USA > Iowa > Jasper County > Past and present of Jasper County, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 36
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THE VALERIA CYCLONE. 1896.
The most disastrous wind-storm, taking the form of a cyclone. that ever passed through Jasper county, since white men have known it, was the one which struck Valeria. Mingo and vicinity on Sunday night, May 24. 1896. There were many accounts written of this storm, as seen from various vien -points, but we have chosen the account as published in the Newton Journal the week of the storm, the facts of which here follow :
There were twenty-one killed outright. It occurred about eight o'clock in the evening, after a very sultry Sunday afternoon. The dead included the following : Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phalen and children, Charlie. Mike, Susie. Mollie and Dan. Charles Phalen, the husband and father, was a wealthy farmer and large land-owner in the neighborhood of Valeria, and upon hearing the roaring of the oncoming cyclone. the sound of which resembled that of a train of freight cars rumbling rapidly over a wooden bridge, started for a storm cave near by the house on his farm. He evidently had one child under each arm in his flight. He was carried some forty feet and
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dashed against a tree and instantly killed, as were also the children he had with him. The house was completely demolished. The daughter Mary and son Willie were blown fifty feet and they were the only ones of the house- hold saved. Willie had his hip broken. The mother got as far as the mouth of the cave and was there soon after found in a dying condition. The hogs, chickens, calves and all other domestic animals were killed and badly mangled.
Other persons who were killed were Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bolenburg and an adopted daughter, eight years of age. Lucretia Whitney and Martha Dickey, and the wife and son of D. Aiken and grandmother Shell. But few persons were injured, aside from those killed outright. The head of Mrs. Lucretia Whitney was so imbedded in the earth that it took the strength of several persons to extricate it.
Most of the bodies of the deceased were fearfully mangled and must have been killed instantly. Many were sleeping at the time and possibly had no opportunity to save themselves from an awful death.
The house of Robert Bailey, two miles north of Bondurant, was com- pletely demolished and he and his wife and three children belonging to a brother at Colfax were all killed outright. In and near Mingo, the storm again did much damage and the property loss on farms was immense.
At Valeria, in the house of G. W. Lacey, there were nine children. The house was badly wrecked, but fortunately none were materially injured.
The house of Miss Sue Philson was completely turned over and the ridge of the roof was thrown into the side of the next house to it, but strange to relate, the occupants of the former were unharmed. It is stated that the family started down stairs and arrived there just as the house turned over and were obliged to go back up stairs in order to get out.
The Methodist Episcopal church at Valeria was moved from its foun- dation two feet and badly wrecked, while the Catholic church building was totally demolished. In the priest's house the pastor of the church started across the room as the storm struck the house, and only escaped by a few inches a flying two-by-four scantling, which was sent through the window.
In the business portion of Valeria village, Taylor Barker's hardware building had its front blown in and mud and water covered the stock of goods.
The residence of James Jones was entirely demolished, but the family had escaped to a cave nearby.
The Knights of Pythias building, with a general stock on the first floor, was completely smashed to pieces. The blacksmith shop of D. M.
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Ilhon was also mashed flat to the earth. The newly built creamery was totally destroyed and its fixtures strewn to the far-away fields.
The railroad depot had two sides blown in and a nearby bridge was washed out, delaying all train service until the following afternoon. At the time there were six young men and boys from Poweshiek township standing in the depot and their fright was something they will always remember. The public school building west of town was blown to kindling wood, not even a large section of the same being found in the neighborhood.
Solomon Dickey's farm house was actually leveled to the ground. but his wife and daughter were saved, with a few injuries. Harvey Pitcock, south of Mingo, had his farm house picked up and carried fifty feet and landed in a ditch : his family were more or less injured. Charles Couche's house, south from Mingo, was destroyed, while the family escaped death by making their way to the storm cave.
Sol. Dickey was in bed with his little baby and was blown to a brush heap some distance. He was bruised badly, but the babe was uninjured. Five were killed of this family.
