USA > Iowa > Sac County > History of Sac County, Iowa > Part 28
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HERDING HOGS IN SAC COUNTY.
The Sun's issue of April, 1877, carried this notice: "I will herd hogs the coming season for one dollar a head, the owner to furnish one bushel of corn per head to feed the hogs the first two or three weeks. I will herd three and a half miles southeast of Sac City. Salt furnished by me. Stock held for the herd bill. Season will commence May I and end September I.
"G. H. JONES."
HERDING STOCK IN THE SEVENTIES.
The following was in the above files also: "We will herd cattle and horses this season on Camp creek, at the last year's grounds, three miles north of Elm Grove, six miles east of Sac City. Terms: Cattle, ninety cents a
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head; colts, three dollars per head. Start to collect stock at Sac City, May 8th. Stock salted twice a week.
"DOTY BROS.' "Lake City, Iowa."
ROBBED AND MURDERED.
In May, 1876, one of the most cold-blooded and fiendish murders that the annals of crime ever recorded was committed on the banks of the Little Indian creek, in Jackson township, this county, at a point four miles west of Sac City. A resident named Freeman, with a few others who were coming into town, discovered and reported the horrible event. Sheriff Waddell, Coroner Brenton and many others visited the spot where the body of the man had been found. It lay just as it had fallen in death's struggle, a few yards north of the Boyer Valley and Sac City highway. A short distance from the pond stood an emigrant wagon and tied to it were two horses, and a third horse loose, but bridled, was near by. The wagon seat had been taken off and across it, with the head on one side on the ground and the feet on the other side, was stretched the form of the murdered man. On either side of the seat were pieces of the gun that had been the weapon with which the man had been killed. It had evidently been broken in a violent rage. A few feet to the west was a dry goods box in which were various articles and a small sheet-iron stove, such as are usually carried by emigrants. Coroner Brenton at once made up his jury, consisting of Orson Lee, D. M. Lamoreaux and J. E. N. Welch. They examined one witness. Daniel Koodzt, and found the following verdict : "We find the deceased came to his death by being shot with a single-barrel shot-gun, in the back of the head, by a party un- known, with intent of robbery."
The examination of the body revealed the fact that death, instant no doubt, was caused by a heavy charge from a shot gun, the muzzle of which could not have been over twelve inches away. The contents of the gun entered the back of the head about midway between the base and crown. The gun was freshly broken, and a light tuft of hair, corresponding to that of the dead man, was found in the lock end of the shattered gun-stock. The right pantaloons pocket was turned wrong side out. An old, well-worn pocket book was found in the grass close by, with a leather clasp torn off. It had been rifled of its contents. A watch key was found in his vest pocket, but no watch was found about his person. In other pockets were found a
(19)
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knife, comb and some buttons. The man appeared to be about twenty-two years of age, rather tall, weight about one hundred and fifty pounds; light, fair complexion, with dark brown hair. He was well dressed in a dark frock coat, different colored pantaloons, and wore brown plow-shoes and a long worn cap. Close by was a diary in which was a photograph of the deceased. and on the fly-leaf was written: "Frank Eugene Carr. Riverside, Washing- ton County, Iowa." The events and experiences of each day, including the Friday on which he was killed. May 26, 1876, were minutely recorded, in- cluding these entries : May II, received $10 from Palmer : May 12, sold four pigs for $24 : traded a sow for a watch : May 13, sold corn for $8.80; bought an outfit for going West, $11.86: blacksmithing, $2.80. May 15, getting ready for the West; May 16, started for the West. May 26, traveling ex- penses, 13 cents."
He had been to Dakota and pre-empted a hundred acres of land and was going out to make the improvements on his land. He had less than fifteen dollars on his person at the time of his death. In the dry goods box were found powder, shot, clothing, tin-ware, photos, etc. In the wagon was a breaking-plow and a pair of good boots.
The remains were brought by the coroner to the court house at Sac City and placed in the basement. In the evening the body was carefully embalmed and placed on ice, and on Sunday placed in a coffin. The murdered man and his outfit had passed through Sac City on his way up the country, and was seen to have a companion along with him. They halted long enough to pur- chase some small article and passed on their journey toward Storm Lake.
