USA > Iowa > Davis County > History of Davis County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. > Part 59
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The chief reined in his horse, and dropped back to the rear of the column, and for a few moments rode in silence beside young Power who, suffering from reeent sickness and chilled with the night wind, was scarcely able to ride. Soon, however, the chief brightened up and commeneed whistling, drew his revolver, and riding forward, placed the muzzle near the liead of Capt. Bence, and fired. Capt. Benee and Sanderson were both riding on the same horse; both fell off at the eraek of the pistol. Sanderson, stunned by the conenssion, supposed for the moment that he, too, was wounded. Bence rose up on his elbows, put his hands to his face, and uttered a piteons moan. The cowardly fiend again fired on the dying man, sinking to the earth in expiring agony. His bosom heaved a few convulsive throbs, and the beatings of his heart were hushed forever. The following inscription written in peneil, was pinned on his clothing:
"JAMES JACKSON, Lieut. commanding, Oct. 12, 1864."
I learn that a paper bearing the same, or a similar inscription, was pinned on the elothing of Mr. Small.
They now held a council to determine what should be done with the re- maining prisoners; deeiding to release them, they ordered them to dismount, and after extorting from them a pledge not to enter the Union army, and not to divulge anything that they had seen until they had reached Spring- ville, they dismissed them. The prisoners reached Springville near mid- night, fatigued and wore out with the exciting scenes through which they had passed. Young Power was almost exhausted, with nothing on his feet bnt an old worn out pair of socks which the raiders gave him when thev took his boots and soeks from him, without pants, sick and chilled with the night winds, he was near fainting when he reached the house of Dempson Hill, where he rested under the kind care of Mrs. Hill until morning.
The expedition under Col. Weaver struck the trail at Hardy's, and fol- lowed it with rapidity and unerring precision until they arrived at the place where Capt. Bence was killed. It was now 12 o'clock at night; they were in Missouri five hours behind the raiders, to whom every bridle path was familiar. It was impossible to track them.
Procuring a conveyance for the body of Capt. Bence, they relnetantly retraced their steps homeward. The scence at the residence of Capt. Benee, when his lifeless form was laid down at the feet of his wife and children, eannot be described. The bruised and mangled heart of his poor wife, who had so often leaned her head trustingly, like a weary dove, upon his manly bosom, sank beneath the shock, and she swooned away. The piteous wail
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of his little children, as they clung to that lifeless form, and called it "father," moved the stoutest hearts to pity, and bathed the seared and bronzed cheek of the veteran soldiers in tears. God is just, and sooner or later the inear- nate fiends, whose erimes of pillage and murder have spread the pall of uni- versal mourning and woe over our people, will meet their just deserts.
Every preparation that could be made, with the means at our disposal, was made for the defense of onr connty seat. The army of Price was said to be on this side of the Missouri river; the valley of the Des Moines, with its immense supplies of provisions and forage, was surely his destination, unless met and driven baek by the Federal army. The movements of our army seemed about this time shronded in mystery. The approach of Price's invading forces seemed to many simply a question of time. Large raiding and foraging parties could at least be detached from his command, and in the absence of well drilled and organized troops, march through the border connties, carrying death and desolation to almost every hearthstone.
The inhabitants of the county were fully aroused to the importance of the occasion ; companies, armed and unarmed, were called out, and performed cheerfully the guard and patrol duties assigned thein.
An order was issued by Col. Viall, of Lee county, Aid-de-Camp to the Governor, and directed to Col. Weaver, instrueting him to take command of the entire militia force of the county, and to put as many men on duty on the border as he thought the public safety required. One hundred mounted men and two commissioned officers were detailed by the colonel and as- signed to duty along the south line of the county, with instructions to patrol the roads day and night. Twenty-five men were detailed to do duty in the county seat, and instructed to arrest every suspicious looking stranger that could be found in the vicinity. The same instructions were given to the troops on the border, and the number of arrests that have been made since the order was issued attests to the faithfulness with which it has been obeyed. Over one hundred persons have been arrested and turned back to Missouri at one post (Savannah). Ceaseless vigilance was the order of the day. A chain of couriers was appointed, reaching to every school district in the border townships, and every precaution taken to guard against sur- prise.
