The Bellevue War was a shootout between a posse led by Sheriff W. A. Warren and
Thomas Cox against a group led by W. W. Brown that took place in
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to:
Placenames
Australia
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales
Canad ...
,
Jackson County,
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remaind ...
, on April 1, 1840. A large mural made by local artists commemorates the incident at the site of Brown's Hotel where it occurred. Political tensions in Bellevue dated back to 1837, when Yankee businessmen arrived at the town, causing tensions with the original settlers. The original settlers banded with wealthy hotelier W. W. Brown, who provided them with credit and an opportunity to work. A shooting on January 8, 1840, further intensified the situation.
Brown previously attempted to usurp territory representative Thomas Cox as the
Democrats' candidate in the 1840 election. This infuriated Cox, who drafted a warrant for Brown's arrest following the shooting incident. Sheriff W. A. Warren, a former political opponent of Brown himself, authorized a
posse
Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates.
Posse may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Posse'' (1975 ...
to apprehend Brown. After an attempt to negotiate, the posse moved in on Brown's hotel. Brown apparently accidentally discharged his weapon, causing a gunfight to break out. Three more were killed on each side. The posse set the hotel on fire and captured those who attempted to escape. They were sentenced to receive a whipping and commanded to leave the county.
History
Tensions
The first settlers in
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to:
Placenames
Australia
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales
Canad ...
,
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remaind ...
, were miners from
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...
and southerners who distrusted eastern
Yankee
The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United St ...
s. In the spring of 1837, a large group of Yankees from
Coldwater, Michigan
Coldwater is a city in Branch County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,945. It is the county seat of Branch County, located in the center of the southern border of Michigan. The city is surrounded by Co ...
, settled in Bellevue, creating tensions between them and the original settlers. One new arrival, William W. Brown, came with a substantial fortune and purchased the only hotel in town. The original settlers appreciated Brown's hospitality and open-handedness with credit. Brown would also pay high wages every winter to have the original settlers haul wood over the iced
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. Thus, the settlers formed a strong association with Brown.
Other Yankee settlers of Bellevue did not appreciate Brown's wealth. Brown was accused of acquiring wealth through dishonest methods. Some of the currency spent by Brown's associates was found to be counterfeit. Brown's associates in turn harassed those who accused Brown of wrongdoings. An increase in local cattle and horse rustlings made locals suspicious of Brown's group. In 1838, Brown announced his candidacy for Sheriff of
Jackson County, where Bellevue was located. However,
Whig William A. Warren of
Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
was able to secure the election. At the same election,
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Thomas Cox was elected as a representative to the first Iowa Territory general assembly. Brown was named a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
in 1839 and frequently defended his associates in court. The relationship at this point between Cox and Brown was considered cordial.
[
Cox's opinion of Brown quickly soured. ]Ebenezer Brigham
Ebenezer Brigham (April 28, 1789 – September 14, 1861) was a 19th-century American pioneer, businessman, and politician. He was one of the first Americans to explore southwestern Wisconsin and the first permanent settler in present-day Da ...
, a colleague of Cox's from Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
who was currently serving on the Wisconsin territorial council, came to Bellevue to search for a friend's stolen horses. Sheriff Warren recognized the description as a pair that had recently been apprehended from a boarder in Brown's hotel. Cox was infuriated at what he perceived to be Brown's role in the affair. In late 1839 or early 1840, the Democratic Party held a caucus to determine a candidate from Jackson County for the territorial house. Cox was busy plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...
ting Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
, so he was not present. However, he expected to be easily renominated. Instead, the caucus settled on Brown as their candidate. This began a rivalry between Cox and Brown. Cox ran as an independent, accusing Brown of associating with criminals. Cox won the election, causing further tensions in Bellevue as opponents of Brown rallied to his side.[
]
Shooting of James Thompson
Brown's associate James Thompson and Democrat James C. Mitchell got into a heated argument late in January 1840. Mitchell barricaded his house and put oak shutters on his windows to prevent Thompson from attacking. Mitchell also had a quarrel with one of his brothers. On January 8, the Democrats celebrated Jackson Day, which commemorated the Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...