The cloud has been variously described. From the point seen by many, it appeared dark and inky, while in other directions it was reported as being white. The sound was awful. It was like falling water, or again seemed like trains running at rapid speed over trestle-work bridges. Its form was like a balloon or funnel-shaped, and it bounded along to and from the sur- face of the earth. There were many wells in the pathway of the storm, all of which had their waters sucked from them as if by a huge pump. An apple orchard, west of Valeria, was completely uprooted. At another point a whole Osage orange hedge was taken up, roots and all. In the depot yards at Valeria, there were steel rails twisted into all kinds of shape, and in one instance many will still recall the strange sight of a steel rail thirty-two feet long, driven into the hard earth a depth of fourteen feet. in a perpendicular position.
So distinct was the path of the storm that one-half of many forest trees had their entire foliage and limbs cut off. while the remaining half was ap- parently untouched. Chickens were seen picked clean of feathers, pin feathers and all, while hogs had been beheaded as clean as if struck by a sharpened ax.
Monday and Tuesday, as well as for days afterwards, visitors came from far and near to view the strange. yet ugly, sights made by this terrible electric storm, which mowed in its certain path of death and sure destruction.
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Many, indeed, nearly every visitor, carried away some treasured relic of the storm. The same evening there was a large water-spout in Mariposa town- ship, this county, which caused property damage, but no loss of life. This terrible wind-storm occurred the same week of the great St. Louis cyclone in which so many lives were sacrificed, and when the Eads steel bridge over the Mississippi river. between East St. Louis and the city proper, was partly carried away. There have been other severe wind storms in Jasper county, but none to compare with this one.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
INTERESTING REMINISCENCES.
The following reminiscences have been furnished by local writers and extracted from the writings of men who have passed from earthly scenes and who in their day and generation were men of influence and wrote truly and accurately concerning pioneer events which they themselves had wit- nessed either as men or youth. Perhaps there will be found treasured here much of interest to both the present and oncoming generations.
THE GREAT INDIAN SCARE.
Ballinger Aydelotte, who was one of Jasper county's earliest justices of the peace, a hardy pioneer, and a man of considerable ability as a descrip- tive and historic writer, at various times, for numerous publications, gave the facts as herein narrated. concerning the great Indian scare in Jasper and adjoining counties away back in the days when the Indian was about to be removed forever from this, his once happy hunting and fishing ground, to be occupied by the white race :
"The Indians were moved from this country in 1846 by the government to western Kansas, except a few who were left on the reservation in Tama county. AA great many of them did not want to go, and the dragoons gath- ered them to Fort Des Moines with a four-mule government team. We could see a squad of dragoons with mule teams every day for two weeks hunting Indians, catching them every day and hauling them to Des Moines. Most of them were willing to go, and would pilot the dragoons and help catch those who did not want to go. Those they did not find. gathered on the reserva- tion in Tama county and stayed there. as the soldiers were sent to the war in Mexico.
