USA > Iowa > Polk County > Pioneers of Polk County, Iowa, and reminiscences of early days, Vol. I > Part 25
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He was a charter member of Capital City Lodge Number Twenty-nine, Knights of Pythias, organized March Twenty-sixth, 1876.
In 1891, he sold his interest in the Register to his brother, Dick, went to New York and organized the New York and New Jersey Bridge Company, to build a bridge over the Hudson River at Fifty- ninth Street, to cost sixty-five million dollars, and was made Presi- dent of the company.
In 1902, President Roosevelt appointed him Surveyor of Cus- toms for the port of New York, which place he now holds. Some day, he will return to Des Moines, which he claims is his home.
May First, 1904.
JUDGE WILLIAM W. WILLIAMSON
JUDGE WILLIAM W. WILLIAMSON
O F the pioneers of Des Moines who came early, grew up with the town, and became prominent factors in civic affairs was William W. Williamson, or Judge, as he was more famil- iarly known, a Kentuckian by birth.
On learning, through the newspapers, in 1848, that the Capital of the state was to be removed from Iowa City to Monroe City, which had been selected by a lot of Quakers appointed by the Legis- lature, because of faith in them to resist the machinations of sharp- ers, speculators, and temptations of "the flesh and the devil." So, with his wife, a carriage, and two fine Kentucky thoroughbred horses, they embarked on a steamboat for Keokuk, via Saint Louis. From Keokuk, they journeyed to Monroe City. Prospectively, it was a beautiful city. It was platted with parks, boulevards, foun- tains, wide streets, and so forth, but when they arrived there, said Mrs. Williamson, a few days ago, "There was nothing but a lot of stakes set all over the town, not a building in sight in any direction, and we went on to Fairfield."
The Quakers had "fallen from grace," been caught in the wiles of the Tempter, and departed from their faith. So tainted with corruption was their action, the Legislature repudiated it entirely, and the future Capital was relegated to the gophers and prairie dogs.
After a short halt in Fairfield, the Judge and his wife came to Fort Des Moines. Houses were scarce, but they found a log cabin near what is now the corner of Ninth and Walnut streets, where they began their first experience in housekeeping. The log cabin being unsuitable for cold weather, they soon after moved to a small frame building with a clap-board roof, on Second Street below Vine. The house had but two small rooms, one above the other. The upper floor, or sleeping-room, was reached by means of a lad- der though a hole in the floor. Upon retiring, the ladder was pulled
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up after them, and they slept the sleep of the just. They were young and vigorous, and enjoyed the new life in the wild and woolly West immensely. They were both full-blooded Methodists, and tinctured with genuine Kentucky hospitality. Their house was always open to the "brethren," sans ceremony, sometimes to the great discomfort of the hostess, for, as she used to say: "Though they were good people, always welcome, they had good appetites, and there were times when provisions were scarce. One day, there came a preacher and his wife. I had very little flour, bacon or corn meal. I wanted to make some pies, but there were no dried apples-we didn't have canned nor green fruit in those days-and I went out on the plateau north, gathered some sheep sorrel, and made the pies, and they were good."
On another occasion, in 1851, on Sunday, July Third, the whole country was flooded with high water ; teams could not go anywhere to mill ; the whole town was short of provisions. The next day there were to be dinners and suppers, but the larders were bare, and everybody was anxiously waiting the coming of a steamboat with supplies. A large gathering had assembled in a frame building on Walnut Street, where the Simon clothing store now is, when the small whistle of a steamboat broke in upon them. Instantly, the entire assemblage made a rush for the river, and the meeting closed without a benediction from the preacher. The people were more interested in flour and bacon than Biblical rhetoric, and they gave the steamboat a rousing welcome, for it was loaded with just what they wanted.
In 1851, the Whigs resurrected the wreck of the Fort Des Moines Gazette, which Lamp. Sherman had laid away after a vain effort to keep it afloat, and February Twenty-eighth, issued the first number of the Iowa State Journal, with Peter Myers & Com- pany publishers, and Williamson the leading editor. It was during the Presidential campaign of General Winfield Scott, and the paper did effective service, but Whigs were in the minority, the paper received no public patronage, and in August, 1852, ceased to be, and Williamson went back to his law books.
