History of Montgomery County, Kansas, Part 7

Author: Duncan, L. Wallace (Lew Wallace), b. 1861, comp
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Iola, Kan., Press of Iola register
Number of Pages: 1162

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

cessful in this election never held office by virtue of the votes they re- ceived, though two of the commissioners and the county clerk got in by appointment. The vote for commissioner was as follows: T. J. MeWhin ney, 429 ; Thomas Brock, 350; W. W. Graham, 354; Thomas Hanson, 276; John Klappel, 262; S. B. Moorehonse. 217. The first three comprised the Independence ticket and the last three the Liberty ticket. JJ. M. Seudder got 409 votes for probate judge, to 266 for L. C. Judson. J. A. Helphing- stine, in the language of the day "ran like a scared wolf" for county clerk, receiving 490 votes to 181 for E. C. Kimball, the incumbent. A. J. Busby had it unanimously for treasurer with 670 votes. A. A. Hillis had 461 for clerk of the district court, to 209 for J. K. Snyder. C. H. Wycoff for county attorney had no opposition and received 665 votes. The same was true of 3. C. Price with 650 for coroner. and John Russel with 665 for register of deeds. Edwin Foster got 448 for county surveyor to 224 for J. L. Scott. E. D. Grabill beat AA. Il. McCormick for superintendent of schools. 396 to 280.

A few days before this election the Independence party had sent Charles White to Topeka with a certified copy of the record in the contest case before the Wilson county probate court. He returned on the evening of election day with the appointments of a new set of commissioners by the governor, which also rendered the last election ineffective. Two of the snecessful candidates and one of the minority party had been appointed, the new board, which was the fourth in chronological order, but the sec- ond to serve, consisting of W. W. Graham, Thomas Brock and S. B, More- honse. Charles White and L. T. Stephenson lost no time in carting this board down to the site of Verdigris City, which really seems to have been entirely deserted, where, sitting in a wagon on May 5th, 1870, it was organized by the election of Mr. Graham as chairman. The board then appointed John A. Helphingstine county clerk. Samuel Van Gundy. coun- ty treasurer ; B. R. Cunningham, sperintendent of schools ; and J. K. Sny- der. register of deeds. Not only this, but they made thorough work of it while they had their hands in by naming the Independence Pioneer as the official county paper. and ordering the district court which was to con- vene on May 9th, to meet at Independence, to which place the county offices were also temporarily transferred, there being no accommodation for them at Verdigris City. On the 13th of May an action brought in the district court to compel the removal of the county offices to Liberty was dismissed at plaintiff's cost. This practically settled the county seat war, though it was not until the following November that the matter was formally ratified by a vote which stood 839 for Independence to 560 for Liberty.

On petition, the commissioners, on June 4th. 1870, divided the county into nine townships making the boundaries about as they are to-

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

day, except that the three east side townships were, later, each split into two. The names of the townships, the voting places and the first trustees, who were appointed at the same time are here given :

Cherry. Cherryvale. J. D. Hillis.

Sycamore, Radical, Wm. Compton.

Louisburg. Louisburg. James Kelley.

Rutland. Thomas Young's. S. W. Mills.

Independence, Independence, W. O. Sylvester.

Verdigris. Liberty. John Lee.

Westralia. Westralia. R. Brewer.

Fawn Creek, Miller's Store. Frank B. Polley.

Caney. Bellviers. Jasom Q Corbin.

The trustees for Cherry, Verdigris and Caney never qualified and W. P. Brewer. J. Nelson Harris and John West were appointed to fill the vacancies.

Elections came thick and fast in those early days, and on June 21st, of the same year the question whether to issue $200,000 to aid in the con- struction of the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston railroad was sub- mitted to a vote, which resulted according to the returns, 1,340 for and 826 against the proposition. On the 24th the vote was canvassed and the bonds issued. That the vote was fraudulent, and that the bonds ought never to have been issued was subsequently demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt, but after a long legal contest and the payment of some $30.000 in attorneys' fees and expenses, a compromise was finally made with the "innocent purchasers" of these bonds at about 65 cents on the dollar, and we are still paying this debt.

At the election held in November 1870, W. W. Graham, H. D. Grant and John McDonald were chosen commissioners, Setth M. Beardsley, clerk : Frank Willis, county attorney; Charles White, sheriff; Samuel VanGundy, treasurer; W. H. Watkins, probate judge; L. T. Stephenson, district clerk; W. S. Mills, register of deeds; Nathan Bass, superinten- dent of schools; and M. L. Ashmore. coroner. Thos. L. Bond and W. 1. Allison were elected representatives.

