The following are selected articles from a Newspaper titled, "The Higbee News" which was issued out of the town of Higbee, in Randolph County, Missouri from the years 1888 through 1953. The editors were W. H. Welch and his son H. Scott Welch. This paper covered the Higbee area and also a great deal of the northeastern part of Howard county. The copyright notice at the end of this transcript is there for the sole purpose of keeping this work free to the public, and to ensure that it is not harvested by a fee-based corporate genealogy site, or published in any format for profit. If you decide to use the information from this transcription, PLEASE LIST ME AS THE SOURCE, rather than the paper. My transcription is another generation removed from the microfilm, and would thus be a third generation copy of the original paper. For proper documentation, a researcher should obtain a photocopy of the microfilm for their own permanent records, and use my transcript as a guide or index. The microfilm is available for interlibrary loan through the State Historical Society of Missouri, and a copy is also on file at the Moberly Public Library, generously donated by the Higbee Historical Society. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--Born, on the 19th, to Mr. and Mrs. Sylvia Bannuca, a daughter. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--Mrs. Mary Pierce of Salina, Kansas, is the guest of her sister, Mrs. Mark Murphy. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--Mrs. B. F. Lonnon on Salida, Colo., is the guest of her brothers, E. E. and E. A. Newman. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--Mrs. Jas. Daggs of Brookfield is the guest of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Jones. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--Mrs. E. J. Thompson of Slater was the guest of her brothers, E. E. and E. A. Newman. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--Misses Sarah and Rosa Andrews of Armstrong spent last week with their niece, Mrs. Frank Sumpter, and family. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 1--We printed bills this week for Elbert Blakely who will sell a lot of personal property at his farm near Yates on the 29th, a list of which can be seen in this issue. Mr. Blakely, who is compelled to quit the farm on account of failing health, will move to Higbee following the sale. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Mrs. Asa Warford and three children, Lucy, Ellen, Asa and Willie Fray, spent Tuesday with Mrs. Frank Sumpter. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Born, on the 21st, to Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Weiser, a son. Mrs. Weiser will be best remembered as Miss Ruby Williams. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Osburn and son, William, left Thursday for Monroe City, where Mr. Osburn and William have employment and where they will move later. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--T. D. Williams who has been quite sick for the past ten days, and who was at first thought to have had a slight stroke of paralysis, was better yesterday, we are glad to say. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Mrs. Walter Higdon and little daughter returned to their home in Gary, Ind., Friday after a visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Hudson, and other relatives and friends. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Rev. and Mrs. Geo. L. Johnson returned to LaGrange Tuesday after a visit with Mrs. Johnson's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wade H. Fullington. Rev. Johnson, who recently graduated from the Southern Baptist Seminary at Ft. Worth, Texas, has accepted the pastorate of the Baptist church at LaGrange. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--As will be seen by an ad in this issue, H. C. Eubanks will sell a big lot of stock, implements, etc., at his farm southeast of town on October 2. Mr. Eubanks is compelled to quit the farm on the account of ill health and will move to town, having rented the Mrs. Mary Burton property, recently purchased by Rolie Jones. His farm is for sale or rent. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Dysart Nicholas, who disposed of all his stock and farm machinery at public sale on the 11th, and who will quit the farming game, at least until it improves very materially, moved to Marshall Friday of last week, where he will make his home and where he will be employed in a shoe factory. His many Higbee friends join the NEWS in the hope that he will be back among us at no distant date. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Mrs. Mary Spurling returned Tuesday from a visit of three weeks with her son, Henry, of Des Moines, Iowa, accompanied by her son, Joe, who has been operating a linotype on the Sibley, Iowa, Gazette for the past six months. Joe went to a linotype school in Chicago, where he learned the intricacies of this most wonderful of machines. Like all folks who fool around a print shop very much, it has got in his blood, and he is now giving us a life, "just to keep his hand in." Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 5, Col 2--Joel and Clarence Owen returned to their home in Ft. Collins, Colo., the first of last week after a visit with Higbee relatives and friends. Their mother, Mrs. Thos. Owens, remained until the last of the week, going to Eldorado Springs Thursday for a visit with her mother before returning to Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Owen moved to Colorado two years ago, going for the benefit of the health of one of their sons, intending to stay but a year. Mrs. Owen advises us that they all like the country so well that they will likely remain, as the longer they stay the more they are in love with the country. As will be seen in an ad in this issue, their farm northwest of town is for sale or rent. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 7, Col 1 & 2--THIS WEEK IN MISSOURI--Compiled by The State Historical Society of Missouri. Floyd Shoemaker, Secretary, Columbia, Mo.--(edited by compiler)--Sept. 20, 1861--Lexington surrendered by Col. Mulligan to Gen. Price.--Sixty-five years ago this week there ended one of the most exceptional and interesting battles fought on Missouri soil. The contest was officially called the Battle of Lexington but more popularly as the "Battle of the Hemp Bales." The date was Sept. 20, 1861. The battle resulted in the victory of the Missouri State Guards under Gen. Sterling Price, and in the defeat of the Federal forces under Col. J. A. Mulligan. It marked the high tide of southern military success in Missouri. The first period of the war in Missouri was ended by the defeat of the Union forces at Wilson's Creek on August 10, and it now seemed that the Confederate cause was in the ascendancy. The southern military leaders in Missouri had hoped to keep control of a point or two along the Missouri River to enable recruits from North Missouri to pass over. Lexington was of strategic importance, and success there would result in gaining new enlistment's and in giving impetus to the growing feeling of sympathy for the South. In addition the Confederate forces needed more equipment and Gen. Price hoped to capture arms and supplies in Lexington. He arrived there on the morning of the 12th, and realizing the moral and material value of victory here he decided, with characteristic good judgment, upon a policy of caution and patience. For the following six days he withheld the order for a general attack. During this time. Col. Mulligan with his 3,000 men became firmly entrenched on the hill on which the Masonic College stood. With only forty rounds of ammunition they were facing a force of 15,000 men, and Mulligan sent an urgent appeal to Jefferson City for reinforcements. The failure of this reinforcement to arrive proved disastrous. On the morning of the 18th "Old Pap" Price, as he was affectionately called by his men, ordered a hot fire which was kept up incessantly for the next fifty-two hours. In this, "Old Sacramento," a twelve-pound brass cannon--a relic of the Mexican War--which was the favorite of Col. Hi Bledsoe's battery, was used with telling effect. Then on the morning of the 20th he resorted to the action which gained for this the name of the "Battle of the Hemp Bales." All attempts to take the college building had failed, and Price now ordered that bales of hemp be taken from the warehouses and soaked in water. His men then rolled these nearer and nearer to the building, and kept up a well directed fire from behind their protection. Mulligan had exhausted his supply of water, his ammunition was nearly gone, and he had received two wounds. He surrendered. In Gen. Price's official report to Gov. Jackson, he says: "The visible fruits of this almost bloodless victory are very great--about 3,500 prisoners, among whom are Colonels Mulligan, Marshall, Peabody, White and Grover, Major Van Horn, and 118 other commissioned officers, 5 pieces of artillery and two mortars, over 3000 stands of infantry arms, a large number of sabers, about 750 horses, many sets of cavalry equipments, wagons, teams, and ammunition, more than $100,000 worth of commissary stores, and a large amount of other property. In addition to all this, I obtained the restoration of the great seal of the State and public records, which had been stolen from their proper custodian, and about $900,000 in money of which the bank at this place had been robbed, and which I have caused to be returned to it." the loss of the Missouri State Guard was 25 killed and 72 wounded, and the Union loss was 40 killed and 120 wounded. It is easy to picture the chagrin and dismay of Mulligan's Irish regiments when they had to give up their green flag bearing a harp and shamrock. They had fought like true Irishmen, and despite the lack of powder, water, and men, many were unwilling to surrender. Even by the time the battle was ended Price's army had been increased by the arrival of many unarmed recruits who came to him from both north and south of the river. The recently captured arms and equipment enabled him to outfit these and before he left Lexington he had a much larger and better equipped force at his command. In this way the "Battle of the Hemp Bales" was of distinct and signal value in advancing the southern cause in Missouri. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright notice: All transcriptions in this email are copyrighted by their creator. They may not be reproduced on another site or on any printed or recorded media, CD, etc. without specific written permission from Kathy Bowlin. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which it is presented, transcriptions, notes & comments, etc. is. It is however, quite permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use only. Permission is granted to public libraries, and genealogical and historical societies to print and bind for the use of their patrons. Kathy Bowlin Additions, corrections, comments welcome.