiuess as \vell aa pleasure, for after the marriage had been solemnized, the male portion of the guebt-, assislei] him in I'ai^ing a house, the groom being one of the most a.etis'e workmen present.

Thomas .'^nutli was the tirst shoemaker in all the Boone's Lick country, anvl !ii~ \'."ife, Sarah, \va^ an ade[)t in the art of making moccasins. Dr. Tiglie was the pioneer ])h}"sician of the township, and made his home f(ir a short' time at Andrew Smith's.

AVidle 'Mrs. Jonas was stc)[i[iing at the house of Daniel Boone, in St. Ciiarh.'s county, she saw the old hunter eating raw-meat quite often. He seemed to be especially fond of raw venison and prefei'red it to the most delicately cooked and hi:j:hlv sea-:oned \iands. His early life such - living almost constantly in the woods - that he was at times compelled to eat raw meal, and Itecoming habituated to the use of it, he learned to lik;' it.

Mrs. Jones, is iiou' in the eighty-second year of her age, and is in the enjoyment of good iiealth and an excellent, vivid ni.emory. She resides with her son, James Snoddy, who was a child by a former niarriage. She is active au'l indu.-trious, ami V(dur.taril\' does her part of the household work - preferring a life of industry, even at her advanced age, to a life of indolence and ease.

When a^ked whether she would like to live over auain the yeai's of her pioneer life, she answered with much earnestness: "If I knew where there was such a country as this was seventy rears at:;o, 1 would go to it, as old as I am." We hope that the brittle thread of life may be lengthened out to this octogenarian many spans, and that by and b\' it may be said of her : -

Mullins nml sister, who now rosido in Fruiikliu township, were :ilso in one of the forts ( llempstead), in LSI"), liut being stiiul! cliildreu, rcspccti'iclv Iwi) and four rears of age, the}' now have no recolicetion of any of the early events that transpired during that memorable era in tiio histoiy of tlie count_y.

Mrs. I'oll}' Jones, ^latthew Mullins and sister arc the only jiersons now living in Howard county, who liveil in the forts. E[)liraiHi Mt'Lain, of Saline county, and Samuel Cole andThos. ^SleMalKiii, and his brother .Jaeksou, of Cooper count \", also resided in the forts during tiie warof 1S12, where they remained for several years. These are all the survivors of that early day that the autlior could hear of, now living iu Howard and adjacent counties. Tliere are doubtless a few others iu California and elswhere throughout the country, but they are few iu number, and are "Waiting by the river."

Kit Caiison

Among the men ^vlio once lived iu Franklin to'wnship, who afterwards achieved a uotoriet}' in western annals, \v:is tlie great scout. Kit Carson. He was born iu ?*Iailison county, Kentucky, on the 24tli day of December, 1809, and his fatiier, Lindsay Carson, emigi-ated to Howard county in 1810, bringing his family with him. After their arrival, they built a cabin and raised two small crops and then \sMth otiier old settlers in that jiortiou of the county, went into Fort Kincaid. .\fter the ^var, his fathiu' ap[U'enticed him to David W(U-kman, who then resided at Franklin, to learu the saddler's trade. He remained with AVorkman two years; his labcu's becoming ii-ksome, he left, and in LS2(i, he joined a jjarty destiiicd for tlie EoelvV mountains. Crossing tlie plains at thai day was a dangerous undertaking. There were then no guiiles and charts, and nothing indicating springs and camp-grounds. These oases of the American Sahara, had not at that time been pressed by the feet of the while man. They had. been trodden only by the buffalo, the wild horse and the savage Indian. The man, therefore, who cros-ed the plains to Santa Fe, was in 'every sense of the word, a hero. Kit went into Santa F^e, New Mexico, which country thereafter becanie the field of his remarkable and daring exploits. He remaiiu'd in that country, until his death, which occurred iu ISiJO. (Juite a number of his relations now reside in Ho^vard county. Among these, are Hamilton Carson, his brother, and George H., .James T., Frank, George \V.. and Dudley Carson, his nei>hews.

In the history of Franklin township, we slioulil not forget to mention " llanlenian's garden," which was located about live miles ;;!)uvc Old Franklin, nearly oppo-ile to the mouth of the La Mine ereck. It was a vine-elad, rose-covered bower, Iho prototype of the renowned " Tulip grove" of that public benefactor, Henry Shaw, of St. Louis. The founder of this celelirated garden, ]Mr. John Ilardennui, was of German extraction, a geutlenum of fortune, and possessed i-eniarkably flue taste in horticulture, lie was ambitious to excel in this inviting tield, and to gratify his inclinations, laid otl' ten acres in an exact square ibr a botanic garden, sparing neither c.\i>cnse nor labor in adorning it with fruits, llowcrs and shn'.bs, indigenous and exotic. .Scriientine walks, paved with shells, conducted the admiring visitor through this charming court of Flora, wdiere, amid zc()hyrs of the riehe>t i)erfume, llowers of the most beautiful hue greeted the e\e, and fi uits of the mo.>t delicious llavor lem[iteil the palate. Jt was a place - -

\yhere opiHiing roses bro.atliing sweets diffuse, And soft carnations shower tlicir balmy dews ; \yhere lilies smile in virgin robes of white, The thin undress of superficial light; And varied tulips show so dazzling gay. Blushing in bright diversities of day.

This beautiful garden was finally engulfed in the Missouri river, the tir,~t encroachment of that treacherous stream occurring in l.'S2(J, when a large portion of it was swallowed up. [Mr. Hardeman, however, conliuued the cultivation of such portions of the garden a^ were left, until about the time of his death, which took place in 1829. A sweet honeysuckle still grows in the yard where Mary S. Hanna uow lives, in Fayette, that was taken from the Hardeman garden in 1S2;>. At the date mentioned, Mrs. Louise P>oone, wife of Iiam[)ton L. Loone, and Miss Malinda Owen, daughter of General Ignatius P. Owen, of Fayette, made a visit to the garden and, when leaving, Mr. Hardeman gave them the honeysuckle, then a small vine. This is the only relic of that once far-famed and lovely garden that exists in this part of the country.

