Biographies Index

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

BIOGRAPHIES

MOONEY, ISAAC REV.

The first sermon I ever heard preached in my life came from the lips of Rev. Isaac Mooney, and it gave me a favorable impression of the ministry. It was in the little old Diamond Creek school house that stood in what is now the western edge of the town of Potwin. I was about six years of age, and it was before the days of churches in northwest Butler. The country was sparsely settled, but the neighbors came from great distances to hear the sermon, which was the first to be preached in the community for a long time. I well remember the particularity with which I was cautioned by my good mother as to my behavior, and my childish curiosity as to what a sermon was like and how a preacher would look. I had heard of preachers, but had never seen one, and had only a vague idea of what a sermon was like. There were no song books in the neighborhood and the services were conducted without music. Rev. Mooney did not charge for preaching, and the "hat" was not passed. It was the primitive beginning of a religious awakening in the community. Rev. Mooney came up from Towanda about once a month to preach and the "neighbors" all attended, and if Isaac Mooney left the same impress upon others as he did upon me in my early childhood, as he no doubt did, his memory will brighten with an imperishable luster throughout all eternity.

Isaac Mooney was born in Miami county, Ohio, May 22, 1820. He died at Towanda, Kans., October 20, 1902. Coming to Kansas in 1869, he purchased from J. R. Mead, the old Indian trader, the land lying south of Main street, upon which the town of Towanda now stands, and homesteaded the land north of Main street, moving thereon in 1870. In 1871 he platted and laid out the town site.

Isaac Mooney was married to Eliza Rhodehamel, of Miami county, Ohio, in 1848, and was the father of nine children: Mrs. G. W. Lane, of Pomona, Cal.; Sol R. Mooney; Vol P. Mooney, author of this history of Butler county; Mrs. Dr. F. T. Johnson, now deceased; Mrs. A. Swiggett, Walter Mooney, Mrs. E. A. Spalding, Joseph Mooney and Mrs. M. Orban, Jr. Mr. Mooney became a Christian in early life and was ordained a preacher in 1843. He never preached for pay. His first ser-mon in Butler county was preached in June, 1870, and he continued preaching till the time of his death. He was a farmer before coming to Kansas, preaching on Sundays in the summer time, and holding meetings every Sunday, and almost every night during the winter season. He married more than 1200 couples during his ministry and preached about the same number of funeral services.

The first funeral sermon I ever heard was also preached by Rev. Mooney in the same old Diamond Creek school house. A little baby daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cornelius died, and my father rode down to Towanda and notified Rev. Mooney, who came and performed the last sad rites. Strange and incredible as it may appear, I still remember the text which Rev. Mooney used, although I was very young. It read: "Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." Rev. Mooney's last act was a double wedding about a week prior to his death, and it was said of him that he had either married or buried almost every one he had ever known. His patriarchial presence in the community in which he lived so long, was like a perpetual benediction, and he compelled by his goodness, his gentleness, his patience and his rectitude, the respect, affection and reverence of all who knew him, and especially of the little children, to whom his arms, like the Master's were always outstretched in sympathy and kindness.

The Walnut Valley "Times," through my beloved friend, its editor, Alvah Shelden, who attended the funeral, said: "Elder E. Cameron of Sycamore Springs, associated for a quarter of a century in church work with Rev. Isaac Mooney, preached the sermon yesterday. The attendance was the largest ever known at a Butler county funeral. He was the founder of churches, an establisher of Sunday schools, and a preacher of the Gospel, without money and without price. At his death he left surviving him, eight children, thirty grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

I seized a brief respite from the never-ending cares of business to attend the funeral myself of the good man who had preached the first sermon I ever heard, and whose daily life had ever afterwards charmed me with the perpetual perfume of its unbroken and uninterrupted goodness. The sentiment that possessed my heart on that occasion was shared by every person present. I have known many good and worthy men, but should I be called upon to select from among them the one who, in my opinion, had come nearest to living a perfect, unselfish, unblemished, patient, forbearing, tireless and effective Christian life, I should unhesitatingly name Rev. Isaac Mooney; and with a heart full of affection, admiration and gratitude, I pay this tribute to the rich and radiant memory of this beloved pioneer, patriarch and preacher of Butler county. His good deeds live after him. Written by J. B. Adams.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 640-642)

FULLER, L. J.

L. J. Fuller, a prominent farmer and stockman of Prospect township and early settler of Butler county, is a native of Michigan. He was born in Washtenaw county, December 14, 1850, and is a son of James H. and Mary Ann (Bonny) Fuller, natives of New York State and early settlers of Michigan. Levi Fuller, grandfather of L. J. Fuller, was a Michigan pioneer and came from Utica, N. Y., to the wilds of Michigan at an early day, and here located in the wilderness and made a home for himself and his family.

In 1869, L. J. Fuller removed to Missouri with his parents and settled in Newton county. They remained there about ten years, when they came to Kansas and located at Columbus, where the parents spent the remainder of their lives, their deaths occurring within seventeen days of each other. They were the parents of five children, three of whom are now living, two daughters being dead.

In 1890, L. J. Fuller traded for the property in Prospect township, where he now resides. At first he had 320 acres, but later sold 160. He has been quite extensively engaged in the stock business and has also carried on a large dairy business. Mr. Fuller is one of the substantial farmers and stockmen of the county and has made a success of his undertakings.

Mr. Fuller was united in marriage in Newton county, Missouri, in 1874, to Miss Lucy E. Koontz, a daughter of Levi and Charlotte (Key) Koontz, Mrs, Fuller is a native of Montgomery county, Missouri. Her father was a native of North Carolina and of German descent, and her mother was a native of Virginia and of French descent. When Mrs. Fuller was six weeks old her parents drove across the plains to Iowa and settled in Clarke county, that State. After making their home there for sixteen years, they went to Newton county in 1869. The mother died in 1884, and six years later the father came to live with Mrs. Fuller, where he spent the last sixteen years of his life. He died October 12, 1902, aged eighty-two years and six months. He was a grand old man and a representative of that type of pioneers whose work is well done.

To Mr. and Mrs. Fuller have been born the following children: Fred, Peck, Kans., married Bessie Fuller, and they have two children, Alvah and Edna; William Leonard, Prospect township, married Viola Locke, and they have two children, Ruth and Ruby, twins; Myrtle, married Frank Brovyn. Latham, Kans.; Levi, Latham, Kans.; Ernest, died at the age of five months; Clyde, resides at home; Mary, married William Jones, Prospect township, and they have one child, William.
Mr. Fuller is a member of the Grange and the Knights of the Maccabees. He is independent in politics and one of the substantial men of Butler county. He has taken a commendable interest in local affairs and has served as township clerk, although he has never aspired to hold political office. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 642-643)

RALSTON, RENWICK P.

Renwick P. Ralston, one of the successful oil men of Butler county, whose present income from that industry, can hardly be estimated, is a native of Butler county. He was born in Towanda township, October 22, 1888, and is a son of J. R. and Ida (Bennet) Ralston, natives of Ohio, and Butler county pioneers. They came to this county in 1869, and homesteaded a quarter Section of land in Towanda township. The father served in the Union army through the Civil war, and is now one of the substantial citizens and honored pioneer settlers of Butler county, and has been a successful farmer and stock raiser.

