USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people > Part 19
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THE MAN OF THE HOUR
During the latter part of January, 1872, a little incident occurred which helped to bring the Reign of Terror to a close. A desperado, who styled himself "Dutch Pete," the bad man from Bitter creek, was ter- rorizing the town of Murphysburg. J. W. Lupton, a miner, who was prospecting on the Moffet & Sergeant land, was a trained athlete, a good shot, and, in the right cause, a good fighter. He was one of the citizens who thought that the time had come to bring the Reign of Terror to a close, and, on hearing of the depredations of the wild and woolly cit- izen, proposed to subjugate him. Although warned not to take a hand, he walked boldly up to the unwelcome stranger, after a desperate strug- gle threw him to the floor and, after tying the bully, disarmed him. The incident proclaimed Bill Lupton the man of the hour, and brought forcible to the attention of the citizens of the towns, the necessity of hav- ing a local government and officers to enforce the law.
A meeting of the good people was held and a resolution passed pray- ing the county court to make a municipal township of southwestern Jas- per county and to appoint J. W. Lupton as constable. At the February meeting of the county court Galena township was created. The town- ship included all of Galena township, as now organized, and the west half of Joplin township which was organized later. J. W. Lupton was appointed constable and I. W. Davis, late of Baxter Springs, and D. W. Jones, justices of the peace.
It is told by old-timers that Judge Davis, at the time of his appoint- ment as justice in Galena township, held a similar position at Baxter Springs and did not resign his Kansas commission or move his family here until after he had assumed the judicial ermine in Missouri. It used to be said in a joking way that the judge would hold court one day at Baxter and the next day at Joplin. Laying aside jokes, however, Judge Davis was a well-informed lawyer and made a good justice, and until the 'eighties figured prominently in Joplin legal and social life.
UNION CITY
The question was now agitated of consolidating the two towns and on February 27, 1872, a mass meeting of the citizens of both towns was held at Brazelle's store to discuss the advisability of incorporating as a town. The meeting, which was largely attended, was presided over by John B. Sergeant, and Messrs. P. Murphy, Jesse Shortess, W. M. Carter, Wm. Fallis and others spoke in favor of incorporation. A committee,
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consisting of H. Campbell, W. M. Carter, and P. Schnur, of Murphys- burg, and Jesse Shortess and William Fallis of Joplin, were appointed to draft and circulate petitions praying the county court to incorporate the two towns under the name of Union City.
The petition was presented to the county court March 14th and that body made an order incorporating the town of Union City, which in- cluded both Joplin and Murphysburg.
The board of trustees appointed to hold until the general election in November, 1872, were Jesse Shortess, W. H. Fallis, Chas. A. Under- wood, E. R. Moffet and John S. Workizer.
On the 19th of the month the board went to the county seat, took the oath of office as trustees and organized by electing Jesse Shortess as president; C. J. G. Workizer, clerk; J. W. Lupton, marshal; I. W. Davis, police judge and P. Murphy, treasurer.
Jesse Shortess, the executive officer of Union City, was born January 16, 1820, at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. He received a liberal educa- tion and was especially gifted in mathematics. After the war he was elected a member of the legislature from Benton county, Arkansas, and served with distinction for two terms, advocating and championing, dur- ing his service in that body, laws in the interest of good roads and popu- lar education. He was by nature a peacemaker and endeavored, dur- ing his service as president of the board of trustees, to bring about a better feeling between the two towns. Mr. Shortess endeavored also to uplift the moral tone of the city. He died April 3, 1882.
The incorporation of Union City brought the Reign of Terror to an end, and during the year 1872 many improvements were made. Many men who before had hesitated at bringing their families to the "future great," now felt that the camp had permanency and stability and brought their families to the new town. During the year also three new mining camps were opened up-Lone Elm, Parr Hill and Swindle Hill.
EARLY LEGISLATION FOR UNION CITY
The board of trustees immediately passed a number of ordinances looking to the betterment of the town-enactments against disturbance of the peace, "pistol-toting," drunkenness, etc., and a small jail was built on Broadway between the two towns. The jail was made of two by four oak timber and had two apartments or cells.
