PARIS, LINN COUNTY Excerpted from "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1911-1912", Edited by Geo. W. Martin, Secretary. Vol XII., State Printing Office, Topeka, Kansas 1912, pages 430-432. submitted by Teresa Lindquist (merope@radix.net); (copyright) 2001 by Teresa Lindquist ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KSGENWEB INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY COPYRIGHT NOTICE: In keeping with the KSGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PARIS, LINN COUNTY. (5) Paris was the first county seat of Linn county, named for Paris, Ky., the former home of James H. Barlow, one of its most prominent citizens. It was situated on the northwest quarter of section 8, township 21, range 24, and located by a commission appointed by the bogus legislature. It had a population in its palmiest days of from 300 to 400 people. It was abandoned in the early sixties. Among its most prominent citizens was James P. Fox, the owner of the claim on which the town was located, a typical exponent of the fire-eating Southerner of his day in Kansas; by profession a lawyer, but without much ability in this line beyond a vocabulary of invective, abuse, and an abundant supply of cuss words, which he used without stint in addressing a jury or haranguing a crowd. His stay in Linn county was not long, however, for at the earnest solicitation of some free-state men in 1858 he concluded to remove to a more healthy, or at least a safer, location.(6) James H. Barlow was a lawyer of considerable ability, a Kentuckian by birth and education, a suave gentleman, and the owner of several slaves, some of whom remained with him till the close of the war or until they died. Unlike Fox, he was mildly conservative in his speech and actions and was generally respected and esteemed by those who knew him. He remained on his farm adjoining the town several years after the close of the Civil War, and then moved back to his native heath in old Kentucky. Robert B. Mitchell was another good lawyer, an Ohio man, having been born in Richland county, April 4, 1823. In politics he was a so-called free-state Democrat and one of the first free-state representatives from Linn county in the legislature, serving in 1857 and 1858. He was colonel of the Second Kansas volunteer infantry, and was severely wounded at the battle of Wilson's Creek. He was afterward promoted to brigadier general, and did excellent service in Kentucky and Tennessee. On December 14, 1866, he was appointed governor of New Mexico, serving until 1869. Governor Mitchell died at Washington, D.C., January 26, 1882.(7) Pleasant Chitwood, another prominent citizen of Paris, was a lawyer of the genus petty-fog. In politics he was an uncompromising Democrat of the free-state type, with a mixture of proslavery proclivities. He accumulated considerable property as a farmer, and moved to Kansas City in its boom days, where he died, having lost a good share of the accumulations of his lifetime.(8) Among others who made Paris their home for a short time in its early days were Ross (9) and Thomas Butler. Both removed to Topeka, and later entered the service of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, the former as its general attorney. There was also a young man--Ira Bronson(10)--who, by reason of his natural ability and genial "God bless you " ways, later on served Linn county as clerk of the district court, and afterwards Bourbon county in the same capacity for a number of years. The first free-state convention in Linn county was held at a sawmill just outside the town of Paris, in 1857. The first election thereafter was held in the log courthouse, the voters calling aloud, through a small window to the judges and clerks within, the names of those for whom they voted. An election was held, November 8, 1859, to relocate the county seat. At this election Paris received 471 votes and Mound City 508. The county officials residing at Paris refused to remove the records to the new county seat, whereupon a number of the citizens of Mound City, led by Dr. Charles R. Jennison, armed with pistols, shotguns, Sharps rifles and a cannon--"Brass Betsey"--appeared early one morning on the public square of the town and made a pressing demand for all the books and records of the various offices. This demand was at first refused, and the officers denied a11 knowledge of the whereabouts of the county records. After some strenuous persuasion, however, they yielded and brought them out from under the puncheon floors of several buildings, delivering them into the hands of the invaders. Thus fell Paris! From then on its decay was rapid, and in a few years there was hardly a ruin left to tell where once it stood in a11 its border-ruffian pride and glory. NOTE 5.-This article was written for the State Historical Society by J. H. Stearns, of Linn county. NOTE 6.-JAMES P. Fox was the first treasurer of Linn county, having been appointed January 8, 1856, by the board of county commissioners, then known as the "court." Fox was succeeded by C. H. Stilwell. who was elected at the first election held to elect county officers, October, 1857. Fox and McD. Osborn located the county seat, under authority of the county commissioners. The most suitable location found was on Fox's claim, and he was paid $100 for his house, which was used for a courthouse. Paris was platted by william Rogers, county surveyor. The town company, incorporated by special act, February 14, 1857, consisted of James P. Fox, John H. Tate. I. T, Clover and Luke Grimes. NOTE 7.-[biography of ROBERT BYINGTON MITCHELL] NOTE 8.-[biography of PLEASANT CHITWOOD] NOTE 9.-[biography of ROSS BURNS] NOTE 10.-[biography of IRA D. BRONSON]