USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 70
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77
The possession of this bell was a just distinction for Independence in those early days, as no town west of Dubuque possessed one and cven places much larger could not boast of a similar luxury. In 1866, the original bell sub- scriptions and owners held a meeting, and voted to deliver over the bell to the care and direction of the city. The city council accepted the gift and employed a man to ring it four times daily and at church hours at $100 per annum. At a council meeting in 1869 they voted to put the bell and tower in the Court- house Square, but at a subsequent meeting rescinded the action and put it on the city lots, where it still rests in peace.
The old town bell still hangs in its belfry tower, silent and neglected. Its voiee has been stilled, lo these many years, but let us cherish its memory for the good it has done and we hope that some day it may be assigned the place of honor it deserves in the city, and as it was rung whenever the announcement of a Union victory reached Independence and at the emancipation of the slaves, let it be rung at the emancipation of women in this grand old State of Iowa.
567
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
THE COUNTY SAFE ROBBERY
On the night of the 17th of March, 1864, the safe of the county treasurer's office was blown open and county, state and private funds to the amount of $26,000 were stolen. The robbery was one of the boldest and heaviest ever com- mitted in the state, and its announcement was a shock to the entire community. Everything indicated that the nefarious erime was the work of a gang of old offenders.
The safe, which was one of the old Lilly chilled iron patent, was a complete wreck; the ponderous door was thrown completely off, and fragments of the lock scattered about the room. Cases of record books were thrown down and deeds, mortgages and other valuable papers scattered over the floor. Under the debris were found the implements used to effect their purpose, which had been stolen from a blacksmith shop on Walnut Street-a sledgehammer, tongs, punch, and cold chisel. The building was doubtless entered by skeleton keys, and the safe opened by drilling a hole in the door and applying a slow match to powder.
Five hundred dollars was picked up from among the rubbish. None of the records or other papers were injured. The money taken was principally county funds and state taxes. The night chosen was exceedingly cold, with a high wind prevailing, which, with the isolated situation of the courthouse, pre- vented the explosion from being heard.
E. B. Older, county treasurer, promptly telegraphed to all available points, and $1,000 was offered by the supervisors for the apprehension and conviction of the thieves, or the restoration of the money ; and later the sum was increased to $3,000, one-half for the detection of the criminals and one-half for the return of the money. Chicago detectives were employed under the direction of Captain Yates, but it was not until about the middle of July that any arrests were made. Then Sheriff Westfall brought four prisoners to Inde- pendence and lodged them in the county jail, charged with the great county safe robbery. One (Jones) was discharged at the preliminary examination. In the time which elapsed between the robbery and the arrest of these men, Capt. B. C. Yates, of Chicago, had been pursuing the matter with ceaseless vigilance, traveling hundreds of miles and assuming all sorts of disguises. He had been plowboy, wood sawyer, flatboatman, log rafter, and fisherman, fol- lowing one of the suspected parties in a skiff over one hundred and fifty miles. The difficulties were greatly increased by the fact that the three robbers pursued widely different routes after the robbery. Such were the evidences that the right clue had been taken which led to the apprehensions, that from the first, great confidence was felt that the true culprits were in custody. The county officials, too, deserved great credit for the efficient and discreet course they pursued in the matter.
The prisoners were arraigned on Monday, July 25th, before Justice Barton, at the courthouse in Independence. They gave their names as Christian A. Roherbacher (arrested at his home, near Pilot Grove, Black Hawk County), William H. Knight (arrested in Dubuque), and Wallace R. Pollard (arrested at Marathon, Cortland County, New York). C. F. Leavitt, Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendants, and Wednesday following was assigned for an
568
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
examination. The bail was set at $50,000, and the prisoners were recommitted to the custody of the sheriff. The three prisoners were brought before W. HI. Barton, justice of the peace, for examination, on Wednesday, the 27th of July, the examination lasting nearly four days. The state was represented by Messrs. Woodward, Jamison and Chandler, and the prisoners had Messrs. Barker, of Dubuque, and Leavitt, of Independence, as counsel. The examination ended in holding the prisoners For trial in the sum of $50,000 each.
