Atchison County Biographies
E. W. Howe's Historical Edition of the Atchison Daily Globe
These biographies were originally published in 1896 in the Atchison Daily Globe, written by the editor and publisher, E. W. Howe. In 1916 the biographies were reproduced in Sheffield Ingall's "History of Atchison County, Kansas," with a few updates such as death information.
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LUTHER C. CHALLISS.
Luther C. Challiss came to Atchison in 1855 from Boonville, Mo., where
he was engaged as a merchant. He remained here continuously until 1861
as merchant, banker, ferry operator and real estate owner. Luther C.
Challiss' addition, the east line of which is at the alley between Seventh and Eighth
streets, was preempted by Mr. Challiss in 1857, and was originally composed of 198 acres.
As a member of the Territorial council, Mr. Challiss secured the first
charter for a railroad west from Atchison, known as the Atchison Pike's Peak
railroad, now the Central Branch. He was the first president of the road,
and originally owned every dollar of the stock. He also managed the Kickapoo treaty, which gave the road 150,000 acres of land, and made it prominent
in Washington as a specific possibility. The original Government subsidy for
this road was every other quarter section of land for ten miles on either side,
in addition to $16,000 to $48,000 per mile, in Government bonds.
At the same time Mr. Challiss secured a charter for the Atchison-Pike's
Peak railroad, he secured a charter for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad,
his original idea being a southern route to the Pacific, and that road
has fulfilled all of his early expectations.
Mr. Challiss made a great deal of money in Atchison, and in 1864 drifted
to New York and Washington, where he became an operator on the stock
exchange. Mr. Challiss' sympathies were with the South, and was generally
a bull. As long as the South showed its ability to hold out Mr. Challiss made
a great deal of money, and at one time he had on deposit in New York
$960,000, but the tide turned against him when the South began to fail,
and this fortune was reduced to nothing.
As an operator on Wall street at that time, Mr. Challiss outranked Jim
Fisk and Jay Gould, and was the peer of Anthony Morse and the Jeromes.
Jay Gould was a very common man at that time, compared to Mr. Challiss,
and a very little thing might have made Mr. Challiss one of the great financial
leaders in America. An incident in his career in New York was the attempt
of Woodhull & Claflin to break him. He made a fight that is still
remembered, and sent Woodhull and Claflin, Colonel Blood Stephen, Pearl Andrews
and George Francis Train to jail, where they remained six months. Finally
they left the country as a result of a compromise. Mr. Challiss' lawyers were
Roger A. Pryor and Judge Fullerton. Judge Fullerton received a quarter
section of land in Atchison county as his fee. Mr. Challiss also brought the
famous Pacific Mail suit, which was equally famous.
He returned to Atchison in 1878, looking after the wreck of his former
possessions. For three years he edited the Atchison Champion, and bitterly
opposed John J. Ingalls for United States senator in 1890.
Mr. Challiss, in his latter years, became a very much abused man, and
was looked upon as one of the unpopular citizens of the town, but it may be
said to his credit that he did much for Atchison, and was largely responsible
for making the town the terminus of the Hannibal & St. Joe railroad. He
brought Jay Gould, Henry N. Smith and Ben Carver to Atchison, and they
agreed to extend the road from St. Joseph to Atchison, in consideration of
$75,000.00 in Atchison bonds, which was agreed to. Mr. Challiss had some
sort of a deal with Henry N. Smith while they were operating on Wall street,
and Challiss claimed that Smith owned him $107,000.00. They finally settled
the matter, by Smith agreeing to bring the Hannibal & St. Joseph road here
without the $75,000.00 in bonds the people had agreed to give him. The
Atchison Champion of May 11, 1872, contained a half column scare head, to
the effect that Luther C. Challiss telegraphed from New York that the bridge
had been finally secured, and gave the credit of securing the bridge to Challiss and James N. Burnes.
Mr. Challiss died a poor man on the sixth day of July, 1895.
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