USA > Iowa > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 20
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A CONTEST FOR REPRESENTATIVE
The contest began in a primary election in Webster City held prior to a con- vention, on the 17th of June, 1871, to elect delegates to said convention. L. L. Estes and I. Doane were the candidates voted for and Estes was successful. The Freeman in giving the "result of last Friday" said :
"The primary clection in this township last Friday afternoon for the election of delegates to the county convention was, as usual, carried on with much interest and considerable excitement and resulted in a decisive victory for the ‘Down Town' (or Estes) ticket. In a total vote of 357 the 'Down Town' ticket received 244 and the 'Up Town' (or Doane) ticket, 113 votes-giving the Estes dele. gates a majority of 128."
By this vote fourteen Estes delegates were elected to the county convention.
The result of the primary election and the above notice of it brought Judge Doane out-an article in the Freeman claiming that it "put him in a false position before the people and did him injustice." The letter is too long to copy here. It is only mentioned as the beginning of the controversy that ran all through the can- vass. It was replied to by the editor in which among other things is said :
"Again the judge declares that 'temperance' and 'free whiskey' entered into the contest and thinks 'old redeye' got the advantage of him. Well. we can only say of this phase of the question, that stubborn facts must prove or disprove his assertion. The fact that he is known to be an active ( and we believe) con- sistent temperance man, may have lost the judge a few votes ; but we are informed by prominent members of the temperance lodge here that a large majority of the
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temperance men voted for the Estes ticket-not that they loved Judge Doane less, but the 'Down Town' ticket more."
The Freeman undoubtedly mirrored the state of public sentiment as it under- stood it, making it quite certain that whether the "up" or "down" town contention had been declared a part of the contest at the time, it unquestionably entered into it and became more apparent as the discussion went on, and the "Up Town" men entered actively into the contest to defeat Mr. Estes. When the district convention met at Liberty (now Goldfield), Wright county, there were four delegates each from Humbolt and Wright and eight from Hamilton. These were the days when Hon. N. B. Hyatt was a leader in the republican party, and though he was not elected a delegate to this convention, it was seen that to secure Estes' nomination, some able work would have to be done, and as he was a shrewd politician, a proxy was secured for him. He was a member of the Hamilton delegation, and was made chairman of the convention. When the balloting began Estes had eight votes and Huett had eight, and it was soon found that Humbolt and Wright had en- tered into an agreement to stand by Hyatt to the end. The Hamilton delegates voted at times for almost every prominent republican in Wright county, and any Wright county delegate could have had the nomination at any time by simply voting for himself and breaking the deadlock, but they stood firm and 191 ballots were taken, always a tie, when chairman Hyatt on the IgIst ballot ruled that as chairman, he had the right to a casting vote, there being a tie. This claim was vehemently protested against by the Huett delegates, and as the chairman per- sisted in his ruling and had half of the delegates in the convention at his back, it was useless to appeal from the decision. So the delegates from Wright and Humbolt withdrew from the convention; met and nominated Huett. The Ham- ilton county delegates nominated Estes, and the contest was opened. The demo- crats put one Van Meter, of Humbolt, in nomination, but in the general clamor and contention between the other two, he was in a measure lost sight of and failed to carry more than two-thirds of the democratic vote. He received only 50 votes în Wright county. Estes had only 3 votes in Humbolt county and Huett received 260 in Hamilton. Estes had 307 majority over Huett in Hamilton, while Huett had 140 majority in Wright and 346 in Humbolt. There was a great deal of bitterness developed in the contest and charges of personal dishonesty, in- trigue and trickery were freely made against both candidates. Outcroppings of that bitterness may even yet be found both in this county and in Wright. It is quite certain that the "up" and "down town" fight lost this county a representative.
A CONTEST FOR SHERIFF
A good deal of interest was also awakened in Hamilton county over the election of a sheriff. Fred A. Harris was the regular republican nominee and as there were several candidates before the convention, the defeated ones claimed Fred was not fairly nominated and pooled their grievances and H. C. Hillock came out as an independent candidate. J. G. Bonner was the democratic candidate and these three made a thorough canvas. Harris was elected but we shall see as we go on that the contest was to be renewed against him in two years and encompass his defeat. At this election, Eckstein was reelected treasurer; Chas. A. Wickware, auditor ; Rev. J. A. Potter, superintendent of schools ; M. Sweeney, supervisor.
