New at HCHM: Three Photos & A Mystery

Posted on by hchm-curator

by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Archivist/Curator

Recently the museum received three photos with limited information. The donor had been told by older relatives that they were photos from the time their family lived in Newton, Ks. The donor’s grandfather was  Joseph Murphy, but had been born in Newton with the name Job Combs March 26, 1885. The photos are of a house, a Feed & Sale Stable and a man identified as Carter Williams. The house photo had the Mrs. B.F. Denton photographer stamp on the back along with the color scheme of the house.

Research started to discover the location of the Feed & Sale Stable business, but the mystery of the Combs became the story long after the location of the stable was known.The Feed & Sale Stable was located at the corner of 5th & Poplar, Newton in 1885. The business was owned by Job Combs, but who was he?

The Mystery

The biggest question surrounded the identity of Job Combs and why did he change his name to Joseph Murphy? The second was the identity of Carter Williams and how did he connect. The first thing discovered was there were two Job Combs – a father and son.

Job Combs Family in Newton

In 1871, 28 year old Job Combs arrived in what would become Harvey County with his 16 year old wife and several children, the oldest William was eleven. Job was born in Indianna in 1843 and served in 2nd Indianna cavalry. An oral story in the family says that he was a spy, but when he was captured, he was able to escape due to his slender wrists.  He lists his occupation as “jockey” in the 1880 Census. His wife, Mollie, or MJ, was born in Arkansas in 1855 and listed her occupation as “Keeping house.”

Ten years later Job Combs announced that he was an independent candidate for the office of sheriff. He noted that he was not a politician and had never run for office. He served in the military as a member and promised; “if elected he will be a terror to horse thieves and other law-breakers throughout the ‘Great Southwest’.” (Weekly Republican 7 September 1881) He did not win election.

Throughout the early 1880s, Job Combs worked for various stables in Newton including the Ensign Stable.

The next mention in the newspapers is on September 27, 1883, when R.O. Tyler was put on trial for selling liquor to Job Combs. The complaint was brought by his wife, Mollie Combs who had instructed Tyler not to sell to her husband. Over forty witnesses were subpoenaed in the case.

Life must have stabilized for the Combs family for a few years. In 1885, Combs bought two lots at the corner of 5th & Poplar and erected a stable 32′ x 110′. (Newton Democrat 24 April 1885).

Newton Democrat, 12 March 1886

He built a house next to the stable “with six rooms, a good well and cistern, cellar and every convenience.” (Newton Democrat 12 Jun 1885)

Baby Combs

Earlier in March the Combs family added one last son to the family. On March 27 1885 the Newton Democrat offered congratulations to the Combs family on the birth of a son named Job Combs.

“Mrs. Job Combs . . . presented her leige lord with an heir – a son who kicks the beam at 12 pounds avoirdupois . . . the mother and child are doing nicely and hopes are entertained that the father will if an antidote can be found for his excessive hilarity. We congratulate, you Job, and wish you many, many -er, er, well, many happy days, even years , with the youngster.” (Newton Democrat 27 March 1885)

“The Best Piano in the City”

Two years later, Combs sold home on 5th and bought a farm three miles west of the Fair ground. His land and other assets are sold at a sheriff’s auctions in 1892 and 1889.

Job Combs and Mollie Williams Combs divorced May 18, 1888, and Mrs. Combs began selling furniture. One item in particular was a point of contention, “the best piano in the city.”  Mrs. Job Combs advertised it for sale in 1888. It is possible that her ex-husband Job did not agree to the sale of the piano. In May 1891, this piano became the focal point when Job Combs was arrested for disturbing the peace in an altercation with D.S. Welsh. Welsh had possession of the piano.

Newton Daily Republican, 1 December 1888

Combs spent time in the City jail and was fined $5 and costs as a result. No further word on what happened with the piano. Job Combs does not appear in the Harvey County papers after 1892.

Who Was Mrs.  Mollie Combs?

Born in Arkansas in 1855, she married Job Combs young, possibly at the age of 14. She came with him to Harvey County in 1871. After the divorce from Job Combs, Mrs. Combs’ name begins to appear in the Police Court sections of the newspapers.

