Full text of "The Kansas historical quarterly"

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San Francisco, California
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THE

Kansas Historical
Quarterly

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

Volume XVIII
1950

(Kansas Historical Collections)

VOL. XXXV

Published by

The Kansas State Historical Society
Topeka, Kansas

23-4545

72283

J j*\xn

Contents of Volume XVIII

Number 1-February, 1950

PAGE

THE PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST: X. Artists of Indian

Life: Henry F. Farny Robert Tajt, 1

With the following illustrations:
Portrait of Henry F. Farny
"Chief Priest of the Bow"
"The Song of the Talking Wire" (1904)
"The Captive"
"The Completion of the Northern Pacific Railway.

Driving the Last Spike" (1883) between pp. 8, 9

"A Dance of Crow Indians" (1883)
"Suspicious Guests" (1887) between pp. 16, 17

LINCOLN COLLEGE, FORERUNNER OF WASHBURN MUNICIPAL UNIVERSITY :
Part One Founding a Pioneer Congregational

College Russell K. Hickman, 20

With pictures of the old Lincoln College building and the present Me-
morial building of the state of Kansas, at Tenth and Jackson streets
in Topeka, facing p. 48, and an air view of the present campus of
Washburn Municipal University (1948), facing p. 49

A GLIMPSE OF KANSAS 90 YEARS AGO 55

THE ANNUAL MEETING : Containing Reports of the Secretary, Treas-
urer, Executive and Nominating Committees; Annual Address of
the President, STORMS IN KANSAS, R. F. Brock; Election of

Officers ; List of Directors of the Society Kirke Mechem, Secretary, 59

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY,

Compiled by Helen M. McFarland, Librarian, 79

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 97

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 101

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES. . . 108

Number 2-May, 1950

THE PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST: XI. The Leslie
Excursions of 1869 and 1877 Joseph Becker, Harry Ogden
and Walter Yeager Robert Tajt, 113

With the following illustrations:

Becker's "A Station Scene on the Union Pacific Railway" (1869), be-
tween pp. 120, 121 ; "Drawing-Room of the Hotel Express Train,"
facing p. 121, and "Hotel Life on the Plains" (1870), facing p. 128.

Ogden and Yeager 's "A party of Gold Miners Starting For the Black
Hills" From Cheyenne, facing p. 120; "A Character Scene in the
Emigrant Waiting-Room of the Union Pacific Railroad Depot at
Omaha," between pp. 120, 121, and ''Bucking the Tiger" in a
Cheyenne, Wyo., Gambling Saloon (all 1877), facing p. 129.

A REVIEW OF EARLY NAVIGATION ON THE KANSAS RIVER. . .Edgar Langsdorf, 140
THE FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER Edited by Edgar Langsdorf, 146

(iii)

PAGE

THE RENAMING OF ROBIDOUX CREEK, MARSHALL COUNTY 159

With photographs of the limestone rocks on the M. L. Goin farm about
four miles southwest of Beattie, Marshall county, showing the carved
inscriptions: "M. Robidoux Trapper 1841 J. Frey 1860 L. Row
1861," "J. Bridger Guide 1857" and others, facing p. 160.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, FORERUNNER OF WASHBURN MUNICIPAL UNIVERSITY :
Part Two Later History and Change of Name, Concluded,

Russell K. Hickman, 164

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 205

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 216

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 221

Number 3-August, 1950

THE PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST : XII. William Allen

Rogers and Mrs. Mary Hallock Foote Robert Tajt, 225

With the following illustrations :

Portraits of William Allen Rogers and Mrs. Mary Hallock Foote, facing

p. 232;

Rogers' "Traders at Fort Garry, Manitoba" (1879), "Fargo, Dakota-
Head of Steamboat Navigation on the Red River" (1881), and
"Harvest Hands on Their Way to the Wheat Fields of the North-
west" (1890), between pp. 232, 233.

Foote's "The Sheriff's Posse" and "The Last Trip In" (1889), between
pp. 240, 241.

Gotterdammerung IN TOPEKA : The Downfall of Senator

Pomeroy Albert R. Kitzhaber, 243

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS Louise Barry, 279

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS TERRITORIAL NEWSPAPERS, 1854-1861 :

Part One, A-L Compiled by Alberta Pantle, 302

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 324

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 330

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES . . 334

Number 4 November, 1950

PAGE

THE SCULLY LAND SYSTEM IN MARION COUNTY,

Homer Edward Socolofsky, 338

With a map showing the Scully holdings in Marion county in 1947, and
a line drawing of William Scully, between pp. 352, 353

MEMOIRS OF WATSON STEWART: 1855-1860 Donald W. Stewart, 376

MORE ABOUT KANSAS RIVER STEAMBOATS : The First

Kansas-Built River Steamer Edgar Langsdorj, 405

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS TERRITORIAL NEWSPAPERS, 1854-1861 :

Part Two, M-Z, Concluded Compiled by Alberta Pantle, 408

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 427

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 430

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 435

ERRATA AND ADDENDA, VOLUME XVIII 437

INDEX To VOLUME XVIII 439

(iv)

THE

KANSAS HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY

February 1950

Published by

Kansas State Historical Society
Topeka

KIRKE MECHEM JAMES C. MALIN NYLE H. MILLER

Editor Associate Editor Managing Editor

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST: X. Artists of Indian

Life : Henry F. Farny Robert Tajt, 1

With the following illustrations :
Portrait of Henry F. Farny
"Chief Priest of the Bow"
"The Song of the Talking Wire" (1904)
"The Captive"
"The Completion of the Northern Pacific Railway.

Driving the Last Spike" (1883) between pp. 8, 9

"A Dance of Crow Indians" (1883)
"Suspicious Guests" (1887) between pp. 16, 17

LINCOLN COLLEGE, FORERUNNER OF WASHBURN MUNICIPAL UNIVERSITY:
Part One Founding a Pioneer Congregational

College Russell K. * Hickman, 20

A GLIMPSE OF KANSAS 90 YEARS AGO. 55

THE ANNUAL MEETING : Containing Reports of the Secretary, Treas-
urer, Executive and Nominating Committees; Annual Address of
the President, STORMS IN KANSAS, R. F. Brock; Election of
Officers; List of Directors of the Society Kirke Mechem, Secretary, 59

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY,

Compiled by Helen M. McFarland, Librarian, 79

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 97

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 101

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 108

The Kansas Historical Quarterly is published in February, May, August and
November by the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kan., and is dis-
tributed free to members. Correspondence concerning contributions may be
sent to the editor. The Society assumes no responsibility for statements made
by contributors.

Entered as second-class matter October 22, 1931, at the post office at Topeka,
Kan., under the act of August 24, 1912.

THE COVER

"The Last Vigil," a Henry F. Farny illustration from Harper's
Weekly, New York, February 14, 1891 (see p. 17). Other Farny
pictures from Harper's Weekly are reproduced between pp. 16
and 17.

THE KANSAS
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Volume XVIII February, 1950 Number 1

The Pictorial Record of the Old West

X. ARTISTS OF INDIAN LIFE: HENRY F. FARNY
ROBERT TAFT

(Copyright, 1950, by ROBERT TAFT)

THE American Indian, especially the Indian of the West, has
long been a subject for the artist's brush. The opinions of artists
and of art critics, however, upon the Indian as a theme in art have
been extremely varied, ranging all the way from gushing acceptance
to rabid and outspoken distaste. For the moment we are not con-
cerned with the pictorial record for purposes of ethnography, which
was the primary object of George Catlin, the pioneer painter of the
Western Indian, and of his successors; rather we are concerned with
the Indian as a subject, who, when treated with skill, knowledge and
imagination, gave rise to pictures of genuine artistic merit that is,
to pictures of beauty.

That the opinion of the profession has varied greatly can be seen
from the two following comments, both now nearly a century old.
In 1856 the editor of The Crayon, a pioneer art journal in this coun-
try, devoted two columns to a discussion of "The Indians in American
Art." He wrote:

We should rejoice to see the Indian figure more often on our canvas, and
the costumed European less. As it is, what with the romancer and the so-called
historical painter, he [the Indian] stands a chance of figuring on the picture
canvas as a kind of savage harlequin, lost in a cloud of feathers and brilliant
stuffs; or else in the other extreme, hung about with skulls, scalps, and the
half-devoured fragments of the white man's carcass. All this is dramatic
enough, but it is not the truest color of the historical Indian, absorbed in his
quiet dignity, brave, honest, eminently truthful, and always thoroughly in earn-
est, he stands grandly apart from all the other known savage life. 1

DR. ROBERT TAFT, of Lawrence, is professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas and
editor of the Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. He is author of Photography
and the American Scene (New York, 1938), and Across the Years on Mount Oread (Lawrence,
1941).

Previous articles in this pictorial series appeared in the issues of The Kansas Historical
Quarterly for February, May, August and November, 1946, May and August, 1948, May,
August and November, 1949. The general introduction was in the February, 1946, number.

1. The Crayon, New York, v. 3 (1856), January, p. 28.

2 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

It is difficult to say whether this grandiloquent plea for the Indian
in art had any effect on the profession as it was constituted in 1856.
It is true that several Eastern artists made Western trips about this
time, notably J. F. Kensett and Eastman Johnson. 2

A few years later, however, the art critic of the New York Tribune,
hearing that Johnson was considering still another Western trip
wrote:

We regret to learn that Mr. Eastman Johnson intends going off on an ex-
tended tour at the North-west for the purpose of making sketches among the
half breeds and Indians who live beyond the confines of civilized life. We can-
not but think that he might find better subjects for his pencil in the back slums
of the Atlantic cities. 3

Whether this caustic comment deterred Johnson or whether his
failure to sell pictures resulting from his earlier Western trips was
the important factor, we have no way of knowing; in any case John-
son's trip was abandoned.

"The Rocky Mountain school" as Hartmann, one of the historians
of American painting, called it, originated about the time the matters
described above were under discussion. Albert Bierstadt, logically
to be regarded as the leader of this school, made his first Western
trip in 1859, for example. 4 But the artists of this school were inter-
ested in the West only as it presented panoramic and melodramatic
stretches of plain and mountain scenery, and the Indian was only
introduced occasionally to lend color and add interest. Many of the
canvases of William Gary, to be considered later in this series, were
of Indian subjects, but here again the Indian was used to record a
way of life or to tell a story.

In fact, before 1890 there were very few artists who considered the
Indian as a subject of artistic imagination. Possibly the best-known
names in this select group were: George de Forest Brush, De Cost
Smith, Edwin Willard Deming and Henry F. Farny. Smith and
Deming, although they had begun work before 1890, did not achieve
their wide recognition until after 1890 (as a matter of exact fact, not
until after 1900) and belong to a later story than ours; Farny al-

?u F F. ^m?** ? of Kensett ' s Western experience see No. VII in this series, "Alfred E.
Mathews, The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 17 (1949), May, p. 102 ; for Johnson'e
Western trips of 1856-1857, see Bertha L. Heilbron, "A Pioneer Artist on Lake Superior,"
Minnesota History, St Paul, v. 21 (1940), June, pp. 149-157; John I. H. Baur, Eastman
Johnson (Brooklyn 1940), pp. 15, 16. Johnson made two trips to the Northwest of his day
m the region around Superior, Wis. The first trip was made in the summer and fall of 1856,
the second in the summer of 1857. Kensett's trip up the Missouri river was reported in 1856.

3. New York Daily Tribune, March 31, 1860, p. 4.

4. Sadakichi Hartmann, A History of American Art (London, 1903), v. 1, p. 78. Hartmann
spoke about the decline of the Rocky Mountain school in 1860 as exemplified in the work
of Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, William Keith and Thomas Hill. The important work of these
men was all done after I860. , For Bierstadt 's Western experiences on the trip of 1859 see his
letter dated, "Rocky Mountains, July 10, 1859," The Crayon, v. 6 (1859) September p. 287

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 3

though known as an "Indian artist" was an artist of a far wider
Western scene and we shall consider his work in some detail in the
pages that follow. Brush, on the other hand, completed the phase of
his career that warrants mention of his name here in the decade of the
1880's. 5

He was born in Shelby ville, Tenn., in 1855, and by the time he was
16 was attending art school in New York City at the Academy of
Design. This training was followed by six years (1874-1880) in the
studio of the celebrated Gerome, painter of "Gladiators Before
Caesar," in Paris. He thus had a technical training far beyond that
of most painters who essayed the Western scene. On Brush's return
to this country, he set out to portray the Indian, and once wrote:

But in choosing Indians as subjects for art, I do not paint from the historian's
or the antiquary's point of view; I do not care to represent them in any curious
habits which could not be comprehended by us; I am interested in those habits
and deeds in which we have feelings in common. Therefore, I hesitate to at-
tempt to add any interest to my pictures by supplying historical facts. If I
were required to resort to this in order to bring out the poetry, I would drop the
subject at once. 6

5. In 1939 I had considerable correspondence with De Cost Smith who wrote me that his
decision to become an Indian artist was made after seeing some of Brush's pictures in the
early 1880's. In 1884 Smith visited the Rosebud, Lower Brule and Standing Rock Indian
agencies in Dakota territory his first Western experiences and spent the winter at Standing
Rock and Fort Yates. After that time he made many Western trips. Some of Smith's life
in the West is described in his posthumously published volume, Indian Experiences (Caldwell,
Idaho, 1943). Mr. Smith died on December 7, 1939, at the age of 75.

Deming's first Western experiences after his professional training as an artist occurred in
1887 when he visited the reservations of the Apaches and Pueblos in the Southwest and the
Umatillas in Oregon. His paintings of Indians first appeared in 1891. For a brief account of
his career, see E. W. Deming. His Work, Therese O. Deming, privately printed, 1925. Mr.
Deming died on October 15, 1942, at the age of 82.

,, February, __ _,

contemporary accounts of the experiences of De Cost Smith and Deming among the Indians, as
they traveled together for a time. The first two of the above articles are credited to "Man-
Afraid-of-His-Name," but Mr. Deming wrote me in 1940 that he and Smith were responsible
both for the illustrations of these two articles and for the text. The third of the above articles
is credited to Smith and Deming in the text but curiously enough the illustrations are by
Frederic Remington.

If any of my readers think I have forgotten the Taos school in considering artists who used
the Indian theme, they are mistaken. I may pay my respects to them later in this series, es-
pecially to J. H. Sharp and E. L. Blumenschein. The Taos school, however, is almost too
late for consideration in this series of articles.

The same consideration applies also to the noted painter of Indian portraits, Elbridge
Ayer Burbank (1858-1949). Burbank began his painting of the American Indian in 1897
(Who's Who in America, v. 13 [1924-1925], p. 579) but his reputation was achieved largely
after the turn of the century. Some of Burbank's experiences hi the West are recounted In
Burbank Among the Indians (Caldwell, Idaho, 1944), ed. by Frank J. Taylor. According to
the New York Times, March 22, 1949, p. 25, Burbank died in San Francisco on March 21,
1949.

Henry H. Cross (1837-1918) should also be mentioned with the group of artists we are
here considering. Cross, however, was mostly a portrait painter, many of whose canvases
were Indian subjects. Several examples of his work are to be found hi the T. B. Walker
collection, now on loan to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and in the Chicago His-
torical Society. Brief accounts of Cross' life will be found in the article "In Memorium
H. H. Cross," Horse Review, Chicago, April 10, 1918; in a death notice in the Chicago Trib-
une, April 4, 1918, and in R. H. Adams' Illustrated Catalogue of Indian Portraits (n. p.,
1927). A revision of this catalogue, with reproduction of a number of the Cross paintings
in color, was published in 1948 by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

6. The biographical data on Brush given in the text above comes from The Century Mag-
azine, New York N. S. v. 21 (1892), February, p. 638; the quotation from the short article
by Brush, "An Artist Among the Indians," ibid., v. 8 (1885), May, pp. 54-57.

4 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

And it is "poetry" for which Brush's oil paintings are truly notable.
Brush spent some time during the early 1880's in the West and in
Canada. He was on the Crow reservation (present Montana), on
various Sioux reservations, and apparently saw a few of the survivors
of the fast disappearing Mandans, that tribe on the upper Missouri
made well known to posterity by Lewis and Clark and George
Catlin. 7

Among the best known of Brush's paintings resulting from these
travels and studies are: "Mourning Her Brave," "The Sioux Brave,"
"The Indian and the Lily," "The Silence Broken," "The Ball-Game,"
"The Aztec Sculptor," "The Weaver," "Dawn," "Evening," "Killing
the Moose" and best of all "The Picture-Writer." The last painting
Brush said "is supposed to be a scene in the interior of a Mandan
lodge." It depicted a native artist tracing a design on a buffalo robe. 8

Despite the wide acclaim given many of these pictures, few art
patrons were interested in their purchase. Brush, therefore, decided
to change both his theme and his manner and in 1890 he went abroad
again for further training. On his return he devoted himself almost
exclusively to the portrayal of mother and child and of beautiful
women where he again won distinction for the skill of his draftsman-

7. Information on Brush's Western travels is meager. The brief article by Brush men-
tioned in Footnote 6 referred to the Crows and the Mandans. A note in Harper's Weekly,
New York, v. 30 (1886), November 20, p. 743, stated that Brush had returned "after four
years' work among the Indians of Canada and the far West." Thomas Donaldson in his
memoir on Catlin mentioned that Brush worked among the Sioux and "obtained material from
their every-day life," House Misc. Doc. No. 15, Pt. 5. 49 Cong., 1 Sess. (1885-1886), p. 807.
An article by Lula Merrick, "Brush's Indian Pictures," International Studio, New York, y. 76
(1922), December, pp. 187-193, stated, without any evidence of the source, that Brush visited
Wyoming and Montana in 1884.

Recently I have had correspondence with Mrs. Nancy Douglas Bowditch of Brookline,
Mass., a daughter of Brush, who has been working on a biography of her father. Mrs. Bow-
ditch wrote me that Mr. Brush kept no diary and "practically none" of his early letters were
known to her and that she "was obliged to write much of his early life with the Indians from the
memories of stories he told us." Mrs. Bowditch further wrote:

"My father went to live among the Indians after his return from his studies in Paris. It
was in about 1881. He lived with several tribes and became familiar with their habits and
customs. He was at Fort Washeka [Washakie], in Wyoming, where the Arapahoes and the
Shoshones were camped together. He spent a winter at the Crow Agency, which was, I believe,
about fifty miles from Billings, Montana. At that time the town had just been started and the
drug store was in a tent. The Indians were still hunting for their meat.

"He never could forget his early impressions of the Indians, of whom he was very fond,
and later in life he would occasionally paint an Indian picture. He witnessed the religious
ceremony of the Sun Dance, which was the festival to the sun."

8. Reproductions of these oils in black and white (with one exception) will be found in the
order listed above, as follows: The Century, N. S. v. 8 (1885), May, p. 54; International Studio,
v. 34 (1908), Supplement, April, p. LIV; Hartmann, op. cit., p. 263; Harper's Weekly, v.
30 (1886), November 27, p. 760; The Century, N. S. v. 22 (1892), June, p. 274; "The Aztec
Sculptor" (in color), "The Weaver," "Dawn" and "Evening" in International Studio, v. 76
(1922), December, pp. 187-193; The Century, N. S. v. 21 (1892), February, p. 600, and ibid.,
v. 8 (1885), May, p. 56.

Although Brush's Indian paintings have been praised and admired for their skillful and
beautiful execution and for the highly imaginative faculty displayed by Brush, they have been
on occasion criticized for their details of composition. Thus the art critic of the New York
Tribune, April 22, 1888, p. 14, in commenting on Brush's "Aztec Sculptor" (the critic appears
confused and was more probably referring to Brush's "The King and the Sculptor") stated:
". . . it is a little confusing to find Central American sculpture a Navajo blanket, a
Pompeian oil or grain jar, Italian marble, one figure Oriental in color if not in face, and
another a North American Indian in face and very largely in costume, all combined in one
picture. . . ."

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 5

ship and for his studied dignity of manner. Neuhaus called him "A
unique and distinguished figure in our art." 9

If only a few artists have devoted extended portions of their
careers to the Indian theme, there have been sporadic efforts in this
direction by a considerable number of the profession. One of the
most striking of these instances occurred just at the time the frontier
in American history had ceased to exist or at least had been offi-
cially read out of existence in the famed statement of the bureau of
the census in 1890. Furthermore, the mass attack if such it can be
called of the artists on the Indian occurred in connection with this
same census. Following the suggestion of Thomas Donaldson, the
compiler of the massive but heterogeneous report on George Catlin,
the census bureau sent out a group of "special agents" to take the
census of 1890 among the Indians. Among these special agents were
the artists, Julian Scott, Peter Moran, Gilbert Gaul, Walter Shirlaw
and Henry R. Poore. 10

From the efforts of this group, and many others, there resulted
the voluminous document Report on Indians Taxed and Indians Not
Taxed. 11 Within its 683 pages will be found one of the most ex-
haustive sources of information on the American Indian ever pub-
lished. In addition to statistics (which show that there were Indians
in every state of the Union and the District of Columbia) , history,
condition, ethnology, legal status, review of Indian wars and many
other topics will be found on its pages. Of immediate concern to us,
however, are the illustrations, for, in addition to many maps, there
are numerous photographs and many examples of the work of the five
artists mentioned above. The majority of the illustrations appear in
black and white but there are also included elegant reproductions in
full color of 19 paintings; in addition, there are two tinted illustra-
tions. For these reasons, it is an astonishing fact that this volume
has not become one of the most sought after items of Western Amer-
icana but up until the writing of this account, this volume can still

9. His return to Paris is reported in The Century, N. S. v. 21 (1892), February, p. 638,
and his change of style in ibid., v. 29 (1896), April, p. 954. For accounts of his work sub-
sequent to 1896 see Hartmann, op. cit., pp. 262-271; Minna C. Smith, "George de Forest
Brush," International Studio, v. 34 (1908), Supplement, April, pp. XLVII-LVI. Eugen Neu-
haus' appraisal will be found in his book, The History and Ideals of American Art (Stanford
University, 1931), p. 209.

10. The reference to the statement of the census bureau and the end of the frontier is, of
course, the statement made famous by Turner; see Frederick Jackson Turner, The Frontier in
American History (New York, 1921), p. 39. That the suggestion of sending artists among
the Indians in connection with the llth U. S. census (1890) came from Donaldson is so stated
in Harper's Weekly, v. 36 (1892), October 8, p. 975. This account mentions six artists rather
than the five I have enumerated in the text. Possibly the Harper's Weekly account, however,
included George F. Kunz, a gem expert who is reported to have made investigations among the
Indians for the llth census.

11. The complete title reads, Report on Indians Taxed and Not Taxed in the United States
(Except Alaska) at the Eleventh Census: 1890 (Washington, 1894).

6 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

be secured at a very moderate price. Among the color illustrations,
for example, are found a striking portrait of Sitting Bull, painted
from life by Gilbert Gaul in September, 1890, a few months before
the death of this chieftain, probably the best-known Indian in Ameri-
can history; an equally interesting portrait of Washakie, chief of the
Shoshones, and almost as well-known a name as Sitting Bull, painted
at Fort Washakie, Wyo., in 1891, by Julian Scott, and a portrait, also
by Scott, of a very beautiful Indian girl of the pueblo of Sichumnaui,
Ariz., in 1891. Although most of the color illustrations are portraits
(12 out of 19), there are color reproductions of "Pack Train Leaving
Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico," by Poore; "Sioux Camp. Standing
Rock Agency, North Dakota, September, 1890," by Gaul; "Hunting
Party of Shoshones. Shoshone Agency, Wyoming, August, 1890,"
by Moran, and "Issue Day" at the Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita
agency, Oklahoma, 1890, by Scott. All these color reproductions
are full pages, the print size being about seven by nine inches on a
page nine by 11% inches. The largest illustrations in the volume,
however, are two folding reproductions in color of paintings by
Walter Shirlaw measuring seven by 18 inches: "The Race. Crow
Indians. Crow Reservation, Montana, August, 1890," and "Omaha
Dance. Northern Cheyennes. Tongue River Agency, Montana,
August, 1890." In these paintings, almost impressionistic in design,
Shirlaw has recorded aspects of Indian life against the sweep and
color of the vast Montana plains and hills.

Of the five artists represented in the volume, Scott had credit for
most of the illustrations both in color and in black and white, being
represented by over 30 drawings or paintings. Moran had three;
Shirlaw and Gaul, two each, and Poore only one. Each artist, how-
ever, had to double in brass, for in addition to their artistic labors,
each prepared a report on at least one Indian agency. Thus Scott
reported on the Moqui pueblos of Arizona, Poore on 16 New Mexico
pueblos, Shirlaw on the Tongue River agency (Northern Cheyennes)
and the Crow agency, Gaul on the Cheyenne River and Standing
Rock agencies and Moran on the Shoshone agency. 12

Several of this group had been in the West previous to their gov-

12. Indians Taxed and Indiana Not Taxed, pp. 186-198, 440-446 (Scott); pp. 424-440
(Poore); pp. 360-363 (Shirlaw); pp. 519-526, 584-588 (Gaul); pp. 629-634 (Moran). A
letter addressed to the bureau of census recently brought a reply to the writer from David S.
Phillips, chief of the administrative service division, dated March 29, 1949. Mr. Phillips stated
that the census bureau had no knowledge of the paintings made for the bureau in 1890 and
1891 and that the correspondence with the special agents "was destroyed years ago."

A number of the illustrations in this census volume plus some additional ones also appeared
in Thomas Donaldson's Moqui Pueblo Indiana of Arizona and Pueblo Indians of New Mexico,
Extra Census Bulletin, Eleventh Census of the United States (Washington, 1893). This ac-
count contains more detailed accounts of the Western experiences of Scott, Poore and Moran
than does the larger volume.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 7

ernment employment in 1890; Shirlaw is reported to have been on
the plains for six months in 1869 and Poore was probably in Colorado
about 1878. Moran had made several Western journeys before
1890. 13 Of these, his trip in 1881 was probably the most extensive.
In August he accompanied a party led by Capt. John G. Bourke
which visited a number of the Indian pueblos in (present) New
Mexico and Arizona. The party was interested primarily in the eth-
nological aspects of the Pueblo Indians as has been described by
Bourke himself in his well-known book, The Snake-Dance of the
Moquis of Arizona. . . . Bourke mentioned Moran many times
in his account, including the comment, after the ascent of a trail up a
mesa, "Mr. Moran made excellent sketches of this romantic trail, as
he had already made of everything of interest seen on our trip." Un-
fortunately none of these sketches, or paintings resulting from these
sketches, have been located and even the illustrations in Bourke's
book were by Sgt. A. F. Harmer, already referred to in this series. 15

Moran 's interest in the Indian is thus apparently largely ethno-
graphical. As for the other artists of the 1890 census we have judg-
ment on the American Indian as an art subject from Gaul and Shir-
law. Gaul, some years after his return, said he thought Indians were
"very picturesque" and that "they were a good deal like the white
men that some were very good fellows and some were very bad." 16

Shirlaw, when queried on the same point, is reported to have said,
"The red Indians are undoubtedly pictorial and perhaps semi-pic-
turesque." Hartmann, who reported this statement, interpreted it
in this manner:

13. A mention of Shirlaw's 1869 trip is made in the American Art Review, Boston, v. 2
(1881), p. 98; Poore had a Western mining illustration, "From Mine to Mill," in Harper's
Weekly, v. 22 (1878), September 14, pp. 732, 733; Moran was apparently in the West before
1880 as the New York Tribune, January 26, 1880, p. 5, reported the sale of a painting, "Ban-
nack Indians Breaking a Pony," for $400. The American Art Review, v. 2 (1881), Pt. 1, p.
163, and Pt. 2, p. 200, listed three (or four) Western paintings and the first of these references
stated, "Moran will have left for New Mexico again by the time these lines are in print."
Indians Taxed and Not Taxed, p. 195, stated that Moran and Capt. John G. Bourke witnessed
"the snake dance at Walpi in August, 1883." There may be some confusion of dates here,
and the Bourke-Moran trip of 1881 as described in the text is meant ; see Footnote 14.

14. New York, 1884.

15. The quotation above will be found on p. 297 of Bourke 's book. Bourke credited the
illustrations (31 plates, lithographs, some in color) to Harmer in the "Preface" of his book.
One of Harmer's illustrations is of the snake dance and is dated "August 12, 1881."

Biographical data on Moran is very meager. He was one of the famous Moran family of
artists; see Frances M. Benson, "The Moran Family," The Quarterly Illustrator, New York,
v. 1 (1892), pp. 67-84, which makes only brief reference to Peter Moran. Moran was born in
1841 and died in Philadelphia on November 9, 1914; see American Art Annual, Washington,
v. 12 (1916), p. 260; an obituary will be found in the Philadelphia Public Ledger, November
11, 1914, p. 16.

Mention of Harmer is made in this series No. VIII, "Charles Graham and Rufus F. Zog-
baum," The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 17 (1949), August, pp. 210, 211.

16. Jeannette L. Gilder, "A Painter of Soldiers," The Outlook, New York, v. 69 (1898),
July 2, pp. 570-573. A biographical sketch of Gaul (1855-1919) is included in the Dictionary
of American Biography, v. 7, p. 193. This account stated that Gaul spent "much time in the
Far West" and was noted not only for his battle and military paintings but for his cowboy and
Indian pictures as well. I have never seen any other mention of his cowboy pictures nor have
I ever seen any listed or described.

8 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The verdict, overexacting as it may seem, comes nearer to the truth than one
may imagine at the first glance. These Western tribes, with their characteristic
make-up, their wild way of living, and their peculiar ceremonious rites, contain
for the artist all the elements of the pictorial, but even to the layman they can
hardly claim to be as picturesque as, for instance, the Arabian horseman whom
Schreyer paints. 17

Just what Shirlaw did mean in his brief comment is uncertain. De
Cost Smith also considered Shirlaw's comment and stated, "I think
I know what he meant. He felt that the heavy striped blankets and
wide-flapped leggings obscured the figure, which was true, though in
their camps there was ample opportunity to see them in various de-
grees of nudity from partial to complete." 18 Whatever Shirlaw
meant, the number of his Indian pictures is limited, but he did de-
scribe in some detail and painted the melodramatic death of an
Indian warrior, a scene that he himself witnessed while in the West
in 1890. 19

HENRY F. FARNY

A huge man, over six feet in height, broad shouldered, bulky in
the waist line, an inveterate story teller, renowned as an after-dinner
speaker, a man with innumerable friends, alive with interest in life;
such is an epitome of Farny in his prime. Friend of Gen. U. S.
Grant, of Gen. Nelson Miles, of President Theodore Roosevelt and
of many other celebrities, his artistic labors were widely known in
his day. Joseph Pennell, toward the close of the 19th century, listed
him as one of a half-dozen or so American artists, the technique of
whose work students could study with advantage and referred to him
"as one of the most original, if erratic, of American artists." 20 Even
abroad Farny won recognition, having been awarded a third medal
at the Paris exhibition of 1889. 21

Farny spent most of his mature years at his studio in Cincinnati
but he made many Western journeys in search of material, especially
from 1880 until 1900, and his fame rests largely on the Western pic-

17. Hartmann, op. cit., p. 259.

18. Smith, op. cit., p. 28.

19. Walter Shirlaw, "Artists' Adventures: The Rush to Death," The Century, N. S.
v. 25 (1893), November, pp. 41-45. The article is accompanied by several illustrations which
are apparently portions of the larger painting, "A Rush to Death," which was reproduced in
Harper's Weekly, v. 34 (1890), October 18, p. 812. Shirlaw died in Madrid, Spain, on Decem-
ber 26, 1909; see Dictionary of American Biography, v. 17, pp. 119, 120, for a brief sketch
of his career.

Brief accounts of the life of Julian Scott and of Henry R. Poore, the remaining two
artists of the 1890 census will be found in the New York Tribune, July 5, 1901, p. 2, Scott
(1846-1901), and New York Times, August 16, 1940, p. 15, Poore (1859-1940).

20. Joseph Pennell, Pen Drawing and Pen Draughtsmen, 3rd ed. (London and New York,
1897), pp. 226 and 231.

21. Harper's Weekly, v. 83 (1889), August 31, p. 699. Remington was awarded a second
medal at the same exhibition and Gilbert Gaul also a third medal. In 1885 Farny had been
awarded one of four prizes of $250 each at the American Art Association by exhibiting an
Indian subject. Ibid., v. 29 (1885), November 28, p. 771.

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tures of this period. He has another claim to fame, however, for he
was the illustrator, in the late 1870's, of the celebrated McGuffey
readers. 22

Farny was born in Ribeauville, Alsace, in 1847. His father was
a prominent Republican in opposition to the Napoleonic party which
came to power in 1852. When the Farny family were forced to flee,
they found their way to this country, and from 1853 until 1859 lived
in the pine forests on the headwaters of the Allegheny river in
western Pennsylvania. During the impressionable years of boyhood,
young Farny came in contact with the Indian, for a Seneca in hunt-
ing costume appeared in the Farny dooryard, much to the consterna-
tion of the youngster. But the warrior was hunting a meal and not
game, and after he had been fed, proved so agreeable a companion
that young Farny made many visits to the Seneca camp not many
miles away. 23

The western Pennsylvania home was in the wilderness. A desire
to be nearer civilization and probably to provide more adequate edu-
cation for his children, led the elder Farny to make another move;
this time down the Allegheny on a raft to the Ohio, and then down
the Ohio to the metropolis of Cincinnati, long a center of business,
publishing and art. Here Henry Farny's artistic bent was soon ap-
parent, for by the time he was 18 he had published a two-page spread

22. Biographical data on Farny in the text unless credited to other sources is from the
American Art Review, v. 2 (1881), Pt. 2, pp. 1 and 2 (reprinted in American Art and American
Art Collections [Boston, 1889], Walter Montgomery, ed., v. 1, pp. 145, 146); and a long
article probably by Edward F. Flynn, "The Paintings of H. F. Farny Something About the
Career of the Eminent Cincinnati Artist," Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, March 14, 1893, p.
9. The last item mentioned the illustration of the McGuffey readers as do many other Cin-
cinnati newspaper items in my possession. One from the Cincinnati Times-Star, September 12,
1889, p. 8, stated: ". . . the artist [Farny] prides himself not a little on the fact that he
introduced to school book publishers a new and decent kind of school book illustration. In the
old days schoolbook pictures never bore any relation to real life. There were impossible boys
and impossible girls and impossible houses and trees that no botanist could recognize. Farny
changed this. In illustrating the publications of Van Antwerp, Bragg and Co. [publishers of
the McGuffey readers] he made sketches from life of real boys and girls, real houses and nat-
ural trees. The result was soon apparent and the other publishers followed suit."

As far as I know there has been no study made of the illustrations in the McGuffey readers.
Harvey C. Minnich in William Holmes McQuffey and the Peerless Pioneer McGuffey Readers
(Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 1928) had a brief paragraph on "Pictures" (pp. 45-47) but
said nothing about their origin. Van Antwerp, Bragg and Company, according to Minnich
(p. 87), were the parent publishing firm from 1877 to 1890, the present American Book Com-
pany of Cincinnati succeeding them. The annual production of McGuffey readers, also accord-
ing to Minnich (pp. 40 and 71), reached its high mark of 1,700,000 in 1880 after the appearance
of revised editions in 1879, presumably the ones illustrated by Farny.

The claim of Farny as a McGuffey illustrator for the 1879 editions, however, seems es-
tablished, as Minnich later published William Holmes McGuffey and His Readers (American
Book Company, 1936), in which on p. 118 there is reproduced an illustration from McGuffey's
Second Reader, 1879, bearing Farny'a initials and on p. 141 an illustration from the Fifth
Reader, 1879, which also shows Farny's initials on the illustration.

Charles F. Goss, in his Cincinnati, the Queen City (Chicago and Cincinnati, 1912), v. 2,
p. 449, had a brief discussion of Farny, pointing out that Farny was "one of the most notable
figures in Cincinnati," and he went on to say "the children of Cincinnati soon came to know
him in person and hailed him on the streets, to his delight, as the man who made the pictures
for their school books. Perhaps he never enjoyed quite as thoroughly his great fame as a
painter of pictures that are to be seen in public and private galleries as he did his reputation
among children."

23. "In Farny's Studio," Cincinnati Tribune, October 6, 1895, p. 22. Farny's recollections
of his boyhood experiences with Indians are also told in considerable detail in the Cincinnati
Enquirer, June 24, 1900, p. 17", "Artist Farny."

10 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

of Cincinnati views in the celebrated Harper's Weekly, 2 * and was
serving an apprenticeship as a lithographer in one of the numerous
Cincinnati firms preparing views of the Civil War for sale.

The following year (1866) he went abroad for art training, first
to Rome and later to Dusseldorf . Here he was a fellow student with
Munkacsy, who at that time was working on the painting, "The Last
Day of the Condemned Man," which brought him wide fame. Farny
is said to have posed as the central figure in the painting. Funds
were scarce, however, and Farny was forced to resort to intermittent
labor to secure his livelihood. He wandered from Dusseldorf to
Vienna, from Vienna to Munich, interspersing his art training with
odd jobs. Three and a half years were thus spent in various Euro-
pean art centers, then in 1870 he returned to Cincinnati. Times were
hard but occasional illustrations for Harper's, posters for John Rob-
inson's circus, sketches and illustrations for Cincinnati publishing
houses kept the wolf from the door. 25

He again went to Vienna in 1873 for a period of further training
but returned shortly to Cincinnati. His decision to make a specialty
of Indian and Western pictures appears to have been reached by
1881. The surrender to U. S. authorities of Sitting Bull in the sum-
mer of that year again focused national attention on the Indian prob-
lem. Sitting Bull, with a number of his followers, on the loose since
1876, the year of the Custer tragedy, had spent much of the time in
intervening years across the Canadian border. Wearying of the con-
stant pressure of the United States authorities for his return and
greatly concerned about relatives, especially a daughter who was re-
ported held in chains until his return, he gave up the unequal struggle
and surrendered at Fort Buford, Dakota territory, on July 19,
1881. 26

Every move made by Sitting Bull in this period was eagerly re-
ported by the newspapers of the country. The additional tragedy
of Spotted Tail in the same year and the agitation of Helen Hunt
Jackson and her followers raised the Indian question to one of the
major topics of the day. 27 It is not surprising, therefore, that Farny,

24. Volume 9 (1865), September 30, pp. 620, 621.

25. Illustrations of Cincinnati, Louisville and the Midwest by Farny are of occasional oc-
currence in Harper's Weekly during the period 1870-1890. His other sources of income are
stated in the Flynn article cited in Footnote 22.

26. For Sitting Bull's reasons, see his statement, given to an interpreter, in the New York
Tribune, September 6, 1881, p. 5. His surrender is reported in ibid., July 21, 1881, p. 5, which
also stated Sitting Bull's concern over his daughter.

27. See the large number of entries, for example, under the heading "Indians" in the
Index To the New York Daily Tribune, 1881. The death of Spotted Tail was reported in the
New York Tribune for August 7, 1881, p. 2, and August 13, 1881, p. 1. Mrs. Jackson's most
celebrated thesis on the Indian question, A Century of Dishonor, was published in this year of
1881 ; she was also agitating the case of the Indian by letters to the papers; see her letter in
the New York Tribune, May 28, 1881, p. 5.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 11

after his boyhood experiences with the redskin, became interested in
exploring the possibility of the Indian as an art theme. In the fall of
1881 he made a visit to the Sioux agency at Standing Rock, where
Sitting Bull had been first "confined" after his surrender. He found
that the famous Indian had been transferred to Fort Randall, but he
discovered a wealth of material which he was soon to utilize. Not
only were many drawings of the Sioux and of life at the agency se-
cured for his sketchbook, but photographs and examples of Indian
attire and equipment were brought back to his studio in Cincinnati
in large quantity. 28 His enthusiasm for his new subject grew greater
and greater as he began to put his experiences in permanent form.
"The plains, the buttes, the whole country and its people," he ar-
dently declared, "are fuller of material for the artist than any coun-
try in Europe." And a reporter making the rounds of Cincinnati
studios after Farny had returned, commented: "He draws Indians,
he paints Indians, he sleeps with an Indian tomahawk near him, he
lays greatest store by his Indian necklaces and Indian pipe, he talks
Indian and he dreams of Indian warfare." 29

The first finished work from Farny's brush resulting from the
Western trip was "Toilers of the Plains," a painting which was sold
almost immediately upon its completion. A reproduction in black
and white appeared several years later as a full-page illustration in
Harper's Weekly. The picture depicted two squaws gathering fire-
wood while their lord and master walked in unburdened dignity
across the plain. The illustration is particularly striking in its play
of light and shade across butte and valley, an effect which conveys
successfully the feeling of a vast and lonesome land. At the same
time, Farny completed a second painting for exhibition at the Paris
salon on the same general theme, "The Sioux Women of the Burnt
Plains," an effort that attracted the attention and favor of Oscar
Wilde, who was lecturing on art in Cincinnati at the time. 31 The
picture which doubtlessly gave Farny the widest publicity of any
made at this time was the bold and striking double-page illustration,

28. Farny's trip to the Standing Rock agency (Fort Yates) was reported in some detail
in the Cincinnati Daily Gazette, November 8, 1881, p. 8, "Mr. Farny Among the Sioux," which
stated that Farny returned from his trip "on Saturday," and in the Cincinnati Enquirer,
November 8, p. 8, "Lo! the Poor Indian," which stated that Farny did not see Sitting Bull
as he had been taken to Fort Randall, a fact that had already been reported in the New York
Tribune, September 12, 1881, p. 1. The American Art Review, v. 2 (1881), p. 2, in a brief
review of Farny, commented: "Mr. Farny's studio in Cincinnati is a place rich in Indian
trappings from the far West."

29. The quotation ascribed to Farny above was in the Cincinnati Gazette reference given in
Footnote 28; the reporter's comment in the Cincinnati Commercial, December 1, 1881, p. 4.

30. The original display of the picture and report of its sale to one James McDonald was
given in the Cincinnati Daily Gazette, January 28, 1882, p. 6. The Harper's Weekly illustra-
tion was in v. 28 (1884), June 21, p. 893.

31. Cincinnati Daily Gazette, May 6, 1882, p. 6 ; May 13, 1882, p. 4.

12 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

"Ration Day at Standing Rock Agency," which appeared in 1883 in
Harper's Weekly? 2

Before any of these illustrations were nationally known, however,
Farny had attracted wide attention by his Indian portraits and draw-
ings which appeared in Frank H. Cushing's remarkable memoir on
his (Cushing's) life among the Zuni of (present) New Mexico pub-
lished in The Century Magazine?*

Gushing lived for several years in the pueblo of Zuni, having been
sent by the Smithsonian Institution to study the life of these Indians.
During his stay he made extensive notes and rough sketches and em-
ployed a photographer (John K. Hillers) to record their life in pic-
ture. When Cushing's story appeared in print, it was elaborately
illustrated by Farny and by W. L. Metcalf. 34

Metcalf had spent two years in the Southwest in 1881 and 1882,
had visited Gushing in Zuni and his illustrations, therefore, were
based on direct observations of Indian life.

Farny, on the other hand, made no Southwestern trip, but visited
Washington in 1882 where Gushing had induced some half-dozen
Zuni head men to come and pay their respects to the Great White
Father. 85

From the Hillers photographs, the Gushing notes and sketches, and
from his personal observation of the visiting Zuni, Farny prepared his
illustrations used in the Gushing articles. 36 The illustrations con-
tributed by Farny are distinctly individualistic and are not only well
drawn but are highly decorative, with the result that they attracted
not only popular attention but the approval of critics as well. The
"Chief Priest of the Bow" (see sketch facing p. 8), for example, was
used by Pennell many years later as a model of excellence for pen

32. Harper's Weekly, v. 27 (1883), July 28, pp. 472, 473.

33. Frank H. Cushing, "My Adventures in Zuni," The Century Magazine, N. S. v. 3
(1882, 1883), pp. 191-207, 600-511; v. 4 (1883), pp. 28-47.

34. Willard Leroy Metcalf (1858-1925) according to the Dictionary of American Biography,
v. 12, pp. 582, 583, spent two years in New Mexico and Arizona presumably in the very early
1880 's. This account made no mention of any Western illustrations or paintings by Metcalf,
but stated: "His paintings were mostly of New England scenes. . . ." There are, however,
a number of illustrations in Sylvester Baxter's "The Father of the Pueblos," Harper's Magazine,
v. 65 (1882), June, pp. 72-91, by Metcalf dated "Zuni, 81," and the article itself stated that
Baxter and Metcalf, in company with Cushing, visited at the Zuni pueblo (one of the illustra-
tions was a portrait of Cushing in Indian costume). Baxter also had an article, "Along the Rio
Grande," ibid., v. 70 (1885), April, pp. 687-700, which contained Metcalf illustrations of New
Mexico and Texas dated 1882, one of which was signed "W. L. Metcalf, El Paso." It therefore
seems reasonably well established that Metcalf was in the Southwest in 1881 and 1882.

35. The visit of the Zuni to Washington and other Eastern cities was reported in the New
York Tribune, March 6, 1882, p. 1; March 8, 1882, p. 4, and March 29, 1882, p. 1.

36. The Cincinnati Daily Gazette, July 29, 1882, p. 7, contained the item: "Mr. Farny
has returned from Washington having made a pronounced success of his Zuni sketches. One
of the Zuni men has adopted Farny as his son, and bestowed upon him the name of Cohok-
Wah, White Medicine Bead."

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 13

and ink illustration. The manner in which the black and white illus-
tration suggests color was noted particularly by Pennell, who also
called attention to the strong character of the face. "The decorative
manner in which the shield and bow are put in and balance each
other," wrote Pennell, "is good and the whole drawing is very well
put together." 37

Farny's next actual contact with the West was on the Henry Vil-
lard excursion which left St. Paul early in September, 1883, over the
Northern Pacific railway. The excursionists witnessed the ceremony
of the completion of this new transcontinental line and the joining
of the rails of its eastern and western divisions near Missoula, Mont.,
on September 8 (see picture facing p. 9). Some 350 members were
in the party, personally conducted by President Villard, including
many notables both from the United States and abroad. 38

The railroad celebration and the cornerstone-laying of the terri-
torial capitol at Bismarck had attracted a large and gala crowd
drawn from many miles. Sitting Bull and many of his friends came
up from the Standing Rock agency some 60 miles away, and the cele-
brated Indian was an object of overwhelming curiosity. Farny, who
had missed the old chief on his previous trip to Dakota in 1881, made
a special effort to meet him, and later introduced him to Villard and
General Grant. Grant, the most famous American present, was also
an object of curiosity to Sitting Bull, and the two eyed each other
with respectful wonder. Both were called upon for speeches at the
cornerstone-laying ceremony, Sitting Bull speaking through an in-
terpreter. 39

Grant and Farny had mutual interests, for Grant too was inter-
ested in the West and in painting. He was an excellent draftsman,
for all West Point men received training in drawing in the early days,
and he even had essayed painting in oils. The only painting to which

37. Pennell, op. cit., p. 231.

38. The excursion was extensively reported in the New York Tribune; see especially the
issues of September 1, p. 5, September 2, p. 1, September 9, p. 1, and September 10, 1883,
p. 5, and the citations given in the footnotes immediately following this one.

39. New York Tribune, September 6, 1883, p. 5. Farny recalled his part in the Bis-
marck celebration in the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, December 18, 1890, p. 12, shortly
after the death of Sitting Bull. "I was exceedingly amused," Farny was quoted as saying, "at
his [Sitting Bull's] first meeting with General Grant. It was on an afternoon in the town of
Bismarck. I was talking with the great chief when Henry Villard and Grant drove up in a
carriage. Mr. Villard, pointing to the Indians, asked me who they were, and when I told him
that Sitting Bull was among them he asked me to bring him over to the carriage. Sitting Bull
walked over to the party in a swaggering and indifferent way.

"When I introduced him to General Grant he turned to me and asked, 'Is that the great
father?' I told him that it was and he instantly straightened up and assumed a dignified and
important bearing, eyeing the great soldier from the crown of his hat to the soles of his shoes.
General Grant also appeared to be interested in the Indian chief, for he scrutinized him pretty
closely."

14 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

he is reported to have affixed his signature was a frontier scene in-
cluding several Indian figures. 40

After Bismarck, no further stops were made until the excursionists
reached Grey Cliff, Mont., on or near the Crow reservation. Here
they witnessed a "grass" dance by 100 warriors. 41 It continued well
into the night and the weird spectacle of the dancing Crows with the
long trains of the excursionists brightly lighted in the distance so
impressed Farny that he made a sketch of the scene. The resulting
illustration, "A Dance of Crow Indians," is one of Farny's most strik-
ing Westerns and appeared late in the year in Harper's Weekly 42
(see picture facing p. 16).

The Weekly in describing the event in words for its readers, re-
ported in part:

. . . Never had the extremes and highest types of savage and civilized
life been brought together as on this unique occasion, when the dandified
habitues of Pall Mall and spectacled German "Philistine" elbowed the
painted warriors of the plains. The lurid light of the camp fires, deafening
drum-beat, jingling bells of the dancers, and weird monotonous chant of the
singers were echoed by the whistle of the locomotives as the excursion trains
successively drew up. Great was the desire to secure mementos of the event
amongst the foreign guests, and the untutored children of the desert sold the
brass ornaments and bracelets which the President of the railroad had given
them in the afternoon at a handsome advance over the original cost of the same.
As the transatlantic guests are probably ignorant to this day of the fact of their
distribution, the desire for souvenirs was gratified, and the Crows retired to
their tepees with many shining silver dollars in their pouches. 43

The culmination of the trip where the ceremony of joining the rails
was carried out resulted in a Farny illustration which appeared in
Leslie's Weekly, 44

The next year (1884) Farny was back in Montana in company
with Eugene V. Smalley, both of whom were sent by The Century
Magazine to secure material for a magazine article. Smalley was

40. Harper's Weekly, v. 31 (1887), January 1, p. 3. This account stated that Grant gave
the painting to A. E. Borie, Secretary of the Navy in Grant's cabinet and noted for his art
collection. From Borie it passed to his nephew who gave it to Mrs. Grant after Grant's death
in 1885. At the time the note was published the account stated: "It is the only specimen of
her husband's art work in her possession."

41. New York Tribune, September 8, 1883, p. 1. The dispatch from Grey Cliff was dated
September 6.

42. Harper's Weekly, v. 27 (1883), December 15, p. 800 (full page).

43. Ibid., p. 799.

44. "The Completion of the Northern Pacific Railway. Driving the Last Spike at the
Point of Junction of the Eastern and Western Sections, Sixty Miles West of Helena, Sept. 8th,"
a full-page illustration in Leslie's Weekly, New York, September 22, 1883, p. 73, with text
on pp. 70 and 71 (reproduced facing p. 9).

Charles Graham was also a member of this excursion party and readers of this series may
recall his views of the "last spike" ceremony and those of the dedication of the capitol build-
ing at Bismarck in Harper's Weekly. See this series, No. VIII, "Charles Graham and Rufus
F. Zogbaum," The Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 17 (1949), August, pp. 214, 215.

The Helena (Mont.) Daily Herald, September 7, 1883, p. 1, "Villard's Guests," listed
"H. F. Farney, Esq., artist, Century Magazine." I am indebted to Mrs. Anne McDonnell of
the Montana Historical Society for this last item.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 15

a frequent contributor to Century in this period, his articles cover-
ing a wide variety of topics, many dealing with various aspects of
life in the West. They arrived in Helena on September 14 and were
entertained by a group of notables, among whom was Gov. John S.
Crosby of Montana territory. An expedition was arranged which
included a voyage down the Missouri river in two boats from near
Helena to the Great Falls of the Missouri, a portage around the falls,
and a brief extension of the down-river journey to historic Fort Ben-
ton which was, in the days preceding the coming of the railroad, the
head of steamboat navigation on the Missouri.

During the first day's voyage, although the swift current carried
them many miles, only one ranch was passed. As evening came on
and the shadows began to fall, the landscape became lonelier than
ever.

. . . Weird profiles and masks [wrote Smalley] looked down from the
rocky walls. The talk and laughter, and the shouting for echoes, that had made
the voyage a merry one so long as the sun shone, had ceased, and there came
upon the wanderers a sense of loneliness and mystery, as though they had set
out to penetrate an unknown wilderness. It was a relief to all to tie up to the
bank at dark, to light a camp-fire, pitch the tents, and unload the boats; and
the efforts of the party to eat supper on the ground, in darkness made visible
by the flickering fire, were amusing enough to restore good humor all around. 45

The second day's run took them through the Gate of the Moun-
tains, those towering cliffs through which the river passes and which
had so impressed Lewis and Clark 80 years earlier that they had be-
stowed the name that has clung to them ever since. On the fourth
day part of the group, including Farny and Smalley, left their boat
and journeyed by wagon across a wide bend in the river, spending
that night at the ranch of R. B. Harrison, son of Benjamin Harrison
who was to become President. Portage of the boats around the Great
Falls was made the next day and the river trip continued for 24 miles
to Fort Benton.

The glory of the famed post and military center had departed. In
1884 it was a town of 1,500, "a queer conglomeration of handsome
new brick structures and old cottonwood-log huts, with a few neat
frame houses painted in the fashionable olives and browns." On the
edge of the town, Smalley and Farny visited a dozen lodges of the
Piegans in one of which a young squaw lay hopelessly ill.

45. Eugene V. Smalley, "The Upper Missouri and the Great Falls," The Century Mag-
azine, N. S. v. 13 (1888), January, pp. 408-418. Although this article did not appear until
1888, the trip was made in the fall of 1884 as has been established by Mrs. Anne McDonnell
of the Montana Historical Society. Mrs. McDonnell has found newspaper references and ac-
counts of the "expedition" in the Helena Daily Independent, September 16, p. 5, September
23, p. 5, and September 30, 1884, p. 5. This last was a rather long account of the trip which
agreed with Smalley's account of 1888 and furnished additional details.

16 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

From Fort Benton, Smalley and Farny traveled overland by stage
to the railroad at Billings, a journey of some 200 miles.

The Smalley article in The Century contained a number of Farny's
illustrations resulting from the trip. All are excellently engraved
and all are interesting. Probably the most important are: "Great
Falls of the Missouri," one of the best drawings of the Great Falls
I've seen, "Piegan Camp on Teton River" and "Ruins of Fort Ben-
ton." Concerning the last of these views, Smalley wrote :

The four towers at the corners of the quadrangle are in a good state of pres-
ervation, but portions of the connecting walls have fallen. The rooms where
the trappers and traders used to count their profits and make merry are now
a rookery of poor homeless people, and the court looks like the backyard of a
block of New York tenement houses.

In the late fall of this year (1884) Farny attended the famous
"Cattlemen's Convention" in St. Louis. The convention, the most
extensive of its kind ever attempted, began on November 17 and
lasted a week. Some 1,200 delegates, "the most influential as-
semblage of men engaged in pastoral pursuits heretofore held in the
world," included representatives from the rapidly expanding cattle
industry one association represented was reported to control a 15,-
000,000-acre range on the Great Plains. St. Louis made a gala oc-
casion of the event. Farny sketched the convention, a parade and
a part of the celebrated Dodge City cowboy band. 46

It seems possible that two other Harper's Weekly illustrations
appearing subsequent to Farny's Montana visits are to be attributed
to the experiences of these years although they do not depict actual
scenes. The first of these, "The Prisoner," shows a white captive
staked on the plain, a passive Indian guard by his side and the tepee
village in the distance. This imaginative scene is excellently done,
the original a water-color painting now being in the collections of
the Cincinnati Art Museum. 47 (Reproduced between pp. 8 and 9.)

If a realist were criticizing the painting he might observe that the
prisoner, stripped of all clothes save his trousers, was treated with
more consideration than was usually shown Indian captives. Farny,
however, could not paint his captive in a state of complete nudity
and expect to get the picture exhibited.

The second illustration was "Suspicious Guests," a double-page
spread showing a group of hunters one of whom is obviously an

46. Harper's Weekly, v. 28 (1884), December 6, p. 798, four illustrations on one page.
A' description of the convention will be found on p. 805 of the above issue.

47. The illustration appeared in ibid., v. 30 (1886), February 13, p. 109. It is dated
" '85." The painting in the Cincinnati Art Museum is titled "The Captive," and according to
the exhibition catalogue, Henry F. Farny and the American Indian (Cincinnati, 1943), it is
dated '05. Either an error of transcription in the date ("05" in place of "85") has been made,
or Farny repainted the picture in 1905.

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PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 17

Englishman cooking a meal in the shelter of a gully, snow covering
the ground on a bleak and broken Western landscape. An Indian
is approaching the party and in the distance, behind the party, can
be seen several mounted Indians. 48 (Reproduced facing p. 17.)

Another illustration of this period suggests that in the middle
1880's Farny made a trip to Indian territory, although I have no
other information on such a trip. The locality of the illustration,
"A Cheyenne Courtship," is identified in the accompanying text as
in the "western part of the Indian Territory." 49

That other Western trips by Farny were made in the late 1880's
may be indicated by an illustration of San Francisco, 50 and an es-
pecially interesting group entitled, "Sketches on a Journey to Cal-
ifornia in the Overland Train," nine illustrations on two pages. Of
these possibly "Nevada Stage Coach" and "Emigrant Camp, Omaha,
Neb." are the most important; the last because it shows that over-
land migration by horse and wagon was still a factor in the westward
movement. 51

After 1890 Farny's illustrations in the popular magazines of the
period nearly ceased. 52 The disappearance of illustrations, however,
but marked a change in his activities, for his efforts were directed
chiefly toward painting imaginative Western scenes. The first of his
more pretentious efforts in this direction was "The Last Vigil" (see
cover of this issue) which was reproduced in Harper's Weekly in 1891
under the title, "The Last Scene of the Last Act of the Sioux War." 53
The title in the Weekly, of course, referred to the Pine Ridge mas-
sacre of 1890. The painting showed a squaw mourning beneath the
body of a warrior which rested on the crude platform used by the
Plains Indians to "bury" their dead.

48. Harper's Weekly, v. 31 (1887), February 5, pp. 96, 97.

49. Ibid., v. 30 (1886), July 24, p. 465 (full page).

50. A double-page San Francisco illustration of a Chinese opium den will be found in
ibid., v. 32 (1888), October 13, pp. 776, 777. Farny's illustration, "The Snake Dance of the
Moqui Indians," appeared in ibid., v. 33 (1889), November 2, pp. 872, 873, but was drawn
from photographs. Possibly, too, the seven illustrations, "The Great Salt Lake of Dakota,"
ibid., March 9, p. 192, credited to Farny, were redrawn from photographs, as the author of
the article accompanying the illustrations, Dwight W. Huntington, mentioned that he carried
a camera.

51. Ibid., v. 34 (1890), March 22, pp. 220, 221.

52. A bibliography of a half-dozen or so illustrations of Farny's appearing in the leading
periodicals of the 1890's will be found in 19th. Century Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature,
1890-99 (New York, 1944), v. 1, p. 905. The bibliography includes illustrations of all kinds,
Westerns as well as others.

53. Harper's Weekly, v. 35 (1891), February 14, p. 120 (full page). In 1940 the original
of the painting was in the possession of Mr. George A. Rentschler of Hamilton, Ohio. Farny's
change from illustrator to painter was described in the Cincinnati Tribune, October 6, 1895, p.
22, which stated that "for the last ten years he has done very little illustrating." Examination
of the illustrated press, however, would put the date about five years later than that given
by this report. Both the account cited above, however, and one in the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette, March 8, 1896, p. 25, were in agreement that Farny's "first pretentious" painting
was "The Last Vigil."

21725

18 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

It was this painting, together with his previous illustrations, which
led to Farny's designation as an "Indian painter." In depicting the
Indian he was sympathetic but realistic. In much of his work he
seemed to take particular delight in portraying contrasts between
civilizations. "A Dance of Crow Indians," for example, shows a ritual
of the Indian against a background of Northern Pacific trains (re-
produced facing p. 16) ; "Ration Day at Standing Rock Agency"
shows effective contrasts in costumes, as does "Suspicious Guests"
(facing p. 17). Later in his career he painted "The Song of the
Talking Wire," which shows an Indian with his ear intently placed
against a telegraph pole listening to the hum of the wire. 54 (Re-
produced between pp. 8 and 9.)

Farny was particularly successful in conveying the immensity and
solitude of the country in which the Indians lived. Theodore Roose-
velt, certainly as ardent a proponent of Western life as the East ever
produced, saw Farny's pictures on several occasions. Among his
favorites were, "The Last Vigil," "The Captive" and "The Edge of
the Desert." The last shows a sagebrush and cactus desert in the
foreground on which there is a single lonesome figure, with foothills
in the middle distance and in the background the peaks of the Rock-
ies. "That's great," said Roosevelt as he saw it in Cincinnati. "It is
like going home to see that. I have seen exactly that landscape a
hundred times. It is perfect. It is the real West. I am glad that
I have seen it." 55 Roosevelt was as enthusiastic in his likes as in his
dislikes, and although he cannot be taken as an authority on art, he
knew the West intimately and he was well acquainted with the work
of other Western artists.

How many Western paintings Farny produced in the last phase of
his career, we do not know with certainty. In 1943 the Cincinnati
Art Museum held an extensive exhibition of Farny's work which in-
cluded 39 oil paintings and 104 water colors. Not all of these paint-
ings were Westerns and it is difficult to decide from the printed
catalogue which are Westerns and which are not. At least 24 of the
oils belong to his Western group and 71 of the water colors. 56 Ref-

54. "The Song of the Talking Wire" apparently was painted in 1904 and in 1915 was re-
ported as owned by Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati; it now belongs to the Taft
Museum in Cincinnati.

55. Cincinnati Times-Star, September 12, 1910, p. 4. This account contained a photo-
graph of Roosevelt and Farny. Roosevelt had also seen Farny's paintings while President.
His visit and comments on this occasion were reported in the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune,
September 21, 1902, p. 2.

56. Henry F. Farny and the American Indian (Cincinnati Art Museum), March 2 through
April 4, 1943. This catalogue contains a woefully inaccurate and inadequate biography of
Farny. In addition to the 39 oils and 104 water colors, there were exhibited an oil portrait
of Farny by Frank Duveneck and four Farny drawings. It would appear from two of the
drawings that Farny might have been in Cuba in 1898. The catalogue does not give the dimen-
sions of the paintings shown, but it does give the owner of each painting at the time of the
exhibition, Farny's signature and the date of the painting when these facts are shown on the
painting.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 19

erence to Western paintings by Farny not listed in the 1943 cata-
logue have been occasionally encountered. It would appear, there-
fore, that the total number of his Western paintings is something in
excess of 100.

Although the record of Farny's Western trips from 1890 until his
death in 1916 is incomplete, some journeys were undoubtedly made
in search of fresh material. Many of the subjects of his Apache
paintings were probably secured on a trip to Indian territory in the
fall of 1894. He was invited to accompany General Miles to Fort
Sill, where portions of the Kiowa and Comanche Indians were on
reservation, and where Geronimo and remnants of his Apache band
had just been transferred. Farny made much of his opportunities
on this trip, securing among his sketches a portrait of Geronimo
which the famous Apache himself signed. A newspaper account
stated that Farny also took photographs, 57 which were used as the
basis of future work.

It is odd, indeed, that artists of Farny's calibre have been so com-
pletely overlooked by the art historians. Famed and acknowledged
in their day much of their work is of historic value and intensely
interesting for the stories their pictures tell, many times with more
than ordinary ability they have been needlessly forgotten. Many
of them have made far more than ordinary effort, as did Farny, to
secure authentic material and to make certain, by observation and
study, that their work was essentially true to the spirit and the fact
of their times. Yet Farny's 50 years of artistic labor are not men-
tioned in the usual sources of information on art in America. 58

57. The visit is reported in the Cincinnati Tribune, October 28, 1894, p. 15, and the Cin-
cinnati Commercial Gazette, October 28, 1894, p. 22. This last account contained a repro-
duction of a sketch of Geronimo dated, "Fort Sill, October 14/94."

According to the Report of the Secretary of War, House Ex. Doc. 1. Pt. 2, 53 Cong., 3
Sess. (1894-1895), pp. 26, 27, and ibid.. House Doc. 2, v. 1, 54 Cong., 1 SPSS. (1895-1896),
p. 130, the Apaches after being imprisoned since their capture in 1886 at Fort Pickens and
Fort Marion, were transferred to Fort Sill and arrived at the latter place on October 4, 1894.
The Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita agency in 1894 had its headquarters at Anadarko, some
30 miles from Fort Sill.

An earlier trip to the Southwest and previous (to 1894) acquaintance with the Apache is
suggested by the fact that one of Farny's best-known pictures, "The Renegade Apaches," had
been completed by 1892 for it was on display in June of that year. Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette, June 19, 1892, p. 17. (This account carried a reproduction of the painting.)

58. For example, Farny is not mentioned in Samuel Isham's The History of American
Painting, supplemented by Royal Cortissoz (New York, 1927), nor in Eugen Neuhaus' History
and Ideals of American Art, although Neuhaus is practically the only art historian to devote
any consideration to the painters of Indian and frontier life. Even S. Hartmann, in his His-
tory of American Art, published while Farny was still well-known, had no comment on his
work save a listing (v. 1, p. 260) of his name along with a number of other artists. Farny's death
on December 23, 1916, is reported briefly in the American Art Annual, v. 14, p. 322. An
obituary of greater length will be found, however, in the Cincinnati Enquirer, December 25,
1916. I am indebted to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, Columbus, for a
copy of this obituary. Attention should also be directed to the fact that the Ohio society
possesses an excellent file of Cincinnati newspapers which I used in securing the newspaper
references contained in this article.

Lincoln College, Forerunner of Washburn
Municipal University

PART ONE: FOUNDING A PIONEER CONGREGATIONAL COLLEGE
RUSSELL K. HICKMAN
PIONEER PROJECTS

After God had carried us safe to New England, and wee had builded
our houses, provided necessaries for our liveli-hood, rear'd convenient
places for Gods worship, and setled the Civill Government: One of the
next things we longed for, and looked after was to advance Learning,
and perpetuate it to Posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate Ministery
to the Churches, when our present Ministers shall lie in the Dust. . . - 1

r these words the Puritan chronicler expressed the great impor-
tance of education to the cause of religion, a matter which
prompted the forefathers to carefully provide for a succession of
able and learned ministers. They entertained great fear that with-
out this " 'darkness must have soon covered the land, and gross
darkness the people/ . . . Wherefore a COLLEDGE . . .
the best thing that ever New England thought upon!" 2

In like manner their descendants, on a westward march across
the continent, planted a chain of colleges, even before their settle-
ments had attained maturity, so that the cause of religion and mor-
ality might not suffer. Again and again the missionaries on the
border pointed out their dire need of help and despaired of a proper
answer to their pleas, unless colleges near at hand could supply the
deficiency.

In Kansas no one was more persistent in urging the need of "an
educated and godly ministry" 3 than Lewis Bodwell, agent of the
American Home Missionary Society in 1866 when he wrote: "Whole

RUSSELL K. HICKMAN, of La Porte, Ind., is a former staff member of the Kansas State
Historical Society.

1. "New England's First Fruits: In Respect of the Colledge, and the Proceedings of
Learning Therein," Old South Leaflets, v. 8, No. 61, p. 1. Ths is "the oldest extant
document which, in type, clearly recognizes the existence of Harvard College." It was dated,
Boston, 1642, and published in London the following year.

2. Cotton Mather, "The History of Harvard College," ibid., v. 8, No. 184, p. 3 (quoted
from his Magnolia, London, 1702).

8. Extract from a letter of Bodwell appended to An Appeal to Congregational Churches
in Behalf of Lincoln College, written in 1865. Two years later (October 23, 1867) he Wrote
to "Dear Bro. [H. Q.] Butterfidd" in more detail: "Our talked of school has entered upon
its second year with good & growing patronage, & the doubling of our population has brought
into a still stronger light our desperate need of more ministers. . . . All abroad over
our prairies destitute of the ministry hundreds . . . must die to all spiritual life &
power. . . . Only the rearing of an educated ministry for the millions who are to live
and die with or without Xt upon these prairies could have forced us to this work. . . .
(Manuscript in Washburn Municipal University library.)

(20)

LINCOLN COLLEGE 21

towns and counties, with hundreds and thousands of inhabitants,
are destitute of needed preaching." A champion of Lincoln Col-
lege aptly stated the parallel with Puritan days:

In less than twenty years from the landing on Plymouth Rock, our Puritan
fathers conceived the noble purpose of establishing a Christian college. . . .
They did not wait for colonies to develop; but into the very incipiency of
that development were cast the germs of Christian institutions, which have
now become the glory of the land, and whose leaves even are for the healing
of the nations.

Following the example of these pioneers of Christ's kingdom in this land,
we have taken effective steps toward the establishment of a college in Kansas,
whose pattern shall be like that shown us in New England, the "Mount" of
our early and hallowed associations. 4

In its early stages the project of a college for Kansas, to cham-
pion the Puritan way of life, Was inseparably connected with the
New England plan of winning that region for freedom. The towns
to be planted by the New England Emigrant Aid Company were to
encourage the church, the school and the college, and by their
strategic distribution and desirability attract the Northern settler
who would hold the land against all comers from the "slave power."

From the very beginning this was true of Lawrence, where on
the first day of 1855 stakes were driven and stone was hauled to a
prospective college site on Mt. Oread. 5 Somewhat later Topeka
became an ardent rival of Lawrence for the site of the pioneer college.
On December 25, 1856, a meeting of the citizenry was held at Law-
rence to take the necessary steps. 6 Not long thereafter Amos A.
Lawrence, Free-State champion in New England, transferred to
Charles Robinson and S. C. Pomeroy, trustees, the two notes total-
ing $10,000 which he had advanced Lawrence University of Ap-
pleton, Wis., thereby establishing a fund for higher education in
Kansas. 7

4. An Appeal to Congregational Churches . . ., cited above, being an appeal for
financial aid, signed by the college trustees. Many denominational colleges, particularly in
the Mississippi valley, were founded primarily to help solve the problem of ministerial
training.

5. A. T. Andreas and W. G. Cutler, History of the State of Kansas (Chicago, 1883),
p. 317. The work at Lawrence was under the direction of Charles Robinson, local agent of
the Aid Company, and at the expense of that organization, but was terminated because of
uncertainty of title.

6. Proceedings of meeting in Lawrence Herald of Freedom, January 3, 1857. It had
immediate repercussions at Manhattan where a similar convention was held January 12, 1857
and resolutions adopted in favor of a state university immediately in a central location and"
denying the claim of the Lawrence meeting of being a mass convention of the people of
Kansas. Concerning the Manhattan movement, see J. T. Willard, "Bluemont Central College,
the Forerunner of Kansas State College," The Kansas Historical Quarterly v 13 (1945)
May, pp. 323-357.

7. Lawrence to Rev. E. Nute, dated Boston, February 11, 1857, in "Copies of Letters
of Amos A. Lawrence About Kansas Affairs," p. 232, in MSS. division, Kansas State His-
torical Society.

22 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

CONGREGATIONAL BEGINNINGS

Although settled somewhat later than Lawrence, Topeka also in-
cluded a number who were imbued with the idea of founding in
their midst a college dedicated to freedom. Among these none was
more active in promoting a Congregational college than John Ritchie
who, early in 1855, settled near Topeka. Harrison Hannahs, a
founder of Lincoln College, has given us a good account of his in-
troduction to this pioneer Congregationalist:

The men who first conceived the idea of founding a college in Topeka
were all lay members of the Congregational Church. John Ritchey was the
pioneer in the movement.

I arrived in Topeka on the 10th day of April, 1856, in company with a
party of six free-state men. . . . The next day ... I accepted an in-
vitation from one of my traveling companions, W. H. Fitzpatrick, to take a
walk with him out to the residence of his friend, John Ritchey, which was
situated just outside the southern limits of the city. One of the Kansas
zephyrs was blowing about 60 miles an hour, more or less, and Topeka real
estate was very active. We waded . . . against the current, . . .
until we finally reached Mr. Ritchey's palatial residence. It was a sod house
about 12 by 18 feet, shingled with long prairie grass. The floor was covered
with nature's axminster. The parlor, dining room, bed room and kitchen, all
in one, not even a curtain to mark the divisions. . . . Mrs. Ritchey in-
vited us to dine with them, and there, seated on the soft end of a nail keg
for a dining chair, I partook of my first meal of corn dodger and bacon. . . .

After dinner, the wind having subsided, Mr. Ritchey took us out and
showed us his claim of 80 acres, after which he invited us to accompany him
to what was called the Davis claim, which is the present beautiful campus
of Washburn College. Arriving there, he stretched out his hand and said:
"Here is an ideal site for a college, . . . and I want you and other friends
to join me in an effort to found a Christian college here." 8

In the spring of 1857 as a great flood of emigrants, particularly
from the Northern states, inundated eastern Kansas, the idea of a
college dedicated to freedom moved the Congregationalists to action.
At a meeting in Topeka, April 25-27, the "General Association of

8. Rome (N. Y.) Daily Sentinel, February 27, 1911, clipped in "Kansas Scrapbook,"
Biography H, v. 15, pp. 41-43. This article, quoting a speech of Hannahs at Washburn
College, appeared shortly after his death in New York state.

John Ritchie was born in Uniontown, Ohio, in 1817, and when very young moved with
his parents to Indiana, from where he emigrated to Kansas in the spring of 1855 and took
a claim near the infant settlement of Topeka. A leading Free-State champion, he took an
active part in the "troubles of 1856," and later was a member of the Leavenworth and
Wyandotte constitutional conventions. A man of decided views, in 1860 he resisted arrest
on the charge of having robbed the mails in 1856 and, in the altercation that followed, ehot
his opponent, Leonard Arms, a deputy United States marshal. Ritchie was freed by Justice
Joseph C. Miller of Shawnee county, who termed the homicide "justifiable." During the
Civil War Ritchie rose to the rank of captain of the Fifth Kansas cavalry and in the
Indian troubles thereafter colonel of the Second Indian regiment. In all causes of a benevo-
lent and humanitarian nature Ritchie was an outstanding leader he was one of the chief
builders of the First Congregational Church of Topeka, he was very active in the cause of
temperance, and probably no one in Topeka did more to obtain a college for the city. His
ideas for a college are said to have been derived from a visit to Knox College (Galesburg,
111.), where he was greatly impressed by President Blanchard of that institution.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 23

Congregational Ministers and Churches in Kansas" was formally
reorganized and the following resolution adopted:

Voted, That a Committee of five be raised to obtain information in regard
to the location of a College, under the patronage of this body, and, if they
deem it expedient, to secure such a location.

Rev. Messrs. Bodwell, Parsons, and McCollom, and Brothers H. N. [M.]
Simpson and Ritchie were appointed. 9

Writing in retrospect many years later, Lewis Bodwell termed
this incident the most impressive in the history of Washburn Col-
lege, when on Saturday, April 25, 1857, a vote was taken "in a
'city' which had not a house of worship; in a small hired room, [by]
seven ministers and three laymen, representing eight churches, and
a reported constituency of eighty-five members, . . ." 10

The general association granted its committee wide discretionary
power in this matter, but, as a regular meeting of the parent Con-
gregational body was not scheduled until a year and a half later,
no action as to location was taken until the summer of 1858, when
the following notice appeared in the Lawrence Republican:

The General Association of Kansas, at its meeting in Topeka, October,
1856 [April, 1857], appointed a Committee, with power, "if they deem it ex-
pedient, to secure a location" for a College. That Committee will meet at
Topeka, August 15, 1858, until which time proposals will be heard from any
individual or company, with reference to its location at any particular point.
A definite statement of what can and will be done, and on what conditions, is
requested. We would thus be able to act fully and finally at that time.

JOHN RITCHEY,
Chairman of Committee.
TOPEKA, June 21, 1858.

Papers of the Territory please copy. 11

The Congregational Record later asserted that because of the "re-
monstrance of friends" the matter of location was referred to the
general association at its meeting at Manhattan in the fall of 1858.
On October 9 the special committee reported to the association
that they had "received no proposal which, in liberality and in point

9. "Minutes" of the general association, 1857, bound with volumes 1 to 5 of The Con-
gregational Record, Lawrence (henceforth cited Cong. Record), p. 6.

William A. McCollom, Congregational pastor at Manhattan succeeding Charles Blood
and later at Wabaunsee and Council Grove, was for many years a storm center of church
discipline. At an early date he was a trustee of Bluemont Central College.

10. Bodwell to "Dear Bro. Parker," then editor of The Telephone, Manhattan, written
from Clifton Springs, N. Y., and published in the August, 1880, issue of that church paper.
"You are writing up 'Washburn' and call on me for 'some scene of its early history; some
tribute to its early workers; some grouping of its days of darkness; when it was only "a
thought and a prayer"; anything to impress its value upon our people. . . .'

" [Concerning the above vote] Planing for Christ and the Church, they believed in the
need of the Christian college. To them it had come by faith; and at the best time, even
the Masters, it would come in fact. . . ."

11. The same issue of this paper (July 8, 1858) stated that initiatory steps had been
taken for the establishment at Lawrence of "Lawrence University," under Presbyterian
auspices, with C. E. Miner, M. D., president.

24 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

of geographical position, is more favorable than that made by the
citizens of Topeka and vicinity," and proposed its adoption. It
provided :

160 acres of land within a mile and a half of Topeka; 20 acres on Topeka
town-site; 840 acres in the Territory, as an endowment; and a building, equal
to 40 by 50 feet, and two stories high, of stone or brick, to be completed on
or before Jan. 1, 1860.

J. RITCHEY, Chairman. 12

The general association accepted this report and the recommen-
dation of its committee, with the proviso that it would not be re-
garded as binding if the citizens of Topeka did not fulfill their
pledge within the time specified. A committee, appointed to nominate
a board of trustees, reported that a basis of organization was a pre-
liminary necessity and submitted the following plan: The college
was to be under the control of the general association or of a con-
vention delegated by it and under the immediate direction of a
president and board of trustees, the latter elected by the association.
This board was to be empowered to locate the college at Topeka
if the pledge of her citizens was fulfilled, otherwise to call a special
meeting of the association early in January, 1859. 13 Wide addi-
tional powers were to be granted the trustees, including the hold-
ing of funds and property of the college, 14 the obtaining of dona-
tions, overseeing of buildings and grounds and general oversight of
education and personnel. In the latter regard it was provided : "We
recommend to the board, that they abandon the Western system of
starvation salaries, and proceed at once to offer and pay liberal
salaries to their professors thus securing first-class men." Any
charter of incorporation later adopted was to conform to this basis
of organization. The report concluded by naming a board of 14
trustees. 15

12. Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), January, pp. 13-16, a report entitled, "College."

13. Concerning this seeming anomaly of date, see Footnotes 17 and 19 below.

14. Numerous restrictions were to be placed on the trustees in matters of property :
"The 160 acres near Topeka, belonging to the college, shall never be sold; but, after

selecting forty acres in the centre, if possible for college grounds, the remainder shall be
laid out in lots of five or ten acres, and leased, and the proceeds applied to the increase of
the library.

"The twenty acres on Topeka town-site shall not be sold for less than two hundred and
fifty dollars an acre.

"The 840 acres in other parts of the Territory shall not be sold for less than fifteen
dollars an acre. . . .

"The proceeds from these last two items of property shall constitute the endowment of
a professorship, to be called 'the Topeka professorship.'

"The board shall not have power to incur a debt of over $10,000 without a special vote
of the Association." Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), January, pp. 14, 15.

15. Ibid., p. 15. The original slate of trustees follows: For two years Elihu Whiten-
hall, Nemaha county; G. C. Morse, Emporia; L. Bodwell, Topeka, and T. D. Thacher and
R. Cordley, Lawrence. For four years S. C. Pomeroy, Atchison; James Taylor, Leaven-
worth; C. E. Blood, Manhattan; H. D. Rice, Topeka, and H. M. Simpson, Lawrence. For
six years R. D. Parker, Leavenworth; Geo. S. Hillyer, Grasshopper Falls; Harrison Han-
nahs, Topeka, and M. C. Welch, Wabaunsee.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 25

The general association adopted this report, with some amend-
ments, and named Lewis Bodwell temporary chairman of the board
of trustees. 16

The extremely liberal proposal made by Topeka succeeded in ob-
taining the prospective location at that point, but a satisfactory
fulfillment of the terms was infinitely more difficult. The Ritchie
report contained a pledge by Topeka to acquire the needed land and
erect a building thereon by January 1, 1860. This was accepted
by the association, but with the proviso that if the pledge was not
fulfilled the college board was to call a special meeting of the asso-
ciation early in January, 1859. 11 Apparently this latter provision
was added to compel Topeka to acquire the land immediately, pre-
liminary to obtaining a charter from the legislature, 18 or forfeit
her rights to a rival town. lit view of the depression then prevail-
ing and the problems involved in the transfer of so much land 20
acres on the townsite, 160 acres to the west of Topeka and 840 acres
in the territory, the three months remaining before the January,
1859, deadline was a very short period. Furthermore, at the start
neither Lewis Bodwell as temporary chairman of the college trus-
tees nor the people of Topeka seem to have realized the urgency of
the matter. 19 Nevertheless, by early 1859 it was apparent that
Topeka had failed to meet the requirements, but the temporary
chairman of the trustees hesitated to act:

Being unwilling in mid-winter to call together, from so great distances, the
persons named, unless assurances could be given of some business to transact,
and, by an oversight, being in ignorance as to the duty of the board in regard
to a special meeting, the chairman waited more than two months beyond the
set time, for some action on the part of the citizens of Topeka. 20

16. Ibid., pp. 8, 15.

17. Ibid., p. 13 et seq., entitled, "College." The words of this report follow:

"3. This [college] board shall be empowered to negotiate with the citizens of Topeka
in regard to the property pledged by that place. If Topeka fulfills the pledge made, or
does what the board shall deem an equivalent, they shall declare the college located at Topeka.
If Topeka fails to fulfill her pledge, said board of trustees shall call a special meeting of
the Association, at Topeka, on the first Wednesday in January, 1859."

18. Broadside in Washburn Municipal University library, entitled Congregational College,
which bears no date, but apparently was issued in April, 1859. See Footnote 21 and ad-
jacent text.

19. Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), April, pp. 35, 36, and July, pp. 44-47; Topeka Tribune,
August 25, 1859. Concerning the deadline of January, 1859, Frank E. Melvin of the de-
partment of history, University of Kansas, who has made a study of the sectarian ante-
cedents of that institution, writes that he suspects this "change was 'put over' by the Law-
rence leaders to enable them to take advantage of the expected Topeka difficulties," and
thereby promote a college at Lawrence. In view of the two months' extension granted
Topeka, he doubts that it was so mistreated as to time, however.

20. Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), April, pp. 35, 36. "By a union of circumstances con-
nected with the general pecuniary pressure, and unexpected local hindrances, up to this time
no satisfactory assurances have been given of an ability to make good the proposals of last
autumn." These words suggest the omission of important facts and remind one of the
phraseology of Lewis Bodwell, who had been made temporary chairman of the college trus-
tees in October, 1858.

26 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

In view of the emergency which had thus arisen, with still "no
satisfactory assurances . . . of an ability [on the part of To-
peka] to make good the proposals," Bodwell and S. Y. Lum, the
latter moderator of the general association, obtained the united con-
sent of a group of Congregational ministers meeting at Lawrence
and then (April, 1859) issued a circular to the Congregational
churches of Kansas formally charging Topeka with failure. This
circular invited new proposals for a college location, to be submitted
to the May meeting of the association at Lawrence. 21

At about this time a Topeka paper announced the successful con-
clusion of negotiations for the purchase of land for the college :

The proposition made by the Congregational Association to locate their
College here has been before the people of Topeka some months. We are
happy to announce that the land and means are provided, and that nothing
now remains but to formally accept the proposition and locate the Institution
in our city. The 160 acres of land formerly belonging to Mr. Davis, has been
purchased, and the College will be erected thereon, within one half mile of
the city. The [Topeka] Association has donated twenty acres of the Town
Site, and the materials for the erection of the edifice are already pledged. 22

Despite this favorable announcement, doubt still exists whether
Topeka had secured and actually paid for the land needed to fulfill
her obligations. Harvey D. Rice, long identified with Washburn
College and its predecessors, has left us a detailed story of how he
borrowed $2,000 in the East so that John Ritchie could pay for the
Davis claim as a prospective college site at Topeka:

Col. John Ritchie was appointed chairman of a committee to secure the
land at Topeka for the site. We wanted to get of George Davis, one-hundred
and sixty acres where the college now stands, but could not then induce him
to sell. We then tried to get the tract of land where the city of Potwin now
stands, and a proposition to the Topeka Association to give the twenty acres
where Bethany College now stands [Ninth and Polk streets] was voted to us
on condition that the proposed college should be located near Topeka on the
present Potwin site. This action was taken in the fall [of] 1858. Failing to
get either site nothing further was done until April, 1859.

21. Broadside entitled, Congregational College, referred to above.

22. Topeka Tribune, April 21, 1859. A similar account in more detail appeared in this
same paper on the following August 25, entitled, "The Congregational College." It pointed
out that the most difficult requirement of all was to obtain 160 acres of land not over l l / 2
miles west of town. The owner of one such tract advanced his price $1,000 when he learned
that the college had been located in Topeka. Bodwell hesitated to accept an offer of a tract
to the north as too munificent a gift. About April 1, 1859, the Davis claim was (allegedly)
obtained. The amount required to secure the 840 acres in the territory and erect the neces-
sary buildings was also on hand, according to this story, thereby meeting the required con-
ditions, except that of time. H. D. Rice and John Ritchie concluded these negotiations.

"Thus, early in April last, the citizens of Topeka were fully ready to make over the
title to the lot [Davis claim], and give bonds for the faithful fulfillment of the contract,
. . . when a circular was issued, . . . stating that Topeka had failed. . . . Not
anticipating such action we were greatly surprised; but, with full confidence in the Asso-
ciation, we concluded to await its action in the matter. . . ." (The narrative of Rice,
quoted below, is at variance with this account.)

LINCOLN COLLEGE 27

In 1858, gold was discovered near Pike's Peak. . . . The following
spring a number left us for the gold field. George Davis wanted to go and
he came to Mr. Ritchie and offered to sell for cash in hand his land. Mr.
Ritchie came immediately to me, and said the land we must secure, . . .
said he had no ready money. ... I was like Ritchie, without ready money.
I told Mr. Ritchie that if he could get enough money to pay my expenses
east, I would put my time against the money for expenses and go and hire
the money. He agreed to this and executed the power of attorney for me to
hire for him two thousand dollars and to mortgage his home of one hundred
and sixty acres to secure the payment of it. I left Topeka in April. . . .
On arriving in New York City, I went to Brooklyn in search of H. W. Beecher.
. . . Upon arriving at his house, I learned that he was absent from the
city. I then went to Hartford, Conn., . . . where I had lived ten years,
previous to coming to Kansas, and . . . after about two weeks' effort I
had the promise of one thousand dollars only. Being somewhat discouraged,
Mr. Joseph Davenport suggested that I go with him and make Mrs. John
Hooker a visit, ... a sister of Henry Ward Beecher. We therefore called
one pleasant afternoon in May and found at Mrs. Hooker's, Miss Catherine
Beecher, Mrs. S'towe of Uncle Tom's Cabin fame, Mrs. Frances Gillett, and
other ladies. . . .

When they learned of my business they became greatly interested in the
enterprise. Immediately after that visit I received a line from John Hooker
asking me to call at his office. ... I gave him the minutes of the Asso-
ciation proposing to locate a Christian college in Kansas, and further ex-
plained the inducements offered for its location in Topeka, after consulting
with Hon. Francis Gillett his partner in business. . . .

They concluded to furnish the other one thousand dollars and made me
the agent of Gillett & Hooker. Jos. Davenport and John Whitman, to take
their money to ... loan to John Ritchie under written instructions which
I still have. The draft for two thousand dollars I brought to Topeka, where
I arrived the 10th of June [1859]. . . ?*

MONUMENTAL COLLEGE

While Rice was absent in the East the general association con-
vened at Lawrence. The college committee confirmed the charge
that "The people of Topeka did jail to fulfill their pledge within the
time specified," and reopened the whole matter. The report men-
tioned the failure of Lewis Bodwell to convene the college trustees
early in January, 1859, and the circular that was subsequently is-
sued charging Topeka with default. 24

23. Reminiscence^, by H. D. Rice, pp. 9-11. (Read before the Congregational Pioneer
Society of Topeka.) On the whole this story appears reliable, but the reader is referred to
the account to appear in the concluding installment of this article, based on the minutes of
the trustees of Lincoln College. Rice continued:

"On learning of this Lawrence proposition [Monumental College, already launched], I
let Col. Ritchie have the money to pay for the Davis claim, so that we would be ready
the next year to again bid for the location at Topeka, and have the site ready to deed. Col.
Ritchie executed the mortgage and note in conformity with the instructions. ... It took
sixteen hundred dollars to pay Davis for the land."

24. "Minutes" of the general association, meeting at Plymouth church, Lawrence, May
26-28, 1859, in Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), July, pp. 44-47 a report entitled, "College."

On September 14, 1859, Bodwell wrote to the American Home Missionary Society: "As

28 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Lawrence, Topeka, Burlingame and Wabaunsee then submitted
proposals, indicating that the problem of town rivalry, particularly
between Lawrence and Topeka, was probably an important item
in the whole matter. A resolution offered by C. B. Lines of Wa-
baunsee, "That it is inexpedient to locate the college at present," was
thoroughly discussed, and it was decided by a majority vote to ac-
cept the Lawrence offer and thus place the college in "a large and
prosperous town." A Lawrence paper remarked:

In the discussion relative to the location of their College, the question
seemed to turn upon the propriety of placing a first-class College in a large
and prosperous town. It was urged by some by Mr. Lines, of Wabonsa,
especially, in a very able and interesting speech that large towns were de-
structive to the habits and morals of the students, and so insisted that the
first College of Kansas should be put in a purely rural town. The convention
finally, by almost an unanimous vote, located their Institution at this place.

The offer of Lawrence appeared extremely liberal. According to
one account it included the following:

An institution for religious education, called "Monumental College," de-
signed to commemorate the triumph of Liberty over Slavery in Kansas, and
to serve as a memorial of those who have assisted in achieving this victory,
has been organized and located at Lawrence. The corporators have obtained
twenty acres of land adjoining the town site of Lawrence on the south. They
have also obtained three hundred acres of land adjoining the college site, to
be divided into lots, . . . and one-half of the appraised value ... to
belong to the college. The corporators have also obtained . . . 1,220
acres of land, . . . 2,010 dollars, and 151 lots, situated in Lawrence, To-
peka, Burlington, Delaware and other towns in Kansas. Gov. Robinson and
Gen. Pomeroy, trustees of a fund called the "Lawrence Fund," and which
amounts to thirteen thousand dollars, have signified their willingness to make
over this fund to the "Monumental College," on condition that the Congre-
gationalists have control of the institution. Mr. Lawrence himself expresses
a desire that the fund should be placed at the disposal of the Congregational
denomination. 26 The conditions on which the above donations (except the

to the right or wrong of my action I trust it will be enough to say that in a meeting of
12 ministers & 12 delegates, representing 10 of our ch'hs that action was endorsed by a
vote of 22 to 1, & he [Harrison Hannahs] from Topeka." "Bodwell Papers," MSS. division,
Kansas State Historical Society. Bodwell's course aroused opposition in his church in Topeka
(see the writer's article, "Lewis Bodwell, Frontier Preacher," in v. 12 of The Kansas ffi-
torical Quarterly, p. 360).

H. D. Rice stated in his Reminiscences (p. 11): "Maj. Hannahs was the delegate of
our Topeka church at the Association meeting, and strenuously opposed the opening of the
college question, stating that Topeka had at that time an agent in the east to procure
funds to purchase land for a site for the college, and while Topeka had failed in fulfilling
its pledge, they were at work in good faith to do so, and he considered it neither just nor
fair to open the question until they had, at least, heard from their agent. But his appeal
was of no avail. The college was located at Lawrence on condition that Lawrence complied
with its offer and it was called 'Monumental College.' "

25. Lawrence Republican, June 2, 1859.

26. This statement had a distinct "advertising value," but was plainly misrepresentation
on the part of Simpson, as Amos Lawrence had not, by that date, committed himself so
far. Mr. Lawrence entertained no prejudice against any group of real Christians that
might control the new institution, but disliked to put himself in the ugly light of breaking

LINCOLN COLLEGE 29

"Lawrence Fund,") have been obtained, are that the corporators commence
improvements on the college site within six months, and expend twenty-five
thousand dollars on the site within eighteen months. . . .

S. N. SIMPSON , 27

The general association accepted the offer of Lawrence for Monu-
mental College "on condition that the corporators of the college
make good within three months the proposition which they have
sent in a board of trustees, to be chosen by this Association, being
judges: Provided, That the trustees of the college shall make no
improvement upon the proposed college site until they have $25,000
in hand for that purpose." 28 In a statement to the press the mod-
erator of the association (Lewis Bodwell) termed the offer "exceed-
ingly liberal," including 170 acres of land adjoining the townsite,
1,200 acres in other parts of the territory, $15,000 in money and
151 town lots in Lawrence and elsewhere. 29

Before naming a board of trustees, a basis of organization was
adopted, entitled, "Basis Adopted by the Association for Electing
a Board of Trustees of Monumental College, and Defining Powers
and Relations of Said Board." This instrument placed the projected
college under the control of the association and under the immediate
supervision of a board of trustees elected by that Congregational
body. This board was granted the usual corporate powers, and was
authorized to procure a liberal charter from the next legislature. 30

As the agent of Monumental College, S. N. Simpson went East to
obtain pledges of money and land and for a short time maintained a
Boston office with the firm of Clapp, Fuller & Browne. The Boston

a prior promise. Under Congregational pressure he shifted chief responsibility for the dis-
position of his fund to his trustee, Charles Robinson. In October, 1859, Robinson and his
colleague, Pomeroy, advised Mr. Lawrence that they agreed conditionally to abandon the
Presbyterian college project in favor of the Congregational. S. C. Pomeroy and C. Robin-
son to A. A. Lawrence, October 3, 1859, in photostats of letters collected by Frank E.
Melvin. (The writer is much indebted to Dr. Melvin for his kind help in the involved
subject of Monumental College.)

27. Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), July, pp. 45, 46.

28. Ibid. The three months' time granted to fulfill this offer seems quite as unreason-
able as in the previous case at Topeka, but as a matter of fact a full year was given
Lawrence.

29. Lawrence Republican, June 2, 1859. This list appears more correct than the one
quoted above, signed by S. N. Simpson, and agrees with the account in the Kansas Pretty
Cottonwood Falls, of June 13, 1859. Lewis Bodwell added:

"The whole amount at the lowest estimate, is worth from $40,000 to $50,000, and Borne
have estimated it at $70,000. . . .

"The . . . whole sum was secured in little over three days. The paper on which
the names of the donors are signed, makes a roll some eight feet long."

Peter McVicar termed the Lawrence subscription paper "the most formidable document
ever presented to a Kansas assembly. ... All other competitors, for the moment, were
struck dumb with astonishment." Bodwell privately described the intense rivalry between
towns which called forth such offers, as "astonishing, & when not contemptible is ridiculous."

30. The basis of organization is quoted in full in the Cong. Record, v. 1 (1859), July,
pp. 46, 47. Congregational ministers were prominent on the board of trustees named at
this time, which included Charles Robinson, a trustee of the Lawrence fund. Robert F.
Beine of the staff of the Kansas State Historical Society informs me that no specific charter
was granted Monumental College by the Kansas legislature.

30 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Journal praised the movement for a college in Kansas and pointed
out the urgent need of prompt aid :

It is to be called "Monumental College," from the circumstance, we pre-
sume, that it is contemplated to bury beneath its walls the remains of those
who fell while defending the cause of freedom in Kansas. It is to be located
at Lawrence probably, where an eligible site has been offered. An act of in-
corporation has been obtained, under which an organization has been ef-
fected, comprising several of the best known men of the Territory. Build-
ing lots and subscriptions in building materials and money, amounting to
$4,000, have been devoted to the enterprise in Kansas. A citizen of
Massachusetts has given securities for $11,000, besides one hundred and
fifty shares in the stock of the N. E. Emigrant Aid Company, on con-
dition that $20,000 additional shall be raised before the first of January,
1861. The receiving committee are Messrs. Ezra Farnsworth, Edward S.
Tobey and John Field, of this city. The reference committee are Prof. Park.
of Andover, Rev. F. D. Huntington, of Cambridge, and Rev. Charles Mason,
of this city. The collecting agent is S. N. Simpson, at Clapp, Fuller &
Browne's. ... It will be seen that the contingencies under which the
present subscriptions have been made, necessitate some promptitude on the
part of those who purpose pecuniary aid. . . . 31

The response to this campaign was not encouraging apparently
not sufficient money could be obtained within the limited time. 32
As had been foreseen by the proponents of a college at Topeka, such
as Harvey D. Rice and John Ritchie, the Monumental College
project soon entered an eclipse. Although he continued his efforts
some months longer, by May, 1860, even Simpson spoke of it as a
failure and was willing to give up any claim on the Amos Lawrence
fund. 33 In short, the Monumental College episode was largely an
attempt to induce the Congregationalists to abandon the idea of a
college at Topeka for one at Lawrence inspired by local sectarian
and personal motives. With the cooperation of the Rev. Richard
Cordley, it was promoted by S. N. Simpson, his Sunday School
superintendent, a typical early Kansas speculator in real estate. 34

31. Copied in Cong. Record, v. 2 (1860), January, pp. 15-17, with the title, "Monu-
mental College." Obviously it was based on data furnished by Simpson and for promotional
purposes casts too favorable a light upon the college prospects. No act of incorporation
had been passed, and the $11,000 in securities with Emigrant Aid Company stock (Lawrence
fund) was still in the control of the donor and his trustees.

32. From the start Monumental College competed with the Presbyterian Lawrence Uni-
versity, particularly for possession of the Lawrence fund. In midsummer of 1858 the initial
steps were taken for the latter college, which was later chartered by the territorial legisla-
ture. Early in 1859 frequent meetings were held to complete organization and start the
work of construction. Subsequently work was begun on a college building on Mt. Oread,
Lawrence, and in August, 1859, the trustees, headed by Dr. C. E. Miner, announced that the
Presbyterian Board of Education at Philadelphia had adopted the collegp and advanced
limited funds for construction.

83. Rev. Charles Reynolds, Episcopal minister at Lawrence, to Amos A. Lawrence, May
31, 1860, in photostats of letters collected by Frank E. Melvin. The Episcopalians suc-
ceeded the Congregationalists as candidates for the Lawrence fund, but did not qualify for
its award. In 1863 the fund played a large role in inducing the legislature to locate the
state university at Lawrence.

84. Frank E. Melvin to the writer, dated June 28, 1947. He adds: "I knew and ad-
mired Dr. Cordley. . . . He doubtless was sincere but he was sectarian and he put
across his objectives very determinedly without always being too particular how. Maybe

LINCOLN COLLEGE 31

DEPRESSION, DROUGHT AND WAR

The general association of the Congregational church convened
at Topeka late in May, 1860, and appointed a committee to report
on the college. 35 Early in August this committee met at Topeka,
where a local paper remarked: "No place having made better of-
fers for the college than Topeka, it was accordingly located here." 86
The terms of the offer resembled those of the previous occasion, in-
cluding 160 acres of land (the George Davis claim, later termed
the "permanent site") and a building for an academy. 37 By this
time, however, a searing drought was adding its havoc to that caused
by financial depression, and by 1861 civil war further darkened the
picture.

Nevertheless, in May of that year the general association, in its
meeting at Leavenworth, received an offer from Maj. H. W. Farns-
worth of Topeka, the president of the board of trustees, which it
voted "fair and just," and recommended that the trustees obtain
a charter and "that the property already acquired be transferred
to this incorporated body. . . ," 38 Depression and war seem
to have proven insurmountable obstacles to the erection of a school
building at this time.

The Congregational Record mourned the three tragic years that
had followed the meeting of October, 1858, in Manhattan, when the
college project was formally launched:

We had just originated a College on a magnificent scale. That College
would need an organ, and the Professors would constitute an able corps of
writers. In two years the College would be in full blast, and there would
be a demand for an enlargement of the Record. . . . Verily, we blew some
large bubbles at that meeting. . . . We could not then foresee that three
such years of trial were to settle upon our history. Kansas had had four years
of turmoil, and we proudly believed she had received her share. . . .

Cordley was taken in by Simpson. Mr. Lawrence felt he was. He was glad when Simpson
dropped the campaign for the college, soon after queering the bona fide Presbyterian effort,
and went into a political campaign instead. . . . Later Simpson and Robinson fell out
and Robinson told plenty which was evidently true about Simpson's chicanery. Indeed Mr.
Lawrence ought to have been adequately warned by a letter of May 9, 1859, from Robinson
telling him that the Congregationalists (i. e. Simpson) were working up a rival movement
with dubious features."

35. Cong. Record, v. 2 (1860), July, p. 42. It was soon rumored that the college "has
been permanently located in Topeka." See the Topeka Tribune, June 2, 1860.

36. Topeka State Record, copied in Lawrence Republican, August 16, 1860.

37. Rice states in his Reminiscences (p. 11): "The spring of 1860, the Association tnet
at Topeka. The college question again came up. Lawrence not having complied with its
pledge, it was open for propositions. Topeka offered one hundred and sixty acres together
with a building for the school, which was accepted by the Association, thus securing for
Topeka the location. The college was known as the 'Topeka Institute.' The spring of
1861 found Kansas a State. . . . The Association called for a deed to the land. Col.
Ritchie having gone into the army sent to me a power of attorney to execute with his wife
a deed to the land. Mrs. Ritchie and myself executed the first deed to the college site
where Washburn now stands. On account of the war nothing more was done until 1865.

38. Cong. Record, v. 3 (1861), July, p. 42.

32 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Financial disaster followed on the heels of civil tumult, and famine completed
the desolation. Few States have gone through the fire as Kansas has. It is
no wonder her progress has fallen short of our expectations. . . , 39

Despite hardship and uncertainty, when the general association
met at Burlingame late in May, 1863, it resolved to take steps to-
ward obtaining "a liberal endowment of lands and other property
as a vested fund for the benefit of such educational institutions as
the interest of the cause, in connection with our body may re-
quire." 40 By this means it was hoped to supply destitute fields
with missionaries, "by raising up, so far as possible, young men from
our own churches, and in part, or wholly, preparing them for the
Gospel ministry." It was also resolved:

That it shall be discretionary with the Board of Trustees when to start an
Academy of a high literary order and religious tone; to be located at or near
Topeka; open to both sexes; and whose especial aim and object shall be
to prepare young men for the Gospel ministry.

WHEREAS: State Colleges have been located at Manhattan and Lawrence,
and largely endowed, which, if properly conducted, may meet the wants of
the churches and the people of the State.

Resolved, That we will cordially co-operate in, and urge upon others, the
work of building up these Colleges on a thoroughly un-sectarian and evan-
gelical basis. 41

During the years of conflict the Kansas border was plagued by
guerrilla warfare, the raids of Quantrill and Price in particular cast-
ing a reign of fear over the entire region. From her sparse popu-
lation Kansas contributed so many men to the armed forces that
thousands of acres once fenced and tilled now became the prey of
weeds and prairie fires. 42 The shortage of manpower affected the
state of religion, inducing the Kansas agent of the American Home
Missionary Society, Lewis Bodwell, to deplore the lack of a trained
and intelligent ministry:

39. Ibid., October, pp. 61, 62, entitled, "Three Years Old."

40. Ibid., v. 5 (1863), July and August, p. 79, being the "Report of the Committee
on Colleges," appended to the "minutes" of the general association. It was also voted to
appoint a board of nine trustees, "to be composed of efficient men, in different parts of our
State, to solicit and secure grants of land and other property, to be vested for the above
specified purposes. . . ." The following board of trustees was named:

For one year Rev. Peter McVicar, Rev. R. Cordley, Rev. S. D. Storrs.

For two years Dr. E. Teft, Rev. J. D. Liggett, J. E. Platt.

For three years H. D. Rice, H. D. Preston, R. M. Wright.

In the obtaining of an adequate endowment a denominational school was at a disadvantage,
as compared to public institutions, which after the Morrill act of 1862 could under certain
conditions obtain federal lands to aid in industrial and mechanical education. U. S. Statutes
at Large, v. 12, pp. 603-505.

41. Cong. Record, v. 5 (1863), July and August, p. 79. In May, 1864, the general asso-
ciation, meeting at Grasshopper Falls, received merely a verbal report from its committee
on education. McVicar, Cordley and Storrs were re-elected college trustees.

42. The records of the United States Adjutant General state (quoted in Wilder's Annals
of Kansas, p. 416): "Under all calls, the quota of Kansas was 12,931; she furnished 20,151;
the aggregate, reduced to a three-years standard, was 18,706."

LINCOLN COLLEGE 33

At least seventeen organized counties of our state, each peopled by from
500 to 5400 of our brethren . . . are almost wholly destitute of the minis-
trations of a pure & intelligently taught gospel. 43

INCORPORATION OF LINCOLN COLLEGE

Finally late in 1864 and early in 1865 "light began to dawn upon
the nation. Sherman was marching triumphantly to the sea, while
Grant was holding the siege at Richmond, thus rendering the victory
of the Union army assured." 44 Now seemed to be the time to found
a Christian college in Kansas, which would carry on in the West
the precepts of the Pilgrim forefathers, provide a trained ministry
close at hand and serve as a living memorial to the final victory of
freedom. The committee on education of the general association
later remarked (May, 1865) :

Such, however, was the disrupted condition of our State and country, that
the Trustees did not deem it advisable to move in the matter, until the
commencement of the present year, when the prospect of a speedy and per-
manent peace, together with the consequent development of the State, im-
pressed the conviction that the time had come for definite and earnest action
in the direction marked out by the resolutions of the General Association
[of 1863]. The unprecedented liberality of the public and Christian mind at
the East in the endowment of colleges, urged itself as an additional reason
for making an immediate effort.

The first step, of course, was to investigate the legality of the Incorporation.
But it was soon ascertained that no act of incorporation had ever been com-
plied with, and that the title to the permanent site was conveyed to a body
having no legal existence. After due consultation ... it was thought
best to organize at once, with the required number of corporators, adopt a
corporate name, together with articles of association, and become a body
corporate, with power to elect a Board of Trustees and submit the whole to
the approval of the General Association at its present meeting. 45

On January 25, 1865, a meeting of the incorporates of Lincoln
College was held in the city of Topeka, and an instrument of in-

43. Annual report to the American Home Missionary Society, dated Geneva, Allen
county, March 1, 1864, in "Bodwell Papers," MSS. division, Kansas State Historical Society.
He continued: "Much that is spoken of & gloried in, as the spread of evangelical religion,
is in my opinion but little better than heathenism slightly civilized ; & its services carried
on with Scripture phraseology; but only in exceptional cases transforming the life, whatever
it may do with the heart. Honesty, truthfulness, peacefulness, study of the word, & regard
for the Sabbath ; seldom long surviving the two or three weeks of a biennial or tri-ennial
season of shouting, screaming, dancing & rolling on the floor; called a revival! I speak
what I have seen of the most common form of pioneer 'evangelisation.' "

By September, 1865, the ministerial shortage was so great that the Congregationalisms,
meeting at Grasshopper Falls, offered encouragement to lay brothers of suitable qualifi-
cations to apply for licenses to preach.

44. McVicar's An Historical Sketch of Washburn College, by the President (Topeka,
1886), p. 5.

45. Minutes of the general association, meeting at Topeka, May 18-22, 1865. Cong.
Record, v. 7 (1865), June, pp. 8-12.

31725

34 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

corporation drafted, entitled, "Articles of Association in the Incor-
poration of Lincoln College." 46 It was soon learned that if they
were to transact business in a legal manner, without a formal act of
incorporation from the legislature, they must meet the requirements
set forth in "An act to enable the Trustees of Colleges, Academies,
Universities and other Institutions, Societies and Companies, to be-
come bodies corporate," approved February 9, 1859. 47 To comply
with the law the incorporators delegated a committee to make ap-
plication to Alfred I. Winans, probate judge of Shawnee county,
who, on February 4, 1865, appointed Joshua Knowles, Joseph C.
Miller and John Elliott appraisers. These men prepared a complete
schedule of the property and other assets of the college, which to-
taled $7,228. Judge Winans thereupon affixed his signature and
official seal, February 6, 1865, with the assertion that this amount
"is considered to be a sufficient sum for the commencement of the
purpose of said parties applying." 48 The appraisers' list included
property, cash and services "for the use and benefit of Lincoln Col-
lege, to be located at Topeka, Kansas." The nature of these entries
makes it clear that many items were really pledges, and the whole

46. "First Secretary's Book of Lincoln and Washburn College," pp. 5-7. This valu-
able record, which contains the minutes of the meetings of the college trustees, is deposited
in the archives of Washburn Municipal University; hereafter it will be cited as the "First
Secretary's Book." The writer looked in vain for contemporary accounts of the first meet-
ings, but was defeated by a serious lack of newspaper coverage for Topeka at that time.
The Articles of Association in the Incorporation of Lincoln College were printed separately,
and were also published in the Cong. Record, y. 7 (1865), July, pp. 23, 24, but since they
appear with further remarks added at the meetings of February 6, 1865, they will be quoted
below from the "First Secretary's Book."

47. General Laws of the Territory of Kansas, 1859, Ch. 86, pp. 305-327. Section 2 of
this act provided that three appraisers submit to the probate judge a complete schedule
of all the "goods, chattels, lands and tenements, choses in action, rights, credits and sub-
scriptions as such applicants shall exhibit to said appraisers . . . and if the amount BO
found shall be equal to the sum required for the commencement of any such institution as
said applicants desire, such probate judge shall give such applicants a certificate of the
fact, and they shall enter it in a book of records . . . which, together with their cor-
porate name, and the articles of association, they shall also cause to be recorded in the
recorder's office of the county where such institution is or is intended to be located, and
they shall thenceforward be a body corporate and politic, according to the provisions of
this act. . . ."

48. The "First Secretary's Book," p. 9, contains the certification of Judge Winans. A
marginal notation, repeated several times, states that the Articles of Association and ac-
companying documents were "Rec'd for Record February 6th 5 o'Clock P. M., 1865. Re-
corded in Vol. 9 Page 239 [and 240] G. B Holmes Register" Holmes then being the
Register of Deeds of Shawnee county.

In the library of Washburn Municipal University there is a manuscript booklet which
reviews this procedure, entitled, "Steps in Law pertaining to Trustees of Lincoln Col. Alias
Lincoln College Alias Washburn College." The Articles of Association, a circular prepared
for general distribution, made no mention of these steps in the probate court.

In 1866, when Lincoln College applied for aid from the Society for the Promotion of
Collegiate and Theological Education at the West, the officials of that organization raised the
question of the legality of incorporation, but after examining the Articles of Association
along with the Revised Statutes of Kansas, they were entirely satisfied.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 35

schedule was more a subscription list than a statement of fluid re-
sources. Contributions included the following:

APPRAISER'S LIST INITIAL DONATIONS TO LINCOLN COLLEGE

John Ritchie

% Sec. Land (Davis Claim) 49 $2,400

2 Lots, 25 x 75 feet, comer Kansas & 10th Av 200

Cash 400

Harvey D. Rice

Cash and labor at cash price 1,000

Erastus Tefft

80 acres Land Auburn 200

In cash 250

C. F. Van Home

80 acres Land Mission Creek 175

S. D. Bowker Cash 100

E. W. Hyde, " . 100

F. P. Baker, within one year cash 95

Douthitt & Greer

40 acres of Land, Town 12 Range 15 80

John Elliott Labor 50

S. J. Crawford, Cash in 6 months 100

C. K. Gilchrist Cash one & two years 90

F. L. Crane

One Lot valued at Cash 100

D. H. Home Cash 100

J. R. Swallow 100

Wychoff & Stringham

In Painting &c. at Cash price 75

Theodore Mills Cash 50

W. E. Bowker 50

Joseph & Nelson Ritchie

in teaming at Cash price 100

[and 43 other contributions]

[Total] $7,228

The complete preamble and articles of incorporation which were
thus made effective read as follows:

49. The narrative of H. D. Rice, quoted above, makes it clear that $1,600, from a Bum
of $2,000 which he borrowed in the East in 1859, was used to buy the George Davis claim,
Ritchie giving a mortgage on his farm for repayment of the loan. In the early years Ritchie
seems to have acted as informal trustee of this "permanent site" of the college.

50. This schedule appears on pages 10, 11 and 12 of the "First Secretary's Book," and
is signed by the appraisers, Joshua Knowles, Joseph C. Miller and John Elliott. This
writer has added a title.

36 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Articles of Association in the Incorporation of

LINCOLN COLLEGE

We, the Undersigned, desirous of becoming a body corporate and politic,
by the name and title of

"TRUSTEES OP LINCOLN COLLEGE,"

do associate ourselves together, for the purposes set forth in the Preamble
and Articles of Association, adopted by us, at a meeting held in the City of
Topeka on the 25th day of January 1865, and which read as follows

PREAMBLE

Desiring to promote the diffusion of knowledge and the advancement of
virtue and religion, we do associate ourselves together for the object and
purposes herein certified To wit: 51

ARTICLE IST.

To establish at, or near the City of Topeka, the Capital of Kansas, and
secure the Incorporation of an institution of learning, of a high literary and
religious character, to be named "LINCOLN COLLEGE," which shall commem-
orate the triumph of Liberty over Slavery in our nation, and serve as a me-
morial of those fallen in defence of their country

ARTICLE II.

To make said College an engine for the furtherance of those ideas of civil
and religious liberty which actuated our Fathers in the Revolutionary struggle,
and which are now achieving a signal victory in the triumph of free principles.

ARTICLE III.

To afford to all classes, without distinction of color, the advantages of
a liberal education, thus fitting them for positions of responsibility and use-
fulness

ARTICLE IV.

To aid deserving young men to obtain an education, such as shall fit them
for the Gospel Ministry, thereby helping to supply the pressing demand for
laborers in the States and Territories west of the Missouri River.

ARTICLE V.

To establish a number of free Scholarships that shall afford tuition free of
charge, to indigent and meritorious young persons

ARTICLE VI

To raise by subscription or otherwise, such a sum of money as shall be
sufficient to erect a suitable building for the Preparatory Department of the
College, and to continue to solicit funds until an endowment of one hundred
thousand dollars shall be secured.

ARTICLE VII

Be it further declared that it is the intent and purpose of this Association,
that the Board of Trustees of said College, shall be so constituted at all times

61. The "Articles of Association in the Incorporation of Lincoln College," published in
circular form and also in the Congregational Record, has a preamble of somewhat different
wording than this text from the "First Secretary's Book," but the seven articles that follow
are identical, with the exception of a few errors.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 37

that its members shall be acceptable to the General Association of the Con-
gregational Ministers and churches in Kansas.

