Lafayette County, Missouri - Chapter 26: Miscellaneous Events of Interest, 1910

Chapter 26: Miscellaneous Events of Interest

In the compilation of every county historical work there are certain incidents and interesting events which do not properly belong to any of the special chapters and regular subjects, hence there are here collected together a number of interesting and truly valuable items of Lafayette county history.

Indian Campaign Hoax

"At an early time in the history of Missouri the Methodist church established a mission on the upper Osage river near the western limits of the state and just across the line was the Indian Territory. Later on, about 1837 (the exact time not now known to the writer), information was received by the Governor that the Indians across the line were preparing to make a raid on the mission and wipe it out. The mission being in Gen. James H. Graham's military territory, who resided at Lexington, he was ordered by the Governor to move with alacrity to the mission with as large a force as he could assemble and a few days later he marched with two thousand mounted men, well armed, and a long commissary wagon train and a herd of fat cattle. And lo and behold, all the Indians he found were three aged infirm squaws who were being taken care of at the mission. It was then discovered that the alarm had been started by a company of cattlemen who had a large herd of fat cattle in the vicinity of the mission and no market for them. General Graham, having enough cattle to last through the campaign, did not buy any and marched his army back and disbanded it."

At an ex-Confederate soldiers' reunion at Higginsville, held August 2J, 1889, the ladies of St. Joseph, Missouri, sent a large basket of bouquets to the veterans of Bledsoe's Battery and the graceful acknowledgment of the same formed a part of the article written by Comrade William Young, from which the following is an extract:

"We stood in line, most of us mere boys, with faces scarcely less smooth than the faces of our sweethearts, and received the beautiful flag from fair hands and heard from sweet lips the message that sent us forth to battle and pledged our honor that the flag should never be disgraced. How well that pledge was redeemed, let the record of the battles and the grassy mounds where lie the dead, bear witness. Hear the stories of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Dry Forks, Lexington, Pea Ridge. Iuka, Corinth, Port Hudson, Raymond, Jackson, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and the Hundred Days fight in front of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville and the retreat. Also scores of skirmishes not of enough importance to be styled battles, but where the deadly shot and shell fell. Through all of these without the loss of a flag or a single gun captured by the enemy."

Had To Get A License To Reside Here

It may be of interest to the generation now living, as well as those ot the future, to read the following bit of before-the-Civil-war customs that legally prevailed, the same being on record in the court house at Lafayette today :

(Record of January 4, 1847) - "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 thirty-two 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 thirteen years, and Ellen Chester, four years old, to reside within this state as long as she, the said Harriet, shall be of good behavior, and no longer."

More than tradition points to the belief that at some remote period in the world's history there strolled along the streams of this county a monster animal called by zoologists a mastodon. In an article written in the seventies, it was stated that Mrs. W. H. Bowen found a monster tooth in Graham's branch, nearly under the bridge of the old Lexington & Gulf railroad grade, where that stream empties into Rupe's branch. Mrs. Bowen submitted the rare specimen to Dr. Alexander, and he pronounced it a genuine mastodon tooth. Frank Lamborn, of the Lexington Intelligencer, also found a mastodon's tooth which was imbedded in the bottom of Graham's branch. Graham's branch flows westward along the southern border of the city of Lexington and is supplied with water, mostly, from an immense spring now known as Mastodon spring which flows out of the ironated sandbed underlying the bluff formation in all this region. At the point where the spring flows out, and a hundred feet down stream, its bed and margin are miry, or composed of quicksand, very treacherous to tread upon. It is conjectured that in the roaming of this huge animal, he sought this spring to quench his thirst and, going too far, got mired in the shifting quicksands and there perished, thousands of years ago possibly. This soil not being suitable to preserve the whole monster, all dissolved save the teeth, which have been recovered at this late day.

