USA > Kansas > Anderson County > The history of Anderson County, Kansas, from its first settlement to the Fourth of July, 1876. > Part 8
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On the fourth Monday in March, 1859, an election was held at the voting precincts in the Territory on the proposition of forming a constitution and State government for the State of Kansas. Of the one hundred and eighty-five votes cast in the county only seven were against the proposition.
On the first Tuesday of June, 1859, an election was held for the election of a delegate to a conven- tion to frame a State constitution. W. F. M. Arny and J. G. Blunt were the candidates. Blunt received 98 votes, and Arny received 93 votes, and Blunt was declared duly elected.
On the first Tuesday of July, 1859, the delegates
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elected assembled at Wyandotte to frame the con- stitution. afterwards known as the Wyandotte con- stitution.
On the fourth day of October. 1859, an election was held for the ratification or rejection of this con- stitution. Of the three hundred and forty-six votes cast in the county at this election two hundred and sixty were in favor of the adoption, and eighty-six against : and there were two hundred and six votes in favor of the homestead exemption clause in the constitution. and one hundred and nine against.
The struggle between the friends of freedom and the friends of slavery from 1855 to 1858 was conduc- ted with an utter disregard of the constitution of the United States and the Nebraska and Kansas bill. on the part of the Pro-Slavery men. including the national administration. The friends of freedom. by uniting their efforts with all classes of persons opposed to slavery, had now a complete victory over their opposers in the Territory : and it had now be- come necessary to organize the political parties. preparatory to the national election that would take place in 1860-the great struggle that was to deter- mine the " irrepressible conflict" between freedom and slavery.
On the 22d of August. 1859. a Republican mass convention was held at Garnett, at which conven- tion the Republican party of the county was organ- ized. by the election of S. S. Tipton as temporary chairman. and B. F. Ridgeway. secretary. James
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G. Blunt was elected permanent president, and C. J. Farley, secretary. This convention passed reso- lutions indorsing the Osawatomie platform of May 18, 1859, and nominated candidates for county offi- cers and members to the Territorial Legislature, as follows : For representative to the Legislature, Dr. Thomas Lindsay : superintendent of public instruc- tion, Rufus Gilpatrick : probate judge, J. Y. Camp- bell : register of deeds, C. J. Farley ; county attor- ney, W. A. Johnson ; sheriff, G. A. Cook ; county clerk, A. Simons : county treasurer, H. Cavender ; coroner. Stephen Marsh : surveyor, B. F. Ridge- way. A central committee of nine was appointed, as follows : Wm. Spriggs, D. W. Houston. J. G. Blunt, W. A. Johnson, W. F. M. Arny, J. B. Lowry, S. S. Tipton, Henry Williams and J. B. Stitt.
On the - day of August, 1859, a Democratic mass convention was held in Garnett. This conven- tion passed resolutions indorsing the national Dem- ocratic platform, and nominated candidates for county officers and members to the Territorial Leg- islature : For representative to the Legislature, Sam- uel Anderson : no nomination for superintendent of public instruction, but resolved to support Rev. J. R. Slentz : probate judge. J. R. Shields ; register of deeds, M. Puett : county attorney, B. D. Benedict : county clerk, M. G. Carr : sheriff, L. A. Jones : treasurer, W. Smith ; surveyor, G. W. Cooper : coroner, J. R. Means.
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It was not known which of the parties had the greater strength in the county. Both parties entered the campaign sanguine of success in the election.
The election was held on the 8th day of Novem- ber, and resulted in the success of the entire Re- publican ticket.
On the first Tuesday of December, 1859, an elec- tion was held for State officers, members of the Legislature, judges and other officers, under the Wyandotte constitution. There were two hundred and forty-nine votes cast in the county at this elec- tion, and the following persons were elected : So- lon O. Thacher, judge of the district court of the Fourth judicial district : William Spriggs and P. P. Elder, senators of the Tenth senatorial district, com- posed of the counties of Franklin, Anderson and Allen : W. W. H. Lawrence, Jacob A. Marcells, W. F. M. Arny, S. J. Crawford, B. L. G. Stone and N. B. Blanton, representatives from the district composed of Franklin, Anderson and Allen coun- ties ; Rufus Gilpatrick, superintendent of public in- struction ; James Y. Campbell, probate judge : Alanson Simons, clerk of the district court.