THE FIRE PATROLS
Perhaps the most unique law passed by the trustees of Union City (one, too, which showed the originality of the pioneer lawmakers and likewise carried out the idea that "necessity is the mother of invention") was the ordinance which was designated "the Fire Patrols." The law provided that, for the purpose of protecting the town against fire, every man who operated a store or business house on Main street or Broadway should keep in front of his place of business a barrel of water and a
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bucket to be used in case of fire. When a fire broke out in any house, every man got his bucket, filled it with water and rushed to the scene of the conflagration. This was called the Bucket Brigade. If the fire had not gained much headway, it was sometimes put out, but it will be readily seen that the fire-fighting apparatus was decidedly primitive. A destructive fire in East Joplin, on December 22nd, swept away a whole business block, including a large hotel.
DISSOLUTION OF UNION CITY
While the organization of Union City brought the Reign of Terror to a close and helped to strengthen the confidence in the future of the mining district, it did not succeed in doing away with the rivalry and ill feeling betwen the east and west towns; many people in East Joplin clamored for a separate city government east of the creek, claiming that the east side did not have the same police protection as Murphysburg. The bitterness grew, and, feeling aggrieved, some of the merchants of East Joplin refused to pay an occupation tax and one of the saloon keepers took the matter into court, seeking to dissolve the town on the ground that it had not been legally incorporated, setting up that the petition which was presented to the county court contained the names of many who were not bona fide citizens of the town. The case was taken to Barton county on a change of venue and during the month of December, 1872, was tried and decided against the town. The in- corporation of Union City was dissolved, and the old names of Joplin and Murphysburg were resumed. The last act of the corporation of Union City was to provide for the taking of the census of the town. The count showed that East Joplin had a population of 1,364 and Murphys- burg 1,343, and total 2,707.
W. H. Fallis, the census taker, reported that there were also 1,200 outside of the city limits, but properly a part of the town, making ap- proximately 3,500 in the Joplin district at the close of the year 1872.
LONE ELM
Lone Elm was a thrifty part of Joplin situated on the hill and in the valley in the northern portion of the city west of Joplin creek, and was so called on account of a lone elm tree which stood by the roadside. Lone Elm, during the middle and later 'seventies, contained upward of 2,500 people, and had some twenty business houses in addition to the big Granby Furnace. It was distinctly a mining community and, being built on mining land, as time went by the houses were moved away until now only a few of the old landmarks remain and only the old Lone Elm road is left to tell the story of its once busy life.
EARLY NEWSPAPERS
In March, 1872, Peter Schnur of Carthage, who, by the way, had been connected with the Carthage Banner, came to Murphysburg and es-
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tablished the Mining News. The first issue, a small four-page paper, appeared on March 7th and proved a popular publication and after the first month doubled in size. This paper had a great influence on the early life of Joplin. Peter Schnur, its editor and proprietor, was a good writer and in the narrative of events as they happened from week to week, told the plain truth, avoiding the sensational and printing only so much of the news of the under-strata of society as was necessary to correctly chronicle the happenings of the day.
Editorially he advocated a better local government and always was on the side of public improvement. He set out the needs of a good school system and encouraged the church in its early work. The early issues of this paper had much to do with molding public opinion.
The paper was Republican in politics but not radically partisan, for it gave credit to the good acts of officers of the opposite political faith and criticised the wrongful acts of men of its own party. The people appreciated the value of the permanency of a newspaper of the right kind and the Murphysburg Town Company, with a view of encouraging the proposition, donated a lot on the corner of Second and Joplin streets on which to build a newspaper office. Mr. Schnur built a house for his plant on the lot, the building which is still standing facing Second street and being just across the street from the city jail.
The Daily Index, as a Democratic paper, was started in East Joplin and was published for a short time, the first issue appearing September 19, 1872. The paper was ably edited and was a spicy sheet, but did not receive sufficient financial encouragement and suspended publication after a year of struggle against adverse circumstances.
POSTOFFICE FOR UNION CITY
On April 1, 1872, the postoffice at Blytheville was discontinued and an office created for Union City. M. W. Stafford was appointed post- master and opened the office in Murphysburg. There was much dis- satisfaction in East Joplin over this change and after the dissolution of Union City an office was established in East Joplin. J. C. Orner was ap- pointed postmaster and opened the office for business December 18, 1872. Two separate offices were maintained until 1877, when the east-side office was abolished and the two offices combined and opened at Second and Main streets.