In 1890, Mollie Combs got in trouble with the law as “a proprietress of a bawdy house.”   Her establishment was located on E 6th and was known as the Atlantic House.  In June 1890, Dr. Earnest Schurchart  was arrested for violating a prohibitory liquor law. Schurchart, described as a “German of rather disreputable character whom it is said has only been out of the penitentiary a short time,” was living at the Atlantic house. One witness against Schurchart was Mrs. Combs son. Mrs. Combs was “fined $50 and cost for keeping a house of ill fame.”

The 1900 Census shows that Mollie has moved to Minneapolis, Minnnesota and is married to Patrick Murphy. Included in the census is a 16 year boy named Joseph Murphy born 26 March 1885 in Newton, Kansas. Patrick Murphy is listed as his father.

Who Was Patrick Murphy?

In a document with the U.S. Social Security Numerical Identification Files, Name and Form, 1943 for Joseph Murphy, Patrick Murphy is listed as the father and Mollie Williams is listed as the mother. Joseph’s birthdate was 26 March 1885 in Newton, Ks. Was Patrick Murphy Job Combs’ actual father?

Patrick Murphy was a difficult man. He lived in Burrton, Kansas. He was a known gambler who regularly beat his wife. For example, on December 23, 1890, the Newton Daily Republican reported; “Sheriff Pollard has gone to Burrton for Patrick Murphy who is accused of assaulting his wife and children.”

Samantha Murphy received a degree of divorce from Patrick Murphy on the ground of extreme cruelty February 27, 1891.

Job Combs/Joseph Murphy

Joseph Murphy made a life in Hennepin, Minnesota. He married Ollie L. from Norway sometime before 1910. They had one child, Amy Virginia Murphy.

On an application to change his name dated February 1943, Job Combs officially changed his name to Joseph Murphy and listed his parents as Patrick Murphy and Mollie Williams. Just a few years later on documents related to his death on 2 April 1948, Job Combs is listed as his father, Mollie Williams his mother and his spouse was Ollie L. Murphy.

Job Combs/Joseph Murphy was 63 years old when he died at St. Louis Park, Hennepin, Minnesota.

Loose Ends

Mollie Williams Combs Murphy died in January 1925 at the age of 80 in Minneapolis, MN. She was survived by her sons Joseph Murphy, Harry C. Combs and William Combs, daughters Nellie Combs Halliday and Amy Combs Drain.

At this date, nothing more has been found on Job Combs (the elder) or Patrick Murphy.

Who Was Carter Williams?

The last mystery includes the photograph identified as Carter Williams, “grandfather of Job Combs who changed his name to Joseph Murphy.”  Evidence suggests that the photo is of Mollie Combs Murphy’s’ father. No evidence could be found that he ever lived in Harvey County.

Carter Williams

Sources

  • Divorce Index, 1872-1940, Archives Indexes, Harvey County Historical Museum & Archives, 203 N Main, Newton, Ks.
  • Burrton Graphic: 27 December 1890,3 July 1891, 30 September 1892,
  • Newton Daily Republican: 18 June 1890 27 June 1890 23 December 1890.
  • Newton Democrat:  12 September 1884, 17 September 1886.
  • Newton Journal: 20 June 1890.
  • Newton Kansan: 20 September 1883, 1 September 1887.
  • Weekly Republican: 25 September 1885, 26 December 1890, 27 September 1891.
  • Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, Charles C Flowers and Amy Combs, 1 June 1886.
  • Kansas County Marriage Records, 1855-1911, Ira Combs and Mary Elisabeth Simpson, 12 May 1890.
  • Kansas County Marriage Records, 1855-1911, Wm M Combs to Luella Callager, 11 August 1889.
  • Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, Patrick Murphy and Samanta Gibson.
  • Kansas Naturalization Records, Partrick Murphy 10 October 1887.
  • Minnesota Deaths, 1887-2001, Entry for Joseph Murphy and Job Combs, 2 April 1948.
  • U.S. Social Security Numerical Identification files, 1936-2007, Joseph Murphy.
  • U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Entry for Joseph Murphy and Ollie L Murphy.
  • U.S. Census: 1880, 1885, 1900.

