History of Clay and Platte Counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns, and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Clay and Platte Counties --their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens., Part 14

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1156

USA > Missouri > Platte County > History of Clay and Platte Counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns, and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Clay and Platte Counties --their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens. > Part 14
USA > Missouri > Clay County > History of Clay and Platte Counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns, and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri; a reliable and detailed history of Clay and Platte Counties --their pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens. > Part 14

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

This county, on the left bank of the Missouri river, is bounded on the south by it and west by the old State line, which is now changed by the addition of the territory recently acquired by Missouri. When the State was admitted into the Union, there was not a house in Clay county.1 It is now one of the best settled tracts of country in Mis- souri or elsewhere. The high cultivation of the numerous and large farms, the substantial buildings, and the tasteful arrangements about the domiciles of the old settlers, would lead the visitor to suppose, if he were governed by appearance, that he was in the heart of the best settlements of one of the older States.

The pioneers who explored this region of country found the land so rich and the face of the country so attractive, that swarms of good citizens of Kentucky and elsewhere poured in, and the county was speedily settled and densely populated. Great wealth was carried to the country, and more has been acquired by the enterprise and indus- try of the inhabitants. They have not failed to avail themselves of the advantages presented in the frontier market, which they enjoy in common with their neighbors of Jackson county. This market the settlers of Clay at first enjoyed exclusively, having been cultivators before any settlements were made in Jackson.

The people of Clay have not complained of having too much prairie ; and it is probable a larger proportion would have been ad-

1 This is an error so palpable that it is a matter of wonderment how Wetmore - made it. In 1821 there were a number of houses in this county. - Compiler.

132

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

vantageous. They have, however, the fashion of making prairie, where there is any deficiency, with the Knous1 or Collins axes. The timber of Clay is good, and the county abundantly supplied with a variety of oak, black walnut and black ash. The bee hunters (a peo- ple rather less industrious than the insects which they destroy ) have made sad havoc with the timber of Missouri. [?] They go ahead of the settler, and find honey in the tops of the tallest trees in the forests. These are necessarily felled to obtain the honey ; and thus some of the best timber on the public lands is destroyed. Where the bee hunter is followed up by the tanner, much additional waste is committed on the public domain. But, after all these depredations, enough generally remains for all the purposes of the farmer; and heavy log-rollings are common occurrences. Fields of corn filled with bare and leafless trees are found in various parts of the county, and are among the surplus possessions of the farmers of Clay, as well as their countrymen of other counties.

The inhabitants of Clay are at present dependent upon the East fork of the Platte and Fishing river and some smaller mill-streams for their water power. But when the great mill sites on the main branch of Little Platte shall be improved, the western part of the county will be happily situated for milling facilities. These sites are in the territory recently acquired by the State. Limestone and sand- stone abound in Clay, and the " lost stone " is used for milling pur- poses in ordinary or country work milling.

There are eleven grist mills that are run with water power in Clay, which are not sufficient for grinding bread stuffs for all the inhabitants of the county, and horse-mills are therefore still in use. There is likewise a steam mill a few miles from Liberty, on the Missouri river.

THE MORMON WAR.2

In 1832 the Mormons, under their Prophet, Joe Smith, came into Jackson, where the previous year large tracts of land had been en- tered and purchased for their benefit, and began to occupy and possess the land, with the intention, as they said, of remaining for " all time." But their years in that land were few and full of trouble. They were in constant collision with their Gentile neighbors, who frequently tied them up and whipped them with cowhides and hickory switches, derided their religion, boycotted them where they did not openly persecute them, and at last engaged in a deadly encounter with them, tarred and feathered their bishop, threw their printing press into the river, and finally drove them from their homes and out of the county.

1 The Knous axes were made by Nathan Knous & Sons, of Fayette, Howard county.

2 See pages 54-57.

133

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

Affrighted and terror-stricken, many of the Mormons took refuge in Clay. Every vacant cabin in the south half of the county was occu- pied by the fugitives. Many of them among the men obtained em- ployment with the farmers ; some of the women engaged as domestics, and others taught school. A few heads of families were able to and did purchase land and homes, but the majority rented. The Clay county citizens received them kindly, ministered to their wants and rendered them so many favors that to this day, away out in Salt Lake, the old Mormons hold in grateful remembrance the residents of the county of 1834-36.1

The Jackson county people were indignant at the reception given the Mormons by the citizens of Clay, and stigmatized some of our people as "Jack Mormons," a term yet used. On one occasion a delegation of eleven Jackson county citizens, led by Maj. Sam. Owens and James Campbell, came over to Liberty to hold a council with the Gentile citizens and Mormons of Clay in. regard to the lands from which the Mormons had been driven. The title to these lands was in the hands of the Mormons, but the Gentiles wished to extinguish it by purchase, if it could be obtained at their - the Gentiles' - price. Accordingly they offered the Mormons an insignificant sum for their lands and farms, many of which were already in possession of certain citizens of Jackson, but this offer was refused. The Clay county people generally indorsed the refusal.