We do hereby make an application to the Hon. Judge of Probate of Shaw-
nee County, State of Kansas, to select three disinterested and judicious free
holders of said County to appraise all moneys, lands, trusts, credits and sub-
scriptions of said applicants according to Section 2 of an Act entitled "An
Act to enable the Trustees of Colleges Academies Universities and other in-
stitutions Societies and Companies to become bodies corporate," approved
February 9th 1859.

Names

Harrison Hannahs Lewis Bodwell

Peter McVicar H. W. Farnsworth

J. W. Fox W. E. Bowker

H. D. Rice A. G. Bodwell

Ira H. Smith

[Here follow the records of the Probate Court summarized above.]

On February 6, 1865, the incorporators of Lincoln College met
"pursuant to adjournment" and "accepted and adopted" the report
of their committee on incorporation. 53 By-laws and other regula-
tions were also adopted defining the qualifications and powers of
the college trustees. 54 The first board of trustees was then elected
to hold office until the first annual election in May, 1865. It was
decided that the governor of the state and, when chosen, the presi-
dent of the college should be members of this body, ex-officio. The
regular members follow:

Rev. Peter McVicar Col. J. Ritchie

Rev. S. D. Storrs H. D. Rice Esq.

Rev. J. D. Liggett W. E. Bowker Esq.

Rev. Ira H. Smith Rev. J. W. Fox

Rev. R. Cordley Maj. H. W. Farnsworth

Harrison Hannah Esq. W. W. H. Lawrence Esq.

Ira H. Smith Secretary 55

Immediately thereafter the first meeting of the college trustees
was held, with Peter McVicar as chairman. Officers were elected,
a building committee was chosen, and the Rev. Samuel D. Bowker

52. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 5-9; "Record Book" of the register of deeds of
Shawnee county, v. 9, pp. 239, 240; also, for the seven "Articles" see Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865),
July, pp. 23, 24, and the separately published Articles of Association in the Incorporation
of Lincoln College.

53. "First Secretary's Book," p. 13 the first meeting recorded in the "minutes." Mc-
Vicar, Fox, Rice, W. E. Bowker and A. G. Bodwell were present.

54. The board of trustees was to consist of 12 persons, chosen by ballot, five of whom
were to constitute a quorum to transact business. At all times five were to be resident free-
holders of Shawnee county. The trustees were authorized to fill vacancies in their board
and to possess all powers regularly conferred upon such officials by the third and fifth sec-
tions of the corporation law of 1859. Special meetings were to be announced in a Topeka
paper at least ten days in advance.

65. Ibid. The slate published in the Articles of Association is similar, but places the
governor of the state at the head of the list.

38 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

was made financial agent. 56 The building committee was instructed
"to select a site for a preparatory school and contract for the build-
ing of a two-story house the cost of which shall not exceed seven
thousand dollars." 57 Bowker was made agent of the trustees and
empowered to raise funds in the East toward a college endowment,
in accord with his proposal of January 20, 1865. 58 These arrange-
ments were intended to take care of the more weighty business
matters of the new college until the first annual meeting late in
May of that year.

THE NAMING OF LINCOLN COLLEGE

Since the new college was designed as a memorial to the victory
of freedom over slavery and was to be located where the first suc-
cessful skirmishes had been carried out to stop the expansion of
the "peculiar institution," it was regarded particularly fitting to
adopt the name of "Lincoln College." A circular of 1866 pointed
out:

The name chosen was selected out of respect and love for him who was
then the Chief Magistrate of the nation, Abraham Lincoln. Among the rea-
sons that led to the choice of that name were the following:

1. It was in connection with the discussion of those great public questions
that grew out of the settlement of Kansas that Mr. Lincoln became known
to the country.

2. It was understood that Kansas gave the largest popular majority for
his re-election, in proportion to her population, of any State in the Union.

3. The name of President Lincoln was in the minds of the founders of the
College, indissolubly connected with the perpetuity of the American Union
and the triumph of Free Institutions, and as such appropriate for a College
whose establishment was sought by those who would perpetuate civil and
religious liberty. 59

On his trip east as agent of the college trustees, Samuel D. Bow-
ker called on President Lincoln, who cordially approved the pro-
posed institution of learning. Bowker later wrote:

66. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 18, 17. McVicar was named president pro tern, Ira
H. Smith, secretary; W. E. Bowker, treasurer, and H. D. Rice and H. W. Farnsworth,
auditors. J. Ritchie, W. E. Bowker and Ira H. Smith were placed on the building committee.

67. Ibid.

68. He had offered to do this for a year if his expenses were paid, "and if I secure an
endowment of $20,000, then I shall be paid a salary of $1.000 S. D. Bowker."

59. Lincoln College, Incorporation and Name, a broadside in the Washburn Municipal
University library, written in 1866 to promote the endowment campaign. S. D. Bowker may
have been the author. The content of this circular is further discussed in the section on
college endowment.

On page 307 of Edward Stanwood's A History of the Presidency (Boston and New York,
1898), the table of returns for the election of 1864 lists Kansas as having cast 14,228 votes
for Lincoln and only 8,871 for his opponent, George B. McClellan (the soldier vote was not
counted). Kansas then cast over 78% of its total vote for Lincoln a higher proportion
than any other state, although Vermont with over 76% was a close competitor.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 39

BOSTON, MASS.,
May, 1865.
Dear Sir:

The suggestion has been made to the American People, that it would be
well to found and endow a College, to be dedicated to the memory of ABRA-
HAM LINCOLN. I wish, therefore to call public attention to "Lincoln College,"
incorporated Feb. 6, 1865, and state to you that the success of this Institution
was a matter of deep concern to President Lincoln, and that, during the week
of his re-inauguration, he expressed to me his cordial approval of its design
and gave assurance of his prospective aid in its behalf. QQ

The tragic death of Lincoln, which took place soon after the
launching of the Kansas college, gave added point to the founding
of an institution in his memory and promoted the campaign for
its endowment. The following circular presented this theme in an
effective manner:

LINCOLN MONUMENTAL COLLEGE

MONUMENT
OP THE

TRIUMPH

Dedicated to the Memory of

ABRAHAM LINCOLN,

President of the United States,

From March 4th, 1861, to April 15th, 1865

FREEDOM

OVER
SLAVERY

This Institution has been incorporated at Topeka, the Capitol of Kansas,
where a site of 160 acres of land has been donated and the first college build-
ing erected.

DESIGN

The design of the Institution is both patriotic and benevolent. At that
point, in the very centre of the continent, where Slavery was first turned
back, it is proposed to erect a MONUMENT that shall commemorate to all
coming time, the Triumph of Freedom and serve as a standing memorial of
those whose efforts have contributed to so glorious a result.

In carrying out this design the Trustees secured an act of incorporation,
Feb. 6, 1865, and were afforded the assurance that President Lincoln took a
deep interest in the success of the enterprise. By the sudden death of the
great and good man whom the Nation mourns as its second Father, it be-

60. Broadside in Washburn Municipal University library, entitled, On Lincoln College.
This document continued:

"Hon. John Sherman, of Ohio, Hon. Charles Sumner, of Mass., Hon. Horace Greeley, of
New York, Maj. Gen. Howard, of Maine, Prof. C. D. Cleveland, of Philadelphia, Rev. W.
H. Channing, of Washington, D. C., E. S. Tobey, Esq., of Boston, the U. S. Senators and
Representatives from Kansas, and many others, fully endorse and commend the enter-
prise. . . .

S. D. BOWKER,
Agent for the Trustees of Lincoln College."

A skeleton "Letter of Commendation" followed, which was used in other appeals for
financial aid and will be referred to later.

40 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

came a monument to him whose name it had adopted. The object sought
in the establishment of this College was the furtherance of those ideas of
civil and religious liberty which actuated our Fathers in the Revolutionary
conflict and which have now received a new baptism in the successful struggle
for the maintenance of the government. . . .

What memorial more in accordance with the unostentatious character of
him whom the Nation mourns than a MONUMENTAL COLLEGE, established to
perpetuate the principles ... in whose support he became a martyr?
Situated near the heart of the continent it will stand sentinel evermore over
the broad land whose union he consummated and whose future glory it will
be that so unselfish a man twice received the highest gift at the hands of
the American people. 61

APPROVAL OF THE GENERAL ASSOCIATION

At the meeting of the "General Association of Congregational
Ministers and Churches in Kansas," at Topeka, May 18-22, 1865,
the committee on education presented an extended report which re-
viewed the early attempts to found a college, commented with favor
upon the progress already made at Topeka, and gave detailed sug-
gestions to promote the college in the future:

What is needed now is an endowment sufficient to support at least two
efficient teachers to open a preparatory and scientific department. For such
an endowment we must first look to our own State. ... It will be use-
less to go abroad for funds, unless the churches and communities of Kansas
shall have done their part.

Your committee, therefore, deem it very essential to the success of the
enterprise, that the General Association at its present session, devise some
measure or measures by which ten thousand dollars towards an endowment
fund shall be secured at once in this State. . . , 62 This ten thousand
dollar fund, together with the $10,000 secured in Topeka by way of building
and permanent grounds, will furnish a Kansas basis of $20,000, on which
basis as a proof of our own interest in the College, $30,000 more can be raised
at the East. To this end the Trustees have secured the services of Rev. S.
D. Bowker to act as agent in soliciting funds at the East. ... He has
already . . . secured nearly $5,000 in cash, and over three hundred valu-
able volumes as a nucleus for a College library.

61. Broadside in Washburn Municipal University library, probably written in the spring
of 1865. The entire document may have been penned by S. D. Bowker at least his "Letter
of Commendation" serves as the conclusion, which is signed by the two senators from
Kansas, Lane and Pomeroy, and the member of congress, Sidney Clarke; the governor of
Kansas, S. J. Crawford, and the chief state officials; and men of national prominence, in-
cluding Horace Greeley, Charles Sumner and John Sherman.

This circular pointed out that steps were being taken to set up scholarships in honor of
the military and naval heroes of the war, and thereby "to have the names of all the dis-
tinguished Champions of Freedom thus recorded upon the tablet of history. It is the aim
of the Trustees to SECURE what has been done for the establishment of Liberty, by planting
an institution whose influence, . . . shall aid in the diffusion of knowledge, and wield
its power for the promotion of public virtue. May not its endowment by the American
people well be a work of Christian patriotism?"

62. The report pointed out that $2,000 of this sum was already pledged. To raise the
balance it suggested cash subscriptions, notes of individuals and the disposal of scholar-
ships at $100 each.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 41

The indications of general approval . . . abundantly show that breth-
ren at the East are ready to respond heartily to our efforts here. . . .
What they want to have is an assurance that the ministers and churches of
this Association are earnest and united in the establishment of this institu-
tion. . . . The "Society for Promoting Collegiate and Theological Edu-
cation at the West," . . . encourages us ... that it will aid a college
in Kansas, under the care of our body, whenever it shall exist as a College.

.63

We believe that a new epoch is dawning upon Kansas. . . . The great
railroad lines now penetrating our State, will doubtless induce a heavy im-
migration; and now is the time to bring to bear on this formative period, the
moulding power of Christian institutions.

In no other way can we so effectually supply the constant and increasing
demand for laborers in Christ's vineyard. . . .

Whence, then, is to come an educated ministry to supply this increasing de-
mand, unless ... at the very center of this vast region, an insti-
tution . . . shall send forth . . . young men prepared ... to
break to others the bread of life ... a savor of life unto life, to all
who may come under its influence? 64

The general association adopted the report of its committee on
education, approved the steps already taken for a college at Topeka,
and took concrete steps to promote an endowment campaign for
the college, both by Kansas churches and by those in other parts
of the country. Its resolutions follow:

Resolved, That the interest of Christ's cause in the Trans-Missouri Valley,
demands that we take efficient steps to establish one and but one College
under our care, and that we cordially sympathize with the efforts now being
made for the endowment of Lincoln College.

63. In the interest of an endowment the report urged that the association negotiate
with this organization, which had recently been relieved of further assistance to Beloit,
Wabash, and Marietta colleges.

The Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education at the West
was founded in 1843 in order to reduce the appeals from Western colleges to Eastern bene-
factors, and to systematize contributions. Theron Baldwin, member of the Yale band who
had helped found Illinois College, was the first to conceive the idea, in which he was joined
by President Edward Beecher of that institution. The society soon became very powerful
among Western colleges of New York and New England background and was for some time
supported by both New School Presbyterians and Congregationalists. Its endorsement be-
came necessary for financial aid and was not given without careful examination, thereby
discouraging speculative college projects. The list of Western colleges sponsored by the
society became very impressive, including in the western Mississippi valley Grinnell (Iowa
College), Washburn College in Kansas, Doane College in Nebraska, Carleton College in
Minnesota, and Colorado College. See James F. Willard and Colin B. Goodykoontz (eds.),
The Trans -Mississippi West (Boulder, Colo., 1930), pp. 80-84, and Peter G. Mode, The
Frontier Spirit in American Christianity (New York, 1923), pp. 60-65.

64. Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865), June, pp. 8-12, entitled, "Report No. 1." In his annual
report for 1865 ("Bodwell papers"), Lewis Bodwell wrote in a like tone and described the
founding of Lincoln College: "To the Ch'hs & schools & seminaries of the east we have
thus far been indebted for our laborers. Never in the past has the supply equalled the
want. From the regions beyond us already come calls as urgent as our own, while the
supply is no greater. . . . Our present wants, our future ones, & those of fields still
farther west, prompt us to try & prepare a school in which as God from time to time shall
furnish them; we may prepare men & women for the missionary work. . . . With a
home pledge of nearly $10,000, we begin this great work. ... I enclose the articles
of incorporation & the Appeal with which we shall appear before our friends, asking for
their sake as well as ours that they will aid us in establishing the first Puritan college for
free Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, & the great states along the eastern ranges of the Rocky
mountains."

42 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Resolved, That we recommend to the Trustees of Lincoln College, to ap-
point a suitable person, who shall, as soon as practicable, visit our churches in
the State, in order to secure by cash subscriptions, notes and scholarships,
the ten thousand dollar Endowment Fund suggested by the Committee on
Education, and that this Association earnestly recommend that the churches
respond liberally to the appeal.

Resolved, That our Messengers to the National Council, which convenes
at Boston, be requested to present the claims of a College in Kansas, estab-
lished for Christ and the Churches, to Rev. Ray Palmer, D. D., Chairman
of the Committee, appointed by the National Council, "on Education for the
Ministry," and also to Rev. Theron Baldwin, corresponding Secretary of the
"Society for promoting collegiate and theological Education at the West,"
with a view to secure the approval and co-operation of these bodies in the
efforts now being made in Kansas and at the East for the endowment of
Lincoln College. 65

COLLEGE ENDOWMENT

With the official backing of the general association of the Con-
gregational Church of Kansas, the future of Lincoln College ap-
peared more hopeful. As the champion of Puritan ideals of free-
dom in a period when men had witnessed a fresh baptism of these
principles, the infant college might aspire to a worthy role, but its
hopes of future usefulness rested on the mundane base of adequate
financial support. Dedicated to Christian ideals and bearing the
name of the Great Emancipator, the college might hope for many
friends of influence and substance, but whether they would be gen-
erous enough to make the venture a permanent success was an open
question.

In order to properly launch the program for endowment a num-
ber of circulars were issued from time to time, narrating in some
detail the history and future plans of Lincoln College and appeal-
ing for financial aid. One of the first of these, entitled, An Appeal
to Congregational Churches in Behalf of Lincoln College, was a
circular apparently inspired or written in part by Samuel D. Bow-
ker and Lewis Bodwell. 66 It reviewed the work of incorporation,
the great need for "the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom"
and for such a college in the West, described the progress already
achieved and then made this appeal:

65. "Minutes" of the general association, May 20, 1865, Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865),
June, p. 3. The report of the committee to nominate trustees for the college was also adopted,
recommending the re-election of the existing board. On May 22, 1865, the first annual meeting
of the trustees of Lincoln College was held at Topeka, and, in accord "with the nomi-
nations received from the general Association," the incumbent trustees were re-elected : McVicar,
Storrs, Liggitt and Smith for three years ; Cordley, Hannahs, Ritchie and Rice for two
years, and W. E. Bowker, Fox, Farnsworth and Lawrence for one year. "First Secretary's
Book," p. 22. No other business of importance was transacted.

66. In his annual report of March 1, 1865, to the American Home Missionary Society,
Bodwell mentioned the Appeal, indicating that this was one of the first circulars of this
nature.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 43

And now, dear brethren, having done what we could, we look to you for
encouragement and material aid, to enable us to consummate an undertaking
commenced, as we trust, mainly for the honor of Christ's name and the ad-
vancement of his blessed kingdom. Donations of money or books can be
sent to the agent, Rev. S. D. Bowker, No. 56 Court Street, Boston, Mass., or
forwarded to Rev. Peter McVicar, President of the Board of Trustees, To-
peka, Kansas. 67

The circular was concluded with an "Extract From a Letter Writ-
ten by Rev. Lewis Bodwell, Agent for the American Home Mission-
ary Society, for Kansas," in which he again stressed his favorite
theme of ministerial training.

A similar document of about the same date was entitled, Lincoln
College. A Monument of the Triumph of Freedom in the United
States. It included a statement of the trustees (whose names ap-
pear at the end) , a summary of the articles of incorporation, a more
detailed explanation of the proposed plan for professorships and
scholarships and an appeal for aid from the friends of freedom.
Every gift of a thousand dollars "establishes a Scholarship that
gives free tuition to some deserving person, as long as the College
stands." The scholarships were to be named after heroes of the
Civil War and the professorships after men like Chief Justice
Chase and Charles Sumner who had been leaders in the struggle
for emancipation. 68 The object was to render secure "the estab-
lishment of Liberty by planting an institution whose influence shall
be untramelled by any distinction of caste or party. Established
on the corner stone of Equal Rights to all men, it will disseminate
sound principles and thus help to build up, West of the Missouri,
another New England." An appeal for financial aid followed, and
the circular ended with the assertion that $100,000 was needed to-
ward a permanent endowment. Rev. S. D. Bowker had been named
agent to solicit funds for both endowment and scholarships and was
also authorized to accept donations of books, apparatus and other
useful articles. 69

A third endowment circular of 1865 has already been described,

67. This is followed by the list of college trustees, a quotation from the resolutions of
the general association of 1866 and the "Letter of Commendation" in praise of the effort
toward endowment. A copy of this broadside is the property of the Kansas State Historical
Society.

68. These plans for professorships and scholarships were very much a vision of the
future, unsupported by the necessary cash. When the college opened in January, 1866,
the only scholarships were those which remitted the fees of soldiers or their children, the
children of home missionaries, students studying for the ministry and other worthy in-
digent persons provided these were of limited numbers. Endowed professorships were still
a dream of years to come.

69. Contributions of money would be invested in United States bonds. "What is done
for the College will thus be a loan to the Government, as well as a gift to a Christian
enterprise." This circular was also published in a slightly different form, with the follow-
ing heading: An Appeal to the Public, By the Trustees of Lincoln College.

44 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Lincoln Monumental College, a Monument of the Triumph of Free-
dom Over Slavery. It included a "Recommendation" by the Kan-
sas delegation in congress and the chief state executive officers,
reading as follows:

RECOMMENDATION.

We, the undersigned, do certify that we regard the establishment of a
College in the city of Topeka, Kansas, as an object deserving the countenance
and support of all who desire the advancement of intelligence and the prog-
ress of free institutions West of the Missouri river. That such an institution
is greatly needed at the present time, to forward the work begun by the Free-
State men of Kansas, of disseminating right ideas of civil and religious
liberty. That the complete organization and endowment of "Lincoln Col-
lege," an institution located in the city of Topeka, would, in our judgment,
meet this want. And that the Trustees of said College are men of such char-
acter and standing, that the public may have entire confidence in their repre-
sentations, and safely rely upon their using the funds subscribed for the
purposes for which they are solicited. 70

In 1866 an additional endowment circular was issued, entitled,
Lincoln College Incorporation and Name, which gave the reasons
for the adoption of the name of the war president and, under "Lo-
cation," enumerated in detail the advantages claimed for Topeka,
proof that a college situated there "can do more for the advance-
ment of sound learning than any other college yet planted West of
the Missouri river." The greatest need of the college was now "an
endowment whose amplitude will warrant the employment of the
most able teachers the country affords." Under "Design of the
Founders" this circular pointed out that the rapid settlement of the
states along the Missouri river had created a pronounced need for
a "Strong Protestant Centre of Education" that would advance
science and literature and "disseminate correct ideas of civil and
religious liberty. Within the circle of 500 miles ... no in-
stitution properly denominated a College can be found of the New
England type. . . . They [the founders] would plant . . .
'A College which like Bowdoin, Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale
promises to be a new centre of vigor, manhood, intelligence and
truth.' " 71

As financial agent of the college trustees, and of whom it was
later said "the college owes, well nigh, its existence," Samuel D.

70. A broadside at the Washburn Municipal University library which is concluded with
the "Letter of Commendation" already quoted. At the top of the title page are pencilled
words of endorsement, not entirely legible, by "S. D. B." Samuel D. Bowker.

In content these circulars often repeat one another thus the "Recommendation" quoted
above also appeared in the preceding circular.

71. A document also found at Washburn Municipal University. It charged "that Ro-
manism, on the one hand, and German infidelity on the other, early acquired a wide spread
influence in this [Missouri] valley."

LINCOLN COLLEGE 45

Bowker was probably the chief author of these appeals. 72 At their
first meeting the trustees had empowered him, as their agent, to
obtain funds in the East toward an endowment. In May, 1865, he
wrote from Boston that he had secured the "cordial approval" of
President Lincoln, the Kansas delegation in congress and many
others of national prominence, including John Sherman of Ohio,
Charles Sumner of Massachusetts and Horace Greeley of New
York. 73 When the general association met late in May, its special
committee termed Bowker "peculiarly fitted in mind and heart for
the work," and, although chiefly occupied with preparatory work,
he had already "secured nearly $5,000 in cash, and over three hun-
dred valuable volumes as a nucleus for a college library." 74

Bowker established a Boston office and remained in the East
through the summer and early fall of 1865, achieving some success
although the existence of the Society for the Promotion of Col-
legiate and Theological Education at the West greatly reduced his
field of operation. He apparently attended the national council of
Congregational churches held at Boston in June, where the follow-
ing resolutions were adopted in behalf of Lincoln College:

WHEREAS, Our brethren in Kansas are laying the foundations of a Con-
gregational College, which shall on the field of its early victory be a monu-
ment of the triumph of Freedom over Slavery: a memorial of that Christian
Emancipator whose name it bears: a center of congregational and Christian

72. Rev. Samuel D. Bowker was born at Blanchard, Maine, April 2, 1835. "From his
third to his sixteenth year a resident of Munson, in 1851 he removed to Biddsford, where
two years later and at the age of eighteen he became the subject of converting grace, . . .
during the next year, at Phillips Academy in Andover, [he] entered upon the work of
preparation for the ministry. After pursuing his theological studies at Bangor [Theological
Seminary], from 1857 to 1860, in the autumn of the year last named, he was settled as
pastor of the Congregational Church in Winthrop. Two years of labor here resulted in a
failure of health, and ... his resignation. Being partially restored by a few months
rest, he ... accepted a call to the Congregational Church of New Market, N. H.
where he began his labors in March, 1863. Here during a revival in the winter of 1863-4,
over exertion induced a hemorrhage of the lungs, . . . and in November 1864 he sought
our state [Kansas] to recruit his broken health. . . .

"Appointed as State Agent of the American Bible Society, he on further consideration
declined the call and took upon his hands the labor to which he gave the undivided powers
of his last days of life. Our college, then . . . enlisted his sympathies, and . . .
fired anew his zeal. . . . Appointed as Agent of the Institution, during the year 1865
and while friends here whom his zeal had encouraged were erecting the College building, he
was laboring at the East from Maine to Maryland, arousing attention and collecting a
library for its use and funds for its endowment. . . ." "Obituary," by Lewis Bodwell,
from a funeral sermon delivered at the Congregational church, Topeka, February 9, 1868,
quoted in Kansas State Record, March 4, 1868. (See further biographical remarks hi the
concluding installment of this article.)

73. Letter of Bowker "On Lincoln College," dated Boston, May, 1865, and quoted above.

74. "Report of Committee on Education," in the "minutes" of the general association,
Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865), June, pp. 3, 10, 11. The association recommended that the
college trustees name a "suitable person" to visit the Kansas churches "to secure by cash
subscriptions, notes and scholarships, the ten thousand dollar Endowment Fund suggested
by the "Committee on Education . . .," and that an application be made to Theron
Baldwin, secretary of the College society, for aid from that organization. The report of the
committee on education had in fact stressed the importance of first obtaining that amount
from the home churches which, with the Topeka subscription of some $10,000, would make
a total of approximately $20,000 from Kansas, on which basis they could then hope for
$30,000 additional from the East.

46 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

influence and a source of ministerial supply for the Missouri Valley and the
regions beyond.

RESOLVED, That we commend the enterprise to the confidence, sympathy
and liberal support of all friends of New England principles and polity, of
civil and religious liberty and of Home Evangelization. 75

To these resolutions Bowker added an appeal for a Christian as
against a secular education and termed "the financial and spiritual
success" of the college a responsibility of "all our Christian peo-
ple." 76

Late in August, 1865, the college trustees met in the office of the
governor, made S. D. Bowker principal of the preparatory and scien-
tific department and requested him "to return as early as practicable
and attend to the organization of the school & the securing of an
endowment of $10,000 in Kansas." 77 On the following September
15 Bowker wrote to Lewis Bodwell from Northampton, Mass.:

I just drop you a line to say that Deac J. P. Williston of Northampton
offers to give $300 a year to pay the tuition in L. College of children of Home
Missionaries of any evangelical denomination If enough of this class are
not found he will include pious deserving persons preparing for ministers or
teachers. This amount would probably afford free tuition to some 10 or 12
in the Preparatory Dept.

I shall return to Kansas (DV) in five or six weeks Have secured over
$2,000 the past week Excuse haste

Most Truly

S. D. BOWKER.

After Bowker had returned from his Eastern campaign and was
about to begin a similar effort in Kansas, it was announced that he
had obtained a cash subscription in the East of $11,000 and, in ad-
dition, a library and cabinet of minerals worth $5,000. 79 However,
a manuscript list of Eastern donations to Lincoln College for 1865
totaled only $5,589.75 and named Williston as the largest con-

75. Ibid., August, p. 39, being embodied in an article entitled, "A Christian College."

76. Ibid., pp. 37-40. Bowker's article, signed "S. D. B.," pointed out that "the local
stream of benefactions will soon run dry unless sustained by contributions . . . from
neighboring communities. Much . . . success . . . will depend upon this 'working
together,' to establish it in public confidence. . . .

"The object sought will be still more fully realized if, at the very beginning, devoted young
men can be found who will by their presence and influence, in the institution, aid in estab-
lishing its religious character.

"Should not such be sought out and encouraged to enter upon a course ... for the
gospel ministry, or ... other useful pursuits?" The article closed with a "Letter of
Commendation," signed by prominent churchmen and educators.

77. "First Secretary's Book," p. 23. On October 1, 1865, Peter McVicar, president of
the board of trustees announced: "The first term of this institution will commence on
Wednesday, November 15th, 1865."

78. Letter in Washburn Municipal University library. With it is filed a letter of Willis-
ton's, April 19, 1869, paying $64 tuition. In 1868 he gave $578 to the College. The Cong.
Record of September, 1865, p. 59, stated:

"Rev. S. D. Bowker, the agent of Lincoln College, is still laboring in Maine. His object
is to raise in that state enough to endow a Payson professorship."

79. Ibid., December, 1865, p. 97.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 47

tributor, he having given $419. 80 Apparently not all of this ma-
terialized, since in July, 1867, the accounts of the college treasurer,
William E. Bowker, revealed the amount of cash received from the
East toward the "1st Endowment fund" as $5,079.63, against which
must be charged the expense of raising of $2,762.77, leaving a balance
of only $2,316.86 actually realized by Lincoln College. 81 In entire
truth it could be concluded that the question of adequate finance
was the Number One problem facing the infant college.

Although clearly intended by the general association to have
come first, the endowment campaign in Kansas did not really get
under way until late in 1865, after S. D. Bowker had completed his
work in the East. It was announced in the December issue of The
Congregational Record, "with a view of securing at once the amount
recommended by the general association [$10,000]. "

His success at the East has been such as to impress the trustees with the
belief that now is eminently a favorable time for prosecuting the effort. Mr.
Bowker's report is as follows: Cash subscription $11,000, 82 Library and Cabi-
net, $5,000. Total, $16,000. There are also pledges made sufficient to war-
rant the expectation that the amount will be raised to over $20,000; and all
this in less than one year . . ., the agent has confined himself to personal
and private efforts. . . . Most of the churches there contribute only to
colleges endorsed by the society for the purpose of promoting collegiate and
theological education at the West.

The article pointed out the necessity of raising the ten thousand
dollar endowment in Kansas if they were to convince Easterners
of their serious intent and obtain aid from the College society.
"This would open the way to the wealthy churches of New England ;
and the agent, Rev. Mr. Bowker, is sanguine that in two years ONE
HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS can be secured."

Bro. Bowker purposes to be at Atchison, December 3d; at Leavenwort
[sic], December 10; at Wyandotte, December 17th; at Lawrence, December
24th. . . . Brethren, do not wait . . . make special efforts, and send

80. Manuscript at Washburn Municipal University. There were several contributions of
$250 each, several of $200 each, 17 of $100 each, and some 40 of smaller amounts.

The unreliability of the published financial statements is repeatedly illustrated by a
simple comparison of one with another, or by referring them to documents such as the
above. This is probably explained by the propaganda value of previous contributions in
the obtaining of added donations, or the fact that some "hoped for" contributions did not
actually materialize.

81. Manuscript at Washburn Municipal University, entitled, "A Report of the Com-
mittee on Finances" (of the college trustees), signed by S. D. Storrs, Topeka, July 4, 1867.
They had examined the books of W. E. Bowker, and found no error, they giving "a correct
understanding of the financial condition of Lincoln Coll. . . ." (However, the report to
the general association, May, 1866, made the amount of Eastern gifts and pledges, obtained
chiefly through Bowker's efforts, as $7,880. Cong. Record, v. 8 [1866], August, p. 39.)

William E. Bowker, an incorporator and trustee of Lincoln College, and its first treasurer,
came to Kansas in 1855. He was a member of the territorial legislature, of the Wyandotte
constitutional convention, and served as treasurer of Shawnee county. He died at Los Angeles,
Cal., March 5, 1874. Wilder's Annals of Kansas, p. 636.

82. In view of the records quoted above, this sum is obviously exaggerated.

48 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

on your contributions, so that we may be able to report the amount com-
plete by the first of January. 88

The next issue of the Record reported progress in the endowment
campaign, with Grasshopper Falls pledging $500, Atchison $1,000
(excluding a like amount by Senator Pomeroy), and sizeable con-
tributions at Leaven worth. 84 The work continued during the win-
ter and spring months and when the general association met in May,
1866, a detailed report was rendered on Lincoln College. The Kan-
sas contributions then amounted to $8,160, with recent additions
making a grand total of $9,360 only $640 short of the ten thousand
dollar goal. 85 The report pointed out the importance of obtaining
this amount as speedily as possible in order to promote the Eastern
campaign, in particular the securing of aid from the College society.

An analysis of the "Kansas Endowment Fund," as it appeared in
the records of the college treasurer, July 4, 1867, no doubt with
added contributions made in the calendar year 1866-1867, revealed
that of the total of $9,382.97 then on the books, $4,414.22 consisted
of "Notes of Churches & individuals, all payable within nine years,"
and $2,600 was listed as an "Unsecured pledge." However, cash
in the amount of $1,600 "from the Endowment fund" had been put
into the college building. 86

Immediately upon the opening of the college in January, 1866,
the problem of paying the teachers became so urgent that the trus-
tees soon thereafter authorized the college treasurer to sell the land
and town lots belonging to the college, "except the permanent site
of the College," and also to make application for $2,000 from the
College society to pay the teachers for the coming year. 87 The

83. Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865), December, pp. 97, 98.

84. Ibid., v. 7 (1866), January, p. 124. The circular Lincoln College Incorporation and
Name claimed that by February, 1866, a total of $35,000 had been collected, in all forms,
of which about $20,000 came from Kansas.

85. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, pp. 37-41, appearing as "Report No. 4," en-
titled "Lincoln College." The subscriptions to the "Kansas Endowment Fund" included
$2,500 from the Leavenworth Congregational Church and Society, $2,000 from the Atchison
Congregational Church and Society (including $1,000 from Senator Pomeroy), $1,500 from
the Lawrence Congregational Church and Society (including $1,000 from Simpson Bros.),
and $275 from the Wyandotte Congregational Church and Society. Among the individual dona-
tions were $1,000 from Senator Lane, a like amount from Judge Cooper of Wyandotte, and
smaller sums from Hon. S. Clarke, Judge T. Ewing, M. P. Hillyer of Grasshopper Falls,
Deacon Wm. Crosby and others. With the Eastern contributions the grand total of all
donations to the college, including building, permanent site and a library of about 2,000
volumes, was placed at nearly $30,000 in value.

86. "Report of the Committee on Finances," cited above.

87. "Minutes" of the meeting of the trustees, February 13, 1866, "First Secretary's
Book," pp. 24, 25. McVicar, Cordley, Ritchie, W. E. Bowker, Rice and Smith were present.
The College society was asked to endorse the plan to raise a $50,000 endowment during the
year. Favorable action by that organization was taken some months thereafter, but it was
considerably later before any cash actually arrived in Kansas. This and other financial
matters will be treated in the concluding installment of this article.

The tendency of the Kansas Congregationalisms to go ahead in the face of urgent financial
problems reveals a typically frontier state of mind. On more than one occasion it was re-
marked that when a worthy goal was determined as a matter of "divine plan," no obstacle
of a "temporal" nature should be permitted to stand in the way.

ABOVE, THE BUILDING ERECTED IN 1865 FOR LINCOLN COLLEGE (Now WASHBURN MUNICIPAL
UNIVERSITY), WHICH WAS LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF TENTH AND JACKSON STREETS IN
TOPEKA.

BELOW, THE SAME VIEW TODAY, SHOWING THE MEMORIAL BUILDING, W'HICH HOUSES THE
KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. THE GENERAL OFFICE BUILDING OF THE SANTA FE RAILROAD
[s IN THE BACKGROUND.

^; *> ^

f m

LINCOLN COLLEGE 49

$100,000 endowment envisioned by the incorporates and held up
as a goal in the articles of association was still a hope of the future.
Despite notable success in the two endowment campaigns, many
of the contributions had not been in the form of ready cash, the
obtaining of which remained the most pressing problem facing Lin-
coln College.

CONSTRUCTION

Early in February, 1865, at the first meeting of the college trus-
tees, a building committee had been chosen, composed of John
Ritchie, W. E. Bowker and Ira H. Smith, and instructed "to select
a site for a preparatory school and contract for the building of a
two-story house the cost of which shall not exceed seven thousand
dollars. . . ." 88 This was quite in accord with the sage advice
of Amos A. Lawrence, a decade previous, that a preparatory school
must precede a college, in order to obtain students properly qualified
for higher instruction. 89

The "Davis claim" had been ceded by John Ritchie to the college
immediately after its incorporation as the most appropriate place
for the "permanent site," but it was rather remote from the exist-
ing settlement of Topeka. The trustees now purchased lots on the
northeast corner of Tenth and Jackson streets for $400, where, on
an eminence affording a fine view of the state house grounds and To-
peka, they planned a temporary site for the academy and college-
to-be. They intended to sell the building and grounds to the city
as a school when college structures were erected on the permanent
site. 90 The following narrative of May, 1865, is one of the best:

A preparatory building, fifty-four by thirty-two feet, two stories high, at a
cost of $8,000, including site and seats, is now being erected, and according
to the stipulations of the contract, to be finished by the first of October next.

It is located on a beautiful spot facing the Capitol grounds, with a view
of selling it to the city for a public school edifice, whenever the time
shall come to erect the regular college building on the permanent site. In-
cluding the preparatory building and the permanent site, the citizens of
Topeka will have given the sum of $10,000, double the amount contemplated
by the original condition of location. 91

88. Ibid., pp. 16, 17.

89. Lawrence to Dr. Charles Robinson, dated Boston, November 21, 1854, in "Copies
of Letters of Amos A. Lawrence," p. 42.

90. Due to the unfortunate lack of Topeka newspapers for this time and the absence of
any mention in the trustees' records, contemporary accounts are virtually impossible to find,
compelling the present writer to piece together stray bits of information.

91. Report of the committee on education to the general association, cited above, in
Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865), June, p. 9. In July, 1865, The Home Missionary, New York (v.
88, p. 81), published an account of Lincoln College which mentioned the "substantial and
elegant building for Preparatory and Scientific Departments, which is under contract now,
to be completed by the first of next October."

41725

50 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

By late summer of 1865 the work of construction was well ad-
vanced, as is apparent in the following accounts:

The preparatory building of this institution is progressing rapidly. It is
now ready for the roof. It is to be completed by October. The design of the
Trustees is to open the preparatory and scientific departments next fall. Steps
are being taken to secure an experienced Academical teacher to act as Prin-
cipal of these departments. Arrangements will also be made to furnish facili-
ties to students from abroad to form boarding clubs with a view to reduce
expenses. Circulars will be issued in due time.

COMMERCIAL COLLEGE Messrs. Mills & Fowler . . . have made their
Commercial College at Topeka one of the finest institutions of Kansas. . . .
They are about to rent rooms in the Lincoln College Building; thus com-
bining the benefits of both institutions to all the students in attendance. 92

According to the Reminiscences of Harvey D. Rice, he was the
contractor responsible for erection of the building. The narrative
of this college trustee gives a vivid picture of the trials and tribu-
lations which confronted the builders:

The trustees secured plans and specifications for a building fifty-four by
thirty-two feet, two stories high, and advertised for sealed proposals to build
the same, naming a day to meet and to open bids, and award contracts. The
day named we met, but to our surprise there had not been a bid presented.
Upon inquiry among the builders we were informed that we did not have
money to pay for the building, and one builder informed me that we had
nothing but a subscription book and it took money to put up buildings.
Thus the contractors stopped us. I did not much like to be stopped in that
way, and after carefully examining the plans and specifications I submitted
a proposition to the trustees to put up the building for the estimated cost,
which was $7,000. My proposition was accepted. I went to work early in
the spring of 1865 while United States soldiers were stationed at Topeka,
some of whom, from the State of Maine and Massachusetts, I employed to dig
trenches for a foundation of the building. The building was to be of stone,
with inside work and roof of shingles to be of pine. I hauled with my own
team the pine lumber from Atchinson [sic] and Leavenworth. In the fall the
Kansas Pacific railroad was completed to Lawrence and I got the finishing
lumber there. I did my hauling with one three yoke ox team and two two-
horse teams. . . . The stone for the building were all drawn by my ox
team. Native lumber was sawed on the Wakarusa, twelve miles south. With
the aid of my two oldest boys and one man in addition to the hauling of
material, I raised that year, four thousand bushels of corn. The building was
completed on time to the satisfaction of the trustees, to whom it was de-
livered by me with all bills paid and receipted for. 93

92. Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865), August, p. 45. The Circular and Prospectus of Lincoln
College 1865, issued later that year, made a similar announcement as to the commercial
college. Because of the absence of later references to it, however, the writer does not believe
it located in the college building.

93. Reminiscences^ quoted above, pp. 12, 13. "The school continued in the Academy
building corner of Tenth and Jackson until 1872, when it was sold to the city of Topeka
for $15,000 in city bonds. . . . This together with other donations from the citizens
of Topeka and elsewhere paid for the first building erected on the college site purchased in

LINCOLN COLLEGE 51

The college building was completed late in 1865, but the opening
of the new institution was delayed until the following January. A
circular of 1866 described the structure as very beautiful:

An elegant stone edifice for the Preparatory Department was completed
in the Autumn of 1865, at an expense, including furniture, of $10,000. The
building is located at the South East corner of Capitol Square, one of the
most sightly positions in the city. Its rooms for recitation and general exer-
cises will accommodate some 150 students; besides these it has rooms for
Library and Cabinet. . . , 94

A minister at Rochester (about four miles north of Topeka) , who
enjoyed a fine view of Topeka and Lincoln College, later wrote:

Looking from my window, I single out a neat and beautiful stone structure,
the nucleus of what shall constitute the Lincoln College buildings. A glance
at that may well call out thanksgiving to God; for there, we trust, numerous
youths will fit themselves for important posts of usefulness. 95

LINCOLN COLLEGE OPENS

With the construction of the college building proceeding so well,
by late summer of 1865 the trustees made plans to open the pre-
paratory and scientific departments in the fall of the year. At a
meeting on August 29 they set the third Wednesday of November
as the opening day. In the October Congregational Record Peter
McVicar, as president of the board of trustees, formally announced
the opening date as November 15, and sketched the plans for the
college, many of which were still incomplete. His announcement
follows:

LINCOLN COLLEGE

The first term of this institution will commence on Wednesday, November
15th, 1865.

Beside the College course proper there will be Preparatory, Scientific and
Industrial Departments.

1859. The first sod on that land was turned in June, 1872. I spent that summer superin-
tending the erection of that college building, which cost $65,000 [Rice Hall]. . . .

After the academy building became the property of the city of Topeka, it was first
known as the Washburn school and later the Jackson school. A photograph of this struc-
ture is shown facing p. 48. The site is now occupied by the Memorial building, which
houses the collections of the Kansas State Historical Society.

94. Lincoln College, Incorporation and Name. In his Historical Sketch (op. cit., p. 6),
Peter McVicar said the building was regarded as "one of the finest edifices in the city."

The following from the accounts of the college treasurer throws light on the cost of

construction. It is copied from the "Report of the Committee on Finances," July 4, 1867,

previously quoted:

Coll. Building
Amount put into the building by the people of Topeka in cash, labor, &

proceeds from sale of real estate $4,109 . 24

Lots on which the building stands 400 . 00

Cash from the Endowment fund put into the building 1,600.00

Cash advanced by the Treas. W. E. Bowker Esq 1,355 .77

Total cost of building and land $7,465 . 01

($2,955.77 was then due on the building to the endowment fund and to W. E. Bowker,

toward which notes of Topekans were on hand to the amount of only $1,000.)

95. The Rev. R. Paine in The Home Missionary, v. 39 (1866), November, pp. 161, 162.
A description of the interior of the building will appear in the concluding installment of .his
article.

52 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The design of the Preparatory Department is to fit the students for college.

It will be the object of the Scientific and Industrial Departments to pre-
pare young men and women, as effectually as possible in a three year's course,
for the earnest duties and practical relations of life.

These Departments, for the present, will be under the charge of Rev. S. D.
Bowker, as Principal.

It is intended to form a Freshman class in the full collegiate course at
once, and all who wish to pursue a course of study similar to that adopted in
the best Eastern colleges, will be greatly benefitted by entering Lincoln Col-
lege at the commencement of the first term.

Competent and able Professors will be secured as soon as their services
are needed.

A cabinet of minerals has been obtained at the East for the college. A
choice lot of philosophical instruments has been promised. A library of about
two thousand volumes, one of the best collections in the State, will be ac-
cessible to all the students of the institution.

Several scholarships are endowed to educate, free of tuition, soldiers or the
children of soldiers who have suffered or died in the war.

A sufficient sum has also been placed, by a benevolent individual at the
East, at the disposal of the Trustees, to pay for three years the tuition of
twelve or fifteen students, taking precedence in the following order: 1st,
children of Home Missionaries of all evangelical denominations; 2d, students
having the ministry in view; 3d, pious scholars studying to become teachers.

Persons desiring to be admitted to the collegiate or other departments,
should present themselves for examination at the College building, Topeka,
on Tuesday, the 14th of November, between the hours of 10 o'clock A. M.
and 4 o'clock P. M.

By order of the Trustees.

P. McViCAB, President of the Board.
TOPEKA, October 1st, 1865. 96

At a meeting of the college trustees, probably held late in October,
1865, the Rev. Horatio Q. Butterfield of Rockville, Conn., was ap-
pointed to the chair of professor of Greek and Latin languages and
the Rev. George H. Collier of Wheaton, 111., to that of professor of
mathematics. The names of both men came before the trustees with
very high recommendations as to character and competence in their
several departments. 97 Samuel D. Bowker was already titular pro-
fessor of English literature and history, as well as principal of the

96. This appeared as__a full -page announcement on the back cover of the Cong. Record
issue (v. 7, No."

*rv * ** civ? or A1U.I-SCV7 Cl.UUX'UlJ.l/C.LUCl.ll/ \JU. tJUC UO-Cr*. UWC1 Ul tUC VVTW Jtt;tL//t*

of October, 1865 (v. 7, No. 5); also on the back side of the front cover of the November
>. 6).

97. Ibid., v. 7 (1865), December, p. 109; "Report No. 4" on "Lincoln College," pre-
sented to the general association in May, 1866, and cited above. Since it is omitted from
the First Secretary's Book," the exact date of this meeting of the trustees is in doubt.
The December, 1865, issue of the Record remarked: "THE COLLEGE BUILDING is now com-
plete. The condition on which the Institution was located at Topeka, is fulfilled. The
edifice, ^including site and furniture, costs over $8,000. The permanent site is appraised at

Horatio Q. Butterfield did not formally accept the offer of the trustees until May 30,
.866, and was not in residence during the first two terms of this college year. His important
role will be discussed in the concluding installment of this article.

LINCOLN COLLEGE 53

preparatory department, but due to hiu activities as financial agent
he was relieved of work as a teacher and, during the spring term of
1866, E. H. Hobart, formerly of the Baraboo Institute of Wisconsin,
was made acting professor of natural science and principal of the
preparatory and scientific departments. 98

When the appointment of faculty members had been completed
and other preparatory matters arranged, a Circular and Prospectus
of Lincoln College, 1865, was issued which presented the entire list
of college trustees and members of the faculty. The latter follow :

COLLEGE FACULTY

S. D. BOWKER Professor of English Literature and History.

REV. H. Q. BUTTERFIELD Professor of Greek and Latin Languages [arrived

later].
G. H. COLLIER Professor of Mathematics.

PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT

S. D. BOWKER Principal of Preparatory Course.
G. H. COLLIER Principal of Scientific Course.
Miss MINNIE V. OTIS Teacher of French, Instrumental Music, Drawing

and Painting.

L. H. PLATT Teacher of Vocal Music.
N. T. TOWNSEND Teacher of Penmanship."

The Circular and Prospectus stated that the studies to be taught
in the collegiate course would be identical with those "taught in the
first Colleges of the East, such as Harvard and Yale," and listed
those for the preparatory course. 100 Those to be admitted to the
"Preparatory and Scientific Course should be familiar with Geog-
raphy and the first principles of English Grammar and Arithmetic";
those planning to enter the four-year "Collegiate Course, will be ex-
amined in the studies taught in the Preparatory Department of this
Institution." The trustees aimed to make the work of all depart-

98. "Report No. 4," entitled, "Lincoln College," cited above.

99. Circular and Prospectus of Lincoln College, 1865, hereafter cited as Circular and
Prospectus, 1865. The college catalogue for 1865-1866, issued later, leaves blank the position
of president, who was also to be "Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy."

"Prof. Collier has for nine years been a successful and leading instructor in Wheaton
College, Illinois. Rev. Mr. Butterfield, but a few years since received the commendation from
Edward Everett, of being a finished classical scholar, and Mr. Bowker has had several years
experience as a successful teacher in the New England Institutions of Learning. . .
In addition . . . the trustees have secured . . . several competent instructors to
assist in the Preparatory Course. Among these is Miss Minnie V. Otis, who has just com-
pleted a course of study at the celebrated Seminary for young ladies at Troy, N. Y., and
who will give lessons in French, Music and Drawing." Circular and Prospectus, 1865.

100. Other matters discussed by the Circular and Prospectus included the library, cabinet
of minerals, calendar for the year, tuition fees and worship subjects that will be treated
in more detail in the concluding installment of this article. Tuition for the collegiate course
was set at $12 per term, the year 1866 being divided into three terms of approximately
three months each, with the college closed during July and August. The fee for the pre-
paratory and scientific course was fixed at $6 per term. Special fees were charged for the
study of French ($6), instrumental music ($15), use of piano ($6), drawing ($6), oil paint-
ing ($13), and penmanship ($3), to contribute to the support of the two instructors Miss
Otis and Mr. Townsend.

54 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

ments "thorough and effective." Consequently the "standard is far
in advance of any other College this side of the Missouri river, and
equal to that of any in the land. The Preparatory Course affords a
thorough preparation to enter any college in the country." 101 After
the college opened the topics discussed in the Circular and Pros-
pectus were further amplified in the first college catalogue. 102

In the Circular and Prospectus the date of opening of Lincoln
College was postponed to January 3, 1866, a change probably neces-
sitated by the many problems incident to the launching of such an
institution on the border. Conditions not yet being ripe for the
college proper, only the preparatory department began work at this
time. Although mentioned in later accounts, 103 no adequate descrip-
tion has come down to us of this eventful day. Would the glowing
promises made in founding the college be fulfilled in the days ahead?
Dedicated to freedom and the principles of the Pilgrim forefathers,
Lincoln College had been established primarily to serve the cause
of religion by raising up a trained ministry in its behalf. In the
words of the committee on education of the general association:

It is this religious feature which commends Lincoln College to the confi-
dence, the prayers and the liberal support of all Christian people. . . .
The NAME of the Institution is peculiarly appropriate. . . . No less ap-
propriate is the location of Lincoln College. . . . How fitting, then, that
an institution, designed partly as a MEMORIAL to Abraham Lincoln and the
triumph of freedom over slavery, should be located in the State of Kansas,
midway between the Atlantic and the Pacific, at the very heart of the nation,
now evermore consecrated to civil and religious liberty. . . . May it
be "like a tree planted by the rivers of water," whose leaves even shall be
"for the healing of the nations." 104

101. Ibid.

102. Catalogue of the Officers and Students of LINCOLN COLLEGE, for the Winter and
Spring Term of 1865-1866 (Topeka, 1866).

103. In his Historical Sketch (op. cit., p. 6), Peter Me Vicar wrote: "The school, as an
academic department, was opened in the new building January 3, 1866, under the charge of
the late Rev. Samuel D. Bowker as principal, and Prof. Geo. H. Collier, now of Oregon State
University, and Edward F. Hobart, Esq., of Las Vegas, New Mexico, as assistants."

104. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, pp. 37-41.

[Part Two, the Concluding Installment, Entitled "Later History
and Change of Name," Will Appear in the May, 1950, Issue]

A Glimpse of Kansas 90 Years Ago

I. INTRODUCTION

hazards of traveling in Kansas, in February, 1860, were
graphically recorded in the following letter from William Addison
Phillips to his wife (Margaret Carraway Spilman) under date of
February 17, 1860. The letter was among other papers recently re-
ceived by the Kansas State Historical Society from Mrs. H. M.
Korns of Salina, a granddaughter.

W. A. Phillips (1824-1893) was born in Scotland, and came to
Kansas in 1855, via southern Illinois where he had lived since the
late 1830's. He arrived as a special correspondent of the New York
Tribune, with a background of journalistic and legal training, and
stayed to be one of the most outspoken of Free-State writers and
politicians. His The Conquest of Kansas . . ., published in
1856, was one of the important books of the period.

In 1858 he headed a party which founded Salina. In 1859 he was
married. During the Civil War he served with distinction, becom-
ing colonel of the Third Indian (Cherokee) regiment. He was a
congressman from Kansas during the years 1873 to 1879. A legal
practice, and writing filled most of the other years. Phillips wrote
voluminously on many subjects, but taxation was his particular
interest. He died at Fort Gibson, I. T., but is buried at Salina.

II. THE LETTER

LAWRENCE, KANSAS, Sunday, Feb. 17 /60
MY OWN SWEET WIFE,

I would have written to you yesterday, but was very busy, but
knew that a letter to-day, or perhaps even to-morrow or next day
would reach you just as soon.

I did not get in on Monday night, as I wrote from Junction City,
but late, late on Thursday night, or Friday morning. I was very
much fatigued and rather weather beaten, but am getting better
but let me relate my trip to you in detail.

I left Salina on Tuesday morning stuck at the Saline, and
toiled in the snow two hours. Then struggled on to Solomon that
night my horses weak and lame. Next day stalled in snow drifts,
as I had done the day before, at least a dozen times, had to tie a
rope round the hind axle, and pull out back, and then try a new
place. I got into Junction after ma[n]y adventures on Friday

(65)

56 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

morning shod my horses, and tried to get to Manhattan, but failed,
night came on me, and in the dark, and a storm of wind and rain
I stopped at a Creek 2 miles from Manhattan. It rained all night
and in the morning Manhattan was a sea the houses Islands. The
river had not yet broken up, and fearing that it would and keep
me on the north side of it for a week I crossed the ferry at Man-
hattan. The twelve miles to Waubonsa I had to travel through
snow sludge and water lakes, the water knee deep for a mile or two
at a place. At Wabonsa I found the Creeks, and even small runs
getting up to swimming depth and my horses had sore shoulders
bloody feet, and were completely exhausted I drove a mile and a
half out of town to Enoch Plattes.

Mr. Platte was away but his wife told me I was as welcome as if
he had been there. I got my horses put out of the cold rain in a
good barn and plenty of Hungarian Grass. Next morning I went
to church alone, (it was bad weather) I went home with the
preacher, Mr. (I forget his name, a Congregational preacher) to tea.
After tea Lines made me go to his house next morning when I got
ready to start I found Jim had got the colic with eating too much
of the Hungarian Grass. Plattes people kindly urged me to stay.
Crossed two creeks that day, and at night (four oclock afternoon)
got down in the Pottawattomie reserve to Mill Creek, there a broad
river running very high. I had to wait until next day at two o clock
for the river to fall enough to cross, and after riding over once or
twice on Jim, feeling the bottom with a pole I cross [ed] ; having
propped up the wagon bed to keep it above the water, and got
through safely.

I reached Mission Creek (12 miles) that night, having left the
Topeka road, and striking over for Auburn, on the Salina road, so
as to head the creeks, and see Mr. Fox about buying the robes.
Passed a dreary rainy sleety night. Next day it snowed, drove as
rapidly as I could, got to Auburn at noon, the stone bridge was
washed away on the Salina road, and in a heavy shower, about one
o'clock had to cut out a road through the thicket and cross at an
old ford above. Got completely wet. Wind turned to the north
then it snowed and froze. When I got to Fox's they looked alarmed
as if they were afraid I had come to visit them. His second wife,
a neat precise looking worn (no, lady) looked as if she feared I
would dirty her house with my dripping clothes. I learned that
he had not now the money that he expected to pay me for the robes,
and so I was disappointed in selling them. I drove off and put my

GLIMPSE OF KANSAS 90 YEARS AGO 57

horses in an empty house, curried them dry and fed them, and then
went up to the printing office to get my papers and dry myself.

It got colder, and was snowing hard, but knowing I could not
reach Lawrence in one day more, the way the roads were, unless I
hurried, I hitched up again and drove three miles through the storm
that even. Stopped at a deserted house (there are many deserted
houses here), got a fire in an old stove, and my horses in a shed,
and tried to get dry, and cook a little coffee, and toast some of the
bread. The provisions you gave me lasted me all the way, as I
bought nothing. On Thursday morning I started, and drove all day,
stopping twice to feed. At dark I was still ten miles from Lawrence,
and the roads very bad but I pushed on, and reached our old Walnut
house about one o'clock of a dark, cold night, or morning. How
cheerfully would I have driven that nights drive had you been there,
but Lawrence did not look like home the house did not look
like home. I[t] was empty dirty, and desolate.

In the morning, I am sorry to have to relate to you that I found
the house had been robbed. Alexis must have left the kitchen door
badly fastened. At all events the book box, the barrel, trunks,
&c &c and the box of hardware in the kitchen had been thoroughly
ransacked and everything of value taken. I learned that some mis-
chevious people or their children had been there, and I made two
visits. I recovered only one smoothing Iron, and a few books, but
very little of what had been taken. The flax carpet, wall paper and
a number of magazines, and the rest of your smoothing irons gone.

On Friday I ate the last of my provisions, as did my horses the
last of the hay and corn I had brought with me. For the last four
days I had coffee (not good) and toast with a little mollasses. Still
I kept very well and vigorous.

Finding provisions high. It was very cold. No fire in the house.
My boots were froze and I could not get them on so I accepted
an invitation of Mr. Bacon to use his cellar office to sit read and
write in and board with him at $3 per week. So here I am quite
comfortable, only away from home.

I have been very busy since noon Friday, which time it was be-
fore I got everything fixed right about the house and put the
robes in it. Since then I have settled a few accounts due here, and
tried to collect, but have not got a cent. I have hunted up most
of my old buyers of furs, but none of them have any money, and
I have no wish to sell on credit. On Monday morning a Mr. Hill
my old customer will be here, and I shall try and sell them

58 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

to him There is no money here. Furs are low, and times more
wretchedly hard than ever. I shall do the best I can, but it is
dreadful up hill work just now. After I see Mr. Hill I have to ride
to Tecumseh tomorrow to see a saw mill. It is 21 miles, 42 going
and coming. If I get back tomorrow at all it will be very late. I
shall probably have to be here all this next week at least. The horses
are sore and the roads are impassible for a load. The river here
is high and full of ice. A hundred wagons of relief goods wait at the
other side unable to cross. I have no time for politics in this, but
they are all engrossing. I shall write you when I come back from
Tecumseh. Tell Alex Campbell not to give more than 50c for large
and 25c for small wolfskins in trade as I fear that is all it will be
possible to get for them in St. Louis or anywhere. I fear the coun-
try is on the verge of civil war. Adieu my love. Kiss John and
"doodl-oodle" for papa.

Your Affectionate Husband

WM. A. PHILLIPS.

The Annual Meeting

'TVHE seventy-fourth annual meeting of the Kansas State His-
* torical Society and board of directors was held in the rooms of
the Society on October 18, 1949.

The meeting of the directors was called to order by President
R. F. Brock at 10 a. m. First business was the reading of the an-
nual report by the secretary.

SECRETARY'S REPORT, YEAR ENDING OCTOBER 18, 1949

At the conclusion of last year's meeting, the newly elected president, R. F.
Brock, reappointed John S. Dawson and T. M. Lillard to the executive com-
mittee. The members holding over were Robert C. Rankin, Charles M. Cor-
rell and Milton R. McLean.

APPROPRIATIONS

The 1949 legislature granted a number of increases for the biennium which
began July 1. The principal item was $92,000 for new steel shelving, which
included a reappropriation of $38,000. Of this sum, $60,000 will be spent for
two floors of shelving above the present library and for a book elevator which
will service eight floors of newspaper and library stacks. The $32,000 balance
will provide two floors of shelving in the basement for the archives division.
Another important item was an increase of $10,000 a year in the microfilm
fund, making a total of $20,000 a year for that division. A large part of this
increase will be used for microfilming archives records.

A bill for increased salaries for members of the staff was introduced by
Senators Beck and Porter at the beginning of the session. Later it was sug-
gested by the senate fees and salaries committee that the Society's salaries
be placed under the merit system. It will be remembered that when the
system was established the Society, at our request, was not included. This
year, however, it was felt best to accept the recommendation. For the most
part, the increased salaries which became effective July 1 are satisfactory
or will be satisfactory when the maximum amounts within the ranges are
reached. Two exceptions are the increases for the librarian and the Btate
archivist, and it is hoped that an adjustment of their salaries can be made.

There has been some criticism of the merit system and there will always
be attacks by some politicians, but on the whole it is operating effectively. It
is my belief that few department heads, either elective or appointive, would
choose to return to the spoils system, though they might not say so at party
meetings. Experience so far does not appear to bear out the claim that in-
efficient people are frozen on the job, for they can always be reduced in grade
or discharged for cause. The Historical Society, fortunately, has never been
subject to political influence. There was a time, however, when our jamitors
were political appointees when they could and did tell us how much and
how little they would work. Until they were transferred to the Society it was

- (59)

60 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

impossible to keep the Memorial building presentable. In my opinion, BO
long as there is no deliberate attack on the merit system by the party in
office, as has been the case lately in Missouri, it will work to the advantage
of both employees and the state.

LIBRARY

During the year 2,927 persons did research in the library. Of these, 1,215
worked on Kansas subjects, 995 on genealogy and 717 on general subjects.
Numerous inquiries were answered by letter and 125 packages on Kansas
subjects were sent out from the loan file. A total of 3,150 newspaper clippings
were mounted from papers covering January 1, 1948, through March, 1949.

The library has become a repository for the Music Library Association,
whose object is to preserve musical materials of local and regional interest.
Help from individuals and institutions in collecting material will be appre-
ciated.

Many gifts of Kansas books and genealogies were received from individuals.
Typed and printed genealogical records were presented by the Daughters of
the American Revolution. The Colonial Dames presented a microfilm copy of
the federal census of 1850 for Indiana. The 1850 census was the first in which
the names of all members of families were included. Gifts from the Woman's
Kansas Day Club included music, books, pamphlets and clippings. A micro-
film copy of a thesis by Joseph Wade, "A History of Kansas Trails and
Roads," has been added to the library.

PICTURE COLLECTION

During the year, 219 pictures were classified and catalogued and added to
the picture collection. Among them was an oil portrait of Sen. Arthur Cap-
per, painted by A. L. Tice, and presented by the Capper employees.

ARCHIVES DIVISION

The 1949 legislature authorized an assistant archivist, who began work
on July 1. Plans and specifications for the new steel shelving are now
being drawn up by the state architect. It is hoped that this work, which
will be included in the same contract with the new library stacks, will
be completed by early spring. When this is done it will be possible to go
ahead with plans to film a substantial portion of the most bulky archival
material. Pending installation of the stacks, no effort has been made to
secure new archives accessions during the year. For this reason, too, the
transfer of several groups of materials from the state house has been post-
poned. As a result, the division reports only the accessioning of the statistical
rolls of Kansas counties for 1942, statistical rolls of Kansas cities for 1948 and
1949, and abstracts of statistical rolls for Kansas counties, 1940-1942. These
total 4,599 volumes.

The State Board of Engineering Examiners recently filmed its "Engineering
Applicants' Folders," 1931-1948, and its annual reports and rosters, 1932-1948,
in order to eliminate unnecessary handling of the original records. Positive
film copies were retained for current office use, while the negatives in 21 reels
were deposited with the Historical Society as a protective measure.

THE ANNUAL MEETING 61

MANUSCRIPTS DIVISION

Acquisitions of this division for the year were 78 manuscript volumes, four
microfilm reels of manuscript material, and approximately 8,250 individual
manuscripts.

The two largest collections received were the papers of George A. Root
and Oscar K. Swayze. Both men spent most of their lives in Topeka, were
long-time friends, and both died in 1949. George A. Root, who had worked
for the Historical Society for more than 50 years, kept personal diaries cover-
ing the years 1885 to 1949. These, and a vast amount of data on Topeka and
Shawnee county history, are of particular value. Also of interest are the
papers of his father, Frank A. Root, an early-day Overland stage messenger
and agent, and newspaper publisher of Kansas. The Swayze papers cover the
years 1856-1949. Of special note are records of the Topeka Republican Flam-
beau Club, a colorful political organization of the 1880's and 1890's.

From Will T. Beck came 33 letters written between 1887 and 1898 by and
to his father, M. M. Beck, Holtbn newspaperman. They deal largely with
state and local political matters. Among the writers were John J. Ingalls,
Preston B. Plumb, E. N. Merrill and D. R. Anthony.

A group of Ottawa Chautauqua Assembly papers (1882-1901) given by
Ben F. Bowers, of Ottawa, contains letters with autographs of William Jen-
nings Bryan, Admiral George Dewey, Booker T. Washington, Frances E.
Willard, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and other famous Americans.

Interesting details of pioneer life in territorial Kansas are contained in a
diary for six months of 1858, kept by John H. Deering who settled in Palmyra,
Douglas county, in that year. This volume was lent to the Society for copy-
ing by Dr. Homer K. Ebright of Baker University, Baldwin.

Through J. R. Hubbard of the Santa Fe railroad, the Society received pho-
tostats of 40 letters which the railroad's founder, Cyrus K. Holliday. wrote to
his family between 1864 and 1883.

A "Special Order Book," of the former army post, Fort Hays, has been
microfilmed through the courtesy of Dr. Raymond L. Welty of Fort Hays
Kansas State College. The volume includes orders dated between October
15, 1866, and May 26, 1868, some of them detailing troops to protect the mail
and the stations on the Smoky Hill route from Indian depredations. United
States troops stationed at this post, which was first called Fort Fletcher, in-
cluded companies of the Third, Nineteenth, Thirty-seventh and Thirty-
eighth infantry regiments.

From Frank Hodges, Olathe, the Society received 11 ledgers and day books
of the Hodges Brothers, lumber dealers in Olathe. These volumes cover the
years from 1888 to 1900, and are valuable for their detailed records of prices
and business methods.

An account of life in Topeka is contained in the diaries of Mrs. Martha
V. Farnsworth. These records for the years 1882-1897, 1899, 1902-1922, were
given by Mrs. Lucille V. Farnsworth of Topeka. Other papers received in
this collection include 34 letters (1870-1898) by William Blackford to H. W.
Farnsworth, relating to settlement of Indian depredations claims.

Fifty-two Civil War letters (1862-1864) by Cyrus Leland, Jr., a lieutenant
in the Tenth Kansas infantry, written from various points in Kansas and

62 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Missouri, to his mother and brother, were given the Society by Charles Hay-
den, of Topeka.

Mrs. Sara Morse of Mound City gave 89 letters mostly written by her
father, Dr. Joseph H. Trego. The letters of the 1857-1858 period concern his
coming to Kansas and his life in Mound City; those of the 1861-1864 period
tell of his Civil War experiences as a lieutenant in the Fifth Kansas cavalry.

Four diaries of L. H. Riddle, of Marion county, covering the years 1887-
1891, were lent the Society for copying by his son Kenyon Riddle, of Raton,
N. M. These volumes contain family notes, items about local events, and
political comment from the Democratic viewpoint.

The autobiography of Elbert Olin Raymond, a Methodist minister in
Kansas from 1888 to 1921, was received from his grandson, Robert S. Ray-
mond of Las Cruces, N. M. Pastorates held by the Rev. E. O. Raymond
included Herington, Topeka, Overbrook, Scranton, Havensville, Centralia,
Olivet, Dunlap and Mount Ida.

Early records (1865-1889) of Lincoln College, later Washburn, including
articles of incorporation, by-laws, faculty constitution and minutes of trus-
tees' meetings, from a volume belonging to Washburn Municipal University,
were microfilmed through the courtesy of Richard Vogel, treasurer.

Also microfilmed were two record books (1859-1861) of Edward E. Oakley,
who lived in Lecompton, and later in Bourbon county. These were lent by
Mrs. Sidney Milbauer of West Hollywood, Cal. The first book includes a
diary of Oakley's overland journey from Lecompton to the gold mines of
Colorado in 1859 which is of particular interest.

Other donors were: Dr. George Anderson, Lawrence; F. C. Bartlett, To-
peka; Cecil Baxter, Jr., Salina; George H. Browne, Kansas City, Mo.; Arthur
Capper, Topeka; Redmond S. Cole, Tulsa, Okla.; Crawford County His-
torical Society; Mrs. O. P. Dellinger, Pittsburg; Lillian Forrest, Jewell;
Grant W. Harrington, Kansas City, Kan.; Dr. Nate Harwood, Manhattan;
Irving Hill, Lawrence; Mrs. Lalla B. Jacobs, Washington, D. C.; U. M. Grant
Jeffreys, Monmouth, 111.; Legislative Wives; Louise McLellan, Topeka; Dr.
Karl A. Menninger, Topeka; May E. Murphy, Meade; Mrs. Fred R. Nie-
haus, Boulder, Colo.; Rev. J. J. Runyon, Duluth, Minn.; Judge J. C. Rup-
penthal, Russell; S'hawnee County Historical Society; W. C. Simons, Law-
rence; Lena Martin Smith, Pittsburg; Marjorie Stauffer, Pasadena, Cal.;
R. C. Wagner, Kansas City; William Henry Smith Memorial Library, In-
dianapolis, Ind.; James M. Williams, Jr., Trinidad, Colo.; Robert L. Wil-
liams, St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Woman's Kansas Day Club.

MICROFILM DIVISION

Nearly 1,500,000 pages of Kansas newspapers have now been photographed.
Major projects for the year were the filming of the lola Register, the Law-
rence Daily World, Weekly World, and the Daily Journal-World.

The lola Register film, which ran to 174 reels, covered issues from 1869
through 1947, a total of 79 years. Angelo Scott, publisher of the Register, is
now having current issues of the paper filmed by a commercial concern. A
copy of this film is being donated by Mr. Scott to the Society.

The Leavenworth Times film made 286 reels and covered the period from
September 17, 1868, through 1944, a total of nearly 77 years. The publisher,
Dan Anthony, III, has also planned to microfilm current issues.

THE ANNUAL MEETING 63

Photographing is completed on the Lawrence Daily World from March 3,
1892, through February 18, 1911, the Weekly World from March 11, 1892,
through March 25, 1909, and the Daily Journal-World from February 20, 1911,
through December 31, 1945. At present, the Lawrence Daily Gazette, begin-
ning October 1, 1884, one of the predecessors of the Journal-World, is being
photographed.

NEWSPAPER AND CENSUS DIVISIONS

Four hundred and sixteen certified copies of census records were issued last
month, a record that has not been equalled since early in the war. It is interest-
ing to note that most of the requests now come by mail. Letters are being re-
ceived from all parts of the United States and especially from California. A
number of the applicants are old enough to be eligible for pensions of various
kinds, and it is from this age class that many of the requests are coming.
Copies of the census records, which the Society has been issuing for years
without charge, can be used in many ways, including the filing of claims for
old-age assistance, social security, railroad retirement, pensions and insurance
endowments; for delayed birth certificates and passports, and to prove citizen-
ship. Even after death, relatives in many instances have been asked to secure
a certified record showing the age of the deceased.

How long this increased demand will keep up, no one knows. Perhaps it
is becoming necessary for everyone, living or dead, to have documents on file
proving his age and date of birth.

During the year, 3,186 patrons called in person at the newspaper and census
divisions. Seventeen thousand three hundred single issues of newspapers,
5,878 bound volumes of newspapers and 879 microfilm reels were consulted;
5,699 census volumes were searched and from them 3,430 certified copies of
family age records were issued.

The 1949 annual List of Kansas Newspapers and Periodicals was distributed
in September. This is the 54th issue since the Society's organization. The 1949
List shows 686 newspapers and periodicals being received regularly for filing.
These include 57 dailies, one triweekly, 15 semiweeklies, 385 weeklies, 16 fort-
nightlies, 25 semimonthlies, three once every three weeks, 118 monthlies, 17
bimonthlies, 27 quarterlies, 19 occasional, one semiannual, and two annuals,
coming from all the 105 Kansas counties. Of these 686 publications, 253 are
listed as independent, 120 Republican and 19 as Democratic in politics; 90 are
school or college, 39 religious, 22 fraternal, seven labor, seven industrial, 18
trade and 111 miscellaneous.

The Society's collection of Kansas newspapers, as of January 1, 1949, totaled
52,836 bound volumes, in addition to more than 10,000 bound volumes of out-
of-state newspapers dated from 1767 to 1949.

This Society has subscribed for microfilm copies of the Kansas City (Mo.)
Times and Star. The service started with the issues of June 1, 1949. The
film runs about one 100-ft. reel for every ten days of papers, or three rolls
per month.

Among the donors of newspapers during the year, exclusive of the editors
of Kansas, were: Cherokee Advocate, Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, January
15 and 22, 1846, from Genevieve Scheer, Chapel Hill, N. C.; Topeka Daily
Blade, February 21, 1876-February 28, 1878, from Oscar Swayze, Topeka;
and a miscellaneous collection of World War I papers, including Camp Dodger,

64 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

St. Nazaire, France, May 17, 1919, from M. W. Tuttle of Topeka; Coming
Back, New York, March 21, 1919, Plane News, France, January 5, 1918-March
22, 1919, The Gang-plank News, St. Nazaire, France, May 8 and 13, 1919, from
L. C. Rusmisel of Topeka, and The Stars and Stripes, France, March, 1918-
May 9, 1919, from L. C. Rusmisel and Polly Nowers of Topeka.

ANNALS OF KANSAS

Compilation of the "Annals" has been completed to 1913. The work began
four years ago with the year 1886. In the past year six "Annals" years were
compiled. In addition, proceedings of 65 organizations were recorded.

It may be of interest to note some of the events which took place in
Kansas during the period just completed 1906 to 1912, inclusive. The Uni-
versity of Kansas, for example, developed the process of separating helium
from gas. Kansas State College extended its teachings through farmers' in-
stitutes, dairy trains, county agents and boys and girls clubs. Dr. S. J. Crum-
bine waged a swat-the-fly campaign and lowered infant mortality. Labor
and industry reported fewer violations of the Eight-hour and Child Labor
laws, together with improved working conditions, more arbitration and fewer
strikes. Charles Curtis became senator in spite of White, Allen, Stubbs and
Bristow, who said he was "nominated by men on passes." Capper lost the
governorship to George Hodges because of the Progressive uprising and "mis-
apprehension of the ballot." The Memorial building was under construction.
George Root found the original draft of the Wyandotte constitution while
searching for historic documents in the secretary of state's office. The Equal
Suffrage law, the Blue Sky law and the Bank Guaranty law were passed.
Wireless stations were installed at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth. Ed
Howe divided his estate and retired to Potato Hill to edit his magazine.
Deaths included those of Governors Morrill, Stanley and Glick, and Daniel
Webster Wilder, Eugene Ware and Carry Nation.

Reading and checking "Annals" for the period entailed the handling of
1,700 bound newspaper volumes. The Topeka Daily Capital was read care-
fully for the gist of "Annals." Kansas City and Wichita dailies were read and
checked with the Capital items. The Topeka State Journal, official state paper
for the period, was also scanned closely. Over-the-state items were checked
in local newspapers, which averaged 100 weeklies and 42 dailies for each "An-
nals" year. The microfilm was used for checking lola and Leavenworth items.

Approximately 500 library volumes were handled in recording organization
proceedings. They included bound volumes of transactions, pamphlets, pro-
grams, clippings and journals. Date, place of meeting and officers elected
were recorded. Incomplete records were supplemented from newspapers
wherever possible; for example, the Christian church, the YMCA and the
State Dental Association's records. Other organizations which have not kept
records, or at least have not filed them with the State Historical library, are
being compiled. There are at least 25 of these "forgotten" groups, which in-
clude agriculture, professional, religious, educational, fraternal and sports or-
ganizations.

Summaries of the annual reports on population, finance, banks, insurance,
labor and industry, agriculture, education, charitable institutions and public
utilities conclude each "Annals" year. This entails the use of about 75 library

THE ANNUAL MEETING 65

volumes. The library is also used for checking laws, legislators' records,
biographies, book and magazine publications of Kansas writers, names, dates
and initials. Charter books provide information for tables which show various
developments in the state. Good roads movements were shown for the first
time, and organized sports increased rapidly in the picture the charters present.
It takes two annalists an average of seven and a half weeks to read, check
and write an "Annals" year. About half of that time is spent in reading.
Checking has become easier, probably because of better news coverage and
more daily papers. Manuscripts averaged 85 pages, making a total of 510
pages of typing, or about 150,000 words.

MUSEUM

The attendance for the year in the museum was 43,426. The largest num-
ber on any one day was 1,074, when the Santa Fe railroad sponsored a special
educational tour.

There were 70 accessions. One of the most interesting was a Spanish
sword given by Ray R. Kepley of Ulysses. It was found by Mr. Kepley in
southwest Grant county in 1935, about 200 yards from the North fork of the
Cimarron. The hilt bears the mark of Juan Morena, a principal swordsmith
of Toledo before 1700. A Latin phrase on one side means "Everything From
God." On the other side are Spanish words meaning "In Toledo."

An unusual cradle used from the early 1880's in the family of Mr. and Mrs.
E. E. Gardner, Scranton, was given by their children.

A horse block from the home of Gov. John W. Leedy, Le Roy, was given
by Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Colton of that city. The gift was made through Glick
Fockele of LeRoy.

Civil War relics of Col. James M. Williams, 1st regiment Kansas Colored
volunteers, were presented by his sons, James M. Williams, Jr., and Robert
L. Williams.

A mounted steer head and an unusual pair of steer horns were given by
Will J. Miller.

Three relics of horse and buggy days were a felloe trough, used for soaking
wheel rims, gift of L. L. Gulp, Burden; a corkscrew stake for tying horses
and cattle, gift of Lydia Anna Eddleman, Hollenberg; and a hitching weight,
gift of George Geisen, Topeka.

Gov. Frank Carlson sent to the Society a Sevres vase, a gift from Pres.
Vincent Auriol of France. It was brought to Kansas on the "Merci Train."

SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH

Extended research on the following subjects was done during the year:
Biography: J. K. Codding; Dr. John R. Brinkley. General: Geographic fac-
tors in railroad promotion of settlement in the central Great Plains; sugar
beet industry; Santa Fe trail; railroad building in Kansas; building of the
Union Pacific railroad; evolution of schools in Phillips county; Pottawatomie
Indian agency, Horton, function, services, process of rehabilitation; pioneer
credit in the Plains states; negro exodus to Kansas with special reference to
Benjamin Singleton; Winter Veterans Hospital; legislative and congressional
apportionment; history of the layout tools used in the wood-working shop;
veterans problems in Kansas after the Civil War; people of Czech (Bo-

51725

66 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

hemian) descent in Republic county, Kansas; pro-slavery activities as given
in the Webb scrapbooks; bibliography of American autobiographies; social
aspects of the distribution of the United States lands; Populism; Populist
newspapers; Oklahoma territorial newspapers; negro troops in the Union
army 1861-1865; state fair in Kansas; Miami Indians.

ACCESSIONS

October 1, 1948, to September 30, 1949
Library :

Books 874

Pamphlets 1,810

Magazines (bound volumes) 148

Archives:

Separate manuscripts None

Manuscripts volumes 4,599

Manuscript maps None

21 reels of microfilm.
Private manuscripts:

Separate manuscripts 8,250

Volumes 78

4 reels of microfilm.

Printed maps, atlases and charts 301

Newspapers (bound volumes) 662

Pictures 219

Museum objects 70

TOTAL ACCESSIONS, SEPTEMBER 30, 1949

Books, pamphlets, bound newspapers and magazines 437,737

Separate manuscripts (archives) 1,632,610

Manuscript volumes (archives) 52,973

Manuscript maps (archives) 583

Printed maps, atlases and charts 11,098

Pictures 23,937

Museum objects 33,421

THE QUARTERLY

The 17th bound volume of The Kansas Historical Quarterly, which is now
in its 18th year, will soon be ready for distribution. A feature of this volume
is the diary of James R. Stewart, who started as a farmer, studied and peddled
medicine, studied and practiced law, and became a justice of the peace, post-
master and school teacher all within five years.

Dr. Robert Taft's articles on the artists of the West continue to attract
comment. Scribner's has arranged to reissue the articles in book form.

The Quarterly is widely quoted by Kansas newspapers, and apparently has
even been heard of in Hollywood. Not long ago a man who lives in Spokane,
Wash., wrote: "Gentlemen: Having just been able to debunk this new movie
epic, 'Red River/ that showed Hereford cattle being driven into Abilene in
1867, with an article out of your August issue, I should like to get back on
your subscription list. . . ."

THE ANNUAL MEETING 67

OLD SHAWNEB MISSION

During the past year sight-seers from 20 states and a number of foreign
countries visited the Mission. Many groups came from over the state, and
particularly from the two Kansas Citys. Regular visits are made by groups
of boy scouts, girl scouts, Sunday schools, community centers and school
grades. On one day 700 pupils from the Paseo high school at Kansas City
were shown through the buildings. In this connection, the following letter
from the Country Club Community Center of Kansas City, Mo., addressed
to Harry Hardy, the custodian, will be of interest:

"On behalf of the staff of the Country Club Community Center, I would
like to take this opportunity to thank you for the fine spirit of cooperation
which has been shown to us and our groups of boys and girls who have been
visitors in your Mission.

"We know the results have been very satisfactory as the youngsters are
more than enthusiastic. In fact, this phase of our summer program is one of
the most popular and has the largest enrollment of all others.

"We realize that some groups have been quite large, but with the ingenuity
of your guides, they have been handled very well. We want you to know
that all of our groups were very well received by you and your staff, and we
certainly appreciate this."

Minor repairs and improvements continue to be made on the buildings and
grounds. A contract is being let for a new roof on the East building and the
exterior woodwork on the three buildings will be painted early in the spring.
The electric wiring in the East building has been largely replaced, to elimi-
nate a fire hazard, and additional hose connections on the water system have
been installed for the same purpose.

The Society is indebted to the state departments of the Colonial Dames,
the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of American
Colonists, the Daughters of 1812, and to the Shawnee Mission Indian His-
torical Society for their continued cooperation at the Mission.

THE FIRST CAPITOL

Several years ago, when the cottage was erected for the caretaker at the
First Capitol building, there was not enough money for installing electricity.
Last winter the legislature appropriated money for this purpose, as well as
for painting the cottage and outbuildings, and for repairing sidewalks and
replacing trees and shrubs.

THE STAFF OF THE SOCIETY

The various accomplishments noted in this report are due to the Society's
splendid staff of employees. I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to
them. Special mention, perhaps, should be made of the heads of depart-
ments: Nyle H. Miller, assistant secretary and managing editor of the
Quarterly; Helen M. McFarland, librarian; Edith Smelser, custodian of the
museum; Mrs. Lela Barnes, treasurer; Edgar Langsdorf, archivist and man-
ager of the building; and Jennie S. Owen, annalist. Attention should also be
called to the work of Harry A. Hardy and his wife Kate, custodians of the Old
Shawnee Mission, and to that of John Scott, custodian of the First Capitol.

Respectfully submitted,
KIRKE MECHEM, Secretary.

68 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

At the conclusion of the reading of the secretary's report, Robert
Taft moved that it be accepted. Motion was seconded by John S.
Dawson and the report was accepted.

President Brock then called for the report of the treasurer, Mrs.
Lela Barnes:

TREASURER'S REPORT

Based on the audit of the state accountant for the period
August 17, 1948, to August 24, 1949.

MEMBERSHIP FEE FUND
Balance, August 17, 1948:

Cash $4,055.56

U. S. savings bonds, Series G 8,700.00

$12,755.56

Receipts:

Memberships $608.00

Bond interest 242.50

Reimbursement for postage 785 .50

Miscellaneous 3.35

1,639.35

$14,394.91

Disbursements $1,657.21

Balance, August 24, 1949:

Cash $4,037.70

U. S. savings bonds, Series G 8,700.00

12,737.70

$14,394.91

JONATHAN PECKER BEQUEST
Balance, August 17, 1948:

Cash $164 .08

U. S. treasury bonds 950.00

$1,114.08

Receipts :

Bond interest $27.31

Savings account interest 1 .42

28.73

$1,142.81

Disbursements:

Books $29.25

Balance, August 24, 1949:

Cash ' $163.56

U. S. treasury bonds 950.00

1,113.56

$1,142.81

THE ANNUAL MEETING 69

JOHN BOOTH BEQUEST
Balance, August 17, 1948:

Cash $58.48

U. S. treasury bonds 500.00

$558.48

Receipts :

Bond interest $14 .40

Savings account interest .70

15.10

$573.58

Disbursements :

Book $22.66

Balance, August 24, 1949:

Cash $50.92

U. S. treasury bonds '.' 500.00

550.92

$573.58

THOMAS H. BOWLUS DONATION

This donation is substantiated by a U. S. savings bond, Series G, in the
amount of $1,000. The interest is credited to the membership fee fund.

ELIZABETH READER BEQUEST
Balance, August 17, 1948:

Cash in membership fee fund $441 . 19

U. S. savings bonds (shown in total bonds, member-
ship fee fund) 5,200.00

$5,641.19

Receipts :

Interest . 130.00

$5,771.19

Disbursements

Balance, August 24, 1949:

Cash $571 . 19

U. S. savings bonds, Series G 5,200.00

$5,771.19

STATE APPROPRIATIONS

This report covers only the membership fee fund and other custodial funds.
It is not a statement of the appropriations made by the legislature for the
maintenance of the Society. These disbursements are not made by the treas-
urer of the Society, but by the state auditor. For the year ending June 30,
1949, these appropriations were: Kansas State Historical Society, $59,611.00;
Memorial building, $12,157.60; Old Shawnee Mission, $3,68120; First Capitol
of Kansas, $1,150.00.

On motion by Mrs. W. D. Philip, seconded by Frank A. Hobble,
the report was accepted.

70 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The report of the executive committee on the audit by the state
accountant of the funds of the Society was called for and read by
John S. Dawson:

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

October 14, 1949.
To the Board of Directors, Kansas State Historical Society:

The executive committee being directed under the bylaws to check the ac-
counts 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 August 17, 1948, to August 24, 1949, and that they
are hereby approved.

JOHN S. DAWSON, Chairman.

On motion by John S. Dawson, seconded by Joseph C. Shaw, the
report was accepted.

The report of the nominating committee for officers of the Society
was read by John S. Dawson:

NOMINATING COMMITTEE'S REPORT

October 14, 1949.
To the Board of Directors, Kansas State Historical Society:

Your committee on nominations submits the following report for officers
of the Kansas State Historical Society:

For a one-year term: Charles M. Correll, Manhattan, president; Frank
Haucke, Council Grove, first vice-president; Will T. Beck, Holton, second
vice-president.

Respectfully submitted,

JOHN S. DAWSON, Chairman.

The report was referred to the afternoon meeting of the board.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY

The annual meeting of the Kansas State Historical Society con-
vened at 2:00 p. m. The members were called to order by the presi-
dent, R. F. Brock.

The address by Mr. Brock follows:

Address of the President

R. F. BROCK

TV/IT EMBERS of the Society, Ladies and Gentlemen:
1V1 We welcome you today. Your interest and attendance are
what keep us going and make this Historical Society one of the
best in the United States. We appreciate your help. I want to

THE ANNUAL MEETING 71

thank you and those who made it possible for me to serve as your
president the past year. It's an honor that I am very proud of. I
realize it's a bigger job than I deserved and I have done in my
small way the best I could.

Mr. Mechem, I want to thank you and your staff personally for
the many kindnesses you have shown me at all times. It has been
a rare privilege to be associated with people like you folks. Let's
give a hand to Mr. Mechem, his staff and the executive committee
for the grand job they are doing.

I am not a public speaker. I feel humble trying to do a job like
this and I'll have to tell you what my stenographer said when I
dictated this paper. After I had finished, I asked her to dress it up
and remove any ungrammatical terms. She replied that after I had
finished reading it to you I would have them all back in there,
anyway.

I was born in Kentucky and I tell the story that when I was 19
years of age they caught me and put shoes on me. I recall meet-
ing a man at Hutchinson soon after I landed there, 39 years ago:
he asked me what my name was in Kentucky and why did I have
to leave.

I came through Topeka on July 27, 1910, on one of the hottest
days I thought I had seen. Corn was burned up, no air conditioning
in the car. But I stuck it out, arriving at Hutchinson with a $4.00
trunk, a cheap suit of clothes and a one-way ticket. I still have the
$4.00 trunk and the old suit of clothes.

What little success I have had, I owe to Kansas. It has been
good to me. My people, too, were pioneers. My ancestors came
from Virginia to Kentucky before 1800, when it was a wilderness.
Many of you had folks who were pioneers to Kansas during its
troublesome times.

If you will pardon me, I would like for you to meet a Kansas
girl who is boss in my family. Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Brock.

STORMS IN KANSAS

In November, 1867, a very bad snowstorm hit Hays, Kansas, the
end of the railroad at that time. Hays being new, and the houses
not anything more than boarded up, the snow went into them
through the cracks. Passengers put up at the Perry House, then
the main hotel, just built. It was not much better than a barn, so
far as the snow was concerned. I do not have much more on this
storm.

72 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

In April, 1873, quite a storm hit eastern Kansas, particularly at
Belleville. A hurricane blew. Two families near Belleville were
frozen to death, the house of one of the families being blown away.
One woman was found with her baby in her arms, sitting on the
ground leaning against a wagon wheel with her hair frozen by the
sleet to the spokes of the wheel. The other bodies were lying on
the ground encased in sleet.

In the early winter, 1885, and into 1886, came what is known as
the blizzard of 1886, a real storm over a large area. It hit Kansas
hard and the loss of life and stock was terrible. B. T. Cutler,
formerly of McCracken, lived in Lane county at that time. He
told me that his father sent him to the barn to feed the mules after
the storm abated and he found the mules surrounded by snow in the
stables, still on their feet, frozen stiff. Their cattle were also frozen ;
none of the stock escaped. Thousands of head of livestock froze in
western Kansas, and many in central Kansas, and it was just as
bad or worse in Colorado. Many people froze, some in their beds.
At Dodge City it was 25 below in some houses. Dugouts were the
safest shelters, if properly built.

A man by name of Arning, who lived about 25 miles south of
Garden City, got lost in this storm and spent all night wandering
around. The next day he found a sod shanty where he stopped a
few hours, but as its roof was mostly gone, he soon moved on. He
walked three days and two nights in all and finally found himself
50 miles southwest of Garden City, or 25 miles southwest of his
home. He had walked around in circles and cross circles, with noth-
ing to eat. He says he had to keep moving, to keep from freezing,
for about 90 hours. His feet were frozen; otherwise he was in fairly
good health. Not many men would have lived to tell the story.
With his courage, he kept going. Most of us would have got ex-
cited and given up the struggle. The Ivanhoe Times of January
16, 1886, tells the story. Ivanhoe is one of the "lost towns" south
of Garden City.

A Mr. Carter, formerly Union Pacific land agent at Sharon
Springs, told me that 300 cattle died in the creek where Sharon
Springs got its water, from the spring, before they had a water works.
He says when the thaw came they had beef tea for a while, but
had to remove the cattle, since it was their only watering place near
the town. Others told me the same story.

John Conrad, a friend, told me he homesteaded northwest of
Fowler, on Crooked creek, in 1879. The 1886 storm hit him and

THE ANNUAL MEETING 73

his neighbors. He and his hired man took their throw ropes and
made a line from the house to the corral. Then they took turns
going out and rubbing the snow and ice from the noses of the cattle
so that they would not smother. Most of storm losses are from
smothering, as you know, rather than freezing. Stock well fed can
stand a lot of cold but none can take the smothering. Full grown
cattle smothered and froze in snow banks along the railroad. Many
cattle drifted south as far as Oklahoma, from northern Kansas.

Several cattlemen lost from two thousand to five thousand head
in western Kansas and eastern Colorado. Large cattle companies
lost as much as from one hundred thousand to one million dollars.
It broke many cattlemen, as well as cattle loan companies. I read
of one man who lost 200 thousand head in Colorado, east of the
divide. He owed a St. Louis cattle company for them. The com-
pany would not stake him again, but in later years he made it
back and paid them, then bought the company and was head of it
for several years.

A family froze to death in a wagon on their way to their home-
stead near Oberlin. A man who froze in Wallace was found by
making a circle with a rope tied to a building. Total deaths in
Kansas from freezing during the storm of 1886 has been variously
estimated from 30 to 100 persons. Cattle by the tens of thousands
were killed in the two weeks of zero weather.

The 1911-1912 storm. I remember this storm myself. Pete
Robidoux lost about 1,000 cattle in this storm, as well as Tom
Madigan, who lost about the same number. Both have sons and
daughters still living in that country. Frank Madigan, a son,
married a daughter of Robidoux, the pioneer merchant and cattle-
man.

Your speaker stood near the Missouri Pacific railroad tracks in
Reno county in 1912 watching a snow plow hit a cut filled with
snow. When I saw the snow fly I started to run and almost got
covered up, about 100 feet from the track, or far enough away.

The Bowman and Hopper ranch, Ness county, hauled feed from
Ness City, three miles, with four horses on a sled, to keep the cattle
from starving. It took four horses to pull what one horse ordinarily
would. They had 1,500 cattle and kept hauling all day and part
of the night for several days. The livestock ate up the feed faster
than it could be hauled. Mail was delayed from 10 to 23 days in
several places. I had no mail for 14 days and you can guess that
a bank had something to do when it all came in at once. This

74 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

1911-1912 storm covered most of Kansas. Many farmers and ranch-
ers bought and baled straw to ship to western Kansas from Reno
county. I helped them locate it.

I heard that several Kansas people lost their lives in this storm.
Several thousand cattle drifted from Wallace county to the Ar-
kansas river, as well as from other northwest counties, so my cattle
partner tells me. He lost some and had to round them up on the
river.

The 1918 storm was bad in western Kansas, the extreme western
counties losing many cattle. Madigan and Robidoux of Wallace
county again lost the most, about 800 each. A joke out there is
that when anyone asked Pete Robidoux how many cattle he lost,
he would say, "Not as bad as Tom Madigan." These two old timers
could write a book of their experiences and were grand old char-
acters.

The 1931 storm hit northwest Kansas mighty hard, particularly
in east Wallace county. About 40 cattle died in the city of Wal-
lace, after drifting there, and were buried in the old railroad turn-
table hole and covered up. Several Wallace county ranchers lost
a few head in this storm, as did ranchers in other counties of the
west.

The storm of 1948-1949 hit most of the country west of the Mis-
sissippi, particularly Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, the
Dakotas, and western Kansas. The total reported loss was 33 mil-
lion dollars in the United States. Kansas had some loss in parts,
small; in others, large. This storm hit November 18. My county,
Sherman, had a sheep loss of about 2,000 head, with a cattle loss
of less than 50 head. Wallace county, where I ranch, had a cattle
loss of over 700 head. These were mostly calves, just weaned, or
shipped in with some shipping fever among them.

Thomas county's loss was great both in sheep and cattle. Wichita
county, and in fact most western counties, had from a small loss
to a great one. Harrison Brothers of Wallace county lost 80 head
out of 250 cattle. Their father, with about the same number, lost
only three head under about the same conditions. Harrison Broth-
ers started home from Sharon Springs after the storm started and
got tied up in a snowbank within one mile of home. They stayed
in their car 36 hours, with no heat after the gas ran out. They
walked the mile in a north wind and were almost exhausted after
making it. You know, people mostly get excited, and that is bad
in a storm. Included in their loss were 12 big steers, averaging

THE ANNUAL MEETING 75

1,200 Ibs., which smothered. They were among 37 trapped in an
old shed, with the snow drifted all around them.

Sheep milled around and piled up as high as four layers deep and
smothered. We saw them plowed out with a road grader several
days after the storm. A few were still alive, but most of them died
later. Trains on the Rock Island were tied up for two days in my
area at Edson, Brewster and Ruleton. On the Union Pacific, trains
were tied up at Weskan and Sharon Springs for two days or more.
It's a funny feeling to be tied up in a snowbank, even on a train.
I was in a snowbank on a Ft. Worth and Denver train, south of
Texline, Tex., from 10 p. m. to 7 a. m., one day in the early 1920's.
I loaned my overcoat to a small child and nearly froze myself. I
also got lost in a large pasture once during dust storm days and
had to follow the fence to find my way out. These storms are no
snap, I assure you.

Dust Storms, 1935 to 1937. Unless you have lived in western
Kansas, you do not know too much about dust storms. They were
caused by continued dry weather. Since we had little or no rain,
the old mother earth got so dry that the grass died. With nothing
left but a bare earth, and the wind constantly whipping it up, the
sky at times got so thick with dust that it was impossible to see
anything. At such times you had to sleep with a wet towel over
your face.

In less time than you would think, it would blacken out the
street lights so that you could not see across the street. One after-
noon my wife and I were leaving Syracuse when we saw a black
cloud of dirt rolling up south of town. Before we could get two
miles, it blacked out, and no night was ever darker. Even the car
lights could not be seen, nor the cap on the car radiator. Mrs.
Brock said we had better not stop in the road, as some one would
run into us. I replied, "No use to move and be in a ditch ; no one
could find their way to run into us anyway."

At last Mother Nature gave us a new grass, called pepper weed,
and the stock thrived on it. I dug down and it looked to me like
the buffalo grass roots were dead. I did not dig deep enough. They
grow down as much as five to seven feet. When plentiful rains
came later, to our surprise, the dead grass all came back.

There have been terrible times in storms, dust storms and bliz-
zards, with their losses in human lives and livestock, yet I have
never heard a man say he was quitting business on account of them.
Kansas people do not give up easily, and are to my way of thinking
the finest people in the world.

76 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Following the address of the president, Kirke Mechem, secretary
of the Society, read a paper on "Home on the Range," the state
song. This paper was published in The Kansas Historical Quarterly
for November, 1949.

The report of the committee on nominations was called for:

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTORS

October 14, 1949.
To the Kansas State Historical Society:

Your committee on nominations submits the following report and recom-
mendations for directors of the Society for the term of three years ending
October, 1952:

Barr, Frank, Wichita. Means, Hugh, Lawrence.

Berryman, Jerome C., Ashland. Owen, Arthur K., Topeka.

Brigham, Mrs. Lalla M., Owen, Mrs. E. M., Lawrence.

Council Grove. Patrick, Mrs. Mae C., Satanta.

Brock, R. F., Goodland. Payne, Mrs. L. F., Manhattan.

Bumgardner, Edward, Lawrence. Reed, Clyde M., Parsons.

Correll, Charles M., Manhattan. Riegle, Wilford, Emporia.

Davis, W. W., Lawrence. Rupp, Mrs. Jane C., Lincolnville.

Denious, Jess C., Dodge City. Schultz, Floyd B., Clay Center.

Fay, Mrs. Mamie Axline, Pratt. Scott, Angelo, lola.

Frizell, E. E., Lamed. Sloan, E. R., Topeka.

Godsey, Mrs. Flora R., Emporia. Smelser, Mary M., Lawrence.
Hall, Mrs. Carrie A., Leavenworth. Stewart, Mrs. James G., Topeka.
Hall, Standish, Wichita. Van De Mark, M. V. B., Concordia.

Hegler, Ben F., Wichita. Wark, George H., Caney.

Jones, Horace, Lyons. Wooster, Lorraine E., Salina.

Lillard, T. M., Topeka. Respectfully submitted.

Lindsley, H. K., Wichita. JOHN S. DAWSON, Chairman.

Upon motion by John S. Dawson, seconded by James C. Malin,
the report of the committee was accepted unanimously and the
members of the board were declared elected for the term ending in
October, 1952.

Reports of county and local societies were called for and were
given as follows: the Rev. Angelus Lingenfelser and the Rev. Peter
Beckman for the Kansas Catholic Historical Society; Mrs. Frank D.
Belinder for the Shawnee Mission Indian Historical Society; and
Robert Stone for the Shawnee County Historical Society. Albert T.
Reid of New York, artist and famous cartoonist, recalled briefly his
residence in Kansas, and Col. Eugene P. H. Gempel spoke on the
marking of old trails in the state. S. D. Flora, former head of the
U. S. Weather Bureau at Topeka, commented briefly on President-
Brock's paper on storms in Kansas.

There being no further business, the annual meeting of the Society
adjourned.

THE ANNUAL MEETING

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The afternoon meeting of the board of directors was called to
order by President Brock. He asked for a rereading of the report
of the nominating committee for officers of the Society. The report
was read by John S. Dawson, chairman, who moved that it be ac-
cepted. Motion was seconded by Robert Stone and the following
were unanimously elected.

For a one-year term: Charles M. Correll, Manhattan, president;
Frank Haucke, Council Grove, first vice-president; Will T. Beck,
Holton, second vice-president.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.

DIRECTORS OF THE KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AS OF OCTOBER, 1949

DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDING OCTOBER, 1950

Aitchison, R. T., Wichita.
Anderson, George L., Lawrence.
Anthony, D. R., Leavenwprth.
Baugher, Charles A., Ellis.
Beck, Will T., Holton.
Capper, Arthur, Topeka.
Carson, F. L., Wichita.
Chambers, Lloyd, Wichita.
Cotton, Corlett J., Lawrence.
Dawson, John S., Hill City.
Euwer, Elmer E., Goodland.
Hobble, Frank A., Dodge City.
Hogin, John C., Belleville.
Howes, Cecil C., Topeka.
Hunt, Charles L., Concordia.
Knapp, Dallas W., Coffeyville.
Lilleston, W. F., Wichita.
McLean, Milton R., Topeka.

Malin, James C., Lawrence.
Mayhew, Mrs. Patricia Solander,

Topeka.

Miller, Karl, Dodge City.
Moore, Russell, Wichita.
Raynesford, H. C., Ellis.
Redmond, John, Burlington.
Rodkey, Clyde K., Manhattan.
Russell, W. J., Topeka.
Shaw, Joseph C., Topeka.
Somers, John G., Newton.
Stewart, Donald, Independence.
Thomas, E. A., Topeka.
Thompson, W. F., Topeka.
Van Tuyl, Mrs. Effie H.,

Leavenworth.
Walker, Mrs. Ida M., Norton.

DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDING OCTOBER, 1951

Bailey, Roy F., Salina.
Beezley, George F., Girard.
Bowlus, Thomas H., lola.
Brinkerhoff, Fred W., Pittsburg.
Browne, Charles H., Horton.
Campbell, Mrs. Spurgeon B.,

Kansas City.
Cron, F. H., El Dorado.
Ebright, Homer K., Baldwin.
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.
Hodges, Frank, Olathe.
Lingenfelser, Angelus, Atchison.

Long, Richard M., Wichita.
McFarland, Helen M., Topeka.
Malone, James, Topeka.
Mechem, Kirke, Topeka.
Mueller, Harrie S., Wichita.
Philip, Mrs. W. D., Hays.
Rankin, Robert C., Lawrence.
Ruppenthal, J. C., Russell.
Sayers, Wm. L., Hill City.
Simons, W. C., Lawrence.
Skinner, Alton H., Kansas City.
Stanley, W. E., Wichita.
Stone, Robert, Topeka.
Taft, Robert, Lawrence.
Templar, George, Arkansas City.
Trembly, W. B., Kansas City.
Woodring, Harry H., Topeka.

KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDING OCTOBER, 1952

Barr, Frank, Wichita.
Berryman, Jerome C., Ashland.
Brigham, Mrs. Lalla M.,

Council Grove.
Brock, R. F., Goodland.
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.
Hall, Standish, Wichita.
Hegler, Ben F., Wichita.
Jones, Horace, Lyons.
Lillard, T. M., Topeka.

Lindsley, H. K., Wichita.
Means, Hugh, Lawrence.
Owen, Arthur K., Topeka.
Owen, Mrs. E. M., Lawrence.
Patrick, Mrs. Mae C., Satanta.
Payne, Mrs. L. F., Manhattan.
Reed, Clyde M., Parsons.
Riegle, Wilford, Emporia.
Rupp, Mrs. Jane C., Lincoln ville.
Schultz, Floyd B., Clay Center.
Scott, Angelo, lola.
Sloan, E. R., Topeka.
Smelser, Mary M., Lawrence.
Stewart, Mrs. James G., Topeka.
Van De Mark, M. V. B., Concordia.
Wark, George H., Caney.
Wooster, Lorraine E., Salina.

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 and local history;
and books on the Indians of North America, United States history,
biography and allied subjects which are classified as general. The
out-of-state city directories received by the Historical Society are
not included in this compilation.

We also receive regularly the publications of many historical so-
cieties by exchange, and subscribe to other historical and genea-
logical publications which are needed in reference work.

The following is a partial list of books which were added to the
library from October 1, 1948, to September 30, 1949. Federal 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 this issue of the Quarterly.

KANSAS

ALBUS, HARRY JAMES, The Peanut Man; the Life of George Washington
Carver in Story Form. Grand Rapids, Mich., Wm. B. Eerdmans Publish-
ing Company, 1948. 89p.

BECKER, EDNA M., and REBECCA WELTY DUNN, Once Upon a Christmas Eve,
an Operetta for Primary and Middle Grades. Evanston, 111., Row, Peter-
son and Company [c!948]. 32p.

BLACK, WILLIAM ALBERT, The Public Schools of Columbus, Kansas. Topeka,
State Printer, 1949. 28p.

BRADEN, CHARLES SAMUEL, These Also Believe; a Study of Modern American
Cults and Minority Religious Movements. New York, The Macmillan
Company, 1949. 491p.

BURGESS, ORVILLE RAY, By Still Waters. Nashville, Tenn., Parthenon Press
[c!949]. 126p.

Burrton's 75th Anniversary, 1873-1948. Burrton, Burrton Graphic, 1948. [55] p.

BYERS, WILLIAM N., and JOHN H. KELLOM, Hand Book to the Gold Fields
of Nebraska and Kansas . . . Chicago, D. B. Cooke and Company,
1859. 113p. (Mumey Reprint, 1949.)

(79)

80 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

CHASE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Chase County Historical Sketches, Vol. 2.
The Chase .County Historical Society, 1948. 454p.

CHRISTENSEN, JOHN CORNELIUS, Mariadahl Kansas Lutheran Church. (Re-
printed from the Lutheran Companion, November 17, 1948.) [3]p.

CLAIR, JOSEPH R., Preliminary Notes on Lithologic Criteria for Identification
and Subdivision of the Mississippian Rocks in Western Kansas. N. p., c!948.
Mimeographed. 14p.

COLE, IRA A., The Golden Antelope. Boulder, Colo., Johnson Publishing Com-
pany [c!949]. 72p.

CORNELL, LEE H., The Tale of the Kicking Mule; a Handbook Dealing With
the Famous Kicking Mule Cancellation Used in Several Western Towns
in the "Eighties." Wichita, The Printcraft Shop, 1949. 63p.

COWGILL, DONALD OLEN, The Methodology of Planning Census Tracts for
Wichita, Kansas. Wichita, Municipal University of Wichita, 1949. 18p.
(University Studies Bulletin, No. 19.)

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, NEWTON CHAPTER, Record of Wills,
"A" Harvey County, Kansas, 1872. Typed. 20p.

DITZEN, PAUL H., // Santa Claus Should Get the Flu and Other Poems. No
impr. [10]p.

DONAHUE, RALPH JAMES, Ready on the Right; a True Story of a Naturalist-
Seabee on the Islands of Kodiak, Unalaska, Adak, Tanaga, Oahu, Eniwetok,
Guam, MogMog (Ulithi) and Okinawa. Kansas City, Smith Printing Com-
pany [c!946]. 194p.

EBRIGHT, HOMER KINGSLEY, Fourscore and Seven Years Ago: Founders Day
Address, Baker University Feb. 12, 1945, Commemorating Forty Years
Service to Baker. No impr. 16p.

EDSON, CHARLES LEROY, The Gentle Art of Columning; a Treatise on Comic
Journalism. New York, Brentano's, 1920. 177p.

EIKLEBERRY, ROBERT WoooRow, Farming That Fits the Land in the Loess
Drift Hills of Northeastern Kansas. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil
Conservation Service, 1947. 15p.

EISENHOWER, DWIGHT DAVID, Crusade in Europe. Garden City, N. Y.,
Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1948. 559p.

EISENHOWER, MILTON, The Strength of Kansas, an Address to the Native Sons
and Daughters of Kansas, Topeka, January 28, 1949. No impr. 16p.

EMERSON, F. V., Some Geographic Responses in South Central Kansas. (Re-
printed from The Bulletin of the Geographical Society of Philadelphia,
Vol. 11, No. 2, April, 1913.) [10]p.

FISKE, MRS. ELIZABETH FRENCH, / Lived Among the Apaches; an Appreciation
of the Virtues and Emotions of the Indian American. [Pasadena, Cal.,
Trail's End Publishing Company, Inc., 1947.] 163p.

FRYE, JOHN C., and V. C. FISHEL, Ground Water in Southwestern Kansas.
Lawrence, State Geological Survey of Kansas, University of Kansas [1949].
24p.

FULLING, KAY (PAINTER), The Cradle of American Art: Ecuador, Its Contem-
porary Artists. New York, The North River Press, 1948. 77p.

GARST, DORIS SHANNON, Buffalo Bill. New York, Julian Messner, Inc. [c!948].
214p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 81

GRAVES, WILLIAM WHITES, The First Protestant Osage Missions, 1820-1837.

Oswego, The Carpenter Press, c!949. 272p.

, History of Neosho County. St. Paul, Journal Press, 1949. 544p.

HALDEMAN-JULJUS, EMANUEL, My First 25 Years; Instead of a Footnote an

Autobiography. [Girard, Haldeman- Julius Publications] n. d. 47p.
[HENDERSON], LE GRAND, Cats for Kansas. New York, Abingdon-Cokesbury

Press [cl948]. [40]p.
HENRICHS, HENRY FREDERICK, ed. and comp., In His Steps Today, by Charles

M. Sheldon; St. Charles of Topeka, by Charles W. Helsley; Obsequies.

Memorial Edition. Litchfield, 111., The Sunshine Press [c!948]. 96p.
HIBBARD, CLAUDE W., Pleistocene Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Meade

County, Kansas. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1949. [27] p.

(Contributions From the Museum of Paleontology, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 63-90.)
, Pliocene Saw Rock Canyon Found in Kansas. Ann Arbor, University

of Michigan Press, 1949. [14]p. (Contributions From the Museum oj

Paleontology, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 91-105.)
, and ELMER S. RIGGS, Upper Pliocene Vertebrates From Keefe Canyon,

Meade County, Kansas. N. p., The Geological Society of America, 1949.

[31]p. (Bulletin, Vol. 60, pp. 829-860.)

HINMAN, STRONG, Health Education for Elementary Schools. Wichita [Wich-
ita High School East Press], 1936. 182p.
HINSHAW, DAVID, Father White at Seventy-One. [Boston, The Atlantic

Monthly Company, c!939.] 23p.
, Sweden; Champion of Peace. New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons [c!949L

309p.

History of Sardis Church, 1871-1949, Emporia, Kansas. No impr. 47p.
HOLBROOK, STEWART HALL, Little Annie Oakley and Other Rugged People.

New York, The Macmillan Company, 1948. 238p.
HUGGINS, ALICE MARGARET, Fragrant Jade. Nashville, Tenn., Broadman Press

[c!948L 86p.
, The Red Chair Waits. Philadelphia, The Westminster Press [c!948].

256p.

HUGHES, LANGSTON, Libretto, Troubled Island, an Opera in 3 Acts, by Wil-
liam Grant Still. New York, Leeds Music Corporation, c!949. 38p.
, and ARNA BONTEMPS, eds., The Poetry of the Negro, 1746-1949.

Garden City, N. Y., Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1949. 429p.
JOHNSON, CLAUDIUS OSBORNE, Borah of Idaho. New York, Longmans, Green

and Company, 1936. 511p.
KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, Transactions, Vol. 51. N. p., Kansas Academy

of Science, 1948. 496p.
KANSAS GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, Guide Book Tenth Annual Field Conference

September 4 to September 7, 1936. No impr. 74p.
, Guide Book Fourteenth Annual Field Conference August 26 to

September 1, 1940. N. p., c!940. 162p.
Kansas Legislative Directory, 1949. Topeka, Kansas Business Magazine and

Kansas Construction Magazine, 1949. 210p.

Kansas Magazine, 1949. [Manhattan, The Kansas Magazine Publishing As-
sociation, c!949.] 104p.

61725

82 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

KRAHN, CORNELIUS, ed., From the Steppes to the Prairies (1874-1949). New-
ton, Mennonite Publication Office, c!949. 115p.

LEE, WALLACE, and others, The Stratigraphy and Structural Development of
the Salina Basin of Kansas. Lawrence, University of Kansas Publications,
1948. 155p. (State Geological Survey of Kansas, Bulletin, No. 74.)

LINDQUIST, GUSTAVUS ELMER EMANUEL, Indian Treaty Making. (Reprinted
from The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. 26, No. 4, Winter, 1948-1949.) [32]p.

LUKENS, LUCILE, Who Am I? N. p., 1949. [29]p.

McCuNTocK, MARSHALL, Leaj, Fruit and Flower. New York, Chanticleer
Press [c!948]. 29p.

McKAY, JACK F., An Introduction to Kansas Finance: State Government.
Lawrence, Bureau of Government Research, University of Kansas, n. d. 30p.
(Citizen's Pamphlet, No. 5.)

MARTIN, RALPH M., First Presbyterian Church, Lamed, Kansas, 1873-1948.
No impr. lip.

MENNINGER, WILLIAM CLAIRE, Psychiatry, Its Evolution and Present Status.
Ithaca, N. Y., Cornell University Press, 1948. 138p.

MORREL, MARTHA McBRiDE, "Young Hickory," the Life and Times of President
James K. Polk. New York, E. P. Button and Company, Inc., 1949. 381p.

MOTTER, ELLEN SITGREAVES (VAIL), From, My Heart. Washington, D. C.,
Graphic Arts Press, 1949. [52] p.

MULLER, DAN, My Life With Buffalo Bill. Chicago, Reilly and Lee [c!948].
303p.

NEUFELD, IRVIN G., The Life Cycle of Mennonite Families in Marion County,
Kansas. (Reprinted from Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference on
Mennonite Cultural Problems, 1947.) 13p.

O'KEEFE, PATTRIC RUTH, and HELEN FAHEY, Education Through Physical
Activities; Physical Education and Recreation for Elementary Grades.
St. Louis, The C. V. Mosby Company, 1949. 309p.

OWSLEY, CAROL LEE, The History of Early Agricultural Societies in Kansas.
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of Science, Department of History and Government,
Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, 1947. Typed. 71p.

PENNELL, JOSEPH STANLEY, The History of Nora Beckham; a Museum of
Home Life. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948. 330p.

PHILIPS, ALFRED W., The Value of Soil Conservation; Problems of Conserving
Soil, Water and Wildlife. [Lincoln, Neb., The University Publishing Com-
pany, c!949.] 64p.

RANSOM, GLADYS, comp., A Compendium of All Kansas Laws Related to
Roads, Highways, Streets and Bridges, Including Financing and Taxation,
From 1855 to Legislative Session of 19$ . . . Topeka, The Highway
Planning Department, State Highway Commission of Kansas, 1948. Mimeo-
graphed. 179p.

RICHARDSON, ALBERT DEANE, A Personal History of Ulysses S. Grant . . .
Hartford, Conn., American Publishing Company, 1868. 560p.

RINKER, GEORGE C., Tremarctotherium From the Pleistocene of Meade County,
Kansas. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1949. [5] p. (Contri-
butions From the Museum of Paleontology, Vol. 7, No. 6, pp. 107-112.)

SAIN, LYDIA, Kansas Artists From 1932 to 1948. Typed. 178p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 83

SCHOCH, WILLIAM FRANKLIN, Now Barabbas Was a Robber, an Historical
Romance of the First Century, A. D., an Imaginative Biography. Kansas
City, Mo., Burton Publishing Company [c!945]. 241p.