On the evening of the 21st day of October, 1864, a conrier arrived at my place of business from Pulaski, with the intelligence that a body of twenty- five mounted men had been seen that morning, some three or four miles from Milton, in Van Buren county. Some forty men were immediately mounted on horseback. Many of them "pressed," for the occasion, and started in the direction of Milton, fifteen miles distant, under command of Colonel Weaver. On arriving at Pulaski, we learned that a scouting party had been sent out, leaving instructions to detain at Pulaski any forces that might arrive, until a courier should return from the scouting party with tidings from the scouts. This precaution was thought necessary, as the raiders might not be moving westward, but south of ns. A seout soon ar- rived, bringing intelligence that they had encamped six miles south of Mil- ton. We moved on rapidly to Milton, where we found the militia of Troy, Pulaski, and other posts of the county, with the forces in the vicinity await- ing our arrival. Here we found, and conversed with, a lady, at whose house they had taken breakfast that morning, who confirmed the statement of the number, but they had committed no depredations that we could hear
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of, except that they had taken some man prisoner, whom they kept very closely, not suffering him to speak to the lady or any one else, We found other persons that had seen them and knew that they were encamped near the house of Mr. Billips. The column, being mounted again, moved cautiously sonth until within a quarter of a mile of Mr. Billips house. They dismounted, and groping their way through the thick brush wood, surrounded the house and barn. So quietly was the whole done that the dogs were not aroused until the men were at the doors, We aroused the inmates of the house, and learned from them that twenty-five men had encamped there during the evening, fed their horses and, after getting supper, lett about 9 o'clock.
It was now nearly daylight. The command was again mounted, and started in pursuit; but with some nine hours the start of us, it was impos- sible to overtake them. Their tracks indicated that they had divided into small quads, taking as many different roads. We scoured the country for some twenty miles in Missouri, and failing to find them, returned " every man to his tent."
From that time until the 7th of November, we had comparative quiet; but the number of strangers passing and attempting to pass through the county kept our fears aroused, lest the southern fugitives from Price's army should eoucentrate somewhere near the border and make another raid for pillage and murder.
On the 7th of November, six persons came into the county seat from the east, traveling in pairs. Two of them stopped at the house of Mr. Hen- dricks, and in a rude, boisterous manner, demanded something to eat. The lady declining to get dinner for them, they helped themselves to what they could find in the cupboard, and left. They made their way to the house of Mr. Gore, and put up for the night. Thomas Duffield, William Wallace and his son, learning that they were suspicious looking characters, and that they had stopped at (fore's, resolved to arrest them, The militia at Troy had been apprised of the strangers' arrival, and was collecting for the pur- pose of arresting them; but Duffield and the two Wallaces believed that they could arrest them, and proceeded to the house. William Wallace en- tered the house, and leveling his gun, ordered them to surrender; the two men affected a willingness to surrender, and stepping into another room, almost instantly returned, and with a revolver in each band, commenced firing. The elder Wallace was killed almost instantly, and the young man now rushed in and received some seven or eight shots. The men now at- tempted to run. but were met by Duffield, whom they struck a heavy blow with a pistol, knocking him down; they leaped over him, and after turning to fire on him, broke and ran.
Duffield was stunned with the blow, and young Wallace had fallen on him, which so encumbered him, it was difficult to return the fire; but dis- engaging himself as best he could, he drew up and fired at one of them. The fellow fell at the crack of the gun, but recovered and ran again. The militia from Troy arrived shortly after. Pursuit was made, but in the darkness the men escaped. Young Wallace still survives; his sufferings have been intense, but he bears them with the patience and fortitude of an. old soldier. William Wallace was a good eitizen, loved and respected by his neighbors, The lives of ten thousand such ruffians as those who killed him would not atone for his.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
The militia captured their horses and equipments. Their saddle-pockets were filled with powder, balls, perenssion caps, bullet-molds, horse-shoe mails. Everything about their equippage indicated that they were rebel bush-whackers, or confederate soldiers.
