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 25
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At 2 o'clock on Friday, October 29, the time of the respite ex- pired, and he was again escorted to the execution grounds. At the provost marshal's office he entrusted to a friend a number of letters, among which was one to his mother. Some difficulty was experi- enced by the officials in adjusting the handcuffs, when the prisoner, with composure, assisted in placing them in position. Having been blindfolded, he knelt beside his coffin. A platoon of soldiers leveled their muskets. Four bullets penetrated the condemned man's frame -two almost severing his head, one passing through his breast, and one through the left shoulder.
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November 9, 1865, Jacob T. Kuhn, a tenant of J. C. Roberts, about four miles east of the city, on the One Hundred and Two River road, was killed while en route home from the city, his body being discovered a few rods from his house. It was found that Kuhn had been murdered and robbed, an axe which he had taken to town being near him, covered with blood and hair. No clue was discovered as to the guilty party until December 20, 1865, when Green Willis and Charles Clark, negroes, were arrested, charged with the murder of John Lohr, on the Brierly farm in Marion Township, a short time previous. Upon being examined before Justice J. C. Robidoux, Clark, the younger of the two, made a confession, which cleared up both the murder of Kuhn and Lohr, fastening the guilt upon Green Willis. The testimony was to the effect that Clark and
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Willis overtook John Lohr on the public highway, and Green Willis made a proposition to kill him, saying he had money. Clark as- sented, whereupon Willis struck Lohr upon the head with a stone, after which both dragged the body to a slough in Brierly's field. Clark had heard of the killing of Kuhn, and at that time Willis told him that he (Willis) had committed the act with an axe, and that he had thereby secured the sum of $25.
A special session of the circuit court was convened on Monday, January 22, when the jury, within five minutes after the evidence was closed, returned a verdict of "guilty" against Green Willis, convict- ing him of both the murder of Jacob Kuhn and John Lohr and fixing the punishment at death.
The date of execution was set for March 1, 1866. On that day a large number of people came to the city. The scaffold, which was located on the bottom land in the southern part of the city, was surrounded by at least 5,000 people. The prisoner was attended by Rev. J. M. Wilkerson and Rev. Adam Dimitt, both ministers of negro churches in this city. Sheriff Ransom Ridge was the execu- tioner. The prisoner was informed that he had but a few minutes to live and was urged to make a full confession, which he did. He re- quested that his body be given to his wife for burial.
Charles Clark, the young negro associated with Willis, was con- victed as an accessory and imprisoned for life, but it is said that he has been pardoned and is at large.
August 22, 1870, John Grable was executed for the murder of Joel Drake, Sheriff Irving Fish being the executioner. Although neither the evidence nor the confession established the exact locality in which the murder was committed, the defendant was indicted, tried and convicted in Buchanan County, Judge I. C. Parker being upon the bench.
On January 6, 1870, John Grable went to Parkville, Mo., for the purpose of securing a coffin in which the bury Joel Drake, first mak- ing arrangements with neighbors for the grave, etc. Statements made by him as to the manner in which deceased came to his death caused suspicion in the minds of some, and on January 9 an affidavit was filed before Justice Saltzman in this city by one Daniel Bender, in which he stated that he believed that on or before January 2 John Grable had murdered Joel Drake.
Grable and Drake were brothers-in-law, both residents of Platte
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County, and the former had accompanied the latter to Gentry County in a wagon to secure money due Drake for property sold by him in that county, he having formerly resided there. The evidence tended to show that the deceased secured a check for $475 on a St. Joseph bank; that the parties were seen together at several points between Albany, Gentry County, and St. Joseph ; that the check was cashed by Grable on the 3rd day of January; that Drake was not seen alive in St. Joseph; that Grable put his team in a feed lot in the city, at the same time warning the owner thereof that it would be dangerous to venture near the wagon, as a vicious dog was kept therein; that he drove the team to Halls Station, at which place Mary Nolan, a sister of Grable's wife, got into the wagon, the dead man meanwhile lying in the rear portion of the vehicle; that they then drove to their home near Parkville, where the body was buried.
