USA > Missouri > Linn County > The history of Linn county, Missouri. An encyclopedia of useful information > Part 50
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1870.
Prof. Torrance resigned his position as superintendent of the public schools January first, and was succeeded by Professor Searle.
February twelfth, the provision store of Miller & DeGraw was burned, and on the same date, Dr. Bethelheim, a prominent citizen, died. On the twenty-sixth, the Young Men's Christian Association was organized.
March fifth, the Universalists bought a lot and made preparations to build a church. On the nineteenth, Dewey & Lane's grain warehouse burned, and a week later the house of Mr. Swartwout was also consumed.
On the second of April the measles were so prevalent in the town that nearly every family had a member prostrated by the malady. The public school was closed for two weeks. On the sixteenth, the Brookfield Coal Company, which had been prospecting for coal for some time, struck a thirty-inch vein at the depth of 150 feet. On' the twenty-third, A. C. Clarke purchased eighty acres of the " Helm tract," and began to lay out his addition.
Considerable improvement was made in Brookfield this year. A great deal of building was done, and by the first of June forty-two new buildings, costing $25,000, had been erected.
May seven a child of Mrs. Robinson was fatally poisoned by taking laud- anum in mistake for sirup of squills.
On the fourteenth the contract for building the new school-house was let to John McRae.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
On the twenty-eighth a lot of waifs and gamins from New York City were put off at Brookfield by a Mr. Brace, an agent of a New York philan- thropic society, and found homes among the charitable people of the town and township.
On the thirtieth of July work was begun on the Universalist church building. The structure was completed September third. On the fifth of November the Universalist State Convention of Missouri was held here.
August twentieth Ross Crandall, a prominent citizen, died.
About the first of December the first number of the Brookfield Demo- cratic newspaper made its appearance.
The public school building was completed December fifteenth. Its entire cost was $18,000. The building, still standing, is of brick, forty-four by sixty feet in size, with a wing thirty-two feet square. There are six rooms, each twenty-seven by sixty feet, having a seating capacity in the aggregate of 500 pupils. The master builder in charge of the carpenter work was W. H. Leake; and the tinware, J. C. Post. Abell & Best did the painting, graining, and glazing. The furnishing of the building cost about $1,000. The board of directors at the time the house was built was composed of W. T. Snow, president; Rev. J. P. Finley, secretary ; T. D. Price, treasurer; J. F. Roberts, O. H. Wood, James Tooey, and William French, members.
MURDER OF J. W. COTTER.
On the eighteenth of December, 1870, a number of men were in Brown's saloon, drinking and discussing the Franco-Prussian war, then about ended. One of the men was J. W. Cotter, an Irishman who had lived in this coun- try about three years. In the discussion Cotter espoused the cause of France, alleging that the French soldiers had proven themselves to be braver than the Germans, and that the latter had only been successful because of the superiority of their generals. This was resented by others of the crowd- Germans-and, all being more or less intoxicated, an attack was made on Cotter by William Kreigher, John and Henry Brown, and Jacob Yeager. Cotter was so badly cut and beaten by the infuriated Tentons that he died a week later. The parties named were arrested and examined. William Kreigher was held without bail. The others were bound over in bonds of $1,000 each. Kreigher afterwards escaped and the others were never tried.
1871.
The Presbyterian church was dedicated January first, and the M. E. church (the old building) January fourteenth.
March fourth William H. Murch, a switchman, was run over and killed by an engine in the yards.
On the twenty-ninth of April a man named Jones fell down a shaft at the
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coal mine to the depth of sixty feet. Singularly enough he was able to be about the next day.
In the spring of this year there were quite lively times under the "hog ordinance," an ordinance forbidding hogs to run at large. Many animals were taken up and impounded to the great dissatisfaction of their owners.
May twenty-seventh Tooey's tobacco warehouse burned. Nearly $8,000 worth of tobacco belonging to Towner & Co. was lost in the conflagration.
In March Mr. Dunlap began boring for coal, and in the latter part of June announced that he had discovered a thin vein.
August twenty-sixth W. T. Snow began the erection of the new post- office building.
In the month of September the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the lower court that the park was public property taken and held by the town of Brookfield as trustee, and therefore it could not be vacated or di- verted from the original intent of the grantor.
The fall of this year was extremely droughty. No rain fell from August twenty-second to October seventh.
SALEM, BROOKFIELD & NORTHERN RAILWAY.
