USA > Missouri > Cooper County > History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences > Part 78
USA > Missouri > Howard County > History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri : written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages : together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties-- its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens, general and local statistics of great value, incidents and reminiscences > Part 78
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Soon after crossing the river at Rocheport, and while passing through Cooper county, on their journey to Kansas, his father was murdered by his brother John and his step-mother, who shot him in the head with a double barrel shot-gun while he was in the wagon asleep, each shooting one barrel. He saw his step-mother discharge the first barrel and his brother John discharge the second barrel. They then hauled the body in the wagon until abont ten o'clock that morning (the deed having been committed a few hours before ), and until reaching the woods, where they concealed it. He said that the woman and his father were married in Tipton county, Indiana, about three weeks before they started for Kansas. The prisoners told him at the time of the shooting, to say that his father died in Pike county, Illinois, where he was buried by the county. He said his father was about forty-three years of age, and that his step-mother had been married three times. After killing Brown and secreting his body in the woods, the parties went on until they reached Cass county, Mis- souri, where they stopped. Brodie, another witness, was present when the wagon was unloaded in Cass county. He saw considerable blood near the rear end, on the wagon bed, which was a little dry on top, but adhered to his boot, when he stepped in it. When asked
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concerning the blood, the prisoners said that it was from chickens that they had killed in the morning.
OTTERVILLE TRAIN ROBBERY.
On the night of the 13th of July, 1876, a passenger train on the Missouri Pacific railroad, was robbed about one mile east of Otterville, in Otterville township, by a band of eight men. Their names were Frank and Jesse James, Cole and John Younger, Bill Chadwell, Clell Miller, Charley Pitts and Hobbs Kerry.
After opening the safe of the United States express company, and the safe of the Adams express company, the robbers proceeded the same night to a point on Flat creek, where they divided the treasure, which consisted of about $22,000 in money, and other valuables, such as jewelry, bonds, coupons and exchange, which were being car- ried east by the express companies. They, however, took nothing with them but the money. At the point above named, on Flat creek, Hobbs Kerry, one of the band, separated from his companions. Hiding his saddle and bridle in the woods, he turned his horse loose on the prairie and walking to Windsor, took the Missouri, Kansas and Texas train to his home at Granby, Missouri, where some weeks after he was arrested. He confessed the crime and guided the officers of the law to the place where the robbers had divided the money, and where was found much of the jewelry, and other valuables taken by them, being such property as they could not well use, and were afraid to have on their persons.
At the November term, 1876, of the Cooper circuit court, Hobbs Kerry was indicted, and at the April term, in 1877, Kerry was tried, convicted and sentenced to four years' imprisonment in the peniten- tiary. JJames H. Johnston, prosecuted, and John R. Walker, de- fended.
Immediately after the train robbery at Otterville, the robbers were joined by one of the Younger brothers, the youngest who sup- plied the place of Kerry, and all proceeded to Northfield, Minnesota, where on the morning of the 7th day of September, 1876, in the at- tempt to rob the bank at that place, Bill Chadwell, Clell Miller and Charlie Pitts, were killed outright, and the three Youngers were wounded and captured, and are now serving out a life sentence in the Minnesota penitentiary. The James brothers made their escape, and were engaged in many robberies subsequent to that time. Jesse James was killed by the Ford boys ( Bob and Charley), on the 3d of April, 1882. Frank James, afterwards, and in September,
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1882, surrendered himself to Governor Crittenden, of Missouri, in the executive office, in Jefferson City. He quietly walked into the Governor's office, announced who he was, unbuckled his belt, con- taining his pistols and cartridges, and handing them to the Governor, surrendered.
PILOT GROVE TRAGEDY.
