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THE 

Kansas Historical 
Quarterly 



KIRKE MECHEM, Editor 
JAMES C. MALIN, Associate Editor 
NYLE H. MILLER, Managing Editor 




Volume IX 
1940 

(Kansas Historical Collections) 

VOL. XXVI 



Published by 

The Kansas State Historical Society 

Topeka, Kansas 



18-6007 



Contents of Volume IX 



Number 1 February, 1940 

PAGE 

IDENTIFICATION OF THE STRANGER AT THE POTTAWATOMIE MASSACRE, 

James C. Malin, 3 

JIM LANE AND THE FRONTIER GUARD Edgar Langsdorf, 13 

THE LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER, 1861-1863; Pioneer of Soldier 

Township, Shawnee County To be Concluded 26 

A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS FROM THE NINETEENTH KANSAS REGIMENT 58 

THE ANNUAL MEETING: Containing Reports of the Secretary, Treasurer, 
Executive and Nominating Committees; Annual Address of the Presi- 
dent, Robert C. Rankin; Election of Officers; List of Directors of the 
Society Kirke Mechem, Secretary, 76 

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 97 

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 106 

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES . 110 



Number 2 May, 1940 

PAGE 

WHEN HORACE GREELEY VISITED KANSAS IN 1859 Martha B. Caldwell, 115 

THE LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER, 1861-1863 ; Pioneer of Soldier 

Township, Shawnee County Concluded 141 

BASEBALL IN KANSAS, 1867-1940 Harold C. Evans, 175 

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY : 

Compiled by Helen M. McFarland, Librarian, 193 

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 221 

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 222 

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 223 

(iii) 



Number 3 August, 1940 

PAGE 

THADDEUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL Edgar Langsdorj, 227 

ABILENE, FIRST OF THE KANSAS Cow TOWNS George L. Cushman, 240 

J. A. WALKER'S EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY, 

Edited by James C. Malin, 259 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS Harold C. Evans, 285 

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 312 

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 324 

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES . , . 334 



Number 4 November, 1940 

PAGE 

THE JOHN BROWN LEGEND IN PICTURES : Kissing the Negro Baby, 

James C. Malin, 339 

RANSOM'S JOHN BROWN PAINTING Robert S. Fletcher, 343 

THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE Martha B. Caldwell, 347 

EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 Paul H. Giddens, 371 

THE FIRST KANSAS WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION LAW, 

Domenico Gagliardo, 384 

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 398 

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 409 

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 416 

ERRATA IN VOLUME IX 420 

INDEX TO VOLUME IX 421 

(iv) 



THE 

Kansas Historical 
Quarterly 



Volume IX Number 1 

February, 1940 



PRINTED BY KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT 

w. c. AUSTIN. STATE PRINTER 

TOPEKA 1940 
18-2143 



Contributors 



JAMBS C. MALIN, associate editor of The Kansas Historical Quarterly, is 
professor of history at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. 

EDGAR LANGSDORF is a member of the staff of the Kansas State Historical 
Society. 

Biographical mention of SAMUEL JAMES READER will be found on p. 26. 

A biographical sketch of ALFRED LEE RUN YON appears on pp. 58-60. 

ROBERT C. RANKIN, resident of Lawrence and member of the Kansas House 
of Representatives from the eleventh district, was the 1 1938-1939 president of 
the Kansas State Historical Society. 



Identification of the Stranger at the 
Pottawatomie Massacre 

JAMBS C. MALIN 

ON THE night of May 24-25, 1856, John Brown, with four sons, 
a son-in-law and two other Kansas settlers, made a raid on Pro- 
slavery settlers on Mosquito creek and Pottawatomie creek, killing 
three Doyles, Allen Wilkinson and William Sherman. At the time 
a special congressional house committee was in Kansas investigating 
the Kansas troubles. It consisted of John Sherman of Ohio and 
William A. Howard of Michigan, both Antislavery in sentiment, and 
Mordecai Oliver of Missouri, a Proslavery Democrat. As the Pot- 
tawatomie massacre occurred after the date of the appointment of 
the special committee the Antislavery majority took the ground that 
these outrages were outside the scope of their powers. The minority 
member, Oliver, differed, pointed out that the majority had taken 
testimony concerning this class of events in Kansas when it sup- 
ported their partisan purpose, and therefore he insisted that the 
Pottawatomie massacre be investigated, and on his own responsi- 
bility took affidavits of Mrs. Doyle and her surviving minor son, 
Mrs. Wilkinson and James Harris, who was employed by the Sher- 
man brothers, of whom there were three, Henry, William and Peter, 
"Dutch Henry," "Dutch Bill" and "Dutch Pete." These papers 
were printed with Oliver's minority report, and regardless of the 
merits of the controversy among the members of the committee at 
the time, the historian owes to Mordecai Oliver a deep debt of 
gratitude for his stubborn partisan insistence that these be made a 
matter of permanent record. 

In the affidavit of James Harris, whose testimony applied only to 
the incidents surrounding the murder of "Dutch Bill," he stated that 
three men were spending the night at his house: William Sherman, 
John S. Whiteman, and "the other man I did not know. They were 
stopping with me that night. They had bought a cow from Henry 
Sherman, and intended to go home the next morning." When John 
Brown's band entered Harris' house, the men were taken out sepa- 
rately and questioned. Harris omitted comment on Whiteman, but 
the stranger and Harris himself appear to have given answers satis- 
factory to John Brown and were returned to the house. Henry 
Sherman was the man especially desired, but he was absent search- 

(3) 



4 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

ing for cattle, and the last man taken out was William Sherman, 
who did not return. His body was found the next morning on the 
edge of Pottawatomie creek with the skull split open and part of 
the brains washed out by the water. As the "John Brown Legend" 
grew during later years, Free-State men attempted assiduously to 
discredit Harris' story, saying that undue influence was used in 
securing his affidavit, and that he told quite a different storj 
privately to Free-State men. The allegations of Free-State men 
must not be taken too seriously, especially as Harris and others 
left additional affidavits of the same tenor as his original. In filing 
claims for losses amounting to $375, suffered during the civil war of 
1856, and making proofs by witnesses before the Strickler commission 
in 1857, Harris made affidavit October 23 charging John Brown with 
stealing from him a horse, saddle, bridle and gun on the night of the 
Sherman murder, and, significantly, because of threats against his 
life, with forcing him to abandon his remaining property and to 
seek safety elsewhere. A neighbor, Minerva Selby of Anderson 
county, made affidavit to the losses saying that Harris came the next 
day and told of the robbery and murder, and Selby confirmed the 
charge of threats against Harris' life. Martin White made ac 
affidavit also, and one which is most explicit concerning the problem 
of Harris' testimony: 

Know that the petitioner was greatly alarmed ; seemed to apprehend danger 
from the murderers of Sherman, as the petitioner was at the premises of Sher- 
man when the act [murder] was committed. The petitioner expressed his 
fears of being killed to prevent his divulging the murder. Believe he was in 
danger of being murdered. The safety of himself and family required him to 
leave his home. 1 

Peculiarly, there has been little interest shown in the identity of 
the stranger, or whether he existed except in Harris' affidavit, and 
if he was a real person whether he became known and gave evidence 
against the murderers of the Pottawatomie which would corroborate 
that of Harris, or whether his testimony would discredit Harris. The 
little that has been said about him is associated primarily with the 
historical reminiscences of James Christian. In May, 1858, Chris- 
tian and James H. Lane announced the formation of a law partner- 
ship, with offices at Lawrence. The political set-up is familiar to 
all who understand practical workings of law firms that specialize 
in political law business. Lane was the outstanding Free-State 
lawyer-politician in Kansas, and James Christian was a prominent 

1. H. J. Strickler, Report [on Kansas claims], House Miscellaneous Documents, 35 Cong., 
2 Sess., No. 43. Claim No. 52, pp. 88-90. [Pub. Docs. 1016, 1017.] 



MALIN: STRANGER AT POTTAWATOMIE MASSACRE 5 

Democrat, or so-called Proslavery lawyer of the territory. The firm 
was ambidextrous, therefore, and could meet any legal emergency 
where a judicious use of political influence might be of advantage 
to the success of clients. Such a background in any case, and es- 
pecially in connection with the notorious Jim Lane, is not at all 
prepossessing as qualifying Christian to speak on so controversial a 
matter as John Brown and the Pottawatomie massacre. After the 
days of Kansas troubles, however, Christian served in the union 
army during the civil war and continued in the state as lawyer and 
newspaper man, and in spite of the fact that he was a Democrat in 
Republican Kansas, he was held in high regard. This later reputa- 
tion offsets somewhat the earlier stigma. Christian's story was 
thai^- 

Jerome Glanville was the man who was stopping at Dutch Henry's 2 on the 
night of the massacre, and was taken out to be killed, as the others were. On 
examination he was found to be only a traveler, but was kept a prisoner until 
morning and then discharged. He informed me personally who were the 
principal actors in that damning midnight tragedy, and said that the next 
morning, while the old man raised his hands to Heaven to ask a blessing, they 
were stained with the dried blood of his victims. For being too free in his 
expressions about the matter he [Glanville] was soon after shot in his wagon, 
between Black Jack and the head of Bull creek, while on his way to Kansas 
City. 

There are some differences between this version and that of Har- 
ris. The latter said the stranger had bought a cow, and the former 
said that he was "only a traveler." Harris did not record that the 
stranger was taken away when Brown's party left, and implies quite 
definitely that all who were in the house remained. He said that two 
men had been left in the house to guard Mrs. Harris, Whiteman and 
the stranger, when Sherman was taken out, and at a signal, this 
guard departed. Christian's story of the bloodstained hands adds 
dramatic quality to his story, but is not essential to the main issue, 
and scarcely rings true. 

The only one of the major biographers of John Brown to recognize 
the existence of Christian's story is Sanborn, who made a footnote of 
it, with the sneering introduction that it rested solely on the au- 
thority of a Kansas Democrat. 3 Villard ignored the whole issue. 4 
Among the lesser and distinctly controversial biographies, Connelley 
dismissed the whole story with bitter invective, and to give plausi- 

2. As James Harris was employed by Sherman and lived in Sherman's house or at least in 
a house at Sherman's place, Harris had referred to the house as his in the sense that he lived 
there, but Christian referred to it by Sherman's name as owner. The Sherman boys were 
bachelors. 

3. F. B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown (1885), pp. 269, 270, footnote. 

4. O. G. Villard, John Brown: A Biography Fifty Years After (1910). 



6 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

bility to this view, seized only upon that doubtful part of the 
Christian story which deals with the bloody hands. 5 Mrs. Charles 
Robinson gave Christian's story its widest publicity in the appendix 
to the tenth edition of her Kansas, Its Interior and Exterior Life 
(1899). 

Historiography is occasionally enlivened by accidental discoveries 
of laymen, and on the afternoon of July 27, 1904, while walking 
across a vacant lot at Penn street between Forty-first and Forty- 
second streets in Kansas City, Mo. (south of old Westport), one 
W. H. Gibbens noticed a fragment of stone. It was inscribed: "To 
the memory of Jerome H. Glanville; born 1825, murdered by four 
Yankee Abolitionists on Bull creek, in . . . [?]" 6 The final 
part of the inscription was broken off. The stone was a mystery and 
the news item came to the attention of G. W. Brown of Rockford, 
111., where it was printed in the Morning Star of that place, July 31. 
G. W. Brown had been editor of the Kansas Herald of Freedom, 
Lawrence, during the Kansas troubles, was a notorious character 
whose reputation for truth was somewhat tarnished, had been deeply 
involved in the bitter and degrading controversies of the early 1880's 
over John Brown and was again involved in unseemly controversy, 
principally with W. E. Connelley, over the same subject, and was 
being financed and encouraged by Mrs. Charles Robinson of Law- 
rence. He jumped at the opportunity offered by this discovery and 
wrote a letter published in the Kansas City (Mo.) Times, August 4, 
1904, identifying the stone with the Glanville of the James Christian 
story, but added no new information, beyond the fact that the 
identification gave the fragment of tombstone a definite significance, 
and was interpreted as giving support to the verity of Christian's 
story. 

In another letter, one printed in the Rockford (111.) Morning Star, 
December 11, 1904, G. W. Brown declared that the murder occurred 
in June, 1856. At this time he made the additional error of saying 
the four were John Brown and his three sons. The Christian letter 
had been written originally to G. W. Brown in January, 1880, in 
response to Brown's "Reminiscences of Old John Brown," these being 
published serially in the Kansas press. It seems peculiar that Brown 
in both of these newspaper letters of 1904, should have quoted the 
Christian letter from Sanborn's extract instead of the whole from 
his own original. Possibly the original had been lost. 

G. W. Brown's intervention in the matter was the opening signal 

5. W. E. Connelley, John Brown (1900), pp. 203, 204. 

6. Kansas City (Mo.) Star, July 28, 1904. 



MALIN: STRANGER AT POTTAWATOMIE MASSACRE 7 

for controversialists to enter the lists against him. August Bondi, a 
Jewish speculator and friend of John Brown in 1856, had made the 
mistake several times of recording his supposed reminiscences of 
the "Old Hero," and now branded G. W. Brown's first letter as pure 
fiction and related two stories of his own. One that the Browns 
intercepted George Wilson [probate judge of Anderson county] 
and another man, took them to camp, but on the intercession of 
Theodore Weiner, one of the John Brown massacre party, let them 
go free on the promise of Wilson to leave the country. Bondi 
claimed to have had this story from George Wilson himself in 1857, 
and from Weiner himself at Orson Day's cabin May 24 [?], im- 
mediately after the massacre. Secondly, Bondi insisted that the 
Browns could not have followed Glanville, that they were not out 
of Douglas and Franklin counties between May 24 and June 15, 
that he and Weiner left for Leavenworth June 15, that Weiner left 
the territory for St. Louis, and that he himself returned to the Brown 
community July 2 and had dinner with Brown at Orson Day's 
cabin. 7 

There is one quite simple answer to Bondi, besides the fact that 
there is little if anything in his story that is true, and that is, that 
the whole of his letter was quite beside the point. Christian's story 
implied that the murder of Glanville occurred very soon after the 
Pottawatomie massacre, and Bondi based his whole refutation on 
that assumption, and went further, insisting that to be true it must 
have occurred prior to June 15. In this limitation of the time ele- 
ment Bondi was controlled by his claim that he had received an 
account of the Glanville episode directly from Weiner, and Weiner 
left the territory June 15. The net result of the encounter between 
G. W. Brown and August Bondi was that the substance of G. W. 
Brown's identification of the Glanville tombstone with the Glanville 
of the Christian story stood as completely unchallenged as before 
Bondi intervened. 

The most interesting aspect of the Glanville death problem was 
that there was no need to make such a mystery of it. It was all a 
matter of contemporary record, except the actual date of his death. 
G. W. Brown's Herald of Freedom, November 8, 1856, carried the 
story of "Another Base Murder." 

A Free State settler residing on the Ottawa Creek, on Saturday last [No- 
vember 1], while traveling on the highway towards Westport, Mo., for provi- 
sions, was beset near Roger's residence, at the head of Bull Creek, was robbed, 

7. August Bondi to G. W. Martin, secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, August 
9, 1904. 



8 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

then shot and left for dead. The ball entered the back, at the side of the spinal 
column, and passed through the body a little below the heart. He was found 
a few hours after by a party of teamsters, and was taken to Westport. There 
is no probability that he is now living. The assassins are said to be a party of 
Georgians who are encamped in the vicinity, and who are attempting to carry 
out their threats of extermination against the Free State settlers. We call upon 
Gov. Geary to inquire into these facts, and take immediate measures to dis- 
perse and bring to justice the gang of outlaws who are again laboring to set the 
country in an uproar. 

On the same day that this was being published in Lawrence, the 
Star of Empire, a Border Ruffian paper in Westport, Mo., printed a 
story of the same incident, but with a different coloring. Glanville 
was identified by name and it was stated that he was shot at Bull 
creek by Abolitionists and had been brought into Westport Novem- 
ber 1, and was recovering from his wounds. This Border Ruffian 
sheet, usually discredited by historians, fortified its story by pub- 
lishing the affidavit of Jerome H. Glanville, sworn November 6 be- 
fore Justice of the Peace A. Street, Kaw township, Jackson county, 
Missouri. The affidavit stated that he was from Preston county, 
Virginia, and lived on Ottawa creek (northern Franklin county or 
southern Douglas county, Kansas) and on Thursday, October 30, 
was on his way to Missouri on the Santa Fe road, when four men 
overtook and passed him east of Prairie City (near present Baldwin, 
Douglas county). At the time they passed him he was talking to a 
party of surveyors. He heard that the four had robbed McCamish 
farther east on the road and they returned and waited for him at a 
point about one hundred yards west of Bull creek. Two rode up on 
each side demanding that he stop and deliver his money. His oxen 
did not stop quickly enough, but he made an attempt to reach his 
rifle and fire, but was shot from behind and the four fled. He de- 
clared that "I think these four men who attacked me belonged to 
Captain Brown's company, the notorious Abolitionist of Osawat- 
omie." Glanville thought that he had been betrayed by a neighbor, 
who just before he started asked him where he was going, and on 
being told that he was going to Westport for flour, galloped off. 8 

By the time the Leavenworth Herald had received both the Herald 
of Freedom and the Star of Empire with the conflicting versions of 
the same story Editor Eastin was in a mood to write a scorching 
editorial on Free-State journalism, pointing out that Glanville was 
a Proslavery man and had been "attacked by a party of [John] 
Brown's thieves, who call themselves Free-State men," and then 

8. This is taken from The Kansas Weekly Herald, Leavenworth, November 15, 1856, 
which copied it from the Star of Empire of November 8. A file of the Leavenworth paper is 
available for this period, but none of the Star of Empire seems to have been preserved. 



MALIN: STRANGER AT POTTAWATOMIE MASSACRE 9 

"this is the way that the outrages of that party are covered up. 
[G. W.] Brown manufactured the lie, to do away with the effect of 
Glanville's affidavit." 9 

It should be born in mind that, according to the accounts referred 
to, Glanville was still living. No account of his death has been 
found in the available newspaper files, although the local Westport 
paper may have recorded it. The fragment of tombstone picked up 
in Kansas City in 1904, assuming that it is genuine, and there seems 
to be no reason for a contrary view, did not have the date of his 
death. Summing up the evidence to this point it is obvious that the 
Bondi story is eliminated completely. If Christian's story were true, 
then the time which elapsed between the Pottawatomie massacre and 
the attack on Glanville was longer than he implied, although careful 
reading of his statement demonstrates that he set no time limit. 
Glanville's affidavit did not identify positively the attackers as 
Captain Brown's men, but he stated explicitly that he thought they 
were. This was November, 1856, and John Brown had left the terri- 
tory the first week in October and was at Tabor, Iowa, October 10, 
was in Chicago October 25-26, started back toward Tabor to over- 
take two sons October 27, and was in Chicago December 1, and did 
not operate in Kansas again until the summer of 1858. 

It would seem that the trail had been lost and that any attempt to 
connect the attack on Glanville with John Brown had failed in all 
aspects of the case. The appearances are deceptive, however, and 
the principle recognized in criminology and popular detective yarns 
holds good in history, that there is no perfect crime. Immediately 
after the Pottawatomie massacre in May the settlers on Potta- 
watomie creek, irrespective of views on the slavery controversy, as- 
sembled, denounced the crime, and pledged themselves to bring the 
criminals to justice. Those were not idle resolutions adopted at that 
meeting as some historians have alleged. Free-State men who had 
been associated closely with John Brown's movements on the ex- 
pedition which started to the assistance of Lawrence on May 21 
under John Brown, Jr., and from which the elder John Brown's 
massacre expedition had branched off, appeared before "bogus" 
Proslavery territorial law officers and swore out affidavits, and 
warrants were issued on these affidavits for the eight men guilty of 
the murders. 10 One only of the eight was arrested, was promptly 

9. Leavenworth Kansas Weekly Herald, November 22, 1856. 

10. Some aspects of these events and further data on the affidavits are discussed by the 
present author in "The Hoogland Examination," in The Kansas Historical Quarterly, y. VII 
(May, 1938), pp. 133-153. The full discussion of the John Brown massacre cases in the 
United States courts is reserved for another time and place. 



10 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

indicted by the grand jury for murder, and subpoenas were issued 
for the necessary witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense. 
All was done in proper legal form. The chronology of these events 
is as follows: James Townsley was arrested November 22, 1856, 11 
the indictment was filed November 29, and the subpoenas for wit- 
nesses issued December 3 and later. One subpoena called for two 

men, John Wightman and " Glenville" as witnesses for the 

prosecution. It was endorsed by Deputy Marshal Fain on Decem- 
ber 10, that Wightman could not be found and that "Glenville" was 
dead. 12 One interesting error was made by the territorial prosecu- 
tor's office in drafting the papers. Glanville's name was on the list 
of witnesses for the James P. Doyle murder, rather than for the 
William Sherman murder, for which he would have been a material 
witness. As the indictments for each of three murders were drawn 
separately and the accused seems to have been brought to bar to 
answer to all indictments at one time, the error may not have been 
important. Two events preclude an answer to the difficulty, the 
death of Glanville and the fact that for unknown reasons the cases 
never came to trial. 

Some points still need to be explained. Glanville was attacked 
October 30, and Townsley was not arrested until November 22, but 
this does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of the attack on 
Glanville being for the purpose of preventing him from testifying as 
a witness to the Pottawatomie affair. Governor Geary had been 
greatly aggravated by the persistence of disorder in southeastern 
Kansas after he had pacified northern Kansas, and decided to make 
a personal tour of that region, starting from Lecompton October 17. 
He spent considerable time in the war-torn region of Dutch Henry's 
crossing, Osawatomie and Paola. On October 21 he was at the cross- 
ing hearing all versions of the Pottawatomie creek murders, but his 
minutes preserved a discreet silence concerning what he learned that 
day. Proceeding on his way toward Fort Scott he was overtaken on 
the morning of October 24 by the news that a band of Free-State men 
had followed in his rear and attacked the house of Judge Briscoe 
Davis, whom he had visited the day before. Such an "impudent out- 
rage" could not be overlooked and he canceled his Fort Scott visit, 
turned back, sending troops in all directions on the trail of the out- 
laws with instructions that all meet that night at Dutch Henry's 
crossing. No prisoners were taken on this day's search, but the 

11. "Executive Minutes" of Governor Geary, report of U. S. Com. Edward Hoogland, 
dated November 29, 1856, in Kansas Historical Collections, v. IV, pp. 652, 653. 

12. All the documents mentioned are in the possession of the Kansas State Historical So- 
ciety, Topeka, in the collection of papers of the U. S. district court for Kansas territory. 



MALIN: STRANGER AT POTTAWATOMIE MASSACRE 11 

governor claimed he knew the guilty parties and issued an offer of 
$200 reward for their capture. 13 No names were mentioned, how- 
ever, but in subsequent identification, the leader of the party was 
Capt. James H. Holmes and others of the party were men whose 
names are recorded also on John Brown's own roll of enlistments in 
his Kansas military band. During the early part of the governor's 
tour he had made some arrests, but his chief interest had been 
pacification and reconciliation. The Davis episode changed all that 
and he sent Commissioner Hoogland and U. S. troops into southern 
Kansas to clean up. Hoogland had made his start November 15 and 
his concluding report of November 29 has been mentioned above. 
The governor's investigation of affairs at the crossing October 21 
followed by the man-hunt resulting from Holmes' raid on Davis' 
house on October 23 provides sufficient motive for members of the 
Brown gang to wish all witnesses of their crimes removed, even 
though John Brown himself had left the territory. According to 
Harris and his friends, he had escaped a similar fate only by 
abandoning his home. 

Incidentally the examination of this episode reflects several ele- 
ments of significance. Free-State attempts to discredit Harris' 
affidavit receive no support from the subsequent developments, and 
on the contrary, the implications are in his favor. Christian's remi- 
niscences of 1880 made the explicit identification of the stranger 
and of the motive for his murder, and affords a rare instance where 
the principal facts of a reminiscence about John Brown seem to be 
supported by contemporary recorded facts, except for the dubious 
bloody-hands story. Christian emerges as a more reliable writer 
of old settler's reminiscences of the Kansas troubles than most of 
his Free-State contemporaries. A third point is that in this instance 
the Border-Ruffian press, even the sensational Star of Empire, proved 
more reliable than the Free-State press, a conclusion most un- 
orthodox among American historians. 

In the strictest sense, it may be argued that the identification of 
Glanville as the stranger at Harris' house on the night of the 
Pottawatomie massacre is based upon circumstantial evidence. 
Harris' affidavit mentioned Wightman and a stranger as present, the 
subpoena in question linked the two names Wightman and Glanville, 
in the same document as witnesses for the prosecution and separate 
from the other witnesses, most of whose names were endorsed on 
one of the several indictments of James Townsley. If this was 

13. Geary's "Executive Minutes," in Kansas Historical Collections, v. IV, pp. 617-620. 



12 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

coincidence, it was a most remarkable one, and especially in view of 
the findings of the present author that the territorial officers had 
made a most thorough investigation of the Pottawatomie massacre, 
and within a few days of the event knew definitely the name and 
identity of every one of the eight participants in the crimes. Free- 
State men cooperated and supplied the necessary affidavits on which 
the warrants were issued. Any mystery that surrounds the matter 
turns not on the question of identity, but on the reasons why 
they were not brought to justice. In view of all of the circum- 
stances, the investigators should have had no difficulty, and ap- 
parently had none, in identifying the stranger of Harris' affidavit 
and calling as a witness the man who had bought the cow of Henry 
Sherman May 24, and presumably took her away on Sunday, May 
25, after the discovery of Dutch Bill's body in the creek, and the 
bodies of the other four murdered men and boys in the immediate 
neighborhood. All the evidence taken together, even if it does not 
constitute absolute identification of the man and the motive for his 
murder, certainly approaches the border-line where circumstantial 
evidence becomes direct proof. 



Jim Lane and the Frontier Guard 

EDGAR LANGSDOBP 

KANSAS was admitted to the union as the thirty- fourth state on 
January 29, 1861. On April 4 James H. Lane and S. C. Pom- 
eroy were chosen by the state legislature to be United States sena- 
tors. On April 12 Fort Sumter was attacked, and two days later 
surrendered to the troops of the secessionists. On April 15 President 
Lincoln issued his first call for 75,000 volunteers. The Civil War 
had begun. 

The state of Virginia secretly adopted a secession ordinance on 
April 17. Maryland was in revolt, and seemed on the point of se- 
ceding also. The District of Columbia, lying between the two, was 
in an extremely vulnerable position, an easy target for bombardment 
and liable to be starved out if the railroads running from the north 
through Baltimore were cut off. 

Precautions for the defense of the capital city were, of course, 
taken immediately. Volunteers were enrolled to fill the District's 
militia quota, government clerks were formed into military units, 
and state militia from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts quickly 
followed by those from other Northern states were under arms 
and en route to Washington almost before the first cannon roar at 
Sumter had ceased to echo. The Washington correspondent of the 
New York Daily Tribune, writing on April 12, reported that the 
city had resembled a military camp for two or three days. The 
correspondent continued : 

If Ben McCulloch and his Rebel band is not a myth but a reality, their 
ardor must have been dampened by the patriotic exhibition of the last sixty 
or eighty hours. The capture and sacking of Washington will be no holiday 
amusement for the empty-headed and rotten-hearted rogues who, if we credit 
rumor, have confederated to seize upon the White House and the Capitol. 
. . . By the time this letter will appear in your columns, about two thou- 
sand troops, regulars and volunteers, all picked men, will be on duty in this 
city. . . .* 

In addition to political and geographical circumstances, defense 
of the capital was complicated by military difficulties. The United 
States army suffered great loss by the resignation of many high 
officers, including Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, the quartermaster- 
general, Samuel Cooper, the adjutant-general, and Col. Robert E. 
Lee, the favorite aide of the commander in chief, Lt. Gen. Win- 

1. New York Daily Tribune, April 16, 1861. 

(13) 



14 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

field Scott, and the man favored to take over active field command 
of the armies in the event of wide-spread warfare. At no time was 
there a large number of troops in Washington, and optimistic re- 
ports of the Northern press to the contrary, there was certainly not 
enough now to withstand a determined assault by the Southern 
forces. True, there were ample volunteers to fill the militia quota, 
the clerks might have been able to hold off a seige of government 
buildings until the arrival of the state troops which were expected 
daily, but few of those in Washington had had military experience 
or could be counted on in an emergency. The New York Daily 
Tribune, interviewing a long-time resident of Washington who re- 
moved his family to the North when trouble came, quoted him as 
follows : 

Half the people inside the city are friendly to the Southern leaders. Every- 
where I boldly heard secession sentiments proclaimed; ladies rejoiced over 
the downfall of Sumter, and the wife of a clergyman told me triumphantly 
... . , "Now you see what we can do!" This is the greatest danger to 
Washington, and it is one nothing can overcome. The soldiers who have 
volunteered in the city are nine-tenths of them boys, and would not make 
any show at all if attacked. You would be indignant to hear the open re- 
proach and ridicule cast on the Massachusetts troops. It is said they ran all 
the way through Baltimore merely from a mob of unarmed men; and it is 
said with great gusto that all they had to do was to knock a Northern soldier 
down and take his musket from him. 2 

Rumors spread through Washington that the city was to be at- 
tacked, the government buildings and offices taken over by the 
Southerners, and the President captured and held prisoner. Ex- 
traordinary measures were necessary. 

Jim Lane, who always loved a fight, must have licked his chops 
when he walked into the middle of this uproar to take up his duties 
as senator. Action and excitement were meat and drink to him. 
He had offered a bodyguard of Kansas men when Lincoln was ready 
to start for Washington to be inaugurated, but the offer was de- 
clined. 3 Conditions were different now, and a guard might be useful. 

Because of the inauguration of a new administration and the ap- 
proaching session of congress, Washington was more heavily popu- 
lated than usual with office-seekers. Many were from Northern 
and Western states, and Kansas had her full share. Senators Lane 
and Pomeroy, arriving in Washington on April 13, took rooms at 
Willard's hotel, and in the evening began to make speeches. Porn- 

2. Ibid., April 26, 1861. 

3. John Speer, Life oj Gen. James H. Lane, 2d ed. (Garden City, 1897), pp. 234, 235. 



LANGSDOEF: THE FRONTIER GUARD 15 

eroy, recalling these events many years later and none too accu- 
rately, said they spoke from a dry goods box in the street in front 
of the hotel, himself first and then Lane. When Lane climbed up 
on the box there came a great shout from the mob, which consisted 
chiefly of Southern sympathizers: "Mob kirn! Mob him! Hang 
him!" Lane, naturally passionate and excitable, was terribly 
aroused, said Pomeroy. His eyes flashed, and his tremendous voice 
was elevated to its highest pitch. "Mob and be damned!" he 
shouted, "mob and be damned! I have a hundred men from Kan- 
sas in this crowd, all armed, all fighting men, just from the victori- 
ous fields of Kansas! They will shoot every damned man of you 
who again cries 'Mob,' 'Mob.' ' Then the other side cheered him 
heartily, and the click of cocking pistols was heard all through the 
crowd. Order was restored, and men stood deathly still, for no one 
seemed to know who stood next to him. 4 

Lane and Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky, the United States min- 
ister to Russia, "after an evening or two of flaming speech-mak- 
ing," 5 organized some of this excess population into two companies, 
the Clay Battalion and the Frontier Guard, the latter commanded 
by Lane. Enrollment in the Guard took place on April 14, and or- 
ganization was completed within a day or two. 6 There are said to 
have been 120 men in the Guard, but only fifty-one of the names 
are now known. 7 

Because the Frontier Guard was a voluntary and unofficial or- 
ganization, serving without pay, they were not mustered into 
regular army service and their names were never placed on the 
army rolls. 8 D. H. Bailey, a member of the Guard and later con- 
sul-general to China, said in an interview many years afterwards 
that about the time the Sixth Massachusetts regiment was attacked 
by a rebel mob in Baltimore, Maj. David Hunter of General Scott's 
staff called on Lane at the Willard hotel. He explained that because 
of the turbulent condition of the citizenry and the few troops in 
Washington, as well as because of secret information that an at- 
tempt was to be made to seize the President and overturn the gov- 

4. "The Times of War and Reconstruction: Reminiscences by Hon. S. C. Pomeroy," in 
"Kansas Biographical Scrap Book," "P," v. VI, pp. 144, 145. Hereafter cited "Reminis- 
cences." These reminiscences were written in 1886-1887 and printed in an unidentified news- 
paper. They are frequently unreliable, especially in points of detail. 

5. John G. Nicolay and John Hay, Abraham Lincoln, a History (New York, The Century 
Co., 1890), v. IV, p. 106. 

6. Senate Report No. SSI, February 20, 1890, 51 Cong., 1 Sess., Ser. No. 2704. 

7. Kansas Historical Collections, v. X, p. 419. 

.8- Statement of Richard C. Drum, adjutant general of the United States, in 1882 in 
MSS. division, Kansas State Historical Society. 



16 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

eminent, General Scott and Secretary of War Simon Cameron wished 
Lane to use his company of Kansas men for the especial protection 
of the President. Runners were sent out immediately to call the 
Kansans to Lane's rooms. On the night of April 18 at nine o'clock 
they marched to the White House and bivouacked in the East 
Room. 9 This account is born out in general by a contemporaneous 
report in the Leavenworth Times which was reprinted in the Law- 
rence Republican on May 2, 1861, and in the Council Grove Press 
on May 11. 

Arrived at the White House, the company was furnished with 
arms and ammunition. It was a strange scene. A gleaming sword 
was presented to Lane by Major Hunter. Well-fed Senator Pom- 
eroy, enrolled as a private, could not find a belt long enough. 10 

. . . After spending the evening in an exceedingly rudimentary squad 
drill, under the light of the gorgeous gas chandeliers, they disposed themselves 
in picturesque bivouac on the brilliant-patterned velvet carpet perhaps the 
most luxurious cantonment which American soldiers have ever enjoyed. Their 
motley composition, their anomalous surroundings, the extraordinary emer- 
gency, their mingled awkwardness and earnestness, rendered the scene a medley 
of bizarre contradictions a blending of masquerade and tragedy, of grim 
humor and realistic seriousness a combination of Don Quixote and Daniel 
Boone altogether impossible to describe. . . . n 

An account by "One Who Was There" gives the following de- 
scription of the scene in the East Room: 

This well-known resort is one of the most beautiful and magnificent halls 
in the country. Such a post of honor, on such an emergent occasion for the 
President had heard the rumor that day that himself and Gen. Scott were in 
danger of assassination from a Virginia party that night was no ordinary 
compliment. Other companies, of no little notoriety and experience, were in 
the city, but this distinction was reserved for Kansas. 

That night, Kansas had supreme possession of the White House, and fifty 
of her "Old Guard" slept sweetly on the President's rich Brussels, with their 
arms stacked in martial line down the center of the hall, while two long rows 
of Kansas ex-Govemors, Senators, Judges, Editors, Generals and Jayhawkers 
were dozing upon each side, and the sentinels made regular beats around 
them. . . .12 

The New York Tribune's Washington correspondent wrote that 
" 'Jim Lane,' the well-known," and his company had bivouacked in 

9. Emporia Daily News, November 20, 1882; also in the Weekly News, November 23. 
See, also, Speer, op. cit., p. 238 ; Nicolay and Hay, op. cit., v. IV, p. 106 ; New York Daily 
Tribune, April 19, 1861. 

10. Emporia Daily News, November 20, 1882. Pomeroy himself said later that because 
he could not find an army uniform belt long enough to go around him, he had to cut a hole 
in one end of the strap and splice it with string to the great amusement of those present. 
"Reminiscences," v. VI, p. 143. 

11. Nicolay and Hay, op. cit., v. IV, p. 107. 

12. The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, May 9, 1861. 



LANGSDORF: THE FRONTIER GUARD 17 

the East Room, which presented, "on the occasion, anything but a 
full dress appearance, but in the event of fighting the guests would 
show they were meant rather for use than for ornament. . . ." 13 
Not even Mr. Lincoln, said "One Who Was There," was allowed to 
coine into the room. "Even the President, when he attempted to 
enter the hall, accompanied by his lady and some members of the 
Cabinet, was pricked with the sharp steel of the sentinel, and told, 
perhaps jocosely that he could not possibly come in!" 14 

The formation of the Frontier Guard was noted, usually enthusi- 
astically, by most of the Kansas press. Brief notices first appeared 
in their telegraphic dispatches: "The Kansas men in Washington 
have formed a company of 75 men called the Frontier Guard. They 
have been given the post of honor of the East room of the Presi- 
dent's House!" 15 A similar note had been printed in the New York 
Daily Tribune on April 19. The Leavenworth Conservative, in a 
paragraph headed "Old 'Jim' Guards the Flag," said: 

It will be seen by our telegraphic report that Gen. James H. Lane has been 
called upon by the War Department to take charge of one thousand Union 
Guards in Washington. It does not surprise us that the Defender of Freedom 
in Kansas is honored with a high position the moment he arrives at the seat 
of Government, and we are now willing to bet our last cent (dollars are played 
out in Kansas) that Washington will not be taken. When old Jim gives the 
word, "Up, boys, and at them," there will be an awful scattering among the 
rebels. 18 

The Lawrence Republican wrote in the same vein: 

What Kansan won't feel proud when he reads the telegraphic dispatch, 
that the post of honor of Guard at the White House, has been given to a com- 
pany from Kansas? We imagine we see a few of the old "Free State" men 
surrounding Gen. Lane in that honorable position. Dr. Updegraff, who was 
badly wounded at Osawatomie, and Turner Sampson, and G. A. Cotton, and 
many others, who went through the Kansas struggle are at Washington, and 
will not be wanting in an emergency. Hurrah for the Kansas boys! 17 

The Council Grove Press of April 27, 1861, reprinted from the 
Leavenworth Times this somewhat skeptical comment: 

The telegraph reports that Gen. Lane is engaged in more active and earnest 
employment than securing official favors for his friends. He has been placed 
at the head of 1,000 troops, and a dispatch to the Cincinnati Commercial says 

13. New York Daily Tribune, April 25, 1861. 

14. The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, May 9, 1861. Cf. extract from Washington 
(D. C.) Evening Star, April 19, 1861, in Kansas Historical Collections, v. X, p. 420. 

15. Council Grove Press, April 27, 1861. Few Western papers at the time had direct 
wire service, and Washington news was ordinarily copied from letters and exchanges. The 
Press, for example, frequently took its "flash" news from Leavenworth papers. 

16. April 18, 1861. Reprinted in the Council Grove Press, April 27. 

17. April 25, 1861. 

2-2143 



18 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

he intends to resign his place in the Senate. We do not credit the latter state- 
ment. Gen. Lane has no doubt tendered his services to the Government, but 
we doubt whether he has as yet been commissioned as a regular officer, or 
assumed any position that will require him to give up his seat in the Senate. 

Sol. Miller, the acid-tongued editor of the White Cloud Kansas 
Chief, who was seldom friendly to Lane and had no respect what- 
ever for Pomeroy, the other senator, remarked: 

The Kansas office-seekers now in Washington, have formed themselves into 
a military company, called the "Frontier Guards," for the defence of the 
Capital. Pretty good idea, as they will thus have their board paid by the 
Government, besides advancing their chances for office by a show of spunk 
and patriotism. They may do well enough, as long as Lane commands; but 
wo unto them if they place themselves in Pomeroy's clutches he will sur- 
render them to the enemy, as he did the Free State people of Lawrence, in 
1856! i 8 

Other Kansas newspapers printing reports of Lane's military activi- 
ties included The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, April 18; the 
Daily State Record, Topeka, April 19; the Topeka Tribune and 
Leavenworth Conservative on April 20. 

The Frontier Guard remained in service until May 3, 1861. By 
that time Washington was filled with union troops and danger of 
a Southern attack was removed. The Sixth Massachusetts regi- 
ment, the first of the relief, had entered the city on April 19, and 
the New York Seventh arrived on April 25. Thereafter other regi- 
ments came in, communication with the North was assured, and 
the volunteers were no longer needed. As it proved, no very de- 
cisive action was required of the Guard at any time, its chief func- 
tion being to assist in protecting the White House and other im- 
portant points. 

One "engagement" with the enemy, however, has been recorded. 
A few days after the Guard was mustered into service, while they 
were on duty at the Long bridge over the Potomac between Wash- 
ington and Virginia, it was reported that a company of rebels was 
at Falls Church cross roads, about seven miles from Alexandria, 
Va. Lt. J. B. Stockton, with a detachment of men, was ordered by 
Captain Lane to make a reconnaissance in that direction. "Upon 
their approach the rebels fled, leaving their flag, which was cap- 
tured and brought back, being the first flag taken [by the union 
forces in the Civil War]. . . ." 19 

18. May 2, 1861. The last statement is a reference to the surrender of the Free-State 
cannon and other arms to the mob under Sheriff Samuel Jones which sacked Lawrence on 
May 21, 1856. Pomeroy was acting as chairman of the Lawrence committee of safety which 
authorized the action. 

19. Senate Report No. 537. 



LANGSDORF: THE FRONTIER GUARD 19 

A more descriptive account of this incident is given by D. H. 
Bailey as follows: 

Our company was the first to capture a rebel flag. It came about in this 
way: A report came that the rebels would make an attempt to capture the 
bridge across the East branch of the Potomac. We were ordered out one 
night in April. Marching down Pennsylvania avenue we were joined by Clay's 
company and marched thence to the navy yard. After a short halt the Fron- 
tier Guard filed out of the east gate across a ravine, and soon came in sight 
of the bridge. The moon was shining brightly and in the distance could be 
plainly seen a brass cannon near the draw. The writer happening to be in the 
front ranks went forward with palpitating heart expecting every moment to 
be cut down with grape and canister, but pride kept us all in line, although 
our knees smote together. At last coming full on the cannon we discovered 
to our immense relief that it was a gun of a Pennsylvania battery, and it was 
pointing toward the Maryland shore. This inspired us with courage. We 
urged Lane to have the draw lowered so that we might cross the river and 
scout for the enemy. Finally he assented and a detail of twelve or fifteen 
was sent across. Dividing the squad we pushed out on different roads and 
scouted the country for three or four hours. No hostile foes were found. One 
squad led, I think, by Harry Fields, 20 discovered a rebel flag flying on a pole 
in front of a house. The owner was aroused and ordered to haul the flag 
down. This he refused to do, but doggedly gave them permission to take it 
down if they wanted to do so. The flag was immediately hauled down, 
brought back with considerable exultation, and the next day it was stretched 
across the avenue opposite Willard's hotel, with a great placard inscribed: 
"Captured by the Frontier Guards." The prowess was not great, but the 
thing captured was a trophy. 21 

Kansas papers carried only brief mention of this adventure, and 
that gleaned second-hand from Eastern publications. The Emporia 
News, for example, said on May 4, 1861: "A dispatch to the N. Y. 
Herald says that Gen. Jim Lane is guarding the navy yard against 
rumored resigned incendiary naval officers, and has made several 
scouting expeditions into Virginia, during one of which he captured 
a secession flag. . . ." Another account took for its source a 
Washington paper: 

The "daring exploits" of the "Kansas desperadoes" in Washington . . . 
is thus reported by the National Republican, a paper published at the Capital. 

Reports reaching the city last evening that large numbers of rebels were 
assembling and fortifying the heights on the Potomac, Gen. Lane's battalion 
of Kansas men were stationed on the approaches as a salutary restraint. A 
scouting party, under Captain Stockton, found a secession flag on a staff in 
a yard, and forcing an entrance, cut down the pole, and brought the flag in. 
It may be seen at Gen. Lane's rooms, at Willard's, and bears the following 
inscription : "Virginia Palmetto Southern Star." 22 

20. Henry C. Fields, of Leavenworth. 

21. Emporia Daily News, November 20, 1882; Weekly News, November 23. 

22. The Independent, Oskaloosa, May 8, 1861. 



20 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

For its services the Guard received the personal thanks of Presi- 
dent Lincoln. 

The Frontier Guard, under the command of Gen. Lane, of Kansas, who 
have for the last week been stationed in and around the White House, by 
invitation of President Lincoln, waited upon him yesterday afternoon [April 
26], at the Executive Mansion. 

The company formed at Gen. Lane's headquarters at Willard's hotel, to 
the number of one hundred and twenty, and marched, under the direction 
of their leader, to the President's. 

The Guard was ushered into the East Room and formed around it in double 
file. 

Upon the President's entrance, the Guard was introduced to him by Gen. 
Lane, who also introduced Col. Vaughan, 23 of Kansas, as the orator for the 
occasion, who addressed him in substance as follows: 

Mr. President : Permit me to introduce to you the Frontier Guard, a com- 
pany formed under the leadership of Gen. James H. Lane, for the protection 
of the capital of the nation, at a time when great danger threatened the liber- 
ties of this our common country. 

A large proportion of them have been in situations of trial; when the dark 
cloud of peril overshadowed our Western borders, under the command of their 
gallant leader they rallied around the stars and stripes, and drove the invader 
from their soil. 

And now, once again, in this our darkest hour, they respond to our country's 
call, and offer their lives and all they have to support the Constitution and 
vindicate the majesty of the law. 

You and I, Mr. President, (pardon me for using my name in connection 
with yours,) you and I are Southern born, and although deprecating the shed- 
ding of fraternal blood, yet if this Government under your administration is 
preserved, there are thousands of our brethren at the South, Union-loving and 
true men, who if they can be protected, will flock to the flag of the nation, 
and rally around the glorious stars and stripes, and aid us in preserving them 
intact and pure, and handing them down unsullied to our posterity. And I 
doubt not, sir, there are many even in my own native state of South Carolina, 
that yet love this Union, and who dare not speak, for treason and disunion 
are abroad in the land, and their hands are tied. 

It is the response of every man here, and I am instructed by them to say, 
so far as they are concerned, No compromise with rebels. 

And now, sir, the Frontier Guard holds itself subject to orders. Should 
their services be needed in any capacity, to assist in the enforcement of the 
laws of the country, to preserve inviolate the Constitution of the United 
States, they are ready. Brave and true men are here, who have been proved 
in times of trial and danger and found to be equal to the task and ready for 
any emergency. Although some of us propose to leave the city if our services 
are no longer required for its security, yet, if necessary, every man will be at 
his post to protect it. 

Permit me once more to introduce the Frontier Guard. 

23. John C. Vaughan, of Leavenworth, was listed as a private in the company. 



LANGSDORF: THE FRONTIER GUARD 21 

The President replied briefly, thanking the Guard for services performed, 
and for the patriotic feeling which prompted their efforts. After the very 
pleasant interview, the Guard marched back to Willard's, and exchanged com- 
pliments with each other, and adjourned till the next meeting. 24 

This Dickensian description marks the last appearance of the 
Frontier Guard as a unit. Lane had written under date of April 
27 to Secretary Cameron that, "in consequence of the arrival of 
large numbers of troops in this city, I am satisfied the emergency 
has ceased that called our company into service. If you concur in 
this opinion, I should be pleased to receive authority from you to 
disband said company, and to honorably discharge the members 
thereof from the service." Cameron replied, on the same date, that 
he agreed with Lane, and gave him the requested authority. In 
doing so, he said, "I beg to extend to you, and through you to the 
men under your command, the assurance of my high appreciation 
of the very prompt and patriotic manner in which your company 
was organized for the defence of the Capital, and the very efficient 
services rendered by it during the time of its existence." 25 

Lane left for the West on April 28. Newspaper reports said that 
he was dispatched to assist in organizing volunteers west of the 
Mississippi river, and would doubtless take an important com- 
mand. 26 On his way home he made a speech in Chicago, where he 
"showed a secession flag which he had captured in Virginia, and 
endeavoring to wind up with a devout peroration, rather mixed 
things, saying 'Great God, grant us success in this our righteous 
cause, and may we may we take all the starch out of these 
d d rebels. Amen.' " 2T 

He came back to Kansas less than a month after he had left it. 
On Thursday, May 9, he spoke to a crowded house in the Congre- 
gational church at Topeka. Said the Topeka Tribune: 

The General's remarks were inflammatory to a high degree. He had re- 
turned to Kansas for the purpose of assisting in forming two regiments of 
volunteers. Parts were manufactured of whole cloth; especially so, when he 
said that Missouri had declared war upon Kansas; that she had done so when 
the arms belonging to us were seized at Kansas City and at Liberty. Thought 
it would be the prettiest thing in the world for Kansas to pitch into Westport, 
Independence and Kansas City, while the secessionists were trying to take 
St. Louis. Thought that the Hannibal & St. Jo. Railroad might cut off com- 

24. Lawrence Republican, May 9, 1861. Mentioned in Washington (D. C.) Evening Star, 
April 27, in Kansas Historical Collections, v. X, p. 420. 

25. Copy of letters forwarded in 1882 to Kansas State Historical Society by R. C. Drum, 
adjutant general of the United States, in MSS. division. 

20. Emporia News, May 11, 1861, citing a dispatch from Washington to the Cincinnati 
(Ohio) Commercial. 

27. Council Grove Press, June 22, 1861, quoting from the Boston (Mass.) Post. 



22 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

munication, and then, while Illinois was cleaning out Hannibal, Kansas could 
clean out St. Jo. Said the Secretary of War had not made a requisition upon 
Kansas for troops, but that the speaker (Gen. Lane) had been authorized to 
come here and assist in organizing troops, who would be mustered into the 
U. S. service immediately. The General's patriotism was immense. He never 
knew until then how much he loved his country. Paid a compliment to Gen. 
Pomeroy, and wound up by wishing all present, long life, health and happi- 
ness. 

The editor, having thus summarized Lane's remarks, made a few of 
his own: 

If it is the object of Gen. Lane, in so soon returning to our State, to travel 
over the country making inflam[m]able speeches, arousing the public mind, 
and drawing our people from their workshops and farms, for the purpose of 
making war upon Missouri, our people had better ask him to go back to 
Washington, where there is some chance for a fight, and leave the good citi- 
zens of Missouri and of Kansas to pursue their peaceable avocations. 

Every-day mails bring us tidings of peace from the State of Missouri, and 
those of our people who prefer peace and prosperity to civil war, will not 
follow a leader who will exert every effort to bring about the latter. 

We have been cursed enough by "war" and "famine"; let us now seek to 
retrieve our fallen fortunes, by engaging in good works, and refrain from 
stirring up strife with our sister States. We are not weak, but we need all 
our forces in the field and in the shop. 

If an invasion is made upon our soil, then will be the time to take up arms; 
and a second call will not be necessary to bring our forces into the field to 
repel invasion. The State has the arms and her patriotic citizens are ready 
to meet and drive back any and all invading forces that may enter her limits. 28 

This editor, John P. Greer, was opposed to Lane's meddling in state 
matters, both political and military, and lost no opportunity to at- 
tack him. In the same issue he wrote: 

The return of Gen. Lane is the return of gasconade and humbug. He has 
filled our community with a thousand conflicting statements as to his authority 
and his appointment, by the President, to do this thing and do that, none 
of which are true, or can be true, in the nature of the case. To suppose them 
true is to suppose the President and Secretary of War to be fools, fit subjects 
for the mad house. 

The fact that Gen. Lane retails such absurdities in the community is con- 
clusive evidence that he takes the people of Kansas to be idiots, or that he 
is one himself. 

In another column he added: "Genl. Lane did not appear in his 
native garb Thursday night, viz: Suspenders and socks. He only 
doffed his overcoat and neckerchief." 

Old Jim had an enemy in Lawrence, too. When he spoke there 

28. The Topeka Tribune, May 11, 1861. 



LANGSDORF: THE FRONTIER GUARD 23 

on Saturday, May 11, the editor of The Kansas State Journal re- 
ported the event as follows: 

This gentleman made a characteristic address to our citizens on last Satur- 
day evening. He was full of good humor, and shook his long bony finger at 
the audience in the old style. The only difference between this and his former 
speeches was that he took off only his cravat. He thought and spoke just as 
much as ever of Jim Lane, and seemed to think that now was the time to 
think more and more of him. He appealed to the Yankees present by telling 
stories of Yankee grit, after they got mad, and so on. He seemed to think 
that now was a good time to scare Western Missouri, by telling big stories 
and making great preparations. He seemed to think, (and we thought it was 
closely connected with his speech) that he was going to drill the boys once 
more. He concluded by saying that there was not one man in the city for 
whom he did not wish long life and happiness. (Deitzler was out of town!) 
Oh! General, you have an old head! but you may pass for war times. 

This editor also stated in another paragraph: "Lane, in his Satur- 
day night's speech remarked that the man who told the biggest lies 
now-a-days served his country best, and that God would pardon 
him of his sins! This accounts for Lane's political elevation. He 
claims the people have rewarded him for past service." 29 

Newspapermen friendly to Lane said little in his defense at this 
period. The Lawrence Republican, quoting a dispatch on the or- 
ganization of the Frontier Guard, prefaced it with some commenda- 
tory remarks: 

We copy the following from the correspondence of the Leavenworth Times, 
to show the estimation in which "Old Jim" is held at Washington. The prin- 
cipal objection raised to Lane here was, his supposed want of popularity with 
our public men. All admitted his hold upon the masses here, but feared that 
he would not have influence abroad. It appears, however, that "Old Abe" puts 
his life in the hands of the men who so often risked their lives for the good 
cause here. Gen. Pomeroy and Col. Delahay buckle on their armor as privates. 
We should like to look in upon that squad just now. . . . 30 

Several members of the Guard received discharges immediately 
after the company was disbanded. These are dated May 3, 1861, at 
the Executive Mansion, and include the correspondence between 
Lane and Cameron on April 27. The original discharge of Sidney 
Clarke, a private, later a member of the house of representatives 
from Kansas, is in the possession of the Kansas State Historical So- 
ciety, and is reproduced in its Collections. 81 The Society also has a 
photostatic copy of the discharge issued to L. Holtslander, third 
sergeant, and John Speer, in his biography of Lane, printed a copy 

29. The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, May 16, 1861. 

30. Lawrence Republican, May 2, 1861 ; reprinted in the Council Grove Press, May 11. 

31. Kansas Historical Collections, v. X, p. 418. 



24 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

of still another, issued to Clark J. Hanks of Leavenworth. How- 
ever, others of the company never received discharges, and some of 
those who did lost them. 

Accordingly, several bills were introduced in congress in later 
years for an act to authorize the Secretary of War to issue formal 
discharges, and to place on file in the War Department the names 
of the officers and men of the company. During the first session of 
the 49th Congress, in April, 1886, Sen. Preston B. Plumb, of Kan- 
sas, introduced such a bill, which apparently died in the senate's 
committee on military affairs. 32 In the first session of the 51st Con- 
gress he tried a second time. On December 10, 1889, he introduced 
Senate bill No. 1005, which was eventually passed, with amend- 
ments, on April 5, 1890, and sent to the house, where it died in com- 
mittee. 33 A third and last attempt was made in 1894 by Sen. John 
Martin who, on December 10, introduced Senate bill No. 2372, pre- 
senting with it the favorable report made by the senate committee 
on military affairs in 1890. In this congress, again, the bill was 
passed by the senate and sent to the house of representatives, where 
the record ends. 34 Why congress failed to pass this bill, which seems 
to have encountered little specific opposition, is something of a mys- 
tery. Perhaps the failure was owing to lack of political pressure on 
the part of the bill's sponsors, or perhaps to a desire to cut down 
the number of prospective military pensioners. Still another pos- 
sible reason may have been the irregularity connected with the en- 
listment of the Guard, since it was never mustered in. Officially, 
it would seem, the company never existed. 

The whole story of Jim Lane and the Frontier Guard is a strange 
mixture of fantasy and fact. These American "beefeaters" seem, in 
the light of actual happening, like a corps in a comic opera, but there 
was nothing comic about them to their contemporaries. Jim Lane 
himself, as great a scapegrace as Kansas ever sent to congress, made 
himself a national hero by pure heroics. John Speer, his friend and 
most enthusiastic biographer, said that "this was the beginning of 
that intimate friendship" between Lincoln and Lane "which was 
never broken . . . except by the dissevering chords of death." 35 
A somewhat more objective student of Lane's career, basing his 
view in part on Speer, remarks that although the contribution made 
by Lane and his Guard was a small one "it marked the beginning of 



32. Congressional Record, v. XVII, Pt. 4, pp. 3461, 

33. Ibid., v. XXI, Pt. 1, p. 136; Pt. 2, p. 1526; Pt. 4, pp. 3062, 3326. 

34. Ibid., v. XXVII, Pt. 1, p. 151 ; Pt. 2, p. 1669 ; Pt. 3, pp. 2086, 2176. 
36. Speer, op. cit., p. 286. 



LANGSDORF: THE FRONTIER GUARD 25 

an intimate friendship with the President . . . which gave him 
a prestige and influence that continued throughout the war." 86 

Whether the relationship between Lincoln and Lane can truth- 
fully be described as an "intimate friendship/' or even a friendship 
at all, seems doubtful. The characters and ideals of the two men 
were so wholly disparate that any close bond appears unlikely. The 
truth would seem to be that Lincoln was a practical politician, ac- 
customed to work with whatever tools came to hand, and that Lane 
was an opportunist who could be used. Lane made every possible 
use of his position in Washington to work his way into Lincoln's 
graces, and by his importunities secured concessions which made it 
appear that Lincoln recognized obligations to him. 37 From the time 
he offered Lincoln a bodyguard, early in 1861, he was constantly on 
the President's heels. Lincoln himself is reported to have given 
this explanation to Gov. Thomas Carney of Kansas in 1864: " 'He 
knocks at my door every morning. You know he is a very persist- 
ent fellow and hard to put off. I don't see you very often, and have 
to pay attention to him.' " 38 

For those who are familiar with Lane's ambitions and moral 
qualities there is a temptation to sum up the incident of the Fron- 
tier Guard as a purely political maneuver, as Sol. Miller did, with 
the implication that it was no more than a selfish and personal raid 
on the glory box. Unquestionably there was a large element of the 
political and the personal in it. A true appraisal of the incident 
must consider contemporaneous circumstances, however, and cannot 
be swayed by partisan interpretations either of that time or later. 
It must be remembered that Washington in 1861 was in a condition 
of hysteria, and the Guard was a psychological factor of real im- 
portance in helping to calm the city's nerves, no matter what its 
military value may have been. If Jim Lane realized the exigencies 
of the moment and seized the opportunity to improve his personal 
fortunes thereby, the historian may at least credit him with common 
sense and a nose for political stratagem. 

36. Wendell H. Stephenson, "The Political Career of General James H. Lane," Publi- 
cations of the Kansas State Historical Society (Topeka, 1930), v. Ill, p. 105. 

37. Cf. G. R. Gaeddert, "The Birth of Kansas," University of Kansas Publications, 
Social Science Studies (Lawrence, 1940), pp. 145, 151, 152, 156, 157. 

38. L. W. Spring, Kansas (Boston, Houghton, Mifflin, 1890), p. 274. Charles Robin- 
son, Lane's bitter rival, repeats Spring's statement in his The Kansas Conflict (New York, 
Harper & Brothers, 1892), p. 456. 



The Letters of Samuel James Reader, 
1861-1863 

Pioneer of Soldier Township, Shawnee County 
I. INTRODUCTION 

ON JULY 26, 1855, Samuel James Reader, 1 a boy of nineteen, 
drove his claim stakes on a tract of land situated about a mile 
west of the now extinct Proslavery town of Indianola, 2 and about 
two miles northwest of present North Topeka. He and his sister 
Elizabeth had come to Kansas two months before with their Aunt 
Eliza and her husband, Joseph M. Cole, who purchased a claim ad- 
joining the Indianola townsite. As a Free-State man, Samuel Reader 
took part in some of the border warfare and was with Gen. James 
H. Lane at the first day's battle at Hickory Point in 1856. He was 
a member of a Topeka militia company which fought against Gen. 
Sterling Price during the Confederate raid of 1864. He was cap- 
tured in the Battle of the Big Blue but managed to escape a few 
days later while being taken to Texas for imprisonment. Aside 
from these exciting events he lived quietly on his farm. 

Before coming to Kansas Reader was not greatly interested in 
education, and neglected an opportunity to attend college. However, 
after getting settled on the farm he continued a study of French, and 
acquired a working knowledge of shorthand, in addition to doing 
much reading. His early desire was to become an artist and he 
spent much of his spare time in sketching with pencil and brush. 

When Reader was thirteen years old he began to keep a private 
journal, and from September 16, 1849, to a few months before his 
death on September 15, 1914, he faithfully recorded daily happen- 
ings. With the exception of volume I, covering a period of three 
and a half years or up to June 1, 1853, and volume IV from Janu- 
ary, 1858, to January 25, 1860, which were destroyed by fire in April, 
1890, the diary is complete. The books have been deposited with 
the Kansas State Historical Society by Elizabeth Reader, a daugh- 
ter, who now lives in San Diego, Cal. 

1. A biographical sketch of Samuel J. Reader may be found in George A. Root's "The 
First Day's Battle at Hickory Point," The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 1, pp. 28, 29. 

2. Indianola was situated at the crossing of Soldier creek, a mile and a half from one of 
Papan's ferry crossings on the Kansas river, and was on the road from Fort Leavenworth to 
Fort Riley. The land for the townsite was purchased by H. D. McMeekin of Louis Vieux, 
a half-breed, and the town was laid out in November, 1854, the proprietors being John F. 
Baker, H. D. McMeekin and George Perrin. A good frame hotel and other buildings were 
erected and the town attained quite a degree of prosperity, but like many of its neighbors, it 
was soon overshadowed by Topeka. It is now extinct. A. T. Andreas, History of the State 
of Kansas (Chicago, 1883), p. 534. 

(26) 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 27 

The diary is a unique historical document. The entries are a min- 
gling of English, French and shorthand, illustrated in many instances 
with pencil, pen, and water-color sketches. In addition to recording 
everyday events Reader copied in his diary extracts from and sum- 
maries of letters to his father, his half-brother Frank, his half-sis- 
ters Mary Ellen and Martha in Pennsylvania, his relatives in Illi- 
nois, his Indianola friends at the front, and others. These letters, 
covering a period from January, 1861, to March, 1863, are printed 
below. They record the writer's views on national affairs and the 
conduct of the war, and they give interesting accounts of happenings 
in a typical Kansas frontier town. 

II. THE LETTERS AS RECORDED IN THE READER DIARY 
[To His Father, Francis Reader, in Pennsylvania] 

[January 13, 1861.] 

There appears to be a great excitement in the South in conse- 
quence of the election of "Old Honest Abe Lincoln" as president of 
the U. S. I hope the N[orth] will make no more compromises or in 
any manner directly or indirectly recede one inch from their present 
position; for there appears to be a daily increasing opposition feel- 
ing against Slavery, in the N and concessions to the S[outh] would 
not only be disgraceful to us but would not cure the matter at issue ; 
as it would be sure to come up again at some future time and with 
perhaps more disastrous results to both parties. I must say for my- 
self, that secession on the part of the S is viewed by me with much 
pleasure. Perhaps you will call these "treasonable feelings," but it 
is impossible for me to look with indifference on the monstrous and 
abominable system of human slavery in the S ; and to consider that 
those men who uphold and try to perpetuate this enslavement of a 
weak and unfortunate people, are fellow citizens. I should look 
upon it as very little better were we confederated with Pirates & 
Robbers. But I have said enough about this matter especially as I 
rather think you will not agree with me in all my political ideas. 

[To His Half-Brother Francis (Frank) Reader] 

[March 25, 1861.] 

You ask me how I like Lincoln's Inaugural address. On many 
points I think it is a very good one. There appears to be honesty 
in all he says: The views he takes of the decisions of the Supreme 
Court should be obvious to every one But I think he is too sanguine 
in thinking the Seceded States can be brought back by holding the 



28 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

forts collecting the revenue and acts of a like nature. They have 
left the Union, openly declared their independence and formed a 
"Southern Confederacy" and it seems very improbable to me that 
they can be won back by occupying a few military posts and fortifi- 
cations along the seacoast. It would tend to exasperate but not 
subdue them; and actual coercion (which the President has wisely 
repudiated) would undoubtedly be successful in overcoming them, 
but disastrous in the end and wholly inadvisable. We have 
triumphed and ought to show ourselves generous victors. Anglo- 
Saxon blood courses in their veins the same as our own, and al- 
though they foster in their midst the most atrocious system the sun 
shines upon within the pale of civilization, we ought to remember 
that many of them have been taught from their infancy to look 
upon it as an institution by no means unjust or wicked. Therefore 
it is my humble opinion that they should be allowed to govern them- 
selves as they see proper, thus exploding the idea they have, that 
they are so valuable to the North that we wish to keep them in the 
Union against their wishes for our own benefit, and also cast from 
ourselves the odium of being confederated with States advocating 
and practising human slavery. I know that the great majority of 
the Northern people are for saving the Union, but I should be in 
favor of principle and right before self interest or fear of dissolution. 
The two great sections N & S are as unfit to live under the same 
government as Europeans and the Arabs of the desert to be gov- 
erned by the same laws. As far as I can learn a man who is in 
favor of abolishing slavery is in danger of maltreatment and even 
death in the South; and the press, that index of intellectual prog- 
ress and liberty is as jealously guarded as it is in despotic France 
while their publications and demagogues have the privilege of plac- 
ing their arguments and opinions before the people of the North. 
Such I cannot call a Free government. You ask my opinion as to 
making an honorable Compromise with the slave states to bring 
them back in the Union. I will say that I am emphatically against 
any compromise whatever for no honorable one is possible while 
the South is in its present attitude. The N. has given way too much 
to them already for instance the Fugitive Slave law to which no 
man of genuine humanity would comply when brought to the test 
unless his mind should be biased in favor of the "Peculiar institu- 
tion" or the fear of the law should out weigh his conscience. You 
have asked me to give my opinion on these questions and I have 
candidly done so. I am well aware that such sentiments are not 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 29 

popular either N. or S., but nevertheless they are my honest con- 
victions, although I may be in error. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[April 21, 1861.] 
Dear brother 

I received your letter about one week ago and would have an- 
swered it sooner but my business for the last few weeks has been of 
so pressing a nature that it became necessary for me to defer writing 
until the present. We are all in good health and we have but little 
sickness in the neighborhood. 

Times are very hard and scarcely any money in circulation. The 
farmers have commenced their spring work, and every thing favors 
an abundant yield in consequence of several very fine showers a few 
weeks ago. Spring wheat looks remarkably well as far as I have 
seen but if it proves a failure this year I shall be tempted to give 
up experimenting upon it, as I have twice failed in Kansas and on 
the last trial lost the seed. For the last few days the news from the 
South have been of the most exciting character. It seems that Civil 
War with its attendant miseries will be upon us in a short time. 3 
As I said before, I am not sorry to see the secession of the slave 
states and should not like to see them brought back either by per- 
suasion or force. At the same time this uprising of a powerful 
military force at the North may have the salutary effect of keep- 
ing the rampant Fire eaters from making a raid upon the Federal 
Capital, or some similar aggression upon the border Free States. 
Three companies have been raised at Topeka the other day and 
although the President has not called upon us for troops, 4 the Gov. 
has offered 1000 men. Have you or do you intend to volunteer? 
What is your opinion about the justice or expediency of the Ad- 
ministration? Please answer these queries in your next letter. I 
believe I have nothing more of importance to write. My love to 
my Father my sisters and your self. Your affectionate brother 

Samuel J. Reader 

3. The confederate attack on Fort Sumter began April 12. The fort surrendered, and on 
April 15 President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers. 

4. D. W. Wilder, The Annals of Kansas (Topeka, 1886), p. 317, reported that by April 25 
military companies were organized in nearly every county. 



30 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[May 12, 1861.] 

Indian &c 
My Dear brother Frank 

Day before yesterday I received a long and pleasing letter from 
you enclosed in a beautiful Union envelope. Your letter found us all 
well &c &c. But little war excitement exists in our little town. In- 
dianola was laid out as a town site under Pro-slavery auspices and as 
a natural consequence the maj . of its inhabitants are Slaveryites and 
avowed secessionists. This clan (some of whom were active in co- 
operating with the Border Ruffian element of Mo. in the K[ansas] 
war), have been trying to get up an Independent Volunteer Co., and 
it has by some means leaked out that their intention is to organize if 
possible enough for a company, draw their arms from the state, and 
when Mo. secedes, which they confidently expect, they will be pre- 
pared to give them aid and comfort. In consequence of this disclo- 
sure a number of us, of the Republicans had a private meeting last 
Frid[ay] night, in which it was decided to watch these fellows and 
if they make any demonstration, to take necessary measures to crush 
out the design. It gives me much pleasure to hear that you have 
volunteered and that you hold a Commission in your company I 
believe it is the duty of every man to be prepared if it comes to the 
worst to give the traitors their just deserts. Bad as war is it is still 
better than subjection by the hands of the S rebels. When the 
Cotton States seceded, and a prospect of the rest of the Slave States 
following I felt the same relief that a person would in separating 
from another infected with an infectious disease; and for my part 
would have been willing to have let them alone in their iniquity be- 
lieving that slavery would eventually die out of its self in the on- 
ward march of civilization, but it now appears that they want to 
inaugurate the "irrepressible conflict" in their own way by taking 
or destroying the National Capital and then carrying their arms 
north and subduing all before them. Let the issue then be squarely 
stated that all must be free or all slave states and let the fortunes 
of war decide. I was much interested in reading the comments on 
the 4 page of the N Y Tribune of last week. I begin to hope that 
slavery, the cause of our present troubles will receive a lasting and 
final overthrow. But I should not be in favor of confiscating the 
rightful property of the Secessionists in case they should be over- 
come. Many of them must necessarily be misguided and many more 
obliged to aid the traitors for fear of personal violence. Let the 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 31 

punishment then fall on the heads of the ambitious demagogues and 
office seekers who started the movement. Jim Lane has returned to 
Kansas. He was at T[opek]a the other day They say he has 
orders from Headquarters to retake the forts seized by the Seces- 
sionist Indians, and also forts in Ar[kansas]. He will find all the 
men necessary for the purpose in this state which will be several 
thousands As Ar [kansas] . has seceded he will probably meet with 
considerable resistance in that State. 5 You want me to answer the 
questions I propounded to you in my last Here is my answer "I 
think as you do, that Lincoln has taken the right way and the only 
way he can take consistent with the position in which he is placed, 
to settle the difficulty, and all those hot headed men at the N who 
wish to hurry things along without reason, deserve the censure of all 
true citizens. I have not volunteered yet because we cannot get 
men enough in this neighborhood who are willing to volunteer to 
make a full company (40 men) And T[opek]a is so far that 
it is not possible for me to join a Co. there. I must close for want 
of space Write soon &c. My love to all. 

Samuel J. Reader. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[June 2, 1861.] 
D. Bro: 

I received your letter of May 21, on the 29th of the same month, 
and having a few leisure moments for the first time since its arrival 
have embraced them in order to answer your favor. We are all in 
tolerable health with perhaps a slight exception in the case of Sister 
E[liza] . who has not felt perfectly well for the last few days In my 
last I gave you a flattering account of our prospects for a crop, but 
within a few days past the farming community have experienced 
much annoyance from the cut-worms. In some parts of the field 
I planted more than % of the corn crop has been destroyed. Of 
course replanting can be practiced to a certain extent but should 
these little pests continue their depredations 1 or 2 weeks longer we 
shall be in a very bad situation as regards farming The weather 
has been wet and cool for the last few weeks. I have not seen the 
th're higher than 87 this year, (in the shade,) It stood at 111 
one day last summer which you may well believe was rather warm. 

5. It was reported that Lane had orders to lead a large force into Arkansas and to retake 
Fort Smith and all other government forts in Arkansas and Missouri. The Conservative 
Leavenworth, May 11, 1861. According to W. H. Stephenson, "The Political Career of Gen- 
eral James H. Lane," Kansas State Historical Society's Publications, v. Ill, p. 106, "Lane 
had no military authority." 



32 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Our local news is not important. Only 1 reg[iment]. of K. troops 
has been accepted by the President. 6 Many rumors are afloat in 
regard to the supposed movements of Gen. J. H. Lane, but nothing 
is definitely known about his future operations so far. A train 
loaded with arms and provisions was overhauled at Tfopeka]. the 
other day. The arms were detained but the provisions were allowed 
to depart in peace. Some say the arms were being sent to the In- 
dians in the S. part of K[ansa]s and others that they were destined 
to the western hordes of savages. The arms are in good hands now, 
at any rate. Last evening I attended a meeting for the purpose of 
getting up a Volunteer Company. It being the second time only 
that we have met for such a purpose. Fourteen gave in their names 
and we expect as many more will join at our next meeting. I was 
appointed one of a Committee to form our By Laws. 

The Secessionists of this place keep remarkably quiet. One of 
their number got spirituously excited the other day and threatened 
to kill his wife with a hatchet and as no Crittenden Compromiser 
was present to adjust their difficulty, secession was a natural conse- 
quence, but I am happy to say a reconstruction of the Union has 
subsequently taken place and they can now carry on their "domestic 
institutions" in their own way. Perhaps this practical part of seces- 
sion in their case was not so pleasant as the theoretical. 

The latest news informs us that the President has called for 
100,000 more men. 7 Our Gov. cannot be blamed now for lack of 
energy at least. I am pleased to see you so enthusiastically attached 
to the Union and in this feeling I now heartily concur with you be- 
cause I think the people of the North have their eyes opened at last 
and will not vent their just indignation so much upon the heads of 
our misdirected fellow citizens of the S. as upon their hateful system 
of Slavery. That and that alone I want to see destroyed root and 
branch!! I am also glad to hear that you are not troubled with 
traitors in your neighborhood I should be happy if I could make a 
similar assertion of our neighbors here. It appears that you intend 
to make a real soldier of yourself, and perhaps win glory on some 
bloody field, in sustaining the stars & stripes. Before this letter 
reaches its destination it may be that you have left Home and 
friends and marched out to battle against the foes of our Gov. under 
this last requisition for troops. I feel proud of my native State in 

6. The first regiment of Kansas volunteer infantry was mustered into the service of the 
United States on June 3, 1861. Andreas, op. cit., p. 180. 

7. On May 3, 1861, President Lincoln called for 42,000 additional volunteers for three 
years and added ten regiments to the regular army. Horace Greeley, The American Conflict 
(Hartford, O. D. Case & Co., 1864), v. I, p. 528. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 33 

the highest deg. for her patriotism and energy in the present crisis. 
I will be frank with you and say that I was almost as much sur- 
prised at the part taken by the Democrats N. in this struggle, as the 
slaveryites were themselves. I believed that if we came to blows 
with the S. the maj. of them would side with their party brethren 
or at the most stand neutral or give up everything in a base unmanly 
compromise. You made a just remark when you said you never 
wanted to see partyism so strong again. I am called a Rep. here but 
at our local elections I have several times voted for Dem's when I 
thought they were more competent or honest but I think I would 
consider a long time before voting for an avowed Pro-slavery man. 
Our troubles here in 56 & 57 have implanted in my mind a most un- 
Christian-like hatred towards our Border Ruffian invaders, aiders 
and abettors. Well it appears you have chosen a mercantile call- 
ing. It is without doubt a money making business if carried on 
properly. For my part an agricultural life has the greatest charms 
for me; more especially in so fine a farming country as K's possess- 
ing soil so rich and easy of tillage. Sister E[liza]. has not yet writ- 
ten to you partly on account of ill health, and in consequence of 
having most of her time employed in domestic affairs; her family 
being as you are aware tolerably large. So you must not think you 
are forgotten by her because of her silence. She will at the first 
favorable opportunity write you that long expected letter. She 
sends her love to you, her father and sisters. Dr. C[ampdoras] 8 
says he would like to go in the U. S. navy as Surgeon (that having 
been his business on board a F[rench] man-of-war) if he had no 
family, as he always felt better every way on the sea, than on land. 
He is a true Rep. in every sense of the word and shows a praise- 
worthy intention of supporting the Gov. of his adopted Country but 
I hardly think he will go out of the State as some apprehension is 
felt about the Indians on our borders. 

I will close for the present by sending my love to all. Your affec- 
tionate brother. S. J. Reader. 

8. Marie Antonin Eugene Jaques Campdoras was born in France September 6, 1825. He 
served from 1845 to 1851 as a surgeon in the French navy. Forced to leave his native land 
because of his Republican convictions he arrived in New York in 1852. Several years later 
he came to Kansas and settled at Indianola where he resumed the practice of medicine. In 
1858 he married Eliza M. Reader. Four years later he accepted an appointment as assistant 
surgeon of the Second Indian regiment and served for eighteen months before resigning on ac- 
count of ill health. He continued to live in Shawnee county, farming and practicing his pro- 
fession until his death, on April 6, 1881. Fannie Cole, writing in the North Topeka Times 
April 29, 1881 



32143 



34 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[June 23, 1861.] 
Mon cher frere Frank: 

Your letter of June 11 was duly received on the 19th, containing 
the joyful tidings of your excellent health & prospect of a bountiful 
crop. We are also in good health and I have not heard many com- 
plaints of sickness in the neighborhood. I have not heard of a soli- 
tary case of Chills & Fever yet. I dread it more than I do the 
traitors to our Gov. Our crops of all kinds look fine Spring wheat 
has headed out and promises an abundant yield if the weather con- 
tinues dry so the rust will not attack it. Corn now looks well & is 
safe from the worms. Some of it however will have to grow fast to 
get out of reach of the early frosts. I have some that is more than 
3 ft high and some again that is not 3 inches high. 

But few persons have orchards here and those who have set out 
trees cannot tell yet whether this is a good fruit growing country or 
not. My uncle Cole planted a peach orchard and set out 50 or 60 
apple trees four years ago. The peach trees were* all killed by the 
frost close to the ground. The apple trees look thrifty but have not 
blossomed yet. It is probable that this soil on the river bottom is 
too rich and low. About % of my claim is highland & all persons 
who have experience in such matters say it is well adapted for fruit 
trees. I have broken about 1 A. on one of the hills which is about 
50 feet in height & intend to set out an orchard as soon as possible. 
Wild berries and grapes will be in abundance but the plums have 
about all "gone up." Our weather has been quite warm & dry for 
the last few days but we have no fears of another drouth this year 
as the ground is thoroughly soaked with our Spring rains. Times 
are hard & dull here as well as elsewhere but I do not think our 
mercantile men complain of the scarcity of money as much as they 
did last season. The other day our Gov'r called upon all patriotic 
citizens to organize and report themselves as there is great reason 
to believe that K. will be invaded by the Cherokees & Osages. 9 Our 
most important news has been the taking of Independence Mo by 
U S troops and the defeat of Gov Jackson and his traitorous crew 
at Booneville, 10 but of course you will get all such news quicker & 
more reliable than by me. You gave a very interesting a/c of your 

9. Fearing an invasion from Missouri, Gov. Charles Robinson on June 17, 1861, called 
upon all good citizens to organize themselves into military companies of not less than 83, nor 
more than 101 men, rank and file, and hold themselves in readiness to enter upon active service 
at call. The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, June 20, 1861. 

10. On June 17, 1861, General Lyon defeated Claiborne Jackson, Missouri governor and 
confederate commander, at Booneville. Wilder, op. cit. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 35 

experience in camp life <fec. I also received one of your local news- 
papers with a full a/c of the proceedings and upon the wrapper a de- 
vice of our National flag with rather an unhealthy suggestion in re- 
gard to the traitor who should dare to tear it down. Well, we have 
plenty of fellows here who would not scruple to do it if they had a 
chance, but they are not so rampant as they were a few weeks ago 
and several of them have skulked into Mo. and joined the Secession- 
ists there who call themselves the "State Troops" Our Company has 
been named "The Fremont Guards." We have a company drill 
every Sat. P M and intend to have squad drills every evening ex- 
cept Sat & Sundays. I was elected Orderly Sergeant of the Company 
as it was supposed I had some understanding about military mat- 
ters, having seen some little service in the "K[ansas]. war," but my 
knowledge of such business is but limited. 11 At our first meeting 14 
gave in their names and the number has steadily increased at every 
subsequent meeting. I have 34 names now on the muster-roll, & I 
know of several persons who intend to join. I think we may safely 
calculate upon having 50 members within 2 weeks. I believe I have 
no more to write. My love to all. Saml J. Reader. 

P. S. What views does our Father take on the present state of 
affairs? I should be very happy to know his opinion from himself 
if it would not be asking too much. S. J. R. 

[To His Uncle Samuel James of La Harpe, 111.] 

June 30, 1861. 
S James 12 & all the friends: 

The last letter from you was written to Lide and in it you said 
you had sent a letter to me some time before but which has never 
come to hand This letter of yours I answered but for fear it has 
never reached its destination I will repeat the most important parts: 
In regard to buying a right to sell washing machine we do not think 
it would pay here at this time &c &c We are all in pretty good 
health here and crops of all kinds look fine. Plenty of rain has fallen 
this season The people are not over excited here about the war. 
Our K[ansas]. news I need not attempt to give you as you can get 
it quicker through the telegraph. Our danger of an attack from the 
Indians S. traitors of Mo & Ark. is considered probable by many 

11. A Free-State company was organized at Indianola February 9, 1856, with Joseph M. 
Cole as captain and Samuel Reader as first sergeant. Reader's "Diary," v. III. Samuel 
Reader joined the Topeka company which went to the Nebraska line to escort Lane's emigrant 
train into Kansas territory. He left Topeka with the company July 29, 1856, and returned 
home August 9. Ibid. For Reader's story, "The First Day's Battle at Hickory Point," edited 
by George A. Root, see The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. I, pp. 28-49. 

12. Reader's mother was a James. 



36 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

but I have concluded that I can stay here as long as any other AboPt. 
A short time ago the Union loving people of the neighborhood or- 
ganized a Military]. Com[pany]. called "The Fremont Guards." 
I was elected Orderly Sergeant, the same office I held in the "Frying 
Pan Guards" in 56: that Free State Company which was fierce in 
peace, and gentle in war. At our next meeting we will select our 
uniform. I have over 30 names on the Muster-roll and our number 
increases at every meeting. The company has nary breast plates 
yet. Please write on receipt of this and give all the news &c I can 
think of nothing more 

My love & respects to all 
S. J. R. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[July 18, 1861.] 
D Bro. 

It was with the greatest pleasure & I must add with considerable 
surprise that I received from you yesterday a letter dated in a Mili- 
tary camp [Camp Carlisle] informing me that you have enlisted for 
the war. If this war lasts as long as the Peloponnesian war of an- 
cient Greece 13 you will certainly have a chance to learn your trade 
well. I think you have acted entirely right and I expect to follow 
your example if a similar opportunity offers its self to me for our 
cause is certainly just & although war in the abstract is manifestly 
a great evil and presents many horrible & revolting features, it is 
our last resort to preserve our national existence. A great many 
members of the F[remont]. G[uard]s would not be willing to leave 
their families and property to the tender mercies of the Secessionists 
and enter into the service of U. S. so there is not much probability 
of our company reaping laurels on the battle-field unless our State be 
invaded of which there is some apprehension. I am sorry to say 
that two of our men have with drawn from the company when we 
came to take the oath ; we are glad they have shown their true colors 
so soon. For several weeks past we have had the Stars & Stripes 
floating over our little town and one of our most rabid Secessionists 
hoisted a small Union flag for a few days. These fellows have been 
drawing in their horns lately. Still they use treasonable language 
that would not be tolerated in many other places. With out a doubt 
they will act as spies when Ben McCulloch or some other traitor 
Chief makes an attack on Kansas. 14 It is a significant fact that the 

13. The Peloponnesian war lasted from 431 to 404 B. C. 

14. Ben McCulloch was a confederate general. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 37 

4 groggeries which Indianola can boast of every one is kept by a 
"Secesher" Intemperance is the special vice of this neighborhood 
and it was fortunate for me that I belonged to the Temperance So- 
ciety before I came to this wild & lawless region as it has kept me 
perfectly free from this baneful habit so far (Crops &c.) The news 
from Mo. has been very exciting for the last few days, but as you 
are doubtless posted as soon as we it will be useless for me to write 
anything in regard to it I have nothing more of interest to write 
to you Receive my best love & respects and the wish that you may 
acquit yourself honorably in the new position in which you are 
placed and pass safely through the many dangers and hardships of 
a soldiers life. Your affectionate brother 

Samuel J. Reader 

P. S. In your next will you please inform me how the "National 
Infantry" has enlisted as Va. Volunteers, also what length of time 
you expect to remain in your present Camp What your daily duties 
are; your pay per mo. and all particulars that you think may be 
interesting to us civilians. 

[To His Father Francis Reader] 

[July 24, 1861.] 
Dear Father 

Last week I received a letter from my Brother written from 
C[amp]. Carlisle & dated the llth July informing me that he had 
enlisted with his Company as Va V[olunteers] during the war. I 
received this intelligence with some surprise & I must confess 
with a great deal of pleasure and pride at the bold stand he 
has taken in this hour of our country's peril. This letter I an- 
swered almost immediately & the next day received another letter 
from F[rank] dated on the 8 but was probably delayed on ac- 
count of disturbances in Mo. This last one was written just be- 
fore he started on the "War trail" & from it I learned that you was 
strongly opposed to his enlisting & he as strongly bent on doing his 
duty to his Country. He greatly deplored the seeming necessity 
of acting in opposition to your will, but appeared to think his honor 
would be compromised and a disgrace thrown upon his relations 
should he remain at home while his comrades would in all proba- 
bility be covering themselves with glory in the field. For myself I 
know that such a situation would be unendurable to me and second 
only to imprisonment & we being brothers it is likely our feelings are 
similar on this subject. Far be it from me to uphold or excuse dis- 



38 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

obedience to paternal authority for the aged and experienced have 
the unquestionable right & ability to guide and direct those who are 
under age, nevertheless in such cases as this a great deal ought to 
be overlooked and excused. Perhaps I am a little prejudiced in this 
view for I must admit that during our troubles in Kan. my Aunt 
always tried to dissuade me from taking any part in them. She felt 
as much interested in seeing Kan. come in as a free state as my self, 
but did not wish to have me incur any of the danger in making it 
so. I felt differently and although it gave me pain to see her & my 
sister's uneasiness, I could not refrain from thrice shouldering my 
rifle to aid in keeping the blight of Slavery from our Territory. Had 
he wished to enlist into the Regular service I would myself have 
used every argument in my power to dissuade him from such a step, 
as many demoralizing influences would be thrown around him if I 
may judge from what I have seen of the Regulars in this part of the 
Country, but there is a vast difference between them and patriotic 
Volunteers of the N[orth] especially when they are composed of 
friends and neighbors from the same vicinity & commanded by a 
man like Capt. L. E. Smith whom F[rank] represents as a model of 
temperance & morality. Such being the case, personal danger is the 
only thing that ought to give us any uneasiness and in this all we 
can do is to trust in Providence & hope for the best. War is a terri- 
ble way of settling our difficulties, but from the action Congress has 
taken in regard to Slaves owned by traitors, the other day, I believe 
this war will finally be a blessing to Humanity & universal progress. 
I envy F. his place in our patriotic Army and ardently wish I could 
stand shoulder to shoulder with him in his Company in showing the 
aristocratic plantation Nabobs that the N[orth] can not be trifled 
with. Night before last we heard that McDowells force was en- 
tirely routed by the Secessionists. 15 We hear however from last 
nights mail that it is not so bad as was represented at first, still the 
best is bad enough. We are all in tolerable health only. Aunt E & 
both of her children were attacked with the headache last night but 
not seriously. For my part I am not in a condition to fight or fly 
should the enemy come upon us, as I have cut my foot with an axe 
the other day while making fence & I will be confined to the house 
for several days. Our weather is pleasant with plenty of rain. Corn 
looks fine vegetables are flourishing. The inhabitants here are 
not much excited about the war! We are used to civil war you 
know. The seceshers in Ind[ianol]a. are getting a little scared. One 

15. The Battle of Bull Run occurred July 21, 1861. In this battle the union army under 
Gen. Irwin McDowell was routed by the confederates. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 39 

of the most rabid traitors of the lot was declaring his Union senti- 
ments to the Dr [Campdoras] last night. He expressed himself as 
being very sorry for the slaughter of the Northern men at Bulls Run 
last Sund. These mushroom patriots have taken this step to avoid 
being taken care of by the T[opek]a boys as spies and dangerous 
subjects generally. While writing this letter I have received another 
from F dated July 2 and containing a miniature of himself in uni- 
form My brother-in-law [Dr. Campdoras] and several others who 
have seen it think I resemble the m. strongly while my A[unt] 
& sister think otherwise. I look upon it as a great treasure at this 
time. This letter bears the post mark of Indianapolis Ind which ac- 
counts for its delay. I would write again to F[rank] immediately 
but hardly know where to direct If you write to him soon please 
mention the receipt of these two last letters. I have no more. Please 
write soon. I send my love to my sisters relatives & yourself. 
Your affectionate son Samuel J. Reader. 

[To His Uncle Samuel James] 

[August 4, 1861.] 
Friends and Relatives: 

I received a letter from Uncle S[amuel] dated July 25 the other 
day & now hasten to answer it We are all in the enjoyment of our 
usual health. Times are very hard of course but we will not starve 
this year certain. Our corn crop looks splendid and almost all 
vegetables the same. Wheat has been an average crop, I raised 1% 
acres of Spring wheat but have not yet threshed it Aunt L [Eliza], 
feels much better when she sees wheat stacks. The weather has been 
rainy for sometime past but is now dry and hot. It was over 100 
yesterday in the shade. Ind[ianola]. has improved some. A hotel 
60 x 40 was put up last Spring by a Pro-Slavery secessionist, and a 
new Drug-store and P by a Republican. The news of McDowells 
defeat was received here (telegrap[h]ed via Le'n [Leavenworth] ) 
two days after (23d) the battle causing much despondency to the 
Union men and great joy to "Seceshers." It has certainly been a 
great check to our army but we must hope that it will turn out for 
the best in putting our officers more on their guard in the future & 
who knows that it will not cause slavery to be abolished by procla- 
mation. I believe the N people are drifting slowly but surely to that 
point I feel proud that a senator of Kansas first presented a Bill 
to that effect, 16 but even if it fails I believe that with the total de- 
is. Samuel C. Pomeroy, soon after he took his seat in the senate, introduced a bill pro- 
viding that there should be no slavery or involuntary servitude in the states that had seceded. 



40 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

feat of the Rebels will be the final destruction of Slavery. I do not 
wish to see the rightful property of the S[outh] confiscated for 
many of them doubtless have been forced into the vortex of Seces- 
sion by circumstances over which they had no control, & by the 
misrepresentations of their Leaders. All I want is the entire de- 
struction of human slavery. My sentiments are almost exactly 
expressed in a letter from G[errit]. Smith to the N. Y. T[ribune]. 
of July 20. Aunt Lide[ Eliza] says she wants to live to see the day 
when not a slave exists in our Union. I must here detail an account 
of the course taken by my half-brother Frank in regard to the war; 
Last Spring we began a correspondence which we have continued 
until the present time. Before open hostilities had begun he was 
like his father, in favor of compromising with the traitors and trying 
to coax them back, but after the fall of Ft. Sumpter [Sumter] he 
joined a Military]. Co. which was raised in his neighborhood called 
the N. I. [National infantry?] in which he was elected color-bearer. 
They acted as a Home Guard (Gov[ern]ment not requiring their 
services at that time from Penn.) until about the middle of June 
when the acting Gov. of Va. (Gov. P.) requested this Co to enlist as 
Va. V. during the war. Capt. L. E. Smith accepted the invitation. 
Frank says our Father was strongly opposed to his going and told 
him he should not go, for awhile, but he worked away till he got his 
consent. He is now in Va at C[amp]. Carlisle near Wheeling, or 
was at last accounts. I do not know yet whether he took part in the 
battle of Bulls Run or not. He sent me his miniature taken when 
in uniform. The Dr. [Campdoras] & most people who have seen it, 
think he strongly resembles me. 

Well I have not gone to the war yet, and likely will not soon A 
Co. from Ogden, 17 called the "Mud-sills" camped here yesterday on 
their way to be mustered into service. I am well acquainted with 
the 1st Lieut. (John Parsons) we having served in the same Co. in 
the K. war, 1856. 18 He urged me strongly to go with them. We 
have our Co. drill every Sat. P. M. and are making progress and 
getting acquainted with our several duties. We arm ourselves for 
the time being. Some fears exist in regard to the Indians on our 
frontier but I hope they are groundless. I send you the Drs Topeka 
paper of yesterday with an account of this matter and an interest- 
ing description of Jim Lane which is to the life. When I served 
under him at H[ickory]- Point his uniform was, a coarse white felt 
hat a mixed blue & gray over-shirt much the worse for wear with an 

17. Ogden, a town in Riley county. 

18. See "The First Day's Battle at Hickory Point," loc. cit. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 41 

ordinary pair of boots & pants ; His arms consisted of a six in. Colts 
revolver and a butcher knife hanging from his belt He has what 
A[unt]. E[liza]. calls a "pack-saddle" nose, sharp and thin face and 
eyes which he keeps so nearly closed that it is almost impossible to 
tell the color of them. When I came home from that raid I drew a 
picture of him from memory which was destroyed a short time ago. 
No more &c. S. J. Reader. 

P. S. Aunt L. [Eliza] wants you in your next to inform her about 
the situation, occupation, health &c of brother Joseph & family 
where Minerva's husband is and all particulars that you think would 
be of interest to her. Please write soon and [send] me the war 
news of L[a] H[arpe]. Who have enlisted from your town &c. 

S. J. Reader 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[August 11, 1861.] 
Dear Brother: 

Yours of July 29 was duly rec'd & gave me much pleasure in in- 
forming me of your excellent health & prosperity in your new call- 
ing; Its arrival also removed some little uneasiness I had begun to 
feel for fear you had been killed or maimed at some of the recent 
engagements in your present vicinity. The Union forces of W. Va 
certainly did do a splendid thing when they chased the vile traitors 
from that part of the State. Will not the Slave holding aristocrats 
begin to learn after a while that there is some little fight in men who 
labor for a living; that if slow to get angry they will be terrible in 
battle when once aroused? For my part I have never had any mis- 
givings on the score of N[orthern] courage. When these Pro- 
Slavery traitors make their boasts, they ought to remember how 
their B[ order] Ruffian hordes were received by the quiet peace lov- 
ing citizens of Kan., when they tried to plant the curse of slavery in 
this Territory by foul means, when they could not succeed by fair. 
Still it will not do to despise the S. soldiery or we will fall into the 
same error they did before McClellan opened their eyes. You say 
you wish I could serve with you in your Co in this war. Well, that 
is a wish I have often expressed myself & so wrote to our F[athe]r 
a short time ago. I know that my pleasure would fully equal yours 
to have the privilege in giving these Fire eaters their just deserts, 
but circumstances will oblige us to forgo it for the present at least 
for should I leave home my Aunt [Eliza] & her children would be 
left almost without protection from hostile Indians or white Ma- 
rauders, with which Kan. is well supplied Our farms would also very 



42 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

likely go to destruction for want of proper attention. It would seem 
that I ought to have a stronger incentive than even you to enlist in 
this war, for while you are only striving to uphold the Union, I 
should besides that, believe that Slavery would finally be destroyed 
in case we succeeded. Frank, in your next will you give me your 
opinion of the right to hold human beings in Slavery whether you 
think Negroes are better off under the guidance of the superior power 
and intelligence of the white man, or are they capable of taking care 
of themselves. Just before I came to Kan. and when I was about 
your age, there was no class of men I despised or hated more than I 
did the Abol[itionist]s. I believed them to be a set of hypocritical 
meddlers and mischief-makers, keeping the nation in an uproar 
causing hatred between the 2 sections and defeating the object they 
pretended to have in view by exasperating the Slave holders and 
consequently causing them to bind more closely the chains of slav- 
ery. These ideas were instilled into my mind by my Uncle Cole who 
was a strong anti-abolitionist although opposed to the future exten- 
sion of this institution. But after I came to Kan. I examined this 
subject as much as possible on both sides of the question (The N Y 
Day Book pro & the N Y. Tribune contra.) and have come to the 
conclusion that it is based on a stupendous wrong to the African race 
which cannot be excused by any sophistry on Earth nor by that worn 
out text from the Bible "Cursed be Canaan" &c. which is so familiar 
to religious Southerners, and which I once believed to be a knock 
down argument in favor of Negro Slavery I am not now ashamed 
nor afraid to be considered a "Red hot fanatical Abolitionist." If it 
would not be too much trouble just give me your views when you 
write again. The day after I rec'd your letter from Camp Carlisle 
and after I had answered it another from you written at home 
bearing date July 8 came to hand, and a day or 2 after still another 
dated July 2ond and bearing the post mark of Indianapolis Ind., 
where it had probably been taken. In the last I found a miniature 
of yourself which I greatly prize. The Dr. and many others think 
we strongly resemble each other. I suppose it will not do for me to 
give you my opinion of your appearance or you might consider me 
a flatterer. I will only add that 2 T[opeka]. ladies who were visit- 
ing my Aunt were examining the picture & I overheard the remarks: 
"II est beau. II est tres joli" &c. 

Your uniform looks fine but I do not like the hat. It seems to me 
that it does not protect the face enough. When you write again 
please inform me who is the Col of the 2ond Reg. & if you have been 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 43 

in action, a description of your first feelings &c. when under fire; 
will be read by us all with the greatest avidity. Your idea of our 
writing oftener I think a good one; the only draw back with me is 
I have so little to write that is of interest to you & with even a good 
subject I make but a poor out of it. Letter writing is not my forte 
as you can very well see and I am often afraid some of my letters 
will put you to sleep. I am delighted to hear that our Father is 
reconciled to your being in the Army When I received your sudden 
letter from C[amp]. Carlisle I must say it was one of the proudest 
moments of my life to think I had a brother so fearless and devoted 
to the cause of our Country, as to leave home and kindred, to risk 
his life in the uncertain chances of war, for its preservation. I must 
close for want of space. My best love & wishes to you. Affection- 
ately yours, Samuel J. Reader. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[August 28, 1861.] 

According to agreement, I again take my pen to address a few 
lines to you. And would have done so sooner had I possessed any- 
thing of interest to write Your last letter was dated the 29 July & 
I answered it Aug 8 The other day I received a very pleasant 
letter from my sisters Martha & Ellen. I intend to answer them 
kind letters immediately and try to keep up a regular correspond- 
ence between us if agreeable to them of which I feel no doubt. 
We are all tolerably well. I have suffered from a cold for a few 
days. My Aunt had an attack of the bilious fever a mfonth]. or 
so ago but has soon recovered. It is believed that we will have an 
unhealthy Fall as there is such a rank growth of vegetation. The 
weather however is so dry that we may escape. Every thing is 
quiet in Kans I believe at present ; There are not so many fears en- 
tertained about the Cherokees and some of the wild Indians as for- 
merly. The F[remont]. G[ard]s. meet and drill regularly but have 
no arms except shot guns, rifles and arms of such description. We 
have not increased much in numbers since I wrote you last. 2 other 
members have requested me to strike their names from the roll. We 
do not expect to go out of the State and of course we will not see 
any of the fun unless [Gen. Claiborne F.] Jackson or [Gen. Ben] 
McCulloch should take a notion to invade us. Then expect to 
hear of the exploits of the F. G. although I cannot now predict 
in what we will be most distinguished, fighting or retreating. But 
remember this: If you hear of Sam. Reader taking to his heels 



44 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

during action, disown him at once, break off all correspondence, 
never let it be known that you have a brother. The fear of personal 
danger is by no means a myth to me, for well I remember the tick- 
lish sensations I experienced when I first heard the hum of bullets 
from even a distant enemy, but in this war the sacred cause in 
which we are enlisted ought to be enough to nerve the feeblest arms. 
The thought that success on our part will almost certainly liberate 
several millions of despised and down trodden people, should give 
our Abolition friends a courage not inferior to any known on Earth. 
Last evening I saw a wounded man on his way home from Mo. He 
was wounded in the head & leg at the great battle of Springfield 19 
A man who lived in Ind. last winter and a young Frenchman, a 
friend of my B- in law, were killed at the same battle. Col. Mitch- 
els name is the only one on the list that is known by me He is 
badly wounded. I knew him when he was Capt. of Co F T[opek]a 
Guards in '56. He was generally liked by his men but was quick 
tempered and I once saw him have a serious quarrel with Capt. Sam 
Walker for arresting 2 of his men who had taken two horses of W's 
men without permission for the sake of taking a ride. Had it not 
been for the interference of Capt. Whipple (A. D. Stevens, hung at 
H[arper's]. F[erry]. Va.) blood might have been spilt in their 
empty quarrel. 20 

A few days ago I sent you a copy of the N. Y. Day Book with a 
picture suitable for its frontis piece, as I thought. I have read the 
despicable sheet for several years without receiving any harm or 
being converted to Slavery & I hear that this evening I have received 
my last one. I am not so great a friend to the editor as to cry much 
but at the same time I do not favor suppressing such papers Argu- 
ment is the thing necessary in such cases. No more 

[To His Half-Sister Martha Reader] 

[September 3, 1861.] 

D[ear]. S[ister]. Had a very pleasant letter from you on the 27 
day of last mo. which is the 1st I have rec'd from P. Run since 
F[rank]. left you for the war I again wrote to our father the 22d 
of Aug (just a few days before you wrote the 19 came to hand) as 
I had begun to feel uneasy at his silence If it would not too much 
interfere with him and his pressing business I should very much 

19. This was the battle of Wilson creek which was fought a few miles south of Spring- 
field, Mo., on August 10, 1861. 

20. Col. Robert B. Mitchell of the Second Kansas cavalry was wounded at the battle of 
Wilson creek. Reader notes in his diary when he reinked the writing in 1911 that the Mitchell 
was not his "Capt. Mitchell of 1856." 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 45 

like him to give me his views in regard to this war I should read 
them with great interest for not with standing we disagree in many 
things politically I have remarked that he has predicted this state 
of things several years ago and blaming the Abol. as much if not 
more than the Fire-eaters for their prejudice and hatred towards 
each other. 

I have a proposition to make to you and Ellen It is that you 
correspond with me regularly which I have no doubt you will agree 
to as the pleasure it will afford me you can well conceive Although 
we have been so far nearly as much strangers to each other as pos- 
sibly can be still I am determined to not let the barrier of several 
hundred miles always keep us so. When this war is over F[rank]. 
has promised me that he will pay me a visit and I will probably re- 
turn with him and see you all. 

I was sorry to hear of your suffering from the tooth ache it must 
be extremely painful from what I have heard about it When I was 
about 11 years old a violent cold settled on several of my double 
teeth and I then thought I had a considerable time of it but I sup- 
pose it was nothing at all in comparison to the regular toothache 
You ask me how my foot gets along; well it did not trouble me 
much. The ax cut off the tendon of my big toe and a small artery, 
but by keeping the wound together with sticking plaster, and re- 
maining perfectly quiet for 3 or 4 days I was able to go at my usual 
business in less than a week. 

The weather has been pretty dry for a long time Our corn crop 
will be heavy; vegetables are doing well. Hay will be plenty and 
cheap. I never saw the grass look better. I suppose you are aware 
that our meadows are all out on the prairies, and are generally free 
to all. The grass on the high ground grows about % ft in height 
and in low swamps nearly as high as six feet! This latter is very 
useful in keeping such stock as run out and take care of themselves 
during the Winter because we never have snows heavy enough to 
completely bury it. I have no doubt it sounds strange to hear of 
horses and cattle "wintering" themselves but such is the fact. Last 
winter was hard on them on account of the shortness of the grass. 
One day I saw several Indian ponies scraping the snow away with 
their fore feet in order to get the grass underneath. I do not tell 
this as "a fish story." Another staple production of K[ansas] in 
this vicinity this year is weeds This pest seems to spring spon- 
taneously from the ground in places that have been free from it 
heretofore It is almost impossible to go through the woods now on 
account of a rough leafed weed which grows 10 or 15 feet in height 



46 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

and as thick as a wheat field, (almost). Ind[ianola]. is also to a 
great extent shut out from view by weeds of various kinds. The 
most prominent among them is the wild sunflower, giving the town 
at this time a rather golden appearance. Next to them ranks a 
fetid dark green weed with a thorny bur which I believe is called 
gympson, and the rank & file is made up of cockleburs hazle bushes 
and sand burs. Perhaps these weeds are gathering around to hide 
the secession inhabitants from view. This may give you an idea how 
a "1 horse town" in the far West, looks. 

[September 5.] 

Eliza [Campdoras] calls her little girl Joanna Catherine She 
wishes to write to you and F[rank] also, but has not done so yet as 
so much of her time is taken up in her household duties and in 
taking care of her children who are the greatest mischiefs in the 
Township. You wished us to send you our likenesses. Well as our 
daguerreotypist is out of materials necessary for taking pictures, I 
took it upon myself to sketch the profile of the Dr. [Campdoras] 
while he was talking to my Aunt last Sund. and finished it from 
memory Is in his Naval uniform which he wore while serving as 
surgeon in the Ffrench]. Navy. It is quite correct excepting the 
color of the coat which is a shade or two darker. The face will I 
think give you a tolerable idea how Dr. Camp[dora]s looks only 
remember I never flatter when I attempt to draw a persons likeness. 
To aid a little I will jot down a few items concerning his personal 
appearance. He is about 5 ft 10 in. in height; and inclined to corpu- 
lency; weighs about 180 or 185 Ibs. A large head with a heavy 
covering of black hair and a luxuriant beard of the same color. He 
has black or very dark brown eyes, piercing but with a mirthful 
expression ordinarily His hands and feet are small for a man of 
his size. Well I have done my best you see on this subject with pen 
& pencil but still have my doubts whether you would know your 
brother in law should you meet him an ordinary stranger. It is get- 
ting dark. Must close Write soon. S. J. R. 

[To His Half -Brother Frank] 

[September 13, 1861.] 

His Satanic Majesty ought to be the patron of Ind[ianol]a. I 
was going to say but will wait until I know whether he can stand 
their strychnined liquors or not. The most prominent features of 
our town now, are weeds, whisky and traitors Read opinion of 
Slavery with much interest differ on some minor points but agree 
on the main question &c &c. 



LETTERS or SAMUEL JAMES READER 47 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[October 14, 1861.] 

An a/c of prairie fires wind &c 2d: about our new Company 
"your humble servant was elected Ord. Se'gt probably on a/c of 
his six feet two." 3, About the 2d reg Jim Lane on plundering 
"The cause is too holy either considered as a war in support of our 
Union or as a war for the emancipation of the African race in our 
midst to allow a base desire for plunder to occupy the soldiers 
thoughts." 4 My opinion of the war Think slavery ought to be 
put an end to. Uphold Fremont's acts 21 &c. &c. 

[To His Half-Sister Martha] 

[October 21, 1861.] 
D[ear] S[ister] Martha: 

I rec'd a very welcome letter from you and Ella on the 15 of this 
mo. containing the tidings of your good health and general pros- 
perity. A few days previous I rec. a letter from Frank which I an- 
swered immediately as it was the 2 one I had rec. since writing to 
him I truly feel proud of him in his present position; and regret 
I cannot with him lend a helping hand to aid our Gov in putting 
down this wicked rebellion Several weeks ago 14 or 15 of our neigh- 
bors, mostly members of our Independent Co. enlisted in the Home 
Guards; 22 but I did not go with them although strongly urged to do 
so. It certainly looked bad to see some of them men of families 
leaving for the war while a great strapping healthy fellow like me 
stayed at home. But maybe I will yet have a chance to show my- 
self as patriotic as my brother especially if our State should be in- 
vaded when every good citizen will be invited to turn out and drive 
the invaders back I solace myself with the thought that if I can- 
not help our cause as a soldier I certainly can as a farmer. So for 
the present at least I will have to be one of the producing class. 
The reason I have not enlisted yet is that I have my business in such 
a situation that should I leave everything would be liable to go to 
destruction, and my Aunt would also be left without any one to see 
after her affairs except the Dr. and he is of but little account in the 
farming line. These are my principal reasons which I hope you will 
accept and not think I am kept from the field through cowardice, if 

21. Fremont as commander of the Western department issued a proclamation on August 31, 
1861, freeing the slaves of all Southern sympathizers in the state of Missouri who took up 
arms against the United States. Since this was not in conformity with the confiscation act 
passed by congress, President Lincoln, on September 11, ordered him to modify his order. 
Greeley, op. cit., v. I, p. 585 ; v. II, pp. 239-240. 

22. These men enlisted in Company E, Eighth regiment, Kansas Volunteer infantry. 
Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kansas, 1861-1865, pp. 273-275. 



48 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

I am naturally adapted for running notwithstanding. We are all in 
tolerable health excepting the Drs children. They both had the 
chills a few days ago and have not got rid of them yet. Little Leon 
was the worst. He is my favorite and seems to think a considerable 
of his "unk Ham/' (Uncle Sam) as he calls me He has now ar- 
rived at the period when children are the most interesting and 
prattles continually. His father is teaching him the French lan- 
guage at which he is quite a proficient already and often salutes me 
in Fr. I tried to draw his likeness a short time ago but he was like 
the darkeys pig than ran about so he couldn't be counted. In short 
he would not be still a moment; therefore I will have to defer draw- 
ing his portrait until he gets old enough to comprehend what I want 
or else screw his head in a carpenters vise. Of course he would be 
still then but his phiz, would not present a very pleasing appearance ; 
for he possesses a temper that would do honor to his Frankish an- 
cestors of the olden time. In personal appearance he strongly re- 
sembles his father; a regular Dr. C. in miniature minus beard and 
moustaches. 

Bade as they call the little girl is prettier featured than Leon and 
promises to be a fine girl. But I believe I will drop the subject for 
the present and if I have tired you with it you must remember that 
it is natural for old bachelors to dote upon their nephews and nieces. 

Our Indianola folks of the Secesh stripe are quite quiet now partly 
owing perhaps to a serenade at which I assisted a few evenings ago. 
As music is said to soothe the most savage mind. The way it hap- 
pened I was in town the other evening to put my last letter to Frank 
in the P. 0. where I found Sergt. Rose of the H[ome]. G[uard]s re- 
turned on a recruiting tour and another young man who is a fine 
flutist Mr. Rose got his fiddle and the other man his flute. I re- 
turned home (half a mile) and got my flute also on which I can per- 
form a little and we visited every house (groggins excepted) with the 
exception of a crabbed Dutchman and a bachelor shoemaker whom 
we concluded could do with out our melody. At the houses of noted 
Seceshionists we played Y. D. [Yankee Doodle?] H. C. [Hail Colum- 
bia?] and other patriotic airs & at Unionists such airs as Old Folks 
at Home, Jordan &c. The worst feature of our evenings entertain- 
ment was that at several of the houses we were invited in and liquor 
denominated "Tangle foot," chain-lightning, Bust-head &c, were 
set before us The consequence was that friends Rose and Thomp- 
son were complaining of headache the next day; on account of liberal 
potations imbibed in the evening of the poisonous stuff, which one 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 49 

of them said was composed of strychnine and cayenne pepper. As 
I belong to the Temperance Society and rigidly uphold and practice 
total abstinance I of course suffered no ill effects. In our rounds 
we went to the Drs house who lives several hundred yards E[ast] of 
our house and commenced playing under his window. He got up 
about half awake and as this was the first serenading in this part 
of the country he concluded we were rowdies come to disturb him 
He opened the door and asked if we were drunken people before he 
perceived his error Our violinist than sang the Red W. & Blue. I 
am happy to hear of your opinion of our B-in-law's picture. I will 
send you my daguerreotype as soon as I can get one. I tried to 
draw myself before a looking glass and succeeded in producing a 
hideous looking picture which homely as I am I repudiated. I will 
try and send you specimens of my scratchings frequently As a be- 
ginning I send you a likeness of one of the noblest and most self- 
sacrificing heroes of this or any other age when we view him from 
his own stand point. 23 I saw and conversed with the old man during 
our troubles in 1856. And feel prouder of the event than I would of 
the intimacy of the greatest potentate in the world. He passed life 
in a humble sphere but if justice be done his generous nature his 
name will shine while those of the men who sat in judgment over 
him will sink to oblivion. I expect you will all call this extravigant 
language. Now girls this picture is for the one that will prize it 
highest in plain terms the strongest Abolitionist. D. Sisters write 
often as nothing is more welcome to me than your kind letters. My 
next letter I will write to Ella and so on alternately. I have no more 
space. Your affectionate brother, Samuel J. Reader. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[December 1, 1861.] 

About writing Health Weather &c. Our local news is unim- 
portant Kansas is not one of the Battle fields yet although many 
families are leaving S[outhern] K[ansas] on account of the lawless 
condition of things in that section. Last Sund I assisted at the 
funeral of the child of one of the refugees & he informed me that 
bands of Mo. miscreants were almost continually making inroacls 
into K. in his neighborhood plundering the defenceless inhabitants 
and in many instances shooting the Union men down like dogs. He 
said these ruffians were incited to these deeds to retaliate the plun- 

23. John Brown. 

42143 



50 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

dering of Seceshers by some of the K-guerrilla parties who were 
stealing "on their own hook." Such trials and dangers are very 
disheartening to settlers in that locality. Here we feel compara- 
tively safe in this respect for this winter at least. This driving off 
and murdering of innocent inhabitants is certainly one of the most 
dreadful concomitants of war. From the Lfeavenworth] daily 
papers we learn that Weston only 10 m. from that city is in the 
hands of the Traitors; and that several officers have been arrested 
by them. 24 Nothing has pleased me more of late than Sec. Cam- 
erons endorsement of Col. Cochranes speech, which you of course, 
have read long ere this Still I would have been better pleased had 
this policy been inaugurated last Spring; or better still had Slavery 
been abolished by U. Sam as soon as showed a determined disposi- 
tion to resist his authority. Still it is not for me to criticise I sup- 
pose. I declare, Frank I have nothing to write to you that I think 
will interest you. Were I in Camp as you are I might make my 
letters less barren. Write soon &c &c &c. Samuel J. Reader. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[January 5, 1862.] 

Rec. &c &c Gave an interesting a/c of battle on Alleghany Mts. 
Gen. Price retreating Delighted that Jim Lane is to command Kan 
troops 25 The men all have confidence in him and he knows how to 
carry on the war amongst our B-R neighbors of Mo. 26 and in him 
the Contrabands find a true friend and liberator. Health good Drs 
to 111. Well we presume Eliza you know like myself is not very 
punctual in writing some times A snow &c. I am no friend of cold 
weather It uses me up completely, and I have been frost-bitten 
slightly several times. Some think it is because I do not warm my 
blood up with alcohol; but I am of the opinion that the remedy is 
worse than the inconvenience. Hot weather makes but little im- 
pression on me and should I ever leave this place it will be to make 
another move towards the sunny south Our little town is as quiet 
as you please &c &c. One of the number W. E. T. married a Half 

24. The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, December 5, 1861, gives the following account: 
"Last Thursday Si Gordon, with his clan, took possession of Weston, Mo., only a few miles 
from Leavenworth. On the afternoon of that day upon the arrival of the train from St. Joe 
the rebel band surrounded it and took Captains Moonlight and Rabe, who were passengers, 
prisoners. . . ." 

25. President Lincoln appointed James H. Lane brigadier general with a view of sending 
an expedition into Arkansas and the Indian territory. Stephenson, loc. cit., pp. 118-122. 

26. "Yes, Jim Lane was as good (or as bad,) as 'our Border-ruffian neighbors of Mo.' 
when he got over there with fire & sword." Note added by Reader to his diary when reinking 
it in 1911. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 51 

breed squaw on N. Years and the whole town, nearly, has been on 
a bust ever since He is a brother of the proprietor of our billiard 
saloon; Was in the P[ro]. S[lavery] army in 56-7. Murdered a man 
at Lecompton; Was convicted and pardoned out by Gov. Robinson. 
He struts about as impudent as Lucifer, with the back of his head 
3 in. in rear of his heels. No more. Signed Sam. Reader. 

