Cholera At Fort Riley
FORT LEAVENWORTH, K T
August 6th, 1855.
The last railroad accident, steamboat explosion,
with sometimes very little damage, is duly reported to you; I consider it, therefore, my duty to give you an account
of the ravages caused by cholera at Fort Riley, Kansas Territory.
Some two week ago, Major Ogden, with four hundred
citizens, mechanics, stone-cutters, laborers, etc.., went out to Fort Riley, for the purpose of erecting buildings
and stables to be occupied during the coming winter by some dragoon companies. Until last Wednesday, the whole
command was very healthy, and got along well with their buildings,when the cholera made its appearance, and in
forty-eight hours—i. e.,
from Wednesday until Friday noon, it took forty-five to fifty persons to a better world. Major Ogden died last
Friday. The wife and two children of Major Woods, the wife of Major Armistead, Sixth Infantry, and forty-five or
forty-six citizens, died. All the troops had left, except the Band and
Staff of the Sixth Infantry, one of which the Quartermaster's Sargeant, died also.
Yours, C. M.
Alton Weekly Courier August 16, 1855 (submitted by Janice Rice)
A TERRIBLE CUTTING
AFFRAY
Leavenworth, Kan., Jan. 3 - A terrible cutting
affray occurred at a place called Long Jake's in the southern suburbs of this city, about 6 o'clock Saturday night,
wherein Josiah Hale, a colored man, was literally cut to pieces by four or five unknown white men. All had been
drinking rather freely and a row arose, the result being as above stated. None of the men have so far been arrested,
although the police are on the watch. (Inter Ocean, January 4, 1876, Page 5)
POWERLESS POLICE
North Leavenworth, Kan., Witnesses a Resort to
Mob Law - Negro Miners Attempt to Wreck Vengeance on a Murderer—Authority of the Major and Chief of Police Defied
United States Regulars Called Out to Quell the Disturbance.
Kansas City, April 3
A special from Leavenworth gives a sensational
account of a bloody fight between one white miner and an infuriated mob of negroes in North Leavenworth. The details
of the affair are about as follows: As James King (white), cable-man in the Leavenworth coal mine, was walking
along the street, he met Harrison Young, a notorious colored ward politician, Sam Hedspath and Ben Easton, also
colored. The three negroes were standing at the corner of Second and Dakota streets at the exact spot where one
year ago Hedspatb had knocked down and brutally beaten King. King was accosted by Young and Hedspath, who wanted
to fight. Hedspath drew a knife and sprang toward King. At this King drew a 88-caliber revolver and fired two shots
at Young, who dropped dead with a bullet through his forehead and shot through the heart. King then turned on Hedspath
and shot him in the right groin, Inflicting a fatal wound He then shot Easton in the right thigh. The scene of
the shooting is
in the vicinity of the Leavenworth coal mines. There has been bad feeling between the white and colored miners
for some time, and the report that a white miner had killed three colored men created intense excitement among
the negroes, who compose a large part of the population. In a few moments negroes flocked to the scene from every
direction, carry shotguns, rifles, knives, revolvers and clubs of every description, all clamoring for revenge.
King at once started to run up the river bank, pursued by a constantly increasing mob of negroes yelling at the
top of their voices The mob fired six shots at King, who gamely turned and returned fire. King sought refuge in
the pump house of the water works, where the negroes were unable to discover his whereabouts. While the excitement
was at its height, Mayor Neely appeared on the scene and attempted to order the turbulent crowd back. A dozen revolvers
were pointed at him, and Chief of Police Roberts met with no better success The mayor finally mounted his horse
and started for Fort Leavenworth to get a force of soldiers.
In the meantime the entire police force of the
city had arrived and aided In the search for King. A squad of policemen finally found him crouched under an obscure
stairway He was captured and disarmed after a desperate struggle in which he was shot and wounded. While several
policemen guarded the prisoner, others went outside and informed the excited crowd that King was shot dead while
resisting arrest. A cheer went up from the mob, many of whom were satisfied with the report and in a short time
nearly all had left King was kept secreted in the building until a late hour in the evening, when a company of
cavalry arrived from Fort Leavenworth and he was taken to the fort to prevent lynching. (Grand Forks Herald Article
type: News Article, April 3, 1888, submitted by Barbara Ziegenmeyer)
RUNNING
BLOODY FIGHT
Between a White Man and a Howling Mob of Negroes
at Leavenworth - Killing Three of Them - Cause of the Riot
Kansas City, Mo. April 1
A Journal special Leavenworth gives a sensational
account of a bloody fight between one white minor and an infuriated mob of negroes In North Leavenworth this evening;
The incipient riot resulted in the death of one negro, the fatal wounding of one more white, one negro and white
man were each seriously shot.