“Scattered to the Four Winds:” the Halstead Cyclone May 2, 1910

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by Kristine Schmucker, Archivist/Curator

Harvey County recently experienced a brush with severe storms. On Sunday night, May 21, 2024, straight line winds and tornadoes made their way through Burrton, Halstead and the southern part of Newton causing a great deal of damage. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Harvey County has experienced devastating and fatal tornadoes before including, 1 March 1888, 1 May 1895, 2 May 1910 and 25 May 1917, 24 May 1962, 13 March 1990.

The tornado in May 1910 especially caused havoc in Halstead.

Scattered to the Four Winds

On May 2, 1910 one of the “most destructive storm in the history of Harvey County passed through the county at about 1 o’clock Monday morning.” Although it did not quite match the intensity of the “great cyclone which swept over Harvey County May 1, 1895,” the May 2, 1910, tornado came close, and Halstead took a direct hit.

Halstead Independent, 5 May 1910

The storm roared through in the early morning hours of May 2 when most Harvey County residents were asleep. The fact that there was only one fatality was a miracle.

The editor of the Halstead Independent reported the following damage. The path of the storm went from the south to west and “the storm twisted trees and pulled many from their roots and made a specialty of picking out barns and windmills and leaving residences alone.”  Telephone and electric poles were down, and while the storm “did not assume all the characteristics of a cyclone, it was near enough to satisfy everybody who heard the terrific noise which accompanied it.”

Path Through Town

G.A. Schriver’s new barn in the west part of Halstead was completely destroyed and “on the north end of this tract the machine sheds of Fred Massler were scattered to the four winds, while his threshing engine and separator were left standing without damage.” Next, the storm damaged several homes in Halstead. In the business district W. C. Hinkle & Co’s “two story wood frame warehouse filled with implements was blown to the ground.”

Hinckle & Co, Halstead, Ks after the May 2, 1910 Storm

The Halstead Milling & Elevator Co sustained “the heaviest financial loss of anything in the path of the storm. The brick smokestack was blown down, the storage warehouse  . . . was scattered over many acres and a portion of the roof had been carried over the river.” The Warkentin property east of the mill sustain damage with trees “being twisted off about twenty feet from the ground.  The north annex to the big barn . . . was moved from the foundation but not badly damaged.”

Halstead Main Street, after May 2, 1910 storm

Other damage was noted. John Stilikle was “heavy loser because John reigns as King over there and had more buildings to damage.” Stilikle estimated his loss will be around $275.89. David Lehman’s orchard suffered from the wind and hail. Virtually all the windows in the Lehman’s home were broken from the hail. An early morning train was delayed to clear tracks and the Santa Fe signal tower at the depot was blown down.

One Fatality -Michael Hoffman

There was one fatality, Michael Hoffman, who lived on a farm about seven miles southwest of Sedgwick.

“The house at his place was blown to the four or a dozen or more of  winds . . . and the lifeless body of Mr. Hoffman was found after the storm was over. He was badly mutilated; any one of the three or four wounds having been sufficient to have caused his death almost instantly.”

His wife was severely injured, while his son sustained no injuries.

Property Loss

When the storm was done, “no less than thirty barns have been partially or wholly destroyed, while the Hoffman house was the only one blown away.”

The editor noted;

“the property loss in the path of the storm is difficult to estimate, but it cannot be less than one hundred thousand dollars. The damage at the mill will amount to from five to eight thousand dollars, the Hinckle & Co. loss is quite heavy, the Mitchell building will have to be rebuilt in the front and the hundreds of smaller losses will amount to a considerable figure.”

Halstead, Ks, after the May 2, 1910, storm.

Cyclone or Tornado

West Park also experienced much damage. The writer described the park;

“it presents the appearance of having passed through a genuine cyclone, although those who claim to be posted say it was nothing but a tornado. We have talked with some of the sufferers from the 1895 cyclone and they are almost unanimous in the declaration that the late storm was attended by the same kind of noise and other trimmings.”

Longed For Rain

The Evening Kansan Republican noted that the May 1910 storm was one of the “worst storms in several years,” but it did come with the much needed and “longed for rain. . . and Harvey County farmers are not disposed to find fault with the methods . . . the deluge this morning has served to place the soil in condition to produce excellent crops.”

