2014 Fall Edition Newsletter

Leslie J. Perry Have you ever felt, “too late smart”. Well, if you haven’t, here is an example of how it happens.

By Jim Bousman

ć FSF BSF NBOZ HSFBU SFTPVSDFT GPS TUVEFOUT PG UIF 6 4 $JWJM 8BS 5XP PG UIFTF BSF ć F 8BS PG UIF 3FCFMMJPO B $PNQJMBUJPO PG UIF 0ď DJBM 3FDPSET PG UIF 6OJPO BOE $POGFEFSBUF "SNJFT SFGFSSFE UP BT UIF 0ď DJBM 3FDPSET PS KVTU 03 and ć F 0ď DJBM .JMJUBSZ "UMBT PG UIF $JWJM 8BS #PUI XPSLT XFSF BVUIPSJ[FE BOE GVOEFE CZ DPOHSFTT ć F 4FDSFUBSZ PG War appointed and President Harrison approved the committee to compile and publish the 47 volumes of the OR and UIF 0ď DJBM "UMBT 0OF NFNCFS PG UIF DPNNJUUFF XBT -FTMJF + 1FSSZ I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Perry’s name when opening these two references. But, it wasn’t until I start FE QSFMJNJOBSZ SFTFBSDI GPS 1BPMB T SPMF JO UIF #BUUMF PG 8FTUQPSU UIBU UIF OBNF KVNQFE PČ UIF QBHF *T JU QPTTJCMF UIJT Leslie J. Perry once lived and worked in Paola?

* ĕ SFE VQ UIF DPNQVUFS BOE TUBSUFE NJOJOH GPS UIF BOTXFS All I found was “Leslie J. Perry of Kansas”. I knew before TUBSJOH NZ TFBSDI UIBU 1FSSZ MFę 1BPMB BOE XFOU UP .JDIJHBO therefore, I never thought to start my search at the museum. :PV SF SJHIU * XBT iUPP MBUF TNBSUw ć F BOTXFS UP NZ RVFTUJPO XBT JO UIF PCJU ĕ MFT Leslie J. Perry was born July 15, 1843 in Cass County, Mich igan. As a young lad he moved with his family to Wisconsin where he attended school for a very short time. He learned the QSJOUJOH USBEF BOE TUBSUFE XPSL JO B QSJOUJOH Pď DF BU UIF BHF PG 11. As B. J. Sheridan said, he was a “self-taught genius”. At the age of 17, he enlisted in a Wisconsin regiment as a private. When the Civil War ended, he was a Captain.

Captain Perry took part in most of the major battles fought by the Army of the Potomac. He was captured during the ĕ STU #BUUMF PG #VMM 3VO .BOBTTBT BOE TFSWFE NPOUIT BT B QSJTPOFS PG XBS "ę FS CFJOH FYDIBOHFE IF SFKPJOFE IJT regiment. During the Battle of Gettysburg, he was wounded. Perry was captured a second time and spent nine months BT B 108 JO UISFF EJČ FSFOU QSJTPOT POF XBT "OEFSTPOWJMMF $BQUBJO 1FSSZ XBT BU "QQPNBUUPY $PVSU )PVTF XIFO General Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia. L. J. Perry came to Kansas in 1869. He was either part owner or owner of newspapers in Garnett, Ottawa, Parsons, ć BZFS BOE 1BPMB *O 1BPMB $BQU 1FSSZ FTUBCMJTIFE UIF Western Spirit. ć F ĕ STU JTTVF XBT QSJOUFE JO UIF CBTFNFOU PG the Rainey Block in 1871. Perry managed the Spirit until 1878. Having sold out to Carroll, Clarke, and Highley, he moved to Kansas City. Returning to Paola in 1879, he purchased the Republican Citizen from G.A. Colton. In the spring of 1880, Perry purchased the Miami Republican from J. H. Rice and Sons. He then merged the Citizen with the

Republican . Perry sold the Republican in 1885 and moved to Michigan. In the late 1870s, Perry and John H. Rice (former owner of the Republican ) became engaged in a “war of words”, culminating in a libel suit. Leslie Jay Perry was a republican and active in the Kansas Republican Party. He was elected several times as a delegate to the State convention and served as the Secretary of the Conventions. Captain Perry served two terms as Paola’s Postmaster. Leslie Jay Perry died at his home in Washington D.C., on April 24, 1910. He lived in Paola for almost 20 years. His two daughters were born and raised in Paola. At the time of his death, his wife lived at their home on an island in the Potomac River and his daughters lived in Washington D.C.

Page 8 Jim Bousman