1894 Robley's History of Bourbon County, Kansas

CHAPTER XXV.

VARIOUS THINGS.

N the Spring of 1862, a considerable force was concentrated at Fort Scott, consisting of the 1st and 6th Kansas, the 9th, 12th and 13th Wisconsin, the 2nd Ohio Cavalry and Captain Rabb's 2nd Indiana Battery. The 5th Kansas Cavalry, which had been camped at Barnesville all winter was placed under command of Col. Powell Clayton. In the early spring this regiment was marched through Fort Scott to Drywood. It remained there a few days, when Clayton got permission to take the regiment out of this department, and he hustled it off down on the lower Mississippi. Sam Walker, who has been mentioned several times during the border troubles was Major of this regiment. James Montgomery was Colonel of the 3d Kansas, and afterwards he was transferred to the command of a colored regiment in South Carolina, where he probably renewed his acquaintance with Buford and the Hamiltons, or at least with their kinfolks.

Speaking of the Hamiltons, nothing reliable is known of that particular group, after the war began. They all probably went into the rebel army. It is said that in the fall of 1861, Captain Bain, with a portion of the

6th Kansas, captured several persons over in Missouri, and on his way up he camped one night about two miles south of Arcadia. The next morning, after they had broken camp and started on the march, Bain took a detail of men, and, selecting out seven of the prisoners, took them off to one side of the road and killed them. Bain gave it out that they were with the Hamilton gang at the Marais des Cygnes murder. That was possibly true, but it was more probable that they were Bain's personal enemies

The Kansas troops had now been in the service several months, and they began to think they were old veterans. Most of them had quit writing letters to their folks more than twice a week, and they had all learned the best manner of cooking beans, and preparing hard-tack so that it would seem like something else. Their ideas of war were somewhat changed before they got through with it.

On the 10th of May, 1862, a small newspaper called the Fort Scott Bulletin was established.

In the spring of 1862 the people of Fort Scott let the city election go by default, and it was not until in August that they discovered they had missed a chance to vote. Then the council ordered an election to be held on the 25th. J. S. Miller was elected Mayor, H. T. Wilson, P. P. Elder, William Smith and C. F. Drake, Councilmen; J. E. Dillon, clerk: J. F. White, Marshal; C. W. Goodlander. Treasurer; A. R. Allison, Assessor, and J. G. Stuart, Street Commissioner.

On the 1st of June Lieutenant Colonel Lewis R.

Jewell was placed in command of the Post of Fort Scott.

About July, 1862, Rube Forbes, whom we have already had occasion to mention, and a man named Troy Dye robbed the store of E. S. Scott, at Xenia. This caused a great commotion among the settlers of that neighborhood, and they raised a posse, headed by Captain Vansycle, late of Co. "I," Sixth Kansas, and Lieutenant Ford of the same company. They got after the thieves in close chase. Dye got away but they run Forbes into a very dense brush patch about four miles south of Mapleton, where he was surrounded. The brush was so thick they could not see Rube but they charged in as far as they could and fired. Rube instantly returned the fire and Captain Vansycle fell dead. He fired again and Lieutenant Ford fell badly wounded. The lieutenant was at once taken up by Charles Love, J. R. Anderson and others, and carried on a coat to a house about half a mile distant, and was soon afterward taken to his home near Uniontown where he died. At the third fire by Rube, E. C. Buck was badly wounded in the neck, and came near dying. About that time a company of soldiers arrived, who fired a volley into the brush where Rube was and his dead body was dragged out.

On the 15th of July, 1862, the first number of the Bourbon County Monitor was issued at Marmaton by David B. Emmert.

The Second Kansas Battery was raised in Bourbon County by C. W. Blair, early in the summer. The officers were C. W. Blair, Captain; E. A. Smith,

D. C. Knowles, A. G. Clark, and A. Wilson, Lieutenants. This was known through the war as "Blair's Battery."

FALL ELECTIONS.

The general election in the State was held on the 4th of November, 1862. Thomas Carney, Republican, of Leavenworth, was elected Governor. He received exactly 10,000 votes. The opposition candidate was W. R. Wagstaff, of Paola. His vote was 5,463.

The vote in Bourbon County for Governor was 413 to 86. This county was the Fourteenth Senatorial District. Isaac Ford was elected Senator by 431 votes, against 33 votes for E. Williams. There were four Representative Districts in this county, the 50th, 51st, 52nd and 53rd. In the 50th D. B. Jackman received 41 votes, L. D. Clevenger, 26. In the 51st J. Hawkins, 62; W. T. Jones, 37. In the 52nd, D. R. Cobb received the entire vote, 97. In the 53rd, C. F. Drake received the entire vote, 205.