Returning home that night, in great ill humor with their neighbors on this side of the river, the delegation of Jackson met with a sad misfortune. As they were crossing the river at Ducker's ferry, when about the middle of the river the boat sank and five of them were

1 An old citizen of Independence has recently published in the Kansas City Journal an interesting article on the Mormon troubles in Jackson county. One paragraph of this article is as follows : -

True history, however, must record the fact that the deluded followers of the so- called prophet, Joseph Smith, in their first effort to organize and establish a religious socialistic community in Jackson county, Mo., were unjustly and outrageously mal- treated by the original settlers, that is seen in the tragic and pitiful scenes which oc- curred during the last part of their sojourn in this, their promised inheritance, their Zion, and New Jerusalem. With scarcely one exception, the settlers were aggressors so far as overt acts of hostility were concerned. During the last year of their stay the continued persecutions to which they were subjected excited the sympathy of many outside of the county, especially of the people of Clay county, who gave them an asylum and assistance for a year or two after their expulsion. Indeed, material aid and arms were furnished them by citizens of Clay before their expulsion; a wagon with a quantity of guns was stopped near the south part of Kansas City and seized by parties on the watch. -

134

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

drowned. Three of the unfortunate men were Ibe Job, James Camp- bell, and - Everett. The casuality increased the indignation al- ready felt against the people of Clay.

By the year 1838, all, or nearly all, of the Mormons had left Clay county and joined the Mormon settlement, at or near Far West or at other points in Caldwell and Daviess counties, and in October of that year the " Mormon War " broke out. Among the troops dispatched to Far West during that month were some companies of militia from Clay, belonging to Gen. Doniphan's brigade of Maj .- Gen. D. R. At- chison's division. Two of these companies were commanded by Capts. Prior and O. P. Moss.

Of Capt. Prior's company Peter Holtzclaw was first lieutenant. He, with 25 men from the northern part of the county, became sepa- rated from the main command and did not leave with it. The detach- ment marched across into Ray county and fell in with the Jackson county regiment which had refused to march through Clay, owing to the animosity existing, and had crossed the river at Lexington.

All the Clay county men were present in line confronting the breast- works when the Mormon camp at Far West was surrounded, and wit- nessed all the proceedings. They saw the white flag pass back and forth from the Mormons, and saw the robber, Capt. Bogard, of the Missou- rians, fire on it ; saw the cannoneers stand with lighted matches beside their pieces, having sent word to Gen. Doniphan that they were ready to fire ; saw suddenly a white flag go up ; saw the Mormon battalion march out with " Gen." G. W. Hinkle, brave as a lion, at its head, and form a hollow square and ground arms, and then saw Hinkle ride up to Doniphan, unbuckle his sword and detach his pistols from their holsters and pass them over to his captor, who quietly remarked, " Give them to my adjutant." Then they saw Hinkle dash the tears from his face, and ride back to his soldiers.

The Mormons agreed fully to Doniphan's conditions - that they should deliver up their arms, surrender their prominent leaders for trial, and the remainder of them, with their families, leave the State. As hostages, Joe Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, G. W. Hin- kle, and other prominent Mormons, delivered themselves up to be held for the faithful performance of the hard conditions.1

1 Col. Lewis Wood, of this county, who was present, states to the compiler that at a council of the leading militia officers held the night following the surrender, it was voted by nearly three to one to put these leaders to death, and their lives were only saved by the intervention of Gen. Doniphan, who not only urged his authority as brig- adier, but declared he would defend the prisoners with his own life.

135

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

The Mormon leaders were taken before a court of inquiry at Rich- mond, Judge Austin A. King presiding. He remanded them to Daviess county, to await the action of the grand jury on a charge of treason against the State, and murder. The Daviess county jail being poor and insecure, the prisoners were brought to Liberty and confined in the old stone jail (still standing) for some time. Many citizens of the county remember to have seen Joe Smith when he was a prisoner in the old Liberty jail.

