Several skirmishes, and an execution
of ten Confederates by Colonel Joseph Porter’s men in retaliation, occurred in
the autumn months. In late October, Quantrill’s band robbed a mail coach and a
Union cavalry pursued them, but the outlaws escaped. By early November
Quantrill was invited to join a Confederate raid, but the Rebels didn’t fulfill
their part of the bargain. Caught in the middle of town without a backup, the
guerrillas set the town afire. Disgusted with such disloyalty, Quantrill
determined to take his men to Arkansas and the Cherokee nation where they would
feel safe. Shortly afterward Quantrill left for Richmond to spend the winter.
In the Border District there seemed to be a hiatus, a lull in the continuous
pillage and slaughter.
Federal troops worried over the
general disloyalty of local citizens. The concern was so great that in January
Colonel William Penick, determined to end the activities of spies, arrested and
imprisoned a number of women suspected of spying. He would hold them as
hostages to free his own men from the outlaws. In early June, Major General
John Schofield made the Border District a formal unit under a new commander. It
consisted of “the state of Kansas north of the 38th parallel and the
two western tiers of counties of Missouri north of the same parallel and south
of the Missouri,” Schofield announced. Senator James Lane of Kansas urged the
assignment of Thomas Ewing as general of the new district. Despite Ewing’s
distaste for Senator Lane, he accepted the appointment.
In the early spring months of the
year, Quantrill and his men were not a troublesome presence. However, an action
by one of the former bushwhackers set off a new pursuit by Union soldiers.
Steve was once more called into service. It was May 15 when he was pressed to
locate a guerrilla band under the leadership of one Dick Yeager. Yeager and his
men attacked a stage station and general store at Diamond Springs near Council
Grove. They killed the proprietor and wounded his wife. It was the beginning of
a renewed turbulence. Steve was sought to find the Yeager band. In doing so, he
discovered that many disparate bands under minor leaders were assembling. He
provided information on the location and objects of each.
During this period of random targets
and casual leadership of small bands, Quantrill set about reconnoitering
Lawrence, Kansas. It was the center of the abolitionist movement and the home
of the Underground Railroad. Quantrill planned to call the disorganized bands
together and suggest a major attack which would unite them all. On the tenth of
August Quantrill’s own officers and the leaders of other bands met at his camp
at Blue Creek near the Lafayette County, Missouri line. A council was formed
and the men offered their arguments concerning the risks of such a strike.
Senator James Lane had himself raided many homes along Missouri’s border and
Lane lived in Lawrence. The group was finally persuaded and the council voted
unanimously to proceed.
While provisions were drawn, word
got out that a sack was planned for Lawrence in mid-August. General Ewing
dispatched an infantry company, but when no one arrived on the expected date,
and Quantrill couldn’t be found, he withdrew his troops.
On August 13 Steve was on
assignment, still in search of Quantrill, when his youngest brother, Sam,
brought information. Sam found him at a known safe house in Jackson County.
“Come home at once!” Sam called out
to him. “There’s been a catastrophe at the women’s prison! The building
collapsed and many people have been killed. At least five of the guerrillas’
relatives are dead. Five or more others are seriously wounded. Other prisoners
are dead as well,” he explained as they rode toward home. “Cole’s cousin died.
So did one Anderson sister. Two other Anderson sisters were severely injured.
John McCorkle’s sister-in-law was killed, but his sister Nannie escaped.”
Cole and the guerrillas would surely
be enraged and bound to take grievous action. Back in town, he left for Cole’s
home at once. Mrs. Younger had been in Kansas City since her family’s Cass
County farmhouse had been burned by Captain Walley’s men. At least two of
Cole’s brothers were with her.
Sam told him, “Mother’s resting. The
doctor gave her medicine to relax her. You need to see Major Plumb. He’s been
fighting off a riot threatening the Union post.”
Steve left for Union headquarters
located near the Kansas City waterfront, some two miles distant. There had been
five days of heat so penetrating that the riverboats were stuck in the harbor.
Even the usual beggar dogs were in hiding.
###
Steve found Plumb at the Grand
Avenue prison site where he was directing soldiers in the removal of debris.
The last of the injured and dead bodies had been taken away. Plumb walked among
the bereaved and angry offering sympathy and placating those with reproach and
bitter repudiation. Even Union loyalists stood fast by their outraged Rebel friends.