, and Mitchell was named the head of a celebratory ball. He explicitly forbid any allies of Brown from attending the affair, infuriating Brown's associates.[
During the ball, Mitchell's brother left to go to James' house, ostensibly to retrieve clothing from a trunk. He claimed that the trunk belonged to his own wife and claimed to have taken a justice of the peace with him to prove that he was not going to take anything that did not belong to him. He was accompanied by Thompson, who had been drinking excessively. Upon their arrival, Thompson found a lady in a bed and attempted to assault her. The lady escaped and told James Mitchell about what happened. Mitchell armed himself and encountered Thompson. Both men raised their guns and attempted to shoot. Thompson's gun failed to properly fire, but Mitchell's fired a round into Thompson's chest, killing him. Mitchell returned to the ball, fearful of retribution from Brown's associates. Absalom Montgomery, who had followed Thompson in an attempt to persuade him away from combat, reported the incident to the sheriff. Sheriff Warren promised protection to Mitchell as long as he was willing to show in court.][
The next morning, a coroner confirmed the cause of death. Mitchell was transferred to a justice office and charged with Thompson's murder. The case was scheduled to be heard at the next meeting of the circuit court. Mitchell was put in chains and left in a room in the justice office, as the county had no jail at the time. In the meantime, Cox helped to draft a warrant for the arrest of W. W. Brown and twenty-two associates for thieving, passing counterfeit money, robbing, and other charges. It was signed by Charles Harris, a justice of the peace living near ]Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
. The Cox faction now had legal authority to arrest the Brown faction.[
]
Posse
Cox consulted with Warren, who warned him that Brown had many friends in Bellevue, making an arrest difficult. When he learned of the warrant, Brown offered to turn himself in, but refused to divulge information about his associates. Cox held a meeting at the house of James L. Kirkpatrick to decide what to do. The group decided to form a posse
Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates.
Posse may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Posse'' (1975 ...
to apprehend Brown's gang. Warren canvassed the county, urging prominent citizens to write to Brown to convince him to surrender his men. The sheriff deputized Cox to select forty men to appear on his behalf on April 1, 1840.[
Warren and Cox both rounded up men for the posse. Warren claimed that he only sought to arrest Brown, but Cox told prospective members that he wanted to drive Brown and his gang out of the county. Warren was only able to convince one man, while Cox recruited the others. Cox had many connections with military experience. His brother-in-law James Collins was a colonel in the ]Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
and many of his former soldiers worked in the Galena mines. Cox was able to convince many of them to join. Anson Harrington, who assisted with the drafting of the warrant, recruited three of his friends. Cox was also able to enlist the help of his neighbors.[
]
Gunfight
When April 1 came, the two factions first attempted to negotiate through parlay. In the afternoon, Warren traveled to Brown's hotel to read the warrant. Shortly thereafter, Cox arrived with the posse. Although a large group of citizens were standing at Brown's defense, they quickly scattered when they saw Cox's posse marching with military discipline. Unable to come to terms, Warren left the hotel and Cox's posse advanced. Brown stood in the door of the hotel holding a rifle. Cox demanded his surrender, and apparently Brown complied and lowered his weapon. However, while doing so, he accidentally discharged it. The ensuing bullet ripped through Cox's coat. Two of Cox's associates, purportedly John T. Sublett and V. G. Smith, fired back, killing Brown. Brown's associates returned fire. During the exchange, the posse set the hotel on fire, prompting Brown's associates to flee. Between five and thirteen members of the gang were apprehended.[
]
Aftermath
Three members of the posse were killed: Henderson Palmer, John Brink, and J. Maxwell. Another, William Vaughn, was seriously wounded. Two members of Brown's gang were killed: Aaron Day and Mr. Burtis. Brown's hostler, Tom Walch, was severely wounded. One civilian, Andrew Farley, was killed when tending to Day. Cox and Warren initially intended to hang the captives immediately, but decided to instead bury the dead, extinguish the fire, and wait for the next morning.[ The posse held a ballot to determine the fate of the captives. They were instructed to drop a white bean if they were in favor of hanging and a red bean if they were in favor of whipping. The final count was thirty-eight white beans to forty-two red beans. Captives received between four and thirty-nine lashes and then were sent down the ]Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
on a board. They were commanded to never enter the county again. One member, William Fox, later joined the Banditti of the Prairie
The Banditti of the Prairie, also known as The Banditti, Prairie Pirates, Prairie Bandits, and Pirates of the Prairie, in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and the Territory of Iowa, were a group of loose-knit outlaw gangs, duri ...
in Illinois. The posse was also subject to a trial, but the jury found that they acted within a reasonable interpretation of the law.[
Despite some public outrage over the incident, Cox was re-elected to the state house the next summer and was subsequently named Speaker of the House. He later served in the territory council (senate) before his death in 1844. Warren later reminisced that they had no evidence and that they did not want to arrest Warren. He remained sheriff until 1845.][
]
References
James Michael Farley: The Road to Death Valley; Kindle book 2014; direct descendant of Andrew Farley, James Michael Farley reconstructs the Bellevue War from his own family history.
{{Riots in the United States (1607–1865)
1840 in Iowa Territory
American Old West gunfights
History of Iowa
Jackson County, Iowa
Conflicts in 1840
April 1840 events
See also:
A.H. Jahr: Adjacent Wilderness: Story of the Belleview War. 1953. The Bellevue Herald.
Susan K. Lucke: Bellevue War: Mandate of Justice or Murder by Mob? A True--And Still Controversial--Story of
Iowa as the Wild West. 11-2-2002, McMillen Pub.