USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 15
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At the annual meeting of the society in 1875 Lucius Amsden, a farmer and fruit grower residing six miles north of Carthage, exhibited a peach which he called the June Amsden, a variety which was grafted
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by him and is a native of Jasper county. The June Amsden was said to be the earliest peach grown in the Southwestern Missouri climate.
MCDONALD TOWNSHIP FARMERS' CLUB
One of the most popular and useful local organizations of the early 'seventies was the MeDonald Township Farmers' Club, which was or- ganized January 20, 1871, and held meetings for a number of years. This club was organized before the Grange had come into popularity and its meetings were held weekly. The first officers of the club were : Wil- liam H. Rusk, president ; A. H. Ingersoll, secretary.
The club was non-political and confined its work to the discussion of topics which would be of help in bettering the farming interests. In- teresting papers and discussions were had on stock and poultry raising, dairy products, the cultivation and care of fruits, the best and cheapest way to build a fence, etc.
JASPER COUNTY SHEEP
At the Dade County fair in October, 1877, the Jasper county sheep belonging to William MeGuier took the first prize, winning him a nice sum. The sheep were of the Cotswold breed.
THE JASPER COUNTY IMMIGRATION SOCIETY
On February 25, 1872, a number of patriotic citizens met at Carthage and formed the Jasper County Immigration Society, having for its ob- jects the disbursement of literature and information concerning the county and its resources. More than a hundred men joined the so- riety and paid an entrance fee of five dollars, together with an annual assessment with which to carry on the business of the association. Its first officers were: J. W. Young, president; W. L. Tower, vice presi- dent ; D. L. Thomas, treasurer; E. P. Searl, recording secretary ; Capt. T. B. Tuttle, and II. C. Henney corresponding secretaries.
The organization accomplished mueh good and did a great work in advertising the county.
THE SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL SOCIETY
The Southwestern Medical Society, composed of doctors from Greene, Newton, Lawrence, Barton, Dade and Jasper counties, met at Carthage, April 15, 1875. Dr. J. A. Carter read an interesting paper giving the data collected by United States pension experts comparing the death rate of Southwestern Missouri with other localities, the conclusion being that this section of the state was then the healthiest portion of the United States, its death rate being far less than any other portion of our great domain.
COUNTY JAIL
The eounty jail was built in 1872. It was originally intended to ac- comodate twenty prisoners, having eight cells besides corridors, sheriff's
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office, etc. At this writing the jail is much over crowded, having over one hundred prisoners and although all county offices, save the jailer's quarters, have been moved to the elegant court house and the old offices fitted up as cells, it is necessary for the prisoners to take turns at sleep- ing, two sets occupying the beds during the day.
JASPER COUNTY OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION
On May 5, 1879, the first annual reunion of the Jasper County Old Settlers' Association was held in the City Park at Carthage. At an early hour that morning people from the country commenced pouring into town and by noon there was a very large crowd. At ten o'clock Monroe's cornet band gathered the crowd to the park, where the day was to be spent. The roll-of-membership book was on the grounds and up to noon one hundred and fifty persons had registered their names as members of the organization. The people assembled in the park num- bered about four hundred. The assemblage was called to order by Judge Hornback, president of the association. Col. J. M. Young, of Oronogo, delivered the address of the occasion which occupied over an hour. After this dinner was announced. The multitude was not long in as- sembling around the long tables laden with all the luxuries of the season. After dinner an old settlers' experience meeting was held in which a large number of the pioneers made speeches relating interesting inci- dents of early life in Jasper county.
COL. YOUNG AND THE COUNTY OF '65
The following are the closing paragraphs of Colonel Young's most interesting address and it cannot help but be of interest to both old and new settlers, because of its vivid description of the early events of the reorganization period.
The organizers of this Association were forced to consider facts-results. From 1865 to 1870 they found society formed from chaos, from a wilderness a commonwealth, and on the wreck of civilization a sovereignty already assured the peer and rival of any in the state. Youth is silvered with age where time has been annihilated by accomplishments and generations encompassed with events ; here age had lost her prestige and experiences mark the line of time. Settlers prior to 1870 may well be called old settlers who experienced those results. In 1865 traveling by team, camping out, we crossed the Osage river at Osceola. On our way down the divides southward, we followed the dim traces of former roads and when all trace was gone were guided by course alone. Deer were constantly in sight grazing like common kine. We shot them and wolves from our wagon seat. In our camp at the ford on Nork Fork of Spring river we were startled from supper by a herd of deer rushing past in apparent sportive wantonness and from the bank they bounded on the solid ice below, across which they slid in no very graceful shape till striking the opposite bank, up which they sprang and were soon lost in the bottoms beyond.
