USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 10
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*Major Livingston in his official report of the affair to General Price states that eleven of the negroes (those who fell at the farm house) were taken by the United States troops together with a man named Bishop, a southern citizen whom they had killed, and placed in the Rader house, after which the structure was fired and the bodies of the eleven dead colored soldiers and the white man cremated in the burning building.
The town of Sherwood was strongly southern, a company of the Eleventh Missouri State Guard and later a part of Livingston's com- mand having been recruited there.
After the burning of Sherwood many of the southern families, feeling that their safety demanded it, left the county, most of them going to Texas and remaining there until the war was over.
A GIRL'S DARING AND BRAVERY
Eliza Vivion, a granddaughter of Thackery Vivion, the first settler in Jasper county, at the breaking out of the Civil war was a pretty miss of thirteen. Born and raised in Jasper county and used to the hard- ships of pioneer life, she early learned to brave danger. Her people were strong southern sympathizers and her brother enlisted in the Confederate army-first in the Eleventh Missouri State Guard and later, after the first term of enlistment had expired, in the Livingston Scouts. Miss Vivion often acted as a messenger for the southerners and we are told that she frequently would ride during the darkness of the midnight hour to apprise the southern troops of the movements of the northern army. She was an expert horsewoman, could take a fence on her fiery steed as well as a man, and went on many a wild ride to bring news to Livingston's command or to carry a message from him to the main army. She rode many a time through the woods, and when necessary swam the swollen streams in order to take a shorter route to her point of destina- tion.
After the burning of Sherwood Miss Vivion and her mother gathered together what small effects that could be taken in a wagon and she drove
# The report of Major Tom Livingston was contradicted by the Federals. who lay the blame of the burning of the negroes to the Confederate partisan bands who retaliated. In his official statement. however. Colonel Williams reports the destruction of the town.
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the ox team to Texas, thus saving enough household effects to furnish a bed-room and the kitchen.
After the war the Vivions returned to Jasper county and few people of today would recognize, in dignified Mrs. E. A. Jammison, the girl who in the days that tried the hearts of brave men and noble women per- formed so many daring deeds for the southern cause.
KATIE SILL'S BISCUIT
Among the pioneer settlers of Jasper county was Mrs. Katie Sill (nec Katie Pennington), who came to Jasper county in 1840 and who has been a resident of it, excepting a short time during the later part of the Civil war, up to this time. Although eighty-five years old, she is an ex- ceptionally well-preserved woman and relates with much pleasure the happenings of the early days of the county.
Mrs. Sill was a famous cook and noted throughout the western part of the county for the excellency of her biscuit, which according to the old settlers, who ate at her table, were so good "that they would melt in your mouth." During the first year of the war small detaehments of soldiers of both armies frequently passed her house-Union sympathizers going to Fort Scott or Baxter to enlist and those who followed the Stars and Bars, going to their rendezvous for drill or departure for the south. (Four full companies of the regiment of Missouri State Guards were re- eruited in the western part of the county ).
It was no uncommon occurrence for these detachments to stop at Mrs. Sill's house and ask her to cook them some of her good biscuit. At first she willingly complied, for although a southern sympathizer her people endeavored to remain neutral and take no part in the conflict. But the second year of the war it was difficult to keep enough in the house to feed the family, and so one day when a troop of Confederate seouts dismounted in front of the Sill homestead and asked for biscuit such as only she could make her heart sank within her, because the lar- der was nearly empty and a look in the pantry told her that to eook for that troop would empty the flour barrel and there would he nothing left for the family. Yet she dare not refuse lest she would gain the ill will of the troopers who were tired, thirsty and hungry. So she set to work, and just as she was taking the first batch from the oven (the bread filling the house with an aroma that made the men smack their lips with joyful anticipation of the good things in store) a bugle cali was heard and look- ing np over the hill a regiment of Union cavalry was seen approaching at a quick gallop. The Confederates, perceiving that to stop to eat would let them fall into the hands of a much larger force, quickly mounted and rode away leaving the biscuit. Mrs. Sill, perceiving that the biscuits might be saved for the family, hastily threw them into a cradle and covered them up with a blanket. The Union soldiers stopped when they reached the house but did not look in the cradle, and so the biscuit which had been eooked for the troop of Confederates were saved and the family ate them with great relish.