Out at the farm of J. E. N. Welch they halted a while and Carr watered his horses and asked for some feed for the team, saying one of his horses was sick. Mrs. Welch urged them to remain all night on account of the animal's condition, but they refused to and went on, saying they would go till they reached a stream of water. Before going Carr paid one of the chil- dren a little money for the hay, as the woman would not charge for it. The man accompanying Carr asked the little girl first, and later Mrs. Welch, how far it was to Storm Lake or the nearest railway station, and she told him twenty miles. The Little Indian creek was finally reached and a suitable camping spot was selected, and they killed some wild game before dark. A single shot was heard in camp by the neighbors at about nine o'clock. After killing Carr the other man left the spot and was seen at 5:30 in the morning by a man named Young who was hitching up his team. This stranger told Young that he had been lost out on the prairie all night and asked the way
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to Storm Lake, but it appears he went to Newell, to which place Wodell and Orson Lee went in pursuit, while Jerome Baxter and D. M. Lamoreaux went to Storm Lake. Telegranis were sent to points as far east as Waterloo and west to Sioux City. At Fonda a man was detained answering the full description of the man sought after by the sheriff. He was arrested and placed in irons and at midnight was brought back to Sac City and placed in jail. He there gave his name as Charles Collins (his real name was Lewis Monroe). He claimed he was from Black Hills and had gone broke there and sold his tools and bought a coat entirely too large for him. On Monday morning he was taken to the court room before John Alexander, a justice of the peace, and he was held for murder and bound over to the district court. He spurned counsel and said his real name was Lewis Monroe. He plead guilty and was sent to jail.
The Sac Sun, the local newspaper, said of him: "Lewis Monroe lives in Boone, Iowa, is married and is a butcher by trade ; he was born in Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania ; his father is a Scotchman and he complains of ill treat- ment at home and of an unwholesome training. He does not have a vicious look at all; he evidently has nerve, a sort of bull-dog neck and a determined rather than a malicious look."
He made a full confession before witnesses on Monday following the committing of the awful crime. This long confession contained such clauses as the following: "Left Boone May 24th on foot in search of work; at Jefferson the same day met Carr, who, being alone, asked him to go along with him for company. I only had forty-five cents ; I accepted his invitation. Thursday at dinner some of my letters dropped from my pocket to the floor and he picked one up and began reading it. I told him it did not look well, but he said it made no difference : I then took it out of his hands ; we had some words. At night had difficulty about the bed; both were mad; we quarreled all day following on the road from about twenty miles out of Sac City ; called each other names. When we got to the creek at Sac City I went down to hand him up the water for his horses; I told him to come down and save me reaching up; he answered me short and I talked the same to him; he threw what water he had left in the pail and it struck me in the face; I rushed for him, clinched him; threw him down and struck him; he said he was only fooling ; then I quit; I told him the first railroad station we came to I would leave him; did not stop in Sac long; two and a half miles west stopped and got water ; asked lady how far it was to Storm Lake; we then went on two miles ; I said, here is a good camping place. He swore at me and called me a
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d- I got mad and jumped off the wagon and walked up the hill. He called me back. I returned, unhitched, got supper. He had been drinking all day. partly whisky and partly alcohol. Ate supper-went on road thirty yards, sat down two minutes; went back; he was lying on the wagon seat with back towards me. I picked up the gun and said, You d -- - of a b ----- , I will shoot you anyhow, and shot him, and threw the gun at him, hitting his head. He rolled off the seat: I took his watch and pocket book containing eleven dollars-a ten dollar bill. a fifty cent piece and two quarters. I put on his coat and shirt, bridled the cream horse and took a quilt. At two hundred yards threw the quilt away; rode three-fourths of a mile east on the road, then went on foot till twelve o'clock; dozed till three o'clock ; started for Storm Lake, as I supposed; saw a man harnessing his team; asked him how far it was to Storm Lake or the nearest railroad sta- tion."
The trial came off before Judge Ed. R. Duffie, and the jury found a verdict of "guilty of manslaughter," and the court sentenced him to fifteen years at hard labor in the state's penitentiary and assessed the costs in the case up to him. The court room scene was one of the most dramatic ever witnessed in Sac county, the room being filled with both men and women.
William Tool, who murdered his wife in cold blood, at Sac City, in 1894, was tried before Judge Church, and prosecuted by County Attorney Tait, receiving a life sentence at hard labor at Anamosa. The act was com- mitted while in a family quarrel.
