I will here relate an instance that I well remember. A man by the name
of Bridges lived just above where Bakersfield is now located, owned a
little mill at the same place where they still continue the work of the
mill just above Bakersfield. The mill ground from twelve to fifteen
bushels per day; most of us carried our sacks on horseback, and ground
by turns. Bridges had employed a man by the name of Math Shipman to
run the mill. He was a small man weighing only about 135 pounds, and
there was a man by the name of Dow Bryant, lately from the state of
Tennessee, quite a large man, weighing 225 pounds, who delighted in
fighting under the old style, and claimed that he had whipped two of
the best men in Tennessee at the same time. Shipman had made some
statement that reflected upon Bryant; so Bryant procured a gallon of
whiskey, and, taking two men with him, went from Bennett's river over
to the mill and informed Shipman of what he had heard he had said in
regard to him, and said to Shipman that if he had said it and didn't
take it back, he would have to whip him, and the only thing he hated
about it would be the whipping of as little a man as he was. Shipman
replied that he need not take that matter into consideration, and that
his father had always taught him that if he told anything and it was
the truth, not to take it back under any consideration, and that what
he had said was true; and as to his whipping him, his father had always
taught him never to admit anything until he knew it was true; and "I
have my doubts about you being able to whip me; but if you will get
your second ready, as soon as the corn that is in the hopper is ground
out and I refill the hopper I will get my second and we will go out
into the mill yard so you can test it." They accordingly got their
seconds, went into the mill yard, formed a ring, and when the word
was given by the seconds, they went together. Shipman bit every finger
on the right hand and three fingers on the left hand to the bone; and
Bryant's friends, seeing he was going to be whipped, proposed parting
them. Bryant returned home, and when his neighbors would meet him with
his fingers all bound up, they would say, "Hello there! What's the
matter?" His reply would be, "I went over into the wilderness and got
hold of a wildcat, and it like to have eaten me up before I could get
loose from it." He would further say that Shipman was all mouth, and
that he could not put his hands anywhere about his head unless he got
them in his mouth.
I will give another instance touching the same man (Bryant). He went
over to Salem during circuit court. The sheriff of the county was a man
by the name of Dick Benton, quite a small man, and the constable of
the township was named Moore and a very small man. Bryant was drinking
some, and wanted to fight as usual, and became noisy. The judge ordered
the constable to arrest him; but when Bryant saw the constable coming,
he backed behind an old building, and ordered the constable not to rush
upon him. When the constable came in reach, he knocked him down, came
walking around, and remarked that no tickey officer could arrest him.
The judge then ordered the sheriff to arrest him. When the sheriff came
within reach, he knocked him down, came walking back, and remarked,
"I thought they understood me when I told them that a tickey set of
officers could not arrest me." During the time the father-in-law of
the sheriff had come out. Bryant walked up to him, and with a d----
said: "I want to know what you are doing here." Without any more words
being passed, the sheriff's father-in-law knocked Bryant down, jumped
onto him, but he holloed, and they took him off. Bryant straightened
himself up right into his face again and remarked, "I have told a lie,
I am not whipped." Without any more words he knocked him down again
and gave him a considerable pelting. Bryant holloed again, and after
they had taken him off, he straightened up and walked off about ten
steps distant, turned around, and remarked, "I have told a lie, I am
not whipped; but I am not going to say it within reach of that old man
any more." On the same day some men knocked him down, taking a common
clapboard, hit him three licks while he was running on all fours, then
got a piece of chalk and wrote on it, "Dow's board," and nailed it up
on the corner of the square.
The drinking class for years used all manner of language and obscenity
in the streets, and even in the hearing of the court. There was a man
by the name of Neeley who became a candidate for circuit judge, and one
of the main reasons he urged for his election was that, if elected, he
would punish all offenders of the public peace, and force all persons
to respect the court, and he would discharge the duties with some
dignity and respect for himself and the people. Shortly after he was
elected and during his first court, a man by the name of Smith, who
lived just north of Salem on the South Fork, and who had worked for
his election, came into the court room after the court was in session,
walked around to the judge, took him by the hand and remarked, "Judge,
I want to congratulate you on your success, and I hope things will
change." The judge turned to the clerk and remarked, "Mr. Clerk, assess
a fine of five dollars against Mr. Smith." Smith soon retired from the
court room and declared that Neeley was a tyrant, and that if he had
his vote back he would not support him. In the afternoon the judge
ordered the sheriff to bring Mr. Smith into the court room and said
to him, "Mr. Smith, you were a warm friend of mine in my canvass,
worked for my election, and no doubt contributed much to my success.
