William Alexander Fly
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Cassville Democrat
HON. W. A. FLY Writes Democrat a Long Letter - Thankful To The People Of Barry County Purdy, Missouri Nov. 30, 1913 Mr. Charles Ray My Dear Friend: I am writing you a letter, as I have not heard from you nor talked with you for quite awhile. My health is very poor; I am very feeble. I am keeping up most of the time, but cannot walk nor be on my feet but little from rheumatic trouble. I have been suffering with catarrh in my head for several years. It has got down in my throat and affected the bronchial cords and my voice and swallowing. Also my hearing. I have not been able to be over in town since the last week in May. I am not suffering seriously, while I remain quiet. I will be 88 years old March 7, 1914, should I live. I get some comfort when my mind reverts back to 1839, when my father and mother came to Joys Creek, as I was about 14 years old and I have lived in what is now Barry county, all the time. I cannot now think of one person in the county that was here when father came to Joys Creek. All dead or moved away. When my mind runs back to 1861, and I think of the Confederate Legislature of Missouri, with Gov. Claib Jackson, occupying our courthouse in Cassville and transacted some business for a week or more, where they signed up the articles of secession passed in Neosho. The late Hon. W.S. McConnell was our representative. Later when Judge Sparkman, Judge Gallaway and Judge Carney and myself would meet in Cassville as the servants of the people to transact their county business in the same old court house, and now a few years later we are building a $50,000 court house with all modern conveniences, of material quarried from almost under the town. It is a progressive age. When I think back to 1839, the territory of Barry county has been divided into five counties. The county seat was at Mt. Pleasant, two miles below where Pierce City is located, on Clear Creek. Later it was moved to Little Flat Creek and named McDowell. Later it was permanently located at Cassville. It was at a barbecue at Cassville on July 4th, when Samuel Pharis was clerk and the Sturdy's and Oldham's had their battle. I was at a term of circuit court held at McDowell on Little Flat Creek, when Stuart was tried for the killing of John Lock, when the jury that tired the case and retired for a verdict, they went to the woods. I feel very thankful that I have been spared to live in the county 74 years and witness such a progress and high standards of reputation for so many things that is honorable and valuable as Barry county has, and to enjoy the friendship and hospitality of such men as Mark Abernathy, Billy Martin, Senator Bridges, Dr. John Ray, John Bayless, J. W. LaCompte, Hunter Wear, Wm. G. Hobbs and many others. I shall never forget the people of by-gone days, as they honored me as their public servant and elected me to serve them eight years, four years in the county court and four years to represent them in the State Legislature of Missouri, and I served them two years as a deputy sheriff under Joseph Peevy, Sheriff. I am politically a Union Democrat and have always voted for the democratic nominees, for government, state and county officers. I feel very thankful that I have lived to know our government and state is being administered by Democrats. While President Wilson and his well chosen cabinet and Vice-President Marshall and a Senate like Senator's Kern, Owen, Stone, and many others, and Champ Clark; speaker of the House of Representatives, Congressmen Underwood and many others, I think the great masses of the common people will be relieved of bearing the burdens of the special classes. We are getting some good laws and some good amendments to the constitution. The income tax, electing such men as Elliott Major governor, Secretary of State Roach and J.P. Gordon, Auditor and many other Democrats. Our last General Assembly enacted some good laws. I am well pleased with the interest that is being taken in education in our state and county. Also interest in making good roads. I don't think money and labor could be used for a better purpose to benefit everybody, rich and poor, the laborer and the business men. We are living in a progressive age. We must educate the children and young people of today, to take the places of us older people who are daily making vacancies in this world. I think any man holding office by election or appointment is a servant of the people, who pays for his services. I do not believe any man should hold office by appointment for life or good behavior. From two to six years is long enough at a time. I am writing this letter that it may be published in the Cassville Democrat, a paper that has been published in the county about 43 years. I have lived in the county about 74 years, that the people who I am acquainted with and others may hear what I think of them and the county and things generally, as I realize I shall not be able to see or talk to many of them anymore in this life. I feel very much attached to Barry county and the people, and especially Cassville, where I have associated with the citizens so much in past gone days, and now they are nearly all gone. I realize I shall very soon be numbered with the dead, and the living will know nothing more of us, only by the Shibboleth of time. I will close my letter with my best wishes for everybody. Wm. A. Fly Monett Times - May 16, 1916
