The LHS Newsletter Archive Volume Fourteen, Issue Number 3

The LHS Newsletter Archive

Volume Fourteen, Issue Number 3

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

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13f1£1) ~fle£~VOL. 14 no.] FALL1Q99LECDmPTDn,KRnSRS

LECOMPTON LODGE NO~13 A.F.&A.M.

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Unless you are a history buffor a member of the LecomptonHistorical Society, it may be asurprise to learn that this quietlittle community between Topekaand Lawrence was once the focalpoint of national news. And itwas not for a momentary coverage.For a five year period (1854 thru1858) Lecompton was newsworthy asthe Capital of Kansas Territoryand the site of the spawning ofthe American Civil War. Thenation's largest newspapers, suchas the New York Times, frequentlycarried their largest headlinesand had their lead stories on whatwas happening in Lecompton. Tounderstand how this came about, itis helpful to review thecircumstances which led to passageof the Kansas-Nebraska Act byCongress.

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The United States Congresswhich was elected in 1852 was anawesomely balanced "deck ofcards." The Republican party wasyet four years from its firstnational showing. The Whig partyeven with the big minority of 44%of the popular vote was ashrinking and dying force. Inname and theory, control was heldby the Democratic party under

President Piercepopular vote andelectoral vote.fit very tightlyheadaches.

with 51% of the86% of the

But, the crownand caused many

The Democratic party was arather loose alliance of some verydissimilar people. The keenestissue for divisive opinion was thepractice of slavery. Generallyspeaking, slavery was favored onlySouth of what was later to beknown as the Hason-Dixon Line.This included Missouri, Kentucky,virginia, Maryland, Delaware, andthose other states laying more so-utherly. Strength of the Democra-tic party in the North was in theworking class people. Strength ofthe Democratic party in the southwas within the Establishment,dominated by plantation owningaristocrats.

The Establishmentof the Southrealized that continuationof thestatus quo would bring a slow andconstant diminishingof its power.It figured that with a goodpossibility of controllingCongress through the bond ofDemocratic party, the time wasripe for reversing the Missouricompromiseof 1820. Missouri hadbeen admitted as a slave state in1821 on the promise of theMissouri Compromise which noted

that future states (exceptingthose that might someday be carvedout of utah Territory, New MexicoTerritory, and unorganized [laterOklahoma] Territory) would beadmitted with a prohibitionagainst slavery. Slavery wasstill quite legal and the verybasis for the southernagricultural economy. Thestrategy unfolded by the southernDemocrats was the Kansas-NebraskaAct of 1854.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act setaside the Missouri compromise andonce again opened the possibilityof slavery to the new states whichwere developing on the westernfrontier. It said that as aterritory was coming intostatehood, the people by vote wereto determine whether or not thepractice of slavery was to beallowed within the new state.Kansas Territory, of course, wasthe testing ground for this newpolicy. While national popularsentiment decried the practice ofslavery, political control washeld in the web of compromiseknown as the Democratic party.Even northern Democrats subscribedto the theory "that "the peopleought to decide" whether or notslavery was to be allowed.

For the next few yearsfollowing 1854, Kansas Territorybecame a magnet for theadventuresomewhether they favoredslavery, abolition, or simply anew opportunity. Kansas Territorywas where the action was andLecomptonwas the Capital.

There was readily availableeastern financing, both northernand southern flavored, to helppeople homestead and establishbusiness enterprises on thewestern frontier. Simply put,

both sides wanted to pack inhomesteaders of their particularpersuasion so that they in turncould properly pack the ballotboxes on that all important issueof whether or not to allowslavery. The southern plantationowners looked to acquiring largetracts of land to extend theiragricultural empires, and senttheir sons and friends towardsKansas Territory for that purpose.The northern abolitionist groupsfinanced settlers who wanted toown and work small farms withtheir families. It was a mixdoomed to volatility.