Renwick P. Ralston grew to manhood on the home farm and was educated in the Towanda schools, and the Brumback Academy at El Dorado, and has been successfully engaged in farming and stock raising, He was one of the first to become interested in the oil and gas development of Butler county in 1914, and drilling was commenced on his first well in the latter part of November, and at a depth of 1,450 feet, gas was found in abundance. In the spring of 1915, two more wells were drilled on his place, both of which were good gas producers, and another well followed which was also a good gasser. On October 20, 1915, the fourth well was begun, and at a depth of 2,369 feet, a great oil well was struck, which, at first, flowed 2,200 barrels daily, which gradually settled down to a steady flow of 1,500 barrels a day, and he now has five producing wells, and more wells are being drilled on his place, all of which bids fair to be the richest section of the great Augusta oil field. He also has good prospective oil land in the vicinity of El Dorado and is interested in other oil property in this field.

Mr. Ralston was united in marriage January 31, 1912, to Miss Margaret L. Loncer, of Towanda. She is a daughter of Augustus and Mary (Yurgenson) Loncer, the former a native of Indiana, and of German descent, and the latter of Pennsylvania, and of Danish ancestry. Augustus Loncer came to Towanda in 1884, and engaged in the drug business, and also the general mercantile business. He was a successful man of affairs and a large land owner. He was one of the organizers of the Towanda State Bank, and was vice-president of that institution for a number of years. He died June 18, 1908, and his widow now resides with her daughter, Mrs. Ralston.

Mr. Ralston is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and since his boyhood, has showed marked business ability. His success in the oil business is in thorough keeping with his business career and the logical outcome of well directed capabilities, and an inherent ability to make the best of opportunities as they present themselves.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 643-644)

MOSIER, ELISHA

Elisha Mosier, a well to do farmer and stockman and substantial citizen of Fairview township, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Morgan county, August 23, 1838, and is a son of Eleazer and Abigal (Fall) Mosier, natives of Maine, who went to Ohio with their respective parents at an early day. The Mosier family is of English descent; Elisha Mosier's great-grandfather, Daniel, was a native of England.

Elisha Mosier was reared to manhood and educated in Ohio, and in 1866, was married to Miss Lucy Ann Eveland, a daughter of Daniel and Louisa Eveland, natives of Ohio. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Mosier lived on a farm in Morgan county, Ohio, about ten years. They then went to Iowa and settled in Wanplow county, where they remained four years, and removed to Jasper county, Iowa. They followed farming with indifferent success here until 1885, when they sold their land and came to Butler cqunty, Kansas. Upon coming here, they bought a quarter section of land in section 27, Fairview township. This land was unimproved with the exception of a little one-room stone house, 6x8 feet. This building was torn down and the stone used in the construc-tion of his present residence. When Mr. Mosier bought his place here, he went in debt for a large part of the purchase price. He engaged in the stock business and general farming and has met with very satisfactory success. His place is an ideal stock farm, being amply supplied with good water, and the soil is of a rich and productive character.

To Mr. and Mrs. Mosier have been born the following children: Daniel E., Lincoln county, Oklahoma; Stephen A., Lincoln county, Oklahoma ; Henry, deceased; Louisa, married Frank Buckler, Lincoln county, Oklahoma; Elizabeth, married A. G. Zimmerman, and lives on the home place in Fairview township; Mary Belle, married Shirley Ratts, Reno county, Kansas; Jane, married Chas. A. Ray, Butler county; Lodema May, married Herbert Sooby, Butler county; George D., Butler county; Florence Ulda, married A. Ray, Champaign, Ill. Mrs. Mosier died February 19, 1905. Since coming to Butler county, Mr. Mosier has built up a reputation for honesty and integrity, which gives him a place among the best citizens of this section of the State. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 644)

BETZ, JOHN F.

John F. Betz, a prosperous farmer and stockman of Fairview township, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1861, a son of Jacob and Mary (Roule) Betz, natives of Germany, the former of Baden, and the latter of Alsace. They came to the United States when young, and they were married in Cincinnati, January 4, 1851, and resided there until 1864, when they removed to Lima, Ohio. In 1872, they came to Kansas and located at El Dorado, reaching here March 22, 1872. Here the father engaged in the hotel business, conducting the Ohio House, which stood on North Main street where the Long-Bell lumber yard is now located. Owing to depression in business, and extended credit, Mr. Betz failed, and was practically penniless. He had bought a relinquish-ment from Tom Young, a stage driver, who had homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 25, and in the spring of 1873, the Betz family moved to this place, where the parents spent the balance of their lives. The father died June 27, 1902, and the mother departed this life March, 1909.

John F. Betz was one of a family of five children, and was about eleven years of age when he came to Kansas with his parents. He was always industrious and ambitious, and even when his father kept the Ohio House, he established himself in the shoe shining business, and in that way, saved considerable money for a boy of his age. The Betz family were poor when they settled on their claim, and it required the greatest industry and closest economy to get a start. Finally, by the co-operation of John, with his parents, they succeeded in acquiring a yoke of cattle and some farming implements, and proceeded to break their prairie. John F. Betz has herded cattle for $3.50 per month in the early days, but he was of the type of young men who work for anything they can get, when unable to get their price. He was bound to do something. After the death of his parents, John purchased the interest of the other heirs in the estate, and later bought 320 acres of land and now owns 480 acres, which is one of the best farms in Butler county, and he is well-to-do, and one of the substantial men of Fair-view township.

Mr. Betz was married in 1913 to Mrs. Myrtle Beach Kappes. She is a daughter of N. J. and Gertrude (Pierce) Beach, and is a native daughter of Butler county. Her father was a native of La Grange county, Indiana, and came to Kansas in the seventies. Her mother was a daughter of Martin Pierce, and came to Kansas from Illinois with her parents, and her father homesteaded a claim in Fairview township. Mr. Betz belongs to that determined type of pioneers who started life under difficult circumstances, and, by force of industry and business ability, has succeeded. He is a staunch supporter of the policies and principles of the Republican party, and takes a keen interest in local affairs. He has served on the school board and held the office of constable. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at El Dorado.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 644-645)

RATTS, R. J.

R. J. Ratts, now deceased, was an early settler in Fairview township, and one of Butler county's honored citizens. He came to Kansas in the fall of 1876, and for a time worked rented land on section 12, Fairview township. In the spring of 1880, he and his family went to Barton county, where they homesteaded a claim of government land. They remained there three years. Their crops were repeatedly destroyed by drouths, hot winds, hail storms, and they finally concluded to return to Butler county. In 1883, they sold their claim for $400 and, later, disposed of a timber claim on Rattlesnake creek in that county, for practically nothing. Upon returning to Butler county, they bought the northeast quarter of section 14, Fairview township.

