USA > Missouri > Benton County > A sketch of the history of Benton County, Missouri > Part 5
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days before his death, when he was taken home. He died August 10th, 1841. He was shot in the back of the left shoulder, the ball lodging under the right shoulder blade. Dr. Tabor attended him almost daily till his death, receiving for his services $118.
Circuit Court was in session at the time of Turks death, and Andrew Jones was indicted for the murder, and Milton Hume, Henry Hodge, Jabez Harrison and John Whittaker for conspiring to kill Hiram K. and Thos. J. Turk. Joseph C. Montgomery was foreman of the Grand Jury and Dixon Circuit Attorney. Harrison afterwards confessed that himself, Andy Jones, Henry Hodge and two others were in the brush when Turk was killed, and that Hodge shot him. Andy Jones was tried and acquitted December 9th, 1841, the evidence being insufficient to convict him. Harrison had not yet made his confession. Jones was defended by Hend- ricks, Otter and Ridgley. Hume's case hung in Court for more than a year, during a large part of which time he was kept in jail, The case against him was dismissed December, 1842, Henry Hodge, Harrison and Whittaker, who were indicted with him having left the country.
When the Turk's failed to convict Andy Jones they resolved to take the law in their own hands, and the Slicker War proper began. They determined to compel a confession as to who killed Hiram K. Turk, and to drive the Joneses and their chief friends from the country. To carry out these objects, Tom. Turk regularly organized a company of his friends to the number of about thirty, and had them sign an agreement. To justify themselves to the public their professed purpose was to drive out horse thieves, counterfeiters and murderers.
While so far as I can learn, none of the Jones party were ever convicted of horse stealing, there were several circumstances which gave much plausibility to this charge against them. In December, 1840, Bird D. Parks of Henry County, had a horse to stray from him, and it was taken up at Mr. Hunts, near Cole Camp. A few days after, Champlangford Carter who ran with the Joneses, claimed the animal and took it to Cole County. Samuel Parks and James Y. Parks brothers of Bird D., followed him, found the horse in his possession, and had him arrested and committed to jail at Warsaw. Andy Jones, Wm. Brookshire and John Thomas, constant associates of each other, and of Carter,
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bailed him out. He confessed his guilt by running off. Andy Jones and Jabez Harrison made a pretense of going to Arkansas to bring him back. Harrison got a horse from Arch. Cock for the trip, which he claimed was given him for helping to kill Hiram K. Turk. The habits of Jones and some of his closest friends, also gave color to the charge of horse stealing. They did not stay at home at regular work, but were much of their time absent, and not about any known legitimate business. Soon after Andy Jones was acquitted, B. H. Williams and Joseph Sharp lost a horse apiece, and they were found in the latter part of January, 1842, on War- bleau, under the control of Morgan Trahan another crony of Jones. In pursuing the horses they also found where a deer had been killed, and a knife supposed to belong to Jones lying by it. Jones was known to have spent the night with Trahan, at a house near where the horses were found. About the time these horses were found, Jno. and Moses Owsley came down from Muddy Creek, in Johnson County, in search of stolen horses. They rep- resented that they had been horse racing with Andy Jones and his associate Thomas Meadows on Muddy, and charged Meadows with stealing their horses. I may state here, however, that they afterwards found their horses in Cass County, where they had followed a mare bought from that County. The Owsley's fell in with the Turk company, and all these charges fixing a serious suspicion on Jones and his friends, the Turk's siezed the opportu- nity to make their attack. Their company was rallied on the 28th of January, 1842. Among the men going with the Turk company or approving it, the following names were prominent : Thomas J. Turk, Nathan Turk, Robert Turk, Andrew Turk, Isam Hobbs, John Hobbs, Jeff. Hobbs, Alex. D. Cox, Thomas Cox, James Cox, Thomas Draffin, Nathaniel Hamilton, James Rankin, Alex. Brown, Robert Brown, Chas. S. Brent, James Jackson, Anslem Jackson, Wm. Norton, James Morton, Alston Gregory, Wm. Evans, Wm. Y. Evans, John Hobaugh, Joseph C. Montgomery, Ben. Miller, Eph. Jamison, and James Mackey. Tom. Turk was leader, and his brothers, the Hobbses, Coxes, Draffin and Gregory, his most active followers. Mackey was bugler, and got the name "Sore Mouth Mackey" from blistering his lips blowing his horn.
