Solomon and Salome: A Chronology, 1835-1931 by John E. Sharp, Goshen, Indiana, December 1999

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1835-1855, Pennsylvania—Airydale, Huntingdon County (Kishacoquillas Valley)

• 1835--Born December 21, tenth and last child of Solomon (1792-1871) and Magdalena (1798-1870) Zook Sharp, near Airydale, Huntingdon County, Pa.; fifth-generation descendant of immigrant Moritz Zug; siblings: Hannah (1816-1903), Jacob (1818-1886), Sarah (1821-1853), Lydia (1823-1860), Martha (1824-1901), John (1826-1890), Samuel (1828-1898), Jonathan (1832-1832), and Catherine (1833-); Solomon's birthplace pictured (c. 1890) on right.

Left: Tommy Prugh at SZS's birthplace, August 1999. Center: Barn built by SZS's father, S[olomon] S[harp] in 1839. Right: Gravestone of SZS' father, Allensville Mennonite Cemetery

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1855-1860, Pennsylvania—Kishacoquillas Valley area and Millersville

• Teacher and principal in public schools at McVeytown, left home against his parents wishes to study at Pennsylvania State Normal School, Millersville, Lancaster County
  
• 1860--Graduated, B.E. degree, Pennsylvania State Normal School, Millersville (pictured at right)
  
• 1860--At sister Lydia’s death bed was reconciled with parents who opposed his desire for higher education
  
• 1860--September, was baptized and joined Spring Run German Baptist Brethren (Dunker) Church, McVeytown; this church had its origin in a Pietist renewal movement in Germany when Alexander Mack baptized the first members by immersion in a river near Schwartzenau, 1708
  
• 1860--Purchased the Kishacoquillas Seminary with money borrowed from his brothers; served as principal and teacher; He said of this experience: I "taught forty-five years, was connected as chairman of the faculty or president of four of the Brethren colleges, all of which passed through a baptism of fire, but in none of which was the fire hotter, nor the difficulties to be overcome greater than at this first effort to establish a high school at Kishacoquillas" (Bicentennial Address, Des Moines, 1908).
  
• 1861--April 1 classes opened with 36 students
  
• 
  Left: Tommy Prugh at Kishacoquillas, August 1999
  
• 1861--Drafted for service in the Union army, but paid $300 exemption fee as conscientious objector to war (20 months wages at average wage of 50 cents per day); later he reflected: "While many professed Christians met each other on the field of battle, and thrust the bayonets into each other’s hearts, our Brethren, North and South, met each other with the right hand of fellowship and the salutation of the kiss of peace."
  
• 1862--Ordained minister, Spring Run German Baptist Brethren Church, McVeytown
  
• 1862--April 15, Married Salome Zook, former student and daughter of Shem and Veronica "Fannie" (Yoder) Zook; born March 21,1839; married by Elder Joseph Hanawalt
  
• 1863--Agnes born
  
• 1863--July, walked to the Gettysburg battlefield, saw the dead gathered and hauled off by wagon teams commandeered from neighboring farms for burial, Confederates in mass graves; November 19, attended the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, heard Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address; before he died he was listed by Ripley’s Believe it or Not newspaper column as the last living person to have heard the Gettysburg Address
  
• 1863--Graduated, M.E. degree, Pennsylvania State Normal School, Millersville
  
• 1865--April 9, Anna born (the day Lee surrendered at Appamattox) Anna named herself "Annie Laurie" from the poem so named by Robert Burns, whom she admired:
  

  Annie Laurie by Robert Burns Maxwellton braes are bonnie, Where early fa's the dew, And 'twas there that Annie Laurie Gave me her promise true. Gave me her promise true, Which ne'er forgot will be, And for bonnie Annie Laurie, I lay me doon and dee. Her brow is like the snowdrift, Her throat is like a swan, Her face it is the fairest That e'er the sun shone on. |That e'er the sun shone on, And dark blue is her ee, And for bonnie Annie Laurie I lay me doon and dee. Like dew on th' gowan lying, Is the fa' o' her fairy feet, And like winds in summer sighing Her voice is low and sweet. Her voice is low and sweet, And she's a' the world to me, And for bonnie Annie Laurie, I lay me doon and dee.

