USA > Missouri > Saline County > History of Saline County, Missouri > Part 24
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* From every information that I have received, I am of the opinion that the intention of the British band of Sac Indians is to com- mit depredations on the inhabitants of the frontier." And yet, from the. 6th day of April until after Stillman's men commenced war by firing on a flag of truce from Black Hawk, no murders nor depredations were committed by the British band of Sac Indians.
It is not the purpose of this sketch to detail the incidents of the Black Hawk war of 1832, as it pertains rather to the history of the state of Illinois. It is sufficient to say that, after the disgraceful affair at Stillman's run, Black Hawk, concluding that the whites, refusing to treat with him, were determined to exterminate his people, determined to return to the Iowa side of the Mississippi. He could not return by the way he came, for the army was behind him, an army, too, that would sternly refuse to recognize the white flag of peace. His only course was to make his way northward and reach the Mississippi, if possible, before the troops could overtake him, and this he did; but, before he could get his women and children across the Wisconsin, he was overtaken, and a battle ensued. Here again he sued for peace, and, through his trusted lieutenant, " the Prophet," the whites were plainly informed that the starving Indians did not wish to fight, but would return to the west side of the Mississippi, peaceably, if they could be permitted to do so. No attention was paid to this second effort to negotiate peace, and, as soon as supplies could be
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obtained, the pursuit was resumed, the flying Indians were overtaken again eight miles before they reached the mouth of the Bad Axe, and the slaughter (it should not be dignified by the name of battle), commenced. Here, overcome by starvation and the victorious whites, his band was scattered, on the 2d day of August, 1832. Black Hawk escaped, but was brought into camp at Prairie du Chien by three Winnebagoes. He was confined in Jefferson barracks until the spring of 1833, when he was sent to Washington, arriving there April 22. On the 26th of April, they were taken to Fortress Monroe, where they remained till the 4th of June, 1833, when orders were given for them to be liberated and returned to their country. By order of the president, he was brought back to Iowa through the principal eastern cities. Crowds flocked to see him all along his route, and he was very much flattered by the attentions he received. He lived among his people on the Iowa river till that reservation was sold, in 1836, when, with the rest of the Sacs and Foxes, he removed to the Des Moines reservation, where he remained till his death, which occurred on the 3d of October, 1838.
The proximity of these hostilities to the Missouri frontier caused Gov. John Miller to adopt precautionary measures to avert the calamities of an invasion which seemed imminent. Therefore, in May, 1832, orders were issued to the generals commanding the Missouri militia, to warn the mem- bers of their commands, "to keep in readiness a horse, with the necessary equipments, and a rifle, in good order, with an ample supply of ammuni- tion, etc."*
The nearness of Saline county to the hostile territory, the familiarity of Black Hawk and the Sacs and Foxes with this country, together with the instinctive dread of Indians and Indian wars, led many settlers to fear a raid from the hostile savages, and many were the alarms, all of them false, that were raised. At least two companies of men, then belonging to the county militia, kept their powder dry for an emergency. The fear of the people of Indian incursions was not confined to Saline county. From a fear of the Sac and Fox Indians the people gradually grew to be afraid of all Indians. Rumors were prevalent at one time that a general Indian upris- ing had taken place, in which even the friendly Osages had joined. Levens & Drake's History of Cooper county, p, 169, et seq., says:
Some time during the year 1832, the people became terribly alarmed by the report that the Osage Indians were about to attack and massacre all the settlers in this vicinity. This report started first, by some means, at old Luke Williams', on Cole Camp creek. The people became almost wild with excitement. They left their plows in the fields, and fled precip- itately in the direction of the other settlements, towards Booneville. Some of them took refuge in a fort at Vincent Walker's, some at Sam Forbes',
*Switzer's History of Missouri, p 225.
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and others at Collin Stoneman's and Finis Ewing's. Hats and caps, shoes and stockings, pillows, baskets, and bonnets might have been seen along the old military road to Booneville, lying scattered about in beauti- ful confusion, all that day and the next, until the excitement had ceased. Fortunately, the scare did not last long, as it was soon ascertained that the alarm was false, and that the Osage Indians had not only not contemplated a raid on the white settlements, but that they had actually become fright- ened themselves, and fled south of the Osage river .* But the panic was complete, and exceedingly frightful while it lasted.
