USA > Kansas > Barton County > Biographical History of Barton County, Kansas > Part 37
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The consolidation of the banks resulted in a
slight change in the directorate of the insti- tution. C. E. Lobdell remained president of the institution, with Chas. V. Brinkman vice- president. Peter Brack of Olmitz was added to the directorate and Frank Brinkman was made assistant cashier. The officers and directors of the bank are as follows: C. E. Lobdell, presi- dent; R. R. Hamilton, vice-president; Chas. V. Brinkman, vice-president; Fred Miller, cash- ier. Directors: C. E. Lobdell, C. V. Brinkman, Peter Brack, Ola B. Chapman, R. L. Hamilton, F. V. Russell, W. Torrey, E. J. Eveleigh. The institution has deposits amounting to nearly one million dollars.
E. L. CHAPMAN
E L. CHAPMAN was born in Bath Eng- lang, and came to Great Bend in 1873. Immediately after his arrival he took an active part in all public matters and up un- til the time of his death which occurred June 13, 1894, he was one of the best known men in the state. He took up a homestead in Buf-
years. During the Harrison-Cleveland cam- paign he was nominated for presidential elec- tor from the Seventh District of Kansas at a convention held in Garden City. He later re- signed this office to become a candidate for state senator and was elected by a flattering majority. He served but one term in this of-
E. L. Chapman
falo township, in this county. He was elected Probate udge on an independent ticket in 1874 and was also elected to this office two successive terms on the Republican ticket. He was appointed postmaster of Great Bend by President Garfield and served nearly five
fice, resigning to accept the appointment of receiver of the U. S. land office at Larned. This appointment was made by President Har- rison. He organized the First National Bank of Great Bend in 1885 and it is now one of the leading financial institutions of the state.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
The following is taken from the Kansas State Directory of 1889:
"E. L. Chapman, of Great Bend, Barton County, representing the Thirty-sixth Senato- rial District, has long been identified with :he interests of Central Kansas, his name being connected with many of the enterprises hav- ing for their obect the development of the Arkansas Valley. As editor and publisher of a newspaper he has always advocated all legit- imate propositions tending to benefit the peo- ple of Barton County, and his paper-The Register-has always been a power for good in Barton County. During the last campaign (1888) Senator Chapman had a hard battle
but succeeded in gaining a victory over his opponents. He is a member of Pap Thomas Post, G. A. R. of Great Bend and was among the number whose names appeared on the charter for this organization. He entered the U. S. army in 1861 and was mustered out in 1865, having served as Provost Marshal of the Department of the Cumberland. He was mar- ried to Anna Jones at Paducah, Kentucky, in 1864, and they are the parents of four chil- dren: General L., Laura, Leo and Edward." Mr. Chapman numbered his friends by the score and his death was an occasion for much grief in the community where he had proved himself to be a kind and generous man.
PETER BRACK
O NE of the most notable examples of what a harbor of freedom the United States is, and a proof that all men in it are free and equal is Peter Brack of Olmitz, Bar- ton County. He was born in the village of Popotchnaja, Russia, and was one of four chil- dren and with the usual prospects offered those residents of the Czar's realm who are not for- tunate enough to be classed among the land owners or nobility. In Russia a man may have enough land to be called a farmer but he rents that and as a rule it is a little one to four acre patch of ground on which he raises migh- ty small crops, considering the amountt of work he puts in on it, and he meets the taxes, the rent and cost of repairs as though he owned the land, and no matter how poor the crop might be, the share system only works when the owner of the land gets his share first and the tenant takes what is left. Mr. Brack was fired by the stories of riches to be found in America ,but did not imagine that money grew on trees, and could be had for picking it off, but he thought of the injustice of the system which denied him and his brothers-although as intelligent as the other children of the coun- try-the right of freedom. The stories of the new world appealed to him, satisfied that if given a chance he could make good, he with his young wife, mother and three brothers and families, joined a coloney starting for America. They arrived in New York October 21, 1876. Peter was then nineteen years old. His first position in Barton County after he arrived here was with L. M. Krause, working on his farm at $8.00 per month. Later he took up farming with three brothers near Olmitz and after a short time he went to Colorado where he work- ed for the railroad for some time. In 1883 he started a country store on his eight acre farm in this county, with a stock consisting of $800 worth of goods. Looking ahead to the devel- opment of his land, he having always lived in a farming country, knew that it was in farm-