This place was practically unimproved, with the exception of a one-room shack, and a few acres of prairie had been broken. Mr. Ratts immediately began improving his place, and built a residence and other farm buildings, and among the first things he did was to set out a large apple orchard of about forty acres, and some peach trees. While the orchard was very productive under the capable and careful care of Mr. Ratts, it did not prove a very profitable proposition. It seems that apple buyers endeavor to take every advantage of the producer, and through a process of culling they swat the profits of the producer. During one season, several hundred bushels were culled from Mr. Ratts's apple production, and he found it more profitable to feed his apples to the hogs than to sell them. During the winter of 1901 and 1902, he wintered thirty head of hogs exclusively on apples, there being no other feed raised that season, on account of the drouth. Farming and stock raising were found to be profitable pursuits, and Mr. Ratts was very successful in his urtdertaking and made money in the stock business. In 1910, he bought an additional eighty acres, and at the time of his death owned 240 acres which is now owned by the family.

R. J. Ratts was born December 16, 1847, in Washington county, Indiana. His father, Thomas Ratts, was also a native of Indiana, and a son of Rinehart J. Ratts, who came to Indiana from Pennsylvania, and was of German descent. R. J. Ratts grew to manhood in Indiana, and when a young man, went to Edgar county, Illinois, where he had relatives. He was a vocal music teacher in early life. While in Illinois, he first and married Mary E. Coffman, a native of Edgar county, born December 9, 1847, She is a daughter of William and Lydia (Ecre) Coffman, natives of Virginia. The Coffman family came to Illinois shortly after the Black Hawk wrar, and the father took up government land there, in the heavily timbered country, and built a log house, which was later replaced by one of the fine residences of that county, and he and his wife spent their lives there. They were industrious and frugal people, and became well to do for their time. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom Mrs. Ratts was the eighth in order of birth.

Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Ratts began their married life in Edgar county, Illinois, where they bought a small farm, and in 1876, came to Kansas, as above stated. To Mr. and Mrs. Ratts were born the following children: Ada, married F. W. Gates, Los Angeles, Cal.; Shirley N., Reno county, Kansas; O. E., Fairview township; Flossie, married F. B. Lawhon, Arnett, Okla.

R. J. Ratts was a good citizen and a kind and devoted husband and father. He was deeply religious, and a faithful member of the Baptist church, and was a bible class teacher for a number of years. He was a prohibitionist in theory and practice, and an ardent supporter of the cause of prohibition. At one time he was a candidate for sheriff of Butler county on the prohibition ticket and received very satisfactory support. He died March 2, 1914, and his loss was not only felt in his own home, but in the church, and in the community at large. Both he and his faithful wife are entitled to much credit for the part which they have taken in the development of this county. They came here and cast their lot with Butler county when, at times, the future looked unpromising, but they were of the type of people, who had a purpose and that was to make a home for themselves and future generations, and by persistence and enduring hardships, they finally won, and today Butler county is filled with prosperity and its future is not an etherial hope, but a substantial and well founded promise of plenty. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 645-647)

JOHNSON, J. J.

J. J. Johnson, of Lincoln township, is not only known in Butler county as a successful fruit grower, but his reputation as a horticulturist extends beyond the limits of the State of Kansas. He is not only a practical fruit man, but one of the best posted men on the science of horticulture in the State. Mr. Johnson was born in Wayne county, Illinois, in 1863, a son of Dr. W. N. and Mary (Galbraith) Johnson, the former a native of Tennessee, and the later of Illinois. After graduating from medical college, Dr. Johnson located in southern Illinois, and engaged in the practice of his profession. He located at Johnsonville, Ill., beginning practice there about the time the town was founded, and it was named in his honor. He was a capable physician, being a man of a natural scientific turn of mind, and a profound student of medicine; and he attained a high degree of eminence in his profession. He belonged to the doctors of the old school, and while he was a financial success, fees with him were matters of secondary consideration. He practiced medicine for the love of his profession, and with a view of alleviating suffering. He practiced in an epoch of the history of the medical profession, before the age of specialists, multiplicity of operations and split fees. He practiced for sixty years, and on his eighty-sixth birthday, the Medical Association of Southern Illinois, gave a banquet in his honor.

J. J. Johnson was one of a family of nine children, and was the fourth in order of birth. He was reared in Wayne county, Illinois, and after receiving a good common school education, he attended college, and since that time has been interested in horticulture. In February, 1887, he located in Lincoln township, five miles north of El Dorado, Kans. Mr. Johnson began with limited capital, and has devoted himself all these years to fruit culture. He now owns of fine farm of 320 acres, well improved, with a splendid orchard of about 5,000 fruit trees. The number of trees which he has had, has varied from time to time, the maximum number being about 20,000. He has made a profound study of the science of horticulture, and is a recognized authority on the subject, and for many years, has been connected with the State Agricultural College at Manhattan, and his name appears on the pay-roll of that institution as a regular employee in conducting horticultural and agricultural experiments.

Mr. Johnson was married July 29, 1890, to Miss Myrtle May Cameron, a native of Butler county, and a daughter of John and Mary A. (Davis) Cameron. The Cameron family came to Butler county and homesteaded in Chelsea township in 1869. Mrs. Johnson saw much of the pioneer life of Butler county when a child and remembers of having seen deer and antelope here. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born three children, as follows: Mary Alberta, principal of the high school at Lebanon, Kans.; Myrtle, a student in the State Agricultural College at Manhattan and a member of the senior class; and Dorothy Joy, a student in the El Dorado schools:

Mr. Johnson is a man wh6 applies himself with a definite object in view. He is thorough in his work and when he formulates an ideal condition, he bends every effort to its fulfillment. Besides their fine home on the Butler county farm, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have a nice home in Manhattan where they are also well known and have many friends. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 647-648)

GIROD, CLYDE

Clyde Girod, of Fairview township, is not only the leading Holstein breeder of pure bloods in Butler county, but stands in the front rank of that industry in the United States. Clyde Girod is a native son of Butler county. He was born in Fairview township, June 26, 1886, and is a son of Irenu and Martha (Shrader) Girod. The father is a prominent farmer and stockman of Fairview township, and a pioneer of that locality. He homesteaded in Fairview township, in 1870. Irenu Girod is a native of Leige, Belgium, and a son of a Protestant French minister. Martha Shrader, the mother of Clyde Girod, is a native of Illinois, and a daughter of Jacob and Martha Elizabeth (Ford) Shrader, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter, of Kentucky. The Shrader family were very early settler in Kansas, coming to this State from Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1859. They first settled in Jefferson county, and remained there until 1874, when they came to Butler county, and the father homesteaded in Fairview township. He died in 1900, and his wife departed this life in 1909.

Clyde Girod is one of a family of nine children, born to his parents, as follows: Jacob, farmer, Butler county; Paul, farmer, Haskell county; Philemon, Bellingham, Wash.; Irenus, Cowley county, Kansas; Clyde, the subject of this sketch; Estella, married Dare Wait, Towanda township ; Mae, married Irvin Sciklebower; Harvey, resides at home, and Ernest, deceased .