Near the last of the month the prisoners had evidently resolved upon effecting their escape, thus adding to the evidence already strongly confirming their guilt. Knight not only slipped ont of his irons, but had escaped through a window, and was discovered only in time to prevent him from making good his escape altogether. The other two were found during the same week with their irons off. Pollard showed himself a skillful mechanician in this line. At the trial Messrs. Chandler, of Independence, Watson, of Delhi, and Jones and Knox, of Chicago, were counsel for the state, and Messrs. Leavitt, of Inde- pendence, Barker, of Dubuque, and Preston, of Marion, were counsel for the defense. The trial took place at Delhi, in April and May of 1865, and the jury, after some hours' deliberation came to a verdict: the result was the conviction of Roherbacher and Knight, each being sentenced to the state penitentiary for the term of six years. Pollard was acquitted, and returned to the State of New York, where he is now living. Knight, who was suffering from pulmonary consumption, was pardoned by the governor after the expiration of a little more than three years of his teri, on the grounds that there was strong belief that he was wrongfully convicted. Upon leaving the penitentiary, being penni- less, siek and forlorn, his only hope was to seek Captain Yates, the Chicago detective, who had been instrumental in his conviction, and plead with him for mercy and assistance. Captain Yates gave him money to take him to New Orleans to recuperate his wasted health. From New Orleans he went to Texas, where he met Mr. Orton, the cirens man, who furnished him means to come to Independence to die. When he reached Independence he was so worn and emaciated by disease that the citizens took him to the Montour House and there, with a true philanthropy that expected no recompense, he was kindly cared for by the generous landlord, Mr. E. E. Purdy and his wife and was administered to by Doctor Warne with all kindness and assiduity and without Fee. The desire to vindicate himself was his one consuming thought. His earnest protestation of innocence up to the last moment of his life, with no possible motive of regard for the feeling or good name of surviving relatives, for he left not a single soul with whom he could claim kinship, appears as evi- dence of a clear conscience and greatly changed public opinion in his favor. Rohrbacher was also pardoned about six months after Knight. Ile went to Kansas soon after regaining his liberty, and there established so favorable an opinion as to his honesty and intelligence, as to be elected to the Legislature of his adopted state.
The fact that these men, to all appearances, never enjoyed the money which they were supposed to have stolen, joined to the further faet that they were convicted mainly upon the testimony of paid detectives, who, however honest they may have been, could hardly fail to be strongly prejudiced against the men whom they had followed so long, and considering the liberality of the
569
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
reward, they were bound to produce a criminal-these facts, it cannot be denied, caused a strong reaction in the minds of many, after the excitement of the trials was over. It is probable that a large proportion of the community now have serious doubts if the convicted men were really guilty. On this point we have no opinion, but state the facts as we have found them.
The supervisors bought a safe to replace the one blown up and the hauling from the depot and putting in place was quite a gala occasion for the citizens of Independence, who turned ont in force to behold the proceedings; but the excitement which this produced was nothing compared with that which tran- spired when, in February, 1870, the supervisors bought two immense safes at a cost of $3,800-second-hand at that-they weighed 18,000 pounds apiece : took four teams and four wagons to haul them from the depot and held 100 volumes of records-and the supervisors were duly criticized and acensed of graft-the frugal taxpayers deemed this a rank show of extravagance and an entirely unnecessary expenditure. One of these monstrosities still graces the sheriff's office, and what became of its twin brother we are not prepared to state.
THE OLD CANNON
The old original Independence cannon that was used on every Fourth of July and public eelebration for many years and which boomed a "Godspeed" to the soldiers who went to the Civil war and the welcome when they returned did service for over forty years and it was stolen several times much to the diseomforture of the Fourth of July committees, but was always recovered, one time being discovered in back of the buildings where the old calaboose was located. One time Mr. Lorenzo Moore was the perpetrator of this "steal- ing the eamon fad" and after weeks of diligent seareh its hiding place was discovered to be up by the Courthouse Park.
