USA > Kansas > Labette County > History of Labette County, Kansas, from the first settlement to the close of 1892 > Part 9
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY.
hole; William Boyle, McCratty, Brown, and Mckenzie. The other body was never identified. It is altogether probable that other parties were murdered, whose bodies were never found.
From the victims the Benders seem to have procured, as far as it was afterwards ascertained, about the following money and property : From Boyle, $1,900; from McCratty, $2,600; from Brown, $37, a team of horses and a wagon ; from Mckenzie, 40 cents; from Loucher, $38 and a good team and wagon ; from Dr. York, $10, a pony and saddle. A part of the property which they had disposed of was afterwards recognized and restored to the friends of the murdered men. Those who attempted to follow the Benders became satisfied of the following facts : They took the train at Thayer and all went as far as Chanute, where John and Kate got off and took the M. K. & T. train south, on which they went to Red river, in the Indian Territory, which was then the terminus of the road. Here they were subsequently joined by the old folks, who seemed to have gone to St. Louis after John and Kate left them at Chanute. Detectives thought they were able to trace their wanderings through Texas and New Mexico. Parties supposed to be the Benders were appre- hended in many parts of the country, and several were brought back to this county for identification, who proved to have little if any resem- blance to this butcher gang. Two women, supposed to be the old woman and Kate, were arrested in Michigan in 1890, and brought to this county on requisition. On habeas corpus proceedings they were released, the court being satisfied that they were not the Benders. However, some parties who were well acquainted with the Bender family still assert that these were the real Bender women. Several parties who lived near the Benders were supposed to be implicated with them in their crimes, and some of them were arrested, but on examination they were discharged, there not being sufficient evidence to hold them for trial. One or two of those thus arrested brought suit for false imprisonment, and obtained a verdict for a small amount as damages.
VIGILANCE COMMITTEE.
Members of this organization claim that it was formed at Luray, Clark county, Mo., in September, 1863, by persons living along the borders of Iowa and Missouri, to protect themselves from horse-stealing and other crimes, and that from there the organization spread to other parts, and among them to Kansas. I am not interested in tracing its origin, but as a matter of public history it should probably be said that on one or two occasions they have made something of a stir in our county.
In August, 1872, a secret organization of many of the citizens in the
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CRIMINAL MATTERS.
western part of the county attempted to relieve the county of the pres- ence of a few parties who were then residing there, among them William M. Rogers, John Kramer, W. D. McBride, and W. H. Carpenter. These parties were visited at night by masked men and warned to leave the county within a limited time. Some of them for a time disappeared in answer to this, but it was not long until the better-thinking portion of the community made its sentiments felt, and the proposition to have men's right to live there determined by a secret council was shown to be too unpopular to succeed. It was deemed best to allow people who were charged with objectionable practices to have a fair chance for vindicating themselves before any summary proceedings were taken to require them to disappear.
On September 9, 1874, delegates from this and several adjoining coun- ties met at Stover school-house, in Fairview township, in grand council. The names of several of our prominent citizens, and some of them among the most respectable and conservative, were connected with this meeting, and with the organization as then perfected. The business of the meet- ing was of course secret, but a series of resolutions was passed and given to the papers for publication. The tone of these resolutions indicates that the organization was assuming prerogatives which did not belong to any private organization, whether open or secret. It is quite likely that the organization has accomplished some good as an aid to the civil offi- cers in taking up and driving from our borders bands of men engaged in larceny and other illegal transactions, and possibly for these services some of its utterances may be overlooked which cannot be justified.
There have been a number of instances in the history of the county in which some of these secret organizations have played quite a conspicuous part in the settlement of criminal transactions, the facts in reference to which I have not within my control, and therefore in reference to them I will not attempt to speak; but it may be said that this county has probably been as free from transactions which cannot claim the sanction of law as has any county in a new State.
CITIZENS' PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.
