Bellevue War facts for kids

The Bellevue War was a shootout between a posse led by Sheriff W. A. Warren and Thomas Cox against a group led by W. W. Brown that took place in Bellevue, Jackson County, Iowa Territory, on April 1, 1840. A large mural made by local artists commemorates the incident at the site of Brown's Hotel where it occurred. Political tensions in Bellevue dated back to 1837, when Yankee businessmen arrived at the town, causing tensions with the original settlers. The original settlers banded with wealthy hotelier W. W. Brown, who provided them with credit and an opportunity to work. A shooting on January 8, 1840, further intensified the situation.

Brown previously attempted to usurp territory representative Thomas Cox as the Democrats' candidate in the 1840 election. This infuriated Cox, who drafted a warrant for Brown's arrest following the shooting incident. Sheriff W. A. Warren, a former political opponent of Brown himself, authorized a posse to apprehend Brown. After an attempt to negotiate, the posse moved in on Brown's hotel. Brown apparently accidentally discharged his weapon, causing a gunfight to break out. Three more were killed on each side. The posse set the hotel on fire and captured those who attempted to escape. They were sentenced to receive a whipping and commanded to leave the county.

Aftermath

Three members of the posse and two members of Brown's gang were killed. Brown's hostler, Tom Walch, was severely wounded. One civilian, Andrew Farley, was killed when tending to Day. Cox and Warren initially intended to hang the captives immediately, but decided to instead bury the dead, extinguish the fire, and wait for the next morning. The posse held a ballot to determine the fate of the captives. They were instructed to drop a white bean if they were in favor of hanging and a red bean if they were in favor of whipping. The final count was thirty-eight white beans to forty-two red beans. Captives received between four and thirty-nine lashes and then were sent down the Mississippi River on a board. They were commanded to never enter the county again. One member, William Fox, later joined the Banditti of the Prairie in Illinois. The posse was also subject to a trial, but the jury found that they acted within a reasonable interpretation of the law.

Despite some public outrage over the incident, Cox was re-elected to the state house the next summer and was subsequently named Speaker of the House. He later served in the territory council (senate) before his death in 1844. Warren later reminisced that they had no evidence and that they did not want to arrest Warren. He remained sheriff until 1845.