Lafayette County, Missouri - The whole text, 1881 (part 8 of 19)

The new steam flouring mill recently erected in this place, by Messrs. "Waddell and Hudson, we understand, will commence operation about the first of July. The mill contains four run of French burs.

May 21, 1844. - The steamer Western Belle will take the Lafayette county delegation to St. Louis and back, and board while in St. Louis, for six dollars each, the boat to furnish a good band of music and a gun.

The army worm is now doing much damage to the growing crops and gardens in this vicinity. They are very severe on the gardens in this place. The only remedy for them is a change of weather; dry weather and a warm sun will destroy them. Much hemp will have to be resown and corn replanted.

yum 4, 1844. - We are pleased to say that several new buildings are now under way in this place. We hope the improvements will advance sufficiently to supply the demand for houses.

James Shy's gr. c. Billy Tonson, four years old, by Mons. Tonson, beating Wendover, by Medoc, Magdalen, by Medoc, Isola, by Bertrand, and distancing three others. Time, 3:58, 3:53£

Fourth Day - Two mile heats; sweepstakes, $50 entrance; silver pitcher, valued at $50, added. Won by J. R. Smith's ch. c. Gold Eagle, beating Edward Eagle, by Grey Eagle, and distancing two others. Time, 3:58, 3:50.

June ii, 184.4.. - [This paper contains an account of a grand rally of all the Clay clubs in the state at St. Louis, on June 4, 1844. It was the grandest thing of the kind that had ever been held in the state up to that time. Twenty-one organizations with banners took part in the procession. The St. Louis Republican has this to say of the Lafayette county club's banner: " This banner is deserving of more than a passing notice. It was worked by the fair ladies of Lexington, and by them presented to the club, who bore it in the procession. The whole banner was got up with a taste characteristic of their ladies, and their handiwork in this, as in «very similar case, bore off the palm. The Lexington Banner was unanimously pronounced the most beautiful in the procession."

Events And Incidents By Years

Wetmore's Gazetted- of Missouri was published in 1837, (printed by Harper & Brothers, N. Y.,) and it contains some items of historic interest for Lafayette county which we quote. /

"Five saw mills and five gristmills are driven by water power, in the county of Lafayette." The region about Dover village was called Tare Bean (beautiful land) grove; in this grove was a grist mill driven by the water from a large spring, but owner's name is not given. At Lexington there was a United States land office, and the author further says:

Lexington is one of the towns from which outfits are made in merchandise, mules, oxen, and wagons for the Santa Fe or New Mexico trade. The fur traders who pass to the mountain by land make this town a place of rendezvous, and frequently are going out and coming in with their wagons and packed mules, at the same period of going and coming that is chosen by the Mexican traders. Lexington is therefore, occasionally, a thoroughfare of traders of great enterprise, and caravans of infinite value. The dress and arms of the traders, trappers, and hunters of these caravans, and caparison of the horses and mules they ride, present as great diversity as the general resurrection itself of all nations and ages can promise for the speculations of the curious.

Lexington is given as 319 miles bv river from St. Louis. Fine's Landing (in Lafavette county,) is put at 15 miles below Lexington. There were at this time only three postoffices in the county:

In May, 1846, a company was formed at Lexington to join Col. Doniphan's regiment, and was mustered as company B. The following were the men from Lafayette county, and their present locations are as follows: \

Thomas Hinkel, unknown; H. J. Mallory, lives in Dover township; G. W. Vivion, lives in Davis township, at Higginsville; Baxter D. Kavanagh, lives in ray county; Isaac Braden, lives in Clay township; George King, deceased; John Boykakin, wounded at the battle of Bracito; John Ridge, deceased; Wm. Osborn, deceased; B. W. Coffee, deceased; Jacob Ridge, deceased; Wm. Cromwell, lives at Fort Worth, Texas; Upton Winsor, deceased; Jere Bear, lives in Kansas City; John Musick, deceased; W. B. Tyrce, deceased; H. M. Bledsoe, lives in Cass county, was commander of "Bledsoe's Battery," so famous in the-late war; Wm. Nelson, lives in Carroll county; Joseph Chinn, jailor at Lexington; Buck Chinn, deceased; Alex. Green, resides in Saline county; Daniel Horn, deceased; Thomas Hughes, deceased; John McDougal,now resides in Dover township; Wm. Hale, lives at Lexington ; Wm. Chancellor, lives at Lexington.

Col. Doniphan's command consisted of 1,000 mounted men; they marched over land from Fort Leavenworth, by the way of Sante Fe, to the city of Mexico. They took with them quite a number of cattle and sheep. The Indians kept up a continuous raid upon them to get possession ol their stock, and at one time stole away 1,000 sheep; they pursued the Indians for three days, but failed to recover the mutton. They were at the battles of Bracito and Sacramento, and numerous skirmishes on the march. At the battle of Sacramento a Major Campbell of Lafayette county was with them, though not belonging to any command. He appears to have been in Mexico on some trading enterprise. Col. Doniphan's regiment received very high praise from Gen. Taylor, and also from Gen. Wool for its gallant action and brilliant success at Sacramento, part of which of course belonged to our Lafayette men. [See article headed "Lafayette men's first battle," 1861, for an account of a famous cannon captured at Sacramento by Col. Doniphan.] There was a com- pany of ninety men from Saline county. When the regiment's time (one year) was out, a detail was made of three men from each company, 30 in all, to bring back their horses, numbering about 700, over land from Camargo to Missouri, while the rest took steamboat at New Orleans, where they were mustered out, and came up the river. The Lafayette men who came over land with the horses, were Vivion, Braden and Kavanaugh.

James Aull of Lexington went out with Col. Doniphan's regiment, not in the capacity of sutler, as has been believed by many, but merely as a private trader. While the troops were at Chihuahua (pronounced shewah-waJi) he opened a store; and when the}^ moved on to join Gen. Taylor the Lexington men advised Mr. Aull not to stay back there alone, for the Mexicans would kill him; but he decided to take the risk, and did stay, and in a short time the Mexicans did kill him. This was in the spring of 1847.

February 3, 1847, John F. Ryland, Street Hale, Wm. T. Wood, Henderson Young, Wm. Early and James Crump were appointed commissioners to propose a plan for a new court house to be erected in the city of Lexington.

February 2, 1847, John Payne was appointed overseer for a road in Freedom and Davis townships, commencing at Christopher Mulky's sign board, and running by Nathan Corder's saw mill, and intersecting the salt works road at the northwest corner of Wm. C. Barns' farm. This shows the rude style of waymarks and boundaries at that time.

The following item will have a historic interest to the younger class now, and to future citizens of the county: January 4, 1847, the county court makes this record: " Now at this day comes Harriet, a free mulatto woman, wife of Henry Dorsey, a free mulatto man, and makes application to the court here for a license to reside within this state; and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court here, that said Harriet is of the class of persons who may obtain such license. It is therefore ordered that a license be issued authorizing the said Harriet, (aged about 32 years, five feet and one inch high, with a scar in the palm of the left hand,) and also the two children of the said Harriet and said Henry Dorsey, to-wit: Charlotte Ann, aged about 13 years, and Ellen Chester, 4 years old, to reside within this state as long as she, the said Harriet shall be of good behavior, and no longer. "

The river was high, a good deal of ice floating, and the steamboat " Saluda," with a heavy load of freight and crowded with Mormon emigrant passengers, had tried in vain for two or three days to stem the cur- rent and get away from Lexington. On Friday, April 9th, the captain determined to make another desperate effort to go on up the river, and ordered an extra pressure of steam to be carried. About 9 o'clock the signal was given to start, and at the second revolution of the wheel both boilers burst at once, blowing the boat all to slivers forward of the wheelhouse, so that she sunk immediately. The captain and clerk were blown half way up the bluff, and two pilots as far the other way out into the river and instantly killed. The boat's iron safe, weighing about six hundred pounds, with a dog chained to it, was thrown clear over the levee warehouse and part way up the bluff. Eighty-three persons were buried at Lexington from this wreck, and it was never known how many more bodies were lost in the river.

This' was the historic year of the Kansas troubles, which form a marked period in Lafayette county history. In August of this year, a handbill, headed " War in Kansas," and calling a meeting of citizens of Lafayette county at Lexington, August 20, 1856, was widely circulated. It contained about one and a half coumns of ordinary newspaper matter, reciting many bad things the abolitionists were reported to have done in Kansas; and then made a strong appeal for volunteers, from which we quote:

Now, men of Lafayette, what will you do? Will you stand still and see the enemy approach, step by step, until he stands upon your door-sill and finds you unarmed, or will you go out to meet him, and drive him from your soil. We have stood still long enough. The time has come when we must do something to protect our firesides. * *. We must have men to go to the territorv immediately, or all will be lost. The intention of the abolitionist is to drive us from the territory and carry the next election and get possession of the reins of government. This we must not submit to. If we do, Kansas is lost to the south forever, and our slaves in upper Missouri will be useless to us, and our homes must be given up to the abolition enemy. Come, then, to the rescue! Up, men of Lafyette! Meet at Lexington on Wednesday, at 12 o'clock, August 20. Bring your horses with you, your guns and your clothing - all ready to go on to Kansas. * *. We want two hundred to three hundred men from this county. Jackson, Johnson, Platte, Clay, Ray, Saline, Carroll, and other counties are now acting in this matter. All of them will send up a company of men, and there will be a concert of action. New Santa Fe, in Jackson county, will be the place of rendezvous for the whole crowd, and our motto this time will be 'no quarter;' etc., etc.

