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 77

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 77
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 77

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their papers, he gave the signal to shoot them, and thus were they murdered.

Young Throgmorton's first name is forgotten. They were the only two killed at this time. We have given the exact facts as far as known. The conversations of the soldiers, or murderers, is given as received from parties at the time to whom repeated.

Very truly yours,

W. A. M. VAUGHAN.

Slash Valley and Buena Vista Fights .- During the exciting and troublous times in Platte county in 1864, occurred the affairs at Slash Valley and Buena Vista, in the upper part of the county.

Capt. Fitzgerald took a body of men out into the vicinity of Jas. A. Rupe's " to clear out that rebel neighborhood," as he expressed it, and instead of finding, as usual, old men to abuse and intimidate and women to terrify, he found young men with guns in their hands, and with some knowledge of the use of fire-arms. They attacked him and he fled precipitately back into Ridgely, with the loss of three killed and several wounded, he himself and Thomas Able being of the latter. Those killed were Jefferson Ingram, Lewis Moore and Stan- ford.1 The Southerners were commanded by Capt. James A. Rupe. They suffered no loss.

The fight at Buena Vista amounted to nothing worthy of special men- tion. A company of White-String militia from Gallatin, Daviess county, about 100 strong, were down in this county foraging princi- pally for " fine fat rebel horses," as the Sentinel at Weston described them the fall before. The militia ran into a squad of about thirty young men, who were getting ready to go to the Southern army ; shots were exchanged, but no one hurt, except a militiaman who had a part of his ear shot off. The Southerners fled.

Several other small affairs occurred in the county, including one about four miles north of Platte City, between Maj. Stockton, at the head of a detachment of militia, and a squad of Fletcher Tay- lor's men, but none of them were of any importance.

The killing of individuals and robbing and plundering went on with little or no abatement until the winter of 1864.

Killing of Kirkpatrick, Coots and Others .- A couple of young men by the names of Kirkpatrick and Eugene Berry, in the eastern part of the county, were taken prisoners at Mrs. Greenwood's by Fitzgerald's men and marched over to Second Creek Church. There they were told that they were to be shot and to step out and pray.

Mr. Stone (son of John Stone) and others informants.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

Both attempted to flee and Berry made his escape, under a perfect hailstorm of bullets, succeeding in getting into the brush in safety. But Kirkpatrick, less fortunate than his companion, was shot several times and fell dead about a hundred yards from where he had started to run.

Young Coots ( Solon Coots), a boy about sixteen years old and a son of one of the old and respected citizens of the county, was surrounded in a barn about five miles west of Platte City, in company with another neighbor boy about the same age, and both of them were killed. They had concluded to go to the Southern army and had started out with that intention. Stopping in the barn for the night in order to conceal themselves, their presence was discovered and with the result stated

Up in the northeast part of the county a teacher who was teaching the Horn school was taken out by the militia or by some of Fitzger- ald's men and murdered. No one ever knew why he was killed except his murderers, for he had no connection with the army and was esteemed by all, both as a teacher and a man.

It will be remembered that Taylor, when he captured Parkville, took a [large number of Union prisoners. His treatment of them was in striking contrast to the treatment prisoners of the other side and citizens received. Yet under Taylor at that time were the James boys, Ol. Shepperd, the Youngers and many of those whose names were used as a terror by mothers to hush their infants to sleep. They were desperate, bad men unquestionably, but it was not they that in- augurated a war upon unarmed citizens in Platte county, or shot down prisoners in cold blood. It required worse men than they to carry on that species of warfare in this county.

No Union citizen and but one Union soldier was shot as a prisoner in the county during the war, so far as we have been able to learn, and it is not known by whom he was killed, nor in fact that he was a prisoner at the time.1

Killing of Thomas Bailey. - Young Bailey was a member of the Sixteenth Kansas, under Capt. Fitzgerald, and during the troublous times in this county in 1864 came home on a furlough. He was killed not far from home, in the upper part of the county, on his way there from Kansas. So far as known he was personally without reproach, and notwithstanding Southern men were being shot down all over the

1 Since writing the above we have learned that Isaac Burk, a member of the Six- teenth Kansas was killed at Parkville in the summer of 1864, when the Confederates took the place, but not as a prisoner.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

county as prisoners and otherwise, his killing, if it was done while he was a prisoner, or offering no resistance, was wholly unjustifiable and a cowardly murder, by whomsoever committed.

