USA > Missouri > Buchanan County > St Joseph > The Daily news' history of Buchanan County and St. Joseph, Mo. From the time of the Platte purchase to the end of the year 1898. Preceded by a short history of Missouri. Supplemented by biographical sketches of noted citizens, living and dead > Part 24
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Messrs. Lemon and Campbell, being members of the finance committee of the city council, immediately caused a hasty examina- tion of the city register's office to be made, and it was discovered that bonds numbered 901 to 1000, inclusive, were missing. During the afternoon and evening a number of telegrams were exchanged, and at a special session of the city council that evening an appropriation was made to send a delegation to New York city to investigate the matter. Mayor J. A. Piner, Register James H. Ringo and Marshal Enos Craig were selected. The delegates at once left the city, Mar- shal Craig going to Jefferson City for requisition papers.
From the tenor of the dispatches immediate action on the part of St. Joseph officials was necessary, as efforts were being made there to release the bond thieves. It appears that these men had been in New York for over a week, endeavoring to dispose of the bonds. Their actions and liberal offers excited suspicion, al- though the bonds were pronounced genuine by the city's financial agent. They claimed that they had secured the bonds from a man in Missouri, but the story was doubted, and Mr. Donnell expressed
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the opinion that if the men having the bonds in their possession were not guilty of theft they were acting as an agent of a disreputable city official at St. Joseph.
A new city administration having now assumed control, with F. M. Posegate as mayor, it was deemed advisable to send Thos. H. Ritchie, the newly elected city marshal, to New York city to aid in securing and bringing back to St. Joseph the bond thieves. Upon the arrival of the St. Joseph parties in New York the prisoners were turned over to Marshal Ritchie and ex-Marshal Craig, while the bonds were placed into the custody of Mr. Donnell. It was discov- ered that $4,000 of the coupons attached to the bonds were missing. The man who gave the name of Fisk when arrested proved to be W. W. Scott, who was engaged in the roofing business while here.
Register Ringo submitted to an interview while in New York, in which he said: "It was one of the coolest burglaries ever com- mitted in St. Joseph. The bonds were lying on a little bench in the vault, a large pile of them, and the robber or robbers would have to turn the pile over, which was done, they taking the lower part of them, and a robbery would not have been suspected unless it became neces- sary to count all of the bonds. These men must have watched me and taken an impression of the keys, as no person has a key except myself and the chairman of the finance committee."
Scott and Irwin were brought back to St. Joseph, tried and ac- quitted.
The jewelry store of Saxton & Hendrick, then located where the Tootle-Lemon bank now is, on the north side of Felix street, be- tween Fifth and Sixth streets, was robbed of jewelry to the value of $4,000 at about 6:30 o'clock on the evening of April 23, 1885. Four men entered the store. One engaged the only salesman present, Al- fred E. Daniels ; the other three sneaked behind the counters, robbed theshow cases of gold watches, diamonds and other jewelry and escaped. No arrests were ever made, nor was the property recov- ered.
The murder of Col. J. W. Strong by Dr. S. A. Richmond, on June 18, 1886, shocked the community. Colonel Strong, who had been prominently identified with public enterprises in St. Joseph, was at that time publisher of the Herald, the office being located at the southwest corner of Sixth and Edmond streets. Dr. Richmond was the proprietor of a patent medicine. He had failed in business and had previously created a sensation by mysteriously disappearing
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and having himself "discovered" in Chicago. On the morning of June 29, Colonel Strong was in his office, on the first floor of the Herald building. Richmond came up in a carriage, alighted and walked rapidly into Colonel Strong's presence. Without a word he fired three shots from a pistol into Colonel Strong's body. Death resulted in a few minutes. Richmond was tried and the jury found that he was insane at the time the deed was committed. He was sent to Asylum No. 2, from which he escaped. He is now living in Illinois, no effort having ever been made to return him to the asylum.
A bold daylight robbery occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, February 21, 1891. W. T. Kershaw, paymaster at the McDonald overall factory, in the Patee building, arrived with a sack of money, amounting to $1,600, to pay the employes. As he entered the vesti- bule he saw a man bearing a parcel wrapped in paper, who was ap- parently waiting for some one. The man proved to be a robber and the parcel a club. He struck Mr. Kershaw upon the head. A strug- gle ensued in which Mr. Kershaw was worsted, being stunned by the blow. The robber had an accomplice ready with a horse and buggy. They drove rapidly away, and though given a hot chase, escaped. No clew was ever found to them or the money.