Under the Legislative Act of 1846, organizing Polk County, the counties of Story, Boone, and Dallas, and all the territory north and
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west thereof were attached to Polk for election, revenue and judi- cial purposes, and all residents therein could vote for national, state, and county officers as being in Polk County.
In 1847, a new voting precinct was established, comprising the County of Boone and all the territory north and west of it.
In 1849, a new County of Boone was established, entirely inde- pendent of Polk, with prescribed limits, but no provision was made for the unorganized territory, north and west, for election or judicial purposes, hence, de facto, it did not belong to Polk nor Boone.
In April, 1853, Williamson was elected Prosecuting Attorney, and served one year, being succeeded by Barlow Granger, the Demo- crats making a special effort to get control of all the county offices.
At the same election, he was elected one of the Council of the "Original Town of Fort Des Moines." There were no wards, the Councilmen being elected by the people at large. He held the office one term.
In 1855, at the Democratic nominating convention, McFarland and Judge Curtis Bates were candidates, The Fort supporting the latter. A count of noses showed the vote would be close, but late in the session a fellow came in claiming to represent King County, up in what is now a part of Sac County, a county which had never been heard of. He was admitted, and voted for McFarland, giving him a majority of one vote. Of course, Bates' friends were mad.
The Whigs nominated Williamson, who had become prominent and popular. The Know-Nothing craze was flourishing, with its shiboleth, "Americans to Rule Americans," and the small, diamond- shaped paper frequently scattered about the streets as notice of an immediate meeting of the clan somewhere, operated as a red rag to the Irish, Scandinavians, and Dutch. This element, and some of Bates' friends, affiliated with the Whigs. The Capital re-location subject and the gubernatorial campaign were also on, so that the whole country was considerably stirred up.
At the election, the returns showed that Williamson had a small majority. The Democrats asked for a postponement until the "back country" could be heard from, but he was declared elected, and was given his commission by the Governor. In the meantime,
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some poll books were sent in from Butler County, which had just been organized out of the territory formerly belonging to Polk County, but which had been cut off from all jurisdiction by the Act of 1849. The Democrats claimed the poll books should be rec- ognized and the votes counted. The question was referred to the Judges of Election, two Democrats and one Whig, who accepted the poll books and counted their forty votes for McFarland. John A. Hull, of Boone, a prominent politician in those days, contested the election, claiming that the forty votes given to McFarland were illegal, as not a name of a voter appeared on the alleged poll books, neither were they signed by anybody as Judge or Clerk of Election. The contest went to the Supreme Court, where it was decided that unless fraud could be shown in the election, the votes must be counted, notwithstanding there were some irregularities, the court thus ignoring the fact that the votes were cast in Butler County, which had been attached to another district entirely for election purposes.
McFarland got the place, and learning that Hull had been seek- ing to defeat him, recalled the fact that Hull owed him for a barrel of lime. He sued for the value of the lime, and got a judgment in a Justice Court. Hull paid the judgment, but McFarland's temper having cooled, he refused to take it, and it went to the heirs of the estate of the Justice.
Though Williamson did not get the place, he got the title, which stuck to the end of his days.
He had the usual experience of other lawyers with the bibulous McFarland. One day, when he and his opponent were arguing a case, the Judge was so drunk he tumbled off his chair. Gathering himself into his seat again, he said: "Go on with your d-n speechifying. I'll show you when you get through."
One morning, court had been opened, the Judge was in his seat, and the lawyers were standing about, preparing to settle down to business, when a man, ill-dressed, came straggling in and planted himself directly in front of the Judge, with his hat on. Nothing would excite the ire of the Judge more than to see a man in "open court" with his hat on.
"Well, what do you want ? Take off your d-d hat!" said the Judge.
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"I have been elected to an office, and I want to be qualified," replied the stranger.
"I'll swear you," said the Judge, "but all h-I couldn't qualify you."
