The LHS Newsletter Archive

Volume Fourteen, Issue Number 2

Originally Published in Lecompton, Kansas : Summer 1988 Digitally Archived August 2006

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KANSAS TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS

This is the concluding second parton the Kansas Territorial Governorsartiate written 'by Sara Walter &.lona Spencer which appeared in theSpring 1988 BALD EAGLE, Volum.e14, Nurn'ber 1.

JohnW. Geary1819 - 1873

John W. Geary was born inWestmoreland County, Pennsylvania in1819. He served throughout the MexicanWar, being in the advance army fromVera Cruz to Mexico City. UnderGeneral Scott, he participated in thebattles of La Hoga, Chapultepic, andthe capture of Mexico City, immediatelyafter which event, he was appointedColonel of his regiment and assigned tothe commandof the citadel of the city.

In 1848 he was appointed by PresidentPolk, Postmaster of San Francisco, withlarge discretionary powers to establishmail routes, offices, etc. He waslater elected Alcade and first Judge ofSan Francisco; was reelected, and whenthe city was incorporated, was electedits fi rst mayor. He proved to be awise and effi cei nt admini strator, andduri ng hi s tenure no ri ots occurred,and no vigilante committees organized.He also was selected, by the legislature,to ai din fundi ng the pub1i c debt. Hereturned to Pennsyl vani a in 1853 andremained in private life untilappointed Governor of Kansas Territoryon September 9, 1856. Like hi s

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John W. Geary

predecessors, his loyalty to thedemocratic party and to the doctrine ofsquatter sovereignty were unquestioned.

His administrative ability wasknown to be of the hi ghest order andhi s nerve and courage had been provenbeyond ques ti on. He was chosen as thefi ttest man to que11 the di sorders of

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the territory and thus rescue the party

from national defeat in the pendingpresidential election, which defeatseemed certain unless the threat of a

civi 1 war and the consequent outrages

in Kansas Territory cpuld be brought to

an end. His paramount duty was tobring order out of confusion.

He started for Kansas early inSeptember 1856 and on September 5threached Jefferson City, Missouri, wherehe met with the Missouri Governor todiscuss Missouri and K.T. relations.

He and Governor Sterling Price agreedthat there shou1d be no more blockade

of the Missouri River and emigrantsshould not have to face interference.

At Glasgow, Missouri, the next day, theboat was stopped to take on a companyof Missouri volunteers for the Kansas

Militia. While loading, a boatcarrying the former Governor Shannonpaused to let Shannon confer withGeary. He told of the frightfulconditions in Kansas T. and seemedterrified for his life. After the

conference Geary's boat proceeded upthe river.

Geary spent a day at FortLeavenworth before setting out forLecompton. By his firmness and goodjudgment, he managed to persuade bothfactions to call a truce, and return totheir homes. It was at this time thatCharles Robinson met with him to

discuss the Topeka Constitution. Gearyknew Robinson from an incident inCalifornia when as a leader of a

rebellion there, Geary ordered him"arrested and held for a period. He waslater released and he returned toMassachusetts to lead abolitionists toLawrence.

One of Geary's aides had purchaseda log house near the Kansas River from

Sheri ff Jones, so that Geary and his

men wou 1d have a comfortab 1e place to1ive. There were few homes in

Lecompton in 1856. Geary wasconstantly bothered with spies, and itwas difficult for him to have aclandestine discussion. Robinson and

Geary met in the upper floor of the"Governor's Mansion" at Lecompton.Robinson suggested he go to Washington,

D.C. and persuade Congress and thePresident to accept the TopekaConstitution and Robinson would resignas gubernatorial candidate with Gearybeing appointed as his replacement.Geary agreed to this but Congress andthe President did not.