liii, ill the same toNViHlii[), wa-s located on section .">, townshlj) LS. range ](>, ill ISIG, on tlie river liaiik and opposilo to Booiivillc, in Cooper couiitv. Il wa- selected in 1^17 as the county seat of Howard coiMilv, I)V Benjamin Iv-till, David dones, David Kincaid, "William Head and Stcplieii Cole, wiio were ajiiKiinted conuuissioners fur thai purpose by the general asseuibly of ^ilissouri. Hannah Colc'b fort remained ihe eountv seat, however, until the second ?iIonday in November. LSIT, wh.cn tlie circuit court met at Franklin the first time. (See Chapter III, this book.) T!ie original town siie oeeup.ied ItiO acres ot' land and was purchased for Howard count}' by the commissioners who selected the county sent from JrLmes H. Benson. William V. Eector, John W. Scudder, Jauie- C. Ludlow, and Jo-c[ih Wiggins, for $200. Abruit two years after the town was laid out, an addition was added, calh'd "East rraidclin." 'J"he town contained a IJublic square which embraces two acres of ground. The square was levelled and grounds put in order by Amlrew .-^mith and James Snoddy . The sti-eets were generally eighty-seven feel a\ ide. '.rhe tir^^t hon-e fmilt in i'ranklni (upon the authority of Mrs. ^Nlary Jone.-, of whom we h:.ve s[)ol',e;i in the pieeeding pages), was erected by Amos Barne,-;. It ^A-as constructed of rough logs and stood near the rivor bank. 'I'he land ofEce was located there, soon after it was founded, and it being the most western settlement, of any imi)i)rlance. in thestate, and the .starting point for the Santa Fe country, it increased rapidly in population and influence. S.ime of the best blood of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and other states, tlowed in the veins of many of the citizens of Franklin. The town was noted for the intelligence, hospitality and cnterju'lse of its people, a number of whom tilled honorable positions in the legislatuj-e, executive and judicial departments of the state, and not a tew attained a, nali(jnal reputation as gallant soldiers and trusted statesmen. Among her illu-trious citizens, whose names sparkle upon the historic page with a fadeless lustre, were:- - Lilburn \V. Boggs, John Miller, Hamilton B. Gamble (each of whom were afterwards governor of the state')' John F. Hylaiul, Abicl Leonard (afterwards judges ot the supreme court of the state). General Robert P. Clark and Cyrus Edwards (the two latter distinguished lawyers). Dr. II. Lane, Dr. J. H. Benson, Peter Fergu-on, Dr. Charles Kavanangh, Col. William Boone, Dr. J. J. Lowery, Grey Bynum, Dr. David Woods, Bennett Clark, General John B. Clark, Sr., S" C. McNees; John Bay, J. S. Finlcy, John Walker. Charles \\"oods, Thomas Hardeman, G. C. Sibley, John S. Brickey, .Vndrew S. Mc- Girk (afterwards judge), Price M. I'rewitt, J. C. Ludlow, AV. MusS,

W(> douht whether any town containing no greater luipulation tlian Franklin had, and reaching no greater age, can be found anywhere in the United States, that can boast of so man}- eminent men. Its cai'lv achievements m commerce during the jialmy dtiys of the ."saiita Fe trade, were simply tmniensc for that day and time, llie following, co[)ied from tlie I'ayette IhieU/'jeucer <>[' ]May 2, l^'i.s, will give the reader some idea of the importance of tliis trade: -

Tlie tow'i of Franklin, as also our own pi'esents to the eve of tlie beholder, a In^y, iiustling and commercial scene, in buying, selling and packing goods, practising mules, etc., etc,, all [u-epaiatory to the startinir of the great s}')ringcara\'an to Santa Fe. A great number of our fellow citizens are getting ready to start, and will be o|f in the course of a week on a trading expeditio\i. We iiave not tlie means of knowing Low manA- persons will start in the first company, Init think it probable the nund>er will e.xcced 1.30, principally from this and the adjoining counties. They generally purchase tlieir outfits from the merchants here at from 20 to 30 per cent advance on the Philadelphia i)rices, and calculate to m;d<e from 40 to 100 [ler cent iiiion their pu/chases. They will generally return in the fall, ^^'c suppose the amount which will be taken I'rom this part of the coimtry this spring will not perhaps fall much short of $100,000 at the invoice prices.

We wish them a safe and profitable trip, a spectly retuiai to their families and homes in healtli, and thev long live to enjoy the lirofits of their long' ar.d fatiguiuir journey of nearly one thousa:;d miles, tiirough prairies inhabited onh' bv savages an^l \\ild beasts.

Among the pioneer merchants and business men of Franklin, were Hickman and Lamb from Kentucky. These gentlemen, owned and oper.-ited a large store, purcha-ing tlieir goods (as the merchants of the town generally did ) in I'hiladelphia. Claiborne F. Jacksuu, alter- wanls goveruoi- of Iho st;iU-. ^\a.s a r-lork in this store in IS:?!!. Joseph Siaipsoii was also m incrclinnt ; he was an Englishman, ami came to Franklin ahoul the j'e^ir ]<si;2; he died in Franklin in 1828. Smitli & Knox were merchants; Smith was receiver in the land ol'iee. Gil'^s Samuels \>a,; a ha-iness man. Alexander IMcCansland was also a merehant. Blois, a. Canadian Frenchman, was a merchant. ?vIoss Prewitt was a hatier, and afterwards became a banker in Colnmliia. There were as nnuiv as fonr manufaelurers of hats in J 82G, in the town. Barnes was probably the first bhicksmith in the place, ilordecai owned the first livery stable. Jas. R. Abernathy assisted him in attending to it. Dr. II. T. Glenn, who moved to California and became the largest farmer in that state, married a daughter of Abernathy.

Henry V. Bingham, father of George Bingham, the well known artist and portrait painter, kept a hotel : so did ]\Irs. Peebles. The town had two or three grist mill-^ from 1820 to 1828. John Hardeman operated a grist mill with cardiigr machine attached, Shadrach Barnes I'an a grist mill. The ferry was origin:dly owned l)y Hannah Cole, -who operated it as early as l.'~!l('i from the fort to Franklin. It was afterwards run by Pogers, of Boonville, Isaac Gcarhardt and otJiers.

The bar of Fraidsliii was idily re[ircsented in the persons of Judge George Tompkins, Charles French, Amos Peece (who afterwards resided in Plattslnirg, Clinton county. Mo., and then moved to Flmvenworth, Kansas), F. S. (iruiuly, Andrew ^McGirk, John F. Pyland, Robert iLcGavick, Cvrus Ei.lwards, and a number of others who were noted for their skill and ability as lawyers. (See chapter on bimch and bar'. )

The Missouri lnlclii<jencer, the iir^t newspaper established west of St. Louis, was started here in I8i;i. (See Chap, entitled "The Press.")

The Baptists organized a church in the town in 1819, the Methodists one rear later. No house of worship, however, w:is ever erecteil in the town by any denomination. The Old School Presbyterians organized a church in April, 1821. (See cha[)ter on ecclesiastical history. )

Travel between Franklin and St. Louis was done on horseback until 1820, when four-horse stages were put on the line. Soon alter that, travel upon ste;imboats came gradually into u--e ; the fare being about the same by either mode - $10.50 for each passenger.

1-S23, when it (the eoiinty .seal) was h>eate<l at Fa_vclt<', (:he latter tciwii, being about llie geoo-raphieal eenlre ot' the eouiity, al'tcf C"'io[ier anil B')one eounties had been taken fi'om its terrilm-y. Many ot" the citizens of Franklin, including the attorneys, soon came to i^'ayetteto live. The gix-at rn.'jorit-y, ho-.vevf!-, continued to stand by the t'ortnnes of the old town, where they reuiainctl until the spi-ing of 1S2S, when they were conipelled to al.)andon their home-?, because of the snddcn caving in of a large portion of the town site. It is estimated that Franklin, dnrinu' her jialmiest days - from l'S'2.5 to 182G - contained bet\vecn l,50Uand l,7(iO peo|de. In 1828, on account of the overflow and tlie washing away of the town site, Franklin was abnost entirely al)andi,)ned, her citizens going elsewhere to live ; a nunil)er of the^e foriuded the tiMvn ot' New Fi'anklin, within two miles of <.)ld Franklin and in the same townsliip.