[To His Half-Sister Martha] 

[January 15, 1862.] 

Reception of letters. Health of all Drs &c. Weather. Prices. 
Corn 10 Pork 2% Beef 3 cts No fears of famine. No news in 
Kan. Legislature met. It seemed to me that good luck had all come 
at once for with it came one from F. which I of course opened first 
to see if he had been in the late battle. I was much delighted to 
hear of his good health & spirits. He is certainly a great writer for 
one so young from the number of letters he has written to you since 
being a soldier besides his correspondence to myself, and doubtless 
many others I should very much like to see some of his newspaper 
communications. I am certain from the letters he has written to 
me that he is fully competent as a War Correspondent We cannot 
doubt that he will attain celebrity as he comes to maturer years 
should he feel so disposed You say you want my "Shadow" in 
uniform as a Christmas gift. I faithfully promise to send it just as 
soon as I can get an opportunity to have it taken; not in uniform 
however, as our Co. has not procured uniforms yet and perhaps will 
not for some time, if ever. We have not met to drill for some time 
on a/c of the cool weather and the tranquil appearance of the State. 
If I could draw a likeness of myself which would be in any wise 
accurate, I would do it with pleasure but I believe it would be in 
vain. I have made and sent to Our relatives of La Harpe so many 
pictures of myself in caricature especially during the Kansas War, 
that I can hardly represent myself in any other than a ludicrous 
character and one of that description you might not think in very- 
good taste. Besides, I intend to be a little more careful in the future 
how I send such sketches to my friends ; as I have placed myself in 
an unpleasant predicament by it already. It was in this manner: 
After the Dr. and Eliza were married I sketched a comic tableau 
of the wedding. I represented them on the floor looking as if their 
last day had come while I stood near in the shape of the section of 
a rainbow shedding tears of regret My Uncle & Aunt were made in 



52 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

about equally ridiculous attitudes. Now this picture I sent to my 
U. Samuel [James] to give him an idea of the appearance of the 
mairiage as I said, without the faintest supposition that the Dr. 
would ever see it. But in this I was mistaken for it was preserved 
and in his letter the Dr congratulated me on my success in drawing 
&c. informing me that my cousin Miss America James recognizes 
him at first sight from the resemblance he bore to his likeness in 
the wedding scene. I know there is too much mirth in his character 
for him to be offended, but still I feel quite cheap when I think of 
this picture being exhibited to him. It would indeed be a pleasure 
to meet you all soon and if it is not possible now I do not intend 
that our separation shall be eternal. Ella speaks of your instru- 
mental music May I ask what instrument you are learning to play 
upon. I am very fond of music instrumental in particular and 
sometimes try to make some myself in my own poor way upon the 
flute, but without much success. I purchased my instrument just 
before we came to Kan. and commenced tooting upon it but contrary 
to the advice of sister E. refused to learn the notes thinking it too 
much trouble She understands music thoroughly and tried to get 
me to take lessons from her but the first lesson appeared so formi- 
dable to me that I gave it up. I continued in blissful ignorance until 
about or more than a year ago when finding I was making no prog- 
ress of any account I took up the "Carmina Sacra" and by dint of 
hard studying on Sundays (not being a member of Church,) and odd 
times, I mastered what I had supposed so difficult in a short time. 
There is one tune that I have never come across, "The Star Spangled 
banner" If you have the air, will not one of you as a great favor 
to me, copy the music and send it to me? You write also that you 
are in a class of vocalists. Well that is something I know as little 
of as I do of Latin & Greek. I never sing and do not suppose I could 
go through correctly with any tune to save my life. I feel very much 
flattered at receiving Ellas compliments about John B[rown]'s pic- 
ture and may I not say gratified to hear her expressions of noble, 
and martyred, in connection with his name. I will try and send 
specimens of my "daubing" as often as I can execute any thing that 
will be worthy of notice "Artist" you cannot properly call me for 
I have never received instruction in drawing or painting from master 
or book in my life, and draw pictures (generally comic) for amuse- 
ment. No more space S. J. R. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 53 

[To His Uncle Samuel James] 

[January 18, 1862.] 

I wrote 3 pages to S about La Harpe soldiers their wounds &c. 
My views of the war. Dont like old Abe's giving emancipation the 
cold shoulder. I am the same as any other radical dyed in the wool 
abolitionist We are all well "Whet ther air of us" and there are 
enough of us too this cold weather. Sent word to Dr. & E all safe &c 
About Burnett getting stove. Tax on land &c. 

Signed "Uncle Sam to Uncle Sam." 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[January 19, 1862.] 
Dfear]. B[rother]. 

Day before yesterday I received a letter from you dated Jan. 3 
in which you said you had not received any word from me since you 
wrote last. I wrote to you the first part of this mo. in answer to 
yours of Dec. and I suppose it has reached you before this 

We are all enjoying excellent health. The Dr [Campdoras] & 
family are all right at last accounts The little boy had an attack 
of the croup but soon got over it. We do not expect them home be- 
fore Spring. I sent in your complaint as well as our Sisters to E. 
for not writing to you, yesterday. Our weather has been cold and 
disagreeable for some weeks A snow of six in. is still lying on the 
ground. Prices for farm produce are low while Cotton and woolen 
goods are high Salt sells for 5tf pr. Ib. 

You ask how my military pulse beats. Well I hope its pulsations 
are still true to the Union but its throbs would rise to fever heat 
were we also fighting against this unholy system of Slavery which 
our enemies are so carefully fostering even at the expense of dis- 
loyalty and a formidable war waged against them. I am no poli- 
tician and know nothing in regard to the intricate windings of di- 
plomacy as you well know, and therefore ought not to set up my 
judgment in this matter, still it seems to me that the most ordinary 
common sense would dictate the overthrow of Slavery. What are 
your views in this matter? What lamentable folly some of our Gens, 
show in discountenancing fugitive slaves. Jim Lane knew what 
course to pursue in Mo. in respect to slaves and no troops were more 
feared by the enemy than his Brigade Even you Va. boys from 
your last letter are beginning to find out the utility of the despised 
"Contrabands." 



54 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

I learned last night that Sec. Cameron has been relieved from his 
position in the Cabinet. I am as sorry to hear of his removal as I 
was about Fremonts, for I had formed a high opinion of their ability 
and views for prosecuting the war. You gave some amusing anec- 
dotes about the runaway darkies. 

I thank Fortune that as soon as one sets foot in Kan. soil he is a 
free man What unspeakable joy must be awakened in these poor 
creatures minds when they for the first time realize that they are 
free ; when they know that they will no longer have to toil from "sun 
to sun," under the drivers lash and no longer dread the (to them) 
dreadful thought of being sold "down south" unless they tamely 
submit to their fate I was in T[opek] a the other day and saw quite 
a number of negroes employed by the citizens. They looked intelli- 
gent and happy. I believe they have 15 or 20 there but none have 
come over on this side of the river yet that is, in this Township. 
Excuse my dwelling on this subject so long. Remember, I know no 
better than to think Negroes better off free than slave, and am a 
confirmed dyed in-the-wool abolitionist I am happy to hear that 
U. Sam provides you all with such good fare. Some of my acquaint- 
ances of the Kan. 2d tell me that last Summer while in Mo. they 
were often on half rations and some times had nothing but fresh 
meat. They gallantly fought at the battle of Springfield without 
any other uniform than a blue blouse and many were not well sup- 
plied with canteens and suffered dreadfully for want of water. You 
asked me how I spent the holidays. Well I am afraid I did not ob- 
serve them very properly. First Christmas was so fine a day for 
work that I broke that day entirely. N. Y.s day I find by looking 
at my Journal was cold and I kept in doors mostly, although invited 
to be present at the wedding of Wm. T. one of our rankest Pro 
Slaverites to be married to a Half breed Pott[awatomie]. squaw 
10 mi. from here. More than half the town was there. I was in 
town when the crowd started. Almost every one had a bottle or 
two of Red eye on board and several good swigs under their belts to 
keep the cold off. In the evening I took my cousin F[ ranees], to a 
kind of social party, ostensibly a "Candy pulling," but on arriving, 
found it to be more of a play party than anything else. We could 
not complain of girls for they outnumbered the gents more than two 
to one. Our host being a strictly religious man nothing like dancing 
was attempted and it made no difference with me for I never shook 
the fantastic toe more than 10 or 15 times in my life and as old age 
is creeping on me like the galloping consumption after a fast young 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 55 

lady that I probably never will shake it again. Our Master of Cere- 
monies was Mr Bowker or rather Capt. B. of our Indipendent Co. 
You see we civilians have every thing our own way now but when 
the "Bowld Soger boys" come home our day will be over; then will 
"the greater glory dim the less" and we will all sink into insignifi- 
cance. 

Our local news has not been important for a long time The State 
Legis. met a few days ago at T[opek]a but I believe are doing noth- 
ing important. Day before yesterday the S. Court decided that 
Chas R[obinson]. our old Dem. half traitor Gov. can remain in of- 
fice another year, and thus leave Mr Crawford who received a heavy 
vote last Fall, out in the cold. 27 

I answered Mats [Martha's] last letter a week or so ago. Can it 
be possible that Ella is becoming an abolitionist? Her letters seem 
to show it. In your next please tell me if you are camped out in 
tents yet or are you in barracks? I will close S. J. R. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[February 19, 1862.] 

Health & Weather Snow lying on ground "Not following up" 
my business as closely &c Temperature I suppose your present 
elevation has the effect of keeping your Reg[iment]. cool which you 
know is a very desirable quality in a soldier. You soldier [s] must 
suffer many hardships this cold weather especially while standing 
guard at night but I believe you informed me in one of your letters 
that you were exempt from this duty. In your next I wish you 
would inform me about the general health of the army in your 
vicinity I have lately heard that there is much sickness among the 
soldiers on the Potomac but it may be that your mountainous situa- 
tion has a salutary effect in warding off disease. I am happy to hear 
that you will probably be your Majors Secy. It is said that the pen 
is mightier than the sword and I know that you can wield the former 
with success and ease, if I may be permitted to judge from what I 
have seen and the number of letters your sister [s] say you have 
written to them since you have been in camp To me it would be 
almost a Herculean task that is if I were obliged to think up sub- 
jects enough to make my letters interesting. Everything is quiet 
in our little town. No new visits from the Jayhawkers In fact I 

27. At an election held November 5, 1861, state officers were voted on, George A. Craw- 
ford being the candidate for governor. The state board refused to canvass his votes, holding 
that the terms of the officials then serving did not begin until Kansas was admitted as a state, 
notwithstanding they were elected in 1859. A writ of mandamus to compel the board to can- 
vass the votes was denied by the supreme court which declared that the election was illegal. 
Wilder, op. cit., November 5, 1861, January 9 and 21, 1862. 



56 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

believe Jay hawking as it is called and which is identical with press- 
ing in 56 & 57 has been discouraged and punished until it hardly 
dares show its head. I always condemned such proceedings on the 
U[nion] side although many of our deluded neighbors thought it a 
pious institution The men engaged in it must have been devoid of 
principle. If I were to go into the war, it would be to fight and not 
to learn to be a thief and the only property I should think of touch- 
ing would be the lawful booty taken in the enemy's camp and per- 
haps if a chance should occur taking off certain biped property from 
the owners (?) which ("Oh the depravity of the human heart?") I 
should consider a very praiseworthy action. I am sure no twinges 
of conscience would trouble me nor do I think my sleep would be 
disturbed by the goblin spectre of some plantation lord with the 
bible under one arm and the Constitution of the U. S. under the 
other Our Kan news is not important Jim Lane and the people of 
our state are disappointed that old Jim has not the command of an 
expedition which is to start Southward as soon as Spring opens. 
We must all of necessity however submit to the powers that be at 
Washington 28 I was pleased with your plain and candid statement 
on the subject of emancipation, but sorry to think that you for a 
moment should think me of a disposition to be offended at it. Plain 
speaking when not carried to excess for the love of contradiction we 
all know is a desirable characteristic and I flatter myself that I ap- 
preciate it in common with others Our views in regard to this mat- 
ter are at variance more than I supposed. I see you view our pres- 
ent struggle in the same light that a great maj[ority]. of the 
American people N[orth] do; viz: the maintenance of the Union 
and destruction to the traitors who dare to pull the glorious fabric 
down. Now these are very fine sentiments. Our Country is the most 
democratic and free than any other in the civilized world, and I am 
proud and happy to think I am an A[merica]n. citizen and should 
be miserable if I thought our Rep. form of Gov. should be destroyed 
were we to be foiled in our attempt to subdue the S. without freeing 
her slaves. But this I do not believe would happen. We of the N. 
are certainly men enough to know how to get along without being 
guided and governed by the vile and despotic Southerners, and if it 
is the policy of the Gov. to shoot and stab them back into the 
U[nion]. and still let them foster and extend their abominable in- 

28. This refers to the proposed military expedition to the Southwest. (See Footnote 25.) 
Lane was not placed in command of the forces but was ordered to report to Gen. D. Hunter, 
the commanding officer. Since he could not lead the expedition, Lane announced that he would 
again take up his duties in the senate. Stephenson, loc. cit., pp. 118-122. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 57 

stitution, my sympathies for the success of the war will cease, for 
is it not self evident that Slavery is the cause of the war and would 
it not expose us to perpetual wars and commotion hereafter and 
would not the separation they are so anxious for, be preferable to 
such a state of things? I supposed at the beginning of the war that 
every effort would be made to weaken the Rebels by encouraging 
their slaves to desert or still better to come out open and above 
board and emancipate them, thereby gaining the sympathies of 
Europe instead of their enmity as we have nearly done already ; and 
showing our own people that a settled policy had been inaugurated. 
As you say, hundreds or thousands of soldiers (of the Border Slave 
states we presume) would desert preferring Slavery for the Un., but 
could not their places be supplied by the free negroes of the N and 
the runaways of the S? These are my sentime[n]ts. 29 I see Frank 
that your "heart is in the right place"; that is, you wish to see 
Slavery destroyed but not by an act of the general Gov't. and think 
the subject ought not to be agitated too much for fear of damaging 
our cause and that slavery will be destroyed or abolished in some 
manner not explained. It is very possible that you are right and I 
am wrong but it seems to me that agitation will do no harm in this 
crisis. Now is the time to strike while the Slaveryites are ripe for 
destruction. I have here plainly stated my ideas as you did yours 
so you can now know exactly how I stand, but I want you to under- 
stand, if I am an abolitionist I am not an amalgamationist, but want 
the blacks colonized by themselves, which will be better for them 
and for us. I have perhaps looked on the dark side of the picture 
and may be agreeably disappointed when the storm of war bursts 
forth in the Spring to see the Northerners banners with "Emancipa- 
tion," inscribed alongside of our glorious motto: "Union." I should 
like to say more about this matter but space will not permit, and 
perhaps your patience will be sufficiently tried with this. It is not 
necessary for me to request you to write soon, as you are always 
punctual Your very affectionate brother, 

Samuel J. Reader. 

29. Reader made the following marginal note in 1911 : "How lucky it was that Sam 
Reader did not manage the Civil War in 1862. 'The pear was not ripe,' and Abolitionists had 
to 'wait a spell.' " 

(To be concluded in the May Quarterly) 



A. L. Runyon's Letters From the Nineteenth 
Kansas Regiment 

I. INTRODUCTION 

DURING the summers of 1865 to 1869 western Kansas was the 
scene of warfare between the settlers and wild tribes of plains 
Indians: Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kiowas, Comanches and Apaches. 
Indian raids were responsible for the deaths of many persons and 
the destruction of a great deal of property. In the summer of 1867 
the Indians were especially active, and although the Seventh regi- 
ment of United States cavalry and the Eighteenth Kansas cavalry 
were constantly in the field, their forces were not sufficient to keep 
the Indians under control. Again in 1868 raids disastrous to white 
settlements occurred along the whole frontier. The peace commis- 
sion which had been set up under a congressional act of July 20, 
1867, to come to an agreement with the hostile tribes, was sufficiently 
influenced by these events to abandon many of its pacific theories, 
and at a meeting in Chicago in October, 1868, recommended that the 
Indians be dealt with by the War Department. Maj. Gen. Philip H. 
Sheridan, at Fort Hays, immediately began preparations for war. 
His plan was to concentrate the peaceful Indians south of the Ar- 
kansas river and to carry on intensive warfare with the others. In 
order to carry out this project more troops were needed to supple- 
ment the regular army, and therefore on October 9, 1868, Sheridan 
transmitted to Gov. Samuel J. Crawford of Kansas a request from 
Gen. William T. Sherman for a regiment of twelve companies of 
volunteer cavalry to serve for a period of six months. The governor 
consequently issued a proclamation on October 10 calling for the 
organization of the Nineteenth Kansas regiment. 1 

Recruiting offices were opened in many Kansas towns. In Man- 
hattan the governor's proclamation was published in the Standard 
on October 17, although recruiting actually had begun earlier. One 
of the first volunteers at the Manhattan station was Alfred Lee 
Runyon, who joined for service on October 12 and was mustered in 

1. For additional information on this regiment see Horace L. Moore, "The Nineteenth 
Kansas Cavalry," in The Kansas Historical Collections, v. VI, pp. 35-52; James Albert Hadley, 
"The Nineteenth Kansas Cavalry and the Conquest of the Plains Indians," in ibid., v. X, pp. 
428-456; William E. Connelley, "John McBee's Account of the Expedition of the Nineteenth 
Kansas," in ibid., v. XVII, pp. 361-374; Mahlon Bailey, "Medical Sketch of the Nineteenth 
Regiment of Kansas Cavalry Volunteers," in The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. VI, pp. 378- 
386. For a general discussion of the Indian problem in its national aspects see Frederic L. 
Paxson, The Last American Frontier (New York, The Macmillan Company, 1911). 

(58) 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 59 

October 29. 2 He was assigned as clerk at the headquarters of Com- 
pany M. 3 

Runyon was a young man who had been employed for several 
months in the office of the Manhattan Independent, and later in the 
office of the Manhattan Standard. The editor of the latter paper, 
expressing his regret at losing a capable helper, remarked that 
"Alfred was a steady and faithful boy while with us, and will make 
an efficient clerk for Capt. Moody. We regretted his determination 
to enlist, but are glad that his ability as a penman is being ap- 
preciated by his officers." The editor concluded: "He has promised 
to keep our readers posted as to the incidents and doings of the 
regiment. The first of his letters appears this week." 4 

Following its six months' tour of duty the Nineteenth was dis- 
banded. Runyon himself was mustered out April 18, 1869, 5 and re- 
turned to Manhattan where he again engaged in the printing trade. 6 
Little information of his movements during the next four years has 
been discovered, but on December 25, 1874, The Nationalist, of 
Manhattan, reported that "A. L. Runyan went to work on the 
J [unction]. C[ity]. Tribune, a few days ago." Some months later, 
Manhattan and Junction City newspapers recorded Runyon's mar- 
riage to Miss Libbie J. Damon in Abilene, March 11, 1876. 7 

The couple settled in Manhattan where Runyon, with C. M. 
Patee, established the Manhattan Enterprise, May 3, 1876. Runyon 
was editor, and following the withdrawal of Patee in January, 1877, 
was sole manager of the paper until its sale to G. A. Atwood on June 
16, 1882. With Atwood's first issue, dated June 23, the paper was 
renamed the Republic. 

Leaving Manhattan, Runyon formed a partnership with O. M. 
Pugh and J. P. Campbell and the three purchased The Times of 
Clay Center, in October, 1882. The duties of the new owners, as 
outlined in their announcement in The Times of October 19, were: 
"Mr. Pugh remains in charge of the local department. The world- 

2. Annual Report of the Adjutant General . . ., 1870, p. 79. In this report, as in the 
letters to follow, the name is spelled "Runyan." "Runyon" is correct, however. Damon 
Runyon, well-known son of A. L., explains the discrepancy as follows: "The difference in the 
way he spelled Runyan and the way I spell it (Runyon) is due to the New York copy readers 
when I first hit New York. They kept putting in the 'o' so finally I left it that way. My 
father said that was the correct spelling, and that it got to be 'a' with him through error 
which, like myself, he did not trouble to correct." Damon Runyon to N. H. Miller, Kansas 
State Historical Society, letter postmarked New York, September 10, 1939. 

3. Manhattan Standard, November 7, 1868. 

4. Ibid. 

5. Annual Report of the Adjutant General . . ., 1870, p. 79. 

6. The official "Ninth U. S. Census, 1870," Kansas, v. 20, Manhattan, p. 28, lists Alfred 
Runyon, 21, as a printer. 

7. The Nationalist, Manhattan, March 17, 1876 ; Junction City Tribune, March 16, 1876. 



60 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

moving will be done with neatness and dispatch by Campbell and 
Runyan. If there is anything you don't like, bounce Runyan." 

The beginning of the year 1884 found Clay Center newspapers 
under mixed managements. Wirt W. Walton and D. A. Valentine, 
owners of The Dispatch, dissolved their partnership. Valentine pur- 
chased The Times from Campbell and Runyon. They, in turn, 
joined with Walton on The Dispatch. Runyon continued with The 
Dispatch until June 4, 1885, when he sold his interest to Walton. 

On October 2 the Press Printing Company of Wellington received 
a charter from the secretary of state of Kansas. 8 With a paid-up 
capital of $12,000 the corporation purchased the Daily and Weekly 
Press and the good will and subscription list of the Daily and Weekly 
Welling tonian. All were consolidated under the head of the Well- 
ington Daily Press and The Sumner County Press, Jacob Stotler, 
editor, and A. L. Runyon, business manager. 9 

On July 22, 1886, Runyon took over editorship of the papers from 
Stotler, who made another connection in Emporia. Approximately 
a year later, on June 4, 1887, the Daily Press was discontinued. 
"Reason: It does not pay," wrote Runyon. Shortly afterward, his 
wife's health prompted Runyon to seek a new location in Colorado. 
His name disappeared from the masthead of the weekly Press after 
October 20, and on November 3 the Press recorded that Runyon had 
gone to Pueblo. 

Four children three girls and one boy were born in Kansas to 
the couple. Two girls are deceased. 10 Damon Runyon, according to 
the Enterprise, was born in Manhattan October 3, 1880. 11 

The letters which follow were written by A. L. Runyon during his 
term of service in the Nineteenth cavalry and published in the Man- 
hattan Standard in 1868 and 1869. They supplement the story of 
an already much-publicized regiment which, though it suffered 
many hardships, paradoxically enough never engaged in actual 
fighting, and which, although it was a cavalry unit, served part of 
its term as a dismounted troop, performing in this capacity so well 
that General Custer's official report stated that the "Nineteenth put 
to the blush the best regular infantry." 12 

Company M, to which Runyon was attached, possibly saw even 
fewer hostile "red-skins" than the rest of the command. Of the 
189 days that Runyon served, 111 were spent with his company, de- 

8. Secretary of state, "Corporations" copybooks, v. 19, p. 244. 

9. The Sumner County Press, Wellington, October 8, 1885. 

10. Letter from Damon Runyon, postmarked New York, September 10, 1939. 

11. Manhattan Enterprise, October 8, 1880. 

12. Hadley, loc. cit., p. 446. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 61 

tached from the main body of the regiment, chiefly in escorting 
wagon trains moving between the various frontier forts and out- 
posts. Nevertheless these letters present a fresh view of early-day 
Kansas and the Indian country. They are reproduced here for 
their general interest rather than as a source of new information re- 
garding the Nineteenth Kansas cavalry. Occasional variations in 
spelling of proper nouns which appear in the original Standard text 
have been retained. 

II. THE LETTERS 

CAMP CRAWFORD, 13 

TOPEKA, November 2, 1868. 
[Published, November 7, 1868.] 

The Manhattan boys arrived in Topeka about noon, safe and 
sound, on Monday last. At Wamego we were joined by another 
party of recruits bound for the same destination. 

We marched into Camp Crawford, and pitched our tents. The 
wind blew very hard, causing a great dust, which did not increase 
the good humor of the men. 

On Monday evening a lot of horses stampeded from the corral, 
situated about half a mile from camp, and made a terrible clatter- 
ing going over the bridge. They were recovered the next morning, 
except about eighty. The same evening there was a row in a house 
of ill fame in the city, during which one of the soldiers belonging 
to camp was badly wounded. On Tuesday evening a man named 
Williams, of Company "D" was shot in the side by an accidental 
discharge of a musket, in the hands of one of the guards. Luckily 
the shot glanced and inflicted only a slight flesh-wound. 

Gen. Sheridan was in town Tuesday morning, but left in the 
afternoon. 

All the companies are now mustered in, and the adjutant general 
says the regiment will move about next Wednesday. We expect to 
move south, towards the mouth of the Little Arkansas river. 

It is not yet known in camp who is to be our colonel; but Craw- 
ford is the anticipated man. 14 

13. Camp Crawford, named for the governor of Kansas, was established October 21, 1868, 
to care for the recruits coming into Topeka from various points in Kansas. It consisted of 
two farms in the bottom lands between the Kansas river and Shunganunga creek, extending 
north and south approximately from Second to Fifth street. The headquarters tents were 
about 250 yards northeast of the first Santa Fe passenger station. Hadley, loc. cit., p. 431. 

14. Prior to the appointment of a permanent commander Horace L. Moore of Lawrence, a 
Civil war cavalry officer and former commander of the Eighteenth Kansas, assumed command 
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Samuel J. Crawford resigned as governor and became 
colonel of the regiment on November 4, 1868, serving until his resignation February 12 1869 
Moore was advanced to colonel March 23 and served until April 18, 1869, when the regiment 
was mustered out. Hadley, loc. cit., p. 432 ; Annual Report of the Adjutant General 

1870, p. 17; Daily Kansas State Record, Topeka, November 5, 1868 ' ' " 



62 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Our company is Co. "M." We were mustered in Thursday evening. 

Our captain is Sargent Moody, of Manhattan. This makes his 
fourth trip as captain, and he has fairly and honorably earned his 
commission in the field. He exerts his utmost energies to promote 
the health and comfort of his men, who like him very much. James 
Graham and James Hurst are our first and second lieutenants, and 
promise to become very efficient officers. 

The noncommissioned officers were elected on Thursday morning 
last, by acclamation. The Manhattan boys got a fair share. 

The men are all in the very best of health and spirits, partly, no 
doubt, owing to their having just drawn their clothing and blankets. 

Yours, A. L. R. 

In camp, WICHATA [Wichita], Nov. 12, '58 ['68]. 
[Published November 28, 1868.] 

The 17th [19th] regiment left Topeka on last Thursday about 
noon, and took up its line of march southward. 15 We marched about 
eighteen miles and camped on the Wakarusa. It was after dark 
when we got into camp, and the boys immediately scattered for 
wood for fires. It was so dark that a great many of them got be- 
wildered and lost their way, and the woods resounded with cries of 
"Company F!" "Company C, Mess No. 5!" "Company A!" "Com- 
pany M, Mess No. 4!" etc. There was great rushing to and fro for 
corn, hay, etc., till late in the night. The boys were all tired and 
sore from their first day's march, and all but the guards sought 
their blankets, with their saddles for pillows, as soon as possible. 

The next morning we were aroused long before daylight, to roll 
call, and by sunrise we were on the march. We marched till about 
five o'clock in the afternoon, when we camped on Elm creek. The 
dust was almost intolerable, and many of the boys suffered from 
sore eyes in consequence. We passed through the thriving little town 
of Burlingame about noon. 

All along the route some of the boys would call out, "Good-bye!" 
to some acquaintance they happened to meet, and then the whole 
regiment, from van to rear, would take up the cry "Good-bye, 
Joe!" and the astounded man would stand and look as if he thought 
he had suddenly acquired a host of friends, and was to lose them as 
suddenly. 

15. Companies D and G left Topeka on the night of November 4, 1868, on a special train 
bound for Fort Hays, where they were to take up escort duty between the fort and Camp 
Supply, Indian territory. The remaining ten troops of the regiment marched out of Topeka 
on November 5 to begin the overland journey to Camp Supply. Hadley, loc. cit., p. 433 ; 
Daily Kansas State Record, Topeka, November 6. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 63 

On Friday [Saturday?] we got started about daylight. It com- 
menced sprinkling about eight o'clock, and continued until about 
noon, which made it very disagreeable marching. We marched 
about a mile and a half from Emporia, on the Neosho river. Here 
we began to run short of rations, and the boys fared rather slim. 
The country over which we passed is very rolling, though there are 
many streams and more good timber than in middle Kansas. 

Sunday morning brought with it a cold, drizzling rain. We were 
on the march early, and passing through Emporia, 16 a thriving city 
of about the size of Manhattan, we bore to the southwest, and 
marched all day through a steady rain, and camped on Elm creek, 
sixteen miles from Emporia. Here we literally camped in the mud; 
and the boys having hardly anything to eat, and it being very cold, 
they were not in a very good situation to enjoy soldiering, and many 
fervently wished they were safe at home. 

It rained almost all night, and early the next morning it com- 
menced to sleet, and it froze our saddles very stiff and hard, and we 
had a very hard time generally saddling up. While we were stand- 
ing in line, waiting for the command to mount, a driving snow storm 
set in, and continued till about ten o'clock in the forenoon, when it 
cleared off and the sun came out. A loud cheer burst from the 
regiment at the grateful appearance of old Sol. 

We camped at Mercer Springs, about three o'clock in the after- 
noon, and the men built large fires and dried their blankets and 
clothes. We had no food issued to us except a little flour and meat, 
and we would not have had even that, if our captain and lieutenants 
had not bought some. 

Early Tuesday morning we were on the march. It was a splendid 
day, though rather cold, and the boys were in good spirits, though 
ardently wishing for some hard-tack and "sow-belly." We camped 
on a branch of Cottonwood creek, right in the brush, though a part 
of the regiment was out in the open prairie. We passed through a 
splendid country, abounding in level prairies, and streams, and 
timber. 

Wednesday morning opened clear and beautiful. We were on the 
march long before sunrise, and marched all day, over a beautiful, 
rolling prairie. We camped Wednesday night on Walnut creek, a 
fine stream and well timbered. 

16. Hadley, p. 434, says that as the column passed through Emporia about nine o'clock 
in the morning of November 7, three men were standing in front of the office of the Emporia 
News, "the biggest crowd we saw." He also says that scarcity of wagons had limited the 
rations carried to five days between Topeka and Camp Beecher (Wichita). This would have 
been ample subsistence for seasoned soldiers, but the recruits nearly starved. The men bought 
food along the route. 



64 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Thursday we marched over a high prairie, in the face of a 
tremendous wind. We reached Wichata [Wichita] about three 
o'clock in the afternoon. Here we expect to stay a few days to 
recruit our horses. The boys are all in the best of spirits, and eager 
to have a brush with the "red skins." The weather is very fine, 
though cool. We are camped near the mouth of the Little Arkan- 
sas river; about a quarter of a mile from Wichata, which is com- 
posed of a few log buildings, and a small fort and stockade, in which 
are stationed one company of the three months' men, and one com- 
pany of regulars. 17 Some of the dwellings are built like Indian 
tepees, and some are built under ground, with a barrel for a chimney. 

There have been no desertions from our company, but nearly 
every other company has lost more or less, one company being re- 
ported as having fifteen deserters. We will in all probability stay 
here four or five days, when it is supposed we will move about two 
hundred miles southwest. 

We have so far lost no men or horses, though we have two or 
three of the former on the sick list. 

Very respectfully, etc., A. L. R. 

CAMP NORTH CANADIAN, IND. TER. 
December 5, 1868. 
[Published January 2, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD: Instead of remaining at Wichita two or three 
weeks, as we supposed was our destiny, we were on the march early 
Friday morning, the 13th of November. 18 We marched over a roll- 
ing country, very sandy, and towards night, camped on Standing 
Turkey creek, a small stream about fifteen miles south-west of 
Wichita. Here we saw our first buffalo in the distance, and one of 
our scouts, Apache Bill, killed two. The next day we saw buffalo in 
large herds, and numbers of them were killed. We camped, late in 
the afternoon, on the Nemesquaw [Ninnescah] river, quite a large 
stream, although almost entirely destitute of timber. Here our 
provisions run short, and to add to our discomfort it commenced to 
blow and rain very hard. In the night it froze hard, and some of 
our men suffered very severely from the cold, some of them being so 
stiff next morning that they could hardly sit on their horses. This 
day we saw great numbers of buffalo, and as our "hard-tack" had 

17. This was Camp Beecher, now in the Wichita city limits. See Hortense Balderston 
Campbell, "Camp Beecher," printed in The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. Ill, pp. 172-185. 

18. Hadley, pp. 435, 436, says that at Camp Beecher Colonel Crawford was confronted 
with a serious difficulty. He could secure only five days' rations and three days' forage with 
which to carry 1,100 unseasoned soldiers and approximately the same number of horses some 
160 miles across desert land in a most unpropitious season. Therefore he was forced to lose 
no time in camp. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 65 

given out, we had to live entirely on buffalo meat, without salt or 
pepper. The boys were all eager to hunt buffalo, and every herd 
that came in range was sure to get a volley from them, at their risk 
of being dismounted and having to walk all day. In the evening, 
after we camped, Captain Moody went out with three men, on foot, 
and killed a buffalo, about four miles from camp, and carried the 
hind-quarters in on their backs. The first lieutenant also went out 
and killed one, and the company had plenty of buffalo meat. 

For several days we had splendid weather, and were not out of 
sight of buffalo. The whole country was covered with buffalo grass, 
a very short, wiry, tuffy kind, and very nutritious. 

Our boys now began to feel the want of bread severely, and they 
had not always enough buffalo meat even. 

At Medicine Lodge creek, we had a stampede and lost about 150 
or 200 horses. We had to lay over here one day to hunt for them. 
All but about seventy-five were recovered. 19 

On Saturday night we camped on a small stream, destitute of 
water. Lieutenant [Mount A.] Gordon, with a detail of twenty- 
three men, started on a buffalo hunt. When about three miles from 
camp they ran on to a very large herd, and in about fifteen minutes 
killed nineteen buffalo. This is called the champion hunt, of the 
march. If they could have brought all the meat into camp it would 
have greatly relieved the sufferings of the men. As it was, however, 
they could bring in only a small part. 

On Saturday night it commenced to snow, and continued all day 
Sunday. Early on Sunday morning [November 22] Capt. Blily 
[Allison J. Pliley] started with a detail of the best men and horses, 
to try and find the wagon train which was to meet us somewhere in 
that part of the country. 20 

Our horses were now so weak for want of corn that we had to 
walk nearly all the time. The only food they got was by digging 
under nearly fourteen inches of snow; and as the men were also 
weak for want of proper food, we had to march very slow. We 
camped that night on Round Pond creek, a small stream, but with 
a great deal of timber on it. Here the men suffered more than at 
any other time; and as it snowed all that night and the next day, 

19. The camp at which this incident occurred was located near the present town of 
Kiowa. See Hadley, loc. cit., p. 436. Hadley reports Governor Crawford as saying that all 
but six of the missing horses were brought in later. 

20. Captain Pliley, A troop, and Lt. Jesse E. Parsons, C troop, with fifty of the best- 
mounted men in the regiment, were sent forward to find General Sheridan and cause supplies 
to be sent back to the men, according to the account of Horace L. Moore, then lieutenant- 
colonel of the regiment, loc. cit., p. 38. See, also, Hadley, loc. cit., pp. 438, 439. 

52143 



66 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

it being also very cold, and the men nearly starved, a great many 
almost barefoot, they suffered almost beyond human endurance. 
Hundreds would have given anything they possessed for one good 
meal. I have seen five dollars offered for one small piece of buffalo 
meat, the size of a silver dollar. One man gave a good pair of 
buckskin gloves for one hard-tack. Many lay around the fires so 
nearly starved and frozen that they could scarcely move. Hunters 
went for buffalo, but most of them returned unsuccessful, as there 
were none to be seen. It was a terrible state of affairs. They were 
all exposed to the bitter fury of the storm, without tents, and some 
of them froze their almost naked feet very badly that night. The 
men began to talk of the good qualities of horse and mule meat. 
The officers of the regiment did all they could to alleviate the suffer- 
ings of the men. To my own knowledge, the officers of Co. "M" 
gave nearly all their scanty stock of provisions to the men, and went 
without themselves. 

The next day, Monday, it cleared off late in the morning, and we 
moved out about noon. We struggled on through snow, ice and 
starvation, on foot, leading our horses, on a long, terrible march, to 
a small stream near the Salt fork of the Cimarron river. Here 
several buffalo were killed by a detachment under Lieut. Hunt, 21 
which temporarily relieved the sufferings of the men. 

All along that march, word would come from where no one knew 
that "Grub was only twelve miles ahead," or that "Capt. Blily 
[Pliley] had found the wagon train and had sent a scout back," and 
the hopes of the men would raise, only to fall into still greater de- 
spondency, by news from headquarters, that there had been nothing 
heard from the train. 

Here we laid over nearly all the next day, when orders came to 
leave the wagons, all unserviceable horses and all sick or dismounted 
men. 22 We started late in the afternoon, about 450 strong, with a 
very different appearance from that we made marching out of 
Topeka, 1,000 strong. Then we marched out gaily, four in rank, 
close up, with fine, spirited horses, in good order, arms and clothing 
bright and clean. Now we marched out, in single file, our line strung 
out about 5 miles, with broken down horses, hardly able to walk. 
Some of the men almost barefoot, with clothes burned nearly off 

21. Lieutenant Hunt must remain unidentified. No officer of that name is included in the 
regimental roster. 

22. Hadley, loc. cit., p. 439, says that in order to reduce the number of men to feed it 
was decided to divide the regiment, the stronger, with their horses, to proceed without food or 
camp equipment as best they could to Camp Supply, and the weaker to wait in camp until 
help reached them. Colonel Crawford and Maj. R. W. Jenkins remained at the camp, and 
Lieutenant -Colonel Moore led the others. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 67 

them, getting too near the fires on cold nights; and thus we left 
"Starvation Hollow," 23 as some of the men called it. Several 
horses gave out before night, and most of their riders took the back 
track. We marched about ten miles, through deep gullies and 
canyons, with walls from ten to one hundred feet high on either 
side. We camped in a deep ravine, with plenty of timber, though 
no water. It was very cold and disagreeable for the men to camp in 
the snow, and many froze their feet. We were on the march early 
next morning through a very rough country and deep snow, and 
at night encamped in a thick woods. In the evening several Indians 
were seen, for the first time, on the brow of a hill. 

The next day, towards night, we struck [the North Fork of?] the 
Canadian river. This raised the spirits of the men greatly, as the 
scouts had said that we would find the train at the mouth of Beaver 
creek, which empties into the Canadian river, and as soon as we 
struck it we were sure we were not lost. 24 

We commenced our march early on Saturday, the 28th. We fol- 
lowed the course of the river, and when we had marched about ten 
miles, the troops in the advance suddenly commenced cheering. 
Hardly knowing why, the whole regiment took up the cry and made 
the woods fairly ring. We then heard that scouts had come in with 
the inspiring news that Gen. Sheridan, with a train was only five 
miles ahead. It did not take us long to travel that five miles. We 
got into camp about sundown, and a great many of us got our tents 
pitched that night, and best of all, we had a good supper. 25 

On Monday, the 7th Cavalry under Gen. Custer came in from 
having a fight with the Indians, south of here. They were on the 
march for three days and night [s] with hardly a thing to eat. One 
of the principal scouts, who was in the fight, told me that they killed 
the Indians' picket about nine miles from their camp. They then 
surrounded the Cheyenne village, and about daylight made a charge, 
killing sixty Indians, capturing about 20 squaws and 30 papooses 
and killing about five hundred ponies after capture. The 7th, lost 
one captain and 19 men killed and about 15 wounded, Major 
Elliott and fifteen men missing. When last seen Major Elliott was 

23. The camp, according to Hadley, ibid., was officially named Camp Hackberry Point, 
but was called by the men Camp Starvation. 

24. Moore, loc. cit., p. 39, says the troop crossed Captain Pliley's trail at noon on Novem- 
ber 27, and camped that night on the bank of the Canadian about twenty-five miles below 
the mouth of Beaver creek. 

25. Hadley, loc. cit., pp. 440, 441, says: "This detachment of the Nineteenth made the 
march from Topeka [to Camp Supply] in twenty -four days on nine days' subsistence and 
seven days' forage. In twenty -two days of actual marching it averaged over sixteen miles a 
day. . . ." 



68 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

pursuing wounded Indians about four miles from the command. It 
is supposed he has "gone up." 26 

On Tuesday the remainder of our regiment, which were left be- 
hind with the wagons, came up, supplies having been sent to them 
by Gen. Sheridan, as soon as Capt. Blily [Pliley] arrived, which he 
did about 3 days before we did. 

We made the march of about 300 miles in 25 days, 12 days of 
which we lived entirely on buffalo meat without pepper or salt, and 
very often not near enough of that, and got through without losing a 
man. After leaving the Wichita, we traveled over a country that 
probably no white man ever traveled before. It was almost a per- 
fect desert. Our horses had to get grass, the only food they had, 
from under fourteen inches of snow. We followed no trail. Apache 
Bill is one of the best of guides, and he brought us straight through. 

Our officers and men are all in good health and spirits; and not 
one of the Manhattan boys has been seriously ill or left behind. Our 
company is considered one of the best in the regiment, and we have 
the best horses. 

Our camp presents a neat and picturesque appearance, and plenty 
reigns. We have good tents, and plenty of good wholesome food, 
which, after our recent starvation, makes the men feel happy and 
contented. 

We have just received orders from headquarters that we will 
move Monday. It is supposed we will move southward to Fort 
Cobb. 

The mails are very uncertain in this country, as the carriers from 
here to Fort Dodge are often killed by Indians. 

FORT DODGE, KAS., 
Dec. 19th, 1868. 
[Published January 2, 1869.] 

On Sunday, Dec. 5th [6th], it stormed very hard and blew a per- 
fect hurricane. That night we heard that our company was to be 
detailed to escort a train of about 400 wagons to Ft. Dodge and 
back. 

The next morning was bright and fine. The 19th, and 7th regi- 
ments moved out early southward. Our company moved camp 
nearer to where the regulars were encamped. The next day we 
moved out about noon, our company in the rear. There was another 
company with us, some infantry regulars, and a lot of dismounted 

26. This was the battle of the Washita, an account of which is given in ibid., pp. 441, 
442, footnote. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 69 

men. We had the squaws which Gen. Custar captured. Before we 
left we reduced our company to 50 mounted men. The rest were 
dismounted, some went with us and some were left behind. We did 
not march more than five miles on Tuesday and camped on Beaver 
creek. 

On Wednesday we started at about daylight, our company in the 
advance. We marched over a dreary, cold country, nothing to be 
seen but hill and plain. Camped about noon on Beaver creek again. 
We had a line of skirmishers in the advance all day. 

Thursday, Dec. 10th, opened very cold and disagreeable. We 
marched soon after daylight, our company in the rear. About 8 
o'clock it commenced to snow and continued at intervals almost all 
day, but not very fast. All along the route we have been shooting 
abandoned horses and mules. Uncle Sam must have lost several 
thousand dollars in horse and mule flesh alone, that day as there 
were between 20 and 30 killed. Indian hunting is a very expensive 
business, and we have not yet seen a hostile Indian. 

We camped on a small stream near dark. It had not a stick of 
timber on it, but we had plenty of wood in the wagons, and as we 
had tents we were pretty comfortable for soldiers. 

On Friday we started very early, our company in the advance. 
Most of the men rather expected to have a brush with the "Reds" 
but we saw none. We camped on Bear creek [tributary of the 
Cimarron] about 2 o'clock. Lieut. Graham went out and shot a 
buffalo, and brought in the hind quarters. 

The next day we saw probably millions of buffalo. The whole 
country was black with them. Numbers of them were killed. We 
camped this night on the Arkansas river. 

In the morning we marched about 9 miles to Ft. Dodge and 
crossed the river. It took nearly all day to cross the wagons. 

The next day we moved across the river again, and camped. We 
will move for "Camp on North Canadian" tomorrow morning Dec. 
18th [15th?]. Capt. Moody is in command of the detachment. He 
had enough men to make about four companies, coming up. He 
will have about three going back. This is considered the most 
perilous part of our campaign, as we have so much valuable prop- 
erty and the Indians are expected to make a dash at any time. 

We have had very fine weather during our stay here, and the offi- 
cers and men are in the best of spirits. 

Yours &c., A. L. R. 



70 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

[Published January 16, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD: We had a very pleasant trip to camp on North 
Canadian, or Fort Beecher, as it is now called. The first day out 
we camped on Mulberry creek. In crossing the train over the creek, 
two mule teams became tangled, and one of the drivers was knocked 
down and run over, the wagon passing over his breast. He was 
taken up and sent back to Fort Dodge. He was severely, if not 
fatally, injured. We did not see many buffalo on our trip down. 

We laid over [one?] day at Fort Beecher, and then started back 
with the empty train. While here we learned that Gen. Sheridan 
had the Indians surrounded somewhere in the Wachita mountains. 
The boys we left here when we went up the other time, were all well. 

One man, belonging to Co. "E," was frozen to death, about three 
weeks ago. He went after a bucket of water to the river, one cold, 
stormy night, and never returned. He was found, a week afterward, 
about a mile from camp, half eaten by the wolves. He must have 
suffered fearfully, wandering around over the prairie. 27 

[The remainder of this article is missing from the file.] 

FT. DODGE, KAN., Feb. 10, 1869. 
[Published March 6, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD: I received your welcome letter this evening. 
We start for Camp Supply at 4 o'clock tomorrow morning. All the 
train, and two companies of the 19th M and G have moved across 
the river, and camped on the other side. 

Since my last letter there has nothing of importance occurred. In 
the latter part of December, we made a trip to Fort Larned, where 
our company gained considerable credit for saving some government 
horses, out of a military stable. Here four of our men deserted, the 
first desertions we have had since we marched from Topeka. They 
took with them three of the best horses in the company. 

Our company has been paid off, and the boys all feel rich; con- 
sequently some of them condescend to patronize the sutler very 
liberally, by paying four or five prices for "rot-gut" whisky and 

27. "Since the letter from our regular correspondent with the 19th regiment was put into 
type, we have received, from a special correspondent, the following under date of January 8 : 

" 'The regiment is now at Fort Dodge, where it has been for the past four days, the longest 
it has remained at any one place since it left Topeka. Their principal business seems to be 
escorting trains from post to post. 

" 'The regiment left Fort Larned on the 3d. On the morning of the same day a fire broke 
out in one of the stables, at that post, and our Manhattan boys got considerable praise for 
their prompt action in rescuing from the flames so many of the horses and other valuable 
property. The fire was first discovered by Frank Burleigh. He immediately reported it to 
Capt. Moody, who ordered his whole command to the rescue. Alfred Runyan, Angy Holloway 
and Frank Burleigh were the first to get into the stable, and they deserve great credit. 

" 'The building was three hundred feet in length, and contained sixty-four horses, twenty- 
five of which were saved by Capt. Moody's company. The balance were destroyed, also thirty 
tons of hay, five hundred bushels of grain, forty saddles, and six thousand rounds of cart- 
ridges.' "Manhattan Standard, January 16, 1869. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 71 

red-eye. Some of the men, however, took care of their money and 
sent it home. 

We made a trip to Fort Hays about two weks ago, and while 
there, Capt. Moody took a trip down home. 28 While he was gone 
we had a tremendous snow storm, which effectually blocked up the 
railroad, so that he had to go across the country from Harker. The 
train which our company were escorting, got snowed in at Big Tim- 
ber creek, one day's march from Hays, and did not get into Dodge 
for eight days. 

We have heard little or no news from the regiment; but it is sup- 
posed to be still lying at Fort Cobb. It is rumored that Cobb is 
also our destination. 

The weather, lately, has been very stormy, and the snow is very 
deep, in places, between Fort Dodge and Fort Hays, and is conse- 
quently very hard on trains, and many a poor mule and broken 
wagon is "turned over," as it is termed, by being abandoned. 

Our men are all in good spirits, and our horses in pretty good 
condition. Our company is all together again, with the exception of 
a few left in Fort Dodge and Camp Supply. 

Yours, etc., A. L. R. 

CAMP SUPPLY, Feb. 18, 1869. 

[Published March 20, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD. We had a very pleasant journey from Fort 
Dodge here, with the exception of one night, when it seemed as if 
the elements were trying which could out-do the other. It rained, 
snowed, blew, and hailed tremendously. The fourth day out, three 
scouts came into camp, on their way to Fort Lyon, with dispatches 
from the regiment. One of them was Ed. Geary, the famous scout 
and interpreter. He brought news that the 19th was all dismounted, 
and that the tribes, with the exception of the Cheyennes and Kiowas, 
are gathered around Fort Cobb drawing rations, and that Gen. 
Sheridan has expressed his determination of "going for" all Indians 
caught away from there. He thinks that the war with the Cheyennes 

28. "Capt. S. Moody, of Co. M, 19th Kan. Vol. cavalry, was in the city last Sabbath. He 
came over from Fort Dodge to Fort Hays in command of a detail of thirty men to escort a 
supply train to the regiment at Fort Dodge, and obtained permission of the commander at 
Fort Hays to visit his family in this city. The captain came in on Saturday and returned 
Monday. He is looking well, and reports the boys as well and in good spirits. His company 
has 94 men for duty and 60 horses. He has lost but one killed (accidentally), and four by 
desertion. His company, in this respect, though constantly on duty, has fared well. Very few 
have been sick, and all bore the privations of the long and perilous march from the Canadian 
river to the Washita mountains with fortitude rarely equaled. They were reduced to the last 
stages of suffering, and had selected a horse to kill for beef when they reached camp of supply. 
Our correspondent with the regiment has, however, given a graphic description of this march 
heretofore. The regiment is now at and near Fort Dodge, and, with the regular troops in the 
field, are acting simply as guard at the fort and over supplies in the vicinity." Manhattan 
Standard, February 6, 1869. 



72 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

is good for all next summer. He says that they number about three 
thousand effective warriors. 

Buffalo are getting scarce. We only saw a few coming down. 
They have almost all moved south and west. Antelope, however, 
are very numerous in the sand hills between here and Fort Dodge. 

We are laying here waiting for orders from below. Various rumors 
are afloat. Some are, that we will be dismounted, and others that we 
will be kept on escort duty as before. It is generally supposed, how- 
ever, that we will join the regiment. The officers and men of the 
detachment are in good spirits and expect to have a crack at the 
"reds," yet, before their discharge. 

Yours, &c., A. L. R. 

CAMP NORTH FORK WACHITA, 
March 13, 1869. 
[Published April 10, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD: We left Camp Supply March 3d and marched 
southward. Company "G" started north at the same time escorting 
empty wagons, while our company were escorting loaded ones south 
to the North Fork of the Washita river to meet Gen. Custar, and 
the 19th. 

We camped the first day on the Fork of the Canadian river, about 
fifteen miles south of Supply. Here we laid over all next day, as it- 
was very stormy, the day Grant was to be inaugurated. 

March 5th, we marched about twenty miles over a rough, sandy 
country, and camped where there was scarcely any water or wood. 
On the next night we camped on a small stream with plenty of wood 
and water. Plenty of turkeys were seen and several were killed. 
All along our route (which is the one Custar took on his march to 
attack the Indians) we saw indications of recent occupation by the 
Indians and they must have been in great numbers. The next night 
we crossed the South Fork of the Canadian and camped on the south 
bank. The country around is very hilly and in some places nearly 
mountainous. In some places the formations of earth are so strange 
that it seems as if nature tried to see how many different shapes she 
could form. 

On the 8th we reached our destination and camped about five 
miles from the battle field of Gen. Custar. The Nineteenth had not 
yet arrived, so we camped and prepared to make ourselves as com- 
fortable as possible. The next day a party struck out to visit the 
battle field. Almost everything was burned. From appearances it 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 73 

looked as if there had been between forty and fifty lodges. Later 
accounts of the battle from eye witnesses, say that the 7th were very 
glad to get out of there, and that there were more of the cavalry 
than Indians killed. All the advantage they gained was in the first 
charge on the north side of the creek, where a few lodges were lo- 
cated. The cavalry had much difficulty in crossing a creek between 
them and the main part of the lodges, so that the warriors got a 
good position in the woods from which it was impossible to drive 
them. This was the "Glorious" victory of the 7th. The next day a 
portion of the 7th cavalry and 19th came in from Medicine Bluff 
creek. The 19th were all dismounted. About four hundred of them, 
with the remainder of the 7th are with Gen. Custar on another 
Indian raid. They are expected in every day. 

There is no news of any importance from below. There is a post 
being built at Medicine Bluff creek by the 10th regular cavalry. 
Around Fort Cobb thousands of Indians have congregated who de- 
sire to keep peace. It is said they are mostly old men, women and 
children, and that most of the young warriors are out yet. None of 
the Cheyennes have come in yet. The chief bugler of the 19th was 
accidentally killed by a glancing shot on their way up. 

As soon as Custar comes in we will march to Fort Hays and be 
mustered out, as our time will be about up. A. L. R. 

FORT HAYS, April 8, 1869. 
[Published April 17, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD: My last letter was dated at Washita river, 
Indian territory. On the 24th of March we started north, Major 
Inman leaving two days rations to await Gen. Custar. We camped 
that night on Hackberry creek. Here a scout came in from Gen. 
Custar, who had come to the Washita the same morning just after 
we left, with orders to send back 25 wagons and escort. Early the 
next morning Lt. [James] Graham with five men started on a buffalo 
hunt. While out it commenced to rain. We succeeded in killing 
three buffalo and then returned to camp, which we found deserted, 
the command having moved while we were out. After dining on 
"buffalo straight," we started to overtake the command. We had 
not gone far when it turned from rain into a severe snow storm 
with a high wind, and, as we had no overcoats, we suffered severely. 
After going about ten miles we overtook Capt. Moody and party, 
who were also on a buffalo hunt. His party all had overcoats and 
pouches, so that they were comfortable when compared with us. We 



74 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

overtook the train about four o'clock in the afternoon, having rode, 
altogether, nearly sixty miles. We camped that night on Wolf creek, 
and the next day went into Camp Supply. Major Inman started 
very early next morning for Fort Dodge with an escort of Indian 
scouts. 

On March 28, 1869, we started at noon with a loaded train south 
to meet Custar. We camped on Wolf creek, and the next afternoon 
about 3 o'clock we met Custar, and turned around and retraced our 
steps to a pool of water about 10 miles back. 

The 19th and 7th looked "hard." In fact they had seen hard serv- 
ice. The 18th [19th] were dismounted at Fort Cobb, and Custar 
took a tour through the Washita mountains, marching between 25 
and 35 miles a day, which nearly used them up. Custar overtook 
the Indians and after nearly surrounding them demanded the white 
women which were captured on the Solomon and Republican rivers 
last autumn. After parlying some time he succeeded in getting 
them, but not until nearly all the Indians had left. He got three 
chiefs which he captured by enticing them into camp upon pretence 
of making peace. He then commenced making preparations to hang 
them, which brought in the white women, and Gen. Custar then kept 
both Indians and women. 29 Gen. Custar gives the 19th great praise 
and says they wore the 7th horses out and then the men. They 
were always in camp at night an hour before any of the 7th would 
make their appearance. It is related of the 7th that after the In- 

29. Another brief account of the rescue was published in the Standard, April 10, 1869: 
"Most of our readers remember the case of Mrs. Morgan and Miss White, who were captured 
by the Indians, on the Solomon river, last October. We find the following account of their 
sufferings in the Leavenworth Commercial: 

" 'Captain Payne reports that Mrs. Morgan and Miss White, the former of whom was 
captured by the Sioux and traded to the Cheyennes, and the latter who was taken by the 
Cheyennes about seven months since, were rescued by the command and restored to their friends. 
Their captivity has been an unremitting scene of cruelty, torture and degradation. Both 
of these unfortunate women are pregnant, having been compelled by torture to submit to the 
brutality of their captors. Mrs. Morgan who was a bride of a month expresses a hope, how- 
ever, that her offspring may be white, and not of that fiendish race that glories in the murder 
of women and children. They were compelled to do the drudgery of the lodge, to bring the 
wood, herd the ponies, etc. Twenty-five back loads of wood, which had to be brought from 
a long distance, was the daily task of each. They were scarcely clothed at all, and were suffer- 
ing from intense cold. They attempted to warm their hands at the fire, when the Indians 
would seize them, and hold their hands over the flames until blistered. 

" 'The recital of the many brutalities to which these poor women were subjected should 
inspire every one with a desire for the condign punishment of the savages, and nothing less 
than death is at all appropriate or adequate to their desserts. 

" 'The rescue was effected by threats to hang three Cheyenne chiefs, who were prisoners in 
our camp. The savages resorted to subterfuges to delay in the matter, but when Custar 
ordered the chiefs hung forthwith, and had the ropes adjusted for that purpose, the women 
were brought in immediately. Their only clothing consisted of an old flour sack each, tied 
around their waists, and, as will be imagined, they were in a most pitiful and suffering 
condition.' " 

For more detailed accounts of this rescue see Hadley, loc. cit., pp. 450-453; Gen. George 
A. Custer, Wild Life on the Plains (Sun Publishing Co., 1883), and "Reminiscences of the Life 
of Mrs. E. O. [Sarah White] Brooks Telling of Her Capture by Indians in Early Days," 
The Kansas Optimist, Jamestown, January 26, 1933. Miss White returned to Kansas, and 
taught a term of school near Clyde. In 1869 she was married to E. O. Brooks and lived hi 
Cloud county until her death at the age of 88, on May 11, 1939. The Kansas Optimist, 
May 18, 1939. 



A. L. RUNYON'S LETTERS 75 

dians' camp had been destroyed, they pursued a blind squaw, which 
had been left, with their best horses, but she, knowing the country, 
made her escape. 

At Camp Supply Co. M was dismounted, and we had to "hoof it" 
to Fort Dodge, at the rate of from 25 to 35 miles per day, which was 
the utmost cruelty on the men, almost all with blistered feet. 
Custar may gain a name for making long marches in short periods, 
but he wears out men and animals in doing so. He has few friends 
among the privates of the 7th and 19th. 

The second day out we met Co. G which had been to Dodge and 
was returning with a loaded train. The train went on to Supply 
and Co. G retraced their steps with the command to Fort Dodge 
where they also were dismounted. 

At Fort Dodge we found the 10th Colored cavalry, also dis- 
mounted. We lay over here, on the south side of the river until 
next day about noon when the two regiments moved across the river 
towards Fort Hays, at which place we arrived this morning. 

It is generally understood that as soon as the necessary papers 
are made out, the regiment will be discharged. This is good news, 
as we have had a very hard campaign, so it will not be long before 
you will see us around Manhattan. A. L. R. 

MANHATTAN, April 22, 1869. 
[Published April 24, 1869.] 

EDITOR STANDARD. On the 18th the 1st battalian of our regiment 
was mustered out. They went down in the afternoon on a special 
train which had been provided for them. The next day we were 
mustered out. Our company was nearly the last. From some cause 
or other there was no train yet furnished for us. About 12 o'clock 
in the night a train with only one coach attached came along. Every 
body that could find standing room climbed on. Most of the men 
however had to remain behind. 

There were several serious affrays in the city before we left. 
Several men were killed. Shots were fired at every minute of the 
night. 

At about eleven o'clock the next morning the train started with 
the remainder of the troops. The men gave three cheers as the train 
moved out, glad to get away from such a place. 

All along the road, at every town or house, and even at every 
woman that they saw, the soldiers would give three cheers, thus 
manifesting their joy at arriving at civilization once more. We are 
all glad to be at home again. A. L. R. 



The Annual Meeting 

THE sixty-fourth annual meeting of the Kansas State Historical 
Society and board of directors was held in the rooms of the 
Society on October 17, 1939. 

The annual meeting of the board of directors was called to order 
by the president, Robert C. Rankin, at 10 a. m. First business was 
the reading of the annual report of the secretary. 

SECRETARY'S REPORT, YEAR ENDING OCTOBER 17, 1939 

The past year has shown a material growth in the number of persona 
using the resources of the Historical Society, as well as in the organization of 
our various collections. Our experience confirms reports from other societies 
that popular interest in local and state history is increasing. Many schools 
in small towns and rural communities are asking for detailed information 
about their towns and counties. These demands on the staff do not leave 
as much time as we could wish for routine work. The supervision of federal 
projects also requires continuous attention. The work of cataloguing and 
otherwise organizing our books, relics, documents, pictures and newspapers 
is progressing, however, as will appear in the reports of the various de- 
partments. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

Pres. Robert C. Rankin reappointed Justice John S. Dawson and T. M. 
Lillard to the executive committee, the members holding over being Thomas 
Amory Lee, Robert C. Rankin and Chester Woodward. At the first meeting 
of the committee following the annual meeting, Mr. Lee was reflected 
chairman. 

APPROPRIATIONS 

The Society was fortunate enough to receive from the 1939 legislature the 
following, in addition to the regular appropriations: $15,000 toward the 
restoration of the north building at Old Shawnee mission; $3,000 for the 
erection of a cottage for the caretaker at First Capitol; $2,400 a year for the 
employment of a research director; $1,200 a year for the employment of an 
extra clerk; $1,350 for card catalogue cases; and $500 for microfilming. 

Too much credit cannot be given to the retiring president, Robert C. 
Rankin, for his assistance. As representative from Douglas county and one 
of the most popular members in the house, Mr. Rankin's help was invaluable 
throughout the session. 

FEDERAL WORK PROJECTS 

Two of several work-relief projects submitted to the Society for sponsor- 
ship during the past few years have been accepted. 

The Kansas section of the American Imprints Inventory was started under 
the Society's nominal supervision on October 1, 1938. This nation-wide sur- 
vey is directly supervised by Douglas C. McMurtrie, of Chicago, a widely 
known authority on imprints. The Kansas unit has employed an average of 

(76) 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 77 

twenty workers during the year. More than 40,000 items printed prior to 
1877 have been listed, and the Kansas volume, to be published this year, will 
possibly exceed 350 pages, with at least 1,600 distinct Kansas titles. Many 
Kansas college and city libraries have cooperated, and their imprint holdings 
will be credited to them in this volume. 

The Historical Records Survey, another national historical project operat- 
ing in Kansas, came under the Society's nominal sponsorship September 1, 
1939. Under this survey, inventories of county records are mimeographed, 
bound and issued as part of the nation-wide Inventory of the County Ar- 
chives series. Inventories for seven Kansas counties have been published. 
First listing of records in fifty-five counties has been completed and the 
project is now operating in thirty-six counties. 

Twelve to thirteen persons have been regularly employed in this building 
sixteen days a month on the Society's unit of the state-wide WPA museum 
projects. These workers are supervised by the Society's regular staff mem- 
bers, and mention of their work assignments and accomplishments is made 
in departmental reports. Federal expenditures for the year from October 6, 
1938, to October 5, 1939, were $9,901.34 for salaries. The Society's expendi- 
tures for the same period were approximately $300 for working materials. 

The Society's NYA project, employing four young people eight days a 
month, was discontinued May 28. The federal government expended ap- 
proximately $550 in its operation from October, 1938, to the close. One 
Washburn student is being employed by the Society during the college term 
through the NYA college student employment program. 

Appreciation is due Robert Beine, WPA supervisor assigned to the Society, 
and Mrs. Harrison Parkman, head of the Professional and Service division 
of WPA, for their cooperation. Project workers have been industrious and 
the quality of their work has been generally good. 

SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH 

During the past year the following have been subjects of serious research: 
Biography: Jerry Simpson; James H. Lane; William Allen White; Charles 
Robinson; Col. Alexander W. Doniphan; Samuel Gompers. County and 
town history: Social welfare situation in Gray county; Abilene as a terminus 
of the cattle industry; history of Elk county; early history of Reno county; 
history of Ozawkie; Neosho valley history; early history of Abilene; county- 
seat fights; the writing of local history. Economics: Economic history of 
Anderson county; township budgets; economic history of Chanute; economic 
history of the Mennonites; study of bonds. Education: Historical outline 
of the state superintendency in Kansas; history of educational development 
in Pawnee county; seventy-five years of education in Kansas; Kingman 
county schools; history of education in territorial Kansas; history of normal 
schools; school history of Chanute; comparative study of school budgets. 
Indians: Osage Indians in Kansas; Indian war correspondents and the Medi- 
cine Lodge treaty; Kickapoo Indians. General: Border wars in Kansas, 
1856-1859; survey of assessed valuation and population in sixty-three counties 
in Kansas, 1886-1936; history of railroads in Kansas; social history of the 
plains; history of trails; history of nursing in Kansas; early California his- 
tory; comments of foreign travelers in the United States, 1789-1830; milling 
industry in Kansas prior to 1870; international relations; social conditions in 
central Kansas in the 1870's; cattle men and old cow trails; Missouri Fur 



78 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Company; troupers of the Rockies; social structure of a Kansas village; 
history of Kansas manufactures; Texas longhorns; relation of tariff to the 
settlement of the Alabama claims. 

LIBRARY 

Our records show that reference work increased during the year and that 
we have had 2,277 requests for information on Kansas subjects; 1,034 re- 
quests for genealogy; and 512 requests for material on the West, American 
history and biography and Indians. From our loan file on Kansas subjects 
we have filled more than 500 requests, many times sending material on sev- 
eral subjects in answer to one request. 

A list of Kansas legislators from 1855 through 1939 was compiled with the 
help of an NYA worker from Washburn College. Both an alphabetical list 
and a list by counties were compiled. Articles from Harper's Magazine from 
1857 through 1875 were selected and marked for cataloguing, giving added 
material on early Kansas and the West. 

Some 60,000 cards have been filed in the Library of Congress depository 
catalogue, an increase over the year before of about 10,000 cards. Through 
the WPA project, clippings have been remounted for the vertical biographical 
file and many have been remounted for binding for volumes of county his- 
tory and other classified material. Indexing has been continued on the 
three-volume set of the North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register. 

The Kansas Chapter of the Daughters of Colonial Wars presented to the 
library a copy of Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, by J. H. 
Gwathmey. This is a new book of great value for genealogical research. 

When the list of Kansas imprints was completed under the direction of 
Douglas C. McMurtrie, national editor of the American Imprints Inventory, 
he wrote us that of the 1,600 Kansas imprints earlier than 1877, over 1,300 
were found in this library and over 700 were located in no other library. 
Mr. McMurtrie said "This is a truly remarkable showing." 

To make the material in the library readily accessible, much time is re- 
quired in classifying and cataloguing. This applies not only to books and 
pamphlets but also to hundreds of clippings and many magazine articles. 
Such work must be continued to maintain our standard of efficiency, but 
since the cataloguers also do reference work, their time is divided to such an 
extent that another trained librarian is needed. The book fund, too, should 
be increased so that we can purchase more rare Western and genealogical 
books, if the library is to keep its high ranking. 

PICTURE COLLECTION 

More than 400 pictures have been catalogued and added to the picture 
collection in the past year. We have received a collection of twenty-nine 
pictures of Fort Leavenworth as it was in the early 1870's; a collection of 
over fifty pictures of mills in Kansas; a collection of twelve pictures of 
Russell county scenes; several pictures taken at the seventieth anniversary 
celebration of Sharon Springs and many other pictures of Kansas people and 
scenes. Volumes of Harper's Magazine from 1857 through 1875 were cata- 
logued for Kansas and Western pictures with NYA help, and 500 cards were 
added to the picture catalogue. 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 79 

PRIVATE MANUSCRIPTS 

Eleven manuscript volumes and 686 individual items were added to the 
collections of the Society during the year. 

Of particular interest among these accessions are letters of Charles Robin- 
son and his wife, Sara T. D. Robinson, received from Miss Hannah Oliver, 
Lawrence. Thanks are due the Douglas County Historical Society, as well 
as Miss Oliver, for their cooperation in placing these valuable papers here. 
The manuscripts date from 1856 to 1901. There are ninety-three letters from 
Charles Robinson to his wife, 1856-1881, and approximately an equal number 
from Mrs. Robinson to Frank W. Blackmar, biographer of Charles Robinson. 
The latter relate mainly to Mr. Blackmar's work on Robinson. 

The manuscript of his "History of Kansas Baptists" was received from 
the Rev. W. A. Seward Sharp a short time before his death. Records of 
various churches of the Kansas Baptist convention were received from that 
organization, a total of forty-six manuscripts and nine volumes. 

The Dickinson County Historical Society has added fifty-five sketches to 
the collection of historical and biographical sketches of that county. This 
local group cooperates at all times with the Society, and an expression of 
appreciation is here made a matter of record. 

Fifty-seven manuscripts from the papers of the Rev. J. J. Lutz, historian 
of Methodist missions in Kansas, were received from his niece, Dr. Anna B. 
Yoder, Smithville, Ohio. 

A single item of interest is a letter by C. B. Lines, dated at New Haven, 
Conn., January 1, 1857. The letter relates in part to the affairs of the Con- 
necticut Kansas colony and is written on the back of a plat of the colony's 
townsite at Wabaunsee. 

Among the manuscript volumes are two letter books, 1859-1862, from the 
office of Theodore Hyatt. These contain many letters to his brother, Thad- 
deus Hyatt, Samuel Clarke Pomeroy and W. F. M. Arny about Kansas af- 
fairs and the imprisonment of Thaddeus Hyatt in Washington. 

A manuscript, "Stories and Incidents in My Life," was received from the 
author, Mrs. Flora Vesta Menninger of Topeka. While the greater part of 
the manuscript deals with Mrs. Menninger's early life in Pennsylvania, it 
contains a section on her first years in Kansas. It is a document of unusual 
interest. 

Through the courtesy of the board of county commissioners of Doniphan 
county, the minutes of the commissioners' court of that county, 1855-1860, 
have been lent to the Society for copying. 

Gifts were received from the following during the year: Edward Bum- 
gardner; C. Q. Chandler and Mrs. Chandler; J. C. Denious; Mrs. Ida A. 
Doerk; Mary Cook Ellinger estate; Mrs. J. 0. Faulkner; Ruth Marie Field; 
Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce; Blenda Palm Greenwood; Frank Hey- 
wood Hodder estate; Lester C. Hoppes; Kansas Baptist convention; Mrs. 
Cora G. Lewis; Mrs. Ora H. Hunter; Mrs. W. E. McDowell; T. A. McNeal; 
Mrs. Olive K. Maxwell; Mrs. Flora V. Menninger; Mrs. M. L. Mitchell; 
C. Clyde Myers; Hannah Oliver; Jennie Small Owen; Paul Parrish; G. A. 
Pierce; Mrs. A. B. Seelye, for Dickinson County Historical Society; W. A. 
Seward Sharp; Henry Stuart; Mrs. Elizabeth Swartz; Jessie Wiley Voiles; 
Edmund A. Whitman; Woman's Kansas Day Club; Sam F. Woolard; Dr. 
Anna B. Yoder. 



80 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

STATE ARCHIVES 

Accessions received by this division during the past year were limited to 
71 manuscript volumes of corporation records from the office of the secretary 
of state. The Society has now received 181 volumes of this series, covering 
the period 1863-1936. A total of 172,125 index cards have been prepared and 
filed with WPA assistance. During the past year 17,550 cards were added. 
These cards cover charters granted by law prior to 1863 as well as those issued 
by the secretary of state. Charters for the years 1855-1928 have now been 
indexed. These records provide a valuable source of information on social 
and economic development. 

This division has had frequent calls during the year for information on 
United States military roads in Kansas, state and territorial highways, Oregon 
and Santa Fe trails and old express roads. 

Much work has been done on the loose-leaf catalogue of old townsites, 
discontinued post offices and railroad stations throughout the state. The 
compilation now fills 26 volumes. 

Requests come almost daily from welfare agencies for age verifications of 
individuals seeking aid. A total of 437 certifications were issued from this 
department during the year. 

The index of the 1860 census of Kansas territory has been carried nearly 
to completion. Project workers have prepared and filed census cards for more 
than 100,000 residents. It is planned to omit for the present, at least, the index 
of census records for 1865 and 1870 and to work on the 1875 records. The 
latter will be of assistance in issuing age verifications. 

Filing cabinets have been secured for both census and corporation index 
cards. 

NEWSPAPER SECTION 

The employment of a new assistant on July 1, as authorized by the legisla- 
ture, is helping to relieve congestion for the present in the newspaper division. 
The legislature also appropriated a small sum of money for microphotography. 
This will be used in part to microfilm Kansas newspapers which the Society 
has been unable to secure and also to commence microfilming the papers in 
our own files that are most fragile and which cannot be replaced. 

The newspapers of this Society are used rather extensively for research work 
by students of history and literature, and this division is serving an area far 
beyond the confines of the state. In the past year students of history and 
literature came here from the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, 
the University of Chicago, Nebraska University, Pennsylvania University, the 
University of Texas, Washington University of St. Louis, St. Louis University, 
Iowa State College, the University of Michigan, and from the cities of Great 
Falls, Mont.; Lamar, Colo.; Urbana, 111.; Washington, D. C.; Kansas City, 
Mo.; Lincoln and Omaha, Neb.; Hamden and Westport, Conn. During the 
year 4,530 patrons were registered. They consulted 5,361 bound newspaper 
volumes and 18,357 unbound issues. 

The newspaper division prepared two newspaper displays in the Memorial 
building during the year, one for the national convention of the American 
Association of Schools and Departments of Journalism, the other for the 
Kansas History Teachers Association. 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 81 

The 1939 List of Kansas Newspapers and Periodicals was published in July. 
It differs from previous Lists in that it is arranged alphabetically by county 
and city of publication. Under each city or town the papers are arranged 
alphabetically by title, disregarding city name, frequency and time of day in 
the title. The List shows 749 newspapers and periodicals being received regu- 
larly for filing. Of these, 61 are dailies, one triweekly, 10 semiweeklies, 495 
weeklies, 30 fortnightlies, one trimonthly, 13 semimonthlies, 75 monthlies, 10 
bimonthlies, 21 quarterlies, 29 occasionals, two semiannuals and one annual, 
coming from all the 105 Kansas counties. Of the 749 publications, 165 are 
listed Republican, 49 Democratic, 278 independent in politics, 93 school or 
college, 35 religious, 21 fraternal, 16 local and 92 miscellaneous (including four 
Negro publications). 

On January 1, 1939, the Society's collection contained 45,835 bound volumes 
of Kansas newspapers, in addition to the more than 10,000 bound volumes of 
out-of-state newspapers from 1767 to date. 

The year's extra accessions have again been valuable. Chief among them 
were the first ten volumes of the New York Weekly Tribune, starting with 
September 18, 1841, which is volume 1, number 1, to August 30, 1851. The So- 
ciety now has a practically continuous run of the New York Tribune from 1841 
to 1930, when it was replaced by the New York Times. The first volume of the 
Ottawa Triumph was secured, filling an important gap in the Society's file of 
this paper. Other papers acquired at this time include three volumes of the 
Christian Register, Boston, from August 30, 1834, to April 11, 1844; five vol- 
umes of the Connecticut Courant, Hartford, from August 11, 1834, to April 17, 
1847, and the first volume of the Weekly Chronotype, Boston, from May 28, 
1846, to May 20, 1848. Included in the ten bound volumes of the New York 
Tribune were many single issues of other papers, such as the Peoples Rights, 
New York, of September 21, 1844; the Buffalo Republic, Buffalo, N. Y., of 
August 15, 1848, and Le National of France, July 7, 1848. The twenty volumes 
just described, plus numerous single issues not here listed, were purchased by 
the Society for $50. Among the important newspapers given to the Society, 
the following were received from Mrs. F. H. Hodder: The Lawrence Gazette 
of July 11, 1889, the Weekly Kansas Herald of Lawrence, November 30, 1883, 
the Globe of the City of Washington, August 31, 1843, and February 29, 1844, 
the Press Tribune, Chicago, of July 30, 1860, and the New York Herald of 
May 20, 1875. The Kansas Pioneer, Kickapoo City, of February 28, 1855, was 
given to the Society by Floyd Shoemaker and Roy T. King of the Missouri 
State Historical Society, Columbia, Mo. Contributions of other single issues 
were made by Alma Lord of Rantool, Mrs. D. W. Whitney and Charles D. 
Yetter of Topeka. 

MUSEUM 

The attendance in the museum for the year was 39,533, an increase of 5,896 
over last year, and 44 objects were accessioned. Among the most interesting 
was a flag of 39 stars from L. R. Hershey, Olathe. Another is a headstone from 
the grave of Henry Roushi, of Illinois, who died of cholera, May 8, 1849, in 
Pottawatomie county, on the Oregon trail. It was donated by William Smith, 
Wamego. A revolver and holster used during the early days of Kansas by 
Hugh A. Cook, sheriff of Franklin county, and a dagger and scabbard carried 

62143 



82 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

through the Civil War were presented by Mrs. Ida A. Doerk and Mrs. Olive 
Maxwell. A flag made by the women of Brown county during the Civil War, 
was given by Mrs. Daisy Halligan. 

ACCESSIONS 

Total accessions to the Society's collection for the year ending June 30. 1939, 
were as follows: 

Library : 

Books (volumes) 1,575 

Pamphlets 4,293 

Magazines (bound volumes) 447 

Archives : 

Separate manuscripts none 

Manuscript volumes 71 

Manuscript maps none 

Private manuscripts : 

Separate manuscripts 686 

Volumes 11 

Printed maps, atlases and charts 255 

Newspapers (bound volumes) 1,029 

Pictures 433 

Museum objects 44 

These accessions bring the totals in the possession of the Society on June 30, 
1939, to the following figures : 

Books, pamphlets, bound newspapers and magazines. . . . 385,105 

Separate manuscripts (archives) 1,069,984 

Manuscript volumes (archives) 27,897 

Manuscript maps (archives) 583 

Printed maps, atlases and charts 11,271 

Pictures 18,774 

Museum objects 32,956 

THE QUARTERLY 

The Kansas Historical Quarterly is now in its eighth year, seven volumes 
already having been published. Much of the credit for the high standard the 
magazine has achieved among the state historical magazines of the country 
should go to Dr. James C. Malin, associate editor, who is professor of history at 
Kansas University. Doctor Malin's criticisms of articles submitted is inval- 
uable. Nyle H. Miller, research director, deserves credit for his excellent work 
in checking all citations that appear in the magazine and preparing the manu- 
scripts for the printer. The Quarterly is widely quoted by the newspapers of 
the state and is used in many schools. 

OLD SHAWNEE METHODIST MISSION 

This year is the one-hundredth anniversary of the erection of the first brick 
building at Shawnee mission. In commemoration of the event the Society 
issued this month a book of one hundred twenty pages known as the Annals of 
Shawnee Methodist Mission and Indian Manual Labor School. It is a con- 
densation of a manuscript of four hundred sixty-five pages compiled by Miss 
Martha Caldwell, a member of the staff of the Society. It is the result of 
fifteen months' research and represents the first attempt to bring together all 
available sources in the history of the mission. 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 83 

The Society also produced a pageant of the mission in cooperation with the 
Shawnee Mission Indian Historical Society, the Colonial Dames, the Daughters 
of the American Revolution, the Daughters of 1812, and the Daughters of the 
American Colonists. Mrs. Lida Weed Myers was employed by the Society to 
write and direct the pageant and it was presented Saturday night, October 14, 
in the stadium of the Shawnee Mission Rural High School a few miles from 
the mission. More than two hundred persons took part in the pageant, includ- 
ing eighty Indians from Haskell Institute, and it was witnessed by more than 
two thousand persons. 

Following the death last fall of Dr. T. J. Vernon, caretaker at the mission, 
Harry A. Hardy became caretaker January 1, 1939. He is doing good work in 
looking after these fine old buildings. Since the first of the year the exterior 
woodwork of the east and west buildings has been painted and much of the 
interior of the west building was redecorated. The drought damaged many of 
the trees at the mission and killed a great deal of the bluegrass. L. R. Quinlan, 
professor of landscape gardening at Kansas State College, Manhattan, made an 
inspection of the grounds in August. His recommendations for planting and 
improvements will be carried out so far as appropriations permit. 

Work on the restoration of the north building, made possible by the appro- 
priation of $15,000 by the 1939 legislature, will be started this winter. Last 
year a request for a PWA project in the amount of $25,000 for this restoration 
was disapproved because the state's portion was contingent upon the possibility 
of securing an appropriation from the legislature. When the legislature appro- 
priated the $15,000 the request for this project was renewed. It was impossible 
to begin the work until a decision was made by the government on the project 
proposal. This decision, which was received in September, was unfavorable. 
This accounts for the delay in beginning work under the legislative appropria- 
tion. 

FIRST CAPITOL OP KANSAS 

The first capitol, on Highway 40 in the Fort Riley reservation, continues to 
attract many visitors. During the year ending October 1, 1939, 15,633 persons 
visited the building, about forty percent being from other states. This is an 
increase of 1,351 over the preceding year. The exterior woodwork of the build- 
ing was painted last year and some improvements were made in the grounds. 
The state architect has prepared plans for the caretaker's cottage to be erected 
with money appropriated by the 1939 legislature. The first bids, which were 
opened early this month, had to be thrown out because they were too high. 
It is hoped that this work can be completed within the next few months. 

MARKING HISTORIC SITES 

The Historical Society, in cooperation with a special committee of the 
Kansas Chamber of Commerce and State Highway Department, has been 
working on a plan to mark and map the principal historic sites in Kansas. 
The change in administration, followed by changes in the highway department, 
made it necessary to postpone this work, but we believe it will be possible to 
continue it by the first of the year. 

The Society has collaborated with the highway department in publishing its 
weekly detour map. The back of this map carries sketches of a number of 



84 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

historic sites and incidents, prepared by Mrs. Lela Barnes, a member of our 
staff. Two complete sets of sketches have been furnished for these maps. 

THE STAFF OF THE SOCIETY 

This report would be incomplete without mention of the members of the 
staff of the Society. The secretary is pleased to acknowledge his indebtedness 
to them for the accomplishments noted herein. Recently a splendid apprecia- 
tion of their work and the resources of this Society came from J. Frank Dobie, 
professor of English at the University of Texas, and a nationally known writer 
and authority on the history of the Southwest. He wrote that the Kansas 
Society was the best state-maintained library in which he had ever worked. 
The Dallas News, September 10, published a signed article by Mr. Dobie under 
a three-column heading, in which he wrote in part: 

"The trail I was following went on through Abilene to Topeka, the capital 
of Kansas, and right into the library of the Kansas State Historical Society. 
There are many, many tracks of Texas longhorns and of Texas cowboys in this 
Kansas collection. 

"It is, I believe, the best state library I have had the pleasure of working in. 
Last year while I was working in the wonderful Bancroft library of the Uni- 
versity of California, I was even in the happiness of work filled with indigna- 
tion that Texas has no library of Texas life and history comparable to this 
California collection. Nor does Texas have a collection of its own materials in 
print and in manuscript comparable, as respects availability and dignity of 
setting, to the Kansas collection. . . . 

"No, when I consider the wonderful state collections of California and 
Kansas, and when I consider the wealth of Texas, the boasted patriotism of 
Texas, ... I am not proud of Texas. . . . 

"In the Kansas newspaper collection I found a file of the Texas Live Stock 
Journal, I have long wished to see. In the file of a weekly newspaper of 1886, 
I found the serialed chronicle of a Texas cowboy that would make an excellent 
book. The files of newspapers in the Kansas collection are well bound and well 
kept. In the University of Texas library many of the old Texas newspapers 
are in tatters and are falling to pieces. We have plenty of money to bind 
richly books that nobody reads but none to bind the early Texas newspapers 
that students constantly consult. . . . 

"Go to Kansas to learn how a historical society representing Texas might 
be dignified. . . ." Respectfully submitted, 

KIRKE MECHEM, Secretary. 

At the conclusion of the reading of the secretary's report, James 
Malone moved that it be accepted. Motion was seconded by W. C. 
Simons. 

Mr. Rankin then called for the report of the treasurer, Mrs. Mary 
Embree, which follows: 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 85 
TREASURER'S REPORT 

STATEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP FEE FUND 
From October 18, 1938, to October 17, 1939 

Treasury bonds on hand $3,500 . 00 

Balance, October 18, 1938. . 1,383.50 

Life membership fees received to October 17, 1939 160.00 

Annual membership dues received to October 17, 1939 131 .00 

Interest on treasury bonds 146 . 25 

Refund of money advanced for postage 283 .00 

Waste paper sold 17.42 

Extra copies of Quarterly and Collections sold. 27.00 

Checks sent in for postage on Volume 7 of Quarterly 1.00 

Total receipts $5,649 . 17 

Expenditures : 

Extra clerk hire $60.00 

Rent of safety deposit box for 1938 and 1939 6.60 

Flowers 12.03 

Repairing clock 4.50 

Reporting president's address for 1938 annual meeting 15.00 

Chairs for 1938 annual meeting 4.00 

Christmas for janitors, 1938 11.50 

Printing announcements of 1938 meeting 20.75 

Premium on bonds of secretary and treasurer 10.00 

Traveling expenses of secretary and members of staff 63.80 

Traveling and miscellaneous expenses connected with Shawnee 

mission pageant 110 .92 

Money advanced for supplies for WPA projects 27.27 

Refund of money advanced for renewal of notary commission 2.00 

Renewal of subscriptions 132.00 

Money advanced for postage 317 .00 

Picture of state house 1 .50 

Radio sound system service for 1938 meeting 3.50 

Freight bill 1.64 

Jayhawk hotel, bill for speaker of 1938 annual meeting and extra 

dinners 27.71 

Paid for speaker for 1938 annual meeting 50.00 

Purchase of manuscripts 100 .00 

Hauling 8.75 

Southwestern Bell Telephone Co 28.30 



Total expenditures $1,018.77 

Balance, October 17, 1939 4,630.40 

$5,649.17 

Balance consists of 

Cash $1,130.40 

Treasury bonds 3,500 .00 

$4,630.40 



86 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

JONATHAN PECKER BEQUEST FUND 

Principal, treasury bonds $950.00 

Balance, October 18, 1938 53.66 

Interest .... 28.23 



Total receipts $81 .89 

Expenditures : 

H. M. Taylor, copy of books, John Hayes, of Dover, N. H 18.21 

Balance, October 17, 1939.. $63.68 



JOHN BOOTH BEQUEST FUND 

Principal, treasury bonds $500 .00 



Balance, October 18, 1938 69.07 

Interest 14.59 



Total receipts $83.66 

Expenditures : 

Frank J. Wilder, The History of Woodstock, Conn 47.50 

Balance, October 17, 1939 $36.16 

THOMAS H. BOWLUS FUND 

Interest from this fund of $1,000 is deposited in membership fee fund. 

Respectfully submitted, 

MARY EMBREE, Treasurer. 

On motion of R. F. Brock the report was accepted. 
The report of the executive committee on the treasurer's report 
was then called for and read by Thomas Amory Lee. 

REPORT OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

OCTOBER 17, 1939. 
To the Board of Directors, Kansas State Historical Society: 

The executive committee being directed under the bylaws to check the 
accounts of the treasurer, states that the state accountant has audited the 
funds of the State Historical Society, the First Capitol of Kansas and the 
Old Shawnee Mission from the period August 21, 1938, to August 10, 1939, 
and that they are hereby approved. 

THOMAS AMORY LEE, Member of the Executive Committee. 

There being no objection, the report stood approved. 
The report of the nominating committee for officers of the Society 
was read by Thomas A. McNeal : 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 87 

NOMINATING COMMITTEE'S REPORT 

OCTOBER 17, 1939. 
To the Board of Directors, Kansas State Historical Society: 

Your committee on nominations begs leave to submit the following report 
for officers of the Kansas State Historical Society: 

For a one-year term: Thomas M. Lillard, Topeka, president; Dr. James C. 
Malin, Lawrence, first vice-president; Charles H. Browne, Horton, second 
vice-president. Respectfully submitted, 

T. A. McNEAL, Chairman, 
GRACE D. M. WHEELER, 
ISABELLE C. HARVEY. 

The report was referred to the afternoon meeting of the board. 
There being no further business the meeting adjourned until the 
annual meeting of the Society at 2 p. m. 

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY 

The annual meeting of the Kansas State Historical Society con- 
vened at 2 p. m. The members were called to order by the president, 
Robert C. Rankin. 

The annual address by Mr. Rankin follows: 



F 



Address of the President 

ROBERT C. RANKIN 

ROM time immemorial it has been the custom in nearly all or- 
ganizations and societies I have had anything to do with, for the 
presidents to render to their respective annual meetings, a report 
of the year's activities. I have often wondered why. 

Invariably, the membership has been kept well informed from 
time to time by the secretary's office. 

In this Society it is provided that the secretary shall make a re- 
port of the year's activities, and those of you who were here for 
the meeting this morning know that has been most ably done. 

Let me say to you at the outset that all the credit for whatever 
may have been accomplished during the past year is due to our 
very industrious and competent secretary, Kirke Mechem, and his 
staff of assistants. He has served you well, has served your presi- 
dent efficiently and deserves hearty commendation from both. 

Most of my predecessors in the office of president of your Society 
have been chosen from that privileged group of individuals who 
actually had a living part in the founding and building of our state. 
They told you some of their personal experiences as pioneers, re- 
calling for you the perils of hardy adventure in their early days. 



88 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

I was privileged, as a boy, to sit at my father's knee and listen 
to the telling of his early experiences, filled with excitement, and 
something of the part he played with other men of his time, who 
were both adventurers and idealists. I am still convinced that his 
was no small part in the winning of the West, although I realize 
now that he was only a young man among the many like him. 

For my part, I propose to avail myself of the prerogatives of my 
office and deliver to you a few random thoughts which I think 
timely and vastly more important at the moment than any report 
or recitation I could give you of events in the early history of our 
state. 

In Washington, D. C., there stands a building, one of those re- 
cently built in what is called the Triangle, a building that was long 
needed for the proper care and preservation of the records and 
documents of our official general government. This National Ar- 
chives building was authorized by congress in 1913, but the World 
War caused delay and the first appropriation was not made for its 
construction until 1926. Ground was broken in 1931; President 
Hoover laid the cornerstone in 1933, and the building was occupied 
in 1935. 

By an act passed in 1934 congress established the National Ar- 
chives to administer the materials to be transferred to this building. 
It has two fundamental objectives: (1) The concentration and 
preservation in a central depository of the archives of the United 
States government. (2) The arrangement and administration of 
these archives so as to make them easily accessible to officials and 
students who desire to use them. 

If you have not visited this building, I advise you to do so when 
in Washington. You will find it well worth-while just to see the 
two murals by Barry Faulkner, and meet the founders of our nation 
face to face. 

The building faces south on Constitutional avenue. The broad 
steps leading up to the massive doorway are flanked by two ped- 
estals supporting heroic size allegoric statues, "Guardianship" and 
"Heritage"; and carved below them is the significant inscription: 
Eternal vigilance is 
the price of Liberty. 

Under the other we read: 

The Heritage of the past 
is the seed that brings forth 
the Harvest of the future. 

The Kansas Historical Society, as you must know, was organized 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 89 

at the annual convention, April 7, 1875, of the Kansas State Edi- 
torial Association held at Manhattan. 

NOTE: Sixty years before the National Archives was organized. 

The following were declared to be the objects of our Society: 
"To collect, embody, arrange and preserve a library of books, maps, 
charts, manuscripts, papers, paintings, statuary and other materials 
illustrative of the history and antiquities of the state; to rescue 
from oblivion the memory of its early pioneers, and to obtain and 
preserve narratives of their exploits, perils, hardy adventures and 
patriotic achievements; to exhibit faithfully the past and present 
condition and resources of Kansas, and to take proper steps to pro- 
mote the study of history by lectures and other means for the dif- 
fusion of information relative to the history and resources of the 
state." 

As early as 1876 the Society was made a public depository of 
documents published by the United States government. 

The Society began as a voluntary association, without recogni- 
tion by the state, but its collections were brought into the state 
house from the first. Soon the value of its work became recognized 
by the state; means were appropriated by the legislature for its 
support, and rooms in the capitol were designated for its use. 

In 1879 a law was passed making the Society the trustee of the 
state, and defining its duties and its relation to the state. The law 
declares the collections of the Society to be the property of the 
state, and the Society has accepted the conditions imposed by this 
provision. The law broadened the scope of the work of the Society 
beyond that of a mere collection of Kansas historical materials, to 
that of making up a general library of reference, especially in the 
departments of history, science, sociology, and the useful arts. 

Just why the general government at Washington was so long in 
providing for the proper care of what has become priceless material 
is not easy to explain here. 

We are told that they have found their materials in all sorts of 
out-of-the-way places, attics, cellars, warehouses and piled in 
vaults, damaged and much of it lost forever. 

We are impressed more than ever with the foresight and vision 
of the men who founded this Society, when the state was young, 
memories fresh and a true picture the more easily painted. 

The providing of this building was an evidence of the value and 
interest placed upon what had and could be done in preserving our 
records of the past for the future generations. 



90 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

We have a great responsibility here to see that the work is car- 
ried on. The Society has many strong and influential members 
who are familiar with its work and responsibilities as even you who 
attend the meetings and carry on the work. 

You, I know, are all quite familiar with the virtues of our So- 
ciety, what it contains, what it stands for, what it does for the state 
and its members, but does the average garden variety of lay citizen 
of this state know about it in the way he should? I am afraid he 
does not. 

The younger generation of newspaper men know that we are on 
their free list, probably most of them know that we have the most 
complete newspaper files in the country. 

The library contains one of the most complete collections of his- 
torical publications in the West. The museum is outstanding in 
its field and is visited by great numbers of people, but its fame may 
lead many to suppose that the Society is more or less a repository 
for relics of the past a place only for curios and artifacts. 

My experience last winter made me wonder. I found quite a 
number of the members of the legislature, representatives of the 
people of this state, who knew; little or nothing at all about the 
Kansas State Historical Society and Department of Archives, not 
even its correct name, to say nothing of its functions. It was a 
surprised legislator who came over with a committee to inspect the 
building regarding needed repairs, and casually mentioned the fact 
that when they left the house a bill was under discussion regarding 
the registration and regulation of brands on livestock in the coun- 
ties of the state. 

He was asked if he would like to see some cattle brands that have 
been recorded and are in the files of the Society. 

He said he was interested in the cattle business and had a brand; 
a quick reference and the attendant showed him the record and 
design of his brand. He was speechless from amazement. He then 
learned that we have here in the files over 17,000 brands used by 
the stockmen of the state, from early times. It is only one of the 
many valuable and interesting items the Society has in its collec- 
tions, for the benefit of our citizens. 

Our obligation to record and preserve the history of our state, 
from its very beginning presents an ever-broadening field which 
grows more interesting as the lights and shadows reflect upon our 
understanding of times and events. 

The Society has just celebrated, on October 14 and 15, the one 
hundredth anniversary of Shawnee Methodist Mission and Indian 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 91 

Manual Labor School founded by the Rev. Thomas Johnson. A 
pageant was presented with the help and cooperation of the Shaw- 
nee Mission Indian Historical Society and other patriotic organi- 
zations. This property, now owned by the state, is under the direct 
charge and care of this Society. An appropriation was made by 
the present legislature for the restoration of the north building, one 
of the three original buildings now standing and possibly holding 
more of historic interest than the others. 

There is a great amount of work to be done and many valuable 
historic resources will be lost if not properly cared for before it is 
too late. 

Some historic "spots" have been placed under the care of the 
Society; the Pawnee capitol, Shawnee mission and Pike's Pawnee 
village are well known. 

The Oregon Trail Memorial Association, Inc., founded by Ezra 
Meeker, has a program to mark all historic trails in the West, par- 
ticularly the Oregon trail and its branches, and the Pony Express. 
John G. Ellenbecker of Marysville is the regional director for Kan- 
sas, and has given much of his time to the undertaking. 

Other organizations have made their contribution by marking and 
preserving the memories of places and events. The marking of the 
Santa Fe trail was a major undertaking and well done. A few other 
local and small monuments have been placed. 

The Kansas State Chamber of Commerce has sponsored the 
marking of historic places of interest on or contiguous to the state 
highways, that may attract tourists who pass this way. The Society 
has furnished a list of 100 places that are worthy of attention, and 
the highway department has agreed to erect and care for the mark- 
ers. This is one of the things the directors and members of this 
Society should encourage and assist in promoting. 

The monument in Gage park here in Topeka, just being com- 
pleted, is erected to the fame and glory of the Native Sons and 
Daughters of Kansas. It tells the story from the meeting of the 
Indians by the Spanish explorers, then shows American scouts fol- 
lowed by emigrants and settlers, the first farmers, boys and girls, 
homemakers, founders of our schools, and our industry and com- 
merce. This monument is perhaps the first of any real proportions 
yet erected in this state. 

A monument of outstanding beauty and size has been proposed 
to honor the memory of every pioneer of the state, to be erected on 
the campus of the University of Kansas. It has been endorsed and 



92 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

sponsored by the Old Settlers Society and the Douglas County 
Historical Society, by the Board of Regents, and by many prominent 
citizens of the state. When this is built it will be worthy of our 
state and the men and women who made it. It should become a 
shrine known all over the land. 

In a recent address Rolla Clymer, secretary of the newly-created 
Kansas Industrial Development Commission, said that one of the 
objectives of the commission would be the promotion of our recre- 
ational resources, the publicizing of our natural and historic places 
of interest to the tourists and the citizens of the state. 

We as a Society can subscribe to that program fully. I am sure 
the commission will have our hearty cooperation in eveiy way 
possible. 

There are many places of natural interest that should be taken 
over by the state for preservation. They will become real assets to 
the people of the state when developed properly for their recreation. 

The Kansas Academy of Science began a study in 1931 of certain 
areas in the state which, because of scenic beauty, geological interest 
and ecological reasons, should be preserved for posterity. Two 
years ago their committee reported on one place and urged the 
director of the United States National Park Service to recommend 
to the President that "Rock City," an area of giant concretions, 
approximately three miles southeast of Minneapolis in Ottawa 
county, be set aside as a national monument. The area is not only 
strikingly unique geologically, but is not duplicated anywhere else 
in the world. The academy issued a pamphlet setting forth a de- 
tailed description and a map, with a request for support from other 
organizations of the state. As far as I am able to learn, nothing has 
come of the request. 

A Bulletin of the University of Kansas, entitled "Scenic Kansas," 
by Dr. Kenneth K. Landes, describes "Rock City" along with 
twelve other places of great interest and value, as recreational and 
historic centers if and when developed for that purpose. This 
bulletin came out in 1935 and I believe is still available. 

A joint resolution by the committee on state parks and memorials 
was introduced and passed by the house of representatives in the 
last session of the legislature, which provided that "Rock City" of 
Ottawa county, Monument Rocks, the Sphynx and Castle Rock in 
Gove county, and Natural Bridge in Barber county be placed under 
the care of the State Historical Society, whenever the areas named 
in the act should be deeded to the state without cost. 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 93 

The measure failed in the senate because an estate holding title 
to "Rock City," would not accept the amount of money the citizens 
of Minneapolis had raised to pay for the land in order to present 
it to the state. All other areas were agreed upon without charge 
by the owners. The resolution came up so late in the session there 
was not time for the proponents of the measure to get the "Rock 
City" matter adjusted and it was lost in the senate committee. 

I believe all these places and others should be taken over by the 
state for their protection and preservation because they have great 
value as recreational centers, and will attract many tourists and 
sight-seers to our state. They have an economic value for that 
reason. The chalky rocks of Gove and Logan counties are famous 
over the world for the fossils that have been found in them. They 
have been worked for many years without restriction and will be- 
come a total loss if not controlled. 

It is my belief that the state should have a department of con- 
servation to administer these and perhaps other historic places for 
the benefit of our future generations. 

Now let me close by telling you that my tenure of office has been 
an interesting experience. I assure you I have appreciated the 
honor of being your president far more than I can tell you. I can 
only thank you and hope my successor will find it as enjoyable as 
I have. 

An address by Henry J. Allen on "Propaganda in Posters" fol- 
lowed the address of the president. This was a discussion of the 
World War posters displayed in the lobby, a collection assembled 
by Mr. Allen during the period of his service in Europe and pre- 
sented by him to the Society. The collection numbers 173 items 
and is one of the finest in the country. 

Mr. Allen was in his best form as a public speaker and adroitly 
extended his subject to include pungent comment on current trends 
and the national outlook. 

The report of the committee on nominations for directors was 
then called for: 



94 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTORS 

OCTOBER 17, 1939. 
To the Kansas State Historical Society: 

Your committee on nominations begs leave to submit the following report 
and recommendations for directors of the Society for the term of three years 
ending October, 1942: 

Beeks, Charles E., Baldwin. Mechem, Kirke, Topeka. 

Beezley, George F., Girard. Morrison, T. F., Chanute. 

Bonebrake, Fred B., Topeka. Norris, Mrs. George, Arkansas City. 

Bowlus, Thomas H., lola. O'Neil, Ralph T., Topeka. 

Browne, Charles H y Horton. Philip, Mrs. W. D., Hays. 

Embree, Mrs. Mary, Topeka. Rankin, Robert C., Lawrence. 

Gray, John M., Kirwin. Ruppenthal, J. C., Russell. 

Hamilton, R. L., Beloit. Ryan, Ernest A., Topeka. 

Harger, Charles M., Abilene. Sayers, Wm. L., Hill City. 

Harvey, Mrs. A. M., Topeka. Simons, W. C., Lawrence. 

Haucke, Frank, Council Grove. Skinner, Alton H., Kansas City. 

Kagey, Charles L., Wichita. Stanley, W. E., Wichita. 

Kinkel, John M., Topeka. Stone, Robert, Topeka. 

Lee, Thomas A., Topeka. Trembly, W. B., Kansas City. 

McFarland, Helen M., Topeka. Walker, B. P., Topeka. 

McFarland, Horace E., Junction City. Woodward, Chester, Topeka. 

Malone, James, Topeka. 

Respectfully submitted, 

T. A. McNEAL, Chairman, 
GRACE D. M. WHEELER, 
ISABELLE C. HARVEY. 

On unanimous vote of the members of the Society, the report of 
the committee was accepted and the members of the board were 
declared elected for the term ending October, 1942. 

The reports of representatives of other societies were called for. 
Mrs. M. Y. Griffin, president of the Shawnee Mission Indian His- 
torical Society presented the report of that organization. The Rev. 
Angelus Lingenfelser, secretary of the Kansas Catholic Historical 
Society, presented the report of that society. The secretary re- 
ported the receipt by mail of the report of the Riley County His- 
torical Society. He also spoke of the generally flourishing condi- 
tion of local societies, mentioning in particular the Lyon County 
Chapter of the Kansas State Historical Society with more than 400 
paid members. 

John C. Nicholson, of Newton, reported on his effort to compile 
a list of settlers of Harvey county who arrived prior to 1877. 

There being no further business the annual meeting of the So- 
ciety adjourned. 



THE ANNUAL MEETING 



95 



MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

The afternoon meeting of the board of directors was then called 
to order by Mr. Rankin. He asked for a rereading of the report of 
the nominating committee for officers of the Society. On motion 
of James Malone, seconded by H. C. Raynesford, the following 
were unanimously elected: 

For a one-year term: Thomas M. Lillard, president; Dr. James 
C. Malin, Lawrence, first vice-president; Charles H. Browne, Hor- 
ton, second vice-president. 

There being no further business the meeting adjourned. 

DIRECTORS OF THE KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AS OF 

OCTOBER, 1939 

DIRECTORS FOR YEAR ENDING OCTOBER, 1940 



Austin, E. A., Topeka. 
Berryman, J. W., Ashland. 
Brigham, Mrs. Lalla M., 

Council Grove. 
Brock, R. F., Sharon Springs. 
Bumgardner, Edward, Lawrence. 
Correll, Charles M., Manhattan. 
Davis, W. W., Lawrence. 
Denious, Jess C., Dodge City. 
Fay, Mrs. Mamie Axline, Pratt. 
Frizell, E. E., Larned. 
Godsey, Mrs. Flora R., Emporia. 
Hall, Mrs. Carrie A., Leavenworth. 
Hegler, Ben F., Wichita. 
Jones, Horace, Lyons. 
Kelley, E. E., Garden City. 
Lillard, T. M., Topeka. 



Lindsley, H. K., Wichita. 
Means, Hugh, Lawrence. 
Morgan, Isaac B., Kansas City. 
Oliver, Hannah P., Lawrence. 
Owen, Mrs. Lena V. M., Lawrence. 
Patrick, Mrs. Mae C., Satanta. 
Payne, Mrs. L. F., Manhattan. 
Reed, Clyde M., Parsons. 
Rupp, Mrs. W. E., Hillsboro. 
Schultz, Floyd B., Clay Center. 
Shirer, H. L., Topeka. 
Uhl, L. C., Jr., Smith Center. 
Van de Mark, M. V. B., Concordia. 
Wark, George H., Caney. 
Wheeler, Mrs. Gra<;e D. M., Topeka. 
Woolard, Sam F., Wichita. 
Wooster, Lorraine E., Salina. 



DIRECTORS FOR YEAR ENDING OCTOBERJ, 1941 



Aitchison, R. T., Wichita. 
Baugher, Charles A., Ellis. 
Capper, Arthur, Topeka. 
Carson, F. L., Wichita. 
Chandler, C. Q., Wichita. 
Dawson, John S., Hill City. 
Doerr, Mrs. Laura P. V., Larned. 
Doran, Thomas F., Topeka. 
Ellenbecker, John G., Marysville. 
Hobble, Frank A., Dodge City. 
Hogin, John C., Belleville. 
Huggins, Wm. L., Emporia. 
Hunt, Charles L., Concordia. 
Knapp, Dallas W., Coffeyville. 
Lilleston, W. F., Wichita. 
McLean, Milton R., Topeka. 
McNeal, T. A., Topeka. 



Malin, James C., Lawrence. 
Moore, Russell, Wichita. 
Morehouse, George P., Topeka. 
Price, Ralph R., Manhattan. 
Raynesford, H. C., Ellis. 
Russell, W. J., Topeka. 
Smith, Wm. E., Wamego. 
Solander, Mrs. T. T., Osawatomie. 
Somers, John G., Newton. 
Stevens, Caroline F., Lawrence. 
Stewart, Donald, Independence. 
Thompson, W. F., Topeka. 
Van Tuyl, Mrs. Effie H., Leavenworth. 
Walker, Mrs. Ida M., Norton. 
White, William Allen, Emporia. 
Wilson, John H., Salina. 



96 



KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 



DIRECTORS FOR YEAR ENDING OCTOBER, 1942 



Beeks, Charles E., Baldwin. 
Beezley, George F., Girard. 
Bonebrake, Fred B., Topeka. 
Bowlus, Thomas H., lola. 
Browne, Charles H., Horton. 
Embree, Mrs. Mary, Topeka. 
Gray, John M., Kirwin. 
Hamilton, R. L., Beloit. 
Harger, Charles M., Abilene. 
Harvey, Mrs. A. M., Topeka. 
Haucke, Frank, Council Grove. 
Kagey, Charles L., Wichita. 
Kinkel, John M., Topeka. 
Lee, Thomas Amory, Topeka. 
McFarland, Helen M., Topeka. 
McFarland, Horace E., Junction City. 
Malone, James, Topeka. 



Mechem, Kirke, Topeka. 
Morrison, T. F., Chanute. 
Norris, Mrs. George, Arkansas City. 
O'Neil, Ralph T, Topeka. 
Philip, Mrs. W. D., Hays. 
Rankin, Robert C., Lawrence. 
Ruppenthal, J. C., Russell. 
Ryan, Ernest A., Topeka. 
Sayers, Wm. L., Hill City. 
Simons, W. C., Lawrence. 
Skinner, Alton H., Kansas City. 
Stanley, W. E., Wichita. 
Stone, Robert, Topeka. 
Trembly, W. B., Kansas City. 
Walker, B. P., Topeka. 
Woodward, Chester, Topeka. 



Bypaths of Kansas History 

"GONE TO KANSAS TO HUNT BUFFALO AND ABOLITIONISTS" 

From The Kansas Weekly Herald, Leavenworth, November 22, 
1856. 

On calling yesterday at the room of our friend, Dr. Reese, we observed the 
following most singular notice posted on the door: "Gone to Kansas to Hunt 
Buffalo and Abolitionists." We certainly wish our friend success in this most 
romantic tour, and may he capture many of the four as well as the two 
legged beasts; and may his hours pass pleasantly by while bounding o'er the 
widespread prairies the hunting grounds of the Far West; and, in his ren- 
counter with the Abolitionists, may he prove a noble champion. As the 
knights of old, be found contesting the field with dexterous skill. May success 
accompany him in all his undertakings. Alabama Journal, Montgomery [?], 
20th ult. 



TOWN BOOMERS AND THEIR ADVERTISING 

Glib-tongued promoters of new towns in Kansas territory em- 
ployed all the arts of advertising to bring settlers to their townsites. 
Many settlers who were not primarily interested in town real estate 
development were disgusted with the obvious exaggerations of the 
"boomers." Sol. Miller of Ohio, when he came to Kansas in 1857, 
was so annoyed that he rapped the speculators in the first number of 
his White Cloud Kansas Chief, issued June 4, 1857. 

Strangers have no idea how thickly settled Kansas already is. The towns 
are spread over her surface as thickly as fleas on a dog's back. We said towns 
we meant to say cities; for we have nothing but cities out here and the 
proprietors are bound to let people know it, too; for they stick city to the 
name of every town. We venture to say, there is scarcely a store or tavern in 
the union, in which there is not posted in a conspicuous place, town plats of 
some large city in Kansas or Nebraska, a majority of which do not contain 
a single house! Travelers out here are not aware, unless they are told, that 
they are passing through cities every few miles of their journey such as 
Tadpole City, Prairie City, Opossum City, et cetera. Each one, of course, is 
bound to make the most important place in the West! 

In another column, Miller continued: 

A company of capitalists from Buncombe county, North Carolina, have 
recently arrived in the territory, and purchased a Gopher hole, in a high bluff 
on the river, where they have laid out a new town, which they have appro- 
priately named Gopher City. The place already contains a first-class whiskey 
shop (kept by a church member in good standing), a gas mill, one dry goods 
store (dry enough, in all conscience), one ox-team, three speculators' offices, 

(97) 
72143 



98 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

and one private residence. A large hotel is just being finished, where persons 
can obtain the best of accommodations, at ten dollars per week, and find 
themselves! The town must necessarily become the most important point on 
the Missouri river, above New Orleans! 

A glance at the town plat, which can be seen in all country groceries 
throughout the union, will convince anyone of this fact. It has a permanent 
landing at all seasons, as the bluff, during high waters, is very near the river. 
It will certainly be the terminus of the Wind Line and Gasport railroad, and 
the entire country back to the Pacific ocean must necessarily be dependent 
upon it for supplies of grog and tobacco. One great advantage possessed by 
this city is, that from the bluff you can see the towns of Hardscrable and 
Groundhog's Glory. A vast amount of building is talked of, this summer, and 
persons desirous of purchasing shares, would do well to invest soon, as there 
is great excitement in regard to the place, and every time a stranger inquires 
the price of shares, they advance fifty percent. A steamboat ran aground 
opposite the place, a few days ago, and lay there one day and night, during 
which time the price of shares was doubled. Persons wishing to invest, will 
call at the office of Messrs. Blow & Skinner, Bullfrog street, Gopher City. 

We have received no lot nor town share for this puff; therefore, it may be 
re-lied upon. 

Similar propaganda tempted John J. Ingalls to leave a Boston law 
office to try his luck in Kansas. Three miles south of Atchison John 
P. Wheeler had projected the town of Sumner in 1856. He engaged 
an Eastern artist to make a lithograph of his city not as it existed, 
but as it was visioned by the promoter. One of these prints fell into 
the hands of Ingalls and enticed him to go West. He arrived in 
Sumner on October 4, 1858, and the shock he received on landing at 
the levee was recalled in a clever bit of satire which he wrote in a 
letter, later quoted by Sheffield Ingalls in his History of Atchison 
County, Kansas (1916), pp. 93, 94. 

That chromatic triumph of lithographed mendacity, supplemented by the 
loquacious embellishments of a lively adventurer who has been laying out town 
sites and staking off corner lots for some years past in Tophet, exhibited a 
scene in which the attractions of art, nature, science, commerce and religion 
were artistically blended. Innumerable drays were transporting from a fleet of 
gorgeous steamboats vast cargoes of foreign and domestic merchandise over 
Russ pavements to colossal warehouses of brick and stone. Dense, wide streets 
of elegant residences rose with gentle ascent from the shores of the tranquil 
stream. Numerous parks, decorated with rare trees, shrubbery and fountains 
were surrounded with the mansions of the great and the temples of their devo- 
tion. The adjacent eminences were crowned with costly piles which wealth, 
directed by intelligence and controlled by taste, had erected for the education 
of the rising generation of Sumnerites. The only shadow upon the enchanting 
landscape fell from the clouds of smoke that poured from the towering shafts 
of her acres of manufactories, while the whole circumference of the undulating 



BYPATHS OP KANSAS HISTORY 99 

prairie was white with endless, sinuous trains of wagons, slowly moving toward 
the mysterious region of the Farther West. 

Ingalls forgave the deception and lived in Kansas to become a 
renowned United States senator. Copies of the lithograph which 
brought him are preserved in the collections of the Kansas State 
Historical Society. The town prospered only a short time and died. 



THIS BUSINESS OF FINDING A WIFE 

From the Freemen's Champion, published by S. S. Prouty at 
Prairie City (Douglas county), July 2, 1857. The advertisements 
were repeated in several succeeding issues. 

Our young lady readers will find something for their especial benefit in the 
cards headed "Matrimony." 

[Advertisement.] 

"It is not good for man to be alone." Thus said the apostle, and how em- 
phatically and forcibly is that wise saying illustrated in Kansas. Here, where 
man is deprived in a great measure of the elevated and refined influences of 
the better sex, man becomes careless, indifferent in regard to his demeanor and 
personal appearance, and degenerates into a state but a few degrees above the 
brute. The undersigned, having arrived at that age when single blessedness 
has lost all its charms, desires to venture into the order of benedicts. He wants 
a woman with a kind and affectionate disposition, accomplished in music and 
dancing, handsome, between the ages of 15 and 20. As it is a wife that he 
wants; and not money, he is not particular whether she is favored with the 
"dimes" or not, though if she fully meets with his requirements, and happens 
to be troubled with "filthy lucre," he will not consider it a very serious objec- 
tion. The advertiser is 24 years of age, is considered good looking, neither 
indulges in the use of ardent spirits, nor tobacco, has enough property and an 
income sufficient to comfortably maintain a family, and is possessed of a warm 
and confiding heart. .He wants a tendril to cherish. If this meets the eye of a 
lady answering his description, who wants a companion of this stripe, she will 
please address him through the postoffice at Prairie City, K. T. 

Orsemus Poe. 
[ Advertisement. ] 

DEAR COLONEL: Will you please to announce me as a candidate for matri- 
mony? You can state that my age is 21; used to be considered good looking 
by the girls when I lived in the states, though somewhat uncouth in my 
appearance now; am hale, hearty, strong, and full of fun and frolic; have been, 
and am sometimes now, a little wild, but think I should be steady as a deacon, 
if I had a congenial partner to love and protect. I am not rich, nor indulge 
in no expectation of ever falling heir to a legacy, though my prospects for 
the future are as flattering as the generality of young men at my age, who 
have kicked their own way through the world alone. I am anxious to corre- 
spond with a handsome, witty, intelligent young lady, between the ages of 16 



100 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

and my own age, with the view of forming a matrimonial alliance. I don't 
care whether she is worth a cent, pecuniarily, or not, if she has the accomplish- 
ments of a lady, and is pretty. 

Your friend, Ned Bowers. 
[Advertisement.] 