Train robberies were quite common in the vicinity of St. Joseph some years ago. A plan to rob a train on the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs railroad was formulated in September of 1893. A point in the vicinity of Roy's Branch, about one mile north of the city, was selected for the scene of operations. Those im- plicated in the plot were N. A. Hearst, Charles Fredericks, William Garver, Fred Kohler, Henry Gleitze and Hugo Engel. Some days previous to the attempt the railroad officials had received pointers. Superintendent Hohl, having learned that the attempt was to be .made on the night of September 23, so arranged that the train marked by the robbers was enabled to slip by. The robbers then arranged for Sunday night, September 25. The railroad officials were again informed, and in connection with Chief of Police Broder- and Sheriff Charles W. Carson, again arranged to frustrate. the attempt. The two officers each furnished a quota of men. Those in the police squad were Sergeant J. Fred Henry, Patrolmen John Roach, Robert Maney, Daniel Shea, E. L. Keiffer, John Kendrick,
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John L. Claiborne, Charles S. Scott, John H. Martin, George W. Hays, Jeff Carson, William Halley, Ed Long and Wm. H. Rice. Sheriff Carson was accompanied by Deputy Sheriff John Brown. T. H. Ritchie, General Manager Brown and Superintendent Hohl were also of the party.
Instead of sending out the regular train, for fear of endangering the lives of passengers, a dummy train, an exact counterpart of the regular, was dispatched, the two rear coaches being darkened to give them the appearance of sleepers. The armed men were mostly placed in the baggage car. To make it appear that a large amount of baggage was on board, empty boxes were taken on at the Fran- cis street depot. The train was in charge of Conductor Jake Harden- stein. W. L. Wright was engineer and Victor Wise fireman.
There were several traitors in the robbers' camp. Prior to the attempt Hearst, Frederick and Garver had agreed with the officers that as soon as firing began they were to fall down flat on the ground and to remain unmolested. This plan was carried out to the letter. When the train arrived at Roy's Branch bridge a red light appeared on the track and a signal was given to stop. The train stopped, and as it did so the bandits were discovered, all heavily armed, ranged along the side of the track. Beside their guns they were supplied with dynamite and fuse. Kohler, who seemed to be the leader, in company with Henry Gleitze, rushed up to the engineer and fire- man, covered them with revolvers, and ordered them to climb down and open the express car door. They obeyed with alacrity. When the door was reached Kohler, with an oath, demanded that the door be opened, threatening at the same time to blow the inmates up with dynamite. Those inside obeyed, and when Kohler saw the head of a man he fired at it. The police then fired a volley and Kohler fell backward to the ground. Although badly wounded in a number of places he kept shooting until his revolver was empty. The other bandits, except those who gave the scheme away, also continued shooting, and soon Hugo Engel went down with his body full of bullets. Henry Gleitze made his escape, while the accomplices were made prisoners.
Gleitze was arrested the next day. He was arraigned at the De- cember term of court. The grand judy had indicted him for an attempt to rob R. E. Calicotte, who acted as express messenger, of a watch valued at $25, and not for an attempt to rob an express train, the train being a dummy and not an express. The prisoner was al- lowed, by agreement, to plead guilty, and was sentenced to two years
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in the penitentiary. Garver, Fredericks and Hearst were not prose- cuted.
At about 6:40 p. m. on January 10, 1894, the Chicago fast train, better known as the "Eli," on the Burlington system, was held up about four miles east of the city by five men. As the train reached the summit of the heavy grade a torpedo on the track warned En- gineer Gross that something was wrong, and almost at the same in- stant a red light in the hands of one of the bandits was swung in front of the train. This caused the engineer to immediately apply the air- brakes and stop the train. He was promptly covered with revolvers. The robbers ordered the engineer and fireman to accompany them to the express car, which they did. Messenger G. B. Wetzel, in charge of Adams Express Company's safe, being covered with re- volvers, opened the car door and also the safe. The robbers secured all the valuables therein contained. They also took the mail pouches. Having secured what booty they desired, they ordered the engineer and fireman to resume their respective places. The passengers were warned to secrete their treasures by Conductor Frank Murray, but this was unnecessary.