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STARTING THE INDEX
Following upon the spirited election of 1871 which left the "up" and "down" town controversy in an aggravated condition was the starting of a newspaper called the Index as a representative of the "up" town interests. It was started by the Raber Brothers. three in number, who came from New York for the purpose. arriving in Webster City on the 8th day of December, 1871. Between the 5th and roth of January, 1872. they issued a small sheet announcing their intention of starting a paper and on the 13th of January the first regular issue of the Index appeared. This was the second newspaper established in Hamilton county. The criticisms of the Index upon the county management brought back the fire of the Freeman and created a most lively controversy which grew personal in its nature. during the time Mr. J. C. Irvin was the editor. Mr. Todisman became the editor of the Index in the fall of 1872 and early in the spring of 1873, Lew W. Raber placed his name at the head of the paper as editor, though he was only editor in name. Judge Doane being engaged to do the writing for it from that time until in the spring of 1874, when the publication was suspended and the plant was taken to Tipton, Iowa, where the Cedar County Farmer was started, Judge Doane accompanying and becoming the editor of that paper for one year. It was dur- ing the stay of the Index in this county that the grange movement was started and that paper became the organ of the antimonopoly party, though it was started as a republican paper.
In the fall of IS71 the fourth church built in the county was erected. It was the Catholic church, on the river bluff east of the east bridge. It was not com- pleted, however, and ready for use until the spring of 1872.
In September, 1871, the First National Bank was organized in Webster City with Kendall Young as president and O. K. Eastman as cashier, and the bricl building in which the bank took up its quarters was built. It continued to occupy the same building until 1892. when it removed to its present quarters at the north- west corner of Seneca and Second streets. Kendall Young was continuously its president until the time of his death.
THE LIQUOR INTERESTS WIN
It will be remembered by the readers that Hamilton county had, by a vote. adopted the prohibitory law, and the same was in force during the year of 1871. It was at the general election in that year resubmitted to a vote of the people. At the previous submission, a very light vote had been cast upon that question, but now everybody voted and there were 927 votes cast of which 201 were for prohi- bition and 726 against it. From that time until 1884 the license law prevailed in the county.
A SAD STORY
Early in June, a young German girl named Anna Lahman came from Fort Dodge to Webster City with a young child that she was trying to dispose of. After remaining in town two or three days and being unable to find a place for the child, she left the Potter House, where she had been stopping and apparently
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went into the country. When she returned to town, a couple of hours later, she went to Mr. Samuel Cooper's but without the child. This caused suspicion and Sheriff Harris went to her and inquired what she had done with it. She said she had left it in the country. Mr. Harris got a buggy and insisted that she should accompany him to the place where she left it, as she did not seem to know the name of the person with whom it was left. She got into the buggy and they started over the east bridge. Before going far she broke down and pointing the way, directed him to a little ravine that puts into Lyon's creek some rods north of the road that led up into the White Fox neighborhood. Here in a little hole gullied out by the water, perhaps three feet long and eighteen inches deep and a foot wide. he found the child where the mother had sunk it in the water. It was dead, of course, and the sheriff left it and returning to town secured the services of Coroner FF. J. McConnell who held an inquest over the remains and the jury rendered a verdict that it came to its death by the hands of its mother. Anna Lahman. She was arrested but waived examination and was committed for trial at the next term of the district court. She had been living for a year or more in respectable families in Fort Dodge and was a good servant girl and had borne a good reputa- tion. She could not keep her place and the baby, and she was trying to dispose of the baby and return to the Fort before her place there would be taken by another. Her money had become exhausted, and being among strangers in her desperate sit- uation, she deliberately took the child to the place above described and sank it in the water, no doubt holding it down until it ceased to move and then left it. She was ignorant and simple minded, and her greatest anxiety on her arrest was that the proceedings would not be very long so that she could get back to her place in Fort Dodge. She was indicted at the November term of the district court for in- fanticide and on a trial was convicted of manslaughter. Her youth and feeble- minded innocence created a general sympathy for her, by all who heard the trial and when Judge Chase sent her to the reform school instead of the penitentiary a general feeling of relief and approbation was expressed.