This was signed by twelve well known citizens. The meeting was held, and a company sent. This is a historic incident which shows the feeling and action of Lafayette county at that time; a copy of the original handbill referred to being before us. Persons wishing to investigate the subject further, in its political relations and aspects, will find the proslavery or southern view, in Pollard's " Lost Cause" chapter IV; the anti-slavery or northern view, in Greeley's " American Conflict" Vol. 1, chapter XVII; the Missouri statesman's view, in Col. Benton's " Thirty years in the United States Senate" Vol. II.

It would take a volume by itself to give all the official orders, proclamations, and other public documents affecting Lafayette county, during the war time. But a few pertinent extracts will serve to show some important features of the situation. On June 23, 1862, Gen. Schofield issued his general order No. 3, from which we quote:

II. The sum of $5,000 for every soldier or union citizen killed; from $1,000 to $5,000 for every one wounded; and the full value of all property destroyed or stolen, by guerrillas, will be assessed and collected from the rebels and rebel sympathizers residing in the vicinity of the place where the act is committed.

The order provided that the money collected in such cases should be paid to the legal heirs, or els^ the person suffering the injury or loss. Also, that division commanders should appoint a civil board in each county, to " consist of not less than three members, who will be selected from the most respectable and reliable citizens of the county, who will take an oath to discharge faithfully and impartially all the duties required of them by this order." Then each board must " proceed to enroll all the residents and property-holders of the county who have actively aided or encouraged the present rebellion." If an assessment was made, and not paid within the time allowed by the board, then property was to be seized and sold till the amount was realized. Another paragraph said:

In making an assessment of damages, the Board will be governed by the wealth of an individual, and his known activity in aiding the rebellion - particularly in countenancing and encouraging guerrillas, robbers, and plunderers of the loyal people. Each county Board will keep an accurate record of its proceedings, and will send a duly certified copy of each case to District Headquarters.

It was more than a month after Gen. Schofield had issued the above order before it was enforced in Lafayette county. This county was then embraced in the Central Division, under Gen. Totten, with headquarters at Jefferson City. And on Aug. 6th he issued ;' Special Orders No. 140," in which he said: "The following named gentlemen, citizens of Lafayette county, are appointed and hereby announced as the ' County Board ' for said county, to wit.: R. C. Vaughan, Wm. Spratt, Eldridge Burden, John F. Neill, John F. Eneberg." They were required immediately to " meet in Lexington and organize for business." And all officers and soldiers, whether of U. S. army or state militia, were " ordered to render said

At that time Col. Dan. Huston, Jr., was in command of Lexington post; and, on August Sth he issued his " General Orders No. 13," saying: " All persons in the county of Lafayette who have suffered any loss of property, or injury to person, since the date of said Orders, (Gen. Schofield's Order No. 3, above cited,) or may hereafter sustain injury or loss of property, are hereby notified to report the circumstances of their several cases to these headquarters, in order that assessments may be made to indemnify them."

The next day, August 9th, the county Board published a card, with their names signed to it, announcing their appointment as such Board, and that they intended " promptly and fearlessly to discharge their duty without favor or affection."

May 6, 1862, Capt. N. Cole, then commanding Lexington post, had issued a circular, composed of extracts from sundry general orders, to show the people what the military were authorized or required to do. From this document we quote a few points: " Treasonable language is to be punished, upon trial and sentence by a military commission, under the charge of ' encouraging rebellion against the government of the United States, while enjoying its protection.' Neither sex nor age (after the age of legal responsibility) will be overlooked. All must be taught to obey and respect the laws of the land, or submit to punishment for their disloyalty, whether it consist in word, act or deed." Any who had been in arms under Gen. Price but had returned to their homes, were required to " surrender themselves to the military authority, and give bonds for their future loyal conduct, or they will be arrested and tried as spies, being within the lines of our army, and in citizen's dress;" etc., etc. (These were from Orders issued by Gen. Halleck.)

June 18th, Col. Dan Huston, Jr., being in command at Lexington at this date, issued his General Orders No. 9, in which he notifies all who have been in arms against the U. S. government, to report themselves to the provost marshal and take the oath of loyalty and give bond for their future good conduct, or " they will be considered as spies," etc.

" III. All bushwhackers or guerrillas taken with arms in their hands or without arms, will be shot upon the spot where they are found. Commanding officers are strictly enjoined to enforce this order rigorously. (General \ Orders No. 18, by Gen. Schofield, May 29th.)

The bushwacker devilment had been carried on with impunitv, until it had become an absolute necessity for the government authorities to outlaw them, and the soldiers to hunt them down just as they would hunt ravenous wild beasts. And a knowledge of the above and similar official orders is necessary to an understanding of many things done by the state militia which are still matters of bitter remembrance in Lafayette county.

The military body known as "enrolled militia" was provided to secure an organized local police under the militia laws of the state, for prompt and ready action against the bushwhackers and guerrillas. General orders No. 19, issued July 22, 1862, said:

"An immediate organization of all the militia of Missouri is hereby ordered, for the fair-pose of exterminating the guerrillas that infest the state." Every man, subject to military duty, was required to report himself, bringing whatever arms he had, or could procure, and be enrolled. And it was ordered that "all arms and ammunition of whatsoever kind, and wherever founds not in the hands of the loyal militia, will be taken possession of by the latter, and used for the public defense. Those who have no arms, and cannot procure them in the above manner, will be supplied, as quickly as possible, by the ordnance department."

These extracts are sufficient to show the animus of the order, which was promulgated by Gen. Schofield, with the indosement and sanction of the governor, H. R. Gamble. In Lafayette county, probably not onethird of the population was, at that time, on the union side; and the working of the above orders, in such a community, can be readily imagined. It was grim-visaged war, glaring and scowling, at every man's door.

We, the undersigned citizens of Lafayette county, most respectfully ask your honorable court to appropriate a reasonable sum out of any money of the county treasury, not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of purchasing suitable clothing, blankets, etc., for the militia who have or may enroll themselves as militiamen, in Lafayette county, under the late order of Gov. Gamble:

August 25, 1862, the county court passed an order to issue $5,000 of county bonds at 10 per cent, interest, to " be expended in the purchase of blankets, clothing, tents, etc., for the militia companies raised and to be raised in the said county of Lafayette, for the purpose of putting down and suppressing the inhuman guerrilla warfare in our county and state." Jesse Schofield, one of the county judges, was appointed agent in this matter.

Contra

events in 1863. In April, 1863, Lieut. Col. King, with one hundred soldiers from Lexington Post, killed four bushwhackers, named Joe Fickel (brother of the l noted Miss Anna Fickel), Wagoner, and two Wingates, near the house . of Wm. Holmes; about fifteen miles southwest of the city on the road to " Chapel Hill. Others of the gang escaped. \ * Ryland was then judge of the circuit court.

Sept. 9, 1863, a man named Carlyle, one of Quantrell's band, who had been captured after the massacre at Lawrence, Kansas, was executed by. the military at Lexington, Col. B. F. Lazear commanding.

In 1863 Dr. J. F. Atkinson was post surgeon, and his report of Nov. 28 showed 40 sick aud wounded in hospital - then known as the " Anderson house," but now owned by Tilton Davis, Esq.

Sept. 14, 1863, an order was promulgated for a commutation tax on all who refused to serve in the "enrolled Missouri Militia;" and the order said: "The district commander shall cause all such persons to be arrested without delay, and require them to perform militia duty until said tax is fully discharged." Brig. Gen. R. C. Vaughan, of Lexington, was then commanding the fifth military district, E. M. M., which included Lafayette county, and M. Chapman was his adjutant.

The law under which this order was made was part of the act or ordinance to provide for the issuance and ultimate payment of the union defense bonds of Missouri; and many of our citizens had promptly paid the tax long before the above order in regard to delinquents was issued. The Lexington Union of June 6 says:

On Monday evening, February 22, a couple of Federal soldiers, going home on furlough, stopped for the night at Arthur G. Young's house, five miles out from Lexington, on the Sedalia road. About ten o'clock in the night, five bushwhackers came and captured these two men, tied their hands behind them, took them out into a field and shot them. One was a sick old man, name or residence not known, as the murderers took away all money and papers he had. They had shot him just over the left eye. The other man was Elzy Sanders, of Independence, Jackson county, who had enlisted in the 6th Kansas Volunteers, at Westport, Missouri, in May, 1863. The bodies were brought into Lexington and buried by the military.

We, M. L. Belt and David Pool, commanding- Confederate forces, demand an immediate surrender of the city, in the name of the Confederacy. If the surrender is made, citizens and their property will be respected and all soldiers paroled. If it is not made, we will burn the town, and kill all men that fire upon us. »

As Belt and Pool were not confederate soldiers in the regular way, but only bushwhackers, Lieut. Shumate, then in command of the post, made no official reply, but told the alarmed citizens to "let them come on, we're ready for them!" They had compelled Mr. Lewis Smallwood to bring in their note. Alarm bells were immediately rung and the Home Guards mustered promptly at the call. The bushwhackers came up Franklin as far as Oak street, but were met and driven back by a few men under command of Serg. Stone of Co. M. 1st M. S. M. One bushwhacker was shot through the shoulder and another had his horse killed. They robbed Mr. Kellerman's store in Old Town, and took Mr. Smallwood's horse from him, and made their escape.