In due time indictments for various offenses, treason, murder, resisting legal process, etc., were found against Joe Smith and his brother, Hiram Smith, Sidney Rigdon, G. W. Hinkle, Caleb Baldwin, Parley P. Pratt, Luman Gibbs, Maurice Phelps, King Follett, Wm. Osburn, Arthur Morrison, Elias Higbee and others. Sidney Rigdon was released on a writ of habeas corpus. The others requested a change of venue, and Judge King sent their cases to Boone county for trial. On the way from Liberty to Columbia Joe Smith escaped ; it is generally believed that the guard was bribed. Parley Pratt escaped from the Columbia jail. The others were either tried and acquitted, or the cases against them were dismissed. The entire pro- ceedings in the cases were disgraceful in the extreme. There never was a handful of evidence that the accused were guilty of the crimes with which they were charged. Those that were tried were defended by Gen. Doniphan and James S. Rollins.

CHAPTER IV.

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY FROM 1840 TO 1850.

The Political Canvass of 1840 and 1844 - Elections of 1846-The Great Flood of 1844 - Miscellaneous -Negro Killing -Tom Haggerty's Case - Clay County in the Mexican War-List of Capt. Moss's Company, and Sketch of its Services - The Political Canvass of 1848 - The Jackson Resolutions - Benton's Appeal - His Meeting at Liberty.

THE POLITICAL CANVASS OF 1840 AND 1844.

The Presidential campaign of 1840 was one of the most exciting in the history of the country. It marked the advent of the Whig party into power under Harrison and Tyler, and the Democrats, under Van Buren and Johnson, were overwhelmingly defeated. Even in Mis- souri, where the Whigs were in a minority, they were extremely active and held numerous monster meetings, at which their best speakers orated, and where they paraded log cabins, barrels of hard cider, live raccoons, and other emblems of their political heraldry. One meeting at Rocheport, Boone county, lasted three days. Gen. Doniphan was one of the speakers.

In Clay the Democrats were led by Gen. D. R. Atchison, Col. John Thornton and Capt. Geo. Wallis. The Whigs were marshalled by Gen. A. W. Doniphan, Maj. John Dougherty and William T. Wood. Notwithstanding that there is a recollection that in this canvass the Whigs carried the county, the records show they did not, the vote standing : Van Buren, 649; Harrison, 457; Democratic majority, 192.

But in 1844 the Whigs swept the polls by a good majority for Henry Clay and Frelinghuysen over Polk and Dallas by the follow- ing vote : Clay, 765 ; Polk, 552. The canvass had been full of in - terest, and the old Kentuckians rallied largely to the " favorite son " of their native State. The political hosts were under the same leader- ship as in 1840.

ELECTIONS OF 1846.

At the August election, 1846, Congressmen were first elected from Missouri by districts. Hitherto they had been chosen by a general ticket voted on by all the voters in the State. A's now, Missouri was strongly Democratic, and the result had uniformly been the choosing

(136)

137

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

of a " solid " Democratic delegation. The Whigs were growing in numbers, however, and as there was a tendency to bringing out Inde- pendent Democratic candidates, thus dividing the Democratic vote, the chances that Whigs might thereafter be chosen caused the major- ity in the Legislature to adopt the district plan, care being taken that each district be surely and safely Democratic.

The district in which Clay was situated (the Fourth ) was composed of the counties of Adair, Linn, Grundy, Livingston, Carroll, Ray, Caldwell, Clay, Platte, Daviess, Clinton, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, De Kalb, Harrison, Nodaway, Putnam, Gentry, Atchison, Mercer and Sullivan, all of Northwest and a portion of Northeast Missouri.

Hon. Willard P. Hall, then a private in Capt. Moss' Clay county company, of Doniphan's regiment, and in service, was the regular Democratic nominee (nominated at Gallatin), and opposed to him was Hon. James H. Birch, of Platte, who announced himself as an In- dependent Democratic candidate, The Whigs, largely in the minor- ity, brought out no candidate, and a strong effort was made to prac- tically unite them in the support of Birch. The latter stumped the district, denouncing his opponent as having enlisted not wholly out of patriotic impulses, but as a stroke of demagoguery, to excite sym- pathy and win admiration.

But Hall, who was already a noted lawyer and politician, marched along with his company toward Santa Fe, and wrote his reply to Birch and sent it back to his district, where it was printed and circu- lated and proved a most effective campaign document. When the election came off Hall was elected by nearly 3,000 majority.1 Many Whigs voted for him. He and Birch had, however, in the early spring canvassed a portion of the district together, to secure the Dem- ocratic nomination.

