The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, September 30, 1897, Page 7

WILLIAMS’ Cash Grocery, FIR ESES. (; (PARE ees Have received seven car loads of goods in the last ten days. One car load of Barb wire, Smooth wire and vails;2 cars flour, 1 car galt, 1 car stoves, stove pipe, coal ® bods, etc; 1 car shorts and bran, 1 Frank James Walks Again O’er , BREAKS SILENCE AT L: In Vivid Words the FEDERALS Swept Away by One Terrific Charge of the TELLS OF A GORY DAY. to the field itself Corn was grow- ing there and a herd of cattle calaly fed onthe pasture land Where the Federals stood was the golden yellow of a hay fie'd Here Frenk Jumes wandered sround for a few surround- nga with almost pessionete eager- -|ness. Then he told the etory, qaiet-| ly at first, but as he proczeded his face lighiei up, there was aring ip bis voice and his whole frame eeem- ed ready for the fray again ; “The day before we had bad a lit- tle skirmish dowa in Goslin’s lane, between Columbia aud Rocheport | I don't know what day it was. We could scarcely keep account of i Centralia’s Historic Field. momeets drinking in kis Guerrilla Paints the Furious Battle. ALMOST WIPED OUT. Misso Announces to the public, that its the demand of borrowers is light of idle money. Persons wisbing to sell notes or to borrow money, are vited to call. does a general banking business. aud ample Capital, it solicits th public. J. R JENKINS, Cashier. months and years at that time, much less days We killed a dozen Federal soldiers in Goslin’s lase avd Guerrillas—Not a Massacre, Says James. Cevtrslia. Mo, S+pt. 26—The Ss esrof pumps of every description. : day that Frank James walked up If you don’t think we have goods the steps of the State capitol at Jef- . wo 4 | neighbor, who has bought wire of us. q@ough to supply Bates county, come in and see for yourself; and don’t buy any barb wire, smooth wire, hardware, naile, stoves, stove pipe, coal hod, sc »0p shovele, pumps or pump fixtures, shorts, bran, salt, flour, or in fact anything you want, until you see us. ferson City, banded cver his revol vers and surrendered, he closed his lips to all that pertained to bis past. Whether his thoughts have often turn+d to those exciting days when he was en actor in eo many bloody scenes or not he has never seen fit to talk about them. Thousands people perhaps have tried to ge Frank James to tell of his adven- tures and have failed. But at last the long silence has been broken. The other day be talked about the battle of Centralia, one of the most sanguinary conflicts of the civil war. Is the first time in all these years that he bes told anything of the days when bis revolver barrels and of bis companions were always hot. Frank James has been attending several of the Miesouri fairs. He acted as starter for the races at the Boone county fair, and was the con- ter of attraction. He has been meeting many people whom he had known yearaago. He bas been in a couatry every foot of which was familiar to him. He has been every We have the only wood heating stove made—Russia Iron Heaters. People are throwing heating stoves out of their houses that they have only used a few winters, to put our stoves io; can maka your room red hot in 5 minutes, or can keep 2 mod- erate heat for 24 hours with one ebunk of wood. No smoke, no soot in your house. Our Barb wire is the best made. When we say that, we know what we are saying; ask your was those Oar shorts and bran we had made to our order; our shorts are rich enough to make bread. Come in and test it. Our salt is the finest quality, ia new, bright barrels, and dry in the warehouse. We have pumps of every description, from the cheapest to the finest, at from $1 to Bill Anderson. George Todd, one of the hardest fightera that eyer lived; but less des_ perate than Anderson. bim merciless. of | treatment his father and sisters re- | ceived at the hands of the Kansas Jay hawkers. on one of the branches leadiag into Young's creck, not far from the home of Colonel M There were about 225 men, all told, ia our combined ccmmand. $3 less than you can buy anywhere. Our trade bas increased so in the last 3 months tbat we have decided to cut the price on everything, where there is a possible chance to cut. While flour is no lower and in fact, stronger, we have to-day cut the price on flour 10c per hundred; this leaves us neatly no profit, but with the large trade we have, we do not have to make a profit on everything; there is where we have the advan- tage of others, besides buying iv quantities as we do, getting cur goods at jobbers prices. Others can not compete with us, unless they buy acheaper grade of goods; this is be ing done too in Butler Notice the quality of our goods with some others ia Butler. We call your special attention to our Bulk coff-es. We know we have no competition on our roasted coffee Will sell you our Straight Patent flour, any brand, at $1.25; good flour $1 to $1.15. Our Russian Iron stoves from $3 50 to $7, owing to finish. J Our pumps from $250 to $7, ow- ing to kind and quality. Balk coffee at §-10-124-15-20 and 25c. Our 25c coffee is pure Arabian, Mocha and Old Government Java, fine enough for a King. Don’t ferget we have ths best Patent Eadgate ever made for $2 35. fit on any wagon. No cutting or boreing holes in bed to make it fir, as others do. We also have the best Washing machine ever made: ask to see it when in town. We can sell you anythiog in the world you want, ia the grocery line, queensware line, glassware line, sil verware line, hardware line, stove or pump line, implement line, buggy or wagon, eteam engines, threshing ma chines. Can give you prices on avy- thing, and if we baven’t it in stock can get it for you on short notice, and if wa cannot save you plenty of money will not ask you to bay. Remember we pay cish for all) kinds of produce, bring us anything you have to eell. you a list of prices next week. Yours traly, WILLIAMS BROS. Will try to give) place right royally welcomed and treated with Missouri hospitality. It is not strange that under these circumstances the silent man opened his lips ard chatted about events of which be knows more than any liv ing man The ether day he, Mayor M. S. Bush of Centralia, J. K. Pool of Centralia and Walter Williams of Columbia drove together over the grouud that had been watered by the blood of so many Union soldiers. It was tbe first time James had been over tbe Centralia battle ground since ths fight, or massacre, as some call il, and naturally he talked of the happenings of that awful day. The tragedy of Centralia occured on the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 27, 1864. Nearly 200 Federal cold iers, commanded by Major A. V. E. Johnson of the Thirty-ninth Missou ri infantry, riding out after guerril- las, met Captain Bill Anderson and Captain George Todd, with 225 men Scarcely a dozen of the Fed- eral sold:ers escaped with their lives while of the guerrillas only two were killed and ove mortally wouad ed. There is vowhere in the history more destructive than that made on that fair September afternoon. Ev ery man in the Federal line of battle perished, and only balf a score of thes left to hold the horses got away. The conflict has been de scribed by survivieg Union soldiers and by citizens af Centralia who wit- nessed the battle from a distance, of the world a record cf a charge] captured a wagon train of provisions and stuff. Out inthe Perche bills that night we joined forces with I was with Captain “But Anderson had much to make You remember the That night we camped G. Singleton. Fuapy, isn’t 12? I've met or heard of at least 10,000 men who claimed to be with Quantrell or bis lieutenants during the war, when the truth is there were never more than 359 or 400 from cna end of the war to the other. “In the morning Anderson took about thirty of his company and went into Centralia. I was not with him.nor wes any of Todi’s company. In Centralia And rson captured a train, carried « ff a lot of stuff, down some soldiers who were ov the train, and did other things about which I know nothing save from hereray, avd which Todd condemn ed when the boys returned. “Ino the afternoon Captain Todd detailed a detachment of ten men. under Dave Pool, to go out and re- connoiter. We had heard there were some Federal troops in the neighborhood. This squad was compo:ed of Dave Pool, Wood and Tuck Hill, Jeff Emery, Bull Stewart, Jobn Pool, Payton Long, Zach Sutherland end two others whose names I don't remember. They were to find out if any federals were around, how mapy, and, if possible, ‘toll’ them down toward our camp Pocl did his duty weil. He found out the location of the Federals, rode close to thera and then gallop- rapidly away, as if surprised to see them. The Federals followed I have never fouad anybody who could teil how many there were of them. Pool reported to us that there were 350, and he wa3_ usually very accurate. On they come from Centralia. Pool and bis men came oa and reported. Todd eilled out ‘mount up, mount up.” The sharp piercing eyes of James flashed. “I csn sce them now, yon der cn that ridge On they come I don’t care what your histories say, they carried a black flag. It was apparantly a black apron tied to a stick We captured it in the battle that followed. No, we had no flag. We had no time to get oue, and no charce to carry it if we had one. shot but not until now has one of the cbief actors cn the Confederate side given his version. “There is the spot,’ said Frank James, two miles and more from Centralie. shortly before the main road was left for a broad lane. “Yon- der on the rise near the hay rick was the lise of the Federal troops. Just this side, toward Centralie, stood the detachment which held their horses. On the edge of the woods beyond our men formed.” His memory served him well. had not been to the field before nor | three years ago next Monday. No word bad been spoken to indicate the locality. But he remembered accurately the entire surroundings. “I can go,” he said, “to any battle field where I was eogaged and pick out slmost instantly the locations. I guers i's the closeness to death