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Tragedy in Brown's Family. We have heard and read many stories concerning people and events in Butler County, but the story which has most stirred our imagination concerns the tragedy, which came to a family named Brown. The nature of the tragedy and the given name of Brown are unknown. The story is in a few brief orders in the County Court that Mary Green take the child Martha Brown and keep and maintain her until February term of this Court and that if the Husband of said Mary Green approves of her keeping the child then she will not be allowed a reasonable compensation." The next day the Court allowed J. S. and P. L. Varner eight dollars "for making coffins for Brown's family," and James M. Spain was allowed $10.25 "for keeping Browns child." Beginning December 20, 1853, and ending July 16, 1857, John A. Howard, in several court orders, was allowed a total of $61.25 "for keeping Browns child." One-order states Mr. Howard was to receive $15.00 "for keeping said child for the next six months."
What tragedy had come to Brown's family? Had their cabin caught fire and trapped several members of the family inside? Had one of the terrible diseases that plagued pioneer communities swept the family or had it been some other calamity? Probably we will never know. The usual allowance by the County Court for one coffin was two dollars. By this measure four members of the Brown family had died.
In the case of Martha Brown who was taken by Mary Green we assume Mrs. Green persuaded her husband to let her keep the child as no further court orders are recorded on the matter. The Census of 1850 lists one Obadiah Green with a wife Mary. Perhaps this was the family that took Martha Brown. Also in the 1850 Census is listed Elenda Brown, a widow with five children, William, Commodore, Missouri, Ellen and Martha, the latter then three years of age. Could this have been the Brown family of tragedy?
The Butting Sheep Story. Not all pioneer stories are of tragedy. Here is one with a humorous turn from a letter to Mrs. Cecil Burton written in 1928 by Rev. Daniel R. Kittrell. "Father had a butting sheep. He went to Uncle Andy Thomson's and got into the corncrib in the night. Uncle Andy went out to the corncrib door in his nightclothes and the sheep came with all his might and butted him back on the ground. I think they made mutton of him."
Fourth of July Celebration, 1902. Recently there came into our hands a copy of the program of the Fourth of July celebration in Poplar Bluff in 1902 sponsored by The Improved Order of Red Men, a fraternal organization. The Poplar Bluff Chapter was Cheyenne Tribe Number 58. The printed brochure of the Order claimed the organization had direct descent from the "Sons of Liberty," Organized in the Colony of Massachusetts about 1763. In the year 1773 some members of this group, disguised as Indians dumped chests of tea into Boston harbor, the famed Boston Tea Party. During the War of 1812 the order took the name of Red Men. Soon after the War of 1812 fraternal features were added to the organization and in 1833 the name was changed to Improved Order of Red Men.
In 1902 the officers of Cheyenne Tribe No. 58 were C. C. Hubbs, Sachem; U. G. Hubbs, Prophet; A. B. Henderson, Senior Sagamore; D. B. Bates, Junior Sagamore; C. A. Russell, First Sannap; Joe Kelley, Second Eannap; Earl Wright, Keeper of the Records, and A. Nemnich, Keeper of Wampum. The Poplar Bluff chapter had 158 members. The members, other than officers, were called Warriors and Braves.
The program for the day was very full and is reminiscent of the time when the Fourth of July celebration was one of the few great community events of the year. (Another being circus day). It must have been a colorful occasion with the Red Men in Indian regalia and with various contests between Indians and pale faces.
The entire program is too lengthy to repeat here but started at ten o'clock in the morning with the "Capture and scalping of a pale face on Main Street." This was followed by the Grand Street Parade, the Chiefs of Parade being Sitting Buffalo (Grant Hubbs) Chief of the Cheyenne Tribe, Standing Bull (Joe Kelley) Chief of Buffalo Dancers, Red Cloud (Albert Henderson) Chief of Scalp Dance, White Eagle (John Marshall) Chief of Scouts or Quinine Central and White Thunder (Ernest Bacon) Chief of the Comanche's. The remainder of the program was held in a place called "The Grove." Here, through the rest of the day, the visitors were entertained with speeches by Joe T. Davidson, H.N. Phillips, L.R. Thomason, J.E. Fitzgerald of Kansas City and a reading of the Declaration of Independence by D.W. Hill. The program was liberally interspersed with music, a sack race for the boys, an egg race for the ladies and a bicycle race for the girls. There were three horse races between Indian groups and one horse race between an Indian group and the pale faces. The program concluded with a reenactment of Custer's Last Fight.
Mr. Ernest Marshall, now living in Poplar Bluff, is a son of the John Marshall who was White Eagle. He has a vivid remembrance of the events of the day. "The Grove" was a large area of open timberland east of Black River and south of the C.A.T. Railroad. People from far and near, hungry for entertainment, visitation and excitement, attended in large numbers. Friends and relatives who had not seem each other for months could visit to heart's content. Firecrackers, soda water and lemonade were in ample supply. Veterans of the Civil War could swap yarns and recount incidents of war, real and imaginary. Many people brought huge baskets of food and had a family picnic under the trees at the edge of the grounds. Mr. Marshall recalls that his father, John Marshall, in one of the episodes of the day, was shot dead from his horse accomplishing the same in realistic fashion and with a safe landing.
Notes. Perhaps someone will read this who is a descendant of Mary Green or Martha Brown and can give us information on the "Tragedy of Brown's Family." We are indebted to Mr. Lloyd Langley for opportunity to read a copy of Official Souvenir Program, Fourth of July Celebration, 1902.
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