It was on a December morning that we reached the site of ancient Carthage. The rain of the night before had frozen and each pendant bough and blade of grass sparkled and flashed in the sunlight, Nature was draped in bridal array awaiting and wooing civilization and development. The scene was brilliant and impressive. We found here Mr. Rader, not "like Marius amid the ruins." Vol. I-8
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but safely housed with his store of goods in a log cabin some twelve by four- teen feet. He was
"Monarch of all be surveyed His right there was none to dispute ; From the prairies all round thro' the groves He was lord of the fowl and the brute."
For in his cabin and own proper person he represented the total wealth, popula- tion and improvements of Carthage as we saw it at that time-except perhaps an old roof still standing supported on bare poles and situated somewhere in the rear of where the St. Charles Hotel now is. Dr. Bolen was living in a farm house out south and where Mr. Lamb since lived for a time.
The county seat was at Cave Springs (a brick church of school house) on the eastern line of the county. Mail matter was delivered for that place from the post office at Sarcoxie some three miles distant.
Historie Sarcoxie, celebrated for her military Rains, and as the onee com- mercial emporium of the Ozark slopes whence was distributed intelligence and "store goods." still maintained her prestige. llere commmieation was had with civilization and the outer world by a weekly hack via Springfield and thence with the railroads at Rolla or Sedalia. Here was also the only running mill we saw, and the relies of three or four houses in one of which was quite a stoek of goods.
On our way from Carthage to the county seat we received our first Missouri welcome. Messrs. E. M. and Lyman J. Burch received us with open house and hands. Here we obtained the assuring intelligence that there were at that time located in Jasper county as many as twenty-five or thirty men, and that should we desire to locate here they thought we could safely do so. provided. of course. we used necessary precautions. At Cave Springs we were hospitably entertained by Mr. Bulgin, the then county clerk. We there saw all the valuable Records of Jasper county carefully preserved in a safe, the inside measure of which was twelve by eighteen inches, which safe I afterwards purchased and valued at ten dollars.
After dinner the "experience meeting" was held. John Prigmore, R. J. Dale, C. W. King, D. K. Hood and W. F. Cloud made short speeches narrating their early experiences in the county. These little talks were full of interest and we only regret that we are unable to give them to our readers in full. The musie by a special choir was excellent; among the songs sung were "The Light of Home" and "On the Moun- tain Life is Free." It was four o'clock before the exercises were over and the crowd dismissed to gather again at some date to be named here- after this fall. On the whole the reunion was a grand success and we prediet that the meeting next fall will be a still grander one.
CHAPTER XIV
MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS
A SURPRISED METROPOLITAN-THE FLOOD OF 1872-THE GRASSHOPPERS -JASPER COUNTY RING HUNT-A REMARKABLE JURY.
In 1877 the Globe-Democrat sent a special correspondent to Jasper county to write np the mines and miners and had expected to find a wild and woolly sort of civilization. On finding a community not only noted for its thrift and energy, but for its high state of morals, he wrote a most flattering description of the county which we produce here in part.
A SURPRISED METROPOLITAN
"Carthage is, for a fact," says the surprised St. Louis man, "the most beautiful city in the West, having an enterprising population noted for taste and neatness in every kind of improvement. The residences are after modern architecture, surrounded by shrubbery of every de- scription. The streets are clean; no stench of filth is permitted to re- main an hour upon any of the thoroughfares. Five or six handsome churches all built by the charity of the people, who have given every evidence of their liberality. The inhabitants are church-going people. Seven or eight hundred children attend the different Sabbath schools each Sabbath.
"You will agree with me when I say no better evidence is desired to prove the character of the people.
"Carthage is becoming quite a manufacturing city in several de- partments, and other manufactories will doubtless be established here at no distant period. Railroad facilities are good. The Missouri and Western Railroad is now completed from Pierce City to Oswego, Kas., making timely connections with the M. K. & T., at Oswego, and the St. Louis and San Francisco at Pierce City, Mo. Great credit is due the worthy Superintendent, Mr. Rombauer, for the courteous manner in which he treats every one with whom he has business and the manner in which he condnets the railroad.
