Elam Gott was acting Sheriff of Dade County in the summer of 1865, and Robert Freedle, a soldier in Company D, 6th Missouri Cavalry, was a prisoner in his custody. Freedle was charged with having committed an assault with intent to kill. Freedle escaped from Gott’s custody on July 20, and Gott was charged with adding in his escape. No records could be located that explain Gott’s motives for assisting Freedle. If Gott was found guilty he faced up to five years of imprisonment and a hundred dollar fine. The court records that survive from the case are minimal, and thus require further research to draw any definitive conclusions.

Contributed by the Greene County Archives and Records Center
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