THE FIRST BANK
The National Savings Bank of Joplin opened its doors in July, 1872, with the following officers : S. B. Corn, president; John H. Taylor, vice president; Wm. Graves, cashier; John Hayes, assistant cashier.
The new institution was capitalized at $5,000 and had its place of business in East Joplin, at the corner of Galena and Broadway.
On January 1, 1873, John H. Taylor bought the bank, doubling its capital and also forming banking connections at St. Louis, Kansas City and New York, which greatly increased its influence. In 1874 C. W. Glover became cashier of the bank.
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During the palmy days of 1874-6 the bank's deposits ranged around the $300,000 mark, but on the decline of lead in 1877 its business began to fall off, and in 1879 Mr. Taylor decided to close the institution and, after paying all depositors and meeting other obligations surrendered its charter. The loss of the bank was a great blow to East Joplin.
JOPLIN'S FIRST "FOURTH OF JULY"
July 4, 1872, was appropriately celebrated at the two Joplins by a day picnic at Grand Falls and by a liberal display of night fireworks. While Grand Falls is in Newton county, it has always been regarded as a part of Joplin, for until the building of the big dam in 1889 the Falls was Joplin's most popular pleasure resort. Before the building of the dam the Falls was a most beautiful place. On the right side of the min- iature Niagara was a long ledge of rock which overhung the bank in the valley below and gave it the appearance of a cave. The ledge is some twenty feet above the valley, making a spectacular formation like the Palisades of the Hudson. (This romantic cave-like ledge has long since been filled with cinders from the ice plant.) Over this ledge was built a pretty house, which served the two-fold purpose of a country inn and a speaker's stand, for the balcony-like porch made an ideal stand for a speaker to address the multitude in the valley below.
THE MINERS' UNION
The first attempt at organized labor in Joplin occurred during the fall of 1872, when eighty men organized the Miners' Union and endeav- ored to regulate labor conditions among the miners. The object of the union was to improve labor conditions. John Riley was elected presi- dent and John Howe secretary. The organization attempted to enforce the following four rules: (I) No miner to hold more than one mining lot at a time. (II) Each miner prospecting a lot must employ at least one able-bodied man for help. (III) Twenty days' failure to work the ground forfeits the mine. (IV) All disputes to be settled by arbitra- .tion.
A Miners' court was established and M. F. Agers chosen miners' mag- istrate. All differences were referred to him and when he did not suc- ced in adjusting the dispute persons were chosen to arbitrate the case. The miners' magistrate corresponded to the walking delegate among the labor unions of today.
FIRST ODD FELLOWS' LODGE
The first fraternal organization to plant itself in Joplin was the Odd Fellows, which contained then, as now, some of the best business men of the city.
It is always a great event when any fraternal society is organized, because it means that, so far as the lodge's influences extend, so much more good will be done and the community accordingly bettered.
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. The influence of a great fraternity life the Odd Fellows, teaching and practicing friendship, love and truth among its members, could not help but have a refining influence on the men of the mining town, and the new city was fortunate in having among its citizenship men of the three-linked fraternity. The first meeting looking toward the forma- tion of a lodge was held July 21, 1872, and was attended by seventeen members of the society, holding membership in almost as many different lodges of the order. Jesse Shortess presided at the meeting and J. C. Maddy acted as secretary. After discussing the matter it was decided to petition the Grand Body for a charter, and the lodge was formally in- stituted November 1, 1872, being christened Joplin Lodge No. 287. The institutional ceremonies were conducted by Lyman J. Burch of Carthage, D. D. G. M., assisted by John W. McAntire, of Scotland county, who had that day arrived in Joplin to make it his future home.
The following were the first officers of the lodge: John Allington, noble grand; S. H. White, vice noble grand; Ira Creech, secretary pro tem; S. W. Beach, permanent secretary ; Wm. Karbe, treasurer.