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AT DIAMOND GROVE
On May 26, 1863, a fight occurred near Diamond Grove between Colonel Cloud, commanding the Sixth Kansas Cavalry and Colonel Coffey with his Confederate band of one hundred men. The notable feature of this engagement was that Coffey's men fought Indian fashion, hiding in the brush and behind the big trees, thus keeping out of the way of the Kansans when they charged.
CAPTAIN BURCH SCOUTS ON TURKEY CREEK
On the evening of November 29, 1863, Captain Milton Burch, of the Eighth Missouri Cavalry, United States Volunteers, stationed at Neosho with a detachemnt of his men, made a scouting expedition into Jasper county for the purpose of capturing a number of southern sympathizers who were members of the Livingston Scouts and who were at home on a furlonglı.
The party scouted along Turkey creek from near its head to the western limits of the county. They went to the houses were the Con- federate soldiers lived, surprised and captured them in their beds. At one place a soldier attempted to escape by raising a couple of boards in the floor and going under the house. When the Union soldiers entered his wife endeavored to attract their attention and keep them away from the opening. She succeeded in getting them out of the house but after going a short distance they returned, feeling sure that the southerner was at home, and feigned to set fire to the house. The ruse was success- ful, for the woman screamed and the man came from his hiding place and surrendered. Six southern men were captured on this scout and two killed.
SHELBY'S RAID
In October, 1863, General Joe Shelby's brigade made a raid through the western part of Missouri, and on this 1500-mile ride passed twice through Jasper county, each time securing forage and other supplies from the farmers for his command. A considerable damage was done to property in the east central part of the county, particularly in the neigh- borhood of Bowers' mill, where an engagement took place.
General Thomas Ewing was sent into Jasper county with two thou- sand men in pursuit of Shelby, and a skirmish occurred near Carthage with a considerable loss of men on both sides. Although the fight could hardly be called a battle it was sometimes referred to as the second battle of Carthage.
During Ewing's occupancy of JJasper county a considerable quantity of fresh meat was required for the army and it will be readily seen that after feeding two great armies not much was left for the people.
An interesting story is related by one of Shelby's men, now a resi- dent of Joplin. who says that on this raid most of the Confederate sol- diers were clothed in the blue uniforms of the northern soldiers, whom they had captured. their grey uniforms being worn out, and having no
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money with which to buy more. In order that the Confederate soldiers might know their comrades, each wore in his hat a red sumach plume.
REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE FAMILIES
After the Quantrell raid at Lawrence, Kansas, General Seofield adopted the policy of removing the Confederate sympathizers from the state, with the view of ridding the border counties of partisan bands by destroying the sustenance for their support and leaving no sympathizers to shelter or help them.
General Ewing, at Kansas City, issued his mneh talked-of Order No. 11. General Scofield, of Springfield, commanding the Southwest Mis- sonri district, issued similar orders for that part of the state, but they were not so stringent as General Ewing's.
All families not loyal to the government were ordered to leave and many who held their fealty to the Confederaey went to Arkansas, Texas and other southern states. Some of them never returned but after peace was deelared ; some of them returned to their old homes.
THE RETURN OF THE VETERANS
It was thought by many that when the war was over and the sold- iers returned home that much lawlessness would result because of the intense feeling of hatred that had been engendered during the few years preceding and during the war.
But the world now witnessed one of the greatest achievements of mod- ern times, a million soldiers, men of the north and south, laid down their arms and returned to their homes and at once began rebuilding the towns and villages that had been destroyed ; the fields that had been furrowed by cannon shot and shell were cultivated again; the old homes were re- built and, in many instanees, from the ruins and ashes that came from that bitterly fought war, arose new towns and new homes greater and grander than the ones built by the fathers.
In an ineredibly short time the old friendships were renewed, and the families that had been arrayed against one another were reunited.
