Folklore and more

The Cape Girardeau County Historical Society Research Annex has almost 100 years of small manuscripts on almost everything that has happened in Cape County, before Missouri became a state to the present day. The majority of the information we have is historical, but there are articles and stories that fall under the category of folklore. When reading some of the stories, one is reminded of the saying, "the lie becomes myth, the myth becomes legend, and the legend becomes the truth." I thought I would share some examples, and one in particular, since it's Halloween season.

Historians in general like a good story with a mystery. After all, it provides us a reason to research the topic. There are the unusual and documented topics, like the Anti Horse Thief Association. Yes, there was a local chapter and a national association. We have the documents to the first murder trial in Cape County in 1808, where Jeremiah Able, the accused, was found "not guilty", after stabbing a man to death. His claim, and witnesses concurred, was that the other person started the fight. Did you know a granite stone from Cape County is located in the Washington Monument? We have information on an egg-grading plant being opened in Jackson. Then there are some stories a little harder to believe, like the story of Granny Boone being scalped and murdered at Old Appleton. We have a typed written account of this story.

One of the most bizarre stories is a newspaper clipping found recently while processing some records that involved two American Indians and a murder.

The clipping is from a newspaper, with no title, date or information as to which newspaper printed it. The incident supposedly happened in Jackson in 1832. The narrator tells the reader the story was told to him by a Stephenson Summers (1825 -- 1923), who recounted this story from an old letter. Stephenson, was the son of Andrew Summers.

The incident takes place as the American Indians were leaving Cape County. One of them, a young man, was given some alcohol by some white men, and he then killed a white settler. The American Indians left the area without the young man being captured. A few days later, as the story goes, the chief returned. The white settlers feared he had returned to cause trouble, so the sheriff locked him up. The chief would not talk. When Alexander Summers Sr. came to Jackson, the sheriff enlisted his aid in trying to get the chief to talk. The chief told Summers what the young American Indian had done and promised the sheriff that, if given 10 days, he would resolve the problem. True to his word, in 10 days the chief must have taken care of the problem. Some settlers entering Jackson on what is today Greensferry Road, reported they saw a stake in the ground and on top of the stake was the head of the young man who had killed the white settler.

As Robert Ripley would say, "Believe it or not."