August 10, 1864, the doctors of the county adopted a rule to increase their charges 50 per cent, for medicines and medical services, owing to the general increase of prices. It may be interesting to see who were our doctors at that time, and here is the list: Wm. T. Lamkin, M. M. Robinson, A. B. Hereford, D. K. Murphy, O. F. Renick, B. D. Ragland, W. H. Ruffin, J. Bull, J. F. Atkinson, W. P. Boulware, Geo. W. Love, J. B. Alexander, F. Cooley, G. W. Young, John Vaughn, T. S. Smith, S. P. Smith, M. Chapman, Thomas H. Bolton.

In 1864 Gen. W. S. Rosecrans passed through Lexington on his way to the Little Blue, and while here he appointed Dr. Boulware as surgeon, in charge of the Federal hospital, in the Anderson House, Dr. Atkinson being then on duty in St. Louis.

Two Women Conspirators

It will be remembered by our readers that some time in December last, Otho Hinton, a noted guerrilla and robber, was captured at Mrs. Neill's, twelve miles from this city, on the Sedalia road. Hinton was kept closely guarded with ball and chain attached, until last Monday night, when he was killed hy his guard. The facts are as follows:

Blount, the captain of the band of guerrillas to which Hinton belonged, entered into a conspiracy with Miss Anna Fickel, daughter of Helvy H. Fickel, near Greenton, Mrs. Ann Reid, of this city, and a soldier whom they believed they had bribed, to kill the guard and rescue the prisoner. The soldier was to have it so arranged that the prisoner, at precisely seven o'clock, on Monday evening, would be at Mrs. Reid s house, which is near the college, where the prisoners are kept, under the pretext of getting his supper; the soldier of course to be ignorant of what was going on. The time rolled round, and prompt to the moment, Hinton, under guard of Sergeant Kinkead, walked down to Mrs. Reid's, where everything was arranged as had been preconcerted, and as their supposed accomplice had stated it would be.

The signal to commence and plan of carrying out the conspiracy was as follows: At precisely seven o'clock Mrs. Reid was to step into another room, when Hinton was to gather up his ball and chain and propose to his guard to return to the guard house, and at the same time to advance to the door, open it, and step leisurely out and to one side, and as the guard came out he was to be met and killed by Blount, the guerrilla, and John Burns, a member of Company I, 5th Prov. Reg. E. M. M. They were to cut the guard's throat if possible, otherwise to shoot him, then remove Hinton's shackles, and take him away. Mrs. Reid, at the appointed time, stepped into the adjoining room. Hinton gathered his ball and chain and proposed to return, and advanced to the door, but no sooner had he placed his hand upon the latch than Sergeant Kinkead fired and killed him.

The soldier who disclosed the whole plan to Lieut. Kessinger, the commander of the post, was with the lieutenant and Captain Johnson, who, with a dozen men were laying in ambush one hundred yards from Mrs. Reid's house, waiting for the approach of the guerrillas. In a few minutes after Hinton was killed, Burns and Blount came walking up instead of being on horseback, as was expected they would, and the officers supposing them to be soldiers and ignorant of what was going on, halted them. Burns answered, " I am a friend." Lieut. Kessinger replied, "Advance friend and give the countersign." Burns advanced boldly; Blount kept his position while Burns approached. Billy Savins, the noble boy, whom they had attempted with women and money to bribe, recognized Burns (he had served in the same company with him), and at the top of his voice cried out, "Blount and Burns! shoot!" Burns was instantly killed, but Blount wheeled and ran. Volley after volley was fired at him, but without effect. He ran through gardens, over ravines and was pursued by Cavalry. He jumped Judge Tutt's high paling fence, and at this moment, young Asher, of company H, rode to him, but before he could fire, Blount turned and shot him dead, then ran through Judge Tutt's garden into the woods, and made good his escape. Mrs. Reid is seventy-eight years old, and Miss Fickel is not twenty. These women will be sent to Warrensburg where they will be tried by military commission.

The above occurred on Monday evening. The next Wednesday night, Mrs. Reid's house was burned down by a man named Dennis Gaughan, for which he was promptly arrested by Lieut. Kessenger, and delivered to the sheriff, Jacob A. Price for trial by the civil authorities.

Anna Fickel was sent to the state penetentiary by the military court; but on February 4, 1865, she was pardoned by President Lincoln. She was afterwards sent into the confederate lines.

Early in the war time a Union Aid Society was formed in Lexington by those men and women whose sympathies were on the federal side in the great conflict, and their services were in full demand to aid the sick and wounded federal soldiers, some of whom were constantly in the Lexington post hospital. (Those on the other side were equally faithful to their sick and wounded, but we found no account of any definite organization, though there doubtless was one.) Mrs. Dr. Boulware was president of the Union Ladies' Aid Society, and the following were members: Mesdames Dr. Alexander, J. M. Fleming, Adam Young, Dr. Chapman, S. Zeiler, S. G. Wentworth, S. Price, John Eneberg, Wm. H. Green, Finley, Bascomb, A. Comingo, Gen. Vaughan, J. Wallace, A. H. McFadden, Macey, B. Wilson, George Sedgwick, Schofield, Col. Morton, Ardinger; Misses Mattie Runyan, Whalan, Mary Boulware, Belle Wainwright, Clara Fall, Virginia Fleming, Sue Alexander, Mary Adamson, Mary Wernway, Bettie Haley, Rebecca McPheeters.

Rooms of the Mississippi Valley Sanitary fair,* St. Louis, Mo., April 2, 1864. Mrs. Dr. Boulware, President of Union Aid Society, Lexington, Missouri:

Dear Madam: - Your favor of the 29th ult., addressed to Samuel Copp, Jr., Esq., treasurer of the Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair, enclosing a donation of $350.00 from the Union Aid Society of Lexington, Missouri, is before me. It affords me the greatest pleasure to observe the truly loyal and patriotic sentiments of your letter. While it challenges the wonder of all good citizens of our great and free country, to see and realize that so many of our citizens - forgetting what is due to honor, patriotism, self-interest and self-respect, are found in arms against that country's peace, and conspiring for its overthrow, - our admiration rises in proportion for those, who, under the circumstances that surround you, boldly, unflinchingly and with fidelity to God and the country, stand up for the right. May heaven bless and prosper the good union people of Lexington, and especially the patriotic ladies. , events of 1865. In May, 18*65, Maj. B. K. Davis was in command of the post of Lexington, and on the 11th of the month he received the following sanguinary note:

Major Davis: Sir - This is to notify you that I will give you until Friday morning, 10 o'clock, A. m., May 12th, 1865, to surrender the town of Lexington. If you surrender, we will treat you and all taken as prisoners of war. If we have to take it by storm we will burn the town

The Lafayette Advertiser of May 24th, published a list of seventy-six ex-confederate soldiers, or claimed to be, although most of them were only bushwhackers, who had come in and surrendered themselves, taken the oath of loyalty to the state and United States government, and been dismissed.

During the same week ex-County Judges Schofield and Tetton, were arrested by negro militia and put in jail for abstracting the keys of the county clerk's vault. This was part of the contest as to the legality of the new county officers appointed by Governor Fletcher under the state convention ordinance, vacating all civil offices in the state. This affair is historic, as being the first time that negro militia were used in this county to enforce the civil law. The newly appointed county officers were: Thomas Adamson, sheriff; Wm. H. Bowen, county clerk; S. F. Currie, circuit clerk. The resisters were J. A. Price, sheriff; R. C. Vaughan, circuit clerk.

The same paper of July 6th mentions that "a number of the horses surrendered here recently by the bushwhackers were sold at the rate of $25 and $30 per head. One man bought nine at these rates."

In 1865 a company of cavalry was organized by Lieut. R. W. P. Mooney, to serve as a sort of local military police, for they appear to have been of this county only, and not connected with any state or national body of troops. On August 14, 1865, the county court ordered them to be paid - some $65 and some $45, according to the time in service, and county warrants were issued accordingly. The total amount thus paid by the county was $6,425. The following is a complete list of this company, as appears in the public records, book No. 10, pp. 94, 95:

In 1865, a Lexington Petroleum Company was formed, with capital fixed at $500,000, in shares of $100 each. Their works were on the McCausland farm, ten miles southeast from Lexington. The Lexington Weekly Union of July 8, 1865, says: "Drill now down over one hundred feet. Have reached a white sand rock thoroughly saturated with oil. Evidences of oil increasing daily," etc. But, nevertheless, they failed to find oil in paying quantity. Their drilling tools stuck fast for two months^ and were finally worked out by two well-boring experts, Knisly and Alexander, brought on from Kanawha, Virginia, in October, 1865. E. Winsor, Esq., of Lexington, was the business manager of the McCausland oil well enterprise. At the same time there was another boring going on in the same vicinity under the business management of a man by the name of Ralston, which didn't " pan out " an}- better than the other. (See chapter on geology for an account of this oilstone formation.) About the same time there was a great oil-boring excitement in Ray county, a $15,000 company bored one hundred feet deep, six or eight miles from Richmond, but with no better success than in Lafayette county.

In December, 1865, the county jail was burned down. There was $3,750 insurance on it, which was promptly paid. The jail was rebuilt by a Mr. Hackett, in 1866-67; in May of this latter year it was accepted for the county by the county court. That was the brown stone jail which is still in use.

1868. - In April of this year, there was a literary society in Lexington, of which Dr. James Temple was president; a Mr. Rucker vice-president, and W. Cloudsley, secretary. About the same time there was a lodge of Good Templars here, who had their hall in the Arcana buildings, on Broadway street. Fo further particulars obtained.