A fellow named Mike Chism lived near the Bidstrup place. Mike had a wife and two children. They were already preparing for flight. Mike's wife was on horseback and had one child in her lap and one behind her, and Mike was on foot. At this moment a horseman came galloping up in great trepidation, and informed the little family that the Indians were coming by the thousands, and that they were already this side of Flat creek. On receiving this intelligence, Mike, in great terror, said to his wife: "My God! Sally, I can't wait for you any longer !" Suiting his actions to his words, he took to his scraper in such hot haste that at the first frantic jump he made, he fell at full length, bleeding and trembling, on the rocks. But the poor fellow did not take time to rise to his feet again. He scrambled off on all fours into the brush, like some wild animal leaving his wife and children to take care of themselves as best they could.
In August, 1832, Gen. Stephen Trigg was ordered to take a body of militia and make a scout southwest and west of this county to see if the Indians were menacing the country from that quarter. It had been reported that a general attack was to be made on the settlements of Saline, Lafayette, Cooper, and the other counties adjoining. Saline county was called upon for a company and promptly responded. Her quota was raised in three days. It consisted of forty rangers or mounted riflemen. Each man furnished his own horse, arms, accouterments, and rations. Capt. Henry Becknell, who had formerly owned and operated the ferry at Arrow Rock, was chosen captain; Jacob Nave was 1st lieutenant; Ben. E. Cooper, 2d lieutenant; Jackson Smiley, orderly-sergeant. Unfortunately it is impossible to obtain the names of all the members of the company, but some of them were Wm. J. Wolfskill, Wm. Pruntin, Ephraim McClain, Henry Nave, and Ephraim Prigmore.
The command started some time in the month of August, and there was "mounting in hot haste." Considerable marching was done. The expedition went up the LaMine and the Blackwater, to their respective
*[The Osages were in mortal terror of the Sacs and Foxes, who were their deadly ene- mies. Black Hawk, when only nineteen years old, headed a war party of his tribe, that attacked the Osages near the mouth of the Chariton, and, according to Black Hawk's own account, he killed about one hundred of them. Some years thereafter, heand his tribe killed the occupants of about forty lodges of Osages .- R. I. H.]
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sources. It passed out by Knob Noster, in Johnson county, crossed the Osage, at a point just below Little Tebo, near where Warsaw now stands. Here a detachment was sent back for provisions and orders. Supplies were soon received, and orders obtained to complete the scout- that is, to canvass the county thoroughly, and if no hostile Indians were found, to return. Several bands of Kickapoos were encountered, undoubt- edly on their way to join Black Hawk, as they were well armed, and bore other indications of being on the war-path. These were turned back without a fight, and made to understand that it would not be healthy for them if they were caught out on the same business again. The camps of the Osages were visited, and the occupants found to be attending to their own legitimate business, and entirely friendly. Lewis Rogers, their chief, assured Gen. Trigg of his fealty to the whites, and loyalty to their interests. Very soon the command returned to Saline county, and joined the main army, at Jonesboro. The Saline company was absent from the county just twenty-one days. When it returned to Jonesboro, it was dis- banded.
Gen. Trigg is described by some of the men who were on this expedi- tion, as "a mighty peart man, and a good judge of Indians." Being struck with the fine appearance of the Saline county company, the Gen- eral chose it for his escort, or body-guard.
Captain Becknell had been a soldier in the war of 1812, and had seen considerable service. He was also well versed in Indian warfare and fighting, and would have made a good record with his company if he had had opportunities. He was not of a religious turn of mind at all. Capt. B. was not. Many a settler remembers how volubly and with what wonder- ful force and power he could swear. He was a rough-and-tumble fighter of no mean ability.
THE "STAR SHOWER" OF 1833.