Mourning For President Garfield

In September, 1881, the city of Lexington, in common with all sections of the country, held memorial services over the death of the lamented President, Gen. James A. Garfield, who was struck down by the bullet of an assassin on July 2d of that year, in the city of Washington. The President lingered and suffered intensely, until September 19th, when his spirit took its flight. This was an historic occasion for Lexington. Plans were made for a public procession and memorial service. The court house, city hall, postoffice, some of the churches and most of the business houses were deeply draped in mourning. National flags were suspended across Main street, looped at half mast and draped. R. Taubman and Capt. A. A. Lesueur were marshals of the day. The procession was headed by the Lexington Guards' brass band of sixteen instruments, all draped with heavy mourning. The Odd Fellows, Masons, German societies, Knights of Labor, Sons of Protection, and other orders helped to form the long procession. Afterwards, in five of the city churches of Lexington appropriate memorial services were held. At the Christian church the services were conducted by Rev. C. S. Lucas, Hon. Xenophon Ryland and Colonel Rathbun. At the Baptist church, by Rev. George L. Leyburn, Hon. H. G. Wallace and Rev. Dr. Talburd. At the German Evangelical church, by Rev. Johns, of Sedalia, and Revs. Klimpke and Demand, of Lexington. At the Catholic church by Rev. Father Lilly. At Zion's African Methodist Episcopal church (colored), by Rev. J. A. Quarles, Judge John E. Ryland and William Young, Esq.

The music chosen was for the most part familiar hymns which the departed President had sung and loved a lifetime, he having been a church member and ardent worker from his youth up.

Not content with the taking of the life of two Presidents, - Lincoln and Garfield, - the hand of the assassin, under the guise of friendship, shot William McKinley, while enjoying the festivities of the great Pan-American Exposition, at Buffalo, New York, on September 6, 1901. He was then taken to the home of the president of the Exposition, Mr. Milburn, where he died on the 14th of the same month, at 2 130 A. M.

At Lexington a very impressive memorial service was held on the following Thursday, the same taking place in the Methodist church, the Presbyterian church, the Colored Baptist church and at the opera house. A mass meeting was held on Saturday before the memorial and a set of resolutions was adopted showing the respect and honor with which President McKinley was held here. On the day the news was received here in Lexington the flags were all unfurled at half-mast. Mayor Young issued the proclamation for a mass meeting. Business was suspended from twelve to one o'clock that day, except one single business man, who heeded not the call of the mayor. The bells of the city tolled during the entire hour and flags were half-mast throughout the city.

On Thursday, the time appointed as memorial service day, the exercises at the Methodist church were presided over by Judge John E. Ryland and the speakers were Revs. Buchmueller, Reeves, Hans, Alex. Graves, John S. Blackwell, John E. Burden and E. M. Taubman. At the Presbyterian church the presiding officer was Rev. G. W. Hyde and the speakers were Rev. Charles Manly, E. C. Gordon, Messrs. W. H. Chiles, U. G. Plitzing and R. T. Jesse. At the opera house, the speakers were T. J. Duling and Henry Blee.

From the commencement to the close the business houses, with rare exceptions, were closed. The clouds hung heavy and dark, as if in sympathy with the occasion. President McKinley's last words were : "Nearer, My God, to Thee. Good bye, good bye, all. His will, not mine, be done."

Grasshopper Plagues

The years 1874 and 1875 will ever be memorable in this county and state for the appearance and ravages of the little winged pests, the Rocky Mountain locust, or more generally known as the grasshopper. They came in thick flying clouds, at times almost obscuring the light of the sun. They came from the north and northwest in the autumn of 1874 and destroyed what they could find at that late season that was green and juicy in vegetable growth; then they laid their millions of eggs. This county did not suffer that year as did many other parts of the state, but when the spring came on and these eggs hatched out, with other fullgrown ones that came in from the northwestern country, they made a marching line which devastated like an army going through in war times. An eastern paper's correspondent of May 18, 1875, said:

"The grasshoppers are now on the move east, eating everything green in their pathway. One farmer south of Lexington had fifteen acres of corn eaten by them yesterday in three hours' time. 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 Lafayette county have also been eaten by them."

"The loss to Lafayette county was fully two million dollars." Another wrote from Aullville, saying: "The damage done to three-fourths of Lafayette county invaded, has been estimated not far from two million, five hundred thousand dollars." Professor Riley, state entomologist, in his report to the state in May, 1876, gave a report covering twenty-six counties in Missouri in which he placed the loss at a little over fifteen million dollars. He gave the following county figures : Jackson county, two million five hundred thousand dollars; Ray county, seventy -five thousand dollars; Johnson county, one million dollars ; Lafayette county two million dollars. The heaviest loss in the state was in Jackson county. The "infernal pests" took their flight - to be hoped forever - in June, 1875. ^n many places in the country they were so numerous that along the railroad tracks, especially in cuts, they piled up on the tracks and impeded the progress of freight trains, by forming a slimy grease which caused the wheels to slip. In places the roadbed was covered to the depth of a foot or more. They always remained at work in a locality until the wind was favorable for their southern and eastern flight. Freezing did not appear to injure any of the eggs.