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The Territorial Legislature metJanuary 12, 1857. As Sheriff Jones hadresigned, it was necessary for thegovernor to appoint a new sheriff withlegislative approval. William T.Sherrard was recommended, but due to alack of proper forms in the office, theappointment was delayed. This soangered Sherrard that he vocally abusedGeary in his office. Later he met himoutside the legislative halls, drew agun and threatened to kill him. Gearyignored him and walked away. A meetingconcerning the affair was called andboth free-state and pro-slavery peopleattended. During a scuffle severalshots were fired and Sherrard was

killed. This gave the pro-slaverypeople an excuse to threaten Geary, asthe assasian was thought to be a memberof his retinue. He became so concerned

for his safety that about midnight,March 10th, Captain Walker heard aheavy knock on his door. There, to hissurprise, was Governor Geary, with tworevolvers buckled about his waist, onhis way out of the territory. Wa1ker1ived near Fort Titus and was afree-state leader. Walker escorted him

to the Missouri River area, so that hecould find a boat and return to

Pennsylvania after only seven months inoffice.

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When the Civil War began, Gearyoffered his services to the Union. He

served throughout the war, as aBrigadier General in 1862 and BrevertedMajor General in 1865. After the warhe was elected Governor of Pennsylvaniaand served from 1867 to 1873, the yearhe died.

SPECIAL THANKS

We are indebted to the Kansas

State Historical Society fo~ the use ofthe photographs of the six KansasTerritoria1 Governors used in thisarticle.

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Robert James Walker1801 - 1869

Robert James Walker was born inNorthumberland, Pennsylvania, July 19,1801. He was the son of Judge Walkerof the Supreme Court of the UnitedStates, under whose guidance his earlystudi es were conducted. He graduatedfrom the University of Pennsylvania in1819, and was admitted to the bar atPittsburgh in 1821, where he practicedhi s professi on for several years, andwhere he married Miss Bachi, ofPhiladelphia, a grand-daughter ofBenjamin Franklin.

In 1826 he moved to Natchez,Missi ssi ppi , and there joi ned theDemocrati c party. From 1837 to 1845,he was a member of the U.S. Senate,being first elected as an opponent of abi tter di suni oni st, George Poi ndexter.In 1845, he was appointed Secretary ofTreasury by President Polk; and was theprincipal author of the revenue tariffof 1846, and remained a cabinet memberuntil 1846. May 27, 1857, he wasappointed Governor of Kansas Territory,and Frederi ck P. Stanton as Secretaryof State. Both favored the pro-slaverybut resolved to let the squattersdecide the question of slavery forthemse 1ves, in accordance with theKansas-Nebraska Act.

Before their arrival in Kansas,the territorial legislature hadprovided for an election to choosedelegates to a constitutionalconvention to be held at Lecompton.The free-state people refused torecognize any act of legislation ofthat group, so declined to cooperate.Consequently, the pro-slavery peopleeasily won the election, and no one butpro-slavery delegates were elected.

The Lecompton ConstitutionalConventi on had organi zed September 7,1857, electing John Calhoun,surveyor-genera 1, as president of theconvention. A date of October 19 wasset for a meeti ng of the 60 electeddelegates to write a consitution. Thedelegates came to Lecompton on the

appointed day, but James Lane hadbrough a horde of free-state people toLecompton. They surroundedConsti tuti on Ha11 and refused to 1etthe del ega tes enter. Governor Walkerappealed to the U.S. Army at FortLeavenworth for protection. Theypromi sed to send troops October 22nd.The army came, the conventi on went towork, wrote a constitution, andcompleted it November 3rd. It was tobe submitted to the people December21st. The catch was the voter only hadtwo choices, both of which would allowsome form of slavery. A ballot for theconstitution with slavery would allownew slaves to be brought into thestate. A ba11ot cast for theconstitution without slavery woulda11ow the present owners to keep thesl aves they had, but coul d bri ng nomore slaves into the state.

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The free-state people refused tovote. The unfairness of the electioncaused Governor Walker to go toWashington to protest to presi dentBuchanan. He was joined by SenatorDouglas, who had opposed the Topeka

Constitution because it was solely thework of free-staters. He now opposedthe Lecompton Consitution because itwas the work of just the pro-slaverypeople. The President contended thatthe free-state people had thrown awaytheir opportunity by not voting and heinsisted on submitting the LecomptonConstitution to Congress. GovernorWalker's reaction upon finding hisadvice unheeded was to resign, refusingto serve as governor any longer. Hethen returned to his home, but did notleave the political arena completely.From 1863 to 1864 he served asfinancial age~t of th~ U.S. governmentin Europe and succeeded in negoti ati ng$350,000,000 of 5 to 20 year UnitedSta tes bonds. During hi s pub1i c 1ifeof nearly 40 years, he exercised astrong and often controlling influenceon public affairs.