The details of the affair are about as follows;
About 8:30 o'clock this evening as James King (white} cable man in the Lavenworth coal mine, was walking along
the street, he met Harrison Young, a notorious colored ward politician. Sam Hedspath and Ben Easton, also colored.
The three negros were standing at the corner of Second and Dakota streets, at tho exact spot where, one year ago,
Redepath had Knocked down and brutally beaten King. King was accosted by Young and Hedspath, who wanted to fight.
Hedspath drew a knife and sprang toward King, while Young put his hand in his pocket, saying: " Let's Kill
the Irish ____" At this King drew a 88 - caliber revolver and fired two shots at Young, who dropped dead,
with a bullet through his forehead and shot through the heart. King then turned on Hedspath and shot him in the
right groin inflicting a fatal wound. He then shot Easton in the left thigh. The scene of tho shooting is in the
vicinity of the Leavenworth coal mines. There had been bad feelings between the white and colored miners for some
time, and the report that a white miner had KILLED COLORED MINERS
created intense excitement among the negroes, who compose a large part of the population of the neighborhood. In
a few moments the negroes flocked to the scene from every direction, carrying shotguns, rifles, knives, revolvers
and clubs of every description, all clamoring for revenge. King at once started to run up the river bank, pursued
by a constantly increasing mob of negroes, yelling at tho top of their voices. Tho mob fired six shots at King,
who bravely turned and returned the fire.
In a short time King hot pressed by his wrathful
pursuers, turned and sought refuge in the pump-house at the water-works. Triumphant shouts went up from the mob,
who now thought they had secured their prize. The negroes swarmed through the waterworks building, searching with
dark lanterns In every nook and corner for King, while the colored women urged them on. The search was unavailing
and it was to his being able to hide himself for one hour that King owes his life. While the excitement was at
its height Mayor Neely appeared on the scene and attempted to order the turbulent crowd back and a dozen revolvers
were pointed at him, and Chief of Police Roberts met with no better success. Mayor Neely made unsuccessful efforts
to communicate with sheriff or deputies by telephone and finally, mounting a horse, started to Port Leavenworth
to get a force of soldiers.
THE SHOOTING OF KING
In the meantime the entire police of the city had
arrived and aided in the search for King. A squad of policemen finally found him crouching under an obscure stair-way.
They ordered him to surrender and the responded by leaping out with a cooked revolver ready to shoot. Policeman
Street then shot him, the bullet entering the muscle of the arm just below the shoulder, inflicting a painful and
serious wound. While several policemen guarded the prisoner, others went outside and informed the excited crowd
that King was dead, having been shot by a policeman while he was resisting arrest. Cheers went up from the mob,
many of whom were satisfied, and in a short time nearly all had left under the impression that King was dead, King
was kept secreted in the building until a late hour tonight.
A company of cavalry arrived from Fort Leavenworth,
and he was taken to the fort to prevent a lynching. He appeared cool and determined, and said he did not regret
shooting Young and Hedspath, both of whom had threatened to kill him, but he was sorry for shooting Easton who
he thought to be a friend of his would be murderer. King bears a good reputation, and has an invention of a safety
brake for cable cars on steep inclines, He is poor, and was going to see a man to induce him to help him got patents
when the trouble started this afternoon. Young, on the contrary, was a noted desperado. Little over a year ago
he killed Ben Thompson, colored man. He had managed to escape punishment for it. (April 3, 1888, location: Texas
Paper: Dallas Morning News, submitted by Barbara Ziegenmeyer)
Son says Father Killed
Sister But Mother Declares Statement False.
Los Angeles, Nov. 11?The disappearance eleven years
ago of a police into an investigation of conflicting stories of a mother and her deaf-mute son, one of whom accused
the girl's father of her murder while the other, denied the story. The girl, was Julia Dinello, whose father,
Tony, is serving a 50 year penitentiary sentence in Lansing, Kas., for the murder of two other of his children.
Police began their investigation after Ernest Dinello, 14, wrote a statement to probation officers accusing his
father of killing Julia after he had been placed in their care following complaints from neighbors that he had
been mistreated by his mother. He was sent to a county boarding school. The boy said his mother, brought him here
in 1922 with his sister, Adeline. He said his father, also known as Patio Bucci, killed two of his younger sister
with a hammer and threw their bodies in the Kaw River. In 1918, he said, the father killed Julia by joking her
to death with a wire, then beheaded her and sank the body in the river.
Faced with this information, the mother at first
denied Dinello was her husband and said her name was "Mrs. Melle." She claimed her husband was killed
in an explosion in 1921. Later she admitted the convict was her husband. The daughter also admitted the identity
and both said Dinello had killed two of her children. The mother contended, however, that Julia ran away from home
in 1918 and said they have not seen her since. They denied Dinello killed her. (Hays Daily News (Hays, Kansas)
Monday, November 11, 1929, submitted by Candi Horton)
