More About James Selleck, Jr.

1823
James Selleck, Jr. was born in December 1823 in Ashtabula County, Ohio. He was the third child of James Selleck, Sr. and his wife Polly Hoyt.

1850
James Selleck left Ohio and settled in LaSalle County, Illinois.

He may have left with his brother David and wife Maria who also settled in LaSalle County that year. In a letter dated March 4, 1971 to Alice Bliss of the Ashtabula County (Ohio) Genealogical Society, Lee Wilbur Selleck wrote that according to the word of his father, George Wilbur Selleck, and grandfather, David Selleck, both David and James, Jr. left home in Ohio because they did not like their step mother, Ruth.

1854
James Selleck bought the W½ (west half) of the NW¼ (northwest quarter) of Section 35, Township 34 North, Range 2 East containing 80 acres from the Trustees from the Illinois and Michigan Canal Company at a sale in Chicago, May 9, 1854.

On January 5, 1854, James Selleck married Eliza Jane Strawn in LaSalle County, Illinois. She was the daughter of Isaiah Strawn and Jane G. Nyce.

1855
Early in 1855 James and his brother David headed west on horseback seeking cheap land they could own. Arriving in Harrison County in southwestern Iowa in March, they found land there to their liking. James and his brother returned to Illinois and stayed there until October.

On June 21, 1855, via quit claim deed James Selleck sold the W½ of the NW¼ of Section 35, Township 34 North, Range 2 East containing 80 acres to James Graham who was a lumber dealer in LaSalle County, Illinois. (Deed Book 44, LaSalle Co., IL, p. 256.)

In October, James and David packed their families into covered wagons and returned to Harrison County, Iowa. James and David both carried large sums of money with them in money belts. David selected land near the present town of Woodbine, Iowa, close to the Boyer River, and James found good bottom land a few miles further northwest on Willow Creek.

James purchased 240 acres from Talmage E. Brown on November 7, 1855, for a total of $425. David Selleck was recorded as a witness. This purchase was in three parcels. One parcel of 120 acres with the description of N½ of the SE¼ & NE¼ of the SW¼ in Sec. 2, Twp. 80, Range 42 W was about one mile away from the Boyer River on a small creek that drained into the river. The other two parcels of 80 acres (W½ of the SW¼ in Sec. 32, Twp. 81, Range 42 W) and 40 acres (NW¼ of the NW¼ in Sec. 5, Twp. 80, Range 42 W) were on Willow Creek about four miles away from the first parcel. (Deed Book B, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 122.)

1856
James Selleck and German Brown paid $650 to John B. Beers for 80 A on June 30, 1856. The description was E½ of the NW¼ of Sec. 19, Twp. 80, Range 42 W. (Deed Book B, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 379.)

James Selleck borrowed $940 from V. Lewis Vining on October 28, 1856 and put up 200 acres of land as collateral. 120 acres: N½ of the SE¼ & NE¼ of the SW¼ in Sec. 2, Twp. 80, Range 42 W and 80 acres: S½ of the NW¼ in Sec. 2, Twp. 80, Range 42 W. (Deed Book B, Harrison County, Iowa, pp. 335 & 336.)

1857
James Selleck paid $240 to his brother David Selleck and wife, Maria, on February 13, 1857 for 80 A This 80 acres was just to the west and adjacent to an 80 purchased by James in 1855: E½ of the SE¼ in Sec. 31, Twp. 81, Range 42 W. (David Selleck’s wife’s name Maria was written out by the recorder as Mariah indicating that was the way her name was pronounced.) (Deed Book B, Harrison County, Iowa, p 466.)

Twin sons ARTHUR GAIUS SELLECK and WALTER HORACE SELLECK were born to James and Eliza on 30 June, 1857. The family was living near Woodbine, Harrison County, Iowa.

James Selleck paid $225 to German M. Brown and wife on Oct 3, 1857 for 80 A. Willow Creek runs through the west half of this 80 acres described as the S½ of the NW¼ of Sec. 32, Twp. 81, Range 42 W. The west half of the 80 is just to the north of the original 80 purchased by James in 1855. (Deed Book D, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 170 and also Deed Book D, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 269.)

According to the History of Harrison County., Iowa, (Chicago, National Publishing Co., 1891), the first settlement in Lincoln Township (Twp. 81) was sometime during 1857. James Sellick, [sic] Hiram Moore and Henry Hushaw, were among the first who broke the sod in Lincoln Township. The history also reported that timber was rather scarce and that the groves were Four Mile, Cockran's and Selleck's Grove. The date of a small battle between settlers and Indians on the Selleck farm was not given in the history. To hide from the bullets and arrows of the Indians, farmers dug pits that were still visible around 1890. The battle was described as "more imaginary than real" as the Indians remained beyond the range of the settler's shots. Only one Indian who ventured too close was wounded in the arm.

1858
On February 9, 1858, James and Eliza Selleck sold 283.09 acres of their land on the Willow River to his sister Lucy Selleck in consideration of $1,200. The description was as follows: NW¼ of NW¼ in Sec. 5, Twp. 80, Range 42 W; S½ of NW¼ and the W½ of SW¼ in Sec. 32, Twp. 81, Range 42 W; E½ of the SE¼ in Sec. 31, Twp. 81, Range 42 W. (Deed Book D, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 294.)

1859
While the present town of Woodbine is only about five miles from the location of the Selleck property, Woodbine did not then exist. It was platted in 1866 by John I. Blair who was connected with the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad then being laid along the Boyer river. In those early years it was Magnolia that was the major town and the county seat. The nearest post office in 1859 was at Magnolia where the Sellecks went to get their mail, and it was there where they went to board a stagecoach. From the Selleck land on Willow Creek to Magnolia was perhaps 10 miles if one could travel in a direct line, but the distance was even greater by the roads of the time.

James Selleck was bitten by the same "Pikes Peak or Bust" gold fever as were many others. James' wife Eliza received a letter dated April 3, 1859, from her brother Jacob H. Strawn, Ottawa, Illinois. Jacob wrote, "Some [have been] expecting to hear from you, or to hear from that [sic] you that would visit us this Summer during James [sic] absence to the Gold Regions. I Should think you could as wel[l] come out here and make us a visit as to Stay there, As I suppose James has gone before this, As he wrote me, he was going to start last month."

The “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush of 1859 started with the discovery of placer gold on the South Platt River close to the mouth of Cherry Creek near present day Denver by William Green Russell and his party of twelve men in 1858. Russell was from Georgia.

James left for Denver April 13, 1859.

A trip to the mining camps in 1859 was no slight undertaking. We don't know what James took, but historians note that a wise traveler took a buffalo robe and a blanket for sleeping purposes and used his coat as a pillow. Other equipment included at least one revolver, ammunition, a bowie knife, perhaps a hunting rifle, and a double-barreled shotgun to ward off Indian attacks. Personal essentials would have included a water bottle, along with tea, sugar and other food stuffs.

James wrote to Eliza, Arthur and Walter from Fort Kearney, Nebraska, April 24, 1859.

