USA > Iowa > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, Iowa, including a condensed history of the state, the early settlement of the county together with sketches of its pioneers > Part 18
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
town of Logan, was only $5,000, which amount was expended by the Board of Supervisors under the law, the citizens of Logan furnishing the remainder, as well as the entire block upon which the same is located. The building cost $14,000, and the block on which the same is located was reasonably worth, at the time the same was donated to the county, $2,000.
The county jail cost about $7,00€, and may be considered quite as safe as any of the jails in the interior counties in the State. This building is a two story brick, substantially con- structed, the second story of which is used for the residence of the jailor; and the first floor is occupied or contains the cells or iron cages for criminals, having a capacity for comfortably keeping eight or ten persons; more than this would crowd the unlucky or misguided ones.
In 1854 the county commenced constructing a court house at Magnolia, from funds derived from the sale of town lots, and this, though at one time deemed a reasonably fair building, soon yielded to the ravages of time and was considered by the Board of Supervisors in 1873 as unfit for the safety of the county records, when they let a contract for the building of a new office building, the same being completed in 1873, and from that time up to the removal of the county seat to Logan, in 1875, was used as offices for the different officials in the county.
This building cost $5,000, and when no longer used for the purposes for which it was built, was sold by the Board of Super- visors to certain persons representing the M. E. Church at Mag- nolia, and by this denominatiou has been used as a church build- ing from that date to the present.
The county jail, of which a description was above given, may be considered as safe as any in the interior of the State, and if, perchance, the same is not up to the standard of those in the larger cities, the fault is with the Board of Supervisors, for in this matter they have had the entire control.
As to restraining criminals, this structure has been as efficient
219
HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
as those of any other place, and has only failed to meet the de- mands of justice when those who were experienced in cracking "cribs" were placed therein. Safe blowers and such class of criminals soon discover the weak points in such iron structures, and in a very short time, when opportunity is had, saw or drill an orifice sufficiently large through which to escape.
The first jail delivery in Logan, after the completion of the present " cage," was while J. B. McArthur was Sheriff, and dur- ing his last year in office, in 1883, at which time two men escaped by cutting a square hole in the box which covered the handle hy which the cell doors were fastened and unfastened, and no sooner had this been accomplished, than one of the pris- oners became suddenly very sick and had the officer run for a doctor, and upon the return of the jailor and the man of pill fame, the cage in the jail was as empty of prisoners as the prisoners were short of honesty.
The next escapade was under the administration of J. D. Gar- rison in 1885, at which time there were some half dozen of des- perate characters lodged in the cells, who, in order to make an escape, either were furnished from the outside, or having on their persons, at the time of incarceration, drills, by the use of these so completely perforated the floor of the cells, that all that part within the circle of their drilling process lifted out and they were about to escape, when a new arrival was placed in their company, in the person of Matlock, the bigamist, who, being a man of larger size than any who had labored so faith- fully for liberty, this last prisoner threatened to alarm the jailor unless they would measure him and so enlarge the undertaking as to permit his escape, which threat brought the artists to time, and, as a result, the day of liberation was postponed for nearly two weeks, at which time the work of drilling was completed, and early one morning the entire squad of seven was missing, having escaped by drilling through the floor of the cells and wooden floor of the building, then entering the sewer and fol-
220
1 HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
lowing that until outside of the building, and came up at a con- venient place unmolested.
Within a few months after this event, and while the Sheriff (Garrison) was delivering to the officials at Mt. Pleasant some person of unsound mind, and having left Mr. Ab. Vanderhoof in charge of the prisoners in the jail, one day just after they had been served with dinner and while the deputy (Vanderhoof) was bearing away, or rather intending to bear away the dishes, and just upon his entering the corridor of the cage, one large muscular prisoner, having secreted himself behind a few blankets, leaped upon the deputy, held him fast, took the keys from him, unlocked the doors, and having liberated the entire posse, they stretched young Vanderhoof in one of the cells, a la crucifix, and having gagged him as well as placing a blanket beneath his feet to keep him from contracting cold, they then visited the resi- dence part, in the upper chamber and placed the hired girls in an adjoining cell to that of Mr. Vanderhoof, when they bade the frightened girls and unfortunate deputy good day and broke for timber west of the town.
