USA > Iowa > Floyd County > History of Floyd County, Iowa : together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 32
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
and workmanship, probably unrivaled by anything of the kind in the State.
June 7, 1874, a terrific thunderbolt struck the court-house, as the Intelligencer says, "Just as the wrath of an outraged and wronged constituency has descended upon many a nest of court- house rats in these latter days. We cannot guess which one of the officers the lightning was after this time; but, as it left the cupola and could not be traced again till it tore up the floor in the recorder's office, we presume it is a warning to Jake, who says he is well satisfied he was not at home when it called. It is get- ting to be a well-recognized fact, that if public officials do not carry themselves straight in these days of reform, lightning will be after them in some shape or other."
BURNING OF THE COURT-HOUSE.
February 4, 1881, a little after two o'clock in the morning, the quiet people of Charles City were startled from their slumbers by the fierce clanging of the fire bell. A stiff breeze was blowing from the southeast at the time, and everybody's first thought was, "Is it on Main. street?" On looking at the court-house, the flames were seen climbing heavenward up the cupola. Marshal Loper, while making his rounds, on the northeast side of the river, saw a bright and fitful light in the recorder's office, which could come from nothing short of a general blaze. He ran to the Union House and aroused the citizens, and then hurried off to ring the Baptist church bell. A crowd collected, but too late to save anything except what was in the sheriff's office, and a few other things. Capt. Baier had his office here, and all his books were saved, including his fine set of abstracts. Also, the county clerk's seal, which fortunately was on the window sill, the tax books and some valuable papers of 1880, ledger, a few important vouchers, most of the books of the recorder's office, the auditor's most im- portant records and vouchers, the books of the clerk's office, and a few minor articles, being in vaults and safes, were not con- sumed.
The origin of the fire will probably never be fully known, but after a careful examination of the ruins, the supervisors came to the con- clusion that it started from a defective flue in the recorder's office. The brick of the chimney was found fallen out between the ceiling of that office and the floor above, giving vent for the fire between
340
HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
the two. This is the only way that the flames appearing almost simultaneously in both stories, can be accounted for.
The absolute loss could not fall short of $30,000, besides the loss of valuable papers, maps, etc., which can be measured by no mere cash value. The insurance was $15,000.
No sooner was the court-house in ashes than the old question of removing the county seat was revived and agitated with consider- able animosity. Articles, bitter and sweet, were written for the newspapers, meetings were held, speeches made, crimination and recrimination indulged in.
The members of the Board of Supervisors were immediately called together by telegraph, who made temporary arrangements for the county officers, and employed A. L. Collins to erect a temporary building for the county offices until a new court-house could be built. In the course of a month a settlement was effected with the insurance companies, who, after some efforts to compromise, decided to re-build if they could find a responsible man who would give bonds in $50,000. Milo Gilbert accepted their offer. June 8 following, on the third day of the session of the Board of Super- visors, W. K. Bronson, of Floyd Township, in behalf of the peti- tioners for the removal of the county seat to Floyd, appeared before the Board; and at the same time T. A. Hand, of Hand & Spriggs, Charles City, appeared in behalf of remonstrants. Mr. Bronson stated that he had a petition, but that, before he filed it, there were certain questions which he would like to have de- termined beforehand, as they would have an important bearing in deciding the contest, and he submitted the following propositions : · 1. Will duly verified affidavits, made by parties who have signed both petition and remonstrance, in which they now ask that the Board strike their names from the remonstrance and count them on the petition, be allowed and the request granted, said affidavits being the same or similar in form to the one hereunto annexed?
2. Will the sworn statements of such parties, claiming that they were induced to make the change through fraud, misrepre- sentation, coercion or any other base or improper motive, and that it is not a true expression of their will, be received as evidence and deemed a sufficient reason for granting their request?
3. Will parties who have signed both papers and on their per- sonal appearance ask the Board that they (the parties) may cancel their names on the remonstrance and have them counted on the petition, be allowed this privilege?
341
HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
4. Will parties whose names appear on both papers, on making oath that they never signed the remonstrance themselves, or author- ized any one else to sign it for them, be allowed to erase their names on the remonstrance and have them counted on the petition ?
