Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-12
The STORY OF REUB KAY.
HE WAS A ST. JOSEPH BOY AWAY
BACK IN 81.
How 1t Came About That His Pretty
Cousin Married a Federal Officer
and Then How II Happened
That Kay Escaped.

Special Correspondence of The Journal.
Washington. Dec. 9.-One of the clerks
in the pension department, in Il reminis-
cent mood. related the following. which
will be of interest in Missouri:
zone of the most interesting cases, to my
mind. in connection with this department.
was the case in which the son of an officer
of the Sixteenth Illinois Volunteer infantry
figured. He wanted a pension because, as
he said, his father had assisted a rebel spy
TO escape. The unfortunate applicant, as
you see, was demented. But his mind SEEM
ed to be wrong only on this pension busi-
ness. On every other subject he appeared
rational. The story which he would al
ways tell was that during the war. while the
Sixteenth Illinois was stationed at ST. Jo-
seph, Mo, 4 young Confederate officer. a
West Pointer, too, was captured within the
limits of the city. His name was Reuben
Kay. His father was one of the wealthy
merchants of st. Joseph before the war.
and n pillar in the Methodist church. Bear
in mind. in listening TO this story we learn
ed that every representation made by this
demented young man, the conclusion in his
mind excepted. was verified.
Reuben Kay had been Il lieutenant In the
regular army. He resigned and, as they
used 10 say OF such fellows in the West,
he went ont TO help bust the government.
OF course he WAS a handsome soldier. Did
you ever know a West Pointer who was
not? He was on the. staff of General Ster-
ling Price. IL you have read the history
of your country you know that Pap Price,
as his soldiers called him. thrashed Multi
gan at lexington. Mo, and captured the
Town. 1t was considered a big victory al
That stage of the game.
We'll. Reub Kay. with the rank of cap.
tam, was one of Prices .favorites. Reut
was an old st. Joe boy. After the captur,
OF Lexington, Reub went South, and a lon.
tune after, when rebs We're at a premium
Iseub WAS sent back TO st. Joe to drum III
recruits. The post was held by old Bot
SiIith. OF the Sixteenth Illinois infantry
as the records have il printed. Reub Kay
went to his fathers house one night. Tho
GSG had forgotten him and made a noise
me ola negro coachman came out anC
laclled the dog; a Yankee soldier was
around and saw it. He knew the Kay fam,
lily was seceSh, because Il Young woman IN
the family had made herself quite cOnspic.
uous by wearing the red. white and red.
Before daylight a squad of Yanks fror
Fort Smith surrounded the house. and Cap
dents connected with the capture, as tn,
young applicant for Il pension told ii aImosr
aramatically, was that 1t was raining al
of the young rebel, a beautiful girl. as tn,
poor boy insisted, handed an umbrella Il
the Federal officer of the squad. and tn,
Federal ~gallantly shared il with his cap
tive:
surfing me that the young lady in the cast
was regarded as one of the most attractiv,
Of the Southern set in ST. Joseph. Ate
the Young man who based his claim for
pension on this sort of case had gone tina
far in his recital. he always rounded i
with this climax: One Sunday night tn,
services in the Methodist church, in whicl
old man Kay was a pillar. Were nearl,
broken up by the Incident which the younI
man always described in an earnest way
There was not a Union man or woman VIII
held membership in that organization o
Wesleyans. The incident was the appear
ance Of one of Colonel Bob Smiths Yam
kee officers. from Fort Smith. as Mis-
kay's escort. Why. she had been know
10 20 ont of her way TO keep from walk
ing under the stars and stripes. TIL
preacher cut his sermon that night, an
inE hymn than they had been asked I
omit. And after the service the congrega
ton remained about the vestibule 10 Sc
out. And l reckon ii won't hurt anybod
now IL / say that some of the congrega
ton followed the couple 10 the youn
womau's home.
Some of the hotheads of the town ur
dertook to taboo the young woman, bu
She was too independent to notice an
such effort.
Some time after this incident. and III
fore gossip had entirely undergone III
cooling process. the town was startled wit
the new that Captain Kay. the reb'
Spy. had escaped from Fort Smith. Ar
he was never recaptured.
Then the people who had talked