On the morning of the 10th of October, 1878, as Joseph Meredith's sons went to the field to work, they discovered the body of a man under the floor of a vacant house. One of the young men went to the house to get out of the wind to light his pipe, and seeing some weeds on the floor, which looked like some one had been sleeping there, he went into the building, and found a vest behind the door. He then called his brother to assist him in further investigation. They discovered a rock partly hidden by ashes in the fire-place and bloody on the corners. They found a loose plank with blood on it, and on moving the plank, they found the corpse of a stranger, who had been killed but a little while, as his body was still warm. The house where they discovered the body, was about three miles from Pilot Grove. It had rained during the night and the murderer had done his work after the rain, as his tracks testified. The dead man was a stranger, supposed to be one of two men who passed through Pilot Grove on Friday evening before the murder. On the floor was found a flask containing a small quantity of liquid. The man was about twenty-eight years of age, tive feet six inches high, had dark com- plexion, dark blue eyes and dark hair. His clothes had nearly all been taken off and his pockets turned inside out. There was the mark of a ring on the fore finger of his left hand ; had in his pocket a broken seal ring; under the lapel of his coat was a pin, the top of which was circular, enclosing a bunch of grapes and a leaf. In the fence corner near the house, were found the bloody shirt and pants of the murdered man. October 11, 1878, a man giving his name as John I. West, was arrested at Haggarty's coal mine, near Arrow Rock, Saline county, Missouri, and was taken to Pilot Grove. Here he was identified as the companion of the dead man found in the vacant house. A negro boy said he had seen a man coming from the house where the body was found, and ou being sent for, picked the man out of a hundred men in a room, but said he was dressed dif- ferently. The prisoner was bouud over to await his trial in the cir- cuit court, and was tried, convicted and sentenced at the January term of the court in 1878. A motion was made for a new trial and the case taken to the supreme court, but that tribunal affirmed the
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decision of the lower court, and West was executed May, 16, 1879. Before his execution, West made two confessions, wherein he admitted the killing of the man found in the outhouse, and said he killed him while he was sleeping. Below will be found a brief sketch of the murderer as written by himself :
The first part of my life, or as far back as I can remember, I never would mind my father. The first whipping he gave me was when I hid the fire shovel, I would not tell him where it was. In fact, I did everything that was wrong. I visited watermelon patches and destroyed them, and would tear up buggy-rigs. I was stubborn, and had no regard for myself or any other per-
son. I was taught right until nine years old; at that time my dear mother died and left me with a wicked father. My mother was religious and gave me good advice even until the last. The fact of my going astray rests on myself. The most of my life has been spent in bad company. Sometimes I would lead a good life for a while, then get into bad company again. I was born at Spring River, Jasper county, Missouri ; have lived in Illinois fourteen years ; my age is twenty-four years. I give Mr. Cosgrove and Mr. Pendle- ton many thanks, and feel under ten thousand obligations to them. Read this, and take a lesson, young man. Never step aside ; always shun evil. I respect all who have visited me; with this I close. Good-bye.
J. H. Johnston, the prosecuting attorney, conducted the case for the state and Cosgrove & Pendleton for the defence.
ESTELLA A. WILBUR.
On Sunday, the 29th day of August, 1880, occurred the death of little Henry C. Wilbur, aged five years. After he died and was laid out ready for burial, it was noised about that the child had been foully dealt with, by his stepmother. The body was examined and traces of foul play and ill-treatment were so evident that a coroner's jury was summoned. The post mortem examination of the brain, revealed an injured condition of the membrane of the brains. On the body, back and front, and on the legs from hip to feet, were signs of severe laceration, apparently as if done with a whip, or some in- strument that bruises severely and at the same time does not cut the skin.
Two or three witnesses testified to hearing a child getting an un- merciful whipping in the same house where the death occurred, and on the afternoon of Sunday, the day of its death. They also testi- fied, that the child suddenly stopped crying, but the beating went on. The verdict of the jury was as follows : "That the child Henry C.
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Wilbur, came to his death from an insufficiency of food and mis- treatment at the hands of Mrs. Wilbur, and a blow on the head inflicted by some unknown party."
A. B. THORNTON INSTANTLY KILLED.
On Saturday, November 17, 1881, Thomas H. B. McDearmon, shot and instantly killed A. B. Thornton, editor of the Boonville News. We copy from the Advertiser, of November 25, 1881 : -
On Saturday afternoon last, about 4: 30, our city was suddenly thrown into a state of excitement seldom before witnessed here. The cause of the excitement was the hearing by many of rapid pistol firing up Main street, and the quickly following report that " Tom McDearmon had killed Thornton," which report grated only the truth on the ears of the unwilling hearers, for Marshal McDearmon had, at a moment when maddened with indignation at the publishing of a very severe article on him by the editor of the News, sought ont and shot and instantly killed Dr. Thornton.