The prominent men of the Jones party were Andrew Jones who was the leading spirit, Samuel Jones, John Jones, Isaac Jones,
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Henry Hodge, Thomas Meadows, William Brookshire, Jabez L. Harrison, Loud Ray, Harvey White, Luther White, Nicholas Suden, Julius Sutliff, John A. Whitaker, Milton Humes, Berry Chapman, Jno. W. Chapman, John Thomas, John Williams, James Blakemore, Lee T. Blakemore, Archibald Cock, and Abraham Nowell. Several of these men, among others the last four, were not charged with being engaged with the Joneses in any dishonest operations but were on the Jones side on account of personal hos- tility to the Turks.
When the Turk company rallied on Friday the 28th of January, 1842, they set out with the avowed purpose of "running all the d-d rascals out of the country." They went down on Pomme de Terre to Andy Jones house about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The Owsleys from Henry County were with the company on this expedition. The only men they found at Andy Jones' were John Jones and Berry Chapman. Tom Turk asked John Jones how many men were there to fight them, and on Jones replying none but himself and Chapman, Turk siezed Chapman and they took him a short distance from the house, tied him to a tree and took a vote as to whether they should whip or shoot him. They decided to whip. Turk told Chapman that he and all his friends were counterfeiters, horse thieves and highway robbers, and that they intended to kill all the Joneses, but if Chapman would tell them who killed Hiram K. Turk they would not whip him. Whether he confessed is not known, but they released him without whipping and ordered him to leave the County by next morning, on penalty of death. They left and when night came on they went to the house of Thomas Meadows, who was accused of stealing Owsley's horses. He lived on Pomme de Terre near Andy Jones. I have no detailed account of the visit to his house. They got him out of his house, stripped and tied him to a tree, and whipped him ("slicked" him as they called it,) most unmercifully with hickory withes. By the time they finished the blood was running in a stream six feet from him. He owned that Andy Jones had stolen three horses and three mules, but denied that he stole Owsley's horses. As above stated it was afterwards ascertained that he was guiltless of this charge. My best information is that he died in a short time from the "slicking," though others say he did not. In the latter part of the same night they went to the house of
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William Brookshire and slicked him almost as severely as they did Meadows. This seems to have ended their work of Friday night. On Saturday evening they started out from Rankins' mill and went down to Samuel Jones' house, but not finding him at homo they went across the Pomme de Terre to North Prairie, to John Wood's Mill. As they approached the mill they saw two men gallop off toward the house of Major James Blakemore, then County Surveyor, who lived on the farm now occupied by Capt. Ben. Reeder. They followed, and after considerable searching found Isaac Jones under the kitchen bed, in Blakemore's house. They took him over to Rankins' mill, abused him, and threatened him, but finally turned him loose about seven o'clock, ordering him to leave the County in ten days. They then went on to the north end of the Twenty-five Mile Prairie, to the house of Luther White, and slicked him. The following is his own account of it, taken from his evidence before E. T. Major, Justice of the Peace :
On the night of January 29, 1842, about half an hour after dark, Thomas J· Turk, Thomas Draffin, Robert Turk, Nathan Turk, N. Hamilton, Thomas Cox' Charles S. Brent, Samuel Brown, Isam Hobbs, John Hobbs, and another Mr. Hobbs, whose name I did not know, Anslem Jackson, Willlam Evans and Wil- liam Y. Evans, came to my house armed with guns and pistols. Thomas Cox said he wanted to get into my house, and I asked him who he was. He answered that his name was White. I told him that he could not get in. He swore he would get in if he had to break down the door. He said he believed that I had the Joneses there, hid in my house. I told him there was no person there but my own family. He then told me that he had nothing against me, that the Joneses were a set of horse thieves, counterfeiters and murderers, and he believed that I had them hid in my house, and said to me "Mr. White let me in and you shall not be injured. We have nothing against you." I then opened the door and let Cox in, and he examined the house and found no one there but my family. He then took a chair and sat down by the fire, and told me that he and his com- pany had caught Thomas Meadows and given him three hundred lashes, and made him own that Andrew Jones had stolen three horses and three mules; and also, that they had caught William Brookshire, and had given him as many lashes as they had given Meadows, and that they had made Brookshire own who had killed Hiram K. Turk. I asked Cox who it was that had killed Hiram K. Turk. He said that Andrew Jones, Jabez Harrison and Henry Hodge were in the bushes. He also told me they had caught Julius Sutliff, and found a large quantity of counterfeit money on his person. He then got up and stepped to- wards the door, getting between me and the gun, where it was lying in the rack. He then presented his gun at me and cocked it, and put it against my breast, and called to the boys out side to break the door down quick. They then commenced kicking and knocking against the door. Cox told them to kick down the door, quick, that they would have the d-d rascal. He gave the door a kick from the inside and broke a small chain with which it was fastened, and the door flew open. It opened on the out side of the house. They all then rushed in, and Thomas J. Turk drew out two pistols and cocked them, and said now we have the d-d old news packer. Then as many of them as could get a hold of me, took hold and carried me out of doors. They tied me and took me over to Samuel Browns and kept me there until they could get their supper. While there some
