The sun., 1903-01-18
ONCE DEPIED EMANCIPATION.
JUDGE "TOM" SPENCER AND TWO
FREE PICKANINNIES.

They were His Piaymates and - . Lad
He Caused . Sensation BY ktdnapping
hem-Prosecuted jess James Stay
ers-stories OF . Western Tenn Reed.
Judge tom" Spencer. general solicitor
Of the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy
system. was in New York the other day.
He is probably the only man who ever kid
mapped two negroes after the Lincoln
Emancipation Proclamation.
For the benefit OF those who have never r
heard Of Judge tom Spencer II should
be said that he 10 Of the same stamp, In
many respects a. the late Speaker Reed.
Where he Ia known people swear BY him.
and whenever he appears in public people
flock about him, knowing they will be
repaid.
His life has been fun Of incident. He
lived on the border In the dark days. He
was farmers boy. law student, Har-
ward graduate. prosecuting attorney and
afterward Circuit Judge Of the northwest
counties Of Missouri, In one Of which he was
born, and In that county he kidnapped the
pickaninnies who had been his pls ymates
on the plantation. He did not kidnap
them in the strict definition Of the word,
for the pickaninnies were participants In
the act
When the proclamation was Issued there
was weeping and wailing on the Spencer
plantation near the old town OF Sparta,
Buchanan county, Mo. Tho elder Spencer
was Southern sympathiser. but he was
mighty stickler for the law, and when
Lncoln's proclamation went forth he lined
up his faithful slaves and told them they
must 20.
In the lot were woman and her two sons,
the playmates Of young Mars Tom. They
hung upon each Others necks In parting
The only place the woman knew outside of
Sparta was st. Joseph, where her 'Missus'
had traded Thither she went with her
pickaninnies, and, renting q small shanty
on the hills, she began TO live for herself
and family.
Young Mars Tom Spencer did no. UNDER
stand how a negro could be free. His
father. no doubt, did. but he probably
never sat up late at night explaining to Tom
how such thing had come about. or why
1t was legal.
Some weeks after the old plantation had
changed ita aspects old man Spencer had
occasion to send Tom to ST. Joseph on
business. Tom did the hitching Of the team
and the driving. The distance to St. Joseph
was twenty miles.
When he reached his destination and had
transacted his fathers business he hunted
up his plantation playmates. He found
them. and after they had romped to their
content Mars Tom suggested that they 70
back to the old home, and they consented.
Mars Tom knew better than to ask the
permission of their mother. He told his
quondam playmates to jump into the wagon
and they obeyed his order. He had two
large empty b. = in his wagon-bed and
the negro lads crawled into them and were
covered up with straw.
Mars Tom drove home and unloaded his
freight His father was not home when
the delivery was made.
The next day the St. Joseph Herald
edited by Major John j.. Bittingcr, now
Consul General for this country in Canada
contained an account of the -kidnappinR
Of two negro boys by young Tom spencer,
son of rebel sympathi,er, d. d. Spencer.
who had been compelled to free his slaves
st. Joseph was then a military post The
day on which the kidnapping article ap-
peared. the Provost Marshal cent squadron
Of cavalry post haste to t 10 farm Of d. ID.
Spencer, near Sparta. with Instructions 10
demand the immediate surrender OF the
two kidnapped negroes. and also with
Instructions To arrest Spencer and his son
II they offered the slightest resistance.
Old man Spencer had, me anwhile, reacheo.
home. and was In the act Of starting back
TO ST. Joseph with the negroes when the
ca valry arrived with orders from the
Provost Marshal, and when the situation
was explained. the kidnapped were sent
back TO their mother.
Some year. later. when Judge tom
was on the bench, after he had adjourned
his court one day in 81. Joseph. he was
passing out of the court house when young
negro man dofed his hat and said:
-EIcuse me. but amt you Mars Tom
Spepoer?
The Judge replied that he had been Mars
Tom at one time. but that Mr.. Lincoln had
removed the appellstion.
Excuse me, continued the negro. 'but
you Ia Mars Tom TO me yet just the ssme
as you was when you kidnapped me and
nah brother right heah ~ dis town
ereeting s,,i invited Jim % SC w.'h h!rr 70
his Office. Several people called TO zee
Judge Spencer during his conference With
Jim. but he was engaged. Tho former
master and his slave playmate were having
Jim had come up from lIeavenworth to
see his young marrter on the bench And
although Jim was fairly well 70 do In business
In Leavenworth. when ne loft his young
marster. the Judge. that day, b was much
better OF than when he came.
tom Spencer vas prosecuting attorney
when Bob Ford ri led Jess James ct st.
Joseph II was Spencer's duty 70 prose-
cute the Ford boys. and he did It.
While the body Of the dead bandit lay
in the house whore jess was shot and his
rnntheY Mr. ga nllelA HaA waiting for the