The advertiser is anxious to obtain a partner to participate and share with 
him in his joys, and sympathize with and soothe him in his afflictions. His 
age is 28; is considered passibly good looking, and has enough of this world's 
goods to enable himself and partner to live comfortably. The lady of his 
choice would be one between the ages of 18 and 25, of an amiable disposition 
and sympathizing heart, a healthy constitution, with at least an ordinary 
education, and a thorough knowledge of domestic duties. He is not particular 
in regard to looks, though he would, of course, prefer one as handsome as 
himself! Such a lady, wishing to link her destinies with one of the sterner 
sex of his description, will please address "Johnson," Prairie City, Kansas. 

Freemen's Champion, August 13, 1857. 

We learn that at the land sales at Osawkee unmarried men were obliged 
to pay 25 cents per acre more for land than married men. In behalf of this 
unfortunate class of individuals we strongly protest against this outrageous 
proceeding. In the states, where girls are plenty, we would shout "Amen!" to 
all such operations; but here, where "ribs" are so scarce that nearly all our 
bachelors are made so from necessity, owing to their inability to obtain the 
article, we do think this taxation levied upon them entirely unjust and 
tyrannical. Can it be that the incorrigible old woman-hater of the White 
House had a hand in this matter? It does look reasonable. 

Freemen's Champion, August 20, 1857. 

The last mail brought Ned Bowers two letters responses to his matrimonial 
advertisement. Good luck for you, Ned! 

Freemen's Champion, September 10, 1857. 

Pleasant Retreat, Peoria City, K. T., 

August 26th, 1857. 

EDITOR OF THE CHAMPION DEAR SIR: In looking over your paper of the 
6th inst., I discovered an advertisement which interested me, as I am a candi- 
date for the same office of which it speaks. It reads somewhat thus: "DEAR 
COLONEL, will you please to announce me as a candidate for matrimony," and 
it was signed at the bottom, "NED BOWERS." As I think myself fully able and 
competent to perform all the duties of a house-keeper, I would just say that 
I am of the required age with which the subscriber wishes to join his destiny; 
therefore, should this meet his eye, and also his approbation, let him com- 
municate through the Champion, or personally, to me (as his address is not 
known). Now there are some things that I wish to be made known, so that 
a right understanding may be had on the subject, and that is this: Should I 
be so fortunate as to get a companion, he shall be sole proprietor and manager 
of all affairs with which the pantaloon community has to do under similar 
circumstances; that is, those which appertain to the family circle. Now, in 
regard to my personal beauty, I leave that for other people to say, which 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 101 

has been acknowledged by a host of admirers, to be the very ideal of beauty 
and witticism : therefore, I feel myself qualified to fill the bill that is required. 
Now I would state a few facts in respect to a married life, although I cannot 
speak from personal experience in the matter; yet from occular demonstra- 
tions, I can say that there are a great number of family circles that are every- 
thing else but concord and harmony to my knowledge of them, and the reason 
is, because a faithful portraiture of themselves was not given in the premises. 
As for me, I would say that I never will unite myself to a man that indulges 
in gambling, in any or all its forms, either directly or indirectly; nor to a 
man that indulges in intoxicating liquors, either directly or indirectly; for 
should I or any woman be joined to a man, that partakes of the "liquid 
poison," how soon would all the means of happiness be destroyed; though she 
rise at early dawn and pursue her daily avocation until the going down of 
the sun, and even until her midnight lamp goes out for want of replenishing, 
to earn what he so quickly spends; not as she had hoped, for the comforts of 
life, but the contrary its worst miseries. From such a one let me be forever 
separated; there are enough of trials and difficulties to contend with in this 
troublesome world, which are unavoidable by nature. 

Should the editor of the Champion think this worthy a place in his paper, 
he can use it any way he sees proper. As I am unacquainted with the man- 
ners and customs of corresponding with the press, I wish to be excused if I 
appear in an awkward position before the public. LOVINA LITTLETON. 

Hurrah, Ned! There's a capital chance for you, now. If you are not al- 
ready in "heels over head" with some of your fair correspondents of late, we'd 
advise you to devote a little attention to LOVINA. Her letter certainly ex- 
hibits indications of good sense on the part of its fair author, and there can be 
no doubt but what she is worth looking after. Oh! "pitch in," Ned! [Ed. 
Champion.] 

Freemen's Champion, April 8, 1858. 

Marriageable young women are in great demand in Kansas. A Yankee 
writing from this section to his father, says: "Suppose you get our girls some 
new teeth and send them out." 

From the Kirwin Chief, January 29, 1876. 

The girls in the East should all come to Kansas. We hear of one recently 
arrived who received a proposal of marriage before she had been here a week. 
The chap who wanted to marry her, had been introduced about two hours 
previously. 



TERRITORIAL GOVERNOR WALKER IN THE NEWS 
From the Emporia News, July 20, 1861. 

The New York correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial writes as fol- 
lows concerning one of the Ex-Governors of Kansas: 

There was an unusual hubbub about the Astor house today. Several mem- 
bers of congress from New England and New York are on their way to Wash- 
ington; and the "Sons of Maine" dined and wined the ofiicers of the fifth 
regiment, which passed through today. One of the fussiest and noisiest indi- 
viduals hereabouts is Ex-Governor R. J. Walker, of Mississippi and Kansas 



102 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

and the Pacific R. R. Co. He lives at Hoboken, and nearly every day comes 
over here to abuse and denounce secession and traitors. When he gets about 
three sheets in the wind, he launches out promiscuously, and does the most 
miscellaneous swearing you ever heard. He mixes up his oaths, his devils, his 
damns, his traitors, and so on, all in confusion, without regard to mood or 
tense. If Jeff. Davis ever gets permanently settled in the place to which 
Walker has consigned him with prayer, at least forty times within ten days, 
he will have less confidence in fast days hereafter than he has now. 



A DESCRIPTION OF JAMES BUTLER (WILD BILL) HICKOK 

From the Manhattan Independent, October 26, 1867. 

On Monday we took the cars of the IT. P. R. W. E. D. for Leavenworth. 
We make no mention of this because there is any peculiar significance in our 
visiting the metropolis of Kansas. Like almost everybody in Kansas we do 
so occasionally. But upon this occasion it was our fortune to fall in with 
quite a number of persons of whom it might interest our readers to learn 
something. 

WILD BILL 

the celebrated scout, with Jack Harvey and some dozen of their companions 
were upon the train, having just come in from a scouting expedition under 
General Sherman. All the party were more or less affected by frequent pota- 
tions from their bottles, and Wild Bill himself was tipsy enough to be quite 
belligerent. 

He is naturally a fine looking fellow, not much over 30 years of age, over 
six feet in height, muscular and athletic, possessing a fine figure, as lithe and 
agile as the Borneo Boys. His complexion is very clear, cheek bones high, 
and his fine auburn hair which he parts in the middle hangs in ringlets down 
upon his shoulders, giving him a girlish look in spite of his great stature. He 
wore a richly embroidered sash with a pair of ivory hilted and silver mounted 
pistols stuck in it. Doubtless this man and his companions have killed more 
men than any other persons who took part in the late war. What a pity that 
young men so brave and daring should lack the discretion to sheath their 
daggers forever when the war terminated ! But such is the demoralizing effect 
of war upon those who engage in it and certainly upon all who love the 
vocation. 

We learn from a gentleman who has frequently met these wild and reckless 
young men, that they live in a constant state of excitement, one continual 
round of gambling, drinking and swearing, interspersed at brief intervals with 
pistol practice upon each other. 

At a word any of the gang draws his pistol and blazes away as freely as if 
all mankind were Arkansas Rebels, and had a bounty offered for their scalps. 

How long these athletes will be able to stand such a mode of life; eating, 
drinking, sleeping (if they can be said to sleep) and playing cards with their 
pistols at half cock, remains to be seen. For ourself, we are willing to risk 
them in an Indian campaign for which their cruelty and utter recklessness of 
life particularly fit them. 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 103 

HAYS CITY BY MOONLIGHT 

From the Manhattan Standard, May 8, 1869. 

EDITOR STANDARD: Hays City is progressing. It is quite "go aheadish." 
In fact, it is decidedly so. The railroad passes through the town. Most of 
the business is done on the north side of the railroad. Almost every other 
building is a liquor saloon or a house of ill fame. Hotels and eating houses 
are also numerous. 

The Seventh cavalry has just been paid off, and the whole regiment is on a 
regular spree. 

We made a visit to said town last night, by "moonlight." Almost the first 
house, as we enter the town from the south, on the right, is the large wholesale 
liquor and clothing house of Ryan & Co. They appropriate to themselves 
almost all the wholesale business of the town. 

On the left, near by, is the Santa Fe saloon, all ablaze with light, and 
soldiers staggering around in front are a good indication of what is going on 
within. 

A little further up we cross the railroad. Over the street from the depot is 
a large gambling "hell." Here billiard and faro tables, chuck luck and monte 
banks, "horsehead," etc., are in full blast. 

As we sauntered slowly up the street we noticed on a dilapidated looking 
building a large sign informing all beholders that "General Outfitting" could 
be obtained by enquiring within. Seeing no show window, and no display of 
goods, and being of an inquiring turn of mind, we entered. Instead of seeing 
a smiling, polite salesman, anxious to show us his goods, as we expected, we 
were welcomed by two or three very pretty smiling young ladies. We saw no 
goods, except feminine. Seeing that we had got into the "wrong pew," and 
being rather bashful, in spite of the fascinating appearance of the aforesaid 
young ladies, we disappeared. 

A little northwest of this is the notorious "shebang," kept by a Frenchman, 
name unknown, where was a dance under full headway. Here we noticed, 
among other "distinguished guests," the smiling, contented phiz, of our friends, 
Col. , Col. , Major , Major , and several other of- 
ficers of the Nineteenth and Seventh, taking a prominent part in the first set. 
Round and round they go, "tripping the light fantastic toe," until out of 
breath and very thirsty, they adjourn with their fair but frail partners to the 
bar for "refreshments." Officers, soldiers, citizens, blacklegs, gamblers, pimps, 
nymphs du pace, and all mingle here on a common platform. What is going 
on in this place is but a repetition of what is going on in a dozen different 
houses in town. 

As we return homeward we see various forms lying in the road, in the gut- 
ters, and puddles. Staggering forms are seen, supporting still more staggering 
specimens of humanity toward camp. Fights are frequent some little shoot- 
ing, some cutting, and frequent "fist mauling." Robberies are frequent. Men 
dead drunk are in no condition to defend themselves, and the temptation is 
too strong for a "dead beat," or a "strapped" blackleg to resist making a 
"raise." 

All along the road to both camps, stragglers may be seen wending their 
way campwards. Some drunk, supported along by comrades scarcely less in- 
toxicated; some with bruised and blackened faces stagger along, venting their 



104 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

wrath against the world in general and some fancied antagonist in particular. 

Such, Mr. Editor, is a brief, but truthful sketch of "Hays City by 
moonlight." 

April 11, 1869. Q. 



DOINGS ON KANSAS AVENUE, TOPEKA, IN 1869 

From the Kansas Daily Commonwealth, Topeka, June 29, 1869. 

Late the other evening, we saw one of our druggists wading the mud in 
Kansas avenue, attempting to overhaul one of the juvenile bovine. Said 
animal had a rope attached to its neck, and as the Dr. would make a grab 
for the rope, the calf would make himself scarce he wasn't thar. The last 
we saw of them they were in front of Sexton's, the calf about ten feet in ad- 
vance and bleating for its lost protector, and the Dr. crying aloud, "stop yer 
bawlin', I'm a comin'." 

TOPEKA'S "FORT SIMPLE" 

From the Daily Kansas State Record, Topeka, July 3, 1869. 

REMINISCENCES. We are asked by many as to the meaning of the term 
"Ft. Simple." We will explain. In 1864 when "Pap" Price was on the border, 
it was thought not improbable but that he would overrun the state. There 
is but little doubt that he would have done so had it not been for the Kansas 
militia, who were ordered out en masse and met him at the Big Blue. Price's 
army there met a check, but at the sacrifice of many of our people, and 
among them twenty-two citizens of Shawnee county. During the time that 
Price was on the border, it was considered proper to take some measures to 
protect the city should any stragglers from Price's command come this way. 
For that purpose, logs about sixteen feet in length were set in the ground 
four feet deep at the corner of Kansas and Sixth avenues. They were set in 
the form of a circle, enclosing a space of about fifty feet in diameter. Holes 
were cut in the logs in different places, so that those inside could shoot out, 
should the ragamuffins come in on either of the streets. A cannon was also 
inside, and an opening left so it could be used if necessary. Happily there 
was no necessity for using the fortification, so it remained a mooted question 
whether it would have done any good or not if there had been any necessity 
for it. After about a year the logs were sawed off, leaving them about seven 
feet high, and some trees set out inside. About this time some one gave it 
the nickname of "Ft. Simple," which stuck to it till it was entirely removed. 
The trees inside did not thrive, and after a year or two the city authorities 
ordered the logs removed. At the same time the stockade was made, all of 
the citizens who were not at the front were detailed a certain number of hours 
each day to throw up rifle pits or trenches in which sharpshooters could lay 
and fire at an approaching enemy without being exposed. One of these 
trenches was east of Monroe street, between Eighth and Ninth, and the out- 
lines of it can yet be traced ; another was east of Washburn College [now site 
of Memorial building]. New comers here can hardly realize in these peaceful 
times that for months our citizens took turns and did picket duty on all the 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 105 

roads leading into the city. The Quantrill and other raids into other portions 
of our state made it a part of wisdom to do so. Many amusing things tran- 
spired during these months. Several times it was reported that the guerrillas 
were coming, and we recollect one night in particular when many buried their 
treasures and some laid out in the ravines around town all night. Did space 
permit we could fill a page of the Record in telling of these things. At an- 
other time we may do so. 



INDIAN DRESS 

From the Netawaka Chief, July 2, 1872. 

We noticed a squaw in town the other day dressed in a new style of Dolly 
Vardens. Her attire was composed of a red calico dress, with a few clean 
spots and a good many greasy ones; an old black hat, ornamented with red, 
blue and yellow ribbons; a striped shawl thrown over her shoulders; a large 
red blanket fastened around her waist, and a pair of No. 15 Brogans on her 
understandings. She was dressed in her summer clothes. 



A TYPE SHORTAGE 

From the Manhattan Enterprise, August 9, 1876. 

O, wouldn't we like to catch him. We mean the thief that stole all our 
capital K's. There must be a Ku Klux Klan organization about, and they 
want to "print" their signatures. 



BULL-DOZING IN THE LEGISLATURE 

From the Inland Tribune, Great Bend, February 3, 1877. 

They have a man in the legislature at Topeka named Bull. The other day 
he fell asleep during the roll call on the senatorial question, and as his snoring 
troubled the speaker, he called on the sergeant-at-arms to stop that Bull- 
dozing. 



DOWN TO A HAIR! 
From the Kirwin Chief, January 1, 1879. 

WHO Is SHE? The last butter we purchased in this city was made by a 
black-haired woman. Describing the character, height, &c., by the color and 
quality of the hair is our fort, and after a careful examination we give our 
opinion as follows: She is about 5% feet high weighs about 160 Ibs., and 
she had the blues at the time the butter was made (this we learn from the 
streaks in the butter), is a mother has a great deal to do (this we learn from 
the hair being very crooked and not having been combed for a week). In 
temper she is rather mild, and is dearly loved by her husband and children. 
We will wager six bits and a brick watch that the above is correct now trot 
in your woman. 



Kansas History as Published in the Press 

"The Mallet Expedition of 1739 Through Nebraska, Kansas and 
Colorado to Santa Fe," by Henri Folmer, was published in The 
Colorado Magazine (v. XVI, No. 5), of Denver, in September, 1939. 
This expedition, the author surmises, was the first successfully under- 
taken by white men across the unknown country between New Mex- 
ico and the Missouri region. Although the detailed itinerary is lost, 
the route probably led up the Missouri river to the land of the 
Arikara Indians in present South Dakota, southwestward overland 
through the central part of Kansas, west along the north bank of 
the Arkansas river, southwest to Santa Fe, east along the Canadian 
and Arkansas rivers to the Mississippi, and down the Mississippi to 
New Orleans. 

Of interest to historically-minded Kansans are the following 
articles by Victor Murdock appearing in his front-page column in 
recent issues of the Wichita (Evening) Eagle: "One Trail Across 
Kansas, Leavenworth to Wichita, Has Been Long Traveled," Octo- 
ber 6, 1939 ; "Hosts of Kansans to Find Coronado Show Next Year 
Top New Mexican Effort," October 7; "Holster From Frontier in 
the Indian Territory an Heirloom in Wichita," October 16; "Mem- 
ories of Carl Meeker of a Picturesque Spot on Banks of the Nin- 
nescah," October 24; "Farm Produce Sales Here Which Helped to 
Anchor the Pioneer Population," October 27; "West Douglas Ave. 
Lots Near Banks of Big River Have Had a Real History," Novem- 
ber 22; "Newly Discovered Diary of a Pioneer, C. C. Fees, Revives 
Settler's Vision," November 23. 

Among the historical articles featured in the Kansas City (Mo.) 
Star during October and November, 1939, were: "General [Leon- 
ard] Wood's Battle For Lives Continues on the Medical Front," 
October 9; "William Allen White Remembers a Man [Herbert S. 
Hadley] Who Did Everything Well," October 11; reviews of books 
by two Kansas writers, Kirke Mechem and Bliss Isely, and by a 
onetime Kansas cowpuncher, Paul I. Wellman, now a feature writer 
on the Star's staff, October 14 ; "Two New 'Dorothys' From Kansas 
[the William Allen Whites] Explore the Modern Land of Oz," 
November 10 [this article written by Mr. White, entitled " 'Dorothy' 
Comes Home," appeared originally in the Emporia Gazette of No- 
vember 6] ; "Thanksgiving Day in Kansas Has Had a History of 
Roving," by Cecil Howes, November 18. 

(106) 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 107 

Kansas history items appearing in recent issues of the Kansas 
City (Mo.) Times include: "John Brown and His Strange Army 
Raided Harpers Ferry 80 Years Ago," by Paul I. Wellman, October 
16, 1939 ; "A Rich Store of Kansas Records Collected [by the Kan- 
sas State Historical Society] Over Sixty-four Years," by Cecil 
Howes, October 17; ''Paintings of John Noble [first Kansas artist 
to gain an international reputation] Stir Memories of a Romantic 
Quest," by J. D. W., October 18; "Dr. Cady Passes 40 Years at 
K. IL, Continues Work on Something New," by T. M. O., October 
26; "October in Kansas, the Season When All True Natives Are 
Poets," by Cecil Howes, October 27; "[John W. Haussermann, the 
'Boy City Attorney' of Leavenworth and the] Gold Mine King in 
Philippines Arrived with Funston's Kansans," by Lowell Thomas, 
November 6 ; "Nearly Half the Kansas Counties Named in Honor 
of War Heroes," by Cecil Howes, November 8 ; "Mennonites Were 
Lured to Kansas by a Shrewd Immigration Agent," by Cecil Howes, 
November 24; "Middle West Owes Special Debt to [Dr. James A. 
Naismith] the Inventor of Basketball," by T. M. 0., November 30. 

Mrs. Christie Campbell-Loomis, the first white child born in 
Salina, recalled some events of her girlhood during the log-cabin days 
of that region, in the Salina Journal, October 25, 1939. Mrs. Loomis 
is a niece of Col. William A. Phillips, a prominent Kansas pioneer. 

In a special edition of the Independence Daily Reporter of 
October 28, 1939, city and county attractions were featured. Among 
the articles was one entitled, "Early History of Montgomery County 
and Independence." 

A thirty-six page booklet was published in November, 1939, in 
observance of the seventieth anniversary of the First Presbyterian 
Church of Abilene. The pamphlet was compiled by C. C. Wyandt, 
a member of the church for fifty-one years, from minutes of the 
church session and reminiscences of older members. 

The history of Simpson, written by members of the sophomore 
class of the high school in 1919, was reprinted in the Simpson News, 
November 2, 1939, from its issue of February 6, 1919. 

Ashland's Clark County Clipper on November 2, 1939, published 
reminiscences of C. W. Evans, a pioneer settler and former resident 
of the county, and an article on early postoffices in Clark county by 
John R. Walden of Winfield, which supplemented a review on the 
same subject in the Clipper of September 28. 



108 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Mrs. Maggie Goss, of Dwight, read a paper on the history of the 
community prepared by herself and Mrs. Roman Goss, as part of the 
program of the Morris County Pioneer Kansan Club at its meeting 
at Parkerville on October 21, 1939. Her paper was printed in the 
White City Register, November 2. 

A brief statement of the history of Wetmore, taken from a Meth- 
odist church record book, was featured in the Wetmore Spectator, 
November 3, 1939. 

The following historical articles were published recently in the 
Wichita Sunday Eagle: "John Brown's Hanging Recalled by Ex- 
Wichitan," and "Wichita Postal Veteran [C. H. Bracken] Quits 
After 43 Years," November 5, 1939; "St. Francis [Hospital] Has 
50 Year Record of Wichita Service," by Father William Schaefers, 
"13 Catholic Hospitals Serve Wichita Territory," and "St. Francis 
Nursing School Serves Hospital Need," November 19. 

Mankato's city library, which has been housed in the community 
building since September, 1939, formally opened its new rooms with 
a program and open house on November 15. The Western Advocate 
on November 16 reviewed the history of the library from its organi- 
zation in 1901. 

In its issue of November 23, 1939, the Kansas Chief, of Troy, 
printed a letter written by Cyrus Leland, Sr., in 1866. Because of 
the important role played by Colonel Leland in early Doniphan 
county history, the autobiographical material in the letter relating 
to his attendance at Harvard University and his military service is 
of particular interest. A tintype of the colonel, made shortly before 
the Civil war, was reproduced. Letter and portrait came from 
Bartlett Boder, of St. Joseph, Mo., a great grandson of Colonel 
Leland. 

A story of the first settlers of Twelve Mile, a community north- 
west of Downs, has been prepared by Alfred E. Gledhill, son of a 
pioneer family. His father, Joseph Gledhill, was one of a party of 
sixty-five which emigrated in 1872 from Connecticut, and the narra- 
tive, according to the Downs News of December 7, 1939, gives a 
full account of the Gledhill family. 

In preparation for the dedication of the new Republic county 
courthouse in Belleville on December 18, 1939, the Belleville Tele- 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 109 

scope on December 7 issued a special twenty-four page "Court 
House Dedication Edition." Articles of historical interest included 
a list of Republic county officials since 1868, stories of the organi- 
zation of the county and the first county election in 1868, the crea- 
tion of the twelfth judicial district and the meeting of the first dis- 
trict court in 1871, and a sketch history of county buildings con- 
structed from 1872 to the present. 

The Kinsley Graphic on December 14, 1939, announced the publi- 
cation of a book by Col. William Payton, of Garfield, entitled The 
Last Man Over the Trail. It is divided into two sections, one deal- 
ing with the old Santa Fe trail and the famous men who traveled 
it, and the other telling the story of William Drannan, a boy who 
was reared by Kit Carson, the Indian scout. Among the incidents 
related in the book is the uprising of the Sioux Indians under Sitting 
Bull in 1890, which occurred in South Dakota shortly after Payton 
and his father had purchased a ranch there. In the same issue the 
Graphic featured other articles of historical importance: "Some 
Early-Day Reminiscences" written by Mrs. Alice Loring Humphrey 
Erwin and first published in the Graphic on May 19, 1905, and 
"Shelter Belts Will Save Edwards County Soil" which reviewed in 
words and pictures what is being done in the county to conserve the 
soil. 

A reunion of some of the old pupils of Ritchey school district, 
three miles west of Cheney in Kingman county, was held recently, 
according to the Cheney Sentinel, December 21, 1939. The Sentinel 
featured a brief history of the school from its organization in 1879 
to 1910, compiled by two of the early-day pupils, E. J. Goldsborough 
and Mrs. Ora Rollins. 

In celebration of the completion of a new post-office building at 
Council Grove, the Republican on December 29, 1939, published a 
"Post Office Cornerstone and Dedication Edition." Historical articles 
dealing with early postmasters and the early postal service in the 
city were printed. A partial directory of the local civic, service 
and study clubs, a directory of Council Grove professional men, 
and photographs and biographical sketches of early settlers were 
also included. 



Kansas Historical Notes 

The Thirty-Fifth Division Association of World War veterans 
held its twentieth annual reunion in Kansas City, October 19, 20 
and 21, 1939. The following officers were elected: Sen. Harry S. 
Truman of Missouri, president; Mahlon S. Weed, Kansas City, first 
vice-president; Col. Edmund J. McMahon, St. Louis, Mo., second 
vice-president; Capt. John A. Ashworth, Topeka, third vice-presi- 
dent; Col. Albert Linxwiler, Jefferson City, Mo., fourth vice-presi- 
dent; Col. Fred W. Manchester, Joplin, Mo., secretary; Capt. Wil- 
ford Riegle, Emporia, historian; Harold Powell, Great Bend, 
sergeant at arms; and Maj. L. Curtis Tiernan, Fort Leavenworth, 
chaplain. 

Plans are under way in Seward county to organize a county his- 
torical society. H. D. Massoni, of Kismet, has been assembling a 
list of persons who have lived in the county thirty years or longer, 
and is sending out questionnaires for historical information which 
will be used as a basis for organizing the society. 

The Lyon County Historical Society held its annual dinner and 
program meeting at Emporia on October 30, 1939. Almost three 
hundred persons attended, including fifty members of high-school 
societies that have been organized in the ten high schools of the 
county and affiliated with the county society. The program featured 
the history of Hartford, and the Rev. E. T. Rice of Oswego, son of 
the Rev. C. R. Rice, a missionary to the Indians in the 1850's, was 
guest speaker. The regular annual meeting of the society will be 
held in January. 

Members of the Dickinson County Historical Society met in 
Abilene November 2, 1939, for their annual meeting. Mrs. Carl 
Peterson, of Enterprise, was elected president; Mrs. W. C. Bocker, 
of Solomon, second vice-president; and Walter Wilkins, of Chapman, 
treasurer. The terms of office of Mrs. A. B. Seelye, first vice-presi- 
dent, and Mrs. H. M. Howard, secretary, hold over until next year. 

First step in the organization of a Cherokee County Historical 
Society was taken on November 6, 1939, when a meeting was held 
at Columbus and the following temporary officers elected: Mrs. 
Leah Baird, Columbus, chairman; Miss Bess Oliphant, Columbus, 
secretary, and Mrs. Grace Burr, Galena, treasurer. A committee 
consisting of Miss Oliphant, Mrs. Cora Taylor and Mrs. Henry 
Mitchell was appointed to draft a constitution and bylaws. 

The seventh annual meeting of the Douglas County Historical 
Society was held in Lawrence on November 16, 1939. W. C. Simons, 

(110) 



KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 111 

the retiring president, presided. Reports of the activities of the 
society during the preceding year were presented, and the following 
officers were elected to serve during 1940: Robert C. Rankin, presi- 
dent; Miss Irma Spangler, first vice-president; John Akers, second 
vice-president; Miss Ida G. Lyons, secretary, and Walter Varnum, 
treasurer. Dr. Edward Bumgardner, W. C. Simons, Allen Crafton, 
C. E. Beeks and W. H. Morgan were elected to serve three-year 
terms as directors. 

Unveiling of the $50,000 Lillie Gordon Munn Memorial, a forty- 
five foot stone frieze with two central bronze figures dedicated to 
the native sons and daughters of Kansas, occurred at Gage Park in 
Topeka on December 5, 1939. The ceremonies included short ad- 
dresses by Dr. Charles M. Sheldon ; Kirke Mechem, secretary of the 
Kansas State Historical Society; Robert Stone, Mrs. Charles Spen- 
cer, and Chester Woodward, of the board of trustees of the memorial ; 
Fred M. Torrey of Chicago, the designer and sculptor; Mayor John 
Scott of Topeka and Glen Archer, representing Gov. Payne Ratner, 
who accepted the memorial on behalf of the city and state. The 
day was also the eighty-fifth birthday of Topeka, and the Shawnee 
county early settlers met for their annual meeting. Helen McFar- 
land, librarian of the Kansas State Historical Society, was the 
principal speaker. She discussed Shawnee county historic sites. John 
McKnown, who came to Topeka in July, 1855, for the third con- 
secutive year received the distinction of being the city's oldest 
settler. New officers elected for the coming year were H. B. Heber- 
ling, president, and M. T. Kelsey, vice-president. Florence Eckert, 
secretary-treasurer, was reflected. 

Florence Finch Kelly of New York, who retired in June, 1936, 
after fifty-six years as a newspaperwoman, died at New Hartford, 
Conn., on December 17, 1939. Mrs. Kelly came to Kansas from 
Illinois in 1869, attended the University of Kansas, from which she 
was graduated in 1881, and began her newspaper work in the sum- 
mer of 1880 on the staff of the Topeka Commonwealth. Subse- 
quently she worked for papers in Oakland, CaL, Chicago, Boston, 
Troy, New York, and other cities. She was also a novelist, poet and 
critic. Shortly before her death she published her autobiography, 
Flowing Stream (New York, Dutton, 1939). 

In December, 1939, the Kansas division of the Historical Records 
Survey published in mimeographed form a preliminary "Check List 
of Kansas Imprints, 1854-1876," comprising 1,594 separate titles of 
books, pamphlets, folders, broadsides and broadsheets. This volume 



112 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

is the first exhaustive bibliography of Kansas printing ever to be 
assembled. The project was inaugurated in the state by the Works 
Progress Administration on February 1, 1938, and work on the list 
employed an average of twenty field workers in Kansas, inventory- 
ing the holdings of thirty -three Kansas libraries. The project is 
nation-wide in scope, materials for this volume being drawn from 
187 libraries and five private collections in thirty-seven states. 

Of the total number of titles in the check-list 1,114 bear definite 
Kansas imprints, according to the introduction, while 480 lack im- 
prints but are in all probability products of the Kansas press. In 
addition the list includes twenty items whose origin is unknown but 
whose content would suggest inclusion in a Kansas list, and sixteen 
items which bear names of Kansas publishers but are known to have 
been printed in other states. More than half the titles, 853, were 
the output of presses in Topeka, Lawrence and Leavenworth. The 
latter two led in the early period, with totals of 224 and 227, re- 
spectively, but after 1865 Topeka took the lead and is represented 
by 402 items. The only other important printing center before 1877 
was Atchison, with forty-nine titles. 

From the bibliographer's standpoint Kansas occupies an unusual 
position among the states, Douglas C. McMurtrie, the national 
editor, comments: " Anyone examining this list will be struck by 
the noteworthy holdings of Kansas material in Kansas libraries, a 
situation which should be, but is not always, found in other states. 
Almost before the events that gave birth to the state had become his- 
tory, their witnesses realized the value to posterity of cbllecting and 
preserving contemporary accounts, and the Kansas Historical So- 
ciety was organized in 1875. The result is that of the 1,594 books, 
pamphlets, and broadsides recorded in this first and admittedly in- 
complete listing of the products of the Kansas press, all but 200, or 
1,394, are in the possession of that institution, over half, 731, of which 
are apparently unique copies. This does not include the 423 legisla- 
tive bills forming the last portion of this list, all of which are known 
only from the copies in that collection. . . ." Other large holdings 
were found in the libraries of the College of Emporia, the Kansas 
State College, the University of Kansas, and Baker University. Of 
the total number of imprints, 92.5 percent are in Kansas collections, 
only 120 items having been located in libraries outside the state. 
Eighty-three of these are unique copies, not duplicated elsewhere. 

The Historical Records Survey and the American Imprints In- 
ventory, now sponsored by the Kansas State Historical Society, 
supplied the field workers for the project. Harold J. Henderson is 
state director. 

D 



THE 

Kansas Historical 
Quarterly 




Volume IX Number 2 

May, 1940 



PRINTED BY KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT 

W. C. AUSTIN, STATE PRINTER 

TOPEKA 1940 

18-3504 



Contributors 

MARTHA B. CALDWELL is a member of the staff of the Kansas State Historical 
Society. 

Biographical mention of SAMUEL JAMES READER will be found on p. 26 (Feb- 
ruary, 1940, Kansas Historical Quarterly). 

HAROLD C. EVANS is state supervisor of the Writers' Project of the Work 
Projects Administration for Kansas. 



When Horace Greeley Visited Kansas 
in 1859 

MARTHA B. CALDWELL 

ON April 28, 1859, Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Trib- 
une, announced "To the Friends of The Tribune": 
I propose taking a trip Westward this season through Kansas and the al- 
leged Gold Region at the Eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, thence 
through Utah and the Great Basin, to California, returning across the con- 
tinent or by the Isthmus, as circumstances shall dictate. I purpose to leave 
this City on the 9th or 10th of May, and to reach it on my return between 
the 10th and the 25th of September. I shall try to look in on the first dis- 
tinctively Republican Convention of the Freemen of Kansas, which meets 
at Osawatomie on the 18th of May, and to start westward from Leaven worth 
or Lawrence soon afterward. I shall also look at Oregon, if Time should 
serve. 

I shall write as frequently as practicable for The Tribune, and shall try to 
add something to the popular knowledge of the now wild and lonely region 
over which the Iron Horse is soon to trace the pathway of Empire. 1 

Greeley also wrote the following to T. D. Thacher, editor of the 
Lawrence Republican: 

Will you please state in such manner as you think fit, that I propose to 
attend your Territorial Republican Convention at Osawatomie on the 18th 
prox. I have written and talked about Kansas some, until I want to see it. 
So I am going to start westward about the 10th or llth prox., and hope to 
see some old friends whom I may more easily find at Osawatomie than by 
traveling over your broad prairies. 2 

For a number of years Horace Greeley had been advocating as 
a government necessity the building of a transcontinental railroad 
to connect the two widely separated settlements in the United States. 
He now resolved to make a journey across the continent and note 
the physical characteristics of the region with reference to the fa- 
cilities it afforded for the construction of a road. 3 This, no doubt, 
more than anything else prompted his trip. 

It gave rise, however, to the accusation by those who opposed the 
organization of the Republican party, that Horace Greeley had been 
invited by straight-out Republicans, with a view of creating en- 

1. New York Daily Tribune, May 2, 1859. During his journey Horace Greeley wrote 
thirty-four letters to the Tribune. These were later republished in book form under the 
title An Overland Journey, From New York to San Francisco, in the Summer of 1859 (New 
York, C. M. Saxton, Barker & Co., 1860). The letters quoted here are from the book 
version; consequently they may occasionally vary from the newspaper printing. 

2. Lawrence Republican, Lawrence, May 5, 1859. 

3. Horace Greeley, Recollections of a Busy Life (New York, J. B. Ford and Company, 
1868), p. 360. 

(115) 



116 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

thusiasm at the Osawatomie convention. The rumor spread that 
Horace Greeley, Frank P. Blair of Missouri and Gov. S. P. Chase 
of Ohio were expected to be present at the convention to give the 
Republicans some wholesome advice. 4 The opponents thought that 
such meddling in local politics by outsiders was not to be tolerated. 
The Democrats especially made political capital of the story. The 
Leavenworth Herald wrote, "We find the so-called Republicans of 
Kansas sending all the way to New York for the great Agamemnon 
of Black Republicanism Horace Greeley to aid in the organi- 
zation of their party in this Territory. He comes with a platform 
in his breeches pocket. . . ." 5 

So much was made of these reports that Greeley authorized the 
editor of the Lawrence Republican to say in the columns of his 
paper that the story was without a shadow of foundation; that no 
one, either in or out of Kansas, solicited his presence at the con- 
vention; that the moment he determined to visit Kansas he wrote 
the articles which appeared in the Tribune and Lawrence Repub- 
lican. 6 

On Monday, May 9, Greeley boarded the train at New York 
for his Western journey. He traveled the accustomed route: by 
train to Buffalo, thence to Chicago and Quincy, 111. At Quincy he 
took the boat down the Mississippi as far as Hannibal, Mo., where 
he again took the train over the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad 
to St. Joseph. Here he took passage on the steamer Platte Valley 
for Atchison, arriving there Sunday morning, May 15. 7 

It is doubtful if at that time the arrival in Kansas of any other 
man would have created such a sensation. Greeley 's paper, the 
New York Tribune, was widely read in Kansas. He had been a 
constant and devoted friend of Free Kansas, and his pen and voice 
had been effective in securing her freedom. It was fitting that 
this great champion of freedom should be given a hearty welcome. 
"Gentle and simple, Hunkers and Radicals, Conservatives and Pro- 
gressives," wrote a correspondent to the Tribune, "all united in 
showing the deep respect entertained for him in Kansas." 8 

Atchison was the first Kansas town to greet the renowned visitor. 
Her prominent citizens, among them S. C. Pomeroy, gave him a 

4. The Kansas Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, May 21, 1859, quoting from the Leaven- 
worth Ledger and the Osawatomie Herald. 

5. Leavenworth Herald, quoted in Freedom's Champion, Atchison, June 4, 1859. 

6. Lawrence Republican, May 26, 1859. 

7. New York Daily Tribune, May 25, 1859. 

8. lbid. 3 June 2, 1869. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 117 

cordial reception. He was entertained at the old Massasoit house, 
a substantial frame hotel, said at the time to be one of the finest 
public houses in Kansas outside of Leayenworth and Lawrence. In 
the afternoon he enjoyed a ride around the city, and that night 
he wrote his first "Overland Journey" letter to the Tribune. 

The letter consisted principally of his impressions of his journey 
to Kansas. Of Atchison he wrote: 

Atchison gives me my first foothold on Kansas. It was long a Border- 
Ruffian nest, but has shared the fortunes of many such in being mainly 
bought out by Free-State men, who now rule, and for the most part own it. 
For the last year, its growth has been quite rapid; of its four or five hundred 
dwellings, I think, two-thirds have been built within that period. The 
Missouri at this point runs further to the west than elsewhere in Kansas; 
its citizens tell me that the great roads westward to Utah, &c., from St. 
Joseph on the north and from Leavenworth on the south, pass within a 
few miles of Atchison when thrice as far from their respective starting-points. 
Hence the Salt Lake mail, though made up at St. Joseph, is brought hither 
by steamboat and starts overland from this place; hence many trains are 
made up here for Laramie, Green River, Fort Hall, Utah, and I hear even 
for Santa Fe. I have seen several twelve-ox teams, drawing heavily-loaded 
wagons, start for Salt Lake, etc., to-day; there are others camped just out- 
side the corporate limits, which have just come in; while a large number of 
wagons form a corral (yard, inclosure or encampment) some two miles west- 
ward. A little further away, the tents and wagons of parties of gold-seekers, 
with faces set for Pike's Peak, dot the prairie; one of them in charge of a 
grey-head who is surely old enough to know better. Teamsters from Salt 
Lake and teamsters about to start, lounge on every corner; I went out three 
or four miles on the high prairie this afternoon, and the furthest thing I 
could see was the white canvas of a moving train. I have long been looking 
for the West, and here it is at last. But I must break off somewhere to pre- 
pare for an early start for Leavenworth and Lawrence to-morrow, in order 
to reach Osawatomie next day in season to attend the Republican Con- 
vention which is to assemble at that place on Wednesday, the eighteenth. 9 

With regard to the weather Greeley's visit to Kansas was un- 
timely. It was an unusually rainy period. Rain had fallen off 
and on from Thursday, May 12, until Saturday night, May 14. 
Sunday was cloudy and chilly but without rain until evening, when 
thunder showers came up from all sides and it continued pouring 
throughout the night. "Kansas brags on its thunder and lightning," 
wrote Greeley of the storm, "and the boast is well founded. I never 
before observed a display of celestial pyrotechny so protracted, in- 
cessant and vivid as that of last Sunday night." 10 The country 
already soaked with water was again drenched by the downpour. 

9. An Overland Journey, pp. 18, 19. Printed in the Daily Tribune, May 25, 1859. 

10. An Overland Journey, p. 20; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 



118 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Streams ordinarily insignificant were rendered dangerous or impass- 
able for the time. 

Under such conditions and with a sky still threatening, Greeley, 
S. C. Pomeroy, John A. Martin, possibly, and one other left Atchison 
at six o'clock Monday morning, May 16, in a two-horse wagon with 
the expectation of reaching Osawatomie the next evening. They 
knew that the streams were swollen but they trusted in the ability 
of their pilot, who had forded many Kansas streams, to get them 
there by some route or other. They traveled in a southerly direction 
across the prairies, fording numerous streams which were usually 
mere rills, but now swollen into torrents. Twelve or fifteen miles 
from Atchison they struck the California trail and followed it south 
and east into Leavenworth. 

Greeley was greatly interested in the trains of emigrants on the 
California road, describing them as follows: 

As we neared the California trail, the white coverings of the many emigrant 
and transport wagons dotted the landscape, giving the trail the appearance of 
a river running through great meadows, with many ships sailing on its bosom. 
Most of the independent wagoners were still encamped by the wayside, un- 
able or unwilling to brave the deep mud; their cattle feeding on the broad 
prairie ; the emigrants cooking or sitting beside the wagons ; women sometimes 
washing, and all trying to dry their clothing, drenched and soaked by the 
pouring rain of the past night. One great wagon-train was still in corral with 
its cattle feeding and men lounging about; the others might better have been, 
as it was clearly impossible to make their lean, wild-looking oxen (mainly of 
the long-horned stripe, which indicates Texas as their native land, and which 
had probably first felt the yoke within the past week) draw them up the slight- 
est ascent through that deep, slippery mire. A great deal of yelling, beating, 
swearing, was being expended to little purpose, as I presume each train corraled 
for the ensuing night within a mile of the point it left in the morning. These 
contractors' wagons are very large and strong, each carrying a couple of good 
extra axles lashed under its body, to be used in case an old one gives way 
under a heavy jerk; the drivers are as rough and wild-looking as their teams, 
though not quite so awkward at their business; but to keep six yoke of such 
oxen in line in the road, and all pulling on the load, is beyond human skill. 
It is a sore trial to patience, that first start of these trains on their long 
journey to Utah, Fort Hall, Green River, and some of these to New Mexico, 
though this is not the Santa Fe trail. The loads are generally fifty hundred 
weight; the wagons must weigh at least fifteen hundred each; and, though 
this would seem moderate for twelve oxen, it must be remembered that they 
are at this season poor and at first unbroken, and that the road is in spots a 
very bad one. A train consists of ten to thirty wagons; each train has its 
reliable and experienced master or director; and when a team is stalled, 
another is unhitched from its own wagon and sent to the aid of the one in 
trouble. The rate of progress is necessarily snail-like; these trains will do 
very well if they make twenty miles the first week; considering the weather. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 119 

But then the feeding of the teams (like the lodging of the men) costs nothing, 
as they live on the broad prairie, and though they will often be fearfully 
hungry or dry in traversing grassless tracts on their route, they are said 
generally to gain in flesh (for which there is ample room) during a journey of 
three or four months. Of course, they improve in docility and effectiveness, 
being at first so wild that, in order to be yoked, they have to be driven into 
the corral (formed, as I may have explained, by wagons closely ranged in 
hollow square, the tongue of each being run under its next neighbor, for de- 
fense against Indians or other prowlers.) Very few wagons or cattle ever 
come back; the freighting is all one way; and both wagons and cattle are 
usually sold at or near their point of destination for whatever they will fetch 
to be taken to California or disposed of as they best may. 11 

At eleven a. m. the Greeley party reached Leavenworth. Greeley 
had been expected by boat, and a demonstration was planned, but 
he had quietly slipped in by carriage and was at the hotel before 
any one was aware of it. The Typographical Union together with 
other prominent citizens gave him a cordial welcome. 12 His arrival 
gave new courage to the Leavenworth county delegates who had 
about given up the idea of reaching Osawatomie, thinking that on 
account of the high water the convention would be postponed. 
Greeley's stay in Leavenworth was necessarily brief at this time, 
for the party was compelled to push on in order to be in Osawatomie 
in time for the convention. Their plan was to go by Lawrence, 
spend the night there and proceed to Osawatomie the next day. 
However, Stranger creek stopped any travel in that direction, for 
even the Leavenworth stages were unable to make their way out 
of town. They finally decided to go by boat to Wyandotte, and at 
three p. m. shipped their horses and wagons on board the steamer, 
D. A. January, and descended the Missouri river about fifty miles, 
"past the bleaching bones of several dead cities (not including 
Quindaro, which insists that it is alive) to Wyandot" where they 
spent the night. 13 

Although Greeley's arrival was unexpected a Republican meeting 
was hurriedly arranged for the evening and some "off hand" talks 
were made. 14 The next morning, May 17, at six o'clock the party 
set out for Osawatomie, about fifty miles distant, hoping to get there 
before night. A heavy rain had fallen the day before and the Kan- 
sas river bottom was covered with water, so that the road across it 
was all but impassable. Fortunately a wooden toll bridge had just 

11. An Overland Journey, pp. 23-25; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

12. D. W. Wilder, The Annals of Kansas (Topeka, 1886), p. 255. 

13. An Overland Journey, pp. 25, 26; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

14. Ibid. 



120 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

been built over the river and although it was not quite completed, it 
was usable. 

After crossing the river they soon emerged upon the high prairie. 
The clouds of the morning had broken away and the day appeared 
perfect. "The young grass of the prairie," as Greeley described the 
view, "refreshed by the heavy rains, appeared in its freshest, 
tenderest green; the delicate early flowers were abundant, yet not 
so numerous as to pall by satiety the pleasure of looking at them, 
and the panorama presented was magnificent." 15 Passing the 
prairie village of Shawnee, 16 a town of twenty or thirty houses with 
a large hotel, their road went more directly south and brought them 
in sight of the Santa Fe trail with its "white-topped emigrant 
wagons, and three great contract trains." 17 Crossing the trail at 
right angles, they left "the smart village of Olathe" a mile or so to 
the west, and struck off over the prairie almost due south. Greeley 
was much impressed with the beauty of this region and declared, 
"If the Garden of Eden exceeded this land in beauty or fertility, 
I pity Adam for having to leave it." 18 

At Spring Hill, which was characterized as "a hamlet of five or 
six dwellings, including a store, but no tavern," the party stopped 
to give their horses food and rest. Unable to secure horse feed in 
the town, they finally succeeded in purchasing a "homoepathic 
dose" for a quarter from a passing wagoner, and after lunching on 
crackers and herring they again set out. Their direct route led 
due south through Paola, but being assured by persons they met 
that Bull creek was impassable on this road, they turned to the 
west through Marysville 19 and crossed the creek at Rock Ford 
three miles beyond. Greeley confessed that this "wide, impetuous 
stream, so impenetrable to the eye, and so far above its average 
level, wore a vicious look" to him when they plunged into it. 20 

Twelve miles more brought them to Stanton where the lateness 
of the hour and the impassable condition of the Marais des Cygnes 
forced them to stop for the night. Stanton was a little town of 
twenty or thirty houses, including two stores and a tavern. At 
the tavern they found five or six persons bound for Osawatomie, 
"one of whom had swam three streams since the morning." Later 

15. An Overland Journey, pp. 26-28; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

16. Shawnee (formerly Gum Springs) is situated in the northern part of Johnson county. 
The first settlement was made in 1857. A. T. Andreas, History of Kansas (1883), p. 636. 

17. An Overland Journey, p. 28; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

18. An Overland Journey, pp. 28, 29; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

19. Marysville, an early town in Miami county, is now extinct. 

20. An Overland Journey, pp. 29, 30; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 121 

in the evening fifteen or twenty more arrived, among them the 
Lawrence and Douglas county delegation. After supper a meeting 
was held at the school house where Horace Greeley, S. C. Pomeroy, 
T. Dwight Thacher and others spoke to a well filled house. 21 They 
then adjourned "to fill all the beds and floors of the tavern as full 
as they could hold." 22 All were "snugly bestowed" except Greeley 
and Thacher of Lawrence who accepted the hospitality of William 
P. Button, a Republican farmer, at a half mile distance and were 
well entertained at his house. 23 During the night heavy rains again 
fell and still further swelled the streams, so that a number who had 
come part way were unable to reach Osawatomie the next day. 

The next morning, May 18, the delegations took an early start 
and were soon at the Marais des Cygnes river, a mile from Stanton. 
The river at this place, ordinarily fordable, was now so swollen by 
the heavy rains as to be fifteen or twenty feet in depth, its sweeping 
current being filled with driftwood. The rope to the ferry at this 
place was buried in the water and the tree to which it was attached 
was standing in the middle of the stream. After a long wait a new 
rope was secured and the party was ferried across, finally reaching 
Osawatomie about nine o'clock. Greeley described Osawatomie as 
a village of at most one hundred and fifty houses, situated in the 
forks of the Marais des Cygnes and Pottawatomie, a somewhat 
smaller creek, which comes in from the southwest. He wrote: 

The location is a pleasant and favorable but not a commanding one; the 
surrounding country is more considerably cultivated than any I had passed 
south of the Kaw. The two creeks supply abundant and good timber; an 
excellent steam sawmill has taken the place of that which the border-ruffians 
burned; a flouring mill, tannery, brewery and a large hotel, are being erected 
or completed. I presume there is a larger town somewhere in what is known 
as Southern Kansas, though I do not know which it is. 24 

Quite a number of the delegates were already on the ground. 
Still the streams were so high in every direction that it seemed 
impossible that many could get through. Before long the delega- 
tions from Linn and Bourbon counties came in on foot, having left 
their horses on the other side of Pottawatomie creek. They crossed 
the stream in a skiff. The Leavenworth, Doniphan and Wyandotte 
county delegates arrived looking somewhat bedraggled. "Some of 
them had traveled all night some had swam swollen streams" in 

21. Lawrence Republican, May 26, 1859. 

22. An Overland Journey, p. 30; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

23. Lawrence Republican, May 26, 1859. 

24. An Overland Journey, pp. 31, 32; Daily Tribune, June 1, 1859. 



122 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

their determination to reach the convention. 25 Col. 0. E. Learnard 
came up from the Neosho with a party from Burlington and Em- 
poria. When they reached Pottawatomie creek they found that 
fording was out of the question and in the absence of a ferry, they 
crossed on an improvised raft and proceeded in a "delapidated 
condition" to the town. 26 Before noon over fifty delegates had 
arrived and the convention was assured. 

The caucusing and preliminary maneuvers of the political leaders 
preceding the convention were held in an upstairs front room in the 
Jilson house ; the convention itself met in the Osage Valley house in 
an unfinished second story fitted up for the occasion. Many of 
the men composing the convention had been active participants in 
the Kansas struggle. Among those of prominence were S. C. Pom- 
eroy, Thomas Ewing, Jr., W. A. Phillips, T. Dwight Thacher, John 
A. Martin, Mark Delahay, Web and Cart Wilder, James McDowell, 
C. K. Holliday, D. W. Houston, Charles Branscomb, 0. E. Learnard 
and A. D. Richardson. James H. Lane for some reason was ab- 
sent. 27 

There were other Free-State leaders absent because they opposed 
forming the Republican party at this time, holding that they should 
continue as the Free-State organization until Kansas was admitted 
to the union. Prominent in this group was George W. Brown, 
editor of the Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, who failed to give 
Greeley a cordial welcome in the columns of his paper, and printed 
much adverse criticism of him. 28 

There was also a lack of harmony within the convention itself. 
A great diversity of opinion prevailed, primarily upon the question 
of the negro in Kansas, and many doubted the possibility of rec- 
onciling the different views. There were, of course, radical Aboli- 
tionists who went so far as to advocate giving the ballot to the 
colored man. There were also conservatives, numerically the strong- 
est, many of whom were called "black law men" because they 
favored the exclusion of the negro from the state. It was said to 
have been due to the necessity of harmonizing these opposing views 
that Greeley was not invited to address the convention. According 
to Col. 0. E. Learnard a feeling prevailed that Greeley with his 
pronounced views and his lack of understanding of the situation, 
might serve to aggravate rather than to placate the differences. 

25. Lawrence Republican, May 26, 1859. 

26. The Osawatomie Journal, May 27, 1898. 

27. The Commonwealth, Topeka, November 30, 1880. 

28. Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, May 21, 28, June 4, 1859. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 123 

Therefore the majority thought it best not to invite him to partici- 
pate in the business of the convention. 29 Learnard, who was presi- 
dent of the convention, forty-six years later told how they "Sat 
Down on" Greeley. "He came out to Kansas," he asserted, "with 
a number of theories and intended to dictate to us. But right there 
was where Mr. Greeley miscalculated. We treated him with the 
courtesy due the great editor that he was, but we merely pushed 
him aside and held the convention in our own way." 30 How much 
influence Greeley exerted among the committees is not known. The 
charge was that he wrote the platform. This brought forth a 
vigorous denial from John A. Martin, editor of the Atchison Cham- 
pion, who was a member of the platform committee. Martin de- 
scribed in detail the work of the committee and the origin of the 
different resolutions. He declared that Greeley had never seen the 
platform until a copy was handed to him in Lawrence. 31 

The temporary organization was completed with little friction, 
and the convention adjourned to listen to an address by Greeley. 
The meeting was in the open with an improvised platform for the 
speaker just outside the hotel door. Notwithstanding the impass- 
able roads, nearly one thousand people had gathered in honor of 
the occasion. Greeley was amazed at the crowd and wondered 
where it came from. He was introduced by 0. C. Brown and 
talked for an hour and a half to attentive listeners. 32 His subject 
naturally was political parties. He reviewed the old parties, the 
steady growth of the slave power and then dwelt on the origin, 
history, principles, and objects of the Republican party. 33 At the 
close the audience is reported to have enthusiastically cheered him. 
"It was a labor of love so to speak," wrote Greeley of the occasion, 
"but rather a tax to write the speech out, even imperfectly, as I 
was obliged to do during the next two days in the intervals of rid- 
ing and speaking, in order that all those people of Kansas who care 
to do so may consider my notions of 'Free-State Democracy' and 
'Squatter Sovereignty/ " 34 

The Lawrence Republican printed the speech in full, May 26, and 
posted up the proof-sheets with corrections in Greeley's own hand 

29. The Osawatomie Journal, May 27, 1898. 

30. The Kansas City (Mo.) Journal, September 14, 1905. 

31. Freedom's Champion, Atchison, June 4, 1859. 

32. The Topeka Tribune, May 26, 1859. 

88. The speech was reported in full in the New York Daily Tribune, May 31, 1859. 
34. An Overland Journey, p. 36; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 



124 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

in the composing room as typographical trophies. They remained 
there until the office was burned in 1863 in the Quantrill raid. 35 

The next morning, May 19, Greeley left by stage for Lawrence. 
The stage crossed the Marais des Cygnes, which was still out of its 
banks, at Bundy's ferry and traveled north and west to leave the 
mail at Ottawa Jones' 36 and then struck due north to Prairie City. 
Finding numerous infant towns along the route, Greeley wrote that 
"it takes three log houses to make a city in Kansas, but they begin 
calling it a city so soon as they have staked out the lots." 37 

Greeley arrived in Prairie City 38 in the evening and remained 
there for the night. At a Republican meeting that evening he spoke 
to a gathering of about four hundred people. He was amazed at 
the number and wondered "where on earth so many could have been 
scared up, within a reasonable ride of this point." Although Prairie 
City, Baldwin and Palmyra were neighboring towns, he was sure 
they couldn't have mustered half the number. All of which made 
him conclude that the country was really better settled than it 
appeared. 39 

On Friday morning, May 20, Greeley continued his journey to 
Lawrence. As he traveled the fifteen miles from Prairie City, he 
especially noted the rich limestone soil, the walnut, oak and hickory 
timber along the streams and the magnificent view of the Wakarusa 
valley. South of Lawrence Greeley crossed the Wakarusa river at 
Blanton's bridge, "a good toll bridge," and here the Lawrence wel- 
coming party met him. 

Perhaps no city in Kansas gave the New York editor a warmer 
reception than did Lawrence. Its citizens remembered how he had 
befriended them during the border- war troubles; how he had por- 
trayed the crimes and outrages against their town in the columns 
of his paper, stories which the Democratic newspapers had de- 
nounced as "Greeley's Kansas lies." 

When it became known that Greeley was to visit the city, the 
people of Lawrence made extensive preparations to greet him. The 
wet morning did not dampen the ardor of the prominent citizens 
who formed a cavalcade and with a brass band playing marched out 
to meet their distinguished guest. Jonathan Oldham as marshal 

35. Daily Kansas State Record, Topeka, October 7, 1870, quoted from the Lawrence 
Journal. 

36. John Tecumseh (Ottawa) Jones lived about four miles northeast of present Ottawa. 
Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas (Chicago, The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890), 

p. 132. 

37. An Overland Journey, pp. 38, 39; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 

38. Prairie City was a town in the southern part of Douglas county. It is now extinct. 

39. An Overland Journey, p. 89; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 125 

used for a baton a copy of the New York Tribune, and many of the 
horsemen wore Tribunes in their hats as badges. He was con- 
ducted into the city by way of Mount Oread, passing the old fort 
which served as a refuge from the Proslavery hordes in 1856. After 
marching through several of the streets the procession halted in 
front of the Eldridge house where a large crowd had assembled. 
Here a short ceremony took place in which S. 0. Thacher as spokes- 
man for the occasion welcomed Greeley to the city and to which 
Greeley responded briefly. At three p. m. he spoke to a large 
crowd from the steps of the Eldridge house. 40 That night he wrote 
his second "Overland Journey" letter to the Tribune in which he 
described his journey from Atchison to Osawatomie. 41 
Of Lawrence Greeley wrote: 

I should say Lawrence has now five hundred dwellings and perhaps five 
thousand inhabitants; and these figures are more likely to be over than under 
the mark. She has a magnificent hotel (the Eldridge House) the best, I 
hear, between the Missouri and the Sacramento far better, I fear, than its 
patronage will justify though it has nearly all that Lawrence can give. She 
is to have a great University, for which a part of the funds are already pro- 
vided; but I trust it will be located some distance away, so as to give scope 
for a Model Farm, and for a perfect development of the education of the 
brain and the hands together. ... I trust the establishment of the 
Lawrence University will not be unduly hurried, but that it will be, when- 
ever it does open its doors to students, an institution worthy of its name. 42 

While Greeley was in Lawrence the steamboat Gus Linn came 
down the Kansas river from Fort Riley. She had reached the fort 
in a little over a week from Kansas City, and after discharging her 
cargo, she loaded with corn on her way down. Her arrival was 
hailed with exultation. In the absence of passable roads Greeley 
considered it a matter of great consequence that the river could be 
navigated even if only during high water. 43 

On Saturday morning, May 21, at ten o'clock, Greeley left Law- 
rence by stage for Leavenworth. Crossing the Kansas by ferry at 
Lawrence, the stage passed through the wide and well-timbered 
bottom on the north and then came out on a "beautiful and gently 
undulating" prairie checkered by belts of timber along the creeks. 
Several times, at creek crossings, the passengers were turned out to 
lighten the coach. At Turkey creek the coach was driven cautiously 
through the steep-banked ford while its occupants severally let 

40. Lawrence Republican, May 26, 1859. 

41. New York Tribune, June 1, 1859. 

42. An Overland Journey, pp. 43, 44 ; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 

43. An Overland Journey, pp. 46, 46; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1869. 



126 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

themselves down a perpendicular bank by clinging to a tree, and 
crossed a deep whirling place above the ford on a log, which to 
Greeley was the "vilest log" he ever attempted to walk, "twisty, 
sharp-backed, and in every way detestable." One of the passengers 
refused to risk his life and hired an Indian loafing near to bring 
his pony and let him ride across. At Big Stranger 44 they changed 
coaches with the passengers from Leavenworth who had been wait- 
ing their arrival, the baggage and passengers were taken across 
the stream in a skiff, and each coach returned the way it had come. 
At six o'clock the stage arrived in Leavenworth. 45 

Greeley took time while at Leavenworth to write his third letter 
to the Tribune. He considered Leavenworth much the largest city 
in Kansas, judging that it contained one thousand houses and ten 
thousand inhabitants not including the fort. The fort was a city 
of itself, with extensive barracks, capacious store-houses, several 
companies of soldiers, many fine houses for officers, sutlers, etc., and 
a farm of twelve hundred acres. "It is a nice place, that Fort," 
he added, "with many excellent people about it; but I can't help 
asking what it costs, and who pays, and whether that little bill 
might not be somewhat docked without prejudice to the public 
interest. I believe it could." 

But the great feature of Leavenworth according to Greeley was 
Russell, Majors & Waddell's transportation establishment between 
the fort and the city. 

Such acres of wagons! such pyramids of extra axletrees! such herds of 
oxen! such regiments of drivers and other employees! No one who does 
not see can realize how vast a business this is, or how immense are its out- 
lays as well as its income. I presume this great firm has at this hour two 
millions of dollars invested in stock, mainly oxen, mules and wagons. (They 
last year employed six thousand teamsters, and worked forty-five thousand 
oxen.) Of course, they are capital fellows so are those at the fort but I 
protest against the doctrine that either army officers or army contractors, 
or both together, may have power to fasten slavery on a newly organized 
territory (as has just been done in New-Mexico) under the guise of letting 
the people of such territories govern themselves. 46 

While at Fort Leavenworth, Greeley witnessed the departure of 
a great mule train filled with one hundred and sixty soldiers' wives 
and babies, on their way to join their husbands in Utah, from whom 
they had been separated nearly two years. 47 

44. Big Stranger creek flows almost due south through Leavenworth county and empties 
into the Kansas river. 

45. An Overland Journey, pp. 46, 47; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 

46. An Overland Journey, pp. 47, 48; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 

47. Ibid. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 127 

Greeley left Leavenworth by stage on Tuesday, May 24, a day 
in advance of the Pike's Peak Express in order to have time to 
visit Topeka and Manhattan and sum up his impressions of Kansas 
for the Tribune. For three days there had been no rain; the streams 
had fallen and the roads which had been so muddy were now 
blowing dust. The prairie wind from the west was blowing a gale. 
Crossing the rich valleys of Salt creek and Stranger creek they 
came out on the rolling prairie with its sea of waving grass and 
timber visible along the water courses. They stopped for dinner 
at Osawkee, once the county seat of Jefferson county, but now as 
Greeley observed, probably four years old and in a state of di- 
lapidation and decay ; its business having left it, its great hotel had 
been mysteriously burned, and, he presumed, the insurance had 
been duly paid. The tavern where they dined was kept by a 
Pennsylvania Dutchman who recognized Greeley from having met 
him at the Whig national convention at Harrisburg twenty years 
before. From Osawkee they crossed Rock creek and Muddy creek, 
passed through the little village of Indianola, 48 and reached the 
ferry at Topeka a little after sunset. They were delayed in cross- 
ing the river by a contractor's train which had been all day cross- 
ing, and they did not get into Topeka until nearly dark. Greeley 
wrote with regret of the cruel treatment of the animals in these 
trains. 

I noticed with sorrow that the oxen which draw these great supply-wagons 
are often treated cruelly, not merely in respect to the beating and whaling 
which every human brute delights in bestowing on every live thing over 
which he domineers, but with regard to food and drink. Here were cattle 
that had stood in the yoke all that hot, dry day with nothing to eat or 
drink; and, when they came down to the river mad with thirst, they were 
all but knocked down for trying to drink. I was assured that oxen are some- 
times kept in the yoke, without food or drink, for two days, while making one 
of these river crossings. There can be no excuse for this. Those which have 
long to wait ought to be taken off and driven a mile or more if necessary to 
grass and fed there; at all events, they should be watered at least twice a 
day. How can a competent train-master to say nothing of humanity over- 
look the policy of this? 49 

Greeley's stay in Topeka was exceedingly brief. That night he 
spoke to a gathering on the political topics of the day, and after 
greeting friends he learned that the stage for Fort Riley would start 
at three o'clock in the morning. This gave him little time for 
sleep. However, on rising the next morning he found that the high 

48. Indianola was a Proslavery town in Shawnee county founded in 1854. It is now 
extinct. 

49. An Overland Journey, pp. 50-52; Daily Tribune, June 7, 1859. 



128 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

wind would not allow the coach to cross the river and it was almost 
six o'clock before it actually started. The Topeka Tribune editor 
wrote regretfully of the fact that he had had no time to show Greeley 
around the town or to introduce him to the ladies. 50 

After enjoying three days of bright sunshine, clouds began to 
gather and by nine a. m. rain started to pour, continuing until eleven. 
The route lay for thirty miles through the Pottawatomie reserve, 
crossing Soldier, 51 the Red Vermillion 52 and Rock creeks, 53 and 
passing St. Mary's (Catholic) mission, 54 where Greeley observed 
quite an Indian village and large improvements. At the Red Ver- 
million they dined, the landlady being a half-breed, and the dinner 
the worst for which the editor of the Tribune ever paid half a dol- 
lar. Continuing on their journey, they passed the stakes and 
"ruinous cabin or so of one or two still-born cities" and reached 
the Big Blue. Soon Greeley's beaver hat, a speck of white above 
the tall prairie grass, could be seen by observers in Manhattan as 
he rode on top of the four-horse stage coach. A committee of three 
appointed to tender Greeley the hospitality of the town, met him 
at the pontoon bridge and escorted him to the Manhattan house 
where he was a guest. In the evening as usual he spoke to a large 
audience at the Methodist church while a regular tempest of thun- 
der, lightning and rain prevailed outside. 55 

In his "Overland" letter written from Manhattan, Greeley de- 
scribed that city as an embryo city of perhaps one hundred houses, 
of which several were unroofed and three or four utterly destroyed 
by a tornado on the night of the fifteenth. Several of the families 
deprived of their homes were lodged in the basement of the new 
hotel that had just been erected, a three-story building fifty-five 
feet by thirty-three feet, with limestone walls and black-walnut 
finishing. 56 

The high water detained Greeley at Manhattan a day longer 
than he had expected. Wild Cat creek, five miles west, was im- 
passable on Thursday, holding up an express wagon from Pike's 

50. The Topeka Tribune, May 26, 1859. 

51. Soldier creek, a tributary of the Kansas river, flows south through Jackson county, 
emptying into the Kansas at Topeka. 

52. The Red Vermillion flows south through Pottawatomie county and empties into the 
Kansas. 

53. Rock creek is a tributary of the Red Vermillion in Pottawatomie county. 

54. St. Mary's mission was in the southeast corner of present Pottawatomie county. 
It was established in 1848. 

55. An Overland Journey, pp. 54-59; Daily Tribune, June 7, 1859; Topeka Daily 
Capital, November 18, 1928. 

56. Ibid. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 129 

Peak, while Rock creek seventeen miles east stopped five mail 
coaches and express wagons Thursday and Thursday night. Friday 
morning the streams had fallen so they could be forded and at one 
p. m. Greeley took his seat in the Pike's Peak express and started 
westward. The only other passenger in the coach was A. D. 
Richardson, correspondent for the Boston Journal. Richardson, 
who had arrived in Manhattan on another coach, wrote of Greeley: 

... at Manhattan Horace Greeley after a tour through the interior 
to gratify the clamorous settlers with speeches, joined me for the rest of the 
journey. His overland trip attracted much attention. A farmer asked me 
if Horace Greeley had failed in business, and was going to Pike's Peak to 
dig gold! Another inquired if he was about to start a newspaper in Man- 
hattan. 57 

The Leavenworth & Pike's Peak express had been established in 
the spring of 1859 by the firm of Jones, Russell & Co. Over fifty 
Concord coaches were purchased for the line. Each of these coaches 
was drawn by four fine Kentucky mules which were changed at 
stations established from twenty to thirty miles apart, according 
to the availability of wood and water. The route ran westward on 
the divide between the Republican and the Solomon rivers. 

A few miles out of Manhattan Greeley's coach came to Ogden, a 
land-office city with thirty or forty houses. A short distance be- 
yond the "sad remains of Pawnee City" 58 on the Fort Riley reser- 
vation was passed and the party soon arrived at the fort. Greeley 
described it as having comfortable barracks, a large and well placed 
hospital, spacious and elegant officers' quarters, and extensive and 
admirable stables. "I hear," he wrote, "that two millions of Uncle 
Sam's money have been expended in making these snug arrange- 
ments, and that the oats largely consumed here have often cost 
three dollars per bushel. I have seen nothing else at all comparable 
to this in the way of preparations for passing life agreeably since 
I left Missouri." 59 Crossing the Republican river on a rope ferry 
they drove into Junction City where they spent the night. Here 
Greeley again talked Republicanism for over an hour to a crowd 
gathered in an unfinished stone church. 60 Junction City was a 
village at the time, consisting of a store, two hotels, and thirty or 
forty dwellings. It also had a newspaper, founded and kept alive 

57. Albert D. Richardson, Beyond the Mississippi (Hartford, American Publishing Co., 
1867), p. 161. 

58. The first territorial legislature of Kansas met at the new capitol building at Pawnee 
City in July, 1855. 

59. An Overland Journey, pp. 71, 72 ; Daily Tribune, June 11, 1859. 

60. Richardson, op. cit., p. 162. 

93504 



130 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

by an army sutler, and of course, as Greeley expressed it, "Demo- 
cratic in its inculcations." 61 

While at Manhattan Greeley summed up his impressions of Kan- 
sas. He stated that he liked Kansas better than he had expected 
to. The soil was richer and deeper, the timber more diffused and 
the country more rolling than he had supposed. He considered 
that, not confining his remarks to the then "flooded" time, Kansas 
was well watered, and the limestone underlying the soil was among 
the chief blessings. After discussing the crops indigenous to Kan- 
sas and speaking of the drawbacks in having little timber for 
building purposes, he wrote: 

An unpleasant truth must be stated: There are too many idle, shiftless 
people in Kansas. I speak not here of lawyers, gentlemen speculators, and 
other non-producers, who are in excess here as elsewhere; I allude directly to 
those who call themselves settlers, and who would be farmers if they were 
anything. To see a man squatted on a quarter-section in a cabin which 
would make a fair hog-pen, but is unfit for a human habitation, and there 
living from hand to mouth by a little of this and a little of that, with hardly 
an acre of prairie broken (sometimes without a fence up), with no garden, 
no fruit-trees, "no nothing" waiting for some one to come along and buy 
out his "claim" and let him move on to repeat the operation somewhere 
else this is enough to give a cheerful man the horrors. Ask the squatter 
what he means, and he can give you a hundred good excuses for his miserable 
condition: he has no breaking-team; he has little or no good rail-timber; 
he has had the "shakes"; his family have been sick; he lost two years and 
some stock by the border-ruffians, etc., etc. . . . 

And it is sad to note that hardly half the settlers make any sort of pro- 
vision for wintering their cattle, even by cutting a stack of prairie-hay, when 
every good day's work will put up a ton of it. If he has a corn-field, the 
squatter's cattle are welcome to pick at that all winter; if he has none, they 
must go into the bottoms and browse through as best they can. Hence his 
calves are miserable affairs; his cows unfit to make butter from till the best 
of the season is over; his oxen, should he have a pair, must be recruiting 
from their winter's famine just when he most urgently needs their work. 
And this exposing cattle all winter to these fierce prairie-winds, is alike in- 
human and wasteful. I asked a settler the other day how he could do it? 
"I had no time to make a shelter for them." "But had you no Sundays? 
did you not have these at your disposal?" "0, yes? I don't work Sundays." 
"Well, you should have worked every one of them, rather than let your 
cattle shiver in the cold blasts all winter it would have been a work of 
humanity and mercy to cut and haul logs, get up a cattle-stall, and cover 
it with prairie-hay, which I will warrant to be more religious than anything 
you did on those Sundays." 

61. An Overland Journey, pp. 58, 73 ; Daily Tribune, June 7, 11, 1859. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 131 

Greeley thought that the "poor pioneer" should work for the 
first four or five years every hour that he did not absolutely need 
for rest. 62 

In his third letter to the Tribune, Greeley wrote: 

The twin curses of Kansas, now that the border-ruffians have stopped 
ravaging her, are land-speculation (whereof the manufacture of paper-cities 
and bogus corner-lots, though more amusingly absurd, is not half so mis- 
chievous as the grasping of whole townships by means of fraudulent pre- 
emptions and other devices familiar to the craft) and one-horse politicians. 63 

Of the land speculators Greeley declared: 

As to the infernal spirit of land speculation and monopoly, I think no 
state ever suffered from it more severely than this. The speculators in 
broadcloth are not one whit more rapacious or pernicious than the specu- 
lators in rags, while the latter are forty times the more numerous. Land 
speculation here is about the only business in which a man can embark with 
no other capital than an easy conscience. For example: I rode up the 
bluffs back of Atchison, and out three or four miles on the high rolling 
prairie, so as to have some fifteen to twenty square miles in view at one 
glance. On all this inviting area, there were perhaps half a dozen poor or 
middling habitations, while not one acre in each hundred was fenced or 
broken. My friend informed me that every rood I saw was "preempted," 
and held at thirty up to a hundred dollars or more per acre. "Preempted!" 
I exclaimed; "how preempted? by living or lying?" "Well," he responded, 
"they live a little and lie a little." I could see abundant evidence of the 
lying, none at all of the living. 64 

Greeley considered that many of the "one-horse politicians" 
were driven into the free-state movement by the enormity of the border- 
ruffian outrages, by their own terror or indignation, and by the overwhelming 
force of public sentiment; but, being essentially demagogues, they gravitate 
irresistibly toward the sham-democracy, in whose embraces the whole tribe 
will bring up, sooner or later. . . . 

The controlling idea of the one-horse politicians is that the Republicans 
must not let their adversaries have a chance to raise the cry of "nigger" 
against them that hence they must be as harsh, and cruel, and tyrannical, 
toward the unfortunate blacks as possible, in order to prove themselves "the 
white man's party," or else all the mean, low, ignorant, drunken, brutish 
whites will go against them from horror of "negro equality." To which I 
reply that this sort of cattle are against the Republicans any how, and never 
can be permanently otherwise. They may be driven by circumstances to 
vote once or twice with us, but the virus of sham-democracy is in their 
blood, and must come out. That democracy, from long practice and an 
experience that it pays, can dive deeper, stay under longer, and come up 
nastier, in this business of negro-hating, than any other party that ever was 
or ever can be invented. There is nothing that more strikingly exposes the 

62. An Overland Journey, pp. 61-67; Daily Tribune, June 9, 1859. 

63. An Overland Journey, p. 36; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 

64. An Overland Journey, pp. 68, 69; Daily Tribune, June 9, 1859. 



132 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

radical baseness of slaveholding than the fact that its votaries so hate those 
they have long injured, that, beaten in their desperate struggle to force 
negroes into Kansas as slaves, they now turn a short corner and insist that, 
if they cannot come in as slaves, they shall be shut out, and even driven 
out, altogether. 

I apprehend that it will be necessary for the Republicans of Kansas, in 
view of the inveterate western prejudices of a large portion of her popula- 
tion, to concede, for the present, that the right of suffrage shall be exercised 
only by white males, or men of European lineage, excluding, on account of 
their imperfect moral and intellectual developments, Indians, negroes, and 
their descendants. Further than this, I would not go, no matter how great 
the inducement. Leave the Democrats alone in their glory, when they come 
to propose and support as they are certain to do propositions that negroes 
shall be expelled and excluded from Kansas shall be precluded from testify- 
ing against a white man shall be debarred from attending schools frequented 
by white children, etc. etc. 65 

Summing up, Greeley concluded: "Adieu to friendly greetings 
and speakings! Adieu for a time to pen and paper! Adieu to bed- 
rooms and wash-bowls! Adieu (let me hope) to cold rains and 
flooded rivers! Hurrah for Pike's Peak!" 66 

In a briefer way Greeley recorded his impressions of Kansas in 
a letter to Charles A. Dana to whom he wrote on May 20, 1859: 
"Rain mud most profound flooded rivers and streams glorious 
soil worthless politicians." 67 

The stage started from Junction City at six a. m. on May 28. A 
few miles carried them beyond any road but that traced in the spring 
for the Pike's Peak express, and for ten miles all signs of habitation 
had disappeared with the exception of one wretched cabin and an 
acre or two of broken ground. At Chapman's creek they passed 
the last settler on the road, a farmer who had been there two or 
three years and had seventy-five acres fenced and broken, "grew 
three thousand bushels of corn last year," had a fine stock of horses 
and cattle about him, "with at least eight tow-headed children under 
ten years old." Greeley thought his house would be dear at fifty 
dollars but that he neither needed nor wished to be pitied. 68 

At Station 8 on Chapman creek, a distance of twenty-three miles 
from Junction City, they halted to change mules and to dine. In 
the absence of a house, two tents and a brush arbor furnished ac- 
commodations for from six to fifteen persons. There were a score 
of mules picketed about on the grass, and a rail pen for two cows. 

65. An Overland Journey, pp. 36-38; Daily Tribune, June 2, 1859. 

66. An Overland Journey, p. 70; Daily Tribune, June 9, 1859. 

67. Frank Root and W. E. Connelley, The Overland Stage to California, p. 602. 

68. An Overland Journey, pp. 73-75; Daily Tribune, June 11, 1859. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 133 

The station keeper, his wife and two small girls lived here. They 
had an excellent dinner of bacon, greens, good bread, apple-sauce 
and pie upon a snowy tablecloth. Little time was lost for refresh- 
ments and the express was soon on the road again. While the trail 
was less cut up than in the east, the hills were steep since there 
were no bridges and causeways over the water-courses. That after- 
noon the travelers saw their first antelope, several of them being 
within rifle shot of the stage. They crossed many old buffalo trails 
but saw no buffalo that day. Greeley noticed that the limestone 
had changed to sandstone and that the soil was thinner and the 
grass less luxuriant, and the furious rains running off without any 
obstruction had washed "wide and devious water-courses." 

At Station 9 on Pipe creek 69 the express stopped for the night. 
Here their hostess had two small tents, as at the previous station, 
which she informed her guests were of little protection in a drench- 
ing rain, and that she and her two children might as well be on 
the prairie. A log house, however, was in the process of construction. 
After eating a "capital supper" the two newspaper men sat in the 
coach writing letters by lantern light to their respective newspapers. 
The vehicle was shaking with the strong wind and it is possible that 
the Tribune printers found Greeley 's letter less legible than usual. 
This was his sixth "Overland Journey" letter to the Tribune. He 
wrote : 

I believe I have now descended the ladder of artificial life nearly to its 
lowest round. If the Cheyennes thirty of whom stopped the last express 
down on the route we must traverse, and tried to beg or steal from it shall 
see fit to capture and strip us, we shall probably have further experience 
in the same line; but for the present the progress I have made during the 
last fortnight toward the primitive simplicity of human existence may be 
roughly noted thus: 

May 12th. Chicago. Chocolate and morning newspapers last seen on the 
breakfast table. 

23rd. Leavenworth. Room-bells and baths make their final appearance. 

24th. Topeka. Beef-steak and wash-bowls (other than tin) last visible. 
Barber ditto. 

26th. Manhattan. Potatoes and eggs last recognized among the blessings 
that "brighten as they take their flight," chairs ditto. 

27th. Junction City. Last visitation of a boot-black, with dissolving views 
of a board bedroom. Beds bid us good-by. 

28th. Pipe Creek. Benches for seats at meals have disappeared, giving 
place to bags and boxes. We (two passengers of a scribbling turn) write our 
letters in the express-wagon that has borne us by day, and must supply us 

69. Pipe Creek station was in the southeastern part of present Ottawa county. 



134 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

lodgings for the night. Thunder and lighting from both south and west 
give strong promise of a shower before morning. Dubious looks at several 
holes in the canvas covering of the wagon. Our trust, under Providence, is 
in buoyant hearts and an India-rubber blanket. Good night. 70 

The violent rain and wind storm came that night as anticipated 
but neither tents nor wagons were upset. The travelers rose early, 
breakfasted at six, and said goodby to Pipe creek with its fringe of 
low elms and cottonwoods. Greeley considered the soil good in 
this section of the state but not equal to that of the eastern part. 
Their route kept on the ridges away from the bottoms and marshes, 
but occasionally in crossing streams with steep banks and miry 
beds they would become stalled and an extra span of mules from 
the other express wagon (the express wagons were always sent in 
pairs) would help pull them out. At Station 10 71 they dined, the 
meal being served on a box, and the guests sitting on pieces of wood, 
carpet-sacks, or nail kegs. 72 

On May 29 Greeley saw his first herd of buffalo. He was thrilled 
at the sight, describing it as follows : 

On rising our first ridge this morning, a herd of buffalo was seen grazing 
on the prairie some three miles, toward the Solomon; soon, more were visible; 
then others. At length, a herd of perhaps a hundred appeared on the north 
the only one we saw on that side of our road during the day. Having been 
observed, they were heading down the valley of a small creek toward the 
Solomon. Just then, the tents and wagons of a body of encamped Pike's 
Peakers appeared right across a little creek; two men were running across the 
prairie on foot to get a shot at the buffalo; another was mounting a horse 
with like intent. The herd passed on a long, awkward gallop north of the 
tents and struck southwest across our road some forty rods ahead of us. A 
Sharps' rifle was leveled and fired at them by one of our party, but seemed 
rather to hasten than arrest their progress. But one old bull shambled along 
behind in a knock-kneed fashion (having probably been lamed by some 
former party) ; and he was fired at twice by our marksmen as he attempted 
to cross the road once when only fifteen rods distant. They thought they 
wounded him fatally, but he vanished from our sight behind a low hill, and 
their hasty search for him proved unsuccessful. 

Thence nearly all day, the buffalo in greater or less numbers were visible 
among the bottoms of the Solomon on our right usually two to three miles 
distant. At length, about 5 p. m., we reached the crest of a "divide," whence 
we looked down on the valley of a creek running to the Solomon some three 
miles distant, and saw the whole region from half a mile to three miles 
south of our road, and for an extent of at least four miles east and west, 
fairly alive with buffalo. There certainly were not less than ten thousand 

70. An Overland Journey, pp. 75-79; Daily Tribune, June 11, 1859; Richardson, op. cit., 
pp. 161-163. 

71. Station 10 was in the southwest part of present Cloud county. 

72. A. D. Richardson, op. cit., p. 165. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 135 

of them; I believe there were many more. Some were feeding, others lying 
down, others pawing up the earth, rolling on it, etc. The novel spectacle 
was too tempting for our sportsmen. The wagons were stopped, and two men 
walked quietly toward the center of the front of the herd. Favored by a 
water-course, they crept up to within fifty rods of the buffalo, and fired 
eight or ten shots into the herd, with no visible effect. The animals nearest 
the hunters retreated as they advanced, but the great body of the herd was 
no more disturbed or conscious of danger than if a couple of mosquitos had 
alighted among them. After an hour of this fruitless effort, the hunters 
gave it up, alleging that their rifle was so foul and badly sighted as to be 
worthless. They rejoined us, and we came away, leaving nine-tenths of the 
vast herd exactly where we found them. And there they doubtless are 
sleeping at this moment, about three miles from us. 73 

Greeley considered that they were in the heart of the buffalo 
region. Occupants of the stage they met coming from the west in 
the evening reported they had seen millions within the last two 
days. A company of Pike's Peakers had killed thirteen, and at 
the next station west eight were killed by simply stampeding a 
herd and driving them over a high creek-bank, where they broke 
their necks. "Buffalo-meat is hanging or lying all around us," 
wrote Greeley, "and a calf two or three months old is tied to a 
stake just beside our wagons." They passed parties of Pike's Peak 
emigrants who had lost three oxen in a stampede of buffalos, and 
the mules at the express stations had to be watched carefully to 
prevent a similar catastrophe. 

Although their road had only been established about two months 
they passed two graves that day, one the grave of an infant and 
the other that of a Missourian who had started to Pike's Peak. 
They also met many returning from the gold region who gave most 
discouraging reports as to the richness of the mines. 74 

At Reisinger's creek, Station 13, 75 the express spent the night 
of May 30. In the morning while the wheels of the wagon were 
being greased, Greeley began his eighth letter, writing in the station- 
tent, with buffalo visible on the ridges south and in every direction 
but north of him. He insisted on writing once more about the 
animals and promised to drop the subject as he expected to be out 
of their range by night: 

All day yesterday they darkened the earth around us, often seeming to 
be drawn up like an army in battle array on the ridges and adown their 
slopes a mile or so south of us often on the north as well. They are rather 
shy of little screens of straggling timber on the creek-bottoms doubtless 

73. An Overland Journey, pp. 81-83; Daily Tribune, June 14, 1859. 

74. An Overland Journey, pp. 83-85; Daily Tribune, June 14, 1859. 

75. Station 13 was in the southeastern part of present Phillips county. 



136 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

from their sore experience of Indians lurking therein to discharge arrows at 
them as they went down to drink. If they feed in the grass of the narrow 
valleys and ravines, they are careful to have a part of the herd on the ridges 
which overlook them, and with them the surrounding country for miles. 
And, when an alarm is given, they all rush furiously off in the direction 
which the leaders presume that of safety. 

This is what gives us such excellent opportunities for regarding them to 
the best advantage. They are moving northward, and are still mainly 
south of our track. Whenever alarmed, they set off on their awkward but 
effective canter to the great herds still south, or to haunts with which they 
are comparatively familiar, and wherein they have hitherto found safety. 
This necessarily sends those north of us across our roads often but a few 
rods in front of us, even when they had started a mile away. Then a herd 
will commence running across a hundred rods ahead of us, and, the whole 
blindly following their leader, we will be close upon them before the last 
will have cleared the track. . . . 

What strikes the stranger with most amazement is their immense numbers. 
I know a million is a great many, but I am confident we saw that number 
yesterday. Certainly, all we saw could not have stood on ten square miles 
of ground. Often, the country for miles on either hand seemed quite black 
with them. The soil is rich, and well matted with their favorite grass. Yet 
it is all (except a very little on the creek-bottoms, near to timber) eaten 
down like an overtaxed sheep-pasture in a dry August. Consider that we 
have traversed more than one hundred miles in width since we first struck 
them, and that for most of this distance the buffalo have been constantly 
in sight, and that they continue for some twenty-five miles further on this 
being the breadth of their present range, which has a length of perhaps a 
thousand miles and you have some approach to an idea of their countless 
myriads. ... It is hard to realize that this is the center of a region of 
wilderness and solitude, so far as the labors of civilized man are concerned 
that the first wagon passed through it some two months ago. But the utter 
absence of houses or buildings of any kind, and our unbridged, unworked road, 
winding on its way for hundreds of miles without a track other than of 
buffalo intersecting or leading away from it on either hand, bring us back 
to the reality. . . . 

A good many shots have been fired certainly not by me; even were I 
in the habit of making war on nature's children, I would as soon think of 
shooting my neighbor's oxen as these great, clumsy, harmless, creatures. If 
they were scarce, I might comprehend the idea of hunting them for sport; 
here, they are so abundant that you might as well hunt your neighbor's 
geese. . . . 

A party of our drivers, who went back seven miles on mules last evening, 
to help get our rear wagon out of a gully in which it had mired and stuck 
fast, from which expedition they returned at midnight, report that they found 
the road absolutely dangerous from the crowds of buffalo feeding on either 
side, and running across it that, the night being quite dark, they were 
often in great danger of being run over and run down by the headlong brutes. 
They were obliged to stand still for minutes, and fire their revolvers right 
and left, to save their lives and their mules. . . . 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 137 

Two nights ago, an immense herd came down upon a party of Pike's 
Peakers camped just across the creek from this station, and, (it being dark) 
were with difficulty prevented from trampling down tents, cattle, and people. 
Some fifty shots were fired into them before they could be turned. And 
now our station-master has just taken his gun to scare them off so as to 
save our mules from stampede. 

But the teams have returned with the missing coach, and I must break 
off and pack to go on. 76 

Fifty-five miles farther on when they stopped for the night of 
May 31 at Station 15 on Prairie Dog creek, 77 Greeley finished 
"Overland Journey" letter eight. This station was kept by an ex- 
Cincinnati lawyer and his wife who was formerly an actress at the 
Bowery theater. She was now cooking and working for stage pas- 
sengers "on the great desert" several hundred miles beyond civili- 
zation. 78 Greeley thought this station was just half way between 
Leavenworth and Denver, and he reported the coach had been a 
week making the journey. For the last twenty-five miles of the 
day's travel he had not seen a buffalo, but as the buffalo grass had 
not been eaten down and there were indications that this was a 
favorite feeding ground for them, he concluded they had not yet 
reached this region in their search for forage. 

Other animals with whom Greeley had formed a "passing ac- 
quaintance" were the prairie wolf which he described as a "sneak- 
ing, cowardly little wretch," whose only feat entitling him to rank 
as beast of prey consisted in digging out a prairie-dog and making 
a meal of it when he was pressed by hunger. However, the gray 
wolf he described as a scoundrel of "much more imposing caliber." 
This "prairie-lawyer" lurks around the outskirts of a herd of 
buffalo, waiting for an unlucky calf strayed beyond the exterior 
line of defense formed by the bulls, or if he is extra hungry he 
will attempt to cut a cow off from the herd, drive her away until 
she is beyond hope of rescue, when her doom is sealed. His great- 
est hope, however, is to find a buffalo, wounded by some hunter, 
that cannot keep up with the herd. A few snaps at his hamstrings, 
taking care to avoid his horns, "insures that the victim will have 
ceased to be a buffalo, and become mere wolf-meat before another 
morning." 79 The prairie dog he considered a funny little fellow, 
frisky and a source of merriment to others. But he thought the 

76. An Overland Journey, pp. 86-91 ; Daily Tribune, June 18, 1859. 

77. Prairie Dog creek is a branch of the Republican river, flowing northeast through 
Decatur, Norton and Phillips counties. Station 15 was in the west central part of present 
Norton county. 

78. Richardson, op. cit., p. 171. 

79. An Overland Journey, pp. 91-93; Daily Tribune, June 18, 1859. 



138 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

only animal on the plain that could justly boast of either grace 
or beauty was the antelope. He was also fond of antelope flesh 
which he described as tender and delicate and the choicest meat 
he had found in Kansas. Antelope were the chief sustenance of 
the Indians out of the buffalo range. 80 

At Station 16, 81 kept by a Vermont boy, the express stopped on 
June 1 to change teams and dine. Here the travelers encountered 
the wild plains Indians. A band of Arapahoes was encamped near 
the station. Most of the men were away on a marauding expedi- 
tion against the Pawnees while the remainder, with the women and 
children, were left in the lodges. Some thirty or forty children 
were playing on the grass. These children Greeley described as 
thorough savages with an "allowance of clothing averaging six 
inches square of buffalo skin to each, but so unequally distributed 
that the majority had a most scanty allowance." 82 After seeing 
several bands of Indians, he thought the Arapahoes were the most 
numerous and the most repulsive. 

Just before reaching Station 17 where they were to spend the 
night an accident caused Greeley slight injuries. As he related it, 
he and his fellow passenger were having a jocular discussion on the 
gullies into which the coach so frequently plunged, to their personal 
discomfort. 

[Richardson] premised that it was a consolation that the sides of these 
gullies could not be worse than perpendicular; to which I rejoined with the 
assertion that they could be and were for instance, where a gully, in ad- 
dition to its perpendicular descent had an inclination of forty-five degrees or 
so to one side of the track. Just then, a violent lurch of the wagon to one 
side, then to the other, in descending one of these jolts, enforced my position. 
Two minutes later, as we were about to descend the steep bank of the creek- 
intervale, the mules acting perversely (being frightened, I fear, by Indians) 
my friend stepped out to take them by the head, leaving me alone in the 
wagon. Immediately we began to descend the steep pitch, the driver pulling 
up with all his might, when the left rein of the leaders broke, and the team 
was in a moment sheared out of the road and ran diagonally down the pitch. 
In a second, the wagon went over, hitting the ground a most spiteful blow. 
I of course went over with it, and when I rose to my feet as soon as possible, 
considerable bewildered and disheveled, the mules had been disengaged by 
the upset and were making good time across the prairie, while the driver, 
considerably hurt, was getting out from under the carriage to limp after 
them. I had a slight cut on my left cheek and a deep gouge from the sharp 
corner of a seat in my left leg below the knee, with a pretty smart con- 
so. An Overland Journey, pp. 94, 102; Daily Tribune, June 18 and 20, 1859. 

81. Station 16 was in the north central part of present Decatur county. 

82. An Overland Journey, p. 104; Daily Tribune, June 20, 1859. See, also, Richardson, 
op. cit., p. 172. 



CALDWELL: HORACE GREELEY IN KANSAS 139 

cussion generally, but not a bone started nor a tendon strained, and I walked 
away to the station as firmly as ever, leaving the superintendent and my 
fellow-passenger to pick up the pieces and guard the baggage from the 
Indians who instantly swarmed about the wreck. 83 

The woman at the station dressed Greeley's wounds and aside 
from being sore and lame for a few days he was uninjured. This 
was the first accident that had happened to the express line and 
was the result of a casualty for which neither driver nor company 
was to blame. 84 

Station 17 was just over the line in present Nebraska and from 
here the route ran slightly northwest to the Republican river. It 
returned to Kansas farther on and cut diagonally across present 
Cheyenne county and entered present Colorado. 

At Station 18 85 Greeley began his ninth letter on June 2 en- 
titling it "The American Desert." He described the winds that 
swept the prairie region as terrible. Throughout their morning 
ride they had not seen a tree and but one bunch of shrubs until 
they came in sight of the Republican river. He thought he had 
reached the "acme of barrenness and desolation." There was little 
grass; the soil was thin, and the sand along the water courses 
seemed to be "as pure as Sahara can boast." The dearth of water 
was fearful. Although the whole region was deeply seamed and 
gullied by water-courses, then dry, but in rainy weather mill- 
streams, there were no springs bursting forth from their steep sides. 
He continued: 

We have not passed a drop of living water in all our morning's ride, and 
but a few pailfuls of muddy moisture at the bottoms of a very few of the 
fast-drying sloughs or sunken holes in the beds of dried-up creeks. Yet there 
has been much rain here this season, some of it not long ago. But this is 
a region of sterility and thirst. . . . 

Even the animals have deserted us. No buffalo have been seen this year 
within many miles of us, ... not a gray-wolf has honored us with his 
company to-day he prefers to live where there is something to eat the 
prairie-dog also wisely shuns this land of starvation; no animal but the 
gopher . . . abounds here; and he burrows deep in the sand and picks 
up a living, I cannot guess how. 86 

At Station 19, 87 the last station on the route in present Kansas, 
the express stopped for the night of June 2. A large Cheyenne 

83. An Overland Journey, pp. 105, 106; Daily Tribune, June 20, 1859. 

84. Richardson, op. cit., p. 173. 

85. Station 18 was on the south fork of the Republican river near present Benkelman, 
Nebr. Here the route turned sharply to the southwest and again entered Kansas. 

86. An Overland Journey, pp. 98-100; Daily Tribune, June 20, 1859. 

87. Station 19 was situated near the south fork of the Republican river possibly a short 
distance east of the present Colorado line and in the southwestern part of present Cheyenne 
county. 



140 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

village was near by. The party had also met bands of Kiowas, 
Arapahoes and Sioux. The Cheyennes appeared better clothed 
than the Arapahoes and seemed to have more self-respect, but 
Greeley considered them all low in the scale of intellectual and 
moral beings. 

The next day, June 3, the party entered present Colorado and 
on June 6, they rode into Denver. Barely thirteen days before 
Greeley had left Leavenworth in high spirits and he "dropped into 
Denver" that morning, as he said, "in a sobered and thoughtful 
frame of mind, in dust-begrimed and tattered habiliments, with a 
patch on his cheek, a bandage on his leg, and a limp in his gait, 
altogether constituting a spectacle most rueful to behold." 88 He 
spent fifteen days in the Denver region and then set out for the 
Pacific coast, and from there returned to New York by way of the 
Isthmus. 

In October, 1870, Greeley, on another visit to Kansas, lectured 
at Lawrence and Topeka. Two years later he was candidate for 
President of the United States on the Liberal Republican ticket. 
He died on November 29, 1872, less than a month after the death 
of his wife and only a few weeks after U. S. Grant defeated him 
in the November elections. 

88. An Overland Journey, pp. 104-114; Daily Tribune, June 20 and July 9, 1859. 



The Letters of Samuel James Reader, 
1861-1863 

Pioneer of Soldier Township, Shawnee County 

(Concluded) 
[To His Half-Sister Mary Ellen (Ella) Reader] 

[March 14, 1862.] 

D [EAR] . S [ISTER] . ELLA, 
"Old Bachelor" was highly delighted on receiving yours of Feb 
26 and Mats [Martha's] of 27th on the 7th instant; but implore you 
to be merciful to me by not sending your petition to our Legisla. as 
it will if it should be granted place me in a predicament. Do not 
suppose that I think writing to you school girls an irksome task for 
it is the reverse ; but were I to write 2 letters to your one I am afraid 
I should not hear from you often enough and my letters would be 
neither punctual nor interesting. The other horn of the dilemma 
you wish to create I see is marriage. Well it is truly formidable 
indeed and I will certainly have to cry for quarter if I am to be 
driven to this extremity (?) Not because I am an enemy to this 
institution but because young Ladies are as scarce here as K. timber 
or to use a more forcible expression "hen teeth" I hope you do not 
wish me to get an Indian lady? They are plenty enough a few miles 
West but some how I do not get fascinated by these noble daugh- 
ters of the forest (or prairie rather) Perhaps you have formed a 
very high opinion of this race If you have I pray you to suspend 
your judgment until you have seen as much of them as I have 
Quite a number of white men of this neighborhood have married 
Pott[awatomie]. Halfbreed girls but there is no danger of my imi- 
tating them in this particular Many of these Indian girls are quite 
good looking but their education is generally very deficient, with the 
exception of a few who have attended the C[atholic] . Mission 20 mi. 
from here, and although they are gradually adopting the manners 
of the Whites, still their mode of living customs and dress differ 
considerably from them. Well I have plead my cause to the best of 
my ability, and now throw myself on your generosity If this will 
not suffice I will have to resort to the pencil and send you a repre- 
sentation of my doleful countenance in this awful fix and see if it 
will not melt your obdurate heart. The Dr & family returned the 
4 inst. from 111. The little girl brought the measles with her and 

(141) 



142 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Leon has taken them from her, but both are now out of danger My 
Cousins F [ranees]. & E[ugene]. we suppose are infected but the 

disease has not yet shown its self They say that times are 

very hard in 111 as well as in K. The friends were generally well 
there, last winter but U[ncle] S[amuel]'s children were taking the 
measles as they left. I received a letter from F[rank]. on the 18 of 
Feb and answered it the next day. I suppose by this time he is 
moving S ward as we heard a rumor the other day that Manassas 
has been evacuated by the Rebels. By all means send me Franks 
next communications to the newspapers. If our political sentiments 
be a little different it does not lessen my pleasure in reading his 
views politically considered. You ask me how I like our new Secy 
of War. Well at first I felt angry when I heard of the removal of 
Cameron because I thought it was owing to his abolition sentiments 
but when the full particulars came I felt satisfied Mr. Stanton is a 
very suitable man for the position. There can be no doubt of that 
and I am now very glad that the change in the War Department 
was made In my last Tribune I saw Gen. Fremonts defence. How 
I wish him now in command of our victorious troops in Tenn. Slaves 
would no longer be driven from camp or delivered over to the tender 
mercies of their masters. You want to know how I spent the 22 of 
Feb. Well not in a suitable manner I fear. By looking at my jour- 
nal I find that I drew wood all day Yes Ella as you say we can 
hold ourselves in readiness to celebrate victories almost every day 
The war for us is going on in fine style We heard last night that 
Gen Price had been defeated in Ark by the U. troops. Their loss 
1000. Ours: 600. No details yet. The most we have to fear is the 
fever during the summer months in the S states, to my mind I think 
it would be a capital idea for you to learn to be a surveyor and then, 
come to K. and sectionize our unsurveyed land. You could then have 
your choice of the best claims. We hear that the Pott[awatomie]. 
Indian 2 m[ile]s. Wfest] of us intend to sell their reserve of 30 ms. 
square to U. S. It is not yet surveyed and I think this will be a fine 
chance for you to begin with. Thereby showing that the gentler sex 
are capable of taking care of themselves I am emphatically in 
favor of "Woman's Rights," for the present as it is the best policy 
for an old bachelor like me to follow. I have had the words and 
air of John Brown song for several months and would send it, but I 
saw it in the N. Y. T. a week ago and suppose you have got it from 
that source. It is to the air of "Say brother will you meet us," 
slightly modified. Give my warmest thanks to sister Mat for the 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 143 

"Star S[pangled]. Banner," which I duly reed She also gave me a 
very interesting extract from Franks letter. If there be any other 
tunes you wish to see, name them for it may be I have them We 
have 7 books about the house containing the notes of many well 
known songs and I have copied all the tunes that suit my fancy in 
my flute book. I have a violin and an instructor for that instrument 
and I now and then try to saw off a tune I can do the best with 
the "L [Fisher's?] Hornpipe" and "The Campbells are coming" but 
I make slow progress. No more &c. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[March 20, 1862.] 
Dfear]. Bfrother]. F[rank], 

Your long and interesting letter of March 5 was reed with much 
pleasure on the 19 inst. We are all well excepting the Drs children. 
They are just recovering from the measles which they brought from 
111. My Cousins Fanny [or Frances] & Eugene have probably been 
infected but the disease has not yet shown itself The Dr & family 
returned from 111 on the 4th of March They say times are as hard 
there as here The weather has been tolerably pleasant for some 
time but it is snowing to day but not freezing. I was pleased to hear 
of the excellent health of your Reg. Disease is said to be more de- 
structive to an army than the sword and your precautions in keep- 
ing your quarters clean cannot be too highly commended. When I 
returned from Nebraska the time I went there with the Topeka 
boys I did not present a very fine appearance 30 I had started with- 
out any change of clothes and although I had washed or tried to 
wash my shirt in the Nimehaw [Nemaha], still I was about as dirty 
and tired looking as you could possibly imagine a person to be when 
I reached home, we having travelled by forced marches 75 or 85 ms 
under a hot Aug sun, often suffering dreadfully from thirst and 
some times from hunger. I never exactly knew what hunger was 
till one day when our baggage wagon got lost from us and we had to 
fast for 24 h after a hard days march. I declare I was so ravenous 
I could have eaten any thing. I had seen one of our men a few days 
before eating a piece of raw fat pork which appeared very disgusting 
to me at the time but now I would have been very glad to have fol- 
lowed his example had I only possessed the meat. Once we marched 
10 or 12 ms. without water we having but 3 or 4 canteens in our Co. 
At last we came to a hog wallow full of muddy water covered with 

30. Samuel Reader joined the Topeka company sent to Nebraska to guard Lane's emigrant 
train into Kansas territory. See Footnote 11 (February, 1940, Quarterly). 



144 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

a green scum and as warm as dish water & I suppose about as 
palatable. I drank more than a pint of this stuff. During the 2 
weeks I was out on this jaunt I did not sleep under cover of any kind 
and had only a small blanket to roll myself in. My short experience 
is I suppose often the daily life of many of the soldiers now in the 
field. I see you use some pretty sharp expressions against "hold 
Hingland" Why F. what will our father say were he to hear you 
speak so hard of his native Land? When I was from 5 to 10 ys old 
my Grandfather used to tell me a great deal about the sneaking 
Tories and rascally "Redcoats" and from this I formed a very un- 
favorable opinion of the whole English nation and it was a matter 
of surprise to me why we should still call our language "English" a 
name which sounded hateful to my ears. But I have since come to 
the conclusion that they like the Father of Lies, have been painted 
blacker than they really are The Rulers are many of them very 
mean and roguish no doubt especially in oppressing the weak and it 
must be that our S[outhern]. slave holders have inherited this dis- 
position from them. Still they have many "good streaks" about 
them. All the E[nglish]. people with whom I have been acquainted 
appear to be good honest men only a little too strongly tinctured 
with pride and (here I condemn myself) obstinacy. In short, the 
E[nglish], taking all things into consideration are a fine upright 
people, far ahead of the other European nations in their form of 
Gov. but vastly inferior to us in this particular. I read with interest 
your further remarks about emancipation but like you I do not wish 
to begin an argument in regard to it because I might come out at 
the little end of the horn were I to commence a "paper war" with 
you. I heartily endorse nearly all that you have added in your last 
letter. When I wrote my last letter to you I felt quite despondent 
about the Slavery question, but now it appears as if a cloud had been 
lifted from my mind; a presentament as it were that all will come 
out right in the end If I be wrong in my peculiar views remember 
that the best of us are sometimes in error. You inquire of me if 
there be any Gov. land here. This land upon which we live was 
called the "Delaware Trust Lands" and was sold in 1857, by U. S. 
to the highest bidder; the "squatter" having the privilege of taking 
one qr. sec. at the appraised value provided he should prove himself 
to be a bona fide resident of the same. 31 It was valued in this 

31. By order of the Interior Department, sale of the Delaware trust lands "was ad- 
vertised to begin at Fort Leavenworth November 17, 1854, to be limited at first to the 
land lying east of ranges 18 and 19, and to continue until December 13, 1856. The 
land west of these two ranges was sold at Osawakie in the summer of 1857." Anna Heloise 
Abel, "Indian Reservations in Kansas and the Extinguishment of Their Title," Kansas His- 
torical Collections, v. VIII, p. 89. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 145 

T[ownship]. from $1.50 to $2.50 per acre. The non resident land 
were put up and sold to the highest bidder, mostly to speculators. 
For the last year or 2 the price of land was fallen in a remarkable 
degree; and men who have asked $20 pr acre formerly would now 
sell for $10. A man 3 m[ile]s N[orth] of town sold a farm of 280 
with perhaps 80 acres of timber and quite a field, of say 50 or 60 
acres for $1200 a few weeks ago He was in debt and had to sell. 
My brother in law told me today that a qr. is offered for sale a few 
m[ile]s. N E for $300 but it is all prairie. Do not think you will 
find any difficulty in getting prairie. I believe 9/10ths of the land 
here is of that description. As I received your letter late last night 
and it is storming to day I have not had a chance to make inquiries 
The Pott Indians are to send agents to Washington next Mond and 
it is said the Ind. will sell all of their Reserve of 30 ms square, re- 
serving from 160 to 80 a for each Ind. This Reserve is 2 m[ile]s 
W of Ind[ianola]. and is fine land I think you might find a good 
tract there should they sell to the R R. Co. if they have not done so 
already 32 I am not posted in regard to land as I have enough and 
do not wish to buy In my next I will be better informed depend 
upon it for nothing would give me more pleasure than to see you a 
Kansas citizen. Have you a land warrant or do you expect to get 
one from the Gov.? Everything that I can do for you in this matter 
I will do with the greatest pleasure Well I cant go on as my letter 
is full. Your very affectionate brother. 

Saml. Reader. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[April 26, 1862.] 
D[ear] Bro. 

After a long silence I rec'd on the 24th a welcome letter from you 
dated Monterey [Va.], Apr 8, giving me a pleasing a/c. of your 
journey, Rebel fortifications &c It must have an inspiriting effect 
upon you soldiers to make another step towards the enemy and of 
course towards the termination of the war for it is now very obvious 
to my mind that the Pro S. traitors will be "cleaned out" in a very 
short time judging from our recent victories. I suppose you are 

32. On November 15, 1861, the United States made a treaty with the three bands of 
Pottawatomie Indians that had settled in the eastern part of the Kansas reserve. One band 
received eleven square miles as its share. The other two bands were allotted land in Bever- 
alty. The residue was offered to the Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western Railroad Co. The 
treaty was amended by resolution of the senate, April 15, 1862. A Compilation of All the 
Treaties Between the United States and the Indian Tribes . . . (Washington, Government 
Printing Office, 1873), pp. 683-690. See, also, Kansas Historical Collections, v. VIII, p. 102. 

103504 



146 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

under command of Gen. Fremont now? 33 I have been and will still 
continue looking with great interest for all and any news from your 
Department as you are the only relative I have in the army so far 
as I know. We are all well. Your little nephew Frank Reader 
Campdoras, also. Our Spring has been very backward and no farm- 
ing yet 3 Reg.'s have passed through Indianola for Ft. Riley a few 
days ago, making quite a stir in our quiet little town Our Secesh 
friends were all strong Union men. Now about that land business. 
I heard day before yesterday that the Treaty has been made whereby 
the Pott. Indians turn over most of their lands to the R R Co. The 
Indians are not allowed to sell that reserved to themselves within a 
certain number of years (5 I believe) I suppose an order to give 
the R. R. Co. a chance to sell theirs without competition, as Indians 
when in need of money will sell for almost any price. I have not yet 
heard what the Co. will sell for per acre, but it cannot be priced 
high; as land is very cheap throughout Kan. 34 The Dr. [Camp- 
doras] says that a patient of his, informed him the other day that 
land on the Waukarusia [Wakarusa] (a stream) 7 m[ile]s S E of 
Lawrence, good land some of it half timber can be bought for $2.50 
per acre if paid down in cash. A Mr. Allen was here a few days ago 
and said that there is plenty of very good land on the Cottonwood 
creek (about 100 m[ile]s S W of here) but it is mostly prairie. This 
land is surveyed and open to pre-emption or private entry at $1.25 
per acre. I once took a claim on this stream and I considered this 
locality a fine one as I had ever seen in Kan. Land can now be 
bought at extremely low prices here in Kan, provided the owners 
be paid "cash up, and no grumbling." So come along as soon as you 
can, and see how you like our State. (I am sure you will), and buy. 
1 will close. You must excuse this brief letter as I have never had 
more work before me than now, as the man who worked my field 
last year is now in the Army. I am at present enlarging my Aunts 
field. I have not yet heard from my sisters since I wrote to Ella 
on the 14 of March Two things I am afraid will make you dis- 
satisfied with our State, viz: Chills and fever and the scarcity of 
young ladies. No more. Your brother Samuel J. Reader. 

33. On March 11, 1862, a new department west of the Department of the Potomac and 
east of the Department of the Mississippi was created and General Fremont was put in com- 
mand. The Kansas State Journal, Lawrence, March 20, 1862. 

34. The Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western Railroad Co. was given the privilege of buying 
the remainder of the Pottawatomie lands at $1.25 an acre, but the treaty did not specify the 
number of years the Indians should hold their land before they sold it. A Compilation of All 
the Treaties Between the United States and the Indian Tribes . . ., p. 686. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 147 

[To His Half-Sister Martha] 
Dear Sister Martha, [May 4, 1862.] 

Ellas very interesting letter of Apr. 9 & 18 came to hand a few 
days ago and I improve the present opportunity to write one to you. 
We are all tolerably well. My cousins did not take the measles 
Aunt E has had a few (as she thinks) light chills. The Dr [Camp- 
doras] & family are all well, but Leon is not very strong. He is 
quite subject to the fever and ague. The Dr. is very busy now in 
his professional duties, being seldom allowed to remain at home for 
a whole day at a time. Perhaps it will sound strange when I tell 
you that Frank Reader [Campdoras] has just come in as I am writ- 
ing. This is a puzzle for you to find out by the time I write to you 
again. Our Spring has been very backward No planting done yet. 
I am so busy now that I can hardly "turn around," as farming help 
is so scarce; So many having gone to the war. Our latest good news 
is that N[ew]. 0[rleans]. has been taken by U. S. 35 but nothing has 
pleased me more than Old Abes Emancipation Message and the abo- 
lition of Slavery in the Dist. of Columbia. 36 I have not yet got my 
daguerreotype for you. A Connecticut Yankee has been taking pic- 
tures for a while in town, but they are very inferior indeed. I send 
you a likeness of myself taken from the looking glass. The position 
in which I sat threw rather a dark shade on the hair and eyes but 
not enough to hurt it any. It is not well executed ; The color is not 
smooth enough on the face on account of my not having the proper 
kind of brushes. Still it is said to look like me in feature. In paint- 
ing I have to learn every thing from actual experiment which is a 
very slow way causing me many mistakes and much trouble. I must 
try and get a book of instruction on painting in water colors and 
good painting and drawing materials as I delight in nothing more 
than making pictures While I was living in Wellsburg Va. Father 
gave me a slate and on this I made my first attempt at drawing In 
La Harpe [111.] I had a perfect passion for picture making and rec'd 
many reprimands at sch. when the teacher would find my slate cov- 
ered with them instead of figures I have always desired to take les- 
sons in drawing and painting but never had an opportunity. This 
picture I send you is quite correct in out line and expression and the 
persons to whom I have shown it do not fail to recognize it ; By the 
way you must not be surprised if I have made this likeness better 

35. New Orleans surrendered to Capt. David G. Farragut late in April, 1862. John W. 
Burgess, The Civil War and the Constitution (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1901), 
v. II, p. 5. 

36. Slavery was abolished April 16, 1862, in the District of Columbia. Ibid., p. 82. 



148 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

looking than the original I send you a lock of my hair so you can 
see the true color I will also give you a few items of my personal 
appearance. I stand six feet 2 & % in or a trifle over, in common 
shoes. Am rather slender for my height; not in the least corpulent 
As is usual with persons taking much out door exercise and perform- 
ing out door labor, my face is somewhat bronzed by the sun and my 
movements are perhaps more energetic than graceful. I weigh at 
present 177 Ibs so I am about the average height and weight of the 
men composing the Queen of E[ngland]s. Life Guard I will try 
and send you more specimens of my drawing, also my miniature if 
I can have a good one taken I was much pleased to learn in Ella's 
last letter that F[rank] was studying Latin and short hand when 
he last wrote. It certainly argues a great thirst for knowledge to 
see him amidst the bustle and excitement of camp life pursue his 
usual studies. I am afraid the same cannot be said of any who left 
this neighborhood for the camp. It appears from what I have 
learned from some of "the boys" who came up on furlough that they 
all have had a jolly time generally; many of them, Lieut. R (first 
capt. of F[remont]. G[uards].) especially spending all or nearly all 
of their pay. Whisky drinking and gambling were two of the promi- 
nent vices. If the short hand F is studying is Longleys Phon. per- 
haps we can after awhile correspond in it. I took lessons in it in 
,/'55 but am now rusty. F[ran]k tells me he intends to buy land in 
K. and I need not tell you the pleasure it gives me for he will never 
consent to farm the hills of Penn after seeing our rich and fertile 
valleys. You know Horace Greely said K. farmers could get rich, 
if they would keep out of debt, and not hunt office. My conscience 
is clear on the first and although not an office seeker still I was guilty 
of filing my bond and taking the oath of office as T[ownship]. 
T[rustee]. for S[oldier]. Town[ship], a few weeks ago. Perhaps 
our Father will laugh at me but I am not without excuse, as I gave 
a reluctant consent to be a candidate only after I learned that it 
would not much interfere with my business. I rec'd 69 of the 72 
votes cast the Dem.'s making no opposition. I rec'd a letter from 
Frank on the 24 of Apr. and answered it on the 25. Tell Ella that 
the Pott. Treaty has been ratified and the lands are to be surveyed 
this Summer perhaps What a pleasure to see her coming over the 
prairie with compass & chain But she says that cannot be. My 
gizzard (heart I meant to have said) is "as full as a tick" with grati- 
tude for her clemency May I never have a harsher judge I will 
close Affec'te your 

S. J. R. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 149 

Strictly private and confidential to Ella. 
Dr. S lister]. 

In your letter you gave me a description of a young lady a Miss 
M E. which has greatly interested me. Like the shy crusty old 
bachelor that I am I have never been struck by the shafts of that 
mythical little "shaver" carrying a bow and arrows and going 
around trying to shoot some body. Therefore your letter has made 
much impression on my mind. You ask how I like the description. 
I cant say I have any preference for any colored eyes or hair but 
believe when I think of it that I do prefer black eyes and hair. 
Please use your influence in my favor and I shall be forever grateful. 
Will you not send your cousin's name in full? I must of necessity 
close for want of room Your brother 

S. J. Reader. 

[To Peter Me Vicar, County Superintendent] 

[June 4, 1862.] 
Dear Sir 

Enclosed I send you a list of the names of persons in favor of 
having a sch. dist. organized and also of those opposed to the design 
as you requested me to do the other day. I have seen at least one 
member of nearly every family in your proposed district and they 
have all with a few exceptions expressed their willingness to give 
their hearty support to the movement Even a number of those who 
have no children wish to co-operate in advancing Public Instruction 
A number of ladies entitled to vote at District meetings put their 
names down in favor of the Dist. I have marked their names with 
a cross. You can send your notices to me and I will see that they 
are posted ; and if there be anything else in which I can assist you 
I shall do it with pleasure 37 Resp'y yours 

S. J. R. 

[To His Half-Sister Ella] 

[July 7, 1862.] 
D[ea]rS. E. 

