Newspaper Articles for Rooks County, Kansas

ROOKS COUNTY, KANSAS

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

FOUR HORSE - THIEVES LYNCHED

Rooks County, Kansas, the Scene of the Hanging

Max Alwens, the traveling salesman for the well known grocery house of Julius Kuhn, brings the information of a quadruple execution of horse-thieves by a vigilance committee of Rooks County. For notorious desperadoes named Cos, Hutchinson and Ed and Jack Connaughty are the men who were thus summarily disposed of, and they have made a reputation and name for themselves that will at least prevent any great expenditure for mourning purposes. For a long time they held supreme sway in Southwestern Kansas and were a terror to all the surrounding country. Horse-thieving, burglary and robbery was their forte, and they carried on their depredations everywhere. Eventually they were driven from the country and they took refuge in Rooks County, in the Northwestern part of the State, pre-empting a quarter section of land, and building them a cabin. From this time commenced a series of thieving and robbery such as Rooks County had never before suffered from and suspicion naturally fell on these newcomers. A vigilance committee was organized among the farmers and citizens of the village, and a minor committee traced two of the thieves into Nebraska with a wagon load of goods and several head of stock. The Committee returned to Stockton and preparations were begun to arrest the entire gang upon the return of the other two. One night, about two years ago the cabin in which the thieves lodged was surrounded by about twenty excited and enraged men, and the gang taken therefrom as they sat by the fireside. A court was organized, a short trial had, and the verdict of guilty of horsestealing and other crimes was found and the sentence of death pronounced upon the four men. Thereupon a rude scaffold was erected and amid the shrieks and groans and bitter imprecations, curses and oaths, mingled at times with prayer and beggings for mercy that sounded upon the midnight air, the men, one by one were hurled into fearful eternity. There ended the career of four desperate characters, who depended solely on their success in thieving to make a living. While we always deprecate mob law, the sudden demise of these men can certainly prove of no disaster to the county, and it may do great good. (Inter Ocean, February 4, 1876, Page 2)

MR. SEARS STOPPING

Rooks County Reord: Mr. Sears, of Ford county, Illinois is stopping a few days at the Commercial House. he owns a timber claim in Belmont township on which he will plant this spring 27,000 trees. (The Iola Register, April 8, 1881)

ALLEN PETTIJOHN INTO TROUBLE

Allen Pettijohn is sixteen years old and a resident of Rooks County. He got into trouble in Phillips County a short time ago, the Herald tells by taking a watch that did not belong to him. Justice Hickenlooper ordered him to jail for thirty days and fined him ten dollars. (Westerns Kansas World, September 26, 1885)

SAM KLINE NOT TAKING SHEEP TO ROOKS COUNTY

Sam Kline is not going to take his sheep to Rooks County to winter them. He has sold them - about 400 in number - to Allen Eston of Russell. Sam, we believe is to deliver them to Eaton at Hays City. (Western Kansas World, November 7, 1885)

DISTILLER CAUGHT

A Rooks County Distiller caught, Hays City, Kan., Aug. 20 - United States Marshal Howard captured a man named Martin, who is a veritable "moonshiner" and his distillery apparatus near Twin Mound in Rooks County today, and brought the whole outfit to this city with him tonight. (Western Kansas World, August 27, 1887)

JAMES KELLY ACTING TREASURER

In the absence of County Treasurer Gibbs on a trip to Cresson, Rooks County, a portion of the week, James Kelly has been acting treasurer. (Western Kansas World, May 12, 1888)

M. P. ISENBERG IN CITY

Our old friend, M. P. Isenberg, of Stockton, was in the city on Thursday and Friday. He used to be sheriff of Rooks County. Whether in office or out of it, he is a right royal fellow. (Western Kansas World, May 12, 1888)

