Murder of Dan Stephenson

After Jack Inman and Bill Wilson killed Dan Stephenson south of Springfield in northern Christian County on the evening of October 21, 1882, initial reports of the incident that appeared in Kansas City and St. Louis newspapers contained few details of the crime. Inman and Wilson, whom the Kansas City Times described as "two roughs," went to Stephenson's home just south of the Greene County line near the James River, invited him to come out and take a drink with them, and then, according to the Times, proceeded to "beat him to death with spokes from a wagon wheel." Stephenson and Inman were brothers-in-law, reported the Times, and "the killing is supposed to have grown out of family feud." 

That was about the extent of the initial coverage.

It was left to the local weeklies, which came out a few days later, to supply additional information about the circumstances of the crime. The Ozark Republican, as reprinted in the Springfield Weekly Patriot, described the crime in some detail. It seems Stephenson had married Inman's sister, who was also a cousin of Wilson, but the "married life of this couple was not a happy one." Stephenson and his wife had separated, and not long afterwards, "ugly rumors" began circulating in the neighborhood of an untoward relationship between Stephenson's estranged wife and her cousin Bill Wilson. Stephenson confronted Wilson one day about the rumors. He said he never expected to live with his wife again, but he told Wilson that he should have more respect for his cousin than to "lead her from the path of rectitude and virtue." Wilson became angry at Stephenson's reproaches and swore revenge. "How fully he put these threats into execution our citizens have sadly learned."

On the fateful evening, Inman and Wilson, returning from Springfield in a wagon, called at the home of Stephenson's mother. She told them he was attending a meeting at Faught's School. (Faught's School and Church building was about a mile north of Faught's store, which was a forerunner of Nixa.) Inman and Wilson waited for Stephenson to return, and when he got back home, they talked him into going with them in their wagon to have a drink.

A short distance away, one of Mrs. Stephenson's neighbors heard a commotion, and he thought one of the voices he heard sounded like Dan Stephenson's. Early the next morning, he inquired at the widow Stephenson's for Dan and was told that he had not come back home. A search was undertaken, and Dan's battered body was found in the immediate vicinity of where the neighbor had heard the commotion. Inman and Wilson's wrecked wagon was nearby, but there was no sign of the two men.

They were immediately suspected of the crime, and a posse was organized to find them. No sign of the fugitives was found at first, but about a month after the crime, a brother and a brother-in-law of the murdered man went to Inman's house and found him hiding under the kitchen floor. The sheriff was alerted, and Inman was arrested. Shortly afterwards, Wilson turned himself in and was also lodged in jail.

Both men were charged with murder, and their joint trial came up in early September 1883. Inman was acquitted, and Wilson was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison.

              

Ash Grove, Missouri

Ash Grove is small town in northwest Greene County about twenty miles northwest of Springfield on U. S. Highway 160. Nathan Boone, son of Daniel Boone, was one of the early settlers of the area, and his homestead is now a historic site.

The name Ash Grove first appeared when a post office by that name was established in the area in 1849. Joseph Kimbrough built a store not far from the post office in 1853, and the place was called Kimbrough after the storeowner. A blacksmith shop was added soon afterwards, but Kimbrough consisted of little more than the store and the blacksmith shop until after the Civil War.

After the war ended, the post office was moved to Kimbrough, and the town took the name of the post office. Ash Grove grew slowly but steadily over the next several years, and it was incorporated in 1871. After a railroad reached Ash Grove in 1878, the town's growth accelerated, and by 1880, its population stood at about 500. Ten years later, the population had almost tripled.

By the time a Springfield newspaperman visited Ash Grove in 1912, its population had dwindled slightly to a little over 1,000. It was still a booming little town, though, with "good churches, schools, many excellent homes and very much of which to be justly proud." Its businesses included a newspaper (the "Commonwealth"), a milling plant, two banking institutions, a creamery, a poultry business, a hardware and farm implement company, a lumber company, and a theater where both motion pictures and vaudeville productions were presented. It also had several general stores.

Ash Grove's population stayed steady throughout most of the 1900s at around 1,000 people. During the past few decades, it has grown modestly and now boasts a population of slightly over 1,500, which represents a peak.

Compton Junction, Missouri

Driving from Joplin to Harrisonville and back a couple of days ago, I noticed a sign pointing off to the east about five miles north of Nevada where Interstate 49 passes Highway M that said "Compton Junction." It's not the first time I've taken notice of the sign, but it got me to wondering about what sort of place Compton Junction is or was in the past.

Apparently, Compton Junction was never much more than a literal junction. There's not a lot of readily available information about Compton Junction, but it came into existence around 1925. It was at this time that a north-south road, which would become U. S. Highway 71, was built through the area intersecting a road that led east to Schell City (now Highway M). The intersection was named Compton Junction after P. A. Compton, whose land the road traversed or abutted. A bridge called the Compton Junction Bridge spanning the Marmaton River was built on the new road just north of Compton Junction, The new road was officially designated U. S. Highway 71 in 1926.

Whether any businesses existed at the junction during the very early years is unclear, but later there was filling station, a grocery store, and a motor court consisting of a few cabins. However, the place never grew into a booming metropolis or even a thriving little town. It pretty much stayed just a junction.

A sense of community did develop around Compton Junction, though. Enough so that the place, like almost every other small town or community in America, had its own country reporter who wrote about the gossip and goings-on around Compton Junction. The column was published each week in the Nevada newspapers, under the title of "Compton Junction News" or a similar heading, from the late 1940s until at least the mid-1960s.

