Hmmm. Family's in bed, I have NO new books to read at the moment and I'm not in the mood to re-read a whole bunch...what SHALL I do? Keep a promise made a month ago. Here's more Bald Knobber stuff. Remember, the sources I use are Ingenthron and Hartman's book "The Bald Knobbers: Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier" and a few other smaller sources. The book cited above is the only book by Ingenthron still in print--I believe you can still buy it at barnesandnoble.com. While it is fairly accurate, mostly due to Elmo Ingenthron, I suspect, he really didn't write it so much as he was the main source of info--he'd written extensively over the years about the Bald Knobbers. Many of his writings can be found in the WRVHQ, which you can access off the WRV website. While on the subject of his books, if you ever, EVER run across Elmo Ingenthron books at a yard sale, book shop, or what-have-you, email me and plan to buy them. I will reimburse you. This goes for all parts of the country, for none of Elmo's own books are still in print. I've been on waiting lists in 3 book shops for over a year, and I've only been able to nab one, "Indians of the Ozark Plateau". He also wrote "Land of Taney." Of course, now that I'm thinking about it, I can't remember his other titles. Doesn't matter. I want the books, and I know others who are looking. BK is short for Bald Knobbers, ABK, the Anti Bald Knobbers. I believe I've discovered 10 ways to mistype both. Here we go... Taney County was a morass of fraud and corruption in its elected offices. When the courthouse burned in Oct 1885, there was no money to build a new one. No one had much in the way of hard cash--the barter system was dominant, professionals, merchants and farmers trading what they had in exchange for what they could get in supplies and services. Men paid poll taxes by working on the county roads--I believe it was for a certain amount of time every year, but I don't know that for sure. The BK, by stating they were going to clean up the county, managed to get their people elected into office. Nat Kinney was a strong leader, and the number of men who joined the BK rose as folks grew afraid--it seemed you had to either declare for or against them. If you were a member of a family that was prominent, yet still against the BK, you ran the risk of being visited by the night riders. Ingenthron and Hartman's book states that if the ABK had someone as strong and "charismatic" as Nat Kinney to organize them and keep them in line, Taney County would have "exploded into one of the most deadly factional wars ever witnessed in the United States." But those who were strongly against the BK were unable to agree on how to combat them, so they remained unable to stop them. But they tried. The ABK counted the number of BK victims, folks who they felt either were bullied or who missed out on getting a fair trial. A good number of the ABK were Democrat in their political beliefs. This included the SNAPP family, the LAYTONS, the COGGBURNs, and others. There were at least 15 men dead, killed by the Bald Knobbers; 3 men and 3 women shot and wounded; 2 women and too many men to count who had been whipped. Some thought the number of dead was over 30, not including 4 women. Yet there had been no arrests of any night rider, let alone a trial or conviction. And this was in Taney County alone. Christian County and Douglas County also had organized bands of the BK. Kinney helped those bands organize, as well, but he remained in Taney County, except for quick visits. Newspapers from around the state and the entire nation printed articles about the BK, haranguing Kinney for his tactics. Accounts were often exaggerated, detailed enough about attacks and visits made by the night riders, that MO's governor and other state officials finally noticed. Kinney, enjoying the attention, increased his followers' activities. However, some people remained undaunted. Andrew COGGBURN was one. In 1879, COGGBURN's father, James, was murdered by men who later became BK. They ran the widow an dher children off their farm, located near Mincy, and the family was soon split up. Andrew remained in the vicinity of the Oak Grove schoolhouse, where Kinney was a preacher, and often heckled Kinney for preaching a 3 hr sermon, then going out to kill someone. Descendants of Sam SNAPP say that he wasn't good friends with Andy COGGBURN, but accounts vary. Some say they were very close, sneaking up to BK hideouts and watching the secret rituals, then sneaking away, making fun of the motions and solemnity to friends and family. Others say SNAPP was in the wrong place at the wrong time. COGGBURN was beaten by the BK one night for singing a song called "The Anti-Bald Knobber Song". It still didn't deter him from making fun of the BK, and from all accounts, he was both brave and foolhardy. I'll post the lyrics in another e. COGGBURN also nicknamed KINNEY "The Old Blue Gobbler" and began cackling like a tom turkey whenver he was near any known member of the BK. COGGBURN did more. He and family members interrupted KINNEY's church services; they attended them all, even though they claimed to not want a church/Sunday School in their neighborhood. They would make ribald responses back to KINNEY's sermonizing, and other church members began demanding that the law do something about it. Andy was arrested and charged with concealed weapons, but he paid his $25 fine and continued his harassment. The prosecutor at the time swore out a warrant a short time later, charging Andy with disturbing the peace. Kinney asked to be deputized, and when given the warrant for Andy's arrest, said he would "try to arrest Coggburn" at the first opportunity. 