In the hat of one was found a recruiting commission, issned from the headquarters of Shelby's division of Price's army, and directed to Captain West, with instructions to enforce the conseript law in Audrian, Adair and Monroe counties, of Missouri.
The news of Wallace's death reached Bloomfield in a very short time after it occurred. The militia was called out, the roads were patroled and guarded in every direction. Quite a number of strangers had been seen during the day in different parts of the county. Many believed that an at- taek was contemplated the next day-the day of the presidential election.
For the purpose of aronsing the whole country to vigilance, in the ab- sence of a piece of artillery, I ordered the firing of an anvil. Alfred Rudd, formerly of company G, second Iowa infantry, while discharging that duty, received a most dangerous wound by the bursting of the anvil. He will be crippled for many months, and perhaps for life. He has served his country faithfully, and it would be but just in the State to remunerate him, if not for suffering, for loss of time
On the morning of the 7th of November two young men were arrested who, upon examination, confessed that they belonged to the gang of six men who came into the county the day before, and that the men who killed Wallace were also two of their number. They stated that they, with a nnumber of others, had been conscripted by West; that they had attempted to get to Price, who was retreating; that West and his conscripts, being cut off by the Union forces, had disbanded; that afterwards, West, with six others, got together and determined to get ont of Missouri, through Iowa; one of their number turned back in Missouri, the remaining six came to the Des Moines river and separated in pairs. West and his companion, Bob Clark, were going to winter near the city of Des Moines, Zach Poor and his brother were going to Texas, and these two (Mark Sharon and William Mason) were going to Nebraska.
Other arrests were made from time to time, until we had in jail at onee, thirteen as villainous looking scoundrels as ever went unhung. Two U. S. detectives came along, and being arrested and confined with the prisoners, obtained much information of value to us in regard to the future move- ments in contemplation by the bands of scoundrels who have infested northern Missouri since the rebellion. The prisoners were all sent to Mis- souri, and placed in the hands of the proper authorities. Nnie contraband horses, with their equipments, have been captured by the militia, and sold by your order.
The vigilenee of the militia, stationed on the leading thoroughfares of the county, and the scouting parties patroling in every direction, have had the effect to turn the travel east and west of onr county. I have no doubt but large numbers of rebels are quietly wintering in Iowa with a view of recruiting their horses and reenperating themselves, preparatory to a con- centration at some point in the spring.
Our people should not relax their vigilence because the danger has seemed to have passed by; but watch closely the movements of every stran- ger; we should know who they are and where they come from. A good,
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loyal man will not take offense when he knows that our ingniries are inten- ded for the public safety; and if he is not loyal to his heart's core, no mat- ter if he does take offense. Every loyal man along the southern border, in addition to the arms distributed by the State, should have at least one good revolver, and have it always with him, so that he may be ready at a moment's notice. There is no safety but in "eternal vigilence."
S. A. MOORE, Lieutenant-Colonel and A. D. C.
Davis county contained two militia organizations -- the "Bloomfield Blues," organized June 24, 1863, with Samuel A. Moore as captain; and the "Davis Regulators," organized June 27, 1863, with George M. Boal as captain. Aside from these, there were also two State militia regiments in the county-the eastern regiment organized November 10, 1864, with the following staff and line officers : Colonel David N. Stute; Lieut. Colonel, G. D. Gray; Major J. A. Russell; Adjutant John W. Young; Quarter- master Joseph V. Evans. Company A, Hiram Sloan captain; Co. B, Henry H. Cramer captain; Co. C, James W. Mulligan captain; Co. D), G. M. Garrett captain; Co. E, Jacob Christy captain; Co. F, W. W. Anderson captain; Co. . G, Jesse P. Fortune captain; Co. H. John C. Scone captain; Co. I, James II. Beck captain; Co. K, D. W. French cap- tain. The western regiment organized November 10, 1864, with the fol- lowing staff and line officers : Colonel Jas. B. Weaver, Lieut. Colonel William Van Benthusen; Major, L. C. Thompson; Adjutant Enos T. Cole; Quartermaster J. W. Corner; Surgeon D. A. Hurst. Company A, J. H. Drake captain; Co. B, John B. Parris captain; Co. C, W. H. Wilson captain ; company D, F. M. Hockersmith captain; company E, David H. Fleming eaptain; company F, David L. Hannah captain; company G, A. King, captain; company H, John W. Ferguson, captain; company I, W. C. Niblack, captain; company K, T. L. C. McAchran, captain; company L, H. A. Wonn, captain.