Clyde Girod grew to manhood on the home farm in Fairview township, and obtained a good education in the public schools, and in 1903, entered the State Agricultural College at Manhattan, Kans., attending that institution for three years, and was graduated. While a student at the agricultural college, he was convinced, after an exhaustive series of experiments, that the pure bred Holstein cattle possess many points of superiority over other breeds, and, in particular, in the production of butter fat. After graduating from college, Mr. Girod returned home, and took charge of his father's dairy business, in Fairview township. He bought a pure bred Holstein bull from C. F. Strow of Peabody, Kans., to head the herd of shorthorn grades, and the result was that his calves, at two years old, were better producers than the grade cattle at maturity. He then went to Omaha, Neb., and bought a carload of pure bred heifers at an average of $150 per head. That was the beginning of his pure bred herd of Holsteins, and he has met with unusual success. He is the pioneer of this industry in Butler county, and has developed a mammoth business. Soon after purchasing the herd at Omaha, he went to Wisconsin, and bought a carload of grade Holsteins, and sold them to his neighbors. In May, 1916, he bought the pick of the best pure bred Holsteins of the leading herds of Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York, investing $10,000 in these purchases.
The amount of Mr. Girod's sales of these cattle is enormous, and he is known throughout the country as a leading breeder of pure bred Holsteins. He frequently sells 100 head per week, and his average sales during the year is fifty head per week. His investment in this breed of cattle, alone, is about $50,000, and his reputation as a breeder is so generally known that orders which he received through the mail for calves alone amount to about $2,500 per year. He sells a great many pure bloods to different agricultural colleges of the various States. His herd bull is a $2,000 animal, and his other stock is of corresponding value.

While Mr. Girod is the leading Holstein breeder in this section of the country, his activity in the breeding world is not alone confined to cattle. He is a breeder of pure bred Percheron horses, and while he does not make an effort to specialize in this line, he is a recognized success. He is also a breeder of the original spotted Poland China hogs. One of the best proofs that Mr. Girod's customers are satisfied, and that his methods meet with public approval, and that his stock is up to the standard, is the fact that many of his sales are to old customers.

Mr. Girod owns 480 acres of land and leases 320 acres, which give him 800 acres of a stock farm, which is pretty fairly utilized by his extensive business. His cream production alone averages $8 per day, and he employs three men the year around to assist in his work. Besides his interests in Butler county, he owns a half interest with his brother in a Cowley county ranch, which is devoted to breeding pure bred Shorthorns.

Mr. Girod was married on February 27, 1907, to Miss Blanche B. Hanes, a native of Butler county, and a daughter of Elmer and Louise (Reeves) Hanes. To Mr. and Mrs. Girod has been born one child, William Kermit. Mr. Girod is a member of the Anti Horse Thief Association, and is one of Butler county's most progressive men. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 648-649)

MELLOR, L. H.

L, H. Mellor, a prominent pioneer contractor and builder of Butler county, located at Brainerd, was born in Wheeling, Va., now West Virginia, September 14, 1858. He is a son of Levi and Elizabeth (Lambing) Mellor. The father was a native of Manchester, England, born in 1814. He grew to manhood in his native land, and learned the cabinet maker's trade, and when a young man, immigrated to America with his parents, and settled in Wheeling, Va., where he died March 29, 1858. Elizabeth Lambing, L. H. Mellor's mother, was a native of Pennsylvania, born in Westmoreland county, in 1830. She died at lone City, Cal., August 2, 1887.
L. H. Mellor was the only child born to his parents, and about a year after his father's death, his widowed mother removed with him to Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, the home of Gen. Phil Sheridan. Mr. Mellor was well acquainted with the Sheridan family. Mr. Mellor grew to manhood and was educated in Perry county, and in early life learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed in that vicinity until 1885. He then came to Towanda, Kans., and after spending a few days looking over that section of the country with a view of finding a suitable location, he selected the new town of Brainerd. The railroad was building in that direction, but had not yet reached the town. When Mr. Mellor first went to Brainerd, the town consisted of one building, which was a boarding house. Mr. Mellor says that this building was a rickety old shack .and there was considerable rain that season and that the roof leaked like a sieve, and it was not an uncommon sight at this boarding house to see some one holding an umbrella over a boarder while he ate a meal. Much building was in progress, and in contemplation in Brainerd and vicinity, which seemed to be a suitable location for Mr. Mellor, and he had no trouble in getting plenty of work at good wages at his trade. The next year his wife and child joined him here, and Brainerd has since been his home. He has been engaged in contracting and building practically since coming here, and he has been very successful in this line of work. Mr. Mellor has done practically all of the high class work in the way of building, in northwestern Butler county, as well as a great deal of work in Harvey county. He built every school house in Murdock township, and several in Milton and Fairview. He has done work from time to time for over thirty years for some of his patrons, and in the spring of 1916, he built his sixth house for one man. His work is done by contract, as well as by the day, and he has a reputation for close estimates and first class work.

Mr. Mellor was married May 20, 1884, to Miss Laura Leach, a native of Perry county, Ohio, and a daughter of A. B. and Matilda (Holiday) Leach, the father a native of Virginia, and the mother of Ohio. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mellor: Harry, real estate dealer, Whitewater; Mabel, married Thomas Lewis, Sedgwick county, Kansas; Edwin, Brainerd; Herbert, residing at home; Hazel, married Theodore Roth, Murdock township; Fred and Ruth, at home.

Mr. Mellor is a stanch Republican, and for many years has been active in the local counsels of his party. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Whitewater. The Mellor home at Brainerd is one of the finest residences of the town and evinces the industry and prosperity of its owner. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 649-650)

REID, LUTHER

The measure of success in any line of human endeavor, is in proportion to the effort expended. This is an age-old maxim, but to the world at large, success is not all apparent; to the casual observer of the surface of life, it is impossible to determine to just what degree, this man or that man has been successful. The height of the climb up the ladder of success, depends to a great extent on the number and magnitude of the obstructions he encounters, as well as on his power to climb.
Luther Reid was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, nor reared in the lap of luxury. He began the struggle of life alone and unaided, and with little but the heritage of good honest blood in his veins, and a determination to make the most of his opportunities. He began by working on a farm for little more than his keep, and because of the lack of opportunity his early education was limited, and as a natural consequence the progress he made for several years was not great.
In January, 1870, Luther Reid was married to Sarah Kauffman in McLean county, Illinois, where he had lived a short time previously, going to that State from Ohio with his employer. Sarah Kauffman was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. Her parents, David and Rebecca (Snell) Kauffman, were of German extraction, and were both natives of Pennsylvania. In November, 1865, they left their native State and migrated to Illinois. They settled on a farm in McLean county, and here they lived the balance of their days. They were the parents of eight children, of whom Sarah Kauffman Reid was the eldest.

For fifteen years following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Reid lived on a farm in McLean county, Illinois. In the spring of 1885, they came to Buter county, Kansas. They bought the northwest quarter of section n, Fairmount township, going in debt for the greater portion of the purchase price of the land. In the face of the vissicitudes that usually obstruct the path of the pioneer and builder of new States, their progress was slow, but steady, and with the passing of the years, their industry and faith in their adopted State was amply rewarded, and from time to time they added to the original quarter section of land until their holdings totaled 400 acres. Their farm has been improved with a two-story modern home, good barns, out buildings, and is one of the farms on which the visitor to Butler county would look with admiration.