SETTLE, RAYMOND W., and MARY LUND SETTLE, Empire on Wheels. [Stan-
ford, Cal.] Stanford University Press [c!949] . 153p.

[SHIER, GEORGE H.], Poheta, a Pioneer Community Center, Organized
1870 . . . [Salina, Arrow Print, 1949.] [17] p.

SIEGELE, HERMAN HUGO, Building: Forms, Stairs, Roofs; a Practical Book of
Instruction for Carpenters and Builders. Chicago, Frederick J. Drake and
Company [c!948]. 220p.

, Building Trades Dictionary . . . Chicago, Frederick J. Drake and

Company [c!946]. 380p.

-, Carpentry; Craft Problems, a Complete Practical Book of Instruction.

Chicago, Frederick J. Drake and Company [c!944]. 302p.

, The First Leaves. Boston, Chapman and Grimes [c!948]. 64p.

, Quick Construction, Practical Building Problems for Carpenters and

Other Building Tradesmen . . . Chicago, Frederick J. Drake and Com-
pany [cl945]. 252p.
, Roof Framing; a Thorough Treatment of the Different Branches of

Roof Framing. Chicago, Frederick J. Drake and Company [c!947]. 175p.
SIKES, WILLIAM HERMAN, Bill Sikes, the Preacher's Boy; the Autobiography

of a Ninety-Y ear-Old Rebel. N. p., c!948. 56p.
SIMONS, DOLPH, A Globe Girder's Diary 1949. Lawrence, The Journal-World

[1949]. [86]p.
SPRING, AGNES (WRIGHT), ed., A Bloomer Girl on Pike's Peak, 1858: Julia

Archibald Holmes, First White Woman to Climb Pike's Peak. Denver,

Western History Department, Denver Public Library [c!949]. 66p.
STANTON, FREDERICK PERRY, Speech Delivered at Leavenworth City, Kansas,

June 8th, 1858, Against the Lecompton Constitution, and the Administration

of James Buchanan. Leavenworth, Printed by McLaughlin and Hutchison,

Journal Office, 1858. 15p.
STENE, EDWIN O., Kansas State Board of Agriculture, a Study in Kansas

Administrative History. [Lawrence] Bureau of Government Research,

University of Kansas, 1948. 76p. (Governmental Research Series, No. 5.)
STEVENS, WILLIAM CHASE, Kansas Wild Flowers. Lawrence, University .of

Kansas Press, 1948. 463p.
STEWART, GEORGE K., A True Story of an Early Day Buffalo Hunt. N. p.,

c!948. [9] p.
Story of the Mirmgwims, a Shakespeare Study Group of the Nineties. Edited

by Grace and Mame. N. p., Advance Publishing Company, 1948. 54p.
STOWELL, FRANK L., Year Book of Garden City, Kansas, and Biographical

Sketches of Leading Citizens. N. p., 1936. 95p.
SUMMERSBY, KAY, Eisenhower Was My Boss. New York, Prentice-Hall, Inc.

[c!948]. 302p.
SWARTWOUT, ANNIE FERN, Missie, an Historical Biography of Annie Oakley.

Blanchester, Ohio, The Brown Publishing Company, 1947. 298p.
TAFT, ROBERT, SR., Chemical Education in American Institutions University

of Kansas. (Reprinted from Journal of Chemical Education, Vol. 25,

September, 1948.) [6] p.

84 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

TIERNEY, LUKE D., History of the Gold Discoveries on the South Platte

River, to Which Is Appended a Guide of the Route, by Smith and Oaks.

Published by the Authors. Pacific City, Iowa, Herald Office, 1859. 27p.

(Mumey Reprint, 1949.)
TILGHMAN, ZOE AGNES (STRATTON), Marshal of the Last Frontier; Life and

Services of William Matthew (Bill) Tilghman, for 50 Years One of the

Greatest Peace Officers of the West. Glendale, Cal., The Arthur H. Clark

Company, 1949. 406p.
TOLSTED, LAURA Lu, and ADA SWINEPORD, Kansas Rocks and Minerals.

[Lawrence, State Geological Survey of Kansas, 1948.] 54p.
TOPEKA, WOMAN'S CLUB, CREATIVE WRITING CLASS, Home-Spun Thoughts in

Prose and Verse. N. p. [1947]. 32p.

, Quiet Moments in Prose and Verse. N. p., 1948. [32]p.

WAKEMAN, FREDERIC, The Wastrel. New York, Rinehart and Company, Inc.

[c!949]. 252p.
WEINER, EDWARD HORACE, The Damon Runyon Story. New York, Longmans,

Green and Company, 1948. 258p.
WELLMAN, MANLY WADE, The Mystery of Lost Valley. New York, Thomas

Nelson and Sons [c!948]. 176p.

WELLMAN, PAUL ISELIN, The Chain, a Novel. Garden City, N. Y., Double-
day and Company, Inc., 1949. 368p.
WHITE, WILLIAM LINDSAY, Land of Milk and Honey. New York, Harcourt,

Brace and Company [c!949]. 312p.
Wichita Social Register, 1948. No impr. lOOp.
, 1949, Vol. 2. Wichita, Wichita Social Club Directory Company, 1949.

146p.
Will To Succeed; Stones of Swedish Pioneers. Stockholm, Bonniers [c!948].

347p.
WISEGARVER, HARALD, comp., A History of the Church at Maple Hill. Typed.

lOp.

WOODMAN, HANNAH REA, Wichitana, 1877-1897. [Wichita, n. p., c!948.] 282p.
WYATT, GERALDINE, Buffalo Gold. New York, Longmans, Green and Company

[cl948]. 184p.

THE WEST

ADAMS, RAMON FREDERICK, and HOMER ELWOOD BRITZMAN, Charles M. Rus-
sell, the Cowboy Artist; a Biography. Pasadena, Cal., Trail's End Publish-
ing Company, Inc., c!948. 350p.

BEEBE, Lucius MORRIS, and CHARLES CLEGO, Virginia and Truckee; a Story
of Virginia City and Comstock Times. Oakland, Cal., Grahame H. Hardy,
1949. [63]p.

BILLINGTON, RAY ALLEN, Westward Expansion, a History of the American
Frontier. New York, The Macmillan Company, 1949. 873p.

BRAYER, HERBERT OLIVER, William Blackmore, a Case Study in the Economic
Development of the West. Denver, Bradford-Robinson, 1949. 2 Vols.

CASEY, ROBERT JOSEPH, The Black Hills and Their Incredible Characters; a
Chronicle and a Guide. Indianapolis, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc.
[c!949]. 383p.

DAVIS, ELMER ORVILLE, comp., The First Five Years of the Railroad Era in
Colorado. [Golden, Colo.] Sage Books, Inc. [c!948]. 214p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 85

DRURY, JOHN, Midwest Heritage; With Hundreds of Old Engravings. New

York, A. A. Wyn, Inc. [c!948]. 176p.
CARD, WAYNE, Frontier Justice. Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1949.

324p.

HOLLON, W. EUGENE, The Lost Pathfinder, Zebulon Montgomery Pike. Nor-
man, University of Oklahoma Press, 1949. 240p.
JACKSON, JOSEPH HENRY, ed., Gold Rush Album. New York, Charles Scrib-

ner's Sons, 1949. 239p.
JOHNSTON, WILLIAM GRAHAM, Overland to California, by Wm. G. Johnston,

a Member of the Wagon Train First To Enter California ... in the

Memorable Year of 1849. Oakland, Cal., Biobooks, 1948. 272p.
KENNERLY, WILLIAM CLARK, Persimmon Hill, a Narrative of Old St. Louis

and the Far West as Told to Elizabeth Russell. Norman, University of

Oklahoma Press, 1948. 273p.
LAMBERT, FREDRICK, Bygone Days of the Old West. Illustrated by the Author.

Kansas City, Mo., Burton Publishing Company [c!948]. 487p.
LESLEY, LEWIS BURT, ed., Uncle Sam's Camels; the Journal of May Humphreys

Stacey, Supplemented by the Report of Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1857-

1858). Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1929. 298p.
MARRIOTT, ALICE LEE, The Valley Below. Norman, University of Oklahoma

Press, 1949. 243p.
MEACHAM, WALTER E., Old Oregon Trail, Roadway of American Home

Builders. Manchester, N. H., The Clarke Press, 1948. lOlp.
NEIHARDT, JOHN GNEISENAU, A Cycle of the West. New York, The Macmillan

Company, 1949. [656] p.
RISTER, CARL COKE, Oil! Titan of the Southwest. Norman, University of

Oklahoma Press, 1949. 467p.
RUSSELL, CHARLES MARION, Pen and Ink Drawings. Pasadena, Cal., Trail's

End Publishing Company, Inc. [c!946]. 2 Vols.
SALISBURY, ALBERT, and JANE SALISBURY, Here Rolled the Covered Wagons.

Seattle, Superior Publishing Company [c!948]. 256p.
SCHMITT, MARTIN FERDINAND, and DEE BROWN, Fighting Indians of the West.

New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948. 362p.
SEGALE, BLANDINA, SISTER, At the End of the Santa Fe Trail. Milwaukee,

The Bruce Publishing Company [c!948L 298p.
Some Southwestern Trails. San Angelo, Tex., San Angelo Standard-Times,

1948. [27]p.
SPRING, AGNES (WRIGHT), The Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage and Express

Routes. Glendale, Cal., The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1949. 418p.
WELLS, EVELYN, and HARRY CLAUDE PETERSON, The '49ers. Garden City, N. Y.,

Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1949. 273p.
[WERTENBAKER, GREEN PEYTON], America's Heartland, the Southwest, by

Green Peyton [pseud.]. Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1948.

285p.
WESTERNERS, DENVER, Brand Book, Twelve Original Studies in Western and

Rocky Mountain History, Vol. 3. Denver [The Artcraft Press], 1949. 294p.

, Los ANGELES, Brand Book, 1947. [The Los Angeles Westerners, c!948.]

176p.
WILD, J. C., The Valley of the Mississippi; Illustrated in a Series of Views.

86 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Edited by Lewis Foulk Thomas. Painted and Lithographed by J. C. Wild.
Accompanied With Historical Descriptions ... St. Louis, Mo., Pub-
lished by the Artist, Printed by Chambers and Knapp, 1841. 145p. (Re-
production by Joseph Gamier, St. Louis, 1948.)

YOST, KARL, Charles M. Russell, the Cowboy Artist; a Bibliography. Pasa-
dena, Cal., Trail's End Publishing Company, Inc. [c!948]. 218p.

GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY

ADAMS, WILLIAM R., Archaeological Notes on Posey County, Indiana. Indian-
apolis, Indiana Historical Bureau, 1949. 81p.

ALBEMARLE COUNTY [VIRGINIA] HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Papers, Vol. 7, 1946-1947;
Vol. 8, 1947-1948. Charlottesville, Albemarle County Historical Society,
1948. 2 Vols.

ALDRICH, LEWIS CASS, comp., History of Ontario County, New York, With
Illustrations and Family Sketches of Some of the Prominent Men and
Families. Syracuse, N. Y., D. Mason and Company, 1893. [914] p.

AMERICAN CLAN GREGOR SOCIETY, Year Book Containing the Proceedings of
the 1948 Annual Gathering. Richmond, Va., The American Clan Gregor
Society [c!949]. 79p.

American Genealogical Index, Vols. 28-33. Middletown, Conn., Published by
a Committee Representing the Cooperating Subscribing Libraries . . .,
1948-1949. 6 Vols.

ANDERSON, MRS. SUSIE BRICKELL, comp., Abstract of Wills, Halifax County,
North Carolina, 1760-1830. N. p., 1947. Mimeographed. [139]p.

, Marriages, Halifax County, North Carolina. N. p., 1948. Mimeo-
graphed. [26] p.

ANDREWS, HERBERT CORNELIUS, Hinsdale Genealogy; Descendants of Robert
Hinsdale of Dedham, Medfield, Hadley and Deerfield, With an Account
of the French Family of De Hinnisdal. Lombard, 111., Printed for Alfred
Hinsdale Andrews, 1906. 507p.

ASPINWALL, ALGERNON AIKEN, The Aspinwall Genealogy. Rutland, Vt., The
Tuttle Company [1901]. 262p.

BALD, FREDERICK CLEVER, Detroit's First American Decade, 1796 to 1805.
Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1948. 276p. (University of
Michigan Publications, History and Political Science, Vol. 16.)

BATES, SAMUEL PENNIMAN, History of Greene County, Pennsylvania. Chi-
cago, Nelson, Rishforth and Company, 1888. 898p.

BECKWITH, H. W., History of Iroquois County [Illinois}. Chicago, H. H. Hill
and Company, 1880. [1139] p.

BELL, ALBERT DEHNER, comp., Hollis Notes 1639-1948; From Public and Pri-
vate Records in the States of Maryland and Delaware. Rockland, Ohio,
1948. Mimeographed. 34p.

Biographical History of Clark and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin . . .
Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1891. 387p.

Biographical Review, This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of the
Leading Citizens of Otsego County, New York. Boston, Biographical
Review Publishing Company, 1893. 857p.

BOGART, ERNEST LUDLOW, Peacham, the Story of a Vermont Hill Town. Mont-
pelier, Vermont Historical Society, 1948. 494p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 87

BRACK, EMIL, Family Tree of the Bracks of Central Kansas. [Western
Springs, 111., n. p., 1949.] 38p.

BRANNER, JOHN CASPER, Casper Branner of Virginia and His Descendants.
Stanford University, Cal., Privately Printed, 1913. 469p.

BRENCKMAN, FRED, History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania. 2d ed.; Also
Containing a Separate Account of the Several Boroughs and Townships in
the County, With Biographical Sketches. Harrisburg, Pa., James G. Nun-
gesser, 1918. 603p.

BROCKETT, EDWARD JUDSON, comp., The Descendants of John Brockett, One of
the Original Founders of the New Haven Colony . . . East Orange,
N. J. [The Orange Chronicle Company], 1905. 266p.

BROCKMAN, WILLIAM EVERETT, comp. and pub., Virginia Wills and Abstracts;
Brockman, Bell, Bledsoe, Burris, Collins, Durrett, Graves, Henderson, and
Tatum Families. Minneapolis, Minn., Burgess Publishing Company, c!948.
169p.

BROUGHTON, CARRIE L., comp., Marriage and Death Notices in Raleigh Reg-
ister and North Carolina State Gazette, 1846-1855. Raleigh, North Carolina
State Library, 1949. [124]p.

BROWN, LESLIE HUBERT, JR., Genealogy of the Farrior Family. Wilmington,
N. C., 1948. Mimeographed. 345p.

BROWN, WILLIAM MAWBEY, ed., Biographical, Genealogical, and Descriptive
History of the State of New Jersey. [Newark] New Jersey Historical
Publishing Company, 1900. 507p.

BRUCE, PHILIP ALEXANDER, Virginia; Rebirth of the Old Dominion. Chicago,
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1929. 5 Vols.

CALLAHAN, JAMES MORTON, History of the Making of Morgantown, West
Virginia . . . Morgantown [Morgantown Printing and Binding Com-
pany], 1926. 330p.

Canada Settlement, Ogle County, Illinois. Polo, 111., Tri-County Press, 1939.
63p.

CHAPMAN, BERLIN BASIL, The Founding of Stillwater, a Case Study in Okla-
homa History. [Oklahoma City, Times Journal Publishing Company,
c!948.] 245p.

CLARK, EVA LEE (TURNER), Frances Epes, His Ancestors and Descendants.
New York, Richard R. Smith, 1942. 309p.

Combined History of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash Counties, Illinois . . .
Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough and Company, 1883. 377p.

COOLEY, LA VERNE C., and ROBERT M. FRENCH, Complete Name Index to
Beers' History of Wyoming County, N. Y., 1880. Batavia, N. Y., La Verne
C. Cooley, n. d. 83p.

CREECY, JOHN HARVIE, The Harvie Family of Virginia. N. p., c!949. 2p.

CREIGH, ALFRED, History of Washington County [Pennsylvania] From Its First
Settlement to the Present Time . . . 2d ed. Revised and Corrected.
Harrisburg, Pa., B. Singerly, 1871. [507] p.

CRISSEY, THERON WILMOT, comp., History of Norfolk, Litchfield County, Con-
necticut, 1144-1900. Everett, Mass., Massachusetts Publishing Company,
1900. 648p.

DETROIT SOCIETY FOR GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH, Bulletin and Magazine, No. 1,
June, 1937-Date. Detroit, 1937-1949. 12 Vols.

88 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

DIMOCK, SUSAN (WHITNEY), comp., Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths,
From the Records of the Town and Churches in Mansfield, Connecticut,
1703-1850. New York, The Baker and Taylor Company, 1898. 475p.

DRURY, JOHN, Old Illinois Houses. Springfield, Printed by Authority of the
State of Illinois, 1948. 220p.

DUERMYER, Louis ANSEL, Notes on the Family oj Page and Ann Portwood.
Wilmington, Del., 1949. Mimeographed. 22p.

DuLANEY, CORA (ANDERSON), comp., The Andersons From the Great Fork of
the Patuxent. [Odenton, Md., n. p., 1948.] 198p.

DUTCH SETTLERS SOCIETY OP ALBANY, Year Book, Vol. 24, 1948-1949. Albany,
1949. 127p.

EAST GRANBY, CONN., Sundry Vital Records of and Pertaining to the Present
Town oj East Granby, Connecticut, 1737-1886. Hartford, 1947. 236p.

EAST TENNESSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Publications, No. 20, 1948. Knoxville,
The East Tennessee Historical Society, 1948. 137p.

Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography, Vol. 26. New York, Lewis Histor-
ical Publishing Company, Inc., 1948. 653p.

ESAREY, LOGAN, The Indiana Home. Crawfordsville, Ind., R. E. Banta, 1947.
150p.

EVERETT, EDWARD FRANKLIN, Descendants oj Richard Everett oj Dedham,
Mass. Boston, Privately Printed [T. R. Marvin and Son], 1902. 389p.

FALES, DE COURSEY, The Poles Family oj Bristol, Rhode Island; Ancestry oj
Haliburton Fales oj New York. Boston, Privately Printed [T. R. Marvin
and Son], 1919. 332p.

FENDRICK, VIRGINIA SHANNON, comp., American Revolutionary Soldiers of
Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Chambersburg, Pa., Franklin County
Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution [c!944]. 295p.

Fox, G., AND COMPANY, A Century in Connecticut. [Hartford, Conn.] G. Fox
and Company [c!948L 64p.

GARWOOD, DARRELL, Crossroads of America, the Story of Kansas City. New
York, W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. [c!948]. 331p.

GILMAN, ARTHUR, The Oilman Family Traced in the Line oj Hon. John Oil-
man, oj Exeter, N. H., With an Account oj Many Other Gilmans in Eng-
land and America. Albany, N. Y., Joel Munsell, 1869. 324p.

HENDERSON, JOHN MCCLENAHAN, The John McClenahan Folk. Pittsburgh,
Pa., The United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912. 125p.

History of Adair, Sullivan, Putnam and Schuyler Counties, Missouri. Chi-
cago, The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888. 1225p.

History of Androscoggin County, Maine. Boston, W. A. Fergusson and Com-
pany, 1891. 879p.

History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, With Illustrations and Biograph-
ical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia,
L. H. Everts and Company, 1878. 492p.

History of Caroline County, Maryland, From Its Beginning . . . [Fed-
eralsburg, Md., The J. W. Stowell Printing Company, 1920.] 348p.

History of Carroll County, New Hampshire. Boston, W. A. Fergusson and
Company, 1889. 987p.

History of Delaware County, Iowa. Chicago, Western Historical Company,
1878. 707p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 89

History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania . . . Chicago, Warner, Beers
and Company, 1887. 968p.

History of Guthrie and Adair Counties, Iowa . . . Springfield, 111., Con-
tinental Historical Company, 1884. 1105p.

History of Ear din County, Iowa . . . Springfield, 111., Union Publishing
Company, 1883. 984p.

History of Mills County, Iowa . . . Des Moines, State Historical Com-
pany, 1881. 722p.

History of St. Lawrence County, New York; With Illustrations and Bio-
graphical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Phil-
adelphia, L. H. Everts and Company, 1878. 521p.

History of Sanpete and Emery Counties, Utah . . . Ogden, W. H. Lever,
1898. [683] p.

History of Washington County, New York, With Illustrations and Biograph-
ical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia,
Everts and Ensign, 1878. 504p. -

HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Transactions, No. 53. Baltimore,
Waverly Press, Inc., 1948. 56p.

Indexes to the County Wills of South Carolina. Columbia, S. C., The Uni-
versity of South Carolina, 1939. [223] p.

JUSTICE, ALFRED RUDULPH, comp., Ancestry of Jeremy Clarke of Rhode Island
and Dungan Genealogy. Philadelphia, Franklin Printing Company, n. d.
538p.

LEAVITT, EMILY WILDER, The Blair Family of New England. Boston, David
Clapp and Son, 1900. 194p.

LEE, FRANCIS BAZLEY, ed., Genealogical and Memorial History of the State
of New Jersey . . . New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Company,
1910. 4 Vols.

LEIKER, VICTOR C., A Study of the Male Descendants of the Leikers Now in
America. Hays, Kan., n. p., 1949. [26] p.

McDERMorr, JOHN FRANCIS, ed., Old Cahokia, a Narrative and Documents
Illustrating the First Century of Its History. St. Louis, The St. Louis
Historical Documents Foundation, 1949. 355p.

MAGILL, ROBERT McCoRKLE, Magill Family Record. Richmond, Va., R. E.
Magill, 1907. 244p.

MARYLAND, GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Proceedings and Acts, 1771 to June-July,
1773. Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society, 1946. 455p. (Archives of
Maryland, Vol. 63.)

MASON, POLLY GARY, Records of Colonial Gloucester County, Virginia . . .
Vol. 2. Newport News, Va., George C. Mason, 1948. 150p.

MATHER, HORACE E., Lineage of Rev. Richard Mather. Hartford, Press of
the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Company, 1890. 539p.

MAYS, SAMUEL EDWARD, Genealogy of the Mays Family and Related Families
to 1929 Inclusive. Plant City, Fla. [Plant City Enterprise, 1929]. [304]p.

MILLER, SAMUEL L., History of the Town of Waldoboro f Maine. [Wiscasset,
Me., Emerson, 1910.] 281p.

MOORE, MRS. JOHN TROTWOOD, comp., Record of Commissions of Officers in
the Tennessee Militia, 1796-1811. Vol. 1. [Nashville] Tennessee Historical
Commission, 1947. 166p.

90 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, Re-
ports of Officers for 1947-1948 and Standing Committees for 1948-1949.
Boston, Press of Thomas Todd Company, 1948. 66p.

, SOUTH CAROLINA, Register. Charleston, 1945. 176p.

Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Fayette
County, Pennsylvania . . . Uniontown, Pa., S. B. Nelson, 1900. 1225p.

NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Annual, June, 1949. New Canaan, Conn.,
The New Canaan Historical Society, 1949. 71p.

NEW JERSEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolu-
tionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey; Calen-
dar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, Etc., Vol. 12, 1810-1813. Bayonne,
N. J., Jersey Printing Company, 1949. 560p. (Archives of the State of
New Jersey, First Series, Vol. 41.)

NORTH, SAFFORD E., ed., Our County and Its People; a Descriptive and Bio-
graphical Record of Genesee County, New York. N. p., The Boston His-
tory Company, 1899. [731] p.

NORTH CAROLINA, STATE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY, Presidents
North Carolina Gave the Nation. [Raleigh, The Graphic Press, Inc., 1949.]
61p.

ORCUTT, SAMUEL, History of the Towns of New Milford and Bridgewater,
Connecticut, 1708-1882. Hartford, Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brai-
nard Company, 1882. 909p.

ORVIS, FRANCIS WAYLAND, A History of the Orvis Family in America. Hacken-
sack, N. J., The Orvis Company, Inc., 1922. 203p.

OTISFIELD, MAINE, Vital Records to the Year 1892; Births, Marriages and
Deaths. Published Under Authority of the Maine Historical Society, 1948.
348p.

PAINE, ALBERT WARE, Paine Genealogy, Ipswich Branch . . . Bangor, Me.,
O. F. Knowles and Company, 1881. 184p.

Panhandle-Plains Historical Review, Vol. 21. Canyon, Tex., Panhandle-Plains
Historical Society, c!948. 112p.

PARKER, Lois (HARGER), The Harger and Allied Families. N. p., 1948. 64p.

PARKS, FRANK SYLVESTER, Genealogy of the Parke Families of Massachusetts;
Including Richard Parke, of Cambridge, William Park, of Groton and
Others. Washington, D: C., 1909. 262p.

PASSANO, MRS. ELEANOR PHILLIPS, An Index of the Source Records of Mary-
land, Genealogical, Biographical, Historical. Baltimore, Privately Printed,
1940. 478p.

PATE, JOHN BEN, History of Turner County [Georgia]. Atlanta, Stein Print-
ing Company, 1933. 198p.

PEARSON, RALPH E., The History of the Scarritt Clan in America, Vol. 2.
[Falls Church, Va.] n. p., 1948. 194p.

PEASE, MARY BALL (JOHNSON), and others, comps. and eds., Mahlon Johnson
Family of Littleton, New Jersey; Ancestors and Descendants. [Morris-
town, N. J., Mahlon Johnson Association, c!931.] 126p.

PEASE, ORA MERLE HAWK, comp., Complete Index of Biographical Sketches of
Prominent Pioneers in "History of Caldwell and Livingston Counties, Mis-
souri." N. p., 1949. Mimeographed. 21p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 91

PERRINE, HOWLAND DELANO, Daniel Perrine "The Huguenot," and His De-
scendants in America, of the Surnames Perrine, Perine, and Prine, 1665-
1910. South Orange, N. J., Privately Printed, 1910. 547p.

PETERSON, CHARLES E., Colonial St. Louis; Building a Creole Capital. St.
Louis, Missouri Historical Society, 1949. 69p.

PRATT, WALTER MERRIAM, The Mayflower Society House, Being the Story of
the Edward Winslow House, the Mayflower Society, the Pilgrims. Cam-
bridge, Mass., University Press, 1949. 32p.

RANDOLPH, WASSELL, The Reverend George Robertson, Rector Bristol Parish,
Virginia (1693-1739); His Ministry, Marriage, Immediate Descendants,
Including the Early History of the Parish. No impr. 45p.

REED, PARKER McCoBB, History of Bath and Environs, Sagadahoc County,
Maine, 1607-1894. Portland, Me., Lakeside Press, 1894. 526p.

RICHMAN, IRVING B., ed., History of Muscatine County, Iowa, From the
Earliest Settlements to the Present Time. Chicago, The S. J. Clarke
Publishing Company, 1911. 2 Vls.

ROBERTS, MIRANDA S. (KIRK), Genealogy of the Descendants of John Kirk . . .
Doylestown, Pa., Press of the Intelligencer Company, 1912-1913. 721p.

ROCKWELL, GEORGE LOUNSBURY, The History of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Ridgefield, Privately Printed, 1927. 583p.

ROTHROCK, MARY UTOPIA, ed., The French Broadr-Holston Country; a History
of Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, East Tennessee Historical Society,
1946. 573p.

SARTAIN, JAMES ALFRED, History oj Walker County, Georgia, Vol. 1. Dalton,
Ga., The A. J. Showalter Company, 1932. 559p.

SENSENIG, BARTON, comp., The "Senseneys" oj America: Senseny, Sensenig,
Sensenich, Senseney. Philadelphia [Lyon and Armour, Inc.], 1943. 159p.

SHIELDS, JOHN A., Three Kansas Pioneer Families: Stalker, Shields, Martin.
Seymour, Ind., 1949. Mimeographed. 90p.

SHOEMAKER, FLOYD CALVIN, The State Historical Society of Missouri; a Semi-
centennial History. Columbia, The State Historical Society of Missouri,
1948. 193p.

SMITH, CHARLES HARPER, The Livezey Family, a Genealogical and Historical
Record, Assembled for the Livezey Association. Philadelphia [George H.
Buchanan Company], 1934. 440p.

SMITH, CLIFFORD LEWIS, History of Troup County [Georgia}. Atlanta, Foote
and Davies Company [c!935]. 323p.

SMITH, JAMES H., History of Chenango and Madison Counties, New York,
With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent
Men and Pioneers. Syracuse, N. Y., D. Mason and Company, 1880. 760p.

SMITH, ROBERT WALTER, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Chi-
cago, Waterman, Watkins and Company, 1883. 624p.

SOCIETY OF COLONIAL WARS, A First Supplement to the 1922 Index oj Ancestors
and Roll of Members. Hartford, Conn., Issued by Authority of the General
Assembly, 1941. 2 Vols.

SOCIETY OF INDIANA PIONEERS, Year Book, 1948. Printed by Order of the
Board of Governors, 1948. 114p.

SONS OF THE REVOLUTION IN THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, [Lineage Book}

92 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Bulletin, No. 8, July 1, 1941. [Parkersburg, W. Va., The Scholl Printing
Company] 1941. 537p.

STARBIRD, ALFRED ANDREWS, Genealogy of the Starbird-Starbard-Family. [Bur-
lington, Vt., The Lane Press, Inc.] n. d. 179p.

STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OP WISCONSIN, The State Historical Society of Wis-
consin; a Century of Service; Addresses Delivered in Commemoration of
the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Founding of the Society. Madison,
State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1948. 76p.

Sunlight on the Southside; Lists of Tithes, Lunenburg County, Virginia,
1748-1783. Philadelphia, George S. Ferguson Company, 1931. 503p.

SWEENY, WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, comp., Marriage Bonds and Other Marriage
Records of Amherst County, Virginia, 1763-1800. [Lynchburg, Va., J. P.
Bell and Company, c!937.] 102p.

TAYLOR, AGNES LONGSTRETH, comp., The Longstreth Family Records. Phil-
adelphia, Press of Ferris and Leach, 1909. 804p.

TIMLOW, HEMAN ROWLEE, Ecclesiastical and Other Sketches of Southington,
Conn. Hartford, Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Company, 1875.
[845]p.

TUTTLE, CHARLES RICHARD, General History of the State of Michigan; With
Biographical Sketches . . . Detroit, R. D. S. Tyler and Company,
1873. 735p.

U. S., BUREAU OP THE CENSUS, United States Census 1860 for Knox County,
Tennessee. Copied, Arranged and Indexed by Laura Elizabeth Luttrell.
Knoxville, East Tennessee Historical Society, 1949. 201p.

VAIL, WILLIAM PENN, Moses Vail of Huntington, L. I., Showing His Descent
From Joseph (2) Vail, Son of Thomas Vail at Salem, Massachusetts, 1640,
Together With Collateral Lines. N. p., 1947. 524p.

WALTON, HETTIE ANN, and EASTBURN REEDEK, The Eastburn Family, Being a
Genealogical and Historical Record of the Descendants of John East'
burn . . . and of Robert Eastburn . . . Doylestown, Pa., The /n-
telligencer Company, 1903. 206p.

WARD, CHRISTOPHER L., The Delaware Continentals, 1776-1783. Wilmington,
Del., The Historical Society of Delaware, 1941. 620p.

WATERS, MARGARET RUTH, Indiana Land Entries, Vol. 2. Vincennes District,
Part 1, 1807-1877. Indianapolis, 1949. Mimeographed. 274p.

WAYLAND, JOHN W., ed., Men of Mark and Representative Citizens of Har-
risonburg and Rockingham County, Virginia . . . Staunton, Va., The
McClure Company, Inc., 1943. 451p.

WEST TEXAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, Year Book, Vol. 24, 1948. Abilene, Tex.,
West Texas Historical Association, 1948. 124p.

WHITE, TRUMAN C., Our County and Its People; a Descriptive Work on
Erie County, New York. [Boston] The Boston History Company, 1898.
2 Vols.

WHITTEN, WILLIAM MARION, Whitten and Allied Families. Typed. 61p.

WILLISON, GEORGE FINDLAY, Saints and Strangers, Being the Lives of the
Pilgrim Fathers and Their Families . . . New York, Reynal and Hitch-
cock [c!945L 513p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 93

WING, CONWAY PHBLPS, A Historical and Genealogical Register of John Wing,

of Sandwich, Mass., and His Descendants, 1662-1881. [Carlisle, Pa.] n. p.,

1881. 334p.
WRITERS PROGRAM, VIRGINIA, Sussex County, a Tale of Three Centuries.

Sponsored by the Sussex County School Board. [Richmond, Whittet and

Shepperson] 1942. 324p.

GENERAL

ABERLE, S. D., The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, Their Land, Economy and
Civil Organization. [Menasha, Wis.] The American Anthropological As-
sociation, 1948. 93p. (Memoirs, No. 70.)

ADAMS, JAMES TRUSLOW, ed., and others, Album of American History, Vol. 4-
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948. 385p.

AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, Proceedings at the Annual Meeting Held
in Worcester, October Id, 1947. Worcester, Society, 1948. [135] p.

, Proceedings at the Semi-Annual Meeting Held in Boston, April 21,

1948. Worcester, Mass., Society, 1949. 190p.

AYER, N. W., AND SON'S, Directory Newspapers and Periodicals, 1949. Phila-
delphia, N. W. Ayer and Son, Inc. [c!949]. 1424p.

BANTA, RICHARD ELWELL, comp., Indiana Authors and Their Books, 1816-1916.
Crawfordsville, Ind., Wabash College, 1949. 352p.

BARINGER, WILLIAM ELDON, Lincoln's Vandalia, a Pioneer Portrait. New
Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1949. 141p.

BARTLETT, JOHN, Familiar Quotations . . . 12th ed. Revised and En-
larged. Edited by Christopher Morley. Boston, Little, Brown and Com-
pany, 1948. 1831p.

BENNETT, JAMES AUGUSTUS, Forts and Forays; James A. Bennett: a Dragoon
in New Mexico, 1850-1856. Albuquerque, The University of New Mexico
Press, 1948. 85p.

BLUM, JEROME, Noble Landowners and Agriculture in Austria, 1815-1848; a
Study in the Origins of the Peasant Emancipation of 1848. Baltimore, The
Johns Hopkins Press, 1948. 295p. (The Johns Hopkins University Studies
in Historical and Political Science, Series 65, No. 2.)

BOATRIGHT, MODY CoGGiN, ed., The Sky Is My Tipi. Austin, University Press
in Dallas, 1949. 243p. (Publication of the Texas Folklore Society, No. 22.)

BORNHOLDT, LAURA, Baltimore and Early Pan- Americanism, a Study in the
Background of the Monroe Doctrine. Northampton, Mass., 1949. 152p.
(Smith College Studies in History, Vol. 34.)

BREASTED, JAMES HENRY, JR., Egyptian Servant Statues . . . [New York]
Pantheon Books [c!948L 113p. (The Bollingen Series, 13.)

BROWN, RALPH HALL, Historical Geography of the United States. New York,
Harcourt, Brace and Company [c!948], 596p.

BUTTERFIELD, CONSUL WiLSHiRE, History of George Rogers Clark's Conquest
of the Illinois and the Wabash Towns of 1778 and 1779. Columbus, Ohio,
Press of F. J. Heer, 1904. 815p.

CALDWELL, WALLACE EVERETT, The Ancient World. New York, Rinehart and
Company, Inc. [c!949]. 589p.

CONROY, JACK, ed., Midland Humor; a Harvest of Fun and Folklore. New
York, Current Books, Inc., 1947. 446p.

94 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

COTNER, THOMAS EWING, The Military and Political Career of Jose Joayurn

De Herrera, 1792-1854. Austin, The University of Texas, 1949. 33bL.

(Latin-American Studies, 7.)
CRABB, ALEXANDER RICHARD, The Hybrid-Corn Makers: Prophets of Plenty.

New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1948. 331p.
CRAVEN, WESLEY FRANK, The Southern Colonies in the Seventeenth Century,

1607-1689. [Baton Rouge] Louisiana State University Press, 1949. 451p.

(A History of the South, Vol. 1.)
CROY, HOMER, Jesse James Was My Neighbor. New York, Duell, Sloan and

Pearce [c!949]. 313p.
DICKINSON, ASA DON, comp., The Best Books of the Decade, 1936-1945,

Another Clue to the Literary Labyrinth. New York, The H. W. Wilson

Company, 1948. 295p.
DONALD, DAVID HERBERT, Lincoln's Herndon. New York, Alfred A. Knopf,

1948. [415] p.

EASTMAN, MARY (HENDERSON), The American Aboriginal Portfolio. Illus-
trated by S. Eastman, U. S. Army. Philadelphia, Lippincott, Grambo

and Company [c!853]. 84p.
EDWARDS, RUTHE M., American Indians of Yesterday. Sketches by the Author.

San Antonio, The Naylor Company [c!948]. 133p.
ELLIS, LEWIS ETHAN, Print Paper Pendulum; Group Pressures and the Price

of Newsprint. New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1948. 215p.

(Rutgers Studies in History, No. 4.)
FAUSET, ARTHUR HUFF, Sojourner Truth, God's Faithful Pilgrim. Chapel Hill,

The University of North Carolina Press [c!938]. 187p.
FISHER, SYDNEY NETTLETON, The Foreign Relations of Turkey, 1481-1512.

Urbana, University of Illinois Press, 1948. 125p. (Illinois Studies in the

Social Sciences, Vol. 30, No. 1.)
FITS, GILBERT COURTLAND, Peter Norbeck; Prairie Statesman. Columbia,

University of Missouri, 1948. 217p. (The University of Missouri Studies,

Vol. 22, No. 2.)
Folk Tales From the Patagonia Area, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. Tucson,

University of Arizona, 1949. 37p. (General Bulletin, No. 13.)
FREEMAN, DOUGLAS SOUTHALL, George Washington, a Biography. New York,

Charles Scribner's Sons, 1948. 2 Vols.
HABERLY, LOYD, Pursuit of the Horizon, a Life of George Catlin, Painter and

Recorder of the American Indian. New York, The Macmillan Company,

1948. 239p.
HANDLIN, OSCAR, This Was America; True Accounts of People and Places,

Manners and Customs, as Recorded by European Travelers to the Western

Shore in the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Cambridge,

Harvard University Press, 1949. 602p.
HAYWARD, ELIZABETH (McCoY), John M'Coy, His Life and His Diaries.

New York, The American Historical Company, Inc. [c!948]. 493p.
HEADINGS, MILDRED J., French Freemasonry Under the Third Republic. Balti-
more, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1949. 314p. (The Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity Studies in Historical and Political Science, Series 66, No. 1.)
HECHT, DAVID, Russian Radicals Look to America, 1825-1894. Cambridge,

Harvard University Press, 1947. 242p.

RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY 95

HOLLAND, LYNWOOD MATHIS, The Direct Primary in Georgia. Urbana, The
University of Illinois Press, 1949. 125p. (Illinois Studies in the Social
Sciences, Vol. 30, No. 4.)

HUDSON, MANLEY O., and Louis B. SOHN, eds., International Legislation; a
Collection of the Texts of Multipartite International Instruments of Gen-
eral Interest. Vol. 8, 1938-1941, Numbers 506-610. Washington, Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, 1949. 653p.

HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY, Copy-Book of Letters Outward &c; Begins 29th
May, 1680, Ends 6 July, 1687. Toronto, The Champlain Society, 1948.
415p. (Hudson's Bay Company Series, Vol. 11.)

KINO, JEFF, Where the Two Came to Their Father, a Navaho War Cere-
monial. Given by Jeff King; Text and Paintings Recorded by Maud
Oakes, Commentary by Joseph Campbell. New York, Pantheon Books,
Inc. [1943]. 2 Vols. (Text and Plates.) (The Bollingen Series, 1.)

LEWIS, LLOYD, and STANLEY PARGELLIS, eds., Granger Country; a Pictorial Social
History of the Burlington Railroad. Boston, Little, Brown and Company,
1949. [254] p.

LINCOLN, ABRAHAM, Uncollected Works of Abraham Lincoln, His Letters,
Addresses and Other Papers . . . Elmira, N. Y., The Primavera Press,
Inc., 1947-1948. 2 Vols.

LIPMAN, JEAN, American Folk Art in Wood, Metal and Stone. [New York]
Pantheon [c!948]. 193p.

LIVELY, ROBERT A., The South in Action; a Sectional Crusade Against Freight
Rate Discrimination. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina Press,
1949. 98p. (The James Sprunt Studies in History and Political Science,
Vol. 30.)

LOCKWOOD, GEORGE BROWNING, The New Harmony Movement. New York,
D. Appleton and Company, 1905. 404p.

MACKAY, ALEXANDER, The Western World; or, Travels in the United States
in 1846-47 . . . London, Richard Bentley, 1849. 3 Vols.

MACLEAN, JOHN PATTERSON, The Mound Builders; Being an Account of a Re-
markable People That Once Inhabited the Valleys of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi, Together With an Investigation Into the Archaeology of Butler
County, Ohio. Cincinnati, Robert Clarke and Company, 1879. 233p.

MADARIAGA, SALVADOR DE, The Fall of the Spanish American Empire. New
York, The Macmillan Company, 1948. 443p.

, The Rise of the Spanish American Empire. New York, The Mac-
millan Company, 1947. 408p.

MARRIOTT, ALICE LEE, Indians on Horseback. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell
Company [c!948]. 136p.

MATHEWS, BASIL, Booker T. Washington, Educator and Interracial Interpreter.
Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1948. 350p.

MEARNS, DAVID CHAMBERS, The L/incoln Papers; the Story of the Collection
With Selections to July 4, 1861. Garden City, N. Y., Doubleday and
Company, Inc., 1948. 2 Vols.

MIDDLETON, FRED, Suppression of the Rebellion in the North West Territories
of Canada, 1885. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1948. 80p. (Uni-
versity of Toronto Studies, History and Economics Series, Vol. 12.)

96 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

MURRAY, PAUL, The Whig Party in Georgia, 1825-1853. Chapel Hill, The
University of North Carolina Press, 1948. 219p. (The James Sprunt
Studies in History and Political Science, Vol. 29.)

National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 34- New York, James T.
White and Company, 1948. 559p.

OVERTON, RICHARD CLEGHORN, Milepost 100, the Story of the Development of
the Burlington Lines, 1849-1949. Chicago, n. p., 1949. [64] p.

Patterson's American Educational Directory, Vols. 45~46- Chicago, American
Educational Company [c!948-1949]. 2 Vols.

PERKINS, SIMEON, The Diary of Simeon Perkins, 1766-1780. Toronto, The
Champlain Society, 1948. 298p. (Publications of the Champlain Society,
Vol. 29.)

RADIN, PAUL, The Culture of the Winnebago: as Described by Themselves.
No impr. 119p. (Special Publications of Bollingen Foundation, No 1.)

, The Road of Life and Death; a Ritual Drama of the American In-
dians. New York, Pantheon Books, Inc. [c!945]. 345p. (The Bollingen
Series, 5.)

RAPHAEL, MAX, Prehistoric Cave Paintings. [New York] Pantheon Books
[c!945]. lOOp. (The Bollingen Series, 4.)

SPAETH, SIGMUND GOTTFRIED, A History of Popular Music in America. New
York, Random House [c!948L 729p.

SPEERS, WALLACE CARTER, ed., Layman Speaking. New York, Association Press,
1947. 207p.

TAYLOR, WALTER W., A Study of Archeology. [Menasha, Wis.] American An-
thropological Association, 1948. 256p. (Memoirs, No. 69.)

THORBECKE, ELLEN, Promised Land. New York, Harper and Brothers
[c!947]. 171p.

World Almanac and Book of Facts for 1949. New York, New York World-
Telegram Corporation, c!949. 912p.

YOUNG, EGERTON RYERSON, Algonquin Indian Tales. New York, The Abingdon
Press [c!903]. 258p.

Bypaths of Kansas History

CARRYING THE MAIL To SANTA FE 100 YEARS AGO
From The Western Journal, St. Louis, September, 1850, pp. 414, 415.
LINE OF MAIL STAGES TO SANTA FE.

We are gratified that the Post Office Department has at length established
this line upon a footing that promises to be successful in the end; though we
have heard that the stages on the first trip encountered a good deal of diffi-
culty on account of the failure of their teams.

The Missouri Commonwealth, published at Independence, gives the follow-
ing account of the departure and equipment of the first mail stage from that
place westward. The first train left, we believe, on the 1st day of July last.

SANTA FE LINE OF MAIL STAGES.

We briefly alluded, some days since, to the Santa Fe line of mail stages,
which left this city on its first monthly trip on the first instant. It was our
intention at that time to have noticed this matter as its novelty and im-
portance demanded, but want of leisure prevented. This is an important
extension of mail service, and will be of untold utility, both to New Mexico
and the States. But we simply took up our pen to give our friends in other
parts of the country, some idea of the preparations which have been made
by the contractors, Messrs. Waldo, Hall & Co., to convey the mail safely
through the Indian country an undertaking which must seem hazardous,
after the many murders that have been perpetrated recently by hostile tribes.
The stages are got up in splendid style, and are each capable of conveying
eight passengers. The bodies are beautifully painted, and made water-tight,
with a view of using them as boats in ferrying streams. The team consists of
six mules to each coach. The mail is guarded by eight men, armed as fol-
lows: Each man has at his side, strapped up in the stage, one of Colt's re-
volving rifles; in a holster, below, one of Colt's long revolving pistols, and in
his belt a small Colt revolver, besides a hunting knife; so that these eight
men are prepared, in case of attack, to discharge one hundred and thirty-six
shots without stopping to load! This is equal to a small army, armed as in
olden times, and from the courageous appearance of this escort, prepared as
they are, either for offensive or defensive warfare with the savages, we have
no apprehensions for the safety of the mails. The whole of the equipment
for this expedition is of our own city manufacture, except the revolvers.

The enterprising contractors have established a sort of depot at Council
Grove, a distance of 150 miles from this city [Independence], and have sent
out a blacksmith, a number of men to cut and cure hay, with a quantity of
animals, grain and provisions; and we understand they intend to make a eort
of traveling post there, and to open a farm. They contemplate, we believe,
to make a similar settlement at Walnut Creek next season.

Two of their stages will start from here the first of every month. The
contractors are amongst our most responsible and wealthy citizens, and the
firm is composed, as we understand, of Dr. David Waldo, Jacob Hall, Esq., and
William McCoy, late Mayor of our city. Missouri Commonwealth.

71725

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98 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

KANSAS LONGSHOREMEN

From The Kansas Herald of Freedom, Lawrence, June 2, 1855.

We heard some of the officers of the Emma Harmon [river steamer] com-
plaining bitterly, and not without cause, about some of our citizens who aided
for a short time in unloading the boat, and proposed to charge fifty cents an
hour for their services. Persons must have supposed they were in California,
and that labor was so scarce it would command any price. Let men have
moderate desires if they wish to succeed in business.

HOUSES FOR $500!
From the Lawrence Republican, November 8, 1860.

A FAT CONTRACT. R. S. Stevens, of Lecompton, is a lucky man. We under-
stand he has secured a contract of the Agent of the Sac & Fox Indians to
build for the tribe two hundred houses, at the rate of five hundred dollars for
each house. He sub-lets the contract, so that he gets the houses built for two
hundred and eighty-seven dollars each clearing on the job the snug sum of
forty-two thousand six hundred dollars, which, for these hard times, is not a
bad thing. He also builds a saw-mill for the tribe, on which, we are told, he
clears the little matter of thirty-five hundred dollars.

Mr. Stevens is an enterprising, go-ahead man, and these results of his finan-
ciering cannot but be grateful to his feelings.

A SALINA JUSTICE WITH His BOOTS OFF!
From the Junction City Weekly Union, July 13, 1867.

A writer in the Pittsburg [Pa.] Chronicle says: "The excursionists on the
recent trip over the Pacific railroad met with some interesting experiences,
one of which is thus described: Some of the Pacific railroad excursionists
stopped at Salina, a town on the Plains, and found the court house located
in the second story of the printing office. The court room was fixed regard-
less of comfort, and was a good specimen of a frontier Temple of Justice.
The trials were amusing. The counsel acted most unbecomingly to each other,
calling one another hard names, and referring to them as Bill, Tom and Jack,
while the Judge sat behind his desk enjoying his otium cum dignitate, with
his boots off and his feet on the desk. The town was filled with all kinds
of hard characters, and the excursionists kept their hands on their pocket-
books. Mule drivers, bull whackers, Mexican greasers and gamblers, all wait-
ing to get off."

MOVE OVER

From The Commonwealth, Topeka, September 2, 1876.

The Belleville Telescope contains this "want:" "Wanted, at this office, a
don't care a d n editor. We have tried to please everybody, and, having
failed, we don't care a d n, but would like some person else to take the
position for awhile."

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 99

PRESUMABLY HE GOT THE JOB

When the government of Kansas returned to Republican control
in 1895, after two years of Populist domination, the clamor of office-
seekers was more than usually deafening. Not only had the Re-
publicans been deprived of patronage by the Lewelling adminis-
tration, but the depression of 1893-1894 still lay heavy upon the
land and many a party wheel-horse needed new shoes. Gov. Ed-
mund N. Morrill was besieged by hundreds of applicants for places
on the state payroll and necessarily had to slight most of them.
He probably was glad, however, to receive the following request,
written by the editor of the Marion Record and now in the cor-
respondence files of the executive department, in the Archives di-
vision of the Kansas State Historical Society:

MARION, KANSAS, FEB. 13, 1895.
Hon. E. N. Morrill

Topeka, Kan.
My Dear Governor.

As you are aware, I have had, or have been supposed to have, a particular
aversion to office seeking. I have believed in the old fashioned idea that the
office should seek the man, and have honestly tried to practice what I have
preached in this matter. Indeed, I have even gone so far, figuratively speak-
ing, as to hang this ideal on the stars where it has been hanging all this long,
cold winter. I do not now wish to renounce the theory, because I still think
it is right, but stern necessity wrings from me the cold, clammy confession
that I want an office, and want it bad, as I would say if I were one of "the
boys." My friends, whom I have consulted about the matter, insist that the
only way for me to get it is to go for it. I hate to bother you, Governor,
and add to your burdens from this class of self-seekers, but can't help it. I
have given the best years of my life to the grand old Republican party, and
feel, without egotism, that my claims to the position I seek are at least as good
as any of the distinguished gentlemen who aspire to this office. If necessary,
I think I can furnish you credentials from those who have known me longest
and best, abundantly testifying to my qualifications for this important place.
If appointed, I shall endeavor to perform the duties of the position so as to
justify your favor and shed as much effulgence as possible upon your admin-
istration so auspiciously begun. I have held this position before, but my
term has expired, and I ask to be re-appointed a Notary Public.

With best wishes,

Yours, cordially,

E. W. HOCH.

The author of this request was himself well launched on an im-
pressive political career. He had served two terms in the legis-
lature and in 1894 had received strong support in the Republican
state convention for nomination as governor. He was elected to
that office in 1904 and was reflected for a second term in 1906.

100 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

NOT A "PIE-FACED HYPOCRITE!"

An enterprising young newspaperman, William Allen White, a
graduate of the University of Kansas, served as a member of the
board of regents of his alma mater from 1905 to 1912. In 1907 he
found himself in an embarrassing financial position, in which he
feared that his integrity might be compromised for a smaller sum
than he considered it worth. Consequently he wrote the following
letter to the auditor of state, James M. Nation. It is now on file,
with other correspondence received by the auditor, in the Archives
division of the Kansas State Historical Society.

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

DAILY AND WEEKLY

W. A. WHITE, Editor

EMPORIA, KANSAS, FEB. 13
My Dear Sir:

I am checking a matter enclosed up to you for advice. While I rode on
editorial mileage as regent of the state University, I did not charge the state
any mileage at all only charging my three dollars per day per diem. I did
this because it was obvious that to sell my editorial mileage to the state
would be just like selling advertising to the state, and I have been told that
the state law prohibits a regent from selling anything to the state.

When the Inter-State Commerce commission ruled that it was illegal for
railroads and newspapers to swap under the Hepburn bill, that was some-
time in last October as I recollect, when I heard of this ruling definitely
I turned in my editorial transportation and began paying fare, and hence
began charging the state mileage. I told Mr. Brown, clerk of the University
to make out my voucher from that time. He made it out, but I did not
swear to it as I remember it, but when the check came back from the state
I looked up for the first time and found that he had one trip charged up
upon which to the best of my recollection, I rode on editorial trans-
portation. This was his mistake.

Now I can't accept that check. I don't know how to fix it up. But I want
you to fix it up someway for me. Of course this is not a matter that I care
to have any one know of outside of those whose official business it is to
straighten the matter up. It puts me in the light of a pie-faced hypocrite,
who is what we used to call nasty nice, when we were kids. But on the other
hand I don't want any $16.40 cents of stolen goods on my old clothes. I may
sell out sometime, for I know I am as weak as the average man going, but that
isn't my price.

I shall be personally and officially obliged to you if you can find so [me]
way to get that $16.40 the mileage for the October trip out of this
check. I did not swear it into the check, and it is not up to me to turn it
back into the state. Truly

(signed) W. A. WHITE

Kansas History as Published in the Press

Brown county history is the feature of a new magazine-type pub-
lication edited and published by Col. Henry J. Weltmer of Hiawatha
under the title Hi-Wa Extracts. The first number, of 20 pages, was
dated August, 1949.

A "History of Neosho County" by W. W. Graves has continued
to appear regularly in the St. Paul Journal. Chapters in recent is-
sues have been devoted to the towns of Kimball and Stark; Grant,
Ladore, Lincoln, South Mound and Mission townships, and the Pas-
sionist Missionary Institute.

The second installment of "The Geography of Kansas," by Walter
H. Schoewe, appeared in the September, 1949, issue of the Trans-
actions of the Kansas Academy of Science, Lawrence. Included
among other articles were: "Botanical Notes: 1948," by Frank
U. G. Agrelius; "Cover Restoration in Kansas," by Harold C. King;
"Kansas Phytopathological Notes: 1948," by E. D. Hansing, C. 0.
Johnston, L. E. Melchers and H. Fellows; "Notes on the Ground-
Water Resources of Chase County, Kansas," by Howard G. O'Con-
nor, and "The Whitetailed Jackrabbit," by R. E. Mohler and Rich-
ard H. Schmidt.

A story of the Lone Tree massacre was published in the Meade
Globe-News, September 4, 8, 11, 1949, and the Plains Journal, Sep-
tember 8, 15. A six-man survey party, headed by Capt. 0. F.
Short, was attacked and massacred by Indians in present Meade
county on August 24, 1874. The story was written years ago by
Mrs. Mary Short Browne, a sister of Captain Short, and first ap-
peared in the Plains Journal, August 31, 1907. A note on the first
newspaper published in Meade county, the Pearlette Call, and a
brief biographical sketch of the editor, Addison Bennett, were
printed in the Globe-News and the Journal, September 15. The first
issue of the Call appeared on April 15, 1879.

A special "Pioneer Days" edition was published by the Hill City
Times, September 8, 1949. Among the articles were: a historical
sketch of Bogue by Mrs. Belle Kenyon, the story of Nicodemus by
Mrs. Ola Wilson, a medical history of Graham county, historical
sketches of various Hill City churches, a list of present-day Graham
county businesses, reminiscences of Judge E. L. McClure, several

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102 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

historical items about Morland, pictures and names of some of the
Graham county men and women who served in the World Wars,
historical sketches of Graham county newspapers and schools, and
several articles of historical nature reprinted from issues of the
Hill City Reveille of the late 1880's.

"Salina's Founder Took Boss Advice," is the title of an article
by Jeanne Kaufman in the Salina Journal, September 15, 1949. In
1857 William A. Phillips, who had been employed in Lawrence as
a journalist by Horace Greeley, made a journey on foot to present
Saline county and decided to settle in the area. The next year he
returned with a party, located the townsite and began the erection
of buildings. Later Phillips served in the Civil War, reaching the
rank of colonel.

Early Kingman county history was reviewed by Mrs. Laura
Kinsey in The Leader-Courier, Kingman, beginning September 15,
1949. Mrs. Kinsey came to Kansas with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
John Frazier, in 1878 when she was 12 years old.

Among historical articles of interest to Kansans appearing re-
cently in the Kansas City (Mo.) Star were: "Kansas to Honor Its
Flying General [Lt. Gen. Ennis C. Whitehead] With a Homecoming
This Week," by Saul Pett, September 18, 1949; "Ninety Years Ago
Today Kansas Adopted Constitution Drawn Under Amnesty Law,"
by Cecil Howes, October 4; "Castle in Scotland Awaits Eisenhower
Whenever He Wishes to Return to It," the third floor of historic
Culzean castle presented to the supreme commander by the Scottish
people and kept ready for his use, by Ned M. Trimble, October 19 ;
"Home Built by an Indian Chief [Charles Bluejacket] Provides
Link to Historic Past in Shawnee Area," by Cecil Howes, October
27, and "Dr. Franklin Murphy . . . His Kansas Plan Is Pro-
viding Doctors for Small Towns," by Richard B. Fowler, "A Kansan
[Maj. Gen. Glen E. Edgerton] Is the Boss for White House Re-
building," by Jack Williams, and "Ghost of General Custer Seems
to Live at Ft. Riley," by Nan Carroll, November 20. Articles in
the Kansas City (Mo.) Times were: "Wells Fargo Fought Bandits
to Provide Safe Transport for Treasure of West," a review of Ed-
ward Hungerford's Wells Fargo: Advancing the American Frontier,
by John Edward Hicks, September 17; "America's Best Known
Painter of Indians [J. H. Sharp] Is Still at Work as He Reaches
Age of 90," by W. Thetford LeViness, September 27; " 'Hemp Neck-

KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 103

tie' Justice of Old West Often Was Motivated by Vengeance," a
review of Wayne Card's Frontier Justice, by John Edward Hicks,
October 1; "Tragic Story of Reed-Donner Party Is Recalled by
Memorial Stone in Kansas," by Col. E. P. H. Gempel, November
10; "History of Communistic Groups in U. S. Bears Out Reassur-
ing Words of Goethe," one of the communistic groups settled in
Franklin county shortly after the Civil War, by Charles Arthur
Hawley, November 12; "John Charles Fremont Blazed the Way for
Spreading Nation a Century Ago," by E. B. Dykes Beachy, No-
vember 21; "Wild Turkeys Provided Feasts for Hungry Travelers
in the Early West," by Geraldine Wyatt, November 23, and "For
57 Years, J. C. Mohler Has been Part of Official Kansas Farm
Scene," by Roderick Turnbull, December 1.

A historical sketch of the 101 Ranch, Chase county, by Mildred
Mosier Burch, was printed in the Chase County Leader, Cotton-
wood Falls, September 20, 1949. The land was purchased by H.
R. Hilton for a syndicate, known as the Western Land and Cattle
Company, from the Santa Fe and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas
railroads in the 1880's. In 1893 the ranch was bought by another
company, and in 1900 it was split up and sold.

The story of the Coleman Company, Inc., of Wichita, and its
founder and president, W. C. Coleman, was told in "The Company
That Should Have Gone Broke," by Rufus Jarman, published in
The Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, September 24, 1949.
Starting in 1900 with a small factory to repair lamps, Coleman now
has three factories and about 2,500 employees engaged in manu-
facturing lamps, lanterns, several types of cooking stoves and home-
heating equipment. Mr. Coleman was born in New York and came
to Kansas with his parents about 1871 when he was a year old.

The Wichita Eagle, September 25, 1949, published a 164-page
"Kansas Industrial Progress" edition, the largest issue of the paper
ever published. Besides numerous articles on Kansas industries,
several historical pages from past numbers of the Eagle were re-
produced, including the front page of April 12, 1872, the first issue
of the Eagle. Another feature of the special edition was a full-
page history of the Eagle by Dick Long. The paper was founded
as a weekly in 1872 by Col. Marsh M. Murdock.

104 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

An editorial in the Garden City Daily Telegram, September 27,
1949, recited the early history of Pierceville. The town was founded
in 1872 when the Barton brothers selected the site for ranch head-
quarters and it was chosen by the Santa Fe railroad surveyors as
a townsite. The post office was established in 1873 with George
B. Clossen as postmaster. In July, 1874, a band of Indians from
Texas burned Pierceville to the ground. It was not rebuilt until
1878 when a store and a post office were constructed. On November
21-23 the Telegram printed a brief, three-installment biographical
sketch of C. J. "Buffalo" Jones.

A two-column story of Poheta, Saline county, covering its school,
post office, cemetery, Sunday school and church histories, was pub-
lished in the Gypsum Advocate, September 29, 1949.

Biographical notes on Maj. Gen. Clarence L. Tinker, who lost
his life in the Battle of Midway, by John Woolery, appeared in the
autumn, 1949, issue of The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City.
One-eighth Osage Indian, General Tinker was born at Elgin, Kan.,
November 21, 1887. The large Tinker Air Force Base at Oklahoma
City was named for him.

A booklet by Roy Farrell Greene on the early days of Arkansas
City was briefly reviewed by Walter Hutchison in the Arkansas
City Daily Traveler, October 6, 1949. The first settlement at
Arkansas City was made in April, 1870. The town was called Cres-
well and Walnut City before it was named Arkansas City. It was
incorporated in 1872.

Some of the pioneer experiences of Dr. A. Moore and his family,
related by Mrs. Frances Moore Felton, a daughter, were printed in
the Atchison Daily Globe, October 9, 1949. Dr. Moore brought his
family to Kansas prior to the Civil War, settling on a claim near
present Huron. A brief history of the Atchison county courthouse
by T. E. Garvey appeared in the Globe, November 6. The court-
house was constructed in 1896.

The 75th anniversary of the migration of the Mennonites to the
prairie states of America was observed in an all-day program at
Bethel College, North Newton, October 12, 1949. Representatives
from Mennonite communities in the Middle West and Canada at-
tended. Among the speakers were: Rev. A. J. Dyck, Inman; C. C.
Regier, formerly of State College, West Virginia; I. J. Dick, Moun-

KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 105

tain Lake, Minn.; R. C. Bosworth, of the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way; Leo G. Yokum, Burlington railroad; R. G. Dobson, Rock Is-
land railroad; M. M. Killen, Santa Fe railroad; Dr. Erland Walt-
ner, Bethel College; David C. Wedel, Bethel College; Walter H.
Dyck, Elbing, and Dr. Ed. G. Kaufman, president of Bethel College.
The history of the Mennonite migration is reviewed in the October,
1949, issue of Mennonite Life, North Newton, by the editor, Cor-
nelius Krahn. Among the historical articles on the Mennonites in
Kansas were: "John H. Harms Pioneer Mennonite Doctor," by
E. M. Harms; "Hoffnungsau in Kansas," by A. J. Dyck; "Among
the Mennonites of Kansas in 1878," by C. L. Bernays, and "Trans-
planting Alexanderwohl, 1874," accompanied by maps, pictures and
a list of names. A commemorative, 115-page booklet, From the
Steppes to the Prairies, edited by Cornelius Krahn, was recently
published by the Mennonite Publication office in North Newton.
Among the featured articles were: "From the Steppes to the Prai-
ries," by Cornelius Krahn ; "The Mennonites in Kansas," "The Men-
nonites at Home," and "A Day With the Mennonites," by Noble
L. Prentis; "Christian Krehbiel and the Coming of the Mennonites
to Kansas," an autobiography translated and edited by Edward
Krehbiel; "The Life of Christian Krehbiel (1832-1909)," by H. P.
Krehbiel; "The Founding of Gnadenau," by J. A. Wiebe, and "The
Mennonite Pioneer," by Elmer F. Suderman.

"Oil Progress Week" was observed in Great Bend with an "Oil
Appreciation Festival," October 19-21, 1949, and a 48-page special
edition of the Great Bend Tribune, October 18, featuring articles
on the history of the oil industry in Barton county. The first well
was drilled in 1886 but no oil was found until about 1922 and none
in paying quantities until 1930. Also on October 18, 1949, the
Russell Daily News featured the oil history of Russell county. Oil
was first discovered in that county near Fairport in 1923. Barton
is the largest oil producing county in Kansas and Russell is second.

Early recollections of Kalida and vicinity, Woodson county, by
R. W. Rhea were printed in the Yates Center News, October 27,
1949. Mr. Rhea came to Kalida, then Chellis, with his family 80
years ago. The townsite was purchased by H. T. Chellis in 1868
from a man by the name of Concannon who had homesteaded it.
The property passed to T. H. Davidson in 1870, and he renamed it
Kalida.

106 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The reminiscences of Mrs. Ellen Burton, a member of Emporia's
first colored family, were published in the Emporia Gazette, No-
vember 3, 1949. Mrs. Burton, born in slavery, was a small girl
when her father, Henry O'Dair, aided by a Colonel Proctor, brought
the family to Emporia in 1863.

Several brief historical notes on the settlement of Harper and
Harper county and some historical information from the Harper
Sentinel for March 8, 1901, were printed in the Harper News, No-
vember 3, 1949. Settlers first arrived at the Harper townsite in
the spring of 1877.

A history of the Israel Lupfer family as told by Arthur H. Lupfer,
a son, to Lois Victor, was published in The Tiller and Toiler, Lamed,
November 3, 1949, and The Daily Tiller and Toiler, November 4.
The Lupfers arrived in Larned from their home in Pennsylvania
early in 1878 and purchased a quarter section of railroad land where
they built their home.

The story of the founding of old Fort Hays and Fort Fletcher,
its predecessor was reviewed by Dr. Raymond L. Welty, professor
of history at Fort Hays State College, in the Hays Daily News,
November 6, 20 and December 11, 1949.

Osborne's Farmer- Journal on November 10, 1949, noted that it was
starting its 76th year of publication. Late in 1874 Frank H. Barn-
hart bought the printing equipment of the Osborae Times, which
Had ceased publication, and founded the Osborne County Farmer.
B. L. George is the present owner and publisher.

The Anthony Republican, November 10, 1949, printed a brief
history of the First Baptist Church of Anthony by Gertrude Tuttle
Wright. The church was organized June 27, 1880, and services were
held in Bulger mill, in Union hall and in homes until the church
building was dedicated on June 20, 1886.

Articles from the 25th anniversary edition of the Topeka Mail
and Kansas Breeze, May 22, 1896, were featured in the Bulletin
of the Shawnee County Historical Society, December, 1949. Among
the Mail and Breeze articles were: " 'Plant Trees' Said Greeley,"
"Why Topeka Streets Are Wide," "How He [W. L. Gordon] Got
Logs" and "The 'Smokers' Club.' " Other articles in the Bulletin
were: "North Topeka Started as Eugene"; the eighth installment
of W. W. Cone's "Shawnee County Townships"; Part II of "The

KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 107

First Congregational Church of Topeka, 1854-1869," by Russell K.
Hickman; "Which Are the Oldest Families?"; "Indianola," by C.
V. Cochran; "Reminiscences by the Son of a French Pioneer," by
Louis Charles Laurent, and a continuation of George A. Root's
"Chronology of Shawnee County."

The history of a group of vegetarians and their attempt to plant
a colony in present southeast Kansas, is told by Stewart H. Hoi-
brook in "The Vegetarians of Octagon City," published in the
Woman's Day, New York, December, 1949. In 1856 a party under
the leadership of Henry S. Clubb set out from the East for Kansas.
Clubb's plan was to build an eight-sided settlement in Kansas from
which vegetarianism would spread throughout the United States.
However, when the prospective settlers reached the site of the set-
tlement most of them became discouraged at finding only a log
cabin and the wide, open prairie and returned to the East.

Among historical articles in the 1950 issue of The Kansas Maga-
zine, Manhattan, were: "The Strength of Kansas," by Milton S.
Eisenhower; "The Vegetarian Kansas Emigration Company," by
Russell K. Hickman; "The Bender Legend," by William Conrad
and Robert Greenwood; sketches of Carry A. Nation, "Violent Is
the Word for Carry," by Margaret E. Reed, "Faith Is Like the
Wind," by Maxine Maree, and "Cyclone in Petticoats," a note by
Zula Bennington Greene on Barbara Corey's dance of that name.

Kansas Historical Notes

A limestone marker has been placed on the grave of Sarah Hand-
ley Keyes who died and was buried at Alcove Spring while the fa-
mous Donner party was camped there in May, 1846. It was erected
by the Arthur Barrett chapter, Daughters of the American Revo-
lution.

The annual meeting of the Chase County Historical Society was
held at the courthouse in Cotton wood Falls, September 3, 1949. New
officers elected were: G. M. Miller, president; Henry Rogler, vice-
president; Mrs. Helen Austin, secretary; Geo. T. Dawson, treas-
urer, and Mrs. S. B. Replogle, chief historian. Mrs. Clara Hilde-
brand was made chief historian emeritus. Mr. Dawson was the
retiring president.

The annual Meade county Old Settlers' picnic was held at Meade,
September 25, 1949. Judge Karl Miller of Dodge City was the
principal speaker. Others were: Mrs. Essie May Novinger, Lura
Smith, Mrs. Sarah Waters, Frank Johnson, W. H. Sourbier, R. A.
Brannan, W. V. Brown, Riley Hanson, Art Bowen and the Rev.
L. C. Campbell. At the business meeting E. E. Innis was elected
president; H. L. Easterday, vice-president, and W. H. Painter, sec-
retary-treasurer. J. R. Painter was the retiring president.

Mrs. John Barkley was elected president of the Shawnee-Mission
Indian Historical Society in Johnson county at a meeting Septem-
ber 26, 1949. Others elected were: Mrs. C. D. Cheatum, first vice-
president; Mrs. James Glenn Bell, second vice-president; Mrs.
Homer Bair, recording secretary; Mrs. R. D. Grayson, correspond-
ing secretary; Mrs. Arthur Wolf, treasurer; Mrs. Harry Meyer,
curator, and Mrs. George Cox, historian. Mrs. Frank D. Belinder
was the retiring president.

"Museum week," sponsored by the Fort Scott and Bourbon County
Historical Society to obtain funds to aid in the preservation and
advertising of the county's fine historical assets, began September
26, 1949, and resulted in contributions of several hundred dollars.
October 1 was designated as a county -wide "tag day." The tags,
presented to everyone making contributions, were membership cards
in the society. G. W. Marble is the society's president.

(108)

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 109

Prof. John Cortelyou of the University of Nebraska, who spoke
on Indian relics in the Manhattan area, was the principal speaker
at the annual meeting of the Riley County Historical Association
at Manhattan, October 7, 1949. Prof. George A. Filinger was
elected president of the association. Others elected were: Walter
E. McKeen, vice-president; Mrs. Eva Knox, secretary; Joe D.
Haines, treasurer, and F. I. Burt, historian and curator. Sam Charl-
son, Clyde Rodkey and Dr. N. D. Harwood were elected to the
board of directors for three-year terms. Charlson was the retiring
president.

The annual Gold Ribbon party and Pioneer Day gathering, spon-
sored by the Kiowa County Historical Society, drew a record crowd
of 288 at Greensburg, October 13, 1949. Fifteen couples wore yel-
low flowers, signifying that they had been married 50 years or more.
Henry Schwarm of Greensburg was elected president at the business
session. Other officers elected were: Will Sluder, Mullinville, first
vice-president; E. W. Freeman, Wellsford, second vice-president;
Mrs. L. V. Keller, Greensburg, treasurer, and Mrs. Benj. 0. Weaver,
Mullinville, secretary. Mrs. Emma Meyer of Haviland was the
retiring president.

Mrs. F. E. Munsell, Herington, was elected president of the Dick-
inson County Historical Society at the annual meeting October 26,
1949, in Abilene. Other officers chosen at the meeting were: Mrs.
Elsie Rohrer, Elmo, second vice-president, and Mrs. Lawrence
Kehler, Solomon, secretary. Fred Ramsey is first vice-president,
and Mrs. Adele Wilkins, Chapman, is treasurer. Mrs. Carl Peter-
son, Enterprise, was the retiring president.

A record crowd attended the annual meeting of the Clark county
chapter of the Kansas State Historical Society at Ashland on Octo-
ber 29, 1949. The society's officers for the coming year are: Frank
Dakin Arnold, president; Mrs. Charles McCasland, vice-president;
Jerome C. Berryman, first honorary vice-president; John E. Ste-
phens, second honorary vice-president; Mrs. Sidney Dorsey, record-
ing secretary; Mrs. W. B. Nunemacher, assistant recording secretary;
Rhea Gross, corresponding secretary; William T. Moore, treasurer;
Mrs. Roy V. Shrewder, historian; Mrs. H. Barth Gabbert, curator,
and M. G. Stevenson, auditor. Township directors include: Clayton
Hall, Appleton; Mrs. Charley Pike, Ashland (city) ; Lena Smith,

110 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Brown; Roy Shupe, Cimarron; Mrs. Robert Lee, Englewood; Willis
H. Shattuck, Lexington; Mrs. Vernon McMinimy, Sitka, and Mrs.
George McCarty, Vesta. The society was recently incorporated
and now owns and exhibits the Lon Ford gun and relic collection.
Four volumes of Notes on Early Clark County have been published
by the society to date.

Mrs. W. G. Anderson was elected president of the Cowley County
Historical Society at the annual meeting November 17, 1949, at
Winfield. Other officers elected were: Bert Moore, vice-president;
G. A. Kuhlmann, secretary-curator, and Lena Williams, treasurer.
Directors elected in addition to the officers were: Martin W. Baden,
Lloyd S. Roberts, Ira A. Wilson, Mrs. J. P. Stuber and Mary Jane
Brock.

A regional conference of Phi Alpha Theta, national honorary his-
tory fraternity, was held at the Kansas State Teachers College in
Pittsburg, November 19, 1949. Fred W. Brinkerhoff of Pittsburg,
former president of the Kansas State Historical Society, was the
featured speaker at the luncheon meeting.

Prof. -John Ise, of the University of Kansas, was the speaker at
the annual meeting of the Lawrence Historical Society, December
2, 1949. Dolph Simons was elected president of the society for the
coming year. Other officers chosen were: M. N. Penny, vice-presi-
dent; Mrs. L. H. Menger, secretary, and T. J. Sweeney, treasurer.
Elected to the board of directors were: Mrs. T. D. Prentice, Walter
H. Varnum, Mrs. Ida Lyons, Mary M. Smelser and Prof. Frank
E. Melvin. Varnum was the retiring president.

Historical projects of the Lyon County Historical Society have
continued during the past year. Volume 8 of the "Lyon County
Cemetery Records" has been completed, most of the work being
done by Lucina Jones. Clippings and typed data have been added
to the family records collection. The bell from the frigate Emporia,
active in World War II, has been received by the museum. A flag,
which had been carried in parades by Lyon county veterans of the
Union army and owned by the Preston B. Plumb post of the Wom-
an's Relief Corps, was presented to the society on September 17,
1949.

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 111

A Bloomer Girl on Pike's Peak 1858, edited by Agnes Wright
Spring, and published by the Western History Department, Denver
Public Library, c!949, is a 66-page story of Julia Archibald Holmes,
first white woman to climb Pike's Peak. Julia Archibald's father
was a town founder of Lawrence in 1854. James H. Holmes, whom
she married in 1857, arrived in Kansas in 1856 and became one of
John Brown's men. The Holmeses after their marriage spent part
of 1857-1858 on a farm near Emporia, but joined the Lawrence
party of gold-seekers bound for present Colorado in June, 1858.
Mrs. Holmes climbed Pike's Peak between August 1 and 5, 1858,
accompanied by her husband and two other men. She was 20 years
old at the time. Two photographs of Julia Archibald Holmes are
reproduced in the book, and there is also one of her brother Albert,
who was a member of the Lawrence party. Another illustration
shows the "Bloomer" costume advocated by Mrs. Amelia Bloomer,
a woman's rights champion. Mrs. Holmes wore a bloomer dress
while crossing the Kansas plains and in climbing Pike's Peak.

A journey to Oregon by wagon train in the middle 1840's was
the background of a recent historical novel by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.,
of Lexington, Ky., published under the title The Way West (Wil-
liam Sloane Associates, New York) . The work was a Book-of-the-
Month selection and quickly made the best-seller lists. Mr. Guthrie,
a life member of the Kansas State Historical Society, visited
the Historical Society in the summer of 1948 preliminary to writing
the book. He was following the old trail to Oregon as closely as
possible by way of modern highways.

Publication of an excellent five-volume pictorial history, Album
of American History (New York, 1944-1949), edited by James
Truslow Adams and published by Charles Scribner's Sons, has re-
cently been completed. Mr. Adams explained in the foreword of
Vol. 1 that the "intent of the present work is to tell the history of
America through pictures made at the time the history was being
made."

A Union Forever (Glendale, Cal., 1949), a 470-page book by
Muriel Gulp Barbe, is a historical story based on the records, docu-
ments and letters of Lewis Hanback. The story takes place in
Illinois and along the Kansas-Missouri border in 1854-1865. In

112 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Kansas Hanback came in contact with John Brown ; later he served
with the Union forces in the Civil War.

Frontier Justice, by Wayne Gard, is the title of a 324-page book
published recently by the University of Oklahoma press. The au-
thor described the book in his foreword as "an informal study of the
rise of order and law west of the Mississippi."

A fictionized biography of the Kansas painter, John Noble, en-
titled, The Passionate Journey, by Irving Stone, was recently pub-
lished by Doubleday & Company, Garden City, N. Y.

THE

KANSAS HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY

May 1950

Published by

Kansas State Historical Society
Topeka

KIRKE MECHEM JAMES C. MALIN NYLE H. MILLER

Editor Associate Editor Managing Editor

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST: XI. The Leslie
Excursions of 1869 and 1877 Joseph Becker, Harry Ogden
and Walter Yeager Robert Tajt, 113

With the following illustrations:

Becker's "A Station Scene on the Union Pacific Railway" (1869), be-
tween pp. 120, 121; "Drawing-Room of the Hotel Express Train,"
facing p. 121, and "Hotel Life on the Plains" (1870), facing p. 128.

Ogden and Yeager's "A Party of Gold Miners Starting "For the Black
Hills" From Cheyenne, facing p. 120; "A Character Scene in the
Emigrant Waiting-Room of the Union Pacific Railroad Depot at
Omaha," between pp. 120, 121, and "Bucking the Tiger" in a
Cheyenne, Wyo., Gambling Saloon (all 1877), facing p. 129.

A REVIEW OF EARLY NAVIGATION ON THE KANSAS RIVER. . .Edgar Lanqsdorj, 140

THE FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER Edgar Langsdorf, 146

THE RENAMING OF ROBIDOUX CREEK, MARSHALL COUNTY 159

LINCOLN COLLEGE, FORERUNNER OF WASHBURN MUNICIPAL UNIVERSITY:
Part Two Later History and Change of Name, Concluded,

Russell K. Hickman, 164

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 205

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 216

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 221

Entered as second-class matter October 22, 1931, at the post office at Topeka,
Kan., under the act of August 24, 1912.

THE COVER

"The Western Drama A Variety Show Entertainment in
Cheyenne [Wyo.]," sketched by Harry Ogden and Walter Yearger
in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, New York, October 13,
1877. (For description see pp. 131, 132.)

THE KANSAS
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Volume XVIII May, 1950 Number 2

The Pictorial Record of the Old West

XL THE LESLIE EXCURSIONS OF 1869 AND 1877: JOSEPH BECKER,
HARRY OGDEN AND WALTER YEAGER

ROBERT TAFT
(Copyright, 1950, by ROBERT TAFT)

ONE of the most important of all events in the history of the
Trans-Mississippi West was the completion of the first coast-to-
coast railroad and the attendant ceremony and celebration at
Promontory Point, Utah, on Monday, May 10, 1869. Not only was
there celebration as the ceremony of driving the golden spike was
completed, but the nation breathlessly followed the event as each
stroke of the silver mallet was flashed by wire to all the cities of the
country.

The final "Done!" was received in the East at 2:47 P. M. and
Mayor A. Oakey Hall of New York City shortly thereafter ordered
a hundred-gun salute fired in Central Park. A thanksgiving serv-
ice at Trinity church attended by huge crowds was a feature of the
New York festivities. In Philadelphia a battery of "steam" fire
engines was assembled in front of Independence Hall and as the final
word was received a bedlam of steam whistles, ringing bells and wild
cheers spread over the city. In Buffalo, crowds sang "The Star-
Spangled Banner." In Chicago an impromptu parade seven miles in
length, which the Chicago Tribune estimated contained "1626 horses
and 3252 human beings," soon got under way on that happy day. At
night the "new" Tribune building was ablaze with lights to cap the
city's jubilation.

Omaha staged a day-long celebration. An elaborate and carefully
planned parade was held in which nearby towns participated by
sending members of gayly attired fraternal orders and fire corn-
Da. ROBERT TAFT, of Lawrence, is professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas and
editor of the Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. He is author of Photography
and the American Scene (New York, 1938), and .Across the Years on Mount Oread (Lawrence,
1941).

Previous articles in this pictorial series appeared in the issues of The Kansas Historical
Quarterly for February, May, August and November, 1946, May and August, 1948, and
in each issue since May, 1949. The general introduction was in the February, 1946, number.

114 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

panics. Probably the fire company beg pardon, H. & L. Co. No. 1
of Fremont would have been awarded the prize, if a prize had
been given for the most colorful group, for their uniforms consisted
"of black broadcloth pants blue opera flannel shirts, with black
velvet collars and facings the whole trimmed with gold lace with,
also, a gold star on either side of the collar, a handsome red and
white morocco belt and fatigue cap." In the evening an elaborate
display of fireworks was capped by a grand ball in the capitol build-
ing. Visitors came from miles around, the city streets were over-
flowing to celebrate the great event, but the Omaha Republican in
reporting the happenings of the day thankfully remarked that there
was no rowdyism and drunkness, usual to American celebrations,
"and we have to chronicle no accident with its harrowing details, no
melee with its sickening consequences, no lists of crime; and we may
well be proud of so commendable a fact."

If the occasion was one for rejoicing in the East and the Middle
West, the citizens of California could scarcely contain their joy. In
fact, so eager was the desire to celebrate that San Francisco and
Sacramento held their jubilation two days before the rest of the
country, and on Saturday, May 8, the day was ushered in for San
Franciscans by salvos of artillery, booming of cannon and the ter-
rific screeching of whistles. The same day, Sacramento celebrated
so thoroughly that the Daily Union could do little but report "the
affair was very Magnificent." 1

Not since Lee's surrender, four years earlier, had the nation been
so profoundly moved. "At noon today," stated the New York
Tribune in its editorial columns, "the last rail is to be laid on the
great National railway that unites the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans,
and marks the crowning triumph over the Continent that the Puri-
tan and the Cavalier entered three centuries ago." 2

1. The nation-wide interest in the event is recorded in the extended and frequent accounts
in the newspapers of the day. The New York Tribune, for example, devoted to the event
over three columns on page one in the issue of May 8, 1869 ; four columns on page one in
the issue of May 10, including a poem for the occasion by George W. Bungay, "Rivet the
Last Pacific Rail"; two columns on page one of the issue of May 11, which described the
telegraphic report of events at Promontory Point and gave news of the celebration in other
cities. In Omaha, practically the entire first page of the Omaha Weekly Republican, May 19,
1869, was devoted to accounts of the local celebration and those occurring elsewhere. The
quotations in the text (concerning Omaha) are from this source. The plans and celebration
in San Francisco are reported in the Daily Alta California, San Francisco, May 6, p. 1, May
8, p. 1, May 9, p. 1, May 12, p. 1, 1869. The Alta in the issue of May 9 published a
poem by W. H. Rhodes, written for the occasion. The Alta in the issue of May 20, 1869,
p. 1, reprinted an account from the Chicago Tribune of May 11, describing the celebration in
Chicago. The accounts in the Sacramento Daily Union also published a poem for the oc-
casion by L. E. Crane (May 10, 1869, p. 8). Since we have taken the trouble to mention
poems resulting from this historic occasion we should not, of course, leave out the best known
of all, "What the Engines Said," by Bret Harte. This poem appeared originally in The
Overland Monthly, San Francisco, v. 2 (1869), June, p. 577.

2. New York Tribune, May 10, 1869, p. 4.

"The crowning triumph" was viewed by many representatives of the press, but curiously
enough, the two leading pictorial papers of the day, Harper's Weekly and Leslie's, had no

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 115

With the eyes of the nation thus so acutely focused on the great
national railway, it is not surprising that newspaper and magazine
editors hurriedly sent out reporters and writers to describe for their

"artists on the spot," so that the pictorial records of the event upon which we are dependent
today are the well-known photographs of C. R. Savage and the lesser-known ones of A. J.
Russell.

Not until the issue of May 29, 1869, did Harper's Weekly take recognition of the comple-
tion of the railroad. A double-page spread of wholly imaginative and decorative pictures
(pp. 344, 345) pay their respects to the event (with description note on p. 341).

Leslie's was still later in recording the event. In the issue of June 5, 1869, there are re-
produced several of the A. J. Russell photographs of the event. For information on the Sav-
age and Russell photographs, see Robert Taft, Photography and the American Scene (New
York, 1938), pp. 272, 280, 293. The California Alta, May 12, 1869, p. 1, stated that A. A.
Hart of Sacramento, also photographed the ceremony of May 10, 1869.

Doubtless the best -known picture of the ceremony of the joining of the rails is Thomas
Hill's "The Last Spike" (currently called "The Driving of the Last Spike"). This huge oil
painting (eight feet, two inches by eleven feet, six inches) was begun by Hill about 1877 and
is based on photographs of the event and of the celebrities who participated. One account
has it that the painting was commissioned by Leland Stanford who never paid for or ac-
quired it. It was finally bought in the late 1890's by Paul Tietzen, who presented it to the
state of California in 1937. It now hangs at the end of the north corridor of the first floor
in the California state capitol, Sacramento. Hill first exhibited the painting in San Francisco
on January 28, 1881, according to an account in the San Francisco Alta California, January
29, 1881, p. 1. This account states that the painting was "the consummation of nearly four
years of arduous labor" and continued:

"In painting his picture, Mr. Hill selected the moment of the most serious feeling,
when the officiating clergyman, Rev. Dr. Todd, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has just
concluded his invocation to the Almighty and the electricians were about connecting
the golden spike, presented by Mr. David Hewes, with the Transcontinental telegraph
line, that was to ring out the glad tidings of 'the last spike driven' on the bell of the
Capitol at Washington, and the cannon that woke the echoes of the Golden Gate. The
view is eastward, along the track of the Union Pacific Railroad, toward the horizon,
bounded by the snowy summit of the Wahsatch Mountains. The commanding figure
of Governor Stanford, leaning on the silver hammer, arrests the eye, which, after a
moment's pause, glances beyond to the locomotive, half hidden by figures, and then on
to the plains dotted with sagebrush and suffused with the genial rays of the sun, upon
an almost cloudless afternoon. There are some four hundred figures on the canvas,
seventy of which are portraits in rich diversified and harmonious colors, with flowing
grace of outline and freedom of individual treatment. The characteristics of the men,
many of whose names are familiar on both hemispheres, are as well shown in pose and
outline as in feature, presenting a rare combination of strong faces and manly forms.
There are also introduced some well-known characters of the plains, and several inci-
dents contrasting the old life and the incoming civilization. To the left is presented
an old-fashioned stagecoach, while beyond is a wagon train that had left the Mis-
souri months before; and a race is in progress between mustangs, to whose drivers gam-
bling was paramount to matters of national concern.

"Other features are a strap-game, poker-playing on a barrel-head, a couple of
saloons improvised for the occasion, a few Indians in their native attire, a few itinerant
vendors, and a company of soldiers that chanced to be present, all of which give vari-
ety of detail and relieve the more formal groupings. At the feet of Governor Stanford,
adjusting the wire leading off through the crowd to the telegraph pole on the right, is
F. L. Vandenburg, the chief electrician of the occasion. To the left is J. H. Strow-
bridge, General Superintendent of the work of construction. The leading lights of the
Central Pacific Railroad C. P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, E. B. Crocker, Charles
Crocker, and T. D. Judah are represented in characteristic attitudes, with features ac-
curately portrayed. Near Governor Stanford are the President and Directors of the
Union Pacific Oakes Ames, Sidney Dillon, Dr. Durant and John Duff. The wives of
the officers commanding the troops in the vicinity, who were present, add to the canvas
a picturesque quality. The Wahsatch Mountains, five or six miles distant, trend away
to the north, diminishing in height until they become a low range of blue hills bounding
the grayish-green expanse of plains, while the foreground is bathed with warm light,
lending to the pile of ties, the kegs of spikes, the grading implements, and even the
fresh earth, a mellow radiance that invests them with a portion of the interest at-
tached to the scene. Although Mr. Hill dealt with four hundred figures in almost per-
fect rest, and the landscape in which they stand, except for a lovely quality in the at-
mosphere and a certain enhancement of distance, is without extraordinary features, the
thankless material yielded to the skillful hand of the artist, and the picture is complete."
I am indebted to Miss Beora Snow, information clerk at the California state capitol and
to Miss Caroline Wenzel of the California State Library, Sacramento, for the above informa-
tion. Hill's famous painting was reproduced in color in Fortune, February, 1940, and in Life,
July 4, 1949.

Thomas Hill (1829-1908) is one of the best-known of California painters of mountain
ncenery. For a biographical sketch se Dictionary of American Biography, v. 9, pp. 46, 47.
Eugen Neuhaus, History and Ideals of American Art (Stanford Univ., 1931), pp. 86, 87, has
an undocumented account of his work. Thad Welch, another California painter, character-
ized Hill as "an amiable Englishman, who said he painted the Yosemite, not as it is, but as
it ought to be." Overland, v. 82 (1924), April, p. 181.

116 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

readers the wonder of travel from coast to coast on iron rails. One
of the best-known of the writing fraternity to draw this assignment
was A. D. Richardson of the New York Tribune, and in less than
ten days after the rails were joined, he left New York City for San
Francisco. In a lengthy series of articles to the Tribune he de-
scribed in considerable detail his experiences as he traveled from
coast to coast. 3 According to Richardson, the distance he covered
was 3,313 miles (from New York to San Francisco) and the fare
on this early transcontinental tour was $193.82.

Less than 50 California-bound passengers were on the train as
they left Omaha. Emigrants, Richardson pointed out, were waiting
for lower fares. The trip from coast to coast could be made in six
days but nine days was the more usual time when the through road
was first opened. 4 Moreover the rails really weren't continuous, for
at Council Bluffs, because of the lack of a bridge across the Missouri
river, the passengers disembarked on the eastern shore of the river
and were loaded into

twelve mammoth omnibuses, and express and baggage wagons. The two mail
wagons are so piled with sacks of letters and papers that they look like loads
of hay. All these huge vehicles are crowded upon one ferry boat; we drop
down half a mile, rounding the great, flat, naked sand-bank; then land, a
drive along a plank road, with water on each side, into the just-now muddy
streets of Omaha. The through passengers are transferred to the Union Pa-
cific train, and in half an hour are again whirling Westward. . . , 5

Although the rails were continuous through Promontory Point,
the "town" was the end of the Union Pacific and the beginning of
the Central Pacific and passengers were forced to change cars in
Richardson's day. Travelers were advised to be wary of Promon-
tory. It was, as Richardson described it, "30 tents upon the Great
Sahara, sans trees, sans water, sans comfort, sans everything." 6

3. The articles (eight in number) appeared under the general heading "Through to the
Pacific" and will be found in the New York Tribune of 1869 as follows: May 29, pp. 1, 2
(this first one is dated "Chicago, May 21"); June 5, p. 1; June 22, p. 2; June 25, pp. 1, 2;
June 26, p. 14; July 12, pp. 1, 2; July 19, p. 1; July 28, pp. 1, 2. The series was concluded
by a column headed "Back From the Pacific" (describing Richardson's experiences as far
east as Omaha and Atchison) in the issue of August 2, 1869, pp. 1, 2. All nine articles are
signed with Richardson's initials "A. D. R." This series was reprinted in a greatly condensed
version in a compilation of Richardson's writings prepared by his wife, Mrs. A. D. Richardson,
Garnered Sheaves . . . (Hartford, 1871), pp. 258-322. Other contemporary accounts of
travel over the transcontinental railroad in the first few months of use will be found in W. L.
Humason's From the Atlantic Surf to the Golden Gate (Hartford, 1869), a very poor and in-
adequate description as far as actual travel experiences go; a more satisfactory account will be
found in W. F. Rae's Westward By Rail (New York, 1871), 2nd ed. Rae made the trip
across the continent in September, 1869.

4. Richardson gives a nine -day time table from New York to San Francisco in the New
York Tribune, June 26, 1869, p. 14. There is an item in the Tribune, July 26, 1869, p. 3,
reporting that the first through car from Sacramento arrived in New York City on July 24.
It had left Sacramento on July 17 and made the trip in "a trifle over six days."

5. Ibid., June 5, 1869, p. 1.

6. Ibid., June 26, 1869, p. 14.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 117

Other contemporaries condemned it in still harsher terms:

Sodom [wrote the editor from a neighboring town] had its few, peculiar
besetting sins; Promontory presents a full catalogue, with all the modern
improvements, dips, spurs, angles, and variations. The low, desperate, hungry,
brazen-faced thieves there congregated would contaminate the convicts of any
penitentiary [sic] in the land. It would be a mercy to the traveling public,
especially that portion coming west, and a relief to the honest mechanics of
Promontory, and the moral sentiments of the age, if the cleansing element of
fire would sweep the God-forsaken town from the face of the earth. 7

If the traveling public read at all, they would have reason to
make their stay in Promontory as short as possible. The final dis-
comfort in traveling from coast to coast in 1869 was encountered
at the western end of the line, for rail reached only to Sacramento.
The remainder of the trip could be made to San Francisco by
steamer down the Sacramento river or by rail to Vallejo and then
by ferry across the bay. The Vallejo railroad, however, was a
private affair not connected with the Central Pacific and although
it was the shortest and quickest way to San Francisco, its existence
was not disclosed to transcontinental passengers. 8

Despite these difficulties of travel, Richardson was quick to assure
his readers that the combined roads were as safe to travel as any in
the United States and that passengers taking sleeping cars would
have a comfortable trip. 9 In fact, as another traveler pointed out,
"the Pullman saloon, sleeping and restaurant cars of the West, as
yet unknown in the Atlantic States . . . introduce a comfort,
even a luxury, into life on the rail, that European travel has not
yet attained to. . . ." 10

Richardson was no new observer of the West, for he had a first-
hand acquaintance with it, not only from previous travel but from
actual frontier life and one of the most moving passages of his over-
land account was written when he recalled his earlier travels:

Memories of seven journeys in bye gone years, and from the Missouri to
three mountains on horseback and in vehicles usually occupying a week, and
always full of adventure. The wagon-train, the coach, the pony-expresses, the
buffalo-hunt, the Indian panic, the camp-fire, the reading aloud in the tent by
flaming candle of a chilly evening, the sleeping upon the ground under the blue
sky through many a pleasant night all these belong to a faded past. Instead,
we hear [have?] the palace car in its purple and fine linen; the conductor
with his pouch demanding our tickets; the black porter with his clothes-brush,

7. Omaha Weekly Republican, October 27, 1869, p. 3, reprinted from the Elko (Nev )
Independent of October 18.

8. Richardson, New York Tribune, July 12, 1869, pp. 1, 2.

9. Ibid., June 25, 1869, pp. 1, 2.

10. Samuel Bowles, The Atlantic Monthly, Boston, v. 23 (1869), April, p. 498.

118 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

waiting for our "quarter," the railway eating-house with its clattering dishes,
and the smooth running train for one night and one day [Richardson was re-
fering to the trip from Omaha to Cheyenne]. The gain is wonderful in time
and comfort; the loss irreparable in romance and picturesqueness. 11

JOSEPH BECKER

All of which sets the stage for Joseph Becker. Although writers in
considerable number made the Western journey shortly after the
joining of rails, pictorial reporters were few and far between, or at
least the record of their work is extremely meager. 12

Probably there was no publisher who was as sensitive to public
demand and tastes as Frank Leslie; his policy was based on the
maxim: "Never shoot over the heads of the people." If such a policy
led to no improvement in public taste, its record, at least, reflected
the common level of achievement and culture during the years that
Leslie published his numerous periodicals. The great public interest
aroused by the completion of the transcontinental railroad was
Leslie's signal to send a staff artist to picture events along the line
of travel, and in the fall of 1869 Joseph Becker started west on an
assignment from Leslie.

Becker, born in 1841, joined Leslie's staff as an errand boy in
1859, at the age of 17. In constant contact with the pictorial re-
porters on the staff, he became interested in sketching and was
taught the rudiments of the art by staff members. Leslie himself, a
skilled engraver, took an active interest in the youngster and en-
couraged him to practice long and hard. By 1863, he was an artist
on Leslie's staff and as the demand for field artists was insatiable,
he was sent with the Army of the Potomac and followed the cam-
paigns from Gettysburg to Appomattox. Many of his war drawings
were, of course, reproduced in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
but in 1905 Becker stated that he had many original Civil War
sketches and studies that had never been published. 13 Becker con-
tinued for many years after the close of the war on the Leslie staff,
and from 1875 until 1900 he was head of the Leslie art department.

Becker left New York City on his Western trip about the middle
of October, 1869, some five months after the joining of rails, so that

11. New York Tribune, June 22, 1869, p. 2.

12. Richardson reported (ibid.) that "within thirty days" many artists and writers Were
going west. Already he had met Ed. F. Waters of the Boston Advertiser, Gov. Bross of the
Chicago Tribune, J. W. Simonton of the Associated Press, and Wm. Swinton of the New York
Time*, but he did not mention by name any of the artists. I have found no other illustrator
until Becker's work is reported, although the photographers mentioned in Footnote 2 ehould
not be overlooked.

13. The biographical data on Becker given above comes from reminiscences of Becker pub-
lished in Leslie's Weekly, v. 101 (1905), December 14, p. 570, and from an obituary published
after his death on January 27, 1910, in the New York Tribune, January 29, 1910, p. 7. For
a biographical sketch of Frank Leslie see Dictionary of American Biography, v. 11, pp. 186,
187.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 119

some of the early difficulties of transcontinental travel had dis-
appeared, but the journey was unique in its kind. The enterprising
George Pullman had prevailed upon the managements of the Union
Pacific and the Central Pacific to permit a through Pullman train to
run from Omaha to San Francisco without the necessity of changing
trains at the junction point of Promontory. The Central Pacific had
completed their line from Sacramento to San Francisco so that with
the innovation of the Pullman car, rail service had been consider-
ably improved in five months. The Alia California of San Francisco
described the new service as follows:

After Tuesday next a Pullman special train, with drawing-room and sleeping
cars, will leave San Francisco at 7:30 a. m. every Monday, and Omaha every
Tuesday, at 9:15 a. m., stopping only . . . [for necessary] fuel and water.
The fare, including double berth in sleeping car, will be $168 in currency be-
tween San Francisco and Omaha. Meals will be served on the train as follows:
Breakfast, from 7 to 9, $1; lunch, from 11 to 2, at card prices; dinner, from 4
to 6, $1.50. Passage tickets, drawing-rooms, sections and berths can be secured
at the Pacific Railroad offices at either end, by telegraph, letter, or personal
application.

One of these special trains, which left Omaha on the 18th [actually October
19], will reach this city to-day, and will leave on the return trip for Omaha on
Monday next, arriving there on Thursday, and connecting with Eastern trains
due in New York on Sunday. The trip across the Continent will, according to
this schedule, be made in six days. 14

Becker was on the first of these special trains, the one which left
Omaha on October 19th. The train arrived in San Francisco on the
evening of October 22, making the run in 81 hours. 15

The pictorial records of Becker's trip began their appearance in
Leslie's with the issue of November 13, 1869. 16 It is a sentimental
drawing with the legend "Good-Bye" and shows a mother holding
her baby up to be kissed by a be-whiskered engineer in the loco-
motive cab. The illustration bears the sub-title, "An Incident on the
Union Pacific Railroad at Omaha."

Very few of these Western illustrations were credited directly to
Becker. In a few, to be cited later, Becker is specifically men-

14. Alta California, October 22, 1869, p. 1.

15. The arrival of the first Pullman special from the East is reported in ibid., October 23,
1869, p. 1, in an article which included a resolution signed by a number of the passengers.
Included in the list of names is that of "Joseph Becker, New York City." The article stated
that the train left Omaha "at a quarter past nine o'clock in the morning on Tuesday last."
Tuesday of that week was October 19. A group of travelers on a special train from New York
City which left New York October 16 was supposed to have made the trip west from Omaha
on the same special train; owing to storms they failed to make connections (the above citation
and the Omaha Weekly Republican, October 20, 1869, p. 3). This fact would establish that
Becker left New York City prior to October 16.

In the Becker reminiscences of 1905 (loc. cit.), he stated that the Western trip was made
in 1872 ; an obvious slip of memory for not only did the name of Becker appear in the Alta
California of 1869 (cited above) but there are no Western illustrations of Becker in Leslie's
for 1872 or 1873 whereas there are such illustrations for 1869 and 1870.

16. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, v. 29 (1869), November 13, p. 145 (full page).

120 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

tioned in the legend. In two, his initials appeared. After the series
was under way, individual illustrations appeared under the general
title, "Across the Continent," followed by the specific title of the
illustration and the credit line "From a sketch by our special artist."
Occasionally in the series, an illustration will be found which bears
the signature of some other artist. Thus the signature "Bghs" (Al-
bert Berghaus) appeared on several, however such signatures but
indicate the fact that the original sketch was redrawn, probably on
the wood block itself, by the second artist. A few of the illustrations
belonging to the general series, "Across the Continent," were credited
to photographs by A. J. Russell but the others to "our special artist."
I have assumed that all, with the exception of the photographs, are
to be credited to Becker. 17

Becker spent some time in California working on still another as-
pect of life in 1869. Leslie was greatly interested in the Chinese
question as were many other Americans of that day. The importa-
tion of Chinese laborers into California beginning in the middle
1860's was producing a social and economic problem as the wave of
Chinese immigration advanced eastward. Leslie's feeling about the
Chinese is doubtlessly reflected in the general title of a series of
illustrations appearing in his Newspaper, "The Coming Man." Here
again the illustrator was Becker, for Leslie had instructed him to
make the Chinese a matter of special study when he reached Cali-
fornia. 18

After spending six weeks in California, Becker returned east over
the transcontinental route but took time out to leave the main line

17. The record of Becker's Western trip as given in the Alta California reference (see Foot-
notes 14 and 15) and the subject matter of the Western illustrations as listed in the text
which follows, is good evidence for crediting Becker with the series of illustrations. But there
is more positive evidence. In the issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper for February
6, 1870, p. 346 (v. 29), there is editorial comment on a two-pa^e illustration (one of the series
"Across the Continent") issued as supplement, "The Snow Sheds on the Central Pacific Rail-
road, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains." The editorial goes on to state: "The numbers of
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper since the commencement of the publication in its pages
of scenes and incidents met with by our artist [italics are by the writer] in his journey to
San Francisco, are especially valuable, and should be purchased and carefully filed for future
reference by all who have an intelligent idea of the future of this continent." The illustration
referred to in this issue bears the legend, "From a Sketch by Joseph Becker." The identifica-
tion of our artist with Joseph Becker and with the series "Across the Continent" completes
the proof.

18. Becker's illustrations of Chinese life in California appeared in ibid., beginning with
the issue of May 7, 1870, where (p. 114) editorial comment is made on them and there is in-
cluded as a supplement to the issue a large two-page illustration, "Scene in the Principal
Chinese Theatre, San Francisco, California, During the Performance of a Great Historical
Play" with the legend "From a Sketch by Joseph Becker." Other Chinese illustrations ap-
peared in the issues of May 14, 21, 28, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, 16, 23, 30, 1870. In the
issue of July 30 (p. 316) is the statement that "with this number we close the interesting
series of engravings illustrating the Chinese as they are seen today in our chief maritime city
on the Pacific coast." Curiously enough, Becker in his reminiscences (see Footnote 13) stated
that the chief object of his Western trip was to depict the Chinese and that he "spent iix
weeks among the Celestials."

Other contemporary comment on the Chinese question will be found in the report, on a
national discussion of the Chinese labor question held at Memphis, Tenn., in 1869 (New York
Tribune, July 15, 1869, p. 5) and in A. D. Richardson's lengthy discussion of the Chinese
problem in "John," The Atlantic Monthly, v. 24 (1869), December, pp. 740-751.

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PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 121

at Ogden for a side trip to Salt Lake City, for the Mormons were
also a subject of general and extreme American interest. As a re-
sult, many Utah sketches appeared among the Becker illustrations.
It is possible, too, that Becker made a hasty side trip from the main
line of the Union Pacific at Cheyenne to Denver. 19

Altogether, if we exclude the Chinese illustrations (cited in Foot-
note 18), there resulted from Becker's trip some 40 Western illus-
trations with the following titles (starred items have the series
title, "Across the Continent") :

1. "Sunday in the Rocky Mountains" (full page).

2. "On the Plains A Station Scene on the Union Pacific Railway" (full
page). [Reproduced between pp. 120, 121.1

*3. "Dining Saloon of the Hotel Express Train" (about full page) .

*4. "Dra wing-Room of the Hotel Express Train" (Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 on two pages).

[No. 4, reproduced facing p. l2l.]
*5. "Kitchen of the Express Train."

*6. "Gamblers and Gambling-Table in the Street at Promontory Point."
*7. "Gambling-Houses at Promontory Point."
*8. "Passing Through the Great Salt Lake Valley" (double page).
*9. "Salt Lake Branch Railroad in Course of Construction" (full page).
*10. "Scene in Salt Lake Valley Fortified House on the Plains" (Nos. 10, 11,

12 on one page) .

*11. "Utah Transporting Railway Ties Across Salt Lake."
*12. "Utah Mormons Hauling Wood From the Mountains."
*13. "Hotel Life on the Plains" (six illustrations on one page). [Reproduced

facing p. 128.]
*14. "A Prairie Dog City Near the Pacific Railroad" (Nos. 14 and 15 on one

page).
*15. "Brigham City, and Old Water-Marks, as Seen from Corinne, on the Line

of the Pacific Railroad."
*16. "Mormon Converts on Their Way to Salt Lake City The Halt on the

Road at a Watering Place" (full page) .
*17. "A Mormon Farmer and His Family in the Streets of Salt Lake City"

(Nos. 17, 18, 19 on one page).
*18. "Street Scene in Salt Lake City."
*19. "The Fish Market, Salt Lake City Members of Brigham Young's Family

Buying Fish."
*20. "View of Echo City, and Entrance to Echo Canon, Looking East" (full

page and contains the signature, lower left, "J. B.").
*21. "A View in Echo Canon" (Nos. 21 and 22 on one page).
*22. "A Mormon Farmer and Family Returning From Salt Lake City."
*23. "Snow Sheds on the Central Pacific Railroad, in the Sierra Nevada Moun-
tains" (double page).

19. That the trip to Salt Lake City was made on the return from California is BO stated
by Becker in his reminiscences (see Footnote 13) ; in fact, even without his comment it would
appear obvious that Salt Lake City would have to be visited on the return trip as the out-
bound trip from Omaha to San Francisco in 81 hours would preclude any side trips.

The possibility of a Becker visit to Denver is suggested by an illustration in Frank Leslie't
Illustrated Newspaper, v. 30 (1870), April 2, p. 44, "Monuments on Monument Creek, Col-
orado, Near the Line of the Pacific Railroad," credited to the general series of illustrations
and to "our artist"; the text (p. 29) identified the locality as "south of Denver."

122 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

*24. "Salt Lake City The Reserved Circle in the Mormon Theatre for the

children of Brigham Young" (Nos. 24 and 25 on one page).
*25. "Salt Lake City The Interior of the Great Mormon Temple."
*26. "Salt Lake City The Reserved Circle for the Wives of Brigham Young

in the Mormon Theatre" (Nos. 26 and 27 on one page).
*27. "Salt Lake City Mormon Leader with His Last 'Seal' in the Mormon

Theatre."

*28. "Entrance to the Great American Desert" (Nos. 28 and 29 on one page).
*29. "The Weber Canon."

*30. "Wood Shoots in the Sierra Nevada Pacific Railroad" (about % page).
*31. "Hauling Lumber in the Sierra Nevada" (Nos. 31 and 32 on one page).
*32. "Humboldt River and Canon."
*33. "The Post-Office at Promontory Point" (small).
*34. "In the Sierra Nevada, on the Line of the Pacific Railroad" (about Vz

page).
*35. "Scene on the Road to Salt Lake City A Mormon Adobe Dwelling"

(about Vz page) .

36. "View on Truckee River in Sierra Nevada" (about % page).
*37. "Laborers on a Hand-Car of the Pacific Rail road, Attacked by Indians

Running Fight, and Repulse of the Assailants" (full page).

38. "Monuments on Monument Creek, Colorado, Near the Line of the
Pacific Railroad" (about % page) .

39. "On the Plains Early Morning at Fort Laramie" (about % page).

40. "An Exciting Race Between a Locomotive and a Herd of Deer on the
Line of the Pacific Rail road, West of Omaha" (about % page). 20

Of all the illustrations listed above, the most interesting and most
revealing of the times is No. 2, "A Station Scene on the Union
Pacific Railway" (reproduced between pp. 120, 121). The station
may be Omaha or more probably it is a composite view of sev-
eral scenes witnessed by Becker, for here are portrayed the bustle,
confusion and interests of many and varied individuals. Emigrants,
pleasure-seeking travelers, soldiers, plainsmen and prospectors, In-
dians, card sharps, mining speculators, Chinese coolies, a Jewish
peddler (When will the fascinating story of the Jew on the frontier
be told?), a Negro caller and many others not so easily identified
carry on their roles against the background of the station, a hastily
constructed water tower and a billowing canvsis "Hotel and Dining
Room." The opening of the railroad made easier access to the

20. These illustrations appeared in ibid., as follows: In v. 29 (1869), No. 1, December 4,

&, 193; No. 2, December 11, pp. 208, 209. In v. 29 (1870), No. 3, January 15, p. 297;
os. 4, 5, 6, 7, January 15, pp. 304, 305; No. 8, January 15, supplement; No. 9, January
22, p. 321; Nos. 10, 11, 12, January 22, p. 324; No. 13, January 22, p. 325; Nos. 14, 15,
January 29, p. 336 ; No. 16, January 29, p. 337 ; Nos. 17, 18, 19, February 5, p. 349 ; No.
20, February 5, p. 352; Nos. 21, 22, February 5, p. 353; No. 23, February 5, supplement;
Nos. 24, 25, February 12, p. 372; Nos. 26, 27, February 12, p. 373; Nos. 28, 29, February
19, p. 389; No. 30, February 26, p. 401; Nos. 31, 32, February 26, p. 404; No. 33, March
5, p. 409; No. 34, March 5, p. 417; No. 35, March 12, p. 436. In v. 30 (1870), No. 36,
March 19, p. 12; No. 37, March 26, p. 25; No. 38, April 2, p. 44; No. 39, April 30,
p. 108; No. 40, May 28, p. 173.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 123

mining regions of the West and every new discovery brought a rush
of passengers intent on making sudden fortunes. 21

Others of particular interest in the series include those showing
the equipment of the first Pullman special, "the Hotel Express
Train" (Nos. 3, 4 and 5) , those of Promontory Point (Nos. 6, 7,
33 and probably No. 13) which do nothing to relieve its reputation
as "a God-forsaken town" and the two large illustrations, "Snow
Sheds on the Central Pacific Railroad, in the Sierra Nevada Moun-
tains" (No. 23) and "Passing Through the Great Salt Lake Valley"
(No. 8) which bears as an addition to the legend, "The Country as
Seen From the Observation Car of the Pacific Railroad Hotel Ex-
press Train." The "Observation Car" was simply the rear platform
of the last coach but Becker later claimed that the desire of travel-
ers to observe scenery on this trip suggested the idea of an observa-
tion car. "I furnished designs," wrote Becker in 1905, "for this to
Mr. Pullman, which afterwards were utilized. I may therefore
fairly claim to have been the inventor of what is now a feature on
all great railways." 22

The illustration showing snowsheds in the Sierra Nevadas is of
additional interest as Becker later made a painting based on the
illustration. In 1939, the painting was on exhibit at the Metropoli-
tan Museum of Art under the inconceivably stupid title of "The
First Transcontinental Train Leaving Sacramento, in May, 1869."
An examination of the two pictures shows that they are but little
different. 23

The last two in the list above (Nos. 39 and 40) do not have the
series title, "Across the Continent," but from the subject matter and
the accompanying text clearly belong with the group. The title of
No. 39 is in error, however, for it should read "Early Morning at
Laramie [not Fort Laramie]." The failure to distinguish between
Laramie, Wyo., and Fort Laramie is an error that has been made
innumerable times since 1870.

21. The White Pine silver mines of Nevada were probably attracting the most interest at
the time of Becker's trip. The New York Tribune in August and September of 1869 ran a
series of five long articles on these mines (No. 1 in the series appeared on August 16, 1869,

Fp. 1, 2, and No. 3, August 24, 1869, pp. 1, 2) the railroad station for which was Elko, Nev.
have examined the Omaha papers of the period (in the Byron Reed collection of the Omaha
Public Library) i. e., the summer and fall of 1869, and both the Omaha Weekly Republican
and the Omaha Weekly Herald devoted many columns to mining news, not only of the White
Pine region but to regions in Montana (the freight station for the Montana mines on the line
of the railroad was Corinne, Utah Omaha Weekly Herald, November 24, 1869, p. 4), Wy-
oming and Colorado.

It will be noted that this illustration bears, lower left, a signature which appears to be a
composite of several, but the initials "J" "B" and "D" are discernible. "D" probably is
the signature of J. P. Davis, the wood-engraver as his signature appeared on at least one
other of Becker's illustrations, Leslie's, v. 30 (1870), May 7, supplement.

22. In Becker reminiscences (see Footnote 13).

23. For the exhibition of the Becker painting in 1939, see Life in America (The Metro-
politan Museum of Art, N. Y., 1939), pp. 157, 158.

124 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

After Becker became head of Leslie's art department in 1875, his
opportunities for travel were greatly reduced and, as far as I have
been able to determine, his Western illustrations were confined
solely to his experiences of 1869. 24

HARRY OGDEN AND WALTER YEAGER

The practice of newspapers and magazines in sending artists and
illustrators on long excursions to the West has resulted in some of
our most important pictorial records of this region. In addition to
those of Joseph Becker, the travels of A. R. Waud and T. R. Davis
in 1866 and 1867, and the extremely valuable series of illustrations
secured by Frenzeny and Tavernier, have already been described in
this series.

Doubtless there were many others in the decades of the 1860's and
1870's. For example, the Southwestern illustrations of T. Willis
Champney made for Scribner's Magazine in 1873 at least deserve
mention in our review. But illustrators sent by newspapers and the
lesser-known magazines must have made the transcontinental tour
in considerable number, though their work today is not readily ac-
cessible. Much of it, I hope, will through the continued work of
myself and others, eventually come to light. 25

* * *

The most elaborate, the plushiest, the ne plus ultra in the way of
pictorial excursions to the West, however, was that of no less a per-
son than Frank Leslie himself in the spring and summer of 1877. By
1877 Leslie was a person of real consequence in these United States.