Now I don't want to disappoint you in any promises that I made during
the canvass, but after court is convened and the judge on the bench,
it is contempt in any gentleman to come up and take him by the hand
and congratulate him on his success; and now I hope that you, with all
others of my friends, and those who are not, will support and protect
me in enforcing the dignity of the court." Mr. Smith at once became
pacified, and said that the judge was right.
We remember another instance that occurred during the same court. There
was a young lawyer, who came into court, wearing a very fine pair of
boots, and, standing on his feet, he would occasionally raise onto his
toes, and you could hear his boots creak all over the court room. The
judge turned to him and remarked, "Mr., what did those boots cost you?"
The lawyer quickly replied, "Ten dollars, sir." The judge remarked to
him, "I think you got the boots too cheap. I think they ought to be
worth twenty dollars. Mr. Clerk, assess a fine of ten dollars against
this man."
On the next day a man by the name of Cage Hogan, a man who was widely
known, in company with others, got on the public square, near the
saloon, and began to curse and swear, and use all manner of obscenity.
The judge ordered the sheriff to go down and see who was making the
disturbance. The sheriff went out to the place and stated to the
crowd that the judge had ordered him to see who was creating that
disturbance, and to arrest the party. Hogan remarked, with an oath,
"You go back and tell the old judge that it is Cage Hogan, and that I
suppose he has heard of me before, and I don't allow sheriffs to arrest
me until I get ready." The sheriff came back and reported to the court,
and the judge made an order for him to proceed at once and arrest
Mr. Hogan and all others that he might find acting in a boisterous
manner, and if necessary to take the power of the county, and if he
didn't immediately bring him into the court room he would assess a
fine against him of $100. The sheriff returned and informed Mr. Hogan
of what the court had said, and that he would be bound to arrest him
and take him by force if he didn't go without it. Hogan remarked that
if it would be any pleasure and consolation to the old tyrant he was
the man who could go into the court room. When he came into the court
room, the sheriff said, "Here is Mr. Hogan." Mr. Hogan remarked, with
an oath, "I am here, judge, and I would like to know what you want."
The judge replied that there were some parties creating a disturbance
in the hearing of the court and that he had ordered them arrested and
brought in. "Do you know who the parties are?" Hogan, with an oath,
replied, "I am the man; and, judge, I want you to understand that I am
a horse, and if you hain't become acquainted with old Cage Hogan, you
will." The judge remarked to him that they had a stable and that was
the place for horses, and that he would assess a fine of $50 against
him, and ordered the sheriff to take him to jail until it was paid.
Hogan, remarking, "I always carry the money to pay my way, and you need
not put yourself to any trouble to have the sheriff carry me to jail,"
pulled out his pocket book, took out $50, and said, with an oath,
"Here is the money, and I want you to understand that I am no jail
bird, and you can't stick me in your old jail." The judge then said,
"Mr. Hogan seems to have plenty of money; Mr. Clerk assess another $50
fine against him." At that Hogan appeared to hesitate and reflect,
and, pulling out a quart bottle of whiskey from his pocket, started to
approach the judge, who was on the bench, saying with an oath, "Here,
judge, let's drink together and be friends and stop this foolishness."
The judge turned to the clerk and said: "Mr. Clerk, assess another fine
of $50 against him," and ordered the sheriff to take him forthwith to
jail and keep him there until further orders, for he considered him an
unlawful horse, and he did not think it safe for society for him to
run at large. The sheriff, with a considerable posse, carried him to
the jail, and with considerable trouble put him in and shut him up. He
remained in jail two days, and at the evening session of the second day
the sheriff came into court and said that Mr. Hogan was very desirous
of seeing the court. The court then ordered him brought in. On his
being brought in, the court asked him if he still thought he was a
horse. Hogan replied, "No, sir; I am not anything now but Cage Hogan."