In the fall of this year an election was held to vote on the question of the township's issuing $100,000 in bonds in aid of the "Salem, Brookfield & Northern Railway," a projected railroad to run from Salem, in Dent county, via Brookfield to Keokuk, Iowa. The election resulted in a large majority in favor of issuing the bonds. Two kinds of tickets were printed and cir- culated; viz.,
FOR THE RAILROAD SUBSCRIPTION, YES.
AGAINST THE RAILROAD SUBSCRIPTION, NO.
October 17, 1871, on petition of J. M. Gilson and others the County Court made the subscription in twenty-year eight per cent bonds.
April 23, 1872, the town council ordered an injunction issued restraining the County Court from issuing the remainder of the bonds on the ground of fraud in their subscription, but this suit was withdrawn May ninth fol- lowing and the order rescinded. The vote on withdrawing this suit stood: Ayes-Dunlap, Carey, Lewis, and Gilson. Nays-Lane.
Afterward $10,000 of the money already raised on the bonds was trans- ferred to another corporation, the "Kansas City, Brookfield & Chicago Rail- road," and this sum together with $3,000 accrued interest, and other inter- est in addition, still stands against the township.
February 15, 1873, an election was held to transfer $63,000 in the bonds voted to the Salem road to the Kansas City & Keokuk road, but the propo- sition was voted down.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
THE ENGINE-HOUSE AND CITY HALL SCHEME.
At the session of the town board, October 21, 1871, an ordinance was- passed to borrow $30,000 on the credit of the city for the purpose of con- structing an engine-house and hall "for the use and improvement of the. town," the purchase of a fire engine, hose-cart, hose, hook and ladder, etc.,. and to construct not less than four large cisterns for the supply of the town with water for extinguishing fires. Lots one and two in block one, A. C. Clark's addition, were purchased from that gentleman for the sum of $800. as a site for building the contemplated town hall .*
Upon learning of the extraordinary action of the town council, the citi- zens became greatly excited and indignant. The town was in its infancy as it were, with no very large amount of taxable property, and with its pro- portion of a large railroad indebtedness impending, and the reckless and seemingly profligate conduct of their town legislature in voting upon them a very heavy burden for the mere purpose of putting on airs and aping the government at large and opulent cities, was not to be borne. An indigna- tion meeting was held, at which speeches were made and resolutions adopted. condemning the action of the town trustees in the severest terms.
An injunction suit restraining the board from proceeding any further was- brought, and May 11, 1872, this suit was dismissed upon the passage of an ordinance by the council repealing the former ordinance. The vote on the repeal of the ordinance stood: For-Dunlap, Carey, Lewis, and Gilson .. Against-Lane. There are, however, many persons who think that, in view of subsequent developments, it would have been cheaper for the town had the appropriation been expended for the purpose declared, as the town would' then have had a fire department which would have been of service at the. various fires which have visited the place. .
At the close of the year 1871, it was computed that buildings and im - provements had been made since the previous first of January to the amount of $108,850.
1872.
The Great fire of January, 1872-About ten o'clock p. M., a fire broke. out in Tooey & Salisbury's store, on Main Street, and before it was checked did great damage to the business interests of Brookfield. The principal losers were Tooey & Salisbury, who lost their brick build- ing containing their stock of dry goods, etc., and a frame wool-ware- house; A. Turner, brick building; Turner & Smith, stock of gen- eral hardware; John Bolton, "Vermont House"; J. C. Post, build- ing and stock of stoves and tinware; F. Lehman, building, furniture, cloth-
*As the lot was never used for the purpose intended Mr. Clark now claims the property, and the matter is understood to be in litigation.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
ing, and shoe-shop; Clarkson & Moore, grocery stock; W. D. Crandall, Ga- zette office; Halloway, saloon; Dr. Wilcox, dental rooms. Many others lost goods and had their buildings damaged. The total loss was about $65,000, on which there was an insurance of probably $35,000.
The Gazette newspaper office was destroyed, as stated, involving a loss of some $3,500; insurance, $2,000. The paper, however, never missed an is- sue. Mr. Crandall had just received new type, which was saved. The pa- per came out on its regular publication day, only a four-column sheet, how- ever, printed on a job-press. February twenty second following, the paper appeared at its full and regular size.