ing that money was to be made. He was inter- ested in seeing that his people got a good start and was a great help to other families that came to Barton County from his old home in Russia. These people were part of the colony of which the Bracks made up a part, and which is ex- plained more fully in another article in this book. Mr. Brack has always been a leader among his countrymen in this country and those who were helped by him helped him in return when the fruits of their labor on the farms were successful. But if the farm had not paid well, he would never had received anything in return for what he loaned. The farm land made good and his money was re- turned to him. He invested in lands and saw that they paid. In the '90s when there were years of crop failures the Russian colony knew that it was only a cycle of poor years like they had known in Russia, and they stay- ed by the lands. As land got cheaper the young merchant saw his chance and began investing with the result that he now owns in Western Kansas nearly 100 quarter sections of land owns stock in several banks, is president of the bank at Olmitz-which became a necessity as the community prospered and gave up his store to retire from active business a few years ago. Two years ago he made a trip to the old country and on his return wrote a most interesting account of his travels. He is a shrewd, thorough business man, well content to live among the neighbors with whom he has shared joys and woes for thirty-five years and yet is a modern American business man. He is a product of the United States and proves the opportunity it has offerer to the people of all nations. Blessed with no children of his own, he and his wife have an adopted daugh- ter, now Mrs. Constantine Schneider who with her husband share their palatial home in Ol- mitz, one of the finest appointed houses in the county.
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OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
ANDREW JACKSON HOISINGTON
T HERE are a number of biographies in this book but none that will be read with more interest than the one concerning A. J. Hoisington who was one of the best known pioneers of the state or at least that section of it now known as Barton County. No one person did more to further the interest of Great Bend and Barton County than did the subject of this sketch and his memory is re- vered by all who knew him for his kindly deeds and unswerving manhood. Andrew Jackson Hoisington was born near Quincy, Illinois, July 2, 1848. When a boy he removed with his parents to Greene County, Iowa; and later to Madison County, where he grew to manhood on his father's farm. After teaching school sev- eral terms he went to Des Moines, Iowa, where he learned the printer's trade in the of- fice of the Des Moines Register. After a few years he returned to Madison County and be- came part owner of the Winterset Madisonian. He came to the State of Kansas in 1874 and first located at Newton where he taught school a short time after which he came to Great Bend and followed the same occupation. Af- ter teaching school northeast of Great for a few weeks, he was asked to take charge of the Great Bend Register which had just been established. This he did and ultimately pur- chased the paper and continued as its pub- lisher until 1883. It was during this year that he was appointed receiver of the U. S. land office at Garden City to which place he took his family. He sold the Register to E. L. Chapman. Shortly after entering the land of- fice at Garden City he organized and became president of the Finney County Bank. During the next few years he organized a string of banks throughout Southwestern Kansas, these establishments being located at Santa Fe, Ulysses, Arkalon and Hugoton. In 1890 he sold his interests in Garden City and moved to
Kansas City where he organized the Hoising- ton Loan & Trust Co., and the Hoisington Publishing Co., which he managed for several years. In 1895 he returned to Great Bend where he again got possession of the Register and had for partners in the business his sons, Earl and Roy. He died at Winterset, Iowa, in February, 1896. He was married to Miss Mary Smith of Madison County, Iowa, December 31, 1874, and they were the parents of three chil- dren: Morris Earl, Roy Albert and Arthur Frank, all of whom are living. Mrs. Hoising- ton died in Kansas City November 1, 1890.
Morris Earl Hoisington was born in Great Bend, January 20, 1876. In 1890 he became associated with his father and brother in the publication of the Great Bend Register. In 1895 and '06 he published the Clarion at Claf- lin where he also served as postmaster. He is a linotype operator at Grand Junction, Col- orado, employed by the Sentinel of that city. He was married August 28,, 1905, to Miss Bes- sie Henderson of Grand Junction and they are the parents of one son, Robert Morris Hoising- ton.