In 1856, during the contest over the location of the State House, Williamson was an active West Sider, and was one of the commit- tee who secured the three hundred thousand dollar fund to be given the state as a bonus for locating it on the West Side., and in the investigation, in 1858, of the subject, in which the Commissioners who located it on the East Side were charged with corruption and boodling, the East Siders claiming the West Siders' subscription was not worth the paper it was written on. Williamson was called as a witness and testified as follows:
"Question .- Were you a resident of Fort Des Moines at the time of the location of the Capitol ?
"Answer .- I was.
"Question .- Did you know this paper (marked 'E') was in cir- culation about the time of the location, and if so, what was the understanding as to the subscriptions being bona fide?
"Answer .- My understanding was that it would not be accepted -- for I had heard the Commissioners had located the Capitol on the East Side.
"Question .- Did you sign that paper with intent to pay ? [He signed for five hundred dollars.]
"Answer .- Had the location been made on the west side of the river, after the subscription had been presented to the Commis- sioners, I presume I would have paid it.
"Question .- Did you own property on the west side of the river ?
"Answer .- Yes.
"Question .- Were you influenced by that fact in subscribing ?
"Answer .- In part, I was. I resided there, and for convenience I wished to have it there."
Politically, the Judge was a Free Soil Whig, though the son of a slaveholder, and raised on a plantation. He was an active, lead- ing man in his party in the early days, when there was a strong pro-slavery element among the Democrats, who did not think a Whig had any rights they should respect.
VOL. I-(22).
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He was a supporting pillar-financially as well as morally-of the Methodist Church and of the public schools. He brought with him to Des Moines considerable money, and as his wife once said, "He gave it all away to churches and schools." He was a member of the West Side School Board twelve years, and devoted much of his time to the office without compensation. He was very fond of children, and a great favorite with them. Nearly every day, little ones would come to his house on the lot corner of Fifth and Locust, where the Marquardt Bank now is, bringing pictures to "Willie Willyumson," as they called him, until nearly every room in the house was papered with them.
During the formative period of the town and city, he was identi- fied with every movement for progress and improvement. He died in 1893.
July Ninth, 1905.
COLONEL J. N. DEWEY
COLONEL J. N. DEWEY
T HIRTY years ago, a very dignified and prominent individual in Des Moines was Colonel J. N. Dewey. How he acquired the military title, I never learned. He was not a Kentuckian, nor was he ever in the military service, except by implication.
By profession, he was a civil engineer, and in the early 'Fifties, did railroad engineering in Massachusetts and New York. When Hugh Riddle was at the head of the New York and Erie Road, the Colonel surveyed, laid out, and assisted largely in building that road, and when Riddle came to Chicago and became President and head of the Chicago and Rock Island Road, so great was his confi- dence in the Colonel, he was a frequent and influential adviser with the leading men of that road, and represented them in the Direc- tory Board of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Division.
In 1855, he came to Des Moines, then only a small village, and began business in surveying, engineering, and real estate. An adept in his profession, and possessing excellent business qualifications, his services were valuable in promoting the growth and business interests of the town, and in 1856 he was elected Engineer by the Town Council of Fort Des Moines, and reelected in 1857 City Engineer by the first Council of the City of Des Moines, and was prominently identified with the laying out of streets and alleys and fixing the holdings of lot owners. His services in the City Council, when business qualifications were much needed, were of great value to the city.
In 1860, he was elected City Treasurer, and held that office one term.
In 1860, the Legislature convened in special session to devise measures for a War and Defense Fund, and to enable the state to comply with the demands of the United States for soldiers in "sup- pressing the Rebellion," as the statute reads. (All through the war period, the Legislature used the terms "rebellion" and "rebel.")
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An appropriation of several hundred thousand dollars was made to pay the expenses therefor. The Colonel and S. R. Ingham were elected Commissioners by the Legislature to disburse that fund. It was an onerous and difficult task. It embraced the auditing of "all accounts and disbursements having reference to the military organization, arming and subsistence of the same, and all expendi- tures regarding the purchase of arms, uniforms, and accoutrements, army supplies and subsistence for any of the companies of the state called into the service of the General Government."
No claim could be paid unless proved and allowed by the Com- missioners. For this service, they were allowed three dollars per day and actual mileage.