GRAND CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
A great celebration was held at Sac City, on July 4. 1876-the nation's centennial year. By ten o'clock the procession formed, headed by the "Car of State," filled with thirty-eight beautiful young ladies (one for each state in the Union), with the Goddess of Liberty in their midst and a Revolu- tionary patriot as a driver. Following were hundreds of vehicles and foot- men. The procession proceeded to the grove, where an ample platform had been built. The frequent showers throughout the day somewhat retarded the exercises. The orations were by A. L. Smith, Esq., and Joseph Dobson. The "Press" was represented in a speech by J. N. Miller, of the Sun; the "Pulpit" by Rev. J. T. Barr, of the Methodist Episcopal church. In the afternoon a baseball game was pulled off between Newell and Sac City, and the score stood fifty-eight to nineteen in favor of Newell. There were over a
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thousand persons on the ground that day and a big dance was held at which there were a hundred and eleven couples. Fireworks were set off in the darkness of the evening.
REGISTERED FARM NAMES.
The Legislature of Iowa, in the session of 1910-II, passed an act al- lowing owners of farms and lots in the state to register or record a name for their holdings, no other name of its kind to be allowed within the county. This name is recorded in a book kept for the purpose in the recorder's office, the fee being one dollar a farm, and the description occupies a half page of the record book, giving name agreed upon and a minute description of land, etc. When the land is transferred the name is sold with the property, unless otherwise stipulated in the deed. Up to April 14, 1913, there had been seventy-seven Sac county farms and tracts of land, of more or less acreage, named, and the following gives the owner's name, the farm registered name and the township in which it is situated :
William G. Hadley was first to register in the county. his farm in Dela- ware township being named "Pleasant View." Then follows :
Wall Lake Township-"Walnut Grove," O. F. Westrom; "Sunny Slope Stock Farm," Alice B. Broughton : "Pioneer Dairy Farm," C. M. Steward ; "Prairie View Farm," Samuel A. Swanson; "Sunny Vale Stock Farm," J. P. Threkelsen ; "Grand View," E. W. Scott; "Cherry Hill Farm," Anna S. Peterson: "Maple Leaf Stock Farm," Henry Gates; "Elkhorn Point Stock Farm," D. Corderman.
Delaware Township-"Pleasant View," W. G. Hadley; "Meritdale," A. H. Hinde: "Maple Grove." W. T. Scott; "Glenwood Farm," W. L. Lewis; "Prairie Queen," Frank Lamoreaux; "Homewood Farm," M. L. Lewis.
Clinton Township-"West Riverside," Will Drury ; "Ash Lawn," M. D. Fox; "Fairacres," Lewis T. Quirk; "Sunny Side Stock Farm," M. A. Mc- Williams : "Hill Crest Farm," O. C. Fuchs; "River View Stock Farm," John Fuchs : "The Grange," F. L. Manly; "Waveland Stock Farm," John D. Old- son ; "Midway Farm," Bert B. Buihner ; "Indian Creek Farm," Charles Goode- now: "Greenwood Stock Farm," Benjamin Gilbert: "Larchwood Stock Farm," Charles Manly ; "Millside Farm," John Fuchs; "South View Farm," William J. Stock; "Brook View Farm," Albert S. Teaquart.
Cedar Township-"Sunny Side," Harry Baxter; "Orchard Hill Farm,"
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R. M. Long; "Everdale Farm," C. S. Darling; "Cedar Hill Stock Farm," William Peters; "Fairmont Farm," B. F. Cullenbaugh.
Jackson Township-"Fairview Stock Farm," James T. Dollison ; "The Pines," Mary E. Vrooman; "Greenwood," L. E. Fitch; "Oakland Spring Farm," William Pitstick; "Larchwood Hill," Earl S. Shaw; "Oak Lawn Shorthorn Farm," F. I. Howard; "Pinehurst," Ira S. Martin; Sac City Nursery.
Boyer Valley Township-"Cloverdale," William P. Gard: "Helendale Stock Farm," John Reiff, Jr. ; "Wayside Farm," James McCormick; "Clover Hill Farm," Charles F. Keister.
Douglas Township-"Evergreen Stock Farm." R. J. Paeper; "Echo Farm," Webster Heath; "Wildwood Park," D. B. and C. L. Keir.
Levey Township-"Brookside Stock Farm," Thomas Quirk; "River- side Stock Farm," F. W. Weed: "Pleasant Hollow Farm," A. Ballman ; "Rose Valley Stock Farm," John H. Gosch.
Wheeler Township-"Fairview Farm," E. A. Lundberg : "Pleasant Val- ley Stock Farm," Carl Prestin: "Pleasant Hill Farm," B. A. Samuelson; "Lawn Hill," C. Albert Peterson ; "Maple Grove Stock Farm," L. L. Gore- ham ; "Glendale Farm," Charles W. Ballard; "Fairhope Farm," E. E. Gore- ham: "Brookdale Stock Farm," A. E. Johnson : "Forest Hill Stock Farm," A. E. Johnson ; "Meadow Brook Farm," J. B. Johnson.