James William Denver1817 - 1892

James Wi11i am Denver was born in

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Frederick County, Virginia, October 23,1817. He lived at the homefarm untilhe became of age, in the meantimeacquiring a better than ordinary commonschool education and a thoroughknowledge of theoreti ca1 and practi ca1engineering. In the spring of 1841, hewent to Missouri to try to obtain acontract for surveying public lands;but not succeeding, he taught schoolfor a time. The following year he wentto Ohio and commencedthe study of law,graduating at the Cincinnati LawSchoolin the spri ng of 1844. In the spri ngof 1847, he was appointed a Captain inthe Twelfth Regiment U.S. Infantry, andserved to the end of the Mexican Warunder General Scott. He then returnedto Platte City, f4issouri, where he hadpreviously practiced law. In 1850 hecrossed the plains to California,1ocati ng in Tri ni ty County. He waselected to the Senate of California in1851, appointed a state commissioner in1852, and Secretary of State in 1853.In 1854, he was elected Representativeto the 34th Congress. In the spring of1856, he was appointed Commissioner ofIndian Affairs, and while occupyingthis position was sent to Kansas tomake treaties with the Indians.

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Denver was first appointedSecretary of State, Kansas Terri tory,December 21, 1857, while the LecomptonConsti tuti on was bei ng debated. Thefree-staters were in a quandry as to

: whether or not to vote in the e1ecti onof officers for that version of Kansasstatehood. Robinson felt that thefree-staters should take part in theelection for he had encouraged them tovote on the Territorial Legislature andthey had won control of it. He nowfelt that they should win the stateoffices, in case Kansas was admitted asa state under the LecomptonConsti tuti on. Many free-soi 1ers wereagainst it. James Lane was against itand sent word by General Whitman thatCivil War had begun and not to vote.This was a Lane hoax. A group offree-staters met in the basement of theHerald of Freedom, a newspaper, andpicked a slate of candidates headed byGeorge Smith.

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took place, the pro-slavery people camewithin a few votes of sweeping theelection. The Southerners lost theelection and they -also lost theelection ballots. A specialinvestigating team from Washington,D.C. came to check the electionreturns, and they could not be found.Calhoun who was in charge of the votinghad left Lecompton and gone East. MacLean who was left in charge said he hadsent the ballots to Calhoun. However,Charl es Torrey, the offi ce caretaker,vi si ted Sheriff Walker duri ng thenight, and told him he had seen MacLean hi de them in the wood pi 1e nearthe office. Sheriff Walker visited MacLean with a search warrant, and MacLean told him they weren't there.Walker said he knew they weren't, thatthey were out in the wood pile nearby.He and hi s men went out to search andwhile they were gone Mac Lean borroweda mule and set off for Nebraska, andescaped. Walker- and hi s men found thevotes stuffed in an old candl e box inthe wood pile. This affair disgustedeven the southern pro-slaveryproponents. On congressional vote, theu. S. Senate accepted the LecomptonConstitution while the House ofRepresentatives turned it down. Thiswas the death knell of that instrument.

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James Denver was appointedsuccessor to Governor Walker on May 12,1858. Whi1e he served as governor,go1d was di scovered in western KansasTerritory which extended to the summitsof the Rocky Mountai ns. A group ofpeople in Lecompton funded anexpedition to explore the area in whichit was found, to layout claims and toplat a town. By the time they hadarri ved there, the most producti vesites were taken, so they p1atted atown and returned to Lecompton. Thegroup, that had sent the wagon trai nwest, was di sappoi nted as to the 1ackof claims; but decided to name thenewly platted city, Denver, after thethen governor of the territory. Later,Denver, Kansas Territory became Denver,Colorado as the western boundary was

changed when Kansas became a state.Denver resigned as governor in 1858 andSamue1 Medary of Ohi0 was namedgovernor.

Denver and Medary both had sharpdisagreements with the territoriallegislature, which was by thencontrolled by the free-state party.Both governors maintained their officesat Lecompton, because they could bemore comfortably housed and because ithad been named the permanent capital ofKansas Territory. By 1858 theluxurious Hotel Rowena was in use, anda so-called "governor's mansion", a1arge log house down by the. ri ver wasavailable.