which photog the scene on one’s memory. aphs He| since the day cf the fight, thirty- | The Federals stopped near tbe rise of the hill. Both sides were in full trick that Comanche Indians prac-, to the reporter, “is that I an nx t| tice, and which saved our lives many sleeping ina place like this time Only two of our men were’ h killed, Frank Shepherd and “Havk” | my ¢ vmrades were taken? ‘Two men | Williams. A third, Richard Kinney, | 8 was shot and did three or four days afterward from lockjaw. Sheppard and Kinney rode next to me on either side. The blood and brains from Shepherd splashed on my pants’ leg as he fellfrom bis horse Kinney was my closest friend We had ridden together from Tesag, | fought side by side, slept togetber, and it hurt me when I heard him say, ‘Frank I’m shot.” He kept on ridiog fora time and thought his wound wasn’t serious. “But we couldn't stop in that ter rible charge for anything. Up the hill we went yelling like Irdians Such shrieks, youog mar, you will pever bear as broke the stillness of ihut September afternoon, now near ly thirty three years ago. “Oa we went up the hill. Almost on the Federal line. They seemed uri State Bank OF BUTLER, MO. Tais Bank loans money, receives deposite, and Heavy and Shelf Hardware, Cutlery and Guns, Tinware & Stoves, Field deposits are large, while and Garden Seeds, Buggies, Wag- - Result. a large amount ons and Farm Machinery, Wag- “ ' on wood work, Iron, Steel, Ef Nails, Salt, Barb wire, With large experience Buggy Paints, Machine e business of the general Oils, ‘Groceries and Farm Produce 1 Ws. E. WALTON, President. Why | ave I been spared when so many of | ball bs working in a field, one ehall| in the twinkling of an eye we were terrorized. Hypnotized might bea \ be taken and the other left. That's Seripture—you kaow my father was a Baptist preacher, a good man and! a good preacher—it’s Scripture and| it’s life, too ~ | Frank James does not like to hear | the battle of Centralia spoken of as a “massacre ” Speaking of this after ‘be had left the ecene of the fight be said: “When great big grown men, with full possession of all thetr faculties, refer to that battle as ‘the Centralia messacre’ I think they are pleading We did not seek the | fight. Johusoa foclish!y cama out to ; bunt us and be found us. Then we Silled him and his men. Woaldo’t | he have killed every one of ua if he ‘had had a chance? Whatis war for , if it isn’t to kill people for a princi- | ple? Tho Federal soldiers tried to | kill every one of the Southera sol- diers and the soldiers from the south tried to kill all the northerpvers-——and the baby act better word, though I reckon nobody knew anything about hypnotiem | that’s all there is of it. then, though G-orge Todd, by the | “We were just out there in the ROUND OAK HEATER. The woods are full of Oaks, but there is on'y one Round Oak. We way, looked like Svengali Some of | brush, not motesting anybody, when the Federals were at ‘fix bayonets,’ Jchuson and his men came out after some were biting off their cartridges, preparing to reload. Yelling, ehoot ing our pistols, upon them we went Not a single man of the line escaped. Everyone was shot through the head. The few who attempted to escape we followed into Centralia | and 0a to Sturgeon. There a Federal blockhouse stopped further pursuit All-along the road we killed them. The last man and the first man was killed by Arch Clements. He bad the best horse and gota little the | start. “That night we left this woods ard this neighborhood and scatter- ed. I recrossed the river near Glas- gow and went southward. “It has been reported,” he con tinued, “that my brother, Jesse James, was not at the Centralia fight that be was sick in Carro!] county at the time This isa mistake Jerse was here. He it was who killed the! commander of the Federal troops, Major Johnson. The Younger boys were not at Centralia” After two hours on tbe battle-field | a visit was made to the Pleasant Grove cemetery cn the Silver farm, where Frank Shepherd and “Hauk” Williams are buried. The buryiog grouadis a typical country cemetery. lying in a secluded spot, away from the main traveled road, some four miles from Centralia. It is reached through a half-cleared piece of tim ber and contains a number of newly- made graves. The graves of the two guerrillas are uomarked, not even a head board indicating their last view of each other, though nearly half a mile distant. The Federals dismounted, gave their horses into charge a detai! cf men and prepared to fight. «John Kroger, a fuony fellow in our ranks, watched the Federals get down from their horses, and said: “Why, the fools are going to fight us on foot!” and then edded in seri- ousness: ‘God help ‘em’ “We dismounted to tighten the i belts on the horses, aud then at the word of command started on our charge The ground, you will no- charge uphill. Fora momeat we moved slowly. Our line was nearly closer together. We were atill some 600 yards away, our speed increas- ing and our ranks closing up when they fired their first and only time. They