Alexander Kirk

KIRK, BOLLINGER, DILL, LEECH

Posted By: nancy dorwart (email)
Date: 12/16/2003 at 16:06:05

HISTORY OF ROUND PRAIRIE by Hiram Heaton.

Alexander Kirk whom we have seen lose his farm in the Shepherd litigation, came to this county in 1836 and squatted on a part of Section 16, Round Prairie Township. He was a native of East Tennessee where he had married Catherine Bollinger; a brother of hers, Fred Bollinger settled on Section 5, and in his cabin, Frederick Lyon held the first Sunday School in the county. Kirk afterwards bought the Cox farm, in Section 6, and it was this farm that he gave for security.

Kirk brought from IL with him a race horse, which occasioned a tragedy. In 1848, he arranged to run a race with ____ Dill, who also owned a race horse. Joseph Kirk rode "Rock" and was leading with Dill's horse crowing him, the rider evidently thinking he might crowd Kirk out of the course. Jo whipped his horse, as he was nearing the goal and looking to one side to make sure Dill's horse was not gaining on him, he did not see that a man named Leech, on of the judges of the race, was standing on the track; he shouted at the top of his voice, but it was too late; the horse struck Leech and hurled him to the ground, in a few minutes he died. Leech, for some reason was holding a butcher knife in his hand and it pierced the horse's shoulder and would have killed it, but for Dr. Ware, who was present and took up the artery.