Last week Matties [Martha's] welcome letter came to hand con- 
taining many items of interest but with the melancholy intelligence 
of our Father's severe illness a short time ago. His picture was 
safely rec'd and is highly prized. My Aunt thinks it looks more 
natural than the one you sent some years ago We are all tolerably 

37. On the margin of his diary Reader noted in 1911 that this was the beginning of 
School District No. 42 in Shawnee county. 



150 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

well only I have not felt entirely well for some time Leon had 
something like a congestive chill last week but is now out of danger. 
Eliza was frightened some as the Dr is now in the U. S. Army. She 
called in a Dr. living in Ind[ianola], who set Leon "all right" in a 
day or two. Aunt E and my cousins are well Dade (the little 
girl) is lively. My nephew F[rank]. R[eader]. C[ampdorasl. has 
excellent health; He was 3 mos old the 2ond of this mo. About 
the middle of May Col R of the 2ond Reg. of Indian HFome]. 
G[uards]. offered my brother in law a situation as surgeon in the 
Reg. which the Dr. [Campdoras] accepted. The regiment is to move 
Southward immediately They were at Humboldt Kan. when the 
Dr wrote last He dont like camp life very well, Got homesick in 
a few days &c But is mostly disturbed for fear Leon may be taken 
sick. Our weather is now dry and hot. Corn is suffering from the 
drouth. Wheat is splendid and has been fit to cut for the last two 
weeks. I have cradled more grain this year than I have since I left 
Illinois. The 8 Reg. K[ansas]. V[olunteer]. I[nfantry]. is now in 
Tenn. The boys from this section did not like the idea of leaving 
the State, as they enlisted, as they supposed, as H[ome]. G[uard]s. 
Martha informed me that Frank has seen a battle, but I have not 
yet received a letter from him. His last was dated Apr 8th and I 
was getting very uneasy at his long silence. I supposed from news- 
paper reports that he had participated in the battle of Cross Keys 
as I saw Gen. Milroys command mentioned. It must have been a 
terrific battle from what I hear. I am very anxious to get a detailed 
account of the engagement from Frank ; and if he has sent any com- 
munications to the papers in regard to it, please forward the paper 
on to me. I sincerely hope this dreadful war may be brought to a 
speedy termination, but I fear we are not half through yet. We 
heard of McClellans defeat the other day. 38 I inquired the news of 
lawyer T. (who is a traitor at heart,) as from his gay and cheerful 
countenance I supposed "something was up." He looked around 
and seeing who I was drew on a long face and replied that the news 
was "most disastrous for us" (?) We also hear that Gen. Curtis is 
surrounded and in danger of capture and that the President has 
called for 200,000 more men. 39 If this last be true I suppose draft- 
ing will be resorted to in some localities. I think it would be a 
famous idea for Uncle Sam to draft 15 or 20 of our Secesh friends 
here. I was much pleased to hear the reception my likeness rec'd 

38. Union troops under Gen. George McClellan were in sight of Richmond during the 
Peninsula campaign but they were withdrawn. Burgess, op. cit., v. II, pp. 24-40. 

39. On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 new troops. Ibid., p. 65. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 151 

from you. I have another picture nearly finished, which I intend to 
send you in my next letter. I shall not tell you what it is but leave 
you the pleasure of the surprise when you receive it. 

(To be continued.) 

[July 8, 1862.] 

The locusts were very numerous some time ago but have now dis- 
appeared. A few weeks ago we had some of the largest hail I ever 
saw. I picked up one that upon comparison was one third larger 
than a hens egg. I had before that supposed the stories of such 
large hail stones exaggerations to say the least. A great many farms 
are not cultivated in this section for want of working men; mine 
among the rest. I am farming part of my Aunt's land as it is more 
convenient to me than my own. The Dr. [Campdoras] has only 
about 1/3 of his improved land, cropped. So you can see we are 
feeling the effects of the war already. It would be a great blessing 
if more darkies would understand their rights and come to our aid. 
Give my compliments to Miss Gregg. I have no more to write. 

Your brother 

S. J. R. 
[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[July 13, 1862.] 
Dr. Bro. 

Your long expected and intensly interesting letter date June 
[omission] came to hand on the 10 inst. giving us as you may well 
imagine a pleasure we have not experienced for a long time. It seems 
you have at last seen and experienced one of those most wonderful 
and terrific scenes which mortal man is allowed to witness on this 
Earth. It is a thing which notwithstanding its being accompanied by 
destruction, has a strange fascination over our minds ; and if we can- 
not see for ourselves every item from those who have is received 
with the greatest avidity. We were startled to hear of your very 
narrow escape from that mischievous shell. They must be the most 
fearful instruments of warfare. One of my brother in laws books 
entitled "Places d'armes a feu" which I read last winter, states that 
only one ball in from 200 to 500 kills or wounds a man. If this be 
so, the air must seem alive with harmless bullets. How many 
rounds did you shoot at Secesh? I suppose not enough to have put 
one of the traitors "Hors du combat." according to this theory. Did 
the Band to which you are attached go into action with their musi- 
cal instruments, or with muskets? My private opinion is that the 



152 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

music in their cartridge boxes would be the most useful on a battle 
field like Cross Keys. How did you and the men generally like 
Gen. Fremont? I always considered him a very good Gen. and first 
rate on the negro question. The retrograde movement of McClel- 
lans army imparted a very cheerful expression to the faces of many 
of our Indianola friends. The Dr. is Surgeon in Col. Ritchies Reg. 
of Indian Home Guards They are now, I suppose, in the Indn 
Terr. The Dr dont like camp life as well as he expected, but as he 
facetiously expresses him self "Feels his patriotism excited in the 
palms of his hands," on account of the liberal pay. He was home 
a few weeks ago on a furlough. He said he was home sick the first 
day after he reached camp which is rather singular, when we con- 
sider that he was in the F[renc]h. Naval service for a number of 
years. We are all pretty well. Weather too dry and corn suffers 
some. Wheat very good Everything is quiet here now. I am en- 
gaged in the peaceful vocation of farming, as usual. A great deal 
of land is lying idle this season. My field over the cr[eek], most of 
the Drs & part of my Aunts, with the rest. I should like very much 
to see some of the Va. scenery which you mentioned in your letter. 
The face of the country where we live (on the river bottom) has 
nothing picturesque about it. The land is level bordered on nearly 
all sides by scanty timber. It resembles 111. too much to suit me. 
But off the bottom the land is rolling and beautiful with timber only 
in the ravines and along the numerous water courses. As the Home- 
stead Bill has passed you need not lay out a dollar for land except- 
ing, the trifle required for surveys &c. and I suppose when you get 
your discharge you will pay Kan. a visit as you promised. Vacant 
lands are at present in out of the way places, but this of course 
will not always remain so. The Dr writes that there is splendid 
land on the Southern border of this State; in the Shawnee Reserve, 
also. The place he admired the most is called Eudora. 40 The Indi- 
ans of this nation have come in as citizens and the land can be sold. 
The Dr with the mercurial temperament of a true Frenchman thinks 
we ought to try and all sell out here, and move to this newly found 
Paradise. My Aunt who some times "builds castles in the air" is 
some what taken by the idea, but my judgment is against. The 
most of us are too old to begin life anew on the frontier. Well 
Frank I will say no more about land now; We will have plenty of 
time to discuss the matter here after. 

I think we can understand each others phonetic. I studied from 

40. In Douglas county. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 153 

a book called the "American Manual of Phonography/' by Longley, 
and I presume it is about the same as Pittmans. Now I propose 
that we write each other a few lines in each letter in short hand for 
the purpose of improving ourselves in this art. I would suggest that 
we write but a little at first as I know that I am "rusty" having 
hardly looked in my book since the winter of 55 & 56 at which time 
I took lessons My Journal has been frequently interspersed with 
phonetic characters and this I suppose has kept me from forgetting 
it altogether I used to know most of the word signs, but can hardly 
command the quarter of them now. If I send you any word or words 
which you cannot understand copy it or them and send them back 
for explanation. Or if I send you any in which you detect errors, 
point them out to me. I shall also criticise and search for errors in 
your phonographic communications; and in this manner I think we 
can progress considerably. Do you agree to this? When you write 
again, if you shall have been in another battle please detail to us 
all the minutiae or better still send a communication to the news- 
papers and your sisters will send it on to me. No more. 

Yours affectionately 

Samuel J. Reader. 

[To E. D. Rose and Others, Company E, Eighth Kansas 
Volunteer Infantry] 

[July 27, 1862.] 
E D Rose 41 & others 
Highly honored and respected friends : 

It was with a pleasure that I think you can well imagine that I 
rec'd the much prized picture of yourselves 42 the other day which 
vividly brought to mind our military exploits on the hills at the R. 
Sch. house. Also mingled with regret that so wide a distance sepa- 
rates us preventing for the present at least the friendly intercourse 
which as we supporters of the Union, was so pleasant to us all. After 
you boys left us it seemed that you had taken about all the military 
spirit with you. The F[remont]. G[uard]s. have not met to drill 
since. But had a meeting last spring to divide the Co. powder &c. 
We are consequently without any military organization and our Pro 

41. Elisha D. Rose and a number of other Indianola boys enlisted in Company E, Eighth 
regiment, Volunteer infantry, on September 13, 1861. On May 28, 1862, Company E, along 
with other companies of the Eighth, embarked on a Missouri river steamer to report at Corinth, 
Miss. Andreas, History of Kansas, p. 189; Adjutant General's Report, Kansas, 1861-1865. 

42. E. D. Rose sent to Samuel Reader a picture of eight of the Indianola boys in the 
Eighth regiment. The boys in the picture were E. D. Rose, Vol. Brown, Lew Bryan, William 
Wendel, James Hunter, Henry Davidson, Richard Russell and Cy. Grant, all of Co. E, Eighth 
Kansas Volunteer infantry. 



154 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

S[lavery]. friends have failed to cooperate with us in this matter as 
I supposed they would, when they could not secure all the highest 
offices. The chances of my enlisting are small, as I have 2 families 
to look after now Dr. C[ampdoras]. being in the army. He is 
Surgeon in the 2ond Indian Reg. Col. R. of T[opek]a. He dont 
like his situation very well. Our local news is not important. Mr. 
Roswell Rose and Mr Pucket 43 returned yesterday, from Iowa. I 
believe they have dissolved partnership with Mr. 0. T. Angell with 
whom they were engaged in showing "War pictures" Rev. A. R. 
Button has been taking ambrotyp[e]s for the last month or two; 
but money is too scarce to make it pay very well Squire, our old 
friend Kasson wrote to the Dr. not long ago informing him that he 
(Kn) belonged to the 18th Wis Reg. He was near Pittsburg Land- 
ing at the time of the terrible battle, but was too sick to take part 
in it If his reg. is in your neighborhood you have doubtless seen 
him. The flag which you left flying in town was taken down some- 
time in the Fall and this summer the pole was chopped down by 
some body, so we are without an emblem to show our loyalty this 
year. Our Fourth of July passed without any particular celebration 
excepting a drunken row or knock down of some kind in the eve- 
ning. I heard that somebody tried to choke F and Jim T but do 
not know whether it is true or not. Indianola looks just as it did 
when you left with the exception of Mesrs. Ts new Billiard saloon 
on the corner opposite Puckett's store Dr. A[shmore]. is installed 
in the Drug Store, and has about all the practice. Mr. Davison was 
appointed J. P. by the Gov. to fill the vacancy caused by Dr. G[ ab- 
bey ]'s leaving town. James K. on promise of good behavior has 
come back to Kan. A man named L and some others at T[opek]a 
threatened to hang Jim on the Fourth and handled him pretty 
roughly. There is a rumor that he will take the P. 0. at Indianola. 
How will that suit you Jayhawkers? Mr Clinton has not been com- 
plained of yet, as a P. M. I suppose that you have heard that your 
comrade [C. C.] Leonard has been married to Miss M. Marple. 44 
I think this is about all the news that can be of any interest to you 
from this quarter. Our weather has been rather too dry this season. 
Crops are generally good. 

(Continued.) 

43. The official "Census of 1860," Kansas, v. IX, p. 84, shows a Rosewald Rose, age 27, 
as a laborer. He was born in Indiana. Henry Puckett, 36, a merchant, was born in 
Kentucky (p. 85). 

44. C. C. Leonard and M. Marple were married June 21, 1862. Reader's diary. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 155 

[July 28, 1862.] 

The Indianola Jayhawkers as I call your picture has been ex- 
amined by a number of persons already, and but very few have 
failed to recognize their acquaintances in it, at first sight, especially 
Messrs: Bryan, Rose and Hunter. I perceive that you are now 
armed with Minie rifles. Your sabre bayonets certainly present a 
formidable aspect, and look as if they would be exceedingly un- 
healthy for Secesh. As you say, I hope I may some day have the 
pleasure of seeing you all, and of hearing your adventures in camp 
<fe field, which if the war continues we may reasonably suppose will 
be interspersed with a/c's of many a bloody engagement and should 
any of my friends who have sent me their pictures perish from the 
influence of climate or on the field of battle, it will be a mournful 
consolation for me to know that I still retain their images. I do 
not know how I can adequately return thanks for the unexpected 
pleasure you have given me. I must say however that I consider 
myself under heavy obligations to you all. If it would not be ask- 
ing too much I should like very much for some of my friends to 
correspond with me ; occasionally at least. I must close wishing you 
success and safety against the blind and wicked enemies of our Gov. 
and health to withstand the southern climate. Truly your friend 

Respects to all ; 

Samuel J. Reader. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[August 18, 1862.] 
Dfear]. B[rother]. 

I reed your letter of Aug 3d day before yesterday with great 
pleasure on learning from its contents of your good health and 
spirits; and you may well suppose my pleasure was not diminished 
when I read your opinion on the slave question. I heartily endorse 
all of your sentiments on this subject, but would rather see the slaves 
armed now than to wait until we are forced into this measure. Old 
Abe seems opposed to this policy and it dont make me feel very 
friendly towards him. Now Jim Lane came home a few weeks ago 
with the understanding that he could arm the negroes and has al- 
ready enlisted quite a number of them ; but we hear that the Pres't 
will not allow it. 45 I cannot understand why negro volunteers are 
refused while whites are to be drafted. I consider myself a phi- 

45. In August, 1862, Lane reported that he had authority from Washington to enroll 
Negro troops, but the War Department denied that such authority had been granted or that 
the troops would be received if offered. Manhattan Express, September 23, 1862. 



156 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

lanthropist in regard to African Slaves, still I do not carry this so 
far as to wish to see men of my own Race dragged from home and 
business which urgently requires their presence, when these same 
slaves ought & are willing to fight for their freedom. I wish to see 
this, the last resort as it is considered, adopted immediately. I shall 
say no more or you will consider me a confirmed fault finder. You 
must take care or you will be an ultra abolitionist before you are 
aware of it ! I must acknowledge Frank, that an abolitionized Dem. 
to my mind will do more damage to the Rebels than one of the 
"dyed in the wool fanatics," because of the greater influence they 
will have over the minds of the Conservative masses at the North. 
For example: Your arguments on this subject would have three or 
four times the weight on our Father's mind, than mine would, as he 
doubtless considers me infatuated with a dangerous and senseless 
chimera, as regards Slavery. 

You must write me what effect your soundings on the "nigger" 
question will have on him. We are all well as usual. I was poisoned 
while gathering grapes on the Kaw River a week or two ago but it 
is more annoying than dangerous. Eliza got a letter from the Dr. 
[Campdoras] last week He was at Humboldt Kan. but they were 
under marching orders for the Indian Ter. He is still somewhat 
dissatisfied with his situation partly on a/c. of ill health caused by 
drinking bad water . . . Our corn crop will be light on a/c of 
the drouth. Weather dry but pleasant But little excitement and 
but little volunteering. Our Secesh friends will likely feel the draft 
and squirm under it. I cannot make out one word in your phonetic, 
viz. "Gen. Pope was no [?] to citizens" &c. You placed the word 
sign in on the line; it should be above. I have nothing more of in- 
terest to write at present. Your very affectionate brother 

Samuel J. Reader. 

[To William Wendel, Company E, Eighth Kansas 

Volunteer Infantry] 

F'd Wendel [August 24, 1862.] 

D[ear].S[ir]. 

I rec'd your interesting letter of Aug. 1 last week with great 
pleasure and hasten at the first opportunity to answer it. Crops &c. 
But little military spirit seems infused into the people in this locality 
B. T. Burnett and Mr. Kurd of Silver Lake are the only ones who 
have volunteered so far as I can learn. They say drafting will be 
resorted to in Kan. If that should be the case it will make some of 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 157 

our semi-seceshionists squirm. Mr. Higg got the situation of asst. 
P. M. probably to escape the draft but they say it will not save him. 
I will bet half the men here will claim to be exempt. I saw our 
friend Jack T escorted over the prairie between two dragoons with 
drawn revolvers about 3 weeks ago He was arrested by U. Sam on 
a charge of trying to organize a Rebel Co. in this neighborhood, but 
was released in about a week/ We had some exciting news from 
Mo. a few days ago but it appears the Union men are getting the 
upper hand again. If I should be drafted of which there is some 
chance, I shall try to be placed in your Co. as a recruit providing 
your Co. is not full. The worst of it is you are or must be so well 
disciplined by this time that I should make a very awkward appear- 
ance in the ranks at first. How do you boys feel on the "Nigger 
question?" I am for freeing and arming every slave capable of 
bearing arms, so you see I am not exactly with the Administration 
on this subject. I wish to see this policy adopted immediately. I 
am an abolitionist as you well know, still I do not carry my sympa- 
thies for the negro so far as to rather see Whites slaughtered in 
support of the Union while the Blacks are exempted from such 
danger, through a blind and foolish prejudice. I say let the traitors 
be hurt and if a negro insurrection should have that effect encourage 
the darkies to ride. 46 I am glad to hear that you have the benefit of 
the traitors hogs and fruit at last. I have nothing more of interest 
to write. Write frequently to me and give me all the details of your 
proceedings. Give my best wishes to all my friends and acquaint- 
ances in your Co. and accept a large portion for yourself. With 
respect I remain your friend Samuel J. Reader 

P. S. Your picture (The "Jayhawkers") still excites much curiosity 
among the people here and are easily recognized by nearly all. 

S. J. R. 

[To His Half-Sister Martha] 

[August 31, 1862.] 
D[ear]. S[ister]. Mat [Martha] 

I rec'd Ellas welcome letter of Aug. 9. over 1 week ago and I 
certainly owe you an apology for not answering you "Sch. girls" 
sooner. One reason is that the spare moments usually devoted to 
letter writing have been lately employed by me in arranging our 
Township business with the C[ounty]. Treasy, Road Overseer &c. 
Another is that I have been very busy as a farmer lately and a fine 

46. In 1911 Samuel Reader made this insertion in the copy of the letter written in hia 
diary: "Wrong! Yes, very wrong and inhuman." 



158 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

shower of rain today has induced me to write at last or I might 
have delayed longer. We are all in good health. The weather has 
been very dry and today we have had our first good rain. Corn is 
very light, potatoes the same. Grass almost as short as it was in 
/60 I reed a letter from Frank and answered it on the 17 inst. I 
also got the "Pittsburg [Pa.] Post" last night containing a letter 
from "A member of the 2ond Va. Reg" which I concluded is from 
Frank judging from the style. This letter I have read and reread 
with the greatest interest. I am happy to hear that he enjoys him- 
self so well in the army and still happier to hear of the exemplary 
life he leads, surrounded as he must be by the many demoralizing 
influences of Camp life, Still I feel uneasy at hearing of every move- 
ment of Gen Popes Army. I read the other day that Gen Sigel has 
had an encounter with the Rebels. The Dr [Campdoras] is in the 
Indian Terr'y. He is still very much dissatisfied with Camp life 
such as he leads. In his last letter he says he is in daily dread of 
his reg[iment]. getting into a fight, as he has not yet got any surgi- 
cal instruments and not a great deal of medicine. He says if he 
were in the Navy he would be satisfied. Not many recruits from 
this locality. Only one from this Township (Soldier) under the last 
call. We are all looking for the draft. If I should be drafted I 
intend to try and take it as best I can although I shall lose by it 
pecuniarily. My Aunt & Sister dread it immensely, as I am now 
their only protector. This does not speak well for their patriotism 
but such is the fact. I hardly stand on the same ground with the 
Administration yet, (on the "negro question") but I believe all will 
come out right soon. I heard Jim Lane speak at T [opek] a last Tues- 
day evening. He expressed my views exactly. He said: We have a 
great many men who sympathize so strongly with the negroes that 
they wish to keep them in a Band box away from the war while 
white men are to be killed by thousands &c. Hurrah for Lane! if 
he is an abolitionist! I send you the picture I promised, and as your 
expectations are raised with the idea of getting the pictures of Eliza 
and the children I know you will be much disappointed when you 
will receive instead the drawing of our little one horse "Whisky- 
town." I commenced this picture long ago for fear the Weed army 
might occupy our devoted town again this Summer ; but I have been 
agreeably disappointed for either relying on the expectations of 
making a combined attack next year or thinking us sufficiently 
punished, Gens. Gympson and Cocklebur have not marshalled their 
hosts. This view of Indianola I took from the top of my Aunts 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 159 

house situated half a mile in a S E[aste]rly direction. Her field 
joins the Southern boundary line of the town site. Soldier Cr. runs 
a few hundred yds N[orth] of the buildings and is in the midst of 
the brush and timber In the back ground beyond the Cr. the land 
is bluffy My qr. S[ec]. lies just a little North of the Western end 
of the picture The location of the town was very unfortunate in 
the first place. Instead of laying it out on the prairie the Mo. pro- 
prietors laid it out mostly in the timber and bushes I think Indi- 
anola will never be a city. Allow me now to introduce you to the 
inhabitants and you will have a very good idea what Indianola is. 
I shall begin at the W'.ern end: The log house with two doors was 
the first house built in the town. It is inhabited by Sam Bonem & 
wife, a Union man to me, Pro Slavery to the Secesh sympathizers 
and a very strong Temperance man when out of cash. The two 
story building this side is a grocery kept by Messrs Brown & Cum- 
mins. The former with a family. Both Secesh at heart. We will 
pass the next edifice (a stable,) to the house with windows on both 
sides of the door The widow Brown (No relation to the other B.) 
and family, genuine Unionists live here. She had 2 sons in the 
Federal Army. The dark complexioned house with one door is a 
blacksmith shop. The next object is a corn crib. The large build- 
ing with the end this way is our principal dry goods store kept by 
the Secesh C. W. H , deputy or Ass't P. M. to escape the draft. 
The building this side another blacksmith shop but the man who 
belonged to it "went up" a short time ago from hard drinking. He 
frequently had "snakes in his boots" The next house is vacant. It 
was a drinking saloon last winter The next with a window over 
the door was formerly owned by Dr. C[ampdoras]. It was a drink- 
ing & gambling saloon last year but is now shut up. The house with 
one door and one window is occupied by Jim T. and family Strong 
Secesh. The building beyond showing a door and window is Mr. 
Pucketts store and whiskey den. He has been often fined for selling 
the "critter" without license and is Secesh. The dirty colored house 
is an ice house which comes next. The house with the closed end 
this way is the aforesaid Jim T-s billiard saloon and of course men 
cant play with out liquor in the same room. His brother, Lawyer 
Jack, was arrested for trying to raise a Rebel Co. here but is now 
at large. The next building is the pride of the I[ndianola]ites It 
is our hotel P. 0. favorite billiard saloon; and the best drinkables 
in town are kept here. Wm. Clinton is proprietor. He is a R. I. 
secessionist Is 27 ys old and has a wife who can swear like a pirate ; 



160 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

aged about 60. The house is about 60 ft. square, L. shaped. The 
next 2 concerns are stables. The next log pen 200 yds this side is 
vacant. The next also vacant. The white 2 story house is a drug 
store kept by Dr. A. a secesh and hard drinker. The flag and pole 
were there last summer but are now both gone. We had an ex- 
traordinary large calico flag which soon tore to pieces. The next 
house is occupied by Mr. Ogee a moderate U. man % Indian. Next, 
Ogee's stable. Three or 4 other houses are not visible on a/c of the 
brush Dont you want to live in Indianola?? 

Your affectionate brother 

Samuel J. Reader. 

P. S. Two Union Germans, Messrs [Wm.] Pruisseit & [Geo.?] 
Fiederling live in town but their houses are hidden from view in 
this direction. S. J. R. 

[To Eugene Caye (or Cagi), Company E, Eighth Kansas 
Volunteer Infantry] 

[September 12, 1862.] 

Rec'd letter &c. . . . Several days ago your uncle started 
for the war very suddenly I advised him to stay at home but he 
would go Dr. &c. We have had a regular uproar in Indianola 
last week among the women. Une fille de mauvais vie nomme Jane 
J etait une locataire avec Billy P le cordonnier et dix ou douze 
hommes de Ind. etais ses mignous. Us promanader avec elle a les 
buissons &c. tou jours presque nuit et jour. The ladies of Ind. viz 
Mrs. B, B, 0, F, S, a girl, and Jim T's wife went to B 's about a 
week ago to advise this Jane to go away and not bring disgrace on 
the people of the town; but she refused positively, whereupon the 
ladies seized her, et dechirer tout ses vetements de son corps ex- 
cepte sa chemise. A Dutchman named H took the girls part, and 
Dr. A also took the field and swung his fists defiantly so near some 
of the ladies heads that they could feel the wind of his chivalrous 
paws. The girl was wrapped in a blanket and taken away till morn- 
ing by some of her defenders. Jim T. during the fracas declared 
that C kept a worse house than Billy was keeping which saying 
caused Dr. A. to fire his pistol at Jim but luckily did not hit him 
Jack T. caused all these ladies to be arrested for an assault and 
taken before Sqr. D. Jack let Mrs. S. & girl off and Mrs. T. plead 
guilty The rest of the parties took a change of venue and were tried 
at T[opek]a avant hier and were most unjustly I think fined $1. and 
costs of 40 or $50. Ind. is still buzzing like a stoned hornets nest 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 161 

and I dont know how it will end They say there will be no drafting 
in K. No more. Very Respy yours S. J. R. 

P. S. My best respects to Squire Rose Wm Wendel and all the 
rest of the boys from this place S. J. R. 

(The Battle of Ind. From our special artist % m. from the field.) 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[October 5, 1862.] 
D[ear]. B[rother]. 

Your anxiously looked for letter came to hand the other day re- 
lieving us all from much trouble of mind for fear you had been killed 
or taken prisoner during the terrible battles near Bulls Run; we 
seeing by the papers that your Division and Brigade had taken a 
very active part in the engagements. Your peril is very great still, 
but as you have escaped so many dangers so far we can reasonably 
hope that your good luck will still attend you. We are in tolerable 
health only My Aunt has been sick with the bilious fever for some 
weeks but is now mending Leon had a rather severe attack of the 
chills . . . not long ago and is still unwell. I don't feel very 
well myself having taken a bad cold while attending a meeting late 
at night not long ago for the purpose of suppressing horse stealing. 

We hear from the Dr. [Campdoras] about once a week. In his 
last letter he said he came very near being taken prisoner while on 
his way in an ambulance from Headquarters to his camp. Col R. 
is now at T[opek]a. and will probably be court martialed for arrest- 
ing Col. Judson of the K. 6th. . . . Our weather has been quite 
wet for some time which interferes with haying some what. The 
Secesh Dem. and quasi-loyalists of this Township held a primary 
meeting yesterday with the Rep. to send 4 Delegates to the Co. Con- 
vention (Rep.) After considerable bickering it was found we could 
not amalgamate. The Dem. will hold a meeting tomorrow Indianola 
has had several disturbances lately. In one case 7 ladies of the town 
went to a little Dutch shoemaker's and drove a young woman of 
very questionable reputation from his premises. A number of the 
girls male sympathizers belonging to a certain and almost the only 
class in Indianola had these ladies arrested for assault and battery. 
They took a change of venue and were tried at Topeka and were 
(unjustly I think) fined $1. My hopes for the amendment of Ind-a 
are less & less every day. I am afraid it will never rise from the 
sink of corruption in which it is now wallowing. I can think of 
nothing more to write Your affectionate brother 

113504 Samuel J. Reader. 



162 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

[To William Wendel, Company E] 

W[m]. W[endel]. [October 8, 1862.] 

Dr. Fd. 

I reed yours of the 30 of Sep with great pleasure and was much in- 
terested with your a/c. of your hard marching and operations against 
the Rebel Bragg From your a/c and from what I have heard from 
others a soldier must lead a very hard life; and it must be much 
worse when the soldiers as in your case have no confidence in their 
Com'g Gen'l. It is a pity that our Government], has to try so 
many experiments with Gen. officers, so as to find out the good 
ones. 47 My brother is luckily well off in this particular. He belongs 
to the 2ond Va. Reg. in Milroys Brigade and Sigels Division. Both 
these Generals are considered "tip top" especially the latter who ia 
known in the 2d Va. as "The Flying Dutchman" My brother has 
been in a number of hard battles; The last one at Bull Run where 
he was in 5 days fight. He said he didn't expect to get out alive. 
We were much surprised to hear that H D has deserted. I saw 
his father today; He said he would rather H had remained even 
if he had died than to have had him desert. It is likely that H 's 
Secesh relatives at Bowling Green persuaded him to leave the Union 
Army. We have not much news. Ed De Wolf Blondel and Jim 
Bryan enlisted about one month ago. I thank you for your advice, 
and will think twice before I join the army, even if I were situated 
so I could join without damage to our business; not because I do 
not sympathize with the war, but for fear I might cause a panie 
when we should come to a fight; as you know that I am naturally 
adapted for "retreating in good (dis) order." On the evening of the 
4th of Sept. last a most terrible battle was fought in Indianola. I 
was fortunately not in town at the time but I have heard from others 
who were there, as well as from the official reports. So I think my 
account may be tolerably reliable and I shall try to give it so a 
military man like yourself can understand it. It appears that a 
fancy young lady, to use no harsher term, named Jane J estab- 
lished her headquarters in Billy P 's shoemakers shop and deeming 
her intrenchments secure and knowing she had a force of sympa- 
thizing friends within striking distance, she boldly bid defiance to 
all moral restraint and to the respectable ladies of Ind'a in particu- 
lar. Mrs. B. B. F. 0. and T. (Jims wife) after holding a council of 
war determined on a vigorous policy, and forthwith set out for little 

47. Henry W. Wessels was colonel of the Eighth regiment, Kansas volunteers, until No- 
vember 1, 1862, when John A. Martin became colonel. Report of the Adjutant General of th 
State of Kansas, 1861-1865, p. 257. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 163 

Billy's house. Billy can hardly be a true German, for he fled at their 
approach and took refuge in the Clinton house. The attacking force 
filed through the gate and by a skillful manoeuvre gained possession 
of the back door without the loss of a man (or woman rather) Hav- 
ing Jane in their power the ladies offered her terms to the effect that 
she should march out of town with her baggage and equipage, on 
condition of never returning. A "Big wholesouled Dutchman" 
named H endowed with a truly Teutonic courage, now came on 
the ground, and Jane being thus reinforced refused the terms of 
capitulation. To fight or to retreat was now the only alternative, 
and the former was resolved upon. The ladies seized Jane by the 
dress and in the scuffle she lost nearly all of her clothing, some of 
them say by her dress catching on the bed post. She fought like a 
lion and throwing her arms around H 's neck defended herself 
mule-fashion with her feet. The battle was raging at its greatest 
fury when Dr. A came charging among them, with the greatest 
gallantry yet shown by any of the combattants The happy coming 
of this son of Chivalry turned the tide of battle in Janes favor which 
was scarcely counter balanced by a reinforcement on the other side 
consisting of Mrs. S and Miss D a girl living with Mrs S-'t. 
H put a blanket around Jane and escorted her out of danger to 
the rear, as she was rather badly "Cut up." The ladies now evacu- 
ated the contested field neither defeated nor as victors It was a 
drawn fight. The following is a list of the casualties: Killed 
Half the men in town morally and politically. Wounded: Mrs. F. 
severely in the arm from the blow of a bottle in the hands of Jane J. 
H : Several contusions, not dangerous. Missing Wm P ; dur- 
ing the engagement. The next day all seven of these ladies were 
arrested by the "harpies of the law," and four of them were fined 
$1. and costs. I tell you well it was a terrible engagement and 
throws any of Mrs. Clintons "fowts" into the shade. I glory in the 
ladies' spunk Our weather has been quite wet for some time 
past. Money is rather scarce. [Henry] Puckett and Geo. Young 
have issued shinplasters. Cy. Higg[inbotham], and Miss Button 
were married Sep 15. E. Plummer and Miss Bowker were married 
the next Sunday after. We got a letter from Dr C[ampdoras]. 
yesterday He is on the way to Carthage Mo. He says the Indians 
are unmanageable. Col. R is under arrest for some misdemeanor. 
Mr. Barnard & wife and family came here about a month ago. There 
is some dispute among the people whether one of the men in the 



164 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

front rank of the "Jayhawkers" is or is not Richard Russel. Please 
send me a list of all of your names in your next. To be continued. 

Oct. 9, 1862. 

A number of horse thieves took 7 or 8 horses from this neighbor- 
hood last Monday night No more at present 

Respy 

PS Please give the enclosed note to Mr. Caye if he has returned 
from the hospital My best wishes to squire Rose and all the rest 
of my friends and acquaintances in your regiment 

S. J. Reader. 

[To His Half-Sister Ella] 

[November 9, 1862.] 
D[ear] Sfister] E[lla]: 

I reed Marthas letter of Oct. 22, about a week ago containing the 
interesting a/c of Franks visit to G[reenfield, Pa.] Nothing pleases 
me more than to hear of his strict morality. More praise is due him 
in this particular than for his gallant bearing in battle. Well, etc. 
Weather. Crops. Dr. I weigh more than I ever did before. I am 
glad you were pleased with the picture of Indianola. It kept up 
its "good name" last Tues (E [lectio] n day) ; Two men getting broken 
heads in a drunken brawl. One a Mr. G. from the "Emerald Isle" 
was slung-shotted by our friend Jim Thompson His head was badly 
cut. Lawyer Jack T. was struck with a big rock on the side of his 
head and nearly killed. Being the T. Trustee it was my duty to 
act as "Inspector of Election," and I consequently saw but little of 
the "fun" It was after dark while we were counting the votes that 
the fracas began. I never heard such yelling before, and as we (the 
Board) were in a sort of a shanty, we concluded discretion was the 
better part of valor and retreated into a store with thick log walls 
so no stray bullets might "pollute the ballot-box" or worse still, 
some of our heads. The chivalrous Dr. A. threw off his coat and 
drew 2 revolvers, swearing he would shoot the 2 T-s, and was with 
difficulty prevented from doing something desperate. When rum- 
sellers fall out honest men may get justice. If Frank sends any 
more communications to the papers please send me a copy. No more 
Excuse hasty & short letter &c &c 
P. S. I shall send a picture soon &c. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 165 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[November 24, 1862.] 

Health. Dr. Crops. Election & row. It was not a political 
fight but had its origin as usual in whisky &c. Bully for Ind[ian- 
ol]a. How do you like the removal of Gen. McC'n 48 For my part 
I have nothing to say about it. I suppose the Pres't. knows what 
is best, and since his late Proc. of Emancipation, I have a very high 
opinion of his ability as a strategist, compared with McC'n. I am 
looking forward for the 1st of Jan'y with much interest as we shall 
then see how Emancip'n will work as a war measure. For my part 
I feel no great anxiety in its efficacy, as I cannot believe the ne- 
groes will reject the boon of liberty for the sake of their beloved 
masters. . . . 

S. J. Reader. 

[To William Wendel, Company E] 

[November 30, 1862.] 
D[ear]. F[riend]. 

I rec'd your welcome and interesting letter of the 10 inst several 
days ago and now take the first opportunity to answer it. Every 
body is well around here, I believe The weather has been dry 
and pleasant Corn is light. Times are about as usual. At our 
election for State & Co offices this Township gave a Rep. maj. for 
Gov. Congressman &c. M. Parrott got but one vote at this pre- 
cinct and Dr Tefft who ran for State Sen. got "nary" vote. Benj. 
Kistler was elected Co. Com'r over Albert Pliley. After dark on 
election day we had another pleasant little fight in town. The men 
took the lead this time, led on by a little too much of the ardent, of 
which they had been drinking freely. The list of casualties of this 
fight can be summed up as follows: Two broken heads. Nobody 
missing ; every body present within hearing. The row first began in 
a scuffle between Lieut Fulton and Mike Green. Then Jim T. struck 
Green a blow from a slungshot on his head and cut it badly. He 
then wanted to strike Wm Morgan with it. About this time an un- 
known person supposed by T-s to be Cyrus K. struck Jack T. on 
the side of his head with a big rock which laid him up in bed for 
several days. Dr A[shmore]. drew 2 revolvers and wanted to kill 
Jim T. and pull down his billiard saloon. The noise was terrific for 
awhile. Dr. A has good lungs and made noise enough for a dozen 

48. On November 7, 1862, McClellan was relieved of the command of the army. Gen. 
A. E. Burnside succeeded him. Burgess, op. cit., v. II, pp. 103, 104. 



166 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

men. 49 I read in the L[eavenworth]. Conservative], the other day 
that your reg. is called the "Grey-hounds" on a/c of your extensive 
marching I did not wish to know if R. Russell was a jayhawker 
but if he is on the picture sent to me and called by Sg. Rose "The 
Ind[ianola] . Jayhawkers" A great many persons disagree as to who 
the man is kneeling in the front rank between you and Lewis Bryan. 
Most of people say it is D[ick]. R[ussell]. but some say it is too 
full in the face for him and resembles J. McNutt. Please explain 
in your next. Lieut Rooks of your Co was around here a few months 
ago, I have been told. Was he discharged from service? Dr. C[amp- 
doras] is now in Ark. His reg. has been in several fights. Mr. 
Stamp & Mrs. John Marple were married a short time ago. Ezekiel 
Marple is to go the same way soon. No more of importance Truly 
your friend 

S. J. Reader. 
P S My best wishes to all the boys 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[December 15, 1862.] 

On the 15 inst. I rec'd a letter from you which on opening I found 
to my surprise to be entirely phonetic. It took me aback, I suppose 
as much as the rebels were when Gen. Burnside shelled the CORN- 
federates at Petersburg. I must say my pleasure equalled my sur- 
prise in seeing the proficiency you have already made in your new 
study. 

I am very glad you intend to write hereafter in phonography, &c 
&c. Correct my phonography & I will do the same with yours. I 
keep a copy of my letters so when you find a word misspelled or 
wrong in any way (particular) copy it with the word before it & 
then point out the error. 

I am very well & am gaining in flesh. I now weigh 187 Ibs. which 
is the most I ever weighed before. 

We have not heard from the Dr. for several weeks. By last ac- 

49. Samuel Reader while reinking his diary in 1911 wrote as follows: "On Monday Nov. 
16, 1908, I called on Comrade Samuel Ashmore and saw him for the last time. (He died 
Tues., Jan. 19, 1909.) He was alone. I said: 'Doc, do you remember the election at In- 
dianola Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1862, when Jim Thompson slungshotted Green and you wanted to 
pull down the "shanty" as you called it, and Lieut. Fulton tried to capture you, but you 
backed off swinging your revolver in front of you, and crying out: "Don't you come near me! 
Don't you dare touch me. You, nor no other G-- d--d man shall put his hand on me!" and 
Fulton had to give it up. You remember, Doctor?' 

"His black eyes flashed with the fires of 46 years ago, and he laughed aloud at the recalling 
of that episode. His early life was stormy, the latter quiet and peaceful. 

"Wed. Jan. 20, 1909 I assisted with Blue Post 250, G. A. R. at his funeral, thus fulfilling 
a promise made Wednesday Nov. 26, 1862, to him, after he had fired a pistol in my face to 
show me that it was loaded, as he cried: 'You can bet $8 that it's loaded!' (Requiescat in 
pace.)" 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 167 

counts his command (Blunt's command) has had a splendid battle. 50 
We are anxious to hear from him. Our weather delightful. Our 
town has been quiet for a few days. Horse stealing has also died 
out to some extent. I belong to a vigilance committee which looks 
after the last named gentry. We have already driven two bad char- 
acters from this part, & expect to drive more of them off soon or do 
worse. It is a shame your reg.t is not better supported against the 
enemy. The Dr being with a large army cant complain of this. I 
see your love for the union has made you as radical an abolitionist 
as I could ask. I am also looking with as much interest as you for 
the first of Jan. 1863. I do not doubt what the result will be. Please 
explain the following words in your letter: etc etc. I must close for 
this is the hardest letter I ever tried to write. 

Your aff. bro. 

Samuel James Reader 

[To Dr. M. A. Campdoras, Second Indian Regiment] 

[December 21, 1862.] 

I reed, your very welcome and interesting letter dated Nov. 29 
with great pleasure as we were getting uneasy at your long silence 
We all had a good laugh at your a/c. of your expedition under Jewell. 
I think as you do that we must depend a great deal on the negroes. 
Abolitionists are making very fast now among the Dem's. My 
brother is now a very rabid one, and hopes for slave insurrection 
among the Rebels. Eliza also rec'd a letter from you which came 
with mine giving an a/c. of your adventures at the battle of Cane 
Hill. We do not feel very well satisfied in knowing that you run 
such perilous risks in the Army, although it may be a good remedy 
for the chills. I had flattered myself that you would not be in the 
least danger but shall hereafter be uneasy lest "horses & excitement" 
will cause your name to appear on some of the frightful lists of casu- 
alties, which we too often see in the Army Reports. If I may be per- 
mitted I would suggest you get a horse like our old Fox & then we 
can have no fears of you in a cavalry charge. I do not think I can be 
very patriotic for I have not the least desire to enlist at present but 
may feel more like it after the 1st of Jan. The other day we heard of 
the disastrous defeat of Burnside at F [redericksbur] g. It may cause 
the Army to go into Winter quarters. We are all in first rate health. 
. . . Taxes. Weather &c. Our news not very important. Mr 
H got a divorce at the last Court. His mill was burned down by 

50. On December 7, 1862, Gen. James G. Blunt won a victory over the confederate forces 
at the battle of Prairie Grove near Fayetteville, Ark. Wilder's Annals of Kansas. 



168 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

accident some time ago. He is in hot pursuit of another wife with- 
out devoting any time at all to mourning. Mr. Cummings was run 
over by a log wagon and had his leg broken a few weeks ago. Mrs. 
Bl. thinks son mari is dead. She heard him rapping at her inside 
door the other night. Eliza however sees no more chairs rocking 
themselves or we might get up a spiritual meeting. In my last letter 
I wrote to you a few weeks date, Nov. 23 I informed you of the mar- 
riage of Old man Stamp to Mrs. John Marple but forgot to tell you 
that he also joins the M. Church which may cause him to repudiate 
his debts, like some other Christians. 

Yours truly 

Samuel J. Reader. 

[To Albert A. Pliley] 

Albert A. Pliley Esqr. December Last A D 1862. 

D. S. 

Will you be kind enough to come to the Rochester]. Sch. H. on 
Sat evening the 3 day of Jan 63 and see what we can do about get- 
ting up a singing sch? I saw Mr. W[hite] last Sund. and he has 
promised to be at the Sch. H. at the appointed time and will proba- 
bly consent to lead us as he appears to have a very good under- 
standing of vocal music (?) I have seen Mr Higg[inbotham] and 
several other musical people and they all seem to take great interest 
in the movement. Please inform all in your neighborhood whom 
you think will come especially Charles and Geo. C[arpenter]. and 
families; and B[en]. K[istler].; and if you should see D'r J[enner]. 
or Mr. Bowker tell them also. We shall have splendid moonlight if 
the weather prove favorable and I hope we will have a good time 
generally. I shall try and be at the Sch. H. at an early hour and 
have a good fire made. Bring the Hallelujah or any other sacred 
music. 

Resp'tfully 

S. J. R. 

[To Wm. Wendel, Company E] 

[January 4, 1863.] 
DF'd. 

I rec'd your interesting letter dated Dec 9,/62. sometime ago and 
for want of anything interesting to write to you have delayed, till 
&c. I saw your brother and 2 sisters at Singing sch. last night; well 
of course but forgot to inquire of your father and mother as I didn't 
then know I should write to you today I suppose they are all well. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 169 

No more battles in Ind[ianola]. Dr A. gets "tight" now and then 
and swears he will "clean T.s shanty out"; "bet $8 I will" &c. He 
carries 3 revolvers. U S tax &c. Dr. C[ampdoras]. is still in Ark. 
He is well. At the battle of Cane Hill he got excited and took part 
in a cavalry charge. He received two loads of buckshot through 
his coat and a Rebel struck him on the back of his head and knocked 
him off his horse, bruising him badly. He managed to crawl to a 
fence and escaped being run over but his horse was captured by the 
Secesh. Maybe he will not try the experiment again. Doctors you 
know should kill with physic and not with arms. Singing &c. Cum- 
mings. Religion. Close. 

[To Ferdinand Wendel, Company E] 

[January 4, 1863.] 
Dear F 

Reed. How do you like old Abe's proc: for freeing the slaves in 
the Reb. states? For my part I think it the best move that has been 
made during the war. You doubtless know I am a dyed in the wool 
Ab. of the most ultra kind and I consider it a grand step made in 
behalf of humanity as well as a good war measure. I want to see 
the day when not a Slave can be found in our Country. If there be 
such a thing as Divine retribution our nation is receiving its punish- 
ment for so long upholding the atrocious system of Human Slavery. 
These are my sentiments Ferdinand and you must not be offended 
if we happen to disagree on this subject. As I am a civilian perhaps 
I have no right to say how the war ought to be carried on. From 
present appearances Mo. is bound to be a free State soon through 
gradual emancipation and if our armies can crush the Rebels the 
Cotton states will be made free through the workings of "sudden 
emancipation." From last accounts I trust old Abe will keep his 
back bone straight. Weather &c. 

Yours truly 

S. J. Reader. 

P S Please give the enclosed note to your brother William "The 
F. G." have "gone up the spout." No military spirit nor flag, ex- 
hibited since you left. 

Sam Reader. 



170 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[January 11, 1863.] 

All well as usual. . . . Had letter from the Dr. At the battle 
of Cane Hill he & his horse got excited (he said,) and took part in a 
cavalry charge made by our men on a rebel battery. He got in ad- 
vance of our column & among the rebels, one of whom struck him on 
the back of the head & knocked him from his horse, bruising him 
severely. He rec'd two loads of buck shot thro' his coat & lost his 
horse. 51 I suppose he tho't himself again in some revolutionary cam- 
paign in France. Very warm. As I am writing the doors are open 
& I am in my shirt sleeves. My book is called: "The American 
Manuel of Phonography" by Longley & Bro's., Cincinnatti Ohio. I 
wrote the word "confederates (being shelled/') as a pun. If Burn- 
side shelled them I think the rascals of rebels got all the meal. I 
have great hopes in the slaves giving Uncle Sam a helping hand. A 
negro Reg.t in Kansas has been mustered in. 52 They say the Indians 
are splendid on a scout. In the 2'd reg't they are in good part Chero- 
kees. Their language is written in character of their own invention 
& I believe this is the only Indian so written. The Dr [Campdoras] . 
is Assistant Surgeon. The Col. ... is still under arrest for 
arresting his superior officer. 

I suppose you will be about as tired reading this, as I am writing 
it, so I'll close, etc. 

51. Doctor Campdoras' letter describing the battle was also copied in the Reader diary. 
It follows: 

"I hare had a kind of battle; not much of it; enough to have something to relate when 
people are tired with the eternal Campaign du Var. A little by choice, and some by the will 
of my ci-devant horse, I found myself leading a charge of Cavalry to try to take a battery. 
Just one of our soldiers ahead of me, and Secesh 'mighty' thick around; So near that I 
took hold of the gun of one who was going to shoot me, and made him prisoner; when I 
was struck on the back of the head by another one and knocked off my horse. The road was 
narrow, between the high bank of a creek and a fence, and a great many of Rebels coming, 
push'd by our soldiers I succeeded to crawl under the horses (&) to get near the fence with- 
out any harm but some contusions, where I rested between two Secesh ; one dead, and an- 
other dying, I have lost my horse (which) ran with them. It was a regular stampede. 
Never I saw men so scared. Plenty fun, and no harm but to my clothes I got two loads 
of buckshot in my coat. The fight took place on the road S. of Cane Hill. We followed 
the enemy for seven or eight miles; quite an exciting race. We lost about 7 or 8 men killed 
and perhaps 25 wounded. The enemy lost a little more. A good deal of ammunition used 
without effect. I came back to camp to day, The fight took place day before yesterday, 
etc. etc. M. A. Campdoras." 

52. The colored regiment was mustered into service January 13, 1863. Wilder's Annals 
of Kansas. 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 171 

[To His Half-Sister Martha] 

[January 17, 1863.] 
D[ear] S[ister] Mat. 

I reced Ellas long and pleasing letter this week and now attempt 
an answer to my sch. girl sisters We are all well as usual. I got a 
phonographic letter from Frank last week dated Jan 1 which I 
answered immediately. I think he is making fine progress in his 
new study of shorthand; at any rate he is improving faster than I 
am, although Camp must be a poor place for study from what I 
hear. 

I hear that many of the boys from this place who have enlisted 
are learning and becoming adept in things not quite so creditable 
as short hand and Latin. A large number drink and gamble and 
some of them have become "light fingered." It is my opinion that 
these vices are not so prevalent in the Eastern army, but suppose 
they exist to some extent. "Old King Alcohol" doubtless causes all 
of this depravity by one means or another and I think should by all 
means be excluded from the army etc etc. 

Our weather has been delightful nearly all this winter. A few 
days ago some of our farmers were plowing. The ther. being 60 
or 70, but a few days ago we had a sudden change the ther. running 
down to 5- I was caught out in this cold spell of weather and had 
my ears nose and lips slightly touched by the frost. I think I 
never suffered more from the cold than on those two days I was 
out. I had to face a N. E snow storm driven by a very hard wind, 
which carried the snow and sleet in a nearly horizontal direction. 
You can have no idea of the piercing nature of our Kansas winds in 
the Winter, especially on the high prairies where no obstacle pre- 
sents itself for miles. To day the weather has moderated and it may 
continue so for a long time. "All quiet along Soldier creek." Our 
pugnacious friends of Indianola have not shed any blood for a long 
time. Half a dozen revolvers were however drawn at a Ball at the 
Clinton house, two weeks ago, but resulted in no casualties. King 
Alcohol as usual was the instigator. I never go to any of the many 
Balls, Hops, Fandangoes or whatever you have a mind to call them 
in this neighborhood. I have no conscientious scruples against danc- 
ing but cannot "shake the fantastic toe" myself. I never tried to 
dance but a few times and am now too old to learn. I took my 
cousin Fannie [Cole] to several surprise parties this Winter at which 
we sung (I of course through my flute) ; played chess and amused 
ourselves as best we could. The young folks talk of making a de- 



172 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

scent in force upon the Doctor's house some of these evenings. We 
have had a singing school for several weeks. I for the first time try 
to sing base. I succeed indifferently well, my voice is not quite so 
harsh and cracked as I had supposed. We have not heard from the 
Dr. for 3 weeks. He is Assistant Surgeon of the 2ond Indian Reg't. 
1st Division of the Army of the Frontier, Gen. Blunt commanding. 
He likes the service very well now He was rash enough to take 
part in a cavalry charge at Cane Hill. . . . We hope the Dr. 
will take better care of himself in the future. Some of our neighbors 
who are in Blunts army wrote that the Dr. was wild with excitement 
at the battle. He took off his hat and swinging it around his head, 
shouted: "Hurra boys! let us clean them out!" and spurred to the 
front of the attacking column. 

Please send the enclosed note to brother Frank. I will allow you 
to read it- as a return for the favor. Ella wishes to know whom 
F[rank]. R[eader]. C[ampdoras]. resembles. He is not so much 
like his father as Leon in personal appearance. Just fancy a child 
just able to sit alone with intensely black eyes dark hair and a 
good natured expression when satisfied and you have him. I never 
have anything to do with him as he is so young. I am afraid I 
might drop him were I to take him up. Besides they all laugh at 
my awkward manner of holding a little one, and that also deters me. 
It is rather late. I will close. Love & respects to all 

Your aff. bro. 

S. J. R. 

P. S. Will you be kind enough to present my compliments to Miss 
G. Be sure you do not fail, if you please, and you will greatly 
oblige, your bro. 

[To E. D. Rose, Company E] 

Squire R. [January 19, 1863.] 

D. F. 

As it is snowing today I improve the opportunity &c Well ex- 
cepting Mrs. De W[olf ] . Mrs. Bollote is in the neighborhood "All 
quiet along Soldier" &c (See Mats letter) It appears that Kaw 
Charley got drunk and was abused by big Aleck Nadox [Nadeau], 
Lew Ogee Cy. Higg[inbotham], and some others took Charley's 
part and came near having a big row Otherwise the Ball is said to 
have been a splendid affair; about 30 couples present. The old 
Lady [Clinton] towards morning made the discovery that "Her 
Wm" was missing. She immediately commenced a vigilant search 



LETTERS OF SAMUEL JAMES READER 173 

fearing (rightly, perhaps) his affections were being bestowed on 
some object other than herself. After exhausting all her strategy in 
vain she gave up the search and as she could not enjoy the Ball 
herself, she determined no one else should; so after turning off the 
lamps and sprinkling a little oil over the ladies dresses, she suc- 
ceeded. I was not there, as I do not dance. Dr. A[shmore]. & Jim 
T. are now "as thick as 3 in a bed" A few weeks ago the Doc, 
threatened to shoot Jim and pull down the "shanty" every time he 
got tight. I don't know how long the peace will last. Here is an- 
other item of news: Our respected friend J. M. H. was married to 
Mrs. (widow) Wm. M 8 or 9 days ago. He got his divorce last 
Nov. The old man spent no time in mourning. Wm E B [owker] . 
rec'd a Captains com. from Washington a week or two ago without 
his knowledge, To serve in 4 Indian Reg. & to start to L[eaven- 
worth]. C[ity]. yesterday. Weather &c. We have not heard from 
the Dr. Campdoras (See Mats letter & Drs) I remain as ever 
truly your friend. 

P S. One word about H D . His father told me not long ago 
that H . did not desert. That he stopped with his friends at 
B[owling]. G[reen]. and staid all night. That when he went to 
camp the next morning he found it impossible to join it as it had 
started at 3 o'clock. A short time afterwards he was caught by 
Rebel scouts and has been paroled. He also said H . had written 
to his Co. several times but could get no answer. Did any of his 
letters reach your camp? It is the general opinion here that he 
deserted but D . denies it. I should like to hear from you often. 

S. J. R. Ac. 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[February 13, 1863.] 

The Dr. [Campdoras] is in Arkansas. He said he intended to 
stay in the army till the end of the war, if possible as he says we 
are fighting for a Principle. But he says our battles in Ark. have 
been greatly exaggerated by our correspondents, etc. 

The Legislature is doing little or nothing. Taxes are very high & 
the price of land is low. The premium on gold is now truly alarming. 
It looks like financial ruin may overtake us. ... 

Our whisky friends of Indianola are all noisy for peace by any 
and all means. Conway of Kansas does not represent the people 
here as our spokesman. He is the first Abolitionist that has asked 
for the recognition of the Southern Confederacy, in Congress. . . . 



174 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[March 19, 1863.] 

. . . I have written my Journal all in phonography since I 
wrote to you last. I like it very much, now. I can read & write rt 
better every day. B. & Bob here for dinner. P. M. Bob left. 
. . . I can get a position as Lieutenant if I wish, he says. (Bufc 
he advised me to stay home.) 

[To His Half-Brother Frank] 

[March 22, 1863.] 

Some of the Copperheads say they will not be peaceably drafted, 
as they didnt bring on the war etc. ... A Copperhead organ 
called The Enquirer was cleaned out in L[eavenworth]. City one 
mo. ago. Free Kansas would not permit treason in any shape to 
rear its head. I am sorry father still clings to the Dem. party ; but 
as in every thing else, there is a possibility of our being wrong, & h 
in the right. But I hope he does not endorse the sentiments of such 
men as Vallandigham. I think if you cant convert him, it would be 
useless for me to try as I suppose he looks upon me as a hot-headed 
fanatic. Try your best Frank (etc. etc.) Tell Father if slavery 
receives its death blow in this war, I will most likely join the Dem. 
party, &c. . . . 



Baseball in Kansas, 1867-1940 

HAROLD C. EVANS 

THE spring of 1867 was one of tremendous activity in Kansaa. 
Workmen were busily constructing the first unit of the state 
t apitol at Topeka. Lawrence was looking forward to the successful 
tompletion of the first year of study at the new State University. 
Salina was awaiting the arrival of the first train over the Kansas 
Pacific and Joseph G. McCoy was building a great cattle market 
at Abilene. Federal commissioners were negotiating with the In- 
dians for a peace treaty, soon to be signed at Medicine Lodge. 
Susan B. Anthony was preparing to invade the state in behalf of 
female suffrage. In the midst of all this Leavenworth, the restless 
metropolis on the Missouri river, found time for play. The Frontier 
Baseball Club was chartered early in the year 1 and the crack of the 
bat meeting the horsehide sphere was added to the hum of industry 
in the big town on the river bluffs. 

The Frontiers were sponsored by a group of Pioneer City busi- 
ness and professional leaders, most of whom were veterans of the 
Civil War. Leader in the movement was Col. Thomas Moonlight, 
soldier, statesman and diplomat, who had commanded the Eleventh 
Kansas regiment in the late conflict and returned to Leavenworth 
with a desire to promote the welfare of the city by providing whole- 
some recreation for its young men. A. A. Hyde, a young bank clerk 
who later founded the Mentholatum company in Wichita, signed as 
one of the incorporators. Personnel records of the Frontiers have 
not been preserved and accounts of their activities are meager. It 
is probable that they resorted to playing "Work-up" or choosing 
up sides until some rival nines were organized. But it was not long 
until the baseball fever had gripped Leavenworth and was spread- 
ing rapidly down the Missouri river and westward up the valley of 
the Kansas. 

"Lawrence has got it, Leavenworth 's got it, Topeka's got it, 
we've all got it," the Topeka Weekly Leader reported on August 
22. "We now boast three baseball clubs in Topeka. The Shawnees, 
the Prairie club (whilom Old Maids), and the Capitol." Law- 
rence had its Kaw Valleys and its Universitys; Leavenworth had a 
rival to provide local competition for the Frontiers. "The Prairies 

1. "Corporations," charter copybooks, Kansas, v. 1, p. 281. The charter was filed Janu- 
ary 29, 1867. 

(175) 



176 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

played a friendly match game with the Shawnees last Friday and 
were 'scooped/ " continued the Weekly Leader. "They played again 
Tuesday, and were again 'scooped.' It is their intention to wait 
now till the Capitols (composed of boys under 15) bust the Shaw- 
nees, as they will, and then propose to Shawnee to join them in a 
friendly game of pins believing that both the Shawnees and them- 
selves are better adapted to that game. . . ." These scornful 
remarks probably were prompted by the lack of success the Topeka 
clubs had achieved in inter-city competition, the Shawnees having 
been soundly beaten by Lawrence's Kaw Valleys, 52 to 15. 

Topeka made a social event out of the visit by the Lawrence club. 
The victorious Kaw Valleys were entertained lavishly at the Gor- 
don house and departed by train with the Topeka Brass Band blar- 
ing out a friendly farewell. Traditional animosities engendered by 
baseball rivalry had not become established but it was not many 
years until baseball was provoking a lot of vitriolic repartee in rival 
newspapers. 

The Shawnees regained some prestige for the capital city by win- 
ning from the University s at Lawrence, 96 to 57. 2 Scores like this 
were not uncommon; on the contrary they were the usual thing in 
those days. Nearly every rule in baseball favored the batter over 
the pitcher. In the first place the rules decreed that the ball should 
be "pitched, not thrown." This restricted pitching to an underhand 
delivery much like that used in Softball today. The base on balls 
was unknown. It was the batter's privilege to stand and let the 
good ones go by as well as the bad ones. He didn't need to hit at 
the ball until he felt like it. Another rule, seldom strictly enforced, 
allowed the batter to call for a high or a low pitch. 

But three strikes were out, and to make things a trifle easier for 
the defense a third strike caught on first bounce was out as well as 
a foul caught on the bounce. The first bounce rule was not abol- 
ished until 1880. Pitchers were emancipated three years later when 
an amendment permitted overhand and free arm pitching. The 
base on balls developed during this period of enlightenment. In 
1884 six balls entitled the batter to free passage to first base, but in 
1887 they gave the batter an extra strike to balance matters after 
reducing the number of balls to five. The present rulings, "three 
strikes and out" and "four balls, take a base" came to stay in 1889. 3 

Baseball as a Kansas sport was officially recognized by the state 
fair association in 1867 when a silver baseball was awarded to the 

2. Topeka Weekly Leader, September 5, 1867. 

3. Irwin, Will, "Baseball," Collier's, May 15, 1909. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 177 

winners of the state championship. The state fair was held at Law- 
rence late in September and the Kaw Valleys kept the trophy at 
home by winning the title match from the Universitys on the last 
day of the fair. 4 The silver ball now rests in the Kansas State 
Historical Society's vault. 

Baseball activity was renewed with zeal in the spring of 1868. 
Intense rivalry had developed between the Frontiers and the Law- 
rence Kaw Valleys. These clubs met three times during the season 
and the Lawrence boys won every game, establishing a claim to the 
state championship. 5 Lawrence seethed with civic pride and the 
club was reorganized in 1869 with a list of directors that included 
such prominent citizens as Dudley C. Haskell, who later served as 
congressman from the second district and in whose honor Haskell 
Institute was named. 

Again it was a battle between the Kaw Valleys and the Frontiers. 
Despite its early start Leavenworth was forced to admit at the end 
of the campaign that Lawrence had definitely established itself as 
baseball capital of the Sunflower state. Possibly the Frontiers 
missed the guiding hand of Colonel Moonlight, who had been elected 
secretary of state and deserted Leavenworth for an office in Topeka. 
The game played between the Frontiers and the Kaw Valleys on 
September 10 was heralded as the championship struggle and the 
Valleys came in under the wire, 29 to 22. 6 

Baseball gossip occupied considerable space in Kansas newspapers 
the following spring. The Topeka Daily Kansas State Record an- 
nounced on April 8, 1870, that an attempt would be made to bring 
the Cincinnati Red Stockings to Topeka for a game with a picked 
team of Kansans. The Red Stockings, organized in 1867, were the 
first professional club in the United States. Apparently this am- 
bitious plan never materialized. Of more importance to Kansas 
baseball than this idle rumor was the organization of the Topeka 
Westerns, who were destined to become famous in Kansas baseball 
circles before long. 

Topeka's alert theatrical agent, a gentleman named 0. Sackett, 
was an opportunist who realized the possibilities of baseball as a 
crowd attraction. When the deal for the Red Stockings fell through 
he immediately boarded a train for Rockford, 111. The Forest Citys 
of Rockford were the only club in the land that could compete on 
fairly even terms with the Cincinnati boys and Sackett figured they 

4. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, September 28, 1867. 

5. Ibid., August 27, 1868. 

6. Ibid., September 11, 1869. 

123504 



178 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

would be an acceptable substitute. On May 5, 1870, the Topeka 
Kansas Daily Commonwealth announced that the Forest City club 
had been engaged to meet the state champion Kaw Valleys at the 
Topeka fairgrounds, May 11. 

In the Forest City lineup was A. G. Spalding, whose name later 
appeared on thousands of baseballs after he became the head of 
the great sporting goods house that bears his name. Spalding was 
one of the first great pitchers. In 1863 a Union soldier returning 
invalided to Rockford from the war found the local boys batting 
a ball around in aimless fashion. He told them he knew a better 
sport that he had learned in the army and taught them baseball. 
Spalding was one of his aptest pupils. The Forest Citys were soon 
organized and they were touring the country before many years 
had elapsed. 7 

Fifteen hundred persons crowded about the diamond at the Topeka 
fairground on that May afternoon long ago. In the visiting lineup 
were: Spalding, Hastings, Doyle, Addy, Foley, Barnes, Stires, Sim- 
mons and Barstow. For the Kaw Valleys the lineup included: 
Haskell, Whitman, Lane, Longfellow, White, Lefevre, Campbell, 
Griffin and Sears. It was announced that a picked nine of Kansas 
players would oppose Forest City the next afternoon. 

All things considered, the Kaws did not fare badly. The final 
audit showed a score of 41 to 6 for the Forest Citys. Sam Lakin, 
Topeka bank employee, was the umpire and each team provided its 
own score keeper, as the double check system was employed in 
those days. The "picked nine" was not so fortunate. This time the 
men from Illinois turned on the power and crushed the Kansans, 
97 to 12. The baseball "tournament" was a financial success, how- 
ever. Promoter Sackett made a neat profit and the elite of the city 
danced at Union hall the night of May 11, honoring the visiting 
athletes in a "Baseball Promenade." 8 

After this disaster Kansas teams confined their activities to intra- 
state competition for several years. Ottawa organized a team called 
the Nasbys and the boys from the Marais des Cygnes were off to 
an auspicious start with a 28 to 25 victory over Lawrence's Kaw 
Valleys. The Kaws evened it up a few weeks later and captured 
the third game, 21 to 16, to retain the state title. 9 

In 1871 Emporia introduced its Jayhawkers and a rival Lyon 
county team was organized at Americus, Emporia's old county seat 

7. Irwin, Will, loc. cit., May 8, 15, June 12, 1909. 

8. Topeka Kansas Daily Commonwealth, May 12, 13, 1870 ; Daily Kansas State Record, 
Topeka, May 12, 13, 1870. 

9. Ottawa Journal, May 5, June 9, 1870. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 179 

rival. On July 14 the Emporia News announced an impending clash 
between the Jayhawkers and the Americus nine. "Come and witness 
the game, ye lovers of innocent and manly sports," urged the News. 
The July 21 edition of the newspaper published an account of this 
game, which the Emporians won, 95 to 30. 

The Leavenworth Unions, successors to the Frontiers, celebrated 
the Fourth of July at Lawrence by winning a thrilling game from 
the Kaw Valley team, 24 to 22. 10 It was a great day in Leavenworth 
baseball history and the jubilant fans claimed that the state cham- 
pionship had been returned to the Pioneer City. But the Leaven- 
worth enthusiasts had reckoned without the Topeka Westerns who 
were sweeping through their opposition like a combination harvester 
and thresher through ripe wheat. The Topekans silenced Leaven- 
worth and Lawrence by resounding victories over the Unions and the 
Kaw Valleys and mid-August found their claim to baseball su- 
premacy almost unchallenged. They accepted an invitation from 
the Emporia Jayhawkers with some condescension. 

The Jayhawkers had been playing the game for only two months 
when they met the mighty Westerns on the Emporia diamond. To- 
peka gamblers in the Western entourage were offering two to one 
odds that their team would double the score on the Emporia novices. 
There were many takers. Some Topekans had to borrow railroad 
fare to get out of town after the game when the surprising Jay- 
hawkers thumped the Westerns, 31 to 27. "The Topeka boys were 
too confident, and the Emporia boys kept cool," wrote the News 
correspondent. 11 It was the Westerns' only defeat of the season, 
but the News claimed on September 15 that the Westerns had 
dodged a return game with the Emporians. "The Topeka Westerns 
had better emigrate to Greeley," sneered the News. The Jayhawk- 
ers went to meet the Topeka club on its own grounds September 13, 
but the latter declined to play. They were so badly demoralized 
by their little game in Emporia some time before, the News con- 
tinued, "that they have not got their spirits up since." 12 

Nevertheless, the Westerns dominated the field for the next eight 
or ten years. In the starting lineup in 1871 Jim McFarland was 
captain-pitcher, Glenny was behind the bat. Evarts, Morris and 
Gilmore composed the outfield. Barnes was at first base; Morgan, 
second base; Ritchie, short stop and Moore, third base. The Rix 
brothers appeared frequently in the lineup, one as pitcher, the other 

10. Leavenworth Daily Times, July 6, 1871. 

11. Emporia News, August 18, 1871. 

12. Ibid., September 15, 1871. 



180 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

in the outfield. The Emporia giant killers on that memorable Au- 
gust afternoon in 1871 were: Hawkins, Lord and Cochran, outfield- 
ers; Randolph, first base; Willard, second base; Simms, short stop; 
Wales, third base; Halleck, pitcher; Rollins, catcher. 13 During the 
three-year period, 1874-1876, the Westerns met defeat but once. 
After the club had returned to the home stand from a road trip 
"down the Gulf Road" in August, 1876, the Ottawa Red Stock- 
ings took their measure by a score of 10 to 7. 14 Fort Scott, Paola, 
LaCygne, Mound City and Pleasanton were among the teams that 
fell before the Westerns during their southeast Kansas invasion. 

Baseball was moving westward and many of the smaller towns 
had taken up the game. Ottawa met Williamsburg and Lyndon. 
Emporia's schedule included games with Cottonwood Falls and 
Council Grove. Manhattan, Junction City, the Fort Riley soldiers, 
Abilene and Salina were competing out on the Union Pacific lines. 
Reports from along the Santa Fe indicated that Newton, Wichita 
and Hutchinson were rivals on the diamond. 

But the depressions, droughts and grasshopper invasions of the 
1870's apparently sapped Kansas baseball enthusiasm to a con- 
siderable degree. There was little advance dope in the press when 
spring came 'round in 1880 and a Topeka newspaper queried, "What 
is the matter with Atchison, Lawrence and Leavenworth in regard 
to baseball?" Atchison, it recalled, had never had a good club, but 
what then had become of Manhattan, Wichita and Lyndon? 15 

The Westerns, with some new players in their lineup, were hard 
at work and Ottawa's Red Stockings were ready for another season. 
But, aside from the renewed Ottawa-Topeka rivalry and periodical 
visits by touring clubs from Kansas City and Dubuque, Iowa, there 
was little activity during the ensuing summer months. History 
was made again on April 17, however, when the first inter-collegiate 
baseball game was played at Lawrence between the University nine 
and the Washburn team. 

For several years there had been desultory activity on Kansas 
college diamonds. Back in 1867, it will be recalled, the University 
team played matches with the Topeka Shawnees and the Lawrence 
Kaw Valleys. There is no record of games played by this team 
in a Scores pamphlet published by the Kansas University Athletic 
Association in January, 1932. Six baseball letters were awarded in 
1874, the roster of K-men reveals, but the first game recorded in 

13. Ibid., August 18, 1871. 

14. The Triumph, Ottawa, September 1, 1876. 

15. The Topeka Daily Capital, April 28, 1880. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 181 

this pamphlet is a successful foray against the town team in 
1879. 

Washburn organized a team in 1880, played a practice game with 
the Westerns, in which the collegians were soundly drubbed and 
then invaded Lawrence for the match with K. U. Details of the 
game have not been recorded. The rival Lawrence newpaper men 
who covered the contest confined their remarks to personalities not 
related to the game. The Topeka Capital of April 19 published the 
score with little comment. It was 29 to 22 in favor of Washburn. 
The University nine came to Topeka for a return game four weeks 
later and tasted the sweets of revenge. The score of this game was 
22 to 10, K. U. 16 

Washburn's team included DeHart, Elliot, Holliday, Ballinger, 
Tefft, Ross, Fowler, Heaton, and Quail. The University has no 
record of the 1880 baseball team, but the roster of K-men includes 
the names of seven men who won baseball letters that year, includ- 
ing: E. C. Little, M. Lovelace, D. J. Rankin, C. F. Scott, W. C. 
Spangler, R. E. Twitchell and S. T. Williams. Both Little and Scott 
served terms in congress after leaving the university. 

College athletics did not develop rapidly until the 1890's, but 
Baker University had a baseball team as early as 1882 and played 
a game with K. U. that spring, according to Thomas A. Evans, 
alumni secretary at Baker. Records at Kansas University give the 
score of a meeting between the Jayhawks and the Methodists in 
1886. It was a 6-6 tie. 17 Baker has a record of the tie game, says 
Evans, but the Baldwin historians give the year as 1885 and the 
score as 16-16. Baseball games between Baker, K. U. and Wash- 
burn were regularly scheduled after 1888. Before the end of the 
century Emporia Normal, Ottawa, Kansas State, St. Mary's, Beth- 
any and the College of Emporia were playing the game. 

Professional baseball gained a foothold during the boom of the 
middle 1880's. The Topeka Westerns and their successors the 
Browns were semi-professional clubs during this period. Atchison, 
Kansas City and Leavenworth were hiring players and organized 
league baseball appeared in 1886 when Topeka and Leavenworth 
took franchises in the Western League, a six-club circuit that also 
included Denver, Leadville, Lincoln and St. Joseph. 18 The Kansas 
teams did not fare well their first season. Anxious to advertise 
their booming city, several Topeka financiers decided to buy a club 
that would put Topeka on the baseball map in embossed capitals. 

16. The Commonwealth, Topeka, May 16, 1880. 

17. The University Courier, Lawrence, April 30, 1886. 

18. The Topeka Daily Capital, June 10, 1886. 



182 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The result was the collection of the highest priced and ablest crew of 
diamond athletes that ever represented a Kansas city. Goldsby's 
Golden Giants, they were called. What a ball club ! 

Early in 1887 the Western League was enlarged to an eight-club 
circuit, and by mid-season there were ten teams in the race. Lead- 
ville had dropped out but Kansas City, Hastings and Omaha were 
added. Emporia and Wichita came into the fold when the season 
was half finished but never caught up with the pack. Emporia fin- 
ished ninth and Wichita last. But the Golden Giants of Manager 
Goldsby breezed in to win the pennant about twenty games ahead of 
Lincoln, the nearest contender. The team finished with a percentage 
of nearly .800. Six Giants boasted batting averages above the .400 
mark. The great "Bugs" Holliday delighted the fans at Kenwood 
park with his home runs, seventeen for the season. These abnormal 
batting averages may be partially explained by the then prevailing 
rule crediting the batter with a hit and a time at bat for each base on 
balls. Under the present rules a base on balls does not count as a 
time at bat. 19 

But deflated real-estate values incidental to the bursting boom 
bubble depleted the Topeka war chest and the Giants were con- 
sidered too expensive a luxury for another season. Most of the 
talented members of that club, which has become almost a legend in 
Topeka, went back to the major leagues. The Western League was 
gradually diminished as hard-pressed club owners gave up their 
franchises during the lean years and only four clubs remained in 
1893, Topeka, Kansas City, Lawrence and St. Joseph. There was 
some brisk activity on college fields, however, and Junction City, 
Abilene, Manhattan and Enterprise formed a short-lived league in 
1895. The Missouri Valley League, training school for numerous 
major leaguers in later years, was organized about this time with 
representatives in several southeast Kansas towns. 

The Leavenworth Maroons, a fast semi-professional club, entered 
the picture in 1895 when they outdistanced all opposition. Junction 
City had a strong team that included "Dummy" Taylor, deaf-mute 
pitcher and outfielder, who played with the New York Giants in the 
early 1900's. These towns, Junction City and Leavenworth, be- 
came baseball rivals in 1896. But interest lagged in Leavenworth 
and the Maroons were moved to Topeka in June. 20 Topeka or- 
ganized an athletic association and built a new ball park, which 

19. Ibid., May 2, 1934. 

20. The Topeka State Journal, June 22, 1896. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 183 

stood on East Fifteenth street for many years. A Kansas State 
League was organized to include Junction City, Topeka, Emporia 
and Minneapolis. The Maroons performed well in their first Topeka 
appearance but when the games were over the club manager and the 
receipts vanished. Some of the Maroons had received no pay for 
weeks and had to walk to town from the ball park. 21 

The Kansas State League soon disbanded, but the Maroons con- 
tinued as the Topeka Blues and played independently with such 
worthy rivals as Atchison, Independence, Tola, Coffeyville and Junc- 
tion City. Abilene had a fast club and was winning games from 
Salina, Emporia, Chapman, Wichita and Fort Riley. On August 8, 
1896, the Daily Reflector pointed with pride to Abilene's record of 
ten wins in thirteen starts. Unfortunately this boast was followed 
by successive defeats by Salina and Wichita. 

The Haskell Indians toured the state during the summer of 1896 
and 1897. The State League appeared again in 1897 with Atchison, 
Emporia, Junction City and Topeka. Abilene and Salina replaced 
Emporia and Junction City in 1898. Abilene threatened to rim 
away with the race in the early games, but the club slumped, the 
war distracted public attention, and the team was disbanded in 
June. 22 

Southeast Kansas was becoming a hotbed of baseball in the early 
1900's. The Missouri Valley League produced Warren Seabough 
and Johnny Kane of Pittsburg, who were taken up by the Chicago 
Cubs. In 1903 the Missouri Valley circuit included Fort Scott, 
Joplin, Nevada, Leavenworth, lola, Jefferson City, Sedalia and 
Pittsburg. The Western Association, which had been operating in 
Iowa and Illinois, shifted its sphere of activity to the southwest in 
1905 and opened as an eight-club loop with Joplin, Oklahoma City, 
Guthrie, Leavenworth, Sedalia, Wichita, Springfield and Topeka. 

Wichita's entry was the city's first baseball venture since 1887. 
Will Kimmel was the club owner and Jack Holland was imported 
from Little Rock, Ark., to manage the team. The "Jabbers" opened 
the season at the home grounds in Island park with a 3 to 2 defeat 
by Topeka. Ernie Quigley was at short stop for the visitors. The 
umpire was Brick Owens, who, like Quigley, became a famous 
major league umpire in later years. Owens' Wichita debut was 
inauspicious, though exciting. Brick left the park with enraged 
fans demanding his blood because he had called a Wichita runner 

21. Ibid., July 6, 1896. 

22. Abilene Daily Reflector, June 13, 1898. 



184 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

out for failure to touch first and second bases. 23 Wichita won the 
pennant that year, Topeka was seventh. 24 

Richard G. Cooley, a former Detroit American League outfielder, 
piloted Topeka to a Western Association pennant in 1906. Hutch- 
inson had replaced Guthrie, and Webb City, Mo., succeeded Sedalia 
in the standings. 25 Leavenworth withdrew in 1908 and was replaced 
by Enid, Okla. Jack Holland won another pennant for Wichita in 
1907 26 and it was Cooley's turn to bring the flag to the capital city 
in 1908. 27 While the "Jimson League," as Jay House, Topeka 
Capital columnist, called the W. A. circuit, provided lively sum- 
mer entertainment for thousands of citizens in Kansas, Missouri 
and Oklahoma, it was definitely a "bush league." The Class A 
Western League had been operating with six clubs, including Den- 
ver, Omaha, Des Moines, Sioux City, Lincoln and St. Joseph. 
Wichita and Topeka were added to this more select circle in 1909. 

The advent of Class A minor league baseball marks Kansas' 
golden age in the professional game. In 1910 twenty-five cities and 
towns were sponsoring teams in organized baseball. Wichita and 
Topeka were well established in the Western League. The Kansas 
State League, revived as a Class D organization, included McPher- 
son, Hutchinson, Lyons, Arkansas City, Great Bend, Newton, Wel- 
lington and the Twin Cities club, sponsored jointly by Strong City 
and Cottonwood Falls. The Central Kansas League, also of Class 
D rating, included Salina, Ellsworth, Abilene, Manhattan, Junction 
City, Clay Center, Beloit and Concordia. Larned later assumed 
the Twin Cities franchise in the State League. 28 

The Eastern Kansas League opened its first campaign in 1910 
with Seneca, Sabetha, Hiawatha, Holton, Horton and Marysville 
at the starting post. 29 Down in the old W. A., Guthrie encountered 
financial difficulties before the end of the summer and the club was 
moved to Independence. In the Central Kansas League the Beloit 
club was moved to Chapman, probably the smallest Kansas town 
that ever sponsored a team in organized baseball. 30 

Kansas was ably represented in the major leagues at this time. 
Walter Johnson and Joe Wood, two of the greatest speed ball 

23. The Wichita Daily Eagle, May 9, 1905. 

24. Ibid., September 19, 1905. 

25. The Topeka Daily Capital, September 24, 1906. 

26. Ibid. September 20, 1907. 



27. Ibid. 

28. Ibid. 

29. Ibid. 

30. Ibid. 



September 22, 1908. 
May 22, 1910. 
June 30, 1910. 
July 21, 1910. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 185 

pitchers of all time, were causing distress to American League bat- 
ters. Wood, who came from Ness City by way of the Hutchinson 
Western Association club, was with the Boston Red Sox. Johnson, 
who was born on a farm near Humboldt, was with the Washington 
Senators. Art Griggs of Topeka was an infielder with the St. Louis 
Browns. 

For some obscure reason Johnson was known as the "Big Train." 
During the major portion of his career he maintained a winter home 
near Coffeyville and Grantland Rice called him the "Coffeyville 
Express." Unfortunately the Senators were one of the weaker clubs 
during most of Johnson's career. "Washington first in war, first 
in peace and last in the American League," was a popular vaude- 
ville laugh line for years. But the club finally won a pennant in 
1924 and Johnson, after nearly twenty years, had his first World 
Series opportunity against the late John McGraw's New York 
Giants. Beaten in his first two efforts, Johnson went into the seventh 
and deciding game as a relief pitcher in the ninth inning and held 
the New York club scoreless until his teammates squeezed out a 
run in the twelfth to win the game and series. 31 

In 1925 the Senators won the American League flag again and 
faced the Pittsburg Pirates in the series. Johnson was in great form, 
allowing but one run in eighteen innings to win his first two starts. 
Handicapped by a leg injury, he went down to defeat in the de- 
ciding game, which was played in a pouring rain. 32 The big Kan- 
san retired from active competition in 1927, ending his baseball 
career as manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1936. He sold his 
Coffeyville home after the death of his wife in 1930 and has since 
lived in Maryland, where he is now the Republican nominee for 
congress from Maryland's Sixth district. 

Joe Wood, known as "Smoky Joe" because of his dazzling fast 
ball, broke into organized baseball with the Hutchinson Western 
Association club in 1907 at the age of eighteen. His rise was rapid. 
In 1912 he was the mainstay of the Boston Red Sox pitching staff. 
The Red Sox won the American League pennant and met the New 
York Giants in the World Series. Wood opposed Big Jeff Tesreau, 
Giant ace, in the first game and won, 4 to 3. With three days 
rest he came back and stopped the Giants again, 3 to 1. His third 
appearance in a game which would have given his team the series, 
was met by a Giant bombardment that sent him to the club house 

31. "Big Chief Johnson of the Indians," The Literary Digest, June 24, 1933; Topeka 
Daily Capital, October 11, 1924. 

32. The Topeka Daily Capital, October 16, 1925. 



186 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

in the first inning. But Joe came back the next day as a relief 
pitcher in the eighth inning and held the Giants until his comrades 
broke a tie to win in the tenth. 33 Wood now coaches baseball at 
Yale. 

A contemporary of Wood and Johnson was Fred Clarke, an out- 
fielder with a great batting eye and tremendous speed on the bases. 
Clarke played twenty-one years of major league baseball and was 
manager of the Pittsburg Pirates for a number of years. Since his 
retirement he has lived near Udall. 34 

Kansas clergymen and other advocates of strict Sabbath obser- 
vance conducted a stout fight against Sunday baseball but to little 
avail. A Kansas statute provided that persons "convicted of horse- 
racing, cockfighting or playing cards or games of any kind on Sun- 
day shall be guilty of a misdemeanor." The strict enforcement 
crowd invoked this statute against Ernest Prather who was arrested 
in Johnson county on July 14, 1907, for promoting a baseball game 
on the Sabbath. He was convicted in the district court but the case 
was appealed and the decision was reversed by the Supreme Court of 
Kansas. 35 

Justice Silas Porter, in presenting the opinion of the court, said in 
part, "This construction would make the statute apply to every 
game to authors, whist, chess, checkers, backgammon and cribbage, 
even when played within the privacy of one's home, and to croquet, 
basketball, tennis and golf, whether played in public or on private 
grounds." 36 Subsequent efforts to enact legislation specifically pro- 
hibiting Sunday baseball have been unsuccessful. A law passed in 
1907, however, prohibits baseball games on Memorial Day. 

With the approval of the supreme court Sunday baseball became 
so well established that it was countenanced in nearly every city in 
the state. A Minneapolis minister even conducted religious services 
at the ball park. Jay House observed that the umpire's failure to 
come forward and ask forgiveness for his sins defeated the essential 
purpose of this innovation. 37 

House, a popular columnist, was one of Kansas' cleverest baseball 
writers. He perfected a style somewhat similar to that of Ring 
Lardner, who loved to magnify the incidentals of the game. The 
weather was one of House's favorite themes. One game in the spring 
of 1910 was played on what he described as 

33. Ibid., October 9, 12, 16, 17, 1912. 

34. Ibid., March 24, 1940. 

35. State v. Prather, 79 Kan. 513-520. 

36. Ibid. 

37. The Topeka Daily Capital, August 31, 1909. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 187 

the worst day for baseball ever seen in this latitude. It was not only nipping 
cold, but the wind blew fifty miles an hour every minute of the game. Half 
the time the players were obscured from the vision of the meager handful 
of fans in the stands by swirling clouds of dust. . . . Baseball was in- 
cidental. The players spent most of their time wiping dust from their eyes. 
Had there been no wind it would have been a fine day for skating. 38 

Baseball was a major sport in Kansas college circles during the 
golden age that preceded the World War. Baker, Washburn, 
Bethany, Emporia Teachers, Western Kansas Normal, College of 
Emporia, Friends, Fairmount, Ottawa, St. Mary's, Kansas Wesleyan, 
Southwestern, Haskell, Kansas State and Kansas University had 
teams on the diamond. Lonberg of Washburn, Hal Harlan of 
K. U., Mason of Baker, Baird of Kansas State and Collins of St. 
Mary's were a quintet of pitchers that would have graced any minor 
league staff. 

Harlan and Lonberg met in one of the most sensational pitching 
encounters in college history one May afternoon back in 1908. It 
was the third meeting of the season for K. U. and Washburn. The 
Jayhawkers had beaten Lonberg at Lawrence. Washburn had 
blanked the university men in an earlier game at Topeka. The 
deciding game was played on the Washburn field. Neither team 
scored in thirteen innings. In the fourteenth a homerun following 
a double gave K. U. two runs, a lead that looked mountainous. But 
the Ichabods came back with an assault on Harlan that produced 
five hits, three runs and victory. 39 

Baird of the Aggies shut out the Washburn nine that same season 
and Baker's Mason also stopped the Ichabods. The Bethany Swedes 
had a great club in 1909, counting K. U. among their victims. In 
1910 the Aggies, as they called the Kansas State Wildcats in those 
days when the big Manhattan school was still a "cow college," won 
20 out of 24 games with Baird carrying the pitching burden and 
Josh Billings, the Grantville boy who went to Cleveland via the To- 
peka Western League club, as first string catcher. 

Baker's contribution to the pro game was "Zip" Zabel, a rangy 
right-handed pitcher, who broke in with the Kansas City Blues and 
later went to the Chicago Cubs. Zabel played football and basket- 
ball at Baker while he was a professional baseball player. This is an 
illustration of the liberality of collegiate eligibility rules in Kansas, 
where participation in professional baseball only disqualifies an 
athlete for that particular sport while he retains his amateur stand- 
as. Ibid., April 24, 1910. 
39. Ibid., May 23, 1908. 



188 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

ing in other sports. In many Eastern colleges this would have dis- 
qualified Zabel from all competition. Baker alumni of the pre-war 
days recall that Zabel was a good basketball center and a hard- 
hitting fullback on the gridiron. 

The Kansas State and Central Kansas Leagues had ceased to 
exist before the end of the World War. Wichita lost its Western 
League club in 1933. Its last pennant was won in 1931. Art Griggs 
became owner in 1926, but moved the team to Tulsa in 1932. Frank 
Isbell then took over the Wichita franchise in an effort to keep the 
town on the organized baseball map, but after a few games in 1933 
the team moved to Muskogee. 

Since 1930 Wichita has held the state semipro tournament. The 
National Semipro Congress was organized in that city in 1935 when 
the first National Semipro tournament was held. Raymond Du- 
mont, former Wichita newspaperman, is president of the organiza- 
tion and the state and national tournaments are now annual events 
in the city. A baseball school is held annually in April. Wichita 
semipro enthusiasts contend that the semipro game is faster than 
the Class C professional baseball played at Topeka, Salina and 
Hutchinson and express little interest in attempts to place a Western 
Association club in their city. 

The ubiquitous Dick Cooley brought league baseball back to 
Topeka in 1922. 40 At various times during the next few years To- 
peka, Arkansas City, Independence, Coffeyville, Hutchinson and 
Salina were represented either in the Southwestern League or the 
Western Association. Topeka won the Southwestern pennant in 
1925. 41 The capital city tried Western League baseball in 1929, 
1930, 1931 and 1933, with little success. Some good players were 
developed and sold to major league clubs, but the Topeka entry 
failed to finish higher than sixth place in the standings. 

Wichita's withdrawal from the Western League in 1933 and sev- 
eral abortive attempts to put Topeka, Hutchinson and other cities 
in the Western Association nearly killed the professional game in 
Kansas. Baseball, both amateur and professional, was at its lowest 
ebb in the early 1930's. All the colleges abandoned the game but 
Kansas State. One of the hardest blows to college baseball was 
the passing of St. Mary's. The little Catholic college had dominated 
Kansas amateur baseball circles for years and trained several play- 
ers for professional careers. Since 1931 the college enrollment has 

40. The Topeka State Journal, April 21, 1922. 

41. Ibid., September 15, 1925. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 189 

been restricted to clerics, thus eliminating a program of competitive 
athletics. 

The American Legion Junior Baseball program has been one of 
the most potent factors in bringing about the revival of interest in 
baseball. Nation-wide in scope, the program was launched by the 
Legion in 1926 and has operated in Kansas since its inception. Boys 
below the age of seventeen are eligible for competition on clubs 
sponsored by local Legion posts. Kansas has forty teams in the 
field, who compete for the state championship and the right to enter 
the regional, sectional and national play-offs. The Western Sec- 
tional tournament was held at Topeka in 1934. The program is 
directed by the Junior Baseball subcommittee of the National 
Americanization commission of the American Legion. 42 

Major league magnates were not slow to recognize the potential 
value of the Junior Baseball program as a source of material for 
major league clubs. The National and American Leagues now con- 
tribute $20,000 toward the expense of the national play-offs. In 
the Junior World Series of 1939 Dan Barry of the American League 
and Ernest C. Quigley of St. Marys, a National League umpire, 
officiated. 43 

A second factor in the revival of baseball in Kansas is the Ban 
Johnson League, an amateur organization for youths under 21. 
Named for the late Bancroft Johnson, who for many years was 
president of the American League, the Ban Johnson movement be- 
gan in Kansas City, Mo., in 1928, when the Kansas City Junior 
League was renamed in Mr. Johnson's honor. The American League 
contributed $300 for a trophy as an award to the winning teams in 
1929. 

Harry Suter of Salina was granted permission to form the Ban 
Johnson League of Kansas in 1933. An eight-club league was or- 
ganized with clubs in Salina, Topeka, Beloit, Abilene, Wichita, 
El Dorado, Emporia and Dodge City. When applications were re- 
ceived from additional cities the league was split into three divisions. 
Division winners meet in an elimination series for the state title and 
since 1935 the Kansas champions have met the Missouri title holders 
in a series for the national championship. 44 

Players who have reached their twenty-first birthdays after the 
first of the year are permitted to play during the ensuing season. 
No player receives any pecuniary compensation, although most of 

42. Junior Baseball for 1940, a pamphlet published by the National Americanization 
Commission of the American Legion. 

43. Ibid. 

44. Goodman, Frank, "Records of the Ban Johnson League of America." 



190 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

the clubs have paid managers. The clubs are sponsored by civic 
organizations or by local industrial concerns. The Kansas Ban 
Johnson lineup is Central division: Beloit, Concordia, Fairbury 
(Nebr.), Junction City, Beatrice (Nebr.), Manhattan and Marys- 
ville. In the Western division are: Dodge City, Garden City, 
Lamed, Liberal and Pratt. The Southeastern division consists of 
Coffeyville, Fort Scott, Humboldt, Independence, lola, Parsons and 
Pittsburg. Because the policy of the league is to avoid conflict with 
professional baseball, Salina and Topeka dropped out of the league 
when they acquired Western Association franchises. 45 According to 
Walter Sloan of Topeka, president of the Ban Johnson League of 
Kansas, a sixth club may be added to the Western division and an 
eighth club to the Central division. Dr. G. L. Cowan of Dodge City 
is vice president and James E. Lang of Junction City is secretary 
and treasurer of the league. Leon Lundblade, Beloit attorney and 
former state president, recently succeeded Frank Goodman of Kan- 
sas City, Mo., as national president. 

Night baseball, which was introduced to Kansas in 1932, has 
proved to be the salvation of the professional game. The Hutch- 
inson, Salina and Topeka Western Association clubs play most of 
their games under the flood lights. When league baseball returned 
to Kansas in 1937 club owners wisely followed the example of the 
small colleges who have made night football pay in recent years. 
Kansas' leisure class is neither numerous nor sufficiently interested 
in baseball to fill the stands on week days, but "fans" who spend 
their afternoons at the office or the golf club are patronizing the 
night games. 

Soft ball, which local tradition says was originated by Topekans 
in 1916, has acquired a tremendous popularity in the past five years. 
The new game has stimulated interest in its parent sport, recent de- 
velopments have proven. Topeka has twenty or more soft ball 
teams playing to large and enthusistic crowds and the city cele- 
brated its return to organized baseball in 1939 by establishing a new 
season's attendance record for the Western Association. 

Kansas University, which had dropped baseball in 1931, put a 
team on the diamond again in 1937. Baker, pioneer in college 
athletics, renewed baseball activity in 1939, after an interlude of ten 
years, and the Haskell Indians were back in the game to provide 
neighborly rivalry for the Baldwin team. Friends University and 
Sterling College also are playing baseball again. Many of the 

45. Ibid. 



EVANS: BASEBALL IN KANSAS 191 

larger high schools took up the game in 1940, including Wyandotte 
and Ward of Kansas City, the two Wichita high schools and To- 
peka. 

Kansas is well represented in the major leagues today. Pittsburg, 
always a baseball center, is the winter home of Don Gutteridge of 
the St. Louis Cardinals and Ray Mueller of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 
Eldon Auker, a former Kansas State College athlete whose home is 
at Norcatur, is now with the St. Louis Browns. Auker, a pitcher, 
was previously with the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. 
Elon Hogsett, left-handed Indian pitcher from Ness City, was a 
team mate of Auker's at Detroit for two seasons. He was sent 
back to the minor leagues, but returned to the American League 
this spring as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. Fred Brickell 
and Forrest Jensen, both of Wichita, are with the Pittsburgh Pirates 
and Ira Smith, another resident of the Sedgwick county metropolis, 
is with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Many Kansas baseball players reached the top of the ladder in 
the years gone by, including Frank Isbell, who played second base 
for the old Chicago White Sox. Isbell has been a resident of Wich- 
ita for forty years and is now a member of the Sedgwick county 
board of commissioners. Claude Hendricks of Stanley was one of 
the mainstays of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff in the World 
War era. The Barnes brothers, Jess and Zeke, who came from a 
farm near Circleville, pitched good ball for the major leagues 
in the 1920's. Jess Barnes starred in the 1921 World Series be- 
tween the Giants and the Yankees. Jake Beckley of Leavenworth 
played first base for the Cardinals for several seasons at the peal 
of his career. Art Griggs of Topeka, played in the outfield for the 
St. Louis Browns for many years and later managed several minor 
league clubs, including Wichita. Judge Hugo Wedell of the Kan- 
sas supreme court, a resident of Chanute, was once with the Phila- 
delphia Phillies, as were Ray Pierce and George Darrow of Topeka. 

Hutchinson's most notable contribution was Babe Adams, one of 
Pittsburgh's great pitchers. Charlie Keller, another Salt City boy, 
was with the Chicago White Sox. Newton claims Nick Allen, erst- 
while catcher for the Cincinnati Reds. Kansas City produced Zack 
Wheat, Brooklyn outfielder and his brother Mack, a catcher with 
the same club. Pat Collins, now a Kansas City business man, is a 
former New York Yankees' catcher. 

Dale Gear, a Topeka resident for nearly thirty years, has devoted 
the major portion of his life to the game. After a playing career 



192 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

in major and minor leagues, Gear came to the capital city in 1912 
as manager of the Western League club. For many years he was 
president of both the Western League and the Western Association. 
Gear retired from baseball in 1935. 

St. Marys claims that Charlie Comiskey, first baseman of the old 
St. Louis Browns, was once a resident of that city. Comiskey and 
Ted Sullivan, another St. Marys Irishman, played ball together in 
the American Association and the National League. Comiskey 
and Ban Johnson organized the American League in 1900. For 
many years Comiskey was owner of the Chicago White Sox. 46 

Steve O'Rourke, formerly coach at St. Mary's College, is a scout 
for the Boston Red Sox. His neighbor in St. Marys is Ernest C. 
Quigley, who is probably the best known figure in Kansas sport 
circles and the dean of National League umpires. Bob Enslie, 
Waterville; George Magerkurth, McPherson; George Barr, Scam- 
mon; and Brick Owens, Pittsburg, are other Kansans who became 
major league umpires. 47 

46. The writer is compiling a list of Kansans who played major league baseball and will 
appreciate the assistance of sports editors, former players and lovers of the game in com- 
pleting an authentic list. The names will be filed with the Kansas State Historical Society. 

47. The Topeka Daily Capital, March 24, 1940. 



Recent Additions to the Library 

Compiled by HELEN M. MCFARLAND, Librarian 

IN ORDER that members of the Kansas State Historical Society 
and others interested in historical study may know the class of 
books we are receiving, a list is printed annually of the books ac- 
cessioned in our specialized fields. 

These books come to us from three sources, purchase, gift and 
exchange, and fall into the following classes: Books by Kansans 
and about Kansas ; books on the West, including explorations, over- 
land journeys and personal narratives; genealogy, local history and 
out-of-state directories ; and books on the Indians of North America, 
United States history, biography and allied subjects which are clas- 
sified under general. 

We receive regularly the publications of many historical societies 
by exchange, and subscribe to other historical and genealogical pub- 
lications which are needed in reference work. 

The following is a partial list of books which were added to the 
library from October 1, 1938, to September 30, 1939. Government 
and state official publications and some books of a general nature 
are not included. The total number of books accessioned appears in 
the report of the secretary in the February issue of the Quarterly. 



KANSAS 

AARON, MADELEINE, Prairie Galleons, a Book of Poems. Paterson, N. J., 
St. Anthony Guild Press, 1939. 

ALBERTSON, FREDERICK WILLIAM, Ecology of Mixed Prairie in West Central 
Kansas. Lincoln, Neb., 1937. 

AMERICAN COUNTRY LIFE ASSOCIATION, The People and the Land: Proceed- 
ings of the Twentieth American Country Life Conference, Manhattan, 
Kansas, October 14-16, 1937. Chicago, University of Chicago Press [cl938], 

BALCH, WILLIAM MONROE, The Education of Lint on Usher. (Reprinted from 
the Indiana Magazine of History, December, 1938.) 

BANEY, RALPH E., Behind the Scenes in Germany, a Story of Everyday Life 
in Nazi Germany. Kansas City, Mo. [Brown-White Company, c!939L 

BAXTER, MRS. LAURA (FALKENRICH), and ALPHA LATZKE, Modern Clothing; a 
Text for the High School Girl. Chicago, J. B. Lippincott Company [cl938L 

BEALS, CARLETON, American Earth; the Biography of a Nation. Philadelphia, 
J. B. Lippincott Company [c!939]. 

, Glass Houses, Ten Years of Free-Lancing. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippin- 
cott Company, 1938. 

(193) 
133504 



194 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

BROWN, MRS. MARGARET (HERTZLER), The Surgeon's Daughter. Los Angeles 

Wetzel Publishing Company, Inc. [c!938]. 
BRYSON, MRS. NETTIE (KORB), Prairie Days. Los Angeles, Times-Mirror 

[c!939]. 
CARSON, MRS. KATHARINE (GARDNER), Mrs. Pennington. New York, G. P. 

Putnam's Sons [cl939L 

CLARK, MRS. HARRIET (RIDGWAY), and MRS. NORAH YETTER TAWNEY, In Re- 
membrance, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ogattah and Community, 1877-1881. 

No impr. 

COLMERY, HARRY WALTER, America's Challenge to College Students; an Ad- 
dress Delivered at Washburn College, Topeka, Kansas, February 6, 1939. 

No impr. 
CORCORAN, WILLIAM, Golden Horizons. Philadelphia, Macrae-Smith Company, 

1937. 
COUNTS, GEORGE SYLVESTER, The Prospects oj American Democracy. New 

York, The John Day Company [cl938L 

CRAFTON, ALLEN, Play Directing. New York, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1938. 
CRANDALL, ALLEN, Isaac Goldberg, an Appreciation. Sterling, Colo., The 

Author, 1934. 

, Sunlight in His Eyes. Stockdale, Kan., The Crandall Press, 1938. 

, The Man From Kinsman. Sterling, Colo., The Author, 1933. 

CRAVEN, THOMAS, ed., A Treasury of American Prints; a Selection of One 

Hundred Etchings and Lithographs by the Foremost Living American 

Artists. New York, Simon and Schuster [c!939L 
CRITTENDEN, HENRY HUSTON, The Battle of Westport and National Memorial 

Park. Kansas City, Mo., The Lowell Press, 1938. 
CROSS, JOE, Cattle Clatter; a History of Cattle From the Creation to the Texas 

Centennial in 1936. [Kansas City, Mo., Walker Publications, Inc., c!938.] 
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN COLONISTS, KANSAS SOCIETY, comp., Old Shawnee 

Mission, 1839-1939. Compiled in Commemoration of the One Hundredth 

Anniversary of the Erection of the First Building at the Shawnee Manual 

Labor School. No impr. [1939.] 

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, KANSAS, Proceedings of the Forty- 
first Annual State Conference, Ripley Hotel, New-ton, Kansas, March 29- 

30-31, 1939. No impr. 
DELAHAY, MARK W., Abraham Lincoln. New York, Daniel H. Newhall, 1939. 

Reprint. 
DOBIE, JAMBS FRANK, A Vaguer o of the Brush Country. New York, Grosset 

and Dunlap [c!929]. 
DRISCOLL, CHARLES BENEDICT, The Life of 0. O. Mclntyre. New York, The 

Greystone Press, 1938. 
ERESCH, JOSIE, Elegant Amusement . . . Block Prints and Sketches by 

the Author. [Beloit, The Gazette Press, c!937.] 
, Examples and Explanation of the Various Kinds of Prints From an 

Intaglio Plate. Beloit, The Gazette Press [c!938]. 
FAIRCHILD, DAVID GRANDISON, Shall We Have an Out of Doors or an Indoor 

Civilization? Shall We Plant Trees or Build Buildings? No impr. 
, The World Was My Garden; Travels of a Plant Explorer. New 

York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1938. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 195 

FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT, KANSAS, comps., A Guide to Salina, Kansas. Salina, 
Advertiser-Sun [1939]. 

, The Lamed City Guide. Lamed, Chamber of Commerce, 1938. 

FLORY, F. C., Pioneer Days; Interesting Incidents and History of Early Days 
in Elk County. No impr. 

FORT LEAVENWORTH, POST CHAPEL, Sixtieth Anniversary Service of the Dedi- 
cation of the Post Chapel, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 1878-1938. No impr. 

Ft. Scott, Kansas, City Directory, 1988. Parsons, Jayhawk Directory Com- 
pany, n. d. 

FOWLER, GEORGE M., and others, Chertification in the Tri^State (Oklahoma- 
Kansas-Missouri) Mining District. New York, American Institute of Min- 
ing and Metallurgical Engineers, c!934. (Technical Publication, No. 532.) 

GOLD, MICHAEL, Life of John Brown,. Girard, Kan., Haldeman- Julius Com- 
pany [c!924J. (Little Blue Book, No. 521.) 

GRAVES, WILLIAM WHITES, Life and Times of Mother Bridget Hayden. St. 
Paul, Kan., Journal Press, 1938. (Graves Historical Series, No. 8.) 

HALSELL, H. H., Cowboys and Cattleland. Nashville, Tenn., The Parthenon 
Press [1937]. 

HAYDEN, MRS. DOROTHEA (HOAGLIN), These Pioneers. Los Angeles [Ward 
Ritchie Press], 1938. 

HIBBS, BEN, Two Men on a Job. [Philadelphia, The Curtis Publishing Com- 
pany, c!938.] 

HILL, W. A., Historic Hays. [Hays, News Publishing Company, 1938.] 

HINKLE, THOMAS CLARK, Buckskin, the Story of a Western Horse. New 
York, William Morrow and Company, 1939. 

HOINVILLE, MRS. JULIA SIMONS, Grandfather. [Chicago, 1938.] 

HOOVER, MEARLE S., The Alien Contribution to the History of Barton County, 
Kansas; Being a Thesis Presented to the Graduate Faculty of Fort Hays 
Kansas State College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the 
Degree of Master of Science. May 29, 1939. Typed. 

HOTCHKISS, H. G., Oil in Kansas; Barton and Stafford Counties. Wichita, 
c!938. 

, Oil in Kansas; Counties: Ellis, Rooks, Trego, Graham, Norton, Phil- 
lips, Sheridan, Gove, Decatur. Wichita, c!938. 

, Oil in Kansas; Counties: Scott, Thomas, Sherman, Logan, Wichita, 

Wallace, Greeley, Rawlins, Cheyenne. Wichita, c!938. 

, Oil in Kansas; Rice County. Wichita, c!938. 

, Oil in Russell County. Wichita, c!938. 

, Oil in the Forest City Basin, N. E. Kansas and Northern Missouri. 



Rev. ed. Wichita, c!939. 
HOWE, HAROLD, Local Government Finance in Kansas. Topeka, The Kansas 

State Planning Board, April, 1939. Mimeographed. 

ISELY, BLISS, Blazing the Way West. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1939. 
ISELY, MRS. FLORA KUNIGUNDE (DUNCAN), Blue Star, Told From the Life of 

Corabelle Fellows. Caldwell, Idaho, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1938. 
JACKSON, MRS. MAUD C., Plays and Recitations for Tots; for the First Grade 

and Pre-School Ages. Chicago, T. S. Denison and Company [c!938]. 



196 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

, The Rainbow at Roads End. Kansas City, Mo., Burton Publishing 

Company [c!931]. 
KANSAS BOARD OF SOCIAL WELFARE, BUREAU OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, A Study in 

Public Assistance and Other Phases of Social Security: The Kansas Social 

Welfare Program. October, 1938. Mimeographed. 
KANSAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, Appropriations and 

Control of Funds for State Printing. Preliminary Report. (Publication, 

No. 78, August, 1938.) Mimeographed. 

, Central Receiving Prison; a Supplementary Statement Containing Pre- 
liminary Plans of the Prison Developed by the State Architect's Office. 

(Publication, No. 91, December, 1938.) Mimeographed. 

Cost of Government in Kansas. Total and Per Capita Cost State 



and Local, Ten Fiscal Years, 1929-1938. (Publication, No. 83, November, 
1938.) Mimeographed. 

Legislative Functions of Administrative Agencies. Preliminary Re- 



port. (Publication, No. 84, November, 1938.) Mimeographed. 

, Organization of State Highway Systems . . . (Publication, No. 86, 

February, 1939.) Mimeographed. 

, Personnel Administration . . . Preliminary Report, Prepared for 

Committee on Municipal Government and Fees and Salaries. (Publication, 
No. 89, November, 1938.) Mimeographed. 

Program for Kansas Prisons. Institutional Survey, Report No. 9. 



(Publication, No. 90, November 17, 1938.) Mimeographed. 
, Sales Tax: Exemption of Food, and Collection From Consumer. 

Supplementary to Report No. 1. (Publication, No. 82, October, 1938.) 

Mimeographed. 
1 Social Welfare Problems, 1939. No. 1, The Lien Provision . . . 

Prepared for House Committee on Public Welfare. (Publication, No. 92, 

January, 1939.) Mimeographed. 

-, State Financial Administration in Kansas. Preliminary Report. (Pub- 



lication, No. 81, August, 1938.) Mimeographed. 
Kansas Magazine, 1939. Manhattan, Kansas State College Press, c!939. 
KANSAS STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE, The College in 

the Life of the Land; to Commemorate the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of 

the Founding of Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. 

[Manhattan] Kansas State College Press, 1938. 
KANSAS STATE PLANNING BOARD, Collection of Personal Property Taxes in 

Kansas, 1927-1936, Inclusive . . . Topeka, Kansas State Planning Board, 

1939. Mimeographed. 
, Collection of Personal Property Taxes in Kansas, 1927-1936, Inclusive 

(Preliminary Report on Thirty Counties). Topeka, The Kansas State 

Planning Board, December, 1938. Mimeographed. 

-, Effects of Homestead Exemption on Assessed Valuations (Preliminary 



Report). Topeka, The Kansas State Planning Board, February, 1939. 
Mimeographed. 
, Progress Report, Coffey County Planning Board. Topeka, The Kansas 



State Planning Board, March, 1939. Mimeographed. 

-, Progress Report, Nemaha County Planning Board. Topeka, Kansas 



State Planning Board, August, 1938. Mimeographed. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 197 

, Property Taxation in Coffey County, Kansas, 1925-1936. Topeka, 

Kansas State Planning Board, June, 1938. Mimeographed. 

Property Taxation in Saline County, Kansas, 1925-1936. Topeka, 



Kansas State Planning Board, April, 1939. Mimeographed. 

Relation of Assessed Value to Sales Value of Kansas Real Estate, 



1933-1937, Inclusive. Topeka, Kansas State Planning Board, December, 
1938. Mimeographed. 

-, Relation of Assessed Value to Sales Value of Kansas Real Estate, 

1933-1937, Inclusive. , . . Topeka, Kansas State Planning Board, 1939. 
Mimeographed. 
, What Kansas Produces. . . . Topeka, Kansas State Planning Board, 



June, 1939. Mimeographed. 

KANSAS UNIVERSITY, General Program of Events, Forums, Exhibits Com- 
memorating the Nineteen Years of Service by Chancellor E. H. Lindley. 
Sixty-seventh Annual Commencement, June 9 to 12, 1939. No impr. 

KELLY, MRS. FLORENCE FINCH, Flowing Stream; the Story of Fifty-six Years 
in American Newspaper Life. New York, E. P. Button and Company, 1939. 

KEVE, OLIVER MORTON, ed., The Coming Kingdom; Sermons by Methodist 
Ministers, Kansas. Parsons, Commercial Publishers, 1939. 

KIMBALL, C. A., comp., History of Bluemont College, Mother of Kansas State 
College, Manhattan, Kansas. [Manhattan, C. A. Kimball, 1926.] 

KINSELLA, THOMAS H., A Centenary of Catholicity in Kansas, 1822-1922; the 
History of Our Cradle Land (Miami and Linn Counties} ; Catholic Indian 
Missions and Missionaries of Kansas. . . . Kansas City, The Casey 
Printing Company, 1921. 

KIRKPATRICK, ELLIS LORE, and AGNES M. BOYNTON, Is There an American 
Youth Movement? Madison, The University of Wisconsin, Agricultural 
Extension Service [1934]. (Circular 271.) 

KITCH, KENNETH, The Associated Press in Kansas: Its Background and De- 
velopment. Submitted to the Department of Journalism and the Faculty 
of the Graduate School of the University of Kansas in Partial Fulfillment 
of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts. [1937.] Typed. 

LANDES, KENNETH KNIGHT, and RAYMOND P. KEROHER, Geology and Oil and 
Gas Resources of Logan, Gove, and Trego Counties, Kansas. [Lawrence, 
1939.] (Kansas Geological Survey, Mineral Resources Circular, No. 11.) 

LEAGUE OF KANSAS MUNICIPALITIES, comp., Kansas Directory of Public Officials 
(Federal, State, County, City, School, and Township) and Index to Coun- 
ties and Cities, 1939-1940. Lawrence, The League of Kansas Municipalities, 
1939. 

LINDLEY, MRS. BETTY (GRIMES), and ERNEST K. LINDLEY, A New Deal for 
Youth; the Story of the National Youth Administration. New York, The 
Viking Press, 1938. 

LINN, JAMES WEBER, James Keeley, Newspaperman. Indianapolis, The Bobbs- 
Merrill Company [c!937L 

LOUTHAN, MRS. HATTIE (HORNER), Spanish Eyes That Smile. St. Paul, Library 
Service Guild [c!938L 

LOVELL, NEVA, and IZORA HECKER, Bunny and the Garden, a Preprimer. Chi- 
cago, Beckley-Cardy Company, c!938. 

LOWRY, GRACE, Life of Eugene Ware, a Thesis Submitted to the Graduate 



198 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Division in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree oj 
Master oj Science, Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg, Kansas, July, 
1936. Typed. 

LULL, HERBERT GALEN, The Grundies and the Babbitts in a Changing Civiliza- 
tion, a Study in Current Social Lags for College Classes in Principles of 
Education and Curriculum. No impr. 

McCREiGHT, M. I., Buffalo Bone Days; a Short History of the Buffalo Bone 
Trade, a Sketch of Forgotten Romance of Frontier Times. [Sykesville, Pa., 
Nupp Printing Company, c!939.] 

MALIN, JAMES CLAUDE, Speaker Banks Courts the Free-Soilers ; the Fremont- 
Robinson Letter of 1856. (Reprinted from The New England Quarterly, 
March, 1939.) 

MALOTT, DEANE WALDO, Problems in Agricultural Marketing. New York, 
McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1938. 

MOKLER, ALFRED JAMES, Fort Caspar (Platte Bridge Station). Casper, Wyo- 
ming, The Prairie Publishing Company, 1939. 

NELSON, GEORGE WILBUR, A History of the First Presbyterian Church of 
Herington, Kansas. [Herington, The Advertiser Print, 1939.] 

OLEEN, OTTO O., Mariadahl Lutheran Church, Diamond Jubilee Seventy-fifth 
Anniversary, 1868-1938. No impr. 

ORR, DOUGLASS WINNETT, and MRS. JEAN (WALKER) ORR, Health Insurance 
With Medical Care; the British Experience. New York, The Macmillan 
Company, 1938. 

OVERMYER, GRACE, Government and the Arts. New York, W. W. Norton and 
Company, Inc. [c!939L 

PINET, FRANK LEO, Seventy-five Years of Education in Kansas. Reprinted 
privately for his friends by the author. [1938.] 

Folk's Chanute (Neosho County, Kans.) City Directory, 1936, Including 
Neosho County Taxpayers. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, 
c!936. 

Polk's Coffeyville (Montgomery County, Kansas) City Directory, 1937. Kan- 
sas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Polk's Emporia (Lyon County, Kans.) City Directory, 1986. Kansas City, 
Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 

Polk's Hutchinson (Reno County, Kans.) City Directory, 1935, Including Reno 
County. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!935. 

Polk's Independence (Montgomery County, Kans.) City Directory, 1937. 
Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Polk's Kansas City (Wyandotte County, Kans.) Directory, 1936. Kansas 
City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 

Polk's Leavenworth (Leavenworth County, Kans.) City Directory, 1936, In- 
cluding Leavenworth County. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Com- 
pany, c!936. 