nearly all fired over our heads. A few woments later he came soi) aaa were laying low on our horses, ‘| a quarter of a mile long, theirs much | resting place. A great pine tree stands near by and sobs their re quiem as heaven's breezes blow: “I would give $100 for that tree,” said a bystander who had followed the party. ‘That would be like robbing a graveyard, commented James. ; good description. “‘To this complexion must we) us. We never took prisoners We couldu’t do it. How could we carry them arouad with us? We either killed them or turned them loose— and we didut turn many loose. As for the Centralia tight—it reminds me of Macbeth: ‘Never shake thy gory locks at me; thou canst not say I did it. ‘We didn’t make war on women and children. They are the only people whom I sympathized with during war. Men ought to bein the fight on one side or the other. Nor did we fight the citizens except when they had played informer. I understand one citizan was killed in Centralia in adrunken row. That ought not to have been done. The Federa!s killed many more non-com- batants than we did. “We bave been called guerrilles (which some people pronounce goril- las), bushwhackers and all that. I do not know who originated the name bushwhacker. but itis a pretty We lived ia the brush but never fought from am- bush. We always gave battle in the open. I never fought from hebind cover but once. Then thera was only three cf us and 150 Federals were fighting us. But we got away. “Bashwhackers,” he continued, “did some bad thinge, but they never devastated and 1uined the country. Wh-n General Sherman. whom the North werships as a great Christian soldier, went on bis famous march he issued orders that the country should be mids» so desolate that to get over it a crow would have | to carry bis haversack full of rations with him We did nothing like that And Order Number 11—Ewing’e. Iam glad Gen Bingham put tbat on immortal canvas. That is a pic ture that talks That order simply ruined hundrede of peaceful bomes ' come at last,’ “he said, looking down at the withered grass. ‘Our boys are scattered everywhere. You will find their graves in the hollows and on the bills, by the gulf end on these prairies mest. They don't needany They mad> their monuments while they | courage that the world hag not sur- jpassed. They dou't need any monu- ment after they ure dead Their | sleep is just as sweet here as it would b? ina beauti'ul city ceme- | tery- i Frank James pinched a twig from | the great green pine tree and walked | away. Many have no mocu | “The marvel to me, he said | this city and county. io Western Missouci. I know one men op in Jackson county who made afortune going arcund picking up cattle that bad been abandored; e | high toned cattle thief.” i | | Drep:—In Kansas City, Mo., on | Sept 25th, Adelia, wife of G. W. Bux- ton, of consumption, aged 46 years, 4monthsandi7days. Adelia Buxton moved to Bates County in November tice. rises starply, and we had to/lived. They left a reeord for daring | 1369 and has resided here continually | Boston coffees, the standard of | until March, 1896, when she with her | husband and children moved to Kan- | sas City. She had been sick for eight- ‘of a rest beyond the grave. She | leaves a husband and three sons to | mourn her loss. She was a member of the Baptist church of this city. ains were bro Butier, Sunday and interred in Oa ceme- jtery. The deceased was a daughter lof Wm. Kinney, a former citizen of The re no clinkers. teen months and died with the hope; sell it. coal, coke or wood. Burns any kind of fuel. Keeps fire all night, burns the coal all up, makes It has pleased thous- anda, it will please you. It is air- tight, is made of the best material. There are over 400 imitatione; 8o be sure to lodk for the name Round Oak on the leg. LOOK OUT Air tight, wood stoves from $2.50 to $6.50. Don’t fail to see these goods, we bouzht them right and are going to sell you cheaper than any one else in Butler. Here Are a Few Prices for You: Painted barbei wire $2.05 Galvanized barbad wire 2.30 Our wire is the best made. Nails by the keg $1.90 rates. New car, best salt per barrel 1(0 Fair quality flour 90 Best brand home made flour at Mill pric:s. Pumps froa: $2.25 up. By the way, we carry the largest and best varie- ty of pumps in Butler. Chain pumps, Wood stock pumps, Cistern pumps, Lift pumps, Wind mill pumps and the Buckeye double acting force pump. American round washer, best made. Sze our $12 cook stove, made by Charter Oak Co Also our Crown St. Clair cast range only $19. We are selling Gray Granite ware very low. Thisisno racket ware, but good perfect ware. Granite dipper 10¢ Grenite wash bacia 15c Granite dish pan 14 qt 50c We aleo carry the Blue & White ware which is heavier and fally equal to the German goods | We are hezdquarters on Grain Scoops, Coal Hed, Stove Pipe ard Eibowr. Zink, ete. We sell Chase & Sanborn’s fine Ex: | | eslence The Baiu acd Kentucky farm wag- ons. Top buggies, Hoosier grain drills, Fanning mills ete. DEACON BROS. & CO. | Low pric: Hardware and Grocer Co. \ }