USA > Missouri > Vernon County > History of Vernon County, Missouri : past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county Vol. I > Part 17
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From the earliest records of time we find it has been custom- ary for all nationalities to celebrate certain days to commemo- rate some event which transpired in their country's history. The first instance of the kind can be found in sacred history, when the Almighty commanded the Israelites to observe certain feast days to commemorate their deliverance from bondage, so that when their children's children should ask, What means this ? they could be answered that on such a day their fathers were deliv- ered from the oppressive yoke of the Egyptians. It frequently happens that events take place which at the time attract but little attention, but when properly appreciated tell with consequences which astonish the world.
Such was the reformation commenced by Martin Luther. Not- withstanding it was opposed by the combined powers of church and state, and against the authors of which the Roman pontiff fulminated his dire anathemas, it continued to spread until the papal throne was shaken to its center. So congenial were the principles of religious toleration to the feelings of man, and so deep an impression had they made upon his mind, and so hotly
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were they (the Protestants) persecuted, being driven from city to city and country to country, that they at last saw no other alternative but to abandon their homes and the society of their friends and seek an asylum in the then wilds of the western hemi- sphere, where they could enjoy that liberty that they had so long and so earnestly desired.
Such were some of the causes which led to the first settlement of some of the colonies on this continent; and, after enduring the hardship and privation incident to a new country, their num- bers often thinned by disease and the tomahawk, and struggling against the most adverse circumstances, without the protecting arm of their mother country, for a series of years, they at last attained sufficient political importance to attract the attention of the British ministry.
When a system of tyrannical and unjust measures were pro- posed on the part of parliament toward these colonies, well cal- culated in their nature to arouse the indignation in every patri- otic bosom, they sent remonstrance after remonstrance to his Britannic majesty, solemnly warning him of the consequences if he persisted in the iniquitous schemes of his corrupt ministers. But the king was alike deaf to the calls of justice and the prayers of his injured subjects. Dazzling gold had so blinded his eyes that he could not see the dark and threatening cloud gathering in the western horizon, and the incessant clamor for revenue had so stopped his ears that he could not hear the low, murmuring thunder betokening an approaching storm. The spirit of resist- ance was spreading throughout the colonies, and the true prin- ciples of government were diffusing themselves in every circle.
It was not for the sake of a few pounds and shillings that our patriotic fathers rebelled against the mother country. Wash- ington and his compatriots went to war against a preamble from which the doctrine of "taxation without representation" was dragged to light and exposed to public gaze in all its hideous deformity. For a more united resistance to this and other tyran- nical measures of parliament, and a more perfect concert of action in the maintenance of republican principles, delegates from the thirteen colonies assembled in general convention and put forth that declaration which you have just heard read.
Seventy-two years ago the patriots of 1776 set their names to that instrument and published it to the world. The world was
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astounded ! Monarchs were confounded! Kings and emperors were struck dumb! But the mighty monarch of old Albion, at whose nod attended a hundred thousand troops and a thousand thundering ships of war, recovering from his astonishment, and burning with rage and indignation at the audacity of his rebel- lious subjects, determined with a mighty effort to subdue this spirit of independence in its cradle.
A trial ensued which is without parallel in the annals of wal- fare. The resistance of the Greeks against the innumerable hosts of Persia will bear no comparison. It is sufficient to say that they fought, they bled, they suffered the loss of friends, of prop- erty, of life itself, and finally triumphed over every difficulty and gained their cause. And for what was it they so bravely con- tended? What was it they wished to establish? The principles laid down in that declaration. And what are they? They are such as were never before promulgated-never before the ears of suffering and enslaved man were greeted with such gladdening sound, except the sound of the gospel of Christ! It was, indeed, the glad tidings of political salvation and political regeneration proclaimed to a world bound in ignorance and slavery.
And is it possible that in that small, half-fed, half-clad, poorly disciplined and disease-stricken army, in the dreary snows of Valley Forge, were freighted the life, liberty, and happiness, and even the salvation of millions of beings? Was it this that pre- served the germ of liberty that was to free the world from rigor- ous thralldom ?
Let us for a moment examine some of the sentiments pro- mulgated in that declaration. It begins with the memorable words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain in- alienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Here I might with propriety exclaim, in the language of the Inspired Penman : "Hear, O heaven! Give ear, O earth!" Such sentiments, I reiterate, no one ever did- no one ever dared-publish before. In some countries, indeed, a few of the most enlightened philosophers would perhaps con- jecture that all men were created equal, but such were only idle theories, which some considered merely the fanciful imagination of some hot-headed fanatic. But these daring patriots not only published them to the world and laid them down as the rule of
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acting, but they considered them as "self-evident," which needed no argument or demonstration on their part to prove.