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President Franklin Pierce, andlater President James Buchananwere committed to maintaining lawand order so that when the all-important voting time was to comethe people could indeed decide.Although neither President wasfrom the South, they both wereinstrumental to the Southern planto extend slavery. From thepresent perspective it isimpossible to rationalize anycircumstance under which slaveryshould be tolerated. But this wasthe 1850's and the nation wasdelicately divided on the"necessary evil of slavery"without which the South woulde~onomically collapse. To assurethe maintenance of law and order,federal troops were stationed inand around Lecompton to keep thefree-staters and pro-slaveryforces from breaking out in openwarfare. It was not unusual for600 federal troops, primarilycavalry and artillery, to bestationednear Lecomptonwhich atits peak approacheda populationof 5,500 adventuresome souls.

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In theTerritory,administration

days of Kansasthe federalwas in Democratic \.J

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"-/control and largely mostsympathetic to the South. Most,if not all, of the government jobsin this action spot of Kansas wentto Democrats. The six territorialgovernors appointed by thePresident, except James Denver,were for the sake of appearancenorthers. Denver was a native ofVirginia, educated in Ohio, andmellowed in California where heserved in state government and asa California Representative to theU.S. Congress. All of theTerritorial Governors were activepoliticians, Democrats, and allsave one practicing attorneys.The numerous lesser politicalappointments, where figureheadappearance was not overriding,went largely to Democrats ofsouthern heritage. Thus, the"Establishment" of this developingstate of Kansas was under thepractical control of southernersin the positions of officialimportance backed by the might ofthe United States Army.

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It was in this atmospherethat Lecompton Lodge Number 13,Ancient Free & Accepted Masons wasformed in 1857 working underdispensation. Lecompton LodgeNumber 13 achieved full status atthe 1858 meeting of the KansasGrand Lodge, following the reportof the Committee on Lodges U.D.:

To theKansas

We, the Committee of LodgesU.D., beg leave to report, that onclose examination of theproceedings of the followinglodges, to-wit: King Solomon,Ottumewa, Emporia, Lecompton,Oskaloosa and Tecumseh, we findthem correct, and recommend thatcharters be granted them.

H:.W:. Grand Lodge of

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J.SAQUI,

E. T.CARR. CommitteeWhich was adopted, and thecharters issued and enrolled onthe books of the Grand Lodge, withthe numbers as follows: KingSolomon, No. 10; Ottumewa, No. 11;Emporia, No. 12; Lecompton, No.13i Oskaloosa, No. 14: Tecumseh,No. 15.

Lecompton Lodge No. 13 heldregular communications on theSaturday on or before the fullmoon and two weeks thereafter.The membership rolls in one of thefirst years consisted of MasterGeorge C. Vanzandt, Senior Warden,James G. Bailey, Junior WardenF.F. Bruner, Treasurer WilliamMorrow, Secretary A. McKinney,Senior Deacon D.C. Westervelt,Junior Deacon John A. Davis, TylerDavid L. Martin, and membersShadrackGreene, R.B. Patty, E.L.Fant, Thomas J. Watson, W.T.Ellis, William M. Douglass,William Weer, Edward W. Wynkoop,William A. Norton, William H.Christian, M.S. Winter, L.McArthur, Lyman Evans, ElishaDiefendorf, George W. Gray, AlbertWalter, L. Rosenbrook,and John C.Bailey. While the lodge survivedbut 7 years, it is believed thatthe following men headed it, ifonly temporarily: William Weerl.James G. Bail~y, J.M. pelot/andShadrack Greene. Both Pelot andGreene were active officers in theGrand Lodge of Kansas.

J .M . Pelot, M .D . wa s aLecompton physician. His GrandLodge service included being GrandLecturer and Grand Orator at theState Communicat~on held jnLawrenceon October 18, 1859. Hegave a particularly eloquentaddress which is preserved in the

Pro~eedlngs of the Grand Lodge ofKansas. Some especiallyinterestinq excerpts follow:

This auspicious eventsuggests a comparison with theearly history of masonry in Kansasas ~ncidentally connected withsocial and political life in theTerritory. I apprehend that noapology is needed for introducingthis delicate subje~t at thistime; for though politics shouldbe carefully excluded from oursecret chambers, yet to allude topolitical events that illustratethe strength, wisdom and beauty ofmasonry, in a judicious andimpartial manner, cannot arousepolitical feeling, and cannot failto be attended with benefit. Whenquestions of public interestappeal to the business and bosomof every man in the community, andwhen the camp usurps the functionsof the forum, popular excitementnecessarily runs higher than whereone nation is arrayed againstanother. Motives, which thecalmer and thoughtful portion ofthe people would not have dream ofentertaining, now take fullpossession of their breasts, anddeeds of excess are committedunder the pleas of self-defense,retaliation, and even patriotism.The revolutionist, when not aknave, is generally a monomaniac,wherever found. One grand,absorbing idea takes possession ofhis soul, and all his facultiesare engaged in its development.Thus it was with us. Our historyis rich in illustrations of mercy,brotherly love, and forgiveness,by men usually foremost in thebloody drama. I can only relate afew that came under my personalobservation.

In August, 1856, when thecitizens of Lawrence and Lecompton

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met only at the point of thebayonet, I had the honor to

accompany Acting Deputy GrandMaster, O.C. stewart, to Lawrence,for the purpose of instituting thelodge and installing the officersat that place. We saw numbers ofarmed men, and heard of numbers ofprisoners who had been arrestedfor encroaching on the bounds of acorps d'armee, and without thatuniversal passport which masonrygave us, we certainly would haveshared the prisoner's tent. Butwe were not molested nor insultedin our peaceful mission, and thebrethren received us hospitablyand parted with us fraternally.

On what was thought to be theeve of a great battle, a certaincommander-in-chief of one partyblundered into the camp of hisadversary. Of course he wasdetained a prisoner of war, untilit was discovered that he was amason, when he was immediatelyreleased and escorted beyond thereach of danger.

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A colonel, who had renderedhimself conspicuous, was, after ahard fought battle, taken prisonerand conducted to headquarters forcourt-martial, when it wasconfidently expected that his lifewould pay the forfeit of hisunenviable notoriety. An officerwho knew him to be a brother,declared that he would die beforethe prisoner should be injured.The court sat, and for someinexplicable reason, his judgeswere lenient and the prisoner wasreleased.

I heard of a judge whose courtwas broken up and whose life wasspared only by the interpositionof his masonic brothers. I saw apoor fellow brought into camp as aspy. He protest his innocence,

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'---" and plead to be allowed to returnto his unprotected wife andchildren, who were suffering inhis absence. But all in vain.Finally he resorted to a mysticsign, when the commander saw theforce of his' arguments and turnedhim loose. '

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There should be little doubtthat masonry was a sorely neededcivilizing influence in thestrife-torn Kansas Territory.These people absorbed in thepatriotism of their clashingideologies were often jarred totheir humane sensibilities by thecommon teachings of masonry.There are many other stories hewnof the same stone as the aboveremarks by Dr. Pelot. One ofthese of very special interest toLecompton was recorded at the 1906meeting of the Grand Lodge of thestate of Kansas. Brother WilliamYates was presented as the onlyliving charter member of LawrenceLodge No.6, which was one of theoriginal five lodges when theKansas Grand Lodge was organized.Brother Yates responded to thevery hearty welcome accorded himby stating that this was thehappiest moment of his masoniccareer, and presented thefollowing communication, which hehad prepared, but owing to hisfeeble physical condition, wasread for him:

To the Host Worshipful Grand Lodgeof Kansas:

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It is with a heart full ofgratitude that I have been sparedwith health and strength to bewith you on this occasion. It maybe of interest to relate a few ofthe incidents of my pioneer life,when the future of this Territorywas hanging in the balance. I wasliving of a piece of land

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afterwards known as the Reeder'sFloat, five miles west of what isnow the City of Lawrence; justwest of me, at Lecompton, washeadquarters for the SouthernConfederacy. We always went wellarmed. I never went out to milkmy cows without a revolver in mybelt. I became acquainted withSheriff Jones. While we differedin political views, yet we kneweach other as Masons. One day agang of rebels assembled with theintention of making a raid on mystock, intending to drive some fatsteers into Lecompton to beslaughtered for beef, when SheriffJones told them, 'If you attemptto touch that man or his stock,you will do it over my dead body. 'Many times Sheriff Jones a~dmyself met on the high hills andwarned each other of approachingdanger. I had a neighbor by thename of Stewart: we also knew eachother as Masons. One day he cameto me stating that his family wassick and the medicines wantedcould not be obtained atLecompton. I escorted him toLawrence, holding his horse infront of the store while he boughtwhat was needed. Everyone noticedthat he was a stranger, but as hewas with me, they were sure he wasa free state man.