Murder of Dr. Joseph Walker. - One of the last murders of citi- zens in this county during the war, and one of the most unfortunate and universally regretted, was that of Dr. Joseph Walker.

During the Kansas troubles there was a Northern Methodist preacher in the county by the name of Charles Morris. He was outspoken in his advocacy of the freedom of the negroes, and otherwise rendered himself very disagreeable and odious to his neighbors. He was, there- fore, ordered to leave the country. Dr. Walker was one of the com- mittee appointed to notify him to quit the country.

Subsequently, Rev. Morris moved up into Buchanan county, where the outbreak of the war found him. There he had succeeded in mak- ing himself thoroughly disliked, not less for his personal qualities than the violence of his political views and conduct.

During the war he of course became active and aggressive against his Southern neighbors, and connecting himself with the militia, caused much trouble in the community by inciting the military to acts of vio- lence and all manner of excesses against those who differed from him. Such, indeed, was his conduct that he had no friends except among his own class, and many who agreed with him in politics had little regard for him personally or otherwise. He had become the special object of dislike to the generality of those around him.

During the summer of 1864 his house was surrounded by a squad of Confederates, and he was found at home. He had just come in from the militia headquarters, not far distant. His surrender was de- manded. Brave and desperate as he was violent in disposition and politics, he answered the demand by firing on his beleaguerers. They then fired in the house and a desultory firing from and upon the house was kept up for some time. Repeatedly he was told to surrender, and he should be treated as a prisoner of war and not harmed, but that if he still refused they would burn the house. He persisted in refusing to give up and defied his assailants to do their worst. At last the house was fired, but he remained inside shooting all the time until he was driven out by the fire and smoke. He then came to the door and shot at the beleaguerers just as he attempted to step outside, but at that moment he himself was shot and fell in his own door. They pulled him out to prevent his body from being cremated.1

1 These facts were stated to the informant of the writer by Mrs. Morris within an hour or two after her hubsand's death.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

It was to avenge his death that Dr. Walker was killed, although Dr. Walker had no more to do withit, and knew nothing more about it, than the most innocent man and complete stranger in the State.

Young Morris, a son of Rev. Morris, collected a band of desperate men and brought them down into Platte county to murder the mem- bers of the committee who had ordered their father away from this county nearly ten years before. They visited the houses of different members of the committee but found none of them at home. Finally, they met Dr. Walker in the road and, without a word of warning, fired upon him and shot him to death. He lived long enough after he was found to whisper the name of John Morris as the leader of his murderers. He was killed the 28th of August, 1864.

He was a man of fine literary and medical education, and came West to Ft. Leavenworth as a surgeon in the army. Subsequently he married a daughter of Judge M. M. Hughes, of this county, and settled on a farm six miles southeast of Platte City, which he hand- somely and tastefully improved. During the early part of the war he resided in Chicago, but, becoming tired of an idle and costly life there, returned home in 1864. He was killed soon afterwards.

Dr. Walker was an accomplished physician and refined, polished gentleman. Eminently successful in his profession, and progressive and public-spirited as a citizen, he was a man of great value to the community, and not less popular among all classes for the sterling qualities of his mind and character than he was useful to those around him. His death was profoundly regretted by the public, regardless of differences in regard to the war, and the manner of his taking off was universally condemned and denounced.

Exodus to Montana and the West. - On account of the terrible state of affairs prevailing in this county during the summer and fall of 1864, many citizens left the county for safety and went West, principally to Montana. Some, however, went North and a few East. Altogether a heavy emigration left the county. Not a few made per- manent homes at their places of exile.

AFFAIRS IN 1865 -THE CLOSE OF THE WAR.

During the winter of 1864-65 and until the close of the war the " Peace of Warsaw " prevailed in Platte county. The people were completely overawed and subdued. They were afraid to call their souls their own, if they were told it would be considered disloyal to say so.