Roy A. Hoisington was born in Great Bend, November 21, 1880, and began his newspaper career with the Register in the latter '90s. He ยท purchased the Standard at Leoti, Kansas, in 1901 and continued as owner and publisher until 1911. He was postmaster at Leoti six years. He married Miss Margaret Riley of Leoti and they are the parents of four chil- dren.
Frank A. Hoisington was born at Garden City, Kansas, November 27, 1886. He was as- sociated with his brother, Roy, in the publica- tion of the Leoti Standard for several years. He is now foreman of the Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, Colorado. He was married in 1910 to Miss Peal Greenawalt at Leoti, Kansas, and they are the parents of one son, Carl.
DR. AARON HENRICK CONNETT
A ARON HENRICK CONNETT was born at Milford, Clermont County, Ohio, December 31, 1848. When he was three years of age his parents moved to Madison, Indiana, where his father died the following year and Aaron was sent to live with rela- tives on a farm some distance from Madison. He remained there until he was sixteen years of age and attended the district schools a num- ber of years and finished his public school edu- cation at the high school in Madison. After his graduation from the Madison schools he took up the trade of carriage making and worked in a factory for four years. In 1867 he, with his mother and brothers came overland to Bed- ford, Iowa, arriving there October 1, 1867. Here he followed the farming business until
1874 when he took up the study of medicine in the drug store and office of his brother, M. C. Connett, who had been actively engaged in the practice of medicine in that town for several years. In 1878 he graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now a department of the Drake University of Iowa, at that time located at Keokuk, Iowa. He also attended the Rush Medical College of Chicago. He prac- ticed in his home town in Iowa until 1884 when he came to Barton County, Kansas, and located at Great Bend and since that time has been one of the best known physicians and surgeons in this part of the state. Dr. Connett was mar- ried to Miss Harriett Fordyce of Bedford, Ia., March 14, 1878, and there were three children born to this union: Bess, Mary and Helen G.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
Mrs. Connett died in April, 1886. In April, 1887 Mr. Connett was married to Miss Lizzie J. Fordyce whom he also survived, she having died in November, 1896. In 1907 Dr. Connett married Elizabeth J. Rothell of Kansas City and they now occupy a neat residence at 1111 Morton street. Dr. Connett has always taken a great interest in the affairs of the commun- ity in which he lives and for four years was a member of the school board and served as city and county physician during the times when the community was suffering from a small pox epidemic. Dr. Connett handled the disease in a most acceptable manner and confined it to a limited area by prompt and efficient action. Dr. Connett stands high in the Masonic frater-
nity of Kansas. He became a member of the Masons in Iowa before coming to Kansas. He is a member of the local lodge Number 15, A. F. & A. M., and at different times has been ,Master of the local lodge, and served in the same capacity in his home town in Iowa. He is also a member of Mt. Nebo Chapter No. 36 R. A. M .; Zabund Council No. 4 R. & S. M .; Wichita Consistory No. 5, 32nd degree, Wichita, Kansas; Isis Temple, A. A. O. N. M. of Sa- lina, Kansas; St. Omer Commandery No. 14, K. T .; is Past Grand High Priest, Grand Chapter R. A. M. of Kansas; Past Grand Master Grand Council R. & S. M. of Kansas, and at present is Grand Treasurer of the Grand Chapter and Grand Council, having held the latter office since 1903.
E
Dr. A. H. Connett
283
OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
CHRIS GILSON'S TRIAL
By D. N. Heizer
I N February, 1873, T. J. Peters, general manager of the Santa Fe road, wired me to go to the end of the road at the west line of the State of Kansas and survey the town of Sargent. I had an order to Mike Green, the famous track layer, for such as- sistance as I needed, who, having finished his labors in building the road to that point, was in camp there for the winter with a gang of track layers. There roamed in that country from Dodge City west, a gang of outlaws and horse thieves as daring and as desperate a set of robbers as could be found anywhere. Many of them were young men who had grown wild out of the buffalo hunting trade and wanted to be bad men; others had drifted away from civilized centers because they were bad and had to leave; others were naturally bad and when they found themselves in a free open country, free from the restraint of law, acted out their natural tendencies. At any rate they were a bad lot.
