USA > Iowa > Allamakee County > Past and present of Allamakee county, Iowa. A record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 13
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"At the time of the county seat raid I was employed by the saw mill com- pany, D. L. & S. V. Shaw, at Lansing. Early one morning I was on the top of a high pile of lumber in the yard and saw teams coming around the bluff just south of the courthouse. They drove rapidly to the courthouse and the men jumped from the wagons, ran inside, and began to bring out the records and load them into the wagons; and as fast as loaded started them off for Waukon. In the mean time I reported what was going on to the Shaws and E. R. Jones, who started their teams and about fifty men after the raiders, while I went over to town to report, and in a short time Lansing had a force at the courthouse and on the road who made short work of convincing the invaders that they had better return the property they had started with, and that when the court had settled the matter, if in favor of Waukon, they could then come in an honorable way and remove the records. This hasty action on the part of Waukon aroused such a sentiment in Lansing that they placed their cannon in the rear end of the hallway of the courthouse, heavily loaded with powder and shot, in charge of R. G. Edwards, with positive instructions to shoot if the raiders appeared again. * * * In those days Lansing had no communication with the outside world except by steamboat or stage, and Watikon by stage only."
But again Lansing returned to the attack, and in August, 1868, S. V. Shaw, Israle Bequette, and J. M. Rose published a notice in compliance with law that at the next September session of the Board of Supervisors a petition would be presented asking that another election be ordered between Lansing and Waukon. The board met on the first Monday in September as usual, but it was thought that all the business necessary might be transacted in a short session, as, owing to the pressure of "fall work" it was the wish of some of the farmer members to be at home again as soon as possible. Accordingly a committee on school house tax levy labored a good share of that night to prepare their report, and Tuesday forenoon the remaining business at hand was transacted and board adjourned sine die, by a vote of twelve to three, there being three of the eight-
NORTH THIRD STREET, LANSING
PUBLIC PARK, LANSING
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
een members absent. Later in the day the Lansing petitioners put in an appear- ance, but the board having adjourned no election could be ordered that year. A bit of strategy doubtless justified by the saying that all is fair in love and war.
Early in the spring of 1869 the contest was reopened and waxed warm from the start. A petition for an election was widely circulated, as was a remonstrance to the same, and each party charged the other with obtaining many illegal sig- natures. At the June session of the board, on the first day, the petition was pre- sented and referred to a committee, and on the following day the remonstrance appeared and was also referred, and was found to outnumber the petition by 86 names-2122 on the remonstrance and 2036 on the petition. A majority report of the committee was made by D. Dickerson, J. S. Deremo, Jeremiah Leas, and S. F. Goodykoontz, stating their belief that a large number of signers to the petition had also signed the remonstrance, which would swell the majority of the latter over the petition by 150 to 200 names, and therefore recommended that 110 election be ordered. A minority report by G. Kerndt, S. H. Haines and William Yeoman, was also submitted, representing it as their belief that the petition con- tained a majority of the names of the legal voters of the county, and that they were in favor of allowing the people to express themselves at the polls. After some close work the minority report was adopted and an election ordered by a vote of ten to eight.
One recourse was left to the Waukon managers, and proceeding to Decorah they laid the matter before Judge M. V. Burdick, who granted an injunction restraining the board from taking any further steps towards holding such elec- tion, until permission should be granted. In the District court a petition was filed asking for a writ of certiorari, commanding the board to certify to said court a record of its proceedings relating to the county seat, which was granted, and a special term appointed for July 7th for a hearing in said case. At the time appointed the case was heard and judgment rendered annulling and setting aside the order of the board for an election. The defendant appealed, but after the election the previous decision was affirmed, at McGregor. Meanwhile, when the Circuit court sat, in July, the injunction was dissolved and the election was held as ordered, October 5th, resulting in a majority of 254 for Waukon-1,544 to 1,290.
