USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. I > Part 5
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O BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
pages: "Father hastily returned, saying, 'Nine Indians are coming, now only a short distance from the house, and we are all doomed to die.' They entered the house and demanded more flour, and as father turned to get them what remained of our scanty store, they shot him through the heart, while other Indians instantly turned upon mother and Mrs. Luce, seized them by the arms and beat them over the heads with the butts of their guns, then dragged them out doors, and killed them in the most cruel and shocking man- ner." The entire family were butchered, except the author of the history, who was taken captive and retained for many months, the full particulars of which are given in her account above referred to.
Later on, in 1895, the Legislature made an appropriation of five thou- sand dollars to erect a monument, which was built, commemorative of the massacre. It is a fine granite shaft, fifty-five feet in height, with proper inscriptions. The dedicatory services were held on the lake and on the spot in the summer of 1896, and were attended by the writer hereof. Citizens from all over the state were there. During the several succeeding days the bones of forty-six of the victims who suffered the same fate were gathered from up and down the lake. These dreadful massacres produced numerous scares in O'Brien county. At one time a mere flock of sandhill cranes caused the scare. At another time a herd of hogs frightened a whole neighbor- hood, and at another a drove of cattle. In fact, it was the fear produced by that real calamity, rather than the scares themselves.
THE ABILITY TO SAY GOOD-BYE INDICATING STRENGTH OF CHARACTER.
It takes courage to say good-bye. Mr. Waterman said good-bye in New York to come west. Thousands have done likewise. Charles Dickens tells us that many of us, when we fear to say good-bye, will remark to some friend, "I will see you again," when they know within themselves that that very remark is the real good-bye. In 1862, when, with six covered wagons, the family, with others, started from the old Eastern home, the little five- year-old brother of the writer had said the fond farewells to all the relatives, and then at last to grandmother, and the writer lay down in the bottom of the covered wagon, and looked back at grandmother as long as she could be seen, and past the turn in the road. When still several weeks on the road, and the day's travel seemed tedious and the horses were tired, this little fellow broke out, "Usses left usses grandma, but usses hasn't left usses selves." The grit that could say good-bye was on hand to do and dare-yes, on hand ready to advance to the front of the stage in a new country and do
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
mis part. That quality has made this country strong. It produced grit and courage to meet the emergency. It has also done one other thing in every community in the West, not only for O'Brien county, but all over the United States. It has furnished to every county in the country the combined brain power and resourcefulness from everywhere else on earth. Thus O'Brien county has its Germans, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Hollanders, Irish, Eng- lish, Scotch, French, and in fact, people from every state in the Union, and all together have added strength and made up that combined forty-horse- power of character that has made this a great, great country.
DARK AND BRIGHT SIDES OF THE RECORD.
We would not be true to the history of the county did we not give both the sunshine and shadow, its "darkest Africa" period as well as its automo- bile age. O'Brien county has had its share. Indeed, perhaps a county would not rise to its best level, like individuals, unless it had to overcome the plagues of Egypt, so to speak.
ANNA WATERMAN, FIRST WHITE CHILD.
On the 30th day of May, 1857, occurred the birth of the first white child in the county, Anna Waterman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hannibal H. Waterman. She was the second white child born in the three counties of Clay, Buena Vista and O'Brien. Eleven children in all were born to Mr. and Mrs. Waterman. Anna Waterman was married to D. W. Kinyon and they moved to Woodbine, Iowa, where, later, after a few days' illness, she departed this life, leaving her husband and the three children.
Mr. and Mrs. Waterman were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, he uniting at the age of seventeen. He was very emphatic in his religious views and quoted much Scripture, carrying the same out in his devotions, and he was much of an exhorter in his religion. He believed that all things were ordered from on high during all these years for his good.
The following additional statements were written down in full and read to him by the writer at the time, to which he assented.
PROPOSAL TO ORGANIZE A COUNTY.
About the last month of 1859, one James W. Bosler, a short man of sandy complexion, came up into this country from Sioux City and proposed
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
to organize a county. Bosler achieved a later fame with J. W. Dorsey, ex-United States senator, in the "Star Route" frauds and operating, with Dorsey, an extensive cattle ranch in New Mexico.