   I am now at Fort Kearney a distance of Some over two hundred miles from the Willow Creek. I am well & hope this may find you & the Boys the same In Regard to our journey to this place I will give it to [you] as I have kept it in my journal
   April 13th WenSday [sic] Eve Camped at Noah Harris [sic] old place
   Thursday Eve [the] 14th Camped at Omahaw [sic]
   Friday Eve [the] 15th Camped on Elk Horn Lay over till Sunday Morning on account of bad weather distance from Omahaw [sic] 22 miles Harshbarker & Hugo passed us in the Evening
   Sunday Eve [the] 17[Th] Camped two miles west of Fremont [that is] 37 miles from Omahaw [sic] Here we found Hugo & Harshbarger
    Monday Eve [the] 18th Camped at Davises [sic] about three miles West of Shell Creek [--] distance from Omahaw [sic] 61 miles
[This would have been the William Davis place consisting of 160 acres in Sec. 17, Twp. 17, Range 4E and located about two miles east of present Schuyler, Nebraska. Davis who was an original settler of Colfax Co., Nebraska, purchased this land in 1857 for an estimated $4,000.]
   Tuesday [Eve the] 19th Camped about noon at Shins [sic] Ferry [--] distance about 71 miles from Omahaw [sic] At Shins [sic] Ferry, Harshbarger & Co passed us as they did not camp till Night
[Dick Shinn's Ferry was a cable ferry across the Platt River about one mile west of where highway 15 now crosses the Platt.]
   Wednesday morning crossed over the platt River & Camped at Night 25 miles west of Shins [sic] Ferry took the mules on to an Island Townsen slipped off a mule into the River Had a great laugh
[In the Platte River in Polk County there was a island approximately 17 miles long simply labeled "Island" on an 1883 map.]
   Thursday eve [the] 21[st] Camped about 58 miles west of Shins [sic] Ferry on the old bed of the river passed Harshbarger and Hugo about 5 o'clock & also a company from Janesville, [Iowa] that were acquainted with Trosk's people & learned from them that Trosk's oldest Son was on his way to pikes peak We passed Him at the Bluffs [Council Bluffs, Iowa] but did not know it He is about 19 years old & and the Same evening found a man by the name of Sillick from Michigan. He spells his name Sillick instead of Selleck.
   Friday Eve [the] 22[nd] Camped 88 miles west of Shins [sic] Ferry.
   Saturday [the] 23[rd] Camped 113 miles west of Shins [sic] Ferry & ten miles from Ft Kearney & arrived here today at noon (So much for so much)
   Whe[n] we got to Magnolia We Soon found out that [the price of] Corn had caved in [and] At first I felt a little down in the mouth but was too mad to care much about it[.] at Omaha we fell in with a company of Six teams [of] horses and mules from Newton[,] Jasper Co.[,] Iowa[,] which made our company to the number of twenty five first Rate fellows & we have Had up to this a first rate time lots of Sport & etc The Roads are lined with teams for Pikes Peak & Have met a good many from Pikes Peak & if those that are Returning from Pikes Peak tell the truth there is not much gold there Still we are all bound to go & See the elephant for ourselves
[Seeing the elephant was an expression of the time and was an expression that was much used during the California gold rush. People planning to travel west announced they were "going to see the elephant." Those turning back claimed they had seen the "elephant's tracks" or the "elephant's tail," and confessed they'd seen more than enough of the animal. For gold rushers, according to one writer, "the elephant symbolized both the high cost of their endeavor -- the myriad possibilities for misfortune on the journey or in California -- as well as an unequaled experience and the adventure of a lifetime."]
   the grass is not Started much yet not enough to be of any account We found hay out to Shins [sic] Ferry & there We took on one Hundred lbs to the team which Has lasted in [sic] Here If Reports from Pikes Peak are true that we are now Hearing I Shall be back if I don't meet with any misfortune in good time [to] put up Hay our Horses look as well as could be expected under the circumstances
[Emigrants to Oregon or California waited until May when the grass was greener which could provide forage for their livestock before starting their trek west.]
   This letter must do for all of you as I find it very difficult to write in the wagon.
   take good care of your Health & Walter & Arthur
   Tell Meriah that Bill Mc has stole & eat up most all that cheese
[David Selleck's wife Maria always pronounced her name 'Mariah'.]
   Tell David to take good care of the cattle as I don't expect to make [any money as a result of this trip.]
   & I remain your affectionate husband, James Selleck, Jr.

P.S. If anything Should happen with you or the boys & I would like to have you any way write to me & Direct your letter to Denver City
   Kansas Territory.

James' signature at the end of his letter.

Early in the spring of 1859, thousands of men like James Selleck made their way across the plains. By this time in 1859 there were no paying placers, and very disappointed men denounced the “Pikes Peak humbug,” and left for home. As indicated in his letter, James' group also met a good many people who were returning.

As James told Eliza to send her letters to Denver City, he certainly intended to continue his journey to Denver. If he did push on to Denver and saw the elephant's tracks, he probably headed home before May 6 that is the date when John H. Gregory, another Georgian, discovered a gold vein near present day Central City that was quickly named the Gregory lode. If there were other letters exchanged between James and Eliza during this trip, they have not survived. Also James' journal has not survived.

Denver City--1859
Denver City, Kansas Territory. From a contemporary wood-engraving of 1859.

James returned to his home in Iowa. Besides an interest in gold, he must have been interested in Republican politics and the issue of slavery.

Elize's brother James M. Strawn of Ottawa, Illinois, wrote to his brother-in-law James on September 7, 1859, "I am very thankful to you for sending me the Magnolia Republican you are anxious to know the result but Sir I must inform you that I am what they call a black Republican in this country and have been ever since I was any thing. I go in for popular sovereignty non extension of slavery etc." James Strawn continued: "I have both taken and read the New York Tribune for the last year which I shall abide by here after in regard to politics. You need not think that I am a democrat because my name is Strawn...."

1863
On April 11, 1863, James Selleck paid $225 to Lewis Vining and his wife, Adaline, for 120 acres described as E½ of the NW¼ & NW¼ of the NE¼ Sec. 12, Twp. 80, Range 42 W. The Boyer River cut through this land. (Deed Book H, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 106.)

1864
Daughter LOUISA KATE SELLECK was born to James and Eliza May 27, 1864.

1866
On February 22, 1866, James and Eliza Selleck sell to Boyer Township the NW¼ of the E½ of the SE¼ in Sec. 31, Twp. 80, Range 42 W for $200. (Deed Book N, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 245.)

On June 13, 1866, James Selleck purchased 40 A of land from Harrison County for $50. This was the NE¼ of the NE¼ in Sec. 6, Twp. 80, Range 42 W that was adjacent and west of the 40 acres he purchased in Sec. 5 in 1855. ( Deed Book N, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 246.)

1867
James’ sister Mary married Barnett Blakeslee in 1866 in Ohio, and moved to southern Illinois. In 1867 they were living in Kinmundy when Mary wrote to James and Eliza on September 30, 1867.

Mary's letter
The start of Mary's letter.
Bro. Jim & Sister Eliza:
   We received your letter Saturday eve. ...
Mary's letter

...I had a letter not long since from Uncle Ike [Isaac Selleck] & one from Katharine Benedict. Uncle I. says his boys were all at home last winter but Charlie had gone west again He didn’t say where He has sold his place in N_ [Norwalk, Connecticut] and he & Aunt Lucy are boarding. How foolish I think. Uncle Noah [Selleck] has sold all his property in Brooklyn & gone to Staten Island to live, they are all changing around.
   How well I would like to see you all – little Kate – the blue eyed beauty – I always shall think of her as the prettiest child I ever saw – I can see her shelling her Hazelnuts & to think that you have boys large enough to help stack hay – Well take good care of yourselves & and of them. Don’t be too worldly but rest often & long. Send Arthur & Walter to Ohio to G. R. I. [Grand River Institute near Austinburg] when they get old enough. ...
      Please write soon & often to us & let us all go to Ohio together visiting in a few years.
As Ever — Mary S. Blakeslee

On October 12, 1867, James Selleck purchased back from Lucy Selleck all 283 acres that he and Eliza had sold her in February 1858. (Deed Book P, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 238.)

1868
In April, Lucy Selleck in Austinburg, Ohio, wrote to her brother James in Iowa. Near the end of the letter Lucy wrote, "Uncle Ike [Isaac Selleck] says Charley [Ike's son Charles S. Selleck] is in Omaha," and asked, "Have you seen him lately?" She asked James to send "Walter and Arthur’s photographs and Kate’s too [because] I want them in my album. I suppose Eliza has forgotten that I exist, but I have not forgotten my rides and walks from your place to David's and would like to try it over again." This last indicating that she spent sometime in Iowa with her brothers and their families. Perhaps that was when she purchased James' place ten years earlier.

