My distant cousin who still lives in Cass County spells it "Lotspeich." He is the great-grandson of George Lotspeich who was murdered on his doorstep by some local men in the Fall of '61. The Captain on one company of the Cass County Home Guard was suspected to be the killer. Some of the Cass County Home Guard attacked Wadesburg, near the Lotspeich farm on Christmas Eve. William Lotspeich, one of George's brothers, joined Quantrill. The next July there was a skirmish between Quantrill and the 1st Iowa, supported by other Union units, at the Lotspeich Farm.

My great-grandfathers uncle, Jackson Benton McFerrin, was murdered in his front yard a few years later by local men wearing masks. It is believed that they owed Benton money, and were trying to get out of paying it by killing him. I understand that at least one book about the Missouri guerrillas says he was killed by "Kansas Redlegs". I doubt that. There was no law or social order in the area at that time. Only opposing armed groups.