Mr. Reid was for many years engaged in the threshing business and was one of the most successful men in that business. In connection with his general farming and stock raising, he followed threshing until a few years before his death, which occurred March 6, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Reid were the parents of eight children, as follows: Charles Reid; Thomas Reid; Minnie Reid, deceased; Frank Reid; George Reid; David Reid; Etta (Reid), the wife of S. T. Fowler; and Olen Reid.
George and Olin Reid, known as the Reid Brothers, live with the mother on the old homestead, and are successful farmers and business men. In the main their business is the live stock industry, mainly sheep feeding and horse breeding. The breeding of top-notch Percherons receives the closest study, and in this work the results they have attained go to prove their fitness for the business. One Percheron colt of their breeding they sold at the age of eight months for $250. The brothers began the horse breeding business after the death of the father, and have been so engaged continuously up to the present. They are well and favorably known, and each year the circle of business acquaintances and friends is widened. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 651-652)

HOSS, MELLVILLE

Mellville Hoss, of Milton township, was born in Indianapolis, Ind., March 29, 1853, a son of George W. and Harriett J. (Mitchell) Hoss. The mother was a native of Portland, Me., and the father was born in Ohio. He came to Indiana when a lad with his pioneer parents, who settled in Marion county, about six miles north of Indianapolis. Here George W. Hoss grew to manhood and received a good education in the public schools and later was a student at Asbury College, now DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., where he completed the course and graduated. He ranked high as a scholar and an educator, and in 1871 was chosen president of Kansas State Normal School at Emporia. He held that position about three years, when he accepted the chair of English literature and elocution at Baker University, Baldwin, Kans. He and his wife are now deceased. They were the parents of two children, of whom Melville is the eldest.

Melville Hoss grew to manhood in Indianapolis, Ind., and received a reasonably good education, but as a boy he was never enthusiastic over his books. He longed for a big out of doors life. He wanted to be a farmer and be somewhere where there was lots of room, and when he came West with his father in 1871 and saw the broad expanse of green, rolling prairie, he longed for the out door life more than ever. In 1873, when the family returned to Indianapolis from Kansas, Melville had an interest in a feed business there, but in 1876 he came back to Kansas and raised a crop of wheat on some land that his father owned in Douglass county, and in the fall of that year he came to Butler county and bought the northeast quarter of section 16, Milton town-ship. His intention was to raise wheat. He made the acquaintance of T. C. Henry, who was then a successful wheat grower and known as the "wheat king," but after some experimenting he decided that cattle raising was the better proposition, and later he bought another quarter section in Milton township. He began in the cattle business in an humble sort of way and soon met with phenomenal success. He began with very little capital and went heavily in debt, paying a high rate of interest, and today he is in independent circumstances, and he has been fairly successful in the cattle business. He is an extensive feeder, and his place is well equipped for that branch of the cattle business.
Mr. Hoss was married in 1877 to Miss Mary D. Baker, a native of Indiana, whose parents were early settlers in Douglass county, Kansas, and six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hoss, as follows: Georgia S., married O. H. Easly, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Walter M., a successful farmer and stockman of Milton township; H. E., also a successful farmer and stockman, Clifford township; P. W., now in Colorado for his health; S B., conducting a cattle ranch in Barber county, Kansas, and Ruth C, at home. S. B. and Walter M. Hoss are partners in the Barber county ranch, which consists of 3,000 acres. Their plan is to raise and graze cattle on the Barber county ranch and ship them to the home farm in Milton township, to be finished for market. The Milton township place has all facilities for cattle feeding, silos, barns, feed yards, etc. The Hoss boys understand the cattle business, having been brought up in it, and inherit much of the initiative nature and ambition of their father. Melville Hoss is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is one of Butler county's citizens who has something to show for his forty years of effort in this county. He has the gratification of seeing his sons continue the work which he has started and they are carrying it on to a greater development than he had even dreamed possible. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 652-653)

HAYMEN, H. C.

H. C. Haymen, proprietor of the "Spring Valley Stock Farm," Fairview township, is a native of Ohio. He was born in Meigs county, November 19, 1863, and is a son of Hezekiah H. and Esther E. (Costen) Haymen. Hezekiah H. Haymen was an early settler in Fairview township. He was born in Maryland and was educated and grew to manhood in his native State, where he was married to Esther E. Costen, also a native of Maryland. They lived for several years in their native State, when they removed to Ohio and settled in Meigs county, first locating at Letart, and later at Racine, Meigs county. Mr. Haymen was engaged in the general mercantile business in Ohio, and met with a fair degree of success.

In the spring of 1870 he came to Kansas and filed on the northwest quarter of section 34, Fairview township. His first habitation on his claim was a dugout on the banks of a little stream called Spring Branch. He bought a yoke of oxen and a limited equipment of farming implements and proceeded to break the prairie and improve his place. However, he became discouraged, after meeting with failure under adverse conditions. His son, Robert H., had accompanied him here, while the mother and the younger members of the family remained in Ohio until the father and son had a home prepared for the family in the West. Mr. Haymen had written his wife that he and his son were dissatisfied with this country and for her not to come, but Mrs. Haymen and the other children had started before receiving the letter, and came by rail as far as Emporia, and drove the remainder of the distance to the Butler county claim, and Mr. Haymen and Robert H. were taken completely by surprise upon the arrival of the mother and the other children. However, the family decided to stay on the claim, and no thought of leaving it was ever entertained, from that time. Some of the older children, upon becoming of age, homesteaded claims, and the father spent his life on the original homestead. He died about three years after coming to Butler county, and the mother passed away a few years later. They were the parents of twelve children. For a number of years after the the death of the parents the old homestead was owned by the heirs, and in 1900, H. C, the youngest child of the family and the subject of this sketch, purchased the interest of the other heirs and the old Haymen place is now known as "Spring Valley Stock Farm/' and is one of the ideal pla.ces of Fairview township.

H. C. Heyman, the subject of this sketch, was about seven years of age when he came to Butler county with his parents, and therefore has practically been reared in Butler county, and has many recollections of the pioneer conditions here when he was a boy. Coming here at the age he did, gives him the distinction of being an old settler and practically a young man at the same time.

Mr. Haymen was married on April 6, 1892, to Miss Maude H. Heath, a native of Butler county, and a daughter of John and Esther Heath, natives of Illinois and early settlers in Butler county, locating on the banks of the Whitewater at a very early day in the settlement of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Haymen have no children of their own, but they have one adopted girl, Susie Heath Haymen, a daughter of Mrs. Haymen's brother. She is now the wife of Luther E. McCulloch, of Fairview township.
Mr. Haymen is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at El Dorado, the Knights of Pythias at Towanda, and the Anti-Horse Thief Association, Fairview. Both Mr. and Mrs. Haymen are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and are well known and prominent in the community. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 653-654)

LEYDIG, J. V.