On September 5, 1868, James Selleck purchased from A. S. Bryant and wife the 40 acres, NW¼ of NW¼ in Sec. 5, Twp. 80, Range 42 W, purchased the year before from his sister. (Deed Book Q, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 411.) This was a quit claim deed. Why did Bryant have it?

On September 25, 1868, James and Eliza sold their 320 acres along Willow Creek to L. D. Harris for $3000. This land was described as: the S½ of the NW¼ and the W½ of the SW¼ both in Sec. 32, Twp. 81, Range 42 W; E½ of SE¼ in Sec. 31, Twp. 81, Range 42 W; NW¼ of NW¼ in Sec. 5, Twp. 80, Range 42 W; and NE¼ of NE¼ in Sec. 6, Twp. 80, Range 42 W. (Deed Book Q, Harrison County, Iowa, p. 441.)

Iowa Land
Map showing land purchases made by James Selleck, Jr. from 1855 to 1869 in Boyer Township (80) and part of Lincoln Township (81) in Harrison County, Iowa. The location of the town of Woodbine is shown which did not exist for the first eleven years that James and Eliza resided in Iowa.
Jim Selleck Photo
James Selleck, Jr. in his prime. Image copied from an undated, tinted tintype. Copy from Lee W. Selleck.

1869
Eliza's elder sister, Martha Ann, married Charles Taylor, October 22, 1850. Sometime before 1866, the Taylors moved from Utica, Illinois, to Desoto, Kansas. Maybe James and Eliza were already planning to move to Kansas as they had sold their Iowa property. If they had not yet made up their minds where to move, Martha may have been most influential in getting them to Kansas. The following escerpt of Martha’s letter to Eliza written from DeSoto on April 7, 1869, will show how much she wanted them nearby.

My Dear Sister
      ...We are all well at present and have fine spring weather. I was surprised to learn that [you] had sold out, and now if you have not already bought don’t do so till you have been here and seen the country at least. I think this country delightful and, for my part I never want to go back to Illinois [except] only to visit my friends.
      The winters are generally very pleasant here — our past winter has been unusually wet but not cold — As for health we think this a very healthy country. Our Doctors come nearer starving here than anyone else. If you did not like just where we live you could certainly suit yourselves within a short distance of us say forty or fifty miles and then you know we could see each other some times. Oh how I do want you to come. Do come and see the country anyway. Land near Ottawa [Kansas] in Franklin Co. is worth from 7 to 50 dollars pr acre. Ottawa is a country seat and a flourishing town with one RR. Land near us is not quite as high as there. There has never been a drought since we [have] lived here. This is a good country for stock raising. The winters so mild. ...A gentleman told me last evening of a piece of land four miles from Ottawa. 160 acres for 10 dol pr acre that was a bargain. About 30 acres of [it is] timber. In Haste much love to all.

      Your affectionate Sister
      Martha A. Taylor

Perhaps Martha's letter did influence James' decision to move to Kansas. In the spring of 1869 he brought his wife and daughter to De Soto. He then returned to Woodbine.

On the 21st of May, Eliza wrote to Arthur and Walter. In it she said, "...It is time I had a letter from Pa. I will send him a letter. If you should get it and he should be away you can keep it until you see him. He started from here a week ago last Tuesday. I want to hear from you all. Tell Mary & Carrie to write to me. I expect a letter from Pa to day. This is mail day. I am writing in haste."

Mary and Carrie [Caroline] were the daughters of David Selleck. The way they are mentioned in the letter implies that Arthur and Walter were staying with their Uncle David.

On May 23 Eliza wrote to James. She said that his letter of May 13 had arrived on May 21, and that she was so glad that he had safely arrived home, or at Woodbine, and that he and the boys were well.

Eliza and Kate spent the summer in DeSoto. Years ago there was some mention by family members now desceased, that before moving to Kansas, James took Arthur and Walter to Oregon to look at land in the northwest. This trip would have been made possible in a short time span by traveling on the newly completed transcontinental railroad to California. That James liked adventure has been shown by his trip by team and wagon to the Colorado gold fields in 1859.

The question of where they spent the winter of 1869-70 is unanswered. Did they spend it in DeSoto, Kansas, with or near Eliza’s sister, Martha Ann Taylor and her husband Charles? Or did the family take the train west to Solomon, Kansas, and from there head up the Solomon river in a wagon to the bustling settlement of Lindsey, in Ottawa County? If they spent the winter in or around DeSoto, that would have given James time to have become acquainted with eastern Kansas cattlemen interested in going to Texas in the spring of 1871 to buy Texas long horn cattle and drive them back to the railheads in Kansas for shipment elsewhere or for their own herds. That James went to Texas with cattlemen from eastern Kansas, however, suggests that the family wintered in eastern Kansas.

1870
On March 1, Eliza bought lots 26 and 28 in block 5 on the corner of Tyre and Sycamore streets in Lindsey from Henry M. Dresher and his wife Maria. Witnesses to the transaction were Thomas Waddell and James Selleck, Jr. ( Deed Record Book A, Ottawa County, Kansas, p. 31.)

James constructed a small, wood-frame house on the lots where the family lived until late summer or the fall of 1870.

Old Lindsey
A reproduction of C. E. Hollingsworth's 1872 sketch of the now ghost town of Lindsey, Ottawa County, Kansas. The road from left to right through town ran north and south and is paved today. The small wood frame house that James built for the family is to the left of the words "Selleck place." Steven Selleck wrote in 1999 that he remembered the cabin, which burned down in the 1960's, and judged that it was about 14 by 16 feet in size. The sketch shows, there were no homes nor other residences nearby the Sellecks. Behind the Selleck home Walter broke the prairie sod and a garden was planted, according to James' grandson Avon Selleck who in turn told his nephew Steven Selleck.
Abstract Page
Part of the abstract showing that Eliza bought two lots in Lindsey March 1, 1870. Lester "Pete" Prater was living on the land in 1999, and along the left hand margin, in Pete's handwritting, is "Steve's great grandmother," referring to Steven Selleck.

Having some idle money from the sale of his land in Iowa, James joined a party of stockmen formed in the spring of 1870. Most of these men were probably from eastern Kansas around the Lawrence area, although, there were two others from Lindsey, W. W. Lambert and Harvey McKee and, from Harrison County, Iowa, Phineas Cadwell and his young son Ed mentioned in the following letter. They planned to go to Texas by way of Fort Gibson in what now is eastern Oklahoma, through Sherman, Texas, and on to the southwest through Cleburne to Waco. They would buy longhorn cattle in the area around Waco then drive them back to Kansas a distance of over 600 miles. James’s brother David in Iowa may have tentatively planned on accompanying the group as suggested by the following letter. It is clear that David was interested in buying one hundred head of Texas longhorn steers.

David Selleck in Woodbine, Iowa, wrote to his brother James on March 25, 1870.

Received yours stating you would not be able to start for Texas as soon as you expected [on the] 28[th] I wrot [sic] you a letter at Lawrence [I] do not know for certain that I can go there [but] can tell by the time I get your next letter P Cadwells folks was here yesterday I told him about your going after cattle & what they can be Bought for &c he said he did not know but he would go to Lawrence with me or send for some cattle We had 3 days the 18-19-20 of March that was very bad weather – windy & Snow. With that exception we have had an open biutifull [sic] winter I am afraid [at present] that would make it very bad for me to be gone from home if I don’t go you can have the cattle betted {pledged} to me if you like and I will come down after you come back and make it all right I would like one hundred head of steers myself but could not pay down for we have got to build a house this summer but can sell a Carload [of] cattle in July & pay then if you could get them that way it is quite an undertaking to go to Texas and drive them wild ugly Cattle a man is in danger of his life all the time with them they Cannot be drove in Kansas the first season I suppose.

