USA > Missouri > Lafayette County > History of Lafayette county, Mo. , carefully written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, cities, towns, and villages > Part 33
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With high respect madam, your obedient servant,
W. S. ROSECRANS, Maj. General. EVENTS OF 1865.
In May, 1865, Maj. B. K. Davis was in command of the post of Lex- ington, and on the 11th of the month he received the following sanguinary note:
MAJOR DAVIS: Sir-This is to notify you that I will give you until Friday morning, 10 o'clock, A. M., May 12th, 1865, to surrender the town of Lexington. If you surrender, we will treat you and all taken as prisoners of war. If we have to take it by storm we will burn the town
*See page 63 of this volume.
294
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
and kill the soldiery. We have the force and are determined to take it. I am, sir, your obedient servant,
ARCH. CLEMENTS.
I have made Mr. Carter bear this message. His failure to do so will A. CLEMENTS.
be punished by death.
But Major Davis did not surrender, and the bushwhacking cutthroats did not attack the town.
The Lafayette Advertiser of May 24th, published a list of seventy-six ex-confederate soldiers, or claimed to be, although most of them were. only bushwhackers, who had come in and surrendered themselves, taken the oath of loyalty to the state and United States government, and been dismissed.
During the same week ex-County Judges Schofield and Tetton, were arrested by negro militia and put in jail for abstracting the keys of the county clerk's vault. This was part of the contest as to the legality of the new county officers appointed by Governor Fletcher under the state convention ordinance, vacating all civil offices in the state. This affair is historic, as being the first time that negro militia were used in this county to enforce the civil law. The newly appointed county officers were: Thomas Adamson, sheriff; Wm. H. Bowen, county clerk; S. F. Currie, circuit clerk. The resisters were J. A. Price, sheriff; R. C. Vaughan, circuit clerk.
The same paper of July 6th mentions that " a number of the horses sur- rendered here recently by the bushwhackers were sold at the rate of $25 and $30 per head. One man bought nine at these rates."
In 1865 a company of cavalry was organized by Lieut. R. W. P. Mooney, to serve as a sort of local military police, for they appear to have been of this county only, and not connected with any state or national body of troops. On August 14, 1865, the county court ordered them to be paid-some $65 and some $45, according to the time in service, and county warrants were issued accordingly. The total amount thus paid by the county was $6,425. The following is a complete list of this company, as appears in the public records, book No. 10, pp. 94, 95:
Lieutentant, R. W. Mooney; privates, Wm. A. Kincaide, James L. Cox, Wm. J. Hutchison, Sam'l E. Durgin, James E. Hutchison, Geo. W. Wag- oner, James M. Vandyke, Henry Olslager, Samuel Boothman, Robert Buchanan, Wm. Borcher, Wm. L. Etherton, Green C. Davidson, Chas. H. Duck, Peter Furgeson, Chris. G. Gaston, Joseph Ganter, Absalom Harris, Geo. W. Helm, Thos. H. Hutchins, B. Johnson, J. Kesterson, Patrick Keary, Chas. D. Latham, Augustus H. Lynch, Sam'l P. Mansell, Wm. Martin, Jas. C. Mooney, Isa A. McDowell, Isaac N. Newman, Jas. H. Nevill, Oldam Owen, John R. Owen, Richard Owen, Leander T. Buchanan, Lemuel F. Ruckman, Jas. W. Scott, Erastus Lisson, Peter M.
295
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
Starr, John Thompson, Nathan Talbott, Henry J. Utt, Wm. W. Ashford, Wm. Copse, Geo. Ehlers, Barney Eagan, Sam'l Githons, James Gillespie, Thomas H. Hill, John Harthusen, John Miller, Chas. Powling, Frank Remelius, Lawrence Riley, Geo. W. Silver, Joseph Stevens, Henry Stinkle, Lewis B. Thomas, Henry Teppencamp.
In 1865, a Lexington Petroleum Company was formed, with capital fixed at $500,000, in shares of $100 each. Their works were on the McCausland farm, ten miles southeast from Lexington. The Lexington Weekly Union of July 8, 1865, says: " Drill now down over one hundred feet. Have reached a white sand rock thoroughly saturated with oil. Evidences of oil increasing daily," etc. But, nevertheless, they failed to find oil in paying quantity. Their drilling tools stuck fast for two months, and were finally worked out by two well-boring experts, Knisly and Alexander, brought on from Kanawha, Virginia, in October, 1865. E. Winsor, Esq., of Lexington, was the business manager of the McCaus- land oil well enterprise. At the same time there was another boring going on in the same vicinity under the business management of a man by the name of Ralston, which didn't "pan out " any better than the other. (See chapter on geology for an account of this oilstone formation.) About the same time there was a great oil-boring excitement in Ray county, a $15,000 company bored one hundred feet deep, six or eight miles from Richmond, but with no better success than in Lafayette county.