The commissioners got in a wrangle with Willis and employed E. W. Fay. an attorney located in Peru, in Howard county, to attend to all the county Imusiness. They also came to a disagreement with Stephenson, the district clerk, and on his refusal to furnish the additional bond they re- quired, they declared his office vacant. Not to be outdone in that sort of business. Stephenson issued his proclamation, which he published in the official county paper over the seal of the court. declaring the commission- ers' offices vacant. Stephenson was a man of tall and commanding ap- pearance, and prominent in public affairs for many years. Hle at one time owned a large traet of land adjoining and near Independence on the

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

southeast, but his speculations did not always "pan ont," and in the early nineties he was convicted of cattle stealing in the district court and sen- tenced to a term in the penitentiary. There was always some doubt as to his guilt. however, and when his application for pardon was pending, he appeared before Governor Morrill and the Board of Pardons and made a convincing argument in his own behalf, they meanwhile supposing him to be an attorney for the convict, and having no suspicion that he was arguing his own case.

The year 1871 found the people of Montgomery county in the foll tide of prosperity, due to the rush of settlers and the rapid apprecit- tion of land values, and the county having gotten over the teething stage of its county seat fight. settled down to a contest for the offices on straight political lines. The results of the election, however, were a good deal mixed. In general the Republican ticket was successful, but both the Democratie candidates for representative were elected. L. U. Humphrey, who must be counted the most successful politician Montgomery county has ever had, made his maiden race as a candidate for the lower house, and was defeated by B. F. Devore by a majority of 48. In the southern distriet. Capt. W. J. Harrod, the Republican candidate, fared even worse. Dr. Dunwell receiving 539 votes to his 301. The commissioners, as elected, were .J. C. Frazier, William: J. May and W. S. Rentfro. For sheriff, Capt. J. E. Stone was elected, receiving 941 votes to 686 for his Democratie com- petitor. Capt. J. B. Rowley, who subsequently became editor of the Kansan. Charles White made the race for the same office on an independent ticket and fared about as well as independents usually do. getting only 28) votes. Dr. A. J. Busby led J. B. Craig just one vote as a candidate for treasurer: Helphingstine got in again. as clerk with 105 to the good over Cavanaugh; Norman Ives, afterward postmaster at Independence, beat Ashbaugh 135. Of these candidates Devore, as well as Ives, afterward beranie postmaster at Independence, and Capt. J. E. Stone is now serv- ing in the same capacity at Caney. The office-holding habit, once con- tracted. is apt to retain a strong grip on its victims.

The following year, 1822, was the one of the Grant-Greeley campaign, and the Republicans regained all they had lost in the county. Devore and Dunwell both went down to defeat. M. S. Bell and Maj. T. B. Eldridge carrying off the honors in the representative contests. A. B. Clark, who had been Coffeyville's first mayor, became county attorney; E. Herring began his long incumbeney of the office of probate judge; and Nathau Bass was elected superintendent of schools. The Democratic candidates for these offices were C. J. Peckham for probate judge; J. D. Gamble for county attorney and Daniel Woodson for superintendent. A fight was made on W. J. Harrod. the Republican candidate for district clerk. on account of his connection with the railroad, which was then becoming very unpopular because of the bond business, and he was defeated by

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

his Democratie competitor. T. O. Ford, who, like Peckham, was named as a liberal or Greeley Republican. The candidates for state Senator were A. M. York, who was destined to achieve a wide notoriety in the near fu- ture, in connection with his exposure of Pomeroy's attempt to bribe him in the senatorial election the succeeding Jannary, and Frank Willis, the former county attorney. as his Democratic com- petitor. A. D. Med'une made his debut in the politics of Montgomery coun- ty at this time as an unsuccessful aspirant for the Democratie nomi- nation for county attorney.