At an early hour Thursday morning, January 18, 1894, five men, presumably those who figured in the foregoing case, robbed passen- ger train No. 3 on the K. C., St. J. & C. B. railroad at Roy's Branch. In less than five minutes from the time the train halted the express car had been looted and the bandits disappeared. Express Messen- ger C. E. Baxter was powerless, and was compelled to stand and witness one of the three men in the car hand the booty to his pals, who placed the parcels into sacks, after which they departed.
The torpedo and red lantern were the means employed to halt the train. The mail coach in this instance was not molested, neither were the passengers. The firing of a number of shots by the bandits warned the postal clerks and passengers that something was wrong, whereat the clerks fastened all the doors of their car and hid under the pouches, while the passengers kept inside the coaches and were busy in secreting their money and jewelry.
The job being completed, the trainmen were stood in line on the west side of the track and the robbers took to the willows. Instead of pursuing its course, the train backed down to the Francis street depot, when the railroad and county officials were notified of the
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robbery. Investigation proved that the men did not remain in the willows, but returned to the city, two of them riding in a buggy, while three walked. The vehicle was tracked for some distance. A notorious character named Pat Crow pleaded guilty to complicity in this robbery and was sent to the penitentiary for two years.
The fourth attempt to rob a train in this vicinity was made on the night of March 2, 1894, the St. Joseph hill, three miles east of the city, being selected as the place and passenger train No. 18 on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific being the victim. The same plan was adopted by the bandits as had been successfully carried out in the two last escapades -- the torpedo and the red lantern. The engineer, J. D. Mckinney, slowed up his train when he observed the danger signal, but when he looked out and saw the armed and masked men he pulled the throttle wide open and ran the train through. While the train was in rapid motion the engineer was commanded to halt the train, but instead he dodged down in the cab. at the same time calling to the fireman to do the same thing. An examination, when the train reached Stockbridge, showed that the robbers had shot to kill, as the windows of the cab were broken and five bullets were buried in the woodwork near the spot where the engineer's head would have been had he not dodged.
CHAPTER XXIII.
LEGAL EXECUTIONS .- OTIS JENNINGS, THE FIRST MAN TO DIE UPON THE SCAFFOLD IN BUCHANAN COUNTY .- EXECUTION OF GREEN, THE SLAVE, AND OF WILLIAM LINVILLE .- JOSEPH LANIER TAKEN FROM ST. JOSEPH TO SAVANNAH AND SHOT .- HANGING OF A. J. BOWZER AND HENRY GRIFFIN .- JACKSON JEFFERSON PUBLICLY SHOT. -GREEN WILLIS, A NEGRO, HANGED FOR MUR- DER .- THE EXECUTION OF JOHN GRABLE .- EXE- CUTION OF PETER HRONEK, THE FIRST PRIVATE HANGING IN THE COUNTY .- LOUIS BULLING HANGED AT SAVANNAH .- EXECUTION OF JOE BURRIES AND JIM POLLARD.
The first legal execution to take place in Buchanan County was that of Augustus Otis Jennings, which occurred on September 2, 1853. Sheriff Joseph B. Smith was the executioner, a scaffold having been erected southeast of the Patee House.
Jennings and three others had murdered Edward E. Willard. The others were Wm. Langston, --- Jones and -Anderson, but none of them suffered the extreme penalty of the law except Jen- nings. Langston was convicted of complicity, sentenced to the penitentiary, but was subsequently pardoned by Governor Robert M. Stewart. Of the others, the records only show that a change of venue was taken to neighboring counties.
The murder of Willard, which occurred on July 27, 1852, in the brush north of the city, the location being at present in the corporate . limits, was most attrocious. The victim was a man of family, a car- penter by trade, and also an auctioneer. He became indebted to the parties named above, and to others, and a supposition was enter- tained that he was about to leave the country. These men, solely, it seems, with the idea of extorting the money from him-he claim- ing to have money buried in the woods adjacent to a graveyard, took him to the brush. They were amply prepared, having in their posses- sion a rope, a pair of hand-cuffs and a cowhide. Upon arriving at the
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point where it was said the money was secreted, Willard was threat- ened with torture provided the money was not forthcoming. Wil- lard, according to the confession of Jennings, seemed to be indiffer- ent, and finally declared he had no money. Upon this admission Langston, who took a leading part in the affair, commanded Willard to remove his shirt, which he did. They placed hand-cuffs upon him, and with a rope, procured by Jennings, the victim was bound to a tree and the cowhide and switches applied until life was extinct.