The judge said: "As you have now arrived at the conclusion that you are
human and not animal, are you willing to respect the laws of your land
and the dignity of this court?" Hogan replied: "I am, judge, with all
my heart." The judge then said to him, "What about that money of yours;
are you able to pay the $150 fine?" Hogan said, "No, judge, I don't
feel like I could pay $150 this evening; I don't feel as rich and as
brave as I did when you first brought me into court, and I want you to
be as lenient with me as possible." The court said, "Mr. Hogan, if you
will promise me that you will neither disturb the dignity of this court
nor incite others to do so, I will remit all of your fine except $50."
Mr. Hogan then and there paid the $50 fine and was released. From that
time up to the end of his term there never was any disturbance of any
nature in the hearing of the court, and if you went into the court room
everything was so quiet that you could almost hear a pin drop.
The Tutt and Evert War.
My memory is that it was in the year 1846 that an incident occurred
in Marion county that I will now relate. It was known as the Tutt
and Evert war. They were once fast friends. They met in Yellville,
the county seat, and while there one of the Everts purchased a set
of silver spoons at the store of one of the Tutts. Afterwards a
misunderstanding grew up between them as to the payment for the spoons,
which led them into a fight. Afterwards, which was often, when they
would meet in Yellville, they would hardly ever get away without some
fighting taking place between the parties. There was a large gathering
and a public demonstration to take place within a few weeks. The Tutts
declared, backed by the Kings, that if the Everts came into town that
day they would kill them outright. Both parties came in early in the
day, heavily armed. After coming under the influence of intoxicants
to some extent, Evert went into the public square and stated what he
had heard from the Tutts, and said that if they, the Tutts and Kings,
were ready for the conflict, there never was a better time than then,
and that they, the Everts, were fully ready. Both parties, in short
range, opened fire. One of the Kings shot Simm Evert during the fight,
supposed to be through the heart. One of the Kings, just previous to
the shooting of Evert, had been shot through the hips and so disabled
that he could not stand upon his feet. After Simm Evert had received
the wound, he turned around, and, within a few steps of the wounded
King, picked up a large stone, raised it in both hands, and, stepping
up to King, came down on King's head with the stone with all the force
possible, completely crushing King's head. Then, turning around and
walking about three steps, he remarked, "I am a dead man," and fell to
the ground and expired within a few minutes. When the smoke cleared
away and the fighting ceased, an examination showed that there were
eight or ten left dead on the ground. The stoutest men afterwards went
to the stone, but there wasn't one of them that could raise it from the
ground. The surviving Kings made arrangements and attempted to leave
the country. At that time the sheriff of the county was a man by the
name of Mooney. A writ was placed in his hands and he arrested them.
Shortly after the arrest, the Everts and their friends came upon the
sheriff and his posse and demanded the prisoners. The sheriff gave them
up, and they were all shot. The sheriff then appealed to the governor
for aid; he sent the militia, who aided the sheriff in the arrest of
the Everts, a man by the name of Stratton, and some others of their
friends. The governor ordered them to be taken to Lawrence county and
placed in the Lawrence county jail at Smithville, the county seat of
that county. I saw the militia in charge of the prisoners pass my
father's house on their way to Smithville.
In about ten days after they were put in prison, late one evening,
strange men commenced dropping into the town, who were unknown to
the citizens, until they reached to about the number of sixty-five.