Unquestionably the political sensation of the year 1873, so far as our state was concerned, was furnished by Senator York, of Montgomery county. When Kansas was admitted to the I'nion in 1861. Samuel C. Pomeroy was named as one of her first United States Senators. Six years later he was re-elected ; and now after twelve years service in the Ameri- can "House of Lords," he was back at Topeka determined to secure a third term, if money without stint would do it. He had made the Senator bus- iness so profitable financially that it was understood that he could and would spend $100,000 rather than be defeated. Ife had, of course, ac- quired the reputation of a boodler and a purchaser of legislative goods that were in a damaged condition, and there was a strong sentiment against him when the legislature met. An organization of the Anti- Pomeroy members was formed and of this our senator York was made secretary. To make sure of Pomeroy's defeat it was determined to entrap him into giving a bribe to some member who would afterward expose him on the floor of the joint convention. James Simpson, afterward secretary of state under Governor Humphrey's administration, and a prominent political wire-puller in the Republican ranks for many years. is credited with devising this scheme. York had had some previous deal- ings with Pomeroy when he was sent to Washington the previous winter to get the land office removed to Independence, and he was hit upch as the most available man to touch Pomeroy for his roll.

Everything worked as planned. York not only got Pomeroy to prom- ise him $8,000 for his vote and a speech stating that after investigation he was convinced that the charges against Pomeroy were groundless, but he secured $7,000 in advance. The legislature being almost manimonsly Republican, no caneus was held. On Tuesday, January 28th, the two houses balloted in separate session, and Pomeroy received 50 votes, the rest being scattering. It was reported and believed that he had 70 mem- bers pledged, 67 being sufficient to elect. Only 60 were standing out against him, and his election seemed inevitable. And yet after the Mont- gomery county senator had made his talk in the joint convention the next day Pomeroy did not receive a single vote.

There have been many dramatic incidents in the legislative annals of Kansas, but no other ever equalled in intensity of interest and unexpeet-

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY. KANSAN.

edness that climax of Col. York's speech when he advanced to the clerk's desk and laid down the two packages, one of them open and containing $2.000, and the other, a brown paper parcel, tied with twine, which, when opened, was found to contain $5,000 more. Pomeroy's friends sug- gested an adjournment that he might have an opportunity to be heard in his own defence. but the mine had been sprung and the legislators were in no mood for temporizing. When the roll was called John J. Ingalls had received 115 votes-all but 12-and was declared elected, although in the two houses on the previous day he had but a single vote. Of the 12 scattering, two were cast for Alexander M. York, and in view of the way he had upset all the calculations of the politicians it seems a wonder that he did not fall heir to Pomeroy's seat.

For a time after York had thus exposed Pomeroy and secured the overthrow of that rotton old rascal it seemed as if the sun rose and set about the Montgomery county senator, and there was nothing in the way of political preferment he might not seek and find. The press of the state and nation rung with laudations of his course. His speech on the floor of the joint convention was pronounced unequalled since Cicero uttered that awful philippie against Cataline. A magnificent reception was tendered him when he returned to his home at Independence, and men of all parties united to do him homage. The name of York became a house- hold word, and he would have been deemed a pitiable croaker who would have even suggested the posibility that higher honors would not, in the future, be bestowed upon the incorruptable statesman from the banks of the Verdigris by an admiring and grateful people. After some time was past, however, the effervescence of hysterical sentiment passed off, and York dropped into such obscurity as has fallen to the lot of but few other men in public life anywhere-certainly to fone in Kansas.

When it became known that York had not only solicited a bribe, but that he had done it as the culmination of a plot laid by Pomeroy's ene- mies to insure his downfall ; when York's own testimony convicted him of being a blackmailer, in the interest of his town though it was, the Mont- gomery county martyr found how fickle was public favor and his fall was as sudden and unpitied as his rise had been unexpected and meteoric. To- day there can be no question, that if York had put that $7,000 in his pocket and walked off with it, instead of laying it ou the table at the capito!, the people of Kansas would have more respect for him than they now do. For say what you will, it does not pay to fight the devil with fire, and of those who do evil that good may come, it shall be said forever and aye that "their damnation is just."

Although 1873 was an "off year" politically, 2,399 votes were cast, which was doing very well for a county that had been an Indian reserva- tion only four years previons. At this time the entire board of commis- sioners was chosen, and there was a new deal all around. George Hurst,

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

W. J. Wilkins and I. H. Rudd being elected. B. W. Perkins appears on the scone as a candidate for district judge-perhaps, even then hoping the he would be Congressman and Senator hereafter. He carried the county by 1,198 votes to 1.007 for J. M. Sendder, his Democratie oppo- nent. The candidates for representative in the 65th district were A. A. Stewart and JJ. S. Russum. Stewart was elected by GS majority. He served another term later, published the Kansan. deserted his wife and left the county to settle in Washington state where he has since died. Russmin has been leasing lands here for gas and oil for some years past. In the 65th district the returns show that John Boyd received 570 votes to C. S. Brown's 567. but Brown got the office. J. E. Stone was re-elected sheriff and John A. Helphingstine. clerk. Cary Oakes got the treasury and George S. Beard. the lone Democrat elected, became register of deeds. Edwin Foster again became county surveyor and J. H. Kington. coroner.

