“Larned’s First Documented Death”

 Seth McFarland

February 2, 2023

An article published in the Larned Chronoscope stated that in January, 1873 "The first tragedy and the first death in Larned when a man was shot and killed, and a woman so dangerously wounded that she was taken to the hospital at Leavenworth, but died a few days later. No one ever knew who did the shooting. When the residents came to bury the man, they were up against a serious proposition. The ground was so hard as a rock, and in the town were no spade or shovel, so someone suggested a certain place on the hill."

The article continued by describing that a previously dug grave of a Native American should be reused for the recently murdered Larned man. The body was exhumed, and the grave was used to bury the recently shot Larned man. Major Inman, one of the previous editors of the Chronoscope Newspaper of Larned kept the exhumed bones for examination. No more is written about the identity of the murdered victims or the suspected shooter. In regard to the removed remains, Major Inman did donate skeletal remains of a Cheyenne warrior of Ness County to the Kansas Zoological Museum. It is not certain if it was the same individual.  Major Inman was on the board of directors for the Kansas Historical Society.

By today's standards, most individuals would be appalled by this action of disrespect. In years prior to 1873, Plains Indians had been in conflict throughout the Southern Plains. In 1867, that General Winfield Scott Hancock had ordered the burning of the Cheyenne and Sioux village on the Pawnee Creek in Ness County. This action ignited more attacks throughout Kansas. By late 1867, General Philip Sheridan arrived to support the signing of the Medicine Lodge Treaty which was to bring temporary peace. The last battle occurred in Scott County in 1878.

Major Inman was born in New York, and became a soldier, frontiersman and author. He served in the military during the Indian campaigns and the Civil War.  He was made a lieutenant-colonel during the 1868-1869 Indian winter campaign under General Sheridan.  Inman was tried for embezzlement while serving as paymaster at Fort Harker, and he was dismissed in 1872. After his dismissal, he settled in Larned, and worked as a journalist and author. A friend of Buffalo Bill Cody, Inman co-authored a book with Cody titled the Great Salt Lake Trail. He also wrote The Old Santa Fe Trail and a book about Buffalo Jones, along with several other titles, some which were incomplete at the time of his death in 1899.

 

 

 

Ad Astra

Seth McFarland 

February 28, 2023 

This weekend, as we celebrate Kansas Day, remember the state motto Ad Astra Per Aspera, and look towards the night sky. One benefit of Pawnee County, Kansas are the clear night skies. A rare green comet, identified as comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), will be visible now through the early part of February. Astronomers say that the comet will be most visible as it will be closest to earth on February 1st and 2nd. You will either need a set of binoculars or a telescope in order to see it clearly.

 

Clyde Tombaugh, although most famous for discovering Pluto, also made several other astronomical discoveries, including discovering a comet. Astronomer David H. Levy wrote in his book "David Levy's Guide to Observing and Discovering Comets" that no comet was officially named after Tombaugh, although C/1931 AN was one of the comets discovered on the photographic glass plates that Tombaugh noted when he made his other discoveries including Pluto. Levy had interviewed Tombaugh in 1985. While Tombaugh had discovered clusters of galaxies, five open clusters, a globular cluster, many variable stars and hundreds of asteroids, he had also mentioned discovering a comet, although there was no official record of this comet in the International Comet Quarterly. Tombaugh had explained that he had found the comet on the plates months earlier in his research, but it was faded and he decided against reporting it.

 

Clyde Tombaugh said that the original plates were lost in the myriad of plates from 1929 to 1945. It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack in order to rediscover the plates observed 55 years earlier. In 1986, David Levy would visit the Lowell Observatory to inspect the multitude of plates. He found and compared them to the journal Astronomische Nachrichten which was the official record for asteroids and comets. Although Levy would report and file the rediscovered comet, it could not be officially recognized because the accurate orbit could not be determined. Because the comet is periodic, it may be rediscovered again someday, but in the meantime it will only be known as C/1931 AN.

 

Take time to look up, and you might be the one to solve the mystery of Tombaugh's elusive comet. 

 Mollie Patterson  - Manipulator of Hash

Larned Pioneer

 

Seth McFarland

February 3, 2023 

 

In 1873, settlers began to slowly stream in to Pawnee County. They were not numerous, and only 132 families arrived that year. One person of distinction was Mollie Patterson, the first African American settler to settle after the formation of Pawnee County. Ms. Patterson was a cook in the different hotels for many years. 

 

Mrs. Isabelle Worrell Ball wrote of history of the settlers during the years between 1873 and 1893. She stated that Ms. Patterson remained in Larned working as the head cook for the hotels before moving on to Colorado where she passed away "a few years ago." Mrs. Isabelle Worrell was hired as the first school teacher in Larned. To celebrate July 4th of that year, the people of Larned wanted a flag to celebrate. The ladies of Larned donated a red flannel skirt, a white skirt and Ms. Patterson was noted as donating a blue apron to be sewn together as a flag. 

 

Not much is known about Ms. Patterson other than she was known as a manipulator of hash. Hash is typically a culinary dish consisting of chopped meat, potatoes and fried onions.