The facts and all the knowledge we have of the shooting affair will be bound in the verbatim testimony of the witnesses summoned before the coroner's inquest Sunday afternoon. Of the cause and origin of the unfortunate attack, we will try and place our readers in possession of all the knowledge we have and let them judge of a case, like all others, with two sides and where one man was unduly hurried before his maker, and the other man with his life and liberty on this earth, in jeopardy.
The preliminary examination will be held Friday, and then all can judge whether Mr. McDearmon acted in self-defense, as he claims he did, or whether he ruthlessly and wantonly killed his man.
Some weeks ago, Mr. McDearmon and Dr. Thornton had a dis- pute and difficulty over the settlement of an ice bill, which was followed by the publication of a severe article on MeDearmon in the News. Mr. McDearmon, though very much aggravated, listened to his friends and took no notice of it, and since then there has been no very kind feelings between the two. In the next issue of the News, the fatal article, which we here reproduce, appeared : -
THE FATAL ARTICLE.
" This thing of one - man - arbitrary - rule in the quiet, well- disposed city of Boonville, to look at it not exactly in the abstract, is growing a little bit too monotonous, it occurs to us, for the present and prospective good credit and high standing of its honored deni- zens. Many such repetitions as that enacted upon our street last Saturday by our big, burly, overgrown, unprincipled policeman, will, it seems to us, not only drive from our midst every passing en- terprise that is turning to the county in search of trade and the benefit of our specie, but. cast a stain of disgrace and dishonor upon the fair name and fame of our deserving little city. The citizens of
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this community cannot afford at the hands of a drunken ignoramus, to involve in doubt and dishonor the social and business interests and gracions prestige of fifty thousand persons and more, who frequent our thoroughfares in one business requirement or other, during every year.
It should be recollected that our standing abroad, as well as at home, depends entirely upon the government we keep, the treatment given strangers, the conduct of officials, and that courtesy to each other which should characterize all. A man to fill the duties of such an official as policeman, in a city with the vastness of importance of such a city as this, should be a sober man, at least with sound judg- ment and dignified bearing, and possessed with legal acnmen and common sense enough to know right from wrong, and resolute enough at all hazards to do his duty and do no more.
We don't exactly know where the authority of our city govern- ment entirely rests ; whether it reposes, legislatively, judicially and executively in the muscular prowess of a two hundred and fifty pound policeman, no matter how ill-bred and inefficient he may be, whether his discretion is beyond and above all written law, and from his will no appeal can be taken, or whether it finds its lodgment in the council, but certain, it is most blunderingly and brutally executed at times. We would suggest that this official cease his nonsense and resign.
FROM SAME PAPER.
" Our big belligerent, inconsiderate policeman, without any reason, provocation or excuse, left the imprint of his brutal instincts upon the left peeper of Mr. Tom Dunnavan the other day. How long we ask, is this imposition upon the dignity, peace and good order of our city to be permitted? How long?
IS IT BULLDOZING THE PRESS ?
" If yon publish anything against me concerning our trobble on the street I mal yon. Dam you."
The above was written on a piece of common writing paper with the letter T and a partially erased P inscribed on the back. The above missive was found Friday morning under the crack of the News office door, word for word, letter for letter and superscription for super- scription, substantially as it reads, without date or signature. With- out indulging any comments farther than to say, that if it is a means used to intimidate the News, we are very free to confess it will most assuredly fail of its purpose. What it grew out of, or what actuated the contemptible insolence, or who the scapegrace is that enacted it, or whether any significance attaches to the following, probably the recital of the little difficulty that occurred between the editor of the News and T. H. B. McDearmon, the 250-pound policeman of this city, in which the big, overgrown peace conservator refused to pay in whole an advertising bill the News office held against him, may throw some light upon it. Upon talking the matter over, this conservator
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of the peace vented himself of very disreputable language and insult- ing, which aroused somewhat the dignity of the News man, throwing him off his balance, and he gave him in return what he considered a well-merited retort in these words : " You're a dirty unreasonable fellow," at which he flew at the News man, a man hardly half his weight, and struck him over the arm and head with his great heavy cane, almost completely paralyzing his arm, and at this writing is still tingling with the abnormal sensation cansed by the blow. At this juncture, however, seeing the disgraceful attitude in which he had placed himself - striking a defenceless, delicate mau with a club - he threw away his cane or dropped it accidently, aud grabbed the News man by the coat and chassayed across the street, attempting all the time to further execute him damage, until by a peacemaker he was persuaded to desist, verifying completely the speech of the News man. What this cowardly missive means, or where it came from, we leave or readers and those privy to the scene to conjecture. We don't care where it came from, we accuse no one, but we do say it is a most infamously cowardly act. We did not intend to drag the private affairs of this office into print, but feeling so terribly incensed and urged, too, by many reputable citizens to whom the outrage had extended, we could not well forbear. More anon.
