Barton County KS Archives History - Books .....The Killing Of Archie B. Clements 1912
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com July 24, 2005, 5:17 pm

Book Title: Biographical History Of Barton County

THE KILLING OF ARCHIE B. CLEMENTS
By G. N. Moses

THE following description of Archie B. Clements' death in Missouri after a
streneous career is told by George N. Moses who was active in the early day life
of that part of the country before he came to Barton County. It is printed as an
interesting event in the life of the first sheriff of Barton County.

   At the close of the Civil War, the country was in a very unsettled condition
and more especially so in the border states. There were roving bands of men,
composed of the worst elements of both armies, who did not accept the condition
of peace or abide by the civil law but took the law in their own hands and
travelled the country, burning, murdering and committing all kinds of
depredations. Such was the condition of affairs in LaFayette County, Mo. A baud
of men, headed by Archie B. Clements, who was a lieutenant under Quantrell at
the time of the Lawrence massacre, would ride into Lexington shooting, killing
and robbing banks in broad day light. Reports of these outrages coming to the
ears of Gov. Tom Fletcher, he sent Bacon Montgomery of Sedalia, Mo., and ordered
him to raise a company of men and go to Lexington and quiet the troubles.

   Montgomery returned to Sedalia and raised a company of thirty-two, consisting
of such men as J. M. and George Turley, Dave Thornton, Tom Tibbs, Monte Cantrell
and others of like character. They were men who had carried their lives in their
hands all through the war; they were dead shots and could be relied upon to face
any danger. They were as daring a lot of men, taken as a whole, as were ever
banded together. We left Sedalia for Lexington but the date of our leaving I
cannot recollect. It was, however, in the winter of 1866. On the way we were
notified by friends, that Clements and his band would meet us at the LaFayette
County line and that we were never to be permitted to cross the line. Sure
enough when we came to the line there was a squad of men but at sight of us they
scattered into the brush and we went into Lexington without any trouble,
remaining there several days without anything of note happening. One day, a
company of nearly 500 men, headed by Dave Poole came into town and it was
reported that they came for the purpose of taking the oath, registering or
something of that kind. We didn't just like the looks of things so we gathered
our squad in the court house, remaining there until they left town. Shortly
after they left, Montgomery came to Turley, Tibbs and myself and said that
Clements, and Hickland had come back and were at the hotel which was run by one
of the Hicklands. He further stated that there was a reward offered by both
Kansas and Missouri for Clements and he wanted us to go and get him. We started
at once and on the way, discussed the situation, finally determining that we
would take them if possible, without shooting. Our plan was to get them into
conversation and then ask them to take a drink and while drinking get the drop
on them and cause them to surrender. Meantime, Montgomery, fearing there might
be more of them than we could handle, sent Joe Wood with two or three men, to
our assistance.

   Just as we were in the act of taking a drink at the bar, Wood came to the
door and commenced hollering, "Surrender." Immediately, Clements and Hickland
sprang back, Hickland jumping over a billiard table. As he jumped, I shot him in
the leg. Clements ran through a side door into the office and I ran into the
opening leading into the office. Just as I slipped into the door Clements turned
and fired at me the ball going through my clothes but not drawing blood. I fired
at him hitting him in the right breast, crippling him badly which accounts for
his poor shooting after that for he emptied eleven six shooters at us and never
hit a man and he died with the twelfth gun in his hand trying to cock it.