July 8, 1865, the Lexington Union says, for the first time since January, 1862, Lexington is without the presence of soldiers.
In December, 1865, the county jail was burned down. There was $3,750 insurance on it, which was promptly paid. The jail was rebuilt by a Mr. Hackett, in 1866-67; in May of this latter year it was accepted for the county by the county court. That was the brown stone jail which is still in use.
1868 .- In April of this year, there was a literary society in Lexington, of which Dr. James Temple was president; a Mr. Rucker vice-president, and W. Cloudsley, secretary. About the same time there was a lodge of Good Templars here, who had their hall in the Arcana buildings, on Broadway street. Fo further particulars obtained.
"GRASSHOPPERS."-1874-75.
These were the years of the great devastation in Nebraska, Kansas, and western Missouri by the Rocky Mountain locust (Caloptemus Spretus). The locusts came in thick flying clouds, mostly from a west or northwest- erly direction, in the fall of 1874; they destroyed what they could find then that was green and juicy enough for them, and finally laid their eggs. Lafayette county did not suffer greatly this year, as compared with other counties further west and north. But when the little imps hatched out in the
296
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
spring and commenced marching eastward, eating a clean swath as they went, then this county knew what it was to be "grasshoppered." A cor- respondent of the Chicago Times wrote from Lexington, May 18, 1875: "The grasshoppers are on the move east, eating everything green in their road. One farmer south of this city had fifteen acres of corn eaten by them yesterday in three hours. They mowed it down close to the ground just as if a mowing machine isad cut it. All the tobacco plants in the upper part of the county have been eaten by them.'
J. Belt of Napoleon wrote: "The loss to Lafayette county was fully two millions of dollars." James.E. Gladdish, of Aullville, wrote: "The damage done to the three-fourths of Lafayette county invaded, has been estimatee to be not far from $2,500,000." In Prof. Riley's eighth annual report as State entomologist, May, 1876, a table is given of estimated losses in twenty six different counties of Missouri which suffered from the lucust scourge and the sum total is a little over $15,000,000. We give the fig- ures on Lafayette and adjoining counties: Jackson, $2,500,000; Ray, $75,- 000; Johnson, $1,000,000 Saline not named; Lafayette, $2,000,000. The largest loss in any county was Jackson. The locusts flew away in June, 1875, and none have been here since.
If such a visitation should occur again the experience of the past with these pests will be of incalculable value; and the printed records of it will be found in Prof. Riley's report above quoted, which was printed by the State as a part of the eleventh annual report of the State board of agricul- ture for the year 1875, printed at Jefferson City in 1876 Also the first report of the United States entomological commmission, printed at Wash- ington City in 1878, and their second report printed in 1880. In these works will be found full accounts of the character and habits of the locusts, modes of destroying them, and laws in regard to them, and an immense amount of other information very useful in time of need. The researches and reports on this subject by Prof. C. V. Riley of Missouri are more valuable than of all the other scientists put together who have given it any attention.
ELECTIONS AND OTHER COUNTY MATTERS.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1860.
There were many conflicting reports current in regard to events of this time, one of which was that sixteen men had voted for Lincoln and Ham- lin at Lexington, but were never so credited. One old man said, "In 1860 they wouldn't let anybody vote for Lincoln, and in 1864 they wouldn't let 'em vote for anybody else." Our aim was to get down to bed-rock bot- tom facts, in all these matters of era-making, historic interest; so, with the
297
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
kind assistance of Capt. Andrews, the deputy county clerk, we fished up from the heaps of old documents in the county's fire-proof vaults the original poll books of November, 1860; and from these we compiled the following table:
VOTE OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY FOR PRESIDENT IN 1860.
TOWNSHIP.
WHIG. Bell and Everett.
DEMOCRAT.
DEMOCRAT.
REPUBLICAN. Lincoln and Hamlin.
Clay township, two polls.
258
52
Davis township, one poll
42
30
7
Dover township, one poll.
129
56
58
Freedom township, two polls.
114
57
32
11
Lexington township, one poll
42
9
2
Lexington city, two polls ..
575
301
133
13
Middleton township, one poll.
188
123
41
Sniabar township, one poll ..
114
104
15
Washington township, one poll
115
42
19
Totals.
