On the 24th day of June, A. D. 1876, Richard Reeves and William Witcher lost their lives at the hands of a dastardly assassin, named Brice, who stabbed them with a knife. (Brice was apprehended and hanged by the outraged citizens the same night.)

William Dawson, in April, 1871, was killed by William Webster.

In 1871, Thomas P. Campbell severed the throat of James Smith, with a knife.

It should be stated that most of the affrays above recited, were between men of extremely low character. Many of them were transients-tie choppers. Hardin is now a quiet, peaceable and progressive town.

OVERFLOWS OF THE MISSOURI RIVER.

A memorable overflow of the Missouri river occurred in 1827. All the bottom lands in Ray county were overflowed, forcing the people to abandon their homes, and seek safety on the higher ground farther to inland. Several houses were washed away and considerable damage was done to stock, fencing and farm lands. But on the 14th, 15th and 16th days of June, 1844, took place the greatest and most distressing overflow of the Missouri river, known to the memory of any living man. Millions of property was destroyed, human lives lost, and untold personal suffering engendered. The bottom lands of this county were entirely inundated, buildings of every kind were swept away, stock killed, and plantations laid waste.

The crops of that season were well advanced, and promised a glorious harvest. Vast fields of wheat, oats, rye, and corn were submerged, and the water receded to leave them a desolate waste. Great suffering necessarily followed. The corn in the bottoms was especially luxuriant, and many persons were dependent upon the successful cultivation of that staple for a living. When it was destroyed their only resource for the necessities of life was the charity of the people.

No lives were lost in Ray county, but no other disaster, before nor since, has been so destructive of property.

April, 1881, will long be remembered as the month of another great and devastating overflow of the Missouri. The rise of 1881 was at an unusual time, being about six weeks earlier than the annual June rise.

In 1844 the tributaries to the Missouri were all greatly swollen, and, of course, helped to swell the vast volume of water. This was not the case in 1881, and accounts for the fact that in the latter year, above the mouth of the Kansas river, the volume of water was considerably greater than it was in 1844, and below that point much less.

As in the case of the two former rises mentioned, the bottom lands were all under water, and a great deal of damage done, but crops had not been planted. Very little preparation of the soil to receive the seed, had

been made, and as the flood began to recede after about three days, the land became dry in time to be plowed and cultivated in the usual way the ensuing season.

The bottom lands of Ray county are very seldom overflowed, and, in point of fertility and depth of soil cannot be excelled.

About twenty-seven years ago, Captain Thomas McGinnis forded the Missouri river, horseback, without getting wet, a short distance below Lexington and in sight of that town. The act was witnessed by about thirty persons, standing on the river bank. The water was very low, of course, lower perhaps than any person, now living, will remember to have seen it at any other time.

Captain McGinnis is doubtless the only man in this part of the state who ever forded the Missouri river, so low down as Lexington.

PETRIFIED STUMP.

On the premises of D. C. Noffsinger, of Tinney's Grove, is a petrified stump, found in 1858, northeast of Tinney's Grove, in section one, township fifty-four, range twenty-six.

The stump is about two and a half feet in height, and perhaps three feet in diameter. The roots are not yet entirely petrified, and will weigh doubtless five hundred pounds. Every growth of the timber is plainly visible, as also are the marks of the axe, made in severing the trunk; and in places indications of the inside bark still remain.

The petrifaction is of a Whitish gray color, very hard and flinty, and will strike fire readily.

There was also found in 1847, on section fourteen, same township and range, portions of a petrified tree, in pieces from one foot to four feet in length, and about one foot in diameter. They are of the same color as the petrified stump, and are also very hard and flinty.

HOMICIDES.

In March, 1841, a man named Martin Adams was killed on Main street, in Richmond, near Darneal's store, at the southwest corner of the public square. He met his death at the hands of one Ben White. It was late in the afternoon, and White stood in the street holding his horse, preparatory to starting for his home at Elkhorn. Adams was hard by. Gentlemen remarked the wild and infuriated visage of White, and told the sheriff, Colonel Brown, who was standing near, that he had better arrest him. Whereupon, hearing the caution, White begged to be searched, declaring himself unarmed.

Some words of altercation then passed between White and Adams, when the former threw a rock at the latter, and immediately ran toward him, drawing, as he ran, a large butcher-knife from a scabbard, con

cealed about his person, with which he stabbed Adams seventeen times, inflicting ghastly wounds and causing his death almost instantly.

The deed was committed in the presence of citizens, whom the homicide kept at bay, flourishing his weapon and threatening violence to any who should dare to approach him. He continued to stab the prostrate and helpless Adams, till a gentleman from the crowd struck him on the back of the neck with a large rock, at which he rose with all the rage of an infuriated demon, and demanded to know who struck him; no one responded. Brandishing his bloody weapon in the air, and uttering oaths and threats, he defied arrest, till the intrepid Alexander Harwood, who carried a sword-cane, stepped in front of him, with weapon drawn, and commanded him to surrender, or be pierced through and through. Then, for the first time, White seemed to realize the enormity of what he had done, and was seized by the passion of fear. Trembling in every muscle, the butcher-knife fell from his nerveless hands, and he quietly submitted to arrest.

White was a shoe maker and lived in Elkhorn; Adams was a farmer, residing in the neighborhood of that village. They had previously had a fight at Elkhorn, and in the breast of each rankled the spirit of revenge. On the evening of the homicide, both men had been in Richmond throughout the day. Adams, it is said, followed after White, insisting that they should "fight it out," while the latter, professing a desire to avoid further difficulty, but really, it was believed, watching an opportunity to gain an advantage, told his pursuer to keep away from him, as he did not wish to "fight."

