USA > Kansas > Cherokee County > History of Cherokee County, Kansas and representative citizens > Part 24
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"The home defenders were known as 'Leaguers.' By epithet, they were called 'Bloody Leaguers,' 'Idlers' and 'Cut Throats.' And yet not a grave ever marked the resting place of any person at the hands of the fear- less defenders of our homes. Instances did oc- cur where persons 'jumped' or attempted to take the claims of the Leaguers. In such case they were simply ordered to move off. This was business, and it had its moral effect. One instance, in our immediate neighborhood, serves to illustrate how the Leaguers did busi- less : A Leaguer, before the fight was over, concluded to sell his claim and improvements. Finding a purchaser who offered to pay the price, he moved off and gave possession, before the payment was made. After being repeatedly asked to pay for the claim, the purchaser coolly informed the Leaguer that possession was nine points in law, and he told the Leaguer to help himself if he could. The matter was brought before the League, of which I was chairman, and a decision was soon reached. About two
o'clock that night fifty mounted Leaguers sur- rounded the house, harnessed up the man's horses and hitched them to his wagon. They then ordered him to get ready, with his family, take what wraps they wanted and get into the wagon. He begged like a fine fellow, made many fine promises and promised to be good, if left alone. We politely told him that prom- ises seemed easily broken, and that possession is often ten points, under our law. He and his family were bundled into the wagon, a driver took the lines, a guard went in front and another in the rear, and not a word was spoken until we came to Spring River. There a good fire was built, and then he was informed that he would not be harmed, in the least, pro- vided he stayed there until the sun was an hour high the next morning ; that if he or any of his family left before that time, Spring River was near, and he might have to swim. It worked like a charm, and the Leaguer had pos- session of his place by sun-up the next morn- ing, and the man who had been put off never attempted to do anything, which was very wise.
"Before we had our land prepared to raise a crop, we took our oxen and drove down into Missouri, which we called Egypt, and bought corn, flour, meat and other things, which we brought back into the land of promise. Many people in Missouri believed that they would always have a good market for their surplus, claiming that we could not raise anything in Kansas ; but we soon turned the tables and sold them corn.
"There is quite a difference between open- ing up a farm now and at the time of which I write. Lumber was scarce and very dear. farm implements were hard to obtain, all kinds of merchandise were high in price and fencing material was so scarce and high priced that it was next to the impossible for the settlers to get it. Fence wire was from 10 to 12 cents a pound. In fact, the dollar of those days was
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about the size of a quarter at this time. Not- withstanding all these adverse conditions, the early settler struggled on until the light came and the gloom was dispelled. As a rule, we were all, as neighbors, at peace with one an- other and always ready to land a helping hand when any one was in need. Our religion was social equality, none contending for supremacy or to be more holy than his neighbor. The cabin of the settler was the church, where the community met, sang their hymns, offered their prayers and parted in peace. In those days party politics did not much concern the settlers. It was home, and how to defend it against the growing monster of greed which was then get- ting possession of the public domain. After the organization of the League, the League ticket ruled for years. I identified myself with the settlers, believing that the public domain, of right, belonged to the men who cultivated it, and not believing that might makes right, nor believing that the public domain, God's gift to all mankind, can by the might of money be con- trolled by the few and parceled out to the many, nor by legislative enactments given to one, to the detriment of the many who were compelled to purchase at unjust prices what, by right, belonged to them.
"From what we have passed through, en- dured and overcome in our struggles for the possession of the soil, and to erect homes, plant and grow groves and orchards and to diversify the once monotonous landscape, build school- houses and churches for the education of the youth and to lead them along the paths of higher morals, can we, the early settlers, be condemned for the fight which we made? Of- ten our bill of fare consisted of sorghum, corn bread, fat meat, milk and water, and some- times coffee. Often, in my surveying trips over the county, I slept on a mattress of prairie hay. with pillows of the same material, the mattress resting upon a bedstead made of poles and in
a room where the earth served as a floor. This was all the settler could afford, and I cheerfully accepted the accommodation. Pride has had no fall in Cherokee County, but it has raised its head triumphantly through poverty's veil. and by honest toil it has brought this section of country to be second to no other. The hand that tames wild nature and makes it yield its hidden treasures moves the world."
