USA > Iowa > Marion County > History of Marion County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 33
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"State of Iowa 1 Mahaska County ยง SS.
"To any Constable in said county, Greeting :
"Whereas, complaint has this day been made before me, a Justice of the Peace of the above Township of Jefferson in said county, on the oath of John P. Majors, that on the sixth day of July, 1848, L. C. Conrey, John Gillaspy and a number of others assembled at the house of Jacob Majors, in said county, for the purpose of violents. You are therefore, in the name of the State of Iowa, commanded to take L. C. Conrey, John Gillaspy and such others as may be found in said assembly and them forthwith bring before me, or some other Justice of the Peace, to answer to said complaint and be further delt with according to law.
"Given under my hand this 7th day of July, 1848. "ROBERT GARDEN, "Justice of the Peace."
Without telegraphs, telephones, or other means of quick com- munication, the settlers were soon apprised of the fact that Majors had not only rescinded his promise to make restitution, but was trying to bring about the arrest of several of their number. This warrant was issued on Friday and before Saturday night the settlers all over
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the county knew what had taken place. Late Saturday afternoon a summons reached Knoxville for the settlers to rendezvous at Dur- ham's Ford. It was also stated that Peter Parsons had already been arrested and taken to Oskaloosa, where he was confined in jail, and that the sheriff of Mahaska County was looking for about fifty other persons against whom indictments had been filed. The settlers were likewise notified "to come prepared to rescue the prisoners."
On Sunday morning, July 9, 1848, a large number of men col- lected at Knoxville, determined to stand by the claimants at all hazards, and marched to Durham's Ford, bearing a United States Hag upon which had been inscribed in large letters the words "Set- tlers' Rights." By sunset on that day several hundred people were gathered at the ford, fully armed and equipped. Others came in early the next morning, swelling the number to about five hundred. These men were then organized into a sort of military order and the mounted men were drilled as cavalry by a man named Mulkey, who had served in the Mexican war. With fife and drums this little army then advanced on Oskaloosa. Upon arriving at the town the arms were left in the wagons, under a strong guard, and the main body formed in the public square about the time Parsons was to be tried. The formidable demonstration had its effect and the prisoner was released without bail, though he had not been confined in the jail as reported.
The offending Majors was in Oskaloosa, but, probably acting upon the theory that discretion is the better part of valor, kept out of sight, while others indulged in making speeches. Late in the day he again promised to deed the disputed lands to the original claimants, and this time the promise was fulfilled. The settlers then disbanded, the principal object of their demonstration having been accomplished.
But the end was not yet. Majors was filled with a desire for revenge and at the earliest opportunity swore out warrants for the arrest of several "leaders of the mob." Donnel says: "The officer who was authorized to make the arrests was kind enough, whenever he conveniently could, to notify the intended prisoners when he should call for them, and consequently, when he did call, they were often absent and their whereabouts unknown."
Friends of Majors repeatedly advised to drop the matter, but per- suasion and remonstrance were of no avail. His persistency finally aroused such indignation that a company of men of recognized cour- age was sent out with instructions to find Majors and bring him to Knoxville. Majors was conscious of his danger and did not spend much of his time at home. The company, after searching in various
.
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places for him, finally found him at work in Hollowell's saw mill, near the mouth of Cedar Creek, sawing some lumber for himself. It was noticed that he kept his rifle near at hand and carried with him whenever he left the mill. Not wishing any bloodshed, the men crept up as close to the mill as possible and secreted themselves, while one of their number, a man unknown to Majors, went forward ostensibly to make some inquiries about some stray horses. In the course of the conversation this man managed to get between Majors and his gun, when the others rushed from their hiding place, seized him, tied him upon a horse and set out for Knoxville.
Upon arriving at the county seat Majors was turned over to an- other select committee, composed of men so disguised that they could not be readily recognized, and taken to the fair grounds, where he was divested of his clothing and coating of tar and feathers applied to his naked body. He was then ordered to put on his clothing, after which another coat of tar and feathers was added and he was admon- ished to "Go and sin no more."
