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This is the civil war document presented to the Oregon Co, MO, Genealogical
Society Credit for the hard work and research goes out to: Lou Wehmer and Carl
Burkhead |
In the fall of
1867, the counties of Oregon and Shannon, were still
controlled by those roving bands of outlaws who ruled the
counties with an iron hand. A despotism, unequalled at any
stage of the war, existed there. There was a public
gathering in the fall of 1867 in Thomasville. Col. Jamison,
one of the leaders of these outlawed bands rode into town at
the head of about fifty men, well armed, shot two men's
brains out, paraded the streets and swore that any man that
attempted to enforce the civil law against them, would fare
the same; rode out unmolested and there was not a single
attempt made by the civil authorities to arrest one of them.
In a few days Jamison with some of his men rode into town
and a man by the name of Philip Arbogast, the father-in- law
of Mr. Hill, one of the firm of Hill-Whitmire Mercantile
Co., now doing business in West Plains, who had been a
Confederate all through the war, remarked in the hearing of
Jamison that the war was over, and he believed that the
civil law ought to be enforced. Jamison at once dismounted,
cocked his pistol, approached Arbogast and commenced
punching him with the muzzle of it until he inflicted some
wounds remarking to him that if he ever heard of him
uttering a word again in favor of civil law being enforced
that he would hunt him up and shoot his brains out. |
Some time previous to that occurrence, two men who had been discharged from the
Federal army and had once resided in Oregon county, came into the county to look
at their old homes. Col. Jamison, with about forty men, arrested them, took them
to the house of the sheriff, informed the sheriff that no "Feds" could ever
reside in Oregon county, and no damn Black Republicans could ever cast a vote at
any election that was held in the county; that they were going to make an
example of the men, that others might take warning; that they were going to take
them out far enough away that their stench would not annoy good Confederates.
Accordingly, they started from the house, took them about one-half mile,
stripped them naked, shot them to pieces, returned to the sheriff's house with
the clothing, which was the uniform they had worn in the service, horse and mule
and saddles which they had been riding; gave the mule to the sheriff, took the
horse with them, published what they had done, and said that those men shouldn't
be buried and that if any Confederate buried them, they would share the same
fate. |
Capt. Alley, who had been a Confederate all through the war, but was an honest
man and wanted to see the law enforced, informed Governor Fletcher of the
condition of the county. Governor Fletcher at once appointed him an enrolling
officer, ordering him to enroll and organize the county into militia companies,
to form a posse-comitatus to aid the sheriff in enforcing the law. As soon as he
received his commission, he rode into the different townships, put up his
notices requesting the people to meet him for the purpose of enrolling. Jamison,
with about forty men, rode into the township where the first meeting was to be,
posted another written notice on the same tree, the purport of which was that if
Capt. Alley, the old, white-headed scoundrel, appeared on the day to carry out
the orders of the Governor, he would meet him and shoot his old head off his
shoulders. Alley, being satisfied that he would carry out his threat, went to
the place before daylight and concealed himself nearby. About 10 o'clock on the
day appointed, Jamison and about forty followers came charging in on their
horses revolvers in hand, cursing and declaring that they would like to see the
old white-headed scoundrel put in an appearance so they could make an example of
him; that they didn't intend to let any man enforce the law against them. |
Monks took the Howell County arm of the Missouri State Militia to Oregon County
in the fall of 1867. By his own account, it was a brutal campaign. When the
militiamen captured four of Jim Jamison’s cohorts, Monks had them lashed to a
wagon, at the same time sending word to the outlaw that he would kill the
prisoners if the militia were fired upon. Monks then proceeded into the outlaw’s
lair, but Jamison and his gang elected not to test his resolve. Later, some of
his militiamen captured the Oregon County sheriff and tortured him by hanging
him until he was ready to talk. The militia however did not limit their
activities to eradicating outlaws and in many cases these men spent their time
hunting former Confederate enemies to settle old scores. The situation go so bad
the newly resurrected Oregon County Circuit Court raised its own militia to hunt
down the outlaws so they would have reason to get Monks to leave. |
Two companies of Oregon County militiamen, nearly all of whom were
ex-Confederate soldiers, joined the Howell County company, and the combined
battalion dispersed the criminals. Some were captured and turned over to civil
authorities for trial. Others were tracked down and killed by the Oregon County
militia. Jim Jamison and Dick Kitchen left Missouri altogether. Later Jamison
joined the Texas Rangers and received a pardon for his war crimes from the
Governor of Missouri. Others may have fled to Indian Territory expecting to
evade the reach of justice, only to swing later on Judge Isaac Parker’s gallows
at Fort Smith. |
The Oregon County militiamen probably did the lion’s share of the work. Capt.
Alley wrote the Adjutant General of Missouri in 1867 that Monks's company was
not doing much, and stated that he would not be displeased to see it move on.
Monks finally took his company north into Shannon County to prevent the gangs
from escaping in that direction. The State Militia detachment was relieved from
active service in December 1867. In his biennial report for 1867-1868, the
Adjutant General noted expenditures for Monks’s battalion of fifty men amounting
to $6,328.60, but there is no record of payment for the Oregon County militia.