In 1833 occurred the wonderful meteoric display known as the "star shower," " the time when the stars fell," etc. This remarkable phenome- non was visible throughout the United States, and is the most memorable event of the kind on record. It was on the night of the 12th and 13th of November, lasting until and perhaps after daylight on the morning of the 13th. It began at various hours between 10 and 12 P. M., owing to the locality. The meteors fell as thick and fast as snow-flakes in a heavy snow storm. Together with the smaller shooting stars, which produced phosphorescent lines along their course, there were intermingled large fire- balls, which darted forth at intervals. These left behind luminous trains, which remained in view several minutes, and sometimes half an hour or
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more. One of these fireballs, seen in North Carolina, appeared of larger size and much greater brilliancy than the moon. Some of the luminous bodies were of irregular form, and remained stationary for a considerable time, emitting streams of light. At Niagara Falls the exhibition was especially brilliant, and probably no spectacle so terribly grand and sub- lime was ever before beheld by man as that of the firmament descending in fiery torrents over the dark and roaring cataract. The source whence these meteors came was computed by Prof. Olmstead at not less than 2,238 miles from the earth .*
In Saline county the celestial phenomenon was fully as brilliant as else- where. Hundreds of people witnessed it, and it was an occasion of much excitement. Very many of the poorly informed people concluded that the judgment had come. It is said that the incident upon which is founded an oft-told story happened in this county. A man and his wife were sleeping the sleep of the just, the lady by a window. Awakening she saw the wonderful celestial pyrotechnical display, and arousing her husband in great terror she exclaimed: "Get up,, old man, quick! The day of judgment has come!" Her liege lord hesitated but a moment, and turning over grumblingly replied: "O, lie down and go to sleep, you old fool, do you suppose the judgment day is going to come in the night?"
The negroes especially were very much frightened. A dance was in progress on a farm in Arrow Rock township, attended exclusively by slaves from the neighborhood. When the shower began the dusky rev- elers were first made aware of the fact by a messenger who ran frantically into the cabin and shouted: " If you all wants to get to heaven you better 'gin to say you' pra'rs mighty sudden, kase de Lawd is a comin' wi' de fire an' de glory, an' de wuld 'ill be burnt up like a cracklin"fore mornin'!" The dancers ran out, and scarcely had they seen the (to them) terrifying spectacle when they fell upon their knees and howled for mercy. Not for some days did they recover from their fright, or live without fear of some sudden and awful supernatural visitation.
One old darkey declared that if the world and his life were spared he would guarantee to break eighty pounds of hemp every day, instead of fifty, as had been his wont!
"Old Uncle Jimmy" Reavis and some other parties were engaged in a lawsuit for the possession of a negro named Ben. By the advice of their attorneys, the Reavis party had captured the darkey and kept him under guard. The night of the "star shower," the guards were on duty, but when the "shower " began they fell on their knees to pray, and while the prayer-meeting was in progress Ben very irreverently, and at the risk of being arrested for disturbing religious worship(?), got up and lit out for his friends on the other side of the case, making good his escape.
*American Cyclopedia.
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The next year there was another meteoric shower on the same day of the month, which was very brilliant, but not nearly so much so as that of 1833. The November meteors are quite generally known, and no descrip- tion of them need here be given.
HISTORY FROM 1834 TO THE "MORMON WAR."
The winter of 1834-5, was intensely cold. "The cold Friday and Sat- urday " were long remembered. The cold was very intense. Cattle had their horns frozen off, many old settlers assert, and in some instances, had their legs frozen off up to the knees. Pigs and fowls perished in great numbers, and there was much damage done to peach and other fruit trees.
A very distressing case of freezing happened down on the Blackwater, during this fearful winter. A man and wife were traveling in a wagon. In crossing Blackwater the wagon became uncoupled in the middle of the stream. There was no help to be obtained, and no witnesses to the scene, all appearances afterward indicated that the man had tried hard to extricate his vehicle. Somehow the woman fell into the water. Her husband carried her to shore, but she soon froze to death. Then her com- panion laid her out upon a log and stood by her to watch and wait. He soon became chilled, but remained true to his watch and ward, and when some persons came to the scene the next day, they found him pulseless, and cold, and rigid and pale as marble, standing by the white corpse of her whom he had promised to "love, cherish, protect and defend." He leaned against a tree and his eyes were partly open, and their last gaze had evi- dently been upon his wife. His boots showed signs that he had tried to cut them from his feet-why, heaven only knows.
The bodies were taken charge of by the settlers and given sepulture. No information can now be obtained as to who these unfortunate victims of the ice-king were, or where they had lived. There are conflicting accounts as to what became of the team. One statement is that it was found dead; another, that it was found alive and taken care of by the settlers until relatives of the dead pair arrived.