Arrests followed and Jennings made a full confession, detailing all the events connected with it. His trial resulted in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree within thirty minutes after the evidence was given to the jury. An appeal was taken to the su- preme court of the state, which tribunal sustained the action of the lower court. Many friends, among whom were Revs. Vandeventer and Boyakin, interceded with Governor Sterling Price in his behalf, but without avail.
Sheriff Smith summoned Captain Hughes of the Robidoux Grays, the only militia organization in the city, to escort the proces- sion to the scaffold to preserve order. About 8,oco people were present at the execution. The prisoner firmly ascended the scaffold, expressed the hope that he would die easy, and also a firm faith in Christ. Contrary to his hope, however, he struggled long and died hard.
In the early part of July, 1859, a young negro slave, who had been purchased in the section of country northeast of St. Joseph, killed Francis Marion Wright, a slave buyer, who was bringing him to St. Joseph. Green was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang. The execution took place on December 2, 1859. Jonathan M. Bas- sett was state's attorney and Judge Elijah Norton was on the bench. Michael Morgan was sheriff and executioner, with Wash Brown and Sam D. Cowan assistants.
It appears that while en route to the city in a buggy, the negro, by some means, came into possession of a pistol belonging to Wright, and shot him through the head, the wound proving fatal at once. The deed was committed on the road running through a heavy body of timber between Rochester and St. Joseph. Wright's corpse re- mained in the buggy and in a short time the horse, with its ghastly burden, swerved from the main road and stopped at the residence of
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Thomas Hubbard, in the vicinity. The alarm was given and it was soon learned who was the guilty party.
December 2, 1859, was a cold and bleak day, but notwithstand- ing that fact a large number of curious spectators gathered at Fowler's Grove, south of the city, to witness the execution. A rude scaffold had been erected, four poles having been sunk into the frozen ground and a rickety platform placed thereon. Among those who mounted the insecure structure were Sheriff Morgan, Deputy Wash Brown, Rev. Fackler, who conducted religious services, and several physicians. The Emmet Guards, under Daniel T. Lysaght, formed an escort from the jail.
The executioner was a bungler. When the trap was sprung the condemned man secured a hold upon the rope, and braced him- self against the side of the trap with his elbows. Sheriff Morgan pried the victim loose, and after admonishing him to "behave like a gentleman," forced his body through the trap.
Green cared little for this life or for future existence. He was a great lover of the good things of the earth, especially of liquor and eatables. Several physicians in the city took a fancy to him and gratified his every want. When those who had buried the body in the county cemetery, north of the city, were returning they met the physicians en route to the graveyard. Green had sold his body to them.
One dark night in July, 1863, a number of men, said to have be- longed to Joe Hart's gang of bushwhackers, entered the home of a man by the name of Burns, in Andrew County. During an alterca- tion which ensued George Henry, son-in-law of Burns, was killed, Burns and another man were wounded and the marauders escaped. Subsequently a young man by the name of William Linville, only nineteen years of age, was apprehended as one of the gang, and charged with the murder. The military authorities had possession of the city and surrounding country, but young Linville was, from some reason or other, turned over to the state authorities for trial. Judge Silas Woodson was on the circuit court bench at that time, having control of civil as well as criminal cases. A trial was held in September, and on the 29th of the same month a verdict of murder in the first degree was returned. Sentence of death upon the gallows was at once imposed, and Friday, November 6, set for the day of exe- cution.
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The hanging took place at noon a few rods southeast of the Patee House, now McDonald's factory. The hills adjacent were cov- ered by many witnesses of the sad scene.
The cortege left the jail, preceded by two companies of the Ninth cavalry, followed by Captain Dolman's company, guarding the prisoner. The condemned youth rode in a light double-seated carriage, seated between the Rev. Dr. Dulin, his spiritual adviser, and Barnes, the jailer, with Deputy Sheriff Matney in the same convey- ance. He was followed by Sheriff Enos Craig and his assistants, and an express wagon, wherein was an empty coffin.