24. The only other Western illustrations that I have found credited to Becker are tv^o
appearing in Leslies many years after his trip of 1869. In the issue of August 17, 1889, p.
21, is the Becker illustration "Forest Fires in Montana" and in the issue of March 21, 1891,
p. 121, is the Becker illustration "The Invasion of the Cherokee Strip." As no information
in the text appears concerning these illustrations, I presume that Becker redrew them from
photographs or from the sketches of other artists.

Reproduced with Becker's reminiscences (Footnote 13) was a photograph of a group of
Leslie artists of the early 1870 's. Included in the group, in addition to Becker, are a number
of individuals whose names have appeared in this series, including Albert Berghaus, James E.
Taylor, T. de Thulstrup and Walter Yeager.

25. Local and state historical societies should find a particularly fertile and interesting
field in stimulating the study of types and sources of pictorial materials that record the history
of their individual regions along the lines suggested by this present series of articles.

For the illustrations of T. Willis Champney (1843-1903), see the series of articles by Ed-
ward King, "The Great South," in Scribner's Monthly for 1873-1875. Those in the Beries
that belong to the Trans-Mississippi West include Scribner's Monthly, v. 6 (1873), July, pp.

the initials of Thomas Moran and W. L. Snyder. However, in v. 6, pp. 279, 280, 286, are
illustrations bearing the signature "W. L. S. after Champney" and in the table of contents of
v. 7 (p. iv) there is the credit line for six of the King articles appearing in that volume,
"Illustrated from sketches by Champney." Occasionally, too, one will encounter in the Beries
an illustration "C-WLS," so that it is apparent that Moran and Snyder (and others) redrew
many of the Champney sketches. That Champney was the artist sent by Scribner's is verified
by the fact that he was in the Southwest in 1873; see Topeka Commonwealth, January 28,
1873, p. 2. For a short biographical sketch of Champney, see American Art Annual, New
York, v. 4 (1903), p. 138.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 125

He was publishing well over a dozen periodicals, including the best-
known of the group, Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper which on
occasion sold as many as 400,000 copies an issue a remarkable fig-
ure for its day. His Frank Leslie's Historical Register of the United
States Centennial Exposition of 1876 was one of the most sump-
tuously illustrated volumes ever published and of which he was
justly proud. He owned an elaborate country estate, Interlaken, on
Saratoga lake, complete with formal gardens, terraces and steam
yacht, where he and his wife entertained on a prodigal and lavish
scale, and where, the year before he made his Western trip, he had
been host to the Emperor and Empress of Brazil. And lastly, his
wife, Miriam Florence Leslie, formerly Mrs. Squier, formerly Mrs.
Peacock, nee Miriam Florence Follin, was a charming, vivacious and
very articulate young woman articulate in five languages. 26

On April 10, 1877, Leslie, with a party of 11 friends and
employees, left New York City for the West over the New York
Central and Michigan Southern railways in an elaborate, highly-
decorated and magnificent Wagner sleeping car. To do full credit
to the occasion, however, one must read the contemporary report of
the departure:

On Tuesday evening, April 10th, a large party of gentlemen and ladies, prom-
inent in literary, artistic and social circles, assembled at the Grand Central
Depot in Forty-second Street, to bid farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Leslie,
who were about starting on a trip to California and the Pacific Coast. Mr.
Leslie was accompanied by several artists, photographers and literary ladies
and gentlemen connected with his publishing house, and it is his intention to
visit every locality of special note on the route, with a view to illustrating the
grand highway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on a scale never here-
tofore attempted. The public may congratulate itself that it is about to acquire
a new and more extended familiarity with the magnificent scenery of the
Great West. Mr. Leslie's party numbers twelve in all. They started in a spe-
cial Wagner Palace Car, which Mr. Wagner, out of compliment to its enter-
prising occupant, named the "Frank Leslie." At Chicago, which was reached
on Thursday, April 12th, the party were transferred to a Pullman Hotel Car,

26. For the Leslies, see Dictionary of American Biography, v. 11, pp. 186-188; National
Cyclopedia of American Biography, v. 3, p. 370; v. 25, pp. 237, 238; the most satisfactory
account of Mrs. Leslie as yet available is Madeleine B. Stern's "Mrs. Frank Leslie: New
York's Last Bohemian" in New York History, Cooperstown, January, 1948. Miss Stern is
now at work on a full-length biography of Mrs. Leslie.

The circulation of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper estimated from data supplied by
the American Newspaper Directory for the period 1870-1900 is considerable less than the fig-
ures given in the text above and in general less than its chief competitor, Harper's Weekly,
whose maximum circulation was 100,000 in the period stated. Nevertheless, on special occa-
sions the circulation of Leslie's jumped to astonishingly large figures. After the Chicago fire,
the two succeeding issues of Leslie's were reported as having a circulation of 327,000 and of
470,000 (Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, v. 33 [1871], November 4, p. 114; November
11, p. 130). Incidentally, many of the Chicago fire illustrations in Leslie's were sketched by
Joseph Becker.

126 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

and arrangements have been perfected permitting this vehicle to lie over at
any point Mr. Leslie may indicate for as long a time as suits his convenience.
In this manner the artists and writers, as well as those who accompany the
expedition in the character of pleasure-seekers only, will have ample oppor-
tunity afforded them of making a deliberate survey of all points of interest, and
of acquiring intelligent and lasting impressions of what they observe, very dif-
ferent from the fleeting ideas which tourists are usually obliged to catch at in
the hurried transit of ordinary travel. Everything deserving of reproduction
will be carefully and accurately noted, and will in due time be brought into
the intimate acquaintance of the readers of Frank Leslie's Illustrated News-
paper, accompanied by competent descriptive text. On reaching San Fran-
cisco, the party will make their headquarters at Warren Leland's magnificent
Palace Hotel, while they prosecute their search for the picturesque in the
glorious Yosemite region, and possibly northward as far as Vancouver and the
Columbia River.

The scene in the depot at the starting, represented in our illustration, was one
of genial excitement. Judging from the number of champagne baskets and
significant-looking hampers placed on board the "Frank Leslie" car, it was
evident that its temporary proprietor had a full appreciation of what would
tend to the inner comfort of his companions, while the luxurious appointments
of the carriage itself promised all that could be demanded for their physical
ease. Upwards of a hundred persons were in attendance to wish the party a
pleasant journey, and as the last whistle sounded, and the huge train gradually-
acquired motion, loud cheers arose from the group on the platform, responded
to by waving of hands and handkerchiefs from the inmates of the car, and
accompanied by a deafening chorus of exploding signal-torpedoes, which Mr.
Wagner had, without announcing his intention, caused to be placed on the
tracks, in front of each wheel of the "Frank Leslie." 27

The party of 12 included, besides Mr. and Mrs. Leslie, Mr. and
Mrs. C. B. Hackley, presumably friends of the Leslies; Bracebridge
Hemyng ("Jack Harkaway"), one of the Leslie writers; a Miss
Davis, possibly another writer; H. S. Wicks, Leslie's business mana-
ger; W. K. Rice, a son of Gov. A. H. Rice of Massachusetts, prob-
ably also a guest of the Leslies; W. B. Austin, a staff photographer;
E. A. Curley, probably Austin's assistant, and Harry Ogden and
Walter R. Yeager, staff artists of the Leslie publications. 28

As a result of the trip, which extended from coast to coast there
appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper nearly 200 illus-
trations, the majority of which are scenes of Western interest. Most
of the illustrations are to be attributed to sketches by Ogden and by

27. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, v. 44 (1877), April 28, pp. 140, 141. Mrs.
Frank Leslie, California A Pleasure Trip From Gotham to the Golden Gate (New York,
1877), pp. 17-20, also described the departure. The last account is subsequently cited a
Mrs, Leslie.

28. The identification of the Leslie party is based on accounts of the Leslie trip appearing
in the Chicago Times, April 13, 1877. p. 6; the Chicago Daily Tribune, April 14, 1877, p. 8;
the Omaha Daily Bee, April 17, 1877, p. 4; the Wyoming Daily Leader, Cheyenne, April 19,
1877, and especially the account in the Rocky Mountain News, Denver, April 20, 1877, p. 4.
I am indebted to the Chicago Historical Society, the Nebraska State Historical Society, the
Wyoming State Library and Historical Department, and the Western History Department of
the Denver Public Library for these accounts.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 127

Yeager or to the joint efforts of the two. A few are obviously based
on photographs, and undoubtedly Ogden and Yeager employed Aus-
tin's photographs freely in preparing their final illustrations for pub-
lication. 29

The party arrived in Chicago on April 13, went to the Grand
Pacific Hotel and spent two days viewing the Windy city. Many
evidences of the great fire were still evident, but the party agreed
that Chicago was "a city of magnificent beginnings, a thing of
promise." 30

Not only are there many illustrations of this transcontinental
journey, but there are also extensive written descriptions. Mrs.
Leslie described her experiences in book form (see Footnote 27), and
the individual issues of Leslie's for many weeks carried considerable
text with the illustrations. The written descriptions are not signed
but were probably Jack Harkaway's contribution to history. His
descriptions are written with real skill and are in general entertain-
ing and informative. Considering the elaborate and sumptuous char-
acter of the expedition, one might expect condescension on the part
of the writer toward his audience. Such an attitude is completely
lacking, for the writer is able to convey his very real interest in the
unfolding panorama about him. The interest, no doubt, was gen-
uine, for none of the party had been west before and the Great West
was still a fabulous country to the untraveled in 1877. Read, for
example, Harkaway's description of their journey as they left
Omaha and were fairly launched into the Great West:

The chief beauty and interest of the Plains [he wrote], so far on our journey,
is borrowed from their relation to the sky. The Platte Valley, with its absence
of marked features and strong lights and shadows, is something like an expres-

29. Credit is variously given for the illustrations. In the issue of July 7, p. 301, are sev-
eral small sketches credited to "Harry Ogden and W. Yeager"; in the same issue, p. 304, is
one credited to "Harry Ogden"; in the issue of July 14, 1871, p. 321, are several illustrations
credited to "Harry Ogden and W. Yeager"; in the issue of September 15, 1877, p. 17, an il-
lustration is credited to "Harry Ogden"; in the issues of September 24, 1878, pp. 420-421,
and September 7, 1878, p. 5, are a number of illustrations, "Walter Yeager and H. Ogden";
in the issue of November 30, 1878, p. 220, is one credited to "Walter Yeager"; the remainder
are credited either "to our special artist" or "to our special artist*," with a very considerably
larger proportion credited in the latter manner. In a few instances the credit lines "From
photos and sketches by our special artists"; in still fewer cases the credit is given "from a
photograph." It seems probable, therefore, that most of the illustrations were the joint
work of Ogden and Yeager. Mrs. Leslie is of very little help in crediting illustrations. On
p. 22, a comment was made on our artist and Mrs. Leslie continued: "I say our artist, for,
although several are with us, H [presumably Harry Ogden, 20 years old at the time] is ours,
par excellence, not only because he has grown up beneath the eye of our Chief [Frank Leslie],
but from his thoroughly sympathetic nature, combining the ability of a man with the winning
qualities of a boy; the enfant gate of our office the enfant terrible, occasionally, of our party."
Mrs. Leslie, too, confirmed the fact that the Nevada mining illustrations (to be discussed later
in the text) were made by only one of the artists (pp. 282, 283) but she did not indicate
which one. The credit line on these illustrations, too, are among the relatively few credited
"to our special artist." It would be my guess that the artist was Yeager, for if it had been
Ogden, a favorite of Mrs. Leslie, she would have so stated it. She does not mention Yeager
anywhere by name.

30. Ibid., pp. 27-83. Illustrations of their Chicago visit appeared in Frank Leslie's Il-
lustrated Newspaper, July 21, July 28, and August 4, 1877.

128 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

sionless human face; to which, on this windy April afternoon, our first one
"out" from Omaha, the rolling cloud shadows lend life and change and inces-
sant variety. Great masses of white cumuli pile up in the blue, trooping west-
ward like ourselves, before a strong, driving wind; the sun wakes hot on the
tawny and brown mat of last year's grass, and, as far as eye can reach, there
is no shade and no motion in the landscape, except from these hurrying clouds.

The long, parallel lines of smooth, shining rail, and the diminishing ranks
of telegraph-posts, stretching away from our track as we sit on the rear plat-
form, are wonderfully important and suggestive features in the scene. Watch-
ing all day, you will scarcely see a curve in that long "iron trail"; only now
and then, for a few miles, a side-track travels with us, and unites at some little
station or round-house. Soon after Fremont is left behind us, we find vast
excitement in the approach, on one of these switches, of a train bound East;
every window full of heads and arms, chiefly feminine and infantile, for all the
men, as the engines "slow up" and stop, seize the opportunity to rush out and
exchange greetings on terra firma. Our photographer, diving into the curtained
section which has been set apart for the storage of bags, hampers and instru-
ments, rummages wildly for his plates and chemicals. Our artist, constituting
himself assistant, snatches the camera and disappears; and presently there is
diffused over the easy, lounging group of dusty passengers, brakemen in shirt-
sleeves, and trim, gold-buttoned conductors outside, a universal and frigid
atmosphere of "sitting for their picture." Everybody strikes a hasty attitude
and composes his features; the engineer reclines gracefully against his cow-
catcher, and all the hands, with one instinctive impulse, seek sheltering pockets,
while artist and photographer shift their tripod from spot to spot, hit the
happy point of sight at last, and fix the picture. And then there is a scramble
for the platforms again, and the engines, with a puff and a wheeze, start their
muscles and sinews of iron. In another minute there is only a trail of brown
smoke hanging over the plain beside us, and we are once more alone on the
great empty waste. 31

Mrs. Leslie's account of the trip, too, is interesting, but it was
difficult for her to forget that she was a member of the literati, had
traveled widely and could converse in almost any language. Never-
theless she was outspoken on occasion, so much so that she laid up
considerable future grief for herself, and she did make on occasion
some very observing comments on life and manners of the Western
scene. 32 That she was a woman of spirit and executive ability was
proved on at least one occasion when the party was stranded in a

31. Ibid., September 8, 1877, p. 9.

32. Mrs. Leslie had some very outspoken comments as a result of the visit of the Leslie
party to the mining town of Virginia City, Nev. She not only called it "dreary, desolate,
homeless, uncomfortable, and wicked . . . [and] God-forsaken" (Mrs. Leslie, p. 277),
but she made the additional unfortunate comment, "The population is largely masculine, very
few women, except of the worse class, and as few children." (Mrs. Leslie, p. 278.) The de-
scriptive phrase, tacked onto all the women of Virginia City, so aroused the ire of the cele-
brated editor, R. M. Daggett, of the Daily Territorial Enterprise, Virginia City, that he hired
a New York correspondent to investigate the past life of both Mrs. Leslie and of her husband.
The correspondent, an admitted enemy of the Leslies, made an exhaustive inquiry into the
love affairs of both Leslies and especially of Mrs. Leslie's first marriage with one David C.
Peacock which had some of the aspects of a shot-gun wedding. All of the Leslies' conduct
was interpreted by this critic in the worst possible light. He made some errors (known to the
writer) of fundamental facts and may have made others. His detailed account of the Leslies'
past lives, Daggett published in a Sunday edition of the Daily Territorial Enterprise on July
14, 1878, occupying all of the front page.

(1) Exterior of Hotel. (2) Proprietor. (3) Registering. (4) Bedroom. (5) Chambermaid. (6) Toilet.

BECKER'S "HOTEL LIFE ON THE PLAINS" (1870)

It seems probable that the "Hotel" was located at Promontory Point, Utah.

OGDEN AND YEAGER'S "BUCKING THE TIGER" IN A CHEYENNE, WYO.,
GAMBLING SALOON (1877)

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 129

three-room cabin on the way to see the big trees of California. De-
spite the incredulous amazement of her party she "rustled up" a
supper for the travelers and made the best of affairs when the party
of 12 were forced to sleep in a single room. 33

Because of the wealth of pictorial material published concerning
this overland trip, no attempt will be made to discuss each picture
individually or, for that matter, to catalogue them. A number of the
more interesting illustrations and experiences of the party, however,
properly form a part of our study and will be included here. 34

Only one picture appeared to illustrate the trip from Chicago to
Council Bluffs, but beginning at the latter place there are illustra-
tions to depict almost every phase of the journey. 35 The "Arrival at
Council Bluffs," for example, is interesting from several viewpoints.
For many years after the completion of the line from Omaha to San
Francisco, Council Bluffs was the principal point of transfer be-
tween the roads coming from Chicago and the East, which it con-
tinued to be until the early 1880's. The bridge across the Missouri
river between Council Bluffs and Omaha, lacking in Richardson's
and Becker's day, had been completed by 1872, but the travelers
changed trains at Council Bluffs. 36 It was therefore an important
"junction." Any reader who traveled American railroads 50 years
or more ago will recall with nostalgia the interest, excitement and
bustle of railroad travel at that time, for, although the illustration
is of 1877, a quarter of a century later the scene was scarcely
changed.

Crossing the river to Omaha one entered the Union Pacific depot
and in "A Character Scene in the Emigrant Waiting-Room of the
Union Pacific Railroad Depot at Omaha" there is a worthy com-
panion piece for Joseph Becker's "A Station Scene on the Union
Pacific Railway," drawn eight years earlier. [Both reproduced be-
tween pp. 120, 121.]

To the eyes of the Easterners, the group at the depot were indi-
viduals in some cases literally of a different world.

Men in alligator boots [recorded Mrs. Leslie], and loose overcoats made of

33. Mrs. Leslie, pp. 222-229.

34. Illustrations connected with the trip from Omaha west will be found in Frank Leslie' t
Illustrated Newspaper for every weekly issue from August 4, 1877, through August 3, 1878,
except the issues of August 11, 1877, and of June 1, 8, 22, July 13, 20, 27, 1878. In addi-
tion illustrations will be found in the issues of August 24, 1878, and November 30, 1878.
The illustrations in Mrs. Leslie include some of those appearing in the Newspaper (of smaller
size) and several which obviously are reproduced from photographs and are of far less interest
than those that appeared in the Newspaper.

35. The sole illustration was the "Mississippi River Bridge at Clinton [Iowa]" in the is-
sue of ibid, for August 4, 1877, p. 369.

36. "Arrival at Council Bluffs" will be found in ibid. t August 4, 1877, p. 369. For the
completion of the Missouri river bridge and Council Bluffs as a junction point, see Paul Rig-
don, The Union Pacific Railroad (Omaha, 1936), p. 78.

92657

130 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

blankets and wagon rugs, with wild, unkempt hair and beards, and bright,
resolute eyes, almost all well-looking, but wild and strange as denizens ef
another world.

The women looked tired and sad, almost all of them, and were queerly
dressed, in gowns that must have been old on their grandmothers, and with
handkerchiefs tied over their heads in place of hats ; the children were bundled
up anyhow, in garments of nondescript purpose and size, but were generally
chubby, neat and gay, as they frolicked in and out among the boxes, baskets,
bundles, bedding, babies'-chairs, etc., piled waist high on various parts of the
platform. Mingling with them, and making some inquiries, we found that
these were emigrants bound for the Black Hills, by rail to Cheyenne and Sioux
City, and after that by wagon trains. 37

Although Mrs. Leslie may have had her geography slightly mixed
(she probably meant Sydney rather than Sioux City) her descrip-
tion as well as the sign in the illustration, "Lunch Baskets Filled For
25 Cents Take Notice Black Hillers" (between pp. 120, 121), re-
calls the ever recurring and frequently changing part that mining
especially of those seductive metals, silver and gold has had in the
development of the West. In the spring of 1877 the discovery of
immense deposits of gold bearing quartz, coupled with earlier dis-
coveries in the Black Hills, had set a wild stampede under way
toward Deadwood, and the Leslie party was in excellent position to
observe the migration. The two most important stations on the
Union Pacific making stage connections for the Black Hills some
250 miles north of the railroad were Sydney and Cheyenne. And
Yeager and Ogden were busy with their sketchbooks recording the
incidents of the mining boom as the Leslie party traveled on west
from Omaha. Particularly notable are the illustrations, "A Fitting-
out Store for Black Hills Emigrants, at Sydney" and "A Party of
Gold Miners Starting For the Black Hills [from Cheyenne]." (The
last illustration is reproduced facing p. 120.) 38

The visitors found Cheyenne to be particularly interesting, and
their interest, aroused by frequent descriptions of "Hell-on-Wheels,"

37. Mrs. Leslie, pp. 39, 40. The illustration will be found in Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper, August 18, 1877, pp. 404, 405.

38. The two illustrations, in the order listed above, will be found in ibid., September 29,
1877, p. 53, and October 6, 1877, pp. 72, 73. Actually the Leslie party stopped at Sydney
on the return trip. See Mrs. Leslie, p. 285. A poorly reproduced illustration, "A Street of
'Dug-Outs,' on the Hillside in Sydney," appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
September 22, 1877, p. 37. The Omaha newspapers, of course, were filled with Black Hills
news at that time. The Omaha Weekly Bee, April 25, 1877, p. 3, had a good account of
Sydney and the Black Hills trade and a still better one was given in the Omaha Daily Heraid,
July 6, 1877, p. 2. See G. Thomas Ingham, Digging Gold Among the Rockies (Edgewood
Publishing Co., 1882), Ch. 5, for an account of the mining development in the Black Hills
from 1875 to 1880. Contemporary information on the early stages of the Black Hills gold
rush will also be found in Report on the Mineral Wealth, Climate, and Rain-Fall and Natural
Resources of the Black Hills of Dakota (Washington, 1876), Walter P. Tenney. A review of
the history of this interesting period is Harold E. Briggs' "The Black Hills Gold Rush,"
North Dakota Historical Quarterly, Bismarck, v. 5 (1931), January, pp. 71-99. Briggs fitated
that the peak of the gold rush occurred in the spring of 1877, so it was practically coincident
with the arrival of the Leslie party.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 131

was in no way diminished when they stepped off the train and into
the celebrated frontier town :

And now, not without some little excitement [wrote Mrs. Leslie], we arrived
at Cheyenne, at it is styled upon the maps, the Magic City of the Plains, the
City on Wheels, the Town of a Day, as romancists call it, or in yet more
vigorous vernacular, H-ll on Wheels, which latter is, perhaps its most popular
name among its own inhabitants. In view of this reputation, our conductor
strongly advised against any night exploration, at least by the ladies of the
party, of the streets and shops of Cheyenne, stating that the town swarmed
with miners en route for, or returing from, the Black Hills, many of them des-
peradoes, and all utterly reckless in the use of the bowie-knife and pistol; or,
at the very least, in the practice of language quite unfit for ears polite, although
well adapted to a place which they themselves had dubbed with so suggestive a
name. This opposition, was, of course, decisive; and the three ladies, as one
man, declared fear was a word unknown in their vocabulary, that purchases
essential to their comfort were to be made, and that exercise was absolutely
necessary to their health. 39

So the men went along. Not only did the ladies visit several
frontier stores but they were invited to visit the town's leading
theatre and gambling establishment and not a man of the party
was shot or a woman insulted !

For two or three blocks [wrote Jack Harkaway] the main street of Cheyenne
keeps up a character of solid respectability with neat brick buildings, a large
hotel and an attractive show of shop-windows ; but it soon drops such mimicry
of the "effete East," and relapses into a bold disregard of architectural forms
and proprieties. The oddest examples of this are in the two theatres, owned and
"run" by an enterprising citizen, who also keeps one of the largest gambling
establishments in town; and who, with the generous courtesy of a Western
man, gave the ladies of our party a full exhibit of the same by daylight the
masculine members having studied it during the hours of darkness. The larger
of the theatres "variety shows" in the fullest sense of the term connects with
the gambling-rooms and bar, in a long, low brick building, which hangs out
numerous flaming red signs under the moonlight. Entering the bar-room, the
curious visitor is confronted by a glittering show of chandeliers, fresh paint,
cheap gilding and mirrors, and some extraordinary frescoes, supposably of
Yosemite views, which blaze in every conceivable gradation of color over the
bar itself. Turning to the right, we enter a passage leading to the parquette, or
pit, of the theatre; a narrow flight of stairs passes up to what, in the East,
would be the dress-circle; but in the Cheyenne house is a single tier of small
boxes, open at the back upon a brightly lighted passage-way. At the head
of the stairs is another and smaller bar, from which the waitresses procure
strong drinks, to be served to order in the boxes aforesaid ; and over the stair-
case is posted a gentle hint, couched in the words; "Gents, be Liberal" a
hint not likely to be ignored in Cheyenne, we fancy.

From these little boxes, gay with tawdry paintings and lace hangings, we
look down upon as odd a scene as ever met critical New York eyes. The
auditorium departs from the conventional horseshoe pattern, and is shaped

39. Mrt. Leslie, p. 45.

132 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

rather like a funnel, expanding at the mouth to the width of the stage. It is
so narrow that we, leaning out of one box, could almost shake hands with
our opposite neighbors. The trapezes, through which the wonderful Mile.
Somebody is flying and frisking like a bird, are all swung from the stage to the
back of the house, so that her silken tights and spangles whisked past within
a handsbreadth of the admiring audience, who can exchange civilities, or even
confidences, with her in her aerial flight. Below, the floor is dotted with round
tables and darkened with a sea of hats; a dense fog of cigar-smoke floats above
them, and the clink of glasses rings a cheerful accompaniment to the orchestra,
as the admiring patrons of the variety business quaff brandy and "slings,"
and cheer on the performers with liberal enthusiasm. The house, for all its
cheap finery of decoration, its barbaric red and yellow splashes of paint, and
bizarre Venuses and Psyches posing on the walls, is wonderfully well-ordered
and marvelously clean; the audience, wholly masculine, is unconventional (let
us put it courteously), but not riotous. As for the performance, it is by no
means bad, and the trapeze feats are indeed exceptionally startling and well
executed. The hours of entertainment are from 8 P. M. until 2 A. M., while
the doors of the connecting gambling saloon are never closed. 40

Illustrations of the Cheyenne theatre (see cover of this issue) and
of "Bucking the Tiger" (facing p. 129) are real pictorial contribu-
tions to Western history the West of a very real melodrama, 41

Not so melodramatic but equally interesting is the view, "Scene
in Front of the Inter-Ocean Hotel." The scene depicted was busy
Central Avenue, then the principal east-west thoroughfare of Chey-
enne, with the large hotel a building of respectable proportions in
any city in the background. (The Inter-Ocean Hotel was one
block west of the present day Plains Hotel, for many years another
well-known landmark of Cheyenne.) 42

The party left the main line of the Union Pacific at Cheyenne for
side trips to Denver and Colorado Springs. A very elaborate recep-
tion was tendered the party at Denver by prominent Colorado citi-
zens including Gov. John L. Routt and Ex-Governor Gilpin, but few
if any illustrations of the side excursion appeared in Leslie's. 43

One of the few illustrations, however, that was credited to Harry
Ogden alone, was made on the trip to Colorado Springs. The Springs
in 1877 was legally a temperance town but the thirsty traveler could

40. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, October 13, 1877, p. 85. The arrival of the
Leslie party in Cheyenne "last evening" was reported in the Wyoming Daily Leader, Chey-
enne, April 19, 1877.

41. The illustrations will be found in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, October 13,
1877, p. 85 (the theatre), and November 3, 1877, p. 133, title page; with an interesting
comment on p. 139.

42. The illustration appeared in ibid., October 6, 1877, p. 73. Information concerning
the Inter-Ocean and Plains Hotels comes from Mr. Howard A. Hanson, present manager of
the Plains Hotel. According to Agnes Wright Spring, The Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage
and Express Routes (Glendale, Cal., 1949), pp. 50, 78 and 79, the Inter-Ocean Hotel was
under construction in 1875 and was in operation by early 1876.

43. The arrival of the Leslie party in Denver, the Denver reception and the visit to Col-
orado Springs are reported in the Denver Daily Times, April 19, 1877, p. 4 (which stated that
the party arrived "this morning in a special car from Cheyenne") ; Rocky Mountain News,
Denver, April 20, 1877, p. 4.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 133

still satisfy his wants by ways that were devious if not direct and
Ogden sketched the method and Jack Harkaway described it in
words for the benefit of succeeding fellow travelers:

Close to the depot [wrote Harkaway] is a hostelry yclept the Pike's Peak
House, where an announcement in English and German informs the wayfarer
that meals can be had for the moderate sum of forty cents. Entering the
house, one finds an empty room; a door in a wooden partition admits into an
inner apartment, where four Hoosiers are playing the interesting game of the
"devil amongst the tailors." Presently a German approaches and inquires what
is wanted, and being informed that there exists a laudable desire for lager-beer,
he replies: "Shust put a quarter in dot hole, and de beer gomes up quick!"
Accordingly the tourist approaches a wooden wall, and perceives a slit in the
board, dirty from use. He drops in a twenty-five cent piece and says, address-
ing no one in particular and speaking in a very sepulchral tone, "A quart of
beer." With magic celerity a sliding panel is revealed, which goes up, and on
a bracket there appears a jug of the foaming beverage. Taking it out, imbib-
ing the contents, and replacing the jug and glass, the panel slides back into its
place, and the truly Arabian Nights' entertainment is at an end. Subsequently
the traveler is informed that anything in any quantity in the drinking line
can be obtained in the same mysterious manner at this oasis for the thirsty
traveler in the Temperance Desert.

President Barnard, of Columbia College, the Rev. Dr. Armitage, and a
number of other gentlemen, left New York City on the 18th for a trip to the
Rocky Mountains, stopping at Denver and Colorado Springs. This informa-
tion will be valuable to them in case they should require any stimulants, as
it will enable them to satisfy their thirst promptly and without embarrassing
inquiries; for even their distinction will not secure them exemption from the
Territorial liquor laws. 44

Returning to Cheyenne, the westward journey of the party resulted
in a considerable number of illustrations before reaching Ogden,
when another side trip was made to see Salt Lake City and President
Brigham Young. The towns of Sherman (at the top of the pass be-
tween Cheyenne and Laramie), Laramie itself, Carbon, Fort Steele,
Rawlins, Green River, Hilliard and Evanston all sat briefly while
the artists sketched them, and illustrations of each Wyoming town
appeared in due time in the pages of Leslie's. One small illustration,
"Emigrants Camping Out at Night, near Bryan [in western Wyo-
ming]," is particularly appealing as it shows a group of overland
travelers the canvas-covered wagons still in use eight years after
rails were joined about a camp-fire, its smoke rising into a moon-
lit sky. 4B

44. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, July 7, 1877, p. 203. The illustration will he
found in the same issue, p. 297. A. A. Hayes and W. A. Rogers were in Colorado Springs two
years later and Rogers drew a somewhat similar sketch of the procedure for obtaining a re-
freshing draft when in the city; see A. A. Hayes, Jr., New Colorado and the Santa Fe Trail
(New York, 1880), p. 56.

45. This illustration, along with sketches of Church Buttes, Pedmont and Aspen appeared
in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, November 10, 1877, p. 160. The emigrant camp Was
apparently sketched on the return trip. Illustrations of other Wyoming towns will be found
in the issues of ibid, for October 13, 20, 27, November 3, 17, 24, and December 1, 1877.

134 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Utah illustrations appeared in considerable number but many are
of familiar landmarks, including Echo and Weber canons, the
Devil's Slide, Thousand-Mile tree and Lake Point on Great Salt
lake. "The Arrival at Ogden Junction" is of interest as it calls at-
tention to the fact that since 1869 the junction point of the Union
Pacific and Central Pacific had been changed from Promontory
Point to Ogden and that the Utah Central railroad had been com-
pleted from Ogden to Salt Lake City. 46 The real reason for the trip
to Salt Lake City was to see Brigham Young, and Leslie soon had
an interview arranged with the head of the Mormon organization.
Mrs. Leslie took a spirited part in the interview. In fact, if we are to
believe her, the discussion with Brigham would have amounted to
nothing more than comments on the weather if she had not partici-
pated. As Mr. Leslie did not make much progress in conversation,
Mrs. Leslie turned to Mr. Young and said, "Do you suppose, Mr.
President, that I came all the way to Salt Lake City to hear that it
was a fine day?" To which the astute president replied, "I am sure
you need not, my dear, for it must be fine weather wherever you
are." The ice thus being broken, Mrs. Leslie proceeded to ask the
head of the Beehive house some exceedingly frank questions on
Mormonism, including a question as to whether Mormon husbands
did not prefer some wives over others. To which, the Mormon pres-
ident replied with good humor: "Well, perhaps; human nature is
frail, but our religion teaches us to control and conceal those prefer-
ences as much as possible, and we do we do." 47

Both the Leslies were greatly impressed with the Mormon organi-
zation and the marvels wrought by its members in transforming the
desert. "Certainly, polygamy is very wrong," wrote Mrs. Leslie,
"but roses are better than sage-brush, and potatoes and peas pref-
erable as a diet to buffalo grass. Also school-houses, with cleanly
and comfortable troops of children about them, are a symptom of
more advanced civilization than lowly shanties with only fever-and-
ague and whisky therein." Frank Leslie put it in even stronger
terms when he said in an interview on his return to the East "the
thriftiest, most contented and happiest people west of the Mississippi
are the Mormons, and I for one do not want to see them treated with
injustice." 48

46. Utah illustrations will be found in the issues of ibid, for December 1, 8, 15 (including
that of Ogden Junction), 22, and 29, 1877.

47. Mrs. Leslie, pp. 97-102. No illustrations of the interview appeared in the Newspaper,
but one is published in Mrs. Leslie, facing p. 102.

48. Mrs. Leslie's quotation will be found in ibid., p. 71; the interview with Frank Leslie
was secured on the return trip and is reported in the Omaha Daily Herald, June 3, 1877, p. 4.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 135

If Mrs. Leslie was impressed with the Mormons she certainly was
not with Indians of the West who began to appear at railroad sta-
tions through Nevada as the party continued their westward jour-
ney beyond Salt Lake City. Shoshones and Piutes were all the
same to her and, as Chinese laborers in considerable number also
made their appearance along the railroad as they traveled further
west, it was almost inevitable that she should make a comparison of
the two races. "Ill as their odor may be," wrote Mrs. Leslie of the
Chinese, "in Caucasian nostrils, we must say that their cleanly,
smooth, and cared for appearance was very agreeable in contrast
with the wild, unkempt and filthy red man." 49

A few illustrations of the Indians encountered through Nevada
are recorded in the pages of Leslie's. Illustrations of other aspects
of Nevada life are copious. Towns, scenery and a particularly ex-
haustive pictorial study of the silver mines of Virginia City are
presented. Leslie must have been particularly fascinated by the
silver mines, for not only is the pictorial reporting extensive but
written description in abundance is provided. In fact, Leslie with
one of the artists whether it was Ogden or Yeager is not indicated
were the only two members of the party of 12 to descend the shafts
of the mines at Virginia City to see mining operations at first hand.
Mrs. Leslie, on the other hand, was greatly bored by the entire visit
and so unfavorably impressed with Virginia City, itself, that there
resulted the unfortunate comment in her account of the trip (see
Footnote 32). 50

The depiction of several incidents of travel from Wyoming west-
ward along the main line of the transcontinental road reveal still
other aspects of Western travel in 1877. One group of illustrations
shows various phases of the long-continued war between railroads
and those United States citizens who have long been known as
"tramps." "Tramps Throwing Conductor From a Train," "A Night
Camp of Tramps Near Bryan [Wyo.]," "Tramps Riding on the
Trucks Underneath the Cars" and "Clearing the Rear Platform on

49. Mrs. Leslie, p. 108.

50. It was Frank Leslie's interest in the silver mines which undoubtedly was responsible
for the relatively large number of such illustrations in Leslie's, every issue, beginning with
that of March 2, 1878, through the issue of April 27, 1878 (nine issues), contained pictorial
records of various aspects of mining in Virginia City; one of the issues (March 2, 1878) con-
tained a four-page supplement, "Panorama of Virginia City," based on photographs by Wat-
kins of San Francisco. From Mrs. Leslie's account, Virginia City was visited on the return.
Mrs. Leslie, Ch. 32. The Indian illustrations in Leslie's, mentioned above, included: "Indian
Lodges Near Corlin, on the C. P. R. R." (January 5. 1878, P. 305), and "Winnemucca, Chief
of the Piute Indians Engaged in an Annual Rabbit Drive" (January 26, 1878, p. 353). Some
of the Nevada town illustrations included: Elko (January 5, 1878, p. 305), Battle Mountain
(January 12, 1878, p. 321), Humboldt (January 19, 1878, p. 337), Carson City (February
16, 1878, p. 405) and a particularly good "View of the Main Street in Virginia City" (March
2, 1878, p. 445).

136 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

an Overland Train" were, with the exception of the first, reportedly
observed by the artists of the Leslie party. 51

For the protection of baggage and express against still more
vicious customers, railroad highwaymen, it was customary to carry
a stand of arms in the baggage car, and one of the observant artists
sketched "A Baggage-Master's Armory" to record this phase of
travel in the past. Cross-country excursion parties, too, were still
in vogue nearly ten years after the completion of transcontinental
rails, and one such excursion party in addition to the Leslie party
had their special car which, for some of the journey at least, made
up a part of the train which included the Leslie special car. "Ne-
braska Editorial Party Publishing a Paper on Board a Train," a
half-page illustration, shows not only the professional classification
of the Leslies' fellow travelers but is an unwitting comment on a
profession, the members of which, doubtless more than any other,
enjoy a bus man's holiday.

A type of illustration, however, which never fails to arouse inter-
est is one depicting the ordinary occupations of ordinary people
like ourselves and the Leslie artists secured it in "Weary Passen-
gers Settling for the Night," or the illustration might better be called
"Trying to Sleep at Night in a 'Day' Coach." The Leslie party in
order to reach the Nebraska editors in the special car passed through
three day coaches as the evening was well advanced. By the dull
light, Mrs. Leslie noted "we could see the poor creatures curled and
huddled up in heaps for the night, with no possibility of lying down
comfortably; but men, women, bundles, baskets, and babies, in one
promiscuous heap." 52

The excursion train at last crossed the Sierra Nevadas, coasted
across the Central Valley and eventually reached Sacramento and
San Francisco. Many illustrations record the last stage of the over-
land trip, including a huge double-page one, "The Excursion Trail
Rounding Cape Horn at the Head of the Great American Canon." 53

Mrs. Leslie thought that this view from Cape Horn was the most
impressive of all on the cross-country trip.

51. Ibid., February 2, 1877, p. 373. According to the text accompanying the illustration,
the first one was an imaginary sketch based on the story of the Leslie party conductor.

52. Mrs. Leslie, p. 284. The day coach is pictured and also described in Frank Leslie's
Illustrated Newspaper, February 9, 1878, pp. 389, 390, where will also be found the armory
illustration. It was observed on the return trip as was the Nebraska editorial excursion ; see
ibid., February 16, 1878, p. 405.

53. The illustration will be found in ibid., April 27, 1878, pp. 128, 129. Among the more
interesting illustrations of this part of the trip are "Snow Sheds at Summit Station" (same
issue as above, p. 132); "A Street Scene in Sacramento" and "The Grand Hotel in Sacra-
mento" (May 4, 1878, p. 141); "The Wharf at Oakland, The Terminal of the Central Pacific
Railroad, Opposite the City of San Francisco" and "Crossing the Bay on the Ferry Boat from
Oakland" (May 11, 1878, p. 165); "The Western Terminal of the Central Pacific Railroad"
and "View of Market Street San Francisco, Looking Toward the Palace Hotel" (May 18, 1878,
p. 181), and "A View of Montgomery Street, San Francisco" (June 15, 1878, p. 249).

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 137

But of all the scenery of the entire route [she wrote], nothing can compare
with the Great American Canon, heralded by the rounding of Cape Horn,
where the railway clings to the face of a precipice, with a thousand feet of
crag above and two thousand feet below; a river winding dimly through the
ravine, and giant pine trees dwarfed to shrubs as we look down upon their
crests. No blood so sluggish, no eyes so dull, no heart so numbed and en-
crusted by worldliness but that they must be stirred and thrilled, as few things
in this world can stir its favorite children, by the sensation of thus flying like
a bird across this precipice, over the depths of this frightful abyss, suspended,
as it were, between heaven and the inferno; . . , 54

Still another wonder, however, was to confront them when they
reached San Francisco, for the party immediately upon their arrival
went to the newly completed Palace Hotel, according to one Cali-
fornian at least, one of the seven wonders of the world. Even the
blase New Yorkers were forced to admit the hotel, with accommo-
dations for 1,200 guests and with its three great courts occupying a
city block, was "magnificent," 55

In fact, Mrs. Leslie was so obviously impressed with California
that she devoted over half her book to the subject, as well she might,
for the Leslies were entertained by California royalty on a royal
scale : by Ex-Governor Stanford ; by Senator Sharon at his one and
one-half million dollar country house, Belmont; by Mayor and Mrs.
Bryant of San Francisco ; by William T. Coleman, the owner of San
Rafael valley, and by the famous "Lucky" Baldwin, who inveigled
the party to travel south to Los Angeles, from which Baldwin took
them to his wide-flung ranch at Santa Anita. All of the famous won-
ders of California were visited too, including the redwoods and the
big trees, the geysers and Yosemite. San Francisco itself was explored
for its famous sights, especially by many trips to Chinatown, to the
Barbary Coast, to Cliff-House and to Seal Rocks. 56 About a month
was spent in California, but, oddly enough, relatively few illustra-
tions appeared for this part of the Leslie trip. Several illustrations of
the Chinese of San Francisco were published in Leslie's, and several
additional California views were used in Mrs. Leslie's book, but
apparently Frank Leslie decided that mining in Nevada was of more

54. Mrs. Leslie, pp. 109, 110.

55. Ibid., pp. ] 15-117. The Overland Monthly, v. 15 (1875), September, pp. 298, 299,
has an account of the Palace Hotel upon its completion, which contains the statement, "We
have seven big world-wonders now: the Bay of San Francisco, the Central Pacific Railroad,
the Big Trees, the Bonanza, Yosemite, the Geysers, the Palace Hotel and Assessor Rosenor."
I hope some native son will write me explaining "Assessor Rosenor" and his inclusion as an
eighth wonder.

Illustrations of the Palace Hotel appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper for May
25, 1878, p. 197 ("The Main Entrance"), and June 29, 1878, p. 281 ("The Grand Court of
the Palace Hotel," credited to "pur photographer"). Five illustrations of Baldwin's Hotel,
also newly completed, and, according to Mrs. Leslie, p. 192, visited by the party, appeared in
ibid., July 6, 1878, p. 301.

56. Ibid., Chs. 11-21, 29, 30.

138 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

popular interest than the sights of California, or possibly he felt that
California scenes were by 1877 better known than were those of
silver mining. 57

The return trip from California was begun about the last of May,
for the party was in Omaha on June 2. It seems to have been
largely anticlimax as neither Mrs. Leslie nor the Newspaper had
much to say concerning it. 58

The two artists of the party were both young men at the time the
Leslie trip was made. Walter Yeager was 25 and had been on the
Leslie staff for three years. He was a native of Philadelphia and had
received training at the local Academy of Fine Arts. Shortly after
the Western trip he accompanied Mrs. Leslie to Cuba and the Baha-
mas, and a number of his illustrations resulting from this trip ap-
peared in Leslie's. About 1880, he left the Leslie staff and moved
to Philadelphia where he became head of the art department of
George W. Harris Co., lithographers. Still later he became a free
lance artist and illustrated for a number of periodicals and books.
He died in Philadelphia on April 17, 1896. 59

Harry Ogden, the other artist of the Leslie team of 1877 in his
later years known more formally as Henry Alexander Ogden was
a member of the Leslie staff from 1873 until 1881 and then resigned
to become a free lance artist. He received considerable art training
at the Brooklyn Institute, the Brooklyn Academy of Design and the
Art Students League of New York and made a specialty of portray-

57. Six Chinese illustrations, credited to Yeager and Ogden, appeared in Frank Leslie's Il-
lustrated J
California
mento River"

p. Z

Yosemite") ; facing p. 232 (Chinese cobbler) ; facing p. 244 ("Ascending the 'Fallen Mon-
arch' "); p. 246 ("Cutting Down One of the Big Trees"); p. 276 ("Cutting Bark and Cones
as Mementoes of the Mariposa Grove").

58. The return of the party to Omaha in the Palace car "Cataract" was reported in the
Omaha Daily Herald, June 3, 1877, p. 4. Senator Connoyer of Florida was reported to be a
member of the party on the return trip. It should be pointed out again that the side-trip to
Virginia City, Nev., was made on the return trip.

59. I am indebted to Mrs. Mary Yeager Poole of Havertown, Pa., for the information
concerning her father, Walter Rush Yeager, who was born in Philadelphia in April, 1852. Mrs.
Poole wrote me that her father illustrated for Harper's Magazine, Ladies Home Queen and a
number of religious publications in Mr. Yeager's free lance days. He is listed in the Phila-
delphia city directories as artist or designer from 1885 until 1896. The Library of Congress
has a volume, Art Studies in the Bible, designed by W. R. Yeager, and published in Phila-
delphia in 1896. It was this volume that furnished the clue in tracing down the source of
biographical information concerning Yeager as the art historians and lists again furnished me
no biographical information. A brief death notice of Walter R. Yeager will be found in the
Philadelphia Public Ledger, April 18, 1896, p. 8.

Yeager illustrations for an article on the Bahamas by Mrs. Leslie appeared in Leslie's, June
21, 1879, pp. 268, 269. California illustrations by Yeager continued to appear for some time
after those cited in Footnote 34. They were apparently based on Yeager's trip with the Leslies
in 1877; see ibid., May 24, 1879, p. 192; May 31, 1879, p. 201; June 7, 1879, p. 229; June
14, 1879, p. 248 (credited to both Yeager and Ogden); June 28, 1879, p. 281; July 19, 1879,
p. 329; August 23, 1879, p. 416. Leslie's, January 31, 1880, p. 403, lists Becker, Yeager,
Ogden, Berghaus and others as members of the art staff on that date.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 139

ing historic costumes and uniforms. His illustrations appeared in
many books and magazines, notably the military illustrations in
the Pageant of America. He died at Englewood, N. J., on June 15,
1936, in his 80th year. 60

60. For information on Ogden see Who's Who in America, v. 18 (1934-1935), p. 1801,
and an obituary in the New York Times, June 16, 1936, p. 25. Ogden's labors as a painter
of military costumes are given a thorough appraisal in the Military Collector and Historian,
Washiagton, v. 1 (1949), April, pp. 4, 5, by Geerge C. Groce. Ogden had other Western
illustrations (Texas) in Leslie'^ May 22, 1880, p. 196. He was also a member of a com-
mercial expedition sent out by Leslie's to Mexico in 1879, and sketches on this trip appeared
February 1, 1879, and succeeding issues through April 19.

A Review of Early Navigation on the Kansas

River

EDGAB LANGSDORF

BEFORE the establishment of Kansas territory in May, 1854,
little exact information about the Kansas river was available.
Exploration in the 18th and early 19th centuries was concerned
chiefly with following the upper Missouri, and the Kansas was hardly
known above its mouth. Reports about the river were based, for the
most part, on statements by Indians who usually were reluctant to
divulge details of their own country and on observations of the
early fur traders. Despite the handicap of describing and mapping a
region which they had not seen, several of the early explorers were
able to produce reports of surprising accuracy.

One of the earliest maps of the trans-Mississippi area, drawn by
Father Marquette in 1673-1674, although it fails to show the Kansas
river, does locate the Kansa and other tribes in approximately their
true positions. This map, based upon information secured from In-
dians with whom Marquette could converse only in sign language,
places the Kansa on the 39th parallel, directly south of the Omaha
and Pawnee tribes and west of the Osage, thereby indicating that
they were then living on the Kansas river. Joliet's map of the same
date shows the Kansa in much the same relative position, though
farther south, between the 36th and 37th parallels. 1

The first map showing the Kansas river is Guillaume de 1'Isle's
"Carte de la Louisiane," which was drawn about 1718. On it the
"Grande Riv[iere] des Cansez" flows into the Missouri at about the
40th parallel and a large village of "les Cansez" is located at a prom-
inent fork in the river, perhaps the junction of the Smoky Hill and
the Saline or the Solomon. 2 This map, with virtually no changes
except for the translation of French into English, was published by
John Senex, a London cartographer and engraver, in 1721. 8 One of

Edgar Langsdorf is state archivist of the Kansas State Historical Society.

1. These maps are reproduced in R. G. Thwaites, Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit
Missionaries in New France (Cleveland, 1900), v. 59, facing pp. 86 and 108. Marquette's map
is also reproduced in Kansas Historical Collections, Topeka, v. 10, facing p. 80. Cf. P. W.
Hodge, ed., Handbook of American Indians , Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of
American Ethnology, Bulletin 30 (Washington, 1907), Pt. 1, p. 653. For a list of early maps
locating the Kansa nation see George P. Morehouse, "History of the Kansa or Kaw Indians,"
in Kansas Historical Collections, v. 10, pp. 344, 345.

2. Reproduced as the frontispiece in B. F. French, Historical Collections of Louisiana
. . . (Philadelphia, 1850), Pt. 2. Delisle (1675-1726) was one of the most important
French cartographers of the 18th century.

3. John Senex, "A Map of Louisiana and of the River Mississippi," from A New General
Atlas (London, 1721), facing p. 248.

(140)

EARLY NAVIGATION ON THE KANSAS RIVER 141

the earliest written references to the name of the river, other than on
maps, is also found at this time. The French explorer Bienville in
1722 spoke of "las riviere des Canzes, qui afflue dans celle du Mis-
souri," though he made no reference to its navigability. 4

With the extension of trade among the Western tribes at the be-
ginning of the 19th century, reasonably accurate reports of the river
began to appear. In 1797 James Mackay, then an agent of the
Spanish "Upper Missouri Company," compiled a "Table of Dis-
tances" along the Missouri river. In this table he noted the "Rivre
des Cances," 100 % leagues from the mouth of the Missouri, and de-
scribed it as a "Beautiful river upon the south bank [of the Mis-
souri], width of 100 fathoms at the mouth, navigable for canoes for
more than 60 leagues at all times ; but not for more than 20 leagues
for large boats in the autumn when the waters are low; the village
of the Kansas is 80 leagues from this river." 5 Another trader-ex-
plorer, Frangois Marie Perrin du Lac, who traveled up the Mis-
souri in 1802, spoke of the river of the "Kanees," which he said was
"navigable at all seasons to the extent of 500 miles," and spent 12
days trading with the "Kanees" Indians in the vicinity of its mouth. 6

Although the general course of the river was by this time well
established, its tributaries and the capacity of its channel were still
little known. A large-scale map of Louisiana, which included all of
North America west of the Mississippi and north of the Gulf of
Mexico, was published as part of an atlas in 1804, and showed the
"Cansas R[iver]" with forks which presumably were intended to
represent the Republican, Solomon and Smoky Hill. 7 Several
traders and explorers also referred to the river in their journals and
reports. Patrick Gass, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition,
recorded in his journal for June 26, 1804, that at its confluence with
the Missouri the "Canzan or Kanzas, is 230 yards and a quarter
wide, and navigable to a great distance." 8 H. M. Brackenridge,
who traveled on the Missouri river in 1811, wrote that the Kansas
"can be ascended with little difficulty, more than twelve hundred

4. Lemoine de Bienville to the Council of Regency, Fort Louis de la Louisiane, April 26,
1722, in Pierre Margry, Decouvertes et Etablissements des Fran^ais . . . (Paris, 1888),
v. 6, p. 387.

5. Annie H. Abel -Henderson, "Mackay's Table of Distances," in Mississippi Valley His-
torical Review, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, v. 10, p. 436.

6. M. Perrin du Lac, Travels Through the Two Louisiana8 a and Among the Savage Nations
of the Missouri. . . . Translated from the French (London, 1807), p. 50.

7. A. Arrowsmith and S. Lewis, A New and Elegant General Atlas . . . (Philadelphia,
1804), Plate 55. M. Carey's General Atlas, published in 1814, apparently was the first in which
the names of these tributaries appear.

8. Patrick Gass, A Journal of the Voyages and Travels of a Corps of Discovery, Under the
Command of Capt. Lewis and Capt. Clarke . . . (Pittsburgh, 1807), p. 19.

142 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

miles." 9 In contrast, one of Long's exploring party in 1819, Edwin
James, described it as navigable only in the spring season and then
seldom far upstream because of shoals and rapids. He amplified
this statement by explaining that it was navigable only in "high
freshets for boats of burden, and on such occasions not more than
one hundred and fifty or two hundred miles, the navigation being
obstructed by shoals." 10 Another early traveler in the Western
country was Paul Wilhelm, Duke of Wiirttemberg, who made a
brief trip on the Kansas in June, 1823. He noted that at its con-
fluence with the Missouri it was 80 to 100 fathoms wide and very
deep, and remarked that as far as 12 miles upstream he was able to
distinguish the counter pressure of the faster flowing Missouri. 11

The Indians, of course, had used the river as an avenue of trans-
portation long before white men entered the region. Their canoes,
and the pirogues of the French fur traders, adapted to use in ex-
tremely shallow water, were never seriously handicapped by nat-
ural obstructions in the stream. A white man who spent many years
as a prisoner among the Indians during the early 19th century ob-
served that they used the river and its tributaries at all seasons of
the year. He remarked that they commonly descended in their
canoes along the southern branch, presumably the Smoky Hill, and
into the Kansas, which he interpreted as meaning that it was navi-
gable for more than a thousand miles. "In its whole course," he
wrote, "I have never heard of any considerable natural obstruction,
nevertheless, many may exist; though as the Kansas Indians were
in the habit of frequently descending it from their hunting excur-
sions, it is probable I should have heard something of the causes if
they had experienced much difficulty." 12

Keelboats, covered freighters which were used extensively on the
principal Western rivers until the 1820's and on the smaller rivers
until after the Civil War, were also employed occasionally on the
Kansas. These craft, 40 to 80 feet long and seven to ten feet or more

9. Henry Marie Brackenridge, Views of Louisiana; Together With a Journal of a Voyage
Up the Missouri River, in 1811 (Pittsburgh, 1814), pp. 220, 221. In the second edition of the
Journal (Baltimore, 1816), as reprinted in R. G. Thwaites, Early Western Travels, 1748-1846
(Cleveland, 1904), v. 6, p. 67, Brackenridge modified this statement to read: "The patron of
our boat informs me, that he has ascended it upwards of nine hundred miles, with a tolerable
navigation."

10. Edwin James, Account of an Expedition From Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains
. . . in the Years 1819 and '20, . . . Under the Command of Major Stephen H. Long.
. . . Compiled by Edwin James . . . (Philadelphia, 1823), v. 2, pp. 349, 355.

11. Paul Wilhelm, Duke of Wiirttemberg, First Journey to North America in the Years
1822 to 1824 (Stuttgart and Tubingen, 1835). Translated from the German by Dr. Wm. G.
Bek, in South Dakota Historical Collections, Aberdeen, v. 19, pp. 303, 305.

12. John D. Hunter, Manners and Customs of Several Indian Tribes . . . (Phila-
delphia, 1823), p. 164. The credibility of Hunter's account was attacked in The North Amer-
ican Review, Boston, v. 22 (1826), pp. 94-108. Cf. Henry R. Wagner, The Plains and the
Rockies . . . (San Francisco, 1937), p. 25.

EARLY NAVIGATION ON THE KANSAS RIVER 143

in beam, with a draught of about two feet, were designed especially
for use in narrow and shallow channels. They were propelled by
oars or poles, sometimes assisted by a sail or pulled by a cordelle or
tow-rope, and were one of the most important means of transport
during the period of the expansion of the frontier. The first keelboat
on the Kansas probably was that belonging to Francis and Cyprian
Chouteau, which they used in hauling goods and furs between their
trading houses and the mouth of the river. 13

With the development of the steamboat came the end of the keel-
boat era and the gradual revolution of river transportation. The
first such boat to be used on Western waters was the New Orleans,
built at Pittsburgh in 1811, 14 but Henry Shreve's Washington, con-
structed in 1816, is called the first "real" steamboat to be used on
Western rivers. Three years later, in August, 1819, Maj. Stephen H.
Long made the first steamer entry into the Kansas river with his
little 30-ton boat, the Western Engineer. It had been constructed
especially for his expedition to the Rockies, was 75 feet long, 13 feet
in beam and drew 19 inches of water. The propelling wheel was in
the stern in order to avoid snags, and in order to impress the Indians
the steam was blown out of the figurehead, a large black serpent
with mouth and tongue painted red. Long's account, describing this
first steam voyage on the Kansas, stated that the "mouth of the
Konzas river was so filled with mud, deposited by the late flood in
the Missouri, as scarcely to admit the passage of our boat, though
with some difficulty we ascended that river about a mile, and then
returning dropped anchor at its mouth." 15 Another soldier-explorer,
John C. Fremont, wrote in 1843 that he went by steamboat to Chou-
teau's landing, near the mouth of the Kansas river and about 400
miles by water from St. Louis, and thence went 12 miles to Cyprian
Chouteau's trading house on the right bank of the Kansas, about ten
miles above its mouth and six miles beyond the western boundary of
Missouri. 16

13. "Reminiscences of Frederick Chouteau," in Kansas Historical Collections, v. 8, p. 428.
Albert R. Greene, "The Kansas River Its Navigation," in ibid., v. 9, p. 321. James Hall,
Notes on the Western States (Philadelphia, 1838), pp. 218, 219. Cf., also, Z. M. Pike, An
Account of Expeditions to the Sources of the Mississippi . . . (Philadelphia, 1810), p. 1.
Pike's keelboat, in which he started from St. Louis in 1805, was 70 feet long and carried 21
men with provisions for four months.

14. [Robert Baird], View of the Valley of the Mississippi . . . (Philadelphia, 1832),
pp. 48, 313.

15. Edwin James, op. cit., v. 1, p. 109 ; Hall, op. cit., pp. 234, 262 ; Missouri Gazette, St.
Louis, April 20, 1819, as quoted in Frederic L. Billon, Annals of St. Louis in its Territorial
Days from 1804 to 1821 . . . (St. Louis, 1888), p. 97; Phil E. Chappell, "A History of
the Missouri River," in Kansas Historical Collections^ v. 9, p. 277.

16. A Report on an Exploration of the Country Lying Between the Missouri River and
the Rocky Mountains. ... To Col. J. J. Abert, Chief of the Corps of Topographical En-
gineers, March 1, 1843 (Washington, 1845), p. 9. Probably Fremont's journey to Cyprian's
trading house was made by water, but he does not explain whether the boat used was B
steamer.

144 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The establishment of frontier military posts, with their network of
connecting roads, made ferry boats necessary for crossing the rivers.
On the Kansas, the first known ferry was operated by Moses Grinter
about six miles east of present Bonner Springs and about eight and
one-half miles west of the Missouri boundary. It was established in
1831 to provide a crossing for the military road between Canton-
ment Leavenworth and Fort Gibson, Okla. 17 Emigration to Oregon
and California, much of which passed through Kansas, further stim-
ulated the establishment of ferries.

Probably the most important encouragement to navigation on the
Kansas prior to the organization of the territory was the establish-
ment of Fort Riley as a permanent military post in 1853. This
event resulted almost immediately in the first official examination
of the river to determine its navigability. 18 The survey, although
it was inconclusive in many respects, showed that boats of shallow
draught, if handled skillfully, could be used on the river during the
high-water season. The first attempts to use steamboats, in 1854,
were successful, and the next year steamers began operating with
some regularity from Kansas City to Lawrence, with occasional
trips to Topeka and even as far upstream as Fort Riley. This
traffic, which continued through the territorial period and the early
years of statehood, falling off rapidly, however, after 1860, gave
the Kansas legal status as a navigable stream in the eyes of the
Federal government. 19 The trial steamer, which was also the first
to make regular trips, was a 79-ton stern-wheeler, the Excel, which
made her first run in April, 1854, carrying 1,100 barrels of flour
from Weston to Fort Riley. In 1855 several other boats appeared
on the river. All told, 34 steamboats are known to have plied the
Kansas from 1854 to 1866, with cargoes of freight and passengers.
The Lightfoot, said to be the first boat built in the Territory, was
constructed expressly for the Kansas river trade by Thaddeus
Hyatt of New York, but it was so unsuccessful that it was shifted
to the Missouri river. The last steamer to travel the Kansas was
the Alexander Majors, which was chartered in 1866 to run between
Kansas City and Lawrence until the railroad bridge at the mouth
of the river, which had been destroyed by floods, could be rebuilt. 20

River traffic on a commercial scale was doomed by an act of the

17. George A. Root, "Ferries in Kansas," in Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 2 (1933),
p. 264.

18. See "The First Survey of the Kansas River," on pp. 146-158.

19. House Doc. No. 195, 73 Cong., 2 Sess. (1934), "Kansas River . . . ," pp. 194,
197.

20. Greene, loc. cit., pp. 318-353.

EARLY NAVIGATION ON THE KANSAS RIVER 145

state legislature which was approved on February 25, 1864. The
railroad age was opening, and in its interest the act declared the
river nonnavigable and authorized railroad and bridge companies
chartered under state laws to bridge or dam the river without re-
striction. 21 This law remained in effect until 1913, when, after it
had been characterized as "a crime against the public welfare of
Kansas," 22 it was finally repealed and the river was thereby re-
stored to its legal status as a navigable stream. 23 This status has
not been changed since, although navigation has been confined
largely to sand dredging operations.

Since 1879 the Federal government has taken occasional notice
of the Kansas. In that year the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
made the first of a series of surveys, most of which resulted in re-
ports that for purposes of practical navigation the river as a whole
was unworthy of improvement by the government and that, further,
there was no demand by responsible persons for such improvement. 24

21. The Laws of the State of Kansas . . . , 168}, Ch. 97.

22. Greene, loc. cit., p. 354.

23. Kansas Session Laws, 191S, Ch. 259, Sec. 10.

24. House Ex. Doc. No. 24S, 52 Cong., 2 Sess. (1892-1893), pp. 1-3; House Doc. No.
195, 73 Cong., 2 Sess. (1934), pp. 193, 197. Other reports in the series are: House Ex. Doc.
No. 94, 45 Cong., 3 Sess. (1878-1879); House Doc. No. 82, 68 Cong., 2 Sess. (1903-1904);
Senate Doc. No. 160, 58 Cong., 2 Sess. (1903-1904); House Doc. No. 94, 62 Cong., 1 Bess.
(1911); House Doc. No. 584 f 63 Cong., 2 Sess. (1913-1914); House Doc. No. S21, 65 Cong.,
1 Sess. (1917) ; Capt. Theodore Wyman, "Report Upon Improvement of Rivers and Harbors
in Kansas City, Mo., District," in Engineer Department, Report, 1931, Pt. 1. Of these re-
ports only the first, in 1879, recommended improvement of the river, and the surveys since
1911 have been concerned only with improving harbor conditions at the mouth.

102657

The First Survey of the Kansas River

EDGAR LANGSDORF
I. INTRODUCTION

ON MAY 17, 1853, Fort Riley was established as a permanent
military post on the Kansas river, thereby making the naviga-
bility of that stream a question of immediate interest. The Army
Quartermaster corps, which was responsible for moving materials
and supplies to the site and for construction of the permanent bar-
racks, was particularly concerned because the cost of transportation
by water would be considerably less than hauling overland.

Before plans could be made for hauling freight by water an ex-
amination of the river was necessary to determine whether steam-
boats and keelboats could ascend as far as the new post. 1 Maj.
David H. Vinton, 2 quartermaster at St. Louis, apparently took the
initiative and with the cooperation of Brevet Brig. Gen. Newman S.
Clarke, commanding Military Department No. 6 with headquarters
at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., 3 arranged for a survey. His objective,
he explained in a letter of December 2, 1853, to Maj. F. N. Page,
was "to obtain such information as would enable me to induce
masters and owners of steamers to attempt the navigation of the
river at such prices for freight, as would not throw the cost of the
experiment upon the Quarter Master's Department. . . . Great
expense will be saved if the necessary supplies shall be sent to Fort
Riley by water transportation." 4

Under the direction of Brevet Maj. E. A. Ogden, 5 quartermaster
at Fort Leavenworth, the survey was made by Lt. Joseph L. Tidball,

EDGAR LANGSDORF is state archivist of the Kansas State Historical Society.

1. In the fall of 1826 Maj. Angus L. Langham, who was employed by the Indian De-
partment to survey the boundaries of the Kansas Indian reservation and the Kaw half-breed
lands, was instructed to "meander the . . . [Kansas river] up to a point twenty leagues
[about 60 miles] on a straight line from the mouth. . . ," from which point he was to
begin the survey of the reservation. This, so far as is known, was the first time that the
course of the river was plotted by a trained surveyor, and this examination, of course, was Hot
concerned with the navigability of the stream. Letter of William Clark, superintendent of In-
dian Affairs, St. Louis, to Maj. A. L. Langham, dated July 9, 1826, from "Records of the
Office of Indian Affairs" in the National Archives, Washington, D. C.

2. Major Vinton was a West Point graduate of 1822 who rose to the brevet rank of major
general during the Civil War, retired in 1866 and died February 21, 1873. Francis B. Heit-
man, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. . . . (Washington,
1903), v. 1, p. 988.

3. General Clarke, whose regimental rank was colonel, commanded the Sixth infantry regi-
ment. He had been brevetted brigadier in 1847 for gallantry and meritorious conduct in the
siege of Vera Cruz. His death occurred October 17. 1860. Ibid., p. 307 ; Senate Ex. Doc.
No. 1, 33 Cong., 1 Sess. (1853-1854), p. 116.

4. Photostat of original letter in "Records of the War Department, Office of the Quarter-
master General," in the National Archives. Page was assistant adjutant general at St. Louis.

6. Edmund A. Ogden held the regimental rank of captain. He was a member of the
original board of officers appointed to locate a new military post near the forks of the Kansas
river and subsequently was the officer in charge of construction. He died of cholera during
the epidemic which decimated the population of Fort Riley in 1855. Official Army Register
for 1855 . . . Adjutant General's Office, Washington, January 1, 1855; W. F. Pride, The
History of Fort Riley (no publisher; copyright 1926), pp. 61, 63-68.

(146)

FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER 147

Sixth infantry, in August, 1853. 6 At that time the river was at a
low stage and Tidball's examination was therefore not conclusive.
Major Vinton, in his letter to Major Page, remarked that the survey
was satisfactory so far as it went, "but it leaves to conjecture still,
the depth of the Kanzas River and of its navigableness at the most
favorable stage of its waters. ... It still remains to ascertain
the actual depth of the Kanzas, at high water, and of the duration
of the season of its navigation, if it shall prove navigable. I have
therefore to request that observation may be continued for that
object and that an early report (after the next 'rise' of that stream)
may be made. . . ."

General Clarke, transmitting Tidball's report to Col. Lorenzo
Thomas, assistant adjutant general at Headquarters of the Army,
New York, said that he had planned to make two surveys of the
river, one when it was at its lowest stage and the other at its high-
est.

Altho' it is not expected that the River is navigable for steamboats for
any length of time during the year [he stated], yet I am satisfied that it is
navigable at certain periods of the year sufficiently long to throw up a large
amount of Supplies, and I reccommend that the Quarter Master & Commissary
Depts be so instructed. The Quarter Master in St Louis might keep himself
advised of the stage of water in the River and save the Government a great
deal by throwing up the supplies by water at such periods as might be deemed
safe. The Commanding Officer at Fort Riley will be instructed to give infor-
mation to the Quarter Master in St Louis when the river is at its highest
stage. 7

No record of the proposed examination during the period of high
water has been found. However, one steamboat captain, Charles
K. Baker, perhaps as a result of Major Vinton 's persuasion, under-
took to try the ascent and in April, 1854, successfully sailed his
79-ton stern-wheeler, the Excel, from Weston, Mo., to Fort Riley
carrying 1,100 barrels of flour. During the next two months, before
he left the Kansas for the Missouri river trade, Captain Baker
made several such trips, on one of which he even dared a short
excursion up the Smoky Hill. 8

6. Tidball was a graduate of West Point in the class of 1849. He was promoted to the
rank of first lieutenant on March 3, 1855, to captain on August 25 of the same year and
retired from the army November 1, 1861. Heitman, op. cit., p. 961.

7. Gen. N. S. Clarke to Col. L. Thomas, Jefferson Barracks, Mo., January 9, 1853 [1854]
Photostat of original letter in "Records of the War Department, Office of the Quartermaster
General," in the National Archives.

8. Albert R. Greene, "The Kansas River Its Navigation," in Kansas Historical Collec-
tions, Topeka, v. 9, pp. 321-324; George S. Park, "Notes of a Trip Up Kansas River
. . . ," in Organization, Objects, and Plans of Operations, of the Emigrant Aid Company
. . . (Boston, 1854), pp. 9-19. Park was editor of the Industrial Luminary, Parkville
Mo., a newspaper whose Free State tenets caused its destruction in 1855 by a mob of pro-'
slavery Missourians. His description of his journey up the Kansas was widely read, and was
reprinted by several papers, including the first issue of the Kansas Herald of Freedom Waka-
rusa, October 21, 1854.

148 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Copies of TidbalFs report to Major Ogden, with a map which he
made to illustrate it, were sent to Headquarters of the Army at
New York, to Headquarters of the Department of the West at
Jefferson Barracks, and to the Quartermaster General at Washing-
ton. The copy to the latter is on file among the "Records of the
War Department, Office of the Quartermaster General," in the
National Archives. 9 The copy from which the text below is taken
was received by the Historical Society on February 25, 1878, with
other papers of the New England Emigrant Aid Company, from
J. M. Forbes, president of the board of trustees.

II. LIEUTENANT TIDBALL'S REPORT

Fort Riley

Indn Terry Oct 10, 1853
Major:

The duty of prosecuting the survey of the Kansas river, ordered
to be made under your supervision, having devolved on me, I have
the honor to communicate the following report of my investigations.

As the principal object contemplated in this expedition was to
determine the practicability of navigating the river by steamers
or keel Boats, my attention was chiefly directed to collecting facts
and obtaining information bearing on this point, and less par-
ticularly to other matters mentioned in your letter of instructions. 10

The place selected for departure is a point of the river about two
miles below the junction of the Smoky Hill Fork and Pawnee river,
estimating the sinuosities of the river, and about a mile from, and
nearly East of, this post. 11 It was not deemed important to com-
mence operations higher up, as the place selected possesses as many
advantages for a Steam Boat landing as any point above, and is
more easy of access from the fort.

The turbid cast of the water rendering it next to impossible for
my Steersman, in his position close to the surface, to determine
where the main channel lay, to enable me to keep in it, I found it

9. Letter from E. G. Campbell, director, "War Records Division," The National Archives,
Washington, D. C., December 19, 1947.

10. The instructions referred to have not been found either in the files of the Society or
those of the National Archives. Ibid.

11. The Smoky Hill and Republican rivers join at Junction City, near Fort Riley, to
form the Kansas. The Republican took its name from a branch of the Pawnee confederacy
known as the Kitkehahki or Republican Pawnees who lived along its banks until about 1815,
but it was also called the Pawnee by several early explorers, including John C. McCoy, who
performed many of the surveys of Indian reservations in present Kansas. He stated that the
river was called Pa-ne-ne-tah or Pawnee by the Kansas Indians. See John C. McCoy, "Sur-
vey of Kansas Indian Lands," in Kansas Historical Collections, v. 4, p. 305; Frank W. Black-
mar, Kansas, A Cyclopedia of State History. . . . (Chicago, 1912), v. 2, p. 577; George
A. Root, "Ferries in Kansas," in Kansas Historical Quarterly, v. 3, p. 246; F. W. Hodge,
ed., Handbook of American Indians . . . , Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American
Ethnology, Bulletin 30 (Washington, 1907), Pt. 1, p. 707. Tidball's point of departure was
at or near the point where One Mile creek enters the Kansas.

FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER 149

necessary, almost from the outset, to feel my way by having re-
course to the sounding rod, the use of which, was seldom discon-
tinued during a run, and only when the appearance of the water
removed all doubt as to its considerable depth. This process, though
vexatious and wearisome, was attended with the advantage of giv-
ing a more accurate knowledge of the general depth of the water
than could have resulted from less frequent soundings. This system
of soundings showed the general depth of water in the main channel,
for a distance of fifty miles, or thereabout, to be from two to seven
feet; that is, it varied between these limits, more frequently ex-
ceeding the greater than falling below the less; when the latter oc-
curred, special mention is [made] of it, and the localities are, as
nearly as possible, pointed out.

These I found to be quite numerous, nine such having been found
above the mouth of the Blue Earth river. 12 The first is about one
mile from the point of starting; the second, above a small island
some four miles lower down; about three fourths of a mile above
Clarke's Creek, again just above the mouth, and at distances of four
and six miles below the mouth of this creek, there are bars. Sever-
ally, these are of little extent in the direction of the flow of water,
not more, perhaps, than fifteen or twenty yards, but most of them
traverse the river throughout its entire width, with a minimum depth
of twelve inches of water. Four miles below the last mentioned
point, is a bar of considerable magnitude, fifty or sixty yards across,
with only eight inches of water. Two other bars were found above
the mouth of the Blue Earth river ; the first a small one, a little way
above two small islands abreast; the other, opposite the mouth of a
slough on the left shore, between six and seven miles lower down.
The least depth of water on the first of these was one foot; on the
second, about ten inches, though next the left bank, there was a
narrow channel with eighteen inches water. The general width of
the Kansas above the mouth of the Blue Earth river, is about eighty
yards, seldom narrower, and occasionally widening to a hundred and
twenty or more. It is comparatively free from flood wood and snags ;
a circumstance due most probably to the sparsity of timber in this
region. In respect of flood wood and snags in this part of the river,
I deem it necessary only to mention the mouth of Clarke's Creek, a
point some ten miles lower down, and a point in the main channel,

12. The Big Blue, as it is known today, is the largest tributary of the Kansas. It teas
commonly called the Blue Earth river in earlier days, from the name "Mon-e-ca-to" or "Moh-
e-ca-to" by which it was known to the Kansas Indians. The Indian name is used In Isaac
McCoy's field notes of his survey of the Delaware lands and outlet in 1830 and on his plat
of the north and south lines of the Kansas Indian lands. See superintendency of Indian Af-
fairs, St. Louis, "Records," v. 1, pp. 48, 58.

150 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

at an island about two miles above the mouth of the Blue Earth
river.

Of these places the last two are the worst, though I do not regard
any of them as considerable impediments. At the junction of the
Blue Earth and Kansas there is a bar of considerable extent, formed
most probably, in great part, by deposits from the waters of the
former, the least depth of water on it, ten inches. It stretches almost
entirely across the Kansas, and completely spans the mouth of the
Blue. This is much the largest affluent of the Kansas; its width at
the mouth from sixty to eighty yards, and its depth there was found
to be from two and a half to four feet. Notwithstanding, however,
it was discharging a considerable volume of water, there was no
perceptible addition to the general depth of the Kansas, the incre-
ment of water being fully absorbed by the expansion in the width of
the river commencing there, and with little variation continuing to
prevail as far down as Soldier's creek.

Passing below the mouth of the Blue Earth river, there was an
approach to uniformity in the general depth of the water, though it
was by no means regular; bars and shoals were of less frequent
occurrence, but many of them were of much greater extent than any
yet mentioned. At a distance of five miles below, a bar was found
stretching nearly across the river; and half a mile lower down a
second; neither large, with a depth of one and a half feet, on each.
Four or five miles farther on, there is a marked increase in the width
of the river which there flows between banks lower on both sides
than usual the water gradually becomes shallow, and for a dis-
tance of three or four hundred yards the prevailing depth was four-
teen inches. There is no distinctly defined bar, but it seemed, rather,
a shoaling of the water due to the expansion in the width of the
stream. A little distance below this point there is a rapid, or a suc-
cession of rapids, for there are three, distinctly marked, at intervals
of two or three hundred yards. These are caused by a flat reef of
rock, no where visible, but first discoverable at the upper rapid, and
thence continuing to form the bed of the river for some distance
below the last. Loose water worn stones and fragments of rock are
strewn over the bed of the river in places, in greatest abundance near
the upper rapid. Individually, these rapids are but a few yards
across. The Channel is straight, with a depth of one and a half feet,
and the acceleration of current is about one half ; but at the distance
of twenty five or thirty yards below the several rapids, it resumes its
usual velocity. Between this point and St. Mary's Mission there is
little change in the general character of the river, except that, for

FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER 151

part of that distance, the limits between which the general depth of
water varied, were somewhat different. This was first remarked a
few miles above the mouth of Vermillion, and from the time my
attention was drawn to the fact, until I had passed Uniontown
ferry, 13 the prevailing depth was from eighteen inches to seven feet.

There are two other places, between the rapids mentioned and St.
Mary's Mission, that require notice. About twelve miles above the
mouth of the Vermillion is an island between which and the left
bank, the great body of water pours. I found this place almost im-
passable for my skiff, in consequence of its being choked with a
series of little bars, disposed like ribs across the channel, with not
more than eight inches of water on some of them, while below and
between them it was not unfrequently six or seven feet deep. I find
it difficult so to designate the locality of this island that it may be
distinguished from others very similar in appearance, and removed
but little distances from it. It may suffice to state that it is the
fifth above the mouth of the Vermillion.

A bend below the mouth of Phillip's creek, a small branch empty-
ing in a short distance above the Mission, presented a collection of
snags, not numerous, however, and the only point thus far below
the Blue Earth river, which, in this particular, it is important to
mention. Of course I would not be understood to say that that
part of the river, or any other of considerable extent enjoys entire
immunity from these ugly customers; but from the impossibility of
defining [or] fixing positions, mention only is made of such as ap-
peared to me likely to prove [provide?] difficulties in the way of
navigation, or invest it with any degree of danger. In the vicinity
of St. Mary's Mission the river widens beyond its usual limits, and
is thereabout, for perhaps a mile, from one hundred and fifty to two
hundred yards wide. Within this stretch, nearly opposite, perhaps
somewhat below, the Mission, are two small islands close together,
and still another, lower down. The whole distance embracing these
islands, and extending a little above and below them, is a bar,
seamed by narrow irregular gullies through which, with a variable
depth of from eight to eighteen inches, the great volume of water
finds its way. Some two miles below the Mission the river makes
an abrupt bend, running in a westerly direction for one or two miles,
when it sweeps away to the southward, gradually resuming its gen-
eral course. It is somewhat narrower than usual between these el-

13. Uniontown crossing, just above the Uniontown rapids near the point where Cross
creek flows into the Kansas, was about one and one-half miles above the old village of Union-
town and about five miles above Silver Lake. The ferry there was operated by L. K. Darling
in 1853 and was known as Darling's ferry. See George A. Root, loc. cit., p. 20.

152 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

bows, both of which are receptacles of snags, most numerous and
dangerous in the upper. Below an island, situated in the lower
bend, the river again spreads out to a greater width than usual, the
water becomes shoal, and [an] other stretch, not unlike that in the
vicinity of the Mission, presents itself. The least depth of water
found here was twelve inches, which may be regarded as that pre-
vailing for the greater part of a mile, when the prevalent features
as to depth were restored, and continued without interruption some
eighteen or twenty miles farther. Eight or nine miles below the
Mission, another nest of snags, numerous and ugly, was found.
About a mile lower down there is a rocky developement in the right
bank, from one point of which a spur, nearly perpendicular to the
thread of the current, and extending about one third the width of
the river, causes a partial rapid. Between this point of rock, and
the left bank the channel was three feet deep; there was slight in-
crease in the velocity of the water, so little, it is doubtful, if, at a
higher stage, it would be distinguishable from the general current.

Of the rapids in this river, that usually known as the Uniontown
rapid is the only one that fairly embodies the idea suggested by the
term. It extends the entire width of the river, and is caused by a
ledge of rock stretching diagonally across, presenting a general con-
cavity down stream, its lower extremity resting on the right bank.
I had not the means of determining the difference of level between
the head and foot of the rapid, but the fall is sufficient to produce
an increased velocity of current, extending through sixty or seventy
yards. The depth of water was variable; the deepest on the crest
of the rapid, was found between the middle of the river, and the
right bank, and was from two to four feet, increasing somewhat
below, the least depth, between the middle and left bank, but
thirteen inches. The channel conforms pretty generally to the di-
rection of the stream, and seems to cross the head of the rapid about
one third the width of the river from the right bank. Detached
masses of rock strew the bed of the rapid ; only a few of these were
visible, and those near the left bank, in the shoalest water. In re-
spect of magnitude, this is much the [most] considerable rapid in
the river, and, therefore, all else being equal, would be found a much
more serious difficulty in the way of navigation. But the current is,
as nearly as I could estimate it, about twice as strong as that of the
river in general; the crest of the rapid is little, if any, more than a
hundred yards above an abrupt curve in the river narrower there
than above, so that, at a high stage, a stronger current than usual
may be looked for throughout this curve.

FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER 153

These circumstances I apprehend may be found to render this
point additionally difficult to pass. Another rapid, produced doubt-
less by a continuation of the same body of rock, in part forming the
right bank between the two, occurs about a fourth of a mile below.
It is unimportant as compared with the principal rapid; and as it
appeared to me likely to offer no difficulty at a time when a boat may
reach it, little more is necessary than to note its existence and posi-
tion. On this, the deepest water, from eighteen inches to two feet,
was found between the middle of the river and the left bank. Soon
after leaving Uniontown rapids I again had occasion to observe a
change in the general depth; and until I reached the vicinity of
Soldier creek it ranged between fourteen inches and half as many
feet. So frequently was it the former, that I am not sure a great
error would be committed were much of this distance denominated
a series of shoals. This extent, however, is not equally bad through-
out. Between Weld's and Papan's ferries 14 the course of the stream
is more direct, and the channel less irregular in depth. Except these
general features, the only matters presenting themselves to my no-
tice, in this part of the river, as bearing on the matter under con-
sideration, were, the existence of numerous snags just below Pap-
pan's ferry, and at intervals between that and the mouth of Soldier
creek, and a bar, about midway between these points, on which, for
perhaps a hundred yards, I found only ten inches of water, A
change in the breadth of the river is observable soon after passing the
mouth of Soldier creek. It becomes narrower. And indeed the lower
part of the river is, with occasional exceptions compressed within nar-
rower limits than were found to characterize, as a rule, the portion
between the Blue Earth river and Soldier creek; while for several
miles above its junction with the Missouri, and at that point, it is
even more contracted, a circumstance that may lead to an erroneous
idea of its prevailing width. If that portion lying between Turtle
creek and Cedar creek be excepted, abrupt curves in the stream,
below the mouth of Soldiers creek, are comparatively few; as a
whole, the channel was more distinctly defined; some improvement
and less irregulartity were perceived in the general depth, which was
from eighteen inches to six feet, until within a few miles of the Mis-
souri, when it became more regularly deep, seldom less than five
feet. This part of the river is not, however, exempt from those fea-
tures that disfigure other portions of it. Bars of considerable mag-

14. Probably this should be Wells' ferry. Hiram Wells and John Ogee established a ferry
service in 1853 at a point near the old Baptist Mission which became known as the "Great
Crossing." Papan's ferry in that year was operating about four miles above the mouth of
Soldier creek. See George A. Root, loc. cit., v. 2, pp. 865, 366; v. 3, p. 16.

154 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

nitude were found at intervals; while snags are of more frequent
occurrence, and the collections of these in places are equal, if not
greater, than any yet mentioned. A partial rapid, too, similar to
that between St. Mary's Mission and Uniontown rapids, occurs be-
tween the mouth of Grashopper and Turtle creek, about six miles
above the latter. A rib of the reef causing it, extends from the right
bank about halfway across; but between it and the left bank is a
smooth channel, of which the least depth, on the prolongation of the
rib, was two feet.

Bars, in the order in which they occur, were found at a point about
three miles above the mouth of Grasshopper ; a mile above the mouth
of Turtle creek; at the mouth of a little creek, emptying in from the
south, between Turtle creek and Stranger; some three miles above
the mouth of Cedar creek; opposite the mouth of Rock creek; at
Delaware ferry; 15 and just below a small island from three to five
miles lower down. Of these the largest are those situated at about
equal distances above the mouth of Grasshopper and Cedar creek,
and that at Delaware ferry ; the first at least half a mile in extent,
without any discoverable main channel across it; the others trace-
able for a distance of two or three hundred yards. The minimum
depth of water on the first two, was ten inches ; on the last, one foot.
The least depth of water on these, in the order in which they are
enumerated, was, ten inches on the first, fourteen on the second,
but eight on the third, and on the fourth ten inches. Of the portion
of the river under consideration, that between the Grasshopper and
Cedar creek is most plenteously supplied with snags. Few of the
elbows in this interval but hold them in greater or less abundance.
A sharp bend about six miles below Grasshopper, (river running
northeasterly, for a little distance) the vicinity of the rapid last
mentioned, and a bend in the river just above the mouth of Cedar
creek, are repositories of the largest collections. The last of these
surpasses in extent any other in the river, stretching along a distance
of nearly or quite two hundred yards. Below Cedar creek there
are comparatively few ; two other points, however, one in the vicinity
of Delaware ferry, the other a few miles above the mouth of the
river, are worthy of mention in this connection.

Except in a few places to which allusion has been made, at the
rapids and in their vicinity, the bed of the river is an easily yield-
is. Delaware or Grinter's ferry, known also as Military ferry and Secondine crossing, was
the earliest ferry established on the Kansas river. It was about eight and one-half miles west
of the Kansas -Missouri boundary, near the Indian village of Secondine, and was operated by
Moses Grinter as a crossing on the military road between Cantonment Leavenworth and Fort
Gibson, Okla. Ibid., v. 2, pp. 264, 265.

FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER 155

ing quicksand, and its surface broken. In descending, a gradual
shoaling of the water was noticed in approaching the bars, which
were found to terminate very abruptly, so that not infrequently a
few feet only intervened between least and greatest depth of water.
The banks of the upper portion of the river are formed almost en-
tirely of sand, occasionally mingled with clay. Lower down, this
is seen in somewhat greater abundance, sometimes in thin strata
alternating with sand ; occasional beds of gravel and in a few places,
for short distances, rocky developements occur. But these last are
rather exceptions to the general rule than a prominent feature in the
geological character of the banks.

The river, as a whole, is quite crooked, varying of course in this
respect in different parts, and. some of the curves are very abrupt.
This feature is perhaps more strongly marked in the portion between
this post and the mouth of the Blue Earth river; in that lying be-
tween St. Mary's Mission and Weld's ferry; and in that between
Turtle creek and Cedar creek. In the main, as was to be anticipated
the greatest depth of water was found following the concave por-
tions of the banks, and along the bluff shores ; but not always, for in
many places, and in straight portions of the river, where there was
no apparent cause for a diversion in the channel, it was found to run
in a zigzag course from bank [to bank?], crossing a right line three
or four or half a dozen times in a distance of a few hundred yards ;
of course every salient point seems to give a new direction to the
great body of the water ; so that, numerous as are the curves of the
river, the channel is even more tortuous.

The tributaries of the Kansas, below this point, though numerous
are small. The Blue Earth river is the largest. It is not to be sup-
posed that the discharge of water from these, singly, can at any
time, in great degree, augment that of the river, but during the
spring and early summer its volume is probably much swollen by
their united supply.

It is needless to speculate as to whether the river is navigable at
a low stage of water. Still, the facts elicited by no means, I think,
definitely settle the question whether or not it is ever navigable.
Throughout the entire course of the stream the evidences were abun-
dant that the water had been from six to eight feet above its level
when I descended. The water marks along the banks were satisfac-
tory on this point; but if doubt could rest upon these, the accumu-
lation of flood wood on the heads of islands and in other places, as
indication of the height to which the river had risen was not to be

156 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

mistaken. Nor could it be supposed, as at first seemed probable,
that that which lay highest had, in every instance, been forced above
the surface by the accumulating drift wood above, for instances
were numerous when that occupying the highest positions lay apart
from the general collection, in places it could have reached through
no other agency than the immediate action of the water, and where,
that having subsided, it rested. These conclusions are strengthened
by the concurrent testimony of persons of whom inquiry was made,
at different points along the river. Touching the duration of the
period of high water, the testimony is concordant.

At Uniontown ferry, I was informed that, for about two months
preceding my arrival there, the water had been from six to seven
feet higher than at that time ; at Weld's ferry, that it had been from
eight to ten feet higher, and all summer several feet above its stage
then ; at Delaware ferry, that from the tenth of April until the tenth
of August it had been about five feet higher than I found it, but that
high water had prevailed, it might be, a month longer this year than
usual. Added to this, it is well known here, that from the time of
the arrival of a battalion of the 6th Infantry at this place, about the
20th of May, until about the 10th of August, the river at this point
was from five to ten feet above its level a month later.

I have too little experience in matters relating to navigation to
form opinions concerning it in which I can rest entire confidence;
yet, with all the facts and evidence before me, I am strongly im-
pelled to the belief that there is a period of from two to four months
of the year, dating from the first spring rise, during which boats can
ascend to this point. I am gratified to be able to state that this opin-
ion is also entertained by Capt. Lovell 16 of my regiment, who de-
scended the river in the Autumn of last year, in a skiff. The effort to
ascend, if made at the proper time, would at least be attended with
such positive results as cannot be arrived at by any examination of
the river, however carefully conducted, by parties descending in
small boats.

The removal of the snags I conceive to be the only valuable im-
provement that could be made in the river. This might be affected
by means usually available for such purposes; but I do not regard
their removal as absolutely necessary. Their existence can only ren-

16. Capt. Charles S. Lovell, Sixth infantry, like Major Ogden was a member of the board
of officers which selected the location for Fort Riley. This group first visited the site in the
fall of 1852, and it is possible that Lovell's descent of the river was made on the return
journey. On May 17, 1853, he established the first post, thus becoming Fort Riley's first
commanding officer. Pride, op. cit., p. 61; Senate Ex. Doc. No. 1, 33 Cong., 1 Sess. (1853-
1854), p. 116.

FIRST SURVEY OF THE KANSAS RIVER 157

der transit in some degree hazardous, without interfering to effec-
tually prevent it. No remedy suggests itself for the bars; they will
always exist, if not where I found them, at other points; and during
low water their presence must be an insuperable obstacle to naviga-
tion. Should any attempt at improvement of the rapids be contem-
plated, it suggests itself to me that it would be wisdom to institute,
under the direction of a competent practical Engineer, or an officer
of the Department to which such duties properly pertain, a more
rigid examination than it was possible for me to make. I am of
opinion that expenditure for their improvement is unnecessary; for
it is clear to my mind that if a boat can ever reach them, it will find
sufficient water to pass them without danger.

The nature of my duties was such that my investigations were
necessarily confined within narrow limits. Hence I had little oppor-
tunity of acquiring information relative to the valley of the river,
and the adjacent country. The valley is comparatively narrow, and
is terminated on either side by a range of limestone bluffs, at dis-
tances varying from a few hundred yards to several miles; occasion-
ally, however, approaching closely to the river; still more rarely,
and for short intervals, forming its banks. As a whole, it is sparsely
timbered. This is particularly true of the upper portion, throughout
which timber exists only in clumps and narrow belts along the banks
of the river, and in its immediate vicinity. Descending, a gradual
increase is perceptible ; but it is not until approaching the lower part
of the valley, that it is found in any considerable abundance. There,
too, the better qualities of forest trees, as the hickory, oak, ash,
hackberry, walnut, &c. replace in some degree, the cottonwood,
which is the prevailing growth in the upper region.

At only one of the places mentioned in your letter of instructions,
was I enabled to obtain definite information of the existence of coal.
This is found in a limestone cliff, within a few hundred yards of
Welds' ferry. Where it was shown me, it exists in seams three or
four inches in thickness. I was told it appears at different points
along the face of the bluff. It is doubtful if it exists in great abun-
dance.

Notwithstanding the scarcity of timber along the river, I think
there is sufficient for the probable wants of steam navigation for
years. The larger islands, which are numerous, are covered with a
fine growth of cottonwood. This could be made available. Were
there any demand, there is no doubt but the supply, at convenient
points, would fully meet it.

158 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The means placed at my disposal for inquiring into the feasibility
of navigating the Kansas, were, you are well aware, insufficient for
the prosecution of a minute and accurate survey. My researches do
not pretend to that dignity. Only such facts as were to be obtained
with those meagre means were sought after. In regard to the mat-
ter of distances, I may be somewhat at fault. Their calculation
rests upon data that could not be relied on for positive accuracy;
and, therefore, as laid down, they can only be regarded as approxi-
mate. The difficulty of determining them with exactness has, too,
involved me, in making this report, in a deal of circumlocution that
otherwise were unnecessary.

It may be well to state that this examination was commenced in
the latter part of August, when the river was very low, and that is
was constantly falling during the progress of the inquiry.

I am very respectfully,

Your Obt Servant
(signed) J. L. Tidball

2d Lieut 6 Infy
Brevet Major E A Ogden

A. Q. M. U. S. A.
Fort Leavenworth
Mo.

The Renaming of Robidoux Creek,
Marshall County

ROBIDOUX CREEK: a stream about 25 miles long heading near
Summerfield and flowing generally southward to the Black Ver-
million River 1.5 miles southwest of Frankfort; Marshall County,
source in sec. 12, T. 1 S, R. 9 E, and mouth in sec. 20, T. 4 S,
R. 9 E, sixth principal meridian, mouth at 39 41' 15" N, 96 26'
30" W. Not: Black Vermill'ion Creek, Robidoux Fork, Vermilion
Creek, Vermillion Creek, West Fork.

'TVHE above decision, appearing in a publication of the U. S. Board
JL on Geographic Names 1 in May, 1947, officially restored to
Robidoux creek the name by which early settlers of Marshall
county knew it, and which was perhaps first applied to the stream
by French fur traders. As far as can be learned, this is the first
time the board has restored a geographic name in Kansas. The
story of this stream, and its renaming, is worth recording.

One hundred and nine years ago this year, a 43-year-old fur
trapper carved his name and occupation "M Robidoux TRAP-
PER 1841" on a large limestone rock near a ford on the west
branch of the Black Vermillion river in present Marshall county. 2
Because he did so, this tributary of the river was later to bear his
name.

The ford (later known as the lower Robidoux crossing) was on
an Indian trail, used also by hunters and trappers in the 1830's
and 1840's. In these decades the immediate area was Indian
country not assigned to any particular tribe. A little to the east,
and extending to the Missouri river, lay the Kickapoo reserve.
Beyond, on the east bank of the Missouri, was the Blacksnake
Hills trading post of Joseph Robidoux, where the town of St. Joseph,
Mo., was founded in 1843.

The establishment at Blacksnake Hills had existed since the
latter 1820's. Joseph Robidoux, oldest of six fur-trading brothers, 8

Much of the material used in the preparation of this article was furnished by OTTO
J. WULLSCHLKGER of Marshall county who was instrumental in re-establishing Robidoux as
a geographic name in Kansas. The article was written by LOUISE BARRY, who is in charge
of the Manuscripts division of the Kansas State Historical Society.

1. U. S. Board on Geographic Names, Decision Lists, Nos. 701, 702, $703, January,
February, March, 1947 (Washington, D. C., May, 1947), p. 2.

2. The rock is on the SW % of Section 6, Township 3 South, Range 9 East, on a
farm belonging to M. L. Goin.

3. The Robidouxs were from St. Louis. Joseph Robidoux (b. 1750) arrived there in
1770 from Montreal. He married Catharine Rollet in 1782 and they had six sons and
two daughters. Joseph (b. 1783), the oldest, and Michel (b. 1798), the youngest son, are
mentioned above. Michel (also variously spelled Michael, Mitchel and Mitchell) married
Susan Vaudry, of St. Louis, a sister of Angelique Vaudry, the second wife of his brother
Joseph. The History of Buchanan County, Missouri . . . (St. Joseph, Mo., 1881), pp.
392-396; Mrs. O. M. Robidoux's Memorial to the Robidoux Brothers . . . (Kansas City,
Mo., 1924).

(159)

160 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

founded it while working for the American Fur Company. In 1830
he bought out the company's interest and employed his own hunters,
who ranged the country east and west in search of furs. Presumably
"M Robidoux" Michel, youngest of the Robidoux brothers was
working for Joseph in 1841 when he inscribed his name on the rock
in northeast Kansas, some 90 miles from the trading post. Little is
known of Michel's activities in the West, although he apparently
spent a good many years in the fur trade, and is said to have traded
principally at Fort Laramie.

During the 1840's two great thorofares to the Far West were
developing across present Marshall county, one north and one south
of the lower Robidoux crossing. These were arteries of the Oregon
and California road. One was the main route of the Oregon trail
from Independence, Mo. The other was the branch of this trail
which began at St. Joseph, Mo.

Another starting point for westbound travel in these years was
Fort Leavenworth on the Kansas side of the Missouri river about
50 miles below St. Joseph. A circuitous route north from this post
to intersect the "St. Joe" road was in use in the 1840's. But in
April, 1850, Maj. E. A. Ogden, quartermaster at Fort Leavenworth,
surveyed a shorter route northwest from that post to the crossing
of the Big Blue. According to P. G. Lowe, who was with Ogden,
the new military road led along the divides, crossed the Delaware
river at present Kennekuk, and the Nemaha river where Seneca
now is. Between that point and the Big Blue river ford (present
Marysville) there was a juncture with the "St. Joe" road. 4 The
place at which this road crossed the west fork of the Black Ver-
million is not certain, since no report of Ogden's survey has ever
been located. By the late 1850's the generally-traveled road (the
overland stage route) forded the stream at Guittard's station, about
nine miles north of the lower crossing.

It would appear that the lower crossing was never on a main
trafficway across Marshall county, although some travelers evi-
dently used this ford as late as 1861. The rock on which Robidoux's
name appears also has these inscriptions: "J. FREY 1860," and
"L. ROW 1861." Frey was a well-known Pony Express rider in

4. Lowe was a private in Troop B, First U. S. dragoons, in 1850. His statements
about the route of the new military road were made many years later in his book, Five
Years a Dragoon . . . (Kansas City, Mo., 1906), pp. 34, 35. According to an article
in the New York Daily Tribune, June 22, 1854, the new military road of 1850 which the
government "caused ... to be surveyed, improved and bridged," has since been kept
in good repair, and "is called the best of the emigrant routes, being high, level, dry, with
'fine grass, and convenient water." No details of the route are mentioned beyond the
statement that the "St. Joseph road does not unite with it until within twenty miles
of ... [Big Blue] river."

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE LIMESTONE ROCKS ON THE M. L. COIN FARM ABOUT
FOUR MILES SOUTHWEST OF BEATTIE, MARSHALL COUNTY, SHOWING THE CARVED
INSCRIPTIONS: "M. ROBIDOUX TRAPPER 1841 J. FREY 1860 L Row 1861," "J.
BRIDGER GUIDE 1857" AND OTHERS. MICHEL ROBIDOUX WAS A BROTHER OF JOSEPH
ROBIDOUX, THE FOUNDER OF ST. JOSEPH, Mo.; JOHNNY FREY WAS A PONY EX-
PRESS RIDER, AND JAMES BRIDGER WAS THE NOTED SCOUT AND GUIDE. PICTURE
COURTESY OF OTTO J. WULLSCHLEGER.

RENAMING OF ROBIDOUX CREEK 161

1860, but his regular route lay to the north, fording Robidoux creek
at Guittard's station. On another stone in the same ledge of rocks
are the following names: "J. BRIDGER GUIDE 1857," "C. F.
SMITH," and "J. S. JONES MAY 7, 1856." According to the
biography of James Bridger by J. Cecil Alter, 5 the famed trapper
and guide went East (by boat, down the Missouri river) in the
spring of 1857, spent a brief time in Washington, D. C., and was
back at Fort Laramie by early summer of that year. While this
does not authenticate the inscription, it does show that Bridger
very likely did cross northeast Kansas territory on his return
journey to Fort Laramie in that year.

Whether the west fork of the Black Vermillion was called Robi-
doux creek before Kansas was opened to settlement is uncertain.
Settlers began to come into Marshall county in 1856. Between
November of that year and May, 1857, government surveyors
platted Townships 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Range 9 East the townships
through which the stream runs. Their maps were the first of
the area to record detailed geographic data, and the first, as far
as is known, which gave a name to the west fork of the Black Ver-
million. On the plat of Township 1, where it heads, surveyor Cor-
nelius B. Keller wrote the name "Vermillion creek." Blair H.
Matthews, who surveyed Townships 2 and 3, also called it "Ver-
million creek." (The stones with the inscriptions heretofore men-
tioned, and the lower Robidoux crossing are in the northwest part
of Township 3, Range 9.) However, on the plat of Township 4,
Range 9, where the stream enters the Black Vermillion river, sur-
veyor Felix G. Herbert entered the name "Robidoux Fork." Her-
bert's survey was made between May 8 and 17, 1857, and his is the
earliest record found definitely linking the name Robidoux with
the stream. 6

The first printed maps in the Kansas State Historical Society's
possession which show a name for the Black Vermillion's west fork
are three which were published in 1859. Of these, the J. H. Colton
& Co. map and the Stevenson & Morris map list the stream as
"Robidoux Fk." The Gunn & Mitchell map of 1859 (as well as
their maps of the 1860's) call it "Vermillion Cr."

An examination of later maps in the Society's collection shows
that the Colton maps (1868, 1869, 1871); the Blanchard maps
(1870, 1871) ; Ross' map (1871) ; Wilmarth's map (1871) ; the Cram

5. J. Cecil Alter's James Bridger . . . (Salt Lake City, c!925), pp. 269-271.

6. The original manuscript plats are on file in the state auditor's office.

112657

162 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

maps (1871, 1874, 1876, 1879) , all labeled the stream "Robidoux Or."
More important as documentary evidence is the fact that the Mar-
shall county map in an official state atlas published in 1887 shows
the stream as "Robidoux Fork." 7

However, in an article in the Waterville Telegraph of March 31,
1871, this statement appeared: "At GUITARD'S, on West Fork, at
the crossing of the old overland and military road, is a postoffice
which supplies an extensive section." By the name West Fork, or
West Branch, the stream was apparently known to many Marshall
county residents from the 1870's on. A. L. Thornton's map of the
county, published in the State Board of Agriculture Report for
1874, 8 shows the name as "W Br Vermillion R," and the same ap-
pears 14 years later on the Marshall county map published in the
board's Report for 1887-1888. 9 Other mapmakers called it Ver-
million creek, and that name appears on a map published as re-
cently as 1949.

By the 20th century, "Robidoux" was practically extinct as a
geographic name in Kansas. It would have remained so except
for the efforts of a present-day resident of Marshall county, Otto
J. Wullschleger.

Mr. Wullschleger, whose farm is less than two miles from the old
lower Robidoux crossing, has long been interested in local history.
Years ago, a pioneer resident, Charles Thompson, had pointed out
to him the location of the once-used ford, and told him that early
settlers had found names carved on a ledge of rocks on the west
bank of the stream.

But Mr. Wullschleger did not see the inscriptions until 1934 when,
after an intensive search, the stones were found, their carvings
covered over with soil washed from a nearby field.

In May, 1945, Mr. Wullschleger, and others interested, began a
campaign to restore the name Robidoux to the west fork of the
Black Vermillion. Petitions were circulated in the townships along
the stream, and the response was favorable. Articles about the
plan, published in local newspapers (the Marysville Advocate-
Democrat, the Marshall County News, Marysville, and the Frank-
fort Index) in 1945, included some friendly debate on the subject
of the name restoration. County officials were not averse to the

7. The Official State Atlas of Kansas Compiled From Government Surveys, County
Records and Personal Investigations (Philadelphia, L. H. EvertB & Co., 1887), p. 124.

8. State Board of Agriculture, The Third Annual Report ... /or the Year 1874
(Topeka, 1874), p. [165].

9. Sixth Biennial Report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture ... /or the
Years 1887-88 (Topeka, 1889), p. 294. This is a Rand, McNally & Co. map.

RENAMING OF ROBIDOUX CREEK 163

name Robidoux, provided official sanction of its use could be
secured.

At the State House, Mr. Wullschleger enlisted the interest of
Jacob C. Mohler, then secretary of the State Board of Agriculture.
With the assistance of Warden L. Noe, the board's attorney, the
historical data for the name Robidoux, and the petitions, were sent
to Washington, D. C., to the U. S. Board on Geographic Names.
That's board's decision, published in May, 1947, officially restored
to the west fork of the Black Vennillion the name "Robidoux
Creek."

Lincoln College, Forerunner of Washburn
Municipal University

PART Two: LATER HISTORY AND CHANGE OF NAME Concluded
RUSSELL K. HICKMAN

T^ARLY in 1865, after nearly a decade of failure and frustration,
" the Kansas Congregationalists announced the founding of
Lincoln College, to be a monument to the victory of freedom and its
champion, Abraham Lincoln. A lack of population as well as re-
sources, depression, drought and finally Civil War had all delayed
the launching of a Congregational college in Kansas. The founders
had in mind an institution of learning which would promote the
ideals of their Puritan forefathers and furnish a more adequate
supply of trained ministers for a wide territory of the Missouri val-
ley, which they then expected to be rapidly settled. Religion and its
handmaid, education, would rescue the great West from the clutches
of worldliness, and plant the principles of New England on the
farthest frontier.

COLLEGE FAIR

After some delay, on January 3, 1866, the new college at Topeka
formally opened its doors. During the initial weeks the students and
faculty were obliged to carry on in a very inadequately furnished
building. This arose from a lack of ready cash, the funds advanced
by Topeka being scarcely sufficient to erect the structure, while those
collected in the East and throughout Kansas were given almost ex-
clusively to the endowment. 105 To provide for this urgent need it
was decided to hold a fair, to be the first social gathering of Lincoln
College. Apparently it was hoped to derive a little of the needed
money from the Kansas legislators, then in session in Topeka. A
complete program for this event was published in a local paper,
February 8, 1866:

RUSSELL K. HICKMAN, of La Porte, Ind., is a former staff member of the Kansas State
Historical Society.

105. Topeka Weekly Leader, February 8, 1866, quoted below. The urgent need of ready
cash is apparent in the minutes of the meeting of the trustees, February 13, 1866, when the
treasurer was authorized to sell the college property, except the "permanent site," and to ask
$2,000 of the Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education at the West
(College society) to pay the teachers for the current year. In fact, a financial report of July,
1867, pointing out the necessity of taking $1,600 from the endowment fund to help defray the
cost of constructing the college building.

(164)

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 165

LINCOLN COLLEGE FAIR,
Monday Evening, February 12th, 1866.

ORATION in the Hall of the House of Representatives by Hon. T. C. Sears
of Leavenworth, Tuesday evening, February 13th [below].

CONCERT AND SUPPER at the College Building. The services of the Topeka
Brass Band have been secured and the supper will be the best that the ladies
of this city can furnish. Everything will be arraigned [sr'c] for a festive occa-
sion, Wednesday evening, Feb. 14th.

The following programme will give an idea of the entertainments at the last
evening of the Fair:

FANCY DEPARTMENT. A large outlay of money and time has been made to
furnish this department with any variety of useful and ornamented articles.

DEPARTMENT OF ART AND LITERATURE. This embraces some 400 Engravings,
Photographs and Lithographs, a collection of choice Prayer Books, and Bibles,
some 30 volumes of Holland's Life of Lincoln in all varieties of binding, many
volumes of History and Poetry, Illustrated works, Toy Books, Albums and
Picture Frames. The above articles will be sold as cheap as they are retailed
in New York City.

In addition to the above there will be a FISH POND, a POST OFFICE, and last
though not least, the ELEPHANT will be on exhibition for the inspection of the
curious.

One of Lippmcolt's beautiful Velvet Albums filled with pictures, and valued
at $40 will be disposed of by ballot to the handsomest unmarried lady present
at the Fair.

A splendid engraving of President Johnson will be given in the same man-
ner to the homeliest member of the Kansas Legislature.

OBJECT OF THE FAIR. The funds secured will be appropriated for furnishing
the College Building.

The funds raised here were barely sufficient for the erection of the building
and those collected at the East were given exclusively to the endowment.

The college is educating without charge a large number of students, mostly
soldiers and now seeks the means to continue this work with still better facili-
ties.

Tickets for the evenings, covering the Oration, Concert, Supper and Fair,
$1 ; for any one evening 50 cents.

Tickets for sale at Willmarth's Book Store. 106

The next week the Leader announced that, despite inclement
weather, on the second night of the fair a very large crowd at Lin-
coln College enjoyed the "grand entertainment":

Notwithstanding the falling snow and driving wind, one of the largest assem-
blies ever witnessed in Topeka was gathered at Lincoln College on Tuesday
evening. It is estimated that at least five hundred people were present. The
lower hall of the building was a gay scene. The walls were covered with paint-
ings, engravings and other decorations. The table of fancy work was orna-
mented with the finest exhibition of taste. The Department of Art and litera-

106. Ibid. A preliminary announcement appeared in the Leader of the previous week
(February 1, 1866).

166 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

ture was the greatest attraction the best engravings the nicest Bibles and
Prayer Books with a choice collection of Books of all kinds were to be found
here[.] The Fish-Pond was over drained. The Elephant was visited by multi-
tudes and was declared Elephantine. The velvet Album was disposed of after
an exciting contest to Miss Annie Elmore. The result we doubt not is satis-
factory to all, the recipient being highly esteemed for her virtues. Thursday
eve is the closing evening of the Fair and will have connected with it a Free
Supper and Concert. Let all who wish to see this college, now the pride of
our citizens, prosper, attend. 107

Another entry of the same issue of this paper announced that
the severe weather had led to a postponement of the final evening of
the fair until Thursday, when the remaining articles, including
paintings and engravings not previously shown, would be sold. An
engraving of President Johnson would then be voted to the legislator
with "the most distinguishable facial organs." 108 The next issue of
The Congregational Record announced that the fair realized over
$600 for the college, clear of all expenses. "An ordinary broom was
bid off at auction for two dollars. A large collection of books, pic-
tures and photographs was secured by Prof. S. D. Bowker, as dona-
tions. These sold well. . . . The proceeds will be expended in
furnishing the building." 109

THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 1865-1866

During the winter and spring terms of 1866 a total of 38 students
enrolled at Lincoln College all in the preparatory department, since
the college proper was not yet in actual operation. The catalogue
for that year listed 22 men students, largely residents of Topeka or
Tecumseh, of whom 18 were enrolled in the English department and
the remainder the classical. There were 16 women students enrolled
in the "Ladies' Course," also predominately from Topeka and
Tecumseh, among whom the English department was again the
leader. 110 An account of May, 1866, remarked:

Although the Institution did not commence its first term till January, last,
still thirty eight pupils have already connected themselves with it, and a class
is preparing for College. The prospect for a large attendance in the fall is quite
promising [.] The lack of a boarding house is a difficulty which the Trustees

107. Ibid., February 15, 1866. The preliminary announcement in this paper remarked
that the fancy work was a "large and varied assortment . . . upon which the ladies of
this city have been engaged several months."

108. Ibid. Those who were expected "to furnish provisions for the free supper and who
have not been called on will be visited on Thursday morning."

109. Volume 7 (1866), March, p. 157.

110. Catalogue of the Officers and Students of LINCOLN COLLEGE For the Winter and
Spring Term of 1865-66 (Topeka, 1866), pp. V, VI. In its admission of women Lincoln
College reflected a democratic trend which was more pronounced after the Civil War, partic-
ularly west of the Mississippi river, where every state except Missouri made its state university
coeducational from its first opening. In 1840 there were only seven American colleges for the
higher education of women, but by 1860 the number had grown to 161 as coeducational
academies grew up over the land. In fact, the instruction of women at Lincoln College was
largely on a preparatory school level.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 167

are now endeavoring to obviate so as to furnish board to students from abroad
at nearly cost prices. 111

In their admission of freedmen, as well as in their policy toward
coeducation, the authorities of Lincoln College adopted a progressive
attitude. During the war and thereafter many of the former slaves
flocked to the "abolition strongholds" in Kansas, thereby constitut-
ing a problem of the first magnitude. 112 The Congregationalists had
stressed the role of Lincoln College as a champion of freedom and
could not logically exclude qualified students of color that might
apply for admission ; in fact, Article III of the "Articles of Associa-
tion" promised "all classes, without distinction of color, the advan-
tages of a liberal education. . . ." The following account de-
scribed the first negro student pf Lincoln College :

"THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT" has actually entered the halls at Lincoln
College, in the form of a bright, sparkling colored boy. This is the first college,
in Kansas, which, to our knowledge, has ventured the experiment. The
"darkey" evidently enjoys his educational privileges, and bids fair to "shine"
in more ways than one. 113

According to the school calendar for 1865-1866 the winter term
extended from January 3 to March 20 and the spring term from
April 4 to June 26. At the close of the winter term the custom of a
public examination was initiated. The following account indicates
that the students acquitted themselves in a satisfactory manner:

The examination at the close of the winter term was quite thorough and
creditable to the institution. The classes in the languages and mathematics
evinced, by their clear conception and ready answers, the work of the teacher
and pupil during the term. Between thirty and forty students were in attend-
ance. 111 *

111. The Congregational Record, v. 8 (1866), August, p. 39, report entitled "Lincoln
College." Concerning the boarding house, see the section below entitled "The Academic Year
of 1866-67."

112. By late 1861 considerable numbers of freedmen were already crowding into Lawrence,
Topeka and other Free-State centers. The following winter Lawrence established a voluntary
evening school for their education, which was very popular, proving conclusively the desire of
the former slaves for self-improvement. Some months later a "Contraband Church" wag
erected at that place, under Congregational auspices, which was subsequently destroyed in the
Quantrill raid, but speedily rebuilt. During the war Daniel Ellex, the pastor of this congre-
gation, and his flock passed through many harrowing experiences. In April, 1864, it was said
that schools for the freedmen had been successfully maintained during the preceding winter at
Wyandotte, Quindaro, and Kansas City, Mo. One writer who in 1862 visited the school at
Lawrence was much impressed by the songs which closed the evening session, one of Which,
adapted from a familiar hymn, was sung with fervor:

"Where, O, where is the Captain Moses,
Who led Israel out from Egypt?
Safe now in the promised land."

113. Cong. Record, v. 7 (1866), March, p. 157.

114. Ibid., April & May, p. 192. The first college catalogue announced that there would
be private examinations of the classes at the close of the fall and winter terms, and a public
examination at the end of the spring term. However, the public ceremony was often placed
at the close of the fall or winter term perhaps not to interfere with commencement exercises
in the spring.