S. O. Thacher was the first judge of the Fourth judicial district. 6 His rulings were clear, and gener- ally satisfactory. He was judge until 1864, when he resigned and Hon. David P. Lowe was appoin- ted to fill the vacancy.
B. L. G. Stone, one of the persons elected to the House from this district, removed from the Terri-
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tory in the summer of 1860, and Dr. John W. Scott was elected to fill the vacancy.
The year of 1859 was a remarkably prosperous one. The immigration was heavier that year than it had ever been before, the population being almost as large in the county in the fall of that year as it has ever been since. There were heavy rains dur- ing the spring, so that travel was often impeded for several days at a time. On the first of June the rain had been so heavy that the North Pottowato- mie overflowed its banks and bottoms, so that the settlers in many places had to remove to the hills for safety : some places the overflow being so sudden they had to climb upon the tops of their cabins and remain until the waters subsided. The rainy season closed about the last of July, and a dry fall followed it. There was no rain or snow during the winter following.
The next spring was dry, and then came the ter- rible drouth of 1860. We had no rain of any con- sequence until the following October. This was the most oppressive and discouraging year in the history of Kansas. In July strong winds blew from the southwest, dry, and of scorching heat, so that vege- tation dried up before their breath : the earth became so dry and hot that the surface cracked open in many places for rods, so that the feet of horses or cattle would go to the depth of several inches into the cracked earth. For several months the Potto- watomie and other streams did not flow. About the
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first of June of that year a regular panic seized the people, and more than half of the population of the county left the Territory-nearly all that could get away did so, many of them to return no more.
The census was taken in 1860, by L. A. Jones, which shows 466 families residing in the county, with an aggregate population of 2.398, or an average of about five persons to the family. Jones reported great suffering and distress on account of the drouth : that one family of ten children subsisted for two weeks on wild plums and the milk from one cow. having nothing else to eat.
The Legislature in 1860 passed an act abolishing the board of supervisors, and providing for a board of county commissioners, and for dividing the county into three districts, one commissioner, who should reside therein, to be elected by the voters of the county. On the 12th of March, 1860, the board of supervisors divided the county into commission- ers' districts ; and on the fourth Monday in March an election was held for county commissioners and county assessor ; and Richard Robinson, Preston Bowen and Mathew Porter were elected commis- sioners, and John T. Lanter, county assessor. The commissioners met on the 2d day of April, and or- ganized by electing Preston Bowen chairman. This board did its duty faithfully and efficiently.
November 6, 1860, an election was held for mem- bers to the Territorial Legislature, county commis- sioners, superintendent of public instruction and
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county assessor. Rufus Gilpatrick was chosen rep- resentative : Richard Robinson, T. G. Headley and Mathew Porter, commissioners : Samuel Anderson, superintendent of public instruction : and Solomon Kauffman, county assessor. Kauffman received 192 votes and John T. Hall received 172 votes ; and Hall claimed the election, because of 42 votes cast at Hyatt precinct for Samuel Hall, and contested the election before the probate court, which deci- ded that John T. Hall was duly elected, and granted him a certificate of election to the office.
The act of Congress admitting Kansas into the Union became a law on the 31st day of January, 1861, and the judges and county officers elected in 1859, under the Wyandotte constitution, entered upon the duties of their respective offices. For the first time, then. in the history of Kansas, was the judiciary selected by the people.
The Territorial Legislature that was in session at the date of the admission of the State, adjourned on the 2d day of February, 1861, and the Legislature elected under the constitution convened at Topeka on the 26th of March, 1861.
On the 4th of June, 1861, an act was passed pro- viding for a district attorney in each judicial district. S. A. Riggs was elected attorney for the Fourth ju- dicial district, in June, 1861.
William Spriggs was the first State senator from the county. W. F. M. Arny and S. J. Crawford
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were the first representatives from the county the State Legislature.
