The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-27
Legislative Bill . Reminder Of
County Seat Troubles.
Usage Contest One Of Hottest
in History Of State.
4 loNe DRAWN OUT AFFAIR
In 1876 Records Were Moved to
Town of Lyndon
From Burlingame by Force OF
400 Armed Men.

To pioneers Of the state the bill
thrown into the legislative hopper
governing the erection OF county
buildings. and which would have pos
sibly affected the future location of
the county seat of Usage county had
it passed, Is q reminder of the Ia
nous county seat war of Usage coun-
ty. The bill was killed in the house.
The bill was introduced In the house
by Representative Neihart.
War Began I'm 1860.
The Usage county seat war which
one Of the hottest and longest drawn
out affairs of its kind in the history
of the state.
Prior to the organization of the
county. voting was done at Burlin-
game. The first meeting Of the Usage
county commissioners was held April
%. 1859 at Superior. A commission
consisting Of ]. NJ. Winchell. O. H.
Sheldon and Philip Schuyler was ap-
pointed by the state legislature of
1850 to locate the judicial seat.
The commission chose place about
lingame. However. the citizens of the
county were not satisfied with the
choice of the commission and at q
county seat election. held the follow
ing April. the town Of Prescott which
the three legislative men had selected,
was rejected. Two other similar cleo
tons were held in 1851 and 1862 and
both resulted in favor of Burlingame.
Here the records remained for many
years and all this time there was un-
ceasing friction between the citizens of
the county.
The Sax and Fox Indian reservation,
which comprised most of the eastern
half of the county, came in for settle
ment in 1869. The town of Lyndon was
started near the west line of the In
dian lands and near the center Of the
county. 1t grew very rapidly and In
1870 had q population of about 500.
Petitions were circulated for an cleo
ton to move the county seat from
Burlingame to Lyndon. Lyndon was
successful but Burlingame raised
county government.
Padded Voting.
At practically all the elections held
padded" voting on the part of both
factions was much INDUCED In. Per-
sonal encounters and similar ARRAYS
were not uncommon between men,
bers OF the rival towns.
When the Lyndon citizens attempt
ed to move the records from Burlin-
game to Lyndon, the Burlingame peo-
pie got out an injunction against the
action. The injunction was the be-
ginning of a litigation which lasted
five years.
The litigation was mingled with
personal encounters which as time
passed became more and more fire.
quent. Members of the rival towns
cultivated the habit OF toting artil-
lery that would make an arsenal
ashamed of itself.
In 1875 the citizens of Lyndon de-
cided to use force in obtaining the
records and a force of armed men
with teams and wagons started for
Burlingame.
Flag Wig-Wagging.
In the seventies no railroads or
telegraph or telephone wires formed a
network over the state. However. the
citizens of the two towns had means
of dispatching messages almost az
quick as by modern methods.
Pony messenger service and flag
wig wagging from hilltops were used
much. With the use Of these signals
just what was taking place in Bur-
lingame would be known in Lyndon
few minutes after it happened. And
so before the convoy Of Lyndonites
obtained a good start all Burlingame
knew that something was brewing.
The citizens of Burlingame. with
blood in their eyes. barricaded them
selves in their homes and in the court
house. Scouts sent out from the Lyn-
don convoy were promptly captured
by the irate Burlingamers and landed
In Jail. Citizens of Burlingame were
stationed along the road to guard it.
| Realizing what they were going UT
against the body of men from Lyndon
modified a force of 400 men or more
and advanced into Burlingame where
an ultimatum to the effect that the
citizens of Burlingame would either
deliver the records Of the county OF
the men from Lyndon would burn the
town.
Looked Like . Battle.
Feeling was up to a fever pitch or
both sides. A pitched battle seemed
unavoidable. The situation was crit.
| tcal. The nerves of the men were a.
q breaking point. A single shot from