"Joplin, the great mineral wonder of the world, is situated in Jasper county, fourteen miles west of Carthage, having a population of 14,000 and over 200 business houses, and possessing a wonderful trade.
"Several wholesale houses have opened and supply the trade of the towns and villages that now surround it. It has been proved that Joplir possessed an inexhaustible amount of mineral, and that brings money
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Then so long as the mines are worked, so long will Joplin advance.
"In 1870 only a few huts in the vieinity of the present site of the city. In seven years she has a population of nearly 14,000 inhabitants. .Joplin has had a bad name abroad, and, in behalf of her merits, let me say that I never saw a more law-abiding town anywhere, nor a better set of officials. She enforces a Sabbath ordinance, and her churches are crowded every Sabbath, morning and evening. Also the Temperance Club has a membership of over 300. The mineral land owners offer good indueements to good miners and a good miner will invariably sueceed at Joplin.
"We almost neglected to say that Joplin has ereeted gas works and she looks at night mueh like a eity in faet, and they are beginning to agitate the question of water-works and street cars. Doubtless within the next two or three years she with have both.
"The wheat crop in this locality is short-not over half a erop. The oats and corn particularly the latter, are quite good. This far eorn never looked better than now.
"The 'hoppers are gone to the satisfaction of every one.
"Under the management of Prof. Underwood, the present Superin- tendent, the schools of Jasper county are already assuming a change for the better. Jasper county takes great interest in her schools.
"Every distriet in the county is supplied with a good commodions schoolhouse."
THE FLOOD OF 1872
On May 28, 1872, there occurred a most severe rain and as a result Spring river, Center creek and Turkey creek came out of their banks and flooded the lands which were adjacent. Spring river, at Carthage, was a mile wide.
The following account. taken from the Banner will give the reader a good idea of the extent of the damage.
GREAT FLOOD
UNPRECEDENTED RISE IN SPRING RIVER-IMMENSE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY- THRILLING SCENES AND INCIDENTS-HOUSES, TREES, LOGS, CATTLE, IlGs, AFLOAT-MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN DANGER OF DROWNING-REPORTED LOSS OF LIFE.
Not within the recollection of man has Spring river eut up such a eaper as it did last Monday, in the broad light of mid-day-swell from a quiet stream. not over ninety feet wide, and only about half bank full, to a raging torrent a mile in width, inside of one and a half hours' time. And but once before was the water higher, which was in 1844. when the river was some four feet higher than on last Monday.
Sunday night had been a very stormy one-not so much rain in this section but an unusual amount of lightning. as elsewhere detailed. The rain here had not been sufficient to raise the river half a foot. Monday forenoon was a quiet one-cloudy but no rain. About noon the skies became clear. No one suspected the impending deluge. Shortly after noon the roar of waters was heard up the river. Those who were on the bluffs northeast of town, could see the breast
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of water, half a mile wide, and from four to six feet high, rolling down the bottom, sweeping everything before it. It was a grand sight, and but for the destruction that it was occasioning to fences, crops, and live stock, could have been enjoyed by any one. When it struck a fence there was a general muss, and the next moment the fence would be no more. In a half hour's time the whole bottom was submerged, and the water was backing up the branches that lead to the river.
By one o'clock crowds began to flock to the bluffs and hills, and edge of the water north of town, to see the sight. Men, women, and children were there by the hundreds, and the crowd kept up all afternoon. Many drove out in car- riages. Nearly the entire population of Carthage was out during the afternoon. The waters commenced falling about three o'clock, and what had taken but two hours to raise, was forty-eight hours in going down.
At two o'clock we visited the bluff upon which the Woolen Mill is located. The mills and banks were swarming with an excited populace of all ages. Every one expressed astonishment at the sudden and unaccountable rise of the river. The water was over the arch from which the big spring issues. The gentle, murmuring, lovely Spring River, in two hours' time had been transformed into a roaring, mighty river, a mile in width and thirty feet deep. Rails, boards, cord wood, debris of all kinds were floating down stream, while occasionally a resolute porker could be seen headed for the shore. Hundreds of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs were overwhelmed in the floods and perished. Many persons, at work in the bottoms, had narrow escapes from being drowned. Several miles below, a number of men were obliged to climb into the tree tops to escape drown- ing, and were treed for nearly twenty-four hours. The railroad hands en- camped on the bottom north of town, were so surprised by the suddenness of the rise of water, that they saved nothing of their camp equipage, and were glad to escape, burriedly with nothing in their hands to impede their progress.