In 1879 there were various local organizations formed for the purpose of aiding each other in resisting payment of what they claimed to be illegal obligations. Their contention was that they had made loans through loan agents representing Eastern capitalists, and that as the loan was not made until the application was received in New York and ac- cepted by the money-lenders there, and the notes were made payable in New York, it became a New York contract ; and as the notes bore a rate
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY.
of interest greater than was allowed by the law of New York, they were absolutely void under those laws. They received some encouragement in the way of legal counsel in the position they had taken, and some few efforts were made to defeat actions which were commenced for the col- lection of these notes. But the move was not as popular with the mass of the people as the leaders in it supposed it would be, and never re- sulted in anything more than expense to those engaged in it. A county organization was formed early in its history, of which J. B. Graham of Jacksonville was president, A. J. Robertson of Oswego vice-president, J. A. Robeson of Ripon secretary, J. W. Breidenthal of Ripon corresponding secretary, J. O. McKee of Parsons treasurer, T. P. Lane of Labette City marshal. These names are given as published at the time in the county papers. It is probable that the object of the organization was somewhat broader than here stated, but it was short lived, and is only mentioned as one of the incidents showing the tendency of public opinion on matters of finance and political economy.
MISHAPS.
In every community during a course of years there are more or less occurrences which are generally regarded as misfortunes, some of which are the result of accidents and some of carelessness or mismanagement. Of these there have been quite a number in the history of the county. A few of these have either come under my own observation, or the knowl- edge of them has come to me while searching for facts on other subjects. I have made no effort to obtain this class of facts, but think it will not be out of place to mention a few of those about which I have learned.
On August 31, 1868, C. A. Kelso and Augustus Melvin, while crossing the Neosho in a skiff above the mill-dam at Oswego, ran into a drift which carried them over the dam; Mr. Kelso succeeded in getting to shore, but Mr. Melvin was drowned.
On September 18, 1869, the boiler to the saw-mill engine located on Big Hill creek, in Osage township, burst, and killed Messrs. Waymire and Worley, two of the proprietors.
On April 20, 1870, Wm. Patterson and Henry Bodine were examining a revolver in a street near the Oswego House. The revolver was acci- dentally discharged by Mr. Patterson and Mr. Bodine was instantly killed. The deceased was at the time under-sheriff. and his death caused a good deal of annoyance in reference to official papers, as well as trouble to his family.
In June, 1870, some parties came to the office of Dr. J. H. Lane, in Elston, in the night-time, and desired him to go several miles in the country to see a sick child. He lighted a lamp to dress by, but it was almost at once blown out, either by a gust of wind or by the parties in the room. He became unconscious. The last that he remembered in reference to this transaction was that he was on his horse going some- where-he knew not where. When he awoke to consciousness again he found himself in Missouri, and learned that several weeks' time had elapsed since he left his home. When he left he had quite a large sum of money on his person, most of which was gone when he found himself in Missouri. He was never able to give any account of the cause for his loss of consciousness, nor to intelligently trace his wanderings.
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY.
Only a week or two after the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Lane, the County Surveyor, E. G. Davidson, living near Daytonville, mys- teriously disappeared, and some time thereafter found himself in Oregon. He was never able to give any more satisfactory account of his trip than was Dr. Lane of his. After an absence of a few months Mr. Davidson and Dr. Lane both returned to their homes.
In the summer of 1871 old Mr. Hart with his little daughter were at- tempting to cross Pumpkin creek, at Duncan's ford ; the creek was very high, but so strong was Hart's belief that he would not die until the sec- ond coming of Christ that he drove in, and he and his daughter as well as the team were drowned.
In the fall of 1871 two children of Wm. Chatfield, in the north part of Mount Pleasant township, were burned to death. While the parents were both away from home, the boys, aged about four and six years, got some matches and were playing prairie fire. The mother, who was at a neighbor's, saw the fire, and started home. The children got into a hen- house built of hay, and shut the door; the fire caught into this, and in spite of the mother's efforts the children were burned beyond recognition before they could be rescued.
On March 13, 1872, C. B. Pratt, postmaster at Ripon, was found dead in the road between his home and Chetopa, he having fallen from his wagon and been run over by one of the wheels.
In May, 1878, a family came into Oswego and located in the east part of town, and almost immediately a part of the family broke out with small-pox ; several members died of the disease.
About the middle of December, 1880, while Richard Sloan was paint- ing the Frisco House, at Oswego, he fell from the scaffold and was killed.
