Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-08-16
WHY ST. JOHN MOVED.

From the Kansas City Evening Star.
Apropos of the nomination of John
p. st. SOhn rs the candidate of the
prohibition party, recalls to my mind
the circumstances of how he came to be
governor of Kansas" remarked n gen
tlcnlan to an Evening Star reporter
this morning. '-.'-ss -+'s3
elbow was that 2" asked the scribe.
"Well, if yon would like TO have it,
| d" not mind giving yOn the facts in
The case. The truth Of the matter is ST.
John owes his present ,notoriety to Jim
Crow Chiles, a former desperate char
acter of Independence, and who was
killed by Marshal Peacock, at indie
,pcndence, in September or Oeinner,
1874. a few years prior to This occur
Tence 81. John was pracilcing law
in This city aiider tlies firm 1iassne OF st.
john & Dawson. Onc. day C6lleg qlDt
q negro iir sasysAk ct -tl,e Oh s,
lsossse. aud ~. John SERae 51s8 -
ness thereto, or at least DE o10NNpos.
cn.11 '1hrse rafs evidence the Prosecutien
a ana told him Ss Msnt.o went. the the sai'it ,t
state he would kill him, whcrchpi0f
II goou, dutiful child, ST. John stood
not upon the order OF his going, but
Just got up and busted for Olaihe, kas.,
where he formed u law partnership
with Col. Parker and went 70 practice
ing. So you ace il he had not been
run ont of Independence by Jim Crow
Chiles he would probably have been a
une-hOrse country lawyer yet"
..Chlles must have been a hard man
to frighten st. john away 50 easily"
ventured the reporter. - ;t.fis tfi-a..t
"Why, did you never hear of Jim
Crow Chilcs No; l guess not, rs he
was killed long before you came here"
elbow did he happen TO be killed ?"
"Chiles had been attending the EX-
position here in September, 1874, 1
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 being Ed.
COrrigan, the well known hOrseman.
Jim drew a pistol Oh him and would
undoubtedly have shot him had he not
been afraid of Currigan's friends. Ed
was unarmc,l, but plucky, and never
backed water once although no was
looking light into the muzzle OF Jim's
pistol, and kmew that hc had the nerve
lowing the close of the fair, Chiles
went lone 10 Independence still under
the influence OF liquor and kept up his
spree all day. Peacock was marshal of
the city at the time between whom and
Chiles there had been some difficulty.
Chiles had a young son 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
\ Lat
which Chiles told Peacock if hc met
him Oh the square again that day he
would slap his jaws. Peacock remen-
strated with Chiles and tried 10 get him
to go home but he reused. Shortly
afterwartl the two men met again when
ChiIcs. .truc 20 his word, slapped the
marshal heavily in the face. when the
latter raised his cane and struck Chiles,
who giabbcd it, and they clinched,
fal ing 10 the ground, with Chiles on
top. While in this position The latter
managed to draw one of his six-shoot-
ers and attempted 70 shoot Peacock.
The latter, realizing his perilous posi-
ZION and that it was Il case of life and
death with Inn, grasped The pistol with
one hautl while with the ether he mani
aged to draw derringer, and placing
The same to Chilcs' head literally blew
his brains out. AS Peacock rose to his
feet young Chilcs. who was very near
sighted, picked up his fathers pistol,
and, holding it in both hands, fired at
Peacock, the ball striking him in the
spine and rendering him inscnsiblc for
the time. At this junctnre Jack Far
row, the deputy marshal, hearing the
firing, came around The corner of the
square Oh the run, with double-bar-
relied shot gun. when yOumg Chiles
turned his battery Oh him, inflic;ing
wound iii the breast. y-f f...l -
AT this Interesting stage of the trage-
dy a son of the marshal, a young man,
came lashing up 10 the scene on horse.
back, and with a revolver in his hand.
Young Cliles began firing al him,
shooting him in the leg, which fire was
returned by young Peacock, resulting
in Chiles receiving a mortal wound,
and he sank down dying beside his
dead father and the wounded marshal.
The little fellow was plucEy, and de-
served Il better fate. He fingered until
the next day when he died, full of
pluck and grit 10 the last. Ii The brave
little fellow had been possessed ofgood
eyesight, it is said, he would have
doubtless killed the marshal and his
son at tho first fire." Peacock and his
son both recovered from their wounds,
and are still living in Independence.
The tragedy caused great excitement
in the vicinity, and it was feared for !,
time that Chiles' brother would under
take to revenge 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 acquit-
tai of the Peacocks.