A ]Masonic lodge was organized at Old Franklin, in 1820. It was ;ifterwards nnned to New Franklin, where it was reorganized in 18,r2, and is no'.v known as Howard Lodge No. 4. It was the fourth lodge (it ± reeniasons, instituted m Missonri. Nothing uaw reiiKiins to mark the spot where once stooil the [iroud, iiretentious little citv of Franklin, but a two-story brick,* now known as the " Franklin House," located iminediately west of the depot. Two or three business houses, of niodern architecture, occupy a ivorticni of the old town-^ite - the e.xtretue lower portion - l)nt the town, itself, excepting the house above mentioned, is a thing of the past.

The following letter, written nnu'e than three-score years i\<20, bv Mr. A. Fuller, who had been, lis'in.g in the r)Oone's Lick country about six months at the time he wrote, will t)e read, doubtless, with luuch interest by the citizens of the county to-day :

You need not scold ; I have liad too much to do to write to vou fellows that live in civilized societw Hei'e I am, on the extreme frontier of the settlements of our countiy, but would not exchange places with yon for all }'our boasted luxuries. I can, within :i mile or so, kill

* This was, at tlie time it was erecteJ, tlie only tiricl; Ijuildingin tlie Boone's I.ick country. It was built for a school ami was iucorporateJ by the lesislalure in the winter of 1S:.'0, with Gen. Thos. A. Smith, Nathaniel llutohinson, Jno. ,r. Louery, George Tompkins, James C. Ludlow, Taylor Berry and Jonallian S. Fiiidlay, as trustees. It is now the property of Bro.ulus .Smith, who operates it us a hotel.

'J'lie settlers of tlie country uiove<l out of tlie forts last spriuLT. and are about as liappy a set as you can timl on the earth to tliink tliat the Indians are to let tluun ahme. hereafter. I have become aoquaintetl with most of the citizens of the town. U'he Hon. Judi;-c Todd and family arrived hero last suniiui'r. one of the inost au'reeable men and families that I have ever met. He is too lilieral and ki\id for his mwh good ; also ]>r. Hutchinson. Dr. F-owi/ry, and General Smith. I do not think von can understand the nobleni'ss of such minds, as it i,s only here in the extreme west, where all have l>een aceustcuned to facing dan<;'crs every dav, that th'V can i)e appieeiatcd. Wc ha\'e three stores in this thriving place: an old gentleman, ^Ir. Gaw ; Stanley & Ludlow, and Sauganette & P>right, all doing a fair liusincss. ^Ve had tw() an'i\'als of steamboats during the summer, one a government boat. Western Engineer, on an e\[)loring expedition. In place of a bowsprit, slio has carved a great serpent, and as the steam escapes out of its mouth, it runs out a long tongue, to the perfect horror of all Indians that see her. They say, "'White man liad man, keep a gi'eat spirit chained and build tire under it to mak-e it w(u-k a boat I " The other was a boat loaded with governunmt sup[)lies. for the troops in thefoi-t> above her'', also two hundred thousand chdlars in s[iceie. A large portion of her cargo was Monongahela whiskey. It hioks like a dispensation of Providence that she should be sunk soon after leaving. The officers and visitoi's were desecrating the Sabbath day bv card plaving and drinking. She left here and ran up to the head of the first island above when she struck a snag and sank immediately, without tiie crew being able to save anything out of her. There she lies with idl her silver and freigiit on her. There are in t!ie neighborhood several forts, that were used ])y the peoide during the Imlian difficulties. Fort Hempstead, about three ndles l)ack from the river ; Cooper's Fort, ten miles al)ove here where were many of the htdrbreadth escapes of the ^vild w t-st. At one time, a\ hri! it wa-- bi'siege<l l>y a large body of Indians, and they needed to communirate with the fort here, not having any men to spare, a daughter* of Colonel Cooper volunteered to run the gauntlet, and mounting a fleet horse dashed through the Indians, reach.ed the fort here, got the assistance needed, and was back in time to relieve her friends. Is there one of your city lielles could do a similar feat? I guess not. I tell you, Tom. there is an independence and nol)leness in the Ijearing of the young folks here, dressed in their home-made clothing. - the ease of gait and carriage. - that puts affectation and tine dresses in the siiade. I am not carried

* The ilis3 Cooper here spoken of, was the mother of the wife of the present Solon Shepherd, wlio resides neir Fayette. Thi^ romantic and attractive little story was given much credence, even Ht that early day, among certain persons ;' the author hoard of ili.^s Cooper's act of heroism soon after his arrival in Uowanl county, but after cnrefuUy investitcating the matter, lie tinJs that the story had no foundation in fact, and exists in imagination onlvas a beautiful fiction.

;i\v:iv eiilirely hy the nohleucsx of the wihl IVrmtier [leophs hut thoru is ;i Irank gvaeiii^itv with thoiu tliai^'ou in the e.-ir-t kn.nw iinthiiii.'ot', tl!cr(.'- I'dre you cauiuit a])preci;ito it. There is also a fort aern-s the tiver Iroin iieru ealled Coh/'s i'ort. that had its .-hare oftrouhh; ; al.-o one ahovethe La Mine riv(>r. One ot'tiie men, Mv. MeMahan, tVoiii I here, \\ as eoiuing ^h)^\n loCiilu"^ t'oil on hnsiiie.>s ; v.'licn abont Uvo miles almve here he was tired ui)on and killed i>v the Indians. One of the yonnir <A)les and one (jf the Konps wore cnltini;' a liee-ti're in the wooils ne;u- the path, and it is thouglit the Indians -were erawlin^- on them, when Mr. .A[c,Maiia)i, i>assiii;^', was Hred on and kilieii. ddie men,C'ide and Koup, hniriedbatdc to their t'oi't for aid, and went to ^cc what mischief the rcd-skir.s had been doing. Mf. MeMali.au was sliot through the Ijudy. He ran his horse towai'd the river for about a quarter of a mile when he I'ell dead. The Indians, it is thonght, saw the t\vo men running for tlie fort and thought it safest to k-ave, which they di-d without following the tlyhig men. 1 believe I could have set till Ihis time, iiearing of the hair-breadth escapes of the early settlers. They have lai<l ont a town ojiprisite liere on the river, called l-!oonville. ^^hieh they ex|)ect to eclipse this place, but the traders think Franklin \vill eclipse anv town out west. I think lik(dy it will if tlie river will let il alone. I went o\er tin.' ri\er la^t snnnner to attend the Ih'st sale of h.ts, i'itending to purchase some to Ijuild on. iuit the}- were run up to a fabulous price, away beyond my reach. There were some ol' tlie \dters who appeared to be ati'eeted by patriotism acquired at the only ( wliat was termed) tavern in the ])lace, kei^t by a liard looking old fellow nameil Eeames, who l)oweiI politely to all wlio came in and asked fir something to drink, and I was told the whiskey had actually not had time to cool before it was dealt out to customers, having been brought all the way from a ,Mr. IK)Uxe's where is a horse mill and distiller^'; so the peopli> of Boonville, caimot only have liquor, lint can have their corn ground ready for sitting. The null and distillery are about a uiile from the town. Adieu.