Charles Stephens, a well-known attorney living in Columbus, has reminded me of a set of facts which may be put into a narrative of interest to the readers of this history. It re- lates to the discovery and development of min- eral directly east of Columbus, on Spring River. The narrative follows :
"What has been known as the John Roush farm and the J. K. Jones farm, over on Spring River, where the Frisco railroad crosses that stream, were settled in the 'sixties.' The for- mer tract was at one time owned and occupied by S. J. Ellis, who still lives near the place. The tract of land was then covered with heavy timber, but this was finally cut off and the land was put into cultivation, by different individ- uals who never dreamed that they walked every day over millions of mineral wealth. S. J. Ellis, while living there, in a little log hut, gave a contract to an old man to dig a well, for water, near the house. Sufficient water was found at a depth of from fifteen to twenty feet. The man who dug it said he found pieces of lead and zinc, and he wanted to contract for the sinking of a shaft. Ellis, having no confi- dence in what the man said, and believing that he merely wanted further employment, refused the contract. For years he eked out a mere living on the farm, but soon after it fell into the hands of James Roush he found a small piece of lead ore at the edge of Spring River. which runs through the place; but he put off the matter through believing that some miners
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from Missouri had dropped the ore there. Roush made a living, for years, by tending the pumping plant of the railroad, on the bank of the river. In the meantime he mortgaged the farm and, being unable to pay the interest ac- cording to the contract, he lost it in foreclosure, in 1889.
"J. K. Jones early became the owner of the quarter section just south of the Roush farm. When he bought the place, he gave a mortgage for a part of the purchase price ; and it was al- ways a struggle for him to meet the obligation. It seems there were two mortgages. When the first fell due, Jones was much perplexed, and he made all kinds of offers to get some one to take a lease on forty acres and put down holes in search of mineral he felt sure was there. He never lost confidence in the matter ; but. being financially unable to do anything himself to- ward developing the ground, he was almost frantic in his anxiety to induce some one else to undertake it. He always explained that he had found 'shines, down along the river,' and that there was no doubt as to there being mineral there. Finally, he made a lease to the Jones- boro Milling Company, in 1896, and this com- pany sank a shaft and opened up one of the greatest lead and zinc mines in the West, which is still being worked on a large scale.
"Mr. Jones took great pleasure in watching tlie great tubs of ore, as they were hoisted out of the mine, and he daily talked of the trip which he would take to California, a pleasure which had been the dream of his life. Fate had decreed it otherwise; for soon after he began to receive his royalties, in gratifying amounts, physical disabilities which had long hindered him from being a very active man were intensi- fied until death cut off his earthly hopes. The administrator of his estate sold the farm for $32,000, or at the rate of $100 an acre. There had been times, within the ten years next pre- ceding, when it could have been bought for
$10 an acre. Not long after the first big sale, it was sold again, for $82,000, or at the rate of $512.50 an acre.
"In 1899, L. G. Scranton. L. H. Winter, George W. Humphrey and Charles Stephens, who were then the owners of the Ronsh farm, leased a portion of the farm, east of Spring River, to P. C. Stephens and Charles Stephens, as the firm of Stephens Brothers. They sank a shaft near a natural cave in the land, passing through a very rich body of ore at a depth of 65 feet. This was the first shaft east of the river, in what is known as the Peacock Val- ley. Mining continued in this valley until 1901, when 40 acres of the Roush farmt were sold for $36,000, or at the rate of $900 an acre, the United Zinc Company being the purchaser. This company began deep min- ing, opening up vast bodies of ore at depths ranging from 100 to 150 feet. Stepliens Brothers consolidated their mines with the "Last Chance" mines, in 1902, under the cor- porate name of The Peacock Valley Mining Company, and a very large mill is now in operation, clearing from $500 to $1,500 a week. Five other mills are in operation at this point, and it is generally conceded to be among the richest mining land in the Galena-Joplin district. Three miles north of these mines, at the north end of the same valley, a mine known as the Lawton Mine is being operated, and a mill has recently been built there."