Hon. S. J. Crawford returned from the Legisla- ture on May 10, and proceeded to enlist a company of volunteers for the Second Kansas regiment. He raised a company of ninety men in one day, and within three days thereafter his company was on the march to the front. Crawford was selected as cap- tain of the company, and after five months' service it was mustered out and reorganized. The com- pany did good service, and was in several engage- ments. The principal one was the battle of Wil- son's Creek, on the Ioth of August, 1861, where several of its members were killed and wounded. It was the first company that went from Anderson county to take part in the great struggle for the Union.
Hon. W. F. M. Arny returned at the close of the session of the Legislature, having gained some no- toriety while there. Sol. Miller, in publishing a sketch of the Legislature in the "White Cloud Chief," says :
" Mr. Arny is one of the representatives from the All- derson district. He was born on the peak of Teneriffe. in a very dry season, and the sootheayers who were present upon the melancholy occasion predicted that wherever he went drouth would follow. Such has been his experience in Kansas. His nanie originally was . Nary, and it is sup- posed to have signified that 'mary . thing would grow where he cast his lot. Thus Kansas has recently experi- enced the calamity of 'mary . corn, .nary . bean. 'nary'
to
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wheat. ' nary grass seed. mary ' clothing for volunteers. etc. By some means the letters composing his name have become transposed. and he is now called . Arny.' His pa- rent- found great difficulty in deciding upon a name for him: they had so many from which to choose, and there were so many letters in the alphabet that looked well in a name. They finally hit upon a plan to settle the question : the old man resolved to fashion all the letters of the alpha- bet of potter's clay. then to throw them against the side of the house, and as many as stuck to the wall. those let- ters should form the initials of his name ; but those that fell off should be discarded. He carried out his design. it was a good day for the business, and nearly all of the let- tors stuck."
Arny having gained such notoriety while in the Legislature. soon received an appointment under Lincoln's administration, as an Indian agent in New Mexico. He left Kansas in the summer of 1861 for ' his field of labor, where he has since remained, hay- ing been appointed Secretary of New Mexico. He has received the title of Governor, having acted as Governor in the absence of the Governor for many vears.
CHAPTER XII.
Severity of the Winters of 1855-6 and 1856-7. and Mildness of those of 1857-8 and 1858-9-Prai- ric Fires-Sac and Fox Indians.
THE winters of 1855-6 and 1856-7 were sea- sons of almost unparalleled severity, which caused many to suppose that it was a characteristic of this country : which, however, was a mistaken idea. as shown by the winters of 1857-8 and 1858-9, which were mild and pleasant. The "Leavenworth Jour- nal" of January 15, 1858, says :
" Passing through the country a few days since, wo were pleased to see the roads filled with summer birds, whose gay plumage and sweet notes indicated anything but win- 1er."
No country could exceed the beauty and mildness of the winters of 1858 and 1859: the brilliancy by day. bright moonlight nights, and prairie fires had the appearance of September in Illinois or Wiscon- sin. The streams were not frozen over during either of the latter winters, nor was the ground covered with snow. Reference is made to these four winters, to show the great difference of seasons in this climate. Since that time the seasons have been more uniform. none being so extreme as those referred to.
In the early days of Kansas there were some ter-
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rible prairie fires, caused by burning the heavy coats of dry grass, and high winds, carrying the fire with great rapidity, often blowing the fire across any stream in its way. When the wind was blowing heavily the rapidity was frightful, outstripping the fleetest horse. doing great damage. Yet the ap- pearance of these fires on a calm night was most gorgeous, as they lighted up the country for miles around. No grander and more beautiful scene
could be presented. A painter that could transfer to canvas the enchanting panorama of a prairie on fire would be entitled to have his name registered in the roll of fame for above our most gifted mortals.
When the white settlers came to this county the Sac and Fox tribes of Indians were located on a res- ervation in Franklin and Osage counties, where they remained for about ten or twelve years. Rov- ing bands of these Indians often wandered into dif- ferent parts of this county, hunting and fishing ; and some times two to three hundred of them, with their squaws and ponies, would winter in this county, along the streams, and often became very annoying in setting fire to prairies to drive game out, and in that way often burning the fences and crops of the settlers. And at times they would engage in steal- ing and driving away the stock of the settlers, and keep it hidden until a reward was offered for its re- turn. They would go begging from house to house, and if one was fed by the settler the whole party must be fed or there would be trouble. These
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Indians obtained whisky when they could find it.
