The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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the leg inflicting a very painful flesh wound, captured them.  A requisition was issued for their return here for trial and given to W. B. Rogers, U. S. deputy marshal, who assisted by Sol Marsh went to Kearney and brought them to Norton turning them over to sheriff Conarty.  As we had no jail at that time the prisoners were kept in the old court house under guard.  Dutch Henry pretended to be very lame from the gun shot wound in the leg but sheriff Conarty knowing him to be a desperate character took the precaution to have shackles on him.  June 7, Conarty went to the country leaving the prisoners in charge of Ed Conarty, Eph. Handlin and Will Jones.  At dinner time Henry managed to secret a case knife.  During the afternoon he managed to saw their shackles in two with the knife.

The Guards had several loaded guns standing in the corner of the old court room near the door, but just at dark they had all stepped outside and were standing on the porch at the top of the stairs.  Henry and Hulett quietly got up and took possession of the guns; slipping out on the porch they ordered the guards to fly, which they did promptly.  At the foot of the stairs the guards turned around the south corner of the building.  Henry and Hulett turned north and ran up to where Cal Newell's pony was on a picket rope, near where the Presbyterian church now stands; but the rattling of their chains which were fast to their legs scared the pony and it broke loose.  Ed Conarty fired at them with a small pocket pistol but they paid no attention to him.  Jim Kenyon who was up in that part of town at the time, heard them coming and ran in front of them; but when he saw Henry pointing a shot gun at him he laid down "and they passed by on the other side."  Simpson had a rye field at the time that covered the hill side addition; just as they got to the rye, Jack Conarty came up but his gun was loaded with fine shot while he knew Henry's gun was loaded with buckshot.  Henry turned and stood the sheriff off while Hulett ran to where John Hamilton's ponies were picketed near where the stand pipe is, but just as he got to the ponies a shot from Jack's gun brought him down.  Cal Newell, Will Jones and Eph Handlin brought him back to town, while Conarty went on after Henry; but by this time it had got very dark and be failed to find him, Henry had also been guilty of murder in Michigan, and a reward had been offered for him for that offense so in 1879 he was arrested and taken to Topeka by the celebrated Bat Masterson who was then marshal at Dodge City, and turned over to the Michigan authorities, and at last accounts was in the penitentiary in that state.  While he was in Topeka John Hamilton went to the jail and had a talk with him; he told John that he went out of the rye field as soon as the sheriff was out of sight went to Mott Wood's place and stole a saddle; he then went south-east to the head of the Charlie Hillsinger draw, and laid there all next day; on the following night he went over to the head of Big Timber and stole uncle Billy Hammond's pony which he rode to Dodge City.  Hulett was sent to the penitentiary, but through the influence of Judge Holt was pardoned shortly afterward.

humphry.JPG (35158 bytes) John S. Humphry was born near Ruthland, Meigs county, Ohio, October 8th, 1850; lived with his father on the farm and attended common school until the fall of 1870 when he attended a term of school at Albany, Athens, county, Ohio.  He taught a three months' term of school in the winter of 1870 in the state of Virginia after which he attended a three months' term of school at Downington, Ohio, in the fall of 1871.  He started for Kansas in April 1872,

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