The first annual examination after Lincoln College was renamed Washburn was held June
21 and 22, 1869, and was described in some detail in the next issues of the Kansas Daily
Commonwealth, Topeka. Although there were "troubled minds and trembling hearts and
shaking in boots" among the students, they acquitted themselves in a way entirely satis-
factory to their audience. Late in the afternoon of the second day they assembled in the
chapel to hear the reports of their standings. In reading this account one cannot help feeling
that the ceremony had an aspect of "staging," and was partly motivated by a desire to "cell
education to the public."

168 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Another practice common in those days was begun at this time
and adhered to later a "Prize Exhibition" of recitations, orations
and dialogues by the students. The following program for the first
event of this nature appeared in the Topeka Weekly Leader, March
22, 1866:

PROGRAMME OF PRIZE EXHIBITION AT LINCOLN COLLEGE,
FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 23, 1866.

Music Scholars' Greeting By the School

1. Recitation Mauel [Maud] Muller Miss Carrie E. Sain.

2. Fourth of July Oration L. A. Heil.

3. Dialogue Morning Calls Miss S. Rice, M. L. Hodges, R. Biggers, E. R.
Campbell, N. H. Ferry, M. Wilder.

Music.

4. Declamation Washington and Lincoln Compared A. M. Covell.

5. Dialogue Leaving School S. Rice, C. Lain, E. R. Campbell.

Music.

6. Declamation Sergeant Buzfuz L. P. Huntoon.

7. Recitation Over the River E. R. Campbell.

8. Dialogue Matrimonial Felicity W. J. [L] Stringham, C. E. Sain.

Music.

9. Declamation Sheridan's Ride L. B. Stone.

10. The Two Lecturers L. A. Heil, L. P. Huntoon.

Music INSTRUMENTAL.

11. Dialogue Queen's English Miss N. M. Ferry, E. F. Nichols, C. E. Sain,
S. Rice, M. Wilder, E. R. Campbell, M. J. Hodges.

12. Declamation Tribute to our Honored Dead W. J. [I.] Stringham.

Music Parting Song By the Choir.
Admittance 25 Cents. 115

In the spring term Edward F. Hobart, formerly of the Baraboo
Institute of Wisconsin, was made acting professor of natural science
and principal of the preparatory and scientific department, in a
temporary capacity, apparently to accord greater freedom to S. D.
Bowker to pursue his work as financial agent. 116 At the close of this
term a note of appreciation for the good work of the college ap-
peared in The Congregational Record-'

115. The March 29 issue of the Leader remarked that their foreman had published the
above program, the editor being out of town. However, "the courtesy of a free ticket was not
extended. Nobody to blame." Perhaps this explains the absence of a subsequent account of
the entertainment.

116. Cony. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, p. 39, entitled, "Lincoln College." A letter of
Prof. G. H. Collier (MS. in Washburn library), February 24, 1866, invited Hobart "to take
charge of the Academic Department next summer, but possibly for no more than a single
term.

"I feel so confident that a good man will find a permanent position either in the Mathe-
matical or Scientific department, that I should be willing to pay part of such a man's expenses
provided no such place is left vacant.

"The salary at present paid is $1000 a year. . . .

"I write this without authority from the board of trustees. . . ."

On February 13, 1866, the trustees reappointed S. D. Bowker financial agent, probably
leading to an invitation to Hobart for the spring term.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 169

LINCOLN COLLEGE. The summer [spring] term of this institution closed,
after a prosperous session, on the 26th of June. The friends of the college have
reason to feel encouraged in view of the large share of public confidence and
patronage which the college has already received both in our own and in other
States. Prof. S. D. Bowker is now at Biddeford, Maine. Prof. G. H. Collier is
spending a vacation at his old home in Wheaton, Ills. Prof. H. Q. Butterfield
is laboring in behalf of the college among personal friends at the East. Prof.
E. F. Hobart, temporarily connected with the institution is now at Baraboo,
Wisconsin. He did a fine work and endeared himself in the estimation of all
who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. 117

Soon after the close of the spring term Professor Collier wrote
from Wheaton, 111., describing what he regarded the important mis-
sion of Lincoln College as a preparatory school and expressing doubt
of his ability to continue teaching at Topeka, a salary of $1,000
being inadequate to support his large family. Excerpts from his
important letter follow:

The farther I go from Topeka the greater the work before Lincoln College
appears. For it there is a wide and open door, and it has a large and doubt-
less, fruitful field to cultivate, but it can scarcely take rank as a college for
some years. It must first prepare its students, for they cannot be found ready
prepared in Kansas, and there is little hope of importing them. This prepara-
tory work is not less beneficial or less noble than that which may follow, but
the machinery adapted to the one is not in all respects the best for the other.

What Lincoln College most needs, in my opinion, is a good Principal of the
Preparatory Department assisted by an efficient and experienced lady teacher.

Other instructors will be needed as the college advances in the number and
scholarship of its students. 118

On August 14, 1866, Collier resigned the chair of mathematics at
Lincoln College but assured the trustees of his confidence in the
"final success and usefulness" of the institution. 119 In a letter 10
days later to "Dear Brother Bodwell," he stated his reasons for this
step and added that he expected soon to leave for the Pacific
coast. 120

That the $1,000 salary granted members of the Lincoln College
faculty in 1866 was inadequate in those days of post-war inflation

117. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, pp. 46, 47.

118. G. H. Collier to the Rev. P. Me Vicar, July 2, 1866. MS. in Washburn Municipal
University library.

"I have felt and now feel as though the interests of Lincoln College do not require that J
should be in Topeka for at least two years. . . .

"Still farther after posting all the accounts, it is evident it will be very difficult for toy
large family to live on $1,000 and yet this ig all and more than the college ought to pay. I
was not able find a house in Topeka before I left. . . . [Thinks the interests of all
parties will be promoted by his going elsewhere.]"

119. G. H. Collier to the board of trustees, from Findley's Lake, N. Y., filed with pre-
ceding correspondence.

120. Letter of August 24, 1866, also filed with above correspondence.

"I am thoroughly convinced of the final success and urgent demand for Lincoln College.
I was delighted with the beauty of the country and better pleased with the inhabitants than
with those of any other new country that I was ever in. . . ."

The November issue of the Cong. Record stated (v. 8 [1866], November, p. 87): "Prof.
G. H. Collier has resigned, and with his family is on his way to Oregon. He has accepted n
position in the Pacific University." In 1886 he still retained this position in what was then
known as the State University of Oregon.

170 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

is also apparent in the correspondence of Horatio Q. Butterfield. In
the spring of that year the college authorities were endeavoring to
conclude an agreement with the Connecticut educator and add him
to the teaching staff for the coming school year, but the problems of
low salary and added expense of moving from New England to
Kansas proved serious obstacles. As a solution Butterfield desired
permission of the trustees to obtain donations in New England, in
the name of the college, from which he might retain enough to make
his total annual salary $1,500, which he regarded the absolute min-
imum to provide for all contingencies. He pointed out:

1. I can not possibly get my family & my goods to Topeka without
help. . . .

2. Bro. Cordley intimated, in a note written me before my Election, that
my salary for the first two years might not be but $1000. I am now receiving
$1500, and I find it does not go much farther than $1000 in 1860 or $900 in
1858. As I shall be breaking the ground the first two years, needing books
and all kinds of helps for my professorship, I am more & more afraid I shall
be terribly pinched. If I only had even $1,000 in the bank, I would gladly
spend it for Lincoln College. But I have nothing.

Now I am acquainted with a good many rich men in Maine, N. H., Mass.
& Conn. And it is my intention to visit them in behalf of Lincoln College.

(1). Will the Trustees allow me enough out of the first $1000 I may raise
to make me whole in moving? To cover expenses & necessary sacrifices? . . .

(2) . Can the Trustees see their way clear to promise the full salary ($1500)
as soon as I begin? 121

A few weeks later Butterfield wrote that he chiefly wanted per-
mission "to approach certain friends & acquaintances in the name of
the College rather than in my own," whereby he thought he could
procure all he needed, and added that he was ready to try his hand
at securing the endowment. 122 At their second annual meeting on
May 22, 1866, the college trustees pledged Butterfield a yearly sal-
ary of $1,000, providing they obtained aid from the College society.
They permitted him to secure $500 from other sources, in the name
of the college, and specifically authorized him to procure the amount
needed to move his family to Topeka and to aid Prof. Bowker in

121. H. Q. Butterfield to the Rev. Peter McVicar, dated Rockville, Conn., April 16, 1866.
MS. of the Kansas State Historical Society.

"I still believe I can serve the Cause of Christ more Efficiently there [Lincoln College]
than here. My people are importuning me to give up at once the plan of going West & be
settled here. But my heart still turns toward Topeka. [He adds that if the trustees cannot
meet these conditions, he will feel duty bound to fill the professorship to which he has been
provisionally appointed, and has in mind a minister who is a ripe scholar, well versed in the
ancient languages.] . . .

"The point I make for myself is this: I can beg for the College, but not for myself.
. . . Am I worth moving to Topeka?"

122. Ibid., dated May 7, 1866, filed with preceding. "I am ambitious enough to wish
and almost vain enough to hope that my connection with it [college] will redound rather to
its pecuniary advantage. . . .

"Prof. Bowker asks me if I can turn into the work of securing the endowment. I am
ready to do anything the Trustees wish. I should like to try my hand."

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 171

securing the endowment. 123 This action was received with entire
satisfaction by Butterfield, who returned his unconditional accept-
ance and agreed to begin immediately the work of canvassing for the
endowment. 124 His addition to the faculty was to prove extremely
fortunate in the later history of Lincoln College.

ADOPTION BY THE COLLEGE SOCIETY

The early efforts toward an endowment had achieved some suc-
cess, chiefly in the form of long-time subscriptions, but these had not
been enough to afford any important income for the college, the
urgent need of which became very apparent once the institution
opened its doors. A circular of 1866 understated the case: "The
great want now, to give practical efficiency to the College, is an
endowment whose amplitude will warrant the employment of the
most able teachers the country affords." 125

The financial problem was in fact so serious that it rendered
doubtful the employment of any teachers at all and obliged the
trustees at their meeting of February, 1866, to authorize the treas-
urer to sell the real estate belonging to the college, with the excep-
tion of the "permanent site"; also to ask a grant of $2,000 from the
College society to support the teachers for the current year and to
request the endorsement by that organization of the effort to raise a
$50,000 endowment in the society's field (chiefly New England). 126
The report on the college which was presented to the general asso-
ciation in May, 1866, stressed the importance of completing the col-

123. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 26-28. At this meeting W. E. Bowker, J. W. Fox,
H. W. Farnsworth and Lewis Bodwell were elected trustees for a three-year term.

The trustees also extended to Professors Bowker and Collier the privilege of retaining $500
for themselves from any sums they might obtain for the college.

124. Butterfield to McVicar, dated Rockville, Conn., May 30, 1866, in preceding corre-
spondence.

"Yours of the 23d, transmitting the result of the action of the Trustees on the day pre-
ceding, came this morning. I am entirely Satisfied. . . .

"Let me say: my request for the guaranty of $1500 was not a sine qua non condition
. . . to what I did make a condition indispensable, viz: the defraying of my expenses in
moving. Had I understood as much about Western Colleges in general & Lincoln College in
particular as I did after seeing Prof. Bowker, I should not have named the thing. The
Trustees will not find me disposed to drive a hard bargain.

"I am now bound for Topeka.

"My acceptance of the Professorship of Ancient Languages is hereby made full & uncon-
ditional.

"I shall enter at once upon the work of canvassing for the endowment. . . . May the
Lord Smile on Lincoln College and upon all Christian efforts for its upbuilding. My faith in it
is large and unequivocal."

125. LINCOLN COLLEGE, INCORPORATION AND NAME, a broadside of the
Washburn Municipal University library.

126. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 24, 25. An abbreviated copy of this letter to Theron
Baldwin, secretary of the College society, is possessed by the Washburn library. "Point 5"
of this application reviews the "Pecuniary Resources" as follows:

Permanent site, $1,000. Building, $8,000. Real Estate, $2,000. Nine pledges of friends
toward the endowment, $7,880. Library, $2,000. Books pledge, $2,000. Kansas endowment,
$8,000. Pledge by a friend of the College, $1,000. Total, $31,880, and when the $10,000
Kansas endowment was complete, total over $33,000.

There follows in abbreviated language a detailed review of the geographical advantages
allegedly possessed by Topeka, which was in a central location with respect to the populated
portion of the state, and on the line of the Pacific railroad, already constructed to that place.

172 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

lection of the $10,000 Kansas endowment fund, "both on account of
its bearing on our future effort at the East and more especially from
the fact that . . . [this] is an important Consideration in se-
curing aid from the Society for the promotion of Collegiate and
Theological education at the West [College society], to help sup-
port the Teachers of the Institution." 127

At its annual meeting at Norwich, Conn., in the fall of 1865, the
College society anticipated an application for aid from Lincoln
College and appointed a committee with power to act. 128 After re-
ceiving the formal application of the college trustees, dated Feb-
ruary, 1866, this committee met in May at New Haven, Conn. Lin-
coln College was represented by Samuel D. Bowker, assisted in an
unofficial way by H. Q. Butterfield, who was about to be added to
the faculty. Immediately thereafter Bowker sent to Peter McVicar,
the president of the board of trustees, a detailed report of the pro-
ceedings :

The committee of the College Society met at New Haven yesterday and
spent several hours in considering the case of Lincoln College. I met with them
and will make report of progress (?) The chief points which afforded occasion
for questions or objections were these, viz. 1st The existence of a state uni-
versity so near the college. 2d The apparent fact that the college was subject
to Ecclesiastical control. 3d The immature state of the Institution it having
no freshman class. & 4th The lack of evidence that the laws of Kansas had
been complyed with.

The first question raised was soon laid aside for No. 2, which you will see
by their second resolution was left somewhat undecided.

On the points No's 3 & 4 there was somewhat of a protracted discussion.
On the 3d point it appeared that the Board of Directors had put on record
their purpose to aid only colleges, and that while the Board might remove that
restriction the committee as such had no power to do so. The 4th point could
have been met easily if we had had a copy of the Revised Statutes of Kansas,
they simply wished to see the law under which the incorporation was secured
so as to know what power it gave trustees &c. This result falls short, of course
of what we expected, and yet Bro Butterfield and myself who were present feel
that it was as much, all things considered, as we had any right to demand.

I would advise the appointment of a committee ... to consider the
propriety of a modification of the 7th of the Articles of Association. . . , 129
The committee are prepared to meet again and take final action when the law
of the state concerning colleges is made known to them and they have a state-
ment of there being a freshman class. . . . The result is simply a delay

127. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, p. 39. Concerning the early endowment efforts,
see the first installment of this article.

128. Ibid. f September, pp. 60, 61, an article entitled, "Lincoln College."

129. This article provided: "Be it further declared that it is the intent and purpose of
this Association, that the Board of Trustees of said College, shall be so constituted at all times
that its members shall be acceptable to the General Association of the Congregational Min-
isters and Churches in Kansas."

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 173

where at one time we stood all the chances of defeat. . . . These light
afflictions are but for a moment, and will be as nothing a few years hence when
Lincoln College becomes a power in the land. . . . 13

The resolutions adopted at this time by the special committee of
the College society expressed their sympathy with the Lincoln Col-
lege enterprise, and promised more positive action when the required
conditions were met:

Resolved, That having read and considered the papers presented, and heard
Prof. Bowker in regard to their Institution, the Committee express their strong
sympathy with the enterprise, as one of great hope and promise, and when
they shall have further information in regard to its incorporation under the
laws of the State of Kansas, as, also, of the formation of a regular college class,
the way will be open for its reception and endorsement, in accordance with the
rules and principles of the College Society. 131

Lincoln College having been during the first two terms of its
existence exclusively a preparatory school, the College society re-
quired proof of the "formation of a regular college class," before it
would endorse the institution. Professor Bowker wrote that they
especially desired evidence of the existence of a freshman class:

Their understanding of a Freshman class is this that students who are exam-
ined or who may furnish evidence of their fitness to enter such a class next
September are to all intents & purposes a Freshman Class and when you can
certify that you have students whether now in or out of the college who are
prepared to enter such a class (to the number of one, two, three even) they
will regard it as a college proper and endorse it. . . , 132

During the summer of 1866 the officials of Lincoln College made
great efforts to fulfill these requirements. At their meeting on June
25 the trustees voted to authorize the president of the board and the
professors to secure four students to form a freshman class, and to
offer them free tuition for one year and board at not more than three
dollars a week. 133 The official announcement for the fall term stated:

130. S. D. Bowker to "Bro. McVicar," dated Rockville, Conn., May 19, 1866. MS. in
Kansas State Historical Society. Quoting further:

"Mr. Baldwin stated that without the presence of some one nothing at all would have been
accomplished. . . . This also makes it more desirable that Bro Butterfield should be
authorized to raise funds as he can accomplish I doubt not a good deal ... in com-
munities where the College Society does not go (in Maine &c). . . .

"I will mention further that they wish to obtain the rules and regulations of the cor-
porators adopted ... on the 6th of February 1865. ... I escaped unharmed out
of the "paw of the lion" . . . and have every reason to rejoice. . . . Mr. Baldwin
was active in our support and deserves our thanks. . . . "S. D. Bowker."

131. Cong, Record, v. 8 (1866), September, p. 60. The committee also called attention
to the "Articles of Association" as "seeming to conflict with a principle upon which the
society had acted not to aid any college under ecclesiastical control."

132. Bowker to McVicar, May 19, 1866, cited above. "If you can find one student, (the
more the better of course) the only way is to anchor to him . . . this seems to be the
only way whereby we can secure the cooperation of the Society this year and that without
such cooperation the work will be an up hill business. . . .

133. "Minutes" of the trustees' meeting, June 25, 1866, "First Secretary's Book," pp.
29, 30.

174 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

A FRESHMAN CLASS,

Is desired to be formed at the commencement of the Fall Term, September
12th All who are prepared to join the class are earnestly invited to send in
their names at once. 134

Nevertheless, no freshman could be obtained who was qualified to
enter the college, entirely confirming the observation of Professor
Collier that college students "cannot be found ready prepared in
Kansas, and there is little hope of importing them." 135 Finally two
upperclassmen with the proper qualifications were enrolled, thus
meeting the requirement of a "regular college class":

The trustees readily met all the conditions, except the "formation of a
regular college class." This, and the only remaining condition is now fulfilled.
Two young men, Perly M. Griffin, formerly a member of Harvard, and A. P.
Davis, a student in Beloit College, purpose to persue [sic'], one the Sophmore
[sic] studies, and the other the Junior studies in Lincoln College at the com-
mencement of the next term. The trustees are also very desirous to form a
Freshman class, and we hope that friends of the college will co-operate and
encourage young men who may be prepared to enter such a class, to enter at
once. 136

In mid-August, 1866, Theron Baldwin, secretary of the College
society, wrote to S. D. Bowker, stating that the chief requirements
had been met. McVicar and Bowker had sent satisfactory informa-
tion concerning the formation of a college class and also data prov-
ing that the college incorporation was entirely legal in nature. 137
McVicar had also explained the purpose of the incorporators in their
seventh article of association (requiring the trustees to be acceptable
to the general association) as intended to make Lincoln College for
all time a Christian institution. 138 Baldwin suggested, instead, the
doctrinal belief of the general association, which would, he believed,
"take away all the aspects of 'ecclesiastical control' and thus meet
the views of the Committee and of the Society upon this particular
point." 139 The subsequent correspondence of Bowker and McVicar
was reviewed at an adjourned meeting of the special committee in

134. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, facing p. 48.

135. G. H. Collier to the Rev. P. McVicar, July 2, 1866, quoted above.

136. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), September, p. 61. "The prospect now is, that the way
is clear for the College Society to aid and endorse the institution, in accordance with the
application presented, which was for two thousand dollars, to meet current expenses, and
permission to raise an endowment of fifty thousand dollars, in the Society's field of opera-
tions. . . ."

The only college students listed in the catalogue for 1866-1867 were Addison P. Davis of
Sarcoxie and Perley M. Griffin of Topeka. They also acted as assistants to S. D. Bowker, the
principal of the preparatory department, which now contained 90 students.

137. Theron Baldwin, secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and
Theological Education at the West, to the Rev. S. D. Bowker, dated New York, August 16,
1866. MS. in the Washburn library.

138. Ibid. (McVicar sent a copy of the "Laws and Regulations" adopted by the incor-
porators.)

139. Ibid.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 175

September, 1866. It removed all doubt, and prompted final action:

Having received fuller information in regard to the incorporation of Lincoln
College, under the laws of the State of Kansas; also evidence of the formation
of a regular College Class; and a satisfactory explanation of the seeming eccle-
siastical control, alluded to in the 7th Article of their Association, as not in
conflict with the principles of the College Society. . . .

Resolved That Lincoln College be received under the patronage of thia
Society and commended to the aid of the friends of Christian learning. 140

When the general association met in the following May (1867), it
expressed great gratification at this result, achieved by virtue of "the
earnest and timely efforts of the President of the Board of Trustees,"
Peter McVicar, who by August, 1866, had fulfilled the required con-
ditions :

Thus within eight months from tKe time that the College was open for
students it was endorsed by the Society whose aid has established a score of
flourishing colleges and seminaries in the West, and whose support places
beyond question the complete equipment and final success of the Institu-
tion. 141

During the summer of 1866 both S. D. Bowker and H. Q. Butter-
field continued in the East to campaign for aid for the college,
although it was not yet possible to solicit the churches of New
England the chief source of funds for the College society. Bowker
wrote from Washington, D. C., where he hoped to obtain a substan-
tial sum, and expressed confidence in the future:

Of Lincoln College, I may say that it has received the endorsement of the
Western College Society, though certain technical requirements yet delay the
work of soliciting aid from the churches. Professor Butterfield has packed his
household goods and labelled them "Topeka, Kansas," and is canvassing down
east among his friends in behalf of the College. He takes hold of the work
with a warm heart, and energy that will command success. Here at Washing-
ton we are working for a lever with which to pry a hundred thousand dollars
out of loyal and Christian people. ... I am confident that we now have
only to receive the permission of the Western College Society to enter the
field, in order to raise an ample endowment. S. D. B. 142

140. Baldwin to Peter McVicar, dated New York, September 21, 1866, included with the
minutes of the college trustees, November 20, 1866, "First Secretary's Book," pp. 33, 34.

141. Minutes of the General Association . . ., appendix to meeting of May, 1867,
pp. 12-15, entitled, "On Education Lincoln College."

"No college within our knowledge has ever before so speedily secured for itself the endorse-
ment of that Society. When we consider how great was our dependence upon the favorable
action of this Society ... we cannot but feel that the churches of the Association are
called upon anew to exercise gratitude to God . . . [for such] sympathy and aid in the
pioneer work to which they have been called."

S. D. Bowker and Peter McVicar both deserve credit for the successful conclusion of this
work.

142. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), September, p. 56. Gen. O. O. Howard, head of the
Freedmen's Bureau at Washington, was described by Bowker as regarding with favor the
proposal to become the first president of Lincoln College (tee the section below entitled, "The
College Presidency"). Howard's popularity may have been the "lever" Bowker refers to here.
He added that they had had the active cooperation of such men as Governor Buckingham of
Connecticut, and the secretaries of the Congregational Union, the American Home Missionary
Society and the American Missionary Association.

176 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

A review of the college finances makes it certain that no large
sums were obtained at this time. Although it was considerably later
before funds were available from the College society, its support
made the future of Lincoln College appear much brighter, as it now
had the support of an organization with an enviable financial rec-
ord. 143

THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 1866-1867

The official announcement for the coming school year, published
in the summer of 1866, pointed out that the collegiate course was
"the same as that of the first-class Colleges at the East," and that a
freshman class was "desired to be formed." 144 As two upperclass-
men had agreed to attend, the institution was now to be a college in
fact as well as in name. The fall term opened on September 12, and
the next day a local paper remarked:

The Fall term of Lincoln College commenced yesterday, with encouraging
prospect of a large attendance. Prof. Butterfield arrived yesterday and in con-
nection with Prof. Bowker, with the assistance of Miss Minnie Otis, will con-
duct the instruction in the College. . . .

The boarding house will be ready for use in a short time, and the design is
to reduce the price of board as low as possible, and thus encourage students to
come from abroad. 145

The catalogue for this year later listed 30 ladies and 60 gentlemen
in the preparatory department, thus more than doubling the enroll-
ment of the previous year. 146 Tuition fees remained the same, free
tuition being given disabled soldiers, those with two years' service,
and the children of those who died in the war; also children of home
missionaries and students planning to become ministers or teachers. 147

During the preceding year the need of better accommodations for
students "from abroad" had been keenly felt, since board in "good

143. On October 15, 1866, Harrison Hannahs wrote to Lewis Bodwell from Rome, N. Y.
(MS. in Washburn library), stating that he had decided to make a gift of $1,000 to the
college.

"But do not think that the College can be successfully established with the aid of money
alone. . . . There are two things essentially necessary to secure the prosperity of an
institution of learning. 1st money 2nd Students. ... It will require as much energy
and persevering effort to obtain students for the college as it will to obtain money for it. But
there is one thing that is absolutely necessary . . . viz: the blessing of God. . .

"Let us not expect to see a College of the 1st grade established at the beginning of our
labors. It requires time, long years of patient toil, industry and economy. . . .

"Let it be a denominational institution; and then let every Congregational minister &
layman be an agent to secure not only money, but students for it ... young men whose
lives are sanctified to God, young women whose Christian virtues shall shine as the stars in
the firmament. . . ."

144. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, facing p. 48.

145. Topeka Weekly Leader, September 13, 1866.

146. Catalogue of the Officers and Students of LINCOLN COLLEGE for the . . .
Year 1866-67 (Topeka, 1867), pp. V-VII.

147. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, facing p. 48. The fee for the college course was
to be $24 a year, and for the preparatory department, including both the scientific and the
ladies' courses, $6 per term, not counting the extra fees for the "fine arts" (music, drawing
and painting).

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 177

private families" varied from $5 to $6 a week. 148 To reduce this to
$4 a week it was first planned to encourage boarding clubs; subse-
quently the idea of a boarding house under college auspices seemed
more feasible. At their May (1866) meeting the trustees named a
committee to act on this matter, and soon thereafter The Congrega-
tional Record announced:

The scarcity of rooms and high price of board in the city render a board-
ing house absolutely necessary. Accordingly, steps have been taken by the
Trustees for the erection of a building during the present season, sufficiently
commodious to accommodate twenty-four students and a family. The building
will front the Cipitol [sic] Square, and be in the form of a spacious dwelling
house, with a view to be disposed of as such when the permanent [college]
building shall have been erected. 149

Instead of erecting a building under college ownership, however,
the trustees permitted one of their number, John Ritchie, to build
such a structure and then rented it from him at $300 a year. 150 Be-
fore the fall term opened the construction of this building was an-
nounced, whereby "board will be reduced to nearly cost prices." 1B1
Early in the fall the Record remarked:

The Boarding House is progressing, built by Col. John Ritchey, and rented
to the trustees at ten per cent, on the money invested. . . . The building
is of stone, two stories high, with a basement, and will accommodate sixteen
or twenty students, with a family. . . . We invite earnest students from
all parts of the State, and promise to furnish all the facilities that can be
expected of a new institution, in the earnest work of securing a liberal educa-
tion. 1 ^

The boarding house was under the direct supervision of S. D.
Bowker, and provided "new and cheerful rooms" for only 75 cents
a week, and table board for $3 for the same period, which was "an
outlay hardly exceeding the cost price" a very practical effort to
lower the cost of education. 153

The winter term began on January 2, 1867. A local paper an-
nounced that all "desiring to attend are requested to be present on
the first day of the session. All tuition bills must be paid within the
first two weeks of attendance." 154 With the approach of Lincoln's

148. Circular and Prospectus of Lincoln College, 1865.

149. Cong. Record, v. 7 (1866), April & May, p. 192. A number of possible sites were
then being considered for the permanent college location, one of which, when improved, would,
it was hoped, encourage the construction of private homes nearby, "and thus obviate to some
extent the necessity of boarding houses." With this in view the trustees had then obtained
land of D. L. Lakin near the southwest corner of the city limits.

150. Minutes of the meeting of September 11, 1866, "First Secretary's Book," pp. 31, 32.

151. Topeka Tribune, August 31, 1866, official notice of the college opening, signed by
Ira H. Smith, secretary of the board of trustees.

152. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), September, p. 61.

153. Ibid., v. 8 (1867), January, facing p. 128. An announcement by McVicar, president
of the board of trustees.

154. Topeka Weekly Leader. December 27, 1866. At about this time McVicar resigned
the presidency of the board, and Bodwell took his place.

122657

178 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

birthday it was proposed to celebrate the occasion with a social ban-
quet, to which the students, friends of the college, members of the
legislature and state officers were invited, to enjoy the speeches,
music, refreshments and a "general good time." 155 In March the close
of the term was celebrated by the annual prize exhibition, this year
a "Dramatic Entertainment, accompanied by dialogues, select
pieces, and Music." 156 For two evenings Germania Hall was rilled
to capacity, the audience displaying much interest in the humorous
selections. A local paper reviewed the program:

Without wishing to make any invidious distinctions, we may be permitted
to say that our friend, the public, was briefly entertained by the "Dialogue on
the Location of a school house at Crabtown." "The treatment of children ver-
sus cattle," was pungently argued. . . . "The Rival Poets" was a keen
thrust at such sentimental youth as aspire for greatness and quote Longfellow's
Excelsior without the requisite exertion. "Doesticks on a Bender" was a most
convincing diagnosis of the wonders of Niagara. "The March of Intellect" was
too much interrupted in its presentation, but was a success so far as the diffi-
culties of the piece would admit. "The Wags of Windsor," however, seemed to
elicit the keenest enjoyment of the audience. Mr. Bull, the Irishman, the
Yorkshireman, and the Universal Genius were personaed most admirably. 157

The spring term of 1867 opened on April 10, with a change in the
faculty due to the temporary absence of H. Q. Butterfield, who had
been made financial agent for the college a role previously per-
formed by S. D. Bowker. To fill the vacancy the trustees employed
the Rev. J. D. Parker, a graduate of Michigan University and for
six years a successful teacher in Illinois. 158 When the general asso-
ciation met late in May, Peter McVicar, as chairman of the com-
mittee on education, presented a detailed report on Lincoln College
which praised the progress already achieved and looked with hope
to a still better future, but gave solemn warning of grave financial
problems :

The whole number of students in attendance during the year has been 92.
In this number are representatives from nearly all sections of the State. Some

155. Ibid., February 7, 1867. No subsequent account of this celebration in honor of
Lincoln could be found by the author. A few weeks later a public lecture was announced by
the Rev. J. N. Lee on the subject of "Colonial Enterprise, Ancient and Modern."

156. Ibid., March 21, 1867. "The catalogue of the college, which has just been issued,
shows an attendance af 92 students during the year. Of this number, twenty were returned
soldiers, who have received free tuition. Four regular college professors have been connected
with the corps of instructors, and several assistant teachers have given a portion of their time
to hearing classes. One thing which speaks well for the college is the fact that, unlike many
other institutions, it does not draw a majority of its students from the school district in which
it is located. In fact only about 20 come from this district, while over 40 come from other
towns and counties all sections of the State, except it may be the extreme south, are repre-
sented. The first year of the efficient organization of the college shows a success which should
ensure it the most ample support and confidence of the friends of education throughout the
State."

157. Topeka Weekly Leader, April 4, 1867.

* 158. Ibid. This action of the trustees took place on March 12 ("First Secretary's Book,"
pp. 37, 38). Parker, a resident of De Kalb, 111., was granted an annual compensation of
$1,000 the regular college salary. At this time S. D. Bowker tendered his resignation as
principal of the preparatory department, effective at the end of the spring term.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 179

twenty returned soldiers have received free tuition in the college during the
year. From this number we have formed a Sophomore and a Junior class, to
which both Harvard and Beloit have contributed; and we are about to wel-
come a Freshman class of our own preparing. Three years have wisely been
allowed for the preparation of students and we see no tendency to abate one
jot or tittle from the course of study pursued in the great Universities of our
land. Several students have already come to us to prepare for the ministry,
and a still larger number are teachers, . . .

The College examinations indicate commendable proficiency on the part of
teachers and scholars. Professors Bowker and Butterfield are . . . faith-
fully endeavoring to carry out the original design ... to make Lincoln
College worthy of the confidence and patronage of the people.

The pressing need of the College, at present, is more funds. . . , 159

COLLEGE LOCATION

In 1867 a financial crisis arose which posed a major threat to the
continued location of the college at Topeka. Although that place
had very largely furnished the means for constructing the original
college building, it could not procure the amount needed for running
expenses; nor could this sum be rightfully taken from that given in
Kansas or the East for the permanent endowment while the income
therefrom was very small. By May, 1867, a crisis had arisen, which
was well described in the report of the committee on education to
the general association: 16

Nothing has as yet been actually received from the College Society. The
tuition received does not more than cover the incidental expenses. The Trus-
tees have had to hire money to pay the salaries of the Professors ... for
the present year . . . paid only in part. . . . No contingent fund is
yet raised and hence no provision made to liquidate the debt incurred in pay-
ment of the first year's salaries. Funds raised East and those thus far raised in
the State are for the permanent endowment and cannot be used for other
purposes. 161

If such were the case, would the college profit by removing from
Topeka? At the annual meeting of the trustees, July 2-4, 1867, mat-
ters of finance and college location were carefully considered. An
auditing committee was named to examine the financial condition

159. Minutes of the General Association . . . , appendix to meeting of May, 1867,
entitled, "On Education Lincoln College," pp. 12-15.

160. A letter of inquiiy of Harrison Hannahs to Sherman Bodwell, dated Rome (N. Y.),
May 25, 1867 (MS. in Washburn library), is interesting in this connection:

"I wish you would give me the true account of the present condition and progress of the
College what is the prospect of its remaining at Topeka. I saw in the papers a statement
that efforts would be made to remove it to some other point and that its present prospect of
success was dubious. . . . [asks a number of questions]."

161. Minutes of the General Association . . ., appendix to meeting of May, 1867,
quoted above, pp. 12-15. "Two thirds of our liabilities have been incurred in the employment
of the teachers who were absolutely needed." The library needed books, the cabinets appa-
ratus and specimens, and several rooms in the boarding house needed at least partial furnish-
ing.

180 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

of the institution. 162 On the motion of C. B. Lines a committee of
three was appointed to report on the following questions as to loca-
tion:

1st Is the College in such a sense, permanently located at Topeka, as that
its removal to any other locality, would involve bad faith on the part of the
Trustees, or are we at full liberty to make any change which we beliece would
subserve all the great interests which are concerned in its success?

2nd If the Institution remains in Topeka, when shall the buildings be per-
manently located?

3rd If, in view of securing the highest success of the enterprise, it is best
to remove to some other point, when shall it go, and what are the advantages
to be gained by its removal? 163

Messrs. Storrs, Cordley and Parker were placed on a committee to
consider these resolutions. On July 4 they rendered a partial report,
whereupon it was resolved that the officers of the board of trustees
constitute a committee to consult with the citizens of Topeka and
"locate the College site within the City or Town of Topeka, where
they deem best for the pecuniary, educational and religious interests
of the College." 164 Both the Topeka Tribune and the Leader
branded this episode an attempt by the partisans of Leavenworth to
capture the college for their city, and the latter paper added "that it-
was the zeal and finances of the members of the board in our city
that retained the college here." 165

At that time no decision was made as to where the college build-
ings were to be permanently located, providing the institution re-
mained in Topeka. The "preparatory" building at Tenth and Jack-
son streets had always been regarded a temporary abode, to be dis-
posed of when a more suitable "permanent site" was obtained. The
Davis claim, which John Ritchie purchased in 1859 and deeded to
the college, was often called the "permanent site"; after formal
incorporation it became the legal property of the institution, but this
did not settle the problem of permanent location. Apparently many
Topekans thought this site too distant from the town it was nearly

162. For the report of this committee, entitled, "A Report of the Committee on Finances,"
dated July 4, 1867, see Footnote 86 and adjacent text in the first installment of this article.

163. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 39-41.

164. Ibid. The following trustees were present at the meeting on July 4: Bodwell,
Liggett, Storrs, Cordley, Parker, Smith, W. E. Bowker, Brewer, Farnsworth and Gov.
Crawford.

165. Topeka Weekly Leader, July 11, 1867. "Soon after the opening of the [trustees']
session it became apparent that the Leavenworth people had made up their minds to gobble
the whole establishment.

"A final quietus after a discussion of two days, was put upon this scheme, by passing a
resolution to locate the college site where, within the city or township of Topeka, the interest
of the college would be best promoted."

In its issue of July 12, the Topeka Tribune remarked: "Notwithstanding the feeling of
ownership we were beginning to have in the institution, the annual meeting of the Board of
Trustees in this city, last week, disturbed our pleasant dream. Leavenworth and the Missouri
river, were found to be competitors against Topeka and the now tranquil Kaw. A two days
session, however, left matters favorable to the Kaw. You are poor said Leavenworth, come
over to us and we will make you rich and send you students in crowds."

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 181

one and one-half miles from the existing settlement. During the
year 1866 the question of permanent site was repeatedly brought
before the trustees, and tracts of land owned by Messrs. David L.
Lakin, Andrew J. Huntoon and Anthony A. [?] Ward were all con-
sidered in addition to the Ritchie quarter section which was more
distant. In order to encourage the erection of "commodious dwell-
ings" nearby, the trustees wanted to obtain a location conveniently
close to Topeka and thus avoid the need of student boarding houses.
With this in view they bought of David L. Lakin a tract of 56 acres
near the southwest corner of the city limits and northeast of the
Ritchie quarter section, but failed by the narrowest of margins to
locate the college thereon (a tie vote, November 28, 1866). As no
decision could then be reached, the whole problem of a permanent
site in Topeka was indefinitely postponed. 166

During the year 1867 the only mention of a permanent location
to be found in the records of the trustees is that of July, already dis-
cussed, when the proposals to remove from Topeka were rejected.
From remarks in the Leader, however, it is clear that the following
sites were being considered: "the high knoll extending nearly to the
river on Mr. Wards farm, the central block on the north side of Capt.
Huntoons land embracing Mr. Cross' farm and lot, and the west half
of the Lakin quarter section lying west of Gen. Mitchell's house." 167
In October Harrison Hannahs wrote that he had received letters from
trustee Farnsworth, asking him to devote his contribution ($1,000)
towards a college site on the Ward land. Hannahs replied that he
did not care to dictate to the trustees, but believed that future con-
siderations for the college should be paramount and strongly op-

166. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 24-35; Cong. Record, v. 7 (1866), April & May, p. 192.
On February 13, 1866, the trustees forbade the treasurer to sell the "permanent site" of the
college. On the following May 21, 22 a special committee was named to probe matters of
deed from Col. Ritchie and subscriptions to the "permanent site"; also a committee to con-
sider purchase of an 80 -acre tract south of the Ritchie donation. On June 25 the committee
on. site reported they had obtained 56 acres from Mr. Lakin, northeast of the Ritchie tract.
The next day the trustees examined both the Lakin and Ritchie properties, and Ritchie pro-
posed an exchange of lands. At the next meeting, September 11, the committee on site
reported proposals of Ritchie, Huntoon and Ward, and the trustees recessed to view the vari-
ous tracts. It was voted to continue the committee on permanent site, and to authorize it
to sell the Lakin land, with the view of negotiating for 20 acres of Mr. Ward. A motion to
deed back to Colonel Ritchie his donation of 160 acres, if he would pay his subscription of
$2,400 for erection of the preparatory building, was indefinitely postponed. At the meeting
of November 20 the committee on site reported a proposal of Mr. Ward, which W. E.
Bowker moved they reject. Lewis Bodwell moved a postponement to give the secretary time
to circularize Cordley, Liggett and Storrs to see if they would each pledge to raise $1,000 in
their respective congregations toward a location. At the next meeting on November 28 it was
reported that only one pastor had replied. The motion to reject the Ward proposal was then
voted down; a motion by Bowker to locate the college on the Lakin tract resulted in a tie
vote, and the chairman then declining to cast a deciding vote, the question of a permanent
college site in Topeka was indefinitely postponed.

For an identification of the full names of the Topeka land owners involved in these trans-
actions, the author is indebted to Robert F. Beine of the staff of the Kansas State Historical
Society.

167. Topeka Weekly Leader, July 11, 1867.

182 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

posed purchase of the Ward tract as "exorbitant" in price. 168 This
letter may have been influential in forestalling action by the trus-
tees.

In the fall of 1868 the board of trustees authorized the purchase
of land formerly belonging to Mr. Lakin, which had been a formi-
dable rival of the Ritchie donation, but in June, 1869, this tract was
reported unobtainable. 169 Henceforth, the Ritchie land was re-
garded with growing favor by the trustees and early in January,
1870, they authorized the selection from it of a suitable part for
Washburn College. 170 By the fall of 1871, at least, it had been finally
decided that the permanent site should be a part of the present
Washburn campus the Ritchie quarter section originally known as
the Davis claim thus ending the protracted question of college
location.

THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 1867-1868

The school year of 1867-1868 began on September 11, with some
changes in the faculty. Samuel D. Bowker having resigned his posi-
tion as principal of the preparatory department, this place was filled
by the appointment of the Rev. D. W. Cox, a teacher in Phillips
Academy, Mass. H. Q. Butterfield being on leave of absence for the
year as financial agent, the routine work fell upon Bowker, J. D.
Parker and Cox. Because of the growing illness of Bowker, who in
December, 1867, was relieved of all active duties, Parker and Cox
were increasingly obliged to shoulder the day to day work of the
college with the help in the preparatory department of advanced
students. 171

The year was marked by the admission to the college proper of

168. Harrison Hannahs (no signature) to "Dear Bro." probably Lewis Bodwell, dated
Rome, N. Y., October 19, 1867. MS in Washburn library. He pointed out that the river
scenery would be an asset to the Ward site, but the price was exorbitant. The Lakin tract
would cost about the same. As to distance to town, Huntoon's site was best, and Ritchie's
well over a mile farther; however, Hannahs was not opposed to the latter. He would not
withhold his contribution if used toward the Ward property, "but shall consider it a short-
sightedness unpardonable." In a subsequent letter to "My dear Lewis" (Bodwell) Hannahs
said he had advised Farnsworth "to make haste slowly," adding that if the college building
were completed in fifteen years he "might consider the scheme a success and accomplished
speedily."

169. On November 19, 1868, the same day the trustees changed the college name to
Washburn, they authorized one of their number, Judge Cooper, to buy the tract of 58 acres
that Bowker had bought of Mr. Lakin, but at the meeting of June 3, 1869, Cooper reported
his inability to procure any of this land. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 45-49.

170. Ibid., p. 55. At the annual meeting of June, 1869, the trustees authorized the
executive committee to reserve 40 acres of the Ritchie donation for a permanent site, and sell
as much of the remainder as needed to restore in full sums taken from the endowment fund,
but this was avoided and the property thus preserved entire. Ibid., pp. 50-53.

171. In his annual report for 1868 as president of the board, Lewis Bodwell commented
upon the work "entirely beyond their power" placed on Parker and Cox. Straitened finances
forbade the employment of another teacher at full pay, and so they enlisted the aid of
advanced students: P. M. Griffin in the classics, A. P. Davis in English and Jules Billard
in mathematics. Minutes of the General Association, report of 1868, pp. 9-11.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 183

the first freshman class. 172 At the start it was announced that calis-
thenics and military tactics would be offered but apparently this was
not done. "The boarding house still affords ample accommodations
at less than $4.00 per week." 173 During the school year there were
daily recitations of from 18 to 22 classes. 174 Late in the fall it was
announced that, although attendance had been good, with more than
the usual number of "advanced scholars/' the winter term, beginning
January 2, promised an increase of students, the trustees having
made "most strenuous efforts to sustain and enlarge the influence of
the College." 175 On December 24 a public examination was held,
the results of which were praised in a local paper:

The Fall term of school closed on Tuesday, Dec. 24th, with the usual re-
views of important portions of the studies of the term. To those who had
attended previous examinations, there was satisfactory evidence of work by
teachers, and progress by pupils toward the high standard of attainments set
as their mark by the founders of the College. The severe and protracted ill-
ness of Prof. Bowker has compelled him to entrust a portion of his duties to
Messrs. Davis & Griffin, now completing the studies of the junior and senior
years of their College course, and the condition of their classes shows their
capacity and faithfulness in the work to which they have thus been called. 176

On the evening of December 30 an exhibition by the Ciceronian so-
ciety in the hall of Lincoln College was a fitting close to the activi-
ties of the term. 177

The winter term was marred by the demise of Samuel D. Bowker,
who died on February 15, 1868, a victim of tuberculosis. 178 More
than any one else the founder of the institution which he had taken
up when a "mere hope" and "lifted into a reality," Bowker had

172. Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Washburn College, 1867-68, p. 6. The first
freshman class included Jules B. Billard, Loudean P. Huntoon, W. Irving Stringham and
Herbert K. Tefft, all of Topeka ; and George M. Lancaster of Doniphan county. Billard and
Tefft enrolled in the scientific course. With A. P. Davis and P. M. Griffin, upperclassmen, the
collegiate department now numbered seven students.

173. Topeka Weekly Leader, September 12, 1867. "The prospects of the college were
never more flattering than now. Let the people assist it in its mission of giving a liberal
Christian education to the young men and women of our State."

174. Minutes of the General Association, report of 1868 signed by Lewis Bodwell, p. 9.
"During the current [spring] term, there are in reading, one class; arithmetic, two; English
analysis, one; Latin, four; Greek, five; algebra, one, and in botany, astronomy, geometry
and zoology, one each."

175. Kansas State Record, Topeka, December 18, 1867. Total attendance for the fall
term was 48, and for the winter term only 40.

176. Ibid., January 8, 1868.

177. Ibid., December 25, 1867, which gave the following program of the forthcoming
event :

"Salutatory. Tableau.

Declamation. Starting in Life. (Drama.)

Tableau. Declamation.

Unfinished Gentleman. (Farce.) Tableau.

Declamation. Drop too Much. (Drama.)

Tableau. Declamation.

Cinderella. (Drama.) Tableau.

Declamation. Valedictory."

178. Concerning the time of Bowker's death, errors have crept into several of the accounts,
but both the Topeka Weekly Leader and the Kansas State Record agree on the above date.

184 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

accomplished a great work in enlisting the "friends of freedom"
throughout the country. Their gifts of favorable publicity and much
needed (although limited) funds had started the infant college, but
to Bowker, who had come to Kansas to recruit his broken health,
such sacrificial labor, in addition to the exertions of the campus, was
too great a strain. In a tribute to his memory the students of Lincoln
College adopted resolutions of sympathy, mourning the loss of "an
able teacher, a self-denying laborer and a ... generous, warm-
hearted Christian friend." 179 The funeral services were held at the
Congregational Church and were attended by a large assemblage.
The college students wore badges of mourning, and in sorrow bore
the remains to the tomb. In his sermon and obituary the Rev.
Lewis Bodwell drew attention to the resolutions of the trustees,
unanimously adopted on the occasion of Bowker's resignation:

Resolved, That we would here by express our deep sense of obligation to
him for the work he has done for Lincoln College, in taking it up when it was
a mere hope, and lifting it into a reality.

We appreciate the enthusiasm with which he undertook the work; and the
zeal and hopefulness with which he prosecuted it, until the institution was an
assured success. We feel that the College owes its existence in a large degree,
to his faith and industry, and the friends of the Institution will always remem-
ber with gratitude, his labors, while they look back with pain, to the sacrifice
of health, which we fear he has made in its behalf. 180

An outstanding event of the winter term of 1867-1868 was the
revival campaign a movement affecting many states, which in Kan-
sas was particularly notable at Wabaunsee, Lawrence and Topeka.

170. Kansas State Record, February 19; Topeka Weekly Leader, February 20, 1868. The
latter remarked: "Since residing in Topeka, Mr. Bowker gave entire attention to the building
up of Lincoln College." The Record commented: "Mr. Bowker first came to this city in
1864, with the seeds of consumption in his system. The change of climate helped him, and
it is not improbable that if he had not, during most of the last two years, confined himself to
the school room, his life might have been much longer spared. Lincoln College is, in a great
measure, the work of his hands. It was him who solicited the home subscriptions with which
to erect the present building. It was him who in the east raised a fund sufficient to endow
two Professorships [?]. He considered the building up of Lincoln College his life work, and
while spared and able to do, he worked with his whole soul for it. ... He leaves a wife
and one child and a brother in this city, Mr. W. E. Bowker, the Treasurer of Shawnee county
[also the college treasurer]. . . ."

180. "First Secretary's Book," p. 43, quoted with slight variations by Lewis Bodwell in
his "Obituary" an extract from a funeral sermon delivered at the Congregational church,
February 16, in Kansas State Record, March 4, 1868. Excerpts from the "Obituary" follow
(for Bodwell's previous remarks, see Footnote 72 above, in first installment of this article) :

"But failing health again warned him from such labors [as financial agent], and in the
Summer of 1866 he entered upon his duties as Professor of English Literature to which
position he had been just called by vote of the Trustees. Soon it became more and more
evident that the overtasked frame was yielding to such labor. In the spring of 1867 he
resigned his place as Principal of Preparatory Department and limited his work to his own
special department. At last deprived of the ability even to enter the recitation rooms, he
continued to hear some portions of his classes even in his sick room. On the 24th of Decem-
ber, 1867, he presented ... his request that he be excused from all active duty for at
least one year . . . there was no failure of his interest in the success of the institution.
. . . It successes were his, its trials his, its pupils his. . . .
"For her my tears shall fall
For her my prayers ascend
To her my toils and cares be given
Till toils and cares shall end."

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 185

At the latter place it was timed to coincide with the session of the
state legislature and thereby to resist what was regarded the evil
influence of this assemblage. The meetings about town continued
for over 60 evenings, with large crowds in attendance and many
conversions, particularly among the young people. 181 The Lincoln
College students were present at many services and also attended
numerous prayer meetings in their own building. In addition to
their religious motivation, the latter were probably also meant to
hold the student body together, against the attraction of the legis-
lature. 182 The students displayed the keenest interest, and almost
all of them were said to have become professed Christians. 183

In the Lincoln College revival no one was more active than Lewis
Bodwell, president of the board of trustees and pastor of the Con-
gregational church of Topeka, who in his diary made repeated refer-
ence to his presence at college prayer meetings, sometimes several in
one day during February and March, 1868. 184 He later pointed out
that in the preceding fall a weekly prayer meeting had been estab-
lished for the students. 185 Among those converted, Bodwell reported,
were three who expressed a desire to prepare for the ministry. "We
rejoice in the . . . hope for that for which the College is
mainly planted." 186 Although the revival was not repeated the fol-
lowing year, it appears to have had some permanent effect upon the
college as evidenced in "the weekly prayer meeting regularly and

181. Clipping from the Congregationalist, dated Topeka, March 25, 1868, and signed "A"
probably Lewis Bodwell in "Bodwell Scrap Book," p. 15. Many converts were received
at Lawrence, and even more at Topeka. "A small community, 250 members and hangers-on
of our State legislature have been a force strong enough ... to influence almost every
family in the place; and those who know the general character of western legislatures, know
that it is not favorable to religion. Heretofore no effort at protracted meetings has ever long
survived the assembly of that body. . . . [Details of meetings follow.] Twenty-five are
already propounded for admission to the Congregational church; and others . . . the
various churches of their choice. From all parts of the State we hear of numerous conver-
sions. "Ibid.

182. If so, it was not effective, judging from a report by Principal D. W. Cox of the
preparatory department to L. Bodwell (MS. in Washburn library, bearing no exact date) :
"A number of students left, near the close of the Winter Term, and attended the Legislature.
This one act did the College more harm in its attendance and regularity, than anything else
that has happened during the whole year thus far."

183. The Home Missionary, New York, v. 41 (1868), June, pp. 32, 33.

184. "Bodwell Diary," a MS. notebook in the "Lewis Bodwell Collection," Kansas State
Historical Society. Here are a few entries of February, 1868:

"6. Coll prr meeting at 4. full & good. 21 present. 20 arose. At eve I led, made it a
prr meeting full & well sustained. About 12 rose, determined 7 for prayers. . . .

"7. Coll prr m. at noon. 25 present. Huntoon arose & spoke. To the joy of all. Another
meeting at 4. Better still. . . ."

These meetings continued from February 8 to 15, with Bodwell a leader, who on the
latter date called on the converts, "who fully occupied the time." The last meeting of the
term was held on March 23, 1868.

185. Minutes of the General Association . . ., report of 1868, pp. 9-11, on "Lincoln
College." All the impenitent" were said to have attended "regularly or very frequently; all
but one publicly expressed a desire for religion . . . and there appear to be but six who
do not now give reasonable evidence of true conversion."

186. Ibid. (The author believes there may be some wishful thinking in these observa-
tions.) In a letter to B. D. Coe of the American Home Missionary Society Bodwell requested
publication of the facts concerning this campaign but nothing more. "The work was so good
that no extra paint is needed to make it a matter of admiration and gratitude."

186 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

well sustained, and especially in the strong feeling which seemed to
pervade the meetings on the May of prayer for colleges.' " 187

With the approach of the end of the spring term it was announced
that the annual commencement of Lincoln College the first of the
college proper would be held on June 24, 1868. 188 A copy of the
official "Programme of the First Commencement of Lincoln College"
still exists. The first event, on Sunday evening, June 21, was to be
an "Address before the Missionary Society of Inquiry" by the Rev.
J. D. Liggett. On the two following days the "Annual Examination"
was scheduled for 9 A. M. and 1 P. M., and at 7:30 P. M. on June 23
the Rev. Richard Cordley was slated to deliver his "Oration before
the Ciceronian Society." On Wednesday, June 24, beginning at 9
A. M., the actual Commencement exercises were to be held. The
program for the final events follows:

MUSIC PRAYER MUSIC

ORATION Labor versus Genius W. I. Stringham.

ORATION Self Culture L. P. Huntoon.

ORATION Imperfections of our Government J. P. Billard.

MUSIC

ORATION Consistency . . . M. R. Moore.
ESSAY Home Influences Miss Carrie Sain.
ESSAY Born to Die . . .Miss Hattie D. Scales.

MUSIC

ORATION Discipline of the Classics P. M. Griffin.
ORATION The Tendency of Cities . . . A. P. Davis.

MUSIC

BACCALAUREATE Conferring Degrees.

MUSIC
BENEDICTION

WEDNESDAY EVENING

REUNION. 189

A subsequent account of these exercises remarked that the oration
of Cordley at the Congregational church was addressed to the young,

187. Minutes of the General Association . . ., 1869, pp. 17-21, report on "Washburn
College."

188. Kansas State Record, June 10, 1868. "By the way we notice that a neat, substan-
tial fence has been put around the College building."

189. PROGRAMME of the First COMMENCEMENT OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, B
broadside in the Washburn library, printed by Millison & Co., of Topeka. The catalogue of
Washburn College, for the year 1868-1869 (p. 20), stated that the degree of Bachelor of Arts
was conferred on those completing the classical course, and passing the examination, and that
of Bachelor of Science on those completing the scientific course. The Master's degree was
conferred on graduates of three years' standing "who shall have engaged, during that period,
in professional, or in literary and scientific studies." Those completing the Ladies' course were
awarded a diploma, duly signed by the proper authorities.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 187

"and dealt with earnestness and eloquence on their influence upon
each other, maintaining that the young have more influence upon the
young in any direction than those of more mature age." The cere-
mony of graduation was held at the same church and was attended
by a large crowd. These exercises went off well, "all that took part
both the graduate and the under graduates acquitted themselves with
credit." 190 The baccalaureate address was delivered by Professor
Parker of Lincoln College on the subject of "A Baconian Philoso-
phy." The Davis quartette furnished the music which was of "the
first order." Concerning the first graduate, a local paper remarked:

Mr. A. [Addison P.] Davis is the first graduate, and as such he was pre-
sented with his diploma by the President of the Board of Trustees, Rev. Lewis
Bodwell, who admonished him in a brief address as he was the first to go forth
that he should set an example that those who follow should emulate. 191

Although these events did not attract the literati from far and near,
as in the case of older colleges, "the day of small things is not to- be
despised." With Kansas progressing so well, in another 20 years
Lincoln College would "attract to our city the graduates of the col-
lege from all parts of the country. By that time . . . will be
erected, college buildings that will compare with those of Ann Arbor
University. . . ," 192

THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 1868-1869

The resignation of D. W. Cox as principal of the preparatory de-
partment made necessary a new man for this post, and in September,
1868, the executive committee appointed the Rev. John A. Banfield,
then minister of the church at Louisville. Professor Butterfield's
continued absence as financial agent in the East, along with the
number of students in attendance, required the employment of sev-
eral assistant teachers who were found in the advanced classes of the

190. Kansas State Record, July 1, 1868. "Special attention might be called to the ora-
tions of M. Griffin, M. Stringham and Mr. Davis, as being well written and well delivered."

191. Ibid. "On Wednesday evening there was a reunion at the college, which was largely
attended and passed off pleasantly."

The corresponding ceremony a year later, after the college had been renamed Washburn,
was attended by a "small but appreciative audience ... at the church. There were
doctors and lawyers and divines and professors. Many ladies in beautiful attire graced the
occasion. . . ." Perley M. Griffin was the second graduate of the college, a veteran of
four years service in the Army of the Potomac, who after winning an enviable reputation at
Lincoln (Washburn) College, was now going to Andover Theological Seminary. Miss Hattie
D. Scales wa.s the first graduate of the Ladies' course and waa also highly praised for her
accomplishments. The Rev. Richard Cordley delivered the baccalaureate address and Lewis
Bodwell conferred the degrees with appropriate remarks. Kansas Daily Commonwealth,
Topeka, June 25, 1869.

192. Kansas State Record, July 1, 1868. These comments may have been inspired by
Professor Parker who often referred to his alma mater, Ann Arbor (Michigan) University. In
his Public Education in the United States (Boston, New York, etc., 1919), Ellwood P.
Cubberley pointed out (p. 208) that Michigan opened as a state university in 1841 with only
two professors and six students, and as late as 1852 had an enrollment of only 72. However,
by 1860, "when it had largely freed itself from the incubus of Baptist Latin, Congregational
Greek, Methodist intellectual philosophy, Presbyterian astronomy, and Whig mathematics, and
its remarkable growth as a state university had begun, it enrolled five hundred and nineteen."

188 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

college proper Perley M. Griffin and Miss Hattie D. Scales, both
seniors, to instruct in the classics; Jules B. Billard, a junior, in
mathematics, and W. I. Stringham in "various studies of the pre-
paratory department." With the hope of enlarging the enrollment
of women, late in the year Miss Mary Jane Jordan of Newbury,
Vermont, was named preceptress of girls in charge of the Ladies'
course. During the first term 40 students were in attendance, com-
posing 18 classes; the second term 49, constituting 21 classes, and
the third term 53, with again 21 classes. 193 In a historical review of
the institution, then known as Washburn College, a Topeka news-
paper in 1869 listed the faculty and board of trustees, many of whom
were members of the ministry:

INSTRUCTORS:

Rev. H. Q. BUTTBEPIELD, A. M., Professor of Languages.
REV. JOHN D. PARKER, Ph.D., Professor of Natural Science.
Rev. JOHN A. BANFIELD, Principal of Preparatory Department.
Miss MARY JANE JORDAN, Preceptress of Ladies' Department.

[appointed late in year]
PERLEY M. GRIFFIN, Instructor in Language.
JULES B. BILLARD, Instructor in Mathematics.
C. E. POND, Teacher of Penmanship. 19 *

BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Rev. LEWIS BODWELL, President. 196

Rev. RICHARD CORDLEY.

Rev.J. W. Fox.

Hon. H. W. FARNSWORTH.

Hon. D. J. BREWER.

Rev. R. D. PARKER.

Hon. C. B. LINES.

WM. E. BOWKBR, Esq.

Hon. S. C. POMEROY.

Rev. J. D. LIGGETT.

Rev. IRA H. SMITH.

JESSE COOPER, Esq.

His Excellency Gov. JAMES M. HARVEY , 196

193. Minutes of the General Association . . ., report of 1869, cited above, pp. 17 ? 18.
The catalogue for 1868-'69 listed only five students in the college proper one senior, Gnffin;
one junior, Billard; two freshmen, and one "Fourth year," in the Ladies' course, Miss Scales.
Twenty-two were listed in the preparatory department and 30 as "Names not Classified." Of
the five freshmen of the previous year, only two, Billard and Stringham, appear to have still
been enrolled.

194. As the reader will note, this list is not the same as that above from the annual report
of the president of the board. The instructors being students, were probably employed on a
part-time basis which varied from term to term, according to current needs.

196. See the section below entitled, "The College Presidency."

196. Kansas Daily Commonwealth, May 11, 1869 an article entitled, "Washburn Col-
lege." The "Articles of Association" made the governor of the state and, when appointed, the
president of the college, ex-officio members of the board of trustees.

The chief event of 1868-1869, the renaming of the college, is treated in the concluding
section.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 189

CURRICULUM AND METHODS OF WORK

During the first academic year of Lincoln College, comprising the
winter and spring terms of 1865-1866, the institution was entirely a
preparatory school, but when the second year began in the following
fall the college proper was opened with the admission of two upper-
class students. Since there were in the early years almost no pupils
qualified for advanced work, the preparatory department necessarily
received the great bulk of the student body and trained it for higher
instruction. Being obliged to depend on students who often had had
all too little schooling, it was necessary for the college to devise some
sort of entrance examination. Late in 1865 the Circular and Pro-
spectus defined the essentials of admission as follows:

TERMS OF ADMISSION.

Students entering the Preparatory and Scientific Course should be familiar
with Geography and the first principles of English Grammar and Arithmetic.

Candidates for admission to the Freshman Class, in the four years Collegiate
Course, will be examined in the studies taught in the Preparatory Department
of this Institution. 197

The first college catalogue more carefully defined entrance quali-
fications and indicated the relative importance that was still placed
on Latin and Greek for those beginning advanced work:

ADMISSION.

1. To the Preparatory Department.

Students entering this Department must sustain an examination in Writing,
Reading, Geography, and the first principles of English Grammar and Arith-
metic.

2. To Ladies' Course.

Candidates for admission to this Course are required to pass an examination
in Geography, English Grammar, and the first rules of Arithmetic.

3. To the Collegiate Course.

Candidates for admission to the Freshman Class are examined in the
Grammar of the Latin and Greek Languages, Virgil, Caesar, Cicero's Select
Orations, Sallust's Catiline, Arnold's Latin Prose, Xenophon's Anabasis, and
two Books of Homer's Iliad, Geography, English Grammar, Arithmetic, Alge-
bra to Equations of Second Degree, and Geometry first five Books. Real
equivalents will be accepted for the text-books named. 198

197. Circular and Prospectus of Lincoln College, 1865.

198. The history of college entrance requirements in the United States dates back to
Harvard, 1642, where a speaking knowledge of Latin, ability to make Latin verse and H
thorough grammatical education in Greek were necessary prerequisites. During the nineteenth
century arithmetic, geography, geometry, algebra, history, the natural sciences and modern
languages were generally added to the prescribed list of subjects, as the colleges adapted them-
selves to the expanding curriculum of the academies and their successors, the high schools.
Nevertheless, as late as 1897 a total of 402 of the 432 colleges in the country still named
Latin and 318 Greek as entrance requirements.

190 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

TIME AND CONDITIONS OF EXAMINATION.

Candidates for admission to any of the courses of Study will be examined on
Tuesday preceding the opening of the Fall Term. . . .

Testimonials of good moral character are in all cases required. 199

In December, 1865, The Congregational Record announced the
studies pursued in the preparatory department of Lincoln College.
The course was of three years' duration, thus being somewhat sim-
ilar to that of a senior high school of today, but placed far more
stress upon Latin and Greek, in preparation for the college proper.
The following subjects were studied:

English. English Grammar, Higher Arithmetic, Algebra to Equations of
Second Degree, Geometry first five books.

Latin. Harkness' Latin Grammar, Harkness* Latin Reader, Hanson's Latin
Prose, Virgil.

Greek. Hadley's Greek Grammar, Owen's Greek Reader, Xenophon's Anab-
asis, Homer's Iliad two books, Arnold's Greek Prose. 200

In the beginning or junior year the first two terms were devoted
entirely to Latin, grammar and arithmetic; in the third term ancient
history was substituted for grammar. The middle year was devoted
for all three terms to Latin, Greek, arithmetic and algebra, the study
of Greek beginning at this time. The final or senior year was de-
voted to Latin, Greek, mathematics and rhetoric, with the following
schedule :

SENIOR CLASS.

FIRST TERM.

LATIN. ^Eneid of Virgil (Hanson and Rolfe), Latin Prosody.

GREEK. Boises Xenophon's Anabasis.

MATHEMATICS. Geometry.
RHETORIC. (Declamations and themes throughout the year.)

SECOND TERM.

LATIN. Bucolics & Georgics of Virgil.

GREEK. Homer's Iliad, Greek Prose.

THIRD TERM.

LATIN. Sallust's Cataline (Hanson's), Arnold's Latin Prose.

GREEK. Homer's Iliad. 201

199. Catalogue of . . . 1865-66, cited above, p. VII.

200. Cong. Record, v. 7 (1865), December, p. Ill, and subsequent issues. A similar
announcement of May, 1867, listed the following: English grammar, higher arithmetic,
algebra, geometry, Latin grammar and reader, Virgil, Greek grammer and reader, Xenophon
and Homer.

201. Catalogue of . . . 1865-66, p. IX. A notice of the first examination for admis-
sion to the preparatory department of Washburn College (Kansas State Record, December
30, 1868), stated: "The regular classes of the year are Arithmetic commencing at Division of
Compound Numbers ; Analysis of English Sentences ; Latin commencing the Reader. Those
of the 2d year are Algebra; Latin Caesar; Greek to begin the Reader at the middle of the
term. Those of the 3d year are Latin third book of Virgil's Aeneid; Greek, Xenophon'e
Anabasis; Geometry.

"Should there be a sufficient number of applicants for a more elementary class in Arithme-
tic, English Grammar and Geography, such an one will be formed. John A. Banfield
178 td wit Principal."

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 191

In line with the general democratic trend in education, which was
particularly notable after the Civil War, Lincoln College offered to
train women students in its Ladies' course which was aimed to afford
educational advantages "equal to those furnished by the older and
more celebrated Seminaries in the East." 202 The course was much
similar in content to that of the preparatory department, with which
it was closely connected, but offered a greater freedom of choice
and in its final year more nearly approached the collegiate program.
If there were enough demand it permitted the study of French or
German in place of Greek and also offered music, drawing and paint-
ing. The fourth class (beginners) studied Latin, English grammar
and arithmetic, with grammar replaced by ancient history in the
last term. The third class studied Latin, arithmetic and algebra and
French. The schedule for the second class was Latin, mathematics
(geometry), physical geography, natural philosophy, history and
rhetoric (themes and declamations). The first class (seniors) en-
joyed a rather large choice, if there were enough demand, including
chemistry, physiology, mental philosophy, moral philosophy, as-
tronomy or French, English literature, rhetoric, geology, botany,
evidences of Christianity and logic. 203

Before the collegiate department of Lincoln College opened in the
fall of 1866, it was announced that the course of study would be
"the same as that of the first-class Colleges at the East." 204 The
catalogue of 1866-1867 published in detail the subjects to be offered
students in the four-year college course, which probably was closely
patterned after that of an Eastern institution. Each academic year
was to be divided into three terms, with more or less variation in the*
subjects to be offered. The following is a summary:

FRESHMAN YEAR
GREEK Four books of Homer's Odyssey, Herodotus, Euripides' Alcestis, and

Arnold's Greek Prose.

LATIN Lincoln's Livy, the Odes and Epodes of Horace, and Latin Prose.
MATHEMATICS Robinson's University Algebra and Geometry (two terms),

Plane and Spherical Geometry (one term).
HISTORY and ELOCUTION (two terms).

202. Minutes of the General Association . . ., report of May, 1867.

203. Ibid. ; Catalogue of . . . 1865-66, pp. X, XI. The early notices of the college
drew attention to a scientific and industrial department "for those who wish to pursue the
advanced studies without the languages," which was intended "to prepare young men and
women, as effectually as possible in a three year's course, for the earnest duties and practical
relations of life."

With the exception of the senior year, women students enrolled in the Ladies' course were
classified with the preparatory department.

The reader should keep in mind that only a limited part of the subjects theoretically offered
were actually given, as will appear in the specimen schedules quoted below.

204. Cong. Record, v. 8 (1866), August, facing p. 48.

192 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

SOPHOMORE YEAR

GREEK Select Orations of Demosthenes, the Electra of Sophocles, the Clouds
of Aristophanes, Xenophon's Memorabilia, and Greek Prose.

LATIN The Satires, Epistles and Airs Poetica of Horace, Cicero de Officiis,
Tacitus' Germania and Agricola, and Latin Prose.

MATHEMATICS Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, Navigation and Survey-
ing, one term; Analytical Geometry, Conic Sections, one term; Mechanics,
one term.

RHETORIC Whately's Themes, declamation, and philology.

JUNIOR YEAR

"During the Junior Year, the Student may elect, instead of Latin or Greek,
or both, any one, or any two of the languages here named, viz : French, Italian,
German, and Hebrew."
GREEK Demosthenes de Corona, Thucydides, and the Prometheus of

./Eschylus.

LATIN (two terms only) Tacitus' Histories, Juvenal, and Latin Prose.
RHETORIC Themes, forensics, and declamations; Logic (Whately).
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY and CALCULUS (two terms).
SCIENCE (one term) Chemistry, Astronomy, and Botany.

SENIOR YEAR

RHETORIC (two terms) Themes, forensics and declamations; English Litera-
ture.

PHILOSOPHY One term each of Mental Philosophy (Hamilton's Metaphysics),
Moral Philosophy, and Political Philosophy.

SCIENCE Geology (Dana, two terms), Chemistry and Astronomy (one term).

POLITICAL Political Economy, Law of Nations, History of Civil Liberty, and
Constitution of the United States (each one term).

THEOLOGY Butler's Analogy, and Evidences of Christianity (each one term) . 20C

The listing of so extensive a course of study was almost entirely a
theoretical matter, particularly in the year 1866-1867 when only two
students were actually enrolled in the collegiate department! 206 Per-
haps it was meant as an extra argument toward adoption by the
College society. The list of subjects actually studied was far more
limited, as is apparent from the following schedule of uncertain date,
which seems to include both preparatory and college subjects:

G D B

9: 15 to 10 Greeks Horace 2 Anabasis 2

10 to 10:30 Greeks Caesar 5 Herodotus 1 Arithmetic 6

1 1 to 1 1 : 30 Astronomy 2 ] Algebra [ ? ]

11 to 12 fSat. Reader 7

11:30 to 12 Geometry 4 J
P.M.

1:15 to 2 Eng. Analysis 9 Reading6

2 to 2 :45 H. Arithmetic 5

205. Catalogue of . . . 1866-67, pp. XII-XIV. The senior year was particularly
notable for its inclusion of the newer subjects, including the sciences, history and political
economy.

206. As to the enrollment in Lincoln College, the author has been able to identify a total
of only ten students, including Miss Hattie D. Scales in the Ladies' course. This covers the
entire history of the college, under its original name.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 193

3 to 3 :30 Zoology 3 Latin 4
3 : 30 to 4 Botany 9 Anabasis & Gr .

Gram. 1207

On January 8, 1868, a Topeka paper described the course of study
by enumerating the classes, according to the subject pursued:

Of the amount of labor performed, and the advantages offered, it is enough
to say, that during this term [the fall term of 1867, just closed] there have
been regularly sustained classes in studies of the following names and grades:
Reading 2, Arithmetic 3, Grammar 3, Algebra 3, Anabasis 2, and in Latin
commenced, Greek do., Latin Reader, Cicero and Livy, Virgil, Geometry,
Trigonometry, Geology, Physical Geography, Guizot's History, English Litera-
ture, and Mental Philosophy, one each or twenty-five classes in all. At $18
per year for the preparatory, or $24 for the Collegiate course, with a wide free
list, and no extra charge for any study^ necessary to the course ; we know of no
similar school which offers equal advantages at so low rates. . . , 208

In the fall of 1868 the following schedule appears to have been in
effect for the preparatory department and was probably the classes
taught by its principal, J. A. Banfield, when the college was renamed
Washburn:

DAILY PROGRAME FOR THE FIRST TERM
OF THE YEAR 1868-1869

J. A. BANFIELD
9- 9:15 Chapel
9:15-10 Xenophon
10:00-10:45 Arithmetic
10:45-11 Recess

11-11:30 Arithmetic
11:30-12 Virgil

1:30-2:15 Algebra

2:15-3 Beg. Latin

3-3:15 Recess

3:15-4 Extra Latin (a class of two [?] up to Caesar) 20 ^

207. Manuscript fragment at Washburn Municipal University, mutilated on right side.
The numerals following the subject title may indicate the number of students enrolled in the
class, that for algebra in column B seems to have been severed. There is nothing to indicate
the exact date, but the MS. is marked Lincoln College.

208. Kansas State Record, January 8, 3868. "Founders, friends, and teachers are agreed
in the purpose that if the College succeeds, it shall be by offering to every pupil a good
foundation in all, which shall make his education worthy of the name, and a life long source
of profit, honor and usefulness." Ibid.

Brief reviews of the subjects pursued are also to be found hi the annual reports of the
president of the board of trustees to the general association, published in the Cong. Record,
or Minutes of General Association.

209. MS. at Washburn library, headed as above. This appears to omit the classes of the
other instructors.

A year later a sketch of the annual Washburn College examinations, held June 21 and 22,
1869, stated that during the preceding term the following classes had regularly met : Reading
and Spelling, 2 ; Arithmetic, 4 ; Geography, 2 ; English Grammar, 1 ; English Analysis, 1 ;
Algebra, 1; Geometry, 1; Trigonometry, 1; Greek, 4; Latin, 5; Astronomy, 1; Calculus, 1,
and Geology, 1, making a total of 25 classes. "The peculiar advantage which the students
have enjoyed is, that they have been compelled to do their own work, most of the class [es]
being smaJl." Kansas Daily Commonwealth, June 23, 1869. This account of the examina-
tions, by "Freshman," is one of the best the author has seen.

132657

194 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

A description of a visit to Lincoln College, as it existed late in
1867, will give a clearer conception of the building (see picture
facing p. 48) and of the classes in actual session. The following
narrative was apparently written by a student and is the outstand-
ing account:

WHAT WE HAVE AT LINCOLN COLLEGE

It may be well to divide our subject into externals and internals.

Externally, we may be said to occupy an elevated position. In fact, we
think, we are not to be overlooked by anybody in Topeka. From our belfry
we can see up and down the Kaw for many miles; so spacious is the fore-
ground of our vision, that the huge city of Topeka, even, is but a dot in the
vast prairie. Coming back, however, to our more immediate surroundings, we
do not have any fence to enclose our grounds, nothing but a few stones scat-
tered here and there obstruct the approach to the very threshold of our doors
of all diligent hunters for knowledge. Thus is the original design accomplished,
to have the approaches open to all, without question as to whether they wore
pants or have a tinted cuticle.

We enter the door of this abode of science, and find that the thick lime-
stone walls enclose a hall and seven rooms. The first room occupies most of
the first floor and is the assembly room for the college. Here, also, Prof. Cox
hears his classes, 210 and restrains by suavity and law all untamed boyishness
and girlishness that enters here. Immediately back of this room is the Cabinet,
already rich in geodes and many other mineral specimens. The second floor
has three rooms, one of which contains the library, the two others are occupied
by Professors as recitation rooms.

But the bell rings for the opening of the daily session. We enter the au-
dience room, and precisely at nine o'clock the door is closed and fastened. One
of the Faculty takes charge of the exercises. First comes the reading by each
student of verses from some chapter of the Bible, then a hymn is given out,
and, what is better, it is sung by the whole school in concert almost all sing
how it opens and exhilarates the soul thus to gush forth in song ! The praise
having subsided the prayer begins, sometimes brief, sometimes longer, some-
times hortatory, sometimes liturgical, then scientific or philosophical, and now
and then devout, penitential or supplicatory. Devotions ended, recitations
commence, and delinquents who have waited in the hall have a chance to
come in. We follow the Teacher's class to the south room above. The room
is warm and pleasant with its flood of sunshine from without, and the heat
from the Stewart stove within. 211 The Teacher's class is something new, or-
ganized this term, and has already had eighteen members. The class was organ-
ized by Prof. Bowker, and is at present under his charge. This term has been
devoted to a drill in the principles of English Grammar. No text book is used,
the class study by topics; free discussion allowed, the reasons of things are
sought out. By this drill students are taught independence of thought, which

210. D. W. Cox was principal of the preparatory department during the school year of
1867-1868.

211. With inadequate funds for running expenses, it was often a question how to purchase
such necessities as stoves. The minutes of the meeting of the trustees, November 28, 1866,
quote the college treasurer, W. E. Bowker, as reporting that seats had been provided, without
expense to the board, and that $47.50 was due for a stove which it was hoped would be met
from money received for tuition.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 195

enables them to defend their opinions independently of text books. A drill like
this for a year or two, will do more to make teachers masters of their profes-
sion than any other method.

From the recitation room we step across the hall to the Library, supplied
with its two thousand volumes, the larger number of which are on the shelves.
The dearth of libraries in this new country, enhances much the value of this
collection. It is already quite full in History, General Literature and Text-
Books; it stands much in need of a large and complete Encyclopaedia. 212
Adjoining the Library is Prof. Parker's room, with its spacious range of black-
board. Here Mathematics and Natural Science are taught by one enthusiastic
in his search of Nature's laws; and sometimes in vision the walls of his room
stretch away into a vast collection of cabinets, the gifts of liberal donors, or
the results of geological travels. Time would fail me to tell of the three classes
in Greek, four in Latin, seven in Mathematics, two in Grammar and the sin-
gle class in Reading, History, Physical Geography, Geology, English Literature
and Mental Philosophy that report themselves constantly to the Faculty and
their Assistants. Let me say . . . that a most excellent class of students
are now in attendance. Their manners, both in college and on our streets,
evince their thorough appreciation of what becomes ladies and gentlemen. Of
other things yet unnamed in our college, is the Rhetorical exercises, which
come once a week, and the occasional college paper should not go unmen-
tioned, in which all witty and witless things can find free ventilation. Speaking
and writing are regarded by the Faculty as fundamental to a thorough educa-
tion, and each student has to prepare himself regularly and thoroughly for the
exercises.

The young men of the college have caught the spirit and in the Ciceronian
have a society for the culture of oratory, argumentation and composition.
. . . The rehearsals and other signs of preparation indicate the public
appearance of this society before many weeks. . . .

We have thus briefly enumerated some of the things pertaining to our col-
lege. Do you wish to know more? Come and see.

RUGBY.213

DISCIPLINE

From the founding of the college those in authority were deeply
concerned as to the proper control of "untamed boyishness and girl-
ishness" in their midst. The Circular and Prospectus of 1865 pro-
vided for a brief service of prayer at the beginning of each school
day, attendance upon which by the students was made obligatory,
and promised to extend to all from a distance who were "removed

212. The library at Washburn Municipal University includes a Catalogue of Lincoln
College Library, which has a total of 4,179 accessions, including documentary material.
Religious and literary works were the most numerous, but there was important stress on those
of a historical nature, and a considerable number of scientific treatises. What appears to be a
companion volume, in a very fragile state, classifies these works into their various fields.

213. Kansas State Record, December 25, 1867. A comparison of the Lincoln College
courses of the 1860's with those of Washburn in February, 1885, when the enrollment had
grown to 240, shows interesting changes. "The Literary Collegiate" course had taken the
place of the earlier "Ladies' Course," and was notable for its "richness and breadth of Cul-
ture," and larger choice of subjects. The collegiate, classical and scientific courses had been
revised and enlarged. All the collegiate courses were then "parallel with . . . [those] in
the best Eastern colleges," permitting a good student at Washburn to enter Yale, Amherst or
Williams without any loss of standing. The Kansas Telephone, Manhattan, February, 1885.

196 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

from the restraints of home" the "watchful care needful to the pro-
motion of a moral and religious character." The tendency of the
students to leave their studies and follow other attractions that pre-
sented themselves, posed a very serious problem, as was evinced in
the attendance reports submitted to the president of the board of
trustees. Thus that of May, 1868, including the time when the legis-
lature had been in session in Topeka, indicated a wide disparity be-
tween aggregate and average attendance, as the following figures
show: First term, aggregate attendance 48, average 39; second
term (including the legislative period), aggregate 40, average
26, and third term, aggregate 29, and average 21. 214 Despite the
religious revival which had been carried on with marked success
during the winter term, Principal D. W. Cox of the preparatory de-
partment wrote that a number of students left and attended the
legislature. He added: "This one act did the College more harm in
its attendance and regularity, than anything else that has happened
during the whole year this far." 215 That these pioneer students
should not be unduly blamed for a lack of dependability, however,
one need only recall that the entire frontier population was charac-
terized by its "footloose" nature. 216

The catalogue of 1867-1868 carefully summarized college disci-
pline in the following words:

DISCIPLINE

Students are required to be present at the beginning of the term, to con-
tinue to the end of the same, and to be in their places at all stated exercises of
the College.

Students must not absent themselves from town without permission from
the Faculty.

The observance of regular hours of study and recreation is enjoined on all
the etudents.

Excuses from class recitations, or for failure in college duties, must be ren-
dered to the Professor having immediate jurisdiction, who shall report all
unexcused marks to the Faculty for record.

Any pupil receiving ten marks during one term, without good excuse, shall
cease to be a member of the College. 217

214. Minutes of the General Association, report of 1868, entitled, "Lincoln College," p. 9.
However, a report of Principal D. W. Cox to Lewis Bodwell (MS. in Washburn library)
quotes somewhat different figures, evidently for the same periods. Apparently the record of
absences had not been very accurately kept, particularly by Professor Bowker in the preceding
fall. During most of the winter term average attendance had been 40 ; during the final third,
when the legislature was in session, he reported it as 29.

215. D. W. Cox to Rev. L. Bodwell (no date given), a manuscript in the Washburn
library, quoted in Footnote 182.

216. In its issue of April, 1860 (v. 2, pp. 23-26), The Congregational Record discussed
"Homelessness as a Hindrance to the Gospel." The unsettled nature of the population was
one of the mast discouraging peculiarities of frontier society. "The western phrase, 'I do not
live, but only stay,' is of almost universal application. The word 'home' might be entirely
stricken from our vocabulary; . . . there are very few here who have positively made Up
their minds to make this their home. . . . It is all an experiment. . . .

217. Catalogue of . . . Washburn College, 1867-68, which covered part of the
Lincoln College period.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 197

These remarks apparently refer to the action of the executive
committee of the board of trustees, who at their meeting of Septem-
ber 5, 1867, adopted a series of RULES For the Government of Lin-
coln College. 218 On entering the college each student was required
to sign a declaration of his intention to comply with these regula-
tions. All were "to attend the public exercises of the college, to ob-
serve the hours prescribed for study, and to be in their rooms by ten
o'clock P. M., unless permitted to be absent by the Faculty," such
leaves of absence to be granted only "in cases of urgent necessity."
Those leaving without permission were liable to suspension or ex-
pulsion. No student could drop a subject without faculty permis-
sion. No meeting of students in the college building could be held
without consent of the faculty. "Any injury done to the building or
furniture will subject the one doing it to the expense of repairing the
injury and to such other penalty as the Faculty shall see fit to in-
flict." All students were requested to attend worship on the Sabbath.
"The tuition of each student must be paid within the first ten days
of the session, and in no case for less than half a term. . . ." No
society or club was to be formed, the constitution and by-laws of
which were not approved by the faculty, "and on no condition shall
a secret society be organized or be permitted to exist." The llth
rule was very significant and read: "Continued idleness, neglect of
recitations, and attendance upon places of dissipation or vain
amusement, will be deemed derogatory to the discipline of the col-
lege and will be punished by the Faculty." A system of marks for
attainment in recitations and deportment was adopted which was
intended to reward the faithful and punish those guilty of disobey-
ing the rules. 219 How this code functioned in actual use is not known.

THE COLLEGE PRESIDENCY

During the entire history of Lincoln College under its original
name it was directed by a board of trustees appointed by the "Gen-
eral Association of Congregational Ministers and Churches in Kan-

218. A three-page broadside in the Washburn library, the date of which is fixed by
reference to the minutes of the executive committee.

219. Ibid. "In Recitations ten shall indicate perfection in the statement and in the
understanding of a principle or fact, and the lower figures shall show the various degrees of
imperfection; and absence shall be marked zero, unless a satisfactory excuse is rendered within
twenty-four hours after, in which case the recitation shall not be counted.

"In Deportment any failure to observe the Rules of the college or the regulations of the
recitation-room will take five from the deportment of the day, and a flagrant violation will
reduce it to zero. Five cases of neglect or three cases of flagrant violation of the Rules during
any one term, shall subject the offender to suspension, and in case he persists in this course

of conduct he shall be expelled.

"In Punctuality an absence from the public exercises of the college will subject the
absentee to a loss, for each case, of one from the ten he would receive from attendance on

ten exercises, and when five absences either from public exercises or recitations, during any

one term, remain unexcused, the student shall be liable to suspension, and in case ten are

unexcused he shall be liable to expulsion."

198 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

sas." From 1863 on these nine trustees (later increased to 13) were
elected by that body for terms of one, two or three years, to exercise
general direction of a projected college. Early in 1865 when the
institution was finally incorporated, the trustees adopted articles of
association and thereafter met at irregular intervals on the call of
their president. By the appointment of committees 22 they carried
on the necessary business of the college and kept a permanent record
of their proceedings ("First Secretary's Book") . Their president was
the chief executive officer who, without salary, presided at meetings
of the board and between sessions performed what duties were
needed, including the hiring of teachers and, in collaboration with
the committee on education, preparing a detailed report to the annual
meeting of the general association. The first holder of this office
was Peter McVicar, then pastor of the Congregational church at
Topeka and superintendent of schools of Shawnee county, who in
late December, 1866, resigned the college position to become State
Superintendent of Public Instruction. 221 He was succeeded by Lewis
Bodwell, now for the second time pastor of the Topeka church.
Bodwell left Kansas in June, 1869, because of ill health.

Despite a serious lack of funds for running expenses, in 1866
steps were taken to procure at an early date a president for the
college in the person of Gen. Oliver 0. Howard, then head of the
Freedmen's Bureau at Washington, D. C. 222 To promote the endow-
ment campaign S. D. Bowker visited Washington in the summer of
that year and informally broached the matter of the presidency to

220. Of these the executive committee, consisting of the president of the board and three
or four additional trustees, appears to have met more often than the general board, to which
it was responsible, and to have exercised a more direct supervision of current business, but
unfortunately its records do not seem to have been carefully preserved. The author located
only one such paper the minutes of its meetings from July, 1867, to August, 1868. During
that period W. E. Bowker, I. H. Smith, H. W. Farnsworth and C. B. Lines were the chief
members, in addition to the president, Lewis Bodwell.

221. "First Secretary's Book," p. 36 entry of December 28, 1866. Speaking later of his
predecessor, Lewis Bodwell asserted that "no man has given our school more thought &
prayer & unpaid labor. . . ." In 1871 when Richard Cordley declined the appointment,
McVicar was elected the second president of the college. He retained this position for 24
years, during the period of greatest growth of the institution, contributing an outstanding
service in its upbuilding which subsequently won him the title of the "Grand Old Man" of
Washburn College.

222. Oliver O. Howard (1830-1909), a graduate of West Point, had an important career
in the American army. In the Civil War he took a leading part in many battles in the Eastern
theater but has been blamed for reverses at both Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In 1863
he was transferred to the West, and later given command of the Department of the Tennessee
and awarded the rank of brigadier general in the regular army. He was with Sherman on his
march through Georgia, but was distressed by its attendant horrors. In May, 1865, President
Johnson, following Lincoln's choice, made Howard commissioner of the newly created Bureau
of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. This agency did good work in relieving desti-
tution, but due to Howard's lack of executive ability, it became burdened with inefficiency
and corruption. Howard was freed of personal responsibility, beyond the facts that he was a
poor judge of his associates and spent too much time in other activities. Later, while in
command of the Department of the Columbia, he led several expeditions against the Western
Indians. In 1886 he was made major general in command of the Division of the East, which
he retained until he retired in 1894. He wrote a number of books, contributed to magazines
and newspapers, and was a popular lecturer and preacher. Dictionary of American Biogra-
phy, v. 9, pp. 279-281.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 199

Howard who regarded the proposal with favor, "when the interests
of the country will allow of his retirement from his present post of
duty. 223 At a date probably early in January, 1868, Howard visited
Topeka and was very favorably impressed by its people. Apparently
acting with the tacit consent of the board of trustees, later that
month Lewis Bodwell wrote a letter of invitation to General How-
ard, which he enclosed in a message to his friend Senator Pomeroy,
requesting the latter to use his good offices in behalf of the Howard
appointment. To Bodwell General Howard was a brilliant example
of a Christian scholar and soldier who had wielded the "flaming
sword of Gideon" against the "slave power" and was now accom-
plishing a great work for the freedmen. In urgent terms Bodwell ap-
pealed to Howard to lend his aid as soon as possible this would
reduce the time needed for the "permanent endorsement" of the
college by eight or ten years. His name would "in one year quad-
ruple the number of our students" and attract many to the work of
the ministry. 224 In a very cordial letter General Howard declined
this offer:

As a single matter of ambition I would be glad to join hands with you and
give my influence to the complete establishment and further development of
your college; but I cannot conscientiously leave here, for duty points in this
direction. My official position is now very important and promises to be BO
for some time to come. 225

It is very probable that the numerous duties of the president of
the board of trustees were burdensome to Lewis Bodwell, particu-
larly in view of his state of health. In July, 1868, Harrison Hannahs
wrote to "My dear Lewis" that, while on his way to St. Louis (Mo.) ,
he conferred with Peter McVicar, and was "more than ever satisfied

223. Washington, D. C., correspondence, signed "S. D. B.," quoted in Cong. Record, v. 8
(1866), September, pp. 55, 56. Bowker praised Howard's work for the freedmen and believed
that if President Johnson vetoed the current bill for that bureau, Howard would resign. This
"noble Christian scholar and soldier ... is disposed to regard with favor the proposition
informally made to him, to take the Presidency of our college . . ." after retiring from
his work in the Freedmen 's Bureau.

224. A manuscript letter without signature now in the Washburn library, in the hand-
writing of Bodwell and dated Topeka, January 27, 1868. Bodwell did not doubt his ability
to obtain the signatures of a thousand Christians to this appeal. The great mission of Lincoln
College to supply the state with Christian men and ministers he regarded practically hope-
less of attainment by the state institutions, at least at that time. (Howard's name had also
been placed before the board of regents of the State University.) Howard had a great repu-
tation as a Biblical soldier "the Havelock of the Army"; his honesty, humanitarian interests
and religious enthusiasm were undoubted, and he was a capable speaker and writer.

225. Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard to "Rev. Lewis Bodwell, President Lincoln College,"
February 11, 1868, on official stationeiy of the Freedmen's Bureau, MS. in the Washburn
library. Pomeroy replied similarly, and added that Howard University, then being erected,
would draw heavily on the general's time. He suggested Gen. Charles Howard, the brother
of O. O., who was even "better educated," with a "gem of a wife," and only a little behind
his famous brother, "the foremost man of our country, at this time."

Howard University, Washington, D. C., was founded in 1867 and named after the Civil
War general. In 1869 O. O. Howard was made president, and gave much time to the institu-
tion until 1874, when he resigned.

200 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

he is the man for the Presidency of the College." 226 The problem of
salary was probably a matter of grave concern until November,
1868, when the munificent gift of Ichabod Washburn removed any
such barrier. That it had been negotiated by Horatio Q. Butterfield
must have been a powerful argument in the minds of the trustees in
favor of elevating their professor of classical languages to the post.
At their meeting of June 3, 1869, the board unanimously elected
Butterfield president of the institution, now Washburn College, and
voted to make his salary the "proceeds of the Washburne Donation
until the notes are paid and after that, not less than $2,000." 227

Butterfield made a verbal report of his labors for the college at
the annual meeting of June 23, 1869, and added that he had been
offered a place on the board of the Society for Promotion of Colle-
giate and Theological Education at the West. In reply a committee
of the trustees made a strong appeal to Butterfield to head the col-
lege:

A College, anywhere, and particularly where educational interests are in a
formative state . . . must have an able, efficient and influential head. The
time has come as we judge, when this necessity of Washburne College must
be met.

Our relation as a College, to the Churches of Kansas, both in view of this
call for educated men, and of their duty to aid in building up a College in their
midst demands such a man now, at the head of this Institution. 228

Two days later Butterfield wrote to the board, thanking them for
tendering him the position of president: "After much prayerful
consideration I have resolved the last doubt, and decided to ac-
cept." 229

LINCOLN COLLEGE RENAMED WASHBURN

From his earliest connection with Lincoln College, Horatio Q.
Butterfield had performed services of a financial nature. Before
reaching Kansas in 1866 he worked with S. D. Bowker in the East
in behalf of the college endowment, but the results were disappoint-
ing. In the following fall the institution was adopted by the College
society, but still no funds were forthcoming. By late 1866 the crisis

226. MS. in the Washburn library, dated Rome, N. Y., July 17, 1868. Hannahs added
suggestions as to how to finance the college.

227. 'First Secretary's Book," pp. 48, 49. The annual report to the general association
(1870), however, quoted his salary at $1,750.

228. Ibid., pp. 50-53. "The Society, in view of our wants and necessities, will not ask Us
to jeopardize our existence and usefulness, and consequently the ground of her own success.
. . ." These considerations were urged upon Butterfield, "as reasons why he should accept
the position tendered him in deep earnestness by the College Corporation."

229. Ibid., p. 54. In November, 1870, Butterfield resigned the presidency to accept the
secretaryship of the College society. He withdrew the resignation on December 20, and on
January 30, 1871, he resigned again. The Washburn College post was offered to Richard
Cordley, who declined to accept, whereupon Peter McVicar was elected the second president
(February, 1871). After an extended period as secretary of the College society, Butterfield
accepted the presidency of Olivet College, Michigan.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 201

was so pronounced that the trustees voted to procure as soon as
possible a "suitable person, as financial agent . . .," the former
agent, Bowker, now being occupied with other duties. 230 On March
12, 1867, the trustees authorized Professor Butterfield to act as
financial agent for a year, or for the time needed, and to pay him his
regular salary plus necessary traveling expenses. 231 With a leave of
absence from Lincoln College and temporary employment by the
College society, Butterfield soon left for the East.

When the general association met in May, 1867, the report on
Lincoln College described a "pressing need" of ready cash, which
posed an alarming threat to the future of the new institution. 232 The
severe financial crisis prompted a movement by the partisans of
other towns to remove the college from Topeka, but the trustees de-
clined to consent. A few months later Lewis Bodwell, president of
the board of trustees, wrote to Horatio Q. Butterfield:

We have lately been burdened with . . . increasing indebtedness. . . .
So great have been its dangers that we have talked of curtailing. But where?
The Prep. Dep nearly or quite pays its own way. . . . The cost is from
that which does not pay & yet which is to day the part nearest to our end,
vis Our College classes our candidates for the ministry. . . , 233

Late in the year financial affairs appear to have improved. Early
in January, 1868, a local paper announced that Professor Butterfield
had collected enough to pay the outstanding debts to the faculty
he was trying to avoid earlier mistakes by soliciting for both running
expenses and permanent endowment:

The low rate of charge, and the number of those who under the rules obtain
free tuition, have imposed some heavy burdens upon trustees and teachers;
but in addition to some progress in the work of endowment, Prof. Butterfield
has raised an amount sufficient to extinguish the indebtedness to teachers, and
encourage the Trustees to continue the offer of tuition on the same liberal
terms as heretofore. 234

In the following spring the report to the general association re-
flected a marked financial improvement. The aid pledged by the

230. "First Secretary's Book," p. 36 minutes of December 28, 1866. The treasurer was
authorized to borrow $500 to pay the teachers for the last quarter.

231. Ibid., pp. 37, 38. The annual report of May, 1868, to the general association
remarked: "While in the employ of the College Society, as he now is, the salary of Prof.
Butterfield is paid by the Society, and thus, during the year, the College has been held
responsible only for the payment of the present corps of instructors an amount which .
does not much exceed $2600 per annum." Minutes of the General Association, report of 1868,
p. 10.

232. Ibid., May, 1867, pp. 12-15. report entitled, "On Education Lincoln College." The
report of the finance committee, July 4, 1867 (cited in Footnnote 86), gave further details.
For the preceding year the income had been only $1,592.05, while expenses amounted to
$4,557.03. Total indebtedness then stood at $4,320.75, and there was no cash in the treasury,
although total assets amounted to an estimated $16,414.22.

233. Lewis Bodwell to "Dear Bro Butterfield," dated Topeka, October 23, 1867, a MS. jn
the Washburn library.

234. Kansas State Record, January 8, 1868.

202 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

College society was enough "to warrant the hope that our already
diminished indebtedness will ere long be wholly cleared away."
Butterfield was "working with growing confidence" at his last
report nearly $8,000 had been "collected and pledged" (obviously
overestimated), and of this amount the college treasurer had already
received over $1,500. The college indebtedness then amounted to
only $3,100.75 the sum due on the salaries of the teachers and for
money advanced by the treasurer out of his own pocket. 235 When the
next report was issued in May, 1869, the annual income of the college
had grown to $3,211.24, with $2,059 credited to the activities of Pro-
fessor Butterfield enough "to meet all outstanding claims for cur-
rent expenses, and the teachers are paid to the beginning of the
present term." 236

In his solicitation for the permanent endowment of Lincoln Col-
lege, Horatio Q. Butterfield was even more successful. Largely be-
cause of Butterfield's personal influence, Ichabod Washburn of
Worcester, Mass., became interested in the college and late in Octo-
ber, 1868, announced his decision to give the Kansas institution the
sum of $25,000 towards an endowment. 237 In view of this large
donation Butterfield accompanied his report to the trustees "by the
opinion of the College Society and its friends and ours, that the
name of the Institution should be changed to that of the family
name of our generous friend." 238 The subject was taken up by the
college trustees at a special meeting on November 19, 1868, as indi-
cated in the following quotations from the minutes:

235. Minutes of the General Association, report of May, 1868, written by Lewis Bodwell,
pp. 9-11. Several gifts had been made to the college during the preceding year, including 20
acres of land from W. E. Bowker, two notes totaling $1,000 from Harrison Hannahs and a
pledge of a like amount from Simpson Bros., of Lawrence.

Although Butterfield reported to the trustees, the author has not been able to locate any
of this important correspondence, if it still exists, which is doubful. Eugene Floyd, while in
charge of public relations at Washburn Municipal University, made a search for Butterfield
correspondence, but without success.

236. Minutes of the General Association, report of May, 1869, pp. 17-21. "Commencing
with his first remittance, June 18th, 1867, Professor Butterfield has raised and sent us for
current expenses about $4,400, of which amount we have received over $2,059 in books; and
$65 ... in the publication of our annual catalogue. In another direction our Agent's
labors have been successful in securing by special contributions the $800 needed to purchase
the excellent library of the late Professor Bowker. . . ." See Footnote 245.

237. Kansas Daily Commonwealth, May 11, 1869; Me Vicar's An Historical Sketch of
Washburn College, p. 6; Catalogue of . . . 1867-68, p. 20.

Ichabod Washburn was born at Kingston, Mass., August 11, 1798. When he was still an
infant his father died, leaving the family with few resources. Young Ichabod learned the trade
of harness making, worked in the cotton mills, served an apprenticeship as a blacksmith and
then began making plows at Millbury, Mass. In 1821 with W. H. Howard he started the
making of lead pipe and woolen goods machinery. A very great demand for the latter induced
him in 1823 to go into the exclusive manufacture of woolen goods machinery with Benjamin
Goddard, a pursuit he followed with great success until 1834, when the partnership was
dissolved. A few years before this the firm began the making of iron wire, then a new business
in this country. By a wire drawlock improvement, Washburn greatly increased the output;
after the dissolution he devoted his entire time to wire manufacture and became the leader of
the American industry, thus laying the foundation of his large fortune. For some time his
twin brother, Charles, was associated with him, but after 1850 this role was taken by his
son-in-law, Philip L. Moen, under the title of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Co.
Dictionary of American Biography, v. 19, pp. 501, 502.

238. Minutes of the General Association, report of May, 1869, on Washburn college, p. 18.

LINCOLN COLLEGE, PART II 203

The President read letters from Professor Butter-field containing the prop-
osition of Deacon Ichabod Washburne, of Worcester Massachusetts, to donate
to the College the sum of $25,000, and suggesting the propriety of changing
the name of the College to Washburne College.

On motion of Mr. Farnsworth, Messrs. Cordley, Liggett and Cooper were
appointed a Committee to draw up resolutions, expressive of the views of the
Trustees. . .

After proper consideration, the following report was adopted:

Whereas, There are several literary Institutions in the United States, bear-
ing the name of Lincoln thus creating confusion and embarrassing us in our
movements, 240 and

Whereas, Dea. I. Washburne of Worcester, Mass, proposes to make to our
College a donation of Twenty five thousand dollars towards the endowment
we are seeking Therefore

Resolved That we, the Trustees of Lincoln College, in a meeting legally
called, and assembling at Topeka this nineteenth day of November One Thou-
sand Eight hundred and Sixty eight do hereby Change the name of said Insti-
tution to Washburne College.

Resolved That we express our hearty thanks to Dea. Washburne, for his
generous gift, coming as it does in the infancy of our enterprise and assuring
its success And we trust we may be able so to use the means thus placed at
our disposal, that our College may be an honor to its donors and a blessing to
our State. 241

The Washburn donation was in the form of five notes for $5,000
each, drawn on the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company
and bearing interest at seven per cent, with a maturity date of 1870,
and was deposited at the Central National Bank of Worcester, Mass.
It alone almost doubled the assets of the college and gave substance
to the fond hopes of earlier years. 242 Only a few months after he
made this gift, Ichabod Washburn died at his home in Worces-
ter. 243 When the general association met some months thereafter,

239. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 45-47.

240. These institutions were Lincoln University, Oxford, Pa. ; Lincoln Institute, Missouri ;
and Lincoln College, Lincoln, 111.

241. "First Secretary's Book," pp. 46, 47; also Minutes of the General Association, report
of May, 1869, pp. 17-21. In v. 3 of "Corporations (official charter copybooks from the office
of the Secretary of State, in Archives division of the Kansas State Historical Society)," pp.
296, 297, is the following record, under date of January 1, 1869:

"I Lewis Bodwell, President of the board of Trustees of Lincoln College, do hereby certify
and affirm that at a meeting duly and legally called for that purpose, and held in the city
of Topeka on the 13th [?] day of November A. D. 1868. There were present ten of the
thirteen members who constituted the full Board ; and that at said meeting it was unanimously
resolved that the corporate name of the Institution be changed to Washburn College." Filed
June 5, 1869.

Bodwell's own diary as well as the minutes of the trustees agree that the change of name
took place on November 19, 1868. At the time neither of the two Topeka papers took notice
of thig action, but on December 23 the Record first used the name of Washburn : "The
students of Washbum are canvassing our city for The Advance, for the purpose of getting an
organ for their chapel. . . ." The Atchison Champion had previously alluded to "Wash-
burn College."

242. The annual report to the general association, May, 1869, listed the total assets of
Washburn College as $59,939. Liabilities were then $3,140, to meet which there was on hand
or due a total of $3,020, of which $1,820 was promised by the College society.

243. Feeling handicapped by a lack of formal education, Washburn appreciated its value,
and hence gave to colleges across the country, and to other benevolent causes, a total of
$424,000 the greater part of his estate. Among the educational institutions he thus aided

204 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

it mourned the death of Washburn, a "large-hearted and wise bene-
factor," who had set an example of great liberality and intelligence
by thus placing "the institutions of religion and science upon a stable
foundation in a new and growing commonwealth. 244 Writing in ret-
rospect many years later, Richard Cordley termed the gift a very
important milestone in the history of the college, which assured it a
brighter future:

It came at a critical time and marked an era in our history. ... A
building had been erected, a school had been opened and some good academic
work was being done. But the work had gone about as far as it could without
larger resources. . . .

Mr. Washbum gave his magnificent gift at the beginning when most men
shrink. Mr. Washburn had the rare faith to see the promise in an enterprise
not yet assured to mortal sight. . . . The college had an endowment, and
its perpetuity was assured. 245

The Kansas Congregationalists had founded their college in
Topeka as a monument to the victory of freedom and its leading
champion, Abraham Lincoln, but even more significant in their
minds had been the promotion of religion and its handmaid, educa-
tion. With the passage of time the issue of freedom receded into the
historic past, but the problem of adequate finance became a sword
of Damocles, threatening the future of their beloved College. What
a profound sense of relief the trustees must have experienced when
the Washburn gift was finally announced little wonder they were
willing to consent to a change of name to Washburn College.

When Lincoln College assumed the name of Washburn, the years
of foundation ended. What had been virtually an academy near the
frontier could now become in larger measure a college for the great
West. A pioneer dream had materialized on the Kansas prairies,
leaving to the future the hope of growth and development.

were: the School of Technology at Worcester; the Theological Seminary at Bangor, Maine;
Oberlin College, Ohio; Berea College, Ky. ; Hampton Institute, Va., and Lincoln College,
Kansas. In an "Obituary" published on the day of his death (December 30, 1868), the
Worcester Evening Gazette concluded that "the poor and the struggling of other days will
rise up and call him blessed," a "noble illustration" of what young men can accomplish, with
no wealth but "brain and muscle . . . allied with industry, sobriety, energy, and enter-
prise."

244. Minutes of the General Association, report of May, 1869, pp. 23, 24.
"Resolved, That among all those who have contributed to the welfare of our beloved State

of Kansas, none will deserve more grateful rememberance [sic] than Deacon Washburn, and
may the college which lie so generously assisted with timely aid, bear his name down to
future generations forever linked with the cause of pure Christianity and sound learning."

245. The Kansas Telephone, Manhattan, July, 1890, a paper on the "Quarter Centennial
of Washburn College," June 17, 1890.

The final account of Butterfield as financial agent from April 1, 1867, to January 15,
1870, was incorporated in the minutes of the trustees, January 6, 1870 ("First Secretary's
Book," pp. 56, 57). The total secured for the college was $41,961.79 (including $918 for the
Bowker library). Money subscriptions amounted to $38,703.15. flutter-field's salary was
$3,743.15; the auditing committee found the college indebted to him in the sum of 89#.
From this it is clear that his activities as financial agent continued long after the college was
renamed. In fact, in later years as secretary of the College society, he made a very important
contribution to the financial well-being of Washburn College.

Bypaths of Kansas History

OPTIMISM IN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN 1856

The following letter was among other papers generously donated
to the Kansas State Historical Society by Mrs. Sidney Milbauer
of West Hollywood, Cal.

DOUGLASS CNT K T JAN/23/1856
To IJ Oakley

Dear Sir

I take up my pen to write you a few lines & let you know how we are
& how we fare we are all well excepting myself & I have had a cold & it has
fell in my head & causes me a great deal of pain but I am on the mend &
hope I shall soon be able to get about again I arrived in this country the
25th of July last all well after a travil of 33 days averageing about 30 miles
per day with two hor[s]e teams & two waggons there was nine of us all told
the two oldest boys having gone on a head and taken up claims to prepare
for our coming they had broken up near forty acres of prary & got in corn
planted by dropping in the furrow & turning the sod of the next furrow
righ[t] on it which we call here sod corn it was late in June before they got
it in & when I arrived on the 25 of July I didnot believe we should get any-
thing but stawks but the soil is so strong that we had 7 or 8 hundred bushels
& the greater part good ripe corn

The country here is very different from your land you can make your
fields here as large as you pleas & it lays most beautifull the land lies rooling
on the prary but along on the river it is somewhat hilly there is plenty of tim-
ber on the streams & in the raviens & some pretty heavey but not of as good
a quality as in our western states but there is plenty of lime stone & coal
& the climate is a little more mild than in your state since the 20th of De-
cember we have had good steady winter weather with about 6 inchs of snow
& when the wind blowes it is piercing cold but the weather now looks fine
& we anticipate an early spring you must not expect me to tell you how
wheat & many other things do here for you must recolect that last year this
time there was not an acre broke in all this vast land and all that has been
done is since last April there has been nearly corn enough raised to s[ulpply
the wants of the setlers potatoes squashes mellons and every thing we put
in the ground turned out well the sod could not be disturbed after it was
laid over & every thing had to do the best it could after planting with out
stiring the ground, this year we will have a better chance on ground that
was broken as for hay you could get any quantity of it you pleased & I
think as good for stock or horses as our best timothy

I never saw or tasted better beef any where which you could get a plenty
of at from 5 to 7 cents per Ib. sheep we have very few of as yet hogs plenty
& you can b[u]y fresh pork at 7 cents now flour is 6 dollars per hundred
corn meal 12.50, corn 75 cents p[e]r bushel potatoes, 1 dollar Beans 3 dols
per bush [el] sugar 12^ c per Ib molases 75c per gallon dry goods &
groceries in proportion but enough of them

(205)

206 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Lawrence is quite a place in one years groweth containing 7 or 8 stoers
about 50 houses 3 saw mills & a bout 1000 inhabitants the country is setling
fast yet there is good chances yet & a young man with from 500 to 1000 thou-
sand dollars can make himself indipendant in a short time wages is good
for any kind of mechanick or labour & a single man without any money but
willing to work could do well here I think the climate is healthy the land
lies high & rooling & the watter is good we are very well satisfied not with-
standing all the political troubles you hear of in the public prints you must
not believe one half to be true there has been but 3 men Killed since we
have been here one in a fight & 2 murdred but there has been great ex[c]ite-
ment but the free state men is by far the most numerous & cannot finally
help prevailing

The 3 oldest boy's have each a claim besides my s[e]lf the town lines are
run in this part & the section lines will be run early in the spring & then we
shall know how our farms lie & hope to go on with our improvements in
better order a great many will build concrete or stone houses as we have the
material for doing so in abundance there has been two lime Kilns burnt on
my place very good I am 8 miles west of Lawrence & 2 miles East of Le-
compton which is at present the capital of the Territory & when you write
direct to Lecompton K. T. I should like to hear from you as soon as possible
our post office has been managed so bad we have had no news for a long time
but it now [is] getting on a better footing . . .

I think Kansas is a very good country for farming & easey to start in on
small means if a man is able to get a good breaking up teme[team] which is
3 yoak of good cattle worth here 80 dollars per yoak it costs nothing to keep
them for the grass is plenty & of so good quality as to need no grain for cattle
will work every day & keep fat he has the main point & can do well break-
ing up for those that has no team it is worth from 3 to 4 dollars per acre
& you can break 1% acres per day you can settle on a quarter section & when
the lines is run enter it for preemption & you have one year allowed after it
is advertised for sale by government to pay for it in which may not come
around until you can raise enough to make up the sum which is 125, per acre
& you will bear in mind that after the first breaking up you have an old farm
with new soil for it ploughs as easey as an ash heap the soil is a black rich
mould a mixture of clay sand & dead vegi table matter & just as rich as a
garden

I might tell you it is cheapest for a man to get his family here by having
good teams & waggons it will not cost more than half as much as to come by
rail road & steamboat but then he must not put up at taverns but sleep in his
waggons or tents the journey is far from being fatiegueing we found it quite
pleasant & was as fresh when we arrived as when we started I furnished my-
self with a pocket map of the states I wanted to cross & then enquired the
best road from point to point & found no difficultly whatever in getting along
we crossed 4 states & traveld about 1000 miles, but I must draw to a close
write me soon for I want to hear from father & all of you.

I remain yours truly

JOSEPH OAKLBY

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 207

WHEN FORT RILEY HAD AN INDIAN SCARE
From the White Cloud Kansas Chief, August 13, 1857.

LAWRENCE, AUGUST 8, 1857.

Official evidence has reached Governor Walker, through the commanding
officer at Fort Riley, that the Cheyenne Indians, in force, have reached that
station, where there is no fortification, and only half a company of infantry.
The commanding officer at the Fort asks for immediate assistance, "an attack
being hourly expected," and the garrison filled with wives and children of
absent officers and men. The official report represents that "the Indians had
driven in all the settlers and committed several murders in sight of the post."

Under these circumstances, Governor Walker has sent Colonel Cooke with
the whole force under his command, to the point of danger. Colonel Cooke
started with the advance at 8 A. M., to-day, and by forced marches hopes to
reach Fort Riley to-morrow evening, accompanied by the Governor. The rest
of the troops follow immediately, and will proceed with all possible expedition.
It seems to be wisely ordered by Providence that the troops who are now
here so much nearer Fort Riley, should thus be enabled to reach that point
in so brief a period, to give speedy protection to the garrison and settlers,
and, it is hoped, inflict summary chastisement upon this hostile and war-like
tribe.

Gov. R. J. Walker reported to the Secretary of State, August 18,
1857 (Kansas Historical Collections, v. 5, pp. 372-374) , that Lt. Col.
P. St. George Cooke, who was in camp near Lawrence, started for
Fort Riley within half an hour after the information reached him,
"and arrived at the fort in about 28 hours, including the delay in
crossing the Kansas river." This, the governor said, "was a march
rarely equaled, with so large a body of troops, in the history of
military movements."

On arrival at Fort Riley Governor Walker and Colonel Cooke
found nearby settlers and friendly Pottawatomie and Delaware
Indians gathered for its defense, but the danger proved to be greatly
exaggerated. The Cheyennes had indeed been operating farther
west, but they were too distant, and their position too uncertain,
for Cooke's troops to follow them.

POLISHING OFF OLD BRASS
From the Topeka Weekly Leader, February 1, 1866.

A Chastising affair, says the Union came off in town Thursday night. Mr.
Dexter, the popular and gentlemanly Agent of the Kansas Stage Company in
this place, came across his former commanding officer in the army, and gave
him a severe beating. As the story goes, for the purpose of some personal
advantage to himself the Captain took underhanded means to get Dexter

208 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

discharged, whereby he was likely to get himself into a bad scrape; to avoid
which he ordered out a detachment to shoot Dexter, on some pretext. The
detachment all fired in the air except two, one of whom put a ball into him.
The matter had a legal investigation afterwards, when the Captain was "broke"
and sentenced to two years imprisonment. He turned up here the other day,
and the first time Dexter saw him he "went for him."

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE UNFAVORABLE PRESS ENCOUNTERED
BY THE EARLY EXPONENTS OF SUFFRAGE FOR WOMEN

From the Topeka Weekly Leader, September 12, 1867.