The very idea of organizing a county for one man's benefit was pre- posterous. When Mr. Waterman was interviewed by Bosler concerning the matter he replied: "I am farming and know nothing about organizing." Bosler assured him that he could have the choice of the county offices and it would be well not to make any objections. Bosler then departed. But in a short time Mr. Waterman ascertained that this man Bosler originally came from Pennsylvania, and that others were coming from Sioux City for the purpose of organizing.
BOSLER APPEARS AGAIN.
Early in February, 1860, Bosler, with seven or eight others, arrived, among them I. C. Furber, Henry C. Tiffey and Archibald Murray, who said an election would be held February 6, 1860. Two or three of the number left for Sioux City before the day appointed for the election arrived. The day arrived and the election was held in Mr. Waterman's house. The ballot box consisted of a hat and the total number of votes polled were seven, only five of which pretended to belong to either Woodbury or O'Brien county. Two votes were borrowed, one from Buena Vista and one from Clay county, James A. Gleason from the former and a Mr. Freeney from the latter. Mr. Waterman says both men were from Clay county, but the record says Gleason was from Buena Vista. They all voted. Mr. Waterman was generously elected, as assured by Bosler, to the office of treasurer, recorder and superin- tendent of schools. These unusual doings, said Mr. Waterman, will explain the indebtedness of the county.
Soon after this election the old log court house was built directly in front of Mr. Waterman's house and is the "temporary office" the record speaks of as built by Archibald Murray for the county judge. I. C. Furber, Archibald Murray, L. McClelland and H. C. Tiffey boarded with Mr. Water- man the remainder of the winter.
THE FORT DODGE CROWD.
Everything went pleasantly with this Sioux City crowd until in the summer of 1860, when John H. Cofer, Charles C. Smeltzer and one Messer- vey, hearing of the lucrative pasture the Sioux City fellows were enjoying.
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
came up from Fort Dodge with about a dozen men. Cofer conveyed the idea to Mr. Waterman that they were actual settlers and would immediately proceed to the opening up of farms, which would be the means of bringing many other settlers into the county. By this time, says Mr. Waterman, "I began to perceive that Bosler was a shrewd, far-seeing man, whose chief mission evidently was to procure the dollars. Myself and family welcomed Cofer, or the Fort Dodge crowd, as actual newcomers and settlers. A brisk contest and feud at once sprung up between these Sioux City and Fort Dodge crowds, the latter being in the majority, and a fight was on for supremacy. I sided with Cofer because I thought he was here for actual settlement. My course enraged the Sioux City crowd against me. This contest between these factions was so fierce for a time that I feared an actual physical combat. The two factions finally compromised, as necessarily they must. One of the conditions of this compromise was the exaction by the Sioux City crowd that I must get out, and keep out, of public matters. Evidently I was not what they wanted.
MR. WATERMAN'S LAND JUMPED.
"A short time after this I was notified from Sioux City that my land was jumped by one Charles E. Hedges, and that H. C. Tiffey, Bosler and Furber were the instigators of the scheme. This report was soon confirmed. It was not long before I was waited upon by this trio of gentlemen, who took it upon themselves to inform me that they would let me have my land back and release the contest provided I would resign the county offices I held. What else could I do? To be sure there was plenty of land, but there were my improvements. I did resign December 11, 1860, as the records show." The abstract of title on Mr. Waterman's land also shows that Charles E. Hedges was so connected with same and that they made the lever strong enough to make hini be good.
"I think," says Mrs. Waterman, emphatically, "that that was a good sized price to get our own land back. that is the idea of it." Mr. Waterman added, with inuch emphasis and earnestness, "I have never been in half the danger, or suffered so much from the Indians, as from the whites." Mr. Waterman added that they were all rebel sympathizers and of Southern principles, and that H. C. Tiffey was a Virginian, a speculator and Southern gentleman. James Bosler, though from Pennsylvania, was a rebel, as like- wise was Furber, though the latter was from Massachusetts. John R. Pumphrey was also from Virginia, though he served in the Union army for a short time. At one election during the war there were only two Republican
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
votes cast in the three counties. In fact, these new states during the war were dodging places for many rebels and copperheads.