These organizations did such service in the county and State as occasion seemed to require.
The record of the men who entered the military service from Davis county to suppress the rebellion, and thus preserve their country intact, is a good one-worthy of an intelligent, patriotic people; a record which his- tory will keep bright through time to come.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
TOWNSHIPS, TOWNS, AND THEIR GROWTH.
In the chapter entitled "Township Organizations," a brief sketch of the township system is given, in which its origin is shown to have been in Massachusetts as far back as 1635. As there noted, in several of the states, including New York and Michigan, the township system is quite inde- pendent in its organization and functions-as independent of the county as the county is of the State. They collect their own revenne; provide their own schools; take care of their own indigent; make and keep in repair their own roads, bridges, etc. Where this system prevails, it works well, and is more in consonance with onr general form of government. The eloser eivic affairs are brought to the people, the more interest they [take in them, the better they understand them, and the safer they are from the encroach- ments of the few, who too often seek, and do control them like commerce in the market eenters, to their own advantage, and, not infrequently, to the detriment of the people. In England, where the local eivic affairs are man- aged by a few-by the landed aristocracy of the shire or county, and where the masses of the people have very little to say or do, smaller sub-divisions would not work well, for the landed interests would rather endanger it, if they were permitted to have a voice in local matters. But in this conntry, under our republican form of government, it is different. Here there is no landed aristocracy; here the day laborer has a voice equal with the million- aire in the management of the political affairs of the country; hence, the closer these affairs are brought to the masses of the people, the safer they will be.
It will be observed that the growth of the various townships of the county since their organization, as shown in the chapter on " Township Organiza- tions " preceding, and of which this is really a continuation, has been rapid and prosperous. From the wild prairie, as it was received from the red man, to fine farms, with their meadow land, blooming fields of grain, and herds of cattle, is the work of the toiling husbandman throughout all these townships, and in some of them, wherever the steam horse has made his way, thriving towns have grown up, as a result of this development, which the pioneers made an easy possibility.
BLOOMFIELD CITY.
Population in 1881, 1,545. It was named by the county commission- ers. S. W. MeAtee proposed Jefferson; Abram Weaver proposed Davis; and Samuel Evans proposed Bloomfield; and Franklin Street, the clerk, drew Bloomfield, out of a hat.
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
This, the county seat of Davis county, has an existenee eoextensive with that of the county itself.
The seat of justice of Davis county was laid off by three commissioners appointed by the Territorial legislature, John Brown, Thomas Wright and Charles H. Price. The following order is found among the very first rec- ords of the county: " It is ordered by the Board, that the county surveyor proceed to lay off the seat of justice on Monday, the 29th day of April, 1844, and that he be anthorized to employ three hands as chain bearers and stake drivers at a price not to exceed one dollar a day. It is ordered by the Board that the bloeks to be laid off in the above named town of Bloomfield be three hundred feet square, that there be four main streets each sixty feet wide, that there be an alley crossing each block of lots sixteen feet wide and that they cross the bloeks at the middle and that the ends of the lots front the alley, that there be eight lots in each block, that each lot be one hundred and forty-two feet long and seventy-five feet wide, that there be a public squre laid off' in the center of the quarter of land selected for the town of Bloomfield, three hundred feet square, and that it be bounded on the east by one of the main streets, on the north by another, on the west by another and on the south by another, and that the main streets pass through town in the same direction and the same distance apart that they do when they pass the publie square, that each block of lots shall be surrounded with streets at least sixty feet wide, that the streets pass through the town the whole length, erossing each other at right angles. It is ordered by the Board that the minimum price upon the eight lots cornering upon the public square be seventy dollars, that the balance of the lots fronting the square have a minimum price of fifty dollars, and that twenty dollars be the mini- mum priee fixed upon the baek lots. It is ordered by the Board, that the terms of the sale of lots be as follows, to-wit., one sixth to be paid in ad- vanee, the balance to be paid in three equal instalments of six, twelve and eighteen months by the purchaser giving notes of good security, the com- missioners to give a bond for a deed to be completed when a good title is obtained from the government. The first payment to be dispensed with when a person builds a house in town. It is ordered by the Board, that a publie sale of lots take place on the second Monday in July next in the town of Bloomfield, and that advertisements thereof be printed in handbills. It is ordered by the Board, that Franklin Street be appointed agent for the purpose of selling lots in the above mentioned town and be authorized to make bonds and sign them as such agent."
