Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1884-08-28
INDEB TED TO A DESPERATE,
How Ex-0ov. St. John First Became
Known to Fame.

How Ex-0ov. St. John First Became
Known to Fame.
"Apropos Of the nomination of John
Z. st. John as candidate of the pro-
hibition party, recalls to my mind the
circumstances Of how he came to be
governor Of Kansas" remarked a gem
tleman to an Evening Star reporter
this morning.
"How was thati" asked the scribe.
swell, If you would like to hear it,
I do not mind giving you the facts in
the case. The truth Of the matter is
St John owes his present notoriety
to Jim Grow Chilcs, former desper-
ate character of Independence, and
who was killed by Marshal Peacock,
ut Independence, in September or Oc-
tober, 1874. A few years prior to this
occurrence st. John was practicing
law in that city under the firm name
Of st. John e. Dawson. One day
Chiles shot negro in front of the old
Hickman house and st. 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 order of
his going, but just got up and busted
for Olathe, Kansas, where he formed
u law partnership with Col. Parker,
and went to practicing. So you see
il he had not been run out of Inde-
pcndencc by Jim Grow Chiles he prob
ably would have been a one horse
country lawyer yet"
"Chilcs must have been hard nun
to frighten st. John away so easily"
said the reporter.
"Why, did you never hear of Jim
Grow Chiles? No; I guess not, as he
was killed long before you came here"
''How did he happen to be killedw
"Chiles had been attending the OK
position here in September, 1874, I
think it was. and during the last two
days Of the fair had been drinking
quite freely, and had several rows
with parties here, among them Ed.
Corrigan, the well known horseman.
Jim drew pistol on him, and would
undoubtedly have shot him had he
not been afraid of Corrigan's friends.
Ed was unarmed, but pluclsy, and
never backed water once, although he
was looking right into the muzzle of
Jim's pistol, and knew that he had the
nerve to shoot. too. Sunday morning
following the close of the fair, Chiles
went home to Independence still un-
der 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. Chilcs had II
young 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 Chilcs met, and
some words passed between them, in
which Chilcs told Peacock If he met
him on the square again that day he
would slap his jaws. Peacock remon-
strated with Chiles and tried to get
him to go home, but he refused.
Shortly afterward the two men met
again, when Chiles, true to his word,
slapped the marshal heavily in the
face, when tho 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 x-shootcrs and at
tempted to shoot Peacock. The latter
realizing his pcrilous position and
that it was case of life and death
with him, grasped the pistol with one
hand, while with tho other he man
aged to draw dcrringcr, and placing
the same to Chilcs' head, literally
blew his brains out. As Peacock rose
to his feet young Chiles, who was very
ncar-sightcd, picked up his fathers
pistol, and, holding it in both hands,
fired at Peacock, the bull striking him
in the spine and rendering him in
sensible for the time. At this juno
ture Jack Falrow, the deputy mar
shal, hearing the firing, came around
the corner of the square on the run,
with adouble- -barreled shot-gun,when
young Chiles turned his battery on
him, inhicting a wound in the breast.
'At this interesting stage OF the
tragedy a son Of the marshal, a young
man, came dashing up to the scene on
horseback, and with revolver in his
hand. Young Chiles began firing at
H. Il.