USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > Historical and reminiscences of Chickasaw County, Iowa > Part 5
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After its organization, with "Old Timber" (J. W. Woods) as Speaker, he holding that position by prescription, having held it since the State was organized, Sample was intro- duced, and one of the wags gave him a good
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send-off, and recommended him to the kind consideration of the House. Supposing, as he did, that it was the real House of Repre- sentatives, he commenced to open up his subject, and was soon encountering a cross- fire of questions for which he was not pre- pared. After standing it as long as he could, he turned upon his tormentors, and assum- ing a tragic and threatening attitude, said: "Which, I am the High Sheriff of the North- west, and if you insult me I will cut your damned hearts out."
Thinking that perhaps they had caught a Tartar, they induced him to let some other person present his claims, and referred his matters to a committee.
At the first meeting of court at Bradford, when any business was done, the Grand Jury being called, the officer whose duty it was to examine them as to qualifica- tion, was directed by the Court to pro- ceed. Taking the Code and turning to the section which says that they must be citi- zens of the United States, of the State and county; that they must be endowed with their faculties, such as hearing and sight, and must be of good moral character, he proceeded to ask the questions seriatim.
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Having asked as to citizenship, he proceeded with "Can you all hear?" "Can you all see?" and receiving affirmative answers, he pro- ceeded, "Are you all of good moral char- acter?" At this, Andy Sample, who was a member of the panel, turned to the Judge, and with a look that no other person could give, and twisting his mouth, said: "Judge, that is a d-d tough one;" then assuming a dignified look, exclaimed: "Yes, but that is the first time I ever heard anybody swear to it." The roar of laughter that followed indi- cated that the spectators saw the point.
One of the historic characters of that day was Judge Lyons, who had been elected the first Judge of the county.
At the time of his election, he was living on Crane Creek, eking out a precarious living at farming, supplementing it by trapping. He had formerly lived in Bradford, and was selected as the Bradford candidate for that reason, they believing that through his old acquaintances he could be brought to attach himself to their interests. He was a man of no education or public experience, and had no special fitness for the place, not only lack- ing in education, but in nearly all the requis- ites necessary for an executive officer, except
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honesty. Of medium height, sandy hair, florid complexion, deeply freckled, ungainly gait, he was probably the last man in the county that a stranger would have selected for any official position. When once in office, he showed his constituents that he meant to be honest, and while his sympathies were with the party that elected him, he would not knowingly, be used as a tool of any faction. He left the office carrying with him a respect for his honest intentions, although many thought he had been misled into certain official acts, notably the throwing out of the returns from North Washington township and refusing to count them, that was in and of themselves, wrong. He left the office carrying with him a respect for his honest intentions, under most trying circumstances, when few men of his experience would have stood as firm.
After the close of his official career. he worked at his trade, that of carpenter, and helped to frame the old court house at New Hampton. The munificent salary of two hundred and fifty dollars a year had not left him in opulence.
In an early day the road from Bradford to West Union, was around by the Bordwell
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ford, on section twenty-nine, in Dayton town- ship, thence past D. A. Jackson's, two miles west of New Hampton, past the Brink House two miles northeast of New Hampton, ford- ing Plumb Creek at the old Indian trail on section three township 95-12. via Tom Staples and the Vermont House to West Union. The Baileys had started a town one mile north of where Forest City was located and named it Milan.
D. A. Babcock and E. A. Haskel, of Brad- ford, were appointed a committee to go over the route and report as to the practicability of running a road on a direct line from Brad- ford to West Union, and they reported such a ronte feasible and against making a deflec- tion northward to Milan. On hearing this, the Baileys threw up their Milan scheme and started a new town which they called Forest City, and on the proposed new road. When Judge Bailey was in office, he made heavy appropriations out of the county fund to grade the flats and sloughs and bridge the Wapsie and other streams on this line. Between Forest City and the Wapsie was one of the most impassable sloughs in the county, travelers being obliged to go far to the north to pass it. The contract for its grad-
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ing and bridging was given to Bronson, of Bradford, and there was much talk of get- ting ont an injunction to restrain the Judge from thus using the public funds. When Judge Dore, who was elected as a northern man, came in, he made like appropriations for bridging and grading between New Hampton and Chickasaw and in Deerfield township. Under Bailey no county money was expended on roads and bridges in the north part of the county. There had long been a road known as the "Old Military Road," running from Ft. Atkinson westward through the north part of the county via Jacksonville, Pettybone and Osage west- ward, which was an outlet for the western counties.
