Bourbon County KS Archives Obituaries.....Sheppard, Jacob Ingraham October 19, 1921 ************************************************ 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: Barbara Snyder BSS9876543@aol.com April 2, 2007, 1:13 pm Fort Scott Daily Tribune-Monitor,October 19,1821 From the Fort Scott Daily Tribune-Monitor,October 19,1821: J.I. SHEPPARD PASSES AWAY. Widely Known Lawyer and Public Man Dead at 59, After Few Weeks Illness of Heart and Kidney Trouble. ---Powerful Character. This city and this entire section of Kansas were severely shocked this morning to hear of the death of J.I. Sheppard, for years one of the most prominent and most active citizens of this part of the state. Mr. Sheppard passed away at 2:55 o'clock this morning at his home 824 South Crawford Street as the result of heart trouble,complicated with Bright's disease, with which he has been confined to his home for the past two months. Mr. Sheppard would have been 60 years of age, had he lived until December 17, next. He had been in failing health for fully a year, but his condition did not become really serious until he was stricken two months ago. Since then his condition has grown steadily worse, and a week ago hope of his recovery was abandoned by his physicians. Mr. Sheppard had been very active for years, not only in the affairs of Ft. Scott and of Bourbon County, but in affairs of statewide and even nationwide importance. He was a man to whom the word "impossible" was empty of meaning. When he set about to accomplish a thing, he exerted an energy and driving power that were well-nigh irresistable. His ability to surmount obstacles by many of of his accomplishments, but by none better, one of his friends said this morning, than his building of Convention Hall here in 1895. In that year Ft. Scott secured three political conventions, the Free Silver Republicans, the Populists and the Democrats. They were all to meet here at the same time but there was no hall having suitable space for such conventions. Mr. Sheppard went out and, practically by his own unaided efforts, raised the money with which to build the hall. Then he saw to it that the work on the building was pushed, so that it was in readiness for the big meetings. The three parties met here together in 1895,united on a ticket, and carried the state. Another of his notable accomplishments for Ft. Scott was the securing of the routing of the Jefferson Highway at New Orleans about six years ago. Mr. Sheppard was a member of a delegation of leading citizens who went to New Orleans to make an effort to have the Jefferson Highway routed through Ft. Scott. At New Orleans Mr. Sheppard led the fight for the local route, that the highway was routed through here,in spite of strong efforts made to locate the Kansas section of the route through Iola and other cities farther west. Also, Mr. Sheppard defeated a Missouri faction which was fighting for a route through western Missouri and the rejection of propositions for a Kansas route. It was through Mr. Sheppard's unaided efforts that the People's College was located here,and to him alone goes the credit for supplanting the old street car system with the present bus line,which is still operating and giving good service. Mr. Sheppard was an American in the truest sense of the word. He was always intensely loyal to his country,and this loyalty was demonstrated during the recent war. Fearful of the defection of the laboring elements of England, France and Italy during the dark days of the war,Mr. Sheppard went to Washington and personally suggested to President Wilson a commission of American labor leaders be sent to Europe to combat Bolshevik tendencies and to urge loyalty among labor. The President accepted Mr. Sheppard's proposition. The commission consisting of three men was sent. Its leader was Charles Edward Russell (illegible)wide reputation. (illeg.)Mr. Sheppard then editor of the Appeal to Reason,was another member of the commission. As the best illustration of another side of Mr. Sheppard's character, his paying of (illeg.) totaling $15,000 which he did not legally owe,stands preeminent. When the First National Bank failed, it held paper with Mr. Sheppard's signature, totaling $18,000. Mr Sheppard was unaware of the existence of some of these notes. They were placed in the bank by a friend who had taken the liberty of signing Mr. Sheppard's name. But Mr. Sheppard met the matter squarely. He mortgaged his home for $3000 and bought the securities from the receiver. Besides the $18,000 in notes he owed about $20,000 to other creditors. Undismayed by the size of the debt, he (illeg.) to pay it off, and not only succeeded,but later announced that he would pay the remaining $5000 on the notes that had been held by the First National bank, although legally they became cancelled when he bought them. And he did just what he said he would - he paid face value of the notes. This however did not seem so strange to some of the "down-and-outers" who had been helped by Mr. Sheppard,for they learned that he was generous almost to a fault. They found that nobody who ever went to him for aid was refused and that he aided,on his own initiative,many who,through pride, would not have asked. Mr. Sheppard had a country-wide reputation as a lawyer,and especially as a criminal lawyer. For years he had been prominent as a member of the local bar. About 16 years ago, he was county attorney for 4 years, and another leading lawyer said this morning that he could have held the position indefinitely had we wanted it. But the holding of offices did not appeal greatly to Mr. Sheppard. It has been said that he could have been nominated for congress on the Democratic ticket at almost any time,had he been