After this decisive quietus, there was a lull in the county seat war for six years, when, at the June session of the board, 1875, a petition was presented containing 1,906 names, and another election was duly ordered to be held at the general election in October. During this summer was begun the construction of the Waukon and Mississippi Railroad. Realizing that it was "now or never" with her, Lansing massed her forces for the final conflict, and the campaign was pushed vigorously on both sides, resulting in the largest vote ever cast in the county, and a majority of 340 in favor of Waukon, she receiving 2,145 against 1,805 for Lansing. It has been generally accepted that the reason for this large vote was a sudden increase in population of the townships bordering on adjoining counties, on all sides, and the practice of "repeating" indulged in at both Waukon and Lansing and "winked at" by those in authority; a practice that it is hoped would not be tolerated in these latter days of an enlightened public conscience, even in a county seat election.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
SOME OTHER EARLY COUNTY AFFAIRS
The earliest entry in any of the county records now preserved in the court- house appears in a book of naturalization of aliens, as follows:
"State of Iowa, Allamakee County :
"Be it remembered, that on the oth day of July, A. D. 1849, Patrick Keenan, an alien, has this day filed in this office his declaration to become a bona fide citi- zen of the United States, took and subscribed an oath required by law.
"STEPHEN HOLCOMB. "Clerk of the District Court."
Nothing appears to indicate where the office of the clerk was situated.
The county seat had recently been located at "The Old Stake" on the prairie near Rossville.
The first marriage record is as follows:
"Be it remembered, that upon the 23d day of November, A. D. 1849, that a license was issued from this office authorizing any person qualified by law to solemnize a marriage between Elias J. Topliff and Anna Reed.
"STEPHEN HOLCOMB, "Clerk of the District Court.
"This certifies that on the 6th day of December, A. D. 1849, I, Grove A. Warner, a Justice of the Peace, united the above named Elias J. Topliff, aged 22 years, and Anna Reed, aged 18 years, in the holy bonds of matrimony.
"Witness my hand at Allamakee County this 6th day of December. A. D. 1849. "GROVE A. WARNER, "Justice of the Peace."
Upon the establishment of the County court in 1851, Elias Topliff being the first county judge, the first entries appear thus :
Minutes of the County court commenced and held in the town of Columbus, the 18th of September, 1851, by Elias Topliff, county judge.
It appearing to the court that no tax has been levied for the year 1851. it is therefore ordered by the court that the following tax be levied and collected, to-wit :
For state revenue 3 mills on a dollar, and for poll tax 50 cents ; for county tax. 6 mills on a dollar; for tax for support of schools, 11/2 mills ; road poll tax, $2 : road property tax, 11/2 mills.
At the October term, 1851, an order was made for a special election, to take place November 18th, to decide whether a tax be levied to raise $250 for the purchase of suitable books for the use of the county, and a county seal. At such special election all vacancies in the several township offices were to be filled.
At the November term, on motion of A. J. Ellis, W. C. Thompson was ap- pointed a commissioner to view the location of "Road No. 2," proposed to be established from near Thompson's place in Lafayette southwesterly. "crossing Paint creek at Riley Ellis' grist mill, thence southward to W. F. Ross's on the divide between Paint creek and Yellow river. thence on the nearest and most practical route to Esquire Sutter's, south of said Yellow river, thence southward to county line between Allamakee and Clayton counties," and report to the court. Mr. Thompson reported unfavorably at the following January term, and another route was eventually adopted. It was while on this prospecting tour, and not
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
expecting to meet any white inhabitants except at the points mentioned. that Mr. Thompson ran across Reuben Sencebaugh, who had erected a log hut and was hard at work making a "clearing" in the heavy timber. He staid over night with him, and tried to persuade his host to abandon his attempt to make a farm in the woods and take a claim on the prairie where there was an immense "clear- ing" already prepared by nature, but Mr. Sencebaugh was too used to a wooded country to act upon his advice. He also discovered J. C. Smith, over in the Yellow river valley, and related how pleasant it was to meet a white man in those days when the settlements were so scattered.
At the December term, 1851, Thos. B. Twiford was appointed to view pro- posed road No. 3. "beginning at Columbus and running thence up Village creek to the forks of said creek, thence by the most practicable route to George C. Shattuck's, thence to the county line at or near James Cutler's."
At the same term, December, 1851, Ezra Reid was appointed to view pro- posed road No. 4, from a point "at or near where the state road from Paint Rock to Fort Atkinson crosses the west line of the county, thence east bearing north to the schoolhouse in Ezra Reid's district," thence north along the center of sections to intersect the Lansing road. This description raises a point not heretofore considered in the historical sketches of the county. It has been generally ad- mitted that the first school in this part of the county was on Makee Ridge two miles north of Waukon, in the year 1852-3, but here is a reference to "the school- house in Ezra Reid's district," in 1851. Ezra Reid's place was in section 1, Lud- low township, two miles southwest of Waukon; and it would appear from this that Ludlow is entitled to the honor of one of the earliest public schools in the county, perhaps second to that near Hardin in '49.
