USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 6
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The members of the county court received two dollars per day and drew from the treasury about twenty dollars during the year.
The treasurer was paid one and a half per cent of the funds pass- ing through his hands and received for his year's pay $4.81.
The treasurer gave bond in the sum of $1,500.
The sheriff and county clerk fared a little better, however, as they were paid in fees, and the sheriff made about $100 ont of his office and the clerk about $75.
THE FIRST SESSION OF THE CIRCUIT COURT
The bill providing for the organization of Jasper county also made provision for the organization of a number of other counties, and an- other bill passed at the same time to redistriet the state into judicial circuits, Jasper and other southwest Missouri counties being in the Thirteenth judicial circuit. On February 8, 1841, the governor ap- pointed Hon. Charles S. Yancey as the judge thereof.
The first session of the Jasper county circuit court was held Feb- ruary 25th at the residence of George Hornbaek.
The opening of the court was both unusual and romantic and shows how easily the pioneer overcomes what at first seems to be an insur- mountable difficulty.
The residence of George Hornback was one of the pioneer log houses, twelve by sixteen, and besides a table contained half a dozen Vol. 1-1
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
split-bottom chairs; also was furnished with a couple of old fashioned beds.
It will be readily seen that the one room was somewhat crowded with the family, but this was nothing to the pioneer; and so when the morning of the 25th of February (the day set for the opening of the court) dawned clear and bright it found some twenty-odd men at this hostelry to participate in the opening. At the hour set for the open- ing of the court, His Honor, Judge Yancey, ordered the sheriff, J. P. Osborne, to formally open the court, and that officer stepping to the door of the house, after taking a large quid of tobacco from his mouth, said, "Oh yes, Oh yes, the Honorable Circuit Court of Jasper County is now in session."
Robert W. Crawford was appointed eirenit attorney pro tem. and the court was opened for business.
The following gentlemen were empaneled as the grand jury : George Hornback, foreman ; Henry H. Zackery, David Hawkins. Daniel Smith, James Ilornback, John Oxford, David Brochus, Thackery Vivion, Thomas J. Mills, Daniel M. Hopkins, Samuel Teas, John F. Mills, Du- bart Murphy, Levi Dickerson, Leander Messit, William Laxon and Rob- ert Neal.
After the jury was charged, for the want of a jury room retired to a large log in the yard and there entered upon their deliberations. after listening to the testimony returning a true bill against David Lamaster for forgery. At the trial the case was nolled for some irregu- larity in the drawing of the indictment.
At this session of the court John C. Price. afterward a distin- guished lawyer and later circuit judge, was admitted to the bar. Court was held at this place until June, 1842, when the new court house at Carthage was ready for occupancy.
At the October term of the court Robert W. Crawford, the acting prosecuting attorney, and John R. Chenault, afterward judge of the circuit court, engaged in a heated war of words over some matter that came up during a trial and concluded the argument with a rough-and- tumble fight, which was with great difficulty ended by the sheriff.
Judge Yancey promptly fined the belligerents ten dollars for con- tempt of court. Mr. Crawford paid his fine, but Mr. Chenault made a motion that the fine be set aside on the ground of self-defense, but Judge Yancey overruled the motion. Mr. Chenault appealed the case to the supreme court, but for some reason it was never reached and the ease was finally dropped.
CONSPIRACY OR RIOT CASE
The most important case tried while the sessions of the court were held at the Hornback residence was the famous Conspiracy or Riot case, as it was called. A man by the name of Skidmore had incurred the displeasure of the community on account of gambling. horse-racing
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
and other irregularities, and one night some eleven men constituted themselves a committee to wait on him and inform him that he was not wanted in the county. Mr. Skidmore conchided to stand his ground and the committee returned and gave him a severe horse-whipping and again ordered him to leave. Skidmore stood his ground and defied the committee. A few nights later they returned and Skidmore opened fire, killing one of the besieging party ; after which they retired leaving him in full possession of the fort.
Skidmore then had the entire party arrested, but for various reasons, inability to secure an impartial jury, absence of witness, etc., etc., the case dragged along for several terms and was then dismissed.
A NEW COURT HOUSE BUILT
By the close of the 'forties the business transacted by the county had grown to such proportions that the one-room court house at Car- thage would not accommodate the county offieers and on July 29. 1849, an arehitect was employed to draw plans for a court house which was built in 1851.