"grasshoppers." - 1874 - 75. These were the years of the great devastation in Nebraska, Kansas, and western Missouri by the Rocky Mountain locust (Caloptemus Spretus). The locusts came in thick flying clouds, mostly from a west or northwesterly direction, in the fall of 1874; they destroyed what they could find then that was green and juicy enough for them, and finally laid their eggs. Lafayette county did not suffer greatly this year, as compared with other counties further west and north. But when the little imps hatched out in the spring and commenced marching eastward, eating a clean swath as they went, then this county knew what it was to be "grasshoppered." A correspondent of the Chicago Times wrote from Lexington, May 18, 1875: "The grasshoppers are on the move east, eating everything green in their road. One farmer south of this city had fifteen acre? of corn eaten by them yesterday in three hours. They mowed it down close to the ground just as if a mowing machine had cut it. All the tobacco plants in the upper part of the county have been eaten by them.'

J. Belt of Napoleon wrote: "The loss to Lafayette county was fully two millions of dollars." James'E. Gladdish, of Aullville, wrote: "The damage done to the three-fourths of Lafayette county invaded, has been estimatee to be not far from $2,500,000." In Prof. Riley's eighth annual report as State entomologist, May, 1876, a table is given of estimated losses in twenty six different counties of Missouri which suffered from the lucust scourge and the sum total is a little over $15,000,000. We give the figures on Lafayette and adjoining counties: Jackson, $2,500,000; Ray, $75,- 000; Johnson, $1,000,000 Saline not named; Lafayette, $2,000,000. The largest loss in any county was Jackson. The locusts flew away in June, 1875, and none have been here since.

If such a visitation should occur again the experience of the past with these pests will be of incalculable value; and the printed records of it will be found in Prof. Riley's report above quoted, which was printed by the State as a part of the eleventh annual report of the State board of agriculture for the year 1875, printed at Jefferson City in 1876 Also the first report of the United States entomological commmission, printed at Washington City in 1878, and their second report printed in 1880. In these works will be found full accounts of the character and habits of the locusts, modes of destroying them, and laws in regard to them, and an immense amount of other information very useful in time of need. The researches and reports on this subject by Prof. C. V. Riley of Missouri are more valuable than of all the other scientists put together who have given it any attention.

Presidential Election Of 1860

There were many conflicting reports current in regard to events of this time, one of which was that sixteen men had voted for Lincoln and Hamlin at Lexington, but were never so credited. One old man said, "In 1860 they wouldn't let anybody vote for Lincoln, and in 1864 they wouldn't let 'em vote for anybody else." Our aim was to get down to bed-rock bottom facts, in all these matters of era-making, historic interest; so, with the kind assistance of Capt. Andrews, the deputy county clerk, we fished up from the heaps of old documents in the county's fire-proof vaults the original poll books of November, 1860; and from these we compiled the following table:

Whig. Democrat. Democrat. Republican

Lexington city had two polls, one at the court house, and one at the engine house, on Laurel street. The voting was then done viva voce, that is, each man had to say out loud who he voted for, and his name and choice were both recorded, instead of the present custom of printed tickets, which enables a man to vote for whom he pleases without anybody else knowing who he votes for, unless he chooses to tell them, or show his ticket. At the two polls for Lexington city we found the following result:

The names of the three sets of presidential electors, for Bell, Douglas, and Breckenridge, filled the heading of the poll books as prepared, and there was no place to check off votes for the Lincoln ticket, as none had been expected ; but this emergency was met by writing the names of the Lincoln and Hamlin electors lower down on a separate page in the back

*Mr. McGinnis was afterward a member of the state legislature from St. Louis two terms, then city attorney one term (two years). Was in the state senate four years (1872 to 1876); and is now the member from the 1st assembly district of St. Louis.

part of the poll book, as follows: John D. Stevenson, Arnold Krekel, Harrison B. Branch, Wm. Gilpin, J. F. St. James, John M. Richardson, Wm. Bishop, Charles Foley, James B. Gardenhire.

The above will astonish many old citizens, for it was generally believed that no such records were in existence; we had heard several say so, and an expert who had examined the same poll books assured us that there were no votes credited to Lincoln. He fully believed that he knew it for a fact. But there is nothing in the world so easy as to be mistaken.

At court house, for Bell - 43 - Charles White, James Curry, not found. For Douglas, 547 - H. Marquort, 5.44 - Jacob Lindenschmidt. At engine house, 281 - Michael Myers. For Breckenridge, 177 - Fred. R. Neet.

Mr. Marquort kept a grocery on Water street, down by the river, and it is said the Lincoln men used to meet there secretly by night to talk over matters; that there were over a hundred in the city who talked as if they would go to the polls together and vote for Lincoln; but they were mostly mechanics and laboring men, and owing to the strong feeling against their politics, most of them left the city before election day. In view of the conflicting reports which we met with here in Lexington about these matters, we wrote to Hon. J. C. McGinnis of St. Louis for his recollections. His reply in regard to the votes was substantially as we had already found them on the poll books. We extract from his letter a few passages of historic interest :

There were a good many who were at heart republicans in Lexington at that day, but the prejudice against republicanism, (chiefly growing out of the prevailing ignorance of the true objects and purposes of the party) was so great that only a few persons had the nerve, or the recklessness, to declare themselves such in a public manner. You ask whether those voting for Lincoln all went to the court house together? They did not. No one went with me, and I have the impression that the others dropped in along through the day just as it happened. I do not know whereabouts my name appears on the poll book, but I have always been under the impression that I was the first one of the lot to vote, from the fact that I had considerable trouble in getting the officers of election to receive my vote. I went to the poll (at the court house) about 9 o'clock, and had with me a ticket containing the names of the republican electors. I offered my ticket after giving my name, and the officer receiving it looked at it a moment and then said, 'you can't vote that ticket here,' at the same time handing the ticket back to others who sat at a table. They all examined it a moment and one of them said, 'We have no poll here for that ticket.' Well, although I had been at work there as a carpenter, I had studied law, and was fully posted as to my rights in the premises, and I said 'I demand that you open a poll then, for I want to vote that ticket; and though you may object to any one voting for Lincoln here, and though I know that the general result in the United States will not be affected by any vote in Missouri, still the local ticket may be changed by a single vote, and I will not vote, unless I can vote the whole ticket as I choose; and if you do not take my vote for Mr. Royle,* there may be a contest grow out of your refusal.' This was about what I said. The judges consulted together a few moments, and then told the officer who had taken the ticket to read it, and he did so, in what I thought was a needlessly loud voice; as he read, the clerks entered the vote, and when they had finished I hurried to go away; then I noticed that all the people in the neighborhood had crowded close up to where I was standing in front of the polling place, but when I started to walk away they opened a way for me to pass, and crowded back from me as though I had the leprosy or small pox. There was some muttering but no threats in the crowd, which numbered perhaps two hundred persons. I passed down the court house steps and walked across the street into the store of T. B. Wallace. I had not been there more than a minute or two, when I heard some one say, 'McGinnis I did not know you was a damned black abolitionist before.' I looked up and saw the speaker was a young fellow named Jim Furgeson, whose father lived some miles south of town. Furgeson cursed me a while and made noise enough to attract the attention of the people passing, and those over at the court house polls, and very soon the store became crowded with a very excited lot of men and boys. Some of the young fellows called out, 'Hang the God damned black republican nigger-thief.' This was repeated perhaps once or twice. My recollection is that young Furgeson left as soon as the crowd got pretty thick; there were so many of them that they filled the space between me and the door so that I could not pass out, and things began to look pretty squally. There was not much noise, but it did not take half an eye to see that the crowd was excited greatly. Just then some one took me by the arm and said, 'I want to see vou out side,' at the same time starting towards the door. Something more was said which I do not remember, but from which I got the idea that this person - who I think was Joe Shelby, intended to befriend me. He went out and along the side walk with me to the next corner south, and said, 'Now don't lose any time getting home.' I thanked him and took his advice. There was a newspaper in Lexington at that time called the Express, (I think,) at any rate it was the only considerable paper in the city besides the Expositor, and in its next issue, this Express contained a most bitter article denunciatory of the thirteen who had voted for Lincoln, calling them 'abolition negro-thieves,' and incendiaries, and calling on the people to drive us out, or use some of the good Lafayette county hemp on us. All ot the thirteen (except two, I think) yielded to the clamor that was raised, and left the place within a few weeks. I stayed until the following 2d of May, and Ferree remained considerably longer. I heard some threats of violence made towards me, but no violence was actually offered. I also received one or two anonymous notices to leave. I finally left upon the friendly warning of two of my secession friends (Major Bleuett and Dr. Bull) that they knew that personal violence would be done me unless I left. "

C. Royle,, whig, and John W. Bryant, Democrat, were candidates for circuit attorney. These were the only candidates at that time besides the presidential electors.

of holding elections," the record says, and the other at Brockhofl's store. At this latter place Bell and Everett had 33; Douglas and Johnson 32; . Breckenridge and Lane 22; Lincoln and Hamlin 11. Those who voted here for Lincoln at this time were - J. H. Ehlers, H. Koopman, Sr., H. Koopman,Jr., H. D. Stinkel, D. Frerking, W. H. Meinecke, Wm. Frerking, T. Dedeke, I. Eisenstein, H. Brinkoffer, Hy. Sharnhorst.