Reorganization and Reconstruction 1865-1870
CHAPTER VIII
REORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY
CAVE SPRINGS, TEMPORARY COUNTY SEAT-HONEST JOHN ONSTOTT AND THE TREASURY-CARTHAGE REESTABLISHED AS THE COUNTY SEAT- SUBSTANTIAL NEW-COMERS-REGISTRATION UNDER "TEST OATH"- COUNTY OFFICERS (1865-70)-THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS-BUS- INESS ENTERPRISES AT THE COUNTY SEAT-CARTHAGE BANKS-ESTAB- LISHMENT OF THE "CARTHAGE BANNER"-TOWNS FOUNDED IN THE 'SIXTIES-TOWN POPULATION IN 1869.
The revised constitution of Missouri went into effeet on July 4, 1865, and immediate steps were taken by the governor to reorganize the coun- ties which had been disorganized during the war, and the following offi- eers were appointed to assume the reins of government in Jasper county : County court-W. B. Hamilton, F. B. Nichols and Thomas Caldwell; sheriff-S. H. Caldwell; eounty clerk-W. G. Bulgin; treasurer-J. H. Fullerton ; proseenting attorney-Joseph Estus. Hon. John H. Priee was judge of the eireuit eourt.
CAVE SPRINGS, TEMPORARY COUNTY SEAT
As Carthage had been destroyed during the war and the court house burned, the governor named Cave Springs in the east-eentral part of the county as the temporary county seat, and here the newly appointed county officers assembled October 10, 1865, and assumed their respective offices. They at once began the task of reorganizing the county.
Officers were appointed for the several townships and road distriets. Steps were taken to eolleet the interests on the school fund, to forfeit lands where payments had not been made and to collect the several notes which were due in payment for swamp lands with the view of reorgan- izing the seliools of the county.
HONEST JOHN ONSTOTT AND THE TREASURY
At the first session of the county court held after the reorganization, the closing aet of one of the heroic incidents of the Civil war took place- the final transaction in the saving of the county treasury.
At the election 1860 Archibald McCoy was elected county treasurer and entered upon the duties of the office January 1, 1861, with John On- stott, John Seott and Martin Holsey as bondsmen.
Early in the war Mr. MeCoy became alarmed and decided to flee
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for his life. He ealled his bondsmen together and announced his in- tention of leaving the state, and asked them to take the money belonging to the county and relieve bim of the responsibility before his departure. John Seott was chosen by the bondsmen to take the money. The next day Mr. MeCoy was killed. A few days later Mr. Scott decided to leave the state, his life also having been threatened, and accordingly came to Mr. Onstott and turned over the money to him, two hundred and fifty dollars in Missouri state bank notes and about thirteen hundred dollars in gold.
Mr. Onstott placed the money in a large glass candy jar and bnried it on his farm. After the county funds had been buried for about a year, fearing that the bills would decay he dug up the money and after re- moving the bank notes, which were almost decomposed, he replaced the gold in the hiding place. Shortly after removing the paper money to his house a company of Pin Indians, members of a United States Volunteer regiment, swooped down on the Onstott house and carried away the two hundred and fifty dollars besides other property.
In the spring of 1863, seeing that local conditions were most deplor- able-the eounty being the scene of activity for numerous foraging parties from both armies-also that the hatred and bitterness caused by the war was most intense and feeling that his own life was in danger- Mr. Onstott took his son Abraham (A. W. Onstott, mining superintend- ent, Joplin), who was then a boy of about twelve, and confided to him the secret of the county treasurer. After showing him the hiding place he told his son that in the event of his death he wanted him to guard the treasure as a sacred trust and, when the war was over and the county re- organized, to restore it to the proper officers. Shortly after this, feel- ing that his safety was in danger the father seeured a pass for himself and family for safe conduet through the Federal lines and went north- east into Dade county, with instruction for his wife and son to follow should conditions seem to demand it.
In 1863 General Thomas Ewing entered Jasper county in pursuit of General Joe Shelby, the famous Missouri cavalry leader of the southern army and after several short skirmishes went into eamp in and around the Onstott farm, using the old farm plaee as his headquarters.