N.B. now if I don’t go to Lawrence and you are Bound to go get all the steers you Can if you think they will pay and when you Come back I will Come down and help you out with money and any thing else was sorry to hear Walter was sick hope he is better Mrs. Hooks is dead I have said all I Can think of for the present got a letter from Erastus the other day want[ed] to know why Jim did not write they was all well there Mary has ben [sic] home on a visit has got a girl I will try to meet you at Lawrence if you write to me to Come and I Can.
      David Selleck

This letter is important as it indicates that the cattlemen were planning on leaving and returning to Lawrence, Kansas. Between the time of David’s letter and the first of May, the party of stockmen collectively had headed for Texas. David’s letter indicates that they planned to leave around the 28th. This may have been as early as the 28th of March but probably referred to April 28. Like all emigrants in those days, the men probably had to wait until the grass greened enough to provide forage for their horses and mules so they probably did not head south until mid to late April. Several of the men were from Lindsey. At least one of them Phineas Cadwell was from Harrison County, Iowa, as determined from the following letters. James took 13 year old Arthur. They had a wagon to carry supplies pulled by a team of mules. Of course, they and everyone else were amply armed.

While James and Arthur were off to Texas to buy cattle, Eliza, Walter and Kate spent the time in the little house in Lindsey, and Eliza’s letters describe much of their activity that summer in and around Lindsey. Her letter of May 1 also indicates the planned route of the cattlemen which was to go south from Lawrence, through Fort Gibson in Indian territory, now in eastern Oklahoma, and Sherman, Texas.

Eliza to James from Lindsey, Kansas, Sunday, May 1, 1870.

      Dear man and boy I do wonder where you are today and how you are getting along I have thought of you so much today I got ready to go to [the church] meeting but did not go I expected after Sunday School [that] they would come up to the hall from the schoolhouse and I read while the Presbyterian man preached the day has worn away until it is now nearly sundown Mrs Dabney was here quite a while and took a cup of tea with me she is having the ague and is staying at Mrs. [Harriet] Lambert’s to recruit {meaning to recover or renew her health and strength} Doc Stward [Steward] & Mrs. Night [Knight] & Mrs Colton’s children are sick some say the children are having the scarlet fever but I guess not her sister Miss Twekes taught last weeke [sic] I am not going to let Walter go this week he seems to be learning and wants to go to school he went up to Minneapolis yesterday and got Kate some good shoes We have a pleasant place here I cannot look out of the door without seeing teams and buggies drive to the hotel there is some nice looking people going up the river [A] report come [sic] last night or some time lately that there were a great many Indians coming in at the forks or some where up there but I shall think it is only a story as long as everybody don’t seem to believe it I have taken my pen again tonight to write you a few lines. I wrote you yesterday [that] Mrs. Colton’s children were sick their little boy Ira died this morning and was buried tonight at six they could not keep him any longer he has been sick a week and they did not have a doctor until last night the little girl that lives with them is not expected to live until morning It seems that one of her sister’s children died with the scarlet fever at Salina and some of the family brought it here I am keeping our children very close at home and am doing the best I can as long as I am passably well I can take care of the children and the neighbors here seem inclined to be very good when anyone is sick I think so much [about] how bad it would be if you or Arthur should get sick and I could not take care of you I don’t know how I could get along without our garden I take so much comfort in it everything comes up as fast as it is planted we will soon have lettuce large enough to eat we are going to have green sweet corn when you get back. Good [Night] Mother

I must answer Mrs. Cadwells good letter.

May 3 there will be [a] baptist meeting at the school house tonight the preacher come[s] from up the river [He] reports no trouble with Indians it [is] talked now that Mrs. Colton’s children had the diphtheria all seem to think they should have had A doctor sooner I have another letter written to send you tomorrow since writing three to you at Fort Gibson Texas I have seen a map that there was a Fort G– [Gibson] in Indian territory [Oklahoma] and am afraid you made a mistake but you will surely get some [letters] at Sherman Texas as I have sent several there

      Mrs. Lambert was just in but did not stay long [She] said she must go home and wash the dishes for Jennie had gone to bed with the headache we are going to bed in a few minutes

Mrs. Lambert’s husband, W. W. Lambert was one of the men in the party going to Texas. Among the people living in Lindsey that summer who are mentioned in Eliza’s letter, were Francis H. Colton and his wife Lydia who were living in dwelling number 23, Richard ‘Dicky’ Knight and his wife Elizabeth who were in dwelling number 25, James Selleck and his family who were in dwelling number 27, and the Lambert’s who were in dwelling 28 according to the federal census for Lindsey, Ottawa County, Kansas, enumerated on July 2, 1870. Mr. Edmund Robinson, in dwelling number 13, was reported as a hotel keeper. Being adjacent in the census enumeration might not mean that they were really next door as there could be a place of business in between. The residences were somewhat scattered according to the sketch made in 1872 by C. E. Hollingsworth.

Arthur Selleck to his mother and brother, Walter, from Cleburne, Johnson County., Texas, May 14, 1870.

Arthur's letter
Dear Mother and Walter
      I am well and I hope you are to[o] Pa is also well [He] has gone out to look for some ponies for us to ride home the mules Sally and Kate are improving and worth 400 dollars in gold we’re in camp on [the] Nolon [Nolan] river 5 miles from Cleburne Kiss Kate for me & tell her to be a good girl Tell Florey I think right smart of her
Yours truly
Arthur Sellick

The letter was reproduced to show that it was written on a sheet of letter head from the Solomon Valley and Republican River Railroad whose office was in Topeka, Kansas. It would be interesting to know how James and Arthur made use of the railroad. The reference thirteen year old Arthur made to Florey in the letter might have been about ten year old Florence Lambert whose parents lived near the Sellecks in Lindsey during the summer of 1870.

Eliza wrote to James on May 17, 1870, and reported, "The wind has been blowing very hard for a few days, but it is going down a little. Last night the house was well tried. The children could not sleep very well and, of course, I did not. But, we made it up this morning and slept late." She also mentioned that James had told her to write to Fort Arbuckle, which was in Oklahoma, but Mrs. Lambert whose husband was also on the trip told her to write to Cleburne, Texas. After signing her name, Eliza wrote, "I wish you could have got some of my letters at Belton [Texas]." Belton is about 30 miles southwest of Waco.

The Selleck house in Lindsey was a small frame house. James had past experience as a carpenter, so he surely must have constructed the home himself. Eliza said that the house was “well tried” in the strong wind which may have been a compliment to James’s construction.

For James, the trip was not working out as well as planned. There was some disagreement between men in the party, and some of the men were just a pain to be around. In addition, there was the strain of being on the trail and of the men being away from families all which contributed to a negative attitude and loneliness personally expressed by James to Eliza in the following letter written from the Nolan River near Cleburne.

James to his “Very Dear Wife & Children” from the camp on the Nolan River, Johnson County, Texas, June 2, 1870.

I received 8 letters from you today 4 from Belton 3 from Ft. Gibson 1 direct from Lindsey Hon W W Lambert wrote & had them forwarded to Cleburne
We are still in camp where we have been now [for] over 3 weeks We expect to move tomorrow about 40 miles further south We have not bought 1 hoof yet & shall not start back under 4 & perhaps six weeks from this time I could buy all the cattle in 24 hours at good enough prices, but no one can buy till Houseton buys So I have no one to go back with & will have to wait on the balance We can’t possibly get back before the first of Sept. I don’t like it very well but will have to grin & bear it It is a bad old nut at best It is not necessary for me to tell you that I want to be with you When I get with you again money will never separate us I know -- All I regret is that you did not come along I am afraid of that Scarlet fever Keep yourself & children in the house [and] don’t be out in the Hot sun
      P Cadwell is too tight to be decent He wanted me to furnish money at my own risk of loss & gave him half all the proffits I bought him out twice & he went back & Art & I were might [mighty] glad of it Ed, was overbearing with Arthur I will tell you the balance the next time I see you McKee & W W did not get along any too well on the Roade but agree better in Camp Mc is an unprincipled fool W. W. means very well On the whole [he is] a very good fellow I have made the acquaintance of very good appearing men here Arthur gets along very well with all the Boys
When our shirts get very dirty we wash them I cook & Art washes the dishes take good care of yourself & [the] children & remember that you have a Husband that thinks a might Heap of you & Who has allways been mighty faithful & knows no other woman but you that is Saying more than most of [the] men can truthfully Say look out for robbers & thieves & give no one a chance for suspicion of your virtue thoughtfulness honesty etc etc & I will remain yours etc

J. Selleck

Write me at Cleburne one [sic] or twice anyway I may get them I think we will go [back] by the way of Ft. Arbuckle yet
I will write you again in a few days & will tell you better when & where to write me


Nolan River just south of Cleburne, Texas. James Selleck and son Arthur camped near here for several weeks in 1870. Photo taken by Steve Selleck.

