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From: "Kathy Bowlin" <>
Subject: [MOHOWARD-L] Higbee News, 30 June 1927, Pt 2a
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 15:44:52 -0600


Hi All,

Apparently, I included too much information in part 2 of this issue. So I am resending, as parts 2a and 2b. Sorry for the
confusion.

Kathy

The following are selected articles from a Newspaper titled, "The Higbee News" which
was issued out of the town of Higbee, in Randolph County, Missouri from the years 1888
through 1953. The editors were W. H. Welch and his son H. Scott Welch. This paper covered the Higbee area and also a great deal of
the northeastern part of Howard county. The copyright notice at the end of this transcript is there for the sole purpose of keeping
this work free to the public, and to ensure that it is not
harvested by a fee-based corporate genealogy site, or published in any format for profit. If you decide to use the information from
this transcription, PLEASE LIST ME AS THE SOURCE, rather than the paper. My transcription is another generation removed from the
microfilm, and would thus be a third generation copy of the original paper. For proper documentation, a researcher should obtain a
photocopy of the microfilm for their own permanent records, and use my transcript as a guide or index. The microfilm is available
for interlibrary loan through the State Historical Society of Missouri, and a copy is also on file at the Moberly Public Library,
generously donated by the Higbee Historical Society.
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Thursday, 30 June 1927, Vol 41, No. 8, Pg. 2, 1,2&3--OUR HUNTSVILLE LETTER,
By W. T. Dameron--Boss Hager Talks--We met Boss Hager in town Tuesday. Relative
to the report that Rolla Pogue and Lee Minor finding a pot of gold of the Dick Wilson
farm some days ago, Boss said he had not seen either of the boys and only gave out the
rumor that he had heart it, but that he did not believe there was anything to the report.
Though he believes Bill Anderson, or some of his men, hid gold, not only on the old
Wilson farm, but on his father's farm also, in Civil War times, and that he had heard that
Frank James had told a friend a short time before he died that gold was buried somewhere
on those places. Boss was only six years old when the Civil War broke out, and his
father, Levi Hager, a pioneer of the county, and all the family were strong Southern
people, and he remembers seeing Bill Anderson and members of his gang several times
during that war. In fact, he says, the Anderson family were relatives on one of their
neighbors, the Thomas family, who resided on what is now known as the Wm. Bohn
place, and the Anderson family visited there quite often when they resided in Huntsville
prior to the Civil War. In fact, he says, Bill Anderson went to school at the old Hager
school house one or two terms and stayed with the Thomas family during that time.
Boss' father and mother and elder members of the family knew the Andersons well. But
none of his family ever saw the Andersons again after they left Huntsville in the latter
'50's, going to Kansas and Texas, until in 1862, when Bill and a gang of his men made
their appearance in the county, known as Bushwhackers. Boss says he remembers very
distinctly when Capt. Anderson came to his father's house one day, but none of the family
recognized him. "My father," said Boss, "had many bee hives full of honey, and
Anderson and his squad of men filled up on honey and lightbread. Anderson did not let
his name be known to the family until he found how the family stood as to the war.
While my father was a Southern sympathizer after the war commenced he was prior to
the war a "constitutional Democrat," and opposed secession. While the boys were filling
up on honey Capt. Anderson found out that my father had once "hollered" for Jeff Davis,
but still did not let himself be known to the old man until he was satisfied my father was
right in spirit towards the Southern cause. When Captain Anderson and a half dozen of his men approached brother Nick, who was
about old enough for military service, and
demanded to know his politics, or how he stood relative to the confederacy, Nick, not
knowing who Bill Anderson was, or whether he was for the South or North, hesitated to
speak for a few minutes. But Bill insisted that Nick must express his views or his
principles in the matter. Then brother Nick raised his head and with a bold expression
said: "I have not got a damned drop of Union blood in my heard; if I had, by God I would
cut it out," and then he shouted, "hurrah for Jeff Davis; if you don't like that, do your do."
Bill smiled and let himself be know to Nick, and then said: "Nick, I heard that you had
yelled for Jeff Davis when I was away down in Texas." Before Anderson and his men
left the neighborhood Nick had joined them. He was with Anderson and Quantrill at the
Centralia fight, and later he left Anderson and joined Gen. Price's army." Boss
remembers when Bill Anderson made a raid on Huntsville and robbed the county, stores
and individuals of all the money they could find. It was money derived in this raid, or
some of it, I think, that was hid on the Dick Wilson farm. I remember the fight between
Anderson's gang of 32 men, or boys, and a lot of Huntsville militia under command of
Captain Fin Denny, at the old Charley Shaefer place southeast of Huntsville. Bill
Anderson and his men had been in the county, at our house and other places in the
neighborhood, for several days. One Sunday morning they rode up to Mr. Sheafer's
home and demanded breakfast. After they had eaten Bill Anderson asked Mr. Sheafer
something about the Huntsville militia, and he told Bill that he was under bond and oath
to report to Huntsville when any soldiers or any kind were seen at, or passing, his place.
Bill replied, "that is all right; make the report to Capt. Denny that you have seen me and
some of my men," and then the gang rode off east. Mr. Sheafer was superintendent of the
Baptist Sunday School, and as he left home on his way to Sunday school in town, he met
a company of the Huntsville militia, and he told Capt. Denny of Anderson and his men
being at his house and which way they went. Mr. Sheafer had not gone far from home
towards town when he met Anderson and his men. Bill asked him if he had seen any
militia, and Mr. Sheafer told him he had, and which way they were going. It seems that
Anderson had gone from the Sheafer place east and made a quick double west towards
Huntsville and had gotten in behind the militia, evidently trying to draw them out from
town. When Anderson got to the creek, (Sweet Spring) he called to his men to "close
up," and just as they passed the Sheafer house, and when the militia saw them coming,
Capt. Denny gave orders for his men to dismount for a fight. There was timber and brush
on each side of the road. Anderson led his men in a quick charge, and the militia took to
the brush, after firing a volley, and made their escape to town through the timber. Several
threw their guns away, others fought Anderson from the brush. The casualties were light.
One of Anderson's men--Crews by name--was killed, and one or two others slightly
injured. Two of the militiamen were killed and two or three slightly wounded. Anderson
killed nearly all the horses belonging to the militia. "Uncle" Theo. Yowell was with the
militia in that fight and was riding a very fine stallion, and that horse followed him
through the brush to the creek, where he finally hid under the apron of the bridge.
Anderson's men tried to catch that horse, but could not. Some of them chased the horse
nearly to Renick, but the horse got back to Huntsville nearly as quick as Mr. Yowell. In
escaping through the woods, Henry Reed broke the stock off his gun, so the enemy could
not use it.

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Copyright notice: All transcriptions in this email are copyrighted by their creator. They
may not be reproduced on another site or on any printed or recorded media, CD, etc.
without specific written permission from Kathy Bowlin. Although public information is
not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which it is presented, transcriptions, notes
& comments, etc. is. It is however, quite permissible to print or save the files to a
personal computer for personal use only. Permission is granted to public libraries, and
genealogical and historical societies to print and bind for the use of their patrons.

Kathy Bowlin
Additions, corrections, comments welcome.

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