Mr. Waterman was exceeding emphatic "that there were some mighty mean white men in this world." Mr. Waterman further went on to say : "I have never read over that earliest record, but I am satisfied from what I have heard that it contains entries to which I never consented, and that funds were drawn in my name by those fellows that I never knew of or realized except to my proper amount. I attended to my farm, and H. C. Tiffey did the office work; I knew but little about it, and was forced out in the same year in order to get my land back. The record says, I think, 'that Bosler tock my place,' but he did not; he sent his clerk, whose name was Stuart, up from Sioux City to do the work and I thought for years that Stuart was the official." Henry C. Tiffey died at Fort Dodge about 1871.
Waterman says that the "eighteen-foot square court house" was in fact about fourteen by twenty feet in size. And, also, that that log court house was used on his farm for a year and six months and that one Moses Lewis also lived in it as a residence. Moses Lewis committed suicide some years ago at Fort Dodge.
Mr. Waterman continued : "They tried to purchase forty acres of me for a county seat, but I had had all the experience with them in the land business I cared for." Land was finally bought of H. C. Tiffey and then it was that O'Brien county was born. The old log court house was then moved to old O'Brien and later on used as a school house and residence, and in 1868-1869 by Bostwick and R. G. Allen as a blacksmith shop, and still later by W. C. Green and Lem C. Green as a stable. Meantime Waterman built the then new house ( the one that was destroyed by fire in 1887) for the Cofer family. Then all but Mr. Waterman and family moved to Old O'Brien.
Mrs. Hannah H. Waterman taught the first school, with three scholars enrolled. But before the fall term was taught in 1860, the new magnate, Cofer, preferred that his daughter should teach, and she followed, with seven scholars.
Right here the reader will no doubt be pleased to know that Bosler was, once at least, the loser, as the following will show : "While the log court house was being built, a work bench sat in front. Bosler arrived from Sioux City on horse back. He tied his horse to the work bench and, while Bosler was absent for a few minutes, some Indians sneaked up and stole the horse. This was the last ever seen of Bosler's four footed propeller.
"About this same period Jacob Kirchner erected the first school house,
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
a frame building, wherein John R. Pumphrey first resided after he was mar- ried. In those days they had what they called 'swamp land goods' (see item entitled Swamp Lands), and traded warrants for them. Tiffey bought some second-hand goods, and presented every woman in the county with a new dress. Mrs. Waterman was also presented with a whole box of goods from Tiffey. All our trading before W. C. Green opened his store was done at Sioux City and Fort Dodge. We would send our boarders to market for us in trips made by them.
"I. C. Furber remained in the county only two years, and before he de- parted expressed himself as being ashamed of the manner in which he jumped my land. I always considered Furber, at heart, a good meaning man. I first met Rouse B. Crego (later county treasurer) at a camp meet- ing near Smithland. I could never understand Crego. He was part of the time a very bad man, and part of the time a Methodist preacher. He could conduct a good-sized drunk or a revival meeting with the same energy.
FIRST ACTUAL HOMESTEAD ENTRY.
"The first actual homestead entry that was maintained was by Archi- bald Murray. A man by the name of Zoller, a German, however, had had his warrant on the land first, namely on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 14, township 94, range 39. I showed it to him and located him, but he soon got discouraged, folded his tent and departed. 1 then showed it to D. W. Inman, and he decided to take it. I wanted settlers, but these officials at Old O'Brien didn't want any." The reader may judge why. Archibald Murray hastened to enter it. His object was to prevent Inman from settling. The evidence appeared from various sources that no settlers were desired by these Old O'Brien officials. The Inmans then went up into what is now Grant township and located, as the Grant list will show. These brothers, Daniel W. Inman and Chester W. Inman (later county treasurer ), were the first legitimate settlers in O'Brien county after Hannibal Waterman and Old Dutch Fred, though Henry F. Smith and Ed T. Parker arrived about the same time, or in 1868. Moses Lewis, H. C. Tiffey and Archibald Murray each did a little gentleman farming close to town, or, as Mrs. Waterman said, "Mrs. Lewis and her boy done it."
FREDERICH FELDMAN, "OLD DUTCH FRED."