In just one day James received eight letters. Eliza wrote many others, but only a few have survived. The reference to Houseton buying before anyone else may be because Houseton was the person who organized this group of cattlemen and had reserved for himself buying the choicest cattle. James could have bought cattle on his own, but then he would have had no one but Arthur to help him drive the herd back. Details of the problems with Phineas Cadwell who was from Harrison County, Iowa, are lost to us now. Phineas' son Ed was a couple of years older than 13 year old Arthur. The reference that James made about buying Cadwell out twice possibly referred to the fact that the men had to put up a certain amount of money to be allowed into the group. The Harvey McKee and W. W. Lambert families were living in Lindsey during the summer of 1870. Both men were in the party of cattle buyers. This letter also reveals that the trip and loneliness were telling on James.

Eliza to James from Lindsey, Kansas, June 7, 1870.

      Dear Husband I have writen [and] this will be the seventh letter to Fort Arbuckle to you and Arthur I thought it would be useless for me to write you any more at that place but yesterday Mrs Lambert got a letter from Mr L dated 19 at Cleburne and told her to write to Fort A so I will write you again knowing you want to hear from us and I want to write to you every mail I do not know how I will get along when I do not know where to write Mr L[ambert] spoke of Mr. Selleck in his letter that he and you were looking around I guess from what you and he write that Texas is better than [buying] cattle there I wish you would hurry up and get back for it seems you have been gone long enough but look out for white and dark indians I do not think we need be afraid of Indians here for yesterday a lot of solders went through here going up the river to keep them off there is eight or ten campers with families camped in and around lindsey sme [are] from Iowa and some from Ill’s [Illinois] we re all well and would like to know that you and Arthur are [also] we have had letters from you from Cleburne and want to get more next Friday I expect one or more We have taken a great deal of pride and comfort in the garden but for the pased [sic] few days the grasshoppers are coming and beginning to eat things which is a great disappointment to me I can only think we are sure of nothing in this world at least it seems so to me but if I was sure you and [Arthur] would get back safe I would not complain of anything They are at work at the drug store [We] have a land office here now but no county seat I don’t think of anything more to write Arthur I guess Walter will try to write to you Write both of you to Mother.

E. J. Selleck to J Selleck and Arthur Selleck

Nice showers here just as they are needed but in Ills [Illinois] northern they [are] having a drought.

[It’s] half after eight a call [from] across the street for ladies and gentlemen to meet at the hall and make arrangements for the and now we hear marshal [sic] music nearly every night a boy plays the drum and someone the fife we are going to bed Kate has had her hair done up and [has] gone to sleep.

The ruins of Fort Arbuckle are about seven or eight miles west of Davis, Oklahoma. Besides offering protection, it was a mail drop and pick up in the early days. At least one letter to Fort Arbuckle was picked up and has survived. It seems that the men planned on returning via the Chisholm trail. Fort Arbuckle was distance east of the trail, but it would have been possible for someone to ride over and pick up mail. Eliza wrote often. James also probably wrote to Eliza frequently enough, but getting an opportunity to post the letters was probably his biggest problem. The next problem was the slowness in the delivery of the mail and the fact that it did not arrive nor go out every day. Lindsey was growing some with a drug store and land office, but they had lost the county seat vote to Minneapolis.

Lindsey was built adjacent to Fort Solomon. By 1870, it was rare for settlers in the this part of Kansas to have any trouble with Indians. However, the presence of solders at the Fort indicates that there was still the possibility of a threat. The martial music at night probably both soothed the residents around Lindsey and provided a warning of the presence of military troops to any Indians who might be lurking within hearing distance.

On June 10, 1870, Eliza wrote to James and Arthur.

My Dear husband and Son
      I wish I could hear from you today or talk to you I expected to get a letter when the mail came but [got] none it is two weeks today since I got the last from you [which] was written at Cleburne Mrs. L got one from there last Tuesday so I heard from you [indirectly] Then Walter was quite out of patience today when he got two of my old letters from the office [that] I wrote to you when you were at Lawrence I scratch something to you every mail that goes to Fort Arbuckle I want you to get this but hope you are further than that on your way home I think you and Arthur will appreciate home after being so far away
I am so troubled about you and I suppose you are about us but we are all well and doing as well as we can or know how Walter had a sore toe the other day and seemed a little feverish I wanted him to take some pills whole he said he could not so Kate jumped up on the table and swallowed the largest one in the box to show him how he and Bianea Tompson the girl that boards here and goes to school have gone to school Kate is sitting here on the floor playing it is clean for I mopped this forenoon The lots are fenced in from Tipton’s to the hotel They are putting the roof on the drugstore across the street from Walkers several families [are] camping in Lindsey while the men go up the river to look for land they do not want houses now but prefer to live in their waggons [sic] [The] grass and crops look well [There is] no sign of drought here about a week ago I thought we were going to be troubled with grass hoppers in our garden but I don’t see nor hear of any now
      as I am very well satisfied from what you write and others I do not think you can do much in Texas and the sooner you get home the better for us all Walter writes to you sometimes Arthur I will close As ever you Wife and Mother
write to me every opportunity.

E. J. Selleck

      Evening: There is marshal [martial] music in Lindsey to night Walter is all on tiptoe it is always pleasant to hear though, since the war it is solemn This is a beautiful moonlight evening and still and we can hear it very plain

      James indicated in his letter of June 2 that the group of cattlemen were to move 40 miles south of Cleburne. This put the expedition near Waco. At Waco, to expedite time, the buyers scattered in various directions. We don't know when Houseton made his purchase, but the others all understood that the general roundup of their purchases were to be made as soon as possible and then concentrated into one big herd back in Waco. From there they would start for Kansas. As other members of the party went off to buy their cattle, James and Arthur were directed to a ranch 50 miles west of Waco.


Countryside 50 miles west of Waco. It was in this area in 1870 that James Selleck and his son Arthur went to buy cattle. Photo taken by Steve Selleck.

      Upon their arrival, they were assured by an elderly man whom they presumed was the owner of the property that he could supply their needs. That evening in the dusk two sons and several other horsemen came riding into the ranch. They were heavily armed but had other equipment such as spurs and lassos typical of cowmen. The following morning a deal was struck. James traded his mule team, harness and wagon for 100 head of three year old steers with the promise that 200 more would be brought into the corrals in a day or two for his consideration with a price of $8 per head set on them in advance.
      Many days went by with only a few cattle brought in each day. The rough appearing men rode off early in the morning and returned only after nightfall. Perhaps James became suspicious, but he surely became frustrated with the delay and lack of cattle. He rode to a cabin a few miles down the creek to inquire about the people he was dealing with because he realized the urgency to return and form up his cattle with the larger herd. He learned that he was probably dealing with "thieves and murderers." For James, all deals were off and he quickly rode back, hitched the mules to the wagon and with Arthur headed back to Waco.
      They had gone only a short distance when one of the men from the ranch, whom they now believed to be a real desperado, came in hot pursuit. As the rider neared, James stopped the wagon and exchanged a few words with him. When the rider started to draw his revolver, James quickly covered the man with his rifle and ordered him to ride ahead.
      Both James and Arthur kept their guns trained on the rider until they came to another ranch. The rancher living there advised them to let the man go and, after they released their potential assailant, the rancher then offered to accompany them to Waco for a five-dollar bill. However, after sunset he became confused as to directions in the dark. This required them to stop and make camp for the night. In the middle of the night an attack was made on them by one or more unknown persons and shots were fired. In the darkness, no one was hit. The shooting stopped as suddenly as it had started, and all was quiet during the remainder of the night. The next day the three of them safely arrived in Waco. James and Arthur remained there for several days under the protection of United States soldiers.
      During this time, James learned that the other buyers had already obtained their cattle and, being unable to learn the whereabouts of the Sellecks, had headed back to Kansas without them. Without cattle, there was nothing for James and Arthur to do but to return to Kansas alone.
      Years later Arthur told his daughters they returned along the Chisholm trail crossing many bridgeless rivers such as the Brazos River in Texas, the Red River dividing Texas from Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), the Washita River, South and North forks of the Canadian River, the Cimarron River, and finally the Arkansas River near Wichita, Kansas. In spite of the constant possibility of danger during the homeward journey, there was no further trouble. However, as the following letter from James’s niece, Carrie Selleck indicates, both James and Arthur got sick on the trail.

