USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 49
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Eighty-seven members of the association attended the reunion-and from eight to nine-the remnant of the old guard were boys again and lived over the exciting days of the early seventies by swapping yarns and telling reminiscences of the days when Joplin was the "real thing" and a red-hot mining camp.
PRESIDENT CARTER'S ADDRESS
At 9 o'clock President Carter rapped for order and began the pro- gram with a welcoming address. He spoke as follows: "My old acquaint- ances, neighbors and friends, at no time in my life has it been to me a greater pleasure than that which is mine tonight, in the opportunity and privilege of meeting, greeting and welcoming, you all here now. Somehow, I am admonished and have in thought a conviction that my participation in this night's celebration of the eleventh annual banquet of the Joplin Old Settlers' Association will elose that part of all that has been mine in the life of the association. To me all these annual meetings have been a distinctive and highly appreciated pleasure and now standing where one year ago I stood in the presence and the happy mingling with my old neighbors of a century, there wells up in my heart a deep feeling of gratitude and love for all.
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"The honor you have so repeatedly extended through the eleven years of our association's life has to me a meaning, and here and now I beg to repeat and emphasize the assurance of my dear and sincere appreciation. and I have not now words adequate to express my gratitude and thanks.
"To meet as we have to renew old acquaintance and friendship, to buttress, to strengthen, to add to our ties of love for each other, to open the page in our record book where are written the names of our illus- trious and loving dead, is an obligation to halt a moment in sad and sor- rowful thought in memory of these grand and noble men. our city's proudest, bravest, best ; revered and loved by all-men who blazed the way, who laid the foundation and made possible the building of our great proud eity ; men whose worth, whose clean hearts, generous and spotless characters and boundless energies ; men whose lives and char- acter enriched our city and state and who stand today examplars of grandest worth and goodness: men who just a little while ago were with us on our banquet nights, cruelly touched with death's merciless hand. They are sleeping now, and this banquet hall is tinged with sorrow. Reverently we bow and drop a tear in saddened memory of these worthy. these splendid men. To meet, to keep green the memory of the dead, to seek and cherish a kindlier thought and warmer heart for the living, is yonr purpose, your inspiration here tonight.
"Mankind has never known, nor can it know, a loftier, purer or nobler ineentive. So now I beg again to repeat the word, welcome! Yes, a hundred times thrice welcome, greetings and congratulations around this banquet table, with your boundless store of cheer and love, within this splendid and inviting hall, odorous with the sweets of your rich and bounteous banquet spread, I bid you mix and mingle, celebrate, make merry, dedieate, make memorable this old settlers' eleventh annual ban- quet night!
"You know your rights, your duties here. The publie know; you dare maintain and do them. Take off the limit and play your night fes- tivities open. Let your joy be boundless and unconfined ! Tell yarns (lies, if you will) of Joplin's early, wild and wooly days. Do any old thing, of all sorts and sizes in your own old way, remembering always to do the right, but keep an eye an Captain Bartlett, Reinmiller and Pearson ; for they will entice you to follow them into ways that are dark and tricks that are vain. With my heart pulsing with love and my sincerest, best wishes for the health, long life, prosperity and happiness of every member of Joplin's Old Settlers' Association here assembled. I now assign you to the care and tender mercies of your own and only toastmaster, the Hon. Clark Craveroft."
Captain Carter's address was received with tremendous enthusiasm and when the nominations for president of the association were an- nounced, as the next order of business, Captain E. O. Bartlett named Captain Carter and asked all in favor to rise. Everybody did, excepting Mr. Carter himself. However, he thanked the men present for the honor and said: "I ascribe this show of sentiment to a sympathy. to long ar-
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quaintance which you hold for me. Such encouragement will at least add a few more weeks to an okl man's life."
For secretary. G. W. Koehler was placed in nomination and unani- mously elected. Koehler appeared too busy selling groceries to make a lengthy speech of acceptance, but he thanked the association in ap- propriate terms for the honor.
On motion of C. E. Cox, the president was empowered to appoint. seven vice presidents, one from each ward in the city.
This concluded the business of the evening and President Carter then called Mr. Craycroft to the chair and asked him to preside as toast- master. The master of ceremonies announced a Dutch lunch. "All sorts" by E. O. Bartlett. and gave forth the mandate to fall to, which was promptly obeyed.
The late arrival of William Norton, one of the okl-timers. now liv- ing in Columbus, was greeted with a round of cheers from all the guests and he was escorted to a place of honor near the front.
