The Defiant Ones

[W. Gray]

From the Walnut Valley Times (El Dorado), September 26, 1873.

"IN TOWN. Col. Donaldson, county attorney of Howard County; Dan. Watson, E. W. Fay, and Mr. Elcook, of Peru; R. R. Nichols and Mr. Blake of Elk Falls, and Mr. Nix, County Commissioner of Howard County, were all in town before Judge Campbell this week on matters relating to the late county seat election in that county."

These Howard County folks are in El Dorado to challenge the Elk Falls win over Peru as new county seat. They could not wait until the Judge came to Howard County for his normal session.

Sam Donaldson (should be Donelson), the Howard County attorney mentioned was the nephew of deceased President Andrew Jackson.

Dan Watson was the assistant county attorney. Later that year, Watson defied a court order keeping the county seat in Elk Falls after yet another election, which Boston won. He moved to Boston and was immediately fired by Donelson. Watson responded by saying he would rather be right than be a county attorney.

Fired or not, Watson was not the lone county official to go to Boston in accordance with the will of the people. Miles B. Light, county clerk, disobeyed a court order and moved his office to Boston. He refused to return.

His was the only Howard County office that was open during the ensuing Boston War.

After the Boston War, he further defiantly kept his office in Boston until another court order forced him to move back to Elk Falls.

After coming back to Elk Falls, he challenged the court order in the Kansas Supreme Court and lost.

Mr. Nix, the Howard County commissioner mentioned was the grandfather of Rose Nix Leo.

The R.R. Nichols mentioned is believed to be Reuben H. Nichols, an attorney in Elk Falls who built the first house, a 12 x 14, in what later became Elk Falls. A 12 x 14 home was the minimum required to stake a claim.