John Adams Dead

J. B. ADAMS IS DEAD

End Came at 1 O'Clock This Morning to Banker, Town Booster, Good Fellow and Friend at El Dorado Hospital

FOUR WOUNDS OVER HEART

Indications Are That Injuries Were Self Inflicted, Following Weeks of Ill Health and Worry Over Sickness of Loved Ones

J. B. Adams died at 1 o'clock this morning in El Dorado Hospital from revolver wounds about the heart. Indications are that they were self inflicted. Despondency, due to ill health and sickness in his family are attributed as the cause.

The end came after seven hours' sturdy resistance by a constitution of wonderful strength and virtility. During those seven hours, hundreds of Mr. Adams' friends---awed by the nearness of one of the town's greatest tragedies---stayed close to the hospital, awaiting encouraging reports from the bedside. But the faithful vigil was in vain; the magnificent spirit battling for life was impotent, and the end was peaceful and calm. Only when it came did the watchers disperse for their homes.

The tragedy occurred last evening at 6 o'clock when Mr. Adams was alone in his private office at the Butler County State Bank. He had entered the building a few minutes earlier, instructing James Scarce, porter, to leave the front door unlocked, saying he was going out soon and would close it. He passed to his office upstairs and Scarce went ahead with his cleaning.

Four revolver shots, at deliberate intervals, broke the stillness. Scarce ran upstairs and found Mr. Adams in a seriously wounded condition. He summoned help and the injured banker was removed to the El Dorado Hospital.

Dr. F. L. Preston, who reached Mr. Adams's side within a few minutes after the shooting, says he took a revolver from the latter's clenched hand. It was a Smith & Wesson of .38 caliber. Mr. Adams was not unconscious when the physician arrived.

An examination at the hospital showed four bullet wounds in the left breast, all within the immediate region of the heart. These described a slight semi-circle, the first three being about a half an inch part, and the fourth about two inches below the others. An x-ray photograph showed all four bullets lodged within the body. The heart had not been touched, though physicians believe the pericardium was perforated.

For several hours after the shooting, Mr. Adams's pulse was extremely weak. Then the tremendous vitality of the man asserted itself, and his heart action grew stronger. Internal hemorrhages were the greatest obstacle to relief that physicians wished to give.

Mr. Adams, while brisk and cheery, had not been his usual self for many weeks, associates say. His own ill health had worn him down badly, while constant worry over sickness of members of his family had tended to dispel the sunny optimism that was so characteristic of his energetic disposition. Several weeks ago, he was with a party of El Doradoans attending a conference at the State House at Topeka. While descending the long flight of steps leading to the main entrance of that building, Mr. Adams slipped and fell. His entire weight came upon his right hand, causing, as he supposed, a severe sprain. He paid little attention to it, but in a few days intense pain caused him to have an x-ray taken of the injury. The picture disclosed a break in the bones of the wrist. Mr. Adams carried the injured member in a sling, and while it was not a serious injury, it annoyed him and he spoke of it frequently in his conversations with friends.

The news that J. B. Adams was lying near death came as a tremendous shock to the people of the town, for no man ever claimed more friends, in his own community, than Mr. Adams. The word of the tragedy spread like wildfire and within a short time scores of citizens had collected at the entrance of the El Dorado Hospital awaiting some word of the injured man's condition.

Mr. Adams enjoyed a rare popularity. To the whole town, he was "Bun," recognized leader in everything worth while. There was scarcely a man on the townsite who did not know him and many rightly called him friend. Among those who gathered in little bunches on the street and eagerly sought some word that his condition might improve were men of wealth and men of moderate means, many of whom had received some favors at his hands. All men looked alike to J. B. Adams. He was a student of the problems of them all. The desire and wants and ambitions of others were never trifling to him. He believed in many that other doubted.

One of the greatest tributes that was paid him was the whole-heartedness and accord that he received from the men who often are classed as competitors. His banker friends---the leaders in the other banks of El Dorado---recognized his keen financial ability which has placed the Butler County Bank in an excellent condition at the present time. His own personal affairs were beyond question. With the news of the tragedy came no hint or suggestion that reflected on his business affairs. For "Bun" Adams built the Butler County bank on sound business methods and a remarkable personality, and it was built to last.

For some months he had been in poor health, and at the time of his death was greatly worried over the illness of his youngest son, J. B. Adams, Jr., who is suffering with intestinal influenza. Mr. Adams took a great pride in his boys and it was easily apparent to his friends that the illness of members of his family brought about an extreme nervous condition which caused those near to him so little anxiety.

And when the end came, there were expressions of the deepest sympathy on every hand. The bankers of the town join in expressions of deep regret.

Robt. H. Hazlett, president of the El Dorado National Bank said: "We will all miss Bun Adams. I cannot tell you how deeply I regret his death. He has always been a success in all he has undertaken, and in the business world of this community he has established a banking institution as solid as the rock of Gibraltar. In the very prime of his useful life, it is hard to understand why such a man should die, when he had so much for which to live."