The vote at the election in this county stood : -

Constitution of 1845 - For, 809 ; against, 211. Congress - Hall, regular Democrat, 564; Birch, Independent, 463. Legislature - Coleman Younger, Whig, 498 ; Henry Owens, Democrat, 575. Two members were chosen, and there was no opposition to Younger and Owens. Sheriff - Samuel Hadley, Democrat, 683; H. M. Riley, Whig, 468.

In the summer Hon. Sterling Price resigned his seat in Congress to become the colonel of a Missouri regiment in the Mexican War, and .

1 Though Hall was duly informed of his election he did not at once return home, bu with four others of the Clay company volunteered te accompany Gen. Kearney from Santa Fe to California, and was commissioned a lieutenant in Capt. Hudson's company.

138

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

in November a special State election was held to fill the vacancy. The candidates were Hon. Wm. M. McDaniel, of Marion county (" Billy the Buster " ), and Hon. Wm. M. Kincaid, of Platte county, the former a Democrat, the latter a Whig. Hon. J. T. V. Thompson, of Clay, was an Independent candidate, but was voted for in but a few counties. McDaniel was elected by about 500 over Kincaid, although the vote was small, and some 30 counties in the State did not hold an election. In this county the vote stood: Kincaid, 421; Thompson, 184; McDaniel, 30.

THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1844.

The extraordinary high water of 1844 will long be commemorated in the history of the Missouri valley. The river was higher in that year than in any other now known, exceeding the great overflow of 1826. The " June rise " of that year was extraordinary, and it was reinforced by the unprecedented flood in the Kansas river.

Judge Ransom, of Kansas City, an old settler, says that the rise in the Kansas was caused by heavy rains along the Republican and Smoky Hill forks, and other tributaries of the river in Kansas. The depth of fall of the Kansas at Kansas City, where it empties into the Mis- souri, is much greater than that of the Missouri at that point. Dis- charging great volumes of water day and night, the Kansas cut square across the Big Muddy and broke in huge breakers on the banks on the opposite side, and at last over into the Clay county bottoms, doing great damage. The weather was very peculiar ; it rained a veritable " forty days and forty nights." Every evening, out of a clear sky, just as the sun went down, there arose a dark, ominous looking cloud in the northwest. Flashes of lightning and the heaviest thunder followed, and about ten o'clock the rain would begin to fall in tor- rents. The bridges were nearly all washed away. The next day the sun would rise clear and beautiful, and not a cloud would fleck the sky as a reminder of the disturbed elements of the night.

In Clay county the days on which the flood was the highest were June 14, 15 and 16. The river was over its banks everywhere, and all the low bottom lands were submerged everywhere.

The crops of that season were well advanced, and promised a glor- ious harvest ; vast fields of wheat, oats, rye and corn were submerged, and the waters receded to leave them a desolate waste. Great suffer- ing necessarily followed. The corn in the bottoms was especially luxuriant, and many persons were dependent upon the successful cultivation of that staple for a living. When it was destroyed their only resource for the necessities of life was the charity of the people.

139

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

MISCELLANEOUS.

In the summer of 1846 the prices of produce were as follows : Hemp, $2.50 per cwt. ; wheat, 45 and 50 cents per bushel ; flour, $2 and $2.50 per barrel ; hams, 4 cents per pound ; " hog round," 3} cents. Shipping rates to St. Louis from Liberty Landing were, for hemp, $6 and $7 per ton; wheat and corn, 163 cents per bushel ; bacon, $2 per hhd.

About April 1 the steamer Wakendah struck a rock at the mouth of Fishing river and sank to the bottom. The boat and cargo were a total loss. A few days later the Tobacco Plant was snagged near Richfield and sank, but was soon after raised, brought down to Liberty Landing and repaired.

On May 6, 1846, a hurricane passed over the central part of the county, from southwest to northeast. Three miles south of Liberty it blew down a double log house belonging to a Mr. Simms and pros- trated trees, fences, etc.

December 26, 1846, the first railroad meeting in aid of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad was held at Liberty. E. M. Samuel was chair- man. A general meeting was called to meet at Fayette, March 8, 1847, " to consider the propriety of building a railroad from Hannibal to some point on the Missouri river," and the following named dele- gates were appointed from Clay county : Thomas W. DcCourcey, A. H. F. Payne, Walter S. Watkins, E. M. Samuel, Graham L. Hughes and Col. Henry L. Routt.