These propositions were referred to the judiciary committee, who decided that they were based upon the theory that a remonstrance was on file, and that objections had already been taken thereto, when in fact no remonstrance had been filed. They therefore recommended that the Board do not pass upon or determine the question to submit until such time in the further hearing of the matter as they saw proper to do so. Mr. Bronson, when he filed his remonstrance, presented to the Board a tightly soldered tin box, both water-proof and inspection proof, informing them that he therewith filed a petition from the legal voters of Floyd County, asking that the question of the removal of the county seat to Floyd be submitted to the legal voters at the coming general election; and he assured the Board that the box contained petitions to which were signed the names of a majority of all the legal voters as re- quired by law; but he did not wish to have the box opened at that particular time .. The honorable Board gazed at this "petition," or rather at the tin cerements, and adjourned for dinner.
After dinner Mr. Bronson asked leave to withdraw his petition which he had filed, but was refused by the Board. In the mean- time the supervisors, not being able to see clearly, or examine to their satisfaction, the petitions, which were soldered up in the tin box and Mr. Bronson protesting against the opening of the box, telegraphed to Hon. John B. Cleland, District Attorney at Osage, who came to Charles City on the 1:30 train that day and appeared before the Board as a legal adviser. The Board then stated the facts of the presentation of that petition encased in tin and in- quired of the district attorney what he wished to do with it. The latter replied that the Board may take such action as they saw fit; that after a petition for a re-location of the county seat was pre- sented to the Board and filed, it was open for inspection. Where- upon the county auditor, as clerk of the Board, reached for the fire poker and with a few well-directed blows succeeded in opening one end of the box, and the petition was taken out and examined. Mr. Bronson, before the box was opened, did present a copy of the petition; but Mr. Hand, in behalf of the Charles City party, re- fused to present the remonstrance until the box was opened, main-
-
342
HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
taining that before the law it was not known that anything more than a tin box was filed !
The next day it was announced that 1,445 names were signed to the petition, properly certified to be those of legal voters of Floyd County, and that 1,925 names, similarly certified, attached to the remonstrance; that there was a large number of names signed to the petition which appeared also on the remonstrance; and that the exact number which appeared on both papers it was unprofita- ble and unnecessary for the Board to determine, as there was a ma- jority of 480 in favor of the remonstrance. Thereupon the prayer of the petitioners was unanimously denied.
According to the arrangements already referred to, Milo Gilbert received the contract for building the new court-house, for $17,000, the dimensions to be the same as the old one, fifty by seventy fe et on the old foundation. Judge Collins superintended the work, in behalf of the county. The building was commenced in April, 1881, and finished in November following. The new vault cost $1,100 and the furniture, desks, cases, etc., $7,000 more. On the first floor are all the county offices, as those of auditor, treasurer, recorder, clerk, sheriff and superintendent of schools; the upper story comprises the court-room, two jury rooms and a consultation room.
The new court-house is built of the best brick, finished with stone trimmings, is handsomely designed, and is therefore a beautiful and substantial structure.
THE JAIL.
Not until 1881 did Floyd County have a jail of her own, such is the probity of her citizens. Now and then a rascal was caught by her authorities, but he was lodged in the jail of a neighboring county. By and by the question arose whether it would not be safer, as well as cheaper, to have a cage nearer home, say within a few rods of the place where these prisoners were to be tried. The question so far matured in the affirmative, that by June 8, 1869, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution submitting to the voters of the county the question of raising $18,000 by tax for the erection of a jail, the vote to be taken at the next regular elec- tion in October. This project, however, the people hardly felt ready for, and it failed to be carried through.
Jan. 10, 1879, the Board of Supervisors adopted the following preamble and resolutions:
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
"Whereas, it appears that this county has been for the year end- ing Dec. 31, 1878, at an extra expense of $1,500, for want of a suitable place to care for our own prisoners, over and above what it would have cost had we a county jail; and whereas, such ex- pense is steadily increasing from year to year; and whereas, this county has the sum of $2,600 cash in hand of a jail fund, and 1,- 520 acres of land in Emmett County, deeded to it for purposes of internal improvement; therefore, be it resolved, that the further sum of $5,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be and is hereby appropriated for the erection of a suitable building for a county jail; provided that the aforesaid lands in Emmett County shall be taken as part payment, at the price of $2 per acre. And be it further resolved, that Supervisors Waterbury, Towner and Oaks be and are hereby appointed a special committee, to select plans, receive bids, contract for and superintend the erection of said county jail, as soon as said work can be proceeded with."