John Grable made a statement to his brother, sister-in-law and others that he and Drake arrived in St. Joseph on Saturday, January I; that Drake cashed the check, giving him $120 to hand to Drake's wife; that they stopped at a boarding house not far from the Black- snake; that he saw nothing of Drake until Sunday afternoon, when he found him dead in a questionable house in the vicinity; that the body was rolled into a blanket and placed in the wagon by three women, who threatened, in case he divulged anything, to swear the crime of murder against him.
Acting upon the statement in the affidavit, a- coroner's inquest rendered a verdict that the deceased came to his death at the hands of unknown parties, and on the Sunday following, armed with a warrant sworn out before Justice Saltzman, Sheriff Fish went to Platte County after Grable, and brought him to St. Joseph.
A preliminary examination was held and the accused bound over to await the action of the grand jury, which found a true bill against him. The trial was set for Wednesday, May 25, 1870. A change of venue was asked, but denied by Judge Parker, and the case went to trial. Circumstantial evidence proved Grable's guilt, and a verdict of murder in the first degree was rendered June I. He was sentenced to be executed on Friday, August 20, 1870, but Judge Henry S. Tutt, his lawyer, petitioned Governor J. W. McClurg for a respite, which was granted until September 9. Before the day of execution arrived the condemned man made a confession of guilt, in which he admitted the killing, detailing every fact in connection therewith, and when on the scaffold he reiterated the substance of his previous statement.
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When the hour for leaving the jail arrived, at noon, Grable, accompanied by Sheriff Fish, with his deputies, Charles Springer and Captain Lund, marched out of the jail yard and entered an open wagon in waiting to convey him to the place of doom. At this junc- ture the sheriff remarked that it was about the noon hour, and asked Grable if he did not desire his dinner. The prisoner read- ily accepted the invitation, remarking, "I always eat when I can get it." He ate a hearty meal. The repast completed, he again entered the wagon, seated himself upon his coffin, and was conveyed to the place of execution, located in the southern part of the city.
The cortege was accompanied by mounted guards, under com- mand of Captain Saltzman, who, upon arrival at the grounds, formed a cordon around the scaffold.
Grable asked for whisky, which was furnished him, and also asked permission to make a statement, as untruthful reports had been published about him. He openly confessed the murder, and gave a warning to those within his hearing to avoid the use of intoxicants, as by that means he was brought to his present position. During the preparations for the final act he gave instructions as to the placing of the rope around his neck. Soon the body shot down, the drop being about eight feet, and within a few seconds life was extinct.
The first private execution in the county occurred on June 30, 1888. On April 16, 1887, Peter Hronek, a Bohemian, who lived with his wife and one little child at 1705 Olive street, cruely murdered the woman by shooting her with a pistol. Hronek was drunk when he committed this crime.
He was convicted and sentenced to be hanged, August 19, 1887, being fixed as the day of execution; but the case was taken to the supreme court. The lower court was sustained, and the condemned man was legally put to death on the scaffold in the jail yard on June 30, 1888, at 1:30 o'clock p. m. Sheriff Joseph Andriano was the officer in charge. Hronek was attended by Father Kryzwonos of the Polish Catholic Church.
On Sunday afternoon, March 8, 1888, a tragedy occurred at the Herbert House, corner of Fourth and Charles streets, this city. Louis Bulling, a young man born and reared in this city, who had been separated from his wife, called at the hotel, where she was employed, and asked to see her. After a short conversation he shot her while she was kneeling by a trunk in search of a picture of their child, which Bulling had requested.
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Bulling was tried, found guilty of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to be hanged. The case was appealed and remanded. A change of venue was then taken to Andrew County, and in March, 1889, the case came up for trial. The jury stood six for acquittal and six for conviction. In the following May the case was again tried and Bulling was convicted. The case was again appealed to the supreme court, which sustained the decision. The date of the execution was set for March 6, 1891, to take place at Savannah. Sheriff Berry of Andrew County secured the gallows upon which Peter Hronek had been hanged and made other preparations. How- ever, a respite was granted to April 17, 1891. On the night of April IO, Bulling sawed the jail bars and escaped. He was captured at Chicago in the latter part of June and returned to Savannah on July 3, 1891. On the night of July 4, 1891, he made an unsuccessful at- tempt to suicide with morphine.