Rezin Porter, on North Pottowatomie, kept whisky to sell in 1857 and 1858, and the Indians, in passing through, made it a point to camp near his house. In the fall of 1857 a party of them went into camp near Porter's, went to his house and de- manded whisky, which Mrs. Porter, in the absence of her husband, refused. So they attempted to break into the house, and, failing at the door, which she had fastened, one attempted to enter through a window, when she filled his face and bosom with a shovel full of live coals from the fire place, which caused him to retreat, velling, with his shirt on fire. and the others followed him.
In the winter of 1860 these Indians gave a "war dance" in Garnett, which was novel to our people. who came in large numbers from the country to witness it. It took place at the crossing of Pine street and Sixth avenue. Four of the braves had each nail kegs, covered with opossum skins. Seated on the ground, with sticks they commenced beating their nail kegs, and sung their songs, which furnished the music for the occasion. The squaws seated them- selves in a circle, and the braves entered the circle and proceeded to perform the most amusing evolu- tions, interspersed by short speeches in their dialect. and, with sticks, bludgeons and tomahawks, they showed how they killed and scalped their victims. and drank their blood. It was a fair illustration of
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their savage cruelty. They also danced the " green corn" dance, and the " snake" dance.
CHAPTER XIII.
Bright Prospects in 1858-9-Organization of Railroad Company-Gloomy Forebodings of 1860 -Relief Committees-Organization of Volunteer Companies-Hardships Endured by the Women of the County-Organization of New Party, Called " Farmers' and Mechanics' Union Association"- Election of 1861.
IN the din of politics, mind struggling with mind. one to establish on Kansas soil the best institutions known to the civilized world, and the other endeav- oring to establish and perpetuate a curse the most oppressive known to man, we had given but little at- tention to the industrial resources of the country un- til the spring of 1858, when there was a lull in the storm, and hope inspired in the minds of watching millions. Then immigration in great numbers from the free States set in. The Pro-Slavery men of the slave States gave up their cherished idea of estab-
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lishing slavery in Kansas, and became so disgusted with their ill-success that they did not spend any more money or blood for the cause of the South. The result of the election for county officers and . members to the Legislature, and the vote on the Lecompton constitution, satisfied them that the friends of freedom could not be thwarted in their designs by force or fraud. The result was a healthy immigration and great increase in the population of the country. The filling up of Kansas with the champions of freedom was the most glorious achieve- ment which the historian of the country is able to re- cord : a new exhibition of popular power, and a guaranty to free institutions ; it was the power of freedom crushing the wicked institution of slavery. It was the first throe in that great struggle that made every American citizen a freeman.
After the elections of 1857 and 1858 the Free State Legislature convened, and passed some whole- some laws, and repealed the laws of 1855, known as the " bogus laws." Business began to prosper : the settlers commenced improving their claims and the country presented a livelier appearance ; all doubts as to success were removed, and a new era for Kansas set in.
About this time two railroad enterprises were or- ganized : The Leavenworth, Lawrence & Fort Gibson railroad company, now Leavenworth, Law- rence & Galveston railroad company ; and the Jef- ferson City & Neosho Valley railroad company. The
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former was organized on the 8th day of December, 1857. John B. Chapman was elected president : J. C. Green, Adam Fisher, F. P. Witcher, M. II. Hann. James Darrah, Hudson Burris and H. C. Justice, directors : H. Allen, secretary : L. L. Todd, treasurer, and John C. McCarty, chief engineer. The charter of the company was granted on the 12th of February. 1858, with John B. Chapman, Hudson Burris, H. C. Justice, F. P. Witcher, Mil- ton H. Hann. Henry J. Adams, G. A. Reynolds. E. D. Ladd. John Speer, L. F. Hollingsworth, S. B. Prentiss, G. W. Deitzler, H. G. Blake, Robert B. Mitchell. John Mathias, Darius Rogers. J. M. Black. R. B. Jourdan and W. Douran as charter members. with a capital stock of two million dollars. The charter authorized the company to locate its road from the city of Leavenworth, on the Missouri river, on the most convenient route, via Lawrence. Minneola, Osage City, and down the Neosho river. through the Osage nation, to Fort Gibson, on the Arkansas river. In the summer of 1858 the com- pany made a preliminary survey to the fourth stan- dard parallel, one mile south of Garnett ; in 1859 it made a preliminary survey for its road to Osage City, ten miles south of Humboldt. John B. Chap- man was re-elected president, for several terms. In 1863 this road received a land grant from Congress for every alternate section, designated by odd num- bers. for ten sections on each side of the road ; but where any of the land had been sold prior to the
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fixing of the line of the road, then in lieu of the amount so sold the company was to receive from the public lands of the United States an equal amount from the nearest tiers of sections, in alter- nate sections, provided such lands should not be lo- cated more than twenty miles from the road. The lands so granted were to be devoted exclusively to the construction of the road. And in 1866 the Legisla- ture appropriated one hundred and twenty-five thou- sand acres of the five hundred thousand acres given the State under the law of Congress of 1841, for internal improvements, to aid in the construction of this road. The counties along the line of the road voted municipal bonds to aid in its construction, as follows : Douglas county, $300,000 : Franklin county, $200,000 : Anderson county, $200,000 : Al- len county, $150,000 : Montgomery county, $200 .- 000.