The young man was calm and self-possessed to a remarkable de- gree. Being granted permission to speak, he said :
"The witnesses who swore against me swore to the wrong mail. You hang an innocent man. You take the life of the wrong person. I left the Confederate army on the 20th of May last, and, since then, have never fired a gun or pistol at any human being. The witnesses who swore that I killed that man were mistaken. I did no crime, but it can't be helped now. Remember, all of you, that I die innocent. I am perfectly willing and ready to die, for I expect to find rest in another world. I die an innocent man."
When the time approached for the execution, a prayer was of- fered, after which, with unfaltering step, Linville approached the drop in the platform and stood unmoved while the sheriff, assisted by the physicians, adjusted the fatal noose. A glove was placed in his fingers, which was to be dropped by him to indicate his readiness, the black cap was drawn over his face, the minister and all on the platform bade him good-bye. At a few minutes before 12 o'clock he dropped the glove, the cord was cut and all was over. In four minutes life was extinct.
The corpse was taken to the H. & St. J. depot, delivered to his mother and taken to Chillicothe for burial.
Joseph Lanier, who was tried by a military commission in this city, was excuted at Savannah, June 10, 1864. The crimes for which he was convicted, under three charges and specifications, were: "Encouraging and aiding rebellion against the United States," "Vio- lating allegiance to same," and "violating laws and customs of war." It was charged that he, with other marauders, burned a mill belong- ing to a Mr. Caldwell at Rochester, Andrew County.
Lanier was a native of Tennessee, and became an orphan at an early age. In the fall of 1861 the Confederates under Colonels Boyd
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and Patton formed a camp near Rochester, which Joseph and his two brothers joined. Tiring of life in camp he returned and became a member of the celebrated Hart gang. He was subsequently ar- rested by Major Bassett and Captain Davenport of this city, tried by military commission and sentenced to be shot. He was sent to the Alton penitentiary, where he remained nearly two years, awaiting a final decision in his case. The verdict was affirmed and he was sent back to be executed.
A military escort accompanied the condemned man to Savan- nah from the H. & St. J. depot in this city. The details were all ar- ranged and carried out under the directions of Captain Theodore Griswold. At noon the prisoner walked between two ministers of the gospel to the place of execution, a few rods northeast of the depot. A coffin was placed before him, and facing the coffin and his executioners, Lanier uncovered his head while Rev. A. H. Powell uttered a prayer. He was unmoved and unconcerned when the death warrant was read, and when he was asked if he desired to be blindfolded, he replied, "Just as you please." He was requested to kneel by his coffin, which he did. Six bullets pierced his body. Upon the breast of the corpse, suspended by a black string around the neck, was a picture of the Virgin Mary, and in his pocket a crucifix, given him by a Catholic priest who had visited him in jail.
In the case of A. J. Bowzer of Linn County, charged with being a robber and guerilla, a member of Holtsclaw's band, the work of the military commission was quick. The evidence, in their minds, was conclusive of guilt. If it is true, as is said, that the testimony of one side only was taken, a decision was not difficult to arrive at. Bowzer was tried on September 8, 1864, and his execution was ordered to take place on the 9th-the next day.
The gallows was erected a short distance below where the K. C., St. J. & C. B. roundhouse is now located. When the prisoner mounted the platform his step was firm and not a gleam of fear was depicted on his countenance. Lieutenant Harding, provost mar- shal, officiated, and at a signal from him the trap was sprung.
On the 23d day of the same month, in accord with the finding of the same tribunal, Henry A. Griffith, said to have been a member of the same company of soldiers as Bowzer, was executed on the same scaffold.
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On August 27, 1864, while drinking in a saloon in the southern part of the city, known as the "Cottage Home," a soldier by the name of Jackson Jefferson became enraged at a fellow soldier and struck him over the heart with a stick of cord-wood, death resulting at once.
Jefferson was sentenced by the court-martial to be executed on October 22, the place of execution being arranged for in the vicinity of the Patee House. When the guards arrived at the jail to take him they found the door barricaded by the prisoner. He threatened death to the first one who entered. After some time, however, he yielded peacefully. He was placed in an ambulance, and, sitting on his coffin, was conveyed to the fatal spot. At 4:30 o'clock p. m. the prisoner marched to the center of the square, where his coffin hac been arranged. When all preparations had been made, the man having given up all hope, a message was hurriedly delivered, giving him one week's respite.
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