History of Cass County, Iowa; together with sketches of its towns, villages, and townships; educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of old settlers and representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief review of its civil, political, and military history, Part 37

Author: Continental Historical Company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 918

USA > Iowa > Cass County > History of Cass County, Iowa; together with sketches of its towns, villages, and townships; educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of old settlers and representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief review of its civil, political, and military history > Part 37

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raspberries, 18,000 ; Russian mulberries, 30,000; besides grape vines, gooseberry bushes, currant bushes, etc. His nursery and fruit farm is one mile east of the Court House, and is known as the Spring Brook small fruitfarm and nursery. From present appearance Atlantic is going to be one of the main points in the West in in the nursery business. The United States Express Company's agent says that the Spring Brook nursery shipped more strawberry plants last spring, than any other office in the State. August 28, 1882, a few of those interested in fruit "grow- ing, met at the Temperance Hall, in At- lantic, and organized the Cass County Horticultural Society. John Gingery was elected president and R.D. McGeehon, secretary.

The next meeting was appointed for September 27th and at that meeting M. Northup was elected president; E. D. Smith, vice president; R. D. McGeehon, secretary; Silas Wilson, treasurer; and seventeen members joined the society. The society has held semi-annual meet- ings since its organization, all of which have been well attended and were very in- teresting. The object of the society is to encourage fruit growing and tree plant- ing; in fact, Horticulture in all its branches.

STORY OF CASPER SCHAIN.

During the early days of the county, when the constant stream of travelers on their way to the Far West was passing through the county "overland." long be- fore the building of the Rock Island road, people living along the trail were often called upon to shelter those passing through. Among those who entertained

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strangers in this way was Casper Schain. In order to keep a tavern or inn for public accommodation at that time, it was neces- sary to have a license, and without this no charge could be made. So Casper kept a great many wayfarers over night at dif- ferent times, and provided a great num- ber with meals, never receiving any com- pensation except what his guests choose to leave on the table when departing. Among those who thus shared of his los- pitality was a young man who said he was going west to seek liis fortune, hav- ing come from the old country for that purpose. He was sick, and was taken care of and nursed for over a week, until he announced himself as ready to resume his journey. No charge whatever was made, and no pay taken for the expense or trouble he had been to the host and family. Mr. Schain was going to Coun- cil Bluffs about the time of the young man's recovery, and announced to him that he would take him as far as that town in his wagon. This proposition was readily accepted, and the journey to Council Bluffs began, Mr. Schain driving, while his passenger reclined on some sacks of grain, the marketing of which was the object of the trip. As they pro -. ceeded on their way the young inan acted in rather a queer manner, seemingly try- ing to provoke a quarrel. Just before the hill was reached which shut out the view of Council Bluffs, Mr. Schain, on looking around was surprised to see, in the hands of the stranger whom he had befriended, a cocked revolver, leveled directly at his head! Just at that instant,-and Mr. Schain has always regarded the occur- ence as Providential-the stage-coach

coming eastward appeared above the crest of the hill, causing the would-be assassin to immediately lower his weapon, and conceal it in the valise from which he had taken it. As the stage came lumber- ing by, the driver shouted, "Halloa, Cas- par," and slackened the speed of his horses. If Mr. Schain had chosen to in- form the driver of the treatment he had received the young man would have re- ceived severe treatment, as the stage peo- ple were his fast friends. But as the top of the hill had been reached, the city was in plain view; and as there was now no danger to he feared, Mr. Schain simply told his assailant to pick up his traps and get. out of the wagon. Of course it was the man's scheme to make away with Mr. Schain, and probably dispose of the team and wagon when Council Bluffs was reached. But it was not often that the kindness of the settlers was repaid with such base ingratitude, and the favors ex- tended to travelers were generally as kind- ly received as they were extended.

BELLE MACOMBER.