C. E. Thompson, cashier of the Citizens State Bank, said: "No banker ever regarded Bun Adams as a competitor. He was a friend to all of us. The friends he had and the bank and other business institutions he built are themselves a monument to his memory."

A. C. Cutler, cashier of the Farmers and Merchants Bank, was another banker who paid Mr. Adams tribute. "He always was a man among his fellow men," said Mr. Cutler. "No man had more feeling for others than he. With his business affairs in a most prosperous condition, and his enterprise so necessary to the community, it is regrettable that he should be taken from El Dorado."

Fred Bergschneider, vice-president of Kansas State Bank said; "There was not a banker or a business man in El Dorado who did not respect the judgment of J. B. Adams. He was a financier which placed the institution which he built in the first rank, and they will remain there through the decades to come. He loved his fellows and they loved him."

Such were the expression of the men whom he met as friends and the channels of business. And there were others, countless, who called him "Bun" and "J. B." and who loved him because he made their interests his.

"He's the best friend I ever had."

That was the expression heard on every hand last night as he lay fighting his last fight. It came from the lips of men whose wealth runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It came from business men whose success has been made possible by his aid. It was uttered by working men who knew the world of compassion in "Bun" Adams's heart for the man who is "up against it."

"He's the best friend I ever had."

Like a prayer it came from the lips of men who do not pray---and from those who do.

Men who have lived here three score and ten and boys in their teens summed their association with "Bun" Adams in those words: "He's the best friend I ever had."

Adams's Interests Wide and Varied

The business interests of John Bunyan Adams were wide and varied.

From the Butler County State Bank, which was the greatest monument to his business sagacity, to the smaller enterprises in which he had invested only moderate sums, his attentions were the venue. To all of his affairs he gave the same keen insight and perception, the same boundless enthusiasm, and the same business shrewdness and the same bustling energy.

What he built, he built to last. In the upbuilding of the Butler County State Bank, he surrounded himself with associates of conservatism and stability. He did not built his bank merely with dollars, he built it with men, and today it stands as an enduring monument to his genius. The Butler County State Bank is as strong as a rock, and will forever be a vital buttress in the financial framework of El Dorado.

But Mr. Adams did not stop alone with banking. He was primarily a farmer, and his interests and enthusiasm lay with the farmers and the stockmen, and he owned considerable land. The management of one big farm near Belton, Mo., belonging to Mrs. Adams, has been under his direction for many years.

When oil was struck in Butler County, Mr. Adams was in the forefront of those who made wise investments and profited by the influx of sudden wealth to this community. It was characteristic of his unselfishness and thought investments in the way of his friends, and took a keen joy in their success.

Mr. Adams conceived the addition of modern homes in South El Dorado which bears his name, and took great pride in its upbuilding. This addition, which he operated in partnership with W. R. Childs, was a matter of great pride to him as his share in the general program of town building.

As a young man he had had two experiences editing a newspaper, and the craft had inoculated his blood. He never go away from a fondness for newspaper work, and on July 1, 1917, he became the owner of the Walnut Valley Times, purchasing it from Chester C. Shelden. He retained this ownership until November 28, 1919, when the Walnut Valley Times was merged with the El Dorado Republican---the resulting combination becoming The El Dorado Times, owned by The Times Publishing Company. Mr. Adams was the president of the company and the heaviest stockholder in the corporation.

Mr. Adams was a director and stockholder in numerous other institutions in El Dorado and Butler County. He preferred to make his investments, wherever possible, at home---and for years he was the town's greatest booster. If "Bun" Adams was for a project that was a great boost for it, and he always threw his influence behind every move that would profit his community.

A world of energy and enthusiasm in the things worth while for the Kingdom of Butler has passed in the untimely death of "Bun" Adams.

JOHN BUNYAN ADAMS
(From Mooney's History of Butler County, Under Date of 1916)

To the citizens of the State of Kansas, Mr. Adams is favorably known, through his services in connection with the work of its legislature, of which, for six years, he was a member; as a prominent and influential member of the Republican party, chairman of its state convention, in 1904, and acclaimed by many as congressional timber. The banking fraternity, he is known as one of the most progressive, capable, and successful men in the Kansas field of finance, and to the residents of Butler County, he is known as one of her active sons, who, through well directed effort, untiring energy, honest and cleanliness in his business, political and social relations, has achieved well deserved honor and position as well as great personal popularity.