During the Civil war it was Colonel Heege's duty and privilege to fire this canon on all public occasions and in late years Mr. Mike Goodwin and William Ilughes have been the official eannoneers.
When Company E went to the front it fired the salute and upon its return. The last time that it was fired was when the news that Admiral Dewey had landed in New York Harbor after his spectacular victory at Manila Bay, when Mr. Ilnghes and Charley Hathaway took the old cannon up to the old iechouse on the east side of the river and fired its last salute to American independence. It now reposes in a conspieons place near the waterworks building.
THE CENTENNIAL CANNON
In 1876 another cannon was made. The citizens had long felt that the old cannon was not of adequate size and voice to assist in working off the excess of enthusiasm on occasions of public rejoicing and celebrations. Frank Megow. the energetic proprietor of the Star Foundry, conceived the idea of supplying this need by moulding and casting a cannon at his establishment entirely at his own expense. The operation being something entirely unusual in this vicinity it attracted more than ordinary interest and curiosity. His moulds were made and about 2.000 pounds of liquid metal poured in-and the next day, divested of its outside casing, a perfect eannon came from the mould
570
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
It is about 5 feet long and 18 inches in diameter with a bore of 41% inches. Much credit was due Mr. Megow for the energy, skill and publie spirit he displayed.
The cannon was taken by Billy Hughes, Mike Goodwin and Hank Artus at 4 A. M. down to the southern part of the town about east of Oakwood Ceme- tery, where it was to be tested the night before the Fourth. His treasure had been blown to atoms, pieces of which covered the vicinity round about for blocks. The old manner of firing these cannons is worthy of mention. For the first charge a fuse was used and after that a hot rod about four or five feet long. This was a dangerous operation.
It was said that the dishes and bric-a-brae tumbled from the shelves in that vicinity like as if an earthquake had strnek the town.
Perhaps a dozen charges had been fired with good result, but still the bang was not loud enough to suit the enthusiastie bombarders, and the load kept being increased, and while Mr. Megow was home eating breakfast, a double load ramned in with sand and sod was injected and fired off. When Mr. Megow heard that tremendous report he feared the worst, and, alas! his fears were realized.
In 1870 B. F. Yates, the Chicago detective, employed for the county safe robbery, sued the county for pay. No written contract had been entered into at that time as to the compensation he should receive for apprehending the criminals. Up to the time of the meeting of the supervisors, some time after the robbery, he was paid $6 per day and expenses, and then he proposed to work for the $1,500 offered at that time, to which the board agreed if he would agree to work continuously, which he demurred to, but offered to work for $5 per day and expenses. This per diem and expenses, amounting to $1,500, had been paid to Yates, and it had been understood by the publie and the agents of the county that this was all he was to receive for his services. But after the conviction of the robbers Yates elaimed the reward of $1,500 besides what he had already received, and upon the refusal of the board to accede to his demand, siled the county in the District Court of Delaware County. From Delaware the case was taken on change of venue to Bremer, where it was tried by jury and the verdict rendered was for Yates for the full amount claimed and interest. Adams & Chandler of Dubuque were the attorneys for Yates and L. W. Hart of Independence and Miller of Waterloo for the county.
A CITY MAP
In 1874 a new map of the City of Independence was gotten ont by Mr. W. (. Willetts, of the firm of Waters & Willetts.
It was considered a very accurate one and was embellished with photo- graphie views of the great Grange procession on the Fourth of July, 1873, and the ruins of the great fire, besides the cards of the principal business houses arranged around the margin.