From the foregoing narrative it may be seen how people may live for a long time in the midst of natural riches, without ever com- ing into their enjoyment. John Roush and J. K. Jones, for many years eked out a hard, scanty living on their farms, practicing the most rigid economy in order to meet their obli- gations and at the same time support their fam- ilies. The former finally lost his home, through the foreclosure of a mortgage; the latter doing a little better by leasing
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his land and reaching a condition where life seemed to begin to be worth the living, when he was called away, as if to give others a chance to reap the rich harvests which might have come to him long years before. The good things of life seem not always to come to those apparently most in need, and who very often seem to be the most deserving. Fortune fre- quently frowning in cold disdain upon the earn- est seekers after a mere modicum of the com- forts of life, and as frequently dispensing her favors upon those who come by chance within the reach of her lavish hand.
An interesting narrative is given by Mrs. Leslie Patterson, of Mineral City. In early childhood she was left an orphan, and she was reared by Jacob Galer, of Ohio, who had a fondness for adventure, in the following of which he often went contrary to his wife's judgment, as men so often do. Jacob Galer first moved from Ohio to Illinois ; then to Kan- sas ; thien to Iowa, where he remained a while (of course only a short while), and then moved to Missouri, settling in one of the finest por- tions of the State, but his roving spirit would not let him alone, and he came back to Kan- sas. It was in Jowa that Mrs. Patterson, then Olive Carter, a little child, was taken into the family. Jacob Galer's moving outfit consisted of two wagons, one drawn by three yoke of oxen, and the other by two yoke of oxen, and a lighter wagon drawn by two horses. He brought along a number of cattle and sheep and a few extra horses, the family, with the outfit, making quite a caravan. The begin- ning of the journey was from Trenton, Mis- souri, in the summer of 1865; the destination was unknown, only that it must be somewhere on the frontier. Jacob Galer's family consisted of himself. his wife, a daughter nearly grown and Olive Carter, the little girl whom they had taken to raise. Two men were hired to drive
the ox teams. Mrs. Galer drove the team of horses and Mr. Galer brought up the loose horses, cattle and sheep. At Cameron, Mis- souri, one of the men quit the company, and Mr. Galer had to take his place. From that point. on to Cherokee County, Kansas, the daughter and the little girl, then II years old, walked and drove the loose stock. They crossed the Missouri River at Kansas City and came south by the way of Fort Scott, from that point following the military road until they came to Shawnee Creek, just north of where Crestline now stands. They camped there one night, and the next day took a course west- wardly, and the next night they camped on what is now known as the Johnson farm, about two miles northwest of Columbus. Far along in the night, after the howling of the prairie wolves had lulled the family to sleep, it chanced that Mr. Galer awoke and saw a glaring light toward the southeast. It increased rapidly in brightness, and he wisely concluded that a prairie fire was advancing from the direction of Baxter Springs. He awoke the family, hitched the teams to the wagons, rounded up the herd, and the whole caravan moved off as fast as possible toward the west. Very early the next morning they came to a log cabin on Lightning Creek, the home of a family by the name of Hale. After getting breakfast about a camp- fire which they built on the bank of the creek, they started in a southwesterly direction and continued their way until they reached a point on the Neosho River, about a mile south of the place where the Frisco railroad now crosses the river. Here Jacob Galer laid a claim and lived for many years. He then bought what is now known as the Blincoe place, a mile and a half northwest of Colum- bus, But even then he was not satisfied, al- though he had moved from place to place enough, it would seem, to bring about a desire for settling down, if roving ever brings such a
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desire. The next change was when he sold out and moved to Washington Territory, and this was his last, for he died there, going out "seeking a better country."