Little was raised in the county that year, and comparatively noth-

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

ing was marketed. Barely to live was more than most of the people dared to expect or hope. Taxes of all kinds increased, and there was no money in the country to pay them with. At the fall term of the circuit court and at the spring term thousands of acres of land were sold for taxes and for debts of different kinds. It really began to look as if the hopes of some of the extreme loyalists of the county or Radicals were going to be realized - that all the property in the county was to be confiscated, not as they expected, to be sure, but by virtue of inconceivable taxation and forced sales.

But at last the war closed, and the people soon began to take heart again. By the beginning of the fall of 1865 many who had left the county began to return, and all went to work again to retrieve their losses caused by the war.

CHAPTER XI.

HOMICIDES, TRIALS, ETC.

Murder of Hall L. Wilkerson - An Election Row - Affray in Platte County - Killing of Wm. Callahan - Ducote killed by White -G. S. Elgin Assassinated - Nathaniel Daniels killed by Houston -Capt. Dan. Jenkins Assassinated - Killing of Burge by Johnson - Thomas Morgan killed by Israel Health and Benj. Fulcher - Alvis Homicide - Killing of Dr. Spencer - George Burgess Kills his Cousin - John Jones kills John Bone - Tipton kills Woodson.

In common with other communities Platte county has been the scene of a number of homicides and personal difficulties. Among a people of spirit and courage, quick to take offense when an insult is offered and fearless in resenting it, this is always the case. But especially is it true of people of new countries and of all communities after the close of a Civil War, where its effects were so unfortunate as they were here.

A brave people are always generous and great-hearted, as ready to forgive a wrong after it is done as to resent the commission of it. This characteristic of the people of Platte county, together with the fact that there have always been some of the ablest lawyers here in the State, men justly famed for their eloquence, learning and ability, to defend the accused, accounts for the other fact that there have been but few convictions for capital offenses in the county. It has so hap- pened that in most instances of homicides committed in the county, the parties committing them did the killing under such circumstances as to raise a reasonable doubt of the act being murder or felony, as defined by the law, or that the accused was beyond all question the guilty party, and these grounds of defense have reasonably been pleaded with ability by attorneys for the defendants.

MURDER OF HALL L. WILKERSON.

One of the earlier and more noted homicides committed in this county was the killing of Hon. Hall L. Wilkerson by John Flush and four others. This was in about 1851, and the murder occurred on Mr. Wilkerson's farm, about three miles southeast of Weston, on the Weston and Platte City turnpike road. Flush lived on an adjoining farm east of Wilkerson, now occupied by John Williams.

(736)

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

On a certain Saturday night Flush was seen taking down the parti- tion fence between his place and Wilkerson's and turning his stock in Wilkerson's field. This fact came out in the testimony afterwards. The next morning Wilkerson drove the stock off his field and confined them in his barn-yard. He sent word to Flush that he (Flush ) could have them on payment for the damage they had done. The stock consisted of three or four yokes of cattle. Two or three of the teams of cattle belonged to a third party.

On Monday morning Flush, with his two sons and two others, came over to Wilkerson's to see about the stock. He brought a note from the owner of some of the stock to Mr. W., asking that his, the owner's, stock be turned over to Flush, and that he, the owner, would pay Mr. W. for all damage his stock had done. Mr. W. turned out the third party's stock to Flush, but refused to let Flush have his until their share of the damage was paid also.

Flush then said to Mr. W. : " By G-dt, I haf hall dose cattles or I kildt you !" With that, he and his two sons and the other two parties attacked Wilkerson with stones and sticks, and clubs, and beat him to death.

Three of the murderers were afterwards tried for their crime and convicted of one of the degrees of homicide. They were sent to the penitentiary for long terms of service. The other one was also tried, but being a boy under the felony age, escaped punishment on that plea.

Mr. Wilkerson was from Tennessee, and came here in 1838 with his family. He was a man of education and prepossessing address. Gov. Boggs appointed him the first county clerk of the county. Sub- sequently he served in the army during the Mexican War, and rose to the rank of major of a battalion. He also afterwards represented the county in the State Legislature and held other positions of trust and prominence.