J. V. Leydig, a Butler county pioneer and prominent citizen of Clifford township, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, October 24, 1859, and is a son of Joseph A. and Winnie A. (Shirer) Leydig. Joseph A. Leydig was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, January 25, 1834, and was a son of Jacob Leydig, also a native of that county, and of German descent. Jacob Leydig spent his life in Pennsylvania and was the father of ten children, of whom Joseph A. was the fifth in order of birth. Joseph A. Leydig grew to manhood in his native State, and learned the carpenter's trade. In 1858 he was married to Winnie A. Shirer and removed from Pennsylvania to Muskingum county, Ohio, where two children were born to them: J. V. Leydig and B. R. Leydig, of sketch of whom appears in this volume. When the Civil war broke out, Joseph A. Leydig, the father of these two boys, enlisted in July, 1862, in Company E, Ninety-seventh regiment, Ohio infantry, and served with his regiment, participating in a number of important battles and many engagements, and on November 30, 1864, he was killed in action at the battle of Franklin, Tenn.

On December 22, 1869, his widow married William M. Leydig, a cousin of her former husband, who was also a Civil war veteran, having served in the Civil war in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-second regiment, Pennsylvania infantry, and was wounded at the battle of Missionary Ridge, and carried the bullet the remainder of his days, which eventually caused his death. He saw much hard service during the war. Winnie A. Shirer, the mother of J. V. Leydig, was a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Valentine and Ester (Gaumer) Shirer, natives of Pennsylvania. The Shirers are of Swiss descent, and the Gaumers came from Germany. The Shirers were prominent in the early day colonization of this country, and one of them had a grant from the English crown to establish a colony in Maryland, and later had a grant to found a colony in Pennsylvania.

In 1871, J. V. Leydig and his brother, B. R., came to Kansas with their step-father and mother. The family came by train as far as To-peka, where the father bought a team and a covered wagon and started in a southwesterly direction, finally locating on a claim which was the northeast quarter of section 18, in what is now Clifford township. Here the family began life in the wilds of Butler county. They first built a little, log cabin, 12x12 feet, about a quarter of a mile from the Whitewater river. Their nearest neighbor was H. H. Wilcox, who lived a mile north. Here Mrs. Leydig and her husband spent the remainder of their days.

When J. V. Leydig was a boy about fourteen years old he began to hustle for himself, and became a cowboy in the employ of H. H. Wilcox, who was an extensive cattleman, usually keeping a herd of from 1,000 to 1,500 head of cattle on the free range of the early days. Young Leydig received $15 per month. It was the custom to drive the Cattle about 100 miles south into the Indian Territory during the grazing season. Indians were plentiful in that section of the country, and trouble with them eventually forced Wilcox to withdraw his cattle from the territory. Young Wilcox shot and killed two Osage Indians whom he caught stealing beef, which was a foolish act, as it was a matter of course that it was the nature of an Indian to steal anything that he needed, and this event proved quite a loss to Wilcox, as he had to move his cattle out of the country, as above stated. Mr. Leydig lived in the saddle as a cowboy about ten years, and has experienced all the various phases of the life of the early day cowboy on the plains.

In 1885 Mr. Leydig went to Scott county, Kansas, where he took a homestead, and after proving up on it, returned to Butler county in 1887. His step-father died July 9, 1886, and when Mr. Leydig returned to Butler county the following year he took charge of the home place, which he later bought of his mother, who made her home with him until her death, May 9, 1907. Since that time he has been engaged in farming and the stock business on the old home place, and has met with very satisfactory success. He bought a quarter section of land adjoining the old homestead, and now owns 320 acres of well improved and valuable land.

When the "Strip" was opened for settlement in Oklahoma, Mr. Leydig made the race for a homestead over the old stamping ground, where he had herded cattle in the early days, and was familiar with almost every foot of it, but when he got to the claim which he had picked he found a "sooner" who had been hiding in the brush for days, holding down the claim. In recent years Mr. Leydig has devoted himself to stock raising and feeding, which he has found to be very profitable.
Mr. Leydig was married in 1897 to Miss Grace Guinty, a daughter of Michael and Saphrona Guinty. See sketch of M. Guinty in this volume. To Mr. and Mrs. Leydig have been born two children: Lula and James Franklin.

Mr. Leydig is a Republican and for years has taken an active part in local politics. He has served as trustee of Clifford township for eight years, and has been a member of the school board continuously for the last thirty-four years. He is a substantial Butler county citizen, and belongs to one of the honored pioneer families of Clifford township. E. Davis, editor of The Whitewater "Independent," Whitewater, Kans., is one of the veteran newspaper men of Butler county. He is a native of England, born in London, May 6, 1850, a son of E. and Jane (Hargraves) Davis, natives of London, where the father was a shopkeeper. In 1869 the Davis family immigrated to America. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 654-656)

DAVIS, J. E.

J. E. Davis, the subject of this sketch, I came to Kansas in 1869 and, after spending a short time at Lawrence, came to Butler county in the spring of 1870. When he came here Emporia was the terminus of the railroad, and he walked from there to Butler county. He located on a claim of 160 acres of Government land, two £ miles east of Towanda, where he remained a few years. He then bought The Towanda "Herald," and conducted that paper for eight years, and at the same time was engaged in other pursuits, as the income from the paper was not sufficient to justify him in devoting all his time to that enterprise. He then sold the "Herald" and came to Whitewater and began publishing the "Independent," which he has conducted all these years. It is one of the substantial and progressive newspapers of the county.

Mr. Davis was married July 30, 1887, to Eva Fay Eidson, a native of Wisconsin. To this union have been born the following children: Emily J. Fay, born July 24, 1888; Eva A. May, born June 29, 1890; Edmond Dillon, born September 4, 1892; Esther B., born September 8, 1900; Eidy, born January 26, 1903; Ela Francis, born October 18, 1905; Elridge Charles, born March 23, 1908; Earldon Enola, born November 25, 1910.

Mr. Davis is well known throughout Butler county and is one of our most substantial men of affairs. (History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Pages 656-657)

ENRIGHT, T. A.

T. A. Enright, one of Butler county's most extensive cattlemen, is a native of Indiana. He was born in Wayne county, October 8, 1861, and is a son of Michael and Katherine (Buckly) Enright, natives of Ireland. They both emigrated from their native land to Canada with their respective parents when children. They were married in Canada and later migrated to Indiana, and for a time lived in Wayne county, and later moved to Hancock county. T. A. was the youngest of a family of seven children. He grew to manhood in Hancock county and received a good education in the public schools.

Mr. Enright was married in 1883 to Miss Mary Edna Scott, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of E. H. Scott, who now resides at Burns, Kans. In 1885 Mr. Enright removed to Kansas with his family and settled in Butler county, where he followed farming for a time, but soon came to the conclusion that this country was better adapted to stock raising, at that time, and accordingly turned his attention to that branch of agriculture, and for the past twenty years he has been an extensive stock rjaiser and feeder. About 1902 he leased 480 acres of land in Clifford township from Lord Scully, of England, and this, added to his own land, gives him a large scope 'of territory for the cattle business, which he conducts on an extensive scale. He usually has from 100 to 500 head of cattle on full feed, and his business is one of the largest of the kind in Butler county.

To Mr. and Mrs. Enright have been born two children: Nora F., who married E. J. Stewart, and has two children, Mary K. and Thelma F., who make their home with their grandfather, Mr. Enright, and Roy Enright, who resides on his father's farm in Clifford township.

