Washington County Tidbits 1880-89

Tidbits are newspaper articles, etc. which mention names, places, and other information useful to the researcher.
They will be posted as received, with the newest listed first.


E-mail your Washington County, MO Tidbit to Larry Flesher,


Submitted by Christine Lembeck

Saturday Herald, Decatur, Illinois, February 10, 1883

At Bonne Terre, Missouri, on Saturday morning, Sherman Dougherty, 21 years old, a laborer in the Desloge Lead Company, was instantly killed by a stroke of lightning.

The New Era, Humeston, Iowa, January 2, 1889

Leon Dean found Derville Boyer making love to his (Dean's) wife at Old Mines, Missouri, on the 26th and killed him with an axe.

Submitted by Christine Lembeck

Decatur Republic, Decatur, Illinois, August 12, 1886

A little boy playing in an old log house at Richwoods, Missouri, lost a marble through the floor and crawled under the house to get it. He found there a tin pail filled with gold and silver coin. The amount proved to be $1000. It was the property of an old gentleman of the place, who had hidden it there in 1864 and afterward, not finding it readily, thought it had been stolen.

The New York Times, July 9, 1883

Potosi, MO
Sam Cook, colored, shot and fatally wounded Emma Shares, a young woman who had refused to receive his attention on account of his intemperate habits. Cook then attempted suicide, but only inflicted a flesh wound in the hand with the revolver. He then escaped. It is believed that the colored citizens will lynch him if he is brought in.

Daily Freeman, Waukesha, Wisconsin, July 12, 1883

St. Louis, July 10
Sam Cook, the negro who in a fit of jealous rage, shot Emma Shores, a colored girl, at Potosi, Missouri, last Thursday evening, and then shot himself, and subsequently eluded pursuit, has been captured, and taken back to Potosi.

In his attempt to kill himself, after shooting the girl, he fired two bullets into his head, one of which penetrated both hemispheres of the brain. The other passed through one hemisphere and both are now inside his skull. Not withstanding these wounds, from both of which the brains oozed in a considerable quantity, the negro roamed in the woods from Thursday evening till Sunday morning, when he ate a hearty meal, talked rationally, and walked three miles from the place where was captured to Potosi. Physicians, however, say he can not live. The girl still lives but is paralyzed from the effect of the bullet, which entered the back of her head and passed under and into her spinal column.

Submitted by Esther M. Ziock Carroll

Election day, November 2nd, 1886:
Robert Wigger, age 44, & Marvin McCabe, age 57, were neighbors living in the vicinity of Mineral Point. A feud had long existed between them & on election day they met at Mineral Point where Robert shot & killed Marvin. Marvin's son, Charles McCabe, was present & avenged his father's death by immediately shooting & killing Robert Wigger. Charles was charged with murder & his two brothers, John & James, were charged with aiding & abetting. All were indicted for murder & sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. Prior to this incident they had all sustained good reputations. All of the McCabe brothers had temperate personalities & two of them were of the Methodist faith. James, age 30, had a wife and four children. Charles, age 28, & John, age 22, were single. All entered the State Penitentiary on June 21st, 1887. Fortunately they did not have to serve their full ten year sentences. The governor of Missouri pardoned James McCabe on February 24th, 1889 & Charles & John were pardoned December 11th, 1889.

Submitted by Christine Lembeck

Decatur Daily Republican, Decatur, Illinois, May 14, 1883

Potosi, MO – May 10
Last Sunday night Mr. William Reihl, who lives one mile south of this place, had two horses stolen, the thieves making towards Cuba. Mr. Reihl immediately telegraphed to all points in that direction and nothing more was heard of them until yesterday when he heard that the thieves had been caught up with, and a fight occurred between the pursuers and the thieves. The horses were both recovered and the rest of the party are in hot pursuit of the other thief. This kind of depredation is getting quite frequent in this community and our county court has taken steps to offer a reward of $200 for each like offense committed in our county.

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Larry Flesher, Washington County, MO

lflesher@fidnet.com