"Quite a number straggled back in the fall of 1848. They said: 'Mas- quakie heap sick out there: all die if they stay there.' In June, 1849, they came in gangs of thirties and forties. They were sullen and would not talk or give the settlers any satisfaction, but went on to their reservation on Iowa river in Tama county. By the Fourth of July they had all passed on. About this time it began to be talked among the settlers that the Indians were going
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to drive the whites out or kill them. This was talked of for a few days; stories began to fly thick and fast of what the Indians were going to do. None of these stories lost anything, but were generally enlarged, until noth- ing else was talked of but Indians and their massacres. Everybody was excited or scared. I saw men talk Indian till their teeth would chatter and their knees knock together. The women and children were worse scared, if possible than the men. Pretty soon some of the men took their families and left. This started the tide, and they went thick and fast for a few days. All went from some neighborhoods. They went to Mahaska, Jefferson and Lee counties. One company from the Clear Creek settlement came to town and camped in the old court house, that stood on the northwest corner of the square. It was then new. They had one or two-horse teams, the rest were oxen. There were seven or eight families. Some time the next night the horses got scared, commenced to snort, and rattled their chains. Some one yelled. 'The Indians are coming!' This started the screams of the women and chil- dren. Wash. Logdon's wife fainted. This made matters worse, and such a tumult as they had! 'Twas a time long to be remembered. Over half of the settlers in the county this side of Skunk river left. We felt lonesome after so many had gone. Some contended all the time that there was no danger ; but when the larger part of the settlers got scared and believed the reports, there was no reasoning with them. Those who stayed would gather at some house in the neighborhood at night. When they did not meet at my house I would take my wife and little six-year-old boy to the place where they were to meet, and go back home myself and get a good night's rest. I was no braver than other men, but I did not believe there was any danger. I felt as secure as 1 do today. The Indians were seen every day by the settlers in small hunting parties, and fishing, and sometimes called at the houses to beg for something to eat. Three of them called when I was away from home. They walked in without speaking, frightening my little boy so he crawled under the bed, and my wife could not speak. She was one of the scared ones from the first. Finally she asked if the Indians were going to war with the whites. The old Indian could not talk English, and he said. 'Yes.' Then my wife said, 'You won't kill the innocent, will you?' 'Yes, we will.' he said. Then the little boy began to yell and cry. She then asked if there were more Indians coming. He said, 'Yes, heap Musquakie comin' drunk.' Then she thought sure she would be scalped in a few minutes. She then said, 'White man come and kill Indian.' Then the Indians were scared as bad as she was; they ran out of the house, jumped on their ponies, and went off whipping and looking back as if they expected to see the white men after
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them. They did not come to my house any more that summer or fall. As soon as they were out of sight my wife and little boy hurried to the nearest neighbors as fast as they could, expecting to see the drunken Indians any time. When she told what the Indians said, the neighbors were badly scared and supposed they had got drunk to begin their butchering. The news flew all over the settlement that the Indians had been to Aydelotte's house and threatened to kill his wife and child. and scared her so bad that she was not expected to live. Men came in from all over the settlement to learn the truth. There were no drunken Indians seen or heard of. I sup- pose the old Indian saw she was frightened and said what he did to frighten her worse. There were no more Indians seen in our neighborhood during the scare, but the talk and excitement went on, and several log forts were built around some houses in the settlement, where women and children were taken until the scare was over. In our settlement, after they had built their fort and got their women and children in three or four days. two of the women got into a quarrel over an old iron spoon. They then broke up and went home.
"On Clear creek they built a fort around old Joe Hint's house. He was one who believed there was no danger. He went on plowing corn and working on his farm as usual, while the neighbors built the fort. They threatened to tie and keep him in the house. He told them they were wel- come to build the fort and bring their families there and stay as long as they pleased, but he must plow corn and take care of his own farm, for there was no danger from the Indians. So the excitement went on. There was a com- mittee of five appointed to go to the Indian village on Iowa river and find out, if they could, whether the Indians were going to break out or not. Dr. Rodgers, Joab Bennett. Brock Hammick. William Richie and Silas Dooley were the committee who went. They came back and reported that they had been to the Indian camp, and seen the Indians at their homes, and they seemed very friendly and sociable, and they gave no signs of hostility, and thought there was no danger. In the meantime several petitions had been gotten up in the different settlements and sent to the Governor at Iowa City, requesting him to send militia and drive away the Indians. Finally the Gov- ernor got so many of the petitions and found that the settlers were so excited and neglecting their work, that he sent an officer with a squad of men and an interpreter. They went and had a talk with the Indians. They found them perfectly ignorant of the scare among the whites: they knew something was wrong. but they thought that the whites were going to war among them- selves. When they found out what was the matter they were as badly scared
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as the whites had been. They were afraid the government would drive them back to Kansas, and that they would as soon die as go back there. From that time on, they were very friendly to the whites. They committed no depredations that were heard of. The worst they did was in scaring my wife and son. The Governor sent out a statement that he had investigated the matter and found the Indians peaceable and wanting to live at peace with the whites, and there were no good grounds for the scare. This settled it. and in a short time those who had left began to return, by one and twos. We had a good deal of fun wanting to know when they would get their land warrants for services in the "Indian war," and what they would take for them. Thus ended the big Indian scare of 1849."