The name of T. T. Crittenden, the present Governor of the state (1881), appears as No. 48 on the engine house poll book, and he voted for Bell and Everett.

At the court house the name of H. M. Bledsoe appears as No. 199, voting for Breckenridge and Lane; and it appears again on the same poll book as No. 286, voting for Bell and Everett.

Five names appear on the books as not voting at all as to President, but some for John W. Bryant and some for Jonathan C. Royle for circuit attorney - the only other candidates to be voted on at that time.

Pat McGraw voted at one poll for Bell and Everett and at the other for Douglas and Johnson; but he was caught at it, and his vote was declared void.

Democrat. Republican Presidential Vote Of 1872

This was the year when Horace Greeley of New York and B. Gratz Brown of Missouri were the Democratic and Liberal Republican candidates, and Gen. Grant (2d term) and Henry Wilson the Radical Republi-

Vote On The Constitution Of 1865

The state convention, which was the real law-making power of the state from February 28, 1861, till 1865, had, on June 10, 1862, passed an ordinance, prescribing a test-oath of loyalty, which was required, thereafter, to be subscribed and sworn to by every adult man, before he should be permitted to vote. The main feature of this oath was in language thus:

That I will bear true faith, loyalty, and allegiance to the United States, and will not, directly or indirectly, give aid, or comfort, or countenance, to the enemies or opposers thereof, or of the provisional government of the state of Missouri, any ordinance, law, or resolution of any state convention or legislature, or of any order or organization, secret or otherwise, to the contrary notwithstanding; and that I do this with a full and honest determination, pledge, and purpose, faithfully to keep and perform the same, without any mental reservation or evasion whatever. And I do solmnly swear, that I have not, since the 17th- day of December, 1861, wilfully taken up arms, or levied war, against the United States, or against the provisional government of the state of Missouri, so help me God.

In November, 1864, the people voted on a proposition for a state constitutional convention, every voter being required to take the above oath ; and the proposition was reported to be carried bv 29,000 majority in the state. The convention met in St. Louis, in January and February, 1865; it framed a new constitution, and the people voted on it, June 6, 1865 - the above oath for voters being still in force - and the following official return for Lafayette county we copy, just as found in the records:

The above document is certified and signed by Thomas D. Wernway and John Kirkpatrick, county judges, and W. H. Bowen, county clerk, June 10, 1865.

The vote on this new constitution in the whole state, as recited in Gov. Fletcher's proclamation, was: For it, 43,670; against it, 41,808; majority for it, 1,862 - and it went into effect July 4, 1865. [For disabilities imposed, etc., see page 65 of this history.]

Hon. Charles D. Drake, of St. Louis, took a prominent part in framing this new constitution. Its disfranchising and other restricting features were, of course, strenuously opposed by all southern sympathizers, and also by many of the union men. It remained in force ten years, being constantly the basis of party politics, and of contests in the courts, and was finally wiped out forever, by the new constitution of 1875. It was stigmatized as the "Drake Constitution," the "Drakonian Code," etc., and its partisans were called the " Eternal Hate Party," the " Hate and Revenge Party," etc.

Vote Taken October 30

*Hon. Henry C. Wallace, of Lexington, represented Lafayette, Saline, and Pettis counties which then constituted the 17th state senatorial district, in the convention which framed this constitution .

Majority for the constitution, 1,481, in Lafayette county. The majority for it, in the state, was 76,688. This constitution went into effect November 30, 1875, and still continues.

July 21, 1845, Robert Aull, William H. Russell, and Robert M. Henderson were appointed commissioners to locate a county jail; but for some reason not recorded did not act. Afterward, Eldredge Burden, William Boyce, and Alex. McFadden appear as jail commissioners, and on October 6, 1846, it is recorded that $2,700 was paid to Gabriel F. Brown, contractor for jail building.

County Line Surveys County Clerk'S Office, Lexington, Missouri

COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE, LEXINGTON, MISSOURI, county, in regard to an official survey of the line between these two counties. The cost of this joint survey was $696.35, of which Lafayette county paid half. The report covers twenty-two pages (from pp. 131 to 152) of county record book No. 8.

Sept. 1, 1851, the county surveyor was ordered to re-survev and establish the boundary line between Lafayette and Saline counties. And on Oct. 10, 1854, appears a similar order with reference to Lafayette and Johnson counties again.

May 8, 1854, the sum of $4500 was appropriated to build offices for the clerks of circuit and county courts. Wm. Morrison was appointed to let the contract and oversee the construction. The building erected under this order was the offices and fire-proof vaults now occupied by the clerks above mentioned and the county treasurer and auditor.

Occasionally we find in legal proceedings a combination of language as ludicrous and laughable as the grotesque conceits of Mark Twain . Here is an instance under date of July 21, 1877: " The state of Missouri, to the sheriff of Lafayette county, greeting: You are hereby commended to summon Lafayette county, if she be found in your county, that she be and appear before the circuit court of Lafayette county," etc. It is presumed that the sheriff found "her" and brought "her" into court; and the ladies would like to know how "she" was dressed.

In Sniabar township - Bates City, on line between Sniabar and Clay townships (it absorbed Sny P. O.), Chapel Hill, Odessa, on line between Sniabar and Clay townships (it absorbed Mount Hope P. O.).

County Finances

The first assessor of Lillard county was Wm. Y. C. Ewing, appointed April 23, 1821 ; and the first tax collector was Markham Fristoe, appointed at the same time, his bondsmen being Isaac Clarke and Thomas Fristoe. Markham Fristoe was also, on April 24th, appointed constable of Sniabar township. Wm. Christie is mentioned at the same time as the " auditor of public accounts," he being the State officer to whom all county financial matters must be certified. July 23d Young Ewing is mentioned as county treasurer, but there is no record of how or when he first received the office. The same date, W. Y. C. Ewing is allowed $30 for services as assessor. The first mention of county funds occurs at this date. The county treasurer acknowledged in open court that he had received from Abraham McClelland the sum of $40, which was now subject to the order of the court.

This singular entry appears July 24th: " Ordered that the collector of this county collect thirty-seven per cent, on all species of property liable to taxation as stated in the assessor's book, and pay the same to the county treasurer, as the law directs," - meaning, of course, thirty-seven per cent of the levy, although it reads thirty-seven per cent, of the whole property. On November 5th the collector reports a delinqent list amounting to $8.97. Another entry on the same day shows that the total tax collection for 1822 was $168.17|.

If the list of names of taxpayers only included residents within the present territory of Lafayette county, we would give all the names and their assessed valuation of property ; but the county at that time embraced territory which has since been formed into seven other counties, and the taxpayers were widely scattered

In 1821 the State of Missouri levied a special tax on " unmarried white males above 21 and under 50 years." The first tax list of Lafayette county (then called Lillard) gives the following list of bachelors thus taxed: Aaron Bryant, Thomas Blakey, John Bastick, David Blevins, James Ball, Solomon Catron, Gabriel Chineth, Joseph Cox, Elijah Demasters, Isaac Dunaway, Moses Day, Alexander Dunbar, Robert Ewing, Green Hughes > Wm. Hall, Amos Horn, John Ingram, Zachariah Linville, Green McCafferty, Thomas McCafferty, Hugh McCafferty, Robert Renick, George Stevens, John Sallady, Isaiah Tribble, Elijah Tate, Henderson Wheeler,. Wm. Wallace, Wm. Young, Jr., James Young - total, 31. All these men were specially taxed for the "luxury " of living in the county without incurring the cares and responsibilities of the "head of a family," and this special tax for that year amounted in all to $38. This tax seems to have been abolished after the first year, for the term " unmarried " does not occur in the tax lists of subsequent years. But the " tax on bachelors"' was for many years thereafter a favorite joke among the ladies.

The above document is certified by Markham Fristre, assessor, and Young Ewing, county clerk. The county had not yet obtained an official seal, so Mr. Ewing "affixed his private seal," which consisted of a four-rayed star cut out of white paper, the rays measuring three inches diameter from point to point, and stuck on to the document with a red sealing wafer such as were in use at that time.

Financial Statement, 1881

State fund: - Balance on hand at settlement, December 2, 1879, $280.72. This amount was transferred to the state treasurer, and his receipt therefor placed on file.

General Statistics 1879-80

Of the Lexington and St. Louis R. R. bonds of the county, the amount compromised was $578,900; amount outstanding, $44,900; amount in litigation, $11,000; amount canceled and paid, $131,900. Of bonds for funding the county debt, amount compromised, $95,250; amount outstanding, $65,000; amount in litigation, $41,000; amount canceled and paid, $81,250. Of the compromise bonds there were still outstanding $611,900, and $19,200 had been canceled and paid. The Lexington and St Joe R. R. bonds had been declared unconstitutional by the U. S. supreme court; nevertheless they are still out in claimants' hands. All the other township bonds are outstanding, with accrued interest from date of issue.

There were in Lafayette county 28 dram shops (?) [that's all that were reported to the state Auditor], and for these the state licenses amounted to $1,295.76; the county licenses to $2,593.81. The column for wine and beer saloons is left blank, none reported; and only two drug stores in the county licensed to sell liquors. The state liquor license is $50 per year, and the county license $100.

The assessment returns of valuations gives number of acres, 491,645 ; valuation, $4,493,855; average value per acre, $11.47. Number of town lots, 6,575; valuation $988,500; average value, $150.34. Total value of real estate in the county, $5,4S2,355. Of live stock and other personal items, there were:

In 1880 only 69 counties paid anything for wolf scalps, and among these wras .Lafayette, $10. The highest amount paid was by Atchison county, $143; the lowest amount was by Pettis and Platte counties, only $1.50 each.