Bulling was again sentenced, and September 4 set for the date of execution. The governor's clemency was invoked, but was re- fused. On the night before the execution the condemned man was much disturbed in mind, although he had a slim hope that his friends would be able to secure a commutation of his sentence to life impris- onment. It was expected that the execution would take place early on the morning of September 4, but it was delayed by the sheriff. The condemned man begged for a few hours' lease of life, and the hour was set for 2 o'clock. In the meantime the militia company was called out.
Shortly before the fatal hour, Bulling, together with his spiritual adviser, went into his cell. Scarcely had the door closed before two shots were heard. Upon entering, the officers found Bulling wel- tering in his own blood. Both bullets had taken effect. For fear that the law would be cheated out of a victim, four stalwart men took hold of Bulling, who fought like a demon, and conveyed him to the scaffold, placing him in a chair. At 3:18 the drop fell.
Joseph Burries, known as "Dusty," a young negro, was hanged by Sheriff Andriano and his deputies at the jail on May 12, 1895. He had been convicted of criminally assaulting a little white girl on July 30, 1894. The sentence was pronounced by Judge Silas Wood- son. Though a strong petition was sent to Governor Stone, the executive refused to commute the sentence, but granted a stay of execution. On the night of December 31, 1894, Burries escaped
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from jail, in company with Pat Crow and three others, but instead of leaving he country, as had been planned, he could not resist the temptation of again seeing his wife, and was captured the next night while in company with her in a room on Francis street.
The last night before the execution was an eventful one within the gloomy walls of the old bastile. A number of negro ministers called, and Burries joined in the religious services with much earnestness. The colored quartette, all prisoners, sang religious songs, the singing being joined in by Burries. Between 1 and 2 o'clock the next morning, the fatal day, the condemned man awoke, sang a hymn and uttered an earnest prayer. Religious services were held that morning, and then Burries started a religious negro song entitled, "I Don't Want You to Grieve After Me," in which the negroes present joined with fervor. It was a weird performance. The condemned man then knelt in prayer, at the conclusion of which he marched in his stocking feet to the center of the platform where hung the fatal noose. He died without a struggle.
On Friday, June 25, 1897, James Pollard, a negro youth, was executed by James Hull, sheriff, on a scaffold erected in the jail yard. July 30, 1895, Pollard, who was born and reared in the vicinity of . DeKalb, returned to that neighborhood, after an absence of some time, went to the residence of Dave Irwin, another negro, with whom he had previously had trouble, and made an attempt to kill him. In shooting at Dave Irwin he shot Joseph Irwin instead, death resulting a short time afterward.
Pollard made his escape, being at large for some time, but was finally captured at Gallatin, Mo. He was tried twice for the crime, a conviction following both times. The case was appealed to the supreme court, and a strong effort was also made for a commutation of sentence. The supreme court sustained the lower court, the gov- ernor refused to interfere, and Pollard was hanged. He was very pious during his last hours.
CHAPTER XXIV.
SOME OF THE CASULTIES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN BUCHANAN COUNTY AND ST. JOSEPH .- THE PLATTE RIVER BRIDGE DISASTERS .- COLLAPSE OF NAVE & McCORD'S BUILDING AND DEATH OF NINE PERSONS .- THE DROWNING OF FIVE GIRLS AT LAKE CONTRARY .- EXPLOSION OF DAN- FORTH'S FLUID AND THE KILLING OF THREE NEGROES .- THE EARTHQUAKE OF 1867 AND SEV- ERAL DESTRUCTIVE STORMS SINCE THEN .- A LIST OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIRES.
A complete list of casualties that have occurred since the settle- ment of Buchanan County would alone make a book of considerable size. In this chapter only a few of the more notable mishaps will be briefly mentioned.
The Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad bridge over Platte River, east of the city, was the scene of several disasters. On September 21, 1859, the bridge went down under the weight of a train. Several were killed. On September 3, 1861, occurred what is generally known as the Platte River bridge disaster. The bridge had been burned, presumably by bushwhackers, who were expecting a regi- ment of soldiers whom they hoped to destroy by wrecking the train. Instead, however, a passenger train dashed at full speed into the chasm. Stephen Cutler, the conductor; Frank Clark, the engineer ; Charles W. Moore, the fireman, two brakemen and twelve passen- gers were killed. Early in the following November, while a regi- ment was crossing the swollen stream on a pontoon bridge, a heavy log dashed against the structure, causing destruction and loss of life. Seven were drowned, among them the wives of two soldiers.
