The author of today’s blog post is Fred Eggers. He requested this opportunity a while back because he wanted to write about an event that took place back in 1925. Of course, I relished the opportunity to let him take over the blog for the day, especially since I know that Fred always does an outstanding job of researching his stories. He also seems to always get a lot more people to read his stories. You will now read a tale that was totally unfamiliar to me, and I found it fascinating.

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August 27th marks the 100th anniversary of an historic raid that took place at Star Landing in 1925.  It was front page news in both the Perry County Republican and the Perry County Sun editions that were published on September 3rd of that year. 

More on the raid later, but first we must look at the origins of the landing.  Star Landing was established by the sons of Francis Jones a little south of Bailey’s Landing, also known as Grand Eddy, in 1876.  Red Rock Landing was also established near there in 1882 by the DeLassus family who had previously been in partnership with the Joneses. In August, 1882 Dan Wichern, who had worked for the Jones brothers, purchased land about five and a half miles south of there and relocated Star Landing.  Wichern had immigrated from Himmelpforten, Hanover in 1872 and in the 1880 census he was living with the Peter Stueve family near Farrar, just down the road from another Himmelforten emigree, John Schlichting, who was married to a cousin of Peter Stueve.

This landing was also known as Holschen’s Landing and there was a Post Office established there by Frederick Holschen that existed from 1891-1898.  Warren Schmidt posted a blog on much of this history on April 6, 2017, entitled Holschen’s Landing. From newspaper articles it appears that the Holschens and the Wicherns were not the best of neighbors but that is a story for another day.

Now, back to the raid.  In the years after Prohibition became the law of the land, and acting upon the complaint of neighbors, Perry County Sheriff John J. Endres, Deputy George J. Mecker, and Prosecuting Attorney Herbert H. Hoff, raided a farm near Star Landing and found a large quantity of illegal liquor which they destroyed except for a small amount of whiskey (“Hootch”) which they kept as evidence.

The Republican article tells us “Cecil A. Killian and Miss Gettie Pierce, both 23 years old, who had been living on a farm near Star Landing for the last few months as man and wife were arrested”.  The article goes on to tell us that Gettie “was taken before Theodore Blanken, Justice of the Peace at Frohna, where she pleaded guilty to violations of the adultery statutes and was fined $10 and costs, which she paid”.  Killian “surrendered that evening and pleaded guilty before Squire Blanken to a charge of possession of liquor and was fined $200 and costs and sentenced to thirty days in jail”.

The Sun article also adds “Cecil Killian and Gettie Pierce, were recently awarded $400 as a relief fund by the American Red Cross, and were now living in a Red Cross Tent, according to Sheriff Endres”.  An August 6, 1925, article in the Republican reported that  Red Cross had awarded approximately $56,000 in relief to tornado victims in Perry, Bollinger, and Madison Counties.  The tornado that resulted in this action by the Red Cross was the deadliest tornado in American history, the Tri-State Tornado, that barreled through Perry County in March of 1925. Apparently Killian and Pierce used their relief funds as a small business loan and started a manufacturing operation in the Star Landing area.

The Sun article also stated, “We understand that they are now anxious to get married.  It seems to be the best way out of an uncomfortable predicament”.  The young couple acted quickly on this.  On September 12, they received a marriage license and were married by M. V. Williams, a Justice of the Peace in Perryville.

So, who were Chester (his correct name) Killian and Gettie Pierce, where did they come from, and what became of them?

Chester Arthur Killian, Jr. was born on September 22, 1899, in Marble Hill, Bollinger County, Missouri.  In the 1900 and 1910 censuses he is living with his mother and his siblings in Lutesville, Bollinger County.  He registered for the draft in 1918 giving his address as Sikeston and was working as a lineman for Sikeston T. & T. Co.

In the 1920 census it appears that he is living with his brother Arly’s family in Tywappity Township in Scott County, Missouri.  His name is transcribed as Chester G Kielion and his occupation is shown as farm laborer. That census is difficult to read so its image is omitted.  Following his time in Perry County and his marriage, he next appears in the 1930 census, with his wife and two daughters, as farmer living in Fountain Bluff Township in Jackson County, Illinois.  Apparently, he is near the town of Jacob because there are Miesners, Oetjens, and Krannawetters listed on the same and next pages of the census.

Chester and Gettie appear in the 1940 census with three daughters living on Main Street in Gorham, Jackson County, Illinois and he is listed as the manager of a soft drink parlor.

The final census that is available is for 1950 and they are again living on Main Street in Gorham with one daughter, and Chester is listed as a restaurant operator.

Chester died on August 14, 1975, at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau and was buried in the Walker Hill Cemetery in Grand Tower.  His obituary states that he was retired from the Killian Restaurant in Grand Tower.

Chester’s accomplice in the liquor operation and later wife, Gettie Mae Pierce Killian, was born in Ava, Jackson County, Illinois, on October 22, 1901. Her first census appearance is in 1910 living in Kincaid Township of Jackson County with her widowed mother and five brothers.

In the 1920 census she is still living with her mother, three brothers, and three cousins in Kincaid Township.  This is the last record that we have of her prior to the reports of the Star Landing raid and her marriage to Chester Killian.

Gettie died on December 26, 1972, at Carbondale Memorial Hospital and was buried in the Walker Hill Cemetery in Grand Tower. 

From the available records it does not appear that Chester and Gettie went on to become the “Bonnie and Clyde” of the Perry County area following their 1925 arrests.  Instead, they apparently saw the error of their ways and settled down to quiet and peaceful lives, raised a family, and operated restaurants.

Here are the articles from the county newspapers in their entirety if you wish to read them.