Young Onstott and his mother seeing that this was an opportune time to remove the money to a safer place, also to join Mr. Onstott, se- cured an escort from General Ewing's army and after digging up the money, which was safe and sound and not a dollar missing, placed it in a saek with some produce and started to join the elder member of the family, whom they met in Dade county and with him went north to Pettis county where they lived until the elose of the war.
While in Pettis county the money was seeuredly hidden under the floor of the house and there remained until Mr. Onstott returned to Jas- per county in the spring of 1865. On his return, however, he found things still in an unsettled condition, the county court house had been burned; some of the county records had been lost and those that had been preserved were in the court house at Fort Seott, Kansas, where
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
they had been taken for safe keeping. The county was completely dis- organized; there were no officers or county records and so Mr. Onstott again buried the county money where it remained until shortly after peace was declared and the county was reorganized.
On the day the court opened its session at Cave Springs Mr. Onstott, accompanied by his son, Abraham, went to the place designated for the assembling of that body (a tumble-down store building), and wlien the court was ready for business appeared before them and informed them that he had come for the purpose of restoring the county funds. Then, opening a saek in which he had brought the treasure the honest man emptied it on the table, while the court and other officers looked on in amazement not knowing that a dollar had been saved, the treasurer's book having been destroyed when the court house was burned.
The court then questioned Mr. Onstott sharply as to the amount of money which the bondsmen had received from the treasurer before he had been killed, and demanded that the two hundred and fifty dollars which had been taken from the Onstott home by the Indians be made good. Mr. Onstott said that he felt in honor bound to return every eent, but thought it only right that he be allowed to return to the county two hundred and fifty dollars of Missouri bank notes, the same kind of money which he had received. The court decided, however, that as the Missouri bank had failed during the war and the money had little or no value that the two hundred and fifty must be replaced with two hundred and fifty dollars of United States legal tender notes.
Mr. Onstott said if that was the way they felt about it that he would bring in two hundred and fifty dollars of legal tender to take the place of the stolen two hundred and fifty Missouri state bank notes.
The court then passed a resolution demanding that Mr. Onstott pay the county the interest on the money for the time it had been in his pos- session. At this he became righteously indignant. For four years he had gnarded the county fund as a saered trust; he had risked his life to save this money ; and now to be asked to pay interest for the use of money which he had so carefully guarded from spoliation was more than he eould stand, and so he rose hastily from his seat and placing the money baek in the saek said, "gentlemen I had done what I thought was right, but as for the interest I will law you to the last court before I will pay one dollar of your unjust demand."
The court perceiving that they had made a blunder quickly decided to accept the money. Mr. Onstott then reopened the saek and left with them the money he had brought. Returning home he sold his wagon and horses for two hundred and fifty dollars and took to the court this money, to replace the state bank notes which had been stolen from his home during the war. After Mr. Onstott had turned over to the county court the two hundred and fifty dollars of paper money they reopened the question of interest and brought suit against him to reeover the same.
The suit on coming on for trial was dismissed. The old timers, who appreciated the honesty of Mr. Onstott, often referred to the incident as the ease where the treasurer was indicted for being an honest man.
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
CARTHAGE REESTABLISHED AS THE COUNTY SEAT
There were no conveniences for holding court or caring for the county offices at Cave Springs. The sessions of the court were held in the old schoolhouse and there was no place that could be used for a jail, or a safe place in which to keep the records, and the people clamored for the removal of the county seat back to Carthage, which was not only centrally located but had the advantage of a fairly good system of public roads which had been worked before the war.
The few remaining citizens of Carthage and the surrounding neigh- borhood at once began to rebuild. We are informed by J. C. Gaston, of Joplin, one of the first new-comers to Carthage after the war, that in the spring of 1866 there were less than a dozen families in Carthage. He and his estimable wife arrived there in April of that year.
Mrs. Gaston made the ninth woman residing within the radius of one mile from the square. We eite this incident to show how completely
FORMER CHURCH USED AS A COURT HOUSE IN THE 'SIXTIES
the town had been depopulated and how thoroughly the old town had been razed during the battle of Carthage and the numerous raids and skirmishes which took place in and around the county seat.