The first work done by the lodge was on November 22nd, when J. W. McAntire, J. W. Clehouse, J. A. Miller, Arnold Hogle and J. B. Thomas were initiated into the order. W. E. Johnson, who was initiated Febru- ary 7, 1873, is the oldest surviving member of the lodge, having had a continuous membership in the lodge from that date. The original char- ter members and the four initiated, who preceded him, have either moved away or gone to the Grand Lodge On High.
FIRST ELECTION IN JOPLIN
The first election in Galena township which at that date included East and West Joplin resulted as follows: For president, Grant, Repub- lican, 354; Greeley, Democrat, 287-showing the town on a strict party vote to be Republican by sixty-five majority.
The township election was conducted along non-political lines and resulted as follows: Justice of the Peace-Clehouse, Democrat, 547; Norton, Republican, 367; Gaston, Republican, 137. Clehouse and Nor- ton, being the two who received the highest number of votes, were de -. clared elected.
There were six candidates for constable and the votes varied from 55 to 222, the latter cast for the lucky candidate William Brown, who was declared elected.
During the campaign of 1872, Gen. John B. Henderson addressed the people of the two Joplins, speaking from a platform in front of the Southwestern Hotel.
ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOLS
As mentioned in our introductory article about Joplin, at the time of the coming of Moffet and Sergeant the Franklin school district em- braced all of the territory within the present limits of the city of Joplin and was officially known as District No. 1, township 27 and range 33.
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In 1872 the board of directors of District No. 1 were John C. Cox, Jeremiah Turk and D. P. Ballard.
During the summer of 1872 a private school was established in East Joplin and called the Union High School. The school occupied the second floor of Hutchinson Hall and was taught by J. H. Burris and Mrs. Lou Cruch. It was formally opened September 9, 1872, and liberally patronized. Captain Hubbard also started a night school in Sanders Hall and enrolled a goodly number of students. The question was now agitated of building a schoolhouse and Messrs. John H. Taylor, S. B. Corn and John C. Cox offered to advance the money necessary to build an up-to-date building for that purpose in East Joplin. A special meet- ing of the qualified voters was called in October, bonds were voted in the sum of $6,000 and were purchased by John H. Taylor, S. B. Corn, and John C. Cox, each taking $2,000 at par. A contract was let for a four- room brick school and the work of building was commenced at once.
SCHOOLS OF WEST JOPLIN (MURPHYSBURG)
Early in the fall of 1872, the Mining News in a number of editorials set forth the necessity of a school organization for the portion of the town west of the Creek and the question was agitated by the leading citi- zens of west-town to organize a separate district. On September 20, 1872, at a meeting of the voters of West Joplin, School District No. 4, township 27 and range 33 was formally organized, the territory embrac- ing that portion of the mother district lying west of Joplin creek. The board of directors elected at this meeting consisted of the following named gentlemen : John B. Sergeant, M. W. Stafford, C. J. G. Workizer.
Mr. Sergeant was elected president of the board and Mr. Workizer district clerk.
The board of directors of District No. 1 opposed the forming of the new district and claimed that it had not been legally organized.
The township treasurer refused to turn over to the new district its quota of the school funds and for this reason no school was maintained in West Joplin during the fall and winter of 1872-3.
EAST JOPLIN LITERARY SOCIETY
During the fall of 1872 a literary society was formed in East Joplin and met weekly in Hutchinson's Hall. The meetings were largely at- tended and did much toward elevating the literary taste of the people. The officers of the society were: Jesse Shortess, president; R. A. Bene- dict, vice president; Henry Houston, secretary; John W. McAntire, treasurer.
ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST CHURCH
The honor of organizing the first church in Joplin belongs to the Methodists. In February, 1872, Rev. M. W. F. Smith was sent to the Joplin field in the capacity of a home missionary. As mentioned be-
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fore, both Joplin and Murphysburg were red-hot mining camps and everything wide open.
The reverend gentleman saw that there was great need of a church and set about to find a suitable place in which to hold a series of meet- ings. There were no vacant store rooms and nearly all of the residences were small, mostly two and three-room boxed houses, hastily put up to accommodate the rapidly increasing population of the place.
Hearing of the preacher and with a desire of encouraging the es- tablishment of a church, Messrs. Bullock and Boucher offered their saloon to Rev. Smith for a Sunday service. The offer was accepted and he preached in the bar of Bullock & Boucher, his first sermon. After the first service meetings were held around at the houses of a number of religiously inclined people.