Polk's Ottawa (Franklin County, Kans.) City Directory, 1936, Including 
Franklin County. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 

Polk's Pittsburg (Crawford County, Kans.) City Directory, 1936. Kansas City, 
Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 

Polk's Pratt City Directory and Pratt Rural Routes, 1926. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!926. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 199 

Folk's Salina (Saline County, Kans.) City Directory, 1937, Including Saline 

County Taxpayers. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 
Folk's Topeka (Shawnee County, Kansas) City Directory, 1938, Including 

Shaumee County Taxpayers. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, 

c!938. 
Folk's Wichita (Kansas) City Directory, 1938. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk 

and Company, c!938. 
Folk's Winfield (Cowley County, Kansas) City Directory, 1937, Including 

Cowley County. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 
PORTER, KENNETH WIGGIN, The High Plains. New York, The John Day Com- 
pany [c!938]. 
PUGH, BURTON HOMEK, A Better Way to Make Money . . . New York, 

The Ronald Press Company [c!939]. 
PUTNAM, GEORGE PALMER, Soaring Wings; a Biography of Amelia Earhart. 

New York, Harcourt, Brace and Company [c!939]. 

RANDALL, MARY BOAL, W. R. Boal, Druggist, 1861-1936. Mimeographed. 
RUNYON, DAMON, Take It Easy. New York, Frederick A. Stokes Company, 

1938. 
SALINA, FIRST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Seventy-five Years Ago in /So- 

lina: Celebrating the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the First Methodist 

Episcopal Church in Salina, Kansas. [Salina, Consolidated, 1938.] 
SANFORD, NORA, Winds of Destiny. Boston, Bruce Humphries, Inc. [c!938]. 
SCOTT, MRS. MARIAN (GALLAGHER), Chautauqua Caravan. New York, D. Ap- 

pleton-Century Company, 1939. 
SBLDEN ADVOCATE, SELDEN, KANSAS, Early Northwest Kansas History ; Written 

by People Who Lived It and In Their Own Words . . . Selden, The 

Selden Advocate, n. d. 
SHAW, LLOYD, Cowboy Dances, a Collection of Western Square Dances. Cald- 

well, Idaho, The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1939. 
SHELDON, CHARLES MONROE, The History of 'In His Steps' by Its Author. 

[Topeka, Kan.] Privately Printed [c!938L 
SHERWIN, ALBERTA MaMAHON, Tapers to the Sun. Mill Valley, Calif., The 

Wings Press, 1939. 
SPEER, ROLLO CLAYTON, Some Speer and Related Families Connected With 

the History and Affairs of Kansas. Typed. 
STRANGE, LEW A., "La Fontaine and Those Who Made It," a Brief Review of 

the Early Families and Settlement Along the Wilson-Montgomery County 

Line . . . 1848-1910. [Parker, Parker Message, c!938.] 
TAFT, ROBERT, Photography and the American Scene, a Social History, 1839- 

1889. New York, The Macmillan Company, 1938. 
TILGHMAN, MRS. ZOE AGNES (STRATTON), Quanah, the Eagle of the Comanches. 

Oklahoma City, Harlow Publishing Corporation, 1938. 
TOPEKA, DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND REVENUE, Annual Report of the City 

of Topeka for Year Ending December 31, 1938. No impr. 
TOPEKA, POTWIN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Golden Anniversary . . . 1889- 

1939. No impr. 
TOUSEY, THOMAS SANFORD, Buffalo Bill. New York, Rand McNally and 

Company, c!938. 



200 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

UNITED STATES, OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT REPORTS, Directory of Federal and State 
Departments and Agencies in Kansas. Revised to July 15, 1939. Mimeo- 
graphed. 

UNITED STATES CAVALRY, 2o REGIMENT, Centennial, Second United States 
Cavalry . . . 1836-1986. No impr. 

VESTAL, STANLEY, The Old Santa Fe Trail. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Com- 
pany, 1939. 

, Professional Writing. New York, The Macmillian Company, 1938. 

VIRTUE, MAXINE BOORD, Laws Affecting Women in Kansas. Topeka, Kansas 
State Printing Plant, 1939. (University of Kansas, Bulletin, Vol. 40, No. 10.) 

WALTER, JAKOB, A German Conscript With Napoleon; Jakob Walter's Recol- 
lections of the Campaigns of 1806-1807, 1809, and 1812-1813, According to a 
Manuscript Found at Lecompton, Kansas. Lawrence, University of Kan- 
sas, Department of Journalism Press, 1938. (Humanistic Studies, Vol. 6, 
No. 3.) 

WARD, MRS. MAY WILLIAMS, From Christmas-Time to April. Dallas, The 
Kaleidograph Press [c!938]. 

WARDEN, ERNIE, Thrilling Tales of Kansas From 1873 to 1938. 2d rev. ed. 
N. p., 1938. 

[WAY, H. ROWLAND], Memories of Dr. William Foulkes, a Man Who Walked 
With God. No impr. 

WELLMAN, PAUL ISELIN, Jubal Troop. New York, Carrick and Evans, Inc. 
[cl9391. 

WHITE, WILLIAM ALLEN, A Puritan in Babylon. New York, The Macmillan 
Company, 1938. 

WILSON, JOE 0., Wilson's Poems. Hays, Kan., News Publishing Company, 
c!938. 

WOLTERS, GILBERT FRANCIS, A Socio-Economic Analysis of Four Rural Parishes 
in Nemaha County, Kansas. Washington, D. C., The Catholic University 
of America, 1938. 

WOODWARD, CHESTER, Out of the Blue; Essays on Books, Art and Travel. 
Chicago, Normandie House, 1939. 

YOST, GENEVIEVE, William Elsey Connelley, 1856-1930; a Bibliography. Typed. 

ZIEGLER, D. PAUL, and R. W. MORGAN, St. Paul in Britain; or the Founding 
of the British Israelitish Church as Opposed to the Gentile Papal Church 
of Rome. Washington, D. C., The Torch Publishing Society, 1938. 

THE WEST 

ANDERSON, WILLIAM MARSHALL, Narrative of a Ride to the Rocky Mountains 
in 1834. Edited by Albert J. Partoll. [Missoula, Montana State Univer- 
sity, 1939.] (State University of Montana, Sources of Northwest History, 
No. 27.) 

BICKHAM, WILLIAM DENISON, From Ohio to the Rocky Mountains. Editorial 
Correspondence of the Dayton (Ohio) Journal. Dayton, Journal Book and 
Job Printing House, 1879. 

BIDWELL, JOHN, A Journey to California With Observations About the Country, 
Climate and the Route to This Country ... a Day-by-Day Record of 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 201 

the Journey From May 18, 1841, to November 6, 1841 . . . San Fran- 
cisco, John Henry Nash, 1937. 

BRUCE, ROBERT, Three Old Plainsmen . . . New York, R. Bruce [c!923]. 

BURNS, WALTER NOBLE, Tombstone; an Iliad of the Southwest. New York, 
Grosset and Dunlap [c!929]. 

CATLJN, GEORGE, Last Rambles Amongst the Indians of the Rocky Mountains 
and the Andes. New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1867. 

, Life Amongst the Indians. London, Sampson Low, Son and Com- 
pany, 1861. 

CHASE, CHARLES MONROE, The Editor's Run in New Mexico and Colorado 
. . . [Montpelier, Vt., Argus and Patriot Steam Book and Job Printing 
House, 1882.] 

COLORADO COLLEGE, COLORADO SPRINGS, Westward the Course of Empire; Four 
Lectures on America's Westward Frontier. Colorado Springs, 1938. (Colo- 
rado College Publication, General Series, No. 216; Studies Series, No. 25.) 

COOKE, PHILIP ST. GEORGE, WILLIAM HENRY CHASE WHITING, and FRANCOIS 
XAVIER AUBRY, Exploring Southwestern Trails, 1846-1864. Edited by Ralph 
P. Bieber. Glendale, Calif., The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1938. (South- 
west Historical Series, Vol. 7.) 

CROGHAN, GEORGE, George Croghan's Journal of His Trip to Detroit in 1767. 
. . . Edited by Howard H. Peckham. Ann Arbor, The University of 
Michigan Press, 1939. 

DAVIDSON, LEVETTE JAY, and PRUDENCE BOSTWICK, eds., The Literature of the 
Rocky Mountain West, 1803-1903. Caldwell, Idaho, The Caxton Printers, 
Ltd., 1939. 

DELLENBAUGH, FREDERICK SAMUEL, Fremont and '49, the Story of a Remark- 
able Career and Its Relation to the Exploration and Development of Our 
Western Territory, Especially of California. New York, G. P. Putnam's 
Sons, 1914. 

FEDERAL WRITERS' PROJECT, The Oregon Trail; the Missouri River to the 
Pacific Ocean. New York, Hastings House [c!939], (American Guide 
Series.) 

FERGUSSON, HARVEY, The Santa Fe Omnibus, a Trilogy of the Santa Fe Trail, 
Containing Three Complete Novels . . . Wolf Song, In Those Days, 
The Blood of the Conquerors. New York, Grosset and Dunlap [c!921- 
1929]. 

FITCH, ABIGAIL HETZEL, Junipero Serra; the Man and His Works. Chicago, 
A. C. McClurg and Company, 1914. 

FLETCHER, DANIEL COOLEDGE, Reminiscences of California and the Civil War. 
Ayer, Mass., Press of Huntley S. Turner, 1894. 

FOREMAN, GRANT, Marcy and the Gold Seekers; the Journal of Captain R. B. 
Marcy, With an Account of the Gold Rush Over the Southern Route. 
Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1939. 

FROEBEL, JULIUS, Seven Years' Travel in Central America, Northern Mexico, 
and the Far West of the United States. London, Richard Bentley, 1859. 

[GODFREY, EDWARD S.], After the Custer Battle. [Letter to the Artist Edgar 
S. Paxson who painted "Custers Last Stand."] Missoula, Montana State 



202 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

University, 1939. (State University of Montana, Sources of Northwest His- 
tory, No. 29.) 

GREENBIE, MRS. MARJORIE LATTA (BARSTOW), American Saga; the History and 
Literature of the American Dream of a Better Life. New York, Whittlesey 
House [c!939]. 

HALL, JAMES, Notes on the Western States; Containing Descriptive Sketches 
of Their Soil, Climate, Resources and Scenery. Philadelphia, Harrison Hall, 
1838. 

HALLENBECK, CLEVE, Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca; the Journey and Route 
of the First European to Cross the Continent of North America, 1534-1536. 
Glendale, Calif., The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1940 [c!939]. 
HARTLEY, CECIL B., Hunting Sports in the West, Comprising Adventures of 
the Most Celebrated Hunters and Trappers. Philadelphia, John E. Potter 
and Company [c!859]. 

HEALY, JOHN T., An Adventure in the Idaho Mines. Missoula, Montana 
State University, n. d. (State University of Montana, Sources of North- 
west History, No. 26.) 

JACOBS, ORANGE, Memoirs of Orange Jacobs . . . Containing Many Inter- 
esting, Amusing and Instructive Incidents of a Life of Eighty Years or More, 
Fifty-six Years of Which Were Spent in Oregon and Washington. Seattle, 
Lowman & Hanford Company, 1908. 

[JEBB, MRS. JOHN BEVERIDGE GLADWYN], A Strange Career: Life and Adven- 
tures of John Gladwyn Jebb . . . Edinburgh, William Blackwood and 
Sons, 1894. 
KELLY, CHARLES, Outlaw Trail; a History of Butch Cassidy and His Wild 

Bunch . . . Salt Lake City, The Author, 1938. 

LEONARD, IRVING ALBERT, tr., Spanish Approach to Pensacola, 1689-1693. Albu- 
querque, The Quivira Society, 1939. (Quivira Society, Publications, Vol. 9.) 
LOVING, BRADY ANTOINE, Thornton Kelly Tyson, Pioneer Home Missionary. 

Kansas City, Mo., The Western Baptist Publishing Company, 1915. 
McCLiNTOCK, JAMES H., Mormon Settlement in Arizona, a Record of Peaceful 
Conquest of the Desert. Phoenix [The Manufacturing Stationers, Inc.], 
1921. 
MINICK, MRS. ALICE ANN (LOCKWOOD), One Family Travels West. Boston, 

Meador Publishing Company, 1936. 

MYERS, FRANK, Soldiering in Dakota, Among the Indians, in 1863-4-5. Huron, 
Dakota, Huronite Printing House, 1888. (Reprinted by the State Historical 
Society, Pierre, S. D., 1936.) 

PALOU, FRANCISCO, The Expedition Into California of the Venerable Padre 
Fray Junipero Serra and His Companions in the Year 1769. . . . San 
Francisco, Nueva California Press, 1934. 
PARKER, NATHAN HOWE, Iowa As It Is in 1855; a Gazetteer for Citizens and 

a Hand-book for Immigrants. . . . Chicago, Keen and Lee, 1855. 
RAVOUX, AUGUSTINE, Reminiscences, Memoirs and Lectures. ... St. Paul, 

Brown, Treacy and Company, 1890. 

RICE, EDWIN WILBUR, After Ninety Years. Philadelphia, American Sunday- 
School Union [cl924L 

RISTER, CARL COKE, Southern Plainsmen. Norman, University of Oklahoma 
Press, 1938. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 203 

ROGERS, FRED B., Soldiers of the Overland, Being Some Account of the Services 
of General Patrick Edward Connor and His Volunteers in the Old West. 
San Francisco, The Grabhorn Press, 1938. 

RUMLEY, CHARLES, Diary of Charles Rumley From St. Louis to Portland, 
1862. Edited by Helen Addison Howard. Missoula, Montana State Uni- 
versity, 1939. (State University of Montana, Sources of Northwest History, 
No. 28.) 

[SEYMOUR, SILAS], Incidents of a Trip Through the Great Platte Valley, to 
the Rocky Mountains and Laramie Plains, in the Fall of 1866 . . . and 
an Account of the Great Union Pacific Railroad Excursion. . . . New 
York, D. VanNostrand, 1867. 

SPRING, AGNES WRIGHT, Caspar Collins, the Life and Exploits of an Indian 
Fighter of the Sixties. New York, Columbia University Press, 1927. 

STEWART, W. M., Eleven Years' Experience in the Western States of America, 
With an Analysis of the Prairie Soil, by Dr. Stevenson Macadam. London, 
Houlston and Sons, 1870. 

STONE, ARTHUR L., Following Old Trails. Missoula, Mont., Morton John 
Elrod, 1913. 

SWISHER, JAMES, How I Know; or, Sixteen Years' Eventful Experience. 
. . . Cincinnati, The Author, 1881. 

TABEAU, PIERRE-ANTOINE, Tabeau's Narrative of Loisel's Expedition to the 
Upper Missouri. Edited by Annie Heloise Abel. Norman, University of 
Oklahoma Press, 1939. 

THISSELL, G. W., Crossing the Plains in '49. Oakland, Calif., 1903. 

UDELL, JOHN, Incidents of Travel to California, Across the Great Plains; 
Together With the Return Trips Through Central America and Jamaica. 
. . . Jefferson, 0., Sentinel Office, 1856. 

WAGNER, HENRY RAUP, Spanish Voyages to the Northwest Coast of America 
in the Sixteenth Century. San Francisco, California Historical Society, 1929. 

WARREN, MRS. ELIZA (SPALDING), Memories of the West; the Spaldings. [Port- 
land, Ore., Marsh Printing Company, pref. 1916.] 

WELLS, FRANK EVARTS, The Story of "Old Bill" Williams, Scout of the Santa 
Fe Trail. No impr. 

WOOD, ASA BUTLER, Pioneer Tales of the North Platte Valley and Nebraska 
Panhandle . . . Gering, Nebr., Courier Press, 1938. 

GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY 

ABEE, BLANCHE HUMPHREY, Colonists of Carolina in the Lineage of Hon. 

W. D. Humphrey. Richmond, Va., The William Byrd Press, Inc., 1938. 
Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois . . . Chicago, 

Calumet Book and Engraving Company, 1895. 
ALEXANDER, FREDERICK WARREN, comp., Stratford Hall and the Lees Connected 

With Its History. Oak Grove, Va., F. W. Alexander, 1912. 
AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, Proceedings at the Annual Meeting Held in 

Worcester October 20, 1937. Worcester, The Society, 1938. 
, Proceedings at the Semi-Annual Meeting Held in Bos.ton April 20, 

1938. Worcester, The Society, 1938. 



204 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

AMERICAN HISTORICAL COMPANY, INC., Mangold and Allied Families, a Gene- 
alogical and Biographical Memoir. New York, The American Historical 
Company, Inc., 1939. 

ANKENBRAND, FRANK, JR., Frank De Wette Andrews, Gentleman and Scholar, 
With a Complete Bibliography of His Published Works. Vineland, N. J., 
Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society, 1939. 

ARMSTRONG, ZELLA, comp., Index to the Civil and Political History of the 
State of Tennessee . . . by John Haywood. Chattanooga, The Lookout 
Publishing Company, 1939. 

[ ], Some Tennessee Heroes of the Revolution; Compiled From Pension 

Statements . . . Chattanooga, The Lookout Publishing Company, n. d. 
(The Lookout Publishing Company, Pamphlet, No. 4.) 

BELL, MRS. ANNIE (WALKER) BURNS, comp., Record of Marriages in Scott 
County, Kentucky, for the Period of Years 1837 to 1851 Inclusive . . . 
Mimeographed. 1931. 

, Records of Marriages in Fleming County, Kentucky. Mimeographed. 
1935. 

, Revolutionary War Pensions of Soldiers Who Settled in Fayette 

County, Kentucky. Mimeographed. 1936. 

BESOM, A., Pawnee County, Nebraska: As It Was, Is, and Is To Be . . . 
Atchison, Kan., The Immigrant Union, 1878. 

BICKNELL, THOMAS WILLIAMS, A History of Barrington, Rhode Island. Provi- 
dence, Snow and Farnham, 1898. 

BODDIE, WILLIAM WILLIS, comp., Marion's Men, a List of Twenty-five Hun- 
dred. [Charleston, S. C., Heisser Printing Company, c!938.] 

BOWEN, CLARENCE WINTHROP, The History of Woodstock, Connecticut: Gene- 
alogies of Woodstock Families. Vols. 2-6. Norwood, Mass., The Plimpton 
Press, 1930-1935. 

BURNHAM, RODERICK HENRY, Genealogical Records of Thomas Burnham, the 
Emigrant, Who Was Among the Early Settlers at Hartford, Connecticut 
. . . and His Descendants. 2d ed. Hartford, The Case, Lockwood and 
Brainard Company, 1884. 

CASKEY, WILLIE MALVIN, Secession and Restoration of Louisiana. Louisiana 
State University Press, 1938. (Louisiana State University Studies, No. 36.) 

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, Year Book, 1937. Charleston, Walker, Evans 
and Cogswell Company [pref. 1938]. 

Cos, DANIEL B., and EUNICE A. LLOYD, Record of the Coe Family and De- 
scendants. Cincinnati, Standard Publishing Company, 1885. 

CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Annual Report, Reports and Papers Pre- 
sented at the Annual Meeting, May 23, 1939 . . . Hartford, The Society, 
1939. 

COOKE, ROLLIN HILLYER, ed., Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogi- 
cal and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. New York, 
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906. 2 Vols. 

DAUGHTERS OF FOUNDERS AND PATRIOTS OF AMERICA, Lineage Book of the Na- 
tional Society . . . Vol. 3. [West Somerville, Mass., Somerville Print- 
ing Company, c!938.] 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 205 

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, Index of the Rolls of Honor (An- 
cestors' Index) in the Lineage Books of the National Society . . . Vols. 
81-120. Washington, Press of Judd & Detweiler, Inc., 1939. 

, Lineage Book. Vols. 163-166. Washington, D. C. [Press of Judd & 

Detweiler], 1938-1939. 

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, INDIANA, Roster of Soldiers and 
Patriots of the American Revolution Buried in Indiana. Comp. and ed. by 
Mrs. Roscoe C. O'Byrne, Chairman. N. p., Indiana Daughters of the 
American Revolution, 1938. 

DEARBORN, J. W., A History of the First Century of the Town of Parsonfield, 
Maine . . . Portland, Brown Thurston and Company, 1888. 

DRIGGS, BENJAMIN W., History of Teton Valley, Idaho. Caldwell, Idaho, The 
Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1926. 

Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography. Vol. 23. New York, Lewis Histori- 
cal Publishing Company, Inc., 1938. 

ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, COURTS, Records and Files of the Quarterly 
Courts. 1636-1683. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute, 1911-1921. 8 Vols. 

EWING, ELBERT WILLIAM ROBINSON, Clan Swing of Scotland, Early History 
and Contribution to America . . . Ballston, Va., Cobden Publishing 
Company [c!922]. 

FOOTE, WILLIAM HENRY, Sketches of North Carolina, Historical and Bio- 
graphical, Illustrative of the Principles of a Portion of Her Early Settlers. 
New York, Robert Carter, 1846. 

FREEZE, JOHN GOSSE, A History of Columbia County, Pennsylvania, From the 
Earliest Times. Bloomsburg, Pa., Elwell and Bittenbender, 1883. 

FULTON, ELEANORS JANE, and BARBARA KENDIG MYLIN, An Index to the Will 
Books and Intestate Records of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1729-1850. 
. . . [Lancaster, Pa., Intelligencer Printing Company] 1936. 

GINGERICH, MELVIN, The Mennonites in Iowa. Iowa City, The State Histori- 
cal Society of Iowa, 1939. 

GIPSON, LAWRENCE HENRY, ed., The Moravian Indian Mission on White River; 
Diaries and Letters, May 5, 1799, to November 12, 1806 . . . Indian- 
apolis, Indiana Historical Bureau, 1938. 

GRAHAM, ANNA EMILY (BREWSTER), and others, Descendants of Albert Porter 
Brewster; a Complete List of His Descendants to November 1, 1938. Mime- 
ographed. 

GWATHMEY, JOHN HASTINGS, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revo- 
lution. Richmond, The Dietz Press, 1938. 

HALL, JOHN F., The Daily Union History of Atlantic City and County, New 
Jersey. Atlantic City, The Daily Union Printing Company, 1900. 

HAMILTON, SAMUEL KING, The Hamiltons of Waterborough (York County, 
Maine) Their Ancestors and Descendants. [Boston, Press of Murray and 
Emery Company] 1912. 

HAMMOND, FREDERICK STAM, History and Genealogies of the Hammond Fami^- 
lies in America, With an Account of the Early History of the Family in 
Normandy and Great Britain, 1000-1902. Oneida, N. Y., Ryan and Burk- 
hart, 1902. 2 Vols. 



206 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

HARRISON, JOHN HOUSTON, A Contribution to the History and Genealogy oj 

Colonial Families oj Rockingham County, Virginia. Settlers by the Long 

Grey Trail. Some Pioneers to Old Augusta County, Virginia, and Their 

Descendants, oj the Family oj Harrison and Allied Lines. Dayton, Va., 

Joseph K. Ruebush Company, 1935. 
HAWTHORNE, JULIAN, The Story oj Oregon; a History With Portraits and 

Biographies. New York, American Historical Publishing Company, 1892. 

2 Vols. 
HENRY, EFFIB L., comp., Maryland Miscellany. Washington, D. C., A. W. 

Burns, 1936. Mimeographed. 
HERNDON, DALLAS TABOR, The Arkansas Handbook, 1937-1988. [Little Rock] 

Arkansas History Commission, 1938. 
HESTER, MARTIN MASON, comp., History and Genealogy oj the Descendants oj 

John Lawrence Hester and Godfrey Stough, 1752-1905. [Norwalk, Ohio] 

1905. 
HILLS, LEON CLARK, . . . History and Genealogy oj the Mayflower Planters 

and First Comers to Ye Olde Colonie. Washington, D. C., Hills Publishing 

Company [c!936L (Cape Cod Series, Vol. 1.) 
HINSHAW, WILLIAM WADE, and THOMAS WORTH MARSHALL, Encyclopedia oj 

American Quaker Genealogy, Vol. 2. Ann Arbor, Edwards Brothers, Inc., 

1938. 
HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF OHIO, Annual Report for the Year 

Ending December, 1938. Cincinnati, The Ruter Press, 1938. 
Historical Encyclopedia oj Illinois and History oj Kane County. Chicago, 

Munsell Publishing Company, 1904. 

History oj Carroll County, Missouri . . . Including a History of Its Town- 
ships, Cities, Towns and Villages ... St. Louis, Missouri Historical 

Company, 1881. 
History oj Grundy County, Missouri . . . Kansas City, Mo., Birdsall and 

Dean, 1881. 
HORTON, BYRON BARNES, The Ancestors and Descendants oj Zachariah Eddy 

oj Warren, Pa. Rutland, Vt., The Tuttle Company, 1930. 
HOUGH, FRANKLIN BENJAMIN, A History oj St. Lawrence and Franklin Coun- 
ties, New York, From the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Albany, 

Little and Company, 1853. 
HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Transactions, No. 43. Charleston, 

Published by Order of the Society, 1938. 
IDAHO STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Sixteenth Biennial Report of the Board of 

Trustees for the Years 1937-1988. Boise, 1938. 
ILLINOIS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Papers in Illinois History and Transactions 

for the Year 1937, 1938. Springfield, The Illinois State Historical Society, 
1938, 1939. 2 Vols. 
ILLINOIS (TER.) LAWS, STATUTES, ETC., Pope's Digest, 1815. Vol. 1. Law 

Series, Vol. 3. (Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, Vol. 28.) 
INDIANA, CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, 1850-1851, Index to the Journal and 

Debates. Indianapolis, Indiana Historical Bureau, 1938. 

JILLSON, DAVID, comp., Genealogy oj the Gillson and Jillson Family. Central 
Falls, R. I., E. L. Freeman and Company, 1876. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 207 

JOHNSON, AUGUSTA PHILLIPS, A Century of Wayne County, Kentucky, 1800- 
1900. Louisville, The Standard Printing Company [c!939]. 

JOHNSON, WILLIAM, The Papers of Sir William Johnson. Vol. 9. Albany, The 
University of the State of New York, 1939. 

JOINT COMMITTEE OF HOPEWELL FRIENDS, Hopewell Friends History, 1734-1934, 
Frederick County, Virginia; Records of Hopewell Monthly Meetings and 
Meetings Reporting to Hopewell . . . Strasburg, Va., Shenandoah Pub- 
lishing House, Inc. [c!936]. 

KAYLOR, PETER CLINE, Abstract of Land Grant Surveys, 1761-1791. No. 1, Jan., 
1938. Dayton, Va., The Shenandoah Press [1938]. 

KILBY, WILLIAM HENRY, comp., Eastport and Passamaquoddy ; a Collection of 
Historical and Biographical Sketches. Eastport, Maine, Edward E. Shead 
& Company, 1888. 

LEE, ALFRED EMORY, History of the City of Columbus, Capital of Ohio. New 
York, Munsell and Company, 1892. 2 Vols. 

LINDENBERGER, MRS. RUTH (BASON), Beard Family History and Genealogy. 
[Lawrence, Kan., The World Company] c!939. 

Lineal Ancestors of Captain James Cory and of His Descendants; Genealogical, 
Historical and Biographical. Vol. 1, Parts 1-2. N. p., 1937. 

Lineal Ancestors of Rhoda (Axtell) Cory, Mother of Captain James Cory, 
Genealogical, Historical and Biographical. Vol. 2, Parts 1-2. N. p., 1937. 

Lineal Ancestors of Rufus Rennington Young and Jane Vosburgh and of Their 
Descendants, Genealogical, Historical and Biographical. N. p., 1937. 

Lineal Ancestors of Susan (KitchelV) Mulford, Mother of Mrs. Susan (Mul- 
ford) Cory, Genealogical, Historical and Biographical. Vol. 4, Parts 1-2. 
N. p., 1937. 

Lineal Ancestors of Susan (Mulford) Cory, Wife of Captain James Cory, 
Genealogical, Historical and Biographical. Vol. 3, Parts 1-2. N. p., 1937. 

LLOYD, MRS. EMMA (ROUSE), Clasping Hands With Generations Past. [Cin- 
cinnati, Wiesen-Hart Press] 1932. 

LOCKWOOD, JOHN HOYT, Westfield and Its Historic Influences, 1669-1919 . . . 
[Springfield, Mass.] Printed and Sold by the Author [c!922]. 

LONG, JOHN DAVIS, Papers of John Davis Long, 1897-1904- [Boston] The 
Massachusetts Historical Society, 1939. (Collections, Vol. 78.) 

LOWTHER, MINNIE KENDALL, History of Ritchie County, With Biographical 
Sketches of Its Pioneers and Their Ancestors, and With Interesting Remi- 
niscences of Revolutionary and Indian Times. Wheeling, W. Va., Wheeling 
News Litho. Company [c!911]. 

MCDONNELL, WILLIAM JOHN, Early History of Idaho . . . Caldwell, Idaho, 
The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1913. 

MARVIN, ABIJAH PERKINS, History of the Town of Winchendon, (Worcester 
County, Mass.) From the Grant of Ipswich, Canada, in 1735, to the Present 
Time. Winchendon, The Author, 1868. 

MARVIN, FRANCIS M., The Van Horn Family History. East Stroudsburg, Pa., 
Press Publishing Company [1929]. 

MARYLAND, GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Proceedings and Acts, 1757-1758. Baltimore, 
Maryland Historical Society, 1938. (Archives of Maryland, Vol. 55.) 

Metropolis Explained and Illustrated in Familiar Form, With a Map. New 
York, Devlin and Company, 1871. 



208 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

MIDDLESEX COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, President's Address, Annual Reports, 

Secretary, Treasurer . . . [Middletown, Conn., Pelton and King, 1938.] 
MUDGE, ALFRED, Memorials: Being a Genealogical, Biographical and Historical 

Account of the Name of Mudge in America, From 1638 to 1868. Boston, 

Alfred Mudge and Son, 1868. 

NEW ENGLAND SOCIETY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, One Hundred and Thirty- 
third Annual Report for the Year 1938. No impr. 
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Annual Report and List of Members for the 

Year 1938. New York, 1939. 
NORTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL COMMISSION, Seventeenth Biennial Report, July 

1, 1936, to June 30, 1938. Raleigh, North Carolina Historical Commission, 

1988. 
OAK, HENRY LEBBEUS, Oak-Oaks-Oakes. Family Register Nathaniel Oak of 

Marlborough, Mass., and Three Generations of His Descendants . . . Los 

Angeles, Out West Company Print, 1906. 
OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, HAYES MEMORIAL LIBRARY 

AND MUSEUM, An Index and List of the Letters and Papers of Rutherford 

Birchard Hayes, Nineteenth President of the United States. Columbus, Ohio 

State Archaeological and Historical Society, n. d. 
, An Index and List of the Pamphlets and Periodicals Collected by 

Rutherford Birchard Hayes . . . Columbus, Ohio State Archaeological 

and Historical Society, 1935. 
ONDERDONK, ELMER, comp., Genealogy of the Onderdonk Family in America. 

New York, Privately printed, 1910. 

PANHANDLE-PLAINS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, The Panhandle-Plains Historical Re- 
view, Vol. 11, 1938. Canyon, Tex., Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, 

c!938. 
PASSMORE, JOHN ANDREW MOORE, Ancestors and Descendants of Andrew Moore, 

1612-1897. Philadelphia [Lancaster, Pa., Wickersham Printing Company], 

1897. 2 Vols. 
PEDIGO, VIRGINIA G., AND LEWIS G., History of Patrick and Henry Counties, 

Virginia. Roanoke, Va., The Stone Printing and Manufacturing Company, 

1933. 

PENNSYLVANIA CONSTITUTION COMMEMORATION COMMITTEE, The Federal Con- 
stitution Celebration in Pennsylvania, 1937-1938. [Philadelphia, Dunlap 

Printing Company, 1938.] 
PENNSYLVANIA FEDERATION OF HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, Year Book, 1938, and Acts 

and Proceedings of the Thirty-first, Thirty-second and Thirty-third Annual 

Meetings at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. No impr. 
PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION, Conserving Pennsylvania's Historic 

Past. Harrisburg, 1939. (Bulletin, No. 3.) 
Portrait and Biographical Album of De Kalb County, Illinois . . . Chicago, 

Chapman Brothers, 1883. 
Portrait and Biographical Album of Henry County, Illinois . . . Chicago, 

Biographical Publishing Company, 1885. 
Portrait and Biographical Record of Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, 

Ohio . . . Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1892. 
Portrait and Biographical Record of the Scioto Valley, Ohio. Chicago, The 

Lewis Publishing Company, 1894. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 209 

PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND, The Early Records oj the Town of Portsmouth. 
Providence, E. L. Freeman and Sons, 1901. 

PRATT, HARRY E., ed., Illinois as Lincoln Knew It; a Boston Reporter's Record 
of a Trip in 1847. Springfield, 1938. (Reprinted from Papers in Illinois 
History and Transactions for the Year 1937 of Illinois State Historical 
Society.) 

RICHMAN, GEORGE J., History oj Hancock County, Indiana; Its People, In- 
dustries and Institutions . . . Greenfield, Ind., Wm. Mitchell Printing 
Company, 1916. 

RICHMOND, MRS. KATHARINE (FALL), comp. and pub., John Hayes, of Dover, 
New Hampshire; a Book of His Family. Tyngsboro, Mass., Katherine F. 
Richmond, 1936. 2 Vote. 

RIDDELL, MRS. JEAN WELDI (MONTGOMERY), The Ancestors of James Mont- 
gomery and the Descendants of James and Lydia Montgomery. N.p. [1938]. 

ROBINSON, MRS. CAROLINE ELIZABETH (RODMAN), The Gardiners of Narragan- 
sett; Being a Genealogy oj the Descendants oj George Gardiner, the Colo- 
nist, 1638. Edited With Notes and Index by Daniel Goodwin. Providence, 
Printed for the Editor, 1919. 

ROBINSON, DOANE, Encyclopedia of South Dakota. Pierre, The Author, 1925. 

ROUTH, EUGENE COKE, The Story of Oklahoma Baptists. Oklahoma City, 
Baptist General Convention, 1932. 

SALISBURY TERCENTENARY COMMITTEE, Salisbury, Mass., Tercentenary Celebra- 
tion Program, 1638-1988. August 14-18. No impr. 

SALLEY, ALEXANDER SAMUEL, JR., ed., Accounts Audited of Revolutionary Claims 
Against South Carolina. Columbia, S. C., Printed for the Historical Com- 
mission of South Carolina by the State Company, 1935-1938. 2 Vols. 

, Death Notices in the South Carolina Gazette, 1732-1775. Columbia, 
S. C., Printed for the Historical Commission of South Carolina by the State 
Company, 1917. 

-, Marriage Notices in Charleston Courier, 1803-1808. Columbia, S. C., 



Printed for the Historical Commission of South Carolina by the State Com- 
pany, 1919. 
, Stub Entries to Indents Issued in Payment of Claims Against South 



Carolina Growing Out of the Revolution. Books B, R-T, U-W, X, Y-Z. 
Columbia, S. C., Printed for the Historical Commission of South Carolina 
by the State Company, 1917-1934. 6 Vols. 

SHAMBAUGH, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, The Old Stone Capitol Remembers . . . 
Iowa City, The State Historical Society of Iowa, 1939. 

SHERTZER, ABRAM TREGO, A Historical Account of the Trego Family. Balti- 
more, Press of Isaac Friedenwald, 1884. 

SMITH, RODERICK A., A History of Dickinson County, Iowa, Together With an 
Account of the Spirit Lake Massacre, and the Indian Troubles on the North- 
western Frontier. Des Moines, The Kenyon Printing & Manufacturing 
Company, 1902. 

SONS OF THE REVOLUTION, NEW YORK, Reports and Proceedings, July 1, 1937, 
to June 30, 1938. July 1, 1938, to June 30, 1939. No impr. 2 Vols. 

SPEER, ROLLO CLAYTON, comp., Some Contributions of the Speer Family to the 
Ministry and Christian Service . . . 1939. Typed. 

14__3504 



210 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

, Some Scions of the Spear Family as Found in Various Parts of Kansas, 

Being Excerpts From the Tables of Spear Genealogy . . . Typed. 

, The Speer Family; One of a Series of Charts of Various Genealogical 

Accounts of the Speer (Spear) Family in America. Typed. 

The Speers-Spears-Speer Family; the Migration From Ireland to Ger- 



many, Thence From Heidelberg to America, 1750 . . . [1939.] Typed. 

SPEER, WILLIAM S., comp., and ed., Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans . . . 
Nashville, Albert B. Tavel, 1888. 

SPRUNT, JAMES, Chronicles of the Cape Fear River, 1660-1916. 2d ed. Raleigh, 
Edwards and Broughton Printing Company, 1916. 

SQUIRES, W. H. T., The Presbyterian Church in the Colony of Virginia, 1562- 
1788. N. p. [c!938L (Reprinted from the Union Seminary Review, Octo- 
ber, 1938.) 

STEWART, FRANK H., comp., and ed., Notes on Old Gloucester County, New 
Jersey, Vols. 2-3. [Woodbury, N. J., The Constitution Company, c!934- 
1937.] 

STRICKLER, HARRY MILLER, comp., Tenth Legion Tithables (Rockingham Divi- 
sion) Rockingham County, Virginia, Tithables for 1792 . . . Luray, Va., 
The Author, 1930. 

SUTLIFFB, BENNETT HURD, A Genealogy of the Sutcliffe-Sutliffe Family in 
America From Before 1661 to 1903 . . . Hartford, R. S. Peck and Com- 
pany, n. d. 

SWIFT, JOSEPH GARDNER, The Memoirs of Gen. Joseph Gardner Swift, LL.D., 
U. S. A., First Graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point 
. . . To Which Is Added a Genealogy of Family of Thomas Swift of Dor- 
chester, Mass., 1684, by Harrison Ellery. [Worcester, Mass., F. S. Blanchard 
Company] 1890. 

SWISHER, JACOB ARMSTRONG, Robert Gordon Cousins. Iowa City, The State 
Historical Society of Iowa, 1938. 

TREADWAY, OSWELL GARLAND, Edward Treadway and His Descendants; News 
Letter, No. 7. Chicago, Oswell Garland Treadway [1939]. 

UPHAM, F. K., Upham Genealogy; The Descendants of John Upham of Massa- 
chusetts. Albany, Joel Munsell's Sons, 1892. 

VEECH, JAMES, The Monongahela of Old; or, Historical Sketches of South- 
western Pennsylvania to the Year 1800. Pittsburgh, 1858-1892. 

VERMONT HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Proceedings, Vol. 6, No. 3. [Brattleboro] The 
Society, 1938. 

WALDEN, BLANCHE LEA, Pioneer Families of the Midwest. Ann Arbor, Edwards 
Brothers, Inc., 1939. 

WATKINS, WILLIE Moss, The Men, Women, Events, Institutions and Lore of 
Casey County, Kentucky. Louisville, The Standard Printing Company, 
Inc. [cl939]. 

WAYLAND, JOHN WALTER, Art Folio of the Shenandoah Valley . . . Harri- 
sonburg, Va., John W. Wayland [c!924]. 

, Historic Landmarks of the Shenandoah Valley, Beauty and History in 

the Footsteps of Washington, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. Harri- 
sonburg, Va., John W. Wayland [c!924]. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 211 

WEST VIRGINIA, DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY, Biennial Report In- 
cluding a Bibliography of West Virginia in Two Parts for the Period Ending 
June 30, 1988. [Charleston Printing Company] n. d. 

West Virginia Blue Book, 1988. Charleston, W. Va. [Jarrett Printing Com- 
pany], n. d. 

WILEY, SAMUEL T., History of Monongalia County, West Virginia, From Its 
First Settlement to the Present Time; With Numerous Biographical and 
Family Sketches. Kingwood, W. Va., Preston Publishing Company, 1883. 

WRIGHT, ANNA ALLEN, Allen Family of Sandwich, Dartmouth, Fairhaven; 
Sherman Family. Mimeographed. 1938. 

WYOMING COMMEMORATIVE ASSOCIATION, Proceedings, 1938. No impr. 

DIRECTORIES 

Albany and Rensselaer, N. Y. Directory for the Year Ending July, 1932. N. 
p., Sampson and Murdock Company, c!931. 

Albuquerque City Directory, 1937, 1938. El Paso, Tex., Hudspeth Directory 
Company, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Amarillo City Directory, 1935. El Paso, Tex., Hudspeth Directory Company, 
c!935. 

Ardmore (Carter County, Okla.) City Directory, 1937, Including Carter County. 
Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Austin (Texas) City Directory, 1937. Dallas, Tex., Morrison & Fourmy Di- 
rectory Company, c!937. 

Bangor, Brewer and Hampden (Maine) Directory, 1926. Portland, Maine, 
Portland Directory Company, c!925. 

Beaumont (Jefferson County, Tex.) City Directory, 1935-36, Including Port 
Neches and Nederland. Houston, Tex., Morrison & Fourmy Directory Com- 
pany, c!935. 

Buffalo (New York) City Directory, 1928. N. p., Polk-Clement Directory 
Company, c!928. 

Cape Girardeau (Cape Girardeau County, Mo.) City Directory, 1937. St. 
Louis, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Cedar Rapids City Directory, 1929. Rockford, 111., The McCoy Directory 
Company, c!929. 

Chickasha (Grady County, Okla.) City Directory, 1935, Including Grady 
County. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!935. 

Cleveland (Ohio) City Directory, 1928. N. p., The Cleveland Directory Com- 
pany, c!928. 

Colorado Springs, Colorado, City Directory, Including Manitou & Pikes Peak 
Region, 1938. Salt Lake City, Utah, R. L. Polk and Company, c!938. 

Commercial Register of the United States . . . Thirty-third Annual Edi- 
tion, 1925. New York, S. E. Hendricks Company, c!925. 

Corsicana (Navarro County, Tex.) City Directory, 1936. Dallas, Tex., R. L. 
Polk and Company, c!936. 

Council Bluffs (Pottawatomie County, Iowa) City Directory, 1937, 1938. 
Omaha, Nebr., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Gushing, Stillwater and Yale City Directory, 1926-27. Kansas City, Mo., R. 
L. Polk and Company, c!926. 



212 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Dallas (Texas) City Directory, 1937. Dallas, Tex., John F. Worley Directory 
Company, c!937. 

Dayton Directory for 1924. Cincinnati, Ohio, The Williams Directory Com- 
pany [cl924]. 

Denison City Directory, 1926. Sioux City, Iowa, R. L. Polk and Company, 
c!924. 

Denver and Adjoining Towns Telephone Directory, Summer 1937. [Denver] 
The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company, c!937. 

Denver Directory, 1982. Denver, Calhoun & Holmes Printing Company, n. d. 

Des Moines (Polk County, Iowa) City Directory, 1938, Including Valley Junc- 
tion and Fort Des Moines. Omaha, Nebr., R, L. Polk and Company, c!938. 

Detroit (Wayne County, Mich.) City Directory, 1936, 1938. Detroit, R. L. 
Polk and Company, c!935, c!938. 2 Vols. 

District of Columbia Directory, 1934. Washington, D. C., R. L. Polk and 
Company, c!934. 

El Paso City Directory, 1937, 1938. El Paso, Tex., Hudspeth Directory Com- 
pany, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Enid (Garfield County, Okla.) City Directory, 1936, 1937, Including Covington 
and Garber, and Garfield County. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Com- 
pany, c!935, c!937. 2 Vols. 

Fort Dodge (Webster County, la.) City Directory, 1982. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!933. 

Fort Worth (Texas) City Directory, 1936-36, 1937-38. Houston, Tex., Morri- 
son & Fourmy Directory Company, c!935, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Fremont (Dodge County, Neb.) City Directory, 1937-38. Omaha, Nebr., R. L. 
Polk and Company, c!937. 

Galveston (Texas) City Directory, 1932-33. Dallas, Tex., Morrison & Fourmy 
Directory Company, c!932. 

Hannibal (Missouri) City Directory, 1931. St. Louis, R. L. Polk and Com- 
pany, c!931. 

Hastings (Adams County, Neb.) City Directory, 1937. Omaha, Nebr., R. L. 
Polk and Company, c!937. 

Houston (Texas) City Directory, 1936, 1937-1938. Houston, Morrison & 
Fourmy Directory Company, c!935, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Independence (Jackson County, Mo.) City Directory, 1936. Kansas City, Mo., 
Gate City Directory Company, c!936. 

Indianapolis (Marion County) City Directory, 1935, Including Beech Grove, 
Broad Ripple, Speedway City, University Heights and Woodruff Place. 
Indianapolis, R. L. Polk and Company, c!935. 

Joliet (Illinois) City Directory, 1932, Including Rochdale. Chicago, R. L. 
Polk and Company, c!931. 

Joplin (Jasper County, Mo.) City Directory, 1937, 1938. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Kansas City (Missouri) Directory, 1937, 1938, Including North Kansas City. 
Kansas City, Mo., Gate City Directory Company, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Lincoln (Lancaster County, Nebraska) City Directory, 1937, Including Burn- 
ham and West Lincoln. Omaha, Nebr., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Little Rock and North Little Rock (Pulaski County, Ark.) City Directory, 
1937. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 213 

Memphis (Tennessee) City Directory, 1932. Memphis, Term., R. L. Polk and 
Company, c!932. 

Miami Commerce and North Miami City Directory, 1927. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!927. 

Milwaukee (Wisconsin} City Directory, 1932. Milwaukee, Wright Directory- 
Company, c!932. 

Nashville (Davidson County, Tenn.) 1938. N. p., R. L. Polk and Company, 
c!938. 

Oakland (California) City Directory, 1928. Oakland, R. L. Polk and Com- 
pany, c!928. 

Ogden City Directory, 1925, Including All the Suburban Towns and Villages. 
Salt Lake City, Utah, R. L. Polk and Company, c!925. 

Oklahoma City (Oklahoma County, Okla.) Directory, 1938. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!938. 

Omaha (Douglas County, Nebr.) City Directory, 1937, 19S8, Including Carter 
Lake, East Omaha and Sarpy County. Omaha, R. L. Polk and Company, 
c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) City Directory, 1931. Pittsburgh, Pa., R. L. Polk 
and Company, c!931. 

Ponca City (Kay County, Okla.) Directory, 1936, Including Kay County Tax- 
payers. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, c!936. 

Portland City Directory, 1926. Portland, Ore., R. L. Polk and Company, c!926. 

Pueblo (Colorado) City Directory, 1936-37, 1938. Salt Lake City, Utah, R. 
L. Polk and Company, c!936, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Richmond, Virginia, City Directory, 1926. Richmond, Hill Directory Com- 
pany, c!926. 

Rochester Directory, for the Year Ending Oct. 1, 1926. Rochester, N. Y., Samp- 
son & Murdock Company, Inc., c!925. 

St. Charles (Missouri) City Directory, 1931-32. St. Louis, R. L. Polk and 
Company, c!931. 

St. Joseph (Missouri) City Directory, 1937. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and 
Company, c!937. 

St. Louis (Missouri) City Directory, 1937, 1938. St. Louis, Polk-Gould Direc- 
tory Company, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

St. Paul (Ramsey County, Minn.) City Directory, 1937. St. Paul, R. L. Polk 
and Company, c!937. 

Salt Lake City (Salt Lake County, Utah) City Directory, 1937. Salt Lake City, 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

San Antonio (Texas) City Directory, 1936-37. Dallas, Tex., John F. Worley 
Directory Company, c!937. 

San Diego (California) City Directory, 1932. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk 
and Company, c!932. 

San Francisco City Directory, 1932. San Francisco, Calif., R. L. Polk and 
Company, c!932. 

Santa Fe City Directory, 1986-37. El Paso, Tex., Hudspeth Directory Com- 
pany, c!936. 

Shawnee (Pottawatomie County, Okla.) City Directory, 1937, Including Potta- 
watomie County Taxpayers. Kansas City, Mo., R. L. Polk and Company, 
c!937. 



214 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Shreveport (Caddo Parish, La.) City Directory, 1987. Dallas, Tex., R. L. 
Polk and Company, c!937. 

Sioux City (Woodbury County, Iowa) Directory, 1936, 1938. Detroit, Mich., 
and Omaha, Nebr., R. L. Polk and Company, c!934, c!938. 

Springfield (Greene County, Mo.) City Directory, 1937. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Syracuse Directory, Including Solvay, Onondaga, Eastwood, 1926. Syracuse, 
N. Y., Sampson & Murdock Company, c!936. 

Texarkana (Bowie County, Tex.-Miller County, Ark.} City Directory, 1937. 
Dallas, Tex., R. L. Polk and Company, c!937. 

Tulsa (Tulsa County, Okla.) City Directory, 1936, 1938. Kansas City, Mo., 
R. L. Polk and Company, c!936, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Tyler [Texas] City Directory, 1925. Dallas, Tex., R. L. Polk and Company, 
c!925. 

Waco (Texas) City Directory, 1936. Dallas, Tex., Morrison & Founny Com- 
pany, c!936. 

Westbrook, Gorham and Windham (Maine), 1924-1925. Portland, Maine, Port- 
land Directory Company, c!924. 

Wichita Falls (Wichita County, Tex.) City Directory, 1937, 1938. Dallas, John 
F. Worley Directory Company, c!937, c!938. 2 Vols. 

Worcester Directory (Massachusetts) for the Year Ending February, 1932. 
Worcester, Sampson & Murdock Company, c!931. 

GENERAL 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION, Papers Delivered Before the Members at 
Springfield, Illinois, on February 12, 1938. Springfield, Abraham Lincoln 
Association, 1939. 

ALTER, J. CECIL, Early Utah Journalism; a Half Century of Forensic Warfare, 
Waged by the West's Most Militant Press. Salt Lake City, Utah State 
Historical Society, 1938. 

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION, SECTION OF MINERAL LAW, Legal History of Con- 
servation of Oil and Gas; a Symposium . . . [Chicago] The Section of 
Mineral Law of the American Bar Association, 1938. 

AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, Annual Report for the Year 1937. Vol. 1, 
Proceedings for 1937. Washington, United States Government Printing 
Office, 1939. 

AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Publications, No. 35. [Baltimore] Pub- 
lished by the Society, 1939. 

ANDREWS, CHARLES MCLEAN, The Colonial Period of American History; Eng- 
land's Commercial and Colonial Policy. Vol. 4. New Haven, Yale Uni- 
versity Press, 1938. 

APTHEKER, HERBERT, The Negro in the Civil War. New York, International 
Publishers [c!938]. 

ATKINSON, MARY JOURDAN, and J. FRANK DOBIE, Pioneer Folk Tales. (Re- 
printed from Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 7, 1928.) 

AYER, N. W., AND SONS, Directory of Newspapers and Periodicals . . . 1939. 
Philadelphia, N. W. Ayer and Sons [c!939L 

BAILEY, KENNETH P., The Ohio Company of Virginia and the Westward Move- 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 215 

ment, 1748-1792; a Chapter in the History of the Colonial Frontier. Glen- 
dale, Calif., The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1939. 

BARNES, WILLIAM, SB., The Origin and Early History of the Republican Party. 
Albany, J. B. Lyon Company, 1906. 

BASS, MRS. ALTHEA LEA (BIERBOWER), A Cherokee Daughter of Mount Hoi- 
yoke. Muscatine, Iowa, The Prairie Press, 1937. 

BENSON, ADOLPH BURNETT, and NABOTH HEDIN, Swedes in America, 1638-1938. 
New Haven, Yale University Press, 1938. 

BOWMAN, CHARLES VICTOR, The Mission Covenant of America. Chicago, The 
Covenant Book Concern [c!925]. 

BRACKETT, ALBERT GALLATIN, History of the United States Cavalry, From the 
Formation of the Federal Government to the 1st of June, 1863 . . . New 
York, Harper and Brothers, 1865. 

BROWN, JOHN P., Old Frontiers, the Story of the Cherokee Indians From 
Earliest Times to the Date of Their Removal to the West, 1838. Kingsport, 
Tenn., Southern Publishers, Inc., 1938. 

BUCHANAN, JAMES, Sketches of the History, Manners, and Customs of the 
North American Indians. London, Printed for Black, Young, and Young, 
1824. 

CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, Year Book, 1939. Washing- 
ton, D. C., The Endowment, 1939. 

CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, Division of Intercourse and 
Education, International Conciliation, Documents for the Year 1938. New 
York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Division of Intercourse 
and Education, n. d. 

COMMAGER, HENRY STEELE, and ALLAN NEVINS, eds., The Heritage of America. 
Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1939. 

CRISPIN, MORDECAI JACKSON, and LEONCE MACARY, Falaise Roll, Recording 
Prominent Companions of William Duke of Normandy at the Conquest of 
England. Frome, Butler and Tanner, Ltd., 1938. 

CROUCH, WINSTON WINFORD, State Aid to Local Government in California. 
[Berkeley, University of California Press, 1939.] (University of California 
at Los Angeles, Publications in Social Sciences, Vol. 6, No. 3.) 

Cumulative Book Index, a World List of Books in the English Language, 
1933-1937, 1938. New York, The H. W. Wilson Company, 1938, 1939. 2 Vols. 

DOBIE, JAMES FRANK, Coffee in the Gourd. Austin, Texas Folk-Lore Society, 
1923. (Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 2.) 

, First Cattle in Texas and the Southwest Progenitors of the Longhorns. 

(Reprint from The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, January, 1939.) 

, Man, Bird and Beast. Austin, Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1930. (Pub- 



lications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, Vol. 8.) 

More Ballads and Songs of the Frontier Folk. (Reprinted from 



Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 7, 1928.) 

, Puro Mexicano. Austin, Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1935. (Publications 



of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 12.) 

DOBIE, JAMES FRANK, ed., Follow de Drinkin' Gou'd. Austin, Texas Folk-Lore 
Society, 1928. (Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 7.) 



216 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

, Southwestern Lore. Dallas, The Southwest Press, 1931. (Publications 

of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 9.) 

Spur-of-the-Cock Austin, Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1933. (Publica- 



tions of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 11.) 

Texas and Southwestern Lore. Austin, Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1927. 



(Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 6.) 

Tone the Bell Easy. Austin, Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1932. (Publi- 



cations of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 10.) 

DOBIE, JAMES FRANK, and MODY C. BOATRIGHT, eds., Straight Texas. Austin, 
Texas Folk-Lore Society, 1937. (Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore So- 
ciety, No. 13.) 

DOBIE, JAMES FRANK, and others, eds., Coyote Wisdom. Austin, Texas Folk- 
Lore Society, 1938. (Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, No. 14.) 

DOYLE, WILLIAM E., The Seventeenth Indiana; a History From Its Organiza- 
tion to the End of the War . . . Macon, Ga., J. W. Burke and Com- 
pany, 1865. 

EDWARDS, EVERETT E., Agricultural Record's; Their Nature and Value for Re- 
search. (Reprinted from Agricultural History, January, 1939.) 

, A List of American Economic Histories. (United States Department of 

Agriculture, Library, Bibliographical Contributions, No. 27. 2d ed. April, 
1939.) Mimeographed. 

, References on Agriculture in the Life of the Nation. (United States 

Department of Agriculture, Library, Bibliographical Contributions, No. 34. 
January, 1939.) Mimeographed. 

, References on American Colonial Agriculture. (United States Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Library, Bibliographical Contributions, No. 33. Sep- 
tember, 1938.) Mimeographed. 

References on the Significance of the Frontier in American History. 



(United States Department of Agriculture, Library, Bibliographical Contri- 
butions, No. 25. 2d ed. April, 1939.) Mimeographed. 

-, Selected References on the History of Agriculture in the United States. 



(United States Department of Agriculture, Library, Bibliographical Contri- 
butions, No. 26. 2d ed. January, 1939.) Mimeographed. 

EGQAN, FRED, and others, Social Anthropology of North American Tribes . . . 
Chicago, The University of Chicago Press [c!937]. 

ELDON, CARL WILLIAM, England's Subsidy Policy Towards the Continent Dur- 
ing the Seven Years' War. Philadelphia [University of Pennsylvania], 1938. 

EMBREE, EDWIN R., Indians of the Americas; Historical Pageant. Boston, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1939. 

Encyclopedia of American Biography, New Series, Vols. 9-10. New York, The 
American Historical Society, Inc., 1938. 

ERNST, JAMES, Roger Williams, New England Firebrand. New York, The 
Macmillan Company, 1932. 

EVANS, BESSIE, and MAY G. EVANS, American Indian Dance Steps. New York, 
A. S. Barnes and Company, 1931. 

EWERS, JOHN CANFIELD, Plains Indian Painting; a Description of an Aboriginal 
American Art. Stanford University, Stanford University Press [c!939]. 

FAIRCHILD, DAVID S., History of Medicine in Iowa . . . N. p. [1927]. (Re- 
printed from the Journal of the Iowa State Medical Society.) 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 217 

FISH, CARL RUSSELL, The American Civil War. London, Longmans, Green and 
Company, 1937. 

FULTON, ALEXANDER R., The Red Men of Iowa: Being a History of the Various 
Aboriginal Tribes Whose Homes Were in Iowa . . . Des Moines, Mills 
and Company, 1882. 

FULTON, WILLIAM SHIRLEY, Archeological Notes on Texas Canyon, Arizona. 
New York, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1938. (Con- 
tributions, Vol. 12, No. 3.) 

GARRAGHAN, GILBERT JOSEPH, The Jesuits of the Middle United States. New 
York, America Press, 1938. 3 Vols. 

GLUCKMAN, ARCADI, United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers. Buffalo, 
N. Y., Otto Ulbrich Company, 1939. 

GRAHAM, MALBONE W., The Diplomatic Recognition of the Border States. 
Part 2: Estonia. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1939. (Univer- 
sity of California at Los Angeles, Publications in Social Sciences, Vol. 3, 
No. 2.) 

GRIFFIN, GRACE GARDNER, and others, Writings on American History, 1934, 
1985. Washington, D. C., United States Government Printing Office, 1938, 
1939. 2 Vols. 

HAGUE, PERMANENT COURT OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE, World Court Reports; a 
Collection of the Judgments, Orders and Opinions of the Permanent Court 
of International Justice, ed. by Manley O. Hudson . . . Vol. 3, 1932-1935. 
Washington, D. C., Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1938. 
(Publications of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Division 
of International Law, Washington.) 

HALL, CHARLES SAMUEL, Life and Letters of Samuel Holden Parsons, Major- 
General in the Continental Army and Chief Judge of the Northwestern 
Territory, 1737-1789. Binghamton, N. Y., Otseningo Publishing Company, 
1905. 

HARLOW, RALPH VOLNEY, Genii Smith, Philanthropist and Reformer. New 
York, Henry Holt and Company [c!939]. 

HAYES, RUTHERFORD BIRCHARD, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 
ed. by Charles Richard Williams. [Columbus] The Ohio State Archaeologi- 
cal and Historical Society, 1922-1926. 5 Vols. 

HEATON, JOHN WESLEY, Mob Violence in the Late Roman Republic, 133-49 B. C. 
Urbana, The University of Illinois Press, 1939. (Illinois Studies in the Social 
Sciences, Vol. 23, No. 4.) 

HELMREICH, ERNST CHRISTIAN, The Diplomacy of the Balkan Wars, 1912-1913. 
Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1938. (Harvard Historical Studies, 
Vol. 42.) 

JACKSON, A. T., Picture-Writing of Texas Indians. Austin, University of Texas, 
1938. (Anthropological Papers, Vol. 2.) 

KEY, VALDIMER ORLANDO, JR., and WINSTON W. CROUCH, The Initiative and 
the Referendum in California. [Berkeley, University of California Press, 
1939.] (University of California at Los Angeles, Publications in Social 
Sciences, Vol. 6, No. 4.) 

LAMBERT, JOSEPH I., One Hundred Years With the Second Cavalry. [Topeka, 
Kans.] Press of the Capper Printing Company, Inc., c!939. 



218 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

LEWIS, LLOYD, Sherman, Fighting Prophet. New York, Harcourt, Brace and 
Company [c!932]. 

LORD, RUSSELL, Behold Our Land. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1938. 

LUHRS, HENRY E., Lincoln at the Wills Home and the Gettysburg Address, 
November 18-19, 1863. Shippensburg, Pa., The Lincoln Publishers, 1938. 

McCoNNELL, BURT M., Mexico at the Bar of Public Opinion; a Survey of 
Editorial Opinion in Newspapers of the Western Hemisphere. New York, 
Mail and Express Publishing Company, 1939. 

MCLAUGHLIN, MRS. MARIE L., Myths and Legends of the Sioux. Bismarck, 
N. D., Bismarck Tribune Company, 1916. 

McMAHON, WILLIAM E., ed., Two Strikes and Out. Garden City, Country 
Life Press Corporation [c!939L 

McMuRTRiE, DOUGLAS CRAWFORD, A Bibliography of Books, Pamphlets and 
Broadsides Printed at Auburn, N. Y., 1810-1860. Buffalo, Grosvenor Library, 
1938. 

MANNING, WILLIAM RAY, ed., Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States; 
Inter-American Affairs, 1831-1860. Vol. 10. The Netherlands, Paraguay, 
Peru, Documents 4477-5032. Washington, D. C., Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace, 1938. (Publications of the Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace, Division of International Law, Washington.) 

MBRA, H. P., Reconnaissance and Excavation in Southeastern New Mexico. 
Menasha, Wis., American Anthropological Association, 1938. (Memoirs of 
the American Anthropological Association, No. 51.) 

MONTOYA, JUAN DE, New Mexico in 1602, Juan de Montoya's Relation of the 
Discovery of New Mexico [by] George P. Hammond and Agapito Rey. 
Albuquerque, The Quivira Society, 1938. 

MUSCALUS, JOHN A., An Index of State Bank Notes That Illustrate Washing- 
ton and Franklin. Bridgeport, Pa., 1938. 

National Cyclopaedia of American Biography . . . Current Volume E, 1937- 
'38. New York, James T. White and Company, 1938. 

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, Cumulative Index to the National Geographic 
Magazine, 1899 to 1936, Inclusive . . . Washington, D. C., National Geo- 
graphic Society [c!937], 

NBVINS, ALLAN, Fremont, Pathmarker of the West. New York, D. Appleton- 
Century Company, Inc., 1939. 

New York Times Index, a Book of Record . . . Annual Cumulative Vol- 
ume, Year 1938. New York, The New York Times Company [c!939]. 

OBHLER, GOTTLIEB F., and DAVID Z. SMITH, Description of a Journey and Visit 
to the Pawnee Indians Who Live on the Platte River, a Tributary to the 
Missouri . . . April 22-May 18, 1851, to Which Is Added a Description 
of the Manners and Customs of the Pawnee Indians by Dr. D. Z. Smith. 
New York, 1914. (Reprinted from the Moravian Church Miscellaney of 
1851-1852.) 

OPLER, MORRIS EDWARD, Dirty Boy: A Jicarilla Tale of Raid and War. Men- 
asha, Wis., American Anthropological Association, 1938. (Memoirs, No. 52.) 

PANUNZIO, CONSTANTINE, and others, Self-Help Cooperatives in Los Angeles. 
[Berkeley, University of California Press, 1939.] 



RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 219 

Patterson's American Educational Directory, Vol. 36. Chicago, American Edu- 
cational Company, 1939. 

PENNSYLVANIA COMMISSION, Pennsylvania at Gettysburg; the Seventy-Fifth 
Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Vol. 4. [Gettysburg, Times and 
News Publishing Company, c!939.] 

PITCAIRN, RAYMOND, The First Congress of the United States, 1789-1791 . . . 
Philadephia, 1939. 

RAMSEY, JOHN FRASER, Anglo-French Relations, 1763-1770; a Study of Choi- 
seul's Foreign Policy. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1939. (Uni- 
versity of California, Publications in History, Vol. 17, No. 3.) 

ROBERTS, KENNETH LEWIS, comp., March to Quebec; Journals of the Mem- 
bers of Arnold's Expedition. New York, Doubleday, Doran & Company, 
1938. 

RUDDICK, J. A., and others, The Dairy Industry in Canada. Toronto, The 
Ryerson Press, 1937. (For the Carnegie Endowment for International 
Peace, Division of Economics and History.) 

RYNNING, THOMAS HARBO, Gun Notches; the Life Story of a Cowboy-Soldier. 
New York, A. L. Burt Company [c!931L 

SAGARD, GABRIEL, The Long Journey to the Country of the Hurons. Toronto, 
The Champlain Society, 1939. (Publications of the Champlain Society, 25.) 

SIMPSON, GEORGE, Journal of Occurrences in the Athabasca Department . . . 
1820 and 1821, and Report. Toronto, The Champlain Society, 1938. 

SONNE, HANS CHRISTIAN, Whither America? Common Sense and Better 
Times. New York, The Business Bourse, 1938. 

STEWART, WALTER SINCLAIR, Early Baptist Missionaries and Pioneers. Phila- 
delphia, The Judson Press [c!925]. 

STOCKWELL, MARVEL MARION, Studies in California State Taxation, 1910-1935. 
Berkeley, University of California Press, 1939. (University of California at 
Los Angeles, Publications in Social Sciences, Vol. 7.) 

STROVER, CARL BERNHARD WITTEKIND, Monetary Progress, Including Complete 
Mastery of Business Depressions, General Unemployment and Inflation. 
Chicago, American Money League, 1937. 

[SWEDISH EVANGELICAL MISSION COVENANT], Covenant Memories, Golden Jubi- 
lee, 1885-1935. Chicago, Covenant Book Concern, n. d. 

TAYLOR, JOSEPH HENRY, Sketches of Frontier and Indian Life on the Upper 
Missouri and Great Plains ... 3d ed. Bismarck, N. D., The Author, 
1897. 

TEACHERS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND RELATED SUBJECTS, Proceedings of the 
Sixth Conference Held at Washington, D. C., April 27-30, 1938. Washington, 
D. C., Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1938. 

THOMAS, CLARENCE Lor, comp., Annotated Acts of Congress; Five Civilized 
Tribes and the Osage Nation. Columbia, Mo., E. W. Stephens Publishing 
Company, 1913. 

THOMPSON, JOHN A., Alexandre Dumas Pere and Spanish Romantic Drama. 
Louisiana State University Press, 1938. (Louisiana State University Studies, 
No. 37.) 

THOMPSON, STTTH, ed., Round the Levee. Reprint edition, 1935. Austin, Texas 
Folk-Lore Society [1935]. (Publications of the Texas Folk-Lore Society, 
No. 1.) 



220 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

TRINITY COLLEGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, In Memoriam, William Kenneth Boyd, 
January 10, 187 9- January 19, 1938. Durham, N. C., Duke University Press, 
1938. 

TROWBRIDGE, C. C., Shaumese Traditions. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan 
Press, 1939. (Occasional Contributions from the Museum of Anthropology 
of the University of Michigan, No. 9.) 

UNITED STATES, AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION, American Armies 
and Battlefields in Europe; a History, Guide and Reference Book. Wash- 
ington, D. C., United States Government Printing Office, 1938. 

, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, The Territorial Papers of the United States, 

Vol. 6. Comp. and ed. by Clarence Edwin Carter. The Territory of Mis- 
sissippi, 1809-1817. Washington, D. C., United States Government Printing 
Office, 1938. 

, NORTHWEST TERRITORY CELEBRATION COMMISSION, History of the Ordi- 



nance of 1787 and the Old Northwest Territory . . . Marietta, Ohio, 
Northwest Territory Celebration Commission, 1937. 
, SECRETARY OP THE NAVY, Naval Documents Related to the Quasi-War 



Between the United States and France. Naval Operations From June 1800 
to December 1801. Vols. 6-7. Washington, D. C., United States Govern- 
ment Printing Office, 1938. 

VAN DOREN, CARL CLINTON, Benjamin Franklin. New York, The Viking Press, 
1938. 

WALL, OSCAR GARRETT, Recollections of the Sioux Massacre : An Authentic His- 
tory of the Yellow Medicine Incident, of the Fate of Marsh and His Men, of 
the Siege and Battles of Fort Ridgely, and of Other Important Experiences 
. . . [Lake City, Minn., "The Home Printery"] 1909. 

WATSON, ELMO SCOTT, A History of Newspaper Syndicates in the United States, 
1865-1935. Chicago, 1936. 

WEBB, GEORGE W., Chronological List of Engagements Between the Regular 
Army of the United States and Various Tribes of Hostile Indians Which 
Occurred During the Years 1790 to 1898, Inclusive. St. Joseph, Mo., Wing 
Printing and Publishing Company, 1939. 

WEISS, HARRY B., The Bibliographical, Editorial and Other Activities of Charles 
F. Heartman. [New Orleans] Privately Printed, 1938. 

Who's Who Among North American Authors . . . Los Angeles, Golden 
Syndicate Publishing Company [1939]. 

Who's Who in America. Vol. 20, 1938-1939. Chicago, The A. N. Marquis 
Company, 1938. 

WILLIAMS, CHARLES RICHARD, The Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Nine- 
teenth President of the United States. Columbus, Ohio State Archaeologi- 
cal and Historical Society, 1928. 

WINGER, OTHO, The Potawatomi Indians. Elgin, 111., The Elgin Press, 1939. 

World Almanac and Book of Facts for 1939. New York, The New York Worl&- 
Telegram, c!939. 



Bypaths of Kansas History 

THE FIRST WOMAN TO CLIMB PIKE'S PEAK ? 

From The Kansas Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, November 20, 

1858. 

The following is an extract from a private letter, written on the summit of 
Pike's Peak, by Mrs. Holmes, to her mother in Lawrence, K. T.: 

I have accomplished the task which I marked out for myself, and now I 
feel amply repaid for all my toil and fatigue. Nearly every one tried to dis- 
courage me from attempting it, but I believed that I should succeed; and 
now, here I am, and I feel that I would not have missed this glorious sight for 
anything at all. 

In all probability, I am the first woman who has ever stood upon the sum- 
mit of this mountain, and gazed upon this wondrous scene which my eyes now 
behold. How I sigh for the poet's power of description, so that I might give 
you some faint idea of the grandeur and beauty of the scene. Think of the 
huge rocks projecting out in all imaginable shapes, with the beautiful ever- 
greens, the pines, the firs, and spruces, interspersed among them, and then the 
clear cold mountain stream, which appears as though it started right out from 
under some great rock and on it goes, rushing, rumbling, and hissing down 
over the rough mountain side, now sparkling in the sunbeams, and now hiding 
behind some huge rock, and now rising again to view, it rushes on, away down, 
down, until at length it turns a corner and is lost to our sight. 

Extending as far as the eye can reach, lie the great level plains, stretched 
out in all their verdure and beauty, while the winding Arkansas is visible for 
many miles. We can also see distinctly where many of the smaller tributaries 
unite with it. Then the rugged rocks all around, and the almost endless succes- 
sion of mountains and rocks below, the broad sky over our heads, and seem- 
ingly so very near; all, and everything, on which the eye can rest, fills the eye 
with infinitude, and sends the soul to God. 



KANSAS EDITORS AT WORK 
From the Lawrence Republican, April 25, 1861. 

TO THE PEOPLES OF KANSAS. 

I have sold my interest in the Lawrence Republican to H. H. Moore. He 
is as clever a fellow as I am. V. N. SMITH. 

From the Junction City Weekly Union, April 8, 1871. 

Davis, of the Topeka Commonwealth, and Baker, of the Record, are call- 
ing each other damned scoundrels. The proof submitted on both sides is 
very satisfactory. 

(221) 



Kansas History as Published in the Press 

Extracts from the diary of the late John W. Hill, prepared for 
publication by his daughter, Mrs. Jessie Rowland of McPherson, 
appeared in The Democrat-Opinion, McPherson, June 16, 1939. Mr. 
Hill was a member of a "locating committee" sent to Kansas in 
1871 by the Ashtabula, Ohio, colony whose members came to Kan- 
sas in 1871 and 1872. A part of the diary is still in Mrs. Rowland's 
possession. The first notation is dated April 7, 1871, at Concordia. 

The Norton County Champion, Norton, of November 30, 1939, 
reporting the fiftieth anniversary celebration of School District 38, 
Mount Caramel, which was to be held on December 3, printed a 
list of teachers and all known pupils of the school. The original 
records are lost, and this list may therefore be incomplete. 

During the agrarian difficulties of the latter 1880's in Kansas and 
neighboring states, many farmers were receptive to the idea of 
moving on to greener pastures. In 1886 a cooperative colony, in 
connection with the projected construction of a Mexican railroad, 
was incorporated under the laws of Colorado and settlement was 
begun at Topolobampo, Mexico. Lacking capital, the colony made 
little progress until it received assistance from a Kansas organiza- 
tion, the Kansas Sinaloa Investment Company, founded by Chris- 
tian B. Hoffman, a Kansas business man, in 1889. A weekly news- 
paper, The Integral Co-operator, was published at Enterprise, in 
order to stimulate investment in and emigration to the colony. 
Difficulties arose and in 1893 Hoffman and his company severed 
connections with the original group and established an independent 
colony called Libertad. However, neither Topolobampo nor Liber- 
tad was successful and by 1898 it was clear that the whole coloniz- 
ing plan had failed. The story of this experiment was told by 
Sanford A. Mosk, of the University of California, in an article en- 
titled "A Railroad to Utopia" which was published in The South- 
western Social Science Quarterly, Norman, Okla., in December, 1939 
(v. XX, No. 3). 

For sixty-two years Charles Epley of Hutchinson has kept a 
diary of his daily activities, reported the Hutchinson News on De- 
cember 24, 1939. His notations are a record of his life since 1877, 
from his youth in Ohio to his experiences in Kansas as a carpenter, 
farmer, and finally as a peace officer in Hutchinson. 

(222) 



Kansas Historical Notes 

Will H. Cady, editor of the Augusta Journal for fifty years, was 
guest of honor at an anniversary dinner and reunion of his friends 
and subscribers at the Augusta Methodist Church on December 3, 
1939. The speaker of the evening, Victor Murdock of the Wichita 
Eagle, recalled persons and events well known to the old-timers 
present. Brief talks were made also by J. M. Satterthwaite of the 
Douglass Tribune, Stella B. Haines, president of the Augusta His- 
torical Society, and other friends. Chester Shore, editor of the 
Augusta Daily Gazette, acted as toastmaster. 

Stella B. Haines was reelected president of the Augusta Histori- 
cal Society at its annual meeting held in Augusta, January 8, 1940. 
Other officers chosen were Mrs. W. W. Cron, vice-president; K. L. 
Grimes, secretary, and Clyde Gibson, treasurer. The program in- 
cluded the annual reports of the secretary and treasurer, and a re- 
port relating to the projected restoration of the first building in 
Augusta. 

The Riley County Historical Society held a Kansas day meeting 
and dinner at Manhattan on January 27, 1940. J. E. Edgerton, of 
Manhattan, the principal speaker, discussed the life of Nehemiah 
Green, governor of Kansas in 1868-1869. 

R. 0. Larsen, of Johnson county, was the speaker at the Kansas 
day meeting of the Shawnee Mission Indian Historical Society, 
January 29, 1940. His topic was "Early Settlers of This Com- 
munity." 

All officers and directors of the Lyon County Chapter of the 
Kansas State Historical Society were reelected at the annual meet- 
ing held in Emporia on January 31, 1940. The officers are W. L. 
Huggins, president; H. A. Wayman, first vice-president; H. A. Os- 
borne, second vice-president; John S. Langley, treasurer; E. C. 
Ryan, secretary; and Lucina Jones, Mrs. Fannie R. Vickery and 
Mrs. F. L. Gilson, historians. The directors, whose two-year terms 
had expired and who were reelected for three-year terms, are J. J. 
Wingfield for Agnes City township, L. H. Ames for Americus town- 
ship, Ben Talbot for Pike township, W. A. White for fourth ward, 
Emporia, and Mrs. William Sheets for Waterloo township. Kirke 
Mechem, secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, made a 
brief talk in which he offered suggestions for conducting the county 

(223) 



224 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

historical museum which is shortly to be established. George R. 
Pflaum, of Emporia State College, has agreed to donate a collec- 
tion of Indian relics to the museum. Reports of the secretary and 
treasurer were heard, and Mrs. Gilson and Miss Jones gave reports 
on historical items. The Lyon County Society has the largest 
membership of any of the county organizations. 

The Dickinson County Historical Society held its spring meeting 
at the Presbyterian church in Solomon on March 28, 1940. Papers 
on pioneer families and on various phases of county history were 
read. Bert Ramsey of Solomon, chairman of the program com- 
mittee, presided at the open meeting, and Mrs. Carl Peterson of 
Enterprise, president of the society, presided at the business meet- 
ing. There was an attendance of 150 persons from all parts of the 
county, and motion pictures of the group, to be shown at the annual 
meeting next fall, were taken by Robert Riordan. 

Ottawa University was host to the fourteenth annual meeting of 
the Kansas State History Teachers Association, held in Ottawa on 
April 6, 1940. The morning program included discussions by Bert- 
rand Maxwell of Washburn College, Topeka, on "Background for 
the Present European War," and Charles B. Realey of the Uni- 
versity of Kansas on "English Attitude Towards the War." In the 
business meeting in the afternoon two questions we.re debated: (1) 
Should the association affiliate with the Kansas Academy of Science? 
and (2) Should the association cooperate with the Kansas branch of 
the National Council for Social Studies? Action on these matters 
was postponed until next year. The session was concluded by a dis- 
cussion led by F. H. Guild, head of the research bureau of the Kan- 
sas Legislative Council, on "Reforms in Kansas State Government." 
Following are the officers for the coming year: Raymond L. Welty, 
Fort Hays Kansas State College, president; Ernest Mahan, Pitts- 
burg Kansas State Teachers College, vice-president, and Delia A. 
Warden, Emporia Kansas State Teachers College, secretary-treas- 
urer. Others on the executive committee besides the above-named 
officers are: Iden Reese, Kansas City Junior College, Robena Pringle, 
Topeka High School, and Harold E. Conrad, Ottawa University, 
the retiring president. 



D 



THE 

Kansas Historical 
Quarterly 




Volume IX 



Number 3 



August, 1940 



PRINTED BY KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT 

W. C. AUSTIN. STATE PRINTER 

TOPEKA 1940 

18-4800 



Contributors 

EDGAR LANGSDORF is a member of the staff of the Kansas State Historical 
Society. 

GEORGE L. GUSH MAN is superintendent of schools at Latham and president 
of the Butler County Teachers Association and the Butler County School 
League. 

JAMES C. MALIN, associate editor of The Kansas Historical Quarterly, is 
professor of history at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. 

HAROLD C. EVANS is state supervisor of the Writers' Project of the Work 
Projects Administration for Kansas. 



Thaddeus Hyatt in Washington Jail 

EDGAR LANGSDORF 

ON MARCH 12, 1860, by order of the United States senate, 
Thaddeus Hyatt of New York and Kansas was imprisoned in 
the common jail of the District of Columbia. He had declined to 
testify before an investigating committee of the senate, basing his 
refusal on the belief that the senate had no power, in a legislative 
inquiry, to compel either the presence or the testimony of witnesses. 
He contended also that in such a legislative investigation it had no 
right to punish a contumacious witness, with the result that he went 
to jail charged with contempt. 

Thaddeus Hyatt was one of those minor makers of history, well 
known and of considerable importance in their own time, who have 
faded into obscurity with the passing of years. A prosperous New 
York manufacturer, the inventor of the translucent paving glass 
which is still in common use, an enthusiast in aerial navigation ex- 
periments, a structural engineer who made significant contributions 
to the use of reinforced concrete in building, he was also an author, 
philanthropist and advocate of worthy causes. In 1856-1857 he had 
served as chairman of the National Kansas Committee which was 
organized to send food, clothing and supplies to the drought-ridden 
settlers of Kansas territory. He had been one of the founders of 
the town of Hyatt in Anderson county, and a vigorous supporter of 
the Free-State party in the territory. It was through this phase of 
his activities that he became acquainted with John Brown, the 
nation's most militant Abolitionist, and he had more than once sup- 
plied money for the work of freeing slaves. 

Following the fiasco at Harper's Ferry in 1859, when Brown was 
captured by United States marines under Col. Robert E. Lee and 
subsequently hanged for treason, the senate began an investiga- 
tion. On the first day of the session, December 5, 1859, before 
even it had notified the house of representatives that it was ready 
to proceed to business, it received a motion by James M. Mason of 
Virginia which was formally read by the clerk: 

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into the facts attend- 
ing the late invasion and seizure of the armory and arsenal of the United 
States at Harper's Ferry, in Virginia, by a band of armed men, and report 
whether the same was attended by armed resistance to the authorities and 
public force of the United States, and by the murder of any of the citizens of 

(227) 



228 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Virginia, or of any troops sent there to protect the public property; whether 
such invasion and seizure was made under color of any organization intended 
to subvert the government of any of the States of the Union; what was the 
character and extent of such organization; and whether any citizens of the 
United States, not present, were implicated therein, or accessory thereto, by 
contributions of money, arms, munitions, or otherwise ; what was the character 
and extent of the military equipment in the hands, or under the control, of 
said armed band, and where and how and when the same was obtained and 
transported to the place so invaded. And that said committee report whether 
any and what legislation may, in their opinion, be necessary, on the part of 
the United States, for the future preservation of the peace of the country, or 
for the safety of the public property; and that said committee have power to 
send for persons and papers. 1 

This resolution was adopted by a vote of 55 to on December 14, 
and next day a select committee of five members was appointed, 
composed of Mason as chairman, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, 
Graham N. Fitch of Indiana, Jacob Collamer of Vermont, and 
James R. Doolittle of Wisconsin. 2 The three first named were 
Democrats, the two latter were Republicans. 

Because Thaddeus Hyatt was known to be an active Antislavery 
man as well as a supporter of Brown, and because it was reported 
that his name appeared on more than one paper in Brown's famous 
carpet-bag, he was among those summoned by the committee to 
appear and give testimony. His first decision was to cooperate; 
then he changed his mind and said he would appear but would not 
testify. 3 When he finally arrived in Washington on February 1, 
1860, he was so ill that he was confined to his room. Two weeks 
later, on February 14, he was asked to meet with the committee on 
February 17, but he requested an extension of time and was given 
three days more. This grace, however, was not enough for him. 
On February 20, instead of presenting himself, he wrote to Mason 
that despite his "very respectful, urgent and reasonable request for 
delay" the committee had seen fit to make a "peremptory demand" 
for his appearance. He declared that he was in Washington as a 
courtesy to the committee, that if he appeared and testified it would 
be on the same voluntary basis, and that his position was in no 
sense founded on any legal necessity. He might, he said, decide to 
testify under protest, without protest, or he might refuse to testify 
at all. In any case the decision would take a little time, and he 
asked for ten days more to think it over. Mason's reply, forthcom- 

1. Congressional Globe, 36 Cong., 1 Sess. (1859-1860), Pt. 1, p. 1. 

2. Ibid., pp. 152, 162. 

3. New York Daily Tribune, January 31, 1860. Said the Tribune: "In this position Mr. 
Hyatt is sustained by the best legal advice of Massachusetts and New York." 



THADDEUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL 229 

ing immediately, was that if Hyatt did not appear as ordered, on 
that very day, he would ask for process to compel him. 4 

Here the issue was joined. A battle over a question of constitu- 
tional interpretation was begun, with Hyatt contending ferociously 
that the senate had no power to compel either persons or papers in 
a purely legislative inquisition, and Mason insisting with equal vigor 
that it did. In addition to this point there was the further question 
of whether the senate had power to punish a witness who defied it. 
Hyatt wrote on February 21 that he would test the whole procedure 
in a state court, and on the same day the senate, at the request of 
the committee, ordered his arrest. From Boston, where he had gone 
to consult counsel, he informed Senator Mason on February 24 that 
any process could be served on him through his attorney, S. E. 
Sewall, at No. 46 Washington street. To both Mason and D. R. 
McNair, the sergeant-at-arms of the senate, he said that he would 
return to Washington on March 7 to await the senate's course. 5 
These gentlemen, however, were unimpressed by Hyatt's courteous 
individualism, for Theodore Hyatt, his brother, wrote from New 
York on March 5 that "Thaddeus left here last night with McNair 
. . . for Washington. . . ." 6 

On March 6 he was brought to the bar of the senate in the 
custody of McNair and supported on the arm of his old friend W. 
F. M. Amy, another figure well known in Kansas history who had 
appeared before the committee on January 16. Senator Mason 
offered a resolution, adopted by a vote of 49 to 6, that two ques- 
tions be put to Hyatt: first, what was his excuse for failing to ap- 
pear before the committee in accordance with the summons served 
on him on January 24, and second, was he now ready to appear and 
testify. Hyatt's answers, in writing and under oath, were to be 
handed in by two o'clock, March 9. 7 The voluminous manuscript 
with which he appeared on that day, prepared in large part by his 
attorneys, John A. Andrew and S. E. Sewall, was read by the clerk, 
Hyatt himself being too weak to undertake the task. There were 
several interruptions for debate and finally the hearing was con- 
tinued. On March 12 Mason offered a resolution that Hyatt's an- 
swer gave no sufficient excuse and moved that he be committed to 
the common jail of the District of Columbia. Then ensued a long 

4. Ibid., February 2, 7, 22, 1860. 

5. Ibid., February 28, 1860. 

6. Letter to S. C. Pomeroy, in Theodore Hyatt's "Letter Press Book," MSS. division 
Kansas State Historical Society. 

7. Congressional Globe, Pt. 2, pp. 999, 1000. New York Daily Tribune, March 7, 1860. 



230 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

debate on whether the senate had such power, which eventually was 
brought to an end by an affirmative vote of 44 to 10. 8 

Hyatt remained in jail until June 15, more than three months. 
He himself never made an objection, nor any attempt to free him- 
self, 9 and he refused his consent to proposals for attempting to 
secure his release by means of habeas corpus proceedings. Instead 
he prepared himself for a lengthy stay. He converted his cell 
into a comfortable apartment, elaborately furnished and decorated, 
screening off a part for his bed chamber. He mailed "at home" 
cards to friends and politicians in Washington, and even had a 
supply of blank checks printed with his new address, Washington 
Jail, spread across the top in large type. The entertainment of 
visitors occupied much of his time, and it is said that his visitors' 
book soon began to read like a roster of the North's political and 
social elite. Between callers he busied himself with various humani- 
tarian endeavors, including the arrangement of meetings at Cooper 
Institute, New York, in the interest of freedom, and he wrote oc- 
casional letters to newspapers. One of his more important projects, 
it is said, was the drawing up of a legal case against holding slaves 
in jail in the District of Columbia. He had unearthed the old 
colonial laws of Delaware and Maryland which prohibited the hold- 
ing of Christians in jail. Since the laws had never been removed 
from the statute books, and the slaves of his day were Christians, 
the conclusion of his syllogism is obvious. Even lawyers of the 
caliber of Montgomery Blair, the postmaster general, who had 
served as counsel for Dred Scott in 1857, were reported to believe 
that the colonial law was still effective in the District. Such an 
issue, Hyatt thought, though clearly farfetched, could at least be 
made the basis for a vigorous agitation. 10 

If Hyatt was busy and content where he was, those interested in 
his well-being were anxious to have him freed. His health was poor 

8. Congressional Globe, Pt. 2, pp. 1076-1086, 1100-1109. 

9. At least one abortive effort was made in the senate to secure his release. On May 
28, Sen. James Dixon of Connecticut offered a resolution that he be removed from the jail 
and allowed to go about freely within the limits of the city of Washington, but no action 
was taken on the motion. Congressional Globe, Pt. 3, p. 2383. There were several public 
expressions of sympathy during his term in jail: On May 11 a meeting was held at 
Cooper Institute, New York, at which the speakers were S. E. Sewall, Wendell Phillips, 
and the Rev. Dr. George B. Cheever. On May 20 Dr. Cheever spoke on the subject of 
Hyatt's imprisonment at his Church of the Puritans in New York. New York Daily Tribune, 
May 12 and 19, 1860. 

10. These statements are found in an interview with Hyatt by Richard J. Hinton, a 
newspaperman whose lapses from fact are frequent, which was printed in the New York 
World probably in 1895 ("Hinton Scrapbook," v. II, pp. 13, 14, Kansas State Historical 
Society library). A sketch of Hyatt's jail "lodgings" is included. One of his "Washington 
Jail" checks is in the Society's MSS. vault. The New York Daily Tribune of April 4, 1860, 
prints a copy of a draft received for payment at a New York bank which illustrates Hyatt's 
"Abolitionist" methods: "Washington Jail, March 29, 1860. The Broadway Bank, at the 
City of New-York, pay to Patrick Henry King, esq., jailor, or order, $45, being amount of 
jail fees to discharge Lloyd Chambers, a colored man, incarcerated for six months, on 
suspicion of his not owning himself. (Signed) Thaddeus Hyatt." 



THADDEUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL 231 

and they feared the confinement would do him serious harm. Dur- 
ing the first weeks of his imprisonment, before it was realized that 
he would rebuff all attempts to secure his release, Theodore was 
constantly writing in such vein as this: ". . . When will you 
sue out the writ of habeas-corpus & when will the case be heard & 
decided. Write me all the particulars for I want you to get out of 
that 'dog-hole' soon as possible. . . ." n In a letter to a friend 
he reported: (t . . . My good brother still remains in Wash- 
ington Jail and appears to enjoy his condition exceedingly. In his 
last letter to me he says 'I am much stronger & feel better every 
way. I think if I can only manage to retain my situation & not get 
turned out, that I shall get well/ I take it if the Senate knew of 
his happiness they would expel him very soon." 12 On May 20 he 
wrote to Thaddeus: "... I am very glad to hear you are so 
comfortable, but how your staying in that dog-hole 'is the best 
service you can render the unthinking world' I confess is utterly 
beyond my limited comprehension. . . ." 13 

Theodore believed that Thaddeus should take legal steps to de- 
termine his position. He wrote: 

. . . In an elective government like ours for any person to attempt to 
annul, repeal, or abrogate an oppressive law by resisting its operation seems to 
me as unwise and unreflecting as it would be to throw yourself before the 
''Car of Juggernaut" to arrest its onward progress. I submit the proper course 
is to enlighten the public mind and agitate the subject until some action is 
taken that will modify or repeal the obnoxious statute, and to do this a man 
out of prison will be much more effective than one in prison. . . . 

Thaddeus, he continued, should take his case to the supreme court 
and should abide by whatever decision might be handed down. 14 
In a letter to Arny on March 21 he elaborated this view: 

. . . That misguided brother [of mine] . . . ought to get out a writ 
of "Habeas Corpus" immediately while "Judge McLean" 15 is on the bench 
and have the whole question decided by the Supreme Court. If the decision 
sustains the Senate then testify under protest and come home & attend to his 
business matters instead of pursuing a "Quixotic" combat for the imaginary 
welfare of the dear public who don't care a pin whether he dies in the prison 
or gutter he is but performing the part of the "Bull on the Rail Road." 
. . . I much fear my good brother has an exaggerated conception of the 
importance of his position in this matter and am well satisfied his contem- 

11. Theodore to Thaddeus Hyatt, March 14, 1860, in "Letter Press Book." 

12. Letter to Mrs. S. C. Pomeroy, April 12, 1860, in ibid. 

13. Theodore to Thaddeus Hyatt. Ibid. 

14. Ibid., March 16, 1860. 

15. John McLean, associate justice of the United States supreme court, acquired a reputa- 
tion as a friend of the Antislavery forces because of his opinion in the Dred Scott case one 
of the rare instances in which he dissented from the majority that slavery was contrary to 
right and was sustained only by local law. 



232 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

plated appeal to the public will attract very little attention as they think he 
stands upon mere etiquette or formality, and this being so how can the masses 
become interested in the case when real & actual suffering and outrage find it 
so difficult to arouse the people to action in its behalf. 

No! no! my poor brother should come down from his cloudy, dreamy 
political world of Ideality, to the hard matter-of-fact selfish world of reality, 
abandon his self-immolation as altogether unnecessary, uncalled for and pro- 
ductive of no good to [the] world generally or himself individually. . . , 16 

Writing again to Amy two days later he reiterated his opinion 
that everything was to be gained and nothing lost by a habeas 
corpus proceeding carried before the supreme court. 

. . . I cannot imagine why Thaddeus should object to this measure for 
if unsuccessful, his present position surely will not be damaged, but if per- 
chance he should prove successful, then indeed he will have conquered the 
"Senate" and achieved a signal triumph for the public, because he will have 
the Law on his side as well as Justice. 

On this question I think he might obtain an impartial decision from the 
"Court" for the reason that there is no party or political phase to the case as 
is evident from the fact of Thaddeus being imprisoned by the votes of both 
friends <fc foes, Republicans & Democrats, and even if the "Court" should not 
discharge him I think they would be divided in their opinion & this (small as 
it may be) would be of some advantage as shewing the question a debatable 
one. . . . 

". . . [I] am sorry," he added, "to find his 'palace' is infested 
with vermin, but suppose they (the vermin) conceive their rights 
to the hospitalities of the Government are equal to those of Mr. 
Hyatt. . . ." 17 

Thaddeus was a never-ending source of trouble to his brother, 
chiefly because of his ineptitude in business matters. He seemed 
unable to regulate his expenditures according to his income, his 
taxes were frequently delinquent, and he was known to promise 
loans or gifts of money which he did not have. Much of the burden 
of managing his financial affairs fell to Theodore, and it was no easy 
task even to keep Thaddeus solvent. For example, he had made 
promises, said Theodore in September, that would obligate him to 
pay out something like $11,000 during the next two or three months, 
which would amount to more than twice his income for the same 
period. 

. . . The fact is, ... unless my poor demented, insane brother 
changes his course and husbands his resources Heaven itself cannot save him 
from destruction, for while he is uxisting thousands of dollars on the infernal 
John Brown, Washington Jail humbug his property heavily mortgaged is eat- 
ing him up with expense of interest, taxes & assessments amounting yearly to 

16. Theodore Hyatt to W. F. M. Amy, "Letter Press Book." 

17. Ibid., March 23, 1860. 



THADDBUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL 233 

over five thousand dollars, and not paying his taxes & assessments when due 
his property is constantly sold & when redeemed costs 15 pet. and expenses 
equal to 20 pet enough to ruin any man. . . . 

Only the week before, Theodore continued, he had paid $600 to 
redeem a block of fifty-six lots in South Brooklyn which had been 
sold two years previously for delinquent taxes. The period during 
which they might be redeemed had expired in July, but fortunately 
the purchaser was generous and allowed the property to be repur- 
chased for only the usual fifteen percent interest and expenses. "I 
am now having searches made against all the property and will clear 
it off of corporation liens and will see if Thaddeus will keep it so, 
if not then he must take charge of it himself. . . ." 18 

In another letter of September 15 he wrote that he "could not 
foresee Thad would waste since then [June] some $4,000.00 on that 
cursed Brown-Washington affair instead of applying the money to 
liquidate his debts then past due. . . ." Theodore said he had 
received a letter from a creditor of Thaddeus requesting that the 
whole or at least a part of the debt be paid, and remarking that 
"while it was very laudable for Mr. Hyatt to go to Kansas to re- 
lieve those in want there it was much more his duty to pay his 
obligations here," in which sentiment, added Theodore, "I most 
fully concur. . . ." Thaddeus' income for the February quarter 
should be a handsome one, his brother remarked, and should yield 
a handsome surplus over expenditures, unless he continued to be- 
have as foolishly as he had in the past, "and here is just the trouble 
with the confounded fellow. You can make no calculations on his 
movements. Can't tell where he will jump from one day to another. 
I wish we could cage & keep him safely for only one year and I 
could get his affairs in good shape if he would go off to Europe 
I would pay his expenses out and allow him $200 per month while 
there, which would be ample for the support of any ordinary 



man. 



19 



The three months of Hyatt's imprisonment, if they were bene- 
ficial to himself, were an added hardship to his brother, who was 
regularly sending him cider, books, peaches, candles and various 
oddments to make his stay in jail more comfortable, and who had 
at the same time the usual responsibility of overseeing his financial 
transactions. Theodore commented on the "long-day of rest and 
freedom from care & anxiety of business" which Thaddeus was en- 
is. Letter from Theodore, September 1, I860. Ibid. 

19. Ibid. The two letters last cited were written after Hyatt's release from jail and 
after he had gone to Kansas to make arrangements for assisting the drought -beset residents 



234 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

joying, adding that to get rid of such troubles himself for a season 
he would not mind taking his place for a few weeks. 20 

While Hyatt was in jail the select committee continued its spas- 
modic gropings. According to the final printed report, which in- 
cluded the testimony heard, thirty-three persons were examined, 
the first on January 5 and the last on May 2, 1860. Twenty of 
these appeared before the committee during January and eleven dur- 
ing February, while only one was examined in March, none in April, 
and one in May. 21 Several others were summoned, but for various 
reasons did not appear. Of the so-called "secret six," those men 
who were said to be John Brown's principal backers and most 
familiar with his plans, Gerrit Smith was on the verge of insanity, 
Theodore Parker was dying in Italy, F. B. Sanborn and Dr. Samuel 
G. Howe had escaped to Canada, while Thomas Wentworth Higgin- 
son, coolly standing his ground in Worcester, was never called. 
George L. Stearns was the only one of the six who appeared and 
testified. 22 John Brown, Jr., who probably knew as much as any- 
one of the background of the Harper's Ferry episode, surrounded 
himself with armed bodyguards in Ohio and defied the senate's 
agents to arrest him. He, with Sanborn, James Redpath and 
Hyatt were ordered arrested by the committee for failing to ap- 
pear, but Hyatt alone was taken into custody and jailed. 23 

Finally the committee gave up the ghost. On May 29 the New 
York Tribune's Washington correspondent reported that the investi- 
gation was virtually at a standstill ; no witnesses had been called for 
several weeks and for all practical purposes the inquisition was 
closed. 24 Senator Mason on June 15 submitted the majority report 
for himself, Davis and Fitch, the Democratic members, and Senators 
Collamer and Doolittle, the Republicans, handed in their minority 
report. The latter was concise, but comprehensive, said the Tribune, 
while Mason's longer document could only make the best of a bad 
case. 25 The select committee was discharged and Mason moved that 
Hyatt be released, saying: 

. . . So far as I was instrumental in procuring the arrest of this man, and 
his committal to jail, it was done in vindication of the authority of the Senate; 

20. Theodore to Thaddeus, May 2, I860. Ibid. 

21. Senate Committee Report No. 218, 36 Cong., 1 Sess. Ser. No. 1040. 

22. O. G. Villard, John Brown, 1800-1859, A Biography Fifty Years After (Boston and 
New York, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1910), pp. 529-536. 

23. Ibid., p. 582. Although a warrant was issued in February for Redpath's arrest he 
had so little respect for it or for the committee that he actually visited Hyatt in jail, using 
the alias James Cotton. Another visitor was Richard J. Hinton, who called himself Richard 
Reed. Letter of Thomas W. Hopkins (Thomas H. Webb) to Hyatt, April 24, 1860, in 
"Thaddeus Hyatt Papers," MSS. division. See, also. New York Daily Tribune, April 28. 

24. New York Daily Tribune, May 30, 1860. 

25. Ibid., June 15. 



THADDEUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL 235 

and I should be, so far as I am concerned as a Senator, for detaining him there 
until his testimony was given; but the committee now being discharged from 
its duty, there is no committee before which the testimony can go ; and, there- 
fore, I move his discharge. 26 

Hyatt, a free man once more, wired friends in New York: "Have 
been kicked out; will be home tomorrow." 27 

The issue involved in the Hyatt case was solely one of constitu- 
tional interpretation. It roused a brief public interest, and in cer- 
tain circles a considerable controversy. As the New York Tribune's 
Washington correspondent put it: 

The feeling of the hour turns on the question of the difference between the 
tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee of Mr. Hyatt. The Senate desire him to say 
whether he knows anything about the Harper's Ferry inroad. He says he 
don't know anything about it, and he will say so if the Senate will only invite 
him to answer, and not require him to answer. But the Senate says it will not 
abandon its right of inquiry. . . , 28 

Hyatt was standing for what he believed to be an important point 
of democratic privilege as indeed it was and this fact was gen- 
erally recognized even by those who considered his idea wrong and 
his course of action ill chosen. The Tribune, which might have been 
expected to support him both on grounds of party politics and social 
ideology, condemned his procedure as well intended but not well 
advised. 

. . . We wish we could realize that his long and close confinement has 
been as beneficial to the public as it must have been irksome to himself. 
There was opportunity and necessity for a good blow in the direction he con- 
templated; yet we cannot see that Mr. Hyatt has struck that blow. The most 
that can be said is that he has helped to draw public attention to a grave 
danger to personal liberty and individual rights. If it be indeed lawful for 
either House of Congress to send a mere servant of one of its servants into 
any State or Territory and drag thence any number of citizens not accused 
nor even suspected of any crime, haul them to Washington, ask them what- 
ever questions an irresponsible Committee may see fit to put, and imprison 
them indefinitely in case their answers are not deemed satisfactory, then it is 
clear that we hold our right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" by 
a very frail tenure. . . . We thought Mr. Hyatt's resistance, though . . . 
well intended, not well advised, and we did not sustain it, though he was a 
Republican and his questioners were Democrats. We will hope, however, that 
his course has not been in vain, and that Congress will now be constrained to 
define by law its powers of inquisition and of constraint to answer. 29 

26. Congressional Globe, Pt. 4, pp. 3006, 3007. 

27. So says the Kansas City (Mo.) Journal, August 4, 1901, and neither the action nor 
the words would be inconsistent with Hyatt's character. Among the "Hyatt Papers," MSS. 
division, is a copy of a telegram he sent to a C. H. Brainard, on June 15: "Tell Webb faith 
is equal to powder. I am discharged. [Signed] Thad. Hyatt." 

28. New York Daily Tribune, March 16, 1860. 

29. Ibid., June 20, 1860. This statement amounts to an affirmation of policy previously 
stated in the issue of February 22. 



236 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Earlier the Washington correspondent of the Tribune had mock- 
ingly remarked: 

. . . When we know that he merely stands for the defense of the right 
to defend an indefensible, or at least a very questionable position, if he or 
anybody else should ever happen to get into it, he reaches the vanishing point. 
Ordinary vision cannot see its merits. It is easy to talk about John Hampden 
and the forty shillings and all that, but as Mrs. Malaprop would say that is 
an unparalleled case. The difference is, that the power claimed in old Hamp- 
den's case, under the law, if exercised, might be made to ruin anybody or 
everybody; while in the case of our Hampden, it can hurt nobody, under the 
law as it stands, unless exposing criminals be a hurt. . . . 30 

In the issue of April 28 Hyatt commented sorrowfully on "the 
very ungenerous and untruthful" letter of the Washington corre- 
spondent, published without editorial note or comment. "I had sup- 
posed myself entitled to different treatment in The Tribune," he 
complained, "though I did not look for it in The N. Y. Times or 
N. Y. Herald." 

The Tribune confessedly was interested in the practical aspects 
of the committee's investigation, that is, in its political results for 
the Republican party, and it felt that while Hyatt's position might 
have been sound in principle it was unwise from the viewpoint of 
party expediency. Editor Greeley, ever a realist, said editorially 
that since no one believed the investigation would succeed in its 
chief aim of uncovering evidence involving other persons "not 
present," it should be allowed to go its way freely until in the end 
it "would react upon those who insisted upon it, and the mining 
party were doomed inevitably to be hoisted with their own petard." 
To press to an issue at this time an abstract question of right, he 
claimed, "was to give aid and comfort to the enemy by permitting 
him to draw off the public attention to a new point, under cover of 
which he was glad to hide his own defeat at the real point of attack. 
Therein Mr. Hyatt was not wise, and the Mason Committee owe 
him an acknowledgment that he saved them from becoming ridicu- 
lous. . . ." Further, Greeley agreed with Theodore Hyatt that 
if the senate's attitude was to be changed it must come from a 
pressure of public opinion which was not yet created. And what 
had Hyatt gained by going to jail? Before he could hope to com- 
mand sympathy he must show substantial reasons for his course. 

. . . We have no respect for rose-water martyrdom. Martyrdom is a 
very serious and a very respectable thing, and we do not like to see it 
cheapened. If Mr. Hyatt chooses to put himself in the way of being pro- 
vided with a residence in the Washington Jail, out of which he can walk the 

30. Ibid., March 16, 1860. 



THADDBUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL 237 

moment he chooses, by following the example of men quite as wise and quite 
as conscientious as himself, we do not feel ourselves called upon to hold him 
up as a great sufferer for a great principle. He settles nothing and elucidates 
nothing by remaining in confinement, except the power of the Senate to 
punish for contempt; he does not avail himself of the privilege of the writ of 
habeas corpus to test the legality of his imprisonment; he does not ask, or 
does not induce, his friends in the Senate to bring up for discussion in that 
body the question of their power; he remains in jail on a technicality of legis- 
lative etiquette, and we have too much respect for martyrdom to acknowledge 
that it comes under that category. . . . 31 

To this scorching attack Hyatt replied by submitting a letter 
from a J. K. Ingalls, printed in the Daily Tribune on May 26, which 
supported his stand, and he followed this with two laudatory letters 
from F. B. Sanborn which appeared on June 9. 32 He had earlier 
explained, to his own satisfaction, his reasons for not testing the 
constitutionality of his arrest in a state court. Before he had left 
Boston for Washington his attorney, S. E. Sewall, had asked the 
deputy United States marshal, Watson Freeman, Jr., whether an 
opportunity to go to a state court would be permitted, if Freeman 
were ordered to serve a precept for Hyatt's arrest. The marshal 
replied that if such an order were issued he would execute it 
promptly. Thus, when Hyatt was ordered to appear in Washing- 
ton, Sewall and his co-counsel, John A. Andrew, advised him to 
obey, supposing that the senate would listen to Hyatt's argument. 
However, not only did they attempt to gag him, but when Senators 
Sumner and Hale insisted that he be heard many of the senators 
left the room, returning to pass judgment only after the defense had 
been read. A further influence against attempting a test through 
judicial process, he said, was the example of his friend Sanborn, who 
had narrowly escaped kidnaping by officers. 33 

Whether Hyatt's view was sound in principle, there can be no 
question that the weight of precedent was against it. Inquiry by 
a legislative body obviously is necessary for acquiring information 
necessary to the enactment of law, or for the purpose of learning 

31. Ibid., May 14. That Hyatt did believe his position constituted at least a minor 
martyrdom, and hoped for definitive results because of it, is shown by his remark that be- 
ing in jail was the best service he could render the "unthinking world." Cf. Theodore's 
letter of May 20 to Thaddeus, quoted on p. 231 supra. Greeley is not fair to Hyatt, nor 
accurate in his statement that no discussion took place in the senate on the question of 
their power to hold for contempt ; hours of debate were given over to this point. 

32. While he was in jail he received personal letters from George L. Stearns, Richard J. 
Hinton, Annie E. Sterling of Bridgeport, Conn., I. R. W. Sloane and Nelson Sizer of New 
York, Henry R. Smith of Cleveland and many others, some of them complete strangers but all 
offering full measure of sympathy and encouragement. "Thaddeus Hyatt Papers," MSS. 
division. 

33. New York Daily Tribune, April 28, 1860. The story of the attempt on Sanborn 
was printed in the Daily Tribune on April 6 and 7. Sanborn later secured a writ of habeas 
corpus from the supreme court of Massachusetts (Sanborn v. Carlton, 15 Gray 399 Mass. 
1860) on the ground that the senate's sergeant at arms had wrongfully deputed his au- 
thority to arrest. 



238 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

whether laws are properly executed. It is equally obvious that 
such inquiry to be effective must be accompanied by power to 
punish a recalcitrant witness. This power to "send for persons and 
papers," say authorities on constitutional law, is part of the ancient 
"Lex et Consuetude Parliamenti," which is itself part of the English 
common law, and has been as repeatedly upheld by English and 
American courts as it has been insisted upon by colonial, state 
and national legislatures. The power to punish for contempt has 
frequently been used by American state legislatures, regardless of 
constitutional or statutory authority, because it is considered an 
ancillary power belonging to every sovereign legislature. In this re- 
spect it must, of course, belong equally to congress. In the United 
States it has always existed as a sine qua non of the legislative func- 
tion, and has been used indiscriminately in cases of refusal to heed 
summonses or to answer questions, as well as in cases involving libel, 
fraud or physical attacks on members of legislatures. Wherever 
legislative power has been granted, it must be considered that the 
body exercising it has also an implied power to investigate. 34 

Although this case marked the first time that the issue of com- 
pulsory process had been brought to a head in the senate, there had 
been almost identical arguments in the house of representatives in 
1827, and in 1857 a statute had been enacted "more effectually to 
enforce the attendance of witnesses on the summons of either House 
of Congress and to compel them to discover testimony" which pro- 
vided specifically for the punishment of contumacious witnesses. 
In addition it disqualified any facts disclosed by a witness from be- 
ing used against him in a subsequent criminal proceeding and even 
granted a complete pardon for any facts or acts to which he might 
be required to testify. 35 This act of congress was disregarded by 
the senate in the Hyatt case, and was overlooked also by newspaper 
commentators. The Tribune, for example, remarked that 

Everybody knows that, if Mr. Hyatt can tell anything that the Senate wants 
to know, his evidence must inculpate himself that he is arrested and cate- 
chised to that end. If he could tell anything to the purpose, he must tell that 
he had been privy to a conspiracy to instigate rebellion; and that is just what 
is wanted of him. If a culprit were on trial, he might be called to testify; 
but then he could decline to criminate himself; now he cannot. 36 

34. Paraphrased from Ernest J. Eberling, Congressional Investigations, A Study of the 
Origin and Development of the Power of Congress to Investigate and Punish for Contempt 
(New York, Columbia University Press, 1928; No. 307 in "Studies in History, Economics 
and Public Law"), pp. 13-30 passim. Eberling analyzes the historico-legal aspects of the 
Hyatt case on pp. 161-167. Cf. also, Marshall E. Dimock, Congressional Investigating Com- 
mittees (Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1929; Series 47, No. 1, Johns Hopkins Uni- 
versity Studies in Historical and Political Science). 

35. Eberling, op. cit., pp. 302-316. 

36. New York Daily Tribune, March 12, 1860. 



THADDEUS HYATT IN WASHINGTON JAIL 239 

At least once, however, the 1857 statute was referred to; Sanborn 
used it as one of the six objections which he raised to the senate's 
order for his arrest because, he said, it was contrary to the principles 
of the common law to compel a witness to testify against himself. 37 
The end of the Hyatt case was also the end of the Harper's Ferry 
incident. John Brown was dead and those of his followers who still 
survived were scattered throughout America and abroad. The ap- 
proach of secession made such affrays no longer of prime importance, 
and within a few months they were drowned out by the roar of Sum- 
ter's cannon. In August, 1861, some four months after the outbreak 
of war, Hyatt went to France as American consul at La Rochelle. 
While there he received a letter from Theodore, part of which must 
have stirred thoughts of the jail episode: 

. . . The greatest latest sensation is created by the arrest, on board of 
an English mail steamer of your old friend Senator Mason with Slidell of 
Louisiana the one as ambassador to England the other to France, they had 
run the blockade of Charleston & reached Cuba in safety, from there they 
sailed in the steamer but our consul informed Capt. Wilkes of the "Steam 
Frigate San Jacinto" of the matter and he sailed immediately determined to 
take them, he soon overtook the English steamer, sent his officers aboard and 
brought the gentlemen over, of course the British Capt made great fuss and 
when the news reaches England the papers, "Times" particularly will make 
greater fuss & howl terribly about the violation of the British flag. . . . 
Mason & Slidell are now confined at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor and if you 
could only be here long enough to call on your old persecutor and see him 
through the bars or under guard you might ask him if he remembers making 
your acquaintance before under somewhat similar circumstances. . . , 38 

Subsequent investigations by both houses of congress have con- 
firmed by usage the powers questioned in the Hyatt case, and the 
supreme court has given judicial sanction to such procedure. One 
of the most significant decisions of the court was that reported on 
January 18, 1927, in connection with the senate's investigation of 
the attorney general's department. The much-debated question of 
whether the senate or house could compel a private individual to 
appear and testify was here finally decided, in line with a long list 
of precedents, in the affirmative. 39 

37. Ibid., February 24, 1860. 

38. Letter to Thaddeus Hyatt, November 23, 1861, in "Letter Press Book." The refer- 
ence, of course, is to the famous Trent case, which nearly precipitated war with Great Britain. 

39. Eberling, op. cit., pp. 366 et seq. 



Abilene, First of the Kansas Cow Towns 

GEORGE L. CUSHMAN 

DURING the latter part of the nineteenth century there appeared 
in various regions of the trans-Mississippi United States several 
types of frontier boom towns. Cow towns, mining towns, and rail- 
road "end" towns waxed in lawless turbulence and waned into ob- 
livion as Western "ghost" towns, or experienced a transition into 
more peaceable centers of agricultural communities. 

Abilene, first of Kansas' railroad cow towns, was typical of these 
frontier communities in its beginning, civic development, and tran- 
sition. It began as a station on the Overland stage lines and reached 
its zenith as one of a succession of northern railroad terminals and 
shipping points on Texas cattle trails, over which millions of long- 
horn cattle were driven in search of a market between 1866 and 
1889. As the railroads extended westward Ellsworth, Hays City, 
Newton, Wichita, Dodge City, and other towns south and west be- 
came cattle shipping points, and Abilene was left to develop as an 
agricultural community. 

Probably the first white family to take up residence in the im- 
mediate vicinity of Abilene was that of Timothy F. Hersey. 1 In 
1856 Hersey staked out a claim on the west bank of Mud creek 
about two miles north of where it empties into the Smoky Hill 
river. The Butterfield Overland Despatch stage line came by his 
claim and he secured a contract with the company to feed the pas- 
sengers and employees who came over the trail in the six-horse 
Concord coaches. 2 He advertised to the west-bound traveler the 
"last square meal east of Denver." Food at some of these stations 
consisted of bacon and eggs, hot biscuits, green tea, coffee, dried 
peaches and apples, and pies. Beef was served occasionally, as 
were canned fruits and vegetables. 3 Hersey's establishment con- 
sisted of two log houses and a log stable and corral for horses. 4 

The next structure built was a dwelling known as "the Hotel," 
owned by C. H. Thompson, and located on the east bank of Mud 

1. "Early History of Pioneers," in "Dickinson County Collections" (at Abilene), v. I, n. p. 

2. Ibid., v. IV, n. p.; A. T. Andreas, History of the State of Kansas (Chicago, 1883), 
p. 684. 

3. Floyd Benjamin Streeter, Prairie Trails and Cow Towns (Boston, 1936), p. 14. 

4. "Dickinson County Collections," v. IV, n. p. 

(240) 



CUSHMAN: ABILENE 241 

creek, just opposite the Hersey establishment. Mr. Thompson used 
this as a way station for the Short Line Stage Company. 5 

In 1864 W. S. Moon built a store about the distance of a city 
block east from the creek. This place of business, under the name 
of the Frontier store, carried a small stock of widely assorted gen- 
eral merchandise. Its proprietor was postmaster and register of 
deeds, and his store later served as a meeting place for the sessions 
of district court. 6 Another building, back from the trail and in the 
midst of a prairie dog town, housed a saloon and went under the 
name of "Old Man Jones' " saloon. 7 Before many years a cluster 
of about a dozen scattered log houses was built on the east side of 
the creek by the emigrants who came in over the trails. 