From the ruins of the old county court house enough bricks and lun- ber were collected to build a small court house on the northwestern part of the lot on which now stands the county jail, and to this building were brought the records in September, 1866, and with the holding of court there on the 24th of that month, the reestablishment of the county seat at Carthage was completed.
SUBSTANTIAL NEW-COMERS
The opportunities in Jasper county were exceptionally great. There were yet unsold 100,000 acres of the school lands, counting those which had been forfeited during the war, and these tracts were on the market at a small figure. The opportunity to get splendid farms at exceptionally
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low prices brought in a large number of new settlers, and it might be here remarked that the new comers, for the most part, were energetic, intelligent and enterprising citizens and that their thrift, enterprise and education built up a splendid social structure and gave the county a prestige which at once pushed her to the front.
We note among those who came to the county during the later 'sixties the following named gentlemen, each of whom has played an important part in the history of the county : O. II. and W. H. Picher, W. H. Phelps, Al Thomas, M. G. McGregor, A. H. and W. H. Caffee, A. M. Drake, J. C. Gaston. John Reynolds, Pat Murphy, C. W. Elliott, J. M. Young, G W. Crow, W. H. Cloud, Peter Myers, C. A. Cassel, E. W. Harper, T. Regan, W. H. Moore and George Raider.
REGISTRATION UNDER "TEST OATH"
The revised constitution of Missouri went into effect July 4th, 1865, and contained among other provisions that as a precedent to exercising the right of franchise, serving on juries and holding office, "a test oath" should be taken and subscribed to in which the party make affidavit that he had been loyal to the Union. The law also provided that ministers, teachers and lawyers could not follow their vocation unless they had taken the Iron-Clad oath and a copy of such was on file in the county clerk's office.
To enforce this law a register was appointed in each county to make a list of the qualified voters and to administer the oath to such as desired to be registered.
Samuel B. LaForce was the first register and held his office from 1866 to 1868. He was succeeded by Thomas Buckner.
The general assembly of 1869 passed a law providing for a board of three registrars who sat for three days and examined all who appeared.
This law, of course, disfranchised all of the citizens of the county who had been in the Confederate army, and quite a number who had taken no part in the war were not able to prove their loyalty and their names were stricken from the registration books.
There was a light vote polled in the county at the election of Novem- ber, 1866, for two reasons-first, because only the loyal citizens could vote and, secondly, because most of the new-comers who might otherwise have registered had not vet gained their citizenship by the required one year's residence.
THE FALL ELECTION OF 1866
The only party in 1866 was the Republican party, and not much inter- est was manifested in the election excepting for the nomination of candi- dates, but in 1868 a new local party came into existence and, although not victorious, polling less than one-third of the vote of the county, put up a good fight and made the campaign both exciting and interesting.
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THE ISSUE
Many of the Republicans when the war was over advocated the policy of extending the hand of fellowship to the defeated party of the south, granting them the right of suffrage and restoring to them all of their civil rights. This faction was called the Liberal Republicans and those who opposed restoring the rights of citizenship were called Radicals.
The Liberal Republican party in Jasper county formed the People's Club and the few Democrats in the county who were eligible to vote affiliated with the Liberals.
The leaders of the two factions in Jasper county were for the Radi- cals, Colonel W. H. Cloud, ex-colonel of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry; W. H. Garland, editor of the Banner; J. M. Young, superintendent of the Granby Company ; J. S. Rhoades, O. H. Picher, Charles W. Elliott and E. M. Burch.
The leaders of the People's Club (Liberal Republicans) were Norris C. Hood, L. C. Cunningham and W. Baxla. S. R. H. Rose and J. F. Hop- kins were neutral, and W. H. Phelps and Franklin Davis, Democrats.
The campaign was hotly contested and was closed on October 25th by the Radicals with a rally at Carthage which was attended by three thousand people. One of the features of the rally was a horseback par- ade which contained ten marching clubs, some from out of the county. The registration of the county in 1868 was as follows: McDonald town- ship, 209; North Fork township, 90; Preston township, 167; Jasper town- ship, 91; Center Creek township, 97; Mineral township, 173; Jackson township, 143; Marion township, 499; Sarcoxie township, 228. Total, 1,697.
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