The new structure was a two-story brick building, the lower part being used for the circuit court and other offiees and the upstairs being set apart for county and jail purposes. This building served as a hos- pital for the wounded soldiers of both the Union and Confederate armies after the battle of Carthage, and in 1863 was burned during one of the frequent raids that took place in the county.
EARLY POLITICAL HISTORY
When Jasper county was organized in 1841 the first officers were appointed by the governor and at the first election in 1842 political lines were not closely drawn, the voters usually voting for the friend or neighbor they most liked, but at the election of 1844 the people be- gan to divide into the two great parties of that day, the Democratic and Whig. The Democratic party was that which advocated the doctrines of Jefferson and Jackson; the Whig, the Hamiltonian theory of gov- ernment. Both parties were well organized in 1844 and made a hard fight for victory, but the Democrats were mostly successful.
In the campaign of 1852 the American, or Know Nothing party. made a vigorous campaign and elected a few of its candidates. The American party was so called because it opposed the holding of office by foreign-born citizens. This party spread its doctrines largely by means of lodges which were organized in nearly every community. It unsettled both of the old parties, but drew most of its strength from the Whigs.
The anti-slavery agitation, which began with the organization of the Republican party, made a new political alignment in the county and at the election of 1856 found three contestants-the Democrats, the Benton Democrats and the Know Nothings.
A
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
The Republican party made no showing in Jasper county at this time, but the men opposed to slavery supported Thomas H. Benton for governor. The greatest politieal gathering of this campaign was at Sarcoxie, then the leading town of the county, where the distinguished ex-senator and silver-tongued orator spoke on the issues of the day. The occasion was a great event in the county and brought to the place people for miles around, and it is told by the old settlers who attended the meeting that it was the largest assemblage up to that time that had ever gathered in southwest Missouri.
Although Benton was regarded as an able man, he had lost his po- litical prestige and made but a feeble raee for governor as an independ-
OLD JASPER COUNTY COURT HOUSE
Used as a hospital following the battle of Carthage. Built in 1849 of brick and stone. Idestroyed by fire In October, 1863
ent candidate. The vote in the state was: Polk, regular Democrat, 47,000; Ewing, American, 40,500; Benton, independent, 27,600.
At the election of 1860 party lines almost completely went to pieces, and the voters again lined up at the battle of the ballots as Breeken- ridge Democrats or those whose sympathies were with the slave-holding interests; Douglas Democrats, or those who opposed the further ex- tension of slavery; the remnant of the Whig and American parties, who called themselves Constitutional Union men, and the Lincoln Re- publicans. Lineoln received seventeen votes in Jasper county.
This was a bitter campaign and arrayed in many instances brother against brother. Old friendships were severed and a bitterness was engendered which was not healed over until years after the white
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
winged dove of peace had proclaimed the War of the States at an end and the America of our forefathers was a reunited country.
COUNTY OFFICERS 1841-61
We append herewith a list of the county officers from the organiza- tion of the county to the breaking out of the Civil war, when the county was for a time in a chaotic condition and without local government.
Sheriffs :- John P. Osborn, 1841-6; Samuel B. La Force, 1846-50; John Patts, 1850-52; T. F. Thompson, 1852-6; N. C. Hood. 1856-60; Thomas J. Haskell, 1861.
County Court :- Jeremiah Cravens, 1841-2, 1846-9; Samnel M. Cooley, 1841-6; Samuel B. Bughr, 1841-2; Henry M. Zackery (to fill vacancy), 1841-2; Moses Anglin, 1842-5; Wm. S. McGinnis, 1842-6; Jebson M. Keith, 1842-6; Andrew M. MeKee, 1846-50; J. H. McPar- tridge, 1846-9; A. M. Dawson, 1849-50; Joseph Daugherty, 1849-50; Thomas G. Walton, 1850-8; John M. Fullerton, 1850-5; Milton Steph- enson, 1850-5; George E. Ward, 1855-6; Rice Challis, 1855-8; Jolin On- stott, 1856-8; Josiah Boyd, 1858-61; Jolin B. Higdon, 1858-61 ; Daniel Hunn, 1858-60; John B. Martin, 1860-1.
County Clerks :- Elwood B. James, 1841; A. Ferris, 1841 (died after serving one month) ; Elwood B. James, 1841-59; Stanfield Ross, 1859-61. The county clerk was ex officio recorder and eircuit clerk prior to the war.