 

Evening Kansan Republican, 2 May 1910.

Wishing for Cyclone Cellars

In Newton, “houses trembled and quaked . . . and nervous sleepers, awakened by the fury of the storm, lay in bed and wondered if only the roof would come off, or whether the whole house would be carried away.”  Daylight revealed the streets were littered with tree branches and beautiful shade trees were ruined. The glass windows on some of the downtown businesses was blown out. Many electric and power lines were down, as well as telephone lines. Newton did not experience as much damage as the town of Halstead.

Sources

  • Burrton Free Lance: 5 May 1910. 
  • Evening Kansan Republican: 2 May 1910.
  • Halstead Independent:  May 5, 1910.
  • Newton Kansan: 5 May 1910.

 

 

The Life & Times of F.L. Jeltz: A Black Newspaper Editor

Posted on by hchm-curator

by Kristine Schmucker, Archivist/Curator

One area that has not received much attention is that of black owned newspapers in Kansas. In March 1878, the first black owned and operated newspaper in Kansas, The Colored Citizen, began printing in Fort Scott, Ks. Topics included a mix of political and community news. Challenges included financing and reaching their audience. Most black newspaper editors in the 1890s had to supplement their income by doing printing jobs for other entities. Several were clergy, lawyers and business clerks.

Only one man lists his occupation as editor or journalist in the city directories and census’, Fredrick L. Jeltz. Jeltz also had connections to Newton, Ks.

Jeltz was born in Jackson. Mississippi in June 1865 and was educated at Tougaloo University, Jackson, MI, and graduated in 1877.  He spent some time as a teacher before undertaking his life’s work as a journalist and newspaper man. By 1881, he was living in Topeka, Kansas, where he worked with another black newspaper editor, William M. Pope.  He started his own Topeka newspaper in July 1892, the Kansas State Ledger.

In order to increase his audience and get more subscription, Jeltz, like many other editors, would take promotional trips.  These trips helped him keep in touch with communities all over Kansas and even the “Territories.” On one such trip, Jeltz returned with more than one hundred new subscribers. (Kansas State Ledger 14 April 1893) He also was an orator at political events. (**See news clipping from the Topeka Daily Press below.)

F.L. Jeltz Editor

Kansas State Ledger

From the start Jeltz  approached his business differently.  In 1893, he was criticized for hiring black and white, male and female employees. The fact that he had white employees seemed especially upsetting. Jeltz responded to the critics:

“We draw no color line. It will not do; it tends to excite controversies between two races. We employ white help at the office as well as colored. In fact, we divide up the employment. We draw no color line.” (Kansas State Ledger 20 January 1893, p.2.)

In 1895, Jeltz was interviewed by the Kansas Farmer & Mail & Breeze. The editor described Jeltz as “one of the most noted colored editors in the state” and praised his “quick perception . . elegant and explicit manner in which he expresses himself.”

In the interview, Jeltz observed that the “present administration has done but little towards my race” and he did not expect a unified black vote in the next election, unlike the previous election. His advice for the 1894 election? “Competent and experienced men should be selected at an early date” with a clear message to cut down on confusion.

Jeltz saw his publication as a way to encourage black voters and a place to speak out about issues that mattered to their communities.  In 1895, he spoke out about lynching. In one instance, Jeltz even questioned the motives of the of white woman who accused the black man who was later lynched.  He went on to state that those that had a hand in the lynching “are worse than inhuman curs . . . every negro newspaper in the state of Kansas should . . . sound the battle cry of justice.”  Jeltz also called out the influence of the “white caps and a cowardly sheriff” in a lynching situation in Saline. Jeltz wrote about lynching:

“Lynch law seems to be a germ terminating in an epidemic. It begins in the feet and at least monopolizes the whole body. Let us say, call out the militia and shoot the lynchers.”

Newton News-Ledger

He stopped publishing the Kansas State Ledger in August 1906 and may have lived in Newton for a time. In March 1908, he launched American Times.  In 1914, he reportedly purchased two newspapers in Wichita and created the Times-Ledger which he published in connection to the Newton News-Ledger. 

