The trouble with gophers is that they burrow into everything, roads, levees, maybe injuring draft animals and horses who stumble in their burrows. And in the Old West, that was enough to make you a varmint.

Here is some interesting reading from an 1874 with all the laws passed the annual Missouri legislature and placed in a legal tome for that year. We picked it up a while back, and found it to be fascinating reading. An oath for gopher scalps? You will find it below.

1874 was the notable year for John D. Rockefeller, the multi-millionaire who was born along with Harry Houdini, the magician and Robert Frost, the poet and the statesman Winston Churchill. The Home Rule movement began in Ireland to protest British rule, a cartoon that is held as the first notable depicting of the elephant as a symbol of the Republicans was published by Harper's Weekly. New York City annexed the Bronx. Levi Strauss and his partner patented the blue jean. Philadelphia opened the first public zoo in the U. S. called the Philadelphia Zoo. Mark Twain who was also known by his real name, Samuel Clemens, moved his growing family to Hartford, Connecticut in 1874, who was perhaps the most famous native son of Missouri, having already attained fame and fortune.

Here is the curious law about gopher scalping along with a solemn oath about their collection. You may respond "I do" if you choose to receive the oath, and you may administer it to others who have fulfilled the requirements. In order to receive the bounty, you must produce a scalp. And one wonders about taking a passel of scalps down to the county courthouse on a hot summer day and what the aroma of a scalp would be?  And animal cruelty aside, how does one scalp a gopher? Click your mouse on the picture of the title page below if you wish to know more about this bit of relatively rare memorabilia.

MISCELLANEOUS: DESTRUCTION OF GOPHERS.


SECTION
1. County courts may offer reward.
2. Scalps to be produced and parties sworn, treasurer.
3. Clerk shall destroy scalps and issue certificates
4. Shall keep a registry and certify copy to treasurer
5. Fees of clerk.
6. Act takes effect immediately.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as. follows:

SECTION1. It shall be lawful for any county court in this state to offer a reward, not to exceed twenty-five cents per head, for the destruction of gophers, the same to be paid out of the county treasury of the county in which such gophers are killed.

SEC. 2. Any person claiming such reward shall produce the head or scalp to the clerk of the county court of the county in which such gopher or gophers are killed, within three months thereafter; whereupon the clerk shall administer to such person the following oath:

Youdo solemnly swear—or affirm, as the case may be—that the scalp or scalps produced by you are of gophers killed or taken by you, or some person employed by you, within this county, and within the past three months.

Sac. 3. The clerk shall forthwith destroy such scalp or scalps,and give to the person proving up the same, under the hand of such clerk,. certificate setting forth in words, in plain and legible hand-writing, without interlineation, the number of scalps and the name and residence of such person, with certificate shall be in the following form:

STATE OF MISSOURI,
County of —,
  This is to certify that ----- , in the county of ------- , did this day prove before me ----- gopher scalps, and is entitled to the sum of  -------.
   Given under my hand this day of , 18—

SEC.4. Such clerk shall keep a registry of all such scalps in a book which shall be kept for that purpose, in which he shall note down every certificate granted, the number of scalps proven, and shall transmit a copy of such registry, under the seal of the court, to the treasurer of the county, who shall not allow and pay any such certificate which shall not correspond with such registry.

SEC. 5. Such clerk shall issue a certificate to any person proving not less than three in number, and for administering the oath as issuing certificate he shall be entitled to a fee of twenty-five cents, be paid by the parties to whom the certificate is issued.

SEC. 6. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

APPROVED March 27, 1874.