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of them roasted hickory withes saying they were for my old back. They then took me near half a mile on the State road, after they left Browns, to William Evans', and there stripped me of my clothes and tied me to a tree, and whipped me. Robert Turk struck me the first four or five licks, then a one eyed man that I did not know commenced, and struck twelve or fifteen licks with a switch. He then stopped about five minutes. The others told him that was not the way to do, and the one eyed man then commenced on me again. I think he struck me about twelve or fifteen licks with the switch and stopped. Thomas J. Turk then said, "lets kill the d-d old son of a b-h," and said that he wanted to blow my brains out. The one eyed man struck me four or five licks more and then they turned me loose, and told me to go home. They said they thought they had made an honest man of me, and told me to keep out of the company of the Joneses, and if I did not leave inside of ten days, that was nothing to what they would give me. I then went home.
After slicking White they went to bed at the house of Judge Montgomery, and other houses in the neighborhood. By sunrise next (Sunday) morning they were at the house of Jobn A. Whit- taker, who lived at the first house in the edge of the prairie on the road going from Warsaw to Springfield. They demanded of him to open his house to let them search for horse thieves, counter- feiters and murderers, and told him they were in search of Milton Humes and Jones. He refused to admit them until they promised not to hurt him. Finding no one but the family in the house, Tom Turk insisted on slicking him, saying he thought it was un- derstood before they came that he was to have a brushing. The others refused to consent and they ordered him to leave in ten days under severe penalties. A few days afterward they went to his house again, decoyed him out by pretending to be his friends, and gave him about thirty lashes.
A few days after Meadows, Brookshire and White were whip- ped, Jabez L. Harrison was at Samuel Browns store, which was on the old road a short distance north of where Wheatland now stands. Old Mr. Cruce who stuttered badly was there, and seeing a company of men coming said to Harrison "y-yonder c-comes them s slickers. Y-y-you'd better l-leave here, y-you d-d-damned r-ras- cal; t-they'll c-catch you and w-whip you to d-death." But he refused to go, and they took him off near Mr. Whitehead's house and gave him a cruel lashing. In the language of my informant, they "cut him to the hollow." They afterwards said he had the tenderest skin of any man they slicked. It was at this time that they made him confess the plot to kill Hiram K. Turk. A few days after they were slicked, Brookshire and White, who were drinking men, met at Brown's store and while drinking got to talk-
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ing about being slicked. White asked Brookshire to let him see his back. On examining it he said to Brookshire with a lisp, that was habitual with him, "Wellth, Billy, they cuth my rindth a heap worse than they didth yourn."
This was all the slicking that was done with the exception of Samuel Yates, who was slicked eighteen months afterwards near Warsaw. These slickings threw the whole County into excite- ment, and the feeling was so intense that the entire community took sides in sentiment with one party or the other, and many good citizens openly favored each side and gave them aid in their law suits.
As soon as the slicking began the Jones party swore out war- rants before Squires Sampson Norton and Alex. Breshers, on Breshers' prairie, and Edward T. Major at Warsaw, against the Turk party, and had nearly all the prominent men bound over. A number of the Jones party were recognized as witnesses against them. The Turk party retaliated by swearing out warrants against several of the Jones party. Andy was bound over on a charge of stealing Jno. Woods' bull and killing him for beef at a Christmas frolic, a few days after he was acquitted of killing Hiram K. Turk. Arch. Cock and the Keatons were arrested on Jabez Harrison's testimony for conspiring to kill Hiram K. Turk. All through the months of February and March, 1842, the parties waged against each other a war of criminal prosecutions. The excitement had grown so great that the militia was called out, under the direction of Col. D. C. Ballou. Capt. John Holloway having had experience in the Black Hawk war, was in command in the field. A number of expeditions were made by the militia to make arrests. In executing the warrant against Andy Jones for stealing the bull, he was pursued through the north end of the Twenty-five Mile Prairie. He took refuge in the house of Horace Dark, and on Alex. Cox, a prominent Turk man, demanding of him to surrender, he fired at Cox and said he would have killed him had not his gun gone off too soon. He was bound over for this assault. A few days after, while the two parties were in Warsaw attending to examinations, Andy Jones drew his Gun on Cox again, in front of Walls old book store, then known as the "Duch Fort," it being a grocery kept by John Mayer and the headquar- ters of the Jones party. He was bound over for this assault also.