At 10 o'clock, Toastmaster Craycroft again rapped for order and a report from the mortuary committee was heard. Attorney John W. McAntire read the report, which deplored the death of the following old settlers since the last annual meeting: F. M. Redburn, P. Quinn, Ira Creeeh, D. II. Gilbert, John Delany, T. J. Patterson, T. A. Fields. J. B. Glover, Sr., Thomas Heathwood, E. B. Leonard, John H. Taylor, C. P. Molloy, J. W. Moore, Dan Collins, L. R. Nugent. J. W. Stephenson. H. Conley, H. Wear and Sylvester Huffman.
Resolutions of condolence were ordered spread upon the records of the association and sent to the surviving relatives of the deceased.
OLD SETTLERS' ODE TO JOPLIN
D. K. Wenrich, the poet of Joplin, and C. M. Miles and W. S. Taylor then sang the following "Old Settlers' Ode to Joplin," which is one of his many popular productions :
Joplin! It was with thee We placed our destiny, Long years ago. We've learned to love thy ways. As though from childhood days; Our hearts will all the praise On thee bestow.
Thy bounties we have shared. And happy homes prepared. So manifold. Thy gates have opened wide. To folks on every side. That they may too abide Within thy fold.
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Friend unto friend we've been,
Bonded by love within,
From year to year ;
While side by side we've dwelt.
At the same altars knelt ;
Each joy and sorrow felt For friends so dear.
The blade of Time's removed
Some of our friends we've loved. While we remain As pilgrims here below,
Waiting our time to go :
Yet, sweet it is to know We'll meet again.
THE TOASTS AND SPEAKERS
"Joplin's Early Police Courts, and How They were Run," was the toast responded to by Judge W. B. McAntire, who was among the first judges of the city. Judge MeAntire spoke in part as follows: "Our num- ber is passing swiftly ; a short time and this entire assembly shall have passed away. There was a time when our hair was not gray. Now it is a question of gray hairs or no hair at all! (Applause.)
"In my period of residence, the record of achievement and progress looms np like a mountain," Judge McAntire continned, and he related numerous anecdotes of the early days, when music, daneing and fights took place nightly and when there were dangerous men in the then rough and growing community. Joplin was then truly a "wide-open town." E. R. Moffett was mayor; T. J. Howell, police judge, and George De Orner, city attorney ; they were appointed by the governor under a special char- ter provided for the city of Joplin. Following their term, Lee Taylor was elected mayor and J. W. McAntire, city attorney. William Lupton was eity marshal. Judge McAntire told an amusing story of how Lup- ton refused to give up the office when William McCracken was named to succeed him and of how he locked that gentleman up in jail, forever enring him of the desire to become city marshal. The speaker told of how W. S. Norton, then city marshal, rode up to a tough character who was holding the other policeman and a crowd at bay and disarmed him without using a firearm. Several other old-time anecdotes, equally spicy, were related by the speaker and his whole talk was very much enjoyed.
Philip Arnold responded to "The Village Schoolmaster," which, be- sides giving a glowing word-picture of the educational facilities of the early days, was an excellent example of rhetoric, as a schoolmaster's literary work should be. He concluded by exhorting everyone present that he should be fully prepared when the Great Master called on him for the final examination.
"The Early Joplin Lawyer," was L. P. Cunningham's toast, and it was cleverly and eloquently handled. He spoke of the ovations being tendered Roosevelt in the west and of his being as free as any of ns, an
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American among Americans. "The Lawyer and the people, the people and the lawyer, constitute a covenant to uphold the life, liberty and property of the community," said the speaker in conclusion.
The trio then sang Mr. Wenrich's song, "Long, Long. Ago," and was encored and responded with "Stand Up for Joplin."
At this point Captain Carter prepared to take his departure and stated to the assembly that he felt he could not go without saying "Good- by." The men in the room listened intently and in sadness.
John W. MeAntire responded to the toast "Any Old Thing." On account of the wide range of his subject, Mr. MeAntire confined himself to "a few old things." He pointed out the three present who were among the first officers of the city, and recalled the fact that at the next meet- ing there may be none to whom to refer in this wise. He said, in con- elusion : "The clasp of an old settler is to me like the elasp of a brother," and rendered the little couplet
"Make new friends, But keep the old, These are silver ; Those are gold."
Judge L. A. Fillmore responded reminiscently to the toast, "The Early Business Man."
"Joplin and Its Future, " was eloquently extolled by ex-Mayor John C. Trigg, who could only sec brightness ahead for a city of such glorious achievement in periods past.
The trio rendered "My Old Kentucky Home."
The address of Attorney Thomas Dolan, "The Old-time Miner," was ably and conscientiously given and Mr. Dolan paid the encomiums justly due the old-time lawyers, no old-time business men, nor no old-time Joplin.