In 1836, the most memorable event was the presidential election. The candidates were Martin Van Buren and Richard M. Johnson of the dem- ocratic party; Wm Henry Harrison and Francis Granger, of New York, of the whig party, and Hugh L. White, of Tennessee, of the independent democrats and whigs. Dr. John Sappington was one of the democratic. or Van Buren electors. In this election Claiborne F. Jackson, then a citi- zen of Saline county and a rising young politician, took an active part as a stump-speaker, for his, the democratic party. For his services in this and other campaigns he was rewarded by the munificent appointment of post- master at Arrow Rock, with a salary of $50 per annum.
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The vote of Saline county was as follows: Van Buren, 178; White, 135; Harrison, 50. The vote of the state stood: Van Buren, 10,995; Harrison, 7,337; White, 3,256. The result throughout the country was the election of Van Buren who received 170 electoral votes to 73 for Gen. Harrison, and 26 for White. South Carolina was still pouting and cast her vote for Willie P. Mangum, of North Carolina. Massachusetts gave her 14 votes to her "favorite son," Daniel Webster. There was no choice of vice- president by the electoral college, no candidate receiving a majority of all the votes. The senate, therefore, was called upon to elect. That body, being largely democratic, chose Col. Johnson, " who killed Tecumseh, and had a negro woman, a slave, for his wife."
During this year cholera again appeared in the county, occasioning some excitement, but securing only a few victims, if any. Travel to St. Louis and other points on the Mississippi was entirely cut off, however, and all intercourse with all suspected points for a time suspended.
Another alarm was started this year, that the Indians were coming down from the north, and occasioned some uneasiness. It was soon ascertained, however, that the scare was without foundation. A notorious family, named Hetherly, living in the upper part of Carroll county, in what was then called the Grand river country, had started the report that the Iowa Indians were making a murderous incursion on the settlements .. The Hetherlys were, themselves, thieves, murderers, and prostitutes. The mother was a sister to the murderers and robbers, Big and Little Harp. They had some adherents, among them, James Dunbar, Alfred Hawkins, and a fellow named Thomas. Their chief occupation was horse-stealing. Early in the month of June a number of Iowa Indians made a friendly incursion into the state, for the purpose of hunting. The Hetherly gang immediately began to steal their ponies. They managed to capture a lot and escaped with them. The Indians followed, overtook the thieves, and a skirmish ensued, in the forks of the Grand river, result- ing in the killing of Thomas, the re-capture of the ponies, and the escape of the Hetherlys. The latter afterward killed Dunbar, fearing that if they were arrested, he would turn state's evidence against them. Then they fled to the Missouri, declaring that they 'had been run out by the Iowas. The murders were afterwards traced to them, and they, with Alfred Hawkins, were arrested and tried. Upon the final trial, the old man Hetherly, his wife, and daughter, Ann, turned state's evidence, and upon their evidence, mainly, Alfred Hawkins was convicted of man- slaughter, and sent to the penitentiary for ten years. The affair was known as the Hetherly war, and old citizens of the county yet well remember it .*
In this year the Platte purchase was acquired by Missouri, and there
*Blackwell's History of Carroll county, 1876.
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was considerable emigration to the newly-acquired territory. Among them were members of the McKissick family, who removed to Fremont county, Iowa, eventually, and became the first settlers of that community.
In 1837 there was a considerable rainfall and a very extraordinary freshet on the Blackwater. The water in the stream was four feet higher than in the great flood of 1844. It spread over the lowlands to a great extent, forming many inland seas or lakes, and doing great damage to property. The flood was the greatest ever known in that quarter, and lasted about three weeks.
It was in December of this year that the freezing and drowning of McMahan, Harris, Smith, and Guthrie occurred in the Missouri, oppo- site DeWitt. For full particulars of this peculiarly distressing affair, the reader is referred to the history of the settlement of the Miami bottom, on other pages of this history.
In this year Col. Gentry's regiment of Missouri volunteers left the state to take part in the Seminole war, then being waged against the Indians of that tribe in Florida. This war is commonly known as the Florida war. It was brought about by the refusal of the Seminole Indians to be removed west of the Mississippi river.
A few Saline county men from the Big bottom participated in this war as members of Capt. Congreve Jackson's company, of Howard county, which was one of the best of Gentry's regiment. At the battle of Okee- chobee, December 25, 1837, Col. Gentry and a number of his men were killed, and many more wounded. None of the Saline county men were wounded or injured, so far as is known.