They also differed with thelegislature on slavery. Thelegislature passed a bill outlawingslavery, which Denver promptly vetoed.They agai n passed it dur-jng Medary' stenure, and he also vetoed it. Theypassed it over his veto, but the judgeswho had been appointed by the Presidentruled it contrary to theKansas-Nebraska Act. Slavery,therefore, continued as long as Kansasremained a territory.

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After a bri ef term as governor,Denver resigned the office October 10,1858, returned to Washington and thefollowing spring went again toCalifornia, where he was once moreappoi nted a state commiss i oner toadjust Indian claims. In August 1861,he was appointed by President Lincoln,Brigadier General of Volunteers, andremained in active service about ayear. He afterward engaged in thepracti ce of 1aw at Washington, D.C.,where he died August 9, 1892.

Samuel Medary1801 - 1864

Samue1 Medary was appoi ntedGovernor of Kansas Territory, November19, 1858, and arrived in the Territoryand entered upon his duties atLecompton December 18, 1858. He wasborn in Mongtomery County,Pennsylvania, February 15, 1801. He

learned the trade of pri nter andsubsquently became the editor of the"Ohio Statesman". published atColumbus. Ohio. He held the positionfor many years. during which his paperranked as one of the ablest Democraticjournals. In politics. he was astaunch democrat of the Jacksonianschool during his whole life.

In 1818 the Oregon Terri tory waspl aced under the joi nt occupati on ofthe United States and England. as theresult of a treaty. By the eary 1840'sthere was U.S. agi tati on to annex thewhole area. During this time Medary inhis newspapers promoted the slogan "54040' or fight". This problem was solvedamicably. but Medarybecame famous forhis slogan. In 1844. he was chairmanof the Ohio delegation to the Baltimorepresidential convention. Jackson hadwritten him a letter asking him. in theevent of discord to present the name ofJames K. Polk for the presidency. Inthe midst of wi1d exci tement Medaryproduced the 1etter. with the resul tthat Polk was nominated by acclamation.

Medary was an ardent admirer andfollower of Senator Douglas up to thedi visi on which grew out of di scussi onof the Lecompton Constitution inCongress. at which ti me he supportedthe administration and its policy.Samuel Medary was appointed Governor ofMinnesota Territory in March 1857. Onits admission as a state. he returnedto Columbus. Ohio. He was appoi ntedGovernor of Kansas Territory. November19. 1858. took the oath of officeDecember fi rst. and entered upon hi sduties December 18. 1858 at Lecompton.

The most important event ofMedary's administration was theWyandotte Convention. at Wyandotte nowKansas City. where delegates elected bythe people wrote the fourthconsti tuti on for Kansas. Four of thede1egates were nati ves of forei gnlands. six of slave states. and 42 offree states. As fourteen of thedelegates were from Ohio. theypersuaded the conventi on to adopt theOhi0 Consti tuti on as a model for

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Kansas. and the delegates included thestatement. "Kansas shall be a freestate. II

Kansas could have been a muchlarger state than it is today. Thepeople of Nebraska living south of thePlatte River asked to be included inKansas. The delegates voted againstadmitting southern Nebraska. They evenwent father and voted to cut off thewestern part of Kansas that is noweastern Colorado. They thought thestate was too big. and that a smallerstate would be easier to govern. Theyalso wanted Kansas to remain anagricultural state. With the discoveryof gold in western Kansas Territory.there would have been a necessity toadminister laws governing minerals. andthey di dnIt want to be bothered withthat. They named Topeka the temporarycapi ta 1. The consti tuti on was thensubmitted to the people. It was passedby them and accepted by Congress.

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uneventful. The country was in acomparatively peaceful condition beforethe true storm and 1i ttl e opportuni tywas offered him to show ei ther theadministrative faults or virtues whichhe may have possessed. He resigned theoffi ce December 20, 1860 and returnedto Columbus, Ohio where he remaineduntil the time of his death, whichoccurred November7, 1864.