The association tendered a voluntary offering to Colonel O'Rear, upon whom the ravages of time and adversity have laid a heavy hand. Colonel O'Rear was not present and the offering was presented to him the next day.
The absence of Esquire Brown, who was ill at his home, was noted and deplored by the association.
During the feasting the association had the pleasure of hearing young Perey Wenrich (who is now a composer of note in New York City, but at that time in Chicago, and was born and raised in Joplin) play several piano selections.
PERSONNEL OF THOSE PRESENT
The personnel of those present was as follows: W. S. Taylor. horn near East Joplin in 1857; J. L. Staab, came in 1875; F. S. Gobar, 1875: Fred Duffelmeyer. 1873; I. H. Myers. 1872; J. T. Bodine, 1875; Julius Henmann. 1876; Lee Taylor, 1871: Charles Miles, 1868; J. J. Breazelle,
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1871; C. A. McAntire, born in 1874; Philip Arnold, 1873; C. Schiffer- decker, 1875; G. W. Koelhler, 1872; Judge W. B. Halyard, 1876; E. O. Bartlett, 1876; C. Craycroft, 1875; Henry Boss, 1871; James Roach, 1876; W. H. Coffee, 1871; Edward Zelleken, 1876; S. Landner, 1875; D. K. Wenrich, 1871; D. M. Page, 1875; J. Roush, 1875; J. W. Rein- miller, 1874; Thomas Dolan, 1873; J. Vancil, 1872; John Funnel, 1873; O. P. Wilson, 1875; Julius Fischer, 1877; L. P. Cunningham, 1877 ; J. J. Masmer, 1873; G. Weymann, 1877; Henry Weymann, 1876; William Bellar, 1871; James Cressman, 1873; Robert Wilson, 1875; H. B. Farn- ham, 1875; W. E. Gobar, 1875; Jolm Ferguson, born 1878; Calvin Niehell, 1872; J. C. Gaston, 1872; R. F. Barker. 1868: A. B. MeAntire, 1880, born in Joplin; HI. Il. Jennings. 1873; Lon Clark. 1871; J. L. Kelley, 1873; S. B. Jones, 1875; L. E. Gillette, 1874: William Carter, 1871; L. P. Wood, 1880; II. L. Chickering, 1876; L. F. Peters, 1876: W. E. Hamm, 1873; Ch. Guengerich, 1873: A. B. MeKee, 1871; Clarence Lambert, 1878; J. A. Thurman, 1872; Peter Burress, 187]: W. E. Me- Antire, 1877; W. H. Picher, 1870; O. H. Picher, 1875; E. R. MeCollum. 1871; W. B. MeAntire, 1873; S. O. Eells, 1873; J. J. Murphy, 1876; J. W. MeAntire, 1872; L. A. Fillmore, 1871; G. W. Kochler. 1873; J. C. Trigg, 1873; E. Gobar, 1875; Jacob League, 1872; C. W. Dykeman. 1871; A. L. Stephenson, 1876; Clarence Shortess. 1873; Lloyd Burress, 1872; J. S. Reynolds, 1871; J. C. Burgess, 1871 ; L. H. D. Freeman, 1874 ; Peter Schnur, 1871; W. J. Leffen, 1873; Sam Reynolds, 1871; W. J. Beall, 1872; A. W. Carson, 1876; N. Zenter, 1876; Gordon Allen, 1875.
Before the time for the next annual meeting President William Car- ter, of the Old Settlers' Association, passed to the great unknown, and his death oeeurring about the time when arrangements for the annual event should be made, out of respeet to his memory the banquet was post- poned to a future date and since then no one has felt called upon to as- sume the duties of leader and take the initiative for a. rennion. Thus the banquet at the Germania Hall, May 14, 1895, was the last given and the association has been together in a body sinee then, only to assist in the burial of the members as they, one by one, have passed away.
OLDEST LIVING PIONEER
At the date of the writing of this history, J. N. U. Seela is the oldest living pioneer, having come to Jasper county in 1883. A short time ago a representative of the Joplin Daily Herald visited Mr. Seela at his home and obtained from him the following little interview which we print with the paper's consent on account of its historie incident.
When interviewed Mr. Seela gave an interesting account of early days here. He regards them as the "good old days." "In those days everybody worked," he said. "My earliest remembrance is of hoeing potatoes, by the side of my mother. Mother raised flax and cotton and spun and wove all our clothing. Brother and I used to sit in front of the fire place and seed the cotton for her and twist it into a long loose rope, for the spinning wheel. Often the blaze from the logs would ignite it, and then we would have a big blaze.