Farmers re-planted their corn after July 4th and harvested a fair crop of "soft" corn, but it made excellent feed. Seasonable rains did what has never been done here since, made corn in ninety days.

The above heading indicates the title of a society formed in this county, August 4, 1868, on motion of Henry Wallace, who became its president. The constitution of this unique association of "old-timers" read as follows :

"Article 2 - A clerk shall be elected at each meeting, whose duty it shall be to keep a record of all the names of the members, their age and nativity, and the proceedings of each meeting.

"Article 3 - Meetings shall be held during the months of May and September of each year, at the houses of the different members, for mutual conversation and enjoyment.

"Article 4 - All members of this association must be seventy years of age or upwards and must be elected by the unanimous consent of the association,

In 1881 there were sixty-five enrolled in this society, and the meetings were of great interest, and many historic records came from such associations of these old gentlemen - those of three score and ten and more. It will be observed that the officers are elected once a year. The present secretary is Frank Bowman, who was elected in September, 1893, an<^ largely by his efforts and interest the organization has been kept alive. He is by no means seventy years of age, but by reason of his ability the "old men" have insisted on his serving as their secretary. The first president was Henry Wallace, founder of the society. The first clerk, or secretary, was H. J. Higgins, who was succeeded by Rufus Young, and he in turn was followed by Frank Bowman, present secretary.

[The following was written by an eye witness to the awful scenes connected with the blowing up of the steamboat "Saluda," with two hundred and fifty Mormon emigrants aboard, in 1852, at Lexington.]

surate with its size, and commanded by Captain Belt, arrived at Lexington April 7, 1852, early in the forenoon, carrying two hundred and fifty Mormons and their effects, destined for Salt Lake City, Utah, the mecca of all Mormondom. After a brief stop at the wharf the boat left, but at the point on the north side of the river it encountered a very strong current, with hard, heavy running ice, and being unable to make headway it returned to the levee and tied up for the night.

"On the morning of the 8th, the ice having run out, the boat made another effort to round the point, but the rapidly rising river had made the current so swift and powerful that the boat again failed and fell back to the levee, where it remained until the morning of the 9th.

nine o'clock, with all the steam the engineer dare carry, the boat left the wharf, and when only about thirty feet from the shore, with the forward cabin deck crowded with passengers, the boilers all exploded, causing a complete wreck of all that part of the boat above the lower deck and extending back to the wheel house.

"The current caught the wrecked boat and threw it back against the levee, where it was tied up, the bow resting against the shore, with the lower forward deck above the water and the lower deck at the stern several feet below the surface.

"As the writer ran down the hill the first thing he saw was the boat's safe lying in the road, back of what is now the waterworks power house. The safe was intact, and chained to it was a dead yellow spotted pointer dog. This was about seventy yards from where the explosion occurred.

"In the flat just west of the power house was the dead body of a large man, lying with his face downward and limbs extended as if he had sailed through the air like a blue rock. Every thread of clothing had been blown off his body. A sheet was soon spread over him and he was identified as Captain Belt, commander of the boat.

"In a short time almost the entire male population of the town was on the levee and the removal of the dead bodies from the wreck was commenced. Mattresses Were placed on the ground and twenty-two large, healthy-looking Englishmen were laid on them, their faces perfectly red from severe scalds. They were suffering greatly and the air was hideous with their agonizing moans. I passed this place thirty minutes later and twelve of them were dead, caused by internal burning through inhaling steam.

"A large brick house at the upper end of the levee was improvised as a hospital, and all the injured were given quarters there. Every physician in Lexington was soon at the scene of the disaster and did all they could to relieve the distress of the victims.

"While passing along the levee I saw what appeared to be several yards of blue calico, spread upon the ground, with a pile of long black hair in its center. This I soon discovered to be the remains of a woman, who had probably been blown very high and had fallen upon the rocks. Her head was mashed nearly as thin as my hand and her face could not have been recognized as the countenance of a human being.