Warrant No. I, for $16.00, was issued December 2, 1851, to Lester W. Hayes "as sheriff of this county for summoning a grand and petit jury."
Warrant No. 2 was issued to Wm. M. Smith, for 31/2 days as chain carrier in laying out a road from opposite Monona to the old county seat, in June, 1850. at $1.25 per day ; and two days as clerk of election in Franklin township on the first Monday in April and first Monday in May, 1851 ; amount of warrant, $6.371/2.
Warrant No. 3 issued to James C. Smith for like services. It was at this May election that the county seat was located at Columbus.
At the January, 1852, term of this County court A. W. Hoag renewed his bond as supervisor of roads.
At this January, 1852, term the account of James Stephenson was presented for $5.00 "for services as juror at October term of District court." Also a like account of Nelson Shattuck, for $4.00. The accounts were allowed and warrants Nos. 7 and 8 issued in payment. And at the February term, 1852, of County court a warrant for $5.00 was issued to Hiram Jones "for services rendered as a juror at the October term, 1851." These items, with that of L. W. Hayes above mentioned for summoning jurors, would show that there was a term of District court held in the fall of 1851, but as elsewhere stated there is no record of any such term now to be found.
The above mentioned county warrants, beginning with No. I, were not the first orders on the county treasury, but evidently a new series begun with the advent of the county judge system. Mr. A. M. May now has in his possession orders No. I to No. 7, of which we are permitted to copy :
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
ORDER NO. I
"State of Iowa,
"Allamakee County, ss towit
"The Treasurer of Allamakee County will pay Joseph W. Holmes or bearer $2.50 cents out of any moneys in his hands for services rendered as County Commissioner this 10th day of August A D 1849
"D G BECK Clerk of the Board of Co. Coms"
Order No. 7 reads :
"State of Iowa,
"Allamakee County ss towit
"The Treasurer of Allamakee County will pay Joseph W. Holmes one dollar out of any moneys in his hands for three quires of paper for the Clerks office of the District Court this 14th day of August A D 1849
"D G BECK clk of Board
of Co Com."
These orders were assigned by J. W. Holmes to one J. Jennings by endorsement October 1, 18-19. They later came into the possession of Hiram Francis (of whom mention is made in the old mission chapter ), who presented them for payment but the Board of Supervisors would not allow them. Mr. Francis gave them to Mr. May over twenty-five years ago.
At the January term, 1852, the county officers presented their accounts and were allowed pay as follows:
E. Topliff, County Judge, to January 1, 1852. $58.77
Jas. M. Sumner, Recorder 58.77
Thos. B. Twiford. District Clerk ( for seven months) 64.92
J. W. Remine, Prosecuting Attorney 15.00
Jas. M. Sumner, County Commissioner 15.00
Jas. M. Sumner submitted a statement of his accounts as Treasurer and Col- lector as follows :
WHOLE AMOUNT CHARGED
State tax
$195.23
County tax
497.96
School tax 97.61
Road tax
527.61
AMOUNT COLLECTED TO THIS TIME
State tax
$ 97.21
County tax
232.43
School tax
48.60
Road tax
96.60
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
The report was filed for examination at the next March term.
At the July term, 1852, the county officials were allowed a small "salary grab," the entry appearing :
"It appearing from the census returns of 1851 which have recently been pro- duced by the Sheriff that the population of this county on the first day of August, 1851, was 1,117, it was adjudged by this Court that the salaried county officers were entitled to receive $200 per annum instead of $150 as had been hitherto supposed ; consequently it is ordered that they be permitted to draw upon the county for as much as will bring their salaries to the legal allowance of $200 per annum."
At the April term, 1852, a warrant was issued to O. S. Conkey for services as as deputy county recorder. D. W. Low resigned as deputy assessor May 7th; John Sutter appointed deputy assessor by Sheriff Hayes. At the August term, 1852, T. B. Twiford was appointed deputy assessor by Sheriff Thompson. Who was the county assessor at this time we have been unable to ascertain. We find several references to a deputy assessor, and at the July term, 1853, "Assessors all present but those of Taylor, Fayette, and Paint Creek townships." In the elec- tion register we find that John B. Sutter was elected county assessor at the April election, 1857 ; but this is the only record in any shape, of such an election.