X statement showing the date of the establishment of the post-office at 01,1 Franklin, together with the names of all the postmasters at the said otHce in the order of their appointment, and the date of apjioiutmcut of each.

A« already intimated, Xew Franklin owes its existence to the fall and llnal obliteration of Old Franklin, and was laid out in 1828, on he west half of section 28, townshi[) 41.<, range KJ, which was then owned h\ James Alcorn.

Many of the buildiujrs of the old town -.vere moved to the new. Among' the earliest business men of that [)lace, were James Alcorn, who built the tirst business house; "\^'illis Koberson, the lirst blacksmith; >[. Switzler, the first hotel-keeper. Among the earlv enterprises, was a tanyard by Lewis Scott, a carding machine by "W'm. Bowen and a rope fictory by Bernard. The tirst and onlv lotlerv cver chartered liv the state of Missouri, was started at this point, the purpose of which was to raise $15,000 in order to enable the town to l)uild a railroad to the river. The charter was afterwards modified, so as to permit the construction of a i)lank road, and still later ir, embrace a macadamized public highway instead. This lotti'ry franchise was finally dis[)osed of by the town to a company in St. Loui-, for five hundred dollars per year, and New Fianklin has since em- I^loycd its receipts from this source, in comi)leting a safe and endnrinir highway to the river. Tlie town was incorporated February 7th. 1833. The original trustees were; Abiel Leonard, Davii.! ^^'()rkm:.Ul, .Natlianiel IIutehi.>on, Joshua }Iol)l)S, Al[)honzo '\\'etmore, Lewis Switzler, and Lindsay P. Marshall.

person?. The town coutnius one diy irooil store, t^vo th-ug stores, oise grocery, one harness shop, one mill, one huicksmith, one carpenter, one harlier, three physici;uis, one hotel, tuo churches, one large, elegant !)rick scliool house, and tliree secret orders, the oldest of which is the is located on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas' railro:id,'[[near the centre of tht- town-hip. on the norclieast of soutliwe-t^quarter, scctiiii lo

Iho coiiDtr^v surrounding Estill, is well improved., and is one oC the iiiost lieautifiil portions of"IIow;ird county. Tiic farm houses are generally large and handsomely constructed ; many of them being brick, and of modern style, while the yards and lawns in tVont of them are not only set in blue grass, but [planted with shrubs, llowers. fruit and shade trees.

The ovcrtlow o!' the Missouri river in 1844 is remembered by the old settler of to-day, as the higliest water known witliin his recollection. By actual nnMisurement, the water was tiien six feet higher than it has been at any time since. The entire Missouri river Ijuttom or low lauds were submerged, many iarms l)eing coveied to the dejith '^f fift.'cr. fccl. Tl.e Siifl'cring among the people wlio occupied tlie overflowed dist'iets v/as very great, many of them not only losing their houses, their stock and tlieir croi)s, but losing their lives in their efforts to escape the mighty Hood, which remained upon the land for nearly three weeks.

A farm< r who lived in the bottom, south of New Franklin about a mile, by the name of T..loyd, wait(j-il, during tiie rise, thinking ever\- day the river \vould nach its highest point, and did not leave liis cabin until he wa*; compelled one niurruug to ha-lilv make his exit through the roof. AVhilc getting out some of his household plunder, he spilt sfime curn meal on the roof of his cabin. The third <lav after leaving, Lloyd returne^l in his boat and fonn.d to liis surprise thai tin.' roof of his cabin had been transformed into a menagerie of bird- and animals. Among these was a cat, a dog, a coon, a fox, a rat. two chickens and a turkej'. He observed that the meal was all gone, and was greatly surprised to find these animals living together in perfect liarmony. A connnon misfortune had created anifing them a sympathetic I'ecling. The presence of the great flood had seeininglv over-awed and overpowei-ed their antagonistic natures, and like the "lion and the lamb" of prophetic history, the}' were d\vel!in!_f togetlier iu peace.

Another farmer, who resided iu the bottom, lost a very valuable horse. The day he left liis cabin tliis horse was driven with other horses and stock to the hills for safe keeping. Some daj,s afterwards tlic hi>r>e was niis.-iiig, and was not lomul until the waters lia<l roccdcfl when he was discovered (at least such portions of him as were left), langing by one of his hind feet in some grapevines fully fifteen feet aliove the ground, having on tlie same halter tliat he wore when he left.

Boundary - Physical Features - Early SeltlcMients - Churches - Richmond - Fayette - Its Early History - Business Mcu - Business - Incorporated - First and Present Officials - Banks and Bankers - Court House and Public Square ^ Facts and Incidents - Cholera in 16^2 or 1:^33 - Cholera iu 1S40 - Cholera in 1>55 and in 1S73 - Meteoric Phenomenon - Secret Societies - Central and Howard Colleges - Their History - Fire - Postmasters - Business Houses of Fuyette - Public School.

Thi>i is the cciitnil portion of th-- oounty, and contains seventy-two square miles. It remains as tirsl formed in 1821, e.^eeptiug sections 19, 20. 21, whieli were attached to Burton to'.vnship in IS.SU. It is bounded on the math by Prairie and Burton townships, on tite east by Bonne Femme and Moniteau, on the soutli by Moniteau and Franklin, and on the west by Boone's Lick and Chariton to\vn:^hips.

I'Hysic.Vl Features

This to\vnshi[. is admira!)ly di'ained, the itrincipal streams beinsT Bonne Femme, Adam's forlv, Leonard's in-anch, Salt creek, Doe creek and Dry creek. These are well distributed in th.e \arioiis sections of the township. The timber is in sreat abundance, and of an excellent quality - no prairii'. The hind is roliing and underlaid with a tine stratum of coal, and is well atlapted to agricidtural purposes.

Early Settle.Ments

The pioneer settler of Kichmond township seems to have been, from the most authentic sources, one Hiram Fugate, wdio wa- one of the original settlers of Franklin township - a private in Ca[)t. Sarshall Cooper's conqiany and connected witli Fort Kincaid, wliere he remained during the Indian hostilities of 1812. His cabin stood near the present site of Central college ; the northcn part of Fayette ^^-as located on the smith [)art of his land, and the southern p;ut of tlic town on a portion of the claim owned by Hickerson Burnham, who "ettled in the township in 18Ub

George Craig aiul Colonel T'hilip 'J'ranicll eshilili.viied salt works near tlie present raih-oad depot near Fayette, in 1^1',*. and conducted the biisinci? for several years. I'iie next settler Nvas the father of Colonel McKinney, of Texas fame, in the same year. In the spring of l»iy, John Jackson took a claim near McKinncy, also James Reed, AVilliam Harris, and Joseph Gill. In the spring of 1818, lienry liUrnham opened a farm north of Fayette and was joined the same year by James Howell, Thomas Low, Josejjh Sears, Townsend Brown, Wm. Eeynolds, and Enoch ICcmper. !Mr. Kemper Avas county assessor a number of years ; he had a family of nine children and each alternate child was born blind.

