The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1879-08-07
Historical.

Historical.
Two weeks ago, We Published c. w. JOhnson's
"reminiscences of the survey Of the base line be-
tween Kansas and Nebraska, On the 10th degree
of latitude. Writing from memory, after the lapse
of twenty five years. he falls into some minor
errors We do not remember what kind of .
season the Autumn of 1854 was. The survey was
commenced on the 18th of November, and it
must have not been earlier than the Goth when
they passed Walnut Creek yet they found pools
of water full of tadpoles ard wiggle- tails We
generally have sharp touch of Winter by the
middle of November, which is uuwholesome for
that class of waterfowl.
1t is probable that these persons are correct
who insist that it was Frank Marshall who had
a trading post on the Blnr. II Mr.. johnson will
Jog his memory be viii perhaps recollect that
the ranch kept by MIR. Moore was on the South
Branch of the Nemalia, short distance from
the subsequent town of Richmond, on the Old
overland trail. The place was marked as Moores-
town on the maps, for some years afterwards.
This Moore was W. W. Moore, for over twenty
years land until recently q resident Of White
Cloud. He now, we believe, stays at Atchison.
But these are minor errors, and not what We
started out to write of. The principal error that
Mr. johnson falls into, is one that We have seen
in print before. 1t is, that the late Robert E.
Lee. the chi.ftain of the late Southern Confeder
acy, was the Government engineer who estab-
lished the boundary line between Kansas and
Nebraska. At that time, Mr.. johnson, like al
most everybody else, probably did not know
Robert L. Lee from o hundred other Lees, for be
was unknown to fame and having seen it stat
ed that the engineer was Robert Z. Lee, he &C
cepted it as a fact, and speaks Of his acquaint-
ance with the Confedsrate leader. We do not
suppose that Robert E. Lee was ever in this part
of the country. The engineer who established
the boundary line, was Capt. Thomas j. Lee, OF
the corps of Typographical Engineers OF the
United States Army. In proof Of this, . friend
has shown us q letter received by him from the
Acting Commissioner Of the General Land ONCE,
several years ago, in reply to an application for
memoranda to enable him to ascertrin the alti-
tnde of a certain point above the level Of the
sea. This Leander K. Lippincott, who was Act
ing Commissioner, in the absence of the Com
missioner, is the husband of .'Grace Greenwood"
The following is his letter:
WASHINGTON, ID. C.. March is, 1876
Mr.. DEAR SIR:-In reply to the in
quiries in your letter of the l2th instant nave 10
say that the initial point Of the boundary ns Ge oe
Thos. j. Lee, Corps Typographical Engineers, y. b
A. No mention is made in Capt. Lees report of the
Very Respectfully Yours,
Acting Commissioner
A subseauen letter from U. j. Baxter, Acting
Commissioner, gave the address of Capt. Lee as
Office of the Chief of Engineers, u. s. Army,
Washington, ID. c.
Speaking of the boundary line, reminds Us Of
other historical matters. Not far above the
boundary post between Kansas and Nebraska, is
the mouth of the Nemaha River. At this point
the celebrated expedition of Lewis & Clark, in
1904, made halt, and left inscriptions in the
rock which formed the high south bank of the
river Some of these inscriptions were still leg
ible, with the date, less than twenty years ago.
On the occasion of an excursion on the White
Cloud ferry boat mp the Nemaha, on the 4th of
July, 1858, we saw those inscriptions. But the
banks have since been undermined by the wash
ing of the Missouri River, and the rocks have
disappeared. The railroad bridge at the mouth
of the Nemaha crosses near the spot where these
historic rocks stood.
Lewis and Clark were both afterwards Terri
torial Governors of Missouri. Lewis committed
suicide in o country tavern o few miles from
Nashville, while on his way to Washington.
Clark was appointed Governor by President
Madison, in 1913, and served until the admission
of Missouri as State, in 1921. He died in st.
Louis, in 1898. An old one-eyed negro known
rs "Old Pete" formerly the property Of Gov.
Clark, lived, for some years, on the bank OF the
Missouri River, nearly opposite the boundary
post between Kansas and Nebraska. legend
was extant, that he had, some years before, in
company with other negroes, committed mur-
der near st. Louis, but had escaped by turning
States evidence and had departed for the will
derness, turning up in the Missouri Bottom, in
Holt County. At that time, it was necessary for
free negroes in Missouri to be licensed and re-
corded as such. We believe that Old Pete was
for years the only licensed free negro in Holt
County He was q bad citizen. His principal
occupation was gambling with the Indians from
the Kansas side, and selling them whiskey. In
December, 1858, he got into row with party
of Indians, over some rascalty he he had perpe-
trated upon them. In the melee. he stabbed to
the heart a young Indian called Hu-to-wa, or
Lowry, and in return, the chief To hee shot him
in the head, from the effects of which he died in
the course of two OF three days, although the
ball did not go through the skull. To this day,
when To-hee gets drunk, and undertakes to re-
count his valiant exploits, his shooting old
Pete with an old pistol is the climax of his
greatness; whereupon John Ma-hes invariably
goes him one better, by relating how he killed
his own father and mother!
Since the foregoing was written, the friend
who furnished us the above letter, has received
and forwarded us letter from the Maj. Lee him.
SELF which settles the historical question - to
Gen. Robert E. Lees connection with the bound
ary line. Here it is:-
WASHINGTON, July 25 1879.
SR:-During ten days two weeks in November,
1854 made observations with zenith telescope, to
determine the latitude of point at Oregon, Aisaou
ri, and fiom that, by triangulation. established
point in latitude 40 the other side Of the river
have none of the notes of this work here with me,
and don't now recollect how many observations
took or precisely where the point was at Oregon.
All that information can had from the General Land
Office here. to which my report Was made
General r. E. Lee had nothing to do with this. He
was at that time Superintendent Of the u 8 Military
Academy ut West Point Yours,
THOs. j. LEE.