USA > Missouri > McDonald County > Illustrated history of McDonald County, Missouri: from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 5
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The first public school at this place was es- tablished a few years before the war. A frame
school house was built in the northeast part of town near where Julian Lamb or Mrs. Morrison now lives. School was held for a while in the old frame court house, but whether before or after the war I have not been able to ascertain. The old brick school house was built sometime in the seventies. The present two-story brick was erected in 1894, at a cost of $2,500.
POWELL.
POWELL has been a central point for that part of the county since the first settlement. A small grist mill and a distillery were the first enter- prises started, which were operated until about 1861. Since the war there has been a store most of the time. The post office was established a few years after the war. G. W. Howard now keeps the store, and there are one or two black- smith shops.
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
ROCKY COMFORT.
ROCKY COMFORT is a nice little town in the northeast corner of the county, and has a popu- lation of between 200 and 300 people. It can boast of as fine a set of citizens as can be found in the great Southwest. 'They have a handsome school house, good churches, and almost all branches of business are represented. It is lo- cated in the heart of a rich agricultural country which is settled by a thrifty class of people.
The first part of the name was given from the ground being originally covered with rocks on the hill sides, while the beautiful valley with the spring of cold water suggested the name of Comfort. The euphony of the name can not be fully realized until one has seen the place and been an eye witness to its appropriateness. There were a few families at this place as early as 1850, and a few houses are still standing that were built before the war. The post office was established in 1865 or 1866. Before that time the people got their mail at Hazle Bottom in Barry county, where a post office was established about 1845.
RUTLEDGE.
The first county seat of McDonald county was at Rutledge on Elk River just below the mouth
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
of Indian creek. It bears the distinction of having beaten Pineville for the county seat in three seperate election. The town dates back to 1849. Dr. Duval located at this place when he first came to the county. Pearson kept a hotel, Wear & Farmer were merchants in the early day, afterwards selling to J. P. LaMance. Richard Kelley kept a saloon. There were, perhaps, many good people in the vicinity, but, "The evil that men do live after them," so it seems to be with this little town. It was here that a drunken mob pushed Copeland Goss onto Simon Cockerill, causing him to be shot through the heart. Here Hamp Walters killed Daniel Finch by stabbing him from the rear with a long, murderous bowie knife. It is related that one night A A. Hensley, Adam Mos- ier and others, while on a spree, threw down the old log court house. The removal of the county seat left nothing of the town but the name. Since the building of the railroad a switch has been placed there and one or two small stores have been in operation most of the time. The place is now called Madge.
SARATOGA SPRINGS.
IN one of the abrupt hollows, or brakes, that make down from the level lands near the edge of Cow Skin Prairie, in Prairie township, is one
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
of the finest springs of water in this famous country of springs. It flows boldly from the side of the bluff some thirty or forty feet above the bottom of the hill in a stream some three or four inches in diameter. At the top of the hill, some two hundred yards away, on a nice, level tract of land, part timber and part prairie, was laid out the town of Saratoga Springs. The original town was surveyed in October, 1880, for Bullock, Wisdom & Cox. Bullock & Wisdom's first addition, Bullock & Whitney's second ad- dition, and Colvin & Baker's addition were all laid out in November, 1881.
This was one of the Medical Springs towns and for a year or two promised to be a place of some importance. It had the prettiest location and most abundant water supply of all the med- ical towns. Several good business houses and many neat dwellings were erected. A good school was maintained, and a newspaper flour- ished in its palmiest days. But the pride of her glory has long since departed; the bloom of her beauty faded slowly away, and there is now only a few families, a post office and a couple of small stores remaining of the once promising little city.
SILVER SPRINGS.
WILLIAM AND ARZELIA C. HARNESS conceived an idea that an immense fortune was flowing
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
away through the waters of a spring on section 6, township 22, range 29, and, in anticipation of the vast treasures of the white metal they ex- pected to gather from the adventure, in August 1881, had the town of Silver Springs surveyed. But the seasons came and went. William's beard grew grizzled, and the cheeks of the fair Arzela lost the pink tint of youth, but adversity flapped her wings over the enterprise, and their bright dreams of stocking legs filled with the shining metal vanished for aye and the water still trickles through the gravel as of yore.
