The Cleveland-Tough Connection Part III

The evidence from Peck, Blue and Moore, suggest that William S. Tough was connected with Marshall Cleveland’s gang. What is undeniable however, is that about six weeks after Cleveland’s death, Tough was operating in the vicinity of Atchison, Kansas, and was recognized by the authorities as a jayhawker. The Atchison newspaper Freedom’s Champion, reported on June 28, 1862 that, “A notorious jayhawker by the name of Tufts was captured on Sunday last by a detachment of the Provost Guard after a chase of some sixteen miles. Captain Shaw is very energetic in pursuing jayhawkers.” The Daily Times in Leavenworth also reported that “Tufts the jayhawker…was arrested on Sunday in Atchison,” and “officers were sent down from St. Joseph to receive him from the custody of the Provost Marshal of the former place.” Captain Leander T. Shaw was the commander of Company D, Third Wisconsin Cavalry, and the acting Deputy Provost Marshal in Atchison. By late June 1862, Tough found himself locked in a jail cell in St. Joseph, Missouri. I will have much more about Tough in later blog posts.