Somewhere near midnight they paraded the streets, and the jail being a
log jail, they prepared levers and pried it up and let the prisoners
all out, and they all left together, Evert, Stratton, and their friends
proceeding directly to Texas. After their families had reached them
and everything had quieted down, they sent in and notified Hamp Tutt,
whom they charged with being the inciter and leader in bringing on the
original trouble, that if he would "hull out" and leave the state they
would not kill him. Tutt was a man of considerable wealth and declared
he would not leave the state. He at once hired a young doctor, who
claimed to be a very brave man, to act as his body guard, and kept
himself very close to the town for about the space of two years. One
day, however, he declared that he was going to take a ride out on the
main public road for his health. He, in company with the young doctor,
then rode out about one mile. On returning, not more than a quarter of
a mile from the town, after they had passed the place where they were
concealed, they, (the Everts) discharged a volley. Two balls entered
the back of Tutt, and his horse made but a few leaps when he fell to
the ground. The young doctor ran for dear life, reached the town, and
gave the alarm. Parties immediately went out to the place, but found
that Tutt was dead. On examining the place where the parties had lain
in ambush, they found that they had lain there for months watching for
the opportunity. So ended the Tutt and Evert war.
Indians Chase a Sheriff Ten Miles.
Now the author will relate another incident that occurred in Marion
county, Arkansas, in the early settling of this country. There was a
large relation of the Coker family who lived in that county. One of
the Cokers raised two families, one by a white woman and the other by
an Indian woman. The Indian family, after they had grown up and become
men, resided a part of the time in the Nation, where the mother lived,
and a part of the time they remained in Marion county where their
father and other relatives lived. They were very dangerous men when
drinking, and the whole country feared them. They had been in different
troubles, and had killed three or four men, and if the authorities
attempted to arrest them, they defied them, and would go to the Nation
and remain awhile. There was a deputy sheriff in the county by the name
of Stinnett, who claimed to be very brave, who said he would arrest
them if he found their whereabouts. The Cokers learned what Stinnett
had said, and that the warrant for their arrest was in his possession,
so they got some good tow strings and vowed that whenever they met
him they would arrest him and take him to Yellville and put him in
jail. A short time afterwards they met him in the public road. As soon
as Stinnett recognized them, and having heard of the threats they
had made, he wheeled his horse and put spurs to him. They drew their
revolvers and put spurs to their horses in pursuit, commanding him
to halt. But Stinnett spurred his horse the harder. They pursued him
a distance of about ten miles; but Stinnett's horse proved to be the
best, and he made his escape. They again returned to the Nation.
The good people, generally, of the county were terrorized and afraid
to raise their voices against them, and it became a question as to
whether they had a man in the county who had the courage to attempt
their arrest. They made it a question in the next election, to elect
a man that would make the arrest, if such a man could be found in the
county. There was a man living in the county by the name of Brown, who
was a cousin of the Cokers, and he told the people that if they would
elect him, he would arrest them or they would kill him. He was elected
by a large majority, and, after he had qualified, took charge of the
office. The first time the Cokers came into the settlement, he summoned
two men, thought to be brave, who pledged themselves that if it became
necessary they would die for him. He then went to the house of one of
the Coker family where the Cokers were staying, and on his arrival
found the two Coker brothers sitting in chairs in the yard. He was
within some thirty feet of them before they saw him. Their guns were
sitting near them, and they seized them; but before they could present
them Brown had his revolver cocked and leveled at one of their heads,
and told him not to attempt to raise his gun or he would kill him.
Coker turned his back to him with his gun on his shoulder, secretly
cocked it, and leveled it upon Brown as near as possible without
taking it from his shoulder and fired, missing his aim. About the same
time Brown discharged his revolver at Coker and made a slight scalp
wound. The other Coker threw his gun upon Brown and fired, killing
him instantly. The two men who were acting as a posse for the sheriff
turned and fled, leaving Brown lying dead on the ground. After the
shooting the Cokers fled to the Nation and remained there.
The author will now relate another incident that occurred in the same
county. For years the Cokers and Hogans had been intimate friends, and
drank, gambled, and horseraced together a great deal. There came up a
trouble between Coker and one of his brothers-in-law, and one evening
Coker, in company with Hogan, went to the house of this brother-in-law.
Both had been drinking. Coker swore that he would ride onto the porch
of his brother-in-law, and made the attempt. His brother-in-law caught
the horse by the bridle and warned him not to ride onto porch, and
that if he did he would kill him. Coker drew his revolver, spurred his
horse, but as he entered the porch his brother-in-law shot him dead.
