The End of Jim Crow Chiles
With his Shooting "Bad-Manism" Died in Independence
The Circumstances a Name on a Jesse James Affidavit Recalls
The Memorable Battle on the Independence Public Square and its Sanguinary Results

Source: The Kansas City Star, October 30, 1898
transcribed & submitted by Peggy Thompson

The appearance of the name of Charles Peacock of Independence on the motion for a special judge in the Jesse James case calls to the minds of old residents of Kansas City one of stirring events there during the guerrilla days. For Charles Peacock's father, assisted by Charles Peacock himself, killed "Jim Crow" Chiles and his son on the public square at Independence twenty-five years ago and thereby broke up the gang of "bad" men who made a practice for several years after the close of the civil war of frightening Independence at all hours of the day or night by riding around the square and shooting out windows. These desperadoes were not always sure of their aim at windows, and it was not uncommon that innocent bystanders were badly hurt and occasionally killed. There was no organized gang for this purpose, but certain men seemed to delight in it.

"Jim Crow" Chiles" Start

"Jim Crow" Chiles was a brother of the present marshal of this county. He is described as a short, thick set man, and wealthy. He was big hearted and good natured when sober, but whiskey invariably made a fiend of him. With whiskey in him he was altogether too handy with his pistols, of which he always carried two - it was a fashion men had in those days. It is told of Chiles that he occasionally killed a "nigger" on the main street without the slightest provocation and just to keep his hand in.

In 1873 Charles Peacock's father was deputy marshal at Independence. He is now police judge there. One rainy Sunday "Jim Crow" Chiles began drinking. He succeeded so well in getting drunk that he grew noisy along in the afternoon and some one carried word to him that Marshal Peacock would arrest him. This theretofore unheard of interference with his rights as a town bad man angered Chiles and he started out to find Peacock, announcing as he did so that he would slap his jaws for him. He found Peacock on the east side of the square, but he didn't slap him. Peacock told him he could get as drunk as he pleased so long as he was quiet about it, but that if he made a noise he would have to lock him up. Chiles slapped at Peacock and Peacock grappled with him and they went down in the gutter, Peacock on top.

The Shooting

The first fight over Peacock arose. So died Chiles. Chiles reached for his revolvers, but he was too slow and Peacock shot him just beneath one of his eyes. Friends carried Chiles to the hotel and he died there a few minutes later.

In the crowd that was attracted by the shooting were the sons of both men. The boys were about 18 years old. Young Chiles picked up one of the revolvers dropped by his father and shot Marshal Peacock in the small of the back. An instant later Charles Peacock had shot young Chiles through the heart.

This put a short check to the bad man habit at Independence, but it wasn't long till certain of the old crowd decided that they had been deprived of their rights long enough and started out one night to terrorize the town as usual. Half a dozen of them came to Kansas City one evening and "tanked up." They bragged about what they were going to do and the news got to Independence ahead of them. The Marshall appointed a committee to receive them. Along about bed time the expected guests arrived and began the exercises. They made one circle of the square riding at full run yelling and shooting right and left. As they rode up to the last corner they were met by a volley of pistol shots from the Marshal's posse. The foremost bad man pitched from his saddle riddled with bullets and dead. The posse was ready for the rest of the bad men, but they turned tall and fled.

There were one or two attempts after that to reinstate the good old customs, but they were weak and ineffectual and bad manism, as a cult, has been largely a dead letter in Independence ever since.