Another notable accident of the early days was the collapse of Nave & McCord's store building and the loss of life. This building, a three-story brick, stood upon the site of the building on the west side of Third street, north of Felix, occupied by C. D. Smith's wholesale
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grocery, and afterward by McCord & Collins' wholesale grocery. Directly north, and below the grade of the street, was a frame double tenement, one side of which was occupied by the family of Samuel Harburger, a merchant, related to the Binswanger family of this city, and the other side by a family whose names could not be learned. On the morning of July 5, 1860, fire broke out in the upper floor of the Nave & McCord building, then occupied by that firm. There was no fire department in those days, nor were there many police, and the walls collapsed before the general alarm was given. The debris com- pletely covered the tenement and Mr. Harburger, his wife, two chil- dren and servant girl perished, as did also four members of the other family. Two of Nave & McCord's clerks-William Hudnut and Henry Mitchem-who slept in the second story, had a narrow escape. In the collapse the timbers had so fallen as to protect these men in- stead of crushing them, and they were rescued from their perilous position by volunteers. Mr. Hudnut is still a resident of the city. The insurance companies refused to pay the loss on the building upon the ground that the collapse had occurred before the fire. The case was tried at St. Louis, and after eight years of litigation resulted favorably to Nave & McCord. It was proved by a traveling man, representing a flour mill at Beloit, Wis., that the building was on fire for some time before the collapse. He was a guest at the Patee House, and had been unable to sleep owing to the hot weather. Seated at his window, he noticed the flames and watched the progress of the fire for some time before he heard the crash.
About 3 o'clock on the evening of May 13, 1864, a powder maga- zine, situated on the northern extremity of Prospect Hill, exploded. Near a hole in the ground, where the magazine had stood, the bleed- ing, bruised and burning body of a boy was found. Another body was found some distance away. The bodies were those of James McEnery and James Morrison. There had been several other boys in the crowd, who were more or less seriously injured. The boys had lighted a match and thrown it into a crevice in the magazine.
St. Joseph was violently shaken by an earthquake on April 24, 1867. The shock occurred at 2:35 o'clock in the afternoon. At first there was an ominous rumbling sound, then a rocking move- ment from east to west and west to east, which continued for twenty
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seconds. The alarmed populace sought the streets and there was intense excitement. The public school buildings shook, the plaster- ing cracked, huge seams being observed in the walls; the children screamed and the teachers, being bewildered and perplexed, dis- missed the frightened pupils and hastened to their homes. Never before was there such consternation in the city. In a few seconds the air was as calm, the earth as tranquil, the face of nature as placid and everything as harmonious as though nothing unusual had occurred. No damage was done to property. A second shock was felt in Sep- tember of 1871, when there were fears that the old court house would collapse. A third shock was felt in the autumn of 1896.
Early on the morning of February 23, 1868, fire destroyed the Allen House stables on South Fourth street, owned by Brooks & Maupin. It was necessary to use water from an immense cistern, which was located south of the city hall. While walking around the engine, George Slocumb, engineer at Hauck's mill, fell into the cis- tern and drowned before assistance could reach him.
On the night of December 15, 1868, the Pacific House burned. This was regarded as one of the most expensive conflagrations up to that time.
On Sunday morning, January 23, 1870, at about 4 o'clock, fire destroyed a brick row of buildings on the west side of Second street, near a bridge which then spanned Blacksnake creek. All the in- inates, with the exception of one young man, who was in an inebri- ated condition, in a rooni of a resort known as the "Rosebud," made their escape, and his body was afterwards recovered, burned to a cinder. When the firemen had finished their work, and were prepar- ing to leave, they were called back by the discovery of the remains of this victim. While engaged in removing debris, a wall fell, cover- ing Frank Y. Heill, Arthur Colburn, Julius Sidekum, Blass Argus, Julius Gishe, all firemen, and John W. Clifford, a colored man. All were rescued, after heroic work, except Clifford, who was killed by the falling wall. Blass Argus, a member of the Hook and Ladder Company, was so severely injured that he soon expired.