There was a town platted in North Wash- ington township, on the south half of section thirty-three, township ninety-seven, by a man by the name of J. T. Donovan, and was named by him St. Peters. He prepared a map of the State, showing this town with two railroads running through it, and plac- ing a coffee mill and miniature house, which was thirty inches by forty inches and three stories high, upon the town site, marking one "Grist Mill" and the other "Hotel," he
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represented one as being a grist mill in good running order, and the other as a commodi- ous hotel. He secured lithographs of the public buildings of St. Peters of Minnesota, and these figured as public buildings on the margin of his map.
Lots were sold to eastern parties, under these representations, and the whole plat finally closed out under a lottery scheme, every ticket drawing a prize. Many a victim came to look after and inquire about his purchases, and the mails were loaded with inquiries as to the value of these lots. I recall one man who was a tailor from Phil- adelphia, who came in person to look after his purchase, who would not take our rep- resentations as to the lots, but decided to go up and see for himself. On his return he had the coffee mill. saying, "I have got that. d-d old mill that fooled me." Having secured a tax title of this land, and as the plat did not meet with the requirements of the law and never was dedicated, I bought the land of Donovan and became the owner of the city. Donovan told me that he made seven thousand dollars out of this steal.
Hastings and Podunck were two other . towns started for the sale of lots, but the
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preparations were not so elaborate, and they failed to find as many victims as did St. Peters. Among the victims of the Hastings plat was Ernest Werner, who gave two hun- dred dollars for a lot and was never able to find it.
After I had set the boilers for the steam saw mill, built a small brick outbuilding for Hiram Bailey, and built a chimney for Joseph George, I opened up my first office in the county. I had received my library from Ohio, consisting of Blackstone's Commenta- ries, Greenleaf on Evidence, Adams' Equity, and Gould and Stephen on pleading. I secured the Session Laws and Code of Iowa. My office furniture consisted of a dry goods box, which served as a table and book case, two chairs, and a wooden candlestick of my own make.
The first partisan convention held in the county was in Jacksonville, in June, 1857, when the Republican party was organized. Gideon Gardner, F. D. Bosworth and myself rode over from New Hampton with David Edwards. At this meeting W. E. Beach was elected chairman and J. H. Powers secre- tary. An executive committee was formed of one from each township, and Hazard
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Green of Jacksonville, was chosen chairman of this central committee. This was my first visit to Jacksonville, and I met as her prin- cipal citizens W. E. Beach. Hazard Green, J. H. Dickens. Charles Fitch. Allen Vaughn, J. P. North, J. Cole, H. H. Brakeman, M. L. Palmer and Frank Cruver.
Hazard Green was Jacksonville's first set- tler, in the village, and was keeping a hotel in a log house, and being on the Old Military Road from Ft. Atkinson to Osage, was full of customers. He was an ardent Baptist and preached sometimes. He was a man of sterling integrity, and although of limited educational accomplishments, his influence among the new settlers was second to none. Of medium height, dark complexion, and a full face adorned with a large mouth that spread across his face when he smiled, and accustomed to the privations and hardships of a new country, he was a true type of a successful pioneer. Like most men who have kept to the front as settlements moved westward, he had received local political honors, and he always pointed out the prac- ticability of any measure that he was advo- cating by declaring, "That's the way we did in Illinois when I was a member of the Board of Supervisors."