Caroline who was called Carrie by everyone wrote her Aunt Eliza from Woodbine, September 12, 1870.

      On Saturday last, I received your kind letter requesting me to answer it immediately. So as Mary was going down town this evening, I thought I would write you a few lines and sent it to the [post office] by her. ...We were glad to hear that Uncle and that Arthur had got back but sorry to hear that they had both been sick. Tell Uncle I hope he has fully recovered by this time.
      Father and Dr. Cole bought 23 head of cattle apiece not very long since. Aunt, Ma is getting tea. I wish you were all here to take tea with us. I should like to come and see you. I should like to step in and see what you are all a doing. Aunt, there is nite Society tomorrow night at Mr. Jones’s. I intend to go if nothing happens.
      Father wants I should tell you to write often as he has felt very anxious about Uncle ever since he has been gone. ...
      Give my love to Uncle and Kate and the boy[s], also yourself. Carrie

Do try and write often.

      After returning from Texas, James looked for a permanent place to settle and homestead. In the fall of 1870, James paid a squatter named Isom Castile $200 for any rights that he had in a quarter section of land a mile south of the Solomon river in Cloud County, Kansas.

James registered his claim to the SW¼ (southwest quarter) of section 18, township 8, range 5 west with the land office.

      There on the side of a hill James constructed a dugout or perhaps improved Castile's dugout. A little spring lower down on the hill provided cool, clean, fresh water. He then moved his family from Lindsey before winter set in.
      After relinquishing the property, Isom Castile and his wife Martha moved across the road south of the Sellecks and squatted on the northeast quarter of section 19 about a half mile east. Some of the other Selleck neighbors were William Slusher, Albert ‘Al’ Edwards, James Jeffrey, James Richardson, Hanna Howard, Henry Hewitt, Volney ‘Captain’ Baker, James ‘Jim’ Davis, R. B. ‘Bush’ Hoy, John Wright and their families. All were within two miles or so of the Sellecks. The Wrights and the Castiles seemed to be close friends. Perhaps, as it was suggest at the time, they were related. Further away near the town of Glasco, which was four to five miles distance, was Henry H. Spaulding. Henry Spaulding along with his brother Aaron was one of several founders of Glasco. Henry owned a general merchandise store there as well as farmed. These names will again appear in this narrative.

Township 8 Cloud County
Map shows the locations of neighbors of James Selleck after he acquired the southwest quarter of Section 18 from Isom Castile who had squatted on it. Isom followed by filing a claim on the northeast quarter of section 19. Castile is mentioned as being on the buffalo hunt along with Jim Davis, Volney “Captain” Baker and R. B. “Bush” Hoy.

1871
David Selleck to James Selleck from Woodbine February 27, 1871.

      James I sent you 30 & ½ yds of cloth by Slusher on to Swisher by Express Write whether you received it or not Frank Ting talks some of selling out & going to Kansas where you are perhaps I wil [sic] come their [sic] after a while if you think best We have had a pleasant winter not much snow Write

D. Selleck

      The first sentence is rather cryptic, but there is a referece to Slusher. Maybe this is William Slusher who owned the northeast quarter of section 18.

      Early in March, 1871, James took fourteen year old Arthur along on a buffalo hunt near the Blue Hills in western Mitchell County. Accompanying James and Arthur who drove a team of oxen were three other teams and wagons making up the party of hunters. The members of the party were Bush Hoy, Captain Baker, Isom Castile, his step son Elmer Maxson, Jim Davis, Jim Reeves, and James and Arthur. At the end of their first day the assembly ended up on Carr Creek near and probably south of the existing town of Tipton where they set up camp.
      In the early morning, they could see buffalo dotting the hills and prairies in the distance. James believed that oxen could approach the buffalo herd more closely than horses. Arthur and Mr. Bush Hoy were to be left in camp near the creek to care for the horses, mules and provisions. The other men were going to ride in the wagon pulled by the team of oxen hoping to get into close range of the buffalo before starting to shoot. As the ox team and wagon loaded with hunters left the valley and approached the hills to the west, the men could see a cloud of dust rising which meant the buffalo were rapidly coming toward the creek for water. When the hunters saw the large herd so rapidly moving toward them, they reasoned that they must attempt to split the herd or else be trampled under the feet of the advancing animals. Quickly they decided that the best strategy was to tie the oxen behind the wagon, climb in the box, and shoot into the advancing herd. Shooting into the herd successfully caused it to be split and the men and outfit escaped injury except what was caused by a few of the frenzied animals trampling over the wagon tongue. It was very fortunate for Arthur and Bush Hoy who were some distance away in camp near the creek that the herd remained divided until after it had crossed the creek, otherwise the frightened and stampeding buffalo would have charged right through camp killing both of them.
      The men spent the rest of the week skinning the animals. Almost enough buffalo were killed that day to load the wagons. Only the hind quarters were taken for meat. The rest of the carcass was left on the prairie to rot or be devoured by wolves or coyotes. As there were no refrigerators in those days, jerking or drying was the most common way of preparing the buffalo meat for storage and later use for food.
      Finally, on a bright sunny morning, James, Arthur and the other hunters broke camp and headed for home. After midday a sudden storm came up forcing them to stop at an old camp ground on Salt Creek where they saw plenty of protection and firewood for their use. With the wagons full of meat, the men had to sleep that night on the ground. The storm had brought with it a cold mass of air, but the men had plenty of bedding and were warm. In the morning, they awoke to find themselves covered with three or more inches of snow.
      After the buffalo hunt, James told his family that he feared the attitude of some of the men in the party. Somehow they had learned that he expected to receive money from relatives in Iowa, and they had asked him questions as to when and how he would receive it. Because James' suspicions were aroused, he made plans to have the money sent to Salina instead of to Solomon. (This and other stories were prepared for the Old Settlers Convention held in the spring of 1936 in Mitchell County, Kansas.)

David to James from Woodbine, March 13, 1871.

      I have sent a draft on you to Salina for eight hundred dollars to pay Slusher for Said land you didn’t give me quite as much notice as I would [have] liked to get the money but thought by what you wrote you Could lend it for a short time I wrote with the draft some
      We are all wel [sic] [I] think I shal [sic] send the Draft by mail you see that the deed is all right you had better send it to me or keep it til I come down Theire [sic] is a good many going from here to Kansas in the spring Baskins [and] 2 or 3 more Write as soon as you receive this and let [me] know whether you received [the] draft and the deed alright       David Selleck

      This letter indicates that David sent $800 to James by way of a bank draft. The money was to be used to pay William Slusher for a quarter section of land described as the NE¼ (northeast quarter) of section 18, township 8, range 5 west. James had the southwest quarter in the same section. James was instructed to either send the deed to David or hold it until David got down to Kansas.
      Maybe that cryptic first sentence in David's February 27th letter referred in some way to this land deal with Slusher.
      There seemed to be a lot of people interested in Kansas. The population was growing and new towns were being established. Of course, then as now prudent people sold first and then moved. They hoped to get a good price for the property they were leaving and buy lower priced land or homestead elsewhere.