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Perhaps the most disastrous storm in the history of St. Joseph occurred on the night of July 13, 1871. The weather had been sultry and threatening all day, but the storm did not burst until at about 9 o'clock at night. Francis Street Methodist church was struck by lightning and badly damaged. The Pacific House roof was removed, the Everett, the Neeley, the Webster and the Fourth Street Colored schools were unroofed. The convent of the Sacred Heart lost a por- tion of its roof, as also did St. Patrick's school on South Twelfth street. The estimated damages to property were over $150,000. No lives were lost in the city, though lumber and debris of all de- scriptions were flying about and the people panic-stricken. A sad affair occurred in the country. At the residence of James Keiger, five miles east of the city, were a number of people, among the guests being Mrs. Lucy Lovell and her two little children. When the storm was at its height Mrs. Lovell, who was with her babes in an upper story, brought them down and paced them in the bed of Mr. and Mrs. Keiger. While kneeling in prayer for their safety a bolt of lightning laid the loving mother low. Penetrating into the hallway the same bolt struck and killed Harry R. Blakemore of St. Joseph, who was also a guest at Mr. Keiger's.
On the night of September 3, 1873, a tornado destroyed the ex- position buildings that were in the course of construction near the present site of the K. C., St. J. & C. B. shops. Other serious damage was also done.
On Sunday, July 23, 1876, a boat containing a party of pleasure- seekers, capsized in Lake Contrary and five girls were drowned. The party was in charge of Otto Gross. Beside himself, seated in the boat were Misses Clara Kratt, Rosa Muench, Sophia Seitz, Mathilde Zimmer and Mathilde Gross, the daughter of Mr. Gross. A distance of about three miles had been traversed, and when return- ing, and when within less than a hundred yards from the shore which they had left, little Clara Kratt and Cora Muench, who occupied the seat in the rear of the frail craft, began to reach out and gather water lilies, causing the skiff to dip to one side. This was continued until the boat capsized, and in an instant the six unfortunate persons were struggling in twelve feet of water. Mr. Gross succeeded in reaching each of the girls and placed their hands on the boat, but in their desperate efforts to regain a position in the boat it was again overturned and once more they were plunged under the treacher-
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ous waves. Mr. Gross again seized his child and attempted to save her, at least. With his burden he was making good progress, when another one of the girls seized him about the neck. This action placed him in such a position that all hope was gone, and he was com- pelled to free himself from both in order to save his own life. He made for the shore, but ere he reached it he was taken with cramps, and but for the timely arrival of a man in a skiff, he, too, would have drowned. The bodies were all recovered. The body of Miss Zim- mer was buried from the residence of her father on the following afternoon. The funeral of the others was an impressive affair. The fire department's hook and ladder truck was improvised into a hearse, which was draped in white and black crape, and beautifully ornamented with flowers and evergreens. The procession was formed in front of Mr. Kratt's residence on Messanie street, where the first coffin was placed in position. Each house of mourning was visited in turn, and the four coffins placed side by side. The hearse was drawn by four white horses. The cortege then took its line of march to Ashland cemetery, preceded by Rosenblatt's brass band. Then came the hearse, and following this was the band wagon in which were seated a number of the girls who comprised the lake party when their companions lost their lives, each bearing in her hands a wreath of flowers. There were over 150 carriages and buggies con- taining sorrowing relatives and friends.
The Odd Fellow building at Fifth and Felix and the furniture store of Louis Hax, which joined it on the south, were burned on the night of January 29, 1879. The Odd Fellow building was occupied by J. W. Bailey & Co., with an extensive dry goods store. The entire loss was about $200,000. The site of these buildings is now covered by the block occupied by Townsend & Wyatt, Jones, Town- send & Shireman and the Louis Hax Furniture Company. The burned buildings faced Fifth street.
A grewsome accident occurred on the night of May 23, 1881. A negro resort was kept by George Cunnigan on the south side of Edmond street, between Sixth and Seventh streets, in a building owned by Dr. Wm. Leach. The basement of this building was di- vided into two parts, one part being used in connection with the re- sort and the other for the storage of an illuminant known as Dan-
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