September 14, 1852, "petitions were presented by P. P. Cady, John S. Clark, Benjamin Clark and Thos. B. Twiford, asking to be discharged from their lia- bility on the official bond of James M. Sumner, as recorder and treasurer of Alla- makee county, and the court being satisfied that the petitioners had good ground of apprehension, ordered that a notice be served on the said James M. Sumner requiring him to file new bonds by the 25th day of Sept., inst., or his office would be declared vacated." What these grounds of apprehension were will suf- ficiently appear from the fact that one of the very first indictments found by the grand jury, at the first term of District court, at Columbus, July 12, 1852, was against Jas. M. Sumner, for wilfully neglecting and refusing to make report, etc., and it was ordered that process issue against defendant, returnable at next term of court.
On the 23d of September, Sumner saw fit to resign his office, and the vacancy was shortly after filled by the appointment of James Bell, who held the office but a few months and later went to Tennessee.
On the 26th day of November, 1852, an order was made that notices should be issued as follows :
"Notice is hereby given that a contract for building a courthouse on the County square of Allamakee county, in the village of Columbus, in said county, will be let to the lowest bidder on the fifteenth day of December next, at ten o'clock, at my office in said village. Approved securities will be required for the faithful performance of said contract. Sealed proposals will be received until that day. Any person wishing said contract will be furnished with a plan and specifications of said building by calling at my office.
"Given under my hand this 26th day of November, A. D., 1852. [Signed ]
"ELIAS TOPLIFF, "County Judge."
On the day specified the contract was let to Thos. B. Twiford, with W. C. Thompson and J. M. Rose as security, his being the lowest bid with security.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
The amount of the contract is not stated. The following spring the county seat was relocated, at Waukon.
The county farm comprises the southeast quarter of section 8, Makee town- ship, and an eighty in section 17. The tract in section 8 was the site of the first log cabin anywhere in the central part of the county, built by Patrick Keenan and Jas. Cassiday in 1848, Mr. Keenan having made the selection in 1847, the first settler in this region. Joseph Burton later became the owner of this land, and in 1856 built a large and substantial frame house thereon, 29 by 37 feet in size, to which he added one ell 14 by 16 and another about 15 feet square. Mr. Burton sold this property to the county in October, 1866, for $4,000, and the building was raised to full two stories. January 23, 1880, this house was destroyed by fire. A temporary building was erected for the accommodation of the inmates, until a substantial brick structure was built in 1881, 38 by 40 feet, two 10-foot stories, heated by furnace, at a cost of about $5,000. It was built from the proceeds of a special tax of one mill on a dollar voted by the people at the general election in 1880. Other buildings have since been erected from time to time as the growing needs of the unfortunates required, until now, with its modern conveniences, waterworks and fire apparatus, it is in all respects a model establishment of its kind. and for the past several years its affairs have been ably managed by O. A. Dixon, the present steward.
The county jail is situated on the county square in Waukon, a short distance south of the courthouse, and was erected in 1882 with the proceeds of a special tax of one mill voted in 1881. at a cost of $10,000, to which considerable amounts have since been added for modern improvements and safety. The building is 74 by 33 feet, which dimensions include the two-story sheriff's residence in front. The contractors were Samuel Peck & Sons. masonry, $3,000; A. J. Rodgers, car- pentry, $3,000; and Diebold Safe and Lock Co., steel work, $3,400; and the Ruttan Furnace Co., heating plant, $600.
CHAPTER XIII
THE COUNTY PRESS
No calling or profession has had a more important part in shaping and preserv- ing the history of the county than that of "the art preservative of all arts." Unfortunately no complete files of the early publications have survived the destructiveness of time-and fires. But much information contained in stray copies of the pioneer papers has been collated in the various chapters, adding much to the value of this volume. Indeed, a systematic search through the files now existing would furnish the most complete history of the county obtainable, and the editor has drawn heavily from these sources, as fully as the time and space allotted would permit. No detailed history of the press of the county is here attempted, as it would fill a volume of itself. But a brief account of the local press will be found in the respective chapters devoted to the four news- paper towns.