In 1868, the Oregon County court continued its militia with funds from its own
treasury, which may have been as much to keep Monks’s company out as it was to
combat outlaws. Monks complained that the ringleaders had been killed or driven
out, but left behind sympathizers who “began lying and preferring all manner of
charges against the writer and his men.” He insisted that “it was admitted by
all honorable Confederates that I had enforced a strict discipline over my own
men and protected all classes of citizens in person and property, had paid for
all forage and commissaries that were required for the soldiers, and had driven
out the worst set of bushwhackers, thieves and murders that ever lived.” |
Klu Klux:
At that time there was a secret order in the counties of Oregon and Shannon
known as the Sons of Liberty. The author was informed that on a certain night
they would hold a meeting on Warm fork of Spring river. The author made a forced
march and, on reaching the place where they had assembled, surrounded the house
and took all the inmates prisoners, among them being the sheriff of the county
and a few other prominent men. The next morning Capt. Alley met the author, put
up his notices ordering every man to come in and enroll his name. The author
remained over the next day near the place, got in possession of their papers,
with a secret oath placed upon them, and the aims and objects, binding
themselves together to prevent the enforcement of the civil law, and further
binding themselves to capture or take property from any man who had been in the
Federal army, and, when it became necessary to enforce it, to shoot men down.
They claimed to have lawyers connected with it, so that if they should be
arrested they were to make a pretense of a trial and allow no man to go onto the
jury except those who belonged to the order. |
Capt. Greer, who had been a Captain in the Confederate service all through the
war, and afterwards was elected to he state legislature, remarked that, "I can
soon tell whether those grips, obligations and oaths were in the organization
known as the Sons of Liberty;" said that "Old Uncle Dickey" Boles, a short time
previous, came to him and informed him that the Sons of Liberty were going to
hold a meeting in a big sink on the mountain and they wanted him to come and
join it; that he was looked upon as a business man and he didn't know anything
about what was going on right at his door; that if he would come and join it, in
a few years he would be a rich man. Capt. Greer said he replied to him, "Uncle
Dickey, I have always been an honest man and have worked hard, and if a man can
get rich in two or three years by joining that order, there must be something
dishonest in it." Old Uncle Dickey replied; "You won't be in a bit of danger in
joining it, for we are so organized that the civil law can't reach us." Capt.
Greer said he had a son-in-law who was requested, at the same time he was, to
attend the meeting, and that after the meeting he saw him and asked him what
kind of an organization it was. He said his brother-in-law told him, "I dare not
tell you; I took the bitterest oath that I have ever taken in my life not to
reveal the workings of the order on penalty of death. But I will tell you
enough, Captain, I know that you are an honest man and that that organization is
a damn jay-hawking institution, and you want nothing to do with it." Captain
Greer at once sent for his brother-in-law; he came, and the signs, grips and
by-laws that were captured at the place of the meeting were submitted to him and
he said he believed they were word for word the same, and contained the very
same oath that they swore him to on the night that he went to their meeting. |
As the gunfire
subsided by 1870, the war of words continued for at least another
decade. The political struggle played itself out in regional races
like Circuit Judge. It was with particular delight that Colonel John
R. Woodside defeated William Monks in the early 1870’s. In the
immediate post war period, while the radical republicans ruled a
number of criminal indictments were filed against former rebels
seeking compensation for stolen horses and property. Monks filed
civil suits on his former kidnappers and in some cases took their
property. After the Radical Republicans fell out of power the tables
turned and indictments were filed in Monk’s home county charging him
with murder. On one occasion while Monks was appearing in a
neighboring county court he had to jump through a window and ride
away to avoid a young man he had mistreated during the war killing
him with a shotgun. |
Here is how Monks
summed up the situation:
But they left some of their sympathizers in the county, and the only weapons
left them were their tongues; having no conscience or principle, and instigated
by the wicked one, they began lying and preferring all manner of charges against
the writer and his men who went into the county and, by the aid of the
law-abiding citizens, drove out and arrested one of the worst set of men that
ever lived, the savage not excepted, and restored the civil law, so that every
citizen was secure in person and property. |
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I grew up in Republican Howell County. Monks was portrayed to me as a local
hero. I knew nothing of the other side until my mid 20’s. The first presidential
primary election I voted in I was not asked which ballot I preferred, I was
handed a republican ballot. I’m sure similar stories exist with a Democratic
twist here. Monks and his associates took control of the county court in West
Plains in 1865. The first order of business was to re-instate property taxes to
get the county government up and running again. But, they declared any loyal man
living in the county during the war did not owe back taxes, while the rebels
did. The consequence was those who were not driven from the county by gunfire
were made to leave by other means. Monks formed a land speculation company and
bought and sold the lands in tax default to former Unionists locally and out of
state. The consequence and legacy of these events in Howell is today a
republican county while Oregon is largely democratic. |
This is the civil war document presented to the Oregon Co, MO, Genealogical
Society Credit for the hard work and research goes out to: Lou Wehmer and Carl
Burkhead |
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