Coon Valley Township-"Sunny Slope," John H. Hechtner; "Farm- land." Charles Hechtner: "Grand View Stock Farm," A. W. LaPort : "Plain View Farm," Albert Ruschko; "Eureka Stock Farm," A. D. Miner ; "Never- Fail Farm," William Pitstick : "Harmony Ridge Farm," W. C. Abney.
Cook Township-"Lookout Farm," George Miller.
Sac Township-"Sunny Oak Grove Stock Farm," Charles F. Garnatz ; "Whiteside Farm," P. U. Pratt.
Viola Township-"Prairie Vale," John Spurrell.
Eden Township-"Hillside Farm," Phil C. Hein. Eureka Township-"Valley View Stock Farm." D. Rininger & Son.
EARLY-DAY PRAIRIE FIRES.
There has always been a charm about the broad expanse of prairie in the West, and it is hard to describe-one must behold the beauty of the land- scape, the waving wild grass, the spring and summer flowers, including our own "state flower," the wild rose and the feathery golden rod, the national flower, that needs no care to sow its seed or make its blossom yield. The
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wild game, such as prairie chickens, geese, sand-hill cranes, ducks and a score more birds, utilized for meat by the hardy pioneers, all came in for their annual attraction to residents and to foreign hunters. But we come now to speak of a scene in golden autumntime, after the frosts had cut their heavy swath and left the sure marks of death and decay on every hand; when the "last rose of summer was left withered and strewn"-there came a scene, a more magnificent spectacle than all. We refer to the burning prairie at night time.
The wild wind like a sower sows The ground with sparkles red, And the flapping wings of bats and crows Through the ashes overhead, And the bellowing deer and the hissing snake- What a swirl of terrible sounds they make !
It was a common, almost yearly, sight when the vast, limitless sea of amber-tinted grass was burning continuously for twenty miles and more, fanned and pressed speedily forward by a high wind. The scene on a moon- less night time, in October. indeed was grand, and beggars description with pen or tongue-it must needs be seen to be appreciated. It appears like a vast army mowing down solid columns of an enemy. The rank grown weeds ignite and explode, causing a crackling sound not unlike that of musketry on a field of strife. The lurid light from the leaping tongues of fire cast a tinted reflection on the dark sky which no painter can hope to reproduce. But while the burning prairie has had its charms and been sung by poets, yet to the early pioneer its romantic scene was somewhat darkened by the annual loss of much valuable property. An army on parade at the grand encampment review looks beautiful, but the active service-the field of carnage-gives no pleasure. So it must be said of the prairie fires of northwestern Iowa, which perhaps originated by some homesteader burning a "fire-guard" around his little home of a calm autumn night, when all nature seemed at rest, but before the work of home protection had been accomplished not unfrequently the gentle breeze grew to a steady wind, which rapidly increased in its velocity, carrying now and then a burning spear of grass to some remote part of the prairie land, until before an hour had elapsed a dozen or twenty separate fires had been kindled. and before the morning dawn the irrepressible flames had wrought dire calamity over a whole county, and perhaps, with a high wind, was still proudly marching over the territory of another. The midnight scene
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was of surpassing beauty and sublime grandeur, but the burned district pre- sented a sad picture at the dawn. At sunset a little settlement were feeding their stock, the happy home made merry by the innocent shouts of gleeful children romping about the humble cabin or claim shanty. At sunrise the following morning there might have been seen a half dozen homes. The tall, rank-killed, frost-smitten grass had been as if by magie wand turned into blackened ashes, and the house of the homesteader had been consumed with all of its highly prized contents. A score of half-elad children were left out in a merciless sea of prairie ashes. The sun, obseured, and the chilling at- mosphere foretold of the snow storm sure to come. The grain and the hay the industrious farmer had secured by the hardest of toil had been also re- duced to ashes and smouldering embers, the smoke of which might have been seen for miles over an expanse of prairie the surface of which was barren and black. Many of the early settlers lost all their grain and hay, while some mourned, not alone the loss of hard labor performed, but also the loss of dear ones from out the family circle, who had been taken unawares by a change of wind and had no time to escape until their clothing caught fire. There is not a county in all western or central Iowa but what can furnish facts for a chapter of prairie fires which would chill one's blood at the terrible recital of havoc from 1855 to 1876. Sac county has many an interesting story of these terrible fires, mention of which may be seen elsewhere in this volume.
