Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-02-10
TOUGHEST TOWN IN IRE wsSL
That Was newton. Kas. In tho tariy sew
entities. hut Respectable
Pace TODAY.


Mason Junction used 10 neure IN news
papers as typical tough towns on the
border. hut Newton could give cards
ana spades on wholesale derrayity aud
recklersuess."
Newton to-day Is wide awake. enter
prising and pcaceable. and the citizens
know only by tradition of the scenes ot
blood of the early DAYS Il has 3 hand
some opera house. costly ard imposing
county buildings hundreds 80 pretty
homes. wide avenues of residences, long
commercial streets. ana itcSVettuS
wholesale ana mauufacturiug couccrns
In the spring ~ 1871 She terminus ot
the Santa Fe railroad was St EiuNoria.
IL was determined e. build 81 ioint
seventy-hvh miles further west THE v'-
iect was % catch the reNaS -att.e tratc-
Two men went ana tamred ON thN sgot
In APRIL 1871. There MAS uct tHtt
OF lumber then iu what is now Harvey
county Kas. These nfcu we've tNt Es0-
neefs of the town that Captst" Jsou -
bastian afterwards named \rWt'" SN
weeks later there was feNa'tttFn ~
nearly 2.Noo. The hiStrty ". tHt iowa
Tor the ilrst tiEht wN"tt> IS S..F>
Of iawlessness aut Nlo,}S-e1 VA. Nss
probably never been tsuA'e! v~ th.e
continent. although ether G'aerk '-.~.Hk
camps and cattle towns have krr UN
the music ~ the pistol q cevttre It"Eth
that Newton was 90 De The t-3 VI .Ht
railroad for year aria 10 wls ta ''r 4
cattle shipping Uri0t whisky SELLERS,
gamblers and thieves no,ket tht~r r.
hundreds DF course many rcsvettar'N
men seeking leEluuate business went
there. too. but the object of tEe vat o.
tv of the newcomers was 20 rto thc
cowboys and Cattlemen.
For months % was q ueyev-euiirC hat
tie between these lawhreakers ON th.
r1 a.. nsaN IL
on the other. From first % last thirty
six persons were killed with their boots
on At least a dozen gambling houses
were run on the main street. ana the
doors were kept open day spi niEht.
including sunday. one " them, tn"
Gold Room,' was capable % holding
500 to soo people, Every known kind
of gambling was rracticea \ scene
occurred in this place one sunday night
that is not often witnessed y Methodist
preacher went 60 the boss OF the place.
Doc" Thayer and requested permission
to- hold divine service II was granted.
and with every gambling table running
and the bar sending out Its liquid hell
the preacher. Rev. Mr.. Hahn stood up
and told the story OF the Man Of Na2-
arath, Before he had finished his sermon
a quarrel arose nt one Of the card tables
and a man was shot
II Is not intended TO give n detailed
account of the murders II gang Of
rrovocation would set their guns going
and going to kill \ bond election was
held Several special constables We're
appointed for election day. one OF them
was q Texan named Martin. At the polls
there was "A quarrel between him and "A
big Irlshman. calling himself McCmskcy.
but whose real name was Arthur Delan-
cy. The result or that quarrel was the
death of eight men and one woman and
the wounding " an equal number. After
the election was over MCCluskey and
Martin met IN the Lone star saloon
and renewed the quarrel. a proposition
was made and accepted TO go out on the
street and settle II with the inst. Both
men laid Off their belts ana started for
the street Martin had n gun hidden IN
his boot. ana just as the door was reach
ed he went down after II, intending to
kill the lrshman. McCluskcy was too
quick for him, and, taking the gun away
from Martin. shot him dead. McCluskcy
gave himself up and was acquitted.
Martin had a host Of friends and they
vowed vengeance on his slayer His
death led TO what has always been
known as the big killing I'm Newton.
There were three dance halls across
the railroad track I'm what was known
as Hyde park In one Of them the
big killing" occurred. McCluskey was
Il hangcr-un at one of them Martins
friends sWurc they would kill him and
all who took his part, The engagement
look place according To programme.
McCluskey was Killed early In the fray.
lie had two holes through his neck ana
enough lead was scattered about through
his body to make anyone who discovered
his grave imagine that he had struck
% paying lead mine. man on the Nc
Cluskey side shot nine of the lpng-hprn
crowd. and did IL H. a novel way, Know
ing that the fight would occur. this man.
Riley by name went prepared % make
himself felt. He had four siN-shooters
un him. At the first pop of a gun he
deliberately walked up to Texan and
arms between tho arms and body Of the
dead man, made a human harricadc and
shot al will from a safe ambush. After
the tight hr went out, mounted horse
and left The dead at the big killing
Were speedily disposed Of, and the
wounded taken care ot.
Mike FitZpatri kept n dive that he
called the Side Track" The unlucky
fellow who got I'm there found himself
sidetrackeH until his money was gone.
enough 10 protest against his robheries,
among others prominent merchant.
Mike ala not like any interference with
his business, and one morning he prmed
himself with more Of his vile whisky
than usual ana started out 10 kill The
merchant was sought hut he happened
a. he out OF his store. Mike went up the
street threatening everybody and walked
into a saloon. Iherc ne saw the CITY /
police Judge, George Halliday. and with
1ut the slightest provocatian or warning,
be- shot him through the heart The
Jack johnson, had been advised
that Mike was on a raid. and started 10
capture him. Seeing Mike coming out
NJ the saloon. johnson rested his Win
chester rife on the well curb and shot
him down.
This was Newton's last killing An
hour afterward the citizens had formed
a league and the suspicious characters
We're notified To leave They left.
Tom Carson. a neUhew of old Kit Car
son, was sent for at one time and came
to take the marshalship u the town.
lie stayed three weeks. The toughs had /
Il In for him. and 10 save his life he
skipped. wild Bill' 81. II. Hickoxl
tried Ia be marshal He couldn't do n.
Marshal King was killed in the discharge
II his duties.
LOVE As CoNsIDEKED NOWADAYS.