  
  
• 1866--Sold Kishacoquillas Seminary
  
• 1866--September 30, Horace born
  
• 1866-1867--Taught, Pennsylvania State Normal School, Millersville
  
• 1867--March 27, Horace died (age 5 months, 27 days), buried Locust Grove Cemetery, Belleville
  
  During this era he earned his first degrees, bought and ran a teacher’s training school, was ordained, married, had three children and buried one; studied languages under a fellow instructor at the Kishacoquillas Seminary, a former teacher at Princeton University and studied Bible by correspondence from Boston School of the Bible; witnessed the Gettysburg events; preached regularly every three weeks at McAlevys Fort, across Stone Mountain, 1862-1865; attended his first General Conference of the German Baptist Brethren Church, and there met Elder John Kline of the Shendandoah Valley in Virginia, who was later murdered by a Confederate soldier; When he heard the news of an oil strike in Titusville, Pa, SZS with a number of others, pooled resources and drilled the second well with a kick drill, but struck no oil. The lack of additional resources ended their search for black gold, which later produced a fabulously wealthy Rockefeller legacy.

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1867-1877, Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee

• 1867-1874--Principal, New Providence Institute, Maryville, Tennessee
  
• 1868--Ordained elder by George W. Dove and Samuel Molsbee, Oak Grove church
  
• 1869--Theodore Solomon born August 15
  
• 1873--Agnes, age 10, died from eating poisonous berries in the mountains where the family had gone to escape the heat
  
• 1874-1877--Professor of German and Bookkeeping and Superintendent of the Normal Department, Maryville College (his institute became incorporated into Maryville College)
  
• 1874--Maurice A. born
  
• 1875--Grace born
  
• 1875--Graduated, A.M. degree, Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania
  
• 1876--Grace died, age 1

While living here he studied conchology, University of Cincinnati, and collected specimens for the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; studied geology at Vanderbilt University and Harvard University; made geological surveys in Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina; elected member of the Association for the Advancement of Science; founded the Oak Grove congregation, financed building of a meetinghouse; after ordination as elder he exercised oversight of a congregation in Oakland; three children were born, two died, both his parents died.

1877-1881 Ashland, Ohio

• 1877-1878--Traveled, raising funds and goodwill for the new school
  
• 1879-1881--Founding President, Ashland (Ohio) College, Professor of Moral and Mental Science
  
• 1879--Published first Sunday school lessons Our Sunday School, March 26; founded the Brethren Quarterly and the weekly periodical, The Gospel Preacher
  
• September, opened school with 60 students
  
• Resigned after two years when the Dunker Church split and "progressives" (the Brethren Church) took over the school; SZS identified with the moderate branch, now known as the Church of the Brethren, a name he proposed in 1908; a still more conservative branch, carries the older name, German Baptist Brethren or Dunker Brethren.

1881-1887 Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois

• Professor of Mental and Moral Science and chairman of the faculty (one year), Mount Morris (Illinois) College
  
• 1887--June 15, Annie Laurie married Benjamin G. Davis, Mt. Morris, Illinois; moved to Takoma Park, Montgomery County, Maryland, 1895; Ben worked in the War Department; clerk and treasurer, town of Takoma Park, 1901-1925; chief clerk, State Department, Secretary to William Jennings Bryan, 1913-1924; move to Cuba, 1924; Chief Dispensing Officer, Havana, Cuba, 1925; moved back to Takoma Park, became Assistant Cashier, Takoma Park Bank; mayor, Takoma Park, 1926-1932; appointed Montgomery County Commissioner, 1932; Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, 1935; died 1946, age 80; Annie died, June 15, 1958, age 93;

Above left: Linda, Jeff Goldbeck, 1988. Center: Four generations--Anna Sharp Davis, Mary
Davis Prugh holding Tommy Prugh and SZS. Right: Tommy and Lorraine Prugh, Carolyn
and John Prugh, 1999.