As part and parcel of this squad, there were two " safe. crack- ers" whose knowledge of the business entitled them to the posi- tion of experts, and - unquestionably, there was not a jail in the State which would have held them, provided they were permit- ted to enter the same with drills and saws, or were furnished the same by parties from the outside.
At this time. of the numerous crackings of the jail, there was a farce being perpetrated in the way of punishment of one John Henry, who hailed from Missouri Valley and had been sentenced to a term in the county jail, but instead of being placed and kept in the cells as per the direction of the court in the sentence, this fellow was more of that which went to impress the out- sider, that he was an honored guest, than a criminal serving
221
HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
out a sentence of the court. The officers think the tools for cracking the cells were furnished by the friends of a certain Mr. Johnson then in jail.
At a time while Capt. C. H. Holmes was acting as Sheriff of the county, as far back as 1868, a horse thief being apprehended and in the interim between the finding of the indictment and the term for trial, he was being carried from Magnolia to Boone for safe keeping until trial, and while on the way from Logan to Boone, Mr. Prisoner, having cause to visit the closet, and being permitted to enter the same alone, made his escape through the window while the train was running at the rate of a mile in three minutes, so reported by the party, Mr. Holmes, who had him in custody. This is certain: the prisoner never reached Boone, or at least he never put in an appearance and demanded trial at Mag- nolia or at any place in the county since, for the offense then charged.
Jesse J. Peck, while Sheriff, in returning one Baldwin to Fort Madison, from which place he had been brought to testify in a case by which he was criminating others in the county for crookedness in the matter of horse flesh, permitted this fellow to take a stroll at Davenport, for while the prisoner was shack- led, and while standing waiting for a passing freight train to clear the way, the prisoner jumped under a car in motion and in fact cleared the same, and made off before the train had passed so that the Sheriff could make any attempt to capture him.
A little story might be told here, which took place in Mag- nolia, and transpired while John G. Downs was acting as Sheriff, in the year 1865, while the C. & N. W. Railroad was being built down the Boyer, and happened in this way: One afternoon while court was in session a party of the graders on this road came over to Magnolia to have a " hoo-doo," and as at that time the saloon was not hedged about by the stringency of the present
222
HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
law, they became quite patriotic, and one of the party gave indications of covetousness, which being carried into effect, he took, stole and carried away from the store of Rudasill & Wood a suit of clothes. These being missed by the owners, a warrant was issued and the wild Irishman arrested and the goods found on his person, when the case was immediately reported to the grand jury then in session, who immediately found a bill of indictment against the thief, and the next day he was put upon trial. .
A young limb of the law was appointed to defend him, and it was managed that the case should be tried at an evening session; trial was had, which only occupied a half hour, then followed the argument and instructions of the court, and the jury retired to make up their verdict. In twenty minutes the jury were thump- ing on the door demanding admission with a verdict, at which time the criminal for the first time interrogates his attorney as to what kind of verdict the jury would bring in; to which the attorney replied, "guilty, of course;" to which the criminal re- plied: "Is there no way for me to get off?" " Yes," says the attorney, " do as I tell you, and you can beat the court and jury." " How?" says the prisoner. " Well, sir, just as soon as the jury come into the court room, and just as the last man passes, when I give you a little push, you pull your hat down over your eyes, break quietly for the door, and when you get that far run like a race horse for Nebraska, and don't stop until you put a mile of Missouri river ice between you and court and Sheriff." The Sheriff and his deputies forgot the prisoner in their admira- tion for a jury who could agree in twenty minutes, and while they were watching the jury the attorney gave the prisoner the push, and he leaves the court room unnoticed by any save the aforesaid attorney and Captain Hill, who soon was ordered to, button up his face. The verdict was delivered to the court and
223
HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
read, when the court asks: "Do you wish to poll the jury, Mr. S .? " "Yes, sir." The names of all the jury were called con- secutively, and each distinctly inquired of: "Is that your ver- dict?" The answer being in the affirmative-this was to give the wild Irishman time-when the Court waked the officer from his reverie, by asking: "Mr. Sheriff, where is the prisoner?" " Oh, sir, he was here when the jury was coming in, but I don't see him now." "Find him, or I'll punish you for neglect," says the court, very angrily. The temple of justice was searched from turret to foundation stone, and no Irishman found, and where had he gone was the inquiry of all except Hill and S. The ridiculous position of Sheriff and Court soon caused a great roar of laughter by the bystanders, which angered the Court and Sheriff, that the court ordered that the house be cleared, which being done and after searching under seats and in every con- ceivable place in the building, nothing was found of the vanished Irishman.