"George W. Gaunt, who was on the bluffs just west of the Emily Aull Seminary, looking at the boat when the explosion occurred, informed the writer that the pilot house, with two men in it, went higher than he was and fell back into the river and sank. Charles La Barge, chief pilot, and his assistant were the men in the pilot house. Mr. La Barge was of the old French family of that name, of St. Louis, who were among the first steamboat men to navigate the Missouri river. A daughter of Pilot La Barge died a few months ago in St. Louis. Only a small number of those lost were found, a great majority of them having been blown into the river and carried down stream by the swift current. On the day after the explosion all the then dead, numbering about thirty, were buried in a long trench in that part of Macpelah cemetery known as the Potter's field. Others were buried there who died later or were found. Including the crew, there must have been on the boat at the time of the explosion nearly three hundred pople, two hundred of whom were never accounted for. It was one of the most destructive steamboat disasters that ever occurred on a western river. The second clerk was the only officer who escaped.

"A cottonwood log house on the levee, owned by J. H. Graham, was struck by the boiler from the boat, which passed through entirely, knocking out one end of the logs. Those above dropped down and occupied the same places, and the house stood looking as if nothing had disturbed it."

The above is a correct statement concerning this accident, notwithstanding the fanciful story that was published not long since in one of our popular, cheap magazines, by a man born long since the accident, and who sought to make capital for the teachings of the Mormon religious faith by weaving into his account a statement that .before the explosion fifty or more of the Mormons were warned by their minister that the sad accident would happen, and that by this revelation they did not go aboard the steamer, hence were

It may be added that several of the small children whose parents were killed by the disaster were kindly adopted in and near Lexington, and proved to be stanch manly and womanly characters in their after years.

The following commission, making Nicholas Houx, of this county, an ensign in 1821, and signed by Alexander McNair, Missouri's first governor, reads as follows, and the instrument is highly prized by the relatives of the "Ensign" :

"The governor of the state of Missouri, to all who shall see these presents, Greeting - Know ye. that Nicholas Houx, having been duly elected to fill the office of ensign of the Boonville Independent Rifle Company, I do hereby commission him ensign of the said company. He is, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of ensign by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging.

"And I do strictly charge and require all officers and soldiers under his command to be obedient to his orders as ensign ; and he is to observe and follow such orders and directions from time to time as he shall receive from me or the future governor of the state of Missouri, or other superior officers set over him, according to the law and rules and discipline of war.

"Given under my hand and private seal (there being no state seal yet provided), at St. Charles, this thirteenth day of June, A. D. 1821, and of the first year of the independence of the state of Missouri. A. McNair.

On the back of this instrument, which is about nine by thirteen inches, is written in faded ink (marking the passage of ninety years now), the following affidavit :

"Personally appeared before me, a justice of the peace, Nicholas Houx, and makes oath that he will support the constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and that he will faithfully demean himself in office as ensign of the Boonville Independent Company. Given under my hand this 21st day of June, 1821. Charles Woods, J. P." (Seal.)

Population

According to the United States census reports, Lafayette county in 1821 had a population of 1,340; in 1830, a population of 2,912; in 1836, it had a population of 4,683; in 1880, it had reached 25,731, consisting of 23,679 native-born, 2,059 foreign-born, 21,313 white persons and 4,418 colored persons. Coming down ten years later, to 1890, it is found that the county's population was 30,184. In 1900 it had a population of 31,679.

Population Of Towns And Villages

There is no record of a duel ever being fought in Lafayette county, but there came very near being one through a pleasing little episode that transpired many years ago, in which Capt. William A. Redd, now residing in Dover, this county, and Capt. Richard A. Collins, both soldiers and comrades in the Confederate army during the Civil war, were to be the duelists. These brave men were both in General Shelby's brigade and members of the same company and regiment. After the war closed both had been "robbed" of the fortunes they once possessed, and sought occupations by which to retrieve the same. Captain Collins chose the legal profession, while Captain Redd went into mercantile business at the historic little town of Waverly, this county. In Waverly lived a notable family in which there were five beautiful daughters, whose father was the mayor of the town. The elder of these sisters had won the heart of Collins, while the younger had almost captured Captain Redd by her winsome ways. Redd was at the time a day boarder at the mayor's home.

