Missouri History

[Ozark Iron John]

Ozark Iron John:  Your presence is requested at the reenactment of the wedding of Joseph Orville Shelby.

Thank you very kindly, sir.  Should I wear my Missouri State Guard uniform or just my Sunday go to Meetin' clothes? and what about my horse?  He's a BIG Joe Shelby fan.

[Fox Creek Kid]

OK, I'm feelin' sorry for you guys now.    The answer is.......Marion Hedgepeth.

[Ozark Tracker]

thought he might be the one, I had found this on him

Marion Hedgepeth (1856-1910) - Known as the "Handsome Bandit," the "Debonair Bandit," and the "Montana Bandit," Hedgepeth, was born in Prairie Home,  Missouri on April 14, 1856. Running away from home at the age of 15, he was an outlaw by the time he was 20, having killed in Colorado and Wyoming , as well as robbing trains. On October 7, 1890 he robbed a train in Glendale, Missouri escaping with some $10,000. After being relentlessly pursued by the Pinkertons, he was finally arrested in San Francisco, California and brought back to Missouri for trial. Convicted, he was sentenced to twenty-five years in the Missouri State Prison. After his release he was shot and killed by a Chicago Policeman on December 31, 1910.


I always try to keep up this Missouri, information, my Grandad was born and raised in Stone County Mo.

[Books OToole]

I've been following this thread with the eye of a historian from Missouri.  I must say I am slightly embarrassed.   

I would like to assure readers from other regions of the country (&/or world);

Contrary to the impressions implied by the previous posters; All Missourians were not (and are not) murdering thieves.

Books

[Will Dearborn]

Ozark Iron John:  Heh.  I'm not certain on the uniform question, actually.  The men Shelby led wore grey... but by the use of the word "skirmish" in the invite one would assume that there will be Federal Army also....  Your call.  I ain't go no barn, so you're on your own as far as the horse.  You CAN bring some o' that gold, though. 

Will

[Ozark Iron John]

Contrary to the impressions implied by the previous posters; All Missourians were not (and are not) murdering thieves.

Dang Books, you might could'a offered up a "good'n" as an example.

I reckon enough's been said about him.  I oughta post his pic.



The Undefeated Rebel: U.S. Marshal Joseph Shelby

Shelby was Missouri State Guard (Grey) too, Will.  Not Missouri State Militia (Blue), but alot a folks get that confused.

[Books OToole]

You caught me trying to find a short biography of Doctor John Sappington.  He developed the use of quinine to treat/prevent malaria.  I believe he was the Father-in-law to one Missouri Governor and the Grandfather of one or two more.
(I'll expand on that later.)

I figured I'd do an non-military man.  That would be too easy.

Aside from J.O. Shelby;  How about John J. Pershing. (Even though he never caught Villa, he still was pretty good.)

Books

[Ozark Iron John]

You won't get no arguement out of me, Pard.



Black Jack Pershing was a Great Missourian.  He could Ride-n-Shoot too!

[Fox Creek Kid]

I went to the same college as Black Jack. Interesting note on Pershing: he banned soldiers from prostitutes in France yet he (a married man) kept a filipina mistress. 

[Will Dearborn]

Officers are not like regular men.  A grunt's rules do not apply to the upper echelons.
Or so they tell me.
It's all rather too high fallutin' for lil' ol me.

*shrug*

Will

[Will Dearborn]

Okay.  I promised some local info first....  here it is....

The following is a transcription of a speech given at the opening of the Waverly Bridge, circa 1925:

"Introducing Mr. John D. Fristoe, who lives on the Carrol COunty side of the river:

'My father, Wm. Fristoe, came from Kentucky in 1820 and married the daughter of Littleberry Estes and settled four miles west of Waverly on the same road with Mr. Estes.

For many years previously and up to the Civil War, a daily mail route passed our house carrying mail from St. Louis, through Jefferson City to Independence.  This stage route was equipped with large comfortable coaches, of the Concord style, drawn by four horses and there were change stands about every 8 or 10 miles.  The passengers took meals at regular hours and stayed overnight at the taverns.  One stage stand was just east of Grand Pass.  When the weather and roads were good, travel by these stages was quite comfortable, and fast, for those days, but descidedly otherwise in winter, when cold and rough.

During the war, when Ewing's Order No. 11 depopulated Jackson COunty, five families spent the winter at the Fristoe place and before Quantrell left Missouri to go east he spent several days in camp in the woods just north of our place, and he formed his men in line for the last time in Lafayette County on the Santa Fe Trail right in from of our house.  Quantrell and Bill Anderson both had Waverly men in their companies.  One man died here some years ago who took part in the massacre at Centralia.