   When I shot him he fell but before I could reach him he sprang to his feet
and started running towards the Virginia Hotel Livery Barn, in front of which he
had his horse tied. I was so busy taking care of myself up to this time that I
did not realize what Turley and Tibbs were doing, but when I came to myself I
found that all three of us were running after Clements. Clements reached his
horse when we were within ten or fifteen feet of him and we continued shooting
at him as fast as we could but in spite of it all, he mounted and swung his
horse around and started towards Market Street. As his horse came around he ran
into the lead horse of a four horse team that was coming up the street and we
followed still shooting at him and shot and killed the lead horse of the team.
Clements' horse was hit several times but kept going, reaching Market street and
then up that street as far as Dr. Cooley's residence; there his horse gave out
and stopped. Turley and I were the first to reach him and took him off his horse
and he was then vainly trying to cock his last six shooter but had not the
strength left to do so. We laid him on the ground and he stretched out, gave a
few convulsions and the last words he spoke were, "Oh, he ____ll," and he was dead.

   We took the body to the court house where an examination disclosed that
Clements had been hit thirty-three or thirty-four times, of which number, twenty
odd wounds were in the body. We then placed his body against one of the columns
of the court house and had it photographed.

   I had one of these pictures but have been unable to locate it. When we
brought Clements' body to the court house, I told Montgomery that I thought
Hickland was wounded at the hotel. Several of us went back there and found a
trail of blood from the billiard table, through the office and up the stairs
where it stopped. Montgomery then found the landlord and demanded Hickland,
telling him that if he did not deliver him up we would set fire to the house and
smoke Hickland out.

   There was certainly a scene of commotion then. The landlord, his wife and two
grown daughters, crying, wringing their hands and swearing that Hickland had
left the hotel. Montgomery would not believe them and sent John Jackson to a
drug store for some turpentine which he soon brought and Bake emptied the can on
the floor and was just about to touch a match to the turpentine when the mayor
and Dr. Cooley who were old friends of his, came in and persuaded him not to
burn the house.

   That afternoon we received word from a farmer, that the Poole band had
returned to old man Hickland's place, two miles from town, and were coming in to
kill every one of us. We went through the city, taking all the arms and
ammunition we could find and drafting a lot of negroes and then establishing
headquarters at McDowell College. From there we sent out pickets and spies to
watch their movements. I went through fields and along hedge rows to their camp
until I was close enough to hear what they were saying. Some of them wanted to
come in and some hung back. They lacked a leader. They wanted Poole to lead them
in but this he refused to do and that settled it. They never came after us while
we were at the College. I might here add, that we never found Hickland.

   There was a newspaper published on the other side of the river by a man named
Williams and he was giving us a terrible scoring as robbers and murderers, so
Turley took a few of us with him and we crossed the river, captured the printer,
broke the presses and scattered the type up and down the street. We brought
Williams back with us and for several days kept him prisoner under a stairway in
a dark room and then let him go. This escapade, however, proved quite an
expensive joke for us for we were afterwards compelled to pay for the property
destroyed.

   Soon after this we moved back to the court house. Some of the good citizens
who did not like us nor the idea of our staying there any longer, sent all kinds
of terrible reports about us to President Grant and these reports were so bad,
describing us as robbers and murderers, that Grant, without taking second
thought ordered two companies of infantry from Fort Leavenworth to Lexington by
forced march. The day these U. S. troops arrived there was a young lieutenant
sent ahead to procure quarters. This lieutenant had evidently just entered the
army and gave every evidence of having bought his commission for he lacked any
of the traits of a true soldir or gentleman. He came to the court house dressed
in a new uniform with bright shining buckles and buttons and his sword dangling
by his side and you could tell from his looks that he considered himself a great
soldier and of vast importance. I happened to be standing in the doorway and he
addressed himself to me, asking "What men are these here?" I remarked that they
were Gen. Montgomery and his men. "Gen. Montgomery," he replied with a sneer.
"Where is this man Montgomery?" I felt the blood coursing a little swifter
through my viens but held my peace knowing that Bake could answer him much
better than I could, and followed him in saying to him that the General was back
there by the stove, playing seven-up with some of his men. The lieutenant
marched in very pompously and said, "Where is this man Montgomery?" Bake looked
up and said, "That's my name, sir." The lieutenant, said, "Capt. Williams is on
his way here, sir, with U. S. troops and we want these rooms for our quarters."
Again Bake looked up and said, "How many troops has Capt. Williams?" "Two
companies of infantry, sir." "Well," said Bake, "You go back and tell Capt.
Williams that I have thirty Missourians here and I will contest with him, God
damn you sir, for these quarters," and Bake went on with his game paying no
further attention to the lieutenant who stood there a few minutes then turned
and walked out like a whipped cur.