SIMCOE.
THIS is a post office and country store on the line between Elk Horn and Richwood townships about half way between Bethpage and Rocky Comfort. A co-operative store was run here for a while but eventually passed into the hands of private persons. The neighboring farmers who had banked their savings in the enterprise, for a while basked in the sunlight of their day-visions when they were to be bloated bond holders and sport gold-headed canes. But the weird soughing of the wind through the bare shelves and the rattle of mice in the empty su- gar barrels awoke them from their bright dreams, and a melancholy search was made in the recess- es of their jeans for about $2000 to settle the lia- bilities.
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
SPLITLOG AND THE RAIL ROAD.
McDonald county is not wholly devoid of fi- nancial enterprises and the town of Splitlog was the product of a scheme that at the time produced great excitement in our usually quiet community.
About 1880 Dr. Benna, an old California pros- pector, entered forty acres of land and began prospecting for gold and silver. He was with- out means, consequently his work progressed slowly. The Dr. in some respects, was a pecu- liar individual and there is little doubt that he honestly believed there were bodies of the pre- cious metals, could he only find them. He con - tinued his work as best he could for upwards of five years. In the summer of 1886 he succeeded in getting M. W. Clay of Newton county and Smith Nichols of Seneca, interested in the proj- ect and they took leases and at once began pros- pecting. They were apparently more successful than the doctor had been, for they soon took out dirt that on being sent to Chicago made a very encouraging assay. Nichols soon disposed of his interest and Mathias Splitlog a very wealthy Indian was induced to take hold of the enterprise. He put down a number of shafts, built a fine hotel and two or three business houses. The assays continued to be favorable and the
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
excitement spread, The Neosho Silver Mining Company, The Philadelphia Company, and the St Louis Company took leases or purchased lands. It is claimed that the Philadelphia com- pany paid $15,000 for the south half section 9, township 23, range 33, a particularly barren and worthless tract of land.
Confident of ultimate success, and that the city which bore his name would soon be the center of a rich mining district, Splitlog conceived the idea of building a railroad to his mines. A com- pany was formed, a charter procured and the road built and equipped from Joplin to Splitlog, the old Indian furnishing most of the money. In the mean time he had sold a tract of land near Wy- andott, Kansas, for $170,000, and most of this he had invested in his "great project."
By this time it had been fully demonstrated that the mines were worthless; the rich quartz was just common McDonald county rock, and a poor quality at that. Splitlog's bank account was about NON EST and the great balloon instead of busting all at once had received a puncture and was dying with a gradual "squizzle."
But there was too much money invested in the rail road to let it be abandoned. Eastern men were induced to take hold of it, and work was begun to extendit both north and south. For a while it was under the management of H W.
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
Bush, afterwards of John B. Stevenson. The route was changed and Splitlog left a couple of miles off the road. Finally the K. C. P. & G. Co. bought it, and for some years it has been in operation from Kansas City to Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Last year it was pushed on through a portion of the Indian Territory, and is now completed to Pout Arthur, on the Gulf of Mex- ico. The little road begun by Mathias Splitlog has grown to be one of the mostimportant north and south roads in the United States. He died at his home in the Indian Territory, about two miles below Tiff City, in January, 1897. A post office and small store, with a few families is all there is left of this once promising town.
Mention of this place was overlooked in writ- ing up Buffalo township.
SOUTHWEST CITY.
THIS is the largest and most important town in McDonald county, and contains many substan- tial business houses, neat and handsome dwell- ings, and has a population of some 1,200 people. It is located near the southwest corner of the state, the name being derived from the location. After talking with a number of the old citizens of that place and looking over the situation I have concluded that the following account tak- en from the history of this county published in
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
1888 is as correct as it is possible to get:
"The town now known as Southwest City is admirably located on the border of the Indian Territory, and within 6600 feet of the corner stone of Arkansas, Missouri and the Indian country. Within the town, and about it on the north, west and east, crystal springs pour from the hill-sides, while Honey Creek, which runs through the center, is itself a spring stream. North is the celebrated Cow Skin Prairie and the great fields of the Cherokees. Westward is the Indian paradise, and south and southwest is the great pine and hard wood region of the Grand Neosho, Within the last few years social conditions have entirely changed so that now the cattlemen enter town in peace and leave in peace. Even the Indians have realized the change, and conform to it with ease and dignity, giving to the new city some of the old sweetness of the former settlement of Honey Creek.