MEMORABLE WINTER OF 1848-49.
Among the numerous historic items written at various times by that trustworthy pioneer, Ballinger Aydelotte, the following is worthy of perpetual preservation in the county's annals :
"It was in the year 1848-49 that we had the 'deep snow,' so-called, be- cause it was the deepest ever known up to or after that winter. The snow began falling early in December, and on Christmas morning it measured forty inches on the level all over the country. As there had been no wind, there were no drifts. About the 27th there came a thaw and a fog and a crust formed. A few neighbors made paths from one house to another, but they were so far apart that most of the traveling was done on snow shoes for three months. We had no good houses. All were small log cabins, with cracks chinked and daubed with mud. The roofs and doors were made of clapboards, with puncheon floors, so they did not lack ventilation. There were no stoves in this country at that time. We had no mail for three monthis, therefore no news from the outside world. It was impossible to get to the Oskaloosa mills. A few had their milling done, but they were soon out of breadstuff, and those who had none borrowed until it was all gone. So all were soon on an equality. The rule was to divide everything we had to eat as long as it lasted. Several attempts were made to get to mill in Febru- ary, but all failed, and it was not until the last of March that we got through with ox teams. So we had bread again, after living on browning and boiling corn and grating for over two months.
"After the crust formed on the snow, a man on snow shoes could catch a deer in a short time. as the deer would go through the crusted snow every jump it made, and after a few jumps would give up. The wolves, being able
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to run on the crust, caught a great many deer. One was started near William Springer's house : it tried to run into the house, but the dogs caught it and killed it in the vard. By the first of March deer got so poor one would not kill them for meat and many starved.
'The Indians lost hundreds of ponies that winter by starving. The snow that fell after the crust was formed was very light and every hard wind the air was filled with snow so one could scarce see their hand before them. At such times the snow would drift through the clapboard roof. And it was no fun jumping out of bed some mornings with snow two or three inches deep all over the house. After the hard blizzards the fine snow would blow off from the prairies into the hollows, making some of the drifts thirty and forty feet deep. I lived on Elk creek that winter."
IIARD WINTER OF 1856-57.
All true Iowans have experienced, or heard their parents tell of, the terrible winter of 1856-57, when the snow, on a dead level, measured fully thirty inches deep. and when the thermometer stood from ten to thirty-four degrees below zero for weeks at a time. In November, 1856, it commenced snowing and during that night it fell to the depth of eight inches. The regn- lar rule that winter was five days of snowing and blowing and two days fair and very cold. Humanity and the poor half-starved animal kingdom suf- fered greatly during that never-to-be-forgotten winter. This state of affairs extended throughout the entire western country. Reader, imagine yourself the head of a family, located three miles or more out on the prairie, where no fuel could be procured, save by hauling a few logs at a time. over the snow, from some timber ravine, and cutting it up for stove wood to keep your family from perishing. This was the lot of hundreds who had sought ' out a new home in the wilds of Jasper and other lowa counties.
REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD COURT HOUSE.
By J. H. Fugard.
