The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-24
~ HARRY ROOF.

l.
For several years your correspond
ent visited Stockton, in the employ
OF the Atchison Champion. Going
there in the pioneer days one had the
choice to either walk or by stage. The
first settlers went there early as 1871.
Enough immigrants had settled in
Rocks county, so in 1872 it was be-
lieyed there was enough in the county
TO insure organization. The law re-
Quired ESQ bona fidc inhabitants
This thew were assured, and the or
ganization was effected. A prelimin-
ary census was taken, and it was
found by the census taker, who was L.
c. Smith, that the required number
of inhabitants was ample. There are
some who believed the census was
stuffed to make organization sure,
and some Of the opposition went so
far as to accuse the census taker that
a shepherd dog was enumerated as
member of the enun.erators family
and had been put on the roll as
Curly" Smith. The charge was never
contradicted. The county was named
for John c. Rocks, of the Eleventh
Kansas cavalry. On the organization
Stockton was designated the temper
airy county seat by Governor Harvey,
and the following officers appointed;
Commissioners for the purpose of
making the preliminary arrange
ments. Lyman Randall and Lewis
Suits, and census enumerator, Lafe
c. Smith A man named George w
Beebe was also selected as clerk In
the meantime another town named
Lowell was making progress, three or
four miles east of Stockton, and was
an aspira Mt for the permanent county
seat. At the election in December,
1872 Stockton was chosen by q vote
| of e5 to So for Lowell. The first Of
ficers to serve Rocks county were;
| Repre- sentative, Joseph McNulty; sher-
/ if, John Russell; treasurer Joseph
/ Broussard. Lafe Smith served botn
probate judge, NJ. Drake; supertntend-
/ ent of schools, John Park; clerk OF
| court Thomas Baylan; surveyor, Al
( bert Cooper; D. w. Gaum, coroner ,
/ LYMAN Randall, D. o. Adams and
Lewis Suits were elected commission
ers. All of the first officers are dead
! or non-residents of the county A
curious incident concerning this cleo
/ ton took place, similar incidents De
ing then common in Kansas county
seat elections. Russell county Whlcn
corners Rocks on the southwest, was
/ being organized at this time Tne
contest for permanent county seat IN
Russell lay between the towns OF Rus
sell and Bunker Hill A "gentlemens
agreement was made between tne
friends of Stockton and Bunker Hill
that each should help the other IN
the county seat election. This agree
ment was carried out and the result
was both Stockton and Bunker Hill
won, Stockton carrying her election
over Lowell by a vote OF 90 TO %
stockton maintained her selection, but
Bunker Hill lost hers thru decision
of the supreme court
One of the early incidents OF ROCK:
county occurred in the summer o.
1875, when two men came there WITH
a drove of ponies and camped on tne
Solomon river near Stockton. One OF
them came to town, and was maxim
preparations for the sale. of them
About this time Sheriff Ramsey, o.
Ellis county, came TO town, ane
claimed the ponies had been stolen
and that he was on the trail Of tins
thieves. Meeting the one who was II
Stockton for the sale of them, he or
dered him to throw up his hands In
stead of doing this he jumped from
his horse and drew his rifle on th'
sheriff. Both were armed with needle
guns and drew on each other at the
same time and fired. The result wa
that both fell dead at the same time
Joseph McNulty. who was sheriff OF
Rocks county at the time, had come
with Sheriff Ramsay for the arres
of the two men. NcNulty engaged tht
other man who was with the ponies
nearby. and in the mix up between
them McNuity wounded the othel
man in the Jaw. The man, however
II escaped leaving the ponies in the pos
session OF the sheriff of Rocks county
Sheriff Ramsey was buried with due
honors by his friends. and the stolel
property was returned TO their owners
A recent letter from Joseph A Gill
now a well to do citizen of Vinita
Okla. to a friend calls to mind al
able attorney who made his start ii