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"We boys wore long shirts which mother made, reaching below our knees. They were wove of the linen and were our only garment. There were no fine dressers in those days. And we didn't have much money. But we enjoyed ourselves more, I think, than people do now. People were more truthful and honorable then. There was more humanity.
"Now-a-days you'll find mighty little humanity. Why, men would come for twenty-five miles, in those days, to a house-raisin'. Now a man wont do a thing for you unless you pay him well. I have hewn logs many a time for a neighbor's cabin. I used to know the number of logs it took to raise a corner and could go into the woods and split the exact number for a cabin. I've reared the corner of a cabin by myself. But I couldn't do it now."
Mr. Seela is still strong and does the greater part of the work about his farm.
Speaking of their foods, Mr. Seela told of the first sugar he ever saw, when he was a grown young man. It came in cakes and was whittled off for use. Honey was the only "sweetening" they had, save for maple syrup in the springtime. But only a few sugar maples grew along Cen- ter creek. The woods, however, abounded with bees and honey was plentiful. Coffee was bought at ten pounds for a dollar, green, and often the unopened burs were sprouted.
A tuition school located on Center creek, supported by Barry county's farmers, was taught by the more learned of the districts settlers. But. as Mr. Seela declared, his first teacher hardly knew his A. B. C's.
In 1854 Mr. Seela, with his wife and baby boy, moved to the old homestead on which he now lives, and erected his one roomed log cabin. Grass then covered the site of Carthage and the county's court house. On the north side of what is now the square, George Hornbeck then had a general store. Here farmers of the surrounding country obtained their provisions.
Mr. Seela's farm was the scene of skirmishing during the Civil war, and the old cabin in which he and his wife first settled, was burned by pillaging parties.
The story is told of one woman, who had no rolling pin and used a large ear of corn to roll dongh for her bread.
Brooms were made either of bunches of buckbrush tied together, or from a straight stick of hickory, whittled at one end to be small enough for handling, with the other split into fiber. A band of the bark was left at the top of the brush part to prevent further splitting.
There were no matches and fire was struck with steel and flint. The spark was directed to a turf of dry flax lint which it ignited.
But when a light was needed it was from a tallow dip. These were made by frying out the fat of deer or bears and having it melted in a pot. Then a row of strings was suspended from a stiek and dipped into the grease and pulled out. The fat that clung to the string soon cooled and it was dipped quickly into the melted fat and again withdrawn. This was repeated until each string was surrounded with a thick layer
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
of grease. Then they were eut loose from the stick and laid away. The string in the eenter served as a wiek and these tallow dips made very good candles.
A simple substitute for a mouse trap was devised by one settler, with the aid of a thimble and a saucer. The thimble placed under the rim of the saneer small end down, with bait attached, proved to be an effective devise and no mouse was the wiser.
Deer were plentiful, and furnished the main portion of meat for the earliest inhabitants. The fat was used for lard. Each antumn, hunting parties of Indians invaded this country until it was well settled, in search of deer.
Butter, milk and eggs were as scaree as they have been in Chicago recently and when proeurable, were of such high prices that would make today's sufferers from the "high cost of living" thankful that they weren't pioneers of a half century ago. Sixty-five eents was the price of a pound of butter in the latter '60's, while the price of eggs per dozen was half a dollar. Milk was sold at 30 and 35 cents a gallon, but was scarce.
Preachers were even more searce. Almost every settler had his Bible, and those who could read, spread the gospel teachings among their neigh- bors. The preacher of the neighborhood was one of the farmers or a carpenter, on weekdays. But even when a preacher could not be pro- eured, gatherings were held on the Sabbath, with the men and women of the country leading the service of worship.
STATE PICNICS AND ORGANIZATIONS
In this day of rapid transportation a man in a busy career may be ealled far from his boyhood home, and although we are a cosmopolitan people and easily adjust ourselves to ehanging conditions and scenes. and, as Eugene Field in his eharming poem, "John Smith," says :
"Just which John Smith you are, I really can't reeall,
And somehow I like to think that you must be them all;
And so you are, for whether your crest be badger, bear, palmetto, sword or pine,
Yours is the glory of the stars that with the stripes combine.
Or mebby Colonel Smith you are the gentleman I knew,
Who came from the state where Demoerats and the finest horses grew, Where ladies are all beautiful, and where the crop of eorn
Is utilized for bourbon. true awters there are born."
But while we are all Americans and love this great nation of ours and feel at home any place where the stars and stripes float, still now and then our minds wander back to the old homestead and in our dreams. at least, we live over the days of our youth.