Majors made one more attempt to prosecute the men who had thus humiliated him, but "was unable to bring his case into court for the reason that the courthouse was guarded at about the time set for trial and every one, lawyers and witnesses, known to be for the prose- cution were egged away when they attempted to enter." Thus foiled he abandoned his efforts and soon afterward the family sold their possessions and left the country.
EARLY DAY LAWLESSNESS
In the settlement of the country, as civilization moved westward, it seemed to have been the history of every frontier community that in its early days it became the haven of a number of lawless characters. Courts were not always within convenient distance, and these lawless persons took advantage of the situation to commit depredations upon the peaceable settlers or engage in disreputable brawls that a few years later could not and would not have been tolerated. Marion County was no exception to this rule. Among the pioneers, particu- larly in the neighborhood of Red Rock, were a few men who seemed to fear neither law nor physical injury.
One of the most noted of these rough characters was William Blankenship, who was commonly called "Old Blank." Before com- ing to Marion County he became involved in a dispute over a claim near Fairfield. Such confidence did he have in his ability to admin- ister summary punishment to his adversary, that he offered to settle
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the controversy by a fist fight, the winner to take the claim. Old Blank had won so many contests of this nature that he anticipated no difficulty in winning another. But this time he was mistaken. His opponent proved to be the better man and after a thorough castiga- tion, in which he lost part of his nose, he merely remarked to his antagonist, "the claim is yours, sir," and walked away.
He then came to Red Rock, where he soon became engaged in a feud with a man named Johnson, the latter bringing suit against Blankenship on an account of some fifteen or sixteen dollars, and obtaining a judgment therefor, which Blankenship refused to pay until the constable levied upon his horse. One morning shortly after the lawsuit Johnson found his grindstone broken, his bee hives robbed and other petty depredations committed upon his premises, and immediately suspected Blankenship. Johnson decided to have him arrested upon suspicion and a warrant was placed in the hands of John M. Mikesell, then holding the office of constable. Early the next morning Mikesell repaired to the cabin of Blankenship, whom he found in bed. The constable took a chair and began talking on some subject entirely foreign to the purpose of his visit. After a few minutes he remarked that the chair seat was sticky and that the sub- stance felt and tasted like honey. Thinking that some of the stolen honey might have become smeared over the chair, Blankenship ex- plained that he and Mat (meaning his brother-in-law, James M. Wil- liams) had cut a bee tree only a night or two before. Mikesell then replied that it tasted like Johnson's honey and announced that he had a warrant for Blankenship's arrest for having stolen it. The latter agreed to go before a justice to answer the charge, but solemnly declared that if Johnson appeared against him he would kill him. This threat, which would probably have been executed, had the effect of intimidating Johnson and the case went by default.
Not long after this a claim dispute arose between Blankenship and Elihu Alley, who was the owner of a saw mill on the Des Moines River a short distance above Red Rock. One day while Alley was alone at the mill a noise on the bank of the river attracted his attention and upon looking up saw Old Blank taking deliberate aim at him with a rifle. Just at that moment a third person appeared on the scene, when Blankenship lowered his gun and walked away. He afterward boldly stated that if Alley had not looked up, and the other man had not appeared, his life would have come to an end then and there.
Not long after this Mr. Alley and his son Cyrus, with another man, were working in the mill at night, when they were fired upon
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several times from the opposite side of the river, some of the bullets striking so near them that they extinguished their light and hurried away from the mill. It was well known that Old Blank was the man who did the shooting, but the Alleys were so much afraid of him that they made no effort to have him arrested.
About 1849 or 1850 Blankenship left Red Rock and started for California, much to the relief of the peaceably inclined citizens. On the way across the plains he got into a quarrel with a man over some cattle, drew a pistol and shot his antagonist, killing him instantly. He was promptly arrested and tried by a posse, and was sentenced to be hanged. An improvised scaffold was hastily constructed for the pur- pose of carrying out the sentence, when one of the bystanders sug- gested that the proper thing to do was to turn him over to the Utah authorities and let him be executed according to law. This was done, but the culprit managed to make his escape and, it is reported, after- ward became a wealthy land owner in California.
