Robert+Holloways+Horses

Original Author: Chris Brown, ENG206 SP10 Revision Author:  Post Civil War the prairie of Illinois was a melting pot of Germans, English, Irish, Welsh, Scots and French who had trouble tolerating many of their own kind much less the strange customs of others. These neighbors argued and fought, sometimes with fists or guns, about property lines, strays, poaching, water rights, rights of way, interest charges, drunkenness, moral behavior and religious practices. Yet, somehow, these strangers mixed and flourished.  During this time, a sheriff or a judge were often miles away, so if a crime had been committed (or in most cases, “believed to be committee”), the people themselves would carry out justice on their own. Most times people found protection and safety with their families and neighbors. The early Illinois settlers were in constant fear of strangers and those who offered a stranger a place to stay often times found themselves and their families murdered for their hospitality. Survival in these times meant trusting primitive instincts and constantly being on guard.  When a crime was discovered, neighbors from miles around would join a vigilante posse and hunt down the criminal until he was apprehended or lost. If there was a sheriff close then they would bring the criminal to jail; however often time, the posse would hold a quick trial on the spot and hang the villain from the nearest tree.  Even though most vigilante posses were formed to perform swift justice and to keep families and neighbors safe, there were other areas of Illinois where posses were formed to retrieve property. One such instance happened in a small town in Mercer County.  Yes, Mercer County does have some interesting history. This is a brief but intriguing tale of attempted horse repossession from the late 1800’s. The repo-men brought a special train, loaded the horses and before they could leave, several citizens gathered, threatening to tear up the track if they tried to leave before the sheriff got there to clear things up. It is an interesting story from __Past and Present of Mercer County__.  The sale of imported horses by Robert Holloway, at Alexis, November 1, 1882, was one of the largest fine stock sales ever held in the United States up to that time. About one hundred and fifty head were sold at high prices, the highest being $1,650. Buyers were present from all parts of the country. The sales aggregated many thousands of dollars. It was about this time that a forcible seizure of horses was attempted at Mr. Holloway’s farm. The Scottish American Importing Company, with headquarters in Chicago, of which concern Mr. Holloway was a member, imported Clydesdale horses which, upon arrival in this country, were shipped to Mr. Holloway. In an attempted settlement between the members of this company an agreement could not be reached, whereupon Johnson, Buchanan and other members, with about one hundred men, came by special train and undertook to take forcible possession of the stock in dispute.  The special train had two passenger coaches and sixteen box cars fitted for carrying the fine stock and arrived at Alexis about 1 o’clock at night and immediately marched out to Mr. Holloway’s farm. They surrounded the house and stables, captured the night watchman and confined him in a box car, took possession of the horses and started for Alexis, intending to load them on the train and take them to Chicago. The news of this invasion spread like a prairie fire, and a large posse of citizens met them at the station and attempted to retake the horses, but were charged upon by the men on the horses and were thus forced out of the way. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Johnson-Buchanan forces took possession of the stockyards at the station and began to load the horses in the cars. In the meantime Mr. Holloway escaped from his guarded house, hurried to Alexis, and endeavored to send a telegram to the sheriff of Monmouth, but the operator refused to send the message. Mr. Holloway then dispatched a messenger on a fast horse to Monmouth and at the same time caused the arrest at Alexis of the train conductor, engineer and telegraph operator and took all possible steps to thwart the operations of the other men. So rapidly did the news spread that within a short time about five hundred people assembled around the train, determined to prevent its departure with the animals until the arrival of the sheriff, even if they had to tear up the track. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The sheriff arrived about noon and at once served a writ of replevin upon Johnson, Buchanan and the railroad company, demanding the return of the animals, which were valued at about one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. The station agent refused to recognize the writ of replevin until he could confer with his superiors. The result was the arrival of a special train from Galesburg, bearing the officers of the railroad company, who, after consultation, ordered the cars unloaded, and the horses thus were delivered to Mr. Holloway and returned to his stables. Judge Drummond of the United States Court finally decided the case by directing Mr. Hollowly to proceed as before with the sale of the Clydesdale stock belonging jointly to him and the Glasgow Exporting Company. This decision completely justified Mr. Holloway in the course he had taken. The animals were divided in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the parties, the Scotch claimants securing forty, which they removed to the fair grounds at Monmouth. Mr. Holloway kept his share and later sold them. This settlement stopped all litigation.” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Work Cited ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Bassett, Isaac Newton. __Past and Present of Mercer County, Illinois, Volume 1__.Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1914, pp 211 – 213. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Return to Wild Liberty <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Return to Home
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Robert Holloway’s Horses **