Treasurers :- G. E. Hornback, 1841 (resigned) ; John Scott, 1841-3; Henry H. Zackery, 1843-6; Lewis H. Scruggs, 1846-52; Wm. Chenault, 1852-60; Archibald McCoy, 1860-1.
Prosecuting Attorneys :- Robert M. Crawford (acting first term of court) ; James MeBride, 1841-4; Wm. C. Jones, 1844-5; John T. Coffee, 1845-54; E. B. Borne, 1854-7; Andrew T. Hann, 1857-60; Joseph Crav- ens, 1860-1 .; William M. Cravens. 1861
Cireuit Court Judges :- Chas. S. Yancy, 1841-56; Wm. C. Price. 1856-7; John R. Chenault, 1857-61.
Representatives :- Samuel Melugin, 1842-4, 1848-50; J. M. Richard- son, 1844-6; Thos. Mansfield, 1846-8; Samuel B. La Forse, 1850-2; Archibald McCoy, 1852-4; David Norris. 1854-6; James Cravens, 1856- 8; Wm. N. Warren, 1858-60: John B. Dale, 1860-1.
CHAPTER III
PIONEER SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES
FIRST SCHOOL SECTION SOLD-PIONEER SCHOOL DISTRICTS-FIRST SCHOOL DESCRIBED-FIRST COUNTY SCHOOL COMMISSIONER-SCHOOL FUND GREATLY AUGMENTED-THE CARTHAGE FEMALE ACADEMY-ORGANI- ZATION OF THE FIRST CHURCH-BUILDING OF THE FIRST CHURCH- FIRST CHURCH AND REV. GREENVILLE SPENCER-OLD-FASHIONED CAMP-MEETINGS-REV. HARRIS JOPLIN AND REV. ANTHONY BEWLER- PEACE CHURCH OF GALENA TOWNSHIP.
The act of congress receiving Missouri into the Union provided among other things that for the purpose of creating a school fund in each county of the state, to be used exclusively for the payment of teachers in the public schools, the sixteenth section of land in each eon- gressional township should be donated to the state, and all moneys re- ceived from the sale of such land were to be placed in the school fund of the several counties when organized and the same loaned ont at in- terest which was to be annually apportioned to the districts according to their school population.
FIRST SCHOOL SECTION SOLD
The first sixteenth section of school lands sold in Jasper county was paid for in May. 1842. The land sold for $1.25 an acre and netted the county school fund $800. During 1842 the school fund was swelled to $870.48 by the payment of fines, donations and interest on the $800. which was at once loaned out. The interest collected for the year 1842 was $38.
PIONEER SCHOOL DISTRICTS
The first school district to be organized was in congressional town- ship 28 and range 29, in the east-central part of the county. The for- mal organization occurred in November, 1844, when the county court appointed William Maxwell school commissioner for the township and ordered that the same be divided into three school districts. District No. 1 embraced all of the territory north of Spring river; No. 2 the west half of the territory south of Spring river and No. 3 the east half.
School District No. 2 was the first to build a schoolhouse and hence has the honor of being the oldest school district in the county.
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
FIRST SCHOOL DESCRIBED
Judge Jeremiah Cravens was one of the first school directors for this distriet and Samuel Teas was the first teacher. We give herewith a description of this first school written by H. M. Boyd, formerly of Sar- eoxie and a pupil in the school back in the 'forties: "Samuel Teas taught the first school in the county. The house was built of rough logs un- hewn and was covered with elapboards held down on the roof with poles, as nails could not be obtained at this early day. The house had but one door; this was in the south side. In the west end one log was cut out the full length of the room for a window and this was left open summer and winter. Under this window there was a plank running the full length nailed to pins driven into the wall. This served as a writ- ing desk. The fireplace was in the east end of the house and was wide enough to take a log a foot and a half thick and eight feet long.
"The jams on each side and the back were made of rough rock and the balance of the chimney was made of sticks daubed with red clay. The house was seated with split logs, the flat side up and the ends rest- ing on chunks.