During this time he founded and edited the Sunday School Quarterly; during summer vacations he studied elocution, oratory and French in Chicago; founded education meetings held at the times of the annual General Conference sessions; pastor of congregation at Lanark, Carroll County; his only living daughter, Annie, was married.

1887-1897 McPherson, Kansas

• Founding President and professor of Mental and Moral Science and Bible History McPherson (Kansas) College
  
• 1888--September 5, opened classes with 60 students
  
• 1889--Awarded L.L.D. (honorary degree), Mt. Morris (Illinois) College
  
• 1890--Theodore, began service as Superintendent of Indian Reservation, U. S. Civil Service, Ft. Apache, Arizona; was sent there because he had developed a cough and feared it was tuberculosis, arid climate was thought to be good antidote for TB; left after five years, because he refused a direct order to sign leases giving away mining rights; he believed it was a crooked deal and that the Indians would suffer as a result; moved to Washington, D.C., lived with sister Annie Davis, worked as clerk in the Navy Department; reentered Indian Affairs, Winnebago Reservation, Walthill, Nebraska until 1908; married 1902, McPherson, Kansas; Margaret was born,1907; Nez Perce Resevation, Fort Lapwai, Idaho, Ted K. Born, 1909; year-long research/survey of Oklahoma Indians, 1915, family lived in Long Beach, California to avoid TB, which was rampant among the tribes; Flathead Reservation, Dixon, Montana, 40 miles northwest of Missoula, 1917-1920; was shot to death, July 24, 1920, Ravalli, Montana, age 51
  
  Sharp Administration Building, McPherson College named for its founding president (above right).
  
• 1894--appointed state geologist (1894-1897) R. E Mohler, who later joined the faculty, commented on SZS's wide range of interests in an unpublished manuscript when he noted that the president "was by training a psychologist and theologian yet it seems that at heart he was a naturalist with a special interest in geology. I personally was told by Dr. H. J. Harnly that at least two specimens that are today in the museum were placed there by President Sharp, the two specimens are a fossil fish from the cretacious chalk beds of western Kansas (Museum number 67-13-27) and the other was slab well marked with dendrites which was found in the Dakota sandstone of northeast McPherson County (Museum number 67-13-67)."
  
• 1894--April 2, Maurice died of "consumption" (tuberculosis), age 20, buried McPherson, Kansas; described by his sister as "brilliant"; "Died at his home on College Hill . . . Maurice A. Sharp. . . . For a long time Maurice had been suffering from consumption. Sometimes, there would be an apparent improvement and his parents and friends would have hopes of his recovery. But the disease was really unchecked, and at last his strength gave way and he fell asleep" (McPherson Republican, April 6, 1894).
  
  
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• Gravestones of Maurice (1894), Salome (1920), Theodore (1920), Solomon (1931) and Margaret 1962), McPherson.
  
• 1897--After nine years as president, SZS resigned under pressure. Financial support did not materialize as the city had promised and Brethren from the east did not flock to Kansas has had been hoped. The president became the scapegoat for the apparent failure of the fledgling college. Some members of both the trustees and the faculty were of the opinion "that President Sharp was not equal to the task before him, and that he should tender his resignation." Professor H.J. Harnly was among those who were critical. In an interview by R. E. Mohler, Harnly said (in Mohler's words), "Professor S.Z. Sharp who was so completely trusted and admired by his church, was one with 'Feet of Clay'. His fellowship and activities with Mr. Bass (agent of A. Bass Real Estate Company, who was to sell lots) very soon took on a somewhat cloudy appearance, and his actual ability as a leader was far from good. After a very short time, those closest to the college would have been very happy to have secured a different leader, but it seems that he was so completely engulfed by the "machine" that to unlodge him was nearly impossible." Harnly reported that SZS had started at least 6 schools (actually there were 3) before coming to McPherson and that his tenure with each had been short. He was further of the opinion that "his character shows just a bit by his actions after being dismissed from McPherson by his attempted establishing of Plattsburg College for the sole purpose of destroying McPherson College."
  