By Sara Walter and Iona SpencerREFERENCESFORARTICLE ON

TERRITORIALGOVERNORS

Andreas, A.T.; History of the State ofKansas; R.R. Donnely & Son; TheLakeside Press, 1883. [Loaned by Johnand Chris Grandmontague.]

"Bald Eagle"; Volume 12,Winter 1986.

Number 4,

Blackmar, Frank W.; The Life of CharlesRobinson; Crane & Co. Printers; Topeka,Kansas, 1902.

v Brown, Geo. W., M.D.; Reminiscenes ofGovernor R. J. Walker; Rockford,III i noi s; Prl nted and Pub1i shed by theAuthor, 1902.

Gihon, John H.; Geary and Kansas; Booksfor Libraries Press, Freeport, N.Y.,First Published 1857, Republished 1971.

Isely, Bliss; Richards, W. Marvin; FourCenturi es in Kansas; State of Kansas,Topeka, KS, 1944.

Isely, Bliss; Richards, W. Marvin; TheKansas Story, State Printer, Topeka;Kansas, 1953.

II' Newspaper Scrap BookSlavens until 1940.

kept by R.B.

Nichols, Alice; Bleeding Kansas; OxfordUniversity Press; 1954.

Robinson, Charles: The Kansas Conflict;Journal Publishing Company; 1898.

u Webster, A. Merriam; Webster'sBiographical Dictionary; G.C. Merriam &Co.; Springfield, Mass.; 1959.

TERRITORIAL DAY

Territorial Day will be June 25th.This year many 19th century crafts willbe demonstrated duri ng the day. Someof the other events wi11 be the KidGames at 9:00 A.M., Methodist ChurchMeal at noon, Parade at 1:30 P.M., IceCream Socia1 at 5: 00 P.M., and StreetDance by R.F.D. 4 at 9:00 P.M. If youhave any suggestion contact ChairpersonConnie Robertson at 887-6238 or Li1aBartels, Chairperson of Booths, at887-6316. This will be a great day tovisit Lecompton and celebrate ourhistorical past.

Paul Bahnmaier

PR~ESIDENT'SREPORTWehave had a number of tours this

Spring. The groups have taken thegrand tour of our hi stori c community.This includes Lane University, theLecomptonPost Office, United MethodistChurch, and the Jail. With thecompletion of Constitution Hall thiscity will be a great tourist attractionto people all across this country. Wehave muchto take pride in sharing withvisitors. But it would not be possibleif it were not for the fantastic1oya1ty of past and present resi dentsof Lecompton.

Thanks to the following people fordonating time to clean and paint atLane University and the Lecompton HighSchool: Maxine Dark, Glen-Vicki-Bud andOwen Mallonee, John & Vern Bartell,George & Nancy Davis, Pat & AureliaIstas, Clyde Kampschroder, DorothyShaner, Opal Goodrick, Sara Walter,Sally Wright, Richard & Richi eMcConnell, Lavina Hanna, Janice Rake,Vicki Roberts, Bob Goodrick, George &Arloene Simmons, David & DarlenePaslay, Cimmaron Evans, Ralph Davis,and Mae & Wally Holderman. For mowingthe grounds: Ralph Davis, and Mae &Wally Holderman. Tour guides: SaraWa1ter, Joyce & Bruce Beresford, JeriSkinner, Margaret & Ross Wulfkuhle,Iona Spencer, Mae Holderman, Ruth Ice,Opal Goodrick, Arloene Simmons, Darlene

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Paslay~ Maxine Dark~ Elizabeth Jonnson~Sally Wright~ and Lydia Long. BruceBeresford for p1anti ng chrysanthemums.Our volunteers are the greatest.

The following items have beenplaced in the Lane University Museum:Lecompton Masonic Lodge No. 13 historyby Howard Duncan~ doll dishes anddisplay case from Minnie Sutton~original Lecompton Post Office paintingby Ellen Duncan~ Kansas rock collectionby C.C. & Marcella Williams~ Rick L.Blanton and Corwin & Irene Sperry~books by Ronald Caruthers~ handmadeobjects by Mae Holderman~ barbed wireco11ecti on by Lee Brunton. Thank youfor your continued interest in yourmuseum.