In April, 1881, Alexander Bishop lost a number of head of stock from hydrophobia, and a few months after that some twenty-three head near Edna had to be killed on account of the same malady.
In the summer of 1881 quite a large number of cattle in different parts of the county died from hydrophobia.
On September 20, 1881, the boiler of a locomotive on the M. K. & T. exploded near the residence of Ben Roberts, and killed the engineer and fireman and also two other engineers who were running with them, and tore the freight train almost to pieces.
On December 12, 1881, while W. P. Wilson and his son Thomas J. were crossing Pumpkin creek, the water in which was then very high, their wagon capsized and young Mr. Wilson was drowned.
On May 13, 1882, a locomotive on the M. K. & T., while stopping at Oswego, by some means got started while both the engineer and fireman
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MISHAPS.
were in the depot getting orders. It ran a mile or two north, where it collided with a passenger train and smashed both engines, but killed no one.
On July 24; 1883, Edgar Stonecipher, a little son of Mrs. Sallie J. Stonecipher, died of hydrophobia. A little play dog had a few days be- fore that made a scratch on his hand, which was not at the time thought sufficient to be at all dangerous, but from the effects of which the boy died.
During the high water of June and July, 1885, travel over the Labette bottom above Parsons had to be by boat. On July 2d, Master Mechanic W. E. Phillips, having Chester Jones and T. Fox in the boat with him, was drawn into a current, and all were drowned.
In July, 1886, the boiler of the National Mills, at Parsons, exploded, and caused a great destruction of property.
In July, 1886, a family of movers stopped just before crossing the bridge north of Oswego, and for some cause their team commenced back- ing and backed the wagon off the bluff to the right. The mother was badly injured and a little boy had his leg broken.
In April, 1892, the barn of William Kollenberger, of Elm Grove town- ship, was struck by lightning. Five horses and two cattle were killed, and the barn, with its contents of tools, grain, etc., burned.
WEATHER.
1865 .- Fore part of the season pleasant. July 4th, Neosho higher than has ever been known at any time down to 1885. Fall pleasant. Stock did well during winter, grazing on river bottom.
1866 .- About usual weather up to May. June wet; all the streams were overflowing. What little crop was planted did well where it was not killed by overflow. In September the grasshoppers came in great numbers, and ate up everything that was green, completely filling the earth with their eggs. Fall and winter very mild.
1867 .- January and February were very warm; the leaves were started in February, and grasshoppers' eggs were hatching this month. March was disagreeable, and colder than either of the winter months: it froze hard, and the young grasshoppers were all killed; they gave no trouble that season. Crops were not planted until the last of April. May and June pleasant. Latter part of June and July extremely wet; ground too wet to get on it with machines; grain had to be cut with cradles ; streams overflowed. Very dry during the fall; streams got very low. A little cold weather during December.
1868 .- There was considerable cold weather during January, the ther- mometer indicating 3 or 4 degrees below zero, and the ice on the Neosho being six to eight inches thick; the cold extended into the fore part of February. February was milder; some corn planted the last of the month made a good crop. A few showers during the fore part of March ; snow and hail storms about the middle ; it was a very windy month. Corn was generally planted about the first of April; cattle turned out to grass about the 10th. Several good showers during May. June was very dry, grass injured ; corn badly damaged by hot and dry weather; harvest commenced about the last of June. The middle of July the thermometer ranged from 110 to 115. The latter part of August was the first time the ground had been soaking wet for a year. September, heavy rains ; streams overflowed. Wheat-sowing took place in October. Middle of November the ground was frozen. Latter part of November and fore part of December severe sleet and snow-storm, and the same during the latter part of December.
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WEATHER.
1869 .- January and February were mild and wet; the Neosho was over-bank ; cattle did well on the range with little or no feed. February 25th was the coldest day of the winter; thermometer 5 degrees below zero; little snow during the winter. March was windy, rainy and dis- agreeable ; cattle turned on the range the first of April. Corn mostly planted the latter part of April. Plenty of garden truck the latter part of May and fore part of June ; frequent rains during June. Wheat har- vest commenced the first of July. August was dry and hot. Plenty of rains during the fall. Snow the 16th of November, and December 10th it fell to the depth of fourteen inches.