Coker being a cousin of the Indian Cokers, they charged Hogan with
inducing him, while drinking, to go to his brother-in-law's house, so
as to give him a chance to kill him, and that Hogan's life should pay
the penalty. Shortly afterwards Hogan was traveling on an old trail
that led along the bluff of White river. The river here made a bend in
horseshoe shape, following the bluff all around. The Cokers learned
that Hogan was going to pass through this gap, and they lay in wait for
him, cutting off all avenues of escape possible so he would be forced
into the horseshoe for his escape. When he came in sight they raised
the Indian war-whoop, and drew their revolvers. Hogan looked around
and saw that his pursuers were in about a hundred yards of him. He saw
his predicament, as for a quarter of a mile he confronted the bluff,
and that there was only one avenue of escape. He went to the edge of
the precipice and looked over. There, under the bluff, lay the deep,
blue waters of White river, 150 feet below. Again he turned his eyes
toward his pursuers. He knew it meant death if they caught him; so he
made the fearful leap over the bluff, striking the water where it was
about twenty-five feet deep. Hogan was a wicked man and cursed a great
deal. He swore it didn't take him long to reach the water, but that he
thought considerable time intervened from the time he struck the water
until he reached the top again. He swam to the bank which was but a
few feet distant. His pursuers came to the precipice, looked over, and
said that they had made Hogan do something they had intended to do, and
that was, to take his own life, as they supposed no human being could
make the leap and live. After cutting his saddle and bridle to pieces,
they turned his horse loose, and reported that Hogan was killed. Hogan
traveled around under the bluff for about two miles, made his way home,
wound up his business, sold his farm, and moved into Fulton county,
Arkansas, which ended the trouble between them.
The author will relate another incident that occurred in Marion county,
Arkansas. There was a widow residing in that county, who was left with
a family of children, among them a boy about twelve years of age. Her
horse ran away, and she sent her boy in pursuit of it. After he had
found it and was returning home, leading the horse, Hogan and one of
his friends met him in the road. They had both been drinking, and
seeing the boy, concluded to have some fun out of him. Hogan, with an
oath, said, "What are you doing with my horse?" The boy replied, "It is
not your horse, it is mother's horse." Hogan sprang off his horse, and,
thinking to scare the boy and have some fun with him, said: "Here, you
know it's my horse; give him up." The boy pulled a barlow knife out of
his pocket, and, opening it, said, "You attempt to come near me, and
I will stick this knife into you." Hogan stepped up to him and said,
"You little rascal, would you attempt to cut me with a knife?" The
boy, without any further words, made a stroke at him with the knife,
and the blade entered his body near the left breast. Hogan declared
afterward that he jumped about ten feet high. He turned to his friend
and remarked: "I believe our fun with the little bugger has caused my
death, or at least a serious wound." He went to a physician, had the
wound probed, and found the knife had penetrated a rib and reached the
inside. The physician informed him that had it passed between the ribs
it would have killed him instantly. Hogan remarked to the boy, after he
stabbed him, "My son, you are made out of the right kind of stuff. I
had no intention of hurting you or taking your mother's horse from you,
I merely wanted to have some fun; but I see I have struck the wrong boy
this time. Go on and take your horse to your mother."
The author will refer to another incident that occurred in Howell
county, Missouri. In the year 1860 there was a man who resided in West
Plains by the name of Jack McDaniel, who was a blacksmith by trade.
This same Hogan came to town, soon became under the influence of
whiskey, went down to McDaniel's shop with a horse, and ordered him to
shoe him. McDaniel had two other horses in the shop at the time to be
shod, and said to Hogan that as soon as he had shod those two horses,
he would shoe his. Hogan said, "I am in a hurry, and I want you to shoe
mine now." McDaniel told him that he could not shoe his horse until he
had shod the other two horses. Hogan said, "If you don't shoe him at
once, I will whip you." McDaniel then pulled a barlow knife out of his
pocket, and, opening it, said: "Yes; and if you fool with me, I will
cut your throat from ear to ear." At this remark, Hogan moved right up
to him and said, "Just smell of my neck." McDaniel struck at him with
the knife, and the blade entered just under the ear, cutting to the
bone all the way around into the mouth. Hogan went to a physician in
West Plains and had the wound dressed. He then went to a glass, looked
in, and said that he had lived a long time, been in many tight places,
but he had never had such a mouth as he had now, and remarked, "My
mouth looks as if it was spread from ear to ear."
