The Kaw Valley Scandal
Napoleon Crews
- 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.
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