Such was the Abilene that Joseph G. McCoy found when he came 
west on the Kansas Pacific railway in search of a point on that 
line which could be used as a shipping point for the herds of Texas 
cattle being driven north. He wrote: 

Abilene in 1867 was a very small, dead place, consisting of about one dozen 
log huts, low, small, rude affairs, four-fifths of which were covered with dirt 
for roofing; indeed, but one shingle roof could be seen in the whole city. The 
business of the burg was conducted in two small rooms, mere log huts, and 
of course the inevitable saloon, also in a log hut, was to be found. 8 

The first families to settle in the vicinity of the Tim Hersey and 
W. H. Thompson stage stations located east of Mud creek and south 
of the trail. They built rude log houses with mud-covered roofs. 
These families were people of several types. There were those 
temporary sojourners bound farther west, who because of some un- 
foreseen calamity such as the sickness or death of a member of the 
family, the loss of an ox, or the breakdown of a wagon, had decided 
to drop out of the Overland trail procession at least temporarily. 9 
Many times seemingly trivial things decided whether a pioneer 
stopped at one place or another in his westward trek. The signs of 
the zodiac or the phases of the moon as pictured and explained in 
the almanac were often deciding factors. 10 

There were those who were attracted by the rich growth of prairie 
grass on the Smoky Hill river bottom land and decided that this 
was their destination. Sometimes the "Western fever" struck them 

5. Ibid. 

6. Ibid. 

7. Joseph G. McCoy, Historic Sketches of the Cattle Trade of the West and Southwest 
(Kansas City, Mo., 1874), p. 44. 

8. Ibid. 

9. "Dickinson County Collections," v. VIII, n. p. 

10. Ibid. 

16__4800 



242 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

again and relentlessly drew them on to a new frontier. Some of 
these early settlers in later years insisted that their foresight told 
them that the region was due for a prosperous future and they 
stayed so as to be "proved up" when the "boom" should strike. 11 

These were the types which resided in the dozen or so rude huts 
which, with Moon's Frontier store and Old Man Jones' saloon, made 
up the nucleus of what was to become Abilene. 

In 1860 the counties of Kansas foresaw coming statehood for the 
territory and the organization fever swept throughout the settled 
part. In Dickinson county a contest developed over the selection 
of a county seat. C. H. Thompson laid out a townsite on his land 
east of Mud creek and hastily constructed some makeshift log 
houses to give it some semblance of a town. 12 It has been recorded 
that he then asked his neighbor, Tim Hersey, to give the new town 
a name, and Mr. Hersey referred the matter to his wife. Mrs. 
Hersey found a reference in the first verse of the third chapter of 
Luke in the Holy Bible which spoke of the "tetrarch of Abilene," 
and decided that "Abilene," which meant "city of the plains," would 
be appropriate, and it was so named. 13 

In the spring of 1861 a county-seat election was held. Union 
City, Smoky Hill (now Detroit), Newport, and Abilene were seek- 
ing the honors. Abilene, by securing the support of the Chapman 
creek settlers, won the election. 14 

There is very little recorded of the events in Abilene from 1861 to 
the coming of the railroad in 1867. No doubt its development dur- 
ing this period was much the same as other Western frontier towns 
during the Civil War period. Their routine and pattern was of a 
type. 

The scattered arrangement and varied architecture of the log 
houses reflected the individuality of the builders. There were no 
streets, and the spaces between the houses were grown up with 
prairie grass. 15 

The frontier stores were cluttered and dirty, with cuspidors which 
never seemed quite large enough for the expectorator who lacked 
pride in his accomplishment. To the feminine customers with their 

11. Ibid. 

12. At the same time Abilene was laid out there appeared in Dickinson county the 
following other new towns: Union City, Smoky Hill, Newport, London Falls, Centerville, 
Arapahoe, Sand Spring, Bruce City, White Cloud, and Aroma. Their combined population, 
with the rest of the county, was 378. Andreas, op. cit., p. 685. 

13. Stuart Henry, Conquering Our Great American Plains (New York, 1930), pp. 22, 23. 

14. Andreas, op. cit., p. 685. 

15. "Dickinson County Collections," v. VIII, n. p. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 243 

voluminous sweeping garments, this condition created a problem in 
sanitation. 16 

In the summer time there was the inevitable group of loiterers and 
habitues, which early in the day sought comfortable positions at 
points of visual vantage on the ground in front of the store or under 
a near-by tree, and spent hours talking about the inconsequential 
happenings of the community or some bit of news, remote or im- 
mediate. They were ever on the watch for some movement, whether 
it be the stirring of the branches of a tree by a breeze, a fitful 
whirlwind, the running of a dog, the slamming of a door, or anything 
of like nature that would provide a new topic for discussion. 

The arrival of a stage or the passing of an emigrant party down 
the trail brought out the whole populace to find out who was aboard, 
whence they came, and whither bound, eager for any bit of rehashed 
or revised news from some other point. Eastbound travelers brought 
news of some late Indian depredation, and those who were west- 
bound brought word of some more or less recent happening of the 
war which was then in progress. 

The winters were largely open and agreeable, but there were fre- 
quent bleak winds and occasional blizzards. The hunting expedi- 
tions after buffalo, antelope, wild turkey, and prairie chicken served 
the double purpose of providing a diversion and filling the family 
larder. 17 

The Kansas Pacific was extended west from Junction City early 
in the spring of 1867. 18 J. G. McCoy bought a location east of the 
original townsite of Abilene for the location of his Drovers Cottage 
and the Great Western stockyards. 

An east-west street running parallel to the railroad and about a 
block south of it was named Texas street. 19 Its main intersecting 
street was called Cedar street, which ran south from the railroad 
about five blocks east of the creek. Around this intersection of 
Texas and Cedar streets was built the Texan Abilene that has been 
made the theme of many a Western "thriller." 

A short street extending east from Cedar street and facing the 
railroad was called "A" street. East was Shane and Henry's real- 
estate office, 20 and Drovers Cottage. For two years the only sem- 
blance of a depot was a rough plank platform along the railroad 

16. Stuart Henry, op. cit., p. 165. 

17. Ibid., p. 211. 

18. Streeter, op. cit., p. 81. 

19. Texas street was later called South First street. 

20. In this office was the meeting place of the board of trustees of Abilene during 1869- 
1871. 



244 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

right of way. In 1869, after being given town property as com- 
pensation the railroad company constructed a station house twelve 
feet by fourteen feet, 21 with a four-foot by six-foot passenger 
waiting room. 

On the north side of the Kansas Pacific right of way opposite 
Drovers Cottage was the office of the Great Western stockyards. 
West of it were Ed Gaylord's Twin Livery stables. The only other 
buildings north of the railroad and east of the creek were a colony 
of about twenty rambling frame structures, each containing from 
ten to fifteen rooms, located about a mile north of the tracks. 
These were the dance halls and the brothel houses where the "soiled 
doves" of the cattle trade catered to the lusts of the drovers, cow- 
boys, gamblers, and gunmen who congregated during the summers 
at Abilene. 

Drovers Cottage was the largest of the first business houses built. 
It was a three-story frame structure with about 100 rooms, a laun- 
dry, a dining room, and a broad veranda along the front. During 
the height of a season many former "Yanks" and "Johnny Rebs" 
formed new friendships and sealed many business deals with iced 
drinks. 22 

The Alamo was the most elaborate of the saloons, and a descrip- 
tion of it will give an idea of the plan of them all. It was housed 
in a long room with a forty-foot frontage on Cedar street, facing the 
west. There was an entrance at either end. At the west entrance 
were three double glass doors. Inside and along the front of the 
south side was the bar with its array of carefully polished brass 
fixtures and rails. From the back bar arose a large mirror, which 
reflected the brightly sealed bottles of liquor. At various places 
over the walls were huge paintings in cheaply done imitations of 
the nude masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance painters. Cov- 
ering the entire floor space were gaming tables, at which practically 
any game of chance could be indulged. The Alamo boasted an 
orchestra, which played forenoons, afternoons, and nights. 23 In the 
height of the season the saloons were the scene of constant activity. 
At night the noises that were emitted from them were a combination 
of badly rendered popular music, coarse voices, ribald laughter and 
Texan "whoops," punctuated at times by gun shots. 

21. McCoy, op. cit., p. 192. 

22. J. B. Edwards says that in 1871 he delivered ice which had been cut from the 
Republican river to the eleven saloons and Drovers Cottage, for which he received HX cents 
a pound "cash on the barrel head." Interview with author, May 31, 1989. 

23. Stuart Henry, op. cit., p. 267. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 245 

Mclnerny's boot and saddle shop on Texas street employed as 
many as twelve or fifteen men at all times in the hand manufac- 
ture of saddles and boots, together with other articles of leather 
demanded by the cattle trade. 24 

The city jail was the first stone building to be constructed in the 
city. At one time during its construction a band of cowboys rode 
in from their camps and demolished it. It was rebuilt under a 
guard. 25 

The people of Abilene were of several well-defined types. First, 
there were the residents who stayed the year round. These in- 
cluded the business men, small-scale cattle buyers with their fam- 
ilies, unmarried young men who had come to Abilene with varying 
means, hoping to improve their fortunes by some legitimate stroke 
of luck or business. With few exceptions these were people of the 
highest type who protested the carnival of crime and immorality 
brought by the Texans and bad characters who followed them to 
Abilene. 26 

The larger part of the population in the summers was made up 
of the transient or seasonal type, consisting of speculators, commis- 
sion men, cattle buyers, drovers, gamblers, prostitutes, and cowboys 
who came in the spring with the arrival of the first herds and dis- 
persed in the fall to the larger cities and their homes in Texas. 
There also was the occasional terminus outlaw who drifted in un- 
announced from some mysterious place and on an unknown errand, 
stayed awhile, and left "between suns" following a shooting scrape, 
a few hours ahead of a posse, without announcing his destination. 

The speculators, commission men and cattle buyers could be seen 
riding toward the prairies to inspect a newly arrived herd, at the 
yards looking over some cattle yarded and ready for shipment, on 
the veranda of the hotel, the platform of the railroad, or at the bar 
of a saloon, talking intently with some prospective vendor or 
customer. 

The Texan drovers themselves were of three classes. There were 
the aristocratic Southerners who had been or whose ancestors had 
been slave owners. They came north by river and rail ahead of their 
herds and lived a life of ease and conviviality at Drovers Cottage. 
As a class they were candid and outspoken but at the same time 
sensitive. In money matters they were flush and free-spending, but 
at the same time were cautious and suspicious, and drove hard 

24. J. B. Edwards, in an interview with the writer, May 31, 1939. 

25. Ibid. 

26. Ibid. 



246 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

bargains with cattle buyers. They were boisterous and profane, 
but also courteous and accommodating. They proclaimed to the 
world that "my word is as good as my bond," and proceeded to 
follow this maxim rather closely in their business dealings. 27 

Another class of drovers to be found in Abilene during the sum- 
mer was the class exemplified by the quiet, unassuming cattleman 
of smaller means who did not put on the display that his aristocratic 
compatriot did. They were not so inclined to be talkative, were 
more cautious, but did their business in a fair manner. As a rule 
they did not take part in the excesses offered in the questionable 
enterprises of Texas street as did their peers, and quite often their 
wives met them in Abilene later in the summer, coming by railroad. 28 

A third type of drovers was those who had come to that station 
from various other callings. Some had been successful cowboys, 
legitimate and otherwise. Some were drovers for a season only. 
Others divulged very little about their past, and nobody ventured 
to press the point. This was the unruly group. They were the 
"gun toters" who set examples and encouraged the common cowboys 
in their riots of lawlessness. 29 

The American cowboy has been dealt with from divergent angles. 
He has been the hero and the villain in both cheap and classic fiction, 
in song and in legend, in drama and in cinema. Too much glamour 
has been thrown about him. He was not the hero of the burlesque 
stage nor was he the drunken fighting terror of the dime novel. He 
was nothing more nor less than the average Westerner who fitted 
himself to the traits his life and business demanded. 30 

The cowboy at the end of the northern drive was a distinct type, 
however. His routine on the range made an exacting demand on his 
powers of endurance. It meant that he might have to spend the 
larger part of a year without the comforts of a bed to rest from his 
labor or a roof over his head for protection from the elements. Much 
of his time was spent in the saddle, sometimes as much as two or 
three days at a time. 31 After he had spent from thirty to sixty days 
on the trail in dust and heat, storms, high water, subsisting on 
coarse fare, he was ready for and deserved a little relaxation. When 
the herd was loaded or sold and he had drawn his pay he was ready 

27. Stuart Henry, op. cit., pp. 62-66. 

28. Ibid., p. 66. 

29. Ibid., pp. 66, 67. 

30. Charles Moreau Harger, "Cattle Trails of the Prairies," Scribner's Magazine, v. XI 
(June, 1892), p. 741. 

31. Everett Dick, in "The Long Drive," The Kansas Historical Collections, v. XVII, p. 
56, says that the herds were driven and herded day and night for the first three or four 
days until they became accustomed to the trail. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 247 

to "open up." He generally started by securing a complete new 
outfit of clothes, from the fancy quilted-top tight-fitting dress boots 
with the conspicuous lone star in the tops, to the new Stetson "ten- 
gallon" hat. This latter article alone sometimes cost as much as 
seventy-five dollars. He removed the grime of the trail, visited a 
barber shop, then donned his new accoutrements (which included 
his guns, before the day of Tom Smith), and he was ready to begin 
his relaxation and vacation period. The institutions on Texas street 
catered to his worst passions. The saloons, gambling houses, dance 
halls, and houses of ill-fame flourished and thrived on his kind. He 
might become hilariously drunk, often becoming involved in a 
quarrel over money, a girl, or some matter deferred on the trip up 
the Chisholm trail, 32 and it all too frequently ended in gunplay. In 
this condition the Texas cowboy was a dangerous character to meet. 
J. B. Edwards, a pioneer who lived in Abilene during the cattle 
trade, says: 

When the Texan connected with the cattle trade got too much tanglefoot 
aboard he was extremely liable under the least provocation to use his navies 
[six-shooters]. In fact, if their fancy told them to shoot, they did so, in the 
air or at anything they saw, and a plug hat would bring a volley from them at 
any time, drunk or sober. 33 

His intoxicated condition made him easy prey for the purveyors 
of sin, and in many instances within a week his entire substance was 
gone, and he was ready to return to his work on the plains. 34 Some- 
times the cowboy sold his ponies or got an advance from his em- 
ployer and returned to Texas by rail and water, and sometimes he 
rode his pony back down the trail with the chuck wagon and the 
cook. 35 

The saloonkeepers and gamblers had some characteristics in com- 
mon. Many times they were partners in the enterprise of extracting 
specie from the free-spending Texans. The former prepared the 
field and the latter reaped the harvest. The saloonkeepers were 
usually robust fellows, ready at all times to meet the emergency 
created by a "rough house." The gambler usually wore costly attire 
and gaudy jewelry. He maintained the expressionless "poker face" 
while at his work, and sauntered nonchalantly from place to place 
while at leisure. While the games of chance were supposed to be 

32. According to Almon C. Nixon, in "Early History of Abilene," "Dickinson County 
Collections," v. VII, n. p., the agreement between the drover and the cowboy specified that 
all quarrels en route were to be deferred until the cattle were disposed of, hence many 
quarrels were matters which had originated on the trail. 

33. J. B. Edwards, ibid., v. VIII, n. p. 

34. Stuart Henry, op. cit., p. 72. 

35. J. B. Edwards, in an interview with the writer, May 31, 1939. 



248 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

conducted fairly, professional gamblers made use of the tricks of 
their trade on the liquor-befuddled Texans, and when this was de- 
tected gunplay was usually the result. 36 

An examination of the minutes of the Abilene city council and 
the ordinances during this period reveals that the prostitutes who 
followed the cattle trade created a vexatious problem. These fe- 
male vultures drifted in from Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, and 
like points, and seemed to be the flotsam from a disturbed social 
tide following the Civil War. 37 During the early days of the cattle 
trade they took up residence at various places in and near the busi- 
ness section. At one time some of these notorious places were lo- 
cated next to Texas street, just across from the schoolhouse. 38 Be- 
cause of public opinion, they gradually migrated to the brothel 
district north of town. In the later years they were moved to a 
section adjoining the townsite on the southeast, which later became 
a part of the town under the name of Fisher's addition. 39 Here the 
colony was under police supervision, and an attempt was made to 
prevent the violent disorders that had occurred when the demimonde 
were outside the scope of law. 

At rather indefinite intervals there arrived and departed such 
characters as Wes Hardin, Ben and Billy Thompson, Phil Coe, and 
the Clements boys, who were variously described as outlaws, cut- 
throats, desperadoes, gunmen, and like terms. They took part in 
the lawless life of Texas street and moved on when the fancy struck 
them or the circumstance deemed it advisable. 40 

In addition to these classes of people there was a sprinkling of 
. . . rich men, notabilities, curiosity seekers, . . . amateurs of savage 
risks or rites, anxious to see life spiced up hot to tickle jaded palates, . . . 
sleek, well-dressed Wall Street brokers, . . . staff correspondents from im- 
portant eastern dailies, . . . 

who came West to see first hand what they had read about in the 
current fiction of the day. 41 

The problem of maintaining law and order in Abilene in the early 
days of the cattle trade was not a trying one, because little attempt 
was made to cope with the problem. There were regularly elected 

36. "Dickinson County Collections," v. VIII, n. p. 

37. Stuart Henry, op. tit., p. 120. 

38. Ibid., p. 121; J. B. Edwards, in an interview with the writer, May 31, 1939. 

39. Often incorrectly referred to as "McCoy's addition," because McCoy was mayor of 
Abilene at the time. 

40. Some of these men had different reputations in different cow towns. Streeter, in 
his Prairie Trails and Cow Town*, says that Ben Thompson had a good record in Abilene, 
but that he was a killer in other towns. 

41. Stuart Henry, op. cit., pp. 267, 268. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 249 

county officers, but they made no serious effort to curb the law- 
lessness of the era. 42 After failure, they waived the responsibility 
by regarding that type of affairs as outside their jurisdiction. 

Before Abilene's incorporation, in 1869, the settlement of diffi- 
culties was largely a personal matter. Very seldom did a third 
party interfere in a quarrel. Sometimes the two litigants would 
retire to some more or less secluded area, and when both were ready 
they would start shooting. Stuart Henry says, "When you heard 
one or two shots, you waited breathlessly for a third. A third shot 
meant a death on Texas street." 43 Friends of the participants often 
witnessed these affrays, but so long as the general rules were ob- 
served there was no interference. 44 

It was evident to the law-abiding citizens that municipal organi- 
zation was necessary to bring order out of chaos, so on September 
3, 1869, there appeared before the court of Cyrus Kilgore, probate 
judge of Dickinson county, Kansas, a deputation of citizens bearing 
a petition signed by forty-three citizens, "praying for incorpora- 
tion." 45 Kilgore, after inspecting the document and finding it 
in order, granted the prayer and Abilene became an incorporated 
city of the third class. J. B. Shane, T. C. Henry, Thomas Sherran, 
T. F. Hersey, and J. G. McCoy were appointed by the court as 
trustees of the city until an election should choose a mayor and 
council. T. C. Henry was selected by the group as its chairman 
and the board carried out the functions of a mayor and council 
until May, 1871. Since the 1869 cattle trade was on the wane, very 
little was done to curb the lawless element that year. Some funda- 
mental ordinances were passed, but there was very little attempt at 
administration and execution. 46 

In the spring of 1870 the board of trustees met again and elected 
T. C. Henry as chairman and appointed W. Fancher, a teacher in 
the school, as secretary. Thirty-two saloons were licensed, 47 closing 
hours indicated, houses of ill-fame in the city limits were out- 
lawed, 48 and an attempt was made to recognize and enforce laws 

42. J. B. Edwards, in an interview with the writer, May 31, 1939. 

43. Stuart Henry, op. cit., p. 82. 

44. Mathias Hoffman, "Early History of Abilene," "Dickinson County Collections," v. 
VIII, n. p. 

45. "Petition for the Incorporation of Abilene, Kansas," in "Minutes of Board of Trustees, 
Abilene, Kansas," n. p. 

46. T. C. Henry, "Address at Memorial Services for Tom Smith, May 30, 1904," in The 
Kansas Historical Collections, v. IX, p. 530. 

47. In numbering thirty-two saloons, T. C. Henry probably included all stores retailing 
liquor. J. B. Edwards informed the writer that at no time were there more than twelve 
saloons in Abilene at the same time. 

48. At this time the prostitutes migrated to the colony north of town. 



250 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

against the more flagrant crimes and secure some semblance of 
decency. City offices were created, including that of the city mar- 
shal, and ordinances were published. 49 

The particular ordinance which caused the most comment and 
turmoil was the one forbidding the carrying of firearms within the 
city limits. It was announced on large bulletin boards at all the 
important roads entering town. These were first looked upon with 
awe and curiosity, and only gradually was their significance com- 
prehended. 

Tom Smith, from Kit Carson, Colo., was one of the first to apply 
for the position of city marshal. He was rejected. Several local 
men were tried and found wanting, while conditions went from bad 
to worse. The cowboys insolently ridiculed the officers and the 
disregard for law continued. The posters upon which the ordinances 
were published were shot so full of holes that they became illegible. 50 

Construction began on a city jail, but the cowboys tore it down, 
and it had to be rebuilt under a day-and-night guard. The first 
person to be incarcerated was a colored cook from one of the cattle 
camps near Abilene. A band of cowboys came to town, drove away 
the guards, forced the lock on the door and released the prisoner. 
They ordered the business houses to close, even riding into some 
stores and giving their orders from the saddle. They then rode out 
and proceeded to shoot up the town. A posse of citizens was formed 
and they were pursued. A few were captured and imprisoned. This, 
however, did not halt the aggressions of the cowboys. They con- 
tinued their open flaunting of the law and the abuse of law-abiding 
citizens. Two men, recommended by the St. Louis chief of police, 
came and looked the situation over but returned to St. Louis by the 
next train. The job was too complex for them. 

Finally the application of Tom Smith was reconsidered. He was 
made marshal at a salary of $150 a month and two dollars for each 
conviction of persons arrested by him. J. H. McDonald was later 
selected as an assistant. 51 

Smith was of a reticent nature. Facts about his past were diffi- 
cult to secure from him. It was known that he had had a prom- 
inent part in a riotous disorder in the railroad terminus of Bear 
River, Wyo., several years before. Afterward it was learned that 
at one time he had served on the New York City police force. He 

49. T. C. Henry, loc. tit., p. 528. 

50. Ibid., p. 529. 

51. "Minutes of Abilene City Board of Trustees," June 4, 1870. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 251 

had served also in the capacity of marshal of several of the Union 
Pacific terminal towns. 52 

Smith's first showdown in Abilene was with a cowboy desperado 
called u Big Hank," who refused to disarm and used abusive language 
in his refusal. Without argument Smith struck him a terrific blow, 
took his pistol away from him, and ordered him out of town. 

To the cowboys this was a new method of combat. They did not 
understand the technique of fisticuffs. 53 Their pride was in the 
perfect execution of a "quick draw" and not a "right cross" to the 
chin. In the cattle camps the subject of Hank's treatment was dis- 
cussed at length, and before morning a leader of the desperadoes 
known as "Wyoming Frank" wagered that he could defy the new 
marshal and his gun ordinance. 

He came to town the next morning and ultimately met with Smith 
in the street. Smith walked toward him and asked him for his guns, 
which were being worn conspicuously. Frank backed slowly away, 
maneuvering for an advantage, and finally backed into the door of a 
saloon. Here they were surrounded by a crowd. Another request 
for his guns was answered profanely by Frank, and Smith placed 
him hors de combat with two smashes to the chin. He took Frank's 
guns away from him, beat him over the head with them, and told 
him to leave town and never return. Frank followed his instructions 
promptly. 

The silence following this encounter was broken by the saloon 
proprietor, who stepped from behind the bar and said, "That was 
the nerviest act I ever saw. . . . Here is my gun. I reckon 
I'll not need it so long as you are marshal of this town." Others 
followed his example, and from that time Smith had very little 
trouble over the enforcement of the gun ordinance. Each business 
house had a sign which read, "You are expected to deposit your guns 
with the proprietor until you are ready to leave town." New ar- 
rivals soon found that this sign meant what it said. 54 

The merchants, gamblers, saloonkeepers, and citizens were grate- 
ful for Smith's efficient work, and in August his salary was increased 
to $225 a month, effective from the previous month. 55 A police 
court was set up and thereafter those convicted were given their 

52. T. C. Henry, loc. cit., pp. 527, 528, 531. 

53. Stuart Henry, op. cit., p. 148. 

54. The episodes of "Big Hank" and "Wyoming Frank" have been drawn rather freely 
from T. C. Henry's address at the memorial service for Tom Smith, May 30, 1904, loc. cit., 
pp. 527-532. 

55. "Minutes of the Board of Trustees," August 5, 1870. 



252 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

choice of paying the assessed fine, serving time, or leaving town 
permanently. 56 

It seemed a peculiar irony of fate that Tom Smith should meet his 
death, not at the hands of the Texans, but by being murdered by 
two Scotch homesteaders by the names of Andrew McConnell and a 
Mr. Miles. On November 2, 1870, Smith and his assistant Mc- 
Donald went to McConnell's dugout on Chapman creek to effect his 
arrest on charges in connection with the shooting of a neighbor, 
John Shea. McConnell refused to submit to arrest and Smith was 
shot. Miles, who was with McConnell, then nearly decapitated 
Smith with an ax. McConnell and Miles fled when McDonald re- 
turned for a posse, but they were captured later and sentenced to 
twelve and sixteen years, respectively, in the penitentiary. 57 Their 
captors, Judge C. C. Kuney and James Gainsford, were voted a re- 
ward of $100 each by the city trustees. 58 

On April 3, 1871, the first charter election was held for the purpose 
of electing a mayor and council. In the election J. G. McCoy was 
elected mayor and G. L. Brinkman, S. A. Burroughs, Dr. Lucius 
Boudinot, Samuel Carpenter, and W. H. Eicholtz were elected to 
the city council. 59 The main issue in the election seemed to be the 
degree of control that should be attempted over the vice and im- 
morality in connection with the Texas cattle trade. C. H. Lebold 
was McCoy's opponent. An article in the Abilene Chronicle, after 
the election, stated: 

Mr. Lebold was withdrawn as a candidate for mayor, although his chances 
were probably as good as any candidate on the track. Had his friends in- 
sisted on his name being printed upon the ballot he would have been elected 
or, at least the result on mayor would have been different. The council is 
composed of some of our best citizens, and altogether the election resulted in 
a decided triumph for the order-loving citizens of Abilene. In fact, there are 
very few of our people opposed to good order. In point of morals and quiet- 
ness the Abilene of today is as unlike the Abilene of two years ago as day is 
unlike the darkness of night. Our people are as intelligent and orderly as those 
of any other town or city in Kansas or elsewhere. 60 

One of the first problems of the new administration was to find a 
marshal to replace Tom Smith. Such a task was highly important 
because a long stride had been made toward the establishment of 
order, and there was promise of a large Texas delegation for the 
coming cattle season. J. G. McCoy recommended the employment 

56. "Dickinson County Collections," v. Ill, n. p. 

57. Abilene Chronicle, March 23, 1871. 

58. "Minutes of the Board of Trustees," March 11, 1871. 

59. Ibid., April 6, 1871 ; Abilene Chronicle, April 6, 1871. 

60. Ibid. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 253 

of J. B. "Wild Bill" Hickok, and on April 15, 1871, he was unani- 
mously chosen marshal 61 at a salary of $150 a month plus twenty- 
five percent of all fines in arrests made by him. 62 

James Butler Hickok, popularly known as "Wild Bill," had ac- 
quired the reputation of being the best gunman in the West when 
he came to Abilene as marshal. Early in 1861 Hickok, then aged 
twenty-three, gained his first notoriety in the slaying of some mem- 
bers of the McCanles gang at the Rock Creek, Nebraska, stage 
station. 63 In another escapade at Hays, while he was acting as a 
peace officer, he was involved in the shooting of some drunken 
soldiers. Around him had been built many tales of dexterity in 
"two-gun" work, but no doubt many of these were exaggerations of 
the facts. 64 

Hickok's appearance was striking. He was about six feet in 
height and 175 pounds in weight. He was well-made physically, 
graceful in movement, constantly alert, and cool while under fire. 
His brown wavy hair down to his shoulders, piercing gray-blue eyes, 
aquiline nose, and flowing mustache made him a figure to attract 
attention. His attire was expensive and showy. His shirts were 
of fine linen and his boots of the thinnest kid leather. His hands 
and feet were delicately molded. In manner he was generally quiet 
and amiable unless aroused. He was not a braggart and did not 
quarrel. In spite of this seemingly unassuming manner he was one 
who would attract attention in any gathering. 65 

In his handling of the law-enforcement problem in the summer 
of 1871 he received much criticism. Some thought he spent too 
much time at the Alamo saloon and delegated too much work to 
his assistants. Some disliked his proneness to resort immediately 
to the use of firearms in the establishing of authority. It was true 
that he and Tom Smith were entirely different in their methods. 
Smith took no part in the immoral practices of the Texans. He 
carried guns but they were generally worn out of sight. His main 
stock in trade was physical courage. Hickok had the same weak- 
nesses as the Texans, but he did not partake to excess. His "hip 
artillery" was always conspicuously worn. His main dependence 
was on his quick draw and accurate marksmanship. The admirers 
of Tom Smith were slow to give their praise to the new marshal. 

61. "Minutes of the City Council," April 15, 1871. 

62. "Book of Ordinances, Abilene, Kansas," April 19, 1871. 

63. W. E. Connelley, "Wild Bill James Butler Hickok," Kansas Historical Collections 
v. XVII, pp. 17-19. 

64. Streeter, op. cit., p. 96. 

65. Stuart Henry, op. cit., pp. 276, 277. 



254 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

On May 1, 1871, a comprehensive plan of licensing all business 
houses in Abilene was included in an ordinance by the city council. 66 
This was an attempt to force the transient business enterprises to 
help defray the high cost of law enforcement. Since it was upon 
the Texas trade that those businesses thrived, it was logical that 
they should bear a share of the expense. 

The bone of contention was in determining upon a license fee 
for saloons. Two councilmen, Samuel Carpenter and Dr. Lucius 
Boudinot, had been elected on a platform favoring a moderate sa- 
loon license fee of $100 a year. Two others, G. L. Brinkman and 
W. H. Eicholtz, favored a $200 fee, while the other, S. A. Burroughs, 
no doubt a disciple of John Marshall's "the power to tax is the 
power to destroy" theory, favored a prohibitive license fee of $500. 
Thus the council was deadlocked. Mr. Burroughs finally switched 
to support the $100 fee, but the council adjourned before action was 
taken. 67 At an adjourned meeting the $200 men were in the plu- 
rality and the ordinance was passed with the saloon fee at $200. 
This brought resignations from Boudinot and Carpenter. At the 
next meeting all were present except Mayor McCoy, and the res- 
ignations were accepted. The resigned members arose to leave, and 
Mr. Burroughs accompanied them without permission from the chair 
(a violation of rules of procedure). That left no quorum present, 
so the chairman pro tempore, Mr. Brinkman, ordered Marshal 
Hickok to go after Mr. Burroughs so they could order an election 
to fill the vacancies of Boudinot and Carpenter. Hickok brought 
Mr. Burroughs back, but no sooner was he inside the room than he 
bolted again and went to his law office next door. Chairman Brink- 
man ordered Marshal Hickok after the truant official again. Bur- 
roughs defiantly refused to accompany Hickok. Without further 
ado "Wild Bill" swung him across his shoulder, bore him to the 
council room, deposited him in a chair and stood guard while busi- 
ness proceeded and an election was ordered to fill the vacancies. 68 

To complicate matters, in the special election to fill the vacancies 
created by Boudinot's and Carpenter's resignations, those two men 
were returned to office with a vote of confidence. 69 This turn of 
affairs was followed by the resignation of Eicholtz and Brinkman. 70 

66. "Ordinances of the City Council," May 1, 1871; Abilene Chronicle, May 4, 1871. 

67. "Minutes of City Council," April 30, 1871. 

68. Abilene Chronicle, May 18, 1871; "Minutes of City Council," May 8, 1871. 

69. In the campaign signed and attested articles appeared in the Chronicle by Boudinot 
and Carpenter to the effect that McCoy had approached them with a proposition whereby 
their personal friends could avoid the payment of the high fee. 

70. "Minutes of City Council," May 31, 1871. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 255 

I. L. Smith and J. A. Gauthie were elected to replace them on a 
platform calling for a stricter enforcement of the ordinance against 
brothels. 71 Political feeling ran high and unsigned articles appeared 
in the columns of the Abilene Chronicle which might result in libel 
action today. 72 

This summer of 1871, true to expectations, brought to the streets 
of Abilene a large group of lawless people. 73 A number of special 
officers were appointed to assist "Wild Bill" Hickok. Among these 
were James Gainsford, one of the captors of Tom Smith's mur- 
derers ; James McDonald, who had accompanied Smith to the cabin 
on his fatal mission; Thomas Carson, a nephew of Kit Carson, the 
famous scout; "Brocky Jack" Norton, who later served as a peace 
officer in Ellsworth and Newton; and Mike Williams, who was to 
be the victim of a tragic mistake by the guns of Marshal Hickok. 

The prostitutes from the colony north of town had migrated to 
Texas street and vicinity. There were ordinances prohibiting their 
practices within the city limits, but they were ignored. Petitions 
signed by women and the responsible people of the city were pre- 
sented to the council asking for the enforcement of the ordinances, 
but the council was slow to give an ear. 74 In the latter part of 
June a restricted zone was established on land adjoining the town- 
site and owned by George Fisher. Here the bawdy houses might 
be located where "shooting and stabbing and all-night life could be 
indulged in in full blast." 75 

During the summer of 1871 an undercurrent of hard feelings had 
developed between Marshal Hickok and some Texans encouraged 
by Phil Coe and Ben Thompson, proprietors of the Bull's Head 
saloon. This feud came to a crisis on the evening of October 5. 
The end of the cattle season was nearing and some Texans were 
celebrating their departure with a farewell spree on the streets of 
the city. 

They began their party on Texas street about sundown. They 
carried Jake Karatofsky to the Applejack saloon, where he was 
made to stand treats. This they did to other citizens they happened 
to find on the streets. They found "Wild Bill" in a boarding house 

71. Abilene Chronicle, June 15, 1871. 

72. An article appeared in the Chronicle, July 27, 1871, signed by "a citizen," stating 
that the writer had seen Mayor McCoy in a bagnio on the previous Saturday night with a 
harlot on each knee. 

73. Abilene Chronicle, July, 1871. 

74. Ibid., June 1, 1871. 

75. Stuart Henry, op. cit., p. 278. This section was sometimes erroneously referred to 
as "McCoy's addition" because McCoy was mayor at the time it was established, but Mc- 
Coy's addition refers to another addition to the townsite. 



256 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

eating his supper. He would have no part in their pranks, but he 
sent them to the bar of the Novelty theater where they, could get 
drinks at his expense. 

About nine o'clock, while Hickok and his deputy, Mike Williams, 
were in front of the Novelty theater, a shot was heard around the 
corner on Cedar street. Bill hurried through the east door of the 
Alamo saloon and went quickly to the front, asking in a rough 
manner who had fired the shot. Phil Coe, at the front with pistol 
in hand, replied that he had shot at a dog. Without further ques- 
tioning Hickok drew two revolvers and the two exchanged shots. 
Coe was mortally wounded while Hickok was not hit. Mike 
Williams, hearing the shooting, hurried around to the front of the 
saloon to aid the marshal. Bill, without recognizing Williams, shot 
him twice, and he died almost instantly. Coe lingered for several 
days and died in great agony. 76 

There was high feeling over the shooting from both the Texan 
faction and the citizens, but it gradually subsided, as the cattle- 
trade season was about over for the year. 

The opponents of the cattle trade were gaining in numbers. The 
residential section of Abilene was being built north of the railroad 
tracks, away from the lawless abandon of Texas street and Fisher's 
addition. 77 

During this time that inevitable menace to all frontiers, agricul- 
ture, was growing. Farmers had been arriving in groups throughout 
1870 and 1871. They established colonies from distinct states, hence 
the Buckeye colony in what later became Buckeye township; a 
Michigan colony, and a group from Illinois. 78 

At the beginning of the 1871 season this agricultural group came 
to an agreement with the city of Abilene not to interfere with the 
cattle trade provided the farmers would be paid claims for domestic 
cattle lost by Spanish fever and for crops destroyed by the herds. 
James Bell, Ed Gaylord and T. C. Henry were appointed as a board 
of appraisers. 79 There is one record of the city council allowing 
claims which totaled $4,041 to farmers. 80 

During the winters of 1870-1871 and 1871-1872 there appeared 
articles in the Chronicle in defense and in criticism of the Texas 
cattle trade. On January 12, 1871, an article appeared, signed by 

76. Streeter, op. cit., pp. 101-104. 

77. This was the brothel district southeast of town. 

78. Andreas, op. cit,, p. 686. 

79. Abilene Chronicle, May 18, 25, 1871. 

80. "Minutes of City Council," August 12, 1871. 



CUSHMAN : ABILENE 257 

"A. F.," complaining, in the name of the farmers and taxpayers, of 
the high taxes caused by the high cost of law enforcement. It also 
objected to the Texans pasturing cattle in the vicinity of Abilene 
and not being assessed for taxes. 

An article on January 19, signed "Defendant," defended the cattle 
trade. It argued that the added expense of law enforcement should 
be met by a head tax on all cattle coming into the county. 

Another article, which must have come from the hand of Mayor 
McCoy, was signed with the pseudonym "Ibex." It made this 
statement: 

We are informed that when Abilene was first selected as a point to locate 
this trade, it was an obscure, dingy place, boasting of but one shingle-roofed 
building, the balance a half-dozen log huts, covered with dirt roofs. As a 
business place it boasted one little "whiskey battery," one eight-by-ten dry 
goods and grocery house, containing nearly three wheelbarrow loads of goods. 81 

In February, 1872, the movement materialized to a point where 
it spelled doom for the cattle trade at Abilene. A petition was 
drawn and circulated among the citizens of Dickinson county. 
About eighty percent of the citizens signed it. It read as follows : 

We, the undersigned, members of the Farmers' Protective Association, and 
officers and citizens of Dickinson county, Kansas, most respectfully request 
all who have contemplated driving Texas cattle to Abilene the coming season 
to seek some other point for shipment, as the, inhabitants of Dickinson will 
no longer submit to the evils of the trade. 82 

From that time to the end of the cattle-driving era the Texan 
drovers sought other points from which to ship their herds. To the 
west on the Kansas Pacific, Ellsworth entertained the trade for a 
season. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was being 
extended to the southwest, and when it reached Newton that town 
became a drovers' terminus. The next year the A. T. & S. F. was 
built through Wichita and shipment of Texas cattle was made from 
that point. 83 

The last of the turbulent cow towns was Dodge City, which 
claimed the title of "Cowboy Capital" from 1873 until the quaran- 
tine law of 1885 moved the dead line west to the Kansas-Colorado 
border. This marked the end of the cattle trails in Kansas. The 
"wild and wooly" terminal towns changed to peaceful centers of 
agricultural activity. 

81. T'his newspaper article, published February 2, 1871, very closely resembles the oft- 
cited description of Abilene as McCoy first saw it, published in his Historic Sketches of the 
Cattle Trade of the West and Southwest three years later. 

82. T. C. Henry, loc. cit., p. 532; Abilene Chronicle, February 22, 1872. 

83. Robert Luther Duffus, The Santa Fe Trail (New York, 1930), p. 261. The Santa 
Fe railroad reached Dodge City September 19, 1872. 

174800 



258 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Today Texas cattle are brought to Kansas by the descendants of 
the drovers who came up the trails in the cow-town era. Among 
the herds which are yearly brought to the blue-stem pastures of the 
Flint Hills may be seen animals which have the marked character- 
istics of the Texas longhorn of the trail-driving era. The long drive 
has been replaced by rail and motor transportation. 

What were formerly the lawless cow towns have grown into 
wholesome cities, and little of a physical nature remains to remind 
one of the Texas cattle era. 



J. A. Walker's Early History of Edwards 
County 

Edited by JAMES C. MALIN 
I. INTRODUCTION 



are occasional instances where an early historical sketch 
* of the beginnings of a community are of sufficient importance 
to justify reprinting. The one offered here fits the test J. A. 
Walker's "Sketch of the History of Edwards County, Kansas." * In 
many respects the history was excellent and served as a source of 
supply for local historians for some time thereafter. 2 Necessarily, 
however, as the settlement had been in existence only five years, 
anything written so close to the events was lacking in perspective. 
but on the other hand, it preserved facts that almost certainly would 
otherwise have been lost completely. In fact, few Kansas com- 
munities have had the good fortune to have such a history written 
within five years of the beginnings. The years 1877 and 1878 offered 
a first false promise of prosperity to the pioneers who had come just 
prior to the panic of 1873, and whose cup of adversity had been 
filled to overflowing by drought and grasshoppers. Obviously Walker 
was writing for booming purposes and certain reticences were desir- 
able concerning the starving period and local political frauds. For 
the modern reader it seems helpful therefore to provide some addi- 
tional information by way of giving a setting for this pioneer ac- 
count. 

J. A. Walker, the author of the first history of Edwards county, 
was forty -three years of age when he came to Kansas in the spring 
of 1873. Born in New Hampshire, he had married a Vermont-born 
woman, but had lived in Massachusetts, which was the birthplace 
of his five children. ^He entered a soldier's homestead on Section 14, 
Township 24, Range 19, but supplemented his income by holding 
local office: Assessor of Kinsley township in 1875 and county clerk 
under the original county organization. On his farm he sowed seven 
and one-half acres of winter wheat in the fall of 1874 and twelve 
acres of corn in the spring of 1875. Two mules provided his farm 
power and two cows contributed to the support of the family. 3 

1. Published first in the Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, March 14, 28, 1878, under the 
title, "Views of Kinsley and Vicinity, and a Sketch of the History of Edwards County, 
Kansas." The views (pictures) are not reproduced here. 

2. The Kinsley Republican, January 4, 1879, a rival paper, reprinted the most of the 
history, with some variations and without giving credit to Walker. 

3. "Kansas State Census," Edwards county, 1875, in Archives division of the Kansas 
State Historical Society. 

(259) 



260 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The Kansas climate has ever been a subject of discussion, but 
Walker kept careful records of rainfall at Kinsley from May, 1876, 
to November, 1877. 

RAINFALL AT KINSLEY 

May, 1876 Rain fell on 5 days Total, 5.55 inches 

June 4 2.75 

July 4 0.75 

August 8 2.50 

September 4 2.62 

October 6 2.25 

November 5 0.42 

December 0.00 

January, 1877 2 0.38 

February 2 0.56 

March 0.00 

April 8 3.55 

May 8 8.73 

June 8 4.19 

July 3 1.25 

August 5 2. 75 

September 5 1.00 

October 6 4.06 

November 3 0.73 4 

The rainfall of 1879 and 1880 was not as favorable, however, and 
much of the population migrated, among them Walker, who became 
an emigration agent of the Northern Pacific railroad, assigned to 
his native New England. 5 

In describing the beginnings of Kinsley a conspicuous place was 
given by Walker to the Chicago workingmen's colony and particu- 
larly to the Massachusetts colony, of which he was a member, sent 
out by the Homestead and Colonization Bureau of Boston. A more 
idealistic experiment was that of the Fraternal Home and Land 
Association of Philadelphia under the leadership of a Prof. J. R. 
Wentz, who arrived with his first contingent March 5, 1877, and 
established the seat of the colony, Freemansberg, southeast of Kins- 
ley across the river and the main ridge of sand hills. Two other 
groups came in April and May, after which there were no further 
records of arrivals. 6 The colony was designed upon some kind of 
mutual or cooperative plan by which Wentz thought workingmen 
with small capital might succeed in agriculture, but the details were 
not explained sufficiently in the local press to be enlightening. A 

4. The Vattey Republican, Kinsley, December 8, 1877. 

5. Kinsley Graphic, January 1, 1881. 

6. Edwards County Leader, April 12, May 17, 1877. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 261 

large colony house, 24 by 40 feet, with an ell wing 14 by 24 feet, 
was built by the first party. Plans were announced later for the 
building of sod houses, plastered inside and outside with lime, a 
means of overcoming the absence of timber on the plains for building 
materials and of giving more permanence than the ordinary un- 
protected sod house of the short grass country. The outcome is not 
known, as the press did not report further on this proposal. Wentz 
hoped to secure a steam plow for the use of his colony, but ap- 
parently failed. In fact, within a very short time the whole project 
collapsed, but here again the local press failed to report, and 
posterity is left without information on what became of the people 
who had been brought out from the Far East. It is even unknown 
whether there were any substantial number of city workingmen. 
The most interesting aspect of the experiment was the recognition 
at the outset, even though unsuccessful in their solution, of three of 
the most important problems involved in the adaptation of agricul- 
ture to the plains: A device to make available the advantages of 
adequate capital to the small farmer, native building materials which 
would free the plains from economic vassalage to the humid, tim- 
bered country, and mechanical farm power. 

Other projects mentioned in the local papers were a Baltimore 
workingmen's association, and a French Catholic colony, but there 
is no evidence that any settlers were ever brought out under their 
auspices. 7 More tangible were German colony associations credited 
to St. Louis, Cincinnati and western New York, and to the adver- 
tising activities of the German Emigration Society of Edwards 
county. 8 The German settlements were mostly in the western and 
southern parts of the county, the first Germans being the Flags, 
father and sons, who settled south of Kinsley. The Kinsley Graphic, 
May 4, 1878, discussed the colony question in an editorial, saying 
that "as a rule they are successful failures. That is, as failures they 
are a success." This generalization was qualified only by admission 
of a limited success of colonization among Germans. 

The organized-colony idea was a type of social idealism which was 
attractive to many people of that decade who were interested in so- 
cial reform and the betterment of the condition of the poorer classes. 
Many of these schemes were designed to facilitate the migration of 
industrial workingmen of the East to Western agricultural lands. 

7. For announcements see ibid., September 13, 1877, and The Valley Republican, Kinsley, 
January 26, 1878. 

8. The Valley Republican, Kinsley, November 10, December 15, 1877; January 5, 1878. 
Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, October 4, 1877 ; February 14, September 5, 1878. Kinsley 
Graphic, September 7, 1878. 



262 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The Chicago and Massachusetts enterprises were launched in 1872, 
prior to the panic and depression which began in 1873, but neither 
transplanted industrial workers. The Chicago association appears 
not to have sent any settlers except the location committee, and 
the Massachusetts colonists were mostly farmers. After the depres- 
sion set in there is no record of additional colonists sent out by the 
Massachusetts organization and later census records show that very 
few came from that area. None of the projects originating in the 
depression period resulted in migration. Exceedingly few individual 
settlers came during the depression period proper. This is only 
another historical illustration of the fact that the frontier did not 
serve as a safety valve through which the problems of recurrent 
American depressions were solved. On the contrary, the evidence of 
population movement is conclusively in the opposite direction, and 
the locals in the Kinsley newspapers made frequent mention of the 
return to the East of those who turned their faces toward their old 
homes. 

The establishment of the neighboring town of Offerle near the 
western edge of the county was mentioned by Walker. Lawrence 
Offerle and his sons were among the most influential, if not the 
dominant members in the early life of the community, operating a 
general store as well as agricultural enterprises. The post office 
called Belpre near the eastern edge of the county was established as 
early as 1879, but the town was not laid out until the railroad was 
built south of the river in 1886. The origin of Nettleton is not in- 
dicated, but during the winter of 1876-1877 John Fitch, of Hyde 
Park, 111., settled there and undertook to promote the place in a 
big way. His house, intended for a hotel, was reported to have been 
28 by 42 feet and three stories above a full basement, and illumi- 
nated by gas manufactured on the premises. A three-story mill was 
built, with equipment for grinding flour, feed and for shelling corn. 
The plan was to use wind power, but the windmill was supplemented 
by a steam engine. In 1877 Fitch raised corn, barley, millet, sweet 
potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and other products, and became post- 
master and railroad station agent. There seemed to be no limit to 
his ambitions and energy. Disaster pursued him, however, his wife 
dying in March and he being killed in an accident in July, 1878. His 
estate was liquidated the following year and Nettleton (Fitchburg) 
soon fell into obscurity. 9 

9. The Valley Republican, Kinsley, November 3, 1877 ; January 12, March 30, 1878. 
Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, September 20, December 20, 1877; March 7, August 15. 
1878. Kinsley Republican, February 15, 1879. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 263 

As most of the county lay south and east of the Arkansas river, 
the bridging of that stream was an essential public improvement. 
The bonds were voted by the county July 29, 1876, and the structure 
was reported completed in March, 1877. The contractors had used 
timbers shorter than specified in the contract, and defective material, 
even after it had been condemned, had been built into the bridge. 
The county declined to accept the bridge until alterations had been 
made to increase its strength and efficiency, and until concessions 
had been made in the cost. 10 In a later report the county commis- 
sioners stated that of the $12,000 worth of bonds voted, $9,000 had 
been sold at 87% net, yielding $7,875, of which $484.13 was still on 
hand. 11 The weakness of the bridge was not remedied in full, evi- 
dently, because in March, 1881, eleven of the twenty spans were 
washed out, requiring another $2,000 to make repairs and reopen it 
to traffic. 12 

The brick school building at Kinsley was constructed of local 
materials and was a source of pride when it was built at the cost of 
$4,400. At first only two rooms were finished ; the undivided second 
floor, 35 by 50 feet, was used as a public hall. On April 30, 1877, 
the women of the community celebrated the completion by holding a 
community supper, social and dance. 13 During the first term only 
the east room on the main floor was used, but before the winter 
passed, complaints were made because of crowding 75 children into 
one room, and the school was closed February 1 for a two months' 
vacation, during which the school board proposed to seat and furnish 
the west room. On April 1 a three months' spring term was sched- 
uled to open. 14 School teaching must have been a relatively strenu- 
ous profession in those days as some of the children carried firearms 
and practiced using them during recesses and on the way to and 
from school. The editor of the Republican protested in June, and 
again in September, 1878, appealing to the parents for cooperation 
in terminating the practice and warned that in case of failure arrests 
would follow. 15 

City pride in the school building was soon dissipated when the 
walls cracked and crumbled. In 1887 it was torn down, the local 

10. Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, March 29, 1877. 

11. Ibid., August 2, 1877. 

12. Kinsley Graphic, March 5, July 23, 1881. 

13. Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, April 19, May 3, 1877. Walker's history gave the 
size of the building as 35 by 40 feet, and stated that there were four rooms. Possibly the 
upper rooms were finished the second year. 

14. The Valley Republican, Kinsley, January 19, February 2, 1878. 

15. The Kinsley Republican, September 21, 1878. 



264 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

paper commenting that the work was proceeding rapidly because the 
bricks were loose from the mortar: 

The tearing down of the old central school building discloses a rascally 
piece of work on the part of the contractor who built it. Thousands of brick 
in the walls never were burned at all. They are simply mud bricks. . . . 
Anyone who will put such brick in the walls of a public school building 
deserves a term in the legislature. 16 

Of the eighty-five families in Edwards county in 1875, seventy- 
five had taken land and, according to occupation, the landed families 
were distributed as follows: Fifty-two farmers; five carpenters; 
three painters; nine other trades represented by one each (hotel- 
keeper, lawyer, mason, millwright, shoemaker, surveyor, clerk, chair- 
maker, railroad agent) and six with no occupation designated. 17 Of 
the ten families in the county without land, two were listed as 
farmers, five other trades represented by one each (railroad agent, 
printer, bricklayer, carpenter, painter) and three with no occupation 
designated. 

According to land tenure, of the seventy-two for whom records are 
available, twenty-six (about 36%) had made preemption entries, 
five (about 7%) homestead entries, thirty-seven (about 51%) 
soldiers' homestead entries, two timber claim entries, and three men 
apparently had bought land outright. In one case a man had filed 
on both a soldier's homestead and a timber claim. Conspicuously, 
these first settlers took government, not railroad land, and therefore 
it was the liberal land laws and particularly the soldiers' homestead 
law that served as the original attraction in this particular instance. 
The further indication of the drift of land occupation was announced 
from time to time by summaries of locations made by the local real- 
estate agents. Thus, for the month of March, 1877, the record stood: 
Preemption, eleven; homestead declaratory, seventeen; homestead 
entries, eight; timber culture, thirteen. 18 On May 3, 1878, the 
Edwards County Leader remarked that five-eighths of the available 
acreage was government and the remainder Santa Fe railroad land. 
Near the end of April, 1877, the report was that more than one 
hundred persons had settled over the river and all government land 
was taken along the Comanche county road southward to within a 
few miles of the Rattlesnake. 19 By the end of the year a similar 

16. The Kinsley Weekly Mercury, August 18, 1887. 

17. "Kansas State Census," 1875. Single adults were counted as families for census 



18. Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, April 5, 1877. 

19. Ibid., April 26, 1877. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 265 

report was published regarding government land between Kinsley 
and the Sawlog or South Fork of the Pawnee. 20 

The state census data of 1875 show an average age for eighty 
farm operators of 36.5 years, and for their wives of thirty-four years. 
The age distributions are given in the table and show comparatively 
few in the twenties, the largest group being in the thirties, although 
twenty percent of the men were forty-five or above, or almost ex- 
actly the same proportion as were below thirty. The eldest was 
sixty-five and the youngest man or woman was twenty-two. The 
separation of single from married men emphasizes that sixteen of the 
nineteen in the twenty-year-old group were single and that twenty- 
seven of the thirty-five of the thirty-year-old group were married. 
In other words, the permanent backbone of this frontier was not 
young married couples starting life and expecting to grow up with 
the country, but rather middle-aged people with families. Twenty- 
nine families had sixty -two children of their own, or about two per 
family, besides a total of five other children being raised in these 
families. 

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF FARM OPERATORS AND WIVES 

Age Groups Farm Operators Women Single Men Married Men 



21-24 


10 


7 


9 





25-29 


9 


6 


7 


3 


30-34 


20 


15 


7 


13 


35-39 


15 


11 


1 


14 


40-44 


10 


4 


3 


7 


45-49 


3 


1 





3 


50-54 


5 


2 


2 


3 


55-59 


5 


1 


3 


2 


60+ 


3 


1 





3 



80 48 32 48 

The sources of Edwards county population as of 1875 were some- 
what unusual. Of seventy men whose place of birth was recorded 
thirty- four were born in New England, mostly in upper New Eng- 
land, and nineteen of the forty women. The next largest groups 
were from the North Atlantic states, and foreign born from Ger- 
many, England and Ireland. Forty-eight of the seventy men came 
to Kansas from New England, particularly from Massachusetts as 
their place of last residence, and the next largest group, seventeen in 
number, came from the North Central states east of the Mississippi 
river. Only three of the sixteen foreign born came direct from the 

20. The Valley Republican, Kinsley, December 15, 1878. 



266 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

country of birth, and nineteen of fifty-four native-born men and 
eleven of thirty women came direct from their birth states. 

The agricultural schedules of the county for the census of 1875 
recorded the crop program of seventy-two farms. Of these, sixty- 
four farmers planted corn that spring, averaging thirteen acres each ; 
twenty-six farmers averaged eight acres each of winter wheat 
planted in the fall of 1874 and one farmer planted spring wheat in 
1875; sixteen farmers planted barley and twelve planted oats, in 
each case an average of three acres. Of other crops, three farmers 
planted rye and one farmer each planted sorghum, millet, potatoes 
and sweet potatoes. On ten farms orchards had been started. Un- 
questionably, corn was the predominant crop, and twenty-five farm- 
ers planted nothing else, the corn acreages on these farms ranging 
from three to ten acres. Even if the season had been favorable, 
which it was not, the county would not have produced enough grain 
to feed itself. 

The livestock equipment of these farms consisted of seventy-eight 
horses distributed among thirty-eight operators, supplemented by 
eight mules on five farms; sixty cows scattered among twenty-nine 
owners; seventy-two other cattle among twenty-six owners; and 
twenty-nine hogs among eleven owners. Four farmers owned sheep, 
but most of the 419 sheep and 1,270 pounds of wool were credited to 
two men. No livestock of any kind was listed on twenty-five farms. 
Three farmers reported poultry or eggs sold, and eight a total of 
830 pounds of butter made during the preceding year. Clearly, the 
meat supply was as deficient as the grain supply. 

Although the dollar figures for the value of machinery equipment 
of farms may not be reliable, yet their general significance is in- 
escapable. Thirty-five farmers reported no machinery, while thirty- 
seven reported an average value of about $26. The total value of 
personal property listed was $10,952 distributed among forty-nine 
farmers, the smallest being $5 and the largest $834, with an average 
of $226. Twenty-one listed no personal property. In view of the 
deficiencies in other respects this item was more favorable than 
might be expected, as twenty-five of the whole number reported 
$200 worth or over. 

During the first winter after the main bodies of colonists arrived 
(1873-1874) many were destitute. Appeals were made to the Presi- 
dent of the United States for aid to be distributed from army stores 
at Fort Larned, but requests were denied as congress had not pro- 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 267 

vided supplies for that purpose. Gov. Thomas A. Osborn wrote to 
one group of settlers under the date of December 20, 1873, saying 
that he understood that a local relief board was functioning at 
Petersburg under the direction of Capt. P. H. Niles, who would give 
aid in case of necessity. No further information has been forth- 
coming regarding this situation, but the reference to Niles suggests 
that possibly the source of funds was the Boston organization which 
had sponsored the Massachusetts colony. 

In the season of 1874 the drought, followed by the grasshopper 
scourge, added to the distress which would in all probability have 
been serious enough in this primitive plains settlement because the 
nation as a whole was in the depths of economic depression. A state 
relief committee as well as the federal government through the vari- 
ous army posts distributed food, clothing and coal. On December 
13, 1874, C. L. Hubbs, who had been appointed by Governor Osborn 
to act in Edwards county, reported to the governor that fifty-nine 
persons were in need. In view of the fact that there were only 234 
persons in the county, this would indicate that one-fourth of the 
population was on the list. The Santa Fe railroad advanced seed 
wheat in the fall of 1874 to settlers along its line, allowing a maxi- 
mum of fifteen bushels per farm. Not until 1876 did the county 
begin to show signs of recovery, but by 1877 immigrants were com- 
ing into the region in large numbers. 21 

It is evident that the organization of Edwards county was accom- 
plished by means of a fraudulent census, and for some reason it was 
allowed to stand, although the legislature declined to seat the repre- 
sentative until 1877. Without rivers to afford natural facilities for 
transportation, the railroad had been the necessary preliminary to 
settlement as applying to the whole sub-humid West, That fact has 
been rather generally recognized by historians, but an equally im- 
portant one not clearly understood is that so small a population and 
so little property could not have maintained either the settlement it- 
self or a local government had it not been for the railroad. In 1877 
J. A. Walker called attention to the distribution of property holdings 
in the county. The railroad valuation constituted over eighty-six 
percent of the whole. 



.^ Official correspondence concerning relief is found in "Correspondence of Kansas Gov- 
(Archives division, Kansas State Historical Society). The records of the Kansas 
Central Relief Committee, 1874-1875, in the possession of the Historical Society, contain 
material on the relations of that organization to Edwards county. 



ernors 



268 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

TAXABLE PROPERTY OF EDWARDS COUNTY, 1877 

Santa Fe railroad and its subsidiary the Arkansas Valley Town Co.. . $380,000 

Business men 10,000 

Nonresidents 10,000 

Residents 40,000 

$440,000 

Nonresident property was negligible and resident property was 
mostly personal rather than real estate and was mostly lost to taxa- 
tion because of legal exemptions. It was pointed out that home- 
steaders would avail themselves of the maximum time of seven years 
to prove up and take patents and only then would their land become 
taxable. Preemptors would take advantage of the grasshopper law 
which extended the time for making payments so that such land 
would not generally become taxable until 1879. 22 There is probably 
no exaggeration therefore in the contemporaneous statement that the 
railroad took "the burden of the taxes off the farmers and producers. 
The company pays about 95 percent of the taxes." 23 

The particular occasion for bringing this situation out into the 
open was the controversy over the voting of bonds for a courthouse 
and jail. An "Old Settler" argued that there were not enough 
people; that the most of the county lay across the river and the 
settlers had not been there long enough to qualify for voting; and 
that later it might be desirable to remove the county seat to some 
point across the river nearer the center of the county. 24 The answer 
of Kinsley to any suggestion of taking the county seat across the 
river requires no comment. The editor of the Leader advocated 
forcefully the cause of the courthouse, insisting that rentals and ex- 
pense of transporting prisoners to Great Bend would meet the in- 
terest on the necessary bonds. Referring to the voting of bonds for 
the bridge, he stated: 

Then, as well as now, the greater part of the taxes in Edwards county was 
paid by the railroad land company, and it was expected that said company 
would object to the building of a bridge until the prospects looked more favor- 
able but not so, when counseled, they said build your bridges, make your 
improvements throughout the county, and although we pay the bulk of the 
taxes, all we want is clean hands, economy and no stealing on the part of 
county officials. 

On the courthouse question he declared : 

We have no fears of the railroad land company objecting and if they do not, 
why should we. It will be a long time before those who have taken Govern- 

22. Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, July 26, 1877. 

23. Ibid., May 3, 1877. 

24. Ibid., May 24, 1877. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 269 

ment land or before those that may take, will have to prove up and in the 
meantime the railroad company will be taxed from year to year for the pay- 
ment of the bonds issued, and many of the old settlers as well as the new 
ones will find when the proper time comes for proving up their claims, that by 
the judicious management of our county officials, in the year 1877, that the 
public buildings have all been erected and that they are in possession of good 
farms with no taxes to pay for such improvement. 25 

No statement has been found from an official of the Santa Fe rail- 
road or of its subsidiary land company, and there is no means of 
knowing whether the editor of the Leader may have been under ob- 
ligations to the company and may have been speaking under in- 
spiration, but however that may have been, all of the independent 
facts available point to the conclusion that the general picture of 
the situation was essentially true, although in specific detail it may 
have been overstated. 26 J. A. Walker's statement was that rentals 
and other expenses were costing $1.13 per thousand, while the direct 
levy would be about $1.82 per thousand, or a net increase in taxes 
of 69 cents per thousand. 27 The county treasurer's printed state- 
ment of the tax rate for 1877 was : 

For state of Kansas . 55 

Edwards county 1 .00 

Kinsley township 0. 15 

Trenton township 0.10 

County poor 0. 10 

Bridge bonds .20 

School district No. 1 1 . 10 

School district No. 1 bonds . 40 

School district No. 2 1 .00 

School district No. 2 bonds 0.60 

School district No. 3 1 .60 

School district No. 4 0.50 

School district No. 5 1 .30 28 

On petition of July 7, the county commissioners ordered an elec- 
tion to be held August 4, 1877, on the question of the issuance of 
$8,000 in courthouse and jail bonds. The proposition was defeated, 
and apparently very badly, because the Leader recorded the mo- 
mentous event with a three-line local and a cut of a sick rooster, 
but no figures or comment. 29 

On the basis of experience, the agricultural system was under- 

25. Ibid., May 31, 1877. 

26. Most of the county records burned in a town fire in 1879 so that the author has 
not been able to verify specific figures given except as they appear in the public prints. Some 
of these seem contradictory in detail, but without changing the larger aspects of the matter. 

27. Edwards County Leader, Kinsley, July 26, 1877. 

28. Ibid., November 8, 1877. 

29. Ibid., July 19, August 9, 1877. 



270 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

going some modification and especially with the temporary turn 
of more favorable climatic conditions. As the following table shows, 
winter wheat increased rapidly, but as time was to demonstrate, 
not in fulfillment of hopes for this crop. The Early Red May, a 
soft wheat, did not prove altogether successful, although it was the 
best variety then given any widespread trial in the area. Spring 
wheat and barley had a substantial following, but oats made com- 
paratively little headway. Clearly, corn was still the principal crop 
in the county. Among the new crops that showed promise were 
millet, broomcorn and sorghum. This early experiment with sor- 
ghum was significant, because it was not a native of the Western 
hemisphere, had been introduced only recently, and was soon to 
prove one of the most reliable of the Plains crops. It is evident 
that by 1878 only the beginnings had been made in the baffling 
problem, still only partially solved, of adaptation of the agricultural 
system to the sub-humid environment. 

ACREAGE IN FIELD CROPS, EDWARDS COUNTY, 1875-1878 30 

CROP 1875 1876 1877 1878 

Winter wheat 202 524 704 2,205 

Spring wheat 4 39 283 1,460 

Oats 39 65 148 504 

Barley 46 158 529 1,273 

Corn 855 1,229 1,770 2,908 

Sorghum 0.5 18 41 73 

Broomcorn 2 32 47 

Millet and Hungarian 21 123 724 

II. J. A. WALKER'S EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 

The first recorded account of the territory now embraced in Ed- 
wards county, Kansas, is no doubt found in an old book edited by 
Moses, and brought to this country in the Mayflower, by John Brad- 
ford, several copies of which are still believed to be extant in Kansas. 
Nothing more is certainly known of the country until about the 
middle of the sixteenth century, when Coronado, with a band of 
Spanish adventurers raided through it in search of the land of 
Havileh, where there is gold referred to by Moses. Failing to pene- 
trate far enough west, he sadly retraced his steps, and for three 
hundred years this country remained a terra incognita. 

[In the] summer of 1846 Gen. Kearney, with twenty-seven hun- 
dred men, marched over these "desolate plains," and took posses- 
sion of Santa Fe. In May, 1854, congress erected . . . the 

SO. First Biennial Report of the State Board of Agriculture (Topeka, 1878), p. 198. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 271 

territory of Kansas. 31 The territorial legislature of Kansas in 1860 
provided that all the territory west of the 6th principal meridian, 
and south of township 18 be known as "Peketon county." In 1867 
the legislature blotted Peketon county from the map and formed 
other counties out of its territory, among which was Pawnee county, 
which embraced thirteen townships of what is now Edwards county. 
In the summer of 1871 the A., T. & S. F. R. R. made preliminary 
survey for the location of the road through Pawnee and counties 
west, and the railroad was completed to where Kinsley, Edwards 
county, now is, about the 1st of August, 1872. During this month 
a committee representing the "Chicago Workingmen's Colony," 
among whom were Dr. Sam'l G. Rodgers, Col. C. N. Pratt and Robt. 
McCanse, selected this as the location of their colony, and named 
it Petersburg, in honor of one of the directors (T. J. Peters) of the 
A., T. & S. F. R. R., and in October following united with the 
people of Larned in a petition to the governor to take steps looking 
to the organization of Pawnee county. F. C. Hawkins, of Larned, 
was appointed census taker and was believed to have enrolled every 
man in the county. In November an election was held resulting in 
the outgeneraling of Doctor Rodgers by the Larned people, and the 
election of Larned men to fill all the offices. Undismayed, Doctor 
Rodgers proceeded with his improvements and on the 5th day of 
December, 1872, the cornerstone of the Buffalo house (the structure 
now known as the Kinsley hotel) was laid in ample form by Doctor 
Rodgers and Robt. McCanse, between where now is Parker's black- 
smith shop and the railroad track, and the building approached 
completion as rapidly as the Doctor could get trusted for material. 
About this time the railroad company established a telegraph office 
at the tank three miles west of Petersburg and Fred. Gardner, the 
present handsome, efficient and justly popular station agent at 
Kinsley, was installed as operator; about this time also A. D. Clute 
was prospecting about Petersburg, having become a member of the 
"Workingmen's colony." In February, 1873, the telegraph office and 
operator were removed to Petersburg, and the Buffalo house had 
been sided, and on March 10th, 1873, Messrs. M. D. Hetzel and A. 
D. Clute occupied it (it was already open, being sans roof, doors 
and windows) as a hotel, and the railroad trains stopped at Kinsley 
for meals. 32 Mrs. Clute was hostess, and Messrs. H. & C. soon had 

31. The omission is an erroneous description of the boundary. 

32. The railroad ran through the townsite diagonally from northeast to southwest, and 
the depot was north of the track at the head of Sixth street. The first buildings were also 
on the north side near the depot and to the northward opposite the courthouse square. 



272 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

doors and windows to the house, partitions inside, a bridal chamber, 
hung with tapestry (?) and a roof upon the house and presently a 
hotel second to none other west of Topeka for the quality and 
variety of its cuisine and for courteous attention to guests exit 
Doctor Rodgers. 

Prior to the building of the Buffalo house, Sam'l E. Fay and 
family had come to this country and had located near Nettleton and 
are now living on the section 6, town 24, range 18, and may prop- 
erly be considered the oldest inhabitants of Edwards county. One 
of their children was buried near Nettleton in October, 1872. 

In March, 1873, Messrs. Wentworth, E. K. Smart, T. L. Rodgers, 
E. W. Griggs and W. F. Blanchard, representing the Massachusetts 
colony, from Boston, located the colony at Petersburg, and built 
three colony houses near the railroad track, just west of where the 
Kinsley house now stands. Morrison, of Grasshopper Falls, built 
a two-story structure just north of the Buffalo house, and N. C. 
Boles, now postmaster of Hutchinson, opened out a stock of drugs, 
and was appointed postmaster. There being one postoffice named 
Petersburg in Kansas, this office was named Peters. Subsequently, 
Boles sold out to J. W. Jenkins, who put in a stock of groceries and 
on the resignation of Boles, succeeded him as postmaster. Jenkins 
razed the building and it is now doing duty at the corner of Marsh 
and Sixth street. W. F. Blanchard and F. C. Blanchard built houses 
on section 8, town. 25, range 19, the first frame dwelling houses 
built in Edwards county. T. L. Rodgers built a store on the south 
side of the track and opened out a stock of groceries. Subsequently 
he removed across the track and enlarged his store, ultimately sell- 
ing out to Wm. Emerson. E. K. Smart opened up a lumber yard, 
which he subsequently sold out to W. C. Edwards. Wentworth 
settled in Harvey county, and E. H. Griggs returned to Boston. 
In April, 1873, a goodly number of colonists arrived, among whom 
were Capt. Niles, N. L. Humphrey, F. H. Fall, H. P. Merwin, John 
A. Brothers, J. T. North, F. C. Badger, M. Moar, L. W. Higgins, 
Briggs Monroe, J. H. Murphey, Robert Henderson, C. N. Bonner, 
L. H. Dudley, J. A. Walker, Jas. Wilson, Frank Spring, Jr., many 
of them with families, and with the exception of F. H. Fall, still 
stick. 

In May, 1873, the townsite of Petersburg was surveyed and 
plat[t]ed and W. C. Knight erected the first dwelling house at the 
corner of Third street and Colony avenue north, now owned and oc- 
cupied by Capt. J. A. Freeland. The legislature having readjusted 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 273 

the boundaries of Pawnee county in March, 1873, and left thirteen 
townships out in the cold, unattached to any county or judicial 
district, "We, the people" of these thirteen townships, organized 
themselves as a city of the third class and elected F. H. Fall, mayor, 
J. A. Walker, Fred Gardner, M. D. Hetzel, T. L. Rodgers and W. B. 
Pattison, councilmen, M. Moar, police judge, and Robert McCanse, 
marshal, which organization was maintained until this territory was 
attached to the 9th judicial district the winter following the courts 
adjudicated but two cases during that time and the organization 
levied no taxes and paid its own expenses. F. H. Fall went "west to 
grow up with the country" June 30. The city was named Peter's 
City, in honor of Capt. Peter H. Niles, resident agent of the New 
England Homestead and Colonization Bureau (which had succeeded 
to the effects of the Massachusetts colony) and agent for the sale 
of the railroad land. Taylor Flick, Esq., the pioneer lawyer of the 
county, made the first entry of government land in the county and 
subsequently bought the railroad interest in the townsite. 

In June, 1873, Col. C. N. Pratt, interested alike in the Work- 
ingmen's colony and the Massachusetts colony, came to Petersburg 
as the representative of Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, a wealthy lady 
of New York and sister of Geo. W. Rowell, now of this county, 
proposing to build a hall for the use of the citizens, Mrs. Thompson 
contributing therefor the sum of $1,500 and the railroad company 
giving the lot. The hall was built and was subsequently used as a 
schoolroom and for public uses, but through some misunderstanding 
she finally deeded it to her nephew, Alonzo Rowell, who ultimately 
sold it and it was converted into a hotel, the present Eureka house, 
now under the popular management of W. F. Blanchard. 33 

A meeting of citizens was held and it was voted that the name 
of Petersburg should be changed to Kinsley, in honor of Hon. Ed. W. 
Kinsley, of Boston. 34 In September, 1873, Mrs. A. L. McGinnis, 
sister to Mrs. W. F. Blanchard and F. C. Blanchard, issued the 
first number of the Kinsley Reporter, a spicy little newspaper 
which she continued to publish until it was merged into the Edwards 
County Leader, W. T. Bruer purchasing her press and type in Jan- 
uary, 1877. Mrs. McGinnis also succeeded J. W. Jenkins as post- 
33. In 1877 the Eureka house stood on Massachusetts avenue, between Third and Fourth 
streets. Advertisement in the Edwards County Leader, March 29, 1877. 

34. The first and apparently the only visit of Kinsley to the town bearing his name 
was described in a local item in the Kinsley Graphic, May 18, 1878. He was in town a few 
hours on May 16, and the Graphic reported: "Mr. Kinsley is a true type of the busy, bustling 
sociable Bostonian." 

184800 



274 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

master, a position she still holds; she also taught the first school in 
the county, beginning in September, 1873, and continuing three 
months. Her school numbered ten pupils. 

In the fall of 1873, Geo. W. Rowell, his son Alonzo, and his 
daughter, wife of Marion Sowards, and their families, with several 
other families, arrived by teams from Wisconsin, C. L. Hubbs from 
Minnesota, and later Geo. H., his brother, with their families, by 
railway. A. L. Kendall also made his first appearance. 

Taylor Flick, Esq., Robert McCanse, Capt. P. H. Niles and C. L. 
Hubbs interested themselves in the winter in having the legislature 
erect these thirteen townships, with such others as could be had, into 
a county, and the legislature formed these townships, together with 
four others on the south, into a county which they named Edwards, 
in honor of W. C. Edwards, of Hutchinson, and senior partner of 
the present house of Edwards Bros., at Kinsley. 

In May, 1874, a movement was set on foot to obtain an organiza- 
tion of the county, and Robert McCanse was appointed by the gov- 
ernor as census-taker. [On]' July 10, 1874, he made his return re- 
porting only 301 inhabitants; the law requiring not less than 600 
inhabitants to perfect an organization. This spring (1874) Major 
Geo. Bill of Wisconsin, added materially to the prosperity and 
population of the county, himself and family numbering twelve 
souls. Several enterprising Germans also took claims seven or eight 
miles south of Kinsley, among whom were Wm. Flag, Jr., his father 
and two brothers. 

Mr. D. Hetzel sold out his hotel interest to Mr. Clute, and became 
a first-class "granger," having one of the best farms in the valley. 

John A. Brothers sowed some spring wheat and raised the first 
wheat in Edwards county, and was the only man in Edwards county 
who "breaded" himself from his crop that grasshopper season. 

Some of the citizens being dissatisfied with the result of McCanse's 
enumeration of inhabitants in Edwards county petitioned the gov- 
ernor for the appointment of another census-taker, and through the 
influence of C. L. Hubbs another enumeration was made, and re- 
turns made in August, 1874, of 633 inhabitants. This latter enu- 
meration is believed to have been all the men, women and children 
in Edwards county at that time. The governor issued his proclama- 
tion and appointed C. L. Hubbs, N. L. Humphrey, G. W. Wilson, 
commissioners, and J. A. Walker, clerk, August 21, 1874. 

This summer "Lo" was on the war path, and a squad of soldiers 
under Lieut. Campbell, U. S. A., were stationed near the depot. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 275 

The Congregational church was organized with eleven members, 
and assistance promised from Boston, in building a church, which 
was subsequently fulfilled by the building of the present church 
edifice. The first preaching in the county was at the Buffalo house, 
Sunday, June 1, 1873, Rev. S. D. Storrs officiating. 

In September, 1874, the foundation of the brick block of Edwards 
Bros., was laid and the building was completed during the winter. 35 
It was not occupied as a store by the Edwards Bros., until March, 
1876, the grasshopper raid and the Indian war having retarded the 
growth of the county at least two years. In October, 1874, the 
citizens organized a militia company under the laws of Kansas, 
and October 21, Capt. Emerson was commissioned captain, Geo. H. 
Hubbs, first lieutenant, and T. L. Rodgers second lieutenant. They 
were not called into active service. 

At the November election in 1874 the regular county officers 
were chosen. C. L. Hubbs, representative, over A. L. Kendall, his 
'competitor, 46 votes to 35 for Kendall; T. L. Rodgers, John A. 
Brothers, F. C. Blanchard, commissioners; Wm. Emerson, county 
clerk; E. A. Boyd, treasurer; L. W. Higgins, register of deeds; Jonas 
Woods, clerk of the district court; V. D. Billings, sheriff; J. S. Perry, 
coroner; W. C. Knight, superintendent of public instruction; Taylor 
Flick, county attorney; M. Moar, probate judge; Frank A. White, 
county surveyor. C. L. Hubbs failed to obtain his seat as a repre- 
sentative, but was admitted as a delegate in the legislature. 

The original board of county commissioners divided the county 
into three townships, naming them, respectively, Kinsley, Trenton 
and Brown the latter having but nine votes and no immediate 
prospect of an increase, the new board of county commissioners at- 
tached Brown township to Trenton and made but two townships: 
Kinsley and Trenton. Late in the session of the legislature Mr. 
Hubbs obtained the passage of a law defining the boundaries of 
Brown township in Edwards county and the board of county com- 
missioners promptly re-adjusted the township lines and again 
divided the county into two townships still leaving Brown township 
a part of Trenton. 

The Roman Catholic church perfected an organization, Father 
F. P. Swemberg officiating. 

The march of improvement was not rapid in 1875 for causes 
stated. Ten townships had been added to the south of the county 

35. The Edwards Bros, brick store was south of the track and in the first block east 
of the Sixth street crossing on the northeast corner of the block at Sixth and Marsh. 



276 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

by the legislature, and a term of court had been established also 
beginning in June, 1875. Litigation had been mildly begun before 
the justices of the peace, the first civil case being Emerson vs. Niles, 
before D. P. Daniel, justice of the peace of Trenton township, fol- 
lowed immediately by a criminal case: State of Kansas vs. Emer- 
son, before J. A. Walker, justice of the peace, of Kinsley township. 
Prior to the organization of Edwards county it was attached to 
Pawnee county for judicial purposes. 

Upon the establishment of a district court for Edwards county, 
cases arising in Edwards county and then pending in the district 
court of Pawnee county were transferred to the docket of the dis- 
trict court of Edwards county. The civil cases of C. L. Hubbs vs. 
A. S. Simmons, and A. L. Kendall vs. A. S. Simmons, and the 
criminal case of State of Kansas vs. S. B. Hames, were those trans- 
ferred and came up for hearing at the June term of 1876, Hon. S. R. 
Peters, judge. The Buffalo house was removed from its original 
location (having previously been sold, under the foreclosure of the 
numerous liens for lumber and labor existing upon it, to W. C. 
Edwards and A. D. Clute), to its present location and by the owners 
extensively improved and re-christened the Kinsley house, in [the] 
spring of 1875. 36 

Late this fall (1875) or in the winter of (1875-'6) Messrs. Otts, 
Offerle and others, substantial and enterprising citizens of Henry 
county, Illinois, prospected the county and fixed upon the present 
site of Offerle as a desirable point at which to start a town, and in 
the spring, 1876, made a beginning, the result of which cannot but 
be flattering to their wisdom, judgment and sagacity. J. W. Ed- 
wards was subsequently appointed postmaster. Some of the finest 
farms and most substantial farmers in the great Arkansas valley are 
located about and near Offerle. 

During the spring, 1876, R. E. Edwards, brother to W. C., opened 
out a large stock of general merchandise, lumber, &c., and started 
the Edwards county bank, occupying the two stores now occupied 
by Edwards Bros, and Edwards Bros. & Price. R. B. Martin, from 
Wisconsin, built his house and stable and subsequently opened out 
the lumber yard now run by Martin & Kelley. W. R. Davis & Co., 
opened out a grocery store where now is the "great western bakery," 
corner of Marsh avenue and Sixth street. Walter Robley, of Illinois, 
and T. P. German ("Joe"), formerly post guide at Fort Dodge and 

36. The new location must have been at or near the northwest corner of the Edwards 
Bros, block at Colony and Sixth. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 277 

a well-known scout, built and stocked the stable now owned and oc- 
cupied by the Robley Bros. Keller Johnesee built and occupied the 
building now owned and occupied by Geo. Rummell as a harness 
shop. C. L. Hubbs built and occupied the building now used by him 
as a real estate and law office. "Thompson hall" was remodeled, 
somewhat enlarged and improved and painted by the owners, Bar- 
nett & Thormand, and opened out as the "Eureka house," by P. M. 
Jones, now postmaster at Nettleton. The Kinsley house again un- 
derwent more extensive repairs, still continuing under the skilled and 
popular management of Mr. & Mrs. A. D. Clute. At the November 
election, 1875, Taylor Flick was elected representative; Geo. Bill, 
Wm. Flag, Jr., and F. C. Blanchard, county commissioners; Wm. 
Emerson, clerk; N. L. Humphrey, treasurer; Robert McCanse, 
sheriff; J. S. Perry, coroner; C. L. Hubbs, surveyor; L. W. Higgins, 
register of deeds; P. M. Jones, clerk of the district court; James 
Woods having resigned the position of clerk of the district court in 
the spring of 1875, W. C. Reed was appointed to fill the vacancy, and 
at the November election P. M. Jones was elected for one year. The 
total number of votes polled was seventy-eight. The population of 
Edwards county, as determined by census May 1, 1875, was 234, of 
which 138 were males and 96 females. W. C. Knight taught two 
terms of school in Thompson hall before it was converted into a 
hotel. 

School district No. 1 was organized [in] August, 1874, and in the 
summer of 1876 voted $4,000 in bonds for the erection of a school- 
house, resulting in the erection of the present brick schoolhouse, 
35 x 40, two stories high and containing four spacious rooms and 
was occupied for school purposes in June, 1877, prior to which, in 
the summer of and fall of 1876, two terms of school were held in 
the church building, Miss Zona Kimmins and J. W. Edwards 
teachers. During this summer the county voted $12,000 bonds for 
the purpose of bridging the Arkansas river, and early in 1877 the 
bridge was completed at a cost of about $9,000. In the winter of 
1876-7 Morgan Jensen, from Wisconsin, built the store now occupied 
by A. A. Brown on Colony avenue. About the same time C. D. 
Perrit built and occupied the adjacent building as a grocery store. 

At the November election in 1876 Taylor Flick was again elected 
representative by a majority of twenty-six votes over C. L. Hubbs; 
J. E. McArthur, county attorney; V. D. Billings, clerk of the dis- 
trict court; W. Kimmons, probate judge and G. W. Milner, super- 
intendent of public instruction. By this election Edwards county 



278 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

obtained her first recognized right to a representation in the legisla- 
ture, Mr. Flick having failed to obtain his seat the year previous 
for lack of a sufficiently large total vote, and Mr. Hubbs having 
been admitted as a delegate only, in 1875, for a similar reason. G. 
W. Milner and R. T. Spivey succeeded P. H. Niles as agents for the 
sale of the railroad land in the summer of 1876, and Milner was him- 
self succeeded by Monroe & Spivey in the fall of 1877, and trans- 
ferred to the agency for the sale of lands at Garfield, in Pawnee 
county, with headquarters at Kinsley. In the spring of 1876 Col. 
W. G. Dickenson, agent of the Arkansas Valley Town company, 
laid out and plat[t]ed about forty acres addition to Kinsley, south, 
and many dwelling houses were erected thereon. R. L. Ford, Esq., 
also made purchases in the summer of a tract of land of the A. V. T. 
Co., adjoining the addition, south, upon which several dwellings have 
been erected. In the winter of 1876-7 and spring following Doctor 
Freeland built two houses on Colony avenue, north, and later James 
Byrne, one of the men of 73, purchased and fitted up the dwelling- 
'house on Fifth street, north, now occupied by R. Kirk. A. B. 
Roundy built the brick storeroom now occupied by Glasgow & Co., 
as a drugstore. W. Vermillion having previously built the three or 
four buildings on the adjoining lots south. J. W. Fuller built the 
building now known as the Valley house, which has been but recently 
again enlarged. Jacob Schmidt built the meat market adjoining, 
south. W. T. Bruer succeeded to the good will of the Kinsley Re- 
porter, and in March, 1877, issued the first number of the Edwards 
County Leader, which is now said to have a circulation of one 
thousand copies. One of the papers west of the Missouri that prints 
both sides of its paper in its own office. In April, 1877, J. E. Willey, 
Esq., from Philadelphia, built and occupied his store on Colony 
avenue, south, as a hardware and furniture store and tin shop. He 
has lately been obliged to build a spacious addition to accommodate 
his largely increased business. He was elected one of the justices 
of the peace of Kinsley township in the fall of 1877. During the 
spring of 1877 also the Fraternal Home and Land Association, of 
Philadelphia, numbering some thirty families, located south of the 
river. 37 Messrs. C. S. Ostrander, J. Furguson, J. Gray, C. and S. 
Carpenter and several other substantial and enterprising citizens, 
of New York state, with their families, also located south of the 
river in the northeast part of the county. 38 During this summer 

37. This colony was usually referred to as the Wentz colony. 

38. These New York immigrants settled northeast of the present town of Lewis. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 279 

and fall a large number of dwelling-houses, two blacksmith shops, 
carpenter and painters shops were built on the townsite too numer- 
ous to mention in detail. Mrs. A. L. McGinnis, postmistress, re- 
moved her house to Marsh avenue, south, and enlarged it sufficiently 
to make accommodation for the post office. Edwards Bros. & 
Dudley have recently built a large livery and sale stable on the ten 
lots adjoining. 

The Valley Republican was started by M. M. Lewis, Esq., an 
experienced and accomplished journalist, November 3, 1877, under 
whose able editorial management it soon claimed a weekly edition 
of five hundred copies. After publishing seventeen numbers Mr. 
Lewis "stepped down and out," and it is now under the manage- 
ment of C. L. Hubbs, Mr. Lewis being engaged in the law and real 
estate business. During this winter, 1877-'8, Messrs. DePuy & 
Frater have erected a large building on Sixth street as an agricul- 
tural warehouse, with a large public hall in the second story. 
Another two story structure, on Sixth street adjoining the Messrs. 
DePuy & Frater, is understood to be soon occupied by A. A. Brown. 
Adjoining it on the west Messrs. Collier & Lane have opened out a 
meat market. W. R. Davis & Co., grocers, having been succeeded 
by E. I. Meeker and he in turn by E. I. Meeker & Co., removed 
to a more commodious building, with large warehouse in the rear 
between the Kinsley house and Edwards Bros, block, and opened 
out a large stock as a general merchandise store. 

In the summer of 1876 John Fitch, a "live Yankee," purchased a 
tract of land at Nettleton, this county, seven miles northeast of 
Kinsley on the railroad, erected a large, three story house, a barn 
and a windmill for grinding grain, and it is now the center of a 
large trade. 

Edwards county has an area of nine hundred and seventy -three 
square miles, 737,280 acres of land, of which about 150,000 acres are 
taxable. Kinsley, the county seat, is in latitude 37 minutes, 58 
seconds; longitude 99 minutes, 46 seconds, and with an altitude of 
2,220 feet above tide water, mean temperature of three winter 
months 32.59, of three spring months 40.79, of three summer 
months 75.16, of three fall months 53.98. The average rainfall 
from May to November, six months, is about eighteen inches. 
Maximum extreme of temperature in five years, 110, minimum, 
same period, 14. The Arkansas river and Coon creek furnished an 
unlimited water power. 39 No coal is known to exist in the county, 

39. This was absurd boasting, but for many years Kinsley boomers kept up the pretense. 



280 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

but Colorado coal, the best in the world, can be delivered here at 
less than $100 per carload, or twelve tons. The growing of artificial 
timber is being made a success ; Capt. C. H. Kirkpatrick, near Net- 
tleton, has a surprisingly fine showing of timber, 20 acres of which 
will average eight feet in height and consists of cottonwoods at in- 
tervals of 12 feet, each intervening 11 feet in the rows having black 
walnut, osage and willow. Probably the finest tract of artificial 
timber to be found west of the sixth principal meridian. He has also 
21 acres, set out this spring in the same manner, of like varieties. 

F. C. Badger, three miles northeast of Kinsley, has some that has 
grown ten feet high the past season. Several kinds of sandstone, 
and limestone of fine quality for lime, are found. Taylor Flick, 
Esq., has an osage orange hedge, two years old. Maj. Geo Bill and 

G. B. Ketchum have an exceptionally fine hedge of the same of one 
year's growth. 

Major Bill has also ten acres of growing timber, chiefly cotton- 
wood and black walnut, averaging five feet in height, one and two 
year's growth ; he has also ten acres planted with black walnut. 

Edwin Bartlett also has ten acres in timber, chiefly cottonwood of 
one year's growth. Messrs. Bartlett and Badger have, together, up- 
wards of forty-five acres of growing timber, about twelve acres of 
which were planted this spring. 

A. L. Kendall has an "80" fenced with posts and barbed wire. 

In January, 1874, C. N. Bonner unearthed about four feet beneath 
the surface, the remains of some huge animal, one tooth of which 
was obtained entire and well preserved, and weighed five pounds. 
A portion of a tusk was also exhumed, three feet in length and five 
inches in diameter, but crumbled upon exposure to the air. 

Mrs. Dr. D. P. Daniels made the first bread from the first home- 
grown and home-ground wheat in Edwards county in 1874. The 
first death from natural cause was a child of S. E. Fay, in October, 

1872. The first birth, a daughter to Mrs. Simon Cass, in August, 

1873. The first marriage, Nellie Chase to Wm. Emerson, April 11, 

1874. The first dairy was started by R. S. Williamson, in April, 
1877, and he was succeeded by N. L. Mills, who notwithstanding he 
has living water on his farm, is unable to supply the demand for 
milk. The first dwelling house (frame) by W. F. Blanchard, in 
April, 1873. The first entry of government land by Taylor Flick, 
Esq., March, 1873. The first building erected on the town site of 
Kinsley, exclusive of buildings on the railroad right of way, by 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 281 

Taylor Flick, Esq., and now occupied by him as a law office, July, 
1873. The first newspaper printed by Mrs. A. L. McGinnis, in Sep- 
tember, 1873. The first patent for government land was issued to 
Miss Fanny Rowe for the SW qr., sec. 20, t. 24, r. 19. The first hotel 
was opened by M. D. Hetzel and A. D. Clute, March, 1873. The 
first wheat was raised by John A. Brothers, on sec. 12, t. 24, r. 19, 
in 1874. The first lathed and plastered house was built by Taylor 
Flick, in 1874. The first hedge was set by Taylor Flick in 1875. 
The first brick were burned by W. C. Edwards, in August, 1874. 
The first schoolhouse was built in the winter of 1876-77 by school 
district No. 1. The first Congregational church was organized in 
July, 1874. The first church edifice was built in the fall of 1874. 
The first Roman Catholic church was organized in the fall of 1874. 
The first Methodist church in May, 1877. The first Presbyterian 
church in August, 1877. The first piano brought to Edwards county 
was by J. A. Walker, in June, 1873. The first dwelling house on 
the townsite of Kinsley was built by W. C. Knight, in July, 1873. 

The business of the railroad had so largely increased at this sta- 
tion that in March, 1877, Andrew Kingkade was appointed to assist 
Fred Gardner, the station agent. 

At the general election in November, 1877, J. R. Lovell was 
elected county commissioner for district number one, south of the 
river; E. H. Hough from district number two, and George Bill from 
district number three, respectively for one, two and three years; 
R. L. Ford, county clerk; A. L. Kendall, treasurer; John W. Fuller, 
sheriff; John G. Thauer, coroner; L. W. Higgins, register of deeds; 
J. N. Norval, county surveyor; and J. A. Freeland, probate judge. 
W. R. Kimmons having resigned as probate judge S. T. Reed was 
appointed by the governor to the vacancy, and Capt. Freeland was 
elected for one year. 

Immediately after taking his office as sheriff, J. W. Fuller sold 
out the "Fuller house" (now known as the "Valley house") and 
leased the Kinsley house from Mr. Clute, where he entertains 
strangers utterly "unaware" of their possible celestial origin, and 
worthily maintains the former high reputation of the house. 

Sunday morning, January 27, 1878, about 3:30 o'clock a.m., a 
gang of robbers, with blackened faces, attempted to rob the depot 
and westward bound train at Kinsley, but were thwarted by the 
vigilance, tact and "sand" of Kingkade, the night operator. Four 
of them are now believed to be safely secured in the jail at Emporia, 



282 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

where they have ample leisure to compare the exploits of Kingkade 
with the "life and exploits of Jack Cade." 40 

No death of any adult person has occurred from acute disease, 
and but three from chronic diseases, in Edwards county within these 
five years, though there are four allopathic and one homeopathic 
physicians located here ; and no person has yet been sent to the peni- 
tentiary, though eight lawyers and real estate agents each hang out 
a shingle here. 

The valuation of real and personal property in Edwards county 
for the year 1875 (first year after organization) was $231,760.75; 
for 1876, $419,318.00; for 1877, $473,809.36. No valuation of real 
estate was made in 1877, the law of the state providing for the valu- 
ation of real estate biennially. 

The total bonded indebtedness of the county, including that of 
school districts, is $16,925. There are nine organized school districts, 
inclusive of one " joint district" (Ford and Edwards counties), four 
of which only have voted bonds, to wit: district No. 1, $4,000; joint 
district No. 1, $1,500; district No. 2, $1,000; district No. 7, $425. 

Geo. W. Fulton, of Rice county, Kansas, has this day (March 13) 
bought lot 5, in block 12, in Kinsley for the immediate erection of 
a steam flouring mill. 

Gold, silver and greenbacks and other evidences of wealth that 
need but to be "remonetized," underlie nearly the entire area of 
Edwards county, only a few inches beneath the surface. Among 
the men of '73 and early '74 who struck "leads" the past season 
were Theo. Carter, thirty-nine bushels winter wheat to the acre. 
M. D. Hetzel, two hundred and seventy-five bushels of German 
millet from five acres, forty bushels of rye to the acre, and a small 
patch of oats at the rate of one hundred and twenty bushels to 
the acre. John A. Brothers, twenty-two bushels of spring wheat 
per acre, and sixty bushels of barley per acre. J. T. North, 351 
bushels of spring wheat from thirteen acres, and 556 bushels of 
barley from thirteen acres. Edwin Bartlett and F. C. Badger, sixteen 
hundred and ninety bushels of barley from forty acres, and twenty- 
eight bushels of winter wheat per acre. Geo. W. Rowell and Marion 
Sowards each twenty-eight bushels of winter wheat per acre, and 
A. Hippler thirty-one bushels of wheat per acre. Frank Spring, 
Jr., 291 bushels of oats from ten bushels of seed, or upwards of 
seventy bushels per acre. 

40. The Lamed paper was so unkind as to accuse Kinsley of planning the robbery for 

publicity purposes. 



EARLY HISTORY OF EDWARDS COUNTY 283 

Among those who have come here as to a "city of refuge" from 
the premier (pulmonary complaint) of the "King of Terrors," is 
E. A. Noble, who came from Beaver county, Pennsylvania, packed 
in a double barrelled undershirt and numerous other flannel con- 
trivances, an ulster overcoat, cork soled boots, and four yards of 
muffler, with scarcely sufficient strength to carry it all with the 
help of a cane, and to whom a toasted cracker and two table- 
spoonfuls of lime water were a hearty meal, now finds the clothing 
of the average white man amply sufficient, and wishing to spend a 
day on the range, himself dons a cardigan jacket, packs his pony 
with two blankets and four cans of Boston baked beans, slips a 
flask of something for snake-bite into his pocket, vaults into the 
saddle without the aid of a stirrup, and gallops away to some cattle 
ranch to sleep wherever night shall overtake him, equal to the 
hardiest frontiersman. 

Also there is our genial and eloquent county attorney J. E. Mac- 
Arthur, (asthmatic) who came from Clinton county, Iowa, wheezing 
like a stern wheeler with forty loaded barges in tow against the 
stream, now addresses the jury (whenever the other lawyers can 
get a "corner" on some petty misdemeanor) in stentorian tones that 
can be heard three blocks away against a norther. 

The first jury (six) "sworn to try the case" in this county, were 
impanelled under the "city organization" in December, 1873. Their 
names were S. S. Hart, G. W. Wilson, G. W. Rowell, Marion 
Sowards, Jacob Ramie and John Key. Verdict "Guilty, with a 
recommendation to the mercy of the court, (signed) S. S. Hart, 
foreman." 

In January, 1873, Fred Gardner shot six buffalo, with six con- 
secutive shots, from the window of the telegraph office, and in July, 
1875, W. F. Blanchard killed the last buffalo known to have been 
killed in Edwards county. 

In April, 1875, the Cheyenne Indians jumped their guard at the 
agency in the territory. They were trailed and shadowed for days 
by T. P. (Joe) German, then post guide at Fort Dodge, until the 
evening of April 28, when he came into Kinsley, and reported that 
the Indians would probably cross the river near "Lone Tree" some- 
time during the night. The Indians did so cross about fifteen miles 

above Kinsley, and stole two horses belonging to Holden. On 

the morning of April 29, German, A. L. Kendall, V. D. Billings 
and G. W. Wilson went up the railroad track and struck the 
Indians' trail about ten miles west of Kinsley, when Wilson came 



284 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

back with a dispatch to Fort Dodge for troops. Holden and Wm. 
Flag, Jr., rode post to Dodge, and troops were promptly sent out 
from the fort, and the following evening overtook the Indians 
about thirty miles northwest of Kinsley; but through the shameful 
inefficiency of the captain (Campbell) commanding, failed to 
capture them. Captain Campbell was subsequently "permitted to 
resign." 

The writer is indebted to the admirable history of Pawnee county, 
by Capt. Henry Booth, of Lamed, for the facts in relation to 
Pawnee county, though we take issue with Captain Booth as to 
the object of Coronado's raid. I am unable to find any mention 
of Peketon county outside of the territorial records and Captain 
Booth's history, save a solitary reference thereto in Kansas Reports, 
v. 3, in Cusick v. Douglas and others. 

In this hastily written sketch of the history of Edwards county 
some inaccuracies and omissions are inevitable, but it would be 
strangely incomplete without some acknowledgement of the uniform 
courtesy and hearty cooperation in assisting to develop the resources 
of Edwards county, on the part of Col. A. S. Johnson, commissioner 
of the land department, and the other officers and managers of the 
A., T. & S. F. R. R. The utmost harmony and good will has at all 
times existed between them and the citizens and officials of the 
county. 



College Football in Kansas 

HAROLD C. EVANS 

IN THE 1880's extracurricular activities in Kansas collegiate circles 
were largely confined to long-winded debating and oratorical con- 
tests. Literary societies had not been replaced by student "pep" 
organizations and inter-collegiate athletics was carried on in a 
desultory fashion by a few of the older and larger institutions. 
Garden varieties of athletics, such as lawn tennis and croquet, under 
the direction of youthful instructors from "back East" who wanted 
to keep fit by indulging in some dignified form of exercise, enjoyed 
a limited popularity. Baseball, it is true, had invaded K. U., Wash- 
burn and Baker, but it was a primitive form of the national pas- 
time, played without faculty sanction, and schedules were limited 
to three or four games each season. 

The New England influence that directed the educational policy 
at Washburn was eventually extended to the field of athletics. The 
tremendous increase in the popularity of football at Yale, Harvard, 
Princeton and the other "ivy league" colleges during the 1880's 
aroused a latent interest among the young men who pursued a higher 
education in the halls of Kansas University and Baker. Which of 
these schools pioneered in introducing the game to Kansas cannot 
be determined from the incomplete records. 

Washburn, it is definitely known, had a football team in 1885. 
"Football!! Is booming!!!" announced the Washburn Argo, adding 
that the team had recently been equipped with white uniforms with 
red stockings and red caps. About all that this proves is that the 
Topeka school had not yet adopted the traditional Yale blue and 
white as its school colors. The Argo adds that "Stone is a most 
efficient captain." l The Stone referred to is Robert Stone, for years 
a prominent Topeka attorney. Editorially the Argo said: 

The colleges of Kansas need stirring up ; they need something that will bring 
the students together from the different institutions and while arousing spirited 
competition will create a fellow-feeling. There is nothing that will cause so 
great interest and enthusiasm in a college as athletic contests. Perhaps each 
college will send a delegation of ten or twelve to the state oratorical contest, 
but let two of our rival ball clubs or foot racers meet and we will see every 
student throw away his books and brimming over with patriotic enthusiasm 
rush to the ball ground or race course. In view of the lack of interest our 

1. Washburn Argo f Topeka, December, 1885. 

(285) 



286 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

colleges show in this line and the great need, we would recommend a State 
Inter-Collegiate Athletic association. Let us hear what our sister colleges have 
to say on this subject. 2 

Apparently this revolutionary editorial met little response among 
the student press, for it was five years before a program of inter- 
collegiate athletics was launched in the state. Washburn, K. U., 
Baker, Lewis Academy of Wichita and the old Wichita University 
made unsuccessful attempts to introduce football between 1885 and 
1890. Former Lewis Academy and Wichita University players re- 
call that the game had its inception in Wichita in 1889, but add that 
it really did not get under way until 1890. 3 

The Argo of October 17, 1890, reveals that "lack of opposition" 
killed football at Washburn. A clue to the competition met by 
Washburn teams of the 1880's is found in the statement that the 
team was discouraged when it was forced to go to Kansas City for 
its games without receiving the promise of a return game. From 
this bit of information it is logical to deduce that the Kansas City 
Y. M. C. A. club was Washburn's opponent on these invasions of 
the Missouri metropolis, for the Y. M. C. A. team appeared on sev- 
eral college schedules in the 1890's. 

Recorded football history in Kansas begins on November 22, 
1890, at Baldwin, when the Topeka Capital reported that the game 
"had its first introduction into Western colleges today [November 
22]. Baker University defeated Kansas University, 22 to 9." The 
Weekly University Courier modifies the Capital's statement by call- 
ing the Baker-K. U. contest the "first football match of any im- 
portance." 4 In either event, football had been recognized by the 
daily press and its future in Kansas athletics was assured. 

Baker was elated. "It has been the boast of K. S. U. that none 
of the colleges in the state could compete with her in athletics," 
The Baker Beacon blared exultantly, "but she must now take in her 
sign or else make it read differently." 5 

Baker scored on the "third scrimmage" when Lockhart sliced 
through the University line and crossed the goal. Three plays later 
the Methodists scored again with Coole carrying the ball across the 
line. The try for point was unsuccessful each time and the Baker 
total was only eight points, as touchdowns counted but four in those 
days, with two points added for a successful try for point. Con- 

2. Ibid. 

3. Wichita Sunday Eagle, December 18, 1927. 

4. Topeka Daily Capital, November 23, 1890 ; University Courier, Lawrence, November 
28, 1890. 

5. The Baker Beacon, Baldwin, November 26, 1890. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 287 

sequently, after K. U. rallied and pushed over a touchdown, then 
followed it with a field goal, which netted five points, the Baldwin- 
ites were trailing, 9 to 8, as the first half ended. 

"When the second half was called everybody was anxious," the 
Beacon reported, meaning the home crowd, no doubt, although it 
seems hardly possible that K. U. supporters felt much confidence 
in that one-point lead. If so, it was misplaced. Goodale of Baker 
soon scored a third touchdown for the Methodists. Try for point 
failed, but Baker led, 12 to 9. After some hard going Goodale scored 
again, but the try for goal went wide and the score stood 16 to 9 
for Baker. Late in the game Atherton scored the fifth and last 
touchdown for the triumphant Baker team ; this time goal was kicked 
and the score mounted to 22 points. K. U. had failed to add to its 
first half total. 6 

Baker followed its conquest of the University eleven with a 32 to 
victory over Washburn. 7 Meanwhile K. U. made an unsuccessful 
foray against the Kansas City Y. M. C. A. and took an 18 to 10 
beating. 8 Several hundred persons crowded about the playing field 
when the Baker team came to Lawrence on the afternoon of De- 
cember 8 for a return game with K. U. 

The final score of this contest has been a moot question for fifty 
years. University records give the score as 14 to 12 for Kansas. 9 
Baker claimed in the Beacon of December 10, 1890, to have gained 
a 12 to 10 victory and hailed its team as state champions. A dis- 
puted play in the closing minutes was the basis of the controversy. 
With Baker leading 12 to 10 time was called on some technicality, 
according to the Baker version. While the Baldwin team was re- 
laxed, Coleman, University center, snatched up the ball and dashed 
across the goal line, said Baker men. Umpire William Herbert Car- 
ruth, Kansas University professor, decided for Baker, but K. U. 
students refused to abide by the decision. The game ended a few 
moments later and supporters of both teams left the field chanting 
paeans of victory. Baker's claim to the state championship was 
only feebly disputed in Lawrence, however. 

This concluded the first football season in Kansas college annals. 
The state's newspapers recognized the K. U. victory claim, but Baker 
was hailed as the best team in Kansas. Professor Carruth admitted 
in the Graduate Magazine, in November, 1923, that he was probably 

6. Ibid. 

7. Ibid., December 3, 1890. 

8. University Courier, Lawrence, December 5, 1890. 

9. Ibid., December 12, 1890. 



288 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

wrong in calling time out. Nobody in Kansas qualified as a football 
expert at that remote date. The players coached themselves and 
interpreted the rules to their own satisfaction. The University 
coach was Prof. E. M. Hopkins, a Princeton alumnus, whose only 
qualification was that he had seen football played at his alma mater. 
It seemed that no one else on Mount Oread had ever seen a game 
prior to the historic campaign of 1890. 

But this little flurry of gridiron activity fostered the organization 
of the first intercollegiate athletic association in the state. Baker, 
Washburn and K. U., the pioneering triumvirate, were ready to 
have at it again in 1891, and representatives of the three schools 
met in the spring to form the Triangular League and to map out a 
schedule of competition in football, baseball and tennis. 

Play got under way late in the fall. The first contest on Novem- 
ber 7, 1891, reported the following day in the Topeka Daily Capital, 
was between Baker and Washburn at Baldwin and resulted in a 28 
to 18 victory for the defending state champions. Prominent in the 
Washburn lineup was J. C. Mohler, now secretary of the State Board 
of Agriculture. The Baker watchword was "stop Jake." Mohler 
got away frequently in spite of Baker's vigilance, but the Washburn 
defense could not cope with the powerful attack of the big Baker 
backs. 

It was a K. U. year. The Jayhawks won a clear title in the new 
league, defeating Washburn twice, 32-10 and 38-10, and winning 
from Baker 18-4 and 8-0. 10 The first Kansas-Missouri game was 
played at Exposition Park, Kansas City, on October 31, 1891. Kan- 
sas won, 22 to 8. 11 Kansas also claimed a 14-12 victory over the 
University of Iowa, but Iowa's record gives the result as 18-14 for 
the Hawkey es. 12 

Coached by A. W. Shepherd, formerly of Cornell, the University 
team made a brilliant record in 1892. Washburn, Baker, Illinois, 
Nebraska and Iowa were Jayhawk victims and there was talk of 
claiming the Western championship. But Baker, beaten 14 to in 
its first game with the Lawrence men, spoiled the University's un- 
blemished record by a surprise 18 to victory late in the season. 
Unquestionably it was a great year for Kansas football. The Kan- 
sas-Nebraska meeting was the first in history. Illinois was beaten, 
26 to 4; Iowa, 24 to 4; Nebraska, 12 to 0. Kansas and Missouri 

10. Football at the University of Kansas, a pamphlet published by the K. U. News 
Bureau, 1938. 

11. University Courier, Lawrence, November 6, 1891. 

12. Ibid., December 11, 1891. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 289 

played the first of their traditional Thanksgiving week series, with 
the Tigers bowing, 12 to 4. 13 

Notwithstanding the "great depression" Kansas started the au- 
tumn of 1893 with a score of new teams on the gridiron. Baker had 
one of its most successful seasons, and incidentally its last until 
1910, for the Kansas conference of the Methodist church banned 
the game from the Baker campus at the end of the year. The 
Bakers of 1893 defeated Missouri University, 28 to 0; tied Nebraska; 
beat K. U., 14 to 12, and the powerful Denver Athletic Club, 32 
to O. 14 Kansas, although not so fortunate, defeated Nebraska and 
Iowa, losing to Michigan, 22 to ; Minnesota, 12 to 6 ; Denver A. C., 
24 to 10 ; and meeting the first reverse at the hands of the Missouri 
Tigers, 10 to 4. 15 

Several high school and town teams took up the game during this 
season, including Topeka, Lawrence and Abilene. The Abilene team 
furnished the opposition for Kansas Wesleyan University in one of 
the Salina school's first gridiron appearances and held the Wesleyans 
to a 10 to 6 score. 16 Washburn subdued Topeka High School, 18 
to O. 17 

Baker's withdrawal automatically wrecked the Triangular League 
and no attempt was made to find a substitute for the Baldwin school. 
Ottawa University put a strong team on the field in 1894, one that 
tied K. U. and won a 28 to victory over Missouri. 18 On November 
3, the Kansas Aggies were beaten, 24 to 0, by Abilene in their first 
football game. Washburn had a stronger team than in past years 
and defeated two newcomers, the College of Emporia and Midland 
College of Atchison. Kansas University lost to Iowa, Michigan and 
Nebraska, but defeated Doane College of Crete, Neb., and Missouri. 

As the years passed, it began to appear that K. U. had few rivals 
in the state who could furnish the stiff competition formerly pro- 
vided by Baker. Between 1895 and 1899 Fairmount and Friends 
University of Wichita, St. Mary's College, Cooper College of Ster- 
ling, the Kansas City Medical College, Emporia Normal, the College 
of Emporia, Haskell Institute, Ottawa University, Midland College 
of Atchison, Kansas Wesleyan University, Washburn College and 
Kansas Aggies were competing with each other and with high-school 

13. Football at the University of Kansas. 

14. Topeka Daily Capital, October 15, 22, 29 and December 1, 1893. 

15. Ibid., December 1, 1893 ; Football at the University of Kansas. 

16. Topeka Daily Capital, November 19, 1893. 

17. Ibid., December 1, 1893. 

18. Ibid., October 28, November 11, 1894. 

19_4800 



290 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

and town teams in their respective neighborhoods. Some of the high- 
school and town team competition was more than the collegians 
could handle. The eleven that represented the little town of Glasco 
in the late 1890's was organized by a former Ottawa University 
player in 1896. It defeated Washburn and Ottawa and held K. U. 
to a close score. 

Two mtra-city feuds of long standing began in the 1890's: the 
College of Emporia-Emporia Normal rivalry and the Fairmount 
College-Friends University series in Wichita. Before the close of 
the century the annual Kansas-Missouri game was already cloaked 
with tradition and Washburn also was looking forward to its annual 
game with the University team as the big event of the season. 

Under the tutelage of Fielding H. "Hurry Up" Yost, the Univer- 
sity eleven was undefeated and un-tied in 1899. Yost, who later 
became famous as coach of Michigan's "point-a-minute" teams, is 
regarded as one of the greatest football technicians in the history of 
the American game. Among the heroes on Mount Oread that au- 
tumn were Bennie Owen, "Cussin' Tom" Smith and a giant tackle 
with the innocuous name of Rollo Krebs, who became the center of 
a controversy that was not settled for thirty-five years. In fact, 
I'affaire Krebs became one of those half-legendary athletic scandals 
that was embellished from year to year by imaginative sports 
writers. 

Krebs' first appearance in the K. U. lineup was at Lincoln when 
the Jayhawks met Nebraska, and his phenomenal line play was an 
important factor in the 36 to 20 victory won by Kansas. A week 
later he assisted in the 23 to defeat of Washburn. According to 
the University Weekly of December 2, 1899, Krebs was a young 
man who had learned the rudiments of football at his old home in 
Trinidad, Colo. His parents had moved to Birmingham, Kan., and 
the alleged Colorado high-school player decided to enter K. U. in 
the fall of 1899. His belated appearance in the varsity lineup was 
explained by his inexperience. In the Missouri game, which was 
the last of the season, the big tackle smashed the Tiger plays with 
monotonous regularity. Two Missouri linemen, who attempted to 
stop the new Kansas sensation, were carried from the field on 
stretchers that afternoon. Kansas won, 34 to 6. 

Back in Lawrence enthusiastic students planned a great celebra- 
tion in Krebs' honor after his expected return with the team, but the 
"phantom tackle" disappeared after the game. It was soon whis- 
pered about Mount Oread that the departed hero was not the green 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 291 

country lad his press agents had represented him to be. It was 
further alleged that Coach Yost had purposely imported this six- 
foot-three-inch, 210-pound gladiator to insure victories over Ne- 
braska and Missouri and that he had played on other college fields 
before his Kansas debut. 

The result was a housecleaning at K. U. As a matter of fact, the 
University was not alone among Kansas colleges which were tainted 
with professionalism. Even the staid Congregational college of 
Washburn once used Cy Leland's coachman in its line, a Washburn 
player of the 1890's confessed to the writer. There is also the 
tale of the Topeka fireman, one "Fatty" Clark, who was enrolled in 
the fine arts department at Washburn and starred in the Ichabod 
lineup. 

The Krebs mystery was solved at last in 1934. The "phantom 
tackle," at that time 62 years of age and a mining engineer at 
Charleston, W. Va., came back to Lawrence the day before the 
Missouri game as guest of honor at a belated celebration. Krebs 
admitted that he had never been a resident either of Trinidad, Colo., 
or of Birmingham, Kan. His gridiron experience before his brief 
Kansas career consisted of five years' varsity competition at the 
University of West Virginia and a year in the professional ranks. 
He explained his disappearance at the conclusion of the 1899 cam- 
paign by stating tersely that he came to K. U. to play football, not 
to acquire an education. 19 

A tragic aftermath to the Krebs story was written two years later 
when the aging hero became totally blind after a mining accident. 

The cleanup that followed charges of professionalism resulted in 
a disastrous season at K. U. in 1900. It might be said that all was 
lost save honor. Yost had gone to Michigan, the machine of 1899 
was shattered by graduation, and efforts to place the game on a 
higher plane were being made. Meanwhile, Bennie Owen, quarter- 
back of the all-victorious Ninety-niners, was coaching the Washburn 
Ichabods with great success. Owen's team came to Lawrence on 
October 6 and routed the University eleven, 24 to 0. Owen insisted 
on quarter-backing the Ichabods against his alma mater. The Jay- 
hawks demurred and the game was delayed for a few minutes until 
Bennie consented to remain on the bench. 20 The College of Emporia 
beat the Jayhawks, 18 to 0, and Washburn repeated in a return game 
at Topeka, 29 to O. 21 Washburn lost to Haskell, 11 to 5, after de- 
feating the Indians earlier in the season, 11 to 0. 

19. Kansas City (Mo.) Star, November 28, 1934. 

20. Topeka Daily Capital, October 7, 1900. 

21. Ibid., November 11, 1900. 



292 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The early 1900's were marked by the rise of the Haskell Indians 
and the "Terrible Swedes" of Bethany College, Lindsborg. Ottawa, 
too, turned out some powerful teams and defeated K. U., 17 to 5, in 
1901. Bennie Owen was engaged as coach at the Lindsborg school 22 
and the fruit of his efforts was a delight to residents of the Smoky 
Hill valley. Washburn went into a slump after Owen left; K. U.'s 
play was far from satisfactory. Wisconsin humbled the Jayhawks, 
50 to 0, in 1901, and 38 to in 1902. 23 

Owen's debut at Lindsborg was heralded in the Lindsborg Record 
of August 29, 1902, as follows: 

We are particularly fortunate in securing the well known Benny Owen as 
coach at Bethany this year. All lovers of the gridiron sport remember his 
magnificent work at quarterback with K. U. . . . His name has a perma- 
nent spot in the football history at the university. As coach for Washburn 
the year they were in their glory and swept the state his work is well remem- 
bered. Owen served last year as assistant coach for the University of Michigan 
and contributed liberally to the success of their great team. . . . 

