The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-02-28
THE SEDALIA WEEKLY BAZOO. TUESDAY, FEBRUARy
A GOOD MAN GENE.
Death of Captain Ritchey at His
Suburban Home Yester-
day Afternoon.

county, dgcu nearly lOTts-tNo .cais
Such is the simple announcement of the
long expected death of one OF the the best
known men i'm this county. Ii is no matter
of surprise to the host OF friends whose
habit il has been for weeks to make daily
inquiry as to the welfare of the suffering
man, for it was known that his death was
but a question of time. The terrible
scourge of consumption had fastened upon
him, and for him there was no relief this
side of the grave
Samuel Woods Ritchey was born on the
2Ist day of March, 1910, in Warren county,
Kentucky. While he was still quite child,
his parents removed To st. Clair county,
this state, and there made their home, TAX
ing up their residence at Towards Mill.
Here Captain Ritchey lived until the COM
mencement of the war. When the war
came on he was a student at the State Uni
versity, at Columbia, which institution OF
learning he at once quilted and Joined the
confederate army as a private. lie served
with gallantry in the Trans Mississippi
department, under Gen. John Il. Clark, jr.,
and Col. Waldo 7. Johnson, rising from the
priyate's station TO that of staff officer with
the rank of captain.
At the terrible battle of Lone Jack, in
1862, the most desperate fight, according
to the numbers engaged, of the war i'm the
west, volunteers for the forlorn hope which
was to undertake the almost impossible
task of re-establishing communication
with Cockrell's brigade, which had got
lost in the fight, were called for. Among
the first to step to the front was Captain
Ritchey. While riding desperately in
search of Cockrell, Ritchey, with single
companion, a private named Casey-the
rest of the volunteers having nearly all
fallen back-was carried right up in front
of federal regiment, under command of
Col. Foster, which was stationed behind
the bushes, and the whole regiment opened
fire upon the two horsemen. Ritchey's
horse fell riddled with bullets, and the
captain was crushed beneath the animal.
receiving severe injuries i'm the breast.
Casey was wounded i'm the hip and fell
with his horse. Both of these brave men
were taken prisoners, and Captain RItchey
was removed to hotel with his breast
bone crushed in. The federal troops set
tire to the hotel and abandoned il,
leaving the wounded man in it, He saved
himself by rolling himself over and over
out of the structure and some twenty feet
out on the ground, when he was unable to
progress further owing TO weakness. He
accordingly rolled up against the corpse
vi a soldier in order To protect himself
from the fire, and lay there, resigned to his
fate, until he was rescued by his own
party, and placed in a carriage and taken
into Arkansas, whence he rejoined his old
as soon as he was sufficiently re-
covered to do so.
Captain Ritchey served through till the
war came to an end, and then went to
Texas, where he remained until 1865. His
parents and family had i'm the meantime
removed to this county. The captain
soon Joined them and took mp his abode
with them near Georgetown and directed
all his efforts towards rebuilding their and
his own shattered fortunes. In 1873 he
was appointed deputy sheriff under Henry
J. Mccormick, and performed his duties of
that arduous office so well As to retain
il throughout the two terms of l.. s. Muir
raw, McCormick's successor. In 1878
he was elected To the responsible
office of recorder of deeds for Pettis
and transacted the business con-
nected with that position with rare fidelity
and ability up to the time of his becoming
no longer able to work. He had been con-
lined to his home since July last, and for
the past four or five weeks i'm bed. He met
death quietly and peacefully, without fear
or trembling, as quietly and collectedly as
he would in health have affixed his official
signature to the records i'm which he took
such pride.
As man, and as faithful and incor-
ruptible official, Captain Samuel w.
will long be remembered in this
In his death he exemplifed
his double right to the soldiers epitaph
and that of the honored citizen. He was
christian, and died like one, i'm the faith of
a painless and happier life beyond the
boundaries of this world.
He was imbued with the spirit of this
young city, was active, industrious, enter
prising and go-aheadative, and, If he had
lived, would have done everything in his
power for the prosperity, Improvement and
glory of Sedalia. 4 few years ago he
bought the Bouldin tract west of the
city, laid out an addition to Sedalia, i'm
proved and beautifed il in every way, and
disposed of the lots in such liberal man.
ler that quite little colony of pretty little
cottages. inhabited bv respectable families,
have grown up in that part of town.
Captain Ritchey was gentle. modest and
confiding i'm his nature He had long been
a member of the Presbyterian church, but
was, without ostentatious show of religion,
pursuing his wav through life with perfect
sincerity and christian humil-
ity He made friends with all with whom
he came in contact, and the people of this
city and county will universally regret his
untimely death. He leaves behind him
three sisters, and two young brothers, the
oldest of whom is the well-known deputy
under Sheriff Conner.
The funeral took place from the Cum
berland Presbyterian church, on Lafayette
avenue, at 5 o'clock this afternoon, and
was attended by large concourse of SYM
pathetic friends of the deceased and his
family.