  Mohler , in a more measured tone, noted "It would not have been possible at this time to get a true evaluation of S. Z .Sharp by friends of McPherson, but it is fortunate that he lived to the very ripe old age of 95, and that he had opportunity to show his real self, as he seemed to hold no bitterness against McPherson, and in fact served as a trustee for a number of years. Sharp was truly quite an educator for his day, and had great dreams hopeful that the Brethren might make a real contribution to the educational world. His closing years were spent at Grand Junction, Colorado where he operated a small vegetable acreage, and continued to the end to be quite a church and community leader. "
  
  In an effort to present a balanced assessment of both strengths and weaknesses, Mohler wrote, "President S. Z. Sharp . . . was a talented man and far better educated than one would have expected to find in the Church of the Brethren at that time, as they were largely a rural people and the majority had not been given very wide educational experiences. He possessed boundless energy and enthusiasm and a great desire to be a leader. He was, however, a bit weak in the fine art of working with people and serving as a leader, this latter trait was much in evidence as one reviews his history in the number of colleges in which he worked. He tenure was generally quite brief, and his popularity among those with whom he worked was not too good."

During this era SZS was recognized by the Kansas Board of Education for excellence in teacher training; was elected to the state historical society and the Kansas Academy of Science.

1897-1900 Plattsburg, Missouri

Founding President, Plattsburg (Missouri) College

By telegram, February 20, 1897, SZS was called to Plattsburg in northwest Missouri to help launch a new school. At a public meeting at the county courthouse on March 6, local citizens, some of whom were members of the local German Baptist Brethren Church, decided to take action. The Plattsburg College, already in existance, had been operated since 1855 by local educator John Ellis, who now wished to sell his enterprise. An executive committee was elected, a contract was written, pledges were solicited and an agreement for the purchase of the property was signed, naming SZS as trustee. The contract stipulated that if the citizens of Plattsburg would raise $10,000, the Brethren Church (local congregation, surrounding districts and the general conference) would in five years equip and endow the school with $50,000, as well as improve the property by adding buildings as needed.

Classes opened that fall. But trouble soon erupted. Some Brethren opposed the school. In the district conference meeting of 1900, a letter was read threatening a law suit against SZS and the Brethren Church. The threat deterred students from enrolling for the fall term. A significant number of non-Brethren Plattsburg citizens were persuaded to join the opposition, including the majority of the executive committee. The law suit was indeed filed (F. M. Riley, et.al. vs Solomon Z. Sharp, et al., Case Number 123, in the Circuit Court of Clinton County, Missouri, January Term, 1901), charging SZS with fraud and deception. The plaintiffs claimed that SZS was not an educator, was not an elder of the Brethren Church, had no authority to operate a school for the Church, and was running a purely private venture for personal profit. Therefore, the plaintiffs demanded the property be sold and the money divided among themselves.

During SZS's deposition, April 9, 1901, he testified that all charges brought against him were false, that he had been fulfilling his end of the contract, that he had, indeed, operated other educational institutions on behalf the Brethren Church in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Kansas. He further testified that malicious rumors had been set afloat to discredit him and that the perpetrators of those rumors were at that moment under indictment to be tried by a committee of the General Conference of the German Baptist Brethren Church. Furthermore, the plaintiffs had not fulfilled their obligations under the contract to first raise the $10,000. Inspite of that, a dormitory had been built and all promised courses had been offered and a full faculty had been procurred. Regarding the Church's interest, he reported that each of the surrounding districts had elected a representative to the school, and that the local congregation had endorsed a petition of the trustees to the general conference that a board of visitors be appointed. Furthermore, $58,000 had been contributed toward the endowment, but when Plattsburg citizens failed to contribute the specified $10,000, the money had been given to the denomination's mission board instead.

Judge A. D. Burner ruled in favor of the defendants and cleared SZS of any wrongdoing. He said the plaintiffs had failed to prove the charges, had failed to cite a single case to support their claims, and had no rights to the "relief" (financial settlement) they demanded.

