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Reno County: The Corps and the Cannons

July 21, 2021 by Jim Potter 4 Comments

http://jimpotterauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Reno-County-The-Corps-and-the-Cannons.mp3

The Corps and the Cannons

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Ethel Rose Sames McGinn (1885-1967). Frank Niemeir collection.
Effie Kate Sames Chandler (1885-1966). Frank Niemeir collection.

It’s Saturday, October 10, 1942, at Ethel and Tom McGinn’s house, 726 E. 6th Avenue, Hutchinson, Kansas. Twin sisters, Ethel Rose Sames and Effie Kate Sames Chandler, 56, are talking about no-win situations, specifically the dilemma Ethel has encountered for the past week as President of the Joe Hooker Women’s Relief Corps. 

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“I hated doing it,” said Ethel, “but after a vote yesterday, I announced that our Women’s Relief Corps decided to donate our two Civil War cannons and the last gun entrusted to us by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The relics will again be sent to the Victory scrap metal heap to await destruction.”

“You fought the good fight,” said Effie, “the people of the country have been stirred up to believe that withholding any metal is somehow unpatriotic, even when the items are part of our democratic and military history.”

“I was trying to do my duty as I saw it,” said Ethel. “I knew it was a risk when I told Mayor Willis Kelly to return the cannons that he had ordered removed from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ monument. I didn’t blame him. He didn’t know who owned them. But our victory was short-lived; now the cannons will return to the scrap pile.”

Ethel Sames McGinn, in a special edition of the Hutchinson News, February 15, 1942. Hundreds of drawings of local personalities were done for the News-Herald by artists at a Kansas City company. No  individuals were credited in the publication.

“I couldn’t believe that the mayor had the cannons taken from the G.A.R. monument in the first place, without asking the Women’s Relief Corps,” said Effie.

“The mayor said that Army officials at Fort Riley had requested the guns be scrapped because all metals are needed in the war effort to defeat Hitler and Japan,” said Ethel. “He told me he had talked to patriotic organizations and they had agreed, but funny thing, he overlooked us, the true owners.”

“The newspapers have people aroused to a point where they are unfairly pressuring everyone to donate metal items, even items that are still useful,” said Effie. “I’ve heard of students taking metal trash barrels from the State Fairgrounds when the barrels are needed and can’t be replaced.”

The Hutchinson News, October 10, 1942.

“You know I’m all for the war effort and donating scrap,” said Ethel, “but the newspapers have gotten out of control by encouraging the public to shame anyone who is unwilling to donate an item deemed as scrap.”

“You can’t fight Editor John P. Harris as long as he produces a daily newspaper,” said Effie. “He really let you have it the other day when he said the women of the Relief Corps were sentimental, not practical.”

“Actually, I’ve given his comments a lot of thought,” replied Ethel. “There’s truth to the charge that we’re sentimental, but we see our compassion as a strength, not a weakness. It helps us fulfill our duty to preserve the past by educating the public. The cannons that were willed to us are valuable reminders of courage and sacrifice. I still believe their display at First and Walnut, as part of the monument, serves the greater good.”

“Ethel,” said Effie, “you don’t have a chance against the newspaper editors who are leading this scrap drive.”

The Hutchinson News, October 10, 1942.

“Why can’t the Army and the editors discriminate between an old discarded kitchen sink and a prized Civil War keep-sake?” asked Ethel. “Instead, the editors are obsessed with Reno County collecting 100 pounds of metal for every person in town.”

“Sometimes things are bigger than us,” said Effie. “When Sheriff Tom Jennings died, your husband Tom, who was undersheriff and experienced, would have been an ideal replacement. Only politics dictated a different course, and the governor appointed Scott Sprout.”

“Actually,” said Ethel, “I’ve recalled how well my Tom handled the unfortunate circumstances and how he faithfully supported Don Jennings for sheriff. Tom’s helped me understand this wild ride I’ve been on for the last week. He told me not to blame myself, that I shouldn’t feel bad for being unable to stop a runaway train. I’ve also thought about father.

“What about father?” asked Effie.

William Jasper Sames (1840-1908). Photo of tin-type, Frank Niemeir collection.

