Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-17
INDEBTED TO A DESPERATE.
How Ex-Gev. st. John First Became
Known TO Fame,
Kansas CITY Sssr.


.sApropos of the nomination, of John p.
! st. John as the candidate OF the Prohibi-
| ton party, recalls to my mindthe circum-
! stances of how he came to be Governor of
Kansas" remarked gentleman to an
/ E0eniRg Star reporter this morning.
/ ''How was that?" asked the scribe.
"Well, if you would like to hear il I do
not mind giving you the facts in the case.
The truth Of the matter is st. John owes
MS present notoriety to Jim Crow Chiles,
former desperate character of Indepen-
denee, and who was killed by Marshal
Peacock, at Independence, in September
or October, 1874. A few years prior to this
occurrence st. John was practieing law in
that city under the firm name of st. John
& Dawson. One day ChiIes shot negro
In front OF the old Hickman House, and
81. John was the only witness thereto, or
at least the only one upon whose evidence
the prosecution could rely Chiles went
to the saint and told him if he did not leave
the State he would kill him, whereupon.
Like good, dutiful child, st. John stood
not upon the erGer of his going, but got up
and busted for 0Iathe, Kansas, where be
formed law partnership with Col. Park
.er, and went to practicing. So you see if
he had not been run out of Independence
by Jim Crow Chiles he probably would
have been one-horse country lawyer
yet"
''Chiles must have been a, hard man to
brighten St. John away so easiIy,7 said
the reporter,
why, did you never hear of Jim Grow
ChllesP No; | guess not, as ne was killed !
long before you came here"
"How did he happen to be killed9'
'NChlles had been attending the exp0si- |
ton here in September, 1874, I think il |
was and during the last two days of the |
fair had been drinking quite freely, and |
had several rows with parties here among
them being Ed. Corrigany the well known |
horseman. Jim drew pistol on him, and |
would undoubtedly have shot him, had |
he not been afraid of Corrigan's friend. |
Ed. was unarmed, but plucky, and never |
backed water once, although he was look |
ing right into the muZzle of Jin's pistol, |
and knew that he had the nerve to shoot. |
too. Sunday morning following the close |
of the fair, Chiles Went home to Indepen-
dence still under the influence of liquor,
and kept up his spree all day. Peacock |
was Marshal of the city at that time, be- |
tween whom and Chiles there had been
some difficulty. Chiles had ayouug son of |
his II years old who was trying to induce |
his father to leave The public square and |
go home with him. IN walking around the |
square Peacock and Chiles met, and some |
words passed between them, in which |
Chiles told Peacock if he met him on the |
square again thai day he would slap his |
jaws. Peacock demonstrated with Chiles |
and tried to get him to go home, bat he |
refused. Shortly afterWard the two men |
met again, when Chiles, true to his word, |
slapped the Marshal heavily in the face, |
when the latter raised his cane and struck /
Chiles, who grabbed it, and they clinched, |
falling to the ground, with Chiles ON top. |
While in this position the latter managed |
to draw one Of his siX-shooters and at |
tempted to shoot Peacock. The latter, re |
alizing his perilous position and that it I
was case ct life and death with him, |
grasped the pistol with one hand, while. |
with the other he managed to draw a Der |
ringer, and placing the same to ChiieS, |
head literally blew his brains out. AS |
Peacock rose to his feet young Chiles, ahO |
was very near-sighted, picked up his |
fathers pistol, and, holding it in both !
hands, fired at Peacock, the ball striking
him in tha spine and rendering him insen- |
sible for the time. At this juncture Jack !
FarroW, the Deputy Marshal, hearing the !
firing, came round the corner of the !
square on the run, with dOuble-barrelled |
shotgun, when young Chiles turned his |
battery on him, inficting q wound in the |
breast.
"A-b this interesting stage of the tragedy |
son Of the Marshal, young man, came |
dashing up to the scene on horseback, and |
with a revolver in his hand. Young |
Chiles began firing at him, shooting him |
in the leg, which fire was returned by |
young Peacock, resulting in young Chiles |
receiving a mortal wound, and he sank |
down dying beside his dead father and |
the wounded Marshal. The little fellow
was plucky, and deserved better fate. |
he fingered until the next day, when he
died, full Of pluck and grit to the last. If
the brave little fellow had been possessed |
of good eyesight, it is said, he would have /
doubtless killed the Marshal and his son |
at the first fire." Peacock and his son
1.
are still living in Independence. The |
tragedy caused greag excitement in the |
vicinity, and it was feared for a time that |
Chiles' brother wOald undertake to re. |
venge himself, but, as it was a clear case
of selfdefense, wiser counsels prevailed, |
and the law was allowed to take its |
course, resulting in the acquittal Of the |
paapO0EG