1,577
774
371
24
Lexington city had two polls, one at the court house, and one at the engine house, on Laurel street. The voting was then done viva voce, that is, each man had to say out loud who he voted for, and his name and choice were both recorded, instead of the present custom of printed tickets, which enables a man to vote for whom he pleases without anybody else knowing who he votes for, unless he chooses to tell them, or show his ticket. At the two polls for Lexington city we found the following result:
Bell Douglas. Breckenridge. Lincoln.
Court house.
451
97
81
12
Engine house
124
204
51
1
Total
575
301
133
13
The names and their numbers on the poll list, of those who voted the Lincoln and Hamlin ticket at the court house were:
6-J. M. Carpenter. 262 - S. Biglow. 606-James Brierly.
7-Thomas Todd. 208-John Welch. 630-Charles Probst.
59-John Ferree. 355-H. Fette. 631-Jacob Ingle.
95-J. C. McGinnis*
507-B. F. Larkin. ...- John B. Fisher.
The solitary one who thus voted at the engine house was, 278-Martin Blood.
The names of the three sets of presidential electors, for Bell, Douglas, and Breckenridge, filled the heading of the poll books as prepared, and there was no place to check off votes for the Lincoln ticket, as none had been expected; but this emergency was met by writing the names of the Lincoln and Hamlin electors lower down on a separate page in the back
*Mr. McGinnis was afterward a member of the state legislature from St. Louis two terms, then city attorney one term (two years). Was in the state senate four years (1872 to 1876); and is now the member from the 1st assembly district of St. Louis.
Douglass and Breckenridge Johnson.
and Lane. 64
-
298
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
part of the poll book, as follows: John D. Stevenson, Arnold Krekel, Harrison B. Branch, Wm. Gilpin, J. F. St. James, John M. Richardson, Wm. Bishop, Charles Foley, James B. Gardenhire.
The above will astonish many old citizens, for it was generally believed that no such records were in existence; we had heard several say so, and an expert who had examined the same poll books assured us that there were no votes credited to Lincoln. He fully believed that he knew it for a fact. But there is nothing in the world so easy as to be mistaken.
The following names had been furnished us as among those who voted for Lincoln, but they are differently recorded, thus:
At court house, for Bell-43 -- Charles White, James Curry, not found. For Douglas, 547-H. Marquort, 544-Jacob Lindenschmidt. At engine house, 281 -- Michael Myers. For Breckenridge, 177-Fred. R. Neet.
Mr. Marquort kept a grocery on Water street, down by the river, and it is said the Lincoln men used to meet there secretly by night to talk over matters; that there were over a hundred in the city who talked as if they would go to the polls together and vote for Lincoln; but they were mostly mechanics and laboring men, and owing to the strong feeling against their politics, most of them left the city before election day. In view of the conflicting reports which we met with here in Lexington about these matters, we wrote to Hon. J. C. McGinnis of St. Louis for his recollections. His reply in regard to the votes was substantially as we had already found them on the poll books. We extract from his letter a few passages of historic interest:
There were a good many who were at heart republicans in Lexington at that day, but the prejudice against republicanism, (chiefly growing out of the prevailing ignorance of the true objects and purposes of the party) was so great that only a few persons had the nerve, or the recklessness, to declare themselves such in a public manner. You ask whether those voting for Lincoln all went to the court house together? They did not. No one went with me, and I have the impression that the others dropped in along through the day just as it happened. I do not know whereabouts my name appears on the poll book, but I have always been under the impression that I was the first one of the lot to vote, from the fact that I had considerable trouble in getting the officers of election to receive my vote. I went to the poll (at the court house) about 9 o'clock, and had with me a ticket containing the names of the republican electors. I offered. my ticket after giving my name, and the officer receiving it looked at it a moment and then said, 'you can't vote that ticket here,' at the same time handing the ticket back to others who sat at a table. They all examined it a moment and one of them said, 'We have no poll here for that ticket.' Well, although I had been at work there as a carpenter, I had studied law, and was fully posted as to my rights in the premises, and I said 'I demand that you open a poll then, for I want to vote that ticket; and though you may object to any one voting for Lincoln here, and though I know that the general result in the United States will not be affected by
299
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