"J. P. LaMance and Burton McGhee were the first settlers of Southwest City in 1842. In the spring of 1843, Mr. Lamance and his wife moved one-half mile out to Case's Spring, and took posession of one of Case's log huts; thence in March, 1843, to the site of whatis now Saratoga Springs, where he resided until 1845, when he was appointed government school teacher in the Nation. Burton McGhee opened a tavern there
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
1842. Adam Cole settled three-fourths of a mile south of McGhee's three or four years later. Case was a horse-trader, who came here to trade with the Indians and found the cabins above named. In one of these cabins Jennie La Mance, who died in her sixteenth year, was born. In 1846 Burton McGhee established his trading house or general store here, and for ten years after that date carried on a large business. In 1856 he sold his stock of goods to J. P. LaMance and returned to his farm on Cow Skin Prairie, where he died.
A part of the McGhee property was sold by the administrator of the estate to J. C. Lamson after the close of the war. In 1870 Mr. Lamson had a town site surveyed here under the name of Southwest City. The LaMance store was con- tinued here until the close of 1861. In 1866 a house was built by Alex Struthers north of what is now the Corum House, and in this building LaMance and Struthers continued business until 1869, when J. Struthers purchased their respect- ive interests. The Barton store was established in 1871. In 1870, when Col. Shields built his hotel, now the Corum Honse, John and Alex Struthers' store stood where the Struther's dwelling stood before the fire of 1877. South was Pollard's blacksmith shop, the same which Barton fitted for a store-room. About this time
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
the tobacco warehouse of Col. Bondurst on Wet Prairie was confiscated, and much of the lumber brought to the new city and partly used in build- ing the houses just south of the Smith & Sea- bourn brick block. Hugh Blair lived in a cab- in 100 yards west of the same block. A black- smith shop stood fifty yards north of Honey creek, on the west side of the road."
The first school taught here was by Lee Smith, about 1869 or 1870. It was in a small frame building, lined with brick, which stood a few yards southeast of where Mrs. Fannie Preston's residence now is. The old two-story frame school house was built about 1885. The present, a handsome two-story brick with six rooms was built in 1896, at a cost of $5,000.
The Methodist, Baptist, Christians and Pres- byterians all have neat churches.
During its nearly thirty years existence this little city has had many exciting scenes, the two most noted of which are the fire which occured Sunday, January 10, 1892, and the bank robbery, which took place May 10, 1894. They are graph- ically described in the Enterprise of January 16, 1892, and May 11, 1894 respectively as follows: "On Sunday morning last at about 4:30 o'clock a loud explosion, which shook the very earth and made the windows and shutters rattle in ev- ery home in Southwest City and which awakened
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
our citizens, was but the prelude to the cry of FIRE, FIRE, which resounded through our streets, accompanied by the furious ringing of bells and the cries of people as they frantically rushed from their homes to the scene.
When first discovered smoke was seen issuing from the Masonic Temple over Smith & Sea- bourn's hardware store, and the light from the flames could be plainly seen playing against the curtained windows.
Mr. Turner, a photographer, who sleeps in his tent-gallery opposite the hardware store on the other side of the street, was awakened by the violent concussion of the shock and a shower of plate glass and other broken matter, against his tent. In less than a half minute he was in the hardware building with a bucket of water he had snatched up. The whole front was blown out which accounted for the previous shower of glass, which awakened him. A place was burn- ing in the back part of the building, apparently half-way across the room between two joists, and the lamp which was suspended had fallen to the floor and broken and the oil was burning, which he promptly put out. But fire was drop- ing from the ceiling all around and he hurried back to replenish his bucket with water. By the time he got back with the water quite a num- ber had congregated, and the fire by this time
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
was bursting from the windows up stairs and the fire in the interior of the hardware was dropping down steadily, but hesitated when the other explosion occurred-one, two, three times.