FEMALE SUFFRAGE Last Friday night a large and respectable audience, (Col.
Lawrence was large and Ritchie respectable), assembled to hear the two famous
advocates of Female Suffrage Mrs. Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
Col. Ritchie after consultation with Lawrence and after ascertaining by anxious
inquiries that Gov. Crawford was not present, nominated his Excellency for
chairman of the meeting. After waiting three seconds for the absent Governor
to show that he was present, Col. Lawrence as if by accident discovered that
Col. Ritchie was present, and moved that he take the chair, which he did. The
thing had been "cut" so long that it smelt fishy. Gen. Ritchie upon taking
the stand thundered out in a tragic voice, and without giving the audience
time to prepare for it, "we're in arnest:" which, so great was the levity and
irreverence of the crowd, instead of terrifying them elicited very audible
snickers. After the General had delivered himself he introduced Mrs. Stanton
to the audience.

She is a buxom, gray haired matron of about fifty. It is not our intention
to attempt to give an outline of her speech. It is sufficient to say that it was
elegant and eloquent everything but convincing. Her premises were generally
correct but her conclusions we think, were illogical. She had posted herself on
the Constitution and laws of Kansas so that her allusions to them, unlike our
school girl stumpers, were correct. The great charm of Mrs. Stanton is her
manner of speaking. While listening to her one feels, no matter what his feel-
ings on the topic discussed may be, that he is listening to a pure hearted
matronly woman; one who understands and conscientiously preforms the
duties of wife, and mother. We would that some of the other female speakers
now stumping the State, were more like her.

Miss Anthony was the next speaker. In view of the fact that Miss A. is a
maiden lady, Col. Ritchie's introduction of her as a "time honored" lady, was,
to say the least, unkind. Miss A. seemed only desirous to sell some pamphlet
speeches of Parker Pillsbury and other ancient ladies, at the small price of
twenty-five cents each. As preliminary thereto, however, she entered into a dis-
cursory argument of the right of suffrage for females. She insisted that as men
and women were of the same physical formation, (with a slight variation), their
political rights were the same. Do we not, said she, suffer as much from hunger,
cold, &c? "In the language of shylock, if you prick us do we not bleed?" That
depends very much on circumstances we think, but whether true or false, it is
certainly a very poor argument in favor of suffrage, for the same can be said
of all living things. Miss A. assured the audience that Pomeroy was and Ross

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 209

and Clarke would soon be squarely committed in favor of Female Suffrage.
Now we venture this prediction, and are willing to bet an old hat on its correct-
ness, that both Clarke and Ross oppose the "pernicious doctrine," and that
Pomeroy's business affairs will be so pressing until the election, that he will
neither write a letter nor make a speech in favor of female suffrage hi Kansas.
We had almost forgotten to mention that Miss A. had a hat passed around for
lone postals, but with such poor success that she must have felt, as did the old
minister under similar circumstances, thankful that she ever got the hat back
from such an audience.

ED HOWE ON SARAH BERNHARDT

From The Globe, Atchison, March 2, 1881.

At exactly 8:31 last night, Sara Bernhardt made her appearance on the
stage of Tootle's Opera House [St. Joseph, Mo.], walking down the centre as
though she had but one joint in her body, and no knees. Her first action was
to shake hands with the stage company with arms as long and wiry as the
tendrils of a devil fish, which wound around them occasionally with the soft
grace of a serpent. Perhaps the first thing remarked of her by the average
auditor is that she is almost red-headed, and that she wears her hair in light
Dutch braids. The second, that she is distressingly ugly, and that her smile
is painful, because it displays a big mouth and a prominent row of butter
teeth. Her nose is of the pattern referred to as a "hook," and of her figure
it is enough to say that it could not possibly be worse. In her ambition to
stand straight and erect, she bends backward, but regains perpendicular at the
neck and head again. Her dress was of white and costly stuff, and cut so
low in front that we expected every moment that she would step one of her
legs through it. She talks fast, and takes tremendous strides across the stage.
Her arms were encased in white kid to within an inch of her shoulders, and
whenever she pointed the villain or other disagreeable person to the door,
and said, "Go! !" we saw that the color of the hair under her arms was sandy.
This was our first impression of Bernhardt, and the second was that a lady
so ugly and ill-shapen should not, in justice to her sex, challenge the criticism
and opera glasses of the public.

The smile of which we have heard so much must have distressed every one
in the audience, because at no other time was she so hideously ugly. Her
mouth is in a continual state of pucker, and it would be impossible for such
a face to smile sweetly, or to pleasantly convey an impression of joy.

We waited patiently for the embrace for which she is said to be the cham-
pion of two countries. It came in the third act, and Armand was the re-
cipient. He parted with her, and started to go out, but she followed, and
finally embraced him by shambling up, breaking in two at the middle, and
throwing her tendrils around him. It was neither graceful or natural, and only
original in its awkwardness. In these scenes the middle part of her body
strikes the recipient first her arms swing wildly a moment, and then twine
two or three times around the person she loves. This is the Bernhardt em-
brace as we saw it through an opera glass.

The Bernhardt kiss is little better. Perhaps "Camille" does not afford op-
portunity for this sort of acting, but there are millions of women who can

142657

210 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

kiss a man more naturally and acceptably than Sarah Bernhardt. She has
no new ideas on the subject, unless kissing on the ear is new.

The only thing Bernhardt does extraordinarily well is to put her arms
around a man, and look into his eyes. If her face could be hidden at these
moments, she would be sublime.

With reference to "Camille" in French, it is about as interesting to an
American as five acts of a Chinese drama running three months.

The opinion will no doubt be laughed at, but we regard Mary Anderson
as a better actress than Sarah Bernhardt. The circumstance is in her favor,
to begin with, that she is young, pretty and innocent, while Bernhardt is old,
ugly and evidently a thoroughbred, who impresses one as being cross and
disagreeable off the stage. If Bernhardt was to appear in Atchison to-night,
in other words, we would not come down town, but we would go to St. Joe
to see Mary Anderson. If this is poor taste, we have a great deal of good
company.

At midnight a reception to Governor Crittenden [of Missouri] began in the
parlors of the Pacific House. Bernhardt consented to come down and watch
the mob if nobody spoke to her. She stood around for an hour, and all St.
Joe walked in front of her, stared her in the face, jostled her, eyed her dresses
through glasses, and had a good time. At one o'clock she retired, and at nine
this morning her maid shook the sheets to find her, as the time had arrived
to depart for Leavenworth. . . .

There can be no doubt that she occasionally displays wonderful power in
emotional parts, but she is not well balanced in a part requiring her to appear
gay and thoughtless in the first two acts, and rebellious and grief-stricken in
the last three. Could a play be written introducing her as parting with a lover
in one act, contemplating suicide in a second, and dying in a third those per-
sons who go to theatres to cry softly behind their fans would be divinely
pleased. Her parting from Armand in the third act was the finest piece of
emotional acting we have ever seen, but her dancing in the first act was the
worst.

Bernhardt, (whose name is Sarah, by the way, and not Sara,) is an elegant
dresser, and continually sparkles with diamonds. No less than half a dozen
elegant cloaks and wraps were brought in at different times with no other
object than that the ladies in the audience might covet them. All of her dresses
have trails as long as the Kansas liquor law.

Her support consisted of three fat women, her rather pretty sister, four or
five brigandish looking men of a doleful turn of mind, and a funny man who
looked exactly like Doc. Kistler, of Atchison.

After the play, while smoking a cigar in the Pacific House office, the writer
had the pleasure of meeting Bernhardt face to face as she came up the steps
from the street, on her way to her room. She was a mass of furs and wraps, and
looked neither to the right or the left. We were informed by the hotel loafers
that she never leaves her room, and sees no one, her meals being sent to her.
On Monday evening she missed an article of jewelry, and suspicioning her maid
of taking it, accused her of it in wild and boisterous language in the dining
room, which was full of guests. This was all the hotel gossip obtainable.

In justice to Bernhardt, we cheerfully make the statement that a large
proportion of the Atchison delegation were pleased with her, and there was a

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 211

great deal of genuine enthusiasm manifested throughout, particularly at the
recall after the last act.

Tickets were sold to any part of the house in several instances at seventy-
five cents, as the greedy speculators were compelled to unload. Mr. Tootle
probably made a little money on the speculation, but not much.

From The Globe, March 3, 1881.

The big papers have published the biography of Sara Bernhardt four times
(1) when she contemplated coming to America; (2) when she landed in
America; (3) when she played in New York; (4) when she played in the
West. The people by this time ought to be pretty familiar with the fact
that Bernhardt is a Jewess; that at an early age she went to a convent
to be educated, but was so full of mischief that she could not be managed;
she finally turned her attention to the drama; in that she became a grand
success; that she caused crowned heads to bow at her feet. The rest is well
known. She came to America and conquered by virtue of high art, some
contend, but really by virtue of her reputation in Europe. The readers of
Western newspapers will hear little more of Bernhardt from and after her
departure for the East. She will soon sink out of sight, as far as we of the
West are concerned, and then we will impatiently await the arrival of another
foreign humbug.

Our criticism of Bernhardt is generally admired. One gentleman writes:
"The man who wrote it should quit writing and seek employment in a livery
stable."

It is probable that Moody, the evangelist, will play in Kansas City this
spring. With the exception of Bernhardt, Kansas City has secured every
attraction now before the people.

During the trip from Atchison to Leavenworth yesterday, Bernhardt amused
herself by playing a French game of cards for money, and won two hundred
dollars from two of the business staff.

One of the slender women of Atchison who saw Bernhardt lately, says:
"Hasn't she a lovely figure!" One of the fat women of Atchison says her
"figure" could not possibly be worse. There is an equal difference of opinion
on all other subjects.

One of the detectives employed to travel with the Bernhardt party told a
reporter yesterday that his instructions were to keep always near her in the
theatre, on the street, in the hotel; everywhere. A strange Frenchman follows
them, and seems infatuated with the actress, who screams at sight of him. It
is the belief in the company that the strange man is the miserable scoundrel
who once denied his marriage with Bernhardt.

H. C. Danforth, of the Kansas City opera house, had a fight in the Leaven-
worth theatre last night with Mr. Meyer, the manager of Sara Bernhardt.
Meyer was hit across the face with a cane, and his nose broken. Danforth
received only a slight scratch on the forehead.

From The Globe, March 4, 1881.

Young Muirhead, of Leavenworth, saw the first two acts of "Camille," and

212 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

then went out after his club. It was unfortunately in use in another part of
the city, an assistant having gone to the depot to wait for Governor St. John,
else most of Bernhardt's audience would have been crippled.

From The Globe, March 5, 1881.

We mention Bernhardt just once more. A Leavenworth physician who
was called to see her flatly told her manager that if she fulfilled her engage-
ment with him, she would die, as her health is terrible. She has an affliction
called gastritis.

A citizen called this morning to say that his wife objected to our late
reference to Bernhardt, because it had an "inference." We begged of him to
tell what the inference was, and he at last explained it as his wife had ex-
plained it to him. We then assured him, as we now assure the public, that
we had never before thought of it, and no such "inference" was intended. A
great many of our exchanges have published the same paragraph, but so far
we have seen none which have regarded it as necessary to apologize for quot-
ing the GLOBE. People often do us great injustice in matters of this kind. Our
position is such that we never have time to think twice. A piece of white
paper is no sooner covered by the editor's writing than it is taken by the
printer, and when the proof comes it is too late to change it, as the press
must be started at a certain hour every afternoon. Our expressions are often
blunt and homely, but we never intentionally offend modesty. We do not
make this statement because these objectionable paragraphs are not well re-
ceived, for the people will liberally support a much worse paper than has ever
been printed in Atchison, and the surest way to sell large numbers of papers
is to write recklessly, and without regard to the proprieties. But we do not
care to become famous in this way, and will in the future be more careful,
even though it reduces our income.

From The Globe, March 7, 1881.

The Boston girls have evidently adopted the Bernhardt smile. A news
item states that three of them were sliding down hill the other day when they
saw a sleigh and team in front of them, and a collision seemed imminent.
Fortunately one of the young ladies had the presence of mind to smile, and
the team at once ran away, thus probably avoiding a loss of life.

ROUNDUP TIME ON THE PLAINS

From The Globe Live Stock Journal, Dodge City, April 21, 1885.

GATHER ROUND THE MESS WAGON. This is the season of the year when the
cowman in the far west is perhaps most largely interested in his cattle running
at large on the plains. Most of the owners of herds reside a long distance
from their grazing grounds, which they visit but once a year, generally during
the spring or summer months, at which time they will familiarize themselves
with the general status of their range stock, as to loss sustained the preceding
winter, the condition of stock, tally up the calf brand for the year, and arrange
for the shipment of beef cattle from the range during the shipping season,

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 213

which usually opens up about August 1st and continues up to the time when
cold weather sets in and shuts off the gathering on range and the driving of
beef cattle to the nearest shipping point.

But the busiest season of the year with stockmen, as before stated, is the
spring roundup. Everybody that has any interest in range stock is on hand at
this time, either in person or by a representative. As soon as grass is suffi-
ciently abundant to insure good grazing for stock, the work of rounding up
and cutting out of cattle is begun. The work is usually divided up into dis-
tricts, covering a large scope of country, which is under the charge of a round-
up captain, who directs the work in hand, all stock embraced in his district
comes under his immediate jurisdiction. His orders are strictly obeyed.

Every stockman that is at all likely to have stray cattle in this scope of
country will have a force of men and horses present to assist in the general
work, proportionate to the number of cattle he may expect to find in that
particular locality. If he is a local ranchman within the district named, his
force is usually very large. If on the other hand he simply expects to find
a few stray head of cattle, his number of men and horses employed are cor-
respondingly small. The number of horses employed in a general round-up
is on an average of eight horses to the man, which of itself makes quite a
herd of stock to be cared for where a hundred or more men are employed,
which is usually the case in most of the round-up parties. This stock is kept
under close herd near the camp or mess wagons, which generally forms the
base of operations.

The following is M. S. Culver's version of a round-up, who ought to know,
as he has been there on several occasions:

First, general meeting of the hands, captain of the round-up will take charge
early in the morning, with mounted men will commence work, by first divid-
ing his men up in different squads and start them out in a circular direction
with orders to drive all cattle to a certain place and there stop the cattle.
Then will give orders for a certain number of men who know brands best to
go in the round-up and cut out such cattle as are wanted by the parties pres-
ent, first cutting out the cows with calves by their side on account of not
separating the cow and calf by running in and through the herd while cutting
out the steers and dry stock, then cut out all the steer cattle and dry stock
wanted by the parties present, and such as they want to drive for their neigh-
bors.

After the cattle are all cut out the herd that was cut from will be turned
back towards where they were driven from when rounded up to cut from, and
enough men to drive the cattle that are cut out will take charge of what is
commonly called the cut, and drive them on towards where the next round-up
will be made the same as the first one was made. The day's work is put in in
this manner, and in all cases quit rounding up in time for the men to regulate
their horses for the night. Some hobble their horses, others will turn loose,
others will herd their horses as they do the cattle.

The men in charge of the cattle on hand have their foreman, and he will
give orders where he wants the cattle bedded for the night, and how many
men he wants to herd at a time. You will bear in mind that at this stage of
the general round-up there is a surplus of hands for the rounding in of the
cattle, and as the number of cattle increases that are cut out and turned over

214 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

to the foreman of the herd he will draw on the captain of the round-up for
more men to help handle the cattle in his charge, and they move on in this
manner through the country up and down the different streams of water
where cattle can be found until the entire country is worked over, and if the
herd gathered gets too large to handle to an advantage it will be sent to some
renter place by a sufficient number of men to be held until the balance of the
hands will go around through the country and gather cattle and drive in to
where they are then. Probably the captain will determine to send that herd
in and distribute it on the different ranches where they belong and return
to some set place by the captain to meet the round-up again. Now each
ranch has a fixed number of hands and horses, about ten head of horses to
the man, and each ranch has a foreman for his hands, who has control of his
own hands, and he is subject to the orders of the captain of the round-up.

Sometimes the general round-up is divided in two or more divisions, and
each division has a captain. The spring round-up generally commences in
April and comes to a close in July. There is generally about 150 men on the
spring round-up. Then again the fall round-up for beef to ship commences
in August and will continue until Nov. In the fall or beef round-up there are
not so many men used as in the spring round-up. 150 men with ten head of
horses to the man will give you about 1,500 cow horses on the round-up. The
most of the ranchmen have a reserve at their ranches from 20 to 30 head of
horses for late and special work in the fall of the year.

A "MR. DOOLEY" WRITES ON KANSAS FISHING MATTERS
The following letter, written in the humorous and satiric style of
"Mr. Dooley," the mythical Irishman of fifty years ago created by
the writer Finley Peter Dunne, was received by Gov. George H.
Hodges from his friend and business associate, D. R. Hale of Edger-
ton, in 1914. The letter is in the correspondence file of the executive
department in the Archives division of the Kansas State Historical
Society.

EDGERTON, KANSAS Mch. 9, 1914
My Dear Guvinor;

I know ye're a buisy man but I hope Ye'll give me neough iv ye're toime
t' file a mild phrotist agin some iv ye're proposed ligislachun. Whin ye took up
th' reins iv govermint there was a law on th' Stachoo Books rayquirin' ivery
wan who wanted t' go huntin' t' get a license. Ivery year since we've wint
b'fore th' County Clerk, give him our age, heighth, precise fightin' weight an'
a "Plunk" an' he'd give us permission t' hunt annywhere in th' State ixcipt on
Farms, City Property an' Public Highways. Th' Dimmycrats thin came into
power an' ixtinded our lib'rties. They gave us permission t' shoot anny kind
of game excipt bur-rds with fithers an' animals with fur. Th' poor Bunnies
were onproticted. We rayspicted th' party an' th' law, laid away our arms an'
amnition, sacrificed th' friendship iv our neighbors, f rinds, relatives an' our own
household an' bought a Kennel iv Runin' Dogs an' th' sport wint on.

But our pleasure was t' be short lived. Th' great Edycationl Instichoons

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 215

must b' maintained. Th' little onforchnit childrin that ar-re rayquired b' law
t' attind school must be edycated. Again th' Dimmycratic ligislachure came t'
the rescoo b' puttin' a tax on Dogs. We protisted but it did no good an' we've
made peace with th' Dog Tax collictor an' feel that th' our Schools ar-re well
supported.

But ye propose t' give us further lib'rties. By payin' a fee ye intind to give
us permission t' fish annywhere excipt in th' Streams, Lakes an' Ponds iv th'
State an' here's where we're goin' t' b' agin th' Parthy an' th' Govermint.
Whiniver ye pass a law that th' "Barefoot Boy with his cheek iv Tan", such
as ye was whin ye herded th' Town Cows out on th ; Cedar Creek Hills, has
t' pay a license t' th' State t' tie a sthring and a Pin Hook t' a Hickory pole
an' go t' th' creek fishin', thin we're goin' t' be' agin ye if ye sign it. Th'
Profissor Double L Dyche may need money but I've got me first wan t' see yit
who dont. There was Fish in BULL Creek before he was born an' will b' afther
he's gone an' th' City iv Pratt wiped off th' map. If there's no other way t'
maintain th' fish incubator, let's leave it perish. Tis th' sintimint iv manny iv
ye're friends. Yours Trooly.

"Dooley"
/a/ D. R. HALE

Kansas History as Published in the Press

Heinle Schmidt's column, "It's Worth Repeating," has continued
to appear in The High Plains Journal, Dodge City. Among subjects
discussed in recent issues were: Ravanna, Finney county; the holy
man of the trails, Jedediah Strong Smith, and the passing of the
rural schools.

"Neosho Valley Facts and Legends," a historical series by Audrey
Z. McGrew, has continued to be published regularly in the Hum-
boldt Union.

"The Legacy of Populism in the Western Middle West," by John
D. Hicks, an article "primarily concerned with the contributions
that nineteenth-century agrarians made to the later radicalism of
what is sometimes called the western Middle West . . .," was
published in Agricultural History, Baltimore, October, 1949.

A debate on "Wyatt Earp Frontier Peace Officer," with William
D. McVey extolling the merits of Earp and R. N. Mullin taking the
opposite view, was published in The Westerners Brand Book, Chi-
cago, November, 1949.

Several articles of historical nature have been published in the
Oakley Graphic in recent months. On November 4, 1949, notes on
a number of historical items appeared under the title, "Have You
Looked at Kansas, Lately," "Christmas in a Sod Mansion," by
Myrtle Emms Sim, and "Only Grazing Land," by Mrs. Floy Finley
Smith, were printed December 2. "Memories of Oakley Pioneer
Days," by Clarence Mershon, and the history of the Oakley Ma-
sonic lodge appeared December 9. On January 13, 1950, "Pioneer
Graves," by Mrs. E. S. Holmberg was printed.

Brief biographical sketches of Samuel D. Lecompte, for whom
Lecompton was named, John S. Halderman and Dr. Charles R. Jen-
nison, early residents of Leavenworth and Civil War leaders, ap-
peared in Harry Seckler's column, "Early Leavenworth," in the
Leavenworth Times, November 27, 1949. Other prominent men
were briefly sketched in the issue of February 26, 1950.

A history of Centralia, prepared by Mrs. Maude Armstrong and
H. L. Wait, was printed in the Atchison Daily Globe, December 4,
1949. The town was organized in 1859 and several buildings erected,

(216)

KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 217

but about ten years later it was moved to a site on the railroad.
The Globe, December 25, published a history of St. Nicholas, dead
Atchison county town, by George Remsburg. St. Nicholas was
marked out and the plat was filed in 1858.

Many of the early residents of Jackson county were mentioned
by Dr. J. C. Shaw in "Early Memories of Jackson County," printed
in two installments in the Holton Recorder, December 8, 12, 1949.
The Shaw family arrived in Kansas in February, 1878, and settled
on a farm near Larkin, now Larkinburg. Also mentioned in Dr.
Shaw's reminiscences were Campbell College and early schools and
churches.

Historical articles of interest to Kansans in recent issues of the
Kansas City (Mo.) Star included: "Territorial Governors of Kansas
Had Varied Careers in Many Other Fields," by J. M. Dow, Decem-
ber 9, 1949; "History and Sentiment Behind the Name of Marais
Des Cygnes River in Kansas," by Mary M. Hobbs, December 10;
"Kansas Authorship Proved for 'Home on the Range/ " by Cecil
Howes and John Alexander, December 11; "Rattling Through
Ozarks, Stagecoaches Carried the First Overland Mail West," by
Raymond W. Derr, December 16; "Senate Friend [Charles Sum-
ner] of Free Kansas, Far From Border War, Suffered Disabling
Wounds," by J. M. Dow, January 26, 1950; "Nicknames Tell Much
of the Story of Kansas From Rough Territorial Days," by E. B.
Dykes Beachy, January 28 ; " Tapa' Preyer's Long Career at K. U.
as Teacher and Musician Memorialized," a review of Dr. Howard
F. Gloyne's book, Carl A. Preyer, the Story of a Kansas Musician,
by Clyde B. Neibarger, February 22; "Indians Have Left Their
Marks on Kansas in Unusual and Musical Names of Towns," by
E. B. Dykes Beachy, February 23, and "Singing of Kansan [Dixie
Morrow, Lecompton] Dispelled Tension of Washington on a March
Night of '61," by L. S. Munsell, March 4. Articles appearing in the
Kansas City (Mo.) Times were: "Buffalo Provided Livelihood as
Well as Sport for Indian and Early Settler," by E. B. Dykes
Beachy, January 3, 1950; "Names of Kansas Rivers Reflect Some
of the History Made on Their Banks," by E. B. Dykes Beachy,
January 17; "'Victor [Murdock] and Henry [J. Allen] and Me
[Willim Allen White]' Make History in the Politics and Literature
of Kansas," by Cecil Howes, January 21; "Kansas Day, Started in
1892, Has Grown With the Years," by Cecil Howes, January 27,
and "Kansas Churches Appraised for Their Contribution to State's

218 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Architecture," by Lowell Bradner, February 4. A history of Kan-
sas City, Mo., entitled "City of the Future A Centennial History
of Kansas City," by Henry C. Haskell, Jr., and Richard B. Fowler,
has been appearing in the Star each Sunday, beginning January 1,
1950.

The Atchison Daily Globe, December 11, 1949, printed a brief
historical sketch of the site of Doniphan. Several centuries ago a
large Indian village occupied the site, and just prior to the Civil
War a frontier town sprang up at that location. The village now has
about 50 inhabitants.

A biographical sketch of the William Cottam family by Louis
Cottam appeared in the Clyde Republican, December 15, 1949. The
Cottams homesteaded near Clyde in 1872.

The Parsons Sun, December 17, 1949, printed a brief story of the
infamous Bender family. The four Benders lived on a farm in
Labette county in the early 1870's. After they left the farm, eight
bodies were discovered buried near the house murder victims of the
family. Several pictures of the murder scene and weapons accom-
panied the article. The Pittsburg Headlight and Sun reprinted the
story December 24, 1949. The Headlight, December 30, published
an article by Harold 0. Taylor stating that Lee T. Robison had
stopped at the Bender home and had been treated with hospitality.

The early history of Lakin as recalled by Mrs. Lenora Boylan
Tate, the town's oldest resident, was published in the Garden City
Telegram, December 19, 1949. Mrs.Tate's father, A. B. Boylan, first
station agent at Lakin for the Santa Fe railroad, brought his family
to Lakin in 1874.

A short article by James A. Clay on the first city election and the
first police court case in Douglass appeared in the Douglass Tribune,
December 22, 1949. According to Mr. Clay, the election was held in
December, 1879, and the police court case involved a disappointed
office seeker.

The reminiscences of Mrs. L. H. Turner, written by Duana Bos-
well, were published in the Arkansas City Daily Traveler, December
24, 1949. Mrs. Turner arrived in Arkansas City with her father's
family in November, 1870. The family settled on a claim about four
miles north of town.

KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 219

"History of Aurora Settlement Demonstrates Pioneer Courage,"
is the title of an article by Dorethea Smith in the Salina Journal,
December 25, 1949. The first settlers, a group of French-Canadians,
reached the vicinity of Aurora in 1870. However, the town was not
established until several years later.

"An Airline Pilot Rides the Wagon Trail," in Popular Mechanics
Magazine, Chicago, January, 1950, was written by Heath Proctor
who sighted the Santa Fe trail from the window of his DC-6 and
later explored it by jeep.

The January, 1950, issue of To the Stars, published by the Kansas
Industrial Development Commission, commemorated the 89 years
of progress of Kansas as a state. Some of the phases of Kansas life
and history discussed were: Kansas day 1861 and 1950, minerals,
farming, education, livestock, government and industry.

A brief article recalling Lane county events and people of 50 years
ago appeared in the Dighton Herald, January 4, 1950.

A three-installment history of Pennsylvania Avenue, Brown
county, by D. W. Spangler, was published in the Hiawatha Daily
World, January 7, 10, 11, 1950. Pennsylvania Avenue was an 8-mile
stretch of road near Morrill along which so many people from Penn-
sylvania settled in the 1870's and 1880's that it became known by
that name.

A letter written by J. M. Elkins which stated that the Chisholm
trail was blazed when Black Beaver, a Delaware Indian, led Colonel
Emory's command of Union troops to Kansas at the beginning of
the Civil War in 1861, was printed in the Caldwell Messenger, Jan-
uary 9, 1950.

A history of Wilson county, by Charles W. Lafferty, being pub-
lished in the Wilson County Citizen, Fredonia, began January 10,
1950. The first white settler in Wilson county was John Ross who
arrived in 1855. Other settlers had appeared by 1857, and Albert
Hagan established a trading post in 1859.

A historical sketch of the Chesterman family as told to Lois Vic-
tor by Frank Chesterman appeared in the Tiller and Toiler, Larned,
and the Larned Chronoscope, January 12, 1950. It was printed in
the Daily Tiller and Toiler, January 13. Mr. Chesterman's father
came to Pawnee county in 1875 and took a claim south of Larned.
His mother, then Julia Ann Johnson, came to Kansas in 1878.

220 KANSAS HISTOKICAL QUARTERLY

A five-column history of the Pottawatomie Indians was published
in the Topeka Daily Capital, February 5, 1950. The Pottawatomies
assembled on their 30-mile-square reservation near Topeka in 1846
and 1847. A treaty was made in 1867 under which the government
sold a large portion of the reservation for $1 an acre. In a lawsuit
against the government, filed recently by Robert Stone, Topeka
attorney, on behalf of the Pottawatomies, it is alleged that the land
was worth $11 an acre and that the Indians were victims of fraud
and chicanery under the treaty. The tribe still occupies a part of
the reservation in Jackson county. A three-volume work, prepared
in connection with this suit, Valuation Study of the Pottawatomie
Reserve Lands, by W. D. Davis, has been presented to the Historical
Society by Mr. Stone.

Articles on Fort Hays by Raymond L. Welty printed recently in
the Hays Daily News included: "Feed for Horses Was Vital Prob-
lem at Old Ft. Hays," February 5, 1950; "Boredom Was Big Enemy
of Soldiers at Old Ft. Hays," February 19, and "Privates Looked
Forward to $16 a Month at Ft. Hays," February 26. A short article
in the News, February 10, recalled that in 1869 the worst prairie fire
ever known in the state swept across a large portion of western
Kansas.

Some of the early experiences of the R. L. Hall family in Kansas
were related by Clayton Hall, a son, in the Minneola Record, Feb-
ruary 9, 16, 1950. R. L. Hall first came to Kansas, stopping in
Sumner county, in 1881. In 1883 he brought his wife to Sumner
county, and a year later they moved to Clark county.

The Winfield Daily Courier, February 27, 1950, published a 140-
page, 1950 achievement edition. Included in the edition were articles
on Winfield athletic teams, farming in Cowley county, Winfield
organizations, Winfield colleges and schools, industries of Winfield
and the neighboring communities of Douglass, Belle Plaine, Cedar
Vale, Howard, Burden, Oxford, Cambridge, Grenola, Latham,
Moline, Atlanta, Dexter, Udall and Rose Hill.

Kansas Historical Notes

"Kansans always make a name for themselves wherever they go,"
said Mrs. Dolly Curtis Gann, featured speaker at the annual dinner
meeting of the Shawnee County Historical Society in Topeka, De-
cember 13, 1949. A resolution was adopted at the meeting paying
tribute to the late George Root, and Sen. Arthur Capper spoke
briefly in tribute to J. C. Mohler who retired recently as secretary
of the board of agriculture. Slides showing various views and trac-
ing the history of Topeka were shown. Directors elected for three-
year terms were: Milton Tabor, Robert Stone, Paul Sweet, Robert
Billard, Otis S. Allen, William A. Biby, Frank Gibbs, Frank Ripley,
J. C. Mohler and Mrs. Alf Landon. Ethel A. Chapman was elected
to fill the unexpired term of George Root. H. B. Fink, president of
the society, presided.

The Doniphan County Historical Society was organized at a meet-
ing in Troy, December 30, 1949. C. C. Calnan was elected presi-
dent, Mrs. Margaret L. Rice, secretary, and a constitution was
adopted. At a meeting January 3, 1950, A. 0. Delaney, Jr., was
elected vice-president, and Dr. A. E. Cordonier, treasurer. A board
of directors, composed of one or two persons from each township
and each town of the county, was also chosen.

The Russell County Old Settlers' Association was revived and
organized into the Russell County Historical Society at a meeting
in Russell, January 11, 1950. Clarence Peck was re-elected for his
18th year as president. Other officers elected were: John G. Deines
and Luther D. Landon, vice-presidents; Merlin Morphy, secretary,
and A. J. Olson, treasurer. New directors are: Mrs. H. A. Opdycke,
Dora H. Morrison and William H. Ochs.

The great drouth of 1860 in Kansas was discussed by F. W.
Brinkerhoff at a meeting of the Crawford County Historical Society
in Pittsburg, January 26, 1950. Dr. H. M. Grandle, Pittsburg, was
re-elected president, and Ralph Shideler, Girard, was re-elected
vice-president. Other officers chosen were: Mrs. J. W. Nixon,
Pittsburg, secretary; Mrs. Mae Stroud, Pittsburg, corresponding
secretary, and Eleanor Danner, treasurer. Mrs. C. M. Cooper,
Edgar Richards, Mrs. M. F. Sears and Frank Clayton were named
directors.

(221)

222 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

"The Darker Side of Pioneer Life," was the subject of a talk by
Dr. John Ise, of the University of Kansas, at a dinner meeting of
the Riley County Historical Association in Manhattan, January
27, 1950. Dr. George A. Filinger, president of the association, pre-
sided at the meeting.

All officers of the Osawatomie Historical Society were re-elected
at the annual meeting February 2, 1950. They are: Alden 0. Weber,
president; Mrs. Pauline Gudger, vice-president, and Mrs. Ruby M.
Mclntosh, secretary-treasurer.

The annual meeting of the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas
was held in Topeka, January 27, 1950. The principal speaker at
the dinner meeting was W. M. Ostenberg, superintendent of schools
at Coffeyville. Kathryn Johnson, Kansas Wesley an College stu-
dent, was given the Arthur Capper award in the college and univer-
sity students' speech contest. Gladys E. McArdle, Lebanon, was
named sweepstakes winner for the best adult factual story about
pioneer Kansas, and Herb Lee, Bonner Springs, was the sweepstakes
winner of the high school essay contest. Guy Josserand, Dodge
City, was elected president of the Native Sons. Other officers
elected by the Native Sons were: Edwin R. Jones, Topeka, vice-
president; C. W. Porterfield, Holton, secretary; and Maurice Fager,
Topeka, treasurer. Officers elected by the Native Daughters were:
Mrs. P. A. Pettit, Paola, president; Mrs. Thomas H. Norton, To-
peka, vice-president; Mrs. Ray S. Pierson, Burlington, secretary,
and Mrs. David McCreath, Lawrence, treasurer. William Ljung-
dahl, Menlo and Topeka, and Mrs. Ella Ruehmann, Wamego, were
the retiring presidents.

F. W. Brinkerhoff, Pittsburg publisher, was the speaker at a
meeting of the Wichita Historical Museum Association, February 9,
1950. Brinkerhoff recounted the career and downfall of Samuel
C. Pomeroy, U. S. senator from Kansas from 1861 to 1873. Dr. G.
G. Anderson, president of the association, presided at the meeting.

Dan Hopkins, Garden City attorney, was the speaker at the an-
nual dinner meeting of the Finney County Historical Society, Feb-
ruary 14, 1950. It was announced that the society hopes to publish
the first volume of the Finney County history this year. Directors
elected for two-year terms were: Harry G. Carl, Garfield township;
John Wampler, Terry township; Clay Weldon, Pierceville township,
and Mrs. P. A. Burtis, Mrs. Josephine Cowgill, A. J. Kefman, Mrs.

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 223

Eva B. Sharer, Helen M. Stowell and Mrs. Emma White, Garden
City.

The Beeson Museum, Dodge City, is to have new and larger
quarters in the near future. The museum, operated by Mr. and
Mrs. Merritt L. Beeson and daughter, Irene, grew out of the private
collection of the Beesons 7 and was opened to the public in 1932.

Records and Maps of the Old Santa Fe Trail, a 104-page book by
Kenyon Riddle, was published recently in Raton, N. M. Mr. Rid-
dle has been gathering information on the Santa Fe trail for several
years and has endeavored to locate it accurately in relation to
present-day towns and highways.

THE

KANSAS HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY

August 1950

Published by

Kansas State Historical Society

Topeka

KIRKE MECHEM JAMES C. MALIN NYLE H. MILLER

Editor Associate Editor Managing Editor

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST : XII. William Allen

Rogers and Mrs. Mary Hallock Foote Robert Tajt, 225

With the following illustrations :

Portraits of William Allen Rogers and Mrs. Mary Hallock Foote, facing
p. 232;

Rogers' "Traders at Fort Garry, Manitoba" (1879), "Fargo, Dakota
Head of Steamboat Navigation on the Red River" (1881), and
"Harvest Hands on Their Way to the Wheat Fields of the North-
west" (1890), between pp. 232, 233.

Foote's "The Sheriff's Posse" and "The Last Trip In" (1889), between
pp. 240, 241.

G otter dammerung IN TOPEKA: The Downfall of Senator

Pomeroy Albert R. Kitzhaber, 243

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS Louise Barry, 279

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS TERRITORIAL NEWSPAPERS, 1854-1861 :

Part One, A-L Alberta Pantle, 302

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 324

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 330

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES.. . 334

Entered as second-class matter October 22, 1931, at the post office at Topeka,
Kan., under the act of August 24, 1912.

THE COVER

"A Barber's Shop at Standing Rock, Dakota Territory An
Indian Chief Having His Hair Dressed," sketched by William A.
Rogers in Harper's Weekly, New York, March 15, 1879. (See
p. 229.)

THE KANSAS
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Volume XVIII August, 1950 Number 3

The Pictorial Record of the Old West

XII. WILLIAM ALLEN ROGERS AND MARY HALLOCK FOOTE
ROBERT TAFT

(Copyright, 1950, by ROBERT TAFT)

ILLIAM Allen Rogers joined the art staff of Harper & Brothers

in 1877, at practically the same time as Charles Graham, and
the two were associated for many years. In 1877, the head of the
Harper's art department was that wise, farsighted and insistent
taskmaster, Charles Parsons, about whom no less an authority than
Joseph Pennell wrote, "his name will never be forgotten as one who
helped greatly to develop American Art." l

In 1877 all hands in the art department had a very active share
in transferring original sketches, drawings or photographs to the
wood block more exactly wood blocks preparatory to the making
of the engraving from which a final illustration was to be printed.
Edwin Austin Abbey, drew in the foreground figures, for example;
Rogers the middle distance figures and background, and T. R. Davis
the architectural features; all drawings being reversed, as compared

Previous articles in this pictorial series appeared in the issues of The Kansas Historical
Quarterly for February, May, August and November, 1946, May and August, 1948, and in each
issue since May, 1949. The general introduction was in the February, 1946, number.

1. Joseph Pennell, Modern Illustration (London and New York, 1895), p. 114. So frail,
however, are human memories that no adequate account of Parson's life and work has ever been
made. His name isn't even listed in the Dictionary of American Biography. It is not surprising,
of course, that art historians have overlooked Parsons for they are notoriously deficient in any
labor involving the drudgery of genuine research.

Accounts of the art department of Harper's by various members of its staff when Parsons
was in charge all refer to the esteem and affection in which Parsons was held ; see the Rogers
autobiography and Abbey biography cited in Footnote 2 and Howard Pyle (Charles D. Abbott,
New York, 1925), pp. 50 and 77. J. Wesley Harper in The House of Harper (New York and
London, 1912), pp. 204, 205, also pays real tribute to Parsons.

Parsons, born in England in 1821, was in the United States by 1851, as he is listed in the
Exhibition Records of the National Academy of Design (to which he was elected an associate
in 1862) as an exhibitor in the latter year with a New York address. According to Henry Mills
Alden (Harper's Weekly, v. 54 [1910], November 19, p. 21), Parsons joined Harper's staff in
1861 and left it in 1889. After his retirement in 1889 and until his death in 1910 Parsons
lived the life of a free-lance artist in oil and water color. His death occurred at his home in
Brooklyn on November 9, 1910. See death notice in the New York Daily Tribune, Novem-
ber 10, 1910, p. 7. I am indebted to the secretary of the National Academy of Design (New
York) and to Charles Baker of the New York Historical Society for information concerning
Parsons.

153398

226 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

to the original drawings, from right to left. On a large illustration,
to hurry the process along, the wood block was divided into as many
as 36 pieces, and after the general outline had been drawn in on the
undivided block, separation was made into the individual pieces and
they were passed from one artist to another. Team work of a high
order was necessary, especially at the edges where the blocks joined.
When all 36 were complete they were bolted together in one piece
and sent to the engravers, who cut away all but the lines of the
drawing. The engraved wood block then went to the electrotype
room where a wax impression of the wood engraving was made.
Finally, from the wax mold, the metal printing block carrying the
reversed image of the original sketch or drawing, was electrotyped.
A far cry from the high-speed optical processes of producing illus-
trations in the modern magazine ! 2

With such extensive individual work needed in the preparation of
illustrations, a large staff of artists was constantly employed by a
publishing firm such as Harper's, and on their staff in the 1870's
and 1880's there appeared many names notable in American art.
In that goodly company besides those already mentioned were A. B.
Frost, C. S. Reinhart, Howard Pyle, W. P. Snyder, Thomas Nast
and others, all of whom were Rogers' associates in his early days
at Harper's.

Rogers' claim to fame rests largely on his ability as a cartoonist.
He was, in fact, the successor of Nast after Nast broke relations
with Harper's in the 1880's. Relatively early in his career, however,
Rogers made several Western trips, and the sketches and illustra-
tions resulting from these trips give him a place in this series.

Rogers was born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1854. His father died at
an early age leaving the family more books than money. The books
fascinated young Rogers and he poured over them by the hour
taking special delight in those that were illustrated. At 13 he went
to work as a railroad check clerk, keeping a daily record of empty
freight cars as they passed through the yards. Here he found Mike
Burke, the fireman of the switch engine in the yards, and a friendship
was soon struck up between the two. Mike, previous to his railroad
days, had been employed as an artist to paint scrolls and small land-

2. For the preparation of the illustration of the 1870's and 1880 's see W. A. Rogers' book,
A World Worth While (New York, 1922), p. 13 et seq., and for information on the subject
contemporary to the period under discussion see Harper's New Monthly Magazine, v. 75
(1887), July, pp. 181-187.

Rogers' book has recollections of many aspects of American illustration from 1874 until the
early 1900's. It is to be emphasized that they are recollections, for in detail, the Rogers
account does not tally exactly with the information given by an examination of contemporary
periodicals to which Rogers refers. Still another account of the art department of Harper's in
the 1870's is given in E. V. Lucas' Edwin Austin Abbey (London and New York, 1921), v. 1,
Chs. 4 and 5.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 227

scapes on the headboards of threshing machines, and it was not long
after his friendship with Rogers was formed that he was instructing
the youngster in this craft. These impromptu lessons with "red
chalk" were all the art training that Rogers received, according to an
account in his autobiography. His mother, however, an enthusiastic
amateur painter, doubtlessly played an important part in directing
his boyhood activities. Under the direction of his mother and Burke,
he had made sufficient progress by the time he was 14 that he had
published a series of cartoons in a Dayton, Ohio, newspaper, and
when 16 his skill had developed sufficiently to secure professional
employment in an engraving house in Cincinnati. From this time
(1870) until he joined Harper's staff in 1877, he was employed as
engraver or artist in several Western cities and toward the end of this
period, he was in New York, where for a time he worked on the cele-
brated but short-lived Daily Graphic. 3

Rogers' first important out-of-town assignment with Harper's
came in the fall of 1878 when he was sent "to cover" the visit of
President Hayes to the Minnesota State Fair at St. Paul and the
Northwestern Fair in Minneapolis. While in St. Paul he made the
acquaintance of a "grizzled old soldier" whom he does not name but
who may well have been Gen. John Gibbon, commander of the De-
partment of Dakota, who then had his headquarters in St. Paul. 4

Gibbon, assuming that he was Rogers' new-found friend, suggested
that a trip to the Northwest would reveal a land he had never seen
and far different than any he had ever imagined. The trip would
not only be valuable to Rogers, Gibbon argued, but its pictorial rep-
resentation in Harper's would be valuable to the new country just
opening for settlement. The "Northwest" of Gibbon's day was
Dakota territory present North and South Dakota.

The West had become so much a part of the national conscious-
ness by this time it was two years after Ouster's defeat on the
Little Big Horn that the opportunity gave Rogers "visions of the
wild life of the plains" that dazzled his imagination. He had no
authorization from Harper's to make any such trip but the tempta-
tion became too great and he wired Harper's that he was going.

3. This biographical material will be found in Rogers, op. cit., Chs. 1 and 4, and is sup-
plemented with the Rogers sketch in Who's Who in America, v. 10, p. 2322, and a brief bio-
graphical sketch in Harper's Weekly, v. 38 (1894), December 22, pp. 1210, 1211.

4. Report of the Secretary of War, House Ex. Doc. No. 1, pt. 2, 45 Cong., 3 sess. (1878-
1879), pp. 65-72. Rogers' illustrations of these fairs will be found in Harper's Weekly, v. 22
(1878), September 28, p. 777, and October 5, p. 788. The group of illustrations included in
the first reference contained a view of Dr. Carver, the celebrated rifle shot of the West, as he
appeared at the Minnesota State Fair. Rogers also had a most interesting group of illustra-
tions in Harper's Weekly, October 5, 1878, p. 789, depicting field trial of dogs (pointers and
setters) near Sauk Centre, Minn., and held on September 10-12 of that year. The illustration
is accompanied by a note from Rogers on p. 788.

228 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Gibbon provided letters to commanders of military posts, to owners
of stage routes and to post traders, and went over the map of the
region with him in such detail and enthusiasm that Rogers did not
wait for a reply to his wire. It came after he had left and said,
"come back at once." 5

The Northern Pacific railroad had advanced by 1878 as far as
Bismarck, Dakota territory, and after a stop at Fargo on the Red
river, the boundary between Minnesota and the territory, Rogers
went on to Bismarck. 6

Bismarck was then a frontier town, the outfitting point for over-
land stage and freighting lines going north and west, and particu-
larly for the Black Hills country, to which there had been a mad
rush after the discovery of gold three years earlier.

Rogers spent some time in Bismarck taking in the novel sights.
He noted the freight trains of as many as ten prairie schooners
coupled together and drawn by many yoke of oxen ; Indians trading
buffalo robes on the streets ; and especially the frontier theatre. An
acquaintance took him to the evening performance and Rogers de-
scribed a number of the patrons:

A couple of men came in who seemed to be bosom-friends. One was small
and light, the other a tall, burly fellow. The little man is under sentence
of hanging, the other was the sheriff. Near by, on the other side, sat "Chang,"
a noted desperado, who has killed several men about here when he had nothing
else to do. As the acting is not remarkably interesting, the audience furnish
a part of their own amusement. One of the small lads of the town is pasting
a notice of next week's opening of the regular season on the proprietor's back.
When performers are scarce, the leading lawyer of the town performs on the
trapeze. It is due to his influence that the condemned man has the liberty of
the place. 7

At Bismarck, Rogers was fortunate enough to secure passage on
an army ambulance going to the Standing Rock Indian agency some
65 miles south and across the Bad Lands. The agency (Sioux) was
located near the site of present Fort Yates, N. D., and Rogers spent
three weeks here viewing the activities of the army post and those
of the tribesmen. Some of his best Western illustrations resulted
from this visit: "Shooting Cattle at Standing Rock Agency," "In-

5. Harper's Weekly, v. 51 (1907), January 5, pp. 21-23. The account given in the Weekly
is reprinted in part in Rogers' book, pp. 66-69.

6. The first Northern Pacific locomotive crossed the Missouri river at Bismarck on Feb-
ruary 12, 1879, and the rails were being laid on the first 100 miles west of Bismarck at that
time Harper's Weeekly, v. 23 (1879), March 15, pp. 205 and 207.

7. Harper's Weekly, v. 22 (1878), December 14, p. 990. Rogers also described some of his
experiences at Bismarck in his book, p. 69, in a letter he wrote to Parsons at the time. Illustra-
tions of Bismarck appeared in the above issue of the Weekly, p. 988, and included: "Selling
Buffalo Robes," "The Telegraph Repair Car," "The Opera House," "Bottled Groceries," and
"Black Hills Freight Train."

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 229

dian Dance, Standing Rock Agency, After Distribution of Rations,"
"An Indian Village, Near Standing Rock" (a group of seven illus-
trations on one page) , and best of all, "A Barber's Shop at Standing
Rock, Dakota Territory An Indian Chief Having His Hair
Dressed," the dressing being done in the white man's barber shop
(see cover of this issue). 8

Rogers undoubtedly made many other sketches at this time which
were never reproduced. The only original drawing of this period
which I have located is in the Library of Congress. It is a portrait-
wash and pencil drawing with the inscription "Kill-Eagle-Wam-ble
Kte. Standing Rock. D. T. Oct. 78." It appears to be the same
individual depicted in the barbershop illustration.

Rogers returned to Bismardk by stage and if the novelty of the
new country was wearing off, his return trip was enlivened by the
fact that the only other passenger was an insane man! After con-
siderable difficulty, Rogers and the driver were able to deliver their
charge to the railhead at Bismarck where he was being taken for
treatment.

But Rogers' Western "leave" was not yet over. Returning by rail
to Fargo, he attempted to obtain transportation down the Red river
to Fort Garry (present Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba) . He
spent some days in Fargo waiting for a river boat and during that
time his pen was busy. "Fargo, Dakota-Head of Steamboat Navi-
gation on the Red River" (reproduced between pp. 232, 233) pub-
lished several years after his return, belonged to this period, and the
particularly striking "Forest Fire on the Banks of the Red River,"
were among the results of his stay at this pioneer outpost, "the
jumping off point for the Canadian Northwest." 9

The northern flowing Red river had so little water in it that
steamboats could not reach Fargo, and Rogers was forced to take
a branch line railroad to Grand Forks where he was able to get
passage on a small and dilapidated old craft which eventually made
Winnipeg.

The experiences already accumulated by Rogers hadn't prepared
him for his Canadian encounter. He was soon in a state of mind

8. In the order listed these appeared in Harper's Weekly, v. 23 (1879), February 22, pp.
148, 149; April 19, p. 304; July 19, p. 564, and March 15, p. 205. One other illustration in
this group, "Standing Rock, the Sacred Stone of the Sioux," in Harpers January 25, p. 73, is
of interest only because it shows the "Standing Rock" for which the agency was named.
Rogers gave some of the recollections of his visit at Fort Yates in his book, pp. 72-95.

9. The two illustrations will be found in Harper's Weekly, v. 25 (1881), August 27, p. 588,
and v. 22 (1878), December 7, p. 973. His experiences at Fargo, Rogers records in his book,
pp. 96-101. Strictly speaking the last illustration above belongs on the down-river trip to
Fort Garry.

230 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

like that of Alice in Wonderland. "From the nineteenth century
I had dropped as from clouds, into the seventeenth or eighteenth,"
he wrote. 10

For here at Fort Garry, or Winnipeg, was one of the great depots
of the Hudson Bay Company. The turrets and towers of the fort
looked down on a motley array of voyageurs, Indians and traders
in strange and fantastic garb. In front of a store, in place of barrels
of potatoes and cabbages, were heaped a great pile of moose heads
with their huge and spreading antlers. Rogers was not long in re-
cording the scenes before him. Much of this material was used in
illustrating an article on "The Honorable Hudson Bay Company"
in Harper's Magazine, although the most interesting of the group
appeared in Harper's Weekly, "Traders at Fort Garry, Manitoba" n
(reproduced between pp. 232, 233).

By this time winter was rapidly coming on, the telegram from
Harper's "come back at once" had finally caught up with him, and
Rogers decided that his three-months' vacation had come to an end.
Return was made to Fargo by stage, river boat and branch rail,
where the reality of Northern Pacific rail lines again assured him
that he was back in civilization.

Upon arrival in New York, Rogers went immediately to Harper's
where he was met by Parsons who greeted him in a most doleful
manner. Fletcher Harper apparently had taken the "leave of ab-
sence" in none too kindly a manner. Parsons agreed, when Rogers
walked in, to make a last plea for their wandering illustrator. In
Parsons' absence, Rogers spread his three-months' accumulation of
sketches around the office on tables, chairs and desks, and when
Parsons returned with a still more melancholy look upon his face,
Rogers' one-man exhibit was ready. Parsons paused on the thresh-
old and his mouth dropped open. The melancholy air disappeared
as if by magic as eager and interested examination of the sketches
began. The day was saved for Rogers and his position on the Har-
per's staff was no longer open to question. 12

The following fall, as the result of this Western trip, Harper's sent
Rogers and A. A. Hayes, an illustrator and writer team, on a fully
authorized Western excursion, a trip which took them to Colorado
and New Mexico. Part of the time they traveled together and part of
the time separately. Hayes wrote pleasantly and extensively of

10. Rogers, op. cit., p. 102.

11. The Harper's Magazine illustrations, 14 in number, will be found in v. 59 (1879),
June, pp. 18-32; the Weekly illustrations in v. 23 (1879), January 25, p. 73.

12. Rogers, op. cit., pp. 110, 111 ; Harper's Weekly, v. 51 (1907), January 5, p. 23.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 231

their joint trip and Rogers has left an account of some of his own
experiences. 13

The westward journey of the pair was made from Kansas City to
Pueblo, Colo., over the newly-constructed Santa Fe railroad which
had been completed over this distance only two years at the time of
their trip. The railroad lines paralleled in part the old Santa Fe
trail and the contrast of these two trails and the rapid development
of southern Colorado were factors which caused Harper's to send out
their representatives to "New Colorado." Then, too, the booming
mining developments around Leadville were matters of public in-
terest in the late 1870's, and before the two returned, Leadville and
the mines were visited.

At Pueblo, Rogers ran into so real a Western difficulty that he
bought himself a six-shooter for protection, with results that might
have been tragic but which actually turned into a comedy of errors.
The Denver and Rio Grande railroad that ran from Pueblo to Den-
ver was the center of a struggle between rival factions of trainmen.
Rogers was spied at the Rio Grande station by one of the groups
who thought they had been ill-treated by the Denver papers. With
his sketchbook under his arm, he was mistaken for a reporter on the
offending paper. The irate trainmen immediately started for him
with the yell: "Here's that damned reporter for the Denver News.
Let's get him." His notebook was snatched from him as he made
a hurried departure on the train ; and this experience led him to buy
the six-shooter upon his arrival in Colorado Springs, the shopkeeper
obligingly loading the weapon for him.

Two days later he returned to Pueblo with the gun in his pocket
and ready for any trouble. Sure enough the same gang was out and
the man who had stolen his sketchbook recognized him. Rogers
had some difficulty getting to his gun as he beat a hasty retreat
across the tracks but was followed by only the one man. As he
dodged around a freight car the gun was out, and Rogers undoubt-
edly felt as if he were making "Custer's Last Stand." His pursuer
called "Don't shoot" and explained haltingly and brokenly that he

13. Rogers, op. cit., Ch. 13 ; A. A. Hayes, Jr., New Colorado and the Santa Fe Trail (New
York, 1880). Of the 15 chapters in this book, ten are reprinted from articles appearing orig-
inally in Harper's Magazine and are the chapters that contain Rogers' illustrations as they
appeared in the Magazine. The Magazine articles appeared as follows: v. 59 (1879), Novem-
ber, pp. 877-895 (chapters 2 and 3 of Hayes' book); v. 60 (1880), January, pp. 193-210
(chapters 4 and 5); February, pp. 380-397 (chapters 6 and 7); March, pp. 542-557 (chap-
ters 8 and 9); July, 1880, pp. 185-196 (chapters 10 and 11). (The last chapter contained
several additional pages of text not in the Magazine version but contained the same Rogers
illustrations.) Hayes was a popular writer of his day contributing frequently to both Harper's
Magazine and Harper's Weekly. In addition to New Colorado and the Santa Fe Trail he wrote
a novel, The Jesuits Ring. His death was announced in Harper's Weekly, v. 36 (1892), April
30, p. 411.

232 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

had found out his error and was simply attempting to return the
stolen sketchbook. Rogers shakily accepted the book, shuddering
at the nearness of his escape from tragedy. The real comedy in
the situation was delayed for several days when, on visiting a ranch,
Rogers and several of his friends decided to have target practice.
His six-shooter was brought out, aimed and the trigger pulled, but
the report was only a dull click. The obliging shopkeeper in Colo-
rado Springs had loaded his rim-fire gun with center-fire car-
tridges! 14

In Hayes' entertaining account of the Colorado experiences of
the two, he always referred to Rogers as the "Commodore," and not
to be outdone in military titles, referred to himself as the "Colonel,"
although both admitted with some regret that they had no troops,
no regiment, no staff.

From Pueblo, Hayes and Rogers set out, first on burro-back, but
later and more thankfully in a buckboard, for a cattle ranch in the
foothills of the Front range, a ranch belonging to one "Uncle" Pete
Dotson. Here Hayes acquired statistics to show the profit that
could be made in the cattle business for the era of the huge cattle
ranches of the early 1880's was based in part on reports such as
Hayes made and Rogers had his first opportunity to sketch cow-
boys and range cattle. The results are none too good, for Rogers
was not adept at drawing animals and his horses and cattle are
poorly proportioned in relation to background and are usually
clumsy and awkward in appearance. In other life around the ranch,
however, there are some quite acceptable illustrations. "Old An-
tonio," a Mexican foreman on the ranch is most interesting. 15 In
several of these and in succeeding illustrations, especially those that
depict the activities of the two visitors, the latent talent of Rogers
as a caricaturist becomes quite apparent. "Crossing the Huerfano,"
for example, shows the two clinging to a nearly submerged vehicle
in the swollen river, Hayes in cutaway coat, top hat and eyeglasses,
and Rogers with his sketchbook under his arm, arrayed in English
tweeds and derby.

Somewhat later a sheep ranch on the plains near Colorado Springs
was visited, and in the illustration "Supper with the Herder," Hayes
and Rogers appear in these same costumes, with Rogers sporting a
monocle in the one-room kitchen and living room of the sheepherder.
"Morning at the Ranch," however, is realism of a high order for it

14. Rogers, op. cit., pp. 189-196.

15. The illustrations, 14 in number, will be found in Harper's Magazine, v. 59 (1879), No-
vember, pp. 877-895.

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><

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 233

shows the dilapidated shack of the herder against the bleak and
forsaken background of the High Plains. 16

Their journey to the mines and mountains of Colorado took them
first to the small town of Rosita, west of Pueblo, on the eastern side
of the famed Sangre de Cristo range. Here with considerable mis-
giving they were lowered by means of a huge iron bucket 500 feet
to the bottom of a bonanza silver mine.

After safely making the descent and the ascent from the mine,
their path led by other small and curious mining towns. Then they
turned north, where by train they eventually reached Red Hill, one
end of the Leadville stage line. Here transportation was provided
in the form of a spring wagon drawn by four mules which kept in
advance of the heavier stage coaches. They went past Fairplay,
even in 1879 an old mining camp, to the foot of Mosquito pass.
Their ascent to the pass was over a road which even the stage
drivers acknowledged to be extra hazardous, "a fact which the pas-
sengers were willing to admit as they started the descent toward
Leadville."

Leadville itself, following an important silver discovery the year
before, in 1878, was found to be "not a city, or a town, or a village,
but an overgrown mining camp." Hayes wrote:

Let the reader picture to himself a valley, or gulch, through which runs a
stream, its banks rent and torn into distressing unshapeliness by the gulch
miners of old days. Close around are hills, once wholly, now partially, covered
with trees, which, having been mostly burned into leafless, sometimes branchless,
stems, furnish surroundings positively weird in their desolation. Around, at a
greater distance, rise lofty mountains, and between the town and one of the
ranges flows the Arkansas. Along a part of the length of two streets (six
inches deep in horrible dust, which one of the local papers declares will breed
disease) are seen rows of the typical far Western buildings, some large, some
few of brick, one or two of stone, very many small, very many of wood. Out-
side of these are mines and smelting-works, smelting-works and mines, stumps
and log-cabins, log-cabins and stumps, ad infinitum. 17

Unfortunately Hayes did better with his pen in describing Lead-
ville than did Rogers with his pencil, for the four illustrations of
the overgrown mining camp are disappointing. In one, Rogers let
his puckish humor get away from him as he depicted a story current

16. The second set of illustrations, 14 in number, will be found in ibid., v. 60 (1880),
January, pp. 193-210.

17. Ibid., February, pp. 380-397; Hayes, op. crt., pp. 94-108; 12 illustrations by
Rogers. An extensive account of silver and gold mining in Colorado at a time nearly con-
temporary with the Hayes-Rogers trip will be found in G. Thomas Ingham's Digging
Gold Among the Rockies (Edgewood Publishing Company, 1882). A considerable part of this
account is based on personal experience in 1881 (and possibly earlier) in the Black Hills as
well as in Colorado. The book contains a number of illustrations, most of which are not
credited, although three bearing the characteristic signature of Thomas Moran are readily
recognizable.

234 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

at the time, "A Wall Street Man's Experience in Leadville," and the
remaining three only meagerly portray the life of Leadville in 1879. 18

If the illustrations of Leadville are not all that can be desired,
Rogers atones for his omissions by his somber and striking view,
"Freighting on Mosquito Pass," and by two illustrations appearing
later in the Hayes series of articles, "Manitou-Pike's Peak" (a night-
view) and "Mountain of the Holy Cross." 19 In fact, it is in this
kind of work that Rogers appears to the best advantage a distant
and striking view with foreground detail that lends added interest
and value to his illustrations.

In the last of the Hayes' articles return is made to the Santa Fe
trail itself, and Hayes reviews various stages in the development of
the trail during the early 1800's until the completion of the rail in
the late 1870's. Like the four other articles it is illustrated by
Rogers. 20 All but one of the illustrations, however, are imaginary,
most of them having been drawn to represent the episodic develop-
ment of the trail as given by Hayes. The one exception is "First
Store in Lakin," a dugout in the small town of Lakin in southwestern
Kansas. Other sketches on the plains were made by Rogers but
were not reproduced. For example, Hayes states that the partners
stopped at Fort Dodge, and farther west

we went down to the bank of the river [Arkansas] to get a sketch of Bent's
Fort a famed post in the old days. The main structure was one hundred and
eighty by one hundred and thirty-five feet, and the walls were fifteen feet high
and four feet thick. It is now deserted and in ruins ; and the only information
which we had to guide us in our search for a fortification (it cannot be seen
from the train) which was in its glory when the Army of the West marched to
Mexico, was the statement that it was near the 549th mile-post on the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.

Although no sketches of Fort Dodge or Bent's Fort appear among
the published illustrations of Rogers, his Western illustrations con-
tinued to appear several years after his return. "The Settler's First
Home in the Far West," while idealized and probably imaginary,

18. Edwin Jump in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper had a number of contemporary
Leadville illustrations of considerably greater interest than those of Rogers. They will be
found in Leslie's for 1879 as follows: February 8, p. 416; April 12, pp. 81, 89; April 26, p.
120; May 3, p. 140; May 17, p. 169 (two illustrations); May 24, pp. 181, 187, 188; May 31,
pp. 205, 213; June 7, pp. 217, 235; June 14, p. 255; June 21, p. 261. Not all of these
are credited to Jump, several being credited to "our special artist." As they form an obvious
series I believe that Jump was responsible for all. Several were redrawn by Albert Berghaus.
I have made a number of attempts to secure information on Jump but so far such information
has been elusive. He is credited with several illustrations in A. D. Richardson's Beyond the
Mississippi which was published in 1867, and Joseph Becker, for many years head of the art
department of the Leslie publications, listed E. Jump as a one-time leading staff artist of
Leslie's Leslie's Weekly, v. 101 (1905), December 14, p. 570. Jump also had a California
sketch in Leslie's, October 10, 1874, p. 77 ; the last illustration I have found credited to him is
a St. Louis scene in Leslie's Newspaper, October 14, 1882, p. 117.

19. Harper's Magazine, v. 60 (1880), March, pp. 542-557; 11 illustrations.

20. Ibid., v. 61 (1880), July, pp. 185-196; 9 illustrations.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 235

was the result of his Colorado trip, for this illustration shows a
settler, his family and his home against a background of mountains
in the distance. 21

"Among the Cow-Boys Breaking Camp," however, Rogers iden-
tified as an actual scene, which took place at a roundup on the
Cuchara river in southern Colorado. The note accompanying the
illustration read :

Probably few persons who are not immediately interested in the subject
have any idea of the enormous proportions to which the cattle trade of our
Great West has grown. The tendency to go into business seems to be also
growing. The amount of capital represented in some of the herds is sufficient
to supply a national bank. 22

Three other cowboy illustrations appeared in Harper's Weekly,
"Life in a Dug-Out," "Betting on the Bull Fight" and "Lassoing and
Branding Calves," with the prefix "The Cowboys of Colorado," and
are also to be attributed to Rogers' Western trip of 1879. The note
accompanying the second of these illustrations used the term "cow-
boy" somewhat uncertainly as if the writer were not quite sure his
readers would understand, and the note with the last of these illus-
trations stated: "The 'cow-boys' of the Rocky Mountain regions
are a race or a class peculiar to that country. They have some re-
semblance to the corresponding class on the southern side of the
Rio Grande, but are of a milder and more original type." 23

As Rogers had established himself as a Western artist by 1882, it
was but natural that when a cowboy sketch drawn by Frederic Rem-
ington came in, the task of redrawing it was assigned to Rogers.
As we have pointed out previously in this series, this illustration,
"Cow-Boys of Arizona Roused by a Scout," was captioned to fit
events transpiring in Arizona at the time of publication, for neither
Remington nor Rogers had been in Arizona by 1882. 24

The last of the illustrations resulting from Rogers' Colorado
trip were four sketches, "Mining Life in Colorado," which depicted

21. The full-page illustration will be found in Harper's Weekly, v. 24 (1880), September
11, p. 581.

22. The full-page illustration will be found in ibid., October 2, p. 636, and the accompany-
ing note on p. 637.

23. The first illustration appeared in Harper's Weekly, v. 26 (1882), November 18, p. 729.
The note accompanying it does not identify the locality other than "along the railways in the
far west and southwest." The second of these full-page illustrations appeared in Harper's No-
vember 27, 1880, p. 756, with the accompanying note by A. A. Hayes, Rogers' friend, on p.
759; the third illustration in the Weekly, October 9, 1883, p. 636, with the note on p. 638.
Another Western illustration of Rogers, probably imaginary, had also appeared in Harper's,
January 20, 1883, p. 44, "Emigrants in Midwinter Making Camp for the Night," half-page.

24. The redrawn illustration was in ibid., v. 26 (1882), February 25, p. 120. The previous
discussion of the illustration will be found in No. 5 of this series, The Kansas Historical Quar-
terly, v. 16 (1948), May, p. 120. Rogers' version of the redrawing of the sketch will be found
in his book, p. 245.

236 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

prospectors in the spring leaving their winter camp for excursions
into the hills. 25

After this group of sketches, no further Western illustrations by
Rogers appeared for a number of years, but in 1890 one of the best
of all Rogers "Westerns" was published. Apparently Rogers made
a trip West again, this time on the Northern Pacific, for the illustra-
tion, "Harvest Hands on Their Way to the Wheat Fields of the
Northwest" was made at Castleton, just west of Fargo, N. D. The
illustration (facing p. 233) records the fact that the wheat farm was
taking over the buffalo range. Since Rogers' visit in 1878 to the
same country, many great bonanza wheat farms some of them con-
taining single fields as large as 13,000 acres had developed, and the
annual migration of workers to the wheat fields had been estab-
lished. 26

Still later, the discovery of gold at Cripple Creek, Colo., led to a
series of illustrations. The silver mining sketches in and around
Leadville made earlier by Rogers had established him as the mining
expert on Harper's staff and he was delegated to cover the latest
developments of the 1890's. Of the six resulting illustrations, the
most entertaining is "In the Lobby of the Palace Hotel, Cripple
Creek," as it shows a wide diversity of types and personalities.
Reaching Cripple Creek was still a task in 1893, for the final stretch
had to be made by stage, either from Divide, Colo., the nearest
point to Cripple Creek some 18 miles away, or from Colorado
Springs, where the stage route covered the 25 miles of the magnifi-
cent it is still magnificent Cheyenne road. 27

25. Harper's Weekly, v. 27 (1883), November 10, p. 717.

26. The illustration (full page) will be found in Harper's Weekly, December 13, 1890, p.
973, with an accompanying note on p. 975, giving a brief review of wheat developments in
Dakota in the 15 years preceding.

There is a remote possibility that this illustration of Rogers was based on his 1878 trip and
on photographs taken subsequent to 1878. The great Dakota wheat boom occurred between the
years 1879-1886, according to Harold E. Briggs (North Dakota Historical Quarterly, Bismarck,
v. 4 [1930], January, pp. 78-108). Land taken by settlers rose from 213,000 acres in 1877
to a record 11,000,000 acres in 1883. The Casselton project, however, was begun, in the
spring of 1874 (James B. Power, Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota,
Bismarck, v. 3 (1910), pp. 337-349) and the famous Dalrymple wheat farm began its opera-
tions in the summer of 1875 although the first wheat crop was not planted until the following
year (John Lee Coulter, ibid., pp. 569-582). A letter from a Minnesota correspondent to the
New York Daily Tribune (November, 16, 1878, p. 2) called attention to the rising tide of
wheat farms and estimated the Red River valley wheat crop of that year (1878) at four
million bushels. This correspondent further stated that the first furrow for a wheat field in
the Red river valley was turned in 1871. Still another contemporary account of the beginnings
of the wheat industry in "the Northwest" was written by W. G. Moody who visited Minne-
sota and Dakota in the summer of 1879, "The Bonanza Farms of the West," The Atlantic
Monthly, Boston, v. 45 (1880), January, pp. 33-44.

27. The illustrations were: "In the Colorado Gold Fields," five illustrations on one page,
Harper's Weekly, v. 27 (1893), December 23, p. 1224; the "Lobby of the Palace Hotel," full
page, is in the Weekly, v. 38 (1894), January 6, p. 17. The note accompanying the full group
of illustrations stated that the gold camp at Cripple Creek was "a trifle over a year old," p.
1231. Also made on the same trip was the full-page illustration, "Open-Air Bathing at Glen-
wood Springs, Colorado, in Mid-Winter," ibid., March 17, p. 253. The note accompanying
the illustration, p. 254, called Glenwood Springs "a new rendezvous in the heart of the
Rockies" and described the huge swimming pool fed by hot springs.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 237

Several years later Rogers made still another Western excursion.
The only illustrations resulting from this trip, as far as I know,
were a group of five, "Sketches in Santa Fe, New Mexico," which
Rogers, in a brief note accompanying the group, stated were made
"one afternoon." 28

As the century approached its end, the West especially the
Great Plains West felt that it had achieved maturity, a feeling
that found expression in the Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha
in the fall of 1898. Fifty years prior to the exposition, the West
had been largely a trackless waste; in a half century the new agri-
cultural problems presented to the ingenious settler had been at
least partly solved, and a number of new states had been added to
the union; states which formerly had been the home of the buffalo
and the red man. 29

The exposition, however, as far as our story goes, is of interest
because Rogers, "the special artist of Harper's Weekly for the Ex-
position" was able to record its activities and especially its con-
trasts. The most notable of these contrasts appeared in the Rogers'
illustration, "Scene at the Indian Congress," where braves in paint
and feathers, some of whom undoubtedly not many years prior to
the exposition had been on the warpath against the whites, are seen
mingling with the crowds of other visitors in conventional dress, all
against the background of the elaborate exposition buildings. 30

The trip to the exposition, however, was but the beginning of a
greatly extended tour of the West made by Rogers in 1898-1899.
Continuing on from Omaha, Rogers visited eastern Oregon and the
newly-developed mining regions of the Sumpter and John Day
country, California, and then returned east by way of Arizona,
Texas and Colorado. The resulting illustrations show Rogers at his
technical best. Illustrations by this time, 1899, were reproduced in
facsimile by halftone and are therefore exact copies, as far as form
goes, in black and white. Most of the illustrations of this period
were reproductions of water colors. Among the more notable and

28. Ibid., v. 40 (1896), February 29, p. 201; the note is on p. 207.

29. In 1848, the only states west of the Mississippi were Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mis-
souri and Iowa. Among the states added by 1898 were: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wy-
oming, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota. See Atlas of the Historical Geog-
raphy of the United States, Charles O. Paullin, (New York and Washington, 1932), plates 64
and 65.

30. Harper's Weekly, v. 42 (1898), October 8, p. 992 (full page). Other Rogers illustra-
tions of the exposition will be found in the same issue of the Weekly, pp. 985, 988 and 989. A
full page of descriptive text by Rogers will be found on p. 987 of this issue.

James Mooney, the Indian expert, stated that the Indian congress at Omaha was "the
most successful ever held in this country from the Centennial down, not even excepting the
World's Fair [of 1893]." American Anthropologist, New York, N. S. v. 1 (1899), pp. 126-149.
Mooney reported that 400 to 550 Indians, representing about 20 tribes, were present during the
congress.

238 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

interesting of these, the last Rogers Western illustrations, were:
"Conquering a Desert in Southern Arizona," "A Faro Game at El
Paso," and "A Winter Stage-Route in the Mining Regions of East-
ern Oregon." 31

After 1900, Rogers' work was devoted almost exclusively to car-
tooning. His activities, friendships and a philosophical considera-
tion of this period will be found in his cheerful, if rambling, auto-
biography, A World Worth While. He died in Washington on
October 20, 1931. 32

MARY HALLOCK FOOTE

When Rogers and Hayes were in Leadville in the summer of 1879
they made a "pilgrimage to a long, low cottage that stood on rising
ground in the outskirts of the town." The cottage was the home of
Mary Hallock Foote whom Rogers called "one of the most accom-
plished illustrators in America." 33

Mrs. Foote, however, was not at home, for she had accompanied
her husband, a mining engineer, on a two-weeks' prospecting trip.
The pair of visitors had to leave without paying their respects to
the talented lady, who was not only an illustrator but a well-known
novelist as well.

As the circumstances described above suggest her home in a
mining camp and her prospecting trip into the mountains with her
husband this feminine artist got her material for both novels and
illustrations at first hand; she was known for her Western novels
and her Western illustrations. Indeed, in the period which we are
considering, she is the only woman who can claim company among
the men in the field of Western picture.

Mary Hallock was born in Melton, N. Y., in 1847, and as a young
woman received art training at Cooper Institute in New York City.
She began a professional career as an illustrator shortly after the
close of the Civil War. She did some work for Harper's but the
first illustrations I have found credited to her were in A. D. Richard-
son's Beyond the Mississippi, published in 1867. Oddly enough her
illustrations in this volume were of Western scenes, although she
did not go west until she married Arthur De Wint Foote, a young

81. These will be found (all full page) in the order listed above in Harper's Weekly, v. 43
(1899), June 17, p. 594; June 24, p. 618; v. 44 (1900), Supplement, March 17, facing p. 258.
Identifying notes by Rogers will be found in each of the respective issues on p. 609, and p. 633,
1899. Still other notes that served to verify the outlines of Rogers' extensive Western trip
given in the text above will be found in Harper's, March 4, 1899, pp. 221 and 225. There
were some three or four of his California illustrations in the Weekly for 1899 as well. These
as well as many other Rogers illustrations and writings will be found listed in 19th Century
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-99, (New York, 1944), v. 2, pp. 860-862.

32. American Art Annual, Washington, v. 28 (1932), p. 416.

33. Rogers, op. cit., p. 188. Both quoted lines above are from this source.

PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 239

mining engineer, in 1876. 34 After her marriage her life was spent
almost completely in the West, moving with her husband from one
mining location to another; first to California, then to Colorado,
then to Mexico (where on a summer visit she traveled on horseback
a distance of 250 miles in six days) , then to Idaho, and finally back
to California. Here Mrs. Foote spent nearly a third of her long
life she lived to be 91 in the town of Grass Valley. She therefore
had a more intimate knowledge of the West and its many aspects
than it was the fortune of most women to possess.

Her first Western experiences are reported in two articles appear-
ing in Scribner's Monthly, both written and illustrated by Mrs.
Foote, which described the life at the California town of New Alma-
den a center of mercury mining and the coast town of Santa
Cruz. 35

As might be expected, homely incidents of life among the Mexican
and Cornish miners, among the "every-day" residents of a Califor-
nia coast town, of picturesque and contrasting scenery and surround-
ings, were the burden of these articles and illustrations. She wrote:

The East constantly hears of the recklessness, the bad manners, and the
immorality of the West, just as England hears of all our disgraces, social,
financial and national ; but who can tell the tale of those quiet lives which are
the life-blood of the country, its present strength and its hope of the future?
The tourist sees the sensational side of California its scenery and its society ;
but it is not all included in the Yo Semite guidebooks and the literature of
Bret Harte.

From California, the Footes moved to the lead and silver mining
camp of the rough and boisterous Colorado town of Leadville. Helen
Hunt Jackson, the celebrated pleader of the Indian cause, heard
that Mrs. Foote was there and she and her husband went from
Denver to pay their respects.

From Mrs. Foote's Colorado experiences there followed a number
of illustrations and three novels. 36 The first of the Colorado illus-
trations appeared in 'The Camp of the Carbonates," a factual article

34. The biographical facts concerning Mrs. Foote come from Who's Who in America, vols.
15 and 21 ; from Helena DeKay Gilder's "Mary Hallock Foote," Bookbuyer, New York, v. 11
(1894-1895), pp. 338-342; from Arthur B. Foote, a son, and from the public library of Grass
Valley, Cal., where Mrs. Foote lived for many years.

35. "A California Mining Camp," Scribner's Monthly, v. 15 (1878), February, pp. 480-
493 (14 illustrations); "A Sea-Port on the Pacific," ibid., v. 16 (1878), August, pp. 449-460
(10 illustrations). In the first of these articles, as Mrs. Foote made mention of personal ex-
periences of the four seasons, her California life undoubtedly began with the spring of 1877.
Her experiences in Mexico mentioned above were described in a series of three articles in The
Century Magazine, N. S. v. 1 (1881-1882), November, pp 1-14; January, pp. 321-333;
March, pp. 643-655.

36. In 1922, Mrs. Foote described her Leadville experiences briefly in two letters to Thomas
F. Dawson, curator of the State Historical Society of Colorado. These letters were published
by L. J. Davidson, "Letters From Authors," in The Colorado Magazine, Denver, v. 19 (1942),
July, pp. 122-125.

240 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

on Leadville by Ernest Ingersoll published in Scribner's Monthly. 37
Of the 17 illustrations, six were drawn by Mrs. Foote and the remain-
ing 11 were by J. Harrison Mills, at that time an artist of Denver. 38
Mrs. Foote's three novels, all of which appeared serially in The
Century, used the mining country of central Colorado as a back-

37. Scribner's Monthly, v. 18 (1879), October, pp. 801-824.

38. Mills' presence in Leadville in connection with the Ingersoll article is noted in the
Leadville Daily Chronicle, May 29, 1879, p. 1. Mills probably warrants a more extended dis-
cussion as a Western artist than the mere mention we have given him in the text above. He
achieved a considerable reputation during his lifetime not only as an artist, but as a poet and
sculptor as well. Nowhere have I found an adequate account of his life, but through the
courtesy of Mrs. Carl E. Krebs of the reference department of the Buffalo (N. Y.) Public
Library, there has been secured a brief autobiograhical account of Mills' life which he wrote
several years before his death but which was published posthumously in the Buffalo Express,
November 5, 1916. Since it is not readily accessible and little other biographical information
on Mills is available, I have included it in this note. Mills' autobiography reads :

"John Harrison Mills, No. 494 Elmwood avenue, Buffalo, painter, sculptor, engraver, illus-
trator, writer. Born on a farm near Buffalo, on January 11, 1842.

"Began study of art in that city under John Jamison, banknote engraver, in 1857. In sum-
mer of 1858, to relieve eye strain from over-application, changed to modeling and marble work
under William Lautz, and continued experiments in color begun at home in childhood.

"Painted first portraits in Buffalo and Lockport in 1859, under influence and encouragement
of L. G. Sellstedt and William H. Beard, attempting also landscape and animals in 1860.

"Enlisted in April, 1861, upon Lincoln's first call, in 21st regiment, New York State Vol-
unteer infantry. Portrait of Captain E. L. Hayward, painted in camp at Upton's Hill after
first Bull Run, is in hall of Hayward post, G. A. R., in Buffalo.

"Wounded at second Bull Run, returned to Buffalo on crutches in 1863. Morgenroth, a
sunrise on a yesterday's battlefield, bought by Dr. Rochester first night of its exhibition at the
Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, winter of 1864, still in possession of that family.

"Bronze medal of New' York State Agricultural society for best animal painting in oil by
American artist awarded in 1864 for picture of Hotspur, a Durham short-horn bull, and a
heifer, Lucille, owned by Ezra Cornell of Ithaca.

"Bust of Abraham Lincoln from studies before and during the war and while guarding the
body during the stay in Buffalo, exhibited at Academy, winter of 1865, and copies in plaster
widely published in the following summer.

"While publishing Chronicles of the 21st Regiment, a history with illustration of the cam-
paigns of 1861-2 in Virginia, became regular contributor to the columns of The Buffalo Morn-
ing Express; made the first illustrations for Mark Twain's Sketches, engraving them upon
wood in 1869.

"Removed to Denver and Middle Park, Col., in 1872, doing portrait, mountain, hunting,
animal and figure subjects; also magazine articles with illustrations on wood; among these,
'Hunting the Mule Deer,' in Scribner's for October, 1878. Taught in Colorado Academy of
Fine Arts; president of same in 1881-2; same year collected and managed first art exhibition
in Colorado for the Mining and Industrial exposition, bringing a large number of pictures from
New York and Philadelphia.

"Returned east to New York city in 1883. In 1888 elected secretary and manager of the
New York Art guild, an association organized in 1865 for the protection of artists in their
relations with exhibition throughout America, it having happened that often through financial
failure, pictures had to be recovered with trouble and expense. Inaugurated and conducted a
system of circuit exhibitions; active in same until 1898, but finding time to continue painting
and modelling, being one of the 67 sculptors having work accepted and exhibited at the World's
Columbian exhibition, Chicago, 1893.

"Received the award of prize for eight stanzas on the Battle of Gettysburg, published with
full page colored illustration in the New York Sunday Herald, on July 8, 1902, the judges being
Edward Eggleston, Edwin Markham and Daniel E. Sickles, of nearly 1,000 poems submitted.

"Member American Federation of Arts, Washington, D. C., New York Water Color club,
Buffalo Society of Artists, Buffalo Guild of Allied Arts and honorary membership of Denver Art
club, conferred for services to art in the early days of Denver.

"Works in many private collections, the Albright gallery and Guild of Allied Arts, Buffalo,
Panama-Pacific, San Francisco, memorial in bronze to 21st regiment; Hutchinson, memorial in
bronze with portraits in medallion, Central High school; portraits in City hall, Historical Mu-
seum and Academy of Fine Arts, Buffalo."

A somewhat more detailed account of his Colorado life is available in a 16-page letter
written in March, 1916, and now in the State Historical Society of Colorado, Denver (Accession
No. 10,184). Mills died in Buffalo on October 23, 1916. Obituaries are given in the Buffalo
Commercial, October 24, 1916, and Buffalo Express and Buffalo Courier of the same date.

Additional information bearing on his work as a Western artist will be found in Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, October 25, 1873, p. 101, where a Mills illustration "Buying
Outfits for the Mountains and Mines at Denver" is reproduced. Mills also wrote and illustrated
the article "Hunting the Mule-Deer in Colorado," Scribner's Monthly, v. 16 (1878), September,
pp. 610-622. Another article, by Ernest Ingersoll, "The Heart of Colorado," Cosmopolitan, v. 5
(1888), September, pp. 417-435, October, pp. 471-488, was also illustrated in part by Mills.
Possibly his most important Western painting (his later reputation was achieved largely as a
landscape artist) was "A Frontier Justice of the Peace," which is described in some detail in
the Rocky Mountain News, Denver, August 27, 1882, p. 3.

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PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE OLD WEST 241

ground. Only the first, however, The Led-Horse Claim, was illus-
trated by Mrs. Foote. 39 All of these novels were romances and were
highly popular in their day. Mrs. Foote, in 1922, correctly estimated
their worth when she stated that they were written "from the
woman's point of view, the protected point of view." Cecil was the
heroine of her first novel, but "What a silly sort of heroine she
would seem today [1922]. Yet girls were like that, 'lots of them' in
my time." 40

Forced from Colorado by ill health, the Footes returned East
for a year or so, but in 1883 they moved to Idaho, where Mr. Foote
served as engineer on an irrigation project. The next ten years
were spent in the "Gem" state. 41

Here again, as a result of her Idaho life, Mrs. Foote produced
illustrations, short stories and novels with a local background. Her
most notable novel of this period was Coeur D'Alene. 42

It was from her Idaho experiences, too, that her most notable con-
tribution to Western illustration arose. During 1888 and 1889, The
Century published a series of 11 full-page illustrations, "Pictures of
the Far West," each accompanied by a brief note, both by Mrs.
Foote.

These illustrations were beautifully engraved woodcuts, for this
period marks the golden age of American woodcut illustration;
a period which produced magazine illustrations which have never
been excelled, and The Century was the leader of its field. By
title, this notable group of Mrs. Foote's illustrations included:

"Looking for Camp."

"The Coming of Winter."

"The Sheriff's Posse." [Reproduced facing this page.]

"The Orchard Wind-Break."

"The Choice of Reuben and Gad."

39. The Led-Horse Claim, appeared in five installments in The Century, N. S. v. 3
(1882-1883). Her other novels of Colorado were John Bodewin's Testimony (The Century,
N. S. v. 9 [1885-1886], six installments) and The Last Assembly Ball (The Century, N. S.
v. 15 [1888-1889], two installments, and N. S. v. 16 [1889], two installments).

40. See Mrs. Foote's letters referred to in Footnote 36. Literary History of the United
States (New York, 1948), v. 2, p. 869, mentioned Mrs. Foote in the chapter "Western Record
and Romance" and indicated that although there are fine passages and fine single stories by
Mrs. Foote, her reputation as a writer is more likely to dwindle with the passage of time than
to revive.

For contemporary comment on Mrs. Foote's popularity as a writer, see Charles F. Lummis'
"The New League for Literature and the West," The Land of Sunshine, Los Angeles, v. 8
(1898), April.

41. The movements of the Footes can be followed with some precision by examining the
biographical record of Arthur DeWint Foote and Mary Hallock Foote in Who's Who in
America, v. 15 (1928-1929), p. 788.

42. Coeur D'Alene, as the name suggests, had an Idaho background. It appeared serially
in The Century, N. S. v. 25 (1893-1894), three installments, and N. S. v. 26 (1894), one in-
stallment. All of the novels of Mrs. Foote mentioned in the text were published in book form
after the serial publication. An extensive list of her novels will be found in the Who's Who in
America reference given in Footnote 41.

163398

242 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

"Cinching Up."

"The Irrigating Ditch."

"The Last Trip In." [Reproduced facing p. 240.]

"Afternoon at a Ranch."

"A Pretty Girl in the West."

"The Winter-Camp A Day's Ride From the Mail." 43

Of these 11 illustrations, the three that have the greatest appeal
are "The Coming of Winter," "The Choice of Reuben and Gad," and
"The Last Trip In." The first depicted a settler's cabin and the
family, father, mother and child ; in the second, resorting to the use
of Biblical names, Mrs. Foote showed a small group of settlers
arriving at the promised land, a mountain valley; and in the third,
she portrayed wagons reaching the home camp with the final sup-
plies for the winter's stay; all scenes which Mrs. Foote had ample
opportunity to observe.

Those described so far do not constitute Mrs. Foote's sole con-
tributions to Western illustration. There were many others, chiefly
illustrations for her novels or short stories, of which there were quite
a number. 44 Some of these illustrations are of considerable interest,
however, and one in particular is quite striking, "On the Way to the
Dance" which accompanied a short story written by Mrs. Foote. 45

As far as I have been able to determine, none of Mrs. Foote's
original Western sketches are in existence at present. In 1940, Ar-
thur B. Foote, a son, wrote me that

Quite a number of her drawings appear in the two volumes Proofs from Scrib-
ners Monthly and St. Nicholas, published by Scribner's & Co., 1880, and Selected
Proofs from Scribner's Monthly and St. Nicholas published by the Century Co.
in 1881. There are very few original sketches in existence. Most of her draw-
ings were made directly on the wooden blocks that were engraved, and the
later ones reproduced by photogravure were not returned by the publishers. 46

Mrs. Foote lived for over 30 years in Grass Valley, Cal., but sev-
eral years before her death on June 25, 1938, she went to live with a
daughter at Boston, Mass. 47

43. The illustrations appeared in The Century, N. S. v. 15 (1888-1889); N. S. v. 16
(1889); N. S. v. 17 (1889-1890).

44. An extensive bibliography of Mrs. Foote's illustrations and writings during the 1890's
will be found in 19th Century Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-99, v. 1, p. 962.
It should also be pointed out that Mrs. Foote's illustrations were not all confined to the Western
scene, for during the 1870's, 1880's and 1890's, illustrations of a considerable number of other
subjects by Mrs. Foote appeared in the periodical literature. For example, another group of
subjects of which she had first hand knowledge was in John Burroughs' article "Picturesque
Aspects of Farm Life in New York," Scribner's Monthly, v. 17 (1878), November, pp. 41-54.

45. The Century, N. S. v. 21 (1891), December, p. 201.

46. Arthur B. Foote to the writer, September 6, 1940. That Mrs. Foote was an accom-
plished artist on the wood block is borne out by the comment of that severe critic W. J. Linton
who called her "the best of our designers on the wood"; see American Art, Walter Mont-
gomery (Boston, 1889), v. 1, p. 464.

47. Information from Jane Whelan, librarian of Grass Valley (Cal.) Free Public Library,
in a letter to the writer August 23, 1940.

Gotterdammerung in Topeka: The Downfall of
Senator Pomeroy

ALBERT R. KITZHABEB

ABOUT seven o'clock in the evening of January 27, 1873, four
men hurriedly entered room 107 of the Tefft House, Topeka's
leading hotel, and carefully locked the door behind them. One of
these men was Col. Alexander M. York, lawyer, ex-lieutenant colonel
of the Union army, and state senator from Montgomery county in
southeastern Kansas. Another was W. A. Johnson, senator from An-
derson county, who, with York, was in town for the session of the
legislature which would elect a United States senator from Kansas.
The other two were B. F. Simpson, attorney, and J. C. Horton, agent
for the Kansas Pacific Railroad at Lawrence. All were prominent
in the movement to defeat Samuel Clarke Pomeroy for re-election
to his senatorial seat in Washington. York, a thin-faced, full-
bearded man in his middle 30's, spoke in a low tone for several
minutes while the others listened carefully. After some discussion,
an agreement was reached. The men then separated.

Somewhere around nine or nine-thirty of the same evening York
returned to the Tefft House. He climbed the stairs to the second
floor and knocked on the door to Senator Pomeroy's rooms. The
door opened slightly. After a short conversation, York went back
downstairs. He wandered about the town rather aimlessly for sev-
eral hours, dropping in at various bars, stopping off at an anti-
Pomeroy meeting for a quarter of an hour, mixing with the crowds
that jammed Topeka on the eve of the senatorial election. At mid-
night he again went to the Tefft House and knocked on Pomeroy's
door. He could hear subdued voices inside the room. The door was
partly opened just long enough for a brief exchange of words, then
York went away.

In an hour he was there again and this time was admitted. Pome-
roy was now alone. For nearly two hours they talked earnestly.
About three o'clock Pomeroy rose from his chair, went to a trunk
in the corner of the room, unlocked it and took out a package of
bank notes which he handed to York. York noted that the money

ALBERT R. KITZHABER, a native of Iowa, is working for his Ph. D. at the University of
Washington, Seattle, where he is an associate in English.

(243)

244 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

was secured with a paper band just as it had come from the bank;
on the band was a cashier's notation indicating that the bundle con-
tained $1,000. The senator then took out his wallet and counted
another $1,000 in 50 and 100 dollar greenbacks into York's hand. No
receipt was asked for or given. After a few more remarks, they
separated. York returned to his own hotel and went into W. A. John-
son's room, which adjoined his. He sat by the stove a few minutes,
since his own fire had gone out. Johnson, who had been asleep,
roused himself and looked up. York pulled out the money he had
just got, held it up briefly for Johnson to see, then left. He made
his way to the bar of the Tefft House but found it deserted. Climb-
ing onto the bar counter, he stretched himself out and slept there
till daylight.

During the next day he unexpectedly moved from his hotel to
rooms in a private boarding house. He attended the first balloting
for United States senator at the state house and cast his vote for
D. P. Lowe. At five minutes to four that afternoon he went to the
room of Col. T. B. Eldridge in the Tefft House. The only person
there was the colonel's brother, who left immediately after York
entered. York, tired after so little sleep the night before, lay down
on the bed in his overcoat. Shortly after four, Pomeroy entered from
the hall and at once took from his pocket a parcel wrapped in brown
paper and tied with twine. He handed it to York, with the remark
that it contained $5,000. Again no receipt was given for the money.

A little before ten o'clock the next morning, Wednesday, Johnson
stopped in at York's rooms. After York had shown him the $7,000
he had got from Pomeroy, Johnson went on to the ten o'clock meet-
ing of the senate. York followed about 11 : 30. Both houses of the
legislature were to meet in joint convention at noon to take the
second ballot for United States senator. The floor of the conven-
tion was crowded, not only with the members of the legislature but
with lobbyists as well, who were admitted to the floor during ses-
sions. These men were busily engaged, moving about among the
legislators and talking with them in confidential tones. At 12 sharp
the convention was called to order. The members quickly took
their seats; the lobbyists jammed the aisles.

The reading of the senate and house journals occupied the first
few minutes of the session, then Senator Guerin of Bourbon county
made an attempt to have the lobbyists cleared out. Voted down on
this, he proceeded to place in nomination John J. Ingalls, candidate
of the anti-Pomeroy forces. Guerin was followed on the floor by
Judge Nathan Price of Doniphan county, who nominated Pomeroy.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 245

But before a seconding speech could be made, York rose to a ques-
tion of privilege and was at once given the floor, as if by pre-
arrangement.

"Mr. President and gentlemen of the joint convention," he began,
"before I place any gentleman in nomination I desire to make a
brief statement." * York seemed agitated and had some trouble con-
trolling his voice. The house, sensing something unusual in his man-
ner, quieted down. He continued:

I visited Mr. Pomeroy's room, in the dark and secret recesses of the Tefft
House, on Monday night, and at that interview my vote was bargained for,
for a consideration of $8000; two thousand dollars of which were paid to me
on that evening, five thousand dollars the next afternoon, and a promise of the
additional one thousand when my vote had been cast in his favor. I now, in
the presence of this honorable body, hand over the amount of $7000 just as I
received it, and ask that it be counted by the Secretary.

As York strode to the chief clerk's desk where he placed the money,
a murmur arose in the room; it was noted that the faces of many
men who had been anti-Pomeroy before the election and who had
since defected to the senator's side looked distinctly uneasy. As
York resumed his speech, complete silence fell again. "I ask, Mr.
President, that the money be used to defray the expenses of prosecut-
ing the investigation of S. C. Pomeroy for bribery and corruption." 2
York then said he realized he was a disgraced man for having thus
betrayed a trust reposed in him by a fellow man ; but he had done it,
he said, "to save my State from sinking still deeper into the quick-
sands of corruption in which her once fair fame is already almost
swallowed up." Then he placed his dilemma before the convention,
asking whether he was now in honor bound to vote for Pomeroy.
(Cries of "No!" "No!" "D n Pomeroy and his money!") "I ask
you if I am in your minds a disgraced man?" (Cries of "No!" "No!"
"You did right!") Thus encouraged, York concluded his speech with
a peroration which came close to starting a riot:

I have an aged parent whose life has been spared to bless me with her
love and her approval of the conduct of my life. I have a wife and little ones
to whom I hope to bequeath a name which, however obscure, they may have
no reason to blush to hear pronounced. Yet this corrupt old man comes to me
and makes a bargain for my soul, and makes me a proposition which, if ac-
cepted in the faith and spirit in which it is offered, will make my children go
through life with hung heads and burning cheeks at even mention of the name
of him who begot them. Earth has no infamy more damnable than corrup-
tion; . . .

And, he added, no criminal is more despicable than he who corrupts

1. Senate Report, No. 52S, 42 Cong., 3 Sess. (1872-1873), p. 156.

2. D. W. Wilder, The Annals of Kansas (Topeka, 1875), p. 606.

246 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

the people's representatives for selfish ends. Then, throwing his arms
in the air, he swore before "the Almighty Ruler of the Universe"
that all he had said was God's truth. 3

As soon as he had finished, the uproar broke out. The whole house
leaped to its feet and commenced shouting. Some of Pomeroy's men,
wearing desperate expressions, were fighting their way through the
mob to hold emergency conferences. Others stood on their desks,
yelling for the floor; the York forces howled them down. Lobbyists
and members were so thoroughly mixed that it was impossible now
to distinguish them. It was remarked, however, that the presiding
officer of the convention, Lieutenant Governor Stover, an anti-
Pomeroy man, sat placidly at his desk wearing a pleased expression
and doing nothing to restore order.

Finally Judge Nathan Price, who had nominated Pomeroy, man-
aged to be recognized by the chair and moved for an adjournment
till five o'clock to give Pomeroy a chance to defend himself. York
bitterly opposed this, saying it would give the Pomeroy forces time
to reorganize their strength and pick a candidate who would be
Pomeroy's tool. Peculiarly, although Pomeroy's headquarters at the
Tefft House were only a ten-minute walk away, none of his friends
thought to bring him at once to the state house to defend himself in
person. After a good deal of pretty abusive debate, the ballot was
finally taken about two o'clock, nearly two hours after York had
made his disclosure. Ingalls was elected almost unanimously.
Pomeroy, though 50 men had voted for him the day before, got not
a single vote.

This was the background of one of the most celebrated political
scandals of the 1870's the golden age of political boondoggling.
Both sides subsequently agreed on the events just related. Pomeroy
admitted that York had called on him, that he had given York
$2,000 Monday night and $5,000 the next afternoon. And what
happened at the joint convention was pretty much beyond dispute.
The only thing that was in doubt was the purpose for which the
money had been paid. The matter was finally carried to the floor of
the United States senate, where a committee of investigation was
appointed. The case aroused great interest throughout the country.
For weeks it held the front pages of the newspapers. Later in the
same year Mark Twain put it in The Gilded Age, where it was im-
mediately recognized, and made it the climax of his attack on the

3. New York Tribune, February 3, 1873, p. 2.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 247

corruption of the Reconstruction congress. One reason why it gained
so much attention was undoubtedly the dramatic or melodramatic
way the exposure had been made. But more important, the case
was a perfect illustration of the workings of politics under the Grant
administration.

Dissatisfaction with congress was universal. Newspapers were
constantly filled with charges of corruption, with investigations, with
impeachments. At the time the Pomeroy story was running in the
New York Tribune, it shared the front page with the Credit Mobilier
investigations and with accounts of the deals of the Tweed Ring.
At the same time the Chicago Tribune listed by name 12 United
States senators whose seats had been bought and added that "these
are only those who have been found out." 4 In the Forty-first con-
gress a house committee had recommended that Rep. B. F.
Whittemore be expelled for selling appointments to West Point and
Annapolis. In 1869 a house report had been made on election frauds
in New York state in which 50,000 fraudulent votes were said to
have been cast thousands of aliens had been illegally naturalized
and allowed to vote, and the sound old device of "repeating" had
been widely used. At the time of the Pomeroy investigation, both
house and senate were investigating the Credit Mobilier scandal as
it affected their respective members. Thirty-seven members of the
Missouri legislature had preferred charges of vote buying against
Sen. Louis V. Bogy of that state. Sen. Powell Clayton of Arkansas,
an old Kansas man, was the subject of a 407-page investigation on
charges of election fraud. Sen. Alexander Caldwell, who with Pome-
roy represented Kansas, had been investigated for buying votes at
his election in 1871.

These are representative instances, by no means a complete cata-
log. And there were dozens of other deals that were public knowl-
edge but which never reached the stage of formal investigation for
instance, Senator Nye of Nevada accepting $50,000 from his suc-
cessor, Jones, and agreeing not to run against him for re-election.
The Boston Post remarked that "the oaths of Congressmen have
sadly depreciated in value," and "a lapse of memory in regard to
all matters involving the transfer of money is so general as to sug-
gest caution in trusting any individual recollection unsupported by a
memorandum book." 5 When Caldwell of Kansas chose to make his
denial of fraud charges on his honor as a senator instead of on his
oath, the New York Tribune commented, "We regret to say that

4. Ibid., February 19, 1873, p. 5.

5. Ibid., March 1, 1873, p. 7.

248 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

the honor of a Senator does not rate high in the market this year." 6
When the house of representatives passed at this time a bill deny-
ing promotion to army officers guilty of intemperate drinking, the
Tribune asked: ". . . is the House just now in a fit frame of
mind to enact moral obligations for anybody?" 7

The only version of the Pomeroy case now familiar to most people
is that contained in Twain's The Gilded Age. Far from being ex-
aggerated, this account, savage though it is, actually does not do full
justice to the case. 8 The senator and his troubles need to be drawn
full length to be properly appreciated.

Pomeroy had been in the senate since 1861, immediately after
Kansas had been admitted as a state. He had been in the public
consciousness like a sandbur from the time he assumed his seat. The
press generally regarded him as a smooth old scoundrel and con-
summate hypocrite. Yet even York, his bitterest enemy, admitted
under oath that he had done much good for Kansas in the way of
getting things for the state grants of public lands for schools, for
railroads and pork-barrel measures generally. But York deplored
his moral influence on Kansas politics. George W. Glick, Pomeroy's
attorney for many years, said, after the senator's death, that he
was a "good man; honest, kind-hearted, and generous to a fault.
He was loyal to his friends and to Kansas, and did more for Kansas
in her early days, and for her people in the early '60's, than any
other man who lived within her borders." 9 But Samuel J. Craw-
ford, an early governor of Kansas (1865-1868), wrote in his rem-
iniscences that whereas Caldwell "regarded the members of the
Legislature as so many cattle to be purchased on the open market,
branded and yoked up for his personal use," Pomeroy on the other
hand "looked upon them as so many sheep in the shambles, from
which he could make his choice, pay his money, and go on his way
rejoicing." 10

A few days before the 1873 election, Senator Harlan of Iowa
had written a letter of character for Pomeroy's use in the campaign.
"Those who know him intimately and well," wrote Harlan, "believe
him to be one of the truest and purest of our public men, as they
know him to be one of the most generous. His benefactions have
made hundreds of worthy families rejoice. Those who ought to

6. Ibid., February 6, 1873, p. 4.

7. Ibid., February 20, 1873, p. 4.

8. An article of mine showing in detail the extent to which Twain used the Pomeroy case
in The Gilded Age will appear in a forthcoming issue of Modern Language Quarterly, Seattle.

9. George W. Glick, "The Drought of 1860," Kansas Historical Collections, Topeka, v. 9
(1905-1906), p. 485.

10. Samuel J. Crawford, Kansas in the Sixties (Chicago, 1911), p. 348.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 249

know him thoroughly regard him as singularly unselfish, caring only
for money as he can use it, not to aggrandize himself, but to accom-
plish some good." When the New York Tribune printed this letter
shortly after York's exposure, it added caustically that Pomeroy's
ideas of "good" were probably like those of Oakes Ames, when he
gave out shares of Credit Mobilier stock to members of congress
"where it would do the most good." u Other uncharitable people
recalled that Senator Harlan was, with Pomeroy, Schuyler Colfax
and a few others, among the group that were ironically referred to
as the "Christian Statesmen." And Harlan's senate seat was one of
those mentioned by the Chicago Tribune as having been bought.

Both York and Pomeroy were Republicans. But the issue in Kan-
sas in the early 1870 's was not one of party membership but of atti-
tude toward Pomeroy. The members of congress from Kansas were
opposed to him, and one, S. A. Cobb, testified against him at the
senate investigation. During the election campaign in Topeka in
1873 the Pomeroy supporters set up their own caucus, while the
opposition as soon as they got to town organized an "anti-Pomeroy
caucus." York was secretary of this group.

Unsavory rumors were current in Topeka about Pomeroy's doings,
not only about vote buying and stealing of public funds, but about
moral lapses that were not becoming to a "Christian Statesman."
Handbills were passed out accusing Pomeroy of having had immoral
relations with a certain woman of Baltimore named Alice Caton,
and of then trying to buy her off by writing letters to the Treasury
Department in Washington asking that she be given a sinecure.
During the senate investigation, one of the defense witnesses told
of going to see Pomeroy about these reports before the election.
Pomeroy picked up a piece of paper from the table and said (prophet-
ically, as it turned out) , "If I go back to the United States Senate
I shall go back as clear as that sheet of paper or I shall not return at
all." 12

Whether these rumors were true or not, Pomeroy had set himself
up as a champion of religion and temperance, so that his known polit-
ical defections sometimes led to a low suspicion that these professions
of godliness were perhaps not wholly sincere. He looked godly
enough, however. He was of middle height, portly enough to appear
dignified, and had a broad beneficent face. His eyes had a bland,
kindly look about them, and his mouth was set in a sort of serene
half -smile, as though he had just pronounced grace before a seven-

11. New York Tribune, February 1, 1873, p. 7.

12. Senate Report, No. 52S, p. 128.

250 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

course dinner. He wore a beard of comfortable dimensions, full
but for a shaven upper lip. The hair that ringed the sides and back
of his bald head fell to his collar in saintly gray ringlets. He em-
ployed as his receptionist one J. D. Liggett, who, before he entered
Pomeroy's employ, had been pastor of the First Congregational
Church in Leavenworth for 11 years. The senator was a tireless
friend of Bible classes, Sunday schools and the benighted heathen.
As for liquor, throughout his 12 years in the senate he introduced a
continuous stream of temperance bills. During the investigation of
his re-election in 1867, D. R. Anthony, a Leavenworth editor, tes-
tified that Pomeroy had told him his campaign had cost a great
deal of money, and that the chief item was the hotel bill, which ran
into many thousands of dollars.

Question. Did he explain how his hotel bill came to cost him so much
money?

Answer. I think he said he was paying the bills of his friends who were
there at the hotel.

Question. He did not treat any, did he?

Answer. I guess he did. I always thought the Senator plaj'ed the dodge on
that; he got John Martin to furnish the whiskey, and I always supposed that
he paid the bills, although I could not swear to that; it was done quietly at
one side.

Question [by Mr. Pomeroy]. Mr. Anthony does not mean to say that any
was drunk in my presence?

Answer. O, no. I could swear that I was invited by Colonel Martin several
times, and very good liquors they were. 13

The views of Pomeroy's opposition just before the election of 1873
were suggested by a witness at the investigation who quoted B. F.
Simpson. When asked what he thought of the senatorial question,
Simpson had said "they would beat the old son of a bitch this
time." 14

III

Samuel Clarke Pomeroy was born in Southampton, Mass., in 1816,
and was descended from Puritan ancestors who had come to Amer-
ica from England in 1630. He entered Amherst College in 1836, but
withdrew a short time afterwards. A little later he was in Onondaga
county, New York, teaching school and engaging in business on the
side. After four years he returned to Southampton and in 1842
joined the Liberty party, holding a number of local offices and serv-
ing in the general court in 1852. Also in 1852 he was elected to the
Massachusetts legislature on the Liberty party ticket.

13. Appendix to the Congressional Globe, 42 Cong., 2 Sess. (1871-1872), p. 611.

14. Senate Report, No. 523, p. 160.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 251

It was in 1854, however, that he began to hit his stride. From this
year on, he seemed to gravitate toward jobs that afforded peculiar
opportunities. In this year he was appointed financial agent for the
New England Emigrant Aid Company. When the second group of
emigrants left in the autumn for Kansas he went with them, settling
first in Lawrence and finally in Atchison. Some $100,000 of the com-
pany's funds passed through Pomeroy's hands, and when the com-
pany dissolved there seemed to be some uncertainty over where the
money had passed to. William H. Carruth, writing some 40 years
later of the history of the company, was able to account for all but
$88,000 and suggested that a depression in 1858 shrank the value of
the money by some 80 percent. He added, however, that just as
Wild Bill Hickock was reckless with firearms, "Mr. Pomeroy was
reckless with drafts." The books of the company record drafts in
profusion, but there is nothing to show what a great many of them
were drawn for. 15

Pomeroy, as befitted a good New Englander of religious persua-
sion, was an outspoken Free-Soil man. Because of the local emi-
nence he had gained as agent of the Emigrant Aid Company, he was
named chairman of a committee to defend Lawrence against the
armed incursions from Missouri in the border troubles of 1856. While
John Brown and his relief force were still on the way to Lawrence,
however, the antiabolitionists moved in 800 strong, mounted brass
cannon in a commanding position and proceeded on May 21 to sack
the town. The defense committee was not in sight. A member of
Brown's party, which arrived the next day, later wrote that the com-
mittee had "buried their guns and rifles, and were ready for any-
thing to keep up the speculation in Lawrence town lots." 16

But Pomeroy's eminence continued to grow. He was mayor of
Atchison in 1858-1859, and took a leading part in the organization
of the Republican party in Kansas in those years. When a prolonged
drought resulted in the famine of 1859-1860, Pomeroy was ap-
pointed head of the committee to distribute relief supplies that came
pouring in from nearly every Free state. When it was first suggested
to Pomeroy that he take the post, his friend George W. Glick reports
that he said: "... I mean to be a candidate for the United
States senate. If any money is raised for these people here, and you
mix me up in it, it will kill my political prospects. They will accuse
me of stealing the relief funds." However, he overcame these selfish

15. William H. Carruth, "The New England Emigrant Aid Company As an Investment
Society," Kansas Historical Collections, v. 6 (1897-1900), pp. 94, 95.

16. August Bondi, "With John Brown in Kansas," Kansas Historical Collections, V. 8
(1903-1904), p. 278.

252 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

scruples and, according to Click, "was willing to risk his reputation
for the good of the people." 17 For about five months, beginning in
November, 1860, Pomeroy headed the territorial relief committee
and distributed something like eight million pounds of provisions
and seeds, besides clothing and medicine. Large gifts of money were
sent the committee, the New York state legislature voting $50,000
for the drought victims, and numerous other Northern and Eastern
states sending smaller sums. Again, at the end of the job there was
talk of miscarriage of funds, and of relief supplies being given in
largest amounts to those with useful political connections. When
Pomeroy finally quit, the other members of the committee found it
desirable to issue a resolution commending him for his "ability,
integrity, and impartiality" in spite of "the assaults that have been
made upon him." 18 An interesting by-product of Pomeroy's efforts
that winter was some useful advertising. Relief supplies that were
sacked, such as corn and beans, had "S. C. Pomeroy, Atchison,"
marked in large letters across each sack. Since cloth of any sort
was hard to come by, Kansas wives often made these sacks up into
men's pants. A considerable part of the male population that winter
was wearing pants with Pomeroy's name on the seat or running
down the legs.

On January 29, 1861, Buchanan signed the bill admitting Kansas
as a state. On April 4 the new legislature elected Pomeroy as one of
Kansas' first two United States senators. His election came as a con-
siderable surprise, since it had not been thought he was popular
enough to gain the office. There were consequently some rumors of
vote buying. David E. Ballard, a member of that first legislature,
wrote many years later that there had been a good deal of vote solic-
iting in the ten days preceding the election. He was himself sup-
porting another candidate, but remarked that "Pomeroy had some
awful good men working in his interests." During the distribution of
relief Ballard's district had not fared very well until Ballard him-
self, known to be active in politics, ordered supplies in his own name
from Pomeroy. During the pre-election canvass, therefore, he was
pressed to show his gratitude by switching to Pomeroy. When he
declined, Pomeroy himself sent for Ballard to visit him. While
Pomeroy urged Ballard to remember the aid that had been given his
people, a fellow ran in "all out of breath, to report that he could not

get a certain man for less than dollars. Whether it was

supposed I was on the market for money I do not know, but after

17. Click, loc. cit., p. 482.

18. Ibid., p. 484.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 253

that I could not have been pulled into the Pomeroy camp with oxen
and log-chains." 19 It is interesting also that later in the year a
scandal broke involving a fraud in the sale of state bonds. The gov-
ernor, the secretary of state, and the state auditor were all im-
peached, and Pomeroy's name entered rather obscurely into the
testimony. In the course of the proceedings, the attorney general
said: "The people of the State will gratefully accept, and at the
same time earnestly insist upon, a full explanation of Mr. Pomeroy's
connexion with this transaction." 20

During his first term in the senate Pomeroy distinguished himself
by his friendly attitude toward subsidies of whatever sort for what-
ever purpose he became known as "Subsidy" Pomeroy and by
his opposition to Lincoln's administration. In the campaign of 1864
he wrote a widely read campaign document known as the "Pomeroy
Circular" urging the candidacy of Salmon P. Chase for President and
attacking Lincoln. His efforts were hampered not only because he
had not consulted Chase about it in advance, but also because the
movement lacked any popular support. It soon collapsed.

On January 23, 1867, Pomeroy was triumphantly re-elected to
the senate. On February 9 the Kansas legislature voted to investi-
gate the election for fraud and bribery. On February 25 an inves-
tigating committee of the legislature reported:

And while this testimony is not sufficient of itself to authorize your Com-
mittee to make special recommendation for definite action on the part of the
Senate, they here record their convictions that money has been used for the
base purposes of influencing members of the Legislature to disregard the wishes
of their constituents, and to vote as money dictated, and regret their failure
to procure the evidence necessary to demonstrate the facts to the people of the
State.*

Besides the suspicion of vote buying, there was another deal made
during this election that gained public notice. Pomeroy and Sidney
Clarke, a candidate for congress, had jointly paid $1,000 to M. W.
Reynolds, publisher of the Lawrence Journal, to support them in
their campaigns. They gave Reynolds notes for $2,000 more, and
Pomeroy gave him another $250 in cash. When Clarke and Pomeroy
failed to come through with the promised $2,000, Reynolds was un-
kind enough to sue. The case at first went against him, but he then
prepared to submit it to the state supreme court. Suddenly the suit
was dropped without explanation, and shortly thereafter Reynolds

19. David E. Ballard, "The First State Legislature," Kansas Historical Collections, v. 10
(1907-1908), pp. 234, 235.

20. Wilder, op. cit., pp. 313, 314, 317-319.

21. Ibid., pp. 458, 459.

254 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

was unexpectedly appointed receiver of the land office at Neodesha.
Mr. Pomeroy headed the senate committee on public lands. 22

On February 24, 1872, the Kansas legislature, while censuring the
election of Alexander Caldwell to the senate in 1871, stated again
their thorough conviction that Pomeroy in 1867 had used money
"in a large amount and in a corrupt and criminal way." 23 As a re-
sult of this report, the United States senate was finally forced to do
something about the charges. An investigation of Pomeroy's elec-
tion in 1867 and CaldwelPs in 1871 was authorized. 24 The investiga-
tion, however, came so near the summer recess that only Pomeroy's
case was considered, CaldwelFs being deferred till the congress
should meet again in the fall. On June 3 the investigating com-
mittee reported that it found nothing sufficient to justify the charges
made against Senator Pomeroy and therefore asked to be discharged
from further consideration of the matter.