February 22, 1906Wm. Yates

In the Kansas Territorialpower ~truggle, certainCOmIJIUDi.ti~5 took on identities ofbeing allied ~ith a particularside while some other villages(principally those that were verysmall) managed to maintain enoughneutrality to avoid beinglabelled. Lecompton was at theforefront of the Southern or pro-slavery cause. Self proclaimedleader of the Northern or free-state cause was Lawrence, a scant

18 miles away. other towns with apro-slavery outlook at that timewere: Atchison, Leavenworth,Marysvi lIe, Doniphan, DelawareCity, Wyandotte, Franklin,Indianola, Hardville, andTecumseh. Free-state identity washeld by Topeka, Quindaro, PrairieCity, Manhattan, GrasshopperFalls, Wabaunsee, Ozawkie, Sumner,Easton, Osawatomie, Garnett, MoundCity, ottawa, Emporia, andBurlington. Cities uneasily mixedwere: Shawnee, Olathe, Paola, FortScott, Council Grove, st. Marys,Holton, Big Springs, White Cloud,and Palmyra. There was no patternof grouping or districting. Acommunity of one flavoring wouldoften have an "enemy camp"community located less than fivemiles beyond its border. Some ofthese couplets wereLawrence/Franklin,Topeka/lndianola,Manhattan/Juniata,Atchison/Sumner, and GrasshopperFalls/Hardville.

The last major power play ofthe pro-slavery f~rces was theLecompton Constitution which wasdeveloped in September throughDecember 1857~ It was necessarythat the people of KansasTerritory vote on and approve aconstitution before statehoodcould be established. Theconstitution was to establish thebasic rules for state government.It also had to be approved by theUnited States Congress. Southerninfluence still swayed theTerritorial government in thatFall of 1857. Part of the reasonthat Southern interests heldessentially all of the Territoriallegislative seats was that thefree-state side had becomefrustrated with fighting thesystem and was boycotting ratherthan remaining an ineffective

minority opposition to the actionsof the Kansas TerritorialLegislature. The pro-slaverydominated legislature wasscheduled to have its formalmeeting for adopting the LecomptonConstitution on October 19, 1857.When the sixty delegates arrivedat Constitution Hall in Lecompton,they found their entry blocked bya horde of free-state men fromLawrence and Topeka. TerritorialGovernor Walker' called for helpfrom the U.S. Army and theconstitutional conventionproceeded several days later. Theresulting document was a classicalpiece of political shamming. Justtwo choices were allowed, both ofwhich would permit some form ofslavery to exist in the propo~edstate of Kansas. The first, andpredictably unpopular, choice wasoutright approval of slavery. Thesecond choice would allow presentowners to keep the slaves they hadwithout bringing new slaves intothe state. Little reflection wasneeded to see that this was infact no great limitation when itis realized that the offspring ofslaves, just like livestock, wereproperty of the owner. Ratherthan submitting to such chicanery,the free-state people refused tovote.

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A second election shortlyfollowed. This one was todetermine the various stateoffices should Kansas be admittedas a state. The free-state peopledid participate in this ballotingon January 4, 1858. The pro-slavery people not only lost theelection, but also managed to losethe ballot boxes. Theseunsuccessful attempts at riggingthe election so disgusted thegreat majority of the peoplewhatever their politicalalignment, that the matter was

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The battle was not quiteover, for the bogus LecomptonConstitution was yet to besubmitted to the U.S. Congress.On congressional vote, the Senateaccepted the LecomptonConstitution while the House ofRepresentatives rejected it. The'matter was referred back to KansasTerritory for development ofanother State Constitution whichwould be approved by the peopleand then by both houses ofCongress. That objective wasreached by the WyandotteConstitution, .which was modelledon that of the State of Ohio andcontained the critical phrase"Kansas shall be a free state."

