Kidnapping used to settle family feud
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[Editor’s note: In recognition of Mount Ayr’s sesquicentennial observance in September, the Record-News will run an occasional feature story recounting the early days of the city and county. Items are told in the vernacular of the day in which they were written, but some have been edited with discretion.]
From the October 14, 1925 edition of the Mount Ayr Record News
THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” IN RINGGOLD COUNTY
A Kidnapping Incident In Early History Of Ringgold County
By F.W. Johnson
It seems to have become a regular habit for some of the old timers to relate incidents of the pioneer days of Ringgold county in the Record News.
I have another little incident to relate which has to do with the kidnapping of an entire family by the law and other league of Washington township.
The family referred to was that of the Greeleys. The father was afterwards killed in a runaway accident on the Diagonal road near what was then known as the Walnut Creek bridge. I told of his death in a previous article.
Mr. Greeley was a man who was always getting into trouble with his neighbors, and his reputation as a trouble maker was well known throughout the neighborhood.
About fifty years ago he rented a farm to a man by the name of Sam Crawford for a period of one year. This is the same farm as is now owned by Joe Klejch, and located in Washington township.
After renting the farm, Greeley rigged up a covered wagon and loading his family and household goods in it started out on the road, saying he intended to travel for a year. However, he returned in about three months to the farm he had rented and moved into another log house which was located on the farm and near the house occupied by his renter, Mr. Crawford.
It was not long before war started between the two families. In fact, their numerous and wordy quarrels came to be the talk of the whole neighborhood for miles around, and the longer the quarrel lasted the worse it became, until it seemed certain that one or the other of the two men would be killed.
Finally the neighbors concluded that it was about time for them to take a hand in the controversy in order to prevent bloodshed. It appeared that the neighbors were in the right, as Greeley was always having trouble with his neighbors.
So, one morning the neighbors appeared with their wagons and teams at the Greeley home. Without saying anything to anyone they proceeded to kidnap the whole Greeley family. They first caught the old man and put him in a wagon and held him there while others of the party captured Mrs. Greeley and the five or six children and loaded them in the same wagon.
Other wagons were then loaded with their household effects, and the procession started north for about two miles to a vacant house, where the family together with their household goods were deposited.
The moving committee then advised Greeley and his family to remain there until the first of March, or otherwise they would be handled a great deal rougher the next time they were called upon to settle trouble between the Greeleys and the Crawfords.
This settled the impending war between the two families, and Greeley remained in his new location until Crawford was ready to give him possession of his farm in the spring.
Now, if anyone is inclined to dispute the truthfulness of this story, just ask Frank Jezek about the incident.
On another occasion Greeley got into trouble with Sam Dickey.
Dickey rented a farm close to the one occupied by Greeley, and there was eighty acres of open prairie lying across the road from the Greeley farm.
Such land was known in those days as “speculator’s land” and of course it was not fenced and was considered open range.
Greeley had pastured his cattle on the land for years and seemed to think he had first claim on the land. Dickey was a poor man and had only three cows and being short of pasture turned his cows on this land which he had as much right to use as did Greeley. But this did not seem to suit Greeley so he set his dogs after Dickey’s cows and drove them off the land. Dickey thereupon drove his cows back to the pasture, and in starting back with the animals he put a shooting iron in his pocket in case his rights were questioned.
When he saw Greeley he told him that if he drove his cows off that pasture again he would shoot his brains out. Greeley was not to be bluffed and started to drive Dickey’ s cattle off the land, and when he did so, Dickey pulled his revolver and fired a shot, but instead of the bullet taking effect in Greeley’s brain it hit his pistol pocket. Dickey was at once arrested and indicted by the grand jury, but before the case came to trial Greeley had met his death, so that ended further trouble between Greeley and Dickey.