POST AL POSTINGS

At our April meeting a very largecrowd was present to witness VickiRoberts take the oath of office as the27th Postmaster of Lecompton. Jani ceRake gave a most informative speechabout the history of the postal servicein Lecompton. It was a great eveningfor all. Congratulations VickiRoberts! Paul Bahnmaier

OLD SETTLERS' i\SSOCIA.TION

Note: The fo 11owing arti c1e was takenfrom the Kansas State HistoricalSociety collections and was part of theaddress made by W.C. Simons~ Publisherof the Lawrence Daily Journal Worldbefore the Old Settlers' Association ofLawrence on September 15~ 1924.

To one who knows something of theearly history of Kansas~ Lecompton is aplace of interest. It took its namefrom Samuel D. Lecompte~ of Maryland~

first justi ce of the supreme court ofthe territory~ whose proslaveryacti vi ti es caused hi m to be hated byall antislavery men. The town was laidout to be the capi ta 1 and metropo 1is.Like ancient Rome it stood upon theseven hi11s~ and strange as it may seemto us of today who have seen its growth

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of woods~ it was a prairie country withbut one tree~ a great oak~ laterdestroyed by lightning.

The capitol was begun. There werefour large hotels and three smallerones~ a promising business district~residence streets which extended a mileor more i nto what are now well-ti 11edfarms~ and a section set aside for.negro quarters~ Lecompton at the timebeing a southern city in its beliefsand appointments. At one timeLecompton had a population which issaid to have reached 9~OOO. Of all ofthis glory there now remains a portionof the foundation of the capitolbuilding~ the old land office~consti tuti on ha11~ a part of the oldjai1~ a stone building that was once aplace of impor,tance~ and probably quitea number, of the residences some ofwhich have been remodeled or moved toother si tes. No more beautiful spotfor a city could have been selected.

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The four large hotels were theVirginia~ the Nationa1~ American andRowena. One was famed for its sevenbasements and seven cisterns. Many ofthe bui 1di ngs were torn down and thelumber carted to Lawrence. The mansionerected by Gov. Frederick P.Stanton~east of Lecompton~ was for. some yearsthe most expensive residence in thestate and still stands as a monument tothose early days.

Mrs. Gertrude Hoad~ for sixtyyears a resident of Lecompton~ knowsmuch concerning its early history. Herson. Prof. W.C. Hoad~ was formerly amember of the engi neeri ng facul ty at

the University of Kansas and is now atAnn Arbor ~ Mich. Danie1 Woodson~ ofVirginia~ the first Territorialsecretary for Kansas~ and several timesacting governor of the state(Terri tory) ~ marr.ied her aunt ~ and inexcusing his proslavery acts~ Mrs. Haodstates that he was forced to do as hedid by President Buchanan and nationalDemocracy~ which at the time wasardently sympathetic with the South.

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vMr. and Mrs. Francis I. Hoad~

parents of Mrs. Hoad's husband~ took an

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active part in early day st~uggles.For a ti me they kept the Gi11i sHouseat Kansas City, and whi1e there Mrs.Hoad faced down a mob which came forone of her guests. Going out on theveranda she looked over the crowd andbegan calling them by name. To one shesaid IIBill McGee, who was it who nursedyou through typhoid feve~?11 she herselfhavi ng been the nurse. The others shecalled in a similar manner, call1ngattenti on to ki ndly acts she had donefor them, until at last the mob leftwithout its intended victim.

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Later the Hoads moved toBrownsville, now know as Aubu~n, someten mi1es south of Topeka, whe~e theybuilt a long log building, the f~ontpart of which was used as a store, thenext room back as a di ni ng ~oom, andwith other rooms still further back.

One day a band of Indians came tothe store. One bought a quarter'sworth and anothe~ fifty cents worth ofsugar. When the one buying thesma11er amount noti ced that hi s sackwas smalle~ than the other, he hurledit at the head of Mrs. Hoad, whoinstead of bei ng afrai d, grabbed up abutcher knife and chased all of theIndians f~om the sto~e.

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One day, whi1e her husband wasaway and she was alone at the sto~e, aband of bo~der ruffians arr,ived anddemanded that she prepare di nner forthem. IIWeshall be back in an hou~, IIthey sa i d, with the threat that ifdi nner were not ready they would tearthe house down around her ears. II Itwi11 be ready, II she ca1my rep 1i ed, andset to work prepar,i ng it. Whentheyreturned dinner was already on thetable, but before sitting down theynoticed horsemen coming, and fearing,them to be free state men, which theywe~e, the ruffians escaped.