John Bunyan Adams was born on his father's farm, near Potwin, Butler County, Kans., March 25, 1873, son of Amos and Nancy M. (Cain) Adams, member of old and honored American families. The Adams family was founded in America by Joshua Adams, who immigrated to Massachusetts colony from England, in 1660, and settled in Braintree. The family has been representative of the best citizenship and its sons fought in the French and Indian, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and have been active factors in the growth and development, from a pioneer's standpoint, of Massachusetts, Marland, Vermont, Illinois and Kansas. William Adams, the grandfather of John B. Adams, was a native of Hagertown, Marland, who came as a pioneer to Fulton County, Ill., in 1835, and there became a successful farmer and a citizen of influence. His brother, Joseph Adams, came to Kansas in 1859 and settled three miles north of Potwin, Butler County, where he was a pioneer and achieved success in his pursuits.

Amos Adams, son of William Adams and father of John B., was born in Vermont, Fulton County, Ill., February 25, 1843. He served as a soldier in the Civil War being a member of Company D., 151st Illinois Infantry. This regiment was organized at Quincy, Ill., and was mustered into the United States service February 23, 1865, for one year. It was mustered out at Springfield, February 8, 1866. Shortly after his discharge Mr. Adams came to Butler County, Kans., where his uncle, Joseph Adams, had resided since 1859. He took up a homestead near Potwin and engaged in farming. During a residence of 40 years in Butler County, Mr. Adams was a potent farmer in many phases of her growth and development. He acquired extensive holding in choice farm lands, banking interests of value, improved business and residence property, both in Potwin and El Dorado, was an influential Republican but would never accept public office. He was actively identified with the Christian Church and extended to it generous support. With the late N. F. Frazier, he was one of the organizers of the State Bank of El Dorado and was for several years its vice-president. Mr. Adams married, on April 18, 1866, Nancy M., daughter of Jesse Cain, M. D., of Fulton County, Ill., one of the prominent physicians of that section of Illinois. They were the parents of seven children. John Bunyan is the eldest; Myrtle E. is the wife of Milo E. Ball, of Potwin, Kans.; Fern and Olive are deceased, and Rectina L. Johnston, of Potwin, Kans. Two girls died in early childhood. Olive died on November 30, 1911; Fern on February 11, 1915. The father died April 26, 1904, and the mother on September 9, 1914.

John Bunyan Adams secured his early childhood education in the schools of Butler County and subsequently entered the Salina Normal University, at Salina, where he was graduated with the class of 1893. He taught school in Butler County during the school years of 1899-94. In May, 1894, he founded the "Leon Press" at Leon, which he conducted there until January, 1895, and then removed his plant to Augusta, and changed the name of the paper to "Augusta Press." He sold this newspaper in September, 1895, and then removed to El Dorado, where he accepted the position of teller in the Farmers & Merchants National Bank. In July, 1899, in company with the late Nathan F. Frazier, he founded the Citizens State Bank, of El Dorado, and was made cashier of the same. On the death of Mr. Frazier, in 1907, he became the active manager of the bank and continued as such until 1909, when he disposed of his interests in the institution. He immediately organized the Butler County State Bank. Mr. Adams was originally the cashier, managing executive and its controlling stockholder. He is also a stockholder and vice-president of the State Bank of Douglass, Kans. In 1903, he served as vice president and in 1904 as president of the Kansas State Bankers Association. These honors came to Mr. Adams in the first eight years of his banking career, an exceedingly high compliment to hi value as a bank executive and as an active and influential factor in the state organization.

As chairman and as a member of the Committee on Banks and Banking in the lower house of the state legislature, session of 1899, 1901, and 1903, he was successful in securing the passage of several amendments, of which he was the author, to the banking laws. A member of the Republican party, he was elected to the legislature, first in 1898 and re-elected in 1900 and again in 1902, serving in all six years. During the session of 1901, he served as chairman of the Committee on penal Institutions, and during the session of 1903 he was chairman of the Committee on Banks and Banking and a member of this committee during his three terms of service. He was also a member of the judiciary committee. In 190 he was nominated for the office of state senator, but, with his party, was defeated at the ensuing election. In this year he served as chairman of the Republican State Convention. In 1912, Mr. Adams was a candidate for the Republican nomination for congress against Victor Murdock, but was unsuccessful on account of arraying himself against the Roosevelt sentiment of his district. In 1916, he was elected one of two delegates from the Eighth District to the Republican National Convention held at Chicago when Hughes was nominated for president.

During his banking life, he found time to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1899, but has never entered upon the practice of that profession, his object in qualifying himself for the bar being to assist him in his banking enterprise. Mr. Adams has attained to the Knights Templar and Scottish Rites degrees in Masonry and is affiliated with Midian Temple Shrine, of Wichita.

On November 29, 1905, Mr. Adams was wedded to Miss Edna Frazier, only daughter of the late Nathan F. Frazier, of El Dorado, and they have two children. Frank Frazier, born October 10, 1907, and John Bunyan, Jr., born January 20, 1911.
(El Dorado Times ~ Saturday ~ March 12, 1921 ~ Submitted by Lori DeWinkler)