PROSPECTS OF ANOTHER RAILROAD
The people of Hamilton county were not satisfied with one railroad-the Illi- nois Central-and there was a general clamor for a north and south line. It was strongly urged that a north and south line was now needed to develop our re- sources and set the county on the highway to permanent prosperity.
Of course, Webster City was conceded to be the one point in the county where such a road must strike, but to the south, each township and community wanted to secure the road. It was wanted on the west side of the river with a depot at Homer. It was wanted on the east side of the river with a depot at Saratoga. It was wanted on the east side of the county with a depot at or near Lakin's grove. But while every locality wanted the road, and nearly every man wanted a depot on his farm, all agreed upon the necessity of a road running north and south, let it go where it would.
Nobody thought of a railroad being built in those days, without local aid. It was usual to vote taxes, but that kind of aid struck pocketbooks all alike, while the road benefitted the few, very much more than the many. That no one would be
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personally taxed to aid in securing a road, it was proposed to vote the swamp land interest of the county in aid of a road. Our readers will see that this swamp land was a wonderful fund to have on hand, and served as an escape valve for a num- ber of public projects needing private aid, as it had already been voted away a number of times, but like the "bad bill," try however hard they might, the people could not get rid of it. Here was a chance to get rid of the swamp lands, and as nobody ever heard of a railroad company refusing anything, it seemed sure to go this time, if enough was offered with it to secure the building of a road. These were times, too, when a great many people thought themselves able to build a rail- road. It was easily done. All you had to do was to form a construction company. incorporate so that your private property could not be taken for debt, make a con- tract, go along the proposed line and get taxes and other subsidies enough to build the road, find a company that would take it off your hands, and all you could get for it would be so much ready profit cleared. There were plenty of proposed lines through lowa then. Each proposed line had a construction company behind it, and nearly every town had at least a vice president of a railroad (construction) company in it, while presidents of railroads were to be encountered every day. It is not strange, then, that when everybody wanted a railroad built and nearly every- body was ready to build one, that the prospects were good for at least two in the county. Two made application for aid. They were the Iowa, Minnesota & North Pacific and the Des Moines, Boone & Northern. The latter was to start at Des Moines, come through Boone, Webster City, and go northeast to Mason City. The former seems to have started out somewhere near Burlington and was to pass through this county from the southeast to the northwest making Webster City a principal point. What wild dreams floated in the air! What a mighty rise in real estate was to follow the incoming of these two roads! And they were sure to come for local men of note, whose names were familiar in the towns they lived in, were presidents and vice presidents of them, and they knew how to take care of their own and our interests. They were both applicants for local aid. Artemus Ward was willing to put down the rebellion if he had to sacrifice all his wife's rela- tions. So the people of the county were willing to get the road if they had to sac- rifice the swamp land, and in the fall of 1871 the question of donating the lands to the building of these two roads was put to a vote. Of course, it carried, only 62 votes being cast against it. So much was secured, but that was not enough. Taxes were asked and generally voted. Some of the townships wouldn't vote taxes. Fremont was one. My, how Fremont was abused for it. Her citizens had no public spirit, whatever. Now, the road was sure to come, at least the Des Moines Boone road. The timber lands along the Des Moines river were lined with busy choppers getting out railroad ties. Why "the contract had been let!" The spirit of the times was railroad prospects. It was the talk of the street, the public gathering and the fireside. No one knew for certain where the roads were to run. Many a farmer could plainly see that it would run through his place and many an air castle was built with a railroad depot and a thriving little town on the right spot, a settler's own farm. Can any of the old settlers recall the fact? Alas, for the high expectations! The whole project fell through. The air castles fell down. The railroad ties so bravely cut either rotted down or were converted into stove wood, all to give place to other proposed roads and other air castles that never materialized, even though at last a north and south road was built.