'-/ No doubt a good many peopleof Kansas Territory who had at onetime favored the pro-slavery causeconsidered the issue resolved withpassage of the WyandotteConstitution. They were weary ofthe struggle and controversy.They were willing to be absorbedinto the growing population offree-state immigrants and get onabout the business of making alivelihood for themselves andfamilies. Those people who feltotherwise or who had been stronglyidentified with the pro-slaverycause quietly moved out of theTerritory. It is likely thatDoctor Pelot's address to theOctober 1859 Grand Lodge inLawrence was his Kansas swan song.

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Lecompton Lodge No. 13probably faded more than it died.The Kansas Grand Lodge proceedingsfor 1861 showed sketchyinformation on No. 13. It was

still listed as having 27 members;but 5 members had dimitted, likelymoving from the area. From about1860, it is probable thatLecompton Lodge No. 13 existedmore in theory than in fact. Thecharter of Lodge No. 13 wasofficially revoked in 1865.

Shawnee Lodge No.9, locatedat neighboring Big Springs, wassuffering a similar fate. It hadbeen chartered a year earlier in1857, but by 1861 was down to just4 members. Brother Isaac N.Roberts made a special plea forShawnee No.9 in the form of thefollowing resolution:

Resolved, That where the membersof a lodge in good standin~andwho have paid their Grand Dodgedues, but have been. by dimissions

or other casual ti~s r~gllCed to ahumber less than seven, suchreduction shall not necessarilycause a forfeiture of theircharter.

The tactic was immediatelysuccessful for one year as thematter was referred to theCommittee on Chartered Lodges forreporting at the next AnnualCommunication. The charter ofShawnee Lodge No.9 at Big Springswas officially revoked in 1867.

The withering of LecomptonLodge No. 13 was to leaveLecompton without masonic activityfor fifty-six years untilLecompton Lodge No, 420 A.F.& A.M.was chartered in 1921. BigSprings was to be 120 yearswithout a masonic meeting untilLecompton Lodge No. 420 moved tothe former Big springs schoolbuilding in 1987.* Howard Duncan

Owls HootThe Lecompton Hi gh School Alumni

Banquet was held May 28~ 1988. Therewere 171 guests pr,esent. President DonKeati ng conducted the meeti ng andSecr,etary-Tr,easur,er Gr,eg Howard readthose r,epor,ts. Roy Paslay was electedas an officer, for 1989. Teenie Oldhamand Judy Sanfor,d vol unteer,ed to helpwith the addr,ess changes.

A most memor,ab1e re-enactment oftheir graduation ceremony was presentedby the Class. of 1938. Denzel Gibbenswas Emcee~Pauline BaughmanDionne readthe Will ~ Ruth Schir,mer gave her, ownwritten Valedictorian Address~ and theClass Pr,ophecy was read by CliffordHar,tman. Other class member,spresentwer,e Betty Traxl er Nor,ris~ He1enConnole Horton~ and Esther, Boyston whowas Char,les Boyston's wife. Otherclass members were Audr,ey Boose Maust~William Henry Jr.~ and Earl Glenn.Teachers pr,esent wer,e Daisy Wingfield~Haro1d and Cathar,i ne Weather,by Smith ~

and Ver,non Hayes.

The entir,e class pr,esented theLecompton Histor,ical Society with aLife Member,ship in the name of the 1938Class and a class history. It was agr,eat progr,am and appreci ated by all.Thanks to Daisy Wingfield~ DenzelGibbens~ Audry Maust and Ruth Schir,merfor, their work on the progr,am.

Member,sof the 1968 Class pr,esentwer,e Roy Paslay~ Mary Reese~ andEilleen Delge"

Other, out-of-state al umni pr,esentwere Chester Gibbens~ Har,old Smith~Eunice Mellinkoff~ Fritz McClanahan~Pauline Clarkson~ Rober,t Gr,ay~ JoeGarcia~ Maynard Person~ DonaldBaughman~ Duggie Slavens~ Sara RaeWalter~ Ralph Hilderbr,and~ Charles &Madalyn McClanahan~ Rita Bird~ andHarold Bertschinger.