Self-defence is the first law of nature.
Is a 250-pound policeman a privileged character ?
Deliver us, oh Lord, from a loud-mouthed, turbulent and un- principled policeman !
Did you witness the disgraceful fracas on the street Thursday morning ?
Can a meaner thing be perpetrated by living man than to swindle a greeuback office out of a bill of advertising or paper subscription ?
Think of a 250-pound avoirdupois dressed in a little brief authority playing such outrageous acts before a community as makes e'en strong men faint.
Mr. McDearmon had a preliminary examination and was bound over to answer an indictment at the succeeding term of the circuit court. He was prosecuted by John R. Walker, county attorney, and defended by Cosgrove and Johnston. The case was taken to Boone county, on a change of venue, and there tried at the March term in 1882.
The case was quite an exciting one, there being much interest taken in the proceedings and in the result. McDearmon was acquitted.
SUICIDE.
A tramp, with a tie-pass in his pocket, happened to be overtaken at a section house on the Osage Valley and Sonthern Kansas Railroad, in Palestine township, in January, 1879, and seeing the house was deserted thought he would enter and remain all night. After being
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there a short time, and beginning to feel somewhat at home, he com- menced a survey of the premises, but had not made much of an in- spection when he found that he was not the only occupant of the building. To his surprise and horror, he found a man had hung himself to the banister of the house and was still hanging, cold and lifeless. The tramp immediately left the building and informed par- ties of his discovery. No one knew who the unfortunate man was. He was doubtless a tramp, like the man who found him, and having spent all of this world's goods, and being out of employment, de- termined to end his life on account of the hardships which he did not have the courage to mect, and preferred facing his Creator to answer a crime from which there was no appeal.
ALBERT EDWARDS.
On Saturday, October 17, 1878, the body of a man was found by two boys in the mouth of the coal bank, owned by Captain Leslie Smith, about a mile and a half from Boonville. The two boys ( Ben Bird and John Franks ) seeing the man lying on the ground, and sup- posing him to be alive, spoke to him, when they found he was dead. The deceased had in his pockets thirteen photographs, all taken in Eng- land except one taken here, one in Canada and one some other place. The man was identified by O. D. Edwards, as Albert Edwards of Succox, England. The cause of his death was not known.
CHAPTER XVIII.
RAILROADS.
Railroads - Railroad Bridges - Bonded Debt - Population at Each Census - Popu- lation by Townships - Population by Nationalities - Miscellaneous Facts - Sur- face - Timber - Water -Coal.
The earliest enterprise, connected with the history of railroad building in Cooper county to which the attention of the citizens of the county, and especially the people of Boonville, was called, was the construction of the Missouri Pacific, from St. Louis to Kansas City, between 1856 and 1860. The importance of railroads at that time was but imperfectly understood by the people of the west, and of course there were no such efforts put forth by them to secure railroad facilities as they exert to-day. Boonville at that time, although not containing as many inhabitants as it does now (1883), possibly, in the aggregate, did a greater business. The town had a number of wholesale merchants whose business extended for many miles in dif- ferent directions. It had the advantages of water transportation, and being the most important and most populous town or city in all the section of country which paid tribute to it, some of its business men thought that any railroad coming west from St. Louis, through a region of country surrounding Boonville, or within twenty or thirty miles of its proposed route, would naturally deflect from its course and take in Boonville. This idea, unfortunately being entertained upon the part of a few of the citizens of Boonville - some of them being prominent and influential men - the effort to secure the road was not therefore characterized by that earnestness and enthusiasm, that should have marked the conduet of men who were attempting to avail themselves of an enterprise, the success of which would greatly and grandly inure to the benefit of their town and the speedy building up of its material interests.