Immediately a doubt was raised as to the propriety of appropri- ating swamp lands to the building of a jail, and the same month the foregoing resolutions were rescinded. At the same time E. J. Gilbert, the County Treasurer, calculated to a nicety that with a jail it would cost $1,729 (that is, $1.73 per day,) to keep each prisoner, and without a jail $1,337. He also stated that in 1873 C. A. Slocum, then Auditor, sold $5,000 worth of the Emmett County land, placing $1,994 in the bridge fund and $2,500 in the county tund; and that the exact amount of money used in the county fund (Feb. 6, 1879) which properly belonged to the pur- poses of internal improvement was $2,614.22, which, if taken out of the county fund, must be added to the amount overdrawn Jan. 1, making $4,708.22 overdrawn.
July 7, 1880, the Board unanimously adopted the following: " Whereas, a careful enumeration of the expenses incurred by this county in caring for its prisoners, establishes the fact that it costs $700 more per annum to keep prisoners in the jails of neighboring counties, than it would to keep them at home; and whereas a great deal of inconvenience and delay are incurred in the transac- tion of the criminal business of this county for want of a county jail, in addition to the risk and insecurity attendant on having prisoners in charge of bailiffs; and whereas the firm of C. H. Sparks & Co., have made to this Board a proposition to erect a jail according to plans and specifications submitted; therefore, re- solved that the sum of $5,000, or so much thereof as may be
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
necessary, be and is hereby appropriated for the erection of a county jail, and that the proposition of C. H. Sparks & Co., be and is hereby accepted."
Accordingly a contract was entered into with this party, a Des Moines firm, who proceeded to work and finished the jail early in 1881. It is built of brick; the main building, or residence, is twenty-seven feet by thirty, and one and a half stories high; the jail proper is twenty-five by twenty-one, containing two cells, with a steel corridor on one side of them. An addition was built in 1882. The building is located near the west corner of the court- house grounds, and since its erection but two or three prisoners have been lodged therein. E. A. Reiniger is the present sheriff.
POOR- HOUSE AND FARM.
Prior to 1869 the township trustees or supervisors took charge of the dependent poor within their respective townships or districts, letting them out to responsible parties on contract.
June 8, 1869, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution submitting, for the next general election in October, the question of raising $6,000 by tax, with which to purchase a poor farm. This was the amount required to purchase 240 acres, at $25 an acre-a lot about two and a half miles south of Floyd, on sections twenty-eight and thirty-three, offered to the county for this pur- pose. The tax was voted and the farm purchased. There was a small residence on it, and a barn, which was afterward struck by lightning and burned down. Additions have since been made to the residence, at a total expense of nearly a thousand dollars. Henry D. Sprague now has charge of this farm.
With the increase of foreign population comes more than a pro- portional increase of pauperism. By the year 1878 the burdens of this misfortune began to be severely felt in Floyd County, and special efforts were put forth to meet the emergency. The Charles City Aid Society made an earnest appeal in February, 1879, for supplies for the poor within their jurisdiction, and in answer to inquiries the County Auditor published statistics, as follows:
The total amount expended for relief of poor outside of poor farm for the year 1878, as reported by the Board of Supervisors in January, 1879, was $3,859.49, only $27.10 of which should be chargeable to insane expenses. Of this amount the township trustees had ordered $3,171.38, and the Board of Supervisors $661.01. By townships the figures were:
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
TOWNSHIPS.
NO. OF PAUPERS.
COST.
Charles City .
61
$309 31
St. Charles.
6
182 71
Floyd .
17
796 32
Rock Grove
16
322 86
Rudd.