Mr. Enright is a Democrat and keeps himself well posted on current political events. Since coming tO Butler county he has taken a keen interest in local politics, and in 1907 he was appointed assessor of Clifford township to fill out an unexpired term; in 1908 he was elected to that office, and has been elected to succeed himself for every term since that time. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding membership in both of these lodges at Burns, Kans. In connection with his large volume of business, Mr. Enright makes frequent trips to Kansas City and Chicago and also to St. Louis, where he markets his cattle and keeps in close touch with the doings of the outside world.(History of Butler County, Kansas, by Vol. P. Mooney, 1916 Page 657)

CAIN, H. E.

To impart a vivid and intimate picture of an industry there is no better method than to tell the story of the men whose lives were spent in that industry. A view of the inner workings of cattle ranching is vividly seen in the life story of Elmer Cain, who for over a quarter of a century was closely connected with the Ramsey cattle ranch. To say that Mr. Cain knew the business from the grass roots to the stock yards is not exaggerating in the least. He was born near Rockford, Ill., December 21, 1867, the eldest son of W. H. Cain, one of the early settlers of Lincoln township, whose history is found elsewhere in this volume. Elmer had a great love for horses, and his boyish dreams were of horses, cattle and cowboys. In 1885 his father moved to Kansas, settling on a farm on the high prairie of Lincoln township, where he sought to build a home and to wrest from the unwilling forces of nature a living for his family. During the dry years of 1886, 1887 and 1888, dollars were scarce in the Cain family, and to help out, Elmer, then a young fellow of eighteen, sought employment, and following the bent of his nature, he applied to A. C. Ramsey for work on the Buckeye Land and Cattle Company's ranch, and on March 8, 1886, began a business connection which lasted for over twenty-six years.
For the first three years Mr. Cain did general farm work and learned but little of the business of handling cattle. It was owing to what he afterward thought was a lucky accident that he almost suddenly became a full fledged cow puncher. During the winter of 1888, as he was returning from church his horse fell with him. For two weeks he was laid up with a broken foot. He was lame from this injury for several months and of course this put an end to the farm work and he was transferred to the cattle department. For twenty-three years from that time the very air that he breathed was the atmosphere of cattle; his dreams by night were of cattle; in the winter, of snow storms and feed and cattle; in the long summer months, of fences, wind mills, water tanks and cattle; of loading and unloading and counting cattle; of cattle by great train loads, always of cattle; cattle of. all kinds and descriptions, from the well bred Herefords to the long horned, slab-sided, thin-shanked, vicious cattle of Texas and Old Mexico.

The business of the Buckeye Land and Cattle Company was largely that of grazing the big herds of the Texas ranchers, and in the earlier days of the ranch, the herds varied from 1,000 to 1,500 head, the greater part of these being mature steers. In the early nineties the grazing lands were extended, bigger herds contracted for, and the business expanded generally. About this time Elmer Cain was made foreman, a position he held during the remainder of his connection with the ranch. During the winter from six to eight men were required to feed and look after the cattle. In the summer three cowboys looked after the fences and water, and sometimes herds of 20,000 head. It was a hard life, but spiced with excitement and danger that fascinated and held that class of men, famous with rope and horse, and noted for their cool nerve and dashing courage.

During the early years, while Cain was rather new in the cattle business, the ranch had on pasture a bunch of wild western bulls. In the fall, when the bunch was rounded up and driven to the feed lots of the owners, for some reason two of the herd were left. After a few days the strays were discovered, and arrangements were made to round up, brand and ship these two bulls. The foreman and young Cain rounded up and drove the bulls into the big scale pen, sixteen feet wide by sixty-four feet long, with its branding chute at one end. Without any serious trouble they were driven into the pen, but were rather hot tempered and quarrelsome toward each other. The foreman held the gate to the branding chute open, while Cain, at the farther end of the scales pen, leaning far over the gate, cracked his whip at the bull nearest him, about the middle of the pen. The other bull was at the other end of the enclosure. There they stood, front legs wide apart and with lowered heads glaring at each other. At the crack of Cain's whip the bull at the farther end lunged suddenly, catching his adversary about the middle, knocking him with tremendous force against the gate over which Cain was leaning. It was all done in a few seconds. The force of the impact of the bull with the gate knocked his support from under him and Elmer found himself astride the bull and with his foot and leg wedged between the bull's ribs and the heavy boards of the scales pen. The pressure bent the rowell of his big spur around the heel of his foot, the spur probably saving his foot from being crushed. Cain lost no time in exchanging his seat on the bull's back to a safer place on the top board of the scale pen. After this display of bovine temperament the bulls walked quietly enough into the branding chute and the smell of singeing hair and seared bull hide marked the next scene in the adventure with the bulls.

Another interesting and amusing incident of his early days on the ranch was with a bunch of Texas and Cherokee cows. Some of these cows, shipped to the ranch late in the fall, were thin and in poor condition. The hard winter would not improve them to any extent, and by spring some of the poorest would sometimes be so thin and weak that they couldn't get up after lying down for a while. Helping cattle to their feet was one of the details of a day's work during the spring. Finding a cow down and unable to get up, the cowboy would roll her up "natural" and with a lift and a twist of her tail the cow was brought to her feet. Now, to a range bred Texas or Cherokee cow, fighting is just as natural as eating, and to avoid her long horns, with which she would invariably seek to impale the cowman after being lifted to her feet, the cowboy kept a firm grasp on her tail, and by giving the cow a strong pull sideways, he could get out of her way by several feet. These cows would seldom go much out of their way to attack a man. One day in the spring, Cain and two of his men were driving a small herd across the prairie, when the cattle sighted a small pond of shallow water. Into the muddy water the cattle went, half a dozen of the thinnest cows sticking fast in the deep mud around the water hole. Cain dropped his rope over the nearest cow's horns, gave the rope a turn around his saddle horn, spoke to his horse and the cow was pulled to the bank. Dismounting, he "rolled her up natural" and turned to the next cow. Standing beside his horse, with his back to the cow on the bank, he was leaning over slightly as he adjusted his loop. In an instant he was sprawling in the dirt ten feet from where he stood. The cow he had res-cued from the mud had, unseen by the other two men, got on her feet and true to her natural instinct, seeing a man on foot and within easy reach of her long horns, had used them effectively. This incident was a great joke on Elmer for a long time after.

The monotony of ranch life was broken by the occasional trips to town, which were always all day jobs. No matter how much or how little business he had to attend to, the cowboy stayed in town all day and often until late at night, though it is to his credit that Elmer Cain was not one of these revelers. On one occasion he took a bunch of horses to the blacksmith at El Dorado. With the four horses necked together and riding a big buckskin, well known to cattle men as the best "cutting horse" in the cattle country, he reached El Dorado without accident or adventure. After the horses were shod, stabled and fed in the livery barn, late in the afternoon he started for home. With the four horses necked together and with a thirty-foot rope from the middle pair to his saddle horn, he started up Main street. Not accustomed to the strange noises and sights of town life, the four horses started, first in a trot, which soon became a gallop. Thinking to check their speed, Cain pulled up shortly on his bridle reins. The big buckskin with stiffened legs, stopped instantly. Cain was always careless about his cinches, and that day Was no exception, and, as usual, they were loose. The saddle was jerked from the horse's back to his ears and Cain landed in the hard street right under his horse's nose. With the skin torn from his face and blood streaming from his nose, he scrambled to his feet, slipping the saddle from the neck to its proper place on his pitching horse. Cain looked for his four horses, but they had been stopped by some men farther up the street. After washing his bloody-face in ice water in L. H. Powell's office, near the scene of the accident, Mr. Cain changed his plans. Sure that the horses would go straight home, he untied the ropes which fastened them together abreast and turned them loose. Still excited, they struck the bridge over the Walnut like a charge of cavalry. Cain on his buckskin followed leisurely and about four miles overtook them where they were grazing quietly along the road.