James M. and John Williams, brothers-in-law of William Blank- enship, were men of the "hale fellow well met" type, who could stand up in front of a bar and drink as much whisky as anybody. In early days settlers were in the habit of buckling a bell about the neck of one of their cows, in order that the herd might be the more easily found when wanted. A cow belonging to Henry Lott, who lived near Red Rock, lost her bell, which was found by the father of Mat and John Williams. One of the younger Williams children afterward told his father that Lott accused him of stealing the bell, whereupon Mat and John went to Red Rock, filled up with bad whisky, and then started on the hunt of Lott, declaring their intention of "cleaning him out." They found the object of their quest at John W. Alley's, pulled him out of bed and administered some rough treatment, the unoffending man all the time protesting his innocence and offering to prove it if they would but give him an opportunity.
R. R. Watts, a justice of the peace, happened to be present, but was unable to command the peace. The next day he went to Knox- ville and obtained a warrant for the two Williams boys, who were tried at the next term of the District Court. John was dismissed for want of evidence, but Mat was remanded to the court of Landon J. Burch, a justice of the peace, for trial, where he was found guilty and fined the limit of the law.
In the history of Swan Township, in Chapter VII, is given an account of the manner in which the Casner family was run out of the county. While Fort Des Moines was still a government post, Jonas Casner stole a horse from some of the Indians. He was arrested by
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order of Captain Allen, in command of the fort, and tried by a court- martial, but the evidence was not sufficient to convict. Satisfied, how- ever, in his own mind that Casner was guilty, Allen turned him over to the Indians with instructions to give him a severe whipping and let him go, which the Indians did with apparent enjoyment.
Not long after this a man named Fish, while returning from Keo- kuk with a load of goods, encamped for the night near the Des Moines River, not far from Agency City. During the night Casner stole one of his horses. Next morning Fish went to an Indian encampment and borrowed a horse to go in pursuit. Several miles from the camp Casner came riding up alongside of him, mounted upon the very horse for which he was in search. Before Fish was aware of Casner's intentions, the latter drew a large knife and cut the girth of Fish's saddle. Then by a sudden push threw the rider to ground and seizing the rein of the Indian horse galloped away with both horses. It is not known how Fish got his goods to their destination, or how the matter was finally settled, but the incident shows the character of the man Casner.
Horse stealing was common in the early days, before the country was sufficiently settled to make the chances of escape difficult, and if a horse thief was captured he was almost certain to receive punish- ment under the rulings of "Judge Lynch." One instance of this kind was when Ray Alfrey captured a man mounted upon a stolen horse and took him to Red Rock, where he was severely whipped and warned to leave the country. He lost no time in obeying the injunc- tion. He returned soon afterward, however, and stole another horse, when he was again whipped, but this failed to cure his propensity for stealing. Not long afterward he stole his third horse and was shot dead while trying to get away with it.
Red Rock was situated upon a much-traveled Indian trail and was at the border of the United States Territory, hence it became the resort for the Indians and the lawless white men who infested the frontier. Shooting and stabbing affrays were common, but no record of many of these crimes has been preserved. Among the early crimes were the killing of a man named Burns by a ruffian named Shaw, and the murder of Mr. Lloyd by one Wines. Near the close of Wines' trial one of the jurors became seriously ill and the case was continued to the next term of court, but before that time Wines died.
One of the latest cold-blooded murders in the vicinity of Red Rock occurred on the evening of September 15, 1873. For some time there had been bad blood between Horry Williams and one of his kinsmen on one side, and William Eutsler and a Mr. Keeton on Val. 1 -22
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the other. The trouble began over some scandal concerning the wife of Horry Williams and Mrs. Keeton. On the date above named the two Williamses, accompanied by a man named Anderson, went to the house of William Eutsler and requested him to go with them to Keeton's, about two miles west of Red Rock, stating that the old quarrel was settled and that they merely wanted to talk the matter over.