Fortunately the fire occurred on a calm still night, or doubtless, all the the buildings on Main Street would have burned. As it was every store on the street was emptied of its contents, which were deposited in various parts of town, in anticipation of a general conflagration. The citizens worked hard, and assisted by the hose from the railroad shops, which did excellent work, succeeded in subduing the flames before they had done irreparable damage. The next few weeks and months were devoted to re-building, and in a short time, comparatively, everything was replaced.
April twenty-eighth, Rev. Thaddeus Brogan was drowned in Benton town- ship. The news was received with great sorrow in Brookfield where Father Brogan belonged. (See history of Benton township.) The body was buried here, there being a large and imposing funeral.
On the first of May quite a severe wind-storm visited the place. The roof of the Clarke House-which building was then in process of construc- tion-was blown off ; loss, $1,000. In June the building was completed, having cost about $30,000. It still stands and covers an area of eighty by seventy-six feet. About the same time Clarke's building was finished, Tur- ner & Strawbridge completed their building on Main Street at a cost of nearly $25,000.
About the sixth of June the Catholic cemetery and the public or Brook- field cemetery were enclosed.
A severe wind-storm visited the town on the twelfth of August. The Clarke House was unroofed, the barn demolished and a dwelling-house struck by lightning and badly burned. Many fences and out-buildings were pros- trated, and a section of sidewalk, sixty feet in length was blown a distance of eight yards.
The case of Jennie Finley-On the twenty-eighth of September, 1863, the steamer Robert Campbell was burned on the Mississippi, near Milli- ken's Bend, Louisiana. A number of lives were lost, as the boat was corwded with citizens and soldiers. Among the saved was a little four- year-old girl, that a soldier caught and swam ashore with. She could not tell her name, and all efforts to establish her identity at the time failed. The soldier gave the little waif to a Major Robinson, who carried her to
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
Ohio, where the Rev. J. P. Finley, now a citizen of Brookfield, obtained her and adopted her as a child of his own. Four years after the burning of the boat, a Mrs. Cooley, of New Orleans, visited Mr. Finley's family at Palmyra, Missouri, to see the adopted child that she fondly thought might be her own. The lady's statement was to the effect that she was one of four ladies who were on the ill-fated steamer when it burned, and that she lost a child, a little girl, about the age of little Jennie. Examining the child closely, Mrs. Cooley became satisfied that she was not hers.
On the third of October, 1863, the same lady made her appearance in Brookfield, accompanied by a prominent attorney of St. Louis, Colonel Nathaniel C. Claiborne, and claimed that she was satisfied that Jennie Finley was her daughter, and that she had come to take her away. Mr. Finley told the lady in reply that he should contend for the possession of the girl, now about thirteen years of age, and dear to him as if she were his own flesh and blood; that he could not and did not believe the child to be hers, or else she would have established her claim on her former visit when Jennie was much younger and more easily identified.
By agreement of Mr. and Mrs. Finley and the lady and Colonel Clai- borne the matter was referred to a committee of three, E. C. Brott, John M. Rynex, and T. D. Price, who, after hearing all the evidence and listen- ing to the arguments, decided against Mrs. Terry. That lady was not sat- isfied with the decision, and announced that she would carry the case into · the courts, but she did not. Miss Jennie vet lives with her adopted parents in Brookfield. She has grown to womanhood, and has become a handsome, accomplished, and most amiable, young lady.
On the last day of October, Dr. L. D. Robbins died from the effects of a dose of strychnine taken by mistake.
Killing of George W. Lackey-On the fourteenth of December, 1872, Durell D. Gilson shot and almost instantly killed George W. Lackey, in front of the post-office in Brookfield. Lackey and Gilson had quarreled previously, and Lackey, a much stronger inan physically than Gilson, had threatened to whip the latter. Lackey was about forty-one years of age, and had a wife and three children. He was a blacksmith. Gilson was only about twenty-two years old. He had a wife, who was lying very ill at the time. The two men met near the post-office, on the day named, and the quarrel was immediately renewed. Gilson had heard of Lackey's threat, and had announced that " If he (Lackey) tries that, somebody will get killed, and it won't be me." Both men were addicted to drinking, and are said to have been intoxicated at the time. Lackey had followed Gilson some steps, the latter warning him to "stand back." At last Lackey said to Gilson: " I will lick you like - before night." Gilson replied: " You are a - liar!" Thereupon Lackey started forward at Gilson, when the latter shot him with a revolver. Lackey turned half around, staggered,
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
stretched out his arms toward Mr. Charles Green, who was standing in the door of the post-office, and said in piteous tones, "Oh! Charley, I'm shot!"- and then fell dead on the post-office door-step. Gilson was indicted for murder in the second degree, by a special grand jury. After a time he was put on bail. Finally, in June, 1875, he was tried and acquitted. After the tragedy, the citizens of Brookfield, to the number of some hundreds, believing, as they said, the affair to be the outgrowth of " free whisky," petitioned the County Court not to grant any more dram-shop licenses for the town.