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W. E Beach was living in a shell of a frame house, and was an enthusiast as to the future of the town. He had a lithographed plat of the town of Jacksonville, Illinois, after which they had patterned. and he pointed out where churches, school houses, and other public buildings were to be located, and the probable route of the railroad that would pass through from east to west. As I subsequently became acquainted with him, I found him well informed, genial, when in good humor, irascible under small provoca- tion, and a perfect pattern of honesty, as was fully shown during his two terms as Treas- urer and Recorder of the county. He had been a member of the House of Representa- tives in the State from which he came, and was well informed as to passing political events. Anyone familiar with his besetting weakness could tell at once when he had been annoyed, and if they took counsel of prudence, they let him alone at such times. This petulance, under slight provocation, was the bane of his life, and he often sat in sackcloth and ashes, as he recalled and regretted what he had said to others. Unwill- ing to do, or even think, a wrong to others, we learned to overlook this weakness, and meas- ure him for his true worth.
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J. H. Dickens had come from Jackson- ville, Illinois, and the town of Jacksonville was platted and named after that town. Dickens was a Methodist minister and had considerable of the gift of eloquence, and com- menced gathering a congregation, to which he preached a part of the time. He was by nature a disputant, and to battle for his creed was to him meat and drink, and sel- dom a visitor left him without first having received a printed sermon that had been prepared by him, with the assurance that if it was read with care, he would be con- vinced. Receiving a copy, I perused it with some care, and found it divided into para- graphs, each paragraph culminating in a declaration that the point made could not be doubted. I am led to speak of this, as it is a pretty good index of his character.
Charles Fitch was a good-natured, over- grown boy, and was not calculated to make a very large mark in the world, but he was a very good school teacher, teaching the town school, and received the honor of being elected County Surveyor. J. Cole was the son-in-law of J. H. Dickens, also taught school, and was the echo of his father-in- law.
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Julius P. North was a young unmarried man, a tinner by trade. and divided his time between his business and looking after his interests with her who subsequently became his estimable wife.
At this convention speeches were made by W. E. Beach, Gideon Gardner, Hazard Green and J. H. Powers. In the remarks of Mr. Gardner, allusions were made that were destined to figure in the following election.
Jacksonville was a prospective aspirant for the county seat, and the Rev. J. H. Dickens was the principal manager of her interests, and there was more than a sus- picion as to his loyalty to New Hampton. In fact, it was a pretty loud rumor that he was figuring with the Bradford interest. In his speech Mr. Gardner remarked that "there might be the lying spirit of an Achan present, desiring to hide some of the spoils in his own tent." This allusion was so pointed that it was plain who was meant, and it was answered by the reverend gentle- man with much spirit, and had it not been for the intercession of mutual friends, there might have been another fallen Achan, or an immolated deacon.
At the fall election these remarks were
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used with much effect against what were known as the New Hampton candidates, and F. D. Bosworth, who was the candidate for the Bradford side, received a heavy vote in Jacksonville, without which his opponent, Wesley Swazee, would have been elected.
About this time I attended my first funeral in the county. It was the daughter of Vinal Thayer, who lived two miles east of Forest City, on the north side of the road, in a log house about twenty rods north of the road. The deceased was a very fleshy woman. There was no lumber out of which to make the coffin, except some poplar boards that had been sawed out of poles, and were not edged. Richard Elliott and myself went to work making the coffin. We set up posts and then sided it up like the siding of a house, and made a pitched roof for a cover. After it was done we attempted to stain it with logwood, but the dye uniting with the sap, turned it a bright yellow. This did not seem to be in character, and we took wood coal and rubbed it over, and thus modified its color. After it was thus colored we were furnished a piece of beeswax by Mrs. George, and we rubbed it over with that for varnish. The necessities of the hour were thus met.
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During the summer of 1857, the roads were almost impassable. A stage route was established from West Union to Bradford. It was one of the old Walker Mud Wagons, with canvas sides and top, drawn by four horses, which were driven by "Sandy." It was years before I knew that his name was Honneywell, and he is now living in Dresden township on the road that was the stage route. He is now a prosperous farmer and likes to review the exploits of early days. The roads became so bad that they were obliged to build a drag large enough to take on the stage and Allen hitched on his break- ing team of eight yoke of oxen and drew it across the Wapsie flats to Tingleys.
