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Elgree, Rufus

Railroad magnate and President of the Great Western Railroad in King City,[1] Kansas,[2] in 1872.[1] (July 15, 1823 – February 13, 1903)[2]

In 1868, Elgree partnered with Cyrus K. Morgan and New York railroad men to build the Great Western Railroad, in direct competition with the aspiring Brasada Spur to connect King City with the cattle markets of the East.[2]

During the Great Western's construction from Fort Scott westward in 1869,[2] the railroad had a right-of-way dispute with settlers east of King City. With his finances and attorneys behind him, Elgree organized a mob of railroad workers to terrorize the farmers. Many were injured and some were killed, the Great western winning the dispute.[1]

By 1870, Elgree was living luxuriously at Morgan's Bella Union Hotel in King City.[2] On the hotel's second floor, he began holding nightly poker games with other King City millionaires, which by 1872 had become the biggest, and most exclusive, poker game in the state.[1]

In August of 1872,[2] Elgree honored a request of Belle Morgan to admit her new love, Bart Maverick, into his exclusive game. But in September, feeling Bart had taken advantage of her affections only to win a seat at the poker table, recruited Adam Sheppley to "lose" 5,000 shares of Brasada Spur capital stock to Bart, saddling him with a legal liability of $40,000. Discovering the subterfuge, Bart partnered with Roy Stafford, president of the Brasada Spur, to get his money back and make the Great Western pay for it. Bart had a false telegram sent by "Blackburn" to lure Elgree to Chicago to discuss Bradasa Spur stock manipulation. While Elgree traveled to and from Chicago, Bart and Stafford bought herds of cattle from local ranchers and contracted the Great Western to ship them at a significant loss at undercut rates for weeks in advance. Upon returning to King City, Elgree realized what was happening and concluded the only way out of the contracts was to remove his only shipping competition in the area, the Brsasada Spur. He ordered Horace Hogan to organize a mob in Junction City to commandeer a Brasada Spur train and travel south along its route, destroying its stations along the way. Bart and Stafford organized their own team to run a train northward from Chaseville to intercept the southbound train, destroying both in a head-on collision. With witnesses against Elgree, Bart and Stafford forced Elgree to accept responsibility for all damages to Brasada Spur property, as well as heavy punitive fees.[1]

With the heavy financial loss and the further depression caused by the Panic of 1873, Elgree was out of business and left King City by 1874.[2]

See: Brasada Spur