1873.
The fire of 1873 -- Mrs. "McCartney's fire"-On the second day of Feb- ruary, 1873, just after midnight, a fire broke out in the millinery store of Mrs. S. J. Simpson, in the building known as the McCartney building, and burned half a block. The losses were: Keenan Brothers, building and stock, $5,000; L. T. Ross, building and stock, $4,500, and household goods, $600; John McCartney, building, $1,500; L. S. Denyes, building, $2,500, and household goods, $400; Denyes & Gould, loss on stock of dry goods, $3,000. From certain suspicious circumstances a strong belief was enter- tained that Mrs. Simpson was the incendiary. She was arrested, waived a preliminary examination, and was admitted to bail. She was afterwards indicted for arson, tried, and acquitted.
March nineteenth, Joseph Proctor, an engineer, and Frank Dye, a brake- man, were killed in a collision near St. Josepth. Both were of Brookfield, where Proctor was buried. Dye's body was taken to Carthage; Illinois.
May first the public schools were closed for want of funds. On the same date the Clarke House was opened by a grand banquet and ball. Smith & Clarke was the first proprietors.
In the month of September the Palmyra Presbytery and the Teachers' Institute inet in Brookfield, and the Episcopal Mission was established. Rev. Talbot was appointed to conduct the latter.
1874.
February fifteenth, at about two o'clock in the morning (Sunday) another fire broke out on Main Street. Mrs. Seaver, milliner, lost her building and goods to the amount of $1,400. Enoch Needles lost a $200 building, and other property to the amount of perhaps $1,000 was either destroyed or damaged.
Near the first of April the New Era newspaper was established, with George N. Elliott and C. R. Norris as editors and proprietors.
Two sad accidents-On the seventeenth of April Charley Hoyle, a boy aged fourteen, a printer employed in the New Era office, and a son of Edward Hoyle, accidentally shot himself with a revolver. He lived about
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
one week. The next night after young Hoyle was shot William H. Crain, a switchman, was run over by two engines while on duty and instantly killed. He was twenty-eight years of age and left a wife and child.
April twenty-first the taxbooks of the city were stolen. The New Era charged ex Marshal Daulton with the theft. Daulton sued the editors for libel.
About the first of June the body of J. S. Harris, (known as " Count " Harris,) formerly railroad agent and yardmaster at Brookfield, and well known throughout the county, was found in the Platte River, in the western part of the State, by a little negro girl. Harris had mysteriously disap- peared about four months previously, and one thousand dollars reward was offered by his friends for his restoration or the recovery of his body. It seemed that Harris-always a peculiar man-had become deranged, wan- dered off, and walked into the stream where he was found. The body was taken to Quincy for burial. The reward was paid to the little negro girl by a Mr. Allen.
In October two prominent citizens died-Robinson Tooey on the sixth and William H. Leake on the twenty-fifth. In the same month the Uni- versalist State Convention was held. Revs. Pullman, of New York, and Hanson, of Chicago, were present and delivered addresses.
In November the Methodist parsonage was built.
December third John Hainsworth, a citizen of the place and a railroad brakeman, was killed by the cars at Hamburg, Iowa. The body was brought to Brookfield and buried by the Masons. Hainsworth was twenty- four years of age. December seventh, Miss Sallie Lee, a well known maiden lady, died, aged sixty years.
In 1874 the post-office issued $37,937.69 in money orders.
1875.
The month of January of this year was extremely cold. On the eighteenth the thermometer stood at twenty-eight degrees below zero.
On the fourth of March Israel P. Sturtevant was chopping wood in the timber, near town, when a tree which he had fallen rebounded and struck him on the head, injuring him fatally. He was brought home and died the same night.
In April the original trust deeds on the property sold on Rose Hill and in Helin's addition were closed by the Helm trustees. Parties were allowed to buy in their property at eighty dollars per acre. All vacant lots reverted to the Helm estate.