The war period was a field day for "grafters" and speculators in army supplies, and there were many always alert to "make money" by it, but, while not penurious nor captious, the Colonel and Ingham would pay no "padded" or constructive claims against the state or United States. They could not be swerved one iota from exact justice and right. There must be a tangible equivalent for every dollar expended. A single glance at the frigid facial expression of those two men would send a shiver down the spinal column of the most persuasive and versatile jobber in Government contracts, and visions of "graft" vanished into nothingness.
The Legislature also provided in the original Act for protection against "wild-cat" money, by requiring paymasters and all other disbursing officers to make their payments in coin of the United States, or be removed from office and barred from holding any office in the state for five years.
The burden of the labor of the Commission was assumed by the Colonel, who devoted his entire time thereto. There was very little building in the town during the period. All business enterprises were greatly depressed.
In 1862, the Colonel was appointed by President Lincoln as Assessor of Internal Revenue for the Third District, he being the first one appointed. Soon after, he was appointed by Secretary of War Stanton as Commissary of Subsistence, but the duties of his ยท office as Auditor of the Iowa War Fund were so exacting he was obliged to resign both appointments.
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COLONEL J. N. DEWEY
In 1864, the Des Moines Gas Company was organized. During the first year, its work was largely experimental, in an effort to make gas from superheated steam. Brilliant gas could be and was made, but no substance could be found of which to make the cru- cibles that would withstand the intense heat necessary for "cook- ing" or heating the steam. The project was abandoned, the usual process adopted, and gas was first supplied for private use, Tues- day evening, July Eleventh, 1865.
In 1866, the Colonel was selected, by Act of the Legislature, a special agent of the state to settle and adjust with the United States all claims of the state for expenses incurred during the war in raising and equipping troops, expenses in protecting her frontier from guerrilla raids, and also expenses incurred in protecting her frontier after the Spirit Lake Massacre by Inkapadutah and his band, in 1857; also to settle all claims of the state of the five per cent of the sale of public lands. His compensation was fixed at five dollars per day, and so thoroughly complete and exact was kept the account for raising and equipping Iowa regiments under the Act of 1860, with its multiplexity and complications, every claim which had passed through his hands was allowed and paid.
All these papers, records, and statements relating to his war commission, carefully preserved, are stored in the barn at his late residence.
In 1868, he was elected Alderman for the Third Ward, and reelected in 1869. The ward then comprised all the territory between Locust and Center streets west of Des Moines river.
In 1870, the Legislature passed an Act providing for the erec- tion of the new Capitol. An appropriation of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars was made to begin the work, and a Board of Commissioners was elected to carry out the provisions of the Act. The Colonel was one of the Commissioners, each of whom had to give a bond to the state in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, that he would honestly perform his duties. Work was commenced at once, and on a cold, rainy day, November Twenty-third, 1871, the corner-stone was laid with elaborate and appropriate ceremonies, and the foundation finished for the erection of the superstructure.
In 1875, the Capital City Gas Light Company was organized, and a charter obtained from the City Council. The Colonel was
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elected President of the company, and on the evening of September Twenty-third, 1876, the city was first lighted by that company, and has continued its service to the present day.
In 1878, the city had grown so as to encroach largely on the territory of Des Moines and Lee townships, little being left of them. The Legislature was appealed to for relief, and an Act was passed providing that where a city of the first class embraced parts of two or more townships, an Alderman-at-Large should be elected to rep- resent such township. Under this Act, the Colonel was elected Alderman-at-Large to represent Des Moines Township.
While associated with Ingham in various official undertakings, the Colonel was so well pleased with him, a business partnership was formed, and when the old Savery House (Kirkwood) was sold under a mortgage, it was purchased by Ingham and the Colonel, stripped of all its contents, the rotunda and business offices removed from the second floor to the ground floor, and the whole interior remodeled. The name was changed to "Kirkwood," in honor of the old War Governor. The Colonel retained his interest in it until 1889, when he sold it back to Ingham.
In 1880, when the City Water Works passed from Polk & Hub- bell to a joint stock company, the Colonel was made President of the company.