One of the earliest school teachers in the county was Miss Belle Macomber, daughter of K. W. Macomber. She taught James L. Byrd's children at his own house in 1855. Miss Macomber was married in 1860, in Lewis, to Wm. S. Reynolds,and afterwards removed to Illi- nois. She became quite famous during the war of the rebellion, and we extract the following mention of her career from " Kirkland's Anecdotes and Incidents of the Rebellion:"

"Governor Yates, of Illinois, paid a rather unusual but well merited compli- ment to Mrs. Reynolds, wife of Lieuten-

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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

ant Reynolds, of Company A, Seventeenth Illinois regiment, and a resident of that city. Mrs. Reynolds accompanied her husband through the greater part of the campaign through which the Seventeenth passed, sharing with him the dangers and privations of a soldier's life. She was present at the battle of Pittsburg Land- ing, and like a ministering angel attended to the wants of as many of the wounded and dying soldiers as she could, thus win- ning the gratitude and esteem of the brave fellows by whom she was sur- rounded. Governor Y'ates, hearing of her heroic and praise worthy conduct, presented her with a commission as Major in the army, the document confering the well- merited honor being made out with all due formality, and having attached the great seal of the State. Probably no lady in America ever before had such a dis- tinguished military honor conferred upon her."

THE COFFIN CASE.

About the first day of January, 1873, Mary R. Coffin, wife of Eli T. Coffin, died. IIer husband, being a peculiar man, had refused to call a physician -attending her himself. After her death, suspicion be- ing aroused that all was not right, Justice II. T. Sharp, was called to act as coroner, and hold an inquest. This he did, sum- moning a jury consisting of L. C. Bishop, T. P. Bruington and J. B. Allman. A post mortem examination was made by Drs O. B. Thompson, N. Richards and J. H. Barnwell on January 14, 1873. While the coroner's inquest was in pro- gress, Mr. Coffin was arrested on charge of insanity, but the insane commissioners

pronounced him sane and discharged him. The coroner's jury returned a verdict im- plicating Mr. Coffin, for the reason that he bad not taken proper care of his wife. in the cold weather, and had not called a physician until too late for a physician to be of service. Mr. Coffin was therefore arrested on the charge of causing his wife's death, and was held to appear be -. fore Esquire Sharp, in bail of $800. The preliminary exam nation was set for Jan- uary 27, 1873. The defendant was repre- sented by Messrs. C. F. Loofbourow and L L. DeLano, while Messrs. Brown and Churchill appeared for the State. On January 27th another continuance was granted until February 3d. The prelim- inary examination was never had .. On Saturday night, February 1, 1873, Coffin was murdered and his body was found on Sunday afternoon, February 2d, hanging by a rope under the bridge that spans Turkey Creek, five miles south of Atlan- tic. A pistol-ball was found in his head, indicating that he was dead before he was placed under the bridge. An inquest was held on the body, and much evidence taken. The verdict was to the effect that the deceased caine to his death in a man- ner to the jury unknown. No one was ever tried or convicted of the murder. The case attracted much attention at the time, and was a sad one in all respects. Mr. Coffin was a man possessed of consid- erable, property.

FROM AN OLD SETTLER'S DIARY.

May 6, 1861 .- S. M. Holladay, now a resident of Massena township, left his home in Winterset, Madison county, for a trip to the mountains, by wagon. He

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kept a diary of the trip, and kindly al- lows the following extract, regarding Cass county to be taken therefrom :

"May 8, 1861, we had a very pleasant day. The wind had layed, and it was not very hot. Our brother campers having several of the female sex along, com- plained very much about profane language that was used by our company. We camped in a small town called Whitney- ville. We met with our friend, Frank Whitney, who invited us to supper, and introduced us to his wife, and treated us to the whisky. After supper was over we chatted by the fire and happened to see our cattle starting off down the road to- ward home. We started after them, and were, obliged to follow them about six miles before we could overtake them.

" The morning of May 9, brought a pleasant day, and a pleasant night's rest was finished. After breakfast we had the pleasure of seeing two hundred United States troops pass in uniform and march- ing order. They were from Fort Ran- dall, Dakota Territory. About the mid- dle of the day we had a rain, which was steady for about four hours, but not very hard. Our things were not very wet. At night we arrived at the Nishnabotna, in Cass county, and camped in the bottom north of town. There were several wag- ons camped in the bottom. We had con- siderable fun swimming the cattle across the river to grass, and had some music of violins and songs in the evening after supper. We had boiled one of our pigs, of which I partook of so freely that I was sick for some time afterward.