THE MORMON WAR.
In the year 1838, occurred in Missouri what is now called the Mormon " War." An account of this difficulty, (for it really was nothing else), may not be void of all interest.
In 1832, Jo. Smith and the Mormons, to the number of several hundred, settled in Jackson county, mostly west of Independence, where they entered several thousand acres of land, established a newspaper, and prepared to found the New Jerusalem on earth. They had come from Kirtland, Ohio. Their presence was very distasteful to the citizens of Jackson county-the "Gentiles"-who could not tolerate the nonsense of "new revelations," the "second kingdom," etc., and the result was they threw the Mormon print- ing press into the river, tarred and feathered the Mormon bishop and two others,* and otherwise made it unpleasant for the "saints." The latter did not suffer in patience. When smitten on one cheek they retaliated forth-
*Switzler's History of Missouri, p. 241.
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with upon the smiter. In 1833, an affray between Mormons and citizens occurred near Westport, in which two citizens and one Mormon were killed. Soon after, Jo. Smith, the "prophet of the Lord," received a "rev- elation " ordering the destruction of the city of Independence. He marched with his force to the vicinity of the town on the night of November 2d, but here he was confronted by a large force of Gentiles from Indepen- dence and the surrounding country, and compelled to capitulate. The Mormons were made to lay down their arms and leave the country by the 1st of January following. The Gentiles agreed to pay the owner of the printing office for the destruction of his property.
From Jackson county the Mormons fled to the north side of the river, settling in Clay, Carroll, and Caldwell counties. Jo. Smith and his officers laid out a town about eight miles southeast of Cameron, which was named Far West. It was declared by Smith that here a magnificent temple should be built, and that the town itself should soon become one of the mighty cities of the world. It is now quite a respectable cornfield. In 1837, work was begun on the temple, but it was never finished. The prosperity of the Mormon settlements at and near Far West attracted many adventurers, the majority of whom were arrant scoundrels. They managed to get into and obtain high positions in the church and influence it altogether for harm. "Revelations" were obtained to the effect that the Lord had given the earth and the fulness thereof to "this people," and that the Mormons were "His people," and consequently had the right to take whatever they pleased from the Gentiles. In pursuance of these revelations the more lawless of them strolled about the country taking what they pleased. They largely outnumbered the Gentiles in Caldwell county, and Mormons held all of the important county offices. All efforts, therefore, to punish them for their crimes and misdemeanors were wholly inoperative, and the citi- zens felt justified in resorting to mob violence and retaliation in kind.
The Mormons not only had a troubled experience in Jackson and Cald- well counties, but also in Carroll, at and in the neighborhood of De Witt, on the Missouri, immediately opposite the Saline county shore.
During the summer of 1838, a citizen of this village, named Root, sold a large number of lots to G. W. Hinkle and one Murdock, who, it was afterwards discovered, were Mormon leaders that had come to Carroll county to establish a Mormon settlement. De Witt being a good landing on the river, they regarded it as a convenient point from which to for- ward goods and immigrants to Far West. No sooner was it known in Carroll county that the Mormons were about to settle therein in large numbers than there arose great excitement among the people. The peo- ple of this county were somewhat alarmed. They did not want the Mor- mons among them, and they resolved not to have them. A few of the " saints" came across the river to survey the situation. They were noti-
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fied that their room was preferable to their company, and that under no circumstances would any considerable settlement of members of their peculiar faith and practices be allowed.
In July, 1838, a public meeting was held in Carrollton, and it was determined that the expulsion of the Mormons from the county was imperatively demanded and had become a necessity. Assistance from this and other counties had been promised the people of Carroll, and a committee visited De Witt and had a conference with the Mormon colo- nel, Hinkle, and a large number of other Mormons. On being told the object of the committee's visit, Hinkle drew his sword and defiantly flour- ishing it, threatened the extermination of all those who should attempt to disturb the peace of himself and the saints. To this piece of vaporing the chairman of the committee, Rev. Sarshel Woods, replied: "Put up your sword, colonel; I am an old pioneer; I have heard the Indians yell, the wolves howl, and the owls hoot, and am not alarmed at such demon- strations." There were several men from Saline county in De Witt when this happened, "taking items," they said.
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