Thomas Collins and liobevt Reynolds each made a settlement north of Fayette, in the spriug of 1810. Jn 1820, Colonel Beaj. Reeves. father-in-law of Judge Abiel Leonard, purchased the farm of Ti')\\'nsend Brown, and was a member of the tlrst constitutional convention of the state ; he was afterwards elected lieutenant-governor, and was one of the commissioners appointed to view the first road to New ^loxico.

Bennett Clark, father of General John B. Clark, Sr., who came in 1818, and located three miles east of Fayette, was one of the first state senators from Howard county, and was often in the legislature. The samj year Andrew Fielding located one and a half niiles east, and Wm. Snell.in 1819, about two miles northeast of Fayette. David Todd, of Cooper's fori, whose brotlier Jonathan was killed by the Indians, settled in the neighborhood of Bennett Clark in 1818. Garrisou Patrick and "Watt Ewing settled in the township in 18Kb Joel Prewitt, the father of Robert Prewitt, settled here in 1821, three miles we>t of Fa^-ettc. Also Philip Turner, father-in-law of General John B. Clark, Sr. ; Alt'red Basey, father-in-law of Judge George Miller, of Jetl'erson City, settled on the Turner farm in 18 20, selling to Philip Turner in 1821 ; Wm. Hughes, one of the tirst tanners of the county, settled in the vicinity of Mount Moriah Baptist church, about 1820, and donated the land on which the church was erected, and was joined the same year by his brother Roland Hughes. In the neighborhood of Judge Ben. Tolson, there was also made a settlement very early ; among these settlers were Amos Deatherage, 1817 : John Tolson, the judge's father, 1819 ; Mathew Howard, 1819 : Pendleton Bridges, 1814, and about the same dates, John Cleeton, James Weathers, Andrew Evans, James Bnrge, General Ignatius P. Owens, Jonathan Bozarth, James Shephard, Enoch Fly, Neheriah Todd, Truman Nailor, Thomas Tol-on, David R. Downing, George Staplel?'*^ 1IIS.TOKY CI' HOWAKI) AXD CUAIUTOX CorNTEES.

Richmond

This was the name of an old Imsiness point wliieii was silnated south of the present town of Fayette, in \^ hat was known as the Spanish needle district. The lown~hip t(jok its name after it. It contained one small store of general merchandise and a blacl^smith shop. It now lives only in the memory of the old settler.

The county scat of Howard county, is located on parts of sections 11 and 12, in township 50, range 111. It was named in honor of General Lafayette, whom all Americans loved because of his patriotic and distinguished services rendered tlieir country, in the war of the revolution. In 1S23, when the town was laid out, the news had just been received that Lafayette would soon visit the United States. This visit, however, did not take ]ilace until the following year, 1824. His landing at New York, and recei>tion by the people, who had gathered upon the wharfs by tlie tens of thousands, is most ])cauiifully and graphically descrilied by that un'tehless orator and statesman, S. S. Prentiss, in his incomparably grand and eloquent eulogv upon the life and services of that great man.

Fayette was located by .lonathan Crawley, Wm. Head, Samuel Wallace, Glenn Owens and Samuel Hardin, Sr. Hiram Fugate and Hickerson Burnham, eacli donated twenty-tive acres of laud for the county seat. Judge Alfred Morrison, who was afterwards sheritf and county judge of tlie county, surveyed the town site, assisted by John Jackson, Samuel Hardin and others, who were the chain bearers.

After the town was laid out, Elisha "Witt erected the first house which was constructed of logs, and located on the. ground where Howard college now stands. Although this was the first house built in the town, the logs for another house had ah-eady been jirepared by Gen. Ignatius P. Owen, and was erected the day foUowirig by the general, who had assisted ^^'itt in raising his house. These buildings were intended for hotels and were conducted by their proprietons as such for many years. General Owen's hotel was located on the southeast corner of the public square. These houses were erected in t!ic fail of 1824. The pioneer bu:.ines:i man of the tov,-n was named O'Neal.

Here smokes his forge; lie bares his sinewy arm And early strokes his sounding anvil warm, Around his shop the steely sparkles flew As out of steel he shapes the bending shoe.

Lawrence J. Daly taught the tirsl school in the town, in a log cabin wliieh now stands in the yard where Mrs. Mary S. Hanna now lives. ^Ir. Dalv \vas a native of Ireland. He was the father of Mrs. Samuel C. Major, and Mrs. Dr. John Talltot, the latter now deceased. He died in Fayette. Among his ])upils were William C. Boone's wife, John P. Sebree's wife, Elizabeth Garner, Susan Garner, Stephen Garner, Jesse ^^'. Garner, Artimesia]\IeLain, Sallie Melvinney, Euphemia McKiiuiey, Nancy lieynolds, Susan Eeyiiolds, Eleanora Splicer, Miss A. Spencer, Jose[ih Hardin, William Wilson, Thomas Taylor, Townscnd Taylor, Humphrey 'J'aylor, and Mrs. Mary S. Hanna.

There were otiier schools kept in the town between l625 and 1884, l>y both male and female teachers, but at the latter date a most excellent educational institution called tlie Fayette academy was established by Archibald Patterson. The building was constructed of brick, one story high, and contained two rooms. It was located a little to the left and south of Central college. Mr. Patterson came from Ohio ; he was a man of classical attaimnents and quite successful as a teacher. His school continued until 1844, when he went to Marion county, and then to Lexington, Missouri, where he died from an accident.

The tirst resident minister was Rev. Augustus Pomeroy, an Old School Presbyterian, who held services in the school-house spoken of. He was also a school teacher. Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers, a missionary Baptist preacher held religious services occasionally in the town. He resided in the country. Rev. William W. Redmond (Metliodist ), was :i circuit-rider at an early day in tlie county, and was the prc.-iding elder in ISi'n. Tlielirst house of worship was erected by the P.aptists in ]S24.

Washington Shepherd was the first tailor. The first death in the town was that of Miss Elniira Whittoii ; hers was the first grave in the cemetery.

The^first Sunday-school was organized by Kev. Augustus Ponieroy. Ecuben Johnson. Elijah ]>.Iock and V.'illiani Taylor were th(> first carpenters and builders. Ilickerson TJurnluun erected the first large l)rick residence : it occupied the corner where BclTs grocery store now stands. The first jeweller was Joel Gill. William Jones, Sr., was the first|\vagon-maker. Richard Law built the first tobacco factory. The first gunsmiths wci-e Jesse Riddlebcrger and Gabriel Oldham. Jesse Whitton had the honor of erecting the first mill - a horse mill, one set of buhrs. Jamea Spencer had a carding machine and mill combined - inclined tread wheel. John A. Johnson operated an inclined tread-wheel carding machine. A man liy ihe name of Pardon ran a linseed oil mill, am! about this time James Dunn erected a steam saw mill. Wash Shejiherd and - Iluit had a saddle manufactory. John II. White was also a saddler. Marly and Cole were hatters and made all kindsjof hats. I'.oono Fly and S. C. Major operated a furniture manufactory.