In 1874, the Republicans bagged most of the game. L. A. Walker, one of the most far-sighted men Montgomery county has over numbered among her citizens, was elected representative in the Independence dis- triet, over Ben M. Armstrong, the Republican candidate, and Ex-Mayor James DeLong. T. O. Ford seenred a re-election as district clerk, leading (.T. Beach 44 votes. The old party had the rest; Wm. Huston, that un- compromising Scotch-Trish prohibitionist. as representative from the eastern district ; E. Herring. again for probate judge, defeating J. W. Hodges, of Caney : B. R. Cunningham again for superintendent of schools; and A. B. Clark for county attorney, his Democratie competitor being Wm. Dunkin. B. W. Perkins again carried the county for district judge. J. D. MeCue being his Democratic competitor this time.

Results were somewhat mixed in 1875. The Democrats got the of- fires of sheriff and register of deeds-the former for the first time .I. T. Broek seenring that position and George S. Beard being re-elected in the latter . Brock has been in evidence in Montgomery county polities almost ever since, in one way or another, and is now doing business at Cherryvale as a real estate and insurance agent. Beard was, later, im the drug busi- ness with Thomas Calk in the Opera House Pharmacy, but went fo Texas and located at San Antonio. The Republicans got E. T. Mears in as county clerk. re-elected Cary Oakes as treasurer, and made B. R. Cunning- ham county surveyor and W. M. Robinson, coroner. Mears is still doing an abstract and real estate business in Independence, but has bein, for years, allied, politically. with the Prohibitionists. In the district, Wm. Stewart was elected representative over Geo. W. Burchard, by a majority of one vote. Burchard began his public career in the county as the editor of the Tribune. but got ont when he had to be dumped to keep it from straying from the straight and narrow path of Republicanism. He, later. became the editor and publisher of the Kansan. In the Coffeyville dis- friet the Republicans wore likewise successful. J. M. Heddens being sent

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

to Topeka over W. Il. Bell. The three commissioners elected were J. E. Cole, over D. C. Krone; W. H. Harter, over J. S. Cotton ; and T. R. Pitt- man, over J. F. Ontt. This made a Democratic board, Harter being the only Republican elected. It divided the county printing, giving it half and half to the Tribune and Kansan.

The Hayes-Tilden contest was on in 1876, and not a solitary oppo- sition candidate was allowed to slip in, the Republicans cleaning up the platter, as they have almost always done in Presidential years. Colonel Daniel Grass, whose preaching along some lines was so much better than his practice, and who did yeoman service on the stump for the Prohibition amendment four years later, was elected to the state Senate over B. F. Devore, the Democratic candidate. For this office there was also another Richmond in the field in the persem of ex-Senator A. M. York, who had, by this time, severed his connection with the Republican party and was mak- ing his canvass on the Greenback ticket. As this was his farewell ap- pearance in Montgomery county politics, and he had up to this time played the most conspicuous part of any citizen of the county in the drama of state polities, it must be noted that he polled 619 votes out of a total of 3.329, and led his ticket a long way. For Representative O. F. Carson defeated Capt. J. B. Rowley, of the Kansan, in the first district. In the second L. U. Humphrey was again a candidate, and this time wou over Dr. MeCulley, against whom he was later to be pitted as a candidate for the Senate, and made his entrance into the field of state politics. In the lower district. W. C. Martin beat Lovi Gladfelter. who. in after years, became postmaster at Caney, and JJ. P. Rood, who was later a successful candidate for the same legislative office. H. H. Dodd got the district clerkship : John D. Hinkle, who is now judge of the city court of Spokane, Washington, became county attorney : Herring went in again as probate judge; and Chas. T. Beach was made superintendent of schools. This year the Greenback party had a full ticket in the field and polled an average of nearly four hundred votes. That well-known citizen, George T. Anthony, was being voted for as a candidate for governor, and M. J. Salter, who subsequently became a resident of Independence, as Register of the l'. S. Land Office there, was elected lieutenant governor.

In February. 1877. considerable excitement was occasioned when it was learned that County Treasurer Oakes had $39,343 of the county funds, which were by law required to be kept in the safe in his office. on deposit in Turner & Otis' bank, and the board of county commissioners took action on the 15th of that month, censuring him for that act and de- manding that he replace the funds in the safe in compliance with the law.