There was once great rejoicing over the completion of a certain great building, but some of the people wept when they remembered the glories of the former house. We are now made glad by the completion of our splendid new court house, but are not unmindful of the more modest structure that once occupied its place. The old building stood for so many years in the most prominent place in the county, and was such a familiar object, that to many its destruction came like a personal loss: and the world almost
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seemed like a lonesome place without it. It cost much less than the present one. But land was then cheap and the people were poor. So that relatively it was more expensive than the new building. Its architecture was of no niean order, and before it was marred by ugly alterations and by the hand of time, it was really a handsome building. When we were children some of us thought that it was the grandest building in all the world. Its lofty dome seemed to us almost to reach the sky, and when brave Joe Bowker, the painter, once climbed upon it, and standing erect waved Old Glory to the breeze our enthusiasm knew no bounds. But the crowning glory of our former house consisted not in its stately columns and its classic frieze, but in wealth of its history. Many of the principal happenings of the county in its earlier years were connected with it, and much of our grand war history centers there. A multitude of thrilling scenes, patriotic and pathetic, humorous and sensational, have occurred within and around it. Many notable cases were tried there, and from its witness stand have been told tales of the unraveling crime that were equal to the detective stories that are told of Sherlock Holmes. Many worthy men there rendered faithful service during their best years, and the lives of some of them doubtless were short- ened by its unhealthy atmosphere. Many an exciting political convention was held there. And many a good man met his Waterloo, because of lack of sufficient votes. Rival parties and contending factions have there met and harmonized their differences, and like the wolf and the lamb have lain down together, one of them inside the other. Those who tremble for the safety of the country, because of the deadly breach between the progressives and the stand-patters, should remember the big pow-wow when the fierce "stalwarts" and the "mugwumps" ceased their defying warwhoops and to- gether smoked the pipe of peace.
Not only was it a favorite place for local speakers to exercise their talents but many state spell-binders, and not a few of national reputation have there held forth. With what delight we have heard the eloquence of some of them, both on the rostrum and at the bars, with vigor of thought and splen- dor of diction they have striven to convince or instruct or inspire their hearers. As I have listened to their well chosen words and well rounded sentences, I have thought that I would rather be an orator than a king.
The court room was for many years the largest assembly hall in the county, and was the natural meeting place for large public gatherings. It was often used for religious services. And in early days a number of funerals were held there, among them that of Capt. Thomas H. Miller, who was mor- tally wounded at Pittsburg Landing. His was the first soldier's funeral ever
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held in Newton, and was largely attended by people from all parts of the county. Memorial services were also held there for our first martyr Presi- dent, whom the people loved to call "Father Abraham." A great sanitary fair was held during the war to raise money to buy supplies for the sick and wounded soldiers. It lasted for several days, and many hundred dollars were raised. People poured out their money lavishly for the good cause, and paid fabulous prices for trifling articles, often handing them back to be sold over again.
It seems incredible that men's better natures should be stirred by patriot- ism that they would be willing to leave their families and business, and go away for years and incur the dangers and hardships of war. By such devo- tion, however, the Union was saved and we are enabled to enjoy many of our present blessings. The old court house figured prominently in the days of the war, as many rallies were held there, and most of the volunteers started from there for the front. Many heartbreaking scenes occurred as the families and friends of the brave men gathered about them to bid them what in many cases proved to be their last goodbye.
Upon the breaking out of the rebellion, a number of our citizens ex- pressed a willingness to help put it down. Among them was Samuel Chap- man, the town jeweler, who had seen service with Scott in Mexico, and who was urged to take the lead in trying to get up a company. And a meeting was called at the court house to discuss it. Earnest speeches were made by several of the volunteers and others. Among the speakers was a young Newton law student named S. H. M. Byers, now a prominent citizens of Des Moines. He told in a manly way that he thought it was every man's duty to be willing to obey his country's call, and that he had decided to offer his services. And he closed by saying "Rome was once a mighty nation. and so was Carthage. Rome fell and so did Carthage; but shall these great United States of America fall? Never, never, never." Afterwards while confined in a rebel prison. he wrote a little poem entitled "Sherman's March to the Sea," and sent it home concealed in a wooden leg of a returning fellow prisoner. And when he himself came home, he found that it had been set to music and had made him famous.
Let me try to describe another rally which was typical of all. It was on a summer afternoon in 1862, in the darkest days of the war. Dr. Ault had received a commission authorizing him to raise what was afterwards Com- pany C of the Twenty-second Jowa, and this meeting was for the purpose of assisting him. Some one read the President's latest proclamation, calling for three hundred thousand more troops. And a statement was made as to the
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