The people then generally gave their time to growing stock, especially
horses and cattle, as hogs and sheep had to be kept close around the
farms and penned of a night, especially the pigs, on account of wolves
and other wild animals. I have known the wolves to kill 2 and 3 year
old cattle. Farmers fed their corn chiefly to cattle, horses and mules.
They always commanded fair prices. Cattle, at the age of four years and
upwards were driven to Jacksonport, Arkansas and from there shipped to
New Orleans. Horses and mules were driven to Louisiana, Mississippi and
some to the Southern part of Arkansas and there put upon the market.
Prices generally ranging from $75 to $150. All of our groceries were
purchased in New Orleans, shipped to Jacksonport, from there they were
conveyed by wagons. Our dry goods were mostly purchased at Lynn Creek,
Missouri and brought through by wagon, but in the early settling of
the country they hauled dry goods all the way from St. Louis except
what were brought into the country by peddlers. The peddlers would go
to St. Louis on horse back with one and sometimes two led horses, buy
the goods, pack them, place them on their horses and peddle all the way
from St. Louis and still further west and take in exchange all kinds of
fur skins.
I have seen peddlers with one horse still loaded with goods and the
other covered with fur skins, and I have seen them again after they had
disposed of all their goods with all three horses completely covered
with fur skins and sometimes so heavily loaded that the peddler would
either be walking and leading or driving.
Money was scarce but the people spent very little money, were not in
debt and lived much better and easier than they do now. Their counties
were out debt and the county warrants were always at par.
When my father first located here, there were about four or five
settlers in all of the territory that now belongs to Howell County;
there were but three men that resided upon what is known as the middle
bayou, William McCarty and his sons, Green and Willis.
In about three years after my father settled here, McCarties sold out
and located on the bayou above Bakersfield. In 1844 there was a man by
the name of Thomas Hall who resided about 10 miles southwest of West
Plains, a man by the name of Cyrus Newberry resided about 10 miles from
where West Plains now is, and a man by the name of Braudwaters resided
near where Moody is now located.
There was not a settlement in all the territory that now includes
Howell valley. There had been a settlement, by a man who was a hunter,
made at what is now termed the town spring at West Plains who had
cleared five or six acres, but had left it. All the valleys in Howell
county were considered worthless on account of there being no water.
When the country commenced settling, there was no attention paid to
congressional lines. As they settled on the streams, they would make
conditional lines--blaze across the bottom until they would strike the
table-lands; and the next men who might come in and settle would blaze
his conditional line across, and for years there was but little land
entered. Men only sold their improvements, and there was a fixed law,
or custom, that prevailed among them--that no man should enter the land
and take another man's improvements without paying him for them. A few
such instances occurred to my knowledge. The man was at once waited
upon, and informed of the rules and customs of the country; and besides
the rules and customs, it was not right nor honest to take a man's
labor without paying him for it; and that it was the intention and
purpose of the people to see that justice was done every man; and he
was therefore notified to proceed to the late owner of the improvements
and pay him the value of the improvements; and if they couldn't agree
upon the value, submit it to two disinterested neighbors; and if they
couldn't agree let the third man be brought in, which finding would
be final. In every instance if the man who had made the entry failed
to comply with the terms, he was at once notified that his absence
from the settlement and a speedy departure from the country would be
satisfactory to the settlement; and that if he failed to comply, he
would have to submit to the punishments that would be inflicted upon
him. If the improvements, which were always reasonable, were paid for,
the party would move off, blaze out another claim, and go to work to
improve it; but if he didn't receive pay for his improvements, he
remained on the land and the other fellow's whereabouts would soon be
unknown; and when the land was sold for taxes, the man owning the
improvements would buy it in by paying the amount of taxes and costs
without an opposing bid.