No lives were lost in this vicinity, for a wonder, though many were the nar- row escapes that were made. How the settlers of Spring River above and below this point fared, we bave not yet learned, but we know that the loss of horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, and fences, let alone crops-wheat and corn damaged-must be immense. We have heard it estimated at $200,000, in the county. The fol- lowing are only a few of the losses in this vicinity : McDaniel lost SO head of hogs. W. F. Steinmitz lost 100 cords of wood at his brickyard, worth $400; and the fence around 28 acres of ground, a total loss of about $500. Lamb lost a good fence, all swept away, and a field of wheat plastered over with mud. Myers & Son lost 80 cords of wood at their woollen mill. The improvements ou the Fair Ground are all swept away, and the north trestle work on the lower bridge. The upper bridge is all safe and erossable. The flood did not reach Galesburg, 14 miles west of here, until the evening, and the loss of property was very heavy. The water raised to the second story of the flouring mill at that point, and as the first story contained a great deal of wheat and manufactured flour, the loss is very heavy. The bridge at Georgia City is all safe.
The above is but an outline of this most remarkable freshet. The question naturally occurs-What caused the sudden flood? It was at first supposed in this vicinity that MeDaniel's mill dam had broke, and that the flood would soon go down, but that notion was soon abandoned. The next supposition was that there must have been a water spont up the river somewhere, but we have not yet received any intelligence to that effect. The most probable account is that a sudden and long-continued shower among the hills of Lawrence county, on Sun- day night, occasioned the swift raising of the water. At any rate the flood of May 27, 1$72, will go down to posterity as one of the epochs of Spring River on a high old spree.
Since writing the foregoing we have learned of the drowning of a man. woman. and child at Oregon, 18 miles east of here, but no particulars, except that the sad news is not a canard.
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AMUSING INCIDENTS
Notwithstanding the seriousness of the immense loss of property by the sud- den rise of Spring river last Monday, there were many occurrences that look very amusing after it is all over with. Among the hundred funny incidents we can mention but a few. A Swede had just gone over on the island, north of town to set out cabbage plants, when the flood of water burst all around him, and in a few moments he was compelled to climb a tree for safety. He stuck to his cabbage plants, and roosted in the tree top until ten o'clock the next day.
After the upper bridge was approachable, a pig was discovered on it, safe and sound, and glad see the folks that visited it in its Robinson Crusoe condi- tion. It had sought the bridge at the outburst of the flood.
We noticed a wash line, reaching from one of the houses to a tree close by, under the brow of the hill, north of town, at the height of the flood, with some newly washed clothing dangling in the muddy water-not a very flattering pros- pect for a good clean dry.
The railroad hands camping in tents in the bottom were so suddenly routed out, that they could not save anything, but had to flee empty handed to escape the flood. One of the ladies was so overwhelmed with the suddeness of the deluge, that she never thought of fleeing, and a strong armed man picked her up and carried her to a place of safety through water four feet deep.
Dr. Jas. F. Wilson was approaching the upper bridge, on the other side of the river, just as the flood burst upon the bottom. He saw it was impossible to reach the bridge, and so he galloped down to the lower bridge two miles below, but really three the way he had to go and reached it just as the flood got there. Five minutes after he crossed the approaches to the bridge were past fording. He noticed a large charred ten foot saw log in the water at the upper bridge which passed under the lower bridge as he crossed over it.
After the bottom was covered with water, a man across the river by the name of Widdom rigged up a skiff and went cruising through the waters for victims. He rescued quite a number of folks, among the rest an old man, woman, and baby, who had sought safety in a bush. The swift current carried the crew three-quarters of a mile down the stream before they landed on terra firma. In one case he found two men in a treetop, with their horses hitched below in water nearly deep enough to drown them. The men preferred to stay with their team.
Ed. St. John lost his stylish little pony by the freshet. It was in Bett's pasture field on the island in Spring River bottom.