After leaving Dodge City in a caboose on the rear end of a construction train with Mose Weyman as conductor, at some little station west of Dodge, Cimarron, I think, two of these characters boarded the caboose, who, in the parlance of those days, were called "wolves." Each one of them had a pair of navy 44s strapped on his hips. Mose came around for their fare, which they flatly re- fused to pay. He went away about his busi- ness. After a while, biding his time and op- portunity, having said nothing to irritate or arouse them, in passing along near where they sat and observing that they were off their guard, quick as a flash, he grabbed one of the pistols out of the holster and with it cocked in their faces, demanded their fare and got it, and took the rest of the pistols away from them. He was a little fellow, not over five feet, six inches high, but quick as a flash and per- fectly fearless.
I reached the town of Sargent in the even- ing and found that there had already been built in a line a row of houses, tents and im- provised places of business some forty or fifty in number, 400 feet north of the track.
L found also that the "wolves" in the absence of any organization or establishment of law or official authority were running the town. I found my old friend, Bob Wright, an old pion- eer on the Santa Fe trail, and a store in full operation. I took my blankets and transit and went to his store to stay all night. We made our beds down on the floor and surrounded them with sacks of shelled corn to afford us protection from stray bullets while we slept, as the so-called "wolves" were in the habit of shooting up the town at night as an evening pastime.
On investigation the next
morning,
found I would have to organize a camping out- fit and go back down the road to Holidaysburg and carry out a line from the limit of the gov- ernment survey as there was a sixteen-mile strip east of the state line which had not yet been surveyed, and I must do this in order to find my location.
In the morning I also found my old friends Mose and Jim Gainsford, who had come into that point from somewhere on a hunt. Mose was glad to see me and said he wanted my help. It seemed that an old Scotchman by the name of Alexander Gourley had come into this point from a buffalo hunt with a team of horses and wagon and had sold his pelts, got his money and the wolves were trying to get both away from him, and Mose and Jim, both strapping young fellows, good shots, fond of jadventure and daring, found nothing more suited to their liking than to take up the old man's cause and help to get him out of the clutches of these self same "wolves."
They told me their plan was to get the old man to hitch up his team and drive out on the street ready to go when they knew the wolves would gather around the wagon to stop him. They asked me to get my gun ready to be on the ground as a careless looker on when they were ready to start, and in case of any trouble to govern myself accordingly. I carelessly wandered around to the starting place to where the old Scotchman had driven his team from the rear. The wolves gathered around as they had expected, and Jim Gainsford climbed up on the front seat beside the old man and pulled one of his revolvers out and just laid it across his knee. Mose got up on the rear end of the wagon with his needle gun across his lap cocked and ready for business. When all was ready, without any apparent con- cern Mose called out to the old man to drive on, he was all ready. Two of the wolves had gotten around in front of the horses, but when they saw the determined mien of these two men they did not interpose any opposition to their going. They knew if they did that some- body would be hurt, and it might be they. There was nothing more said, but I could see as they drove away the look of disappointment and chagrin on the faces of these men who threw a glance at each other and seemed to come to a definite understanding that there was a job they had better not undertake as it was very likely to be more than a day's work. Nothing further occurred during the day of an exciting nature, except the robbing of a hunter who came in with hides and got some money and had taken a little too freely of whiskey when they fleeced him completely in broad day light. That night, as far as excitement was concerned, was a repetition of the night be- fore. The "wolves," though, seemed to be on
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
a general carouse and spent most of the time drinking in Chris Gilson's saloon, marching up and down the street yelling and shooting and making night hideous as only wolves can. They were bad men from the head waters of Bitter Creek, and it was their night to howl and they did howl.