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During the excitement of these prosecutions, the two parties came to Warsaw in companies, numbering near a hundred men each, fully armed. But strange to say no serious collision occured between them. On one occasion the Turks who had their head- quarters in what is now the Hastain House, fearing the Joneses were too strong for them, circulated the report that they had a cannon, and thursting an old stovepipe out at a window put the Joneses to precipitate flight. Many minor altercations took place in town at this time, and subsequently when law suits were going on. Thomas Howser, who sympathized with the Joneses, got into a quarrel with Hobaugh and Mackey, Turk men, cut Hobaugh and was shot by Mackey. Wm. Terry was attacked by Tom. Turk and Isam Hobles and knocked down with a club, in the old Dutch Fort. This house was the scene of nearly all their rows.
After the slicking was over the Turks continued to scour the country, threatening to slick the Jones men, and ordering them out of the country. About this time Jacob Dobkyns was killed, but I am not able to fix the time of his death. The Turks were threatening to whip one Metcalf, who lived in the neighborhood of Quincy, and he requested several of his friends to spend the night with him, among others Dobkyns. During the night a shot was fired through a crack of the door, and Dobkyns instantly killed. It was reported that Robert Turk fired the shot, intending to kill Metcalf. The threats of the Turks, together with the fact that the weight of public sentiment was against the Joneses drove the chief men among them out of the country, and when the April Court, 1842, came on they failed to appear, and their bonds were forfeited. This practically terminated the "Slicker War" proper, but a number of terrible tragedies growing out of it, took place during the next two years.
At the April Court, 1842, Abraham C. Nowell was tried for the murder of James Turk and acquitted. During the following spring and summer, with the exception of an assault on Arch. Cock by Robert Turk, June 20, but little violence prevailed. During this year and the next, occasional rumors would be circu- lated that the Joneses were in the country, and the Turks would organize and patrol the country, with considerable demonstrations of violence.
The Turks had been dissatisfied with the acquittal of Nowell, who spent most of his time away from home. In October 1842,
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learning that he was at home they secreted themselves near his house, which was three miles north-west of Quincy, on the morn- ing of October 18th, to kill him. On coming out of his house early in the morning to get a bucket of water from a barrel in front of the door, he heard a gun fire and as he raised up to see whence the shot came, another gun fired and he received a bullet near his heart. He staggered back a few steps and fell dead in his door. Four men were seen to run off, and their places of am- bush were afterwards found. A daughter of Mr. Nowell, Mrs. John B. Lemon, is still living in this County, and from her I have obtained much information in regard to the Slicker War.
From the killing of Nowell dates the division of the Turk men among themselves. It is said that Tom Turk fired first at Nowell, and that Isam Hobles fired the shot that killed him. Hobbs accused Turk of missing him on purpose in order to throw the killing of him on Hobbs. From this grew a bitter quarrel be- tween them, the particulars of which I have been unable to obtain, the indictments against them having been found in Polk County, and the records afterwards destroyed. It seems that the Turks and Hobbs lived, at this time, some distance beyond Quincy. Isam Hobbs was frequently indicted, in Polk, for assaults, and for gambling, as well as for murder. Tom. Turk was also probably indicted in Polk. While on his way to Bolivar, as a witness in some case, Jeff. Hobbs was waylaid and killed. This was probably in 1843. In the same year, perhaps, Thomas Draffin was found dead, shot through the head, the shot having entered at his mouth. The Turks buried him as quietly as possible, and reported that he had committed suicide. It was supposed however, that he had been murdered. It is known that he had sent a message to Mrs. Nowell, proposing to see her and tell her who it was that killed her husband, and it was supposed he was killed to prevent this disclosure.