any vote in Missouri, still the local ticket may be changed by a single vote, and I will not vote, unless I can vote the whole ticket as I choose; and if you do not take my vote for Mr. Royle," there may be a contest grow out of your refusal.' This was about what I said. The judges consulted together a few moments, and then told the officer who had taken the ticket to read it, and he did so, in what I thought was a needlessly loud voice; as he read, the clerks entered the vote, and when they had finished I hurried to go away; then I noticed that all the people in the neighborhood had crowded close up to where I was standing in front of the polling place, but when I started to walk away they opened a way for me to pass, and crowded back from me as though I had the leprosy or small pox. There was some muttering but no threats in the crowd, which numbered per- haps two hundred persons. I passed down the court house steps and walked across the street into the store of T. B. Wallace. I had not been there more than a minute or two, when I heard some one say, 'McGinnis I did not know you was a damned black abolitionist before.' I looked up and saw the speaker was a young fellow named Jim Furgeson, whose father lived some miles south of town. Furgeson cursed me a while and made noise enough to attract the attention of the people passing, and those over at the court house polls, and very soon the store became crowded with a very excited lot of men and boys. Some of the young fellows called out, 'Hang the God damned black republican nigger-thief.' This was repeated perhaps once or twice. My recollection is that young Fur- geson left as soon as the crowd got pretty thick; there were so many of them that they filled the space between me and the door so that I could not pass out, and things began to look pretty squally. There was not much noise, but it did not take half an eye to see that the crowd was excited greatly. Just then some one took me by the arm and said, 'I want to see you out side,' at the same time starting towards the door. Some- thing more was said which I do not remember, but from which I got the idea that this person-who I think was Joe Shelby, intended to befriend me. He went out and along the side walk with me to the next corner south, and said, 'Now don't lose any time getting home.' I thanked him and took his advice. There was a newspaper in Lexington at that time called the Express, (I think,) at any rate it was the only considerable paper in the city besides the Expositor, and in its next issue, this Express contained a most bitter article denunciatory of the thirteen who had voted for Lincoln, calling them 'abolition negro-thieves,' and incendiaries, and calling on the people to drive us out, or use some of the good Lafayette county hemp on us. All of the thirteen (except two, I think) yielded to the clamor that was raised, and left the place within a few weeks. I stayed until the following 2d of May, and Ferree remained considerably longer. I heard some threats of violence made towards me, but no violence was actually offered. I also received one or two anonymous notices to leave. I finally left upon the friendly warning of two of my secession friends (Major Bleuett and Dr. Bull) that they knew that personal vio- lence would be done me unless I left. "
In Freedom township there were two voting places-one at " old place
*Jonathan C. Royle,, whig, and John W. Bryant, Democrat, were candidates for circuit attorney. These were the only candidates at that time besides the presidential electors.
300
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
of holding elections," the record says, and the other at Brockhoff's store. At this latter place Bell and Everett had 33; Douglas and Johnson 32; Breckenridge and Lane 22; Lincoln and Hamlin 11. Those who voted here for Lincoln at this time were-J. H. Ehlers, H. Koopman, Sr., H. Koopman, Jr., H. D. Stinkel, D. Frerking, W. H. Meinecke, Wm. Frer- king, T. Dedeke, I. Eisenstein, H. Brinkoffer, Hy. Sharnhorst.
CURIOSITIES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL VOTE OF 1860 IN LEXINGTON.
The name of T. T. Crittenden, the present Governor of the state (1881), appears as No. 48 on the engine house poll book, and he voted for Bell and Everett.
At the court house the name of H. M. Bledsoe appears as No. 199, voting for Breckenridge and Lane; and it appears again on the same poll book as No. 286, voting for Bell and Everett.
R. C. Ewing is recorded No. 455 as voting for Breckenridge “under protest."
Five names appear on the books as not voting at all as to President, but some for John W. Bryant and some for Jonathan C. Royle for circuit attorney-the only other candidates to be voted on at that time.
Pat McGraw voted at one poll for Bell and Everett and at the other for Douglas and Johnson; but he was caught at it, and his vote was declared void.
VOTE OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY FOR PRESIDENT IN 1864.
[Compiled from the official records, for this History.]
TOWNSHIPS.
DEMOCRAT. McClelland and Pendleton.
REPUBLICAN. Lincoln and Johnson.
Clay, at Greenton poll.
at Wellington poll .
40
Davis-No return.
34
1
Freedom, at Brockhoff's store
7
59
Lexington, city and township
211
173
Middleton .
33
Sniabar, no return
Washington .
12
7th Regt. Missouri State Militia, at Warrensburg. .
18
1st Cavalry Regt. M. S. M., at Lexington . .
23
59
45th Regt. Mo. Volunteers, infantry, in Cole county.
3
Total
396
346
36
Dover .
at Cain's store.
33
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE OF 1872.
This was the year when Horace Greeley of New York and B. Gratz Brown of Missouri were the Democratic and Liberal Republican candi- dates, and Gen. Grant (2d term) and Henry Wilson the Radical Republi-
301
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
can candidates. The official vote of Lafayette county as published at the time stood thus:
VOTING PRECINCT.