Chris Gilson was an intelligent, bright Irishman who had, from Newton west, run a saloon tent to supply the demands of Mike Green's 300 track layers and associate trade. The railroad men said Chris was a good fellow, honorable in his dealings with them, and sold them whiskey for their money, but would nev- er permit any crooked business in his saloon. About a month before this time he had gotten into a controversy down at the old town with one of this same band of "wolves" who was at- tempting to rob a man in his place and to shoot him dead; consequently the gang had it in for Chris, and on this particular night they had gone to his place and, about "ninth drink time," it began to look very threatening, when Chris slipped out and went over to the railroad car- penter's train and stayed all night in fear of his life. The "wolves" took possession and compelled old Dad, his barkeeper, to mix drinks for them all night, as wanted, while they made merry and had a good time.
I hired an old Irishman with his mulc team, who had been teamster for Chris Gilson, to haul my camp equipage and baggage the next day down to Hollidaysburg. The next morn- ing he hitched up his team and drove it up op- posite Gilson's tent so that the tail end of the wagon reached out over the sidewalk or path in front of the buildings. I was helping the old Irishman load the wagon from the rear end when Long Jack and one armed Sam Wright came along. Just as they were turn- ing out to go around the end of the wagon, and where I stood, Chris Gilson popped out of the front of the tent with a double barrel shot gun in his hand, and, directing his attention to them, said, "You -; I'll fix you," and fired one load of buckshot into Sam Wright's heart, and he fell dead within six feet of me. Long Jack started to run towards the railroad train and he gave him the other barrel through his arm. He got to the train, which was starting, and got away with a shat- tered arm. In but a few moments more Tom McClelland came up half dazed with drink, saying he guessed Chris would not hurt him, but Chris did hurt him, for he had no sooner come within range of the tent than out he came again, and at the first shot shattered his arm; when lie started towards the railroad, with Chris after him. He finally stopped, ex- claiming, "Oh, for God's sake, don't," and re- ceived the other barrel through his chest, which killed him instantly.
The respectable business men of the town at once came to the front and asserted them- selves, a thing they had been afraid to do be- fore. They at once assembled in Bob Wright's store and then began Chris Gilson's trial by
a jury of his peers. Bob Wright was elected chairman of the meeting and somebody else secretary, and motion was made and carried to the effect that Chris Gilson be tendered a vote of thanks for the services he had just ren- dered the town, and the motion carried unan- imously. A motion was also made that the rest of the gang of "wolves" be given five min- utes in which to quit the town, never to re- turn. The motion carried unanimously. No other notification was necessary. During the next five minutes you could look in almost any direction and see a man going.
Then the hat was passed and thirty-five dollars was contributed and passed into the hands of the committee who were instructed to purchase a new shot gun, the best that could be purchased for the money, and present it to Chris Gilson as a testimonial of the services rendered by him. The meeting adjourned and from that time forth there was not a more or- derly town in that country than Sargent. The bad blood was all spilled or gone and men of even doubtful conduct found their manners at once.
I became very well acquainted with Chris Gilson after that and found him to be a royal good fellow of manly qualities and good, de- cent intentions. He had been headquarters teamster during the war, under Phil Sheridan. He was a good musician and entertained me a whole evening singing songs and playing the guitar. He was as tender hearted and as gen- tle as a woman, but he was driven to despera- tion by this lawless gang, who were in the wrong. He knew they were in the wrong and he had the nerve to take up his gun and shoot them right. The business men recognized that it was the only thing to do, and they justified him in full for doing it. Long Jack escaped on the train and went back down to Florence, Kansas, where he had grown up among decent people. I saw him years afterward attending John Robinson's circus at Florence. He told me that his experience "broke him of sucking eggs," and I dare say he became a respectable, good citizen.
Mose and Jim Gainsford took the old Scotchman with them down to Great Bend to the old Fort Zarah settlement, where the old man took up his soldier's homestead and be- came a permanent settler. He was a sturdy old son of Scotia's soil, nearly eighty years old, and had served four years and seven months in the army of the Union during the Civil war. He went on numerous hunting ex- peditions from that point, and a young German, who had just come to America and taken out his first papers, taking advantage of his ab- sence from his homestead, jumped his claim and contested his right to hold it. I defended the old man in his suit at the land office and Mose was his principal witness. The case was fought through the land department to the sec- retary of the interior, and I secured a decis- ion in the old man's favor, without hope of re- ward, and the only compensation, in fact, I did
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OF BARTON COUNTY, KANSAS
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