,
The work of construction on this road commenced in 1867. and the road was built and in operation to Ottawa the following winter, and completed to Gar- nett in March, 1870, and to Coffeyville in 1871. It is a first-class road, furnished with excellent engines and rolling stock. For the first five years the road paid but little more than running expenses : but the business of the country has so improved that the road is now doing a good and paying business.
A railroad convention was held at Hyatt on the 27th day of July, 1858, to take preliminary meas- ures to organize a railroad company, to be styled
,
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the Jefferson City & Neosho Valley railroad com- pany : and it was organized at Hyatt on the - day of October, 1858, with A. Wattles, J. O. Wattles, G. W. Deitzler, W. F. M. Arny, G. W. Brown, W. H. Ela, B. F. Allen, R. Gilpatrick, J. L. Coy, P. B. Plumb and John T. Cox as directors. The board of directors elected W. F. M. Arny president. The company went to work in October, soon after the organization, to make a preliminary survey from the State line to the Neosho river, and had the plat and profile all made. The company spent much time and money in trying to get land grants to aid in the construction of the road, but failure to secure the same proved fatal to the enterprise.
During the first five years of the early settlement of the Territory it required the greater portion of the time of the settlers to defend the border against the frequent raids made by Pro-Slavery men from the slave States, consequently but little improvements had been made ; so when the drouth of 1860 came it was like a blight, the people being without money, and depending on the productions of the soil for sustenance. They had no surplus of grain or other necessaries of life to tide them over the season. As soon as it was ascertained that the crops were a failure, steps were taken to secure aid from the States to supply the necessities of the people. Committees for this purpose were appointed in al- most every county in the Territory, and the citizens of our sister States responded nobly to the cry for
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assistance, by donations of such articles as would keep the people from starvation. But although a large amount of provisions was sent to the Terri- tory, but little was received in Anderson county. The struggles and drouth of 1860 reduced the pop- ulation to about one thousand in Anderson county : and those who remained were reduced almost to a state of pauperism.
At the outbreak of the rebellion our people were in this destitute condition : our men were accustomed to the hardships of a soldier's life, but to go to the defense of the country and leave their families in such circumstances was distressing : but when the call came for volunteers they responded nobly : a whole company volunteered in one day, and was on the march to the front in three days thereafter. An- derson county was represented in almost every regi- ment of Kansas troops : about three-fourths of her able-bodied men entered the army for the cause of the Union.
The year 1861 was a fruitful one for Kansas. Fine crops were raised, and in many instances the crops were planted, cultivated and harvested by our brave and patriotic women, while their husbands and fathers were fighting the battles of their country. Most nobly did our women till the soil and support their families, and gave up their husbands to the service of the country, many of them to fill bloody graves in Southern climes. The names of the he-
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roic dead who fell in the defense of the country will be given in another portion of this book.
In October, 1861, a new political organization was made in Anderson county, known as the " Farmers' and Mechanics' Union Association," headed by J. Y. Campbell, Samuel Anderson, J. B. Lowry, W. H. MeClure, W. G. Nichols and some others. The object of this organization was set forth in their platform.
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