The late summer and fall days were busy ones on the ranch. With daily telegrams from the owners to ship out of such and such a pasture so many cars of cattle to the market, the cowboy saw the strenuous side of ranch life. Late in the summer of 1897, Cain and his men were rounding up, cutting out and loading. In the bunch of cattle in the corrals was a big yellow Colorado steer with an absolute dislike for fences and close quarters, and with a great love and longing for the open range. While the cutting out was in progress this steer jumped the fence and made for a corn field. The boasted pride of the Ramsey ranch was that they never let a steer escape. Accordingly, Cain, with George Ramsey and Bill Piper, started for the corn field after the outlaw. The big steer heard them coming and out from the big weeds and corn near the creek bank he went. Cain on his buckskin was a little in advance of the others, and as he neared the creek he saw a yellow streak moving with the speed of a race horse through the corn and weeds. Putting the spur to his horse he determined to keep in sight of the steer. When the steer reached the fence he jumped into a little pasture of about 100 acres and stopped out in the open. After getting through the fence Cain waited for the others to join him, and the four riders then attempted to drive the steer to the pasture where he belonged. When they got him near the fence, in spite of their united efforts, he bolted for the open. Tak-ing his rope down, Cain and the buckskin went after the galloping outlaw, which made for the rough ground and rocks. Intent on dropping his rope, Cain paid no attention to the ground around or ahead, and just at the brink of a steep bank of twelve or fourteen feet, he made the throw and the rope encircled the head of the steer. His plunge over the bank put a terrific and sudden force to the strain on horse and rope. The buckskin, well trained to work of this kind, kept his feet, but the sudden lurch threw Cain from the saddle with his hand doubled under him. He fell and rolled down the bank almost under the steer. About this time in the affair Piper rode up and put his rope on the outlaw and together they drove and pulled him where he was wanted.

One summer the ranch had on pasture 1,000 head of steers from Old Mexico. Among the bunch of wild eyed bad actors were a couple of outlaws, and at any round up of the herd the two outlaws would break away. At the last -round up these two steers made no change in their usual habits, and when Cain, with George Ramsey and Hart Leonard, found them they were with a little bunch of natives in a rough and hilly part of the range along the banks of the creek. When the boys approached the little herd one of the outlaws broke away from the bunch and made for the rough ground up the creek. George and Hart stayed with the herd and the red outlaw, while Elmer started after the other. The big grey could outrun almost any steer, and after a spirited little chase Cain was able to rope the steer. His intention was to take the captive back to the herd, but the long horned old Mexican had other plans and they were aggressive plans, too. Evidently the rope was not a stranger to him and he sought to use it to his own advantage. With all the strength of his muscles and his 1,200 pounds of weight, he pulled the rope taut, then suddenly, with the spring of the rope, he lunged wickedly at the horse and rider. These tactics he repeated systematically time after time and more than once the horse's tail was lifted on the points of the long horns. The situation was ticklish, to say the least, but Cain, who had never before turned loose a roped steer, had no intention of doing so now. So the fight continued. With his next lunge the maddened steer crossed to rope and Cain, quick to see his advantage, stuck his mount with his spur in an earnest effort to break the neck of his wicked antagonist. Many times in a tight place, it is the unexpected that happens. When the rope again pulled as tight as the strength of horse and steer could exert, the off strap on the saddle broke and Cain landed twenty feet from his horse, but still astride the big saddle. Never before was the situation so fraught with grave danger to the cowboy. His first act was to loosen the rope from the saddle horn and then, slipping backwards to a position behind his saddle, he raised the saddle on end and crouched behind it. The steer, making ready for another of its wicked lunges, backed up to get the spring of the rope, and finding himself loose, he ran away over the hill, while Cain breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the black outlaw had this particular method of fighting, being one of the kind which always back up to get the spring of the rope before seeking to gore his antagonist, saved Cain's life. These adventures are only common examples of the life of the cowboy. Many situations, sometimes of almost daily occurence, try the nerve and cool judgment of the men who follow this strenuous calling. Your cowboy is usually a man who sees the humorous side of life as well as its more somber tints. One day Elmer Cain and Hart Lenord went after a couple of two-year-olds which had crawled through the fence into another pasture. The men roped the steers, but the one on which Cain put his rope showed the stubborn side of his nature to such an extent that he simply would neither lead nor drive. Pulling the rope tight with his horse in the path leading to the gate, Cain, with his temper considerably ruffled, walked to the rear of his stubborn charge and laid hold of his last appendage. With a vigorous twist of the steer's tail, he spoke to his well trained animal, which pulled like a work horse. This heroic treatment changed the steer's mind somewhat and in this way he was taken out. While this drama was being enacted, Hart rode over the hill, and at the sight he rolled off his horse with mirth.

During the twenty-six years that Mr. Cain was in the employ of the A. C. Ramsey ranch there existed between him and Mr. Ramsey a perfect understanding and appreciation of each other's merits. Resides the perfect confidence in his ability and judgment, on which he relied implicitly, Mr. Ramsey in many ways took pleasure in showing his appreciation of a man of the Elmer Cain type. These manifestations of his regard were often shown by the gift of a fancy pair of spurs, a bridle or a fine saddle, all dear to the heart of a cowboy. Though now following the staid and tame business of farming, Mr. Cain prizes among his choicest possessions these mementos of his cowboy days and the friendship of Mr. Ramsey.

On the occasion of Mr. Cain's marriage, February 12, 1908, Mr. Ramsey presented Mr. Cain and his bride a handsome house and lot in De Graff. A fact worthy of mention, which stands forth conspicuously different from the life and character of the average cowboy, and which seems to show more clearly the strength of the character we have attempted to portray, is the exemplary habits of the man with whom this review is concerned. Although his environment was such that the habits could easily have been .formed. Mr. Cain never used tobacco or intoxicating liquor, of any kind, in his life. Instead of developing into a prodigal spendthrift, which would have been an easy road to travel, for to the average cowboy, money is of no apparent value, and cattlemen as a rule being great spenders, Mr. Cain saved his wages, and to his credit it must be said, that during those long, hard, dry years, when life on a Kansas farm was little more than a struggle for existence, it was these same wages that kept the mortgage off his father's farm.

Before he left the Ramsey ranch, Mr. Cain bought forty acres of land, two and one-half miles west of DeGraff, to which he has since added another 160, making a total of 200 acres. This farm is well improved and is directly across the road from the big ranch over which he rode for many years. Mr. Cain is now one of the prosperous and progressive farmers of Lincoln township. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge at Burns and he also belongs to the Knights of the Maccabees at El Dorado. Pages 657-663