A MOTHER CRAZED BY THE LOSS OF HER CHILD

Kansas City, March 12, The Star's Atchison special says last Sunday the 2-year-old child of Jno. Blout, a farmer near Stockton, Rooks County, found a bottle of laudanum and drank a quantity of it. The child died in a short time, and the next day, Mrs. Blunt, crazed by the death of her child drank the rest of the remaining in the bottle. She cannot recover. Mr. Blunt is prostracted and his friends are watching him lest he too may commit suicide. (Weekly Times Herald, March 15, 1890, page 1)

A WHOLE FAMILY STARVED

Terrible Story of Destitution from Rooks County, Kansas

Stockton, Kas., Jan. 5 - From Farmington, Rooks County, comes a fearful tifle of destitution. Four years ago John Clifton died and left a widow with five children. Year after year the crops failed and the poor woman was obliged to sell off her stock until at last there was none left. This year finished the fight, and when the recent blizzard came it found the house with neither food nor fuel. The house was located in the Blue Hills, four miles from the nearest neighbor. Saturday some persons passed the house and seeing no signs of life entered the house, where they found the dead bodies of Mrs. Clifton and three of her children, while the other two were in the last agonies of death. They had starved to death. Prompt attention was given to the living, but there is little hope for their recovery. (St. Louis Republic, January 6, 1891, page 5)

TEN STOCKMEN FROM WASHINGTON COUNTY WERE THE FIRST SETTLERS IN ROOKS COUNTY IN 1871

Early in January 1871 ten stockmen, James Thomas, Joseph, John and Francis McNulty, brothers - originally from Massachusetts - Tunis Bulas, John Wells, John Powell, Seal Northrup and captain J. owens settled in what later became Rooks county, taking first claims in Stockton township. These ten came from Washington County, Kansas and with the exceptions of James McNulty and Captain Owens all became permanent residents.

On November 26, 1872, Rooks county was organized on petition of more than 40 free-holders and Stockton was selected as the temporary county seat.

McNulty Brothers built the first house in the township in 1871. It was two and a half miles south of the county seat on the south side of the South Solomon river and was said to have been a pretentious dwelling for the time. In the fall of 1871 Mrs. Robert E. Martin came with her husband and family to Rooks County thereby achieving the distinction of being the first woman in the county. The first wedding was not until two years later when William E. Newton, and Mary M. Young were married by E. M. Cooper; justice of the peace in Lowell township. On Christmas day 1871 Myrtle Muade McNuley was born, her birth having been the first one in the county. The first death was not until the spring of 1873 when Erastus Foster died. His grave was the first one in the Stockton cemetery.

Early in June 1875 two men with 35 Texas ponies camped on the South Fork near Stockton and gave notice that they wanted to dispose of their stock. The people of the village soon gathered to inspect the stock while one of the strangers went to town to make some purchases. While the ponies were being examined the sheriff of Ellis county, named Ramsay accompanied by Joseph McNulty, sheriff of Rooks county, rode up heavily armed and announced the ponies were stolen property and ordered the thief to hold up his hands. Instead of obeying the order he jumped behind a pony and made ready to shoot. Both Ramsay and the horse thief were armed with needle guns and fired simulataneously and both dropped dead. The thief's companion was hunted up and fired on. His jaw was broken, but he made his escape.

After the organization of the county the first regular election was December 31, 1872 at Lowell Stockton, Paradise and Bow Creek precincts and these officers were elected: Joseph McNulty, representative; M. Drake, probate judge; John Russell, sheriff; L. c. Smith, county clerk; Joseph Rossard, treasurer; Albert Cooper, surveyor; Thomas Roylan, district clerk; John M. park, superintendent of schools; D. K. Dibble, attorney; L. C. Smith, register of deeds; D. W. Gaun, coroner; Lyman Randall, D. O. Adams, Lewis M. Stults, commissioners. (The Hays Daily News, November 11, 1929)

MRS. GRIMES KILLED BY CYCLONE

The only person killed outright by the Rooks county cyclone was Mrs. Grimes, who lived near Rooks Ceneter. AT the point where Mrs. Grimes was killed the cyclone rose in the air and did no further damage. (Western Kansas World, June 20, 1885, submitted by K. T.)