I deem it not improper here to speak of John Mclaughlin, who, in the spring of 1867, settled on the northeast quarter of section 12, township 32, range 22, in Sheridan township, Cherokee County. He is mentioned here on account of his once being well known, a highly respected citizen of the county and a cultured gentleman, and on account of his tragic death. He was an Irish Presbyterian, a devout, earn- est Christian, a man of probity and of the highest integrity. At the time of his death he was a member of the Board of County Com- missioners, and in this position, as in all other relations of life, he displayed good judgment and constantly souglit the best interests of the people. On an afternoon in the latter part of October, 1874, he and two sons, Willis and William, took a wagon and team and drove out to Lightning Creek, to get a load of wood. Prairie chickens were numerous then, and naturally they would take a gun, which they did. They were about three miles from home when they saw some chickens, and Willis, then 14 years old, got out of the wagon and then reached back for the gun. In taking it out the gun was discharged, the contents entering his father's body. The wound was not imnie- diately fatal, but the flow of blood was so great that life could not long remain. Mr. Mc- Laughlin, knowing that he was going to die, directed one of the sons to get on a horse and go for his wife. The boy did so, and Mrs. McLaughlin was brought as quickly as possi- ble. The wounded man, first of all, charged his wife never in any way to blame the son for what he had done; that it was purely acci- dental, and that he must never be made to feel bad about it. He then directed her what to do
in winding up the estate, talking calmly and unexcitedly to the very last, and when he had gone over such things as he deemed it proper to mention he quietly and peacefully closed his eyes and was dead. No man could be more missed than John Mclaughlin, either by his family or by those among whom he lived in the community; for it is rare that one's acts and deeds are more disinterested and helpful than were his.
Among the early settlers of Cherokee County no one was better known than Capt. Sidney S. Smith, who was elected the first county superintendent, in 1866. He was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, July 26, 1821, and while yet a young man he moved to Des Moines County, Iowa, and later to Mahaska County, in that State. He was married to Clementine Frederick, in that county, Novem- ber 24, 1847. Miss Frederick was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, January 13, 1828. Captain Smith came to Cherokee County in 1866; his family came the next year. They settled in the western part of Lola township, where they lived a short time, and then moved to Columbus. They had three daughters, who married, the oldest to WV. R. Cowley, the sec- ond to Chester Branin, the youngest to R. C. Warren. Captain Smith died July 1, 1892. Mrs. Smith, now in her 77th year, lives in East Columbus, where she has an elegant home with her daughter, Mrs. Warren.
Captain Smith's death was a sad one. He was nearly 71 years old and somewhat hard of hearing ; but he was so energetic as always to be at work. On the afternoon of July 1, 1892, he had taken a plow from the field to a black- smith shop to have it sharpened, and he was on his way back to the field with the plow on his shoulder, and he on horseback, going east along the south part of Columbus. The wind
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blowing a gale from the south, and he being partially deaf, he did not hear a train which was going south. The engine killed both him and the horse instantly. He was so well known and so highly respected that his frightful death created wide-spread sorrow over the county. He had been very prominent in public affairs, very energetic and determined in all his pur- poses. It is said to be largely due to him that the county seat trouble, which so divided the people for many years, was finally settled to the satisfaction of a majority of the people.
Mrs. Smith has the original election certi- ficate which was issued to Captain Smith when he was elected county superintendent. It is as follows :
STATE OF KANSAS, CHEROKEE COUNTY, SS.
I, William Little, County Clerk of Cherokee County, certify that, at an election held in the various townships of Cherokee County, on the 6th day of No- vember, 1866, Sidney S. Smith was duly elected to the office of superintendent of public instruction.
Witness my hand and seal, this the 17th day of July, 1867.
( Private Seal.)
WILLIAM LITTLE, Co. Clerk.
Dr. C. W. Hoag, of Weir, has handed me two comparatively old papers, which because of their association with men and things, it is thought proper to copy here. The first is a railroad pass ; the other is a commission author- izing him to perform the official duties of a justice of the peace. The railroad pass is as follows :
MISSOURI RIVER, FORT SCOTT AND GULF RAILROAD. QUARTERLY PASS. THIRD QUARTER. June 27, 1877.
Pass C. W. Hoag, Agent at Coalfield, from June 30, to September 30, 1877.
W. L. ANNETTE, Superintendent.
The certificate of appointment and commis- 12
sion, as justice of the peace, was issued by George T. Anthony, then Governor of the State. Governor Anthony, who died about three years ago, was a cousin of the well known Susan B. Anthony, who has done so much to- ward the enfranchisement of women. The cer- tificate follows :
THE STATE OF KANSAS.