The town was incorporated by the county court in November, 1S2G, with Samuel T. Crews, Elijah Whitton. Lawrence J. Daly, Joseph Gilljand Robert Wilson as trustees. It was reincorporated in May, 1830, with James T. Shirley, Alfred W. ]\Iorrison, John A. Maldcrman, Elijah Wliitton and Joseph Gill as tiustces. W. R. Snclsnn was the first mayor, elected in 1855. The couucilmen were : -

Pkksent City Officials

About the year 1838, the " Branch of tlie Bank of the State of Missouri nt Fayette," was established with Dr. J. J. Lowry as jiresident and C. F. Jackson, cashier. It was operated until 1864, when it was di.=eontiuued. During that year the bank was broken into b}' the scouts and camp followers of the southern army. The bank, howevei', did not lose anything l.)_v the robbery, but Ploward county suti'ered a loss of $28,000, the county having on deposit at that bank that much money.

The second banking institution iu Fayette was the private bank of A. llendrix & Co., established September, 1865. The company was composed of A. llendrix and Thomas J. Payne.

March 1, 1 871, the Fayette bank was organi.zed with K. T. Prewitt as president, and Thomas J. Payne as cashier. July 1. L^78. the Fayette bank was purchased by Thomas J. Payne and R. P. AVilliams, who now operate it as Payne & Williams. Thomas J. Payne was elected prcsidw4il of Fayette bank in Septemlier, 1873, and 1\. P.Williams, cashier.

The two latter banks (A. F. Davis, and Payne & Williams) are the only banks that are now doing business in Fayette. Each of these are supplied with safes and time locks, and such other convenience.-^ and improvements as are possessed by similar institutions of modern times.

Court-Houses

There have been but two court-houses in Howard county. A temporary wooden structure was provided iu 1817, at Old Franklin. upon the location of the count}' seat at tliat place, but no building was erected and designed especially for a court-house, until 1824, when one was built at Fayette, soon after the town became the seat of justice. At thivt period, the first brick ciiurt-house was completed by

It is a two storv l)rick with ni;nn huiklina; and wings. It has a neat and attractive appearance, and is a liuilding of considerable magnitude, containing beside the court-room and jary-rooins, eight otfices, witli floors nuule of tile. The upper portion of the building, which projects ia front and forms a portico, is supported In- four large and lofty columns, which resemble in appearance light gray limestone. The rooting is tin, and is flanked on the sides and ends, with a balustrade, made of brick, the whole surmounted with a handsome and graceful cupola, upon the summit of which, is stationed a weather vane and brazen eagle.

Public Square

The town of Fayette was laid out with reference more e-pecially to the smoothness of the surface of the land, than with reference to the cardinal points of the compass. The public square was thus laid out, and the streets had to be adjusted accordingly. The consequence is, the streets do not run east and west or due north and south. The stranger visiting Fayette, would never know without being tohl, that what he would suppose to be the nortlieast corner of the pulilic square, is not in fact the northeast corner, but the corner of the square pointing due north. So diliicult has been this question of a correct solution at all times, even to those who reside in tlie town, that the county court, some years ago, had the initial letters representing the points of the compass placed upon the cupola of the court-house, so that the mystery could Ite solved at a mere glance. Although the surveyor did not lay olf the town according to the points of the compass, he succeeded most admirably in selecting a most elegant site for the pul)lie square. It enslu-aces about one acre of ground, which is enckised with a neat and substantial iron fence. It is covered with a luxuriant growth of blue grass, and is interspersed with shade trees, which add much to the beauty of the place. A broad Itrick pavement surrounds the square, just outside of which stands a row of soft maples, which aflbrd an abundant shade.

Fact.S And Incidents

" The memory of Boone, Cooper and Hancock - while the tall forest stands around us, here and there interspersed with the improvements of the pioneer, these names cannot be foi'gotten upon tlie waters of the great Missouri."

In the fall of 1843, Claiborne F. Jackson, Leiand Wright, Joiui Jackson, J. J. Lowry, X. G. Elliott, Robert Lynch and others, extended a written invitation to Colonel Thomas II. Benton, to come to Fa3'ette and partake of a public dinner in his honor.

On July 11, 1852, the people of Howard county assembled at the College chapel at Fayette, to pay appropriate honors, upon receivingnews of the death of Henry Clay. Addresses were delivered by Robert T. Prewitt, General John B. Clark and Major C. F. Jack-on.

A subsequent meeting of a similar character wa-^ held at the same phrce, wlien a large numljer of dele^'ates from Howard county were appointed to atton<l the Pro-slavery convention which met at Lexingtou, Missouri, July 12, 1855.

Cliolera inafle its appearance in Fayette the first time, in 1S32 or lb3o. Tiiero >v,is one case in 1849. Dv. C K. Scott, of Fayette, made a visit to liij native State, Viricinia, during tluit year, and took the disease while returning home; he died after his return. The ."holera again made its appearance in August, 1855. Among those wlio died in the town were ^Irs. Catherine ^Nlarley and John A. Johnson. Harrison and Cievchmd Stapleton died in the country. It made its appearance again, in it^ most virulent form, in 1873, there being fifty-three deaths out of fil'ty-six cases. A physician who passed through it and witnessed its etlects in all its various phases during that year, gives the following account of the same : -

Choleka At Fayette Ix 1873

Thi-- epidemic was brought to <>ur town July 19, 1873, by a Swede, who had beeri a laborer on the railroad, which was then Ijeing constructed through the town. I'^rom the best information, he had been drhiking several days when he came to Fayette, arriving here on the night of the 18th, from Boonville. I was called to see him early on the morning of ihe 19th, and found Jjim in a collapsed state, called a consultation and did all we could, but the patient never rallied, dying in five or six hours. This man died in a Ijoardingliouse, constructed from the lumber of an old livery stable, built on the same ground, eousequenlly the surroundings seemed to be quite favorable to an outbreak of the disease. There were, perhajis, fifty men boarding at this house. It was only a few days when two more of the railroad men (laborers) were attacked in the same manner and died in twenty-four hours or less time. This produced a great excitement among the citizens, which amounted almost to a panic In a few days thereafter. The colored people had a picnic near the town, and the next day the medical authorities positively announced that five negroes had died with the dreaded disease, and that several others of that race had the symptoms of cholera. The citizens organized a sanitary committee under the au-pice^ of the medical faculty, and used their be^t elforts to abate the ravages of the oriental plague in Fav'ette. Nurses for the sick and dyiuir were provided, and otliers were appointtal whose duty it was to see the dead decently interred. About three-fourths of the population of the town fled, and remained away until they supposed the disease had run its course, when they would retiini, -iNaitiii^ just K'ii<;- cnougli fm- auotlier (Mit'n'fak wlicii tliey would Again flee. The disease continued to attack and kill our pcoi/le until the 9th of Septeniuor, when tlie last ca-e oecurred in the eoniniunity. As soon as the news had been heralded abroad that all danger was past, the absent citizens returned. Fifty-! hree person? had been carried ofi' by the disease, and among this nniufier were some of the best citizens of the town. As far as known, there had lieen fifty-six cases of cholera, but t/n-ev recovering, showing the miiliiinant character of the disease. There were, however, many cases oi cholerine, \vhich ^\-ould have turned into genuine cholera had it not lieen for the physicians and kind nursing.