More than a thousand onlookers stood in the adjacent streets.
On the way back to the post, Steve
asked, “How did the building fail?”
“There were countless people
undermining the structure for months, some to bring provisions to the
prisoners, some to tryst with the women of ill-fame in the basement. It’s said
the guards cut holes in the walls to give access to the women below. There were
other points weakened in attempts to escape,” Plumb explained.
Four days later, after relentless
efforts to appease angry citizens over the terrible loss of life at the prison,
a message arrived that General Ewing, with General Schofield’s approval, issued
an order that all citizens giving harbor or support to the guerrillas would be
removed from the district and the state of Missouri. It was briefly stated what
they would be allowed to take with them. Ewing remained at Fort Leavenworth and
the next day reports began to surface from a few telegraphs received at rural
headquarters. Quantrill’s men were seen in the night crossing the river from
Kansas with a force of 450 men.
The crossing of guerrillas into
Kansas took place in the night, but messages and telegrams did not begin until
morning’s light. When Plumb finally got word, he assembled a cavalry to give
chase, but so few men were found at the Kansas City post that his pursuit was
nearly ineffective. He notified Steve to stay and man the telegraph station.
Steve would try to gather reinforcements by wire to meet Plumb from other posts
along the route.
General Ewing took pursuit as well,
although his notification from Plumb had been delayed. The next day it was
learned the Lawrence raid killed over 150 men. In total the dead, some few
raiders included, would eventually number nearly 200. The women were left
unharmed, but the town was sacked and burned, the bushwhackers taking whatever
they could carry.
The guerrillas escaped, and on
August 28 spies reported that they were safely in Johnson County. On September
2, General Ewing, at the behest of Senator Lane, signed Order #11. Senator Lane
threatened, “You are a dead dog if you fail to issue that order!” The order
forced thousands from their homes in three counties and a portion of another.
Steve and Major Plumb, Ewing’s adjutant, witnessed the signing of Ewing’s
order. Afterward, the fields surrounding those homes were burned and many
residents sought shelter as far as Arkansas and Texas.
###
Steve had received his law license
the previous winter, but despaired of searching for work in an attorney’s
office. Business and trade stood at a standstill. Disheartened, he visited
Pap’s saloon. He normally avoided the place, was ashamed of it. But since his
father had learned of it, he felt obligated to overcome his aversion.
Sid Smoot, who managed the place in
his father’s absence, greeted him enthusiastically. They talked for some time
about his teaching assignment, the war, and his new license to practice law.
“A visitor was here who asked where
she could find you,” Sid told him. “I promised to let her know when you came
home.”
“Who’s that, Sid?”
Sid smiled conspiratorially. “Mary
Bernard,” he answered. “She was here yesterday.”
“Oh.” Steve laughed. “The Bernards
have long been family friends.”
“Perhaps so, but your Pap always
said she had designs on you.”
“Mary is a good friend and a great
sport,” Steve added.
“At any rate, she’s newly married
and needs a lawyer it seems.”
He stared at Sid for a long moment.
“You don’t say. How so? She must be the only person in Kansas City who would
look for a greenhorn lawyer like me!”
“I always say, ‘Never look a gift
horse in the mouth.’”
Steve made small talk with Sid for a
short time to conceal his intention of finding Mary right away. He then left
for Mary’s home, recalling that several people had told him of the Bernards’
generous hospitality to soldiers and civilians of both sides. Located in the
midst of the city, their services must be called on frequently.
The door to the house opened as soon
as he reached the gate. Mary ran up the walk to greet him.
“Steve, I’m so glad to see you. You
must have gotten my message.” She hugged him warmly.
“I did indeed. I’ve just left Sid,
in fact.”
“What’s happened to you? You’ve been
hurt.” She took him by the hand as they walked inside.
He made light of his latest
injuries. He gave a brief summary of his time the year before at Lone Jack,
reporting only a whitewash of what he’d encountered there. She listened
soberly, but they soon turned the conversation to her.
“I guess Sid told you I’ve been
married. If you stay for just a while you can meet Epifanio. He’s taking care
of some business. Right now, I’d like you to see Pedro, our new baby.” She led
him excitedly toward the nursery. “Epifanio trades and purchases at Papa’s
store. That’s how we met. He’s a freighter for his father’s silver mines and
other interests,” she explained.