On April 14th an organization was perfected and the first Methodist Episcopal church began the crusade for a better Joplin. Among the original members of the church were O. H. Coe and wife, William Har- low and wife and Mrs. Jennie Shortness.
After the organization of the church all of the energies of the mem- bers were bent to the securing of a house of worship. Messrs. Porter & Dorsey donated a lot at the corner of Fourth and Kentucky avenue and a church home fifty by thirty feet was begun and hurriedly completed. Many of the citizens of the town (not members of the church) assisted in the work, some donating money, some lumber and others labor. The church was dedicated November 3, 1872, by the Rex. F. H. Hagerman, bishop of the diocese, the Rev. DeLamarter of Kansas City preaching the dedicatory sermon. The new church proved very popular and the Sunday school became so crowded that an afternoon school was also or- ganized as a sort of an overflow meeting. The Sunday school in the morning was the regular school of the First Methodist Church and the afternoon meeting was a non-sectarian union Sunday school, the late W. B. McAntire was the superintendent of the union school.
THE CHURCH ORGAN AND THE CHOIR
When the church was first built it had neither organ nor singing books. D. K. Wenrich, the bookkeeper for Moffet & Sergeant, was asked to take charge of the music and direct that important branch of the church worship. Learning that there were no singing books belonging to the church, Mr. Wenrich ordered a number of hymnals and organ- ized for the church a choir which furnished music, pending the arrival of the singing books for the congregation.
A committee, consisting of Captain Libby, Dr. Fannie Williams and Mr. Wenrich, was appointed to devise ways and means by which to pur- chase an organ for the church and the two Sunday schools. Mr. Wen- rich started out with a subscription paper and in an hour secured pledges for one hundred and seventy-five dollars, not a single person refusing. The organ (said to have been the first one brought to Joplin) was purchased of W. P. Owen, then of Neosho, but later one of Joplin's substantial citizens.
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THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH
During the latter part of 1872 the Rev. J. F. Hogan, a South Meth- odist minister, came to Joplin and took steps toward organizing a class of that denomination, choosing East Joplin for his field and preaching his first sermon in an unfinished store building on Broadway. After considerable labor against adverse circumstances, a class was formed and at the next meeting of the conference John D. Wood, a young man of great energy, was appointed to the Joplin charge. Below are the members of the South Church when Mr. Wood began his labors : William Quick, John Allington and wife, R. A. Sterling, John Angel and wife, Mrs. Huddleston, and Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson.
Rev. Wood was a gifted speaker and, being an untiring worker, quickly built up a large congregation. He commenced his labors in the spring of 1873 and continued with the church for two years. During his ministry a church was built in East Joplin at the corner of Hill and John streets, the structure costing $2,250. During 1874 the church sold a half interest in that building to the Presbyterians and the two de- nominations used it alternately until 1876, when the Presbyterians sold back their interest to the South church.
ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
The work of inaugurating the Catholic church in Joplin was begun in 1872 by the Rev. Father Newman as attending missionary, with A. Chattell, John Ferguson and Barney Ferguson as members.
After a short missionary career, Rev. E. Benoneine came to the Jop- lin parish and labored in the field until 1876, when the Rev. Father O'Riley arrived and was assigned to this charge.
The further mention of the St. Peter's Church will be taken up dur- ing our narrative of the events of 1876 and the later 'seventies.
THE AFRICAN M. E. CHURCH
In May, 1872, the African Methodists established a church in Joplin, the Rev. John Dorsey being its first pastor. The church did not have a home during the 'seventies, but met in a rented room, or at the houses of its members until 1881, when the congregation purchased the old Methodist church at Fourth and Kentucky.
JOPLIN AND BAXTER STAGE AND TRANSFER LINE
In January, 1872, Messrs. William Carter and C. A. Underwood es- tablished a transfer line between Baxter Springs, Kansas, and Joplin, doing a heavy freighting business, as then all of the merchandise from Kansas City and the north came via Baxter and was freighted overland to Joplin. A stage line owned by Botkins & Company operated a stage line between these two points and it was a typical western sight to see the big four-horse overland stage roll into Joplin at noon each day, the Vol. 1-11
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