Paul Bahnmaier

Town MeetingGovernor, Mike Hayden held a town

meeting at the Lane University MuseumonJuly 14. 1988 with a lar,ge crowd of over

160 people attending the event. Thanksgo to Program Chairman Janice Rake~ Rev.Don and Joy Flanner for singing thenational anthem~ Cindy Daniels andFrancis Sanford for providing the music~Lecompton Campfi re Organi zati on for theflag ceremony~ Howard Duncan~ David &Darlene Paslay; George & Arloene Simmons~Opal Goodrick~ Sara Walter~ ElizabethJohnson~ Lydia Long~ Helen Hildenbrand~Wally & Mae Holderman~ Maxine Dark~ MattBird~ Rich McConnell and Ross & MargaretWulfkuhle for helping make this a greatsuccess.

President's ReportOur list of artifacts in your

museumcontinues to grow thanks to yourinterest and concern for, Lecompton.Recent additions are:1. Corner,stone from St. PetersCatholic Church by Bill & MarcellaAnderson~2. Cannon ball by Daryl McCall~3. Pictures by Helen Norwood~4. Pictures by Ruth Schirmer~5. Lane University Book by Wilma Ships6. Lecompton High School and communitymemor,abilia by Hazel Taylor Dyer~7. Pictures from Christine WenrichEstate~8. Glenn Coat of Arms by ArleneWhiteley~9. Drawing of St. Peters CatholicChurch by Cathy Thomas~10. 1906 Doll belonging to Mae Carr byAlice Faye Clark~11. Six beautiful photogr,aphs of earlyLawrence by Glenn Kappelman~12. Sever,al handmade dresser scarfs byVicki Rober,ts~13. Craft items by Aurelda Istas~14. Craft items by Geor,gia Teets~15. Copy of hi stori c i tern by FrankObenland~16. Lecompton scrap book by WilmaTibbs and Doris Matney~17. Craft items by Mae Holderman~18. Wark Scrap by Bessie Cranwell.

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Terri tori a1 Day was a successfulevent even with the extreme heat ofthat day. Thanks to Maxine Dark forbeing in char,ge of the ice creamsoci a1~ Connie Robertson and Li 1aBarte 1 as chai rpersons of theTerritorial Day~ and also to all thosewho donated ice cr,eam and cakes.

Paul Bahnmaier

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DEATHS~ George Ray Norwood, age 74, died June 25,

1988 in Grandvi ew, Washington. He wasborn December 26, 1913, at Lecompton, theson of Robert M. and Bessie JacksonNorwood. He was a 1oggi ng trucker inCa1itorni a and 1ater a truck dri ver inWashington. He was a member of theUnited Methodist Church and the LecomptonHistorical Society in Lecompton and amasonic lodge in Grandview. He wasmarried July 25, 1942 to Evelyn Ward whosurvi ves. Other survi vors i nc1ude twodaughters, Marvel Norwood, Seattle,Washington and Christine Chalker, GlenRock, Pennsylvania, a son, RobertNorwood, Dallas, Texas; three sisters,Helen Norwood, Lecompton, Mae Norwood,Omaha, Nebraska, and Ruth Harris,Atlanta, Georgia; four brothers, JohnNorwood, Dripping Springs, Texas, JamesNorwood, Chaney, Washington, WesleyNorwood, Lawrence, and Robert Norwood ofLecompton, and eight grandchi19ren.Burial was in Maple Grove Cemetery westof Lecompton with servi ces conducted by

~~Lecompton Lodge No. 420, AF&AM.