Halstead Independent, 7 May 1914

It is not known how long he published or even if he actually published a Newton paper. No copies exist and the Newton Kansan for 2 April 1914, gives the impression that plans may have fallen through. ****

“Newton is to have a new newspaper. This is not one of the rumors that  have been going around, but a real news item. It is not a story about Col. Major Jeltz’s effort, not is it a tale of the final consummation of some schemes for a new daily paper.” 

The Wichita papers were published somewhat regularly until 1917.

He gained statewide recognition with his “Jolts from Jelts” which appeared in many local newspapers.

Deadly Assault on the English Language & Other Problems

Unfortunately F.L. Jeltz often found himself in legal difficulties and at odds with other white editors.

For a brief time in 1904, Jeltz moved to Kansas City with his paper. The surrounding newspaper editors had scathing reviews of Jeltz’s work. The Neodesha Register, December 16, 1904, noted that “he is the only Topeka man who ever ran a paper with a crowbar . . . . wrote entirely by ear . . . and when he wasn’t making deadly assault on the English language, he was explaining things in police court.” Editors around the state frequently point out his “new fangled spelling” and other misdeeds.

Minneapolis Messenger 22 November 1906

“Superb Gall”

Running a newspaper was difficult. Finding sponsors and advertisers, selling subscriptions all took time and energy. In 1892, Jeltz bragged that the Kansas State Ledger received financial assistance from railroad companies and the paper “has become one of the leading organs of the state of Kansas – 2,000 readers.” (Kansas State Ledger, 18 November 1892, p. 4.) Jeltz had other less popular ways of funding his paper.

In 1902 Jeltz’s paper was suspended by I.P. Gardner who held a mortgage. At the same time, the Kansas City Star decided it would no longer print Jeltz’s column “Joltz from Jeltz.”  (Kansas Semi Weekly Capital, 14 May 1902) Disappointed, Jeltz, not willing to give up, continued to look for ways to fund his paper.

In October 1902, the Ottawa Weekly Republic reported that “County Officials Refuse to be Held up by Colored Editor.”   Jeltz, sometimes referred to as “Colonel Major Jeltz,” had come to Ottawa with his “itching palm and the heavy weight aphoristic editorials, who has held up more office seekers than any railroad dared by virtue of threats.”

The article goes on to describe Jeltz with his “broad expansive smile . . . illuminating the atmosphere, his glad hand was extended, his seductive tongue was working overtime and in short, his whole scheme of gentle persuasive hold up was in motion . . . The colonel is hard to resist.”  Jeltz would ask for money and in return he promised the influence of his paper to help their campaigns. The desired election outcome was not guaranteed , but Jeltz would be long gone.  This time, in Ottawa, he met a stony reception and the county officials told him to go.  The editor of the Ottawa Weekly Republican closed with these words:

“Colonel Jelts is to be admired for his superb gall. Colonel Jeltz is to be detested for being a human parasite. The office seeker who bears Col. Jeltz’s mark of approval displays the badge of his asininity.”

“Jeltz on the War Path” – 1901

Jeltz was also active politically, frequently using his paper to influence readers to vote for certain candidates. In 1900, he was the candidate when he ran for county clerk (Topeka Daily Capital, 5 July 1900).

Topeka Daily Capital, 5 July 1900

Despite his best efforts, his name did not appear on the official ballot because he did not have the assessment each candidate had to pay – $60. He offered to pay $40, but the committee refused. Jeltz ran a write in campaign saying that “the people will endorse my protest . . . of the tyrannical county committee.” (Topeka Daily Capital 21 May 1901).

On June 4, 1901, the headline read “Jeltz on the Warpath.” Jeltz claimed he was the “victim of a dire conspiracy.” Jeltz claimed that 1) bankers conspired to reject his petition for a loan to enter the race; 2) liverymen would not allow Jeltz to use their wagons “unless he paid cash in advance;” 3) the election committee conspired to “count Mr. Jeltz out,” by ruthlessly throwing his votes aside.