1870 .- There were several cold days in January, but no extremely cold weather; several slight snows during January and February. February pleasant. Quite a hard snow on the 12th of March; the last of March a good rain, which was the first hard rain during the spring. On April 16th there was a hard frost which cut down the corn and potatoes. Wheat harvest commenced about the middle of June ; latter part of June and fore part of July very hot. Latter part of July and fore part of Au- gust hot and dry ; heavy rains the latter part of August. The fall very seasonable. High water during the latter part of October. Several inches of snow the latter part of December.
1871 .- January 1st was pleasant; lettuce was growing in the gardens large enough to eat; January 12th to 15th heavy snow-storms; ex- tremely cold ; snow fifteen inches deep. February 3d a heavy rain, ac- companied by wind. April 21st heavy frost, which killed grass and fruit. Last week of June was very warm; thermometer stood at 90 to 104 degrees ; wheat harvest commenced the 1st of June. On the 1st of July a good rain fell. August and September were dry. November 13th, the first freeze ; 18th, first snow. December cold, with little snow.
1872 .- January cold, but generally pleasant; 7th, fourteen inches of snow. February 1st, sleet and snow. March dry, and wheat suffering. Middle of May a good rain ; last of May new potatoes were in market. Wheat harvest commenced about the 20th of June. Part of last half of December very cold.
1873 .- Fore part of January sleet; snow and showers during latter part of month. February was fine, with showers of rain, and snow. Severe hail-storms during April; one very severe on the 5th ; on the Sth it snowed and sleeted all day ; at night the ground was covered with snow to the depth of four inches. During May and June there were heavy rains; Neosho river overflowed; harvest commenced about the 20th of June. August was very dry.
1874 .- January pleasant. little snow or cold. Season all that could
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY.
be desired for crops up to July. Chinch-bugs work on wheat some this year; harvest commenced about June 10th. July and August extremely hot; corn greatly injured; in August grasshoppers came. November 18th a sleet, and first freeze.
1875 .- January was cold, but little snow. More snow in February. Oats sown about the 10th of March. Corn planting commenced about the 1st of April, and continued until June on account of two crops being eaten off by the grasshoppers.
1876 .- Opened with a hard rain ; no snow during January ; weather cold, but not severe. No snow in February and considerable cold weather. March 19th, ten inches of snow on the ground, and the weather cold. Year closed with a cold spell and hard snow-storm.
1877 .- Fore part of January sleet and snow and weather somewhat cold, but generally the month was pleasant. During February and March there was much rain and roads muddy. Heavy rains in April and May. The fore part of May Professor Riley was in the county investigating grasshoppers; the eggs were then hatching. June 5th to Sth heavy rains and streams at high-water mark ; houses on bottoms surrounded with water, corn crop washed out; June 28th one of the hardest rains ever known, accompanied by wind and hail. This season the corn was replanted two and in some instances three times. There was plenty of rain during July and August. November 8th wind and snow. Decem- ber was wet and muddy ; no snow during the latter part.
1878 .- January generally wet; roads muddy; wheat looked fine. February continued wet, but generally pleasant. In May the Neosho river overflowed ; boats used for travel on the bottom-lands ; many fami- lies had to leave their homes and go to higher grounds; the San Francisco track was washed out; the streams were all out of bank. During June it rained almost incessantly ; the ground too wet to harvest with machines ; wheat cutting commenced about the 6th of June ; most of it had to be cut with cradles ; much of it was lost because of inability to get on the ground to harvest. Latter part of July and August were dry and hot. No frost until the 1st of December ; about the middle of December heavy sleet ; December 17th and following, Neosho frozen over -ice six to eight inches thick.
1879 .- The first part of January was cold, with six inches of snow on the ground ; more snow during the latter part of the month. New pota- toes in market about the middle of May. Wheat-cutting commenced June 10th ; rain during the latter part of June. July and fore part of August hot ; some fine rains. Good rains about the middle of August. "The grasshoppers create a scare in September, but do no great amount
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WEATHER.
of damage. The fall was dry and warm; November 10th a good rain. The year closed with the ground covered with ice and snow.