Maj. Wilkerson was a man of fine social qualities and generous im- pulses, and was greatly esteemed throughout the county. No one in all the county was more beloved and popular among his friends and acquaintances than he.

AN ELECTION ROW.

At the August election in 1860, a general fight took place in the streets of Platte City in which Martin McEnary, a blacksmith, and John Copeland took part. After the fight McEnary went to his shop ; shortly after Copeland with a number of his friends followed, and at-

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

tempted to break through the door of his shop, when McEnary stepped out, and with a musket shot the top of Copeland's head entirely off. In the excitement McEnary ran away and has never been captured.

AFFRAY IN PLATTE CITY.

In the fall of 1865, a serious difficulty occurred in Platte City, re- sulting in three deaths and the shooting of several others. The diffi- culty grew out of the bad feeling engendered by the war.

After the restoration of peace the soldiers on both sides returned to their homes in Platte county. Among the better class of ex-sol- diers there was really but little or no bad feeling, but among the camp followers and worst elements the case was different. The returned ex-Confederates were largely in the majority, and a few irrepressible characters on the other side, who by no means represented the feel- ing of the honest Union soldiers of the county, declared that the ex- rebels should not be permitted to live in the county.

On Saturdays they had a habit of coming to Platte City and getting beastly drunk in order to make themselves more overbearing than they otherwise would have been, and to get the courage to outrage the citizens of the place and others who happened to be in town. This was continued for months and people were shamefully abused in the streets and in their own door-yards and houses. Ill-bred scoun- drels, who did more stealin gthan fighting during the war, rode into the doors of business belonging to those whom they wanted to drive away from the county, in order to bring on a difficulty that would give them an excuse for shooting the occupants. This was kept up until the patience of the people was exhausted and they could endure it no longer.

Finally, in September, 1865, the city marshal, H. T. Callahan, with a posse of some of the best citizens of the place, attempted to arrest one of the more offensive of the law-breakers who was firing his pistol in the public streets, and setting the authorities of the place at defiance. This brought on the difficulty. When the posse at- tempted to arrest the offender they were fired upon by the whole gang of ruffians, and a general fight ensued which was kept up for fifteen or twenty minutes. In the melee Wm. Callahan, one of the best citi- zens of the place, and who was not connected with the difficulty at all, was shot and instantly killed by the outlaws. Two of the parties who had helped to bring on the difficulty were killed and several of

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

them severely wounded. This unfortunate affair, or rather fortunate but for the lives lost, was the means of restoring peace and quiet in the community. The laws were afterwards well respected.

DUCOTE KILLED BY WHITE.

In the year 1865, in Platte City, Joel White shot and killed Rich- ard Ducote. Both parties to the difficulty were born and raised in Platte county. It appears that White and Ducote had made a bet over something, and that White had won about $20 from Ducote. On the next day White was playing billiards, and Ducote stepping into the hall, demanded of White a return of the money he had won from him. White refused when Ducote immediately commenced shooting at him. White dodged under the billiard table and kept run- ning around it with Ducote following and keeping up his fire until White, seeing that he was bound to be overtaken by Ducote, turned and fired on Ducote killing him instantly. The justice failed to bind White over to answer for the killing.

G. S. ELGIN ASSASSINATED.

In November, 1866, on the farm of William Tatman, on the road leading from Platte City to Weston, G. S. Elgin was shot to death by the Titus brothers from Clay county, Mo. Elgin also lived in Missouri City, Clay county, and was marshal of the city. He with some one or more of his deputies a short time before he was killed had attempted to arrest some of the Titus brothers for an offense, when a fight ensued, and two of the Titus brothers were killed. The authorities did not molest Elgin for the killing, as it was done in his official capacity, while they were resisting him, but the Tituses, swear- ing vengeance, Elgin concluded to visit his father-in-law, William Tatman, in Platte, until the matter might quiet down.