That these principles are not the most agreeable to the nature of man is not proved from the fact that they were never before promulgated, because in almost every country under the sun the people were more or less enslaved, and were universally educated in the principles of monarchy and aristocracy. Even the people, who were the sufferers, considered such principles just, and not many dared to think, let alone to say, that they were "created equal," with the same natural privileges and rights, and the same capacity for enjoyment, with the nobles on whose lands they were tenants, and whom they obeyed as their lords and masters, and with whose proud and lofty palaces their miserable huts and cottages presented a wretched contrast. But the settlers of America, being men who disclaimed the duty of passive obedi- ence to lawless tyranny, left their offspring to hold such prin- ciples as were most agreeable to their natures; and as the in- fant will first ask for bread, the "staff of life," men thus left to their own natural dispositions, which were not formed to a certain standard by the "powers that be," these unanimous and universal sentiments were those which you have heard in that declaration of independence.
Here, and in what follows, we find the foundation on which is erected that glorious superstructure-our constitution. Hear what follows: "That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the con- sent of the governed; that whenever any government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its founda- tion on such principles and organizing its powers after such forms as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness." Never before was there a government founded on such just and equitable principles.
But it is natural for the subjects o_ any country to contend that theirs is the justest system in th rld; but I know I can say, without boasting or exaggerat; .nat there does not, and never did, exist a government f ed on such just principles as those laid in that declaration. Make a strict examination into all other governments, and I defy you to find such principles fully acted out. You may trace up the stream of time to its
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commencement, and search among the boasted republics of an- tiquity. Will you examine into the laws of the celebrated Spar- tan legislator, Lycurgus? Will you search the laws of the re- nowned Solon, who, it is said,
The reins nor strictly nor too loosely drawn,
And safe the car of slippery power did guide ?
Will you examine the laws and institutions of Numa? Will you search among the institutions of Alfred the Great, or Charle- magne ? Or will you examine the Magna Charta of Great Britain to find such principles promulgated and made the foundation of all law ? If you do, you will search in vain; and the more you examine into other governments the more fully you will be con- vinced of the superiority of our own.
But are the principles really made the foundation of our constitution ? Or are they merely promulgated without being enforced or attended to? You need but turn your attention to the administration of our government, and you will see these principles conspicuous in every department. You will find that the legislators who make the laws for the government of society are elected by the people for that purpose, and the laws which they make are as binding upon themselves as upon their constit- uents. You will find that the executive officer, whose duty it is to. enforce the laws, directly dependent on the people, by whom he can be deposed whenever he abuses-for arbitrary and iniqui- tous purposes-powers vested in him by the constitution to pro- mote the public good; and you will find the judges, whose duty it is to explain and expound the laws, indirectly dependent on the people, and can by them be deposed whenever they become corrupt. In short, you will find that every magistrate in the United States, from the president down to the constable, is de- pendent on the people, directly or indirectly, for his office and authority.
Such is the spirit of our government. Such is its theory and such is it practically "And, as so much cannot be said of any other, we may justly clude that ours is the freest government on earth, and under . n enjoys as much liberty as is com- patible with his nature. much cannot be said of any mon- archy on earth, not even of the boasted monarchy of Britain, that the king owes his authority to those he governs. To a cer- tain family belongs the throne, and the monarch is born with the scepter in his hand. He may be a good man or a bad man, a wise
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man or a blockhead-he is the hereditary heir, and must gov- ern. But this is not the worst. A certain class are born to office and honor, from which their vices can never make them descend ; another, in slavery and dishonor, from which their virtues can never raise them. Yes, a certain class is not only born to gov- ern, but also to honor. How absurd that a man can be an heredi- tary heir to honor.
But drawing our conclusions from the good which has already resulted from our free institutions, may we not safely predict the political reformation of the world? Only seventy-two years have elapsed since the principles of our government were brought into existence. This day is only the seventy-second anniversary of that day on which the signatures were set to that declaration which you have heard. Some who fought for these principles are still living, and when the beneficial effects are felt in every corner of the globe, and the blessings which have resulted to our coun- try exceed the hopes of many, the prophetic vision of the illus- trious signers of that declaration will be more than realized. In- deed the developments of the consequences of our free institu- tions have already exceeded the expectations of the most ardent. The original thirteen states have been increased to thirty. Our territory has been enlarged until it comprises the fairest por- tions of North America, and throughout this wide extent all enjoy the same privileges and freedom.
Such is the situation of our government that although the sit- uation and interests of its many parts are different, and though it contains within its bounds the frozen regions of the North and the burning sands of the South, yet the welfare and interests of the whole are consulted and protected.