At this time Judge Pendleton of Sioux City was on the bench, and it is said that which most mortified the court was that he had spent some time in the way of preparing a curtain lecture for Mr. Irishman, and when the bird had flown there was no opportunity for a display of eloquence or discourse on the hein- ousness of the violation of the eighth precept of the decalogue.
GROWTH OF POPULATION.
This has been as healthy as that of the increase of railroads, to which the attention has just been called. The first census reported is that of 1854, which, by the way, is only a matter of guess work; for the first census taken in this county and reported, was in the year 1856, at which time we are credited with 1,900 of a population, and this, by the way, is nine years after the first settler had located in the county. Fifty voters in 1853; these multiplied by four, would equal the population at that time, say
224
HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
two hundred in all. This unquestionably is not putting the same too high, for at that time the entire population could not be ar- rived at by this measurement, because, if we take the census of this county for the year 1885, and deduce a conclusion by the same means, we fall into an error, from the fact that at this date the voting population is more than one-fourth of the entire population, as shown by the statistics.
In 1885 there were in this county 20,560, and of these, 5,137 were entitled to vote, and there was at the same time 4,094 sub- ject to military duty. At the early stage of the settlement, while there were so many of the population single men, who were selecting homes for themselves, were the estimate to be three of . a population to one voter, the figures would more nearly state the true population of the county then. In 1856 the population was 1,900; in 1859, 3,132; in 1860, 3,621; in 1863, 3,663. This seeming stand-still in the matter of the population is readily accounted for; and Harrison county, like many other counties in this State, stands ready to give good and sufficient reasons for this stand-still. It will be remembered that from 1861, and during all the intervening time from that date until November, 1864, Harrison county furnished nearly four hundred volunteers, and the greater portion of these enlisted prior to the taking of the census of 1863. The records will show that three hundred and forty-seven men had enlisted before the 4th of July, 1863, and of these the greater portion were married men; and no better comment could be made upon the chastity and fidelity of the virtuous wives at home, than the record shown in the census reports of the State, wherein the figures therefor only designate an increase for the three intervening years of the small sum of forty-two; this number is more than accounted for by the num- ber of those who had taken refuge here from the draft from the eastern part of the State, and from other States. While speak-
225
HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
ing of this, I am reminded that quite a goodly number of per- sons, now residing in this county, came here under assumed names, names which pronounced in their hearing to-day would awaken memories not pleasant to contemplate; and though for the past twenty years they have comported themselves as good, law-abiding citizens, I will not now harass their feelings by giving either the true or assumed name of any such.
From 1863 to 1869 the population doubled, at the latter date being 5,836, and by 1873 had reached 10,348; and by the returns of 1885 had doubled again, which by the showing of the State returns, give the figures of 20,560; and to-day, were the enumer- ation again taken, the same would show 24,500.
The nativity of the present residents of the county is as varied as their different shades of countenance and peculiarity of likes and dislikes. Of this 24,500, only 1,000 were born in Iowa. Thirty-six of the States and six of the Territories of this Union are represented, as well as nearly all of the different parts of Europe.