W. Jarvis Brink, 71, died July 26, 1988at Lawrence, Kansas. He was a farmer,stockman, real estate agent andagricultural land appraiser. He was bornAugust 25, 1916 in Leavenworth County,the son of Wi11i am J. and Minni e EberthBri nk. He was a member of the Fi rstChri sti an Church and AF&AMLodge No.6,both in Lawrence, the Kansas Soci ety ofFarm Managers, Kansas Association ofIndependent Fee Appraisers, NationalAssociation of Real Estate Appraisers,and Lecompton Historical Society. He wasmarried in Lawrence June 8, 1941 to BettyGreen, who survives. Other survivor.sinclude a daughter, Judy Grant, Lenexa;three sons, Ron Brink, Lawrence, GaryBrink, Montrose, Colorado, and Bob Brink,at home, a sister, Wilma Bunn, Melbourne,Flori da; and four grandchi 1dren. Buri a1was in Mount Muncie Cemetery atLeavenworth.

\-JBeverly Jo Vir.tue, 48, di ed July 27, 1988~- at Lawrence. She was secretary and

bookkeeper at Woods Lumber Company,

Larry's Auto Supply, and McGrew RealEsta te, all i n Lawrence. She was bornMarch 13, 1940, at Tonganoxie, thedaughter of Joe Francis Foley, Jr. andDorothy Mae Holladay Foley. She moved torural Lecompton in 1942 and graduatedfrom Lecompton High School in 1958. Shewas a member of the Kansas BowlingAssociation, bowled in the NewmanLeague,and was also a member of the LecomptonHistorical Society. She married JackLouis Virtue, September 14, 1958, hesurvives. Other survivors include adaughter, Tammy Virtue, Lawrence, twosons, Rick Virtue of Lawrence and MonteVirtue, at home, her parents, Mr. & Mrs.Joe Foley, rural Lecompton, a brother,Sonny Foley, Lawrence and twograndchildren. Burial was in Hubbel HillCemetery at Tonganoxie, Kansas.

Did news Iona Spencer

The following articles were extractedfrom the Kansas Tri bune newspaper ofLawrence, Kansas.

Friday, July 15, 1864

As Mr. Chapman, who is a carpenterat work here, was on his way to RisingSun, his former residence, on the roadto Lecompton, just at dusk, lastSaturday evening, when near GovernorStanton's, he saw a man cross the roadjust before him and rush into the thickbrush which lines the road at thatpoi nt. When opposi te the poi nt wherethe man went into the brush, a pistolshot was fired, evidently at Chapman,as he heard the ball whiz past him.Chapman started on a run, when anothershot was fired, and another, until somefive or six were discharged, as hesupposed, after him; none of which,very fortunately, took effect. Mr.Chapman had some money with him, havingrecei ved hi s pay for hi s 1abor thatevening. This man, whoever he was,intended, doubtless, to murder and robsome one, and tried his hand mostunsuccessfully upon Mr. Chapman. Werecei ved thi s statement from Mr.Chapman and know the source to bereliable, as he is a truthful man.

MeInbership ReportWe want to welcome the many new

members who have joined since lastDecember. We now have 80 memoria1sand365 1i fe members wi th 442 annual duespaying members for a grand total of 887.

New Life Members: Maynard G.Person, Mason IILee" Brunton, Amos G.Geelan, J. D. Brown, W.H. McClanahan,Daniel G. Rees.Lois "Jeannie" (Isaacson)

Brunton, Sandra Shores, and Elizabeth(Blake) Hiebert.

NewMemorials: JamesH. Lane (FirstSenator of Kansas who had Lane Universitynamed after him), Dr. Carey C. Kerr andwife Jessie W. Kerr (Cameto Lecomptonin1908), Haze1 II AndyII Anderson (WasSecretary to the K.U. Law School), Jakeand Rose (Heise) Hi11 (Jake was a ruralroute mail carrier for Lecompton), andCharles and Lois Wells (He had an orchardand she taught school in Lecompton).

lona Spencer

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

Individual 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.U, Lecompton, Kansas66050.

* * * * * * * * Please Clip And Mail With Your Check * * * * * * * *''---''

$3.00 Annual Individual Membership

$5Annual Household Membership

- $50 Individual Life or Memorial Membership

Other Contribution $

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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

Address Change Requested

Non-Profit Organizationu.S. POSTAGEPAIDLecompton, Kansas

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