The people of the United States, taken together, are the most enlightened, and at the same time the most happy, people on earth. To count the many blessings which we enjoy, as a na- tion and as individuals, would indeed be an arduous undertaking, and the feeble voice of the orator would be hushed in despair. Pure and undefiled religion has prevailed among all ranks. The arts and sciences have been encouraged and literature more cul- tivated than ever before. Mighty cities have sprung up within an astounding short period, and which present a lively aspect of activity and cheerfulness-whose streets are not thronged by crowds of suppliant beggars, nor is the ear greeted with the
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sad sounds of the bondsman's sigh, nor the eye pained by the sights of cruelty and injustice. Every man thinks for himself and speaks his sentiments freely.
Tell me why it is that such great encouragement is given you, and your labors are so liberally rewarded. Why is it that, by living economically, industriously, and honestly, you can support yourselves and families, and even live in affluence and hold an honorable stand in society? Why is it that the fountains of learning and wisdom are open alike to all-the high born and the humble born, the rich and the poor-and that you can come and buy almost "without money and without price"? Why is it that you can, if ever so poor, by proper perseverance and appli- cation, obtain a substantial education and so easily rise to emi- nence; that the lists for literary fame are open to all ranks, and merit alone is rewarded with the palm; that you can pursue what studies you please, and follow what profession you please ? Why is it, ye ministers of religion, that you can promulgate without interruption your different forms of worship, and preach what doctrines you believe ? Why is it that here the Christian and the Jew, the Protestant and the Catholic, all live in harmony to- gether, each following his own creed without molestation ? Truly, the lion and the lamb dwell in peace together. Ah, methinks that I need not wait for your answer, but may anticipate you and say that there, in that declaration and in that constitution, is the cause, and there is the secret of our happiness.
But the United States is a theater not sufficiently large for the development of the consequences of the liberal principles which are the foundation of our institutions. They have passed the Isthmus of Darien and caused a mighty revolution in South America. Inspired by the example of the United States, the peo- ple there determined to throw off the yoke of a tyrant and es- tablish liberty, which after a long and arduous struggle they finally effected. The spirit and genius of our free institutions have passed the waters of the Atlantic and infused themselves into the slaves of Europe, groaning under the yoke of tyrants and unjust laws. They have warmed the sunny plains of Italy and the high hills and rugged cliffs of Spain. They have convulsed the French empire and driven one of the oldest and wisest mon- archs of the age (Louis Philippe) from the throne-one who was supposed to be as firmly seated as any in the world-and this,
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too, was effected almost without the shedding of blood. From this tyrants should learn that it is safer to play with an enraged tiger when the fervent gush of warm blood is on his teeth, or to smother the eruptions of a volcano, than to trifle with public opinion when concentrated to a focus. It is as irresistible as the current of the mighty Mississippi.
The spirit and genius of our free institutions have penetrated the remote regions of Africa and cheered those burning plains and dreary wastes. Columbia's flag floats on every sea, bearing the produce of our labors to the various markets of the world. What a proud and lofty position do we now occupy among the nations of the earth? What a grand and imposing spectacle we have presented to an admiring world for the last two years, whilst our country has been engaged in an expensive foreign war in which our brave troops have never known defeat! We have been spending millions upon millions of money and still the credit of our government is unimpaired. We have been at the same time feeding, both as a nation and individuals, the starving nations of Europe in a great degree gratuitously.
We have more newspapers published among us than any other nation on earth. Intelligence is transmitted from one portion of our country with the velocity of lightning, and the various states of the confederacy are united by railroads, canals, and mighty rivers, bringing us in frequent intercourse with each other, and binding us as one great family. And as the blessing of peace has been restored to our borders, and the clamor of war is no more heard, may we, on this political Sabbath, let the fervent ejacula- tions of our hearts ascend to the Ruler of the universe that He will preserve us from the necessity of war or again drawing the sword in defense of our rights, and that He will perpetuate our free institutions from generation to generation until the final wreck of all nature.
One word to the ladies and I am done. Permit me, on behalf of the committee of arrangements, to thank you that you have greeted us with your presence on this day, the birthday of our national independence. As there is nothing that so invigorates and cheers the heart of man as the approving smile of woman, so your influence, like the pervading presence of a guardian power, will be felt here today. Although your sphere of action is somewhat contracted, you still have resting on you a heavy
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responsibility. The character of the next generation greatly de- pends on the part you act. It is from you that the young and tender mind receives its first and more lasting impressions. It is of the utmost importance that these impressions should be of the right character.
And now permit me to urge upon you the propriety of early instilling into their minds, as a rule of faith and morals, the doc- trines of the Bible, and for a rule of national policy the principles contained in the declaration of independence and in the constitu- tion of our country.
THE PERIOD OF 1850 TO 1860.
