History of Atchison County, KansasIngalls, Sheffield
History
History of Atchison County, Kansas
Ingalls, Sheffield
Atchison County (Kan.) -- Biography; Atchison County (Kan.) -- History
John M. Cain enlisted in the Thirteenth Kansas infantry in 1862. His
brother, William, enlisted in Col. John A. Martin’s regiment the year
before. In less than a year John M. Cain was given the position as
captain in the Eighty-third U. S. infantry and raised Company C in
Atchison. Phillip Porter, the celebrated negro politician and orator, of
Atchison, was orderly sergeant of Company C, which had ten men killed in
the battle of Prairie Grove. After serving in the army nearly four
years, John M. Cain returned to his farm in Atchison county in 1866
where he remained until 1872, when he removed to Atchison and engaged in
the grain business. The Cains started the exporting of flour from Kansas
and their business was very largely export business during their
operation of the mill.
John W. Cain, father of the Cain brothers, was a fierce Free State man
in the days when it was dangerous to be a Free State man in Atchison
county, but as he was a powerful man and of undoubted courage, the pro-
slavery fans thought it wise to forgive him. His memory as well as the
memory of his sons, John M. Cain and A. D. Cain, are still highly
esteemed by the older settlers of Atchison county.
DR. W. L. CHALLISS.
Dr. W. L. Challiss came to Atchison June 3, 1866, on the steamboat
“Meteor” from Moorestown, N. J., where he had been a practicing
physician. At that time John Alcorn was operating a horse ferry on the
river and Dr. Challiss, in company with his brother, L. C. Challiss,
purchased a three-fourths interest in the ferry franchise after
operating a little rival ferry for a time, which was known as the “Red
Rover.” The price paid for the franchise was $1,800.00.
In the fall of 1856 Dr. Challiss went to Evansville, Ind., and
contracted for the building of a steam ferry. This was completed in
November and started for Atchison. In December it was frozen up in the
Missouri river at Carrollton, Mo., and left in charge of a watchman. The
crew was made up of old acquaintances of Dr. Challiss in New Jersey, and
these he brought to Atchison in two stage coaches hired for the purpose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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