The cause of the epidemic seems to be still veiled in mysterv. There were, ;it the time, (juile a number of laboring men gathered in camps and boarding-shanties, engaged in building railroads, in ami near the town, an<l also nniii}' negi'oes crowded togetlier in every availalile house in the city; these facts, coupled with the further fact, that the town \\as poorly bupplied witjj p!i\y-vaults, and those in use were neglected and nncletmly - I tliink fLirnished at least some of the ctiuses for the pestilence ]irijvailing here, after its germ had been imported. The town at that time was almost wholly supplied -irith water from iceU-'^, and this drinking M'ater question is known to Ive an important factor in the spread of this plague. Ours is a limestone district, but it is now thought that the geological structure of tin. soil has but little influence upon the di-^ease, and it is admitted tha.t it is the physicid rather than the mineralogical structure that produces cholera.

Another cause for its pro[iagation here may have been found in the number of staauant poids of water in the vicinity, caused by thi; railroad dumjis at many points along the line of the road. The disease here was verv unmanageable, as tlie cases advanced very rapidly info the collapsed condition. Calomel, given in small doses, seemed to be the most efficient remedy. Witli my experience w-ith cholera, I would advise immediate flight, as the ))cst plan of getting rid of so formidable an advei-sary, upon the part of the citizens of any community, whenever the disease appears.

A Mkteokic I'Heno.Menon'

Between, three and four o'clock on Wednesday morning, November 13, 1833, there occurred in Fayette, and in every t(l^vn and county tluoughout the United Slates, a meteoric phonfuiienon, the si)!eudor of which never passed from the memory of those who witnessed it.

It has since lieeii kmiwn aiul rcmeniljcred, as " the l':illing of the stars." In the {iniianient aliove, and all around the liorizon, were bcheli] iiniuiner;djle lialls of lire of a Nvhilish, pallid color, ru^hi.ng down and acrcibs the skv, di'a.wiiig after them huip; liuninons trains, v.diich clothei.i the whole he;'veiis in a\''ful majesty', and gave to the air and earth ;'. pale and death-like aiipeiratice. An inconceivable number of meteors shot athwart and downwards from the heavens, as though the v.hole framework of tlie blu<! ;ind cloudless arch above had been shaken. These luminous bodies had the appearance of flying thi'ough the air with great rapidity, occasioning the greatest among the beholders, mingled with fear and consternation. Some described them as the slovr and sparse descent of large flakes of snow, and tliat each flake, l>ecoming ignited in its passage, fused like a bombshell before bursting, leaving a long, lurid light in its wake, and that tens of thousands of these, continued to descend and scatter, each becoming extinct before reaching the earth.

Secret Societies

Lafayette Lodge, No. 47, A. F. and A. M., organized Octoficr 17, 1842."^ Charter'^mcmbers - Priestly H. McBridc^G. M. ; Samuel T. Crews, David Kuiikle, 'Wm. G. Kerley.

Temple eommandery, No. 2S, orgauized ]March 15, 188"2, with S. B. Cunningham, A. F. Davis, Jno. B. Clark, Jo. W. Finks, Jno. S. Elliott, K.P. Williams, J. T. Smitli, W. A. Mathews, Jas. B. Brooks, W. A. Dudgeon and J. C. Ferguson.

A. O. U. AV. eliarter mcuibors of Cincinnatus Lodge, Xo. 143, A. O. U. W. - John A. MeKinney, H. A. Xorris, C. E.l'.urekhartt, Joel W. Morri-. C. J. AVahl-Mi, John Dinkle, John C. Ilerndon, L. S. Prosser, James AVaters, N. B. Cooper, Thomas Ward, AV. C. Arline, A. F. AVillis, AV. B. Anderson, S. C. .AJajor, A. J. Furr, J. F. A<:c^, O. G. Willis, Thomas B. Brooks, John B. Diekerson and James' P. Morrison.

Central and Howard colleges, gradually grew out of an efiVirt hi IS-iO and I8I0 (according to the stalenient of I'ev. Carr AV. Pritchett ), to e.-talilish. at I'^ayctte the state univcrslt}'.

The question of the location of the university avi"akened tlie liveliest intere.-rt, in sevci'ul counties of liie state - uotubly in Eoone, Callawaj- and Ho^vard. Ivacli of these, including Cooper and Cole, made their bids in land and money. Boone county bid $117,900; Callaway, S'.lG.OOO ; Howard, $94,000; Coo^ier, $40,000; Cole, $30,000. Failing in their etl'orts to secure the location of tlie slate university, at Fayette, the people determined to l)uild up a school in their own niid<t, that would be an honor to them-elves anil to the state. A building was erected wliicli was otfeVed to the state during the contest, for the h.ication of the university. This was burned ili^wn soon afterwards, but rebuilt previous to 1844. For a time, a school wa- coutlucte'd in it, by Mr. Patterson, afterward.^ president of Masonic college. In 1844, it was sold for debt, and Nvas |)urchased by Capt. AVilliam D. Finney, and by him transferred, under most generous conditions, to the ^Methodist Episcoj)al church, lor school purposes. In the fall of 1844, Howard high school, the mother of both Cential and Howard colleges, was organized by AA'lUi^.ni T. Lucky. He began with only seven pupils. In a year or two, Pre-itlenl Lucky, was joined by his brother-in-law, liev Natlian Scarritt. The school attained a remarkable prosperity. In lS47-4y, Prof. "William T. Davis became assocliited with President Lucky, and the linancial affairs were conducted under the style of Lucky c^- r)a\-is. In 1851, President Lucky tennjoraril}' retired, and Ivev. Carr "W. Pritchett and Prof. Davis were associated in its nianageniont under the style of Pritchett & Davis. In 1852, President Lucky resumed his })Uice, and the management was under the style of Luckv & Pritchett. At this [ierir)d, the school was very i)rosperou<, having an auuual enrollment of about 350 pupils. January 26, 1854, the large building of Howard high school was destroyed by tire. It btood on the [iresent site of Central college. This ealamit\' caused great iueonveuieuce and loss, but the large school was continued in the churches and other buihlings, until [)ro\idcd for, by the erection of the north addition to the building of Howard coUcLie. The main part of this building was erected in 185:?, for a l)oarding hou.~e for tlie young ladies of IIowiuxl high -scliool. In tlic s[>riiig o! l65o, the separation of the male and female depavtiiieuts touh iilace. 1 lie luaio department was under the control uf Prof. C. ^'\ \ Prilclietl, and tlie female dep:utinent was conducted \>y ^V. T. Luciiy. The male department in 1857, became the provisional organization uf Central college, and the female department, became Howard college.