From J. B. Franklin Woodbine, March 24, 1871 to James.

Mr. James Selleck Esq
      Dear Sir
I received you favor of the 11 inst. with pleasure [and] was glad to hear from one of my old friends
      I am sorry to say that I did not sell as I expected to on the 15 of the present month but will sell the first chance. Times are very dull here every thing is down very low cattle are cleare [sic] way down and money very close but when I do Sell I intend to come down and See you. there will be a big emigration to Kansas this spring from Harrison Co.
      I have been wanting to make a change, and get in some place where I can raise fruit. If I came to your countrey [sic] I should make cattle growing my business A J Baskins with seven famileys [sic] are going to Start to Kansas in a few days They think of going to Baxter Springs I have a brother near Ft Scott Kansas he thinks that is the Best part of the State
      I will Sell in all probability in time to move this fall. when I sell I will look through Kansas and try and better My Self. Write and keep me posted how times are with you.
      My wife remembers Mrs Selleck and Sends her best regards

Yours Truly
J B Franklin

      After the buffalo hunt in the Blue Hills region of Mitchell county, James confided in his family that he feared the attitude of some of the men in the party. Because he was buying the land for his brother David Selleck, the men knew that James would be expecting to receive the money from Iowa. During the week of the hunt they had asked him questions as to when and how he would receive it. Such questions were probably not asked directly but in an off-hand sort of way. Perhaps as a result of James' dealings for cattle in Texas, he became suspicious of these men and turned cautious. Normally the money would have been sent to Solomon, but as the letter from David indicated, the money was to be sent to Salina instead.
      Sometime in April, James and son Arthur made the trip to Salina to pick up the money. Being guarded, they made most of the return trip in darkness. Instead of following the main trails, James changed his course with the hope of escaping trouble. He said little to Arthur about his anxiety but, according to Arthur, it still showed. They arrived home safely but found that men who were clan from four families had made their appearance in the neighborhood. Three days passed during which the Sellecks saw a number of them slipping in on foot. Such signs, became important in hindsight but were passed over at the time.

The following appeared in the April 29, 1871, edition of the Republican Valley Empire, Concordia, Kansas.

      From several gentlemen we learn that a bold attempt was made on Saturday night last to murder Mr. James Sellick [sic], a well-to-do farmer, who lives on the Solomon, in this county, about three miles west of Glasco.
      From the evidence before justice Collins (owing to severe wounds the main witnesses were not present) it appears that a young man names Elmer Maxwell, [sic] who lives in a dugout near Sellick’s came to the house of the latter to spend the evening, and on his starting to go home, was invited to stay over night, and the invitation was accepted. During the night Mr. Sellick was awakened by a pistol shot. ...

      The family’s story is that on the night of April 22 when the family had retired except for Eliza, a young man by the name of Elmer Maxson rapped on the door of the dugout. He claimed his parents were away and that he was afraid to stay alone. He pleaded for Arthur to go home with him and stay all night. At that time, Arthur was ill with a cold so the Sellecks offered to let Walter go instead. Maxson hesitated, so James called to Maxson to come in and stay with them. After admitting Maxson, Eliza as usual braced the door of the dugout with a large log.
      About midnight, something awakened the family, and the first thing Arthur remembered hearing was his father asking for a light in the dugout, saying that he must have struck his head on a ridge log. When Eliza tried to strike a light, she was struck down by Maxson. He made another attempt to strike her with an axe, but James who was strong managed to grab him and hold him by the wrists until he dropped both the axe and the revolver which he held, one in each hand. Because of the confusion that took place, no one later remembered who finally struck a light, but it was either Eliza or Kate. By this time, James knew he had been wounded by a gunshot, and the family realized they were at the mercy of a robber and murderer. Arthur and Walter were highly excited and quite frightened. Walter, who was perhaps a little more temperamental than Arthur, was determined to kill Maxson. He had aimed his gun at him and was ready to pull the trigger when James, still conscious, commanded the boys not to shoot. Eliza too begged for Maxson’s life. When Maxson saw his helplessness, and inability to get rid of them all, he slumped to the floor and crawled under a bunk in the corner of the dugout like a whipped dog. There the boys guarded him until daylight.
      Leaving Walter to guard Maxson, Arthur went for help. First Arthur went to the nearest neighbor of the Sellecks, Elmer Wright, who with a brother was holding down a claim in Mitchell County south of the Solomon river just across the county line. Arthur announced to them that his father had been shot and that help was needed right away. They only laughed and said, “Oh, he’s not shot. He just hit his head on the ridge log.” Thinking that they did not believe him and were not going to help, he then ran south about a mile where the elder Wright lived. There he heard about the same remark to his request for help. At that time, it did not occur to him that they were repeating the very expression James had called out in the night.
      After Arthur left the two younger Wrights, they got together, drove a wagon to the Selleck’s dugout and offered to take Maxson and turn him over to the law. James was lying down but still conscious and able to make decisions. He decided that the Wrights should take Maxson to Concordia, the county seat, and turn him over to the sheriff there. As the men drove away with Maxson, he stood up in the wagon, shook his fist at Eliza and promised that he would return.
      With Maxson now taken away, there was time to investigate around the dugout and reflect on the terrible events that had happened during the night. An examination of the top of the dugout revealed moccasined footprints, a new hatchet that had been owned by H. H. Spaulding of Glasco, a hammer and a chisel. The footprints suggested that Indians had been present during the night, but in those days many crimes were committed where the guilty parties often used Indians as foils. There was little doubt that these “Indians” were friends of Maxson. Little by little the conspiracy for the attempted robbery was revealed. The sounds that the Sellecks heard on the dugout during the night must have been, they reasoned, the voices and footsteps of the men who were relatives and friends of Maxson and who had come to help in the plan of murder and robbery. Years later Arthur said, “I believe father sensed that if a second shot were fired, they would come in on us by main force and wipe out the entire family.”
      Shortly after Maxson was taken away, another neighbor, Madge (nickname for Major) Hewitt, who had heard of the attempted murder in some undermined way, came to be of assistance. James, who was exhausted and lying on the bed, asked Hewitt to go about a mile north to the river and tell Al Edwards, a man whom he knew was a reliable friend, to go and get Dr. Donnell who lived up on Plum Creek near Beloit It is unclear how James knew of Dr. Donnell who had been a civil war surgeon. When Hewitt arrived at Al Edwards’ dugout, he found in addition to Mr. Edwards three young men there. One was named Al Stewart, and the other two who had just recently arrived in covered wagons from Missouri had the last name of Allen. Al Stewart rode off on horseback to get Dr. Donnell while the two Allen boys came with Mr. Edwards to the Selleck dugout.
      In the mean time, the family realized that the Wright’s replies to Arthur’s pleas for help suggested that they might be in on the attempted murder. After the Sellecks discussed this with Al Edwards and the two Allens, the Allen boys told Eliza that if she would let them borrow the Selleck’s two best ponies and pay for their night’s lodging in Concordia, they would ride there to see what they could discover and find out if Maxson actually made it to jail. This was agreed to and they rode off to Concordia. Arthur later recalled, “To feel positive they were people who were real honest neighbors and true friends meant everything to us at a time like this.”
      Sometime that afternoon, Dr. Donnell came racing up to the Selleck dugout on his dun colored pony which was lathered with sweat and wet from swimming the Solomon river. The arrival of Dr. Donnell raised everyone’s spirits, and the family had high hopes that he might be able to save James' life. After completing his examination, Dr. Donnell found that James had been shot with a 34 caliber revolver in the forehead above the right eye. The bullet, he said, had lodged at the base of the brain, and that it would be impossible to remove without causing instant death. Giving the family some encouragement, however, Dr. Donnell told them that if they could use ice packs to keep down the inflamation, there might be a chance that James would not die. But, the doctor went on to say that if inflammation set in, a sac would form about the bullet and that James’ time to live would be about fourteen days.
      Instantly the family’s hopes sank for they believed that the nearest ice was in Topeka. Yet, there was the fresh spring water just outside the dugout and the water ran cool. Arthur said, “Our only hope hinged on the constant use of cold water cloths night and day.”
      It was evening when the Allens arrived in Concordia and after inquiry made contact with sheriff George Hibner only to learn Maxson was not in custody. The boys then told the sheriff that Maxson was responsible for shooting James Selleck, and that two men were supposed to have brought Maxson in a wagon to Concordia to be placed in the jail. The sheriff did recall seeing an outfit pass through town during the afternoon that fit the description given by the Allens, but he said he saw two, not three, men in the wagon.
      Nevertheless, the Allens rode out of town with sheriff Hibner, and probably his deputy, in the direction that sheriff Hibner remembered seeing the outfit headed. About eleven miles east of Concordia, the small posse found the wagon and the team nearby picketed in the bend of the creek which possibly was Elm Creek. At first, they saw no one in the light of the moon, but they quietly rode in a large circle until they discovered the three men covered with blankets sleeping on a haystack. The Allens as well as the sheriff were well armed, and they met no resistance from the sleeping men. Maxson was then taken back to Concordia.
      Mr. William Collins, Justice of the Peace for Buffalo Township in which Concordia was located, held a preliminary examination and issued a warrant for Maxson’s arrest. After the examination, he directed that Maxson be transported back to Solomon Township where the crime was committed. On April 26, Elmer Maxson appeared in Glasco before Isaac M. Dalrymple who was one of the Justices of the Peace in Solomon Township. Dalrymple heard the evidence on April 28. Maxson pleaded “not guilty” and, after hearing the testimony of Myron Wright, Eliza Selleck, Arthur Selleck and the severely wounded James Selleck, Dalrymple found Maxson guilty of an attempt to commit murder in the first degree. He was then returned to Concordia.
      Although there had been discussions in the local newspaper about building a jail in Concordia for some weeks prior to the shooting, Concordia still did not have a jail on the 22nd of April, nor did it have one for the rest of the year. Thus without a jail, the time that Maxson was in Concordia, he was either under the charge of E. T. Collins, Constable in Concordia, or held in custody in the home of H. Dennings the deputy sheriff.
      Lorenzo Westover who was the County Attorney for Cloud County appeared before the District Court of the 12th Judicial District on May 2. Witnesses scheduled were James Selleck, Eliza Selleck, John Wright, Marion Wright, Volney Baker, Arthur Selleck and Walter Selleck. The trial was “necessarily postponed.” The reason for the postponement is not clear. Perhaps it was because the key witness, James Selleck, was unable to be present, or perhaps it was because Maxson did not have defense counsel. On May 5, A. S. Wilson Judge of the 12th Judicial District committed Maxson to the Manhattan jail in Riley County to await trial. Maxson’s bond was set at $2,000, and his Attorneys for the defense were Borton and Hessen. The local paper reported that Maxson “will probably be ‘paroled’ by the kind hearted sheriff of Riley county.” However, when Maxson was taken to the Riley County jail, the jailer refused to receive him because Cloud County was in arrears for the payment of expenses in confining past prisoners sent to them. Maxson was brought back to Concordia and next committed by Judge A. S. Wilson on May 15 to the jail in Salina. Sheriff Hibner and Constable Jennings took Maxson to Salina and reported that the "road to that place is rough and not much traveled."
      As the fourteenth day came and went, spirits in the Selleck household must have risen. However, on the morning of the 16th day, James sat up, sang with his family, played his cherished fiddle, and then quietly passed away.
      James Selleck, Jr., felled by an assassin’s bullet died May 8, 1871, on his homestead in Cloud County, Kansas, two and one half miles south of the present town of Simpson. There being no cemetery then in that part of the country, Walter and Arthur buried their father on the north side of the hill about 300 yards from the dugout.
      Before being shot, James had started to build a stone house for the family which would be their permanent home. He had dug a nearby lime pit, filled it with lime and mixed the mortar to make cement. When James was shot, his brother David had been notified. David immediately left his home in Iowa and came to Kansas as fast as was possible. Now, David liked his booze and had purchased some along the way or in Brittsville one mile north of the homestead. On the day of James' funeral, David was drinking heavily, and in his stupor fell into the temporarily inactive lime pit that was still fairly full of lime. David was soon pulled out completely covered with lime which made him a ghostly sight.