NONAGENARIAN WRITES INTERESTING LETTER W. A. Fly Gives Reminiscences of 75 Years In Barry County We were very much pleased this week to receive a letter from Wm. A. Fly, of Purdy, to be published in "The Times". Mr. Fly has lived in Barry county many years and is one of the best known and highly respected of our citizens. The letter follows: Purdy, Missouri January 31, 1916 D.A. Peters Monett, Missouri Mr. Peters Sir: I am writing you this letter for a better acquaintance. I get the Monett Times every week and I like it very much. It gives me more general news than any other paper I read, home, local, state and foreign, how and when you received it. I like to read. I have quite a library of books. I followed farming until the last few years. My age and health compelled me to quit. I am now nearly ninety years old, have lived in Barry county over seventy-five years. My parents came to what is now Barry county in the spring of 1839. Lawrence, Newton and McDonald counties were organized from the territory of Barry. Circuit court was held at Clear Creek about two miles west of where Peirce City is now. I have lived in the county all the time. When the railroad from Rolla to Grand River was completed I went on an excursion from Peirce City to the bridge over Grand River and back to Peirce City. That was the first railroad I ever rode on. I lived on Joy's Creek about two miles east of Corsicana. I moved to Purdy in 1886. I was one of the Judges of the county court for four years. I then served in the 33rd and 34th General Assemblies of Missouri as representative of Barry county. We are now living in progressive age. Education is one of the leading progressive things and I think a good one. When I went to school the house was a log house. The window was a log cut out of one side or end. The writing desk was a slab of wood and our seats were slit logs. The teacher wrote copy on our papers for us to learn to write. We used the old blue back Webster spelling book. We used Pike's arithmetic that gave us pounds, shillings and pence instead of dollars, cents and mills. The good roads provision in our country is good for nearly everyone as any other improvement we could make. I feel very favorable to this progressive movement. I have always voted the Democratic ticket for national and state officers since our war. I am known as a Union Democrat. I voted against Missouri seceding. I did not think it best to make two general governments. I never did think it was right to make human beings chattel, slaves to sell and buy like other property. I think we are now living in an age of most serious confusion the world over, than we ever did. The governments that are not killing, starving and destroying everything, are seriously troubled and confused concerning what is going on and how to keep out of their troubles. I think the European War and our Mexican troubles have so confused and divided the people in what they should do in the way of legislation and how all these troubles will be settled that we, the people of the United States, will not have the quiet and peace that we have had in the past. Our people are wonderfully divided in what is best to do. I think our representatives in congress and state should lay aside politics and legislation for the general welfare of the great masses of the people. Officers under the law are public servants and guardians of the great masses of people. Time only will reveal what the end of our present civil and military confusion and wars will bring forth. I feel very thankful that that I have been spared to live to see Barry county's progress from 1839 to the present. I also feel very thankful to the people of the county for their friendship and their confidence that they had in me by electing me four times to office in the county and many other favors. I am now very feeble in health but not confined to the bed all the time and can be on my feet but little. My seeing and hearing are very dim. This will be my last letter, I think, for publication. I am confined to the house and yard. It will not be very long at best until I will be done with my work and sufferings in this world, and I have hopes that my life has been so spent in this world that I will be better off by the aid of the strong grip of the lion's paw of the tribe of Judah. Yours Very Respectfully, Wm. A. Fly Submitted in 2006 by Jack Allen Fly, great-great grandson of William Alexander Fly. |