2
34 00
Rockford
13
510 25
Ulster
9
50 00
Scott
3
248 75
Union
6
94 34
Pleasant Grove
1
10 00
Riverton
7
190 72
Niles
5
53 85
Cedar
16
34 60
Transient . .
119 95
Other Counties
375 72
$3,832 39
Of the foregoing amount there was expended for medical at- tendance, $1,221.87; funeral expenses, $84; subsistence and cloth- ing, $1,563.60; rent, $148.75; fuel, $150.51; nursing and care of sick, $465.96; transportation, $257.70; paid overseers of the poor, $40.
The number of paupers in the county, however, could be given only approximately, as in most parts of the county only the heads of the families were named in the reports. Of the total number reported, fifty-two were women and children, without husband or father to provide for them. In seventy-one cases of the remainder, personal injury of some kind, or sickness, made the relief necessary. The three items of medical attendance, funeral expenses, and care of the sick, constistute nearly a half of the expenses; but it was remarkable that the funeral expenses should be so light, compared with those of medical attendance. "Tramps" were numerous, and it was often impossible to distinguish them from the worthy poor.
CHAPTER IV.
POLITICAL.
The difficulty in collecting data for this chapter can be appreci- ated only by those who have undertaken to compile a similar one. Many who have served the nation, State, or county, have passed. away; others have removed and their residences are unknown ..
Co GRESSIONAL.
William W. Chapman was the first Representative in Congress from the Territory of Iowa, and served in the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth sessions of Congress. In 1839 Francis Gehon was. elected, but declining to serve, Augustus C. Dodge was elected and served in the Twenty-seventh, Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Con- gresses. Gen. Dodge is yet living and has been an active man in. the history of the State.
On the formation of the State it was entitled to two Representa- tives in Congress, the two being elected on a general ticket. The first election was in October, 1846. Shepherd Lefler, of Burling- ton, and S. Clinton Hastings, of Muscatine, were elected and served in the Twenty-ninth Congress. At the session of the Legis- lature in the winter of 1846-'47 the State was divided into two- districts, Floyd County forming a part of the first. William Thompson, of Mt. Pleasant, was awarded the certificate of election, but was unseated by the House of Representatives on a contest, and the election remanded to the people. At this second election, held Sept. 4, 1850, Daniel F. Miller, of Fort Madison, was elected, and served in the second session.
The districts being changed, Floyd County became part of the Second, and was represented in the Thirty-second Congress by Lincoln Clark, of Dubuque, serving from 1851 to 1853. From 1853 to 1855 John P. Cook, of Davenport, was the Representative, and was succeeded in 1855 by James Thorington, of Davenport, who served until 1857, when Timothy Davis, of Elkader, was. elected.
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
This brings us to a time where the succession can be more intel- ligibly traced by comparing the general remarks on the following pages with the election returns near the close of this chapter.
In 1854 the Missouri Compromise, prohibiting the extension of slavery in territory north of 36° 30', was repealed, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, and this opened slavery agita- tion to a greater extent than ever. 'This continued through 1855, and in 1856 former issues dividing political parties disappeared. The Whig party ceased to exist, and on its ruins were erected two other parties, one having for its central truth opposition to the further extension of slavery, and the other that American-born citizens must rule America. These parties of course absorbed many of the members of the old Democratic party. The American party, not being opposed to slavery, or, at least, making no opposition to it, either in the States in which it existed or the newly formed Ter- ritories, where it had been made subject to admission by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, became a numerous body in the South, with many adherents in the North. The Republican party, basing its claims for popular suffrage upon its advocacy of free- dom in the Territories, was not permitted an [existence in the Southern States, and of necessity was confined to the North. The first State Convention by the newly organized Republican party was held at Iowa City, Feb. 22, and placed a ticket in the field for State officers, and adopted a platform in accordance with the principles of equal rights and firm opposition to slavery. The Democratic Convention met at the capitol June 26, nominated a ticket, and adopted a platform in accordance with that adopted at the National Convention at Cincinnati. The nominations of James Buchanan and John C. Breckenridge were enthusiastically confirmed.