In 1858 and 1859, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company was pushing its line westward with a good deal of enterprise and vigor; and, as nearly all of our western lines have done, they were running it through those towns, cities and counties which offered the largest bonus. The people of Lexington and Lafayette county saw that they must " struggle for existence," if they were going to "survive as the fittest " in the on-coming railroad age. They met the issue boldly and struck out with a strong hand to hold their vantage ground. In 1859, the matter had got pretty well warmed up, and after harvest several public meetings were held to discuss and consider the situation. These culminated in the following proceedings of the county court, which are the first official record of any railroad matters within the county:

Monday, October iy, 1S59. - Now, at this day, came Thomas P. Akers, R. C. Vaughan and Wm. S. Field, a committee appointed at a public meeting of the citizens of said county, and present to the court here a

" We, Thompson M. Ewing, Wm. Shields, Stephen S. Neill, John Reid, Edward Winsor, G, J. Blewett, Eldredge Burden, Robort B. Smith, Richard Vaughan, Alfred James, Samuel Warren, and Wm. S. Felds, a part of the committee appointed at a meeting of the citizens of Lafayette county on the 19th day of September, J 859, for the purpose of reporting business for a mass meeting of the citizens of said county, to be holden at the fair ground of said county on the 11th day of October, 1859, beg leave to submit the following as our report:

" That whereas, In the present progressive age of the world, it is embarrassing to an intelligent community to live without the beneficial influences of railroads; that we live in the center of a community unsurpassed on the American continent in point of national advantages; our soil, climate and central position, combine to make our county lovely and desirable: that we have a population of moral, liberal, industrious and enterprising people; that our county is possessed of a large amount of wealth, her taxable property exceeding nine millions of dollars, with the present low grade of valuation placed upon it by our county assessors; that we believe a reasonable, fair selling estimate of the value of taxable property now in our county, is not short of fourteen millions of dollars; that in five years, with a railroad running through our county, the value of her taxable property would run up to twenty millions of dollars. That in view of these facts, we believe our county can pay half a million of dollars toward the construction of some great railroad outlet and inlet to and from the center of our county, without difficulty or embarrassment; that we believe the most practicable route for us at present to undertake to construct is a road leading from a point on the Pacific road between Georgetown and Knob Noster, the most practicable point to be ascertained by actual survey from said beginning point on the nearest and best line to the city of Lexington, and thence up the river on the most practicable line to Kansas City. That Jackson county, Kansas city, and other influences west will be amply sufficient to insure the completion of said contemplated road from Lexington to Kansas City, and therefore it behooves Lafayette county more especially to look to the completion of said road from said beginning point to the city of Lexington.

Resolved, to- wit: That we ask the Honorable County Court of Lafayette county to subscribe half a million of dollars for the purpose of building a road from said beginning point to the City of Kansas, by way of Lexington, and to be applied towards the construction of that part of said road between said beginning point and Lexington, to be paid in five equal annual installments, the first beginning in 1861: To be subscribed to such company as the said court may think best, and in such a manner as to allow each taxpayer to become a stockholder in such company to the amount of the taxes he may pay. The county, inher corporate capacity not to retain any stock after all the subscription shall have been paid up; but to remain a stockholder to the extent of half a million dollars until fhe first installment shall have been paid, and certificates of stock issued to the taxpayers, then to be reduced one-fifth, and in the like ratio each year until all the stock is paid up.

Second, That in order to test the voice of the people of the county upon this proposition, a poll be opened at the respective places of voting in said county, on the 14th day of November, 1859, and that each voter of the county be requested to vote for or against the proposition ; and that poll books be prepared and opened for that purpose; a majority of those voting to govern the court.

Third, That we desire our county court to reserve a controling and protecting influence in said subscription, and guard our interests from fraud, and misapplication of our means, and to see that our money shall not be spent without the certainty «of procuring the road.

Fourth, Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed by this meeting, to present these resolutions to the county court. All of which is respectfully submitted.

Said committee further present to the court here the proceedings (in part,) of an adjournec session of said public meeting, in words as follows:

On motion of Hon. S. F. Taylor, that portion of the report (above), which made the eastern terminus of the same (said proposed railroad) the most available point between Georgetown and Knob Noster, was stricken out, and " that point where the Pacific railroad line crosses the stream, Muddy, west of Georgetown, or its vicinity, was designated and made the point of termination."

Order of Court - And all and singular the premises being seen, it is ordered by the court here that an election be held at the several voting precincts in Lafayette county on Monday, the 14th day of November, 1859, to test the sense of the people on the proposition that said county shall subscribe the sum of five hundred thousand dollars as stock in said proposed railroad upon the terms, conditions, limitations and restrictions set forth in the report and resolutions copied above and adopted by said public meeting hereinbefore mentioned."

" Additional Order in relation to the proposed railroad subscription. It is hereby further ordered that this court will not be bound to make any subscription to a railroad from Lexington to the Pacific railroad until there is an act of the Legislature passed that will make the tax levied for railroad purposes applicable to all taxable property in the city of Lexington and all incorporated towns in the county of Lafayette, any law to the contrary notwithstanding that exempts the property within the county of any corporation in the county of Lafayette aforesaid. It is further ordered that this court will not authorize the collection and payment of any railroad tax until there shall have been made actual survey and estimates of cost of said proposed road."

November 14th, 1859, the election was held as ordered. This was the first vote ever taken in the county on any railroad proposition, and the following table shows how the vote stood:

It must be borne in mind that at this time the constitution of the state did not lay any restriction or limitation upon the voting of bonds to railroads, * etc., - and the above votes were entirely legal, although some fraudulent operations were carried on in after years under pretended authority of these votes. But the new constitution adopted in 1865 (after the war) did expressly provide safeguards against the too easy voting of public bonds.

December 20th, 1859, the court appointed Thomas G. Smith as agent of the county on railroad matters; but on January 7th, 1S60, the appointment of Smith was rescinded, and the following appears of record:

Whereas, the people of Lafayette county have signified by an election heretofore held their desire that this court on behalf of said county should subscribe the sum of five hundred thousand dollars as stock in said proposed road under the orders, restrictions and limitations herein and heretofore made by this court. It is therefore ordered by the court that Charles S. Tarleton be appointed to make said subscription, and in all matters relating thereto to represent said county and this court, and generally in reference to said proposed road to represent and act for said county.

March 6, 1860, by the court it is "Ordered that the act of Charles S. Tarleton as the agent of this court to represent Lafayette county and' to subscribe the stock to the Lexington and Georgetown railroad be approved by this court." But it is recorded that Richard Carr dissented from this order.

June 11, 1860, the court ordered its agent, Judge Tarleton, "to make said subscription final, as soon as the directory of the Pacific Railroad Compnay shall have confirmed the contract heretofore agreed upon between their committee and the fiscal agent of the Lexington and St. Louis Railroad Company." Judge Carr filed his dissent against this order

*Under the constitution the county court had full power to issue or not to issue bonds,, without any vote of the people at all ; but the court very wisely wanted a vote of the people on so grave a matter, to stand in the nature of instructions by the people to their agents. The later constitution made special provision for this.

also. And just what the "contract agreed upon" was, we could not learn. Nothing appears of record again until July 2, 1861, when this entry ocurrs: "Lexington and St. Louis railroad company against the county court of Lafayette county," etc.

It appears that Judge Tarlton had refused to make the county's subscription final, because the railroad company did not comply with the conditions upon which the county had voted to give its aid. He was sustained in the refusal by the county court; and thereupon the railroad com-- pany locked horns with the court and rushed into a sort of "bulldosing" litigation. They obtained a writ of mandamus from the supreme court of the State, requiring the county court to "show cause," etc., ajid their answer was made July 2, 1861. In this document they recite many points of fact elaborately and in detail; but the gist of the whole matter is that the county's agent, Judge Tarlton, had subscribed for $450,000 of stock in "the said proposed railroad on which the vote of the people had been taken in November previous and for no other road" But the railroad company had laid out and let contracts for a line greatly different from the route and the eastern point named in the proposition voted upon by the county; and therefore the court refused to issue bonds or levy any taxes or in any way recognize or acknowledge that the railroad company had any soi t of legal claim upon the county.

The railroad company had fixed their initial point at Farmers City, fourteen miles farther east than the point darned by the voters of Lafayette county, and to reach Lexington from that place they had run a line as crooked as a dog's hind leg over the eastern part of Lafayette county with about eighteen miles more of road to build, besides one costlv bridge more than was called for by the route voted upon. They also showed fraudulent and illegal procedures by the railroad board of directors. But now the war came on and interpreted all further proceedings in the matter on either side until January 2, 1866, when the county court filed an additional answer to the mandamus of 1861, reciting reasons which entitled them to judgment, and to be dismissed from court, and they were so dismissed.

In January and February, 1868, meetings were held at about twenty different places in the county, with a view of voting $500,000 to any railroad company that would build a line entirely across the county. A printed list of speakers at these meetings shows the names of Judge Norman Lackland, Judge Wm. T. Wood, Judge Wm. Walker, Col. John Reid, Dr. J. G. Russell, E. Winsor, Esq., H. C. Wallace, Esq.; Col. Mark L. De Motte, John R. Bennett, Esq., and M. F. Gordon, Esq.

