County of Jackson

On this 7th day of September A. D. 1863 Before me Philip S. Brown a notary Public within and for the County of Jackson in the State of Missouri personally appeared Charles H. Vincent who is of lawful age and who being by me duly sworn on his oath says that he was aquatinted with the Three Story Building belonging to the heirs of the Revd. R. S. Thomas Dec'd. Situated in the Metropolitan Block in the magee's Addition to the city of Kansas City Missouri Known as Building no. thirteen (13) and which was occupied by the United States Military Authoritied as a Military Prison for Female prisoners from sometime in the latter part of the month of July until some time in the middle of August 1863 at which Said Building fell, that said Building was a good and substantial Structure having good thirteen inch walls of good quality Brick, from the foundations up. The walls were well constructed. Said building was Situated and Adjoined on the South side by a two story Brick Building owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Cockerel and which had previously been used for a Guard House by the United States Military Authorities and the partition Wall between the two Buildings was a common Wall to both buildings that is but one Wall between the two buildings and the joists of both Buildings on which the floors were laid met or came together in said wall. The first set of joists on the North side of Mrs. Cockerel's Building on which the second floor rested were supported by partitions and centre Posts or Columns and Partitions set upright while the said Mrs. Cockerel's house was occupied for a guard House as afore said the Soldiers cut away and removed the Centre posts or Columns and Partitions leaving no support for the Roof and Joists of the Cockerel Building. That sometime after the said Post or Columns and partitions had been removed by the Soldiers as afore said this affiant noticed that the Girder in the centre of the Cockerel Building on which the joists rested had given way and that the Building was about to fall.. That this affiant then named to Colonel E. M. McGee that the Building was about to fall, that the when the Cockerel Building finally fell and the weight of the Cockerel house Roof Falling on the centre of the Second floor of the same Building and the joists remaining firmly tied in the Wall Common to both said building caused the partition or Common Wall between the two said buildings to fall over into the Cockerel Building and of course cause the Female Prison Building, the building belonging to the heirs of said Rev. Thomas Dec'd also to fall, that he had examined the ruins of both buildings since they fell and found that the materials composing the Female Prison Building had fallen on top of the materials composing the Mrs. Cockerel building, that the second and third stories of the Thomas Building (the Female Prison) had fallen completely over on the ruins of the Cockerel Building bottom side up, showing conclusively that the fall of the Thomas Building was caused  through the falling of the Partition Wall between the two buildings which Partition Wall fell from the causes aforesaid. This affiant further says that the original wall cost of the construction of the two first Stories of the Revd. R. S. Thomas Heirs Building (being the Female Prison) was from Twenty Seven Hundred to Three Thousand Dollars and that the Addition of the third story cost the sum of Eighteen Hundred Dollars under contract which together with the Skylights and other additional finishing and expense in the completion thereof made said building cost at least the sum of five thousand Dollars. This affiant further states that said Building used as a Female Prison and belonging to the heirs of said Revd. R. S. Thomas Dec'd was in good condition at the time the United States Military Authorities took possession as aforesaid. That this affiant on a personal examination has found the foundation of said Revd R. S. thomas Building are now yet standing perfect solid and sound without a crack in same.