By this time, however, much goodwill and financial backing had eroded, the school had been closed and SZS had left Missouri and it's ill-fated Plattsburg College. In an address in 1908, the bicentinnal year of the Brethren Church's founding, SZS stated simply and undramatically "The management decided, on account of the strong oppostition, to close the school." Surely the sting of the Plattsburg controversey led him to the relative isolation of western Colorado, where he lived another 31 years. SZS's distinguished career of founding educational institutions came to an end. But his passion for education continued through his preaching and teaching in congregational and confernce settings, his service as a trustee of McPherson College and his contributions to church periodicals.

1900-1931, Fruita, Colorado

• 1900--Purchased 640 acres, Fruita, Mesa County, Colorado; President, Grande Valley Oil Association
  
• 1902--November 26, Theodore married Margaret Effa Kuns, McPherson, Kansas; she studied medicine at Stanford University; graduated from Northwestern University School of Speech
  
• 1907--Margaret Catherine born to Theodore and Margaret; married David Z. Williams; died 1996, Bellingham, Washington
  
• 1909--September 26, Ted K. (Theodore Kuns) born to Theodore and Margaret Effa (Kuns) Sharp, Ft. Lapwai, Idaho; married Alice Lucille Canter, Washington, D.C., 1934; married second, Mildred Reddick
  
• 1910--Published New Testament Baptism
  
  

  Left to right: Margaret Kuns Sharp, 1912. Theodore Sharp, 1912. Solomon and Salome with grandchildren Ted and Margaret, 1912.

  
  
  
• 1920--July 2, Salome Zook Sharp, 81, died, Fruita, Colorado, buried McPherson, Kansas
  
• 1920--July 24, Theodore, 51, shot and killed by "sub-agent" at Ravalli, Montana
  
• 1923--Published The Educational History of the Church of the Brethren, Brethren Press, Elgin, Illinois
  
• Awarded D.D. (honorary degree), McPherson (Kansas) College
  
• 1931--Died August 8, Fruita Colorado, result of car-buggy accident two weeks earlier; while driving his horse, "Daisy" to church on a Sunday morning was struck by a reckless driver of a car; funeral services, Fruita, Colorado and McPherson, Kansas; burial, McPherson, Kansas
  
  SZS apparently formed the Grande Valley Oil Association, hoping to gain profit from oil that could lie beneath the surface of his land. There is no evidence of any such profit. Presumably he sold off portions of his property, since later, as Ted recalls, his grandfather owned only 80 acres on which he attempted to raise Alfalfa hay. About half of the acerage was ruined by alkalai, which came to the surface through saturation irrigation. In another ill-fated venture, SZS filed a claim on public lands at Book Cliffs to mine the seams of coal it contained, sandwiched between layers of limestone like the pages of a book. Although he was warned about the dishonesty of the mine manager he hired, he chose to trust his own judgement. When a friend in McPherson ordered a train car load of lump coal, and received mostly slag instead, SZS sadly discovered that his profits were being swindled away by his manager. The final venture was a claim filed to drill for oil or gas in northwestern Colorado. Solomon's long life came to a close before he received any return on his investment. Since none of his entrepreneurial enterprises rewarded rewarded him, his financial resources were meager. As a result of Theodore's death in 1920, SZS received a government death benefit of $10 monthly until after his ninety-third birthday. Government statistical charts of life expectancy did not reach any higher. Ted recalls that his mother helped when she could; she had Theodore's business suits altered for her father-in-law. On SZS's occasional visits to Margaret's home in Lawrence, Kansas, she connived to get his gravy-stained suit off so it could be cleaned.
  