“I’ve asked him for help,” said Ethel, speaking of William Jasper Sames, who had served as a private in the 47th Kentucky Infantry and had died in 1908. “If father was alive, would he have wanted the cannons saved for history or molded into bullets? I don’t know.”

“We’ll never know,” said Effie. “But remember, you did your best. Because of father’s influence, you’ve made it your sacred duty to serve our country’s defenders. As president of the Joe Hooker Women’s Relief Corps, you’ve cared for Civil War veterans, helping give them better lives. You’ve decorated graves with flags every Decoration Day and engaged the public throughout the year.”

Ethel nodded her head in agreement. “Thanks for your support, Sis. I just hope that in winning this world war, our country won’t forget our Civil War veterans. Isn’t father’s dedicated service as important as today’s soldier, sailor, marine, or airman? No matter the war, all veterans are worthy of remembrance.”

Click to see a photo of William Jasper Sames and his wife, Isabelle Coleman Sames, in the rear seat of a 1914 Ford Model T Touring Car.

*

Until next time, happy writing and reading.

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Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: 1914 Ford Model T Touring car, Civil War cannons, Deputy Don Jennings, Editor John P. Harris, Effie Kate Sames Chandler, Ethel Rose Sames McGinn, Flora Bell Sames Walker, Grand Army of the Republic, Hutchinson Kansas, Hutchinson News, Isabelle Coleman Sames, Jim Potter, Joe Hooker Women's Relief Corps, John Walker, Kansas Authors Club, Mayor Willis Kelly, Reno County Sheriff, Sheriff Scott Sprout, Sheriff Tom Jennings, Sheriffs of Reno County, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Undersheriff Tom McGinn, William Jasper Sames

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Comments

  1. Alex says

    July 21, 2021 at 8:25 am

    How do you find out this stuff?
    Monument controversy still going on…

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      July 21, 2021 at 7:52 pm

      Lots of research. Some things never change.

      Reply
  2. Marilyn Bolton says

    July 22, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    The Joe Hooker Women’s Relief Corps name is rather ironic. Hooker was known as the ultimate womanizer, and it was said his headquarters was a cross between a bar room and a brothel.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      July 23, 2021 at 7:55 am

      The main reason that the Grand Army of the Republic’s post in Hutchinson was named for Joe Hooker was due Henry Hartford, the second sheriff of Reno County. Hartford had served in a New Jersey regiment.
      I’ve read that Hooker was known as a “hard-drinking ladies’ man” and that his headquarters were known for parties and gambling.
      I do love the imagery of referring to his headquarters as being a combination of a “bar-room and brothel.”
      The term “hooker,” referring to prostitutes, pre-dated General Hooker’s Civil War service, so he can’t get credit for the word origin, but he may have given the term oxygen. Like all good business people, prostitutes are successful when they are in close proximity to their customers. Following an Army of soldiers made sense/cents, although risky business.

      Reply

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Denise Low, author of Jackalope (Red Mountain Press)

Jim Potter is a cop, retired, but he brings deep understanding of this job to his novel Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery. This layered novel has literary dimensions as characters explore crisis situations. Congratulations to this fine writer for his debut novel.

Rebecca from Proud Police Wife

Taking Back the Bullet is an emotional, yet captivating novel. Jim Potter does a superb job of intertwining each character and putting their individual identities on display. All law enforcement storylines are a true reflection of Potter’s years as a police officer because they are realistic and relatable. This is a book I highly recommend.

Dennis Perrin, educator

Masterful storytelling, exquisite character development, so real as to HURT and HOPE, a real page turner. Begs for stage, screenwriters, and visual episodic development a.k.a. TV series . . . Thanks Jim Potter for telling it like it is AND providing us visions of how it could be. Well done!

Rebecca Schillaci

As a former law enforcement officer, I found the story very relatable as it details the life of a law enforcement officer and the struggles some face throughout their careers. . . Taking Back the Bullet is a journey of understanding, respect, and forgiveness . . .

Sheryl Remar

I enjoyed the different stories of this book because Tom, James, and Suanna, the three main characters, represent in their own way the different struggles with themselves and society’s idea of what is normal.