"I am der peoples. Der rest all be officers. Don't it?" Fred Feld- inan, or Old Dutch Fred, entered and homesteaded the west half of the north-
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
west quarter of section 34, township 94, range 39. (James H. Scott, however, got the United States patent.) Mr. Waterman built a tene- ment house, Dutch Fred plastered it and rented Waterman's farm. But little is known of his history. He told Mrs. Waterman he had deserted from the German army and was living a secluded life to escape the punish- inent of death. His "frau" would not follow him to so wild a country. His quaint expression. "I am der peoples und der rest be de officers." was used sarcastically by the newer settlers referring to the bunch of looters then in office, and whom each new voter desired to root out. He died in 1873 with the request that he be buried by the side of his friend, Archibald Murray. Sentimental requests in a new country are not always fulfilled. Poor Old Dutch Fred, who had lived a hermit life, far from wife, home and father- land, to escape King William's wrath, could not enforce his request. Old Dutch Fred, who would shake his ragged clothes, and laugh, "dese be boor dings mit clothes, but Old Dutch Fredt be under here und his heart beat shust like udder mans," lies buried in a lonely grave on his homestead claim, unmarked and soon, perhaps, unknown.
JUMPED AGAIN.
Mr. Waterman had pre-empted his land. He was entitled to a home- stead. He made an entry on the northwest quarter of section 22, township 95, range 40, Highland township, and got it under way, when his land was jumped again. A woman living on that section heard of it and, taking her child in her arms, walked thirteen miles to inform him of what was going on. That woman was Henrietta Richardson, wife of John Richardson, later residents for many years of both Primghar and Sanborn. Mr. Water- man was too late and lost his land, but remembered with gratitude this ardu- ous effort of kindness on the part of Mrs. Richardson. In justice to Mrs. Catrina Dobricka, the patentee, it may be said it was not her doings. Again Mr. Waterman concluded that this is a wicked world and that the whites can "out-devil" the "Injuns."
COMMENT ON MR. WATERMAN'S NARRATIVE.
It will thus be seen from the above narrative of Mr. Waterman and from other items in this history that up to 1869 O'Brien county was in a complete state of irresponsibility. She was an orphan without a guardian, a ship, though sound, whose helmsmen and crew were in the hold playing
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
hookey with the cargo, expecting to let her float as best she might as soon as they had had their fill. Their only passenger, Mr. Waterman, could but look on. It was as if the United States government should have organized the state of Iowa, with ninety-nine men, one man for each county. The record list of the old homesteaders shows that they nearly all came in 1870, 1871 and 1872. They began to stop such doings as soon as they could get control, and would have gotten control sooner had it not been for the grass- hopper scourge. O'Brien county has been much abused for these doings, but, as is seen, there were none to say nay or object. The main body of the debt was created the first four or five years. The looters during that period had the majority. It can be seen from the one item of H. C. Tiffey making presents of so many dresses and goods that the bunch were nursing their job, and postponing the fatal day when their doings would be ended by the votes of an exasperated people, as was later done.
CHAPTER II.
FIRST BEGINNINGS.
ONE SESSION OF THE FIRST 1860 BOODLE BOARD.