The Republicans of this county organized Aug. 30, 1856, adopt- ing a platform which denounced the repeal of the Missouri Com- promise and all efforts to turn free territory into the service of slavery. Constitution and by-laws were adopted, and the follow- ing officers were elected:
A. L. Collins, Pres .; S. Hackley, W. G. Ferguson, V. W. Corey, and J. G. Griffith, Vice-Pres .; V. W. Montagne, Treas .; J. M. Parsons, Rec. Sec .; S. B. Starr, Cor. Sec .; and a Board of Directors. The Democrats also organized (at Chester Butter- field's residence, Aug. 9). But the county-seat contest and other
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
local interests rendered the campaign a very hot one on other than national issues. The Republicans, of course, were successful.
In 1857, State and county officers were to be elected. The Re- publicans in State Convention re-adopted the platform of the pre- vious year, together with appropriate resolutions upon national topics. The Democracy met in convention, and after nominating a State ticket passed resolutions in accordance with their views of national policy. The Democratic Convention met at Des Moines, June 23, nominated a ticket, and on national questions passed reso - lutions supporting the action of the Government and the judicial tribunals, deprecating the agitation of the slavery question, and denouncing British outrages. In this county the Republicans were successful in all cases where direct political issues were made, but the vote was light. On the proposed amendment to strike the word " white " from the State Constitution, in the qualifications of voters, there were 312 votes given for it to 198 against it. The proposition was thought by many to encourage amalgamation.
The political campaign of 1858 was somewhat exciting, local interest in Floyd County being somewhat increased by the fact that both the editors of the St. Charles City Intelligencer were in the field as candidates, A. B. F. Hildreth, the senior editor, for Mem- ber of the Board of Education, on the Republican ticket, and D. D. W. Carver, for Clerk of the District Court, on the Democratic ticket. Of course Mr. Hildreth was elected and Mr. Carver was not, although the latter ran ahead of his ticket in this county.
In 1858 and 1859 the same general issues divided parties-those growing out of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the attempted introduction of slavery into Kansas. On State officers the Republicans were uniformly successful, but on county officers the personal popularity of candidates was more important than their political views. Messrs. Wm. Vandever and B. M. Samuels, both residents of Dubuque, were candidates for Congress to repre- sent the Second District, comprising the northern half of Iowa. They held public discussions in 1859 in this district, as also did Hon. E. G. Bowdoin and Dr. W. C. Stanberry, Republican and Democratic candidates respectively for Representative at Des Moines. Hon. James Harlan, candidate for United States Senator, and Moses Conger, candidate for State Senator, spoke on the political issues of the day at St. Charles City, Sept. 10. This year all the Republican candidates had a Republican majority in this county.
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HISTORY OF FLOYD COUNTY.
The campaign of 1860 has never had a parallel in the history of the Government, unless it be that of 1840. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, which it had been hoped would have settled the slavery controversy by referring the question to the people of the Territories, who were more directly interested in the matter, served rather to unsettle it, dividing the Democratic party and more firmly uniting the Republican party. The Republican Con- vention was called to meet at Chicago, for the purpose of nominat- ing candidates for President and Vice-President. In this conven- tion it was plain to see who was the favorite of the lookers-on. Every mention of Lincoln's name was received with cheer after cheer. Three ballots were taken, Mr. Lincoln receiving a majority of the whole votes, and was made the unanimous choice of the con- vention amidst the most intense enthusiasm. Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, was selected as the candidate for Vice-President.
The Democratic National Convention was called to meet at Charleston, South Carolina. The friends of Stephen A. Douglas were very active in urging his claims to the nomination for the presidency, many of the delegates from the Northern States being instructed to use all honorable means to that end. The claims of Douglas were stoutly contested by the leaders of the Democracy of the South, and it was evident some time before the convention assembled that it would be difficult to come to an agreement .. Meeting in the city of Charleston, April 23, the convention re- mained in session ten days, at the expiration of which time no nomination was made, many of the delegates from the Southern States withdrawing. The rule of the National Democratic Con- vention required a two-thirds vote of the entire body for any can- didate to secure his nomination. So many delegates withdrawing, after taking fifty-seven ballots, it was found impossible for any can- didate to secure that number. An adjournment was then had to Baltimore, June 19.
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