The golden prize (the Missouri Pacific), with all its promises for the future, was really to be given to the vine clad city, upon certain conditions, but, through the lukewarmness, indifference and tardiness
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of those who believed the Missouri Pacific road would come to Boon- ville whether solicited or not, it was bestowed upon another and far less pretentious rival and claimant. Had they acted upon the advice of the poet, who said -
"Shun delays, they breed remorse,"
they would have taken the instant " by the forward top " and would have had no canse for repentance and regret.
The citizens of Boonville had a meeting and instructed Dr. Wm. H. Trigg, one of their most wealthy and prominent business men, to go to St. Louis and confer with Mr. Allen, who was at the time man- ager of the Missouri Pacific railroad, The doctor waited upon Mr. Allen at his office in St. Louis, and had an extended interview with him in reference to bringing the road by way of Boonville. Nothing definite, however, was arrived at or agreed upon. The doctor had received no specific instructions from home - was authorized to make no proposition looking to any fixed or certain compensation provided the road was brought to Boonville- and, in fact, he returned to Boonville withont having accomplished anything that smacked of bus- iness or business intentions. Soon after Dr. Trigg's return, Mr. Allen came to Boonville, and while here was interviewed by several of the oldest and most influential citizens, concerning the road, but there seems to have been nothing more accomplished than the eliciting of the bare promise from Mr. Allen that " he would give Boonville a fair chance." What this " fair chance " meant, we are given to understand, was the making of a liberal subscription to the railroad company by Cooper county and the city of Boonville.
Had this been done, the road would have been secured and Boon- ville would have gone on her way rejoicing, and ere this would have been a far more wealthy and populous city than Sedalia.
OSAGE VALLEY RAILROAD.
This road was chartered February 21, 1857, to run from a point between Jefferson City and Round Hill, in the direction of Topeka, Kansas. The first meetings of the company took place before the war. In 1860 the charter was amended, so as to permit the construction of the road north to Boonville. The county of Cooper then subscribed $150,000 in bonds to the road. During the war the road bed was graded, and after the close of the war the county subscribed the ad- ditional sum of $100,000 in bonds. The road was finally completed through Cooper county in the spring of 1869.
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TEBO AND NEOSHO RAILROAD, NOW THE MISSOURI, KANSAS AND TEXAS.
This road was commenced in 1870. Cooper county subscribed $100,000 towards its construction through the county ; Boonville township, $100,000; Pilot Grove township, $40,000, and Clear Creek township, $30,000. The road was completed in 1873, the celebration of the same occurring at Boonville on the Fourth of July of that year. Upon that occasion there was witnessed quite a gathering of people at Boonville. Colonel John Cosgrove - present member of congress elect from the Boonville district, made the address of welcome on behalf of Boonville. Addresses were made by R. S. Stephens and others, and a pleasant time was had by those who participated in the festivities of that important event.
RAILROAD BRIDGE AT BOONVILLE.
Previous to 1870, a railroad bridge had been talked of by such prominent citizens of Boonville as Captain Jo. L. Stephens, H. Bunce, J. L. O'Bryan, and others of Cooper county, Colonels Elliott and Es- till, of Howard County, and Messrs. Marvin and Barrett, of Sedalia ; but no steps were taken to secure the building of the same until the months of October and November of that year. During these months a preliminary survey was made by General Wm. Sooy Smith, which fully demonstrated the practicability of constructing a bridge at mod- erate cost. The work, however, did not begin in earnest until the road bed and franchises belonging to the Tebo and Neosho railroad passed into the hands of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad company. That powerful corporation infused new life into the enter- prise, and determined to push the work to rapid completion. A charter was obtained and an act of congress passed authorizing the construction of the bridge. A proposal was made by the American bridge company, and accepted by the Boonville bridge company for the building of the bridge. Men and machinery made their appear- ance about the middle of September, 1872. During the fall and win- ter following, cribs and caissons for the foundations were framed, the abutments built, quarries opened, and machinery and materials got in a general state of readiness for the spring and summer work.
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