THE GRASSHOPPERS
During the summer of 1874 Jasper county, in common with other western-border counties, was visited with a pest in the form of grass- hoppers. Jasper eounty was not devastated so much, however, as the eastern portion of Kansas, but the erops were greatly damaged. The younger generation and people who did not live in the west during the early 'seventies cannot appreciate the extent of the damage done by the grasshoppers and the stories told by the farmers seem almost fabu- lous, although absolutely true.
JASPER COUNTY RING HUNT
It will be remembered that the county lost fully two-thirds of its population during the war and as a result of the desolation and waste, the wild game which had almost been exterminated before the unpleas- antness returned to its old haunts and during the latter 'sixties, Jasper
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county was again the hunter's paradise, deer, wild turkey and the like being plentiful and sometimes bigger animals came prowling around, but as the population increased, these were either exterminated or driven out by the onward march of civilization. During this period large hunt- ing parties were quite popular, and occasionally a number of hunters would drive the game toward some point where the killing would take place. One of the most successful of these ring hunts took place Satur- day, January 20, 1872, under the direction of U. B. Hendrickson of Oronogo, assisted by W. B. Crossman, John B. Rood, William C. Brooks, A. C. Grisham, J. W. Helman and William Ranken, as the com- mittee on arrangements. The center of the ring was designated as a point one mile cast of Pilot Grove and the hunting limits included the territory from the Newton county line north to the section line run- ning through Oronogo, and from the section line two miles west of Carthage to a west line which would now run though the eastern por- tion of Carthage Junction. The hunt commenced at 1 o'clock A. M. and a hundred hunters participated in the sport. Two o'clock was designated as the hour to be in the center and the hunters approached from the four sides, each under the leadership of a captain who selected the marksmen from his party who at the appointed time were to bring down the game, and if perchance a deer or any other animal (and of course, there were many wild beasts killed only for their hides and skin) made its escape through the line, the file closest guarding the outposts brought them down. The day was long remembered by the sportsmen of the county.
A REMARKABLE JURY
At the January term of the court of common pleas, held at Carthage in 1878, there occurred a most extraordinary proceeding, the trial of a case by a jury of lawyers. The trial was in the case of Wheeler vs. Johnson and was in the nature of a suit to enforce the collection of rent on a farm.
The plaintiff attorney, S. G. Williams, asked that the case be tried by a jury of lawyers, as their knowledge of the law and court rulings would enable them to more quickly grasp the legal phase of the case and apply the facts accordingly. The defendant's attorney, R. A. Cam- eron, accepted the challenge and a jury of lawyers was impanelled, among them W. H. Phelps and M. G. McGregor.
The case was ably presented on both sides and the plaintiff won, the jury granting Wheeler one hundred dollar damages in the way of rent.
CHAPTER XV
CARTHAGE IN THE 'SEVENTIES
ORGANIZED AS A CITY-FIRST OFFICIAL DOCUMENT-CITY OFFICERS, 1873-9-ORGANIZATION OF FIRE DEPARTMENT-INDUSTRIES OF THE 'SEVENTIES-THE CARTHAGE GAS WORKS-NEWSPAPERS-BANKS AND BANKING-THE KARR HOTEL-THE CARTHAGE OPERA HOUSE-BOARD OF TRADE-RAILROAD RATES-BUILDING OF THE FIRST SCHOOL-HIGH SCHOOL COURSE OF STUDY -- FIRST PUPILS-THIE CARTHAGE LIBRARY
The election for town trustees of Carthage for 1871 passed off quietly and resulted in the eleetion of the following gentlemen: H. F. Beebe, Peter Hill, W. F. Stermontz, A. Cahn and D. G. Chase. The board was organized with the election of H. T. Beebe as president and George A. Case, elerk.
CARTILAGE ORGANIZED AS A CITY
During the winters of 1872-3 the question of organizing a municipal- ity was diseussed. It was apparent that a better government could be had through a eity government and, aeeordingly, at a special eleetion held February 25, 1873, it was deeided by a vote of 4 to 1 to petition the legislature for a special charter. Colonel C. C. Allen, of Carthage, state senator, pushed the matter in the legislature, and on the 7th day of Mareh the bill granting the special charter passed the general assembly and was at onee signed by the governor.
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