To indicate to the reader how these prairie fires looked to an Eastern newspaper correspondent, who sent his weekly letters from western Iowa in the sixties and seventies, some of which were mailed from Sac and Ida coun- ties, we quote the following from his New York daily :
"The prairies, indeed, were a grand sight-in the summer, 'clothed in verdure green :' in the fall, in that color that too well tells of the departing years. If a grand sight to see the prairies, as the tall grass waved to and fro, it was a magnificent sight, in the fall of the year, to see the annual prairie fire as it sweeps over all. Whilst enjoying the sublimity of the scene, night threw her mantle o'er the earth, and the sentinel stars set their watch in the skies, when suddenly the scene was lighted by a blaze of light, illum- inating every object around. It was the prairie fire. Language cannot con- vey, words cannot express to you the faintest idea of the grandeur and splendor of that mighty conflagration. Methought that the pale Queen of Night, disclaiming to take her accustomed place in the heavens, had dis- patched ten thousand messengers to light their torches at the altar of the
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setting sun, and that now they were speeding on the wings of the wind to their appointed stations."
Section 3889 of the 1871 Code of Iowa provided as follows: "If any person wilfully, or without using proper caution, set fire to and burn or cause to be burnt, any prairie or timbered land by which the property of another is injured or destroyed, he shall be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned in the county jail not more than one year, or both fine and im- prisonment, at the discretion of the court."
The November 12, 1875, issue of the Sac Sun said: "The horizon is lighted up nights with the glare of long rows of burning prairie grass. As yet we have heard of but one case of damages. A wad from the gun of E. M. Powers lighted a fire on the Boyer river country which burned a lot of hay and rubbed several houses closely."
As late as April 15, 1887. the Sun speaks of prairie fires in the county in the following words: "Sparks from a locomotive of the Northwestern rail- road set the prairie on fire west of Sac City last Friday and the strong wind carried it into Douglas and Delaware townships. A large amount of hay was burnt, and it was only by a tremendous exertion that the fire was stopped. The railroad company will have a heavy damage to pay for this loss.
"On last Saturday L. Francisco set out fire on his place in Douglas township which soon escaped his control. It reached the house of William Buss, burning it to the ground, with his stacks of hay, stables, cribs, grain and some live stock. Mr. Buss was burned some and his boy quite seriously. The house north of Mr. Buss was also burned. He is an old man, and the loss will fall heavily upon him. Auburn narrowly escaped destruction on Saturday, too, from fire set in the same manner. The code makes it a heavy penalty for setting out fires and letting them get away from the parties setting them out. The wind last week was too high to attempt to burn prairie about one's premises."
EARLY-DAY BLIZZARD.
In the autumn of 1861 two brothers named Leighton (Layton), aged seventeen and twenty-one years, came here from Illinois and began trapping on the Little Indian. On the morning of February 22, 1862, they started out on an elk hunt and followed some elk west of the Boyer river, which runs through the western part of Sac county. The day was mild and they were thinly clad. The snow was a full foot or more deep on the level. It melted some through the middle of the day. About four o'clock in the afternoon a
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severe change came up suddenly. At once it became intensely cold and a fearful and savage wind came up. The next day the Leightons were both missing and for sixteen days the neighbors looked in vain for the men. On the seventeenth day their bodies were discovered-the younger of the two brothers about one mile from his home, with his right arm outstretched and his hat and hatchet thrown on ahead. as if he had fallen while running, ex- hausted by cold and fatigue. The elder brother was found about four miles from the cabin, lying on his back with his hat folded and placed beneath his head. This had evidently been done by his brother. after he had fallen down, frozen and exhausted. The following spring, in the month of April, their two guns were found. They had been carefully oiled before they had been left and two-quarters of an elk were piled on top of them, proving that they had at least killed one elk.
SAC COUNTY'S WOMEN MACHINISTS.
Sac county has the distinction of producing two unique lady machinists. The following is from the Des Moines Register-Leader: "Iola. Kansas, October 13, 1911-What is probably the most unique and successful machine shop in the world is the Minder plant at Gas City, in Kansas. The fact that the shop is operated by two girls, who actually do the largest share of the work, from choice rather than a necessity, is not so important to their patrons as the fact that their work is the best that can be produced in the country. There is nothing within the range of a modern machine shop that these two girls cannot do. Their names are Susie and Emma Minder; their ages are, respectively, twenty-four and twenty-two years. They recently completed, through their own skill and efforts, a four-cylinder gasoline engine, con- structed from the moulten metal to the finished product throughout. Difficult repairs which perplex the ordinary mechanic are apparently done by these girls with ease."
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