willing to run. Mr. Sheppard was connected with many criminal cases of countrywide interest, notable among them being the Ard case, the Noah Strebill case and the cases of the Menace and the Appeal to Reason. The present Industrial Court Law is the outgrowth of an idea that was originally with Mr. Sheppard. At the time of the coal miners strike, when people were suffering for lack of coal, he declared that the rights of the public were paramount to those of any class and said that the state would take action. He went to see Governor Allen about the matter and it was not too long after that before the state took charge of the coal mines. Then the Industrial Court law was drafted and passed. Speaking before the legislature later, Mr. Sheppard repeated his opinion that the rights of the public are paramount to those of any class but expressed his opposition to the penalty clause in the Industrial Court Law. He said that the Law was all right in other respects. It was Mr. Sheppard who about a dozen years ago formed the trackmen's union composed of local section men. From a local movement he made it become countrywide with organizers in many states. For many years before establishing the People's College, Mr. Sheppard carried on a correspondence school from his home here and served hundreds of students... He had defended (Fred) Warren through the federal court. Warren was charged with publishing improper (illeg.) in his paper. The jail sentence was affirmed and reaffirmed. The time was approaching when Warren must go to jail. Without his knowledge Mr. Sheppard undertook a plan of securing his pardon by President Taft without embarrassing Warren, in the light of his defiant attitude toward the judgment by asking for a pardon at all. Mr. Sheppard conceived the idea of running Warren as a martyr candidate for congress in the Third district on the socialist ticket. The socialists were strong in that district and there was a possibility of attracting a sufficient number of votes from Campbell to Carren to make possible the election of a Democrat. Mr. Sheppard sent for W.R. Smith, then editor of the Columbus Advocate, a Third district Republican paper,and proposed that he suggest to Congressman Campbell the political advisability of securing a pardon for Warren in order to prevent his capitalizing on his imprisonment in politics. Mr. Smith thought it a good idea and wrote Congressman Campbell such a letter as Mr. Sheppard dictated. Within two or three weeks, and just before the time scheduled for Warren's surrender, the Associated Press carried a Washington dispatch announcing the pardoning of Warren, who truthfully declared he had not asked for a pardon and that it was a great surprise to him. Jacob Ingraham Sheppard was born December 17,1961 in Jackson County,West Virginia, and was therefore nearly 60 years of age. He came to Bourbon County 52 years ago with his parents in a covered wagon. He was then about 7 years of age. His parents settled about 7 miles south of Fort Scott in the Godfrey neighborhood. Mr. Sheppard was married in 1885 to Miss Ida Gifford of the Godfrey neighborhood. The marriage occurred at Walkertown. It was in 1886, 35 years ago when Mr. Sheppard was 25 years of age that he moved to Ft. Scott to accept the position of principal of the Main street school. He held that position for about a year,then took up the study of law,and a short time later formed his first law partnership with C.B. Daughters. This partnership continued for about a year. Then he was in partnership for several months with H.A. Prichard. Then the well-remembered partnership of Biddle, Boyle & Sheppard was formed. This existed for about four years. When it was dissolved, Mr. Sheppard secured his own office and went into partnership with his son, J.G. Sheppard. In 1911 his daughter, Miss Kate Sheppard, became a partner. She left the firm in 1917 and since then Mr. Sheppard and his son have been the only partners... In 1918 Mr. Sheppard intimated that his long and successful career as a lawyer started with his studying law by correspondence. In one paragraph he said: I, like millions of others of the working class, had no opportunity as a youth for schooling. What learning I have was mainly obtained by my own efforts without the assistance of schools or colleges. I have practiced law for thirty years and have been usually successful. My worst enemies will concede that much. I never studied a day in a law office or law school until I opened an office of my own. I never saw a lawsuit tried until I tried one myself.. The deceased is survived by his wife, two daughters, Mrs. Kate Sheppard McKay of Wichita, Miss Mary Jane Sheppard, at home, and son James G. Sheppard of (?) 16 South Crawford and grandchildren Julie Ida and William Jacob, daughter and son of J.G.Sheppard,and one brother, James B. Sheppard, of Santa Rosa,Calif. Mr. Sheppard's office has for more than 15 years been in the present location at 6 1/2 N. Main street. Before that, for a number of years, he had office rooms in the Lotterer building, on east side of Market Square. It was announced today that the funeral will be held from the home at 824 South Crawford street at 2:30 o'clock Friday afternoon, Rev. Albert Watkins officiating. There will be no music or singing. Interment will be in the family plot in Evergreen cemetery. Following are the names of the pall bearers: John H. Grain, W. E. Brooks,Judge B. Hudson,George W. Marble,A.M. Keene,Edward C. Gates, Martin Miller and Major E.E. Dix. Mrs. Donald McKay of Wichita,daughter of the deceased, and husband arrived last night. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/bourbon/obits/s/sheppard933ob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/ File size: 11.8 Kb