"On the morning of May 10, the roads being soft after the rain, and the weather

rather cool, we made a very good day's drive. We took what is called the right hand, or ridge road from Lewis, and left our fellow-travelers. In the afternoon I shot a prairie chicken and had a good old time cooking it, as it was older than Noah himself. In the evening we camped upon the west fork of the Nishnabotna, a beau- tiful valley, surrounded on all sides by timber."

JOHN BROWN.

Sometime during the winter of 1857, old John Brown, of Kansas fame, accompa- nied by two of his sons and one white man, stopped all night with D. A. Barnett, at the Grove City House, at Grove City (now the City Hotel, Atlantic). Brown and his party had in charge about eighteen runaway negroes, men, women and chil dren, whom they were taking on the "un- derground railroad" from Missouri to Canada. They had three mule teams, and all the male adults of the party were armed with Sharp's rifles and Colt's navy revolvers. After breakfast they took their leave and traveled eastward. No one but Mr. Barnett knew who they were until they had gone, or knew that any negroes were of the party. It was no uncommon thing during the years just preceding the War of the Rebellion, for runaway ne- groes to be helped across the county, on their secret march to freedom. One in- stance in this connection will bear relat- ing. In the year 1859 a pair of runaway negro men were traced from Missouri to the vicinity of Lewis. A. large reward was offered for the arrest of them. The sheriff of the county and the man who kept the ferry over the Nishnabotna, at Lewis, had been posted as to the runaways

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IIISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

and were on the lookout for them. It was thought the negroes could not cross the river at any point for many miles north or south, but would have to cross at Lewis. Passengers on the ferry-boat were watched with unusual interest for many days. One beautiful Sabbath"morning a farmer who resided on the west side of the 'Botna, drove down to the ferry, having with him ingthe wagon two ladies closely veiled. The farmer was apparently on his way to church, and the two ladies closely veiled were apparently female members of the family. The farmer was ferried to the east bank and drove to Lewis -from there he drove on eastward to Adair county, and placed the two "veiled ladies," who were really the two negro men, safely at another "station" in Adair. The sheriff and the keeper of the ferry never knew what became of those negro men, and never knew that_they crossed the ferry In open day.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT.

There was a log cabin on James Byrd's farm in which preaching was sometimes held. L. L. Alexander attended these re- ligious services generally. One Sunday in the year 1855 the Judge was there on a prominent seat in the amen corner. The preacher being somewhat dull, or else be- ing so good that the Judge would risk him to go it alone, he got to napping. About the time he was dreaming the sweet dream of the righteous, the preacher got to drawing on the facts of ancient history for modern religious illustration, and at one point, spoke out quite loudly: "Alex- ander! Alexander, the Great, wept because he had no more worlds to conquer." At

the sound of his name the Judge awoke to consciousness in great astonishment, and for a moment was amazed at being named out before the congregation for having nodded in time of preaching. IIe finally comprehended the situation and gave good attention to the balance of the discourse, no doubt harboring the silent wish that the preacher had been content to have let Alexander the Great wept in peace.

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF A PIONEER. [Thomas Meredith.]

I was born May 26, 1824, in the village of Donstone, Herefordshire, England, my mother's maiden name was Sarah Beavan, she died when I was but four years old. My father in the year 1829, moved to the Parish of Glasbury, Radnonshire on the borders of Wales -- as he was the owner of some tenement houses with gardens at- tached. One of these houses was built, as I have been told by my father, when I was a little boy, by his grandfather, prob- ably three hundred year ago. It was built of stone and covered with tile, which consisted of thin stone which comes out of the quarries in that part of the county, and is dressed off by masons when taken out of the ground as then they are in a softer condition than when after exposed to the sun. The tile dressers, after it is squared off, picks a hole in each about half an inch in diameter and a oak pin about two inches long is driven in and made flush with the upper side, so as the other tiles will lay down smooth. These are laid in layers like our shingles, and moss that grows on, or about, the roots of trees in the woods, in that damp, moist county, is gathered and stuffed between the joints,

HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

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to keep out snow and wind. This moss grows and fills up all between the joints of the tiling. Since that date they use slate for covering buildings, except man- sions, which are covered generally with sheet lead. The house where I was brought up, had moss growing on the walls when I was a boy, and had been in my father's ancestor's possession since it was enclosed from the commons. The Lord of the Manor may have permitted some of my ancestors to inclose a few acres out of charity, or otherwise, I know not. My father died in the sixtieth year of his age, when I was about the age of nineteen,and out of my apprenticeship, as I was bound under Edkins, of Bristol, to learn the plastering trade. When a boy, I worked at Masbough Castle in the cast house, where there were over seventy-five plasterers at work, over a year. The work was done with plaster of paris and formed bead cornice, miters, center pieces,and all kinds of statutary, etc. What I learned there was never of any use to me, as after the death of my father, I took up his business, he having kept a small shop where he sold groceries, etc. This Masbough Castle cost millions of money and was building for two genera- tions, and was near the ruins of one of the old castles that Oliver Cromwell bat- tered down in the days when King and Commons were at war. The castle be- longed to the Walter Wilkins estate. I have heard my father say that the way the elder Wilkins accumulated his wealth was that he had ships at sea, and would run to Africa and catch, or trade trinkets, or goods, for a cargo of young Africans, then run his sailing ship to Charleston,

and trade his cargo of blacks for a cargo of cotton, which he would bring back to Liverpool and sell it, then to Africa again; and that he brought the most of the an -. cestors of the colored people to this country and sold them into slavery, and made a fortune by so doing; and it cost the American people billions of money, and rivers of blood to do away with sla- very. As I commenced telling, I took up my father's business and thought myself capable of taking the reins into my own hands and driving. I trusted out my goods and could not collect the debts, so I sold the store house and few acres of land, my father had left me, and made up my mind to come to America. I remem- ber one old man, a schoolmate of my father's saying to me, "Oh, Tom! Tom! what would your poor father say, if he could come back to life, and know you had sold the property he had left you. Oh! Tommy, you should never have sold it." I had got married to a young widow who had one little boy, four years old, which I brought up. My wife's name was Martha Griffiths, the daughter of James Griffiths, the saddler of Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, England. I came to Madison, Wisconsin, in the summer of 1852. I bought a farm seven miles south of Mad- ison, with a little frame house and a few acres broken up, about ten acres girdled, in the burr oak openings. I received the first letter from my wife stating that Lew, her brother, would not come out with her. I was somewhat out of humor. Late in the fall of the same year, I came here, I took the stage coach that run from Madi- son to Galena, and found everything fro- zen up and the roads very rough.' When

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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

we arrived in Galena I was informed that most of the boats had gone down the riv- er, and would not be up any more that season, but there was one still up the riv- er, and if it was not frozen in, it would . be down shortly. Finally it came along and I went down to the river bank and got out on some rocks and waved my handkerchief and held up my satchel. The boat stopped and took me and two other men on board, and we went up to the captain's office and paid our fare to St. Louis. There I got in to help the cook on the boat just starting for New Orleans, so I saved my fare, as I had about spent all my money for land in Dane county, Wisconsin. I got to New Orleans and fell in company with some English miners that were about to.start for California. I thought I would like to go to the land of gold and make my pile, as the Californians call it. I got on board the steamship Union that was bound for Chagres, on the Isthmus of Panama. I engaged with the chief cook, who hap- pened to be an Englishman, who took me in as ship cook. I had already got into the ways of the Americans, and could turn my hand to almost anything. I was to get $30 per month. When we got out to sea, I had to sign articles, as they are called by the seamen; I gave in my name, age and nativity, name of father, mother, etc., and agreed that I would not leave the ship in a foreign port, etc. We had about four hundred passengers bound for Cali- fornia .. When we got to Chagres, on the Isthmus, we anchored out in the ocean, as there were no docks or harbors, all was in the state of nature. Our passengers were all taken ashore in skiffs, by the Span-

iards, copper-colored fellows, all wearing palm leaf hats, and thin knit undershirts, and light pantaloons which was all of their apparel, except shoes. I want- ed to leave the boat, but I could not get ashore, as we were anchored out some way from land. The next day after, the passengers had all left and gone up the Chagres river, as the railroad was not built over to Panama, at that time.