What Owen did to make the Swedes terrible is not definitely 
known, but they certainly performed in a fashion that struck fear 
from Lawrence to the Rocky Mountains and to the plains of Okla- 
homa. These comparative scores from the 1902 season reveal what 
a power the Swedes immediately became in Kansas football circles: 
Haskell, 24; K. U., 5. Bethany, 11; Haskell, O. 24 

In 1903 Dr. Bert Kennedy, who was destined to become a tower- 
ing figure in the Kansas football coaching profession, took over the 
task of reviving the Washburn Ichabods. His debut was inauspi- 
cious when his charges played a listless to tie with Emporia Nor- 
mal in their first game. 25 But the Washburn eleven came back with 
a 34 to victory over K. S. A. C. and from then until the end of the 
season their march to the state championship was undisputed. 26 
Kansas was beaten, 5 to 0, and Missouri, 6 to O. 27 The Swedes 
challenged boldly, but were subdued, 12 to 6. 28 

Haskell, too, had a good season that rainy autumn of 1903. The 
Indians invaded Chicago and held Walter Eckersall and his team- 
mates to a 17 to 11 score, 29 conquered K. U. and all their Kansas 

22. Lindsborg Record, August 29, 1902. 

23. Football at the University of Kansas. 

24. Topeka Daily Capital, November 16, 28, 1902. 

25. Ibid. October 4, 1903. 



26. Ibid. 

27. Ibid. 

28. Ibid. 

29. Ibid. 



November 8, 1903. 
November 1, 19, 1903. 
November 15, 1903. 
November 8, 1903. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 293 

competition, but did not meet Kennedy's Washburn team. Kansas 
salvaged something out of a disastrous campaign by beating Mis- 
souri, 5 to 0, in the annual Thanksgiving game. 30 

Coach A. E. Hernstine's Haskell team led the way in 1904, while 
K. U. evened its accounts with Washburn by the score of 5 to O. 31 
Bethany defeated the University of Oklahoma, 36 to 9. 32 The hap- 
less Kansas Aggies suffered the most humiliating defeat in their 
history when Washburn beat them 56 to O. 33 Kansas beat Notre 
Dame, 25 to 5. 34 But the Indians, although they did not play under 
college eligibility rules and could not be considered as championship 
contenders, were easily the class of the state. 

Haskell smashed K. U., 23 to 6, Missouri, 39 to 0, and Nebraska, 
14 to 6. Washburn, which had a good season under Dr. John Out- 
land, fell by a 14 to score. 35 At this time Coach Glenn "Pop" 
Warner's Carlisle Indians were creating a sensation in the East and 
promoters of the St. Louis World's Fair concluded that a Haskell- 
Carlisle game at the fair would be what is colloquially known as a 
"natural." The game was scheduled for the Saturday after Thanks- 
giving, which fell on November 26. 

The Haskell eleven warmed up for their Eastern rivals by playing 
Washington University of St. Louis on Thanksgiving Day and im- 
pressed the spectators with their display of power. Washington was 
massacred, 48 to O. 36 The aftermath of this easy victory, however, 
was a stunning defeat. What happened to Haskell that afternoon? 
Was Eastern football so superior to the type of game played in the 
Missouri Valley? Were the plains Indians overconfident or were 
they stale after a hard schedule and a game only two days before 
the meeting with the Warner men? 

Haskell started out like winners, swept down the field after the 
opening kick-off and drew first blood when Pete Hauser kicked 
a field goal after three minutes of play had elapsed. From then on 
to the finish it was a Carlisle parade. The Warner-coached backs 
tore the Haskell line to ribbons. The final score was Carlisle, 38; 
Haskell, 4. It was a severe blow to Missouri valley prestige. 37 

Glenn Warner was so impressed with the play of HaskelFs famous 

30. Football at the University of Kansas. 

31. Topeka Daily Capital, October 30, 1904. 

32. Ibid., November 25, 1904. 

33. Ibid. f November 13, 1904. 

34. Ibid., November 6, 1904. 

35. Ibid., November 20, 1904. 

36. Kansas City (.Mo.) Times, November 25, 1904. 

37. Topeka Daily Capital, November 27, 1904. 



294 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Hauser brothers, Pete and Emil, that he lured the big Cheyenne lads 
to Carlisle where they performed with distinction. Of Pete, the full- 
back, Warner said he ranked "among the all-time stars." He re- 
ceived ail-American recognition by Walter Camp while at Carlisle. 38 

The University of Oklahoma territory, tired of taking beatings in 
its annual football game with the "Terrible Swedes," opened negotia- 
tions with Bennie Owen, and the ex-K. U. quarterback listened with 
favor to the call from the South. 39 It made little difference to 
Bethany, for football was temporarily abolished at the Lindsborg 
institution that year. The 1905 season, in which K. U. won the state 
title, was featured by a vast improvement at K. S. A. C. This was 
the year that M. F. "Mike" Ahearn took over the coaching duties. 40 
The Aggies won six of their eight games, losing only to Washburn 
and K. U. The Jayhawks defeated all opponents in the Missouri 
Valley area, but succumbed to a great Colorado University team, 
15 to O. 41 Bennie Owen's first invasions of the state with his Okla- 
homa Sooners were not marked by success. K. U. rebuked its ex- 
quarterback, 34 to 0, and Washburn's Ichabods taught their former 
teacher a lesson, 9 to 6. 

Football took an alarming toll in fatalities and serious injuries in 
1905 and college authorities began to talk seriously of abolishing the 
game. But it found a champion in the high places when Pres. 
Theodore Roosevelt suggested that the rules might be revised to 
eliminate many of the dangers. Coaches and other supporters of 
the game offered suggestions. There was some talk of playing a 
trial post-season game under an improvised code, but none of the 
big Eastern colleges volunteered to make such a move. 

Fairmount college of Wichita, coached by Willis Bates, a former 
Dartmouth player, had completed a successful season and Wichita 
promoters suggested that the Fairmount "Wheat Shockers" would 
be willing to act as guinea pigs if a suitable opponent could be found 
for a Christmas day "clinical contest." Washburn, which had beaten 
Fairmount in a close game during the regular season, readily agreed 
to appear against the Fairmount team in the holiday game. 

The following rule changes were adopted: Ten yards in three 
downs instead of five yards ; a field goal to count four points if made 
within thirty-five yards of the goal, five points if between thirty- 
five and forty-five yards, six points if made from behind the forty - 

38. Warner, Glenn S., "The Indian Massacres," Collier's, October 17, 1931. 

39. Lindsborg Record, September 15, 1905. 

40. "Records of the Kansas State College Athletic Department" (typed copy). 

41. Football at the University of Kansas. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 295 

five yard line; forward passes to be allowed behind the line of 
scrimmage; disqualification for slugging and loss of the ball if the 
foul was committed by a member of the offensive team. 

To insure impartial officiating Coach John Outland of Washburn 
and Coach Willis Bates of Fairmount acted as referee and umpire, 
respectively. The game was shortened to twenty-minute halves. 

It was one of those balmy December days that frequently occur in 
Kansas and a large crowd filled the stands. Washburn kicked off, 
Fairmount gained two yards in two plays and punted. Washburn 
gained six yards in two thrusts at the line and Millice punted. That, 
according to contemporary accounts, pretty well describes the whole 
game. Percy Bates, brother of the Fairmount coach, and Millice of 
Washburn were both great punters, and this phase of the contest, at 
least, was spectacular. The Wichita Eagle reported: 

A great many of the spectators were pleased with the game. They said it 
was a great deal more satisfactory from a spectator's standpoint than the old 
game, as the people could see more of the plays. The fact that the ball was 
in the air a good deal also pleased the populace, who evidently delight in 
seeing the egg-shaped ball float across the horizon. The football enthusiasts 
of the city did not take this view of the matter, though. Col. Sam Hess said 
that he thought the game would be better if played with four downs in ten 
yards or two downs in five. . . . 

The score was to 0. Washburn made four first downs, Fair- 
mount three. Neither team threatened the other's goal very seri- 
ously, although Hope of Washburn narrowly missed an attempted 
field goal. Washburn punted 18 times, Fairmount 20. Washburn 
received a fifteen-yard penalty for holding. The only successful 
means of gaining ground was by fake kicks or forward passes. 

Of the first forward pass, Bliss Isely, who played in the game, 
writes, "the first forward pass in history was thrown that afternoon 
by Bill Davis to Art Solter and was good for a ten-yard gain. A 
number of passes were thrown, and all of them good, possibly be- 
cause defense against the pass had not been perfected." 42 

Isely said that the pass delivery was primitive. Davis heaved the 
ball with both hands like a basketball player shooting a free throw 
and it wobbled crazily through the air. Little comment was made 
on the pass, though both coaches condemned the ten yards in three 
downs ruling. The Washburn coach opined that a team would have 
to be four touchdowns stronger to win under such a ruling. 43 

Nevertheless, the rules committee adopted both the ten yards in 

42. From Bliss Isely's writings, copy furnished by Wichita University. 

43. Wichita Daily Eagle, December 26, 1905. 



296 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

three downs rule and the pass, but they placed such restrictions upon 
the pass that it was extremely dangerous. One forward pass was 
allowed each scrimmage. There was no such thing as an incomplete 
pass in the modern sense. If the passer overshot his mark and the 
ball dropped to the ground it went to the defensive team. 

Yet, within a few years, the forward pass was an important offen- 
sive weapon. Passers soon learned to grip the ball with one hand 
and spiral it with considerable accuracy and receivers became adept 
at snatching the gyrating oval out of the air. In 1907, Ralph Henry 
Barbour, who glorified the game of football in numerous exciting 
books for juvenile consumption, brought out a new thriller entitled 
Forward Pass in which the young hero scored the winning touch- 
down in the big game by means of this spectacular play. 

Dr. Garfield Weede came to Washburn as coach in 1906 and the 
Ichabods went through a grueling 12-game schedule with three ties 
and one defeat. 44 The sensation of the season was K. S. A. C.'s first 
victory over its rival from Lawrence. Captain Mallon of the Aggies 
snatched up a blocked K. U. kick and raced half the distance of the 
field for a touchdown that gave the downtrodden Manhattan team 
a 6-4 victory. 45 The Aggies waited 18 years for another. But the 
Aggie record was marred by a 5 to 4 defeat by Washburn and a 
12 to 6 loss to Coach Willis Bates' up-and-coming Fairmount team. 46 
Fairmount gave Washburn its only defeat, 7 to 6. Washburn tied 
K. U., to 0, and the Jayhawks won from Nebraska and tied Mis- 
souri. 47 Fair-mount's claim to state honors was marred by a 6 to 
loss to St. Mary's, a team Washburn defeated 42 to O. 48 

There was no question about the Washburn claim in 1907. Arm- 
chair football fans in Topeka love to speak of that Washburn team 
whenever talk veers to the question of which was the greatest Wash- 
burn team of all time. Doctor Weede's proteges were undefeated 
and untied, and counted Kansas, Kansas Aggies, Haskell, Fair- 
mount, Oklahoma, St. Mary's, and Emporia Normal among their 
victims. Glenn Millice, half-back, is remembered as one of the 
greatest punters in Kansas history. White and Williams, backs; 
Haughey, end; and Brown, center, were all-Missouri Valley selec- 
tions. 49 

The season of 1908 probably marks the beginning of the transition 

44. Washburn Raw, Topeka, 1907. 

45. Topeka Daily Capital, November 24, 1906. 

46. Kansas State College, "Athletic Department Records." 

47. Topeka Daily Capital, November 4, 11, 18, 30, 1906. 

48. Wichita Eagle, October 23, 1906; Washburn Kaw, 1907. 

49. Ibid., 1908. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 297 

period in Kansas college football, a period in which the big state 
schools, Kansas University and Kansas State, outgrew the smaller 
colleges. Washburn slumped dismally, losing five games. Kansas 
Aggies' 23 to 4 victory over the Ichabods was the first game the 
Manhattan team had ever won from the Topekans. 50 Down at 
Lawrence Doctor Kennedy produced an all- victorious eleven. Kan- 
sas won the Missouri Valley Conference title in competition with 
Iowa University, Iowa State, Nebraska, Missouri, Drake and Wash- 
ington University of St. Louis. 51 It was the immortal Tommy 
Johnson's first year at quarterback for the Jayhawks. 

In 1909 the Aggies came very near beating K. U. again and the 5 
to 3 loss to their state rivals and a 3 to set-back by Missouri were 
their only defeats. Crushing victories were scored over Kansas 
Wesleyan, Southwestern, Emporia Teachers, Creighton, Fairmount 
and Washburn. A dispute over the K. U. game caused a rift in 
relations between the Lawrence and Manhattan schools and no 
game was scheduled in 1910. 52 

The K. U. team of 1909 almost duplicated its success of the 
previous year. Tommy Johnson's sensational 70-yard touchdown 
run against Nebraska that gave his team a 6 to victory at Lincoln 
is one of the never-to-be-forgotten feats in Kansas athletic annals. 53 
But Missouri upset the Jayhawks, 12 to 6, in the Thanksgiving Day 
meeting at Kansas City and snatched the title away from Mount 
Oread. Haskell beat Nebraska, 16 to 5. 54 

Baker returned to competition in 1910. The Haskell Indians were 
at low ebb. Kansas University, captained by Tommy Johnson, 
finished fifth in the Missouri Valley race, losing to Nebraska, win- 
ning from Drake and tying Missouri in conference competition. 
Mike Ahearn's Aggies continued their victory march, overwhelming 
their Kansas opponents by one-sided scores, and adding Arkansas 
University, Missouri School of Mines and Creighton to their list 
of victims. Colorado College was the only team to defeat the 
Aggies. 

In 1911 the Manhattan college began to lay the groundwork for 
an application to join the Missouri Valley Conference, as it was felt 
that the Kansas schools were not providing adequate competition for 
M. F. Ahearn's men. This, however, necessitated adherence to 
Missouri Valley eligibility rules and eliminated some good material. 

50. Topeka Daily Capital, November 22, 1908. 

51. Football at the University of Kansas. 

52. Kansas State College, "Athletic Department Records." 

53. Topeka Daily Capital, November 7, 1909. 

54. Ibid., November 26, 1909. 



298 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Emporia Teachers and Baker humbled the Aggies, they were over- 
whelmed, 59 to 0, by Nebraska, and lost a 6 to decision to K. U. 55 

In the Kansas loop, the College of Emporia provided a sensation 
by producing the first of a long line of fine teams. Washburn was 
mediocre, Fairmount, Baker and Emporia Teachers were strong. 
The Haskell Indians started a come-back under the tutelage of Dr. 
A. R. Kennedy, late of K. U. Nebraska easily defeated the Jay- 
hawkers, 29 to 0, and the Kansas-Missouri game resulted in a 3 to 
3 tie. Bennie Owen's Oklahoma Sooners won their first victory over 
their coach's alma mater, 3 to O. 56 

Washburn, coached by W. L. Driver, a former Missouri player, 
made a gallant effort to regain its front rank position in 1912 and 
succeeded in beating its old rival, the University, 10 to 0. It was 
the Ichabod's last win from the Jawhawks. Notwithstanding this 
reverse, Kansas defeated K. S. A. C., 19 to 6, and Missouri, 12 to 3. 
Nebraska, on the road to national gridiron prominence, stopped the 
K. U. team, 14 to 3. 57 Coach Guy Lowman's Aggies won the Kansas 
Conference title by shattering Washburn's hopes with a 21 to 3 de- 
feat on Thanksgiving Day. 58 

Several important rules changes went into effect in 1912. Forward 
passing across the goal line was legalized, touchdowns were to count 
6 points instead of 5, the offensive team was given four downs to 
gain ten yards. There were other changes of a minor nature but 
these were the most important in their effect on the development of 
the game. 

The field goal, which originally counted 5 points, had been reduced 
to 4 points in 1904 and to 3 points in 1909. By increasing the value 
of the touchdown to 6 points, with an additional point for the goal 
after touchdown, it would require three field goals to beat a touch- 
down and point conversion. Naturally the field goal lost favor and 
when the goal posts were moved to their present position ten yards 
back of the goal line by a code revision fifteen years later it almost 
became a forgotten method of scoring in college football. In recent 
years, however, there has been a revival of this spectacular play. 
The professional football rules makers have placed the goal posts 
back on the goal line and there is considerable agitation in college 
circles for following their example. 

Kansas Aggies became the seventh member of the Missouri Valley 

55. Kansas State College, "Athletic Department Records." 

56. Topeka Daily Capital, November 12, 19, 26, 1911. 

57. Football at the University of Kansas. 

58. Kansas State College, "Athletic Department Records." 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 299 

Conference in 1913, finishing in a tie for last place. Nebraska and 
Kansas were the new member's only conference opponents and each 
beat the Aggies handily. Southwestern College reached the zenith of 
its gridiron glory that autumn by handing the Aggies a 13 to 10 de- 
feat. 59 Kansas finished third in the Valley with three victories and 
defeats by Missouri and Nebraska. Haskell was back in old-time 
form and had a great season, but lost a heartbreaking 7 to 6 de- 
cision to Nebraska. 60 In 1914 Friends University had an unde- 
feated season. 

Gradually the two big schools established the fact that they were 
too strong for the teachers' colleges and the denominational schools. 
Washburn beat Kansas Aggies, 26 to 16, in 1914 and has never won 
another game from its early-day rival. Since 1915, when Emporia 
Teachers defeated the Aggies, 13 to 0, the Manhattan school has lost 
only one game to a smaller Kansas college. That was the surprising 
3 to upset by Fort Hays State in 1935. 61 Likewise, since its 1912 
setback by Washburn, the University has lost only one football game 
to a Kansas rival other than the State College. Wichita University 
won an unexpected 18 to 7 victory over the Jayhawks in 1937. 62 

A highlight of the World War era was Kansas' last victory over 
Nebraska. At that time Kansas had not beaten Nebraska since 
Tommy Johnson's victory run in 1909. The Cornhuskers were 
heavy favorites when the Jayhawks came to Lincoln on November 
18, 1916. Coach Herman C. "Beau" Olcott devised a shrewd plan of 
battle. During the first half Kansas was constantly on the defensive. 
Only one serious attempt was made at offensive play. On every 
other occasion when Kansas got the ball Lindsey punted on the first 
or second down. When the intermission time came the K. U. goal line 
was unmarred by Husker cleats, but Nebraska led, 3 to 0, by virtue 
of a field goal. 

Kansas opened up in the third quarter and scored a touchdown be- 
fore the Huskers could rally their defense. Goal was kicked and 
Kansas led, 7 to 3. After that the Jayhawks went on the defensive 
again and withstood desperate Nebraska attacks until the final gun 
sounded. 63 

Kansas Aggies won their first conference victory, beating Missouri 
7 to 6. 64 The annual K. U. -Kansas Aggie struggle resulted in a score- 

59. Ibid. 

60. Topeka Daily Capital, October 26, 1913. 

61. Kansas State College, "Athletic Department Records." 

62. Football at the University of Kansas. 

63. Topeka Daily Capital, November 19, 1916. 

64. Ibid., November 12, 1916. 



300 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

less tie. Missouri soundly trounced the conquerors of Nebraska, 
13 to O. 65 

Although most of the big Eastern colleges quit playing football 
during the period of the United States' participation in the World 
War, the Missouri Valley and Kansas Conferences continued with- 
out interruption through the 1917 season. "Beau" Olcott had a good 
season at K. U. The Jayhawkers lost only one conference game, and 
that to Nebraska. 66 Laslett, Nettels and Arthur "Dutch" Lonborg 
were among the great players on that team. H. M. "Swede" Neilson, 
whose touchdown had beaten Nebraska in 1916, was the captain. 
Kansas soldiers training with the 35th division at Camp Doniphan, 
Okla., went to Norman some 200 strong to cheer the Jayhawks on 
to a 13 to 6 victory over the Sooners. 

In 1918 the Students Army Training Corps interrupted the 
athletic program and only a few games were played. Missouri did 
not attempt to organize a team and the Aggies were substituted for 
the Tigers as a Thanksgiving Day opponent. K. U. won, 13 to 7. 67 
The Aggies beat Baker, Washburn, Fort Riley and Iowa State in the 
remaining games of their brief schedule. K. U. defeated Baker, but 
lost to Nebraska and Oklahoma. 

Kansas-trained football players achieved the highest recognition 
in competition with teams composed of players from every section of 
the United States in the A. E. F. play-offs which took place in 
France during the winter and early spring of 1919. The 89th divi- 
sion team, which learned to soldier at Camp Funston and was com- 
posed of men from Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, won the A. E. F. 
gridiron title after defeating another Western army eleven, the 36th 
division, which was composed of Texas and Oklahoma National 
Guardsmen. The championship game was played at Paris, March 
29, 1919. The score was 14 to 6. 68 

In the 89th line-up that day were Adrian "Ad" Lindsey, who 
played his last game for K. U. in 1916, and Howard "Scrubby" Las- 
lett, a member of the 1917 team who returned to school after leaving 
the service and captained the 1919 K. U. eleven. The 89th division, 
stationed in Germany after the Armistice, organized a football team 
that swept through the Rhineland like one of Hitler's Panzer di- 
visions. After winning the Third Army title the 89th beat the St. 
Nazaire Base Section eleven, which had Eddie Mahan, former 

65. Ibid., December 1, 1916. 

66. Ibid., November 18, 1917. 

67. Ibid., November 29, 1918. 

68. The Stars and Stripes, France, April 4, 1919. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 301 

Harvard fullback, in its lineup, 13 to 0. Lindsey, on this occasion, 
repeatedly outpunted the ex-Harvard star. 69 

With Lindsey in the 89th backfield was George "Potsy" Clark, 
formerly of the University of Illinois, who had been an assistant 
coach at K. U. before the war. These two, with Laslett, an end, were 
chosen for the mythical all-A. E. F. eleven by the sports editor of 
The Stars and Stripes. 70 Both Clark and Lindsey coached at the 
University after the war. 

On the 35th division team, which gave a good account of itself, 
were several Kansas collegians, including "Pinky" Beals of Wash- 
burn, George "Rook" Woodward of K. U., Hyndman of Pittsburg, 
and Kalama, giant Haskell center. When the 35th played the 7th 
division at Commercy one rainy afternoon in February, 1919, Beals 
looked across the field and saw Lt. Sam Stewart, who was Wash- 
burn's 1916 captain. Stewart was in the backfield for the regular 
army team. This game resulted in a scoreless tie, but the 7th division 
won the play-off at Toul, 6 to 0. The 35th was thus eliminated from 
competition. The Kansas-Missouri guardsmen had previously de- 
feated the 33d division, 3 to 0, thanks to a field goal from the toe of 
Kansas' Woodward. 

Football was resumed in 1919 with many A. E. F. veterans renew- 
ing their gridiron careers in Kansas. Laslett was back at K. U. 
Kalama was at his old position in the center of the Haskell Indian 
line. Washburn, under Elmer Bearg as coach, regained much lost 
prestige during this campaign by holding K. U. to a scoreless tie and 
threatening to win the Kansas Conference championship, but Gwinn 
Henry's Presbyterians at the College of Emporia upset the Ichabods, 
7 to O, 71 to gain the title. It was becoming a habit with the Presby- 
terians. Kansas Aggies had a bad season, losing all but one of their 
conference games and also dropping a game to Haskell. K. U. won 
but one conference game, the annual contest with the Aggies. 

Two games on the K. U. 1920 schedule stand out from the pages 
of Kansas gridiron lore. The first was the early season contest with 
Iowa State. Dr. F. C. "Phog" Allen coached the football team that 
season, the only time he has assumed that duty. Before the Iowa 
State game, "Phog" had a dream. He dreamed about football, of 
course, and naturally it had to do with the impending battle with 
the men from Ames. 

"I seemed to see Harley Little carrying the ball," Dr. Allen re- 

69. Ibid., March 21, 1919. 

70. Ibid., April 11, 1919. 

71. Topeka Daily Capital, November 15, 1919. 



302 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

lated. The K. U. coach said that he regarded this as a good omen. 
Kansas won the toss and elected to receive the kick-off. Allen 
ordered his quarterback, Arthur Lonborg, to run Little on the first 
play. The dream came true. Before spectators were aware of what 
was going on, Harley Little w r as clear of the secondary defense, with 
the exception of the Ames safety. Lonborg, running interference, 
took care of the Ames safety and Little sprinted 75 yards to the only 
touchdown of the game. Kansas won, 7 to O. 72 

The Kansas Aggies were the next K. U. opponents and their coach 
wired Doctor Allen that dreams wouldn't turn the trick at Manhat- 
tan. Dream or no dream, the University won the game, 14 to O. 73 

For sheer thrills the Kansas-Nebraska game of 1920 probably 
equals any game of football ever played on old McCook field. In- 
cidentally, it was the last on the old field. The new memorial 
stadium was occupied in 1921. Nebraska, a heavy favorite, rolled up 
20 points in the first half. Kansas displayed little offensive power. 
In the third quarter Nebraska fumbled and Kansas recovered in 
Cornhusker territory. On the fourth down, "Dutch" Lonborg passed 
to Frank Mandeville for a touchdown. 

This play was so successful that "Dutch" tried it again early in the 
fourth period. Mandeville scored again. Goal was kicked and 
the score stood, Kansas 14, Nebraska, 20. Lonborg was replaced 
at quarterback by John Bunn, but Bunn followed his example and 
on the first opportunity flipped a pass to Mandeville that resulted in 
another Kansas touchdown. The score stood 20 to 20. With victory 
within their reach, the Jayhawks missed their goal and the game 
ended in a tie. 74 

Coach Allen's psychic powers failed to work against Missouri. The 
Tigers defeated Kansas, 16 to 7. Beaten by K. U., Missouri and 
Iowa State and tied by Washburn and Emporia Teachers, the Kansas 
Aggies rose to the heights on one occasion, to hold a great Oklahoma 
team to a 7 to 7 tie. 75 Oklahoma won the conference title. Wash- 
burn, although tied by Emporia Teachers and the College of Em- 
poria, was undefeated in the Kansas Conference. Friends University, 
with one defeat, was second. 

A slender youth from Osborne led Washburn to a surprising 10 to 
7 victory over a supposedly invincible Emporia Teachers eleven in 
1921. The Emporians had been raging through the Kansas Confer- 

72. Kansas City (Mo.) Star, October 24, 1920 ; Topeka Daily Capital, October 27, 1920. 

73. Ibid., October 31, 1920. 

74. Ibid., November 14, 1920; Kansas City (Mo.) Star, November 14. 

75. Topeka Daily Capital, November 21, 26, 1920. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 303 

ence that season. Washburn's play had been erratic. When Coach 
Dwight Ream of Washburn caught Marvin Stevens, his quarter- 
back, at a dance the night before the game, he kept him on the bench 
during the first half. "Steve," as he was known to his Washburn 
team mates, went into the game in the third quarter. He led the 
Washburn second-half offensive that carried the ball deep into Em- 
poria territory and kicked a field goal to give his team an upset 
victory. 76 

Stevens attended Yale after he left Washburn and was a back- 
field star for Old Eli in 1923. Kansas watched the career of Dr. 
u Mal" Stevens with interest after his graduation from the Yale 
medical school. He was head football coach at Yale for several years 
and now holds that position at New York University. 

Gwinn Henry went from the College of Emporia to the University 
of Missouri in 1923. His teams were perennial leaders in the Kan- 
sas Conference. "Potsy" Clark had his best team at K. U. in 1923. 
The Jayhawks were unbeaten that season, though their record was 
blurred by scoreless ties with Kansas Aggies and Nebraska and a 3 
to 3 tie with Missouri. Only six points were scored against this great 
defensive team. Oklahoma and Missouri each scored field goals 
against K. U. While the team's claim to distinction was its de- 
fensive power, it ran up the second largest score ever amassed by a 
K. U. team in beating Washington University of St. Louis, 83 to O. 77 
The 3 to 3 draw with Missouri's Tigers was played at Lawrence in a 
Thanksgiving Day blizzard. 

A victory drought of eighteen years in competition with K. U. was 
broken by Charley Bachman's Aggies on a sultry October day in 
1924. The score was 6 to and this event proved to be the turning 
point in the long series between the two large state schools. 

So consistent had been the Jayhawk victory string that Aggie sup- 
porters had built up the superstition of a "jinx." The Aggies often 
seemed to be at their season's worst against the University team. In 
1921, when the smooth- working Swartz to Stark passing combination 
was reflecting favorable publicity on the Manhattan team and its 
Notre Dame coach, the Aggies appeared to be almost certain to break 
their losing streak against K. U. But disappointed Manhattanites 
sat in the fog and rain at Lawrence that afternoon and saw their 
heroes do everything wrong in the first half, allowing the Jayhawks 
to take a 21 to lead. The Aggies rallied in the second half and 

76. Ibid., November 6, 1921. 

77. Football at the University of Kansas. 



304 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

outplayed their opponents, but their offensive produced a lone touch- 
down and the game ended, 21 to 7. 

The K. U. cheering section formed a habit of chanting "jinx, jinx," 
in portentous tones when the Aggies came onto the field. In 1923 
Bachman's team pushed K. U. all over the field at Lawrence. One 
scoring drive seemed sure to result in a touchdown, but a fumble gave 
K. U. the ball. It was whispered later that John Lonborg, K. U. 
center, deliberately stole the ball. The game ended in a scoreless tie. 

But the Aggies had the "breaks" on that afternoon in 1924. Harold 
Zuber, Jayhawk halfback, was tackled on the Aggies' 33-yard line in 
the fourth quarter and the ball popped out of his arms. A new ar- 
rival in the Aggie backfield was little Donald Meek, reserve half- 
back. The ball bounded Meeks' way and he scooped it up, tucked 
it securely under his arm and started like a scared jackrabbit for the 
K. U. goal, sixty-seven yards away. Pursuit was hopeless. 78 

The thunderous roar of R. 0. T. C. trench mortars reverberating 
from the Bluestem hills around Manhattan acclaimed the six points 
and the victorious Aggie team. It was the dawn of a new era in 
Kansas football. A brief resume of subsequent K. U.-Kansas State 
football history reveals how completely the Aggies dominated the 
series after that game. Since the jinx was buried that afternoon with 
military honors K. U. has won but five games from the "Wildcats," 
as Kansas State teams are known today. The Manhattan men fol- 
lowed their 1924 victory with triumphs in 1925, 1926 and 1927. 

The University team finally broke the string in 1928 with a 7 to 
victory at Manhattan. Kansas State won, 6 to 0, in 1929. In 1930 
a Big Six championship team from Lawrence rolled over their rivals, 
14 to 0. Jim Bausch made both touchdowns, one from the opening 
kick-off, the second on a 60-yard run from scrimmage. The Wildcats 
won in 1931, 13 to 0, with Ralph Graham as their offensive star. 
Dope favored the State Collegians in 1932, but K. U. displayed un- 
predicted power in a 19 to upset. 

In 1933 the Wildcats won, 6 to 0. Lynn Waldorf's amazing 1934 
team stopped the Jayhawks, 13 to ; Kansas scored an upset 9 to 2 
victory in 1935. It was easy for State in 1936, 26 to 6. In 1937 a 
K. U. team that had tied Nebraska and was entertaining hopes of a 
Big Six title was beaten at Lawrence, 7 to 0. Fresh in memory is 
Coach Fry's ill-timed boast in 1938, "K. U. will be a breather." The 
infuriated Jayhawks crushed their boastful rivals, 27 to 7. Visitors 
to the National Cornhusking Contest at Lawrence in 1939 saw the 
Wildcats win, 27 to 6, as a side attraction to the husking bee. 

78. Topeka Daily Capital, October 19, 1924. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 305 

While the Aggies were shattering precedent in 1924 Gwinn Henry 
was bringing the Missouri Tigers to the top of the Missouri Valley 
ladder. In 1925 the Tigers came to Lawrence undefeated on the 
Saturday before Thanksgiving. K. U. had lost to Iowa State, Ne- 
braska and Kansas State, all Missouri victims. 

Charles "Stony" Wall, a reserve lineman, carved himself a niche in 
the K. U. hall of football fame that afternoon. The Jayhawks dis- 
played a surprising defense and were battling the favored Tigers in a 
7 to 7 deadlock in the closing minutes of the game. Kansas stopped 
a desperate Missouri drive near its goal line and Zuber went back to 
punt with a strong south wind at his back. A phenomenal kick 
rolled almost to the Tiger goal line and Missouri was "in a hole." 
The return punt carried a short distance and Kansas soon had the 
ball within striking distance with time for one play. 

When "Stony" Wall ran out and reported to the officials everyone 
in the Kansas cheering section knew that Coach Clark had decided 
to gamble with a field goal rather than a forward pass. Wall re- 
sponded by place kicking the ball between the posts as the game 
ended. Spectators insisted that the ball was in the air when the final 
gun was fired. 79 

Kansas won another upset victory over the Tigers in 1927 and 
nearly precipitated a rupture in athletic relations with its traditional 
rival. The Missouri Valley schools had agreed not to "scout" each 
other in the belief that such a practice was unsportsmanlike. But 
Coach Frank Cappon of Kansas had perfected such an impregnable 
defense that the Tigers hammered at the line all afternoon to produce 
one touchdown. It didn't look like the same Kansas team that Ne- 
braska had beaten, 47 to 13. Kansas also unveiled a passing attack 
and scored twice to win, 14 to 7. 80 

Missouri claimed that Kansas had violated the antiscouting rule 
and produced evidence to show that persons not connected with the 
K. U. staff had acted as volunteer scouts at previous Missouri games 
and had provided Coach Cappon with charts of the Tiger plays that 
enabled him to improvise a method of stopping Clark and Flamank, 
Missouri ball carriers, in their devastating cut-back plays. The up- 
shot of the affair was Cappon's resignation. H. W. "Bill" Hargiss, 
who had enjoyed a long and successful career as head coach of the 
Emporia Teachers, was engaged to replace Cappon in 1928. 

79. Ibid., November 22, 1925. 

80. Ibid., November 20, 1927. 

20-^800 



306 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

When Missouri Valley representatives met in December, 1927, 
delegates expressed dissatisfaction with the ten-team conference. 
Some of the smaller schools such as Washington and Grinnell had not 
been able to provide much competition. The result was the forma- 
tion of the present Big Six Conference by the withdrawal of Ne- 
braska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa State and the two Kansas 
representatives. 81 

The action of the big Missouri Valley schools was imitated by 
seven of the larger Kansas Conference colleges who withdrew from 
the cumbersome old league and formed the Central Intercollegiate 
Athletic Conference, commonly known as the Central Conference. 
New conference members included Wichita University, Washburn, 
Southwestern, College of Emporia and the three state teachers' col- 
leges. In the old conference only Baker, Bethany, St. Benedict's. 
Ottawa, St. Mary's, McPherson and Kansas Wesleyan remained 
after Friends University, Sterling College and Bethel College with- 
drew from organized competition. 

College of Emporia climaxed a long record of successful campaign- 
ing in Kansas football by winning the first Central Conference title 
in 1928. The Presbyterians were undefeated, untied and unscored 
upon. The annual Thanksgiving Day grudge game between the 
College and the Teachers decided the race. Both were undefeated 
in conference play. Many believed the Teachers had the stronger 
team, but Selves, McCartney and company scored a decisive 18 to 
victory on a rain-swept field. It was C. of E.'s last "powerhouse" 
team. A subsequent change in athletic policy dropped the Presby- 
terians from their pinnacle. C. of E. soon found Central Conference 
competition too strong and went back to the Kansas Conference, ef- 
fective December 1, 1933. 82 

The prosperous 1920's saw the construction of several new stadia 
or "bowls." University students razed the wooden bleachers and 
grandstand at old McCook field in the spring of 1921 and work on 
Memorial Stadium was started during the summer. Games were 
played on the new field in 1921, but it was not officially dedicated 
until the following year. The stadium at Kansas State was begun in 
1922 and the first section was ready for occupancy in time for the 
football season that fall. Washburn 's Moore bowl was dedicated in 
1928. 

Former students and others interested in Haskell Institute con- 
si. Ibid., December 4, 1927. 

82. The New College Life, Emporia, September 4, 1933. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 307 

tributed to a fund for the construction of a concrete stadium dedi- 
cated October 27-30, 1926. Thousands of Indians from reserva- 
tions in the Southwest attended the ceremonies and saw the Indian 
eleven rout Bucknell University, 36 to O. 83 Haskell, however, was a 
road team in the days of its gridiron glory. The Indians were much 
in demand and played in every section of the United States. Notre 
Dame, Gonzaga University of Spokane, Wash., St. Xavier of Cin- 
cinnati, Temple University of Philadelphia, Boston College and the 
University of Minnesota were numbered among HaskelFs opponents. 
Football relations between K. U. and Haskell were renewed in 1930 
after an interval of twenty-six years. The Lawrence teams met 
regularly during the early 1900's, but the 1905 game was canceled 
and relations were severed because students of the rival institutions 
had begun to take their football too seriously and frequent clashes 
occurred on the streets of Lawrence. 

The 1930 game was played at the Haskell stadium before a home- 
coming crowd of Indians. K. U. won, 33 to 7, but the Indians were 
much better than the score indicates. All the breaks of the game 
went to K. U. Indian fumbles were converted into Jayhawk touch- 
downs, Indian touchdowns were nullified by penalties. Only two of 
the K. U. touchdowns were earned and Louis "Little Rabbit" Weller 
made some sensational gains through the University defense. 

A return game was played in the K. U. stadium October 2, 1931. 
This was the only night game ever played by the Jayhawks on their 
home field. The Haskell lighting system was borrowed for the oc- 
casion. Haskell had lost to Washburn, 6 to 0, the week before and 
Bill Hargiss' proteges expected an easy victory. But the Indians, 
knowing that Weller would be a marked man, built their offense 
around a big fullback named Walter Johnson, who ripped the Jay- 
hawk line to shreds. Weller, used as a decoy, carried the ball on 
only a few occasions. The score was 6 to 0, Haskell. 

Post-season charity games were a feature in 1930 and 1931, as the 
depression's grip tightened. The first was played in 1930 when all- 
star teams representing the Central and Kansas Conferences met at 
Topeka, with the Central eleven winning, 21 to 7. 84 Washburn, co- 
champion of the Central Conference with Wichita University, met 
K. U. in a post season contest at Topeka early in December, 1931. 
The Ichabods were beaten, 6 to 0. Kansas State defeated Wichita 

83. Topeka Daily Capital, October 31, 1926. 

84. Ibid., December 7, 1930. 



308 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

University, 20 to 6, at Wichita. Ralph Graham, Eldon Auker and 
Henry Cronkite were the K-State luminaries that season. 85 

Night football, though scorned by Kansas' Big Six members, is 
now played by all the smaller colleges, and most of the high schools 
of the state have lighted fields. The smaller schools, who had been 
forced to play many of their games on weekdays because of the 
Saturday competition at Lawrence or Manhattan, have found that 
night football is the answer to their attendance problems. 

The ghost of Rollo Krebs stalked across the gridiron at Lawrence 
in 1930, casting a shadow over the best prospects the University had 
enjoyed in more than two decades. Not since 1899, when the Krebs 
scandal rocked Mount Oread, had the Jayhawkers faced such violent 
charges of professionalism and other unfair athletic practices. Jim 
Bausch, all-time all-star fullback and 1932 Olympic decathlon 
champion, was the storm center. Bausch was a graduate of Ca- 
thedral High School, Wichita, where he had been an outstanding 
athlete. He enrolled at Wichita University but K. U. alumni in 
Wichita carried on some effective missionary work and Jim soon 
matriculated at K. U. He played with the Jayhawks in 1929, but 
was out of the game with injuries part of the season. 

In 1930 Jim was in prime condition. The Jayhawks beat Creigh- 
ton, Haskell, Kansas State and Iowa State and the newspapers were 
shouting the team's praises, calling it the greatest that ever repre- 
sented the University of Kansas. Rumblings soon began to be heard 
throughout the Big Six. To discuss the details of the controversy 
that almost resulted in Kansas' expulsion from the conference would 
demand more space than the subject can be alloted in this chronology 
of Kansas football. 

When the proud Jayhawks lost their big intersectional game with 
Pennsylvania by two touchdowns and performed indifferently in 
losing to a mediocre Nebraska team, 16 to 0, the clamor subsided. 
The Big Six decided to let K. U. stay, Bausch or no Bausch. The 
team won the remaining games of its schedule from Oklahoma and 
Missouri. Nebraska, tied by Missouri and beaten by Kansas State 
and Oklahoma, had one of its worst seasons. Missouri was beaten 
32 to by the Jayhawks but held Oklahoma to a scoreless tie five 
days later and by so doing gave K. U. its only Big Six football title. 
Kansas State's victory over Nebraska was its first. A long pass to 
Cronkite produced the winning touchdown for Coach "Bo" Mc- 
Millan's team. 

85. Ibid., December 6, 1931. 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 309 

Lynn Waldorf's feat of producing a championship team in 1934, 
his first and only year at Kansas State, is without parallel in Kansas 
coaching annals. The new mentor inherited few of the stars of 
previous years. Graham and Russell were among those lost through 
graduation. But Waldorf built up a team that edged past one ob- 
stacle after another in the conference race, concluding its perform- 
ance with a 19 to 7 defeat of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Lincoln 
on Thanksgiving Day. It was Kansas State's only championship in 
the Bix Six or the old Missouri Valley and it cost them their coach. 
Impressed with Waldorf's record, Northwestern made him an at- 
tractive offer and he became head coach at the Evanston school the 
following autumn. 

Washburn's ambitious athletic program resulted in its withdrawal 
from the Central Conference in 1934. The Ichabods entered the 
Missouri Valley Conference the following year. The loss of Wash- 
burn left the Central with only five members. Wichita University, 
which had vied with Washburn for conference honors, found a new 
rival in Fort Hays State. The Western Kansans won the conference 
title in 1934 and 1936. Pittsburg Teachers has had some strong 
teams. In 1935 they were tied with Wichita for the title. 

St. Benedict's, the only Kansas Catholic college in competitive 
athletics since St. Mary's changed its educational policy in 1931, be- 
gan to produce some fine teams under the able coaching of Larry 
"Moon" Mullins, former Notre Dame star. The Atchison team was 
admitted to the Central Conference in 1939. St. Benedict's "Ravens" 
were one of the eight undefeated and untied football teams in the 
nation in 1936. The Notre Dame regime was continued under Marty 
Peters when Mullins went to Loyola of the South in 1937. 

For the past three years Al Gebert's Wichita team has dominated 
the Central Conference. Ottawa, Baker and Kansas Wesleyan are 
leaders in the older conference. Washburn, after five lean years in 
the Missouri Valley, will leave the conference at the end of this 
season. Haskell, with a smaller enrollment and youthful material, 
has confined its competition to high-school teams since 1938. 

Fifty years of college football in Kansas have seen many tradi- 
tional rivalries wax and wane. Emporia Teachers outgrew the Col- 
lege of Emporia and an attempt to revive this annual classic in 1939 
resulted in a one-sided victory for the Teachers. Wichita and 
Friends quit playing after the 1934 game which the municipal uni- 
versity won by a large score. Washburn no longer has a place on 
K. U. or Kansas State schedules except as a "breather." The Baker- 



310 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Ottawa, McPherson-Bethany, Hays-Kansas Wesleyan and Emporia 
Teachers-Pittsburg Teachers rivalries have continued. Washburn 
and Wichita are also rivals of long standing. 

While a number of Kansas collegians have enjoyed brief careers in 
professional football, the success achieved by Glen Campbell and 
Dale Burnett of Emporia Teachers is outstanding. Campbell, end, 
and Burnett, fullback, were teammates at the Emporia school in 
1928. Both were signed by the New York Giants after they left 
college. Campbell retired after a few years of competition, Burnett 
was on the Giants' roster until recently. 

Two former Kansas college players, who later coached football 
where they learned the game, are nationally prominent in the of- 
ficiating world. They are Ernest C. Quigley of St. Mary's and 
Dwight Ream of Topeka. Quigley is also a National League baseball 
umpire. For twenty-five years he has been in demand as a football 
official and has worked in some of the most important annual games. 
Ream, a Washburn halfback in 1912, 1913 and 1914, coached the 
Ichabods in 1920 and 1921. In recent years he has been recognized 
as one of the leading officials in the Middle West and worked in the 
Orange Bowl game at Miami on New Year's Day, 1940. 

The game has undergone many changes since 1890 and the mod- 
ern stream-lined football eleven presents a far different appearance 
from the heavily padded teams of the old days. When football was a 
game of bruising power and speed was nonessential the players 
weighted themselves down with cumbersome equipment. Heavy 
turtle-neck jerseys were protected from the strain of the push and 
pull style of play by laced canvas vests. Arm and shoulder pads, 
now worn underneath the jersey, were frankly in evidence. Sensitive 
shins were protected by shin-guards made of reinforced canvas that 
looked very much like lamp chimney wrappers strapped to the leg. 
Pants were of heavy canvas with thick padding. Rubber nose 
guards, held in place at the top by a strap around the head and at 
the bottom by a mouthpiece, gave the players a terrifying appear- 
ance. 

Despite these precautions against injury to other portions of his 
anatomy the old-time player usually entrusted the safety of his 
cranium to a heavy crop of hair. A few wore a type of headgear 
that was primitive in design, but most of the warriors discarded this 
protection in the heat of battle. 

Today, when emphasis is placed on speed, silk pants have replaced 
those of padded canvas, shin and nose guards have been relegated 



EVANS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN KANSAS 311 

to the museum. Jerseys are of light but "durable material and the old 
vest has gone the way of the nose guard. Immunity against severe 
head injuries, however, is almost assured by the heavy leather helmet 
which is often dyed to harmonize in color with the rest of the uniform. 
Night football has popularized the white helmet, especially for pass 
receivers. The ball, too, is given a coat of white paint for use under 
the flood lights. Many players prefer to play without socks. 

Now that football is a part of the athletic program in several 
hundred Kansas high schools the coaching profession is attracting 
collegians. Full-time coaches are seldom employed by the smaller 
high schools and the football tutor is usually required to spend some 
time in the classroom in addition to his afternoons on the practice 
field or in the stadium. Consequently the three teachers 7 colleges are 
enjoying an advantage over the small denominational colleges, for 
football players who plan to take up high-school coaching must also 
equip themselves to teach English, mathematics and other high- 
school courses in order to pass the requirements of exacting school 
officials. 

College and high-school athletic coaches from several states in the 
Missouri Valley and Rocky Mountain areas attend an annual coach- 
ing school at Washburn College, Topeka. The school, which offers 
a schedule of instruction in football, baseball, basketball and track, 
is held during the latter part of August. It is sponsored by the Kan- 
sas State High School Activities Association. This vacation institute 
for the men who earn a living by teaching competitive sports was 
established in 1933 through the efforts of Ernest A. Thomas, director 
of the association. The peak attendance was 223 in 1938. 

Among the nationally celebrated football coaches who have con- 
ducted classes at the school are Lynn Waldorf, Northwestern ; "Bo" 
McMillan, Indiana; "Jock" Sutherland, formerly of Pittsburgh; 
Madison "Matty" Bell, Southern Methodist; Bernie Bierman, Min- 
nesota; Andy Kerr, Colgate; Leo R. "Dutch" Meyer, Texas Chris- 
tian, and H. 0. "Fritz" Crisler, Michigan. It is the second largest 
coaching school in the country and the only one that is sponsored 
by a high-school activities association. 86 

86. Ibid., August 18, 1940. 



Bypaths of Kansas History 

THE DOUBLE-BARRELED CANNON 

From the Freemen's Champion, Prairie City, February 25, 1858. 

The Border Ruffians, like the subjects of Great Britain who invaded our 
country in the days of the Revolution, have a peculiar aversion to Yankee 
tricks. They watch every movement of a Yankee as intently and suspiciously 
as a jealous lover does the operations of a rival. The following circumstance 
will exemplify this fact: 

At Fort Scott the Ruffians have in their possession a large telescope which 
they use to scan the country about in that vicinity, to keep themselves ap- 
prised of the approach of "pesky Abolitionists." During the excitement oc- 
casioned by the recent difficulties down there, one day one of the "chivalric 
sons of the Sunny South" was taking a survey through the above mentioned 
object, when his devout attention was arrested by the discovery of a suspicious- 
looking concern some four miles distant, in the direction of Fort Bayne. He 
discerned a long, black object, with two holes in the end fronting towards him, 
mounted on four wheels. Adjacent were two covered wagons, several horses 
and men. His curiosity was excited. He peered, studied and conjectured. 
What could it be? Something serious was in the wind. He racked his brain 
to its innermost depths in his efforts to elucidate the mystery. The brains of 
the "chivalric" subject were inadequate for the purpose. He summoned as- 
sistance. A crowd of kindred subjects soon assembled. Yes! that was it. It 
could be nothing else. It was a double-barreled cannon! a new Yankee in- 
vention! It was Captain Bayne's company, fully equipped for war, bent on 
the destruction of their headquarters. Sensations of terror and dismay pierced 
the hearts of the Fort Scott Ruffian subjects. A deputation was formed to 
wait on the beseigers to ascertain their motives. The new invention was ap- 
proached when, thank Heaven! it was nothing of a more serious nature than 
the boiler of a steam saw-mill, which it proved to be! which was being con- 
veyed by a company of strangers to a point on the Osage river. 

The "chivalry of the Sunny South" are vigilant, as well as sensitive! No 
new Yankee invention will get the better of their circumspectness! 



CATCHING WILD HORSES IN KANSAS TERRITORY 

From The Weekly Kansas Herald, Leavenworth, reprinted in The 
Kansas Messager, Baldwin City, January 1, 1859. 

We notice in the Palermo Leader, an offer of a reward of $500 for the cap- 
ture of a certain milk white wild mare, now running at large in Dickinson 
county. She is described as a "natural trotter, never breaks her gait; time 
supposed to be, 2, 19^." 

It is not generally known that wild horses are found in several localities in 
Kansas. At the time of the first settlement of the country they were quite 
numerous, but since then many have been captured, killed and run out until 

(312) 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 313 

they are now becoming quite scarce. Several herds still remain upon the 
western portions of the Delaware reserve, and some exist in other reserves and 
unsettled portions of the territory. 

It is only the poorest and slowest of these horses which fall prisoners to 
the wiles of the hunter. Many of them defy alike the swiftest and longest 
pursuit; baffle the best skill and cunning of the hunter, and generally succeed 
in showing "clean heels" in every attempt to capture. With them "eternal 
vigilance is the price of liberty"; and possessing sharp and acute senses of 
sight and hearing, and almost remarkable power of scent, they are ever on the 
alert in their use, to guard against surprise or trickery. 

All of these horses have a "natural gait," either trotting, pacing or galloping, 
and from these gaits they never break; even in the swiftest pursuit. Many 
pacers have been found which could outrun the swiftest American horse 
brought against them. 

These wild horses have sprung from Indian ponies, which, escaping into the 
wilderness and relapsing into a wild state, have produced the present stock. 

In many instances American horses, escaping from their owners while cross- 
ing the plains, have joined these herds, and produced a cross between the two. 
This variety is a great improvement upon each of the originals, uniting the 
endurance of the Indian pony with swiftness and grace of the American breed. 

The capture of the wild horse, besides being a dangerous undertaking, is 
one requiring great skill in the use of the lasso, as also a knowledge of the 
habits of the animals themselves. The mares will defend their colts with great 
ferocity, and the studs will often come to the rescue of a comrade in the toils 
of the hunter. 

A common plan, and one that is oftentimes successful, is corraling. This is 
done by choosing a suitable place, generally in the timber, where the herd 
are in the habit of crossing a creek, by building a corral or pen some distance 
from the creek, with wings extending to the bank on each side of the trail used 
by the herd. This being done, a party of several men, mounted upon swift 
horses, will proceed to hunt the herd. Finding them, they give chase, and en- 
deavor to turn them in the direction of the concealed corral. They are often 
successful. The herd will follow their customary trail, cross the creek, enter 
the wings, and being pursued closely by the horsemen, are forced into the 
corral, when a gate is closed on them by a man concealed for that purpose. 
After being securely entrapped they are starved for some time, in order to 
render them gentle, then lassoed and taken out, and easily broken to the 
saddle or harness, as their owners may desire. 

Another method of capture is sometimes resorted to. In the summer and 
fall the horses are always in good condition, and to undertake to run them 
down is a fruitless task, but in the late winter, or early spring, they are gen- 
erally in a poor condition. During the winter season they subsist upon the 
dry grass in the bottoms, and the bark and buds of the elm and other trees. 
This is but a scant subsistence, and a loss of flesh, speed and bottom must be 
the consequence. The hunters take advantage of this, and often succeed in 
running them down ; but it is generally conceded that at least one good horse 
is ruined for every wild horse captured in this manner. 

Another method is sometimes tried the horse is shot with a rifle ball in 
the upper part of the neck, about a foot from the ears. The effect is an instant 



314 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

paralyzation of his strength, loss of the use of his limbs and an instantaneous 
tumbling to the ground. This effect only lasts a few minutes, and the hunter 
must instantly seize the opportunity to tie his feet and otherwise secure him 
before he recovers. The horse is uninjured, and if he recovers before the 
hunter secures him, he will escape, and perhaps show fight. This method, re- 
quiring great skill in approaching to the necessary distance, an unerring aim, 
and attended with considerable danger, is not often resorted to, and is seldom 
successful. 

Continual efforts are being made to capture these wild horses, by organized 
parties. They succeed in one way or the other, and sometimes shoot them 
when they fail to take them alive. They have been thus thinned out; and are 
fast decreasing. The "flowers of the flock" only remain, and the one referred 
to above is one of this class. In a few years they will all be gone. 



To FORT RILEY BY STEAMBOAT 

The log of the Kansas river steamer Gus Linn as printed in the 
Lawrence Republican, May 26, 1859. 

On Board Col. Gus Linn, 
Fort Riley, K. T., May 19, 1859. 

Friends Thachers: As a matter of considerable interest to your home and 
river readers, I herewith enclose you the "log" of the New Kansas River 
Packet, Col. Gus Linn, from Kansas City to Fort Riley: 

OFFICIAL LOG 

May 10th 11 o'clock A.M. Left Kansas City with a full complement of 
passengers and an assorted cargo, consisting principally of lumber, groceries, 
and hardware, of 140 tons, three-fourths of which is for Manhattan and the fort. 
Among the former are Col. R. H. Nelson, of Kansas City, and J. D. Chesnut, 
Esq., an influential and well known citizen of Wyandot [now Kansas City], 
both largely interested in their respective cities, and both bound on the same 
general prospecting tour to "ye Upper Country." With this load on board, 
the Linn draws but 23 inches forward and 18 inches aft. 

1 o'clock After landing at Wyandot and discharging several packages of 
freight, we finally took our departure for Lawrence and the Upper Kaw. 

2 P. M. Entered the "draw" of the Wyandot bridge. The idea that this 
bridge is an obstruction to river navigation, which I find to be a very prevalent 
one, ought, as far as I can learn, to be abandoned at once. We found five 
feet of water in the "draw," and Capt. Beasley anticipates little or no obstruc- 
tion to navigation from the location of the bridge. 

After a detention of several hours at De Soto, about 35 miles distant from 
Kansas City, occasioned by the breaking of the rock shaft, we arrived at 
Lawrence at 7 P. M., Wednesday llth. 

Here we discharged several tons of freight. (Principally hardware for 
Messrs. Allen & Gilmore.) 

Thursday, 12th $ A. M. Left the levee midst the plaudits of the assembled 
citizens. Weather beautiful and navigation all that could be desired. 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 315 

1:30 P. M Passed the "Silver Lake" aground on a bar, bound down. The 
Captain looking very excited, not knowing where he was. 

The river between Lawrence and Lecompton is exceedingly crooked, (this 
will very well apply to the whole river,) and owing to the scarcity of wood 
along the banks we met with troublesome delays. 

3 p. M. Lecompton. Here we were waited on by a delegation of citizens, 
among whom I recognized Col. Hemenway, mine host of the Rowena hotel; 
D. S. Mclntosh, Esq., and others, and tendered all the hospitalities of the 
town. After spending a couple of hours with the Lecomptonites, our staunch 
little craft was once more headed up stream for Topeka. 

The navigation of the river between these two points is easy and safe, the 
channel averaging from 2% to 9 feet deep, with, but comparatively few shoal 
spots. The banks of the river are picturesque and the scenery generally 
beautiful. 

Friday, 13th 10 o'clock A. M. Arrived at Tecumseh, the county seat of 
Shawnee county, pleasantly situated on the south bank of the river, about a 
hundred miles from its mouth. 

1 :30 P. M. Boat took a sudden shear into the bank and broke her rudder. 
Laid up 3 hours for repairs. 

7 P. M. Topeka. Laid up for the night. 

Saturday, 14th. 6 A. M. Aground half a mile west of Topeka. 

Indulged in sparring and other gymnastic exercises for some time, when 
we fortunately got loose and proceeded on our way rejoicing. 

12:15 A. M. Shot a large wolf along here. 

6 P. M. Excellent stage of water all day average progress four miles. 

Sunday, 16th 4 P. M. St. Mary's mission, Pottawatomie reserve. This 
mission was established some twelve years ago. The settlement round the 
mission consists of about 2,000 souls, Indians, half-breeds and whites, and is 
under the spiritual charge of Father Schultz. 

Monday, 16th. 10 A. M. Wabonsa [Wabaunsee]. This place contains one 
store and about 15 or 20 small houses. It is a county seat, however, and the 
prospective terminus of an important railroad. It also claims the finest 
town site in the territory. But that of course! 

Passed the embryo city of St. George, about 10 miles from Wabonsa. 

3:30 P. M. We reached the junction of the Kaw and Big Blue rivers, and 
moored right in full view of the flourishing young city of Manhattan. Here 
we found Hon. A. J. Mead, Col. W. M. Snow, Rev. Mr. Blood and other in- 
fluential citizens, waiting to receive us. News of our arrival spread like wild 
fire through the town, and in less than fifteen minutes the boat was literally 
taken by storm. Though somewhat blue over the havoc caused by a furious 
tornado the day before, everybody expressed themselves delighted with the 
boat and everybody and everything on board. Supper over, the cabin was 
quickly cleared, and music and dancing filled the programme till long after 
midnight, when the company dispersed with three cheers for the "Gus Linn 
and all hands." 

Tuesday, 17th. A sudden rise in the Kaw, caused by the heavy rains of the 
past week, gave us an excellent stage of water to the Fort, where we are just 
arrived. 



316 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Throughout the whole trip, extending over five days, nothing occurred to 
impair the faith all on board feel in the successful navigation of the river. 
Certain it is that if the Col. Gus. Linn, with Ben. Beasley as captain, Charley 
Budd as clerk, Uncle George Davis as pilot, "Bill" Morriss as mate, Dan. 
Watkins as charge d'affaires of the bottle department, and a picked crew of 
as good hands as ever left St. Louis, cannot navigate the Kaw, no other boat 
or set of boatmen need try. 

That they may have abundant success should be the wish and endeavor of 
every merchant of St. Louis. Yours ED. H. 

TOWNS AND LANDINGS ON THE KAW RIVER FROM KANSAS CITY OR WYANDOT 

Miles 

To De Soto 30 

Lawrence 35 65 

Lecompton 19 84 

Tecumseh 20 104 

Topeka 8 112 

St. Mary's Mission 17 129 

Louisville 12 141 

Wabonsa [Wabaimsee] 15 156 

St. George 10 166 

" Manhattan 11 177 

" Ashland 11 188 

" Ogden 10 198 

" Riley City 10 208 

" Fort Riley , 4 212 

Junction City 9 221 

Distance by land route 125 

Difference . . 96 221 



ADVICE FROM MISSOURI 

From the Daily Kansas City Western Journal of Commerce, 
Kansas City, August 18, 1860. 

DISTILLERY FOR KANSAS. Yesterday we noticed on our streets some half 
dozen wagons loaded with some suspicious looking machinery. Upon inquiring, 
we learned that it was quite an extensive distillery its destination, Wilming- 
ton [Wabaunsee county], Kansas territory. "Nice times den," when they get 
that fire water manufactory in full blast out there. It is our own opinion that, 
with the present scarcity of corn in Kansas, our neighbors over the line would 
do better to make what they have into bread rather than "tangle foot." 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 317 

WHEN THE MAILS DIDN'T Go THROUGH 

From The Independent, Oskaloosa, February 6, 1864. 

Our mails may be returned in the language of the Kentucky constable 
"Non comeatabus, up a stumpabus." Sometimes we get them and some- 
times we don't; and this week, since Monday, we don't. It is said that 
all the coaches are detained above, but whether by mud or water, or some- 
thing else, we are not advised. As "all that goes up must come down," we 
presume there will be a great downward movement some of these days. 

From the Daily Kansas State Record, Topeka, June 25, 1870. 

The mail troubles continue, and it does seem very strange that in the 
county seat of Wabaunsee, one of the most populous counties in the state, 
there is only a weekly mail, and that not regularly delivered. Would it not 
be a good idea for the government to give up the pretense of carrying the 
mail, and see if private enterprise would not devise some remedy for the 
abominable swindle now perpetrated in the mail carrying business. It may 
be a huge joke, but if it is somebody may laugh with the wrong side of their 
mouths at it before the fun is over. By the way, the Fort Scott papers 
want to know why it takes longer for mails to reach that point from Leaven- 
worth than St. Louis. 

From the Buckner Independent, Jetmore, December 3, 1880. 

OUR MAILS. On the 16th ult., we had no mail from Kinsley on account of 
the slight snow storm that came up on the night previous, and the delicacy 
of that kid glove mail carrier, Eastman the man that never has put in an 
appearance on any day that the weather has been inclement. On this same 
day the Dodge and Hays mail came in on time, and after waiting about three- 
quarters of an hour on postmaster Frush, he departed without the mail being 
opened. On Wednesday the Kinsley man came, and as the postmaster was 
again absent, he (the Kinsley man), like the Dodge and Hays man, left 
without his mail being looked over. Since that time, the 17th ult., the Kinsley 
man has made about four trips, and the Dodge and Hays mail has come very 
regular, not missing a trip. Such is the manner in which our mail is handled. 
If it isn't the postmaster, it's the mail carrier we don't mean the Dodge and 
Hays boys, by any means. 

ON A HUNT FOR THE MAIL. We started out on Monday night last to get 
our mail. We went to the geographical center, the supposed location of the 
office, but it warn't thar. We went to the house of the postmaster, a distance 
of about a mile from the supposed location of the office, but it warn't thar. 
We learned, however, that Mr. Fulton had the key and that he would open 
the mail. The question with us then was one which bothered us considerable, 
i. e., whether we would find Fulton at his old boarding house, or whether we 
would find him at the place where he and a friend of his commenced keeping 
bachelor's hall some time since. This was enough for us, and we came home. 
Our partner took a horse and started out to find the man that had the key 
to the mail bag, and he succeeded in finding him at Mr. Cain's, where the 
mail was opened. This is attending to the mail with a vengeance. Sometimes 



318 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

it is opened one place, and sometimes another. We wouldn't be surprised to 
hear of it being opened in Frush's cow camp before long. 

The mail which should have gone out on Monday night had to lay over a 
day on account of the mail being distributed away from the postoffice that 
evening. 

A BUFFALO HUNT IN HAYS 

From the Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, February 9, 1868. 

One of our citizens received a letter from Hays, last evening, that detailed 
an exciting buffalo hunt in the heart of the city, a few days before. A largo 
herd came in sight, upon which citizens and soldiers turned out, pellmell, 
for a chase. In charging upon the herd it divided, and a part headed directly 
for the town and dashed through the streets. Of course there was some 
little excitement, and all hands, men, women and children, joined in an in- 
discriminate war upon the invaders. Everything of the fire-arm kind was 
brought into requisition, and a general fusilade was bought to bear from 
doors and windows. Whether any were killed in the streets was not stated, 
but the writer remarked that fresh buffalo meat was very plentiful. Several 
parties had gone down the road to enjoy a game hunt, as game was very 
plentiful at a distance of twenty or thirty miles. 



AN AFFAIR OF HONOR IN OTTAWA 

From the Ottawa Journal, June 9, 1870. 

Early on Monday morning, a rumor prevailed that a duel had been fought 
between two young bloods, residents of Ottawa, the cause thereof being only 
surmised; but it was hinted that a fair lady, who could not reciprocate the 
flattering attentions of both, was the cause of meeting on the gory field, with 
intent to pour out each other's blood while innocent birds were pouring their 
matutinal songs of welcome to the god of day. But, to the facts, so far as 
they can be ascertained, for, as our reporter has said, they are all reticent. Ed. 
DeWolf, with W. S. Crosby as second, and John Dayfoot, with H. E. Brooks 
as squire, took horse at four o'clock and started southeast of the college, and 
selecting a suitable spot, measured off ten paces and took positions. At the 
word, both fired, but without effect. At the second fire, Dayfoot was struck 
near the knee and knocked down, when DeWolf jumped into his saddle and 
started off, supposing he had killed his man. His second called loudly for his 
return, when he looked back and saw the supposed corpse on his feet, he hav- 
ing received but a slight wound, and returned. The rivals then shook hands, 
wounded love and pride having been satisfied, and soon reached town. After 
the authorities began examining into the affair, and matters looked legally 
serious, an attempt was made to turn the matter off as a hoax, but the facts 
are about as we have given them. The report that DeWolf, having a 
"plaster" on his neck, was wounded, is incorrect. It is to be hoped this is the 
last "affair of honor" in our city; and the authorities are determined to en- 
force the penalties against all such highhanded breaches of the law in future. 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 319 

FRONTIER JUSTICE 

From the Wichita Vidette, October 13, 1870. 

We take great pleasure in announcing the return of Captain Plyli, well 
known to our community. All know his mission: To hunt up and bring to 
punishment the cold blooded murderer of Uncle Jesse, his then partner. In 
all the months of his absence he has followed on his track with the unre- 
mitting vigilance of a Javert, never tiring, scarcely sleeping, from California 
to the Atlantic coast, through Texas and up to the Creek nation. It required 
a cool head and a steady hand to meet Murray, who was himself said to be 
one of the most reckless, cool blooded and relentless murderers ever known 
to frontier life. Captain Plyli has accomplished in thus taking his life in his 
own hands and going out to meet on the frontier, alone, such a man, what 
but few would dare to do. He has, in hunting him up without assistance or 
photograph, done more than ever was boasted by the most sagacious of 
New York or London detectives. Captain Plyli found Murray in the Creek 
nation. Murray fired three shots at the captain on sight, missing him each fire. 
The captain rode up on Murray He was buried not far from where he 
camped, and the captain brought his pony and revolver in to help pay 
expenses of travel. 

HAYS SHOWS BARNUM A THING OR Two 

From the Daily Kansas State Record, Topeka, October 26, 1870. 

P. T. Barnum, wishing to gratify his taste for curiosities, stopped off at 
Hays City to see the "man-eaters" of that town "eat." He fell in with several 
of the more carnal-minded youth of the place, who invited him to be sociable 
and take a hand at poker. The cards that were dealt to his companions 
literally "knocked the spots off" of anything Mr. Barnum had ever "held" 
in his life, and, when the exercises of the solemn occasion were ended, Phineas 
mourned the departure of $150 that he will never see, not any more. "Woolly 
horses" and "Feejee mermaids" are nice things to have, but they don't weigh 
out much playing poker at Hays City. Barnum will probably incorporate his 
Hays City experience into his famous lecture, "How to Make Money." 



QUIET, PLEASE! 

Compositors employed on today's newspapers will be interested 
in the "Office Rules and Regulations" in force in the composing 
room of the Leavenworth Times in the early days. The seventeen 
regulations, set 25 ems wide, were printed on a galley proofsheet. 
The Historical Society secured a photostat, through the courtesy 
of Elsie Evans, librarian of the Leavenworth Public Library, and 
it is reprinted here. 



320 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

TIMES' OFFICE RULES AND REGULATIONS. 

No. 1. 

It shall be the duty of the boy in charge immediately after opening up 
the office in the morning to pick up all type on the floor and under the stands, 
and put the same in each compositor's stick who is required to distribute 
the same immediately on going to his case. He will then sweep the rooms 
neatly, clean the sinks, trim and fill the lamps. He will keep fresh water in 
the bucket, keep the fire and sink in good order, and at other leisure time 
distribute type and work under the direction of the Foreman. 

No. 2. 

Compositors will be prompt on time ready for work at one o'clock P. M. 
It is required that they walk quietly up stairs into the office, hang up hats 
and coats and proceed quietly to work distributing cases. Composition to 
commence at 3 o'clock and work until 5 o'clock P. M., and from 7 o'clock 
P. M., until the paper is up. 

No. 3. 

No conversation other than that pertaining to the work of the office will 
be allowed under any circumstances during working hours, and all discussions 
and controversies are strictly prohibited. 

No. 4. 

No visitors are permitted in the Composing Room. Parties having visitors 
will meet them in the office. 

No. 5. 

When a case is taken from the rack the compositors will return it to its 
proper place immediately after he is done with it. 

No. 6. 

Window frames, fat galleys and all other places to be kept free from pi 
or loose type. 

No. 7. 

Any one throwing type at another or throwing type or material around 
the room will be discharged at once. 

No. 8. 

All employes of THE TIMES are expected to give their undivided attention 
to the business of the office during business hours. 

No. 9. 

All loud talking is strictly prohibited; all playing, scuffling and noisy 
demonstrations 1 are also expressly prohibited. 

No. 10. 

Employes in their necessary conversation with each other on business are 
requested to speak in a subdued tone and make as little noise as possible. 

No. 11. 

All type and material used to be distributed and cleared away as soon 
as dead. 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 321 

No. 12. 

In putting away material leave it better than you found it. Do not make 
the quad box a museum; always empty the water basin when done with it. 
Never throw water on the floor. Don't smoke or use profane language, or 
drink whisky. 

No. 13. 

All ads. when temporarily set aside must be carefully tied up to prevent 
same being pied. 

No. 14. 

The Foreman and compositors are prohibited from writing any article and 
publishing in the paper. Any news which they may have must in all cases 
be submitted to the City Editor. Should any legitimate news come to the 
office after the editor has left it should be published by the Foreman. 

No. 15. 

The Foreman will report in writing the time he or any of the employes 
are absent during working hours. 

No. 16. 

The Foreman is particularly instructed to enforce the foregoing rules and 
pomptly report any violation of them. 

No. 17. 

The paper must go to press promptly at 3 o'clock a.m., unless important 
telegraph or local news compels delay. 

D. R. ANTHONY, Proprietor. 



PLAYING THE HORSES 

From the Netawaka Chief, October 9, 1873. 

When will our Wetmore wiseacres get done fooling with greenies. The 
following is from the Holton News: 

One day last week, a young man, apparently a boy, dressed rather roughly, 
and riding an old looking horse, stopped at Wetmore to rest and get dinner, 
and feed his horse. Upon inquiry, he said he was going to the Homestead 
region. Some of the "sports" in the town had been training their horses for 
racing. They more for amusement than anything else, bantered the "home- 
steader" for a race for a purse of $300. After considerable talk and bluster, 
the stranger concluded to run his horse. When the time came to run the 
old coat was pulled off, and lo! a scarlet jacket was there. No sooner did 
the horse see the red jacket, when he picked up his ears, and it required 
three men to hold him while the saddle was being adjusted and the rider 
mounted. It is only necessary to add, that the money was won by the "home- 
steader," leaving the Wetmore chaps waiting for "the next!" 

The same game was played by the same fellow at Seneca. 



214800 



322 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

AGRICULTURAL NOTE 

From the Inland Tribune, Great Bend, July 19, 1879. 

James Rust and Mary Wheat, who were married the past year in this 
county, have just been blessed with twins. This is the first instance on 
record where wheat struck by rust has produced a double yield. 



F. 0. B. UNION PACIFIC 

From the Wallace County Register, Wallace, March 5, 1887. 

We beg leave to suggest that immigrants be allowed to hitch their teams 
to the freight trains on the U. P. and bring them along. A car of lumber or 
a few boxes of goods might get here within a month or two after they are 
ordered. Our merchants are pestered with sight drafts for goods they have 
never seen nor heard of since they bought them. A few good engines ought 
to be provided, one would think. 



GLORY ENOUGH! 

From the Dighton Republican, July 13, 1887. 

Some enthusiastic Kansas editor, whose name has been lost by the papers 
copying the item, says: "When the roll call is sounded on the judgment day 
and the heavens are rolling together as a scroll, and the reverberations of 
wrecked and ruined worlds peal forth the fiat of eternal rest, I want to hang 
my weary bones on the galley rack of immortality and register in four-line 
pica as a man from Kansas." 



AN OSAGE WEDDING 

From The Sun, Parsons, December 17, 1901. 

A Cherryvale man, who was in the Osage nation, in the Indian territory, 
a short time ago, witnessed a peculiar marriage custom among the Indians of 
that nation. It was a swell wedding among the aristocracy of this tribe of 
Indians, and he tells of it in detail. 

It was a marriage of Peter Red Eagle to Miss Celia Pawnee-no-Pashee and 
the ceremony in accordance with an ancient rite of the "blue blood" of the 
Osages. The bride was sold in marriage, the highest bidder being the suc- 
cessful contestant. The price paid for the bride this time is said to have 
been the highest ever known in the Osage nation. Twenty-four ponies, a set 
of harness and a buggy made up the purchase price. 

That this custom of selling in marriage still exists among the Osages may 
be a surprise to the unsophisticated, but it is nevertheless true. The appli- 
cants for the young lady's heart are arranged in a semi-circle around a block. 
The prospective bride attired in silks of the gaudiest hues is then brought 



BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 323 

forth. She is mounted on a pony and blindfolded. Her father mounts the 
block and acts as auctioneer. The bidding then begins. 

According to the ironclad rule of the Osage aristocracy, only full bloods 
are allowed to bid. The bidding done, the successful bidder pursues his prize, 
but she, being mounted on a fleet steed, eludes her pursuer and escapes to the 
tent. There she is disrobed of her wearing apparel and it is torn in two. 
Half of it is retained by her parents and half by the groom. 

Payment for the bride is invaribly made in ponies and buggies. For the 
first year after the marriage the wedded pair must dwell with the bride's 
parents. After that they are at liberty to seek their own lodge. 



EARLY DAY UNION PACIFIC FIRING 

From The Republic, Junction City, May 11, 1939. 

Fred Taylor gives us this story, told him by his uncle, Wm. Asmussen, 
now a retired merchant of Wamego, who was a fireman on the Union Pacific 
in the very earliest days when wood burning engines snorted across the 
prairies. 

After leaving Junction City for the trip west they loaded the tender with 
wood at J. C., just south of the depot where the freight depot now stands. 
After pulling the long grade before reaching Goose creek they had to stop 
and load up again to make the run to Chapman. While the engineer held a 
buffalo gun in his arms the fireman would load tender. The reason for carry- 
ing guns was that the Indians would attack trains and, after running the 
trainmen away, would try with their lariats to lasso the smokestack and try 
and pull the engine off the track. Do the firemen of today realize what it 
meant to load 5 or 6 cords of wood on a tender and then fire that engine so the 
engineer could pull what cars he had in those days? 



Kansas History as Published in the Press 

"Early Days in Abilene," a series of historical articles dealing 
with the romantic past of one of Kansas' most interesting cities, was 
written in 1896 by J. B. Edwards, a pioneer settler, and printed in 
that year in the Abilene Chronicle. In June and July, 1938, it was 
reprinted in the Daily Chronicle, and it has now been published as 
a sixteen-page pamphlet, with added material from Edwards' papers. 

Since its organization on July 1, 1939, the Clark County Chapter 
of the Kansas State Historical Society has made marked progress 
both in membership and in range of activities. The secretary, 
Mrs. J. C. Harper, conducts a weekly column in the Clark County 
Clipper, of Ashland, in which the work of the society is reported 
and brief articles on county history are printed. Following is a 
summary of the more important items, with the dates on which 
they appeared in the Clipper: August 24, 1939 Notes on the Dris- 
coll boys, cowboys in the county in the late 1870's, by Mrs. M. C. 
Campbell of Wichita. September 7 A historical sketch of School 
District 40, by Mrs. W. H. Shattuck, originally published in the 
Clipper, August 11, 1938. September 14 Information on the re- 
dout on Bluff creek in the Ravenscraft pasture, from Mr. and Mrs. 
M. W. Anshutz, of Beaver county, Okla. September 21 Pioneer 
reminiscences of Mrs. Ella Zane, who came to Clark county from 
Iowa in 1886. September 28 "Pioneer Post Offices," an article by 
B. Wilburn Mayse, reviewing the organization and history of post- 
offices at several points in the county. Additional information on 
this subject appeared in the Clipper on October 26 and November 2. 
October 5 An article, "Biggest Hoax Ever Perpetrated on the 
Citizens of Appleton Township," by Miss Nellie S. Tawzer of 
Minneola. This account deals with a sugar factory organized in 
1888, which was the cause of years of litigation in the Kansas 
courts. October 19 Recollections of S. P. Reynolds, chiefly about 
the Reynolds stage line established by his father, P. G. Reynolds, 
in the early 1870's. November 2 Reminiscences of C. W. Evans, 
who came to Clark county in 1884, later returning to his old home 
in Ohio ; and another story of pioneer postoffices by John R. Walden, 
now of Winfield. November 9 An article, "Cimarron Redoubt at 
Deep Hole," by John R. Walden; and another account of the same 
redoubt by India H. Simmons, taken from the Dodge City Daily 

(324) 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 325 

Globe of March 26, 1937. November 23 Report of the first annual 
pioneer mixer of the society, held at Ashland on November 15. 
The address of the president, Mrs. Lois McCasland Martin, was 
printed ; and in addition the column contained an article, "Memoirs 
of an Early Western Kansan," by Mrs. John B. Smith, who mi- 
grated from Illinois in 1887. December 7 Description of a grave, 
perhaps the earliest in the county, which was discovered in 1935 
by Cecil Mull. According to the description, written by Mrs. Min- 
nie Lucas Roberts, the grave is that of a baby, and the ornaments 
and other relics found in it would indicate that it may be Spanish 
or Spanish-Indian in origin. December 21 An article, contributed 
by Mary Katherine Yunker, entitled "Early Pioneering of My 
Grandfather," by Joseph Hensley. December 28 Articles on the 
North Redoubt by John Walden and India H. Simmons, the latter 
reprinted from the Dodge City Daily Globe of March 26, 1937; and 
material on the Benedictine monastery "Bueffel Au," established in 
1876 north of Ashland, by Dorothy Berryman Shrewder. Mrs. 
Shrewder, historian of the Clark county Council of Women's Clubs, 
had previously written a story of the monastery for the Clipper of 
June 29, 1939, which was mentioned in the Quarterly of August, 
1939. January 4, 1940 Articles on the first school in Ashland, 
opened in October, 1885, and the first baseball team, the "Claim- 
Holders"; and Clark county's first Sunday School picnic and first 
county fair, held respectively in 1885 and 1886. January 11 Bi- 
ography of Burton H. "Barbecue" Campbell, an early-day Clark 
county rancher, by Mrs. Melville (J. C.) Harper, which was con- 
tinued in the issues of January 25 and February 1. January 18 
Story of the old cattle trails, by John R. Walden. March 14 
Memoranda on the naming of Clark county and the town of Ash- 
land. March 28 An article, "Ghost Towns of Clark County," by 
John R. Walden, including the history of Clark City, Appleton, 
Letitia, Vesta, Aurora (Lexington) and Cash City, all early towns 
which failed to survive. April 4, 11 and 18 Biographical and his- 
torical material on the Messing family, which came to Kansas in 
1866. April 25 The story of Henry Mull, Sr., a Clark county 
pioneer, by Ruth Clark Mull. May 2 and 9 "An Early Day Story" 
by Mrs. Ina Cole Ford, dealing with the experiences of the Young, 
Rounds and Cole families, Kansas pioneers, in the latter 1880's. 
May 16 A brief sketch of the Dudley family, the earliest thus far 
reported in Clark county, and an account by John R. Walden of the 
first wedding in the county. May 23 and 30 "A Missionary Trip 



326 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Through Southern Kansas in 1876," being excerpts from the manu- 
script written in 1922 by the late Father Boniface Verheyen, 0. S. 
B., and published here for the first time. May 30 Reminiscences 
of Mrs. Samuel F. Broadie, who came to western Kansas in 1886. 
This was reprinted with some variations on June 6. 

The Phillips County Review, of Phillipsburg, in its issue of August 
24, 1939, printed a partial list of the Phillipsburg high-school grad- 
uates from 1889 to 1939, inclusive, with a brief biographical sketch 
of each. The issue was devoted largely to the Phillipsburg high 
school, featuring interior and exterior views of the new high-school 
building, dedicated August 23, 1939, and pictures of the earlier high- 
school graduating classes. 

In September, 1874, four small girls were captured by Cheyenne 
Indians and carried off into the southern prairie region. In De- 
cember, 1939, one of the girls, now Mrs. Adelaide Andrews, of Bern, 
revisited the scene of her capture, which she believed occurred a 
few miles east of Russell Springs, near Six Mile creek, Logan county. 
All the girls were rescued, though their parents, Mr. and Mrs. 
John German, and their brother and two other sisters had been 
murdered by the Indians. Three of the captives are still living. 
The editor of The Western Times, Sharon Springs, interviewed Mrs. 
Andrews for his issue of December 28, 1939, and the story was re- 
printed in the Logan County News, Winona, on January 4, 1940. 

Victor Murdock's historical feature articles published in recent 
issues of the Wichita (Evening) Eagle include: "As Wichita Looked 
Back Sixty-nine Years Ago on Leading Local Events [as gleaned 
from the diary of Charles C. Fees]," January 1, 1940; "Roll Call 
of Settlers Here Before Wichita Started With Plats, March 25, 
1870," January 3; "[Ella B. Wichman Miller] Among Last Now 
Living to Arrive in Wichita From Afar by Ox-Team," January 5; 
"One Section in Kansas Once a Favored Haunt of Many Monster 
Sharks," January 11; "Wichita's First Merchant Whose Parents 
Named Him After King David's Priest," January 19; "Earliest 
Life Insurance Issued Here in Wichita [to William Greiffenstein, 
taken with the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company in 
1874] Has Now Come to Light," February 13; "Time When the 
Santa Fe Extended Its Steel Rails on Out to Medicine Lodge," 
February 17; "Trips of Father [David McClain] and Son [Wash- 
ington McClain] Taken Forty Years Apart Into Santa Fe Trail 
West," February 21 ; "Death of Frank Redfield Reduces a Notable 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 327 

Group Coming Here From Humboldt," March 11; "One Thirty- 
Day Journey in a Wagon Across Kansas Marked by Hospitality," 
March 16; "First Community Ever Here Belonged to an Indian 
Tribe Long Familiar With Prairies," March 25; "When South of 
Wichita One, Ben Simon of Kansas, Cleaned Up Confederacy," 
March 26; "Wichitas Were Peaceful But Still For Twenty Years 
They Kept Two Cannon," March 27; "One Session of a Court [in 
Hugoton] Where Judge [Botkin] Kept His Feet From the First to 
the Last," April 4; "Sheridan Name for Wichita Was an Early Day 
Scheme Which Was to Die a-Bornin'," April 6; "First Town Com- 
panies Dealing With Wichita Appeared in the Year 1868," April 12; 
"When Two Town Companies Decided on Newton Site as Location 
For a City," April 16; "Once Crossing Arkansas Getting Out of 
Wichita Was Dangerous Business," April 19; "An Eye Witness Ac- 
count Of Payne's Deportation After Oklahoma Invasion," May 9; 
"How Trip From Wichita Was Taken to the East Before the Railroad 
Came," May 13 ; "When Prairies Produced Money For the Settlers 
Before Farming Had Begun [as revealed by J. R. Mead's Journals]," 
May 14; "Early Reference Found to Number of Grass Homes In- 
dians Had at Wichita," May 15; "Nine Kansas Farm Boys Gave 
325 Years of Life to the Railroad Calling," May 16; "Moving Entry 
in Journal of the [J. R.] Mead Trading Post at Towanda Many 
Years Ago," May 17; "Oxen While Very Useful For Breaking 
Prairie Sod Were Not Much For Style," May 20; "Profitable Point 
in Sand in This Part of Kansas When It Is Made Into Glass," May 
25; "How a Very Few Families Made Up First Community in the 
County of Sedgwick," June 1 ; "Part Organic Matter Plays in Win- 
ning West's Battle Against the Dust Storms," June 6; "Heart-Stir- 
ring Story of Mrs. Greiffenstein's Hope To Save Mrs. Blinn," June 
7; "Evolution of Prairie Into Wichita Town Lots Shown in an Ac- 
count Book," June 14; "Watching a Procession Over a Prairie High- 
way With No Desire to Join It," June 17 ; "Interest of Wichitans in 
Value of Town-Lots Traced Back to Early Day," June 21 ; "Wichita 
Messenger Boy [Nat Marsh] First in the Delivery of Telegrams 
Back in 1872," June 24; "Great Lesson in Living Learned By the 
Faculty in an Early College Here," June 26; "Rare Old City Di- 
rectory Shows State of Industry Here Sixty-Two Years Ago," 
June 27. 

Included among the feature articles of historical interest pertain- 
ing to Kansas recently printed in the Kansas City (Mo.) Star are 
the following: "A Forgotten 'Call of Kansas' [a poem by Lucy 



328 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Larcom of Boston], And One That Will Never Die," by Cecil 
Howes, January 2, 1940; "A Kansan, Edwin Emery Slosson, Pio- 
neered in Popularizing Science [condensed and reprinted from the 
1940 issue of the Kansas Magazine, Manhattan]," January 16; 
"Earl Browder, Radical From Kansas, Has Ruled U. S. Reds for a 
Decade," January 24; "Arbor Day Originated on Treeless Prairies 
of Nebraska and Kansas," by Cecil Howes, March 4; "Early Kan- 
sas Settlers Dug Their Fence Posts Out of the Ground," by Cecil 
Howes, April 6; "Kansas, Now a Leading Producer, Once Offered a 
Bounty for Salt," by Cecil Howes, May 3; "Young Bill White 
Carries on a Great Newspaper Tradition," by Paul Fisher, June 17. 

A biographical sketch of James M. Harvey, governor of Kansas 
and United States senator, written by his son. James M. Harvey, 
Jr., of Ogden, appeared in the Topeka Daily Capital, January 7, 
1940. The sketch included a brief review of pioneer experiences 
in Riley county during the 1860's, Governor Harvey's service as 
captain in the Kansas volunteers in the Civil war and as a colonel 
in the Kansas state militia which fought against the confederate 
Gen. Sterling Price, and a summary of his political career from his 
election to the state legislature as a representative from Riley 
county in 1865 to his defeat for reelection to the United States 
senate in 1877. 

The approach of the cuarto-centennial anniversary of Coronado's 
famous explorations has revived the perennial historical controversy 
over the exact location of Quivira. Historians have at one time or 
another identified Quivira with sites ranging from Texas north to 
Nebraska and even into the Dakotas, but for many years Kansas 
has been generally accepted as the probable location. Paul Jones, 
of Lyons, widely known as an authority on Coronado and head of 
the Kansas Coronado Cuarto Centennial Commission, believes the 
region to be in present central Kansas. Among other competent 
historians having the same view is Frederick W. Hodge who, in his 
Handbook of American Indians (1910), a standard work, identifies 
the Wichita Indians, then living in the region of the middle Arkan- 
sas river, in Kansas, with the people of Quivira whom Coronado 
encountered in 1541. (See, also, "Catholic First Things in Kansas," 
The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. VIII, pp. 208, 209.) Mr. Jones 
discussed the relative merits of the claims advanced for Kansas and 
Texas in an illustrated article in the Hutchinson News, January 
7, 1940. 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 329 

Feature articles of historical interest relating to Kansas, recently 
published in the Kansas City (Mo.) Times, include the following: 
"Boats Used to Steam Up and Down the Kaw Carrying Men and 
Supplies," by Cecil Howes, January 9, 1940; "Important Chapters 
Are Added to Romance of Chemical Research [by Dr. Mary Elvira 
Weeks, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Kan- 
sas]/' by Hillier Krieghbaum, January 11; "Reporters in Finland 
[including W. L. White, Kansan, reporter for the North American 
Newspaper Alliance] Use Skis, Dodge Bullets in Killing Cold," 
condensed from Editor & Publisher, January 18; "There Are 
Reasons Why Kansans Must Orate, Sing and Shout Today [sev- 
enty-ninth anniversary of admission of Kansas to the union]," by 
Cecil Howes, January 29 ; "Coronado's Expedition to Kansas Started 
400 Years Ago This Week," by Cecil Howes, February 20; "Nothing 
Could Match Doniphan's 'Rough, Ready and Ragged' Heroes [of 
1846-1848]," condensed from Harper's Magazine, March 19; "Quan- 
trill Left Dark Trail Here Before He Led Raid on Lawrence," 
by E. R. S., April 2; "Four Kansas Editors [Joseph M. Satter- 
thwaite, Frank H. Roberts, Tom A. McNeal and Gomer T. Davies, 
each more than eighty years old] Who Have Been on the Job More 
Than Fifty Years," by Cecil Howes, May 9; "Kansas Cheers as 
the 'Big Train' [Walter Johnson, the famous baseball pitcher] 
Shows Speed in Political League," by John D. Weaver, May 23; 
"Lecompton Recalls Colorful Days as Territorial Capital of Kan- 
sas," by Margaret Whittemore, May 29. 

Charles P. Butler, an early settler in Kansas, recalled pioneer 
days in Atchison county in the Effingham New Leaf, January 26, 
1940. He mentioned the county-seat rivalry between Atchison and 
Monrovia, and some experiences of the early farmers and cattle 
feeders of the region. 

Names of early settlers, and events in the early history of Leon 
were recalled by Estel Marie Pickrell in the Leon News, January 
26, 1940. The occasion was the sixtieth anniversary of the founding 
of the town, January 31. 

Writing in the Dodge City Daily Globe, January 27, 1940, John 
R. Walden of Winfield recounted sources and incidents of the last 
"Indian scare" in Kansas. This scare, which occurred in 1885, was 
a hoax perpetrated by cattlemen in western Kansas in an effort to 
frighten settlers off the land. Although no attack ever took place, 
the threat was sufficiently real to bring United States troops to the 



330 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

scene. The incident is an interesting sidelight on the struggle be- 
tween farmers and the men of the open range. 

Pioneer experiences of Mrs. Jane Cox Coburn in Kansas territory, 
and during the early years of statehood, were related by Mrs. War- 
ren Knaus, a daughter, in the McPherson Daily Republican and the 
Salina Journal, January 29, 1940. A typed copy of Mrs. Knaus' 
manuscript was given to the Kansas State Historical Society by 
Mrs. Jessie Rowland, of McPherson. 

The Coyote, semimonthly publication of the Ozawkie Rural High 
School, included in its issue of February 1, 1940, a historical section 
dealing with early events in and around the town. Based in part 
on interviews with older residents of the community, the articles 
dealt with a local landmark, the Old Red Mill, the first lawsuit in 
the county, the hanging of a horse thief, the meaning of the name 
"Ozawkie," the stealing of the county records during a county-seat 
fight, types of community entertainment in the early days, remi- 
niscences of Ozawkie in 1856-1857 as taken from letters published 
in the Clariden (Iowa) Herald, and many other accounts of histori- 
cal value. Several of the articles were reprinted in the Valley Falls 
Vindicator, beginning with the issue of February 28 and continuing 
through March. 

On February 2, 1940, the Syracuse Journal began publication of 
"A History of Hamilton County," by W. F. Chollar. The first 
chapter was entitled "Colonization in Early Hamilton County." 
Other chapters are to appear in subsequent issues of the Journal. 

W. M. Snyder recalled in the Peabody Gazette-Herald, February 
8, 1940, the days of Peabody's fame as the home of fine race horses. 
One of these was a grandsire of Joe Patchen, sire of the great Dan 
Patch. Among the breeders and turf men he remembered were 
Willis, Roy and C. E. Westbrook, and M. M., Charles and Em- 
manuel Rathbone. 

Experiences in western Kansas in 1885 were related by James W. 
Dappert in the Hugoton Hermes, February 16, 1940. Mr. Dappert 
was an early settler in Comanche county, and traveled through the 
western part of the state in the fall of 1885 in order to secure land 
claims. 

Lester A. Harding is the author of two historical articles which 
were printed in the Yates Center News. In the issue of February 
22, 1940, he told the story of "The Old Lone Tree of North Town- 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 331 

ship," Woodson county, which was a landmark in the early days for 
Indians and pioneers. On April 11 his account dealt with "The Early 
German-Russian Colony of North Township," located temporarily 
in the neighborhood of present Nikkeltown. 

The Planters house, historic Leavenworth hotel, was the subject 
of an eight-column article by Allan E. Paris in the Leavenworth 
Times, February 25, 1940. Opened in the fall of 1856, described 
by Horace Greeley as "a wonder of elegance and comfort," this 
old house was host to Greeley, Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Sarah 
Bernhardt, and many other famous persons. It was the scene of 
numerous incidents during the border warfare of the latter 1850's, 
and in the 1860's, when Western migration and trade were booming, 
the house prospered in proportion. By 1880 the Planters house had 
lost its popularity; thereafter it passed through many hands, but 
long after other hotels of the time have been forgotten the Planters 
remains a familiar name. 

Experiences with schools and school boards fifty years ago in 
Russell county were related by H. P. Tripp, who taught at Spring 
Brook in 1890. The schoolmaster received $24 a month for a three 
months' term and did chores for his board and room. The school- 
house, a stone building 12 by 18 feet with a dirt roof, burned down 
during the sixth week of school. Classes then adjourned to an- 
other stone building half a mile away and work was continued, 
even though the ten students had lost their books in the fire. Mr. 
Tripp's reminiscences appeared in the Waldo Advocate, February 
26, the Luray Herald, February 29, and the Natoma Independent, 
March 7, 1940. 

The historical column by S. C. Stone which first appeared in the 
Wilson World on February 28, 1940, under the title "Early Day 
Merchants," expanded its topic to "Early Day History of Wilson" 
beginning with the issue of April 10. It includes personal reminis- 
cences and anecdotes of early days in Ellsworth county. 

A series of articles entitled "Early History of Blue Rapids Town- 
ship," written twenty-five years ago by John F. Hoyt, were printed 
in the Irving Leader beginning with the issue of February 29, 1940. 

The fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Masonic lodge at 
Hoisington was celebrated on February 27, reported the Hoising- 
ton Dispatch of February 29, 1940. Names of the original peti- 
tioners and charter members and officers who served the lodge in 
1890 were listed. 



332 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

"Jesse Chisholm Was First Trader to Sell at Wichita," was the 
subject of the first of a series of "Wichita Historical Panels" fea- 
tured in the Wichita (Evening) Eagle, beginning with the issue of 
March 4, 1940. 

The Whitewater Independent, March 7, 1940, began its fifty-sixth 
year of publication with an anniversary edition dedicated to the 
schools of Whitewater. A brief historical sketch of the Independ- 
ent's predecessors, a history of the Whitewater school system, and 
sketches of departments and organizations in the schools were 
printed. 

Waverly's early history was reviewed by Warren Fitch in the 
Waverly Gazette, March 7, 1940. 

The Manhattan Mercury on March 8., 1940, observed its twenty- 
fifth anniversary under the management of Fay N. Seaton. A 
"surprise section" in the Morning Chronicle of the same date, pre- 
pared by the staff without Mr. Seaton's knowledge, included a re- 
view of Manhattan newspaper history from the days of the first 
editor, Charles De Vivaldi, a history of the Morning Chronicle, and 
other articles reminiscent of the early days of the Chronicle and 
Mercury. 

On March 14, 1940, the Rooks County Record, of Stockton, pub- 
lished the largest edition ever to come from its press. It was an 
"Old Home Edition," filled with reminiscences of early residents 
in the county and containing many photographs. Historical articles 
were contributed by W. F. Hughes, W. R. Fairbanks, C. E. Merwin, 
George H. Culler, F. M. Peek, A. C. Bradley, and Nick L. Penny. 
Many former residents now living in other parts of the country 
wrote of their experiences in Stockton. Reviews of the history of 
the Stockton churches and schools, including the old Stockton 
Academy, were also included. 

A review of the history of dentistry in Kansas, written by Dr. 
Edward Bumgardner of Lawrence, appeared in the Lawrence Daily 
Journal-World on March 15, 1940. This year marks the centennial 
"of the opening of the first dental college, the publication of the 
first dental journal and the organization of the first dental society." 
Ninety years ago the first dentist to practice in Kansas, Dr. James 
A. Price, was treating army officers at Fort Leavenworth. Law- 
rence has an unusual distinction, according to Doctor Bumgardner, 
in being the home of the first woman dentist, Lucy Hobbs, who was 
also the first woman to receive a diploma from a dental college. 



KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 333 

When Zach Taylor, of Ottawa, came to Franklin county in 1856 
with his parents, the city of Ottawa was not in existence. "It wasn't 
even a wide place in the road," explained the Ottawa Herald, "be- 
cause there wasn't any road. . . ." The family bought land 
near Peoria, the eastern border of the Indian reservation being the 
western boundary of their property. Mr. Taylor's recollections of 
the early days were printed in the Herald on March 23, 1940. 

Kansas history is being taught to the youth of the Wichita ele- 
mentary schools by means of "photographs, lantern slides and motion 
pictures." More than 800 different scenes are depicted in the series. 
"While large numbers are from Wichita, L. H. Caldwell, principal 
of Gardiner school, who did the photographic work, has traveled 
more than 4,000 miles to all corners of Kansas to find interesting 
and educational scenes." The project was financed with contribu- 
tions from the schools, the city teachers association and a small 
grant from the board of education. A more detailed account was 
published in an article, "Pictures Teach Wichita Youth Kansas 
History," in the Wichita Sunday Eagle, March 24, 1940. 

An eight-section, sixty-four page edition celebrating the sixtieth 
anniversary of the St. John News was printed April 4, 1940. In 
accordance with the plan of the late editor and publisher, H. J. 
Cornwell, a "photo record" policy was employed instead of the 
usual biographical sketch system. However, many special articles 
by William Martin, Jr., Edward Weilepp, Mrs. Wilma Estes, in 
addition to those by the regular staff writers of the News, were in- 
cluded. Separate sections were devoted to the history of St. John 
and Stafford county, and to the county's oil, agriculture and live- 
stock industries. Every local institution had its share of space. 

Jonas A. Stucky, of near Haven, is the author of a historical 
sketch of the Mennonites who settled in the Reno county area which 
was published in the Pretty Prairie Times, April 4, 11 and 18, 1940. 
The article reviews the history of the group from the time of their 
emigration from Europe, explaining their manner of life and recall- 
ing many who were pioneers in Kansas. 

Observing the tenth anniversary of Barton county's first oil well, 
the Great Bend Tribune on April 5, 1940, issued an eighteen-page 
edition reviewing the history of drilling and crude oil production in 
the county. Biographical sketches of local pioneers in the industry, 
reminiscences of its beginnings, and photographs and diagrams of 
sites and tools used in drilling were included. 



Kansas Historical Notes 

A business meeting of the board of managers of the Fort Hays 
Frontier Historical Park was held April 1, 1940, at Hays. The 
park was inspected and several suggestions made for further im- 
provements. Plans for the future include erection of markers on 
the sites of the old fort buildings, placing of memorials honoring 
Generals Ouster, Sherman, Forsyth, Lawton and other famous com- 
mandants at the fort, and marking of the old Fort Hays-Fort Dodge 
trail. C. E. Rarick, of Fort Hays Kansas State College, was re- 
elected chairman of the park board of managers. 

New officers of the Kansas Commonwealth Club were elected at 
the 1940 annual meeting held recently in Wichita. They include: 
0. F. Sullivan, president; Grover C. Dotzour, first vice-president; 
S. M. Swope, second vice-president; Mrs. D. W. Basham, third vice- 
president; Mrs. W. E. Haines, fourth vice-president; Amy Burton, 
recording secretary; R. M. Cauthorn, executive secretary, and Dr. 
H. C. Holmes, treasurer. 

Frank Cooper was elected president at the organization meeting 
of the Lincoln County Historical Society held at Lincoln on April 
25, 1940. Other officers chosen were Glenn Sheppard, vice-president; 
Thelma J. McMullen, secretary, and Floyd Sowers, treasurer. A 
campaign for additional members was announced, and plans were 
made for the collection and display of historical photographs, docu- 
ments and relics. Nearly 300 persons attended the society's first 
general meeting on June 9 at Lincoln. 

The following officers were elected to head the Wichita Public 
Museum Association at the recent annual meeting: 0. A. Boyle, 
president; Mrs. D. W. Basham, first vice-president; Bertha V. 
Gardner, second vice-president; R. M. Cauthorn, secretary, and 
H. D. Lester, treasurer. 

At a meeting held in Clay Center on May 20, 1940, a Clay 
County Historical Society was organized and the following officers 
elected: president, Mrs. Laura Stratton; vice-presidents, B. F. 
Hemphill and Mrs. George Kreeck; secretary-treasurer, Mrs. E. T. 
Pyle. Directors are to be chosen from each township and com- 
munity in the county. The executive committee consists of nine 
members. The object of the society is to study the history of the 
county and to preserve pictures, relics and documents illustrative 
of the early days. 

(334) 



KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 335 

On May 30, 1940, a marker was dedicated commemorating a 
battle between Cheyenne Indians and the Eighteenth Kansas cav- 
alry, which occurred in August, 1867, near present Long Island in 
Phillips county. The ceremonies were conducted at Long Island by 
the Phoebe Dustin chapter of the D. A. R. 

After more than two years of work the Clark County Council of 
Clubs on June 23, 1940, dedicated a monument on Monte Casino, 
near Ashland, marking the site of a Benedictine monastery erected 
in 1876. The project was carried out by the council as part of its 
program for marking historic sites, and was accomplished with the 
assistance of thirteen organizations representing the entire county. 
Several articles on the monastery have been printed in the ''Clark 
County Historical Society Notes," in The Clark County Clipper, 
Ashland, and are mentioned elsewhere in this issue of the Quarterly. 

Sister Mary Paul Fitzgerald, instructor in history in Saint Mary 
college at Leavenworth, is the author of a book, Beacon on the 
Plains (Leavenworth, 1939), which reviews the history of Osage 
mission, founded in 1847 by the Jesuits. The theme of the book 
is the significance of the religious motive in the settlement of Kan- 
sas, in contrast to the usual treatment which tends to emphasize 
economic and political factors at the expense of all others. The 
author does not assert that religion was the most important urge 
in westward expansion, or that settlement could not have been ac- 
complished without it, but does believe that "de facto religion was 
an always present and therefore constant factor. . . ." Sister 
Mary's main purpose, as stated in her introduction, is "to set forth 
the peculiar character of a great missionary enterprise and its con- 
tribution to the making of Kansas." Materials for the study are 
chiefly from Catholic sources, adequately supplemented by manu- 
script and printed works. 

An autobiography, Days of My Life, by Mrs. Flo V. Menninger, 
of Topeka, was published in 1939 by Richard R. Smith, New York. 
The greater part, Mrs. Menninger explains in a foreword, was 
written in 1899, although some material was subsequently added. 
It was written primarily to be read by her children, as a record of 
a life different from their own, and it was published at their request. 
The subtitle, "Memories of a Kansas Mother and Teacher," ex- 
plains adequately the character of the narrative. The original 
manuscript has been donated to the Kansas State Historical Society. 



336 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Joseph G. McCoy's Historic Sketches of the Cattle Trade of the 
West and Southwest (1874) was edited by Dr. Ralph P. Bieber, 
associate professor of history in Washington University, St. Louis, 
Mo., and was republished in Volume VIII of his Southwest Histori- 
cal Series (The Arthur H. Clark Company, Glendale, Cal., 1940). 
In the sixty-eight page introduction Doctor Bieber presented a 
well-documented history of the cattle trade in the Kansas region. 
He annotated the original McCoy work and furnished considerable 
biographical information on McCoy. For sixteen years Doctor 
Bieber has been gathering notes on the cattle trade. He was quali- 
fied to edit the 1874 edition which is now scarce and is seldom to be 
found for sale. 

A Guide to Leavenworth, Kansas, one of the publications of the 
American Guide Series compiled and written by the Kansas division 
of the Federal Writers' Project, was issued in May, 1940, from the 
press of the Leavenworth Chronicle. It is a sixty-seven page volume, 
amply illustrated, describing and reviewing the history of the city 
and its institutions, and including two routed tours to points of in- 
terest in the county. The work was sponsored locally by the Leaven- 
worth Chamber of Commerce, and was carried on under the editorial 
direction of Harold C. Evans. 

Cattle Trails of the Old West by Col. Jack Potter, edited and 
compiled by Laura R. Krehbiel (Clayton, N. M., 1935 and 1939), 
is a volume of stories and reminiscences by a veteran cattleman 
and range-rider of the old Southwest. Of special interest to Kan- 
sas historians is the explanation and tracing of the old cattle trails, 
particularly the Chisholm and the Western (Dodge City) trails 
over which, according to Colonel Potter, some nine million cattle 
were driven. Several cut-off and intersecting trails are also de- 
scribed, and a folded map inserted in the volume shows the routes. 



n 



THE 

Kansas Historical 
Quarterly 



Volume IX Number 4 

November, 1940 



PRINTED BY KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT 

W. C. AUSTIN. STATE PRINTER 

TOPEKA 1940 

18-6007 



Contributors 

JAMES C. MALIN is professor of history at the University of Kansas, Law- 
rence. He is also president of the Kansas State Historical Society and asso- 
ciate editor of The Kansas Historical Quarterly. 

ROBERT S. FLETCHER is associate professor in the Department of History at 
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. 

MARTHA B. CALDWELL is a member of the staff of the Kansas State Historical 
Society. 

PAUL H. GIDDENS, professor of history and political science at Allegheny 
College, Meadville, Pa., is author of The Birth of the Oil Industry (New York, 
The Macmillan Company, 1938). 

DOMENICO GAGLIARDO is professor of economics at the University of Kansas, 
Lawrence. 



The John Brown Legend in Pictures 

Kissing the Negro Baby 
JAMES C. MALIN 

pictures were published a year ago under this title and 
as a result attention has been called to others on the same theme, 
together with additional information pertinent to the series. Robert 
S. Fletcher has contributed an article, "Ransom's John Brown Paint- 
ing," and a photograph of the picture in its present state, both of 
which are printed in this issue. Boyd B. Stutler of New York, who 
has one of the finest John Brown collections in the country, has 
been most generous in making available the contemporaneous news- 
paper articles cited below which are not accessible in Kansas li- 
braries. He directed attention to the painting by T. S. Noble, and 
furnished a reproduction of the woodcut used in John Greenleaf 
Whittier's National Lyrics (1865). Members of the Kansas State 
Historical Society will recall his address before the annual meeting 
of the Society in 1932. 1 

The Ransom painting was first exhibited at Utica, N. Y., in No- 
vember, 1860. Mr. Stutler has found a contemporaneous notice of 
the event which contains the following description : 

An event expected for some time past among the interested came off yester- 
day at the city hall. I refer to the private exhibition of Louis Ransom's pic- 
ture of "John Brown Going to the Scaffold." . . . 

John Brown occupies the center of the canvas, standing, as the artist in- 
formed us, 6 feet 4 inches in height, being 6 inches taller than life. With a 
truly masterly skill the banner of Virginia is made to wave behind him in 
such manner as to form a halo around his head, and by the keenest sarcasm 
the escutcheon is displayed with the device, an armed Liberty trampling on 
a slain tyrant, and the motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis : " it is carried by a dwarf- 
ish man who has a brutal visage and who is in the act of pushing a defenseless 
woman from the prison steps. The Continental in the background needs no 
interpreter. That uniform was the Declaration wrought into garments for 
the battles of the Revolution, but to our thinking is a sorry pattern of the 
F. F. V's of 1859. The slave mother and child are representative of that down- 
trodden race for which the hero who sleeps at North Elba laid down his 
life. . . .2 

The reference to the "Continental" applied to the man in the left 
background of the picture. Mr. Stutler identifies this figure as a 

1. The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. II, p. 80. 

2. National Anti-Slavery Standard, New York, November 24, 1860, reprinted from The 
Morning Herald } Utica, N. Y., n. d. New York Public Library. 

(339) 



340 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

member of a military company, the "Winchester Continentals." 
The comment of the present writer a year ago was incorrect on this 
point, but the purpose of the painter was to make use of the Revolu- 
tionary hat with its '76 emblem and to emphasize thereby the incon- 
gruity of associating that insignia with service in the interests of 
slavery. The hat and the emblem are not made to appear so con- 
spicuous in the painting as in the lithograph. 

In the photograph of the Ransom painting in its present state the 
reader will see that the banner of Virginia as a whole shows only in- 
distinctly, that the first part of the motto "Sic Semper" is not distin- 
guishable at all, but that the lower portion, within the encircling word 
"Tyrannis," forms a halo around Brown's head. In the Currier & 
Ives lithograph of 1863 the treatment is quite different; the flag is 
visible, with its motto and device, the whole serving as a background 
for his head, the portion within the word "Tyrannis" less conspicu- 
ously providing the halo. The newspaper description quoted above 
commented upon the whole banner, but emphasized the halo effect. 
The Harper's Weekly article of 1863, quoted in Fletcher's article, re- 
marked upon the halo. The fact that Ransom revised the painting 
in later life raises the question whether the flag in its present state is 
essentially the same as it was originally or whether it may have been 
more nearly like the lithograph. A similar question is presented by 
the heads of the mother and child. Was the mother the classic 
Greek of the present painting or the negroid-Greek hybrid of the 
lithograph. Whether using the word advisedly or not, the newspaper 
writer of 1860 referred to them as "representative" of the negro race. 
No contemporaneous comment has been found which clearly de- 
termines the point, but Fletcher offers in his article the results of 
his inquiries. Other differences between the painting and the litho- 
graph are evident to the observer, but these seem the most signifi- 
cant. 

In last year's introductory note the date of the Hovenden painting 
was given as 1881. This was on the authority of a personal letter 
cited in the footnote. The date has been challenged and on further 
investigation the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, amends 
the original statement, the date inscribed on the painting being 1884. 
The error in the museum's records occurred as the result of a mis- 
reading of the final figure "which was due to the manner in which 
the 4 is made." 3 

3. Mrs. Bryson Burroughs, assistant curator, to the author, July 3, 1940. 



MALIN : JOHN BROWN LEGEND IN PICTURES 341 

In 1865 John Greenleaf Whittier published a collection of his 
poems under the title National Lyrics (Boston, Ticknor & Fields, 
1865) , illustrated with woodcuts by three artists, George G. White, 
H. Fenn and Charles A. Barry. One of the illustrations gave a ver- 
sion of the negro baby story to accompany the poem "Brown of 
Ossawatomie." It is not known which of the three artists produced 
the woodcut, but it affords an interesting variation of the tradition. 
Unlike the others, no attempt was made to idealize Brown, and it is 
the only picture of the series in which the observer looks down upon 
the scene rather than up at Brown. 

The painting by Thomas S. Noble (1835-1907), "John Brown's 
Blessing," is life size and is signed and dated, being completed and 
exhibited in 1867. A large folio lithograph of the painting was 
issued the same year. The painting was presented in 1939 by the 
children of the artist to the New York Historical Society through 
whose courtesy it is here reproduced. It was exhibited in Boston in 
December, 1867, and in New York in January, 1868. 4 

The contemporaneous newspaper notice in The Commonwealth, 
Boston, Mass., December 14, 1867, is as follows: 

Monday last, the eighth anniversary of the execution of "Old John Brown," 
was appropriately commemorated by the presentation to the Boston public of 
T. S. Noble's picture of Brown's passage to the scaffold, when he stopped on 
his way to bless a negro child. The tradition (somewhat apochryphal) is that 
he kissed the little fellow, but as the labial process in the picture would hide 
his countenance the artist has kindly taken the usual license and represents 
him as laying his hand on the child's head. Mr. Noble is a Southerner, and 
served in the rebel army four years, but he regarded the execution of Brown 
as one of the great historic events of the century, and has lost friends and 
position at home by representing so unwelcome a matter to the South. The 
grouping of the picture is happy, the likeness of Brown very excellent, and 
though the continental uniform of the "Defencibles," the militia company that 
served at the execution, seems incongruous in the picture, giving it a character 
similar to what we are accustomed in scenes of execution in France, yet we 
are assured the accessories are literally correct. We can hardly call it a great 
picture ; yet there is much food for reflection and observation in it, and all who 
revere the memory of Capt. Brown should call at DeVries, Ibarra & Co.'s, 
where it is on exhibition. 

4. The Commonwealth, Boston, Mass., January 4, 1868. 



342 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

In order to bring together all the pictures in one place for more 
convenient study and comparison the three printed last year are 
reprinted, the series of six being arranged in chronological order: 

Louis Ransom, "John Brown on His Way to Execution." Oil painting, 

1860. Oberlin College. 
Currier & Ives, "John Brown." Colored lithograph, 1863. Drawn from 

Ransom's painting. Library of Congress Collection. 
Unsigned Woodcut in J. G. Whittier's National Lyrics. 1865. First 

Edition. Boyd B. Stutler Collection. 
Thomas S. Noble, "John Brown's Blessing." Oil painting, 1867. New 

York Historical Society, New York City. Lithograph, 1867. Two 

copies in Boyd B. Stutler Collection. 
Currier & Ives, "John Brown The Martyr." Colored lithograph, 1870, 

redrawn from that of 1863. Library of Congress Collection. 
Thomas Hovenden, "Last Moments of John Brown." Oil painting, 1884. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. 




"JOHN BROWN ON HIS WAY TO EXECUTION" 

A reproduction of Louis Ransom's painting (1860) owned by Oberlin Col- 
lege. It will be noted from the photograph that the original painting is badly 
cracked. 




"JOHN BROWN" 

A reproduction of a Currier & Ives lithograph (1863) from the collections 
of the Library of Congress. 




"BROWN OF OSSAWATOMIE" 

Unsigned woodcut in John Greenleaf Whittier's National Lyrics 
(First Edition, 1865). 




"JOHN BROWN'S BLESSING" 

Thomas S. Noble's painting (1867) reproduced through the courtesy of the 
New York Historical Society, New York City. 




"JOHN BROWN THE MARTYR" 

A reproduction of another Currier & Ives lithograph (1870) from the collec- 
tions of the Library of Congress. 




"LAST MOMENTS OF JOHN BROWN" 

A reproduction of Thomas Hovenden's painting (1884) in the Metropolitan 
Museum of Art, New York City. 



Ransom's John Brown Painting 

ROBERT S. FLETCHER 

THE original painting of "John Brown on His Way to Execu- 
tion," done by Louis L. Ransom and copied by Currier & Ives, 
is owned by Oberlin College. It now hangs in the Paul Lawrence 
Dunbar (Negro) High School in Washington, D. C., having been 
lent to the school by the college in April, 1919. 1 

Louis Liscolm Ransom, the painter, was born at Salisbury Corners, 
N. Y., January 23, 1831, the son of Merriman Munson Ransom and 
Olive Ann (Spencer) Ransom. 2 He early showed artistic aptitudes 
and in about his twentieth year friends contributed money to send 
him to New York to study. He was admitted to the school of the 
American Academy of Design where he worked for a year under the 
tutelage of Henry Peters Gray. Gray, the leading figure painter of 
his period, well-known at the time for his severally academic can- 
vases of mythological and historical subjects, must have had a con- 
siderable influence on Ransom's style. 3 

Directories of Utica, N. Y., for 1857-1858, 1860-1861, and 1861- 
1862 indicate that Ransom had a studio in that city during those 
years. 4 He "had a profound admiration, something akin to venera- 
tion for old John Brown/' whom he may have seen at the latter's 
home at North Elba. Sometime soon after Brown's death on De- 
cember 2, 1859, Ransom painted at Utica his "John Brown on His 
Way to Execution." 5 

In the summer of 1863 P. T. Barnum exhibited the painting in his 
Museum in New York City. Throughout the week of Monday, 
May 18, to Saturday, May 23, he advertised: 

At all hours every day and evening A VERY SPLENDID PAINTING 
BY LOUIS RANSOM, of Lansingburgh, N. Y. representing the celebrated 
JOHN BROWN, leaving the Charlestown (Va.) Jail on his way to execution. 

