1919 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



307 



War." The dispute, which was over 

 a 12-mile-wide tract of wild timber 

 land, foreshadowed the mighty con- 

 flict that two decades later hurled 

 Missouri and Iowa men, tiger-like at 

 each other's throats. 



In the disputed territory were 

 many bee trees. This gave its name, 

 the "Honey War," for both the pio- 

 neers in Iowa and Missouri adjacent 

 to the strip coveted the privilege of 

 cutting the bee trees and securing a 

 supply of "sweetnin." Men of a later 

 age, who find sugar in every store, 

 may not be able to understand the 

 fight for the wild honey, the only 

 source of sugar then for household 

 use. 



Foreshadowed Civil War 

 Despite its title and absurd end- 

 ing, deeper reasons led Governor 

 Lilburn W. Boggs, of Missouri and 

 Governor Lucas, of Iowa Territory, 

 to call out the militia of State and 

 Territory to march to repel invasion. 

 "Black Ivory," not golden honey, 

 was the real issue. Some pioneers in 

 the section held slaves, who would 

 be freed if Iowa gained possession 

 of the strip. Their fellow-slave own- 

 ers in Missouri were in full sympa- 

 thy with their desire. 



In August the sheriff of Clark 

 County, was taken prisoner by Iowa 

 militia when he was tax collecting 

 in the disputed strip. This stimu- 

 lated the war spirit, and in November 

 Governor Boggs, of Missouri, called 

 out the State militia. Gen. David 

 Willock, commanding the 14th Mili- 

 tia District, a Palmyra man, and Gen. 

 O. H. Allen, of Lewis County, were 

 ordered to take the field. Col. John 

 Lear, of the 56th Regiment, M. S. G., 

 and Capt. Thomas P. Stewart, of Pal- 

 myra, called for volunteers to aug- 

 ment the regular forces, and as the 

 drum beat, the long roll Palmyra men 

 with rifles and horses responded. 

 Soon 2,200 militia and volunteers 

 were on the march for Iowa, with 

 more than SO men from Palmyra. In 

 the same spirit the Iowa "free sol- 

 diers" rushed to arms and moved 

 out to hold the debated ground. 

 Off to Waterloo 

 December 12 the Marion County 

 men started for Waterloo — ominous 

 name — in Clark County. The first 

 night was one of torture. Assailed 

 by rain and snow, without camp 

 equipment and supply wagons on 

 Upper North River, huge log fires 

 alone saved the men from freezing. 

 Another day's march in the slush 

 roads and icy winds brought them to 

 another camp as bleak and forlorn as 

 the first stop. 



In this camp, on the Troublesome 

 Creek, the peace messengers came. 

 Col. Thomas L. Anderson, F. H. Ed- 

 monson and S. M. Grant, Missouri 

 diplomats, met William Patterson, 

 Dr. J. D. Payne and L. B. Hughes of 

 Iowa in Waterloo and reached an 

 agreement for the armistice. The 

 commissioners decided to appeal to 

 the United States Government to de- 

 cide the sovereignty of the honey 

 lands. 



Governors "Labeled and Shot" 

 Disgusted with the tame ending to 

 their plans for martial glory, the 

 Marion County men opened up a 



barrel of whisky, hung two haunches 

 of venison to trees labeled Governor 

 Boggs and Governor Lucas and filled 

 them with the bullets that they had 

 planned to use in winning the Honey 

 War. When tiny marched back to 

 Palmyra many of the men turned 

 their coats inside out and all sang 

 the rollicking lines of the Honey 

 War song. 



Lewis County men were harder to 

 appease. A convention was held in 

 Monticello ai d fire-eating orators 

 denounced the commissioners, the 

 governors and everyone else who had 

 prevented a civil war. A year later 

 the United States awarded the honey 

 lands to Iowa, and it is noteworthy 

 to recall that this award was made 

 on the recommendation of a Capt. 

 Robert E. Lee, who made the survey 

 in 1837, and who, 25 years later, was 

 to win immortal glory when he led 

 the Missourians in another and tar 

 bloodier civil war. 



The Honey War Song 



The Honey War was ridiculed in a 

 poem written by a Palmyra rhymster, 

 and it was sung in disgust by the 

 troops who returned from the blood- 

 less war. The poem follows: 

 Ye freemen of a happy land, 

 Arise! To arms! Your ponies mount! 

 * * * * 



Regard not blood or money, 

 Conventions, boys, now let us hold; 



Our honey trade demands it. 

 Likewise three bits, all in gold; 



We all must understand it. 



Now, if the governors want to fight, 

 Just let them meet in person. 



And when noble Boggs old Lucas 

 flogs, 

 'Twill teach the scamps a lesson. 



Now let the victor cut the trees 

 And have three bits in money. 



And wear a crown from town to 

 town 

 Anointed with pure honey. 

 * * * * 



Our honey trade will then be laid 



Upon a solid basis. 

 And Governor Boggs, wher'er he jogs 



Will meet with smiling faces. 



— St. Louis Republic. 



Benton's Travels 



EARLY in 1880, Frank Benton 

 went abroad, where eleven 

 eventful years were spent in 

 travel and study, and in investigat- 

 ing the honeybees of Europe, Asia 

 and Africa. Apiaries were estab- 

 lished on the Island of Cyprus and 

 in the Holy Lands at Beirut, Syria. 

 In the winter of 1880-81 Ceylon, In- 

 dia, Farther India and Java were vis- 

 ited and extensive collections and 

 studies were made of the native bees 

 of those regions. It was on this ex- 

 pedition that the "jungle fever" was 

 contracted, which ultimately claimed 

 its own, but only after many years of 

 active service had intervened. The 

 winter of 1882-3 found Dr. Benton a 

 student at the University of Athens, 

 and the years 1884-86 were spent 

 at the University of Munich, where 

 he all but completed his work 

 for the doctorate. He was granted 

 the Master of Science degree by the 

 Michigan Agricultural College in 1885 

 in view of his studies abroad; and 

 some years later the degree of Sc. D. 

 was conferred upon him by the Ori- 

 ental University of America for sim- 

 ilar studies. During the years spent 

 in Munich several trips were made 

 to Cyprus and Syria, and on one oc- 

 casion Tunis and the African coast 

 were visited and the bees of these re- 

 gions studied. Italy was visited by 