PATENT RIGHTS
"Birds of feather flock together"-just so people of like temperament seek the same congenial atmosphere. Buchanan County seems to have been a regular
571
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
rendezvous for inventive geniuses. There certainly must have been a most lively microbe of ingenuity and of a very contagious variety germinating here, judging from the number of patents issued to the inhabitants of this small territory in a short space of time. Safe to say, no community of like size and population had greater numbers and probably not as many inventors as Buchanan County could boast. If "Necessity is the mother of invention," then Mother Necessity in Buchanan was the maternal ancestor of a very multi- tudinous, diversified offspring. After one person got well inoculated with the inventive microbe, it was not long until many more had been exposed and con- tracted the disease. The contagion raged in the most virulent form about the years 1861 and 1862, for within that time eighteen patents had been issued to the citizens of this county as follows: O. Sherwood, self-acting railroad gate; O. Sherwood, improvement in grinding mills; Langdon & Weitman, improved brooms; Langdon, Kellogg & Alexander, improved churn; Weitman & Hage- man, wire upsetter; Vincent & Leslie, improved churn; Copeland & Martin, improved churn; Hugh Barr, improved churn; B. D. Reed, improved cockeye for harness; Beach, Day & Patrick, sugar evaporator; Matthias Hater, sugar evaporator ; L. P. Haradon, grain distributor; and Alfred Ingalls, the Buchanan County wizard, had eight patents all of his own invention, as follows: A fire heater, iron upsetter, sugar evaporator, cane mill, rotary harrow, seed sower, corn husker and a rat trap, and innumerable other inventions in the embryonic state. All these patents would, according to their promoters, ameliorate and alleviate the labors of mankind and undoubtedly would be immediately adopted into general nse; but fate, fashion or finance prevented this inventor's millennium.
Later on Mr. Ingalls, in connection with Smith & Clark, secured a patent for a sulky plow (this was a new, unique machine) which could be attached to any plow whereby the plowman could ride. These gentlemen gave public demonstrations of their invention through the streets of Independence on Sat- urdays. T. R. Cormick and Daniel Smyser, the latter a resident of this county, patented a corn cultivator. This consisted of four common plows attached to a frame mounted upon a couple of wheels and could be moved and guided by means of a long handle. All these ernde and simple inventions were the fore- runners of our present-day finished machine.
Alfred Ingalls also patented a grain drill, and a patent was issued to O. M. Pond for a grain drill, and to T. C. Bartle (through assignment from an Indiana company) for a sugar evaporator.
Another patent was issued to Ransom Bartle for an improved well enrb, and one to Morris Todd for an improved broadcast seed sower. This made twenty-one patents issued to Buchanan County inventors inside of two years. Some of those mentioned came later.
Mr. Ingalls finally patented a machine that combined in a simple, compact form all of his previous patents-the grain drill, broadcast sower, corn planter, seed sower (sowing grain and grass seed at the same time, if needed), harrow and eultivator. This certainly was a combination of results and seems some- what incredible, and surely if this had met with the success that was anticipated, the MeCormick and Deering companies would probably be located in Inde- pendence, Iowa.
572
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
This man Ingalls had a happy faculty of convincing his audience, and the county editors were his staunch advocates and abettors. They gave him liberty to construct machines to eat, drink and breathe for people, but they entered a protest against his patenting an antomaton to dance their Lancers, Virginia Reel and Money Musk.
All of his inventions were accredited with being the "best ever." His sugar evaporator elicited their unstinted praise and confirmation that it was the greatest improvement of the age, and far ahead of anything in the country in point of convenience and economy.
Mr. Haradon's grain distributor received much praise and found a ready market, at least in the grain elevators in town, where it was considered invalu- able. The butter chnen inventors assured their customers that a child could operate them and churning could be accomplished in from one to two minutes and in a common water pail or other convenient utensil. These glowing edi- torials go to prove that advertising is by no means a new and appreciated art.
At one time Mr. Ingalls had orders for about two hundred and fifty of his patent seed sowers. Marquette & MeKenzie were manufacturing them.
In 1869 Mr. Samuel Sherwood invented a turbine water wheel. Public demonstrations were given to convince the doubters as to its merits. A com- pany from Springfield, Ohio, manufacturers of the double American turbine water wheel, offered to put up $5,000 to buy Mr. Sherwood's wheel if it proved better than theirs if Mr. Sherwood would put up $5,000 to pay them if their wheels proved better than his, $1,000 of the money to be given to some benevolent institution in Independence in person or by agent. Mr. Sherwood responded to the proposition, offering $1,000 to the company if they would come out and prove their superiority with a demonstration, and would guarantee to purchase from them all the wheels necessary for the mill. These water-wheel tests, to determine the superior qualities of the one over the other, continued for two or three years, and at other places than Independence, and each one but proved the superiority of the Sherwood invention. In August, 1870, one was held at Waterloo in which four different wheels competed, and the result was decidedly in favor of Mr. Sherwood's. The proposition to go to Waterloo was made to him by these several parties, and he not only accepted the challenge, but built at his own expense a race and flume and erected machinery for testing. His liberality was not without reward, though, for it won him many friends.
