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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1901)
4 * . Conservative. catisos of friction , the Drake coustitu- tion , of unsavory memory , was then in force in Missouri , and its attempted en forcement begot many enmities and re sentments which boded no good to a peaceable settlement of some of the lo cal state issues , growing out of the war. Fortunate indeed would it have been for Missouri , had her statesmen been gifted with the spirit which led Ken tucky at the close of the civil war to forgive , and to bid her citizens of all classes forgive and forget the bickerings and differences of the past. On the pages of American political history the Drake constitution is a blotch. Kincaid's Store and "Buckeye. " At the edge of the timber where the old stage road coming from Butler turns southward toward Fort Scott and Ne vada , was the farm house of William Campbell , and in a corner of his yard stood the store owned and conducted by Joseph Kiucaid , now of Pleasauton , Kansas. That store was the only trad ing-point in 1808 in all that region , in cluding the western half of Bates county. Its business was brisk and rapidly growing , and Kincaid looked about for a man to assist him. All his goods were hauled by team and wagon from Kansas City and Pleasant Hill ; and it would take nearly all of one man's time to attend to that work. And , so , in looking about for an assist ant he chose and employed well , to prevent criticism , we will call that as sistant "Buckeye. " . Buckeye had been clerking for a mer cantile firm at Mound City. He and Mr. Kincaid were both old Union soldiers , aud had served in the same brigade , and their regiments (7th ( and 44th Ohio ) having been chummy , they were personal friends. He had not been long in his new field before there were distinct niutterings of displeasure because , forsooth , another "Abolition soldier , and from Kansas at that , " had been added to the population of the community. No other cause of com plaint was over heard except that the employment was not given to one of the young men who had recently come out from Illinois. Vaughn was con sulted by the malcontents , aud some of them confided to an ex-Confederate , Peter Speece , their leader's "covert threat : "If Joe Kincaid's team returns some day without a driver , perhaps he'll be able , after that , to take the hint. " Between Buckeye and Captain Gentry West and the latter's old comrades there was a peculiar bond of sympathy. Said the Captain one day , "Buckeye , where is your brother Murry ? " and when told that Murry had been dead for a year or more , the Captain's face took on a look of sorrow and regret , and he exclaimed , "I am awful sorry to hear it. He was one of the brave men from Kansas that I have longed to become personally acquainted with. It was he who , at the fight in ' (51 ( over on Walnut creek , put the bullet through my body ! I learned that day to have very great respect for him ! " The threat against "Joe Kiiicaid's " driver" occuring soon after that conversation , and confided to one of West's men , was not long in reaching Buckeye's ears. On the fol lowing night there was a meeting of a dozen or more of the ex-Union soldiers in Kiucaid's ware-room , aud definite stops were then taken to organize a post of the Grand Army of the Ke- public. All haste was made , and the next week the post was instituted at Yankee school-house , which stood out on the prairie near the Mound City road , a mile west of the store. To the copperhead mind , this meeting of the ex-Union soldiers in the public schoolhouse - house was an insult added to injury. They htld a meeting in a quiet place and appointed an executive committee to notify the school director that if the Grand Army should attempt to hold another meeting in that building they would be dispersed by force. I need need not say that the regular meeting was held in the same place and promptly on time ; but there was ad ded to the usual paraphernalia , a dozen shot-guns and half-a-dozen Spencer rifles. Of course they were not dis persed , nor was any well defmed _ attempt made to that end. When appealed to , to assist in carrying out the threat , one of the ex-Confederates had thrown consternation into the copperhead ranks by emphatically declaring , "I guess them Yanks have earned the right to .meet when and where they please. At any rate there is no fight between them and us. If you men from Illinois want them dispersed , we rebel soldiers that know what that kind of a job means , are willm' you should have all the fun and the credit. " A week after the second meeting , as Buckeye with a load of groceries was approaching the river timber from the north , he discovered a horseman and several men on foot in the brush ahead of him. He knew the horse. It be longed to the chairman of that ex ecutive committee. It was not yet sun down , and if nothing should prevent , he could reach the store across the river before dark. But , there ahead of him was trouble of most serious import. He turned out of the road and went into camp. Sacks of flour were , as darkness fell , lifted from the wagon and laid in a circle under the wagon. His horses were hobbled in a shallow ravine near by. And all night long he kept his vigil. But the cowards who expected to way-lay and shoot him from their covert , in the evening's shadows , could find no courage to attack him on the open prairie where , with Spencer and Colt he waited for them. As he was preparing his camp out there on the Moudyville road , nearly a dozen others exposed themselves to his vigilant eyes. Waiting next morning , until the camp ing immigrants on the Butler road should again bo euroute , he drove across to that highway , and falling in with the half-dozen , moving wagons , proceeded to the store unmolested. But Biickeye was now in no mood to defer a fight if one was necessary. He had wronged no man had not harmed nor attempted to harm any one. To be hunted like a. wild beast was too much for his patience. Henceforth the other party might expect trouble. They had not long to wait. Yankee School-House Chosen for Regis tration. The supervisors of registration and election had designated the Yankee school-house as the place for register ing the voters of Walnut township , and ordered that the national flag should be hoisted for 80 days over each place of registration prior to opening the books on the first Mon day in August. Accordingly the township trustee , Clark Foster , raised the Stars and Stripes over the schoolhouse - house on the first day of July. On the evening of the 3d the store was closed , to be re-opened again on the morning of the 5th. Kiucaid and his assistant drove to Mound City to celebrate the Fourth. Buckeye re turned on horseback , reaching the store at daylight on the 5th. As he passed the sohool-house the old flag was hanging , wet with dew , from the staff. At 8 a. m. Captain Bainbridge and Mr. Samuel Cope came excitedly to the store and reported that the flog had been taken down and carried away. It had been done since day break. A hasty consultation was held and it was decided by the three veterans to adopt heroic measures and put them into effect at once. They called Mr. William Campbell to the gate. The old gentleman , than whom there never was one more harmless or peaceable , showed unmistakable signs of fear and dread. "Uncle William , " said Captain Bainbridge - bridge , "some traitor has taken the flag from , the Yankee school-house and car ried it off. " "I I told old Vaughn that he aud them Illinois fools would get into trouble if they did it , " stammered the innocent old man. "Well , if that flag is not in its place over that sohool-house by half-past 10 this forenoon , " snapped Sam Cope , "we will kill every d d Illinois copperhead and old bush-whacker in this township before we go to bed ! " Had the old gentleman been endowed with wings he could not have crossed the road to the barn 150 yards away , more quickly ; nor , could one trained to the movement have gotten the old mare