In the spring of 1875 the spelling-match mania invaded Brookfield. Nu- merous contests were had. Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Meade, W. D. Crandall, and Mrs. Remington wou prizes at different matches.
For some time an amateur dramatic club existed in the place, under the · management of " Professor" Lou Allen. The representations given by the club gave very general satisfaction.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
A severe wind and hail-storm visited the town June seventeenth. One or two buildings were moved from their foundations. One hailstone was found which measured nine inches in circumference.
One of the most prominent features of the fair in October, 1875, was the "baby show." . Mrs. O. A. Matteson's baby, Frances, took first premium for girl baby under one year old, $5; Abe Marks's boy, Edwin Claude, took first premium for finest boy baby under one year old, $5; Mrs. Lou Phillips's little Lillia took a $20 carriage as the finest and prettiest baby under two years old.
During the year 1875 there was marketed at Brookfield $176,210 worth of produce, as follows: Corn, $12,550; hogs, $48,100; cattle, $33,150; coal, by the Brookfield Coal Company, 592 car loads, valued at $15,000. The Advance boot and shoe factory made 210 cases of boots, worth $10,000.
1876.
The fourth of July of this, the Centennial, year was observed at Brook- field by a grand celebration, principally under the auspices of the Odd Fel- lows, and the affair was counted a success. Maj. A. W. Mullins delivered the principal oration. Mr. Dilley, of Caldwell county, made an address on Oddfellowship, in the afternoon. Music was furnished by Hutchins's band, and at night there was a display of fire-works, and a reunion at the hall.
The Tornado of 1876-At about five P. M., September 5, 1876, the " tor- nado of '76" struck Brookfield. A heavy cloud first came from the north- west and was met by a violent storm from the southwest. There ensued a most terrible and destructive war of the elements. In Brookfield, the barn of A. K. Lane, valued at $1,000, was demolished. The Methodist Episco- pal church building was blown down and completely wrecked; the organ, pulpit, and sofa were saved, a portion of the roof falling so as to cover them. Total loss to the church, $2,500. The colored school building was blown down, loss, $1,200. Mr. Tharp's house in the southern part of town was prostrated, and Mr. Tharp severely injured. The walls of Bowden's new brick building, which were up to the second story, were blown in. In all parts of town, chimneys, trees, and out-buildings were blown over.
Two miles east of town, Nephi Lord's house went to pieces. E. J. Scott's house was demolished, and Mr. Scott and his father-in-law were in- jured. W. T. Hunter's house was destroyed, and Mr. Hunter had his arm broken. Peyton Haines's house was wrecked, and Mrs. Haines was hurt. John Moore's house went down. The coal-works were dismantled. Many barns were unroofed, and smaller buildings scattered. R. E. Lee's fine orchi- ard was ruined.
Southwest of Brookfield cornfields and orchards were leveled. The same storm was generally destructive throughout the southern portion of the county.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY.
This being Presidential year, considerable interest was taken in the cam- paign by the Republican and Democratic partisans. Tilden and Hendricks and Hayes and Wheeler clubs were organized and paraded on different oc- casions. At the November election the vote stood in Brookfield, Hayes, 347; Tilden, 264.
On the second of November there was a railroad accident at Yellow Creek bridge, east of town. Four coaches of the early morning west-bound train were thrown from the track at the coal-mine side-track by the de- rangement of the switch. Many passengers were injured, but none se- riously. The wounded were brought to Brookfield and cared for.
December twenty-first, the remarkable meteor known as " the Fort Scott meteor," passed over Brookfield, creating some consternation and a great deal of wonder. One old darkey servant woman ran into the house and exclaimed, "Hi, Lord 'a Massa; de moon's busted ! "
1877.
About the first of March there appeared the first number of the Free- man's Journal, a monthly journal of forty columns, owned, edited, and printed by negroes. W. H. Stanton was the editor.
March ninteenth, A. P. Green, an engineer, whose home was here was killed by going through a burning bridge near Kidder, on the Hannibal & St. Joseph road in Caldwell county. Two other Brookfield men, Edward Tan- ner and Levi Rickett, were seriously injured at the same time.
June twenty-ninth Hanson's brewery burned-loss, $6,000.
July twenty-fifth the new Methodist Episcopal church building, taking the place of the one destroyed in the storm of the previous September, was completed. It is still standing; is thirty-eight by sixty feet in size and cost $1,800. It was dedicated August fifth, by Rev. C. C. McCabe of Chicago.
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