The Colonel was, to the masses, serene, taciturn, and frigid. Few knew him intimately, but those who did, socially and in busi- ness, found him gracious and companionable. He had a warm side to those who got next it. He was a fast friend. He was kind and charitable to the poor, to whom he made liberal contributions. He also gave generously to churches and other worthy objects, and always with the request that the source should be unknown to the beneficiaries. He disliked newspaper publicity of his doings, and the reporter who attempted to "pump" him very quickly discovered his aversion to it.
He took great interest in civic affairs, and his oft-repeated elec- tion to public office evidences the public faith in his honesty and integrity.
Politically, the Colonel was a Republican. He took an active advisory part in politics, but never sought public office, yet for
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nearly twenty years he was a public servant, and during the war period did the state notable, conscientious service. He was intensely patriotic, and strongly desired to enlist in the army, but his age precluded it. When the news came of the assassination of Presi- dent Lincoln, the city was intensely excited. Hurried preparations were made for public expression of its sadness and sorrow. The Mayor requested that all public offices, office buildings, and private residences be appropriately draped. A mass meeting was held in the Court House Square, on Sunday, attended by an immense crowd of people. Eloquent addresses were made by Frank W. Palmer, John A. Kasson, J. A. Williamson, and others, the meet- ing closing with a benediction by the venerable pioneer and beloved first rector of the Episcopal Church, the Reverend Doctor Peet. The pastors of all the churches, at their morning service, except one, gave heartfelt expression of sympathy for the Nation's great loss. Some devoted the entire service to the event. At the Episco- pal Church, the rector, John E. Ryan, conducted the regular serv- ice. At the close of his sermon, he asked the attention of the audi- ence for a moment, and said that, as a Christian minister and patriot, he would not do his duty if he omitted to mention the dis- tressing event of Saturday, but he had many times declared his pulpit should never be profaned to the preaching of politics. He would not, on the one hand, carp at the measures of the administra- tion, nor on the other eulogize the virtues of the late Executive. There was instant expression of indignation at the mockery of the incident, and the audience dispersed in discomfiture. The next day, when vestrymen the Colonel, Hoyt Sherman, "Dan" Finch, and others met to make preparations to drape the church, which was a small frame standing on Seventh Street between Walnut and Locust, where the Younker store now is, they were informed the rector had refused to permit the church to be opened for such pur- pose. The doors were forced, and the interior elaborately draped. The rector soon after left the city.
During the later years of his life, the Colonel retired from act- ive business, having become quite wealthy. He died in September, 1889.
September Third, 1905.
JUDGE WILLIAM MCKAY
A PIONEER of Des Moines who took an active and influen- tial part in the formative period of the town was Major William McKay, a graduate of a Kentucky military school, hence his title. He came in February, 1846, while the soldiers were here, and while Fort Des Moines was under military control, but considerably relaxed, settlers having been permitted to come in and take residences as best they could. He was a young man of culture, courtly manners, genial and attractive. He soon gained public attention, and was considered a very desirable acquisition to the little hamlet just entering into civic life. The entire popula- tion did not exceed one hundred, but was increasing rapidly.
The buildings were of log construction, and comprised those used by the soldiers of the garrison-it was not strictly a "fort." They extended from the "Point," at the junction of the rivers, one along Raccoon as far west as Fifth Street, and one along the Des Moines as far as Walnut Street. One of them stood in the rear of the old Demoin House, near Walnut, as late as 1869, and was occupied by "Uncle Tommy" French, a bachelor, a good carpenter, a good man, a good fisherman, who supplied his friends with the best of his catch.
The barrack buildings were quickly filled, and other cabins added.
At the first election in the county, on April Sixth, 1846, a Board of County Commissioners was elected, who had control of all county affairs. At the first meeting of the Board, April Thir- teenth, the Major was elected Clerk of the Board, and soon after was appointed County Agent, and directed to sell at auction the houses, rails, and other property which the Government had trans- ferred to the county. The sale was made July Sixteenth, and was a welcome event. Many families were living in tents, or "doubled up" in cabins, and they were anxious to get into better quarters,
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