History of Macon & and Randolph Cos. MO 1884. p. 835-836. In 1879 B. F. Drinkard leased land from widow McVickar of Callao TOWNSHIP. She had a man Nichols as cropper. Drinkard being a cripple from wounds received in the War. On 28 Aug. 1879 Nichols took a load of sorghum cane to the mill in the wagon of James Mott a neighbor who was with him. Drinkard shot Nichols with a rifle and Killed him. Drinkard was sentenced to 99 years in the Pen. While appeal was being perfected Drinkard escaped jail and was never caught.


MACON REPUBLICAN 11 May 1907--MACON, MO., May 4 -- The census enumerator for Russell township, Macon county, struck a home where he could get nearly all the information required by a look at the premises. He found an old man sitting at the tunneled entrance of a cave, his hands crossed, enjoying the warm sun that halloed his gray hair.
That's about the report the enumerator will file with the census supervisor of the queer citizen of the United States who has lived in a cave in the chariton valley nearly half a century.
The cave was originally constructed when Mr. Jones came to these parts from Wales in 1865 and took up 160 acres of rich bottom land in the valley. He dug out a place on a sort of promontory, where the water would drain off, timbered the sides with wooden props like the entry of a coal mine and covered the long and narrow tunnel with a thatched roof.
The hermit has never changed or enlarged his primitive dwelling. He lived with the utmost frugality and until recently most people supposed he was poor. One day the hermit learned that a friend of his, living over on the railroad was in hard financial times because f protracted illness in his family. The hermit walked to town, a good six miles, and sought Dave. "I've got a little money laid by, Davy, said Jones, maybe I could help some."
"Much obliged, John," replied Dave, but I'm afraid you couldn't do me any good, I need lots."
"How much is it, Davy?" persisted the hermit.
"Well, John, if I don't raise a thousand dollars by the first of the month I don't know what will happen to me."
The hermit pulled out a rusty old bill book, laid it on the table and said:
"Take what you want, Davy."
That old pocketbook contained enough to pay off Dave's troublesome mortgage, and there was plenty more left in it. From small savings he had loaned money to farmers in his neighborhood, charging the legal rate of interest, until he had accumulated a large fund. He uses no memorandum of any kind, but carries all these transactions in his head. He is not hard on borrowers, but he is as prompt as a bank in calling on the day interest is due, and the note to be renewed.
Across the cave, up close to the roof and reached by a short ladder, is the hermit's bunk. As he says, there is just room enough for one.
Mr. Jones's original possessions in the valley consisted of 160 acres, but when land began climbing up in price he sold all but five acres surrounding his cave. He keeps his premises as clean as a lawn on the boulevard, but allows no living thing about it, save squirrels, birds and rabbits, and those creatures he loves because of a certain kinship he has with all things that run wild and care-free.

FAMOUS HERMIT MURDERED-Slayers Expected to Find Wealth in Hut, Is Theory--Macon, MO, Sep 26--John Gordon Jones, the famous hermit of Charitan valley, has been murdered. His body was found late Saturday afternoon by boys who had been hunting in the woods adjacent to his hut. A bullet had passed through his head.
Jones was about 75 years old. For more than forty years he had lived in the hut, which he had built of sods and roofed with thatch, when he first took up his homestead. Although he had repaired the roof from time to time, this was the only changes which had ever been made in his dwelling place.
The hermit was very frugal. It is said he was wealthy and it is believed that those who killed him may have expected to find money hidden in the hut. The single room was in disarray when the body was found.
Hermit Jones was a quiet retiring character and spoke only the Welsh language. He was a native of Wales and came to America shortly after the Civil War closed.

NOTE; John Gordon Jones was b. 21 May 1838 Bala, North Wales and was murdered 14 Sep 1911.

Marilyn Freeman