The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1877-02-08
Hon. P. B. Plumb.

Hon. P. B. Plumb.
Preston B. Plumb, of Emporia, was
elected United States Senator in the
legislative joint convention yesterday
on the first ballot of the day, being the
sixteenth of the session.
Colonel Plumb is native of Ohio,
and learned the printing business in
the Office of the Xenia Ncws, White
law Reid, now of the New York. Iri-
bune, was brother apprentice. Be-
fore he was nineteen years of age he
was q partner of Rev. j. ID. Liggett,
recently of Leavenworth, in the pub
LEGATION of that paper. He came to
Kansas in 1856, when he was nineteen
years of age, and was the leader of
small party of men who located
town in western Kansas, near the site
of the present town of Salina, which
was named Mariposa. The location
was too remote from settlements, and
the situation too monOtonous and
lonely for so restless spirit as our
young hero possessed, and SO he re-
traced his steps and made Temporal
ry halt at Topeka, worked few months
at the case in the Office Of the Kansas
Tribune, then published by w. w.
Ross and John Speer. In the fall of
that year he was foreman of the Office
of the Herald of Freedom, at Law
renee, and Z. 2. Harris, now superin-
tendent of the State printing works of
George W. Martin, and S. 5. Prouty
worked at the case under him: AT
this time Colonel Plumb was beard
less young man, and had boylsh ap-
pearance, looking younger than he
really was. What he lacked in digni-
ty and manly appearance, however,
he made up in assurance and selt-reli-
ance. He conferred with Lane, Rob-
inson, Pomeroy, and other leading
men of the Free State party with as
much familiarity and freedom as if he
was the peer in ability and experience
of either, and, indeed, he had that con-
fidence in himself to believe that he
was inferior to no one.
In February, 1857, 6. W. Brown, of
the Herald of Freed )ns, and Cornelius
Hornsby,. George w. Deitzler and
Lyman allen, all of Lawrence, pur-
chased GAO acre Wyandotte float,
with the intention of locatingit some
where for town site in Southwestern
| Kansas Plumb heard of the pur-
chase and applied to Mr.. Brown for
an interest.
"Why," said Mr.. Brown, sit would
cost you $500 to purchase fifth inter
est in this enterprise: you can't raise
that amount"
"Will you sell me fifth interest for
| So00 -, ipuuira1 Mr. DIumb
Thinking that the offer would be
the affirmative.
Plumb left the office, and after a
few minutes absence returned with
$500 and handed it to Mr.. Brown, for
which he obtained fifth interest in
the town site of Emporia. He had
borrowed the money which he re-
turned within two weeks, having sold
in the meantime One-half of his inter-
est for 81 600 cash down. He imme-
diately went to Cincinnati and pur-
chased printing office, and . in May
following he issued the first number
of the Kdnzas NepS, at Emporia. 1t
was printed in the first building erect
ed in that town, and Jacob Stotser,
one of the present proprietors, was
the first foreman. The NeUs at that
time spelled Kansas with ''z." Rich
ard J. Hinton was associate editor,
and William A. Phillips, Martin f.
Conway and l.. d. Bailey were fire.
quent contributors. 1t was the spright-
lest, ablest and most piquant paper
then published in the Territory, and
welded great influence. In the fall OF
1859 he sold the NeOs to Jacob Slot
Ter and Dudley Randall, and entered
into the practice of law. In 1852 he
took an active part in raising the
Eleventh Kansas regiment, of which
he was made Major, Thomas Ewing
being Colonel. He was in the battles
of Old Fort Wayne. Cane Hill and
Prairie Grove. and when Colonel Ew-
ing was promoted to Brigadeer Gen
eral, Major Plumb was promoted to a
Lieutenant Colonel, and was made the
Generals Chief-of-staf. General Ew-
ing was placed in command of dis
trict, with headquarters at Kansas
City, and was the author of the famous
General Order No. H." which com.
mandcd general depopulation Of the
western border counties of Missouri
| III Was dleO uuIInS OCuCioi GWlh
command of this district when oc-
Cured the terrible Quantrell raid on
Lawrence. Colonel Plumb was sent
with force from headquarters to
overtake Quantrell, but word reached
the Colonel at Olathe of the destruc-
ton and massacre, and wisely pre-
suming that the savage guerrillas
would attempt to leave the State in a
southerly direction, Colonel Plumb
pushed westward with his force on
the old Santa Fe road, and intercept
ed Quantrell near Baldwin City. Up
to this time Quantrell and his men had
been burning and numbering while on
their march. but when they saw Colo.
mel Plumb's force they sought safety
in flight, and FASTENED to Missouri as
rapidly as their fresh horses stolen al
Lawrence, could carry them, and nc
more harm was done. Colonel PUNT
has been censured for not attacking
Quantrell, but good military men
who were cogniZant to the facts, say
that he acted wisely in not attempt.
ing an attack, as the chances were
that he would have been defeated land
in case of defeat there would have
been no end to QuantrelPs devastat.
ing operations in Kansas. HE was
mustered out of the army in the fall OF
1865, when he returned to Emporia
and resumed the practice of law. lie
was one of the corporators and first
directors of the Union Pacific rail
way, southern branch, (now Missouri
Kansas & Texas railway and was one
of a party Of six gentlemen who went
to New York to contract with the
Land Grant Railway and Trust COM
pany for building the road. This
: party consisted of Colonel Plumb
Thadeus H. Walker. Hiram +. Hale
p. z. Taylor, T. S. Huffaker and S. S.
Prouty. The Office of the Land Grant
Railway and Trust company was on
Wall street, and its officers were
among the ablest and shrewdest finan-
ciers of that celebrated monetary cen.
ter. About two weeks were con.
sumed in agreeing upon terms, etc
| Colouel Plumb was the leader of the