It seems appropriate here to recount the personal experiences of two of our veteran publishers, which have heretofore, in part at least, been given to the public, viz .: Thomas C. Medary and James T. Metcalf: the former twenty years ago passed to his long home, and the latter still living at Washington, retired from high official position and devoting the declining years of his long and useful life to affairs connected with his first love, the printer's art.
The following narrative of Mr. Medary was written in 1890, but a few years before his death, while editing the Waukon Democrat, and contains much of interest relating to members of the craft throughout this region, and hence is entitled to the place of honor in this chapter.
JOURNALISTIC ADVENTURES OF THE LATE T. C. MEDARY RECOUNTED BY HIMSELF. IN 1890
Thirty years ago, as the old year of 1859 was in its closing hours, the editor of this paper passed through the then little village of Waukon, by stage, on his way to Lansing to take a situation that had previously been secured on the old Lansing Mirror, then published by H. R. Chatterton, one of the ablest editors ever connected with the press of this county. We made our pilgrimage by stage from McGregor to Lansing around by the way of Decorah by the old M. O. Walker stage line, with Tom Tokes, the half-breed Indian so well known in those days, as driver between McGregor and Decorah, and Dave Telford guided the raw-boned steeds between Decorah and Lansing, and will be remembered by the
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ALLAMAKEE COUNTY
old residents of Waukon and Lansing. Tom H. McElroy, a Milwaukee printer, was then publishing the Waukon Transcript, having purchased the office a few months before. The material of the then Transcript office had previously been owned by Frank Belfoy, who started the first paper in Waukon, in 1859 [ 1857 .- Ed.], under the name of Waukon Journal, but in a few months quit its publica- tion and went to Decorah and took charge of the old Republic, now Republican office, succeeding the Tuppers, father and son. Belfoy, however, did not last long in Decorah, either, although the field was a good one, for the reason prin- cipally that he was more fond of sitting hour after hour and day after day in "Hank" Geddes' saloon and feasting on crackers, cheese and beer, than he was of attending to his newspaper duties, and as a consequence the paper "busted" in the fall of 1859.
We, with James Zbornik and Dan. Burt, were in Belfoy's employ when the paper suspended, and were left without any means whatever to get out of town. However, a happy thought meandered into the brain of one of the trio of penniless printers who was somewhat poetically inclined, and that was to inflict upon the public a poem-so-called-which we would sell around town and thereby try to raise enough money to get away with. The little screed took well, each one of the impecunious printers selling the slips about town and realizing funds sufficient for the purpose desired. With our portion of the wealth thus acquired we paid our stage fare to McGregor, where we applied to that good old soul, Col. A. P. Richardson of the Times, for work, but his office was then sup- plied with more help than he really needed. He advised us, however, to go over to Prairie du Chien, where he thought we might find temporary employment. We acted on his suggestion and the following morning we footed it across the river on the ice to the Prairie, and stating how badly reduced our surplus had become to Mr. William Merrill, the then and now proprietor of the Courier, that gentleman set us at work immediately, kindly informing us that we could remain until we obtained a permanent situation elsewhere. And from that day to this he has been a warm personal friend of the writer, and for whom we enter- tain the warmest regard.
We began at once to make written application to the offices in the surrounding towns for work. Finally, a reply came from H. R. Chatterton of the Lansing Mirror, offering us a place in his office. The next morning we set out for McGregor bright and early, again walking across the river on the ice and reaching McGregor in time to take the morning stage for Decorah on our way to Lansing, our object in going by Decorah being to see if we could not get some of our "back salary" due from Belfoy, but in which we did not succeed, as Frank was in a really worse financial strait than we were, for he had a family on his hands to provide for. We, shall never forget our midwinter's ride from McGregor to Decorah. Our seat was on the outside with driver Tokes, the inside of the coach being filled with other passengers, and as we were without an overcoat, and perhaps no underclothing, and as the weather was intensely cold, we suffered terribly from the piercing blasts of one of Iowa's old-fashioned winters. On the 3Ist of December we started for Lansing from Decorah, stopping at the old Dunlap House, now the Mason House, of this city, for dinner. This brings us back again to McElroy and the old Transcript office, for while in town at that time we called at the office and became acquainted with "Mac." Frank Pease,
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