Topeka Daily Capital, 21 May 1901

“He has let Whiskey get the Better of Him”

In 1903, Jeltz was arrested for being drunk and insulting a white woman on the street. He spent the night in jail. The woman did not bring a complaint against him, but did note that “he has insulted her on former occasions.”  This was not an isolated incident according to the article, however Jeltz maintained it was a case of mistaken identity.

Jeltz was again in trouble with the law after he assaulted a “colored woman.” The editor of the Lawrence Daily World  concluded that “he has let whiskey get the better of him.” More altercations followed in the next few years.

In March 1909, Mrs. Jeltz alleged that her husband became “insane and dangerous when under the effect of liquor . . . he is no longer a safe companion.” (Topeka State Journal 18 March 1909)

In the trial that followed Mrs. Jeltz testified that he fought with family and “would draw a knife and fight the stove pipe.”  Jeltz testified on his own behalf explained that “these outbursts . . . were merely pastimes and that he would not harm anyone.” He was found insane due to heavy drink and nervous breakdown due to old age (Jeltz was 44 at the time). Although he was supposed to go to the insane asylum, there was no room at the state hospital.  The Iola Daily Index reported that the decision of the court that he was crazy did not “hinder the veteran colored editor and politician from issuing his newspaper.”

In 1915, Jeltz is again in the news for “obtaining money on false pretenses” in Cherokee County. He was soliciting subscriptions and advertising for his newspaper, which people paid in advance. It was discovered that “he is not the editor of any paper and cannot full his contract. . . he has worked a number of towns in the same manner.” (Cherokee Sentinel 17 September 1915)

Jeltz continued publishing until at least May 1921.

Times Ledger, 28 May 1921

Fredrick L. Jeltz died in Topeka, March 1937 at the age of 72 and is buried at Mt Auburn Cemetery in Topeka, Ks.

Obituary for F.L. Jeltz

Notes

****The new paper they are referring to is the “Democrat” with Mack Cretcher and B.W. Harlow as editors.

**The Topeka Daily Press printed a speech he gave January 10, 1896.

Topeka Daily Press, 10 January 1896

Jeltz Brothers

F.L. Jeltz had a brother William who also ran a newspaper, the People’s Friend. William also experienced difficulty with law enforcement.

“There are two Jeltz’s in  the newspaper business, Colonel Jeltz, who writes the lucid paragraphs for the Ledger is a republican: Colonel William or Bill Jeltz runs a populist paper or did until he was cast into the Rice county bastille. . . Bill has not the clear and luminous style of writing of his  brother. (Pratt County Republican, 9 December 1897)

Sources

  • Atchison Weekly Globe 25 March 1909.
  • Colony Free Press: 5 May 1904.
  • Humbolt Herald 5 November 1909.
  • Halstead Independent: 7 May 1914.
  • Iola Daily Index, 17 April 1909.
  • Lawrence Daily World 28 November 1904.
  • Leavenworth Weekly Times: 1 December 1904.
  • National Field: 30 June 1899.
  • Newton Kansan:  13 September 1884, 15 September 1898, 21 July 1899, 29 September 1899 25 June 1906, 2 April 1914, 10 June 1915.
  • Sedgwick Pantagraph: 9 April 1914.
  • Topeka State Journal:  25 February 1896,10 February 1903, 26 April 1904, 18 March 1909, 19 March 1909.
  • Topeka Daily Capital 10 February 1903, 19 March 1909.
  • Topeka Daily Herald:  2 December 1904, 17 December 1904, 21 August 1906.
  • Topeka Plaindealer: 17 July 1903.
  • Times Ledger: 24 April 1920,3 July 1920, 28 May 1921.

Other Sources

  • Jeltz, F.L. Obituary, clipping, n.d. Find a Grave Added: Apr 24, 2011, Find a Grave Memorial ID: #6887203.
  • Eberle, Mark E. “William Lewis Eagleson and the Origins of African American Newspapers in Kansas” (2022) Monographs. 31. https//scholars.fhsu.edu/all_monographs/31.
  • Ratzlaff, Aleen J. “Black Press Pioneers In Kansas: Connecting and Extending Communities in Three Geographic Sections, 1878-1900” Dissertation. University of Florida, 2001.