To All to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting :
Know ye, that I, George T. Anthony, Governor of the State of Kansas, reposing special trust and confidence in the integrity, patriotism and abilities of C. W. Hoag, on behalf and in the name of the State, do hereby appoint and commission him Justice of the Peace of Cherokee Township, Cherokee County, vice Henry Lincoln, de- ceased, and do authorize and empower him to dis- charge the duties of said office according to law.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State.
Done at Topeka, this 27th day of April, A. D). 1877.
GEORGE T. ANTHONY.
Attest : THOS. H. CAVANAUGH, Secretary of State.
Dr. Hoag says that Judge A. H. Skidmore, then just admitted to the bar, tried his first case in his court, at the old town of Stillson, soon after the foregoing certificate was issued.
Col. William March, of Baxter Springs, re- lates a little incident of his journey when he first came to Kansas. It was in September, 1869. At that time the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad had not reached Fort Scott. Pleasanton was its southern terminus. Colonel March traveled by stage from that place to Baxter Springs. Between Fort Scott and Baxter Springs there was what was then known as "The Halfway House," a mere cabin on the prairie, where the stage horses were changed, and where passengers might get din- ner. There were several on the stage that day. and among them two or three ladies. The ride over the prairie gave all good appetites, and a number described what they would like to have
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for dinner. Colonel March said he would like to have fried chicken, brown gravy, hot biscuits and good, strong coffee. When they arrived at the cabin and went in to sit down at the table, there was just such a dinner as he had de- scribed, including every detail. Colonel March has never yet determined whether "the woman of the house" had a mental message from him or not; but he knows that he got what he wanted.
The following story is told by Cyrus W. Harvey, concerning the manner in which the Varck post office got its name :
The people of Quaker Valley wanted a post office established in their neighborhood. There was an old, somewhat influential man living at Baxter Springs. He was known as "Dad Var- rick." Through him a petition was sent on to Washington and placed in the hands of Dudley C. Haskell, a Member of Congress from this State. Haskell took the petition to the Fourth Assistant Postmaster General. The two talked over the matter, and in looking over the papers found that the people had recommended that the office be called Varrick; but it seems that, even then, the Department was in favor of mak- ing names of post offices as short as possible ; names having but one syllable being preferred to longer ones. In this instance it was agreed that Varrick should be cut down to Varck, and so it remains to this day.
In a way, or for good reasons, Cherokee County lays some claim to Eugene F. Ware, at present the United States Commissioner of Pensions. Mr. Ware, when a very young man, settled in what is now Ross township. Various stories are related of his early struggles. He took a claim, and it is certain that he lived much as other people lived here in those days. It is said that he broke prairie with a large plow
drawn by ox teams, and that he often came to town in an ox wagon, and that he sometimes came barefooted. Others say that he did not go barefooted, in public; but it is admitted that he was a sturdy plowman, and that he never shunned hard work. Mr. Ware was a close student while he was working on his farm, and it was not long until he quit tilling the soil, studied law and was admitted to the bar. But he liked other things also. He had a vivid im- agination, loved literature and sometimes wrote poetry, some of which is unexcelled. Here is his poem,-"The Washerwoman's Song,"- which, with other poems, was published in a little book, "The Iron Quill," which has given the author more than local fame :
In a very humble cot, In a rather quiet spot, In the suds and in the soap, Worked a woman, full of hope; Working, singing, all alone In a sort of undertone, "With a Savior for a friend, He will keep me to the end."
Sometimes happening along, I had heard the semi-song, And I often used to smile, More in sympathy than guile ; But I never said a word In regard to what I heard, As she sang about her Friend Who would keep her to the end.
Not in sorrow nor in glee Working all day long was she, As her children, three or four, Played around her on the floor ; But in monotones the song She was humming all day long, "With the Savior for a friend, He will keep me to the end."
It's a song I do not sing, For I scarce believe a thing Of the stories that are told Of the miracles of old ; But I know that her belief Is the anodyne of grief, And will always be a friend That will keep her to the end.
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