When the three men reached Keeton's house, Mr. Eutsler asked Keeton to come outside. He had hardly crossed the threshold of his door when Horry Williams began to use insulting language, calling Keeton a liar, etc., at the same time flourishing his revolver. Keeton told him that if he would lay aside his revolver and meet on equal terms he would fight him, and with this remark turned to enter the house. Accounts differ as to just how the killing of Keeton was accomplished. One report says he was shot by Horry Williams just as he was reentering the house, and another is that Keeton was reaching up to take his gun from the rack, when Horry fired, the bullet striking Keeton under the left shoulder blade and after passing through his body lodged under the right arm. Just as Horry Will- iams shot Keeton the other Williams fired at Eutsler and wounded him in the hip. Horry Williams was afterward arrested, tried and sentenced to twenty years in the penitentiary, but on the way to Fort Madison he managed to escape from the officers. He afterward figured in the robbery of the county treasury in 1876.
Marvin Williams, a brother of Horry, was killed at Red Rock on Sunday evening, August 12, 1877, by T. R. Buttery. It appears that the two men were associated in the operation of a saloon at Red Rock and got into an altercation over their respective interests, Will- iams claiming a full partnership, while Buttery insisted that he was the sole owner. In the altercation Williams was shot near the heart and died almost immediately.
THE TREASURY ROBBERIES
Marion County has been unfortunate in the loss of public funds by the robberies of the county treasury. Some writers state that the treasury was robbed three times, but this is a mistake. The first loss was caused by the defalcation of David Stanfield, who was elected treasurer in 1854, and at the expiration of his term was reelected. He was a candidate for a third term in 1857, but was defeated by William J. Ellis. When the new treasurer took charge of the office and checked up the books he found a shortage of $4,546.20. Mr.
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Stanfield was notified, but declared he was ignorant of what had become of the funds, indignantly repelling the charge that he was guilty of embezzlement. Not long after this Mr. Stanfield went to Missouri and some of the Marion County people, thinking he had left to avoid prosecution, took steps for his arrest.
R. S. Patterson was appointed an agent to pursue the ex-treasurer and Governor Lowe authorized the county judge of Marion County to advance said Patterson the sum of $100 toward defraying the expenses. On January 20, 1858, F. M. Frush, then county judge, ordered the issue of a warrant for the amount. Just about that time Stanfield returned and the case was taken into the courts, where judgment was rendered against his bondsmen for the amount of the shortage. Stanfield assigned his property to C. G. Brobst, who realized upon it the sum of $2,206.93, which was turned into the treasury, leaving the bondsmen to make up the balance of $2,339.27.
Mr. Stanfield afterward removed to Kansas and the news came back to Marion County that he was living there in a state of poverty. This caused a reaction in public opinion, the belief becoming general that the deficit was caused through his ignorance of bookkeeping methods and that he had not profited by the missing funds. A peti- tion was circulated and numerously signed, asking the board of super- visors to dismiss further proceedings against him and his bondsmen, which petition was granted and the county assumed the loss.
The second robbery of the treasury-really the first actual rob- bery-occurred on the night of February 9-10, 1867. Maj. W. T. Cunningham, then county treasurer, had been absent for a few days at Des Moines on business connected with the courts, the office in his absence being under the charge of his deputy, a Mr. Venable. On Sunday morning, February 10, 1867, Mr. Cunningham, who had returned home the evening before, went to the office in the court- house to look after his mail. Upon entering the office he noticed the door of the vault open, the safe forced and the funds missing. The burglars tock public funds amounting to $30,915 and $1,600 belonging to Daniel Smick, a blacksmith, which had been left with the treasurer for safe keeping, but they either overlooked $886.02 in silver and copper coins, or declined to take it because it would be too heavy to carry conveniently. The following description of how the burglary was committed appeared in the Marion County Demo- crat of February 12, 1867 :
"The burglars, for there were undoubtedly several men engaged in the crime, gained entrance to the office by one of the windows, the lower sash of which was raised half way up. Previously they had
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broken into the J. F. Reed blacksmith shop, stealing almost an entire set of tools-sledges, hammers, chisels, tongs, etc. The evidence shows that they first attempted to pry off the door of the vault by inserting steel wedges between the edge of the door and the iron casing or frame. Failing in this, they removed the brick work of the vault, exposing the end of the door bolt, which was driven back by repeated blows of a hammer, breaking the lock. The safe was now exposed. This safe is what is known as Lillie's patent burglar proof safe of latest pattern-one deemed impregnable against all efforts.to gain admission to its interior save by legitimate means. The dial by which it was locked was either broken by a hammer or blown to pieces by powder. The hinges were finally broken off, but still the burglars failed to gain an entrance to the money until they had driven steel chisels or wedges into the cracks, by which operation the heavy and massive sides of the safe were sprung so that the door bolts slipped past and the goal was won."