Bradford was the center of the southern faction, and the north having no town in which to meet and organize, was forced to canvass among individuals, as to the course to pursue. The north finally concentrated on J. C. H. Miller, who lived on Crane Creek, in what is now Jacksonville, as their leader and standard bearer. He had already run as the candidate against Judge Lyon, and would have received the certificate of elec- tion if Washington township had not been thrown out by the canvassers, for some
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claimed informality. DePuy was run as the Bradford candidate. as it was proposed not to elect another to the office of County Judge, unless it was first known the extent of reliance that could be put upon his official acts, in their interests.
He was a farmer and there were no antag- onisms that would tend to weaken his candi- dacy. He had a common school education, and was a strong partisan of Bradford. When weighted with his official oath, he found that the free imaginings of the parti- san must be curtailed under the obligation, and after carrying the honors for a few months, he resigned on the 7th day of April, 1S56. Many were the surmises as to the cause of his so soon leaving the office, but from subsequent events it finally became the settled opinion that he was prompted by his former supporters, who felt that he had not come up to their expectations in carry- ing out their plans.
In April, 1857, after the commissioners had located the county seat at New Hamp- ton and the Clerk and Judge had their offices there and M. B. Taylor, as Deputy Treasurer and Recorder, came over from Bradford and did some business for the Treasurer and
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Recorder, but Howard himself remained in - Bradford the balance of his term of office, and kept the Treasurer's books.
I came to New Hampton the day the county offices came, and opened an office in the back room of Garley's Store. I remained until the newly elected officers took posses- sion, and Bosworth having been elected Treasurer and Recorder, resigned his position as Deputy Clerk and I was appointed in his place. I remained to fill that position for one year, the county offices being, for the first part of the year, in the front room of David Edward's house. At this time, the County Clerk was ex-officio clerk of the County Court, and as such, had charge of matters under Judge Bailey's administration. The Judge would come up from his home once a month and ask what there was to do, and would sign all the records that had been prepared by the clerk, and proceed to sign all kinds of blanks, so that whatever was required might be made out over his signa- ture, and would sign a lot of blank legal paper so that anything wanted that was not covered by the blanks signed, might be made out on this paper. After signing warrants in blank sufficient to run the county for
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another month, his work was done. This was the manner the office was run while Bosworth acted as Clerk, and as I look back. it seems a loose way of doing business, and while we could not say " I am a bigger man than Old Grant." we could say that we were "bigger men than the County Judge." This method of doing business seems like tempta- tion, when viewed in the light of modern experience, but you must recollect that there were not so many American financiers in Canada then, nor was the highway to that country worn smooth by being traveled by men who could not withstand temptation.
It has been with much self complacency that I have recalled these acts of confidence and trust of my most active and persistent opposers, and these acknowledgments of my personal integrity have done much to draw the sting and buffer the blows of my opposers, and what would have otherwise have been annoying and painful, has only elicited a smile.
When the records were removed to New Hampton, the county officers and myself hoarded with Harvey S. Hill, he having pur- chased the old log house of Gideon Gardner that stood on the back of the lot where the
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Babcock building now stands, and opened it as a hotel.
At this time New Hampton was about as desolate a town as could be found. There was not travel enough to mark a trail where the roads ought to be, and they resorted to the expedient of hiring Zalmuna Morton to take his breaking team and draw a log where the wheels ought to run, so as to give it the appearance of being a traveled road.
During the summer Hill sold out to Dan Shook, and he commenced to build the old frame hotel which was burned in 1SS1. Shook only erected the central portion of the hotel proper and the kitchen. He was succeeded by Don A. Jackson, who sold to W. D. Gardner. Mr. Gardner added the west main portion of two stories, and afterwards sold to John Dixon, who built upon the east side, moved the kitchen to the rear of the Gardner addition, and extended the main part to the rear.