When my father first located in this country, a large portion of the
territory had never been sectionized. What was known as the old survey,
including range seven and a part of range eight (now in this county)
formed a part of the old survey. Congress passed a law graduating the
price of land according to the length of time it had been upon the
market. The government price was $1.25 per acre. The first reduction
was twenty-five cents upon the acre; then they reduced the purchase
price every few years until all the land included in the old survey
went down to a bit an acre. The graduation law allowed each man to take
up 320 acres by making actual settlement and cultivating it. But the
land speculators took advantage of the law and hired men to go upon the
land and make a few brush-heaps, and in the name of some man apply for
the entry, until all of the graduated lands were taken up, and there
was not a bona fide settler who had complied with the law in one out of
every hundred.
Most of the land in Howell, Gunters, Peace, and Hutton valleys, and
the land where West Plains is now situated, were entered at a bit per
acre. After the entries, the valley lands commenced settling rapidly.
When the time came to procure a patent to the land, speculators went to
Washington and engineered a bill through Congress to allow the parties
to prove up without making proof of actual settlement, and in that
way fraudulently obtained patents to two-thirds of all the land above
referred to. The next thing, the speculators went East, sold their
lands (or mortgaged them) by representing that all of the table lands
were bottom lands and covered with walnut, hackberry, box elder, and
other bottom growths. They let the mortgages all be foreclosed.
The merchants, who procured title to the lands, sent out agents to
examine the land, who went back and reported that the lands were
valueless and were not worth the taxes and refused to pay taxes on
them. With some few exceptions the lands were offered time and again
for taxes, would not sell for the amount of the taxes and thousands
of acres remained in that condition until a short time before the
building of the Kansas City & Memphis railroad. All of the table lands
were looked upon by the people as being entirely worthless and fit for
nothing but range.
My father in the year 1849 sold out and removed from Bennett's river,
Fulton county, to the North Fork of White river, in Fulton County but
two miles from the State line, dividing Missouri and Arkansas. In the
year 1852 father took the winter fever, died and was buried in the
cemetery, three miles above the State line, known as the Teverbauch
cemetery.
In the year 1854 my mother and one brother died with the bloody flux,
leaving three sons of the family, William, the oldest one living,
F. M. and James I. Monks. The author was married on the 10th day of
April 1853 to Martha A. Rice, a daughter of Thomas and Nancy Rice.
He continued to reside upon the old homestead and was a farmer by
occupation. The country commenced settling up rapidly. All the land on
the streams was settled, with very few exceptions, with a frugal and
intelligent class of people, mostly from the middle states. In the year
1856 Howell county was created by taking a part of the territory of
Ozark and a part of the territory of Oregon, to-wit: Ranges 7 and 8 and
a small part of 9 were taken from Oregon county and the remainder of 9
and 10 was taken from Ozark county. Andrew V. Taber, ---- Johnson (and
the name of the other commissioner we have forgotten at the present
time) proceeded to locate the county seat and purchased 40 acres near
the West Plains spring and laid it out into lots, got the county seat
near the center, as a sufficient amount of water was necessary, taking
into consideration the town spring and then what was known as the
Bingiman spring. The lots sold rapidly and the town grew beyond any
expectation and the country was improving and settling up with the town.
In 1858 the author sold out on the North Fork of White river and
moved into Howell county and located 11 miles southwest of West
Plains upon sections 2 and 11, range 9, was appointed constable of
Benton township and in the year 1860 was elected constable of Benton
township, commenced reading law in the year 1858. In the year 1860
West Plains was said to be the best, neatest, prettiest town in South
Missouri and contained about 200 inhabitants; had a neat frame court
house in the center of the square, a first-class hewed log jail, had
four first-class stores (for the country at that time) which kept
continually on hand a general assortment of merchandise, had two
saloons, tan yard and the county was out of debt, with money in the
treasury; a county warrant then was good for its face value in gold,
and the country was prosperous in every respect. The people generally
were fast friends and their chief interest was to develop the resources
of the country and aid and help each other.