"In the side of the door a nail was driven into the wall and on this was suspended a little forked stick about six inches long, which every scholar took with him when he went out during the hours of study. No scholar was allowed to go ont till this little fork was returned. This house stood on the east side of the road that ran from the Haskins house to the old ford on Center creek, known as the Boyd ford, and was about midway between the two. I attended this school and here I learned my A B C and received here my first flogging. The school was patron- ized by the Cravens. the Mills, the Brittons, the Boyds, the Haskins, Beasley and Prigmons.
"Mr. Teas was regarded as a successful teacher in that day and a fine scholar. Ile wrote a good hand and could cipher as far as the rule of three. The school was what might be called an old fashioned school ; that is, all the students used the old blue back spelling book and studied it aloud.
"The school on each evening closed by the students standing in a line and spelling the words as they were given out by the teacher. Ten minutes were given to get the spelling lesson and as the announcement was made every boy and girl got his blue-back book and spelled aloud with all his might and they could easily be heard a quarter of a mile away."
The second township to be organized was township 29, range 33, in the west-central part of the county.
The order ereating this district was made at the May term of the county court in 1845. Benjamin Turner was appointed the commis- sioner for the township and Samuel Bright and John R. Chenault, in- speetors.
Samuel B. Cooley was the first teacher. It will be noted that all
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
three members of the first county court participated in the organiza- tion of the school system, Judge Samuel B. Cooley, the first presiding judge, being a teacher, and Judges Bright and Cravens, members of the first school board in their respective districts.
This district was fortunate in having for its first teacher and lead- ing spirit, Judge Cooley, for he was a man of great integrity and his influence on the rising generation was felt long after he had passed away.
The school was one of the pioneer log houses and at first, for the want of lumber, had no floor, the door and two openings for windows letting in the light. We are told by one of the old settlers that in win- ter time these windows were covered with gunny sacks, glass being a luxury known only to the most prosperous of the farmers and mer- chants.
The fireplace was an immense affair, where great logs five or six feet long were thrown in, and here the fire sparkled and roared through- out the cold winter day. The furniture was all home-made and scant at that; the seats, like those at the Teas school, were made by cutting a large log in two and driving pegs in the rounded parts.
Other districts soon were organized and when the war came on twenty-three school houses had been built. Among the distriets organ- ized in the 'forties were the Franklin school, near Castle Rock on Turkey creek, with Charles Harris as its teacher; Peace Church school, later called Enterprise; Spring River school, Carthage; the Black Jack in McDonald township; the Duval in the northwestern part of county and White Oak school, near Avilla.
The course of study was confined principally to the three R's, but as the county grew in population, wealth and importance, new branches were added and during the later 'fifties several of the schools included in their curriculum history. civil government, algebra and like studies.
In those days the rod was freely used and teachers were usually men, the school authorities holding to the old-fashioned theory of "no licking, no learning;" and muscle was as much needed by the teacher as a good certificate, in securing employment.
The modus operandi of conducting the school was quite different from the law and usage of today. In each township there was appointed a commissioner who exercised a supervision over the school. He em- ployed the teacher, mapped out the course of study, made the rules and regulations and, in short, performed the duties now exercised by the school board.
There were also appointed two inspectors whose duty it was to visit the schools (at least once during the term) and report on the pro- ficiency of the teacher and the progress made by the pupils.
THE FIRST COUNTY SCHOOL COMMISSIONER
On December 3, 1853. the county court appointed John R. Chenault county school commissioner and asked him to prescribe a suggested uni-
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
form course of study for the county schools. Judge Chenault accepted the position but did not hold it long for two reasons-first, it interfered with his law practice, and secondly and principally, because its com- pensation was not enough.
SCHOOL FUND GREATLY AUGMENTED
On September 28, 1850, congress passed a law in the interest of pop- ular education providing that where there were swamp or overflowed lands in a county, the same were to be condemned and sold for the benefit of the school fund. At the next session of the Missouri legisla- ture laws were passed providing the manner that such lands in Missouri should be disposed of.
A bright idea now eame to one of the members of the county court. During the spring rains Spring river and Center creek sometimes over- flowed and left their banks. Why not call the lands adjacent to these two streams "swamp or overflowed lands." and have them sold for the benefit of the school fund ? The scheme savored a little of trickery, but the county officials figured that by doing so they would serve the future generations and accordingly on the third day of December. 1853, they entered into a contract with J. M. Richardson, ex-secretary of state, to act as agent for the county in taking the necessary steps to have the lands adjacent to these streams condemned. Mr. Richardson was to receive for his services as attorney one-fourth of the amount obtained from the sale of the lands less the expenses incurred; in other words the County School fund would get three-fourths net and he the balance after the expenses had been paid.