The decade between 1850 and 1860 was in many ways notable and marked by numerous events that are remembered as epoch making in the history of Vernon county and surrounding regions. The then recent discovery of gold in California drew thither large numbers of people who became infected with the gold fever, whom neither the ravages of cholera, which broke out among those crossing the plains, nor the savage attacks of hostile Indians could deter. Of those who went out from Vernon county some met with disaster and returned, bringing with them the Asiatic cholera with which they became infected and a scourge of the dread plague was narrowly averted. As it was, there were nu- merous cases, some of which proved fatal. If former years had been made memorable by continuous rains and overflowing streams and flooded lands, the years 1854 and 1860 were no less remarkable for the terrible drouths that prevailed, causing suffer- ing to many who were short of supplies and forcing others to leave the country. To such an extent and for so long a period did the drouth of 1860 continue that, except in the lowlands, the ground became parched and cracked and so dry that vegetation died. Even the beds of the smaller streams were dry, and in the Osage and Marmeton, water was to be found only in the hollows and basins. Crops, for the most part, failed; seed planted, in many cases never came up; the price of hay went up to $12.50 a ton, and for lack of feed, farmers sold their hogs for $1 per hundred weight.
When a recurrence of the conditions of 1860 were threatened the following year, many of the people near Papinville, led by Colonel Douglas who believed in special providences, caused to
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be convened at Harmony, Missouri, a meeting to pray for rain. Rev. Amasa Jones led the service and fervent prayer was made that refreshing rains might be sent and the experiences of the preceding year be averted. Following this meeting there came a heavy rainfall that saturated the ground, and that year wit- nessed abundant crops. In the years 1856 and 1857 nearly all the vacant land in the county was entered by either actual set- tlers or speculators ; those making settlement coming mostly from other parts of Missouri, though many came from the free states. The following described tragedy, which occurred in the summer of 1857, on Clear creek, in the eastern portion of this county. created intense excitement and interest at the time and was a topic of conversation among the people for years. The murderer was Dr. Samuel Nottingham, who lived on the east side of Clear creek, in what is now Virgil township, and his victim was his own wife, Mrs. Sarah Nottingham.
Dr. Nottingham was a native Kentuckian, but had lived for some years in Indiana before coming to Missouri. He was well educated, naturally intelligent, and was a thorough graduate in medicine from the Cincinnati Medical College. In Indiana he married a Miss Collins, who bore him several children and died at last under somewhat suspicious circumstances, at the hands of her husband, as many thought. Coming to Missouri he was again married to Mrs. Sarah Duncan, a young widow, the relict of Robt. Duncan, and the daughter of Nathan Jarrell, an early settler in the northern part of Dover township.
Physicians were scarce at that day and Dr. Nottingham had an extensive practice. He was a church member, a man of us open vices, and was generally esteemed. But at heart he was a man of violent temper. Aroused to anger he became furious and vented his passion on what should have been considered the tenderest objects of his care and consideration, his wife and chil- dren. When in good humor he was a fond husband and a kind parent. With his second wife he did not live altogether agree- ably. She was a good wife to her husband and cared for his children as tenderly as if they had been her own; but she was a woman of spirit and would resent very readily any ill treatment towards her from her husband or any one else.
One evening Mrs. Nottingham was engaged in milking when the doctor rode up from a professional visit in the country. He
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began bantering his wife in apparent good nature, and she re- sponded in kind. Presently she said, "If you don't go away and let me alone I will milk on you," and pretty soon she threw a few streams of warm fresh milk in his face and on his clothes. Although this was done in mere sport, the doctor flew into a violent passion, ran up to his wife, kicked her, upset her milk, pulled her about by the arms and finally gave her a blow on the head with his fist. Mrs. Nottingham resisted for a time as well as she could, but when her husband struck her she turned away and said, "Now, you have struck me; I won't live with you any longer. I am going home to, my father, and I will never come back;" and bursting into tears she started off in the direction of the residence of her father, Nathan Jarrell, a few miles away.
Disliking a public exposure of his inexcusable conduct, and dreading perhaps the vengeance of his wife's father and her broth- ers, Dr. Nottingham followed after his retreating spouse, and overtaking her remonstrated and expostulated with her against her leaving him. Finally, as he afterward confessed, he admitted that he had done wrong, and implored her forgiveness, promising that he would never again mistreat her if she would return home with him and let all be forgotten. But to all of his entreaties his wife returned the one reply, "I won't live with any man who abuses me ; I can never love you again, and I won't forgive you." At last, becoming desperate under the influence of combined pas- sion and feeling, shame, remorse, fear, apprehension and anger, the doctor called to his wife to stop, and when she refused he caught up a stone as large as his fist and threw it at her with all his might. His aim was fatally true. The missile struck the poor lady in the temple, crushing her skull and killing her almost instantly. It is believed, however, that in his frenzy the murderer added a few more blows to finish the work.
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