This year a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor was occa- sioned by Mr. Salter's acceptance of the land office appointment. and L. C. Humphrey became the republican candidate for that office and was plerte !. He carried Montgomery county by a majority of 275, but at the

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

same time A. II. Horton, who was also running to fill a vacancy, on ac- count of the resignation of Chief Justice Kingman, lost the county by 397.

On the county ticket in 1877 the Democrats came nearer making a clean sweep than on any other occasion in its history. J. T. Brock was re-elected sheriff; John McCullagh got the county clerk's place over Mears, who was a candidate for re-election : Joseph Barricklow, an old Indian trader at Coffeyville, beat E. E. Wilson 33 votes for treasurer ; and E. P. Allen became register of deeds. The same party got all the com- missioners. Henry Mounger in the first, General W. R. Brown, in the see- ond and A. P. Boswell in the third. It only lost the coroner's and sur- veyor's places, which went to W. M. Robinson and A. G. Savage.

Over the result of this election the Kansan. the Democratic organ of the county, made merry with all the pictures at its command, and har- rowed up the feelings of the Republicans by ridicule and sarrasin to such an extent that when the next year rolled around they were all lined up for the straight partey ticket. The only county office that got away was that of commissioner in the first district, where "that sly old fox." as Henry Mounger was termed. easily won out again. For governor, John P. St. John, whose name, later, became so much of a household word in the state and the nation, carried the county by 233; while Humphrey had nearly twice that majority for re-election as lieutenant governor. For the dis- triet judgeship. J. T. Broadhead. of Independence, was pitted against Judge Perkins, but the latter was in the heyday of his popularity, and had a plurality of 1.649 in the county. Harry Dodd was re-elecetd as dis- triet clerk ; Judge Herring to the probate office ; John D. Hinkle as county attorney ; and C. T. Beach as school superintendent. In the representative districts the opposition got two of the three; C. JJ. Corbin winning in the 47th and J. P. Rood in the 49th. The 48th was carried by A. B. Clark over three well known citizens, Abe Canary, M. S. Stahl, so long the land- lord at the Main Street hotel, and ex-Mayor JJames Delong. This year was high water mark for the Greenback party, which polled more votes than the Democrats did for some of the offices, John S. Cotton receiving 1,056 for probate judge and Geo. W. Clemmer 887 for district clerk on that ticket. This was Clemmer's second race in the county, and he soon afterward went back to Indiana where he succeeded better as a candidate for county office.

When the smoke cleared away after the political battle of 1879, the Republican organ rejoiced that Montgomery county had been "redeemed" again. For sheriff, Lafayette Shadley had 148 majority over his Demo- cratic opponent. Ellis. The third man in the race was the Greenbacker, S. B. Squires, who was to be a successful aspirant for the same office eighteen years later, and hold it longer than any other incumbent ever has or ever will again unless our constitution is changed. Shadley, after

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, KANSAS.

two terms as sheriff in the nineties, became a member of the U. S. Indian police down in the Osage Nation, and was killed in a fight with outlaws there-it being supposed that the notorious Bill Dalton tired the fatal shot. There were three complete tickets in the field this year, and the Greenback party proved a formidable competitor to the old parties, poll- ing about 750 votes to the Republicans 1,300 and the Democrats 1,200. Barricklow was defeated for re-election as treasurer, Col. F. S. Palmer winning that prize. The same fate befell John McCullagh. the clerk's office going to Ernest A. Way, a bright young school teacher whose undo- ing it proved. E. P. Allen was the only one of the old set to pull through, aside from the commissioner, as he was also one of the few office holders who were able to save money from their incomes. He subsequently went into the loan business and became president of the First National Bank, a position he still holds. G. B. Leslie was elected surveyor and Josiah Coleman, coroner. For commissioner. Gen. W. R. Brown, of the second district, pulled through by the marrow margain of two votes, beating P.S. Moore, who was subsequently to hold that office for three terms. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." seems to have been the latter's motto.

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History of Montgomery County, Kansas, Part 7

Author: Duncan, L. Wallace (Lew Wallace), b. 1861, comp Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Iola, Kan., Press of Iola register Number of Pages: 1162

Author: Duncan, L. Wallace (Lew Wallace), b. 1861, comp
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Iola, Kan., Press of Iola register
Number of Pages: 1162