DISASTROUS FIRES
Independence, like most other cities of any size and consequence, has been visited by sufficient calamities to mark the different epochs of her historical eareer. A constant, unretarded progression may be the best growth, but there is nothing that makes such rapid and conclusive changes as the revolutionary reactions of disaster, and although we are not advocating such direful measures, certainly history has proven the fact that "out of defeat springs triumph." After every crushing misfortune has arisen that overmastering ambition and determination which has built better and wiser, a magnificent monument erected upon the funeral pyre of past vanities.
573
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
And Independenee, after the disastrous calamity of 1874, rose triumphant over the ruins, a far better and more substantial city. Hers was the common fate of all and she had endured her full share of fire, flood and disease in previous years, but nothing could compare with the disastrous, devastating fire of 1874, whiel left her almost a complete ruin. On March 9, 1866, occurred what was considered a serious conflagration ; fire broke out in a frame building on the north side of Main Street, next the bridge, and in half an hour the whole bloek was in ruins. Three business firms and two families lost nearly everything they possessed, a total loss of $8,500, which was most disheartening to these young business men just starting; but immediately subscriptions were taken and the losers were helped to get on their feet again, and in just one week after the buildings were totally consumed they were again doing business in new establishments.
Then again in six years another and far more destructive fire occurred in Independence. On November 2, 1873, all the buildings on the east side of Chat- ham, between Main and First streets, northeast, and on the north side of Main Street, between Second Avenue, northeast, and the building now owned by C. A. MeEwen and occupied as a candy kitchen, were destroyed. In all, ten business houses, at a loss of $30,000.
Fire was discovered about half past 11 o'clock Friday night in a woodshed attached to the rear of the Leytze Block. This was soon consumed and it spread to that bloek and consumed it, and from that point spread in two directions- up Chatham Street toward the north and up Main Street toward the east. The only means to fight the fire was a hand engine attached to the publie cistern at the corner of Main and Walnut streets, and when all was ready, the hose laid and the firemen at their posts, it was discovered that the machine would not work, owing to the valves being frozen, and thereafter the machine was useless for any practical purposes. But for this unfortunate circumstance the conflagration would undoubtedly have been confined to the Leytze Block and the adjoining buildings. The hook and ladder company worked heroically, trying to check its fury by tearing down wooden buildings in its course; but without any mechanical assistance, their efforts seemed alnost futile. The fire raged and inereased in fury until it reached the high three-story brick wall of the Munson Bloek, and its further progress was stayed. The flames leaped and surged against this opposing foree, but after a time gave up the struggle, and abated into a smoldering heap of coals. This was in reality a long antici- pated and dreaded calamity, owing to the many wooden structures in that block, and not until some such eatastrophe happens can people be educated to the fact that they must improve their methods of building. Here again the losers were encouraged and aided financially to rebuild their businesses, and with this sub- stantial backing were just making a start when the second and far the worse eatastrophe knocked the very foundations from under those business concerns who had so generously offered to assist them.
Publie sympathy always was of a most substantial nature in those early days; and in the fire of 1874 the sympathy was just as sincere, but practically every- one in Independence was in the same dilemma and charity began at home. But several of the grange organizations in the county adopted resolutions ex- tending sympathy and financial aid and promising their hearty eooperation to
574
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY
rebuild the city. And W. W. Cole, a former resident of Independence and then manager of the "Great New York and New Orleans Zoological and Equestrian Exposition," which was to show in Independence June 12th after the fire, gave a liberal share of two performances to the fire sufferers. Both of the railroads were very generous in deducting from their freight bills on all merchandise and building materials shipped to those who had suffered loss of property in the fire.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.