A last item, before returning to the grand climax of Pomeroy's
career, is interesting if only because it reverses what seems by 1867
to have been the natural order of things. Pomeroy, instead of being
accused once more of buying votes, was said to have offered to sell
his vote to Andrew Johnson in the impeachment trial. Thurlow
Weed and Edmund Cooper, Johnson's private secretary, were said
to have believed a letter containing this proposal was genuine.
Pomeroy declared it was forged by a Mr. Luce. 25 It is only fair to
add that Johnson's biographers do not seem to have taken note of it.
And when it came time during the trial for Pomeroy to state his
opinion of Johnson's guilt or innocence, he declared, after some
pages of very select rhetoric, that "I cannot shut my eyes to the
crimes and misdemeanors charged, and proved also, in this the

22. A man of Mr. Pomeroy's special talents could hardly have asked for representation on
more useful committees. Besides being chairman of the committee on public lands (a bonanza
in those days), he sat also on the committees for territories, manufactures, post offices and
post roads, pensions and claims. The last two of these were doing an enormous business in
the years following the Civil War.

23. Wilder, op cit., pp. 570, 571.

24. On March 5, 1872, when both Pomeroy and Caldwell were hourly expecting the ar-
rival of a demand from the Kansas legislature that the senate investigate their elections, Cald-
well rose on the floor of the senate and delivered himself of a bit of prose that deserves some-
thing better than its forgotten grave in the Congressional Globe: "My character has been
unjustly, cruelly, outrageously assailed. The foulest scandals of the street have been gathered
up and scattered broadcast over the country. I simply desire to say to the Senate now that
I shrink from no scrutiny. Sir, I hurl back these charges with scorn and indignation, and I
have nothing but contempt for the mean, mercenary, and despicable motives which prompted
them. No living man can confront me and say that I have ever done aught to warrant these
assaults." (Congressional Globe, 42 Cong., 2 Sess. [1871-1872], Pt. 2, p. 1410.) On February
17, 1873, the day the Pomeroy investigation opened, the committee which had been investi-
gating Caldwell 's election submitted a report declaring that Caldwell had not been legally
elected. A month later he resigned his seat in order to avoid being formally expelled.

25. Wilder, op. cit., p. 484.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 255

eleventh article of impeachment; and with uplifted hand and heart
I declare my belief to be that the President is guilty!" 26

The tumult York had raised in the joint convention that afternoon
continued unbrokenly for more than an hour and a half. As soon
as the motions for a recess had been defeated, A. H. Horton, Pom-
eroy's attorney at that time, went immediately to the Tefft House
to break the news to "the old man." Almost at once, Pomeroy left
the hotel and removed to a private house where he would enjoy more
seclusion. According to Horton's testimony during the senate in-
vestigation, many of Pomeroy's friends wanted him to make a pub-
lic denial of having given York money, "because, they said, nobody
would believe York if he [Pomeroy] denied it." But Pomeroy re-
fused. He stood on a principle of the most admirable kind : " 'I will
tell the exact truth ; Mr. York has taken the advantage and abused
my confidence, but I cannot tell anything but what actually oc-
curred.' " 27 He admitted, in short, that the money had changed
hands, but he did not reveal at that time, at least publicly, the pur-
pose for which he later insisted he had given the $7,000 to York.
That evening he was arrested and charged with bribery under state
law.

Right after the election the Topeka Commonwealth, which had
been vociferously pro-Pomeroy until that moment, printed an edito-
rial that showed the paper, like the 50 men who had voted for
Pomeroy on the first ballot, had suffered a sudden change of heart:
"During the delivery of this astounding address [York's! . . .
the audience was deathly still. Every word fell with a thrill on the
senses of the packed and spell-bound throng like the dull and star-
tling thud of clods on a coffin. In that coffin reposed the remains of
the corruption that since the organization of the state has sat
perched upon its back like the Old Man of the Sea." 28 The New
York Tribune gave the election the lead spot on page 1 with the
headline: "Senator Pomeroy 's Downfall. His Corruption Over-
whelmingly Exposed." The story, datelined Topeka, began: "Light
has at last dawned in Kansas!" and went on to say that for two

26. "Opinion of Mr. Senator Pomeroy," Trial of Andrew Johnson . . . (published by
order of the senate, Washington, D. C., 1868), v. 3, p. 347. The llth article of impeachment
centered around Johnson's disrespect for congress his arguing that, since it did not represent
all the states (members from some of the former Confederate states not haying been seated),
it was not lawfully constituted and therefore its laws were not binding, specifically the Tenure
of Office act.

27. Senate Report, No. 525, p. 232.

28. Wilder, op. cit., p. 606.

256 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

weeks Pomeroy had kept a lobby in Topeka at a cost of "not less
than $1500 a day, and has spent probably $100,000 in the cam-
paign." 29

Perhaps the sprightliest comment on the exposure was a letter to
the editor of the Tribune, which the paper obligingly made room for
on page 1. It was entitled "The Epic of Topeka" and was signed
with the pseudonym "J. Hawker."

Sir : I never made a poem before in my life, but on reading in The Tribune
this morning the joyful news of the fall of our old friend Pomeroy in Kansas,
I found prose utterly inadequate to the expression of my emotions, and burst
forth in the following lines, which strike me as evincing great promise:
The subject of this sonnet
Is a Senator called Pom,
Who in the public pudding

Put a long and crooked thumb,
And from the same extracted

A plump and precious plum
The truth is he had realized

A very tidy sum;
But while he cried 'Eureka'

He found his hour had come,
They scooped him at Topeka

This injudicious Pom.

Whatever compensation you may think these verses are worth you may
send to Senator York, who by this time probably regrets his $7,000 and feels
forlorn. 30

The day after the election a Topeka dispatch to the Tribune
announced that Pomeroy would make a public statement regarding
York's charges when his trial came up. The trial was set for Jan-
uary 31, but, the dispatch continued, it would probably be post-
poned because of the senator's illness. 31 The trial was postponed
many, many times, in fact but on February 1 the Atchison
Champion in Pomeroy's home town printed a letter which Pomeroy
had written the editor:

Dear Sir: When you left Topeka I told you I would employ my first leisure
in detailing to you for the public the precise nature of the malicious conspiracy
organized for my defeat; but since the parties to this conspiracy have sum-
moned me before the court to answer their charge that is to say, before the
judicial tribunal I too am desirous and even anxious to appear and have a
full investigation and verdict unbiased. I only ask a suspension of public judg-
ment until a fair hearing can be had in the courts. The verdict will decide who
has committed crime, and the measure of the guilty. 32

29. New York Tribune, January 30, 1873, p. 1.

30. Ibid., January 31, 1873, p. 1.

31. Ibid., p. 1.

32. Ibid., February 3, 1873, p. 2.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 257

The New York Tribune, when it reprinted this letter, remarked that
it was hard to see what possible defense Pomeroy could make for
himself "the whole transaction is so entirely in keeping with his
reputation that the only matter for surprise is that he was caught
at last." 33

A few days later the Tribune printed a rather long editorial on
Pomeroy's character. It is interesting to compare this crude esti-
mate by a layman with the more refined conclusions of the senate
investigating committee a few weeks later. Pomeroy, said the
Tribune,

was always more or less grotesque. He has made money from his youth up.
The beans of the charitable paid tribute to him in the famine days. The seed-
corn of the founders of his State was grist to him. In Washington he thrived
and prospered beyond his kind. His portly form seemed nourished by subsidies
and commissions. He thoroughly enjoyed life, and looked with comfortable
contempt on rough rascals like Jim Lane 34 who drank whiskey and spent all
they stole. Everybody . . . knew his thrifty ways and smiled in the in-
dulgent way that honest worldlings have, over the wickedness of the prudent.
Probably no one . . . ever regarded seriously the comedy of temperance
and religion which was part of his system. So there is more amusement than
surprise or regret over his downfall. . . .

Concerning Pomeroy's statement that he could explain everything
satisfactorily, the Tribune concluded: "He cannot damage himself
so much as a better man would do, for he has nothing but his old
burlesque character to lose. He still has plenty of money and
friends enough of the kind that money buys. ... we rejoice
. . . that no one worse than he can be sent to fill his place." 35

Apparently Pomeroy did not stay long in Kansas after the elec-
tion. Having got his trial postponed, he headed for Washington
and purification. On the third of February the Tribune reported
that he had been heard from at Chicago on his way East, and that,
contrary to reports which had been circulating, he apparently had
not become insane, nor was he so ill that hope for his life had been
abandoned. 36 On February 7, a Washington dispatch to the Trib-
une said that Pomeroy had been in the capital about a week 37 pre-
paring a statement to read to the senate. 38

33. Ibid., p. 4.

34. James H. Lane was elected with Pomeroy in 1861 as one of the state's first two sen-
ators.

35. New York Tribune, February 7, 1873, p. 4.

36. Ibid., February 3, 1873, p. 1.

37. The train trip from Kansas to Washington in 1873 took three days. More probably,
Pomeroy had been in Washington three or four days by February 7.

38. New York Tribune, February 8, 1873, p. 1.

173398

258 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Meanwhile the senator was getting some badly needed support
from another newspaper, the Washington Chronicle the paper
Mark Twain in the Gilded Age refers to as the Washington Daily
Lowe-Feast, run by "Brother Balaam" (Senator Harlan, of Iowa).
The Chronicle happily chanced upon a point that was to be made
the keystone of Pomeroy 's defense in the coming investigation:
York had betrayed Mr. Pomeroy, hence he was an "informer, stool-
pigeon, and spy."

No honorable man would consent to enter into a conspiracy to tempt, seduce,
and betray another. Whatever may be established as to Mr. Pomeroy, with
one consent men will avoid Mr. York as a leprous scoundrel, whose touch is
contamination. Indeed, the impression will instinctively rise in the mind of
every honest man that York was paid a higher price than he claims to have
been offered by Pomeroy by some other interested party. 39

Finally, on February 10 Senator Pomeroy addressed his brother
senators, reading from a carefully prepared manuscript how care-
fully was to become apparent a few days later. Having been in
Washington only about a week he began: "I embrace the first op-
portunity, after being able to reach my seat in the Senate. . . ."
And then he took note of the malicious charges that had been made
against him:

Upon the subject-matter of that act of villainy, unparalleled in wickedness, my
lips have heretofore been sealed, for the want of a proper place and oppor-
tunity to speak. I now propose to break this silence.

... I publicly deny the truth of each and every charge of bribery and
corruption made by the chief instigator of this conspiracy, or by whomsoever
made. I deny each and every statement imputing to me any act inconsistent
with moral rectitude and correct conduct, and declare all such statements to
be totally, absolutely, and wickedly false.

He then proposed a resolution to authorize the creation of a com-
mittee containing, to insure fairness to the public, Democrats as
well as Republicans to investigate these charges brought against
him by Col. A. M. York. 40 The resolution was, of course, accepted
and a committee of five appointed: F. T. Frelinghuysen, Republi-
can from New Jersey, chairman ; William A. Buckingham, Republi-
can from Connecticut; Allen G. Thurman, Democrat from Ohio;
James L. Alcorn, Republican from Mississippi, and George Vickers,
Democrat from Maryland.

The New York Tribune observed in an editorial on the matter
that the committee was sufficiently able to insure a thorough in-
vestigation "if that be possible"; but it added that most of the

39. Ibid., p. 5.

40. Congressional Globe, 42 Cong., 3 Sess. (1872-1873), Pt. 2, pp. 1214, 1215.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 259

committee, regardless of party, were friends of Pomeroy. The Trib-
une was more concerned with the element of time. The congress
was to end on March 3, Grant's second inaugural to take place the
day following. "There are seventeen working days left to this
Congress, allowing Saturdays. Mr. Pomeroy is perfectly safe; his
case cannot be reached before March 4; and that day will relegate
him to private life. Under the circumstances, his denials and pro-
tests of innocence are easy, convenient, and cheap." 41 But six days
later the Tribune was cheered. An editorial appeared entitled
"Pomeroy's Ordeal," and the writer seemed hopeful that there would
be time to wash Mr. Pomeroy's linen after all. "It may be that the
fortnight which remains of this session is still enough to send him
home in a reputation of many colors, measured and fitted to him by
sworn testimony. . . . We suppose we shall now see him work-
ing for acquittal or the 4th of March either will be precious to
what shreds of character are left him." 42

Hearings in the 1873 investigation began on February 17 and con-
cluded February 25. On the last day things were pretty hectic, no
less than 18 witnesses (including Pomeroy) appearing on the stand.
But after this rather breathless finish, the committee proceeded more
leisurely. The final report was not made public for almost a week
after the hearings ended; it was issued on March 3, oddly enough
the last day both of the Forty-second congress and of Pomeroy's
term as senator.

As it progressed, the investigation received wide publicity through-
out the country, the more so since it was augmented by an inter-
esting side show on the floor of the senate. On the morning of the
second day of the hearings the committee suddenly discovered that,
now that York's testimony had been completed, they were bound
by the terms of the resolution Pomeroy had offered authorizing the
investigation and which the senate had unquestioningly and there-
fore perhaps unwisely adopted to investigate only the charges
specifically brought by York alone, and not those preferred by four
or five other members of the Kansas legislature who said that Pom-
eroy or his agents had tried to buy their votes. These men were al-
ready in Washington, enormously eager to unburden their hearts
before the committee. B. F. Simpson, counsel for York, discovered
a loophole. He had the privilege of petitioning the senate as a whole

41. New York Tribune, February 11, 1873, p. 4.

42. Ibid., February 17, 1873, p. 4.

260 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

to amend the resolution so as to broaden the powers of the commit-
tee. In the afternoon session of the senate on the same day, Vice-
President Schuyler Colfax reported that he had been handed such a
petition signed by Simpson, as authorized counsel for York. There-
upon a fight broke out on the floor of the senate that takes up some
16 columns of the Congressional Globe. Most bitterly opposed to
changing the powers of the committee were Senators Conkling of
New York, Sherman of Ohio, and Nye of Nevada. Nye was espe-
cially moved, being particularly concerned about York's character.
"By whom is this charge made?" he asked. "A man [who] , if public
rumors are true for it is so recorded in every column of our news-
papers comes before this committee and unblushingly swears him-
self all covered over with fraud, wrong, and outrage. So much is he
imbued with that, that he does not even dare to petition the Senate
in his own name, but gets his attorney to come here and petition that
he may be allowed to throw his drag-nets wider, and to rake, if possi-
ble, within them the honor of an American Senator." Referring to
York then as "this rascal," he cried ". . . this is the true way to
pull down the dignity of the Senate. Who would arraign an honor-
able Senator before the public, before the world, upon the petition
of a man who, on his own assertion, is steeped in the very depths of
fraud? Senators, you have your own reputations to protect, not only
severally, but jointly. I ask the Senators to be careful how they trifle
with the reputation of a brother Senator, or how they allow outside
rascals to trifle with it." This meddler, he noted, was after all only
"a mere outsider," and then apparently forgetting even York's name
he suggested that "Mr. Pomeroy and Mr. What's-his-name settle
their own difficulties." In a ringing close that throbbed with high-
minded indignation he addressed the chair: "Mr. President, away
with these investigations. We have had enough of them. . . .
Away with such intruders, if you would bear aloft the ancient dig-
nity of this body! ... I feel that there is nothing that the
human mind feeds upon like corrupt investigation. Our ears have
been saluted with quite enough of it. The public appetite is gorged
with investigation." 43 But despite Mr. Nye and his laudable efforts
in behalf of the public appetite the senate voted to broaden the
powers of the committee.

This outburst of concern for the senate and the reading habits of
the public did not go unremarked by the press. The New York
Tribune a few days later came out with a stinging editorial. "It
was a rather mellifluous debate they had in the Senate the other day,"

43. Congressional Globe, 42 Cong., 3 Sess. (1872-1873), Pt. 2, p. 1450.

G6TTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 261

it began, "upon the question of whether the committee appointed to
try Col. York of Kansas for having been bribed by Senator Pomeroy
should have its powers enlarged so as to try other persons who have
been bribed by the same excellent person." After some picturesque
but essentially small-caliber remarks by Senators Conkling and
Sherman,

into the midst of this debate there came with the snort and plunge of a war-
horse the Hon. Mr. Nye of Nevada. Stepping briskly to the front he took
his mother tongue by the hair. Some men who have strivings with the
language are timid about it, holding it at arm's length in a doubtful wrestle.
Not so Nye. In defense of a friend he would not shrink from grappling alone
an entire vocabulary. He was equal to the occasion. To use a very reprehen-
sible term, but one which seems to be adapted to this emergency, he fairly
"slung" it. He called York a "rascal;" worse than that, an "outside rascal."
He then said he was a "mere outsider;" that he was "steeped in the very
depths of fraud." . . . Warming up to his work he called him a "particeps
criminis," and charged him with having a "morbid appetite."

Referring then to Nye's passionate plea in behalf of the dignity of
the senate, the editorial continued:

This is the keynote of the character of the great statesman of Nevada. If there
is anything he has sat up nights to do for the past eight or ten years it is to
"bear aloft the ancient dignity of that body." Very few Senators of the period
could bear it so far aloft or so much of it at one time. In all this time, how-
ever, he has suffered constant and intense agony from the conviction which he
could not dispel that the tendency of the human mind is to "feed upon corrupt
investigation." It is not strange that he should cry, "Away with investigation!"
The country cannot survive the Republican party, and the Republican party
cannot survive investigation. He meant it; and not in this case only. Should
anyone set on foot an inquiry into the report that Jones, who shortly comes
into the Senate from Nevada, paid Nye $50,000 not to be a candidate, he would
doubtless take the same high ground.

But Nye disposed of York's case. It is settled now that any man who makes
a fuss about being corruptly approached by a United States Senator is an
"outside rascal," a "Mr. What's-his-name," a villain ... a man in short
who has no rights a Senator is bound to respect; while the man who tempted
him is a "brother Senator," an "honorable man," and a gentleman to be ten-
derly dealt with. . . . Well, it seems too bad that we are to lose Nye. He
isn't nearly as funny as he used to be, but he "bears aloft the dignity" of the
Senate in a most touching and becoming manner. 44

Since time was so short, Chairman Frelinghuysen of the investi-
gating committee secured permission to allow the committee to meet
during sessions of the senate. The committee met behind closed
doors on the morning of the 17th to decide on further procedure. It
was decided to have the hearings open to the public and to allow one
man from each side to serve as counsel with the right of examination

44. New York Tribune, February 22, 1873, p. G.

262 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

and cross-examination. B. F. Simpson served as counsel for York,
and A. H. Horton conducted most of the questioning for Pomeroy.
But since Horton was implicated in the charges as an agent of
Pomeroy and had to appear as a witness himself, Pomeroy retained
the services of Caleb Gushing, then an old man of 73, one of the
sharpest lawyers of the day. 45 Gushing examined Horton and also
prepared the summary for Pomeroy's side.

The hearings began at three o'clock February 17 in the room of
the senate committee on patents. In the center of the room was a
large table with Frelinghuysen at the head. On his right were Sen-
ators Thurman and Alcorn, on his left Vickers and Buckingham. At
the foot of the table was a chair for witnesses and another for the
shorthand reporter. At a small table on the right sat Pomeroy and
his counsel, Gushing and Horton. Near the foot of the table were
York and his counsel, Simpson. Chairs were provided for about 50
spectators, and standing room for about 50 more. Most of the spec-
tators were Kansas men, many of them having come to Washington
to testify at the Caldwell investigation just concluded. During
York's testimony, Pomeroy kept his eyes on the floor or on a piece of
paper which he occasionally made notes on. Once in a while he
passed a note to his counsel, but never during the first day of hear-
ings did he look at the considerable audience. This attitude
contrasted strongly with York's, which was confident and open
"brazen-faced," some said. 46

As the hearings got underway, 47 it was learned that the plan to
trap and expose Pomeroy apparently did not originate with York.
James C. Horton, one of the men who with York made the final
decision that night in Room 107 of the Tefft House, testified that the
first man who suggested the idea was none other than Thomas A.
Osborne, governor of Kansas. In a conversation shortly after the
November election in the preceding year, Horton had remarked that
the legislature seemed then to be largely against Pomeroy. "Yes,"
replied the governor, but "the old cuss will use money, and buy his
way through." Then, according to Horton, Osborne said that the

45. Gushing had had a notable career. He had been attorney general under President
Pierce, had served as legal consultant to Lincoln, and had been instrumental in settling the
Alabama claims. Grant nominated him for chief justice of the supreme court, but because
of his former antiabolitionist connections he was not confirmed. He had, incidentally, con-
ducted the unsuccessful defense of Senator Caldwell of Kansas against charges of vote buying;
Caldwell's campaign methods had been too much for even Gushing to surmount.

46. New York Tribune, February 18, 1873, p. 5.

47. The following summary of the senate investigation is taken from Senate Report, No.
523, 42 Cong., 3 Sess. (1872-1873).

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 263

only way to beat Pomeroy would be for some man to take his money
and then expose him.

York's account of the events that led up to the disclosure in the
joint convention was extremely circumstantial. (His testimony
runs 33 pages in the printed report, compared to Pomeroy 's eight.)
He, Simpson, Johnson and J. C. Horton had become convinced that
Pomeroy was buying votes, and since York was a strong anti-Pom-
eroy leader it was expected that Pomeroy would make overtures to
him; the testimony of other witnesses on both sides bore out the
fact that York was respected as a solid man, and if he voted for Pom-
eroy others would probably follow because of his example. Late in
the afternoon of January 27 York was approached by Asa Hairgrove,
former state auditor, who said that Pomeroy wanted him to come
to his rooms in the Tefft House for "a business interview." The con-
ference of the four "conspirators" followed at once. York went to
see Pomeroy shortly afterwards and was asked to return about mid-
night. When he returned at this time, Pomeroy asked him to come
back in an hour, when he would be alone. When the conversation
finally took place, Pomeroy immediately urged York to vote for him
and showed him lists of the men who would give him their votes on
the first and second ballots. York held off, whereupon Pomeroy
said "he was too old a politician to bribe votes, but said that if I
would say that I would vote for him I would then be one of his
friends and he could then aid me, or that it would be right, perfectly
right, to aid me the same as he would any other of his friends."
York gave a little ground then and said he was committed to another
candidate for Tuesday; he finally agreed that he might be able to
vote for Pomeroy on Wednesday. When York refused to say how
much he wanted, Pomeroy offered $5,000 which was indignantly re-
fused as being too little. York demanded $10,000. Pomeroy agreed
to this figure if York would wait 90 days for the last $5,000. York,
however, wanted cash, and the deal was finally made to give York
$2,000 that night, $4,000 the next afternoon and a final $2,000 after
York had cast his vote for Pomeroy. The $2,000 was then handed
over, and Pomeroy remarked that York had made a good start in
politics he was on the right side now and had a splendid future.
He talked of seeing to it that York would be the next member of
congress from southern Kansas. He added that he wouldn't think
of giving so much for one man's vote if he didn't know that York
had a reputation for being a truthful man and that if he rose in the
legislature to say he had investigated the charges made against
Senator Pomeroy and had found them false, many more votes would

264 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

come Pomeroy's way. Before York left Pomeroy got him to agree
to take private lodgings the next day; York and Johnson had been
sharing rooms in a hotel, and Pomeroy was concerned lest the money
he had given York be discovered by someone else. York promised
also not to bank the money but to keep it in his trunk till he got
home to Independence, when he would lock it in his safe. The next
day at four in the afternoon York and Pomeroy met by previous
agreement at Col. T. B. Eldridge's rooms and a bundle of $5,000,
instead of the $4,000 previously agreed on, was handed to York.
The senator wanted York to attend the Pomeroy caucus that eve-
ning to lend the boys a hand, but York begged off on the plea of
needing some sleep so he could give the senator better service on the
floor of the joint convention the next day.

The senators of the committee took some pains to establish that
York had accepted Pomeroy's money with the specific intention of
exposing him. Senator Alcorn asked, "Then you went there in order
to win his confidence by what you would say . . .?" "I intended
to deceive him," answered York. Alcorn continued: "Did you not
hold out the inducement to cause him to place that confidence in
you " York: "I did; most emphatically, I did." Alcorn: " which
a man dealing with a customer of this sort would be disposed to
place " York: "Yes, sir." Alcorn: " believing he was reposing
trust in a man that would not betray him?" York: "Yes, sir." Al-
corn: "You state that after that you did betray him?" York:
"Yes, sir; I did." Plainly, York was unregenerate. In answer to a
question by Senator Vickers, York declared: "It was my purpose,
if Mr. Pomeroy would offer me an opportunity of taking money to
take it, and then I would expose him ; that was my intent ; that was
my object."

William A. Johnson, York's erstwhile roommate in Topeka, testi-
fied that when he arrived in the state capital he found it very diffi-
cult to get lodgings. He did not stay in the Tefft House because
the landlord had told him Pomeroy had rented almost the whole
hotel for "the use of his lobby and his friends." He testified also
that between 90 and 100 members of the legislature came to Topeka
pledged against Pomeroy; 64, in fact, attended the first meeting of
the anti-Pomeroy caucus. But as the days wore on, it was found
that "men who had been the fiercest and bitterest against Mr. Pom-
eroy's reelection" were deserting to the other side, and "we would
hear from them in his rooms, and around his headquarters. . . ."

Four other men were brought to Washington to testify that as
members of the legislature they had been offered bribes by Pom-

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 265

eroy's agents. W. M. Matheny said Milt Reynolds (the newspaper
editor who had dropped his suit against Pomeroy some years before
and had then been appointed to a land office job) urged him to vote
for Pomeroy and assured the incredulous Matheny on Tuesday
evening that York "is ours, and he will vote to-morrow for Mr.
Pomeroy." A few minutes later a man named Dean S. Kelly offered
Matheny a $1,500 piece of property in Baxter Springs, Matheny's
home town, for $25 if Matheny would vote for Pomeroy. B. O'Dris-
coll, a member of the lower house, was twice offered $2,000 by Asa
Lowe if he would vote right. He refused. A man named David
Paine next approached him and said there was plenty of money in
Topeka for those who would vote for Pomeroy. Paine said that "it
was Government money, or money that had been stolen from the
Government, as he stated it, and that I had just as well have it as
anybody else." After O'Driscoll had turned this down too, he was
approached by two other men; when he said to the last that if any
more of Pomeroy's bummers came to him with offers he would pub-
lish the fact to the town, he was finally left alone.

Frank Bacon, also a member of the lower house, was proposi-
tioned several times by Christian A. Rohrabacher, who was working
for Pomeroy. Finally at Rohrabacher 's invitation Bacon went to
a room in the Tefft House where A. H. Horton, Pomeroy's attorney,
met him. Horton introduced himself as attorney for the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and said that this company was very
anxious to see Mr. Pomeroy re-elected. If Bacon would vote right,
Horton said, Pomeroy would pay his campaign expenses. Bacon
suggested that some $2,000 would be needed for this item, but Hor-
ton said Pomeroy couldn't pay more than $600 to $1,000. On Wed-
nesday, however, just before the joint convention was called to
order, Rohrabacher came up to Bacon on the floor and told him that
the $2,000 was ready for him if he'd give his vote to Pomeroy.
Bacon refused.

The case of William H. Bond, an idealistic but needy young man
representing Leavenworth county, was especially dramatic. He was
persecuted for days, he said, by Pomeroy's agents. Everywhere he
went, a Pomeroy man materialized before him and began making
lewd offers for his vote. One gathers that the attrition was telling
on him, for when the senator's lead-off man, A. H. Horton, cornered
him in a hotel room on Wednesday morning, the day of the joint
convention, Bond said he fled in desperation to the state house,
where he "went into the water-closet, and staid there till the house
was called to order."

266 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Christian A. Rohrabacher, the man Bacon said had offered him
$2,000 in Pomeroy's interest, had a rather bad time of it before the
committee. In the course of testimony it developed that before the
legislature's investigation of the election, he had written a letter to
Alfred Ennis of Topeka saying he had just learned he would be
summoned to appear before the legislature's committee: " 'It is not
best that I should go there,' " he wrote, " 'it is not best that I should
be called. I want $50 for expenses, so that I can go away.' '' On
the ninth of February he wrote Pomeroy, however, saying that he
had read of the proposed senate investigation, and that he had evi-
dence that would confound the opposition. He suggested that Pom-
eroy have him summoned to Washington and ended his letter en-
couragingly with the assurance that "I start to-morrow for Shelbina,
Mo., to look up York's antecedents.' " 48 When he heard nothing
from Pomeroy, he wired him urgently two days later: " 'You had
better have me summoned to Washington.' " But Pomeroy did not
summon him; the other side did. When he was asked before the
committee about his making offers to Bacon, he agreed with Bacon's
version of the affair. Then, under cross-examination, it became ap-
parent why the defense had not called him for their side. The un-
fortunate Rohrabacher had a rather picaresque past, it seemed. A.
H. Horton not only got him to admit that he had come to Kansas
from the state penitentiary in Iowa, where he had served two and
a half years for burglary, but even got the entire court records of
his trial and conviction read into the committee's minutes. 49 Thus
the defense was later able to point to "the convict Rohrabacher" as
an example of the type of witness the prosecution had relied on.

VII

Pomeroy's attorneys called a swarm of witnesses, all of whom
testified with remarkable unanimity that, first, it was a gross insult
even to intimate that Mr. Pomeroy would buy a vote or that he
would have others do it for him; and second, that Topeka, like the
New Jerusalem, was free from taint or blemish. John McDonald's

48. This was the town where York had lived before moving to Kansas after the war.

49. There are a couple of passages in the records of the trial and conviction that, if cor-
rect, may force literary critics to revaluate the dime novels of the period and put them among
the early pioneers of realism. Rohrabacher was convicted with a fellow named Knight. " 'One
Yates, of the Chicago detective force, came to Iowa and had reason to suspect the defendants.
Unknown to them, he followed Knight and the others to different places. Himself invisible, he
pursued Knight liks a shadow ; noiselessly but certainly, with or after him.' " After the cap-
ture of Knight, a trap was set at the Montour House, Independence, Iowa, for Rohrabacher.
He was sharing a room there with a police stooge named Pollard who had been planted tvith
him. A detective moved into the next room and removed a strip from the bottom of a con-
necting door so that he could overhear their conversation. He reported: " 'Pollard Bays to
Rohrabacher, 'Knight has blowed on us;' Rorabacher says, 'God d n Knight, he never
could be trusted.' Pollard says, 'We are salted this time.' Rorabacher says, 'That d n de-
tective is sharper than a cut rifle.' "

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 267

testimony is typical. Mr. Horton: "General McDonald, do you
know of any improper influence being used there during that canvass,
to your knowledge?" McDonald: "Not at all, sir." Every state-
ment by the other side involving attempts to bribe were categorically
denied. And Perry B. Maxson declared that York had told him on
Tuesday he was going to vote for Pomeroy, although York and his
friends had sworn that only six men including himself were in on
the secret until the exposure was made in the convention.

Judge Albert H. Horton, as Pomeroy's intimate friend, was al-
lowed to speak at some length. Only 35 years old at this time, he
had already come far. For two years he had served as city attor-
ney of Atchison, then for five years was district judge; in the fall of
1868 he was elected to the legislature, then was appointed United
States district attorney, which position he still held at the time of
the investigation. He also claimed to be attorney for the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, and was in effect Pomeroy's cam-
paign manager. Horton made sweeping denials of all the allega-
tions made by York's side. He had been "distinctly informed by Mr.
Pomeroy that he desired his re-election in this instance as a justi-
fication before the people of Kansas, on account of the calumnies
that had been uttered against him, and that he would not use a
dollar or a cent illegitimately or improperly to secure that result.
. . ." He denied also that he had himself made offers of bribes to
anyone. As for the charge that he had offered Bacon money, the
latter had come to Horton and offered to sell his vote to Pomeroy
for $2,000. "I indignantly refused it," said Horton. He added that
he had been told by Mr. Pomeroy that York had as early as Satur-
day been telling people he was going to vote for Pomeroy, notwith-
standing his role in the anti-Pomeroy caucus.

Pomeroy's main testimony was given in a thoughtfully prepared
statement which he was allowed to read. Since no other witness had
been given this privilege there were several half-hearted protests
from members of the committee, but he was allowed to proceed with-
out hindrance. If Horton's denials were sweeping, Pomeroy's were
annihilating. He denied either that he had ever given authority to
anyone else to bargain for votes for him, or that he had paid for
votes himself. He swore that York had told at least three men (all
Pomeroy supporters) on Saturday that he would support Pomeroy 's
candidacy ; this was two days before Pomeroy and York met in the
Tefft House at night. He did not deny having given York the $7,000.
But he had a different explanation from that of York for why he had
paid the money. Some days before the election, he said, he had

268 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

agreed to aid a young man, John Q. Page, in establishing a national
bank at Independence. Page was already operating a private bank
there. In order to make the conversion, Page had to buy 25 $1,000
government bonds, which were then selling at a premium of $12 or
$14 dollars per $100 of face value. Page could raise $25,000 himself,
but he needed somewhere between seven and ten thousand more in
order to get the bonds. 50 Pomeroy had agreed to lend him this
amount, whatever it should prove to be. Page wanted the money
before he left Topeka, but Pomeroy said it wasn't convenient then for
him to get this sum but that he would get it soon, and Page could
count on it.

Shortly after this interview, on Friday or Saturday, Pomeroy met
W. P. Boreland of the Leavenworth Second National Bank who
asked him solicitously if he wouldn't be needing some cash before
he left for Washington. Boreland observed that Pomeroy's hotel
bills would probably be quite large. At this time, Pomeroy de-
clined the offer with thanks, but when he happened to meet Bore-
land again the next day he said he would like to have $5,000 for 40
or 60 days since he had promised to help a young friend start a
national bank in Independence. "He then brought me a package,
said to contain $5,000, which I never opened or counted, or even gave
a note or receipt for at the time, and I put the same in my valise."
Meanwhile York had been pestering Pomeroy for an interview and
finally came to see the senator on Monday night; he told Pomeroy
what had been going on in the anti-Pomeroy caucus, and Pomeroy
patiently "heard him through." Before he left, he thanked Pomeroy
for the favor the latter had done their mutual friend Page, and said
that Page had asked him to get the money and convey it to him at
Independence, where both lived. Pomeroy was at first rather re-
luctant, but finally gave $2,000 to York that night and the next
afternoon gave him the package of $5,000 that he had got from Bore-
land. Pomeroy took no receipt.

After he had given York the $5,000, Pomeroy sent two men out to
look for Page and tell him that the money had been given to York,
but both returned saying they had been unable to find him.
"... I rested in the belief that the transaction was all right
until I heard of the misrepresentation of the facts by Mr. York upon
the floor of the joint convention. I then denounced it as a conspir-
acy, a plot. . . ."

50. Actually $25,000 worth of bonds selling at a premium of, say, $14 per hundred of
face value, would cost $28,500. In other words, the premium would amount not to $7,000 or
$10,000, but to $3,500. It is strange that no one seems to have mentioned this during the
hearings.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 269

Senator Thurman was the only member of the committee who
took pains to ask his colleague about certain discrepancies in his
testimony. Why hadn't Pomeroy given York the whole $7,000 on
Monday night, since the package of $5,000 was in his valise in a
corner of the room? There were two reasons, said Pomeroy. First,
he wanted to check with Page before giving the last $5,000 to York,
and second, "I had not the $5,000 accessible at that time." But
hadn't Thurman understood that the $5,000 was in a valise in the
same room? Yes, but the valise was locked and the senator's clerk,
Lemuel Pomeroy, had the key. Then where was Lemuel Pomeroy?
"He was in the reception-room, or abed. He was about the hotel."
Then Thurman wanted to know if Pomeroy had thought it entirely
safe to give that much money, to York with no receipt of any kind.
Pomeroy admitted that it was perhaps a little irregular, and that it
was not his usual way of doing business. Had the banker, Boreland,
been summoned to Washington as a witness? Yes, but by the other
side, Pomeroy answered. He had had a subpoena made out but tore
it up when he learned that Simpson had summoned him. (Boreland,
by the way, had vanished shortly before the investigation began ; he
could not be found and hence the subpoena was not served.) Had
Pomeroy ever said anything since to Mr. Page about what had hap-
pened to the money that had been promised him? Well, Pomeroy
had written him a letter from Washington, but he had since learned
that Page had never received it. The money, however, was Page's,
and Page had a right to it. Thurman got in one parting shot at the
bank deal. Thurman: "Nothing was said about the interest you
were to have in the bank or on the money?" Pomeroy: "I was to
have no interest in the bank." Thurman: "And nothing was said
about the rate of interest on the money?" Pomeroy: "Not at all."
Thurman: "Or whether he was to pay interest at all?" Pomeroy:
"Nothing at all."

Page's testimony, although it preceded Pomeroy's, I have put last
because it was the fullest testimony of any defense witness. He was
a young man of 33, originally from Missouri but had lived in Kan-
sas for 20 years. For the last two years he had been in the banking
business in Independence. He first met Pomeroy in the fall of 1871
when the senator had come to Independence to make a speech. This
meeting consisted of shaking hands with him and of engaging, to-
gether with many other people, in a general conversation with him
afterwards in the lobby of a hotel. The next time he saw Pomeroy
at all was on January 21, 1873, shortly before the senatorial election.
They had had no correspondence in the interval.

270 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Page got to Topeka in the afternoon of January 21 and went to
see Pomeroy after dinner with a petition from a group of Independ-
ence citizens endorsing Pomeroy's candidacy. Some days later Page
again called on him to ask for help in converting his bank. "He told
me he had helped a great many young men in Kansas, and was will-
ing to help me. ... I told him I would give him any security
he might require. He said he did not require any." Pomeroy said he
didn't have the money with him at the time but would probably
have it before the election and would give it to Page as soon as he
got it. In the event he could not get the money before Page left for
Independence after the election, Pomeroy said he would send it to
him.

On Saturday, January 25, Page saw Pomeroy and asked him
whether the money had come yet. No, Pomeroy said, not yet. On
Monday, January 27, Page met York and told him that Pomeroy
would probably give him a package of money and asked York if he
would bring it to him at Independence when the convention was
over. York agreed, said Page. (York and Page were neighbors in
Independence and were on friendly terms, though not intimate.)
Nothing was said to York, however, about the fact that Page in-
tended to start a national bank at Independence, or that the money
he was to convey to Page was to be used for this purpose. Subse-
quently to seeing York, Page called on Pomeroy to see if the money
had come and to tell him that he was leaving for Independence on
the five A. M. train the next day, Tuesday. He asked Pomeroy at
this meeting to send the money, when it did come, with either York
or Mr. Bell, a member of the lower house from Independence. But
after leaving Pomeroy's rooms, Page said he ran into Asa Hairgrove,
who persuaded him to stay on in Topeka until after the senatorial
election had been decided. Page did not finally leave Topeka for
Independence till the noon train on Thursday, January 30. During
all this time, Page had no further conversation with Pomeroy. He did
not inquire either of York or of Bell whether they had the money for
him from Pomeroy. After both Page and York were back home in
Independence following the election, Page did not speak to York
about the money, nor did he mention the matter to Bell. Page even
saw York on the train on the way home, but kept silent, though he
was conscious of what York had done with the $7,000 which he
knew was intended for him. Page had no correspondence with
Pomeroy about the money after the election. He said it was not
till he himself got to Washington as a witness for the investigation
that Pomeroy told him the money intended for the bank had been

Gb'TTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 271

given to York, who had made it exhibit A in the exposure. Page
swore further that he had told no one of the true extent of York's
duplicity doublecrossing not only Pomeroy but Page himself un-
til he made the statement under oath before the senate committee.
He had kept this private wrong locked in his own bosom. He de-
clared that he had frequently stated to others that he thought
York's betrayal of Pomeroy was "a villainy unparalleled in the
history of this country" ; but at the same time he admitted that im-
mediately after the exposure in the joint convention he had told
S. A. Cobb, member of congress, that he believed what York had
just said: "I told him that Mr. York was a man that stood well in
my county; that I could not dispute his statements; that if Mr.
Pomeroy had positively paid him $7000 for his vote, that I was no
longer for Mr. Pomeroy."

The last item of testimony taken during the investigation was a
statement made by York, who was recalled to the stand to say
whether he had ever had any conversation with Page regarding
money for Page's bank. "I will state most emphatically," he said,
"that I never did, directly or indirectly; that he never upon any
occasion, either at Topeka or before or since, made the most indirect
allusion to establishing a national bank at Independence, and I also
state most emphatically that in none of the interviews I had with
Mr. Pomeroy was the matter of his paying me money for Mr. Page
ever referred to in the most distant manner."

VIII

Simpson's summary of York's case began by pointing out that it
was not York who was on trial, but Pomeroy. "It is immaterial,"
Simpson declared, "whether York is a gentleman of high moral char-
acter or not. Did Pomeroy pay him for his vote? If he did,
whether York is a saint or a villain is of no consequence. Honest
men do not pay bribes to saints, conspirators, villains, or any one
else." Pomeroy had every reason to buy York off, Simpson argued.
York had been elected state senator on an anti-Pomeroy pledge ; he-
made repeated promises during his campaign to work for Pomeroy's
defeat; he attended all the meetings of the anti-Pomeroy caucus and
was its secretary ; he spoke publicly against Pomeroy from the floor
of the legislature before the senatorial election. Then Simpson be-
gan picking holes in the defense's testimony. He pointed out that
the statements of Pomeroy's friends show that they did not say
York was going to vote for Pomeroy till after the time when York
had been given the money that is, these rumors were circulated on

272 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Tuesday. The only one who could have supplied the information
to start these rumors was Pomeroy himself, for York's confederates
were sworn to silence.

Why, Simpson asked, did Pomeroy arrange to meet York the sec-
ond time in Colonel Eldridge's room? Why not meet in his own?
Or why wasn't the money sent to Page by Colonel Eldridge himself,
who was from Page's county? For that matter, why didn't Pomeroy
merely mail Page a check or draft? Why was currency used? Then
he called the committee's attention to the confidence Pomeroy had
in Page. He had seen Page once before, and then in company; he
had had no previous business relations with Page; he had had no
correspondence with him; yet he agreed to lend Page $7,000 with-
out interest, without security, without receipt. "Is not this a re-
markable business transaction? At the same time, does it not
demonstrate the trusting and confiding nature of short friendships
formed in the midst of a senatorial strife?" Simpson observed that
when Page went to see Pomeroy on Monday evening, January 27,
Pomeroy told him the money was not there yet. But Pomeroy testi-
fied he got the money the previous Friday or Saturday from Bore-
land. And although on Tuesday Pomeroy had two men trying with-
out success to find Page, the latter did not leave Topeka until
Thursday. Another point of Pomeroy's testimony seemed out of
line; Pomeroy had said that when York came to see him on Mon-
day night he thanked him earnestly for helping Page in his efforts
to start a national bank. Yet Page testified that he had never told
York he planned to convert his bank.

In arguing his contention that it was not York who was on trial
Simpson said:

. . . the man who exposes the villainy is denounced as a Judas, while
he who attempts to defile is the sympathetic subject of a "conspiracy." What
possible motive could York have but an honest one? By silence, he could
have procured money and official promotion; by exposure, he meets vitupera-
tion in our public press, censure in the council chambers of the nation, and the
muttered threats of the pensioned horde of the fallen. When the Post-Office
Department suspicions a thieving postmaster of larcenous propensities, they
send out a decoy letter to detect the scoundrel, and yet the official perfidy of
the act of detection has never been so manifest that a joint resolution has
passed both Houses denouncing the governmental Judas.

The friends of Mr. Pemeroy, in their holy horror of Colonel York's decep-
tion, are never weary of applying to him the name of the disciple who be-
trayed our Savior. But we beg to remind the committee, and the gentlemen
whose susceptibilities have suffered such a shock, that Judas accepted the
money and carried out the contract!

Old Caleb Gushing summarized for Pomeroy. Amply shrewd to

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 273

see that Pomeroy's case was weak on facts, Gushing surmounted
this obstacle merely by ignoring the facts. He concentrated all the
power of his formidable rhetoric on the characters of the witnesses
for the other side, and for sheer virtuosity in the handling of in-
vective, Gushing was hard to beat. He disposed first of the charges
brought by Bacon, Bond, Matheny and O'Driscoll. York and Simp-
son, he said, had brought to Washington "a number of witnesses,
trashy persons like Bond and Bacon, to testify to the low gossip
of Topeka at the time of the senatorial election. . . . The con-
vict Rohrabacher is a fair type of the set." The lot of them, with
York and Simpson, were involved in a deal which combined "private
cheating, political fraud, and moral assassination." In the first
place, Pomeroy had no reason to try to buy York's vote: "His
election was already certain. That is proved incontrovertibly by
the testimony of various persons before the committee." But these
conspirators, during Mr. Pomeroy's absence in Washington, had
been busy in Topeka digging up dirt and wallowing in it: "Mr.
Pomeroy was not there to defend himself." Nonetheless, the prose-
cution, said Gushing, had utterly failed to prove that bribery had
been committed, and therefore it would surely be safe to assume
that as far as Mr. Pomeroy was concerned the election "was ab-
solutely pure, and without a taint or spot of corruption or bribery."
Consequently, Gushing invited the committee "to stigmatize with
their censure the flagrant injustice of Mr. Simpson in presenting
these false charges to the Senate; in subjecting the United States
to so much expense without cause; in abusing the confidence of the
committee, to bring forward witnesses incompetent, as he did, or
should know; and in thus bearing false witness against his neighbor,
in violation of the law of man and of God."

Then Mr. Gushing turned his attention to Colonel York, "a per-
son of credulously jealous temperament," a man cursed with "a
mind cankered by constitutional suspiciousness." York had three
motives: "1. To cheat Mr. Pomeroy out of an election for Senator.
. . . 2. To cheat the legislature itself out of the free choice,
either of Mr. Pomeroy or anybody else. 3. To cheat Mr. Pomeroy
out of his money." As for York's statement that when he and his
three friends met on that Monday evening they decided that what-
ever money Pomeroy might give him they would contribute to the
state school fund, Gushing became classical: "When Vespasian
exhibited to Titus the new coin obtained from the tax on cloacae,
he said, 'My son, non olet! What sort of smell would belong to a
183398

274 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

school-fund augmented by money which Mr. York should have
obtained from Mr. Pomeroy by conspiracy, falsehood, and fraud?"

Observing then York's "sallow complexion, his sunken eyes, his
hollow cheeks, his somber air and manner," Gushing concluded that
he was a political fanatic like Clement, who assassinated Henry
III, Fenton, who assassinated the Duke of Buckingham, Booth, who
assassinated Lincoln, and Payne, who tried to assassinate Seward.
These men felt any wrong they performed was justified by the ulti-
mate good they intended to achieve. The whole class were a poor
sort of heroes. Moral assassins like York could claim only "The hero-
ism of lying! The heroism of cheating! The heroism of professing
friendship in order to betray ! Pah ! All these persons belong to a vo-
cation which Macaulay characterizes as 'a vocation compared with
which the life of a beggar, of a pickpocket, of a pimp, is honorable.'
God have mercy on her, if such is the timber of which they construct
heroes in the State of Kansas!" Postwar amendments to the con-
stitution forbade selling black men, Gushing declared. "It is to be
endured that we are to have distinction of color against white men?
An ex-lieutenant-colonel, an actual State senator, . . . sells in
Kansas for $7000, cash on delivery. . . . But how the price of
slaves has risen! Seven thousand dollars for Mr. York! Why, a
better man could be bought in the bagnio for tenpence! says
Anastasius."

But, said Mr. Gushing, York did not go to Pomeroy and offer him-
self for sale at $7,000, nor did Pomeroy "purchase for $,7,000 a piece
of chattels which would have been dear at 7,000 cents." Instead,
Pomeroy received assurances from York that he could be trusted to
convey the money to Mr. Page. As to why Page did not remonstrate
at the joint convention and declare publicly that he knew how York
came by the money, "It would have been absurd for Mr. Page, a
quiet banker, to plunge into that mad scene, and charge York with
thus misapplying his money. . . ."

In conclusion, Gushing declared that Mr. Pomeroy did not choose
to oppose his word against the mere word of York, although "He
might well do that, seeing that the statement of Mr. York is incredi-
ble in itself, contrary to all the probabilities, and even possibilities,
of human action, unsupported by a tittle of evidence except his own
word, and that word the word of an avowed falsifier, deceiver, and
betrayer." Pomeroy, he said, contradicts "peremptorily" York's
charges, and "appeals from the calumnies of such a man to the con-
sideration and estimation which he has the right to claim at the

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 275

close of an honorable career of twelve years in the Senate of the
United States."

The investigating committee concluded its hearings on February
25, yet its final report was not released until March 3, the last day
of the Forty-second congress. On March 1 the New York Tribune
ran an article on the hearings with the headline "Pomeroy to Be
Whitewashed. . . . Pomeroy's Defense to Be Accepted, in the
Face of General Disbelief in Its Truth." 51 The committee's report
was expected that day, but it was not forthcoming. Two days later
the Tribune ran a dispatch from Washington dated March 2 which
reported that the reason for the committee's delay in making its
findings public was that Pomeroy's friends had been trying to get the
committee to include some recommendation for refusing to seat the
newly elected Senator Ingalls, Pomeroy's successor, since the Kansas
legislature in putting Ingalls in office had acted on false information
namely, that Pomeroy had tried to bribe Senator York. 52

When the report finally appeared, it was found that a majority
opinion had been signed by Frelinghuysen, Buckingham and Alcorn,
and minority opinions by Vickers and Thurman. The majority re-
port held, first, that the charges of bribery preferred by Bacon, Bond,
O'Driscoll and Matheny were not clearly cases of bribery, and even
if they were there was no evidence to connect them with Senator
Pomeroy. Second, with regard to York's charges, the majority took
pains to point out that there were "circumstances that legitimately
affect the credibility of Mr. York": specifically, that York had ad-
mitted planning the exposure in advance with the express purpose of
securing Pomeroy's defeat; that York fought down a motion for
recess in the joint convention after the exposure had been made;
and that "when a line of deception has been entered upon, no one
can say when it is dropped and the golden thread of truth adopted."
The majority further noted that all of York's witnesses were flatly
contradicted by Mr. Pomeroy's.

But it was mentioned that there were a few unanswered questions,
such as why Pomeroy didn't give York the whole $7,000 the first
night; why no one else happened to be present at either of York's
two interviews during which he received the money ; why Page and
Pomeroy didn't manage to meet in Topeka after Monday; why
Pomeroy didn't give Page the money when Page called on Monday,
and why the money wasn't given in a sealed package, the usual pro-

51. New York Tribune, March 1, 1873, p. 1.

52. Ibid., March 3, 1873, p. 5.

276 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

cedure in such cases. The majority also admitted there were some
discrepancies between the testimony of Page and that of Pomeroy,
but added kindly that "perhaps they are not other than such as show
the absence of arrangement between them as witnesses." Conse-
quently, the majority took the view that the whole affair was "the re-
sult of a concerted plot to defeat Mr. Pomeroy, and remembering
that the burden of proof is on the party making the accusation, [the
majority] have come to the conclusion that Mr. York has not sus-
tained his charge by sufficient proof, contradicted as it is by the evi-
dence of Mr. Page and Mr. Pomeroy."

Senator Vickers' minority report differed from that of the major-
ity only in that it placed even greater emphasis on York's treachery
and the inevitable effect that fact must have on the reliability of his
evidence. Hence Vickers could not "decide that the guilt of Mr.
Pomeroy is established beyond a reasonable doubt." Senator Thur-
man, however, came out boldly and said that he believed Pomeroy
to be guilty on both counts. Pomeroy's testimony, he stated, con-
tradicted Page's, and besides, Pomeroy's reports of the affair were
"so opposed to the usual circumstances attending a business trans-
action, and are so improbable, . . . that reliance cannot be
placed upon them." He added that he would make a fuller state-
ment of his dissent, but this was the last day of the session, and of
Pomeroy's term as senator, so that the senate would not have time
to consider his objections even were he to give them. He has stated
briefly, therefore, "the conclusions to which my mind has, reluc-
tantly and painfully, been brought."

Next day the New York Tribune, with an I-told-you-so attitude,
ran its story of the report under the headline "Pomeroy White-
washed. The Coat Not Considered Very Effective. General Belief
in His Guilt. . . ." In the course of the article, which contained
the majority and minority reports, the Tribune urged its readers to
give especial thought to Thurman's opinion because of his reputa-
tion for thoroughness and fairness. 53 The Annals of Kansas, a book
containing a day-by-day history of the state from its beginnings
until 1875, when the book went to press, gave the verdict of the
investigating committee, then referred to Mark Twain's version of
it in The Gilded Age, which came out shortly before Christmas of
1873. "The book containing this investigation," the author of the
Annals says, "is a Senate document, Report No. 523, Forty-second
Congress, Third session, pp. 270. Mark Twain's book, published

53. Ibid., March 4, 1873, p. 1.

GOTTERDAMMERUNG IN TOPEKA 277

this year, contains 574 pages. It is a work of fiction. 'Anything but
history,' says Robert Walpole, 'for history must be false.' " 54

Pomeroy's subsequent career, though characteristic to a degree, is
not as exciting as that part of it which preceded the exoneration of
1873. Cleared or not, the affair ruined him politically. He stayed on
in Washington for a few years, then returned to Massachusetts. But
first the state of Kansas had not finished with him. On March 6,
1873, the Kansas legislature's committee of investigation issued its
final report and found Pomeroy guilty of bribery. Meanwhile, the
ex-senator had a bribery suit pending against him in the courts of
Kansas. The trial was originally set for January 31, 1873, imme-
diately after the exposure had been made. At that time, Pomeroy
had gained a postponement on4he grounds of illness. On June 16 of
the same year the trial was due to come up again, but once more it
was postponed, this time till the next session of the court. It was set
again for the first Monday in January, 1874, but the Leavenworth
Times had written in December there was a rumor that United States
Attorney Scofield had agreed privately not to prosecute Pomeroy.
In any event, the trial did not come up in January. On February 10
the Kansas legislature voted to urge a speedy trial, and finally
Pomeroy appeared before Judge Morton at Topeka on June 8. Both
sides agreed to go to trial on July 27. On July 27 Pomeroy's attor-
ney made application for a change of venue, and the case was sent
to Osage county. On the tenth of November the trial was set at
Burlingame before Judge Peyton, but a continuance was asked for
and granted. The trial then was to be held April 5, 1875, but on
March 12 the county attorney agreed to enter a nolle prosequi, thus
ending the case.

In 1884 Pomeroy ran for President of the United States on the
ticket of the American Prohibition party. Grover Cleveland and
the Democrats won out, however, and Pomeroy retired to Whitins-
ville, Mass., where he died in 1891.

The story of the $7,000 that Pomeroy gave York is worth telling
by way of a postscript. At the original conference among York,
Simpson, Johnson and James Horton, it was decided to give the
expected bribe to the state school fund. When York actually made
his disclosure in the joint convention, though, he apparently forgot
this agreement and asked that the money be used to defray the
costs of investigating Pomeroy on charges of bribery and corruption.
York left the money on the desk of the secretary of state (or, some

54. Wilder, op. cit., p. 610.

278 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

said, on the desk of the chief clerk of the state senate) in the Kan-
sas state house. The money was placed under seal by resolution of
the joint convention and made a special deposit with the state
treasurer. During the legislature's investigation, Sen. William E.
Guerin, chairman of the investigating committee, was briefly given
custody of the money to use as evidence. When he was through
with it, it was returned to the state treasurer. In the late stages
of the senate investigation, the New York Tribune remarked that
Senator Guerin had arrived in Washington with the $7,000 to use
as an exhibit before the committee. But when Guerin testified on
February 24 he denied having the money, and said that it was on
its way to Washington by express. When it had not appeared by
the next day, Guerin was recalled to the stand to explain. He testi-
fied that when he left Topeka the chief clerk of the state treasurer
had assured him the money would be sent on the same train to
Washington that Guerin himself was taking. At this point, Pom-
eroy's counsel, A. H. Horton, interrupted to remark that he had just
been talking with a Kansas legislator lately arrived from Topeka
who informed him that the legislature had recalled the money after
it was on its way east. Horton felt sure that the money would be
sent at once if the chairman of the senate committee would wire for
it. But this was the last day of the hearings and the money could
have been of no use then if it had been sent for. In any event, it
never seems to have arrived in Washington.

During the last days of the investigation, Page brought suit
against York for the $7,000; but, as the Tribune observed, the effort
was probably aimed at supporting Pomeroy's and Page's testimony
before the committee. The suit, in any event, was unsuccessful.

The final chapter in the history of this elusive bundle of green-
backs is noted in the Annals of Kansas: 55

Topeka, Kansas, March 12, 1875.

Received of A. M. York the sum of seven thousand dollars, less the amount of
costs in the case of The State of Kansas against S. C. Pomeroy, now pending in
the District Court in and for Osage County, Kansas, in full of amount paid by
me to said A. M. York during the session of the Kansas State Legislature, in
the year 1873. S. C. Pomeroy.

By Albert H. Horton, his attorney.

So the wheel comes full circle. The $7,000 that had got Pomeroy
into trouble in the first place, was finally used to expunge nearly
the last official traces of corruption from his name; the money re-
maining after court costs was divided among his lawyers. Artisti-
cally, such a conclusion is very satisfying.

55. Ibid., p. 606.

Legal Hangings in Kansas

LOUISE BARRY
I. INTRODUCTION

FOR the crime of murder in the first degree the death penalty has
been legal for approximately 68 of the 96 years since the organiza-
tion of Kansas. 1 Or, to state it otherwise: the penalty has been
legal in Kansas except for the 28 years between 1907 and 1935. Exe-
cution by hanging was not specified by law until 1858, but since that
year it has been the state's prescribed method of capital punishment.

Up to 1907, when capital punishment was abolished, only nine per-
sons had been hanged under state law. All these executions occurred
between 1863 and 1870. During the next 73 years there were no
hangings under state law, but since 1944, six men have died on the
gallows of the Kansas penitentiary at Lansing.

Nine other persons are known to have been legally hanged in
Kansas. Records have been found of three such executions under
military jurisdiction 2 during the Civil War period. Three persons
were hanged under federal law, at Wichita, in the late 1880's; and at
the U. S. penitentiary, Leavenworth, one man was hanged in 1930,
and two others in 1938.

Illegal hangings within the state have been much more numerous.
More than 200 men have been lynched in Kansas. 3 These outside-
the-law executions were largely for the crimes of horse stealing and
murder. Although more than half of the lynchings occurred in the
first 15 years of Kansas' existence, some 90 persons were illegally
hanged in the state between 1870 and 1932.

Legislation relating to capital punishment for murder in the
first degree can be summarized as follows:

Among the so-called "bogus laws" passed by the Proslavery terri-
torial legislature of Kansas in 1855 was a statute dealing with
crime and criminals, one of its provisions being that "Persons con-
victed of murder in the first degree shall suffer death." 4 Until the
territorial legislature of 1858 passed a "Code of Criminal Pro-

LOUISB BARRY is in charge of the Manuscripts division of the Kansas State Historical Society.

1. One other crime treason against the state has carried a death penalty in Kansas since
1861. No one has been convicted under this statute.

2. Legal executions of one civilian (Solomon P. Hoy), and of one soldier (John W. Sum-
mers), by military firing squad, are also noted in this article.

3. Genevieve Yost's "History of Lynchings in Kansas," in The Kansas Historical Quarterly,
v. 2, pp. 182-219, covers the subject comprehensively.

4. The Statutes of the Territory of Kansas, 1855, Ch. 48, Sec. 3.

(279)

280 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

cedure" 5 there was no law prescribing a specific method hanging
as the means of execution.

However, in 1859, the territorial legislature repealed all the stat-
utes of 1855, and many of the laws enacted in 1858, including the
criminal code. 6 The 1859 legislature proceeded to pass a new crime
and criminals act, and a new code of criminal procedure. The former
provided that "Persons convicted of murder in the first degree shall
suffer death" ; 7 and the latter contained a section stating that "The
punishment of death, prescribed by law, must be inflicted by hang-
ing by the neck, at such time as the court may adjudge." Also in
the criminal code was a provision that "Sentence of death shall be
executed in some private enclosure, as near to the jail as possible,"
with a specific statement as to the persons who could attend an
execution either by invitation of the sheriff, or by request of the
prisoner. 8 (The hanging of William Griffith in 1863 was, neverthe-
less, a public affair; and the hanging of William Dickson in 1870,
was a travesty of this section of the law.)

When Kansas became a state in 1861 these 1859 acts remained in
effect because the Wyandotte constitution, under which Kansas was
admitted to the Union, provided that all laws in force in the terri-
tory at the time of the adoption of the constitution should remain in
force until expired or repealed, if they were not inconsistent with
the constitution. 9 They were slightly revised, and codified, in 1868, 10
but remained essentially unchanged.

Several sections of the code of criminal procedure were amended
by the legislature of 1872. The most vital change was a provision
that "The punishment of death prescribed by law must be inflicted
by hanging by the neck at such time as the Governor of the state for
the time being may appoint, not less than one year from the time
of conviction. . . . Provided, That no Governor shall be com-
pelled to issue any order ... for the execution of any con-
vict. . . ." n In effect, this banned capital punishment, for no
Kansas governor, during the 35 years this law existed, ever took the
responsibility of ordering an execution.

In 1907 a law was enacted which did abolish capital punishment
for murder. The law said, in part, "Persons convicted of murder

5. Laws of the Territory of Kansas, 1858, Ch. 12, Art. 12, Sec. 11.

6. General Laws of the Territory of Kansas, 1859, Ch. 89, Sees. 1, 3.

7. Ibid., Ch. 28, Sec. 3.

8. Ibid., Ch. 27, Sees. 242, 244.

9. Constitution of the State of Kansas, Schedule, Sec. 4.

10. The General Statutes of the State of Kansas, 1868, p. vi ; and Chs. 31, 82.

11. The Laws of the State of Kansas, 1872, Ch. 166, Sees. 2, 3.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 281

in the first degree shall be punished by confinement and hard labor
in the Penitentiary of the state of Kansas for life. . . ." 12 This
statute remained in effect for 28 years.

In 1935, by legislative act, capital punishment for murder again
became legal in Kansas. The new law provided that "Persons con-
victed of murder in the first degree shall be punished by death or
by confinement and hard labor in the penitentiary of the state of
Kansas for life, and the jury trying the case shall determine which
punishment shall be inflicted: Provided, that the death penalty
shall not be inflicted under this act upon any person under the age
of eighteen years. . . ." 13 The criminal code was amended also,
and the new law stated: "The mode of inflicting the punishment
of death, in all cases in this state, shall be by hanging by the neck
until such convicted person is dead. The warden of the state peni-
tentiary . . . [or] the deputy warden, shall be the execu-
tioner. . . ." 14 These 1935 statutes have not been changed and
"hanging by the neck" remains the only way of carrying out the
death penalty according to Kansas law.

II. LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS

It should be noted that one legal execution, by firing squad, oc-
curred within the boundaries of this state 17 months before Kansas
was organized as a territory. On January 18, 1853, a young Indian
named John Coon, Jr., was executed under the government of the
civilized Wyandotte Indians, in what is today Wyandotte county.
Coon was tried, convicted and shot for the killing of Curtis Punch
on December 11, 1852. The trial took place on December 17, with
William Walker as prosecutor and Silas Armstrong as defense coun-
sel. All of these persons were Wyandotte Indians. Walker con-
sidered the penalty much more severe than was justified by the cir-
cumstances of the case. 15

Although Carl Home was the first person to be hanged under state
law, he was the second to be legally hanged, and the third to be
legally executed, after the organization of Kansas. According to the
adjutant general's records, Pvt. John Bell, Company I, Second
Kansas cavalry, was hanged for rape, on July 11, 1862, at lola, by
sentence of a drum-head court martial approved by Col. W. F. Cloud.
To Bell, therefore, goes the distinction of being the first individual
legally hanged in Kansas.

12. Session Laws, 1901, Ch. 188, Sec. 1.

13. General Statutes of Kansas, 19S5, Ch. 21, Sec. 403.

14. Ibid., Ch. 62, Sec. 2401.

15. The Provisional Government of Nebraska Territory and the Journals of William Walker
edited by W. E. Connelley (Lincoln, Neb., 1899), pp. 369, 871.

282

KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

LIST OF LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS

Date

Name

Place

Law

1862-July 11

Pvt. John Bell *

lola

Military

1863 February 12

Carl Home

Leavenworth

State

1863 May 6

John Shirley*

Fort Leavenworth

Military

1863 May 27

Claudeus C. Frizell

Fort Scott

Military-

1863 October 30

William Griffith

Mound City

State

1865 December 29

John Hendley

Lawrence

State

1866 January 19

Ernest Wa-tee-cha t

Lawrence

State

1866 August 10

Ben Lewis t

Paola

State

1867 February 20

Martin W. Bates

Burlingame

State

1867 November 15

Scott Holderman

Lawrence

State

1868 September 18

Melvin E. Baughn

Seneca

State

1870 August 9

William Dickson

Leavenworth

State

1887 November 15

Lee Mosier

Wichita

Federal

1888 November 21

Joe TrlbKr r } brothers f

Wichita

Federal

1930 September 5

Carl Panzran

Leavenworth

Federal

1938 August 12

Robert J. Suhay Isame
Glen J. ApplegateJ crime

Leavenworth

Federal

1944 March 10

Ernest L. Hoefgen

Lansing

State

1944 April 15

Fred L. Brady

Lansing

State

194^-April 15

Clark B. Knox t

Lansing

State

1947 July 29

Cecil Tate

Lansing

State

1947-July 29

George F. Gumtow

Lansing

State

1950 May 6

George Miller f

Lansing

State

*Pvt. John Bell and John Shirley were hanged, under military law, for rape and robbery,
respectively. In all other instances the principal crime was murder.

f Ernest Wa-tee-cha was a Quapaw Indian; Ben Lewis was also an Indian (probably of the
Peoria tribe); the Tobler brothers were of mixed blood (part Creek Indian and part Negro);
Clark B. Knox and George Miller were Negroes.

Solomon Perry (or Jeremiah) Hoy, a civilian from Johnson
county, was tried before a military commission appointed at Fort
Leavenworth on May 22, 1862, and found guilty of murder. It was
proved that Hoy was a member of QuantrilPs guerrillas, and that he
was an accessory to and guilty of the murder of a man named Allison
(a citizen of Missouri and a soldier in Maj. Charles Banzhafs com-
mand) , at Blue Bridge crossing, Jackson county, Missouri. Although
Hoy was tried and convicted in May, the findings of the military
commission were not acted upon until July 26, when Maj. Gen. James
G. Blunt approved them, and set the execution date. Hoy was exe-
cuted by a military firing squad on July 28, 1862, on the open field
south of the barracks at Fort Leavenworth. 16 In reprisal, Quantrill
had 14 Union men shot!

16. Source: Leavenworth Daily Conservative, July 29, 1862. Banzhaf was a major in the
First Missouri cavalry in 1862. The U. S. census, 1860, for Monticello township, Johnson
county, Kansas, lists an "S. P. Hoy," aged 23, a native of Virginia. According to the Con-
servative, he was tried as Jeremiah (alias Solomon P.) Hoy. In W. E. Connelley's Quantrill
and the Border Wars (Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1910), he is called Perry Hoy.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 283

THE HANGING OF CARL HORNE IT

In a haystack on his farm, about a mile from Easton, neighbors
found the body of John Philip Friend (Freund), on September 5,
1861. His head and chest were crushed, and he had been dead for
some days. (The murder date was later established as August 30.)
Gone from the farm were Friend's wife, Catharine, his son, James
(aged about five), and Carl Home (ex-soldier, aged about 35), a
boarder in the Friend household since June. Investigators learned
that Home and Mrs. Friend (using the name Catharine Grossman)
had been married at Leavenworth on September 2, and had started
for St. Joseph, Mo., with the young boy, several days later. Deputy
Marshal Shott set out in pursuit on September 6, and at Elwood the
next day he overtook and arrested Home and Catharine Friend.
They were returned to Leavenworth and lodged in jail on Septem-
ber 7.

Both were tried during the next term of the district court in Leav-
enworth. Carl Home's trial opened on November 25, 1861, before
Judge William C. McDowell, with Thomas P. Fenlon and F. P.
Fitzwilliams as prosecutors. The defense lawyers were Adams,
Crozier and Ludlum, and W. P. Gambell. On the evening of the
third day the case went to the jurors, and after two hours they
returned a verdict of "guilty of murder in the first degree." Next
day the Leavenworth Times reported "This is the first time, in the
history of Kansas, that a verdict of murder in the first degree has
been given."

A few days later Catharine Friend was tried, found guilty of
murder in the second degree, and sentenced to 10 years imprison-
ment.

On December 7, 1861, an argument by Carl Home's attorneys on
a motion for a new trial and in arrest of judgment was heard by
the court. Ward Burlingame, who was in the room, years later
stated that immediately after hearing the defense lawyers, Judge
McDowell "pulled out a roll of manuscript and read his speech to
the prisoner and the final sentence, showing that he had fully de-
cided to overrule the motion before it was argued." The judge then
sentenced Home to be hanged on January 24, 1862, but he was not
executed on that day because his case was carried to the Kansas
supreme court.

17. References: Leavenworth Daily Times, September 7, 8, November 26, 28, December 3,
6, 8, 1861 ; Leavenworth Daily Conservative, December 8, 1861, December 11-14, 28, 31, 1862,
February 12, 14, 1863; Kansas Reports, v. 1, pp. 42-74; article by W[ard] Bfurlingame] in
Atchison Daily Champion, February 20, 1879, p. 4.

284 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The supreme court heard the Home case in February, 1862 this
tribunal's first criminal case. Deciding that the lower court had
erred in instructing the jury, it reversed the judgment and sent the
case back for a new trial.

Ten months later, Carl Home was tried again for the murder of
Philip Friend this time in the criminal court of Leavenworth which
had been established by the legislature in March, 1862. The second
trial began on December 10, 1862, with Judge Samuel D. Lecompte
presiding, pro tern. On the 13th, after a short period of deliberation,
the jurors found Home guilty of murder in the first degree. On
December 30, Judge Lecompte overruled a motion for a new trial,
and sentenced the prisoner to be hanged on February 13, 1863.

Two days before the execution, the Daily Conservative sent a
reporter to the jail to see the condemned man. He found Home
cheerful, ready to talk about his situation, and seemingly resigned
to his fate. The reporter also noted that among the 30 or so pris-
oners in the jail was Catharine Friend, although he did not see her.

A gallows "of hickory, neatly put up, and painted a dark drab
color," was ready for the hanging, on the north side of the Leaven-
worth jail, midway between the fence and building. As early as
10 o'clock on the morning of February 13, 1863, a crowd began to
gather, although it was known that only a select number of persons
invited by the sheriff would witness the hanging. Men and boys
climbed to the top of the fence, but a military guard soon came
along and ordered them down.

Among the spectators within the jail yard enclosure was a Daily
Conservative writer. He stated that the invited guests entered the
front gate between two rows of bayonets. The proceedings began
at 12:30 P. M., the prisoner walking to the gallows with a "firm
tread and calm demeanor." After the deputy sheriff read the death
warrant, Home made a short speech in German to his friends, then
spoke in English, saying that he was innocent, and sorry that he had
ever had anything to do with Mrs. Friend.

At one minute after one o'clock the sheriff gave the signal, and the
drop fell. Home was declared dead 14 minutes later. Thus ended
the first execution in Kansas under state law; and the second legal
hanging within Kansas after its organization.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 285

THE HANGING OF JOHN SHIRLEY 18

Shirley was the second of three civilians executed by the military
in Kansas ; 19 and his was the first of three public legal hangings in
Kansas; 20 but the unique circumstance of his case was that he was
legally hanged for robbery I 21

On April 22, 1863, John Shirley, John McBride and Charles Rad-
cliff ("all men well known as rascals capable of committing any
crime," said the Daily Conservative), got William Keyes, a dis-
charged soldier, drunk at the Cincinnati House in Leavenworth.
Then, in broad daylight, they enticed him to a ravine behind the
hospital (on the government reserve) , knocked him down and robbed
him of $1,100. There were witnesses, and all three criminals were
arrested later in the day, but only $77 of the money was found. On
the 23d, military authorities had the prisoners transferred from the
Leavenworth jail to the guard house at Fort Leavenworth. This
was done not so much because the crime had been committed on gov-
ernment property, but because the city of Leavenworth was then
under martial law. 22

A military commission was convened on April 24, with Capt. R.
H. Hunt, Second Kansas volunteers, as president, to try the three
criminals. Shirley and McBride were convicted and sentenced to
be hanged on May 6, 1863; Radcliff was convicted and sentenced
to hard labor "during the continuance of the present rebellion."

Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt, who approved the findings of the mili-
tary commission, commented that the penalties were severe, and
greater than would be justified in time of peace, but were considered
necessary to preserve peace and restore order under existing condi-
tions. However, McBride was later reprieved, and Special Order No.
193, issued at Fort Leavenworth on May 5, 1863, stated only that
John Shirley would be hanged publicly on May 6, 1863.

The Evening Bulletin of May 6, 1863, described the execution of
John Shirley in detail, from which account the following excerpts are
taken :

18. Sources: Leavenworth Evening Bulletin, April 22-24, 29, May 4, 6, 8, 1863; Leaven-
worth Daily Conservative, April 23, May 3, 6, 7, 1863.

19. The execution of Hoy by firing squad in 1862, and the hanging of Frizell on May 27,
1863, were also military executions of civilians.

20. William Griffith's hanging, October 30, 1863, was conducted publicly, contrary to state
law ; and William Dickson's hanging in 1870 was a mockery of the law's provision for non-
public executions.

21. John W. Summers, deserter from Company E, Second Kansas cavalry, was executed as
a deserter, by military firing squad at Fort Scott, on May 13, 1863. Leavenworth Daily Con-
servative, May 17, 1863. Quite possibly there have been other military executions of military
personnel at army posts in Kansas, for desertion, and other crimes.

22. Martial law was declared in Leavenworth by General Orders No. 5, issued at Fort
Leavenworth on February 10, 1863. See Leavenworth Daily Conservative, February 11, 1863.

286 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

. . . The largest concourse of people assembled in Kansas turned out
today to witness the execution of John Shirley. . . .

At 11 o'clock the road to the Fort was crowded with citizens in carriages and
on horseback, all eager with curiosity to witness the unusual proceeding for
Kansas of hanging a criminal for highway robbery.

At 12 o'clock some two or three thousand people had gathered around the
gallows, which was erected on open ground south of the guard-house. A large
number of females were present from the city and Fort, and every one seemed
bent on selecting the most advantageous spot to view the dying struggles of a
fellow mortal. . . .

At fifteen minutes before one the entire command at the Post, consisting in
all of five companies of Infantry, were formed in full uniform, under arms, and
commanded by Post Adjutant Hadley. The band and field music formed in
front of the Guard House and played a solemn air, when the infantry formed
in line, and the carriage in which the prisoner was to be conveyed to the gallows
drove up to the steps.

Capt. J. T. Gordon, Co. I, 12th Kansas volunteers, then conducted Shirley
to the carriage and the whole cavalcade, preceded by the guard and the criminal,
started for the ground. The prisoner maintained a stolid indifference, and
did not seem to realize that his time on earth was short.

Arrived at the gallows, the prisoner ascended the steps with firmness, and
boldly walked to the drop, accompanied by Rev. Dr. Davis. . . . Captain
Graham [Gordon?] then read the death warrant, after which Shirley kissed his
two little brothers . . . and after shaking hands and bidding them farewell,
the culprit was allowed to address the assembled multitude. . . .

I have but one word to say, and that is this: I hope my friends will lead a
different life from what I have. I've led a very indifferent life; and, further-
more, I hope you will not meet the same doom which I have come to the
gallows. . . .

At 1:30 P. M. the signal was given, the drop fell and John Shirley
was "ushered into eternity." Some 12 to 15 minutes later he was
pronounced dead, and his body was taken down and placed in a
wagon. The troops followed behind the six-mule wagon which
carried him away, the band "played a lively air," and the crowd
dispersed. Thus ended the third legal hanging in Kansas. 23

THE HANGING OF CLAUDEUS C. FRIZELL 24

Early in March, 1863, a militia company was organized in Vernon
county, Missouri. Augustus Baker, a farmer, was chosen head of the
company over Claudeus C. Frizell, who much desired the captaincy.
About March 6, Frizell, with a companion named Upton, went to

23. In remarking that "The extreme penalty . . . was executed for the third time in
Kansas, yesterday," the Daily Conservative of May 7, 1863, probably referred to the shooting
of Hoy on July 28, 1862, and the hanging of Home on February 13, 1863, as the two earlier
executions. The hanging of Private Bell on July 11, 1862, was evidently unknown, or forgotten,
by the Leavenworth journalist.

24. Sources: Leavenworth Evening Bulletin, May 20, 22, 1863; Leavenworth Daily Con-
servative, May 22, 1863 ; C. W. Goodlander's Memoirs and Recollections ... of the Early
Days of Fort Scott . . . (Fort Scott, 1900), pp. 102, 103; [R. I. Holcombe's] History of
Vernon County, Missouri . . . (St. Louis, 1887), pp. 311, 312.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 287

Baker's home. They entered in pretended friendliness then Frizell
drew a gun and murdered Baker in the presence of his wife. The
men robbed the house and departed.

Troops from Fort Scott were sent into Missouri to track down the
criminals. Early in May, at a house in Cedar county, they arrested
Frizell; but Upton jumped out of a second-floor window, fled, and
was never caught. On May 13, Frizell was placed in the Fort Scott
guard house. Next day, before a military commission of which Capt.
H. F. Rouse, Third Wisconsin cavalry, was president, he was tried
and convicted of murder and robbery. On May 21, at Fort Leaven-
worth, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt reviewed and confirmed the mili-
tary commission's findings, and sentenced Frizell to be hanged on
May 27, 1863. 25

A Fort Scott resident, many years later, stated that the scaffold
was erected "out towards the government corrall about where the
Presbyterian Church stands [1900], on the prairie. [Frizell]
. . . went to the gallows reading a Bible." No contemporaneous
account of the hanging has been found.

THE HANGING OF WILLIAM GRIFFITH 26

The Marais des Cygnes massacre was perhaps the most infamous
of the many crimes committed by Proslavery men during the bitter
struggle over the slavery issue in Kansas. On May 19, 1858, Charles
Hamelton and some 30 Missourians came over into Linn county,
captured 11 Free-State men, lined them up in a ravine near Trading
Post, and shot them down. Five of the Kansas settlers were killed,
five were wounded, and one was unharmed. Many of the Proslavery
men who took part in this mass murder were known, but the only one
to be brought to justice and hanged for the crime was William
Griffith, who was arrested, tried, convicted and hanged five years
after the event.

In September, 1863, a detachment of troops from Fort Leaven-
worth arrested Griffith in Platte county, Missouri, on the recogni-
zance of William Hairgrove, one of the massacre survivors. Griffith
was taken to Mound City and turned over to the Linn county sheriff,
E. B. Metz. A few weeks later he was tried during the regular term
of the district court, Judge Solon O. Thatcher, of Lawrence, presid-
ing. Two lawyers, D. P. Lowe of Mound City, and A. Wagstaff of

25. Frizell, though a member of the Vernon county, Missouri, militia, could not, strictly
speaking, be classed as a soldier. This was the third and apparently the last instance of a
civilian being executed by the military in Kansas.

26. Sources: Kansas City (Mo.) Daily Journal of Commerce, October 8, November 3,
1863; History of the State of Kansas (Chicago, A. T. Andreas, 1883), pp. 1104-1106; W. A.
Mitchell's Linn County, Kansas: a History (Kansas City, c!928), pp. 211-214.

288 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Paola, were assigned to defend him. The trial opened on October 3.
Griffith acknowledged that he had helped to capture the Free-State
men and march them to the place of death, and admitted taking two
mules belonging to William Hairgrove and a gray mare owned by
Judge Nichols of Trading Post, but denied being present when the
shooting was done. (Survivors of the massacre testified to the con-
trary on this latter issue.) The " Amnesty Act" 27 of 1859 was also
pleaded in Griffith's defense by his counsel. On the afternoon of the
second day of the trial the case went to the jurors. In about three
hours they returned a verdict of "guilty of murder in the first de-
gree." Judge Thatcher subsequently denied motion for a new trial,
and set the execution date as October 30, 1863. During the inter-
vening weeks, Griffith was held in a house in Mound City (there
being no jail), guarded by a detachment of Linn county militia.

A gallows was erected west of town, across Little Sugar creek, in
a woods. Shortly after noon on October 30, Griffith was conducted
to the place of execution. Acting Sheriff C. S. Wheaton was in
charge of the proceedings, with militia companies totaling at least
200 men in attendance. Plainly, no attempt was made to conform
with the provision of the law requiring that an execution take place
in a private enclosure. The size of the crowd witnessing this hanging
is not known, though there were spectators not only from Linn
county, but from adjoining Bourbon county, as well; and "dozens of
women" were present. William Hairgrove, massacre survivor, was
allowed to swing the hatchet severing a rope which dropped a 400-
pound weight and jerked Griffith's body into the air. The weight
fell at seven minutes after one o'clock, and 25 minutes later Griffith
was declared dead. He left a wife and five children, the youngest
only four months old.

THE HANGING OF JOHN HENDLEY 28

A Texan named John Hendley came to work on the farm of
John T. (Tauy) Jones, in Franklin county, in June, 1865. He be-
came acquainted with the John Sutton family living near by, and en-
gaged Mrs. Sutton to make a hunting shirt. On June 28, Hendley
went to the Sutton home in a rage because a quarter-yard remnant

27. General Laws, 1859, Ch. 104, "An Act to Establish Peace in Kansas," Section 1 stating
"That no criminal offense heretofore committed in the counties of Lykins, Linn, Bourbon, Mc-
Gee, Allen and Anderson, growing out of any political differences of opinion, or arising, in any
way, from such political differences of opinion, shall be subject to any prosecution, on any com-
plaint or indictment, in any court whatsoever in this Territory"; and Section 2 stating "That
all criminal actions now commenced, growing out of political differences of opinion, shall be
dismissed.'

28. Sources: Kansas Daily Tribune., Lawrence, July 2, November 12, December 30, 1865;
Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence, November 30, 1865.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 289

of ribbon used in making the shirt had not been returned to him. For
his abusive language to Mrs. Sutton and her sister, John Sutton
ordered the man from his house. Hendley said he would leave when
he got ready, but retreated outside when Sutton picked up a gun,
fired at Hendley, and shot him in the arm. Thereupon, Hendley
drew a revolver, rushed in the house and shot Sutton through the
chest, mortally wounding him. He died the next day. Hendley
fled, but was arrested near Bloomington on June 30, and taken to
Ottawa. After a preliminary hearing before Justice Dow, he was
taken by Sheriff Robbins to Lawrence and placed in the Douglas
county jail.

Hendley was tried at the November, 1865, session of the district
court in Lawrence, before Judge Valentine. The case went to the
jurors on November 11, and about an hour later they returned a
verdict that the prisoner was guilty of murder in the first degree.
On November 25, Judge Valentine overruled a motion for a new
trial and sentenced the prisoner to be hanged at Lawrence on Decem-
ber 29.

The Kansas Daily Tribune of December 30, 1865, stated:
"Hendley was executed between 11 and 12 o'clock yesterday. Up to
the last moment he manifested a stoicism better becoming a savage
than a man reared in Christian society."

THE HANGING OF ERNEST WA-TEE-CHA 29

Just three weeks after the execution of John Hendley, another
murderer was hanged on the same gallows in the Douglas county
jail yard. This man was Ernest Wa-tee-cha, a Quapaw Indian,
who had been educated at the Osage Mission in Neosho county.

On January 31, 1865, Wa-tee-cha, a soldier in Company A, Six-
teenth Kansas cavalry, was in Ohio City (a now extinct Franklin
county town), on furlough. In a store he happened to see a large
sum of money paid to a man named William Hastings. When
Hastings, a farmer of Ottumwa, started home with his team and
wagon, the Indian followed, caught up with him several miles out
on the prairie, and shot him in the back. Although badly wounded,
Hastings made some show of resistance and Wa-tee-cha ran off
without getting the money. The farmer managed to make his way
to the nearest house, where he was cared for until his death some

29. Sources: Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence, November 30, 1865, January 25, 1866;
Kansas Patriot, Burlington, February 10, 1866.

The Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kansas for 1861-1865, p. 536, lists
"Earnest Wa-ti-tia" as "Absent in confinement by civil authority, Lawrence, no evi[dence] of
mus[ter] out on file."

193398

290 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

24 hours later. Before he died, Wa-tee-cha had been caught, brought
before him and identified.

The Indian's trial took place during the latter part of November,
1865, at the district court in Lawrence, before Judge Valentine. One
of Wa-tee-cha's lawyers was Wilson Shannon, a former territorial
governor of Kansas. The trial ended on November 23, and the
jurors, after being out an hour, found the defendant guilty of mur-
der in the first degree. Some days later he was sentenced to be
hanged on January 19, 1866.

S. S. Prouty, publisher of the Kansas Patriot, Burlington, hap-
pened to be in Lawrence on the day of the execution, and "through
the politeness of District Clerk S. A. Stonebraker, Sheriff Ogden and
Major E. G. Ross of the Tribune" he was permitted to witness the
hanging of Wa-tee-cha. He commented that it was the first exe-
cution he had ever seen and that it was not "so shocking a sight
as it has been represented." "Hanging," he wrote, . . . "is
getting to be one of the institutions of Lawrence, and the people
seem to regard it as an every day affair, for the morning papers did
not esteem the event I witnessed, of sufficient importance to make
mention of it previous to its occurrence. . . ."

THE HANGING OF BEN LEWIS 30

Ben Lewis, an Indian (probably of the Peoria tribe) , killed a man
named Jones about six miles north of Paola either in late 1865 or
in the fore part of 1866. No account of the killing has been found.
(The murder may possibly have occurred while the Civil War was
still in progress since the victim is said to have been a soldier of
the First Kansas cavalry.)

Lewis was tried, on his own confession, at a special term of the
district court at Paola, early in July, 1866, Judge D. M. Valentine
presiding. On July 3, the second day of the trial, the case went to
the jurors, and they soon returned a verdict that the defendant was
guilty of murder in the first degree. Two days later, Judge Valen-
tine sentenced Ben Lewis to be hanged on August 10, 1866, at Paola.

The execution took place on the scheduled day presumably in
the county jail yard at Paola. Lewis was afterwards buried in the
Indian cemetery near town.

30. Sources: Fourth judicial district court records of "State of Kansas vs. Ben Lewis,"
courtesy of Mrs. Ethel J. Hunt, clerk of the district court for Miami county; Leavenworth
Daily Conservative, July 15, August 18, 1866. According to the Western Spirit, Paola, May
27, 1910, the public library in Paola has a photograph of Lewis.

The adjutant general's Report for 1861-1865, p. 485, lists a Benjamin Lewis, of Paola, in
Company F, 14th Kansas cavalry, with the remark that he deserted at Fort Scott on December
19, 1864. Probably this was the Ben Lewis hanged in 1866.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 291

THE HANGING OF MARTIN W. BATES 31

Deputy Sheriff John Policy of Osage county arrested Martin W.
Bates for robbery in late September, 1866. Because there was no
jail, he kept the prisoner, legs shackled, in his home. On October 3,
he left Bates in the charge of his father, Abel Policy. The prisoner
got possession of a loaded shotgun in the house, and during a strug-
gle over the gun, he shot and mortally wounded the elder Policy,
who died a few days later. Bates, who had cut off his shackles with
an ax, was arrested a week or so later in Johnson county. He was
charged with murder, and for safekeeping, was housed in the jail
at Lawrence until his trial.

The Bates case was tried at an extra term of the district court in
Burlingame, in the latter part of December, 1866, Judge John Wat-
son, of Emporia, presiding. The defendant was found guilty of
murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hanged on February
20, 1867. He was returned to the Douglas county jail to await his
execution.

Although the judge had ordered that an enclosure be built in the
Osage county jail yard to house the gallows, the county officers de-
cided the expense of lumber for a temporary stockade was not justi-
fied. Acting upon the suggestion of County Clerk Marshall M.
Murdock, they arranged to have a scaffold erected in the courtroom,
on the second floor of the courthouse ! There, on the appointed day,
19-year-old Martin W. Bates was hanged, at a few minutes after
noon. According to Murdock, who was present, only six persons
witnessed the hanging the deputy who officiated, three county offi-
cers, a Methodist preacher and a Catholic priest. A crowd of would-
be spectators "waited outside the building in a sleet and rainstorm
while the proceedings took place. Judge Watson, indignant over the
desecration of the courtroom, thereafter held the view that Marshall
Murdock was chiefly responsible for the misuse of the hall of jus-
tice. 32

31. Sources: Emporia News, January 5, February 20, 1867; Topeka Weekly Leader,
January 3, 1867; Kansas Weekly Tribune, Lawrence, October 11, 1866; Kansas Daily Tribune,
Lawrence, February 23, 1867; Wichita (Weekly) Eagle, January 7, 1886; History of the State
of Kansas (Chicago, A. T. Andreas, 1883), p. 1534; Topeka Mail and Breeze, March 30, 1900.

32. The Schuyler grade school was later erected on the site of the early-day Osage county
courthouse in Burlingame. Topeka Daily Capital, July 19, 1936.

292 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

THE HANGING OF SCOTT HOLDERMAN 33

On September 25, 1865, Scott Holderman, Elias Foster 34 and a
man named Ward, plotted and executed the murder of John Carver,
a stranger passing through Linn county. The crime was planned at
the home of Holder-man's father-in-law, a farmer named Williams,
living three miles north of Trading Post. The crime was committed
several miles away, after Carver left the Williams home, where he
had stopped to recover from an attack of ague. Robbery was the
only known motive of the murder.

Carver's body was found six or seven weeks after the crime. It
was decided at the inquest that he came to his death by violence,
but although there were several persons who knew or suspected who
the criminals were, no warrants for arrest were issued at the time.

Holderman and Foster were arrested on a robbery charge about
two months after the murder. Three weeks after being placed in the
Paola jail they escaped and left the state. Foster was captured in
Missouri in the spring of 1866 and brought back to Linn county.
He told enough about Carver's death to cause warrants to be issued
for the arrest of Holderman and Ward on charges of murder. He
was himself remanded for trial on the charge and was held in the
jail at Lawrence for several months.

Ward was captured near Lawrence, tried, convicted of murder in
the second degree, and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Foster,
brought back to Mound City for trial in the spring of 1867, was
granted a change of venue to Anderson county. Sheriff David Goss
and a constable set out on May 5, 1867, to take Foster to Garnett.
As they neared Saddler's crossing of Big Sugar creek about nine
that evening, a party of 40 to 50 vigilantes rode up, surrounded the
wagon and forcibly took the prisoner. Next morning Elias Foster's
body was found swinging from a tree near the crossing.

In June, 1867, Sheriff Goss learned that Holderman was living in
Polk county, Missouri. On July 2 a sheriff's posse surrounded the
house and ordered Holderman to surrender. Instead, he came out
firing and halted only when shot down by John Humphrey, a deputy
sheriff. After recovering from his wound, Holderman was taken to
Mound City and tried in the district court, Judge D. P. Lowe presid-
ing. The trial opened in mid-September and lasted most of a week,
but the jurors took only an hour to decide that the prisoner was

33. Sources: The Border Sentinel, Mound City, May 10, September 20, 27, November 22,
1867 ; Kansas Daily Tribune, Lawrence, November 16, 1867 ; W. A. Mitchell's Linn County,
Kansas: a History (Kansas City, c!928), pp. 327-331.

34. Holderman and Foster had both served in Company D, Sixth Kansas cavalry, under
Capt. David Goss, who later, as Linn county sheriff, arrested them. Holderman claimed to
have killed 16 men while in the army.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 293

guilty of murder in the first degree. On September 25, Judge Lowe
sentenced Holderman to be hanged on November 15, 1867. There
being no secure jail at Mound City, he was taken to Lawrence,
where from his cell he was led to the gallows in the Douglas county
jail yard at 11:30 on the morning of the day set. About 35 persons
witnessed the execution, while a large crowd waited outside the walls.
This was the last of three legal hangings in Lawrence. However,
Douglas county's crime record was much better than indicated: the
crimes paid for on the Douglas county gallows were committed in
other counties Franklin, Miami and Linn, respectively.

THE HANGING OF MELVIN E. BAUGHN 35

Three Doniphan county men. arrived in Seneca on November 19,
1866, with warrants for four horse thieves known to be in the vicin-
ity. Sheriff William Boulton and a posse of Nemaha county men
joined in the hunt. Jackson and Strange, two of the wanted men,
were captured a little east of town. Three posse members (Charles
W. Ingram, Henry H. Hillix and Jesse S. Dennis) overtook the other
two criminals on the road to Capioma. When they rode up to arrest
the men Melvin E. Baughn and Zach Mooney they were fired
upon. Hillix was wounded severely and Dennis was fatally shot in
the back, dying a few minutes later. The horse thieves escaped.

Baughn was arrested in Leavenworth on January 6, 1867, on a
robbery charge. When recognized as Dennis' murderer, he was
turned over to Nemaha county officers who placed him in the Seneca
jail. Four days later an unsuccessful attempt was made to lynch
him. On February 6 he and another prisoner escaped.

More than 15 months later Baughn was captured near Sedalia,
Mo., after being wounded by officers attempting to arrest him for a
robbery. Upon being identified, he was returned to Kansas and to
the Seneca jail. He was tried during the next term of the district
court, early in August, Judge R. St. Clair Graham presiding. The
jury found him guilty of murder in the first degree and on August
7 he was sentenced to be hanged on September 18, 1868.

A gallows was erected on the south side of the Nemaha county jail,
and an area of the jail yard was enclosed by a "fence" of canvas.
And, on the appointed day, at 3:18 in the afternoon, Baughn was
hanged. 36

35. Sources: Leavenworth Times and Conservative, September 24, 1868; Ralph Tennal's
History of Nemaha County, Kansas (Lawrence, 1916), pp. 212-214; History of the State of
Kansas (Chicago, A. T. Andreas, 1883), p. 945.

36. During the time in 1860 and 1861, when the Pony Express was in operation, one of
the well-known riders on the route between St. Joseph, Mo., and Seneca, was Melvin Baughn.
It is said he turned to a life of crime by joining a gang of horse thieves, soon after the Pony
Express ended. Mooney is said to have been lynched sometime later.

294 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

THE HANGING OF WILLIAM DICKSON 37

The body of Jacob Barnett, a Jewish peddler of Leavenworth, was
found on the road to Delaware City, March 10, 1870. He had been
shot five times and robbed. On strong circumstantial evidence (in-
cluding possession of the dead man's watch), William Dickson was
arrested and held for the murder. Only two or three days earlier,
he had been released from the penitentiary after serving a three-year
sentence for horse stealing. Barnett had been killed brutally, he had
many friends in the city, and public feeling ran high against Dick-
son. The courtroom was crowded on March 19 when a preliminary
hearing of the case was held in recorder's court. On the evidence
presented, Justice Rees ordered the prisoner remanded to the county
jail to await trial. There was talk of a lynching, but law and order
prevailed.

Dickson was tried at the June session of Leavenworth's criminal
court. The trial, which began on June 13, ended on the 17th, and the
jurors took just 15 minutes to find the defendant guilty of murder in
the first degree. Dickson was sentenced, a few days later, to be
hanged on August 9, 1870.

The "old" gallows (evidently left over from 1863), was repaired,
and put up in the "northwest angle" of the county jail yard. This
site scarcely fulfilled the criminal code's "private enclosure" provi-
sion. According to the Times and Conservative: "Owing to the
prominence of the County Jail grounds the melancholy proceedings
were visible from almost all parts of the city, and thousands availed
themselves of the opportunity of seeing the law's victim dropped
from earth to eternity."

This newspaper's description of the scene on the day of the execu-
tion, indicates that a stranger to Leavenworth might well have
thought the attraction was a circus and not a legal hanging :

. . . Long before the hour appointed, 12 m., the hills and houses in the
vicinity were crowded with people anxious to see the sad spectacle. For an
hour before noon the entrances to the Jail were besieged by crowds, with and
without admission cards. [Sheriff McFarland had invited a large number of
citizens to attend the hanging.] Not only this, but all over the city people on
house tops and eminences looked with glasses or the naked eye to see the sus-
pension of the convicted wretch. . . .

About twelve o'clock the excitement of the thousands who failed to get
admission was intense. The Sheriff, Deputy Sheriffs and peace officers were
besieged with applications for passes, and scores of men and children shouted
simultaneously for the open sesame to the judicial slaughter. We regret to be

37. Sources: Leavenworth Daily Commercial, March 11, 13, 19, June 14, 15, 17, August
5, 9, 10, 1870; Leavenworth Times and Conservative, March 11, 13, 19, June 14, 15, 17,
August 9, 10, 1870.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 295

compelled to say that at least one half of the vast concourse which viewed the
spectacle from outside points was composed of children of both sexes. . . .
About eleven minutes of twelve o'clock the east gates of the jail was opened,
and then commenced fierce crowding and pushing for speedy admission to the
public spectacle. The crowd pressed desperately towards the entrance where
three deputies were engaged in maintaining order and taking entrance cards.

This was the scene a travesty of the law's intention shortly
after noon on August 9, 1870.

Dickson's was the last execution in Kansas, under state law, for
73 years. The publicity it received was almost certainly an im-
portant factor in the passage of the law two years later (1872),
which, in effect, banned capital punishment in Kansas.

KANSAS AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT SINCE 1870
In February, 1871, a few months after Dickson's hanging, a bill
was introduced in the state legislature by Sen. H. C. Whitney, "to
regulate the infliction of the death penalty and to amend an act to
establish a code of criminal procedure." 38 The contents of this
bill are not known (since no copy can be found), but it apparently
contained the same, or much the same, provisions as the bill which
was to become a law in 1872. Of the 1871 measure (which passed
both houses, but was not signed by the governor) the State Record
later wrote: "If we are rightly informed Governor Harvey is op-
posed to capital punishment, but he did not like this law [i. e., bill]
because it threw all the responsibility on the Governor. . . ." 39
Early in June, 1871, in the district court, Topeka, Mrs. Mary Jane
Scales and Lewis Ford, Negroes, were tried and convicted for the
murder on November 17, 1870, of Burnett Scales. They were sen-
tenced to be hanged on August 17, 1871. Preparations for the exe-
cution included the erection of a gallows within a tight board fence
(24 by 28 feet, and 14 feet high), on a vacant lot south of the Shawnee
county jail, with a covered passageway leading from the jail.

Said the State Record: "Hanging by the State is a disgrace to
civilization and is only legalized murder. Every precaution will
be taken to make this murder respectable. The fact that already
over 250 applications for witnesses have been made, is evidence of a
demoralized condition of society." 40 On the night before the sched-
uled executions, Gov. James M. Harvey commuted the sentences
of these two murderers to life imprisonment.

38. Senate Journal, 1871, p. 278 (Senate Bill No. 92).

39. Kansas State Record, Topeka, August 16, 1871.

40. Ibid., August 4, 1871.

296 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

The Scales-Ford case is mentioned here for two reasons: first, it
was probably the nearest Kansas has come to hanging a woman;
second, Governor Harvey's action in commuting the sentences of
these criminals served to bring the subject of capital punishment
again to the forefront of public attention.

In 1872 Sen. H. C. Whitney again introduced a bill "to regulate
the death penalty and to amend an act to establish a code of criminal
procedure." 41 Both houses passed the bill and on March 2 Governor
Harvey notified the senate that he had signed it. 42 The measure
(said to have been written by Thomas P. Fenlon, 43 Leavenworth
lawyer, and member of the house in 1871, 1872 and 1874), provided
that murderers sentenced to die must be kept in the state penitentiary
for one year before being hanged, and then be hanged only if the
governor issued a death warrant.

This law remained a Kansas statute for the next 35 years. It
was, supposedly, a compromise between forces favoring capital pun-
ishment and those opposed. But in effect the measure banned legal
executions, for no governor ever assumed the responsibility of order-
ing a hanging. In the two decades following its passage every gov-
ernor, except St. John, outspokenly criticized the law, and requested
its amendment.

Gov. Thomas A. Osborn, in 1876, told the legislature that the
1872 law was a subterfuge and needed to "be relieved of its am-
biguity." In 1877 Gov. George T. Anthony also stressed the need
for a change. Gov. George W. Glick, in 1883, asked the legislature
to amend the statute, and stated that there were about 25 persons
under sentence of death at that time. Gov. John W. Martin, in
1885, discussed the law "which abolishes capital punishment by
indirection," and suggested it would be better to abolish the death
penalty than to keep the 1872 law on the statute books. He re-
newed this recommendation in 1887. In the latter part of that year
there were, according to the Kansas City Times, 54 prisoners under
sentence of death in the Kansas penitentiary. The Times went on
to say: "if Governor Martin chose to exercise the power vested in
him . . . any one or all could be hanged in 30 days." 44 Gov.
Lyman U. Humphrey in 1889 and again in 1891, asked the legislature
to abolish the death penalty "in express terms," or make it effective.
But no change was made in the law.

41. Senate Journal, 1872, p. 57.

42. Ibid., p. 815.

43. Henry Shindler's statement in the Kansas City Times, May 31, 1910.

44. Kansas City Times, November 16, 1887.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 297

With the rise of the Populists to power in the state, the capital
punishment issue was forgotten, and not until 1905 was there any
revival of interest in the subject. That December a statement by
Gov. E. W. Hoch was printed in many of the nation's newspapers.
Governor Hoch said, in part, "I would resign my position, however
high it might be, before I would be the one to execute a death sen-
tence, whether the condemned person is a man or woman. Why,
the hanging of a human being, whether it be legalized or not, is a
relic of barbarism. . . ." 45

By the last of June, 1906, the penitentiary's death-sentence pop-
ulation had increased to 60 men. 46 This was the maximum number;
two years later there were 57 and by 1915 only 14. 47

When the 1907 legislature met, bills to abolish capital punishment
were introduced in both the house and senate. Sen. R. T. Simons,
who introduced the senate bill, said: "The law as it stands is a
farce. If a Governor should ever decide to sign the death warrants
of all the 'hang' prisoners in the penitentiary it would mean a whole-
sale slaughter. There is little chance a Governor will ever do this,
but farces in state laws are not the right thing. The law ought to
say what it means." 48 It was the house bill (the bills were the
same in any case) , which passed the house on January 18 by a vote
of 67 to 40, 49 and which, later in the month, was also approved by
the senate. Governor Hoch signed the measure on January 30, 1907.
In a letter written in December of that year, Hoch stated that it
was largely at his instance that the 1907 legislature had repealed
the 1872 law and provided life imprisonment instead. 50

From 1907 to 1935, Kansas had no capital punishment statute,
but agitation for the re-enactment of such a law began some years
before 1935. In 1927 the senate voted, 26-2, for a bill providing
that persons convicted of murder in the first degree (1) should be
electrocuted if the murder had been committed in connection with
burglary or robbery, (2) should be imprisoned for life if the murder
had no such connection. 51 This measure, obviously intended to stem
an outbreak of burglary-and-murder crimes in Kansas in the 1920's,
did not pass the house.

45. Newspapers of December 9, 1905.

46. Fifteenth Biennial Report, Kansas State Penitentiary, 1905-1906, p. 55.

47. Sixteenth Biennial Report, Kansas State Penitentiary, 1907-1908, p. 60; Kansas City
(Mo.) Star, September 12, 1915.

48. Topeka Daily Herald, January 16, 1907.

49. Ibid., January 18, 1907.

50. Letter of Gov. E. W. Hoch, December 19, 1907, to the Rev. A. B. Wolfe (in Hoch
papers, Archives division, Kansas State Historical Society).

51. Senate Bill No. 194, 1927 legislature.

298 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

In 1931 bills prescribing capital punishment (1) for murder in
the first degree, (2) for robbery with firearms and (3) electrocution
as the means of carrying out the death penalty, were passed by both
the house and senate. 52 A measure to make kidnaping also punish-
able by death failed. But Gov. Harry H. Woodring vetoed the bills
on March 14, 1931, stating in a message to the legislature that he
was voicing his own personal convictions and what he believed to
be the "sentiment of a majority of the people of Kansas." His ac-
tion was generally approved.

But in 1933 attempts were again made to pass bills providing for

(1) death, or life imprisonment, for murder in the first degree, and

(2) death, or from five to 10 years imprisonment for kidnaping. 53
The house passed these bills, but the senate did not.

During a special session of the legislature in November, 1933,
both the house and senate passed a measure providing death, or life
imprisonment at hard labor, as the jury should decide, for murder
in the first degree. Gov. Alfred M. Landon vetoed this because the
companion bill providing the means, place, etc., of execution, had
failed to pass the house and senate. 54

In 1935 the legislature passed a similar measure and another
which provided hanging as the means of execution. These bills were
signed by Governor Landon in March, and since that time have
been the laws governing capital punishment in Kansas. 55

It was nine years before a criminal was hanged under this law.
Albert M. Zakoura the first person to be sentenced was reprieved
and his sentence commuted to life imprisonment by Gov. Walter A.
Huxman on September 3, 1937. The second to be sentenced was
Fred L. Brady. When, on February 8, 1944, Gov. Andrew F.
Schoeppel refused clemency to Brady, M. F. Amrine, warden of the
state penitentiary, resigned rather than to take part in a hanging.
Amrine, after many years in penal work, had become opposed to
capital punishment, though formerly favoring it. But it turned out
that Brady was not the first victim of the law. A month before he
was hanged, Ernest L. Hoefgen was executed (March 10, 1944) for
the murder on September 18, 1943, of Bruce Smoll, an 18-year-old
college student. Brady was hanged on April 15, 1944. His crime
was the murder on January 9, 1943, of Joe Williams, Arkansas City,
during an attempted holdup. On the same day, Clark B. Knox,

52. House Bills Nos. 14, 20, 23, 1931 legislature.
63. House Bills Nos. 416 and 671, 1933 legislature.

54. House Bills Nos. 78 and 87, 1933 legislature, special session.

55. House Bills Nos. 10 and 11, 1935 legislature; Session Laws, 1935, pp. 234-238. See
page 281 for another statement of the provisions of the 1935 laws.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 299

Negro, was executed for the murder on August 1, 1943, of Edward
Nugent, Kansas City policeman. On July 29, 1947, Cecil Tate and
George F. Gumtow, out-of-state carnival workers, were hanged for
the murders on May 12, 1947, of W. W. McClellan and his son,
Arnold, at Calista. George Miller, Negro, was hanged on May 6,
1950, for murdering Mike Churchill, Osawatomie police chief, Feb-
ruary 3, 1947.

These six men, hanged at the state penitentiary since 1944, plus
the nine who were hanged between 1863 and 1870, make a total of
15 persons who have been legally executed under state law in Kan-
sas.

The 15 state hangings, plus three under military law, and six under
federal law, make a total of 24 persons who have been legally exe-
cuted on the gallows in Kansas.

FEDERAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS, 1887-1938

In the 1880's, while Oklahoma was still Indian territory, criminal
cases originating in the territory were tried at Wichita during an
annual term of the U. S. district court. Each September, the city
of Wichita took on some of its earlier-day frontier aspects as "In-
dians, cowboys, half-breeds and toughs," arrived for the court ses-
sions. Many, but by no means all, of the murderers, horse thieves
and other criminals whose cases crowded the docket each year were
Indians.

In 1886, during the federal court term, two Seminole Indians
(John Washington and Simmons Wolf) were found guilty of rape.
On September 23 they were sentenced by Judge C. G. Foster to be
hanged on February 8, 1887. According to the Wichita Eagle "this
was the first time that ever in the history of the federal court of
district of Kansas that the death penalty was imposed." 56 As it
turned out, Washington and Simmons escaped the gallows. There
was much local opposition to a death sentence for rape, and peti-
tions were sent to President Cleveland to commute the sentences to
life imprisonment. On February 7, 1887, the President granted a
respite until March 4 to these two criminals. 57 Sometime before
that date the sentences were apparently commuted at least the
prisoners were not hanged.

In 1887, the first two of a number of murder cases on the federal
court's docket ended in hung juries, but the third case that of Lee
Mosier ended in a death sentence. Mosier, a mentally weak 20-

56. Wichita (Weekly) Eagle, September 24, 1886.

57. Ibid., February 8, 1887 ; Wichita Daily Beacon, February 7, 1887.

300 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

year-old, was tried and convicted of the murder of Hugh B. Lawler,
south of the Kansas border, on October 27, 1886. Lawler had been
driving Mosier from Anthony into the territory. A third passenger
in the wagon was a young boy named Robert Arner. Around dusk,
Mosier, sitting in the back of the wagon, picked up a double-barreled
shotgun, placed it behind Lawler's ear, and pulled the trigger, al-
most blowing his victim's head off. He raised the gun again to
shoot Arner, but the boy persuaded Mosier not to kill him. Having
been allowed to depart in safety, he returned home and told what
had happened. Mosier was captured in a Harper county cornfield
the next day. He was taken to the Sedgwick county jail, where
he was held until the federal court term in September, 1887. One
story Mosier told was that he had been hired by Mrs. Lawler to do
away with her husband. For lack of evidence, this story was not
brought out during the trial. The trial began and ended on Septem-
ber 15, 1887. The prisoner having pleaded guilty, the jurors delib-
erated only a few minutes before returning a verdict that he was
guilty as charged. Mosier was sentenced to be hanged on November
15, 1887. A gallows of 16-foot timbers was erected on the west
side of the Sedgwick county jail in a stockade 30 feet square. Here,
on the morning of the scheduled day, Mosier was led for his execu-
tion, fortified by a pint of brandy which he had finished off in the
sheriff's office. There were 54 witnesses. A large crowd collected
outside, and some of the bolder spirits even loosened boards of the
enclosure so as to see the proceedings. The drop fell at 9:32%
A. M. and Mosier was declared dead at 9:53 A. M. 58 As the news-
papers noted, there had been no legal hanging in Kansas during
the preceding 17 years.

Among the murder cases originally scheduled for the 1887 term
of the federal court at Wichita were those of the Creek Indian-
Negro brothers Jake and Joe Tobler. A postponement of their cases
was secured by counsel, and these criminals who had murdered two
white men in August, 1885, were not tried until September, 1888.

In 1888, the first case on the docket of the U. S. district court, at
Wichita, was that of Jake Tobler, the older of the two brothers. The
trial opened on September 4 and the most convincing evidence in-
troduced by the prosecution was a confession which had been made
by both brothers soon after their arrest. On the night of August 16,
1885, James Cass and John Goodykoontz, two well-known cattle-

58. Sources for the Mosier case: Wichita Morning Eagle, September 16, 17, November 16,
1887; Wichita Daily Beacon, September 6, 15, 16, November 15, 1887; Kansas City (Mo.)
Times, November 16, 1887.

LEGAL HANGINGS IN KANSAS 301

men of Vinita, Indian territory, on their way to Texas, camped for
the night along a small tributary of the Cimarron river. During
the night, while asleep, both men were killed (each was shot twice)
and robbed. The Tobler brothers, who had camped near by, were
immediately suspected. Some articles belonging to the dead men
were found in their possession when they were arrested. They were
taken to the Sac and Fox agency and held there for some time;
later they were removed to Fort Smith, Ark., where they were held
for about a year. After it was decided that the military court there
had no jurisdiction, they were brought to Wichita in December, 1886.
Jake Tobler was found guilty on September 5, 1888, after the jurors
had deliberated for 25 minutes. Joe Tobler was tried next, and
on September 6, after seven minutes of thought, the jurors found
him guilty. Judge C. G. Foster, on September 15, sentenced the
criminals to be executed on November 21, 1888. On that date they
were hanged simultaneously inside the Sedgwick county jail. The
trap was sprung by Deputy U. S. Marshal Jack Stillwell of Fort
Reno. Although few witnessed the actual executions, the double
doors on the north side of the jail were thrown open before the bodies
were cut down and "a crowd of some thousand persons passed along
the sidewalk in view of the swinging bodies of the two men." 59
These were the last legal hangings in Wichita.

The next federal execution in Kansas took place 42 years later.
In 1930, Carl Panzran was convicted of murdering R. G. Warnke,
Leavenworth federal penitentiary employee, on June 19, 1929.
Shortly before sunrise on the morning of September 5, 1930, Panzran
was hanged on a gallows erected at the United States prison. 60

Eight years later on August 12, 1938 Robert J. Suhay and
Glen J. Applegate were also hanged at the federal penitentiary at
Leavenworth. Convicted New York bank robbers, they were exe-
cuted for the murder of W. W. Baker, FBI agent, in the Topeka post
office, on June 16, 1937. 61

Since 1938 there have been no hangings under federal law in
Kansas.

59. Sources for Tobler brothers: Wichita Daily Beacon, September 3-7, 17, November 21,
1888; Wichita Morning Eagle, September 5-7, 16, 21, 22, 1888; Wichita Eagle, July 5, 1908.
According to the Eagle, the federal court held its sessions in the old county courthouse which
stood on the corner of First and Main, in Wichita. Another convicted murderer, Tom Thurber
was scheduled to be hanged on the same day as the Tobler brothers, but President Cleveland
commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.

60. Topeka Daily Capital, September 5, 6, 1930.

61. Kansas City (Mo.) Star, August 12, 1938.

Death Notices From Kansas Territorial Newspapers,

1854-1861

Compiled by ALBERTA PANTLE
I. INTRODUCTION

following list of deaths was compiled from the files of terri-
-L torial newspapers belonging to the Kansas State Historical
Society. The year in which the newspaper was published is given
only when it differs from the year in which the death occurred. In
cases where the same notice appeared in two or more newspapers,
the entry from the local newspaper was used if it gave complete in-
formation.

Inasmuch as the file of some newspapers is only a scattering of
issues, and as many deaths were never recorded in any newspaper,
this list is not complete. There are, of course, many other sources
for ascertaining the death dates of persons who lived in Kansas
territory. Among them are the mortality schedules from the United
States census for 1860, cemetery inscriptions, church and family
records, and printed histories.

II. THE DEATH NOTICES, A-L

ABBOTT, JOSHUA, late of Dexter, Me., aged 58 yrs., d. Topeka, June 5, 1855, of

dysentery. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, June 9.)
ABBOTT, NELLIE MARIA, dau. of James B. & Elizabeth A., aged 5 yrs., d. Coal

Creek, Aug. 20, 1858. (Lawrence, Republican, Sept. 2.)
ADAMS, AMOS G., d. Jan. 31 or Feb. 1, 1856. (Topeka, Kansas Freeman, Feb.

2; "Records of Burials in Topeka Cemetery, 1859-1880.")
ADAMS, HENRY C., son of W. H. & Harriett Ann, aged 4 mos., d. Platte county,

Mo., April 5, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, April 17.)
ADAMS, JOHN ISAAC IRA, formerly of Holyoke, Mass., aged 31 yrs., d. Oct. 17,

1857, of consumption. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 22.)
ALEXANDER, FREDDY, son of D. M. & C. B., aged 10 mos., 27 days, d. Willow

Springs, Dec. 30, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Jan. 3, 1861.)
ALLEN, KATIE JANETT, only child of Lyman & Ann Janett, aged 10 mos., 16

days, d. Aug. 1, 1858, of cholera infantum. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,

Aug. 7.)
ALLEN, SAMUEL REYNOLDS, aged 68 yrs., 5 mos., d. Ohio City, Franklin county,

Nov. 27, 1859. (Lawrence, Republican, Dec. 8.)
ALLEN, WILLIAM M., of Tecumseh, aged 22 yrs., drowned in Kaw, June 12 or

14, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, June 16; Kansas Historical Collections,

v. 17, p. 814.)