The result of these meetings was a petition to the county court for an order of election. The election was ordered to be held on March 7, 1868, and the conditions specified were, that the road should run through the county so as to accommodate the largest farming interest and the greatest number of citizens, and should establish a depot in the city of Lexington. Also, no bonds should be issued until enough had been subscribed along the line to grade and tie it from Louisiana, Mo., to the west line of Lafayette county; and all of this county's subscription should be used for work within the county. These were the safeguards which were thrown around the proposition. The result of the vote was:

So $500,000 of county bonds were voted to be issued to the Louisiana and Missouri river railroad, by 440 majority. But the terms were never met, and these bonds were never issued; yet this company's claim was eventually intermixed with that of the old original bonds voted for the Lexington and St. Louis road, and in that way were forced out. See book 12, page 275, of county records, under date of August 2, 1870.

The above election was held, upon the assurance of some of the ablest lawyers in the state, that the old original bonds voted to the Lexington and St. Louis railroad in 1859 were dead, outlawed, utterly defunct, beyond any possibility of resurrection as a claim against Lafayette county. But in spite of this, on April 9, 1868, immediately following the election, the attorney of the Lexington and St. Louis railroad company, Amos Green, appeared before the county court and made three several motions, trying to get the court to issue the bonds that had been voted, but the motions were all overruled.

The railroad company then entered suit in the court of common pleas (we have no such court now) against the county court. This cause had fourteen several hearings before that court, and finally, July 7, 1868, a peremptory writ of mandamus was issued, requiring the county court to issue to the Lexington and St. Louis railroad company bonds to the amount of $498,750.* The county court thereupon issued the bonds, under protest, and so they got out upon the market.

May 5, 1869, Geo. H. Ambrose, president of the county court, was elected president of the Lexington and St. Louis railroad company also. The Lafayette county men who were directors at this time were Gen. J. O. Shelby, Judge G. H. Ambrose, H. J. Higgins, C. B. Russell, Fletcher Patrick, Amos Green and James H. Beatty.

May 18 work was commenced at Lexington on the Lexington and St. Louis railroad, and this was the first railroad work done in Lafayette county. Wood and Lillis were the contractors.

September 25, 1869, Dover township voted a township tax of $25,000 to aid the proposed Louisiana and Missouri River railroad. These bonds, however, were never issued; and $10,000 of county bonds issued for this road were afterward declared void - illegal - by the U. S. circuit court, in November, 1875.

October 18, 1869, twenty-five resident free-holders of Sniabar township petitioned for an election, so the county records say, to vote $35,000 of township bonds to aid in the construction of "the Lexington, Chillicothe and Gulf railroad." The election was ordered for Nov. 13, 1869.

December 6, 1869, the court recites that the following townships have voted, by over two-thirds majority, their township bonds to aid in the construction of "the Lexington, Chillicothe and Gulf railroad":

And the court on that day ordered the said subscriptions to be made in accordance with the propositions in each township and the votes given thereon. (Record book No. 11, pp. 459-60.)

April 7, 1860, Dover and Middleton townships held elections to vote $50,000 of their township bonds to aid the Louisiana and Missouri River railroad. The law disfranchising partisans of the rebellion was still in force; but to meet this obnoxious condition both registered and unregistered men were called upon to vote, and the result was thus:

The great mass of the disfranchised refused to vote at all, but on the contrary held a remonstrance meeting at Oakland church, in Dover towni?

"Resolved, That we consider said election, by which our burdensome taxes are to be so fearfully increased, is an intolerable outrage upon the rights of disfranchised property holders." In another resolution they pledged themselves to subscribe individually at the rate of $1.25 per acre on their land to the stock of the railroad company, in lieu of the bonds that had been so unreasonably voted upon them. And to secure subscriptions or pledges for this scheme, a committee was appointed, as follows: L. G. Manypenny, W. Liese, J. Zentmeyer, G. Gorder, J. Peacock, J. J. Board, J. Lewisand Isaac Neale. The secretary of the meeting, Wm. G. Neale, was instructed to send a copy of the proceedings to the president of the L. & M. R. railroad company, and also to each of the county papers for publication. Frank M. Field was chairman of the meeting.

The road was projected to cross the Missouri river at Glasgow, and run thence by the straightest practicable route to Lexington. The Lexington Register the next week after the above vote was taken, and meeting held, said editorially: "We have reliable information that this road will be put under contract through this county in May next" (within a month). But the road was never built, and the bonds as voted were declared by the courts to be illegal.

July 19, 1870, a few citizens, 25 perhaps, petitioned the county court to authorize a township election on a proposition to vote $75,000 of bonds to aid in building the Northwestern branch of the Tebo & Neosho railroad. The election was ordered for August 20, 1870. On August 2d the court granted the right-of-way for this railroad across the public highways in Middleton, Davis and Freedom townships, as the proposition was to build from Waverly southward through those townships to a junction with the grade of the Lexington & St. Louis railroad. J. D. Miller, L. L. Johnson, and Paul Boob were the judges of this bond election - and the result of the vote was: For the bonds, 76; against bonds, 2 - majority for bonds, 74. The record shows that 16 of those who voted for the bonds were colored men; and that the disfranchising clause of the constitution of 1865 was still in force. Gen. J. O. Shelby had the contract to build the road; work was commenced, and enough done to require the issue of $17,000 out of the $75,000 authorized, then it stopped and the whole thing went dead. But the people had the $17,000 to pay, just the same. Neosho is the county seat of Newton county, in the southwest corner of the state; and this road was originally projected from there up northeasterly to Warsaw, on the Osage river near the mouth of Tebo creek, in Benton county; hence the "Tebo" in the name of this railroad had no reference to Tabo creek in Lafayette county.

The Lexington Intelligencer of February 10, 1875, contains a report of a committee appointed by a taxpayers' convention on December 18, 1874, consisting of Wm. T. Gammon, Wm. C. Beatie, J. C. Lockhart, W. B. Major, A. A. Lesueur. Their report is a lengthy and elaborate document, of very great practical importance at the time, and furnishing many staple facts in the mixed and troublesome history of this matter. A few curiosities of the pool of tribulation are here noted: $75,000 of bonds charged to Lexington township had been issued to the St. Louis & St. Joseph railroad in Ray county, which never built a dollar's worth of anything in Lafayette county. These bonds were afterwards declared void by the courts. It was also proved in court that they had been fraudulently delivered by a county judge, for a bribe of $200. $35,000 of bonds charged to Sniabar township, for the Lexington, Chillicothe & Gulf railroad, had been issued on a vote of 41 persons, mostly non-taxpayers, at a time when ] 75 of the property owners were disfranchised. $75,000 of similar bonds charged to Washington township had been issued in the same way. $498,700 of county bonds had been issued by the county court under mandamus from the court of common pleas, but under protest from the county court and people. Some of the bonds had been issued clandestinely by one of the judges, who afterwards secured the signature of another one. Some of them had been issued by a judge who was president of the county court, and also at the same time president of the railroad company receiving the bonds. $500,000 of bonds for the Louisiana & Missouri River railroad company were afterward declared void by the courts. Indeed, the facts brought out showed that there was a perfect witches'-broth of corruption stewing in Lafayette county, and other counties, too, under the evil eye of a " railroad ring."

*The rate of interest on these bonds was six per cent, payable in currency. fThe interest on this issue was six per cent payable in gold. The rate of interest on all the other bonds was ten per cent payable in currency.

The total combined debt of the county, as shown by this official report, (which included some other debts not of railroad, and therefore not given in our table,) was $1,384,099. And the total assessed valution, including real estate, personal property, merchants' stock, etc., was at that time $7,845,371. The bonded debt, therefore, was 17^ per cent of the entire valuation : and most of the debt a swindle on the people besides. The map given above shows the different lines of railroad which were at that time promised.

The R. R. Bonded Debt Compromise

Through a series of Taxpayers' Conventions it had been shown beyond a question or a quibble that the railroad bonds both of county and townships, were essentially fraudulent; but they had been foisted upon the market under such cunningly devised seemings of legality as to give them a status in the courts, and therefore some chance for judicial enforcement, even after long and costly litigation by the county in contesting them. In view of this state of facts, it was thought best to propose such compromises as the creditors would probably accede to rather than worry the matter through the courts. Some of the largest holders of the county bonds had through their agent, Col. M. V. L. McClelland, agreed to a compromise of 80 cents on the dollar at 6 instead of 10 per cent, interest; and it was presumed that many others would do the same. The following schedule shows the different compromises finally proposed by the Taxpayers' Convention held November 29th, 1875:

All bonds to run twenty-five years, interest payable semi-annually. The different funding rates offered by the different townships are based on ability to pay, juslice of the debt, prospect of defeating the bondholders in case of contest in the courts, etc.

A. T. Winsor, A. Corder, J. M. Hopkins, M. T. Buford. Sniabar. - ]. W. Bledsoe, W.J. Shackleford, J. T. Ferguson, R. T. Russell, P. A. Ferguson.

The members of the county court, and the agents of the holders of all the various bonds in question, were invited to be present during the proceedings of the convention.

At this time the county and townships together were under a claimed indebtedness of $238,750 for the L. C. & G. railroad alone, which never finished a mile of road in the county.

Resolved, That this convention pledges the people of Lafayette county to the faithful performance of the compromise offered, as it is made in good faith by their representatives in convention assembled, as the only means and hope left the people, and beyond which they cannot go; and that if it is not accepted by the bondholders, we pledge each other to use every effort to prevent the payment of one dollar of the railroad indebtedness of the county.