The name of the seat of justice was determined by lot, Bloomfield being
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
the name drawn. The following is the deed by which the county acquired title to the land which was laid out into lots, as the seat of justice.
JAS. H. COWLES TO WM. WALKER, ISAAC ATERBERY, WILLIS FAUGHT, THE Deed. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF DAVIS AND TERRITORY OF IOWA.
Know all men by these presents, That I, James H. Cowles, of the county of Davis, Iowa Territory, in consideration of the sum of one dollar in hand paid by William Walker, Isaac Aterbery and Willis Fanght, as the board of commissioners of the county of Davis and Ter- ritory of lowa, have bargained and sold and do hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said William Walker, Isaac Aterbery and Willis Faught as the board of commissioners of the county of Davis and Territory of lowa, aforesaid and their successors in office and as- signs forever the following premises situated in the county and territory of Iowa aforesaid, and their successors in office and assigns forever the following premises situated in the county and Territory aforesaid and described as follows, to-wit., The north-east quarter of section twenty-five (25) in township number sixty-nine (69) north of range number fourteen (14) west. To have and to hold the said premises with the appurtenances unto the said William Walker Isaac Aterbery and Willis Faught as the board of commissioners of the county of Davis and territory of lowa aforesaid and to their successors in office and assigns forever. And the said James H. Cowles for himself and heirs doth hereby covenant with the said William Walker, Isaac Aterbery and Willis Faught the board of commissioners of the county of Davis and territory of Iowa aforesaill, their successors in office and assigus, that he is lawfully seized of the above premises and that he will forever warrant and defend the same with the appurte- nances, unto them, their successors in office and assigns, against the claims of all persons ·whomsoever.
Witness my hand and seal this second day of July 1846.
JAMES H. COWLES [SEAL]. Attest. I. Kister, Stiles S. Carpenter.
TERRITORY OF IOWA, { DAVIS COUNTY. ) SS.
On this 2nd day of July A. D. 1846, James H. Cowles personally came before the under- signed, a justice of the peace in said county, and acknowledged the signing, sealing and de- livery of the within conveyance to be his voluntary act and deed. The James H. Cowles is personally known to me to be the same person whose name is signed as a party to said deed of conveyance.
Given under my hand this 2nd day of July, A. D. 1846.
JEFFERSON EASLEY, Justice of the Peace.
Recorded in Deed Record A, page 3.
James HI. Cowles, the above grantor, entered this land June 26, 1846. Before this, the county gave town lot bonds, for deeds, through their town lot agent, when they sold any lots.
When the town was first laid off, by the surveyor and commissioners, they laid off' eight streets running east and west, named as follows, com- mencing at the north: North street, Poplar street, Locust street, Jefferson street, on the north side of the public square, Franklin street, on the south
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HISTORY OF DAVIS COUNTY.
side of the square, Walnut street, Chestnut street, and South street. And they also laid off eight streets running north and south, commencing on the east side with East street, then Howard street, Dodge street, Washington street, on the east side of the square, Madison street, on the west side of the square, Columbia street, Davis street, and West street. The alleys run- ning east and west. There were forty nine bloeks, seven each way, and numbered, commeneing with block one, in the north east corner, and run- ning back and forth like seetions in a township.
The original drawing of the town plat, made by Gabriel S. Loekman, county surveyor at that time, is still preserved in the recorder's office, with a smell attached to it, which nothing but antiquity can give.
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