  Though his business ventures were disappointing, SZS's interest in his beloved church never waned. Ted remembers that his grandfather usually scraped enough money together to travel to the annual general conferences held in various parts of the country. He also spent several witners in California, where he was later eulogized by the members of his LaVale Sunday school class. Another passion that seemed to continue unabated was his passion for reading and writing--letters to friends and articles for the church papers. Unfortunately few letters have survived, but his many articles on matters of doctrine and practice can be found in church periodicals in various Church of the Brethren archives. It is abundantly evident, despite whatever his portion of human weaknesses may have been, SZS gained emense respect and admiration. One expression of honor is the following poem written by pastor Russell Green West. The adjoining photo, taken during a visit to his native Kishacoquillas Valley, gives a visual representation of the strength of an oak tree that has endured much and has weathered well.

What Went Ye Out To See? Behold, what went ye out to see? A man in soft array? If that is what you seek to find, Just look some other way. Behold what went ye out to see? Some bruised and shaken reed? Then do not view this sturdy oak, But seek some worthless weed. Behold, what went ye out to see? A rugged mountain high? Then I have found a snow-crowned peak That juts into the sky. Behold, what went ye out to see? A prophet, tried and true? Then lift your hat to Brother Sharp, This lad of 92! --Russell Green West

The mystery behind the shooting yesterday of Major Theodore Sharp, superintendent of the Flathead Indian Reservation by N. J. Perkins, sub-agent remains unsolved. Major Sharp was shot yesterday in Ravalli and lived for one hour.

That there was something behind the killing other than the quarrel which immediately preceeded the shooting is the belief of officials of the sheriff’s office. Perkins, who surrendered shortly after the shooting, refused absolutely last night to say one word about the killing. He denied himself to all callers at the county jail. He seemed unmoved by the slaying.

His wife and two of his daughters, Ida and Blanche, nurses at the Thornton hospital called at the jail last night to see him, but were refused admittance. Mrs. Perkins, likewise, refused to make any comment on the killing of Major Sharp by her husband. The stony silence of Perkins and members of his family served to add to the mystery.

The shooting occurred yesterday morning at 9:25 o’clock in front of the Beckwith Mercantile company’s store at Ravalli. Perkins, accompanied by Samuel Pierre, an Indian officer, went from his home in St. Ignatius to Ravalli where he had an appointment with Major Sharp.

Shortly after Perkins’ arrival at Ravalli, Major Sharp arrived in the town accompanied by C. D. Faunce, government timber man on the reservation. Major Sharp and Perkins went into conference and immediately began quarreling. There has been ill feeling between the two men for some time. Major Sharp having intimated at times that Perkins was not doing all that he could to prevent the sale of whiskey on the reservation.

Openly Made Charges.
During he argument Major sharp is said to have again made charges against Perkins, finally openly charging him with being league with the "whiskey ring" on the reservation, and dismissing him from the service.

When Major Sharp made this accusation, Perkins, who was sitting in a Ford automobile used in the government service, pulled a .38 caliber revolver from his pocket and fired at the superintendent. The cartridge failed to explode and Major Sharp leaped behind a telephone pole. He soon stepped out from behind the pole and Perkins fired again.

This time the shell exploded and Major Sharp fell mortally wounded. The bullet entered the left breast and taking a downward course severed an artery. Major Sharp lived an hour, dying at 10:25.

Pierre, the Indian policemen, who had accompanied Perkins from St. Ignatius, attempted to place the slayer under arrest, but Perkins warned him away with his gun. He then cranked up his automobile and drove to his home in St. Ignatius.

He changed his clothes and then telephoned the sheriff’s office here that he had shot Major Sharp and was coming in to surrender himself. Deputy Sheriff Bob Hughes answered the telephone and told Perkins that the sheriff’s office had been notified of the shooting from Ravalli and that Deputy Sheriff Jack Curtis was then on his way to get him. The slayer then said that he would await Curtis’arrival.

Angevine Goes to Scene.
Deputy County Attorney Fred Angevine was in St. Ignatius at the time of the shooting. Accompanied by Dan Heyfron, well known Missoula attorney, he drove to Ravalli where he learned as much as he could of the shooting. Mr. Angevine attempted to get a statement from Major Sharp, but the superintendent, though conscious, could not talk because of the intense pain he was suffering.

