The Kaw Valley Scandal

In early Lawrence's up-and-coming years, its prominent citizenry banned together in many ways that were calculated to put the city on firm ground and solidify their own wealth and position. Not all of their efforts landed them on the right side of the law. In addition to controlling the commercial aspects of their investments into the community, it was crucial that they control the courts. This tale is about how the control necessary to grow a city, individual fortunes, and influence may have been exercised.

This story also features John Mercer Langston, the son of Ralph Quarles, a white plantation owner, and Jane Langston, a black slave. Langston had strong family ties to Lawrence. He studied law under attorney Philemon Bliss and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1854. He served as dean and president of Howard University's law school, the first black law school in the country. In 1888 he ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and served a six month term.

Sam Jeans, Lawrence's real life assistant police chief, again shows how he gained his reputation as a supreme investigator and consummate police officer.