The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-07
FIRE WIPED IT OUT
Record of Kansas First Court
Destroyed at LeaVenWOrth.
Judge LeCOmpte Would Have
Had 1t That Way.
HIS LIFE EMBITTERED
Refused to Send His Picture to
Historical Society.
Secretary Martin Tried Inef.
fectually to Get Books.

court in Kansas, probably the most
valuable historical documents in Kan
sas, We're destroyed when the Leaven-
worth county court house was burned
two or three weeks ago. At the time
of the fire it was thought that these
most valuable historical records had
been saved, but it has since been found
that practically every page of the court
documents were destroyed. George w.
Martin, secretary of the State Histori-
cal society, has been trying to get
those records for years to keep in the
archives of the society, which are re-
garded as fireproof.
Judge Samuel G. LeCompte was the
judge of the first territorial court and
his life was filed with bitterness on
account of the attacks made upon him
and his court. 1t is probable that no
court mas ever been so severely criti-
cised since the days of the star cham
Der practices in England and the Sc
cret courts of the continental coun-
tries. There may have been good
grounds for this criticism. 1t was in
the border days when political and
bellicose passions were rampant and
the court is often said to have decided
according to his own personal feelings
rather than according to the law.
The free state settlers were said to
have been continually prosecuted by
Judge LeCompte and that there was
hardly any possible form of persecu-
The pro-slavery forces watched the de-
cision of the court in great glee and
enjoyed the prosecutions of the anti
slavery men hugely.
Judge LeCompte is the man who re-
fused to send his picture to the his
toricaI society and in his refusal said
that he would rather have his name
scratched for the records and mis- mem
ory blotted out than to perpetuate it by
photograph in the halls of the his
torical society.
Under an act of the legislature of
1905, establishing a department OF
archives for the preservation of official
books. documents and correspondence,
the state historical society made sew
eral efforts to obtain the records of
Judge Samuel D. Lecompte's territorial
court" said George Martin, secretary
of the historical society. THE books
were in the Leavenworth county court
house. and they were destroyed in the
burning of that building. They We're
of the utmost Importance from his
torical viewpoint, and were frequently
called for. Probably no court in this
country was ever rendered more OBJ
noxious, by the political and bellicose
passions of the hour than the first
territorial court of Kansas, presided
over by Samuel D. Lecompte. Judge
Lecompte, after statehood, became a
Republican, was elected to the legisla-
ture from LeaVenWorth county as a
Republican in 1867 and 1868, and in 1874
e-ved as chairman of the Republican
congressional committee of the First
district He grieved and lived in ex-
ceeding bitterness all his days because
of the criticism of his record as judge.
Personally and socially he was such as
to make the prejudice appear incredi-
BILE. We have got so far away from
that period that an injustice to sin
gle individual is today of no conse-
Quence, but any wrong to Lecompte
aA1I -, &1f{
by the careless loss. of these records
'Lecompte made defense of himself
in Sol Miller's Troy Chief, of February
4, 1875, and this was reproduced in
volume 8, of the historical collections,
as an act of historic justice Judge
Adams, secretary of the society, ask
ed Lecompte for his photograph as a
contribution to the society. In a re-
sponse Judge Lecompte said: Coming
in the form it does and for the purpose
specified, while I nonetheless appreci
ate your motive and return my heart
felt thanks for the intended kindness,
I feel obliged to every consideration OF
self-respect and in Difference to long
felt and profoundly impressed convic-
tions, to decline your suggestion Here
follow 12 pages of exceeding bitterness,
closing with the following paragrap phi:
Instead of contributing to it's perpetu-
alton in archives, so abounding with
manifold outrages, and where such a
character holds, and so far as human
prescience can forecast, is destined to
hold a lofty prominence, 1 should
greatly prefer that my name should
be crossed from every record and OBJ
liberated from every memory I close
with the assurance that I have no de-
sire that my photograph or picture
should grace, as perhaps a score of
nv personal friends might deem, or
disgrace, as the hosts who have con-
federated to by destruction would adj
Judge, the walls of the historical soci-
ETY. of the state
isThere never was any sense in these
records remaining in the Leavenworth
court house. The purpose of the act
of the legislature was to gather up such
things in place of safety. where pro-
per care and use could be given them.
History is righting itself and modify
ing many things every day, but the
injustice, much or little. meted out to
Iecompte. is practically perpetuated