   Meantime, George Turley had got hold of an old musket and constituted himself
a guard and halted the lieutenant when he got to the door. The lieutenant drew
his sword and ordered George to get out of the way but George took after him and
ran him clear past the court house square, pricking him with the bayonet at
every jump. When the U. S. troops arrived they camped in the court house yard.
Bake went and telegraphed Governor Fletcher who immediately wired the president
that he had state troops at Lexington, that he had made no requisition for U. S.
troops and asked that they be ordered back. The troops soon left for Fort
Leavenworth.

   It did not suit the old moss backs that we were left in control of the
situation so they swore to charges against us of wilful and malicious murder.
(By the way, in the shooting fracas with Clements, there were one or two
citizens accidentally killed.) Se we were indicted for murdering Clements and
these citizens. A United States marshal named Poole, a cousin of Dave Poole, was
sent to arrest us. He came to Lexington, sent for us to come to the hotel and
told us he had a warrant for our arrest.

   Montgomery told him to produce his warrants and if they were all right we
would go with him but this he refused to do and for several days we parleyed
back and forth, Montgomery demanding to see the warrants and Poole declining to
show them, claiming it was not necessary. Finally he sent for us and said he
would show us the warrants if we would promise not to harm the prosecuting
witnesses. Bake told him he would guarantee and he would read the warrants to
us. Bake told him we would be ready when us. Bake told him we would be ready
when the next stage left. We were a good deal suspicious of Poole as he was so
closely related to Dave poole the noted bushwhacker and feared he might steer us
into an ambush where they would kill us all so Montgomery told the boys to
saddle up and follow us to Warrensburg for fear Clements' friends would ambush
us on the road. The next morning we started. There was no one else in the stage
but the marshal. Bacon Montgomery, James Turley, Tom Tibbs and myself. Poole's
son was on horseback as guard. After going some distance on the way to
Warrensburg without any trouble the boys began to feel develish and thought they
would have some fun with the guard so they commenced shooting up the dirt around
him and he soon took to the brush. Poole thought his time had come and shook
like a leaf but Montgomery quieted him by assuring him that neither he nor his
son were in any danger for the boys were just in fun. We reached Warrensburg all
0. K. and there took the train for Jefferson City. Just as the whistle blew for
Sedalia, one of the complaining witnesses, opened the car door, came in and took
a seat by the door. Tibbs and I were seated a few seats in front when the door
opened and Tibbs looked back to see who came in. As soon as he discovered who it
was, Tibbs said, "See me wing that s—n of b—b," and before I could realize what
he was doing he pulled his gun and shot the old fellow through the ear. He did
net wait for the train to stop but just got off and took the next train. When we
reached Jefferson City, Poole took us around to lock us up but we politely
tipped our hats and bade him "good evening." He then followed us around,
stopping at the same hotel we did until we had our preliminary hearing. We were
placed under one hundred dollar bonds which we declined to give and we also
declined to be locked up.

   Most of our bays had come down and all were heavily armed. I had the least
number of guns of any in my belt and I had four six shooters.

   Trouble was averted by Gen. Miller of St. Louis, Col. Boyd of Springfield and
Bill Fletcher going on the bond. I think this was arranged by the late C. P.
Townsley who was in attendance at the Legislature as a Senator from Sedalia.
When our trial came off we were all acquitted and the boys scattered to their
homes, Turley, McCabe and I returning to Sedalia.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/barton/history/1912/biograph/killingo49ms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/

File size: 14.3 Kb