"In the mean time Mr. Mastin, who works in the back part of the room in the harnes-making department, arrived at the back door which was open. He was engaged in trying to get down some harness to carry out when another explo- sion occurred and he quit precipitately. The fire was then nearly all in front of the hardware and was spreading through the archway which connects the general merchandise room and is at the back of the entrance of Smith Bros. drug store which was located between the two stores. In ten minutes the whole building was in flames up and down stairs and it was with difficulty that parties having offices in the second story of the adjoining building north reached them and saved a few effects, for the smoke was stif- ling. In about half an hour three adjoining bricks were in flames and the flames were still spreading. From this block of bricks the fire, which was intensely hot, spread to Dumont's grocery and Dr. Frank Smith's office. The fire on the north jumped the side street across to the Gorton building, a frame, which contained Murph Harmon,s saloon, and all heroic meas- ures failed to keep it from going; awnings were
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
torn away from before the saloon and Sanders & Morrison's store on the north and a line of bucket men stood on the roof of Sanders & Mor- rison's fire wall, which is a hollow one, and to- gether with a free use of salt the building was saved, although badly damaged.
"Dr. Frank Smith's office was the last building on the southern limits of the burned district to go with the rest. It was a small one-story frame and was partly torn down by the force of men on this side. A line of men with buckets and wet blankets, re-inforced by plenty of water, kept watch and fought valirntly from the firewall of Mrs. Dustin's drug store, which is also a blind wall, and the fire was finally got under full con- trol. But forces of workers were busy on the front of the Corum House, oppsite the scene of the fire and wet blankets and water did their work well. The front of John Struthers' store on the same side of the street as the Corum House, was subjected to like treatment.
"In the mean time the large frame implement ware-house of Smith & Seabourn's at the back of the block could not be saved, and out-buildings galore were wiped up in the immediate vicinity, among which was Mrs. Dustin's barn and con- tents, D. E. Havens' ware house, and only by the best of work was Mrs. Dustin's residence saved.
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
AMONG THE LOSERS.
Dr. Frank Smith lost $60, probably in books, instruments, etc.
Doty & Lee, proprietors of the The Enterprise, lost everything except books. They hold their loss at $600.
Mrs. Dustin had her stable and contents de- stroyed and barely saved her residence. Per- sonal loss $100.
The Dr. B. F. Smith, Sr., estate lost in two frame and one brick buildings burned, probably over $3,500.
Combs Bros. paint shop, brushes, oils, paints, &c., were entirely consumed by the fire. Loss about $25.
The Masonic fraternity lost everything, which they valued at $200, having recently re-fitted and re-furnished their rooms. No insurance.
C. U. DuMont's grocery lost about $200, prin- cipally contents of his ware room. However he retreated in very good shape considering. No insurance on stock.
' In the G. A. R. Hall over D E. Haven's store, the belongings of that order, also of the S. of V. and W. R. C. were almost a complete loss. The first lost goods valued at $125; S. of V., at $10; W. R. C., $25.
D. E. Havens who occupied the Dr. Smith brick saved everything but the contents of a ware-
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
house on back, which contained oil and bulk goods. He places his loss at about $200, a great share of which he attributes to persons of pilfering habits.
Drs. Quarles & Christian's offices and con- tents were almost a complete loss. Dr. Quarles, however, saved a couple armloads of books from his fine library. The loss to him and his office associate is nearly $1,200. Books, instruments and all went, except what they had at their homes on the night in question.
Smith Bros., druggists, lost their entire stock, but they were insured to the amount of $1,000 on stock. Books, papers and cash taken from safe after the fire were uninjured. W. F. Smith, the junior member, lost the Gorton building valued at $400, in which Murph Harmon con- ducted his saloon. Mr. Harmon is out about $250, principally in bar fixtures, a great part of his liquor stock being saved. What was saved of his bar fixtures were so badly damaged as to render them almost worthless.