The following, taken from the census returns, shows the na- tivity of our population, which I deem it not amiss to repro- duce: Ohio, 1,420; New York, 1,142; Pennsylvania, 858; Wis- consin, 349; Nebraska, 243; Virginia, 211; Kansas, 113; Illinois, 1,388; Indiana, 1,061; Missouri, 418; Michigan, 268; Vermont, 223; Kentucky, 164; there being a representation from twenty- three other States, though not any of them reaching the number of one hundred, and hence not given. They who were born in the Gulf and the Cotton States, as well as in the far West, have taken permanent lodgement here, and seem as happy and con- tented as they of the manner born.
The foreign element have sought and obtained homes in this far West; the strength thereof is manifest by the following, viz .: Germany, 498; Canada, 349; Denmark, 133; Scotland, 71; Bohemia, 21, and Holland, 5. Ireland, 436; England, 343; Sweden, 84; Norway, 46; Wales, 13, and France, 13. Of these, 15
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
the German seems to take the lead, and while the same is so, this class of settlers in any country soon build up the place and con- vert the prairies into a very paradise. Being conversant with all the proceedings of the courts in this county for the past thirty years, the record of the same fails to show a conviction of a single German in all that time. Nothing could be more recommendatory to any people, than such an unwritten record as this.
Next in order of numbers are those of the Emerald Isle, who, immediately upon arrival here, select a good home, and by hon- esty, industry and frugality soon acquire a competence, and are at this date well to the front as the richest and most law-abid- ing citizens of the county. Were I to class England and Canada together these would lead all others, numerically, from the fact that they together would distance Germany, the same as 692 is greater than 498, but this would not be dealing fairly with the latter.
Then by the census returns of 1885, there is of foreign birth in this county ten per cent of all the population. This need not alarm any one as to the result of immigration, from the fact, that so long as this element, which is denominated "foreign" is regularly interspersed throughout the land, the second genera- tion become Americanized by the time they arrive at the voting age; made so by being in contact with the " native." But when this foreign element becomes clannish and builds up separate set- tlements of their own, have their own schools and languages taught, and in every respect are the same as they were in the foreign, or home land, then, and only then, will there be any necessity to have fears as to the ultimate result of the coming generation. They are given the benefits of the free schools of Iowa, and participating in the free thought of Iowa people pro- duces a class of freemen (no matter as to religious thought) which will always benefit the land of their adoption.
And right here let me drop a thought that may somewhat
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
startle the sluggish thinker, and 'tis this: On whom must the United States depend for her future population ?
On the offspring of the native element? No, no.
Let some of the brightest minds of the land take a look at American society as it is, with its refinements and its curses and tell me: How many decades from this date will it take for the old American stock to fade out of existence, at the present rate of increase?
It is a lamentable fact that the present generation of true born Americans scarcely reproduce their own. Why is this? I can only answer, that for "prudential" purposes the olive branches are "nipped in the bud" and a new order of things is in the ascendancy. That which was once the glory of woman- hood and the pride of the father has been sacrificed to the Moloch of fashion, and childlessness and premature graves are the substitute for the former. The hope of the nation rests on the production and Americanization of the foreign element who settle in our land.
From the date of the completion of the railroads, viz .: the C. & N. W. R. R., and the Sioux City and Pacific R. R., the settle- ment and improvement of the county has been rapid and cer- tain. These have been, in a great measure, from the far East. The waves of emigration are ever rolling westward.
From the fields of Palestine and Asiatic Turkey, where Nin- eveh, Babylon and Jerusalem once stood in magnificence and glory, the tide of emigration flowed through Arabia into Africa, and through the regions of the present Turkish Empire into Europe. A nation in the East fails, and a more dazzling one arises in the West. Persia, once among the proudest nations of Asia, went down amid war and anarchy, while Greece arose from the darkened forests of Southern Europe, until the world stood amazed at its greatness. It, in turn, went down by dissensions and strife, to give place to its more illustrious successor, Rome.