In September 1843, it was reported that Andy Jones was in the country, and Tom. and Robert Turk, and several of their principal followers, came down to Warsaw on the 19th. They rallied at the house of W. L. Vaughn, below Warsaw, with a number of citi- zens living in the vicinity of Warsaw. At night they went down the river and searched the houses of Elijah Cherry and one Don- agho, who lived near where Gray Cook now lives. From there
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they went over to the house of Samuel Yates, who lived on the farm now owned by Mrs. Shaver. Deputy Sheriff John B. Fer- guson was along, with a writ for Jones. Yates refused to admit them, and the Sheriff becoming satisfied that Jones was not there, he and many others went home. But the Turks and others remained, and just before day, got Yates out of the house by promising not to hurt him. They tied him to a tree and gave him a severe whipping with a cowhide. In the struggle to tie him his wife seized a gun, and would have fired on them had she not been restrained by one of the company. Thirty-eight men includ- ing a number of most respectable citizens, were indicted for this affair; among others, Elijah W. Ramsey, Wm. L. Vaughn, Jona- than Martin, John B. Ferguson, George H. Hughes, George Blan- ton, James Walthall, James Thurman, Billington Jobnson, Benj. H. Williams and Wm. Lankford. The case was dismissed as to most of these, it being clear that they were not present, or not active participants. All the others were acquitted, except Jona- than Martin who was fined $23.10. He thinks he must have been fined because he was the only man who showed any mercy to Yates, having untied him. He appealed to the Supreme Court and the judgment against him was reversed. The Turks were in- dicted but never tried. A short time after, while Tom. Turk was returning from a blacksmith shop, where he had been to get his horse shod, preparatory to starting for Kentucky, he was way-laid by Isam Hobbs and shot dead. Hobbs was arrested, broke jail, and fled to Potosi, in S. E. Mo .; was re-taken, again escaped from the Bolivar jail, fled to Tennessee and was riddled with bullets and instantly killed, in attempting to escape arrest there.
Nathan Turk followed the Jones to Texas, and Andy Jones, Harvey White, Loud Ray, and perhaps others of the Jones party, were hung there, through his instrumentality, for horse stealing and killing friendly Indians. He himself was killed in an affray at Shrevesport. Soon after the death of Tom. Turk, his mother and her youngest son, Robert, returned to Kentucky. She is said to have deeply deplored the violence of her sons and husband. Her share in this bloody drama is unwritten, but it is hard to con- ceive of a heavier burden of woe than fell to her lot.
XII.
NOTED CRIMINAL TRIALS.
In 1840, Wm. Grizzle was tried on a change of venue from Pulaski County. He was indicted and found guilty of murder in the first degree and Sheriff Smith erected a scaffold for his execu- tion in the hollow, between the hills, a short distance south of Mr. E. S. Drake's house. A large concourse of people gathered to witness the execution, and the prisoner was on the scaffold, when a commutation by the Governor to imprisonment in the Peni- tentiary was produced. Judge Wright had received the commu- tation some days before, with instructions to hold it to the last moment, to see if he would not confess. He did confess to the killing some days before the day of execution, but his confession being coupled with the charge that he slew the man for improper familiarity with his wife, the commutation was carried into effect. Another account says he had killed a man with whose wife he had been unduly familiar, having waylaid him as he came from mill.
In 1844, a quarrel arose between Ben P. Major, a prominent lawyer, and at the time State Senator, and Elijah Cherry, who had been County Judge, and was a well-known citizen. The diffi- culty grew out of a political contest. They met on Main Street, became involved in a fight, and Cherry cut Major so that he died shortly afterwards. Cherry was acquitted.
Another noted homicide was the killing of John H. Wilson by Thomas Coats, in 1845. Bad feeling arose between them at a party, at a hotel, and meeting afterwards on Main Street, a few hot words passed, and Coates stabbed Wilson, and killed him. Coates, also, was acquitted.
I believe this was the last trial for a capital offense committed in the County, until after the war. Just before the war Haythorn- white was bound over for the murder of Vannoy, but he went off during the war, and was never tried.
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The most prominent name in the criminal annals of the County was that of Stephen H. Howser, commonly called Hogue Howser. He was a son of Stephen A. Howser, the first settler at Warsaw. He was commonly supposed to have murdered - Holloway on the plains, en route to California. He also killed a man named Farris, in Gasconade County, in 1853, was tried at St. Louis, and sentenced to the penitentiary in 1859, and pardoned. At the be- ginning of the war he had acquired a wide reputation as a lawless man. Soon after the war began he wantonly killed a man at Bolivar. Soon afterwards, as he rode out of town with Mr. D. D. Jones, he shot him dead in the road, at the corner of Mr. Powers' field. His motive is supposed to have been to get Jones' money. He was followed to Vernon County by some of our best citizens, and killed, while attempting to escape from a house in which they had surrounded him.
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