1880 .- January warm ; very little ice or snow. February, oats were sown and garden made. March was colder than January or February. April 28th, Prof. John Tice visited Oswego and lectured on cyclones: came to make scientific investigation on this subject. Plenty of ram during May and June ; crops look well. Summer very seasonable. Last part of August dry. October 7th, six inches of snow. November 16th, snowed all day, and was snowy and disagreeable until the 20th. Decem- ber 23d, 12 degrees below zero; ice on the Neosho six inches thick.
1881 .- Large quantities of ice were taken from the river the fore part of January. February 11th, hard snow-storm ; 23 degrees below zero. March, snowy. The summer was generally dry and hot. Rains com- menced about the first of October. November 25th, sleet and ice.
1882 .- January warm and muddy during the first part of the month, with cold weather the last part. February, a good deal of rain and little winter. May 12th, sleet and frost. Much rain during May and June. Hot wind in September. Considerable snow in December.
1883 .- First part of January, good sleighing and cold weather; Jan- uary 5th, 20 degrees below zero; the month generally cold, with plenty of ice and snow. Fore part of February, a severe storm. The streams were all frozen from Christmas of 1882 up the middle of February ; gen- erally frozen to the bottom, so that it was difficult to get stock-water; February 14th, ice commenced breaking up; latter part of February, rained so that by the opening of March roads were almost impassable. Spring was very cold and backward. June was very hot; 14th, the streams were out of their banks. Good rains during July. November 12th, a hard freeze. December 3, five inches of snow, and more snow during latter part of the month.
1884 .- January 1st, five degrees below zero; ground covered with snow; January 3d, fifteen to twenty degrees below zero; January one of the most disagreeable months for years. February was also wet and dis- agreeable ; February 12th, one of the very hardest sleets ever experienced in this part of the country ; many trees broken down. Spring did not really open until about the middle of March. May 1st, river high. Plenty of rain all summer. December 11th, snow storm ; latter half of the month cold.
1885 .- First part of January rainy ; 23d, six inches of snow fell. February mostly cold, with considerable snow; March 17th, ground cov- ered with snow, weather cold. This year was noted for its floods, 110 less than three occurring during the season. Heavy rains during April -7
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY.
resulted in all the streams rising almost, if not quite, as high as had ever before been known; by the 22d of the month all of the bottom lands were submerged and crops destroyed; fences were washed away, and very much stock was drowned. On May 8th there was a slight freeze, and snow; corn was re-planted, and very largely injured by the web- worm. In the latter part of June the rain again set in, and by the open- ing of July the bottom was a second time entirely overflowed, this time the water being several inches higher than had ever before been known ; families had to be brought out of the bottom to save them from perish- ing ; many hundred acres of wheat that had been cut was washed away, and all crops that had been planted on the bottom lands were ruined ; railway tracks in many places were entirely under water, and all trains were for a time stopped. On the San Francisco road, east of Oswego, a train-load of cattle was attempting to cross, but was stopped at the Neosho river bridge because of its dangerous condition, and before it could back up to high ground a large section of embankment had become washed away, leaving the train standing in the middle of a lake several miles in width. An attempt was made to drive out a part of the stock ; a number of them were drowned, and for days feed was shipped to the remainder of them in boats. Passengers and mail were transported from the east side of the river in boats for a number of days; freight ship- ments were completely blocked. The third overflow this season occurred in September, and while the water did not reach the height of either of the other two, yet all of the bottom land was inundated, and all crops thereon were destroyed. October and November were so muddy that farmers could hardly get into the fields to gather corn ; in the middle of November the ground was frozen, and several inches of snow. Decem- ber 25th, ten degrees below zero.
1886 .- January opened warm; damp and a little snow the first few days; several days of quite cold weather about the middle of the month ; moderate the last half. Quite a snow-storm the first of February, but the month was generally pleasant. March was a cold month ; several snow-storms and little spring weather until the last of the month. April and May were pleasant and seasonable months. July was a hot month. December opened and closed with cold weather ; the thermometer stand- ing several degrees below zero most of the month.
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