Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1888-12-20
A RIOT AT A REGISTERING g
PLACE III MARTINSBURG
RESULTS IN THE Kill
LING OF THREE
MEN.
Another Act Closes the Bloody
History - Two Brothers
Bodies Oisinterred
and Placed to
Rest Forever.

az SSNiSS VA A(thf AZ tSlANS tJdhINSA
Fletcher, two men who were killed
at Martinsburg in 1868, were taken
from their resting places in the lit
tie burying ground of the town
mentioned Friday morning and
brought to this city. The bodies
were brought overland, arriving
here at o'clock, accompanied by a
few persons. Several gentle
men of this city, who knew the
men in life, Joined the queer fun
eral party and the bodies were re-
inferred in the new cemetery.
The times just after the war and
up to the seventies were turbulent
ones. Feeling ran high and poll
tics was the cause of many mans
untimely death. It>was in the fall
of 1868 that a tragedy was enacted
at Martinsburg in this county that
at once became black blot
in the fair history Of this section.
its direct cause was politics. On
the morning of September 80,
1868, registration party, consist
ing of James P. Galloway, w. H.
Day, Jacob Harlinger and the
Purdy boys, as they were fanil-
iarly known, began to register the
voters of Martinsburg. 1t is not
now remembered who the regular
registering officer was, but man
named Charley Ready passed upon
all the applicants for registration,
and was, de .facto, at the head Of
the work. His method Of indicat-
ing to the clerk who should be reg
istered was a novel one. Ready
sat by the scribe and after the usual
questions had been asked the ap-
plicant, he would either shake his
head or Indicate by a nod that the
man before him was call right"
1t is asserted that the registration
party was endeavoring to make the
county Republican and that Ready.
who was an accomplished country
politician, was at the head of the
scheme in Loutre township.
The mornings wore away with
Ready at his post, industriously
indicating who should be scratched
and who should remain on the
lists. When an. adjournment was
taken at noon, Dave Fletcher, who
was president Of the local Demo-
cratic Club, declared that Ready
should not be allowed to come into
the house upon the reassembling
of the meeting. in the afternoon.
Fletcher was present in the interest
Of Democracy to see that the regis
tration progressed fairly, and he
! told several of his friends that if
Ready returned there would be
trouble. After dinner the regis
! tering was resumed, but Ready
was not present. He arrived short
+ ly, however, and he was met at tn 2
door by Sam Fletcher, who COM
manded him to remain on the out
side. Friends Of the Republican
registering officers called for Fletch-
er's arrest and one of them, Har-
Iinger, produced warrant. The
instrument was placed in the
hands of Kit Carson, who was
then sheriff, and he at once exc
cuted it. Fletcher yielded to the
officer and the pair started from the
house. Just after they had passed
out, a man named Catlett came to
the front door, which faced north,
and called TO Carson to disarm his
prisoner, at which Dave Fletcher
replied: 81 would like to see you
disarm him." Catlett denied hav.
ing said anything and. Dave Fletch-
er insisted that he did, whereupon
Catlett shouted:
you're a liar I"
II allow no man to call me that"
returned Fletcher, and he drew his
revolver. At that moment jim
fGalloway, one of the registering
party, appeared at the northeast
corner of the house and fired at
Dave Fletcher, who fell dead. A
man named MARSHALL came up be-
hind Galloway as he fired, at the
same time drawing weapon.
Galloway wheeled instantly, and
leveling his smoking revolver at
the approaching man, killed him
instantly. The firing then became
general and in the rout Sam
Fletcher was shot. He staggered
off to the house of a man named
Leachman, where he died in few
moments.
After the battle Jim Galloway
and others were arrested. In Oc-
tober, 1868, Galloway was indicted
TOR murder in the first degree. He
secured change ofvenue to Shelby
county, where he was subsequently
acquitted on the ground of self de-
tense.
Mr.. Marshall was a relative of a
large number of persons of that
name hereabouts, but the Fletchers
were young blacksmiths who had
2 E.