For Greeley and Brown.
For Grant and Wilson.
VOTING PRECINCT.
For Greeley for Grant and Brown. and Wilson.
East Lexington. . .
243
182
Wellington
183
54
West Lexington
433
468
Napoleon .
113
25
North Dover
271
61
North Washington
245
64
South Dover.
156
33
South Washington.
124
32
Middleton
412
85
East Freedom .. ...
22
240
East Davis
60
47
West Freedom.
139
89
West Davis
169
51
East Sniabar
.
114
40
Greenton
191
44
West Sniabar
109
8
Totals
2,984
1,523
Greeley's majority in county, 1,481.
VOTE ON THE CONSTITUTION OF 1865.
The state convention, which was the real law-making power of the state from February 28, 1861, till 1865, had, on June 10, 1862, passed an ordinance, prescribing a test-oath of loyalty, which was required, there- after, to be subscribed and sworn to by every adult man, before he should be permitted to vote. The main feature of this oath was in language thus:
That I will bear true faith, loyalty, and allegiance to the United States, and will not, directly or indirectly, give aid, or comfort, or countenance, to the enemies or opposers thereof, or of the provisional government of the state of Missouri, any ordinance, law, or resolution of any state convention or legislature, or of any order or organization, secret or otherwise, to the contrary notwithstanding; and that I do this with a full and honest deter- mination, pledge, and purpose. faithfully to keep and perform the same, without any mental reservation or evasion whatever. And I do solmnly swear, that I have not, since the 17th . day of December, 1861, wilfully taken up arms, or levied war, against the United States, or against the provisional government of the state of Missouri, so help me God.
In November, 1864, the people voted on a proposition for a state constitu- tional convention, every voter being required to take the above oath; and the proposition was reported to be carried by 29,000 majority in the state. The convention met in St. Louis, in January and February, 1865; it framed a new constitution, and the people voted on it, June 6, 1865-the above oath for voters being still in force-and the following official return for Lafayette county we copy, just as found in the records:
G
302
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
Lexington
For Constitution. 170
'Against Constitution. 271
Total. 441
The illegal votes are in- cluded in this total.
Clay . ..
2
132
134
Disloyal judges and clerks
Freedom, No. 1.
S4
2
86
Freedom, No. 2.
30
30
Sniabar.
2
53
55
Clerks and one judge dis- loyal.
Davis. .
3
101
104
Clerks and judges disloyal
Middleton
1
113
114
Clerks disloyal.
Washington
3
42
45
Clerks disloyal.
Dover.
. .
102
102
Clerks and judges refuse
to take the oath or ad-
Totals . .
295
816
1111
minister it to voters.
No ballots returned from Clay and Sniabar townships, and only a por- tion from Washington township.
The above document is certified and signed by Thomas D. Wernway and John Kirkpatrick, county judges, and W. H. Bowen, county clerk, June 10, 1865.
The vote on this new constitution in the whole state, as recited in Gov. Fletcher's proclamation, was: For it, 43,670; against it, 41,808; majority for it, 1,862-and it went into effect July 4, 1865. [For disabilities imposed, etc., see page 65 of this history.]
Hon. Charles D. Drake, of St. Louis, took a prominent part in framing this new constitution. Its disfranchising and other restricting features were, of course, strenuously opposed by all southern sympathizers, and also by many of the union men. It remained in force ten years, being con- stantly the basis of party politics, and of contests in the courts, and was finally wiped out forever, by the new constitution of 1875. It was stig- matized as the "Drake Constitution," the " Drakonian Code," etc., and its partisans were called the " Eternal Hate Party," the " Hate and Revenge Party," etc.
VOTE OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY ON THE NEW . CONSTITUTION OF 1875 .* VOTE TAKEN OCTOBER 30.
For
Against
Mount Hope precinct
83
19
West Sniabar
49
3
Aullville .
113
11
Concordia .
47
93
East Lexington
91
30
West Lexington
373
115
Dover.
137
1
Page City
61
·
North Washington
89
. . .
*Hon. Henry C. Wallace, of Lexington, represented Lafayette, Saline, and Pettis counties which then constituted the 17th state senatorial district, in the convention which framed this constitution.
Remarks.
303
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
For
Against
South Washington
38
1
Wellington.
137
2
Napoleon .
57
8
Greenton
84
1
Coffey's School House.
37
.
Higginsville
125
·
Middleton
257
3
Total
1778
287
Majority for the constitution, 1,481, in Lafayette county. The majority for it, in the state, was 76,688. This constitution went into effect Novem- ber 30, 1875, and still continues.
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