After the seige of Lexington (Missouri - W.D.) the Union Officer in charge of that place was Colonel McPherrin and he and his men treated the people so well that they were well liked.  At one time Quantrell camped several days, resting up near our home, and he took supper with us the night he left.  My father asked him as a special favor to spare Col. McPherrin or any of his men should he take them.  Quantrell, after hearing of the many favors granted the folks (by McPherrin - W.D.), promised my father.

On Quantrell's next visit he told my father that on the first day of their travel they overtook a stage coach near Warrensburg with a Federal soldier aboard.  They took him off and were about to shoot him when Quantrell, remembering his promise to my father, asked where he belonged, and when told he was one of McPherrin's men, he ordered the soldier to be released and he went on his way on the stage coach.  He soon found out this soldier was the very officer who had caused so much trouble in JAckson County and he was the one Quantrell had been after for so long.

At one time Southern headquarters arranged for and had my sister Malinda Fristoe go on a pretended visit to a young lady in Illinois.  She took a leather trunk belonging to my older brother, who afterwards was killed in battle in Springfield.  While in Illinois, Southern sympathizers put 10,000 gun caps in the bottom of her trunk, then put in a false bottom and she filled the trunk with her clothing.  She made the round trip to St. Louis on the steam boats and was not molested or searched.  On her arrival home, General (Sterling - W.D.) Price sent soldiers to get those gun caps and they were used in the battle at Westport.  I still have the trunk in my possession.

General Joe Shelby was a resident of Waverly and had a hemp "walk" where hemp rope was made.  When the war broke out, he enlisted quite a number of Waverly men who went to the Army with him.' "

     --THe above is from "A Glimpse of Waverly's PAst"  published Sept 2001 by Waverly Breakfast Group.....

More to follow....

[Ozark Iron John]

How about Johnny Fry from St. Joseph, Missouri?  One of the very first men to respond that "Riders Wanted" poster.



Reckon he'd be a good'n from Missouri, Books?

[Fox Creek Kid]

Fellas, here's an article on a little known battle in MO that took place in my old college town. Follow the link for a great read on Joseph C. Porter, who was relatively famous at the time but little known today. I grew up just north of these events. Many think Quantrill was the only guerilla leader in MO. But as has been pointed out Sam Hildebrand was well known as well as Joe Porter.

[Fox Creek Kid]

Guess I forgot the link!! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kirksville

[Lone Gunman]

I've been following this thread with the eye of a historian from Missouri.  I must say I am slightly embarrassed.   

I would like to assure readers from other regions of the country (&/or world);

Contrary to the impressions implied by the previous posters; All Missourians were not (and are not) murdering thieves.

Books

"This Mr. Wales is a cold-blooded killer. He's from Missouri, where they're all known to be killers of innocent men, women and children."  If you can't believe Grandma Sarah who can you believe?

[Dr. Bob]

Lone Gunman,

With a reputation such as yours, I don't think that I could consider you an authority!   'Course, neither am I!

[Ozark Iron John]

Little Bill Daggett: (As Munny takes aim) Just hold it right there...HOLD IT! [Munny shoots him]
Little Bill Daggett: You, sir, are a cowardly son of a bitch! You just shot an unarmed man.
Will Munny: Well he should have armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.
Little Bill Daggett: You'd be William Munny out of Missouri; killer of women and children.
Will Munny: That's right. I've killed women and children. I've killed just about everything that walks or crawls at one time or another; and I'm here to kill you Little Bill for what you did to Ned.

[Ozark Iron John]

Here's another good'n for you, Books.  What do you know about Col. John Smith "T"?



The Frontier Swashbuckler!  Known as the most dangerous man in Missouri, he was said to have killed fourteen men in duels.

[Books OToole]

I'm not familiar with Col. Smith.

But how about:

John Sappington Marmaduke

The son of Miles Merideth Marmaduke.  M.M. Marmaduke was a prominent Santa Fe Trader and was briefly Govenor of Missouri.
John S. attended Yale and Harvard before getting an appointment to West Point where he graduated in 1857.

He resigned his commision at the on set of the War Between the States.  He rose to the rank of Major General in the Confederate Army.  He once critisized a superior officer for his conduct in battle.  This officer considered the critisism an accusation of cowardice and challanged Marmaduke to a duel.  The duel took place using Colt Navy Revolvers and Marmaduke killed his opponent.

After the war he distinguished himself as a champion of the farmers in their disputes with the Railroads.

In 1884 he was elected Govenor of Missouri.

He died in 1887.

Books

[Fox Creek Kid]

Like Books, I wasn't familiar with Mr. Smith either, but I found this through Google:

http://www.umsystem.edu/upress/fall1999/steward.htm


P.S. Marmaduke was a lousy general.