C. M. Webster settled on the northeast quarter of section four, township ninety-five, range thirteen, now Dayton township, and wanting to have a place to receive his mails, made application for a postoffice, and one was given him under the name of Beaver
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City, and he was appointed postmaster. When there was a postoffice located at New Hampton, there was no further need of an office at Beaver City, as no mail came to the office except to the postmaster and that through the New Hampton office, and he had to carry it himself, and it was just as easy to get the mail when directed to that office, as to take it home and be obliged to make reports to Washington. I was informed that the office was to be discontinued, and I requested that in place of discontinuing it, that he appoint Hugh Johnston of Obispo, his Deputy, and then resign in his favor. This was done and the office was removed fourteen miles to Johnston's residence, and the northeast part of the county supplied with a postoffice, without the knowledge of the Postoffice Department at Washington. In time another man wanted to be post- master and a petition was sent in asking the establishment of a postoffice in Utica town- ship, a new township formed out of a part of Obispo, and the prayer of the petition was granted and the postoffice named Zillo. This left a superfluous postoffice, and I again put Beaver City postoffice on its travels, by hay- ing T. G. Staples appointed Deputy. In time
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there was a desire to have a postoffice in Stapleton township by the name of the town, and this being secured, my peripatetic post- office had no new fields to enter, so it died.
Rev. C. M. Webster was a Methodist min- ister, and delivered the first sermon preached in New Hampton. The following letter which appeared in the New Hampton Courier January 23d, 1867. explains itself:
In these times it may be interesting to some, to know the pioneer efforts to establish Christian priv- ileges in New Hampton. In August, 1855, I first came into Chickasaw county, stopping with J. D. Colt who had built cne half mile north of the pres- ent village of New Hampton.
David Edwards had preceded me about two weeks with his family, and had a small plank house up and partly enclosed a little east of the present tavern. A Mr. Jarrard was also putting up a log house for entertainment in the new plat of New Hampton. By consultation it was agreed that we would have preaching services. We held them in . the room of David Edwards-one end being sup- plied with blankets for siding. I came with my family in October following. We missed religious privileges, and although I ministered occasionally, yet we felt the necessity of an organization. I songht out the Rev. Wm. Holbrook who lived at St. Charles, and had charge of all these regions. He
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came and organized a class at New Hampton, hold. ing services at the tavern. Such was the beginning of an organization which has always had a being. Some of the first members still reside here.
C. M. WEBSTER.
The hotel spoken of here was the log one, subsequently kept by Harvey S. Hill and Dan Shook.
Among the things that surprised me in my Iowa experience. were the breaking teams, with plows carrying beams sixteen feet long, eight inches square, at their larg- est places, and drawn by eight and ten yoke of oxen. The furrow turned was from twenty-eight to thirty-two inches wide and the forward end of the plow beam rested on a pair of "trucks" the wheel running in the furrow being a little the largest, the beam being raised and lowered with a lever, the rear end of which was set and held in place by a pin running through the lever and two uprights at the rear end of the beam. The thickness of the furrow could be controlled by this lever, and it varied from two inches, on smooth prairie, to such depth as the conformation or character of the ground demanded.
In approaching a grove of small timber,
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no halt was made, but the lead oxen, which were generally selected as being especially adapted to this service, would stride the young growth and bend them down, aud if too large they would be lopped with an ax, the plow would be let down so as to cut deeper, and under the whip, every ox would settle himself for a pull and I have seen poplar trees four inches in diameter go down like grass. Of course only very small oaks could undergo this treatment, for they have a very firm and hard tap root and it was necessary to grub them before breaking. Hazel brush that was high enough to hide the team from view, was not considered an obstruction, and was rolled under as readily as prairie grass. These great breakers have gone, having served their day, and only exist in the memory, but it would gladden my eyes to again see these great teams turn- ing over the virgin soil.
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