The community of Compton Junction organized a volunteer fire department about 1977, when a new fire house was built and dedicated. The fire department is one of the few still-going concerns left in the community, although there are a few homes and a couple of businesses scattered along Old Highway 71 near the junction, and the old Compton Junction Bridge is still in operation, having recently undergone renovation.

Birch Tree, Missouri

Birch Tree is a small town located in Shannon County on US Highway 60 about 130 miles east of Springfield. Birch Tree had a post office as early as 1861, although there seems to be some uncertainty as to exactly when it first got a first post office. The settlement was name for a grove of nearby birch trees.

The original town site was located about two miles from the present-day town center. It was moved in 1889 when the Current River Railroad was built through the area. (It was a common phenomenon for towns to move to be closer to the railroad tracks when a railway was built through its area. )

By 1890, Birch Tree had a population slightly over 500, and it was still about 500 when a Springfield newspaperman visited the place in 1913. The town had two banks, a planing and lumber company, a roller mill, a canning factory, an ice plant, a drug store, a hardware and furniture store, and "many general stores." Dairy and poultry farming were also important industries in the area. The town boasted an eight-room high school with six teachers.

Unimproved land in the Birch Tree area could be had for as little as $5 an acre up to about $15 an acre.

Over the last 100+ years, the population of Birch Tree has held fairly steady, never dipping below 409 and never above 679.

Birch Tree has the unusual distinction of being home to two consecutive Missouri governors. Mel Carnahan, governor from 1993-2020 was born in Birch Tree, and Bob Holden, who was elected governor in the fall of 2020 and took office in early 2021, grew up in Birch Tree. Actually, Carnahan's lieutenant governor finished out the last 84 days of Carnahan's term after Carnahan died in a plane crash in October 2020. So, Carnahan and Holden's terms weren't technically back-to-back, but close enough.

Aldrich, Missouri

Aldrich is a small village located on Highway 123 about 15 miles southwest of Bolivar or about 35 miles northwest of Springfield. The town was platted in 1885 when a railroad was built through the area, and it was named for a railroad official named Aldrich. It got a post office in 1886. The Aldrich United Methodist Church, founded in 1888, is still in existence today. 

Aldrich grew rapidly, reaching a population estimated at near 400 people in the 1890s, and it continued to flourish for the next few decades. In 1912, when a Springfield newspaperman visited the community, he estimated Aldrich's population at about 300, although it was likely somewhat less than that. 

At the time of the reporter's visit, Aldrich had two churches, a school, and an Odd Fellows lodge. Businesses included the Bank of Aldrich, a realty company, a poultry business, a lumber and grain company, two grocery stores, a dry goods store, a hardware/farm implement store, and a combination jeweler/optician. 

Aldrich experienced moderate growth during the next couple of decades but then began to decline after 1930. For the past 70 years or more, its population has held fairly steady between 53 and 80 residents. Despite its small population, Aldrich is still an incorporated village with town meetings and elected officials.   

 

La Russell, Missouri

La Russell is a small village in eastern Jasper County very near the Lawrence County line. It was laid out in 1903 during construction of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and named for railroad official Russell Harding. The community became an important railroad stop and shipping point in 1905 with the completion of the White River Line connecting Carthage to northern Arkansas.  

La Russell thrived during its first decade of existence, being at the peak of its prosperity when a Springfield newspaperman visited the place in 1911. The reporter found a booming little village with a population of about 260 people. Among its businesses, the town had a bank, a hotel, a hardware store, and a general merchandise store. It also had "many good homes," two churches, and a "substantial brick high school."

The newspaperman mentioned a "water system" that the town had installed. This was likely a reference to the hand water pump that, to this day, still stands in the middle of La Russell's main street. Over the years, the pump has been blamed for numerous vehicle accidents, and some people have sought to have it removed as a safety measure. Those who oppose such a move, however, argue that the pump is a historic landmark that should be preserved. 

In the years and decades that followed the newspaperman's visit in 1911, La Russell declined in population rather precipitously. By 1950, the population stood at only 82 residents. It has since rebounded somewhat and nowadays has a population of about 135 people.

Fair Play, Missouri

I've previously written on this blog about the Fair Play fire of 1887, which destroyed much of the business district of the town. Today, I thought I'd dig a little more into the history of the town.

Fair Play came into existence as a named place in 1852, when it received its first post office. Early settlers in the area, including John W. Wakefield, wanted to name the place Oaklawn, but a post office by that name already existed, and Wakefield supposedly declared, "We'll just call it Fair Play." 

During its early history, Fair Play was likely little more than a general store and post office, although it was a significant enough place at the beginning of the Civil War that Cedar County lawyer Joseph Gravely, later a Union colonel, gave a speech there in 1861. 

When the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railroad was built in 1884-1885, the line slightly bypassed Fair Play. So, the town essentially picked up and relocated a mile to the north to be near the tracks. Fair Play quickly became a shipping point for surrounding farmers, and it began to thrive. 

At the time of the disastrous fire of 1887, Fair Play had a population of about 250 people. Despite the setback, the town quickly rebuilt, and it continued a slow but steady growth into the 20th century.

When a Springfield newspaperman visited the community in 1911, Fair Play had slightly over 400 people. It had only one main street, according to the reporter, but it had two banks, a newspaper, and various other businesses. The town also had a school and several "good churches." 

During the 100+ years since the newspaperman's visit to Fair Play, its population has remained fairly steady, never rising above the high 400s nor sinking below the low 300s. Today, its population stands at slightly over 400.