I asked the captain if he would release me. "What do you want to do here cook?" "I want to go to California." "Have you not signed articles?" "I have." "Well, you ought to know that I cannot release you in a foreign port, you could apply here to the American consul and he would send you to the States and maybe bring a bill against our company for the charges." We were there in the early part of January, and it was as hot as it is here in July. On about the 3d day, the Captain and Supercargo were taken ashore in one of our life boats, as each ship carries one on each side of the vessel. In the afternoon they were brought back in the boat by six able bodied seamen, and had several shot bags nearly full of gold, that was taken as fare from passengers. The steward came to the kitchen and told us to get ready, that there were about five hundred pas- sengers booked for New York-so next morning the Spaniards commenced to bring the returning Californians to our ship in their skiffs, so within a few hours we hoisted our anchor and made for Kingston, Jamaica, where we had to take in coal and water. Here our ship drew in alongside the wharf, and many of our passengers went ashore to get: some

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IIISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

Jamaica rum, while we took in about two hundred tons of coal, which was accom- plished by about one hundred negroes, male and female. They formed in line by falling in behind one another, carry- ing about one hundred and fifty pounds of coal upon their head, in the half of flour barrels, and as each came on deck, dumped his load as he passed the hole, and keep in line one following each other singing "do-da-do-da, I am gwine to run all night, I am going to run all day, I will bet my money on the Bob-tail nag, who. will bet on the bay," until you could not hear yourself think. They were some of the liberated slaves of that island, which was a part of the British colony of the West Indies. It was still very warm weather in January, where the oranges, lemons, bananas, etc., were in abundance. Our bell rang and our fog horn blew, and our passengers came quickly on board, and we were headed for New York. One of our passengers entering his state room, lifted up his satchel that was heavy when he left his berth, but it came up light, "Oh my God! My Gold is Gone!" IIe had had about forty pounds weight of gold dust and nuggets. He went, in an excited manner, to the Captain, who ordered a committee to search the ship, which was like looking for a needle in a hay mow. Some of the finnkeys got it and would be on a bender in New York as long as it lasted. Every day's run brought us into a colder climate, and when we got into the port of New York it seemed to me as cold as Greenland, as I had felt no cold weather that winter, since I left Wisconsin, about the middle of November.

As soon as we got into port, our pas- sengers went ashore and our head cook went into the city to get some liquor and promised to be back within an hour. I cleaned up the kitchen and waited for him, as we had over two barrels of slush to sell to the bakers of New York; this was from the rendering of roast meat, etc. I waited patiently, and a customer appearing to buy our barrels of grease, and offering me $25 for it, I took it, and went into the office and received my pay for services rendered on the steamship Union. Poor Bill, the cook, did not re- turn to get his share of the pay, for slush; I suppose he got on a drunk. I packed my satchel and took a hack for No .- Washington St., looked for a daily paper to see what steamers were leaving for Liverpool, and saw that City of Bristol was loading at Pier No. -. Next day I went on board of that steamer and went to the Captains office. I was asked where I was cook last-I told him "on the Union." He remarked, "Be here by ten o'clock to-morrow, I will engage you to Liverpool." I did not return until about two P. M., next day. The Captain was just coming out of his office. I spoke to him. IIis reply was, "I have engaged two colored cooks, yon were not on time." I turned on my heel and went to an office and paid my fare on a clipper that made the voyage from Sandy Hook to Cape Clear, within fourteen days, which was good work for a sailing vessel, but those clipper built ships are very long and nar- row, for fast sailing. When I arrived in Liverpool, it was coming towards spring of the year. Within a few lours I was at Lime St. Station, and aboard the train

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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.

for Bryn Mawr, Monmouthshire, Wales, where my wife and family were. I visited around my old home a while, and packed up and returned, with my family, to the farm I had bought near Madison, Wiscon- sin. When I got back to the place I started from, I counted up the miles of my trip, which was over 17,500 miles, or as much as two-thirds around the world. The first winter in Wisconsin was a cold one.

In the spring of 1854 or 1855, I started, with two wagons, three yoke of oxen to each, and about forty head of heifers and cows, to Oregon, as I was told it was a climate much like England; not muchi cold weather in winter. We got out as far as Cass county, and met some teams going east, and learned that the emigrants had by that time all crossed the river, west of Council Bluffs, and I could not go, as all had to meet at Council Bluffs and go in one train. These had a captain and officers, and were organized to fight the Indians, if needs be. I camped on the banks of Indian creek, near Iranistan, on the main emigrant traveled road to Council Bluffs. This county was new at that time; but very little land was entered in the county.

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Author: Continental Historical Company, Springfield, Ill Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co. Number of Pages: 918

Author: Continental Historical Company, Springfield, Ill
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 918