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Did you know? Newton began as the shipping point for the cattle trade. And where there are cattle, there are cowboys. With cowboys, liquor, ladies and trouble tended to follow. There were several saloons and dancehalls in Newton that catered to this crowd. Reports say the atmosphere here rivaled that of Dodge City. Accounts of those who died by the pistol number anywhere from 40 to 50, though Judge R. W. P. Muse states in his History of Harvey County 1871-1881 this number is grossly exaggerated and actually to be around 12. The most notorious of gunfights is commonly called the “Newton Massacre” or “Gunfight at Hide Park,” which occurred in August 1871. On August 11, there was an argument between Mike McCluskey and Billy Bailey, both lawman, which turned into a fist fight; ending in gunshots and Bailey dead from his wounds a day later. McCluskey fled only to return a few days later. Angered friends of Bailey’s from Texas were in town and vowed revenge. When McCluskey initially came to Newton he’d befriended a young man, James “Jim” Riley, in the final stages of tuberculosis. So loyal of a friend was he, that he became known as “McCluskey’s Shadow.” On August 19, McCluskey went to Perry Tuttle’s Dance Hall (located on W 2nd Street). Hugh Anderson, and other friends of Bailey’s, entered sometime after midnight. Anderson shot and mortally wounded McCluskey who was able to fire his gun before he died, hitting Anderson. Reports say Riley had been standing by the door when the men entered. Disturbed by the death of his friend, he locked the door and pulled his revolver, emptying the gun, then walked out and was never seen again. Two men died instantly, three others were wounded but recovered. Anderson survived his wounds, but was crippled for life. Newton’s rowdy cowboy days were short-lived, and in 1873 the railhead was completed to Wichita and Dodge City, the rowdy element followed it.
Sources:
Newton Kansan: December 31, 1874, pg. 2 / January 7, 1875, pg. 2 / August 15, 1878, pg. 3 / Nov. 7, 1878, pg. 1 / August 17, 1906, pg. 8 Newton Kansan, 50th anniversary edition, Aug 22, 1922 – pg. 19, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 32, 48, 50, 61, 63, 64, 81, 84, 85, 90, 95, 121 Newton Kansan, 125th Anniversary Edition, Aug. 21, 1997 titled “Investing in Newton’s Future” by Shakila Saifullah, pg. 14 Evening Kansan-Republican: June 16, 1904, pg. 4 / June 28, 1904, pg. 1 / June 3, 1905, pg. 1 / August 2, 1906, pg. 1 / Nov. 29, 1906, pg. 2 / April 6, 1907, pg. 1 / April 26, 1907, pg. 1 The Newton Daily Republican: August 12, 1886, pg. 3 / Jan. 3, 1887, pg. 1 / Jan. 14, 1887, pg 1 / May 15, 1887, pg. 1 Ad / June 17, 1887, pg. 4 / Nov. 22, 1890, pg. 4 / Aug. 31, 1894, pg. 4 Newton City Directories Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – 1884 through 1915 Newton Kansas #1 Santa Fe Rail Hub 1871-1971 by L. M.
“Mike” Hurley Voices from Newton Oral Histories from the StoryCorps Interviews in 2008, Chapter 1 – In Business on Main Street, Interviews with Dick McCall and Phil Anderson III Rediscovering Newton: An Interpretive Architectural History by Christy Davis, 1999 Newton, Remembering Yesterday, Today by Dudley Dodgion Toevs, pg. 17, 89, 94 Harvey County Kansas History Pg. 70, 78-97 Kansas Memory: Kansasmemory.org/item/213408 First United Methodist Church website: www.firstchurchnewton.org First Christian Church website: www.firstchristianchurchnewton.org First Bank of Kansas website: www.firstbankks.com Article by Hannah Heinzekehr at www.mennoniteusa. org/kansas-restaurant-a-pioneer-in-food-service-racialintegration/ The Building at 815 Main by Kristine Schmucker, HCHS Curator, blog post on www.hchm.org Two Trails of the Twentieth Century: John C. Nicholson and Newton, Kansas by L. Robert Puschendorf