Two and one half months after James died the following incidents happened.

The first was reported in the Concordia Republican Valley Empire, July 15, 1871. "Joshua Casteel [sic] arrested last Tuesday by Deputy Sheriff Jennings."

From the Solomon. "Joshua Casteel was taken from the officers and tried by a vigilance committee. Then they severly flogged him, was given a coat of tar and feathers, escorted across the divide and told to leave the counties of Cloud and Mitchell for all time to come." Republican Valley Empire, July 29, 1871.

"Mr. Castile, step-father to the young man who murdered Sellick [sic] a month or two ago, has come to grief. Castile attempted to run a muck in the way of a robbery on Tuesday night of last week. He entered and stole various articles from four or five different houses on that evening. A party got together and soon caught him whereupon a lynch court was organized and the prisoner tried. The result was eighty lashes and a coat of tar and feathers, with a warning to leave the county immedicately." Ottawa County Independent

Then the case was to be heard in the district court in November. Maxson was again not tried and the case continued until April.

"State vs. Elmer Maxon; [sic] charge, murder, case continued. Westover, Parks and Brumbaugh for the State and Borton, Linville and Spivey for the defense." Republican Valley Empire, November 18, 1871.

Before the Court met in April, Maxson escaped.

Prisoners Escaped--The following prisoners, on the charges named, escaped from the county jail last night, at half-past ten o'clock: Elmer Maxsom, murder; Hugh Conway, murder; Allen Smith, horse stealing, and Wm Mullen, stealing government arms. They escaped by digging a hole under the stone wall. Parties are out at present looking for them. The other prisoners, numbering three or more would not leave. One prisoner has stated that three weeks or more has been occupied in digging the hole. The Weekly Journal, Salina, Kansas, February 15, 1872.

Elmer Maxfield [sic], charged with the murder of Mr. Selleck, on the Solomon, escaped jail at Salina last week, and up to this time nothing has been heard of him.--- Three other persons charged with horse stealing escaped at the same time." Republican Valley Empire, March 2, 1872.

Maxson was never caught and brought to trial. The fact that he was on the loose bothered Eliza the rest of her life because she remembered that as Maxson was taken away on the morning of April 23, he had stood up in the wagon, shook his fist at her and vowed to return. This defiant gesture was probably aimed more at the Selleck family than Eliza specifically. The fact that he had broken out of jail resurrected in Eliza that parting scene and vow. As a result, she was fearful and bothered throughout the remainder of her life. Her concern was so great that each night she would pick up and bring inside tools such as axe, hammer and hatchet. Also at night, she would hang heavy quilts over the thin curtains thereby covering her windows in order to make them dark from the outside.

The Ottawa County Independent did not say that Isom Castile was the step father of Elmer Maxson, nor was the culprit caught, whipped, tarred and feathered in Minneapolis. However, it is a good bet that it was Isom because no other Castiles show up in Ottawa or Cloud County dring this time period. Castile was on the buffalo hunt, and he could have been one of the men who questioned James about the arrival of the money from Iowa relatives. The implication of the Wrights is clear from Arthur's narrative, and that John Wright sold his claim April 24, 1871, just two days after the attempted robbery. Arthur Selleck reported in 1936, "Within a very short time after the crime, the undesirable element moved away from this part of the countyr and gradually new and up rught people filled in and took their places."


to Isaac Selleck

HOME