28 Feb 1886, Andy was in Kinney's church, attending services. Galba BRANSON, who was Sheriff, saw Andy and immediately left to find KINNEY, to warn him of Coggburn's presence at the church. Shortly after KINNEY's arrival, a large number of his followers pulled up on their horses as well. KINNEY, who for some reason wasn't preaching that night, waited until services were ended before approaching the building with gun in hand. SNAPP and COGGBURN had heard the commotion outside, and figured someone had slipped out to warn KINNEY that COGGBURN was present. SNAPP and COGGBURN walked outside, according to Ingenthron. Some SNAPP descendants say that Sam happened to walk out a short time after COGGBURN, just in time to see KINNEY and COGGBURN meet in the pathway to the horses. Kinney demanded that Coggburn surrender for arrest by throwing up his hands. If you go by Ingenthron, Sam Snapp immediately complied, but Coggburn reached into his hip pocket for his revolver. Kinney, who had already set his gun on Andy, fired instantly, shooting Coggburn in the area of the heart; Andy died instantly. Accounts of Andy's gun varied, depending on whether it was a BK or not testifying. John HAWORTH, who also apparently saw the shooting or was there immediately afterwards (again, accounts differ), claimed that Coggburn had both arms in the air. HAWORTH, a highly respected citizen by all, was also ABK, but few messed with him, either way. SNAPP claimed that Andy was unarmed, and that Kinney shot him in cold blood. Immediately after shooting Andy, Kinney turned to Snapp and asked what he intended to do. Snapp replied that he was unarmed and Kinney made him stay inside the schoolhouse until a law officer arrived. Of course, the sound of gunfire brought everyone. The BK immediately took charge, bringing the benches out of the building and arranging them in a circle around Coggburn's body. Sam Snapp claimed to see one of Kinney's men place a pistol in Andy's hand, and when he asked why, was told that "Cap'n Kinney told me to." Some said that when officials arrived--it must have been a while, we're talking pre-telephone and pre-vehicle days, and Oak Grove School house was across the river from Forsyth--that the gun was laying on the ground beside Andy. Others said the gun was tightly gripped in his right hand. Snapp left as soon as he could. As the only eyewitness to Andy's murder and since he wasn't affiliated with the BK, he knew he was in mortal danger. Other ABK members and Coggburn's relatives left, but met up not far away. The coroner's inquest was held the next day, 1 Mar 1886. Various newspapers reported that the coroner's jury was made up entirely of BK. The jury agreed that Kinney had tried to arrest Coggburn on the warrant, and that Coggburn was attempting to shoot Kinney. A clear case of self-defense, or justifiable homicide. Only one "eye-witness" testified, a John DAVIS. It is unclear what his relationship to either Kinney or Coggburn was. Snapp could not be found, and Kinney's stepson Paul, who saw it as well, was not called to the stand. The morning of 1 Mar, before the inquest, several farmers rode into Forsyth from south of the White River, claiming that their cabins had been raked with gunfire the night before. Wisely staying away from the inquest, enemies of the BK met that same afternoon of 1 Mar, and took a vote on a motion for open warfare. It didn't pass. Nineteen men were present, including Alonzo PRATHER, who was a lawyer and had been an original member of the BK. His presence would indicate his "disenchantment" with the BK, and he was put on retainer by the ABK. Coggburn's murder and the gunfire at citizens' homes the night before demanded action, and PRATHER guided the men on procedure to establishing a home guard militia, with Judge REYNOLDS and William Miles, Sr. commanding. The group also drafted a petition, asking Governor MARMADUKE of MO, to "declare martial law, arm the local home guards, bring in the state militia, and drive out the BK." After it was signed by all present, a committee consisting of REYNOLDS, Jurd HAWORTH, and Dr. BURDETTE was appointed to go to Jefferson City, the state capital, and submit the petition to the governor. Andy COGGBURN's body, after the inquest, was taken by his relatives to Vanzandt Cemetery, just south of Kirbyville on a knoll, and buried in an unmarked grave. More to come. Vonda