The Titus brothers procured a warrant for Elgin's arrest, and com- ing to Platte City had the same indorsed by a justice of the peace. They then went there, and were discovered about daylight at the barn of Tatman. This fact being reported to Elgin, and he supposing they had come to murder him, at the earnest solicitation of wife and relatives attempted to escape through an orchard that lay back of the house. Titus, perceiving his movements, immediately followed and shot him to pieces in the presence of his weeping friends. Titus came before the justice who had indorsed the writ, and he not know- ing anything in regard to the killing in Clay, released them or failed to bind them over, on the grounds that Elgin was resisting arrest.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

The Tituses were afterwards indicted for murder, but having fled the county, have never been captured and brought to trial. Elgin was related to the best families of Platte, and his children who have since grown up are universally beloved by all who know them.

NATHANIEL DANIELS KILLED BY RICHARD HOUSTON.

About the year 1867, in Platte City, Nathaniel Daniels was shot and · killed by Richard Houston. It seems that the cause of the difficulty was that Daniels had been talking pretty severely about Houston, and upon the same coming to the ears of Houston, he called on Daniels for an explanation. At this Daniels, who was much the superior of Hous- ton in physical strength, knocked him down, and was kicking and otherwise using him up badly, when Houston drew his revolver while lying on his back and shot Daniels, killing him instantly. Houston was acquitted for the offense without trouble.

CAPT. DAN. JENKINS ASSASSINATED BY A NEGRO.

About the year 1867 Capt. Daniel Jenkins was assassinated by a negro at the Green Hotel, in Platte City. From the evidence adduced on the trial it seems that Jenkins was running the hotel and that the negro was working for him. Jenkins, for some cause, the evening be- fore he was assassinated, had given the negro a slight reprimand. It was Jenkins' custom to arise about daybreak and awake the hands around the hotel. The negro was stationed behind the corner of the hotel next where the help were sleeping. As Jenkins passed, the negro stepped out without saying a word and shot, killing him instantly. The negro was a few days afterward captured in Wyandotte, Kansas, and brought back for trial.

Jenkins being of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the county, and the murder being so cold-blooded, it was with the great- est difficulty that the people were restrained from lynching the assas- sin. But the better counsel having prevailed, the negro was taken to Plattsburg on a change of venue by his counsel, tried, sentenced and hanged. Before he was executed he made and published a confession of the crime in full.

THE KILLING OF BURGE BY JOHNSON.

This unfortunate affair occurred in the summer of 1873. Both parties were well respected citizens of Platte City. Addison Burge, the deceased, was a successful druggist, and was engaged in the drug business at the time. F. M. Johnson was a prominent physician.

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HISTORY OF PLATTE COUNTY.

The difficulty grew out of a difference between the parties over the use of a spring belonging to Mr. Burge. On account of some feeling between the parties, Burge had notified Johnson to stop using water at his (Burge's) spring. Dr. Johnson probably failed to inform his wife of the notice he had received from Burge, and Mrs. Johnson took a horse of hers to the spring to water him.

Mrs. Johnson afterwards reported to her husband that Mr. Burge had met her at the spring and insultingly told her to stop using the water, using coarse, profane language at the time, such as no lady should hear.

The same day Dr. Johnson called on Mr. Burge at the latter's drug store to demand an apology. Hot words ensued, and the evidence at the preliminary examination which followed after the killing showed that Burge attempted to assault Johnson. The latter defended himself with a knife and stabbed Burge to the heart, killing him instantly.

At the preliminary examination a few days afterwards the court, consisting of Justices Beery, Perrine and Kuykendall, after a full in- vestigation of the case, decided that the homicide was committed in self-defense.

THOMAS MORGAN KILLED BY ISRAEL HEALTH AND BENJ. FULCHER.

This occurred in the spring of 1879. All the parties were citizens of Lee township. Morgan was a young married man and a farmer. He was full of life and spirit, and had the reputation of being a very dangerous man when mad. He had had some small difficulty in the community a short time before the killing occurred, and a warrant had been sworn out for his arrest. The warrant was issued by Israel Health, justice of the peace, and placed in the hands of Constable Fulcher for execution. Justice Health volunteered to accompany Fulcher in making the arrest. They went to Morgan's house, arriv- ing there just before dinner. Morgan invited them to stay for dinner, and Mrs. Morgan busied herself preparing it.

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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