The year 1900 was noted for the organization in this county of a num- ber of state societies, when the people from other states than ours eame
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
together, renewed acquaintances and talked over the great accomplish- ments of their native counties and towns.
The first of these State Pienies was held by the people who came from the blue grass state.
The Kentucky Association was formed at Lakeside Park in August, 1900. At the Kentucky picnic Hon. W. J. Stone was the orator of the day. A permanent organization was formed, with Capt. C. H. Price, of Webb City, president ; A. L. McCalley, of Carthage, secretary, and Dr. A. B. Freeman, of Joplin, treasurer. This society has since had a num- ber of delightful gatherings.
The Hoosiers and the Buckeyes also both formed state soeieties and held a state reunion at Lakeside that year. Major John B. Lloyd was the first president of the Indiana Society and R. T. Stickney, president of the Ohio reunion. At the Ohio picnic it was found, on the examina- tion of the roster, that three brothers, Jolm, Joseph and Henry Cather, were the oldest Buekeyes in attendance, they having come to Jasper county from Ohio in 1848 and resided continuously in the county from then to now.
CHAPTER XLII
GENERAL JOPLIN MATTERS
EXTENSION OF CITY LIMITS-CITY CENSUS IN 1905-10-THE CITY PARK SYSTEM-EAST JOPLIN IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION- JOPLIN'S FIRE DEPARTMENT-MUNICIPAL OFFICERS, 1900-11-JOPLIN AS A CONVEN- TION CITY-REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION, 1902-DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION, 1904-NEWSPAPERS-RAILROADS AND NEW UNION DEPOT-THE HEIM STREET CAR LINE.
During the past ten years Joplin has taken many forward strides in the matter of municipal advancement. It has voted a permanent tax for the support of a free publie library, built a new and commodious city hall, enlarged its electric light plant and built a viaduct over the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks on Third street. It has paved many miles of streets and caused to be laid over fifty miles of sidewalks. Many matters of civic improvements are still fresh in the minds of the people and for the lack of space we will not attempt to set them all down at length. We will, however, mention a few of the most important municipal improvements which had much to do in shaping the destinies of the city or adding materially to the happiness and comfort of the people.
EXTENSION OF CITY LIMITS
In 1900 there sprang up west of the city a new camp which came into great prominence and, like Blendville on the south, grew with such rapidity that it became necessary to establish some form of local govern- ment. The new camp was called Chitwood and at first grew up among the mining properties of L. P. Cunningham and the King Jack and John Jackson mines. It took its name from a Chitwood Hollow.
Chitwood was incorporated as a village and for a time maintained a vity government and its schools attained a state of great excellence. In 1908 the city limits were extended to the west, so that Chitwood was taken into the city of Joplin and is now the eighth ward of the city and at this same election Villa Heights, on the east. was taken into the city and is the cast district of the first ward.
CITY CENSUS IN 1905-10
A special census of Joplin, taken in Jannary, 1905, showed that the vity had a population of 31,582. The United States census of 1910 showed the population to be 32,073.
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The estimated population of Joplin at this writing, based on the school census taken in 1911. which showed a great increase over 1910, is 35.000.
THE CITY PARK SYSTEM
The park system of Joplin had its origin in 1897, when T. W. Cun- mingham, then mayor of Joplin, gave to the city Cunningham Grove, south of Blendville. This beautiful grove was greatly used by the citi- zens for pienies and celebrations, and it was Mr. Cunningham's idea to preserve the grove so that the people of the city might have some place in the city limits for gatherings of this kind.
The city at the time had no fund available with which to improve the park, and in 1903, City Attorney P. D. Decker secured the passage of a bill through the legislature authorizing the city. by a vote of the people, to levy a tax for park purposes. The matter was submitted to the people at the general election of 1904 and carried.
VIEW IN CUNNINGHAM PARK, JOPLIN
Mayor Cunningham, who had again been called to the chair in 1903, appointed the following gentlemen as a board of park directors: C. IT. Hand, first ward : H. R. Conkling, second ward ; P. A. Christman. third ward; Chas. Schifferdecker, fourth ward; Boone Jenkins, fifth ward: J. A. Graves, sixth ward: W. H. Landreth, seventh ward, and Chris Guengerich and Joel T. Livingston, members at large. The board organized, with P. A. Christman, president ; H. R. Conkling, vice presi- dent ; and Joel T. Livingston, secretary. The board has remained un- changed since its organization, excepting in the person of C. H. Hand, who died in 1907 and was succeeded by his son, Leon H., and he in 1909. by George Linwick. Mr. Conkling removed from the city in 1909 and was Vol. 1-30
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