CHAPTER X THE NEW COURTHOUSE-PRINCIPAL EVENTS OCCURRING DURING THE "SEVENTIES"
THE GRANGE-TILE ANTI-MONOPOLY CAMPAIGN-A STARTLING ACCIDENT-TIIE UNI- VERSALIST SOCIETY ORGANIZED-THIE FREEMAN CHANGES HANDS-TIIE ARGUS ESTABLISHED-THE CAMPAIGN OF '74-ELECTING A SHERIFF-RAISING FUNDS FOR A NEW COURTHOUSE-THE NEW COURTIIOUSE-SEEKING BIDS FOR TILE NEW COURTHOUSE-SELLING THE SWAMP LAND THE CONTRACT AWARDED THE WORK COMMENCED-LAYING THE CORNER STONE-COMPLETING THE BUILDING- THE CEREMONY OF DEDICATION-THE WILLIAMS STANDARD STARTED-GRASS- IIOPPERS AGAIN-MORE RAILROAD PROSPECTS-THE TOWN OF CALLANAN-THE CALLANAN HERALD-TWO MURDERS-ANOTHER VOTE ON THE RAILROAD TAY- THE ADVERTISER STARTED-HOG CIIOLERA-NEW BRIDGES-TIIE COUNTY POOR FARM-THE CHEESE FACTORY-THE FIRST MEMORIAL SERVICE-A SOLDIERS' RE- UNION-THE WELBERG TRAGEDY-THE TOLEDO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY. 1
By F. Q. Lce
TILE GRANGE
The hard times beginning to be felt early in 1872, the farmers' organiza- tion called "The Grange," attributed them to the exorbitant charges of rail- roads for freight transportation ; to the large amount of additional cost added to supplies used by farmers by reason of so many "middle men;" high taxes consequent upon extravagant public management and numerous other less im- portant reasons.
To remedy the evils, they proposed to pass a law fixing a maximum freight tariff ; to procure supplies of farm machinery at less additional cost on account of middle men; to reduce taxation by reducing salaries of public officials, and to administer the public affairs on more economic principles. The first Grange established in the county was at Hook's Point, in May, 1872. This was followed in June by the organization of the second Grange in Webster City. By this time opposition to the Grange and its proposed measures on the one hand, and its own commendatory articles and speeches on the other, brought the subject to general notice. It became the theme of universal conversation, and the farmers generally took to it like ducks to water. Consequently, subordinate granges were rapidly organized all over the county.
Mr. W. W. Boak, a prominent and influential farmer of Fremont township, procured an organizer's commission and was almost constantly employed in
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organizing new granges, so that by July, originating from, if not by authority of this organization, the following proclamation was issued :
PRODUCERS VS. NON-PRODUCERS
Rally for your rights! Equal and exact justice for all men !- Who would be free, themselves mist strike the blow!
COUNTY CONVENTION OF THE PRODUCERS OF HAMILTON COUNTY
Farmers, Mechanics, Hand Workers:
All voters of Hamilton county who cherish the principles of liberty, who hate tyranny and oppression, who seek political reform, honesty of government, the overthrow of aristocratic legislation, and who aim to place the power of the government where it justly belongs, in the hands of the people, are invited to meet in mass convention on the 15th day of July, 1873. at 10 o'clock a. m., in the schoolhouse at Saratoga, eight miles south of Webster City or in the grove near by, for the purpose of organizing Hamilton county by adopting measures to elect producers to office, against the power and plots of non-producers who. through the tricks and machinery of their various political combinations, have driven the 'producing classes to the wall and compelled them to "make bricks without straw." Who establish and maintain among them swarms of officers to harass them and eat out their substance, and are fast riveting the chains of slavery upon the laboring and producing classes and converting our republic into a despotismn.
All who attend and participate in the deliberations of this convention will be considered as having publicly pledged their honor to aid and promote its object. All who yet adhere to old parties and intend to support either the republican, democratic or liberal party nominations for office at the coming election are notified to abstain from interference with the proceedings of this convention.
To this petition was printed the names of one hundred representative farmers from all parts of the county, with a note, that the names printed were only a part of those signed to the call. The call was published in the Freeman and Index.