Some holders of these railroad bonds refused to accept the compromise offered, but entered suits and obtained judgment in the United States cir cuit court, and writs of mandamus to enforce the judgments. This was openly resisted by township conventions, and then by a countv convention composed of delegates from every township. This convention was held December 24, 1877, and it declared by a unanimous vote that they had a full determination to never pay any more on those bonds than the proposed compromise provided for, and that they would resist by all means in their power, all attempts by judgment of court, or in any other way, to collect interest or principal on any of the bonds not compromised.

February 1, 1878, a meeting of the tax-payers of Sniabar township was held at Dade's school-house, to hear the report of a committee previously appointed to investigate the legal or illegal character of the $35,000 of their township bonds issued' to the Lexington, Chillicothe & Gulf railroad. The committee consisted of Wm. Harris, Geo. W. Jones, M. T. P. McCormack, A. C. Green, R. H. Bledsoe. Their report cites the express declaration of the state constitution, [Art. 99, Sec. 14], that no municipal bonds shall be issued to any corporation unless voted for by two-thirds of the qualified voters of the township, county or city, as the case may be. The vote on those bonds was taken November 13, 1869. The registered voters of Sniabar township then numbered 102;* of this number, 47 voted for the bonds, and 6 against them ; two-thirds of 102 would be 58 ; but the actual majority for the bonds was only 41, which fell short by 27 votes of the majority required to make these bonds lawful. They, therefore, recommended a united and continued resistance by every means in their power to the payment of the bonds, which the county court had issued in spite of the fact that they never received a lawful majority, even when the great bulk of the tax-payers were disfranchised. It is worthy of note also, that this road was graded, but never laid a rail, and the grade lies to this day unused.

February 4, 1878, the county committee, composed of representative men appointed by each township, held a meeting, and solemnly reiterated " the determination only to pay county bonds according to the compromise authorized by the vote of the people in the election held on December 30, 1875." (When this last vote was taken, no voters were disfranchised, and it was in every respect the lawfully expressed will of the people).

February 23d, a joint meeting of Sniabar and Washington townships was held at Mount Hope, with the same result as above, besides showing that the unbuilt railroad for which their bonds had been fraudulently issued, was graded on a different route, and to different points from those named in the proposition as voted upon. This was another fraud.

Fighting It Out In The Courts

May 6, 1878, the supreme court of Missouri, in the case of Thomas A. Webb vs. Lafayette county, decided the legislative act of March 23, 1868, to be unconstitutional, and bonds issued under it void. This was a case

* At this date, 175 voters of Sniabar township were disfranchised on account of having joined or sympathized with the Southern Confederacy as against the federal government. And they were mostly the real property owners of the township.

involving the Sniabar township bonds to the L.,C. &G. road, and countybonds to the L. & St. L. road. The "opinion" of the court is a lengthy document, making two and a half long newspaper columns in nonpareil (very fine) type. But the gist of the whole matter important to this history, lies in a single sentence, as follows:

The constitution prescribes, as a prerequisite to any subscription, that two-thirds of the qualified voters shall assent to it. The act of 1868 requires only the assent of two-thirds of those voting, and because of the repugnance to the constitution, we hold it to be void.

In October, 1875, the United States supreme court had decided substantially the same way, in the case of Harshman vs. Bates County, involving bonds issued in the name of Mount Pleasant township, in Bates county, for this same Lexington, Chillicothe & Gulf railroad. The case had been appealed from the United States district court. There were several technical points considered in this decision, but it was very decisive that the issuance of the bonds was contrary to the constitution of the state.

July 1, 1880, the county clerk's report shows that $578,900 of the Lexington and St. Louis railroad count)- bonds had already been compromised ; $135,900 of them had been purchased by the county and canceled; and there were still $44,900 outstanding. At this same time the township debts on railroad bonds were:

November 1879, before the U. S. circuit court, at Jefferson City, an agreed state of facts was presented by the attorneys in the case of James H. Forbes vs. Lafayette county. M. L. Gray and Joseph Shippen were attorneys for Forbes, and Alexander Graves for the county. The case involved the legality of the Lexington township bonds issued to the St. Louis and St. Joseph railroad company, November 2, 1868. There were eighteen several points of fact agreed upon and subscribed by the attorneys on both sides; and No. XI of these points contains this statement: " That $37,000 of the bonds issued to said company by the county court of said county on behalf of said township were delivered to one Wasson, a director in the said company, by one Vivian Letton, then a justice of said county, in consideration of a bribe of $200 paid to said Letton by said Wasson after consultation had with the board of directors of said company."

pany should establish and permanently maintain a depot on the south side of the Missouri river, within the city of Lexington. Judge Letton held them in trust for safe keeping until their terms should be complied with, but violated his trust by delivering them for a bribe of $200. The affidavit on this matter also mentioned that the railroad board of directors when considering the $200 proposition, thought the judge's terms cheap, and authorized the payment of his price. The court decided these bonds illegal, but on other grounds than this; and this point is cited here to show how the people were betrayed by their most trusted servants. Judge Letton afterwards went crazy, but Judge Ambrose went to Florida.

Seizing A Railroad Train For Taxes

July 7, 1875, the county court ordered a levy of the taxes due upon the property in Lafayette county of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad company, which had bought the Lexington & St. Louis railroad. This order recited in detail the amount of track, road bed, depots, rolling stock, etc., within the county belonging to said railroad company, and also the amout of tax due thereon, item by item, as fixed by the state board of equalization; and the total amount was $6,277.07^. At this time Dr. Wm. A. Gordon was the county tax collector, and Wm. B. Steele, county clerk. The railroads generally in the state had evaded payment of their taxes by various subterfuges in different counties, or by outright intimidation of public officers in giving them to understand that if they seized any railroad property thev would be prosecuted for damages. To lock horns with a powerful railroad companv, and take the risk on the uncertain sinuosities of legal procedure, was no trifling matter; but the officers of Lafayette county had some of Gen. Jackson's " by-the-eternal" sort of grit in their make up, and they " took the bull by the horns " forthwith.

Dr. Gordon, as tax collector, on August 19, 1875, seized one locomotive, nine box cars, three stock cars, and one passenger coach, at Lexington, chained them fast, under guard and held them as security for the railroad company's unpaid taxes. The railroad company immediately entered suit against him in the circuit court of Lafayette county for $20,- 000 damages and costs. In April, 1876, they procured a transfer of the case to the U. S. district court, on the plea that the prejudice of the community would prevent them from getting justice in Lafayette county, and also that the complainant was in law a resident of another state, the railroad company's corporate place of business being in New York city.

In order to bring out and authenticate this matter more clearly, we here copy from the official record of Dr. Gordon's sworn testimony in regard to his own proceedings: elected at the November election, 1872, for two years, and was my own successor, being elected again at the November election, 1874, for the term of two years from the first of February, 1875. The clerk of the county court, William B. Steele, made out and delivered to me as such collector ab6ut March 31, 1875, the certified statement of the taxes of that date in evidence, against the Atlantic & Pacific railroad company for the year 1873, and I was directed also by the county court to levy the same on "the railroad property, in case of default in paying same. I demanded payment of the taxes due, of said company, through its officers, and said company having failed to pay the same, I, on the 19th of May, 1875, by virtue of said certified statement, levied on the cars of said railroad company as set out in my return in said statement; I chained down, and locked these cars on the track of the railroad, near the depot at Lexington, Missouri, and put a guard there to watch and guard them, to prevent the railroad men from removing them, and advertised them for sale, as required by law, for ten days, keeping them guarded and locked down all the time. On the day they were advertised for sale the Atlantic & Pacific railroad company by suit of replevin against me in this court, replevined and took said cars out of my possession, giving bond with security approved by the sheriff in the sum of $40,000, and claiming damages against me in the sum of $25,000.

The next year the same proceedings occurred; but by the third year the whole business was in court, and the Lexington & St . Louis railroad was in the hands of a " receiver in bankruptcy." However, to present more fully the situation in this year, 1875, we copy the following from the records of the suit brought in April, 1876, against Wm. B. Steele, the county clerk. After reciting the bill of taxes made out and certified by the county clerk, the railroad company as complainant goes on to say:

All of which was done without any authority or warrant from any law of this state. That afterwards the said defendant [W. B. Steele] placed the said statement in the hands of the t^x collector of Lafayette county, and directed the said collector to collect the said pretended taxes and penalties out of the property of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad company; and afterwards at the special instance and direction of said defendant the said collector did levy upon and seize a certain locomotive engine and certain cars which belonged to the said plaintiff and which had never belonged to-the said Lexington & St. Louis railroad company, and in which the said last named corporation did not at the time of said levy, have any interest, nor had it even had any therein.

And the said collector, Gordon, retained said property for the term of ten days, to the great loss and damage of plaintiff, amounting to the sum of five thousand dollars, for which sum, with interest and costs, plaintiff prays judgment.

The legal point raised was, that the taxes were due from the Lexington & St. Louis railroad company, but that the property seized belonged to the Atlantic & Pacific R. R. Co. This proved to be technically true - but, in fact, it was one of the many artful dodges by which railroad companies had too long succeeded in evading their taxes. The county officers could not know all the " inner intricacies " of the various transfers which had heen made by the four different railroad managements which had at different times controlled the Lexington road, but they did know that the taxes were due and unpaid, and they proposed to collect them - which 'the same they did.