The board of supervisors assembled in special session on Mon- day morning and offered a reward of $2,000 for the arrest of the thieves, and $8,000 additional for the return of the whole amount taken. Notices of this reward were published in newspapers of various cities and detectives flocked to Knoxville. The board con- tinued in session for several days. On the 13th Mr. Cunningham was arrested and taken before Justice of the Peace Norris, where he was placed under $10,000 bonds to appear before the court on the 25th. When that day arrived Mr. Cunningham appeared, but there was no one to prosecute. . His case was finally sent to Monroe County on change of venue and was stricken from the dockets of the court without coming to an actual trial before a jury.
Safe experts from various safe and lock companies testified that the burglary was committed by experts, and this had much to do with the acquittal of Major Cunningham, who had lived in Knox- ville for years and had never acquired the reputation of being an expert cracksman.
On March 25, 1867, Charles F. Lardu, alias H. E. Lossee, was arrested at Marshalltown by the deputy sheriff of Polk County on suspicion and brought to Knoxville. In a hearing before Squire Norris on April 3d, he was able to show that he was eighty miles from Knoxville on the night of the robbery and was released.
William D'Armond was arrested at Osceola in May, taken to Knoxville and had a preliminary hearing before Squire Kennedy, at which his bail bond was placed at $15,000. This he was unable to furnish and he was sent to Oskaloosa for safe keeping until June
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5th, when he was brought to Knoxville for trial. D'Armond had been a resident of Knoxville during the winter of 1866-67, and had disappeared shortly after the robbery. Public opinion was divided as to his guilt or innocence, but at his trial evidence was introduced to show that one of his children was very sick at the time of the rob- bery and that he was at home all that night. On the 8th his trial ended and he was released from custody, but many persons could never be convinced that he was not in some way implicated in the rob- bery. The money was never recovered.
On Tuesday evening, October 10, 1876, while R. M. Faris, the county treasurer, was in the office working on his books two masked men entered the room. Hearing a noise at the door, Mr. Faris looked up and directly into the muzzle of a revolver held by one of the robbers. They demanded that the treasurer should open the safe. There was a public meeting of some kind in session in the courtroom above, and Mr. Faris knew that the men would not dare to shoot, as the report would soon bring the crowd down stairs. He therefore refused to open the safe. One of the men went through his pockets and found the key to the vault. They then locked the office door on the inside and opened the door of the vault. One of the men pushed Mr. Faris inside and again demanded the opening of the safe, both of them presenting revolvers. The treasurer still refusing, one of the men put his revolver in his pocket and drew a murderous looking knife. A stroke from this knife made a slight gash in the breast of Mr. Faris' coat. Seeing that the men were determined, and realizing that the knife would make no noise, Faris then opened the safe. The robbers took all the money they could find-something between twelve and fourteen thousand dollars- locked Mr. Faris in the vault and left the courthouse.
About three-quarters of an hour later the treasurer was discov- ered and released by the night watchman, the fire bell was rung, giv- ing a general alarm, and in a short time several hundred citizens had assembled. A meeting was organized and messengers were sent in all directions to head off the robbers. The board of supervisors was called to meet in special session and detectives were employed to trail the robbers, but without success. In time the citizens began to settle down to the conclusion that the money was gone and that the thieves would never be caught. In this they were mistaken. The county officials and detectives were at work, quietly and systemat- ically, and at last a clue was obtained through information from St. Louis that a number of new bills on the Maroin County National Bank had recently been placed in circulation in that city. Treasurer
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