It was the largest political mass convention ever held in the county. Col. Chas. Whitaker was president and G. C. Cole, secretary. Speeches were made by Colonel Whitaker, J. A. Snodgrass. G. D. Sutton, Judge Maxwell, Chas. Biernatzki, N. H. Hellen, J. T. Haight, Alex. Thompson, and others. In calling the convention it was feared that the opponents of the movement would turn out in large numbers and capture the nominations, and hence the peculiar caution was adopted of asking in the call that such not interfere. The convention was so large that it was believed by the leaders of the movement that their enemies were present in such numbers as to prevent nominations being made, or to create such disturbance and ill feeling as to seriously cripple the movement in its start. So the original design of nominating a ticket was abandoned, and it was determined to hold a delegate convention at Webster City. September ist. The Freeman took sides against the movement and spoke of the convention as
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a flat failure. The Index championed the movement and gave a glowing descrip- tion of its numbers, enthusiasm, and bitterly denounced the ring of politicians who opposed the move and were present to create a disturbance or capture the nominations if any were made. The Freeman was called "the ring organ." The Index was called the "Sutton-Doane Ring Managers" and politics became absolutely torrid. Abuse and vituperation seemed to be the principal stock in trade of the campaign, so far, at least, as it was reported in the newspapers. The members of the new party called "Anti-Monops," "Modox," "Hayseeds" and so on, while epithets equally opprobrious were hurled at the opposition. It would be very racy reading to copy some of the articles printed at that time. pro and con, but to do so would exceed the limit of our space, and while amusing. would not be very instructive. Therefore, we shall speak of them only in a general way.
THE ANTI-MONOPOLY CAMPAIGN
The new movement convention met at Webster City, called themselves anti- monopolists, and nominated the following ticket: For treasurer, W. M. Taylor ; auditor, R. O. Cutler : sheriff. L. Bickford; superintendent of schools, H. M. Lucas; supervisor. Joseph Bone; drainage commissioner, Henry Henryson ; coroner, T. J. Ament ; surveyor, Bradley.
The republicans held a primary election and presented the following ticket : For treasurer, John Eckstein; sheriff, Fred AA. Harris; auditor, Charles Wick- ware; superintendent of schools, C. A. Howd; drainage commissioner, John Hunt ; supervisor, H. Corbin ; surveyor, M. L. Tracy ; coroner, F. J. McConnell.
For representative: Anti-monoply. C. N. Overbaugh. Republican, J. W. Parmalee.
For senator: Anti-monopoly. J. A. Snodgrass. Republican, Elias Jessup.
Until this election, at least since 1860, the republicans had carried everything by an almost unanimious vote, and by majorities of from five to eight hundred. but the result of this election showed that the new movement, though only three months old, almost carried with it a majority of the people. Leander Bickford was elected sheriff. Taylor was beaten by Eckstein by only 70 votes, while Snod- grass came within 71 votes of being elected senator in the Hamilton-Hardin dis- trict. The general majorities for the republicans on the balance of the ticket averaged near 100. It was at this election that the anti-monopolists elected one- half of the legislature of the state. Had they been organized a month earlier in this county, they would most probably have elected a senator and representative both. It was the closest election, all around, ever held in the county since the war.
A STARTLING ACCIDENT
On the 26th day of June. 1873. little Eddie Snow, a child about twenty months of age, strayed away from his parents' dooryard which was near the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad, about three and a half miles west of Webster City, and got upon the railroad track just as the afternoon passenger train was going west. The train was late and running at a higher rate of speed than usual, and the train men did not see the little fellow in time to stop the train before it reached and ran over
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him. He was, of course, too young to know that there was any danger and made no move to leave the track. The engine and three or four cars passed over the little chap before the train was stopped and he was taken out from under it fear- fully mutilated. His mother who had just missed the child stepped out to look for him, saw him on the track at the time the train struck him. The conductor took the child and his mother upon the train and returned to Webster City, where both arms of the injured child were amputated, the right arm just below the elbow. the left near the shoulder. Notwithstanding his terrible injuries and the amputa- tion of both his arms, the little fellow survived and is now a strong and hearty young man. A suit was brought against the railroad company for damages, but the first jury on the trial disagreed and before a second trial the case was settled by the railroad company paying to the child's guardian, for his use and benefit. $1,500 and paying the costs already made.
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