In the winter of 1847, when the old Masonic College was to be removed from Marion county, a strong effort was made to have it located at Liberty. The people worked hard for it. Even the ladies turned out, held meetings, made speeches themselves, and subscribed handsomely. The college was located at Lexington, how- ever.

In the winter and early spring of 1848 a temperance wave struck Liberty and rolled from thence over the entire county, bearing along many, but unfortunately not washing away all the whisky. A lodge of the Sons of Temperance was organized at Liberty March 13, with Col. H. L. Routt as H. P. ; Benj. Hayes, W. A .; H. M. Jones, R. S. ; J. W. Ringo, F. S., and Isaac Palmer, treasurer. The lodge numbered 65 members, some of whom were among the most promi- nent citizens of Liberty. A large temperance celebration was held under the direction of the lodge in May.

140

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

It was some time in the first few years of the decade beginning with 1840 that the murder of Chavez, a wealthy Spanish-Mexican, occurred. Chavez was a merchant and trader of Santa Fe, who had a branch house at Independence. At the time of his murder he was on his way from New Mexico to Missouri, and had several thousand dollars in his possession, chiefly in Spanish doubloons.

A party in Liberty was organized to go out on the Santa Fe trail, along which Chavez was known to be coming, and intercept him and his party and murder and rob them. This was done at a point near the crossing of the Arkansas river. Chavez was murdered and his money, or a large portion of it, was found secreted in one of the axles of a wagon.

Developments led to the arrest of several parties in Liberty and their trial in the United States court at St. Louis. John McDaniel, a young clerk of Liberty, was convicted and hung. Further par- ticulars are not well enough remembered to be stated with exactness.

NEGRO KILLING.

In August, 1848, two negro slaves had an affray at Liberty Land- ing, which resulted in the death of one of them. The particulars are thus briefly given in the current number of the Tribune: -

On Saturday evening last a dispute arose between two negro men, at Liberty, the property of Robert Thompson and John D. Ewing, which resulted in the death of the negro belonging to Mr. T. On Monday morning the negro man of Mr. Ewing was tried before Justice Tillery and committed for further trial.

How the case was disposed of is thus stated in the same paper in October : -

The black man of Mr. J. D. Ewing, of this county, charged with murder of Mr. Robert Thompson's black man, had his trial on Mon- day last and was sentenced to receive 39 lashes and transported out of the State.

HAGGERTY'S CASE.

In the summer of 1848 one Thomas Haggerty was arrested and imprisoned in the Liberty jail on a charge of horse-stealing. He sent for Col. Alex. W. Doniphan to defend him. It is related that Col. Doniphan said to the prisoner : " It is very hard to clear a horse thief. It is far easier to acquit him of murder. There is more of bias and prejudice against men who steal horses than against men who take human life."

141

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY.

Though this was not meant for a hint that he should commit mur- der, Haggerty acted upon it as such, and the same night fell upon an- other inmate of the jail, a negro, and wantonly murdered him, out- right, in cold blood, and without any sort of provocation whatever. The negro was named ".Tom " Lincoln, and was temporarily placed in the jail for safe keeping, preparatory to being sent South and sold to the cotton planters. Haggerty was indicted for murder, but in March, 1849, escaped from jail, went to California, and was never recaptured. He wrote one letter to Col. Doniphan, however, and de- tailed the manner of his escape.

CLAY COUNTY IN THE MEXICAN WAR.

The annexation of Texas was the alleged cause of the declaration of war by Mexico against the United States in April, 1846, but the more immediate cause was the occupation by the American army of the disputed territory lying between the rivers Nueces and Rio Grande. May 13, 1846, a counter-declaration by the American Con- gress was made, that " a state of war exist between the United States and Mexico."

President Polk called on Gov. Edwards of this State for a regi- ment of volunteers to join Gen. Kearney's " Army of the West." There was a hearty response from all quarters of Missouri, and, as in all other wars through which the country has passed, Clay county bore her full part.

May 30, 1846, a war meeting was held at Liberty. J. T. V. Thompson was chairman. Speeches were made, it was resolved to raise a company for the war, and a number of volunteers put down their names at once. As the company was to be mounted and a num- ber of volunteers had no horses and were unable to buy them, a com- mittee, composed of J. M. Hughes, M. M. Samuels, Alvin Lightburn and J. T. V. Thompson, were appointed to raise means to mount such volunteers as were unable to mount themselves.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1156

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: St. Louis : National Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1156