Mr. Richardson secured the appointment of a commissioner to view and condemn the swamp and overflowed lands and agreed to give them twelve and a half cents for each acre condemned.
The commission condemned practically all of the government do- main that was left nnsold and the county came into possession of more than 300,000 acres of land, which was placed on the market the latter part of 1854 and sold at ninety cents an acrc.
The land was at first offered on the following terms :- One seventh down and time on the balance. The interest however was paid annually. In 1856 the court ordered a payment of one-third of the purchase price.
About one-half of this land was disposed of during the 'fifties. To give an idea of the bigness of this coup d'état we present the following figures. In 1854, the year the lands were placed on the market, the school apportionment was seven cents per child, but in 1856 the interest paid in on the sales that had been made the first year ran the school apportionment up to twenty-five cents per child. Jasper county people often refer with pride to our magnificent County School fund, but there are but few who know the inside history of how it was acquired.
The amount of money secured from the sale of the swamp lands was in round numbers $200,000. The school fund has grown until today
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IHISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
it is $235,000 and the annual interest gives to the several school dis- triets sixty-four cents per child of school age, in addition to the amount received from the state apportionment.
The coming on of the Civil war soon after the swamp lands were placed on the market stopped for a time the sale, but after the reor- ganization of the county the lands were again put on the market and rapidly sold.
As the county was completely disorganized during the war the schools were closed. and after the war new laws were passed governing the sev- eral school districts, so that with the coming of peace a new regime in school matters came on; and we will therefore take up the subject later and treat it under the head of the "Reorganized School System."
THE CARTILAGE FEMALE ACADEMY
In 1855 the citizens of the county began to plan for larger things in an educational way and the Carthage Female Academy was organized and chartered by the state. The following gentlemen constituted the first board of trustees: John R. Chenault, David Guthrie, A. M. Dawson, Archibald McCoy, Elwood B. James and William Chenault.
The county court sold to the seminary a building site for the eon- sideration of one dollar and also donated to the trustees a forty-acre tract of land from the "school lands." This tract of land was sold and the proceeds added to a $1,000 loan which was obtained from the county out of the school fund and was used for the construction of the building.
The academy was patronized by the best families of the county and a good course of study was mapped out, and had the war not come just then as the school began to flourish it no doubt would have been a power in an educational way. The war brought the career of the institution to an end, and after the public schools were reorganized the building and site were sold to the school district of Carthage for one dollar.
On the site now stands the pride of Carthage, the $200,000 High Sehool.
The teachers in the academy were Samuel M. Knealand, principal, assisted by Mr. Hurley and Miss Alice Walker
ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST CHURCH
The first organized religious work done in this county was by the Cumberland Presbyterians in 1834, when the Center Creek Presbyterian church was organized at the Sarcoxie Springs by the Rev. Andrew Buck- hanon. Among those who assisted in its organization were B. L. Pear- son, J. Blair and A. A. Young.
Mr. Young, who was at this time a licentiate afterward became a min- ister of the gospel, and not only labored hard for the evangelization of the Sareoxie neighborhood but assisted in the organization of the work in southwest Missouri.
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
The organization, during the pioneer period, had no church home, but worshipped at the homes of its members and annually conducted a camp-meeting where most of its effective work was done.
At the time of its organization the nearest church to Sareoxie was at Mt. Pleasant, eighteen miles away, and the Center Creek church in- cluded on its roll members for ten miles around, being the pioneer Presbyterian church in southwest Missouri.
Out of the Center Creek congregation grew the following Presby- terian churches: Clear Creek. Pierce City, Richey. Mt. Comfort, New- tonia, Bethel, Spring River. New Salem (now Neosho). and the reor- ganized Sarcoxie church (after the war).
For many years the Rev. Young conducted the camp-meetings of the Center Creek church and is said to have converted hundreds of the pio- neers. During the war, in the fall of 1864, Mr. Young conducted a camp-meeting at Sareoxie which was attended by the Union soldiers then encamped at that point, and during his two weeks' meeting- - which, by the way, was one of his most successful-some sixty of the soldiers professed Christ and during their temporary sojourn were members of the Center Creek congregation.
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