The child was asleep in his crib and
after Steve expressed admiration and approval, they returned to the sitting
room.
“It seems only yesterday when we
were in normal school,” he said.
“Yes. It’s hard to believe so much
has changed. War, marriage, a baby -- and now you are a lawyer, I understand.”
“Only since last winter,” he added.
“That will do for what Papa has in
mind, if you’re interested.”
“Of course I am.”
“Papa arranged to travel to New
Mexico with Epi’s wagon train when we go home next week. He was to meet Epi’s
father and Michael Steck, his partners in an important mine there,” she
explained. “Papa has a license to record mines and they’re selling shares to
the government. Only now, Papa’s taken ill and is in the hospital. The doctor
won’t let him go.”
“What can I do? I don’t really know
anything about mining.”
“Papa says for you to come see him.
He’ll explain what you need to do. You’re a lawyer now and he’ll make
arrangements for you to file mining claims so they’re accredited by the
authorities. He’ll see that you’re licensed.”
“Are you sure he’s well enough to
take that kind of time with me?”
“He’s going to be fine. He just
can’t take the rigors of such a long trip and exposure to so many germs.”
“How can he get a license for me?”
“He was a geologist for the
government in 1844. Then he worked for a private company and wrote the first
contract on the copper fields in Michigan,” she told him.
“So he has agreeable government
friends,” Steve concluded.
Mary nodded. A sound at the door
brought her to her feet. “Here’s Epifanio!” She ushered her husband into the
room. “He loves our baby, Epi!”
The men shook hands, greeted each
other, and Epifanio spoke up.
“Of course, your attention to Pedro
makes you special,” he said, grinning. “I suppose Mary’s talked you into
joining us?”
“With temporary reservations. I’ll
have to speak with Joab and see what I might be expected to do.”
“I hope she’s told you we’ll be
meeting the wagons of the new Arizona administration in Santa Fe,” Epifanio
told him. “You can travel to the new mines with their military protection.”
“That’s quite agreeable with me,”
Steve answered.
###
A few hours with Joab Bernard
convinced Steve the offer was indeed a stroke of the greatest fortune. Joab’s
maps and instructions were carefully detailed and his information was current.
Moreover, Joab’s associates were men of means and unassailable reputation.
There were two hurdles to cross: learning the language of the new field, and
convincing Sallie that the reward would be worth the separation.
The next day he traveled to Sallie’s
home with news of the offer.
“We’ve just been given the
opportunity of a lifetime, my love,” he told her excitedly. He kissed her and
twirled her in a circle around him.
“What in the world is it?”
“Joab Bernard wants me to register
his New Mexico mines so that shares can be sold.”
“How on earth can you do that?”
“He’s teaching me what to do,
sharing his maps and documents, and arranging for my license himself.”
She paused to consider the meaning
of the offer. “Why would he do such a thing?”
“Because he’s not well and can’t do
it himself. Someone must go to New Mexico and declare the matter with the local
authorities as well as federal agencies.”
He watched her expression change.
“That means we’ll be completely
separated!”
“I don’t have to stay, Sallie,” he
reminded her.
“If he wants you to go, there must
be no one else there who can do it.”
“That’s possible.”
“There aren’t any mines here in
Missouri, so that ability won’t serve you here. If there are other mines there,
other mine owners may want you to stay and work for them as well.”
“That may be true, but I’d have to
see the mines first to judge their value.”
“How would you be paid for other
mines?”
“If the mines are started by men
with little means, they must find a wealthy backer.”
“And if they don’t?”
“They can ask the lawyer to take a
risk, write a contract to accept some shares, and get paid a percentage of what
comes in later.”
“Do you think you might want to
stay?”
“It depends on many things. I’ll
have to look things over. If there’s little competition, it might be worth it.”
“I can’t go. You know I have a
contract to teach this year,” she told him.
“I understand, my love.” He held her
tightly. “The last thing I want to do is leave you.”
“When do you have to go?”
“Mary Bernard’s husband, Epifiano
Aguirre, is leaving with his family wagon train in three days. I can escape the
guerrillas who’ll be looking for me. I’ll be disguised and earn my travel money
by going as a teamster.”
“Yes, you must go. Great things
never happen without great sacrifice.”
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