Smith & Seabourn are the heaviest losers by the fire, their loss being estimated at $20,000. Their brick block comprised four large, hand- some business rooms; overhead were the Enter- prise office, Drs. Quarles & Christian's office, Opera house and Masonic hall. Their hardware stock was a total loss, except implements and
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
wagons, etc., which were stored in their ware- house, a part of which were saved. About $3- 000 worth of general merchandise and $1,000 worth of implements were got beyond the reach of the flames. Papers and safe contents taken out. No insurance.
BANK ROBBERY.
"About 3,30 o'clock yesterday afternoon seven well armed men rode into town from the south and dismounted in the street, just back of the post office, and tied their horses. Three of them made their way immediately to the bank while the other four took positions, two in the pool hall just north and across the street from the post office, while the other two stood in Dr. Nichol's yard. The first words heard from them was an order for every body to hunt holes, accompanied by an oath. To give their language more force, they began firing their winchesters, and kept up a fuscilade. The men proceeded to the bank and covered Mr. Ault, the owner of the bank, and Mr. Snyder, an assistant with revol- vers. Two of the men immediately crawled through the cashier's window, while the third held revolvers on Mr. Ault and Mr. Snyder.
After relieving the vault and the cashier's drawer of the money, they deposited it in a sack, and made for their horses, keeping up a con-
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
stant firing at every one who dared to show his head. While the three men were in the bank, the four men on the outside were doing deadly execution with their winchesters.
Ex-State Senator Seabourn and brother Oscar were in front of Mrs. Dustin's hardware store when the shooting began, and as they started for the store door two shots fired simultaneously struck them, and singularly, in very nearly the same place, just above the right hip joint in close proximity to the lower abdomen. The ball that hit J. C. passed through, while the ball that hit Oscar had lodged, and at this writing has not been located. M. V. Hembree, who was in W. L. Barker's saloon, received a ball in the ankle almost severing his leg, and will probably have to be amputated. By this time men had secured guns aud returned the fire, and the rob- bers made retreat as fast as possible. As they passed the street to Broadway and turned south, they encountered Simpson Melton, Deputy U. S. Marshal and fired three shots at him, one taking effect in the right leg, making a flesh wound. Melton returned the fire, hitting one of their horses which had to be abonded in the south part of town.
About 100 shots were fired on Main street, and sounded like war times, and many citizens had very close calls from the robber's guns.
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
They rode good horses and the men were under middle age, and it is reported that one of the men was recognized as one of the parties who was arrested on suspicion as being connected with the Bentonville robbery a few months ago. Mr. Ault, of the bank, informs us that the rob- bers secured in the neighborhood of $3,700. For- tunately for Mr. Ault, his insurance covers nearly, if not all the loss. After securing the money Mr. Ault and Mr. Snyder were marched with the robbers to their horses, and then or- dered to find holes and be quick about it.
The robbers met a warm reception as they turned south on Broadway, as several parties, including City Marshal, Carlyle, D. E. Havens, G. W. Smith, E. W, Eslinger and S. Melton were there with their guns, and were not afraid to use them. It is supposed that one of their horses was shot at that time by S. Melton, and another one was shot by J. D. Powell, who put in some good work as they passed his house. Charles Franks and Dick Prater also gave them a dose as they passed the Baptist church.
It is pretty well known that two of the rob- bers were wounded as they stopped several teams going into town and secured horses, and their wounds were plainly seen. One is shot near the eye and the other in the back or hip, as in changing horses he was not able to handle him-
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HISTORY OF MCDONALD COUNTY.
self. They took a horse from Shade Johnson, and one from a man by the name of Vaughn and another from Dave Smith, but afterward turned it loose as it could not travel fast enough."
J. C. Seabourn died of his wound a few days later, but his brother Oscar eventually recov- ered. Hembry's foot was taken off above the ankle.
The robbers wentin a southwesterly direction and track of them was finally lost some distance below Grand river. That night they stopped for supper some twelve or fourteen miles below Southwest, where they dressed their wounds. The lady who got their supper stated that six of the seven were wounded. Various parties were suspected and three arrests were made. Dr. Wynn and a man named Sparks were the first two. After investigating the matter, Sparks was discharged, but Wynn was placed in jail until the next term of court. The grand jury failed to find a bill and he was released. James Condry was indicted, but the case was nollied, there being no evidence against him.
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