The trouble commenced at noon one day after dinner, when Miss J. remarked that the steamer "War Eagle" was to arrive at the Waverly landing and that Captain Collins was to be a passenger on it. She requested Captain Redd to take a small package to the boat and deliver in person to Captain Collins, which he consented to do, not knowing that the innocent looking little box, so neatly tied up, contained, as he now terms it, "a stick of dynamite." In due time it was handed to Captain Collins, who soon went aside and opened it, and soon began taking out a bunch of love letters and other tender missives. He finally turned to Captain Redd and asked if Miss J. had requested him to hand the package to him. Captain Redd assured him that she had and that he was innocent of anything it might contain. Collins went to the bow of the boat and threw the box and its contents overboard into the muddy waters of the Missouri river, and said to Redd "Let's take a drink." A round or two was taken, after which Redd excused himself on account of a business errand and left the steamboat. That night Collins reached Marshall, Missouri, and kept pondering over the strange manner in which he thought he had been treated. Finally, the second day, he Wrote Captain Redd a letter, believing that Redd had something to do with the affair. In this message he challenged Redd, his old comrade-at-arms, to fight a duel with him. The little captain, seeing that trouble was really brewing, finally chafed himself, and in haste wrote Collins a letter in which the challenge was accepted, he naming the place, the weapons and distance apart at which the duel should be fought. The place was on the island just above Waverly, the weapons were pistols and the distance apart was fixed at fifteen paces. Captain Redd practiced considerably by shooting at a large tree, about the size of a man. but was relieved (or possibly chagrined) at not being able to hit the tree after many shots taken in good faith.

it out. Captain Redd chose for his seconds M. A. Francisco and Robert Deatherge, who later refused on account of learning that they would be subjected to a five hundred dollar fine for such an act. Captain Redd then sought and found his old friend, General Shelby, and told him his troubles, and he agreed to go to Lexington, where Collins was, and see if he could not fix the matter up peaceably. Shelby then resided near Page City and Redd remained at Shelby's house with the latter's most excellent wife and several others, including Samuel Redd, his brother. Just at sunset, when all were seated on the broad veranda talking over the effects of the late war, General Shelby rode up and informed them that Collins wanted nothing but a genuine duel and told Redd to prepare for it.

While Shelby was absent an officer came from Lexington and placed Captain Redd under arrest, and was present when Shelby returned. For some time this was unknown to Shelby, but when he found it out and heard him say that he was going to take him back to Lexington for safe keeping, General Shelby, in his characteristic manner, remarked, with an oath, "You will, will you? How dare you talk that way? If you undertake that I will call my niggers and have them tie you and put you in my cellar. He shall not go until this fight comes off." Later, the sly officer of the law left for Lexington, unobserved by Shelby, saying that he would have the sheriff and a posse of men on the duel grounds the next morning, bright and early, for the time was fixed at sunrise sharp. The fated hour (?) came and all interested were on hand to see the duel. Collins' "second" was seen standing against a tree talking with others. As Captain Redd rode by he heard the voice of his friend General Shelby, saying: "Well, let the fight come right off." Redd then dismounted and hitched his horse, which was soon to be a masterless animal ( ?). Just then a friend stepped up to Redd and asked if he ever drank anything. He replied, hardly ever, but that if ever it would be acceptable it would just then. A bottle was pulled from the pocket, and just howlarge a draft the little captain swallowed none will ever know - it was some of old "McBrayer's Best." Soon a gentleman informed Redd that Collins wanted a word of conversation with him, and after first seeking advice from Shelby he went aside where Collins stood. Near by Redd observed a surgeon's case and plenty of bandages and instruments, as Doctor Ruffin, of Lexington, was on hand to care for the remaining portion of one or both of the gritty little soldiers who were expected to be good shots and do business after the best known science at dueling. The morning being quite cool, Collins stood by a burning log, and no one can tell what was running through his mind at that instant. In greeting Captain Redd he drew from his pocket the letter that Redd had sent him accepting his challenge, remarking that he thought it rather a harsh letter to send to an old comrade and friend. At this. Captain Redd stated that it was written in haste and in the same spirit in which his (Collins') had been written to him. Collins said that his letter must have been misunderstood by him, whereupon Redd assured him that he understood the English language very well and knew full well what he intended. Denial was made time and again and finally Redd condescended to say that if that was the case he was sorry the matter had gone as far as it had. Just then General Shelby came up and declared that he had heard their mutual explanations and that it was his opinion that they shake hands and call it square, which they did. General Shelby then invited all hands to his house for breakfast, and when the General's good wife saw the procession coming, believed it carried the remains of one and possible two who had killed one another in the duel, but soon she was delighted to see, instead, two really alive and hilarious ex-Confederates, who had "buried the hatchet'' over the old log fire.

All the parties to this missed tragedy have long since passed "over the river," save the two ladies, Miss J. and Miss D., who still survive, one married and the other, Captain Redd's girl, a widow, and while time has left streaks of silver in her once raven locks, she is still a beautiful woman.