It has often been asked by what process those early boodlers built up such a debt of two hundred and thirty thousand dollars against the county. We shall not attempt to make an itemized list of the sundry bills allowed, as that would be too lengthy; indeed, we could not, as without doubt many warrants were issued that were later sued upon that never were made of record. This history must deal with facts and policies and not with mere details or figures. However, to illustrate their methods, we will give a list of the bills allowed at one session of the board of supervisors, namely, the session of September 2, 1861, which would be in the second year :
Hedges & Company, stationery $ 200.00
I. C. Furber, office rent 300.00
J. H. Cofer, wood furnished offices 500.00
James H. Bosler, wood furnished offices 200.00 1 1
John H. Cofer, books furnished offices 300.00
Henry C. Tiffey, transcribing records 1 1
I I
300.00
I. C. Furber, digging well for county
1 I 50.00
Henry C. Tiffey, making out tax list I50.00
John S. Jenkins, making map of county 200.00
C. E. Hedges, transcribing records 300.00
J. A. Gilbert, superintending swamp lands 500.00
Henry C. Tiffey, office rent 300.00
Archibald Murray, office rent 300.00 I I
Henry C. Tiffey, salary
1 1
1
1
500.00
I. C. Furber, salary
500.00
John S. Jenkins, surveying roads 700.00
John H. Cofer, salary 50.00
James W. Bosler, making out delinquent tax list 250.00
Archibald Murray, building county building 2,000.00
Henry C. Tiffey, for forty acres of land. 2,000.00
John H. Jenkins, building bridges 8,000.00
Total
$17,500.00
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
Several curious facts may be observed in connection with the above bills. The county was then nineteen months old only, and with practically no revenue in actual cash. Even in this year 1914, after fifty-one years and final prosperity, and with seventeen thousand people, at no session of our board will there be allowed bills in such aggregate. Another curious thing is the fact that these bills are practically for even hundreds of dollars. Here are twenty-one large bills, which, in the ordinary course of business, for items such as digging a well, transcribing records, surveying roads, station- ery, etc., there would ordinarily be odd cents. Every one of them rounds up with even dollars and most of them with even hundreds. Another inter- esting item is the bill of Archibald Murray for two thousand dollars for a county building, which is none other than the colossal old log court house, and still, with a two thousand dollar allowance for a building spot, many charges of hundreds of dollars are allowed for office rent. When we add to this also the fact that the whole written record of all that the board did in creating the whole debt, together with all other business, was written on twenty-four sheets of foolscap paper, not even bound, this office rent falls a joke with the rest. Then observe that J. A. Gilbert is allowed seven hun- dred dollars for superintending swamp lands, and then the fact that in still another meeting of the board they allowed the blessed James W. Bosler a special fee of one thousand dollars for securing to the county these same swamp lands, and then the fact there never were but two hundred and forty acres of swamp land in fact in the county, and then the final act of this board to make a contract with this same Bosler to build a bridge which, of record, they valued at five hundred dollars, and for the same deeded to him fifty thousand acres of what the bunch concluded were or might be swamp lands, and which he sold all over the East for good title lands, it is plain they were cutting and slicing things up with both edges of the knife. We may per- haps also add a smile at the fell swoop in a one-line bill, with no intemiza- tion, of eight thousand dollars for bridges, to John S. Jenkins. The name of this same John S. Jenkins appears in hundreds of places in the deeding of these fifty thousand acres of so-called swamp lands, as they were handed down and divided up into parcels among the bunch, as the deed records show. Then also add the little item of even two hundred dollars to this same John S. Jenkins for making a map of the county, which was none other than the map made by these gentry to show purchasers the people they were deluding at the other end of the line also. However, itemization would have been of no avail, as the list on its face shows it to be a straight-out steal anyway. (4)
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O'BRIEN AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES, IOWA.
As none of the bridges were ever heard of afterward, it all seems humorous, when not serious. But all this is but a specimen of what scores of counties in those early times had to endure, only O'Brien county caught more than its share. They labored at more than one session with this precious swamp land. Even back of this board meeting on October 30, 1860, is this dainty and humorous solemn entry by the court relating to these same swamp lands : "Office of County Judge,
"October 30, 1860.
"The court has this day awarded a contract to Lewis McCoy for select- ing the swamp lands of O'Brien county and properly returning same, which work is to be performed during the year 1861, for which he shall receive the suin of two thousand dollars, and, being satisfied that the said McCoy will perform said work, said amount is hereby ordered issued.
"I. C. FURBER, "County Judge."
Many other sums were allowed at different times, with this same clause in it, namely, "Being satisfied that said work will be done, the warrant is ordered issued." It seems almost a wonder that they should have even gone to the trouble of such formalities.
EQUAL DIVISION OF THE SPOII.S.
We will give one other example of a curious bunch of six bills allowed at a session three years later, May II, 1864. It would seem, as near as may be determined, the sum of about three thousand dollars had been col- lected in the treasury on taxes, and it needed to be divided up. At all events the following bills were allowed :
J. L. McFarland, salary county judge $ 500.00
David Carroll, recorder 500.00
Henry C. Tiffey, treasurer 500.00
James W. Bosler, attorney fees 500.00
Archibald Murray, old account against the county .. 500.00
William Payne, old account against the county. 500.00
Total $3,000.00
We call attention to the fact of the division on various items being not only even hundreds of dollars, but each bill exactly the same. They were
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