Mr. Angevine made the following statement regarding the shooting:
"Major Sharp was shot at 9:25 and died at 10:25. Perkins, who is a government farmer in the Indian service and also is connected with the Indian police, fired only one shot. He never got out of his car until he got out to crank it after the shooting. He had to crank the car, which is one of the Ford machines owned by the government, because Sharp had disconnected the switch.

"Sharp and Perkins met here by appointment, and, after a discussion of differences between them, Sharp suspended Perkins from the government service until the arrival of some higher official. Sharp said:

"’You might as well leave this car here, too.’ Then her reached over and disconnected the ignition switch. Thereupon Perkins drew his gun and pulled the trigger. The cartridge failed to explode and Sharp leaped behind a telephone pole. Then he stepped back out and Perkins shot him in the upper left breast. The bullet ranged downward, severing an artery, and Sharp bled to death in exactly an hour.

Threatened Indian Officer.
An Indian officer attempted to arrest Perkins, but the latter threatened him with his gun, cranked his car and started to his home in St. Ignatius. Then he telephoned to the sheriff in Missoula to come and get him.

"I went over to his house and stayed there until the arrival of Deputy Jack Curtiss, who made the formal arrest. Curtiss immediately stared for Missoula with Perkins and his wife. Perkins refused to tell me anything about the shooting or the developments leading up to it.

"There were three eyewitnesses, Sam Pierre, a man named Faunce and another named Llewellyn."

Major Sharp is survived by a wife and two children, a boy and a girl 12 and 15 years old respectively. Mrs. Sharp is touring Yellowstone park with friends and up to a late hour last night had not been located. The children are with a housekeeper at the agency near Dixon.

Shooting Creates Sensation.
While it was known that there was bad feeling between Perkins and the dead man the news of the shooting created a sensation on the reservation and word of the killing spread like wildfire. Major Sharp was very well liked by the Indians, who held him in high esteem.

Perkins likewise has many friends on the reservation who were shocked when they learned of the man’s act. Perkins came to the reservation a year ago as an agricultural instructor to the Indians. He and Major Sharp began having trouble some time ago when bootleggers became active on the reservation. Major Sharp, it is said, urged Perkins to watch the roads at night in an effort to apprehend the men who were selling whiskey to the Indians. Perkins contended this was not in his line of duty and from then on there was there was ill feeling between the men.

The differences between the two agency officials reached a climax some time ago in Missoula during a hearing of some men from the Bitter Root on charges of being members of the "whiskey ring" operating on the reservation. The hearing was before United States Commissioner Wallace P. Smith and Major Sharp became very angry at Perkins because, he declared, the officer had not given a true version of the arrest of the men.

See Another Motive.
Friends of Perkins, however cannot conceive that he would shoot a moan merely after an altercation over whiskey runners. They insist that there is something else back of the killing.

Perkins was well liked at this home in St. Ignatius and was known as a quiet man, but a pleasant citizen who made friends easily. Major Sharp, likewise, was well liked, being a man of quiet disposition. He was known as strict disciplinarian and of late had been waging a bitter war against traffickers in whiskey among the Indians.

Major Sharp came to the reservation in May, 1917 from the Nez Perce reservation in Idaho, where he held a similar position with the government. He had long been in the Indian service and was considered one of the ablest men in reservation work. He was 51 years old and had been in the service for 27 years. Perkins is 45 years old and has a wife and six children. Two of the daughters, Ida and Blanche, are nurses at the Thornton hospital and Homer, the older son, is living at the agency with his wife, as are the three younger children. Perkins came to the Indian agency a year ago from the Crow reservation in eastern Montana, where he was a sub-agent.

Major Sharp was in Missoula Friday and conferred with Alfred Oftendal, prohibition enforcement officer for Montana, concerning the activities of whiskey runners on the reservation. Mr. Oftendal returned to Helena yesterday before the shooting occurred.

Sources

I will gladly receive additional materials--photos or sources of information on this family. Contact me at johnes@goshen.edu