ALBERTA PANTLE is a member of the Library staff of the Kansas State Historical Society.

(302)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 303

ALMOND, JUDGE WILLIAM B., formerly of Platte county, Mo., aged 52 yra., d.

at Renich House, Mar. 4, 1860, of apoplexy. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly

Herald, Mar. 10.)
ANDERSON, MRS. , struck by lightning near crossing of Santa Fe road at

Bluff creek, June 28, 1860. (Council Grove, Kansas Press, July 2.)
ANDERSON, E. H., druggist, aged 28 yrs., d. at Ft. Kearny on way to Denver

to open branch store, Aug. 19, 1859, of typhoid. (Leavenworth, Daily Times,

Aug. 29.)

ANDREW, MAHALA, Shawnee Indian girl, aged about 16 yrs., d. at Friends Mis-
sion, June 18, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence, Kansas Free State, July 9.)
ARMS, LEONARD, U. S. marshal, killed by John Ritchie, April 20, 1860. (Topeka,

Kansas State Record, April 21.)
ARMSTRONG, SARAH JANE, formerly of Rushford, N. Y., aged 30 yrs., d. Dec. 3,

1856, of typhoid. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Dec. 8.)
ARNY, SAMUEL C., son of W. F. M. & Selina B., aged 21 yrs., d. at Hyatt,

Anderson county, Sept. 24, 1860, of* typhoid. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 4.)
ASHLEY, DR. M. B., formerly of Meadville, Crawford county, Pa., aged 25 yrs.,

d. Oct. 19, 1856. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Oct. 22.)

ASKREN, OLIVE, only dau. of 0. H. P., aged 5 yrs., d. Feb. 5, 1858. (Leaven-
worth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Feb. 6.)
ATKINSON, WILLIE, son of R. L. & F. P., aged 10 mos., 6 days, d. Feb. 27, 1860,

of dropsy. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, Mar. 3.)

BACKUS, B., drowned in Kansas river, Aug. 6, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald oj Free-
dom, Aug. 13.)
BACON, ANNA LYDIA, dau. of F. C. & M. J., aged 1 yr., 3 days, d. at Moneka,

Oct. 10, 1859. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 20.)
BACON, LIZZIE AUGUSTA, dau. of F. C. & M. J., aged 3 yrs., 11 mos., 10 days,

d. at Moneka, July 31, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 9.)
BAILEY, CHARLES HENRY, son of John & Rebecca, aged 17 mos., 11 days, d.

Aug. 5, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Aug. 6.)
BAINTER, MRS. ELIZABETH, wife of Ephraim, aged 27 yrs., d. at Dayton, Sept.

27, 1855. (Lawrence, Kansas Free State, Oct. 22.)
BAINTER, LOSON, son of Ephraim, aged 15 mos., d. Oct. 5, 1855. (Lawrence,

Kansas Free State, Oct. 22.)
BAKER, D. W. C., of Stanton, killed by storm, June 8, 1860. (Leavenworth,

Daily Times, June 15.)
BAKER, MORRELL, son of D. W. C., of Stanton, killed by storm, June 8, 1860.

(Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 15.)
BAKER, MRS. SARAH E., wife of H. W., formerly of Bingham, Me., aged 25 yrs.,

6 mos., d. Mar. 8, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 12.)
BALDWIN, B. A., formerly of Troy, N. Y., aged about 32 yrs., d. Mar. 31, 1855,

of typhoid. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, April 7.)
BALDWIN, MILTON, formerly of Berea, Ohio, d. at Grasshopper Falls, Sept. 1,

1858, of congestion of the bowels. (Leavenworth, Times, Oct. 4.)
BALLOU, DR. JONATHAN, of La Porte county, Ind., formerly of Vermont, aged

28 yrs., d. May 13, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence, Kansas Tribune, May 23.)
BARBEE, WILLIAM, member of the territorial council, killed by accident some

weeks before, at Fort Scott. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Jan. 10,

1857.)

304 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

BARBER, THOMAS W., of near Bloomington, formerly of Ohio, aged 42 yrs.,

murdered by a Proslavery man, Dec. 6, 1855, left a wife. (Lawrence, Herald

of Freedom, Dec. 15.)
BARCLAY, MRS. MARY J., widow of Joseph, aged 38 yrs., 11 days, d. at home

of brother, Dr. J. E. Bennett, May 29, 1859, of hydrothorax, complicated

with pulmonary consumption. (Wyandotte, Western Argus, June 4.)
BARCUS, G. W., formerly of Delaware, Ohio, killed by accidental discharge of

revolver, May 9, 1860. (Council Grove, Kansas Press, May 14.)
BARNARD, Miss S. A., d. at residence of M. K. Smith, Oct. 15, 1856, of con-
gestive chills. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 8.)
BARRETT, HELEN OPHELIA, wife of Dr. P. G., aged 21 yrs., d. on West Walnut.

Butler county, Sept. 23, 1860, of consumption. (Emporia, Kansas News,

Sept. 29.)
BASSETT, ANNA GERTRUDE, dau. of Owen A. & Josephine E., aged 1 yr., 4 mos.,

d. Jan. 10, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Jan. 12.)
BASYE, MRS. FRANCES W., relict of Maj. Alfred, d. at Jefferson City, Mo.,

Dec. 12, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Jan. 8, 1859.)
BATES, MOSES D., aged 66 yrs., d. Aug. 18, 1857. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly

Herald, Sept. 5.)
BATES, THOMAS, JR., aged 52 yrs., d. May 8, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican,

May 10.)
BATY, HENRY, son of Mrs. Baty, aged 12 yrs., d. Oct. 31, 1859, of convulsive

chills. (Fort Scott, Democrat, Nov. 3.)
BAY, AMY, wife of Hugh, aged 34 yrs., d. in Shannon township, Oct. 28, 1859, of

congestion of lungs. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, Nov. 5.)
BEACH, ASAHEL, born Wallingford, Conn., 1806, one of proprietors of Beach's

ranch (present Rice county) on Santa Fe road, aged 54 yrs., d. Feb. 17, 1860.

(Council Grove, Kansas Press, Feb. 20.)
BECK, , child of John, a German of Manhattan, accidentally burned to

death. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 12, 1859.)
BECK, JOHN, of Osage City, killed by James Yearsley. (Leavenworth, Daily

Times, Sept. 29, 1860.)
BECKER, HENRIETTA, dau. of Rheinhart & Catherine, aged 9 mos., 24 days, d.

June 25, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, June 28.)
BECKER, HENRY, son of Rheinhart & Catherine, aged 9 mos., 19 days, d. June 21,

1860. (Lawrence, Republican, June 28.)
BEDDOES, MRS. SARAH, wife of Thomas, aged 36 yrs., d. on North fork of Potta-

watomie, Sept. 14, 1857. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 22.)
BEDDOES, WILLIAM E., son of Thomas & Sarah, aged 18 mos., d. Oct. 4, 1857.

(Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 22.)
BELT, THOMPSON W., husband of Maria, d. at Weston, Mo., Jan. 23, 1855.

(Atchison, Squatter Sovereign, Feb. 20.)
BENHAM, JANE ELIZABETH, wife of Samuel, dau. of Rev. P. & Asenath Shepherd,

aged 28 yrs., d. May 14, 1856. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, June 16.)
BERNARD, EDWARD F., formerly of Washington City, D. C., d. June 10, 1855, of

congestion of the brain. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, June 15.)
BEST, IDA, dau. of J. C. & Annette, aged 4 yrs., 11 mos., 20 days, d. Sept. 10,

1859. (Emporia, Kansas News, Sept. 17.)

BIGGER, JAMES, of Mound City, accidentally killed, Dec., 1860. (Topeka, Kan-
sas State Record, Dec. 8.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 305

BISHOP, A. F., killed near 110-Mile creek, in Osage county, Dec. 27, 1859. (To-

peka, Kansas State Record, Jan. 7, 1860.)
BISHOP, HENRY T. E., son of Jonathan & Levina, aged 2 yrs., d. in Lee county,

Va., June 24, 1857. (Lecompton, Kansas National Democrat, Oct. 8.)
BLUEJACKET, HENRY, Shawnee Indian chief, d. at lower crossing of the Waka-

rusa, May 3, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, May 26.)
BLUSH, FRED, son of Daniel V., aged 6 yrs., d. Dec. 21, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas

Tribune, Dec. 22.)

BOND, MR. , of Lecompton, killed by lightning, July 28, 1860. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, Aug. 6.)
BOUCHER, SAMUEL LEVI, son of Jacob & Ann, aged 1 yr., 2 mos., 11 days, d. Sept.

10, 1860. (Oskaloosa, Independent, Sept. 19.)
BOURNE, EDWARD, JR., aged 18 yrs., 7 mos., d. at father's residence near Kicka-

poo, Jan. 14, 1860. (Lecompton, Kansas National Democrat, Feb. 2.)
BOUSER, GEORGE, formerly of eastern Tennessee, aged 62 yrs., d. in Atchison,

May 15, 1860. (Leavenworth, .Kansas Weekly Herald, June 9.)
BOUTWELL, MRS. CARRIE, wife of Daniel W., native of Scotia, N. Y., aged 27 yrs.,

d. Aug. 14 or 15, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Aug. 18; "Records of

Burials in Topeka Cemetery, 1859-1880.")

BOWLUS, WILLIAM, formerly of St. Charles, Mo., d. while held with other Free-
State men in Lecompton prison, Oct. 19, 1856. (Lawrence, Herald of Free-

dom, Nov. 15.)
BRADBURY, SAMUEL, aged 53 yrs., d. April 1, 1858. (Prairie City, Freemen's

Champion, April 8.)
BRAGG, DR. JOHN M., aged 31 yrs., accidentally shot while hunting near Kicka-

poo, Oct. 21, 1857. (Atchison, Squatter Sovereign, Oct. 31.)
BRAY, MARY ELLEN, dau. of D. D. & Ellen, formerly of Pen Yan, N. Y., aged

4 yrs., 7 mos., 11 days, d. at Tecumseh, Jan. 23, 1861. (Topeka, Kansas

Tribune, Jan. 26.)
BREWSTER, MOSES C., of Lawrence, d. while on a visit to Susquehanna county,

Pa., April 8, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, June 18.)
BRIGGS, PHILIP, formerly of Clarendon, Rutland county, Vt., aged 57 yrs., d.

Dec. 2, 1857. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Dec. 5.)
BROOKE, SARAH MELISSA, dau. of James and Mary, aged 4 yrs., 9 mos., 8 days,

d. in Kaw Bottom, Jefferson county, Oct. 12, 1857. (Lecompton, National

Democrat, Oct. 22.)
BROOKS, DANIEL H., formerly of York, Me., aged 33 yrs., d. Mar. 16, 1855, of

consumption. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 24.)

BROOKS, H. R., formerly of Leavenworth, drowned in Ohio river, near Cin-
cinnati, May 4, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, May 12.)
BROOME, CHARLOTTE, dau. of William, aged 17 yrs., d. April 3, 1855. (Leaven-
worth, Kansas Weekly Herald, April 6.)
BROWN, MRS. ABIGAIL H., wife of David, aged 68 yrs., d. in Willow Springs

township, Douglas county, Oct. 8, 1859, of erysipelas. (Lawrence, Herald

of Freedom, Oct. 15.)
BROWN, ALONZO OSCAR, only child of Alonzo J. & Clara M., aged 10 days, d.

near Prairie City, Sept. 27, 1858. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 7.)
BROWN, AMANDA, wife of Abraham, aged 50 yrs., 7 mos., 5 days, d. July 1,

1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, July 2.)

203398

306 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

BROWN, ANNA D., dau. of James M. & Mary C., aged 1 yr., 10 mos., d. Aug.

23, 1857. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Aug. 29.)
BROWN, ANNE, dau. of Robert A. & Hannah J., aged 2 yrs., 7 mos., 3 days, d.

Aug. 27, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Aug. 28.)

BROWN, REESE P., b. July 3, 1825, son of Moses, of Logan county, Ohio, mur-
dered by Proslavery men at Easton, Jan. 18, 1856, left wife and infant

daughter. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 19, Mar. 22.)
BROXSON, WILLIAM WESLEY, son of William & Rebecca, aged 7 mos., 7 days,

d. Sept. 22, 1859. (Emporia, Kansas News, Sept. 24.)
BRUNT, AKEN, Osage Indian, employee of American Fur Company, aged 59

yrs., d. at his lodge on Big creek, Osage Nation, April 30, 1860. (Fort Scott,

Democrat, May 12.)
BRYAN, ANNIE, dau. of Robert A. & H. J., aged 2 yrs., 7 mos., 3 days, d. Aug.

27, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Sept. 2.)
BUFFUM, JULIA AUGUSTA, dau. of David N. & Maria, aged 6 yrs., 24 days, d.

Nov. 16, 1857, of bilious fever. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 28.)
BUFFUM, COL. SAMUEL, father of David N., of Topeka, aged 73 yrs., 3 mos.,

d. at Orono, Me., Aug., 16, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Oct. 1.)
BULLEN, EDDIE A., eon of J. A. & Anna M., aged 17 mos., d. July 3, 1859.

(Leavenworth, Daily Times, July 4.)
BULLEN, HELEN G., only child of J. H. & Alma M., aged 10 mos., 6 days, d.

July 2, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, July 3.)
BULLOCK, WILLIAM P., aged 22 yrs., 2 mos., d. at residence of father near

Fort Scott, July 24, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 2.)
BUNKER, JAMES W., aged 15 yrs., d. on road between Topeka and Leavenworth,

Sept. 15 or 16, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Sept. 17; "Records of

Burials in Topeka Cemetery, 1859-1880.")

BUNNER, EMMA M., aged 1 yr., 13 days, d. Sept. 9, 1859. (White Cloud, Kan-
sas Chief, Sept. 15.)
BURDETT, WILLIAM M., son of Samuel F., aged 19 yrs., 7 mos., d. Jan. 4, 1861,

of consumption. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Jan. 5.)
BURDITT, WILLIE CLARENCE, son of Abidan K. & Jane G., aged 1 yr., 27 days,

d. July 5, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, July 7.)
BURGESS, ALEXANDER, born Portland, Jefferson county, Wis., aged 17 yrs., 2

mos., d. June 27, 1859, of congestion of the lungs. (Leavenworth, Daily

Times, June 29.)
BURLEIGH, ELLEN FRANCES dau. of James M. & Harriet, aged 11 yrs., 2 mos., d.

Feb. 2, 1855, of inflammation of the larynx. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,

Feb. 10.)
BURNETT, JOHN, merchant, aged 30 yrs., d. at Oregon, Mo., July 1, 1857. (White

Cloud, Kansas CJuef, July 2.)
BURRELL, JEREMIAH MURRAY, judge of U. S. district court, Kansas territory, d.

in Pennsylvania, Oct. 21, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Nov.
15.)
BURTON, HENRIETTA, wife of J. W., d. at Troy, May 10, 1860. (Elwood, Free

Press, May 19.)
BUSHNELL, HARMON, aged 27 yrs., d. at Manhattan, Nov. 9, 1856. (Lawrence,

Herald of Freedom, Nov. 29.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 307

BUTTS, ELSIE, dau. of W. C., aged 2 yrs., d. Dec. 13, 1860. (Grasshopper Falls,

Gazette, Dec. 15.)
BUTTS, WALTER, formerly of Dutchess county, N. Y., aged 38 yrs., d. Jan. 3,

1859. (Grasshopper Falls, Jefferson Crescent, Jan. 8.)

BUXTON, J. W., aged 30 yrs., d. May 23, 1860. (Fort Scott, Democrat, May 26.)
BYWATERS, WILLIAM C., killed at sawmill of Messrs. Bruner & Kuns, Americus,

Dec. 19, 1859. (Emporia, Kansas News, Dec. 24.)
CAIN, MRS. MARTHA, born in South Carolina, Dec. 3, 1777, widow of Abijah,

aged 82 yrs., 7 mos., 26 days, d. at residence of G. A. McGlothen, Aug. 4,

1860. (Oskaloosa, Independent, Aug. 8.

CALHOUN, JOHN, native of Massachusetts, former surveyor-general of Kansas

territory, aged about 53 yrs., d. at St. Joseph, Mo., Oct. 13, 1859. (Lawrence,

Herald of Freedom, Oct. 22.)
CALVERT, MARY H., wife of J. M., d. in Salt Creek valley, Leavenworth county,

Feb. 11, 1860. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Mar. 10.)
CAMERON, A. D., formerly of Monroe county, N. Y., aged about 40 yrs., d.

Mar. 17, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 26.)
CAMPBELL, A. R., of the firm of Tourvill & Campbell, St. Louis, aged 43 yrs., d.

at Planter's Hotel, April 11, 1857, of softening of the brain. (Leavenworth,

Kansas Weekly Herald, April 18.)
CAMPBELL, CHARLES, aged 75 yrs., d. Oct. 4, 1858. (Lawrence, Republican,

Oct. 7.)
CAMPBELL, CORNELIUS, late of Bellefonte, Pa., aged 56 yrs., d. April 27, 1855.

(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, April 28.)
CAMPBELL, JOSEPH EWING, son of Adam E. & Menna, aged 1 yr., 6 mos., d. May

2, 1860, of croup. (Elwood, Free Press, May 5.)
CANTBELL, JACOB, of Jackson, killed by Proslavery men shortly after the Battle

of Black Jack, June 6, 1857. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 24.)
CAPLES, MARY WATTS, dau. of William G. & Elizabeth, aged 1 mo., d. at Fayette,

Mo., March 2, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Mar. 27.)
CAREY, ELIZABETH, wife of J. A., aged 30 yrs., d. in Hunter county, Aug. 1, 1860,

of erysipelas. (Emporia, Kansas News, Aug. 11.)
CAREY, ROBERT, of Washington creek, murdered, May 2, 1857. (Lecompton,

Union, May 9.)
CARIEL, HENRY, formerly of Illinois, aged 29 yrs., d. July 24, 1858, of bilious

fever. (Emporia, Kansas News, July 31.)

CARLIN, PAUL, d. . (Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 16, 1860.)

CARNEY, LEROY S., JR., native of Ohio, member of firm of Thos. Carney & Co.,

aged 34 yrs., 6 mos., 11 days, d. Nov. 19, 1860, of congestion of brain. (Leav-
enworth, Daily Times, Nov. 20.)
CASHIN, THOMAS, an Irishman, killed in altercation with Frederick Brown,

one of the proprietors of the Lone Star flouring mill, Oct. 8, 1860. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, Oct. 9.)
CHAFEE, HIRAM, killed in brawl at Atchison, July 14, 1860. (Leavenworth,

Daily Times, July 21.)
CHAFER, JACOB, formerly of Illinois, aged 38 yrs., d. Sept. 18, 1858. (Emporia,

Kansas News, Sept. 25.)
CHASE, ELIZA, dau. of Capt. Joseph & Nancy, formerly of Newburyport, Mass.,

d. May 14, 1856. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, June 16.)

308 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

CHASE, JACOB E., formerly of Concord, N. H., d. at El Dorado, Sept. 18, 1859,
of inflammation of the brain. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 20.)

CHASE, WILLIE, son of R. D. & A. R., aged 2 yrs., 3 mos., 14 days, d. near Hyatt,
May 21, 1857. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, July 11.)

CHILDS, MRS. ELIZA C., wife of T. W., aged 32 yrs., d. in Millbury, Mass., June
14, 1859. (Lawrence, Republican, July 7.)

CHOUTEAU, AMANDA, dau. of Frederic & Nancy, aged 18 yrs., d. at father's resi-
dence in Shawnee Indian Reserve, Dec. 28, 1855. (Leavenworth, Kansas
Weekly Herald, Feb. 16, 1856.)

CHUBB, JAMES E., formerly of Chicago, 111., d. in Tecumseh, Dec. 19, 1859. (Le-
compton, National Democrat, Dec. 22.)

CHURCH, ELDER SAMUEL S., d. at St. Louis, Mar. 19, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kan-
sas Weekly Herald, Mar 29.)

CLARK, HARRIET, dau. of the late George I., chief of Wyandotte Indians, d. Feb.
6, 1858. (Quindaro, Chindowan, Feb. 6.)

CLARK, DR. HIRAM, formerly of Massachusetts, lately of Jackson, Ga., aged
about 40 yrs., d. May 29, 1855, of chronic diarrhea. (Lawrence, Herald of
Freedom, June 2.)

CLARK, LUCY, wife of Powers, aged 24 yrs., d. on Big creek, Feb. 10, 1860.
(Burlington, Neosho Valley Register, Feb. 14.)

CLARK, LYMAN FRANCIS, son of J. F. & Francis M., aged 16 mos., d. Sept. 20,
1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 18.)

CLARK, MALCOLM, killed by Cole McCrea, at Leavenworth, April 30, 1855.
(Lawrence, Kansas Free State, May 28.)

CLARK, MARY ELLEN, dau. of B. T. & Ellen, aged 20 mos., 5 days, d. in Pike
township, July 28, 1860. (Emporia, Kansas News, Aug. 4.)

CLARK, NANCY JANE, wife of Henry, of Oregon, Mo., aged 22 yrs., d. Feb. 15,
1858, of apoplexy. (White Cloud, Kansas Chief, Feb. 18.)

CLARK, SCHUYLER COLFAX, son of Edward & Clara E., aged 9 mos., 22 days, d.
Nov. 4, 1858. (Lawrence, Republican, Nov. 11.)

CLARKE, HENRY, brother of D. C., teacher of Burlington school, aged 25 yrs.,
d. near Arrapahoe, western Kansas (now Colorado), Dec. 13, 1859. (Bur-
lington, Neosho Valley Register, Feb. 14, 1860.)

CLEARY, MICHAEL, d. Feb. 4, 1859. (Grasshopper Falls, Jefferson Crescent, Feb.
5.)

CLEVELAND, LORING GRANT, of Dubuque, Iowa, settled in Kansas in 1854, d. 1860,
of consumption. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Oct. 27.)

COBB, FREEMAN, native of Natick, Mass., aged 23 yrs., d. July 31, 1860, of fever.
(Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Aug. 4.)

COCKERILL, JOSEPH C., d. at residence of mother in Platte county, Mo., June 3,
1856. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, June 7.)

COHEE, V. D., d. at Kansapolis, opposite Topeka, Oct. 13, 1857, left family.
(Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 22.)

COLE, JOHN R., of near Emporia, d. Oct. 27, 1857, left large family. (Lawrence,
Republican, Nov. 5.)

COLEMAN, FRANK C., son of E. A. & Mary J., formerly of Reading, Mass., aged
9 yrs., 6 mos., drowned in Kansas river, June 12, 1857. (Lawrence, Republi-
can, June 18.)

COLEMAN, JOHN, murdered by a band of eight robbers, Dec. 13, 1859. (Leaven-
worth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Dec. 31.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 309

COLEMAN, SAMUEL CABBOT, son of E. A. & Mary J., d. Sept. 13, 1857, of whoop-
ing cough and dysentery. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Sept. 19.)

COLLINS, MRS. FRANCES C., wife of William C., d. Dec. 3, 1860, of typhoid fever.
(Leavenworth, Daily Times, Dec. 4.)

COLLINS, SAMUEL, of Doniphan City, killed by Patrick Laughlin, Nov. 1, 1855.
(Topeka, Daily Kansas Freeman, Nov. 7.)

COLLINS, WILLIAM, formerly of Illinois, aged 23 yrs., 5 mos., 22 days, d. at Chase
House, Dec. 6, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Dec. 8.)

COMBS, WILLIAM L., aged 14 yrs., d. Oct. 8, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct.
11.)

CONKLING, HANNAH MARIA, dau. of Mary E. & J. B., d. Feb. 8, 1859. (Leaven-
worth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Feb. 19.)

CONNER, ELIZABETH, sister of John, aged 19 yrs., d. near Americus, Aug. 7, 1860.
(Emporia, Kansas News, Aug. 11.)

CONNER, JOHN, accidentally killed by stick of wood thrown from embankment
just above fort, Feb. 16, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Feb. 18.)

CONRAD, D. H., of Tuscumbia, Ohio, aged 24 yrs., d. at Massasoit House, July
31, 1860, of bilious fever. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, Aug. 4.)

COOK, MARTHA JANE, dau. of Milton & Cynthia T., aged 1 yr., 7 mos., d. on West
Walnut, Butler county, Sept. 7, 1860. (Emporia, Kansas News, Sept. 8.)

COOK, MARY, wife of William S., dau. of the late Col. Miller Horton, Wilkes-
barre, Pa., d. at residence of Dr. Davis, June 2, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kansas
Weekly Herald, June 7.)

COOPER, A. A., formerly of Mahoning county, Ohio, d. at Geary City, Oct. 9,

1859. (Elwood, Free Press, Oct. 15.)

COOPER, MARY, member of Society of Friends, aged 70 yrs., d. at residence of
Dr. E. G. Macy, one mile east of Bloomington, Dec. 16, 1859. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, Dec. 30.)

COOPRIDER, ALBERT, aged 2 yrs., 11 days, d. Sept. 18, 1857, of summer complaint.
(Wyandotte, Citizen, Sept. 26.)

COOPRIDER, ISAAC, aged 4 mos., 15 days, d. Sept. 20, 1857. (Wyandotte, Citizen,
Sept. 26.)

COPELAND, GERTRUDE FINNEY, dau. of Rev. J. & C. C., aged 9 mos., 3 days,
d. in Clinton, Sept. 30, 1859, of congestive chills. (Lawrence, Republican,
Oct. 6.)

COPLEY, NAPOLEON E., late of Emporia, aged 24 yrs., d. at Little Prairie Ronde,
Mich., Sept. 4, 1858, of consumption. (Emporia, Kansas News, Oct. 2.)

CORNELIUS, GILBERT M., formerly of Dutchess county, N. Y., aged 30 yrs., 10
mos., 29 days, d. Oct. 29, 1857, left wife and small child. (Lawrence, Repub-
lican, Nov. 5.)

CORY, DAVID S., formerly of Sussex county, N. J., aged 21 yrs., d. at Baptist
Mission, Oct. 4, 1855, of typhus fever. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct.
13.)

COTTLE, SUSAN A., living at home of Mr. Elbert in South Leavenworth, aged
about 20 yrs., committed suicide by drowning in Missouri river, Feb. 16,

1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Feb. 17.)

COULTER, RODOLPHUS LENUEL, son of J. S. & Cordelia K., aged 10 mos., 8 days,
d. Aug. 17, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 23.)

310 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

CRACKLIN, MRS. JULIA A., formerly of Roxbury, Mass., wife of Capt. Joseph,

aged 27 yrs., d. July 26, 1857, of consumption. (Lawrence, Republican, July

30.)
CRACKLIN, MARY FRANCES, dau. of Joseph & Emily, aged 2 mos., 10 days, d.

Nov. 22, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Nov. 29.)
CRANSTON, MRS. ANNE, formerly of Lancaster county, Pa., aged 36 yrs., d.

Sept. 5, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Sept. 20.)
CRAWFORD, MARY A., formerly of Brownsville, Pa., d. Sept. 18, 1858, of bilious

fever. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, Sept. 25.)
CREIGHTON, DAVID D., of firm of Creighton & Co., accidentally shot, near Indi-

anola, Sept. 17, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Sept. 22.)
CRISHOPPER, FREDERIC, found dead near Flag Springs. (Council Grove, Kan-
sas Press, Mar. 19, 1860.)
GROSSMAN, , murdered by James Shelton, on Wea creek, Mar. 4, 1859.

(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 19.)
CUENIN, JOSEPH, aged 42 yrs., d. Oct. 24, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times,

Oct. 25.)
CUNDIFF, MRS. M. A., wife of W. H. H., dau. of Larkin Maddox, d. at Pleasant

Hill, Mo., Sept. 8, 1855. (Atchison, Squatter Sovereign, Sept. 25.)
CUNNINGHAM, , killed by Indians at trading house of Orville Thompson

at Ash creek on Santa Fe road, July 10, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times,

July 27.)
CURTIS, JOHN, member of legislature from Franklin county, d. Feb. 15, 1858.

(Lawrence, Republican, Feb. 18.)
CUSTARD, ROBERT WADE, formerly of Crawford county, Pa., aged 29 yrs., d. near

Big Springs, Oct. 16, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 25.)
DAGLEY, HARRISON, of Samuel Ferandis' train, while en route to Ft. Riley, d.

near Osawkee, on Grasshopper river, Sept. 9, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence,

Kansas Tribune, Oct. 17.)
DAHS, MRS. JOHN, wife of a German who had been murdered a short time

previously, d. Sept. 14, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Sept. 15.)
DAN, LANSING, d. Dec. 16, 1858. (Elwood, Press, Dec. 18.)
DARRAH, DR. JAMES, proprietor of the Pennsylvania Hotel, aged 58 yrs., d. Aug.

10, 1858. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Aug. 11.)
DAVIDSON, J. D., formerly of Cass county, Mo., aged about 55 yrs., d. June 23,

1860. (Lawrence, Republican, June 28.)
DAVIS, AUGUSTUS C., son of Dr. J. & Mary A., aged 7 yrs., 2 mos., 11 days,

d. Nov. 22, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Nov. 28.)
DAVIS, BENJAMIN, member of Capt. Donaldson's company of militia, aged

about 50 yrs., d. Nov. 24, 1856. (Lecompton, Union, Nov. 27.)
DAVIS, HENRY, murdered by Lucius Kibbee, Nov. 29, 1854. (Lawrence, Kansas

Free State, Jan. 3, 1855.)
DAVIS, HORATIO N., late of Batavia, 111., aged 20 yrs., d. at Cradit's mills, Aug.

12, 1857, of dysentery. (Prairie City, Freemen's Champion, Aug. 20.)
DEER, SARAH, late of Bakerstown, Lancaster county, Pa., aged 28 yrs., d. Oct.

13, 1855, of typhoid fever. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 13.)
DELAND, MARY, dau. of Elijah A. & Phebe V., aged 11 mos., d. July 25, 1857, of

whooping cough. (Lawrence, Republican, July 30.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 311

BELONG, JAMES A., aged 29 yrs., d. near Brownsville, Nov. 26, 1858, of con-
sumption. (Lawrence, Republican, Dec. 9.)
DEMING, EDITH GERTRUDE, dau. of A. E. & 0. S., d. Jan. 28, 1861, of pneumonia.

(Topeka, Kansas State Record, Feb. 2.)
DEMING, MARY MATISSA, dau. of J. G. & Sarah A., aged 12 yrs., 6 mos., d. in

Burlingame, Aug. 31, 1859. (Lawrence, Republican, Sept. 15.)
DEMoss, WILLIAM, late of Logansport, Ind., aged 77 yrs., d. June 5, 1858, of

lung fever. (Emporia, Kanzas News, June 12.)
DEMPSEY, JAMES, d. in Wise county, May 4, 1858. (Emporia, Kanzas News,

May 8.)
DENSMORE, , of Osawatomie, driver of the Fort Scott stage line, drowned

in Pottawatomie creek, Feb. 12, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,

Feb. 19.)

DENTON, JOHN, Free-State man of Bourbon county, killed by Proslavery ruf-
fians. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Sept. 15, 1860.)
DICKEY, DAVID, born Jackson county, Mo., 1825, aged 31 years. (Topeka, Daily

Kansas Freeman, Oct. 25, 1855.)
DICKEY, WILLIAM, of firm of Holladay & Dickey, born April 8, 1819, Freder-

icksburg, Va., d. at Weston, Mo. (Atchison, Squatter Sovereign, Feb. 20,

1855.)
DILLON, BENJAMIN B., aged 56 yrs., d. at Fort Scott Hotel, Nov. 16, 1859. (Fort

Scott, Democrat, Nov. 17.)
DIEFENDORF, SETH BENJAMIN, son of Oliver & Caroline, Weston, Mo., aged 6

yrs., 2 mos., 20 days, d. in St. Louis, Dec. 13, 1855. (Leavenworth, Kansas

Weekly Herald, Jan. 5, 1856.)
DOCKERY, JOHN, of Samuel Ferandis' train, while en route to Ft. Riley, d. near

Osawkee, on Grasshopper river, Sept. 9, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence, Kansas

Tribune, Oct. 17.)
DODD, W. F., d. Dec. 15, 1860, of consumption. (Leavenworth, Daily Times,

Dec. 17.)
DODGE, REV. JAMES, aged 52 yrs., d. Mar. 8, 1859, of pneumonia. (Lawrence,

Herald of Freedom, Mar. 12.)
DONEY, WILLIAM LORENZO, aged 1 yr., 3 mos., d. Sept. 2, 1857, of measles.

(White Cloud, Kansas Chief, Sept. 3.)
DONOHO, ELLEN, dau. of David & Mary E., aged 8 mos., 9 days, d. July 18,

1857. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, July 25.)
DOUGHMAN, JAMES, formerly of Illinois, aged 21 yrs., d. at residence of L. W.

Home, June 26, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, July 28.)
Dow, CHARLES W., murdered near Hickory Point, by F. N. Coleman, Pro-
slavery man, Nov. 21, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 24.)
Dow, MRS. SALLY, wife of Ladd, of Hickory Point, aged 58 yrs., d. Dec. 7, 1858.

(Lawrence, Republican, Dec. 16.)
DOWELL, SAMUEL F., aged 18 yrs., 27 days, d. Aug. 30, 1859. (White Cloud,

Kansas Chief, Sept. 8.)
DOY, CHARLES, member of horse-stealing fraternity, shot by posse in Linn

county. (Burlington, Neosho Valley Register, July 21, 1860.)
DOYLE, BRYAN, drowned Mar. 1, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Mar 2.)
DOYLE, RICHARD, formerly of Leavenworth, killed by Patrick Kelley, formerly

of Leavenworth and Lawrence. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Dec. 27, 1860.)

312 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

DREW, NAOMI, dau. of John, of Burlingame, drowned in Dragoon creek, July

3, 1858. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, July 24.)
DRUMMOND, ELIZABETH, aged 19 yrs., 4 mos., 19 days, d. Feb. 21, 1857, of

bilious fever. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Feb. 23.)
DUDLEY, MARY L., dau. of B. W., relative of Major Castleman, aged 22 yrs.,

d. at St. Charles, Mo., June 5, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, June 23.)
DUERINCK, the REV. FATHER JOHN BAPTIST, of the Catholic (St. Mary's) mis-
sion, born May 8, 1809, aged 48 yrs., drowned in Missouri river when skiff

overturned, Dec. 9. 1857. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 23, 1858.)
DUNAWAY, ROSANNA, dau. of William & Ann, aged 4 yrs., d. at residence of

Mr. Poyner, Sept. 7, 1859. (Fort Scott, Democrat, Sept. 15.)
DUNCAN, WILLIS, formerly of Virginia, and late of Missouri, aged 69 yrs., d.

Jan. 12, 1856, of inflammation of the lungs. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,

Jan. 26.)
DUNCAN, WILLIS EDWARD, son of W. H. & Elizabeth, aged 10 mos, d. Dec. 20,

1857, of inflammation of the brain. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Dec.

26.)
DUNN, ANDREW, late of Butler county, Pa., aged 46 yrs., d. at Mr. Rinker's,

Aug. 14, 1858, of congestive chills. (Emporia, Kansas News, Aug. 21.)
DUNN, EDWARD, from Rothcoole, Ireland, d. at residence of son on Salt creek,

Dec. 31, 1855. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Jan. 19, 1856.)
DUNN, FREDDY WARREN, son of B. P. & Abby J., aged 9 mos., 2 days, d. July

9, 1860, of cholera infantum. (Lawrence, Republican, July 12.)
DUNN, PATRICK, of Turkey creek, Dickinson county, gored to death by a

buffalo. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Sept. 8, 1860.)
DUNNING, JAMES G., son of Robert G., & Elvira, aged 3 mos., 8 days, d.

July 24, 1858. (Wyandotte, Western Argus, July 29.)
DURNILL, POLLEY, wife of Joseph, aged 55 yrs., d. Nov. 3, 1860. (Burlington,

Neosho Valley Register, Nov. 7.)
EASTTN, LUCIAN WOOD, son of Lucian J. & Sarah F., aged 10 mos., 6 days, d.

July 8, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, July 10.)
EASTIN, MARY ELLEN, dau. of Lucian J. & Sarah F., aged 13 mos., 24 days, d.

at Palmyra, Mo., Aug. 3, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald,

Aug. 16.)
EASTMAN, M. K., late of North Troy, Vt., aged 45 yrs., d. Nov. 27, 1857.

(Quindaro, Chindowan, Nov. 28.)

EATON, JOHN, d. Aug. 10, 1858. (Leavenworth, Times, Aug. 14.)
ELDRIDGE, JAMES M., of firm of Eldridge Brothers, aged 39 yrs., d. Nov. 4, 1857,

of inflammation of the brain. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 14.)
ELDRIDGE, SHALER W., aged 1 yr., 10 mos., d. at Eldridge House, Oct. 11, 1860,

of inflammation of the bowels. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 18.)
ELLIOTT, W. C. WORTH, son of I. D. & Nancy, aged 11 yrs., d. Jan. 29, 1860.

(Emporia, Kansas News, Feb. 11.)
ELMORE, ARTHUR, son of Rush & Susan T., aged 3 days, d. Mar. 4, 1858.

(Tecumseh, Kansas Settler, Mar. 10.)
ELWELL, CHAS. ROBERTSON, son of Dr. J. B., aged 6 mos., 3 wks., d. at residence

of Capt. Kipp, Platte county, Mo., Mar. 30, 1856. (Atchison, Squatter

Sovereign, April 15.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 313

EMERSON, LYSANDER B., son of S. M. & S. D., aged 2 days, d. at Wyandotte,

July 28, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 23.)
EMERY, WM., of Samuel Ferandis' train, while en route to Fort Riley, d. near

Osawkee, on Grasshopper river, Sept. 9, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence, Kan-
sas Tribune, Oct. 17.)
EVANS, MARIA C., dau. of James W. & Mary, aged 16 yrs., 11 mos., 16 days, d.

Aug. 6, 1860, of congestive fever. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 9.)
EVINGTON, DR. J. G., struck by lightning, May 25 or 26, 1859. (Atchison, Union,

June 4; Freedom's Champion, May 28.)
EWELL, CHAS. ROBERTSON, see Elwell, Chas. Robertson.
FARLEY, JOSIAH, formerly of Platte county, Mo., d. July 31, 1857. (Delaware,

Kansas Free State, Aug. 1.)
FARNS WORTH, WILLIAM B., native of Washington, N. H., aged 50 yrs., d. in Avon

township, Coffey county, Nov. 30, 1859. (Burlington, Neosho Valley Regis-
ter, Dec. 13.)
FEATHERGILL, LAURA DALE, dau. of William & Ellen, aged 4 yrs., 10 mos., 4 days,

d. in Adams county, 111., Sept. 26, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly

Herald, Oct. 16.)
FEE, JOHN, d. in this territory, opposite St. Joseph, of cholera. (Atchison,

Squatter Sovereign, Sept. 24, 1855.)
FERGUSON, CARRIE GRAY, twin dau. of P. S. & Margaret, aged 9 mos., d. at

Superior, Osage county. (Lawrence, Republican, Sept. 15, 1859.)
FERGUSON, FRED IRVING, son of James H. & Ellen M., aged 1 yr., 10 days, d. July

18, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 2.)
FERRELL, MINNIE, dau. of the Rev. T. J. & Minerva, aged 1 yr., 7 mos., 4 days,

d. Jan. 13, 1861. (Lawrence, Republican, Jan. 17.)
FINK, JACOB, a German living eight miles from Leavenworth on the Easton

road, killed by a fall from a wagon, Nov. 16, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas

Weekly Herald, Nov. 20.)
FINKLEA, HUGH G., originally from Germany, drowned from raft of logs near

Doniphan, Aug. 27, 1857. (Geary City, Era, Sept. 5.)
FIRTH, THOMAS, formerly of Blackwoodtown, N. J., resident of Ogden, shot

through window at house of Mr. Warner between Manhattan and Ogden,

Feb. 28, 1859. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Mar. 12.)
FISH, MARY JANE, dau. of Charles, of the Shawnee Indian nation, aged about

10 yrs., d. June 21, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence, Kansas Free State, July 9.)
FISH, NANCY, dau. of Charles, of the Shawnee Indian nation, aged about 8 yrs.,

d. June 19, 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence, Kansas Free State, July 9.)
FISH, MRS. PASCAL, aged about 50 yrs., d. on the Shawnee Indian reservation,

April 29, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, May 5.)
FISHER, JOSEPHINE A., dau. of Adam & Catharine, aged 2 yrs., d. Dec. 22, 1854,

of consumption. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Dec. 29.)
FLEISCHMAN, MRS. ELIZA K., aged 48 yrs., d. near Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 1,

1858. (Lawrence, Republican, Feb. 18.)
FORD, E. N., drowned fording the Wakarusa. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,

Nov. 6, 1858.)
FOSTER, , dau. of Mr. Foster, keeper of Atchison Hotel, aged 14 yrs., d.

Nov. 21, 1856. (Atchison, Squatter Sovereign, Nov. 22.)

FOSTER, BERTHA, aged 43 yrs., d. Jan. 22, 1861, of consumption. (Topeka, Kan-
sas State Record, Jan. 26.)

314 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

FOSTER, CHARLES, formerly of Ogdensburg, N. Y., later of Minneola, K. T., d. at

Denver City, Sept. 17, 1860. ( Leavenworth, Daily Times, Oct. 8.)
FOSTER, ROBERT PITT, son of F. R. & M. B., aged 3 mos., 10 days, d. Nov. 30,

1858. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Dec. 16.)

Fox, MRS. BETSY ANN, wife of Henry, aged 47 yrs., d. at Auburn, K. T. (To-
peka, Kansas State Record, Nov. 19, 1859.)
FRANCE, ELIZABETH ANN, aged 23 yrs., d. at home of brother near Delaware,

Feb. 20, 1856, of consumption. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald,

Mar. 8.)
FRANKE, , of Illinois, murdered by Glover, Aug., 1854. (Lawrence,

Kansas Free State, Jan. 3, 1855.)
FRAZER, MARY A. JEWETT, wife of Robert L., born at St. Albans, Vt., married

Nov. 1859, aged 26 yrs., d. July 29, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 2.)
FRAZIER, IDA C., aged 3 yrs., 11 mos., 21 days, d. on Rock creek, Jefferson county,

Nov. 20, 1860. (Oskaloosa, Independent, Nov. 21.)
FREEMAN, N. S., committed suicide at Pennsylvania Hotel, April 24, 1858.

(Leavenworth, Times, May 1.)
FRENCH, MRS. EMILY, wife of Theodore, dau. of William & Delilah Jaquett, of

Cameron, N. Y., aged 23 yrs., 11 mos., d. at Georgetown, May 9, 1859. (Law-
rence, Republican, May 19.)
FRENCH, MARTHA J., dau. of George, formerly of Brunswick, Me., aged 22 yrs.,

d. at residence of father four miles south of Topeka, Oct. 18, 1856, of fever.

(Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Oct. 22.)
FRIZZLE, RILEY, aged 38 yrs., d. Nov. 7, 1860, of lung fever. (Topeka, Kansas

State Record, Nov. 10.)
FRY, CHAS. SAMUEL, only child of Samuel & Matilda, aged 1 yr., 5 mos., d.

Sept. 2, 1857, of whooping cough and diarrhea. (Lawrence, Herald of Free-
dom, Sept. 5.)
FRY, FREDERICK CEPHAS, son of Samuel & Matilda, aged 1 yr., 6 mos., 7 days,

d. Nov. 5, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 12.)
FULKINSON, MRS. LYDIA, wife of Dr. Peter P., aged 31 yrs. (Leavenworth,

Kansas Weekly Herald, June 13, 1857.)
FULLER, JAMES MONROE, formerly of Mansfield, Conn., d. Feb. 10, 1858, of brain

fever, left wife and two children. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Feb.

13.)
GARDNER, THOMAS M., son of Joseph & Sarah M., d. Jan. 5, 1860. (Lawrence,

Republican, Jan. 12.)
GARRISON, CAROLINE, dau. of Isaac, aged 14 yrs., d. Nov. 28, 1859. (Topeka,

Kansas State Record, Dec. 3.)
GARVIN, ROBERT, late of Illinois, aged 22 yrs., d. June 27, 1857. (Lawrence,

Herald of Freedom, July 4.)
GATCHLEY, WILLIAM, aged about 25 yrs., found dead in bed, June 23, 1860.

(Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 25.)
GAUGH, , found dead, July 19, 1859, supposed that liquor and heat of sun

combined killed him. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, July 22.)
GAYLORD, WILLIAM LEWIS, of Buchanan county, Mo., aged 57 yrs., d. Aug. 23,

1859. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, Sept. 3.)

GETMAN, MRS. , of Terrapin creek, Brown county, late of Frankfort, N. Y.,

struck by lightning, June 26, 1859. (White Cloud, Kansas Chief, July 7.)

DEATH NOTICES FKOM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 315

GILES, CHARLES, of Gallia county, Ohio, aged 60 yrs., d. at the Waverly House,

April 10, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, April 12.)

GILLPATRICK, MRS. JANE M., wife of the Rev. James, missionary to this terri-
tory, aged 48 yrs., d. at Brownsville, Jan. 22, 1856. (Lawrence, Herald of

Freedom, Jan. 26.)
GIST, WM. H., d. at Atchison, Jan. 8, 1861. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Jan.

12.)
GLEASON, MRS. POLLY H., wife of Salem, formerly of Pennsylvania, aged 68

yrs., 4 mos., d. in Willow Springs township, Sept. 1, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald

of Freedom, Sept. 3.)
GLIDDON, MARY A., aged 2 yrs., 9 mos., d. at Willow Springs, Oct. 19, 1860.

(Lawrence, Republican, Nov. 1.)
GODDARD, GEORGE THATCHER, aged 33 yrs., d. on Rock creek, eight miles from

Council Grove, April 18, 1858, of consumption. (Emporia, Kanzas News,

April 24.)
GOODIN, HENRY C., son of James &, Catherine, brother of John & James of

Leavenworth, aged 19 yrs., d. in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 8, 1860. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, Sept. 18.)
GOODMAN, ALICE LOUISE, dau. of Charles F. & Emma, aged 4 yrs., 8 mos., 21

days, d. Dec. 11, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Dec. 12.)
GORDON, , son of Thomas & Betsey, d. Sept. 7, 1860. (Emporia, Kansas

News, Sept. 8.)
GORDON, MRS. MARCIA B., wife of Wilson L., aged 25 yrs., Dec. 16, 1859. (To-

peka, Kansas State Record, Dec. 17.)
Goss, SUSAN ALICE, dau. of Geo. W. & Susan C., formerly of W. Randolph, Vt.,

aged 4 yrs., d. on steamer Star of the West, Oct., 1855, of cholera. (Lawrence,

Herald of Freedom, Oct. 27.)
GRAHAM, LOUISA 0., dau. of John M. & Martha, d. Feb. 7, 1858, of lung fever.

(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Feb. 20.)
GRAHAM, MRS. MARTHA, wife of John M., aged 53 yrs., 6 mos., d. Mar. 11, 1858,

of consumption, left husband and four children. (Lawrence, Herald of Free-
dom, Mar. 20.
GRAY, ANN B., wife of R. D., aged 26 yrs., d. at Turkey creek, Bourbon county,

May 22, 1860. (Burlington, Neosho Valley Register, June 9.)
GRAY, DANIEL, killed at Stanton, by Thadeus Wymans, July 13, 1859. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, July 22.)
GREEN, JAMES FARQUHAR, formerly of this city, aged 29 yrs., 11 mos., d. at

Marseilles, France, Feb. 19, 1859. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, April 2.)
GREENE, EVANS E., formerly of Delaware county, Pa., aged 23 yrs., d. July 28,

1858, of congestive chills. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 5.)
GREENE, MARY ALVA, dau. of James W. & Susan A., aged 3 yrs., d. at residence

of James Cunningham, Parkville, Mo., Dec. 28, 1855. (Atchison, Squatter

Sovereign, Jan. 22, 1856.)
GREENO, FRANK, son of Harris S. & Sarah E., aged 2 yrs., 2 days, d. Feb. 17,

1860. (Fort Scott, Democrat, Feb. 23.)
GRIER, GEORGE WILEY, son of S. W. & C. H., d. June 18, 1860, of congestion of

the brain. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 19.)
GRIFFIN, ELVIRA, aged 17 yrs., d. at Agnes City. (Emporia, Kanzas News, Dec.

12, 1857.)

316 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

GRIMES, HUGH D., aged 21 yrs., 11 mos., 21 days, d. at El Dorado, Hunter

county, Feb. 4, 1860. (Burlington, Neosho Valley Register, Feb. 14.)
GRISWOLD, MRS. LOCKIE A., wife of Sylvester C., aged 21 yrs., 6 mos., 24 days,

d. at Marthaville, Warren county, Mo., Sept. 27, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kan-
sas Weekly Herald, Nov. 8.)
GUTHRIE, JOHN, hanged for stealing a horse. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Feb.

17, 1860.)
HADLEY, DANIEL P., formerly of New Hampshire, aged about 43 years, d. Nov.

6, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 24.)
HAGAN, JOSEPH, of Shawnee, K. T., drowned, July 15, 1860. (Leavenworth,

Daily Times, July 21.)
HALL, AMANDA A., wife of Isaac, aged 28 yrs., d. April 20, 1857, buried at

Philadelphia, Pa. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, April 25.)
HALL, DATUS MARTINDALE, son of Edward & Lorinda C., aged 4 yrs., 7 mos.,

20 days, d. Mar. 5, 1860. (Emporia, Kansas News, Mar. 10.)
HALL, HELEN M., dau. of Samuel & Julia A., aged 10 yrs., d. Sept. 15, 1858,

of typhoid fever. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Sept. 30; "Records of Burials

in Topeka Cemetery, 1859-1880.")
HALL, JOSEPH M., county commissioner of Leavenworth county, d. at Kickapoo,

May 31, 1857. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, June 6.)
HAM, , son of J., of Nicholls Grove, aged 1 yr., 3 mos., d. in Holt county,

Mo., Sept. 20, 1857, of flux. (White Cloud, Kansas Chief, Oct. 1.)
HAMBLETON, CHARLES E., of Kentucky, aged 27 yrs., d. April 13, 1860. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, April 14.)
HAMILL, KITTY JANE, dau. of Samuel, aged 6 mos., d. Sept. 4, 1859. (Emporia,

Kansas News, Sept. 10.)
HAMILL, MRS. MARY JANE, wife of Samuel, aged 32 yrs., d. near Emporia, Mar.

22, 1859. (Emporia, Kansas News, Mar. 26.)
HAMM, LEWIS STAFFORD, son of George L. & Sarah W., aged 2 mos., 10 days, d.

at Holton, June 15, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, June 23.)
HAMMOND, CHARLES JERRY, son of Chauncey & Clarissa, aged 6 yrs., d. near

the Big Mound on the Wakarusa, April 13, 1857. (Lawrence, Herald of

Freedom, April 25.)
HAMMOND, ELLEN, dau. of Chauncey & Clarissa, aged 10 yrs., d. near the Big

Mound on the Wakarusa, April 5, 1857. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,

April 25.)
HANCOCK, , dau. of Joseph, d. at Oregon, Mo., Sept. 23, 1857, of croup.

(White Cloud, Kansas Chief, Oct. 1.)
HANDFORD, EDGAR CONKLING, son of Joseph & Narissa, aged 1 yr., 5 days, d.

Sept. 12, 1857. (Wyandotte, Citizen, Sept. 26.)
HANFORD, CATHARINE J., dau. of W. F. & Gusta H., d. Oct. 18, 1860. (Emporia,

Kansas News, Oct. 27.)
HANKS, O. S., formerly of Randolph, Vt., member of Oread guards, aged about

25 yrs., d. of bilious fever. (Lawrence, Republican, June 25, 1857.)
HARDER, WILLIS S., formerly of Richmond, Mo., aged 32 yrs., d. Mar. 3, 1855,

of pneumonia. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 24.)
HARDESTY, ISAAC, formerly of Illinois, aged 29 yrs., d. July 27, 1860. (Manhat-
tan, Kansas Express, July 28.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 317

HARLOW, MRS. MARY P., wife of Oscar, of Lawrence, late of W. Randolph, Vt.,

aged 29 yrs., d. on steamer Star of the West, Oct. 8, 1855, of cholera. (Law-
rence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 27.)
HARLOW, OSCAR, late of W. Randolph, Vt., aged 26 yrs., d. Mar. 24, 1856,

(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, April 5.)
HARNED, FRANK, son of Hiram & Caroline E., aged 6 yrs., d. Sept. 8, 1859.

(Elwood, Free Press, Sept. 10.)
HARNESS, MARY E., aged 5 yrs., burned to death, Nov. 24, 1860. (Fort Scott,

Democrat, Dec. 1.)
HARNSBERCER, JOHN J., late of Rockingham county, Va., d. at residence of

Gen. Lewis, Saline county, Mo., July 13, 1855. (Leavenworth, Kansas

Weekly Herald, Aug. 18.)
HARRIS, CHAPIN A., of Georgetown, Ky., d. at Chapin House, Jan. 29, 1860.

(Leavenworth, Daily Times, Feb. 1.)
HART, MARY A., dau. of Orvis Y. & Mary U., aged 5 mos., d. June 7, 1860. (Em-

poria, Kansas News, June 9.)
HARVEY, ANN, wife of Henry, came to Kansas in 1840 as matron of Friends

mission, aged 62 yrs., d. near Wilmington, July 8, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas

Tribune, July 21.)
HARVEY, COL. JAMES A., aged 29 yrs., d. at Hyatt, Dec. 22, 1857, of heart disease.

(Lawrence, Republican, Jan. 7, 1858.)
HARWOOD, MARIA, sister of Mrs. Weymouth and Charles F. Harwood, aged 18

yrs. 6 mos., d. in Boston, Mass., Aug. 15, 1860, of inflammation of the bowels.

(Topeka, Kansas State Record, Aug. 25.)
HASELTINE, DAVID P., formerly of Hamilton, Ohio, aged 53 yrs., 11 days, d. near

Clinton, Douglas county, Jan. 23, 1861, of inflammation of the lungg.

(Lawrence, Republican, Jan. 31.)
HASELTINE, LEWIS M., son of William & Martha Jane, aged 6 yrs., 11 mos., d. in

Kanwaca, Douglas county, July 16, 1860, of inflammation. (Lawrence,

Republican, July 19.)
HASKELL, FRANKLIN, late of N. Brookfield, Mass., aged 50 yrs., d. Jan. 26, 1857,

of inflammation of the bowels. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 31.)
HASKELL, HATTIE FRANCES, only child of Charles A. & Lucy A., aged 18 mos.,

d. Jan. 24, 1859, of inflammation of the brain. (Lawrence, Republican,

Jan. 27.)
HASTINGS, FRANK DAVIS, only child of Alonzo & Grace E., aged 11 mos., d. July

25, 1859, of congestion of the brain. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, July 28.)
HATHAWAY, MRS. WEALTHY S., wife of George W., aged 30 yrs., 3 mos., d. at

Forest Hill, Dec. 8, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Dec. 17.)
HAYDEN, ELIZA JANE, wife of William B., aged 19 yrs., d. at Prairie City, Nov.

19, 1859. (Burlington, Neosho Valley Register, Jan. 24, 1860.)
HAYMAN, PETER G., proprietor of Burnett House on Shawnee street, committed

suicide, July 20, 1858. (Leavenworth, Weekly Times, July 24.)
HEDDING, MRS. ELIZABETH, wife of Charles B., aged 26 yrs., d. at Padonia, Brown

county, Jan. 6, 1861. (White Cloud, Kansas Chief, Jan. 17.)
HELLING, ELIZA, formerly of Cleveland, Ohio, aged 22 yrs., d. July 25, 1859, of

congestion of brain. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, July 27.)
HELWIG, MRS. RACHEL, wife of John, aged 28 yrs., d. at Monrovia, May 24,

1859. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, May 28.)

318 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

HEMENWAY, EDWARD S., aged 21 yrs., d. at Lecompton, May 23, 1858. (Law-
rence, Republican, May 27.)

HERNDON, CATHARINE, wife of Dr. Richard W., formerly of Scott county, Ky.,
aged 74 yrs., d. in Platte county, Mo., Aug. 14, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kansas
Weekly Herald, Aug. 23.)

HERRICK, ELMA, formerly of E. Corinth, Me., aged 43 yrs., d. in Sumner town-
ship, Dec. 14, 1856, of dropsy. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 3, 1857.)

HERRICK, MRS. Lois, wife of Nathan, formerly of E. Corinth, Me., aged 73 yrs.,
d. Mar. 28, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, April 7.)

HERRICK, NATHAN, native of New Hampshire, recently from Maine, d. Oct. 10,
1855, of heart disease. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 27.)

HERVEY, EVELINE, aged 25 yrs., 9 mos., 17 days, d. Mar. 15, 1860. (Fort Scott,
Democrat, Mar. 15.)

HESS, NICHOLAS, a German, found frozen to death 10 miles west of Topeka on
Mission creek road. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Feb. 2, 1861.)

HIATT, MRS. FARMEY ELIZABETH, wife of Henry, aged 38 yrs., 6 mos., d. at Twin
Mound, Douglas county, April 19, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,
April 30.)

HIATT, JONATHAN D., son of Curtis, aged 11 yrs., 1 mo., 10 days, d. Nov. 9, 1859,
of typhoid fever. (Emporia, Kansas News, Nov. 26.)

HILLMAN, CATHARINE, late of Utica, Wis., aged 27 yrs., d. at Bloomington, Nov.
5, 1857. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Nov. 21.)

HILLYER, CHARLES SUMNER, only son of E. D. & Ellen, aged 4 yrs., d. at Grass-
hopper Falls, Mar. 24, 1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Mar. 29.)

HISCOCK, MAGGIE, resided in Topeka in 1856, burned while fighting prairie fire
near Lawrence, Nov. 3, 1859. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, Nov. 5.)

HODSON, JOHN, aged 54 yrs., d. Dec. 1, 1858, of consumption. (Emporia, Kan-
sas News, Dec. 4.)

HOLLJDAY, MRS. ABRAHAM, of Osawatomie, killed by storm, June 8, 1860. (Leav-
enworth, Daily Times, June 15.)

HOLLINGSWORTH, MRS. G. M., wife of L. F., aged 29 yrs., 2 mos., 8 days, d. near
Delaware City, Aug. 30, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Nov.
13.)

HOOK, WILLIAM, shot while attempting to burn out neighbors in Chase county.
(Council Grove, Kansas Press, Nov. 14, 1859.)

HOOVER, JOHN, late of Crestline, Ohio, killed by falling on circular saw in one
of the mills on the south levee, Feb. 27, 1858. (Sumner, Gazette, Feb. 27.)

HOOVER, REBECCA, dau. of David & Mary, aged 1 yr., 9 mos., d. in Burlingame,
July 7, 1859. (Lawrence, Republican, Sept. 15.)

HORNSBERGER, JOHN J., late of Rockingham county, Va., d. in Saline county,
Mo., at residence of General Lewis, July 13, 1855. (Leavenworth, Kansas
Weekly Herald, Aug. 18.)

HORNSBY, MRS. MARY VIRGINIA, wife of Columbus, aged 23 yrs., 8 mos., 19 days,
d. Sept. 8, 1859, of consumption. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 1.)

HORNSBY, WM. B., of firm of C. & Wm. B., d. at residence of his father in
Johnson county, Mo., May 16, 1859. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, May
28.)

HOTCHKISS, HOMER, of Auburn, one of Green's exploring expedition, killed by
Indians. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Sept. 8, 1860.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 319

HOWE, ELIZA, dau. of Ira, aged 14 yrs., d. at Ottumwa, Nov. 20, 1859, of con-
sumption. (Burlington, Neosho Valley Register, Nov. 29.)

HOWE, MARY E., dau. of Richard & Sarah, aged 1 yr., 6 mos., d. Sept. 9, 1859.
(Emporia, Kansas News, Sept. 10.)

HOWSLEY, LUCINDA J., wife of R. H., aged 24 yrs., d. Feb. 16, 1859. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, Feb. 18.)

HOYT, , orphan dau. of David S., aged about 6 yrs. (Lawrence, Herald of

Freedom, June 27, 1857.)

HOYT, DAVID STARR, of Deerfield, Mass., aged 35 yrs., killed by Proslavery men,
Aug. 12, 1856. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, June 27, 1857.)

HUBBARD, D. L., formerly of Rushford, N. Y., aged 31 yrs., d. on Washington
creek, May 14, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, May 26.)

HUGH, WILLIAM, killed by a party of settlers at his cabin on the Cottonwood,
16 miles west of Emporia, Oct. 20, 1859. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Oct.
28.)

HUGHES, RICHARD C., d. at Palmyra, Mo., Oct. 20, 1856. (Leavenworth, Kan-
sas Weekly Herald, Nov. 1.)

HUNT, CARL CLARENCE, son of David R. & Harriett A., aged 10 mos., 18 days,
d. Aug. 21, 1860. (Elwood, Free Press, Aug. 25.)

HUNT, JUDGE MORRIS, d. Nov. 14, 1858. (Lawrence, Republican, Dec. 23.)

HUNTER, ARCHIBALD, native of Scotland, aged 45 yrs., d. Aug. 20, 1859. (Law-
rence, Republican, Sept. 1.)

HUTCHINSON, ALMA V., dau. of Wm. & Helen M., aged 5 yrs., 10 mos., d. at
Woodstock, Ohio, while en route to Randolph, Vt., former residence, Jan. 6,
1857. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 17.)

HUTCHINSON, JOHN F., formerly of Philadelphia, Pa., d. at residence of Capt.
Henry Learned, of Sumner township, of malignant tumor. (Lawrence,
Herald of Freedom, May 22, 1858.)

HYDE, DR. EDWARD, formerly of Corning, N. Y., aged 41 yrs. (Topeka, Kansas
State Record, Oct. 1, 1859.)

INGLES, SAMUEL, d. as a result of injury from bursting of an anvil. (Leaven-
worth, Daily Times, Dec. 28, 1859.)

INSLEY, DON CARLOS, only child of M. H. & Eliza P., aged 4 yrs., d. June 2, 1860.
(Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 19.)

INSLEY, MARY BELLE, dau. of M. H. & Eliza P., aged 9 mos., d. May 26, 1860.
(Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 19.)

IRVINE, FANNY H., wife of Judge William L., d. in Buchanan county, Mo., May
5, 1859, of consumption. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, May 7.)

JENKINS, GAIUS, killed by James H. Lane, June 3, 1858, left wife and several
children. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, June 5.)

JENKINS, WILLIAM H., of Marshall county, formerly of St. John's, Colleton,
S. C., d. Nov. 18, 1857, of congestion of the brain. (Lecompton, National
Democrat, Nov. 19.)

JESSEE, NANCY REBECCA, dau. of William & Nancy, aged 18 yrs., 7 mos., d. near
Bloomington, Sept. 14, 1858, of bilious fever. (Lawrence, Herald of Free-
dom, Sept. 25.)

JOHNSON, MRS. , and child, drowned crossing Dragoon creek, June 2, 1858,

lived near Burlingame. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, June 19.)

320 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

JOHNSON, ERIC MONROE, only son of Benjamin & Mary, aged 8 yrs., 14 days, d.

Sept. 4, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Sept. 15.)
JOHNSON, HARVEY, aged 56 yrs., d. at Elmendaro, Madison county, Jan. 5, 1860,

of lung fever. (Emporia, Kansas News, Jan. 28.)

JOHNSON, HENRY, aged about 35 yrs., murdered at camp on branch of Big Ar-
kansas. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Mar. 24, 1860.)
JOHNSON, WALTER, formerly of Connecticut, aged 52 yrs., d. at his residence

near Big Springs, Sept. 13, 1857. (Lawrence, Republican, Sept. 24.)
JOHNSTON, EDWARD HENRY, only child of Philip & Mary Ann, aged 3 yrs., d.

Sept. 27, 1860. (Topeka, .Kansas State Record, Oct. 6.)
JOHNSTON, MRS. MALVINA H., wife of S. W., aged 37 yrs., d. Mar. 3, 1860, of

consumption. (Lecompton, National Democrat, April 5.)
JONES, FRANKLIN, son of Jacob & Mary, aged 3 yrs., 4 mos., 17 days, d. Sept.

3, 1860. (Elwood, Free Press, Sept. 8.)

JONES, JOHN, formerly of Illinois, lived near Wakarusa, 6 miles south of Law-
rence, killed by outlaws. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune, June 6, 1856.)
JONES, TEGIDON PHILIPS, son of Edward & Sarah, aged 4 yrs., d. Oct. 25, 1859.

(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 29.)
JONES, WILSON SUMNER, son of A. R. & S. J., aged 11 mos., d. on Dow creek,

Sept. 11, 1858, of cholera infantum. (Emporia, Kansas News, Sept. 13.)
JOSLIN, THERON A., late postmaster of Sumner, native of Waitsfield, Vt., aged

23 yrs., drowned in Grasshopper river, near Kennekuk, May 16, 1859.

(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, June 4.)
JUDSON, MRS. ELIZABETH, wife of Col. Wm. R., formerly of Elmira, N. Y., aged

45 yrs., 11 mos., d. at residence of E. S. Lowman, Mar. 1, 1859. (Lawrence,

Herald of Freedom, Mar. 5.)
JUMPS, MRS. HENRIETTA A., wife of Edward, aged 23 yrs., d. Jan. 30, 1857.

(Leavenworth, Weekly Leavenworth Journal, Feb. 2.)
KAUCHER, ELLEN DOROTHY, dau. of William & Sarah, aged 9 mos., 14 days, d. at

Oregon, Mo., Sept. 9, 1860, of inflammation of the bowels. (White Cloud,

Kansas Chief, Sept. 13.)
KELLET, MRS. , aged 26 yrs., d. near Ottumwa, Nov. 17, 1859. (Burlington,

Neosho Valley Register, Nov. 29.)
KELLEY, JOHN, early settler of the county, killed in accident while making a

fence, May 23, 1860, left a large family. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, May

25.)
KELLOGG, RANDALL F., only son of Randall F. & Olive, aged 3 yrs., d. May 29,

1858. (Grasshopper Falls, Grasshopper, June 5.)
KELLY, MRS. LEANOR, wife of Caleb, aged 40 yrs., d. Nov. 23, 1857, of typhoid

fever, left husband and several children. (Lawrence, Republican, Dec. 3.)
KELLY, REBECCA JANE, dau. of Thomas A. & Selvira R., aged 14 mos., d. Aug. 18,

1858, of fits. (Emporia, Kansas News, Aug. 21.)

KEMPTON, ELIAS W., son of Alfred & Matilda, aged 2 yrs., 4 mos., d. Dec. 9,

1859. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Dec. 17.)

KENT, ADRIAL, aged 48 yrs., 2 mos., d. Oct. 24, 1860. (Burlington, Neosho Valley
News, Oct. 24.)

KERR, DR. J. W., elected member of state legislature under Wyandotte consti-
tution, aged 37 yrs., d. Mar. 13, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, April 5.)

KERR, THADDEUS S., son of John & Susan E., aged 1 yr., 23 days, d. June 19, 1860.
(Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, June 23.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 321

KETTLAS, Louis, Charles creek, Davis county, committed suicide, Sept. 11, 1860.
(Leavenworth, Daily Times, Sept. 25.)

KEYSER, BEN H., d. at Junction City, Dec. 2, 1859. (Leavenworth, Kansas
Weekly Herald, Dec. 10.)

KIBBY, MRS. , Leavenworth, burned while taking bread from oven, Sept. 3,

1860. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Sept. 5.)

KILGORE, LIZZIE M., aged 18 yrs., d. in Salt creek valley, Nov. 3, 1860, of con-
sumption. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Nov. 6.)

KILLAM, FRANCIS, formerly of Concord, N. H., d. May 25, 1857, left wife and
son. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, May 30.)

KIMBALL, MARY ABBY, dau. of Franklin & Elizabeth, aged 6 mos., 27 days, d.
July 4, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, July 12.)

KIMSEY, JOHN, ferryman, formerly of Missouri, aged 47 yrs., fell in his boat
while crossing the river, July 23, 1857. (Quindaro, Chindowan, July 25.)

KING, JOHN F., special correspondent of the New York Evening Post, and
Cincinnati Daily and Weekly Times, Lawrence, d. at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,
Feb. 14, 1859, by suicide. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Feb. 24.)

KING, WILLIAM R., formerly of Kalamazoo, Mich., aged 27 yrs., d. at Com-
mercial House, Dec. 29, 1860. (Lawrence, Republican, Jan. 3, 1861.)

KINISON, JOHN, native of Ohio, drowned near White Cloud, May 27, 1860.
(Leavenworth, Daily Times, June 16.)

KINKEAD, , of Stanton, killed by storm, June 8, 1860. (Leavenworth,

Daily Times, June 15.)

KLINEFELTER, JOSEPH, late of Morrow county, Ohio, aged 47 yrs., 11 mos., 16
days, d. in Brown county, July 17, 1858, of erysipelas. (White Cloud, Kansas
Chief, July 22.)

KNAPP, MRS. NANCY A., wife of Lemuel, aged 39 yrs., d. at Ogden, Feb. 24,
1858, left husband and six children. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Mar. 27.)

KNIGHT, MRS. MARIANNE, wife of the Rev. Richard, late of Holyoke, Mass.,
aged 40 yrs., 8 mos., d. Feb. 12, 1856. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,
Feb. 23.)

KNIGHT, ROBERT CHARLES, son of the Rev. Richard, late of Holyoke, Mass.,
aged 13 yrs., 2 mos., d. Feb. 12, 1856. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,
Feb. 16.)

KNOWLES, MARY JANE, late of Dorchester, Mass., aged 25 yrs., d. at residence
of Samuel Smith, Aug. 10, 1858. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Aug. 14.)

KNOWLTON, CHARLES, d. in hunting accident. (Leavenworth, Daily Times,
Feb. 17, 1860.)

KONZ, , living south of Wakarusa, shot by a company of Free-State men

after he had boasted of killing five abolitionists. (Doniphan, Kansas Cru-
sader of Freedom, Feb. 5, 1858.)

KUYKENDALL, JAMES ISRAEL, son of J. M. & S. E., aged 4 mos., 27 days, d. at
Calhoun, Shawnee county, Aug. 18, 1860, of congestion of the brain. (To-
peka, Kansas Tribune, Aug. 25.)

LADD, , son of E. D. & Mary W. T., aged 5 weeks, 5 days, d. Nov. 29, 1856,

of congestion of the lungs. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Dec. 6.)
LADD, MRS. MARY W. T., wife of E. D., aged 31 yrs., d. Jan. 22, 1857, of con-
sumption. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 31.)

213398

322 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

LAIRD, SAMUEL, drowned while scrubbing wheelhouse of steamer Emma, June

20, 1858. (Leavenworth, Times, June 26.)
LAMB, JOHN T., late of Kentucky, aged 28 yrs., d. at Indianola, Nov. 10, 1860,

of an abscess. (Topeka, Kansas State Record, Nov. 24.)
LANE, ANNIE, dau. of James H. & Mary E., d. June 18, 1855. (Lawrence, Kan-
sas Free State, July 2.)
LANSING, MBS. FANNIE M., wife of William, dau. of Levi Coley, Westport,

Conn., aged 34 yrs., d. Mar 19, 1858, remains were taken to Westport, Conn.

(Quindaro, Chindowan, Mar. 20.)
LANUM, JOSEPH, aged 20 yrs., d. on Indian creek, Butler county, Mar. 20, 1860,

of congestive chills. (Lawrence, Republican, Mar. 29.)
LAW, GEORGE, formerly of Massachusetts, but late of Hampden, K. T., aged 37

yrs., d. at Waukegan, 111., Feb. 13, 1857, of lung disease. (Lawrence, Herald

of Freedom, May 2.)
LECOMPTE, , dau. of Judge Samuel D., d. at Fort Leavenworth, of cholera.

(Lawrence, Kansas Free State, July 23, 1855.)
LECOMPTE, SAMUEL, son of Judge, aged 18 yrs., d. near Kansas City, Dec. 4,

1860, of fall from an embankment. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, Dec. 6.)
LEE, WILLIAM B., formerly of Pennsylvania, aged 24 yrs., d. June 2, 1855, left

wife and children. (Lawrence, Kansas Free State, June 18.)
LEFFRIDGE, MR. , d. Feb. 11, 1855, had been shot some time since by

Moody of Westport. (Lawrence, Kansas Free State, Feb. 14.)
LEHMAN, FREDERICK E., aged 32 yrs., d. at Atchison, July 15, 1860, of disease of

the heart. (Lawrence, Republican, July 26.)
LEMON, E. A., wife of William C., formerly of Auburn, N. Y., d. Aug. 13, 1858,

of typhoid. (Atchison, Freedom's Champion, Aug. 21.)
LENNEHAM, D., of Elm creek, Morris county, killed May 8, 1860, suspicion

rested on a man named McDonald. (Leavenworth, Daily Times, May 18.)
LEONARD, MRS. MARY ANN, wife of Hartfort P., formerly of Franklin, Mass.,

aged 23 yrs., d. at Wabaunsee, Aug. 25, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Free-
dom, Sept. 22.)
LESTER, ROBERT, of Prairie City, formerly of Louisville, Ky., accidentally killed

by Mr. Shortel, Nov. 11, 1859. (Emporia, Kansas News, Nov. 19.)
LETCHWORTH, MARGARET ANN, dau. of Thomas & Mary, aged 12 yrs., d. Sept.

12, 1857. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly Herald, Sept. 19.)
LEWIS, GEORGE H., moved to Kansas two years ago, aged 48 yrs., d. on Allen

creek, Dec. 24, 1857. (Emporia, Kanzas News, Jan. 9, 1858.)
LEWIS, HARRIET N., wife of W. L., late of Pittstown, Me., aged 26 yrs., d. Mar.

15, 1858, of overexertion. (Elwood, Weekly Advertiser, Mar. 18.)
LEWIS, MRS. MARY JANE, wife of James M., aged 24 yrs., d. at Greeley, Aug.

8, 1859. (Lawrence, Republican, Aug. 18.)
LILLY, WM., stabbed to death, Jan. 7, 1858. (Leavenworth, Kansas Weekly

Herald, Jan. 16.)
LINES, , only child of E. J., of Wabaunsee, aged 4^ yrs., d. by accident.

(Topeka, Kansas Tribune, April 14, 1860.)
LITCHFIELD, MRS. HARRIET S., widow of Lewis L., formerly of Boston, Mass.,

aged 42 yrs., d. April 7, 1855. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, April 7.)
LITCHFIELD, LEWIS L., formerly of Cambridge, Mass., aged 40 yrs., 7 mos., d.

Feb. 11, 1855, of pleurisy. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Feb. 17.)

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS NEWSPAPERS 323

LITTLE, JOHN H., of Fort Scott, killed by Montgomery's men, Jan. 16, 1859.
(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Jan. 22.)

LLOYD, SUSAN R., wife of Marion, aged 21 yrs., d. June 23, 1859. (Emporia,
Kansas News, June 25.)

LOGAN, MARY ELLEN, dau. of Robert & Mary Ann, aged 17 yrs., 9 mos., 10 days,
d. Nov. 24, 1859, of typhoid fever. (Emporia, Kansas News, Nov. 26.)

LONG, JESSIE, dau. of John & Martha, aged 18 mos., d. May 7 or 8, 1859. (To-
peka, Kansas Tribune, May 12; "Records of Burials in Topeka Cemetery,
1859-1880.")

LOOMIS, GAYLEY, son of H. J. & S. A., aged 1 yr., 7 mos., 16 days, d. on Mis-
sion creek, Wabaunsee county, Oct. 26, 1860. (Topeka, Kansas State Rec-
ord, Nov. 3.)

LOON, S. A., killed in fight, buried at Ft. Riley. (Topeka, Kansas Tribune,
Mar. 10, 1860.)

LOVELACE, MRS. ELEANOR A., formerly^ of Clearfield county, Pa., aged 34 yrs.,
d. at Washington creek, Mar. 11, 1855, of heart disease. (Lawrence, Herald
of Freedom, Mar. 24.)

LOWMAN, E. J., son of E. S. <fe C. J., d. Nov. 21, 1858. (Lawrence, Republican,
Nov. 25.)

LUM, ANNIE K., dau. of the Rev. S. Y. & Carrie K., aged 2 yrs., 1 mo., 13 days,
d. Mar. 13, 1855, of dropsy of the brain. (Lawrence, Herald of Freedom,
Mar. 24.)

LUNSFORD, WILLIAM RILEY, son of William & Rachel L., aged 3 yrs., d. in Holt
county, Mo., Aug. 10, 1859, of congestive chills. (White Cloud, Kansas
Chief, Aug. 18. )

LYFORD, WRIGHT C., aged 28 yrs., d. in Leavenworth city hospital, Oct. 4, 1858.
(Lawrence, Herald of Freedom, Oct. 30.)

LYLE, JAMES M., native of South Carolina, reared in Madison county, Ky.,
came to Kansas territory in 1854, clerk of first territorial legislature, killed
by W. H. Haller in an election day controversy, June 29, 1857. (Leaven-
worth, Kansas Weekly Herald, July 4.)

LYMAN, ALBERT, formerly of S. Deerfield, Mass., d. at Eldridge House, Oct. 15,
1860, of fever. (Lawrence, Republican, Oct. 18.)

LYON, ELIZABETH, born in Washington county, Pa., d. at Cottonwood Falls,
Feb. 14, 1860. (Council Grove, Kansas Press, Mar. 19.)

[The List Will Be Concluded in the
November, 1950, Issue}

Bypaths of Kansas History

COUNCIL GROVE AND THE KAW INDIANS IN 1849
From the New- York Weekly Tribune, July 21, 1849.
THE EMIGRANTS BY THE SANTA FE ROUTE.

From the Cincinnati Dispatch.

COUNCIL GROVE, 127 miles from Fort Leaven-
worth THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1849.

Here we are, all safely arrived at one of the principal stopping places on the
Santa Fe route. This is where the Government has a blacksmith shop, to do
such work in that line of business as the Kansas or Kaw Indians need, and
from where the same tribe receive their annual allowance from the U. S.
Government of $8,000. They number about 1,500 in all, and have about 800
warriors. They have had a war dance here very late, and after a deliberate
council, they resolved on having revenge on the Pawnee tribe, who, during
the buffalo hunting season of 1848, killed seven of the Kaws, who immediately
imprisoned a corresponding number, and were about to wreak out their blood-
thirsty revenge on the seven, but our Government interfered and caused a
release of the seven Pawnees. They have now determined to be satisfied,
and have no interference from any human power. The Kaws have just left
their village (115 miles from here,) to go and hunt the buffalo. We saw yes-
terday, for the first time, the genuine savage as he roams the wilds, with
moccasins, leggins, girdle, blanket, tomahawk and scalping-knife, and the
never-to-be-released pipe. They say here there are no Indians who do not
smoke their kinniconick or sumac leaves, and seed mixed with a very small
quantity of tobacco.

The Kaws, who are lying lazily about here, have the peculiarity of having
their hair shaved in such a manner as to leave a triangular tuft, the apex
of the triangle on the top of the brow, spreading regularly back, the base'
resting on the neck; the side edges stand up, and the central hair is plaited
in such a manner as to form a long queue; their ears are gashed, and filled
with rings; brass rings around their arms. Every one now has to be on the
alert to prevent loss of mules, horses, &c.; in fact anything they can lay hands
on. We all have to carry our side arms, and be on guard during the night.
From the spirit of the emigrants, it is not to be wondered at that the Indians
are hostile and treacherous. It is perfectly outrageous to see how the poor
Indians' fences, chickens, pigs, sheep, corn, potatoes, onions, &c. are stripped
from them without even saying, "by your leave, if you please;" and as for
paying for them, they never expect to do that if they can see the thing and
get it; but if out of sight, and they have to inquire for the same, money then
becomes the vehicle on which the desired object comes.

We are fully under headway. Since the death of Gen. Worth, Gen. Brooke
has been ordered elsewhere, and the entire military control of the dragoons is
now in the hands of Gapt. Kerr. We now make, on an average, 25 miles daily.

When in camp most of the messes eat three meals a day; while traveling
only two. Our mess do most admirably; we have the lightest wagon, a well-

(324)

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 325

filled load, 1,700 pounds, and the best looking and strongest mules in the en-
tire train. The Government wagons are very heavy, require six mules each,
and carry 30 to 35 cwt, and stall nearly every day, which has not happened
to us as yet.

Our present sanguine expectation is that 35 days' travel with pack mules
from Santa Fe will take us all to San Francisco. All persons familiar with the
South Pass route (the one taken by Dr. Levering's Company) anticipate that
those who have gone that way will suffer greatly from the want of grass, which,
giving out, as it is bound to do, the mules, and especially oxen, will die by
thousands, and the men cannot carry enough to support themselves, and that
they would get no further than the mountains ere Winter, where they are
bound to freeze to death.

They say that no more than 5,000 animals can cross that way and live, and
from 15,000 to 20,000 head of cattle are now on it. We are, and have been,
for several days on the 'Great American Plains,' gently rolling far as the eye
can comprehend, and here and there thin streak of small timber on the bank
of a little rivulet presenting very much the appearance of hedges including
vast parks, most beautifully interspersed with Prairie Pinks, Roses, Verbena,
Morning Glories, Sensitive Plants, Strawberries, and ripe Gooseberries, Plums,
and fifty varieties of flowers I know nothing about, but all in most lavishing
profusion. The streams have no sand as a general rule, black earthy bottom,
filled with brush, leaves, &c. timber mostly elm, oak, and sycamore.

FAIR AND FRANK

Advertisement in The Kansas Herald of Freedom, Lawrence,
March 14, 1857.

LAW OFFICE. The undersigned (egregiously and presumptuously, without
the consent of any speculator, office-seeker or fanatical politician, of any sect
or party whatever) has concluded to practice law under the bogus statutes, by
opening a law office in Lawrence, two doors south of the Post Office. All
persons entrusting him pertaining to the legal profession can safely rely on his
futility of purpose and imbecility of intellect.

W. M. PATTERSON.

SOCIETY NOTE FROM ALMA

From the Wabaunsee County Herald, Alma, July 15, 1869.
We have about twenty bachelors in this town. It is a shame, when there
are so many good looking young ladies about.

WHEN ELLSWORTH CATERED To THE TEXAS TRADE
The following excerpt is from a four-column article on Ellsworth,
probably written by Col. S. S. Prouty, featured in The Kansas Daily
Commonwealth of Topeka, July 1, 1873.

326 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

One of the most flourishing and best patronized institutions in Ellsworth is
the ELLSWORTH THEATRE, which is "open every night" for the amusement and
delectation of the Ellsworth sovereigns and the temporary sojourners from the
land of Sam Houston. The following programme of a recent performance at
this establishment will give the uninitiated some idea of its character:

ELLSWORTH THEATRE!

McClellan, Freeman & Co., . . . Proprietors.
Ned Campbell, . Business and Stage Manager.

Admission $ 50

Seats in Private Box 1.00

THE POPULAR RESORT.

OUR ATTENDANCE INCREASING
NIGHTLY!

The reason why is obvious. We produce noth-
ing old and stale, but every act is a gem, and our
talent is the most versatile in the west.

TO-NIGHT, JUNE 25, EVERYTHING

NEW!
Examine the Programme Carefully!

FIRST PART:

Overture Orchestra.

The Wicklow Girl Dan Hart.

Little Maud Miss Hallie Norcross.

Ka-mo-ki ma Harry Traynor.

Kiss me good bye Ned Campbell.

Finale Company.

OVERTURE . . T . ORCHESTRA.

Mr. Charles Vincent, in his old man specialty
50 Years Ago.

Popular Songs . MISS HALLIE NORCROSS.

SHAKSPEARE DISLOCATED.

Dramatic Author Ned Campbell.

Amateur Jake Harry Traynor.

Overture Orchestra.

La Zingarella Miss Amelia Dean.

Lively Feet Charles Kelley.

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 327

The People's Lawyer.

Lawyer Sheepface Mr. Charles Vincent.

Judge Mutton Ned Campbell.

Old Snarl Dan Hart.

Sarah Jane Wool Harry Traynor.

Policeman Fivestars Charles Kelley.

Dance of the Thistle, Miss H. Norcross.

Plantation Pastimes.

Mr. Charles Vincent and Miss Amelia Dean.

Go and imbibe with "Mac" while the
Band Plays.

After which the screaming farce entitled the

BROWN FAMILY!

Mr. Brown Ned Campbell.

Mrs. Brown Miss Amelia Dean.

Jake Dan Hart.

General Admission, 50 cents; seats in private
boxes, $1; admission to wine room, $1. The bar
will be stocked with the choicest ales, wines, liq-
uors. Any inattention or overcharge on the part
of ushers or waiters should be immediately re-
ported to the proprietor.

Reader, did you ever visit a frontier theatre? If not, wrap yourself in your
"mantle of imagination," for a brief season and follow us. Picture to yourself
a low one-story wooden structure, about seventy-five feet in length and twenty
in width. We approach about the time of 9 P. M., and are enticed there by
the musical strains of the orchestra, consisting of a violin, violoncello, guitar
and cornet. What the music lacks in harmony it certainly compensates in
volume and spirit. The room is unplastered and no sign of paint is visible
save that on the proscenium and drop curtain. The stage is at the end op-
posite to the entrance, and the "green room" is in the rear of the stage. Plain
pine benches, with a seating capacity of one hundred and fifty, are in the
auditorium. At the right of the entrance is a bar for dispensation of cholera
medicine, and at the left is a monte table. At the left of the stage is the
"private box," which consists of a kind of protuberance out of doors like an
old-fashioned bake oven, with a seating capacity of about a dozen. The oc-
cupants of the "private box" are mostly "ladies," though a long-haired gallant
from the sunny land of the south may frequently be seen sandwiched between
the gayly decorated and dashing "ladies." The drop curtain of the stage is
ornamental as well as suggestive. A gay and chivalric cattle herder, dressed
in the style of a Spanish don, with a crimson jacket trimmed with gold lace
and a huge plume flowing from his grand Castilian sombrero, with ponderous
spurs protruding from his boots, is mounted on a furious and awe-inspiring

328 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

horse. A fiery untamed member of the long-horned species has just been
lassoed by the valorous herder, and is making desperate efforts to get released,
but the herder is invincible and holds to the lasso with toper-like tenacity.
Between the herder and his victim is a mammoth lone star, illuminated with
golden and silver colors. To the valiant Texan, upon whose patronage the
proprietors of the theatre mainly rely, the scene is sublime and inspiring.

As we enter the curtain rises and the "trouble" begins. About fifty patrons,
mostly young men, are in attendance. Seven or eight "ladies" and three or
four "gentlemen" are in the bake oven or "private box." Boys, with waiters
in their hands, are circulating about, crying, "Liquors and cigars." Incense
from numerous burning Indian weeds is ascending and mingling its fragrance
with that from the exudations of the sweltering cattle herders and the extrava-
gant perfumery of the cyprians. "Mac" at the bar, while mixing and shaking
drinks, keeps time with the orchestral music and the jig dancer of the stage.
The herders guffaw, the "ladies" giggle, the monte players curse, orders for
cigars and drinks are unceasing, and the singing, dancing and theatrical per-
formance progress. One of the gentlemanly proprietors invites us into the
"green room," to partake of a bottle of Imperial. We accept and enter this
sacred realm. Here are a score of herders drinking wine and indulging in
familiar pleasantries with the stage girls. It is the acme of a herder's ambi-
tion to obtain accession to the "green room" and crack a bottle of wine with
the girls. These visits to the "green room" frequently cost a dozen head of
steers, but Texas is able to stand the damage and don't care for the expense.

AN INDIAN BALL GAME
From the Junction City Union, August 9, 1879.

A game of ball was played between a band of Sacs and Foxes, of Osage
county, and a band of Pottawatomies, on the Prairie Band reserve, last Wednes-
day, with 150 on a side. A game of Indian ball is one of the most exciting
imaginable, requiring sometimes five or six hours to determine a game. There
is nothing like it among white people. The players strip to the skin, reserving
nothing but breechclouts, and each has a scoop, made of twigs, with which
the ball is caught and thrown.

A WEEK IN MANHATTAN

From The Nationalist, Manhattan, August 22, 1879.
How our town does begin to city, to be sure. We have had a pretty lively
week of it. Sunday, we had an accident; horse became unmanageable, and
child badly hurt. Monday, three arrests were made: a woman of doubtful
character, and a St. Louis runner; C. B. Donaldson, for selling liquor. Tues-
day, the trial of the "innocents abroad," and happy exultation over the result;
a street row and fist fight, with still happier exultation over the results; eve-
ning, devoted to hilarity. Wednesday, devoted to recovering from the same,
and reconciliations; evening closing in with a small runaway, only one woman
and child thrown out and hurt. Thursday, a wedding party. The contracting

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 329

parties were a gentleman from Illinois, upon whose head the suns of seventy
summers had laid their garlands lightly. The lady is a resident here, and of
suitable age to insure the happiness of all. They departed on the wedding
trip on the noon train, and the future will doubtless pass like a blissful dream.
No arrests.

And so with a Sabbath school picnic, a two days' hunt, a dog fight or two,
with temperate libations of "celsior water," the week has been worried through.

OLD STUFF To THE STATE FISH AND GAME WARDEN
From the correspondence files of Gov. W. R. Stubbs, in the Ar-
chives division of the Kansas State Historical Society.

OCTOBER 25, 1912.
Prof. L. L. Dyche,

Pratt, Kansas.
My Dear Professor:

It was reported to this office this afternoon that one of your Fish & Game
Deputy Wardens at Auburn whose name I understood was Mattet, has been
acting very curiously and some people think he is insane. I do not know
anything about it myself but a garage man telephoned me awhile ago, saying
that he has gone completely 'daffy'; that he had two or three guns, a few re-
volvers, bowie-knives and other things, which he was flourishing around near
Auburn today. He thought that he might imagine somebody was violating
the game law and go out and do a lot of killing especially among boys. I think
it would be well for you to look into this right away. . . .

Yours very truly,
[DAVID D. LEAHY]
Secretary to the Governor.

PRATT, KAN., OCTOBER 28, 1912.
Mr. David D. Leahy,
c/o Governor's Office,

Topeka, Kansas.
My Dear David:

Your favor of October 25th duly received. I think I have a Deputy Warden
in the neighborhood of Auburn of the name of Mabbitt. You say he has been
acting curious and people think he is insane. ... I receive letters nearly
every day indicating to me that Deputy Wardens are all crazy. Little things
like that do not disturb me but when a warden actually goes insane and be-
comes completely "daffy" he should be cared for by the proper officers and
not allowed to run up and down the streets shooting the lightning rods off of
the chimneys and throwing bowie knives through attic windows, for such
actions are very unbecoming, even for a Deputy Fish and Game Warden. . . .

Very truly yours,

[Signed] L. L. DYCHE

State Fish & Game Warden.

Kansas History as Published in the Press

W. W. Graves' "History of Neosho County," has continued to be
published regularly in the St. Paul Journal. A history of Chanute
was included in issues of recent months.

A history of the county-seat fight in Gray county was told by
George W. Bolds, one of the few Gray county pioneers still living.
His "Story of Battle of Cimarron, Jan. 12, 1889," was published
serially in The Jacksonian, Cimarron, beginning February 16, 1950.
High light of the contest between Cimarron and Ingalls for the
county seat was the gun battle in Cimarron when the sheriff and
his deputies attempted to move the county records to Ingalls.

"Kansas Weather 1949," by R. A. Garrett, was published in
Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, Lawrence, March,
1950. Also of historical interest was the editor's page, devoted to
the history of Kansas and the West in 1850 and their development
since that time. Robert Taft, University of Kansas, is the editor.

"Interesting Early Day Sketches," by Clayton Hall, Minneola,
appeared in the Clark County Clipper, Ashland, March 2, 1950.
Hall, the son of R. L. Hall, was born April 7, 1886, the second white
boy born in Clark county.

Memories of early days in Caldwell were recalled by C. Ross
Hume, Anadarko, Okla., in the Caldwell Messenger, March 2, 1950.
Hume lived in Caldwell, where he attended public school, from 1881
to late in 1890.

A brief history of North Blue Rapids, Marshall county, by C. D.
Smith, was printed in the Blue Rapids Times, March 2, 1950. Al-
though platted in 1874, little progress was made in the development
of North Blue Rapids until 1878 when a foundry and machine shop
was built. The community reached its zenith of prosperity in 1891
but soon afterward began to deteriorate. Most of the buildings were
destroyed by the floods of 1902 and 1903.

"Wyatt Earp Rides Again," was the title of an article by Ernest
Dewey published in the Hutchinson News-Herald, March 5, 1950.
A series of articles by Mr. Dewey, entitled "Legends of Wheat
Country," first appeared in the News-Herald, April 30, when "Carry
Nation Was a Fiction Who Tried Hard to Be a Fact," was published.
Later articles in the series included: "Was Madoc's Visit Fact or

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KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 331

Fantasy?", on May 7, a discussion of whether the Welsh prince,
Madoc, and his followers were the ancestors of the Mandan Indians,
and "Calamity Jane Was a Caution," May 14.

The history of the old Whitley opera house in Emporia and recol-
lections of the attractions presented there, as revealed by a large
scrapbook belonging to the Lyon County Historical Society, were
printed in the Emporia Weekly Gazette, March 9, 1950.

The reminiscences of Irving Buchanan, whose parents settled in
Chelsea, Butler county, in 1868, were printed in the Butler Free-
Lance, El Dorado, March 9, 1950.

A brief biographical sketch of Edward Phillips, pioneer farmer
of Ellsworth, appeared in the Ellsworth Reporter, March 9, 1950.
Phillips first arrived in Ellsworth in 1879 and purchased a 240-acre
farm, to which he brought his family in 1881.

The history of The Modern Light, Columbus, was printed in the
issue of March 9, 1950. The Light, now owned by C. W. Grant, was
established in 1891 by Joe Clawson and C. Len Albin. A column,
"Do You Remember When?" composed of local historical items,
has appeared in The Modern Light regularly in recent months.

Among historical articles of interest to Kansans appearing re-
cently in the Kansas City (Mo.) Star were: "Railroad Men Gave
Their Names to Towns Which Grew on Kansas Prairie," by E. B.
Dykes Beachy, March 9, 1950; "Centennial Trek With Little Mo
Draws Crowds Along Old Trails," Ed Gallinagh and his pack mule,
Little Mo, retrace on foot the 750 miles of the Santa Fe trail, by
John Alexander, March 26; "Old Cattle Brands Recall the Story
of Great Days on Western Grasslands," a review of J. Evetts
Haley's The Heraldry of the Range, by John Edward Hicks, April
3, and "Nathan Scarritt Found Wilderness Here in Early [late
1840's] Missions to Indians," by Lt. Col. Ralph E. Pearson, April 11.
Articles in the Kansas City (Mo.) Times were: "Jim Bridger Was
Long Well Known Here But Little Appreciated in His Time," by
E. B. Dykes Beachy, April 11, and "Big Growth of College and
Friendships Is Record of Eisenhower at Manhattan," by Roger
Swanson, May 10.

Articles on old Fort Hays by Raymond L. Welty have continued
to appear in the Hays Daily News. Those appearing recently in-
cluded: "Soldiers at Old Ft. Hays Lived in Crude Buildings,"
March 12, 1950; "Ft. Hays Soldiers Guarded Wagon Trains on

332 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Smoky Trail/' April 2 ; "Fort Hays Was Concerned Over Slaughter
of Buffalo," April 9; "Ft. Hays Was Center Greatest Buffalo Range
in America," April 16, and "83 Years Ago at Ft. Hays," April 30,
May 7, 14.

"The Southwestern Expedition of Zebulon Montgomery Pike,
1806-1807," by Dick Blackburn, student at Kansas Wesleyan Uni-
versity, was published in serial form in the Courtland Journal, be-
ginning March 16, 1950. Pike started on his journey in the summer
of 1806, traveling across Missouri and much of Kansas to the vil-
lage of the Pawnee Republic on the Republican river, where he
lowered the Spanish flag and raised the stars and stripes for the
first time. From there he marched on into the mountains to face
a severe winter and discover the peak that now bears his name.

A history of old Runnymede, dead Harper county town about two
and one-half miles northeast of present Runnymede, by Ralph
Hoover, was published serially in the Harper Advocate, March 23,
30, April 6, 27, May 4, 11, 1950. In 1888 Ned Turnley brought 40
young Englishmen to Harper county. Not long afterward Turnley
lost control of his charges, and under the leadership of Richard Wat-
mough they planned and built the town of Runnymede. The town
boomed briefly and money was raised to bring a railroad through,
but the railroad didn't come and Runnymede began to wither. The
grave of Lord Thomas Sharpe Hudson is all that now remains to
mark the location of the townsite.

A biographical sketch of John Mathews, founder of Little Town
present Oswego was published in the Oswego Democrat, March
24, 1950. Mathews, said to be the first permanent white settler in
southeast Kansas, located where Oswego now stands in the early
1840's and built a house and other buildings where he operated a
trading post and tavern.

The Clay Center Dispatch published a diamond jubilee edition,
March 25, 1950, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the in-
corporation of Clay Center. The townsite was selected in 1862 by
John and Alonzo F. Dexter, who were the first settlers, but the town
was not incorporated until 1875.

A 134-page Mid-Century Resources edition of the Arkansas City
Daily Traveler was published March 28, 1950. Included in the
edition were sections on the resources, industries, history, culture,
recreation, agriculture and progress of Arkansas City.

KANSAS HISTORY IN THE PRESS 333

Nelson Antrim Crawford sketched some of the history and some
of the current trends of Kansas in 'The State of Kansas/' in The
American Mercury, April, 1950.

An article, entitled " Anniversary : W. C. Coleman, 80 Years; the
Coleman Co., 50 Years/' in Kansas Business Magazine, Topeka,
April, 1950, related the story of the Coleman company, Wichita,
maker of heating equipment and the famous Coleman lamps and
lanterns.

A diary, kept by G. S. McCain while traveling from Atchison to
Laurette, Colo., in the 1860's, was published in The Colorado Mag-
azine, Denver, April, 1950.

A 56-page progress edition was published by the Hays Daily
News, April 9, 1950. Included were a story about early-day Hays
by Mrs. Josephine Middlekauff who came to Hays 83 years ago,
and an article by the late George P. Griffith relating to his expe-
riences as a pioneer farmer and printer in Hays.

A letter recalling some of his early experiences in the Kingman
community was written by Linn B. Capps to Mrs. Ed Palmer and
printed in the Kingman Journal, April 13, 1950.

Among brief historical articles appearing recently in the Cheney
Sentinel were: "Cheney Pioneers Cleaned Up for Boom Days Elec-
tion [1884]," April 13, 1950; "Building of Wichita & Western [rail-
road] Started Cheney as Boom Town," April 20; "Land Seekers
Came to Cheney for Ninnescah Valley Land," April 27, and "Com-
munity Should Honor Cemetery of Its Pioneers," May 11.

Some notes on the early history of Baldwin and Baker University
were published in the Baldwin Ledger, April 20, 1950. The dis-
mantling of the old Hale Steele house in Baldwin recalled that its
builder, N. Taylor, also erected the first building at the university.
Excerpts from his diary were included in the article.

A short history including many of the "firsts" of Butler county
appeared in the El Dorado Times, April 21, 1950. The county was
established in 1855 and organized in 1859. The first settler was
William Hildebrand, who located in El Dorado township in May,
1857.

Upon the recent decision to discontinue the high school at Scotts-
ville, Principal Howard Abernethy wrote its history for the 1950
school yearbook. A portion of this history was printed in the
Beloit Call, April 27, 1950. The first school in Scottsville was a
three-month term in 1878 taught by Ida Houston.

Kansas Historical Notes

The seventy-fifth annual meeting of the Kansas State Historical
Society will be held in the rooms of the Society in the Memorial
building at Topeka on October 17, 1950.

Lea Maranville of Ness City is president of the Ness County
Historical Society for 1950. Other officers include: Mrs. Mildred
Venard, vice-president; Mrs. Ada Young, treasurer, and Mrs. Audra
Hays, secretary.

Dr. Orville Watson Mosher, Jr., of Emporia, was recently elected
president of the Lyon County Historical Society, succeeding Ed J.
Lewis.

The board of directors of the Russell County Historical Society
voted at a meeting March 25, 1950, to inaugurate plans for placing
markers on historic sites in the county. It was also decided to re-
vive the annual get-together for old settlers during the county 4-H
fair week. Mrs. Lizzie A. Opdycke was elected chairman of the
board and Merlin Morphy, resident agent.

Dr. G. G. Anderson was re-elected president of the Wichita His-
torical Museum Association at a meeting March 30, 1950. Other
officers elected were: R. M. Sutton, first vice-president; Bertha
Gardner, second vice-president; Carl E. Bitting, secretary, and Dr.
H. C. Holmes, treasurer.

All officers of the Finney County Historical Association were re-
elected at a meeting of the board of directors April 11, 1950. They
are: Gus Norton, president; Mrs. A. F. Smith, first vice-president;
Frederick Finnup, second vice-president; Mrs. Josephine Cowgill,
third vice-president; Mrs. Ella Condra, secretary; Mrs. Eva B.
Sharer, treasurer; Ralph T. Kersey, historian; Mrs. Emma Weeks
White, custodian of relics, and P. A. Burtis, business manager.

The Council Grove Historical Society was organized at a meeting
April 19, 1950. Mayor E. T. Jacobs was elected president; Jack
Lawrence, secretary, and Hale White, treasurer. The immediate
purpose of the new society, to raise funds for "surgery" on the his-
toric Council oak, was accomplished at an Old Trail celebration at
Council Grove, May 3. Proposals for a museum in Council Grove
are now being studied.

(334)

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 335

C. R. Millsap was chosen president, and Mrs. Hazel Zeller, secre-
tary, of the Wyandotte County Historical Society at a business
meeting April 21, 1950. Other officers are: Grant W. Harrington,
first vice-president; Allen W. Farley, second vice-president, and
Phil Gibson, treasurer. The group decided to meet four times a
year, each meeting covering some important event in Wyandotte
county history. The landing of Lewis and Clark at the upper point
of the Kansas river was the subject discussed at a meeting June 26.

Fifty-three persons attended the semiannual dinner meeting of
the Crawford County Historical Society in Pittsburg, April 27, 1950.
After the dinner, Dr. Ernest Mahan, of Pittsburg State Teachers
College, addressed the group on modern European history. Dr. H.
M. Grandle, president of the society, presided.

The annual meeting of the Kansas Association of Teachers of
History and Related Fields was held in the Memorial building, To-
peka, April 28 and 29, 1950. Speakers and their subjects were:
"The Influence of the Catholic Church on American Trade Union-
ism, 1900-1918," Marc Karson, Washburn Municipal University;
"Publius Ventidius Forgotten Roman Military Hero," James E.
Seaver, University of Kansas; "The Attitude of the State Depart-
ment Toward Japan, 1940-1941," Ernest B. Bader, Washburn Mu-
nicipal University; "Kansas Presidential Vote by Counties, 1864-
1948," Robert P. Marple, Fort Hays Kansas State College; "Some
Aspects of Discipline in the United States Army in the Plains In-
dian Wars," Neil B. Thompson, Kansas State College; "The Kansas
City, Mexico and Orient Railroad Company," Joseph A. Parsons,
Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, and "British Nationaliza-
tion of the Coal and Steel Industries: A Comparative Study,"
Charles Barnes, Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg. At the
luncheon Charles B. Realey, University of Kansas, addressed the
group on "A British Program for African Development." Officers
were elected as follows: George L. Anderson, University of Kansas,
president; Francis R. Flournoy, College of Emporia, vice-president,
and Ruth Friedrich, Washburn Municipal University, secretary-
treasurer. C. Stewart Boertman, Kansas State Teachers College,
Emporia, was the retiring president. Directors of the association
are: Mr. Boertman; Alvin Proctor, Kansas State Teachers College,
Emporia; Charles Onion, Fort Hays Kansas State College, and the
Rev. Peter Beckman, St. Benedict's Abbey, Atchison.

336 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Homer B. Fink was re-elected president of the Shawnee County
Historical Society at a meeting of the directors May 9, 1950. Other
officers elected were: Earl Ives, vice-president; Paul Adams, secre-
tary, and Paul B. Sweet, treasurer. A resolution was adopted in
tribute to George Root and Cecil Howes, prominent members of
the society who died recently.

An old settlers' reunion, sponsored by the Ness County Old Set-
tlers Association, was held in Ness City, June 1 and 2, 1950. In-
cluded in the program was a historical pageant of Ness county,
written by Judge Lorin T. Peters, which was presented the evening
of June 2.

The Life of Edmund G. Ross (Kansas City, Mo., 1949), by Ed-
ward Bumgardner, is the title of a biography of the man whose vote
saved a president. Ross was a United States senator when Pres.
Andrew Johnson was tried by the senate under articles of impeach-
ment. After refusing to indicate during the trial how he would vote,
at the conclusion Ross voted in favor of the President. One more
vote would have convicted Johnson.

The early life of Amelia Earhart is told in story form by Jane
Moore Howe in Amelia Earhart Kansas Girl, published recently
by the Bobbs-Merrill company.

THE

KANSAS HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY

November 1950

Published by

Kansas State Historical Society

Topeka

KIRKE MECHEM JAMES C. MALIN NYLE H. MILLER

Editor Associate Editor Managing Editor

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE SCULLY LAND SYSTEM IN MARION COUNTY,

Homer Edward Socolofsky, 337

With a map showing the Scully holdings in Marion county in 1947, and
a line drawing of William Scully, between pp. 352, 353

MEMOIRS OF WATSON STEWART: 1855-1860 Donald W. Stewart, 376

MORE ABOUT KANSAS RIVER STEAMBOATS: The First

Kansas-Built River Steamer Edgar Langsdorf, 405

DEATH NOTICES FROM KANSAS TERRITORIAL NEWSPAPERS, 1854-1861 :

Part Two, M-Z, Concluded Compiled By Alberta Pantle, 408

BYPATHS OF KANSAS HISTORY 427

KANSAS HISTORY AS PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS 430

KANSAS HISTORICAL NOTES 435

ERRATA AND ADDENDA, VOLUME XVIII 437

INDEX To VOLUME XVIII. . . 439

Entered as second-class matter October 22, 1931, at the post office at Topeka,
Kan., under the act of August 24, 1912.

THE COVER

This sketch appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (June 3, 1871,
p. 193) under the title "The Far West. Shooting Buffalo on the Line of the
Kansas Pacific Railroad." Dr. Robert Taft, who furnished the photograph
here reproduced, believes the original probably was drawn by Henry Worrall,
the Topeka artist, and represents a scene along the present Union Pacific rail-
road in western Kansas.

THE KANSAS
HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Volume XVIII November, 1950 Number 4

The Scully Land System in Marion County

HOMER EDWARD SOCOLOFSKY

BY 1900 William Scully was known as the owner of the largest
acreage of farm land in the United States. His holdings
amounted to more than 200,000 'acres. The property was about
equally divided between the states of Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas and
Missouri. Yet the proprietor, a man who did not believe in publiciz-
ing his business, was almost unknown even in those four states.

I. THE BEGINNING OF THE SCULLY LAND SYSTEM

The story goes back many years. The fifth son of an Irish Cath-
olic landowner, Scully enjoyed social advantages from the time of
his birth in 1821 in county Tipperary, Ireland. 1 When he was in his
20's he inherited part of the family estate and became known all over
Ireland as a hard landlord. After an unpleasant experience, he sold
part of his Irish holdings and journeyed to America about 1849 or
1850 for the purpose of investing his wealth. 2 He went west looking
for good soil. In addition, he bought, for a mere trifle, 160 land
warrants from soldiers who had fought in the Mexican war. Each
warrant was good for 160 acres of land. 3

Scully's first purchases were of prairie land in Logan county,
Illinois. 4 On part of his property he built a large house and several
barns and began to stock his place for general farming. In 1854,
Mrs. Scully's failing health forced a return to England, 5 and he
again became active on his Irish estate. His attempt to rehabilitate
these lands caused trouble. 6 There were evictions, threats on

HOMER EDWARD SOCOLOFSKY is an instructor in the department of history, government and
philosophy at Kansas State College, Manhattan.

1. A. M. Sullivan, New Ireland (London, 1878), v. 2, p. 351. Sir John B. Burke, Landed
Gentry, Including American Families With British Ancestry (London, 1939), p. 2020.

2. St. Louis Post -Dispatch, March 31, 1901 ; Sullivan, op. cit., pp. 354, 362.

3. Ibid., p. 353.

4. St. Louis Post -Dispatch, March 31, 1901. In 1850 prairie soil was generally regarded
as poor soil for trees did not grow there.

5. Kansas City Star, n. d., about 1894, from the Chicago Inter-Ocean; Federal Writers
Program, Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide (Chicago, 1939), p. 594; Sullivan, op.
cit., p. 353.

6. N. S. B. Gras, A History of Agriculture in Europe and America (New York, 1940), p.
269 ; Sullivan, op. cit. pp. 350, 351.

338 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

Scully's life and eventually death to some of his followers. There-
after he centered his attention on his American holdings. By the
1890's he had sold all his Irish land not entailed and had only two
tenants and a little grazing land in Ireland. 7

Using the income from his Illinois land, the money from the sale
of the Irish estate and money he obtained on loan from Rothschild's,
of London, 8 Scully began buying more American real estate. He
again prospected, with a small spade, for the type of soil he wanted. 9

By 1900 he had amassed 220,000 acres of farm land in Illinois,
Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. The total cost of this land is said
to have been about $1,350,000. 10 Due to discrepancies in the re-
ported price of the Missouri land the total cost may be a million
dollars more. This land was not always contiguous. Much of it
was in scattered holdings in at least 11 counties of four states.

Much criticism was directed at William Scully, the landlord, dur-
ing the 1880's. Newspapers carried on anti-Scully campaigns and
at least ten states passed laws regulating the ownership of land by
non-resident aliens. 11 Congress even passed a law, which went into
effect July 1, 1887, to regulate absentee alien ownership in the terri-
tories and the District^ of Columbia. 12 Probably it was this deluge
of laws which caused Scully to take out naturalization papers in
the fall of 1895. His naturalization was completed about 1900.

The business center of the William Scully estate was in Lincoln,
111., the county seat of Logan county. Locations of agents' offices
were in Marion, Kan. ; Butler, Mo. ; Nelson, Neb., and several other
places. In 1937 a total of 14 agents and subagents, including those
in the head office transacted business with the 1,200 tenants on the
Scully farms. 13

Scully apparently disregarded the criticism directed against him.
He kept about his business, inspecting his properties and carrying
little sacks of soil away from each farm. His tenants believed he
was making a collection of soils, but he was actually getting samples
from which he could have chemical analyses made. He had definite

7. Kansas City Star, n. d., about 1894, from the Chicago Inter-Ocean.

8. Kansas City Star, January 27, 1919. Scully secured affidavits that his land in Illinois
was producing and with these credentials to back him up he got his loan from Rothschild's.

9. When Scully first began to buy his American land he carried a spade so that he could
sample the soil of prospective purchases. This spade was used in later land purchases.

10. Paul W. Gates, Frontier Landlords and Pioneer Tenants (Ithaca, N. Y., 1945), pp.
40-43; Kansas City Times, November 6, 1946. The St. Louis Post -Dispatch, March 31, 1901,
said Bates county land cost about $27 to $35 an acre or a total of about $1,200,000.

11. Indiana, 1885 ; Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado in 1887 ; Iowa
in 1888; Kansas and Idaho in 1891, and Missouri in 1895.

12. United States Statutes at Large, v. 24, ch. 340, p. 476.

13. Chicago Sunday Tribune, August 15, 1937.

SCULLY LAND SYSTEM 339

ideas of how a Scully farm should be operated and he incorporated
his ideas in his leases.

William Scully softened as a landlord in his last few years. Those
in close contact with him spoke highly of his character. Most of
his tenants were so sure of his honor and generosity that they trusted
him implicitly. They would accept new terms in a lease without
question. He was proud to point out that there was a waiting list
of farmers who wanted to lease his land. He cited the census rec-
ords to show that tenant farming was increasing. In later years
much of the antagonism against him died out.

In 1905 Scully transferred most of the land to his wife. The next
year he gave a nephew, John C. Scully, of Peoria, 111., about 9,000
acres in Butler county, Kansas. In 1906 the Scullys took a trip to
England, where on October 17, he died at the age of 84. His body
was brought back to Washington for burial.

The value of the estate which Scully had given to his wife just
before his death was estimated at between $25,000,000 and $50,000,-
000. It remained almost intact in his widow's hands, agents admin-
istering the lands much as they had before.

II. THE SCULLY SYSTEM IN MARION COUNTY DURING SCULLY'S LIFE

In July, 1870, William Scully made his first purchase of land in
Kansas. Central Kansas at that time was called "away out West."
In June he obtained a team and driver and began to make a careful
study of the unoccupied public domain, which at that time was
rapidly dwindling. He carried with him a little spade and boxes,
cans and buckets. Samples of the soil were taken and careful maps
of the places from which the soil came were made. From a chem-
ical analysis of these samples of soil, he chose the land he wished
to buy. 14

At the Junction City land office Scully filed for 14,060 acres in
Marion county and 1,160 acres just across the line in Dickinson
county. 15 Many people have been justified in asking how Scully
managed to get the land he wanted at the Junction City sale. The
line to the sale office formed for several days with some of the
people eating and sleeping in line. Those at the head of the line
got what they wanted but some farther back did not. They found
out later that Scully had bought their preference in land but they
did not see him in line.

14. Kansas City Star, January 27, 1919.

15. Gates, op. cit., 38, 39. All the old-timers who saw the land before they bought used
some procedure to determine the type of soil and its suitability. Many of them carried small
spades just as Scully did. One in particular, the father of J. C. Mclntosh, of Marion, dug
about one hundred holes in one section before he bought the land.

340 KANSAS HISTORICAL QUARTERLY

To take care of his land in Marion county and to act as his agent,
Scully secured the services of A. E. Case, well-known Marion pio-
neer. The landlord came to visit his land regularly each year during
the 1870's and sometimes his wife came with him. On each visit he
would be most exact and careful in all of his transactions. He would
visit his holdings and make minute notes of everything connected
with his real estate. Included in these memorandums were notes
giving the lay of each farm and the location and extent of every
improvement and the exact location of wells, trees, fences and
orchards.

On one of these visits to Kansas in the early 1870's, Mr. and Mrs.
Scully stopped at the town ho