1. MS. minutes of the Prudential committee of Oberlin College, April 11, 1919, office 
of the secretary. This title was furnished by the painter's son, Eugene Ransom. See James 
C. Malin, "The John Brown Legend in Pictures," The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. VIII 
(November, 1939), pp. 339-341. 

2. Wyllys Cadwell Ransom, Historical Outline of the Ransom Family of America (Ann 
Arbor, Mich., 1903), pp. 358, 359. Reference furnished by Dr. Harlow Lindley, secretary of 
the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. 

3. William Howe Downes, "Henry Peters Gray," Dictionary of American Biography, 
v. VII, pp. 517, 518. 

4. Information from directories furnished by Laure Claire Foucher, librarian of the Utica 
Public Library. 

5. This and much other information was furnished by Eugene Ransom, 841 School Avenue, 
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, son of the painter, in a letter to the author dated July 8, 1940, and 
indirectly from the same source in a letter from Charlotte Cowing Cooper, Columbus, Ohio, 
dated July 9, 1940. 

(343) 



344 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

Wendell Phillips pronounces it A VERY HAPPY LIKENESS OF THAT 
GREAT MAN; a satisfactory indorsement to his numerous friends and 
admirers. Also, THE LIVING SEA-LION, LIVING LEARNED SEAL, 
LIVING HAPPY FAMILY, GRAND AQUARIA, with its multitudes of 
beautiful Living Fish, LIVING MONSTER SNAKES, BEAR SAMSON 
&c., &c. Admission, 25 cents. Children under ten, 15 cents. 6 

George William Curtis saw it in the Museum and commented on it 
in his column, "The Lounger," in Harper's Weekly. He wrote in 
part: 

It is one of the incidents that history will always fondly record and art 
delineate. The fierce and bitter judgment of the moment upon the old man 
is already tempered. Despised and forsaken in his own day, the heart of 
another generation may treat him as he treated the little outcast child. In 
the picture his head is conspicuous against the yellow ground of a flag which 
surrounds it like a halo. The eager officer by his side pushes the mother away, 
and the bedizened soldier in the fore-ground scowls at her. The fussy parade 
which the authorities made at his execution is admirably suggested by these 
figures, and however sharply the work might be criticized by the connoisseur, 
there is a solemnity and pathos in it which is wanting in many a finer painting. 7 

Barnum was forced by the draft rioters of July 13-16 to withdraw 
the painting from exhibition in order to save the Museum from de- 
struction at their hands. 8 

Apparently the canvas was never sold. Being of large proportions 
(7 x 10 feet) it required a considerable wall space for proper hang- 
ing. Ransom moved with his family to Akron, Ohio, in 1884 and 
soon after decided that it would be appropriate to give it to Oberlin 
College because of that institution's well-known antislavery history. 
The deed of transfer to the college, dated July 8, 1886, is in the files 
of the Oberlin College treasurer. "In consideration of the sum of 
one dollar," it reads, "I [Louis Ransom] hereby sell and transfer to 
the Trustees of Oberlin College my picture which represents John 
Brown meeting the slave mother and her child on his way to Exe- 
cution." 9 

The most important document relating to this painting is a small 
broadside (5% x 8 inches) entitled A Rare Picture. It is anony- 
mous and undated but must have been issued by Oberlin College in 

6. New York (N. Y.) Times, May 18-23, 1863. This advertisement gave way the next 
week to one of Gen. Tom Thumb. 

7. Harper's Weekly, New York, June 13, 1863, v. VII, p. 371. Frank Luther Mott, A 
History of American Magazines, 1850-1865 (Cambridge, Mass., 1938), p. 471, makes it clear 
that Curtis personally wrote this column at the time. 

8. Statement by Eugene Ransom, supported by the broadside quoted in the text below. 

9. Ransom executed many portraits of New Yorkers and Ohioans. A portrait of John R. 
Buchtel, founder of Buchtel College, was destroyed in a college fire. Several of his other 
paintings are believed to have been destroyed by the burning of his second wife's home in 
California, but some of them may be in a storage house in Los Angeles. His paintings may 
be identified by the initials "LR" superimposed to form a monogram. He died at the home 
of his son in Cuyahoga Falls, September, 1926. He is buried at Salisbury, N. Y. His son, 
Eugene Ransom, possesses four family portraits done by him in his later years. 

10. There are two copies in the library of Oberlin College. 



FLETCHER: RANSOM'S JOHN BROWN PAINTING 345 

1886. What makes this broadside most significant is the strong 
probability that Mr. Ransom, himself, collaborated in its prepara- 
tion. It is here quoted in full : 

An historical painting of heroic size and striking merits, by Mr. Louis 
Ransom, of Akron, formerly of Utica, N. Y., has just been presented to 
Oberlin College. 

The picture represents "John Brown of Ossawatomie" emerging from the 
prison on his way to execution. There are seven other figures. In the fore- 
ground, descending the steps, is a slaveholder, type of the slave power, of 
commanding proportions, and face not devoid of culture, but strongly marked 
by passion and a domineering spirit. He is dressed for the occasion in the 
uniform of one of the Virginia "crack companies" of militia, which happens 
to be that worn by the minions of European despotism, and whose gorgeous 
trappings fitly symbolize the "pride which cometh before destruction." 

Seated on the stone balustrade is the slave-mother and her child, already 
immortalized in the verse of Whittier. The artist does not spare slavery here. 
He answers the oft repeated sneer at the abolitionists, "Would you wish your 
daughter to marry a nigger?" by the mute appeal of this half white slave 
woman, with a child lighter than herself. The little fellow, born to life-long 
servitude, frightened by the soldier, turns up to her a bright Anglo-Saxon face. 

Further back is a contemptible little "overseer" or hired slave-driver, 
parading in militia uniform, who forgets his assumed soldierly bearing, and 
reverts to his true character, in his unseemly rush to push the "nigger woman" 
out of the way. In this rapid movement he causes a yellow silk ensign which 
he carries to swell out so that the sunlight falling upon a portion of it forms 
a background and a halo for the head of John Brown. 

Brown's is, of course, the central figure. Standing on the upper step he 
overtops all others, calm and dignified, with the bearing of one altogether 
assured of the final triumph of his cause. His eyes are upon the little child. 

Above his head, upon the silken banner, are the arms of Virginia, a con- 
queror trampling upon his prostrate foe, and the motto "Sic Semper Tyrannis" 
The terrible irony of that motto, on that occasion, drives home to every be- 
holder the question, "Who is the tyrant, who the conqueror?" 

The jailor, in civilian's clothes, stands beside Brown in the doorway, and a 
friend also accompanies him. 

In the background a member of some other militia company wears in the 
service of oppression the uniform of the old "Continentals." 

In one corner of the picture, among neglected rubbish, is seen a mutilated 
and discarded statue of Justice. 

The technical execution of the picture is worthy of the bold composition. 
It was painted at the time, and narrowly escaped the violence of a mob when 
first exhibited in New York City. Mr. Ransom, the artist, is now at the 
meridian of his powers, and has revised the painting so that it embodies both 
the enthusiasm of his earlier and the maturer judgment of his later years. 

Historical painting has been too little cultivated in America, and the rarity 
of such works renders this picture a special credit to its author, and a special 
acquisition to the College, and to the country. 



346 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The John Brown painting was first placed in the lobby of Oberlin's 
then-new main recitation building, Peters hall, where it hung for 
many years. Later it was removed to an upper floor of the same 
building, where it was relegated to an obscure position in the physics 
laboratory. 11 The Prudential committee consented to lend it to the 
Dunbar High School in 1919 on the grounds that it was so large that 
no suitable place was available at Oberlin for hanging it. 12 It was 
stretched but never framed, at least not since 1886. In 1919 it was 
removed from the stretcher and rolled for shipment to Washington 
and was never stretched again. It is, of course, badly cracked, as 
the photograph shows, and the canvas is somewhat rotten. 13 

Comparison shows certain differences between the painting and the 
1863 lithograph. The more effective treatment of Brown's face in 
the painting probably represents the inadaquate craftsmanship of the 
lithographer rather than the painter's "revision" mentioned in the 
broadside. The nearly Greek features of Ransom's slave mother 
represent a subtler conception than the wholly African head substi- 
tuted, apparently intentionally, in the lithograph. Such refinements 
perhaps would not have appealed to the wide public Currier & Ives 
usually reached. According to the recollection of the painter's son 
the "mother was always a light quadroon and the baby a shade 
lighter" and the only repainting was of the highlights in the mother's 
dress. Some retouching was done because of a tear in the canvas but 
this did not affect the general appearance of the picture. 14 

11. Information from Prof. Raymond H. Stetson, Oberlin College. 

12. Minutes of Prudential committee, April 11, 1919. 

13. The author first wrote on the painting in an article entitled "John Brown and 
Oberlin" in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, February, 1932. 

14. Letter from Eugene Ransom to the author, August 9, 1940. 



The Eldridge House 

MARTHA B. CALDWELL 

AN imperative need in settling a new country is a place where 
prospective settlers may stay while selecting a homesite, 
and where they may lodge their families while getting a home in 
readiness. Officers of the New England Emigrant Aid Company 
took this into account in their attempt to settle Kansas in 1854. 
Their plan of operations provided for the construction of boarding 
houses at various places, each large enough to accommodate three 
hundred persons, 1 and at their meeting on August 26, 1854, the 
trustees instructed S. C. Pomeroy, the Kansas agent, to purchase 
mills and erect "Receiving Houses." 2 

After the arrival of the second Emigrant Aid party in Lawrence 
on September 15, 1854, a temporary building called a "hay tent" was 
erected and named the Pioneer Boarding House. It was a mere 
makeshift. As described by the Rev. Richard Cordley, pioneer min- 
ister who came to Kansas in 1857, it was built by setting up two rows 
of poles a distance apart and bringing them together at the top, then 
thatching the sides with prairie hay. The gable ends were built up 
with sod and contained the doors and windows. The floor was the 
hard sod. In this building, fifty by twenty feet, settlers obtained 
room and board and held religious services and other public func- 
tions. It was here that Plymouth church was organized October 15, 
1854. When this "hotel" burned in the autumn, another, the St. 
Nicholas, was built in the same way but with some improvements. 
The sides were banked with sod to the height of four or five feet 
and the inside was lined with cotton cloth. 3 

The "hay tent" was to serve only until a permanent hotel could 
be erected, and the company's agents in Kansas, Charles Robinson 
and S. C. Pomeroy, were requested to "have completed as early as 
practicable the projected . . . Hotel at Lawrence City." 4 The 
work began possibly in October, for on November 2, 1854, Robinson 
informed the executive committee that the cellar was dug. 5 

1. "Emigrant Aid Papers," "Misc.," MSS. division, Kansas State Historical Society. 

2. "Trustees' Records," v. 1, p. 14, "EAR" 

3. Richard Cordley, A History of Lawrence^ Kansas. . . . (E. F. Caldwell, Lawrence 
Journal Press, Lawrence, 1895), p. 13. 

4. "Trustees' Records." v. 1, p. 47, November 22, 1854. 

5. Ibid., p. 44. 

(347) 



348 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The building of this hotel stretched over a period of nineteen 
months, and, in fact, it was never formally opened. Many circum- 
stances intervened to retard the construction. Lack of funds was 
perhaps the greatest drawback, for the Emigrant Aid Company was 
nearly always on the verge of bankruptcy. As early as November 
29, Robinson advised the committee of the suspension of operations 
"partly" for want of money. 6 Inability to get building materials 
was also a handicap. To have lumber shipped from St. Louis was 
slow and expensive, and the sawmill set up by the company was 
unable even to supply the demands of private individuals. The bor- 
der troubles of 1855 and 1856 retarded the work to a great extent. 
It is also probable that the agents were not as attentive to the com- 
pany's interests as they might have been, especially as they were al- 
lowed to engage in business for themselves, and to take advantage 
of the great financial possibilities in land speculation. In 1856 the 
company refused one of them, Charles Branscomb, the privilege 
of making private investments and revoked the permission previ- 
ously granted to Pomeroy. 7 

Late in December workmen started to lay the cellar wall, and 
early the next month they began digging a well adjoining the hotel 
foundation. The plan was to dig fifty or sixty feet so as to have 
water in abundance. 8 

The company had hoped to have the building finished for the 
early spring emigration, but were forced to abandon the idea. A 
letter to emigrants in the Herald of Freedom advised them not to 
look for hotel accommodations as it would be impossible to finish 
a first-class hotel for several months. "But," it added, "our accom- 
modations are good enough for strong -hearted pioneers, who expect 
to make their own comforts." 9 However, the agents set about to 
look for a proprietor. They advertised in a Lawrence paper under 
the title "Hotel to Let" for an experienced tenant who had capital 
to furnish the house in good style. Such a person was advised to see 
S. C. Pomeroy. 10 The result of this advertisement is not known but 
the building was subsequently leased to Shalor W. Eldridge, who 
with his mother was operating the company's hotel, the American 
House, in Kansas City. 

6. Ibid., p. 55. 

7. Thomas Webb to Pomeroy, October 7, 1856; Webb to Branscomb, October 13, 1856, 
in "Letter Press Book," pp. 378, 398, "EAP." 

8. The Kansas Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, January 6, 1855. 

9. Ibid. 

10. Ibid., February 17, 1855 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 349 

Little progress was made during the spring months. By April 28 
the basement wall was finished ready for the timbers. The work 
was delayed in part by inability to get lumber. This scarcity of 
material finally forced the company to revise its plan and construct 
a stone and concrete instead of a frame building. The flooring, 
ready-grooved and matched, would be procured from St. Louis. 11 
The contract was given to Benjamin Johnson, and on May 14, work 
was resumed. 12 

The dilly-dallying apparently exhausted the patience of the editor 
of the Kansas Free State. He burst forth in an article of July 9, 
denouncing the Emigrant Aid Company, declaring that the com- 
pany's mill was a "perfect nuisance" and that the hotel had been 
building ever since the "Company had an existence," and still lin- 
gered. He considered that the delay had been more injury to the 
town than all other things combined ; that hundreds of persons had 
left the place for the want of a "comfortable hotel to stop at" ; and 
that the company would neither do anything nor give up the work to 
individuals who would put it up immediately. He demanded that 
it be ready for the immense emigration that would "pour in here in 
the fall." 13 Other grumblings came to the ears of the trustees. One 
Edward Jones, for example, complained that the agents had refused 
to fulfill a contract with him for the construction of the building. 14 

Work continued intermittently. On July 24, Robinson wrote to 
Webb that the building was nearly ready for the finishing lumber 
which Pomeroy was to get in St. Louis. Robinson was seemingly 
beginning to realize the necessity of a hotel and reported that it 
"should not be delayed a moment," as it was much needed. ". . . 
Besides," he added, "the character of the Co. will suffer if allowed to 
stand unfinished & unoccupied while the fall emigration is coming 
in." 15 Early the next month Pomeroy informed the committee that 
he had bought the doors and flooring, 16 and on August 20, Webb 
wrote from Lawrence, "The little Boat Lizzie having on board our 
Hotel flooring, doors, &c. arrived here safely last night, and the work- 
men it is hoped will recommence operations on the building to 
day." 17 

By October 6, 1855, the hotel was enclosed, the roof on and the 

11. Ibid., May 12, 1855. 

12. Kansas Free State, Lawrence, May 21 ; Herald of Freedom, June 16, 1855. 

13. Kansas Free State, July 9, 1855. 

14. "Trustees' Records," v. 1, p. 165, July 21, 1855. 

15. Robinson to Webb, July 24, 1855, "EAP" correspondence. 

16. Pomeroy to , St. Louis, August 6, 1855, in ibid. 

17. Webb to Charles Branscomb, Augast 20, 1855, "EAP," 



350 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

first and second floors finished. The partitions were being put up 
and the windows in. It was given the name, Free State Hotel. 18 
The building was considered the best in the territory and was said to 
have presented "a formidable appearance in contrast with the hum- 
ble tenements in its immediate vicinity." 19 

In its unfinished condition the hotel served the community for 
social gatherings and other purposes. The first social event of im- 
portance was a "Military festival" given by Kansas Rifles No. I 20 
on November 15, 1855. Elaborate invitations were issued and much 
preparation made to insure success. A hunting contest engaged in 
by the Rifles the day before supplied an abundance of wild game 
for the tables. The evening was cold and rainy, with mud shoe-top 
deep; nevertheless about five hundred people of "all ages, sexes, and 
conditions, and every shade of political opinion" filled the rooms. 21 
According to a guest's account, the parlor and dining room were 
thrown into one with the Rifles' large U. S. flag draped over the 
arch of the folding doors. Two rows of tables extending the length 
of the hall were loaded with squirrel, rabbit, prairie chicken, wild 
turkey, and one roast pig, together with cakes and pastries. 22 It was 
a new experience to a settler to step into a room large enough for six 
or eight sets to be dancing the cotillion, while hundreds of spectators 
looked on. Mr. Lyman, the most successful hunter, was not present 
to receive his reward, a rosette, but Captain Thorns, the next suc- 
cessful, was presented a cake by the ladies. 23 

Mrs. Robinson characterized the party as a typical New England 
gathering with the exception of a few who "by their dress, tinsel 
ornaments, or their peculiarity of speech, showed that their home 
was further west." 24 The festival was said to have been the "most 
gorgeous affair" which had yet "come off" in the territory. 25 

A little over a week later the hotel served an entirely different 
purpose when the killing of Charles Dow by Franklin Coleman pre- 
cipitated the Wakarusa War. Almost instantly the town became a 
military camp. Free-State companies from the neighboring towns 
and communities rushed to the aid of Lawrence and the hotel was 

18. Herald of Freedom, October 6, 1855. 

19. Ibid., September 1, 1855. 

20. This company became the famous Stubbs. 

21. Kansas Free State, November 19, 1855. 

22. Mrs. Sara T. D. Robinson, Kansas, Its Interior and Exterior Life (Boston, 1856), 
p. 97. 

23. Kansas Free State, November 19, 1855. 

24. Mrs. Robinson, op. cit., p. 97. 

25. Herald of Freedom, November 17, 1855. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 351 

then turned into barracks for the soldiers and headquarters for the 
officers. 26 

After a week's siege efforts were made to restore peace. On De- 
cember 7, Governor Shannon with his suite drove into the besieged 
town to consult with the committee of safety. He was said to have 
presented a stately appearance riding over the prairie in his double- 
seated carriage with mounted guards riding before and after. 27 He 
entered the building with General Robinson. The party moved 
through the hall where on a table lay the body of Thomas Barber, 
murdered the night before by a Proslavery man, and up the unfin- 
ished stairway to the council chamber on the third floor. Here after 
an extended conference the treaty of peace was arranged and signed. 

The citizens of Lawrence were overjoyed at the peaceful termina- 
tion of the trouble, and to show their "willingness to accept" the 
settlement and to give pledges of their "good offices in the future," 
they gave a peace party on the evening of December 10. 28 The 
hotel was again the scene of merriment and happiness. Governor 
Shannon, Sheriff Jones and the invaders were invited. The governor 
had pressing business at his office and could not accept, but Jones 
and some of his followers were there. The ladies had spread long 
tables with appetizing food, the Lawrence band furnished the music, 
and Robinson, Lane and others supplied the speeches. The festivi- 
ties continued far into the night. The next day the soldiers were 
dismissed. 29 

The closing scene in the Wakarusa War drama was the military 
funeral for Thomas Barber on December 16. Settlers for many 
miles around gathered in the long dining room where boards were 
brought in to provide extra seats. The military companies were 
there. General Robinson delivered the funeral oration and James 
H. Lane and the Rev. Levin B. Dennis spoke briefly. The pro- 
cession then moved slowly across the prairie over Mount Oread to 
the open grave in the pioneer cemetery where the body was interred 
with military honors. 30 

The unfinished hotel continued to be the center of social functions. 
There was a Christmas party of about fifty couples, 31 and on Jan- 
uary 1, 1856, a New Year's ball was given. G. Douglas Brewerton, 

26. Ibid., December 15, 1855 ; Cordley, op. cit., p. 57. 

27. Mrs. Robinson, op. cit., p. 146. 

28. Ibid., p. 153. 

29. Ibid., p. 155 ; A. T. Andreas, History of the State of Kansas (Chicago, 1883), p. 120. 

30. Cordley, op. cit., p. 77; Mrs. Robinson, op. cit., pp. 161-163; Herald of Freedom. 
December 22, 1855. 

31. Ibid. (Dated on masthead December 29.) 



352 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

the New York Herald correspondent, attended the ball and described 
it as follows: 

Armed with these credentials, for which our Executive friend will be pleased 
to accept our thanks, we inquired as to the most fashionable hour at which 
we might venture to become visible were told eight o'clock, and accordingly 
entered the ball-room, an unfinished dining-hall in the Free State Hotel, at the 
hour indicated. We were attired for the occasion, in a suit of black, which was 
"built" in New York, and has been considered creditable upon Broadway; but 
we might have spared ourself some trouble, for the first gentleman we met 
sported a short, drab overcoat, a very long red comforter, and corduroy pants, 
which were fitly finished at the bottom, by a pair of boots, long innocent of 
blacking, but bearing most unmistakable signs, to more senses than one, of 
being thoroughly greased; and this biped was a fair specimen, by the way, 
of the very free and easy manner in which the male portion of the assemblage 
were rigged out. 

We felt out of place, but it was too late to "retrograde," so we summoned 
up our brass, pulled down our left collar, turned up our sleeves, deranged the 
set of our pants, stuck our hands into our breeches pockets, donned our hat, 
and then went into conversation pending the arrival of the ladies, who were 
holding on for the music with our next neighbor. . . . 

As the room filled up, each gentleman was supplied with a diminutive paper 
ticket, which tickets had been previously numbered by the floor manager from 
one to thirty inclusive. The object of this was to give each guest his number, 
so that as the room was too small to accommodate more than four sets, for 
quadrilles, with variations, were the only dances attempted each man, with 
his partner, got a "fair shake" to dance in their turn, for you were not allowed 
to take your place on the floor until your number had been called. Well, to 
make a long story short, we danced with sundry of the Kansas belles, and saw 
neither lace-ruffles nor fancy undersleeves, hoops nor flounces, low-necked 
dresses nor embroidered handkerchiefs, but everything passed off smoothly, for 
all that. The dancing-hall, however, merits a more extended description. It 
was, as we have already stated, an unfinished room, with rough stone walls, 
destitute of plaster, and a broken window or two. At one side of the room a 
carpenter's bench was shoved up against the wall, to make way for the trippers 
upon the "light fantastic toe," while a cooking-stove graced either end of the 
apartment, and furnished a heater, which we regret to say, didn't warm the 
room. As for candlesticks, each window had a slip of board fastened across the 
sash, with nails driven in at uncertain intervals, so as to support the candles, 
which threw their flickering light upon this gay and festive scene. At midnight 
we had supper; that is to say, we ranged ourselves upon the long wooden 
benches, which surrounded the room to the number of some eighty souls or 
more, when, being "all set," at a given signal . . . two men entered, bearing 
between them a piece of plank, on which were ranged plates, containing a 
triangle of cold pie, some raisins, and a stick of candy each more or less, as 
the lawyers say this was followed up by a second edition of planks, and men 
who served everybody nolens volens with a cup of hot coffee; then came 
cakes, "fearfully and wonderfully" made, and then back came the plank-bearers, 




Flint?!! 






) 



;er 15th, 1855.':? 




EO. EARL, 



INVITATION TO LAWRENCE MILITARY 
FESTIVAL IN 1855 

Facsimile of an invitation to the first social event of importance held in 
the unfinished Free-State (Eldridge) Hotel on November 15, 1855. The broad- 
side bears the imprint of the Herald of Freedom press. 




K5S2HM* 



! 




EXILES AH 



If 

D REGULATIONS: I] 



The Proprietors will not hold themselvos resp-wsiblo for f) 
Mofiey,Jewef%'j or other valuables left in the rooms. 

Lock und !>6lt the door wjieh \ on retire. > 

OH h-nvin-jfthy room J]CHM: loek the d<..r. and U-avc the key 

at tin- < Mli.v. 

All kinds of Gaming is strictly |n. . the House. 

(luests havinif frioncls to d5u-j. a*c ro*|ueHttvl to </ive aotiw at 

tilt- Ojfic;'. alld 



Ail bill "<>!' |ermtinotir- or transient loard, muntbe ] 
tin; olid <>f oueli and every vvoek. or tlu-ir fooms u ,d Sn.- euli 
ered vtu-uted. 

I\*rsons without B a<3fi>f age arts experte.l to pay in uilvuiu-c. 
J*ennaneiit board- priee, according to ktoins.eU-, 

>'u dt'duetion ftiralwjwcu of hoarders fT i.-s : tlrut <>n<- \\ 
i <HB I Servants, i* ix<[tu-slcd t 



* 







S. W. &T. B. ELDRIDGE, 



RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE ELDRIDGE HOU.^E 
IN 1856 

Facsimile of a card in the "Oscar E. Learnard Collection" deposited with the 
Kansas State Historical Society by a son, Tracy Learnard, of San Jose, Cal. The 
card was printed by the Herald of Freedom press only a few days before the 
plant was destroyed by Proslavery raiders under Sheriff Jones. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 353 

who removed the fragments of the feast, whereupon the dancers went to work 
again, and we went home to bed. . . ." 32 

After the Border trouble incidents, efforts were again made to com- 
plete the hotel. Pomeroy reported on December 12, 1855, that the 
plastering was being done and that Eldridge was "taking up Furni- 
ture. . . ," 33 A rumor in January, 1856, that the Free-State 
assembly might adjourn from Topeka to Lawrence gave a new im- 
petus to the work. The move was being considered because Topeka 
had inadequate accommodations and no fortifications. 34 February 
15 was the time set for the completion of the building, but the dead- 
line passed. During March between twenty and thirty men were 
constantly employed, 35 and on April 12, the papers announced the 
glad news that the Free-State Hotel was finished. The following 
detailed description appeared in the Herald of Freedom: 

The building is on the corner of Massachusetts and Winthrop [Seventh] 
streets, fronting on Massachusetts street; 50 feet front, 70 feet back; three 
stories above the basement; contains 50 separate apartments, besides a hall in 
each story. The basement is divided into three rooms, each 18 feet square two 
to be used as pastry and meat kitchens, the other as storehouse or cellar. The 
first story is 11 feet from floor to ceiling, is divided into 9 rooms; the dining 
hall 18 feet wide and 47 feet long; hall 9% feet wide, entire length of building; 
Gentlemen's parlor, 18 feet square ; Ladies' parlor, 18 x 20 ; Reading Room, 18 
feet square; Sitting room, 16x18; two bed-rooms, 9 feet square; office, 6x14; 
side hall from office, with entrance on Winthop street; main entrance on Massa- 
chusetts street; two flights of stairs to second story. Second story 10 feet from 
floor to ceiling; 18 rooms six of them 11x18, balance 10 feet square; hall 
entire length of building. Third story 9 feet from floor to ceiling; same num- 
ber of rooms, same dimensions as the second story ; stairs leading to roof, which 
is flat, and affords a fine promenade and a splendid view of the surrounding 
scenery. There are thirty or forty port-holes in the walls, which rise above the 
roof, plugged up now with stones, which can be knocked out with a blow of 
the butt of a Sharps rifle. The apartments are papered and well ventilated. 

The entire cost of the Hotel probably exceeds $20,000. The out-houses are 
of the neatest kind. The stable, in the rear, is not yet finished, tho' the walls 
are up. It is calculated to accommodate fifty horses, and give shelter to 
vehicles. 

Mr. Geo. W. Hunt, formerly of Fitchburg, Mass., had the contract of the 
Woodwork, and Mr. Benj. Johnson, formerly of North East, Erie county, Pa., 
of the Stone and Masonry work. These gentlemen have filled their contracts 
in the most satisfactory and praiseworthy manner. Both of them are superior 
practical mechanics, and their first job in Kansas will be the best recommenda- 

32. G. Douglas Brewerton, The War in Kansas (New York. Derby and Jackson, 1856), 
pp. 265-267. 

33. "Trustees' Records," v. 1, p. 223, December 29, 1855. 

34. Herald of Freedom, January 9, 1856. 

35. Ibid., March 29, 1856. 

23--6007 



354 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

tion they can possibly give. The Hotel and grounds occupy four lots 50 x 125 
feet each two on Massachusetts and two on Vermont streets. One of them, 
(on the south of the Hotel), is to be devoted entirely to shrubbery. A neat 
fence will enclose the whole. . . . 

The building is now complete is the handsomest and handiest House west 
of St. Louis and with Col. Shaeler Eldridge, formerly of East Hampton, 
Mass., as Landlord, will throw open its doors for the reception of guests on or 
before the first of May next. Col. Eldridge is an old landlord is now one of 
the proprietors of the American Hotel at Kansas City and understands pre- 
cisely what the traveling public want. 36 

During the month of April, Eldridge was busy furnishing the new 
hotel. The furniture, purchased in St. Louis and Boston, was 
shipped by steamboat to Kansas City and from there hauled by 
teams to Lawrence. The cost of furnishing was said to have been 
something over five thousand dollars. G. Williams of the firm of 
Gliddon & Williams of Boston offered to furnish the ladies' parlor 
in a "superb style" free of charge, presumably as an advertisement. 37 
The store rooms and cellar were well filled. But before the furni- 
ture arrived and was put in place, noted guests appeared the con- 
gressional committee, sent to investigate fraudulent elections in Kan- 
sas. The commission consisted of William Howard, John Sherman, 
and Mordecai Oliver with four clerks, one reporter and three ser- 
geants at arms. A group of Lawrence citizens instantly came to the 
proprietor's aid and relieved his embarrassment by helping put the 
rooms in order. 38 

Hostilities reopened in the spring when Sheriff Jones, attempting 
to serve warrants growing out of the Wakarusa War and other dif- 
ficulties, was shot. He was taken to the Free-State Hotel and after- 
wards to Franklin. About a week later, early in May, the grand 
jury meeting at Lecompton recommended to the court that the Free- 
State Hotel and the printing presses at Lawrence be destroyed. The 
finding for the hotel read thus : 

Also that we are satisfied that the building known as the Free-State Hotel 
in Lawrence has been constructed with a view to military occupation and 
defense, and regularly parapetted and port-holed for the use of cannon and 
small arms, and could only be designed as a stronghold for resistance to law, 
thereby endangering the public safety and encouraging rebellion and sedition 
to the country; and we respectfully recommend that steps be taken whereby 
this nuisance may be removed. 39 

36. Ibid., April 12, 1856. 

37. Ibid. 

38. Mrs. Robinson, op. cit., pp. 196, 197. 

39. Cordley, op. cit., p. 91. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 355 

When, on May 6, the grand jury summoned Andrew H. Reeder 
to appear before it to testify and he refused, an attachment was is- 
sued. Reeder defied Deputy Marshal Fain to arrest him. There- 
upon United States Marshal Donalson called a posse to help serve 
warrants. Donalson with his party appeared in Lawrence, served 
his warrants without resistance, and after eating a good dinner at the 
Free-State Hotel, rode back to his headquarters and dismissed his 
posse. Immediately Sheriff Jones summoned the posse to his aid. 

The Free-State Hotel was not yet opened, but in anticipation of 
this event the proprietors had a set of rules and regulations printed 
for the conduct of their guests. The rules bear the date of May 10, 
and were among the last products of the Herald of Freedom press 
before its destruction. A facsimile of these rules is printed with this 
article. 

Under pretense that he had an order from the court, Sheriff Jones 
and his posse rode up to the hotel and warned the occupants to get 
their things out. Colonel Eldridge was said to have replied, "You 
may burn it, but every time you burn this hotel I will build another 
and add a story to it." 40 Shots fired from the cannon and other 
weapons had little effect upon the stone building. An attempt was 
then made to blow it up by setting off kegs of powder in the base- 
ment. When this failed the building was set on fire from the inside 
and in a short time was in ruins. The two printing offices were also 
destroyed and the presses broken into pieces. 

Undismayed by their loss, the Emigrant Aid Company almost im- 
mediately set about to rebuild. At its meeting on June 14 the execu- 
tive committee instructed Pomeroy to prepare the cellar walls at an 
expense not to exceed $2,000. 41 A week later the committee again 
considered the building problem. It decided to advise Colonel El- 
dridge to clear the ruins and rebuild the foundation, making it as he 
suggested four feet wider. Doctor Cabot was asked to have his 
brother, an architect, draw plans and make estimates so that they 
could "proceed understandingly, and make the Hotel appropriations 
and expenditures, judiciously and economically. . . ." To raise 
funds, the committee decided to send subscription books to each di- 
rector, "requesting his personal exertions in obtaining additional 
Stock subscriptions or donations, to enable the Company to rebuild 
its Hotel at Lawrence." It was thought that five hundred dollars in 
stock or subscription from each would furnish ample means. The 

40. Kansas City (Mo.) Times, "A Hotel With a History," August 22, 1925. 

41. "Trustees' Records," v. 2, p. 130, June 14, 1856. 



356 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

directors were to report on July 3, and the books were to be turned 
in August I. 42 The company had also instituted a claim against the 
government for the destruction of their hotel, and Pomeroy was 
ordered to remain in Washington to urge this claim. 43 

The executive committee was determined to proceed with the 
building. On June 27, C. J. Higginson of the executive committee 
wrote to Charles Branscomb directing him to go to Lawrence and 
take charge of the building of the hotel. 44 On the same day Webb 
wrote to S. N. Simpson: "We have decided to rebuild the Hotel, 
and the busy hum of active preparation will soon again be heard in 
Lawrence." 45 And to G. W. Hunt he wrote: "The Hotel will be 
rebuilt, and the work commenced forthwith, so that the structure 
may be ready for occupancy the ensuing Fall." 46 

The raising of funds did not proceed too well and the committee 
thought out a more convincing appeal. There was much suffering 
and want in Lawrence and other parts of the territory which would 
necessitate relief. The committee decided that the least objection- 
able way of giving this relief would be to furnish work, believing 
that many only temporarily in want would refuse to accept charity 
but would welcome an opportunity to earn wages. They therefore 
appealed to the people to subscribe for stock in the company upon 
the condition that the funds were to be employed for the hotel and 
mills. The money subscribed would be used to hire the needy in 
rebuilding the hotel. Those who subscribed would then have the 
satisfaction of knowing that while they were making a good invest- 
ment they were at the same time assisting in a "meritorious chari- 
table movement." 47 

Notwithstanding the uncertainty of funds work began on July 10, 
when Branscomb contracted with Hugh O'Neill for the removal of 
the debris. 48 O'Neill was to begin work at once and have the site 
cleared within sixteen days. 49 In the meantime the executive com- 
mittee "empowered" the conference committee "to authorize Mr. 
Branscomb to proceed with the work ... as rapidly as in their 
judgment it may be advisable." 50 On August 6 they sent him the 

42. Ibid., v. 2, pp. 133, 134, June 21, 1856; Webb to Pomeroy, June 21, 1856, in 
"Letter Press Book." 

43. "Trustees' Records," v. 2, p. 135, June 27, 1856. 

44. "Letter Press Book," pp. 77-81. 

45. Webb to Simpson, June 27, 1856, ibid., p. 72, "EAP." 

46. Webb to G. W. Hunt, June 27, 1856, ibid., p. 70. 

47. Webb to Geo. A. Russell, June 30, 1856; to the Rev. William C. Clark, July 29, 
1856, ibid., pp. 83, 166. 

48. "Misc. Papers," "EAP." 

49. "Accounts," "EAP." 

50. "Trustees' Records," v. 2, p. 150, July 25, 1856. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 357 

plans for the basement, instructing him to begin laying the founda- 
tion at once, "conforming in all respects to the plan" and not to 
render himself liable for more money than he had at his command. 51 
Again on October 1, the committee advised Branscomb that the re- 
building of the hotel was in his hands, and if he thought affairs in the 
territory warranted, he was to contract for the construction of the 
basement wall according to the plan in his possession. He was again 
warned not to spend more than $2,000 without further instructions. 52 
But the committee was beginning to lose its enthusiasm for hotel 
building. In answer to a letter of Robinson who was urging the im- 
portance of continuing the work, Webb answered that the company 
wanted to make improvements at all of its settlements, but its means 
were limited, and besides the "nature and extent" of its interests 
seemed "imperfectly understood"; that its shares in Lawrence had 
been altered and realtered until nothing was definite and until these 
had been placed beyond all "reasonable contingency" it would be 
unwise to make further investments. 53 

However Branscomb went ahead with the building, contracting 
with Elijah A. Deelan on October 23 for excavating the cellar at 
thirty-five cents per cubic yard and with T. L. Whitney and Joseph 
Low on November 3 for the masonry. On November 5 he made an 
agreement with William Perry for making twenty-four window 
frames and one door frame of the best quality of pine. 54 

At a meeting on November 7, the executive committee discussed 
the feasibility of discontinuing the work until spring and voted to 
leave it to the judgment of Pomeroy and Branscomb. If they 
thought it unwise to proceed they were to draw the balance of the 
letter of credit and apply it on the mill freight charges. 55 But at 
their meeting two weeks later the committee themselves decided that 
the work should not continue beyond the fulfillment of the existing 
contracts until more funds were secured. They also decided that the 
building ought not to cost more than $12,000 and certainly not to 
exceed $15,000. 56 Branscomb had previously estimated the cost at 
$25,000 or $30,000. 

Higginson accordingly informed Branscomb of the action of the 
committee. He advised him to put boards over the tops of the base- 
si. Webb to Branscomb, August 6, 1856, "Letter Press Book," p. 204. 

52. Higginson to Branscomb, October 1, 1856, ibid., p. 356. 

53. Webb to Robinson, October 7, 1856, ibid., p. 375. 

54. "Contracts," "EAP." 

55. "Trustees' Records," v. 2, p. 188, November 7, 1856. 

56. Ibid., pp. 195, 196, November 21, 1856. 



358 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

ment walls to protect them from injury during the winter weather. 
"We have not at any time/' he wrote, "contemplated building more 
than the basement this Autumn, and the present position of affairs 
in the Territory induces the Com. to turn their attention and means 
now to establishing the Mills." He also urged Branscomb to find 
ways of reducing the cost, for the committee would not again spend 
so much money on a hotel. 57 

Meanwhile the company's agents in the territory were urgently 
begging that the building be pushed with all haste. On December 1, 
Branscomb wrote to the committee that a hotel similar to what 
they had proposed was "absolutely demanded by the wants and ne- 
cessities of the community and the Territory." "It is a matter of 
general complaint," he asserted, "how badly we are provided for in 
that respect." He was sure that the contract for the remainder of 
the building should be made at once. On December 5 he again 
advised the committee to make an estimate and determine whether 
$25,000 was too much for the building. He thought that the work 
contracted for would be completed before January. 58 

Webb answered Branscomb on December 31, explaining that 
every member of the committee was anxious to complete the hotel at 
the "earliest practicable period," but how soon that would be was 
questionable. He said that there was a difference of opinion as to 
the amount to expend on the building due to the fact that their 
means were limited and that there were other pressing calls. He also 
told him that their other settlements were in need of accommodations 
as well as Lawrence. Webb then gave his own personal opinion as 
follows: 

The more I reflect upon the matter, the more convinced am I, that our 
proper course was to have put up at each of the Free-State Towns a plain, 
substantial building at a cost of some $2,000, at which good accommodations 
could be furnished on reasonable terms, and at a rate within the means of the 
greater portion of those for whose comfort & convenience we should in the 
first place look out. An expensive Hotel would be a desirable ornament to a 
Place, and would undoubtedly attract strangers and induce them to tarry 
longer than they otherwise would and probably be the means of their expend- 
ing and perhaps investing some of their surplus funds; but the cost of, and 
consequent charges at, such an establishment, would necessarily debar most 
new settlers from enjoying its advantages. As a matter of pride I wish to 
see the Hotel arise with increased splendor and enlarged dimensions; but un- 
less we obtain our claim against [the] government, I do not see how we can 
afford to indulge in such a luxury. I of course in these remarks am only ex- 
pressing my individual sentiments. The Ex. Com. may perhaps yet see the 

57. Higginson to Branscomb, November 22, 1856, "Letter Press Book," pp. 465-467. 

58. "Trustees' Records," v. 2, pp. 203, 204, 211, 214. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 359 

way clear to go on with the work in the Spring. Your estimate of the cost 
will be presented at the meeting on Friday next. As already stated to you 
there is a strong sentiment prevailing in the Committee, that acting as they 
are in trust for a Company they should not make further investments or ex- 
penditures in Lawrence until the various conflicting claims are adjusted, and 
the Go's, rights and interests are placed beyond risk from any of the contest- 
ants. . . ," 59 

The new year arrived and the prospects for the building were no 
brighter. The stone work of the basement was not yet finished. The 
executive committee thought of modifying its plan so as to have the 
lower story fitted up for stores. Members of the committee were 
even considering the possibilities of erecting a block of stores instead 
of a hotel as being a less expensive and more remunerative project. 
The latter plan they were considering the more since they understood 
that certain individuals were engaged in hotel building, and one of 
the principles of the company was not to compete with individual 
enterprise. 60 Nothing more was done and on January 16, Branscomb 
informed them that the winter was cold and nothing could be done 
until spring. 61 

It was perhaps a great relief to the committee to receive a letter 
from S. W. Eldridge dated February 2 in which he proposed to pur- 
chase the hotel foundation, stable and the three lots connected there- 
with. Eldridge, who was in Boston at the time, offered five thousand 
dollars for the property, five hundred dollars down payment and 
the rest within sixty days from the acceptance of the proposition. 
The committee called a special meeting for February 7, to consider 
the offer. After some deliberation it was voted to authorize Brans- 
comb to convey the property to Eldridge upon the following condi- 
tions : That he should pay the five thousand dollars to the treasurer 
of the company on or before April 7, 1857, or forfeit the five hundred 
dollars. That he should build a hotel according to the plan in the 
possession of the company, any alterations to be approved by them. 
That he should assume the contract for the construction of the base- 
ment and deposit one thousand dollars as security before being given 
possession. That the stone and other materials on the lots which 
had been sold to Whitney & Low were not to be included in the sale. 62 
Eldridge later complained of the construction the committee put 
upon the agreement, insisting that the five thousand dollars included 
all the company had paid and were to pay on existing contracts. 63 

59. Webb to Branscomb, December 31, 1856, "Letter Press Book," pp. 556-560. 

60. Webb to Branscomb, January 26, 1857, ibid., p. 605. 

61. "Trustees' Records," v. 3, p. 29. 

62. Ibid., v. 3, pp. 34-37, February 7, 1857. 

63. Ibid., v. 3, p. 126, May 15, 1857. 



360 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

By February 13, Eldridge had deposited the initial payment and 
requested that the committee modify its stipulations so as to require 
him only to erect a first class hotel. 64 Branscomb was forthwith 
instructed to transfer the property to Eldridge when he had paid 
forty-five hundred dollars in cash, and to take special care that 
nothing be done to impair in any way the company's title until the 
actual payment was made. He was also authorized to cancel Mai- 
lory & Earle's lease of the hotel stable. 65 

Eldridge had trouble raising the money but by June 22 he had 
completed the payments and had taken possession of the property. 66 
In partnership with his three brothers, he immediately began work 
on the building. On August 6 the Lawrence Republican noted that 
the immense foundation and cross walls were finished and the brick- 
laying had commenced. Under the new management the building 
advanced rapidly. The work continued through the severe cold 
weather in November and early in December the walls were up and 
the roof was being put on. It was the intention to have the hotel 
completed by the opening of spring. The Eldridge brothers received 
much praise for continuing the work in the face of so many obsta- 
cles. 67 

Like the Free-State Hotel, the building before its completion be- 
came a popular place for social gatherings. The first large event 
was a ball given on January 29, 1858, in compliment to the Eldridge 
brothers. The public was invited through the Lawrence papers 
under the caption : 

"TRUTH CRUSHED TO EARTH SHALL RISE AGAIN." 
FREE-STATE HOTEL BALL. 

A committee of thirty-nine in charge of the affair included Charles 
Robinson, James H. Lane, C. K. Holliday, H. Miles Moore, P. B. 
Plumb, S. N. Wood, Martin Conway, 0. E. Learnard, G. W. Deitz- 
ler and many other prominent persons. Admission tickets, with sup- 
per included, were five dollars. The proceeds were to go toward 
the hotel furnishings, and thereby help in some measure to retrieve 
Colonel Eldridge's loss in the destruction of the Free-State Hotel. 
Nothing was left undone to make the party the "most elegant" ever 

64. Ibid., v. 3, p. 48, February 13, 1857. 

65. C. J. Higginson and L. B. Russell to Branscomb, February 23, 1857, "EAP" cor- 
respondence. 

66. "Journal," p. 29, "EAP." 

67. Herald of Freedom, December 12, 1857; Lawrence Republican, December 17. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 361 

given in Kansas. The well-known caterers, H. C. Whitley & Co., 
were employed in the culinary department and the Lawrence Cornet 
band furnished the music. "No one, probably, in Kansas," wrote 
the Lawrence Republican, "has done more for the prosperity and 
permanent good of the Territory, as well as the town of Lawrence 
than has Col. Eldridge, and we hope and expect that this will be the 
affair of the season." 68 One would be interested in knowing the re- 
sult of so much preparation, how many were present, how much 
money was realized, etc., but the author was unable to find any ac- 
count of the ball after it took place. 

About three weeks later, on Friday evening, February 19, the 
Good Templars held a festival at the hotel. An invitation was ex- 
tended to all members in the territory and to all friends of temper- 
ance. Tickets to this gathering were three dollars. The Lawrence 
Cornet band was again pressed into service to furnish music for the 
dancing. The Reverend Mr. Lovejoy and the Reverend Mr. Brant 
gave addresses, and at eight o'clock a supper was served. 69 

Although the Lawrence Republican announced on May 6 that the 
three lower stories of the Eldridge Hotel would be completed before 
the 21st of the month, it was not until December 16 that the building 
was furnished and opened to guests. Besides being a story higher 
than the Free-State Hotel, the Eldridge House was longer and wider, 
extending a hundred feet along the east front and one hundred and 
seventeen feet back. The cost was estimated at $80,000. The Law- 
rence Republican gave the following description: 

It is a four story building, fronting on two streets. The first story is occupied 
with stores, a billiard room and a spacious apartment devoted to culinary 
matters. It contains one hundred rooms and can comfortably and without 
excessive crowding, accommodate both in the dining hall and sleeping rooms 
two hundred guests. The second story is occupied with a general sitting room, 
register's office and ample parlors, ladies and gentlemen's, richly furnished with 
sofas, mirrors, elegant carpeting, &c. There are several parlors with bed-rooms 
attached and all elegantly furnished. Much of the carpeting is Brussels and 
the remainder the best quality of "threeply." Almost all the rooms are fur- 
nished with stoves. 

Everything about the house is new and in the best order. The house itself 
is built in the most substantial manner, and neither money nor time have been 
spared to make it what it really is, a "first class Hotel." 

In case of fire, from which the building is admirably guarded, there are 
three ways of escape from the second and third floors and two from the fourth, 
besides scuttle holes by which Mayor Babcock's and Stearns' buildings can be 
reached. . . . 

68. Ibid., January 21, 1858. 

69. Ibid., February 4, 1858; Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, February 6. 



362 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The energy and enterprise which have carried this great undertaking to a 
successful issue in times of such universal scarcity and pressure, cannot be too 
highly commended. By such men and such means does Kansas become the 
most thrifty and prosperous of communities. . . . 70 

The Eldridge House, with its four stories towering above the other 
buildings like a modern skyscraper, added much to the appearance 
of the town. The Lawrence people were proud of it. One visitor 
said that he could see it "eight or ten miles from the place." "It gave 
a magnificent appearance at that distance," he added, "that would 
please the beholder." 71 Governor Medary, after making a survey 
of the building, wrote to his wife in Columbus, Ohio, that he could 
procure a better room and fixtures in Lawrence than in that city." 72 
And C. K. Holliday wrote: "The Eldridge House is fully open and 
is very splendid, and elegantly furnished. It is as good a house as 
any in Cleveland and as large as all the Hotels in Meadville put 
together." 73 Horace Greeley, visiting Lawrence in the spring of 
1859, likewise spoke of the "magnificent hotel" which he feared was 
"far better . . . than its patronage will justify." 74 It was con- 
sidered the finest hotel west of St. Louis. 

On New Year's eve the Eldridges gave a grand opening ball. It 
was said to have been one of the "gayest assemblies" ever held in 
Lawrence. One hundred couples attended, and the Lawrence Cornet 
band was again on hand to provide music. The tables were "gor- 
geously furnished" and were supplied with "all the delicacies which 
could be found in the most extensive saloons of the eastern cities." 
It was also a well dressed group. Colonel Holliday informed his wife 
that there was much fine dressing now and that he was obliged to 
buy a new frock coat and the "finest military overcoat you ever 
saw." 75 The editor of the Herald oj Freedom counted forty-eight 
couples on the floor at one time with plenty of room for all. He 
thought it a "brilliant contrast" to a party given four years pre- 
viously by a Mr. Litchfield at his "mud cabin boarding house," 
where for want of room to dance the guests spent the evening in 
social conversation. 76 

The territorial legislature met at Lecompton in January, 1859, and 
adjourned to Lawrence to hold its session. Governor Medary and 

70. Lawrence Republican, December 23, 1858. 

71. Herald of Freedom, February 13, 1858. 

72. Lawrence Republican, December 23, 1858. 

73. Holliday to his wife, January 30, 1859, "Holliday Collection," MSS. division, Kansas 
State Historical Society. 

74. Horace Greeley, An Overland Journey, From New York to San Francisco . 
(New York, C. M. Saxton, Barker & Co., 1860), p. 43. 

75. Holliday to his wife, January 30, in "Holliday Collection." 

76. Herald of Freedom,, January 8, 1859. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 363 

a large number of the councilmen and members of the house were 
guests of the Eldridge House. To honor the governor, a dinner was 
given Saturday evening, February 5. It was given especially to 
express appreciation for his "dignity, firmness, and impartiality" in 
discharging his official duties. A large crowd of men and women 
representing every shade of Kansas politics was in attendance. An 
excellent dinner was served and afterwards numerous toasts were 
given. The first toast to Governor Medary was responded to at 
some length. Among the ten other toasts offered was one to Kansas 
territory, "the Eden and Ophir of the 'far West'." Another was to 
the women of Kansas, "without them our Eden would be a desert, 
our Ophir valueless." At a late hour the program was concluded and 
the guests departed. One editor thought that the occasion inaugu- 
rated a new era in Kansas, an "era of union and harmony between 
the Executive and the people. . . ." 77 

The Eldridge House became the center of the town's social activi- 
ties. Balls, banquets, weddings, political meetings and gatherings of 
all kinds were held there. Many noted guests were also entertained. 
Mention has been made of Horace Greeley's visit in May, 1859. 
From the steps of the Eldridge House he addressed a large gathering. 
On September 26, 1860, William H. Seward, the senator from New 
York, and his party visited Lawrence and were the hotel's guests. 
In the party were other distinguished persons including General 
Nye, Rufus King of the Milwaukee Sentinel, Charles Francis Adams, 
Jr., and a Mr. Hays of the New York Herald. In the afternoon 
Seward spoke to a large crowd in front of the hotel. 78 

Four years after the Eldridge House was opened it too was de- 
stroyed. Quantrill and his guerrilla band entered Lawrence on 
August 21, 1863, reduced the town practically to ruins and murdered 
a great number of its citizens. The Eldridge House suffered great 
losses. Sixty or more guests, a number of them Eastern men who 
had come out to look over the country with a view to making in- 
vestments, and other families boarding permanently, lost their per- 
sonal belongings and household goods. On the first floor were five 
stores and a law office, and the damage to these alone was said 
to have been $60,000. The loss to the whole building was perhaps 
$150,000. But the occupants were spared their lives, a thing diffi- 
cult to understand considering the treatment given other hotels. 
For instance, after the Johnson House, the next largest hotel, sur- 
rendered, its male occupants were taken out and shot. 

77. Ibid., February 12 ; Lawrence Republican, January 20, February 10, 1859. 

78. Ibid., September 27, 1860. 



364 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The Lawrence people, almost paralyzed by the blow, silently set 
about burying their dead and caring for the wounded and homeless. 
What to do they did not know. Some thought it futile to rebuild, 
that the rebels would again destroy the town. But finally courage 
and determination overcame their fears, and in a short time the 
work of rebuilding was going on everywhere. 

Almost the first thought in the minds of prominent citizens after 
the raid was the rebuilding of the Eldridge House. Ten days after 
the destruction of the town the following appeal was made to S. W. 
Eldridge : 

Ruins of Lawrence 

September 1, 1863 
To Col. S. W. Eldridge 

The Free State Hotel is again in ruins by the hands of Proslavery fiends 
We, your neighbors & friends appeal to you not to be discouraged but arouse 
yourself to action & rebuild the noble structure as near as possible as it was 
We will aid you to the utmost of our ability & firmly believe the friends of 
freedom throughout the land will aid you We respectfully urge you to visit 
those friends throughout the States & give them the opportunity of contrib- 
uting We know they will aid in the erection of such a monument to Free- 
dom 

George W. Deitzler Robert Morrow 

C. Robinson L. Guild 

C. W. Babcock Simpson Brothers 

Lyman Allen H. P. Grovenor 

O. Wilmarth Wesley H. Duncan 

S. K. Huson James Blood 

R. W. Ludington W. E. Sutliff & Co. 

Josiah Miller Ridenour & Baker 

Edward D. Thompson 

On the back, the petition was endorsed by the Kansas delegation in 
congress, J. H. Lane, S. C. Pomeroy and A. C. Wilder, by Lt. Gov. 
T. A. Osborn, and by several generals in the army including James 
G. Blunt. 79 

But Colonel Eldridge had suffered such losses that he was unable 
to rebuild without aid. Early in May, a suggestion was made that 
the city give ten thousand dollars and that citizens subscribe toward 
the enterprise. Eldridge expressed his opinion that ten thousand dol- 
lars from the city would be sufficient. On June 8 a meeting was held 
on the Eldridge House site to consider plans for rebuilding. At this 
meeting a committee was appointed to visit the city council and ask 
them to call an election for submitting the question of the city's 

79. MSS. division. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 365 

contributing ten thousand dollars toward the erection of a hotel 
"equal to the old Eldridge House." 80 

To encourage the city officials a petition signed by 115 prominent 
citizens was presented to the council. The petition stressed the im- 
portance of erecting a first class hotel immediately, the necessity of 
municipal aid, and expressed confidence in the ability of S. W. El- 
dridge. It stated the willingness of the signers to support the city 
in voting ten thousand dollars in bonds to Eldridge, and pledged 
their votes and influence to secure such action. Among the signers 
were Wilson Shannon, James H. Lane, Sidney Clarke, P. D. Ride- 
nour, S. N. Simpson, George Deitzler, and Charles Robinson. 81 

Frequent articles in the newspapers kept the matter before the 
public. A writer to the Kansas Tribune proposed incorporating a 
joint stock company. He believed that a thousand shares at one 
hundred dollars each would be readily taken, and through the rent 
of stores in the building and the increased value of property the stock 
would pay good dividends. 82 On February 25, the editor of the 
Tribune urged the city to vote bonds, arguing that the town was 
prospering and that a good hotel would bring emigrants and would 
be the first inducement to capitalists. 83 

A bond election to vote $15,000 was finally called for March 3. 
The question carried by a vote of 162 to 47. About two weeks later 
the mayor advertised for sealed proposals. The bids were to contain 
the size of the building, its location, approximate cost and the mate- 
rial to be used. The bids were opened on April 5, by the city council 
and the contract was awarded to Colonel Eldridge. The building 
was to be 100 by 117 feet and three stories high. 84 In addition to the 
fifteen thousand dollars in bonds, a number of citizens gave dona- 
tions. According to the editor of the Tribune one individual sub- 
scribed one thousand dollars and two others five hundred dollars 
each. 85 

Eldridge began immediately with a large force of hands to remove 
the ruins and clean the brick worth saving. On May 3 the Tribune 
reported that the masons would soon commence laying the walls. A 
little more than three weeks later, on May 27, the cornerstone was 

80. Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence, June 9, 1864. 

81. Original manuscript in MSS. division. 

82. Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, January 28, 1865. 

83. Ibid., February 25, 1865. 

84. Ibid., April 7, 1865. 

85. Ibid., April 11, 1865. 



366 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

laid with appropriate ceremonies. The Reverend E. Nute, a pioneer 
minister, gave the address. The inscription on the stone read: 

Site of Free State Hotel 

Burned by Sheriff Jones 

May 21, 1856 

Eldridge House 

Burned by Quantrill 

August 21, 1863 

The work continued through the summer, although delayed at 
times by inability to get brick and lumber. By September 20, the 
building was up to the third story. The editor of the Tribune thought 
that it looked too "squatty" and suggested that aid be given to help 
Eldridge add another story. But his appeal received no response, 
since three stories fulfilled the contract. In November the roof was 
put on and the next month the first floor was completed and ready 
for occupation. This floor contained five store rooms which were 
soon rented. The Merchant Tailoring establishment moved in in 
December, and early in January H. H. Ludington opened a saloon 
in one of the rooms. A Bazaar store occupied another room, Drake 
& Crew's bookstore another, and B. W. Woodward moved the pre- 
scription department of his drug store into the basement. 86 

Work on the rest of the building began to lag. This delay brought 
forth a remonstrance from a citizen taxpayer who inquired about the 
prospects of the building being completed. Although the stores were 
finished he thought that the city could hardly afford to give a bonus 
of $3,000 each for five store rooms. Nor did he think that the city 
could afford to give $15,000 for the erection of a hotel to be com- 
pleted when the rent from the stores furnished the money. He de- 
clared that all that had been done in the last three months could 
have been accomplished in three days. "We want the hotel now," he 
asserted, "and it is due to the city that it be completed at the earli- 
est possible time. . . ." 87 

On May 21, 1866, Eldridge sold the hotel to George W. Deitzler. 
The purchase price was nearly $50,000, and the name, Eldridge 
House, was retained. Deitzler began pushing the work with the ut- 
most energy, engaging all the workmen who could be employed. 88 
Early in June the firm of Johnson & Wiggins completed the plaster- 
ing, 89 and in July Deitzler leased the building to E. A. Smith and 

86. Ibid., December 24, 1865; January 23, 28, February 10, March 20, 1866. 

87. Ibid., March 15, 1866. 

88. Ibid., May 22, 25, 1866. 

89. Ibid., June 3, 1866. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 367 

E. C. Stevens. Stevens was experienced in the work, having been 
connected with the Planter's Hotel in Leavenworth for a number of 
years. 90 The hotel was opened for the reception of guests on Sep- 
tember 27, and the next evening the proprietors celebrated by giving 
a ball at Frazer's hall. The public was invited and many persons 
from Leavenworth and the surrounding towns attended. The hall 
was crowded and according to the Tribune the ball was a "grand 
success." 91 

The building was three stories high with a frontage of one hun- 
dred feet on Massachusetts street and one hundred and seventeen 
feet on Winthrop. The first floor was used principally for stores 
with the hotel office and the main entrance on Massachusetts street 
and the kitchen in the rear. The sixty-four rooms in the upper 
stories included sleeping rooms and parlors. In addition to these 
were linen closets and rooms for domestics. The dining room on the 
second floor was 32 by 70 feet. 92 It was well arranged and con- 
tained such modern conveniences as a "Patent Carving Table" fif- 
teen feet long which was heated the entire length with hot water. 
The rooms were large, airy and well lighted, with high ceilings, and 
furnished in the "tastiest and most comfortable style. . . ." 93 
All the modern improvements were included in the equipment of 
the building. On each floor was a wide hall and connected with the 
ground floor was a billiard saloon 40 by 70 feet. In 1868 the billiard 
hall was redecorated and furnished in a style "not outdone by any 
similar establishment in the country." 94 

In January, 1876, the Eldridge House again changed hands, being 
purchased by H. H. Ludington, who changed its name to the Luding- 
ton House. 95 Four years later J. R. Pershall of Junction City 
bought it. 96 The former name was restored, and with the exception 
of the four years during which it was owned by Ludington it has 
been known as the Eldridge House since the erection of the second 
building. 

The Eldridge House did not always maintain its high standards. 
At one time at least it was in a dilapidated condition. In 1883 a 
writer to the Tribune described it as an old barn with no paint, no 
shutters at the windows, not a bath in the whole house, and the 

90. Ibid., July 13, 1866. 

91. Ibid., September 27, 29, 1866. 

92. Ibid., May 25, 1866. 

93. Ibid., September 26, 1866. 

94. Kansas Weekly Tribune, May 14, 1868. 

95. Ibid., January 6, 1876. 

96. The Western Home Journal, Lawrence, September 9, 1880. 



368 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

plastering falling off in many of the rooms. He considered it a 
"lamentable fact" that Lawrence could not "boast of one building 
in which to run a strictly first-class hotel." However, he exonerated 
the proprietor, J. R. Pershall, from all blame. 97 In September of 
that year Bernard Murry became manager. Murry had been in 
charge of the McClure House in Canon City, Colo., a place noted 
for the abundance and variety of its food and the "excellence of its 
cuisine." He immediately set about to repair and refurnish the 
building. Under his capable management the house was restored to 
its former prestige and Lawrence no longer had reason to be ashamed 
of its big hotel. 98 

The property has changed hands many times since 1865. On 
December 5, 1865, it was deeded to the city and soon after turned 
over to the county for taxes. The next year it was purchased by 
George Deitzler from Shalor Eldridge. Other owners have been 
H. H. Ludington, J. R. Pershall, Mrs. A. M. Deitzler and Edward 
Maloy. In 1899 Maloy sold the building and contents to E. G. 
Conn. After passing through the hands of several members of the 
Conn family, it was sold to Anna L. Hutson in November, 1907. 
Mrs. Hutson deeded it to her two sons, George E. and William G., 
in 1910, and two years later William G. Hutson, the present owner, 
became sole possessor. 99 

For fifty-nine years after its rebuilding in 1866 the Eldridge 
House continued to operate without major alterations. It became 
widely known in one instance in not too complimentary a way. In 
the fall of 1914, Julian Street, an American author, stopped at 
Lawrence on a visit to Kansas and the West. In an article in Col- 
lier's he facetiously described his brief visit to the Eldridge House 
as follows: 

. . . I retired to the Eldridge House dining room and ordered the fifty- 
cent luncheon. If it was the worst meal I had on my entire trip, it at least 
fulfilled an expectation, for I had heard that meals in Western hotels were 
likely to be poor. It is only just to add, however, that a number of sturdy 
men who were seated about the room ate more heartily and vastly than any 
other people I have seen, excepting German tourists on a Rhine steamer. I 
envy Kansans their digestions. For my own part, I was less interested in 
my meal than in the waitresses. . . . There is, I trust, nothing improper in 
making mention of the striking display of jewelry worn by the waitresses at 
the Eldridge House. All wore diamonds in their hair, and not one wore less 
than fifty thousand dollars' worth. These diamonds were set in large hairpins, 

97. Kansas Weekly Tribune, April 20, 1883. 

98. Lawrence Daily Journal, September 9, 1883. 

99. Lawrence Journal-World, August 22, 1925. 



CALDWELL: THE ELDRIDGE HOUSE 369 

and the show of gems surpassed any I have ever seen by daylight. Luncheon 
at the Eldridge suggests, in this respect, a first night at the Metropolitan 
Opera House in New York, and if it is like that at luncheon what must it be 
at dinner? Do they wear tiaras and diamond stomachers? I regret that I am 
unable to say, for, immediately after luncheon, I kept an appointment, pre- 
viously made, with the driver of the auto hack. . . . 10 

According to the Kansas City Star Hutson was not at all indignant 
at Street's remarks, but was gratified at the notice his establishment 
had received. He accordingly presented the Eastern writer with a 
season meal ticket with the following message : 

The Eldridge House, fortunate enough to come under your notice, has 
achieved national prominence as a result of your recent visit to Lawrence and 
the article you have written for Collier's about your brief stay here. 

I hardly dare to think about the sum that would have to be spent to reach 
this result by any other means than the one you have employed without ex- 
pectation or hope of reward. 

Not in any way as a measure of the service you have rendered, but as an 
earnest of my appreciation, I beg to extend to you the privileges of the Eldridge 
House dining room for the season of 1915. 

Trusting that you may be able to make frequent use of the enclosed pass, I 
remain, Yours very truly, 

W. G. Hutson.ioi 

The second Eldridge House was one of the most modern of its day, 
but a later era of hotel building, bringing new inventions and im- 
provements, antiquated the establishment. Not long after William 
G. Hutson became owner in 1912, the World War, with its attendant 
high prices, shattered whatever dreams or plans he may have had 
for a new building. The unsettled financial conditions after the 
war also precluded any such venture by one person. Meanwhile 
Lawrence was badly in need of a modern hotel. In 1925 an appeal 
was made to the Lawrence people to help in the enterprise, and 
through a popular campaign, initiated by the Lawrence Chamber of 
Commerce, fifty thousand dollars was raised by subscription. 102 

Preliminary arrangements having been completed, work began on 
the new building May 18, 1925. The plan was to rebuild in sections, 
leaving one part standing to continue hotel accommodations. On 
the above date workmen began to tear down the north half. 103 Day 
and night shifts speeded the work in an endeavor to complete the 
building in time for the return of the old K. U. "Grads" for the 
Missouri-Kansas football game that fall. 104 

100. "Kansas Where All Signs Fail," in Collier's, October 24, 1914, p. 20. 

101. Kansas City (Mo.) Star, October 25, 1914. 

102. Lawrence Daily Journal -World, October 10, 1929. 

103. Ibid., August 21, 1925; Kansas City (Mo.) Star, June 28, 1925. 

104. Ibid., July 26, 1925. 

246007 



370 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

On August 21, the sixty-second anniversary of the Quantrill raid, 
the ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone took place. The 
exercises were held in front of the building with the workmen's 
scaffold for a platform. A crowd of people stood in Massachusetts 
street blocking the traffic. Many of the old settlers who had wit- 
nessed the sacking and burning of the first Eldridge House were 
there. The daughter of Colonel Eldridge came from California. 
Mrs. Anna Lane Johnson, Jim Lane's daughter, was also present. 
The principal address was given by W. E. Connelley, secretary of 
the Kansas State Historical Society. Fred Trigg of the Kansas City 
Star, Mayor Frank M. Holliday and R. C. Rankin also spoke. 105 

The work continued, but the goal for the completion of the building 
was not realized. It was not until the beginning of April, 1926, that 
the first unit was finished. Its formal opening took place on the 
afternoon of April 8, when the entire hotel was thrown open to visi- 
tors. According to the editor of the Journal-World, the "procession 
of callers literally ran into the thousands and the hotel lobbies were 
crowded from 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon until nearly midnight. 

106 

After the first unit was finished, work began on the south half. 
The celebration for the completion of this addition occurred Jan- 
uary 1, 1929, with an open house. A large crowd filled the lobby, 
coffee shop, grill room and ball room. Music for dancing was fur- 
nished by Kansas City orchestras. In addition to the coffee shop 
and dining room, the new part contained about fifty guest rooms 
on the upper floors. The dining room was beautifully finished in 
ivory and gold, the coffee shop in jade and green and the grill room 
with tinted bricks. Pennants of the "Big Six" athletic teams deco- 
rated the inlaid panels on the tile floor. 107 

The Eldridge House continues to carry on. Lawrence would not 
be Lawrence without it. It originated with the town, has grown 
with it, and is embedded deeply in its traditions. 

105. Lawrence Daily Journal-World, August 22, 1925; Kansas City (Mo.) Times, August 
22, 1925. 

106. Lawrence Daily Journal-World, April 9, 1926. 

107. Ibid., January 2, 1929 ; Topeka Daily Capital, September 25, 1928. 



Eastern Kansas in 1869-1870 

PAUL H. GIDDENS 

I. INTRODUCTION 

LOCATED about twenty miles from the place where Col. E. L. 
Drake drilled the first oil well in 1859, The Venango Spectator 
at Franklin, Pa., gave its readers full and complete information 
about the drilling of this first oil well and the subsequent excitement 
along Oil creek, which ushered in the petroleum industry. Despite 
their sensational character these events did not monopolize the 
columns of the Spectator, for it frequently printed for its readers 
letters from persons who were either visiting or settling in the region 
beyond the Mississippi, where equally significant events were oc- 
curring. Personal letters to the editor concerning life on the Great 
Plains in Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and other 
places always provided interesting reading material for those in 
northwestern Pennsylvania. It was the most convenient means of 
learning about the growth of the New West. 

The following letters were copied from The Venango Spectator. 
They were written from different places in Kansas and by an un- 
known person, except for No. 3. Some insight into the character 
of eastern Kansas in 1869-1870 may be gleaned from reading them. 

II. THE LETTERS 

Kansas City, Mo. 

September 4, 1869. 
Dear Spectator: 1 

I might indulge here in a poetical and romantic leave-taking from 
the "home of my childhood and the friends of my youth," and I can 
call to mind many quotations upon that subject which would both 
serve to fill up space and weary your patience; but I will not. I will 
let you off. 

I arrived here about two weeks since, having experienced on my 
journey nothing beyond the usual incidents of travel. Thinking I 
might possibly interest you, I will give you a brief outline of my 
impressions of the place. 

Kansas City is situated on the south bank of the Missouri river, 
about one mile from the mouth of the Kansas (or Kaw as they call 
it here). It is a city in fact, as well as in name, and in this it differs 

1. The Venango Spectator, Franklin, Pa., September 10, 1869. 

(371) 



372 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

from many of the Western villages (and some in Venango county 
that I call to mind) which seek to add to their importance by the 
addition of the extra word to their names. It probably has about 
30,000 inhabitants, though the natives will tell you "from 35,000 to 
40,000." Indeed, there is every prospect of their boast being realized, 
for the population has been several times doubled in the past few 
years, and there are more signs of prosperity now than ever before. 
It is built upon a succession of high bluffs, and the cost of grading 
has been immense. In many places the excavations for streets and 
buildings are fifty feet in depth; in other places large ravines have 
been filled up. It is said that the grading of the city has cost as 
much as the buildings. Buildings are mostly of brick, and many of 
them faced with what is called Junction City marble, a peculiar kind 
of limestone, which, when first quarried, is so soft that it is sawed 
with a common handsaw, but by exposure becomes hard and durable. 

A great rivalry exists between the cities on the Missouri river, but 
this place has fairly outstripped them all. The first bridge across 
the Missouri has been built at this point, at a cost of over $1,000,000. 
Seven railroads centre here, and this is the point of shipment for 
nearly all of Kansas and the great southwest. There is a visible 
source of supply for the existence of the city, which is much more 
than can be said of many of the "future railroad centres of the great 
West." There is scarcely a town in the West but what claims that 
distinction, and boasts a dozen or more intended lines of roads ; but 
while the claims of these places exist only in imagination or on paper, 
those of Kansas City are already accomplished facts. Property here 
is rapidly increasing in value and rents are high. I note one case of 
a building just completed at a cost of $16,000, and which rents for 
$10,000 per annum. 

Franklin has several representatives in the population, and, I am 
happy to say, they are all doing well. Indeed, everybody who comes 
here with a definite idea of what he intends to do, and has any quali- 
fications for the business, is sure to do well. 

But the person who comes here without money and without pros- 
pects, had much better have staid at home. The West is infested 
with that class of people. Those who have been either too lazy or 
unqualified to make a living in the East come here expecting to find 
it easy. They are disappointed, and many of them, overcome by 
despair, end their existence in the Missouri river. We read of such 
cases every day. 

I would say to all these adventurers, do not come here expecting 



GIDDENS: EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 373 

something to turn up; it must be turned up, and unless they can 
come with the requisites to do it, they had better stay away. 

R. 

Olathe, Kansas 

November 13, 1869. 
Dear Spectator'-* 

I have just been reading in the Eastern papers of the large falls 
of snow and the cold weather you have been having. As yet, the 
entire fall of snow at this place has not exceeded two inches, and 
has remained on the ground but a short time. As I write, the sun 
is shining bright and warm, and dust is flying in the streets. 

This place is on the Missouri River, Ft. Scott & Gulf Railroad, 
about twenty miles south of Kansas City. It has about two thou- 
sand inhabitants, and is steadily and rapidly growing. The place 
was sacked by Quantrill when on the raid made memorable by the 
burning of Lawrence. 3 The name Olathe is from the language of 
the Shawnee tribe of Indians and means beautiful. It is destined, 
so the natives tell me, to be a Great Railroad Centre. There is an- 
other Great Railroad Centre twenty miles to the south. It is at 
present known as Paola. Not far from Paola a new town has been 
started ; it is now eight weeks old and has five hundred inhabitants ; 
its projectors intend it for a G. R. C. There are other G. R. C's 
in abundance. At present they rejoice in but one railroad which 
charges seven cents per mile for passenger travel and correspond- 
ingly high for freight. Each glorifies itself with half a dozen or 
more projected roads, few of which will ever be projected beyond 
a position on paper. 

Railroads leaving Santa Fe, N. Mex., for an objective point, are 
numerous. Santa Fe railroads (on paper) run through nearly every 
county seat in the state, but at this time not one has been com- 
menced. To be a G. R. C. is the ambition of every Kansas town, 
and all their energies are bent to the attainment of this end. The 
papers of each place give a list, accompanied by explanatory and 
eulogistic remarks, of the railroads centering, or about to centre 
there, about once a month. 

Johnson county embraces some of the best farming land in the 
state, and crops of all kinds are of the best quality and most abun- 
dant. Every kind of crop is said to be sure excepting wheat, which 

2. The Venango Spectator, November 26, 1869. 

3. Quantrill sacked Olathe in September, 1862. He raided Lawrence August 21, 1863. 



374 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

occasionally fails by being frozen out, or by the rust. A good crop 
averages 20 bushels per acre. Corn, such as is seldom seen in the 
East, is raised here, and averages about forty bushels to the acre. 
The yield of other grain is great; while the yield of all root crops 
is really marvelous. Sweet potatoes I have seen two, three, and 
even four feet long. Fruit of all kinds is raised with no difficulty. 
The growth of the trees is very rapid, the quality of the fruit is 
delicious and the size and yield wonderful. Grapes do well, the 
climate being well adapted to the growth of almost any variety. 
One drawback, however, to immigration to some parts of the state, 
is the high rate of taxation. This is occasioned by the recklessness 
with which appropriations are made to different purposes, principally 
railroads, by the county and city officials. In Wyandotte county 
many farmers were compelled to sell out and remove to other places, 
because the taxes amounted to more than they could make on their 
property. In this county the taxes are high and many complaints 
are made, especially by the farmers, upon whom they fall most 
heavily. 

The raising of beef cattle for the market has been and is a profit- 
able business. Cattle are grazed upon the open prairie for from 
eight to ten months in the year, the only expense being to corral 
them at night and salt them occasionally. No part of the farm 
need be reserved for making hay to feed them during the balance 
of the time, as the unoccupied prairie will furnish any amount and 
of good quality. Money can be doubled in a year, if the buyer be 
judicious in his purchases. The people have a great horror to Texas 
cattle which are sent to the East in immense quantities through 
Kansas and Missouri. Cattle from Texas, driven through here in 
the warm months, bring with them some epidemical disease which 
destroys all the native cattle grazing near the trail. A law of the 
state prohibits their entrance within its limits, excepting during the 
winter months. Nevertheless the law is frequently disregarded. 
The farmers who suffer thereby become furious and often attack 
the herds, shoot down many of the cattle and drive the balance 
away so that many are never recovered. In some localities they 
threaten to hang any herder who drives Texas cattle within certain 
limits. 

"Lo," the poor Indian, is plenty here, and every day many of 
them come to town in all the glory of painted faces and dirty 
breeches. He dresses much like his pale-face brother, but has a 
preference for fancy colors and an utter disregard for suspenders 



GIDDENS: EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 375 

and buttons to his nether garments. The occupation of the noble 
red man of the Shawnee tribe is farming, and they own some of the 
best land in the county. Sometimes he is "well-to-do," and oc- 
casionally even wealthy, maintaining a carriage and other adjuncts 
of civilized prosperity. Although they are quite prosperous here 
they are becoming discontented, owing to the rapidly accumulating 
numbers of the paleface. They are selling their lands and are re- 
moving to the Indian territory, where the government has given 
them a reservation. Poor Lo! he is driven from one place to 
another by the tide of civilization. The Indians' territory has long 
been kept free from the encroachments of white men, but it will be 
but a short time after the completion of the M. R., Ft. S., & G. R. R. 
until that, too, will be seized for the all-grasping white man. 

The prairie grass this year was of unusual height and rankness, 
and since it has become dry, numerous fires have been the con- 
sequence. Almost every evening the sky may be seen lit up with 
one or more fires, being very destructive, burning the hay and 
fences of many farmers, and in some cases all the buildings. Where 
the precaution is taken of burning the grass for some distance 
around the farm while the air is still, there is no danger from it. 
The beauty of a prairie fire has often been described; poets have 
written of it; but my pen is unequal to the task, so I shall not at- 
tempt to. R. 

Humboldt, Allen Co., Kansas 

January 31, 1870. 
Messrs. Editors: 4 

Allow me to say a few words through your columns to my old 
friends in Venango county. We arrived at Lawrence, Kan., May 
27, 1869, and I have spent a portion of my time since in traveling 
through the state, having my headquarters at Lawrence, a city of 
ten thousand inhabitants, noted for enterprise and intelligence. 

After having traveled over the principal part of the state, I con- 
clude that southern Kansas presents the greatest advantages to the 
newcomer. We located at the thriving young city of Humboldt 
about one month ago, of which I shall speak again. 

Many of you are aware that my object in coming to Kansas was 
to recuperate health. We think we have made a wise choice. After 
several month's experience we find our health as a family decidedly 
benefited by the change. We are convinced that this is among the 

4. The Venango Spectator, February 11, 3870. 



376 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

best climates for invalids, and would particularity advise persons 
suffering with pulmonary complaints to visit this state and enjoy 
the dry, bracing atmosphere of its climate. 

The people of Missouri told us that, what the drought might 
chance to spare, the grasshoppers would surely devour in Kansas. 
But, instead of a drought we have a superabundance of rain, and 
the grasshoppers failed to put in an appearance. 

This state is destined to stand among the brightest stars in our 
federal constellation. She possesses many natural advantages in 
richness of soil, and mildness of climate, which cause a growth of 
fruit and vegetables beyond all expectation and all experience else- 
where. Stock raising is comparatively easy and exceedingly profit- 
able. The people form excellent society in a literary point of view, 
having emigrated from the East, and having been the most enter- 
prizing and intelligent in the land they left. They work together 
in harmony in building churches, schools, and railroads, and accept 
the advantages of the age in the broadest and most liberal sense. 

But to return to our young city: Humboldt is located on the east 
bank of the Neosho river, ninety miles south of Topeka, the capital 
of Kansas. The inhabitants number about twelve hundred and are 
rapidly increasing. There is an abundance of timber for all prac- 
tical purposes, in the immediate vicinity of the town. Coal in large 
quantities and of good quality is found in the surrounding country. 
Rock for building purposes is found on about every quarter-section, 
the soil for many miles around is of a very superior quality and 
produced the past year an abundance of corn, wheat, oats, and all 
kinds of vegetables. 

The Osage Orange hedge is principally used for fencing. Four 
years' growth from the seed produces a lawful fence. It is very 
durable and is ornamental. 

This is the most promising town in southern Kansas owing to the 
fact that it is the prospective point of junction or crossing of the 
Leavenworth, Lawrence, and the Galveston R. R., and the Union 
Pacific R. R., Southern Branch. These form two of the principal 
roads of the state. The L. L. and the Galveston connects the Great 
Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico, and is completed to a point forty 
miles north of Humboldt. The U. P. S. B. road has its western 
terminus at Junction City, and will be completed to this place, a 
distance of 110 miles, in a few months. 

The U. S. Land Office for southern Kansas is located here. The 



GIDDENS: EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 377 

immigration has been large in quantity and good in quality, and 
will doubtless be largely increased during the coming season. "Wel- 
come!" we say. In this beautiful land there is room for all. 

GEO. W. OGLESBY. 

Girard, Crawford Co. 

Kansas 
May 2d, 1870. 
Dear Spectator: 5 

Since I last wrote to you we have ceased to be a Railroad terminus, 
and are now engaged in talking about when we will be a Railroad 
Centre. The end of the railroad is now at Baxter Springs, which is 
at the State line, forty miles south of this. With the terminus of the 
road we have also lost the gamblers and Nymphs du Pave, which 
latter fact does not make us feel a bit sorry, for we did for a while 
enjoy the unenviable reputation of being the worst town in the 
"Border Tier." The floating population and mushroom business 
houses have left us and we are able to judge of how we stand as a 
town. The population of our place is now about nine hundred, and 
there is not, that I know of, a single drone in the lot. In point of 
activity and enterprise our Western towns furnish examples which 
it would be hard to find elsewhere. A town of from five hundred to 
one thousand inhabitants here will do as much business as one of 
four to eight thousand in the East. 

We have a community of industrious and intelligent people, who 
are actively engaged in building up the town and improving the sur- 
rounding country. Immigrants are coming into the country in great 
numbers. Long strings of canvas-covered wagons are continually 
streaming in upon us, and I some times wonder whether the East will 
not be entirely depopulated. Vast sections of country are being 
filled up as if by magic. Towns are being raised upon the prairie 
almost with the rapidity mentioned in the reliable history of Alad- 
din's lamp. 

The price of land is continually rising and I feel sure will be from 
fifty to one hundred percent higher in a year than now. The portion 
of the Neutral Lands which has heretofore been kept out of the 
market, it is said, will be opened for sale with [in] two weeks. We 
hear that the price will range from $5 to $11 per acre, according to 
the distance from the railroad and the quality of the land. Over 

5. The Venango Spectator, May 13, 1870. 



378 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

one half of the land is now claimed, and the cost of these claims will 
make the price of the land range from $10 to $25 per acre, according 
to the improvements. 

In the building up of a new country there is quite a speculation in 
the building of county towns. The county seat is fixed by the vote 
of the citizens of the county, and, as the interest of each town is all 
for itself, there is no limit to the stretching of the returns. In one 
instance where the contest was between Baxter Springs and Colum- 
bus, the Baxter chaps explained their defeat by charging the Colum- 
bus folks with keeping the polls open until after hearing the returns 
from Baxter. In the county west of this there was a lively contest 
between Erie and Osage Mission. The Mission folks sent a commis- 
sion to Erie to watch the polls for the purpose of preventing fraud. 
The Erie people saw the mission of the Mission committee and went 
them one better, as they state it here. A sham voting place was 
opened, and the Mission detectives watched it nearly a whole day 
before discovering that they were sitting on the wrong nest. Did 
these swindled Mission people cuss? A judge of Western human 
nature may bet his pile they did. These gentlemen had no farther 
interest in that election. They didn't even wait to get the returns, 
but left Erie in disgust. During all this time the strategic voters of 
Erie were engaged in rolling up a majority somewhat larger than the 
population of the whole district. Election returns here are not a safe 
criterion upon which to judge population. 

I have been asked what are the principal advantages of this coun- 
try, and in reply I can scarcely think of any which it does not 
possess. The climate is magnificent. During the past winter the 
mercury fell below zero but once and then only three degrees; and 
I have been told by those who have lived here for three years (the 
"oldest inhabitants") that it seldom rises above one hundred during 
the summer, and the heat is always tempered by constant breezes 
from the south or south-west. 

The soil is very productive, being considered the best in Kansas, 
and anybody who will take the trouble to look for it in the statistics 
sent from the Patent Office, may see that Kansas ranks the first state 
in the union. Then, too, the farmers here have the two advantages of 
large yields and good prices. I know that it is common in the East 
to say, "If they do raise large crops in the West, they cannot sell 
them for half what we get for ours." Such remarks do not hold good 
with reference to this section of the country. I have watched the 
market reports printed in the Spectator and have noticed that the 



GIDDENS: EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 379 

prices of all the products of the farm are higher here than in Frank- 
lin. 

For fruit raising and grape culture the climate and soil are both 
especially adapted. Severe frosts do not come at just exactly the 
right time to destroy the peaches and kill the vines. 

Stock-raising, however, seems to be the most profitable business. 
The short, mild winters render but little feeding necessary. Judi- 
cious investments in stock will yield from one to two hundred per 
cent advance in one year's time. Many men who come to southern 
Kansas with a small capital are getting wealthy in that business; 
and some few who come with ample means are amassing fortunes. 

Now comes what are usually denominated our disadvantages. Of 
timber we have but little, and lumber is consequently higher here 
than in the East. Yet it costs not nearly so much to fence a farm 
here as it does to clear in a timbered country. As a fuel we do 
not miss it, for we have an abundance of coal, of good quality, all 
over the Neutral Lands. Water is not so plenty, nor as good as in 
the temperate, cold water region of Pennsylvania. This is a dis- 
advantage which there is no denying, and it is one which the new- 
comer from better watered regions thinks he cannot endure, yet 
it is not nearly so bad as is generally believed, or as the stranger 
at first supposes. There is a sufficiency of lasting water in the 
streams for stock, and good drinking water can be found most any- 
where by digging from five to twenty feet. 

Though our natural advantages are great, yet it is not to these 
alone that the unparalleled advancement of this section is due. The 
railroads which are stretching like net-work all over the country are 
the cause. There was a time when railroads were caused by and 
followed wealth and civilization. At this time and in this country 
the order is reversed. Railroads are pushed out into the unoccupied 
prairie and wealth and civilization follow as if by magic. 

The Baxter Springs celebration over the completion of the rail- 
road to that place will come off the 12th of this month and I shall 
endeavor to be there. I like to go to Baxter. There is much about 
the place which reminds me of dear old Franklin. They have hills 
and forest and rocks at Baxter, and a river almost as pretty as the 
Allegheny. Among the features of the celebration is to be an Indian 
canoe race and a war dance, by the Paolas [Peorias?], Senecas, 
Quapaws, Delawares, and other tribes. This intelligence, however, 
can scarcely be of interest to you who have so often seen the "Noble 
Red" in his different gyrations of War, Green corn, Peace and Scalp 



380 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

dance, both single, double and high-pressure shuffles, in canvas pa- 
vilions on the public square. 

Although there can scarcely be anything new in this dance to one 
who from his youth up has been a faithful attendant upon the 
"moral and instructive entertainments" hinted at above, yet [I] am 
going to see what is to be seen, and if "our" condition after the fes- 
tivities will permit you shall again hear from 

R. 

Girard, Crawford Co. 

Kansas. 

May 14th, 1870. 
Dear Spectator: 

Last Wednesday found me, with a railroad pass in my clothes, 
upon the train bound for Baxter Springs, to assist the Baxter people 
in celebrating the completion of the Missouri River, Fort Scott and 
Gulf Railroad to that place. 7 

The train was made up of eleven cars and a gaily trimmed loco- 
motive. Some of the distinguished excursionists (besides myself) 
were the Governor of the State, the mayors of Kansas City, Fort 
Scott and Paola, and the editors and reporters of all the principal 
newspapers in the State. Everybody seemed inclined to enjoy them- 
selves. Songs and speeches were made, a generous chap with a keg 
of whiskey swung on his shoulder freely gave the exhilarating liquid 
to all who would, and freely received their inquiries for more. 

Time passed merry as a dinner bell (is that what they usually 
say?) till our arrival in Baxter at about half past eight o'clock. 
Those of us who bore little pieces of ribbon with the inscription "In- 
vited Guest" were marshaled to a large tent where supper was pro- 
vided for us, large in quantity and elegant in quality. In fact the 
table groaned beneath the delicacies (if I knew the author of this last 
sentence, I'd give him credit, for I don't wish to plagiarize). After 
supper I attended the Indian War Dance upon the public square. 
The dance was not one of the noble red man's noblest efforts, yet it 
was a sort of sample of his style. I'm not an experienced Jenkins, 
having never "reported" a stylish assembly, or I should attempt, for 
the benefit of your lady readers, a description of dresses worn by 
the principal ladies on that occasion. The gay and festive dancers 

6. The Venango Spectator, May 27, 1870. 

7. For another account of the Baxter Springs railroad celebration of May 12, 1870, see pp. 
401-405 of this Quarterly. 



GIDDENS: EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 381 

were from the Quapaw, Shawnee, Paolas, Seneca and Delaware 
tribes. In the centre of a large circle a bonfire was built, and around 
this ye gentle savage and the dusky maidens of the plain did con- 
gregate. About twenty were squatted upon the ground and sang a 
monotonous continuation of howls, led by a band consisting of one 
small drum. To this music the others, to the number of about fifty, 
danced. The men and the boys were dressed principally in a narrow 
strip of cloth or ornamented buckskin, which hung from their waists 
to within six or eight inches of their knees. Some carried gay colored 
blankets, others had spears, swords, old guns, etc., and were all 
painted with vermillion, black, yellow and red paint, and had their 
waterfalls decorated with feathers and ribbons. At a certain point 
in the dance the women joined in and "balanced all" with consider- 
able vigor. The women were dressed after the manner of her pale- 
face sister, though the colors were gaudy and incongruously arranged, 
orange predominating. The step is monotonous and beyond descrip- 
tion, consisting of various contortions, whirling, and energetic patting 
with the feet, the effect being occasionally made more striking by 
the peculiar Indian yell, made by hallooing sharply while patting the 
mouth with the hand. The yell has been extensively adopted by 
Eastern audiences as a method of expressing applause, perhaps on 
account of its elegance. 

Lo, the poor Indian, whose untutored mind, etc., of this section 
of the country is something of a nondescript. He is neither red, 
white, yellow, black, blue or green, but a mixture of all, most likely, 
though his color is somewhat uncertain. He's a dressy chap, is Lo. 
The fashion-plates are nowhere in comparison with him. When he's 
fixed up for company his classic features are likely to represent the 
different hues of the rainbow. He may wear a "stovepipe," or it 
may only be a "slouch," but there is surely a feather in it and per- 
haps several of them. He may have a nice black dresscoat, or per- 
haps only a bright colored "Garibaldi." If he's stylish he possibly 
has a white shirt, but if he has, the tail thereof is nicely spread out 
over his breeches. Some of his clothes are ornamented with beads, 
and he may have boots, nicely blacked up to the top, with tassels 
on them, if he has the wherewithal to buy them. When Lo comes in 
to celebrate, and brings his family, the dusky maiden of this lodge 
rides astride of her pony, and rides well, too. I was soon tired of 
the war dance and adjourned to the halls where our Caucasian fellow 
men were tripping the light fantastic toe. The ball was a large and 
elegant assembly of the elite of Baxter and indeed the whole state. 



382 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

The ball was kept up during the whole of the night, but the "God 
of day, advancing from the East," looked in upon a step rather more 
fantastic than light. 

Among those present at the festivities were Dr. W. C. Evans and 
Will J. Connely from Kansas City, and Major Kennedy and wife 
from Franklin, Kan. 

At one time during the night I fancied that a small portion of 
Nature's sweet restorer wouldn't go bad. Accordingly we repaired 
to the Brewster House, (dubbed by Connely, the Rooster House, 
saying we would roost there for the night) and were soon corralled 
in a nice bed. We had lain but a short time when other parties 
ladies claimed the room, and we had occasion to remember the 
hotel as the Booster House, for we all were "Boosted" out. We 
passed the rest of the night in various ways quite various, in fact. 
Since we came to think of it, concluded not to go to bed would 
rather set up than not. We didn't care a cent about sleeping any- 
how, and besides that, the bed was too hard. 

The festivities next day opened up with the procession to Van 
Epp's grove (the scene of the Quantrelle [Quantrill] massacre, of 
which I told you in a former letter) where we listened to a number 
of speeches from some of the best orators of the state. 

Very nicely sandwiched in with the speaking was a grand bar- 
becue. Among the delicacies were a roast ox, several sheep, and 
other smaller fowl. The quantity of eatables, both substantial and 
ornamental, was quite large, but could no more satisfy the hunger 
of the immense crowd than could the ducats in my pocket pay off 
the national debt. 

We had more Indian dances, riding, and other exercises. The day 
was warm and the exercise was quite severe. One patriarch, with 
the expression, "Ugh! too much pantaloony," was about to divest 
himself of his nether garment, which made quite a consternation 
among the ladies. The old cove was persuaded to change his mind. 

In the afternoon there was a canoe race upon Spring river, though 
it offered but a few attractions. 

Some few of us undertook to bathe in the river, but were kept in 
the water and painful suspense for a long time by a party of ladies 
who came down for a look at the scenery. 

Present at the celebration were a large number of "Leaguers," 
with the rumored intention of disturbing or breaking it up. Lea- 
guers, as I have told you, are a body of men organized to resist the 
title of the railroad company to the lands, and have even gone so 



GIDDENS: EASTERN KANSAS IN 1869-1870 383 

far as to resist the construction of the road. They were told by 
one of the speakers that "the building of the railroad had no more 
to do with the Neutral Land question than had a New Zealand 
mayor with the New Jerusalem." 

Baxter Springs is growing rapidly and undoubtedly has a very 
fair future. In their haste the people have forgotten to build 
churches but they have a nice brewery and something over fifty 
saloons. I was in one of these where I counted twenty tables, all 
occupied by men playing cards for the drinks, which were brought 
to them by "polite lady waiters." In one corner was a raised plat- 
form occupied by a piano and several musicians who kept up a con- 
tinual din. In another was a healthy looking chap, with a plug hat 
and diamond studs, dealing faro to as many gamblers as could 
crowd around the table. 

Take it all in all, Baxter is a real border town, something on the 
Cheyenne pattern, and not at all the Saints' Rest which would please 
Richard Baxter who long ago wrote, 

"I preached as though I'd never preach again, 
And as a dying man to dying men." 

The trade of Baxter is already large and is rapidly increasing. 
Considerable government freighting is done from this point and be- 
fore long the Texas cattle trade, already large, will be immense. 
Valuable lead mines have been discovered near the place, which 
offers weighty reasons for its prosperity, and the time is not far 
distant when the magnificent water power of the Spring river will 
turn many a shaft and spindle. I think I do not exaggerate when I 
say that in two years Baxter Springs will be the metropolis of 
southern Kansas. R. 



The First Kansas Workmen's Compensation 

Law 

DOMENICO GAGLIARDO 

IS it safe to work? Statistics show that each year thousands of 
workers are killed and hundreds of thousands are maimed. The 
cost to society of these accidents is great and the burden on the de- 
pendents of the unfortunate victims is heavy. Two systems for dis- 
tributing that burden have been devised. The common law, the 
older of the two and happily now largely superseded, provided that 
injured workers, and dependents of those killed, might recover dam- 
ages if they could prove that their employers had been guilty of 
negligence, that they themselves had not assumed the risk and had 
not been guilty of contributory negligence, and that the injury was 
not caused by a fellow servant. Modern industrial technology made 
this law a hollow mockery. Attempted modifications to adjust for 
changing technology, while helpful to some extent, proved generally 
futile. A new method, known in this country as workmen's compen- 
sation, was devised. In this new system the question of negligence, 
whether of the worker or employer, is no longer important. Com- 
pensation for accidents is paid without respect to fault and the 
amount paid is proportionate to the damages suffered. Germany led 
the way in 1884 and the rest of Europe soon followed. 

The American movement for workmen's compensation was late in 
developing and gained its first momentum in 1911 when laws were 
adopted in ten states. Kansas, although not an industrial state, was 
among the very first to act. Of the compensation laws now on the 
statute books, those of Kansas and Washington were the first to be 
enacted, both being approved on March 14, 1911. x The Kansas act, 
however, did not go into effect until January 1, 1912. Nevertheless, 
of existing state acts, only five were made effective before that of 
Kansas, and two others became effective on the same date. 2 Be- 
cause it was one of the first to be enacted, a study of the Kansas 
law throws some light on the nature and development of the Ameri- 
can compensation movement. 

1. Laws, Kansas, 1911, ch. 218. 

2. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin No. 272, p. 13. Those effective before the 
Kansas act were: Wisconsin, May 3, 1911; Nevada, July 1, 1911; New Jersey, July 4, 1911; 
California, September 1, 1911; Washington, October, 1, 1911; New Hampshire and Ohio, 
January 1, 1912. 

(384) 



GAGLIARDO: FIRST COMPENSATION LAW 385 

Strangely enough, there had been practically no agitation in Kan- 
sas for a compensation act prior to its passage. Organized labor 
was struggling for an improved employers' liability law, and the de- 
sirability of compensation was not even mentioned in the reports of 
the Kansas Federation of Labor's legislative committees until the 
August, 1910, convention. 3 The American Federation of Labor had, 
of course, already gone on record in favor of compensation. 

A "state council" of the National Civic Federation was organized 
in Kansas in June, 1910, and Sim A. Bramlette, president of the 
Kansas Federation of Labor, was a member. At the organization 
meeting many topics were discussed, but uniform legislation and 
workmen's compensation received the greatest consideration. 4 That 
much interest in workmen's compensation was being manifested by 
leaders in the legal and other professions became evident. In his 
report to the 1910 convention, Mr. Bramlette recommended that the 
convention should resolve for the appointment of an investigating 
committee similar to that of New York, and that the federation 
should strive for the passage of a compensation act. 5 The recom- 
mendation was adopted. But events were moving rapidly, and in- 
stead of remaining content to strive for an investigating committee, 
organized labor proceeded to secure pledges from candidates of both 
parties to enact a compensation law during the 1911 session of the 
legislature. 

When the legislative session was well under way, several compen- 
sation bills were introduced. Partly because other important pro- 
posals were pending, such as suffrage, initiative and referendum, 
public utility regulation, inheritance and corporation taxation, but 
largely because of political dissension with its consequent wrangling, 
squabbling, bickering and maneuvering, workmen's compensation re- 
ceived little attention. The governor felt obliged to send a special 
message reminding the legislators that both parties were pledged to 
enact a compensation law. He urged action. 6 The house and senate 
appointed a joint committee on labor to prepare a common bill, and 
that committee held hearings for an entire week at which representa- 

3. The legislative committee of the Kansas State Society of Miners in 1906 recommended 
consideration of the workmen's compensation bill reported by the Massachusetts committee on 
relations between employer and employee. "Proceedings [of the Eighth Convention] of the 
Kansas State Society of Miners, 1906," in Inspector of Coal Mines, Kansas, Biennial Report, 
1904-1906, pp. 223, 224. The committee did not recommend that a similar bill be prepared 
and its enactment attempted, but it did appear to feel that workmen's compensation might 
be a good substitute for the system existing at that time. 

4. Proceedings of the fourth annual convention, Kansas State Federation of Labor, re- 
printed in part in the Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Kansas Bureau of Labor, p. 63. 

5. Ibid., pp. 63, 64. 

6. Topeka State Journal, February 9, 1911. 

25--6007 



386 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

tives of employers and employees made known their wishes regarding 
compensation and also regarding a general employers' liability law. 
Representatives of labor favored both ; representatives of employers 
opposed both. 7 It was reported that the joint committee informed 
the employers' representatives that one or the other of the two bills 
would be passed, offered them their choice of the two, and that they 
chose the compensation bill as the lesser of the two evils. 8 Opposi- 
tion by the employers practically disappeared when the committee 
made the compensation act elective rather than compulsory. There 
is reason to believe that organized labor would have been satisfied 
with a general employers' liability law. 9 

A bill was prepared by the joint committee and introduced in 
both houses. 10 The provisions seem to have been agreed upon by 
representatives of unions and employers. 11 In the house, the bill 
met with so little opposition that the commissioner of labor was 
"fined" a barrel of apples because of the "extreme courtesy" shown 
the measure. 12 However, the house amended the bill to make it 
applicable only to employers of fifteen or more, rather than the 
five specified. 

In the senate there was some opposition to the committee bill. A 
faction attempted to substitute for it a bill establishing a commis- 
sion of seven, consisting of one senator, one representative, two 
workers, two employers, and the commissioner of labor, to investi- 
gate thoroughly the entire subject of workmen's compensation and 
employers' liability and report its findings and proposals to the 1913 
legislature. 13 A compromise was finally effected by adding to the 
committee bill a section providing for such a commission. 14 

Each house passed its bill with amendments, and with substantial 

7. Topeka Daily Capital, February 2 and 4, 1911. Not all employers were opposed to 
the compensation bill. Sen. Emerson Carey, a producer of salt, secured the inclusion of salt 
plants in the act. 

8. Ibid., February 4, 1911 ; Kansas City (Mo.) Star, February 3, 1911. 

9. Sim A. Bramlette, president of the Kansas Federation of Labor, in a letter to The 
Labor Herald, dated February 23, 1911, complained that the general employers' liability bill 
had not even been reported out of committee, but he did not mention workmen's compensa- 
tion. Labor Herald, Pittsburg, March 3, 1911. In the March, 1911, issue of The Coopers 
International Journal, published in Kansas City by the Coopers' union, only two Kansas bills 
are mentioned under the heading of "The Legislative Outlook," Anti-Sunday baseball and 
Anti-Sunday amusements. The Coopers International Journal, March, 1911, pp. 162, 163. 
In a newspaper column entitled "The Industrial Outlook for 1911," the state commissioner of 
labor said nothing about workmen's compensation. Topeka Daily Capital, January 1, 1911, 
p. 17. In messages to the governor, organized labor groups urged enactment of both com- 
pensation and liability laws without special emphasis on either. Official correspondence of 
Gov. W. R. Stubbs, in Kansas State Historical Society. 

10. Substitute for Senate Bill No. 331, and House Bill No. 1029. 

11. Kansas City (Mo.) Times, March 3, 1911. 

12. Topeka Daily Capital, February 18, 1911, p. 4. 

13. Substitute for Senate Bill No. 331; Topeka State Journal, March 2, 1911. 

14. Section 48 of Substitute for Senate Bill No. 331 ; House Journal, Kansas, 1911, pp. 
862, 1002 ; Senate Journal, Kansas, 1911, pp. 857, 858. 



GAGLIARDO: FIRST COMPENSATION LAW 387 

majorities. The principal points of divergence were the fifteen- 
man limit inserted by the house and the provision for an investigat- 
ing commission inserted by the senate. Three conference commit- 
tees were appointed and each agreed on a compromise, but the house 
consistently refused to modify its stand. The senate finally acceded 
completely to the house, and the bill was approved on March 14, 
the last day of the legislative session, with the fifteen-man limit and 
without the investigating commission. 

The measure was bitterly attacked by labor leaders. The presi- 
dent of the Kansas Federation of Labor and the chairman of the 
legislative board of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen wrote 
that it was "ineffective," an "insult to labor," and that farm leaders 
had displayed "tofal disregard for the masses and thereby affirmed 
their allegiance to special interests." 15 Their criticism was directed 
specifically and solely against the clause limiting the act to em- 
ployers of fifteen or more workers. The editor of the Appeal to 
Reason, national Socialist weekly published at Girard, was equally 
bitter. The law, he wrote, was not a "workingman's bill," but a 
measure behind which corporations could hide whenever it suited 
their purpose. 16 Indeed, he continued, the workers had really lost 
the protection previously granted them by common and employers' 
liability law, and if the workers now wanted "justice and economic 
freedom they must go to the ballot box and vote the Socialist 
ticket." 17 

Not so gloomy a view was taken by the state commissioner of 
labor. The limited scope was a disappointment to him, but con- 
sidering the "immense advantage" of such a "humane system," the 
law was a step in the right direction and it would be improved by 
future amendments. 18 Officials of the American Federation of Labor 
wrote that Kansas unionists had done "themselves proud" in secur- 
ing the law's enactment. 19 

15. The Labor Record, Kansas City, March 10, 1911. The Kansas Farmer's Union and 
the Kansas State Grange were neither for nor against workmen's compensation. The Farmers' 
Union, Salina, February, 1910, February, 1911; Kansas Farmer, Topeka, January 7, 1911, p. 
19. It is quite possible, however, that the farm element in the house was responsible for the 
fifteen-man limit. 

16. Appeal to Reason, Girard, April 1, 1911. 

17. Ibid. 

18. Johnson, W. L. A. Letter in The Labor Record, March 24, 1911. 

19. A. F. of L., "Weekly News Letter," April 22, 1911, quoted in The Coopers Inter- 
national Journal, June, 1911, p. 349. 



388 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

SCOPE OF THE ACT OF 1911 

The act applied only to injury by accident arising out of and in 
the course of employment in certain especially dangerous occupa- 
tions conducted for business, trade, or gain. 20 These occupations 
were enumerated as follows: railroading, manufacturing, mining, 
quarrying, electric, building and engineering work, laundering, nat- 
ural gas plants, and all employments in which dangerous explosives 
or inflammable materials were used. Very broad definitions of the 
occupations were laid down, and they included detailed enumeration 
of particular kinds of plants covered. 

However, the legislature believed that the necessity and reason 
for the law existed only with regard to employers having a consid- 
erable number of employees. The act was therefore made applicable 
only to employers of fifteen or more workmen. Employers of fewer 
than fifteen were permitted to elect to come under the act, in which 
case their employees were included, unless they served notice to the 
contrary. Accidents in businesses or employments engaged in inter- 
state commerce and not subject to state legislative power were, of 
course, excluded. 21 

Compensation was not made the exclusive remedy. 22 Where an 

20. The state supreme court has defined an accident as "simply an undesigned, sudden, 
and unexpected event, usually of an afflictive or unfortunate character, and often accompanied 
by a manifestation of force." Gilliland v. Cement Co., 104 Kan. 771, 773. It has ruled as 
compensable an injury occurring because of an epileptic fit, Cox v. Refining Co., 108 Kan. 
320; pneumonia resulting because of excessive heat suffered in cleaning boilers, Hoag v. 
Laundry, 113 Kan. 513 ; paralysis resulting from exposure to alternating heat and cold, Taylor 
v. Swift & Co., 114 Kan. 431. 

Occupational diseases were not covered, but the court laid down the rule that if "an acci- 
dent so contributes to or influences the progress of an existing disease as to cause a disability, 
it is sufficient to justify an award. . . ." Blackburn v. Brick & Tile Co., 107 Kan. 722, 
Syl. On this ground it ruled the following compensable: Pulmonary hemorrhage suffered 
while breaking rock, after working three years at a dusty task, Gilliland v. Cement Co., 104 
Kan. 771; multiple schlerosis, Blackburn v. Brick & Tile Co., 107 Kan. 772; death caused 
by drinking ice water when over-heated, Gilliland v. Zinc Co., 112 Kan. 39 ; "milk-leg" de- 
veloped after an operation for hernia, Bidnick v. Armour & Co., 113 Kan. 277; inability to 
labor caused by pain engendered by an accident, Trowbridge v. Wilson & Co., 102 Kan. 521. 

Furthermore, an injury, to be compensable, need not be caused by some hazard peculiar to 
the employment ; it is sufficient that it be incidental to the employment. Tierney v. Telephone 
Co., 114 Kan. 706; Stark v. Wilson, Receiver, 114 Kan. 459, 462. Thus a station agent in- 
jured while lighting a fire with kerosene was entitled to compensation. Benson v. Railway 
Co., 104 Kan. 198. The dependents of a street car conductor killed by a robber were allowed 
compensation. Stark v. Wilson, Receiver, 114 Kan. 459. But a mere fight was held not to 
arise out of the worker's employment. Romerez v. Swift & Co., 106 Kan. 844. 

Injuries arising out of "horse play," customary and known to the employer, are incidents 
to the employment and compensable. Stuart v. Kansas City, 102 Kan. 307. An injury in- 
curred by riding on a truck for amusement during the noon hour, in accordance with a custom 
known to and approved by her employer, is compensable. Thomas v. Manufacturing Co., 
104 Kan. 432. 

A worker sent by his employer from one mine to another and killed on the way was held 
not to have been "in or about" his place of employment. Bevard v. Coal Co., 101 Kan. 
207, 215. 

21. Until 1916 courts generally held that states could legislate on compensation for injuries 
to workers in interstate commerce where the employer was not at fault. But in that year the 
U. S. Supreme Court reversed the New York decision on that point. N. Y. Central R. R. Co. 
v. Winfield, 244 U. S. 147. The Kansas supreme court put itself in line with this decision 
in 1918. Matney v. Railway Co., 102 Kan. 293. 

22. Of the acts passed in 1911, those of New Hampshire and Nevada permitted damage 
suits in lieu of compensation; those of New Jersey, Wisconsin and Massachusetts only before 
electing compensation ; that of California if the employer was personally grossly negligent or 



GAGLIARDO: FIRST COMPENSATION LAW 

accident was caused by the proximate negligence of the employer, 
directors, managing officers or agents of the employer, or partner, 
or member of the association, but "excluding the negligence of 
competent employees in the performance of their duties or of the 
employer's duty delegated to them," the injured employee or his 
legal representative could elect to sue for damages or to accept 
compensation under the act. 23 

In order to forestall some possible abuses, several safeguards were 
written into the law. If a worker deliberately injured himself, his 
employer was not liable to pay compensation for that injury. Fail- 
ure on the part of the worker to use safeguards or protections against 
accident required by law and provided for him, or reasonable and 
proper guards and protection voluntarily furnished by the employer, 
also relieved the employer of liability. As interpreted by the state 
supreme court, this condition is not necessarily fulfilled by mere 
voluntary and intentional omission, but "includes the element of 
intractableness, the headstrong disposition to act by the rule of 
contradiction." 24 Accidents resulting solely from the worker's de- 
liberate violation of statutory safety regulations were not com- 
pensable. If a worker was intoxicated when injured he was not 
entitled to compensation. 

ELECTION 

Like most of the American compensation acts, the Kansas act of 
1911 was elective for both employers and employees. 25 Employers 
electing to come under the act were required to file a written state- 
ment to that effect and the election was binding for one year and 
automatically renewed for one-year periods unless withdrawn by 
written notice. Every eligible employee was assumed to elect unless 
written notice to the contrary was served upon the employer before 

violated a safety law; that of Ohio if the injury was the result of wilful act of the employer 
or his agents or for failure to comply with a safety law ; that of Washington if the injury 
resulted from the deliberate intention of the employer. U. S. Bureau of Labor, Bulletin 
No. 97, chart facing page 906. 

23. An ingenious attempt to evade the spirit of the law was made in 1916. An employer 
had elected not to come within the act. One of his employees who had not elected not to 
accept and was therefore under the act, sustained an injury which necessitated the amputation 
of a leg. The employer maintained that the worker had no remedies outside the compensation 
act and that since the employer had elected not to come under the act he was not liable to 
pay the compensation provided by it. The court ruled that an action was maintainable under 
the factory act. Smith v. Cement Co., 94 Kan. 501. 

24. Bersch v. Morris and Co., 106 Kan. 800. 

25. Of the acts passed in 1911, those of Nevada and Washington were compulsory as to 
the state and municipalities. U. S. Bureau of Labor, Bulletin No. 91, chart facing page 906. 

It is said that laws were made elective because the New York law of 1910 was declared 
unconstitutional in 1911 in Ives v. South Buffalo Ry. Co., 201 N. Y. 271, 94 N. E. 431. 
Commons and Andrews, Principles of Labor Legislation (1927), p. 438. The New York law 
had been upheld by an appellate division of the New York supreme court, 140 App. Div. 921, 
125 N. Y. Supp. 1125. The reversal in the Ives case was made on March 24, 1911, which 
was ten days after the Kansas law had been approved by the governor. 



390 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY 

injury, and change in election was permitted only after written 
notice to the employer. Any contract requiring an eligible employee 
not to elect was declared to be void. 

An ingenious method was devised to induce recalcitrant employers 
and employees to accept the act. For employers electing not to 
come within the act, the common law defenses of assumption of 
risk, fellow service, and contributory negligence were abrogated, but 
contributory negligence was to be considered by the jury in assess- 
ing the amount of recovery in suits for damages. The common law 
defenses were allowed against employees electing not to come within 
the act, but not in cases where injury was caused by willful or gross 
negligence of the employer, his officer or agent, or where they were 
not available at the time of death or injury. 

SCALE OF COMPENSATION 

The amount of compensation allowed in case of death varied with 
the extent of dependency involved. If anyone wholly dependent 
upon the earnings of the deceased survived, compensation was three 
times the earnings of the deceased during the preceding year, with 
a maximum of $3,600 and a minimum of $1,200. But if the de- 
pendents were not "citizens of and residing at the time of the acci- 
dent in the United States or the Dominion of Canada," compensa- 
tion was not to exceed $750. 26 In case no dependents survived, com- 
pensation was only for the reasonable expense of medical attendance 
and burial, not exceeding $100. Where death followed as the result 
of an injury, compensation payments already made as a result of 
that injury were deducted from the total compensation allowed 
for death. 

No distinction was made between temporary total disability and 
permanent total disability, and compensation for disability of any 
kind was payable only after a two-week waiting period. For total 
disability of either kind an injured workman received fifty percent 
of his average weekly earnings, but not less than $6 nor more than 

26. This provision was declared unconstitutional by the Kansas supreme court in 1921. 
A coal miner whose dependent parents were Italian citizens residing in the United States was 
killed. The employer maintained that compensation should not exceed $750. The United 
States in 1913 had entered into a treaty with Italy guaranteeing, among other things, equality 
and reciprocity of certain rights. The federal constitution makes treaties the supreme law of 
the land, and the above section appeared to conflict with the treaty. Furthermore, the court 
held that it violated the equal protection clause of the Federal constitution. Vietti v. Fuel 
Co., 109 Kan. 179. In 1924, however, the Pennsylvania supreme court held that a provision 
of the Pennsylvania act restricting benefits of non-resident aliens to two-thirds those of citizens 
was constitutional. Liberate v. Royer, 281 Pa. 227, 126 Atl. 257. This decision was affirmed 
by the United States Supreme Court on the grounds that the treaty with Italy dealt only 
with remedies for injuries and death due to the negligence of the employer, which is not in- 
volved in compensation legislation, and that the compensation act was elective. Liberate v. 
Royer, 46 Sup. Ct. 373. See U. S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin No. 
423, p. 72. 



GAGLIARDO: FIRST COMPENSATION LAW 391 

$15 per week, for a period not to exceed ten years. 27 For permanent 
partial disability a workman was allowed payments amounting as 
nearly as possible to fifty percent, but not less than twenty-five per- 
cent nor more than fifty percent, of the difference between earning 
before the injury and the amount the incapacitated person would 
be able to earn in some suitable employment or business after the 
injury, with a maximum of $12 and a minimum of $3. But if he was 
under 21 years of age when injured and his average weekly earnings 
were less than $10, then compensation was not less than seventy-five 
percent of this difference. 28 The period during which these pay- 
ments could be continued was not to exceed ten years. 

Compensation payments to injured workmen were made at the 
same time, place and manner as regular earnings, but a judge of 
any district court having jurisdiction could, upon application of 
either party, modify this regulation in a particular case as he saw 
fit. Such payments were not assignable or subject to levy, execution 
or attachment, except for medicine, medical attention or nursing. 
No attorney could get an enforceable lien against them for services 
rendered in securing the indemnity unless his claim was approved 
in writing by the judge before whom the case was tried, or if there 
had been no trial, then by any judge of a district court. 

After payments had been made for not less than six months, the 
employer was permitted to redeem his liability by paying a lump 

27. Incapacity to work was interpreted by the supreme court to mean loss of earning 
power because of injury, whether the result of inability to perform work obtainable or to se- 
cure work. Gorrell v, Battelle, 93 Kan. 375. See Ruth v. Witherspoon-Englar Co., 98 Kan. 
179, where it was held that an employer was not liable to pay compensation for a prolonged 
period of incapacity resulting from incompetent or negligent medical services, even th