Central Collkge

At an educational convention held in St. Louis, in 1853, it was determined to establish an institution of learning of high grade, to be located at some central point, easily accessible from everj' point of the state. The name accordingly given it was " The Central College." It was, moreover, to be cen.tral to a number of high schools located in ditferent parts of the state, and which were designed to be "feeders" to the college. A preparatory department was also established in connection with the college.

The college began oiierations with Eev. Nsithan Scarritt, A. M., president pro ie;ii., in 1857. He resigned during the year and the entire control passed into the hands of Prof. Pritchett. The second president was Rev. A. A. Morrison, A. ^NL, who also resifrncd in 1860, when the entire organization devolved upon Prof. Pritcb.ett. Piitchett was succeeded by Kev. W. H. Anderson, A. M.., in the fall of ISL'O. There was a large number of students and inci-easiiig prosperity until the war cloud burst in ISGl, when, shortly after the graduation of tlie lirst senior class, it was deemed best to suspend the regular college exercises. A collegiate course was taught, hovvever. in the college building by Kev. Dr. Anderson and Rev. C. W. Pritchett, for a couple or more of years during the war. The threatening difhcullics led to a suspension of all exercises at length, and the college building was occupied by the military. At the conclusion of the war the citizena of Fayette generously put the building in a state of repair, and an excellent classical scminarv was opened under the control of Rev. H. A. Bourland. Prof. F. X. Forster succeeded him in the management of it. Its success led to hopes of reviving the college proper. An educational convention was accordingly called in June, lS(iS, attended by the leading men of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in Missouri. Bishop Marvin presided, and Dr. \Vm. A. Smith, ex-Gov. Polk, and many other eminent men, took an active part in its iiroceedings.

the college wiieiiever a subscrijjtion of $100,000 for un endo\\"ment I'und should have been secured. Dr. "Wui. A. ^mith was Ihen elected president of the college, and addressed himself vigorously to the uork of securing the necessary endowment. Much enthusiasm prevailed, and tv/o gentlemen in the convcidion gave $5,000 eacli. These were the iale Adam Ilendrix, Esq., of Fayette, and the hiie Hon. Truiton Polk, of St. Louis. Over $40,000 of the amoun.t was sul^serihed by li'ading Methodists in St. Louis. Macon, ^Mexico, Chiliicothe, St. Joseph, and otner places responded liberally, and many began to hope lliat the necessary amount could be raised in a single year, when the broken health of Dr. Smith compelled him lo desist from his h'lbors. He accordingly sought lest for a few months in Virginia, where he had long labored as the honored president of Eandolph-^Iacon college. He liugered only a short time, when he died, lamented by thousands in every part of the laud. Kev. W. 'M. Kush, D.D., succeeded in the agency of the college, and, by the fall of L'>70, the ijoard of cnri'tors were aljlu to report the necessary subscrii'ition of $100,000 endowment. Dr. Iiush continued in the tield as agent, to collect the endowment, while Kev. John C. Will^, D.D., of the Southern university, in Alaljauia, was elected president of the college. About half of the original endowment was collected and funded. Fully $25,000 of the remainder was in St. Louis real estate, which, with the other subscriptions, were so seriously atl'ected by the financial crisis of 187o, that they greatly depreciated in vrdue. The real estate promises to recover its value, Imt several large sub- .scriptions were lost by reason of the panic. The board of curators still hope to realize from the uncollected endowment notes.

^^ hiie tlu' college has not been linanciallv a .>uccess, it has made a record for thorough scholarship antl excellent discipline that is an honor to the whole state. Dr. Wills proved himself an admirable educator. He was aided in the faculty I)}- such meu as Pi'ofs. Forster. JNiiller, Corprew, and Mumpower, beside? competent instructors in the preparatory department. The "school system" so long in vogue in the Lniversity of Virginia was adopted in place of the few vears" curriculum of many of our American colleges. The faenlty believed that under this system, more and better work would l)e done, and tlu-v seem well satisfied with the results. There has been an average attendance of about 130 students for several years past.

Dr. Wills, whose health began to fail in the winter of 1877, died in February, 1878. Despite his lamented derdh, the discipline which ho had established in the college w;is so perfect that during the rest of the year, undertime iiianagenient of Prof. Forste)-. there wa-^ not the slightest disorder. The boanl of curators at their meeting in St. Louis, April 26, 1878, considered a proposition from the lioard of trustees of Pritchett institute of Ghasgow, which looked toward the removal of the classical department of the college to Glasgow, on which condition the endowment of the institute was to go to Central college, and the two institutions were henceforth to be consolidated under the name of Central college. The further condition was that co-educatio!i should be introduced into all the departments of tlie college.

The board, on advice of legal counsel, saw that such a removal would cost them part, if not most, of the endowment of the college, and determined not to accept the offer. The people of Fayette and vicinit}' in the meantime raised a subscription of $10,000 on condition that the college should not be removed, which subscription was accc})ted by the board of curators.

An election for president of the college was held in 1878, v.-lien Rev. Eugene R. Hendrix, A. M., was unanimously chosen. He was formerly a student at Central college, but graduated at Wesleyan university, Middletown, Conn., where he went to pursue his studies during the war. He was also elected " Marvin professor of Biblical literature." In the beautiful catalogue which was issued in 1878, we have seen an outline of the work of this new department which was then added to the college. There are young ministers from the Piaptist and Cumberland Presbyterian churches as well as from the Methodist Episcopal church south, who are students, and doubtless this class will be largely increased.

'In the spring of 1878, v.-hcn the present administration liegan. the productive endowment of Central college was $45, 000, and the attendance of students as already stated, about 130. There v.-as, moreover, a debt of some $12,000, including $1,700 yet due on the contract, for the erection of the college building some twenty years before. The outlook was not encouraging but to those who had faith in the final success of the college. This faith was shared alike by the board of curators and the facull}'. Three years later the patronage had increased to over 180 students, the debt had been entirely paid and the -productive endowment had grown to over $60,000. In tlu' meantime "'Will's hall," a boarding-house for young men of limited means, and a commodious gymnasium had been erected. To accomplish these ends members of the board and others contrii)uted ~ums

In Xovemljcr, 18S1, Mr. Eobcrt A. Barnes, of St. Louis, had previous!}- made large donntions, to the college library, gave $?.T.0U0 to endow the " Kobert A. Barnes " chair of Greek and Latin. In November, 18^2, he gave $20,000, in honor of his umther, to endow the "Mary Evans Barnes" chair of English and modern languages. These timely gifts, with others, in-omi)ted the board to enlar::e the college campus by the purchase of some four additional acres, and to take immediate steps for the erection of a new college chapel to cost some $20,000.