When the fr,ee state men ar,ri vedthey found the di nner r,eady, and theyalso found that in the cellar dir,ectlyunder the table ther,e was a keg ofpowder from which there was a trail ofpowder 1eadi ng to the back yard. Mrs.

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Hoad had not only prepared a dinner,but it was to have been their last.

Mrs. Franci s Hoad, the br,avepioneer, in spite of hardships endur,ed,lived to the great age of ninety-sevenand died at Perry, Kansas, at the homeof a daughter. M~s. Ge~trude Hoad, herdaughter-in-law, saw the bolt oflightning str,ike the lone oak tr,ee anddestroy it, and also has seen buffalofrom the plains cross the river atLecompton.

A story is told of an ea~lyofficial at Lecompton who was a g~eathand to enter,tain at his home, andwhose souther,n wife always r,esponded asbest she could, that, at one time hebrought Judge Elmore, of the supremebench out to dinner, without previouslynotifyi ng hi s wife. She called herdusky maid, saying, IIStir ar,ound'Lisbeth and help get something to eat,but the Lord only knows what it wi11be.1I Then turning to her husband, shesaid, IIWhydidn't you ring a bell or,blow a hor,n to 1et us know you wer,ecoming?1I

FORT TITUS STILLNEWSWORTHY

An article recently appeared inthe Kansas City Times and was mailed tous by Mary Agnus Wolken. Thiseditorial describes the reporting ofthe modern press versus the press ofthe 1850IS. The major comparison /usedwas the Battle of Fort Titus atLecompton. It is great a 1argenewspaper se 1ected an event inLecomptonfor comparison of the writtenmedia. Thanks to Mrs. Wolken forsending the newspaper article.

Paul Bahnmaier

The Kansas State HistoricalSociety has requested anyone havingvery old photographs of ConstitutionHall to please. notify the Society.They are needed to veri fy the ori gi na1design of the building.

Paul Bahnmaier

FORMERLECOMPTONMINISTER Lecompton United Methodist Church.

Duri ng World War I I Rev. Megi11served as a chap1ain in the EuropeanTheater of Operations. '-'

The Reverend Harold R. Megill diedDecember20, 1987 in New Mexico. Hehad reti red to a farm there in 1962after a career of servi ng Kansaschurches and communities. Born in 1896near Cherryvale, Kansas; he became apopular minister while still in hisearly twenties. In the early 1920' sRev. Megill persuaded the UnitedBrethren Church to sell thei r church(now Lane University museum) and buythe Winsor Hotel to conyert to a newchurch. That new church remains inservice some 65 years later as the

NEWLIFE MEMBERS:

John G. HoadAr.ley LeachAnnette (Calhoun)H. Gr.ant Ritchey,J. Charles Plumb

LeachD.D.S.

THE LECOMPTONHISTORICAL SOCIETY, Lecompton, Kansas 66050 is a non-profitcorporation for the preservation of Historical Sites. We are eager for continuedmembership and new members!

Indi vidual membership is $3.00 per year, from December to December, while ahousehold membership is $5. Life membership is $50 per individual.Contributions are tax deductible. Checks should be made payable to the LecomptonHistorical Society, and mailed to Mrs. Iona Spencer, R.R.#l, Lecompton, Kansas66050.

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* * * * * * * * Please Clip And Mail With Your Check * * * * * * * * ~

$3.00 Annual Individual Membership

- $5 Annual Household Membership

- $50 Individual Life or Memorial Membership

Other Contribution $

Name Address

City State Zip Code###########################################################i###########t ###ff#####

President -- PAUL BAHNMAIERHistorical Writer -- SARA WALTER

Typesetter -- HOWARD DUNCAN

Editor -- ELLEN DUNCAN

Genealogical Writer -- IONA SPENCERIllustrator -- ELLEN DUNCAN

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Published byThe Lecompton Historical SocietyLECOMPTON,KANSAS66050

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGEPAIDLecompton, Kansas

Permit No. 1

Address Change Requested"-"