Greece and Rome! These were the door ways that led from
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
the ancient to the modern world. They rose in power and great- ness until they eclipsed everything the world had ever seen. The tide of emigration then swept westward over Europe, and the shores of the Baltic and the Atlantic were reached. The Goths and the Vandals disappear before the march of civilization to give place to mighty nations. For a time the broad expanse of the ocean retards the march of emigration; but intelligence and edu- cation are coming to the rescue. Columbus dares the wave and a new world is found. The tide of emigration then sets west- ward, from the shores of the Atlantic, leveling forests and dis- persing the hostile savages before its steady march, climbing the Alleghanies, descending into the lovely valleys of the Ohio, Mis- sissippi and the Missouri, and rolling on to the very tide of the Pacific Ocean. This tide has left its track of glory and great- ness and will not stop until its hundreds of millions of free men have attained that position, high on the pinnacle of fame and greatness, never before reached by any people.
VOTE OF THE COUNTY.
There is no record of the first vote had by the county at the time of the organization, and anything that may be said in refer- ence thereto can only be traditional. The first vote which is now a matter of record was had at the general election of 1854, at which time there were 171 ballots cast, with this result, viz .: Democrat, 93; Whig 78.
Year.
Repub.
Dem. 198
Greenbk. Prohib. Lab.
1857
150
....
1859
297
351
....
....
1861.
406
255
...
....
....
1863.
332
319
....
...
...
1865
357
437
....
....
....
1867
694
603
....
....
1869
....
....
....
....
1671
1872
1157
736
78
....
....
1876
1560
1388
127
....
....
1880
1904
1320
380
....
....
1884.
2403
2295
..
....
1887
1966
1668
17
606
....
....
....
....
There is a significant fact shown by the reference to the above
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
votes, that during all the four years of the rebellion, viz .: from 1861 to 1865, the voting power of the Democratic party was experiencing a healthy growth, while it took the Republican party until the year of 1867 to recover from losses, following the vote of 1861, at which time in 1861 quite fifty of the Republican voters were then in the volunteer service at the front, and in 1863, 375.
In 1876 the Greenback party in the county had so crystalized as to'warrant the founders thereof to organize a separate party, and as a consequence cast at the fall election of that year 127 votes, being an increase of forty-nine votes over their reported strength of 1872.
The meridian of this party's power was reached at the election of 1877, being the year D. S. P. Michael stood for Representative for this district, reference being had to the State Legislature.
At the time of the conventions much uneasiness was felt by the two old parties, viz .: Republican and Democratic, as to the output of this vote, and some very straight jacketed Republicans, at the time of the Greenback county convention, were watching the way popular feeling was about to turn. At the convention of the Greenbackers for this year, which was held in the court house at Logan, the most formidable competitor which Mr. Michael had was Mr. J. C. Milliman, who came within two votes of receiving the nomination for Representative, but being defeated in this Greenback convention, was by the next morning back in his old Republican stall, taking and dealing out rations after the old manner, as positive and serene as though there had never been a Greenback convention or party.
At this election the Democratic party did not put a candidate in the field, but crystalized on the Greenback candidate; yet, regardless of this policy of " two pluck one," Mr. H. B. Lyman came out of the race with a splendid endorsement and carried the red ribbon to Des Moines. During this campaign some of the young Democrats were competing for their political spurs,
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY.
among whom was Mr. Charles Bolter, and be it said to his credit, that he delivered some very excellent Greenback speeches, and one other Democrat, named J. C. Naylor, delivered, at many of the school houses in the county, some passable speeches for greenbacks, all in the interest of the Greenback and Democratic parties.
From this election, as year by year came and went, this party (Greenback) vacillated from personal independence to the Dem- ocratic camp, as by the terms of any reasonable cartel, seeming to direct all the force of the organization toward the column of the Republican party, intending to pierce their center, capture the fighting force therein and gobble the camp equipage; each person holding all he could become possessed of without distri- bution to his fellows, or pay to his followers.
This party, after having an existence in the county for quite one decade, in the fall of 1887 died from exhaustion and want of rations.
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