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I enjoyed your book. When I am looking for a new read, I always read the first page, last page and choose a random page somewhere in the middle before I decide to buy it. You had me on all three pages. I also like reading a book where you can relate to the characters and the settings in which they live and work. It makes a story more realistic if you can say, I am familiar with the area; I know where that town is or I have traveled that street. It was easy to relate to the characters. In one way or another, I have met them all somewhere in my journeys.

Judy Hawk

. . . I was impressed with the Native American information as well as the depth of character development . . . .

Wynona Winn, PhD, retired school superintendent

Three main characters walk different paths but with the same destination – each coping with his or her self-discovery, self-identity, and self-realization. Much like their earlier counterparts – Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield – their journeys are often joyous, often tedious and often tragic.

Diana Dester

Good story line, building the characters along the way. Great job!

Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist

Jim Potter has done it again! After his book, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, Jim has written another great work. In Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, Jim Potter takes us on an insightful journey into the lives and relationships of numerous characters. Jim is such a talented storyteller that the reader quickly becomes immersed and has a ‘bonding experience’ with each of the characters, feeling their joy, fear, passion and pain. Jim’s novel speaks to the empowerment of persistence with the characters as they work through their trials. As a therapist, I appreciated the heartfelt struggles from each of the characters and their diversity. I also found value in the novel’s understanding of society’s misunderstanding of both mental health and other conditions in which people struggle. The novel contains rich exposure to various realities that many of us do not know about . . . but should. When I finished this captivating novel, I was wanting to read the sequel! It was an honor and a wonderful, mesmerizing experience reading this book. Congratulations, Jim!

Jane Holzrichter

I finished it last night around midnight. What a great piece of work. It kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

Sean McArdle, Winchester, England

Retired police officer Potter’s novel centres on very disparate characters and through the tried and tested means of gradually introducing each one, builds a sense of anticipation about what is going to happen to them. This often used methodology is not easy to do well but is superbly handled by Potter who knows how to give enough detail to bring the characters to life, yet not too much so as to slow down the pace of the developing story. A climactic event affects the main characters and it is at this point Potter’s deep knowledge of people and police procedures really hits home; page by page we read how a seemingly simple, though terrible occurrence, can have huge consequences. To Potter’s credit the story does not have a completely conclusive or simplistic ending. Instead it leaves the reader thinking about how the events of a single minute can affect lives forever. I would whole heartedly recommend this book not as a crime novel or even as a novel about crime but as a beautiful and positive affirmation about what it is to be human and how ultimately it is relationships which matter more than events.

Morgan Penner

Taking Back the Bullet is a novel that provides the reader with a window into the world of law enforcement. As the novel unfolds, the reader is able to see how split-second decisions alter the lives of the main characters in the story. Taking Back the Bullet also explores how humanity is impacted by mental illness. One of my favorite quotes from Taking Back the Bullet is “We’re all just a critical moment from being disabled or mentally ill, and we don’t want to think about it.” The novel also provides the reader an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how mental illness impacts the individuals, their family, friends, and society. Taking Back the Bullet is a story of forgiveness and overcoming life’s struggles and tragedies.

Steve Becker

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Larry Kruckman, anthropologist

Jim Potter displays ethnographic skills in Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, creating vivid scenes and fascinating characters. The Greeks had a word for subcultures and people’s behavior: ‘ethos,’ or ‘ways of being.’ In colorful, sometimes marvelous detail, this novel captures various people and settings . . . the ethos of rural Kansas: a jail, art fair, powwow, rehab center, courtroom, albinos, and even someone in the throes of postpartum depression. So detailed are the descriptions that they must be drawn from the author’s personal experience. Besides the artfully created characters such as the struggling jailer and husband Tom Jennings, local artist Jesse Thomas, and Native American Joe Morningcloud, there is a tight story line that grabs your attention and won’t let go. Human tensions, love, conflict, joys and sorrows are all there. Magically, all the many pieces come together in a final crescendo, giving hope that even when we find ourselves in big trouble we can survive. This is a novel I highly recommend!

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Karleen Wilson-Moon

Terrific story relevant to today’s social issues . . . well written . . . likable characters . . . insightful perspective from an insider in law enforcement.

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