White was tried, condemned and hanged; and this was the last legal execution in Ray county.

James Robinson was killed in the streets of Richmond about the year 1844, by one William Balser. A quarrel arose in a crowd near where the Wasson House now stands, in which a rough, named Tanner, was the most conspicuous participant. He was, however, a notorious coward, and upon his refusal to fight, when a braver man than he, at last, offered him battle, the crowd gathered around and began jeering him; he then retreated, followed by the party, among whom were James Robinson and William Balser, the former preceding the latter in the pursuit. Balser, for what, or whether for any provocation is unknown, struck Robinson about the back of the head or neck, either with his fist or open hand; whereupon the latter turned upon his assailant, and, stabbing him but once in the abdomen, with a pocket-knife, inflicted a wound, which, in the course of the ensuing night, proved fatal. For this act, Robinson was sent to the penitentiary for ten years.

About the year 1855, a man named Wingo was a wagon-maker in

Richmond. Richard Allen, a worthy and respected farmer, who resided a few miles southeast of Richmond, was one day riding by the shop of Wingo, when the latter, with a double-barrelled shot-gun in his hand, stepped in the street in front of Allen and caused him to halt. Wingo told Allen he had been talking about him (Wingo)-slandering him—and commanded him to recant; but the latter denied the accusation, and Wingo discharged the contents of one barrel of his gun into the head of the defenseless Allen, making a horrible wound, of which he soon died. Wingo started to run, but had gone only a short distance when he was apprehended by a crowd of pursuing citizens. He was taken to jail, and confined till Judge Dunn called a special term of the circuit court for the purpose of trying him. of trying him. On being brought into court, he was asked if he was ready for trial; he replied that he was not, and also refused to have any counsel, protesting that he needed none. The sheriff then started to return him to jail, and upon reaching the outer steps, was overpowered by a number of citizens, who, forcibly taking Wingo from him, threw a rope around his neck, and dragged him (part of the way over a newly macadamized street) on his face and hands, to a place a few hundred yards north of Colonel Child's present residence. There he was hanged by the neck to the limb of a tree. It was thought by some, however, that life was extinct before he was hung up.

Wingo's body remained dangling in the air till the next morning, when it was taken down and buried. He was a very quarrelsome, desperate, and dangerous man, and the community was well rid of him.

In connection with Wingo's seizure by the citizens, the following ludicrous incident occurred:

Old man Woolard was a man whom everybody liked, though he had been somewhat wicked, but he had recently joined the Presbyterian Church, and his friends observed, with much satisfaction, that he had completely reformed. Wingo was to Mr. Woolard a source of great annoyance, having frequently threatened his life, and otherwise caused him considerable trepidation; in fact, kept him in constant dread. Coming up just as the party were in the act of dragging the culprit from the court house yard, the old man exclaimed in a loud but trembling voice: Boys, if I must swear, hang him, him, hang him!"

VERY UNGENTLEMANLY.

The first steamboat ascended the Missouri river as far as Council Bluffs, in September, 1819.

A crowd of curious countrymen, from various parts of our county, gathered at Old Bluffton, on a Sunday afternoon, to see the boat pass. Their horses were hitched near the river to limbs of trees and saplings. In due time the boat came along and paused at Old Bluffton. When

ready to start, the captain caused the whistle to be blown, at which every horse took fright, broke loose, and ran away. One irate old gentleman, whose bridle was broken to pieces, angrily exclaimed: "The captain of that boat is no gentleman! He's no gentleman! He's a grand scoundrel! There goes my critter with a brand new bridle that cost me two-andthre'pence! He's no gentleman; if he had of been, he'd a called out to the people: Take care of your critters, men, take care of your critters! I'm about to blow my whistle!"

"WHERE IGNORANCE IS BLISS, 'TIS FOLLY TO BE WISE."

The dearborn, a vehicle no longer known by that name, was a kind of light, four-wheeled carriage, generally covered with white canvas, and much used by emigrants at an early day; but there lived on "timber ridge," in this county, a pioneer family, none of whom had ever seen a dearborn, nor a ship either, though the mother fancied she knew how the latter looked, and described it to her daughter, a maiden in her teens. One day a dearborn, covered as above, came in sight of the girl who was in the yard, whereupon she ran into the house, exclaiming, "Oh, mother, mother, there's a ship! it's a comin' right here! it's a ship! it's a ship! look mother, it's a ship!"

VERY LIKELY.

Mr. James Hughes, a worthy and prominent citizen of Richmond, on one occasion, at an early day, was traveling across the county, probably on an errand of business, or, it may be of pleasure; at any rate, he desired to ascertain the hour, and for that purpose called at the house of a lady, who he happened to know had recently purchased a clock from a well-known peddler, at that time canvassing the county. Riding up to the fence, Mr. H. politely inquired—“ What time is it madam?" Looking at the brand new clock, the lady quickly responded-" Well, I don't know 'xactly, mister, but it's some whar 'twixt the "strikin's."

STATISTICAL.

At the January term, 1822, of the county court, John Harris, sheriff of Ray county, settled with the court as follows:

To amount of fine imposed on Love Snowden by circuit

court at its October term, 1821....

By amount of his account rendered.

Balance in favor of sheriff,.

DR. CR.

$10.00 $

13.15

$3.15

Amount of county tax collected in 1822, by John Scott, collector, $52.88 William Downey, for assessing the county of Ray in 1823,

received...

. $36.00