My late grandfather, William Ambrose Miller, used to tell a version of a story I came across the other day, recounted by Henry Gittinger in the May 19, 1905, edition of his Chariton Leader. The story involves the theft of two claybank (dun-colored) horses belonging to my great-great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Rhea) Rhea Etheredge Sargent; pursuit of the thief into Missouri by the neighborhood vigilance committee; and frontier justice in the woodland north of what now is Bethel Church and Cemetery in Cedar Township, east of Chariton.
Although I can't vouch for the accuracy of the details in either Granddad's or Henry's version, it does make a good yarn.
That's Elizabeth's tombstone in Bethel Cemetery, above. Her first husband (and my ancestor), a Baptist preacher and farmer named Richard Rhea, died during 1839 in Sangamon County, Illinois; she then married in 1842 Thomas Etheredge and they brought their blended family to Iowa and had additional children of their own. Thomas died during 1862 --- then two of Elizabeth's three sons, James M. Rhea and Robert Etheredge, perished in the Civil War. She remained the "widow Etheredge" until 1870 when she married as her third husband Edward E. Sargent, some 20 years her junior. Elizabeth's home was due east of the cemetery, the oldest part of which was on Etheredge land.
Anyhow, here's Henry's version of our old family story, published under the headline, "Timber Justice Averted: How a Horse Thief Almost Paid Summary Penalty" ---
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Could Lucas county's history be written in full it would reveal some startling pages not known to the present day inhabitant. One passage has been related to the writer that happened in 1866 down in Cedar township, though no attempt is made to give it in detail for that would occupy too much space and detract interest from the coming historian. The older residents of Cedar can tell you all about the "ministerial career" of the Rev. Ross so far as it relates to the theft of Mrs. Etheredge's yellow horses, for it is likely some of them were at the "meetin' " although they may say nothing about it at this late day.
One morning it was discovered that the "claybank" horses of Mrs. Etheredge were missing and immediately the vigilance committee was notified on the suspicion that they had been stolen. This proved to be the case and the trail of the thief was soon found leading toward the south and was followed into the hill country of northern Missouri. There the thief was apprehended with the stolen animals in his possession.
Many thrilling anecdotes have been related concerning the pursuit and capture of this daring robber, who lived in a wild looking retreat not far from New York in Wayne county and led a kind of Jeckyll and Hyde existence in his several pursuits of posing as a Universalist minister on Sunday and practicing all kinds of dark tricks the balance of the time. His name was Ross and he was as slick and eloquent as he was devilish --- in fact he was a timber wolf with wool reaching clear down to his cloven hoofs.
At the time he was overtaken with the two yellow roadsters, he had in tow --- through a guise of friendly allurement --- a citizen of the country who had a large sum of money on his person, and who he (Ross) afterwards confessed he intended to rob and kill if necessary. They were on their way to an "appointment" where he was a "meek persuader" --- as the "Rev." Ross.
The committee laid hands on him --- not very tender hands in all probability --- and brought him back to the neighborhood of his awful crime --- to a remote place in the Cedar woods and notified all members of the association for the prevention of horse stealing that a full quorum was urgently necessary for business of importance was on the calendar.
It surely was a windfall as the inquisition was largely attended. Bonfires were built as much to give the Reverand Hoss Thief an idea of his future state as to throw light on their deliberations. A jury was selected and the leader of the committee acted as court. Methods however differed in one aspect at least from our up-to-date proceedings. The accused was not sworn, but a noose was slipped about his neck and he was hoisted to a convenient limb to deliberate and asked "guilty or not guilty?"
Several times he entered a plea of "not guilty" but afterwards concluded to amend his pleadings to conform with the evidence and demanded time to pray, offering up a strong petition to the throne of grace and asking clemency for his own sins as well as for those who were then engaged in the awful business of usurping the state's authority.
Whether it was this prayer that saved his neck or the hanging business was merely a bluff the world will never know, but afterwards he was turned over to the authorities, tried, convicted and sent to the penitentiary where he died --- it is hoped in possession of the pardon of heaven.
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